Notes:

A Grá - My Love (Gaelic)

Anam Cara - Soul Friend/Mate (Gaelic)

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

Inanna - pinnacle of Asari blending, perfect unity of two spirits into one (from 'real world' Sumerian Goddess of Love, Fertility, and War)

Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)

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

Politics and Promises

Prothean Ship, Matano, Maroon Sea – 9 Sep 2190

Though the evening spent on the Freedom was fun, it was torture in its own way. Venting the Prothean ship had worked, so while Liara and the commandos spent time visiting with Shepard and the frigate crew, the ground teams from the Liberation had gone in to check the status of the derelict vessel. They quickly realized the venting process had been completely successful, with the eezo levels dissipating as anticipated, which meant the ship would be ready for boarding in a matter of hours.

Of course, the main problem was that no one but Shepard or Liara could decode the text on the entry door panel to gain access, so they had to wait until the captain was up and about with a full medical clearance. With the excitement of having discovered a Prothean ship, wrecked or not, the delay was excruciating, so when Shepard finally got the go-ahead, the ground crew members from both corvettes were waiting at the side of the ship, anxious and ready, when she arrived.

{It seems your arrival has been eagerly anticipated, Siame.} Though Liara had returned to the Aletheia with her Personal Guard, a loving and eager smile still crossed her face, directed at her bondmate. {I cannot say I blame them. This could be the biggest discovery we have made since discovering the Protheans actually survived into our time!}

{Then let's not keep them waiting, shall we?} With that, Shepard placed her hand upon the interface, activating it and tapping in the appropriate commands, resulting in the vessel's hatch sliding quietly into its pocket. Having detected zero life signs didn't mean the ship's interior was safe, by any means, so they entered with the utmost caution, scanning for any active weaponry or defensive systems.

Finding none in the immediate vicinity, they began… vigilantly… to make their way forward in the ship, primarily in search of the Bridge or Flight Deck, but happy to take in whatever it was they may discover along the way. The ship's design appeared to be somewhat similar to Turian ships. {You would hate this, Liara… not a smidge of wasted space. No gardens, no airy passages. Nothing but tight metal corridors with barely enough room for two people going in opposite directions to pass. Very… utilitarian.}

{Then I am glad to not be there, Siame. From our end, the good news is that none of the biomass readings have changed… nothing is moving, either toward or away from you.}

Shepard chuckled. {Well, that's good to know. I guess we'll find out soon enough, as we're closing on the first set of readings. I'll remain wide open to you, so you can see what I see… should you desire to do so.}

{I am with you, Shepard. Always.}

Liara sat back in her chair and closed her eyes, very purposefully ignoring the terminal in front of her so she could monitor Shepard's progress through the ship. As the ground team made their way to the first area, Liara felt her apprehension growing, as did Samantha, who promptly tried to ease the concerns of her Anam Cara. {Easy there, Blue. It's going to be fine… there's nothing alive on this ship. The silence of death is deafening.}

{But that is exactly what I fear; that you find nothing but death and our chances of finding the Protheans alive and well dissipates more and more with each failed discovery.} Liara drew a deep breath, feeling time slip away with a growing urgency. {We must locate them sooner, rather than later, or we may be too late to save the race. Perhaps we'll manage to save a few hundred individuals, only to see the race die out anyway – just as we are watching the final days of the Batarian race – because there are insufficient numbers to support a rebirth of their peoples.}

{Stay positive, Li. We're not done yet. This is just the beginning.}

Liara had to smile at the memories Shepard's statement evoked. {That is not the first time you have said similar words to me, Siame.}

{But I can always hope it will be the last.} Samantha chuckled softly as a smirk crossed her face. {Are you ever going to stop doubting me?}

At that, Liara scoffed, then let herself laugh as well. {I guess I deserved that one, didn't I? Yes, I suppose I should have more faith in you; you have yet to fail me, so are most undeserving of my continuing uncertainty.}

Shepard felt the positive change in Liara's mood and smiled. {That's my girl.} She then paused for a moment before reading the sign posted on the door, speaking aloud so everyone on the team could hear. "Executive Officer suite… with the captain's cabin beyond. First stop for any and all visitors and, I suppose, we should be no different."

The team entered the compartment; an oppressive silence immediately enveloped the team as they saw who they assumed to be the XO and the Captain of the ship. They were sitting in the captain's office, a bottle of something on the table before them, with tumblers lying on the deck where they'd fallen by the sides of their chairs. Shepard approached slowly and picked up a datapad from its resting place on the small table between the two officers. "They did this on purpose… to prevent the pirates from boarding and possibly capturing anyone aboard." After a cursory inspection of the data display, she continued, "There is a complete passenger manifest here, Liara. They were transporting colonists… civilian scientists… and…" Here, she paused and closed her eyes, whispering, "And the future of the Prothean race… pregnant females, carrying the next generation of warriors. His last words on the memo read 'and we die with dignity to protect the lives of all those who still remain.'"

Shepard couldn't tell who, but one of the commandos broke the stunned silence with a reverent whisper, "By the Goddess."

Liara drew a deep breath and spoke through a fleet-wide channel. "They performed the ultimate sacrifice to protect the rest… a sentiment that strikes very close to home. Just perhaps, we have more in common with the Protheans than we realize. This is a terrible discovery, yet it demonstrates hope because they are protecting others that may still live. Our hunt goes on."

"What do you want to do, Doctor T'Soni?" Shepard used her bondmate's expedition title for a reason, which Liara immediately recognized.

"We need to contact the Council, Captain, to inform them of the location of the Prothean vessel, and request they expedite a military research team here. In the meantime, we continue the search of the vessel to secure it as needed, so the research team can get straight to work upon their arrival."

"And then?"

"And then, we maintain a guard on the ship while we wait for the team to show up to ensure the ship does not fall into other… less desirable… hands."

"Understood, Liara." Shepard turned to the waiting commandos and continued, "You heard the good doctor; let's keep moving."

Prothean Ship, Matano, Maroon Sea – 11 Sep 2190

The teams had split up, very methodically searching every corridor and compartment contained within the hull of the ship, only to find no additional bodies – at least until they entered the Bridge and then again when they set foot in Engineering. In those locations, two members of the engineering team had stayed behind to bypass the core safeties and release the eezo, while two other crew members – Shepard guessed they must have been environmental systems controllers – bypassed the safety system to prevent the emergency venting, making the ship the death trap the T'Soni team had discovered.

Every last bit of data in the Bridge logs had been wiped by a complete system reset, leaving only the basic operating system which would, even by itself, be a military researcher's dream. The advanced systems tech was going to boost Council research by decades… and would have increased their understanding by even more, had they not already discovered so much knowledge from Reaper tech during the war.

Someone on the team located a stack of datapads and immediately handed them over to Shepard. Scanning though them, she realized they were manifest lists… for crew gear and cargo. The ship's hold had contained crate after crate of colonial supplies – various types of farming and manufacturing equipment, temporary shelters, and dry-ration foodstuffs; none of the latter – the foodstuffs – remained in the hold where they were standing.

Exactly what happened suddenly dawned in the captain's mind. "Liara! They didn't all die here! We've been through the entire ship and there are nowhere near enough bodies aboard to match the passenger listings. Another ship must have picked them up and the captain and a small portion of the crew remained aboard to scuttle this one!"

Liara suddenly felt the oppressive weight lift off her heart and she let out a deep sigh of relief. "Oh, thank the Goddess. But… why would they do that? Why would they not scuttle the ship remotely?"

"I don't know," Shepard replied, "but my guess would be either the attacking force was still in the vicinity, still hunting for them, so the Protheans unloaded what they could with the time they had and ran… or they simply needed to complete the necessary safety bypasses in person… or both." She paused for a moment, contemplating how that would have worked in the tiny, cramped crater where the ship was located. "But they still would have needed a second ship to pull off the emergency evac…"

Liara heard Shepard's thought process through the link and summarized the woman's thoughts. "So, they transferred what they could… and then, only the minimal crew necessary to ditch the damaged ship stayed aboard… sacrificing themselves so the other ship could escape and, possibly, to create the chance for another mission to return and salvage what equipment still remained aboard?" More a question to herself than a statement to the others, Liara paused to consider the options. She suddenly sat up in her chair, urgency in her voice. "Goddess, what have I done?"

Obviously knowing exactly where Liara's thoughts were traveling, Shepard responded, "Relax, Li. We'll call the Council again and update them. If the Protheans return for this ship, we'll make sure everything still aboard gets back to them. We'll make it clear that whoever the Council sends is to study the ship in place and is to not move the ship nor remove anything from it. You may also want to submit a formal House T'Soni petition for rights of salvage."

"But we're on a Council mission, so we are bound…"

"No, we are not," Shepard countered, cutting her off before she could go any farther with that line of thought. "We are on a privately funded University of Serrice expedition to research the Protheans and their disappearance. Only if we locate the Prothean survivors does the mission becomes two-fold; then we notify the Council that first-contact protocols need to be activated. Until that happens, you are leading this venture with no other obligations to the Council… and we made that very clear to them before we departed the CGC."

"But what about the Council law regarding all Prothean technology being shared?" Liara suddenly stopped and chuckled. "Never mind. This finding confirms there are survivors… negating Council ownership rights or control over any of it. Knowing now that at least a few Protheans survived…"

"Just call Tevos, Liara… secure channel, obviously." Shepard smiled and shook her head. "Let her figure out the political ramifications. But, given the survivorship issues, instead of salvage rights, can you claim some kind of House T'Soni right of stewardship, to ensure return of the property to the rightful owners, should we locate them?"

"That is an excellent idea, Shepard." Liara rose from her seat and began heading toward the secure communications terminal. "I'll do that immediately. Hopefully, I can catch the Council team before they leave the CGC."

Of everything that still remained aboard the ship, what Shepard found the most interesting, of course, was the armory. The weapons tech contained aboard the vessel was positively amazing, particularly to a military raised child who had been a weapons specialist since she was eight years of age. {This stuff is incredible, Li! The more powerful weapons are designed as Prothean-limited, requiring whatever it is that enables me to activate it, but other stuff? I think that if we can assemble them, any one of the commandos could pick one up and use it… and there is always a chance we could redesign some of this stuff without the integrated scanning locks.}

{What are you talking about, Shepard? I thought you said there were only a couple of weapons left behind…}

{I did, indeed! But I found a datapad that has all the schematics and training manuals! Talk about a find! This will enable our weapons specialists to get past some of the obstacles they encountered trying to reverse engineer some of these things!}

Shepard suddenly paused and chuckled. Liara had to wait only a moment for the thought to pass through the link before she joined in her laughter as Samantha spoke aloud, "No safeguards or user restrictions."

"Oh, Goddess! How do you remember that?"

Liara could feel the woman's grin spread even wider as Shepard replied, "You have to admit, it was a rather poignant moment in our relationship. I can't help but to remember that entire mission… the heartbreak of our initial reunion… ending in the moments that followed those comments. Our conversation then?" Shepard's humor shifted to adoration. "Those were the moments when I finally knew, in my heart, that we were going to make it, Liara."

Staying with the theme of the conversation, Liara could not help but reply, "Don't be a stranger, Shepard."

Shepard only had one response she could possibly make. "Small chance of that."

Liara immediately whispered, "Come back soon."

"We'll head back that way as soon as I make copies of these manuals… just in case." Shepard smiled softly. "I intend to sleep in our bed tonight, with you at my side, A Grá."

Matano, Maroon Sea, At Large – 12 Sep 2190

Following Liara's second call to the Council regarding the Prothean ship, certain members of the Council pitched a bit of what could only be referred to as childish tantrums. Liara had stood firm, submitting her formal request for stewardship of the Prothean property, reaffirming her intent to ensure all property located within the vessel was returned to its legal owners, citing the Council's own laws regarding return of pirated goods.

Tevos had an extremely difficult time keeping a professional appearance as Liara navigated Council edicts and used their own rules against them but managed to keep a 'strictly business' face on… at least until the meeting was over and she had retreated to her office. Then, she immediately placed a private call to the Aletheia.

"By the Goddess, Liara… that was brilliant!" Tevos chuckled, unable to keep the long-stifled grin off her face. "Councilor Valern is positively livid, being completely unable to get his hands on that ship tech! Executing the intellectual property rights clause was the best maneuver of the day."

"I know we can't pull back all the data and technology we've already spread to the edges of the galaxy or unlearn all we have from the war…" Liara started, but Tevos cut her off.

"No, we can't. But there was also no way we could have known the Protheans had found a way to avoid the cleansing… the complete extermination of their race, as was the repeated pattern of the Reapers. We now know the ancient machines only harvested those with advanced technology… we didn't know they spared anyone at all until near the end of the war and, after Javik, we certainly had no reasonable expectation to find any Protheans still alive."

"I still believe we will need to be prepared to offer some sort of compensation for taking their technology, don't you?"

"Yes," answered Tevos without any hesitation. "I do believe that will be taken care of by provisioning and materials supplies to support their budding colonies, once you locate them and we establish formal contact. I do want you to know I personally agree with the return of any cities they want to rebuild… within reason."

"What do you mean by… within reason?" Liara canted her head to the side with her question. She trusted Tevos completely, so was honestly curious about the attached disclaimer.

"Well… take, for example, the Krogan." Raesia smiled. "Post war, they demanded we grant them four planetary worlds for settlement… to support their 'explosive future growth' with the curing of the Genophage. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen." She shook her head dismissively. "Same with the Protheans. We will not return every city and every planet they once owned… which could, quite realistically, encompass the entire known galaxy… and possibly more, with the extent of their technology. Who knows how far they may have traveled in their time. They no longer need all of that to support their current, greatly reduced, population."

"I agree," answered Liara, quite seriously. "And the Protheans will also have to realize their status has changed. I would not go so far as to claim, 'to the victor goes the spoils,' but the current races have established themselves in this time period and cannot… will not… go back to how things were 50,000 years past." Liara shrugged noncommittally. "And I would like to think the Protheans would not expect such a thing after having gone into hiding instead of coming to fight at our sides. Perhaps this is an opportunity to truly intermingle our races… to shake off the limitations of declared homeworlds and truly become a united people under the Council."

"Ha!" Tevos smiled and added, "That's your relationship with Shepard shining through; a very welcome race blindness, judging on actions… or inactions, as the case may be… instead of what planet we hail from. Do not get me wrong," she continued quickly. "I do not disagree with that interpretation in the slightest, but I cannot imagine everyone being very supportive of such a concept."

"No," noted Liara. "But we can always hope… and we both realize just how powerful hope can be. With that said, I, too, realize we are of similar mind, both professionally and personally, which always makes things between us just that much easier."

"Absolutely, my dear Liara," Tevos' smile faded as she continued, "So, that does bring me to my next announcement – the final Council proclamation. Given the issues of intellectual property which you raised in-session, the Council sees no benefit to sending a team all the way to Matano, seeing as they cannot take and utilize any information they may find. So… they demand that you either salvage the ship yourself and store it for the Protheans, if and when you find them, or you abandon the claim; the entire Council will not aid you under the current limitations."

"Please, let me finish." Tevos held a hand up to stall the retort she knew was forthcoming from Liara. "You do, however, have friends on the Council… both the Krogan and the SILC came to me after the session to offer assistance, privately, apart from the Council. This is the true purpose of my call; you should contact Jara and Huulik to make whatever arrangements will suit."

"If they are willing to help, then who voted against?" Liara asked, curious.

"The Turians and Salarians, with the Elcor following the Salarians, feeling obligated to support who they now see as their 'host' race, because of Tolern's great work on their genetic diversity, to stabilize their genome and ensure their survival." She sighed softly. "Believe it or not, everyone else abstained, claiming they had conflicts of interest between Council interests and personal debts to you and Shepard, so could not, in good faith, vote without bias."

Liara shook her head, quickly doing the math. "So, the vote was tied… which results in the Council doing nothing." She drew a deep breath before asking, "What are the plans regarding giving the junior council members voting power equivalent to the primaries? All voting power being equal would have resulted in the passing of the measure."

"That will be some time in coming, yet, I'm afraid," answered Rae. "They need to contribute forces to the Council, equivalent to their respective populations… and the Turians and Salarians are making that quite difficult."

"What? How?" Liara's brow wrinkled in her attempt to understand.

At that point, Shepard stepped up and placed her hand in the hollow of Liara's back, answering the question. "Because they've started an arms-race the other races can't afford to enter. The Turians and Salarians are rebuilding their fleets and adding more ships to the Council Defense Fleet every month… while people like the Quarians are stripping theirs down, to build homes and get established on Rannoch. The Elcor are too low in numbers to commit anything to the Council, especially to meet Turian percentages… and, I imagine, the Rachni are in the same category." She shook her head in disgust. "And, I hate to say it, but Dominic is a pawn to the whims of the Defense Council… which, according to my mother, has started to lean, once again, toward becoming very Human-centric."

Liara caught the drift of Shepard's answer and continued on her own. "And that only leaves the Krogan and the SILC… both of whom have Council-aggressive histories, where joining an arms race is the last thing anyone wants them to do… strictly because of the fear of what they could become with too much military might."

"Exactly," answered Tevos. "So, as long as the Krogan and SILC remain handcuffed by the past's political realities, we have basically established a stalemated Council for any borderline or sensitive issues."

"Makes me wonder if we want to find the Protheans…" The Human woman glanced at Liara as she said those words aloud.

Tevos looked at her in shock. "Why in the Goddess' name would you say that, Shepard?"

Liara looked at the Councilor, catching Sam's thread through the link. "Because everything we know of their history, everything the survivors of the extinction event have known… has been dominated by military power and war."

"Oh, Goddess," whispered Tevos. "Then let us hope the survivors have a more balanced political view than relying on what I see as their failed policies. After years of fighting, don't you think they might be ready for peace?"

Shepard shrugged. "One can only hope… but we won't know for sure until we find them."

"And we can only do what is within our power to do." Liara gave a quick nod of affirmation before she finished, "Which means giving Huulik and Jara a call as soon as possible, to determine our course of action and try to start our new relationship with the Protheans off in a mutually beneficial direction."

"May the Goddess be with you both on your path forward." Tevos offered up a smile as she finished, "And know that both of you are in Sha'ira's and my thoughts, every day. Please, be careful and return home safely."

"Always," answered a smiling Shepard, just before the connection went dark.

Liara looked at Shepard, her concern radiating through the link, making Shepard step closer and wrap welcome arms around her as she asked, "Do you honestly believe that, Shepard… or is it simply your military side preparing your psyche for a worst-case scenario?"

Shepard gave a gentle squeeze. "You already know the answer to that, Blue. I believe the survivors are scientists, and that makes me think about the Cerberus scientists we rescued. Had it not been for Jacob and our timely arrival, they would have all been either captured or killed… so, you are correct in your assumption. Hope for the best, plan for the worst."

"I'm glad." Liara closed her eyes and melted into the woman's embrace, enjoying the comfort and security she always found there, no matter what they may have waiting for them on the horizon. "I simply cannot even begin to imagine yet another war. The galaxy has seen enough to last multiple Asari lifetimes; I want our children to know peace and happiness."

"And they will, Liara." Shepard pushed back just enough to place her lips on what she expected to be Liara's cheek, but the Asari had other ideas.

Liara turned her head to intercept those red lips, entwining her fingers in the hair on the back of Shepard's head, kissing the woman for all she was worth. Her free arm snaked around Samantha's waist, holding the woman close as pangs of desire threatened to weaken the legs of them both, the link betraying the intense emotions suddenly making themselves known.

"Gods, Liara." Shepard whispered, her voice husky with desire. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were ready to have those kids right now… or start trying to make the first one at least."

"And you would be correct… if only I could, Siame." Liara squeezed the woman tighter, feeling almost as though she could pull Shepard into herself physically, just as they were mentally entwined, the transcendent blending of Inanna begging to come forth. "I can think of no better expression of our love, than to create a new life from the two of us… an embodiment of our unity."

"We need to return to our cabin, Anam Cara," Shepard exhaled quietly, barely able to make her vocal cords function under the surge of emotion that stole the rest of her breath away. {Now.} It would be hours later before they finally called Urdnot Jara and Prime Huulik.

Aletheia, Maroon Sea, At Large – 13 Sep 2190

"Our plan is to head to Chasca as soon as you get here and see what we can find over the next week or so and go from there. We do plan on being home for a couple of months, November and December, for the winter holidays, but after that? Who knows?" Liara smiled at her friends, concluding, "Only time will tell."

"We have an agreement, then." Jara flashed a toothy grin. "We will remove, package, and store all the loose personal items, and the SILC will protect and work on repairing the ship… at least to the point of being space worthy, if not better." She glanced at the machine intelligence by her side and continued, "And while the SILC will take the knowledge they gain during the ship's repair, the Krogan will be a bit more conventional, with House T'Soni paying for one-half of the construction of a twin-ship to the Huli, also completed by the SILC. Do I have that right?"

"Yes," answered Liara, without hesitation. "And, that payment to the SILC will come in the form of additional mining rights on Gellix, per the expansion of our current agreement with Co-governors Brek and Burns."

"Yes. The Consensus is in agreement," Huulik chimed in. "We are pleased to assist Captain Shepard and Doctor T'Soni in this quest and are satisfied with the level of compensation included in the contract."

"Thank you, both." Shepard gave a brief nod of her head. "And we look forward to seeing your teams here in a few days."

As the screen went dark, Liara turned to her, sensing a hesitation that Shepard hadn't mentioned. "You're afraid of something in that arrangement, Shepard. What is it?"

Letting out a long sigh, Shepard shook her head. "I'm just not sure the Protheans will thank us for having the SILC fix their ship and gain the knowledge of how all their defensive systems work… given their history with machines and the Metacon War."

Attempting to comfort her captain, Liara laid a hand on Shepard's forearm as she answered, "If Chadrak could understand the difference between that time and the SILC of the present, I am confident the living Protheans can as well, Siame. Though, it may require you letting them read you, as Chadrak did."

"I'll be happy to do so, if that's all it takes." Shepard shook off the invading thoughts and asked. "So, what do you want to do between now and then, Doctor? While we wait for our Krogan and SILC friends to show up?"

"Well… I have plenty of data to sort through from what we've collected already…" Liara paused, suddenly understanding what Shepard was getting at, the link betraying her thoughts. "But you want to take one of the frigates and make an initial run on Chasca!"

"Pretty much, yeah." Shepard chuckled. "Just some initial scans, figure out the status of the colonial seed teams, see if we can pinpoint any Prothean style signals…" She trailed off as Liara smiled, shaking her head in reluctant agreement.

"I do not want you to go… not while leaving me here… but I do understand your motivations." She sighed, her heart already aching over the pending separation. "I cannot deny your idea has merit, but that does not mean I have to like it. At the same time, I also see the definite advantages to you doing so." She gently stroked the arm under her hand. "It would maximize your productivity, while I work here, sifting through data and waiting for the support teams to arrive." She closed her eyes and dropped her chin to her chest, acquiescing. "I will not say no."

Shepard felt the pang of loneliness like a dagger, and they hadn't even separated yet, swaying her decision. "Or… we could just send one of the ships ahead to do the same; scanning the planet and talking to the colonists do not require knowing the Prothean language, do they?"

Overwhelmed by the adoration of her bondmate, tears of joy came to Liara's eyes. "You would stay behind, just to satisfy my desire to have you close?"

Shepard planted a quick kiss on a blue cheek, tasting the salt of her happy tears. "You are always my first priority, Liara. Everything I do is for our future so, if you want me here, then here I'll be. I have an armory full of weapons that could always use some attention." She paused, adding, "Daytime attention. My nights belong to you, Ionúin Álainn."

Freedom, Chasca Orbit, Matano – 15 Sep 2190

This time, the Freedom went forward, and the Liberation remained behind as the rear guard. Within moments of their arrival in orbit over Chasca, they picked up a distress signal from the planet's surface. Captain Jamika T'Ville immediately dispatched Team 1, under the command of Lieutenant Maylik Leli, to execute a combat drop and determine the veracity of the signal. "Ensure it is not a trap, May… We are quite aware of just how unpopular this mission is among certain factions." She sighed and added, "And, for that very reason, I am relieved that Captain Shepard did not accompany us on this mission. I would not want to be the one having to explain that to Lady Liara."

"Are you kidding? If there's a fight to be had, Shepard's gonna be angry she missed it," May grinned. "Fortunately, there's nothing odd about the signal at all… all the appropriate colonial tags are validating across the boards. Unfortunately, it seems they have a legitimate emergency… so, I'm happy to be leading the assistance team.'

Seeing the look on the captain's face, she continued, "But, yes, Jam… We'll treat this as a potential hostile action and will go in with the proper care. You know Kala is one of the best infiltrators out there… and I will use her to her fullest. I promise we'll be cautious and safe."

Relieved, at least a little bit, Jamika smiled. "Thank you, May. Goddess be with you… and stay in contact."

"Understood, Captain. Launching in five."

Chasca, Matano, Maroon Sea – 15 Sep 2190

Kala Heris located the distress beacon with ease, noting a small encampment surrounding it, the relatively small Human group obviously on high alert. She withdrew and returned to their landing site with the news. "There's definitely something going on… and would advise we contact them over the emergency broadcast channel. I do not believe they would welcome us simply showing up, unannounced."

"So, the people there match the team profiles?"

"Perfectly. This is Survey Team 3… or, at least, ten of them, as I don't know how large the teams are… and they are very obviously scared. I'm not a sensitive and even I could feel it." Kala shivered involuntarily. "Whatever has happened is most definitely not good." Shaking her head, Lieutenant Leli immediately called in and reported the findings.

Captain T'Ville listened to the report and frowned. "Good job. Now, hold your position while we make the call and see if we can figure out what happened."

May sat quietly, her team on edge with the news, while they waited for the return call from the ship's captain. When it came, she was relieved by the news that they would not be going in alone. Jamika had made the call to the survey teams herself, to be informed that only Teams 2 and 3 remained accounted for. Team 4 had sent out an attack warning… a signal interrupted after only seven or eight seconds… before vanishing without a trace, Teams 1 and 5 disappearing shortly after, with no further communications being received.

"Whoever we're dealing with is very efficient… so we have to extract Teams 2 and 3 as quickly as possible. We are in constant communication with them both and Team 3 is expecting you. We are dispatching Lynea's squad to grab Team 2 before something happens to them, as well. Understood?"

May nodded, seeing the looks of determination from her team. "Copy all, Captain. We're already moving. See you in less than twenty… or something has gone terribly wrong."

With both commando teams back and both survey teams safely aboard ship, Jamika breathed a sigh of relief. Once she talked to the team leaders, however, her reprieve became short-lived. "What do you mean, you located an established colony?"

"I didn't… at least not me, personally." Jeremey Hinckley, Team 2 Lead, let out a sigh. "Team 4 did… and it strikes me as a rather uncomfortable coincidence that they were the ones attacked first, less than two days after their discovery."

"That does seem a bit odd, doesn't it?" Jamika glanced at the bridge crew, seeing the same suspicion in all their eyes. "So, any idea where the colony came from… or why you weren't notified about their arrival?"

"No idea… but I can tell you they weren't there in any official capacity, that's for sure. We had been getting regular updates from the recruiting center and they hadn't said anything to us. Matter of fact, they told us a new group of colonists was still likely a year away." The Team 3 Lead, Vashti Campanaro, scoffed. "I imagine it's another inconvenient coincidence, that this new group seemed to appear around the same time we lost our satellite connection to the center. We haven't received an update in two weeks… and that has never happened in the seven years we've been here."

"Well, we have other methods of communication… so we can pass this along the appropriate channels for you." Jamika paused as she considered just how much to tell them. Oh, why not. It's not like the expedition is a big secret. Sighing, she added, "We're here with Captain Shepard and Lady Liara T'Soni, as part of a Prothean archaeological expedition, so we have semi-direct access to the Council. This is within Earth Alliance space, so I feel the need to pass this via the Asari Councilor to Dominic Osoba. What do you think?"

"Personally?" Jeremey answered, "I would love to get some Alliance protection out here, given the latest developments; at least long enough to figure out what the hell is going on and get these bad actors off our planet and out of our space, no matter who they may be."

"Agreed," added Vashti. "Normally, I would be opposed to any form of military interference but, in this case, I do believe I would rather have a little bit of intervention than be unable to complete my mission here without ending up dead." Her eyes lit with an inner fire as she finished, "Quite honestly? Me dying here would be a rather unacceptable mission conclusion for me."

Even as serious as the discussion was, Jamika had to appreciate the small, Indo-Asian woman's wry humor. Her face held the trace of a smile as she replied, "Then I will contact Lady Liara and Captain Shepard immediately, to explain the situation and see what they want to do. Unless you are opposed, you are welcome to remain here as our guests until we get word."

Jeremey laughed in nervous relief. "Thank you! I have to admit, I was a bit concerned over what your plan for us was. Last thing I want to do is to be dragged back to Sol, tail tucked between my legs, our mission a complete failure… and, given the current situation, returning to the planet right now isn't exactly on my list of good ideas, either."

Jamika stood and smiled at the man, seeking to reassure him. "We would never do something opposed to your wishes, Mr Hinckley. Even if you did ask us to return you to the planet's surface – however crazy such an idea would be – we would honor your request."

"No worry there, Captain. My entire team is in your debt…" He suddenly frowned, adding, "I believe the Asari would refer to it as a Debt of Life, because I have no doubt you saved us from being next. I hate to admit it, but I do not believe anything good is currently happening to the members of the missing teams, assuming they are even still alive. My bottom line is to say thank you… and to let you get on with whatever you think best to bring this horrible situation to some resolution, hopefully sooner rather than later."

Jamika reached across the table in a very Human fashion, to shake the man's hand. "It is our pleasure to serve, and I'll have more information for you soon, I promise."

17