Notes:

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

Kaffe - equatorial Thessian vine, seeds of which are used to produce a non-alcoholic beverage of same name, taste described as a mix of coffee and chocolate (Thessian; Source: CDN)

A Dream and a Plan

Záhrada S'Vatyne Resort, Sanves, Athena Nebula – 4 Nov 2190

As the matriarch delivered the happy news and wrapped Zan in a loving hug – an embrace such as only a mother could deliver – Livos emerged from the background and waited patiently for Zan to regain her bearings. Eventually, Marisha pushed back, holding Zan out at arm's length. "Go now, Daughter. Enjoy your party." Glancing to the side, she smiled and whispered, "There are others who care to congratulate you on your new family status."

Zan looked around at the throng of people gathered for the party, finally catching sight of Livos as her partner worked her way towards her through the crowd. With silver fire dancing in her eyes, Zan strode directly to her amantia and asked very pointedly, "Did you know about this?"

Liv's grin was replaced with laughter. "No, I did not… at least not until you vanished into the hallway after being summoned to the Matriarch's office. It was mere moments later when Eva came knocking on the door to tell me what was going on and…" She half turned while raising her arms wide to encompass everything around her as she continued, "… whisk me into a waiting shuttle to bring me here. A completely unexpected surprise, yes? But I think it is one you fully welcome, unless I have completely misread your expression."

"Oh, most definitely, Liv." Zan shook her head, a smirk on her face. "Even so, I will also admit that, as soon as I realized what was happening, I held a firm belief you were involved in the planning of this surprise." She held a hand up to stop her lover's indignant protest. "But… I do believe your version of the story. I now know this is all the Matriarch's doing; she… confessed." Zan grinned at her own word choice but could think of nothing better to describe it.

Livos laughed and looped her arm through Zan's. "Well, then… come on! You're missing your own birthday party!"

"Personally?" Zan shrugged as they walked. "I think all this is a bit much… and I would have declined the offer had it been presented."

"Of course, you would… which is exactly why the Matriarch didn't ask you. It's her way of presenting you to the House in your new roll. Position? I'm not even sure what to call it or how to phrase it. What I do know is that the Matriarch loves you… very much." Liv gave her arm a squeeze as they moved into the group of well-wishing celebrators. "Anyway… I know you like your quiet time, especially when that time is spent in the whispering woods, with no noise but the songs of the birds, and the sound of gentle breezes stirring the trees."

Zan stopped and gave Liv an odd look. "You have a bit of a poet within you, Livos Tanni, hidden by that tough commando exterior. How did I not know that?"

"Maybe I'm just inspired by the day." Livos smiled softly. "I have to admit, while I had nothing to do with the creation of the idea of having a party to celebrate your formal adoption, I fully support the notion. We need causes to celebrate… to help us remember that we have a new lease on lives that are very much worth living."

"My, you are inspired today." Zan changed the direction of their path through the crowd, dragging Livos along with her. "Come on… talk about inspiration! I see a table with Kaffe and Tupo cake!"

Council Hall, CGC, Widow System – 5 Nov 2190

It was late Friday afternoon when Liara and Shepard received a message from Tevos, requesting their immediate presence in the Council's meeting chambers, for a closed session with the entire Council, the duo of T'Soni-Shepard, and the full contingent of Protheans. Once everyone had arrived, Councilor Valern stood to address them.

"I understand the three days everyone just spent awaiting our decision must seem like a long time, so I will get straight to the point." With his attention focused on the Protheans, he continued, "We have, of course, agreed to accept your petition for membership but, same as with any other race who has petitioned, as well as any who may petition in the future, there are certain requirements you will have to meet, along with a minimum time period for evaluation, to ensure you are earnest in your intent to be a productive member of our grand coalition of peoples. We will forward those requirements to you via our newest appointed representative…"

Valern paused to wave at someone standing out of sight before turning back to the Prothean contingent. "It is my pleasure to introduce the first Council Ambassador to the Prothean People… Furant Colis."

A rather tall, upright-postured Salarian stepped into view, making his way confidently to center stage. Giving the Protheans a quick nod, he began. "Furant Colis, at your service. An engineering scientist by trade, I initially served in the Salarian military during the war, where I first learned of your people being in the present day, when news of Commander Javik's discovery was reported. Then, once the Crucible Project was initiated, I was reassigned to help build it. I believe I was selected because my grasp of advanced technological knowledge is unrivaled and, by nature, I am able to work long hours with minimal sleep. Both are skills and traits which will be essential to the successful establishment of initial relations between our people. I am prepared for the many and varied tasks that will come along with the very demanding and extremely time-consuming assignment as your ambassador."

He relaxed his shoulders – almost imperceptibly – and a smile appeared for a moment before he began anew. "I am looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you. What we do not know we will figure out together, in the most efficient manner possible, to complete your requirements for official membership on the Council. I also eagerly await our exchanges of technology, and…" Here he paused, taking a moment to look toward Liara and Shepard as he continued, "probably very much like you, I will enjoy having the opportunity to work side-by-side with the likes of Doctor T'Soni and Captain Shepard. We have much to talk about and I am sure all of you have many questions, so I leave it to you as to whether you want to take a break from all of this or would prefer to press on and work through this first weekend."

"We have just been on a three-day break while the Council debated who would take the position of Ambassador." Jorè rose from his chair as he spoke. "We are prepared to move ahead… and my very first question is in what official capacities will Doctor T'Soni and Captain Shepard serve, seeing as you mentioned working at their side?"

"Ah, yes, of course." Another broad smile flashed across Furant's face. "They have been granted the positions they requested. For reasons that truly need no explanation, Doctor T'Soni will be my Cultural Attaché and Captain Shepard will serve as my Military Attaché." Looking to Shepard, a bit tongue-in-cheek, he added, "A Human who is unsurpassed in military diplomacy, and not always at the point of a gun. Having been an armed scientist during the war, I can appreciate the juxtaposition of the abilities she will bring to my staff."

"Excellent," responded Jorè. "However, today has already passed us by, so where and when shall we meet in the morning to begin our negotiations? I assume the Council has already designated a suitable location for us to begin our discussions."

"You are correct; they have. Come with me, and I will show you the conference area we will be using during our time here, for the duration of our stay on the CGC." He stepped down off the stage and headed toward the left-hand door. "As soon as we can relocate people to Ilos and get temporary facilities set up, we will be moving to the new location in the Pangea Expanse and join them. I anticipate at least two weeks before the Council and I have the entire embassy staff selected, giving us plenty of time to get a forward team out there to set up the temporary housing."

As the Protheans rose to join Ambassador Colis, Aelia spoke for the first time. "Our build up will likely be slower than that, as we have an adult population of only 160… with 142 children to watch over. I am not sure how we will manage the initial move. The last time we relocated there were less than 50 children, and we had a workforce of 100… this time, we will have only 50 or 60 available adults. How do we rebuild a city with that?"

"We can get you the workers…" smiled Shepard. "We can discuss the options tomorrow, once we sit down at the table and begin our formal negotiations."

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 8 Nov 2190

"Thank the Goddess you're back!" Lyria Tremi vaulted out of the chair and practically ran to Livos, wrapping her in a welcoming hug. "I did not sign up for this shit!"

Laughing, Livos retuned the embrace before pushing back and asking, "Not exactly the easy dream job everyone thinks it is, is it?"

"Dream job? Never expected it to be… but I also never thought I'd be the one sitting in the chair when Matriarchs Mozia and Aethyta arrive to tell us to start thinking about a temporary relocation… to Ilos!"

"Ilos? What the…?" Liv blinked and gave her head a couple of quick shakes, trying to clear the blur of the weekend party from her head. "What are you saying? Ilos?"

"Yes! Ilos!" Lyria walked to the big, cushy chair in front of the desk and unceremoniously plopped down into the seat. "The Council has begun appointing a staff for the new Prothean Embassy… on Ilos… and Lady Liara has been selected as their Cultural Attaché – at her own request, I might add – and Shepard is now the Military Attaché… even after the long discussion they both had with Mozia and Aethyta. I thought the Matriarchs had convinced them to not take any jobs! So, we're moving to Ilos for at least two years… A minimum of two years, Liv!"

Livos moved to her desk and sat down while Lyria ranted about Liara and Shepard's apparent new employment. Staring at the interim captain, she began to chuckle.

"What's so damned funny about having to move to that nasty planet?" Lyria looked at Liv as if she had lost her mind. "It's a super-hot and muggy jungle, with more than ten times our standard air pressure! The air quality is complete crap, with violent storms and lightning-caused wildfires, so it's constantly smoky and smells… burnt! It will practically require living in enviro-suits full time… and will obviously necessitate the construction of multiple Shroud facilities – three, at a minimum. Even so, it will still be years before the planet becomes anything I would consider even remotely habitable!"

"Take a deep breath, Lyria. Aethyta told her to not take the job as Ambassador. Did you honestly think Lady Liara would walk away from the Protheans completely?" Liv settled back into her desk chair and smiled, happy to be home, even if she had returned to a cranky second-in-command. "It won't be as bad as all that, Lyria… trust me. Lady Liara won't be moving the entire House to Ilos. It will be her, Shepard and whatever staff they select."

Livos shrugged and, after a moment's consideration, continued. "I imagine the Personal Guard will go with her and, if necessary, we will rotate between the other five squads… for two or three months at a time… to provide a back-up team. So, you'd go for three months and not have to go back again for a year. It's not the end of life as we know it, Lyria, and besides… it's with the Protheans! I mean, seriously? How fantastic is that? We have a chance to go live with the people who provided the Crucible tech we needed to defeat the Reapers! I'll wager they have better tech than what's currently in the Shroud, and the planet will clean up a whole lot faster than you think it will, with them actually living there again. I mean, they've got to have some pretty awesome equipment, don't you imagine? Think about the barrier shields and particle rifles! That's some amazing gear, there… stuff we could previously use, but not figure out how to reverse engineer. Maybe, now, we'll be able to learn how to manufacture them ourselves."

"Alright… you make some good points," pouted Lyria. "But it's still a nasty, hot jungle." She shivered involuntarily, "Probably with lots of nasty bugs and creepy crawly things… lots worse than anything we have in the woods surrounding us here."

Hearing that, the newly returned Captain Tanni couldn't help but begin laughing all over again, much to Lyria Tremi's absolute disgust.

Council Hall, CGC, Widow System – 12 Nov 2190

The newly assembled negotiations team worked through the weekend and, by the following Friday afternoon, had an initial proposal to submit to the Council.

First on their list – beyond a tailored colonial kit – were Krogan engineers, their résumés consisting of photos from Urdnot Bakara, outlining the post-Reaper war progress made on Tuchanka, as well as Grunt's amazing work in Dhazil, on Garvug.

Second were the Quarians, whose enviro-suit and environmental filter and conditioning expertise were also considered as necessary ingredients for, at the very least, their short-term success.

Of some surprise, the Prothean team had no issues with the SILC either, saying the evidence of their cooperation in the war against the Reapers, combined with the recovery and repair work they completed on the damaged Prothean expedition vessel, was testament enough of their trustworthy conduct. That, and the trust Shepard and Liara placed in them as steadfast allies, cemented their position as part of the colony construction team and, potentially, a continuing work force after the initial build-out was complete. With their computational and memory capabilities, they would be perfect for the categorization and organizational storage of any discovered relics. Liara was absolutely thrilled when she considered all the possibilities in that area.

What the Protheans offered in return turned out to be the biggest surprise of the entire negotiation process. In addition to the technology share they had already agreed to, the Protheans also proposed to create a joint effort with Tolern Solus to help the Batarian race survive the deleterious effects of the war on their race… which, in their minds, included the destruction of Bahak and the subsequent loss of its 304,942 inhabitants they had witnessed in Shepard's memories. Here, Jorè paused in his presentation of what he and his team had decided on, looking to Shepard as he spoke of what he called an unavoidable tragedy.

He was grave as he began telling the story. "We, too, had to commit such an atrocity in our attempt to save the galaxy. I do not believe Commander Javik told you much of the Zha'til… or explained the very reason he so feared your alliance with the Geth. The Zha'til were symbiotic AIs that had been created by a race called the Zha, in order to keep themselves alive as conditions on their dying homeworld deteriorated. Those AIs were eventually subjugated by the Reapers, who subsequently formed them into large, self-replicating, hostile mechanical swarms; a swarm that no longer had any true intellectual ties to the Zha, and which could replicate themselves faster than we could kill them."

He stopped and drew a deep breath, dropping his head in shame as he continued. "Eventually, we were forced to obliterate the Zha'til entirely… with the only means available to us. We launched a volley of extremely powerful thermo-nuclear weapons into the star of the Zha's home system… sending the star into supernova. The resultant explosion was very much like the one generated by sending that asteroid into the Mass Relay within Bahak. Both cataclysms destroyed everything… and everyone… within those systems."

He met Shepard's gaze as he finished. "At least the disaster in Bahak delayed the Reapers' appearance long enough to give you additional time to prepare… just enough time to finish the Crucible and fire it, finally ending the Reaper threat that had terrorized the galaxy since time unknown. We had no such success, no happy ending."

"Perhaps you did not win your war… but your actions against the Zha'til gained you critical time, time your people used well and which I think helped you be here today." Shepard met Jorè's eyes and gave him an understanding gaze. "Perhaps it was the time your scientists needed to reprogram the Keepers on the Citadel, which helped us stop Saren and Sovereign. It also gave you time to finish creating and seeding your information beacons across the galaxy; beacons with the data we needed to put together our war strategy… and build the Crucible. Your efforts, whatever form they took, were necessary to make this generation successful. We would not have succeeded without every bit of the help you provided.

"Thank you for that, Shepard. I do not know if that is all true, but it does have the potential to be factual, so I will hold those thoughts close." Jorè nodded solemnly before they all returned to the task at hand.

"All that aside, we believe the Batarians deserve a chance at a new beginning, no less than we do. We need workers and they need an opportunity to open businesses… legitimate businesses… to supplant their current raider and slave-trade livelihoods. We need workers now – mostly in construction and shipbuilding – but, once we are rebuilt, we will also need shop owners, crews for merchant fleets so we can begin trading, in earnest, with other worlds. With only a few hundred of us here, now, to restart our race… there will be too many job openings to count. Perhaps the Batarians share the same, basic needs and would be willing to give it a chance?"

Arick Vythan took over. "However, to find enough of the surviving Batarians willing to come forward, to build a database varied enough to create the required genetic diversity for their survival, we would need the Council's assistance. We would ask that the Council grant clemency – for past actions only – to any who would donate genetic material for a DNA bank, similar to the Prothean and Elcor projects. In essence, we need motivation for those Batarians to come forward, without fear of reprisal or retribution for their past crimes."

"That will be a difficult proposition, as many of the Council races have suffered at the hands of the Batarians." For the first time during the entire exchange, Ambassador Colis spoke against one of their proposals. "The Humans, in particular, suffered greatly once they were discovered, with their close proximity to Batarian-held space; two militaristic species constantly in conflict along their common border." He focused on Samantha as he continued. "You, in particular, saw the Batarian slavers in person, Shepard, on Elysium. How can you, personally, so easily forgive them, and agree to this proposal?"

Shepard looked at the Salarian who was to be the new Ambassador for the Prothean people and gave a very simple answer. "Because there is nothing to forgive. The Batarians who survived the Reaper War are not the Batarians from Elysium… So, I have a question for you." Shepard paused for a moment, trying to decide how to best ask her question. Her next words were spoken in a quiet, yet firm voice.

"The Krogan rebellions happened a thousand years ago yet, until the Reaper War, they were still being punished. If not for Mordin Solus, Urdnot Bakara, and me, that would, very likely, still be the case. Do you honestly believe punishing the new generations of Krogan for a millennium old conflict is fair?" Shepard paused and shook her head. "Before you answer, consider this; if Mordin hadn't managed to get them the cure, I imagine our war would have turned out quite differently. We wouldn't have pushed the Reapers back on Menae, much less Palaven. Neither the Krogan nor the Turians would have joined the fight. Shouldn't everyone who helped us be allowed to have a chance at the future we gained?"

"I see your point, Shepard." Furant nodded. "The Krogan of today are not those who fought in the Rebellions… and they certainly proved their current worthiness, or they would not have a seat on the Council." He paused for only a fraction of a second, processing the data and his options quickly. "Similarly, the Batarians of today came to our aid and fought in our war against the Reapers." His gaze shifted to Jorè. "I will do as you ask and take this to the Council as part of the overall package… and do my best to not draw undue attention to it. It will receive my support in equal measure. Is this your final request?"

Jorè glanced at his team and, receiving nothing more from any of them, responded, "It is."

"Then my task as Ambassador is clear." Furant looked to Liara and Shepard. "I believe this may go easier if we approach the Council together, with the two of you as my only, as of yet, Ambassadorial staff, to show we support these requested items as a united front." Looking back to the Protheans, he added, "You do realize it will be a long while before you have the population to support the required Council objectives?"

"Actually, no," answered Jorè, without pause. "According to the Council's own rules, the ships and soldiers are based on a percentage of each race's adult population. With our numbers so low, initially, we will only have to provide one ship and one crew to meet the requirements, with a promise to grow those numbers proportional to our population growth. The ship the SILC repaired was considered lost to us, so that boon will be turned over to the Council Fleet immediately after our relocation to Ilos. We will also send three crewmembers along with it, not just one, to train whoever is assigned to the ship. Consider it our first foray into our technology-share program."

Furant blinked quickly. "I do not believe the councilors will agree so easily on that meeting the requirements… but I cannot argue your logic. Perhaps your one-year evaluation period will truly only be one year, assuming I can convince the Council of the same." He suddenly flashed a grin. "Yes. Yes. With your minimalist approach to the reparations which I believe you are due, basically, for the unauthorized use of your technology – even if unintentional – I do believe I can leverage that to your benefit. We will, most certainly, forward all of your requests as our firm position… and not as a proposal open for debate. I will broach this topic with the Council first thing Monday morning, with Captain Shepard and Doctor T'Soni at my side. Enjoy your weekend here, knowing… come Monday… all of our futures will likely change immensely, with a huge step forward regarding Prothean Council membership."

Council Hall, CGC, Widow System – 15 Nov 2190

Furant Colis stood before the Council, he thought to be simply awaiting their decision regarding the terms of the Prothean proposal. Instead of the expected relieved agreement, he was verbally accosted. With a round of votes that fell almost entirely into the yes column, there was one dissenting vote. Councilor Quentius was beside himself regarding the – basically dictated – Prothean terms. "That's preposterous! How can you honestly believe we will fund the entire cost of the Prothean rebuild… and that they will be allowed full membership when only donating one ship and three crew to the cause? You are supposed to be the Council Representative to the Protheans, not the other way around!"

"I am, undoubtedly, a Council Representative." Colis was unflustered by the Turian Councilor's explosive outburst. "However, please consider… a single Spectre black widow sniper rifle costs 250,000 credits; to purchase the rights to build and market them is three billion. An Alliance dreadnought costs 100 billion credits to build, a Turian super-dreadnought costs 150, and the Destiny Ascension cost nearly 500 billion credits to construct… a decade ago. What do you think the equivalent worth is for the plans of a weapon of mass destruction capable of defeating the Reapers and saving all remaining life in the galaxy? Can you even begin to put a price tag on that?"

"But they forgave us that and asked us for nothing at our original meeting!"

Colis could tell he had rattled Quentius, so pressed his point. "Would you tip your hand before negotiations actually began? Before you had a chance to speak to your experts to decide exactly what you needed in order to rebuild your entire society?" Colis scoffed and shook his head. "I most certainly would not. Nor do I believe any of these requests are unreasonable. Quite the contrary. I thought them rather inexpensive, given the Prothean technology saved every living being still alive in the galaxy today. Do you not agree?"

His gaze wandered across all the Councilors as he asked, "What is the sum total of all your lives worth? How about all the lives in the galaxy? As a side note, the Protheans do not intend to rush the timeline for membership. They will stand by the Council-dictated one-year evaluation period and promise to expand the numbers of ships and people assigned to the Council Defense Force in accordance with their population growth, exactly like any prospective member of the Council is supposed to do. They are not asking for any exceptions to the terms of acceptance. My guess is they will gain membership long before someone the likes of the Hanar… much like the Humans met the requirements and joined us before either the Volus or the Elcor."

Knowing he was losing ground, Quentius looked to Shepard in a last-ditch effort to save his argument. "And what about you, Shepard? You know their history better than most… with your personal experience on Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz. What do you think of the proposal regarding the Batarians? Isn't that just asking for trouble in the future?"

"I'm all for it, Councilor… just like Primarch Victus was all in for getting the cure for the Genophage so he could get Krogan boots on Palaven during the war. No race can rise to a challenge that is never provided to them. This is an opportunity for the Batarians to become productive members of the Council, instead of the bane on our existence they have been in the past. If they fail, that will be on them… but, they joined in the war effort so, at the very least, I believe we owe them a chance to try to change."

Quentius stared at her for several moments before releasing a heavy sigh. "Fine. If no one will join me in objecting to this, I hereby withdraw my protest, and agree to the terms presented."

Tevos stood and glanced quickly across all three members of the Ambassadorial team standing before the Council. Settling her gaze on Furant, she announced, "Ambassador Colis. Please advise Colonial Administrator Jorè Lentos and the Prothean contingent that the Council accepts their proposal, in full, by unanimous decision."

"Thank you, Councilors, for your time and due consideration on these matters." With that, and a carefully controlled expression, newly appointed Ambassador Furant Colis turned and walked from the room with what he considered to be his first major victory… and a tremendous first step in rebuilding the hopes and dreams of a future for the Prothean people.

Council Conference Room, CGC, Widow System – 29 Nov 2190

What had started as a personal campaign to eliminate the potential threat to Zan's life from the V'Zanto criminal cartel had blossomed into a full-up task force, led by multiple Council Spectres. After Turian lead Saren Arterius had been indoctrinated, and then Asari lead Tela Vasir had gone rogue, the Council had turned to the Salarians for the next lead… who had immediately put forth Jondum Bau.

Bau hadn't wanted the job but was given no choice in the matter, having been nominated by the Dalatrasses and accepted by the Council before he even knew it was up for discussion. So, as the current Spectre Corps lead, he was responsible for organizing the teams to take down the major criminal enterprises operating throughout the galaxy. In preparation for the task, he had worked closely with Kasumi Goto and the Shadow Broker, amongst other information gathering networks, to identify the major crime groups which currently posed the greatest threats to Council trade and colonial security.

With those parameters, he and Kasumi had identified the candidate criminal groups, to include three Asari, two Turian, two Human, and one Salarian led organization. Jon's eyes had opened wide. "Eight criminal enterprises meet the criteria?" He had blinked rapidly a few times before he replied, "This will be the largest joint operation ever undertaken by the Spectre organization in its nearly fifteen centuries of existence!"

As he looked over the collection of talent sitting before him in the conference room, Bau remembered the comforting feel of Kas's warm hand on his shoulder as she had replied, "And I can think of no one more suited to organize and run the op, Jon. It is my honor to assist you in this ambitious – and much needed – endeavor." Now, his and Kasumi's careful planning was about to come to fruition. Over the first two weeks of December, they would be sending out eight separate Spectre teams, to include himself and Kas, along with the help of both a Krogan team and Captain Roshida B'Sayle's ex-Eclipse commando team.

Even those Spectres who normally preferred to work alone would need to bring support; a single Spectre, no matter how proficient, could not be expected to bring down an entire criminal enterprise with a solo mission. The next two weeks would be spent practicing with the newly assigned full squads, ensuring each group had the necessary specialties to take on their particular mission. The information on each target had come from various sources, to include the Turian, Salarian and Human intelligence agencies, as well as the original data collected via the Broker network. No Spectre team would be walking in blind and, with the close timing of all the policing actions, none of the major criminal groups would be given time to prepare. Those same Spectre groups would remain in contact with one another in order to conduct follow-on raids, as required, to ensure the groups remained out of business – permanently. This action would usher in a new way to counter organized crime throughout the galaxy.

The conclusion of the Reaper War had brought a number of new faces to the Spectres. With the downfall and death of Tela Vasir, Moises T'Dura had been promoted to the position of lead Asari Spectre, so would be the overall coordinator for the teams taking down the Pesali, D'Coriis, and V'Zanto families. She was keeping V'Zanto for herself, as a personal favor to Liara… to ensure that particular mission got done right. Liara was actually unaware of this; it was simply something Moises decided to do, having made the connection between Zan and the V'Zanto family. She did find it rather odd, and a bit of a professional quandary, knowing she was helping the current Shadow Broker… mainly because she knew, liked, and – more importantly – trusted and respected Liara T'Soni.

Moises had immediately recruited Asari Spectres Heily T'Vera and Shivi Thedoris, as well as the Republican Guards, such as they were, on the independent worlds where these criminal families were based. To add muscle, she had also used Shepard's Krogan connections to get three Aralakh squads to assist; one squad assigned to each of her Spectre teams. With the combined forces, they would bring roughly twenty, highly trained and extremely deadly, operatives against each Asari house. She fully expected there would be losses… but also fully expected every Spectre team involved to come away successful at the end of the operation; adapt and overcome was the only acceptable conclusion.

The same could be said for all the other Spectres. The lead Turian Spectre – now Calixa Ternius following the loss of Nihlus Kryik on Eden Prime in 2183 – would be accompanied by Spectre Lucius Narnus. While Lucius would be assigned to the pirate Tulltius Sevetus, Calixa would handle a major Red Sand distributor, Nazaraka Galvinus. Both would have the help of Blackwatch special operations squads. With similarly constructed teams, the Human Spectres Ashley Williams and Lee Riley would handle the Kenderline and Stiller criminal enterprises with the assistance of a few N7 special operations teams and one Aralakh squad for each team. Even the Salarian STG operatives, led by Spectre Samarth Bossi, would have a Krogan team accompany them; what many considered a huge breakthrough in Salarian-Krogan relations.

With a soft sigh, Bau looked around the room at the unusual assembly. He couldn't remember the last time… if ever… a group of Spectres had combined to complete missions, quite literally, around the entirety of Council space in a coordinated effort, basically all within a few days of one another. They would carefully phase the departures, with those having the greatest travel distances departing first. Hoping everything would go as planned, he addressed the group. "Alright teams. We all know why we are here. Let us make sure we are successful in our endeavors and that we all live to return to our respective homes, all made safer by our joint actions. With that said, let us get started with our final mission briefings."