Notes:

Amantia - lover (Thessian)

Anam Cara - Soul Mate (Gaelic)

Ardat - demon (Source: CDN)

QEC - Quantum Entanglement Communicator

Twists in the Wind

The Záhrada S'Vatyne Resort, Sanves, Ialessa System – 22 Aug 2188

Once they had all returned to their woodland retreat, the commando captain met with Liara and Shepard to devise a plan. The very next day, they would head out for a leisurely morning on the sailboat… with the announced purpose of teaching Shepard to sail. In addition to Liara and Samantha, Livos and Zan would also be aboard; their true purpose in having her Personal Guard Captain and the resort guide accompany them was to provide all four of them with a secluded place – while still in plain sight – where they could talk, uninterrupted and without being concerned that other ears might be listening to their discussion.

It wasn't that they planned on keeping any secrets from the other commandos; it was simply a precaution – to prevent any of those involved from being hurt or embarrassed, should the conversation not go as they all hoped. As soon as it was decided, Livos sought out Zan and told her of the next day's sailboat outing and, so as to not blindside the guide once they were away from shore, told her the real reason for the outing.

After a moment's thought, Zan smiled and admitted to looking forward to the excursion, being extremely confident in her position and the truth behind what she had told the commando. Her response was preceded by a shrug, just before she stated, "The time we have available to get to know one another is precious… mainly because it is extremely limited. Seeing as I have nothing to hide, it will be good to get any obstacles to our potential relationship out of the way. As I do not wish to squander any more of it while we await Lady Liara's decision, the sooner we can have this meeting the better."

"Good." Livos cast the captivating Asari a loving smile. "I was afraid you would take offense… or not want to come with us at all."

"Seriously?" Concealing a smirk by looking away from the commando, Zan had taunted, "We have only just begun, and you are already doubting my commitment to this relationship?"

Livos was readying herself to defend her statement when Zan had glanced back, only to laugh upon seeing Livos' look of dismay. "Oh… I honestly wish you could see the expression on your face right now, Liv. Goddess! I'm just teasing. Truly, I appreciate the heads-up." She smiled and reached over, taking the captain's hand and giving it a quick squeeze of thanks as she continued, "That discussion is not something I would want to walk into unprepared."

"Nor is it something I would ever intentionally do to you, Zan." Livos grinned as she pulled her hand away to gently punch the shameless guide on the shoulder. "And if this relationship is to have any chance at working, you need to understand that now… sooner, rather than later!"

The Záhrada S'Vatyne Resort, Sanves, Ialessa System – 23 Aug 2188

Once Liara had guided them a reasonable distance off shore, Shepard glanced at Livos, who immediately gave her a nod. Receiving the go-ahead, the Spectre focused on an expectant Carlina V'Zanto and spoke in a measured tone. "Alright then. I understand you have an interest in the captain of Lady Liara's personal guard. Do you honestly understand the level of scrutiny you will be subjected to during our background check?"

Zan met the woman's eyes without hesitation and answered steadily, "Absolutely, Spectre. And, as I informed Livos last night, I welcome your inquiry; there is absolutely nothing in my past for which I am ashamed or feel any need to hide." She glanced at Livos before continuing, "I also have no doubt that Captain Tanni has already informed both of you that my birth mother is the matriarch of a major crime family on Ilium."

Not understanding why Zan would refer to the matriarch in that fashion, Shepard asked, "Your birth mother?" In response, Zan's eyes flashed with an emotion the human immediately recognized as anger… if not outright hatred.

"She will never be anything more to me than that… and I wish even that was not a truth which I must endure!" Zan's face flushed as she hissed, "She was a cruel mistress who tolerated no weakness from anyone… especially the one whom she presumed to be the heir to her empire. Her lessons to me revolved solely around surviving a life full of people you could never trust to not stab you in the back… One had to be strong if you wished to live long enough to enjoy the next morning's sunrise." She sneered as the painful memories flooded through the gates opened by Shepard's innocent query and growled, "Welcome to Illium's underworld."

Zan dropped her head and continued quietly, as if speaking the long-held secrets too loudly would throw her unceremoniously back into that past life. "If I failed at something, I was whipped; a process I was expected to simply… endure. If I showed either resistance or weakness at any time during the process, I would find myself waking in the infirmary… with every expectation of an immediate return to work."

She huffed quietly and continued, "She insisted that minutes mattered; a minute early and an operation could be blown… a minute late and people counting on your arrival could end up dead… So, I was also punished if I was the slightest bit late to anything – no matter if it was because I stayed elsewhere to complete whatever task had been previously assigned to me – and, I promise you, Matriarch Clarinda V'Zanto was nothing if not inventive when it came to penalizing those who disappointed her."

Shepard felt, as well as heard, the gasp of revulsion and sorrow from the Asari behind her on the tiller, so immediately passed on Liara's thoughts to the guide. "We did not intend for this to bring up such obviously painful memories, Zan… I apologize."

"That is not necessary, Spectre." Zan drew a deep breath and blew it out slowly, in order to calm her spiking emotions; she huffed and shook her head. "After three centuries, you would think things like that could not upset me anymore… but, sometimes, I simply cannot help it." A hint of a smile returned to her lips as she continued, "Matriarch Marisha has been more kind to me than anyone in my family ever was. I was barely making ends meet when we first met, with me working at the botanical gardens at the University of Serrice as a tour guide. She was impressed with my passion for conservation… and it has led to the best two hundred years of my life."

Shepard smiled in return and allowed herself a little laugh. "I was impressed with your knowledge of the plants and animals here within the resort. Now, I have a better understanding of your motivation for deepening your knowledge of the natural world around you."

Zan shrugged, "The truth of the matter is that I found my motivation in trying to be everything my birth mother wasn't." The look of confusion on the Spectre's face had her explaining, "That ardat's goal in life was to eventually own whatever she wanted; her strategy was to decide what was worth taking and then make a plan to do just that... and she ended her unsuccessful attempts by then tearing down anything and everything she could not manage to take as her own. Such… singlemindedness… ensured her success in nearly every endeavor." Zan then sneered as she finished, "I never saw anyone out-stubborn her in anything… except me."

"Because she didn't manage to control you or your life… nor destroy it?" Shepard raised an eyebrow in query.

"Exactly." Once again, Zan met her gaze and Shepard made note of the deep-seated resolve residing within the Asari's expression as she continued, "I wrested control of my life from her when I never returned after my secondary education… and once I returned here, to the place I was born, and secured a position at the resort, I knew I had finally found a home. I will never allow her to take that away from me… ever! I swear that on my very life."

"Somehow, I believe that, Zan." Shepard tipped her head slightly to the side as she asked, "Are you aware Liara was an information broker on Illium?"

Zan's eyes flashed only briefly in surprise and she glanced at Livos before answering cautiously, "No… I was not." Her gaze briefly traveled to the unassuming Asari sitting at the back of the boat before returning to Shepard. "I know Lady Liara must possess a constitution of titanium to have survived the war as she did, fighting at your side… but I never would have imagined her as an info broker… on Illium of all places!"

"I had my reasons, Zan. Every family has its secrets… and there is much you do not yet know about us." Liara spoke for the first time since they had set sail. "So, before you have our blessing to become involved with Livos, we must be absolutely sure that we can trust you… but, unlike your mother…" Liara paused and corrected herself before continuing, "… your birth mother… House T'Soni knows how to both trust and properly care for the members of our family." Her expression turned hard as she said, "I am well aware of the V'Zanto family, their illegal activities, and the trail of bodies they have left in their wake. As an Asari information broker, I refused to do business with them, though I am positive not all my colleagues had the same convictions."

"But…" Livos added hastily, "…What we honestly care about from what we saw and heard during that time is that your name was never mentioned in any of the communiques we read – not once. That lack of presence is what applies to our current discussion; it supports your declaration regarding you not playing any role whatsoever in the family business."

"That is largely because of the event with Leona…" Zan paused and glanced between Liara and Shepard… and saw no indication that Livos had passed on that particular tale. When she realized that Livos must have kept that part of the story to herself, Zan explained briefly, "… My one and only amantia when I was younger. The matriarch had her kidnapped as leverage in order to… convince me… to return home; all it did was make me abhor my family even more. Also, because I never warned her what my family was like, Leona hated me as a result, even though I managed to get her released without injury. So… when I turned my back on that life a second time, I was disowned and declared outlaw by my so-called mother. I can never – not safely, anyway – return to Illium; most likely, anyplace within Tasale would be risky."

"Be that as it may, I want you to realize I never truly left the information business and still have contacts on Illium… as well as many other locations… and have already reached out to them." Liara smiled. "So far, they have all confirmed your version of the events in your life, so I see no reason to not move along to the next step of the process."

Not knowing of Liara's true position within the information world, Zan had no idea as to the speed with which the Shadow Broker could find what she was searching for. So, unable to keep the surprised grin off her face at the welcome news, Zan asked, "Which is what, Lady Liara?"

"I am confident Matriarch Marisha has completed an extensive background check on you, given the caliber and security requirements for many of the resort's clientele. I would like to arrange a meeting with her to discuss your employment references… and our potential joined futures."

"Joined futures?" Zan cocked her head before continuing, "I am not exactly sure what you are referring to, Lady Liara, so I feel I need to clarify that I have absolutely no inclinations toward terminating my position here at the resort. I love my job."

"Understood, Zan." Liara smiled softly. "That is not what I meant at all, so you should hold no concerns on that account. What I see between you and Livos shows promise, and I would anticipate you visiting us whenever our schedules permit." Liara's smile faded as she continued, "But Livos is the captain of my personal guard and, just as you have no intention of leaving S'Vatyne, I have no intention of replacing my captain, so I will need to work something out with your Matriarch Marisha that is mutually beneficial… to allow your relationship to grow, should that be the path you and Livos choose."

Once Zan determined that Liara had no intention of compromising her job with S'Vatyne, the entire conversation had ended relatively abruptly… basically, with a simple promise from Zan to ask the matriarch about a meeting with the two war heroes… one Zan felt confident about securing, given their renown throughout the galaxy.

With the morning business – apparently successfully – concluded, Liara had smiled and looked to Shepard. "So, shall we begin your first sailing lesson now?"

Crossing a body of water in a small craft propelled solely by the power of wind was one of the many skills Samantha Shepard had never thought to learn. It wasn't that she didn't want to, necessarily; it was simply that the opportunity to do so had never honestly presented itself. She had missed her one previous chance, when she and Liara had very briefly visited Thessia after the destruction of Sovereign at the Citadel.

Having been born and raised aboard space stations and starships for most of her young life, Samantha had never been near any body of water large enough to even consider such a thing. She had never set foot on a watercraft… nor held a line or tiller in her hand. Yet, here she was, bobbing about in what she considered a rather tiny boat… in the middle of a huge lake… as Liara dropped sail in preparation to switch seats with her, ready to turn Shepard into the captain of the first water-faring vessel she had ever boarded.

Admittedly, much like the day of rock climbing, Liara was a very thorough and patient instructor, explaining everything to Shepard as she performed each task, and repeatedly demonstrated how to read the wind… not only by the telltales attached to the sail and rigging, but by the direction of the ripples and shadows on the water. Shepard found her natural reflexes made it relatively easy to respond to the pressure on the sail and she quickly found her balance.

Liara laughed joyfully. "By the Goddess, Samantha! Is there anything you can't conquer?"

"Nope," the captain said with a confident smile for her Anam Cara. "Not when you're at my side… as an instructor, a partner… and my bondmate. There's nothing we can't do when we're together, Blue."

Having the privilege of seeing the couple on a more personal level than anyone outside the T'Soni house normally would, Zan simply relaxed back into her seat and grinned. She gently poked Livos in the ribs with her elbow and whispered, "Are they always this damned cute together?"

"No, they are not." Livos gave her a knowing, ice-filled glance. "When they are on the battlefield… especially if one or the other has been injured? They are downright terrifying to behold." Thinking briefly about her captain's recent kidnapping by Jona Sederis, she concluded, "Don't ever cross either of them, Zan; you would not believe the carnage I have seen one rain down upon an enemy in defense of the other."

Serrice Government Building, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 24 Aug 2188

Justicar Grand Matriarch Sellyna rose slowly from her chair and offered a dignified nod to the governesses seated before her. "Thank you for accepting my request to speak to all of you today." Her eyes traveled the table, pausing only a moment on the vacant chair previously occupied by the Kendra Ocean Governess, Luesia N'Tori. She finished her scan and returned her eyes to the current head of the Governance Forum, Matriarch Cyla of Serrice. "I have two points of business to bring to your attention today. First, the resolution of the inquiry into the acts of Matriarch Luesia of Kendra Ocean."

The Asari seated around the table stirred uncomfortably, causing Cyla to rap a small gavel on the table. "Quiet please. Let the Grand Justicar say her peace."

Chastised, the group fell silent, allowing the Justicar to continue. "While her methods were found to be in direct violation of the law, we determined her cause to be just. That being said, however, we also agreed the status of the war against the Reapers, at the time of the Isle Nation Compact, provided rather… unusually… extenuating circumstances; the fear for their very survival driving the subject matriarchs to extremes we believe they would not have otherwise taken."

She let out a long sigh and shook her head. "As we spoke to each signatory, most agreed it was a wartime contingency plan that no longer applied… Those then offered a signed statement of withdrawal from the Compact and submitted themselves to the mercy of Justicar judgment."

Cyla cleared her throat in the sudden silence and queried, "What, exactly does that mean, Justicar? Did you come to any resolution or sentence regarding their actions?"

"We find it difficult to find any fault with their acts of desperation." Sellyna's glance quickly swept the table and she continued, "But I have come here to offer a proposal, should you desire to hear it."

"Goddess, yes," a relieved Cyla blurted. "By all means, please! We will accept any suggestions or guidance you are willing to contribute. We have conversed over this issue for hours and have yet to reach any substantive conclusions regarding their punishment."

The Justicar dropped her head in a weak attempt to hide the smile that inadvertently climbed onto her face at the unashamed confession from the head of the Governance Forum. They are always so unwilling to punish their own; it is likely that each fears she could be next. Raising her head to once more face her eager listeners, Sellyna began. "Our first recommendation is to suspend the voting privileges of the unrepentant for a full year, as punishment for their illegal act, those parties include the Kendra Ocean Defense Minister and the signing representative from Ressent, Matriarch Mahali T'Gallia."

Pausing briefly, until she recognized acceptance in the eyes of forum members, Sellyna continued, "Our second recommendation is to prohibit Matriarch Luesia N'Tori from ever again holding any form of public office, even in an advisory capacity, as she demonstrated an appalling lack of remorse or any attempt at explanation when confronted with her crime within this forum. Her post-crisis words and actions demonstrated nothing but blatant contempt for accepted Asari procedural law."

Seeing not even a hint of disagreement on the faces before her, Sellyna pressed ahead. "Our final recommendation regarding this issue echoes a suggestion already proposed by Matriarch Cyla, during last month's Forum meeting. At a minimum, you need to extend an invitation to the Isle Republics to join as junior members of the Forum; this would, at the very least, give them a voice regarding issues at hand, which is only fair… given their status as legal citizens within the Asari Republics."

Cyla smiled and nodded. "We agree on that point, Justicar, and have already decided – assuming all goes well over a trial period of one year – that we will give them voting power as well. We will simply change our voting process to a weighted system, reflecting current registered occupants of each city-state. Thessia does this now for all general elections, so the process already exists; we simply need to adopt it as the accepted voting process for the Forum as well."

Sellyna closed her eyes and dipped her head in a show of approval. As she once again raised her head, she opened her eyes and replied, "I must admit I find such a forward-thinking resolution from you is unexpected, and I approve of such a change. It will go a long way toward assuaging their concerns of non-representation."

"Thank you for your service in this matter, Justicar Sellyna." Cyla looked around the table; observing that each of the other governesses were nodding in approval, she continued, "I believe it safe to say this matter is ready to move to the next step. We will draft the invitation this very session."

"You are most welcome." Surprising the Forum members, Sellyna made no move to stand. "If you recall, I did mention that I have two points of business to discuss today." Her eyes focused on the head of the forum. "The second item concerns the Serrice Minister of Justice, Matriarch Galalina Niaso, newly appointed by Defense Minister Rahula N'Atchelle, whose actions regarding the concealment of Prothean Technology, in violation of Council Law, are already under investigation."

"Goddess spare me." Cyla squeezed her eyes shut as if she was experiencing the sudden onset of a severe headache. "What has she done now?"

Without a trace of humor, Sellyna asked, "Which? Galalina or Rahula?"

Following a heavy sigh, Cyla clarified, "I was speaking of Rahula… but, either one, I suppose." She shook her head lightly in disgust and huffed, "Please. Do tell, so we can get this over with."

Sellyna canted her head in question as she continued, "Three of your citizens are dead, Cyla, as a result of an unjustifiable assault on, as far as I can tell, a peaceful gathering in a public square, by order of Matriarch Galalina." She paused, seeing the look of shocked surprise on the face of the Governess of Serrice, before adding. "It happened only yesterday, so I do not fault you for not yet knowing of it, although it certainly makes me question the efficacy of your staff reporting and why they did not deem this information important enough to relay to you before this meeting."

"I… I know nothing of this but, rest assured, I will find out soon enough!" Not thinking about who she was speaking to, Cyla growled, "Tell me what you know, Justicar!"

Given the subject of discussion, Sellyna took no offense and immediately relayed the facts, as she understood them, to the dumbfounded Governance Forum.

"How did you first hear of this?" Angry tears slipped down the cheeks of the Serrice Governess, who made no attempt to wipe them away in her state of disgust. "That my staff has not relayed this news to me… at the very least, it is an unspeakable lapse of judgment… at the worst, dereliction of duty!"

"No, Governess." Sellyna shook her head. "At the very worst, it is an act of sedition." The shock on Cyla's face urged the Justicar to continue. "If your staff has been coopted by the Defense Minister and they are purposely withholding this breach of citizen's rights from you… it is no less than treason."

The look of shock shifted swiftly to one of fury as Cyla rose slowly from her chair; her voice shaking with a menacing edge as she leaned forward and placed her hands, beginning to glow slightly with biotic power, upon the table. She growled, "I formally request Justicar support in the removal of both of the persons in question… Minister Rahula N'Atchelle and Matriarch Galalina Niaso. At a minimum, I want them both charged with conspiracy to commit murder, resulting in the death of three Asari citizens. I am sure Galalina acted willingly, upon illegal orders from Rahula so, for that, she will also be charged with dereliction of duty."

She was shaking with anger as she continued on her rant, "As for Rahula… If the Council will take no action, then I shall. I also want her charged with dereliction, because of her failure to produce the critical information from the Prothean beacon in Thessia's hour of greatest need. Had it not been for Counselor Tevos' bravery in revealing its location to Spectre Shepard, it is very possible we would not be having this conversation today!"

Sellyna had risen as Cyla spoke and bowed her head briefly in acknowledgement, once the governess finally stopped speaking. "You understand this requires a Forum vote before I can undertake such a task, do you not?"

Without waiting for Cyla to respond, Matriarch Falis S'Treuss of Dassus chimed in, "We are well aware, Justicar. But, before we vote, I wish to add the name of my Defense Minister, Eleria T'Saptos, to the list for dereliction of duty. Her primary job is to protect the citizens within our city-state… not her personal secrets, agenda or job. Eleria…" Her eyes wandered the table as she continued, "… they all held back information essential to our victory over the Reapers." She drew a deep breath and added, "So, I am with Cyla, if the Council will do nothing, I will. Charge them."

One by one, the governesses added the names of their Defense Ministers to the list until the only one who had remained silent was Niana T'Relvos of Majesa. "I am not so convinced all are guilty. Many did not have communications, so did not know of the request." She stared at the Justicar, her eyes hard. "I will add the name of Trellani S'Phessi only if you promise me you will treat each as individuals, and not the Defense Forum as a unit." She shook her head lightly and huffed, "I have asked Tré if she knew of it… and, between my questions and your investigation regarding the illegal sale of Asari weapons to mercenaries, I have never seen a matriarch so… broken."

Sellyna nodded in agreement. "I believe what you say is true, but to avoid favoritism, the Order must investigate all… or none." She smiled grimly as she continued, "And we will discover the truth; after which only the guilty will be punished. As we investigate, I charge the Governess Forum with the task of determining a punishment you feel appropriate to the crime."

Having calmed down over the duration of the discussion, Cyla spoke once more, in a voice much more controlled and even than her previous words. "Agreed… though I do not believe that one punishment will fit all. We must determine the length of time each held that secret after learning of the need. I feel the longer the time, the harsher the repercussions for their lack of action."

The Justicar stood from her chair and bowed. "Any recommendations you have will be welcomed, but I feel I must state that, since you are relinquishing the investigation to the Justicar Order, we will have final authority over the determination of guilt and the resultant punishment. Is this agreeable to all of you?"

Cyla glanced around the table to see only nods of acquiescence. Rising to meet the Justicar, she also bowed. "Agreed, Justicar Sellyna. May the Goddess guide your judgment."

The Záhrada S'Vatyne Resort Offices, Sanves, Ialessa System – 25 Aug 2188

As they were escorted without preamble into the main offices of the resort control center, it became obvious the matriarch was eagerly awaiting their arrival. Upon entering her personal office spaces, Matriarch Marisha eagerly opened her own door to meet them in the lobby, bowing deeply. As she returned to her upright stance, her face held an awed smile as she stated, "Spectre Shepard. Lady Liara. It is my privilege to welcome such honored war heroes to the Záhrada S'Vatyne Resort. You have no idea how much I relished the invitation for such a meeting… For my part, I refrained from personally greeting you upon your arrival so as to not infringe upon your desired privacy during your stay with us. I imagine such periods are extremely rare for you… so I will admit to being much more than pleasantly surprised by your request. Please, do come in." She stepped to the side and lifted her arm, indicating they should precede her into the office.

Liara, blushing lightly at the matriarch's deference, replied, "Please. Matriarch. The honor is ours. I know you must be extremely busy… and to have accepted our request so quickly…" She paused and shook her head, smiling. "I have to wonder how many appointments you had to shift around to accommodate us on such short notice. Thank you."

"Pshh." The matriarch's happy smile never left her face. "My staff is quite capable of handling our other visitors and I honestly enjoyed having an excuse to cancel a couple of appointments with our more… demanding… guests." She smirked as she queried, "Is that horrible of me?"

"Absolutely not!" Shepard laughed. "I imagine you would enjoy a couple of my stories, which horrified poor Liara at the time, of me prematurely… terminating… QEC discussions with the Council during my search for Saren and the Geth."

Marisha's eyes opened wide as she exclaimed in disbelief, "You did not!"

Liara, eyes rolling at the memories, replied, "Oh, yes; she most definitely did… more than once!" She suddenly grinned and looked over at her bondmate as she continued, "Though, there was one time when she cut off Sparatus in mid-sentence… which I must admit was particularly satisfying to me."

After laughing briefly, Marisha guided them to a very comfortable looking seating area where a low, centralized table held snacks and drinks. "The honor truly is mine; you have no idea as to the role you played in our being here today… outside of the obvious, of course." She paused as she picked up a pitcher of iced Thessian tea and poured three glasses, after looking up to see nods of approval from her guests. "At the very early stages of the war, I received a communique from Sha'ira, warning me of your visions… at which point I immediately began working with my staff to develop contingency plans. When I then received instructions from Counselor Tevos… which your father had sent her, along with a request to forward them to every matriarch on her communications system… we put those plans into action."

She ran a hand nervously over her crest, her hand shaking at the dreadful memories. "We went totally dark. This main resort section was completely shut down and we dispersed throughout the resort, to every hidey-hole and remote location within our 400 square kilometer borders. Those instructions saved us all, Liara, when the Reapers came calling to Sanves. Many a city on this world was laid waste… but we survived, with only minimal damage. The Reapers took no interest in darkened shelters with no signs of life. We owe that to you and your father."

"Goddess! I had no idea my father made such efforts to spread the word so widely. She never said anything to me of her actions beyond Thessia."

Liara glanced at Shepard who simply shrugged and grinned. "We should have known better. Aethyta isn't one to sit on her ass when something needs doing."

Marisha nodded in agreement. "Most definitely… a role model for other matriarchs, perhaps?" She paused before adding, "Knowing this is your honeymoon, I find myself reluctant to bring this up… but are you aware of what is currently transpiring on Thessia?"

Liara raised a brow marking in question as she said, "We have been cut off from the news… on purpose, of course… Is this something that you believe to be of great import?"

"Only if you consider this morning's announcement significant… which I do." Marisha paused; after taking a sip of tea in order to collect her thoughts, she continued in a quietly somber tone. "Each of the defense ministers on the home world has been indicted for deliberate dereliction of duty… due to their collective refusal to aid the war effort by releasing the location of the Prothean beacon at the Temple of Athame in Serrice."

"Gods be damned!" Shepard almost jumped up from her chair, barely catching herself and planting herself back in the seat before rising more than a few centimeters. Liara's response was nearly the same; her actions were tempered only by her surprise at Samantha's loud exclamation.

"That is significant news, indeed!" Liara had to resist the temptation to immediately open her omnitool and place a query with the Broker staff. "I have to wonder what finally prompted such action."

"There was a demonstration in Serrice… completely peaceful, from what I understand… in preparation for the January elections, to which the newly appointed Minister of Justice, under orders from the Defense Minister, reacted rather… violently." Marisha shook her head in disgust. "Three citizens ended up dead, fifteen were injured severely enough to require hospitalization, along with three members of the Serrice Guard. The Governance Forum made a formal request to the Justicar Order for immediate action. The Serrice ministers were subsequently arrested on multiple charges – the worst being conspiracy to commit murder – and every single Defense Minister was suspended, pending investigation. As one might expect, the Ministry is currently in chaos."

Liara sank back onto the couch in complete shock. Blinking as her mind processed the rather unexpected and most unwelcome news, she finally managed to respond, "I was beginning to question if such actions would ever be taken… some form of punishment for their withholding of Prothean technology… but I never anticipated it happening in such an explosive manner, should it finally come to pass! May the Goddess – and the Justicars – take pity on their souls."

T'Soni Country Estate, Armali Republic, Thessia – 26 Aug 2188

Tali'Zorah vas Knight Shade had spent most of her waking hours during the previous four days analyzing the design plans for the Nalotir, the Cerberus designed vessel employed by rogue Quarians being led by Admirals Han'Gerrel and Daro'Xen. Fortunately, the ship had been constructed by Cord-Hislop Aerospace; the Alliance Military, having declared Cerberus a traitorous, terrorist organization at war's end, had seized all of the organization's assets that could be recovered, including Cord-Hislop's design data-files for their entire product line, from advanced A-61 heavy gunships, to the original blueprints for the Normandy SR-2, to design specs for extremely limited production warships, of which only three or four of any one example were ever meant to be constructed.

The Nalotir had been completed in the waning days of the war; by the time the ship was launched, Jack Harper had turned his full attention to controlling the Reapers by whatever means necessary. In the end, all his grand designs for the machine race were abruptly halted by a bullet fired by his top assassin, Maya Brooks. The Nalotir, having been flown after launch to the Exodus Cluster by a skeleton crew, was left drifting aimlessly when that crew, having been indoctrinated by the Reapers, all died as a result of the red wave that engulfed the galaxy.

Quarians from the heavy-fleet, on their way from the Local Cluster after helping to defend the Human's home world from the Reapers, discovered the drifting ship in the Utopia System and placed a salvage team on board. Finding the ship occupied only by deceased Cerberus crew, the Quarians decided it was unnecessary to inform anyone that they had recovered a Cerberus vessel, based on pre-war salvage laws, assumed to still be in effect. The salvage team decided to put the Human corpses to rest by simply ejecting them into space near the system's first planet, Arcadia.

If the Alliance Navy had been aware of just how well-armed and well-armored the Nalotir really was, they might have attempted to reclaim the Human vessel. However, their first priority was simply keeping those that still lived fed, clothed and sheltered; the post-war reality as it was, they were stretched thin and did not have the manpower to chase a reclamation claim they would likely lose.

Once Tali had gleaned as much information as she could about the former Cerberus vessel, she wanted to discuss her findings with someone more knowledgeable about overall ship designs, especially as it concerned weapons. She moved to the secure communications terminal and sent a request to the Night Shadow.

"Tali'Zorah! How wonderful to see you." Judea Voni's smile was contagious, causing Tali to smile behind her tinted visor. "How are things on the Knight Shade?"

"Everything is great, Judea. We've… at least, the teams have… been running drills. As for myself, I've been studying the specs for the raider targeting the Turian's freight transports – you do know they're stealing food. It doesn't look good, Jude." Tali uploaded the Nalotir's specs to the Night Shadow. "Would you mind taking a look for me? Cerberus put some serious thought into their stealth designs, and the ship's weapons wouldn't be out of place on a heavy destroyer or light cruiser."

The Asari looked down as her equipment retrieved the files Tali had sent while the Quarian continued speaking. "What really concerns me is their directed-energy weapons. It would not pose any threat to a hardened target, such as the Normandy or the Night Shadow, but at short range? It could conceivably fuse the electrical systems of the inexpensively constructed freight haulers most companies are using these days."

Judea nodded in understanding as she studied the data concerning the particle beam weapon. "Judging from the energy requirements for this thing, it would not be capable of rapid repeat firing, and its effective range would be relatively short, roughly 300 klicks."

Tali nodded, saying, "It would be nice if the Turians could disable and capture that ship. It's only been targeting Turian freighters, so far. I haven't heard of any attacks on the liveships that remained with the civilian fleet, but I wouldn't put anything past those two admirals. Bosh'tets; both of them!"

"I'll keep looking at this thing, Tali… see if I can detect any weaknesses, but I will need a bit of time."

Behind her mask, Tali's smile could not be seen by the Asari pilot, but Judea could hear it in Tali's voice as she signed off. "Thanks for looking at this, Judea. Between us, we should be able to come up with a plan to counteract this thing."