Notes:

Amantia - lover (Thessian)

Ardat - demon (Source: CDN)

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

Grá mo chroí - love of my heart (Gaelic)

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

le'wĕth - the soft ridges extending from beneath the rear of the scalp, merging into the back of the neck (Source: CDN)

Maglev – Magnetic Levitation transportation

Nara - literally "bearer"; one who shoulders another's burden, aids others (Thessian/Source: CDN)

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

Hope on the Horizon

Aletheia, The Záhrada S'Vatyne Resort, Sanves – 26 Aug 2188

After the Brokerage full-analysis suite had been relocated from the Aletheia to the Night Shadow, Liara had been thrilled when Miranda, Judea and Samantha Traynor had also managed to assemble, install and configure two complete, standalone comm units – with all the necessary special coding and encryption equipment – for both the Knight Shade and the Aletheia. It was one of those devices that now enabled the Shadow Broker to leisurely stroll to and fro while reviewing comprehensive summaries, forwarded to her by Riana as quickly as her First could create them from the full, multi-page reports. The unique encryption algorithm devised by the tech-trio made it possible for Riana to send the information directly from the comm suite to Liara's omnitool, without the delay that would have otherwise been caused by having to remove any and all of the sensitive 'limited distribution' information contained within the reports.

Liara paused in her reading and smiled softly as she glanced over at her Siame, who was standing at the weapons bench cleaning her shotgun. They had come a long way in the past few years and Liara was occasionally still dumbfounded by the knowledge that she had somehow managed to fall into the position as the top information broker in the galaxy. Such thoughts still made her shake her head in disbelief.

The network had grown to three fully equipped ships – the Night Shadow, Chiroquol and Gurji's Promise – along with a full suite at the Country Estate, as well as the comm-only suites at the townhome and aboard both the Knight Shade and the T'Soni flagship Aletheia, the last being where Riana, Liara and Shepard were currently located. After they boarded, Riana had opened the system to see hundreds of backlogged, unread reports; browsing through the topic list, she stated, "I must admit, there is a great deal of information moving again. With the memories of the war fading into the past, energies that had previously been expended on simply surviving to see another day are finally shifting back to working for profit. That is a good thing."

"Yes, it is…" Liara quickly agreed, before continuing in an icy tone, "… except when that profit is through illicit and criminal means." The Shadow Broker paused her pacing for only a few moments as she looked to Riana. "Though, as much as I loathe the necessity of it, I suppose I cannot honestly complain; it does provide a reliable source of income to the Brokerage and steady employment for a certain Spectre I happen to be acquainted with."

She was answered with a snort of laughter and a comment from her siame. "I believe our relationship is a Hell of a lot further along than simply being 'acquainted', Grá mo chroí." Shepard, still standing at the weapons bench, had finished cleaning her shotgun and was now disassembling Liara's heavy pistol for the same treatment. Pausing to glance at the meandering Asari, she asked in a more serious tone, "Anything interesting, Blue?"

Liara shook her head slightly as she replied, "Not really. A lot of buzz about the Serrice incident, but with the investigation barely underway, the messages are nothing but a collection of conjecture… created by people not present for the event and with absolutely no knowledge of what actually happened." She rolled her eyes and scoffed, "I fear this is a complete waste of our time, Samantha…" Her lips twitched into a shy smile as she continued, "… and that Raesia was correct. Our time would be much better spent lounging beside the pool."

Lopsided grin firmly in place, Shepard's soft chuckle preceded her reply. "Maybe… But, it's amazing to me just how much dust collects on weapons that are simply stored in a locker for over a week. If it wasn't for the honeymoon excuse, I'd be ashamed to claim them as mine; we should give Tra'ana a shout and have them all come out here and spend a little bit of time on some routine gun maintenance… except for Liv. She should stay at the resort and spend what time she can with Zan; I'll happily take care of her weapons for her."

The Záhrada S'Vatyne Resort, Sanves, Ialessa System – 26 Aug 2188

"I am extremely pleased your sense of duty did not pull you away from me, Livos Tanni." Her bright silver eyes flashing in the sunlight, Zan smiled sweetly as she reached over and clasped the commando captain's hand. "With the rest of your House going to your ship, we have the entire place to ourselves… and I have no place else to be, but with you. Have anything in particular you would like to do? Someplace you would like to go?"

A long moment of silence passed as Livos watched her comrades disappear into the tunnel leading down to the maglev terminal. Zan waited patiently, understanding the conflict going on within her amantia's mind. This is so new to her. She has never had to place anything ahead of her sense of duty… not even personal happiness. I can hardly believe her growing love for me might actually win this little battle… of course, that is truly yet to be seen. Even though she knew it was unnecessary, she squeezed the hand of the Asari at her side to gently remind the commando of her presence. It had the desired effect and Livos turned back to face the considerate guide.

"You in a hurry, Zan?" Livos smirked at her new partner as she finally turned back to focus on the matron at her side. "The way you are clinging onto my hand, it almost seems as though you are afraid I am going to bolt after them."

Laughing nervously, Zan's purple skin darkened slightly in embarrassment as she replied, "That is exactly what I fear, Captain. With everything you have shared, I understand how difficult this must be for you… to let a personal desire override what you feel to be a sacred obligation. You need to be with your team… maybe even want to be with them… but you have chosen me; at least for this brief moment in time, however short it may be. I hope you realize how much that means to me."

"Surprisingly, it was not that difficult a choice, given it was practically an order from Lady Liara and Captain Shepard." Livos chuckled softly before using her free hand to reach up and tenderly trace the lightning bolts emblazoned on Zan's right cheek. "Perhaps now you will have time to explain to me the significance of your tattoo."

Zan's silver eyes shifted to a dull gray as she raised her hand to trap Livos' against her cheek, hiding the objects of their discussion. She nervously ran the tip of her tongue over her lips before responding in a strained voice, "I must show you something, first. Will you join me in a rover and trust me to transport you to a place without first telling you where we are going?"

Peering into the gray eyes of her lover, Livos answered, "This… bothers you, Zan. Why? Did you not want these tattoos? Were they forced upon you in some manner?"

Gently pulling the warm hand down from her face, Zan forced a kind smile onto her lips, though the expression never made it to her eyes. "If you will go with me, you will know soon enough."

"Then let us go." Livos pulled her hand away and gestured toward the parking area. "This is obviously important to you… or, at least, significant enough that you feel compelled to share it."

They had long since passed beyond the 'Employees Only' sign, and it was nearly an hour later when Zan finally brought the rover to a stop. A short walk into the bushes at the side of the path found them standing before the mouth of a cave, its entry barred and locked. Zan approached the gate and tapped a code into her omnitool, seemingly activating the power to the interface, as it began to glow. "This is my personal storage vault; everyone on the staff has one, but no one knows the location of anyone's but their own… and if they have somehow stumbled upon someone else's, they have no way of knowing to whom it belongs."

Once the interface was charged to full power, Zan held her hand on the panel until the scanner completed its work, resulting in the locking bolts and latches audibly releasing, granting access to the vault. Using both hands, Zan pushed the heavy door partially open and turned to Livos. "No one has ever been here with me… not even Matriarch Marisha."

"Our relationship is still quite fresh… and comes with no guarantees." Livos narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment before asking, "If this is something not normally shared, are you truly prepared to do this?"

"Absolutely," Zan answered quickly as an honest smile erupted onto the guide's face. "There is something special about you, Liv; many things, actually, that make me trust you completely, even after such a brief period of time. I do not think I could explain it if I tried." She resolutely pushed the gate open wider, referring to the symbolism of the action as she stated, "I want my life – all of my life – to be open to you… nothing hidden… no secrets." She turned to the commando and grabbed both of her hands. "I am tired of hiding within myself. I have been guarding my heart for far too long… and you are the one I wish to share these things with first."

Once they had traversed the initial fifty meters or so, motion-sensing lights winked on dimly as they walked, allowing each of them to secure the lights from their omnitools. Before long, and of great surprise to Livos, the tunnel opened into a relatively small cavern. Within, it contained a small, bioluminescent pool off to one side, surrounded by lanterns and what appeared to be a small living area, containing all the basic necessities. "This is amazing, Zan!" Livos' eyes were wide with wonder as she looked around. "How did you ever find this place?"

A small smile remained on Zan's lips as she tenderly took Livos hand within her own. "When I first arrived here, Marisha gave me two months to explore; even then, she told me it would not be enough time to truly see everything this preserve had to offer. She said if I was to guide people through the resort, it was necessary for me to experience its beauty and learn its secrets for myself, for how could I truly show people something which I did not fully understand and appreciate?"

"You were out here, alone, in this vast wilderness with all its dangers, for two months?"

Zan chuckled softly, the laughter like music to Livos' ears. "Only for ten days at a time – it was limited by the supplies I wished to carry for a single trip out and back – but it was positively magnificent, Liv… especially when I stumbled, quite by accident, upon this cavern. It is not very original, but I immediately named it Amanzi Khanyo Cavern."

"Pure Water Cavern… from the old dialect; nicely done." Livos waved her hand in the direction of the pool. "But I have always been told that no eezo-bioluminescent species existed outside of Thessia, so how does this even exist?"

"There are many forms of bio-luminescence, my love." Given Livos' interest, Zan continued to hold her hand and approached the pool. "Even Sol, with no natural eezo, has such species on the Human world of Earth. Thessia is not as special in that regard as the priestesses would like us to believe." A smirk appeared on the guide's face. "Apparently, I have much to teach you about the natural world, Livos Tanni."

Livos smiled, returning her focus from the pool back to her amantia. "And, I believe, you will find me an apt student." She leaned in and placed her lips on those of her lover.

Zan backed slowly away from the pool, bringing Livos along with her, their lips never separating until her legs hit the edge of the bed and she fell backward, pulling the commando down with her. Livos grinned and asked, "The natural world… Is this to be my first lesson?"

Laughing aloud, Zan answered, "Perhaps the second or third… depending on how you count what we have already done… but, yes, I suppose it could be considered as such!"

Amanzi Khanyo Cavern, The Záhrada S'Vatyne Resort, Sanves – 27 Aug 2188

When they awoke, it was hard to determine how much time had passed, the lighting in the cave unchanging with the passing of the day into night. Livos glanced at her chrono and sat up with a start. "Goddess! It is after midnight! Lady Liara and Nara are likely worried sick!"

"Nara? That must be Shepard, yes?" Zan reached up and insistently pulled her back down by the shoulder, placing a soft kiss on Livos'le'wĕth before responding with a slight smirk, "If they were overly concerned, one of them would have called. The cavern walls contain nothing to block communications… I am confident your omni would have awakened you."

"Are you… Never mind, you would know… and that would have been a stupid, and possibly insulting, question." A silly grin on her face, Livos rolled over to face her amantia, once more using her fingers to trace the tattoo on Zan's cheek. "I hope these do not have a story behind them that is offensive or bothersome to you." She murmured softly as she continued, "I like them."

"Then it is time I told you the tale." Zan sat up and dropped her legs off the edge of the bed, to rise and pull on her clothing prior to walking toward a large cabinet. "After some Kaffe… and, I am afraid, all I have to offer are packaged rations." She grimaced as she added, "My apologies; I should have thought to pack something for our excursion."

"Quite alright." Liv sat up as well and crossed her legs, stretching upward and arching her back, but not moving from the bed. "It will not be the first time I have needed to resort to rations… nor will it likely be the last. Also, I have the distinct impression the trip here was a rather impulsive offer. I do not believe you planned this out in advance."

"That would be a correct assumption, Love." Zan opened the cabinet, only to amaze the commando yet again. It was a compact version of a field kitchen; the ones Livos had seen before were large enough to cook for a squad, but this one was obviously designed for only one or two people.

"You are simply full of surprises! What other amenities do you have secreted away in this cave?" Livos finally climbed off the bed and began to get dressed. "Do you mind if I poke around a bit? I find this place positively fascinating!"

"I…" Zan paused and turned, meeting the commando's gaze. After only a moment's hesitation, she huffed and shrugged. "I did say no secrets, did I not? My hesitation is only because some of the things in here may require a bit of explanation and I would rather do that once we are no longer starving for nutrition."

"I can see the concern in your body language, Zan." Livos saw the reluctance in the guide's face and immediately backed off on her request. "I can wait until you are ready to show me."

Setting the portable Kaffe press down on the counter, Zan closed the distance between them and placed her hands on Livos' waist just above her hipbones. "Your respect for my boundaries is noted and appreciated, Captain Tanni. As such, if you promise you will not jump to any conclusions…"

"No." Reaching under Zan's arms, Livos grasped her companion's lower back as she shook her head. "I will wait for you and will take no offense over your caution. I swear it."

"I do believe…" Zan placed a quick kiss upon her lips and continued in a slightly shy voice, "… that is one of the reasons I am coming to love you, Livos."

Livos drew a quick breath and reflexively pulled Zan in just a bit tighter. "Love? Is it possible to honestly say that so soon?"

"Oh, I certainly believe so." Zan's shy smile spoke volumes about the way she felt toward the Asari in her arms. "My body lusts for yours, it is true… but my mind also relishes your wit… and my heart, your caring and honest nature. The feelings are already there, Liv. All that is required of us is to find the courage to call them by what they are."

The Záhrada S'Vatyne Resort, Sanves, Ialessa System – 27 Aug 2188

Needing a break, Shepard and Liara had returned to the resort complex, planning to sit at an outdoor table in the gardens and enjoy a leisurely lunch with the commandos. They had been somewhat surprised to find only their acolyte hostess in residence, sitting by the pool when they arrived. Smiling, Liara spoke first. "Beautiful day to be out and about, Selana." Her eyes traveled across the lake, to see if the couple had taken a boat out. Seeing nothing, Liara continued, "Any idea where Livos and Zan have taken off to?"

"No way to tell…" Selana grinned and chuckled before adding, "The resort is rather large and there is a rover missing. Only the Goddess knows what favorite sights Zan is showing your team captain."

"I'm surprised Liv let Zan get her outside the confines of the complex." Shepard's face also held a huge grin as she thought about Liv, out and about with a lover. About Gods-be-damned time! She deserves someone special in her life. "That tells me just how much she likes this woodland guide of yours."

"You are not the only one surprised, Spectre." Selana's eyes twinkled in merriment. "We have known Zan a long time and, after she told us about her mother… and what happened with Liona, we did not dare to hope she would ever be capable of opening her heart to another. As far as we are concerned, your Livos has managed a very welcome miracle."

"And," Liara replied, "we are going to do everything within our control to make sure they have the time to enjoy a true relationship… not one conducted via messages and vid chats."

"Honestly?" Selana's eyes opened a bit wider in her surprise. "You would arrange your demanding schedules around a single member of your personal guard?"

"As best as I am able to, yes." Shepard replied without hesitation. "Captain Tanni is as dedicated as they come and, if we don't help save her from herself, she'll never have a personal life." Shepard smiled sweetly and reached over to grasp Liara's hand. "And, as far as I'm concerned, that's the main reason we fought as hard as we did… to make sure we had the time to do just that."

Vancouver B.C., Earth, Sol System – 27 Aug 2188

Zoë Lawrence was dreaming… about a portion of her past life… her life as Maya Brooks, working for Jack Harper, better known as the Illusive Man. She was running for her life, dodging through the claustrophobic tunnels used by the keepers, the bio-engineered, insectoid race that existed nowhere else in the galaxy except on the Citadel. She was being pursued by an indoctrinated, Reaperized Harper, intent on strapping her onto a laboratory platform in order to indoctrinate her… turn her into a Reaper-directed tool like himself.

She rounded a corner just as the tunnel finally opened up somewhat, only to run headlong into then Commander Samantha Shepard, fully armed and armored – the collision knocking the woman to the deck. To Zoë's horror, the commander began bleeding from a terrible gash in her side. Her armor, previously shiny new, was blasted and burned away, as was portions of her under-armor mesh. Maya could see bare skin, the smooth, unmarred surfaces transforming before her eyes into horribly burned, crisp and blackened surfaces. Shepard was dying in front of her eyes!

Maya patted all her suit pockets with her hands, searching for the tubes of medigel she always took with her. Nothing. She carefully patted the visible pockets on Shepard's uniform… those which had not already burned away. Still nothing. Shepard cried out in her agony, and Maya was completely helpless to assist her… to ease her pain. She turned away, unable to bear witnessing the commander's suffering. When the agonized moaning abruptly stopped, Maya turned back; Shepard had succumbed to her many injuries, the pale, freckled skin on her face had inexplicably become Asari blue, her hair transformed into the sweeping tendrils of an Asari's crest.

But it was her eyes… wide open, totally dilated… staring at her as she rose and started to flee. Though the Asari-Shepard did not move, those dark eyes followed her, accusing, judging… the dead person continued to stare… to look straight through her… blaming Maya for her death. Maya attempted to turn and run, but the Asari-Shepard suddenly reached out, somehow grabbing at her ankles with a blue hand, tripping her. Maya felt herself being pulled back. She was sliding, faster and faster, into a…

Sitting up in her bed with a gasp, Zoë Lawrence struggled to regain control of her breathing, even as her heart pounded like a trip-hammer in her chest. Damn! Am I ever going to be free of that Asari's accusing eyes? And Shepard… she gave me a 'pass' on the CGC, but did she truly forgive me? Taking a final shuddering deep breath, she threw the covers back, swung her long legs around and got to her feet. The coolness of her sleeping area made her feel as if she was freezing; examining her sleep shirt confirmed it was quite damp, enough so that it seemed to have plastered itself to her chest and back. She carefully moved through the darkened room to her bathroom, there to palm the lighting control. Bringing the lights up to a low level, she pulled the sweat-soaked garment off over her head and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

The dark eyes that stared back at her were part of a face that many might see as 'exotic'; her skin, darker in color than most Humans, was testament in part to her African heritage, while her facial features harkened to a European background. The blending of the two had produced what she thought of as a rather plain looking face, although she had been told by many people – and many times in the past year by one man in particular – that she was breathtakingly beautiful. The ivory-color tribal design tattoo across the left side of her forehead, left temple and cheek, along with short, naturally curly black hair, marked her as different even more so than her dark brown skin.

With a heavy sigh, she turned the water on in her shower, waited a few moments for the temperature to stabilize, then positioned herself directly under the falling water, enjoying the feel of the warm liquid coursing over her skin as it washed the cold sweat from her body. Raising her arms above her head, she placed the palms of both hands against the tiles under the rainfall showerhead and closed her eyes as the water coursed through her hair, down across her tattooed face and her muscular shoulders and back. How much time has to go by before I can leave Maya Brooks completely behind me, she thought. I've done my best to turn my life around… to put the sins of Maya's murderous past behind me. Hell! I even managed to convince Spectre Shepard to allow me to live. Is Jack Harper… and that Asari commando… going to always haunt my every sleeping moment? Thinking about Shepard granting her a pass brought forth a bitter chuckle. I lost count of the number of times I kept her ass from getting shot… and she never knew… and she still doesn't! Wish I could somehow prove it; then, just maybe, I could get her to honestly change her opinion of me.

With a heavy sigh, she turned the water off and grabbed a clean towel; after drying her torso and legs, she used one end of the towel to absorb most of the dampness in her hair by scrunching it around between her hands. Looking at herself in the mirror again, she smiled slightly at her reflection before hanging up the towel; moving back to her bedroom, she grabbed a fresh sleepshirt, pulled it on over her head, then went to her small kitchen for a snack before crawling back into bed.

The former Technology Institute on the west bank of the Frasier River had become the central headquarters of Atlas. As Zoë entered the main research floor inside the converted auditorium, Tim Stafford glanced up; with an elbow, he nudged the woman sitting next to him, then inclined his head in Zoë's direction when Jana looked up from the data slowly scrolling by on her terminal. He whispered, "She looks a bit tired, don't you think?"

A nearly imperceptible nod was Jana's only acknowledgement as Zoë spotted the pair and began walking towards them; Jana stood to greet her as the Atlas leader paused beside their work stations. "Good morning, Zoë." Guessing at the answer she'd receive, Jana asked anyway. "How did you sleep?"

The corners of Zoë's mouth barely ticked up in recognition as she turned to lean her butt against the edge of the counter; crossing her arms under her chest, she glanced down at Tim before turning her smoky, midnight brown eyes on Jana. "I have an itch, Jana… right in the middle of my back. It's that creepy feeling I always experience when someone has a gun sighted in on me, only this time, it's not really insistent… more like a general sense of, I don't know… an incident, just waiting for an alignment of events to come to pass. Have you or Tim seen anything in the data feeds that might account for this?"

Tim shook his head as Jana echoed his motion, replying for both of them, "Nothing has leaped out at either of us… and you must know by now you would be the first one we would tell." Jana cocked her head as she studied the woman's eyes. "You had another bad dream, didn't you?"

Lawrence nodded her head minutely as one corner of her mouth ticked up a tiny bit further. "Dammit, Cantrell! You never used to be so perceptive." Uncrossing her arms, she used the palms of her hands to scrub her face for a moment before reaching up to ruffle the curly hair on top of her head with her fingers; gripping the counter edge on either side of her hips, she asked, "What gave me away?"

Jana simply grinned in response; inclining her head towards Stafford, she replied, "Tim noticed. I didn't ask him the basis for his observation, but I immediately concurred with his assessment. What's going on, Zoë?" Cantrell moved to stand in front of the former assassin in order to softly grip both her upper arms. Even though she felt Zoë stiffen at the touch, she didn't let go; continuing to speak in a soothing tone, she added, "I thought your dreams of Reapers, Harper and the wartime Citadel had all faded away."

Zoë had never cared for what she perceived as Jana's intimate touch but had learned to tolerate it without flinching… mostly. She also knew that Cantrell was sensitive enough to feel the muscles under her hands tensing up, as if Zoë was ready to either lash out or pull away. With a grim smile, she calmly replied, "So did I, but I woke up around 0200 covered in a cold sweat, such that I had to take a shower and put on a dry sleep-shirt."

After briefly closing her eyes, she opened them to stare into Jana's. "It was different this time… I was being chased by an indoctrinated Harper… ran headlong into Shepard. She died from her injuries before somehow… morphing into an Asari commando." Placing her chin on her chest, she looked down for several moments as Cantrell shifted her grip on Zoë's arms to a light massage, slowly stroking her arms up and down as the leader of Atlas got her emotions back under control. Returning her gaze to Jana's gold-flecked brown eyes, she continued in a voice that sounded immeasurably sad. "It was that Asari, Jana… the dead commando… the one Maya stumbled over as she was leaving the temple in Serrice."

Shaking her head slightly, she took a shuddering breath; dark eyes glistening with moisture, she added, "Only difference was, her head crests were multiple shades of dark to medium red, same as Shepard's hair." Zoë brought a hand up to cover her mouth; coughing into the knuckles of her fist to suppress a sob, she continued, "That dead commando is going to haunt me to the end of my days, isn't she? She's partially the reason for Maya's 'death'… after compelling her to put a bullet in Jack Harper's head. And now, even though I've become a new person and helped in the reformation of Cerberus, it still feels as if it somehow isn't enough… and I doubt it will ever be. That commando's spirit is never going to grant me any peace, Jana."

Cantrell studied Jack Harper's former assassin as she stood in front of her. Swallowing the lump that had found its way into her own throat, she declared, "Zoë, you did not kill that Asari. I realize you led the mission to retrieve the Prothean VI from Athame's temple, but that commando was dead well before you started your run back to the A-61." Releasing her arms to reach under them and embrace Zoë's body, she hugged the woman tightly for a moment before taking a step back and saying, "Now, let's start digging. There has to be something of importance… something that has the skin on your back crawling. Perhaps something with the upcoming trade agreement talks? Your hunches have never been wrong yet; we'll look until we find it."

Zoë's mouth finally tipped up into a grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. Looking first at Jana, then at Tim, she whispered, "Sounds good. Thank you."

Amanzi Khanyo Cavern, The Záhrada S'Vatyne Resort, Sanves – 27 Aug 2188

"Really?" Livos released a nervous chuckle. "If courage is all we need, then this should be easy for me… and yet it is not. I very much want it to be true, but…"

Zan pulled her right hand from Livos' tight grasp to cup the Asari's left cheek in a gentle caress. "But it scares you. I know… Me too. But is that not the very definition of courage? To do something anyway, even though it frightens you?

Livos closed her eyes and leaned into the affectionate touch with a soft sigh. "I suppose that is true… and I have to admit that I enjoy it… more than I fear it, that is certain, or I would not be here."

Stepping back, Zan returned her attention to the press, eventually turning back with two cups of steaming liquid. Handing one to Livos, she commented, "Here is your Kaffe… the snacks can wait until I show you what we came out here for." She walked slowly, Livos turning to walk at her side, toward a large armoire. Once there, she opened both doors of the upper portion and slid open a drawer contained within.

Livos gasped as she saw its contents. "Is that what I think it is? How do you even possess such a thing? They have been outlawed for centuries!"

"Yes, I know." Zan pulled it out of the drawer and twirled the offensive object in her hands. "But those such as my mother care little for laws and bans; they do what they like." The twirling stopped and Zan held the object up next to her cheek. "It is not what you think, Liv. My tattoo is not on my face to disguise the burns I would have… had my mother branded me as she did the slaves she sold. My tattoo is there by my choice, in spite of her."

A confused Livos crunched up her face to express the consternation she felt. "But… why would you ink such a repulsive thing… onto your face, of all places?"

"Because I love nature… and I love the ferocity of the lightning storms that sweep across the countryside." She almost laughed remembering the look on her mother's face the first time she saw the tattoo. "My mother and I had a huge argument over it when I told her I liked what the bolts truly represented… nature at its height of power and glory... and that I wanted to bear a tattoo in its likeness."

Understanding began to slowly dawn in the eyes of the commando. "She saw it as an indicator of ownership and control… over those weaker… and you told her you wanted the family slave mark on your skin?" Livos grinned and continued, "By the Goddess! The heir of a powerful crime lord was telling her she would rather live as a slave than as her daughter!"

"Yes… that is exactly how she interpreted it. But I sealed my fate by informing her that slavery, of all the crimes the family committed, was by far the very worst. To rob and steal things was bad enough… getting people hooked on drugs were worse yet… but to deprive another sentient being of their freedom simply so some filthy-rich miscreantcould be lazy or have a personal sex toy? To me, that was the most repulsive side of the so-called family business."

Livos' eyes flew open wide in shock. "You actually told her that? To her face?"

"Yes, I did." A visible shiver ran down the guide's spine before she continued, "And I have never regretted the words… even though my next conscious recollection was over a week later when I woke in a hospital being told I had been in a very bad aircar crash."

"Your own mother had you beaten, almost to death, and blamed it on a crash?" Spitting the words out in a rage, Livos' body was physically shaking over what Zan had just told her.

"Oh, nothing so banal, Liv." Zan reached out and grabbed the commando's upper arms, stilling the irate captain with her soothing touch. "She knocked me out with that damned branding iron and then placed me in one of our racers – shortly before piloting it remotely into the side of a mountain … I am guessing at full race velocity, from the remains of the car." Zan shook her head in bewilderment. "I never should have survived that crash, but I did. Once I recovered, I went to University and got this tattoo, after which I never went home again… at least not until Leona's kidnapping." Her silver eyes took on the glint of a sharpened blade ready to find its target as she continued, "The look on the matriarch's face when I stormed in the front door was worth every ounce of pain she ever inflicted upon me. She hid it quickly enough… but it was much too late; I had seen the surprise… and the flash of fear at what she had created."

After a deep, calming breath, Zan had managed to finish the story of the week-long argument with her family, her stubborn refusal to return to them as the heir to the empire, and their eventual, however reluctant, release of Leona… and the unavoidable end to their relationship that followed promptly after the event. "To this day, I mourn the dreadful shattering of my heart caused by Leona's abrupt departure… particularly after all I risked getting her safely released. Yet, at the same time, I praise the Goddess for giving me the strength to defy that ardat who claimed she did what she did out of love."

It was then that Livos realized tears were trickling down her own cheeks. "By the Goddess, Zan!" Her words came out in a choked whisper. "I wonder at your ability to survive such an upbringing… but cannot help but be glad that it brought you to me."

"It is all in the past, Liv." Seeing the reaction her words had caused, Zan approached and wrapped her arms around the commando in a comforting embrace. "Matriarch Marisha showed me that… and she gave me a second chance at life – one with you in it. I will never be able to thank her enough for that. For this."

A few more moments passed in silence as the two simply stood in one another's arms, enjoying the togetherness. Eventually, Livos released a contented sigh. "I suppose… now that I have the story and you have shown me your special hideaway… it is time for us to return to the world."

A smirk on her face, Zan pushed back enough to place a tender kiss on the lips of her amantia. "It is only four in the morning, Captain. Can we take a nap and at least wait until daylight?"