Notes:

Anam Cara - Soul Mate (Gaelic)

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

Chandra - insect resembling a honeybee, same name as sweetening nectar it produces (Asari)

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)

LEAP - League of Earth Alliance Patriots

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

Making Plans

Seattle, Washington, Earth, Sol System – 7 Aug 2188 (four weeks earlier)

Douglas Walker, known to his friends… and to not a few women… as 'The Gentleman', had just finished listening to gadfly reporter Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani's Westerlund News report. Standing in front of a background vid that had been recorded when the building had been partially destroyed by a LEAP saboteur and assassin, she spoke in glowing terms about the newly reconstructed Systems Alliance Defense Committee headquarters in Vancouver; further, she had placed an emphasis on the upcoming dedication ceremonies.

As al-Jilani recited a partial list of invitees for the dedication – scheduled as it was for the two-year anniversary of the Reaper invasion of Earth – Walker grew increasingly angry as she included a number of alien representatives from worlds that had initially withheld support for Earth's struggles to survive the Reaper assault. He considered their potential presence to be an embarrassment… an insult, even … to Earth and all of humanity, and could not believe the current administration would even consider inviting such… creatures… to what should be a solemn Humans-only event.

Walker opened his omnitool and composed a terse message outlining what he felt to be simply another example of a bunch of know-nothing diplomats demeaning Humanity's many accomplishments, with their blind acceptance of aliens influencing Earth policy, to the detriment of all of humankind. Concluding his diatribe with a suggestion that a sniper or two would be a perfect response to this surreptitious influence, he signed it, then sent it off to the one person he felt would be most likely to take some positive action… Terra Firma leader Charles Saracino.

Vancouver B.C., Earth, Sol System – 4 Sep 2188

"I initially began my hunt a week ago. I actually had to search back through an additional three weeks of old message traffic before that in order to finally locate this." Leigh Maxwell used his omnitool to project his findings to the large monitors mounted on the walls at either end of the conference table; Atlas infiltrators Boris Sutton, Rich Clemons and Nina Delacroix were also attending this staff meeting with Zoë Lawrence, Jana Cantrell and Tim Stafford.

Max, even though he was quite chagrined to have taken so long to discover the information he was about to share, looked straight at Zoë as he continued, "I'm not sure how we… I missed this message from one Douglas Walker – a former mid-level operative at the Terra Firma branch in Seattle – to Charles Saracino, other than it was quite short and to the point… a private, inter-personal communique, not received through any of the regular Terra Firma servers. With as many filters and ongoing searches being carried out by myself, Nina, Boris and others, I can think of no other explanation for how this data was overlooked for so many days, Ma'am."

Zoë quickly glanced at Jana and Tim before responding, "Without dredging up details of our past history, I would be remiss if I failed to point out that we have missed some serious shit at least two times in the past… with one of those two nearly costing us everything." Placing her elbows on the table, she calmly clasped her hands together, rested her chin on her interlaced fingers and said, "It sounds as if we will be required to somehow either tap into Saracino's personal omnitool, or hack all the servers being used by Terra Firma. Until we can accomplish that, we'll have to place a great deal more emphasis on digging into the personal correspondence of the man. Now, please tell us what you've discovered, Max."

"As you can see, this message was written and sent just over three weeks ago." Touching several of the haptic controls on his device, he changed the background picture to one depicting an aerial, three-quarter view of the newly reconstructed main administration building. "Walker is convinced the two aliens – Turian Primarch Victus and his advisor, Garrus Vakarian – will be soiling the hallowed ground – his words – on which they will be walking when they arrive; he suggested that a fitting welcome for the four Human lackeys enabling these enemies of humanity would be a hail of bullets."

Both Nina and Boris expressed surprise at this, while Jana simply shook her head as she scoffed in quiet disgust. Zoë's unhappiness was also plain to see as she asked, "No reply from Saracino or his staff?"

"None so far, Ma'am, and I certainly would not expect a reply at this late date… it has been over a month since Walker sent his message."

Jana's tone was thoughtful as she commented, "In the many years Saracino has been touting Terra Firma as the answer to Humanity's inferiority complex with alien races, his group has never reacted in such an extreme manner, Max. Do they even employ assassins?"

Stafford's voice held an icy edge as he weighed in before Max could reply. "For us to believe Saracino wouldn't have trained people capable of wet work would be a bit naïve… and more than a bit dangerous."

Zoë agreed with Tim's assessment. "We certainly didn't take down every member of LEAP's assassination squads… most were previously members of Cerberus, not unlike myself; skilled at getting in, making the hit, then getting out clean." She shook her head as she added, almost to herself, "They don't need distance and special rifles, people; they could kill you just as easily with a butter knife as with an assassin's blade." Thinking back to her own takedown of Donnel Udina while he was in custody at the Citadel prompted her to observe, "Close in, cloaked with a blade, has always been a viable course of action… it just takes a lot of careful prep to get in and a great deal more planning in order to manage a clean exit."

Zoë briefly studied the eyes of each of the people silently looking back at her. Placing her hands flat on the surface of the polished table, she stood as she said, "For now, we continue to search. Tim, Jana… start planning for an intervention. Max, continue to search for data relevant to this development; Delacroix, you and Sutton will assist. We don't have a lot of time, but…" Zoë paused for effect, her mouth set in a grim, straight line. "… neither does Terra Firma. Any plans they can put together with such a narrow window of opportunity will have weaknesses… flaws, that we need to discover and exploit. Remember who we are… what we're in business to do."

Turian Navy Docks, Cipritine, Palaven – 5 Sep 2188

After a short visit with the Galactic Council to brief them concerning the on-going security preparations for the dedication ceremony on Earth, Shepard and the crew of the Knight Shade made a relay jump to the Trebia system in Apien Crest. A short FTL burn later and Shepard found herself in a crushing hug from her friend, Garrus Vakarian.

"Damn good to see you, Shepard!" The big Turian released the Spectre and turned to Liara, who stepped willingly into his arms for her turn.

"Good to see you, too, Garrus. How is Desis?" Liara stepped back, a glowing smile on her face at the enthusiastic welcome.

Mandibles spread slightly at the mention of the love of his life, the big Turian's mouth hung open for a second before he found the words. "She's… well… yes. She is doing well, Liara… really well. She's very passionate… and like a Varren with a bone when it concerns finding loving homes for all the orphans still out there in the wind." The flanging in his voice nearly disappeared as he added, "And I cannot imagine my life without her as a part of it; she completes me in more ways than I can count."

"You look happy, Garrus. She's obviously good for you." Shepard grinned at her comrade-in-arms before glancing at Liara. "I know how having someone like that in your life can really make a difference." Returning her gaze to their Turian escort, she continued, "I also need to thank you, again, for your recommendations on the additions to my crew; they seem to be fitting in great. Rusim is one Hell of a pilot and, so far, Jorrill seems to be a top-notch combat officer, assuming he performs as well in the real shit as he does in the simulations."

A shadow fell across Liara's eyes at Shepard's statement. {Likely sooner than later, Siame, with the Quarian situation on the edges of the Terminus.}

As the thought from Liara slid through the link, the Spectre suddenly frowned and added to her previous statement, "Though, I have to admit, I'm in no particular hurry to face a real battle test. The optimist in me hopes nothing happens, even as the realist believes it's coming fast with this Gerrel and Xen business."

"Agreed." Garrus also turned more solemn with the change of topic. "I just knew those two were going to be a pain in our collective asses, but never thought they would actually break away from the Migrant Fleet and risk a damned civil war. Unbelievable!" His omnitool chimed and he glanced down before adding, "And, it seems, the Primarch is requesting that you meet with him… once you finish your meeting with Ambassador Hoffman."

"Of course." A light smile returned to the Spectre's face. "We can't depart Palaven without saying hello to Victus. I imagine he would like some information concerning our protection plans… and I expect he will be disappointed when he learns I have no say in the security plans. Ambassador Hoffman's protection is under the purview of the Systems Alliance."

Garrus' mandibles flared in surprise. "What?"

"Yup. I have been informed by the Council that my sole duty as a Spectre is limited to the protection of Councilor Osoba. I am under strict orders to not allow my attention to be diverted by trying to protect Alliance personnel… on Alliance soil. Period."

After a brief silence, Garrus nodded. "I can see the logic behind that, actually… particularly since the intelligence indicates all four are potential targets. Use an attack on one to act as a diversion; if anyone pulls off their primary to assist, they leave their own assignment unprotected." He twitched in aggravation. "Damn! You've got to hate that, with Admiral Hackett in the mix."

"A bit, yes." Shepard shrugged and continued, "But there's nothing I can do about it… and Hackett's still a soldier, through and through. The very idea that he has to be assigned a security detail probably chafes him to no end." The thought made her chuckle quietly before adding, "I suppose we'd better get to the embassy. I'm sure Ambassador Hoffman knows we've arrived and is wondering where in Hell we got off to."

Systems Alliance Embassy Offices, Cipritine, Palaven – 5 Sep 2188

Once the receptionist announced Shepard and her small team consisting of Liara, Livos and Jatok, it was only moments before the ambassador's door opened and Arthur Hoffman stepped out to greet them. "Spectre Shepard and Dr Liara T'Soni… as I live and breathe. Please, do come in! It's my honor to meet you both!" Escorting them quickly into his office, he closed the door and led them to a small seating area… which was, in reality, a cozy private bar. Stepping behind the counter, he queried, "What can I get you?"

Surprised, Shepard eyed the shelves behind the man and grinned. "If you're honestly offering, I'd love a Bushmills… on the rocks."

"Ahhh… I do love an officer with discerning taste! So hard to find amongst the Turians… almost impossible. All of them are so damned uptight!" He talked as he pulled the bottle down and poured a small amount into the glass, righted the bottle, then poured a little bit more, finishing out the pour with a rather generous two-finger portion of the hard-to-come-by whiskey. He pushed the snifter toward the Spectre and turned his attention to Liara. "And you, my Lady?"

A cautious Liara eyed the many alcohols on the shelf and hesitantly asked, "In truth, I would simply like some fruit juice?"

Smiling softly, the ambassador replied, "Of course. I have cranberry, orange, or lemonade, all of which I normally use as mixers…"

"Orange juice would be lovely," Liara answered with relief. "Thank you."

"And you… Commando…?"

"Captain Tanni. Livos Tanni. Spectre Team 1 Lead." Livos nodded in the direction of her compatriot as she continued, "And Commander Hailot Jatok, Team 2 Lead." After a brief pause, she added, "I will also take an orange juice, please."

"Fancy drinks and fruit juices. Bah!" Jatok harrumphed and growled, "You happen to have any Ryncol hiding back there?"

"Absolutely, my dear Krogan!" Hoffman laughed. "No bar would be complete without it!" A grin spread across his face as he fetched a bottle from a special cabinet beneath the bar. "I do, however, keep it in a fireproof metal chiller, in case it decides to explode and tries to catch my office on fire."

Once the remaining drinks were distributed, Hoffman grabbed a bottle of honey mead for himself and pulled up a stool. "So. You're here about the upcoming trade talks, yes?"

"Actually, no." Shepard shook her head and took a quick sip from her glass before continuing, "We're here because of threats made against four persons, you being one of the four on that list, with indicators pointing to the upcoming Alliance Headquarters dedication."

"While on Earth?" Hoffman looked surprised. "Why would someone want to kill me? Especially there… when the opportunities here are so much greater? Relatively speaking, Turian security is still what I would consider a shambles. I received copies of the dedication's security plans and felt they were a bit overboard… but knowing now that there's an active threat, they suddenly make a whole lot more sense." The ambassador's feeling of surprise spun toward resentment as he queried, "And, if that's the case, why am I just now being informed of this?"

"Because we haven't positively determined who the actors are." Shepard sounded disgusted as well when she conceded, "We're assuming it's an anti-alien Earth group, like Earth First, Terra Firma, or the remains of LEAP… which is why the Earth event is the expected venue… but have been unable to confirm anything. The planners are very good at covering their tracks, whoever they may be, that's for damned sure." She sighed, "That, in and of itself, is a cause for great concern, because that tells me the agent is a real pro… and, if we don't know who it is, we can't be sure of the security of extraplanetary communications."

"What? You mean to tell me it's a Human group planning to kill other Humans… and it could be someone in, or aided by someone within, one of our very own organizations?" Realization dawned on Hoffman's face. "And that's why they had to send a damned Spectre to tell me!"

"Unfortunately, yes, Ambassador." Shepard frowned. "And all I need to say to explain our reservations is that there is precedent… Major Josiah Pickett."

"Fucking LEAP sympathizer!" Hoffman leaned back on his barstool and growled, "He never should have been in that jail cell to begin with; they should have launched his ass and blew him out an airlock at their earliest convenience… He was a damned fucking traitor of the first order!"

"Agreed… except we had hoped to get the names of his accomplices… which we never did." Shepard pursed her lips and waited for a response.

She didn't have to wait long as Hoffman sat forward and took another swig of his mead before commenting, "Which means it's very likely there could still be some hiding in the ranks. Son of a bitch." He looked at his guests and shook his head in disgust. "So, what? You want me to stay here? Not go to the ceremony?"

"That's one of your choices," Jatok rumbled. "But if it was me, I wouldn't let the bastards win. "I'd go, armed and ready to give them an express trip to your Human Hell. Turians won't think much of you if you don't… They may even think you a coward," he added with a sneer.

"Commander!" Shepard glared at her team leader and growled, "Exercise that crusty rock in your head and remember who you're speaking with… Think about what you're saying and take care with your tone."

"No, Spectre." Hoffman shook his head. "No offense taken on my part… because Jatok's right. Turians are too militant and proud. I back away from this and my reputation here goes right down the toilet… and Earth would need to appoint a new ambassador to Palaven." He looked at the big Krogan and smiled. "After playing politics for so long, I can honestly appreciate someone who speaks so bluntly. Thank you."

Jatok glanced at the Spectre and nodded with a toothy grin on his face. "See, Shepard? Krogan tactics aren't always bad… but you are correct. I sometimes forget how squishy Humans are… in your feelings as well as your puny little bodies… so, as a member of your Spectre team, I will try to be a bit more tactful with someone I have just met." His reptilian eyes, not a single trace of repentance showing within, shifted to zero in on the Human male before him. "My apologies, Ambassador."

Hoffman's eyes had grown wide at the insult delivered so casually between the Spectre and the rather large Krogan, and then he was even more taken aback by both the insincere apology and Shepard's laughter as she chuckled, "Damn it, Jatok. Just drink the rest of your Ryncol and shut up, would you?" Seeing the lack of understanding and surprise in the ambassador's eyes at how she and Jatok spoke to one another, Shepard grinned. "Don't work with Krogan much, do you?"

"No… I don't. Never, as a matter of fact." Hoffman looked at the Spectre in amazement. "How in Hell do you tell the difference between an insult and a compliment?"

"You generally can't." Shepard shrugged. "That's kind of the point. Honestly? It comes down to tone and how you want to take it. But, if you take it as an insult, you'd better be ready to either swallow your pride or fight… because there's rarely any middle ground with Krogan."

"Then I'll simply take it as advice and move on." The man scowled with disgust. "I find it hard to believe we're looking at our own race as the perps… Damn it all!" He once again met the Spectre's eyes and asked, "There's no doubt I'm attending that ceremony… So, what's next?"

Having to repeat with Hoffman everything they had spoken about and done during their visit to Earth, it was hours later when the crew finally returned to the Knight Shade. Being on Turian soil made it impossible for Shepard to acquire the protective mesh undergarments locally for Hoffman, so she was forced to scan him for size. She then forwarded the data to the Spectre Requisitions office on the CGC and arranged for the garments to be delivered to the ambassador's offices on Palaven. Once they had finished making what preparations they could, Shepard reminded the man, "And don't forget to order a few new suits; you'll need a bit of extra room to fit over the mesh… a half-size generally does the trick."

After the ambassador had noted the advisement and promised to vet and select a bodyguard in short order, the Spectre team had bade him farewell and headed for the ship, asking their pilot. Lusmeni Thoni, to plot a course to Thessia. "The Estate?" she asked in surprise. "What about reporting in to the Council?"

"Tomorrow is Saturday and I'm taking the weekend off." She glanced at Liara and smiled. "Monday morning is plenty soon enough to report in with our progress. If we're lucky, we might even have an update from Earth by then and learn who has been assigned to Hackett and Trost for their personal security."

T'Soni Country Estate, Armali Republic, Thessia – 6 Sep 2188

Shepard woke slowly and stretched, glancing at the chrono, surprised to see the numbers 0704 glowing softly on the face. She smiled sleepily and rolled over, stretching her arm out to the other side, only to find the space both vacant and cold. {Liara?}

{Good morning, Siame. I'm in the office… Riana found something interesting.}

{Good interesting or 'oh shit' interesting?}

{I would have to say the latter, Love.}

{Well… crap. So much for a Saturday off, huh? Let me get some clothes on, a cup of coffee in my hands, and I'll come join you. I'll be there shortly.}

Slipping quickly into a set of sweats, Shepard made her way through the estate kitchens, saying good morning to the house steward, Lyessa Raptos, as she approached the beverage center. Lyessa smiled as she extended her arm toward the captain. "One cup of Terran coffee with cream and Chandra?"

Shepard grinned and happily took the offering, sipping the steaming liquid with pleasure. "Gods, Lyessa. When did you start getting shipments of coffee from Earth?"

"Just this week, Captain," Lyessa said with a laugh. "It seems we have a new friend… a certain Samuel Crosby? The package arrived just yesterday… we scanned it like any other shipment that arrives and found it clean."

"Sam Crosby sent this?" Conflicting surprise and curiosity overtook Shepard's face. "Sam is our SILC liaison in Beijing! Did he not send a note or anything with it?"

"He did, but I thought nothing of it. I don't remember the exact wording, but something to the effect of not letting you down?"

"Please respond to him, saying the success of the SILC aid program was more than enough thanks…" Shepard paused, a smirk flickering across her face before she continued, "Never mind. I'll send a note myself… but I do want you to check availability and add coffee to your standard procurement list, if at all reasonable." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, inhaling the welcome aroma floating out of the mug she cradled in her hands. "Not that I don't like your Kaffe, but I have seriously missed this. It's wonderful."

She retreated from Lyessa's promise to add coffee to their regular requests and made her way to the Shadow Broker office, secreted away in a remote, private corner of the basement behind a false wall. Riana glanced up and chuckled as Shepard entered, frowned and batted at Glyph, who was bobbing about in front of her. "Liara! Can't you reprogram this thing to stay out of my face. If it continues, one of these days I'm going to come in here wearing my armor gauntlets and punch it across the room."

"No need to get violent, Samantha." Liara cast her a disapproving glance before speaking to the drone. "Glyph. Set personal space to a minimum of two meters." Seeing an irritated scowl flare on her bondmate's face, she amended, "Glyph… make that three meters."

The drone immediately moved off to the side at a distance of exactly three meters and replied, "Understood, Dr T'Soni."

Now ignoring the drone no longer blocking her path, Shepard walked up to Liara and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, Liara. Now… what have you found?"

Liara quickly showed Shepard the message sent to Charles Saracino by Douglas Walker, as well as the Shadow Broker file on the latter. "I think, based on this message, we will likely be seeing Mr Walker… whether he is sponsored by Terra Firma or not."

As Shepard's eyes darted through the information, her frown returned. "You're right, Li… This is not good news. According to this dossier, it appears Walker is a top assassin… an extremely capable long-range shooter. We'll have to review all the security measures again for buildings outside the standard perimeter. Have you sent this to Hackett?"

"Yes… and Admiral Lindholm as well." Liara sighed softly. "All I can say is that both of them accepted the information readily enough, but I got the distinct impression that I simply put a face to what they already considered an existing threat… one they have already looked into and feel they have countered."

"Damn it. I guess that means we'll have to look at it ourselves during our return visit." Shepard's frown deepened. "They have to take this into consideration. This man is far from your average shooter." Her eyes traveled up to meet troubled blues. "You have any more bad news for me?"

"More than you care to know, Siame." Liara opened another document on her computer and Shepard watched as a list started to scroll across the screen.

"Who are they?" Shepard's brow pinched, seeing many of the names associated with rank… Systems Alliance military ranks.

"This is our consolidated list of Alliance personnel assigned to the Headquarters and Vancouver area who have demonstrated Cerberus or LEAP leanings in one way or another." Liara shook her head in disgust. "Many on here have actually attended a rally or meeting at some point in the recent… and not so recent past. The highlighted names are those with verifiable multiple attendances at such."

Shepard's emerald eyes locked on to Liara's blues with laser intensity. "There has to be over fifty names on that list!"

"I know," Liara said as she nodded in abject agreement. "Now you see the problem."

"Gods be damned." Shepard reached up and ran her hand through her hair, looking once more at the lengthy list and wondering how these people could live with all the fear and hate within them. "How in Hell am I supposed to give this to Hackett… much less Lindholm? None of these soldiers have done anything illegal… not by simply attending a rally… but damned if I would trust them at any function for which an active threat had been verified!"

"We cross-referenced our initial list with party member lists from all the usual suspects…" Liara paused and shrugged in defeat. "But only a few names dropped off. Our biggest obstacle to taking proactive protective measures is that both Terra Firma and Earth First are legitimate coalition political parties, without any proven ties to violence or LEAP… but they still make for a rather large suspect list."

Shepard looked again to Liara, her voice riddled with annoyance as she answered, "Or a rather large assault team… if it just happens to be a coordinated effort."

"Goddess!" Liara's eyes flared wide in surprise. "I hadn't even thought of that!"

"We have just over three weeks, Liara." Shepard glanced between her Anam Cara and Riana. "We have to vet every single one of those names and categorize them by threat level… and we need to do it fast."

"I don't know that it can be done, Samantha…" Liara was shaking her head, the enormity of the task before them trying to crush the air from her lungs as she continued, "It takes months to build a full profile! There is no way we can complete that many in the time we have!"

"Then we have to come up with ways to counter whatever they might throw at us." Shepard pursed her lips for a moment before adding, "And, in the meantime, we need to add people we trust to all four of the personal security teams. I'm going to give Sharon Culver a call… see who she can spare for this."

Serrice Government Building, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 8 Sep 2188

Asari Spectre Moises T'Dura stood quietly in the corner, listening to the Grand Matriarch ramble on about the Justicars' investigations and findings. The Justicars had gone out over the course of five days, each assigned to a different province for the investigation portion of the tasking. They then returned to the Justicar House for a Judicial Conclave, which had begun on the first of September. Sellyna explained about how she had made a second visit to Majesa and spoken to Minister Trellani again… and then Governess Niana, exonerating both of the leading Majesan matriarchs before returning to Attena… only to find both the Minister and the Governess of the Justicars' home province had known about the beacon for years.

Sellyna nearly spit her words. "Both Suvanni and Alana knew and purposely conspired to withhold the information which Shepard needed… the entire war effort needed… so desperately! They have been sanctioned and removed from office… and the province is in the process of preparing nominations for an emergency vote to select interim replacements for the next five months… until the normal January election results are tallied." She calmed slightly as she added, "The same holds true for those of the Kendra Ocean; Matriarchs Cheleya and Luesia will also be replaced."

The Justicar's eyes shifted to the two empty seats. "This is why neither Alana nor Luesia is present today." Sellyna went on to list those provinces which had taken the heaviest damage early on, which had denied them the ability to either receive or respond to any of the requests for information; Anerzesa, Dassus, and Ulee.

The corner of T'Dura's mouth twitched in aggravation, her anger building at every excuse Matriarch Sellyna made for those useless old crones. Every one of those damned matriarchs should be removed from their positions! Ignorance of Shepard's request is no defense! As leaders, it was their responsibility to know about the beacon! No matter their reasoning, they withheld that data from the galaxy and broke Council law!

Her lips curled into a sneer as she thought about what she was going to… needed… to do. She would still operate within the law, as much as that meant under a Spectre's authority. As for those who had heard the call for help from Shepard… who had the ability to respond and did not… Removed from their positions… that's it? That is not enough! They will pay for their crimes. As much as they may wish it to be so, the people have not forgotten about them withholding the beacon's location, refusing to act… and getting so many Council citizens killed with their intractability.

She contemplated the names the Justicar spoke; the Justicars felt simply removing them from office was enough. Perhaps that was the case in Asari justice… but the Spectres and Council justice would be something entirely different. Those of Attena and Kendra Ocean would be brought to task, certainly, as well as the criminals in Serrice. As for Armali… T'Dura focused on what she remembered from all the news broadcasts. Matriarch Benezia had been cleared of being a traitor to the state by Spectre Shepard… Supposedly, the matriarch had been indoctrinated – something T'Dura had found hard to believe until she had personally witnessed the effects – yet had been strong enough to break free, just long enough to assist the Spectre in tracking down Saren Arterius and defeating Sovereign during the attack on the Citadel.

While it was confirmed Armali Defense Minister Benezia had known about the beacon, it was also obvious that neither Shepard nor Liara T'Soni had been graced with that knowledge. Besides which, the Matriarch was dead… having paid for her crimes at the hands of Shepard, herself. Armali's Defense Forum stand-in, House T'Soni's Matriarch Mozia, had been selected after the renowned matriarch's death, so there was no cause to doubt her affirmation of not possessing any knowledge of the beacon, especially since her loyalties would have dictated informing Liara of its existence as soon as the call went out.

The Governess of Armali, however… Niana D'Pheya… had also known of the beacon's existence… but, since she had not violated Asari law and didn't know anything about Shepard's request, the Justicars had elected to do absolutely nothing regarding her. T'Dura's eyes narrowed, irritated by the idea that Niana would escape punishment. By withholding that information, she did violate Council law. But what will T'Soni do if I arrest the Armali Governess? Their House is not one to be taken on lightly… especially now, with Liara's bonding with Shepard… and how they consider Niana an ally. Perhaps it is best to wait until they leave again… and speak with Matriarch Mozia about this.

T'Dura made her personal arrest list, knowing this could keep her busy for some time; a total of seven Asari citizens, spread over four provinces. And who knows what I will discover as I investigate and dig deeper into this conspiracy to hide the beacon information… Goddess! All the scientists knew; there are many conspirators yet to be revealed. It has been more than a year, yet the effects of the war continue to unveil themselves.

Vancouver B.C., Earth, Sol System – 10 Sep 2188

In the five days since Max had presented his preliminary findings to Zoë, Jana and Tim, Atlas' lead cryptanalyst had made significant progress in determining the direction Terra Firma planned to take concerning the upcoming building dedication and reception scheduled to take place in just under two weeks.

Max, with the assistance of Nina Delacroix, had managed to gain entry into the Terra Firma servers; Delacroix had giggled slightly at the ease with which she had managed to insert an info worming bot, until Max had reminded her the secure server she had cracked did not belong to Terra Firma, but rather to a sub-contractor that had obviously not taken seriously the security requirements of such a high-profile customer.

Nina was able to confirm that 'The Gentleman' – the letter writer from Seattle – was actually a former Cerberus assassin. Now a contract killer for hire, Douglas Walker made quite a tidy living for himself selling his services to a very small group of patrons. His most recent contract had involved an alien-loving traitor to humanity who had been disrupting some of the more exotic deliveries being made by the Blue Suns. The fact that prostitutional slavery was still legal in a few small areas of the galaxy had not stopped this self-proclaimed crusader from publicizing when and where deliveries of captive Asari maidens were being made. The Blue Suns last request for the bleeding-heart Human to cease and desist had finally been made – quite publicly… and most permanently – with a 12.7-mm sized, aerodynamically shaped bit of shaved, soft metal alloy traveling at hypersonic speed.

Delacroix had managed to discover the file that held not only Terra Firma's response to Walker's rather forceful letter, but Walker's letter as well. Their reply could only be categorized as polite, but non-committal. Tim had asked, "You didn't expect them to simply jump up and hire him on the spot, did you?"

Nina's face had clouded slightly at that; she hadn't expected to be dealing with subterfuge. "Why is it that nothing is ever simple? Seems to me they could simply contact him… or someone equally skilled, give them a target and offer them X-amount of credits for completion."

Max replied with a scowl, "Contract killers, especially good ones like Walker, are extremely careful about the jobs they accept. Of those, the person or company letting the contract is required to follow certain protocols, not only to protect themselves, but to protect the shooter." He entered several new parameters into his search criteria, explaining, "We just need to dig deeper, Nina. Now that we are aware of Walker's possible involvement, it shouldn't take long for us to discover the target, then decipher how he intends to get in, make the hit, then get clear."

Nina expressed her doubts, arguing that the problem didn't seem that easy. "I know you're good, Max… we both are, but…"

"Have a little faith, Nina. We got this."

Nina's expression didn't change, even after nodding in acceptance of Max's assessment, and she mumbled, "I guess I'll just have to take your word for it Max. I wish I had your confidence."