"This news is…I am not entirely sure how to process this." V'Dess's hard-light holographic form paced around the Normandy's conference room, small gestures belying a nervous energy that was uncharacteristic of the asari matron.
Karina V'Dess was the current head of the incredibly prestigious V'Dess House. Her mother, the House's matriarch, had died suddenly about five years before. As her eldest, Karina inherited the title even though she was not yet technically a matriarch. The House of V'Dess was one of the oldest known, and very careful records as well as mitochondrial mapping verified that the current line of V'Dess had remained unbroken since the life of their most famous and honored member, Aswa. Karina herself was a direct line descendent- birth mother to eldest daughter- of the great conqueror herself, via her eldest birth daughter, Mylidra V'Dess. As the asari believed the direct line and House lineage followed the daughters born of a particular asari and not those fathered by her, while other Houses could claim to be descended from the warrior through the daughters she had fathered, they were not considered full members of the lineage.
In total, Aswa had only given birth herself three times. The eldest was Mylidra. The other two, Kintala and Serene, had their direct lineages broken only a few generations down the line, losing it to other Houses.
Karina's younger sister, Atyana, had been the leader of an asari military group known as the Colorless Wind. She had died during the war at the Ardat-Yakshi monastery, turned into a Banshee before she and her entire team had been destroyed by a bomb she herself had set up before the transformation came upon her.
Fortunately, the V'Dess line would not be lost were anything to happen to Karina. She had three adult daughters, the youngest newly a century and currently enrolled as an intern serving the Thessia House Matriarchs.
If you did not know this truth about her and her family, Karina would seem like most any other asari politician. One would not generally mistake her for a warrior of any sort. Mel knew better, of course- Karina could more than take care of herself, and she approached politics not with the mindset of an actual politician, but more with the decisive, tactful and even military prowess she inherited from her noble ancestor. As a maiden she had served as a tactician with the Alotian Militia on Nos Astra. She knew both how soldiers thought and how diplomats thought. It gave her a significant edge when it came to exercising her job duties.
It was safe to say that Melara understood Karina and got along with her much better than her father ever had with Lumina Tevos, the former asari Councilor.
To see her displaying any sign of nerves now spoke both to the trust she had in Melara, and how truly rocked she was by what she had just learned. Turning, she looked at the younger captain.
"You trust this new information?"
"It came from…a very reliable source," she said. "You can rest assured, Karina; it is accurate."
"This whole situation is caused by some sort of inter-galactic quarantine? Do we know what we are quarantined for?"
"We are working on that. We have an advanced AI we were able to extract from the derelict that appears willing to cooperate, if not a bit hesitant. EDI is working on getting it autonomy so that it can access the ancient records we retrieved and advise us on our best course of action. It appears the Senate is the governing body that set up the quarantine and the Reaper cycle. The Iovino and possibly others acted as sort of a revolution, protesting the idea and fighting against both the Senate and the Reapers. For their pains they were utterly eradicated."
"Could it be the Senate that created the Citadel and the relay system?"
"I don't yet have enough information to give you an answer to that. We know the Iovino are the ones who left the original Crucible plans, and that they put the Id program into the Citadel to facilitate its use but…they may have just been taking advantage of tech that was already there. If this was part of the Senate before this…'catastrophe', it could be that the Citadel and relay system were put into place by the species who were here before, simply to facilitate their own galactic travel. It may be that every galaxy that is, or once was, part of this Senate also has similar relay systems in place; that it is something that is normally instituted across the universe. There is just not enough information at this time."
"If this Senate and this species…the Brasa? If they are both still in existence and in power extragalactically, it may also be likely that there are others still who stand against them, who may just come to our aid if the Senate decides to address our breaking of quarantine."
"You know as well as I there are always dissenters against any system of government, any power. It is possible, but first we need to determine if they are still out there, if they are aware of the broken quarantine, and if they intend to address it with force."
"As well, we need to determine what exactly is the nature of this 'infection' as you call it, if it is still a threat, and how to fix it if it is."
"I agree," Melara said, then sighed. "We cannot really start approaching solutions to anything without more information- information that is going to take time to gather."
"You and your team will have all the resources you need, Melara. I will see to that. As for your team…I must caution you if you choose to work with the Sekos. Eír I am not as concerned about- though her incredible biotic powers always warrant caution-so much as I worry about Athena. She has proven time and again she is not only dangerous, but also not above lies and manipulations to get what she desires."
"No one knows that as well as I, Karina- however we have little choice. We would not even have this much information if it weren't for Athena. She brought us the ship, the AI, and directly facilitated our ability to gain this intelligence. Much as it grates on me to admit, we need to extend her some level of courtesy in exchange for that. She…does seem to genuinely want to help."
"I trust your judgment, Mel. Just be careful. When can you expect to know more?"
"We will be interrogating the AI first thing in the morning, after it has been integrated with a mobile chassis. If we learn anything new from it, I will update you immediately, as well as provide a report on what our next move will be."
"Very well. I look forward to your report, Melara. In the mean time I will have a research team sent to that moon immediately, along with a military escort, to retrieve the derelict ship for study. Say hello to your mother for me; I hope she is doing as well as can be expected due to these circumstances."
"I will. Shepard out."
The image faded, and Mel headed out of the conference room toward the Nest. Her mother, Dr. Williams, Irie, and Gerty had shuttled up with them, and Dae had taken them up to see Aleu while Mel reported their findings.
She found her family gathered in the Nest, Dae speaking softly with Irie and Gerty, while Williams and Liara were perched on the sofa, Aleu intently showing them his new personal data pad. It only had a few game and educational programs on it, and had no wireless capability, but he enjoyed it quite a lot, and couldn't wait for the day he could get his own full omni-tool, and not just the locator band he wore now.
Liara saw her first and rose from her spot, giving Aleu a gentle touch on his forehead as she did so. Mel paused on the stairs leading down into the living area as her mother approached.
"If you do not mind, may we talk in private first?" she asked as she drew near. Mel nodded, then gestured at the door to the room she shared with Dae. As they entered, she closed and privacy locked the door behind them.
"Are you ok?" Melara asked with soft sympathy, gently touching her mother's shoulder.
"I am…I will be all right, Mel," she said in return, momentarily gripping that hand with a squeeze of affection. "Much has happened today. My head still spins with it all."
"I know what you mean," she said. "I am horrified, heart-broken, and fearful, all at once."
"Yet you lock it down to do your duty," Liara said. "Just as your father did."
Mel's eyes turned sad. "Hearing her again, hearing her voice…"
"I know, sweetheart. I know. It…I was not expecting the power of it. For the feelings to still be so raw." She gave a soft laugh, one bearing little mirth. "I feel so outside of our people at times. Asari are not supposed to be like this. Since the moment we first discovered other sentient species in this galaxy, we have known that more often than not, our chosen mates will die long before we will. We are supposed to enjoy the time we have with them, and move on holding to that happiness, content in the knowledge that we knew them, but able to go on to another after a period of contemplation and mourning. But I have not. It took over a century for me to even slightly loosen my grip on her, and…having some closure lightens my spirit, but even now I cling."
She met Melara's eyes. "I see the same tendency in you. You try and let go but you never do, not completely. You hold fast to it. Irie was able to approach the loss of Evik with the usual asari serenity, and views her relationship with Gerty in much the same manner but…you and I…there is something different about us."
"What do you suppose it is?" Melara asked neutrally, studying her mother with darkened eyes. Liara made a helpless gesture.
"I want to pretend it is because your father and I had such an intense relationship, forged repeatedly in fire and war, but something within me tells me it is different than even this. I want to pretend that you do as you do because you are so much like her, but I know this is as well a flimsy excuse. In the end, I simply do not know, Melara. I wish it were different. Perhaps then it would not be quite so painful."
Mel said nothing, just looked at her, and after a moment of searching her eyes, Liara nodded. "You think I am lying to you."
"I said nothing of the kind."
"No, you did not…but I know you Melara. You think I am lying to you, or to myself. You think I am overplaying the grief I feel for your sake, so I do not hurt your feelings. You are angry with me-"
"Of course I'm not angry with you!"
"You are. You have been, ever since the moment you first found out about Sam-"
"Dr. Williams has nothing to do with-"
Liara's eyes sparked. "Dr. Williams. That is exactly what I mean. You have known the woman for over half a decade now, Mel, and you still call her 'Dr. Williams'. Whenever you are in the room with her the temperature drops ten degrees. Any words you direct toward her are stiffly and formally cordial at best, but ultimately and completely dismissive. You never ask about her on our calls save when prompted. Your every gesture when it comes to her suggests you would prefer she did not exist at all."
Melara scowled. "I don't prefer anything of the sort!"
"Yes, fair enough. You do not prefer she did not exist, simply that she did not exist with me."
Mel made a sound of angry frustration. "Mama, that's not…I want you to be happy!"
"I know that you do, sweetheart. But there is a qualifier to that statement that you did not add." Her sky blue eyes were steady. "You want me to be happy…with your father, and none else. You want me to be happy so long as I am alone and simply biding time until your father and I can be together again- to simply be content in the wait. That is what you want."
"I just-"
"It is a romantic idea, Melara, and I understand it. I do. But it is not the way life, hearts, and the real world work. I love your father, with all of my being. She is part of me, she always will be. But I am alive, and here. I deserve to live, not to merely survive as I pine endlessly, for centuries. Our lives, our emotions, our hearts…they are part of everything. We are all interconnected, and we need that connection to live, not just endure. I know how hard it is to accept. I fought with it for so long after she was gone…I still do. But your father was right. It is the cruelest fate you can bestow on any loving and feeling creature, condemning them to solitude, unloved, forever."
"You are loved, Mama," Melara said. "You weren't alone. You have me, and Irie, your family…"
Liara looked at her with patient sadness. "It is not the same, Mel. You know it is not the same."
Melara scowled. "I just…why her? "
"The only thing about her that you dislike is that she is not your father," Liara said. "And she is not, Melara. She never will be. She is an entirely different person, and I love her for who she is, not who she is not. You have not even bothered getting to know her, you merely judge her by a measuring stick that reads 'Del Shepard'. No one is ever going to measure to that."
Melara moved over and sat down on the edge of the bed, scrubbing a hand over her face. "I don't want you hurting," she said softly. "I do want you to be happy, I do. I just…the love that you and Bába had was so special, Mama. It just…the whole thing just keeps feeling like a betrayal to that."
"I know, but it is not a betrayal, my love," Liara said, sitting down beside her. "Unless you view your relationship with Daenys as a betrayal?"
Melara blinked, staring at her in horror. "What? How is my relationship with Dae even remotely a betrayal? How is that-"
"Bethalya," Liara said softly. Melara gaped at her.
"Bethalya? Mama, that's entirely different!"
"How so? Melara, you were young, but you and Beth had something incredibly potent, something deeply unique and special. Both of you glowed when you were together. The adoration in your eyes, it consumed you heart and soul, as my love for your father consumed me. You seemed as two halves of the same being, sundered apart and finally brought back together again, whole once more. It was both beautiful and awesome to witness, and even when you were both just ten years old, I knew it, and I was so incredibly grateful for it. I have never wanted anything for my daughters more than I want you both to have the same incredible love for another that I had with your father."
"That's still different!" Melara said heatedly. "I cannot be with Beth!"
Liara fixed her with a look. "And I can be with your father?" she asked. "Del is dead, Melara. No matter how much I wish, how much I beg or pray, I cannot be with her. Bethalya still lives but she is Ardat-Yakshi, and no matter how much you both may wish and beg and pray, you cannot be with her. Does your love for Dae betray the love you have for Bethalya? Does it lessen what you felt for her? Should you have been condemned to live alone for the whole of your existence, with no one to help hold you up, to strengthen you during times of pain, or to celebrate with during times of joy, because Beth fell to a dreadful quirk of her biology?"
"I-…I just…I…" Her face crumpled a bit and she shook her head. "I love Dae…"
"I know you do, Mel," she said, taking her hand, her eyes swimming. "And I love Sam. But it remains that Dae will never be Bethalya…and Sam will never be Del Shepard. And that is all right. It does not need to be the same love to have worth, and value. One will never replace the other- they are their own entities. Sam is a good woman, amazing and wonderful in her own right. She loves me, and she takes wonderful care of me. She is always there when I need her, and I am honored to be there when she needs me. She's a devoted father to Ashley, kind and patient. She is part of my family, and she always will be. She does not and cannot ever replace your father, just as Dae does not and cannot ever replace Beth, and as Gerty does not and cannot ever replace Evik."
Melara drew her hand back, wiping both over her face before clasping them in her lap. "She hates me," she said. "Dr. W…Sam hates me as well."
"Sam does not hate you," Liara said. "She admires you, greatly, but…she is terrified of you."
Mel blinked, looking over at her. "What? Terrified…why is she terrified of me?"
"Well, for starters, from the first moment you met her you have looked at her as if you are calculating all the possible ways you can murder her with your pinky…and she knows full well that with your training, those ways are myriad and probably very creative. Secondly, you are Del Shepard's daughter, and a decorated and much acclaimed hero in your own right- that can be very intimidating, Mel. Add in that you are intense enough in person to be intimidating even without all that and…"
"…and she's afraid of me."
"Yes. I have spoken to her, tried to soothe her worries but the truth of the matter is, I cannot fix this. You are the only one that can, and it needs to start by you treating her as an actual part of this family and not as if she were a slaver merc just waiting for an opportunity to slaughter me in my sleep."
Melara sighed. Liara slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, resting her head against her daughter's.
"Am I a horrible person?" Mel asked softly.
"Of course you are not! You are just mortal, as the rest of us. I know your father's loss was nearly as hard on you as it was on me. You two were always so close, so alike. Honestly, that is what gives me so much hope, even learning that we may be facing another war- one even worse than the last. Hope…and incredible fear for you. Like her, I know you will never give up, that you will fight with all the strength, will, and determination that she did. And like her…I know that in the end, if anyone can…you will be the one to save us."