"The lake is poison."

Sihra was as brief and to the point as always. Standing in the conference room, she looked out on the endless dark of space, made darker by the fact that the Normandy was currently in FTL. Behind her, Melara stood alone, leaning on the back of one of the chairs and watching her.

"Yes, so the Ubuuta said," she replied. "What I want to know is why you believe it is poison?"

"Why do you not?" Sihra asked, glancing at her. Melara shrugged.

"There is no indication of radioactivity or toxin in the area," she said. "Nothing we could detect, anyway."

"The lake is dead," Sihra told her. "No fish swim in it. No birds fly over it. No beast dare drink of it, even dying of thirst. Perhaps there are things that your 'technology' just cannot detect."

"It's possible, I won't lie. That is why I need you to tell me about it, Sihra. Surely there are stories? Tales that may suggest what happened there?"

Sihra flipped one ear with irritation, but turned fully away from the window and regarded the captain. "Rakir cannot lie to each other, Melara. This you already know. But that does not mean our ancient tales are truth. Misunderstandings happen. Someone hears a tale as a youth, but it grows in his mind. He still believes it truth when he tells it to another youth years later, but it is not the same exact tale he heard before. His own mind has changed it, made it grow. His memory plays tricks. I cannot tell you the truth, only what I know is not the truth."

"It may not be cut from whole cloth, but there may be indications, elements of truth still remaining. Things that may give us an answer or an indication as to what we will find."

She inclined her head. "The story I heard as a child was that other people- not like the rakir but made of stone- made their home there. They bathed in the lake and their bodies were so unnatural that when they touched the water they made it die- made everything around it die. They would steal rakir children and dip them in the lake. Sometimes the children would drown. The ones that did not drown came back to their families catika- mad beasts with no mind anymore."

"The rakir did not go to war with these…'people of stone'?"

"This was back in the beginning," Sihra said. "Long before the Ubuutis. My people were few, living in small family groups. No possibility of organized war. Those that did attack them found they could not harm them- teeth and claws do nothing against stone, and when attacked they would just go back into the lake where they knew we would not follow."

"What happened to these Stone People?"

Sihra shrugged. "They went into the lake one day and did not emerge again. However the water remained poisoned and dead."

"And no one has tried to go near the lake since? Or into it?"

Sihra snorted, the wrinkle of her snout belying a bitterly amused grin. "Of course they have," she said. "Many times. Mostly men, more muscle than brain. After all, any male who walked into the waters of the dead lake and out again would have proven himself strong, more powerful than any who tried before."

"And what happened?"

"They died," she said. "If they did not drown, they would come out suffering, mindless. Their bodies would lock up and shudder. Those that did not die very quickly became catika, mindless, no better than animals. They were killed."

Melara straightened, brows knit. "Sounds almost like seizure activity. None survived?"

"None. When the Ubuut allied the Houses and formed the Ubuutis, he forbade anyone from going near that lake, on pain of death. He could not risk what few fertile males remained on such foolishness."

"Could this lake be related to the cause of the Affliction?" Melara asked.

"I do not see how," Sihra told her. "The males that went in all died."

{Captain, we are on approach to Nakira. About to drop out of FTL.}

"Thank you Joker." Her eyes turned back to Sihra. "Will you be accompanying us?"

"To Nakira, yes," Sihra replied. "Into that lake? No. I have no desire for such a weak and pointless death."

"No, I would not ask that of you, nor would I allow it. I think it would be wise to keep anyone from direct physical contact with the lake water until we know more of what's going on with it- especially rakir. It could be an element that affects your physiology but not ours."

"I will remain with the Ubuuta then until you return."

"Very well. Thank you for your help, Sihra. I'll see you down at the shuttle in five."

Aleu, not unexpectedly, had asked Melara to come with them down to Nikkadevik, the city where the heads of the Kodra Houses and the Ubuuta lived. Her answer was, of course, a firm 'no'. While she considered it heartbreaking that he had never once set foot on his own home world or been surrounded by his own people, it was far too dangerous to allow. The Ubuuta said that he would be considered as their child, as a detrak, and offered that much respect- but words and actions were two different things, and she felt it best not to push the matter.

Aleu took the answer with obvious disappointment- but no surprise. He had to ask, just as he knew she had to turn him down.

Vina, Nevil, Liara, Sam, Sihra, Lily, and Daenys made up her small ground party, and the shuttle landing in the city just outside the Hall brought more than its fair share of gawkers. While the rakir had been uplifted, it had only been five years- the sight of otherworld technology or alien faces was still novel enough to gather crowds.

Most of the crowds were female, of course, and small Stunted. Melara looked at them in particular as she followed Sihra up the steps toward the door to the Hall- the mark of a dying race.

Just within, the Ubuuta was standing in a knot with several of her One Hundred and more than a few of the researchers from the observation post, headed by Matron Neska. The entire group was gathered around what looked like a child not much older than Aleu. The energy in the air was so thick it was palatable, even to those not rakir.

Sihra immediately perked up, her attention instantly focused. "Sokka? What has happened?"

The Ubuuta turned, waving her aunt and the others in with an eager grin. "Come! Come and have a sniff."

As they drew closer, the knot parted a bit to allow them to join the group. Sokka put her hand on the child's shoulder and urged him forward a step. Sihra didn't even need to get close to him, her eyes widening.

"He is fertile!"

"Yes!" Neska said happily, eyes almost tearing with excitement. "Captain Shepard, this boy's name is Doffak. He is nineteen years old."

"Nineteen?" Liara lifted her brows as he daughter stepped forward and offered her hand to the boy. "It was my understanding rakir were fully mature adults by age fifteen?"

"Yes, exactly. Doffak was Stunted- he is one of those we have been working with on treatments for the Affliction. Thanks to our newest treatment, Doffak has actively started puberty- though it will take him six months to a year before he reaches full physical maturity. We have concluded, definitively, that Lily's hypothesis was correct!"

The young doctor was clearly happy. "It was the cytotoxin?"

"It was. Not only are we able to administer simple treatments to flush the young male rakir of this overabundance of cytotoxin, but we have pinpointed the exact combination of brain stimulation that will result in the pubescent hormone cascade repeating itself, even in Stunted rakir as old as twenty. While we have had no luck in any Stunted older, so long as we can apply this treatment to every prepubescent male child or Stunted under that age, the fertile male recovery rate will be over eighty percent."

"More than enough to save our people," Sokka said, looking over at her aunt.

"As we can do nothing to remove the toxins from the diets of the wild animals that the rakir feed on, pregnant female rakir and weanling young males will need to take a supplement to counteract the toxin before it can inundate their systems. The young males will need to continue this supplement until they have started puberty- after that, it will be no longer necessary."

"But there will still be Stunted," Melara said, looking at Neska.

"Yes, of course. About six percent of the male population will always be Stunted- it is a genetic recessive that we have been able to identify, tied to genes that actually increase health and fertility when expressed in females. We cannot remove one aspect of the trait without removing the other. Those males we have identified with this recessive we are not bothering to even attempt to administer the treatment-it would do nothing for them. Still, the Stunted have been and always will be a vital part of the rakir culture- they are the thinkers, the artists, the doctors, the inventors, and the innovators. We would not want to cure this trait completely even if we could."

Sokka stepped over to Lily, grabbing the doctor by the upper arms and lifting her bodily up off the ground with a laugh. "You have saved our people!" she said. "You will be honored!"

Lily, flushed with surprise and embarrassment, let out a nervous laugh. As Sokka planted her back on her feet she shook her head. "Th-thank you, Ubuuta, but it was not me, not really. Aleu was the one that gave me the idea. I never would have even considered it if it had not been for him."

Sihra made a faint, irritated sound, but Sokka nodded sagely. "I understand."

Looking at Mel she straightened and said, "You have kept your promises to us. We were not amiss in making you our allies, and the rakir have long memories. It is only because of this that I am allowing you and your party to go into that lake. No rakir will go with you. You will have two days to do what you need too. After that time, you will leave that lake again, whether or not you have found what you seek. This offer will not be extended again, and if you attempt to remain longer or test my friendship on this matter, our allegiance will be…strained."

"I understand completely, Ubuuta. This is your world. We will follow your wishes, and I have no desire to test our allegiance."

"Good!" Sokka said, giving Melara's shoulder pad a hard but amiable slap, strong enough to stagger even the marine. "Then you will join us for a meal before you go."

This was clearly not a suggestion. Melara glanced at the others and nodded.

"We are honored then, Ubuuta- however two of my party will not be able to join us." She gestured at Vina and Nevil. "Their nutritional requirements are different than ours- your food would literally kill them."

"There is plenty of food appropriate to quarians and turians at the research base," Neska said. "I will arrange to have meals brought down for them."

"That is solved then," Sokka smiled. "Sihra, you will join us?"

Neska started off, then paused as Liara gently took her arm and whispered in her ear. Smiling, Neska nodded, then hurried off to arrange for the food to be brought down, as Sokka and the others lead them from the Hall and deeper into the area of the building that was home to the Ubuuta and the One Hundred. Melara caught hold of Daenys' hand as they went, smiling at the way her mother and Sam were looking with intent excitement at everything- no doubt comparing the nuances of rakir architecture mentally to other species of the same developmental period.

The meal was…interesting, to say the least. Rakir rarely cooked much, preferring their meat raw or as near to it as they could get. Great slabs of steak were set down on platters, beside bowls filled with pudding made from blood and spongy marrow, or brains and kidneys mixed with other unidentified offal.

The only thing cooked was the tongues, and only enough to be seared on each side long enough to split open.

Apparently the rakir didn't use much in the way of utensils either, using their claws like knives and forks. Huge mugs of some brown liquid was placed down in front of each of them, and Liara lifted a brow as she looked at it.

"What is this?"

"Ahk," the rakir who placed it said, grinning at her. "Drink."

Lily leaned over to her grandmother, whispering to her. "It is a mildly alcoholic beverage made by the fermented honey of some insects. Rakir drink it quite a lot."

Melara picked up her own mug, sipping at it. The flavor was slightly bitter with a hint of a woody, sweet aftertaste- all in all, not bad, and better than a lot of beers or ales one could get on the Citadel. As she set her mug down with a nod, she noticed that Sam was watching the platters being set down, looking a little green. After a moment, she suddenly excused herself, heading out of the room.

Liara started to rise, concerned, but Melara got up instead, putting a hand on her mother's shoulder. "I got it."

Following after the human woman, she found her just outside, leaning against one of the walls. She looked around as Melara approached, coloring brightly as she realized it was the captain and not her wife.

"Captain-…sorry. I'm all right-"

"Mel," she replied with a faint smile. "I think it's past time that we discard that 'Captain, Doctor' nonsense."

Sam looked startled, then straightened and nodded. "Mel."

"Good." She gestured toward the door. "Vegetarian?"

"Yeah. Normally meat doesn't bother me, but that was all so…"

"Raw," Mel smiled. "Yeah. I hear you."

"I'll be all right in a moment."

"You can go to the shuttle if you'd rather-"

"No, no. Thank you, but I just need to get into the right frame of mind. I'll be able to handle it, I promise- so long as I don't have to eat any of it."

"You're not going to feel awkward, sitting there and not eating?"

"Liara asked Neska to bring down something for me as well. She's…a good woman, Mel."

"Yes she is."

She leaned on the wall beside Sam, regarding the empty hall in front of them for a moment. "Listen, Sam. I…I owe you an apology."

"You have done nothing that needs apologizing for."

"Nice of you to say, but I have. Ever since Mother met you I have been acting- well, I've been acting like a child, and I wasn't always the kindest to you. You have done nothing to earn that kind of treatment and I should have been above it. I'm deeply sorry."

Sam looked over at her. "You lost your father," she said softly. "Seeing your mother with someone else…must be incredibly difficult."

"It is," Melara admitted. "But that is my problem, not yours. You take care of my mother, treat her like a goddess. You are a good bondmate, and a good father to Ashley. You're a good person, Sam. I let my own grief get in the way of seeing that. I…I keep thinking back to that ship, trapped in the ice. About that simulation running through my father's memories, believing it was actually her. It felt like her, Sam. I know it was just the nanites dumping their programming but it felt like her. She never wanted anything more than my mother's happiness. You make her happy. My father saw it, and I can see it."

She looked over at her. "If my father could see me now, she would be ashamed of how I've behaved- and I cannot live with that."

Sam's brows knit. "Your father would have understood," she said. "I didn't know her personally, it's true but…hearing the stories, hearing Liara talk about her- I feel confident enough to say that Del would have understood, and I don't think she could ever be ashamed of you."

Melara looked at her silently for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Thank you," she said softly, then cleared her throat. "I'd like to get the chance to know you better. At least be friends, if nothing else. Start over, if we can."

Sam smiled, then nodded. "I'd like that."

"Good. Ah, here comes Neska with the food. You feeling better?"

"Much, thank you." She took a deep breath, straightening.

They moved over to help Neska with her burden, then walked back into the dining room. Melara didn't miss her mother's wary glance as they did so, but Sam gave her a reassuring smile, squeezing her hand as she sat down. Melara took her chair on Liara's other side again, Daenys leaning over and whispering in her ear.

"Everything all right?"

"Fine," Melara told her, leaning over to peck her cheek. "Everything is just fine."

The lake was at least a month's travel on foot away from Nikkadevik, but using the shuttle it only took them about half an hour to arrive. Neska had sent some supplies down from the research base. Unfortunately, none of their shuttles was geared to withstand water, and they could not get a full submersible to Nakira in time. Instead, they had a small submersible capable of carrying four- along with equipment- and two heavy mech suits that had been retrofit to work in deep water.

The lake itself was huge, surrounded by snowy mountain peaks on most sides, nestled in a long and angular valley carved by the glacier that had formed it. The water in most places went directly up to cliffs, but there was a wide, rocky beach where a few small prefab domes had been set up and the equipment had been left.

Melara stepped off the shuttle, feeling the sharp, crisp air immediately stinging her cheeks as she looked toward the water. While it was notable no trees or any other plant life appeared to be in view, the setting itself was gorgeous. The water was as clear and still as a mirror, reflecting the blue of the sky above.

As the others disembarked and took in the view, she turned to them. "All right, given our time constraints it's probably best if we start immediately. While the rest of you set up camp and get things in line, Vina and I will take the two suits and do a preliminary scan from the bottom of the lake, see if we can't get a better picture of what's down there. If all goes well, we'll analyze the data tonight and go down first thing in the morning with a full complement in the submersible. Lily, I want you to concentrate on the lake water and surrounding landscape-see if you can't figure out why this lake is dead, but be careful. I don't want anyone touching the water with bare flesh until we can determine without a doubt it's safe. Mama, you and Sam are in charge of any archaeological analysis of the area- see if you can't find anything constructed or artificial, no matter how many millions of years old it might be."

"If these 'Stone People' really ever existed, they will have left some trace behind, no matter how small. We will find it," Liara said with a nod.

"Good. We need to work fast but efficiently. This entire area is under full security by Neska's team and the rakir as well as Normandy monitoring- not even birds will be getting in or out of this valley without being picked up on a dozen feeds and alerts, so there should be no hostiles. Even so, stay alert and be prepared for anything."