"What's the matter, Tama?"

Daenys looked up from the data pad she was pretending to read to see her son watching her from nearby. She had read the same paragraph repeatedly but it still wasn't sticking, her thoughts lingering instead where she wished they would not.

Lowering the pad, she regarded Aleu for a moment.

It didn't seem that long ago at all that he was a helpless, hairless little thing, barely a pound in weight and struggling to survive. Now, he was a healthy and robust young boy- one she had never been able to lie to, even before he would have picked up on it.

Setting her pad aside she gently patted the bed next to her. He walked over, shifting up to sit beside her. In his hands he held some small toy or another, but she didn't really look at it.

"Why do you ask that, Aleu?" she asked softly.

"You smell upset," he said. "You look upset."

"I am upset, but I will be all right," she told him.

"Are you upset with me?" he asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, sweetie. Oh, no. It was not you." She put her arm around his shoulders. "It is many things, but mostly I am upset with myself. I hurt your Tatta's feelings, I think."

"Why?"

Part of the difficulty with being always honest with Aleu was it required her to also be honest with herself. She had long ago discovered that having a rakir for a son almost forced personal introspection-there was no hiding anything, even privately.

"I was tired, and stressed," she said. "We had been working hard for many hours on little sleep, and we had learned a lot of news that was emotionally difficult to process. On top of that, she told me something that I clearly thought I was handling much better than, in truth, I seem to be. I thought I had found a peace with it, but if that were so I would not have said what I did, even exhausted."

Aleu knew better than to ask what the 'lot of news' they had learned was. For the most part, he understood there were aspects of his parents' work that they could not share with him, even if they wanted to- either because he simply was not grown enough to understand it yet, or because it was literally classified. However, he seemed to sense that what Melara had told her did not fall particularly into these categories.

"What did she say?" he asked, watching her.

"She said that we were asked to go somewhere for a mission- a location where an old friend of ours lives. Her name is Bethayla. Your father was very, very close with Bethayla when they were younger. They were in love."

"Oh," he said, then shook his head a bit, speaking as if instructing someone on something they clearly didn't know. "Tatta loves you, Tama."

She stroked the back of his head, noting subconsciously how long his hair was getting, and gave him a soft smile. "I know that she does, Aleu. But her feelings for Beth were very strong, and they were kept apart for reasons out of their control."

"What reasons?"

"Bethayla is an Ardat-Yakshi," she said. "Do you remember what those are?"

He wrinkled his nose a bit. "The…Demons of the Night Winds," he said. "I remember. They have to live in a monastery. Is that where we're going?"

"Yes," Dae said.

"Oh." He scratched an ear, slowly putting it together, then shook his head. "Tatta loves you, Tama," he said again.

"I know, dear heart," she replied. "But I was cruel to her when I heard where we were going. I let my insecurities get to me- insecurities I thought I had overcome."

"Tatta will understand," he said matter-of-factly. "She will forgive you."

Daenys smiled a little. "Yes, she will. But first I must apologize to her, I think."

"Yes," he replied. "Can Ashley stay with us?"

"Ashley will be staying down with Lily," she said, chuckling at how easy the universe's problems were solved in the minds of five year old boys. "But she will come and play with you during the day until we get back to Nakira to pick up Mama and Sam."

"Why didn't she stay with them on Nakira?"

"They are doing very important work and it would be too dangerous," Daenys said, then noticed the object in his hands as he fiddled with it again. Lifting her brows, she reached over and gently turned his grip so she could see it.

It was a small, old-fashioned action figure of Del Shepard, in full N7 gear. She blinked.

"Aleu, where did you get this?"

She could tell by the instant ducking of his head and lowering of his ears that she would likely not enjoy the answer to that question. His grip tightened around it slightly, protectively. When he didn't answer she said his name again.

"Aleu?"

"At the Memorial," he said softly.

"Back on Earth?"

"Yes."

"Was it one of the gifts that someone else had left?"

Even more softly, "Yes."

"Aleu…"

"I know," he said miserably.

"Why did you take it?"

"I wanted to remember."

"Remember her?"

He tilted his head back and forth slightly- not a nod or an agreement, but a thoughtful motion. "I wanted to remember what Tatta said about her. That she helped people, even if they hurt her, and that I should help people too, so she will be proud of me."

"Oh, sweetheart…" Dae hugged him close. "If Del Shepard had gotten a chance to know you, what a wonderful young man you are, she would be incredibly proud of you. And I know that your Tatta is incredibly proud of you too. You tried to help that sick woman in the cemetery, even though she was saying mean things about you. You helped save your people, even though they have been cruel to you."

"That was Lily," he corrected. "I just gave blood."

"You are the one that gave Lily the idea on where to look," she said. "And she could not have found the answer without you, even if you think all you did was just give blood. You still gave it, and that blood may have saved your entire species. You are a hero, Aleu."

He turned the figurine around in his hands. "Do I have to give it back?" he asked glumly.

"No," she said gently. "Those were gifts to Del, and knowing Del, she would have wanted you to have it. But you need to remember-we do not take things that do not belong to us."

"I know," he said, then hugged her. "I'm sorry. Thank you, Tama."

"You are welcome. And thank you, Aleu, for being concerned about me. I will apologize to Mel about hurting her feelings, and I will try and truly find my peace with this."

A snowstorm was plaguing the monastery as the shuttle from the Normandy moved out of the clouds and headed downward. From the screens and windows, Melara could see the lights of the building glowing warm in the gloom of early evening and low clouds, transforming the falling flakes into golden embers and darting fireflies.

Daenys, Nevil, and Laws-all in full gear, were gathered silently nearby. As Melara watched the building pass by slowly below them, she felt her wife draw near, her gloved hand slipping into her own.

"I am sorry, Mel," Dae said softly. "I did not mean what I said."

Melara looked at her. "It's ok," she said, just as softly. "I understand. Everyone is strained right now."

"Still, it was unfair of me. I know where your heart lies, Mel. I know it as well as I know the beat of my own."

Melara freed her hand, brushing her fingers over Dae's cheek a moment, before she turned her head as Joker's voice piped in from the cockpit.

"We're closing in on the cavern, Captain. We'll have to put down just outside. Looks like your sister is already on scene."

"Thank you, Joker," she said, then nodded to the others as she picked up her helmet. "Lock down. While we're not expecting hostiles anything could happen, and at the very least the cavern is not well heated and will be incredibly cold."

They fastened down their helmets as the shuttle lowered to the makeshift landing pad outside the cave. Mel brushed her hand over her wife's shoulder pad as the engine idled down, the door lifting open, then stepped down.

Three Alliance marines were there to meet her, all three fully geared. They saluted and she tossed one back as a man bearing lieutenant's pips approached her. "Captain- Lt. Decarlo Kim. Dr. T'Soni arrived less than twenty minutes ago and headed down with an escort. If you'll follow me?"

"Has she found anything yet?" Mel asked as they followed the trio toward the cave itself.

"Not to my knowledge. She's probably still in the middle of her preliminary examinations."

"You blasted?" Dae asked, gesturing at the cave mouth as they neared. The rock had clearly been blown away from the mountainside.

"Had to," he said, glancing back at her. "The original cavern entrance was little more than a crack in the wall, about three feet wide. Fortunately this cliff-face is stable- we didn't risk bringing down the mountain."

The cave itself was clearly a natural formation, thick with mineral deposits and crystal formations that glittered like ice and gemstones in the work lights that had been set up. They followed the marine through the cave, then to an abrupt ledge at the back end and what looked like a huge open space. A ladder lead downward about thirty feet, and from below they could see more lights, shifting shadows.

They reached the ground. The cave spread out before them but the marine turned them abruptly to the right and to a wide tunnel. Only a dozen feet through it and they emerged into a small and clearly artificially made room.

Irie, Gerty, Athena and Red were there, along with half a dozen Alliance marines and a large handful of technicians. In the center of the room stood what looked like an archway carved of obsidian. It was shimmering faintly blue-the barrier enclosing it to prevent anything from passing through.

Lining the room were eight structures of the same material. Long and black, they had an almost organic feel about them, growing wider at the base, then curving almost like ribs.

Irie was near the archway, crouching beside a computer bank that had been hastily set up, talking intently with one of the Alliance techs. Red was nearby, regarding the archway. Athena simply stood to one side, arms folded as she stayed out of the way. Gerty was doing much the same, though closer to the door-he nodded and straightened as Mel walked in.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" he said as they looked at the alien equipment. "Weird as all get out."

"It appears to be similar technology to the ship we found in the methane ice," Daenys said, Nevil immediately going past and heading over to Irie and her companion, drawing their attention. Laws remained at parade rest nearby.

"Melara," Irie called as she noticed their arrival, then greeted Nevil. Mel headed her way.

"What have we found?" she asked as she got to them.

"It is definitely a Fold anchor," Irie told her. "Side by side, it makes my anchors look like paper kites against the Normandy. The tech is extremely sophisticated, with biological elements woven into the synthetic ones…unsurprisingly."

"Can you dismantle it?" Mel asked.

"Right now I dare do very little, not until I know more," she said. "The barrier seems sufficient to prevent anything coming through, even were the Fold to open again, but these strange structures…"

She looked around at the black 'ribs' lining the cave. "I believe they are energy pylons, designed to power the Fold from this end. They are dormant, perhaps even dead, after having spent so long underground away from any real power source, but I dare not separate them from the archway yet. To do so may be the same as trying to diffuse a bomb with a pair of wire snips and a blindfold. As for dismantling it, that may not be possible. The arch itself is one solid piece. We have no cutting technology that will even mark it, and even high explosives may not do the trick."

"If they did, it would leave little behind for study," Dae said.

"I'd rather lose out on the ability to study this, than risk an army pouring through," Melara said.

"A strike force could come through," Irie said. "Perhaps even a platoon, given enough time, but it would be limited to infantry- this anchor is far too small for any heavy machinery or ships to traverse it."

"After seeing the damage only a small handful of those aliens were able to accomplish after getting through a Fold only four feet around…you'll pardon me if that doesn't make me feel any better."

"No, of course- it is still incredibly dangerous," Irie agreed. "However, in addition to the barrier we can seal the anchor itself in a metal reinforced case. Provided, of course, that we can safely detach it from these pylons and move it."

"How is it attached to the pylons?" Nevil asked.

"The actual connections were buried under the cavern floor," Irie said, leading him over. "The Alliance techs have managed to expose them."

She crouched beside the shallow excavation, the quarian doing the same. Reaching out carefully, he touched the dark coils laying there that wound from the archway to the pylons.

"This is similar to the geothermal cabling Goruba had extended into the lake bed," Nevil said, "though scaled down quite a lot, and a bit more sophisticated. Hmm. Yes, I see here on the side of the anchor where it connects. I believe I can sever this connection without damage to either piece…if we deem it is safe to do so."

"Without any power hookup, we're safe right?" Lt. Kim asked. "They can't get through."

"They appear to be able to power an anchor up from their end, independent of its own power sources," Mel told him. "The only way this thing is going to be 'safe' is if it's sealed up or taken apart."

"It is going to take some time for me to determine if we can safely 'unplug' it," Nevil said, then looked at Kim. "We'll need to look over the scans your techs have already taken, and-"

"Athena!"

It was Red's voice, full of surprise, and it instantly drew Melara's attention. Almost unconsciously her hand snapped down to her pistol as she looked around, only to see her cousin standing beside the archway, placing her hand on it.

The dark coils of cable in the disturbed ground around them suddenly detached from the side of the anchor, and fell away, writhing a little as they seemed to draw back into the pylons. In moments, they were gone.

"What the hell are you doing?" Melara demanded angrily.

Athena looked at her. "Testing a theory," she said. "It's how we got into the ship on that methane moon. It responds somehow to thought. I figured trying it out here wouldn't hurt, and might save some time."

Nevil gaped at her. "You mean, you just had to touch it and will it to unplug itself?"

Athena shrugged. "Evidently. It worked, at any rate."

Melara gave her cousin a glare, one that was almost disinterestedly returned, and dropped her hand away from her weapon.

"Would it work to dismantle it, I wonder?" Irie asked, and before Mel could stop her, she too stepped closer and touched the arch.

"Irie, damn it!"

Nothing happened. "Hmm," Irie said, moving her hand away. "It would seem not."

Melara gave her sister an irritated look, then shook her head. "All right, for better or for worse it's unplugged now. Are we able to move it?"

"This arch itself should be simple enough," Lt. Kim said. "Those pylons are going to have to have their bases dug out first. Provided they're not fused to the cavern floor we should be able to manage it."

"All right. Get them dug out and get this arch sealed in metal. The sooner it's solidly contained the better I will feel. Do we have a transport plan?"

"My ship is the William Young," Kim said. "My captain, or Captain McCuen of the Edgewood, are willing to transport the artifacts- but to be honest, they'd probably both be relieved if these things came nowhere near their ships."

"The Normandy's cargo bay should have more than enough room for transport, and our AI can implement additional security measures if necessary."

He looked relieved. "Very good, but these artifacts are not going to fit in a shuttle," he said, "especially not sealed in reinforced metal cases and barriers. There's a landing pad at the monastery that is large enough for your ship to touch down-it'll take some work to troop these down the mountain to the pad, but it's doable. Then they can be loaded directly into your cargo bay."

"All right. Get the materials down here to seal up these artifacts. We'll finish having a look at the pylons and see if they can be extracted from the cave floor. I'll radio Joker. He'll inform the Alliance captains of our plan and have the Normandy land at the monastery- we can use a combination of biotics, anti-grav lifts and good old-fashioned elbow grease to get them down the mountain and aboard ship."

Digging revealed the pylons were, in fact, attached to rock- but repeating Athena's trick of merely touching them and willing them free seemed to work. As the crews worked to get the anchor sealed up in a metal case reinforced with barriers, and all the artifacts removed from the lower into the upper level of the cave, Melara headed outside with Daenys to see about their path down the mountain.

The monastery was below them, about half a mile away if one were to go as the birds flew. Their actual path was a winding switchback that worked down the cliff, utilizing a combination of platforms and thermal guides the Alliance had put into place, and natural planes in the rock and dirt. The thermal guides kept the 'path' free of ice and snow accumulation that might make footing tricky.

However, they guides couldn't stop the actual snow from falling. Already the night had grown thicker and heavier, dark swallowing up everything save their oasis of light around the cave, and the much larger oasis formed by the monastery complex itself. Snow was coming thick and fast.

Part of the sky brightened, and Mel straightened from where she was checking some of the guides, looking up as the Normandy's landing lights cut through the low, dense ceiling and falling sheets of white.

"Are you sure you want this anchor on board the Normandy?" Dae asked as they watched the ship land.

"Honestly, I don't want it anywhere near my ship," Mel said. "If I had my choice, we'd be dropping it in lava somewhere, or shooting it into the sun. Having Aleu and Ashley aboard doesn't make me feel any better about it."

"Then why not let one of the Alliance frigates take it?"

"The Normandy is faster and has a higher weapons' compliment. If needed, we can cut and run to the lab and get there a hell of a lot faster than the other frigates. Not to mention, Joker can seal the cargo bay up with so many security measures Athame herself couldn't break through them. And if anything somehow comes through that anchor- despite the barriers and the metal case-he can vent the entire cargo bay in a millisecond. The Alliance AIs are good, but not that good."

{Captain, the Normandy is on the pad and ready to receive cargo,} Joker said over her helmet. She nodded and touched the response.

"Copy that, Joker. We should be nearly ready to head down your way. Stand by."

Looking toward Dae she saw Irie appear in the mouth of the cave just a few yards away, and gesture at them.

"All right, here we go," she said, clapping Dae on the shoulder as she headed toward her sister. "Let's get this done before anything can go wrong."