Tevos made no motion to observe the departure of the T'Soni maiden. As soon as she heard Liara's footsteps retreating down the corridor, the councilor made her way to the parlor chair that Liara had vacated, and proceeded to settle herself into it.

Sha'ira motioned to the pair of attendants visible through the now open door that a new tea service would be required. Once the maidens were on their way, she turned to join Tevos, although at her typical slower, more regal pace.

Tevos radiated such a high degree of self satisfaction that it was almost painful to observe. Even knowing where the discussion would lead, Shi'ara felt compelled to comment on it.

"You are pleased with the outcome of your exchange with the Lady T'Soni?"

"She is NOT the 'Lady T'Soni' until named so by the Conclave. THAT day will be hundreds of years coming." Tevos took a long breath before continuing, "And yes, I am very pleased with the outcome. Liara is not nearly so formidable an opponent without Shepard at her side."

"Apparently you believed Shepard would also be weakened by Liara's absence?"

A ghost of a smile played across Tevos' lips. "She is. She was. Shepard was quite easily maneuvered into an emotional outburst during the Council meeting. It did nothing to enhance her credibility with either Valern or Sparatus. Udina's chastising of her only strengthened the rest of the Council's resolve to discount Shepard's claims."

"I am surprised by your intensity of purpose. What makes you so ardently disapproving of Shepard? You yourself sponsored her spectre candidacy. Benezia was both a friend and ally to each of us over many centuries. I know you mean her family no harm. What do you gain by assailing members of her House? Surely House T'Soni is in turmoil enough with Liara's recent ascension."

It was then that Sha'ira's staff returned with the tea service. The pair of maidens moved smoothly around and between the matriarchs, never disturbing, never making eye contact. The remnants of the prior service was collected silently, without the bump of a table or the clink of a cup. The new tea was decanted, poured, and served exactly to each matriarch's taste, as both sets of preferences were well known in the court of the consort.

Only once the maidens had departed and Tevos had savored the first few sips of her tea did her attention return to the waiting gaze of Sha'ira. "Of course I mean House T'Soni no harm. You are mistaken if you think otherwise." She paused to allow that comment time to sink in. "And I'm protecting them, not assaulting them."

"Your behavior says otherwise."

"Does it? I elevated a Human to the status of spectre. Do you believe that there were no Asari worthy of the position? I can assure you that there were. My office has heard from each and every one of them."

"You bowed to political pressure. The Humans had been pressing for a spectre for nearly 20 years."

Tevos made an unladylike noise. "There are few that could bring enough pressure to bear that I would decide on a course of action against my better judgement."

Sha'ira could see that Veleda was in the process of revealing herself. Her thoughts, her actions. Sha'ira had little interest in the whats. She cared far more for the whys. They always exposed more about the subject. "And yet you selected Shepard. Did you yourself agree then that it was time for the Humans to be represented in the spectre corps?"

"I did not."

"?"

"How much do you know about the commander, Sha'ira?"

"A great deal. She performed a favor for me. I read her aspect, provided her with a gift of words. She is an honorable woman."

"And brave." Sha'ira waited nearly a minute for Tevos to continue. "You are familiar with Elysium, and the event the Humans call the Skyllian Blitz?"

"Of course. Even if I were not, I researched the commander's history when she suddenly became next in the line of succession of a Great House."

Tevos settled more deeply into her chair, and directed her gaze to the opposing wall. "There was already a significant volume of trade between Elysium and Illium even then. There were nearly 40,000 Asari on the planet when the Blitz occurred. Nearly fifty percent of those were in Illyria, where the mercenaries landed." Tevos took a deep breath. "One reason why the ground defenses were spread thin was because Shepard directed the regional security forces to focus on collecting any nonhumans and escorting them to the emergency shelters."

"Why would she do that? Additional defenders might have saved them all."

"The shelters were effectively impregnable given the weapons the attacking forces could bring to bear." Tevos turned back to Sha'ira. "Shepard didn't expect the Alliance forces to survive." Tevos paused again, even longer this time. "They did, obviously. Shepard herself held a choke point against the attackers for over five hours. She held it alone."

"I begin to see why you wanted such a person as a spectre."

Tevos ignored the quip. "I visited Elysium with Matriarch Lidanya during the relief effort. This was before she became the commander of the Citadel fleet. We visited some of the surviving Alliance soldiers and civilian defenders in one of the hospitals. There was one room with a handful of Asari standing outside. We entered, presuming the room held Asari wounded. Instead we found Shepard. There was a matron sitting with her. She wasn't medical staff, just a visitor. Her name was Latha Aveci. She told us what happened. She told us how Shepard's actions saved her, saved her daughter, saved thousands of Asari. Nearly 100,000 humans died in the attack on Elysium, many of those from the orbital assault. Only three Asari were killed."

Tevos took time to rinse her cup with the hot water provided, and to pour herself more tea. "Shepard had been sedated during our first visit. When we returned the next day Lidanya asked her why she had done so much to save the Asari. Was it because they were at a greater risk due to their higher value as hostages? Did she fear Council retaliation in the event of a high Asari body count? Was she a xenophile? What was it? Lidanya seemed almost desperate for an answer. It wasn't until later that I discovered that it was because she had a friend among the survivors." Tevos took a sip of her tea. "Do you know what Shepard said?"

Sha'ira maintained a look of quiet anticipation as she waited for Tevos to continue.

"She looked up at Lidanya, Goddess, that confused look on her face, like she didn't understand the question. She seemed so impossibly young. She looked at Lidanya and she said; 'They were our guests. It was my job to keep them safe.'"

"To answer your question Sha'ira, I did not choose a Human to be a spectre. I chose Shepard to be a spectre."

Sha'ira nodded. "Why have I not heard of this? Shepard would have been lauded as a hero in the Republics."

"The Nefrane was in the quadrant when the Blitz broke out. She received the initial distress call from Elysium. Her captain ignored it. She could have beaten the Alliance fleet to engage the pirate forces by nearly 4 hours. As opposed to exposing the Republics to any potential culpability, the Conclave decided that it was best not to direct any attention to the battle, and instead portrayed it as a strictly human matter. Thus, Shepard's actions went unnoticed outside of the Alliance, and the battle itself is barely a footnote to the Asari."

Tevos placed her teacup in the saucer, deciding against more tea in favor of one of the slices of fruit provided. "It was more difficult to arrange to have Shepard offered as a spectre candidate than it was to keep our lack of support in defending Elysium from becoming public knowledge. Two years later I provided 20 names to the Alliance admiralty as individuals that the Council would be willing to evaluate as potential spectre candidates. I didn't want to be seen as singling out Shepard." Tevos sighed. "Shepard was the 14th candidate they proposed, and I'm sure it was because of Captain Anderson's involvement. Udina was shocked when I expressed a willingness for Nihlus Kryik to assess her fitness to join the spectre corps. We'd declined the earlier candidates without even having them meet with a serving spectre."

Tevos continued, "So, I can assure you that I mean Shepard no harm. However, the reality of her joining House T'Soni is problematic. She already questions the Council more than a newly appointed spectre should. The addition of T'Soni resources and Liara acting as her advisor will only make her more brazen and more difficult to control. I wanted her for her ability to see the bigger picture. I thought she was a Human who would act for the good of the galaxy, not just humanity. Instead she now chooses to narrow her focus. She behaves as if Saren, a single Turian, is a galactic threat. She works diligently to support Liara, who is only a single maiden, no matter how influential she might be. There are more critical things to be focused on. I selected her to be a spectre, not Liara's companion! She needs to listen to me!"

Sha'ira had waited patiently throughout Tevos' exposition. She waited longer for Tevos to continue, but the matriarch had finally said her piece and demonstrated no inclination to continue. Finally she sighed. "You have risen high, and are proud of that achievement. But it blinds you. You cannot see that at this moment, your function is one of support, not primacy. You will come to realize that, but it will be a dark hour indeed when you do. It is wrong to try and separate them. Death itself cannot do so." Sha'ira herself seemed confused by that last.

Tevos' voice dripped with venom, "I did not ask for that."

"I am well aware. Still, you need to be mindful that you have not achieved a victory today."

"No?"

"No. Liara wasn't bested by you. She chose to avoid engagement. She was aware of what you hoped to achieve, and selected to allow you to do so."

"Because she knew that I would win."

"Because while Shepard still has faith that the Council will come to believe her, Liara has given up on it. You won't need to resort to subterfuge to divert the young doctor again. She will make no additional attempts to accompany the commander when Shepard is called before the Council. Liara has no confidence in it," Sha'ira paused before adding the final, "Nor in you. She will never view you as an adversary, there is too much history between you for that. Still, in her eyes you have proven yourself unworthy of her allegiance by your failure to support Shepard."

"That is not her decision to make."

"Yet another way that our young peer differs from her mother. She may be reserved, but she is fiercely protective of her own. You both claim some dominion over Shepard. I can assure you that Liara recognizes no claim to Shepard above hers. She makes no effort to hide it. Shepard may be your spectre, but as Liara so candidly stated, she's her chosen."

"Liara is no threat to me. She already risks my ire. She needs to be reminded that I am not her plaything, and she has yet to be properly chastised for publicly implying that I approved of Shepard being Named. If she wants Shepard badly enough, she can have her. The Human is worthy, but if she becomes too much trouble, her spectre status can be rescinded as easily as it was granted."

"At this point it wouldn't matter. Shepard has chosen her course and she will follow that path with or without your support. I implore that you provide it. Remember why you selected her to be a spectre. She won't disappoint you."

"So long as she remembers her place."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

"... and they still didn't listen to you. I'll give them this, at least they're consistent."

Shepard glared at the Turian as she stomped as heavily as she could across the Council Tower. "I didn't expect that when the Council finally agreed with Udina about something that it would be to do nothing."

"It isn't exactly nothing Commander." Kaidan interjected as he tried to improve his commander's mood. "They're at least taking a defensive stance against Saren's forces."

Shepard looked askance at the Lieutenant. "No military ever defended its way to victory Lieutenant. You saw Sovereign. Do you think a Turian patrol at Ismar Frontier is going to slow it down? They'll be lucky to get word to the Citadel ahead of its arrival."

Alenko pressed his point. "Not if they shut the relay down."

Shepard slapped the call button for the elevator with enough force that even Garrus jumped. "For how long Lieutenant? Forever? The Citadel will make one hell of a capital without relay travel. Besides, you saw how quickly Sovereign could move at Virmire. It must have an eezo core 5 times the size of a dreadnaught. That thing could pop out at the Silvan Nebula or the Krogan DMZ and just travel to Widow via regular FTL. That's assuming it couldn't just reactivate any relay we shut down. I'm betting it can. Sovereign claimed the reapers built the relay network."

Kaidan wouldn't give it up. "The Council races have been running Citadel Space for centuries. Maybe we should trust that they know what they're doing. You saw the Destiny Ascension. She could easily go toe to toe with the entire fifth fleet."

Shepard counted to ten before answering, wondering if she could make it to the Presidium without snapping at the Lieutenant. She was finally able to respond at something resembling a neutral tone of voice. "The Council races' greatest hits also include the Rachni War, the Krogan Rebellion, and the Genophage. Let's assume they can make mistakes too. Besides, those things wiped out the Protheans. I doubt a single ship would be much of a challenge for it, no matter how big the ship."

Garrus stepped in before Kaidan could annoy the commander any further. "Fine. Their plan isn't going to work. What do we do about it?"

Shepard turned her attention to Garrus. "Lockdown or no lockdown we aren't going to sit this one out. We have to get to Ilos. As we'll be dropping in on a Geth fleet I'd rather do it with the Normandy than a commercial shuttle."

Garrus' mandibles flared. "Piracy, nice. And here I thought I'd run out of ways to disappoint my father. Will we be shooting our way through the dock, or just bombing traffic control?"

Kaidan looked horrified as he turned from one to the other before Shepard chuckled. "Normandy's command codes are locked out, so as appealing as either plan would be, neither gets us a ship we can pilot. She's still part of the fifth fleet, maybe I can use that as leverage to get us released."

The elevator doors opened, and Shepard set as brisk a pace as she was able as the trio headed for the C-Sec Academy atrium, and the lift to the docks. Kaidan took this time to reiterate his position. "Normandy may be an Alliance vessel, but she was still sponsored by the Council. They aren't going to let us take her to the Terminus systems."

Shepard sighed with what little breath she had. Sometimes the lieutenant could be almost painfully virtuous. It amazed her that her marine contingent was led by a man more by the book than a Turian, and her Turian was a hothead who hated regulations. "I wasn't going to ask them Kaidan."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Shepard didn't take the time to change our of her armor before having Joker open a comm channel to Arcturus. She had the call routed to her quarters for the privacy, and even with her curtailed pace still managed to arrive there before the connection was made. There was no need to use the briefing room for any communication that didn't use the holographic projectors, and she didn't want to risk an audience. She'd told Joker audio only, so she wouldn't have to explain her obvious agitation to the admiral. The man was observant. Hopefully he wouldn't hear her irritation with the Council in her voice.

A few minutes passed while she paced her cabin. It did occur to her that it probably wasn't her most well thought move to call the admiral directly. She'd reached an adjutant of course, and the man's tone had made clear exactly what he thought of lieutenant commanders who made free with the comm codes of full admirals. Still, Hackett seemed to have managed to call her almost every time she stepped into the CIC over the last couple of months, so she didn't feel all that badly about returning the favor. Dangerous thoughts, she knew. She was still in the Alliance, albeit on detached duty to the Council. She needed to watch that the liberties granted by her spectre status didn't cause her to become disrespectful of the chain of command.

Finally she heard the mic go live at the other end. "Commander?" Hackett's gravelly voice was unmistakable.

Shepard put all the respect she could into her response, "I'm here Admiral. Thank you for taking my call."

"Well Commander, there's a first time for everything. I presume you're looking for assistance with the Normandy lockdown?"

'Damn. So much for the element of surprise.' "Yes sir. I was hoping that you could authorize the release of the command lockout."

"That's a good idea Commander, but I'm not going to." Shepard slumped as much as she was able. "I've already spoken to Captain Anderson, who made the same request. I'll tell you the same thing I told him. When you accepted status as a spectre and took the Normandy with you, you agreed to place yourself under their authority. Yes, yes, you're still an Alliance officer, and as you've seen I have no problem making requests of you and your crew, but I'm not going to countermand the Council. There's too much risk politically."

"I understand sir. Thank you for your time."

"I wasn't finished Shepard. The good news is that the Council didn't order the Normandy lockdown, Udina did. Granted, they didn't order the lockdown because it was already in place, and Udina was just trying to curry favor. Still, he's not a member of the Council, nor an Alliance officer. Anderson is going to try to convince him to release the Normandy, and I'll have one of my officers here start the process of having the lockdown lifted as an unlawful order."

"Thank you sir!"

"Don't thank me yet. You're not in Alliance space, and the process could take days. Your best avenue is for you and Anderson to make nice with the ambassador. Get him to release the Normandy, and you'll be on your way. If he thinks you're trying to go around him, he could inform the Council and you'll be out of options."

"I'll do my best sir."

"I know you will Shepard. I don't expect to see the Normandy docked at the Citadel very long. She's too valuable an asset to sit idle. You and Anderson are the officers on the ground. Work together. Make it happen Commander. Hackett out." The admiral broke connection.

'That could have gone better,' thought Shepard. She activated her omni-tool and called Anderson.

"Shepard?"

"Here sir."

"I won't ask if you talked to Hackett. I was on comm with him when Lieutenant Blake told him you were holding. It takes nerve to just call a full admiral out of the blue Shepard. I wouldn't get used to it if I were you."

"No sir. What's the plan sir?"

"For now Commander, just settle in. I've already contacted the embassy and have been informed that the ambassador is 'unavailable'. His deputy took great care in letting me know how full Udina's schedule is. As a favor to the Alliance, he was able to schedule time with the ambassador for me tomorrow morning at oh nine hundred. I had to pretend I was grateful."

"Do you need me there sir?"

"I think not Shepard. Udina already has a chip on his shoulder about you. Let me go on for a while about how lucky we are to have him as our ambassador to Citadel Space, and then I'll ask if he can grant me the favor of releasing the Normandy."

"You're right sir. I doubt I'd be able to keep a straight face."

"It's just another kind of warfare Shepard. I prefer the other kind." The captain paused for a moment. "That's all for now Commander. I'll update you after the meeting. Just be ready to jump when I say the word."

"Aye aye sir."

"That's the spirit. Anderson out."

Shepard closed her eyes. The ship was already being provisioned, she hadn't approved any leave, and when she had returned from the Council the only crew member remaining ashore was Liara. That just left administrative work to catch up on, 'Including one item that I can't put off.'

Shepard sat down at her desk and attempted to arrange her workspace. She had open items on half a dozen data pads, as well as a more traditional pen and paper. However, no matter how she tried to position herself, her bandages wouldn't allow her to lean over her desk to write. 'This isn't working.' she thought as she stood back up. She considered for a moment requesting assistance in getting out of the rest of her protective gear. That might give her a little more flexibility. She realized however that she wouldn't be comfortable asking anyone for help but Liara or Dr. Chakwas, and Karin was probably still unhappy with her.

'It doesn't matter. I can do this myself if I take it slow.' Ever so carefully, Shepard started removing the pieces of her armor. The difficulty she had in doing so didn't leave her hopeful. 'It still won't be enough. I'll have to find some other way to write.'

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Liara tread quietly out of the medbay. It had been several hours since her return to the Normandy, and she was surprised that Shepard had remained secluded for the duration of the evening.

Liara had expected to return to a ship in turmoil. She knew from Tevos that the Council had refused permission to Shepard to pursue Saren to Ilos. When she arrived at the ship and Joker told her that control of the Normandy had been seized as well, Liara was even more surprised that the commander wasn't actively displaying her anger with the Council for the entire crew to see.

Brief discussions with Garrus and Dr. Chakwas revealed that Shepard's behavior had instead been remarkably subdued. The only actions Shepard was known to have performed were a conversation with Admiral Hackett, and to stop by the medbay to have Karin verify that her condition had not deteriorated with the day's activities. The commander hadn't taken dinner, coffee, or even left her cabin since.

Liara respected Shepard's privacy as much as the next crew member, which was to mean not all that much. Usually she needed do nothing to stay abreast of Shepard's status. Over the months since that first late night meal Shepard had increased their evening chats to an almost daily regularity. The commander's visits had become so routine that Liara had expected Shepard to come visit her in her lab long before now.

Knowing the commander's likely emotional state, Liara decided it was time to take matters into her own hands. As she made her way across the empty mess area she maintained a watchful eye for any late night activity. Joker had told her that crew was maintaining a regular watch schedule in case the Normandy was unexpectedly released from lockdown. That meant at this hour there would only be an NCO manning the sensors, and another on navigation who would be doubling as officer of the deck - unless Joker himself remained at the helm this late. Liara doubted either woman had much to do while the Normandy was docked, and she didn't want to explain calling on the commander at a late hour if one of them had reason to visit the crew deck.

Her caution proved unnecessary as her brief walk across the crew deck ended both uninterrupted and unobserved. Liara stopped in front of Shepard's cabin and raised her hand to tap gently on the hatch. When there was no response she tapped again. The maiden briefly considered calling Shepard on her omni-tool, but quickly decided against it. If the commander was sleeping, she didn't want to wake her, but she also wasn't going to desert Sarah if she needed her. Liara reached out to signal for entry, but then on a hunch she put her hand to the red contact patch next to the hatch instead. The display immediately turned green as it unlocked, and the panels retraced to grant her entrance. Any other time Liara might have reflected on what it said that her palm could unlock the commander's cabin, but her eyes were drawn immediately to the sight of Sarah lying on the deck between her desk and her bed.

Liara rushed into the cabin, kneeling by Sarah's side as she activated her omni-tool to contact Dr. Chakwas when she realized that Sarah hadn't fallen, she's deliberately positioned herself on the deck. Either by herself or with help she had managed to remove her armor and had dressed herself in a loose fitting tank top and a pair of tie waist pants. She was lying on her stomach, her head was pillowed on her crossed arms. Scattered above her within arm's reach were a handful of data pads, including one that was upside down, having been used as a writing surface. Liara deactivated her omni-tool as her anxiety waned, and in curiosity she reached for the document Shepard had written.

The writing was bold and even, like the woman herself. The words flowed across the page, written in a dark green ink. The pen she used remained on the floor beside the pad the paper had been written on. Liara no longer depended upon her translator to understand spoken Alliance Standard, and could easily navigate the ship and its systems without resorting to having written instructions converted to Attena. Still, a handwritten note was beyond her current abilities, particularly one in the sweeping script she saw before her. After a moment she re-activated her omni-tool and held it over the paper to read the translation.

o.o.o.o.o

Dear Mrs. Williams,

It is with a very heavy heart that I write to give you the sad news of death of your daughter.

Ashley gave her life in the defense of her comrades. I don't know if that gives you comfort, but I hope that it does. She was a valiant fighter, and an honorable person.

Ashley spoke often of her family. She spoke of her closeness to her sisters, her love of the memory of her father, and your strength. She was proud to carry the Williams name, even as she labored against the prejudice she had experienced because of it.

As for me, I consider myself fortunate to have known Ashley. We had several things in common. We attended the same training facility, had the same instructors, both volunteered for combat assignments, and shared a love for classical literature. She taught me what it was like to have a family to go home to, and I encouraged her to discover that there was a capacity for humanity in anyone, even if they weren't Human. It was a privilege to be her commanding officer.

You have my deepest sympathy on your loss. Although Ashley made the ultimate sacrifice, she would have expected nothing less of herself. She was a brave soldier, and a credit to the uniform she wore.

We will miss her dearly.

Sarah J. Shepard
LCDR, Systems Alliance Navy

Commanding Officer
SSV Normandy SR-1

o.o.o.o.o

Liara closed her eyes and squeezed out the tears that had started forming there. She deactivated her omni-tool as she conscientiously placed the letter on the commander's desk. She continued on to quietly collect the pen and data pads scattered on the floor and placed them on the desk as well. Liara then carefully rose to her feet, and stepped around Shepard to turn down the commander's bedding.

Returning her attention back to Sarah, she realized that there was no way she could help her to her feet while keeping the commander's torso rigid. Instead she focused herself and gently picked Shepard up and moved her to the bed with a biotic lift. Once Sarah was positioned on her bed Liara covered the sleeping spectre with her blanket. The maiden ran her fingers lightly down the back of Sarah's head as she whispered "Goodnight, Shepard."

Confident now that her commander was as comfortable as she could likely become given the circumstances, Liara turned and walked to the door of the cabin. Just as she was passing through the hatchway, she heard a sleepy Sarah mumble, "You can't keep tucking me into bed T'Soni."

As the hatch closed behind her, Liara allowed herself a smile. 'Oh yes I can.'

A/N: Assumptions here include:
FemShep/Liara (Not yet LI, but oh so close)
Later ME1 - after Feros, Noveria, Virmire and this is the 6th story of the Cari'ssi'mi series

Shepard is:
Colonist / Vanguard / War Hero

Shepard would have been 22 at the time of the Skyllian Blitz

As always, feedback is welcome and desired.