After Priority: Geth Dreadnought
The galaxy never seemed to stop coming up with new ways to infuriate Melanie Shepard. She'd gotten so accustomed to being screwed over by civilian politicians that the Quarian admirals taking a turn was almost a welcome change of pace. She couldn't believe how stupid they'd been, attacking the Geth while the Reapers were destroying the rest of the galaxy. She knew how much getting back their homeworld meant to them, and that the war gave them cover from the Council's ire over provoking the Geth, but this was just idiotic. If the Reapers won, the Quarians would burn along with everyone else.
If that wasn't enough, Admiral Han'Gerrel decided to open fire on the dreadnought with her squad still on board. They almost killed her, killed Tali, their own admiral, almost killed Liara. That was too much for her and when they'd gotten back to the Normandy, she decked him, threw him off her ship, and the hell with the consequences.
Of course, compared with the Geth, the Quarians were practically saints. Whatever pressure they were under, how could they have gone over to the Reapers? They could have asked for help, tried to negotiate. The Quarians were right that everyone else was distracted, but anything, even dying, had to be better than becoming slaves of the Reapers. She'd said that to Saren on Virmire, and she still believed it. The Geth had made their choice, and now they'd have to live with whatever happened next.
What kept her anchored in this sea of madness was her crew, and especially Liara. They hadn't slept together yet; as hard is it was for a human to believe it about someone her age, Liara hadn't before, and so they were taking it slow. In the meantime, they'd been stealing whatever time they could, kissing in Liara's office, in the mess, and wherever else they could be alone for a few moments.
She hadn't felt this way since she was a teenager. Back then, with her first girlfriends, everything had seemed exhilarating but as she got older, she had never really thrown herself into a relationship. She told herself that she didn't have the time, and really, she also lacked the emotional space. She'd had a fling or two in training, and some hook-ups while in the Alliance navy, the most recent of which had been her passionate but ultimately unsatisfying encounter with the Consort, but nothing like this. Finally being able to be honest with the woman she loves is incredibly freeing and it's their times together, more than anything, that remind her what she's fighting for.