A/N: I tried something new in this chapter. I'm not used to writing about conflict, so it was a good exercise.

I couldn't fit everything I wanted to into one chapter, so this one is going to go hand in hand with the next chapter.

Thanks to everyone following & reviewing. This story continues because of you. :)

Struggle of Intolerance

The dim lights in Shepard's cabin made the screen on her private terminal seem brighter. Rubbing her tired eyes she focused on the last bit of work she had for the day, motivating herself with the reminder of the sleep that awaited her. Though with everything that had been going on, she found sleep to be elusive as of late. It honestly wasn't too late in the evening, and she had convinced herself that she might get to bed a little early tonight.

She knew that many of the crew were still down in the mess finishing the final meal of the day, but Shepard had opted to take her dinner up to her cabin so she could get a little piece and quiet. She let her mind wander momentarily, imagining a handful of people around the rectangular table, cracking jokes and laughing merrily. The chances of them getting along so well were slim, however, as she knew who had been the last to gather for dinner.

Only a few days ago Liara had requested to accompany Shepard on missions, and the commander had agreed on the condition that the asari begin training with one of the marines aboard the ship. There was only one person that Shepard knew could get Liara up to speed in such a short amount of time, and Gunnery Chief Williams wasn't overly pleased with the assignment. Even though she and the commander had differing opinions, Ashley was a good marine who followed orders without hesitation. And her skills with guns and hand-to-hand combat were exceptional. Shepard knew that even if Ashley wasn't happy about it, she wouldn't let her feelings compromise her performance in getting the job done. When it came to a firefight, Shepard trusted Ashley wholeheartedly, and there was no one else she would rather have training a new addition to the team. But Shepard couldn't deny that a part of her hoped that Ashley's attitude toward Liara would change if given the chance to get to know her.

All the stress Shepard had been facing seemed to melt away as her thoughts drifted to Liara, who was certainly a more interesting subject than anything else on the Normandy. It was frightening easy for Shepard to slip into her imagination, alone with Liara as if they were face to face, and let scenarios play out the way she wanted. She had replayed their last encounter from days ago, where in reality she had fought against the urge to kiss Liara, but in her mind she felt safe to follow through and trust her instincts. No matter how guilty she felt or how many times she told herself she wouldn't think about it again, Shepard returned over and over, pulled in by her subconscious as if it had a mind of its own. Each time she consoled herself with the fact that the imaginary kiss was as far as her fantasies had gone, but she couldn't ignore the fear of going further in her next reverie. She couldn't recall having felt this way about anyone before; captivated by every facet of their personality, content with knowing that somewhere they existed. Shepard pulled her focus back to her terminal and tried to last the rest of the evening without thinking of Liara.

The marine's eyes watched Liara from across the table. Though he remained silent, his intent was clear. Liara struggled to hide her discomfort among the group of feasting passengers, suddenly losing her appetite. She had known that many of the humans aboard the Normandy didn't like her, but this man's stare was somehow more hostile than the sideways glances and cold shoulders she was used to receiving. The unexpected touch of a friendly hand on her back caused Liara to jump slightly. Ashley's hand recoiled as she took a seat next to the asari, first gently smiling at Liara, and then turning a stern look toward the marine. This protective behavior wasn't what Liara would have anticipated from the gunnery chief, but she welcomed it graciously. With Ashley beside her, Liara knew she had nothing to fear.

It was Ashley who first broke the silence of the room. Though she directed her attention to her plate, it was obvious that she spoke to the man across the table.

"Maybe if you shook your head a bit, your eyes wouldn't get stuck in one place."

Straightening his slouched posture, he tossed his fork onto his plate and let his closed fist drop to the table with a startling thud. Anyone who had been ignoring the situation now watched closely, each holding his or her breath in fear of catching the angered marine's attention.

"You know, I just have to wonder why a human Alliance vessel is swarming with alien trash." He didn't even attempt subtlety.

Ashley stopped eating and furrowed her brow. "Commander's choice."

"I don't see why we can't handle it ourselves."

"It's not your call, Corporal."

Slowly people began to rise from their seats and back away. Tali, who had been sitting on the same side of the table as the corporal, simply backed out of his range of vision and nodded to Ashley. The human took it to mean that Tali had her back, though it was hard to determine anything though the quarian helmet.

Uneasy about the rising conflict in the room, Liara mutely excused herself, deciding that it would be best for everyone if she weren't there to cause trouble. But as she rose from her seat, the irritated soldier followed suit.

"What, you running away now?" he said, banging his rough palms against the table as he stood up. Ashley reacted quickly, standing firm and tucking Liara behind her, placing herself between the innocent asari and her aggressive persecutor.

"You'll really want to rethink your attitude, Marcus." Ashley tried to remain calm and levelheaded, something Liara didn't expect her to capable of. The corporal's face grew red with anger at Ashley's remark.

"You're just as fed up with it as I am, Ashley; all these aliens running around our ship. And this one," he pointed a shaking finger at Liara, "Do you really think she can be trusted?"

"The commander trusts her, and that's enough for me." Ashley's stance was unwavering, defensive and strong.

"She's a friggin' spy, Williams!" he threw his arms in the air in frustration. "Making eyes at the commander and convincing her she's so innocent. Noveria's gonna be an ambush."

Liara felt ridiculous blushing at such a comment in the middle of his accusations. This human was bent on ridding the ship of her, and part of her was worried about the crew noticing her affection towards Shepard. What a silly and childish thing to be concerned with.

"I have not spoken with my mother in a very long time, Corporal." Liara struggled to calmly defend herself. She had never been able to handle confrontation well, but this time she had managed to keep it together.

"Don't you speak to me!" the corporal yelled back. His shirt almost seemed to grow tighter as his muscles began to swell. It was clear that the adrenaline pumping through his veins was beginning to take over.

"Yeah, Liara, don't waste your breath." Ashley gently nudged the asari, backing away slightly. She could tell that things were escalating, and wanted to have distance as an advantage. Their new position blocked Liara's view more than before, causing her to barely notice Tali activate her omni-tool. She wasn't certain what the young engineer's plan was, and was too preoccupied to give it much thought.

"Just shut up, Williams." He spat. "As if you're a part of this crew either. FNG."

"Excuse me?" there was more of an attitude in Ashley's tone of voice now.

"Eden Prime was a disaster! If you were worth your rank, Shepard wouldn't have needed to-"

"This 'FNG' has been groundside plenty of times with the Commander. How often has she taking you?" she cut him off. He was challenging her skill as a soldier, and she wasn't going to stand for it.

"Hiding behind Shepard again, huh?" the corporal leaned to look at Liara. "This works out well for you, doesn't it? When you have your Noveria family reunion you'll have your brainwashed Commander," he looked back at Ashley, "and her little lap dog."

Ashley balled her hands into fists. She had been trying to avoid violence, and she didn't want to be the one to start anything. But now she really wanted to hit this guy. The smug grin on his face told her that he knew she was fighting against her desire to punch him. He crossed his arms across his chest and gave her a taunting look.

Shepard sighed as her omni-tool buzzed. She had specifically told the crew to only call her in the event of a crisis. So either this what about nothing important at all, or something was truly wrong. Her exhausted brain didn't like her options. The orange holodisplay surrounded her arm as she activated the device, softly lighting the dark room as with the warm glow of a hearth. The message from Tali came through as a video. Shepard took in the brief clip of what was happening in the mess hall before reading Tali's short note- "Come now."

Her chair nearly fell over as Shepard rushed out of her quarters to the elevator. She had known that the chance of a fight breaking out had gone up since bringing aliens aboard, but she had wished that it would be avoided. She had hoped that the soldiers under her command had more sense than to cause trouble, but tensions had been grower higher and someone was bound to break.

The edges of the mess hall had filled with silent onlookers; a crowd made up of crewmembers that had stopped curiously while passing through the crew quarters. This had little effect on the confrontation that continued at the table.

"Out of my way, Williams!" the corporal shouted. The veins in his temples and neck bulged from under his flushed skin.

"No." Ashley responded as stone faced as ever, solidifying her stance and locking her feet in place. Liara contemplated using her biotics, but she couldn't see how it would help the situation if she attacked first.

"Move!" he insisted.

The elevator door opened to the CIC, and Shepard could hear the shouts carrying up the stairwell, though she couldn't make out what was being said. She ran down the stairs at full speed, but had to stop when she came to the crew quarter's crowded floor. She pushed her way through the herd, which was more than accommodating for the commander.

"Ashley!" Liara's startled voice carried over the sea of people. Shepard knew from the gasps from in front of her that something had happened, but she didn't want to think about what. As she broke through the last row of spectators, Shepard was surprised at what she saw: Liara's hands were cupped over her mouth, her blue eyes wide with shock. In front of the asari was Ashley gripping the muscular arm of Corporal Grieco, who was on his knees with his back to the Gunnery chief holding him in a tight lock.

"What's going on here?" Shepard asked loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Marcus tried to punch me." Ashley shrugged. She bent down next to her hostage's ear. "But he's not going to try it again, right?" The corporal shook his head as he looked at the commander with embarrassment.

"Let him go, Ashley." Shepard replied with a sigh. Ashley complied, and Marcus stood upright, shuffling away from her and closer to the commander. Shepard turned to face him as he stood at attention. He panted and tried to hide the fear in his eyes. Liara knew that the crew greatly respected Shepard, but she had always assumed that it came from her friendly attitude and care for her crewmembers. The maiden suddenly learned the Shepard she knew was simply the woman, and that she was now witnessing the commander side of her.

"Is that true, Corporal? Did you try to punch Chief Williams?" the commander's eyes were fixed on Marcus, her posture straight and her hands behind her back. He hesitated a moment before answering.

"Yes ma'am." He said shyly. Only a moment ago he had been boisterous, but now he was nervous. The transformation was astounding.

"You want to tell me why?" Shepard's voice was cold. Liara wasn't sure how she felt about hearing her voice that way.

"I…" Marcus searched for a good answer to give the commander, but he didn't have one. "I was angry, ma'am."

"About?" Shepard begged an explanation.

"The aliens, ma'am." He kept his tone respectful. Beads of sweat began rolling down from his hairline.

"I see. So punching Ashley was the answer?" the commander's question seemed as ridiculous as the corporal's defense. His rage had clouded his logic before, but now she was calling attention to his foolishness in front of everyone. Shepard took a step closer to the corporal, forcing his eyes to meet hers. She was nearly as tall as he was, and in this moment, much more intimidating. Her brow was furrowed and her face stern.

"Our mission is too important for your petty squabbles. Since you have a problem with non-humans, I'm going to leave your punishment to them. The next time you let your prejudice cause an issue, consider your military career over."

He swallowed nervously and nodded. Shepard backed away, all eyes on her, waiting for what she would do next. She walked to the center of the room and began addressing the whole deck.

"Need I remind you that not only am I your commanding officer, but I'm a Spectre. If you have a problem with the way I run this ship, you can bring it up with the counsel. I'm sure they'll disregard your complaints in a nicer way than I will. Our galaxy is in danger, and the only chance we have is to work together. If you can't handle that, you can get off my ship."

Most of the crew nodded, and a few even smiled. Shepard turned and faced Tali, who remained in her spot against the wall.

"Tali?" Shepard addressed her.

"Yes, Commander?" the quarian anxiously replied, ringing her hands.

"Good work." Shepard smiled warmly. The necessary assertive nature of her position began to fade.

"Oh, thank you, Shepard." Tali relaxed, but it was clear she was a bit embarrassed.

"Williams, T'Soni, come with me. Everyone else is dismissed."