When she lowers her eyes she seems to hold all the beauty in the world between her eyelids; when she raises them I see only myself in her gaze. – Natalie Clifford Barney

Inamorata – A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)
Ionsaí – Strike, or attack (asari)
Siame – "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian)
Wo ài ni – Hanyu Pinyin (Mandarin) for I love you [我愛你]

• ASARI CORVETTE IONSAÍ · EN ROUTE TO THESSIA •

Doctor Jakira T'Lana smiled as she turned off the dermal generator and repositioned the application head to its overhead cradle. "I don't think you'll even have a scar to show for your time on that station, Ms Traynor. Not much more than a scratch, really—not very deep in the tissue. It would appear the Goddess was smiling upon you."

There was a touch of sadness behind Sam's smile as she replied, "It was little enough to endure compared to Xiùlán's suffering. I would have traded places with her in a heartbeat, had it been possible."

"I believe your friend will recover just fine, Serviceman. Your first aid was exemplary … made all the difference in her survival and in our ability to save her from an amputation." The doctor's hand came up, gently gripped Sam's jaw and turned her head slightly as she inspected the skin on her cheek. "Physical scars are relatively easy to fix; mental scars … not so much. XO Shoni tells me you're carrying a great deal of guilt about what happened to Ms Yuán."

Traynor closed her eyes for a moment before focusing on those of Dr T'Lana. "I nearly turned into a soulless assassin … it's something I need to reconcile with Xiùlán, when she's better … when I can hold her as I tell her. I only pray she will forgive me." Traynor looked away for several moments, then changed the subject, asking, "The scar on Buchanan's face … it appears to be greatly diminished. Will you be able to completely eliminate it?"

"No … the knife wound was completely healed, meaning the skin on either side had stretched slightly to accommodate the scar tissue. I can make the scar less noticeable, maybe even to the point it will be difficult to see unless the lighting is just right, but the trace will always be with him, I'm afraid."

Traynor chuckled. "Somehow, I don't think he'll be bothered by that." Standing from the exam chair, Traynor said, "Thanks, Doctor T'Lana. I appreciate you taking the time."

"You're welcome, Ms Traynor. Go with the Goddess."

• ASARI COUNCILOR'S CHAMBERS, PRESIDIUM · 0255 LOCAL •

Councilor Raesia Tevos had been sleeping quite soundly, which made her more than a bit aggravated at the sudden activation of the comms unit; an incoming call lit up the monitor as the low volume trilling from the device gradually became louder.

Sitting up in her bed, she quickly pulled on and fastened a dressing gown before standing and moving to the small desk on which the device was sitting. Applying her index finger to the DNA scanner to unlock the terminal, she made an effort to school her expression while attempting to put a name to the face looking back at her from the screen. "This is Councilor Tevos. What may I do for you at this early hour?" The implication in her question was that whatever it was, it could have waited a few more hours.

"Councilor, I'm Agana T'Lori, captain of the Ionsaí, the corvette assigned as the support vessel for three operatives. Please accept my sincere apologies for disturbing your rest in the middle of the night; as I am unable to guarantee the security of this connection, I can only speak in generalities. We are currently en route to Thessia to deliver an object only recently recovered from a person or persons unknown. My orders were to inform you of this as soon as I could do so without drawing undue attention."

Understanding dawned on Tevos at the mention of the three; if the Ionsaí was heading to the home world with a recovered object, the mission had been mostly successful. As Tevos considered the numerous possibilities, she could only hope it had not come at too high a price and hesitantly questioned, "What of the three operatives, Captain T'Lori? Are they well?"

T'Lori did not answer immediately, perhaps attempting to formulate words that would convey the serious nature of injuries to the team. "All live; two were injured—one seriously so."

Tevos sat back in her chair, thinking, It would seem the human operatives had succeeded in their mission where no one else could. The 'object', undoubtedly the stolen figurine, was on its way to Thessia. That the humans were being taken there as well spoke to how severely the one must have been injured—standard procedure would have been to meet with and transfer the injured party to an Alliance vessel for treatment. "Just how serious is this injury, that you would transport the operative to Serrice rather than return all three to the Alliance, Captain?"

"Extremely, Councilor." Agana's expression was grave as she continued, "I realize we provided the humans with numerous medical capability upgrades as part of our initial negotiations when we accepted them as Council allies, but our hospital facilities simply remain light-years ahead of theirs. If we return the seriously injured operative to the Alliance, they will most likely take off a leg; they will give the human an artificial limb, condemning this person to life as a cripple. We, however, are capable of saving the real leg … and I strongly believe we owe this person that outcome for the tremendous service all three have provided to the asari people."

Tevos smiled at the vehemence with which the captain spoke. "This human has earned your respect, no?"

"That obvious, is it?" Agana chuckled quietly before continuing, "Yes, Councilor, they all have. Including the male, they are warriors as worthy of the designation Huntress Infiltrator as any I have ever seen, even without considering their lack of biotic ability."

Tevos' brow rose in surprise. "That is high praise, indeed, Captain." She didn't need to think about the decision, issuing her response without pause. "Proceed with your plan and feel free to invoke my authority to guarantee the injured team member receives the necessary treatments, as well as ensuring the other two are made comfortable for the duration of their stay. Thank you for the information and please ... update me once you arrive on the home world and everything is successfully placed into motion, Agana." She smiled and nodded as she terminated the connection, rose from her chair and walked to the balcony.

Tevos thought about what Captain T'Lori had told her as she looked out on the fountains and lake below her. Whoever had purchased the figurine from the Suns was out a considerable amount of credits, and if the payment had not gone through, the Blue Suns were on the losing end. It mattered not one bit to Tevos which of the criminals ended up on the losing side of the transaction—the priceless figurine was on its way home.

She removed her dressing gown as she walked back across the room, distractedly laying it on the foot of the bed as she contemplated her next move. Realizing her mind was moving much too quickly to return to sleep, Tevos let out a resigned sigh and turned toward the bath. May as well shower, dress and begin my day. Tossing and turning, unable to sleep with such news, would only serve to make me irritable and short-tempered. Dalis should not be forced to abide such all day … me being a bit tired is preferable to subjecting her to such ill-temperament.

• THESSIA, PARNITHA SYSTEM · ATHENA NEBULA •

The Oseros class corvette Ionsaí slipped into her assigned docking bay on the outskirts of Serrice, having completed a four-relay trip from the Nemean Abyss, through Sahrabarik, Imir and Widow to Parnitha. The seven-hour trip from the Parnitha System relay to Thessia had taken nearly as much time as the relay jumps from the Abyss.

As port workers secured the numerous thruster-packs at dock level by clipping deflectors over the nozzles, a hover-litter was guided from the smaller of the two cargo bays and carefully floated over the darkened area; the commandos accompanying the litter guided it into a large shuttle painted in the pale blue and yellow of a Serrice Hospital vehicle.

Anyone watching what was apparently a routine arrival of the largest warship allowed to land on the planet might have been puzzled at the appearance of two people, obviously human, from the starboard over-wing airlock. The male and female, escorted closely by a quartet of asari commandos, were led to a small aircar bearing the same colors as the large shuttle; as soon as they were in the car and the hatches sealed, it rose from the deck, turned and slowly departed the area, following the large shuttle carrying Yuán Xiùlán in the hover-litter.

During the short flight to the hospital, Ionsaí XO Traeria Shoni acted as a tour guide, pointing out various points of interest, including the university with its vast grounds and the grand building where the Matriarchal Forum held meetings to discuss affairs of state. It was only a matter of minutes before the car was circling for a landing, setting down within fifteen meters of its larger companion, from which the accompanying commandos were already removing the hover-litter containing Xiùlán's still form.

A pair of asari, dressed in crisp, light blue uniforms, came running out to the hover-litter; after speaking with the commandos for a few moments, these orderlies took over, moving the litter into the hospital building at a rapid pace.

Samantha Traynor and Griffen Buchanan, having exited the smaller vehicle along with Traeria Shoni, walked up to the commandos just as the orderlies left with Xiùlán's litter. Sam looked at Traeria as she asked, "Can we go in with her?" As Traeria started to decline her request, Samantha added, "I really need to be with her, Traeria—she needs to know she hasn't been abandoned in a strange place. Please?"

The asari studied Traynor's eyes for only a moment before answering, "Come on … you too, Buchanan. I'll clear it with the Matriarch in charge … have her find both of you a place to stay."

Traynor responded as they began walking. "Thank you, Traeria."

• ASARI CORVETTE IONSAÍ · CONFERENCE ROOM •

Luenia Phura passed a hand through the haptic interface, triggering a chiming announcement within the lesser of the Ionsaí's two conference chambers; she stood aside for the antiquities minister as the door latches immediately unlocked, allowing the hatch to part in the middle and retract into either side of the opening. Captain Agana T'Lori stood from her chair at the far end of the table inside, bidding her guest a warm welcome. "Matriarch Elesia … please, come in." Motioning towards a chair to the right side of her own, she asked, "Would you care for some refreshments?"

The minister gracefully swept into the room, her travel cloak fanning out behind her like a protective cloud. "I would not say no to a small amount of Elasa, should you have such on board." T'Lori immediately moved to a side table, where she opened a small bottle and poured each of them a generous measure of the pale green liquid, as the antiquities minister removed her cloak; laying it over the back of another chair, she asked, "Now then, Captain. What is so important that I had to meet you here at the moorage, rather than in my office?"

Agana smiled as she gently set the heavy crystal goblet containing the matriarch's drink on the table. Taking a sip of the sharp beverage, T'Lori set her own glass down and retook her seat. "I assume you are familiar with the search for a small figurine from the Age of Exploration?"

Elesia paused, the arm and hand holding her glass poised midway between table and lips; resuming her movement after several moments, the minister took a sip of Elasa, then set the glass down gently as her eyes searched those of T'Lori. "You must be referring to the carving that was recovered, then lost by the turian Septivus Vulpez. What do you know of this?"

The captain reached down beside her chair, on the opposite side of the matriarch's chair; standing again, she brought a cylindrical case up and set it on the table in front of her. "We had the honor of hosting three humans employed by the Earth Systems Alliance, working on behalf of the Asari Republics; one is currently in the hospital with a serious injury incurred during the recovery of …" releasing two fasteners and removing the upper two-thirds of the case to reveal the carved figurine of Janiri, T'Lori finished with, "this figurine. The Ionsaí was the support vessel for these humans as they tracked the artifact's movements; they just recovered it from a shipping container on Cartagena Station."

Elesia's eyes went wide with surprise. "They found it! … Recovered it!" A statement, not a question. "I had almost given up all hope of ever seeing …" Reaching out a hand, she touched the bottom of the container rather than place her bare fingers on the carved wood. "To have this artifact here, Captain! Intact, sitting on the table …" Elesia covered her mouth with a hand to get her emotions under control, even as a single tear escaped to drift slowly down her cheek. "You said the humans are here? In Serrice?"

T'Lori carefully replaced and latched the cover to its base as she replied, "Yes … two females and a male. One of the females is in the hospital awaiting surgery to repair a grievously injured left leg. The other female, Samantha Traynor, is the reason all three were successfully extracted."

Carefully sliding the figurine over to sit in front of the matriarch, she said, "As the Ionsaí will soon be departing Thessia for its next assignment, I am officially transferring possession of this antiquity into your custody and care, Minister Elesia." Returning to her seat, T'Lori added, "There are few among our people aware of this recovery, Minister; not even the Matriarchal Forum has yet been informed of our good fortune. You may wish to contact Councilor Tevos on the Citadel when you return to your office, as she was instrumental in choosing to allow the humans to work on our behalf." Taking the last sip from her glass, T'Lori concluded with, "When you are ready to leave, I will provide an escort to ensure your safe return to your shuttle."

• ASARI COUNCILOR'S CHAMBERS, PRESIDIUM · 1455 LOCAL •

Raesia Tevos continued to work at her desk as she waited with increasing impatience for the secure call from Thessia—she was hoping to speak with one of the three team members that had recovered an invaluable piece of asari history. When the unit in the adjacent room trilled, Tevos rose from her chair and walked briskly into the communications room; stepping up to the control console, she entered several commands in the haptic interface and waited.

Within several seconds, an image began to appear from seemingly random specks of light. With the time-lagged distortion of distance, her voice flanged up and down, similar to that of a turian. "Councilor Tevos. It is a pleasure to be able to speak with you today."

Responding with a nod of her head, Tevos replied, "Matriarch Elesia? What may I do for the Minister of Antiquities today?"

"I just returned from visiting Captain Agana T'Lori onboard the Ionsaí—she presented me with an item recovered from the Nemean Abyss. While I do not question the positive results of the recovery, I find the methods employed to be a bit unorthodox. Involving humans in asari affairs, Councilor?"

"They came highly recommended by the human ambassador here on the Citadel, Minister. At the time we decided to employ them, it seemed to be our best and only option. Have you met with the humans?"

"I will be visiting them at Serrice Hospital shortly—I expect to hear firsthand how they were able to track down and recover the object after our own efforts failed."

Tevos did not respond to the implied criticism, other than to say, "Asari commandos don't generally have the skills needed to clandestinely hack into computer networks; both human females possess the required skills, and both are skilled warriors." Changing the subject, she asked, "Has the Matriarchal Forum been informed?"

"They have not, nor will they, until my department can confirm the authenticity of this figure." Elesia slowly moved her head from side to side. "I fully expect the tests will confirm that what we possess is the genuine article; I just want to be sure before I inform the matriarchs."

"Makes sense, Minister. No reason to get everyone's hopes up only to later tell them the figurine is a disappointing forgery."

"I have to attend a staff meeting, Councilor … you may wish to contact the human ambassador … inform her of the success of the mission; I am sure she will be pleased with the results. Once we have our confirmation and can set a date, perhaps she would like to be here on Thessia when we introduce the humans to the matriarchs."

"That sounds like a fine idea … I'll contact her right away. I appreciate your call, Minister."

"It has been a pleasure speaking with you, Tevos. Go with the Goddess."

• AMBASSADOR'S OFFICE, HUMAN EMBASSY · PRESIDIUM, CITADEL — 1520 LOCAL •

Ambassador Anita Goyle was looking through a few colonization reports when the secure communication console beside her trilled for an incoming call. Probably that fool Udina wanting to know when he'll be appointed as the new human councilor … as if! Anita sighed as she entered her personal code and password, then waved her hand through the ACCEPT control; she was pleasantly surprised to see the image of asari Councilor Raesia Tevos. "Councilor! It has been too long … to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Anita! I just wanted to thank you for all your assistance in recovering a thousand-year old example of asari wood-carving skills!" Tevos was positively beaming. "Your team found it, Anita! The figurine has been recovered … it's back home on Thessia, along with your agents, who are currently our esteemed guests."

Tevos grew silent as she looked down for a moment. Returning her gaze to the camera, she continued, "I owe you an apology, Anita. When you offered to assign two newly graduated agents to this task, I admit I was skeptical they would be able to obtain positive results."

"No apology is necessary, my friend. Your skepticism was completely justified … had our positions been reversed, I am sure I would have questioned their assignment myself. Should I arrange for their transportation home? I imagine there are very few humans on Thessia, if any at all."

Tevos looked down for a moment before returning her gaze to the ambassador. "Unfortunately, one of them was severely injured during the operation." Holding up a hand to forestall Goyle's questions, Tevos continued solemnly, "I do not know the severity of the injury, nor which of the team members was injured. However, if Captain T'Lori felt it necessary to transport all three of your operatives to Thessia, then I would imagine the injuries sustained by the one to be severe enough to preclude meeting an Alliance vessel to effect a transfer."

"When do you anticipate a mission report will be ready, Councilor? I would really appreciate having a copy, and I would especially like to know which of the three was injured and the extent of the injuries."

"I should have that information when the next diplomatic courier arrives from Thessia … two days from today. As soon as I have the report, I will be happy to share that which pertains to the operation just concluded, along with the medical reports on all three agents." Tevos paused for a moment before continuing. "The artifact is being confirmed as authentic by our Minister of Antiquities. Once that has been completed to her satisfaction, she will present the figurine to the Matriarchal Forum, accompanied by your agents. She mentioned that, perhaps, you would like to be present for the unveiling?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, actually. I would love to see Thessia, even just a small portion, and have a chance to sample some more Thessian cuisine." Goyle sighed audibly before concluding, "If there is anything I can do … anything … either personally or on behalf of the Systems Alliance, please let me know. In the meantime, I'll contact the Marine General in charge of the group; fill her in on what I know of the mission results at this moment. Thank you for contacting me, Raesia."

"It was my pleasure, Anita. Please convey my gratitude to the General for assigning two 'newly-minted' agents to tracking down and recovering a priceless artifact for the Asari Republic. The entire operation proved to be a stunning success."

• SERRIS HOSPITAL, THESSIA •

Samantha Traynor's asari escort opened the door to what everyone expected to be Xiùlán's room for the next two months. Seeing her Inamorata turn towards her and smile lifted Sam's spirits immeasurably. "Hey," Sam squeaked out. "How are you feeling?

"Better, now that you are here. My dear Sà mi … I was afraid the asari would attempt to keep me isolated."

"Not gonna happen." Traynor grabbed one of Xiùlán's hands. "Griff's with me as well; we have temporary rooms downstairs. With all the new construction going on, available housing is at a premium, even for their own people; my understanding is we're being accorded special treatment because of that figurine. XO Shoni did not say, but I'm guessing the success of our mission has garnered a great deal of interest among the Matriarchs … Captain T'Lori even contacted Councilor Tevos on the Citadel."

Xiùlán asked, "So, what's going to happen now? Are they going to reconstruct my leg?"

Stroking the back of the hand she was holding, Sam replied, "That's the plan. Normally, you'd be transferred to an Alliance facility, but the asari seem to think they can provide you with better care here in Serrice." Traynor glanced at Xiùlán's elevated left leg as she asked, "How's the pain? You managing okay?"

"Medicine's keeping most of the pain at bay … certainly a lot less than it was on that stinking station." Xiùlán fixed her lover with a hard stare as a single tear overflowed her right eye and trickled down her temple. Lapsing into Mandarin, she said, "Xièxiè ni jiùle wo de mìng, Sà mi." [謝謝你救了我的命，薩米 – Thank you for saving my life, Sami] With her emotions barely in check, she added, "Thank you as well for getting me out of that stinkin' hell-hole. I don't know if I can ever repay you, Sà mi, but you need to know that until I can, my life belongs to you."

"Nonsense, Xiùlán. Seems to me our situations were reversed during our mission in the Dis system … had to deal with batarian pirates there as well … bastards mutilated and killed our tank driver … you got me out of that hell-hole none-too-soon … saved my life. I'd say we're even … and who's counting, anyway?"

Xiùlán's smile was so radiant Sam thought another sun had come out. "How can it be that I was so blessed to run into you our first day on Luna? Look how far you've come since then." Xiùlán reached up, stroking an upper arm that was nearly rock-hard with corded muscles. "I need to see Buchanan … need to hear from him how you cleaned out a hanger filled with batarians hell-bent on killing all of us."

Traynor's facial expression was in direct conflict with her next statement. "He'll sing my praises to the sky! If I tell you what I did, then you hear it from him? The reality would be somewhere in the middle. But yeah, I impressed him … impressed a bunch of batarians as well."

Xiùlán had been Sammy's Inamorata long enough to be able to read her quite well, so immediately knew she was holding something back … something that troubled her … something just beneath the surface, and it involved the batarians. "Sammy, you know I love you, right?"

Traynor was instantly on guard—sometimes, Xiùlán was much too perceptive—it appeared to Sam that this was one of those times. "I do … and I love you, Yuán Xiùlán."

"You're keeping something from me, Sammy … I can see it. It's eating at you like the Asian spider wasp larvae eats at its host."

Traynor hung her head as tears began seeping from her eyes. "I didn't want to tell you until you were up and around, Xiùlán. I'm afraid … afraid of what you'll think of me."

For once, Xiùlán didn't know what to say, but tried anyway. "Sammy, how could you be? … I would never judge you, Sammy. If you think back, we've been down this path before, during our first few months of training … I told you then not to presume what my feelings were concerning you." Retaking her hand, Xiùlán continued, "Now, you sit there in that chair and tell me what's bothering you."

Sam started slowly, relating how she had strung up the batarian that had shot Yuán in the thigh, how she had begun to torture him. "He wanted to fuck me, Xiùlán! Told me to let 'im rest for a few minutes so he could use me. I just …" Sammy's expression flashed on the misery she had felt. "For a moment, I was back in college on Earth, trapped in a gym locker room." Sniffling, she went on, "I was gonna use my blades, Chong'ér … [寵兒 – darling] … thought about cutting 'is nuts off and feeding 'em to 'im. I had it all planned out in my mind to open 'im up on both sides and make soup of his organs with my Húdié dāo … I had the point of one of them pressed hard against his side … was gonna make 'im suffer more than any of his kind have ever suffered."

Xiùlán held her gaze, refusing to look away even for a second. "I can see it in your expression, Sammy. You couldn't do it, could you? What changed your mind, Ai?" [愛 – Love (Xiùlán's meaning is 'Luv')]

"You did, my love … or rather, your sense of morality. You didn't teach me to be a butcher. But I didn't give him a mercy shot either … I used an omni-blade, straight up in 'is gut, so 'e died of suffocation. I had to end 'im, Xiùlán, you see that, don't you? He knew where we were holed up, would have directed others to find us." Traynor was openly weeping now—voice hitching, she cried, "I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to be with me again."

Xiùlán drew Sammy towards her until she could wrap her arms around her in a loving embrace. "Sammy, you did what had to be done to keep me … and Buchanan … alive, until we could get off that miserable station. It was necessary, okay? There's nothing to forgive. You make me so proud, I could burst."

Bent over her Inamorata and barely able to believe that Xiùlán was not unhappy with how she'd dealt with her assailant, Sam carefully wrapped her arms around her and kissed her in a fervent display of the depth of her feelings for this beautiful woman; best of all, Xiùlán returned the kiss with just as much passion, assuring Sammy that she was still loved and greatly cherished.

Her emotions barely in check, Sam whispered in Yuan's ear, "Xièxiè. Ni ràng wo de shēngmìng biàn dé wánzhěng." [謝謝. 你讓我的生命變得完整 – Thank you. You make my life complete]

After her surgery, Xiùlán was sleeping soundly, dreaming she was safe in her own bed, in her parent's home in the city of Shanghai. She felt an occasional twinge, a little pinprick of pain, in various places of her left thigh, but never enough to truly disturb her slumbers. She smiled inwardly as a hand grasped one of hers and gave a gentle squeeze. There was someone in her room with her. Odd, that. She had never had anyone visit her in her bedroom, particularly when she was asleep. Perhaps it is time for me to wake up. No. Sleep is the answer. Xiùlán murmured a complaint: "Qing líkāi. [請離開 – please leave]

The hand holding hers shifted its grip … it was now positioned to softly stroke the back of her hand, wrist-to-knuckles and back, over and over. Uhmmmm. That felt nice, unlike the twinges and pinpricks of pain in her thigh, which seemed to be growing in number and intensity.

Slanted eyelids parted slightly, just enough to make out a blurry face … squinting, she was able to make out a pair of eyes, brown like hers, but different … honey brown instead of her own sable brown. Sà mi! Oh Ancestors! "Sà mi! You're here …"

"Ssshhh, darling. Of course I'm here. Don't try to talk … don't try to sit up. You're just out of surgery to fix your leg." Traynor placed a little kiss on Xiùlán's forehead. "You've been down for about eleven hours, and if your level of pain rises, the monitor will increase your sedatives to put you under again."

Xiùlán closed her eyes against the bright lights, but could sense they were being dimmed, so slid them open again to look at Sammy. "How? …

"Ssshhh. You're doing fine, darling. Doctor Shakia will be here in a few minutes … she seemed to be pleased with the results of your surgery."

The hand holding Xiùlán's continued its gentle massage, bringing a tiny smile to her lips. "Hhhmm … Ganjué hěn hao, Sà mi." [感覺很好 – Feels good, Sammy] The gentle touch relaxed her as perhaps nothing else could, helping her return to sleep … to dream she was being held by Sammy in their bed on Arcturus Station.

Traynor continued to gently massage the back of Xiùlán's hand for several minutes after it was obvious she was sleeping … the smile on her lips indicative of a pleasant dream.

"Ms Traynor?" The soft voice behind her interrupted her thoughts; turning around, she quickly recognized Doctor Luria Shakia. "My apologies. I did not mean to intrude. Your presence is obviously of great benefit for Ms Yuán … she seems to be totally at peace."

"Doctor Shakia." Quickly glancing back at Xiùlán, she returned her gaze to the doctor's eyes as she replied, "She woke up for a minute, just long enough to realize I'm here with her."

"Have you eaten? … or slept since you arrived?" Traynor's embarrassed expression was all the confirmation Dr Shakia needed. "It is as I thought. Come, you must remain healthy … for her sake. There's a lounge just down the hall. I'll have a meal brought up for you; you can eat and then sleep for a bit. Your friend's condition is being continuously monitored … I will ensure you are alerted the instant she begins to rouse from her slumbers."

Traynor looked longingly at Xiùlán, total relaxation showing on her face, tiny smile on her heart-shaped mouth. She placed a gentle kiss on that mouth, whispering, "Wo ài ni, Xiùlán." Returning her attention to the doctor, she acquiesced, saying with a smile, "Okay, Doctor. Lead the way."

It had been four days since the surgery on Yuán Xiùlán's leg had been completed by a team of the finest orthopedic doctors in all of Serrice; her left thighbone, with the exception of the head and lower extremity, had been replaced with a specially designed shaft of titanium strands reinforced with carbon fibers; the surgeons had fused the shaft to the head and lower extremity, ensuring the new addition to her leg would in all ways be as good as or better than the bone it was replacing. The part of the operation that proved to be most tedious involved reattaching all the muscles and tendons to the new bone. They had also discovered and extracted another fragment of the bullet that had originally shattered her leg; the last bit of polonium-coated metal that was still making her sick.

Xiùlán could raise the top third of her bed about twenty degrees, making it easier to visit with Sammy; her leg was in a cast from hip-to-foot, bent slightly at the knee and resting on a specially formed block. Buchanan, virtually healed from his torture on Cartagena Station, had been visiting her as well.

On the morning of the fifth day, Dr Shakia had gently knocked on the door and entered Xiùlán's room. Saying, "Good morning, Ms Yuán. How did you sleep?" she activated her omnitool and began scanning the length of Xiùlán's thigh.

"Not well," came the reply. "I'm not used to sleeping alone, and not being able to sleep on my side with …" Xiùlán paused, a hint of color creeping up her neck. She continued as Sammy picked that moment to come in for her morning visit. "on my side with Sammy snuggled up beside me."

It was Sammy's turn to blush as Xiùlán completed her sentence—Dr Shakia split her attention between Sammy and Xiùlán. "So you two are in a relationship. Why should that embarrass either of you?" Having completed her scan, the doctor transferred the data to the hospital's servers, then shut her omnitool off and waited expectantly.

Traynor spoke up first. "I've been in love with this woman since the first day we met. We trained together, on Earth's moon, on Mars, went on a couple of missions to areas not totally under Alliance control. I would do anything for her."

Xiùlán blinked and nodded her head as she attempted to swallow past the lump that had suddenly seized her throat. It didn't help that Sammy moved to stand beside her, leaned in and gently kissed her cheek.

Dr Shakia smiled at the pair as she observed, "Just like a pair of young maidens." She continued to smile as she brought out a datapad, thumbed it on and read from its screen. "It seems you have gained favor with the Asari Minister of Antiquities. Matriarch Elesia will be here …" she checked the datapad's built-in chrono, "in seventeen minutes. It doesn't say why—that is something you will discover when she arrives."

Placing the datapad back in a pocket on her lab coat, she looked at Xiùlán and said, "Ms Yuán, your leg appears to be healing well. Another two days, maybe three … I'm going to have you get out of that bed, hand you a pair of crutches and send you to bring me a cup of Kaffe." Upon seeing the shocked expressions of both Yuán and Traynor, she chuckled and finished with, "Okay. Maybe we'll just see if you can take a few steps across the room and back."

Sammy and Xiùlán had been joined by Buchanan and were chatting about their adventure in the Abyss when a knock at the door interrupted them. Dr Shakia entered the room, followed by an asari matriarch, elegant looking in a nearly floor-length gown in a deep shade of shimmery purple, over which she had a floor-length cape fastened at her neck.

Griff and Sammy quickly stood as Dr Shakia introduced each of them with a wave of her outstretched hand, saying, "Operations Chief Griffen Buchanan, Service Chief Yuán Xiùlán and Serviceman First Class Samantha Traynor." Indicating the matriarch with her opposite hand, she said, "This is Matriarch Elesia T'Keeri, Minister of Antiquities. She has traveled here from Armali to share some news for you."

Dr Shakia turned and left as the matriarch approached Traynor, who raised both hands waist high, palms up, in the traditional asari greeting; the corners of Elesia's mouth turned up slightly as she gently laid her own hands palms down on Traynor's. "My pleasure," came the whispered acknowledgment.

She next approached Buchanan, who had seen Traynor's use of her hands, so presented his in the same manner. "A pleasure to meet you, Operations Chief."

Finally, she approached Yuán, who was only able to present Elesia with one hand, as her offside arm still had tubes inserted in her veins. Elesia gently took Xiùlán's hand in both of hers and spoke softly, "It is my pleasure to meet you, Yuán Xiùlán. I am so very sorry your work on behalf of the asari brought you so much pain." Dropping her hands, she turned partway to face Griff and added, "That goes for you as well, Operations Chief. I am given to understand the batarians poked and prodded you rather unmercifully."

Griff smiled as he replied, "Nothing I haven't come to expect from them, Ma'am."

Xiùlán cocked her head slightly as she asked, "What brings you here today, Minister?"

Elesia actually chuckled at this. "Humans … always so impatient, always right to the point." Reaching up to her throat, she undid a clasp, removed her heavy cloak and folded it over the back of one of the chairs. Traynor noticed Griff had the decency—or the common sense, at least—to look at the floor rather than stare at the voluptuous figure revealed by the rather clingy fabric of her gown. "I wanted to personally thank the three of you for your service on behalf of the Asari Republic. The figurine you retrieved from Cartagena Station has been authenticated as the genuine article."

Xiùlán asked, "Just how old is that carving, Minister?"

"We've established it was carved from a single piece of Bolan wood between 2800 to 3100 years ago, as the turian Septivus Vulpez surmised. Bolan trees are thought to be extinct; none have been seen in over a thousand years." Pausing to look at some notes on a datapad, she continued with, "The scientific team feels that it was most likely in the possession of Matriarch Dilinaga during a major portion of her travels."

Traynor huffed a little sigh of relief. At Elesia's questioning look, she said in a low voice, "I'm happy it has been proved to be authentic, Minister. The shipping manifests I found in the warehouse listed two identical pieces, one each in two different crates. I checked each crate and found only the one carving. I was afraid the genuine article had been substituted with a forgery."

Elesia chuckled as she responded, "I can assure you, the piece you recovered is the genuine article, Ms Traynor. Would you be so kind as to share with me how you managed to track down and recover this artifact when it appeared no one else could?"

Yuán and Buchanan agreed to let Traynor begin the tale, with the pair adding details to the main story when necessary. When a suddenly modest Traynor began telling of her final fight with the batarian dock workers, Griff took over, sparing no detail concerning the amazing way she had left fifteen or sixteen batarian dock workers dead, dying or unconscious on the floor of the warehouse, all with only her hands, feet and blades, all within the space of about two minutes. Even Xiùlán expressed a bit of surprise, as she had been unable to witness Sammy's amazing performance.

The minister looked at Traynor, respect for her abilities plain in her expression. "It sounds as if you were trained by the best asari infiltrator class commandos."

Traynor shyly looked at her lover. "Xiùlán trained me, almost from the time we met at the Alliance base on Earth's moon. I owe her all the credit for my martial arts skills."

Yuán grinned as she added, "Probably a good thing she didn't have her nángùn …" Elesia's puzzled look at the untranslatable term prompted Xiùlán to add, "that's a polished, two-meter long wooden staff." Looking at her lover with a rueful expression, she added, "Sammy has even taught me lessons with her staff!"

Traynor blushed at Yuán's revelation. "Yeah, well, many were the times she taught me lessons …" holding up and displaying the backs of her hands for emphasis, "painful lessons! … with her nángùn during our sparring sessions," then added, "I instructed her in electronics intrusion skills while she was teaching me self-defense tactics. We make a good team."

Elesia was impressed. "It would appear the Alliance Ambassador did the asari an immense favor by recommending the three of you for this undertaking. Before you depart Thessia, it would be my honor to sponsor you as my guests at the Armali Palace Art Gallery so you can see and understand the importance of the piece you have risked life ... and limb ... to recover for us."

Traynor looked at Griff and Xiùlán before moving to stand in front of the minister. With a small bow, she said, "It would be our honor to attend as your guests, Minister Elesia. Thank you."

A/N: My thanks to everyone reading; a very special thanks to my friend and co-author Desert Sunrise, who always manages to see the flaws I've built into my narratives before they're published.