Notes: One more shout out to my dedicated readers, thanking you for your time and interest... I appreciate that you've stayed with me this far! You're getting a notification of a 'new' chapter because I did some more edits, included material from my QuickShots to fill in some gaps, and reformatted the story. End result was an additional 4 chapters. I apologize for the multiple notifications you may be getting in your e-mail.

Risks and Rewards

Shepard slipped back into the room and Liara was still stretched out in bed, an arm thrown over the now spare pillow, just as when Shepard left. She sat the tray down on the table and crawled up behind the dozing Asari, gently kissing and nuzzling into her neck.

"Hmmm." Liara's eyes cracked open. "Good morning, Samantha."

"Hey there, Blue. How are we this morning?" Shepard whispered into her ear and planted a firm but gentle kiss on the side of the Asari's neck, right under her jaw.

Liara rolled toward the commander until she was flat on her back, looking up into a pair of pale green, concerned eyes. A pained frown flashed across her face before she schooled her expression. "Better. Well. Better than last night at midnight, anyway. But not great by any stretch of the imagination." She let out a ragged sigh. "I'm not sure how..." She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the threatening tears. "I'm just going to stop talking now." The last couple of words came out as a forced squeak and she bit her bottom lip in an attempt to keep it from trembling.

Shepard's heart broke for her, and she wrapped Liara up in a strong embrace. "Oh, Li. Come 'ere! It's going to be alright. I'm here for you." Shepard planted a soft kiss on her forehead and tenderly stroked the side of her top crests as Liara buried her face in Shepard's shoulder. It was probably the worst thing she could have done, because the minute Liara felt sheltered and safe, she let her emotions loose and the tears started all over again. "Hey now. Didn't you run out of those last night? Huh?" Samantha pushed the Asari away, forcing her out of hiding and wiped the tears away before she kissed Liara quickly on the lips.

Liara certainly wasn't expecting that, and her eyes popped open and she drew a rapid inhale of breath, but her tears stopped. Samantha planted a smile on her face. "There! That's better." She let out a soft laugh. "Who knew? My mom always used to kiss things to make them better. Wasn't sure if it would work on Asari or not. I guess it does!"

Liara drew in a deep shuddering breath and steeled her resolve to not cry any more. She knew it wouldn't last, but also knew she had to start somewhere. She looked at Shepard's forced smile and a little bit of an echo twitched up the corners of her lips as well. "Thank you, Shepard. Did you happen to bring me back any tea?"

Shepard laughed, "I almost didn't, but Carlton knows your habits and put a pot of hot water and a couple of tea bags on the breakfast tray for you. I think I should be worried that he knows that and I don't." The commander suddenly frowned. "I think I need to pay more attention to those things." She glanced at Liara. "For you."

Liara's twitch turned into an honest soft smile and her hand stroked Samantha's cheek, "You do fine, my love. You are one of the most considerate people I know."

Shepard laughed. "Oh, I'm pretty sure I could give you a long list of people who would disagree with that statement." She stood up and offered her hand to Liara, encouraging her to finally climb out of bed. "Oh, here. Wait just a sec." Shepard jogged to her closet and pulled out a robe for Liara to slip into while she ate breakfast.

While Liara drank her tea and picked at her food, Shepard told her of her 'adventure' in the Mess while getting breakfast and Liara turned an amazingly deep shade of blue. "Goddess, Shepard! How am I supposed to go out there and face them now!"

Shepard looked at her slyly. "Why, Dr T'Soni. Are you ashamed to be seen in a relationship with a mere Lieutenant Commander in the Alliance Navy?"

"What? No. That's just silly! Why would I..." Liara stopped rambling and looked at Shepard, her eyes narrowed. "Oh, you! You get me every time! Of course I'm not ashamed... and you know it. I just thought you needed to keep this quiet?"

Shepard laughed. "They all know, Liara, and they're ok with it. There's no sense in hiding it from the crew anymore, and I'm pretty sure they'll lay off for awhile after this morning. At least where you're concerned. They might harass me in private, but that's ok. I'm used to it."

Liara was getting warmed up to the idea of not having to hide her affection. "So... You're saying it would be ok to kiss you in the CIC?"

A smirk crept across the commander's face at the whole idea of Liara doing just that. "If I was just visiting and not on duty? Maybe. If I'm working? Not so much. But even so, there's still a difference between 'not hiding' and 'flaunting,' T'Soni. And then there's that whole concept of professional conduct." Shepard leaned across and kissed the Asari for good measure. "But in private, none of that matters."

Liara stood up abruptly. "In that case, Commander, I'm going to shower, get dressed and prepare myself to face them. I would be honored if you'd wait for me and escort me out to the crew."

Shepard's brow wrinkled. "Escort you to the crew? What are you planning, T'Soni? Should I be worried? You're not going to warp Joker into next Tuesday or anything, or you?"

"Well, if we're going to be together, I want to make sure everyone knows you're off limits. You're mine now, Commander."

Shocked, Shepard stood before she replied, so she could look Liara directly in the face. "Whoa, now. Did you not hear what I just said about there being a difference between 'not hiding' and 'flaunting'?"

Liara's brow pinched in consternation. "Shepard. You just said they knew already, anyway. Are you too embarrassed by our relationship to be willing to make a formal announcement, even if just among the crew?"

Shepard backpedaled immediately. "What? Embarrassed? By you? Are you crazy? No way! I... oh. Wait a minute. Oh, that's good." Shepard smiled, relieved, as a real grin spread across Liara's face. "You got me. You're learning, T'Soni. You're learning."

With a self-satisfied smirk on her face, Liara went to take a shower and get dressed. Shepard just walked to her computer shaking her head and talking to herself. "Heh. Yeah, T'Soni... you're gonna be just fine."

The Normandy docked at the Citadel right on schedule, and now, Shepard, Anderson and Udina stood together in the Citadel chambers, ready to address the Council. Shepard anticipated a quick turnaround, so before she left the ship, she had instructed Garrus to keep everyone on board and to have the ship ready to fly as soon as they got their orders. As the Council assembled, Ambassador Udina looked to the commander and spoke, "Good job, Shepard. Thanks to you, the Council's finally taking real action against Saren."

The Asari Councilor, Tevos responded, "The Ambassador is correct. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel...as you believe...we will be ready for him."

The Turian Councilor, Sparatus, continued the announcement, "Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus Systems."

Shepard was starting to feel uneasy, as no mention of the fleet to go to Ilos had yet been mentioned, and time was of the essence. "You think a blockade is going to stop him? He could be on Ilos looking for the Conduit right now. I am less concerned about the Citadel than I am about him unleashing the Reapers! What are we doing about that?"

The Salarian Councilor, Valern, confirmed the commander's worst fears when he stated, "Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems, Commander. If we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war."

Udina again faced the commander and condescendingly told her that Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy; now that he had been exposed he was no longer a threat. He intoned the commander had done her job, and it was time to let the Council do theirs. Shepard countered and said using the Normandy's stealth drive, they could get to Ilos without starting a war, and that someone had to stop Saren from accessing the Conduit. The continuing discussion proved to the commander that the Council still did not truly believe in the Conduit, nor the Reapers. They were convinced it was all a story made up by Saren to gather the Geth army to his cause, that it was merely a distraction from his real plan to attack the Citadel. Shepard couldn't believe they could be so dense, and pressed her case, asking about the Reapers and Sovereign, the incredibly advanced dreadnought they witnessed on Eden Prime, the hologram warning on Virmire, and finally, the warnings of Matriarch Benezia. None of it made any difference; the Council members were not to be swayed from their decision. Finally, Shepard got angry and practically shouted at the Council, "If Saren finds the Conduit, we're all screwed! We have to go to Ilos!"

At Shepard's outburst, the Turian councilor looked at Udina, stating that the commander clearly wasn't going to let the situation go, at which point Udina made an obviously preplanned announcement. He looked at Shepard and flatly stated, "It's just politics, Commander. You've done your job, now let me do mine. This no longer concerns you. I've locked down the docking clamps on the Normandy. Until further notice, you're grounded."

Shepard was dumbfounded, and stared at Udina and the councilors. "Are you insane? After everything I've done, you still don't believe me? You're going to get us all killed!" Her face a picture of caged fury, she spun on her heels and retreated from the Council Chambers, heading for the Asari councilor's office. When she arrived, the councilor's assistant informed the commander that Tevos was still in session. "No shit, Sherlock! I just came from there!" While not understanding the context of the statement, the assistant was still taken aback at the commander's tone, unsure why she was suddenly a target of Shepard's anger. Seeing the look on the assistant's face, Samantha took a deep, calming breath, ran her hands through her hair and apologized. "I'm sorry. It's been a frustrating day, you didn't deserve that. I know the councilor is still in session, but I have an important matter I must discuss with her, regarding Matriarch Benezia. I'll wait." After what seemed like hours of pacing the councilor's anteroom, Shepard was finally shown in to see Councilor Tevos.

As the commander walked in, she took in the well appointed office space. Immediately upon entering the door, it had a small sitting area off to the right, with a comfortable looking couch, a small table, and a couple of lounge chairs. Scattered around the room were various art pieces, obviously from the Thessian home world, all very tastefully done. Not that her opinion mattered, but Shepard approved. At the back of the room was a spacious desk with a couple of visitor chairs, set near a large window with an amazing view of the Presidium courtyards and a lake below. After the customary greetings, Tevos offered a chair and asked the commander if she would like anything to drink, which Shepard declined. Working hard to not let the idiocy surrounding the Saren issue taint her current business with the councilor, Shepard got straight to the point and asked Tevos what was going to happen with the Matriarch's corpse and the T'Soni family holdings. Tevos eyed her critically, then in a voice containing no malice, asked, "And what business is it of yours, Commander, that you would inquire on the internal dealings of the Thessian state?"

Surprisingly calm under the circumstances, Shepard replied, "Councilor, I am requesting on the behalf of my crew member, Dr Liara T'Soni, who is currently in mourning and unable to attend to these matters in person. Certainly you can understand."

"Oh, I understand your motivation, Commander, but you must realize that I cannot simply accept your word for it. Do you have any proof of your appointment as her intermediary?"

Deciding on a bold tactic, Shepard looked the councilor straight in the eyes, and questioned, "Councilor Tevos. Do you trust me?"

The councilor did not break eye contact, but started to respond, "Commander, it is not a matter of trust..."

Shepard's patience was starting to wear thin and she interrupted, "Councilor. I don't mean to be rude, but if you trust me, I am prepared to let you meld with me, and I will share with you both Liara's request that I act for her interests, and the entire events surrounding the death of the Matriarch. It will provide all the evidence necessary to support our requests, in regard to both the disposition of the T'Soni estate and the full reasoning behind our pressing need to get to Ilos."

Shepard saw the surprise in Tevos' eyes, but the councilor was disciplined enough that the emotion showed nowhere else on her face. If the commander had not been so focused, she would have missed it. After a few moments of contemplation, Tevos responded. "However unorthodox, that would be acceptable, Commander, provided you agree to some conditions. First, I must have at least one of my commandos meld with you, to verify you are not under any type of foreign influence to which you are arguing the Matriarch fell sway, and that you are not any threat to me. Second, said commando would then remain, to ensure the safety of both of our persons during the course of our meld and to take action should anything untoward occur."

Shepard shook her head yes, and then spoke. "Agreed, Councilor. However, you must realize I am not experienced at this and I want to ensure you understand I am not trying to hide anything from you. Because of that, you and your commando may see things that are very distressing and very personal to me..." Shepard started to blush as she continued, "...and to Dr. T'Soni. We are...uhhm... we have become very close, and I would not yet want this to become public knowledge."

Councilor Tevos was unable to hide her surprise at the commander's second statement, but recovered quickly. "Understood, Commander, and I swear to you any...extraneous...information revealed through our meld will remain private. I and my commandos have sufficient ability to ensure our barriers will not be breached, but you have to trust not only in our skill, but also in our discretion, that we would not divulge any such information to a third party willingly."

The commander agreed, and Tevos summoned one of her commandos. Huntress Tenir introduced herself and after a few moments of conversation, initiated the meld. Shepard felt the now recognizable feeling of a press on her consciousness, dropped her barriers, and let the huntress in. After a few familiarizing exchanges and a general survey of the commander's thoughts and intentions, the huntress found and pressed against a barrier Shepard was not overtly willing to drop. Shepard gave the huntress advance warning of the horror of the events she was about to witness, before she dropped the wall guarding her memories of Elysium. When she heard Tenir gasp during the meld, Tevos sat up straight, concern on her face, not knowing what the huntress was seeing, and remained on alert for the duration, diligently watching and waiting. After Tenir witnessed the events of that forsaken day, she withdrew, a shade more pale than when she entered the meld. Tevos did not relax until after she watched in amazement as the huntress bowed her head in respect and spoke to Shepard. "By the Goddess, Commander. If ever the opportunity presents itself, I would be honored to fight by your side, and I give you my solemn vow, I will never speak of what I just witnessed. I...apologize if this offends, but I envy the Lady T'Soni her choice of mate." She then turned to Tevos and pronounced, "Councilor, this human bears you no ill will, and is under no external influence within my ability to detect."

Tevos floated her hand over Tenir's, "Thank you, my friend. If you could now please monitor my meld with the commander, as I monitored yours?"

For the second time in the hour, Shepard found herself under scrutiny, but Tevos' mental touch was deft and gentle. Calming. Eventually the same barrier arose, and was again dropped, and she was once again a Lieutenant on shore leave on Elysium. She and three of her squad mates had just emerged from some cheap burger joint, of which there were dozens close to the space port; the kind of place where what exactly the 'burger' was made of was always questionable, but the food was tasty and the beer was cheap, perfect for a Lieutenant's salary. The four of them looked up in unison when they heard the roar of multiple craft entering atmosphere at the same time. The port wasn't large enough to handle more than five large transports as a time, so Shepard immediately felt a knot forming in her gut and barked an order to her squad to double-time back to the port. As they ran, it soon became very evident who was landing, and they weren't friendly.

Military presence on Elysium was very small, restricted mostly to customs inspectors, and was augmented by local civil defense forces for actual port security. The foursome ran to the port, and soon caught up to the civilian force captain in charge of defense. Surprised that he had actual military available, he sent them quickly to the front line and put Lieutenant Shepard in charge. As they charged to the front, Shepard quickly took stock of available forces and tried to organize a defensive line. The troops consisted of civilian policemen and military customs agents, few of which had any front line battle experience. Fortunately, the attacking pirates didn't have any hard core experience either, so the skill levels were fairly even. Unfortunately, the pirates outnumbered them three to one, and some of them carried heavy weapons, where the civil defense had some stun grenades in addition to standard arms, but that was it. Shepard quickly realized their only hope was to merely hold a defensive perimeter until reinforcements could arrive. That hope was based on their ship in orbit, the SSV Agincourt, and that it had survived the initial assault and sent a distress call.

What followed was a massacre. The pirates were at Elysium to pillage, not take slaves, so it was quickly evident loss of life did not concern them; more dead meant more people to pick clean of their possessions. As time dragged by, Shepard watched the defenses get slowly dismantled, wave after wave of pirates hitting the line, the sheer numbers working against them. Shepard was the epitome of a hardened leader. As a vanguard, she pulled on her biotics to charge up and down the line, giving constant encouragement to the troops, and personally reinforcing the line wherever it broke until someone could shift to fill the gap. Since she was on shore leave, the only weapons she had were her omnitool, a borrowed riot control shotgun and her standard issue service pistol. She was forced to watch the line slowly crumble as defender after defender went down to enemy fire. At some point in the fight a group of medics showed up from the local hospital. As far as Shepard was concerned, they were the true heroes. No military training at all, yet there they were on the front lines trying to provide aid and keep the defenders standing. One of them pulled Shepard down amidst her protests, telling her if she didn't let them help her she was going to bleed to death. Her adrenalin and biotics were screaming so loud in the fight, she didn't even realize she had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The only thing that kept her on her feet was absolute force of will.

Rushing the medics along, her hasty return to the battle was in time to see a major breach of the defensive line, and she charged back into the fray, biotics blazing and shotgun roaring, ending in frantic hand-to-hand combat because of multiple pirates now inside the wall. The number of dead and dying was appalling, the smell of blood and death so thick in the air she could taste it. The odds grew worse by the minute, yet Shepard fought on, refusing to give in. Just as survival of the colony looked impossible, the first military reinforcements showed on the horizon, and the pirates outside the wall began their retreat, realizing the cause was lost. Those inside were in a fight for their lives and any attempt at retreat would just get them killed, so the close-in battle raged on until the last pirate fell. As Shepard collapsed to her knees in fatigue, she surveyed the scene; all the military customs agents and her other three squad members lie dead and the entire Elysium police force was reduced to under twenty members, but the civilians of Elysium were saved.

As she sat there waiting on the reinforcements to breach the wall and come to their aid, her biotics dropped, the last vestiges of blue power faded, and she started to shake from exhaustion. Her last conscious vision was of an Alliance Navy commander, leading the reinforcements, approaching her. As she struggled to stand to greet him, her world spun and she collapsed into darkness. She awoke much later, back on board the ship, and felt she simply had done her job, humbled by the actions of the brave medics who came to their aid. Everyone else called her a hero of humanity, hailed her as the Hero of Elysium. She was awarded the Star of Terra for service above and beyond the call of duty, but she just felt lucky to have survived.

Tevos almost withdrew from the meld at that point, but Shepard called her back. She still had to show Tevos the primary purpose of her visit. She showed Tevos everything she had tried to explain to the council, everything from the beacon message to the final words of the Matriarch. She then showed Tevos a brief glimpse into her relationship with Liara, and the conversation that she and Liara had that led the commander to request this audience. With that final vision, Tevos withdrew from the meld. The councilor sat in silence, fighting to get her emotions in check, her head hung in contemplation for a few moments while Shepard and Tenir waited patiently. When Tevos' head came up, her cheeks were wet with tears. She made no attempt to wipe them away, and spoke quietly. "Commander. I owe you an apology. Your character and courage are unquestionable, and I agree with Huntress Tenir's appraisal of you. We have Asari colonists on Elysium, and I now understand just how much we owe you for all their lives. You are not a typical human...at least compared to any that I have had the opportunity to interact with. As much as the state of affairs basically forced our hands to accept you into the Spectres, I now feel we could not have possibly made a better selection, no matter what the circumstances. Know that I am now your steadfast ally on the council, and will provide you whatever support I can to aid you. As for your quest for Saren, I have no power to release the Normandy, but when you come up with a plan, just let me know how I can assist. In regards to the security of the T'Soni holdings, I will handle the issue personally. Rest assured. I will ensure an appropriate executor is appointed to the estate until Liara is ready and able to assume the mantle as head of the T'Soni house. Thank you, Commander, and may the Goddess be with you."

Shepard rose, and held her hand out, not for a handshake, but open palm up, in the traditional Asari greeting as a show of respect. "Thank you, Councilor, for your time and your support." As Tevos smiled at the gesture and placed her hand on top of the commander's, Shepard finished, returning the blessing. "Goddess be with you, Councilor." With a nod, the commander turned and left the room.

Tevos looked at Tenir, slowly shaking her head. "We must watch that one, and make sure no harm befalls her, best we are able. She may very well be the key to all of our futures." The huntress looked questioningly, waiting for an actual task. Tevos continued, "Contact Matriarch Aethyta and make sure she is aware and understands the situation. Be... gentle. Matriarch Benezia's death is likely to hit her hard. If she has questions, tell her to contact me directly on my private channel."

Shepard returned to the Normandy and sought out Liara in her space behind the med bay, relaying all the information from her meeting with the Councilor, much to Liara's relief. While still grieving for her mother, at least her mother's reputation and Liara's future were now secured. They sat, leaning together, foreheads touching, and Samantha sighed. "Now if I could just come up with a plan to get the Normandy off the Citadel, things would look a lot more promising."

Liara spoke quietly, "I cannot believe they did this to you. I am so sorry. You did everything they asked, and more! The council owes you everything, and they repay you by stripping you of command and grounding the Normandy."

Shepard sighed, "I don't care about me, but if they refuse to go after Saren, if they don't stop him from finding the Conduit, we're all dead. At least we now have Tevos' support, if we can just figure out how to take advantage of it."

Liara sat back and shook her head. "I believe in you, Shepard. I am with you every step of the way. There must be some way to keep those idiots from dooming the entire galaxy to extinction. Perhaps Tali can hack the docking clamps?"

Shepard considered that option for a minute, then leaned in and gave Liara a quick kiss. "It's worth asking. Let's go talk to Tali."

As they stood up and walked out of the med bay, Joker piped on the comm, "Commander, I have a message for you from Captain Anderson. He asked you to meet him at a club in the Wards. It's called Flux."

Shepard replied, "I'm on my way," then looked to Liara. "Let's ask Tali to see what she can do, and then grab Garrus to go with us."

Shepard had never been to Flux before, and it seemed to be a pretty typical club. Liara scrunched her face in distaste, and then asked, "Why is the music so loud? It almost seems as if people are looking for an excuse not to talk to each other."

Shepard laughed and winked at Liara as she responded. "No, they just want to be able to talk and not have everyone else overhear them. It affords a kind of privacy."

After a quick look around the club, they found Anderson sitting at a table by himself, so they sat down and joined him. He started speaking as soon as they arrived. "I'm glad you came, Shepard. I heard what happened. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you docked. I'm sorry."

Shepard shook her head in disgust. "Now I know how you felt. They pulled me off the mission, just like when they forced you to give up the Normandy."

Anderson leaned forward and spoke forcefully, "I know you're pissed off right now, but you can't give up. They all think this is over, but we both know it's not. You have to get to Ilos and stop Saren from using the Conduit!"

Shepard narrowed her eyes as she responded, "No way I'm giving up, Sir, but we both know there's only one ship that can get us into the Terminus Systems undetected, and she's grounded. Any suggestions?"

Anderson's eyes lit with mischief, "Citadel control's locked you out, but if we override the ambassador's orders, we can release the docking clamps. You can be in the Terminus Systems practically before anyone even knows you're gone!"

Shepard sat back and though about the consequences. "If we steal the Normandy, the inside man gets caught holding the bag, and could get convicted of treason. That's a hell of a gamble."

Anderson just shook his head. "That will be me. But if Saren finds the Conduit, life as we know it is over. The Reapers will destroy us. Humans, Asari, everybody! It's worth it, whatever the cost. You're the only one who can stop him, Shepard. So I'll do whatever it takes to get you on the Normandy and off this station!"

Shepard hung her head in resignation. "Alright, Anderson. Do you have a plan?"

Anderson responded, "Ambassador Udina issued the lockdown order. If I can hack into the computer in his office, I can override it."

Garrus grumped, "He's not gonna let you just waltz into his office and use his computer."

Anderson had a glint in his eyes when he stated, "Hopefully he won't be there, but if he is, I'll just have to take care of it. The Ambassador has made this personal, I'll think of something."

Shepard actually laughed. "I can take care of that for you. After the Council session, Tevos personally promised me support...and I trust her. I'll have her call Udina to her office for a meeting thirty minutes from now, and have her keep him there for at least fifteen minutes after that. She's a politician. I'm sure she can dissemble for at least that long. Should be enough time for everyone to get into place, and for you to hack in and override the lockdown, yes?"

Anderson stood up and shook Shepard's hand. "Sounds like a plan, Commander. You ready to get the hell off this station?"

Shepard grinned. "Absolutely, Sir. I almost envy you, Anderson. I'd love to see Udina's face when he realizes he's been outmaneuvered at his own damn game." Shepard quickly sent the request off to Tevos, and waited for a positive reply. When the confirmation arrived, she looked to Anderson. "Let's do it!"

Anderson confirmed, "I'll take care of the lockdown. You get to the Normandy and tell Joker to stand by. I'm not sure how long it will stay open before someone catches it and locks you down again."

Shepard responded. "No worries, Sir. That light goes green, we're long gone! Don't have to tell me twice."

Thirty minutes later, Shepard stood on the bridge of the Normandy with Joker, staring at the red docking control. When the light went green, Shepard gripped Joker's shoulder and said, "Let's go. Get us outta here, Joker. Now!" Joker smiled as he backed out of the docking space, and the self-proclaimed 'best damn pilot in the Alliance' soon had the Normandy spun around and bee lining for the mass relay. Shepard watched the Citadel fade in the distance with a grim look on her face.

Joker chuckled, "Aw, damn it. No sign of pursuit? I was hoping the Council would send some ships after us. I was looking forward to putting the Normandy through her paces. Figured I'd get to see what this ship can really do."

Shepard gave the pilot a somber look. "Saren's still out there. Maybe we'll get a chance to play hide-and-seek with Sovereign."

Joker looked at her, suddenly much more serious. "You know, it doesn't seem like much fun when you say it, Commander."

Shepard had a smile on her lips that did not reach her eyes. "Sorry for spoiling your fun, Joker. I'm going to walk around a bit, then grab some down time. Just give me a shout before we get there. I want to be on the bridge when we jump the Mu Relay."

All business, Joker responded with a sharp, "Aye aye, Ma'am!"

As Shepard turned to leave the bridge, Joker heard her say under her breath, "I hope you didn't get caught sir, but if you did, we'll make it damn well worth your sacrifice, Anderson. I promise you that."

Even more so than before routine missions, Shepard felt the need to check on the mood of the crew. She had asked them for a lot, this go; she asked them to trust her, to commit treason in the hope of staving off disaster. If her gamble with the Normandy did not pay off, they would all pay a high price, certainly with their careers, possibly with their lives. As she passed the Navigator's station, Lt Pressley looked at her with an expression on his face she couldn't read. Her doubts started to fade as he spoke, "I can't believe we stole the Normandy! I know we'll all be court-martialed if this doesn't work out, but part of me loves this!"

After walking amongst the crew, she discovered Pressley's attitude was typical for most everyone on board. Not a one doubted the commander or the need to take the action they had taken. Ash said everyone on the deck felt the same way. "We're all in for the duration, Commander. You can count on everyone to do their duty."

Shepard walked over to Wrex, who started talking before they even made eye contact. "Stealing an Alliance ship. Risky stuff. But Saren's rotten to the core. It's time to make him pay for what he's done. I still owe him for Virmire, Shepard. Hope you haven't forgotten that."

The commander shook her head. "No, I haven't forgotten, Wrex. He owes us both, and that's why you're coming with me on Ilos. You, Tali and Liara."

Wrex punched a fist into his other palm and gave a quick nod of his head. "Good. I'll be ready. And Shepard? Thanks. For remembering."

The commander looked at him and said, "No worries, Wrex," before she turned and headed to the med bay.

Shepard stopped to speak to Karin. The doctor was a bit more reflective, having served in the Alliance longer than almost any other crew member on board. "It's strange, being a fugitive from the Alliance. For you and I both, the Alliance has been our life. This crew has sacrificed everything for you, Shepard. We must be sure to not waste it."

Shepard was fully aware of everyone's level of sacrifice for this mission, and she did not carry that responsibility lightly. "I know, Karin, and I wouldn't have asked it of them if I didn't think it necessary, nor if I didn't believe we could do it. We'll beat Saren and Sovereign, and we'll keep the Reapers from returning. No one on this ship will have sacrificed in vain. Keep the faith, Doctor."

Shepard then walked through the med bay and entered Liara's room. The Asari stood as she entered, and was already speaking as she faced the commander. "This will all be over soon, Shepard. One way or another. The crew trusts you. Let us do what needs to be done."

Shepard stepped in and held Liara close, sharing with each other their strength of conviction. She whispered quietly in Liara's ear. "We're not going to fail. I promise. I have every intention of making it through this mission and then making a future with you... Assuming you'll have me?"

Liara leaned back and looked at Samantha, her eyes a blue ocean, deep with emotion. She spoke with confidence, "I already have you, Commander, and I plan on keeping it that way."

Samantha chuckled gently as she pulled away from what was left of their embrace, reaching out her right hand to cup Liara's face, softly caressing a blue cheek with her thumb. "What ever happened to my shy, young archeologist, Dr T'Soni?" Not really expecting an answer, she withdrew her hand and dropped an open invitation. "I have to finish my rounds, and then try to get some rest. Feel free to join me in my cabin, if you would like." A quick kiss, and the commander was out the door on her way to engineering.

It didn't matter how many times Shepard walked into Engineering; the site of the eezo core engine still awed her whenever she saw it. It reminded Shepard of a gyroscope, with its huge counter-rotating discs, totally encapsulated with the pulsing blue ball of energy; it was almost mesmerizing to watch it spin. It never failed to astound her that the same dark energy she could hold in her fingertips because of her exposure to element zero, enabled something as large as a frigate to travel through space at faster than the speed of light. It was also a tremendous feat of engineering that the huge Tantalus drive core even fit within the hull, being nearly twice the size of a standard frigate's core. However, it did fit, and it gave the prototype ship the speed and stealth capability that defined it. Their whole mission now depended on this new stealth technology performing to specs; if it failed, the Geth would certainly destroy them before they even reached planet side.

She walked into the room to address the crew. "Engineer Adams. We ready?"

Adams and Tali both turned to the commander, but it was Adams who spoke. "Yes, Ma'am. Ready and able. We've discharged all our extra heat, and I'm working with Flight Lieutenant Moreau to optimize our speed to prevent any build up during our trip to the relay. That will maximize our stealth run time once we hop through to Ilos. Don't worry about the Normandy, Commander. She's a hell of a ship...she'll get us through this."

With a nod of confirmation, Shepard turned to Tali, whom she almost considered a younger sister. "How 'bout you, Tali? You ready for this?"

Tali reached out and took the commander's hands. "Shepard, when I return to the fleet after my pilgrimage, I will be proud to say I was a part of this. You have been good to me. You've treated me just like everyone else on your crew, like an equal. That means a lot, and it says something about you. Whatever happens, I just want to say thank you for that."

With that, Tali crushed her in a hug, which Shepard affectionately returned. "Alright, I need you to get some rest. We'll be facing down Geth, so I'm taking you, Wrex and Liara with me. It will be a tight squeeze in the Mako, but I'm hoping we won't be in it all that long. Besides, comfort doesn't matter. I think we're gonna need all the firepower we can get."