Thessia
Kelice Space Port Perimeter, Tower Five
High in the tower, Nervia ignored the buffeting biting wind. Her hardsuit protected her from the elements, the sound buffers muffled the howl and her vision was clear. The lights of the city was bright but her eyes were fixed on the unclaimed territory beyond the perimeter. The observation post viewer was capable of giving a more precise interpretation of what she was seeing but she had reason not to rely on that scanner. A personal reason. She tried to imagine herself out there, moving into the dark with squadmates on a vital mission, and failed.
It would never happen. She lacked the requisite training for ground deployment. She would be easy fodder for the TI. She didn't know whether to be glad or sad. Over the helmet pickups, she could hear the muted drone behind the tower. Turning around, she walked to the other side of the parapet. A grey carpet of bobbing movement met her eyes when she looked down on the assembled horde of gunships and troops. Looking left and right along the perimeter, she could see similar massing at the bottom of each tower. It looked surreal to her. She lifted her head to take in the hovering geth dropships. Their presence dispelled any notion that it was a dream.
"I can use another pair of eyes here, Nervia," Pulchia said over her helmet comm. "It's almost time."
Nervia turned away. "I'm coming."
Returning to the front of the tower, she hit the control panel to the door. The lights in the control room were muted, giving out little illumination when the door opened. She stepped through quickly as soon as there was space for her to pass and took up her post at the second console next to Pulchia's.
"I just did a BSS (broad scan spectrum)." Pulchia sat back in her chair, closing her eyes to rest them for a while.
"Running auxiliary," Nervia murmured, keying in the appropriate commands on her console. "I had a word with Gallie," she said after a while. When Pulchia didn't say anything, she glanced over at her. "You should have come with me. You know she's going out with the troops." When no answer was forthcoming, she straightened. "You should have clarified with her."
Pulchia's tone was clipped. "I already did."
Nervia shot her an annoyed look. "Not that clarification, the other one."
With an air of patience, Pulchia turned to face her. "Gallia has perceptions that does not support the kind of overture I could have offered. She has made that clear so why must I do something she doesn't want?"
"But you-," Nervia began to protest. It died a swift death at the look from Pulchia.
"You and I have tasted many trials. This is not something unique. It has not gone any further than it would have. It will pass."
"At this stage, it may not be so fleeting," Nervia said skeptically.
Turning back to her board, Pulchia shook her head. "It is transitory, Nervia. Going to see her personally will only increase her confusion and discomfort. I dropped her an email with my blessings."
"And then what?" Nervia demanded. "Do the both of you continue to avoid each other?"
"She needs time, Nervia. We will be back to our old footing."
It's still a mistake, Nervia wanted to say. Pulchia should at least made her feelings clear to the human and then stepped away gracefully, free of the burden of omission. If Gallia should die in this mission, Pulchia would regret it. She held her tongue. It was Pulchia's decision, her affair. She decided to change the subject.
"How do you think they will fare?" she said, turning back to her console. "The humans defeated the TI through their own efforts, albeit with fortuitous help in the last quarter."
"The humans are used to large scale conflicts on their homeworld. The same cannot be said of us."
"What they can do, so can we. We will adapt." Nervia sat back with a sigh. "All clear. The sentry drones are not picking up anything." She checked the uplink to Command Central to make sure the updated data was sent.
Silence. Pulchia was clearly not in the mood to talk. Nervia tried not to sigh again. It wasn't the best of time to fall out with friends. The TI campaign was going to pick up in earnest. It was going to cost them. The troops going out were half unblooded recruits. Pulchia's clan alone boast a quarter of their members on active service. Most were in the reserve companies but at least a ten score would be seeing their first campaign. Though there were fewer from her own clan, Nervia tried not to think of how many would not be coming back. If only the prothean device was available, they could delay the campaign. She didn't realise she had spoken aloud.
"Available?" Pulchia said scornfully. "Do you know what will happen if it's available?" She didn't wait for Nervia to reply. "We'll be doing the same nothing for the past years, sitting behind our fortifications and hope they would all drop dead."
"Isn't that better than ..."
"We cannot pin all our hopes on a device. We create the future with action," Pulchia interrupted. "Even if the device is at hand, the campaign cannot be postponed. Such a decision convey the wrong message. Morale will take a beating if the device fails."
"I suppose-." The sudden two tone beep over Nervia's comm checked her response. "Tower Five, report."
"All clear, Central," Nervia said, keying in the appropriate code on her board.
"Stand by. Flush in five."
"Confirm, Central," she said, straightening in her seat.
Time to fully focus on her task at hand. She sent out active scans along the perimeter. Beside her, Pulchia monitored the satellite feed. The sentry drones had nothing to report which was all good but that could change very fast if the TI had an inkling what was going on along the defense perimeter. For that matter, taking place in both cities. Once they knew, their response would be fierce and deadly.
The chronometer ticked down. A triple tone sounded. Nervia acknowledged with another all clear, followed by Pulchia. They could hear a muted roar. Changing one of the overhead screens to the view outside, they watched the new infantry troop carriers leaped the barricade on hoverjets. The M-6A Titan was a human designed vehicle, based on a Cerberus designed ITC (infantry troop carrier), or so she heard, that the Alliance was developing for the past three years. With improved armor, armament and load capacity, it was a sturdy hovertank. Constraint resources had hampered bulk production that the Alliance only managed to deploy several squads of them in the last phase of their campaign. To great effect.
Despite the lack of decisiveness from the Assembly on the TI issue, they did not hesitate when the final approved specs of the vehicle was shared by the Alliance. Production begun several months ago when High Command pushed for approval to build a fleet of the hovertanks. If they had not, the forward troops would either have to move on foot or head out in gunships, leaving them bereft of heavy armour and ground support when they reached the target area. With the cannons on the Titans, the troops could set up a mobile fortifiable base and wait for the main bulk of the company to arrive.
They gave a silent invocation to Athame as the last of the Titans vanished into the darkness.
Earth
Antarctica Base
The marine sentries at the door snapped to when they saw the officer approaching. They saw him long before he saw them, thanks to the live feed from security vids along the corridor linked to their helmet visors. Since there was only the one apartment along that stretch, they knew his intention and checked off his clearance with security. One of them reported his presence to the officer they were safe guarding. The corporal saluted when Langdon reached them and tapped the door panel. The door snapped aside. Langdon squinted against the bright light blazing through the windows. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out the figure seated behind the large desk. Trust the old man to jump back on the saddle when he could.
"Sit," Hackett said gruffly as he approached.
Langdon eyed the shut door of the bedroom and wondered if the old man had ever used the bed in it. It was a ridiculous notion at best but when Hackett always seemed to be on hand at every hour, he had to wonder. He sat down before the desk, glad to see Hackett's colour was good, not the horrible grey when he saw him last in the medbay at the London base. The enforced rest had done some good though there were still lingering traces of fatigue in those piercing pale blue eyes. Much as he would like to tell the old fellow to take it easy, he didn't think the advice would be taken up.
Well aware of the younger man's concern, Hackett only said, "What do we have?"
"Final analysis of all three files is completed. What we have are coordinates to three planetary systems. The Titan Nebula, Styx Theta and the Hades Nexus, all within the Terminus Systems and the Attican Traverse."
"Recommendations."
Expecting such a response, Langdon turned over the thought he was considering and said carefully. "I suggest we ask the geth to run reconnaissance." He paused.
Hackett said nothing and waited.
"Their recon materials are more robust and versatile. Their rate of dissemination is faster and more accurate than the current IDN (information distribution network) that we have. If they run into problems, their countermeasures would not lag as much as ours will. Once they have ascertained that there are Cerberus bases, they can accordingly plan their assault."
Hackett hid his disappointment although he understood the younger man's motivations.
"I agree with the assessment that the geth operates on a optimum level that we cannot hope to emulate," he said. "Unlike organics, they do not suffer significant losses should any of their A.I. platforms come under fire. However, Cerberus is essentially a human problem," he emphasized. "We have lost too many of our people and we can ill afford to lose more. The geth offer a safe alternative but if we reach too often into the cookie jar, we may find our hands affix permanently."
"I do not see any alternative, sir. On the worst case scenario, we may leave ourselves open to attack if we deploy our remaining units."
When Hackett said nothing, Langdon continued. "We cannot presume Greenacres would go so far as to subvert Cerberus defenses if he intended to have them destroyed. Alliance losses mean nothing to him. Reducing our capability further would be to his advantage. Until we can firmly resolve his intentions, we have to conserve our resources."
"No." Hackett flicked a finger to silence Langdon's protest. "By failing to remove Cerberus when we could have, our credibility in handling our own disputes is under galactic scrutiny. The geth are allies, not cannon fodder."
"I feel, sir, it's a question of prudence," Langdon disagreed. "Our heavy loses is fact. Requesting an ally's assistance is reasonable."
"Not when we ask them to stand in the path of fire while we hide in safety. How much trust and confidence will others have in us?" Hackett sighed at the stubborn look in the younger man's eyes. "Do not forget that the geth are currently acquiring insights on organic civilization. Their curiosity is insatiable at this point. It is in everyone's interest to emphasize that our principles, our strengths outweigh our weaknesses. The Systems Alliance is the face of humanity. We impart the wrong message with such an act. They will come to the conclusion that we are duplicitous hypocrites."
When Langdon looked unconvinced, he added, "There is also one other point to their tractability. Did you know we were the first to be offered aid?"
Langdon stared at him in astonishment. "No, sir, I do not."
"They sent us the proposal months before making an official announcement. Do you know why they made such an offer?"
The answer was obvious. "Shepard."
"Shepard." Hackett nodded. "She is the crux that forge and hold together the alliances. Especially the tenuous concord among the more volatile factions; the krogan and the rachni. We have to do our part in strengthening and supporting the bonds that she built."
"The initial choice is to send the Normandy and the Ain Jalut to investigate, sir," Langdon admitted. "She is one of the best CRO (crisis resolving officer) we have but I have some questions on her current status."
"Clarify."
"Sir, her psychological track holds too many unresolved holes. She has not undergone a complete evaluation since the war ended. On top of that, the coma she lapsed into at Ilos is unexplained. The doctor in charge of her case at Thessia has not been forthcoming with any information other than that she's fit for duty. Additionally, given her connections with Greenacres, I've some reservations."
"And?"
Langdon wondered what the old man was thinking, his impassive countenance gave him no clue.
"Then there's her request for Dr Chakwas and the emphasis to expedite the doctor's security clearance. I checked the MO's reports when she was on the Normandy. Time and again, she recommended the CO be given leave for comprehensive psychological evaluations but none of her requests were approved. Alliance Command could not have been unaware of the situation and yet the doctor's advice was not endorsed. I can only conclude circumstances prevented Shepard's recall."
"That is true." Hackett sighed. "Shepard just made Spectre and the Admiralty board decided not to take up the doctor's suggestion. Too much was at stake to pull Shepard's plug."
"I understand why it had to be done. When Shepard returned to the Alliance after her disappearance, it was noted that she was displaying signs of deep stress and potentially became worse during the war. Under such an umbrella of debatable disposition, Shepard's request to have the only person who has a comprehensive insight of her psychological position dispatched to an ally world, incidentally, the world she currently resides on, questionable."
"How did Shepard respond when you interviewed her?"
"Only that she requires Dr Chakwas's medical expertise. I do not like the implications."
"Your concerns are valid," said Hackett. "Do you think she is unfit to command? Do you think her allegiance has shifted?" When Langdon hesitated, he said softly. "Are you going to ask her to stand down?"
"I'm not certain I can do that," Langdon said unhappily. "If I were to pull her off without credible justification, it would only raise questions."
"Should it turn out that there is no basis in your suspicions, the ramifications would be far reaching. We might lose an excellent officer and our credibility altogether."
Langdon winced, not relishing the thought.
"Everything she has done is open to scrutiny, her actions speak for her."
"But you put her on half pay leave for five years," Langdon pointed out.
Such a decision should have been under the aegis of the personnel division but Hackett had personally issued the request. Although unusual, no one contended the directive. There were speculations as to why the old man would involve himself. Reports of her erratic behaviour had been bruited about. That was not unusual. A great number of Alliance personnel were displaying signs of psychological stress. Instead of ordering her home for psych evaluations, the old man had effectively cut her loose. He could only conclude that Hackett wanted Shepard out of the limelight before she could do irreparable damage to herself and to the Alliance.
"If I did not, we would lose her permanently," Hackett said bluntly. "Most people fail to understand the intense pressure Shepard had to face ever since she set off on that hunt for Saren. Each succeeding crisis she handled since then would have seared the seams off most officers. Let's be clear on one point; whatever she faced was not run-of-the-mill situations any marine would have faced within the local cluster."
A fact Langdon could not refute.
"By what yardstick could we use to empathise with the stress she went through? How much empathetic perception would she receive from our own psych therapists? We would be meddling in the dark and end up damaging more than healing."
Langdon stared at Hackett. "That's why you let T'Soni bring her back to Thessia."
"Bar the rachni, it's irrefutable that the asari are the oldest cultivated race among all. I would not say they are the wisest but the knowledge they have amassed outweigh any home remedies. They would have understood the difficulties she had undergone and found a solution."
Hackett continued reflectively. "When we reach beyond our solar system, how truly prepared are we to face the perils out there? From the First Contact War to the Reaper War, have we emotionally and intellectually grasp the truth of what the universe has to offer?" He shook his head. "Far from it. Our steps are still small and hesitant because deep inside, we are afraid of what's out there, afraid to leave the cradle, afraid to evolve and embrace new ideas. Shepard is the first of us to dare step beyond. I hope she is not the last."
There was truth in that, Langdon conceded. "Sir, if I may say so," he began slowly. "It seems to me you are keeping a close eye on her."
"She is a fine officer with much to impart."
There was more to that, Langdon was certain. Was the old man planning to have Shepard take over center seat eventually? The war took out most of the old guard and the next generation of seasoned officers. What was worst, the recent attack also removed a good number of those survivors, leaving a mere handful of veterans in key positions. Out of that handful, only one or two had the calibre to take over once the old man stepped down. The rest of the Alliance now comprised of the younger cadre. Too young and too green to be handed the reins, including himself, he thought ruefully.
Hackett watched the play of emotions over Langdon's face. "I am cognizant of the reasons behind Shepard's request. Expedite Dr Chakwas's clearance and detail one of the frigates to send her to Thessia."
"A frigate?" Langdon echoed in surprise. What was the urgency? What was it that the old man was not sharing with him?
"I want operations at the Rhea Research Base to cease. Send an investigative team to sift through the personnel and every file on the base."
"Sir, we didn't turn up anything in our last sweep."
"It will be different this time. Someone on that base tried to pull files from this base."
Langdon was willing to bet the dirty hands belonged to a certain obnoxious young man currently throwing his weight around the research base. "How far should I go?"
"Standard procedure," Hackett said. "Put everything else on hold until it can be decided what to do with the confiscated materials and data."
"Yes, sir." Langdon tried to keep the relish out of his voice but couldn't.
It didn't sit right with him when Binary Helix won the bid to operate the research base. They had the money, the personnel with the expertise. It was hard to argue against such credentials but the company had always smelt wrong to him. Hackett had listened to his objections and said it was out of his hands; Parliament approved the deal. He hadn't believed Hackett then. The one person with the pull at Parliament was him. Binery Helix wouldn't have gotten in if he hadn't given his nod. Perhaps he had intended to hook this particular fish all along.
"If there is nothing else, sir." At Hackett's negative answer, Langdon got up. "I'll take my leave, sir."
Hackett stopped him at the door. "By the way, what ships are you sending to those coordinates?"
"Two of our best stealth frigates, sir." Langdon grinned before coming to attention. He saluted and left.
Rubbing at the itchy healing wound along his nape, Hackett leaned back in his chair with a sigh and stared at the console on his desk. He didn't turn when the door of the bedroom swished open.
"You have to send me off in style," a voice said with a precise accent. "A frigate no less."
"Would you rather take your chances on the passenger liners?" He turned his head. "I heard the queue for a berth is an experience in itself."
Chakwas made a face and dropped down into one of the chairs before the desk. "Just what is it you're hiding up your sleeve?"
"About what?" he said evasively.
"Shepard. You let out the line. Sooner or later you're going to reel it in."
"My shoes are getting too tight, Karry."
"I thought so." Chakwas eyed the mass of silver in Hackett's light hair. "She's not ready, Steve. Hannah Shepard would be the better candidate."
"Hannah is competent and has the qualities to lead but like so many others, her mind is closed," said Hackett. "If we are to make our stand out there, the Alliance needs someone more receptive, someone who is able to forge and hold alliances outside the local scope."
"Have you considered that Shepard may not want to remain in the Alliance?" Seeing Hackett's inscrutable look, she said softly, "From what I gather from our email exchanges, she seems more keen in settling down on Thessia with Liara."
"Her disposition after the war has not been normal which is why I let her go but still keep her in the loop. I agree the Alliance may not be the future for her but until she makes that decision, there is no reason not to push her further ahead. What she has gone through the last several years has given her an edge in operating with a single ship, a small squad. She can do better. It's time she has a hand in fleet management."
Chakwas's brows shot up in astonishment. "You want her to have fleet command?"
"Not that fast," Hackett laughed. "At least, a squadron to begin with if she's agreeable to switching service. That'll give us some time to build up First Fleet again." His smile died away. "Whatever that may come in the future, she needs to accrue as much experience as she can in every military aspect. It does not matter whether she remains with us. Wherever she goes, Shepard inevitably carries our banner."
"Indeed, how can she not," Chakwas murmured. "The mark she will leave will be indelibly deep in many ways."
"If she decides to accept the proposal you have in mind but we're getting too far ahead of ourselves. Until you have irrefutable evidence, it's all just conjectures."
"I won't have it until she returns to Thessia." Chakwas shrugged. "I suppose I can do something in the meantime," she quipped lightly as she thought of the stack of case files she had yet to study.
"Isn't Liara T'Soni due to deliver soon?"
She wondered how he knew that. "I'm afraid I'll be totally useless in the midwifery department. Asari birthing process is more complicated than human ones."
"How complicated?" he asked curiously.
"I can tell you over lunch," she said invitingly. "I can make it doctor's orders," she added sternly when he glanced at the work console.
"As long as you pick up the tab," he said, getting to his feet, not reluctantly.
Citadel
Normandy
I heard the news. The brass finally got you going after those dogs and you're not going alone. Here I am tied down to the medbed, unable to do anything. They took out some of my best people, my ship and I can't tear a strip off the people responsible for it. I'm going crazy thinking about it. The psych nannies are going to jump if they know about it. But damn it, how can I not think of it? I'm human, not a robot.
The nurse is making noises, I'll have to keep this short. Send them a big fat one with my name on it, will you? Blow them all into dust. You better come back in one piece because I want to hear all about it. Btw, heard about you getting the Normandy back. Double shots on me when you get back.
Dor.
P.S. Why do medtechs buzz?
Shepard grinned at the postscript, glad that Dorrin was alive and kicking. He was lucky his email squirt made it out before the Alliance clamped down on communications. Timely too for she received the list of casualties from the Skyfire assault. The Glasgow was on the list. It was hard to look at the long line of names. She tried not to look for any that were familiar. She had no idea how many of her friends she knew from her days in the Alliance academy and various companies had survived or died. She didn't want to know. Better to run into them one day and be pleasantly surprised.
She contemplated the screen thoughtfully before shunting the message to the holding box. Until the communications blackout was lifted, it was pointless to compose a reply. By the time she got around to it, he would have recovered. Where would they send him, she wondered. From the current listing, there was only Home Fleet and several under-strength squadrons. Several new hulls were under construction but it would take another sixteen months before the closest ship to completion would leave dry dock. Even then, new hulls usually went on trial runs which would take another few more months. Close to two years before it would be released for active service.
The intercom buzzed. "Yes?" she said absently.
"Councilor T'Annor is on the line, sir."
That was surprising. Tevos? "Councilor, what can I do for you?" she said when the call was patched through.
"Captain Shepard, I wonder if I may impose on you to drop by my office?" said Tevos.
"Certainly. When?"
"Now. If it's not too much to ask."
Keeping her face impassive, Shepard said, "I'm on my way."
She stared at the darkened screen for a moment after Tevos signed off. Now, what was it that Tevos wanted to discuss with her urgently? Since she was no longer a Spectre, it couldn't be Council business, could it? Maybe it's about Cerberus. Perhaps Aria had new information. But then, the pirate queen could contact her directly. Why take the long route? Thinking about Aria reminded her that Miranda and EDI were running through the surveillance vids Aria sent. So far, they said nothing. She was disinclined to bug them about it. If they had something, they would tell her.
About to make for the door, she pulled up short before notifying Hiaras over the intercom. If she left without the commando, she would get an earful from a few quarters when she returned to Thessia. Down to CIC she went, where Araki nodded dutifully to the news that she had to meet the councilor. She went to the airlock to find Hiaras had beaten her to it. A few off duty crew members were in the docking lounge, doing nothing more than talking and drinking beer. Past the lounge, they took the lift to the Presidium.
The huge emptiness of the space station still felt strange to Shepard. It was as if the essence of the place was dampened. Along the corridor to the councilor's office, they came across a Keeper. The first one they had seen since they docked, she realized. Where had they all disappeared to? As usual, it seemed oblivious to them, intent on the wall console it was working on. Perhaps it was planning to bug Tevos's office, she thought whimsically.
There was no one in reception when they turned in at the asari embassy. Tevos was waiting for them, gesturing them to enter her sanctum.
"Councilor," Shepard greeted. "This is major Ronoh."
"Yes, we've met." Tevos smiled at Hiaras who bowed. "Please." She invited them to sit at the circle of sofas and armchairs arranged near the large windows overlooking the Presidium.
"I'll get to the point since you may receive a call from the Alliance soon," she said as she sat down on the sofa opposite Shepard. "I'm sure you are aware that the rachni have a hand in moving the Citadel."
"It's hard to miss them roving around out there."
Tevos nodded. "I'm certain your A.I. crew member has extrapolated that the Council intent to appoint part of the rachni fleet into the defense and security forces of this sector."
"Yes, she did," said Shepard. "It seems the prudent step to take."
"Some of the council members will not take such a decision in good light. The krogans will protest but the council have decided in favour of the proposal."
It was obvious why Tevos asked to see her. "How far do you think they will go?" asked Shepard.
"We are not certain but we hope to send someone whom they regard highly to persuade them to a more agreeable stance," said Tevos.
Shepard was not surprised. "Councilor, I'm not certain what I can do. The krogan leadership may support the idea but they may not be able to restraint the rest of the clans."
"We understand total support is not possible but the krogan leaders would have more insights and may be forthcoming in suggesting a solution."
"I see." Shepard could not fault the reasoning.
"Moreover, there is one other ally we need you to talk to as well."
"The Rachni Queen."
Tevos nodded. "You are the only one who have conversed with her face to face. You are the one who gave her the chance of life. Her representative, Raltania, has been cooperative but not wholly amiable to some of the questions we put to her. We are not certain if this is due to distrust or because she is not in direct contact with the Queen herself."
"The Rachni Queen is reclusive, I'm not certain I can see her."
"But you have not asked for such an interview, have you?"
"Well, no," Shepard admitted.
"There is one other thing you have to know. The proposal to move the Citadel did not come from the Council," Tevos revealed. Hiaras and Shepard stared at her in astonishment. "It originated from the Keepers."
"What?!" Shepard stared at her, stunned, feeling as though someone had fetched her a whack on the head. The Keepers?
"Raltania came to us, saying that the Queen herself heard the words of the Keepers. That they would have their home returned to its proper place. That in hearing their plea, she had her children build a fleet of ships to attain such a goal. Returning the Citadel to its place of origin was the Council's long term goal. We never thought it could be done so quickly. It might have been impossible. We accepted the Queen's offer to help because it is in our interest to do so."
"But you're not sure if she would have done it by force if the Council had said no," said Shepard.
"We need to understand the Queen's intentions," Tevos said gravely. "More importantly, the Keepers. We have not tried to approach them directly. The Rachni Queen will have more insights on intercommunication. We dare not allow any of the populace to return until we are certain there is no ill will."
Shepard sighed. "And yet the Council wish to enlist the rachni fleet."
"They and the Keepers cannot remain isolated. It is important that we try to assimilate them into the galactic community. Will you accept such an assignment, Shepard?" Tevos watched her anxiously.
"I would if I didn't have more pressing concerns," Shepard said, half wondering if she would be able to juggle so many things all at once.
"The official vote will not take place until the Cerberus question has been settled."
"Then I accept, Councilor," said Shepard.
"Thank you. The Council will put in a formal request to the Alliance once you have completed your mission."
A beep from Shepard's omni-tool cut in. "Yes?"
"Priority call from Admiral Langdon, sir."
"You've better go." Tevos got to her feet. "Shepard," she added as she saw them to the door. "Kelar'sevir (Goddess bless you in your endeavors)."
"Thank you, Councilor." Shepard smiled. "I'll be seeing you."