Citadel

Driving at a more modulate speed than the fiery velocity she took to reach Hydroplaz Garden earlier, Shepard flicked a quick glance at the rear view mirror to check on the passengers. There was no expression on either of Shiala or Miona's faces though the latter had a decidedly angry air about her. Angry, she was pleased to note, not volatile. That eased her worry of a sudden eruption of an incident in the air.

"How is Admiral Shepard? I understand she has regained consciousness," Tevos said suddenly.

"Yes, she has."

Shepard switched her gaze to the Councilor seated beside her. Tevos met her look with amusement dancing in her eyes, easily deducing her astonishment that she would inquire after her family members.

"The prognosis is good, she'll make a complete recovery."

"I haven't have the chance to meet the admiral. Perhaps we could have dinner together?"

"If you have a place to recommend," Shepard returned easily.

"There're several restaurants in your...neck of the woods." Tevos grinned when Shepard gave her a sidelong look, brows raised, before turning her attention back to her driving. "Not a wide selection in their menu but respectable."

"Colony farms or stockpiles from Thessia?" Shepard asked curiously, certain that any supplies left behind by proprietors of eateries wouldn't be available.

"Fresh stocks were delivered when the populace were evacuated from Thessia. Half of which come from colony farms. There're no plans to contract supply lines from Thessia." Yet. It hovered unsaid. Shepard snatched a quick look at Tevos who was gazing passively through the windshield. "There is sufficient reserves on the Citadel to last a few years."

Shepard nodded. With only a single ward arm at full operation, it was more than enough if the asari were staying that long. She squashed the dismay that rose at the thought of making the station a permanent home.

"I think the admiral is partial to seafood," she said lightly.

That was a lie really. Truth be told, she had no idea what kind of food Hannah liked. The most she saw of her at any meal was munching through sandwiches, an odd fruit or some MREs, often on the run. Enter stage left, a wave of arms, a stream of words, exit stage right, she thought whimsically. Her father did the cooking when he had the time.

"I know just the restaurant," Tevos said with a lilt to her voice that Shepard wondered if it was her favourite. "They have marvelous oisklilkh in sauce. Words cannot do it justice. Their roasted ilou is so tender and slips like soup, I wouldn't recommend using any cutlery..."

Shepard glanced at the rear view mirror and stifled a grin at the bemused expressions on Shiala and Miona's faces as they listened to Tevos rattled off a culinary list. No, they were certainly not expecting to hear the asari councilor spouting off like a gourmet than a politician. Neither did she. Their meetings were always business synergies, not social prattling.

Given the present circumstances, it was easy to see why Tevos would choose to show a lighter side. For the rest of the trip, Tevos meandered on about food. Shepard's own knowledge of human cuisine was sparse but she gamely launched into a discussion on a few dishes. Another pass at the rear view mirror minutes later revealed the two were suitably diverted by the conversation. They reached Tiberius Tower and all the way to Liara's office apartment warbling on the subject.

There was no sigh of Liara nor any message from her. Shepard presumed she was still with Hannah. After settling the group at the sitting room, she made a detour to Liara's office to update Glyph. When she returned, Tevos and Shiala were making desultory exchanges about her internship with Benezia. Miona was lounging at the other end of the sofa from Shiala, seemingly at ease but the suspicious and wary glint of her eyes gave away her inner turmoil.

"Refreshments?" Shepard asked. Receiving polite refusals, she seated herself in an armchair that gave her a clear view of the other three and decided to start with Shiala. "This isn't your first time on the Citadel, is it, Shiala?"

"No it isn't. I came with Benezia a few times," said Shiala, "for various engagements. We used to tour the gardens. She loved the Bellisiorae Gardens and often said it inspired her, renewed her," she added reminiscently before pulling her thoughts back to the present. "With most of the station deserted, I thought it safe to bring her to the gardens but I have misjudged," she said apologetically.

Miona opened her mouth to say something, an angry look in her eyes but closed it again.

"The TI conflict holds open wounds that would have begun to heal," said Tevos. "The C-Sec officers' reaction is no surprise."

"They're former soldiers," said Shepard.

Tevos nodded. "C-Sec contingents suffered heavy losses when the Reapers took over the station. After the war, C-Sec training modules were nonexistent as most of the instructors were lost in the conflict. It was decided to draw immediate replacements from soldiers who desire civic duty or looking for other deployment than the front lines against the TI. Since then, civilian recruits were introduced but given how far reaching the war was, all of them bear the same disposition."

That statement brought a frosty look from Miona. Shepard waited a beat. When no question was forthcoming from the young asari, she asked, "Is there development back home?"

"More than a day ago, thousands of TI have been making their way to the reclaimed cities. More have been detected in the outer regions."

Shiala sat up anxiously. "Simultaneous attacks?"

"Assaults on Thessia would have been on the news," Shepard said aloud. "It's the Prothean scrambler, isn't it?" When Tevos nodded, she added flatly, "It worked."

"It seems so," Tevos said softly. "I was sent some of the visuals. It's-," she shook her head, unable to speak of what she saw for a moment. "Those who aren't dead, are dying. In the thousands. Everywhere. Medical and military personnel are mobilised to put those still living out of their pain and to incinerate the bodies."

Shiala closed her eyes, sagging heavily in her seat. It was all too easy to imagine the harrowing horror back on Thessia. She saw too much of it in the war. She bowed her head, silently reciting an invocation for the dead. Miona picked at the edge of her tunic, recalling the mounds of the dead on Omega. It was like that too at home? The beautiful home she left so long ago?

"When will the news be released?" asked Shepard.

"Tomorrow. The Assembly want to delay it as long as they can without inciting the remaining civilians back home. Many of whom are suspect in their beliefs about the TI which brings me to-," Tevos turned her gaze on Miona. "Have you initiated Ranaedi?"

Fingers crumpling the edge of her tunic, Miona said stiffly, "I am aware some of my clan is here but I have not made known that I have returned."

Tevos said nothing but there was a clear 'Why not?' in the look directed at Miona.

"I wish to delay for a while," Miona answered, almost defiantly, "I have time."

The same evasive response she gave Shepard when she tried to draw out Miona's thoughts and feelings on the trip back to the Citadel. When a maiden felt she had enough of roaming and ready to settle down or whatever reason, she had to present herself before the clan matriarchs for ritual examination. Whether she would return to her clan depended very much on the answers she gave, the skills she displayed and her own conduct.

Most passed without dispute but there were those who did not. They were not forbidden Thessia unless their conduct and deeds were so reprehensible the Justicars had to be called in. Those who knew they wouldn't make it, never returned. For them, they were no longer part of the whole.

She knows what will happen if her existence becomes public. She has to be fearing rejection from her own. If they refused her, she isn't without support but it won't be the same.

Shepard watched as Miona refused to budge under Tevos's probing. The councilor wasn't pressing very hard, her questions were merely to assess the responses of the young asari. She had a good idea what Tevos was going to bring up next. There was no way the T'Riest clan were not aware that Miona had returned. The ramifications of her return, of what she had become would have been the foremost concern of the matriarchs.

"How bad do you think it's going to be?" she interjected in the lull that followed.

"The visuals of the TI remnants, the medical post-mortem is evidence that the stance the Assembly took is right. The atrophy wrought by indoctrination cannot be healed nor reversed. Those who thought differently are wrong. However-," Tevos looked at Miona, "the moment your existence is made known, you will be held up as an example by those who have been insisting that the TI could be saved. Accusations will be plied against the Assembly for refusing to save lives. That those thus affected suffered for far too long because of the failure to respond appropriately. If the arguments are convincing enough, it could turn opinion. We may see an upheaval in the governing bodies."

Looking mutinous and afraid at the same time, Miona bit out, "I will not hide."

"Clan T'Riest may very well become the flagship of a movement to oust members of the Assembly whether they wish it or not," Tevos said. "Thessia is hovering at the edge of the abyss. The prothean device has prevented the fall. It presents a chance to move pass this extremely difficult stage and heal."

She softened her tone when she saw how devastated Miona was. Even with those eyes, her anguish was obvious. "I do not ask, nor would your clan elders, that you remain forever in the dark. What we are asking for, is time."

Eyes wide, Miona stared at Tevos. "They know?" She shook her head and covered her eyes. "But of course they do," she muttered before lowering her hands. "Since when?"

"The Alliance forwarded the list of asari casualties and survivors when Omega was retaken. The assumption then was your chances of survival was aligned with the others who were recovered with you. When it became evident that you would not suffer the same atrophy as them, it was decided that you would be sequestered but as you know, certain parties learned of your existence and thought otherwise. They attempted to divert you."

Miona remembered the attack on the asari medical ship. Aria had said the adversaries were people she had a quarrel with. She assumed then the target was Aria. The Omega queen lied, she realised. "Who?"

"Certain politically motivated parties," Tevos said with an icy bite in her voice. "You would have been the means to create an upheaval."

"But I went with Aria instead. What happened to them?"

"They were discovered to be aiding the TI for their own political purposes and removed from the Assembly. That was before we knew of your survival. Their trial is postponed as the current situation is too unstable. They saw the chance to try to change their destiny."

"How did they help the TI?" Miona asked in puzzlement.

"In their bide to maintain their political clout, they colluded with the TI, providing supplies and allowing them passage into the cities. The defense infrastructure became vulnerable. Because of their interference, the struggle to retake our home became that much more difficult. It cost more lives than necessary. The bid to get hold of you, if they were successful, would have been the means of diverting attention from themselves. They will use you to argue that the Assembly were too hasty to declare the TI as a lost cause. Their cooperation with the TI was an act of compassion to unite the lost with their families instead of a treasonous deed."

From the shock and lost look on Miona's face, it was clear she had no idea of the rot within the political incumbents. It was no fault of hers that she was out of touch with the contentious climate within the government and the people. She was still young, barely a hundred. Contending with personal problems was foremost in her list rather than consider she could be a political tool. The impact she would have on her own people. Shepard understood how disoriented she felt.

To give the young asari time to pull herself together, she asked, "What do clan T'Riest have to say when they knew about Miona?"

"Ranaedi'iza," Tevos said sympathetically. "They did not come to this decision easily. They will have a private audience with you but formal and public acknowledgement will be deferred."

Miona accepted it with a calm she was not feeling. Ranaedi'iza meant she was put on trial of observation for an indeterminate time. It also meant she could not return to her family, there would be no contact with any one of the clan until the elders decided otherwise. If they should determine she was unacceptable, she would never return. Never to see her family or her home again. Her fingers clenched at the edge of her tunic so fiercely that it tore.

"Where am I to go then?"

Tevos glanced at Shepard. "I have spoken to matriarch T'Deynor. If it is agreeable to you, clan T'Soni offer you sanctuary."

Shepard shrugged in answer to Miona's astonished and querying gaze. "I have no hand in it. I was busy chasing some people from one end of the galaxy to the other if you remember. Some of the T'Soni estates survived the devastation of the war. They are secluded enough to give you the privacy and time to recover and decide what you want to do. I hope you will accept the offer," she said earnestly.

"Perhaps you could take some time to consider," said Tevos when Miona did not answer.

Shiala, who was silent all the while, stood up and went over to Miona, murmuring softly to her. After a brief demur, Miona stood up. "We'll be at Shepard's apartment if you need us," said Shiala, a hand lightly touching Miona's elbow, and steered her charge out.

Shepard waited until the front door had shut behind them. "Why T'Soni?" she asked.

"It's not T'Soni, it's you. The reports of her abilities do not make easy reading. We can sequester her at a secure facility but that will not ensure her cooperation or her well being nor her future. She needs someone she trusts, someone who has already established a rapport."

"Then the intention is to reintegrate her back into society," said Shepard, wanting to be sure.

"Yes," Tevos nodded. "Some argued that the opposite should be done. Her cybernetic implants and augmentations are unknown and dangerous. But what would that accomplish? What I have seen of her just now is promising. If her condition remain as stabilized as it seems, she can be returned to the fold. Clan T'Riest certainly hope that she can be or they wouldn't have suggested Ranaedi'iza."

"They could also be trying to soften the impact of rejection," Shepard suggested.

Tevos sighed. "She is a complication in a surging ocean of chaos. Everyone needs time to get out of the present mire. When she has shown herself as capable and balanced as any asari, I'm certain they will not reject her. I have to apologise too on behalf of the Assembly," she added. "We place you and your family within reach of danger," she explained when Shepard looked puzzled.

"I have to admit I have concerns but I am willing to try," said Shepard. She wondered what Liara would say. Neither of them envisioned Miona would be staying long term. She was not certain Aethyta had informed Liara but she doubted she could be kept in the dark for too long. "She and I share some common ground. She deserves a chance of a future. However, there is the matter of my presence. I cannot be at home all the time."

"T'Sule has gained some measure of acquaintance."

Shiala? Shepard frowned. "It is possible," she said slowly as she thought of Shiala's protective attitude. If Miona could come to trust Shiala, then the latter could act as mentor and guardian if she was agreeable. But would she want to? There was still the unresolved matter between her and Shiala. "I have no idea of Shiala's future intentions however."

"Then we will just have to see how T'Riest responds to the proposal. If she accepts and it does not work out or if she refuses, we can find other alternatives. However, if she does adapt, sooner or later, she has to be seen at some time." Tevos frowned contemplatively. "Do you think cosmetic surgery will work on her?"

Shepard stared at Tevos in astonishment. "What purpose will that achieve if she is to be reintegrated?" she demanded. "Either she is accepted as she is or she is not. I believe she will insists on it."

"I do not mean that she is to be presented in a false light when she finally is free to do so," Tevos returned defensively, "but there will be times when she has to move around publicly. I do not believe her existence will be unanimously accepted."

"She has to deal with it when the time comes," said Shepard. She drummed her fingers on the armrest. "My crew are under orders not to speak of her. The allied forces, other than the asari, never once saw her face. Aria has done a number on her staff. The death of Miona's partner is widely known on Omega, they'd think she died too. What about the C-Sec officers?"

"Executor Kralinx has a statement for a contingency such as the one at the Hydroplaz Garden." Tevos forbore to say the turian practically predicted it. He had commented acidly that it would be like trying to restrain a wild kuskar when she had gone to him to make arrangements for Miona to step foot on the station.

"What is he going to say about the incident?" Shepard asked curiously.

"A long overdue drill."

The incongruous statement held Shepard silent for a moment before she burst out laughing. "How dramatic," she gasped when she was able to speak.

Tevos's mouth twitched before she shrugged and chuckled. "It's more believable than your bringing onboard a TI. Irregardless what you said to Vitian, he will find it a great relief that you were acting out a part."

"I can't think of anything more ingenious. They're more likely to believe in the mundane than the implausible," Shepard agreed before sobering. "Just how far did your projection go?" she asked. When Tevos tilted her head at her in query, she elucidated, "The fallout were she to come out right now. Support for redeeming the TI isn't just confined to Thessia."

"The breach of trust, the division between people and state, the demolition of relations within families, friends. We will not see the peace we crave," Tevos said softly. "Civil wars will threaten."

"And wolves leaping for the jugular." Shepard mused sombrely on wider repercussions. "People will wonder if Admiral Hackett did the right thing. His campaign hadn't been without its detractors."

"And he is only one man," Tevos observed.

"A irreplaceable one at that." Shepard stood up to walk over to the fireplace, staring into the empty grate as she shoved her hands into her trouser pockets. "We still need him, the Alliance need him."

If Hackett were ever displaced before a stable foundation was established, the next man in seniority to take his place was Admiral Khan. One of the old guard with a reputation for being heavy on statutes. Politicians would love him. He was however indifferent to inter-species exchanges and pedantic on the ballgame. She didn't think the Citadel Council or the other races would regard him in the same light as Hackett.

"Aren't you selling yourself short?" Tevos shrugged at her inquiring gaze. "Well, you are."

"And how long would I last? I did after all, stated that the TI cannot be saved."

"You saved the galaxy."

"Memories can be rather short," said Shepard. "Let's not forget that the throwing of dirty water don't just land in one spot. Everything around it gets touched."

"Truly Shepard, I wonder you aren't an admiral by now."

The chime of the front door interrupted what Shepard was about to say. Liara stepped through with Delenn in her arms. Tevos stood up and went over to them. Leaning against the wall beside the fireplace, Shepard watched them exchanged pleasantries and fussed over the baby. She smiled when the councilor took her leave, promising to arrange a dinner get-together when Hannah was discharged from the medical ward.

"Dinner with Hannah?" Liara asked in astonishment as she sat down on the sofa.

"She wants to meet her." Shepard sat beside her, draping an arm over her bondmate's shoulder. "I thought she suggested it as a distraction."

"Distraction to whom? And how was that meeting?"

"Oh, just some misunderstanding. It's nothing," assured Shepard when Liara looked worried and decided not to mention Aethyta's proposal just yet. She lifted a finger for Delenn to grasp. "So how did it go with Hannah after I left?" she asked casually.

Liara smiled. "She shared some advice about babies and stories on how it was when she had you. I had no idea you were such a handful," she said teasingly.

"I see someone is enjoying more tales of my sordid past." Shepard kissed her bondmate. "I'm glad she's taking to you both."

Local Cluster
Rhea

When Descroix was finally released from his room, he knew better than to vent his outrage and fury. When he was detained, he knew they had enough grounds to carry out that action. What he didn't know was how much they had managed to dig up. He kept his silence when the captain of the investigative unit interrogated him several times. Laughable when they chose to call it interviews.

He gave them air for their interviews but they didn't seem too upset about it. His lips thinned when he met the icy gaze of the marine sergeant in charge of the squad that was to escort him to the shuttle. It would take him to the merchant freighter waiting to transport him to Noveria.

A single duffel was handed over. From the weight and shape of it, it contained the set of hardsuit he had specially commissioned and the rest of his mundane possessions. All the datasticks he had were already confiscated. The sergeant gestured silently for him to follow. They set off for the docking bay, the squad falling in behind. The corridors of the base was empty. The doors of the rooms they passed show the reds of a lock down. There hadn't been any of the usual announcements and updates to be heard since the second day of his incarceration. Did they evacuate every researcher?

His staff and his own men were the first to be removed so there was no friendly face onboard the shuttle. His escort came with him, clearly meaning to see him to the freighter. At no point during the chilly flight did the sergeant let up his gaze on him. Tempted though he was to give them the obscene gesture when he reached the other end of the boarding tube attached to the freighter, he chose to snarl at the crew member waiting to receive him.

The captain nor any officers were present. It was a civilian ship, not military. He was shown to a small cubicle. If he wanted something to eat, there were MREs or paste, which ever suits his flavour. No doubt the crew member took delight in telling him that. He ignored her. Dropping his bag to the deck, he sat on his bunk once the hatch closed behind her.

Where had it gone wrong? The project was going well, the sum total of soft and hard materials had exceeded projections. The immense research possibilities generated hopes that several viable end products would be realised in a few years. The profits would inject much needed funds into severely depleted reserves. The Rhea project was to lift the fortunes of Binery Helix. Now everything was gone, even the foundations his father laid at Noveria. His knuckles whitened. It could not have been an accident. The research facilities were planned meticulously, rules observed stringently. The staff were all handpicked by his father. It had to be sabotage. A vicious one.

He would have to see how much was left when he reached Noveria. There were hidden caches he was certain the Systems Alliance wouldn't have ferreted out. If he could set up again, he had his eye on a possibility that could be very lucrative. There was something about Shepard, he was sure of it when he looked through her medical profile and records.

Cerberus did something with her that succeeded. They wanted her back, why asked him to pull classified files on her? Oh they tried to hide it by pretending there were important medical developments in the Alliance R&D by asking him to do a broad sweep. He wasn't stupid. He picked up on the intended target at once. Once he knew what they were after, he made his move. Too bad Shepard had to show up to blow the plan on Thessia to dust. That woman always had a knack for sniffing out trouble.

His nostrils flared when he thought of the way she moved. That commanding presence about her daunted most people, but not him. She was good looking, not a fashion plate beauty but handsomely regal in a way he could not define. He hadn't seen the like on any one. It was too bad she fancied an alien otherwise he would have a try at her. If he could find a way to get his hands on her, he would. Future attempts would have to be meticulously planned out. He would use his own people. The asari mercenaries were none too reliable but the window of opportunity was too good for him to pass up. He should have waited. Now Shepard was on the alert.

The unexpected chime at the hatch disrupted his thoughts. "What is it?" he asked brusquely, not bothering to get to his feet. Maybe they were going to toss him a food package. About time too, he was getting a bit hungry and thirsty. How long had it been? An hour since he stepped onboard, he realised when he checked his omni-tool.

"There's a call for you."

"Just pipe it over to my omni-tool," he said irritably, wondering who would be calling him. Maybe surviving staff from Noveria who were notified of his release?

"Sorry, it's not just you he wants to speak to but the captain too."

"Damn it, who the hell is it?" he demanded, slapping on the hatch control panel and glared at a tall wiry fellow in shipsuit standing outside.

"Why don't you take yourself to the skipper, he'll tell you," returned the other, jerking a thumb at the corridor behind him. "Third door on the right."

Descroix brushed past him, not caring his shoulder struck the other in the chest. If the call was indeed from Noveria, he should find out what was left. He hadn't dared to make any moves to do so when he was detained. He halted at the third door and hit the hatch panel. Why bother with courtesy? The captain knew he was coming. He froze in surprise at the doorway when he saw what was in the room. A quantum entanglement communicator? On a freighter?

The grizzled hair man before the vid pickups turned to face him. "I'm captain Krogins."

"Descroix," he said shortly. "Who's calling for me?"

Krogins shrugged, not bothered by his passenger's lack of manners. He touched the control panel of the communicator. "Our guest is here, sir," he said when a figure appeared.

Descroix's jaws dropped when he saw who it was. "You're not dead," he said finally when he found his voice.

"Because they told you they destroyed the base at the core? You should know better," said Lance.

"I told them nothing. They got nothing out of me," Descroix said, feeling more happier. Here was someone who could help him. "You're a sight for sore eyes. Have you heard what happened on Noveria? The lab facilities was bombed. My father and every loyal staff died in that blast. I don't know how much is left but with your help, I can rebuild. We can establish better research facilities and create products that will rake in profits. They confiscated all the materials but you hold some of the data. We can work on those."

Lance regarded Descroix for a moment with an expression the latter could not understand. "Have you never wondered why I asked you to pull those files?"

"To get their R&D medical projects."

"You are but one of a few inducements. You have performed your role admirably."

"What do you mean inducement? What role?" Descroix said in bewilderment. His brows came down when he realised what Greenacres was saying. "You set me up?! Is that it?! You set it up to-," he stuttered for a moment, searching for an explanation. He struggled to find an answer. "To destroy Binery Helix?! You were the one?" he trailed off in disbelief when Lance smiled.

"If you have done what you were told to do, that would have been the end of it. You might have a chance."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Descroix shouted, pushing Krogins aside to glare into the vid pickups. "Binery Helix have always been a loyal partner of Cerberus. How can you sell us out?!"

The deal the company struck with the Illusive Man was one of mutual cooperation and profit. It had been very profitable until the Reapers came and turned everything topsy turvy but Cerberus survived. His father had said they need only tack themselves more firmly to Cerberus and prosper. The Rhea Project was the proof. Now Lance implied that he destroyed Binery Helix. Why?

"You shouldn't have overstepped the boundary."

"What boundary?!" Descroix snarled. When Greenaces only stared at him, he pulled himself together with visible effort. "Look, if I did anything wrong, I apologise." He was backing down, he hated it but he needed the man's help. Unfortunately, he had no idea what Greenacres was talking about. "Whatever it is, if it's my fault, the others shouldn't have to pay for it."

"A noble sentiment if sincere."

Descroix swallowed. "I pulled those files, you asked me to. What else is there?"

"You sent a message to a certain former member of the asari Assembly, asking her aid in a kidnap attempt. I don't recall asking you to do that."

Descroix blinked. If Greenacres wanted to get the best medical profile on Shepard, he shouldn't be unhappy if Descroix could hand him the real thing. Why was he upset? Perhaps he was angry Descroix knew what he after? Whatever it was, he could figure it out later.

"That..I saw something. Something plausible that could mean a profitable commodity so I took steps to secure the means to it."

"Your avarice dictated your action. A mistake," Lance said coldly.

"Let me rectify that mistake. Give me a chance," Descroix said humbly while silently vowing to make Greenacres pay.

"Thank you for your input and efforts."

"What?" Warned by the sound of movement behind him, Descroix whirled but he was too late. He hit the deck heavily, blood leaking from the hole in his head.

"They're waiting, don't take too long ," said Lance as Krogins put away his pistol.

"Yes sir."

The holo-platform went inert.