Chapter 2: Lone Wolves
AN: I was being cheeky with playing with 'sole' so don't worry about it, Anon. I was the dingus here, not you ;) Thanks for the R&R!

"Dr. T'Soni, thank you for meeting with me here."

The first thing Shepard did when they entered her quarters was dim the lights so she didn't have to wear her prescribed sunglasses. She gestured to the table.

"Please, have a seat. I'll pour you a drink."

She went to her desk and opened her personal alcohol cabinet, grabbing a couple wine glasses with the bottle. She set it down on the table as she observed the rigid asari move and comply. Dr. T'Soni looked, frankly, scared shitless. Hopefully that fear was because she thought she would be prosecuted over a suspicion, rather than confirming those suspicions.

"Thank you for having me," the archaeologist mumbled. "Is it customary for a meeting to be this casual?"

"Not at all, but I think we've earned it. It'll help you relax just as well as me. I want to get to know you, and then I'll let you know about my decision over your request."

"Does this mean I'm part of your crew?"

"That depends."

Shepard poured their wine, watching over the rim of the glass when she drank. The sweet taste coated her tongue and washed away the lingering bitter taste of medicine. T'Soni didn't seem as eager. She peered into the wine glass as if she was expecting answers to fly out of it, slow and vigilant in the way she sipped from it.

The soldier sat down and got straight to business. "How much have you been briefed on so far?"

Soft lines scrunched in a small frown. "I am aware my mother is working for the turian named Saren and heard a little about what he is trying to accomplish, though beyond that I cannot say. Much of it was vague and I assumed details were left out intentionally. I am also aware your crew does not trust me." T'Soni set her glass down. "I know it is just my word, but I swear I am not working with her. Otherwise I would have happily surrendered to the geth, or have gone along with my mother in the first place."

"That's a good point," Shepard thought. She traced her index around the base of the glass as she pondered more questions. "Do you have any insight as to why Benezia has aligned herself with Saren? Any possible motives or goals?"

Conflict crossed the archaeologist's face, and she looked distant when her gaze fell to her wine. She swirled it around in her glass and took another reluctant sip.

"No, and that worries me. My mother is a very respected figure in our society, well-known and sought after for her wisdom. She would never have partaken in or agreed to Saren's attempt in destroying Eden Prime. If she has good intentions, she is making it uncharacteristically difficult to figure it out. She has many followers that would have been told of her plans, thus there is a probability that there may have been some who disagreed with her and remained on Thessia. Asari commandos do not follow blindly. We could ask around."

"An interesting proposition," Shepard agreed. "Finding out her plans may help us find out what Saren is planning to do with the Conduit too."

"The Conduit?"

A headache peaked strongly, unrelated to the question. Shepard went to her desk and begrudgingly put her sunglasses on before she activated her terminal. She brought up all her reports and intel on Saren. If there was still that small chance that Dr. T'Soni was in fact working with him, then it wouldn't be anything new. It was best to have her stay on the Normandy for supervision and take that victory away from Saren, and monitor her communications in the mean time.

"Keep your friends close and enemies closer," Shepard thought. "Here, right now I have to try and rest as much as possible. Read up on the reports to get a grasp of the situation." She engaged her omni-tool's comm-link system and selected Lieutenant Moreau. "Joker, set a course for Thessia." She turned off the link for a moment and looked at the archaeologist. "What system is that in?"

"The Parnitha System of the Athena Nebula."

Shepard repeated it to Joker, who confirmed with an affirmative. She gestured to her terminal and finished her wine, heading to her bed.

"Go ahead and-"

"Oh, Goddess! I forgot."

Alarmed, Shepard braced herself for some sick twist to Dr. T'Soni's intentions. The soldier glanced over her shoulder and was struck with... A concerned expression?

"Your leg, how is it? I'm surprised you're not limping even more from that wound."

"Ah. I suppose something like shooting someone in the leg would be worrisome." Once again, Shepard tried not to smile. She took off her sunglasses and set them on the stand before she pulled out the first drawer, taking the medication to aid her in having a dreamless sleep as she dumped herself in bed. That strange mood struck again, and temptation won. She had to see what expression she'd garner from this. "It's just a scratch, Dr. T'Soni. Don't worry about it."

Amusingly, the archaeologist gawked in bewilderment. "Are humans as resilient as krogan?"

"I wish, but not at all. I suppose I just got lucky with where I was shot." Shepard turned on her side, facing away. "It didn't hurt. Still doesn't." She yawned. "Feel free to wake me up if you have any questions, or when we port."

"Yes... Erm... What do I call you?"

Drifting, the soldier allowed her gut to make the decision instead of her mind.

"Commander. You're part of the crew, after all."

There was a smile in T'Soni's voice. "Yes, Commander."

Kate Bowman's face was burned into her brain.

PDA data bled together into one fuzzy orange screen as the soldier's thoughts wandered again, but not of content wondering. The Prothean visions soon took over, images that echoed in the recesses of her brain, images that burned brighter with time. Each one flickered through as if her life played before her eyes on an Old Earth projector. The pulse in her neck thumped just a little harder, a little faster, against her will as her calm was chipped away.

Every blink reminded her of the new memory she'd fight desperately to forget. Metal screeched like nails on a board as the air quivered from the vibrations of the explosion. The deafening roar was faint - but at the same time, thundered loudly as if housed directly inside her ears.

"Commander."

{I gave you a chance to save them and you threw it away!}

Distant, small, insignificant. No, it carried something with it. A beep accompanied another call of her name. She felt as though she was watching herself from far away, through a scope, and a gentle hand on the shoulder echoed somewhere in her mind. The setting changed because of it, and when she looked to see the source of whoever grabbed her shoulder, all that accompanied it was a black oval face. The barren sandy plains of Akuze surrounded her and her unit, all staring at her, but she couldn't see their faces. Good soldiers' cries - rallying and dying - soon flooded her ears. Heat licked her fingers, drawing her eyes down at the calluses and scars painting twisted canvases on her hands. Overheated rifle, tossed aside.

"Commander Shepard."

Command. What is the command? What is the point of command, with no one left to follow it? Every soldier around her was dead or on their way to it. They were no match for the thresher maws, because no one expected to ever see a maw, much less knew how to fight one. They were going to succumb to the same fate the colony had, where all civilians mysteriously disappeared, woefully unprepared by what ambushed them.

Hold out for reinforcements. That was all she could do, left all alone, and she survived by some miracle. They called her a hero for it. When she crawled through the massacre among dead friends, never at any point had she felt like a hero. Her limbs were melted by acid and she was half blind from the splatters that disintegrated her helmet's visor, struggling to survive as she advanced to the landing zone for safety. She never checked for anyone's pulse or if they were at least as alive as her. And she felt relief.

Relief that she was alive, and one of the thresher maws weren't, revenge exacted when she had thrown her pack of grenades in its mouth when it tried to eat her.

"Good," growled something inside of her, leaving a pang of hunger for blood.

Cool callousness grazed her forehead. Her hand shot up, fingers wrapping around a blue wrist. She scrutinized it, or tried to, disoriented from her abrupt wake.

"I-I am sorry for waking you, Commander Shepard." The voice supplied the answer: Dr. T'Soni. "You seemed to be in pain, having a bad dream, so..."

"A bad dream?"

Try as she might, she couldn't remember. It was the trade off she was more than willing to make when she accepted the prescribed medication in the first place. Even if she never felt rested, it was better than to feel that way and to be tormented by all the horrors that followed her like ghosts.

Shepard watched as the archaeologist's eyes swum nervously like a boat caught in a storm. T'Soni's smile reflected that dance, then turned sheepish, knowing that she was caught - and knowing that the soldier knew too. One word lazily tethered her mind back to the present. She swallowed subtly to ensure she had a clear and strong voice. "Pain? What made you think that?"

Nevermind actually denying that, or confirming that she'd been saved. Her mind wandered with vague images.

Dr. T'Soni's mouth opened, but nothing came out. It nervously clammed closed, the corner of lips twitching in that meek smile again.

"I asked a question, Dr. T'Soni," Shepard pressed, assuming a firmer tone to draw a quicker answer.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment when she had observed the blue hues, erasing the vague painful images with that of an ocean. A familiar but old sensation washed over the soldier too briefly to catch and enjoy one of the few pleasant memories she had of childhood - sun and water, fishing rod in hand, knee-deep submerged as the line deftly flew around her. She missed fishing. It was simple. It was peaceful. She just was.

"I gave an answer, Commander Shepard," came a low, almost amused tone, though the scientist's shy smile betrayed her confidence.

"Oh. I must have zoned out again, then." Shepard pushed herself up into sitting. "Right, understood." A jack of all trades obscure answer that hopefully would conceal the part that she didn't listen.

It didn't work.

"Something tells me you would have a very different answer to my answer, Commander." Dr. T'Soni's words danced subtly, as was boldness on her features. She walked to the desk to help herself to the stool, making herself comfortable as she wheeled over to the bed. She picked up the sunglasses and studied them with an earnest curiosity, holding it up to her eyes to see through them. It drew attention to the realization that she wouldn't be able to wear them without ears. "You were not in possession of these before, and you have dimmed the lights significantly in here. Are your optic implants malfunctioning?"

"Well, that's as forward as anyone's been. Most people don't comment on my eyes." Shepard gingerly plucked the sunglasses away. "No, I got a concussion from that krogan headbutting me. A minor one, apparently. Doesn't feel minor."

T'Soni's eyes flicked to hers with subtle amusement. "I do believe the version the crew is telling-"

"Is that I headbutt the krogan, yes," Shepard sighed. "Hopefully it stays on the ship. The last thing I need right now is to explain to Alliance command or the Council why I would do such a stupid thing."

"I do not think it was stupid either way. I think it was very brave the way you had handled the situation." The archaeologist had that shy smile again, fidgeting awkwardly on her stool. "I never got the chance to properly thank you, Commander. If you had not shown up..."

"Don't thank me yet." Not when the soldier still retained her skepticism and suspicions. "Not until you give it a few more days of being trapped on this ship." She slid the sunglasses on and swung her legs off the bed, waiting until T'Soni wheeled back a small distance for her to stand. She head over to her terminal and exited out of the reports, then turned to lean against her table. "I have to warn you, adjusting to military life on this vessel may be challenging for a civilian. I don't really have any advice. I've watched the others brought on board and didn't know how to help them."

"The others?"

"We have a quarian engineer, a krogan bounty hunter, and a turian ex-C-Sec officer. The turian was fine. The quarian wasn't." A small thin-lipped smile stretched on her face. "And the krogan has been scaring the shit out of everybody aboard." She crossed her arms with a shrug. "Our other officers won't know how to help you either as most of us have very little experience working with aliens. So if you do run into any trouble or need something that our requisition officer can't get for you, just come to me. We'll figure something out together then." She engaged her omni-tool to check the clock. "We still have an hour. I can give you a tour of the Normandy in the mean time."

"Ah... While I would appreciate the tour, there is something I need to do, if I am allowed." T'Soni smiled apologetically. "Would I be able to send a message to my sponsor at the University of Serrice? We left Therum abruptly, of course understandably, but I have left behind my research site. I was hoping to let them know so that they may send someone to retrieve my equipment and take the artifacts for processing."

"We could stop there in person if you'd like to talk to them face-to-face," Shepard offered.

This trip to Thessia was piecing itself together very well. This would also be a good opportunity to clear skepticism of T'Soni's allegiance if the soldier could verify the validity behind this conveniently sponsored expedition, and find who was responsible if Saren was getting information or advice from somebody.

"Your university is on Thessia, right?" Shepard asked.

"Well, it is, but the city of Serrice is roughly a three hour trip from Armali. I do not want to waste you or your crew's time any longer than necessary."

"You are part of this crew now, Dr. T'Soni. It is necessary."

Shepard almost felt guilty for what that did to the archaeologist's eyes, but this caution was more necessary than anything else.

"When we port, I'll be calling for shore leave for non-essential crew anyways. The Normandy needs routine maintenance as well as to vent its drive core every time we travel at FTL speeds, especially for an extended length of time. We'll have about two to three days before she's back in tip-top shape."

"That sounds good," T'Soni nodded appreciatively. "I would love to return to the university then, yes. I also have a few professors I would like to discuss my findings with."

"Oh, no, what have I done? I should have known better than to let her know how much time she has. Am I going to have to listen to 'preservation' the whole time?" Though the blow was significant, Shepard rolled with the punches, straining a smile. "Could you hold off on the discussion? Frankly, Dr. T'Soni, we don't know where Saren has gotten his information and found the Prothean beacon to begin with. He may have contacts in the university."

"Oh." The archaeologist's eyes grew wide, and she shifted uncomfortably on her stool. Then it seemed to click. "Oh. Wh-what if... What if because of my work he... I mean the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime must have been... I-I wrote a paper surmising of hidden Prothean technology, similar to what humans discovered on Mars. Goddess, what if I'm the catalyst to this madness?"

Shepard elected not to voice her skepticism, her gut in conflict with her mind. She approached and laid a firm hand on T'Soni's shoulder to snap the asari out of it before she locked herself up with guilt. "We don't know anything for certain, Dr. T'Soni. Whether he got information directly or indirectly, it does not matter anymore as he's already acted upon it. But we can cut him off from getting more information. After I give you the tour, I'd like a digital copy of your paper and I'll read through it myself. It might also help me understand what I interacted with or what he's searching for."

"Er... I've never personally interacted with a Prothean beacon before, Commander. But I can give you my papers, of course. I have physical copies stored at home as well if you prefer that over digital."

"Papers? Plural?" Shepard inwardly dreaded. "What did I just sign myself up for? Now I'm going to have to read 'preservation' the whole time." Her smile was getting more and more strained by the minute as she navigated this minefield. She felt like she was setting off every single claymore just by looking at it. "Then it's settled. When we dock in Armali, I'll leave it in your hands to decide how best to utilize our time."

"I - what? I'm the leader?"

"You are the local," Shepard chuckled. "You'll be a better tour guide than me. I mean I can be, if you prefer, but at least give me a warning before I lead us down a dark alleyway to be murdered, okay?" She gestured to the door. "Now allow me to be your tour guide for the Normandy as an advance payment for your services."

Breathtaking sights enraptured the crew when they viewed the city of Armali through port windows. With shore leave granted to non-essential crew involved in the Normandy's maintenance, she held a few meetings in the command deck's communications room as a formality to debrief general rules. After the majority of the crew was addressed, she established a comm-link with her personal team through her omni-tool as she returned to her quarters to get ready.

"Enjoy your time off, but I don't want to hear about anyone causing trouble, understand? We're guests here. If we upset the asari, it's my throat Councillor Tevos will hug."

There was a collective agreement among her teammates. She settled with an Alliance uniform to maintain appearances and authority, attaching a thigh-holster for her pistol as a precaution. As she left her quarters, she spotted the archaeologist waiting at the mess hall's table.

"Dr. T'Soni," she greeted, "Are you ready?"

T'Soni rose with a smile. "Yes, Commander."

"Have you thought of where you'd like to start?" Shepard took the lead back up to the command deck towards the airlock, keeping a close eye on the asari.

"I believe we can find something if we head to mot—Matriarch Benezia's estate. There should be a private unit guarding the property and they might have information."

Private unit. Home.

"Does she think I'm a green recruit?" Shepard wondered. "You don't think she or Saren will have laid a trap for you?"

"They wouldn't know if I'm going to return. I haven't spoken to mother for years and if anything, she would think it's the last place I'll ever come back to."

"Not on good terms, I take it?"

The archaeologist smiled, strained and remorseful. "No, I just prefer solace. Mother is an influential public figure and very involved in galactic affairs to advocate forward-thinking policies for communities as a whole, or last I heard she was. She had many dignitaries or other powerful people in her home. Often. Those expectations fell on me and I chose my field to get away from all of that. I have not been there since the start of my doctorate at the university."

"I see." Shepard entered the airlock and started the decontamination process, waiting for the VI to finish it's initial announcement before she asked. "So how long has it been?"

"Roughly 60 galactic years ago."

Shepard barely schooled her surprise in time and looked at the asari, bewildered. "And... How old are you?"

Embarrassed, T'Soni mumbled. "Only 106."

≤Decontamination in progress.≥ The VI announced.

"Only? You asari live for how long, again?"

"Barring any external factors that may sever one's life short-"

"Yeah, I'd say that goes for any race," Shepard thought wryly.

"-then 1000 years."

The airlock hissed open when decontamination was completed, and the soldier got the answer to her next question when a spectacular city unveiled itself to her. Skyscrapers reached so high that it was a marvel how they could defy physics, yet the expansive city still accommodated and incorporated nature in the infrastructure's design. With what little she did know of the asari, biotics were probably involved somehow with the architecture. If asari could live for a millennium, then overpopulation must be an issue, but the city's appearance deceived that if it was a problem at all.

"Wow," Shepard muttered with awe. She glanced over at the archaeologist with subdued anticipation for what she would get to experience. "Your planet is amazing."

T'Soni chuckled with a bashful smile. "I am sure Earth is too."

"Not like this. I mean, I've only ever been on Earth for my N7 training, and from what little I saw, it wasn't the greatest. Far from it. The city didn't care for nature and the smog clouded the sun. Maybe other parts in the planet are better, but after that experience, I could see why there was such a rush to achieve space exploration and expand our resources." She took a few steps forward, soaking in the sights before she turned to T'Soni. "Do you think we have time for a quick tour around this city?"

"Of course. Armali has many significant attractions, and I would be happy to show you my favourite museums. The art gallery here has done a wonderful job showcasing how swiftly asari culture evolved upon achieving space exploration themselves."

"Oh no. What have I done?"

"There's also a Prothean section in one of the museums that may provide crucial information as to what exactly is this 'Conduit' that Saren is seeking." T'Soni took point, leading them towards port security to get cleared for admission. "After, if it's okay, we can stop by my home. I'd like to pack some things I'll need, and I do believe I owe you a glass of wine."

"I do like the sound of that plan, Dr. T'Soni." Shepard suppressed an eager smile at the promise of wine. "I don't suppose they offer wine in the museums? And lots of it?"

"No." That was a resounding one at that. "Not anymore. There have been accidents in the past."

"That's unfortunate." The wine. Not the accidents. "Well, lead the way."

T'Soni's smile seemed to be relaxing along with her shoulders. It didn't last long and she appeared concerned when the soldier caught up beside her, keeping her voice low. "Let me know if you need to take it slow. Please don't put yourself in pain."

"I'm not in any pain, you don't need to worry about me. Trust me."

Shepard almost considered lifting her pants for the archaeologist to see her ankle, but she had always made it a point not to expose her synthetic parts to people. If T'Soni was already fretting this much over the slightest limp, then she was going to turn into a pitying mother. The last thing the soldier ever wanted was pity.

"Well, this is going to be a great test of patience." She chuckled to herself. "This, but mostly the museums."

"There's a reason I picked up a gun instead of a brush."

Shepard was absolutely bored out of her mind.

"This place is just giving me even more reasons."

She wished they could speed this up but they had somehow gotten themselves sucked into a social event. The only solace she had was that she got to observe how T'Soni navigated the social graces among her people, but it wasn't necessary information. It didn't even serve as affirmation over her true motives, especially with the people that recognized her.

One concurrent observation: it appeared painful to be reminded that she was Matriarch Benezia's daughter.

Shepard elected the company of shadows and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms as she studied the asari race and eavesdropped on conversations. There was a flowing grace to their movements and an elegant dance of words, flexing superiority as they tried to win mental chess against one another. She never really had many good impressions of the asari except for a respect for Councillor Tevos' diplomatic abilities. T'Soni had a refreshing humbleness about her, and spunk. Even if it was for all kinds of weird reasons.

The soldier wasn't left alone for long when T'Soni escaped and sought the shadows alongside her. She was notably relieved when not in the spotlight. Shepard leaned over and bumped shoulders.

"Like to be alone, huh? Me too. I've never been much for groups. We're under no obligation to stay, you know."

"I know, but I recognize some of these dignitaries. Someone is bound to know something about my mother."

"What have you been getting so far?"

"Nobody knows where she's even gone," the archaeologist sighed, slumping against the wall in defeat. "It's just so strange..."

"Perhaps because she knows she wasn't doing the right thing, and figured people here were going to try to stop her. Criminals tend to hide rather than announce their plans." Shepard didn't mince words. She saw what it did though, and laid a sympathetic hand on T'Soni's shoulder. "Or maybe she does have good intentions and doesn't think it's an affair the dignitaries can do anything about even if they knew. Maybe it goes beyond their capability to assist, or understand. How about we take a break for today? You've been through a lot recently, and this is a lot for anyone to take on at once. Let's go get what you need back home."

"Yes, that sounds nice. I would appreciate that. It'll be good to be somewhere familiar and comforting, even for a little bit." T'Soni took the lead and naturally weaved through the museum, every sector and display case memorized with the way she moved while distracted by other people in the crowd calling out to her to greet her.

Fresh air filled their lungs and Shepard had never been more grateful for it. The musty smell from all the dead things and mouldy artifacts in there had revived her headache. Granted, she didn't wear her sunglasses in there, feeling foolish to have them inside. Out here, she made the most out of every second as she slipped them on and followed T'Soni through the streets of the buzzing city, clenching her teeth over the ear-splitting noises of sky-cars above them.

"I'm starting to understand why you chose your profession, Dr. T'Soni."

T'Soni smiled over her shoulder though said nothing. She hailed a cab for them and handed the driver her credit chit before she even gave the address. Shepard idly wondered just how much an asari archaeologist was paid, especially one to be the daughter of a renowned Matriarch. Her imagination ran wild as she designed a mansion in her mind's eye, only to be astonished when they stopped at a skyscraper with humble accommodations at the entrance.

"Guess she isn't paid much. Maybe paid by the artifact she brings to a museum? Or maybe she's figured she doesn't actually need much if she lives life expedition by expedition."

They exited the sky-car and Shepard followed quietly, trained eyes always scanning their environment for any potential threats. She had to remind herself that her Spectre status was the only reason she'd gotten to keep her pistol, with everyone else needed to relinquish weapons. It wasn't like the asari needed guns anyways if they were capable of killing with a vicious thought.

They took an elevator a long way up, and vibrant colours caught the eye when they stepped out. The soldier peered into fish tanks as they made their way down the hallway. This part lined up with her imagination a little more.

"If you don't mind, please remove your shoes when we come inside," T'Soni said. "I don't have the chance to clean often, so it will help if we don't track dirt."

"I do mind," Shepard wanted to say, but she swallowed it and nodded. She would just have to suck it up if her synthetic foot became the next subject of study and pity.

"You should look into getting a VI support drone," she said instead. "The night crew uses one aboard the Normandy during sleep rounds. Efficient, affordable, and easy to program subroutines too."

"You sound like a salesperson," T'Soni chuckled. "I suppose I should rephrase my earlier statement. I am not home often. Dirt does not truly bother me with the digs I go on, but I worry that you may."

Hopefully Shepard wasn't about to walk into a nightmare of a mess. She wasn't a clean freak herself, but the military valued standards of well-kept quarters. She mentally readied herself when the archaeologist stopped at a door and unlocked it with a keyed password, then waited for T'Soni to remove her shoes and head inside first. Shepard was cautious and slow with her gait so that her synthetic foot didn't clack against the tiles.

"Note to self: requisition a sock for this leg."

There was a simplicity in the asari's abode that wasn't often reflected in the architecture of her culture. Shepard was set at ease that it didn't at all seem dirty in here and that the worst was just a slight smell of stale air. She followed the sounds of T'Soni's footsteps and came upon a quaint living room with access to a balcony, where all the windows were already open to allow fresh air inside. The archaeologist didn't seem to mind Shepard's presence, or was forcing herself not to mind to ease her inner lone wolf temporarily locked in a cage for the duration the soldier would be here for. T'Soni busied herself and disappeared up a short flight of stairs, collecting things she wanted to bring back to the ship.

Nosy, Shepard craned her neck to see, and decided to come over to the collection gathering on one of the couches.

"I hate to break it to you Dr. T'Soni, but every crew on board is only allowed to bring a maximum of one locker-full of belongings. You have..." She counted quickly. And lost count quickly. "More than 20 things going on here. Are you able to cut it down?"

Conflicted, T'Soni came down the stairs and stood before the couch with additional things in her hand waiting to be added to the pile.

"I'll need this," she muttered to herself, sorting a new pile by splitting things left and right. Things that seemed to be needed were to the left, and they were basic necessities.

Shepard plucked a blanket and put it over to the right pile, smiling a little when the asari looked nervous. "We'll provide you with a bed and bedding, don't worry."

"Oh." T'Soni deflated with relief and embarrassment. "My apologies, Commander. I am used to being self-sufficient."

"Well if you ever forget something here and need extra accommodations, I can put in a requisition form for you. If our req-officer can't get it then I'll figure something out then."

"No, no, that won't be necessary, I wouldn't want to trouble you."

"It's no trouble, I promise. I've done it for the other non-humans in our crew. If it's supplies that you need on a daily or weekly basis, then it won't be an issue to automate requisitions once we find a reliable supply with reasonable prices."

With that, T'Soni seemed relieved. Her left pile was drastically changed and most things were carried back up to her open room up the stairs. When she came back down, she disappeared into the hallway without a word, and Shepard wondered if she was to stay in this room or not. She'd never been a good guest. Awkwardness settled in the longer she was left alone, and so she helped herself to the view as she went to the windows. She heard the echo of a bottle opening and glasses being poured. T'Soni returned with wine and smiled bashfully when she handed one over to the soldier.

Shepard nodded in thanks, electing the company and comfort of silence. She wasn't alone in being alone in the privacy of thoughts. They sipped at their wines at their own pace, and the soldier savoured the sweet flavour. But slowly, even peace could turn into anguish.

"Can we go out onto the balcony?" Shepard asked.

T'Soni lead the way as her answer. She slid open the glass door, a simple intriguing observation by itself.

"You really like to do things on your own, huh?" Shepard noted. "Most people nowadays have a VI installed to open their windows for them."

"I guess I'm just not like most people," the archaeologist chuckled softly, but there was a wistful melancholy hiding in there. "Everything that's ever been expected of me, everything I ever excelled at... I turned away from it." She folded her arm and hugged her glass to her chest, looking up at the sky. She stretched her free hand towards it. "All it took was one story, left unfinished."

"The disappearance of the Protheans."

T'Soni nodded. "No one knows anything about them. They're wondrous and mysterious. Any galactic race's most advanced technology has benefited greatly from the Protheans. Their culture is subject to wide speculation and though they have left their technology behind, they have not left themselves behind. Or so I thought."

"So you thought? What changed that?"

"Your reports." T'Soni nursed her wine as her hand fell, a slip of a frown sweeping her lips. "I've dedicated nearly 50 years of my life trying to figure out what has caused their extinction. I've had my theories, but I could never find any direct correlation. It was mostly just a gut feeling from patterns that kept resurfacing. Then you show up, touch an actual working beacon, and my 50 years of expeditions was reduced to 50 seconds of reading."

Shepard shifted her weight and rested her elbows on the balcony's railing, watching air traffic buzz some distance below. "Do you resent it?"

"No, no resentment at all. It's a much-needed breakthrough, a fascinating discovery... But I am a little jealous, if I'm honest."

"Can't say I blame you. I'm just a human that stumbled on the beacon through sheer luck, or bad luck depending how you look at it. Meanwhile you've been actively searching for an answer for almost half your life. That takes serious dedication and patience, Dr. T'Soni. Most people would give up." She smiled over at the archaeologist. "I guess it's a good thing you're not like most people."

T'Soni chuckled humbly and assumed the same position on the railing. "I guess so."

"Here's to us lone wolves." Shepard clinked her glass against the asari's, then finished her wine. She held out her hand when T'Soni finished hers. "I'll get us more. Kitchen is where?"

"Down the hallway, the first left you come across. And thank you."

"No problem."

She carefully slid the door open with her foot and walked down, glancing behind her when she entered the hallway. She used this opportunity to check in on the other rooms of the place. It was partly curiosity, but mostly to help her make up her damn mind already about whether or not she could trust the archaeologist. There was some soul-searching, sure, but it wasn't the first time Shepard had been suckered in by emotion to hide true intentions.

Her search yielded nothing immediately incriminating except the seed of guilt growing inside of her, and she knew she wouldn't have time to access any terminals.

"She wouldn't be hiding anything in this place anyways, if she doesn't come home often. But she can say whatever she wants to get me to believe. Starting to wonder if she's onto me."

Shepard gave up her search for now and headed to the kitchen, pouring them more wine. She closed the bottle and tucked it under her armpit for more refills at the balcony instead. She needed to be more careful in how she maneuvered in their conversation, if she suspected that the archaeologist may already have suspicions of her own. When the soldier returned, T'Soni laid down a verbal assault.

"Your report mentioned the beacon gave you visions, but that part was vague, other than it eluded to the Protheans' extinction. Could you elaborate on what happened in those visions?"

Shepard handed the glass of wine over and set the bottle aside with a shrug. "They're unclear to me. It's faded and like a bad dream, or trying to remember something from childhood. But I remember synthetics tearing the Protheans apart. I thought it was geth at first, but since then I've learned that it's a different machine race called the Reapers. As you may have read in the report, they're responsible for the extermination and extinction of the Protheans." She knocked back her glass with a bitter chuckle. "But what do I know? It's just a crazy dream. The Citadel's council doesn't believe me. The only thing I can do is stop Saren before he gets his hands on this 'Conduit', whatever it does."

"It seems we are more alike than we both think," T'Soni noted quietly. She looked out and watched the traffic in the distance. "Nobody believes us. Nobody wants to believe us. I have been all alone with my theories, criticized to the detriment of my career, and you have been all alone with your visions." She sipped her wine. "I do not blame the others. I don't want to believe us either. I wish we were wrong." She sighed and her waist jutted out so that she rested her chin on her forearms, holding her glass by the rim as she swirled the liquid around. "And Goddess, I hope my mother is right."

"In aiding Saren?"

"No. In her method to stop this madness."

"How do you know that's what she's doing?"

"I don't. I can only hope." T'Soni turned her head to the side with a sad smile. "I am her daughter. Is it a punishable crime to believe in the best of my mother?" Her shoulder turned up in a half-shrug. "I'm not sure, though I can't help but feel responsible and guilty for hoping as such. I may not be what everyone expected me to be, but I still am what she expected me to be. I don't know how useful I will be, but I will do whatever I can as my own method to stop this madness."

Shepard poured herself another glass, wondering how strong this wine even was. It hadn't hit her yet. She saddled up beside the archaeologist, brushing shoulders.

"It doesn't matter if you're useful or not, Dr. T'Soni. What matters is that you're doing the right thing."

"Isn't that at the mercy and subjective will to one's belief of doing the right thing? Saren could feel as though he is doing the right thing."

"See, things like this, when she says things like that? That's really not helping me make up my mind." Shepard regarded the asari under a more watchful eye. "You read the reports, Dr. T'Soni. He wanted to blow up Eden Prime. Only madness will try to justify that. You said it yourself, you'll do whatever you can to stop this madness. That means Saren." She turned to face T'Soni, and there was something about the defeated slump in her posture that melted the boiling harshness away from the soldier's tone. "That may also mean Matriarch Benezia."

T'Soni chewed her lip and returned to watching the traffic. She closed her eyes with a sigh. "I know."

"And I need to know you're not going to try to stop me if it comes to that. If she's a threat, then you also know that I have to neutralize that threat."

"I know, I hope not, but... I know." T'Soni pushed off from the railing. "I won't stop you, but just please don't expect me to watch or kill my own mother."

"Not at all. No guarantees, but I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't come to that and try to apprehend her first. If she doesn't listen and surrender to me then maybe she'll listen to you."

Shepard went over to the bottle to refill the archaeologist's drink, who politely put her hand over the top with a shake of her head.

"It's been a long day, and I haven't gotten any rest yet. I'd like to sleep here tonight. It may be the last time."

"Of course." Shepard turned her omni-tool on. "I'll send you my personal frequency so you can contact me if you need me. What's your frequency?"

"What? You're not staying here?"

"Uh..." Shepard tilted her head to look over the asari's shoulder, peering into the apartment. "Where?"

"The bed." T'Soni's face screwed up for a moment, her cheeks darkening as she rushed out her next words. "I-I will take the couch, of course."

"Oh, sure." The soldier smiled, collected the bottle, then faced T'Soni with a resounding shake of her head. "Not happening. You're taking your own bed."

"B-but..."

"No buts, unless it's butt in your bed. If this is your last night here for who knows how long, then you should be the one appreciating your home." Shepard went inside to suck the strength out of the coming protests, avoiding it altogether as she head straight for the kitchen to unload the dirty glasses. A slight chuckle bubbled in the back of her throat when she turned around and crashed into the bumbling asari in the hallway. "Go on, now. By the look of that couch, it's more comfortable than the thing disguised as a bed in my quarters."

"B-but..."

"I will tie you up in your own bed if I have to, Dr. T'Soni."

That got the asari moving. She almost tripped on her own feet, uncoordinated from the wine. Even with sunglasses on, Shepard saw the fierce blush. She had actually struggled not to smirk when she realized the cause behind the intense blush and reaction.

"I suppose I should be more careful with my words."

Lights shut off even before Shepard had a chance to make it to the couch, and it got harder not to laugh from the sounds of sheets scrambling.

"But where's the fun in that?"

"Good night," came the shy murmur upstairs. "Please wake me up if there's anything you need." She grew concerned very easily, didn't she?

"I won't need anything. I promise I'll be fine, Dr. T'Soni. Try to, for at least tonight, to worry about nobody but yourself. You'll regret wasting these last moments here otherwise."

"Yes... You're right. Thank you, Commander. A-and please, call me Liara, if you'd like. Good night now."

"Not happening. Nothing personal, and I want to keep it that way." Shepard didn't really give an answer. "Mm-hm. Good night."