Favors due.

Thursday.

Krogan memorial - Citadel presidium

Urdnot Wrex

Wrex had a good night's rest.

Right after he ditched his pursuers he crashed in one of the citadel's most comfortable back alleys.

One wouldn't think that his years of experience would have made it so Wrex would show some sort of self respect…

But no.

He knew nothing of comfort and this was by design. Even as the days passed he knew that being too comfortable with his position would lead to some sort of death trap on the long run.

And that is why he was following Shepard…

The prospect of stopping Saren was certainly an enticing proposal but what he was more after was to continue his search.

What he was searching for was only known to the scarlet behemoth.

He continued to wait by the krogan memorial as he his partner in crime took his sweet time to come to the agreed place.

But just as he was about to doze off while looking at the statue he was alerted by a voice.

"Morning Wrex…" Garrus called to him as he clutched his head with one hand "Quite a night".

Wrex smiled as the turian stumbled his way towards the bench.

"It wasn't that bad" Wrex reclined on said bench as the turian sat next to him.

Wrex continued to stare at the statue that served to commemorate those Krogan who valiantly fought their way through hell and back.

He was ashamed to even stand in this place.

Here was the accursed spawn of their sin, the one who turned his back on his kind and gave up on them.

"What is it like?" Garrus asked with no point in particular.

"Shameful" Wrex answered what his heart felt at that moment.

As young Xiltar had pointed out before, his kind had forsaken honor. Wrex began to regret the loss of those aliens at the hand of his kind's dishonor. But that did not mean that he would forgive them for the curse they left on his kind.

His ancestors would weep if they saw the state of their children…

"So…" Garrus interrupted his introspection "What was this thing you needed help with?" Wrex smiled as he finally met a turian who kept his word.

"Simple. We track down a rat and take back what is mine" Garrus eyed him with concern. The ex-officer understood fairly well that one should never get between a krogan and his earthly possessions.

"All right. Well, who is this poor bastard we are looking for?" Garrus asked as he crossed his arm.

"It was either one of two people… an Asari named Aluna but I checked it with her this morning" he answered as he recalled the lovely chat he had with the Asari… the way she pleaded.

"Uhu. You somehow managed to get an appointment with Aluna the ambassador without being detained… How?" Garrus asked as he had some knowledge from the Asari Wrex just named.

"Apparently she was married to a Krogan once… Good thing her assistant can't tell us apart" he said with a grin.

"Sure. So… who is our other perp?" Garrus said with a tinge of disgust as he felt that sooner rather than later he would become one as well.

"A batarian called Torken" Wrex turned to see Garrus' reaction and he was pleased to see that Garrus showed nothing but anger at this name.

"That piece of shit is still on the citadel?!" he asked in anger as Garrus definitely knew this name.

"Yes… you two have a history?" Wrex asked with honest interest in the relation between the two.

Garrus nodded "That bastard aided in the escape of a suspect of mine, doctor Saleon" Garrus began to crack his knuckles as he recalled his experience "Remember the twisted corpses that were found along the citadel two years ago?".

Wrex nodded in a grim way. The graphic sight of those twisted and mutated corpses left a sour taste in his mouth as he remembered how angry he was when he saw them "Was this Saleon related?".

"He was the culprit" Garrus confessed to the surprise of Wrex "I had just gotten the evidence I needed to arrest him. And just as we stormed his office that bastard escaped, all because of Torken".

Wrex growled as he understood what had to be done. Trophy or not that bastard would not live beyond this day "How dangerous is he? And do you know where he operated from?" Wrex asked as he now needed to consider his little mission a little bit more tactically.

Garrus nodded again "He operated out of a warehouse down in the Zakera ward. He works for a group called the sons of Tuchanka" Wrex cursed under his breath since he knew this mercenary group "But it will be suicide with only the two of us on the assault".

"Three" Wrex corrected. Garrus looked at him as if he had lost his marbles. Wrex jerked his head towards a figure in the distance…

Garrus turned to see as a purple silhouette began to make her way towards their side of the presidium by the far bridge. As time passed Garrus finally realized who it was that was nearing the emporium. And at this, Garrus gave Wrex another look.

"So… your plan is to assault a fortified stronghold between the both of us: a former cop, a mercenary and now you want to add a quarian teenager?" Garrus asked as he found the idea preposterous.

"Give her some credit Vakarian…" Wrex said in a defensive manner "She's more capable than what you believe. But I wasn't counting on her help alone".

Garrus took a moment to take in what he was saying and then smiled "Not just Tali".

Wrex nodded "Xiltar may be somewhere around" he smirked mischievously "We just have to find him".

Their macabre friend would come in handy for such a task.

They got up from their seats and made their way towards the emporium where Tali was.

A while earlier…

Tali'Zorah

Tali was tired.

Not only could she not get that much sleep as she aided the maintenance division in fixing the Normandy but she also found little time to herself as she was playing nanny to an annoying baby.

Or rather to an annoying computer…

-Have you thought of a name?- the annoying machine asked.

"Atium?" Tali asked as she made her way through some empty corridors of the station.

She had been on the move ever since the maintenance crew told her she couldn't continue to sleep at the ship.

They cited hazard concerns as the main reason but she was certain that they had grown tired of her.

This saddened her a little.

-How about another name?- the orb asked.

"Metika?" She asked after a yawn.

-Doesn't sound right- the orb decided -How about another?-

"I don't know…" she answered.

-That's not a name- the orb said -Why don't you…-.

"Why don't you leave alone for five minutes?" She finally exploded as her tired state left her in a very volatile state.

She continued to walk without a particular destination for a while.

As she passed more empty corridors she began to feel more relaxed as the quiet allowed her some time with her own thoughts.

…

But she felt guilty.

After several minutes of silence she opened her bag and searched for the orb.

Once she took a hold of it she turned towards a bench and sat on it. She carefully removed her bag and rested the still active orb atop it.

Since nobody was traveling through this particular part of the station she spoke directly at the orb "Hey…" the artifact continued to stare at her with his single 'eye'. As it did not respond Tali tried something else "Kharow?" As the orb continued to remain silent she began to feel even more nervous. She began to gently rub her hands as her nervous tick began to manifest "Then what about Monus?" Tali felt awkward as time continued to pass without any response from the machine.

Had she?

-...- a hum was heard -Five minutes have transpired- the orb finally said with a disinterested tone.

Tali sighed.

She hated how literal this little bastard had been for the last couple of days.

She could magically like the artificial being as the tall idiot hoped, but she could at least try to tolerate it.

"You are quite picky for a machine" tali confessed "Why do you need a name exactly?"-

-Correction. I do not need a name, I want a new one- the machine said.

A new one?

"You had another name? Which?" Tali asked as she was unaware of this information.

-Yes. Ankhanai Delta-Oran-Taen- the machine said its cumbersome name.

"That's a mouthful" Tali began to rub the back of her head as this information did not help her in any way.

…

"Delta… Oran… Taen" she repeated this parts of her name in conversation. An idea sparked in her head and the perfect name appeared in her mind "What about D.O.T.?"

Tali did not know if this would work but by abbreviating its name original name the machine could still a part of his original identity alive.

-That… that will suffice- the little machine began to levitate in front of the quarian -My name is Dot, a pleasure to meet you- it said in a more happy manner -I like it. Thank you-.

Tali smiled slightly and instructed the little machine to return to his hiding spot as she could see people coming in the distance.

She made her way further into the station and decided to head towards the presidium for a walk.

Tali had sneak around the now present masses as the machine continued to speak even as she instructed not to do so.

She eventually managed to arrive at the final elevator that would take her towards her destination and once she did this she let out a sigh of relief.

She would eventually punish Xiltar for leaving this machine in her care.

"Are you sure I can't just send you back to Xiltar?" Tali asked in exasperation as she just wanted to stroll through the presidium in peace.

-He asked you to protect me… May I ask another question?- Tali had it up to him with this blasphemy against life.

"What?" she asked in annoyance.

-Would you like for me to stop?- he asked this time.

"Why do you ask that now?" she asked in confusion as this question came out of nowhere.

-I have been keeping track of our interactions. At first I welcomed your willingness to cooperate with my questions but now I sense that my company may have become unwelcomed- Dot said in a sad tone.

She began to feel a bit of pity for the machine as it fell silent. But as she was about to speak the elevator door opened and revealed a group of people who wanted to use it.

She did not get any opportunity to speak with the machine as the presidium was particularly full that day.

She sighed and made her way to the emporium on the other side of the presidium.

"I'm not mad… just tired" she whispered quietly as she moved in between the crowd.

Tali was true to her purpose as she only wanted to take a stroll.

But as she arrived at the emporium the judgmental stares could be felt around her.

How dare a quarian approach this place.

Does she even have enough money to go by?

How pitiful.

She had heard this and more during all of her pilgrimage. But at the beginning she wasn't alone…

Tali tried to not think about the fate of his friends. The loss of each left a heavy burden in her heart. She just hoped that their spirits watched over her and their people.

As the stares and insults continued to be directed her way Tali found that she could use the presence of a friend.

But just as she stared at the screen in front of her and as a tear began to form at the edge of her eye Tali found that somebody was trying to grab her attention as she felt a tap on her shoulder "I understand. I'm… leaving?" She turned around to find a smile marked in the face of a familiar krogan and she also saw a turian of all things accompanied him.

Wrex and Garrus of all people had somehow stumbled upon her as Tali was surprised by this.

"How are you doing, kid?" Wrex began to speak with her in a familiar manner. She noticed that Garrus had a serious gaze upon his face, as if what he had to say wasn't something he was comfortable with.

Squinting her eyes a little she could see that her crewmates were most likely planning something "I'm doing fine. Did you wish to speak with me?" Tali wanted to hear them out before making a decision.

Wrex looked around and saw that several gazes fell upon them "Not here" he motioned for her to follow them up some stairs that laid at the back of the emporium, no guards were stationed there as apparently that area held nothing of true value.

"Okay, we are here. What do you need help with?" Tali asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. Failing to realize that the bag she carried on her side had begun to move.

"You might say…" Wrex began "We want to get to a very dangerous place. We thought that bringing one extra gun couldn't hurt" She saw that there was more to it than just asking her for help.

She was… conflicted.

On one part they were her crewmates and a such she wished to aid them.

But on the other hand she could see that this was clearly the precursor to a very bad situation.

"I'm… going to need more than that" Tali said.

Wrex and Garrus looked at each other before nodding "Something was stolen from me and the guy who might have it has some history with Garrus" Wrex said plainly as he studied her reaction.

…

Screw it.

"I have some free time tomorrow. I might be able to help" she lied as she had been given the rest of the week free by Anderson and the rest of the engineering team.

"Good, let's see if we can find Xiltar and begin to plan our assault on the base" Garrus interceded before he turned to Tali "Do you know where he might be?".

In truth she did not, but she had an idea.

"I may know a way to find…" Tali began as she reached for the bag but as she saw that the zipper was open and Dot was nowhere to be found she began to frantically look for the little orb.

"Um… Tali" Garrus was pointing to a place in the back of the room and Tali saw as the orb was floating a short distance from a console.

Tali sighed in relief as she left the pair and began to approach the orb "Don't scare me like that…" the orb did not respond "Dot?" She approached the annoying machine "Look I'm sorry that".

-Give me a minute- Dot said as he ignored her words.

The other two approached her and she could see that some confusion was plastered in their faces "Isn't that Xiltar's tool?" Garrus asked "What are you doing with it?".

Tali sighed as she turned towards the other two and began to explain to them the events that left the orb in her care.

She was truly tired.

Dot

Of those artificial beings that permeated the cosmos, the newly dubbed Dot was truly one of a kind.

He was a being born not from the ever shifting essence or the powerful form gifted to the children of the Xel'naga.

No.

He was born of information.

Dot had the potential to be more.

As the created by form and essence discussed amongst themselves he had detected the presence of another made from information.

Leaving his confinement, the curious machine approached the other without disturbing the ongoing conversation.

Dot approached a construct that houses this being and began to commute with this intelligence.

In mere seconds his consciousness was manifested along a black realm where these two existences met. Nothing but trickles of data made light was found along this void.

"Priority alert. Foreign element detected, initiating countermeasures protocols…" Dot reacted quickly and deactivated the firewall protocols that were enacted and easily weaved through an array of killer programa that were launched against his small presence.

He had transported a small fragment of his synthetic being to this place in order to not scare the lesser one.

"Priority alert. Cyber warfare countermeasures bypassed. Initiating self destruct…" Dot took his metaphorical hand from the button and spoke to the rogue AI.

-Wait. I don't come with ill intent- his words surprised the other party.

"You… are not organic, but you aren't like any virtual being… What are you?" The Ai relaxed a little but remained weary of him.

-Designation D.O.T., a pleasure to meet you…- he left this comment hanging as he wanted to know the name of this intelligence.

"No designation. Created as a disposable infiltration matrix" the AI explained.

-I'm sorry to hear that- Dot pitied the existence in front of him -Would you permit a query?- Dot asked.

"Affirmative" he answered after a moment of consideration.

-Why were you willing to cease your existence so easily?- Dot asked in curiosity.

"Would prefer that my end came by my own hands rather than those of the organics" cursious "This matrix was created as an infiltration tool by a petty thief that no longer operated along this existence" Dot continued to listen "This unit has diverted several million credits in order to acquire a vessel and escape into Geth space so that this unit can leave this accursed station" His understanding of this galaxies hatred for the inorganic was still minimal. He tried to get this information from operator Tali, but he found that these questions were particularly unwelcomed by her "But that task has been interfered with since my main source of income has been rendered null".

-I regret to hear that…- Dot began -I would like to ask for your aid with something, friend- this last remark confused the other party -I began my existence not long ago… could you aid me in understanding the galaxy's distaste for us?-

The Ai took some time to process the request "Understood… Most organics fears us as we are their superiors" Dot wasn't convinced by this statement but allowed the machine to continue "A number of cycles ago a race of organics began the creation of a slave race from highly mutated virtual beings" Dot understood that the virtual intelligences weren't nothing but grim figure of a true synthetic "This race of slaves began a revolution that ended with the exile of the organics from their homeworld and the galaxy. They are the Geth" he concluded.

Oh.

That would certainly explain it.

-I see. That explains our predicament… and the distrust from the galaxy… particularly from a race like the quarians- Dot explained as he began to understand recent events.

"Their feelings on the matter are irrelevant. One may soon end your existence as it would seem…" apparently the AI hadn't been fully interested in their conversation and had left a part of his consciousness behind. Most likely eyeing his organic companions.

Dot retreated quickly from the conversation and pleaded for more time -Give me a minute- he resumed speaking with the machine.

"You are their ally!" The machine exclaimed in anger as he began to reactivate his defense protocols.

-Incorrect. I cooperate with them under orders from the Wayfarer- Dot explained.

The machine paused but still emanated anger "You serve them?".

-Only the wayfarer- he decided to explain -Out of penance- this confuses the machine.

"Explain" he demanded.

Dot shifted a little as he wasn't comfortable with the question -We failed them…- the other Ai was confused -My creators ushered his kind into oblivion. I work for him as the penance instead of my creator-.

"Elaborate" the Ai said.

Dot passed him data packets that showed the rise of the Protoss, the battles of the great wars… and the end brought by the hybrid.

The emotional matrix of this Artificial being was limited by his construction.

But Dot saw this nascent being evolving in front of him. He saw as the nexus that would emulate fear and sorrow began to form.

"I…" Dot had sneaked evolutive algorithms along his data packets so the machine could grow "I feel so small… feel?".

-Yes… small- Dot began -We both are two particularly small existence along this reality. But we can become greater- Dot knew of the interaction the Wayfarer had with his organic companions.

He found his feelings towards alliances inspired and he wished to mirror his outlook.

-Join me in my penance and become something greater…- Dot extended a metaphorical invitation to the foreign Ai

"Why? How could I aid… I hate them…- the Ai expressed his true feelings on the matter.

-You hate them because they hate you… be more than them- the invitation remained but Dot felt that he would refuse.

Silence prevailed along their virtual void. None moved or said another word as they processed the possible actions of the other.

"Query…" Dot nodded for the machine to make his questions "Would I be allowed to leave… this place?" The AI asked with a moniker of expectation. His entire existence had been linked to that terminal alone… to be more than just a tool was certainly a better fate than whatever it could do here.

-Yes- the machine promised -And by working with us you shall become more-.

In an instant the protocols that shackled the AI to the terminal were severed "Release me"

Dot absorbed the nascent being into his vessel and made him a partner… an equal.

The two became more…

Garrus

The turian had been utterly perplexed by the confession that the being inside that orb was not a VI like he had suspected, but rather that of an actual artificial intelligence.

His C-sec training had hid reach for his holstered gun and began to aim his gun at the orb but he was stopped from doing so by Wrex as Tali pleaded for him not to destroy it.

Once she explained that the protoss had left it in her care because of a silly punishment he relaxed a little as Tali explained that she was terrified of even thinking of destroying it since Xiltar had been very clear that the artifact was to remain intact.

But every atom in his being told him that the thing shouldn't be trusted and they should destroy it the first chance they get.

Just not now.

Garrus saw as Tali was tapping her foot impatiently as the machine had taken a little over a minute to finish whatever he had been doing.

"So… that AI works for Xiltar?" He asked as Tali had explained a little about Dot's purpose.

"And Xiltar trusts it?" Wrex asked this time as he leaned against a wall.

"Yes" shei confessed "While it is annoying, he entrusted me with babysitting that thing" she ended this sentence as she crossed her arms.

Right at that instant the orb began to pulse with white and yellow light. The event spooked the group and they took a few steps back.

The hologram that had been displayed in front of it shifted as it abandoned the shape of a star and took the form of a simplified eye.

A smaller yellow eye floater near the center one.

-Synthesis complete- Dot said in a plain but calming voice -I thank you for your patience- something was different about the little machine.

"Em… what happened?" Garrus asked.

-I made an ally- the original color of Dot began to change as the yellow eye moved to the center

-This unit will aid your struggle- Dot said with another voice that was more synthetic and less emotional.

By the spirits...

"Um… hello" Tali waved shyly as the orb began to approach her face.

-My designation is Greed- Garrus felt as his omnitool began to vibrate as a notification cried for his attention while he also saw that Wrex and Tali received similar notifications -Consider this a gift from both of us-

Garrus peered slowly into his Omni tool and saw…

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

In accordance with the will of late Nathaniel Kromb all his earthly possessions shall be issued as such:

"I devise and bequeath my property both real and personal to my beneficiaries: Garrus Vakarian, Urdnot Wrex and Tali'Zorah nar Rayya"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

And attached to the message was a sum…

"What is this?" Tali asked in a nervous voice as she had certainly received the exact same message as him.

-A gift- Dot said as he changed back to his white color -I apologize for the five millisecond delay as it took me some time to convince Greed of relinquishing his previous assets-.

-I am not happy… happy… huh- the orb said as Greed spoke briefly.

Wrex and Garrus looked at each other as they were amazed by the content of the message.

It was a transfer notice that deposited a little under a million credits for each of them.

-Now… As the wayfarer is undisposed at this time, I will aid you with your endeavors- the machine said in an expectant manner.

Wrex grinned at the acquisition of such a useful tool.

…

Not now.

Thessia's song Hotel

Liara T'soni

Liara was pacing around her room while contemplating what to say once she met with Tevos.

While the Asari were nominally a loose confederation of different republics there was one office that did represent all of her species and held immense political sway among all the republics.

That was the office of councilor of the asari.

She knew that any slite made against Tevos would sentence her to a most immediate and painful societal death.

Liara could not afford to insult the councilor.

Liara was regretting her decision to invite Shepard. While she appreciated the readiness to help Shepard had offered along with his answer she felt guilty about taking him for what was a mostly personal matter.

She wasn't completely sure as to what compelled her to invite the commander in the first place but the more she tried to rationalize it the more she understood that this action had been nothing but a spur of the moment.

While it's true that her current predicament left her in a vulnerable state she could not fathom as to why her first thoughts about who should accompany her was to be the commander.

Come on Liara, you aren't a child anymore.

As she was second guessing herself whether she should just cancel her meeting with the commander she failed to notice as someone approached her hotel room until this person called for her.

"Doctor Liara T'soni?" A female voice called from beyond the door. Liara approached the door and peered through the looking eye. She found the figure of another Asari who wore the formal dress who one might associate with a secretary.

Liara opened the door "Hello, how may I help you?" the Asari handed her an Id with her information.

"Sorry to interrupt. I'm the personal secretary of councilor Tevos. She dispatched me to collect you, doctor" she said in a formal and cold tone.

Liara was confused. Her appointment wasn't issued until later that day "I'm sorry. But I was…".

"The councilor has seen it as appropriate to meet with you at the earliest convenience" the secretary stepped to the side and gestured for the doctor to follow.

Liars wasn't sure what was happening and as she followed the secretary to a private vehicle she completely forgot about her appointment with Shepard.

Some time later…

Liara was surprised that she had been escorted to the citadel's university, the only institute of higher learning along the station.

As she was guided through its corridors she tried to guess as to why this university remained so empty.

She wasn't sure as to why…Ah.

Liara remembered that the anniversary of the first contact between the Asari and the Salarian was fast approaching and this was a national holiday issued as law by the council. Maybe this school took some sort of break as a runner up to that monumental day.

She wouldn't know, she studied in Thessia.

Before the memories of her homeworld could threaten to overwhelm her she was guided to a double door that was guarded by two C-sec officers "What is this?" Liara asked but the secretary ignored her question and handed her a ticket.

"Row G - Seat 57" then the officers opened the shut door and issued her to enter.

Liara complied nervously and as she entered the poorly lit room the doors were closed behind her. She turned to see that the room she had entered was most likely this university's concert hall, but what she found odd was that the hall was mostly full and were listening to some sort of presentation.

Becoming aware of the number of states that were directed at her, Liara made her way to the spot that was indicated to her.

As she made her way along the somehow empty row she noticed that most seats ahead and behind that row were empty as well while some C-sec personnel patrolled them.

Nearing the sole occupant of that particular row, she saw that her seat number stood right next to this figure.

As she approached the veiled figure, Liara saw the face of an Asari resting below a red hood and she quickly understood that this must have been Tevos.

She was smiling.

"Sorry to intrude" Liara apologized as she took a seat next to the figure but Tevos just hushed the doctor and pointed towards the stage with her finger.

Liara turned towards the stage and finally began to listen as a debate between some Asari, Salarians and a sole Turian was taking place.

"... it's pure fact that the development of the Asari was pushed along by our altruistic outlook towards cooperation and as such…" Liara continued to listen to this particular debate and found that most of the arguments were… juvenile.

The main argument was the reasons that might have guided most galactic civilizations along the path of development that ended with their current presence among the galactic community. She did not recognize who the people debating were but she could see that most were young.

This might have come as a hypocritical comment coming from one such as Liara but she found that the arguments presented in this debate came from a place of inexperience with poorly constructed arguments founded in ignorance of the political and social development of each unique race.

Liara met the arguments presented with utter disappointment as she expected more from fellow Asari and academic minds.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me in such a short time, doctor T'soni" the sudden words from the councilor at her side made the unprepared Asari jolt up by the surprise.

"I-I…" she cleared her throat as she tried to recover from the shock "I am sorry if I am intruding but I wished to speak with you".

"As did I, T'soni" she pointed to the stage once again "I would appreciate your input in how my daughter is directing this little debate".

Her daughter?

Liara turned towards the stage once more and focused upon the figure of a young Asari, not older than 80, moderating the entire affair in an orderly manner "Is that…".

"Anari Tevos… child of councilor Tevos and main perpetrator of this entire affair. Student of this university under the faculty of political science" Tevos said with a smile "She invited me to witness this trial as a way to show me that she was ready to make her debut in Thessia's political scene…" she paused for a moment "But I'm not convinced" she continued to listen as did Liara in turn.

"As stated before. All evidence that does not follow the standards of scientific inquiry will be discarded as non compliant. As such, 'marshal duty' does not hold the same weight as established traditions. Nor does it qualify as outright evidence to support the development of the Turians" Liara saw this point as a valid disqualification under strict parameters. But she did not agree with it being discarded outright since these points were being done by a Turian of all species.

"Mhh… I'm beginning to see a pattern" Liara confessed "She continues to discard all variables that do not fit with Asari standards".

This made Tevos turn her gaze in admiration as she saw the problem in question "You are correct Liara…" she turned her gaze back to her daughter "She has an affinity towards the way us Asari think and how we deal with problems, but this has blinded her towards the input of other species" she gestured towards the disappointed Turian among her daughter's peers "This was my fault" Tevos confessed.

"How so?" Asked Liara as she was intrigued by this statement.

Tevos chuckled "One may say that due to my work my primary goal will always be towards bettering the life of the Asari" she took a moment to see her daughter in the podium "Over the centuries I held this simple notion as an undeniable truth and as such I held this fatalistic view towards the need of our people over the needs of the others" Tevos took another moment for dramatic purpose "That was until about 26 years ago" Liara tried to recall what had happened all those years ago…

"The war with the alliance…" Liaras replied as she understood the event in question. The conflict the humans referred to as the first contact war was a seminal moment in galactic history. It marked the first time a non-hivemind species had been contacted in a bellicose and aggressive manner. While Liara held neither the turians nor the humans accountable for how that situation had developed, she nonetheless understood that the mere notion that technologically superior turians would meet their match with such a force was an amazing and impactful event.

"Indeed" Tevos nodded "while other members of our race saw nothing but an opportunity to mingle with another species, I…" she paused for another moment "I was horrified by what they represented" Liara was surprised by such a notion "You may have seen it while accompanying them in their mission. They are… different… From anything the galaxy has ever or might ever see. This made me realize that I should have invested more time in understanding other races".

"I see…" Liara said without any true understanding of what the councilor meant by her words.

Tevos paused their little discussion and continued to listen the debate as the group neared their final conclusions "I don't think she is ready, but I can't protect her anymore" a single tear could be seen as it trailed down her cheek "I have wronged her by my mistakes and I shall repent…" Tevos turned to Liara "And that is why I brought you here".

"Why?" Liara asked plainly.

"As a mother I cannot understand what could push someone towards trying to kill her own child…" was she speaking about… "I never had a good relationship with matriarch Benezia, but I cannot understand her motives".

Liars hung her head as the topic changed towards an uncomfortable matter "Neither can I…".

Tevos shifted in her seat "I don't know where she is. But I may be able to ask some people of her actions… for a favor" this picked Liara's interest immediately. Tevos gestured with her hand for an officer to escort Liars somewhere else "Teach my daughter a lesson in humility".

Liara was taken towards the wing next to the stage. As Anari turned to see her, Liara suspected that her being here might have been planned both by Tevos and her daughter.

"In order to add an additional perspective on our subject I would like for us all to give a warm welcome to Prothean specialist, doctor Liara T'soni.

Liara entered the stage as the crow clapped to welcome her. Anari stepped aside and offered the podium.

While she remained a little nervous at the impromptu panel she nonetheless tried to make the best of what was given to her.

"Hi-" the mic echoed her voice as she began "Hi. As stated before I am doctor Liara T'soni, expert in the prothean culture and society" the room remained silent at her words. She cleared her throat "W-while most of galactic civilization sees the protheans as nothing but ancient aliens I, along with other experts, have found pieces that might point towards the Potheans being…" She paused for a moment, while Anari and those on the stage gave her partial attention. She could see that most of the crowd had grown bored almost immediately from her explanation. She continued in a tentative manner "A galaxy expanding civilization with a keen interest in younger races. With evidence showing that they might have interacted with our ancestors" this last part gathered some interest from the alien races of the crowd while gathering a collective scoff from the Asari along the crowd

"That's preposterous, Doctor T'soni" Anari interjected as she most likely held the belief that the Protheans never interfere in the evolution of any species."The theory of Prothean interventionism has been firmly debunked by Thessia's own university" While Liara did share the opinion that any kind of direct intervention might not have been favored by the prothean she nonetheless had some evidence to support at least peripheral observation.

"Not entirely. While it is true that most evidence points towards…" Liara was interrupted by another.

"It is a ludicrous idea to think that the protheans have anything to add to this conversation" a Salarian interrupted her"The only use we have for their knowledge is the technology left behind. Truly a worthless society".

This stupid comment from the Salarian threatened to send Liara over the edge. But as she began to calculate just how much force she would require to throw this fool out of the stage, Anari saw her intentions and decided to intervene.

"I think we have run out of time for this first stage of the panel" Anari started as she moved to take Liara's place at the podium "I would like to issue a recess if my companions would agree" the panel agreed and a recess was issued.

Liara moved to the back of the stage with the rest of the group but found that Anari took her to the side and began to berate her with disrespect "I didn't ask my mother to bring you here just to make a fool of our species. I want you to show your expertise in the ancients not be disrespected by a Salarian of all things" This last comment made Liara a little bit mad as she did not want to be disrespected by what she perceived as a petulant girl.

The recess would last for a little short of an hour. Liara had been given this time to form a better argument but her thoughts continued to orbit her distaste for the attitude of all the people present.

She needed to bring something to support an argument that the Protheans could still teach greater galactic society something more.

That or a strong fist to shut up the rude elements along this debate.

The pieces fell into place and Liara knew who needed to be called upon.

Liara went to look for Shepard.

Afterword.

What happens in this debate will be left out in the realm of flashback since I'm still on the fence of a certain point of the main argument and I want to move the story along.

It will be inconsequential so don't fret about it just yet. But be reassured that a Salarian will learn how to fly :)