In the dim light of her office, Benezia sat hunched over her ornate desk, her hands delicately holding the intricate etchings of its surface. The once-bright sapphire glow of her biotics had risen and faded in tandem with her worries over the past few days, like waves of an ocean beset with storms. An ever-present weight pressed down on her, matching the relentless rhythm of her thoughts, each more bleak than the last. What if the mission had failed? What if the humans and asari were lost to the abyss? The depth of the silence from the other side of the Omega-4 relay had been suffocating. She'd crafted and recrafted countless contingency plans in her mind, analyzing outcomes, moving pieces on a grand galactic board. She knew her list of allies had grown thin, more so after Liara's bold step into the limelight.

The construction of new relays. It had been held over her head in an attempt to cajole control over the Prothean technology from Ilos. And Benezia had been ready to break the galaxy in half before taking that away from her daughter. But Roy, that human Prism Box, had produced another solution for them. The use of the Conduit was, of course, something they had considered already, but it was still missing the other half of the equation. Pretending to have the necessary knowledge to build relays - while secretly stealing it from the Republics - was one thing. Having the resources to make use of it was another one. And the Systems Alliance was already stretched thin building a fleet they didn't yet know would be the backbone of their response to the Reapers.

The Collectors were the answer Roy had given them. There were remains of ships past the Omega-4 relay stretching so far as to make a visible accretion disk around the black hole that sat at the center of it all. And he had the Geth - the Geth! - ready to begin construction of the missing half of the relays as soon as the right time was chosen. With that, the carriers the humans were relentlessly building could become a network of mobile relay pairs.

Those were the stakes, which had robbed her of far too much sleep for an asari of her age and disposition. A Matron could be excused for letting her worries get to her. A Matriarch in her position, not so much. Thrashing around on the surface was unbecoming.

When the report finally arrived, her initial reaction was unfathomably deep relief. The silence had been broken. The holographic screen before her highlighted the success of the mission, but even the best of news bore its own weight. The numbers told a story: one asari cruiser lost, but many lives saved due to the valiant efforts of the humans. Benezia's eyes scanned the details, noting the lengths the humans had gone to protect their allies, even risking their lives to save asari of unknown provenance from the depths of a Collector ship. The resilience and selflessness displayed by the humans tugged at her heart. Perhaps she was getting more sentimental in her old age.

Lost in her contemplation, she leaned back, fingers steepled, eyes narrowing as the gravity of the report set in. A nagging thought persisted. There were gaps in the narrative, depths left unsounded. Benezia knew that the asari behind the report lacked the full context. Shiala would have given her the true significance of events with a nuance and depth that no one else could match. Her protege's absence from the frontline reports was notable, but at least the news of her survival brought a momentary comfort. As it is, she couldn't know whether the actions carried out after victory were in line with Systems Alliance operating procedure, or if there was something else. Someone else with knowledge of the events about to transpire. There was Roy. There was Doctor Solus. Sokel, the Drell that Javik seemed to favour the most.

Are there others? Allies, or enemies?

Once again, her thoughts turned to indoctrination. The biggest threat to their endeavours. It wasn't merely the repeated, and very urgent, warnings Roy had given them. Treachery from those who don't even know are traitors. It was hard to conceive a more dangerous form of it.

Going for a clean, and getting a chunk bitten off.

Benezia chuckled lightly. It was the kind of saying she knew Roy would appreciate, but in reality, Asari couldn't match humans when it came to the colorfulness of their language. Sure, Thesserit could be elaborate and layered, but it wasn't as clever as the multitude of human languages.

She want back to the report. The unspoken elements were perhaps the most significant. It wasn't just a military victory; it was a stand against the shadows that lurked at the edge of the galaxy. The Reapers. The deliberate destruction and disposal of the Collector remnants into the gravitational pull of the black hole felt symbolic. A statement that no indoctrination or manipulation would be tolerated. It was a firm foot placed on the path of resistance. But it was also a sign of danger. This was direct action, and she doubted the Collectors were the only servants the Reapers possessed. Now it was time to dive deep and swim slowly.

Her thoughts turned to the political game. As with everything, each move had its cost. The price of the lost asari ship and its crew was not just material, but emotional. Benezia felt the sting of each life lost, imagining the families, the stories cut short. She mourned them in silence, allowing herself a few moments to remember them as more than just numbers on a report. But beyond the grief lay the pragmatic reality. There would be a political price to pay. The death toll would be wielded as a weapon by her adversaries, questioning her decisions, her leadership. More ammunition for her detractors. Each asari lost was a potential ally or supporter gone, depending on their standing and connections, and in the shadows of the asari republics, there were always those waiting to exploit a perceived moment of weakness.

But at this point, despite the losses, she was coming from a position of strength. The mission had been, ultimately, successful, something that would have weighted like an anchor on her had it not. It was her, through Trina Palav, who had arranged for the evidence of Collector activity to appear. A modified prototype of the initial Thanix designs, a couple of attacks staged to not cause loss of life, but cause enough concern. All that, a small push here and there, and leveraging Roy's particular brand of naïveté - too honest, too straightforward - and the Systems Alliance had taken the bait like a hungry groper. The Quarians had been much easier to convince, as they were set to benefit the most while taking little risk. But there was something else that bothered her, a piece that she knew didn't fit. And would never do, as bringing attention to it would put too much of their plan in jeopardy. The disappearance of the Chadwik remained a mystery. One that bothered her. But the Systems Alliance believed the Collectors were to blame. Or at least, it was their leading theory. Roy had identified the little footage they had as one of their Oculi. But there had been no trace of them in the Collector base, or their ships. Something bothered her about the resolution.

She took another sip of her tea, grimacing in disappointment. Bitter. She had over steeped the leaf. Or maybe it was her, she was losing the taste for what, in times past, she'd have simply ascribed to the cost of political power. It made everything taste that much worse.

With practiced ease, she poured out the remains of her tea, and prepared a new brew. As she did, she pondered the Council's potential reaction to recent events. Tevos had been an asset, her loyalty bolstered by that little present Roy had dropped on her that many tides ago. But this was pushing the limits. She had been the one to arrange passage without the self-proclaimed Queen of Omega making a fuss, and that was asking a lot. She was sure favours were promised. Plus, there was the invisible tug of the strained ties between humans and turians, made only worse by the new human Councillor. The galaxy was growing restless, like a beast stirring from slumber. Not a bad thing, if properly handled. But at this rate, it was only a matter of time before the Council's complacency turned into alarm.

Yet she couldn't allow them to step into matters too early.

The thought of indoctrination returned like a shadow across her mind, darkening her contemplation. They had struck a blow, yes, but retaliation was inevitable. The delicate balance they'd maintained was at risk. The notion that Nazara, that roaming reaper Roy had promised existed, remained unaware of their movements was a fragile hope at best. Every movement, every whisper in the galaxy had to be observed closely. The insidious threat of indoctrination was everywhere, lurking just beyond perception. And so far, only the Hanar had been properly handled.

Kahje's reaction to Javik had been, in a word, fanatical. It was both heartening and concerning to see the hanar so ardently rally to the cause. The enthusiasm they'd shown in field-testing the Prothean-derived indoctrination detection tech was unlike anything she'd expected. Kahje had become a fortress, ejecting all outsiders in their fervent zeal. A smirk graced Benezia's lips as she imagined the turian military subjecting themselves to such scanning with similar enthusiasm. That would be a sight to behold. And would make her life, oh-so-much easier.

She was pulled from her reverie by a sudden ping from her desk, the holographic interface flickering to life with a news broadcast. The image of Emily Wong, the vibrant young journalist, filled the screen. Benezia recalled how Liara had taken a particular interest in the reporter, using her as a conduit for their discoveries.

And now the stage is set.

Emily's voice was filled with palpable excitement, "-aking news!" she intoned, in that over-the-top fashion human newscasters liked to employ. "We have received an exclusive report. The Geth have discovered remnants of Prothean technology on their new homeworld!"

Benezia's eyes narrowed. She knew the truth behind this announcement. This was a gambit, a move to force the asari's hand over the coveted relay-building tech. It was a bold lie, one that would surely have repercussions. The 'Prothean' tech was, in fact, of asari design, cunningly disguised and transcribed into Prothean by none other than Javik. Now the Systems Alliance had, at least in theory, the means to build half the relays that the asari had been secretly hoarding. And that they had dared try to use as leverage against Liara.

The other half of the shell.

"As of our last report," Emily continued, making a mountain of what had been an extremely short report leaked to her, "our sources tell us that the Geth have turned all the tech to the Systems Alliance, in both a show of good will, and because of the System's Alliance experience with our Prothean beacon on Mars."

She exhaled slowly, the weight of the impending political storm pressing heavily on her. While it was a play she could admire for its audacity, the potential fallout was enormous. The threads of her plans, interwoven with those of others, were coming to a head, and she had to ensure that any blame or suspicion would be deflected from Liara. The stakes were high, and the game had only just begun.

The thought had barely reached the shore when her communicator blared angrily. Who could it be, other than Tevos. Benezia smiled. She was starting to believe that, even if they managed to defeat the reapers, Tevos would never reach her Matriarch stage. Her heart would likely give before then.

Our triumphant return to Arcturus was... a lot less triumphant than I'd have imagined at first. We spent quite some time past the Omega-4 Relay, making sure there weren't any surprises left, and cleaning up the mess. The remains of the Collector base had been more or less dealt with; several days of throwing stuff into the black hole took care of that. Well, not really, just throwing it in the general direction and letting orbital mechanics eventually do the rest, but it was funnier to think about it that way. Much like Superman seems to fix all his problems by throwing them into the Sun.

During that time, and after getting a hell of a dressing down from Kim about abusing my implants, I had been on a very strict restricted schedule. Holy crap but had Kim been mad at me.

"What was Lieutenant Luca's first question to you?" she had asked.

"Err... If I was free?"I had replied.

"Her first question was asking about your status. So why the hell wasn't your answer 'sir, I'm suffering from stim fatigue and nearing implant failure'?!" and she was being very loud at that point.

"I-"

"What, you wanted to help? How the hell can you help anyone from a hospital bed!"

It went on for a while. So, yeah, very strict schedule, and on top of that, she had deputized Shepard (her words, not mine) to kick my ass if I stepped out of line. And Shepard absolutely loved every second of it.

Seriously, what the hell...

So that aside, once we had cleared the debris and run enough patrols to expect no more ocular surprises in the future, we packed up and left. There wasn't any fanfare, welcomes, or anything. We rendezvoused with some asari, who took the surviving ship and all the crew we had rescued, and left. I still had no idea who those asari Shepard and company had fished out of the Collector ship were, but they had been kept well away from everyone, in complete isolation. Mordin's idea, actually, which didn't surprise me one bit all things considered. And after that, we disembarked at one of the SA's shipyards and made our way to Arcturus in shuttles.

As I said, not very glamorous, but really, at this point I was just relieved it was over. The rest of the crew had mentally called it a day the moment the major engagement was won, but I was too nervous about any possible surprises left in there to relax.

For now, my orders were to stick around, but so were everyone else's it seems. And soon it was clear it was a review and evaluation exercise for everyone. Good times.

When my turn came, I kind of expected I'd have to go through a whole lot of questions with the upper brass about the Collectors and what might come next, as usual. Instead, I was called to Commander Nelson's office for a very brief affair. When I arrived, there were several of us just waiting, but it didn't take too long. Seems like the Commander wanted to get things over and done ASAP.

"Sir?" I called when it got to my turn.

"Come in Chief," Nelson replied. He was sitting at a rather sparse looking desk, with just a terminal and a single datapad in his hands. "Have a seat."

"Thank you sir," I replied, doing as ordered.

"I won't waste your time and mine, Chief," the Commander said. "How are you holding up? You gotta take care of yourself."

"Better,"I said, and pointed at my head. "I've got an oil change booked at the clinic tomorrow."

Nelson chuckled and shook his head. "Well, see that you don't miss it. Don't want you to burn out. But anyway, to the topic at hand." He looked at the terminal, and then at me. "I've read Baker's report on you, as well as a note he left for me. Chief, you do know we do more than issue orders, right? That career advice is literally part of our job description?"

"Yes sir," I said, and sighed. "Honestly, I get it. I've just... I've had a lot coming at me non-stop. Just haven't had a moment to pause and think."

"And?" Baker prompted.

"And... I think I'm in a good place, sir. Just have to center myself and don't try to do too much. Easier said than done I suppose."

Nelson nodded, and handed me the datapad he had been spinning in his hands. "I had a chat with the Admiral, and we both agree that this might be a good move for you. Have a look."

SYSTEMS ALLIANCE NAVAL HEADQUARTERS

Office of Special Training and Development

Arcturus Station, Arcturus Stream

To: Roy Morgan, Service Chief, SSN: 5742-AB-2814
From: Admiral Ilena Jax, Director of Training and Special Operations
Subject: Invitation to Systems Alliance Ranger School

Service Chief Roy Morgan,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits.

It is my pleasure to formally extend an invitation to you to join the Systems Alliance Ranger School for the upcoming session, based on the commendations and recommendations we've received from Rear Admiral Aino Kishi and Commander Eric Baker. Their reports speak highly of your performance, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the mission.

The Ranger School is a unique and demanding program designed to hone the skills of the Systems Alliance's best and brightest. It is not merely a training program; it is an institution that moulds individuals into elite soldiers, capable of handling the most precarious and challenging situations in the galaxy. Your acceptance would put you among a select group of individuals who have shown the potential for excellence at this level.

Your distinguished service and dedication have not gone unnoticed, and it is our belief that the Ranger School will provide you with the tools and experiences necessary to further elevate your abilities. Should you accept this invitation, you will be immersed in an intensive training regimen, blending both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience.

Please respond with your decision by November 1st. Should you have any inquiries or require additional details about the program, do not hesitate to contact my office. We look forward to the possibility of welcoming you to the Systems Alliance Ranger School and watching your progression through this elite training program.

With respect and admiration,

Admiral Ilena Jax
Director of Training and Special Operations
Systems Alliance Naval Headquarters

Attachments: Systems Alliance Ranger School Program Overview, Logistics & Preparatory Guidelines.

"I... Ranger school, sir?" I said, after reading the letter a few times.

"Indeed. Based on Baker's assessment, we've been using you wrong. You seem very eager to try to do everything yourself, tech challenges notwithstanding," Nelson said. "If we want you to make the best of what you've got, we have to take the shiny toys away and put the blinkers on so you can focus. And combat is where he thinks you'll excel. On reflection, I tend to agree with him."

I read the letter again. Ranger school. That was bringing some pretty bad memories of flunking out of N-school. Tell you the truth, it did sting a lot more than I let on, but it is what it is, as the saying goes. I was also reminded of the letter they had sent me as an invitation. That one had been, like, two lines that sounded something akin to get a move on. A lot less welcoming for sure.

"Sir, considering how I did at the Vila, I'm not sure this is a good idea," I said.

Nelson looked at me for a moment, then smiled. "Morgan, let me give you a piece of advice," he said, and waited until I nodded back. "Don't think of this as some sort of second opportunity shop for people who can't make N7. Because it's not. It's a very different set of skills, and believe me, there's situations where a detachment of Rangers is literally the best and only answer to one's prayers. We don't have a lot of scrolls on the Einstein, so you haven't seen them in action. You usually find them in ground garrisons. And between you and me, I wouldn't mind having a few more in the crew."

"I see..."

"Think about it," Nelson said. "That invitation is there because you fit the bill, and you've proven it. If Commander Baker says it, you better believe it."

"All right, I'lll... I"ll have a think about it. Thank you, sir."

"That's what we're here for, Chief. Dismissed. Oh, and call Kazantzakis in on your way out, please."

I did as ordered and headed out, datapad in hand and head buzzing. Well, that was mostly the implants, which I was indeed going to have checked soon, but this had caught me by surprise. Ranger school. A quick look showed that the attached document was quite the lenghty read, so I put it aside and headed out for, what else, ribs. Relay Rob's had almost become a second home at this point, and given how I was now in the "definitely tiny" category for my quarters, it was roomier than my own place.

The place was abuzz when I arrived, and it took me a moment to realize I was standing there waiting for Shepard to call me, as she usually did. Huh. I scanned the room, and found her in no time, as well as the reason she hadn't noticed me - or anything else for the matter.

It had something to do with the gigantic pile of ribs in front of her.

"Are you trying to make pigs go extinct, Lana?" I said as I reached the table.

"Rob! I mean, Roy!" she said, prompting the others to laugh. Alenko, Goldie, and to my surprise the asari that had been with their team, Fulle.

"I get it, I can't compete with Rob," I said, sitting down with a fake wounded gesture, to even more laughter.

"I'm soooooorryyyyy!" Shepard said, her dramatic rendition somewhat undermined by the fact that she went back to the ribs.

"So, Chief, what did you get?" Goldie said.

"Get?" I replied.

"That!" she added, pointing at the datapad. "They're sending us all over the place! It's over!"

"Or maybe it's because the Einstein is out of commission while they fix it?" Alenko said.

"Can't be, it's fine!" Goldie replied. "Ready to take on anyone!"

I just shook my head and raised the datapad. "An invitation to Ranger school for me."

The declaration was met with exclamations of surprise and congratulations, and not just from the people at my table. A few complaints were made by others about how paltry their own duties seemed in comparison, with joint exercises here, ship rotations there, and even some who were merely taking leave.

"That's amazing Chief!" Goldie said. "That explains why you're not here!" she added, raising her own datapad.

"Huh?"

"Goldie's School for Designated Marksmen! I'm going to start a new program! I'll tell them all about you, don't worry Chief."

"You... what?!"

I looked around, but given the smiles, it didn't seem serious. Shepard was the one to make sense out of Goldie's ramblings. "It's not a school for anything," she said. "They want to see how units operate with Designated Marksmen and Mambas in some exercises."

"Yeah, I get to teach them!" Goldie said.

Shepard just chuckled and went back to her food.

"Well, make us proud," I said to Goldie, "and make sure you make good use of that Black Mamba of unknown origin you seem to have acquired."

"Will do sir!" she replied, not at all fazed or raising to the bait I dangled. Of course she didn't.

"What about you Lana?" I said.

"Well..." she muttered over a mouthful.

"She's the most wanted woman in the Navy," Alenko said. "She's been offered OCS, the Vila, and special training," he added, pointing at Fulle.

"That was not my offer," the asari replied. "It was her idea, I just said definitely maybe."

Special training? Huh? It seemed like a lot of things were happening where and when I wasn't paying attention. I looked at Shepard, but the way she looked at me was eloquent enough - despite the mouthful of bbq sauce.

Later.

Author's Notes: All right, been a long-ish time coming, but finally get to the part I wanted for Roy. Ranger school! Maybe I laid it out too thick, but the idea was pretty much as Nelson put it. Instead of being all over the place (M1, E2, sniping, Spectre shit, intel, training assistant for N7s, +1 for their parties, and the rest of it), focus. And if you want combat training, with all due earned respect for SpecOps, Ranger is where it's at. I didn't want to rehash things already discussed, so I made Nelson be busy and get to the point on the double.

That aside, with Benezia, since it was her on her own, it ended up being a kind of infodump/introspective chapter. A lot of things explained, about the moving parts that clicked together and what's coming next. And I confess I'm enjoying giving Tevos endless headaches a little too much...

So thanks everyone for the reviews and the support, truly! Just to highlight:

Anyway! If you like what you see, you can always throw a bit of support (which is GREATLY appreciated) my way at:

tinyurl (period) com (slash) y2q9cop6

Thanks for all the reviews! Next time, well, next time something... else is going to be happening somewhere else. The galaxy doesn't stop just because you're stuck on the other side of the Omega-4 relay. Until then!

Oh, and since it's been asked - I'm not shipping Fulle and Shepard! Just clearing that out :)