Hours had passed as she slowly but surely walked back and forth for several reasons. Not only had Athena's body been recovered by none other than Liara T'Soni, but she had also managed to stumble upon someone who could bring her back from the dead. Of course, Zariya was genuinely curious, for little did most races know that Erothyneans had regenerative cells within them, allowing them to live what some would call "eternal lives" as long as their brains were functioning and their hearts were beating after whatever unfortunate circumstances had befallen them. She could not help but wonder what kind of technology this Illusive Man possessed that would give him the ability to resurrect the dead — especially when their hearts and brains were no longer functioning.

But what really got her intelligent brain working was trying to figure out what to tell her father. Should she lie or be open and honest? Zariya could never bring herself to lie. Beating around the bush and telling the truth without telling the whole story? Absolutely. All she could do was let out a heavy sigh as she pursed her lips, trying to think of something to tell her father without "spilling the beans," so to speak, because she really didn't want him to lose his place on the Council. Not only that, but the mere thought of word getting around the Citadel and causing an unnecessary uproar bothered her to no end.

"What to do?" she hummed to herself, unsure of the situation. "What. To. Do?" She continued to pace back and forth, thinking of possible scenarios, only to throw almost all of them out the window …

… until she came up with the mere thought and idea of talking to Admiral Hackett.

"That should do it," she thought.

Letting soft breaths pass through her softly parted lips, Zariya sighed heavily as she made her way to Admiral Hackett's office. Luckily for her, the man had only boarded the Citadel a few days ago to give Anderson an overview of everything that had been going on with him "under the table" since he didn't, couldn't, and wouldn't take direct orders from the Council. Oh, the perks of running a Spec Ops group and being affiliated with the Alliance Navy and no one else. And it was a good thing he did not take orders from them, considering their lack of ethics and research into what had happened over the past few years, let alone several millennia.

Her heart pounded as she reached her destination. She knew the Admiral would agree to help her, but she loathed the idea of not telling her father the whole story. Was she lying? Was she not lying? Zariya had no idea. All she knew was that going to him for help was the only realistic option she had - especially since her father was a member of the Council, and had been for some time.

With a petite, light-skinned hand clenched in a fist, Zariya raised it to knock on the door, only to have it open when her fist was not even two inches from it. On the other side of the door was the Admiral himself, about to leave for his own ship. Needless to say, this startled both of them.

"Zariya," Hackett called out, surprised but still professional. "I didn't expect to see you. Is everything okay?"

"I … " she paused, hesitating before answering, not knowing how to respond. In fact, it made her heart beat even harder than before. Dropping the clenched fist to her side as her shoulders slumped, Zariya answered truthfully, " — not really, no. I … I need your help with something."

"Of course," he nodded as he stepped aside to let the young Erothynian woman make her way into his room. He motioned for her to go to the two chairs directly in front of the desk he often sat at when he was at the Citadel. Hackett pulled out a chair for her, sat down not too long after she did, and asked, "What can I help you with?"

"Well," she began, trying her best not to panic and have a breakdown in front of him. Her fingers were shaking, as was her voice and her breath as she tried to explain everything to the man sitting in front of her, "I received some news earlier and I don't know how to handle it without involving my father.

"I see," the Admiral mused, nodding as he clasped his hands together. "So, of course, you came to me for advice on what to do or how to handle the situation at hand."

"Yeah … " her voice trailed off as she nodded, avoiding eye contact. Twirling her fingers and thumbs, she continued, "Something like that."

"So what is it you need help with?" Hackett asked, his voice sincere. He knew it had to be serious if she came to him first … or so he assumed she came to him first. The body language, the voice, the aura - it alarmed him. He'd learned at a young age that actions spoke louder than words, and there was no denying that the saying was true right then and there with Zariya. He saw how scared, how nervous she was about the situation. The way she acted right then and there wasn't like the Zariya he knew and that worried him … a lot. With a calloused hand pressed firmly against her lap, Hackett spoke up, "Whatever it is you need my help with, I'll do it. I just need to know what's going on. Promise."

"A friend of mine found Athena's body," Zariya confessed … finally. "And she needs my help to bring it to someone who claims to have the ability to bring her back from the dead. I would ask my father for help, but I can't. I won't. Not without risking his position on the Council."

"Mmmm," he hummed, placing nothing more than an index finger and thumb to his chin as he nodded a few times in Zariya's general direction. Her situation was indeed a dilemma. Crossing his arms over his suit chest, the Admiral nodded once and said, "I'll do it. Just tell me everything and only you and I will know about this situation. All I ask is that you keep me informed, because this is a need-to-know situation."

"Of course, Admiral," she said. "Anything to make sure no one finds out about this."

"Then let's get started."