Notes:

A Grá - My Love (Gaelic)

Anam Cara - Soul Friend/Mate (Gaelic)

FTL - Faster Than Light travel

Siame - "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)

Hide and Seek

Antibaar, Tereshkova, Armstrong Nebula – 2 Sep 2190

Following the Thresher Maw battle, the teams returned to their respective ships to treat their wounded and reassess the situation. No one wanted to walk away, as there was a definite signal coming from the site and no one cared to admit defeat.

"We'll not run like panicked baby Pyjaks, Lady Liara," stated Lieutenant Corrina Vasir, the lead for Team 1 aboard Liberation. "We came on this journey expecting conflict, else you would have no need of us. It is our purpose here. Our doctors, Rina and Kalesta, are well versed on combat medicine and all our personnel will fully recover – including those with acid burns. Thanks to you, the dermal-reconstruction equipment onboard our ship is top of the line, so they'll be better than new in a couple of weeks."

Lieutenant Maylik Leli, the Freedom Team 1 Lead, added in, "And, of our twenty-four personnel, we have twenty remaining at full capability, so have rearranged the squads into three full teams for today, with two spare commandos, who we can call on as fill-ins… or specialty ops… should it become necessary. We decided it was better than having four short teams."

Glancing at Shepard, Liara received her assessment through the link. {That works with the team leadership as well, with Lieutenant D'Kevus being one of the injured… so no inexperienced team leads thrown into a potential battle scenario,}

"That sounds good to us." Looking back to Maylik, Liara nodded in approval. "So, we'll be picking up where we left off yesterday, with the shuttles dropping us at the entrance… hopefully with no more Threshers deciding to crash our party."

"Ready to go when you are," smiled the Lieutenant, with nods of agreement from the other two team leads. "And should another Thresher pop in, we'll handle it the same as yesterday… and everyone will have another scale to add to their collections."

Pyramid Facility, Joab, Enoch – 3 Sep 2190

Aria and her team were working hard. Even after Shepard and Liara had come and gone, and for reasons Aria could not fathom, there was obviously still a contract out there in the ether with the purpose of preventing any team from doing research on the Protheans. As promised, Sharon Culver had alerted her to the incoming Blue Suns. Aria had already picked them up on their long-range scanners, but that wasn't the point; what was the point was that Culver had come through with hardly any time lag, notifying Aria's fleet within minutes of their own detection of the incoming ships.

Now, Aria and her team were hard-pressed. The numbers of Blue Suns who poured out of the dropships were indicative of their previous defeat at this same facility. They had no intention of failing a second time and the Queen of Omega, after being engaged with this attack going into the second hour, was seriously considering having to call in the Alliance team for assistance, or else risk being overwhelmed.

She was still contemplating making the call when she suddenly felt a presence at her back. A Blue Suns engineer had somehow gotten behind her and Aria – who, seemingly in slow motion, saw the soldier grinning as he prepared to kill her – realized she had waited too long to call in that extra help. Well… Fuck!

Much to her surprise, when the shot came, it was a sniper round that whizzed by the side of her head… going in the opposite direction, taking the engineer down with a clean headshot. Without the fear of imminent death, time returned to normal speed and Aria spun back around and hunkered down, attempting to locate the source, but was unable to find whoever it was that just saved her ass. A theory crossed her mind, and she made the call she knew she had to make.

"Culver. Where the fuck are you?" Aria's assumption immediately proved to be correct.

"Close enough to help, obviously, but not close enough for you to kill me because I showed up uninvited at your party."

"You are exactly like Shepard… an ass, but a welcome one, I suppose," admitted Aria, however grudgingly. "Your whole team here?"

"Not without an invite from you… but they are standing ready and can be on scene roughly ten seconds after I make the call."

"Do it." Aria ground her teeth over the admission, but added, "I'll thank you in person later, assuming we actually survive this fight."

"Oh, we'll do more than survive it," answered Sharon. "We'll win it, and there will be no Blue Suns left to tell the tale. See you soon, T'Loak."

"Any other Alliance ever stood on this ship?" Culver looked around at the mixed crew. Even though it was a battle cruiser and immensely larger and more powerful, Sharon immediately drew the parallel between the ship's crew and Shepard and the Normandy.

"Absolutely not," answered Aria before pausing and retracting. "Well, no one but Shepard, but she was here as… Shepard. Maybe even as a Spectre, I suppose, gaining assets for her war."

"For our war, Aria." Sharon canted her head slightly as she looked over the Queen of Omega. She was standing ramrod straight with her arms crossed over her chest, even her facial expression screamed 'don't fuck with me'. Sharon allowed herself a smile as she finished her statement. "The Reapers were a threat to us all, so we all had to play our part. And, from what I hear, you did more than most… and more willingly."

"Don't you dare be spreading that rumor around." Aria gave Culver her best glare. "I made that deal only because I needed help wresting control of Omega back from fucking Cerberus. That's all, so don't be reading anything else into my motivations."

"Still." Culver shrugged off Aria's reprimand. "I feel privileged to be the first Alliance representative to be standing on the Bridge of the Omega fleet's command ship."

Aria almost smiled but managed to nip the urge before it became reality. "And don't be telling anyone about that, either. That's all I need… to be linked with the Alliance… worse yet, having to ask them for help." She suddenly stopped and closed her eyes, whispering, "fuck" before reopening them and looking at Culver again. "This goes nowhere. Do you understand?"

The Bridge fell amazingly silent for being an operational cruiser, and Sharon could sense the immediate tension in the air, every ear suddenly tuned to whatever her response was going to be. It was, quite honestly, the first time Culver actually felt concern for her own wellbeing during the entire time she had spent here at Joab. As such, she chose her next words very carefully.

"We're Alliance Special Operations, Aria." Culver made sure to meet Aria's eyes directly as she answered, her voice hard and unwavering. "That's why the 'powers-that-be' specifically requested us for this mission. We don't talk about where we go, what we do, or who we work with. We protect both our allies and our sources. That is non-negotiable and every single person on my team knows that."

Sharon dared a small smile as she continued, "As for this… this is personal, between you and me. A personal invite from Aria T'Loak to join her on the Bridge of her battle cruiser. An invitation as thanks to someone who maybe helped her out of a little jam, who could maybe become a friend… or at least a trusted ally…"

She didn't get to finish as Aria actually started chuckling. "Oh, for fuck's sake, do stop while you're ahead, Culver. Goddess, you and Shepard really are two pups of the same Varren litter. Confident as can be and don't ever let go of a bone once it's between your teeth." Her mirth tapered off as Aria continued, a twinkle in her eye. "And I guess that notion could have some merit… so long as you don't turn around and bite the hand that feeds you."

Fully understanding that such a statement placed Aria in the control position of the budding relationship, Sharon smirked and responded, "I wouldn't even think about doing such a thing, T'Loak. No matter how big my teeth may be or how strong my bite, I still wouldn't want my little nose smacked."

At that, Aria allowed herself a real laugh, a smile spreading on her lips and lightening her features for the first time since the beginning of this entire mission.

Antibaar, Tereshkova, Armstrong Nebula – 4 Sep 2190

Liara sat down to take a break, finally exhausted by their search. As tired as she was, she still had to chuckle at the thought that floated across the link. {Thank the Gods, T'Soni. I thought you were never going to stop.}

"You have to admit, Samantha, this is positively amazing!" The signal that was not a beacon had finally revealed its secrets; it had been an early warning system that had never been turned off and, somehow, still had power. That it had activated upon their approach, by itself, had given hope to the team, indicating the system had to have been recharged much more recently than the 50,000-year-old Prothean evacuations.

Once they managed to locate the facilities entrance, they realized an entire Prothean city lay underground, reminiscent of the facility on Feros. Given the frigid tundra surface of the world, with its methane and argon atmosphere, it made perfect sense. What amazed them was the gas levels within, once they… meaning Shepard… had managed to activate the controls in the entryway and get through the security antechamber. Somewhere within the massive facility, a breathable atmosphere was being generated and distributed throughout.

They had proceeded, initially with great caution, to explore their discovery, gradually growing less cautious and more curious as a longer and longer period of time passed without incident. What had surprised them the most was the breeding facility. Liara had stared at the large sand pit in amazement. "I seriously thought it was a joke, Shepard! But Javik wasn't kidding about the Maws getting too big to ride… they actually did it! They raised and trained Thresher Maws as mounts! No one is going to believe it."

Samantha grinned. "I certainly don't think we should tell Wrex. Next thing you know, he'll have warriors out there looking for young ones and trying to ride them!"

Liara chuckled, immediately catching onto the thread. "It will become the new Right of Passage… riding a Maw instead of killing it!"

Riana was shaking her head in disbelief, but it was the team's lieutenant, Cyenia Axeuss, who responded, "Don't be counting on any of us as Krantt when it comes time for your children to become members of Clan Urdnot!"

The team howled with laughter – all except Riana – who quickly responded, "Do not put it past Wrex to ask… nor expect our Lady and her bondmate to decline!"

Liara's eyes had grown wide in surprise at the suggestion, looking at Shepard and asking, "By the Goddess… I hadn't thought of that. He wouldn't…" She stopped and shook her head as she changed her tune, "Never mind… that's a silly statement, because Wrex would ask us such a thing, even if just in jest." She stopped again, hearing Samantha's thoughts on the matter before adding, "Only he wouldn't be joking, would he? You think he'll honestly expect our children to become clan members, don't you?"

"Afraid so, T'Soni…" Shepard smiled softly. "So, I suppose we'd better raise and train them right, so as to not disappoint the Clan Leader." She chuckled, "But no worries. Their Krantt positions will likely be filled by Grunt and me, so everyone else is off the hook."

"And that is supposed to make me feel better about the whole situation?" Liara stared at her siame in absolute shock and horror.

"I don't see why not," responded Sam. "By then, I will have fulfilled my duties as your sex slave and given you quite a few T'Soni heirs… so what's the problem?" Totally unable to keep a straight face any longer, Shepard broke out in laughter, joined by both the commandos and the research team members, all enjoying the complete embarrassment taking over Liara's expression as she suddenly realized Samantha was teasing her.

"By the Goddess!" Liara blurted. "I thought I finally had you figured out regarding what you will and will not tease me about! Your life is not supposed to be on the list of acceptable subjects!"

A repentant Shepard stopped laughing and apologized. "You're right. I'm sorry." Then, her face was taken over by that lopsided grin as she added, "But you have to admit… it was funny… at least everyone else thought so."

Liara closed her eyes and drew a deep settling breath, thinking about what Shepard had said. Liara had to admit, with the war over, the fear of the imminent death of her lover had most definitely waned with the passage of time. They had also both matured in their relationship and Liara finally comprehended she no longer felt that nagging insecurities about her own worth regarding the devotion given to her by the savior of the galaxy. She positively beamed with that dawning realization and opened her eyes to meet the loving gaze of her bondmate, who had followed the train of Liara's thoughts through the link.

"No. You are absolutely correct," Liara admitted with a burgeoning grin. "It was funny… and the thing that surprises me the most is that I can actually see the humor in it now."

Shepard smiled softly and reached over to take a blue hand in hers. "Time generally heals all, T'Soni, and no one knows the timetable but the sufferer… and even then, that knowledge likely only comes when the suffering finally ends."

Smiling in return, Liara lifted the hand in hers to her lips, placing a soft kiss on battle-toughened knuckles. "I love you, Samantha… and sometimes, you truly do speak with the wisdom of a Matriarch, wise beyond your years."

Riana barked out a laugh as she commented, "And sometimes she's an absolute buffoon and, what is that phrase, Shepard? Crazy as a loon?"

The solemn moment shattered, everyone laughing as they looked out upon the sands of the Prothean training ground, contemplating the entire, insanely bizarre concept of actually riding a Thresher Maw. Still holding hands, Liara and Shepard joined in the laughter.

Antibaar, Tereshkova, Armstrong Nebula – 6 Sep 2190

They had located a section of the facility that was obviously designed as visitor quarters… which had not been entirely cleaned out when the Protheans vacated the premises to go into hiding. Based on everything the team subsequently discovered, the facility had been occupied within the last few years… by someone, at least. There was no evidence to point specifically at the Protheans, but Shepard and Liara both surmised it to be the elusive race, as no signs of forced entry had been in evidence. No one believed anyone but Shepard could have bypassed the security system without leaving some trace behind, other than the Protheans, themselves.

Finally deciding to trust the Prothean architecture and remain in the facility overnight, the team had slept in relative comfort, with everyone having a bed to place their bedrolls on, in great contrast to the hard flooring upon which they had been sleeping. Liara woke slowly, Shepard's arms wrapped around her, cradling her protectively, the Human's breath warm on Liara's crest. Humming in comfort, Liara whispered quietly, "Are you awake, Sam?"

She felt the smiling lips press against the back of her head as the words 'good morning, A Grá' floated across the link, as leisurely as Liara felt in her still half-asleep state. "How long have you been awake, waiting on me to join you?"

Samantha chuckled quietly before responding, this time aloud. "Not very. Apparently, I was as tired as you when we finally got to sleep last night. I warned you this would happen, did I not?"

"Warned me about what?"

"You, running us all ragged, because I know how you get once you get started on the trail of something interesting."

Liara felt herself grow warm with embarrassment, remembering that exact conversation. "I suppose you did, at that." She pulled away, just enough to roll in Shepard's arms so she could face her lover. Placing a soft kiss on welcoming lips, she murmured, "You know me so well, Samantha."

"It's not very difficult, when you constantly live inside someone else's mind… even if only on the subconscious level more than half of the time." She ran her fingers gently across the folds at Liara's lower back, making the Asari gasp quietly.

Feeling a surge of desire, Liara drew a deep breath and growled quietly. "Goddess, you're good at that… but don't tease me, Shepard."

"Who's teasing?" came the reply, as Shepard swallowed Liara's protest with an all-consuming kiss.

An hour passed – more than enough time for them to conclude their morning activities and finish with a short nap – before a soft knock sounded on the door. "Come in," answered Liara.

Riana entered quietly, immediately averting her eyes from the bed as she started to speak. "Rasha would like to speak with you both. She has found an artifact which she believes requires the Captain to open… or use… as the case may be."

Immediately enticed by Riana's words, Liara sat up, the thrill of discovery blossoming in her mind. "Let her know we'll be there shortly. Obviously, we need to get up and dressed, but we shouldn't be long."

"Understood, Lady Liara." Riana never looked their way as she turned to the door, exiting quickly.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Shepard wheezed out a laugh, still doing her best to contain it enough that Riana did not hear as she practically ran away down the hallway. Liara smiled and smacked her playfully. "Stop it. She's only embarrassed because you are here. She's woken me and helped me dress more times than I can count over the years. She respects our privacy… and I don't believe she realized I would invite her in if we were not up and dressed."

"It shouldn't be any different than when she barges into our room at the Estate," answered Shepard. "That's never seemed to bother her."

"When she does so at home, it's normally an emergency, where something has happened that demands our immediate attention." Liara shrugged. "I can only imagine this time is not so urgent, so she already felt a bit uncertain about waking us from the first privacy we've had since we landed here."

"Huh. I guess that's a logical explanation." Shepard smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Liara's cheek. "So, I also assume we shouldn't keep poor Rasha waiting too long, or she'll be barging in next."

"Ha. Not likely." Liara turned away and slid off her side of the bed. "But I do agree with the first part of your statement." She paused and gave Shepard a telling glance. "I also know Rasha is not prone to overreaction or exaggeration, so I have to wonder about what she has discovered."

"That makes it worth getting moving… because now, you have me curious as well." Shepard also rose, fetched her clothing and gear from atop the nearby bureau, and dressed quickly. As she buckled the last clasp on her armor, she moved to the Asari to help her finish up as well.

"All this time, and you're still faster than me. I don't understand how you can get through all those clasps so quickly." Liara gave her an appreciative smile.

"Only because I've done it for so long, Li. I've been in the military and been donning armor for nearly twenty years, compared to your what? Six or seven, not discounting the two-year interruption. For me, it's a habit… one which I can only pray you never honestly need to develop." Shepard stepped over to the door and opened it for her, giving her an endearing smile as she stated, "After you, Lady Liara."

They made their way through various hallways to their designated meeting place, to find the entire group there, eagerly awaiting their arrival. "Good morning, everyone," smiled Liara. "Sorry to have kept you all waiting." Turning to Rasha, she asked, "So, what has everyone so excited?"

Rasha was bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. "I believe it is a holographic projector… perhaps even a dedicated communications device, much like our QEC devices."

"A potential QEC?" The possibility, no matter how remote, definitely peaked Shepard's interest, and her excitement reverberated in her tone of voice. "That would certainly raise some questions… like where is its mated partner… and why would they ever leave this behind?" She glanced at Liara, continuing, "Unless the other half has been destroyed or has also been abandoned, with no one left to answer?"

"Even so, we should be able to trace the signal, much as we did with Leviathan." Liara's eyes glittered with excitement.

"But… that only worked as long as the link was open," posited Shepard. "Wouldn't that also be the case here?"

"I am unsure," answered Liara. "That was a unique… organic… link, where the QEC system relies on an integral connection." She suddenly smiled, realizing everyone else was being driven crazy by their lack of action. "So, I suppose, there is only one way to find out, Captain Shepard."

Catching Liara's humor through the link, Shepard chuckled. "I suppose so… so, let's see what you've got there, Rasha."

Stepping up to the device, Shepard tentatively reached toward it. Much like what happened on Joab, the interface lit up as she got closer. "You ready, Liara?"

With the Asari's affirmative answer, Shepard placed her hand into the designated position within the initial holographic position, holding her breath as she wondered if anyone would actually answer. That turned out to be a resounding 'no', but Liara kept her from terminating the attempted call with two simple words. "It's tracing!"

After what seemed like an inordinately long 43 seconds, Liara grinned triumphantly and announced, "Our next stop is practically next door, within the Maroon Sea!"

Matano, Maroon Sea, At Large – 8 Sep 2190

Hoping for a stroke of luck, they had relocated the Prothean communications device to the hold of the Aletheia and managed to successfully wire it into the ship's power. It seemed to be operating perfectly, and they managed to reacquire the trace signal as soon as they dropped out of FTL into cruising speed within the Maroon Sea. Able to gather only a directional vector, they pointed the nose toward the Matano System which was, of course, the farthest of three from the cluster center. Being limited to FTL travel made their 'next door' trip a two-day trip – still, not bad when considering galactic-wide travel.

They continued to scan as they travelled, finally zeroing in on an asteroid, unusually sculpted and artistic in appearance, with many long, sweeping curves. Liara stared at it in amazement, finally commenting, "That is most definitely not your normal asteroid. Could it be a naturally occurring signal, and the mated piece in the device just an oddity? A collector's item?"

"I suppose it could be," answered Lusmeni. "It would not be the oddest gift or collector's piece I have ever seen, that is for certain."

Shepard was also contemplating the discovery and answered, "Whatever the case, run a detailed scan on that rock for me, Lus… just to be certain it's not hiding something."

It wasn't long before Lusmeni commented, "Well, look at that." She paused only briefly, glancing at Liara and Shepard to ensure she had their attention, bringing an image up on the display screen. "There is a crashed ship… down in a pocket below the surface, making it hard to see. The system has no known profiles that match its design."

"Could it be Prothean?" asked Liara, before answering her own question. "Of course, it could be… but we don't yet know what their ships look like, do we. It could be a Raloi ship, or some other private-built craft that hasn't hit the markets yet."

"And we won't know until we go look." Shepard smiled at the Asari; it was not unusual for Liara to 'think out loud' as she puzzled her way through something. She then turned her attention back to the pilot as she asked, "Any life signs?"

Answering sadly, Lusmeni shook her head, "None… but there are biological signatures aboard."

"Which indicates either plants… or remains of the deceased," Shepard sighed. Looking back to her Anam Cara, she added, "How about you sit this one out, Li… at least until we determine what's on board?"

Liara felt a cold chill run down her spine, the memories of the dead children on Joab surfacing, no matter how hard she tried to forget them. "As much as I want to be by your side, I do not care to see such again, Sam." She shifted to their private communication as she finished. {It will be bad enough experiencing it second-hand through the link… but I do not want you to hide it from me, as I know it will find its way through eventually. I would rather know it is coming than be surprised by it at some indefinite point in the future.}

"Understood, Liara," she answered quietly, opening the comm link on her omnitool. "Riana. Liara is sitting this one out, so ask the team to stand down. I'll be contacting the Liberation and Freedom to ask for boarding party volunteers to go with me."

"Understood, Captain." Knowing what was expected within the crash, Riana added, "May the Goddess be with you, Shepard. I know what waits for you below will likely be… unpleasant."

Asteroid, Matano, Maroon Sea – 8 Sep 2190

Given the circumstances, Shepard joined a squad from the Freedom, jumping aboard the ship's Fleet Orison class shuttle. She gave Liara a reassuring smile and a wave as the door slid closed. {We'll be fine, Li. See you again soon!}

Making their way to the asteroid, they slipped down inside the large chasm to locate the wreck, which had obviously taken some serious weapons fire. Based on a quick analysis, it was likely from a pirate fleet – standard weaponry damage patterns indicated a frigate class ship had caused the majority of the damage, perhaps with a few fighter escorts. The unidentified ship, however, did not appear to have been breached, so they had to wonder why the pirates did not complete the attack.

That question was answered as soon as Shepard stepped up and activated the entry interface, immediately confirming the ship was Prothean in design. "Fuck." She stepped back from the ship and looked at the leader of the squad that had been chosen to come with her, Lynea D'Kevus. "Lieutenant. The ship somehow vaporized the eezo core without exploding it, flooding the entire ship… likely fatal, even with protective suits, at the concentration this panel indicates is within."

"Is there nothing you can do, Shepard?"

"I can vent it into the void, but I'm not sure exactly where the vents are located, so…" She paused, but the lieutenant picked up the thread.

"So, you could inadvertently expose yourself… something Lady Liara would be extremely displeased with."

Shepard actually laughed at her ambiguous phrasing, Lynea obviously understanding that opening a vent which was too close would likely expose her to those toxic levels of the eezo vapor. "Yeah, you could say that."

"And, of course, it's a Prothean interface, so only you can do it."

"Yup." Shepard paused as she ran an idea past Liara. Receiving a reluctant approval, she smiled. "But we do have a work-around, which requires my return to the Aletheia before we can try it."

Lynea's eyes opened wide in surprise. "And just what in the galaxy have you come up with this time, Shepard? It has to be good, or you wouldn't do it… or it's not… and you have to speak with Liara about your idea in person before you dare do it."

"It's probably somewhere between those two options, but it requires me to have my jump boots on my feet."

Understanding immediately shined in the lieutenant's eyes. "By the Goddess! You're going to have us drop you off, then loiter… to pick you up after you activate the vents and jump-boost yourself into space!"

Shepard grinned and clapped her on the shoulder. "You're one quick study, Lynea!"

"Riana was correct in her assessment of you," D'Kevus whispered, almost reverently. "You honestly are as crazy as a loon!"

"Bah." Shepard grunted. "It's nothing I haven't already done in N7 training, else I'd never convince Liara to let me do it. Sometimes, to solve a problem, you just need to go all in."

Freedom, Matano, Maroon Sea – 8 Sep 2190

Shepard's plan worked, though her hard boost from a gravity-free asteroid may have been just a tad bit of overkill. The shuttle driver had cursed the Goddess and gone on a chase through the asteroid field, twice losing visual of the captain and having to scan the field to redetermine her exact location. Nonetheless, Shepard was recovered after roughly five minutes of free-space drift, a time filled with less-than-anticipated anxiety on Liara's end, because Shepard remained in constant contact with her via the link through the entire time period.

{I almost feel like I'm playing hide-and-seek in the asteroid belt, Liara.} Of course, then, she had to explain the Human child's game to the Asari, who honestly managed to find the humor in the situation. Even so, once Shepard was retrieved, Liara demanded she remain aboard the Freedom for a complete medical exam… and she did mean complete.

"She is perfectly healthy, Lady Liara." Kalesta smiled with understanding as she continued, "However, you may wish to come join us here, because I plan on keeping Shepard here for a full day cycle for observation. It is simply a precaution, so I can be positively sure nothing is lurking in the background. Given the strength of her nanites, if nothing develops by then, nothing will. Shall I have a room prepared for your arrival?"

"You know me too well, Kal." Liara smiled. "Please, do. I'll be over soon… and make arrangements for Riana, as well, please. I highly doubt she'll let me out of her sight, even if I am just transiting between ships."

Kalesta laughed good naturedly. "By all means, keep her happy and bring your whole First Team. We are traveling one team light, so we have the bunks available. It would be fun to spend some time with your group… a nice change of pace to spend time together in something other than a firefight!"

"What an excellent idea!" Liara nodded. "I'll pass the word and see you soon."

A/N: I have a confession... I almost did not get this chapter up today - entirely my own fault, though I will lay partial blame on a game I have discovered, which is incredibly fun and somewhat addictive. Valheim! So, if you don't see a timely chapter in another 2 weeks, you'll know why! I will apologize ahead of time as I know, sooner or later, it's going to happen at some point during this story – perhaps more than once. (sheepish grin)