Notes:

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

Inanna - pinnacle of Asari blending, perfect unity of two spirits into one (from 'real world' Sumerian Goddess of Love, Fertility, and War)

Meet the Protheans

Council Conference Room, CGC, Widow System – 2 Nov 2190

The Protheans rose from their chairs as Liara and Shepard walked into the room. Standing in the doorway, Tevos' kind smile accompanied her introduction. "Per your request, I am pleased to introduce Captain Samantha Shepard and Doctor Liara T'Soni, who have both graciously accepted your terms and agreed to meet with you. I can only hope this is a fruitful first meeting."

She stepped back and gave Liara and Samantha a nod. "My personal aid, Dalis Shegos, will remain outside the door, available to you for the entirety of the discussion, no matter how long it may last. It is our pleasure to serve you for this momentous occasion."

As Tevos withdrew, closing the door behind her, one of the male Protheans placed a closed fist against his chest and briefly dipped his head before beginning to speak in nearly perfect galactic standard, much as Javik had done. "It is our honor to meet the two persons who led the successful effort to defeat and destroy the Reapers. It is an accomplishment none in the innumerable previous cycles were ever able to accomplish. Thank you for your dedication and service… and for agreeing to meet with us under such… nebulous… conditions. I was hesitant to release our names to your leadership, as I do not yet trust them with the fate of my people."

He actually dared to smile as he added, "I see the light of understanding in your eyes. Your assumption is correct; I am no simple envoy. I am Jorè Lentos, the Colonial Administrator of the entire colony of surviving Protheans… I am the current leader of our people but dared not share that knowledge with ones I do not know."

"And yet, you chose to reveal this secret to us before our negotiations have even begun." Shepard cocked her head slightly. "Why would you risk that with us, and not the Council?"

"Because your exploits and accomplishments stand on their own merit… as do the hesitations of those on your Council that nearly cost you your victory. We monitored and listened as best we could without revealing our location during the course of the war; it is obvious to us you work for the benefit and survival of all races – even those that are considered enemies – while each of the Councilors work mainly for the protection of themselves and their own race. There are likely some exceptions within but, without having worked with any of them, we do not know who within the Council is truly trustworthy… or who is not… so opted to leave our titles and responsibilities unknown until we met with you." With that, he turned to the female beside him, yielding the floor to her with a nod.

"I am Aelia Dethan, First Female and the primary for the care of the bearing-age females and their offspring who will be our future. I work side-by-side with our lead scientist…" She paused for a moment while briefly eyeing the second male in the group, "… Arick Vythan… who is in charge of our genetic database and runs our recombinant DNA and fertilization program."

Liara's brow knit as she asked, "Your… what?"

Arick smiled and nodded. "Yes, you heard correctly, Doctor T'Soni. I shall not insult your intelligence by explaining the mechanics, but I will give you the background." He drew a deep breath and shook his head slightly before beginning the tale in earnest. "When we realized our people were doomed – that victory over the Reapers was no longer a possibility – we engaged in a major collection of DNA across our remaining peoples. We also collected viable eggs from every willing participant we could find and placed them in a specially designed cryo-storage unit, before going into hiding. As our soldiers continued the fight in order to buy us as much time as possible, we hid… in order to continue our research from three separate facilities."

Aelia stepped in when the scientist paused. "We eventually learned of the destruction of first one facility and, not long after, the second… leaving us and our facility as the only one remaining. At that time, we decided it prudent to limit the risk of discovery as best we could and terminated all outside communications. We then placed ourselves into cryo-stasis, with an automated system for reviving everyone, at a point in the future we anticipated would be after the harvest cycle had run its course, and the Reapers had retreated back into dark space."

Liara's eyes were bright in understanding as she responded, "An alarm system which we assumed had failed, when Cerberus discovered Commander Javik's capsule, still powered. We realized our error when a colleague located your evacuated section of the colony on Eden Prime. The computer database there had recorded activation of your pods in the mid-50s, which changed our entire purpose from archaeology into a search and rescue mission." She smiled shyly as she added, "Not that you necessarily needed rescue, per se, we wanted you to know that, rather than hiding in the dark caverns that had become your home, you would be welcome to actually dwell freely amongst us, should that be your desire."

Aelia smiled at the relatively young maiden. "Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate not only the vote of confidence that we need not be saved, but also the accuracy of your evaluation of our self-imposed exile. That exact motivation is what finally drove us to seek you out. It became apparent to us that with the end of the Reaper threat, the citizens of your new order were once again expanding out into the universe… and we could only hide for so long. We want our children to be able to live surface-side once again and, after discussing the options with our people, decided to meet the new masters of the galaxy on our terms… rather than by incidental discovery."

"A brave choice," responded Shepard. "And you should know we also discovered one of your abandoned vessels in the Maroon Sea. We took the liberty of venting the eezo overload, then repaired the ship and refueled the core. The SILC are already enroute with the vessel, so it will be available to you as a gesture of good will; we expect no recompense for its repair and refurbishment."

The third Prothean male spoke for the first time. "That is surprising and most welcome news, Captain. The crew aboard that ship made a worthy sacrifice, enabling the entire contingent of civilians to make good on their escape." He blinked a couple of times before adding, "'We would be pleased to retake possession of our ship; it is an unexpected gift. And please accept my apologies for not yet introducing myself… I am Ruso Lukens, Chief of Colonial Security and Military Commander for the Scientific Expedition Security Team. It truly is an honor to meet you, Captain Shepard."

"I'm retired… and have never been much on formality." She smirked slightly, adding, "Please, if we are to be the associates… and allies… I hope we can be, I'm just 'Shepard' to my friends."

With a quiet chuckle, he responded, "Then I am simply Ruso… and I would be pleased and honored to call one such as you friend, Shepard." His gaze wandered the group. "As we have all now introduced ourselves, shall we sit?"

"Excellent idea." Shepard nodded, taking a moment as they all took their seats. "So… I suppose with the introductions now out of the way, Liara and I have an opening proposition for all of you. We are well aware of your information exchange abilities through touch. In the name of full disclosure, I will tell you I encountered an ages-old being – one we referred to as the Thorian – who possessed something we called the 'Cipher.' With that, Liara was able to help me sort out the quagmire of information that was dumped into my mind by one of your damaged Beacons." She paused, looking to Liara to continue.

With a nod, Liara began. "The Cipher was many things… all the data the Thorian had collected on the Prothean people over the eons of its existence, including the key to deciphering your language and unlocking all the data you had placed within your Beacons. All of that knowledge was passed to me, as well, through my connection with Shepard. If it is acceptable, we are willing to share our experiences with you."

She paused; a bit overwhelmed at the idea of what was actually happening. Shaking her head in disbelief, Liara took the luxury of letting her eyes wander across the four beings who sat across the table from her before continuing, "I don't mean to hesitate, but much of my life has been dedicated to the study of what I always thought to be a long-lost race – the Protheans. The Reaper War brought Shepard and I together… and now, meeting you in the flesh is far more than I ever imagined possible; a dream come true. I am truly honored that you selected us as your primary contacts."

Following a gentle push through the link from Samantha, Liara suddenly smiled. Reaching across the table between them, she placed her hand palm up in the center of its polished surface in invitation as she continued, "In all that time, I certainly never dreamed of meeting a surviving Prothean… much less discovering a scientific expedition team who managed to survive extinction by the Reapers. So, to eliminate any distrust or secrets between those we hope to call friends, we offer you an opportunity to learn about us… Shepard and me. We are willing to share our personal histories, to include everything that occurred during the war, as seen through our eyes."

The Protheans exchanged glances as Ruso spoke, "I am willing to take this action, should you all deem it acceptable."

"No." Jorè said quickly. "We need your military expertise and leadership. I know it may sound odd, but with the capabilities of my deputy, Mujin, along with Arick and Aelia, I am likely the most expendable. I will make the first contact to evaluate… then, we shall see."

Aelia huffed in indignation. "You treat your importance to us too lightly, Jorè, yet I cannot fault your reasoning. With Mujin, I would agree you do have the most capable deputy to backfill your position. If one of us was to be lost… as much as I detest voicing it aloud… you would likely be most easily replaced. Not that there is truly anything easy about replacing a leader."

Arick gave her a knowing look before also nodding. "Agreed."

Ruso blinked and focused on Jorè for a moment before nodding. "Agreed."

"Then it is decided." Looking across the table to meet Liara's eyes, he smiled. "A compulsory precaution… and a conversation I truly believe will prove to have been completely unnecessary." His hand hovered over hers. "I want you to understand I honestly hold no fear for my safety with you. We would not be here, and we would not have asked specifically for you and Shepard, if I did not believe in your trustworthiness." With that, his hand dropped down upon hers and they were immediately united in a full exchange of information, their entire life experiences beginning to flash between them in an intense, rapid-fire exchange.

Even with Shepard semi-preparing her for the exchange by sharing her own experience with Javik and then the AI – Chadrak Murne – Liara was still overwhelmed with the rate and intensity of the data… and, not surprisingly, the emotions… that flooded through her mind. As the data flowed, Liara couldn't help but let her mind wander free.

The horrors of the Reaper War were much too familiar. The heart wrenching pain of watching so many around you die, each world's population dwindling by previously unfathomable quantities every single day; knowing – or at least constantly fearing – you were witnessing your end of days. The only way Liara could combat the gloom and despair of the information besieging her was with her own hope. The knowledge that, in the end, the current races won the final battle, and they would all live on… including the many Protheans who had somehow managed to skip time and reemerge in the present; alive, relatively well, and reproducing enough that their race could be saved.

Yet, only 160 adults remain, but with nearly as many children… all under two years of age! Goddess! What they have endured! And the children… most born through this recombinant DNA process to reintegrate all the genetic data that would have otherwise been lost… even the Salarians will have to be impressed… and, oh! We need to introduce Arick to Tolern Solus!

The most painful portion of the exchange was reliving Shepard's death over Alchera… one event which, no matter how things had eventually turned out, always caused an immense, profound pain – one from which, seeded so deeply within her soul, Liara knew she would never truly recover. The link broke down when those thoughts moved to the fore of her mind, unable to sustain the anguish that wracked her, in both body and soul.

When she came back to herself, Liara discovered she was slumped against the table, Shepard's arm around her back, both comforting and supplying much needed energy reserves via the link.

"Ah. Doctor T'Soni is back with us."

Tears streamed down Liara's face as she looked up at Jorè, choking out, "I am so sorry…"

"No." The administrator shook his head grimly in understanding. "That is a deeply held personal pain… one from which you may likely never fully recover. It may sound odd, but I am humbled that you would choose to share such an intensely private memory with me. I will understand if you would like to take a break… or simply end our discussions for the day."

"No." Liara's heart still ached, and she felt like she had been punched in the gut by an unusually large and angry Krogan, the emotions somehow enhanced by the Prothean data transfer process, as if she was actually living through it all again, not just recalling a memory. She spoke haltingly but managed to form audible words. "It hurt… immeasurably… but we both felt it was something you needed to see. It has become the foundation of the relationship between Samantha and me."

She paused to draw a deep, shuddering breath before adding, "The joy of our reunion, once it happened, was beyond anything we had ever known and, I do believe, the catalyst for the beginnings of our unique connection… what we refer to as Inanna."

"Surprisingly, the pain of dying the way I did was not physical. It was more a sense of loss… the loss of my relationship with Liara – a relationship I knew, even then, would have lasted a lifetime." Samantha shifted, moving away to sit once more squarely in her own seat and staring down at her hands, fingers interlaced, and resting on the table as she spoke. "Not knowing what destroyed the Normandy… wrongly guessing it was the Reapers, but knowing they were still out there… I died, feeling my decision to stay behind… to save my stubborn pilot… was wrong. That I had turned away from the true love of my life and left her to face that uncertain future alone." Her eyes came up and she glanced around the table as she finished. "That was what broke me… not my death, but my abandonment of a potential future with Liara."

Liara wiped the last of the tears from her face and she smiled slightly, reaching over to lay her hand upon Samantha's. Her expression was one of intense determination as she finally continued their story. "I couldn't let Shepard go, so I hunted. I finally located her… physical remains… and gave her to Cerberus, knowing it was an organization she absolutely, positively abhorred. And beyond all possibility…" She stopped speaking without finishing her sentence, simply adding the ending punctuation by looking lovingly at her bondmate and gently squeezing Shepard's hands.

Jorè quickly picked up on the trail. "They seemed to manage the impossible. I will admit, it is a fantastical and astonishing tale. One which I am sure Arick would love to discuss with this doctor… this Miranda Lawson whom I saw in your memories. I do hope she survived the war."

Arick was also smiling as he added, "And I very much look forward to meeting your Tolern Solus, as well. He seems a very interesting fellow, with whom we may have more in common than we ever believed possible. It sounds like his work with the Elcor gave them a second chance at survival… and is possibly very similar to our recombinant DNA project. I look forward to an exchange of information with him."

Liara looked at Arick in surprise, the question obviously on her mind, as Shepard answered before she ever voiced it. "Jorè shared with the others while you recovered… so they know what he knows. He asked permission from me with nothing more than a glance and I said yes."

As Liara tried to gather her thoughts, Shepard shifted her position, separating her own hands so she could take ahold of Liara's. "So, the pertinent information I gleaned from that exchange…" She paused and met Jorè's eyes. "You want to return to your city on Ilos." She cocked a brow in something akin to surprise as she asked, "You did see the ruins through our eyes, did you not? From what we saw, there honestly isn't much there to recover."

"I disagree." Aelia had a smile on her face. "What you saw may have seemed likes ruins to you, but I see a place that still holds power. A VI – with imprints of Ksad Ishan, the Chief Overseer of the Ilos facility – that had somehow managed to maintain function and complete its mission, using the last of its reserves to relay an important message it was programmed to pass on to the next generation. I see Ilos as our salvation as a people; a symbol of hope and a home to which we can return that will be new to our group, but familiar in ways that cannot be ignored."

Arick looked at Liara, who seemed to be refocused and once again paying attention to the conversation at hand. "Of great interest to you, Liara, you would most certainly be welcome to spend some time there… given your first trip was quite literally a race against time… a race filled with running, fighting, and a rather brave dive through the gateway, headlong into you had no idea what awaiting you at the distant end. I will tell you this; it was not only one of our worlds. It has the distinction of being previously inhabited by the Inusannon before we discovered and recolonized it. Many of the buildings you traversed preexisted our occupation, having been constructed by another race."

Following Arick's train of thought, Jorè added, "And, it would be an honor, should you desire to visit, to host you on Ilos for an indefinite period of time. You could get to know our people… by working with us and studying the Inusannon at our sides." He grinned, picking up on one of the random thoughts that had crossed over from Liara during their interaction. "There would be no need to forfeit your chosen profession, should you decide to spend more time with us, as it would give you a chance to do both anthropology and archaeology at the same time."

Liara huffed in contemplation and offered up an honest smile, finally regaining her emotional control after the rollercoaster of the sharing event. "That is a most intriguing proposition, Jorè; one to which Shepard and I will give serious consideration… after the formal negotiations with the Council."

Liara looked to Shepard, who continued. "There are a few sticky points… like the fact we utilized your technology without compensation of any kind. In our defense, as far as we knew, you were an extinct race. That, obviously, was an incorrect assumption and the Council is more than a bit concerned regarding what reparations you will request of them. The post-Reaper galaxy is something all of us are still adjusting to. Many relationships have been altered because of our joint efforts… like the Drell regaining their freedom from the Hanar… but not everything has necessarily changed for the better. There are new and different dependencies… like the Elcor now being dependent upon the Salarians for their continued existence. It is an ever-evolving political landscape that you are entering, mostly as an unknown, and Liara is the galactic Prothean expert… though she'll be the first to tell you how many of her suppositions were incorrect."

"Regarding the Council, they need not fear." Jorè looked at the couple before him without blinking. "We were in hiding and would not begrudge you any of our information or our technology that could possibly help you defeat the Reapers. That was, after all, the entire purpose of the Beacon system, was it not? It was a delivery system of all the information we believed would be needed by you to do exactly what you did. It was given freely, without any thought to compensation."

He half-shrugged and continued, "We honestly held little hope the Reapers would not discover our hiding place and kill us in our sleep. We find it an absolute miracle that we are even present in the current day, living and breathing in our ever-evolving galaxy. It is a new day; a new chance we only dreamt of when we climbed into those suspension pods, leaving our destiny in your hands. Your generation has given us the potential of a future. We have already discussed this and have decided you owe us nothing more than the freedom to determine our own purpose from this point forward."

"I can fully appreciate how you feel about us being your saviors… but you must remember it was your technology that led us to where we are today. I acknowledge your position but, please, do not permit the Council to undervalue what you provided us. Use it to leverage what you desire. Everyone who played a major role in the battle against the Reapers has been awarded some form of recompense. Ask that Ilos be a part of your compensation package, including, perhaps, a standard colonial starting kit."

"Which is what, exactly?" Aelia asked.

Liara went on to explain the basic contents of the standard colonial expedition kit, including the temporary housing units and power cores, the three months of rations, the seed kits, water purifiers, and atmospheric regulators, and the various other pieces of equipment they felt were required to get a new colony up and running. "Obviously, this can be tailored to whatever world you are going to, including Ilos. Unfortunately, we were there for only a short time while chasing down Saren, but an expeditionary team deployed there afterward, in order to discern if was possible salvage the watcher VI, Vigil. For this reason, we know Ilos is both habitable and relatively safe. We did find the atmospheric pressure to be relatively high, but nothing a pressure suit couldn't handle. I would think tailoring a package to your specific needs should be relatively simple so, if this is truly your only request, I am sure the Council would be ecstatic to accept your terms."

"I will be honest with you, Liara." Aelia Dethan met the Asari's eyes, concern rippling through her tone as she spoke. "It seems almost too easy… like there is something lurking in the background that we don't understand or, perhaps, we should be asking for so much more than we are. I know we are showing our ignorance, but we are very much out of place here and I feel as though we are missing something important… a cultural nuance we cannot understand. Like there is some nebulous factor we cannot comprehend and do not have the experience in this timeline to even ask the appropriate questions. We asked to speak directly to you and Shepard because we felt you were our best chance at getting… how do I say this without sounding ungrateful?" She paused, finally asking, "How do we get not only want we need to survive, but to flourish?"

Liara simply smiled and shook her head. "Do not concern yourself with trying to phrase it correctly. I believe I have a good idea as to what you are trying to say… about finding a balance between not sounding greedy while still making sure your people get what you need… to do something more than simply survive. You want… you need… to make new lives with us in the here and now, and you do not want to have to worry about day-to-day survival. You need more than that… for your emotional well-being and for the sake of your children. No child should be raised with any insecurity regarding where they will be sleeping at night or where their next meal will come from. I also feel you don't want to be dependent on Council handouts… you want to be able to stand on your own."

Aelia dropped her head for a moment, drawing a deep breath before raising back up and meeting Liara's compassionate gaze. "Your wisdom belies your youth, Liara T'Soni. It is the wisdom of one who has seen death and despair… one who has seen the consequence of war and all it destroys. I cannot thank you enough for your understanding and your generosity."

"Your offer to let me stay with you, on Ilos, to truly learn to understand your people and your ways is more than thanks enough. I believe you saw the offers Shepard and I received from the Rachni…"

"Yes, we did," responded Jorè. "And you declined, I believe, possibly because you were hoping to receive a similar offer from us?" He smiled as he watched an expression of anticipation form on Liara's face. "If my guess is correct and that is the case, we can certainly discuss terms… assuming your Council is in agreement."

Arick Vythan dipped his head in reverence as he added, "It would benefit the Prothean people immensely; first, providing us one who I would consider the best possible go-between with various medical science specialists – such as your Miranda Lawson and Tolern Solus, to start – to ensure mutually advantageous exchanges of technology… as well as give your career a significant boost, as the preeminent Prothean expert in the known galaxy. It would honor us to have you fill the position of Ambassador, as well as researcher, on our home planet of Ilos."

Liara had to laugh, a rather vivid, embarrassed blush appearing on her face as she attempted to explain her rather unexpected reaction to the Prothean's offer. "I'm sorry. I just recently had a very telling lecture from my father… about relinquishing my House duties to my Regent, so I could enjoy what time remained of my maidenhood. She believes I have never had the chance to simply 'live' life and enjoy my youth. She will be aghast that I am even beginning to entertain a position as Ambassador… though, I do believe, the Council will support it, as they have already offered us positions as Emissaries."

"Which you initially declined." Jorè's words were rather matter of fact, immediately making Liara realize he must have seen it during the sharing. "Then decided for, which your father then protested against… rather vehemently, if your memory is accurate, when you asked her and your Regent Mozia's opinions on the matter."

Ruso cleared his throat, drawing the group's attention. "If it makes any difference, I would be happy to enter into a protection contract, to assign you an additional security detail, beyond your rather capable Asari commando team, to ensure your safety whenever you are on Ilos." He shrugged and added, "Or, even a travelling protection team, should you so desire. Your importance… and the resultant rank you would be assigned on the Prothean homeworld, would dictate such action, anyway, unless you purposefully refused it."

"Rank?" asked Liara. "But I hold no military position…"

"You did during the war, first as my Operations Officer aboard the Normandy…"commented Shepard. "and then, as my Chief of Intelligence aboard the SR-2."

"And, if this all happens, you would be both a Council Prothean Emissary, at the very least, if not a full Ambassador, as well as the Chief of the Council's Inusannon Research Team. Within our society, any of these positions offer a certain rank and the associated privileges that come along with such stature." Ruso smiled softly. "It is not much different than your own military structure, Shepard. And, you must realize, we come from a military-dominated background, and that paradigm will take time to change… assuming it ever does. If not, we may follow a social structure very similar to your Turians, I believe."

Shepard cocked her right eyebrow for a moment, finally responding, "Yeah, I can actually see that as a distinct possibility." She smirked, adding, "You've got me, there."

Jorè smiled and nodded. "Then, I do believe, we have a starting point in our negotiations, do we not?" He then stood from his chair, prompting, first, the other Protheans to follow suit, then Liara and Shepard to also rise in response. "It has grown late, and I am sure your Councilor Tevos will be very interested in our progress. Shall we invite her to join us, or would you prefer to speak with her alone?"

Liara glanced at Shepard for only a moment before answering, "I will talk to Dalis and let her ask the question. Perhaps a meal could be served while we all sit down and talk about it?"

Anticipating the issue before it was raised, Shepard quickly added, "If you are concerned about what we would serve, you need not be. We did have Commander Javik aboard the Normandy for some time before our… confrontation. We can quite easily provide a fish-based meal that should both satisfy your hunger and please your palate."

Jorè looked at his team, receiving nods of approval from them all. Looking back to the pair he hoped to someday host on Ilos, he smiled. "Then, by all means, invite the good Councilor to dine with us. We can talk business over the meal… or not. That will be entirely up to her."