Notes:

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

Práta - whitish root vegetable similar to a potato (Thessian; also, Irish for potato)

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

Creating Illusions of Security

Council Space, At Large – 5 Dec 2190

Salarian Spectre Samarth Bossi, along with members of the STG and Second Platoon, B-Squad of the Krogan Aralakh team, was poised on the outskirts of Salarian Crime Lord Farnorth Holin's compound. It was home to a sizeable Blue Suns mercenary group who had gone rogue several years earlier. Farnorth was a direct descendent of his idol Kendo Holin, a sadistic Salarian scientist who specialized in torture and infiltration.

Some years back, Kendo had made a critical error; he had trusted an inside man that didn't come through on a job. He had expected the Turian to get an inner airlock hatch open, and had removed his helmet in anticipation of that event. When it didn't happen – when the ship's security guards caught the Turian and then reopened the outer hatch – the sudden depressurization of the infiltration airlock chamber resulted in Kendo being expelled into the cold vacuum of space. He had quickly lost consciousness as the air was violently pulled from his lungs; death from suffocation came within minutes. His body, still somewhat protected by his pressure suit, slowly froze solid as he spun and tumbled away from the vessel. Farnorth, however, was a student of history and learned from his predecessor's mistake. More often than not, he preferred to err on the side of caution, particularly when it came to his own survival.

Bossi spoke to her squad through the comms one last time before their big push into the compound. "It is imperative we get the timing right. Farnorth has followed in his great uncle's footsteps, but he's smarter and much more careful. Consequently, he's much more dangerous. He'll have back-ups and escape plans like there's no tomorrow… because if they fail, he won't have a tomorrow. He'll sacrifice anyone – even those close to him – to ensure his own survival; his troops know this, so will fight to the death. If he succeeds in slipping the net… well, that's why Bau is sitting overwatch on this operation; to locate and pin him down before he can make good on his escape. So, get ready to deploy and be ready to hit it hard – just like we practiced." The Spectre paused, resuming only after looking at each member of her team. "In thirty seconds… go on my mark." She paused, watching her own countdown. "… ready, ready, mark!"

The ground teams rushed in and exploded – quite literally, using heavy weapons to gain access – simultaneously into both entrances of the compound. The STG specialists had managed to acquire two Geth Combat Software weapons, one for each infiltration team. The GCS is an automatic, multiple-blast energy weapon with the destructive power of a Cobra missile, but capable of firing up to 100 shots before requiring a reload. It was most certainly a weapon of mass destruction, the likes of which not even Farnorth Holin could have been prepared.

Krogan Engineer Ruklan Jenk had been selected to carry the weapon for the assigned Aralakh squad and whooped in surprised joy at the destruction wrought by that single weapon. He merrily launched shot after shot, the devastation he left in his wake being reflected in his big, toothy grin. Between Jenk and Bossi, who was wielding the second GCS, they practically leveled the entire compound. When the team was done, not a single member of the Blue Suns walked away; unfortunately, neither had they located Salarian Crime Lord Farnorth Holin. When an eerie silence fell over the compound, Bossi placed the call to Bau to relay the disappointing news.

The response Bossi received from Jon filled her with relief. "No problem. Holin just emerged from a hidden hangar, roughly two kilometers to your northeast." The lead Spectre fell silent for just a moment before continuing with, "He was all alone in a small, personal shuttle, which did not survive our missile strikes. Congratulations on a successful mission; we just eliminated Farnorth Holin, and you and your team successfully wiped out his entire crew and… apparently… erased his entire facility from existence. Let us hope our compatriots manage to accomplish such swift and comprehensive victories."

Human Spectre Ashley Williams stared at the Kenderline portfolio in disgust. The crime family had come into their own in 2179, following the Anhur Rebellions, filling the power vacuum left behind when the hired mercenary companies rapidly deserted the war-wracked planet for more lucrative jobs. The Rebellion had supposedly ended the practice of slavery on the Human-controlled world, but at the cost of much of the planet's infrastructure; this left pretty much the entire world at the mercy of the reconstruction industry. The Builders Guild, led by the Kenderline family, and the main housing management firms, led by the Stiller family, had formed a compact in which they forced out the competition, generally through less than… legal… means. They then expanded their profit margins with predatory lending practices on the reconstruction, coupled with exorbitant rental fees for existing domiciles and offices. Those who had lived and worked there prior to the uprising were trapped by the system before they realized what had happened.

With everything else going on in the galaxy, once the Rebellion ended with the defeat of the Batarian Na'hesit slavery faction, the Human leadership back on Sol considered the situation a minor issue – one best left to the presiding colonial government. After Lee Riley had read the full intelligence update provided by Ashley, she growled, "It's a damned good thing all the leaders on Earth who were responsible for that miserably inept decision died during the Reaper War, or I'd be heading there, instead of to Anhur. What the fuck, Ash? It's a pretty shitty 'sink or swim' mentality, if you ask me. Our own governmental negligence is to blame for this. They're supposed to protect our colonists, not abandon them!"

"I grew up knowing they were all assholes," responded Ashley. "I mean, look at what they did to my Granddad… then my father, then me. If Commander Shepard hadn't come along when she did, there's no telling where I would have ended up in the war… other than dead."

With a disgusted shake of her head, Lee fixed her eyes on Spectre Williams. "Let's just be thankful events transpired as they did, and that you're here with us today. It will be my honor to work with you, Ash, to take both of these families down. They're running Anhur like Illium! With no minimum wage requirement, they're basically forcing people to work under indentured servitude contracts. Nothing but unscrupulous slave brokers by another name."

"Agreed." Ashley frowned. "With the two of us, our N7 candidate squads and our Aralakh friends, this should be a piece of cake. It's mostly white-collar crimes… but they do have a pretty good list of enforcers, which they must be using for something. We need to find out what that something is, but chasing them all down isn't going to be fast… so, how do you want to approach this?"

"I think the original plan we put together still stands. We put the Krogan on the enforcement brigade… to take out their headquarters and whichever enforcers are there; Humans, Batarians, 'whatevers' alike, doesn't matter what race they are. And, we have all their names from the employment rosters, so the ones we miss can be red-flagged in the Spectre system as wanted criminals. They'll all get rounded up eventually, especially if we place a decent 'live-capture' bounty on their heads." She grinned as the added, "You and I, along with all our N7 friends, get to go to the corporate offices of our lovely families and arrest every single one of them for extortion, racketeering, and forced servitude. We'd better make sure we have some place with enough appropriate… accommodations… for the whole lot. There's got to be 25 or 30 names on the employee lists…" She paused only for a moment before her eyes opened wide. "Oh! We do need to add comm suppression so no one can call out, either in warning or for help! Don't want anyone sending word to friends who may not be in the office when this goes down."

"I can see why you and Shepard get along so well." Ashley's frown vanished into a quiet chuckle as she continued, "I like the way you think, Riley. Let's round everyone up, identify our comms specialists to do just that, and get this show started!"

Asari Spectres Heily T'Vera and Shivi Thedoris planned to hit their assigned targets simultaneously, with similarly structured teams. Both Spectre teams included Republican Guard forces from each of the cluster's six inhabited planets and, surprisingly, a ten-member heavy-weapons team from the Elcor on Dekuuna. Both of their targets were within the Nahuala System – the Pesali family on Hyetiana, and House D'Coriis on Agessia – making simultaneous deployment relatively easy, by simply massing their forces at a point in dark space halfway between the two.

By the time they had completed recruitment and the two task-forces stood by in ready status, each team consisted of nearly fifty Reaper-War-hardened warriors, ready to bring peace to their cluster and make a statement to any remaining criminals in the sector that the Silean Nebula was no longer a welcoming place for criminals to set up operations. The independent world governments had already agreed that, assuming the operation went well, they would keep the organization together, minus the Spectres, as a combined defense force for the entire nebula.

Over in the Tasale System of the Crescent Nebula, Moises T'Dura was focused on Illium and House V'Zanto. She, too, had put together a rather large team, all specially selected, knowing – in full measure – the dangers posed by Matriarch Clarinda V'Zanto and her considerable forces. T'Dura's final team had originally consisted of thirty Illium Republican Guards, one team from each of the planet's five districts and one Aralakh squad of eight. But, with T'Vera and Thedoris managing to recruit such a large force, the entirety of the Aralakh First Platoon had become available to her, which was a huge and very much welcome change to the original plan. She could now mass a force of fifty-six, including herself and Urdnot Grunt, to throw against the House V'Zanto defenders.

Overall, given the scale of the operation throughout the galaxy, she fully expected there would be losses… but also fully expected every Spectre team involved in the operation to come away successful at the end of the day; adapt and overcome was the only acceptable conclusion. To do what needed to be done was the Spectre code, and to have such an outpouring of support from the traditional planetary forces once they started recruiting had been simply amazing. Even with the dangerous operation looming in their immediate future, Moises managed a smile as she looked out over her team; they held the promise of a better tomorrow, a starting point for the restoration of law and order throughout the galaxy.

"Alright everyone. You all know the plan." She drew a deep breath and growled, "So let's hit the ground running and tear that fucking slave-house down, shall we?"

She was met with a roar of approval as the team sprang into action, bolting to their assigned landing shuttles for launch. The ride down to the planet was quick, the shuttles forming a barrier circle, quickly disgorging the faster-afoot ground forces to provide protection as the Elcor transports settled onto the ground to offload the heavy-weapons troops. House V'Zanto's response was to throw everything they had against their attackers, and unlike Farnorth Holin, Matriarch Clarinda chose to join the defenders.

The battle was fast and furious, with biotic blasts flying in every direction. Grunt watched unhappily as more than a few of his Krogan went down, only to be quite relieved as their redundant physical systems kicked in, allowing them to rise again to rejoin the fight. He monitored the battle carefully, having learned from Shepard how to reinforce areas that were taking more damage than others in order to keep everyone up and fighting. Smarter, not harder! Thanks, Battlemaster.

The tide was definitely turning in their favor when he saw the unexpected – T'Dura and the V'Zanto Matriarch were locked in one-on-one combat. He figured to improve the odds and moved quickly toward their position; unfortunately, the going was much slower than he would have liked, due to having to dodge the biotics from V'Zanto that tossed deadly debris in the attackers' direction.

Moises was beginning to tire. The V'Zanto family Matriarch was no slouch when it came to her biotics and fighting acumen. It was becoming more and more obvious… painfully so… that she was a matriarch of considerable strength. She was a well-practiced warrior, not your average Asari diplomat, like Matriarch Mozia, the House T'Soni Regent. T'Dura was so focused on the Matriarch – which she had to be, to keep the slave lord from ripping her in half with one of her extremely powerful warps – that she failed to see the Matriarch's First circling around. Her failure was painfully brought to her attention when the Vanguard smashed into her unprotected back, then followed quickly with a Nova slam that literally launched the hapless Spectre across the gap, to land right at the feet of Clarinda V'Zanto.

The unidentified First didn't live to see the result of her successful attack, as Grunt charged in with a roar, nearly cutting her in half with the tungsten carbide bayonet mounted on his shotgun, quickly finishing the job with a point-blank shot from the M-300 Claymore. She lived just long enough for her expression of satisfaction to transform into one of grim, unhappy surprise before her shattered body landed in multiple bloody chunks scattered on the ground in front of him.

As for Clarinda, she couldn't believe her luck. The Spectre who was obviously in charge of this attack had been thrown, to lie helpless at her feet. She was so enthralled by the unexpected arrival, V'Zanto didn't even bother to look up to see who had given her such a gift. She immediately dropped down on one knee and grabbed the stunned Asari by the throat, literally squeezing the life out of the annoying Spectre as she plagued her with a deadly Dark Channel. In her off-hand, she activated her omni-blade and held it to Moises' chest, merely as an insurance policy in the event the Spectre actually managed to gather herself.

"No one takes down the V'Zanto family. Certainly not any 'above-the-law' Spectre," she spat. "Those of us who operate outside the law know all about one another… but your limitation lies in the need to at least try to do everything legally… which is a Pyjak-shit restriction that always ends in death, because you're not willing to take that one, extra, little step across the line." She grinned as she watched T'Dura's eyes start to cloud in resignation… and the knowledge she was about to die.

Moises couldn't breathe and she could feel the Dark Channel coursing through her body, quite literally sucking the life from her. There was nothing she could do; she no longer had the necessary strength to even lift one of her arms, much less summon her biotics. The Matriarch's words started to blur, Moises' auditory system reacting as though her entire head had been plunged under water… the same sensation also beginning to affect her ability to breath as her heart began to flutter with an irregular rhythm. Hoping her team would prevail without her – the battle had already been mostly won, with only this insufferable Matriarch and maybe a dozen loyalists remaining – Moises closed her eyes, welcoming both an end to the agonizing pain that was wracking her body and the darkness that finally silenced the intolerable smugness in the voice of Matriarch Clarinda V'Zanto.

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 18 Dec 2190

Saturday. Shepard stretched and rolled over, gently caressing Liara's cheek until blue eyes slipped open and she received a loving smile.

The Asari drew a deep breath and yawned before whispering softly, "Good morning, Siame. Are you simply waking me early because you can, or is it actually time to get up?"

Samantha chuckled quietly. "Sorry, my love. Much to your great annoyance, I'm sure, it is already 0800." She watched the surprise flash across Liara's face.

"Eight?" she asked. "And you are still in bed with me? Do you feel alright?" Liara sat up and stared at her bondmate. "You never sleep this late."

Chuckling quietly, Samantha sat up and leaned over to place a soft kiss on lush blue lips. "You know that's not true. It just doesn't happen very often." Turning away, she kicked her feet off her own side and slid off the bed. Once standing, she glanced over her shoulder. "Care to join me in the shower?"

"Absolutely!" Liara grinned and hastened to rise, quickly joining Shepard in her stroll to the bathroom. As they stepped into the shower, she added playfully, "Your wet, glistening, naked body is extremely tempting, Samantha. It's too bad we have only an hour before the first shuttle arrives."

"Yeah. Better be careful or we could end up being very, very late." Shepard gently turned the Asari away with a teasing smile and began washing Liara's back as she continued, a bit more seriously. "The Human contingent, popping over from their rendezvous on the CGC, will arrive first. Then, correct me if I'm wrong, don't Garrus, Dee and the Krogan all come in at ten-ish?"

"Yes." Liara grinned, turning back to take the bath sponge from Samantha's hand as she indicated the woman needed to turn around so she could repay the favor. "And we have a whole slew of individual arrivals over the course of the weekend… Rae and Sha'ira, Matriarch Tristana and her First from the Vineyard, Matriarch Tralis from T'Sere… and I'm sure there are more, whom I cannot recall at the moment. Oh! Matriarch Elesia and, of course, Miranda and Jude…"

"Egad," whispered Shepard. "We're gonna have a houseful... almost as many as were here for our bonding." She paused, her eyes widening in joyful anticipation. "Speaking of… When do Matriarch Marisha and the Záhrada contingent arrive? Did we ever get a firm time, or is it still up in the air?"

Liara laughed, a twinkle in her eyes as she replied, "Much to Livos' disgust, not until Monday afternoon. They have some important guests this weekend… a Consort gathering… which Marisha simply cannot ignore, so they all need to wait until the last few departures on Monday morning before they can head this way." She continued to smile as she added, "But, once they get here, they are here for the full two weeks… all the way through the New Year's holiday."

"Seriously?"

They had finished their showers, so Liara turned off the water as Shepard grabbed the towels. The woman handed one to her and they began to dry off as Liara answered, "Yes, I know. It will be an exceptionally long time for the Matriarch to be away from the resort, but Christmas and New Year's are Human holidays, not Asari, so their resort business should be light and, looking at the current schedule, holds nothing the Matriarch will need to attend to." Liara couldn't help but to smile as she delivered the latest piece of news. "Besides, they want to make the formal announcement of the Promise between T'Soni House Captain Livos Tanni and Wilderness Guide Carlina 'Zan' S'Vatyne on your New Year's Eve. Marisha actually said something to the effect of how we couldn't possibly start off a new year on a better foot."

"Holy shit!" A broad smile spread across Samantha's face. "That's going to make for one hell of a New Year's party! All those guests getting to celebrate not only surviving another year – along with the hope of reduced organized crime – but a promise of a bonding that will join two major houses on top of it all?" She laughed and added, "We'd better tell Lyessa to order more alcohol."

"Yes, I suppose we should make sure we have sufficient stock. Between my father and the Krogan, we'll likely need more than we could ever anticipate." Liara took her hand and pulled her along to the closet. "Come on. We both need to get dressed or your naked body…" she emphasized her comment with a loving swat on Samantha's bare ass, "… will quickly become too much of a temptation for me to resist. Then, we will be late, which simply will not do, especially on this day."

A grinning Shepard complied with a "Yes, Lady Liara," earning her one last, playful whack.

At 0900 sharp, Liara and Shepard arrived at the edge of the landing area to watch the Aletheia come in on final approach over the ocean, to drop smoothly onto her assigned berth on the parking pad, right on time. This year's holiday party had been planned long in advance, so the group that stepped out of the ship was unusually large. Of course, the normal crowd was in attendance, including Hannah, Karin, Kahlee, and Sharon and Adrien, but this year's attendees also included Lee Riley, Ashley Williams and Andreas Falk, and Fleet Admiral Ines Lindholm.

Knowing the group was going to be so large, Lyessa had arranged for everyone from House Armali to come here a day early, so they could assist with getting the new arrivals settled in. As such, Aethyta was on the pad with their Team 2 commandos, led by Aressa T'Saptos. "Alestia and Team 1 are staying in the house until Moz drags her ass out of bed," Aethyta said, a smirk playing on her lips when Liara and Shepard arrived. "We stayed up way too late last night."

Liara immediately rolled her eyes. "Please, spare us the details. I know I wanted to get to know you better, but there are some things a daughter really does not wish to know about her father!"

Aethyta simply laughed as the Aletheia's hatch opened to disembark her passengers. "Don't worry, Little Wing. Mozia threatened me, so I will be on my best behavior these next two weeks."

"I'll believe that when the two weeks are over." Liara cast her a glance meant to demonstrate her seriousness, but Aethyta's only response was to laugh even louder.

As the group filed off the ship, they all seemed much too well behaved, an unexpected reserve permeating the group, until Admiral Lindholm's feet landed on the pad. She stepped to the side and looked over the entire ensemble. "Oh, for goodness' sake! This is supposed to be a damned party! If you all are going to act like this the whole time just because I'm here, I'll leave the rest of my bags on the ship and go back to Alliance Headquarters! For the next week, I am just Ines… no admiral this or admiral that! The whole purpose of me coming was to be a normal person for a while … nobody's boss or leader… not responsible for anyone or anything but myself for a change! So, shape up… or I will ship out. What's it going to be?"

For a moment of tense silence, Ines actually thought she was going to have to climb back aboard the shuttle. Then, Hannah stepped forward and gave the woman a very unprofessional hug and kiss on the cheek. "Welcome to your first T'Soni-Shepard bash, Ines. Eat, drink and be merry, but if you say the words 'Alliance Headquarters' one more time, you won't have the choice of staying or leaving, because you'll be evicted from the Estate! No more business talk. Period!"

Ines blinked a couple of times, initially surprised at Hannah's boldness. Then, she started to laugh as she re-slung her bag on her shoulder. "Now, that's what I'm talking about! Let's get this damned party started!"

It took a few moments for everyone to get over the shock of what had just happened, but once the dam broke, the chatter erupted as everyone started to say their hellos at the same time. With everyone other than Ines having been to the Estate before, they started to grab their stuff from the storage compartments and move themselves into the house, waiting only for Lyessa to tell them what room they had been assigned for the holiday.

Shepard chuckled quietly and followed her mother's example, walking up to the admiral and giving her a hug. "Glad you could make it, Ines. You have no idea as to the door you just kicked wide open."

"I can only hope, Sam." She grinned happily. "I get tired of the stuffiness and self-importance that exudes from the admirals on my staff. If I can simply be an ordinary nobody for the duration of my visit, that will be the best balm to my soul I will have had since the declaration of victory over the Reapers." She wrapped her arm around Samantha's waist as she added, "So, show your pal Ines where to drop her bags and give me the full tour! That should give me enough time to unwind from the stuffiness of the flight here."

"Apologies, but it will have to be the abbreviated version to begin with, as we have more guests arriving at ten." Samantha shrugged. "You'll have to settle for the grounds immediately surrounding the house, and we'll save the rest for some day later this week. With the snow and the size of the Estate, we'll have to use one of the aircars, so will be a bit limited. We can fly the borders of the Preserve… but it's a no-fly zone, so we can't cross the area. I can show you the lake, along with our little hideaway fishing spot on its northwest shore, assuming you're willing to do a tight-spiral decent and climb-out."

"That all sounds lovely… and a bit daring, from what I've heard of your driving."

Sam laughed. "Et tu, Brute?"

"Seriously? Old Latin? I haven't heard that phrase in ages!" Ines laughed in response. "You are a woman of many hidden talents, Samantha Shepard. I must admit, I very much look forward to getting to know you as a person, rather than a Spectre… though honestly, as far as your flying skills are concerned, I trust those N7 and Spectre instincts to keep us both alive and well on our journey together, as you give me the grand tour. I accept the offer."

"Excellent!" Shepard nodded. "Miranda Lawson and Judea Voni are headed our way as well, so I'll ask Judea if she can bring one of her sport racers in. Now, that would be a trip and a half! She's the best damned pilot I've ever met… and that includes Jeff Moreau."

"High praise coming from you, I would think." After a long moment's pause, Ines added, "And that's a person I would love to meet… an option not provided me as an Admiral in the Alliance Navy."

Shepard's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Why not? You could have met Judea many times over had you just asked. I had no idea you even knew who she is."

"Oh! Sorry…" Ines reached up to scratch her own suddenly wrinkled brow. "I meant your Miranda Lawson. Being an ex-Cerberus operative… well, you know. She was kind of… off-limits, shall we say? Then, after the war, I never really had a reason, other than simple, personal, intellectual curiosity. From what little I know of her, she's a remarkable woman of many talents and, most importantly, she has your full trust. That's enough for me."

"Well, they'll be rolling in Tuesday afternoon and staying through the weekend before leaving again, then rejoining us for the week between Christmas and New Year's Day."

"Well, then." Ines smiled. "That sounds like the week to schedule that tour, weather permitting, of course. Don't you think?"

"I'll drop her a note tonight." Shepard stopped in front of one of the Estate suites, pushing the door open. "And here you are. Your other bags will be delivered within a half-hour, so chuck your carry-on in the door and I'll give you the 30-minute version of the tour. Then, of course, you are welcome to wander on your own, or ask any of the commandos to show you around. They'll be happy to help, assuming they aren't on duty. They can show you the important stuff… like the gym, the pool and the spa."

"Spa? Now that sounds like an idea!" Ines peeked into the room and smiled, saying, "Looks lovely!" as she tossed her shoulder bag inside, out of the way against the wall beside the doorway. "Now. Times a-wasting! Let's get to that tour!"

Ten o'clock found Shepard joining Liara back on the ramp, to welcome the second group of arrivals. "Grunt!" In addition to her vocal greeting, Shepard biotically punched the Krogan on his left shoulder plate, rocking him back a step; this caused a huge, toothy grin to erupt on his face.

"Shepard! It's good to see you." His smile didn't fade as he added, "We missed you at the fight. It was glorious! Too bad; you missed a good one while playing politics at the CGC. You're turning into Wrex… all talk, no action." He chuckled, adding, "Must be terribly boring."

"I do miss the action… sometimes, but the discussions with the Protheans are anything but boring. We've made some great headway in the planning arena. The SILC are already moving supplies for setting up initial temp structures… and, pretty soon, your Krogan construction teams will be joining them at the site. Believe it or not, the plan is to have the temporary town set up and functional by mid-January."

"Krogan can move damn fast when they want to… when they really have something worthwhile to do, other than just fight one another. I have to give credit where credit is due, to Urdnot Bakara. Her vision is really turning the Krogan around. Giving them purpose is good, and you're right; they'll have the entire settlement rebuilt – for real, not just temp structures – before you know it!" Grunt shifted his gaze. "Good to see you, too, Liara. You must be going crazy, to have your dream so close, but unable to grab ahold of it with both hands as of yet."

"Good to see you, too, Grunt." Liara smiled and leaned in to place a kiss on Grunt's cheek. Ignoring his comments regarding her future job, she shifted the conversation back to the recent battle. "Thank you, for your actions on Illium."

"Those criminals fought without honor," growled Grunt. "They were not allowed to win!" He suddenly grinned as he added, "By the way… we brought a surprise along for you. When I have anything to say about it, no one is left behind… not on my watch."

As he spoke, and much to both Liara's and Shepard's surprise, a still-weak Moises T'Dura made her way through the hatch and started to walk slowly down the ramp. Gasping, Liara ran to meet her, but stopped just short of the Spectre, unsure as to her condition. "Goddess! It's good to see you up and about, Mo!"

"It is good to be seen, Liara." She smiled softly, pointing at Grunt with a shift of her chin as she added, "I owe that one a debt of life I am unsure I will ever be able to repay." Looking back at Liara, she opened her arms in welcome. "And I am not so fragile I cannot take the hug I know you want to give."

Liara swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat but couldn't stop the tears slipping from her eyes as she wrapped her friend in a gentle embrace. "By the Goddess, we were so worried about you when we received the initial reports on your condition. They said you were near death, and no one believed you had any chance of pulling through. It has only been two weeks! How are you even here?"

"That question has more than one interpretation, Liara." Moises returned the hug with more energy than Liara thought possible as the Spectre spoke softly. "First off, I had the best biotics medical specialists available in the galaxy working to save me. Then, once I pulled through and got up and about, however limited it was, Grunt showed up to break me out." A mischievous grin appeared on her face as she continued. "When I stood up and walked out on my own two feet, refusing additional treatment, they couldn't exactly stop me." She released the hug, but still hung onto Liara's arm. "But I do tire very quickly, so would like to get into the house to sit. The doctors say it will be at least a month or two, if not three, before I can even begin working out again, and very likely six more after that before I will be able to return to duty. They cautioned me to self-pace and not exhaust myself, to ensure I do not relapse."

She cast another glance at her Krogan savior. "I was, quite literally, almost 'dead weight' in Grunt's words, but he didn't give up on me. Apparently, he literally demolished Clarinda and her First, then picked me up like a sack of prátas, threw me over his shoulder, and ran me back to the ship's med bay as fast as his legs would carry us. Turned out I still had vital signs, however weak, so the doc immediately placed me into stasis… and, as the Humans like to say, the rest is history. Obviously, I still had a bit of life left in me, and Grunt's hustle got me to help fast enough to keep it that way."

Liara wiped her tears away and swallowed once more. "I will be forever thankful to him and that ship's doctor… and to the Goddess, for choosing to leave you with us instead of taking you to her bosom much too soon."

Showing a little bit of her former self, Moises chuckled. "You and me both, T'Soni. You and me both."

Shepard looked at the two of them and gave Liara a nod. "Go with her to the house, Li. I'll take care of our Krogan and Turian family." She smiled and winked, teasingly, as she added. "You know I'm their favorite, anyway."

Liara raised a brow marking and replied, "They only give you all that extra attention because you are their special pet Human, Sam. I don't need anything extra, because I was born part Krogan."

Wrex, who had just stepped out of the ship's hatch, roared with laughter. "She's got you there, Shepard. Our little Liara is all grown up, talking sass like a true Krogan!" A toothy grin dominated his face as he walked down the ramp to join the group. "We'll meet you inside, Liara. Take care of Mo. We didn't help nurse her back to health just to see her backslide. That doctor will have our asses if we let anything happen to her now."

"Thank you, Wrex. We'll talk soon!" Liara gave them all a nod before turning to loop her arm through that of Moises. Continuing with her sass, she whispered quietly to the recovering Asari, the smile and teasing evident in her tone, "Lead the way, Mo. I'm simply here to keep you from overexerting and embarrassing yourself by falling over halfway to the house."

Moises actually laughed, finally answering, "Ouch. That is painfully close to the truth, Liara." Giving the arm looped through her own a light squeeze, she added, "Honestly? It's great to be back on Thessia. Illium can be a bit… overwhelming… when trying to recover, no matter how good the attending physicians."

"You know our physician here is top-notch when it comes to battle-related injuries." Liara's grip tightened slightly when she felt a slight falter in Mo's step. "Don't worry, I've got you."

"I know." Moises refocused on her feet until she found her walking rhythm once more. "I do realize your doctor has to be pretty damned good, the number of times she had to put Shepard's Spectre crew back together… but what, exactly, are you getting at? I sense there is more to that statement."

"Your near-death experience has not dulled your mind, that's for certain." Liara smiled. "I am simply offering the hospitality of the House T'Soni Estate for your convalescence, whether it take one month or two… or even two years. You are always welcome to stay. We have fought together, and you have 'pulled our asses out of the fire' a time or two, as Shepard would say."

They had followed one of the paths that led through the gardens to the house, so Liara stopped at a bench, where she encouraged Moises to sit and rest for a few moments. "Off the topic of your health, we did not expect you, so have not prepared a room." She dropped her grasp on her friend's arm to open her omnitool. "So, I am messaging Lyessa, asking that one of the downstairs rooms be prepared for your stay… for however long you should decide to remain here, amongst friends who are concerned for your well-being and able to assist in your recovery."

She paused and frowned. "I do not mean to pry, but do you have somewhere to go, where there is someone available to help, until you can truly stand on your own… long enough to shower, cook meals… go shopping?"

"I do not lead a life so barren as most believe." Moises sighed in resignation, knowing Liara had the means to verify the truth of her words. Opting to be completely honest, she explained the background of her non-committed relationship with Captain Lydia D'Naga, Captain of the Serrice Guard. "So now, on occasions following a particularly difficult assignment, I will call her. This time, she came to me. We had always agreed to no commitments, but a near-death experience can change that. She was the one who needed physical proof that I still lived… that I was coherent… and still me."

Here she paused, searching her own heart before admitting, "And I guess I needed to know someone wanted me to do more than survive that fight. Lydia wanted… needed… me to come home to her, alive and well… and fully intact… body and soul." She huffed and shook her head, whispering quietly, "I have never felt that… connection… with anyone. Ever. With the life of a Spectre, it is a frightening thing, to know someone counts on my safe return after every mission. I cannot guarantee that, so I am in a quandary."

Liara huffed and smiled. "Then there is no better place for you to be than here. Shepard and I have lived with the same issue since we met in 2183… so we may have some of the perspective you lack. Spend some personal time with us over the holiday, ask us the hard questions and we will do our best to answer."

Liara paused and laid a hand gently on Moises' leg. "I will tell you one thing. If it is truly love that you have found, do not let go of it out of fear… like I almost did. You will find that true love is rare, indeed, and more precious than life itself. I learned that the hard way… but got lucky and somehow, beyond all hope, regained the love I just knew I had lost. In the end, it is worth so much more than any temporary pain it may cause along the way. What I know for sure is that I would give my life up in an instant if I thought it could save the life of the one I hold most dear – I would willingly make that sacrifice, without a second thought."

Moises looked at the expression of pure love on Liara's face and realized what she needed to do. "I will think on it, Liara… and then talk to Lydia before I give you my answer."

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