Notes:

Anam Cara - Soul Friend/Mate (Gaelic)

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)

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

The New Era

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 31 Dec 2190

The week between Christmas and New Year's Day had simply flown by in a flurry of snowball fights, snowman construction, dancing… and a whole lot of drinking. Karin had been absolutely amazed by Ines Lindholm; she had worried about Aethyta's attempts to get the woman drunk, but Ines had turned out to be much more savvy regarding the various types of alcohols in the galaxy than Karin ever would be. The good doctor really had no idea anyone but Shepard and her nanites could consume that much alcohol and still remain lucid, much less seemingly sober.

When asked, Ines had simply smiled and said, "I'll tell you my secret, but you have to swear to never tell a soul."

"Oh… a mystery!" Karin grinned and promised, "Your secret is yours to tell, not mine. Whatever you tell me will never leave my lips, I swear it!"

Laughing, Ines complied. "A bit of Akantha to start and end the day and a long-ago tailor-made dehydrogenase booster serve me very well."

"What?" Karin's eyes widened in surprise. "A dehydrogenase booster? How?"

"How?" Ines shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea. Keep in mind this all happened in my college days, when a good Salarian friend of mine had a wild idea one day in Chem Lab, but he needed a Human subject to test it on… and I agreed to help him out. He developed a cocktail – various versions of said cocktail, truth be told – which I quite willingly drank." Ines smiled and shook her head. "We have no idea if it was the combination of them all, any odd combination of the various versions, or just how it happened to interact with my specific body chemistry, but it quadrupled my rate of alcohol conversion to ketones. So, what takes a normal person to get over in roughly an hour's time, I can metabolize in about fifteen minutes. The effect never faded, and it didn't kill me – though one did make me rather ill for a few days – so it was a win."

"Whatever happened to him? I can't imagine that wouldn't have made a huge splash on the Human alcohol markets, but I've never heard of such a thing!"

"I really don't know… and we never had the chance to finish the experiment." Ines shook her head sadly. "Someone reported him for unauthorized tests on a live Human subject. That I volunteered was of no consequence; the incident got him pulled back to Sur'Kesh and I never heard from him again. Kusic simply vanished from existence… at least my existence… and by now, with their short life spans, he's likely passed on anyway."

"That is something of a tragic story, Ines." Karin frowned. "I'm sorry I asked."

"Not your fault… nor mine, so don't worry about it." She smiled softly. "At least I have something to remember him by… something that will likely remain within me forever."

"That you do, my friend." Karin's eyes twinkled as she concluded, "And the effect drives Aethyta absolutely crazy so, for that reason in particular, I positively love it!"

The evening's party was much calmer than Liara had anticipated, and she had to wonder if it was because so many matriarchs were in attendance. Of course, Mozia and Aethyta were regulars… but this year they had an additional five matriarchs in attendance, as well as the Alliance Fleet Admiral. That many persons of authority, no matter how familiar they may be to everyone, always had a tendency to keep people's behavior in check.

The late arrival of the Krogan contingent – Grunt, to be specific – certainly livened things up a bit. It was late evening when he blasted through the door, immediately seeking out Shepard and Liara. "You kidding? Me? Miss a party with my Krantt? Not a chance!" Grunt grinned as he swung a massive fist into Shepard's shoulder. "Wrex sends his regrets, but Bakara wasn't up for travelling… and you can wipe those worried frowns right off your faces! She's pregnant again… ready to give Wrex another pup. The Krogan need more females, but Bakara says the way this one is kicking and thrashing about inside her, it simply must be a male!"

Samantha chuckled, replying, "A male just because the babe has a little bit of temper? You have met Bakara, right?" Dodging a swat from Liara, she continued, "Tell me I'm wrong! Bakara doesn't take crap from anyone! I'll lay odds it's a little female who grows up to be just like her."

Grunt chuckled and bobbed his head, smashing his right fist into his left palm. "Got me there, Shepard. I'll bet you're right!"

"Either way, it is welcome news!" Liara glanced at Samantha. "We'll have to contact them tomorrow and offer our congratulations."

"That's tomorrow!" Grunt glanced around the room – reorienting himself, as it had been a while since he'd been at the Estate – in search of Aethyta and the bar. Locating the proper doorway, he flashed a grin at his hosts. "Tonight? We drink! Heh, heh, heh!"

Shepard smirked at the young Krogan, an idea suddenly popping into her head. "Hey… when you get to the bar, ask for Ines. As sure as I am about the new little one being a female, I'm even more sure that we have another squishy Human here who can drink you under the table!"

Grunt's eyes flashed in challenge. "Nobody but you, Battlemaster… and you, with those nanites of yours, are a cheater!"

Laughing, Shepard gave him a shove in the direction of the door. "Go! I guarantee you, by the end of the night, Ines will be your next best drinking buddy!"

"Humph." Grunt scratched his chin. "Never known you to be anything but straight up with me, Shepard. I'll find her."

As he ambled away, several commandos and other friends, like Garrus, grabbed him for a drink as he attempted to pass. Shepard smiled and wondered if the young Krogan would even make it to the bar before midnight.

Liara cocked a brow marking and grinned, jesting, "You are an evil person, Samantha Shepard."

Shepard chuckled and smiled, giving her a little shrug in response. "I know. Sometimes I just can't help myself. Besides… We've both seen her and Aethyta going toe-to-toe at the bar. She's amazing!" She stepped closer and wrapped Liara in her arms, sending a surge of comfort and warmth through the Asari. "Come on. It's getting late and I think it's about time we see how many will join us on the floor for a waltz. Don't you?"

"Absolutely!" Liara's face lit up in anticipation. Ever since Shepard had taught her the dance, waltzing with her bondmate was pretty much the highlight of every party. This year had the potential to be very different, with other couples joining them on the floor. She immediately opened her omnitool and sent the request, knowing Traynor would insert the music into the queue at the end of the next song. "Lead the way, Siame!"

Sometime after the first waltz, which had proven to be surprisingly popular with the crowd, much to everyone's surprise a second one floated through the sound system. Liara was glancing around the room, looking for her dancing partner, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. "May I?"

Liara turned, surprised at the voice. "Sharon? You waltz?"

Chuckling, Culver answered, "I dated Shepard long enough she felt compelled to reveal her secret passion to me, so yes. I most definitely waltz. But that does not answer my question."

"Oh!" Liara smiled. "By all means! Shepard has a request from Mom, anyway, so this will give them a chance to dance together."

They laughed their way through the first few stanzas, until they found their rhythm. It felt a bit odd to Liara, dancing with Culver instead of Samantha, but once they got going, she found the change both a challenge and enjoyable at the same time. Shepard flashed her an encouraging grin as they passed on the dance floor, before she and Mom vanished once more into the crowd.

When the music stopped, Culver stepped back and gave Liara a polite bow, but did not release her hand. "You know, we haven't had much chance to talk, with you being so busy with all the guests you have this year."

"I know! I'm sorry…"

"No, don't worry about it. I think getting everyone together like this before you leave is a great idea." Sharon paused for only a moment before plunging on. "I want to thank you for bringing Adrien into my life and…" She paused and huffed. "Can we sit and talk for a bit? Before Shepard steals you back?"

"Of course, Sharon." Liara gave her a worried glance. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it truly is." She smiled softly. "I just have something to talk about… and I know Shep will be biased, so I need an independent opinion."

"Well, then. Let's grab a drink and head to the study?"

"I'm aiming for a snifter of Bushmills from Shepard's liquor cabinet, but absolutely; grab what you want..." Sharon gave her a thankful smile and continued, "… and I'll meet you there."

"In that case, no need." Liara linked her arm through Sharon's. "I'll just steal a glass of one of the new Thaptos wines Tris brought us… which all became part of our private reserve and are hidden safely away in the study!"

Liara wasn't sure what to say. "Goddess, Sharon. You're not even 50! What will you do with yourself?"

"Well… first off, I'll be able to spend more time with the woman I love. It will give us time to figure out if we can actually be together full time… and it will give me time to visit with my friends, like you and Shep, whom I haven't seen in ages!" Culver chuckled softly. "Besides, with my skills, if I ever get seriously bored, I could always pick up some odd jobs… security work… assassin for hire…"

She laughed as Liara reached over and smacked her on the arm. "Don't even jest about that! Security would be okay, I suppose… but no assassinations!" Liara cast her a mocking glare as she added, "I have a particular dislike of assassins."

"Yeah, I can understand that. Sorry. Shouldn't joke about that one." Sharon, chastised, looked away for a second before returning her gaze to Liara. "But that aside… what do you honestly think about me leaving the Alliance when I'm still so young?"

"I think you'd be crazy not to." Liara shrugged. "In that, I am of the same opinion as Shepard. We fought hard, risked everything we knew and everyone we loved – particularly those who fought by our side through the toughest battles… all for this future you speak of. Take advantage of our hard-sought victory and live what remains of your life to its fullest. Don't compromise."

Sharon nodded thoughtfully for a few, brief moments before looking earnestly at Liara, meeting her beautiful, caring blue eyes. "I'll do that… on one condition." She paused before adding solemnly, "You and Shepard have to follow that same advice. Go to Ilos and deal with your Protheans… follow your archaeological dreams… but, when you get tired of it all, come home to us… to your friends and loved ones. Don't hesitate over some misplaced sense of duty. You and Shep have done more than anyone could have expected. You won a war that hadn't been won by any species over the eons of time. An untold number of advanced societies couldn't accomplish what you and Shepard managed to pull off, so make sure you shrug off that mantle of responsibility and live a little; you've earned it. Deal?"

"Deal." Liara leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Culver's cheek before adding, "And Sharon? That future will be sooner, rather than later… especially by Asari standards. I promise you that." She paused and raised her glass. "So, with that settled… I propose a toast to all of our bright and happy futures. Let us drink on it and return to the party to usher in 2191."

Ilos, Refuge, Pangaea Expanse – 7 Jan 2191

All the preparations for the journey had been finalized weeks before the long holiday, so it was an easy thing to complete the trip to Ilos – once all the painful goodbyes were completed and they actually managed to take off from Thessia. They first landed in the capital city of Oasia – which was the location of the Conduit – to meet with Ambassador Colis before heading out to the dig site with Arick Vythan. Liara was very much looking forward to the reunion with Rasha and the team.

Furant Colis was beside himself when they arrived. "You would not believe how much progress they have made in such a short time! The ruins… the buildings here are amazing! One SILC team had power up within days and the others have been working with Aelia and Ruso, who are directing the focus of their efforts at reconstruction. First priority was emergency housing, to include water and sanitation… and the Krogan engineers are positively crazy! Nothing stops them! There is nothing too big, too heavy, too… whatever… to stop them. Ideas fly, the Consensus puts their collective to the task, and solutions simply… appear. It has been an amazing thing to watch."

Here he paused and his voice dropped. "The only thing missing from our conversations on the CGC are the Batarians. The Council has failed to see a way forward regarding the amnesty terms."

Shepard frowned. "But they agreed to the terms as offered…"

"The basic terms, yes." Furant nodded quickly. "However, the drafting of the personnel request, to include the requirements for amnesty, turned into a major battle, with no one able to agree on just what crimes will be waived. Of particular irritation is the question of the slave trade, particularly with the latest incident involving the Hanar."

"Gods." Shepard rolled her eyes. "You bring that into the mix and nearly every Batarian is eliminated for cause. Slavery was a way of life for them."

"Exactly my point… so, few have come forward to take the offer." Furant blinked rapidly and continued, "Though, those that have are mostly artisans and traders, who had other livelihoods to support themselves. More courtesy of circumstance than by intention."

"So… how many? Roughly?"

Furant scoffed. "Only a dozen or so. Nowhere near enough to even think about genetic regeneration studies, much less conduct them!"

"I'll give Tevos a call once we're settled in and we get into a routine." Shepard huffed and shook her head in disgust. "The whole idea was to give amnesty and provide opportunities to change careers. By denying them options, we're only forcing them to fall back on what worked for them in the past; I don't understand why the Council can't see that. Same shit, different day, I guess."

Liara reached over to lay a comforting hand on Shepard's arm. "We'll talk to the Council, Furant, and see if we can work something out with them, now that we are physically present. We'll figure something out." Her face brightened as she continued, "But, for now, we have places to go and people to see! I imagine Rasha is beside herself, knowing we've landed planet-side and not shown up at the site yet."

"Yes, yes! Of course!" Furant nodded quickly. "You must be on your way. But, once you get settled, we'll need to speak about meeting frequencies, how we'll handle data transfer and Council updates and the like." A grin flashed across his face and his voice took on an excited edge as he concluded, "I very much look forward to working with you both as part of my staff… but first, I must let you get settled in and get to work, else you'll have nothing to report!"

Once they arrived at the site, Liara drew a deep breath and observed with wonder. Rasha stood in the heart of the developing dig site like an orchestra conductor, making sure all the pieces flowed together to match the vision she had in her head. Living areas, artifact processing areas, equipment storage; Liara and Rasha had meticulously mapped out the entire complex once the Protheans had forwarded them the data on the location of the Inusannon city. There was a place for everything, and Rasha was standing in the middle of it all, in her element and shouting out directions to make sure everything ended up in the right place. Liara stood off to the side, along with Arick and Shepard, and watched her assistant at work, both of them smiling at the obvious joy Liara found in being back in her element; the Asari was practically glowing with happiness.

Shepard's brow crinkled for just the briefest of moments as thoughts of what it had cost the galaxy for them to get to this moment in time trampled ingloriously across the forefront of her consciousness. However, watching Liara's obvious delight at once more being a Doctor of Archeology had her quickly casting off the somber, unhappy thoughts; unfortunately, not before Liara felt the discord through the link. Liara's focus immediately shifted, and she glanced around quickly. {Samantha?}

Shepard immediately cursed at herself for having interrupted Liara's delight, watching the Asari's smile turn down into a look of concern. {It's all good, Anam Cara. Didn't mean to disturb your enjoyment of all this… I just remembered what it cost us to get here. Let's make sure it was all worth it and get down to business, shall we?}

Liara turned to Arick and spoke quietly. "Do you mind if Shepard and I simply wander around for a bit? I'm going to speak with Rasha for a few minutes… and then, we'd like to walk around the site, simply to get oriented and ensure the proper protocols have been put in place. We are just getting started, and I want to make sure we have adequate protections and tracking on any and all artifacts that are collected."

The Prothean smiled, knowing Rasha had already gone over the artifact tracking and storage plans in painstaking detail with him. "Go. Take advantage of it while you can, before the site starts producing in quantity and you barely have time to breathe. I can assure you, however, that Rasha has everything fully under control."

Shepard chuckled quietly, quipping, "That's exactly what she's afraid of! With Rasha being so efficient, she really has no reason to actually be here, at the dig site. Last thing Liara wants is to be stuck at the office with the Ambassador!"

Arick laughed and shook his head. "I very much doubt that to be the case. Liara is an archaeologist, and Ambassador Colis is well aware of that fact. Catch up to me when you're done with your orientation, and we'll go from there."

Liara had been ecstatic to discover that after Jondum Bau had engaged Shepard to help stop the Reaper attack on the Hanar homeworld, Kahje had remained untouched as a result and most of her friends there were alive and well. Rasha had been thrilled when Liara had called her; upon hearing her offer to employ Rasha as her Assistant Director, she couldn't get packed fast enough. She had departed almost immediately for Thessia and had been working ever since. For this project, before negotiations with the Protheans had even been completed, she and Rasha had been working together on the site design from the very beginning. Now, thanks to her eidetic memory, Rasha had no need to reference the plans, even for the finest details.

Liara's expression was bright with anticipation as she called out, "Rasha!"

Liara's voice carried over the din and the Drell spun about, a huge grin on her face. "You're here! Excellent!" She moved quickly to give Liara a big hug before turning to lock forearms with the captain. "It's good to see you both! Your trip went well?"

"Yes, it did." Liara let her gaze wander as she continued, "It seems you have everything well in hand. Have you started any excavations or collections yet?"

"Absolutely not." Rasha grinned. "I decided… well, Arick and I talked about it, and we decided that particular privilege belonged to you, and you alone. The first artifact of this dig will be personally identified and tagged by none other than Doctor Liara T'Soni."

Liara's own wide grin spoke volumes as she clapped in excitement at the news. "Goddess! Thank you, Rasha! I'll have to remember to say the same to Arick."

"And thus, it begins!" Shepard couldn't help but chuckle. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to see Liara's dream of archaeology come back to life, Rasha. Thank you."

"Ha!" Rasha's eyes opened wide. "Let's see if you're still thanking me once you figure out you're competing with artifacts for Liara's time. I have seen her on a dig, and I don't believe you quite yet realize just how ferocious an opponent those little shards will be."

"I will most definitely make the effort to split my time efficiently." Liara grinned, reaching out to grasp Samantha's hand. "She is the one who made all this possible, so it's only fair she receives at least some of my time while we are here."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Rasha smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Now, go. Take your tour, make sure I put everything in the right place and have all the protocols set up exactly as you want them. Once we really get going, it will be much more difficult to adjust anything you don't like."

Liara gave Rasha one of the endearing looks the Drell remembered so well. "Thank you, Rasha. Truly. I have no doubts everything is perfect. We'll take our time and get oriented, then meet you at the mess tent for lunch?"

"See you then!" Rasha grinned. "Now, go, and let me get back to work!"

Liara reached out and ran her fingertips lovingly down Shepard's cheek. "Come on. All of this will consume my time soon enough. Rasha is handling the setup just fine and you are more important to me than making sure a storage container gets placed in the exact right location." Her eyes focused intently on Shepard's face. "Let us take our tour, find some privacy, and talk about what happened?"

"Nothing happened." Liara's raised brow markings told Shepard the answer was not sufficient, so the woman sighed in resignation. "Fine. It was just an errant thought. I was watching you, just taking in how happy you looked, and it just struck me out of nowhere." Shepard glanced down as she finished. "The level of destruction... the people we lost. What it cost us to get where we are today. And then it was gone."

Shepard smiled and wrapped her hands around Liara's waist, pulling her in close. "Seeing your expression, watching how much you love doing what you do. The occasional bad memory can't compete with the joy I see written all over your face." Shepard gave her a quick peck and released her, stepping back. "So, go. Back to the center of your maelstrom."

Liara smiled and took Shepard's hand. "Rasha has it. Now that we're actually here, I really do want to walk the perimeter and go over the security details one more time. See if we can find any blind spots we didn't notice in the holo-projection of the surface when we set up the plan."

"Dr T'Soni. Are you doubting my competence as your chief of security? What do you think Nayla and I did while you and Rasha were deciding on camp set-up?" Shepard threw Liara a glance of mock indignation.

Liara smiled mischievously. "Indulge me, Shepard. Perhaps I harbor ulterior motives… like wanting to get you alone for a while… just you and me in some hidden corner I hope to find."

"Oh!" A small quiver of delight ran through the commander. "Why, Director! What will the rest of the employees think when they see you showing favoritism to your security chief?"

"Well, I don't know, Captain. I guess we'll find out, because I have no plans to hide the fact that you're my bondmate." Liara grinned as she started walking, pulling Shepard along behind. "Besides. I'm pretty sure that secret got out a long time ago."

Shepard laughed and caught up to Liara so they could walk side-by-side as she pointed out and explained the adjustments she and Riana had already made to the security coverage. "I know Riana is still haunted by the experience on Therum; she will never leave your side while you're here… but neither Lyria nor I will have a regular schedule. We're just here as oversight; the more random our appearances the better. Initially, Teana's team will have nights and Aressa's will take the day shift. The rotations will work just like we planned, where the new team will roll in and take over the next day, that day shift will push to nights and the night shifters will head back to Thessia. And, of course, Riana and the Personal Guard are here for the duration, and we can use them as short-term backfill if we have any unexpected illnesses or injuries."

Shepard stopped behind a rock outcropping and pulled Liara close. "And, finally, I am extremely pleased we placed Livos in the House Captain position, so there is no loss of continuity for the Commandos still on Thessia. Both she and your father have already sent me messages regarding how quickly Mo and her team have settled in as a temp second team for the Armali House."

Liara raised a brow. "Moises doesn't know of our plan to dismantle the Brokerage, does she?"

"Where did that come from? I can't imagine she does, if you haven't told her… I sure as Hell haven't." Shepard paused thoughtfully. "Though, you know, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring them on full time. Seriously… the connection is there. You met her when you were an info broker on Illium… and then, she helped us with missions during the war. I know it wouldn't be the normal hiring process by House T'Soni standards, to bring a whole team on like that, but there are a lot of things you've done differently. She and her team would be a tremendous asset."

"You honestly think she would be willing to come work for us, rather than do freelance work?"

"Won't know unless we ask, but yes… I do believe there's a good chance she'll take you up on it. Especially if we start them just as a temporary assignment for dig site security, to begin?" Shepard raised her eyebrows in question. "It would ease the requirements on our House Commandos just a bit… particularly since none of them were exactly thrilled with the idea of coming here for any duration of time."

"Alright, Captain." Liara grinned. "You need not sell me on Moises T'Dura… at least not at the moment, when we have so much more interesting things to do right now than discuss staffing."

"More interesting things?" Shepard's eyes twinkled in merriment. "Like what, Doctor?"

Hidden by the rock outcropping from the view of the dig site, Shepard's answer came in the form of a warm body pressing into hers, accompanied by a deep kiss that lasted for several rather long moments, with lips that lingered playfully, long after the kiss was complete.

Breathless, Samantha whispered huskily, "You're right. That is most certainly more interesting than staffing, my good Doctor. You are very, very lucky that Arick is floating around here somewhere, still waiting on us."

"You call that lucky?" Liara huffed. "I call that a terribly timed reminder of why we are actually here; a 'duty calls' prompt of the kind I had hoped we were done with. Untimely and completely at odds with my desires for the moment, however accurate it may be." She pulled back, closing her eyes for a moment to refocus her energies toward work. Finally, she smiled and looked once more into the gorgeously tempting emerald spheres of her Siame. "Fine. Let us locate Arick and plunge into the world of Inusannon artifacts." Her gaze never faltered as she added, "But, tonight, you are all mine, Samantha Shepard, so make sure you don't tire yourself out today."

Their evening meal was a casual affair, with many muted conversations taking place around and across the several tables set up in the mess tent. Rasha had fallen silent upon concluding her quiet discussion with Arick concerning the few discrepancies in equipment placement she had noticed. She left the table long enough to refill her beverage; returning to her seat, she took a couple of sips from her mug before turning her dark-eyed gaze to the other two occupants of the table. She addressed the pair in a quiet voice. "Liara? Shepard?… I have a progress report to share with you."

Shepard smirked as she replied, "Progress report? We've been here most of the day, Rasha, and I believe you've made excellent progress today. Is there something else of which we are unaware?

The Drell smiled. Splitting her attention between the pair, she answered with a slight shake of her head, "No, not here, at least. The progress I wish to share with you is not about the excavation outside. I am speaking of Rannoch."

Shepard's eyes want wide for a moment. This was accompanied by Liara lifting a brow marking as she asked, "The SILC operation in the southern desert… the construction of a settlement for the Drell wishing to relocate from Kahje. What have you heard?"

"It has been eight months since Roshida B'Sayle's team rescued Jerrod Dusi's wife and child from the ocean surface of the Hanar homeworld, thus exposing the Hanar as complicit in the Batarian slave trade. It pleases me greatly to report the progress of construction has exceeded even the SILC's optimistic timetable for habitability." She took a swallow of liquid from her mug, then added, "Charamey informs me she is now living in a beautiful house, with a wonderful view of Tikkun rising above the plains each morning."

Rasha cocked her head slightly as she continued, "Charamey also told me more of our people arrive on Rannoch with each passing week. Apparently, many are families who have long since become disillusioned with living in the slums provided by the so-called Illuminated Primacy." Rasha's voice upon speaking the last two words betrayed a deep-seated antipathy towards the Hanar. "They all come seeking the freedom to build their own futures, rather than relying on the slim, sustenance-only grants."

"It would seem the Hanar's rescue of your people began as a mercy mission," Shepard observed in a reflective voice. "Yet, it turns out the Hanar are no different than any other race in the galaxy. Just how many Drell have made the move to Rannoch?"

"Charamey reports approximately three thousand are now living in the new settlement, which is growing rapidly in size – anywhere from fifty to a hundred more each month that passes. The SILC are expanding their construction outward concentrically from the center of town." With a happy smile, she added, "Many of the new settlers are assisting the SILC in planning for the inevitably required increase in infrastructure. A town council has been formed, whose first order of business will be to select a name for the place."

Rasha looked down at the table for several moments before refixing her gaze on Liara. "My people would have never had this opportunity if not for you… and Shepard," came the solemn admission. A tear appeared at the inner corner of one eye; she blinked it away, adding, "You have my gratitude for assisting in making all this possible."

Shepard thought to protest but remained quiet as a thought from her Ionúin álainn touched her mind. {Just accept it, Samantha. Rasha's few remaining friends will benefit from having a new home on a dry planet, even if she, personally, plans on remaining with us. This, at least, gives her options for the future, should she ever change her mind and desire to live amongst her own again.}

Shepard glanced at Liara to give her a brief nod of both acceptance and agreement, then addressed the Drell. "You are most welcome, Rasha. It truly is our honor to have helped your people."

Liara simply beamed at what she considered excellent news. "I think it's simply wonderful, Rasha! Perhaps, once the excavations here are complete, you should go and visit Charamey to see the progress for yourself, before we move to our next dig. Getting away from the Thessian Ocean for a bit wouldn't be bad, either. Don't you agree?"

Had anyone but Liara made those comments, Rasha may have been offended, but she knew Liara only had her best interests at heart, so smiled as she responded. "It would be fun to see her, that is true… and, just maybe, I can get a feel for the colony and how they view me. Perhaps life there will be good enough they can finally see I was not at fault for our circumstances… and find it in their hearts to forgive me – or themselves – for the false suspicions and accusations."

She glanced at the table for a moment before looking up to meet Liara's gaze. "Thank you, for giving me refuge at your home and the opportunity to work with you here, while all that has the time to happen. Not everyone receives such a second chance at living a joyous, rewarding life."

"It is only fair." Liara smiled softly and shook her head. "You stood by me when none would… a young, untried researcher with no experience to speak of. Your organizational skills are what allowed me to succeed so well on that first assignment and opened many of the doors to the opportunities that followed. It is apparent to me that we both needed each other, so fate worked to bring us together."

Her face then took on a slight blush and she changed the topic of conversation. "And now, we will wish you a pleasant evening. The start of tomorrow comes early, and Shepard and I have a few things to discuss before we can truly retire for the evening."

"Uh huh… a discussion." Rasha grinned at the blushing Asari, then laughed outright, unable to contain the joy that swelled through her. She stood from the table, prompting Liara and Shepard to do the same as she bid them goodnight. "It's good to see you're following my advice, Doctor T'Soni. Life is no guarantee, so grab ahold and enjoy the ride wherever and whenever you are able! I will see you in the morning. Breakfast runs from six to eight, but there are always snacks and such available should you show up late… for any reason… and no explanations required!"