Notes:

Ardat-yakshi - "demon of the night winds" (Thessian; Source: CDN)

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

Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)

Uloth - Asari equivalent to cheese (Source: CDN)

Yefal - green leaves similar to romaine lettuce (Thessian; Source: CDN)

Welcome Assistance

Oasia, Ilos, Refuge – 7 Apr 2191

Both of the advanced doctoral students had arrived eager and ready to prove themselves to war hero Doctor Liara T'Soni. Prior to the war, the now renowned archaeologist had postulated her theory concerning the Reapers – admittedly without naming them as such at the time – during her graduate work in 2180. Neither student could believe their good fortune when Liara had selected them to join her team, nor had they ever expected to meet an archeologist who seemed to act more like a wartime operations officer than a professor, once they met face-to-face.

While Doctor T'Soni greeted them with a friendly smile and a "Welcome to Ilos," her tone and manner quickly became all business as she gave them the rundown on their daily schedule, along with her list of expectations. She concluded with, "This isn't a study group. You will be working with a team of dedicated professionals… on extremely old and, generally speaking, rather delicate artifacts. Also, please remember this is not a university lab. If you break something, we can't just go grab a new practice object from the storeroom. Is that understood?"

She paused for a couple of moments; seeing only a pair of heads nodding in understanding, she chuckled quietly, the smile returning to her face to soften her expression. "I am not going to bite if you answer my questions aloud, you know. I just want you both to be aware of the importance of our work here and impress upon you how careful you must be."

Rasha had walked up as Liara finished; rolling her eyes, she interjected, "She truly is not the Yahg she's trying to imitate, I promise."

"Oh, Rasha! You made it!" Liara turned, warmly welcoming her site lead to the small group.

"Yes, Doctor. The site has been secured for the day…" The Drell paused and looked at the newly arrived students. "Unless, of course, you would like me to give our new team members a short tour? I can easily reopen the catacombs if they want a quick peek at what we're working with."

Looking at the new faces, Liara laughed outright. "First off, I need to introduce our Site Manager, Rasha Medis, whom I have known for decades and worked with before. Second, I think we should all dine together this evening so we may get to know one another better. I would say we could wait until morning regarding the site tour, but …" Looking to the eager students, she grinned. "Your expressions say otherwise. Come on, we'll give you a peek at where you'll be working, once we get you settled in and outfitted with the gear you need… unless you have already obtained your own field kits?"

The more outgoing of the duo, Saleesha Kessori, answered for them both. "We do have our own gear, Doctor… but, personally, I would love for you to inspect what we have brought and make suggestions for improvements. The university granted us a three-month advance on our stipends to make sure we had enough credits to buy anything else we might need… within reason, anyway." Riyxha, while saying nothing, nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Excellent!" Smiling, Liara nodded and continued, "Now… some basic ground rules. I imagine you're both aware I was a child prodigy and graduated rather young. I also imagine both of you are likely rather close in age to me… if not older. So, unless you are completely opposed to the idea, I would prefer for you to simply address me as Liara."

Riyxha Melas almost looked appalled as she hesitantly replied, "But, you lead a high house, Doctor! If not doctor, then Lady T'Soni would be more appropriate, would it not?"

Looking at Riyxha with understanding – accompanied by a tiny bit of the old vexation – Liara replied, surprisingly quietly and serenely. "Yes… but even so, when my commandos insist on formality, it is Lady Liara." She drew a deep, calming breath and continued, "Lady T'Soni was my mother… and I am not quite ready yet to have that full title bestowed upon me, as it reminds me of my mother's death every time I hear it. I am certainly not offended by it… but could you please spare my heart the pain it brings forth every time I am addressed by that title?"

Riyxha's pale green eyes had gone wide with Doctor T'Soni's words, and she stuttered out a quick reply. "Goddess, I apologize! I… I did not realize, Doc… Liara. Of course… yes… I will most definitely use your familiar name, given the circumstances."

"Thank you." Liara graced her with a slightly pained smile. "With that sorted, I will admit I am only 114 and, now that you know what to call me… how do each of you prefer to be addressed?"

Since she had spoken last and Liara was still looking at her, Riyxha settled herself and replied with a shy grin, "I am 123, and all my friends call me Rix."

With a nod, Liara smiled. "Well then, if you're okay with me using it, Rix it is." She turned to her second student, who started her answer as soon as Rix finished.

"And I'm 126, and my nickname very much depends on my location." She shrugged as Liara looked at her questioningly. "At home and school, people who know me generally call me 'Sal,' but when I'm playing skyball, I'm usually referred to as Savage Sal… or just Savage."

Liara's eyes lit up. "You're a skyball player?"

"Yes, I am. You must not follow skyball." Sal laughed, a huge grin on her face. "I'm pretty darn good, even if I do say so myself. Defensive player of the year last three seasons at university. I turned down the opportunity to go pro with the Voyagers, in order to complete my doctorate and have a chance to work with you, Liara." She smirked and added, "So, in the event I totally screw up my future as an archaeologist, I suppose I can always go back and petition them for a new try out. Not all would be lost."

"University league never honestly intrigued me… I did not allow myself the luxury of time off to watch the games… but since? I definitely follow the pro teams." Cocking a brow marking, Liara asked, "Do you already regret having turned the Voyagers down?"

"Not on your life, Doctor." Sal shook her head in emphasis and then pointed down to the ground at her feet. "This is exactly where I want to be."

"Excellent." Liara grinned widely, adding, "Now, I suppose if we're going to get that tour in, we'd best be quick about it. Then, both of you shall join us for dinner tonight. You can pester us with all the questions you care to ask… both work-related and about our lives in general, in case there are any burning inquiries you're just dying to know the answer to."

"Only 114 years old! She was practically a child when she graduated, Rix!" Saleesha shook her head in disbelief. "From what I read in her bio, she graduated at the age of 106 with a dual Doctorate in History and Archaeology! Most are not even out of primary at that age, much less starting secondary; to have already completed a dual degree by that age is astounding."

Riyxha grinned at her companion, answering, "I know, Sal. I read the same info packets you did on our potential advisors before I completed and submitted my application for this dig with Doctor T'Soni." They were slowly walking back to the habitat area where they would be living during their time away from the dig site, after being given a quick tour by Liara's assistant and site manager, Rasha Medis. "The thing that fascinates me the most about all this is the diversity of the participants here." Studying the ground over which they were walking, she added, "I mean, a Drell site manager? Salarians – to include the Ambassador! – and I'm pretty sure I even saw a few Quarians, not to mention all of their new SILC friends!" She chuckled lightly. "After seeing so many synthetic intelligence units, it would not surprise me to discover Turians here… and maybe even a few Krogan for good measure!"

"Lady Liara said she's known Rasha for thirty years, Rix and, don't forget, she met her bondmate during the destruction of the Prothean ruins on Therum… which was the impetus for her becoming an actual member of the Normandy crew. Certainly, you had to see at least a few of the news vids from the ship… the ones done by that Allers woman!" She grimaced, then smiled slightly as she concluded, "In her broadcasts, her clothing choices very nearly exposed her like one of Aria T'Loak's dancers… but her real-time war stories were fascinating!"

By this time, the pair had reached the large, centrally placed structure which served as the still relatively new town's meeting hall and, of primary importance to the students, the location where they would be taking most of their meals. Upon entering, they were assailed by the happy hubbub of the multiple conversations taking place throughout the hall, along with the delightful odors of cooked foods, making them both realize just how hungry they actually were.

Smiling in anticipation, they quickly moved toward the large commercial kitchen and, after each had loaded a tray with their selections, they turned and moved towards the seating area. They finally located the one table amidst the many where Liara was sitting next to a Human that could only be… "Captain Shepard!" they each said in unison.

Liara chuckled quietly, grinning at the pair and shaking her head slightly, saying, "See Samantha? Even still, you simply cannot dodge your fame." She then proceeded to introduce the latest additions to her team. "Our doctoral students… Saleesha Kessori… and Riyxha Melas," each nodding once as their names were said.

Shepard rose from her seat to extend her arms across the table towards the pair. "Sal… Rix." she said as each placed their palms on Shepard's upturned hands. "I'm pleased to meet you." Giving her bondmate a wink, she added, "Liara is both excited – and a bit relieved, to be honest – to have enthusiastic additional help… that's for sure." Withdrawing her arms and returning to her seat, she added, "Please, sit down and dig in; you must be famished. While I'm sure both of you are eager to get to know us a bit better, I want you to know we very purposefully cleared our schedules, just for this reason. As such, we are yours for the evening, so don't feel the need to rush your dinner. Take your time eating and ask whatever you like… very few topics are completely off limits… but, rest assured, we'll take no offense and simply let you know if you manage to land on one."

Saleesha looked at Riyxha as she took a bite of her salad, then turned to Shepard and said, "Hunting for Saren could not have been easy, Captain. There were so many obstacles thrown in your way – Cerberus, Geth, recalcitrant planetary administrators, the Citadel councilors, the media. How in the Goddess' name did you cope?"

Shepard's expression became a bit somber. She took a couple of swallows of beer, set the glass on the table and fixed glacial green eyes on the intense amber eyes looking at her expectantly. "Please, call me Shepard… it's what I'm used to hearing, and answering to. As for the hunt for Saren, it was… difficult, in the beginning, anyway. I wasn't sleeping well… hadn't, since my interaction with the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime." She glanced lovingly at the Asari beside her and added, "Liara suggested a memory meld… said she could help my mind sort through the jumbled images I had received from the beacon… make some sense of it all. Best decision I made during the entire mission."

Riyxha shook her head slightly, an expression of wonder touching her features. "You must have been desperate, Cap… er, Shepard. It's my understanding that Humans, in general, absolutely hate the idea of someone else entering their mind, for any reason." As she was speaking, she placed a spoonful of uloth on the green yefal leaves in her hand, topped it with a generous portion of fish, added a touch of spicy sauce, then rolled it all together into what closely resembled a Japanese leaf roll. Falling silent to take a bite, she chewed the tasty creation with relish, closing her eyes for a moment as she savored the taste. After washing it down with several sips of beer, she sighed in satisfaction. "Delicious!"

"Looks as if the food here will be to your liking, Rix," Shepard chuckled as the student took another bite and chewed. "As for your observation concerning Liara melding with me, it was…" Sam's expression grew somber again. "It was absolutely necessary, Rix… and having Liara join my crew on the Normandy SR1 was the beginning of our special relationship." She glanced at Liara, reaching over to squeeze her bondmate's hand. Her smile returned as she added, "As I said, best decision I ever made."

Her attention returned to Rix as she added, "What you likely don't realize is that I had been around Asari since my early teens." Her voice hardened slightly as she continued, "The Alliance was having… issues… with their biotics training school so, once my biotics truly manifested, my mother and a very dear friend arranged for me to receive personal instruction from a pair of Asari instructors." A smile returned to her face as she continued, "I count Arlyna and Niria among my closest friends to this very day."

Sal paused in her meal to ask, "Nearly everyone you came into contact with became heroes in the war, Shepard, yet neither of those names sound familiar… but you speak in present tense. What happened to them? What did they do during the war?"

Shepard paused only a moment before responding. "Before the invasion… before Saren… Arlyna was taken during a pirate raid on Theshaca, which Niria survived. As a young Alliance N7, I was assigned to lead the retrieval mission. I managed to rescue Arlyna… bring her home to reunite the couple… but she had suffered extremely ill treatment at the hands of the slavers. As a result, though highly trained in biotics, she had lost not only her health, but also a lot of her fight, so they opted to return to Thessia… to retreat and heal. Niria refused to leave her, so they remained together throughout the war and somehow managed to come out the other side, relatively unscathed."

Wanting to deflect the line of questioning, Liara interceded with a question of her own. "So, what about you two? You are still with us in the present… so, where were you and what did you do during the war?"

Rix looked down at the table, as if ashamed. "I am not a very good biotic… and not due to lack of skill. My power simply… never truly manifested."

Liara actually reached across the table and laid a hand comfortingly on her arm. "That is nothing to be ashamed of. Both of my parents are Asari, and I grew up having the shadow of being a… pureblood… hanging over me. High House or not, fellow students, jealous of my standing and my intelligence, never failed to use it against me." Liara smiled and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "So never allow your genetics to dictate who you are. There are many ways to be Asari… and you are both dedicated and determined; I am sure you found your own way to contribute during the war."

"I did." Rix smiled bashfully. "Initially, I went to hide in an underground shelter but found they were treating wounded there… so I simply stepped in to help and became a medic's assistant; Temene Kyrev. Everyone on staff called her crazy Ky because every night when darkness fell, she would go to the surface to bring in the wounded for treatment. At first, everyone was afraid that her actions would lead the Reaper spawn to find us… but she was very careful, and it never happened. Then, one night, she didn't return. When dawn broke, I went out for the first time since I had gone into hiding… to look for her, thinking her dead. I simply needed to know."

Shepard nodded and reached over to take Liara's available hand. "It's amazing what we'll do for those we care about. It gives us strength beyond imagining, doesn't it."

"Yes, it does," Rix nodded earnestly. "Only Ky wasn't dead. She had found a wounded commando who could not be moved and remained to treat her." Shrugging, Rix added, "So, I stayed with her. We found what we needed and assembling a litter. Somehow, we remained undiscovered and, that night, we placed her on it and returned to the shelter. Everyone was amazed that either of us returned alive, much less carrying a litter-bound patient."

"Shit, Rix!" Sal looked at her in surprise. "Why did you never tell that story? That's awesome!"

"I don't know…" Riyxha shrugged. "I just didn't feel comfortable sharing it… thinking that people would belittle me for being too scared to fight."

"To Hell with them," Shepard immediately stated. "Taking care of the wounded saved a lot of lives… for the here and now. I was on an operating table more than once… May the Gods bless the medics and doctors who helped me survive my years in the military!" After a brief moment, a thought occurred to Shepard and she asked, "Not sure I want to ask, but… you don't sound very sad when you speak of her. Did Ky make it through the war?"

"You are correct in your assumption, Shepard. Yes, she did." Rix smiled. "And the doctor who ran the underground clinic sponsored her for school! She's now a final-year intern at Thessia Medical. She's going to be a doctor!"

"That's excellent!" exclaimed Liara. "Was that her plan before the war?"

Rix shook her head. "No. She was a bio-engineer, working on terraforming technology… but knowing about life's building blocks gave her enough knowledge to act as a medical aid. With no supplies to speak of, Doc loved her for the unique solutions she came up with, as workarounds for traditional treatments. She was… is, simply brilliant!"

Somewhat surprising, Sal scoffed, but not for the reason everyone thought, once she actually started speaking. "So are you, Rix! You graduated second in our class, so don't sell yourself short!" She grinned, adding, "And that stunt? Going out to find your friend? That took some serious courage! More so than anyone else in that shelter had!"

Blushing, Rix shrugged nervously as she replied, "Thanks, Sal… I never thought about it, really. She was… is… more than a friend, and I had to find out what happened to her." Wanting to divert the attention from herself, she directed, "So, now it's your turn. Tell your awesome story, Sal!"

"Awesome story?" Liara's eyes opened wider as she asked. "Sounds like you've already heard it, Rix." Receiving an affirmative nod, her focus shifted to Sal. "So… let's hear it!"

Sal chuckled. "Well… I'm obviously pretty athletic… and super competitive on top of it, so there was no way I was going to sit back while Reaper spawn were rampaging through the city. I crossed paths with some Republican Guard defending a blockade and simply jumped in to help. I didn't have any weapons on me, so I used what I had – biotics trained and honed for skyball. I was turning any loose thing I could find into a projectile, aiming for eyes… literally shoving things down their throats through their gaping maws."

She shrugged. "Long story short, we defended the barricade and, once the wave was over, their commander came over to me and basically said, "If you want it, you just earned a spot on my squad. Follow us back to base and we'll talk. If you stay, I promise we'll get you outfitted properly and put you in rotation." Sal's face took on a faraway expression. "She paused only a moment before adding that I was the best natural fighter she'd ever seen… and she really hoped I'd stick around. Which, of course, I did."

Her eyes suddenly misted, but she made no move to wipe away the moisture. "Her name was Luna… and I thought I had found my future." She let out a heavy sigh, adding, "But, I was not so lucky in love as Rix. Seven months later, Captain Luna T'Ralyt was killed in action. I was on my rest cycle, so wasn't there to watch her back." Sal looked up, meeting Shepard's eyes. "Her death almost broke me, Shepard… but instead, I turned my reaction to her death into rage. Rage at the Reapers… at Cerberus… at anything and anyone trying to destroy what we had… those trying to wreck our galaxy, and all of us along with it. It fueled me like nothing before had ever done. And then, suddenly… somehow… an incredibly powerful, Human biotic showed up, ran the gauntlet, and killed the Pyjaks. Just like that, with us sitting on the brink of annihilation, the war was suddenly over."

"But you didn't remain in the Guard." Shepard met her unwavering gaze, Sal somehow appearing angry and defeated, yet relieved, all at the same time.

There was no question in Shepard's statement, yet Saleesha answered anyway. "No, I did not. Without Luna… I felt lost. The idea of staying with the Guard without her was too painful so, for lack of anything better to do, I simply went back to school, hoping to continue where I left off."

Surprisingly, she suddenly smiled and looked at Liara. "Then, all the feature pieces of our victory started circulating. The who and the how… and it reminded me that one of our new heroes was previously an archaeologist… so I decided to follow in your footsteps, Liara, and became serious about school again. I figured if you could go from being a student, to soldiering, and back again? So could I."

For once, Saleesha didn't appear so confident, her eyes dropping to the table. "So, there you have it. My big confession. My hero crush on you saved me from depression… gave my life a direction again." Her eyes came up, the intense amber color softer than Liara had seen them so far. "You have no idea how much it meant to me… to renew my love for archaeology, and now? To be selected to join you on this dig?"

Liara smiled gently and replied in a quiet voice, in keeping with the change in direction of their conversation. "I think I do, Sal." She cast a loving glance at her bondmate. "It was for the same reasons I stayed with Shepard after the defeat of Saren and Sovereign. We both knew it wasn't over yet… and couldn't imagine fighting the even bigger war we knew was coming… not without being at one another's side. Even then, Shepard told me we could win… and when we did, she promised to support me in my archaeological career, should I opt to return to it. Which I obviously did… and she has."

Shepard's face turned a bit red, and she cleared her throat. "Well. That discussion didn't exactly go as planned… so how about we move on to something else?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and had a good laugh as Saleesha grinned and looked at Liara, effectively changing both the subject and the tone of their chat with her next question. "So… Liara. You say you follow pro skyball. Who's your favorite team?"

Oasia, Ilos, Refuge – 9 Apr 2191

Liara was pleased. Both doctoral students had impressive skills but were also open to criticism and listened carefully to instructions from any and all of the established specialists who were a part of her team. After working only Friday and Saturday, they were eager to continue working on Sunday as well, to which Liara told them no. "Trust me. After only a couple of weeks, if you don't take a break, you will be more than ready for a day off. So, to postpone the arrival of early burn-out, you will take Sundays off. Wander the city! Meet a few more of the Protheans who are hosting you! The learning opportunities available to you here are nearly endless. It is because of them that we are here today… both for the short-term research and for the much larger picture of the why and how we managed to win the Reaper War. Enjoy it while you can."

Rasha chuckled and added, "Besides, you need to be rested for Monday, because Liara won't be on site; it will fall to both of you to pick up the slack to make sure we don't fall behind."

"What?" Rix stared at her in surprise. "We've only been working on site for two days! How are we supposed to fill Liara's shoes!" She paused only for a second before blurting out, "And why won't she be here?"

Rasha gave her a glare, starting to say, "Doctor T'Soni's coming and going is none of your concern…" but Liara chuckled and cut her off.

"It's okay, Rasha. They are part of the team now, after all." Liara smiled as she continued, "The rest of you already know, so it won't hurt to tell them I'm taking the day because it's Shepard's birthday. Arick has graciously offered to take us out to one of their other city sites… one that has been recently secured and made safe by the SILC. It will be an architectural tour, purely for our enjoyment and some quiet time for Shepard and me so, before you ask to go along, the answer is no. I am confident the two of you will do just fine under the watchful eyes of Rasha and the others, and you'll have plenty of stories to tell me come Tuesday. Besides which, I am the Ambassador's Cultural Attaché, so there will be times when I will not be at the dig site. The team we assembled is more than capable of carrying on without me being onsite all the time."

Oasia, Ilos, Refuge – 11 Apr 2191

Shepard was having the most wonderful dream and awoke with a groan of pleasure, only to discover it wasn't a dream at all! Liara was, quite literally, filling her mind with tantalizing images and sensations that already had her on the brink. As Sam woke fully, Liara enveloped her lips with her own and lit with biotics, a single stroke sending the woman crashing over the edge and gasping for breath. "Happy birthday, Ionúin Álainn."

Simply hearing the Gaelic words roll off Liara's tongue as though she was a native sent another spasm of love through Shepard's heart. She felt Liara's lips turn into a smile as they remained pressed against hers, the Asari speaking through the link. {Inanna is amazing in that regard, is it not? That we both know nearly everything the other has learned over the years… the decades… I can see why the Protheans are bothered by the idea we considered the concept taboo and never learned to use it properly, for its educational advantages.)

Samantha actually chuckled and spoke out loud. "Maybe because of that whole Ardat Yakshi side effect they didn't plan on?"

Surprising herself, Liara was able to laugh at the concept, though she felt odd about the dichotomy. Shepard felt her internal conflict and reached out to take her hand. "It's okay, Liara… especially given Arick's conjecture that they may be able to complete now what they didn't have time for, then. The idea that they could tweak the responsible genes and actually cure the condition… or, at the very least, prevent it from happening again? That they are already beginning to share that data with your top Asari geneticists is a wonderful development."

"Agreed." Liara smiled and planted yet another kiss on eager lips. "But, for now, we need to get moving, or we'll have Ruso pacing impatiently as he waits for us at the shuttle pad. We have a tour to take!"

Verdan, Ilos, Refuge – 11 Apr 2191

As the transport approached the old city, Liara was astounded at the level of destruction. She imagined, at some point in time long in the city's distant past, the broken spires must have resembled those of Feros, jutting high into the sky above the surface. Ruso must have seen the expression on her face, for his voice was soft as he spoke. "I know it doesn't look like much now… but those spires can and will be rebuilt. They are uninhabited power-collection towers; most of the civilian structure is at or below the surface."

Liara and Shepard both nodded, Shepard taking the lead by responding, "We have seen them before… clambered around in them, even, on the planet we call Feros, in the Theseus System of Attican Beta." She met Ruso's eyes and asked, "Do you remember the story of how I received the cypher?"

"Yes!" Ruso's eyes opened wide in recognition. "That was in another Prothean city, similar in structure to this one?"

Smiling, Liara replied, "Yes, it was. Only Feros is now a crumbling waste; though it still possesses a breathable atmosphere, the air is fouled by a layer of dust created by falling debris, leaving dust clouds so thick you cannot see the ground below. A Human corporation, ExoGeni, established their colony there to better explore the ruins, refurbishing the Prothean aqueduct system and the old rooftop hydroponic gardens there."

"Which all worked great…" Shepard paused and shook her head, then was surprised by Ruso finishing her thought.

"Until they discovered the Thorian…" He paused, then rephrased, "… or, more likely, the Thorian spores discovered and infected them. It must have been terribly confusing, at first, trying to determine why their people were seemingly going mad, and doing odd things without much explanation." His face took on a thoughtful expression only seconds before he asked, "How much time passed between the colony's establishment and the take-over of their minds?"

Shepard shrugged. "That's hard to say, since they were already controlled by the time we showed up… well, Zhu's Hope was under Thorian control, at least." Her voice, even after all this time, still turned bitter as she explained, "The ExoGeni headquarters was separate from the colony, and they were studying the effects, trying to learn how to manipulate the Thorian and use the mind control affects to their own gain."

"No matter their motives, you obviously disapprove of this action." Ruso sensed her distaste by her tone of voice. "Perhaps they were simply looking for a way to mobilize the unwilling masses, for the fight against the Reapers."

"No," Shepard scoffed. "This was early… when we were trying to take down the rogue Spectre, Saren. They had already dismissed our Reaper theory, refusing to believe my visions from the Beacon were anything more than simple nightmares, or delusions brought on by battle fatigue."

"They, being the Council," answered Ruso. "But the Illusive Man believed the Reapers existed, so why not others? Perhaps ExoGeni was of this mindset, disagreed with the Council's disbelief, and was trying to find their own way to survive the larger fight they believed to be brewing. Many of those in power believe psychological warfare to be an extremely powerful force. If you could have found a way to guarantee winning that mental war, and bring the masses to your side to join the fight, would you not have done it?"

"No, I would not… because I have always believed in free will. There are other ways to bring people to the fight… by their choice, not by me – or anyone else – dictating they do it."

"You had more faith in the people of the galaxy than we Protheans did in our time." Ruso smiled and shook his head, holding up a flat hand to stop Shepard's rejoinder. "Do not say it… We now know your approach was more appropriate than ours, better than that of the Illusive Man, Saren, ExoGeni… or any other organization we could possibly name, because your way worked, Shepard. Where all those who came before failed, you did not. You won. You beat the Reapers, sequestered their few remaining creators, and we are all so much the better for it."

While they were speaking, the transport pilot had brought them in and settled the craft on an obviously repaired landing platform. A squeeze of her hand by Liara silenced any rebuttal Shepard may have offered, so she remained silent as Ruso continued. "So, to return to our current topic – the city that lays before you. You have seen a Thorian-infested, Geth-modified and then destroyed version of this place, but you have never seen an abandoned city that went dark before the Reapers destroyed it. While many of the towers have been destroyed, the underground city, much like the secured section under your city on Eden Prime discovered by Tyson, is largely pristine. The main difference between that, our city here, and this place? Eden Prime and Oasia were both built upon cities of the Inusannon… or, possibly, even the Zeioph, before them. Of course, their structural styles still influenced ours… but this place? It is as close to a pure Prothean city of old as you will ever see, anywhere in the galaxy."

With that, Ruso stood, a broad smile on his lips as he popped the door latches and pushed the hatch open. He stood back and swung his arm wide, indicating the couple should precede him out the door. "Welcome to Verdan!"