Notes:

Anam Cara - Soul Friend/Mate (Gaelic)

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

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

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

Evolutions

Oasia, Ilos, Refuge – 17 Apr 2191

Akrelo Ferank nearly felt the need to bite down on one of his fingers in order to be sure he was not dreaming. Over the past few days, he had been given a rather in-depth tour of the new settlement, to include the already existing small group of housing units currently clustered in orderly rows around the centrally-located community hall – within which he was currently enjoying an excellent dinner – as well as a view of the plan detailing everything the finished city would eventually contain within its borders, once the primary construction was complete. Now, he was quietly listening as the Prothean leadership outlined the requirements they felt were most important for prospective settlers – Batarian settlers – to have in order to succeed here.

"Most importantly, I want to remind you that we are not interested in building remote, sequestered settlements solely for my people, or for yours, Mister Ferank. Any Batarians who relocate here will be living among our own people – next door, across the street, in a house behind my own… as neighbors, and all within easy walking distance." Administrator Jorè Lentos tipped his head slightly to the left and continued, "Each house constructed for your people will be individually customized… within reason. Our true desire is to see this settlement fully integrated from the outset."

First Female Aelia Dethan added, "Upon arrival, colonists will be provided temporary lodging, then presented with a parcel of sufficient space to construct a comfortable home, along with the materials necessary… and SILC assistance to speed the process, should the family be comfortable with their help. They will also be granted a leased shop space within our future business district, the size of which will be dependent on the requirements of their trade."

Jorè nodded in agreement and added, "Please remember, it is in our best interest that everyone who comes here becomes successful, so we should be able to provide additional assistance, as required, to help colonists get established. Exactly what type of aid – and to what extent –will be determined on a case-by-case basis, to ensure some form of equity among the new arrivals."

Aelia's voice reflected deep sorrow as she resumed. "We have been informed by Captain Shepard, Doctor T'Soni and Ambassador Colis of their shared belief that the Batarian race literally exists on a knife's edge, with the complete extinction of your race extremely probable within only a few generations, Akrelo." She paused only briefly, looking down and giving a sad shake of her head before continuing, "Unfortunately, Khar'Shan is unlikely to ever recover from the devastation sown by the Reapers; the abduction of nearly 89 percent of the planet's population when they flew through Kite's Nest, along with the utter destruction of the planet's biosphere, is a virtual death sentence for your people."

Jorè Lentos, nodding his head slightly as Aelia was speaking, focused intently on his guest as he added, "None of us here wish to see the extinction of the Batarian people, Akrelo. It is an outcome that is altogether unacceptable to us. That said, in order for your people to have any chance at all of a long-term future, we will need to work together to convince as many of your brethren as possible to relocate here, to Oasia."

He took a swallow of water from the glass in front of him before continuing, "As you well know, by the terms of the amnesty offering, this relocation assistance also includes any and all who are willing to give up the less-than-legal lifestyle they are currently leading."

Ferank nodded in understanding as he split his attention between the pair. "Those engaged in the manufacture and sale of red sand or other addictive drugs, the slave trade, prostitution, or piracy?"

"Along with anything else that meets the criteria," came the instant reply. "We have been told there are probably more Batarians pursuing credits in this manner, than all the Turians, Salarians and Humans combined. While the proceeds from such endeavors may seem lucrative, the downside is the possible, and sudden, loss of one's life." Jorè chuckled lightly. "I am given to understand one rarely sees an old, retired pirate… of any race. While the legal pursuit of credits may seem boring at first glance, the possibility of sudden injury or a violent death is not nearly as high as that for a drug dealer, slaver or pirate."

Akrelo downed the rest of his beer, wiped the foam from his lips and observed, "Since you brought up the total lack of a pirate's or slaver's retirement plan, you must have some incentive to persuade people to leave the lifestyle behind for honest work."

"Truly?" Jorè shrugged as he replied, "More than the pardon, along with a chance of a fresh start in a new home… and a new job… all at no cost? No. It will be somewhat of a selfless act for those set on the excitement and riches of their illegal lifestyle… a chance to redeem themselves and help the Batarian race survive past their own generation."

"Huh," Akrelo huffed. "While I certainly wouldn't count on criminals being so altruistic, there are probably a fair number of my people toiling for subsistence wages on Omega Station that would love to be working at a better place, where sharing a large portion of their paltry income with Aria T'Loak wasn't a requirement for living there… or simply for living, period. I do not believe there aren't enough of us to save ourselves, but few have the security it takes to consider having children, much less keeping them alive to adulthood. I haven't seen a child past the age of ten since Omega was taken by Cerberus, so we've lost an entire generation. They became duct rats, running drugs and passing information for the resistance groups. They either overdosed on the packages they were supposed to deliver or got themselves caught skimming and were killed. Other than the packages they carried, they were worthless to their captors, no matter who that was."

"I do not know your definition of 'a fair number.' How many do you think actually still live on this… Omega Station?" asked Arick.

"Don't know, exactly," a shrugging Akrelo replied. "Before the war, there were over seven million souls on Omega… roughly ten percent of those were Batarian. Then, Petrovsky showed up and that number was cut by nearly seventy-five percent in the first three days, then half again by the end of the week. After that, many left … or went into hiding in the back passages. Then, Petrovsky's monsters took out many of those before they figured out the maintenance tunnels weren't safe, either. We were running out of places to hide…" His gaze traveled to the Human at the table as he added, "Then, much to our surprise, Shepard showed up to help Aria liberate the station. Surprised the shit out of us, that's for sure… but we didn't care to know why. We just knew those of us who were left would survive the occupation after all."

He reached up and scratched the ridges on the side of his head and he shrugged again. "Best guess? Of those remaining on the station, I'd guess maybe ten thousand or so honest civilians remain. While we may not thrive, there are certainly enough to keep us going, I would think."

"More than we had hoped, then. That is good news!" Jorè smiled and gave the Batarian a nod of approval. "Even so, our offer still stands. If not for survival, then simply for the improvement of your quality of life – a safe place to have those children you speak of – and, for the rest of us, hopefully reducing the numbers of criminals in the galaxy. Given all that, Omega Station sounds like an excellent place to start your recruiting efforts!"

"Perhaps," Akrelo continued "But I'm still not convinced… so how am I supposed to convince others to make the change?" He stared at the Protheans around the table with incredulity, finding it extremely difficult to believe they would do all this at no cost to him and his people. He shrugged and continued, "So, you need to better explain how this whole genetic thing I was told about works, exactly… and, more importantly, explain your motivations. Why you are willing to do this for us at no charge. No one does anything for free… especially for the benefit of Batarians. So, what's in it for you?"

Aelia sat calmly before Akrelo and immediately replied, "Because we are not no one… we are Prothean. Before the Reaper War of our time, we were an empire that strove to improve the lives of every member race… along with those we thought to possess the potential to join us in the future. The strength of an organization grows with the strength of each of its members. While the empire may no longer exist… our hope to improve the circumstances of those around us very much remains within our hearts and minds."

"And if they didn't join you?" Akrelo tilted his head slightly. "Hadn't your… improvements… then strengthened the enemy?"

Security Chief Ruso Lukens smiled thinly, even as his response sent an icy chill through the Batarian's spine. "The past Prothean Empire was not to be trifled with. It was extremely large and tremendously powerful… and there was no separation of Council, Traverse and Terminus space. There was only Prothean space, and we ruled over it all. If an individual race chose not to join us… to not come under our rule, that was acceptable, but… if you chose to take up arms against us – attempted to raid our settlements? Then the weight of the entire Empire was brought down upon you, and you were simply… annihilated."

The thin smile faded as he continued, "And I am not speaking only of the raiders… I am speaking of their entire race. If a race was too weak to control their own, the Empire made sure nothing remained to control." He turned his head to glance quickly at Shepard and Liara at the far end of the table. "Then, the Reapers arrived, and it was we who were nearly obliterated, so we went into hiding. When we woke, we learned the value of independent races uniting for a cause… the benefits of capitalizing on the strengths of the differing battle strategies that exist among the various races of this epoch."

He looked back at Akrelo. "It was a hard truth to learn, that the very make-up of the Empire of which we were so proud was the ultimate cause of our downfall. Together, our people – all those who survived the long sleep – came together and talked about this. As a group, we decided to disband the Empire, but its lessons will not be lost. Its history of early victories, as well as its final failure, will be taught to our children along with the values of the united, but non-homogenous, galaxy in which we now find ourselves."

"That's a nice story," Akrelo replied bluntly. "But it still has not answered my question. Why?"

Giving a silencing glance to Ruso, Aelia returned to the discussion to answer the Batarian's questions. "Because we see our younger selves in you… in your history of desired conquest and rebellion that have led to your demise. You will say it was the Council, Shepard and the Reapers who nearly eradicated your race… but that is ignoring your own actions; the reasons behind Council antipathy toward Batarians to begin with. If you do decide to join us, do so with the knowledge that the perspectives and histories of every known race, past and present, will be taught in our schools. As such, we will all learn from the achievements – and the mistakes – of each race."

"Alright," Akrelo nodded in understanding. "And your policy of annihilating an entire race for the actions of a few? If the Batarians who are members of criminal organizations do not change their ways and happen to attack a Prothean enterprise… of any form, at any location… what happens to those of us who are here?"

Jorè was the one to respond, calmly stating, "We no longer hold to that policy and will take no action against any not involved in the crime… particularly those who are here, fulfilling the terms of the amnesty agreement. This I will swear to you and all those who come here to live amongst us. You will be true members of our colony and will be neither cast out nor punished for the actions of others. Those antiquated rules of retribution are no longer our way."

"Thank you." Akrelo felt the knot of tension that had grown in his chest suddenly loosen and he smiled in return. "So, please explain… exactly how does this genetic engineering thing work?"

"It is rather simple, really." Arick shrugged, a grin growing on his face as he began to realize the being before him was very likely going to be the Batarian representative they had been hoping to find. "We take DNA samples from every single willing Batarian and use them to create a genetic database. The samples are then analyzed by a specially programmed computer, which generates every viable genetic sequence possible from the available data. The more samples we can gather, the more varied the genetic sequences become. We then collect unfertilized eggs from your participating females and let the equipment in the bio-lab do the rest. It will create the necessary sequencing, then implant each result into the nucleus of an available zygote, creating a fertile egg. It will also keep a record of which combinations have been used, continuing the process from where it left off as more eggs become available."

He paused, again lifting a shoulder in a small shrug before continuing. "The rest depends on the strength of your females. They must be willing to allow an egg to be implanted within their bodies in order to bring them to term. We do not use artificial wombs, as we believe the connection between mother and child to be an important part of their development, including their time spent in utero. No machine can truly replicate this. All additional eggs will be placed in stasis for future implantation. Each female would be capable of producing a child every other year, with the children then raised by the community, as a whole. I realize this is a difficult task; certainly not something every female would be willing to endure, but… the survival of the Batarian race could ultimately depend on their willingness to participate in the program."

"Are the eggs implanted into the females their own?" Akrelo was wondering about how their females would take to simply becoming baby machines.

Arick paused; the puzzled look on his face slowly resolved into a gentle smile as he responded, "That was not something that concerned Prothean females, but should your females prefer that it be so, they simply need inform us when the eggs are harvested, and their preferences will be recorded and accommodated. We track each sample independently anyway, to record successes and failures, to identify problems and improve the probability of success for future implants… so attaching a special handling identifier to each sample would be a simple matter, should the female desire it."

He paused an additional moment before adding, "Also, should they desire their eggs go only to them, and not some other female who does not have an egg-ownership preference, that could also be recorded in their file. Females produce more eggs than they could ever use themselves… their reproductive years are too limited compared to the egg supply within their bodies. Each female has thousands, which are generally lost over time. It they are harvested, however…"

He left the rest unsaid as Akrelo nodded in understanding and replied, "And put into stasis, they are frozen in time and do not die in the body, unused."

Arick smiled. "I see you understand the potential here. A female who wants to keep her eggs to herself limits the potential children born from her DNA. If a female agrees to let others carry her ova… well, the number of potential children can number into the thousands. While we do not prefer it, should your people want your growth to be accelerated or, should your population unexpectedly collapse, the use of artificial wombs could be reconsidered – if necessary – to bring Batarians back from the brink of extinction. It gives your people more options, all of which would be explained to prospective females before their donations to the ova-bank."

Akrelo fell silent, having run out of questions… at least for the moment. "This all sounds much too good to be true, to be honest. I am unsure how I will convince my people this isn't some kind of scam to separate us into smaller groups, to get marched off to work camps or exile on some unlivable planet." He glanced around the small group, a smirk appearing on his face as he added, "If we're really going to do this, a few suggestions or ideas would be welcome right about now."

At this, Liara was the one who chuckled. "You will have all the help you need, Akrelo, from the embassy staff… me in particular, as the Cultural Attaché. We will collect the data you need, give you talking points for the critical information you need to pass along, and make sure we get answers to any questions that will arise along the way. While you may be our lead Batarian recruiter, you will most certainly not be alone in this endeavor. You will actually have the power of the Galactic Council – as difficult as that may be for you and your people to believe – behind you."

"You do realize, don't you – assuming this works – the Batarian people could once again rejoin the galactic community and have an embassy on the CGC? It's only been twenty years since the Hegemony closed their Embassy and withdrew from the Citadel. That's only a blink of time in the Council's 2500-year-plus history." Shepard smiled, adding, "You could be responsible for the rebirth of the Batarian nation, Akrelo."

At this, Akrelo cringed. "Or it's death, if I fail?"

"No!" Shepard's answer was forceful and immediate. "That's the fault of the Hegemony and the Reapers. Failing to save it does not equate to being responsible for its demise."

Akrelo looked across the table at the Human, meeting her eyes as he challenged, "And you have a stake in this as well, do you not? Many Batarians still blame you for Bahak… and the deaths of over 300,000 of us."

He was surprised when Shepard nodded and replied. "304,942, to be exact. I fully understand why they believe that… but, truth be told, it was the damned Reaper artifact in the system that drew their undivided attention… it was a flare, sending a signal into dark space… a homing beacon, leading them to what was referenced in some star charts as the Alpha Relay."

Akrelo frowned as he asked, "And just what in Hell is an Alpha Relay?"

Shepard drew a deep breath and blew it out slowly with a sigh. "It was the relay in Bahak… the closest relay to the Reapers' hiding place in dark space… the one they planned to use to spread out throughout the galaxy."

"Their access point to the entire fucking Milky Way?" Understanding rippled across Akrelo's expression. "So, the rumors were true! Its destruction bought everyone an additional year or so of preparation time… the time the Reapers needed to fly to the next closest relay!"

"Yes," answered Shepard. "I know it cost a lot of Batarian lives… but we weren't even close to ready to fight that war yet, so it was that or lose the entire galaxy. So yes, Akrelo. I was the one who made that decision… and I absolutely relish the chance to help make that right… because no matter the need, the loss of all those innocent Batarian lives still bites deep into my soul."

"That explains a lot." Akrelo nodded slowly, then continued when he saw the slightly confused expression on the captain's face. "I'm talking about Balak, Shepard. It explains why he didn't shoot you that day on the Citadel." Akrelo chuckled quietly. "I always wondered. I was there, you know… one of the many Batarian refugees who had nowhere else to go if they didn't want to go to Omega. Rumors of the confrontation spread through the people like lightening… how Balak had his pistol at your back, only to turn away after a quiet discussion no one could hear. Not only sparing your life but offering up what remained of the Batarian Fleet to help you fight the war. Now, I understand why. Even then, you told him you were fighting to save what remained of the Batarian people, didn't you? My guess is you told him he could either take his revenge and be part of the problem… or he could help… and be part of the solution."

A solemn Shepard nodded. "Wasn't quite that simple, but pretty much… yeah, that's what happened between us."

"Did you know the exact number of Batarians who died on Aratoht, even then?"

The pointed question struck her in the heart, but she answered anyway. "Yes. I knew before I punched the button to start the engines that drove the asteroid into the relay…" Shepard's face paled slightly at the memory, causing Liara to reach over and lay her hand on top of Samantha's in an attempt at comfort, even as she continued. "I read it on the control console… but I hadn't been fast enough. By the time I got to the controls, the Reapers were within minutes of reaching the relay. There wasn't enough time to even transmit a warning… most of the people in the system never knew what was coming until it was too late."

"What do you mean, too late?" Akrelo practically growled the question.

Surprisingly, it was Jorè who responded. "Perhaps it is time to share what happened there, Shepard… if all of us are to truly be allies? I would think the surviving Batarians deserve to know the truth of what happened on that day. It is long overdue." He reached over and laid his hand upon Liara's, adding to the pile. "I saw it in our shared vision when we first met, so am willing to tell the tale from a less… personal… standpoint, should you be agreeable." His eyes then shifted to Akrelo. "Or, I can use our touch sharing method to relay the event without words, should you be willing to experience it, rather than simply hear about it. Our method of teaching is fast… and you experience it as if you were there."

Akrelo frowned a bit as he answered, "That sounds less than pleasing, given the topic… but I do want to truly understand what happened there, so…" His gaze traveled to Shepard as he finished, "… if Shepard is agreeable, I will accept your offer, Jorè."

Shepard nodded. "I think you'll get a much more accurate representation of the event… particularly because you'll see it from a third-party perspective…"

"And spare you the pain of relaying that horrid event, yet again, Shepard." Jorè gave her a knowing look. "It is easy to see in the pained expression on your face. The retelling always torments you… no matter how necessary your actions were."

Samantha blew out a quiet sigh of relief. "Thank you, Jorè, for being willing to do this. Liara and I will leave you to it." Turning to Akrelo, she added, "Once you see it, I am willing to answer any questions you may have. For now, Liara and I are headed to our quarters, as we need to make a birthday call to a friend, before the day ends." She glanced around the table with a bit of a forced smile. "We'll see you all tomorrow."

Following the brief birthday call with Ashley, Liara stood to head toward their bedroom, but her bondmate didn't move; she remained seated, starting at the nothingness of the blank screen before her. Feeling the tumult in Samantha's mind, Liara turned back and stepped up behind her, laying her hands on the woman's shoulders and offering a gentle massage. "Are you alright, Shepard? I can sense how much the discussion regarding Bahak is bothering you."

Shepard released a quiet sigh and stood from the chair, turning and slipping into Liara's awaiting arms. "Yeah… I'm good, Li. I'm just not looking forward to all the questions I know are coming. I feel terrible for almost being glad Hackett is dead… so he won't be witness to the reputation of one of his best friends being ripped to shreds, as everything about Amanda Kenson's role in the destruction of the Viper Nebula is revealed."

"She was indoctrinated, Shepard." Liara pulled Shepard close. "She couldn't help herself."

"No, Li. Her indoctrination would have saved the system." Shepard set her chin on Liara's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her Anam Cara. "It was the Alliance operative in her that came up with the plan to smash the relay. That was the plan I approved, given the options. Her indoctrination would have prevented it and allowed the Reapers in, had I not killed her and restarted the engines."

"I suppose I have to give you that one." Liara softly kissed her cheek before murmuring quietly in her ear, "Even so, it was still the Reapers, Siame. And the destruction of the relay… of Bahak… bought us the critical time necessary to discover and build what we needed to defeat them."

"I know, Liara," Sam huffed quietly. "But it's still not right. I almost wish it had all come out, then. But, I know, the outcome would have been very different, because very few believed in the Reapers, even after Sovereign. Most thought they were just some nebulous enemy I had dreamt up in a battle fatigue nightmare." She shook her head and offered up a sad chuckle as she finished, remembering the plan Liara had put in place. "The Batarians would have demanded my head, and we would have been at war, one way or another… because I know you never would have let the Alliance sacrifice me in the name of peace."

"About that, you are absolutely correct… they would have never succeeded in completing such a transfer; I guarantee you that." Liara was able to smile at that thought now, knowing no such thing had come to pass. She placed another quick kiss on Shepard's cheek and continued, "Besides, had we gone to war over you, many more Batarians than just those in Bahak would have died."

Liara paused as an idea suddenly occurred to her. "You know… perhaps we should propose a monument of some kind, along with a day set aside every year to recognize their sacrifice. Every other race has something to commemorate their lost… why not the Batarians? That delay was key to our victory… and the Batarian people who lost their lives that day should no longer be relegated to the shadows. That event was two-fold. First, it delayed the Reaper arrival… second, it kept all those Batarians from being turned into additional Cannibals. I find it difficult to contemplate fighting an additional force strength of some 300,000 Cannibals at the very beginning of the war. We barely won as it was! Even with you leading the charge, I very much doubt we would have survived it. We simply weren't ready."

"You're most likely right on that account." Samantha managed a smile. "I'm glad I had you with me, Liara. Sometimes I wonder if I even would have survived my own guilt without you, much less the actual fight."

"We are two halves of the same mind, Shepard. I truly believe we were destined from the very beginning to be such… to find Inanna." Liara smiled back at her. "While I have kept you from feeling too guilty, you have been my conscience… and kept me from doing things during the war which I would later regret. We were each made for the other."

Shepard nodded in agreement. "Yin and Yang… an old philosophy promulgated by the ancient Chinese people on Earth, of opposite but interconnected forces. Neither can exist without the other, each keeping the other in balance."

"I like that idea." Liara reached out to take her hand. "Come, Siame. We should have been in bed and asleep an hour ago. We have a lot to do tomorrow, in preparation for our Batarian recruitment campaign."

Batarian Enclave, Omega Station, Sahrabarik – 24 Apr 2191

Having spent ten days in the new Prothean settlement on Ilos, in which the Prothean scientists had revealed future plans for themselves, along with the Batarian race – his race – Akrelo Ferank had traveled to Omega Station on a mission. Prior to his discussions with the Prothean scientists, he had already guessed that his people – thanks to the Reapers beginning their galactic invasion by flying through Kite's Nest – were in real trouble. Batarian numbers were simply too low and, now that they no longer had a viable homeworld, the relatively few remaining were scattered in small groups across the galaxy, with far too many in illegal – and dangerous – occupations, to have much of a chance of surviving long term.

After visiting Oasia and speaking with the Protheans, he was totally convinced his people, as a viable race, were circling the massive, galactic drain hole leading to an oblivion… mostly of their own making. But, if he was to have any chance of successfully persuading people to leave their normal, everyday lives for the huge unknown that was Oasia, he needed help. The proposed Prothean reproductive plan would ensure they had the numbers and genetic diversity to survive more than a dozen generations, but Akrelo wasn't so sure the females of his race would agree to it.

As such, he knew he would need a female advocate for the plan… one who was just as convinced about their lack of a future as he had been. Fortunately for Akrelo, he had maintained a cordial relationship with one of his three sisters during the months after Sovereign's destruction at the Citadel, and all through the Reaper War, especially after they began the war with their mass invasion through Kite's Nest. So, he had contacted Silahra – he had always used her middle name – as soon as he broke atmosphere on Ilos. Upon confirming she still lived on Omega Station, he had asked her to choose a place for a meeting. She had told him this small bar and grille – in which he was now seated, nursing a beer while attempting to remain as inconspicuous as possible – was her favorite.

Kasina Silahra Ferank, nearly two years his junior, had managed to live through the war as the personal accountant for a rich – was there any other kind? he thought with a snort – Salarian. He had treated her fairly well; if not with respect, then at least with no outward malice. Still, Akrelo gathered from the description of her work that she was more than ready for a change in her circumstances.

Akrelo had been studying the entrance for just over ten minutes and was beginning to worry that something had happened to prevent her from coming. Just as he was about to call the waitress to order some food, the door opened to reveal a female who set off an explosion of recognition in his mind. Mama Bala! As he recovered from the shock, Akrelo raised his hand for a moment. Once she had spotted him, she paused at the bar long enough to grab a couple of beers before walking unhurriedly to his table.

For his part, Akrelo carefully watched her as she approached, and concluded he was seeing a not altogether unattractive version of his mother – obviously much younger, but possessing Mama Bala's wiry build, chartreuse complexion and red chin markings. Looking up at her as she set a beer on the table in front of him, he said, "Greetings, Sister. It is good to see you once again… thanks for the beer, and for meeting me here."

She sighed heavily as she plopped down in the chair across from him. "Brother Krel. Nice to see you survived the war. You look good." Taking a couple of swallows from her glass, she set it on the table, raised her upper eyebrows in curiosity and asked, "Now, what do you need? You were always the most level-headed of our entire clan. What's out in the 'verse that has you so agitated?"

"You're going to think me insane, Sister; please, hear me out before you walk away." Receiving a brief nod and a head-tilt to her left, he began. "I need your help, Sina. I've been asked to recruit as many of our people as possible to begin a new life in the 'verse… on planet Ilos. It's a project in which I need you to join with me." In response to her obvious skepticism, he hastened to explain. "Thanks to the Reapers, the ruling council, and especially our own government, our race is at a crossroads, Sina. If we continue on as we are… if we don't lift our hands to enact change, the Batarian people will, for all intents and purposes, vanish from the galaxy. We will become extinct, probably in less than a few centuries, maybe less than two."

Silahra's eyes had gone wide in disbelief on hearing his last statement. She had started to say, "That cannot be true…" and thought better of it. After taking several swallows from her glass, she began again, speaking softly. "I take it, then, reports of our home world's biosphere being totally and irreversibly fucked, unable to support any life more advanced than single-cell organisms, are all true?"

Receiving an unhappy "Unfortunately, yes," accompanied by a nod of his head, she asked, "What the Hell can we do, Krel? We're only two people! Just what in the name of our ancestors is your solution?" She continued to hiss, "A new life, on a new world, out on the fringes of Aria T'Loak's domain? Hell! We may as well have joined Mama Bala's one-way, 600-year journey to Andromeda!"

He shushed her. "Ssshhh. Not so loud, and yes, Khar'Shan is biologically fucked, but… it will take me some time to explain the entire plan. I would prefer to speak of this out of the public eye. Can we go to your home, Sina? I've been living on the CGC since I left my apartment in the Gozu district, and I have had no desire to look for anything here."

She finished her beer; setting the glass on the table while rolling all four eyes in grudging acceptance, she declared, "Fine. You can sleep on the couch… but only for a night… two max. My place is really only large enough for one, and if the queen's Salarian agent gets wind I have a guest, he'll jack my rent up to a double-occupancy rate… and that's something I truly cannot afford."

Rising to leave, Akrelo said, "Wait… what? Aria T'Loak sets your rent as well? I never imagined! Even the lower tiers?"

"Not so loud," she whispered. "And yes, she does. There isn't a single credit-exchange enterprise on this entire fucking station, legit or otherwise, that doesn't enrich that blue whore!"

Akrelo wanted to grin at that bit of information but hid it well; what he had assumed would be a 'hard-sell' just seemed to have gotten a lot easier, if his people were living here under the same arrangement as Silahra. As they exited the small bar, he asked, "How much food do you have at home?"

She raised her upper brows with her response. "For me? Enough for a couple of days. I cannot afford to buy too much ahead, Krel… not when I'm living pay-chit to pay-chit." Reaching for and grasping his hand, she pulled him to a stop. In a suddenly sad voice, she lamented, "I don't know of anyone down here – Batarian or otherwise – who isn't living like me, Krel. People down here just… exist. It's a deceptive trap… one from which few can escape."

"That's… I don't know what to say, other than we need to stop at a store. I will buy some food for you… for us. It's no good attempting to carry on a conversation when you're hungry, and I'd be willing to bet you never eat your fill." Shaking his head in exasperation, he sighed, "Lead on."

After putting most of the purchased food away, Akrelo looked around his sister's apartment; the unavoidable conclusion was, for the amount of credits she was paying, it was nothing special.

As if picking up on his thoughts, Silahra quietly observed, "It really is all I need, my brother. Someplace to rest, eat, decompress, sleep. I just wish…" her words trailed off into silence as she sat down. At his prompt of, "What is your wish, Sina?" she looked up at him from under her brows and breathed, "To have a place of my own… a place for which I don't have to pay tribute to Omega's queen."

Akrelo sat at the end of the couch closest to her chair. "That's one of the reason's I've come to see you, Sina, and why I need your help." He launched into an abbreviated telling of his meetings with the newly discovered Protheans, along with Captain Shepard, and her bondmate, Doctor Liara T'Soni. Surprisingly, Silahra's only interruption concerned his meeting with Shepard. "Batarian's Bane? You actually had dinner with… her? Does she still dye her hair with Batarian blood?"

Akrelo chuckled, then immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, but she's not the monster Hegemony politicians made her out to be, Sina. I found her to be a straightforward, no bullshit Human, who never once spoke to me or treated me with anything less than respect." He thought about all he had experienced during his visit. Activating his omnitool, he selected several files and copied them to the device on Silahra's wrist. "It's been a really long day for me, Sina; time for me to get some sleep. We can pick back up in the morning, or whatever passes for morning on this ghastly rock."

With a grin of her own, she rose from her chair, opened a nearby closet and pulled out a couple of folded blankets. "You've given me much to think about. I'm sure I'll have many questions for you over breakfast, but in the meantime…" she handed the blankets to Akrelo, "… here's your bedding. Hope you sleep well, my brother."