Notes:

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)

Nara - literally "bearer"; one who shoulders another's burden (Thessian; Source: CDN)

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

The Gears of Progress

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 17 May 2191

As fate would have it, Specialist Traynor – as some of the staff still referred to her – was working at the other T'Soni house in Armali. As Liara explained it, Sammi had previously planned to spend the entire weekend there; she had abruptly decided to leave the estate at sunrise Friday morning in order to have an entire extra day in which to perform the necessary hardware upgrades, installations, and the required software updates. Liara admitted, "Sammi's total dedication to her job is one of the things we love about her."

With no other matters vying for her attention, Kasumi had spent the weekend relaxing, from wandering the expansive grounds of the estate, to reading a book while sitting on a comfortable bench in the rose garden just outside the main house, to meditating while sitting cross-legged on the ground, accompanied by the tranquil sounds of water gently cascading into the basin of the centrally placed fountain. Altogether, she found her weekend activities had reinforced a new-found, and very welcome, sense of peace.

This morning, once they had finished eating breakfast, Liara had entwined a hand in Kasumi's left forearm as she observed, "I don't believe I have ever seen you quite so serene as I find you this morning, Kas. It would seem spending only a few days here has been very good for you."

Strolling slowly towards the comms center, Kasumi's expressive mouth edged up at the corners. "Spending time here has allowed me to regain my center, Liara. I'll admit it may sound trite, but the tranquility in the rose garden has infused my soul with a profound peace. It is a feeling I have not known since, well, before the Reapers."

"It brings joy to my heart to hear you say that, Kas. It reinforces my opinion that your continued presence here would be as much to your benefit as it will be to my own."

Kasumi had to chuckle, giving Liara a smile as she bantered playfully, "Referring to my 'continued presence here' may be a bit presumptuous, don't ya think?"

Liara's face lit with a shy smile as she quietly replied, "Only speaking of what I have observed, Kasumi." By this time, the pair had reached the doorway to the comms center, so Liara activated and waved her omnitool through the glowing red haptic lock barring their entrance; this prompted an immediate crossfade to green… the haptic interface disappeared, and the door slid into its recess, revealing a rather small room – or perhaps it simply appeared small, due to the amount of special equipment installed within – that would not have been out of place on a top-of-the-line warship, belonging to any race.

Kasumi followed Liara through the open door. To the left side of a floor-to-ceiling bank of servers, routers, multiplexors, optical recorders and video monitors, sat a solitary human female, vigorously inputting data through a pair of haptic keyboards. The young woman's hands paused in mid-air as she looked towards the sound of footsteps; an instant light of recognition aglow in her eyes, she stood and asked, "Liara. Is there something I may do for you?"

"Not for me, Sammi." She side-stepped in order to allow Kasumi to move ahead of her as she continued, "This morning, it's Kasumi who has need of your expertise."

As soon as the Asari had stepped aside, Traynor's smile had spread into a huge grin. Taking a couple of quick steps towards the pair, she engulfed the master thief in a welcoming embrace. "I heard you had arrived for a visit, Kas," she gushed. "It's so wonderful to see you again." Relocating her hands to the woman's shoulders, Sammi pushed back slightly and, gazing past her cowl into her mostly shadowed, deep ebony eyes, asked, "So, how long are you staying with us, and what do you need from me?"

Kasumi, momentarily taken aback by Sammi's enthusiastic greeting, responded with a thin smile. "Umm, ah… it's good to see you again as well, Specialist… err, Sammi. And, well, I was just presented with a gift… an extremely large gift." Thinking of the circumstances surrounding that gift brought a roughness to her voice as she continued. "Jondum Bau has returned home… to Sur'Kesh… for his final time." Despite her best efforts, a couple of tears escaped from her eyes. As they drifted down alongside her nose, she added, "Gurji's Promise now belongs to me, Sammi. The SILC processed all the legal requirements necessary to transfer its ownership and registration into my name while it was docked on the CGC." Pausing briefly to make sure she could still speak past the growing tightness in her throat, she nearly whispered, "I have a month in which to register a new name for the ship; Liara brought me here to you… said you'd be the one to take care of this for me."

Traynor's happy expression faded to one of shared sorrow upon hearing Kasumi's story. "I'm very sorry to hear about Spectre Bau, Kas. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it is for you to deal with." She ran a hand softly up and down along Kasumi's right triceps while forcing a soft smile onto her face. "Come sit beside me. I'll make the connection with the authorities… remove the old name and add the new names to your ship's registration. Won't take more'n a few minutes to get it done." She nodded her head towards Liara, who silently turned and left.

Kasumi managed to grin at the specialist. "That'd be great, Sammi." She followed the woman to her control station; sitting in an adjacent chair, she handed a mini-datapad to the woman. "Here's a copy of the ship's new registration and transponder codes." She paused for the briefest moment before adding, "The new name for my ship is Spectre's Rose, Sammi."

"Spectre's Rose. I like it. Having worked with you these past few years, I cannot see a rosebush, or even a single rose in a vase without thinking of you, Kasumi. It's quite brilliant!" While she was speaking, her hands were busy on one of her haptic keyboards. After inputting a seemingly endless string of characters, she brought her hands down and turned to her companion. "It's done, Kasumi. No other ship, belonging to any race, has that name… so, the name you chose was available. Your ship is now registered as Spectre's Rose, and the name Gurji's Promise has been permanently retired from the registry."

"Thank you so much, Sammi! I really appreciate your help on this. Now, all that's left for me to do is fly her to T'Sere Shipwrights, so they can put her in their paint shop for a complete makeover… new paint job and a new logo."

She stood to leave, prompting Traynor to ask, "I suppose anything will be better than those boring ol' Council colors, but what color have you chosen? And are you gonna stay with Miri and Jude while the work is being done?" Sammi stood from her chair as well.

Kasumi swiped her finger a couple of times on her datapad, then turned the display towards Traynor, saying, "Here's the color sample… it's a deep, brilliant shade of red… and my idea for a new logo, to replace the Spectre shield." She smiled, liking the color more and more every time she looked at it. "As for Miranda and Judea… I am not sure yet. I will certainly speak with them about it before I head in that direction, to get a feel for their level of comfort." Her lips turned up into a grin as she continued, "I do not truly know Judea, so want to make sure she is comfortable with a secretive kleptomaniac staying in their home."

"Nice description of yourself." Sammi shook her head and let out a chuckle. "It's not like you steal from friends… at least you never have, and now would not be the time to start." She reached out and took Kasumi's hand. "The red is positively gorgeous, and the rose is simply… quietly elegant, like you." She paused a moment before adding, "It truly is good to see you, Kasumi. We'll have to grab lunch or dinner together before you go."

T'Sere Shipwrights, Dassus, Thessia – 20 May 2191

Kasumi Goto's first trip in her newly renamed ship was one of the shortest she had ever taken – a quick jaunt to the northeast that didn't require her to leave Thessia's atmosphere. It was for that reason flight controllers had required her to fly to the southeast first – out over the Kendra Ocean – in a looping, semi-circular trajectory designed to eliminate most of the sound impact generated by a vessel capable of interstellar flight – even one that was being flown conservatively.

Her final approach to T'Sere's transient vessel landing area was from just south of due east. The approach control operator, upon learning the identity of the small vessel coming in for a landing, had bid Kasumi a warm welcome and informed her a friend was impatiently awaiting her arrival.

Kas, having slaved Spectre's Rose's flight computer to the approach vector being continuously transmitted from T'Sere, sat back in her chair and, as she had done on many occasions, allowed the computer to fly the final approach and gently settle her craft into the docking cradle. Having been asked to leave the core 'hot', she shut down only the bare minimum needed to enable her to safely exit the ship. Grabbing her overnight bag and backpack, she opened the inner hatch, stepped into the airlock and activated the outer hatch; this closed the inner hatch behind her.

Even with her ever-present cowl pulled well over her head, the bright sunshine of a late spring Thessian morning dazzled her for a few moments until her eyes could adjust. She smiled in recognition of the 'friend' waiting in anticipation at the foot of the egress ramp.

"Kasumi Goto, too much time has passed since our last meeting!" The person waiting for her – a Human female, dressed in a tight, black pantsuit that molded wrinkle-free to every curve of her rather voluptuous body – opened her arms wide in silent invitation as Kas reached the bottom of the ramp; the intimate embrace she received was as if she was being greeted by a sister.

For her part, Kasumi returned the embrace just as enthusiastically. After standing locked in each other's arms for many moments, Kas pushed back slightly and whispered, "It's really good to see you again, Miranda." After a furtive glance down at the woman's chest, she added with a snarky chuckle, "Still don't think I'm capable of filling out that cat suit."

With a hint of color tinting her face, Miranda reached in to place a soft kiss on Kasumi's cheek, before replying with an embarrassed grin, "You're never going to let me forget about that little deception, are you?"

The master thief actually giggled like a naughty girl. "It's just our secret, Miri… always will be."

Miranda placed an arm behind Kasumi's back. With her hand gently gripping her waist just above her hipbone, she began walking towards a nearby cluster of buildings while saying, "Come on, Kas. We can go find Judea, then Matron Jalira T'Nadri, the paint facility director."

She looked down for a moment before continuing. "As for our secret, I'm afraid I had to share it with Shepard, Liara, and Judea. It was a direct result of your use of the secure Broker comms net, during Shepard's recovery in London."

At Kasumi's expression of surprise, Miranda hastily added, "You must remember using the secure system to call Liara – with Spectre Bau standing beside you – with the bad news of ex-councilor Sparatus' escape from Palaven."

Kasumi's broad grin turned down with her reply. "I had nearly forgotten about that. We were on Sur'Kesh… I had just acquired a special circuit board to upgrade Shep's biotic amp, but the news of that traitorous Turian's disappearance through the Trebia relay was too important to wait, forcing me to break protocol." Looking sidelong at the former Cerberus operative, she added, "And I wouldn't hesitate to do so again, if it was required to keep Shepard safe."

Miranda grinned. "Water under the bridge." Approaching one of the buildings in the cluster of structures, she added, "Here we are." Retrieving her arm from behind the master thief, she activated her omnitool, entered a passcode – which resulted in the sounds of bolts and latches being withdrawn inside the heavy door – then passed that code onto Kasumi's omnitool.

Pushing the door open ahead of herself, she said, "Come on. I'll show you to your room… you can stow your gear before we track Judea down." Walking through a short passageway past two doors, Miranda came to a stop in front of the last door, smirking in response to the hint of disapproval evident on Kasumi's expressive mouth. "And I apologize for spoiling your fun, Kas… I know you would much rather have hacked that lock while cloaked, but we're guests here. Didn't want to have to explain ourselves to T'Sere Security, or Judea, Goddess forbid."

After opening the door and passing that code to Kasumi's omnitool as well, she led the way inside a bright, spacious apartment. "Your room is right back here."

Kasumi gazed around as she placed her overnight bag at the foot of a rather large, comfortable looking bed. "This is perfect, Miri!" Glancing towards the bathroom, she asked, "May I?"

"Of course… by all means," came the smiling reply. After quickly relieving herself, Kas rejoined her friend, who had moved to wait at the entry. "Time to find Jude or Jal… or maybe both. The sooner they can begin work on Spectre's Rose, the sooner you can be on your way to visit your Nanna on Earth."

As luck would have it, the two women encountered Judea Voni almost as soon as they'd set foot inside the visitor's center, just inside the main assembly area of the gigantic building. Kasumi offered her upturned hands as she stepped in front of Miranda's Siame – a Thessian word Kas had long since learned was used to refer to a loved one cherished above all others – and gazed once again into a pair of intriguing gold eyes. "I'm pleased to see you again; and feel privileged to greet you here, Judea. You have my appreciation and thanks for facilitating the insertion of Spectre's Rose into T'Sere's busy production schedule."

After placing her palms on Kasumi's, the violet-tinted blue hands slid up to gently grasp the woman's wrists. "It is an honor for me to meet with you once again, Kasumi Goto." With a soft chuckle, the Asari slightly tightened her grip before releasing the wrists she'd been holding. "As for getting your ship into our paint shop, I can claim but little credit for so doing – Captain Shepard is a very persuasive woman… and Matriarch Tralis is happy to assist House T'Soni however she is able. Also, I must admit to a bit of selfish self-interest, as I am now hoping your visit will provide me with a bit of insight into pre-war Salarian ship design philosophies. That is a Veshok-6 you're flying, is it not?"

Kasumi clasped her hands together in front of her as she replied, "Why, yes… yes, it is. I believe you're aware it belonged to Spectre Bau… before I joined him, he used it for STG missions and Council assignments, including the several years he spent tracking me down in order to arrest me." In a voice suddenly thickened by emotion, brought on by speaking of her newly retired former partner, she added, "You are more than welcome to poke around inside while it's groundside, Judea."

With a thin smile lifting the corners of her mouth, she added, "Actually, it would please me greatly if you could offer some insight for me… if you can spare the time, of course." She tilted her head slightly as she continued, "As the ship is unlikely to ever again be required to provide accommodations for a full STG squad, I'm thinking about reconfiguring the sleeping quarters… make a designated bedroom suite for myself and reconfigure the current captain's quarters into a combo ops-center and office."

Judea's golden eyes lit up at Kasumi giving her permission to check out Spectre's Rose. "Thank you for the invitation, Kas… as well as your trust. I'll be happy to look at some ways we might rearrange the habitat areas inside your ship, while I'm…" she finished with a teeth-baring grin, "poking around, as you say. Now, let us go find the paint facility manager… and see when, exactly, she plans to get your ship in for its paint job."

As the building that housed the painting facility was at the far end from their location at one end of the manufacturing building, Judea had grabbed a small, four-person capacity hover-sled to save the time required to walk the nearly two-kilometer distance to meet with Jalira T'Nadri.

Judea eased the sled into a parking slot just outside the main entrance, which surprised Kasumi by opening into a rather elegant lobby; the Asari maiden seated behind a long counter, having recognized Judea immediately when she entered, rose to greet her as she, Kasumi and Miranda walked across the polished floor. "Judea Voni… it is good to see you. What may I do for you?"

After introducing Kasumi, Judea explained they were here to meet with Jalira. While they waited, Kasumi inspected the several model ships arrayed along the counter. "Your designs, Jude?" she asked. Upon learning that each scale model represented the increasing sophistication in each iteration of the ships offered by T'Sere, she let out a low whistle. "I've always known you're a supremely talented designer, Judea Voni, but I think this is the first time I've been able to see all your designs lined up, side-by-side! They're stunningly elegant!"

Judea's face actually took on a deeper tint of violet at Kasumi's praise. Shaking her head slightly, she pointed to a particular pair within the collection of scale models, saying, "Each of these is a high-performance sport corvette. During your stay, perhaps you'd like to accompany me on a short joy ride in one of them."

Upon hearing this, a silent-until-this-moment Miranda interjected, "Careful, Kas. Judea's idea of a joyride is to strap herself into the seat of the Hesaldia and attempt to fly the wings off the thing!" At Kasumi's questioning look at Judea, Miranda continued, "I doubt she could ever succeed, since it is her own design, but still…" The woman placed a quick kiss on a blue cheek before adding, "As for wanting a look inside your ship? Her father was a Salarian… and a gifted spacecraft designer. Some of Jude's earliest designs are a direct result of Soldan Risolar's influence on her upbringing."

Judea rolled her eyes slightly but was saved from further embarrassing revelations by an approaching Asari; stopping in front of the trio, she raised her hands towards Judea as she said, "Welcome. I am Jalira T'Nadri, facility manager."

Judea thanked Jalira for taking the time to meet with them, then introduced her to Miranda and Kasumi.

As she laid her hands on those offered in friendship by the master thief, she said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Kasumi Goto." She paused a moment before adding, "The Veshok-6 is a rather rare sight these days… I cannot image there are many that are still space worthy. I understand we will be repainting…" she paused a moment more, prompting Kas to offer, "Spectre's Rose, Matron T'Nadri."

"Spectre's Rose? Has a nice ring to it, Kasumi. So, you have a color picked out, correct? We have a bay open and waiting so, if you will pass that information on to me, I will see to getting her relocated to the preparation area, with a plan to start first thing Monday morning." With a quiet chuckle, she added, "And please… call me Jalira. Every time someone uses 'matron' ahead of my surname, I almost turn around to look for my mother."

"Thank you… Jalira." Kasumi activated her omnitool, pulled up the necessary information, and held the device out, with Jalira doing the same, only tapping the accept icon instead of the one for transmitting. As her omnitool confirmed transmission and auto closed, Kasumi added, "You'll see there is an additional file with the specifications for the new logo I would also like added, obviously in lieu of the Spectre shield."

"It's beautiful, Kasumi! I love the color… and the rose is a wonderful accent. Did you draw this yourself?"

"The rose, itself, no… but the splash surround and the color tint fade out, yes."

"Well, it's very tasteful and nicely done. Thank you for the detail sheet… including your preferred locations, I see. It will make applying it to the ship rather simple. Truly, thank you."

Kasumi gave her a beaming smile. "It's been a pleasure, Jalira. I look forward to watching my ship go through the process… I imagine granting an outsider access to your facilities is not something you do very often."

"No, it isn't… but it's not every day we get one of Captain Shepard's crew members as a client here, either, so we are happy to be of service, Kasumi." Her face lit with a grin as she glanced at Kasumi's hosts, adding, "Besides… while Judea may create some incredible ship designs, I think she could really use your artistic help on the paint schemes for her final products. You came up with a beauty for your ship!"

Oasia, Ilos, Refuge – 24 May 2191

Liara and Shepard had seen Kasumi off on Friday morning, the twentieth of May, wishing her the best of luck and a good visit with Miri and Jude, then departed that same afternoon to start their three-day return journey to Oasia. Upon rising the morning after their arrival on Ilos, Liara felt almost out of place. Shepard sensed her mood and moved to intercept her on the way to the door. "What's up, Li? Missing home already?"

"I am… actually." Liara looked a bit perplexed. "I think it's just the trip lag. The past few months, with all our travel, we always seem to be on the move." Her brow wrinkled and a slight frown dipped the corners of her lips. "It reminds me of less pleasant times, when we were running frantically from place to place, trying to find the resources we needed for the war."

"Hey. Let's have none of that." Shepard reached out to grasp a pair of blue hands. Giving them a gentle squeeze and a light shake, she continued, "Those days are done, Ionúin Álainn. What we do now… us traveling back and forth? It's for our own personal goals…" A tiny smirk played on her lips as she added, "Your personal goals. Reviving your career as an archaeologist is your dream come true, right? Sometimes that means being away from home for varying periods of time… which necessitates travel back and forth. But it is our own choice, Liara, so anytime you want to stop, you just say the word and we remain home."

Liara actually smiled, her somber mood retreating a bit. "You make it all sound so simple, Siame. But we have obligations… to the Ambassador, to the Protheans…"

Shepard nodded in agreement, before cutting her off to add, "And to ourselves, Liara; to be happy! To enjoy the galaxy we have all somehow managed to preserve. Otherwise, why in Hell did we fight so damned hard and sacrifice so much? Certainly not to be miserable under the weight of new responsibilities! So, I am quite serious when I tell you that, and it's worth repeating… just say the word and we will return home. Period. No discussion, no questions asked; we just do it."

Liara's gaze softened and a sheen of moisture made her eyes glisten as she pulled her hands away to drape her arms over Samantha's shoulders. She leaned her forehead against Shepard's as she smiled softly. "Just knowing you are willing to do so suddenly makes it all much more tolerable, Siame." She huffed and released a quiet sigh before tilting her head to place a gentle kiss on Samantha's lips. Pulling back, she reached down and took Shepard's hand. "Come. My archaeological team awaits our return to the dig… but, breakfast first!"

They had barely made it to the Commons when Liara's omnitool pinged. "Ambassador. What can I do for you?"

"Ahhh. First off, welcome back, Doctor… and Shepard, whom I am sure is standing somewhere near you." Somehow, the voice of Furant Colis sounded both happy and strained at the same time. "We have something of a development, so I am wondering if you could make your way to the flight pad?" He cleared his throat and added, "I am in immediate need of my Cultural Attaché, Doctor. You will understand what I mean when you get here."

Casting a wary glance at her bondmate, who nodded to the affirmative, Liara answered, "Of course, Ambassador. We are on our way."

Liara postulated as they walked, making a list of the various things that could possibly require their immediate presence. In the meantime, Shepard was sending an update to Riana, who had gone on ahead to make sure the path to the dig site was clear. The First immediately responded with an 'I'm on my way' message, quickly followed by 'with PG,' obviously referencing the commandos of Liara's personal guard.

When they approached the landing zone, they could see an older shuttle sitting on the pad before them. Shepard's brow immediately raised, and she commented, "That's a vintage Batarian shuttle… pre-war, by the look of her. Haven't ever seen one actually flying, much less capable of relay jumps."

Colis heard her voice and turned to them with a worried smile. "Excellent starship recognition skills, Shepard." His eyes travelling to Liara's, he continued, "We apparently have our first… however unannounced and unexpected… Batarian arrivals."

"You sound too worried for this to be a normal 'Welcome to Ilos' event, Ambassador." Liara's expression hardened ever slightly as she continued, "What is happening?"

Ruso Lukens stepped forward to explain. "It is a female and her two female children… and they were chased here by her mate, who does not want to accept the clemency offered by the Council and is demanding we return his… property… referring more to his mate and children… than his ship."

The ambassador cleared his throat, adding, "So, we find ourselves with a cultural quandary. We agreed the Batarians could maintain their social standards and customs, as long as their doing so would not violate Council law. But this female seeks to break away from the Hegemony rules and live her own life, free to open her own sewing shop, earn her own way, and have her female children grow up free from having to enter into arranged marriages."

"And her mate, obviously, did not agree to let her come." Liara sighed. "We all realized this could become an issue, but who knew it would be our very first arrivals who tested the validity and sincerity of the offer?" She turned to the colonial administrator. "Your people were the ones to make the proposal, Jorè. How far are you willing to go to enforce it?"

Instead of answering, he glanced at his security chief, Ruso Lukens, who simply shrugged and replied, "It will be as we spoke of and agreed to in our discussions. Should they join us, they become Prothean citizens, just as Shepard became Asari when she moved to Thessia and married into an Asari family. It is a personal choice. If this female truly wants to become Prothean, and is not simply running away from a bad mate? Well, then our offer of citizenship stands, and she is welcome here."

Everyone's eyes shifted back to Jorè as he added, "With them becoming Prothean, we will offer our protection… the same as we would do for any of our citizens. The only question I have is the status of the children… and if she has committed a crime by stealing them from their father."

"No one belongs to someone else…" Liara's voice had a hard edge as she continued, "… especially children. They are not property and are seeking freedom. Even so, they will be taught history here… especially the history of their people, including from the Batarian viewpoint, as was agreed upon. If, once they reach their majority, they want to return to their Batarian roots, they can do so at that time… but, they must be allowed to make an educated decision, not one dictated to them by their father, who likely has plans for a lucrative arrangement for the joining of his daughters with other high-ranking Batarian houses."

She looked back at the ambassador. "I would like to speak with the mother, along with a witness and speaker for the Prothean leadership." Her eyes swept across all those present, pausing on Aelia – who gave her nod in response to the unasked question – before resting on Jorè. Only then did Liara continue, "Who, given the issues at hand, I believe should be Aelia, as First Female."

"Agreed." Jorè answered without pause. "And it should be done, I think, where the Batarian is most comfortable… likely aboard her ship, if you are willing?" With a nod from both Liara and Aelia, he smiled. "Then, let us ask her, so that we may proceed."

In an amazingly brief period of time, Liara and Aelia departed the Batarian shuttle, the adult female and her two young ones in tow. At the bottom of the ramp, Aelia smiled happily. "It is my pleasure to introduce everyone to our newest Prothean citizens. Please welcome Delea Kros'fedah, and her children, Khapril and Fakira."

Jorè gave them a wide smile and knelt down in front of the girls, so they could look at one another eye-to-eye. Having learned the Batarian language through touch while he had exchanged information with Akrelo Ferank, he welcomed them in their native tongue. "Welcome to Ilos. I am very pleased to meet you. My name is Jorè… and I recognize your bravery in coming here with your mother. While it may be a frightening change, we will do our best to make you both safe and comfortable here, in your new home."

He then stood and looked at the adult female. "I understand it is custom to adopt your mate's name. How do you wish to be called, here? The formal name by which you were introduced, or a reversion to your single name, Delea Fedah?"

"How do you even know such a thing?" Delea looked at him in surprise.

Jorè smiled. "We spent a significant period of time with your envoy, Akrelo Ferank. We want to learn your customs and adopt what we can into our way of life here. We truly desire to be a… blended… society, so are prepared to accept those of your ways that are not in conflict with either our own or the Council's principles. We cannot accept what we do not know exists, so Akrelo taught us what he believed to be the essentials of your society. The rest we will learn as we go."

"And our language?" Delea's brow creased. "That is not something that can be easily learned… certainly not within a week or two."

"We have advanced teaching techniques, which will be demonstrated to you in due course, once you are established in temporary housing and have your basic needs met. Everything else can wait until you are ready."

"That makes sense. Thank you." Delea nodded in acceptance and let out a short, quiet sigh. "I had not thought about much else than getting here safely… and that came much too close to not happening... so, I will admit, I did not spend any time on considering a change to my name." She glanced at her young ones and smiled. "I think I will revert to simply Fedah but keep the children's names as they are. I do not want to eliminate the heritage that comes with their father's name. I simply want them to have the freedom to make their own choices in life." Her head tipped slightly as she asked, "Do you understand?"

Jorè smiled back at the female and answered, "Absolutely." He stepped back and opened his arms, indicating the path toward the housing areas. "Aelia will show you the way to your temporary home, and help you settle in and become accustomed to your new surroundings. Tomorrow will be a new day, when we can discuss your requirements for both permanent housing and your trade… and we will go from there. Welcome to Oasia, Delea Fedah."

"And what of the shuttle?" Delea paused and looked down at her feet, ashamed of what she was about to reveal. "It is not my property… as I could never own such a thing under Hegemony law. It is registered under my mate's name."

Shepard spoke for the first time, answering quickly. "Then we will arrange for its transport to a neutral station… likely Omega… after you remove all your personal items." A quick suggestion shot through the link from Liara, so she continued, "And, if you care to identify those items, Liara, the commandos, and I, would be happy to help you transport everything to your temporary quarters, right away, so you will have no need to return here."

The Batarian stared at the Human in wonder. "But you are Captain Shepard! You must not lower yourself…"

"To you, I am simply Shepard… or Samantha… or just 'hey, you'." Shepard's broad smile and surprisingly quiet, yet confident, voice had Delea's protest trailing off into silence. "And I am more than happy to help our first Batarian arrivals get settled into their new freedoms." She met Delea's eyes. "I realize just how overwhelming all this can be… and salute the bravery required of you to take the actions necessary to make your way here. You are the first one to complete the journey… and that tells me something about you; something good."

Shepard turned to Riana, who simply nodded and answered, "It will be our honor to assist, Captain… but, what of the shuttle, once we are finished?"

"Leave that to me, Riana… and Nevada." Shepard smiled, adding, "I'll join you as soon as I finish the call."

As Riana nodded and rallied the Personal Guard to board the shuttlecraft with Delea, Shepard walked to the side of the landing pad to call Liberation. Her captain, Nevada C'Valli recognized the sender code and answered almost immediately. "What can I do for you, Shepard?"

"We need you to escort our Batarian friend out of Prothean space, Nevada." Shepard's tone was firm as she continued, leaving no question as to her intent. "His mate has chosen to accept the Prothean offer and remain here, with her children, under the protection of Prothean forces and the Council edict. We do, however, need those aboard Liberation to return his shuttle, which Delea borrowed to make the journey. So, we will gladly return it to Omega, her station of departure, where you will park it in a secure dock and complete a full replenish of supplies and fuel, including both the shuttle and the Liberation. I will make the arrangements with Aria while you're enroute. All understood?"

There was a bit of humor in Nevada's voice as she answered, "All as clear as a bright, moonlight night over Thessia, Shepard. Consider it done… and I'll let Jam know she and Freedom are running solo for a couple of days."

"You can also tell our Batarian friend he'll have two days of paid docking fees, so he shouldn't dawdle in the Refuge System. I'm pretty sure he won't want to owe Aria any creds, so that should be incentive enough for him to be on his way, sooner, rather than later." Hearing the captain of Liberation chuckle, Samantha smiled. "Thanks, Nevada. Please check in upon your return."

"You got it, Nara. See you again in a few days. Liberation, out."