Notes:

Anam Cara - Soul Friend/Mate (Gaelic)

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)

RRT - Rapid Response Team

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

Changes of Schedule

Compitales Medical Center, Cipritine, Palaven – 24 June 2191

From Desis' point of view, time sped by in an unending blur; shuttle ride to the hospital, being hurriedly moved into the maternity center in a hoverchair, shedding her clothes, propping her feet up in a pair of stirrups, settling her butt into a reclining birthing chair – configured with a deep U-shaped cutout in the seat quite far up between her legs – with only a soft blanket covering her nude form.

Unfortunately, the passage of time from that point forward seemed to slow to an out-and-out crawl, as she settled in for what would turn out to be – by Turian standards – a rather long labor. Doctor and Reproductive Specialist Viteldia Quendros sat on a low stool, her head between Desis' inner thighs, in order to monitor the progress of the birth. A pair of golden-green eyes looked at her patient's face from across Dee's swollen belly as she quietly said, "You're doing great, Desis. It may not seem like it right now, but you giving birth to this child is exactly what the Primarch needs to see – that the person who has done so much to find loving homes for the many thousands of children orphaned by the Reaper War is finally having a child of her own."

"Not so sure he'll see it that way, Doctor Quendros." She stopped speaking in order to breathe through another contraction wracking her lower abdomen. Once it passed, she cast her eyes up to gaze at Garrus, seated above and behind her for moral support, and chuckled. "He'll probably think us selfish for bringing another child into this world, when there are so many still in dire need of our help."

Garrus flared his mandibles in amusement. "Not at all, Dee. He and Councilor Quentius think the world of you… and me, by extension. Until you came along to get things organized, there was no one – not a single soul – attempting to help and save all those orphaned children. Our baby will have a loving home from the moment it's born, and will be part of our population's recovery, but your work to secure assistance for the children left with nothing? That will continue on."

Desis shuddered at yet another contraction as Doctor Quendros urged her to breathe through it. When it had subsided, Dee asked, "How much longer?"

Desis could feel the doctor's hand in her crotch with a pair of gloved fingers inside her birth canal. "I believe your body is ready, Desis. Next contraction, I want you to bear down and push."

She squeezed the pair of strong hands she was holding onto and gazed up into a loving pair of crystal blue eyes; her mate and protector said, "You got this, Dee! I love you!

"I love yoooouuuuu!" she replied, the last word coming out in a growling shriek as her body attempted once more to expel the baby she had carried inside herself for just under 11 months.

She held her breath and used her abdominals to aid her uterus in pushing a rather large object through an opening that felt incapable of stretching any further. She took several gasping lungsful of air as the contraction eased. Spirits! How much longer? came the plaintive thought.

As if picking up on her thoughts, Doctor Quendros observed, "Almost there, Desis. Next one ought to do it."

Desis felt she had never worked so hard in her life. She concentrated on her breathing, on the sparkling blue eyes gazing down at her, on the feelings of euphoria brought on by all the hormones in her system. Another contraction, another long, solid push and… relief! Doctor Quendros had her baby, still enveloped in its embryonic pouch.

In a matter of moments, the doctor had sliced the pouch open, extracted the baby, cleared its airways of amniotic fluid and, after thoroughly drying her skin and ensuring the tiny newborn was breathing well on its own – as evidenced by its crying at the top of an apparently very healthy pair of lungs – she handed the baby to Desis, who cradled her beautiful little girl in her arms and held her close against her bare chest, just slightly under the blanket's edge, as Garrus looked at both of them in awe-struck wonder.

"Spirits, Dee. She's beautiful… simply… beautiful." The newborn – in contact with the bare skin of her mother's chest, settled down quickly and began rooting around, as if…

"She's looking for food, Desis," Doctor Quendros said. Handing a small bowl full of warm, shredded meat to Garrus to hold, she added, "Chew a few bites of this until you feel it's ready for you to swallow, then give a small amount to your baby. She's ready to eat her first meal. She'll get to try out her own teeth, and she needs the antibodies carried in your saliva."

Desis did as she was instructed; with Garrus holding the bowl of cooked meat, she placed several bites in her mouth and chewed it well. Taking a couple of fingers worth from her mouth, she carefully placed it in the baby's open mouth, then gasped in surprise when that little mouth closed on her fingers, offering ample proof of a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. The hungry baby greedily chewed the offering, swallowed, and opened her mouth for more.

Desis chuckled. She quickly got the hang of pre-chewing the meat her daughter needed to satiate her hunger, then inserting it into a gaping mouth without having her fingers become part of the meal… mostly. In a short time, the baby's appetite was sated, leading her to curl up with her butt in the air and begin dozing in the middle of her mom's chest.

During all this, Doctor Quendros had discarded the embryonic pouch, injected minute quantities of a vasoconstrictor drug in and around Dee's birth canal, then cleaned and dried all the skin in her crotch and between her legs. Tasks complete, she told Garrus, "We need to move her into the recovery ward. She's doing really well but will probably sleep until next week if you allow it."

Desis spoke up, declaring, "Hey. I'm right here. Let my legs down and I'll walk out of here."

Quendros chuckled, "I think I'll bring the hoverchair back in… and give you a ride to your room." As an afterthought, she asked, "By the way, have you decided on a name?"

Dee looked up expectantly at Garrus, who answered for both of them. "Acicidia S'mantha Vyessan-Vakarian." With a wry chuckle, he added, "Her nickname will be Ace."

"Never heard of a Turian named 'S'mantha'. Must be in honor of someone you know."

"Specter Samantha Shepard," replied the big Turian. "She's a very dear friend, to both of us. Point of fact, she introduced us to each other on the Citadel during the war."

"Commander Shepard," the doctor said, half to herself. "I cannot imagine Shepard would object to such an honor. And Acicidia just may inherit some of the Spectre's strength of character by being so named." Splitting her attention between the new parents, she offered, "Congratulations, to both of you." An orderly appeared with the promised hoverchair; assisting Doctor Quendros, Desis was quickly seated, then moved – with Acicidia securely held in her arms – to her recovery room… and a proper bed.

Nagato, Japan, Sol System – 24 June 2191

Kasumi had docked Spectre's Rose at a modest, non-descript landing pier on Omi Island, where she rented an X3M skycar – a pre-war model Cision Dauntless that, despite its age, appeared to have been well cared for – for the short, nine-kilometer trip south through the city center to the home of her nana, Yukiko. As she was traveling such a short distance – she'd arrive at her destination in less than twenty-five minutes – Kas chose to pilot the skycar herself, rather than bothering with setting up the VI autopilot.

Having located and contacted her grandmother just prior to leaving Thessia, Kasumi knew Yukiko Goto was expecting her, but wasn't really sure of just how welcoming her nana would be. I haven't been here for a visit in a decade or so, came the guilty thought. Not since just before I met and hooked up with Keiji. Haven't been planet-side, for that matter…

She continued to think about the direction her life had taken since leaving everything behind upon finishing her secondary education – with honors. She had nearly accepted a scholarship offered by Osaka Jogakuin College, but didn't feel that her increasingly restless energy would permit her to excel there. Received my higher education while traveling from place to place through the void, she thought with a wry chuckle. Met a lot of interesting people… relieved many of some very interesting… and valuable… property.

Gradually coming to a stop beside the garage in front of the house, she shut the small powerplant down and climbed out, grabbed her backpack and overnight bag and made her way to the rear entry of her grandmother's modest home. She set her bag down and softly rapped on the door; in less than a minute, it silently opened to reveal an elderly woman – slightly stooped by age – of medium height and build. She was dressed in a pair of baggy, faded blue pants and a light yellow, pull-over shirt featuring horizontal blue stripes.

Upon seeing Kasumi, she brightened, saying, "Kas!" Reaching out with both arms spread wide, she scooped her granddaughter up in a welcoming hug. "It has been much too long since your last visit, my child! Come in… come in!"

She released Kas and motioned her in past the door; Kasumi grabbed her bag and moved into the small mudroom. Once inside with the door closed, Yukiko Goto stood facing her grandchild; bringing up both hands, she grasped Kasumi's cowl on either side of her cheeks and – despite a quiet, half-hearted protest – eased it back off her head to rest on her shoulders.

"Let me look at you, Kas!" With a bemused smile, Kasumi stood quietly as 'Yuki' solemnly looked her up and down. After several moments, the woman reached up to place a kiss on Kas's forehead, nodded once and said, "Come, Magomusume…[孫娘 – Granddaughter] bring your bag. Your room is waiting. You can get settled in while I brew a fresh pot of tea. I want to hear all about your adventures…" here she waved her arms over her head, "… out in the void."

Kas chuckled. "That may take a bit of time, Nana. I'd rather hear about your life here, especially since war's end." Kasumi moved into the short passage between the bedrooms and living area.

Yukiko's smile gave way to a quiet laugh as she followed. "Oh, Kas. My life here is so routine. Even when those horrific…" she paused to search for the word, then continued almost immediately with, "Kikai [機械 – Machines] were doing their worst up north, it was as if our little corner of the world was too unimportant for them to bother."

Knowing the Reapers had focused on industrial centers, this did not surprise Kasumi. "That's not too hard to believe, Nana. I always kept tabs on you… knew you were okay, but you must have seen at least some of the destruction." She set her bag on the floor at the foot of her bed, then turned towards Yukiko. "They focused their efforts on the major population centers, worldwide. Kobe? Osaka? Both flattened! Yokohama and Tokyo were virtually obliterated! If they had not been stopped when they were, they would have eventually arrived here. Their aim was to totally obliterate us, Nana… to eliminate the Human race."

"Yes," she replied, her voice reflecting deeply held sorrow. "Do not forget Hamamatsu and Nagoya." She shook her head, adding. "Estimated death toll in Tokyo alone was upwards of 25-to-27, maybe even 28 million people." The happy smile had turned down as Yukiko thought back to those weeks and months. "Truly, all that could be seen from here was a lot of black smoke, rising in the distant northeast, my child. I was only able to view the utter magnitude of their devastation when the vid-news – usually ANN – was online, which was not very often."

She walked back down the hallway, entered her living area, then led the way through to the kitchen. After putting a kettle of water on to heat, she was about to reach into her cupboard for tea when Kasumi handed her a package. "Here is something you will probably enjoy, Nana." Yukiko took the package and inspected it as Kasumi continued. "It's tea from Thessia, the Asari homeworld. I also brought some Asari produced sweetener – Chandra… a gift for you from a friend of mine."

Yukiko looked at the pair of half-litre jars Kasumi held. "Why two different colors?" she asked.

"I can show you, once we sit to enjoy our tea. There are many varietals of Chandra, of which these are just two. They are all sweet – much sweeter than honey from our own bees."

Kasumi could see the skepticism in her grandmother's expression. Setting the jars on the table, she added, "I want to take you out to dinner tonight. I saw a couple of nice restaurants on my way through town. I'll get cleaned up, change into something nice." With a self-deprecating chuckle, she looked down at her armored suit and added, "I'll feel like I'm naked without my armor and a cloak over my head, but I'll be able to blend in better if I look like a local."

Her grandmother smiled and nodded. "That would please me, Kasumi. I will enjoy seeing you dressed for leisure…" she waved a hand at Kasumi's armored chest, "…rather than being dressed for a war that is done."

Oasia, Ilos, Refuge – 25 Jun 2191

After a full day spent welcoming newly arrived colonists to the burgeoning Prothean/Batarian settlement, Shepard and Liara were enjoying a late dinner in their quarters. She had just taken a sip of coffee when, in concert with Liara's, her omnitool chimed and activated with an incoming message. With a glance at her Anam Cara, she opened the device; the message – along with its attached still image – brought a happy, open mouth grin to her face as she said "Oh, wow! Would you look at that!"

She looked at Liara just as the Asari whispered, "Goddess! She's absolutely beautiful!" Looking back at the image of the tiny Turian displayed on her device, she softly read the name and stats aloud. "Acicidia S'mantha Vyessan-Vakarian, born 1453 hours, 24 June 2191, Cipritine local time; 3311 grams, 49.8 centimeters. Desis is resting; 'Ace' is sleeping in mom's arms. Mother and child healthy and doing well. Father having a second strong drink. See you in December?"

Liara, eyes brimming with moisture, looked up at Sam. "Siame… We can't possibly miss everything coming up these next few months. Perhaps we can take a week the first part of July to attend Culver's change of command and retirement, then visit Palaven… to see Garrus and Desis… meet the baby. It would also be good to see how recovery efforts are proceeding on their homeworld."

"If you honestly believe we can get away, I would dearly love to do both those things." Samantha gave her a loving smile. "Thank you, Ionúin Álainn."

"You do not need to thank me for that, Siame, because I want to see everyone just as much as you do!" Liara's infectious grin spread wide, causing Shepard's to do the same as the Asari continued, "It's much too late tonight, but I think we speak with Furant and Jorè first thing in the morning, to start making the arrangements for our unplanned absence."

Vila Militar, Rio de Janeiro – 1 July 2191

Gabby followed Harley Creath through the open door, only to stop dead in her tracks; after glancing around the room, she looked at her future husband and hesitantly said, "This… this is rather Spartan for guest quarters, don't you think? I mean, I realize this is the Interplanetary Combatives Academy, but I would think that guest quarters would be just a bit more…"

Harley stepped up in front of her while she was speaking; grasping her left hand, he gently kissed her knuckles while wrapping his free arm around her back. "Comfortable? Elegant?" he finished for her, then chuckled good-naturedly as he continued. "It's all I was able to arrange for you, even with advance notice." He pulled her in for a hug with the arm around her back. After placing a chaste kiss on her cheek, he added, "Once I'm into my new job next week, my assigned quarters will be quite a bit nicer, and there will definitely be accommodations for my bride-to-be… when she can manage to get away from Edinburgh for a weekend visit."

Gabby retrieved her hand, then wrapped both arms around his torso and squeezed; looking up at his face, she pouted for a couple of moments before allowing her lips to quirk up at the corners. "Harley, it's perfect… really. All I've ever needed since leaving the SR-2 is someplace comfortable to lay my head." She made a show of looking over each shoulder in turn before drilling him with a pair of molten, cinnamon-brown eyes. "I believe this place meets that requirement perfectly." She pulled him down in order to reach his mouth; applying her lips to his closed mouth, she brazenly slipped her tongue between the seam of his lips.

Harley, momentarily caught off guard, gently nibbled on the succulent morsel for a moment before parting his lips and beginning his own exploration of an extremely willing mouth. After jousting a bit for dominance, he mentally called a draw as he broke away; mirrored by this woman… a woman he had grown to love with all his heart, he gasped for air momentarily. "Dammit Gabby, you don't play fair. I know you think of yourself as simply a widowed mother of two children, and you are most certainly all that, but… you are also an attractive… no! An extremely attractive woman, Gabriella Donnelly! When I hold you close to me like this, I find I can no longer think coherently about anything else, except how much I love you."

Gabby, having settled her own breathing, chuckled before she replied. "Really? I find it difficult to believe that pressing my body against yours can make you forget about anything." As she was still holding onto him, she tightened her arms slightly, ensuring he could feel – in detail – the soft curves she was pressing against him. "That's good to know, Mr Creath. I don't intend for you to ever again feel alone, no matter how much physical distance there actually is between us. You must realize by now that my heart belongs to you!"

She claimed his lips once again, in an overpoweringly sensual kiss – a kiss that, in addition to making him weak in the knees, only further confirmed in his own mind – as if he even needed such at this point in their relationship – that he had won the love of an intensely passionate woman. He reluctantly pulled back to breathlessly exclaim, "I believe I need to show you to your bedroom, Gabby. Once you've seen where you'll actually be resting your head, you can tell me if you'd like for me to join you." He grinned down at her as he concluded, "If not, I expect I'll need to return to my quarters and take a long, cold shower."

Gabby backed away a step; bringing her hands up, she gently cupped his face. "Oh, I don't expect you're going to leave this place tonight, Harley Creath." With a devilish expression firmly fixed on her face, she added, "Come on, Harley. Show me where we'll be laying our heads."

Gabby felt as if she was being slowly smothered… no matter how much she struggled, she could not seem to draw enough air into her lungs. After several interminably long minutes, she finally managed to open her eyes; to her horror, she was trapped – locked, in some sort of pod, standing nearly upright. She looked outwards through a curved, clear panel, built into the cover. She was in some sort of nightmarish looking chamber… one unlike any she had ever seen or read about.

The far wall had an irregular, organic looking red surface, in front of which there were more pods… a great many more… dozens more… many dozens more… all lined up across from hers, some on the… floor? Deck? All seemed to be identical to the one in which she found herself imprisoned. With a great deal of effort – why did she feel so sluggish? – she managed to lean forward. With her head hard against the clear panel, she directed her gaze to each side – first left, then right.

A crewman from the Normandy was in the pod to her left; on her right was… No! It cannot be! Kenneth, slumped inside. She pounded on the panel with her fists, hollered his name… screamed at the top of her lungs. He gave no indication he could hear, no acknowledgement of her frenzied efforts to get noticed. Panting from her exertions, she slumped back against the uncomfortable metal surface behind her while continuing to look around inside. There had to be a seam, a latch, something she could use to open this… coffin.

It just so happened she was looking to her left when she noticed movement inside the pod holding the Normandy crewman. Some sort of gas was slowly seeping in from above… slowly engulfing the man, who awoke with a start and began flailing around. God in Heaven! He was being dissolved… liquefied alive, in front of her eyes! His frantic efforts to escape tapered off as his body lost its shape, becoming a viscous liquid that merged with the gas entering the pod.

Redoubling her efforts, she pounded on the clear panel until her fists were leaving bloody smears on the clear surface. Was there some sort of movement… outside? Who? Shepard! Garrus! Zaeed! Miranda! They had seen her… had seen Kenneth… and the others. They all rushed over to the pods. Zaeed, in an ironic twist, used the butt of his Collector Assault Rifle to hammer on the clear panel covering her pod, even as gas began seeping in from above.

Shrinking to the side as much as possible, she could do nothing but pray Zaeed would break through the glass-like surface. As fractures appeared in the middle, the gas concentration in the pod began to affect the bare skin of her forearms; she screamed in agony as skin and muscle began dissolving. The panel finally shattered. The old merc reached in to drag her out, only to rip both arms from her body at the shoulders.

Gabriella sat upright in bed with a wail of utter despair; this woke Harley, who instantly sat up and used his arms to engulf her bodily. "Gabby! What's the matter?"

She desperately clutched at the man's arms and torso. "Harley?" Her rapid, panicky breathing began to slow in response to the calming effect of the man's muscular arms encircling her.

"It's okay, Gabby! I've got you." He continued to hold her as she gradually calmed down. "You had a nightmare, darling." He finally noticed she was drenched in sweat, such that her sleepshirt was completely soaked. "Come on. You need a shower – let's get the sweat washed off and find a dry shirt for you." He climbed out of bed and, using one of the soft hands he was holding, helped her to stand on the floor.

She threw her arms around him as she sobbed, "It was absolutely horrible! I have never dreamed about that day… never gave any thought to what happened! Never!" Despite holding onto the man that had taken her heart, she continued to shiver, mainly from the intense memories, but also in reaction to the coolness of her bedroom.

Harley disentangled himself from her arms, retook the hand he had been holding and led her to the bathroom as he asked, "What day was that, Gabby?"

Her response was prefaced with a full-body shudder. "The Collector mission. Bastards tracked the ship through the IFF we'd installed – forced their way on board while Shepard and her ground teams were all off the ship." Gabby looked up at Harley as she continued. "Took the entire crew, including Kenneth and myself." She buried her face in his chest and mumbled, "Let me get cleaned up. I think I can explain better over a nice mug of hot tea."

Harley had her turn to face into the shower; after gently pulling her sweat-soaked sleepshirt up and over her head, he hung it on an empty towel rack then left so she could have a bit of privacy. He went into the kitchen, set a pot of water on the stove to heat, then returned to the bedroom, where he looked through her overnight bag. Just as I thought… no spare sleepshirt. He shook his head and, with a resigned sigh, pulled an undershirt out of his own overnight bag, in which he'd brought fresh underwear and a clean SDU. This will do just fine for the rest of the night.

He slipped into the bathroom and asked, "You okay, Gabby?" The sudden cessation of water falling from the showerhead surprised him; she added to his surprise by easing herself out of the tiled stall and asking for a towel, which he hurriedly handed to her.

Gazing at him as she blotted the moisture from her body, she quietly observed, "You can close your mouth, Commander. This isn't the first time you've seen me nude." She bent forward at the waist in order to vigorously apply the towel to her short hair. Returning to her upright stance, she offered the damp towel to him with one hand while holding out her other. With a wry grin, she pointed to the tee-shirt he was holding and said, "Hand it over – let me see just how much too large it is for me."

He handed the tee-shirt to her in exchange for the towel. By the time he had hung it on its bar, she had pulled the shirt over her head and stuck her arms through the sleeves. Her reflection in the mirror confirmed her suspicion that – in addition to the garment being cut to fit a male's torso – it was at least two, maybe three sizes too large for her slight frame. At least it covers my ass, and it's not sliding off my shoulders.

Even though she hadn't exhibited any outward shyness or embarrassment at being naked in Harley's presence, she still felt slightly awkward at the situation. Clearing her throat, she held out a hand and said, "Come on… you can brew some tea for us, then sit with me so I can share the reason for my nightmare with you."

After swallowing the last bit of tea from her mug, she cocked her head and looked at the man that had gradually become one of the four most important people in her life – the others being her children and Violet Sweeney. It had taken Gabby forty-five minutes to tell Harley of the cause for her nightmare. "To this day," she confessed, "I become a bit apprehensive whenever I find myself alone in a tight space." With a rueful shake of her head, she added, "In all my years in the Alliance Navy, I had never come so close to dying, Harley. After that day, Kenneth and I never spoke of it. Perhaps we should have… spoken with someone? A Navy shrink, maybe."

Harley downed the remainder of his tea and chuckled. "You're talking about it now, my darling." With a solemn shake of his head, he added, "I cannot even begin to imagine how terrifying that must have been for you, Gabby. Knowing what I do now, I'm extremely thankful that Shepard and her ground teams were able to get to you and the rest of the crew so fast. But how did you get back to the Normandy?"

Gabby closed her eyes in thought for a moment before answering, "Kasumi Goto. She had accompanied Shepard's team into the Collector ship – helped break open the pods to free us. She led us back to the ship's new, closer landing zone."

Harley shook his head in amazement. Grabbing their mugs, he took them to the sink for rinsing as he said, "That's an incredible tale, Gabby." He glanced at the chrono on the wall as he turned back towards her. "You ready to go back to bed?"

Gabriella's heart clenched at the look of adoration in his eyes. She stood from her chair, held out a hand and answered in a loving whisper. "Lead the way."

Vila Militar, Rio de Janeiro – 2 July 2191

Liara couldn't help but smile, watching the expressions run across Samantha's face as she chatted with her two sisters – Sharon, her sister-in-arms, and Adrien, her genetic twin. The two ceremonies – the change of command and Sharon's retirement – had been short and sweet and, after rather brief congratulations to Harley for his rise to the Special Operations command position – who then had a multitude of formal engagements to attend – Shepard and Liara had quickly retreated to spend time with Sharon and Adrien.

Liara had been surprised, even knowing she should not have been, when they were welcomed into a house full of boxes. Sharon had obviously been packing, in preparation for the move, and only the essentials she needed every day remained out… along with a couple of empty boxes into which those few remaining items could be easily tossed.

"Well, of course it's going to be an adjustment…" Sharon shrugged her shoulders as she gave Shepard a knowing smirk. "… but a very welcome one, as you well know. You're one to talk, having bailed first on the Alliance, then the Spectres, just to the exact same damned thing! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!" She let out a hearty chuckle as she finished speaking.

"Yeah, yeah. Yuck it up, Culver."

Samantha's grin spoke volumes as she replied, causing Liara's heart to ache happily. She chose that moment to remind her bondmate of a promise she had made. "You know, I vaguely remember something about a vacation… for just the two of you… once you were both retired?" Liara cocked a brow marking as she continued, "I believe that condition is now met, and a trip planning session should be forthcoming?"

Sharon looked at the Asari in surprise, then shook her head, knowingly. "You never forget a damned thing, do you T'Soni?"

"I try not to…" Liara gave her a teasing smile as she continued, "… especially when it relates to the happiness of the people I care deeply for."

"Ah, well… shit." Culver chuckled, her face picking up a shade of pink. "Now you've gone and embarrassed me in front of Adrien."

Adrien reached over and grabbed her hand, gently caressing Sharon's palm with her thumb. "No need to be embarrassed by that, love. I know how much you two mean to one another… and I wouldn't have you change anything… your history included. History is what makes us who we are, and, in this case, I think your knowing Samantha Shepard made you a better person. I know, from your stories, you would likely not be here, if not for her saving your butt a time or two."

"Ha!" Sharon grinned. "You've got that right… but I think that went both ways, at least while we were working together." Her gaze shifted to Shepard as she continued, "We most certainly saw some shit out there, didn't we?"

"Yeah… we did, at that." Shepard smiled softly, continuing, "And somehow, we managed to always survive, even when we were being stupid."

"Doing something stupid?" Liara cocked a brow. "Does that mean there may be a story or two, to which I have not been privy?"

Sharon's eyes lit up. "Holy shit! Have you not told Liara about our time on Sathur?"

Shepard groaned as the new retiree leaned back and started howling with laughter. "I can't believe you never told her that story!" Her attention shifted to the Asari, a gleam in her eyes and a grin on her lips as she stated, "Oh, this one I just have to tell!"

Sathur, Deneb System, Cygnus Cluster – 2 Oct 2173

A protest on the human colony planet of Sathur had turned ugly, with demonstrators clashing with security forces outside the Regional Governor's offices. Unemployment figures were sky-high, and the planetary governor had proposed a bill to devote the colony's resources toward the growing of ossilbir, a high-nutrition vine that had become an Alliance military staple. Sathur's environment was ideal for growing the plant, but protestors feared the new plant would overrun entire continents, as had been witnessed many times before when non-native species – with no natural predator to counter its growth – were introduced to a new environment.

The demonstration quickly blew up into an all-out revolt, and the SSV Leipzig had responded, deploying the RRT to assist. They had deployed two teams, one of which was led by then Marine Captain Sharon Culver.

"Holy crap!" Culver's tone indicated they had just stepped into some deep shit. She looked around, quickly realizing what had transpired during their transit to the location. "We're not fighting protestors anymore, people. We're fighting fucking carnivorous plants!"

As the soldiers under her command looked at her with a complete lack of understanding, she just shook her head and started to explain. "All these vines that are attempting to take over the landing pad? That shit is ossilbir… a high protein staple of the Alliance Military. High protein because it eats whatever warm-blooded thing it can catch." Culver gave them all a stern stare. "Do not get too close to the vines. They'll whip out and grab you in a split-second… so get back on the shuttle and trade out those pea shooters for flamers; bullets won't do shit but punch little holes in the leaves."

As they were swapping out weapons, Culver talked to the shuttle pilot. "As soon as we're done changing out, get this bird in the air and stay high until we call for extraction… or none of us will be getting off this planet. Also, call the Alliance and tell them to stand by for a full emergency evac of the entire colony… assuming anyone is left alive to be taken off-world."

The tone of Sharon's voice told everyone she wasn't kidding in the slightest, so everyone hurried to swap out weapons. The squad headed out, trying to find an open path to the regional headquarters, only to find their way barred on every street. The team's engineers, Eva Schwartz and Ricky Allen, had to fill the roles of normal foot-soldiers, as there were no shields to drop or weapons to disable. With the additional two, Culver instructed them to assume a diamond pattern and burn their way through, with the two in the back covering their asses so the plants didn't come at them from behind.

Initially, the group all wondered if Sharon had totally lost her mind, until the first vines whipped out and ripped Eva to the ground, saved only by Ricky's quick response, sending a jet of fire streaming outward, just above Eva's prone body, making the vines pull back. "Holy shit, Cap! You weren't fucking kidding!"

Culver simply shouted out, "Of course not! Now, stay focused on your sector so that doesn't happen again, or someone is going to be their damned next meal!"

They finally got within reach of the main doors to the headquarters and Shepard piped up. "Hey Cap… give me a lane and I can charge through, get those doors open for us…"

Culver looked at the young lieutenant. "You'd better be quick about it, or your ass is lunch, Shepard. No shit."

Shepard drew a deep breath and replied, "As long as the standard emergency codes haven't changed, shouldn't be a problem…"

Culver's response was foreboding. "Nothing here is normal, Shep. Be ready for anything."

With that, gunners Michael Ridley and Patrick Lahm ignited their flamethrowers and burned a clear path to the doorway. "Hurry up, Shep! This shit is moving in almost faster than we can burn the motherfuckers!"

"Today's code not working!" Shepard cursed quietly under her breath. "Shifting to yesterday's!" A brief pause and she cursed. "Fuck! Not happening!" What was Tuesday's code? When we got the SOS?"

Ricky responded almost immediately, "5-7-4-2-9-5."

"Thanks!"

Shepard had just typed in the code to watch the light turn green, when Michael Ridley screeched. "Out of fuel! Changing canisters!"

Before he could get them swapped out, a vine swept in and grabbed Shepard's foot, yanked her down to the pavement and started to drag her away from the group. Sharon's heart jumped and she swung her flamethrower around. "Not on my watch, you sonuvabitch!"

Counterintuitive to everything anyone could have possibly expected, Shepard jumped up the second her foot was free and, instead of beating a hasty retreat, she charged the base of the plant, immediately followed by a rather explosive nova, quite literally blasting the toothed leaves off the vines and uprooting the main plant, just before igniting her own flamethrower and torching the entire exposed root structure.

"Everyone in, so we can get that door closed again!" Culver's command shook everyone from their shock and the unit moved as one into the relative safety of the headquarters, the doors closing behind them, to be quickly secured by engineer Eva Schwartz. Culver stared at Shepard as if the soldier had lost her mind. "That was the craziest fucking thing I've ever seen a Vanguard do, Shepard! Are you insane?"

Shepard's slanted smirk appeared on her face as she shrugged, "I suppose… maybe just a little?"

A/N: I want to take a moment to thank all my readers, all those who leave kudos and follow my stories. The response has been somewhat overwhelming. It's hard to believe the ten-year anniversary of when I published my first story is at the end of this year. You have all been awesome! I also want to give particular thanks to those who helped me along the way, be it as simple as pointing out a typo, to critiquing my phrasing and formatting to help me improve over that timeline.

Just so you know, this story is not the end... the Chronicles of Samantha Shepard will continue after this book is complete, though I am unsure of what form that will next take, be it another collection of short stories or, just perhaps, moving into the future with the promise of the next ME game. (Still in pre-production and delayed yet again, as much of the team was pulled to help finish Dragon Age: Dreadwolf). Again, thank you!