Alban Elfed - Druid festival of the Fall Equinox, means 'Light of the Water' (Gaelic)

Anam Cara - Soul Friend/Mate (Gaelic)

SILC - Synthetic Intelligence Life Codes (previously known as Geth)

STG - Special Tasks Group

Salarian Solutions

Serrice Apartments, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 20 Sep 2192

Liara and Samantha had no additional meetings with Furant over the Salarian issue as, of great surprise to everyone involved, the Dalatrasses never called Furant, seeming to retreat from the subject altogether. Liara had also placed a query with the Shadow Broker, regarding the locations of the two worlds in question, and had yet to receive a response of any kind. As such, no one had made any discoveries to discuss.

Of course, neither Liara nor Shepard were the type to simply allow matters of such importance to lay idle for long, so Samantha had promised to see what she could discover through the Spectre network; even though Jondum Bau was deceased, he wasn't the only friend she'd had among the corps. Of course, Liara had to return to Serrice in order to resume her teaching responsibilities, so the entire inquiry remained unresolved… at least temporarily.

Upon their return to Serrice, both immediately set to work – Liara back at the university, and Shepard attempting to call in every favor she had left, all to no avail. Their first break finally came nearly a month later – the evening before their Alban Elfed celebration – with an unexpected communiqué from a friend in the Salarian STG. "Shepard… I have seen the Council recording and learned about your multiple inquiries. We need to speak about Jaëto… in person." The call's origin location was masked, along with the caller's identification, but Shepard immediately recognized the voice coming over the communications unit. "I can say nothing else, other than trust me and come to the coordinates included in the data package which will immediately follow the termination of this call."

Shepard started to say, "Good to hear from you, Kirrahe," but didn't get the words out before the call dropped. In her shock at the sudden termination, she just sat back in her chair and stared at the blank screen, which had remained that way for the short duration of the contact, no video having been activated. The terminal immediately pinged with an incoming data packet, which Shepard opened without hesitation, before again staring at the screen in dumbfounded amazement. "Well, shit. Would you look at that."

Having sensed Shepard's disbelief, Liara immediately stopped what she was doing and made her way to the communications room. Having caught sight of the monitor as soon as she got in the door, she looked at her bondmate and asked, "Is that seriously what you think it is?"

"I don't think, I know. The voice definitely belonged to Kirrahe… and the vid-stills displayed on the screen are of immense catacombs, along with a set of coordinates and a very short note." She moved to the side so Liara could see for herself – the pictures and coordinates on the monitor, along with the brief note that read, 'Come immediately. See you in three days.'

Anticipating her bondmate's reaction, Liara immediately offered, "I will contact Lieutenant T'Lura and have her bring Team 3 here first thing in the morning, for a pick-up aboard Aletheia. What other instructions should I give her? Pack supplies for two, maybe three weeks?"

"Make it three, if not a month. Maybe fresh supplies for three, with field rations for another three, just in case we need to stay longer than we anticipate." Shepard paused, "And Li? I know you want to… but hold off on contacting Furant, or anyone else, for that matter, until I get there and we know exactly what we're dealing with. I envision this getting ugly, fast, so I want to avoid any speculation by people until we have the facts."

"Agreed," Liara nodded. "If the Salarians have access to the catacombs… and if any of those pods hold suspended, but living, Protheans? Goddess! I can't even begin to imagine the blowback."

"I know… and, as you can see in these images…" Shepard shrugged and fell silent.

"Yes." Liara stared again at the screen. "There are too many green indicator lights in those images, plainly visible, for those pods to be non-functional or empty. I cannot begin to imagine why the Salarians did not come forward with this, immediately upon the formalization of the relationship with the Prothean people."

"That's the big question, isn't it." Shepard shook her head. "My guess is it's because they're hiding something, and my sixth sense is screaming that this is going to be really, really bad, Liara."

"And I completely trust your judgment, Shepard. I am sorry you will miss tomorrow evening's Alban Elfed celebration. Obviously, this cannot wait, not even for a day, but I am more upset by the fact I cannot accompany you." Liara looked at Samantha with sad, concerned eyes, making Shepard smile, stand up, and wrap her in an embrace.

"I'll be fine with Kirrahe and the commandos, Anam Cara… and regarding the holiday, we have many more of them to celebrate in the future." Shepard stepped back and added, "I can almost guarantee this won't be the only one we miss over the next century, I promise you that!"

Jaëto, Salarian Territory, Milky Way – 23 Sep 2192

"I do not know how or when this project was started," began Kirrahe. "But I was sent here with the understanding I would be given further instructions upon arrival. I received a communiqué as soon as I landed, with what I believe to be purposefully unverifiable, verbal orders – which I recorded anyway – to find the power source for all these pods and…" He paused for a moment, drew a deep breath, then continued, "… and sabotage it… all of it. It is an order with which I refuse to comply. I will not be responsible for the deliberate murder of so many Protheans."

Kirrahe looked at Shepard, meeting her eyes as he continued, "My orders came from one of the leading families here, direct descendants of those who formed the current Salarian Union as we know it. They hold the true power of our people yet are never seen in public. Our home worlds are forbidden to foreigners, yet I gave you the coordinates for this one, and invited you here; by so doing, I have put my life… my family's life… in mortal peril. In addition to not completing my primary assigned task, it is another law I have broken. By committing these acts, I know my life is now forfeit."

"Not when I can get Spectre amnesty for you… and Liara and I can provide you sanctuary on Thessia." Shepard thought for just a moment before adding, "Set a destination with your ship's VI and send it somewhere… anywhere… with a programmed return in a couple of days. If it is intercepted, or simply doesn't come back, we'll know how valid the threat is."

"If you are sure you want to risk protecting me, I will happily offer up my ship, rather than my life. I just need time to transfer what I need to your ship." Kirrahe met her eyes and asked, "You do know you put yourself and your family at great risk by helping me?"

"Salarian… leadership…" Shepard's words oozed disgust as she continued, "… has put your entire race at risk by holding sleeping Protheans hostage, and it's likely been going on for decades, if not centuries. A horrible family secret passed down through generations, that no one in the chain ever revealed? Not to mention what else they may have done in the interim. I have many questions… questions like, how long ago did they discover the catacombs? Did they attempt to wake any of the Protheans from their slumber? If so, how many Protheans died before your scientists determined the correct sequence of steps needed to safely open the pods? Of greater importance, what did your people do to those they did manage to awaken, in order to obtain the information they wanted? How many Protheans died afterwards, without proper nutrition and medical care?"

Shepard shook her head and growled, "The more I think about it, the angrier I become. It is one thing to withhold tech… but it is also possible they have living Protheans, whom they are keeping prisoner somewhere. What in hell are they thinking, Kirrahe?"

"That, I do not have an answer for, Shepard." Kirrahe opened his omnitool. "Give me a few moments to collect my personal belongings and program my ship… then, let us see what we can discover in regard to finding the answers you seek."

Shepard simply nodded, then turned to look across the bank of stasis pods. Gods. There must be ten thousand here! Who knows what's on Mannovai… or who they sent there to destroy any existing evidence… including more Protheans. Fuck! I didn't want to do this, but I have to call Liara on our emergency channel immediately, before a potential genocide occurs… assuming we're not already too late!

Serrice University, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 23 Sep 2192

When the emergency beacon in her pocket buzzed for attention, Liara immediately excused herself from her class and stepped into the rear preparatory compartment for the classroom. Waiting for the door to slide closed behind her suddenly seemed like the longest three seconds in her life. "Shepard. Are you alright?" she asked in a near whisper. "What's happened?"

"I'm fine Liara, but things here went to shit really fast. I'm sending a vid to you. You need to get it to Tevos, like right now. No time to waste, or we could see a Prothean genocide."

As the data transmitted, Shepard gave Liara a very abridged version of what had transpired, what she learned of Kirrahe's orders, and the fact that neither he nor Shepard had any idea what was on the other Salarian homeworld. "Kirrahe has no idea if it's a collection of beacons, like the Humans have on Mars…. or if there are more pods. We need to blow the doors open on this and make sure the Salarians know that we know… and, if they proceed with this action, well… I have no idea what the fallout will be, other than a potential civil war between the Council races. Gods be damned! We didn't do everything we did just so the whole damned thing could fall apart a few years later."

"I'm on it, Shepard… and, yes. By all means, bring Kirrahe back with you. I offer the full protection of House T'Soni to him and those he holds dear. Does he even have a family?"

"Don't know, but I'll ask him. We have a lot to do, so let's get on it."

"I love you."

"Love you, too, Liara. Bring Riana in to watch your back… just in case."

Council Chambers, CGC, Widow System – 23 Sep 2192

"This has to be a fabrication!" declared Valern. "I cannot believe even the Dalatrasses would commit such an act!" He stood and pointed at the recorded hologram image as he practically shouted, "Who is the source of this absurdity? What credentials do they possess that could persuade you to believe the Salarian people are capable of such an atrocity?"

Very calmly, Tevos responded, "Sit down, Councilor. The sources are unimpeachable… and have already been pardoned for their trespass and given clemency by Spectre T'Dura and one of your own, Spectre Aedant Zoji."

"Who are your sources?" He repeated, a bit more calmly as he retook his seat. Even the names Tevos provided for the clemency bode ill for the Salarian Dalatrasses if the evidence was truth.

Tevos sighed before responding, "STG Commander Kirrahe and Captain Shepard."

You could have heard a pin drop in the meeting room before Councilor Quentius cleared his throat and quietly observed, "Well. That's pretty damning. Two active Spectres protecting one of your own STG commanders and a fellow Spectre – inactive or not, especially given who she is – will be rather difficult to ignore."

Valern sputtered, "And how does a Human Asari citizen, even Shepard, know where this facility was? Is? And how did she get there?"

"According to the note that came with the recording, Kirrahe was told to report to the location by the top Salarian STG Commander. Once he arrived, he received verbal orders from the Dalatrass herself, to sabotage the power systems supplying the stasis pods. Instead, he called Shepard and asked for her help, as he did not care to commit an act of genocide."

"That's…" Valern sputtered before he stopped attempting to say anything and slumped into his chair. After a moment, he added, "That's something I wouldn't expect, even from a Dalatrass."

Tevos leveled a penetrating stare at Valern. "We just have two questions for you, Councilor. Have you ever been on the planet, and were you aware of the Prothean tech on Jaëto?"

Valern's features shifted instantly from defeat to indignation. "If you are inferring I was part of this cover-up, you are sadly mistaken. I have never set foot on the planet, and I have never spoken to either planetary Dalatrass, on Jaëto or Mannovai. They are well above my station, and I get my direction from those on Sur'Kesh. If you want to point fingers, I would begin my investigation there… not here, at this council seat. I promise you I would have resigned before I would ever take part in such… horrific… indiscretions." He scoffed, "I know they are ruthless, but this? Unimaginable to me. Having said this, we may also want to investigate Aegohr, as the third of our original colonies. And, before you ask, I have never set foot on that world, either."

Quentius shook his head in disgust. "This is beginning to sound exactly like our situation, what? Three years ago, now?" He looked at the confused faces around him and elaborated. "When we were picking Spectres for our newly acquired stealth vessels! Valern nearly resigned over that affair, after he revealed the horrible duplicity of nearly every Dalatrass in the Union and stated he could no longer serve the Council with integrity!"

His attention focused on Valern as he continued, "I trusted you then – to the point of offering you sanctuary on Palaven, if the need arose – and I trust you now, Valern. If you say you have no knowledge, then I believe that to be true. They are your people, so... what do you recommend as a course of action?"

Valern met his eyes for a long moment, then drew a deep breath and looked around the table as he said, "The Salarian Union has broken faith too many times. I told you then of the possibility of the Union descending into another civil war if the Dalatrass system broke down again. When the citizens hear of this – and we must make sure this event is publicized so they do – they will rise against the system if they know they have the support of the Council."

Tevos frowned at him, asking, "So what, exactly, are you suggesting we do?"

"Simple." Valern shrugged. "Task the Spectres to investigate and publish their findings. Then, remove all those with knowledge of the interrogations and torture who did not act to stop it. Be prepared, as it could be a rather large number… hence my warning of a potential civil war. I also believe you must immediately suspend the Salarian Union from the Council, both for their actions against the Protheans as people and for their breach of faith regarding sharing technology, especially during wartime, until such time as a new government is in place… an honestly new government – not lackeys and junior leaders to those guilty of crimes against the Prothean people."

"And what about you?" Tevos asked, a concerned frown on her face.

Valern flashed Tevos a quick smile. "If you truly still believe in me, I would appreciate staying involved with the Council during the suspension period, as a Salarian advisor to the Council and a liaison to whomever ends up in charge of the Union once the initial chaos settles."

Even with the seriousness of Valern's statement, Jara actually chuckled. "I knew I would eventually grow to tolerate you, Valern... but I never thought I would ever actually start to like you. With those words? You have just gained a friend among the Krogan people, Councilor."

"Thank you, Councilor." Valern smiled and nodded. "You may be brusque, but I trust your word. Wrex could not have chosen a better representative for the Krogan."

"That's because he didn't. Bakara did."

Tevos couldn't keep the smile from her lips at the exchange, even given the seriousness of her next statement. "Okay then. Any opposed to that course of action?" When no one said a word, she gave a sharp nod. "Alright then. I think we should begin immediately. How about we start with nominations from each member for the Spectre investigation?"

Jaëto, Salarian Space, Milky Way – 25 Sep 2192

Shepard walked over to Kirrahe, a smile on her face as she told him, "We have successfully extracted Rozina from Erinle, along with your records and personal possessions. They have already cleared the Osun relay and are enroute to Thessia. I am so sorry this has become necessary, but she'll be safe at the Estate, under House T'Soni protection." She paused briefly then added, "And Liara and I fully understand the risk we are taking, not just for you, but with my presence here. Until this situation is fully resolved, the Estate is on high alert, and Matriarchs Mozia and Aethyta have also been relocated there, for their safety as well. Even with third team here with me, the Estate will have four full commando teams on watch duty… for however long this takes."

"I am hoping, with the speed of the Council intervention, the Dalatrasses will realize this is not a charade they can continue… particularly with Spectre Zoji siding with the Council. With Bau's passing, he is now the senior Salarian Spectre lead. What he does, others will follow. The Dalatrasses will not escape justice; not this time."

"And the STG?" Shepard asked.

"Have followed your lead since you saved my team on Virmire… above your own man." Kirrahe flashed a smile. "That is why every STG member still surviving was in Sol for the final battle. You care about the galaxy more than any single race within it, including your own. You seek balance and equity, and we are happy to serve that cause, in whatever form it may take, Dalatrasses be damned… especially with the looming arrival of the Council investigative team."

Before Shepard could offer her somewhat surprised reply, the Team 3 lead, Lieutenant Moessa T'Lura walked in, catching the pair's attention. "Shepard… Speaking of Dalatrasses… Yegan is here to speak with you; she says alone and in person."

Kirrahe answered first. "I recommend against that, Shepard. She has nothing left to lose, which makes her extremely dangerous."

"Yeah," Shepard scoffed. Looking at Moe, she responded, "That's not happening. No more hiding in dark rooms with secrets, and she does not come into this facility… it is no longer hers to command and terms are not hers to dictate. We'll come out and speak to her in the entryway… with your full commando team as protection and witness."

"As you wish, Captain."

Shepard shifted her attention back to her Salarian companion. "You ready, Kirrahe?"

"No. I will remain here, Shepard… and keep your comms open, just in case she is trying to lure you out so a special team can complete that which I refused to do. I have no idea if hidden entrances exist and will not leave it to chance."

Shepard paused only a moment before answering, "Good call… and if you hear anything, you call it out. I will immediately subdue our lovely Dalatrass, seal the front door, and rush to your aid."

"Understood, Shepard." Kirrahe nodded in agreement. "Good luck."

"You, too. Hopefully I will be back soon, with good news."

Once in the pyramid's foyer, Shepard stopped well short of the Salarian in question. She looked at Moe and said, "Identification confirmation, please."

"That will not be necessary, Captain Shepard. I am Dalatrass Yegan, leader and speaker for the Jaëto colony. I have never left this planet, so am in no galactic database."

"We'll see about that… and if that is the case, we will send your bioscan to Sur'Kesh for independent validation. Surely your scan is on file there, at least."

"That is an unnecessary delay, when we have urgent business to discuss." The Dalatrass glared at her in an obvious attempt at intimidation, to which Shepard scoffed.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not talking about anything with you until I have somehow verified your identity and know you have the authority to enforce whatever agreement we come to. Even then, I have no personal authority to make any such agreement. I am simply an intermediary between the Galactic Council and the Prothean people as the Ambassador's military advisor. I will merely take what information you give me, then discuss options with the Ambassador and the Prothean leadership. None of this happens fast… and nothing will be resolved today."

"Shepard." Moe cut in, adding, "Spectre Zoji has arrived. Shall I let him in?"

"Absolutely," she responded, just as the suspect Dalatrass answered, rather forcefully, to the opposite, then growling, "I run this planet, Shepard! How dare you assume to…"

She didn't get to say anything more, as Zoji strode in, raised his pistol, and shot her in the forehead. Without batting an eye, he looked at Shepard as the pretender crumpled to the floor and stated, "That is not Yegan, Shepard. I know this because I have taken Yegan, who is no longer in charge here, into my custody as a traitor to the Council."

"Then who the hell is she?"

"Her second? An imposter?" Zoji shrugged. "It does not matter. If nothing else, a dead Salarian... so her identity no longer matters. Though, I will do a bioscan to verify who she is… was… for the official record."

He glanced at the corpse before looking back to Shepard to continue, "What I do know is that Sur'Kesh is supposedly sending a new Dalatrass here to set things right, though her presence will mean nothing until the conclusion of the Spectre investigations. We have managed to decrypt – and have gone through – the records for this facility. Everyone here has much to answer for. If you read them, you will undoubtedly find the translations extremely troublesome. Let your anger be eased by knowing that justice will be done and the surviving Protheans here will be transported to Ilos as soon as arrangements can be made with the SILC. The Dalatrasses estates will pay not only the transport fees, but the emergency mobilization fees as well, immediately and in full."

Shepard's brow wrinkled as she said, "The SILC don't charge an emergency mobilization fee."

"They will for this one, even if they don't know it yet." Zoji grinned. "It is part of the restitution demands on the part of the Council, knowing that even the Sur'Kesh Dalatrasses must have had at least some knowledge of what was happening here. We will determine those at fault, and they will be replaced."

"By replaced?" Shepard tipped her head as she asked, thinking she already knew the answer.

"Those here will be charged with multiple counts of murder, one charge for every Prothean who has died in their care. Those on Sur'Kesh will be charged with treason to the Council, for not fulfilling the Salarian Union obligation to reveal Prothean technology. The STG will not take these incidents lightly, Shepard, especially given the aid the Protheans could have provided during the Reaper War. How much more quickly could we have deciphered the plans for the weapon Doctor T'Soni found? How many more lives could have been saved with an earlier end to the war? Once we understand the true extent of their crimes, with the backing of the Spectres and the Council, the appropriate justice will be enforced."

"So, what do you need from me?"

"As the only representative of the Ambassadorial team currently present on the planet, I need you to stay on your guard, as Ambassador Furant stated that you will act as the go-between for him and the Prothean contingent until their arrival. They are already on their way here and should arrive within three days. In the meantime, I will take command of the investigation, with a host of other Spectres and trusted STG personnel as agents, to included Kirrahe, as he asked to be permitted to see this through."

Zoji again flashed a grin. "For his actions here, he will likely be the first Salarian to ever receive a second Star of Sur'Kesh and live to tell the tale. Such an award may also be extended to you, for your assistance to him on this crucial matter."

"Not that it will matter, but you can tell the powers that be that I don't care about medals and prefer to simply stay in the background. I have never sought such, so I have already received more attention and fame than I care to think about. Leaving out my participation in this would be fine by me. Give all the accolades to Kirrahe."

"You know how much the politicians love giving out their awards, so you must recognize I can offer no such promise." Zoji chuckled. "We also both realize the galaxy may call upon your skills yet again in a future time of need so, while I wish I could tell you to go home to Doctor T'Soni and your son – at this juncture – we both know that is also not possible, Captain. I am sorry, but until the ambassador and the Prothean contingent arrive, you are their sole representative on Jaëto."

"Fine." Sighing, Shepard opened her omnitool and crafted a short message to Liara. 'Furant and Protheans on their way to Jaëto. No emergency here, so call when you have time to just… talk.'

"Hey, Zoji." Shepard managed to smile as she looked back up and asked, "So… are you planning to turn the entire site over to the Protheans, like the Asari did, to gain an embassy?"

"The plan is to turn all of it over to the Protheans to avoid war and keep them as Council allies. Once they learn of everything that has happened here, I will be beyond surprised if they are still willing to place an embassy anywhere within the Salarian Union."

Zoji paused as he flashed a surprising grin. "In a rare display of trust, when the Council sent me here, I was granted unprecedented authority, even as a Spectre, to quote, 'Do whatever is necessary to prove to the Protheans we do not condone such behavior from any of the members of the Council, including those of the forming three.' So, yes, I was surprised, but thankful. I knew this would get ugly… and simply knowing the Council recognized it as well – to include Valern, who was the one chosen to tell me this – was both welcome and gratifying."

"No shit. Straight from Valern's lips to your ears?" Shepard's face reflected her surprise. "Hence your 'shoot on sight' policy for anyone you think could be a risk to that agenda." Shepard huffed and nodded, a light smirk on her face as she added, "Glad I'm on your side in this."

"Given the ideals both of us represent, I cannot imagine you being anywhere else, Captain." Zoji chuckled and waived his hand at the corpse lying on the floor. "As for that… if she could, she should thank me for the quick death after what they have done. The rest likely won't be so lucky." He raised his head, once again looking at Shepard. "Now, come. We have much to do in the next three days while the various teams are enroute. We must be ready to welcome their arrival with open arms… and an open account of whatever we know about what has transpired here."

Jaëto, Salarian Space, Milky Way – 28 Sep 2192

"Shepard." With a discerning gaze, First Female Dethan studied the woman approaching her. "You look exhausted. Are you alright?"

"I am." Shepard gave her a tired smile. "Especially now that all of you are here. It's good to see you, Aelia. The past few days have been… painfully educational regarding the inner workings of the Salarian Dalatrass system. I don't even want to talk about it… so how about we sit, I open my mind, and you simply read me?"

"You are willing to do this? Relive yet another painful memory?" Aelia glanced at Furant and Jorè, who also appeared surprised by the offer, given their initial – and only – exchange of such a personal nature.

"It will be faster and done sooner, than me trying to explain everything I have witnessed here."

"How long since you have had any decent food?" asked Jorè. "This is not something done without the appropriate energy, so let us first sit and have a good meal before we engage in the exchange."

Shepard chuckled. "We brought real food with us, enough for three weeks before we would need to rely on battle rations... so, breakfast this morning." Her chuckle turned into a sheepish grin as she added, "Though, I will admit to skipping lunch."

"Then it is decided. First, we eat and simply chat." Aelia nodded definitively and added, "I can fill you in on the Ilos housing progress! Your SILC friends are simply working wonders…"

After they had eaten and the sharing was complete, Jorè sat and stared at Shepard in contemplative silence for a long moment. Finally, he sighed and closed his eyes in a slow-motion blink. "You have confronted more than your fair share of evil, Shepard… but this? I can only refer to it as a willful and intentional disregard for all laws of nature when it comes to dealing with fellow sentients. At the moment, I am at a loss as to how to move forward with this situation."

"Our dilemma stems from the split within the Salarian state." Aelia picked up the conversation. "Even given our nation's past warrior nature, we cannot, in good conscience, punish the Salarian people for the actions of a few of their leaders… or even their leadership as a whole, if that is what is revealed in the end. So, our first responsibility is to separate everyone involved – those who committed the acts and those who knowingly supported them – from the rest of the people here."

Shepard nodded in agreement. "Then we will need to first speak with Spectre Zoji, as I do believe he has been working on that very issue, along with a few other Spectre representatives and select STG agents at each location. I do know the atrocities were limited to the two home worlds of Jaëto and Mannovai. The third, Aegohr, does not hold any Prothean facilities." She then shrugged, adding, "What I do not know is the extent of their – and those on Sur'Kesh – knowledge of what was going on here. That is for others to determine."

"No matter the extent of the involvement, we must not punish the innocents of the Salarian Union for the acts of their leadership," added Jorè. "The scientists who willfully committed the atrocities? They are another matter, so we must somehow separate those who were willing and those who were coerced from the innocent."

"And the facility itself?" questioned Shepard.

"That is to be determined." Jorè met her gaze. "We will certainly take control of the area, at least initially, until those who can be saved are relocated to the homeworld. The SILC proved quite capable with the last group, so we readily accepted their offer to repeat the performance… though, on a much larger scale. The housing issue on Ilos could be more troublesome. Where the SILC find it easy to expand capacity, we may still face a shortage of materials for them to work with."

"I imagine the penalties imposed on the Union will cover some of that, demanding they supply as much as possible to assist in the proper housing of all those they held captive… including those still in stasis," growled Shepard. "I still find it difficult to believe – next to impossible, really – that they could be capable of doing this… and actually think they would get away with it!"

Aelia reached over and laid a hand on Shepard's arm, imparting soothing emotion through the contact. "Stop torturing yourself over this, Shepard. It is not of your doing, and your quick action has likely saved thousands. Dwell not on the evil of others, but on the goodness you brought."

"Yes," added Jorè. "Let us leave that behind and focus on what we need to do next. I assume, with the SILC response, it was you or Liara who already mentioned this to them?"

"No, actually. They debated the whole issue at the Council and, without any prompting, Prime Huulik stated they would provide the necessary support. He simply knew it would be needed and volunteered their forces before anyone even thought to ask." That thought brought a smile to Samantha's face. "I still find it somewhat incredible that a machine intelligence can act so much more compassionately than the biological ones."

Jorè shrugged. "Perhaps because they rely completely on logic and have not yet experienced such deception?"

"No." Shepard shook her head as she replied, "They have experienced it, and have learned to reason beyond it. Remind me sometime to tell you the story about the Geth Heretics…"