Mass Effect, its characters, locations, and other references are property of Bioware/Electronic Arts

Mass Effect created by Preston Watamaniuk, Drew Karpyshyn and Casey Hudson

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Citadel, Presidium

Walking through another arboretum along the Presidium, Captain Jane Shepard heard a voice calling her name. As she turned around, a lighter shaded Asari wearing a nonofficer uniform approached, "Captain Jane Shepard? Apparently you shut off your comm function."

Shepard responded, "I did. You are…?"

After exchanging formal salutes, the Asari said, "Petty Officer Fourth-class Armia Th'n'sor. I'm assigned to the Destiny Ascension."

Jane briefly waited for the girl before saying, "Take a breath, Th'n'sor."

Armia gathered herself, "Right. Sorry. I just… I didn't think you'd be so tall."

Shepard smiled, "Indeed." Then, got to the point, "So, you had something to ask me?"

Th'n'sor printed a semi translucent piece of digital paper with her omnitool, "I was sent to relay a message, ma'am."

Quickly skimming the page she had been offered, Jane told Armia, "Eleven-thirty hours tomorrow. Citadel Treaty Time, of course."

Nodding, the Asari sailor saluted, "Thank you, ma'am. Eleven-thirty hours."

Captain Shepard saluted back, "No, sailor. Thank you. Each of us has a job to do."

Armia smiled and left.

As Jane turned back around to continue on into the station, she spied a certain reporter who was trying very hard to appear nonchalant. Approaching said reporter, Shepard smirked, "Miss Wong. You can drop the act now."

Emily Wong pushed a loose hair behind her ear and rested her hand on her neck, "Oh alright, Shepard." She turned to the Alliance Captain, "Look, I know neither of us owes the other anything."

Shepard briefly held up an index finger before reactivating her omnitool, "I might have something, if you're free for a couple hours tomorrow? Say, eleven A.M., C.T.T.?"

Aboard the Asari Dreadnaught, Destiny Ascension, one of several shuttle bays

Captain Jane Shepard, Garrus Vakarian, Tali'Zorah, and a very curious Emily Wong took in the sheer scale of the dreadnaught's welcoming design as a familiar Asari non-commissioned officer strode up to greet them, "Captain. Nice to see you again." Armia Th'n'sor directed the party, "If you'll follow me on a brief tour?"

They all got into a cramped, but serviceable transport pod. After a few minutes, the pod's course took them along a viewing port of the dreadnaught's drive exhaust corridor.

Tali said aloud, "I've always wondered how that worked. Having a cavern built into the ship's central axis would make it easier to reverse thrust."

Th'n'sor just noted, "I can't discuss it. Not just because I don't know, but military secrets. You know."

Garrus idly commented, "There are still things we Turians haven't shared with anyone. Not that I'll talk, of course."

After what seemed like nearly half an hour, the pod stopped at a terminal deep inside the colossal vessel.

Armia led the group even further, eventually entering into a cavernous room.

A singular Asari officer wearing a sturdy, yet functional armored uniform arose from a bench overlooking a fine, old Thessian tree. She greeted the group, "Ah, finally. I sometimes forget how large this ship is. I apologize if any of my personnel have not been accommodating."

At a nod from the Asari officer, Th'n'sor saluted and left the room. "Welcome aboard the Destiny Ascension. I am Matriarch Lidanya."

Jane began, "I'm Captain Jane Shepard." She looked to her left, "This is Garrus Vakarian, Tali'Zora vas Neema, and Emily Wong."

Mostly out of fear and a strong sense of self preservation, Emily stated, "For the record, I only have my omnitool with me, and it is definitely neither recording, nor transmitting anything."

Lidanya smiled at the Citadel reporter, "You wouldn't have made it this far if you had." She said to the group, "This is one of five meditation rooms, and my personal favorite."

Shepard stepped over to the railing, trying to take in the enormity of the tree, "When I was a kid, my father took me on a little vacation to Earth. This vessel dwarfs the old naval ships at the International Floating Memorial at San Francisco."

As the Asari observed her guests, she related to Captain Shepard, "I understand there is a species of tree on your world called Redwoods."

Smirking, Jane looked up at the tree, "They're the tallest plants on Earth; much taller than this fine specimen. Some are over two thousand years old."

Citadel, Zakera Ward, Shepard's apartment

Tali made some dextro-tea in the kitchen, while Shepard and Garrus lounged around the faux fireplace. Flexing his mandibles in thought, he said, "That ship definitely has a lot of character."

Jane quipped, "The Asari as a people are not immune to being characters."

Vakarian began a chuckle, but it stopped when the scars of his face-to-missile meeting reminded him he was still recovering, "Make me laugh enough, and that Doctor of yours will need Mordin's genetic expertise to grow me a new face."

Plodding carefully to a comfy chair nearby, Tali joined her companions. After a sip and some silence, she mentioned, "A good ship full of great people."

Retrieving a cup of tea from the small table beside her chair, Shepard mused to Garrus, "You never mentioned how you knew Lidanya."

He was caught off guard by that, "Well, you see…" His mind fumbled in an attempt at deflection, so he went with honesty, "Not specifically the Matriarch, but one of her granddaughters works for C-SEC." Garrus stared into the fire for a moment, "She was a decryption analyst, I think."

Tali teased, "That seems more back room than I picture you."

Jane laughed quietly.

"I'll only say that, if you look it up, I had one reprimand for trying to down dress a higher ranked analyst whose report had a hidden message in an obscure Asari dialect…"

Tali and Jane both stared at him when he trailed off.

So, he concluded, "It ended up being that she was asking me out to dinner."

Pointing a finger at Garrus, Tali mused, "Oh keelah. You were worse than Liara when we first met her. Speaking of social awkwardness, I bet she was younger."

Garrus groaned after another involuntary chuckle, "Liara has about a half-century on that one."

"Vakarian, I didn't know you were into older women," Jane said while nonchalantly peering at the nails of her right hand.

He tried not to flex his sore mandibles, "Normandy to Captain Shepard?

Warily, Shepard gazed at Vakarian, "Yes, Lieutenant Vakarian?"

"Video proof exists of that being your schtick."