Notes:

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

Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)

RRT- Rapid Response Team

Old Enemies

Chasca, Matano, Maroon Sea – 9 Sep 2190

Chasca. A planet that brought unwelcome reminders of Liara's time spent on the Broker ship above Hagalaz. A land of similar polar opposites – with a scorching day side and a frozen night side – the key difference being that Chasca was tidally-locked to its sun, Matano. This one critical difference prevented Chasca from experiencing the greater atmospheric disturbances that continually plagued Hagalaz. Instead, the lack of constant rotation resulted in a narrow temperate band surrounding the planet at its fixed day-night border. In that area of constant bright twilight, the habitable zone averaged roughly 30 Celsius and was in the early stages of colonization by Humans. Currently, only two burgeoning staging bases existed; to even call them colonies would be a generous interpretation.

The beginning of the Reaper War in 2183 had halted the colonial recruiting drive that had been gearing up on Earth and, until just recently, the slow, post-war recovery had prevented any large corporations from being able to muster the funds required to reinitialize the colonization process. Looking at the positives of that dilemma, Liara realized that any Prothean ruins on the planet likely would have remained undisturbed by anyone, other than the standard bandits and looters that sometimes frequented the planet. On the negative side, it also meant someone else had established an unsponsored colony… someone did not appear to be at all friendly.

Shepard had easily convinced her they needed to act quickly; if they waited for the Alliance to show up, their chances of finding the members of the missing teams alive would most likely dwindle with each passing day. Liara didn't like it, but grudgingly agreed they needed to at least look into the matter… which meant scanning and scouting the area Team 4 had indicated as the colony location to see what they could find.

They had located the unlicensed colony easy enough; there were three larger facilities, with separate storage silos… and both a communications tower and a jammer. "Obviously set to different frequencies," Riana had commented. "Blocking the survey teams' comms while enabling their own. Very basic, but effective."

Liara immediately looked at Sellis Boni. "Sel, do you think you can get up there and disable that jammer without being seen?"

"Why, Lady Liara… is that a challenge?"

Shepard gave her a stern look. "Seriously, Sel. That's a Hell of a climb… and, if you are discovered and they're holding hostages, we have no idea what the ramifications would be."

"Hadn't thought of that. Sorry." Sel took a deep breath and studied the tower more seriously. "I don't see any shield emitters or sensors… but I'd have to take it really slow, to make sure there isn't anything tucked into corners or behind beams. It's really hard to say from here."

Shepard looked at Liara. "Then I say we leave the jammer alone for now… disable it after the op is over."

"Agreed," answered Liara. "I hadn't considered the possible hostage situation either, when I asked the question. A very good point, Shepard." She paused, then added, "And, I would think the facility with the tower is likely their base of operations, with the other two being residential units, based on standard colony deployment packages." Looking directly at Samantha, she asked, "So where do we start?"

"I think we remain hidden and simply observe… for twelve hours at the most. Somewhere within that timeframe we should see movement, even if just a change of watch or the end of the workday, don't you think?" The question was aimed at Riana and the corvette ground team leads.

Most everyone nodded in agreement, but the Liberation's Team 2 Lead, Trista T'Kosh suggested, "We should split into shifts and send a scout team or two, to secure the perimeter and make sure we get a full layout of any defensive systems they have in place." Looking directly at Shepard, she added, "If I was doing something I didn't want anyone to know about, I'd also have patrols out. Wouldn't you?"

"Absolutely." Shepard and Liara had a quick mental exchange and the captain continued, "Liara and I will remain here with the Personal Guard for direct observation. Liberation teams can take the east side, Freedom the west sector. Two-hour patrols, max, comm silent except for emergencies. If you find anything, come back here to report; we don't want them intercepting any communications that would give away our presence. Comments?"

Lieutenant Maylik Leli raised a hand to garner everyone's attention before suggesting, "We have four squads here, in addition to your Guard, Lady Liara. If we change the patrol duration to three hours, we could easily make a complete circular sweep of the perimeter in that time, even creeping along. Then, if you start the second at the midpoint, after an hour and a half, we'll have people on multiple sides of the facility at all times and you'll maintain a spare team here with Lady Liara the entire time."

Her counterpart on the Liberation, Lieutenant Corrina Vasir nodded in agreement. "Yes. Our main purpose on this journey is to secure the safety of Lady Liara. We cannot do that if we are out and about – particularly here, on potentially hostile territory."

"I like it," added Riana, looking to Shepard for final approval.

"So, the third team doesn't leave until the first team returns." Shepard nodded. "I like it, too." Looking at the individual team leads she smiled softly. "Set up your rotations however you like and let's get this operation started."

They were all surprised when the full twelve hours elapsed without any signs of movement. When the last team returned after the timeline expired, Shepard rounded everyone up. "Li and I have talked about this, and we're going to go in. Second Teams will provide overwatch, to monitor activity… or, hopefully, the lack thereof… at what we believe to be the residential buildings, while First Teams and the Personal Guard will go with Liara and I into the main building." She then glanced at the expectant faces before her. "Once we breach the doors, comm-out rules no longer apply." Hearing no objections, she added, "Let's move."

The three groups moved to their positions, all within sight of one another. With Sellis Boni giving the affirmative nod that she had successfully hacked the lock on the entry door, Shepard opened her commlink and spoke quietly. "We're going in."

The very moment they entered the facility, confusion reigned. Liara gasped, "Goddess! This is just like Feros!"

"Fuck!" Shepard killed the closest before the lumbering bipedal creature who used-to-be-Human got close enough to vomit spores onto anyone, shouting out instructions as she did so. "Do not let them get close to you! Shoot to kill! Those spores are mind altering… and we don't have proper protection against it!"

As she launched a warp at the next closest, blasting it across the room, Liara growled, "How is this possible? The Thorian is dead! Could there have been more than one that we didn't know about?"

"Don't know, Li. Save it for later and focus!" Shepard turned and blasted another coming in from Liara's left.

The creatures – and their tactics – were very similar to what Shepard and Liara had experienced in the ruins of Feros. They simply charged forward, relentless in their desire to get close enough to spread their spores into the other organics, but they had no chance of victory. With the two corvette squads and Liara's personal guard working in a coordinated effort, nothing was going to penetrate the defensive perimeter of twenty well-trained biotics.

Once the facility was cleared, they separated into three groups and searched the area. Reading through a sampling of the collecting material and information, Liara felt positively ill. "By the Goddess, Shepard! Even with all we did, they still managed to get a sample off-world… and then were actually naive enough to experiment with it."

"By 'they,' I have to assume you mean ExoGeni, because Saren wanted it all destroyed, so nobody else could figure out what he was doing."

"Yes. But ExoGeni hired outside help." Liara paused and shook her head. "Help that eventually figured out what they were doing was both unethical and dangerous. Here, read this." She handed a datapad to Shepard.

PRIVATE LOG OF DR. GAMORLE
"I don't trust this ExoGeni Team… nor their directives. They have promised an exorbitant fee, but if this gets out before we've developed an antidote... it's just not smart, period. I'm sure we could develop one without live test subjects, but their research supervisor insists it's the only way to guarantee it works. They threatened to not pay us without live trial results to prove our success… and from his tone, I fear we could become the next test subjects if we are not careful. I wish I had never signed on to this expedition. Their methods are unethical… but ethics are not worth dying for, not in my mind. I will report all of this when I get home, assuming I actually manage to get home. Agreeing to come here is the worst decision I have ever made."

"Well… shit." Shepard thought about the bodies strewn throughout the facility. "So, did we just kill the lost survey teams… or the scientists?" She looked up to meet a distressed Liara's eyes. "Is there even any way to tell?"

"I don't know, Samantha." Liara looked both revolted and resentful as she continued, "And, I fear, the only way we will ever know is to go through all the records here. I will need to read through their studies and analyses, however much they will disgust me."

Shepard drew a deep breath, feeling her lover's ire through the link. "And, I suppose, we need to go into the other buildings as well, to see what we find there. I can only hope we find survivors… someone who can actually tell us what the fuck was going on and what they were thinking!"

"Have no fear, Shepard. If ExoGeni is behind this, I will personally put them out of business, one way or another."

Shepard looked at her, a bit apprehensively. {That sounds more like the Shadow Broker than anything I've heard from you in a long time, Ionúin Álainn. Do you really want to go there?}

Liara drew a deep calming breath before answering. {Absolutely not… and I was not thinking of using the Brokerage. I already promised you I would never abuse that power again, and this is not a personal enough situation to even begin to tempt me into breaking that solemn vow. But I cannot bear to let them get away with this, either. It's… unconscionable! We have to think of something!}

{You're right, it is… and there are many legal avenues available to us.} Shepard suddenly grinned, making Liara wonder – but only for a moment – before the thought trickled over the link. {We can always have a chat with one of our many Spectre friends… I'm sure they'd be happy to take care of anyone… or any corporation… willing to commit such atrocities.}

{Thank you, Samantha… for providing such an excellent idea! I appreciate you having my back… and your vigilance, ensuring I am not being seduced by the Brokerage power again.}

{I'm not being vigilant, Liara. I'm just reminding you of the Asari I fell in love with. Trust me, she's a keeper.}

{Oh, is she now?} With Shepard's assurances and the banter taking on a more playful side, Liara felt the threatening pall fade into the background. The whole situation still positively disgusted her, but she knew, with Shepard at her side, they would find a way to punish ExoGeni for this horrible breach of research ethics.

{Most definitely… but that's for a later conversation. At the moment, we have commandos waiting on us and a mission to complete.}

Riana had immediately recognized their silence and explained it to the other commandos, in a very shortened version. Immediately, she recognized the mixed feelings in the eyes of her sisters in arms; she had felt the same, the first time she had witnessed Shepard and Liara together like in this way. "I know. I always thought Inanna was a love fantasy… but it is real… and more than I ever imagined. They share thoughts as if they are one… but it is not always a good thing, so do not be jealous of it. Simply think of the fear and death you experienced during the war… and then double it. It is a curse as much as a blessing."

Kala, Team 1 sniper from the Freedom, shook her head. "No, Riana… it is magnificently beautiful. I understand how there could be little or no privacy, but to be constantly in the presence of the one you love? I can also understand, now, how the two of them became such a formidable fighting team… knowing what each was going to do almost as soon as they did?" She looked at Riana, adding, "But I also see your point about the curse. If one is injured, the other feels that too, don't they?"

"Yes." Riana needed to say no more in answer; they all fully understood the implications, and each would draw their own conclusions, whichever way they felt about the link.

Further discussion was cut off with Shepard and Liara's return to the group. Liara gave Riana a forgiving smile before looking at the others. "We apologize. It is something so normal for us now, we forget… and our link is generally something we do not reveal to others. Our lack of concern with your presence simply indicates how much we trust each of you here… quite literally, with our lives and our future." She glanced at Shepard before adding, "Should word get out…"

She was cut off by May. "We understand, Lady Liara." She glanced at her squad, making eye contact with each one as she added, "No one here will utter a single word regarding this incident. Your secret is not ours to reveal… as, I imagine, should it get out, the two of you would become objects of intense scrutiny."

"Thank you, May… Thank you, everyone, for understanding so quickly."

"So, with that out of the way…" Shepard glanced at Liara before looking to the commandos. "We head to the other buildings and hope they are in better circumstance than the lab here. Do not let your guard down. These… creatures… It is possible they have been subsumed by another intelligence or have simply gone mad. Either way, there is no method at our disposal to stop them from trying to contaminate us." She then went into a brief explanation of the Feros expedition, the connection with Saren, and the implications if ExoGeni had gotten samples off-world in an attempt to profit from the mind-control technology.

"That's not tech! That's biological warfare!" Lieutenant Maylik Leli growled. "We're with you, Shepard. It has to be stopped… here and now, no matter what it takes."

Liara nodded and met May's eyes. "Yes, it does, but I spoke impulsively. Shepard and I were discussing how to best do that… legally. We opted to turn it over to the Council… and the Spectre Corps; obviously, we still have friends in both of those organizations."

"But we are still dealing with this, here and now, yes?" May asked, incredulous. "We can't just walk away from this!"

"No, we most definitely cannot." Shepard looked at the group at large. "We're still hoping to find live survey team members… and we'll see this through, so, let's move."

Picking one of the remaining two buildings at random, they joined up with Trista T'Kosh and her team from the Liberation. After explaining what they discovered in the science building, Liara walked up to the door, opened the comm unit, and gave a semi-prepared speech.

"This is Doctor Liara T'Soni, a name with which I assume you are familiar from the Reaper War. I am here on an archaeological expedition and have just learned what has transpired here. I am unsure as to how much you know, exactly, about your current situation, but everyone in the science facility was… compromised… and we had to kill every single being in the building. If you are still of sound mind, I recommend you unlock this door, and we settle this peacefully. Otherwise, I have thirty of the best-trained commandos and infiltrators in the galaxy, plus Captain Samantha Shepard, here with me. If you do nothing, we will get this door open and come in, weapons hot. The choice is yours and I will not stand here, waiting, for more than a few minutes. My day has already been rather long and disconcerting; please, do not make it any worse."

Much to their surprise, the door was immediately ripped open, startling Liara and causing her to raise a defensive barrier, solely on reflex, as she stepped back.

The man inside the door was crying and fell to his knees. "Thank God! I never thought I'd see another sunrise!"

"Liara!" Samantha reacted as Liara dropped her barrier, lunging forward and bringing up one of her own. "Sorry… but it could be a trap. Don't be so quick to trust."

"You're right. I'm sorry, Shepard," she replied, as she activated her personal shield. Looking to the man on the floor, she asked, "Who are you?"

The man swallowed his tears and stood on shaky legs. "I had no idea what I was getting into." He stepped back and beckoned them in. "Please, do come in. I saved as many as I could!"

Another man, dressed in a rather dirty colonial uniform stepped forward. "Since you apparently know what's going on, I'll tell you I'm Lieutenant Commander Lawrence Gahn, Expedition Chief and Team 1 Lead. If you truly did kill everyone in that… research facility… I'm afraid that all of Team 4 and half of Team 5 are all gone… dead."

He drew a deep breath before looking at the shell of the once great scientist, who had backed to the wall and slid down into a sitting position, his head hanging between his knees as he continued to cry. "That is Doctor Rubin Gamorle. According to him, ExoGeni is, or was, holding his family, to ensure his… compliance… and his actions have likely cost them their lives."

"So, what exactly happened here?" Shepard asked.

"Their capture squads took Team 4 first, then us, with Team 5 showing up not too far behind; we were split into two groups, with half being transferred to that… science… facility." Gahn practically spit the word 'science' as he answered. "That was roughly a week ago. It was sometime early yesterday morning when the alarms started going off and the comm unit buzzed. It was still dark out, and Doctor Rubin's face went white as a sheet, so we knew it was something bad. He was screaming unintelligibly and didn't even try to go help them… He just ran and secured the hatch before coming back to us crying and attempting to apologize, explaining about his family. He finally just… gave up… and whispered that he no longer cared what we might do to him. Then, he simply unlocked all our cells and released us to come out here. Based on what limited data we had, we voted to leave him be, stay safe in here, and wait for help."

Gahn's face held a trace of a smile as he looked at the couple standing before him. "Who knew that help would come in the form of the saviors of the galaxy? So… that's our side of the tale. What the hell happened over there?"

After Liara explained what they found, and the connection to the Thorian on Feros… as well as Gamorle's personal log note, she concluded. "I assume it was Gamorle's job to develop the antidote… which he had not yet completed when they proceeded with the infection."

"Which would explain his anger and panicked reaction," nodded Gahn. "Especially if the staff got infected as well, not understanding the true virulence of what they were dealing with."

Liara looked at the man in surprise. "You have an unusual level of understanding of such things, Commander."

"All Team Chiefs receive training, including a few, rather in-depth, briefings in virology, Doctor." He shook his head in disgust. "Apparently, we were better trained on how to avoid infections and disease on unexplored planets than ExoGeni's supposed science team."

Gamorle spoke for the first time since his initial outburst and subsequent collapse. "They had no idea what they were getting into. I tried to tell them… multiple times. Check the message logs. They told me to shut up and keep working, or any deaths would be on my head… for spending more time complaining than working. They actually told me if I had spent as much effort on developing the antidote as complaining about their protocols, I'd have discovered it already."

Liara scoffed, thinking of Shiala and the colonists… and all the problems they were still having, following their exposure to the Thorian. "That's an outright lie. Scientists have been working on solving that problem since Feros! None of them have even gotten close to being able to even treat all the symptoms, much less develop an antidote or some type of vaccine to prevent the spread of the infection."

Shepard followed Liara's thoughts and added, "We'll make sure ExoGeni takes full responsibility for this, Doctor Gamorle… especially if what you say about your family is true."

At that, the man sprang back to his feet, anger flashing in his eyes. "Damn you! I would never lie about something like that, Captain Shepard. To prove it, I'll give you my passwords… along with complete access to all the logs – private and company, including research and comms, along with everything else! All you need to take ExoGeni down is there, Captain… and if I have to go to prison for my part in this, I don't give a shit. My family is most likely dead because of those bastards and every one of them is going to Hell right along with me!"

Liara's face paled at the man's statement, and she attempted to console him. "You don't know that for certain… it is very possible it was just a threat, and your family is fine."

His glare shifted from Shepard to her as he scoffed in distain. "If you honestly believe that, Doctor, you don't know ExoGeni."

Thinking of Ethan Jeong, the corporate lackey they ran into on Feros, who was ready and willing to 'cleanse' the entire colony, Liara sighed in resignation. "No, Doctor. I'm afraid I do know ExoGeni, and what they are capable of… but you should never completely give up on hope." Her expression softened as she looked at Samantha. "I cannot count the number of times hope pulled us through seemingly impossible situations during the Reaper War. It can sustain you through the worst of times."

Shepard heard Liara's thoughts and voiced them to the nearly-broken man. "If they kill your family now, what leverage do they have to keep you from talking? They really have nothing to gain, except more trouble." Gamorle's eyes picked up a bit of their former light as Shepard finished, "If they still need your cooperation, your family is still alive."

His eyes shifted back to those of the Shepard. "I guess I can allow myself to hope you're right." He drew a deep breath and took a step back as he pursed his lips and blew it out. "But if they think holding my family is going to keep me silent… I may need a little bit of help from your friends, Spectre."

With a glance at Shepard and a quick exchange about using the Brokerage, Liara answered, "We'll do our best to find them for you, Doctor. Find them… and get them safe."

Liara's jaw was tight and her mind resolute. ExoGeni had crossed the line again, and she and Shepard would work with all the assets they had available to make sure it wouldn't… and couldn't… ever happen again.

Chasca, Matano, Maroon Sea – 14 Sep 2190

It was five days before the closest Rapid Response Team could reach Chasca. By then, Liara and her team had gleaned a substantial amount of damning evidence from the ExoGeni systems and cleaned up the site. Using proper biological emergency protocols and equipment available from both the lab and the survey team equipment, they had managed to contain the threat, placing all the bodies in sealed bags before sending them into cryo-storage.

Doctor Gamorle had been against it, vehemently arguing that all the contaminated specimens should be shoved into the station's incinerators, to ensure the research could never be restarted. "I don't trust the Alliance any more than I trusted ExoGeni! Who is to say their biological warfare division won't use this?"

"Biological warfare research has been banned in Sol for nearly two centuries, Doctor." Shepard frowned at the idea that such a thing could still exist, but his statement did make her wonder. Her gaze wandered over Liara's questioning expression before landing squarely on the RRT commander. "But the treaty never really had any enforcement teeth, did it?" she asked.

Lieutenant Commander Felisa Stagers met her gaze. "That shit is so super-secret I don't know that any of us can honestly answer that question, Ma'am… not even the great Commander Shepard. Maybe someone on the Defense Committee? The Chair, Admiral Ochsenbein… or your mother?"

"I don't know… but my guess would be it's more in the realm of the Military Secretary, Admiral Boyes… or the Chief, Admiral Lindholm." Shepard's expression turned grim. "Whom I know, personally, so I'm going to ask her."

Stagers actually chuckled. "You actually believe she'll answer you honestly?"

"Yes," said Shepard. "Because we have a relationship based on mutual trust… and I know her well enough to know if she's lying to me."

SSV Orizaba, Widow System, At Large – 14 Sep 2190

"Shepard." Admiral Ines Lindholm had stepped out of a meeting to take the priority call. She didn't give a damn that it was from a non-Spectre who had 'abandoned' the Alliance. There were always a few officers who still bitched about Shepard's… defection… to the Asari, and she had repeated her well-known warning more than once. She would take care of this latest comment from one of her senior officers… later, and in private. For now, she greeted the woman on the secure vid comm with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

"I know you are most likely very busy, so thank you for taking my call." Samantha quickly explained what she and Liara had been up to the last week, summarizing it all with a very direct question. "Does the Alliance have a Biological Warfare program of any kind that I need to keep this from? This is not something we can have out there, Ines."

Use of her first name told the Admiral this was more a personal quest than a professional one on the part of Samantha Shepard, so she answered in kind. "Did you seriously just ask me if we are purposefully violating the Biological Weapons Ban Treaty, Sam?"

"Yes, Ma'am, I did… and this is no joke. Since Feros, they have had some of the galaxy's top virologists working on potential antidotes and vaccines against these spores… and they have found absolutely nothing that works. They haven't found even a potential direction to go in that could provide a glimmer of hope for an answer to this shit, Admiral." Shepard didn't flinch. "It is, quite honestly, that bad."

Hearing the words, the admiral didn't hesitate in her response. "There is no biological weapons division of any kind that I am aware of, Sam." She glanced down at her desk for a long moment before bringing her eyes back up to meet those of the most trustworthy woman she had ever met. "But, if it's truly that bad, burn it to the ground, Samantha. Take all the pics and vids you need as evidence against ExoGeni… electronic copies of their work, whatever… but take every piece of living tissue, every single specimen, dead or alive, that is related to those spores and burn it all."

Lindholm sighed. "I would trust you with my life, Shepard, and would also love to believe that nothing but goodness exists in the galaxy, now that we've destroyed the Reapers. But, even if such a research branch doesn't exist now, that doesn't mean someone won't see this data in the future and try to start one… in spite of it being against every ethical grain in the universe. That anyone… even someone with the best of intentions… could accidentally release this on the galaxy? It's simply too great a risk to take. ExoGeni is a well-known company, generally with the highest safety and security protocols known. If this can happen to them, it can happen to anyone. So, I say again… burn it all."

Shepard gave a small nod. "Thank you, Ines. I'm glad you agree with me on this one." She paused and managed a small smile as she asked, "So, besides me giving you news of a plague that would turn us all into mindless, killer zombies, how goes everything on your end?"

Lindholm couldn't help but laugh at the question. "Ahhhh, Shepard. It's good to know the recent past hasn't destroyed your sense of humor, but you know how these things go. The Reaper War is already being forgotten… as are the lessons we learned regarding how much each race needed to depend on the others to survive it. The Defense Council has us chasing ghosts… observing the SILC because they don't trust that machines can truly change their own programming, keeping an eye on the Krogan, to monitor their weapons and ship building industries." She raised her shoulders in a casual shrug. "You know. Same distrust, new year. We never do well in peace time because the politicians never believe in it."

Shepard chuckled and shook her head, smiling as she replied, "As a military, we can't believe in it, either, or we would completely lose our purpose. Besides, it's normally the politicians who piss everyone off and start the next war, so we're always their fallback position after they screw things up."

"Truer words have never been spoken, my dear." Ines glanced at her chrono and looked back at the screen. "And, as much as I love chatting with you, I really must go. I'm sure one or two of my staff have already gotten up and left the meeting… which is actually okay. I'll catch up to them later." She paused and drew a deep breath before signing off. "Take care out there, Shep… and don't forget there are people from Earth who actually do miss you. Stop in some time on your way through. You know you're always welcome on the Orizaba… at least as long as I'm in command of her."

"I'll do that, Admiral." Shepard smiled. "We'll be heading back to Thessia for the holidays, so I'll ask Liara about stopping by on our way home, end of October."

"That would be excellent! Let me know ahead of time and I'll get your mom a suite aboard ship. I miss having her trusted ear aboard as a confidant… and it would give you some family time."

"Thanks, but that's not necessary. She'll be coming to Thessia for Christmas, along with Karen Chakwas and Kahlee Sanders." Shepard suddenly grinned. "You know, you can come along, if you don't have other plans. Our friends are always welcome at the T'Soni Estate. It would be good to see you in less… professional… surroundings."

"Huh." Ines raised an eyebrow. "I just might do that, Shepard. I'll confirm my holiday plans, talk to your mother, and let you know once you return to our part of the galaxy."

Chasca, Matano, Maroon Sea – 16 Sep 2190

"Jat!" A surprised Shepard looked at the large Krogan stepping off the Huli. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Laughing, he clasped forearms with his former boss. "Heard from Jara you were looking for some help guarding a Prothean ship… and that we were getting a second stealth ship out of the deal, so thought I'd come see what all the fuss was about." He glanced at the Asari at her side and grinned. "Good to see you, too, Liara. This one treating you alright?"

Liara arched her brow. "Surprisingly well, Jat. She truly is settling into the role of being my expedition partner instead of Spectre… though, things do seem to keep happening, where her battle expertise is most definitely required."

Jat chuckled. "Trouble does seem to follow Shepard, that's for certain. Why do you think the Krogan like her so much? No matter where she is, she always finds the best fights!"

"Goddess, you have no idea just how true that is!"

"Hey, now!" Shepard stood between them, hands on her hips. "You can't blame this shit on me!"

Jat clapped her on the shoulder, still chuckling as he replied, "Blame you? Hell no! We thank you for keeping us busy and so entertained! We love a good fight, Shepard… and you always deliver!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just yuk it up" Shepard shook her head, a grin spreading across her lips as she asked her friend, "So, seriously. Why are you here?"

"Told you," Jat shrugged. "Jara called, I came. That's what Spectres do, right? Their Councilor calls, we answer." He looked between the two and sighed, realizing they weren't convinced that was the whole answer. "What else do you want? That truly is all there is to it. As for us being here, on Chasca… well… I thought it would be rude to be in the neighborhood and not drop in to say hello to my mentor and friends."

"So, you're honestly just here for the ship… and have no idea what happened here, on Chasca?"

Jat suddenly realized there was more to the story than he knew, and his eyes widened in excitement. "No, I don't… so tell me! Could I possibly be missing an even bigger story than finding a Prothean ship?"

Shepard simply sighed as Liara began the tale, starting with a summary of their mission on Feros. By the time she was done, they had walked to one of the residential facilities and were sitting at one of the tables in the communal dining area. "Well, fuck me." Jat stared at them both in utter astonishment. "I was kind of joking about the best fights…" His eyes settled on Liara as he added, "and now I better understand your comment regarding me having no idea about Shepard always finding them. Damn. Sorry I missed it!"

"I'm not." Shepard said, being completely earnest. "If you had been here, you likely would have charged in and headbutt one those things before slapping it sideways with your shotgun… and you would have been contaminated with that shit before we ever had the chance to explain it to you." She paused, looking the Krogan in the eye. "Your direct approach could have gotten you killed here, Jat… and I may have had to be the one to put you down, so I am truly relieved you missed this one, buddy." She drew in and blew out a slow, deep breath, thinking about the 'what-ifs' and how much she would have regretted the necessity of such a decision.

Suddenly very serious, Jat met her gaze and responded, "And had that happened, I'd want no one else to do it, Shepard. From the way you describe it, I'd never want to turn into one of those mindless freaks, so you'd be doing me a favor… the kind of favor only a best friend can do." He blinked a couple of times before asking, "Do you even know if it can contaminate a Krogan?"

"No, we don't," Liara stated. "And we can hope to never find out, because we destroyed every biological sample that was present here, so it can't spread and so no one can continue the research here." She paused, frowning as she continued, "Of course, that does not exclude ExoGeni having more than one station researching it; that is yet to be determined." Her gaze hardened, "But if we have anything to say about it, they won't be doing anything like this ever again. This work is extremely illegal, and we are aiming to put the company out of business."

"You know that won't work, Liara." Jat met her gaze with one just as steady. "They'll just be reborn under another name, a new organization with a clean slate that you can't touch until you catch them again. A cycle that will just repeat itself over and over again." He huffed and shrugged his massive shoulders. "But, that's why we have organizations like the Spectres; to keep beating down the idiots that just refuse to give up being bad."

Surprisingly, Liara's expression softened, and she laid her hand on his arm. "And that is why we're glad to have reliable friends like you, Jat; to help us beat back those idiots every time they decide to raise their heads."

"Jeez, Liara." Shepard laughed and shook her head. "Sometimes, with your deadpan deliveries of statements like that? You're downright scary."

"Ha!" Jat's mouth opened in a huge, toothy grin. "That's the Krogan in her, coming out to play!"