ivandundalov7: lol Fair enough. Regardless I appreciate the effort.

Chapter 6

2187 CE
Athena Nebula
Parnitha System
Planet Thessia

The clammy, still air was filled with the never-ending plinking of hundreds of tiny water droplets splashing onto the cold stone floor. An inescapable chill that seemed to chase away even the mere thought of warmth clung tenaciously to the dismal atmosphere. The rotten stink of decaying excrement filled every single breath. Small, circular domes that had been inlaid into the ceiling cast static pools of light onto the slippery wet floor, doing little to chase away the shadows that blanketed the claustrophobic tunnels.

Meraya L'Ivek wrinkled her nose in disgust at the repulsive smell as she slowly made her way through the winding passages. The sewers running just below the surface of Armali was no fit place for a distinguished Asari maiden like herself. She was only suited for the luxurious and lavish existence that came from being the daughter of one of the most prestigious members of the Armali Council. Trudging through the muck in the city's cesspool raked against every fiber of her being.

She unconsciously flinched every time a drop of some unknown liquid dripped onto the deep sea green leather of her overpriced custom body suit, or dribbled down through her smoothly sweeping head crests to trickle down her neck. One of her designer commando style boots squished into something spongy but she didn't dare look down to see what it was.

"What the hell am I even doing here?" She asked no one in particular.

She knew full well the reason she was there. The reason she had gone there almost every day since the unexpected defeat of the Reapers. Rebuilding efforts had begun almost immediately after the tsunami of blazing crimson fire had swept across the surface of the planet taking all artificially intelligent life with it. She had been assisting her mother with the tedious business of coordinating resource allocation to prioritize work efforts on essential portions of the planet to try and salvage Thessia's severely destabilized economy. She had spent the better part of that first monotonous day making phone calls and staring at a never ending parade of numbers scrolling across her data pad. It was better than cowering in a safety bunker waiting for death at the hands of homicidal machines, but it was still a far cry from the glamorous parties and decadent gourmet fare she was used to.

Meraya continued through the labyrinth of passages that she had navigated so many times as to be able to do so with her eyes closed. Driven on by lustful purpose. As she made her way deeper into the darkened tunnels her mind replayed the events that had led her to this goddess forsaken place. The sun was just starting to sink below the horizon, tinting everything in a ruby colored glow. She had told her mother that she was going for a short walk to give her eyes a chance to rest and had started out doing just that. As she strode along the embankment of the drainage channel, some distance away from their extravagant mansion, she had noticed someone standing near the mouth of a large culvert staring off into the sunset.

Though the fading light made it difficult to discern many details, she could clearly see the feminine contours of the person's body through the gently waving folds of silky white fabric of her dress as it rippled in the breeze. Meraya could also clearly see pale tawny colored skin, and long chocolate colored hair. She had stopped to openly appraise the statuesque form of the woman in the growing twilight. She had never seen a member of another species in the flesh before so her curiosity had been piqued by what appeared to be an exceptionally tall human female standing only a couple dozen yards away. She continued to stare as the last vestiges of sunlight glinted off the tops of those buildings that were still standing. Then the figure had turned and strode out of sight into the sewage tunnels where Meraya now walked.

Meraya remembered being struck by an odd compulsion to follow the mysterious woman which she had promptly acted upon. The vile odors and dank surroundings of the repulsive passage ways did nothing to deter her as she made her way through, spurred on by fleeting glimpses of white amidst the oppressive dark. At last she had come to a sort of impasse where the object of her curiosity seemed to have been waiting for her.

Goose bumps rippled through her flesh as she recalled her eyes locking with the woman's own arresting gaze. Everything about their first interaction seemed muddled like she was viewing it through a foggy blur, her only clear memory being the woman herself. Archaic wax candles flickered from their perches along otherwise barren stone walls. Each trying in vain to dissipate the shadows that hung heavily in the small chamber. Her heart was racing as she stepped through the archway from the tunnel into the enclosed space. The woman had spoken to her and she had responded but couldn't remember exactly what had been said as her eyes greedily played over semi-sheer, snow colored fabric to drink in the tantalizing glimpses of smooth skin beneath.

Her memory of the rest of that night was completely lost save for an unimaginably intense feeling of euphoria. She had woken up on a soft bed covered by thick velvety fur, in a smaller room connected to the first, beside the woman whose name she still didn't know before being escorted back to the surface. She enthusiastically agreed to the woman's request that she return again that night, and had done the same every night since. Occasionally bringing delicacies from one of the city's still standing gourmet restaurants or a data pad with galactic news or recordings of encrypted communiques. She never once thought to ask why, or for what reason her lover decided to sequester herself in such a filthy abode. So long as her desires were fulfilled she didn't truthfully care.

On this particular evening she hadn't been asked to bring anything only that it was essential she should ensure that she hadn't been followed. She personally saw no reason to keep their little tryst a secret but she had dutifully complied with her mistress's wishes. As she rounded the final corner leading to the candle lit chamber beyond she caught the familiar flash of white in the gloom and quickened her stride. All of the indignation and irritation at having to slog through the sewer sludge dissipated in an instant as she hurried forward into her lover's warm embrace.

"You're later than usual."

She nearly melted every time she heard that silken voice. "I'm sorry mistress. My mother is becoming more suspicious every day."

"It's alright Meraya. Did anyone follow you here?" The woman said in the same satin tone though her question was tinged with a barely noticeable air of concern.

Meraya relaxed and rested her head on her lover's chest who stood more than a foot taller than she did. "No mistress. I was careful to cover my tracks so no one would know where I have gone."

"Good. It's better that what I'm going to tell you remain between the two of us."

"Of course. Whatever you want mistress." She closed her eyes and listened to the trio of heart beats beneath her lover's ample breast and breathe in the other woman's intoxicatingly sweet scent that seemed to completely overwhelm her every sense.

The young Asari's last statement brought an unsettling sharp toothed grin to the woman's face. "I have received word that a guest of great importance may be coming to visit Thessia. If he does I want you to ensure that he comes to Armali. Would you be able to do that for me my love?" She asked as she lightly traced a line along Meraya's jaw with her fingertips.

Meraya shivered as the gentle touch sent prickles down her spine. "Of course mistress. Who is our guest?" She could feel the tickle of the bony tendrils she had at first mistaken to be dark mahogany hair caressing her knuckles at the small of her mistress's back.

The woman shifted to hold her at arms length and stare down into her eyes with her own faintly glowing sanguine orbs. Meraya could only mutely gaze back into the gorgeous visage that could completely enrapture her with little more than a glance.

"His name is Aidan Shepard."

2187 CE
Local Cluster
Sol System
Geosynchronous Orbit Over Planet Earth

Tali shifted uncomfortably in her seat aboard the shuttle that was ferrying her and her friends to the Alliance cruiser HMSC Archimedes. Ordinarily she would have felt right at home stuffed into the cramped cargo hold with everyone else but this time felt distinctly different. She was surrounded by the people she had come to regard as her adopted, dysfunctional, family and her beloved Kaleya; yet a nagging doubt niggled at the back of her mind. She had previously dismissed the feeling as nothing more than a byproduct of her sadness as their team said their final words of farewell to their fallen comrades at the memorial service just hours before. However that annoying sensation had only intensified as time passed.

She hadn't been present when the Commander had taken Admiral Hackett aside after the service to inform him of the anonymous message he had received. The Admiral's reaction had been less than encouraging. She had needed to pester Shepard for more than half an hour once they had returned to their shared quarters to pack before he relented and angrily explained the exchange to her. The Admiral had promised that he already had top people working the case and that the Commander's focus should remain on his current assignment. All the while disinterestedly waving away Shepard's arguments that discovering the identity of the attacker should take priority over a cruise given the assassin's blatant disregard for collateral loss of life.

The Commander had been fuming ever since feeling like he was being stonewalled by the Citadel Council all over again. She had tried to convince him that the Admiral was only doing what he thought was best but she didn't believe her own words.

She didn't like it but wasn't in any position to argue. With a sigh she mentally pushed her doubts down and tried to focus on the positive side of their upcoming hiatus. She would finally have real time to spend with Shepard without being interrupted by the ever looming prospect of deadly combat. He had also promised her that they would be enjoying an extended stay on Rannoch as one of their final stops. She had received multiple communications from the remaining Admirals inquiring as to when she might be returning to the home world, but had until now decided to ignore them. It was entirely out of character for her to act so selfishly and put her own personal agenda above that of her people, but after everything she had been through she had started to view her ship mates aboard the Normandy as more of a family than her own people could ever be. They had survived the Exodus when the Geth drove them from their home, they had survived the purgatory of drifting aimlessly through space, they had survived the Reaper invasion and subsequent reclamation of their home planet. They could survive a little longer without her.

"Penny for your thoughts." A familiar cheerful voice from her right broke her reverie.

"What?"

Kasumi's bright smile gleamed beneath the shadow of her hood. "Very old Human saying. It means you look like you're thinking about something interesting and I'm curious to find out what it is."

Tali cocked her head quizzically to the side. "What's a penny?"

"It used to be currency. It was a little metal coin people used to use in certain countries to buy things. So how about it? Any juicy little tidbits you feel up to sharing?" The thief's voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "I've always wondered if Shep snores or talks in his sleep."

"How would I know?"

Kasumi's eyes rolled. "Girl please. You two couldn't be any more obvious if you shouted it from the mountain tops. Now come on, there's got to be something quirky about the Commander no one knows."

Tali thought for a few moments trying to think of something she could share that wouldn't be too embarrassing for her Kaleya. She appreciated the brief respite from the darker feelings she'd been brooding on but was also somewhat disappointed that she didn't know more about him. She promised herself that would change.

"Well… He does have an odd fascination with miniature ship models."

Kasumi tried to stifle a giggle. "Really? That's hilarious! I never would have expected the Commander to be into that sort of thing."

"He wasn't until after what happened to the original Normandy. At least I don't remember him being interested in them then. The first time I saw his cabin on the SR2 though he had an entire glass case filled with them. He was very proud." Tali couldn't help her own smile.

They both glanced over to where Shepard sat beside Garrus on the opposite side of the shuttle's congested cargo bay. At first he didn't notice their stares as he talked with his Turian friend but eventually he became aware that he was being watched.

"What?"

Kasumi raised her hand to wave sweetly. "Nothing Shep. You're looking particularly handsome today."

"Um… Thank you." He awkwardly said as he glanced over at Tali with a questioning look. She was glad he couldn't see her face flush with color behind her violet visor.

He stared suspiciously at the two of them for several moments before returning to his conversation with an equally confused Garrus.

Kasumi just laughed as she turned back to her Quarian confidant. "So what else you got?"

The rest of the shuttle ride passed by quickly enough. Before long they had touched down within the Archimedes' cargo hold and gone their separate ways to explore the ship that would be their home for possibly the next few years depending on how quickly the relays they needed would be repaired. Jack had immediately gravitated toward the bottom of the ship while Garrus had unsurprisingly found his way to the main battery. Kasumi had all but disappeared in her own exploration while Liara had decided to accompany Garrus. Kaidan had headed up toward the bridge with Joker leaving Tali and Shepard to wind their way through the honeycomb of compartments on the crew deck.

It was incredibly slow going since he had insisted that he was capable of walking. She knew better than to try and dissuade him but wasn't without her worry that he was pushing himself too hard. Healing factor of his cybernetic implants or not. His recovery was nothing short of miraculous given the laundry list of injuries he'd sustained, but he was still irrevocably Human which meant he still had a long road ahead before he would be back to the shape he'd been in before the final push on Earth. Building up his muscles so he could walk on his own again was just one of the steps on that road. Still she couldn't help but feel some trepidation that he was going too fast.

"Why don't we stop in the mess hall for a bite to eat?" She suggested as she gingerly guided him along by one arm.

"I'm not really hungry."

"Well I'm starving." She persisted although she really wasn't hungry either.

"You go on ahead. I want to check out the bridge with Joker and Kaidan before we get under way. Meet you back here to find our quarters?" He offered starting to pull his arm out of her grasp.

She clutched his sleeve. "Shepard you need to take it easy. You aren't even supposed to be…"

His exasperated sigh cut her off. "I feel just fine. Really. If I had to be stuck in that chair for another day I was going to lose my mind."

She could understand his feelings but didn't back down. "You've made progress in days that should have taken months. I think you can manage waiting a few more." Her voice lowered to a murmur as he tried to pull away again. "Please Kaleya… For me."

"Guh… Fine."

She smiled. "I knew you'd see it my way."

"Yeah, yeah don't get cocky. Someday I'll be able to actually resist that voice." He grumbled.

"No you won't." She countered sweetly.

He stared for a long moment into her dimly glowing eyes. "… You're right. I won't." He admitted with a small grin. "At least help me up to the bridge. Then I'll do whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?" She asked with a playful tone.

His widening smile was his only answer as they slowly made their way to the lift. Within a few minutes they had arrived at their destination. Both Kaidan and Joker were still present. Joker had somehow finagled his way into the pilot's chair while Kaidan casually chatted with the pretty blond officer in charge of communications.

"I see you two have made yourselves right at home." Shepard quipped as they entered the spacious cockpit area.

Kaidan was the first to respond. "Just getting to know our new crew Commander. I'm a little surprised to see you up and around already."

Shepard glanced around at the endless banks of holographic displays that encircled the arrow shaped bridge. "I wanted to nail down our itinerary before we set out and see how things were going up here."

"As good as they can I guess. This thing handles like a beached whale." Joker griped.

"You're just pissed that they don't have leather seats." Kaidan teased.

Joker shook his head in disgust. "It's a contributing factor."

"Anyway. Where are we headed to first?" The Commander asked trying to steer the conversation back on track.

"We were set to stop at Palaven first but we were just forwarded a request to change our initial destination by Alliance High Command." Kaidan replied pulling up a copy of the communication on a data pad.

"Where does he want us to go?" Shepard asked as Kaidan handed him the data pad with Tali peeking over his shoulder to skim it's contents as well.

Joker answered with more enthusiasm then he meant to. "Armali on Thessia."