An Unexpected Arrangement

Author's Note: I don't really know jack about the military or medicine, so let's hope I fake it well enough for this to be enjoyable. My original plan was to jump a year ahead to Shepard's arrival on Thessia, and introduce Liara in this chapter, but I couldn't get anywhere with it. Then I realized I wanted to include Earth in the story a lot more, and things started to flow. That does mean her appearance will be delayed, but Liara will appear soon, probably not more than a few chapters after this one.

This story is rated M for language, and potential future sex scenes. I'm not sure I can really carry that off well, but we'll see what happens when I get there. You will definitely see some of the wedding night, as it will be an important moment for the two ladies.

If I can figure out how to do it, I'm going to repost Chapter 1, with a few minor changes. I think you can get the gist without rereading, if you prefer not to do so.

(additional note at the end)

Chapter 2

The trip to the Admiralty had worn Shepard out, and her pain levels were high enough that her doctors had given her higher doses of meds. A few days later later she still felt groggy, but the pain was manageable and her meds were reduced again. After her morning shower, she got on her terminal and saw she had meetings set for later in the afternoon. She smiled to see Karin Chakwas listed as an attendee, but the only other names she recognized were Lt. Commander Garrett Moretti, the JAG officer that had been at her briefing and her mother's civilian attorney, Hector Alvarado, who had also been present to review the marriage contract with Shepard. There were four other names looked like they belonged to Asari.

The meeting notifications came with attachments, and Shepard was surprised to see that she was ordered to brief the doctor on her marriage, and the plan to have a child right away. Of course, some information was restricted, but she was relieved that she would have a friend in her corner. She also discovered that the other four attendees were Asari. Aglaia Lazos was the commando in charge of security for the Asari delegation from Matriarch Benezia, Zelia Mavros was an attorney, while Ismena Barros was in charge of the delegation. The fourth Asari was Dr. Iona Gilkas, a specialist in cloned organ transplants and reconstructive surgery.

Shepard rang for a nurse an hour before the meeting, and got changed into an N7 hoodie and sweatpants. It wasn't a uniform, but it was better than the pajamas she had been wearing. After having more chairs brought into her room, she started researching codex entries on Thessia and the Asari. She realized that most of the information was superficial, but it did help her form a clearer picture than she could dredge from her memory. There wasn't much on the Thessian political structure, other than the planet being broken up into regions ruled by Matriarchs. Each region was broken up into counties headed by Matriarchs who owed fealty to the regional Matriarch. There was a bicameral planetary legislature, with the regional Matriarchs all having a hereditary seat in the upper house, and the lower house consisting of elected representatives. These representatives could not be in line for a matriarchy. Since an Asari in the third stage of her life was also known as a matriarch, it was a little confusing to the outsider. All of the noble matriarchs seemed to come from families whose surnames began with the letter T, but Shepard couldn't tell if only noble House names started with Ts. Seeing that it was almost time for her meeting, she shut the terminal down.

A knock at the door prefaced the entry of Dr. Chakwas, the former CMO of the SSV Calais. "Shepard, it's good to see you. It seems I've been reassigned to the Mars Naval Medical Center for the sole purpose of putting you back together again. Once I've done that, I'm to follow you to Thessia for five years. I was also informed that I'll be working alongside Dr. Iona Gilkas. I don't know what you've done to rate care from one of the most prestigious Asari doctors on Thessia, but between the two of us, I think we should be able to get you in much better shape."

"I've been ordered to brief you on some news that is need to know only, but everyone joining us in an hour is privy to the information. Parliament and the Admiralty want to keep this under wraps until we get to Thessia. It should clear up the reason I rate Dr. Gilkas."

"Understood, Commander. I'm all ears."

"I'm engaged, and when we reach Thessia, I'm going to marry Matriarch Benezia's daughter, Liara T'Soni. The plan is to have children right away, so you will be expected to take do a rotation on Asari obstetrics at the University of Serrice Medical Center." Shepard leaned back against her pillows and awaited the doctor's response.

Karin Chakwas mulled over her friend's news. She had reviewed Shepard's medical files on the way from the Czarnobóg Fleet Depot, and in light of what she had read this news made sense. Even for someone who was as well lauded as Shepard, the Alliance Military wouldn't use up as much time and as many resources as were needed to get the Commander fit for desk duty. From her orders, Dr. Chakwas could tell that that was the lowest expectation for Shepard's recovery.

"Dr. Gilkas is the expert on the kinds of procedures you'll need, and I'm mainly here to assist her with the differences between Asari and human physiology. Based on what I know, I can't say that you'll be through recovery in a year. You're going to be in a lot of pain, and the kinds of pain meds that are available with this kind of reconstruction aren't as effective. Are you prepared for this? "

"Yes. I want to do this. I can't imagine being in this shape the rest of my life. I figure a lot of pain now is worth being able to live an active life again." Shepard wanted to feel like herself again, and pain wasn't going to stop her.

"Shepard, you'll never be back to what you were. Combat missions are not in your future, ever again. As I said, Dr. Gilkas is the expert here, and I don't want to speculate on what she can do for you, but I do know that much. Just know that I'll be here for you as a friend as well as a doctor."

"I understand that, Karin. I know that I'm lucky to be alive at all, okay? I guess we can save all that until Dr. Gilkas tells us more. We still have some time to catch up before the others arrive. Can you tell me how the rest of the crew is doing at Czarnobóg?"

"Certainly. Not everyone is still there. Rosamund Draven is actually on Earth, stationed at the Recruit Training Depot in Macapá. Lt. Felawa was fitted with his leg prostheses and is living with his boyfriend in Ferris Fields. I believe he is still looking for work, but he was only discharged last month. Raymond Tanaka is still being treated for his burns, and had his other leg amputated last month. He'll probably be there for a while. Amina Waaberi, Germeen Barret, and Alexei Debyansky are still in hospital as well, doing physical therapy." Dr. Chakwas paused. "I think I'm most worried about Rose, really. She was in Med Bay with me when the Calais was hit, and the loss of her twin sister and her survivor's guilt are pretty bad. She took the posting in Brazil so she could have her niece, Maud, with her."

"I remember that Rose's brother and sister-in-law died a year ago when the Turians attacked Eden Prime. How old is Maud, now? Nine?" Shepard asked.

"Ten, I believe. She's already told Rose that she's going to enlist when she turns eighteen. Rose wants her to train to be a doctor after going to Annapolis. We'll see who has their way."

There was a knock at the door, and the four Asari entered, followed by the human attorneys. Once they introduced themselves, Shepard knew she would have no trouble telling them apart. Not only were their looks distinctive, her first impression was that their personalities were divergent as well. Ismena Barros had clear, dark blue skin, a very calm demeanor, and watchful eyes. Shepard hadn't really learned enough about Asari to know for sure, but she thought Barros might be the oldest. Zelia Mavros, the Asari attorney, was light blue with darker markings around her eyes. She was slightly plump for an Asari, and seemed very personable. Dr. Gilkas came across as frighteningly intelligent, but impatient. Her skin was a shade in between Ismena Barros and Zelia Mavros, with white facial markings. The last Asari, Aglaia Lazos, introduced herself as head of security for the delegation from Benezia. Her skin was a dark blue that was almost purple, and she was heavily muscled for an Asari. She didn't have markings, but the thin threads of healed scars were on the left side of her face from her temple to the jaw. She moved to the side of the room closest to the door, with no one in her field of fire. She radiated competence and confidence.

Hector Alvarado shook Shepard's hand and then sat down immediately to her right. She was glad of his presence now, as she had been at Admiralty House. Hector had been her mother's attorney for as long as she could remember, and he had gone over the marriage contract with a fine tooth comb. He had initiated a number of changes to her agreement with Parliament and the Alliance Military, the most important of which was that Shepard House would be purchased with money from a government grant, and be considered Shepard and Liara's property, to be passed on to their heirs. It would be accorded the legal status of an Asari Embassy, and guarded by Asari and any humans Shepard wished to hire.

The three attorneys were here to go over the suggested amendments with Shepard after Zelia Mavros had consulted with Matriarch Benezia, and everyone hoped Shepard would sign it that day.

"Matriarch Benezia agreed to the amendments, except for the one about a unit of marines being stationed at the T'Soni Matron House on Thessia. It will be up to Dr. T'Soni and Commander Shepard to invite those they wish to live with them, in consultation with their security staff. They may, of course, wish to do so, but cannot be ordered to do so, as it is a private residence on land governed by the Matriarch. Thus the Alliance Military has no jurisdiction there. This amendment will under no circumstances be accepted." Zelia Mavros said.

Lt. Commander Moretti was not pleased. "The Systems Alliance has granted Shepard House Asari Embassy status. Therefore, it seems unreasonable for the Matriarch to restrict access on Thessia."

Zelia Mavros smiled agreeably. "Commander Shepard negotiated the amendment about Shepard House, not the Matriarch. Also, Earth has far fewer travel restrictions than Thessia, as it does not possess the amounts of Element Zero that cause us so much difficulty with smuggling. Matriarch Benezia would hate for there to be an interruption in the export of eezo. I am sure you can agree that would benefit none of us, Lt. Commander."

Moretti cocked his head to the side and paused, an indication that he was wearing an earpiece. "Of course, the Systems Alliance wouldn't want to cause any inconvenience to our trade partner."

"Good. I have transmitted the final contract to all of our terminals. Gentlemen, Commander Shepard, please review and sign when you are ready."

Hector Alvarado read through the contract methodically, finishing long after Moretti. Finally, he looked at Shepard. "This all seems to be in order. You may sign, Commander."

Shepard used her stylus to sign her name, and then leaned forward for a retinal scan from her terminal. It was officially done. She was going to be stationed on a single planet and its orbital stations for at least five years, and possibly the rest of her life.

SLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSL

Everyone but Dr. Chakwas and Dr. Gilkas left, and as soon as the door shut behind them Dr. Gilkas rousted Shepard from her bed. Five minutes later the three of them were in an exam room, and Shepard was naked. She felt a little dazed.

Gilkas examined her leg first, and then moved on to her abdomen. She swung a scanner over the table and locked it in place. The two doctors moved over to the terminal displaying the scan, and examined the results. Dr. Gilkas didn't seem pleased. "I can see we have our work cut out for us here. That is going to last a decade, if she is lucky, and this will not do at all. I want to replace all those muscles and the skin. There is no need for these keloid scars. We can fix the scars on her face as well –"

"You leave my face out of this! I like it the way it is." Shepard had grown into her face, and thought the scars made her look sexier. It certainly had seemed other women thought so, too. She wondered what Dr. T'Soni thought about scars. Shepard had spent a fair amount of time looking at the photo of Liara in the dossier her mother had given her, and wondered if Liara had spent as much time studying a picture of her.

"Indeed. In that case, I will schedule your first surgery for next month. That should give Dr. Chakwas and I time to clone some of the organs we will be replacing. Depending on your recovery from that surgery, we will plan additional surgeries. We will leave your abdominal muscles and skin replacements for last. Given the differences in human and Asari physiology, I estimate we will have you most of the way through recovery in fifteen to eighteen months. You should be in good enough shape to walk the day of your bonding with a brace and crutches, perhaps even a cane. You will need to wear a medical girdle for about four months after we replace the abdominal muscles, but that should be easy to hide under a uniform. I will be able to form a more accurate assessment of the extent of your recovery after your first few surgeries. In the meantime, I want you doing as many exercises as possible to strengthen your uninjured leg, and your shoulders and arms." Dr. Gilkas walked into the office next to the exam room and sat down at the desk.

Shepard looked at Dr. Chakwas. "So…is that it then?"

Dr. Chakwas glanced through the glass wall separating the exam room and the office. "I guess so. Let's get you back into your clothes and to bed."

SLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSL

When Shepard woke up the next morning, she had a message from the Matriarch. Benezia conveyed her happiness that Shepard had accepted the proposal, and would become her daughter-in-law in a year's time. She also explained that Dr. T'Soni was on a dig, and communication was limited and unreliable. However, pictures, some videos, and Liara's dissertation were included with the message. There were also some photos of the house she would be living in, and the grounds that surrounded it.

Shepard thought the candid photos of Liara gave a much clearer impression of her personality than the posed photo in her dossier. She seemed shy and studious, but was absolutely lovely. The last photo was of Liara as a toddler. She was a little chubby with baby fat, and had a wide grin on her face that revealed two missing front teeth. That and the freckle-like markings on her cheeks were adorable.

Shepard spent the next hour composing a message to Matriarch Benezia. She thanked her for the packet about Liara, and the medical care, but the bulk of the message was devoted to thanking the Matriarch for the opportunities that would be made possible for her crew. She hesitated, but wrote a short note to Liara as well, in the hopes that it would reach her. She also included some photographs of herself and her parents from when she was a child.

After she sent her message, she made a couple of calls. The first was to Hector Alvarado. She had arranged an appointment with him yesterday, so he answered immediately. "Jane, right on time. What do you want to talk about first?" Hector was always formal in meetings with others, but when it was just the two of them he acted like a man talking to his favorite niece.

"I'd like to have you follow up on getting my crew still at the Czarnobóg Fleet Depot Hospital transferred here. Light a fire under Moretti's ass if you need to. Also, I'd like to find out how Robert Felawa is, and about the families of my crew who died. I think Helen Lowe had a son, and there might be others. I want to make sure everyone is taken care of, since I now have the means to do so.

"I'm going to call Ismena Barros after this, and talk about setting up Shepard House. I'd like the two of you to work on that together. I have a particular place in mind, and if she agrees I'll send you the details later. If she doesn't think that will work, I'd prefer to renovate an existing structure, but we can build if necessary. That's it for now."

"You got it, Jane. I'll get back to you about your crew as soon as I can. Let me know how things go with Dr. Gilkas, okay?"

"I'm just fitting in exercise now, but I should have surgery next month. I'll let you know then. "

Ismena Barros answered her call immediately as well. "Commander Shepard, you mentioned yesterday you wanted to begin finding a location for Shepard House immediately. Did you have anything in mind?"

"There's a property in Baltimore between Annapolis and Johns Hopkins that I think might be suitable for Shepard House. I'm not sure how many we need to accommodate, so it might be a little on the large side." Shepard sent the details to Ismena's terminal.

"It's a luxury hotel built in the mid-21st Century during a revival of the Streamline Moderne style. As soon as I saw the picture Matriarch Benezia sent me of the T'Soni Matron House, I was reminded of this style. It would need renovation, but it is for sale."

Ismena looked almost stunned. "This is indeed very reminiscent of the Matron House. I would like to examine the property myself and have it inspected, but it looks most suitable."

"Good. I'd like you to work with Hector Alvarado on this. If the inspection goes well and you find it does meet our needs, I'd like to move on it right away.

"I also wanted to talk to you about something else. I'd like to learn Asari, and I was hoping there was someone in the delegation who could teach me."

"I would be pleased to help you myself, Commander. I can send you some materials to study on your own, and work with you for an hour every evening to begin with."

"Please, call me Shepard. If we're going to be spending that much time together, I'd prefer it."

"Please call me Ismena, Shepard. I agree that informality is warranted. I can call you next week at 1900 hours, after you have had a chance to examine the first set of lessons."

"That sounds perfect. I do have another request. Food on Thessia is rich in Element Zero absorbed from the soil. I'm a little concerned about its effect on any humans that will be living at the Matron House for an extended period of time. Could we set up a greenhouse? I think I'd like to import some soil and seeds to grow some favorites, along with some Thessian plants as well. Does that sound doable?"

"It does sound feasible. I will include that on the list of things that will need to be ready for your arrival. This does bring up the regulations about shipping to Thessia. This will need to be done at least six weeks in advance in order to clear customs. Regulations prohibit non-Asari from bringing more than two bags through customs on arrival and departure, so you will need to ship everything else you wish to bring. The items in the bags and whatever you ship will be inspected and cataloged. The Matriarch will of course have someone there to monitor the customs officers, to make sure this is done properly."

"I don't really have that much in the way of personal items other than uniforms, armor and weapons. I'm required by the Alliance Navy to have those items available. How difficult will it be to get them cleared by customs?" It would be an incredible inconvenience, not to mention a violation of regulations, if she ended up having to keep her kit on an orbital station. Since people seemed to be bending over backwards to make this marriage happen, she was sure she could make alternate arrangements, but it wouldn't feel right not to have her things with her.

"This isn't the first time a similar situation has occurred. I can arrange for that to go to the correct inspection office and be delivered to the Matron House with the Matriarch's permission. Is there anything else you need at the moment, Shepard?" Ismena was pleased with what she had seen of the Commander so far. She had, of course, done everything possible to make Matriarch Benezia's plan come to fruition, but before she had met Shepard the idea of Liara and a soldier becoming bondmates had seemed laughable at best and a terrible idea at worst. She should know by now to trust in her Matriarch's judgment, she supposed. Benezia always seemed to perceive things hidden to others.

"That's all for now. Please let me know how things go with the property appraisal." Shepard ended the call. She could admit to herself that she had been slipping into depression before her mother had shown up. Now she felt invested again, planning and making decisions that affected lives and futures. Shepard knew that she didn't really know anything about her wife to be, but her gut was telling her that she had made the right decision for herself, as well as for others.

When she turned out the lights later that night, she felt anticipation for what the morning would bring.

Author's note 2: Thanks to everyone who followed, favorite, and/or reviewed. Guest 1 – This is more about the aftermath of the war and building a new peace. I'm not sure how deeply I'll delve into government restructuring, so most of the drama will probably focus on family and xenophobia. I chose Romance and Sci Fi as the categories since I hope to make the story dramatic and humorous in parts. Guest 2 – When I edited the first chapter I was really tired, and Spellcheck said to change more bitter to bitterer. Nothing made much sense to me at the time, so I went with it. As for the mystery of Liara choosing Shepard, that will almost certainly be answered in the chapter in which Liara makes her appearance.