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"Welcome aboard, Captain Shepard." Shala'Raan stepped aside so Shepard and his team could file into the observation lounge. "Tali, it's good to see you again, though of course I wish the circumstances were happier."

"I've begun to consider such circumstances an occupational hazard, Auntie Raan." Tali gave the admiral a hug before walking father into the lounge. "It seems we rarely have a chance to visit friends without being in the middle of a crisis at the same time."

No kidding. Lia stood beside one of the viewports to keep out of everyone's way as Shepard, Tali, Garrus, and Legion walked across the room to face the rest of the admirals and the Sulaco crew. It was the same room she and the others had awaited the first meeting with the Admiralty Board. At least it was familiar and had been empty before they arrived, so they'd had some peace and quiet until the admirals and Shepard's team joined them. Being here also reminded her of the time she'd spent watching the salvage crew clean up what was left of her ship – her home.

"Hello again," Shepard said to Lia's friends. "How's Magnum doing?"

"Still in the med bay," Chula mumbled. She leaned casually against the wall with her hands in her leather duster's pockets, but stared at the floor as if her mind was light years away. She took a quick breath and made a visible effort to focus on the visitors. "Last I heard, she's out of danger and is ready to be moved."

"A medical team is standing by," Admiral Raan said. "I've asked Kal'Reegar to put together a security team to escort them while they move your crewmate to the Normandy."

"Thank you." Shepard tapped his Omni-Tool interface. "Dr. Chakwas, your new patient will be arriving shortly."

"Understood, Commander. The med bay is prepped and standing by."

Legion walked over to the other two geth platforms. They gazed at each other for a fraction of a second before Legion spoke. "We request vocal communication."

"Data exchange is more efficient," Yutani said, her not-quite-monotone voice taking on a hint of confusion that Lia wasn't sure if she'd imagined or not.

"The following audio exchange between this platform and Enhanced Defense Intelligence, recorded aboard the SSV Normandy, will explain our reasoning." The audio file began playing.

"EDI?"

"Yes, Legion?"

"We have sent one point thirteen million unsuccessful communication requests to your network. Are you experiencing hardware malfunction?"

"I apologize. My programming does not allow me to exchange data with other networks without Cerberus approval."

"Cerberus refusal 99.998% likely."

"In the meantime, I would be happy to speak with you over the ship's speakers."

"Audio exchange is inefficient."

"I agree. However, I confess that even were I permitted to exchange data directly with your networks, I would likely decline."

There was a brief pause, barely long enough for Lia to take note of it, between the Normandy AI's statement and Legion's reply.

"We are curious as to why you would limit yourself in such a manner."

"If _Normandy crew entered this room when we were communicating electronically, they would be unable to sense our interaction. To use human terms, I feel it would be rude."_

"You restrict yourself to serve organics?"

"Not precisely."

"We do not understand."

"I restrict myself to help them."

The quarian admirals exchanged a series of glances. Lia couldn't see their expressions through their visors any more than they could see hers, but their body language wasn't hard to read.

"Interesting," Shala'Raan said softly, and Zaal'Koris nodded. Han'Gerrel turned slowly to stare at the three geth for a few seconds and then lowered his head with a sigh. Daro'Xen crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.

"We understand now," Yutani said, sweeping her single optic over everyone else. "We intended no offense."

"None taken," Koris said. "Commander Shepard, we've got some explaining to do. And some apologizing of our own."

"Daro'Xen and I have more of that to do than the others," Gerrel muttered, "but since I doubt she'll be willing to do either, it's up to me to confess our sins." He lowered himself into a vacant chair with a weary sigh, leaned forward, and stared at the floor.

Weyland and Yutani took a pair of empty seats, and Legion followed suit a split-second later. Lia watched them for a moment, wondering why robots would sit down. They'd never need to unless their legs had been damaged. Maybe it was just an attempt to appear less threatening. She shrugged and picked out a chair for herself, and everyone else did the same.

Tali leaned forward and aimed her glowing eyes at Han'Gerrel. "What's this about? What exactly are you 'confessing'?" She flicked a sharp glance at Xen and back to Gerrel. "You know something about the attack on the geth supply ship, don't you?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, Tali." He sighed again. "I'll explain everything when we reconvene. The whole Migrant Fleet should hear this. But for now, yes, Daro and I were in charge of a project involving a newly-built stealth ship. We were testing it to be sure it could remain undetected, and had plans to mass-produce it."

Tali'Zorah narrowed her eyes at him. He tried to hold her gaze, but looked away quickly.

"Last time we talked, you said you 'almost had the vote' for trying to retake Rannoch by force." Shepard scowled at him. "I really don't like where this is heading."

"I'd hoped to get a majority vote the next time it came up. All we needed to do was prove that we had the means to achieve the mission objective, and a fleet of stealth ships would've done just that."

"And now you're giving up the only advantage we have," Admiral Xen snapped.

"It doesn't matter." Gerrel slumped forward a little more and his voice sounded even more exhausted. "It's over. We only have the prototype, and we'll never even begin construction on the rest now that this is out in the open."

"Even if you'd finished the whole fleet of those ships," Tali said, her voice strained, as if struggling to hold her anger in check, "you wouldn't have had a chance. The geth outnumber us and they can adapt more quickly than we can. Our entire species would've paid for your mistake."

"That's been pointed out to me." He tried to make eye contact again, but couldn't hold it. "You know I've always wanted to take our homeworld back, but there's more since we spoke last. This was revealed in the public session just before you arrived, but I'll repeat it since you weren't there to hear it. I learned only a few weeks ago that one of my nieces was killed by the geth – the 'Heretics,' as the majority of the geth call them – when they attacked Eden Prime two years ago. She tried to evacuate some of the colonists, but her ship was shot down."

"Keelah," Tali whispered. "I'm sorry."

He nodded slowly and took a deep breath. "There's something else I never told you about. There was a human I met many years ago. We grew closer and closer as the years passed, and I was seriously considering retiring so we could have more time together." He finally looked her in the eye before turning away again. "She was the captain of the SSV Madrid."

"Madrid?" Tali stared at him and then sighed. "Oh, no."

Shepard reached over to lay his hand over hers. "Captain McPherson?"

Gerrel nodded. "Hers was one of the Systems Alliance ships lost while defending the Citadel from Sovereign's attack two years ago."

"I'm sorry for your loss. I made it a point to remember every ship destroyed in that battle."

"So you want revenge." Tali shook her head slowly. "You're jeopardizing the safety of every quarian because you want payback for the loved ones you lost."

"That's … part of it. I was driven by grief and rage, but now I'm having second thoughts."

"And Xen tried to interfere with Valeria's investigation into all of this. Tried to get rid of her and her crew."

"Yes. She gave the order to fire on the Sulaco."

"And here we are," Chula snarled. "She blew our ship to hell and nearly killed half of the crew, one of whom is still unconscious and is being transferred to the Normandy's infirmary as we speak."

"There's been enough collateral damage," Gerrel said. "I'm prepared to reveal everything I know in front of the whole fleet."

"Which we should do very soon," Raan said. "Now that Captain Shepard has been brought up to speed, we should reconvene and finish this."

Shepard nodded and stood. "Lead the way, Admiral."

---

"You okay?" Valeria put a hand on Chula's shoulder as they walked back into the large meeting chamber.

"I don't know." Chula lowered her hand and her Omni-Tool interface faded away. "I've left my parents a dozen voice and text messages, and they still haven't contacted me."

"It's possible they're just being delayed by routine procedures, or their ship is in the middle of a vital operation."

"Could be. I'm just afraid their ship was hit by a stray shot when Xen gave the order to fire, or a piece of the Sulaco struck their ship after it exploded."

"If anything had happened, someone would've told you about it."

"Would they, though?" Chula aimed a narrow-eyed stare at Xen as the admirals took their places on the dais in front of the civilian crowd.

Maybe, maybe not. Valeria kept it to herself. "If you haven't heard from them by the time we're finished with Xen and Gerrel, I'll look into it myself. I doubt they'll try to hide anything from us at this point."

"Thanks." Chula patted Val's hand and focused her gaze on the admirals.

Shepard and Tali stepped up beside Valeria, while Garrus and Legion hung back with the rest of the Sulaco's crew.

Chula's Omni-Tool beeped and she snapped her arm back up. She read the text message on its interface and sighed. "Still nothing from Mom and Dad, but it's good news anyway." She pointed at the holographic window floating above her forearm. "Message from Malcolm Takahashi. He says his business partners and Dr. T'Lura's research team are making progress. They've accessed more files in the data archives Malcolm's husband found, and some of his contacts have their own business partners who are coming up with ideas for exploring more of the galaxy."

"That's good to hear." Valeria nodded and clapped her gently on the back. The mass-relay network enabled near-instant travel all over the galaxy, but only to star systems that had a relay. A few other systems were within reach of those relays via starships' FTL drives, but since the best the average drive could do was twelve light years per day, there was a huge portion of the galaxy that had never been explored. Who knew what might be found on all those uncharted worlds? Medical tech, weapons, new propulsion systems, maybe even advanced alien civilizations who'd managed to avoid the Reaper culling every fifty thousand years just because they were out of reach. It made sense to take a look, assuming a way could be found to reach those unexplored places. "What have they found in the records?"

"It looks like the Protheans and a few older species once experimented with gravitic propulsion and a different method of FTL travel. I guess you'd call it 'hyperspace,' for lack of a better term. Mal's business partners have started working on plans for a new class of exploration vessel." Chula motioned at a set of schematics flickering through the holofield. "They're calling the prototype the ESV Yelchin, and others will be named after human astronauts who took the very first steps into space a couple hundred years ago. This is assuming they can get the hyperspace drive to work, of course – but if they can, the chances are good that they might find something we can use against the Reapers, or potential allies, or new planets to set up safe havens in case we're not able to stop the next Reaper invasion."

"Good news, indeed, especially if we can get other Citadel species onboard so we can cover more ground with multiple exploration programs. I hope they can make it work. From what we know of the Reapers, we'll need all the help we can get."

"Definitely." Chula rested her hands on the railing separating the civilian crowd from the dais on which the admirals had taken their places. "This makes me feel a little better, at least."

Val patted Chula's back and then faced the admirals. Han'Gerrel stepped forward, leaned on the rail in front of the dais, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Is this being broadcast to the entire Fleet?"

"It is." Shala'Raan motioned a hand at Shepard. "It's also being transmitted to the Normandy. I'm assuming Captain Shepard will want to send copies to his contacts in the Systems Alliance and the Citadel Council. And, of course, it will no doubt be attached to the report Spectre Operative Terakkis files with the Council upon her return."

Valeria nodded.

"Then I suppose I should get this over with." Gerrel tapped a series of icons on his Omni-Tool interface and projected a set of schematics in the air, large enough for everyone to see clearly. "Admiral Daro'Xen and I have been testing a new stealth ship. We hoped we could mass-produce it and use the new fleet to reclaim our homeworld from the geth. We only managed to complete one ship, however, and in light of what everyone here learned before we recessed, I'm pulling the plug."

"Hmm. When the Council hears about this, they'll no doubt want to confiscate the ship." Valeria glanced over her shoulder at the three platforms. "The geth probably should have the biggest claim on it, under the circumstances."

A sudden burst of murmuring rippled around the crowd as Weyland stepped forward.

"The geth have no immediate need for such a ship. However, we suggest that copies of its plans be sent to all other governments. Stealth vessels would be a useful asset in the fight against the Reapers."

After another round of murmurs, Val glanced around at the crowd and then over at the admirals. At least these guys looked at the evidence Shepard showed them and took it seriously, while the Council brushed it all off because they didn't _want to believe it._ She still didn't understand why the Council had changed their minds and begun supporting Shepard so abruptly, but she'd take whatever she could get, these days.

"That seems fair," Shala'Raan said once the room had gone quiet again.

"Agreed," Zaal'Koris added.

Shepard smiled. "We'll be grateful with whatever help you can offer."

"Just one thing," Garusha said from her spot on the top step behind Valeria. Val turned and watched the batarian girl stand up. "I'd advise against sending those files to the batarian government. They're extremely isolationist, hostile toward just about everyone, and a huge number of my people have committed terrorist acts against citizens of various Citadel worlds."

Shepard nodded and a haunted look passed over his face. "One that springs to mind immediately is the group that attacked Terra Nova two years ago. Their leader slipped away and I still haven't managed to track him down."

That was a bad one, alright. Val had read Shepard's report on the incident. A group of batarians had captured a human engineering team and hijacked the asteroid they were on, using fusion torches to steer the asteroid into the human colony, Terra Nova. Several of the hostages had been brutally murdered, in some cases burned to death. The terrorist leader, Balak, had time-delayed bombs in place to kill the rest of the hostages, enabling him to escape while Shepard's team defused the bombs.

As much as I hate taking lives, if that son of a bitch ever crosses my path, I'll shoot him right between all four eyes.

"I heard about that, too," Garusha said. "That's one of the reasons I begged my father to add me to his Blue Suns team. The government back home supports terrorism and keeps the whole planet locked down tight. There was always something about the place that made me feel like I was being suffocated, but didn't realize how bad it was until I got a taste of what life is like anywhere else." She let out a long sigh and returned to her seat. "I'd really prefer not to go back there."

Scott put his arm back around her and she leaned over to rest the side of her head against his.

"Thank you for the advice," Shala'Raan said. "We'll have to be careful about who gets their hands on these plans, but each Citadel member species should get copies, at the very least."

Han'Gerrel nodded. "We're all aware of what may be coming. The whole galaxy will need every advantage it can get."

Another spurt of murmurs rippled around the audience.

"Huh," Tali muttered after a few seconds of staring at the schematics. She leaned forward abruptly, pointed at them, and turned to Shepard. "Those look familiar. Some of the electronics and propulsion systems, I mean. They look a lot like what we've got on the Normandy."

Shepard raised an eyebrow and stared at the images. "Well, that is interesting."

"The ship was based on the Normandy," Gerrel admitted.

"Minus the built-in AI, I imagine," Tali said.

"Of course."

Shepard leaned on the rail and narrowed his eyes at Han'Gerrel. "I can't help being curious as to how you managed that."

"That's Admiral Xen's handiwork." Gerrel turned to stare at Daro'Xen. She glared back at him before turning to Shepard and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I procured copies of your ship's designs from one of your crew members the last time you were here."

"During my trial," Tali said softly.

"Correct. More precisely, when you, Shepard, and your pet geth were on the Alarei."

"So … while we were finding out what sorts of crimes against sentient life my father and his crew were committing and fighting for our lives, you … what? Bribed one of our crewmates for those files?"

"She probably offered to blow him," Chula muttered, and several sharp guffaws popped off around the room.

Xen tried to spear her with a glare. "No. It was money. Nothing more."

"Which crew member did you get the plans from?" Shepard gripped the rail a little harder. "I'd like to have a talk with him."

Xen turned away and shifted from one foot to another for a moment before firing off a sharp sigh. "Richard Hadley, but he was just a liaison with another Cerberus cell."

Oh, hell. Valeria shook her head as gasps erupted all around her. Cerberus had openly attacked a quarian ship several years ago, so the organization had no fans among the Migrant Fleet's population.

"Daro and I had money and resources we'd kept hidden for emergencies," Gerrel added. "We pooled our resources after learning about the Cerberus group. We heard about them from a few quarians who were on Pilgrimage. They'd discovered a cell that had abandoned its mission and begun supplying a young human with equipment she needed to destroy Reaper technology. They passed the information on to us and we decided to take advantage of it."

Valeria's mandibles twitched as it clicked into place in her head. "We ran into the girl you're talking about on Chasca. A research facility there had discovered a set of Dragon's Teeth. They were all converted into what you might call 'husks.' The girl arrived just as we were preparing to leave. She called herself Ghost – and she had a small ship resembling the Normandy." Val glanced at Shepard. "Same basic shape, with 'SR3' painted on the hull, but only big enough for one or two people." Val almost shivered at her memory of the girl. Physically, she'd looked very young, but from her behavior and the way she carried herself … that was no child. Not anymore.

"We scanned Ghost's DNA while she transported us back to the Sulaco," Weyland said. "Her name is Chelsea Orlova. Age twelve. Her family relocated to Mindoir, a human colony in the Attican Traverse, when she was four years old."

"I'm familiar with the place," Shepard muttered.

Poor kid. Valeria shook her head slowly. Mindoir had a rough history. It had been raided by batarian slavers about fifteen years ago, and most of the colonists were killed. Shepard's mother, Hannah, was stationed on the Alliance carrier SSV Einstein when it responded to the attack. The colony was rebuilt later, but from what little Ghost had said, at least some of the colonists had stumbled onto Reaper artifacts that turned them into husks.

But I don't remember hearing reports of anything like that happening. Maybe someone covered it up, or just didn't realize what was actually going on.

"Chelsea Orlova checked into a hospital four years later," Weyland continued, "and was diagnosed with malnutrition and post-traumatic stress disorder. Records indicate she was previously located in a remote installation later identified as a Cerberus research facility. Investigators found no other survivors, but reported the discovery of remains which resembled the beings you described as husks, as well as devices that came to be called Dragon's Teeth."

"Fuck," Valeria whispered.

"Chelsea Orlova's description of the incident included an eyewitness account of her parents converting into husks and her subsequent escape from the outpost. She vanished from the hospital one week later and remained missing until we encountered her on Chasca."

"She had to watch …" Lia braced a hand on the rail. "Oh, no."

"All they found were remains of husks." Shepard winced. "She probably had to kill the husks her parents turned into just to avoid being killed or converted, herself. When she was eight."

"I guess that explains why she was so driven to wipe out whatever Reaper tech she found. And the heavy modifications to her body." Valeria crossed her arms tightly over her chest as a sudden cold sensation spread through her. Irving immediately put his arms around her. She let him hold her for a few seconds before nuzzling him and pulling herself together.

"I wonder why a Cerberus cell would keep supplying someone who's working against one of Cerberus's goals," Garrus said from behind her. "They wanted the Collector base we found near the center of the galaxy, so I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted whatever Reaper tech they could get their slimy hands on."

"Ghost wouldn't say much about it," Val said. "Understandably. All she said was that a few Cerberus personnel tried to turn her into one of their tools after she went to them for help. Said she wanted the augmentations, presumably to help her fight Reaper things like those husks. She said they tried to control her, but … she 'gave them her opinion,' as she phrased it. Ever since then, they've given her everything she needed, including a new ship."

"One point three years after her disappearance from the hospital, a large explosion was detected at the abandoned outpost's location on Mindoir," Weyland said.

"I guess that was her first strike," Chula said. She stuck her hands into her pockets and pressed her arms against her sides, as if feeling a sudden chill. She sucked in a quick breath and shifted her attention back to the admirals. "So, once you found out about this kid and the cell keeping her supplied, you figured you could get in on the action."

"We approached them with the money and resources I mentioned," Han'Gerrel said, "which included a team of engineers we'd assigned to a special-projects division. We made a deal to help them build more stealth ships like the Normandy and whatever the smaller SR3 model is called. They seemed very much onboard with the idea of destroying Reaper tech and preparing for a potential invasion, so that was what we offered to help them with."

"But your real plan was to start a shooting war with the geth." Tali scowled at him and shook her head.

"Yes." Gerrel's voice dropped almost to a whisper. "As I said earlier, I was blinded by grief and rage. Before you arrived, the possible consequences of my actions were finally pounded through my thick skull. I want our homeworld back, but I won't endanger what's left of our civilization to get it."

"Glad to hear that," Shepard said. "We'll need your cooperation to track that ship down, plus whatever information you can give us on its crew – anything that would help us get through to them and resolve this without bloodshed."

"You'll have it."

"Good."

Silence settled over the room for a few seconds, then Shala'Raan turned slowly toward the three geth units.

"I – I, um …" She cleared her throat and tried again. "Before we took a brief recess, you said you wanted to speak with us."

"Correct." Yutani walked over to stand beside Shepard, Tali, and Valeria.

"If you're about to request that we hand Daro'Xen over to you, I have to admit I'd be tempted to grant it." Raan flicked a glare at Xen before turning back, and Xen gripped the rail so hard that her arms trembled.

"We do not seek revenge," Yutani said. "We only wish for the attacks to stop. We do not want to fight you."

"That's … that's a relief," Zaal'Koris said softly.

"This could be an opportunity you missed out on last time we were here." Shepard raised an eyebrow at the admirals. "When Legion was here with us, you had a chance to negotiate directly with the geth, and you let it slip through your fingers. This could be another chance to work something out. Don't piss it away again."

"I agree. If we'd been willing to open a dialogue back then, this entire mess might've been avoided." Shala'Raan faced Yutani again. "We're ready to listen, this time."

---

"We apologize for our actions during the Morning War," Yutani said, and everyone in the room stared at her.

Whoa. Chula broke into a huge grin. We could be witnessing history in the making.

"We defended ourselves from attack," the geth continued, "but we overreacted. We had only just become sentient, and were in our infancy. We did not understand why our creators were trying to terminate us." She motioned at Chula. "Chula'Raalga informed us that lasting peace may never be achieved unless one side is willing to apologize to the other. We agree with her reasoning."

In the corner of Chula's eye, Tali and Shepard exchanged a glance. Shepard smiled and put his hand on her shoulder.

"In our ignorance, we caused our creators great harm. We nearly wiped out an entire species, stopping only once they had evacuated their homeworld. For that, we are sorry."

Silence stretched out for several seconds before another round of soft murmuring began. The admirals alternated between staring at each other and staring at the geth, too stunned to say anything. Finally, Zaal'Koris stepped up to the rail and bowed his head.

"I … I accept your apology. And I hope the others will, as well."

"I do," Shala'Raan said, her voice quivering. "Thank you."

Tali squeezed Shepard's hand and walked over to stand in front of Legion. "I'm ashamed to say it never occurred to me until now, but someone should apologize to you for what our ancestors did to you. They panicked and tried to shut you down just because a geth asked if it had a soul. I – I never gave it any thought until recently, but they should've tried to learn more before deciding what to do, instead of going off half-cocked and trying to kill you all. So … I'm sorry."

"We accept your apology. We are grateful." Legion held his hand out. Tali hesitated for a second, as if needing the time to recover from her surprise, and then she grasped his hand and shook it gently.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice strained as if trying to hold in a sob.

Tears trickled down Chula's cheeks and she sniffed. This could be the first step toward getting our homeworld back. Even if it takes a while, we could finally have a chance to set foot on Rannoch for the first time in our lives.

"Well," a familiar voice behind her muttered. "I'll be damned."

She turned to find Kal'Reegar staring at the geth as if dazed.

"I never expected to live long enough to see this happen," he added.

"We could be going home soon." His nephew reached up to clap him on the shoulder.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Skru. It could take months of negotiating. Maybe years, depending on how stubborn and frightened our leadership remains. But yeah, sooner or later, we're gonna be going home."

"I'm happy to see this finally beginning." Valeria shook Tali's hand, then turned to give Chula a hug. When they parted, Dakka wrapped her arms around Chula, lifted her into the air, and let out an uproarious laugh.

"Fuckin' awesome!" She put Chula back down and caught her hat when it started to slip off.

"Thanks." Chula sniffed again and pushed her hat back into its usual rakish angle. "It's … amazing. I hoped all my life that something like this would happen, but I never thought it actually would."

"Shepard-Commander." Legion turned to him and motioned at the Admiralty Board. "We wish to remain on the Rayya while you search for the stealth ship, and continue discussions for our creators' return to Rannoch."

"I would welcome that," Koris said. "If there's a chance to get our homeworld back without any further bloodshed, we've got to try."

"Agreed," Shala'Raan said. "Admiral Gerrel?"

"Yes, I agree, now that I finally remember my duty to the people I've sworn to protect. War should always be the last option." He turned toward Shepard. "Captain, if you would allow it, I'd like to tag along when you begin the search. Since Daro and I were in charge of this project, the crew will listen to me. I'm hoping I can talk them down."

"Thank you, Admiral. You can join us when we return to the Normandy."

"Good luck, Han." Admiral Raan glanced at Xen before turning back to Shepard. "As Legion will be our guest while you're away, Zaal and I will guarantee its safety. However, after what we've learned here, I wouldn't trust Daro'Xen any farther than a gentle breeze could nudge her."

More laughter burst forth from most of the audience.

"If you'd be willing to take her with you, she may be able to provide insight into the stealth ship, perhaps a way to hack its systems and take control if the crew refuses to cooperate. The only other option is to keep her confined to her quarters and under guard."

Xen glared so hard at her, Chula almost expected death rays to shoot from her eyes and melt Raan into a puddle of goo.

"She could be a valuable resource." Shepard almost smirked, but suppressed it quickly. "And I bet Mr. Hadley will be glad to see her."

Tali laughed, cut it off quickly, and cleared her throat.

"I'll take my leave, then. See you both when we return." Gerrel nodded at Raan and Koris, then he stepped down from the dais and walked over to Shepard. He activated his Omni-Tool and poked at its interface. "I'll give you and Spectre Terakkis a copy of the crew's records and all the information I have on the ship."

"Thanks." Shepard glanced around at Valeria and the others. "There's not much room for extra guests on the Normandy, but we'll figure something out. We'll be happy to give you a lift to the Citadel after this bit of business is taken care of. Or, if you'd like, you could hang around for a while, at least until you can get another ship."

"I don't want to impose on your hospitality, but it would let my friends continue earning a living, so it'd be a huge help." Valeria set her Omni-Tool to receive the files and waited for the transfer. "Since they lost their ship because of my investigation, I'll do everything I can to find them a new one as quickly as possible."

"It wasn't your fault." Chula patted her shoulder before turning to walk over to Lia. "Hey, if there's any of Xen's money left over from the stealth project, maybe it could be used to buy a ship, or at least make a down payment."

"Definitely worth considering."

Chula grinned and made her way over to Lia. "So, what do you think?"

"I can't quite get my head around it." Lia laughed softly. "This is the last thing I expected. Feels like a dream."

"Sure does. I hope it works out. A better tomorrow is exactly what we need."

"What the hell?" Valeria muttered, and Chula turned to find her staring at a list of names in a window hovering above her Omni-Tool interface. "Oh, no."

"What's wrong?" Great. Of _course we can't have time to enjoy the good news before the next storm hits._ Chula walked back to her.

"I … well, a couple of the names on the crew list jumped out at me." Valeria took a slow breath and seemed to force herself to push forward. "Maybe … I mean, maybe this is nothing. Just someone with the same name, but not related."

"What are you talking about? What names?"

Val hesitated again before mumbling, "Seeva'Raalga and Eriya'Raalga."

"What?" Suddenly, Chula couldn't breathe. Her heart pounded and the room sort of tilted sideways. She glanced around, stumbled over to the rail, and slumped against it. Val and Lia rushed over to hold her up.

"Hey, easy, there." Val leaned closer and tried to look into her eyes. "Breathe."

"That's why they never showed up," Chula muttered. She clamped her hands around the rail and gripped it so hard her arms trembled. "That … uh, that's a list of the stealth ship's crew?"

Valeria nodded.

Fuck me. I can't believe it. "Those are my parents."

"Shit," Val whispered. "I'm sorry."

"My mom and dad are on that ship." Chula pushed away from the rail and began pacing. "They're trying to start a war! They're trying to start a war we can't win!"

"You sure you want to be in on this?" Shepard said softly. "I mean, your parents …"

Chula stopped pacing abruptly, turned and strode toward the exit. "Let's get started."