Ascension

'The quest for knowledge sent me away from my people; now the discovery of wisdom has brought me back.'

There was a long pause as the patrol relayed the exchange back to the Tesleya, somewhere deep inside the flotilla, for confirmation. Kahlee's palms were sweating, and her mouth felt dry. She swallowed hard in the silence and held her breath. Grayson's shuttle was built for speed and long- distance travel; it had no weapons, no GARDIAN defense systems, and virtually no armor on its hull. If Lemm had mixed up the alert and all-clear codes, or if something else went wrong, the patrol would tear them apart in seconds.

'The Tesleya welcomes you home, Lemm' came the reply, and Kahlee let her breath out in a long, low sigh of relief.

'Tell them it's good to be back,' he responded, then added, 'I need to contact the Idenna'

Again there was a long pause, but this time Kahlee didn't feel the same unbearable tension as she waited.

'Sending coordinates and hailing frequencies for the Idenna' they finally replied.

Lemm verified receipt of the message, then disconnected the comm channel. They continued their approach to the Fleet, and the single giant red blob on the nav screens became countless tiny red pixels jammed so close together Kahlee wondered how the vessels they represented avoided crashing into each other.

Moving with a steady, expert hand their quarian pilot maneuvered them into the mass of ships, working his way slowly toward where the Idenna floated along with the rest of quarian society. Twenty minutes later he flicked the comm channels open again and sent out a hailing call.

'This is Lemm'Shal nar Tesleya requesting permission to dock with the Idenna'

'This is the Idenna. Your request is granted. Proceed to docking bay three.'

Lemm's trifingered hands flew over the controls, making the necessary adjustments to bring them in. Two minutes later they felt the slight bump as docking clamps fastened onto their ship to hold it in place, followed by a sharp clang as a universal airlock connected to the airlock of their own ship.

'I'm requesting a security and quarantine team,' Lemm said into the comm channel. 'Make sure they wear their enviro-suits. The ship is not clean.'

'Request confirmed. The teams are on the way.'

The quarian had warned them about this, too. The quarantine team was a necessary step whenever a new vessel was first brought into the flotilla. The quarians couldn't risk bacteria, viruses, or other impurities from former nonquarian owners accidentally being released into the flotilla.

Similarly, requesting a security team to inspect your ship upon first arrival was considered a common courtesy among the quarian people — it showed you had nothing to hide. Typically, the team would come aboard, introductions would be exchanged, and no search would ever actually be conducted.

However, this situation was as far from typical as it could get. In the three hundred years of their exile, no nonquarian had ever set foot on a flotilla ship. As much as Lemm wanted to bring Kahlee before the captain of the Idenna, it simply wasn't in his power. And the unexpected sight of humans on a ship that had slipped past the Fleet's patrols was likely to cause shock and alarm.

There was no protocol for this unprecedented event, but Lemm had explained that there were procedures that could be followed to minimize the risk to both the crew of the Idenna and the humans on board the shuttle.

'Let's go meet our guests,' Lemm said, standing up awkwardly on his injured leg. 'Remember, just stay calm and everything will be fine. We just need to take it slow.'

The four of them made their way into the passenger cabin, and the three humans sat down in the seats. Lemm made his way to the airlock to greet the security and quarantine teams coming on board.

Again, Kahlee felt the stress of being forced to sit and wait. What if Lemm was wrong about how the other quarians would react to their presence? What if somebody saw the humans and panicked? They were putting a lot of faith in someone who was, technically, not even an adult yet in the eyes of his own people.

I think he's earned a hit of trust after everything he's done for us.

Kahlee couldn't argue with the infallible logic of her own mind, but it did little to quell her fears. She could hear voices coming from the airlock, though they were too far away to pick up what was being said. One of the voices was rising, either in anger or fear. Someone — it sounded like Lemm, though she couldn't be sure — was trying to calm the upset speaker down. And then there were footsteps coming through the airlock and into the ship.

A few seconds later four masked quarians, one female and three males, entered the passenger cabin, armed with assault rifles. The one in front, the female, actually did a double take on seeing the humans, then turned back over her shoulder to speak to Lemm, who was standing just behind them.

'I thought you were joking,' she said. 'I really thought you were joking.'

'This is unbelievable,' one of the others muttered.

'What were you thinking?' the female, clearly the one in charge, wanted to know. 'They could be spies!'

'They're not spies,' Lemm insisted. 'Don't you recognize the woman? Look closely.'

The three humans sat silently as the female quarian stepped up to get a better look. 'No… it can't be. What's your name, human?'

'Kahlee Sanders.'

There was an involuntary gasp from the other quarians, and Kahlee thought she heard Lemm chuckle.

'My name is Isli'Feyy vas Idenna,' the female quarian said, bowing her head in what seemed to be a gesture of respect. 'It's an honor to meet you. These are my ship mates, Ugho'Qaar vas Idenna, Erdra'Zando vas Idenna, and Seeto'Hodda nar Idenna.'

Kahlee bowed her head in return. 'These are my friends, Hendel Mitra and Gillian Grayson. We are honored to be here.'

'I brought Kahlee here so she could speak to the captain,' Lemm interjected. 'This meeting is my gift to the Idenna.'

Isli glanced over at Lemm, then turned her mask back to Kahlee.

'Forgive me, Kahlee Sanders, but I cannot permit you to board the Idenna. That decision must come from the captain, and he will want to consult with the ship's civilian council before deciding.'

'So what are you saying?' Hendel asked, judging the mood to be calm enough for others to join into the conversation. 'We have to leave?'

'We cannot allow you to leave yet, either,' Isli told him after a moment's consideration. 'Not without the captain's approval. Your shuttle must stay here in the dock, and you must stay aboard your own vessel until a ruling is reached on this matter.'

'How long will that take?' Kahlee asked.

'A few days, I would guess,' Isli answered.

'We're going to need some supplies,' Hendel said. 'Food, primarily. Human food.'

'And they will need suitable enviro-suits when the captain finally decides to let them onto the ship,' Lemm added, taking the optimistic view.

'We will make every effort to accommodate your needs,' Isli told them. 'We don't have any stores of nonquarian food aboard the Idenna, but we will contact the other ships to see what we can find.'

She turned once more to Lemm. 'You will have to come with me. The captain will want to speak to you in person.' Then she turned back to the humans. 'Remember, you are not to leave the confines of this vessel. Either Ugho or Seeto will be posted outside your airlock at all times. If you need anything, they can help you.'

And with that, the quarians, including Lemm, left them alone. A minute later they heard a loud clang as the door to the Idenna's external airlock slammed shut, sealing them inside the shuttle.

'Hmph,' Hendel grunted, 'that's a hell of a way to treat a celebrity.'