June 14 2189 (7 days to go)
The entire crew of the Normandy, save the Commander and Liara, met in secret on the lower decks.
"Is everything ready?" asked Garrus.
"Yes," came the reply from the shadow that was Kasumi Goto. "Between myself and EDI we've managed to find out what Shep and Liara are preparing for next week. Our plan should go off without a hitch."
"Excellent, they'll never know what hit them. Is everyone clear on their assignments then?" There was a general nodding of heads. There was no need to say it out loud, just in case. Shepard and Liara would have their heads mounted next to the galaxy map if they knew what their crew was planning.
June 16 2189 (5 days to go)
Shepard stretched as she woke up, giving her pleasant moans that accompanied the movement, disturbing her bondmate sleeping next to her.
"Mmm, good morning," the asari mumbled, lazily manoeuvring herself into position to give Shepard a light kiss.
"And to you my darling. So, excited about next week?"asked Illyria as she stood up and stretched some more.
"Yes, very much," replied Liara, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she stood as well. Shepard could stop herself staring at the way the light from the fish tank played so delightfully over Liara's naked form. Her mouth hung open, still trying to believe that the asari was her bondmate, signified by the matching woven bracelets each of them wore on their wrists.
Liara noticed shepard staring at her, so she stretched her arms over her head and arched her back slightly, teasing Illyria with the way that move accentuated her naked breasts.
"Something on your mind, my love?" she asked coyly.
"Just wondering how I managed to end up with such a ravishing beauty as you," replied Illyria, hands tracing Liara's sides, feather-light touches driving the asari to distraction.
"So," Liara said, dropping her arms and pinning Illyria's hands to her side. "Do you think they suspect anything?"
"The crew? They probably do, but what they suspect and what they can prove are two entirely different things." Illyria looked deeply into Liara's blue eyes. "Right now though, can we just keep it between us? I kind of like the fact that I can finally have a secret of my own to reveal to them, rather than the other way around."Her hands began stroking Liara's body, making the asair gasp slightly. "Besides, I think you're talking far too much for someone who just woke up."
"Oh, and do you think you have a way to fix that?"
"I just might," replied Shepard with a mischievous grin.
She wasn't about to tell Liara, because it would cause her to melt with embarrassment and then kill Illyria, but her human lover had finally gotten around to looking at some of the material Aethyta had given them just before their honeymoon. And now, Shepard was very interested to see just how much would work on Liara. They both fell back onto the bed, kissing each other passionately while their hands roamed over naked flesh.
A few minutes later, the entire ship could hear the echoes of Liara reaching the high notes.
June 20 (1 day to go)
The crew convened once again in secret. There was only one day left to go, but the plan needed to change. Even though it was risky, and it decreased the chances it would work to their advantage, Shepard and Liara had forced their hand. Dr Chakwas had called the meeting, saying there was something important about the targets that needed to be considered.
"Karin, what's the new information?" asked Garrus, the unofficial leader of their plan. He'd come up with it, and convinced the crew individually to join in on it. But if it was discovered before it was executed, then he would receive the brunt of the punishment.
"Well, I don't have to tell you that whatever Shepard has discovered, Liara is certainly enjoying it," replied the Doctor.
"Yeah, I just want to know what it is!" exclaimed Joker. "I mean, if the Commander is holding out on the secret to pleasing women like that, then... well, let's just say I feel better about what we're planning for tomorrow."
"Jeff's comment notwithstanding, whatever Shepard is doing to her bondmate is causing significant stress on her vocal chords. She's been coming to me, and in my capacity as a doctor I have been treating it, but since they haven't actually stopped the source, I can only slow the symptoms."
There was an audible snore from Jack, the most irritable and volatile of the crew in on the plan.
"Could you get to the point Doc?"
"Very well, at the current rate, Liara will completely lose her voice tomorrow." Everyone's head jerked at that news.
"Are you sure?" asked Traynor timidly. "Is it permanent?"
"I'm sure. And thankfully, it won't cause any permanent damage. In fact, it'll probably be good for her in the long run, once her throat adjusts. But for tomorrow at least, she will be completely unable to speak." There was a mass breakout of smiles among those gathered.
"Well, I think we all know what that means. The plans goes ahead, we just need to tweak a few details," said Garrus. He brought up his omni-tool and scanned it for a moment, before coming across what he was looking for. He sent the information through to all their omni-tool so they could read it in private. "Alright, I've sent through the new information and how we're going to use this to our advantage. You all have your assignments for tomorrow, though we won't get a chance to practice. So let's go out there and break a leg!"
June 21 ( Go Time)
Illyria had been on the verge of cancelling all day. Liara's voice was completely gone, so her plan to sing her favourite duet with her partner tonight was totally ruined. But Liara had been adamant, if completely silent, as she argued that today was special, and they had been planning it for months now. So if the only change was that Illyria would be singing solo tonight instead of a duet, then so be it. Nothing was going to stop their anniversary date short of Liara dropping into a coma, and even then only maybe.
So it was that the two of them, dressed in their finest, turned up for their reservation at Sky Blue, one of the fanciest, fashionable and less crowded restaurants on Nevos. It was one of the only fine dining places that had a live band most nights, but the music was never loud or overpowering. It was always impeccably tasteful, and tonight there was a single drell gently crooning away, fingers tinkling the keyboard of the grand piano. Illyria and Liara sat down, soaking in the atmosphere and enjoying their anniversary dinner.
Unnoticed by the couple, their every move was being closely watched. If they had been looking at the right place at the right time, they would have seen the glint of reflected light off a pair of binoculars. Binoculars being held in a pair of turian talons.
"Eyes on target, they have entered the restaurant. Is everyone in position?" he received a chorus of affirmative responses. "Good, I'm moving into position. Kasumi, I need you to keep an eye on them."
"Copy that, I have eyes on. Awaiting go order." Garrus nodded at the setup of a brilliant plan, and then moved to get himself into position.
He walked up to the alley entrance of the restaurant and tapped on the manager's window. He'd arranged to meet here several minutes earlier, but had trouble getting across without being seen by Shepard or Liara. As he waited he hoped that the manager hadn't gone elsewhere, but soon enough the door was opened and the asari owner welcomed him inside.
"Thank you. I hope I can still count on your co-operation, Miss T'Nara," he said as he stepped inside.
"Have no fear on that count. Your generous donation is all the thanks I need. Now, I've set you up in the red room. You'll find everything you requested in there. Now, I have to get back to my duties. I'll give you the signal when everything is ready."
She turned and walked a few steps away, before saying something over her shoulder.
"I hope you're friends appreciate this," she said, before disappearing into through a door that lead to the restaurant proper. He walked over to the back door to let everyone else in, who were patiently waiting outside.
"Alright, follow me into the red room. The manager will let us know when to proceed, but I've still got Kasumi out there keeping an eye on them. Everyone ready?"
"As ready as we're ever going to be," complained Joker. "Let me in, I need to sit down." All of them filed in, except for Kasumi who was hiding in the restaurant itself, keeping an eye on their targets.
The meal itself was lovely, and the drell singer had even played their favourite song when he heard that there was an anniversary being celebrated. He thankfully didn't draw attention to them, because neither of them wanted the spotlight tonight. They lived their lives in the spotlight, tonight was just about being normal and blending in with everyone else, being normal people. As they waited for desert, the drell finished his set, and said he'd be back later.
Sheard smiled at Liara. Though she' hadn't said anything through the meal, her smile itself was enough for Illyria. They didn't get chances like this very often, they got mobbed by the press and their fans on almost every world they visited. They held their hands and just stared into each others' eyes for a moment, until they were broken out of the reverie by a waiter asking if they would care for dessert. The pair ordered the daily special, as the waiter had recommended it highly. What neither of them suspected is that their waiter was actually Galre T'Nara, the owner and manager and co-conspirator in Garrus' plot.
As soon as the manager left, Kasumi got on the line to Garrus.
"They've just ordered dessert, and it looks like the manager is headed your way."
"Copy that. Last chance to back out and spare yourselves the pain if this doesn't work," he said over the open channel. Silence was his only response until Tali spoke.
"We're all in this together Vakarian, though we will of course push you to the front when Shepard is handing out the punishments." As she finished the door opened and T'Nara came in to inform them that it was go-time.
As their dessert, a layered cheesecake-like dish that glowed slightly with the addition of luminescent icing, was brought to them, all the houselights were turned down low. There was the suggestion of movement from the stage, though it was too dark to make it out.
"Percussion." The single word called across the restaurant from a deep bass voice on stage, currently in the dark. At the word, a single spotlight was turned on as a gentle bongo beat began to fill the air at the word. Shepard and Liara couldn't quite make out who was doing it, given the drastic change in light levels. They could make out a man in an impeccable tuxedo seated on a chair and playing the small drums, but the face was hidden behind a black fedora.
"Strings." A second spotlight on the stage as a human woman in a floor length black dress cane into view, her dark olive arms holding an ancient wooden violin, her face temporarily obscured by the instrument as she began to coax out a gentle counter to the bongo beat.
"Winds." A third spotlight opened, revealing another woman in a black dress, a much different style by still fitting with the trend as she began to play a flute, her red hair falling over her face and hiding it from the patrons.
"Words," came the voice again, the spotlight turning on to reveal a turian in shiny black formal wear, a black fedora on his head as well. Now that she could see them all clearly, she could tell from the navy markings on the turian's face that it was Garrus, meaning that the rest of them on stage were Joker, Traynor and Kelly. She had a bad feeling about this, tonight was supposed to be just about Illyria and Liara.
There you see her
Sitting there across the way
She don't got a lot to say
But there's something about her
And you don't know why
But you're dying to try
You wanna kiss the girl
As much as Shepard wanted to give Garrus, and whoever was in on this plan with him, one hell of a punishment, he couldn't fault him on the song choice or the setup so far. They had kept Shepard out of it, and by the end of the first verse, Shepard was looking deeply into Liara's eyes, smiling a little as she saw the asari's cheeks darken and feeling her own reciprocating. The soft light emanating from their deserts only made her look more attractive to Illyria as she started to smile like a teenager at her first crush.
Yes, you want her
Look at her, you know you do
It's possible she wants you, too
There is one way to ask her
It don't take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss the girl
As he got into the second verse, Garrus began wandering though the tables, spending a little time at the ones were couples were obviously enjoying their evenings, sometimes standing behind the woman and looking over her shoulder at the partner, as if it was them he was doing it for. Shepard hardly even noticed when a pair of blue-flame candles appeared on her table, adding to the ethereal glow of Liara's beautiful face.
Sing with me now
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
My, oh, my
Look at the boy too shy
He ain't gonna kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Ain't that sad
Ain't it shame, too bad
You gonna miss the girl
As he got to the chorus, a more blue candles identical to the ones now on Shepard's table burst into life, each one held by one of the Normandy crew dressed in tasteful black formal wear as they joined in as background singers. Then a soft blue highlight was shone down on them, singling them out. Illyria shot a quick look towards the lighting booth, and saw EDI at the controls, who smiled down at them. Now Garrus made no pretence about other couples, walking directly over to the two of them.
Now's your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon
Boy, you better do it soon
No time will be better
She don't say a word
And she won't say a word
Until you kiss the girl
The last line was almost a whisper, before he took off towards the centre of the stage for the final chorus. Shepard had initially felt rather angry with Garrus for this, but she couldn't deny he had hit the mood just right, because the whole restaurant seemed to be getting in with the vibe, there were a lot of very wide smiles. So she just took Liara's hand and watched as he built it up to the climax, now with Vega taking up a trumpet.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don't be scared
You got the mood prepared
Go on and kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don't stop now
Don't try to hide it how
You wanna kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Float along
Listen to the song
The song say kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Music play
Do what the music say
You wanna kiss the girl
As they finished the song, each of the Normandy crew drew out a single rose and presented it to any couple they could reach, with the rest of them going to Illyria and Liara. Then they all hung around expectantly.
"Fine Garrus, you win," muttered Illyria loud enough for him to hear. She stood up, taking Liara's hand and pulling her up as well, before embracing her tightly and giving her a passionate kiss. As they finally came up for air they felt the eyes of the entire restaurant on them, before there was an outpouring of applause. After a few minutes of this, Garrus tapped the microphone to get attention.
"Hey everyone, We'd just like to dedicate this song to two very good friends of ours. Liara, Illyria, you've been my best friends for years now, as well as a mentor, a shoulder to lean on and a kick in the ass when I needed it most. I look at the two of you together and I wonder if there is a more perfect love to be found in the galaxy. The way you two love each other is inspiring. So, on behalf of myself and the crew, I want to wish you both nothing but the best for the future. Happy Anniversary." This brought up another round of applause and another kiss between the happy couple.
"Good Evening all, I'm Garrus Vakarian, and tonight you all have the singular opportunity to be entertained by the cast of Normandy Entertainment. I'm sure that you've heard of us. We'll be here for a while, and we'll be taking requests. I might even be able to persuade our beneficent Commander here into joining me, how about that?" There was a cheer of enthusiastic agreement from the assembled patrons.