I do not own Mass Effect. Well, technically I do, but just a copy, not the franchise, and I don't own the rights to anything. There. Point made.
Liara gazed at the screen in front of her. It wasn't one of her usual ones, connected to her Shadow Broker information network. No, this was her personal private screen, for moments when she wanted to go online as herself. Not the Shadow Broker, but just Liara T'soni. It had been seeing a great deal more use than usual over the last few months.
Liara thought back to how this had all started, how she'd wound up in the complicated situation she was now in.
Being the Shadow Broker was time-consuming, difficult, and incredibly rewarding. Even after three and a half decades of commanding the galaxy's secrets, the thrill had yet to fade. Liara was easily the second most powerful person in the galaxy, capable of manipulating individuals and nations with equal ease. She'd dedicated a significant portion of her resources to the reconstruction of the galaxy after the destruction of the Reapers, and if the reconstruction had allowed her even greater access to the secrets of the galaxy than before, well who could blame her for taking advantage of the benefits of her own generosity? The only person who could wield more power than Liara was of course her old Commander.
Commander Shepard, she who held the titles of the Hero of the Citadel, Conqueror of the Collectors, Savior of the Rachni, Hero of the Krogan, Patron of the Quarians, Liberator of the Geth, and the Protector of the Galaxy. Shepard might never acknowledge it, but if she so much as asked, the entire galaxy would move for her, which was just one more reason Liara was more than happy to count Shepard among her closest friends.
It was thoughts of Shepard that had prompted Liara's course of action. For all that being the Shadow Broker was rewarding, Liara could not shake the sense that something was missing from her life. Something important that could not be filled with secrets and data. It was not until she saw Shepard and Kaiden with their daughter that she realized what it was.
Liara was lonely.
Ruling the galaxy alone from her lair was a thrill, but doing it alone had grown tiresome. She needed that sense of connection, of contact. Not necessarily love, but someone she could speak with, who would see her, not the Shadow Broker. So, for the first time in many years, Liara had started up her private account. Liara T'soni emerged onto the extranet without fanfare or notice. Seeking individuals to speak with, she found her way into several extranet chatrooms. The results were somewhat mixed as Liara found both polite and friendly discussion and flame wars aplenty. Still, the contact soothed the itch in her soul. Who knew simply being able to speak to others freely was so liberating?
And then came the cause of her current situation. A user who went by the tag "Shepardling001" caught Liara's eye. The tag was nothing unusual. The number of usernames containing the word "Shepard" was in the billions. Trillions, if one counted all the inactive ones. The number associated with people actually named Shepard was in the high millions, what with how popular Shepard had become as a baby name in the years following the destruction of the Reapers. No, it wasn't the tag. It was the person. Something about the way they spoke caught Liara's attention, pulling her in.
Then Liara discovered that the feeling was mutual. Brief interactions turned into hours-long conversations. Eventually, one of them crossed the line into flirting, and the other had reciprocated. Things had escalated from there.
Liara knew she could have found the identity of the other person quite easily, but she did not want to. All she knew was that Shepardling001 was a human woman in her late twenties. And that was enough. The appeal of the mystery, the allure of the unknown, the excitement of wondering who she was speaking with, they were too good to let simple curiosity destroy. So she had stayed ignorant.
That ignorance had been threatened by the message Liara was staring at. Shepardling001 had asked Liara if she would like to meet face-to-face for a real-life date.
Liara was simultaneously thrilled and terrified.
On the one hand, she'd already established that she quite enjoyed speaking with the other woman. On the other, a face to face meeting, a date... The sheer amount of risk that held for her was staggering. Liara was afraid. What if she didn't live up to the other's expectations? What if she scared them off? Liara T'soni was a well known public figure, after all. There was so much risk.
But the potential reward...
Liara swallowed her fear and started typing.
That sounds excellent. Where should we meet?
There's a nice restaurant on the Citadel I like. Shepardling001 sent back. The Red Letter.
I am familiar with it. Liara sent back. Shepard's daughter had celebrated her twenty first birthday there. I could meet you there two weeks from now if you would like.
Great! I'll be the red haired one wearing a blue scarf.
I'll look forward to it. Liara sent. See you in two weeks.
See you then!
Liara powered down her screen. She was taking a risk. She knew she was, but the excitement rushing through her would not be denied. She needed to visit the Citadel anyways. It had been a while since she'd spoken to her old Commander. It was high time she reconnected anyways. She's stop by the house Shepard and Alenko had on the Citadel, then head to her date.
"It's always nice to see you, Liara," Shepard said. For a human in her sixties, Shepard was in remarkable health, something Liara attributed the numerous machines inside the woman's body. "Sit down, it's been too long since we've had the chance to talk."
"Thank you, Shepard," Liara said, sitting down on one of Shepard's comfortable arm chairs. The legend herself sprawled comfortably across her couch.
"So, how's my favorite Asari?" Shepard asked.
"Doing quite well," Liara said. "The information business never dies."
"So you've told me," Shepard said. "You are using your powers for good though, right?"
"Of course," Liara said. "It's a shame Kaiden's not here."
"I know," Shepard said. "Apparently they just had to send him to Palaven to negotiate the new trade treaty."
"Old soldiers never die," Liara prompted.
"They just get reassigned to diplomatic positions," Shepard said, completing the joke. "That's my joke you know."
"I am the Shadow Broker," Liara said. "Every single thought you've ever had is mine, just as everyone else's is."
Shepard laughed. "I think you've let power go to your head, Liara."
"Perhaps," Liara said. "How is Ashley doing?"
"Just fine," Shepard said. Talking about her daughter always filled her with pride. "She just got her masters in mass effect science, and she's been working on the Relay project."
"She was always ambitious," Liara said. "Of course she'd want to be involved in the creation of the first new Relay."
"Exactly," Shepard said with a grin. "Oh, and I'm pretty sure she's hit her Asari phase, so watch yourself around her."
"Asari phase?" Liara asked, quirking a non-existent eyebrow.
"Yeah," Shepard said. "Like how your dad used to talk about Asari hitting their Hanar phase? Ash is hitting her Asari phase."
"Really?" Liara asked. "And what's your opinion on this?"
"It's hard watching her grow up," Shepard admitted. "Still, if she finds someone to love who can love her in return, then I'm happy for her."
"Isn't that what we all want?" Liara said.
"Maybe," Shepard said. "By the way, what's up with you? You're the strangest combination of happy and twitchy right now. What's bugging you?"
"Nothing," Liara said. "I just have a meeting later today."
"Sorry, Liara, but I'm not buying it," Shepard said. "What's really on your mind?"
"Alright, fine," Liara said. "I could never lie to you anyways."
"Nope," Shepard agreed cheerfully. "So what's up?"
"I... met someone," Liara said. "And I'm meeting her for a date later today."
"Really? Good for you!" Shepard said. "Good to see being the creepy information broker hasn't turned you into a complete shut-in. What's she like?"
"Human," Liara said. "We met on the extranet, and we've never met in person before."
"First date jitters then," Shepard said. "Now I see why you're so twitchy."
"A bit," Liara admitted. Her omnitool chimed. "That would be my cue."
"Good luck," Shepard said. "Knock 'em out."
"I'll do my best, though perhaps not literally," Liara said with a smile. "I'll see you again, Shepard."
"Make sure you come by when Kaiden's around sometime," Shepard said.
"I will," Liara said, getting to her feet. "Well, I should go."
"That's my line!" Shepard said.
"Shadow Broker," Liara reminded her old friend as she headed for the door.
Liara arrived at The Red Letter a good fifteen minutes early. She hadn't needed to, but being early seemed like the thing to do. She glanced around, looking for her date and instead found a familiar face.
"Hey, Aunt Liara," Ashley Alenko said. She had her red hair done up in a braid and was wearing the scarf Jack had given her when she was fifteen. The blue piece of cloth went everywhere with Ashley. Liara wasn't certain it was still the same scarf, but knowing Ashley, smart money said it was the same. "What are you doing here?" Ashley asked.
"Hello Ashley," Liara said. "I'm looking for someone, but it looks like she hasn't shown up yet. What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for someone," Ashley said. "An Asari I met."
"Oh, yes, your mother said something about you entering your Asari phase," Liara said.
"Maybe," Ashley said. "I don't think it's just pheromones though."
"Oh, why's that?" Liara asked.
"I've never actually met her face to face yet," Ashley said. "Tonight's going to be our first date."
Liara blinked. Then looked around. Then looked Ashley up and down. Then buried her face in her hands. "Well, shit," Liara swore.
"Something wrong?" Ashley asked. Liara wasn't usually one for profanity.
"Yes," Liara said, her voice muffled by her hands. "Turns out you are the one I came here looking for."
"What?" Ashley said. "What are you- oh. Oh. Oh, shit."
"Exactly," Liara said. "Your mother's going to kill me for this."
A/N: So originally this was supposed to be a silly one-off that came out of some random thoughts about the aging differences between Asari and humans. Then people kept asking for part two, and that changed.