This is the very first fanfic I have actually posted. Have written several, over the years, but never got around to uploading it. And, this is my first Mass Effect fanfic, ever, so please be nice if you review. Constructive criticism is always welcome!
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, nor are some of the plot. Most of this is speculation. This is a reunion scene between FemShep, and Liara, after a two-year absence. All characters are a creation of Bioware, taken from their game, Mass Effect 1
Hope you enjoy it!
June Shepard has been revived from a two-year, medical-induced coma. After the Normandy I was destroyed by an unknown enemy ship, most of the crew's escape pods managed to safely land on the nearby planet of Elysium in the Skyllian Verge. Shepard's damaged pod, however, floated for a few days, finally entering the orbit of another planet in the system. Cerberus monitored the whole attack. They were not responsible, but have been following Shepard's every move since she destroyed two of the group's main labs earlier in the year. Agents recovered Shepard's escape pod, and brought her to a top-secret facility, for resuscitation. It was there that they induced the coma, to repair her many injuries.
Shepard wakes up from the coma, completely healed, aided by cutting-edge medical technology Cerberus has been developing via questionable experiments on humans and races.
The Cerberus medics attending to Shepard have informed her of the accident, and caught her up to speed regarding the events from the past two years. Shepard will now be working with Cerberus to discover the threat behind the massive disappearances of human colonies around the galaxy.
With the help of two Cerberus agents, Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor, Shepard begins to track down some of the galaxy's most elite operatives. She will be going under cover, since she has been presumed dead after the attack. The first person Shepard will track down, however, is not the beautiful Thane, nor Grunt, nor Mordin, or any of the others on the list. First, she decides to pay a visit to an old friend . . .
June Shepard, Miranda and Jacob suit up, and prepare to leave the ship for Omega. To Miranda and Jacob, the target is Aria, the Crime Boss of Omega. The objective is to gain information on the whereabouts of a potential recruit, a Batarian who goes by the name Archangel. What they didn't know is that June's first objective was to reestablish contact with Liara T'soni.
The three strode into the Afterlife Club, the bar that served as a base for Aria's crime organization. Shepard paused, surveying the scene. In the corner, to the right of the main entrance, was a pair of Asari, sitting with a Turian, bent over a card game. Shepard recognized one of them as an Asari who frequented the Ambassador's Lounge on the Citadel.
Shepard said, "Why don't you two scout around for some sign of Aria? I recognize that Asari over there. I'll go over and see if she has any information."
Miranda hesitated, "Um, Shepard? See those Batarian guards upstairs? They are Aria's personal bodyguards. Why don't we stick together, and head over there--"
"Damn it; just do what I said, ok?" Shepard cut in, impatiently. "We'll meet over there in five minutes. Gawd!"
Miranda's face flushed with anger, but she bit back a reply, muttering, "Yes, ma'am." The two walked toward the bar, shooting back glances towards Shepard.
Shepard, meanwhile, strode towards the Asari, and took a seat at the nearby table, within full view.
"What the hell do you want?" The turian demanded, as soon as Shepard sat down.
"I need to speak with her," She pointed to the Asari, "if you don't mind."
"I have no idea who you are," the Asari in question said coolly, glaring back at Shepard.
Shepard inclined her head towards the group, and lowered her voice. "I'm a friend of Liara T'soni. I heard she arrived here two days ago. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Shepard's eyes flickered away, fixed on some point on the club's wall. A picture of an Asari dancer, wearing heels, which have been a popular style since humans joined the galactic community.
"Maybe we saw her, and maybe we didn't," the turian sneered, "What's it to you?"
"Well, you obviously have seen her. She's a friend, I'm looking for." Shepard slipped a credit note onto the table. "Where is she?"
"She's been in and out of here since she arrived. Met with a drell, but I'm not sure who. Word is, she has been looking for someone, too. I'm wondering if that someone is you?" The Asari seemed more interested. She racked her brains for something. "What's your name?" she demanded.
"I'd rather keep that to myself, for now," Shepard said.
"Your friends are looking for you," the Asari looked past Shepard's shoulder. "If I see T'soni, I'll tell her 'an old friend' was looking for her."
"Appreciate it," Shepard nodded at the group, and returned to Jacob and a glowering Miranda.
"Ready, Shepard?" Jacob asked.
"Sure thing. Let's go." They walked up to the two armed Batarians guarding the stairwell.
"Move along, human," the Batarian growled.
"We need to see Aria." Shepard stated firmly.
"She isn't here. It'd be a good idea to move along, before I put some holes in your armor," the Batarian threatened.
"Alright, we'll check back later. Watch your mouth, in the meantime . . ." Miranda seethed, her hand clenched around her pistol. "You're not the only one who can punch holes through armor."
Meanwhile . . . . .
Liara T'soni, after searching for two days, with no rest, decided to head into the Afterlife Club, and see if there was any new information with her contact, the drell information broker. As Liara walked down the street, the Club came into view. She was about five hundred feet away, when the door swung open, and June Shepard exited with two others. Her heart flew up into her throat. She quickened her pace, yet remaining speechless, her entire body trembling.
End of Chapter 1.