This is my first Mass Effect fanfiction; so let me know how I did.

Background: My Shepard is female, Spacer, Sole Survivor, Paragon with a teeny hint of Renegade, romanced Liara and stayed loyal, although did some harmless flirting with Kelly, just for the hell of it. The first name I picked was Zelda, but it is written so that you can insert your own version of Shepard.

This is kind of an alternate take leading up to the Shadow Broker DLC, which was awesome! Best DLC in the game, much better than Overlord and Arrival.

Anyway, enjoy this mildly copyright infringing story in which all characters, locations, etc. belong to Bioware. They can't sue me if I admit that, right?

"Kill the krogan."

"Understood. Thank you, Shepard,"

Liara then abruptly hung up on her. Commander Shepard, Adept, hero of the Citadel, and apparently, personal hacker for a local asari information broker, shook her head tiredly. She hoped she had chosen the correct suspect.

Liara was so much different now; the cold, calculated merchant of intel sitting in that office was so unlike the clumsy, innocent archaeologist that Shepard had once known. Once meaning a few weeks ago. For her at least, but Shepard had to keep reminding herself that for everyone else, it had been two years.

She and her squad returned to the office to find that the krogan was not the Observer. ' Well, great, ' she thought, ' that was all for nothing, and I'm no closer to finding out what the hell happened that made Liara so… cold. She reminds me of Lawson!'

They left Liara's office to return to the Normandy, with Shepard a cataclysm of emotional distress. She was annoyed and angry at Liara for being so consumed with her petty quest for revenge; also hurt, because aside from the brief, hesitant kiss when they were first reunited, Liara had treated her like nothing more than an old comrade. Shepard was scared, because of the woman Liara had become, using her closest friends to help her settle a grudge against the Shadow Broker, without saying why the grudge was there in the first place! And if the Broker fell, would this strange and frightening demeanor go with him, returning the archaeologist within?

Shepard sighed. It was time for a drink.

-x-x-x-

From: Unknown

Subject: None

Execute order 88. Do not terminate subject until instructed by operative 1.

Discreetly, Nyxeris closed down her terminal for the day.

"Is there anything else you require from me this evening, Dr. T'Soni?"

"Just forward any remaining intel on the other four suspects, in case they emerge again." Liara did not look up from her terminal as she said this, or else she might have noticed the biotically charged plant hurtling towards her from the left side of the office.

"Of course, Dr. T'Soni." Nyxeris replied as Liara collapsed from her desk.

TBC

I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite review button on the Citadel.