There is a gaping pit inside her swallowing, consuming, demand to fill itself with something.
Killing mercs and lowlifes has been fun, it fills her with euphoria but like everything, like life it always fades and she is left with emptiness again. She survived the suicide mission. Suicide. She never felt so much alive before, the heat of battle, Harbinger's looming shadow cast over them controlling, moving the human construct like a puppet. Shepard I know you feel this. Yes, make me feel alive again.
Everyone survived.
But she died again from inside.
Shepard thought Liara might be able to fill that void but her touch, her kiss, her passion is not as same as before.
Not now Shepard I need to find the Shadow Broker
Shadow Broker, Liara isn't the only one who has a score to settle.
They reach the ship, the Shadow Broker, the yagh, the alien who tried to sell her body falls to their gunfire.
I know your every secret while you fumble in the dark.
The voice echoes like so many others. Bouncing off inside the walls in her head. She feels naked. Vulnerable. She hates it.
She hates it more than Liara's cold touch. She hates the void, the emptiness inside her. She longs to fill it with something.
She eyes the glowing button in front of her. Liara's pained gasps are a foreign sound now distant and past.
The screen flickers red and orange. The color of warmth. Washing her cold face and her cold cold heart. Alchera's bitter chill shifts and shrinks to a dark corner like a beaten child.
Shadow Broker this is operative Murat. We had a momentarily connection failure. Can you confirm status?
More voices join, name after name, places after places washing over her like sun. Her eyes widen momentarily taking in all those numbers, all those names.
She does not hesitate.
This is the Shadow Broker, we were attacked but the situation is under control
Words slip out of her mouth like flood, she cannot control them, not even when that Drell barges in with a gun raised.
In light of the security breach I am making some changes. All surveillance and intelligence operations can continue as normal
She looks back. She see the Drell helping Liara up. Liara. Who's face is marred with hurt and betrayal but she cannot find herself to care now.
Maybe a small part of herself deep buried still remembers.
All assassinations in fact anything with a body count stops now. No exceptions. Shadow Broker out.
She switches off the channel and the burden of what she has done falls like dead weight. Liara is in front of her. Crying. Demanding an explanation. At least she is paying attention to her now, a rebellious part of her enjoys hurting the Asari. Soaking all the emotions on her blue face so she might never forget.
Feron, the Drell. He worked for the previous Broker. Now he works for her. Liara is livid but again she does not care. The cold, the emptiness is creeping back. They have no choice she tells them. The reapers are coming and with that she snatches the Drell from Liara.
Liara who is left with nothing. First Shepard, then her revenge now Freon too. She feels alone. Empty. Like when her mother died but then there was Shepard to comfort her. Now that little warmth is slipping away day by day. She had hoped Shepard would come back same. But she has not. Shepard is crueler now. Cold. Maybe it is she who has changed. She does not know anymore.
Liara turn on her heels, trying to stop the incoming tears. Shepard goes back to the glowing console. The emptiness is back again. She cannot bear it for much longer.
"Your mother was right."
Shepard speaks. Liara stills.
"No light. They always said there would be light but in the end there was nothing."