A/N: This doesn't mean I have abandoned my crossover fic, worry not, I just had this idea and it's a bit of a noisy child. If I write it, it gets quieter. Also, I will take liberties on nearly everything that Bioware did not outright specify for canon. This will be an After ME3 fic. Buckle up! Free Will Sacrifice is copywrite Amon Amarth.

Ch. 1- We Sacrifice Them, One by One

Now, months after the end of the war, the pain was still very much raw. Vermillion energies forever etched circuit pathways into the flesh and form of all life in the galaxy. For a brief, dumbfounding moment, every creature paused. Reaper convert and free willed alike looked upon themselves and their opponent with a sense of awe that could only be compared to a newborn observing the world.

But even after the Reapers were made benevolent and began to aid the survivors of the war to rebuild, old organic tendencies flared up again. Even with the understanding, the new connectivity one life could experience with another, the change was too much. Every race, known and unknown, was now split again, one half embracing the new Synthesis form of life, the other rejecting it.

All of this was immaterial for one devastated asari. Liara T'Soni. Doctor of Science. Shadow Broker. Lover of one Commander Shepard, now presumably deceased. After the end of the war, the end of her bondmate, Liara was depressed. Fits of rage one moment and broken down crying herself to sleep. When she wasn't fighting. It was honestly surprising that there was fighting on her homeworld once more. Were there really that many asari left to try and wipe themselves out?

And yet, as she looked out over the scarred cityscape of Armali, she could see the fire fights. She was a part of a group of commandoes and veterans of the war being shuttled to the city's operating hospital; a large sprawling complex that had weathered the Reapers, now under threat from the asari. Those that resisted the change, a minority that had yet to coalesce under a name or banner, was regardless in their revolt against those who had accepted it.

To Liara, at this moment, they were no better than the Reaper converts. The last few weeks were proof of that; she had been merciless and was medevac'd every time she went to fight. She said it was helping. High Command had to agree, despite whatever personal misgivings there were. She was fighting the moment she landed back on Thessia, the maiden inspiring fear in those that looked upon her. Such was her anger and grief.

Once the shuttle touched down, all the occupants in the cabin crouched, as the revolting asari were known for employing snipers, and as the door opened, a few blind shots impacted the inside of the cabin. A brief glance told her they didn't lose anyone this time. Then they rushed out, ushered to a command post where they were ordered to support an infiltration team to fight into the hospital. Part of it fell to the revolting group, but security was slowing them down considerably. They just needed a coordinated push out of the building and into the hands of authorities.

Or a swift execution, Liara thought darkly.

A few minutes later they were at the base of one of the hospital's entrances. In seconds they were to breach a sealed door and push in. She was wearing a composition of armor, pieced together from whatever she could get her hands on, and what her agents could reroute to her. The Broker Network was in disarray, but not broken.

Everyone checked their weapons one last time, Liara knew she had plenty of ammo for her Phalanx pistol. She could pick up an SMG or a battle rifle inside. It was odd she could field so many weapons now, but it made it easier for her to vent rage on targets down range. The door was triggered, opened and the small group rushed in. The ground floor was wrecked, blast marks, debris, and bodies. She was tired of seeing this scene all over Thessia.

As the group eased down the corridor, no sound was uttered. No dying wails, no fires burning. They picked their way toward the central tower, so common in asari architecture, and passed the elevators and to the emergency stairs. This was a risk, so confined and prone to traps, but they needed access to the upper levels of the building. Tense minutes saw them safely up five floors, where they could hear fighting. Despite the debris, the now dying bodies, the fire suppression system engaged, they were quiet.

Down a hall a group of the opposition was cutting through a blast door. In a hospital of all places, Liara mused as the group took positions. Behind some cover or in the open, the lead commando ordered the surrender. "Lay down your arms and you go home. You fight, you die." Short and to the point, matching everyone's humor at that moment. The opponents were mostly matrons, asari of some considerable skill. A maiden looked incredibly nervous, she likely was here against her will. Maybe spare that one.

Their answer was a snarl, and two dropped to a knee to shoulder assault rifles and fire. One tried to form a barrier around her cohorts, but a sharpshooter killed her, and when the revolting paused to assess her status, the rest were cut down. Liara personally threw heavy debris and sharp shards of glass into them, neutralizing them as a threat. Rising from cover, the commandos and Shadow Broker moved up, ensuring the dead were dead. The maiden was wounded, profusely apologizing and begging forgiveness. She received a little of the medi-gel they could spare.

Liara stared at her for a long moment. I may be her age. Or a little younger. Goddess, what has happened to me? Three years, and I already feel a thousand years old. Introspection over, she continued to follow the commandos as they opened the door enough to pass through. It was friendly territory, for now. The hospital was in the middle of being cleaned up and re-commissioned from the war, but now that was likely delayed now. She tuned out the lead commando and doctor talking, pausing to look over the unlit corridor and reception area.

It would prove costly. Ironically, as she was drifting miles away from the situation, the main force of the revolting asari were coming through the reception area, getting the jump on the commandos. They had survived the war only to be cut down by raving lunatics. Liara took cover by a close-by patient room doorframe, but was thrown back as a rocket excavated the wall and throwing her further into the room. She was not critically injured, but in shock now. They were messy, these revolt- happy, clearly ungrateful for their lives asari, but the application of a rocket launcher was a messy affair without regard to skill.

The asari with aforementioned launcher sauntered into the room, leering down at the bleeding and subtly glowing Liara. She was trying to raise a barrier, but, as she tremored on the floor, it seemed much more difficult that it should have been. The matron had said something, but with her 'ears' ringing, Liara had no idea what she was saying. There was some blue flashes in the hall outside, more small debris flying, biotics she knew, assumed those used on her commando comrades.

Incorrect.

The matron turned her head and said something to her cohorts, and apparently got no answer, and when she turned her body to look into the hall, and sent to the floor with blood flowing freely from her nostrils. Over her stood… a human. Biotics crackling in her clenched fists. For a brief, probably insane, moment, she thought it could be Shepard. But, this human was a little short for Shepard. Limbs and body thicker, from muscles she realized as she reached down with her left hand to seize the asari matron by the next and hoist her off the floor.

The matron tried to struggle, and suddenly went limp. She had heard a soft crack, presumably her neck, and was dropped to the floor. Liara looked up wide eyed at the human, who oddly enough was wearing a black visor over her eyes. Blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. Black jacket, a blue, form hugging top, and long pants with boots and gloves. Definitely did not belong on Thessia. The human lifted up her hands, biotics vanishing as she slowly made her way over to the doctor and knelt down next to her. She did not speak, but instead offered a hand. Liara gingerly took it, and was hoisted up to sit up against the human.

Her body was certainly strong, cradling the asari to her and was whispering assurances to her, now that the ringing was gone. She had gone ahead and applied medi-gel to her injuries, but there was not much she could do for shock.

"W-w-ho a-are y-y-you?" Liara finally asked, coherent enough to speak and form complete thoughts.

"I want you to call me Cherie, Doctor T'Soni. I was deployed to keep you safe. The Shadow Broker has taken a vested interest in you."

That was momentarily confusing. But then she did recall not everyone knew her identity as the Broker. But she could not for the life of her recall when she requested back up. Cherie incorrectly read the confusion on the asari's face.

"I am a part of a specialized unit within the Shadow Broker's organization. We don't routinely communicate. We investigate everything. When we find irregularities or identify a Tier 1 asset, we secure the situation. We're called EYEZ. My commanding officer has dispatched me to protect you until the political climate cools off."

Liara tried to process the information, but shock was muddling everything. She wasn't even sure she could hold a gun steady, if she knew where hers was. She did notice the woman's circuit pathways were hard to see, but occasionally pulsed a deep blue. She wondered why that was…

"Okay Doctor, we need to get you out of here. Reinforcements will take care of the opposition and see them to the detention facility. But that might get rocket launcher messy," Cherie said, he tone firm but in no way harsh. Liara was compelled to comply, mostly because of the shock... maybe a concussion too. The human stood and guided the asari to her feet, but after she tried to stand on her own, she all but collapsed and Cherie caught her again.

"Right, okay, slight change in our itinerary. I'm going to get us to the roof, we get a pick up and we re-route to a safe house for a while." She shed her jacket and put it around Liara, even though she was just a little taller than the human, Liara felt small and timid again. Like she was before meeting Shepard. Her protector looked out the doorway for a moment and drew her very custom looking pistol, then looked back to Liara. She was suddenly nervous, there was any number of things to fall on them, shoot them, and be misidentified then shot.

"Hey, focus on me a moment," Cherie said, said, standing in from of her. Liara focused on the human, her circuit paths flickering, a sign of fear. "I know it's intimidating, but I will, get you out," she said, emphasizing the last. She extended her left arm, a prosthetic now her jacket was off, which the Broker tentatively took. "I'm going to hold your hand the whole way out. You don't need to fight, no gun, and no biotics. Just make sure you stand behind me when the shooting starts and keep you kinetic barrier up."

Liara nodded shakily and followed Cherie out into the hall again. Only one of the commandos was on her feet, and she was barely standing. Cherie looked at the asari for a moment, then gave only a slight nod. The commando sighed, though grinned a little as she reached down to pick up a rifle and push away from the wall. She disappeared down the hallway, leaving Liara and Cherie to navigate their way to the roof on their own.

The human carried herself with such unusual confidence, her gun steady as she checked every intersection and open door. Liara was busy trying to clear her throbbing head, but she was focused on Cherie, occasionally tripping over the debris on the floor. Something about her was familiar somehow. But she could not put her finger on it. She could always use the new gift of connection to see for herself. But recent experiences told her it was better to ask permission. Besides, Cherie seemed in complete control, like it was old hat to her.

"Are you with the Alliance?" the doctor finally asked, earning a pause, and a cocky smirk from her protector. "I was. I got a… opportunity I could not pass up."

"I thought the Shadow Broker was not a trustworthy employer?" Liara feigned as a way to open the human up for questioning.

"It's debatable from time to time, but really, the Broker is one person, with many others performing the work. And that work gets certain results," Cherie responded, pausing at a doorway to look in through the partially opened door. She then proceeded forward, out of a ward to another hub area that had an elevator bay. And a member of the opposition for today. Cherie opened fire first, but the apparent huntress had a barrier up, deflecting most of her shots. Cherie read her movements and holstered his pistol to erect a barrier in front of herself and Liara.

The huntress must have been using modified ammo, as Cherie struggled to maintain the integrity of her barrier. The duration of fire suggested a weapon with a high rate of fire. The human could feel her biotic amp strain now, but thankfully the weapon's heat sink reached its limit. Cursing the weapon, the huntress fumbled with a fresh heat sink when Liara had her wits enough to break away from Cherie and summon up a Singularity and hurling it at the huntress. She rolled out of the reach of the miniature gravity well, only to fall into Cherie's hands. Her left hand shot up with her palm up, a biotic field launching the asari into the air. Turning on her left heel, she pivoted and brought her right hand up in a fist, a back hand strike. This propelled the helpless huntress into the angled ceiling, then let her drop. But she was tougher than she looked, getting a lucky shot off, hitting Cherie in her left shoulder.

Luckily for her, the prosthesis was armored, and solidly anchored to her body, though it did tear a massive hole in her top. Liara could notice Cherie's back was exposed, the top was more like a swimsuit she had seen while looking through Earth's early history only a few centuries ago. She was definitely more muscular than Shepard. The human was sauntering up to the huntress, her fists crackling with biotic energy. The huntress leapt up to try and strike the human with the stock of her rifle, a Revenant now that they could see it.

Cherie placed a hand on the rifle and push it along, adding momentum to the huntress' retaliation to throw her off balance, throwing a sweeping kick to the asari's soft flank. As she doubled over Cherie interlaced her fingers and dropped her fists into the huntress' neck, dropping her to the floor. Before she could spit another curse, Cherie had drawn her pistol, and fired point blank. Liara was a little startled by this, it seemed Cherie was made into a cold, efficient killer. A more effective bodyguard the Broker mused. Before the echoes of the gunshot faded, the human had Liara by the arm and all but hauled her to the closest elevator.

Liara stared at her as Cherie hacked the elevator controls to override the safeguards and get them as close to the roof as possible. The human turned coolly to Liara, a little surprised the asari was standing so close to her. "Um… you were shot, are you hurt? I have a little medi-gel left," she asked, though it was an attempt to stave off the impulse to make comparisons between Shepard and Cherie.

Cherie seemed to just remember this fact, and looked at her left shoulder. He top was ruined, but luckily a layer of ablative armor on her prosthesis spared her a damaged power source or internal mechanism. Testing her arm for range of movement, it appeared to be in order. "I think I am fine, an internal diagnostic isn't showing anything to worry about."

"You seem very good at handling this… gift," Liara said, more a statement with an implication.

Cherie shrugged the question off, appearing open to the topic. "I'm a cyborg, which that much is obvious. I have a lot of brain implants too, so computers in my head is old news to me. But, I don't know, it's scary and handy, having an instant body diagnostic. I'm also fiddling with creating a new HUD to integrate the new function. Ability. Let's just call it a gift from Shepard."

Liara drifted away at the mention of Shepard. Was this her doing? Did she want this for them all to live with this? So many questions, no one to answer them. Her frame trembled as he mind began racing again, wrapping herself up in more and more circular questions. Cherie gently took the maiden by the arm, startling her, but thankfully there was no retaliation. "Sorry," she apologized.

"Don't apologize, I knew some about your relationship with She- with her, I guess it was a moment of insensitivity. I'll help you organize a memorial if you like. When this revolt business is behind us," Cherie said, appearing truly sympathetic. Liara offered a small smile. "Thank you."

The human smiled and nodded, and looked up at the elevator display. "Okay, we're almost topside. There's a maintenance hatch and crawl space then we're on the roof. I should have a shuttle waiting for us already." Liara nodded, cycling a deep breath to steady her nerves and checked her pistol. Still loaded, hopefully it would not be needed though. She kept the jacket pulled around her shoulders though, her armor was compromised in a few places she would rather keep covered.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened to what might look like a wall. But Cherie grabbed an embedded rung of a service ladder and climbed up to the maintenance hatch, forcing it open. She waved Liara up to go first. After the asari was in the confined space and Cherie followed close behind, the elevator was sent down. "Was that you, Cherie?"

"Nope," she answered, grunting and growling at the confined space. "But at least my view ahead isn't bad."

"I think you have just confirmed a hypothesis of mine."

"That all humans have half their brain in the gutter? Might as well be a published fact," Cherie said with a laugh, earning a similar laugh from the doctor. A few moments were full of Cherie cursing as her shoulders and back occasionally scrapped against the top of the tunnel, and soon enough Liara led her out onto the roof. Once they were topside, Liara shielded her eyes from the light, looking around for a sign of a transport. There were none.

"Cherie, I hate to sound impatient but where was that shuttle you promised?"

The human looked around the wide panorama of the hospital wing's roof for a sign of a particular shuttle. It was disconcerting, to say the least, and Cherie brought up her omni-tool. There was no sign of communication jamming, so where were they? She dialed up a channel to one of the EYEZ team that was supposed to be on that shuttle.

"D'Saad, status?"

"We're on our way! Armali Civil Defense was giving us a hard time," a turian voice responded. The pair let out a relieved sigh, but that changed a mere moment later. Survivors of the opposition had made it to the rooftop. Ten so far, no telling how many would follow. Cherie stepped in front of Liara and pushed them both back toward the edge of the roof. In Liara's peripheral vision, a shuttle on fast approach. Hopefully they'd get here soon.