First Contact
Well, this story makes it my tenth posting to ! I had another story slated for this spot, but this particular idea was gnawing at me since I first thought of it and demanded it be written first! It covers a time from Liara T'Soni's past before the events of Mass Effect 1. Thanks again for all your support - hope you like it!
In the oddest times and places, bonds can form between strangers. Two people from two different species, driven by curiosity, reach out to each other in friendship…
Dr. Liara T'Soni walked up the boulevard from the Museum of Antiquities on a mild, cloudy afternoon looking for a quiet place to rest and review her work. She wore a purple and white trimmmed scientist's unitard emblazoned with the complex's logo on the front right side and carried a satchel of datapads. She was on Ergiel, fourth planet of the Bael system in the Ghedron Corona, to serve as chief consultant for the museum's upcoming exhibition on prothean artifacts. She had lobbied hard and persistently to gain favor with the sponsor of the exhibit, the volus magnate Kasom Bultas. To have his backing would be a boon to her ongoing research into the disappearance of the once all-powerful civilization responsible for the galaxy's mass relay transit system and that provided the basis for all modern technology. He appeared to be quite impressed with her knowledge of prothean culture and gave her the position. Liara was eager to create a worthwhile show to appeal to the viewing public not only to please Bultas but also to use it as an informal platform to promote some of her theories.
Near where she worked was a hillside replete with shops, eateries and residences. The café that was along its edge afforded a splendid view of the museum building in the distance, along with the surrounding cityscape and ocean border. Liara continued up the side of the hill along the paved grey footpath, made her way along the sidewalk and peeked inside the café windows. Not many patrons were within, mostly salarians, turians and a couple of volus. She spotted an empty booth with couch seating that offered the best view and quickly went inside to claim it.
The café had a few assorted photos and paintings on its walls. Liara recognized them as reproductions of those that could be seen within the museum. The seats and tables around the main counter were dark brown with visible exotic wood grain and upholstery whose color almost matched that of Liara's uniform. It was quiet enough, the conversations that were taking place never rising above a low murmur. She set down her satchel by her side as she sat down. Letting out a long breath through her nostrils, she settled in and admired the view. She hoped that the café would be equal in measure – for the past few days she had tried out different places, but was yet to find an establishment that both offered and prepared her favorite drink to her liking. Within seconds, a salarian in a brown barista uniform was at her booth.
"Goood afternoon and welcome," he pronounced, holding a datapad in anticipation of Liara's order. "What may I have prepared for you today?"
Liara turned to the barista and thought a moment. Would this café be the exception to the others and get her drink right?
"Do you serve asari Dusk Amber tea?" she asked politely.
"Oh, yes!" chirped the salarian "Not an easy drink to prepare well – it's a house specialty, I'm happy to say! Anything to add to your tea?"
"One sugar…" Liara responded.
The barista punched in Liara's request on his datapad. "Very good, miss! It's being hand formulated as we speak. Should be ready in no time!" He nodded and walked away.
Liara arranged her own datapads on her table and picked up one to scrutinize. She tabbed forward and back among its screens, making notations, clipping and adding data between screens. There were still some finer points to sort out: ensuring that the exhibition content adhered to confirmed findings, that they were arranged in chronological order to illustrate the rise and fall of prothean society and finding a way to use certain exhibits to hint at her archeological efforts without being too obvious. She could not see any problem with stirring up a little healthy scientific debate, but Kasom Bultas seemed the type that would not tolerate any controversy or deviation that could affect ticket sales.
Liara picked up the next datapad in line as the café doors slid open once more. The new customers that entered were a touch louder than those present. Liara tried to block them out as she looked through her notes and plans. They sounded male and female, a couple perhaps, the female being the more enthusiastic. They seated themselves at the table nearest the doors and waited to be served. The female was going on about being excited about seeing her mother again. The male concurred but reminded her that she was to keep her voice down. The salarian barista soon stopped at their table to take orders.
Liara's curiosity started to get the better of her as she overheard more snippets of their conversation. She spent her personal time alone, either studying or in quiet contemplation. She was not very adept at relating to people on a social level, but she liked to casually observe from a distance. Liara envied people in general. They took their interactions for granted, not realizing how difficult a process it can be for two beings to communicate and exchange ideas, always worrying about which ones may offend or trying to lead or dominate a discussion. The barista returned to Liara's booth with her order. As she accepted it, she decided to take a quick glance over at her persons of interest and was shocked. She managed not to spill her hot tea as she saw who these customers were.
Two humans had entered the café.
Now Liara was intrigued. Humans were the latest species to be initiated into the galactic community. Many stories circulated about their aggressiveness and bold spirit following the Relay 314 Incident, the three-month war between the humans and the turians. She had seen a few here and there in her travels. A human presence on Ergiel could only mean they were quickly expanding further out across Council space, likely part of a military vanguard.
Liara sipped her tea, eyed her datapads and looked over at the pair from time to time.
The sandy blond haired adult male just about had his back to her, but she could make out the side of his thin beard and his black jacket with a Systems Alliance patch on his right arm. The human female sitting in front of him was a child, his child, who appeared to be around ten years of age. She had blond hair like her father's, but longer and draped over her shoulders just slightly past the base of her neck, pulled away from her face save for a small diagonal curve down along her forehead . Her face and complexion were alabaster with a smattering of pink. Her eyes were dark blue and had a friendly aspect to them. The bridge of her nose was wide, thinned down it at its slope and widened out a bit at the bottom. The edges of her mouth were thin and then filled out more towards the center. She had on a beige shirt with an abstract black design and jeans. When she smiled, her face appeared to radiate warmth and care. Liara could not really make out what she was saying now that her voice was softer, but she appeared to engage her father on an equal, almost intellectual level. Liara had never seen a human child and wondered if other children of the species were like her.
At one point, Liara looked over again at the child only to find her looking back. Liara quickly averted her eyes and blushed slightly, turning her attention to her datapad. Did the girl suspect she was being watched? Liara waited a few minutes and then looked to the girl again. The father had left the table, but the girl was still seated with her hands folded on the table now looking more intently at the asari. Liara set down her pad, ashamed for being caught and prepared for the consequences. But the girl did not call any attention to her. Instead, she seemed to be studying her as well. Liara was not sure what would happen next. The child, having satisfied her own curiosity, smiled and held up her hand in a sign of greeting. Liara was relieved that she was not about to be ejected from the premises accused of stalking or worse. She slowly returned the girl's gesture, gave a tiny smile and resumed going over her devices.
As the afternoon went by, Liara and the girl exchanged secret, periodic glances and grins as the father continued talking with his daughter, never catching on to their activities. Having finished their drinks, he and the girl rose from their seat and went to the counter to pay the cashier. As they left the café, the girl lagged slightly behind her father. He did not see her looking at Liara one last time, smiling and giving a tiny goodbye wave. Liara felt warm inside, much like the tea she enjoyed earlier made her feel. She watched the father and daughter head down the street through the café's front window. Such a sweet child, Liara thought and continued reviewing her materials.
"Welcome back, miss! What will you have today?" greeted the barista the next afternoon as Liara sat down at the same booth as before with her satchel and ordered another serving of tea. The Dusk Amber tea at the hilltop café was indeed a house special and was blended to perfection. Asari socialites noted its similarity to the human drink "espresso" in terms of its strong taste and stimulating effects. Liara's addition of a sugar cube helped to add sweetness to the sharp, rich flavor that helped to keep her centered and focused on work. The tea and the relative peacefulness of the environment soothed her and was a relief from the frenzy of coordinating with museum officials, workers and Kasom Bultas in getting the prothean exhibition ready for its opening day. As Liara set her datapads on the table, she heard familiar voices across the way from her. She looked up and saw that the father and daughter had returned as well. They were seated at the same table just as yesterday, talking over drinks and pastry. The father had on the same black jacket, the girl now wore a bright orange short sleeved shirt and white shorts. Liara smiled and relaxed in her seat. Everything was just right now; good tea, a calm atmosphere and a friendly face all would make reviewing her exhibition plans a more tolerable chore.
Liara observed the father rising from his seat to leave the café, patting his daughter's shoulder and assuring her that he would not be gone long. The girl stood in her seat and busied herself fiddling with her omni-tool on her left wrist, scrolling between photos, games and extranet pages but unable to find anything to hold her interest. She switched it off and let her eyes wander about the café interior. She was the only human present, but it didn't seem to bother her at all. Her look was one of wonder, not fear or apprehension as Liara had seen in the past with other human adults around unfamiliar species. When the girl finally spotted the asari, her face lit up in a brilliant smile and her lips parted slightly to form "hi" as she waved at her. Liara squinted happily, waved back, and looked down at her datapad.
With the father absent, the two acquaintances were free to take up yesterday's ritual of exchanging glances once more without the threat of being discovered. Liara found herself nursing a growing affection for the girl; her presence did seem to brighten up the surroundings. Liara remembered her own lonely childhood and wished that she could have had someone as accepting as the girl for a friend. The only kind faces she knew were her maids and that of her own mother Benezia. Everyone else either scorned her pureblood heritage or was afraid to approach her because of her mother's position as a revered Matriarch. Liara blinked as she drove these troubling memories from her thoughts. Those days were long past now and she was making her own way, being appreciated on her own in more than just her academic efforts.
As Liara regarded the girl once again, she noticed something odd about the way she sat. Her legs were wrapped around each other and she was leaning on the table studying an image she called up on her omni-tool. Liara thought a moment and then realized that her own legs were arranged in the same manner. She also was leaning forward with a datapad in her left hand. Was the girl imitating her? In the spirit of scientific curiosity, or just to take a break from her reviews, Liara decided to test this hypothesis. She started to drum the fingers of her right hand on the table and her eyes moved to look across the way. The girl appeared to have her attention on her omni-tool still, but her right hand began to drum her table. As Liara stopped, the girl also stopped. She was indeed copying her! Liara tried some other moves: tapping her feet twice on the floor, scratching the nape of her neck, tracing an S-shape on her datapad screen. The girl repeated each move in turn, using her omni-tool screen in place of a datapad for the last. Liara couldn't help but set down her device and chuckle. The girl laughed as well and sat back in her seat.
The human girl bent her head down slightly, never taking her eyes off Liara and took on a serious aspect. Liara began to fear that maybe the girl was getting bored of their antics. The girl then quickly stuck out her tongue and withdrew it. Liara was caught slightly off guard by this gesture, but realized there was no malice intended. Amused, Liara leaned forward in her seat, rested her shoulders on her table and stuck out her tongue as well. The girl snickered and stuck out her tongue again a bit father and longer, jutting out her chin teasingly. Liara furrowed her brow and did the same. The girl repeated her last action only now she stuck her thumbs in her ears, waving her hands at the asari who was enjoying this childish game of copycat and was emulating the girl's actions. The girl had her tongue out still, now sticking a thumb on her nose, wiggling her fingers and bugging her eyes. As Liara did likewise, she failed to notice the barista returning with her order.
"Your tea, miss…"
Liara gasped in surprise, having been caught appearing like a complete and utter fool. She blushed and scrambled to put on a more professional air and turned to accommodate the barista as if she hadn't lost her sanity. The girl suppressed laughter as the asari took her tea and nodded her thanks to her attendant. As Liara set down her saucer and cup, she eyed the girl and pretended she was angry, her askew smile giving away that she really harbored no ill will. The girl looked slightly ashamed for goading her on. She removed her hands from her lips and mouthed "sorry." The café door slid open and the girl's father entered. The girl sprang from her seat to greet him. He then asked if she was ready to leave and began to walk to the counter. The girl held up a hand to stop him and said that she would pay the tab this time. The father shrugged his shoulders, grinned and waved a hand towards the counter, not wishing to discourage her generosity. She keyed in commands to her omni-tool and the turian at the register confirmed the transfer of funds. The father turned to walk back outside. As before, he never saw his daughter smiling to the asari archaeologist in the corner booth and waving goodbye. Liara waved farewell then looked down at her datapads, taking up her cup and trying to determine which one needed her attention next. The smile on her lips remained for some time after the girl had gone.
"Hello again! I see our house special is much to your… liking…"
Liara brushed past the salarian barista when she entered the café the following day. She looked as if she were struggling to contain herself; her signature satchel of datapads was missing. She went straight for her seat at the booth, free again like before, and slumped down in her couch with her head in her hands. The barista timidly walked over.
"Are you alright, miss?" he asked.
"I am fine," Liara managed, not looking up. "I just… need a moment…"
The barista nodded and went off to attend another customer. Liara allowed her hands to drop on to her table as she sat up. She gasped and tightened her lips, her eyes burning with anger and hurt. Earlier, Kasom Bultas confronted her when he learned of her plans to include her theories on how the protheans could have vanished in the exhibit due to open in two days. She staunchly defended her stance on letting the public debate the issue and inviting further scientific inquiry, but the volus would have none of it. He decided to put her in her place and shouted that he would not let some "sheltered pureblood" determine how he should arrange his exhibit, in full view of her co-workers. As the volus stormed off, a hanar associate of hers tried to reassure her. She dismissed him outright, having a problem with everyone at the museum tolerating Kasom's brusqueness and racist attitudes simply because of his enormous wealth. She screamed that she was resigning and stormed out as well.
Liara raged inside. I'd do more than burst his ego!
She sobbed and held a hand to her mouth. All of her time and energy spent vying for and working the consulting position was for naught. Now she would have to pick up and start all over. Liara gasped again as she comprehended her situation. Where would she go now? Her eyes looked outside her window to the overcast sky and to the accursed museum complex in the distance. She turned to the café's denizens, hoping she didn't draw too much attention to herself. She did not, but one person did notice and was growing concerned.
The human girl was back in her seat by the entrance, alone this time. She now had on a metallic blue jacket and a purple undershirt with silver bars running over its top half. Oh Goddess, no, worried Liara and forced a smile to try to convince her there was nothing to be concerned about. But the girl's expression did not change, even as the barista brought over her drink. She motioned for the salarian to lean in closer. They spoke, her eyes looking over at Liara from time to time. The salarian then stood up, nodded and walked back behind the counter. Liara folded her arms on the table and put her head down. She took deep breaths to calm herself but was not making much progress and ended up sobbing more. Her despair was shortly interrupted by a soft and lightly husky voice over her.
"Hello…"
Liara raised her head. The young girl was standing directly in front of her, holding a mug and extending a saucer and cup to her.
"I… brought you your tea, my treat" said the girl, her eyes pleading with the asari to cheer up "Dusk Amber with one sugar, right?"
Liara slowly took the saucer and cup from her hand.
"…Thank you…"
Her feelings for the girl deepened. Here was someone who did not know or seemed to care about who she or her mother was, or was put off by her being a pureblood. She was just a conscientious young girl showing concern for another sentient being.
"Want some company?" asked the girl.
"…yes… please…" responded Liara as she set down her tea. The girl sat on the couch facing her. Liara looked into the contents of the girl's cup. It looked much like her tea but smelled different.
"It's hot chocolate!" explained the girl "I asked for Dusk Amber, too, but the barista said I shouldn't try any. He said he didn't need a rabid stormwolf tearing up his shop!"
Liara giggled, acknowledging her beverage's affects on those unfamiliar with it and dried her eyes. The young girl smiled brightly, sat up in her seat and extended an open hand to Liara.
"My name's Cadrina!"
Liara took the girl's small hand in hers. "Liara. I am very pleased to meet you…"
Cadrina held her mug with both hands on the table "Do you wanna talk about what happened?"
Liara hesitated. Cadrina sat attentively, determined to stay with her whether the scientist felt like sharing or not. Liara took another sip of her tea.
"I quit my job at the museum today," she began "I had a fight with my supervisor. He called me a… well… something not very nice…"
"Did you do something wrong?"
"He believes I did," Liara went on "He said I had no business revising his plans against his wishes. He has no respect for science or history at all! Ruins, artifacts, remains are just items for him to appraise and trade on the open market!"
"What was your job?" asked Cadrina, drinking her hot chocolate and taking a genuine interest in Liara's story.
"I was chief consultant for the museum's new prothean culture exhibit. My field is archeology. I've been studying prothean ruins for many years.
"Are the ruins really booby-trapped like in the old vids?"
Liara chuckled. "Only if you don't know what console buttons to press! I'm interested in why the protheans disappeared over fifty thousand years ago. Up until that time, they were the most powerful civilization in the galaxy!"
"On Earth, there were towns and people that disappeared without a trace, too!" added Cadrina "There was an old English colony called Roanoke. People called the Anasasi and the Incas, they made these elaborate stone cities and one day they all just vanished! And nobody knows why - even today!"
"You have an interest in history as well, I see!"
"I hadda do a report a while ago. History's interesting, but the way my teacher explains it kinda puts me to sleep! But I'm really into coding and programs! Me and my friends make our own games and we sold of them on the extranet!"
Cadrina caught herself in the middle of her rant. "Sorry, Liara; I didn't mean to offend you!"
"No offense taken, Cadrina. We each have our specialties, like… the man you were with…"
"My dad!" said Cadrina with pride in her voice "He's in the Systems Alliance Navy."
"A soldier…" added Liara with a twinge of concern.
"He was a soldier," Cadrina corrected. "Now he's with the Search and Rescue division. He helps and saves people from earthquakes, floods, fires, starships in trouble. He's kinda like a superhero!"
Cadrina keyed in instructions to her omni-tool and turned up her palm. An image of a cartoon figure in blue and red cape and tights materialized above it. It had her father's head superimposed and was holding aloft a city transport filled with animated cartoon passengers cheering. The figure hovered over part of a damaged bridge and sang out proudly.
"Here I come to save the dayyyy!"
Cadrina acknowledged her creation. "I made that for his birthday!"
"You are very talented, Cadrina!" Liara commented.
"Thanks! My mom's with the Alliance, too. She's a soldier… but she hasn't been in any battles lately, thank goodness! I can't wait to see her again! My dad's over at the transcom center now talking to her and making travel arrangements…"
The spark in Cadrina's eyes began to fade.
"Today's our last day here" Cadrina noted sadly. "We're being transferred to another post…"
Cadrina finished off her warm chocolate drink and set down her mug.
"I see," said Liara.
The situation was reversing. The asari now found herself in a position to offer comfort to the human girl, but how? Cadrina seemed to want Liara to lighten up and share her feelings. Liara leaned in closer to her.
"Can I tell you a secret?" she asked.
This appeared to perk up Cadrina somewhat. "What is it?"
"You are the first human being I have ever spoken to in my entire life!" confided Liara "And the nicest! Everyone says that humans are nothing more than bullies who want to push everyone around. You are not like that at all!"
Cadrina smiled at this compliment. "Now I have a secret for you: you're the first asari I've ever seen in my whole life!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! Everyone says that the asari are these sexy blue ladies that can hypnotize you with their eyes and make anyone their luuuv slaves," Cadrina chuckled, suspecting that the stories weren't entirely true.
To further demonstrate her contempt for them, Cadrina pantomimed holding someone in her arms. She closed her eyes, puckered her lips and swirled her head about making cartoonish sounding kissing noises. Liara had to set down what was left of her tea as she spasmed and gasped for air. Cadrina ended her pretend make-out session and allowed Liara to settle down. Cadrina spoke up again.
"I don't think I'm hypnotized. But you are very pretty…"
Liara blushed "Why, thank you, Cadrina! I think you are very pretty as well!"
Cadrina felt self –conscious and looked down as she shifted in her seat "…am not…"
"Yes, you are! You are very pretty… and very sweet!"
Cadrina looked into Liara's eyes and saw that she meant every word. She then remembered Liara's current dilemma.
"Are you gonna look for another job?" she asked the archaeologist.
"I am not entirely sure."
"You can try to get your old job back," Cadrina suggested "Your supervisor hired you because he needed an expert, right? Because he's too stupid to know what to do with all that stuff he bought!"
Liara was in awe of the young human's bluntness and insight.
"Go back and remind him! So he insulted you… you love your job; you shouldn't let that stop you! There's nothing wrong with you! Human or non-human, you're just folk like everyone else!"
"Just… folk?" questioned Liara.
"Good people who just want to be happy and get along with everyone else," Cadrina explained. Her face dimmed again "My grandma used to say that…"
"Your grandma was very kind…"
A tall man in a black jacket approached Liara's booth. "Cady!"
"Dad!"
Cadrina snapped out of her funk and whirled about. Liara had a good look at Cadrina's father now that he stood before them. His face was a bit darker than that of his daughter, his hair line was receding and his beard, although trimmed, was a little grizzed. He shared a lot of Cadrina's features, only his face was more chiseled and weathered and his lips were thinner. His smile was another feature he and his daughter had in common.
"Hi, honey!" he declared as he greeted his daughter "Who's your friend?"
Cadrina beamed as she introduced the asari to her father.
"Dad… this is Liara! She's an archeologist who studies protheans! Liara… this is my dad!"
Cadrina's father shook Liara's hand "Dylan Shepard," he added. "Thanks for keeping my daughter company!"
"Actually, your daughter was keeping me company and cheering me up!" revised Liara.
"Was she, now?" Dylan looked at Cadrina approvingly. His daughter became bashful. That's my good girl, he thought.
Cadrina recovered and looked to Liara.
"I have to go…" Cadrina said quietly.
"I understand, Cadrina." Liara reassured "You must not keep your mother waiting!"
Cadrina stood up and took Liara's hand then paused.
"Can I ask you something? It's… gonna sound weird..."
Liara waited in anticipation of Cadrina's request. "Of course - what do you want to ask me?"
"Is it okay if… can I… give you a hug?"
Liara was moved by the girl's request.
"You seem like a really good person. I just wish I could've met you sooner…we've could have been good friends…and you looked like you needed one today…"
Liara did not hesitate this time. She opened her arms wide and allowed Cadrina to crush into her. Liara exhaled a bit at the force of the embrace. Liara stroked Cadrina's blond hair and felt her warmth.
"You are a great friend, Cadrina!" she whispered into the girl's ear "Thank you again for the tea… and for your company!"
Cadrina backed away from Liara, arms entwined and looked into each other's eyes. Liara cupped one side of Cadrina's face and lightly kissed the other. She drew Cadrina back into her arms again and squeezed before letting the girl go free. But Cadrina was reluctant to leave.
"I won't ever see you again, will I?" she lamented.
Dylan took Cadrina's shoulders. "You never know, Cady! We move around this galaxy quite a bit! You just –might- see each other again one day!"
Cadrina took her father's words to heart and gained courage. Liara admired the human pair. She doubted she would ever find more caring and accepting members of the species than these two. The galaxy at large would be better off for having more people like them. Dylan and Cadrina turned and slowly walked out of the café. As the doors slid open, they both turned to face Liara and waved goodbye. Liara returned their gesture. And then the humans were gone.
There were still patrons in the café, but all the same Liara was alone now. The atmosphere seemed duller and more lifeless. Even Liara's Dusk Amber had less of a taste. She found herself beginning to despair again. She missed Cadrina and her mischievous games. Her sense of humor; her compassion. Liara thought on her time with the girl and soon concluded that it was Cadrina that really made being in the café worthwhile. But she was gone now and Liara had to cope with the harsh reality of walking away from a prime career opportunity.
Go back and remind him!
Liara took inspiration from Cadrina's words. With a determined visage she rose from her seat and walked over to the register. Having paid her tab, she apologized to the barista for her rudeness before she left the café. She headed down the footpath and strode back to the museum. She was indeed going to remind Kasom Bultas that he needed her more than she needed him and demand her job back. She would put on an exhibition that would draw record attendance on Ergium and serve to cement her reputation as one of the foremost experts on prothean lore. And the surly volus would be so impressed by her vigor and tenacity that he would agree to fully sponsor her digs on certain worlds around the galaxy she suspected could give her the answers she was looking for.
What Dr. T'Soni never imagined was how on one of these worlds she would become trapped inside a prothean force field. And how a forgotten musing by a loving father would come to pass when the very same human girl the asari befriended years earlier would return to her rescue as the first human Spectre.
And become the love of her life.
END
Author's Notes and Thoughts:
I've been juggling ideas for vignettes of Cadrina's childhood. I finally heard the song Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg in its entirety. I thought of Cadrina's present-day relationship with Liara. Toss in a scene from a Sailor Moon movie I saw years ago (and echoes of Star Wars Episode I) and inspiration hit like a bomb - what if they had met by chance years earlier, never once suspecting they were destined for each other? The song pretty much covers Liara's affection for the young Cadrina Shepard.
I figured I'd also get some practice with trying to describe people and places in more detail. I know it needs a lot of work, but you have to start somewhere and I hope it didn't put too much of a dent in the story.