Author's Note: Hey there! Got the new stuff for ya. Gonna be a fun ride, hope you guys enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing it.
Enjoy! Read and review please!
Sequel to Billet of the Anvil. Following the story of Mass Effect 2. Left of canon with OCs and canon characters.
Mass Effect 1, Kelly Shepard. Paragade Engineer, sole survivor, colony born, Wrex and Ashley killed in action, Council saved, Anderson appointed Councilor.
The first thing Liara does, as soon as their escape pod is picked up by the SSV Morrigan, is to pop the hatch and burst out onto the cargo bay deck, eyes frantically counting the pods and anxiously waiting for them to open as she looks for Shepard.
Deunan follows behind her, putting a comforting hand on the asari's shoulder. "Easy does it Li. Give them time to orient themselves." The surviving crew of the Normandy slowly steps free of their pods, each one looking around in disbelief.
"She has to be here." Liara makes a beeline for the newest pod that comes in, the markings on the side show it to be the bridge pod. The door hisses open showing a shell shocked Joker still strapped into his seat.
Liara runs to the doorway bracing her hands on the frame as she looks in horror at the otherwise empty pod. "Where is she?" She rounds on Joker pressing the release on his harness she hauls him up by his shirt, crying out, "Where is she?"
Joker mutely shakes his head and sits back down shaking as Liara lets him go. A soft whimper escapes Liara before she clamps down her resolve to not believe what her eyes are telling her. She turns away from Joker and darts to the nearest pod, shoving crew members aside to look inside. She goes through three more pods before she comes across Tali who immediately jumps up to hug her.
"Liara, Keelah I am glad to see you." She pulls back seeing the tears that have begun to run down Liara's cheeks. "Liara? Where is Shepard?"
Deunan steps into the pod, helping to pull Tali and Liara out so the other people inside can step out. "We don't know. She hasn't come out of a pod yet."
Liara shrugs out of Deunan's hold making for another pod, part of her mind notices no more have come aboard since Joker's. She grabs one of the Morrigan's crew members that is walking around trying to take down everyone's names. "Have you seen the Commander? Are there any more pods out there?"
"I'm sorry miss." He responds, looking to Deunan and Tali waiting behind Liara expectantly, "The last of the pods are in. As for the Commander, you know as much as I do. I haven't come across her yet." He lays his hand on her shoulder, "Have hope. Don't give up." He turns to Deunan to get their names for his list before moving off to another pod and cluster of crew members.
"Li.." Deunan starts to say as the realization sets in for her, "Li, she's not here."
Liara turns on Deunan, fire in her eyes, she doesn't even notice the tears that still slide down her cheeks, "Don't say that. Don't.." She breaks down, crumpling to sit on the deck as it starts to sink in to her, "Please goddess don't.."
Deunan and Tali kneel down beside her, Tali hugging her tight, Deunan has a hard mask on her face to hide her own grief and disbelief as she says softly to Liara. "She's not here kid."
Liara cries out a soft wail , "It can't be true. She, she has to be here!" She pushes herself back to her feet, rehardening her resolve. "She has to be." She shrugs out of their hold again and sets off, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
"Shit." Deunan hisses vehemently. "We gotta go after her."
Tali stops her, putting a shaking hand on her arm. "Please, tell me she isn't gone."
Deunan's mask slips for a moment, showing sorrow for the young quarian. "I'm sorry." is all she says as she sets off into the crowd after Liara.
"Tali?" Tali turns, her sorrow momentarily forgotten as she sees Garrus coming towards her. Kaiden following behind. "Tali, what's happened?"
"Oh Garrus." She cries and flings her arms around him, crying into his shoulder. "It's Shepard, she's missing."
"Oh God." Kaiden says softly.
"It's true." Joker has come out of his pod, assisted by Chakwas, he's cradling his right arm to his chest. "I saw her. She.." he stops, gulping back his own grief, "She's gone."
"How?" Kaiden asks after a moment's long silence.
"The bridge, the ship came back for a second pass. It blew out the bridge. She..didn't make it to the pod. She hit the release and disappeared. I, I don't know what happened after.." he hangs his head, dejected and exhausted.
Chakwas looks to the others and just shakes her head, her eyes dark and heavy, the only emotion she is showing as she leads Joker away to a triage area set up for those needing medical attention.
"It can't be true. Can it?" Tali looks from Garrus to Kaiden and back towards the empty pod.
Garrus hugs her tight, "I don't know, Tali. I don't know."
"All we can do wait." Kaiden says looking out the long observation window along the side of the cargo hold. Out in the black the last remnants of the Normandy float silently in the gravity well of the planet, the larger pieces already pulled further down into the atmosphere.
"Wait and see. Search and rescue isn't done yet." Deunan says as she rejoins their small group, Liara is holding tight to her hand. Looking like a lost child almost, tear tracks down the thin layer of soot still on her cheeks and face from the fires onboard the Normandy.
"She'll turn up." Tali says softly stepping up to hug Liara tightly. Deunan releases her hand as Liara hugs Tali back. "She has to."
"She said she'd come back to me." Liara sinks down to the deck, resting her head on her drawn up knees. "She promised."
"I know." Deunan says clasping Liara's shoulder briefly. She looks up to the rest of the squad. "What all do we know? Any more news on Shepard?"
Garrus looks from Liara to Deunan and jerks his head slightly, indicating they talk behind the pod. Deunan nods silently and gives Tali a soft push down, silently suggesting she comfort Liara before she turns to follow Garrus.
As Garrus tells Deunan about what happened her hard mask settles into place as she nods, all business, her lips pursed tight. "This isn't gonna be easy for Liara to hear." She says, looking back towards Liara still sat on the deck, Tali's arm around her shoulders.
"Do we need to tell her?"
"She'll find out sooner or later. Best we tell her soonest." Deunan clasps Garrus' shoulder, "Thank you for telling me. Someone needs to inform the crew as well."
"Do we even have a list of the, missing yet?" Deunan doesn't miss his pause on 'missing' knowing he, as well as she, doesn't want to admit to the deaths yet.
"There's a fellow moving around taking names. Hopefully soon we can speak with someone in charge and further organize this mess." She turns away from him, starting back towards their group. "C'mon, let's break the news to her."
Garrus' only reply is a heavy sigh as he falls in step behind her.
"Liara?" Deunan says as she kneels down in front of the asari.
Liara lifts her head, her eyes hopeful despite the tears that have slid down her cheeks. "Have we heard anything yet? Did they find her?"
Deunan sighs softly taking Liara's hand in hers she decides simplest is best, short and to the point. "No one is going to find her, kid. She's gone. Joker says she didn't make it to the pod, the bridge depressurized and she flew out. No one is going to find her out in the black."
Liara chokes back a sob, squeezing Deunan's hand tightly in hers she fights back the cries of anguish that threaten to break from her. "It can't be.." she whispers softly, her voice cracking, "Please tell me it's not true." She looks up at the faces of her friends and knows that it is true, that her love is gone. Lost to the black of space.
The tears she fought back burst forth as she cries out "Please, Goddess no!" Tali hugs her tight as the tears and sobs wrack her body, her heart breaking, shattering. She doesn't know what to do or think. All she knows is pain, this awful dark pain.
"She's gone."Kaiden says, kneeling down to comfort Liara, putting his hand on her shoulder. His voice breaks as he says, "Shepard is gone."
Garrus and Deunan stand stoically, their eyes showing the only sign of their own grief as they watch and wait for news from the Morrigan's crew on what happens next. The cargo bay is an eerie hushed silence, full of survivors that wait in shock over what has happened, wait to hear words on their friends and crewmates still missing, wait for absolution that may never come.