The End and the Beginning
Mass Effect and all related characters are owned by Bioware.
Chapter 2
Liara's eyes opened as she slowly regained consciousness. The room came into focus as she turned her head to look around. The walls were smooth and white, not the metallic gray of a med bay. She realized she wasn't in a ship's medical bay, this was a hospital room. 'How long have I been out? Where am I? ' she wondered. As she slowly sat up, Liara noticed the intravenous tubes attached to her left arm a well as the blue hospital gown in place of her armor. She must have been unconscious for days at the very least.
She tried to recount what had happened to her, but the last thing she remembered was Dr. Chakwas dressing a gash she had on her head. She reached up and touched the side of her head, and slowly traced the pathway of the crest that had been bleeding. The field dressing had been removed and she could find no trace of the wound. The doctor had told her it wasn't serious, so why did she black out? She needed answers.
The asari maiden began to scan her bed and room for an intercom or call pad to find someone who could give her answers. The door slid open to reveal her friend and fellow squad mate Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. "You're finally awake! I'll get the doctors," the quarian woman said excitedly before exiting the room. Liara required more than one doctor? How serious was her condition? Her thoughts were soon interrupted as Dr. Chakwas and a purple skinned asari doctor entered her room with Tali in tow. Dr. Chakwas smiled warmly at Liara, but she looked a bit tired and sad. "It's good to see you awake Liara," she stepped aside to introduce the asari doctor. "This is Dr. Delinea. She has been treating you since we arrived on the Citadel."
The asari doctor politely nodded her head to Liara. "It's an honor to have such an esteemed figure in our care, Dr. T'soni." Liara shifted uncomfortably on her bed. Even as Matriarch Benezia's daughter she had never been comfortable when people lauded her. "Thank you doctor," she responded meekly. "How are you feeling?" Delinea asked.
"I feel a bit weak and light headed. Nothing serious I think. I am more concerned with how the rest of the crew fared in the attack. I remember the Normandy being destroyed by a ship which was unlike anything I'd ever seen." It definitely wasn't a Geth ship. It certainly wasn't a reaper. The synthetics hadn't revealed anything so large or advanced in the past, even during the attack on the Citadel. The reaper Sovereign had been there, but was larger and had more advanced weaponry than this ship. Sovereign had destroyed Alliance cruisers with one shot. The Normandy, a small frigate, would have been vaporized. Her thoughts went back to the crew. "How many survivors were there?" she was almost afraid to hear the answer.
Tali seated herself next to Liara. Placing her arm around her friend and resting a three-fingered hand on the opposite shoulder. Liara looked at Tali. She could see her friend's silvery eyes glistening through the purple hued semi-transparent faceplate of the quarian's enviro-suit. Strangely, Liara thought the eyes seemed to shine a little less than usual. Tali turned away from her, unable to maintain eye contact. She could feel Tali trembling slightly through the enviro-suit. "What's happened?" she looked around at the others. "Tali, please tell me!"
Tali slowly took a deep breath and turned to face the asari maiden. "Well, most of the crew made it. A few of the crewmen and officers didn't make it, including XO Pressley, as well as..." her voice was husky, "Shepard...he...he didn't make it."
Liara glanced rapidly at Dr. Chakwas. She could see tears forming in the doctor's eyes. Liara turned her face downwards. "What...he...no...No! I saw the life pod fly away. He saved Joker! Shepard couldn't have..." Liara stopped herself as Tali squeezed her shoulders gently as she continued.
"He did save Joker," Tali continued gently, "But as Shepard helped him into the life pod, the Normandy took more fire, and an explosion separated him from Joker," Tali paused as her voice began to crack. "Joker said Shepard closed the doors and launched the pod from the outside, because Shepard couldn't get to him. Then the ship came apart around them." Tali began to make sniffling sounds from inside her helmet. "The commander...Shepard...is dead."
Liara raised her head. She looked over at Dr. Chakwas, barely able to make her out through the tears that flooded her vision. The doctor's face was flushed and she wiped the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks. Dr. Delinea whispered something in Dr. Chakwas's ear, then turned her attention to Liara. "We can discuss your condition later Dr. T'soni. I am truly sorry for your loss." Liara bit her lower lip and simply nodded. It took all her willpower to keep from succumbing to the sobs that lodged in her throat. Dr. Delinea and Dr. Chakwas turned and exited the room, leaving Liara and Tali alone in silence.
Liara rested her head on Tali's shoulder. Her tears began to wet the rubbery surface of the quarian's enviro-suit. "The rest of us, Shepard's squad mates and Captain Anderson, are planning to hold our own private service on the presidium," Tali spoke as she embraced her friend in her arms. "There is a 'Battle of the Citadel' memorial being constructed, and we all plan to meet there the day after tomorrow at 0800 Alliance time. The site will be temporarily closed down for our privacy. Shepard won't be buried there however. His body is in cryo-stasis and is being prepped to be transported to a memorial on Elysium." Liara again nodded but she couldn't hold back the sobs any longer. She gasped and shuddered as her body was racked by them, and tears poured down her blue cheeks. Liara lay back down on the bed and soundly wept into her pillow. Tali held her comrade's hands as Liara slowly curled into a ball and cried herself to sleep. The news had simply been too much for her.
The quarian gently released liara's hands and stood to leave. She walked to the door and switched off the lights as she exited the room. She paused to look back with pity at Liara's prostrate form as she quietly shut the door.
Liara awoke much the same as she had before, the world slowly coming into focus, slowly realizing she was no longer on the Normandy. This time however, a human nurse stood by her bed with a tray of food. "Dr. Delinea had me disconnect your feeding tubes Dr. T'soni. She thinks it's time you had some real food. If you can call the stuff they serve in this hospital food," the nurse chuckled and smiled kindly at her. Liara did her best to smile back. She wasn't in the mood to enjoy jokes. She was hungry though, and she had finished the entire plate within two minutes. "Well, I haven't seen anyone tear into a plate of food like that since boot camp back in my Alliance days," The nurse reached down and retrieved the empty tray. "Well, I should keep making my rounds. I'll make sure to tell the doctor you're awake." The nurse smiled at her once more as she left the room.
Liara didn't have to wait long. Within ten minutes the door opened to reveal Dr. Delinea. "Hello Dr. T'soni, you look well." The doctor strode over, lightly typing on her datapad. "Judging by your bed scanner, you seem to have recovered completely. However, I would like to ask a few questions before we release you," The doctor sat down in a chair next to the foot of the bed. "I'm certain you have few questions of your own. To start, I would like to know of your relationships among the crew of the Normandy." Liara looked both surprised and confused by the inquiry. The doctor smiled at her. "I assure you, this is a medical evaluation. I'm simply finalizing the results of my findings."
"I understand doctor," Liara took a deep breath. "Well, I was on a friendly basis with most of the crew. Some were apprehensive at first because of my mother and her dealings with Saren. Most grew more accepting as the mission drew on," Liara winced slightly at the recollection of her indoctrinated mother. Benezia had been brain washed by the reaper, Sovereign. Shepard and Liara had been forced to kill Benezia's followers on Noveria. The Matriarch herself had been mortally wounded. She had redeemed herself before she died however, by giving them information on the Mu Relay's location. Liara continued, "I was close to Dr. Chakwas and Tali'Zorah, both became good friends of mine. Kaidan Alenko was always kind to me. Ashley Williams was always polite, though she mistrusts non-humans. Garrus Vakarian was a little more reserved, but I would expect as much from a turian on a human ship. The krogan, Urdnot Wrex, always seemed to hold asari in high regard, and I was surprised how amicable he was toward me. Most krogan seem to think of asari as soft and weak." Liara smiled at the memory of Wrex being quick in his acceptance of her, saying how her biotics could be useful in a fight. Pure krogan logic.
The doctor silently listened as she made notes on her datapad. She paused and looked up at Liara, "Were you ever intimate with anyone on the Normandy?" Liara could feel herself blush at the question. She also began to feel rather annoyed. Where was this conversation going? Dr. Delinea seemed to read her thoughts as she asked, "I only ask as it may be related to my diagnosis."
Liara inhaled slowly and answered, "No. I was not. I did link minds with Commander Shepard, but it was only a surface meld." she felt a lump form in her throat at the thought of Shepard. She swallowed hard and continued, "I was trying to help the commander piece together visions he was having. I don't think I should reveal more, I believe the rest is classified."
The doctor looked at her intently, then smiled. "Don't worry Dr. T'soni. Everything you say is completely confidential. It will not leave this room." Liara felt uncomfortable, but somewhat reassured by the doctor. There was something about the doctor. She felt she could trust her.
"The commander had received visions from several prothean beacons during the mission. We also encountered the Thorian, a creature on Feros which had lived since the time of the protheans. The Thorian provided Shepard with a sort of prothean cipher to help make sense of the visions." Liara felt no need to mention Shiala, the asari who had served as an intermediary between the Thorian and Shepard. She continued, "The visions were unclear. But by linking our minds, we were able to sort out the different clues, and determined that Saren had gone to Ilos to find the conduit." Liara paused and took a deep breath. "Well, you know the rest. The Citadel was attacked by Sovereign, Saren, and the Geth. Sovereign and the Geth were defeated by the Alliance and council fleets."
"And as I recall, you and Tali'Zorah were with Shepard when he defeated Saren," the doctor added with a smile. "Sorry, I'm getting a bit off topic. That was the last piece of information I needed to confirm my original findings. I now know the reason for your blackout and subsequent three-day coma," Liara sat up in anticipation. "I believe sharing these strong visions triggered a bond between you and the commander. Usually, such a bond is found between an asari and her lover." Liara blushed a bit at the thought of being lovers with Shepard. Dr. Delinea continued, "Sometimes, when one member of said union dies, the effect is felt by the other. The resulting shock can trigger a state of unconsciousness for several days. That is why I asked if you had been intimate with any of the Normandy's crew."
Liara nodded her head. "Yes. I have heard of this before, but not between non-lovers," She wondered if her feelings for the commander had somehow created the bond. Sadly, there was no way of finding out now. "I suppose that makes sense. The visions were extremely intense. Perhaps that is why the connection was so strong. Thank you doctor."
The doctor stood and made a few final notes on her datapad. "Well, I see no reason to keep you with us any longer," the doctor said in a friendly tone. "You will be discharged immediately. Your friend Tali brought you some clothes and personal items which you will find in the closet," The doctor moved toward the bed. "An orderly will be by in a few moments to have you sign some paperwork and show you out. And must I say, it has been an honor treating you Dr. T'soni. I hope we meet again in the future." She extended her hand and Liara reached out to shake it.
"Goodbye doctor, and thank you for everything." She released Dr. Delinea's hand. The doctor exited the room and Liara went to the closet to retrieve her belongings. It was going to be long day. The first thing she would have to do is meet up with Tali or another of her former squad mates. She had no idea how to fully prepare for a human funeral. Though she guessed she would never be "fully" prepared to bury the man who had swept her away from Therum, and taken her adventuring across the galaxy.
The doctor continued down the corridor to her office. She quickly entered, locking the door behind her. She took a seat at her desk and entered a certain familiar address into her computer. A volus's breather mask appeared on the holo-display. "Barla Von, I have some information a certain party might find very interesting." Delinea transferred the data to the volus's office in the Financial District of the Citadel.
Barla Von quickly read through the data. "Delinea, you mean to tell me that Comm...I will send this off immediately. How did you get Dr. T'soni to tell you all this? You didn't drug her, did you? Any member of Shepard's team is not to be taken lightly."
"Relax. I used one of my favorite little concoctions which, when ingested, gives no noticeable side effects, but makes a person feel they can trust you with their secrets," the asari doctor smiled. "Of course they won't tell you anything if under duress. But that's the subtle beauty of the drug. It's also perfect for my particular profession. An individual in my position tends to illicit a certain amount of trust from her patients. Dr. T'soni will never realize she revealed anything important. And if that certain party does the job right, no one will be the wiser."
"I don't want to know anything else," The volus trader interrupted. "You take a great risk Delinea. I will transfer your share when I receive payment for the information. I want nothing more to do with this." The transmission clicked off. Delinea smiled to herself. This information gathering had become even more lucrative than she could have imagined.