From: LTS
To: CC

I have secured the remains.

Before I hand them over, I want an answer to one further question.

Will what you revive, be her?

I have no doubt that you have the technology to restore flesh, create life, perhaps even restore memories.

But will it be her? How can you know that her personality, her morals, everything that makes her who she is, will somehow still be in the charred flesh I have in my possession? What I am holding is nothing more than a shell. How will rebuilding a shell bring Faith Shepard back to life?


'So, that's it? You'll let us go?

'I…'

Oh.

And it was all going so well…

Dying had not bothered Faith Shepard as much as she imagined it would.

She had woken to some admittedly considerable distress, but since then life had been almost back to normal.

Working with Cerberus had at first seemed an… unpleasant… prospect, but a two hour extranet investigation had confirmed that the Alliance and Council were burying the evidence of Reapers, and it seemed Cerberus were the only ones willing to do something about it. So, for now, she had agreed to go along with them.

Getting the Normandy back, with Joker and Doctor Chakwas on board no less, was more evidence that everything was, in fact, alright. It was just another injury, and she was back in action.

The mission had gone well so far. The investigation on Freedom's Progress had shown she still had her skills, both in battle and diplomacy. Tali's surprise had been… understandable… but she was rather proud that it had not come to blows with her obviously hostile subordinate. Handing their target over to Tali had been a slightly cynical ploy to ensure the Cerberus agents at her back would actually follow her command, and doing the "right" thing had felt good.

She was reassured by her reactions to certain events so far. She had felt anger at an AI on board the ship, joy at seeing Tali, and the familiar cocktail of fear and hate at the sight of the Batarians on Omega, feelings she could still not control after Mindoir and Torfan.

Reactions she had felt before her death.

Surely if she was not her, then she would not feel the same way that she would have felt.

But now, here she was, standing in front of a group of angry, desperate Batarians and she did not know what to do. The Salarian, Doctor Solus, had tasked her with curing a plague ravaging the station, and to keep an eye out for his assistant, a human named Daniel. She found him surrounded by Batarians who were convinced he was poisoning them, and she had promised their release if they let him go. They held up their end of the bargain, so why was the next move so difficult?

These Batarians were clearly not civilians. They had heavy duty weaponry, and their postures, despite being weakened by plague, spoke of military people; their lack of uniforms meant they were freelance.

Probably slavers, then.

What would Commander Shepard have done with them?

Would she have let them go, hoping they turned a new leaf, and remembered this act of kindness? They were clearly dangerous, had probably captured dozens, or hundreds of humans, children like her sisters, in their lives. Killed people like her parents, just for defending their homes.

She knew that Commander Shepard would have already decided, but could not say what she would have done. Was she still that person?

She raised her pistol, faster than any of them could react, and fired three times. Cerberus had not been lying when they said her reflexes were improved.

Three Batarians, their unshielded heads sporting messy holes, fell to the ground. They were too dangerous to let live.

Commander Shepard died with the Normandy two years ago. Whoever she was now, she would find out on the way.


'Ah, Doctor T'Soni! It is so good to see you again! I have been watching the news, it seems you have come a long way from the shy archaeologist I trained at the University!'

'Doctor Shi'bran, it has been too long.'

The sight of Liara's old mentor cheered her more than anything else had in a while. A gentle matron, they had been both colleagues and friends during Liara's education, and the Asari had been very supportive of Liara's area of study; one of the few who actually showed any interest.

'So what can I do for you today, Liara? I thought you had moved onto bigger and better things than our little hobby!'

'You know me, professor, I could never forget my passion. My work, however, has sadly seen my focus elsewhere for several years.'

The time had disappeared. There was no other word for it. Her information networks had grown at a rate that astounded even the most established independent brokers, and the business she had set up for herself on Ilium had expanded rapidly, building in two years what took others decades or longer. Thanks to her family's wealth she would never be a poor woman, but she had become very rich, independently, through her own work.

'Life has an unfortunately tendency to do that, my dear, though I hope your call represents a return to the field. As wonderful as it is to hear from you, my assistant told me you were calling on business?'

T'Soni Information Enterprise was, for lack of a better word, a front. She took any work that came her way, but it was all to fund her search for information on two very precise topics: anything on the Reapers, and the location, movements, or identity of the Shadow Broker.

Her current video call to her old teacher was for the latter.

'That is correct.' She took a deep breath; this would not be easy. 'I would like to see the information the priestesses gave you on the Prothean extinction.'

She knew the priestesses of Athame had enormous archives of information on the Protheans that they did not willingly share with others. She also know that her Professor had, after nearly a century of petitioning, been granted access to several very select archives; the Prothean extinction amongst them. Liara was, naturally, forbidden access to this, but she knew her teacher had it.

The elder Asari smiled, sympathetically.

'Come now Liara, we have had this discussion before. You know I cannot allow you to see the information; I was sworn to secrecy by the priestesses.'

'Please Professor, I do not want the data for academic reasons. I promise that I will not show another soul, but it is absolutely imperative that I have a copy.'

'Whatever for, Liara?'

'You said you had been watching the news, I am sure you know.'

'The Reapers? Oh Liara, I never thought somebody such as you could be taken in by such a silly rumour. What do you hope the information will do? There are dozens of theories to be gleaned from the archives, but giant machines are not amongst them.'

'None the less, Professor, I need a copy.'

'I… oh, what are you sending me?'

'The dissertation you plagiarised for your admission paper to the university.'

'What! Whe- where did you get this? Why are you sending me this?'

'Please Professor, it is a matter of absolute importance that I have that information.'

'Or what, you will force me out of my job?'

Liara stayed silent, but kept her gaze steady.

Better that she hates you and lives.

'Liara, this is not you, what happened to you?'

'Professor, just send me the information and you will never hear from me again, and I promise that nobody else will see it, or know.'

'And you think that makes it any better?'

She looked angrily at the screen for a moment.

'Fine!' She spat the words out. 'You'll have your data. I hope it is worth the price you paid.'

The call ended.

Liara did not move for several seconds. She wished that blackmailing a friend was the worst thing she had done over the past few years, but she could not even claim that luxury.

It is all worth it; every friend lost, every relationship destroyed, every enemy made has given you more information, information you can use to combat the Reapers, to save their lives, even if they hate you.

It did not matter how many times she told herself the fact, it did not make it any easier. Every day she longed to be the scientist of little importance again.

But she could not afford any more time reflecting. She had work to do.

Faith would understand.

She hoped.


A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Liara & Faith's parallel lives!

Any and all feedback on what you think will be greatly appreciated!