The Shuttle Ride
The shuttle was filled with a heavy silence. Liara was fixated on the endless stream of data on her omni-tool. Shepard watched her intently; Liara's serious and focused expression was something to see. He shook his head, clearing his mind. Now was not the time for wandering thoughts.
"Liara," Shepard said, Liara's bright blue eyes meeting his, "is there anything you can tell me about this academy we're going to?"
"Shanxi Military Academy for Exemplary Students," Liara said calmly, "is a private, exclusive academy for the youth of the Council worlds and is funded by the Council. To be admitted into such a school is considered quite an honor."
"Do you think Cerberus is targeting the academy to get at the Council?" Garrus asked.
"That would seem likely, but it appears the Council ceased funding the academy once the Reapers attacked," Liara replied, her brow furrowing.
"Then how has the academy been running for so long?" Garrus asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"Hmmm…oh," Liara gasped in awe, "it seems the Board Members have been personally funding the academy."
"Who are the Board Members?" Shepard asked. "Whoever sent out that distress signal mentioned that two of them are dead so far."
"The Board Members are the headmasters of the academy," Liara said, scanning the data, "and each Board Member is hand-picked by the Councilors themselves."
"So it seems like Cerberus is targeting school officials, leaving the kids running scared," Garrus speculated.
"They're not children," Liara corrected gently.
"But they're still in danger," Shepard interjected, "and I think it's time to kick Cerberus back into whatever hole they crawled out of."
"Hell yeah," Garrus said with a grin.
