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Chapter Three: Into the Fire
It was no easy task to dress and gear up, but with Dr. Chakwas' assistance, Liara managed to hobble to the Normandy's loft and get a fresh set of armor on. She swiftly settled on a set of Commando leathers her father had sent as a gift. They were styled similarly to her old set, but streamlined – no tails, but still many more buckles than she might have wished. The best feature of the gear was the tiny biotic amps strategically installed in the thin compression suit. Overall, the armor was lighter than her usual suit, but with the leg brace hampering her, she needed the flexibility and the welcome recharge power to compensate.
Quickly, she rummaged through the locker she shared with Shepard, throwing some carefully selected items and hoarded ammo into a gear bag. Then opening her omnitool, she tapped a few critical command codes in and grit her teeth to move. She felt much better after her visit to the medbay, but the pain relieving drug she received was beginning to wear off. Her body ached, she still felt dizzy and her leg was very definitely sore and terribly inconvenient.
Karin smiled as she reached to support her, "Are you ready, Liara? Are you still sure about this adventure?"
"Yes." The maiden grimly replied. "I am."
They wasted no more words as they made their way to the cargo bay and over to the Kodiak. The quiet hum of its engines calmed her nerves and a strange serenity claimed her as she realized that they would be underway very soon. Karin helped her sit on the edge of the shuttle hatch as James exited the cockpit and stopped next to her.
"Ready to go, Doc?" The grin of childlike excitement he wore softened the hard lines and the battle-scarred features of his face, making him almost handsome.
"As ready as I'll ever be James." Liara knew he was in his element and it just felt right for him to be with her to do this.
"Good." Speeding things along, he stooped down and gently picked her up, his trademark smirk making her smile. "After you," he nodded toward Karin, who immediately stepped alongside them and made her way to a seat.
Vega turned toward the shuttle cabin, allowing Liara an interior view. Caught off guard, she drew a sharp breath at the sight.
Javik cleared his throat before speaking. "I hid here to find some solitude from these primitives but it seems I am to have no peace. Your James-soldier told me of this mission. I am convinced that you will need my assistance to succeed." The prothean smugly continued, "We have unfinished business as well, Liara T'Soni." Resuming his stoic facade, he buckled his seat harness, "Let us delay no further."
Despite his strange and somber personality, Liara rapidly recovered her wits and found that she was pleased that he would volunteer. "Of course. Thank you Javik."
Vega carefully deposited her in the co-pilot's seat and practically bounced into the pilot's seat. Liara strapped in and opened the comm link to the Normandy's bridge.
"Are you there, Joker?"
"In the flesh Liara...uh, so to speak." The pilot responded flippantly. "I hear you're taking a joyride in one of our shuttles."
"Not exactly. Lieutenant Commander Williams has given us permission to take it. Would it be too much trouble to clear us for departure and open the cargo bay hatch?"
"No trouble...wait, the LC wants a word with you first."
Ash's voice cut in. "Liara, there's a change of plans. Traynor just informed me that the arms are opening and the Crucible is heading in to dock. Unofficial word is that the Commander is the one who opened them. You've got to go to the Citadel to find her. There's not much time. You've got to go now! Give Shepard my best and good luck."
"Then that's where we're going." Her adrenaline spiking exponentially, Liara willed the already moving ramp to open faster.
Joker sounded desperate as he returned to the comm. "EDI and I brought you in as close as we can...should save you some time. Go. Find her Liara."
"We will Joker." She wanted to believe it. Now that they had some idea of where Shepard was, it seemed very possible. "Goddess be with you all."
Liara's stomach lurched as the shuttle launched from its cradle into the maw of space. As they cleared the deck, she began to hear Alliance chatter on the comm. She cocked her head, listening closely for any pertinent information or intel while James activated the viewports and checked the stealth drive. Joker was as good as his word and the Citadel immediately appeared through the windshield.
The Normandy swept into view overhead and swiftly diminished into the fray of allied vessels and reaper ships engaged in combat. Raging streaks of red light and smoking fragments of hulls, wings and other flotsam littered the darkness, glinting in the light of Sol.
As they soared toward their goal, the Citadel arms fully extended. Almost simultaneously, they watched as the Crucible docked and latched onto the Presidium ring.
Vega whistled, his eyes filled with awe. "Damn, look at that thing! It's huge! Glad it's ours."
Liara looked up from the strategic display in front of her. She'd found the plans and mobilized most of the resources that had built the Crucible, but she wasn't prepared for her firsthand response to the real thing. Her eyes grew wide as she took in the scope of it. Trying to maintain her dignity she commented as dryly as she could manage, "It is impressive."
"Just...yeah...wow!" James banked the Kodiak to veer toward the stern of the Crucible, preparing for their final approach to the Presidium shuttle bays. Suddenly he turned to her, "Uh, Doc? Do we have any idea what this thing's gonna do?"
Liara rubbed her neck. She'd thought about it – a lot. "Truthfully. The short answer is no. No, we don't. Since no one knows how the mechanism itself will respond to the Catalyst, there is no way to be certain. The theory is that it will use the information provided by the Catalyst to target reaper signatures. But exactly how that will happen and what the overall effects of it will be are anyone's guess."
The marine let out an explosive snort, "You mean it could fry my heuvos, make me...aaugh, you know! His startled expression was comical. He groaned emphatically, "Could it kill us?!"
As the Presidium loomed large in the viewport, its atmosphere dark and gloomy, Liara reassured him. "That is a possibility, but not likely. The species that contributed to its design wouldn't have wanted to create something that would end all life in the galaxy. If that is what they hoped for they would have simply allowed themselves to be harvested."
"Madre, that's a relief," he shifted his bulk back into the seat, his agate eyes narrowing to their normal size. "At least some relief," he muttered as he brought them in on final approach, the C-sec shuttle bay looming large on the horizon.
"James, I am more concerned about -." Her concern was interrupted by Admiral Hackett's voice on the comm. "The Crucible is preparing to fire! Everyone bug out! I repeat, everyone get the hell out of here."
Hackett's orders had no sooner ended than the shuttle was engulfed by a wave of pulsing red light. The Kodiak bucked as Vega fought to control its pitch and yaw.
"We need to set down now!" Liara ordered, yelling to make herself heard over the vibrations singing through the vessel's hull.
James continued his fight to keep them airborne. "Where?! Shit! We're not gonna make the dock!"
"There!" Liara pointed at the viewport, "in the lake!"
Craning her neck to the cockpit hatch she called to Javik and Dr. Chakwas, "Hold on, we're making an emergency landing!" Turning back, she ripped the end of her restraint tight, sending a lance of pain through her thigh. Her head snapped back as the shuttle plunged onto the lake's surface. She heard water rushing against the hull and a whining, screeching noise followed by a crash - then her mind went black.