Chapter 3: Shepard's Death

"It's not the Geth. Brace for evasive maneuvers." Yelled Joker

Liara frantically ran through the Normandy looking for Shepard. She spotted him as he was putting on his helmet. He turned to her and demanded, "Liara you need to get to the escape pod."

Liara shook her head "Shepard I'm not leavin—"

He pointed toward the escape pods and yelled: "GO NOW!"

She looked at him for a brief moment then ran for an escape pod. She quickly entered the pod and noticed it was the same pod as Dr. Chakwas. Nodding to her as she hit the pod release button. Liara sat and silently prayed "Goddess please… please bring him back to me safely. I beg of you."

Dr. Chakwas softly rubs Liara's hand as she says "He'll be fine hon."

Liara smiles weakly at her and nods

Meanwhile on the Normandy. Joker makes it into the escape and Shepard is just about to climb in when there's an explosion and is blasted away from the door. Joker yells frantically "Shepard!"

Shepard barely grasping on to the side of the ship he responds "I won't make it Joker just GO!" Just then there's another explosion and it catapults Shepard out into space.

Joker's eyes widen as he screams "SHEPAAAARDD!"

Liara stretched her neck as she desperately looked out the pod window. All she could see was the ship being torn apart by thick orange lasers. Gasping and raising her hand to her mouth she says, "By the Goddess". Her heart sinking even more as she's watching the destruction. Her body jolted and her eyes widen as the Normandy explodes.

Ok… so I'm floating in space. Not too bad. I trained for this. No problem…. just slow breathing and wait for rescue. Right? Wrong… just then all alarms on Shepard's suit start to go off. "What the fuck?! God damn, fucking hose." He said as he frantically tries to grab his hose to repair it but to no avail. Unrepairable hose means death of asphyxiation. Great!… Looking across the blackness he notices just how close he is to the gravitational pull of a planet. Even better now I'm going to burn up. What's the verdict, Jon? Death by suffocation or Burning. I choose to black out from loss of oxygen than to burning up. Just then he thinks of Liara. Oh, by beautiful blue goddess… I love you so much. Liara how I wish I... wait… private channel to Liara… Yes... He quickly tapped at his omni tool

Liara's slowly sat back in her chair as she cried and praying silently with her helmet now in her lap. She hears Jon. Almost like whispers. "Great… "she says... "Now I'm imagining him."

Dr. Chakwas says "No dear I believe he's talking to you through your helmet!"

She grabbed at her helmet and quickly put it on and instantly replied "JON! hey, my love, I was sooo worried. Where are you? Are—"

Jon cut her off as he was breathing hard. "Lia… Lia…. please… listen…. there's... no… time."

She instantly began to panic from the ragged sound of his voice. "Goddess… what's wrong Jon?"

Breathing heavy "… Lia… hose busted….hard to breathe…. want… to … tell… you… I love you."

Her eyes were blurred from her tears as she murmured "Please…. don't…. leave me. I love you." Her body began to shake as she cried uncontrollably as she painfully listened to her lover gasping for air as he says her name one last time Right after she hears her name then the dreadful silence… she lets loose an ear-piercing scream.

After hours of waiting for the SSV Manhattan stops to rescue them. Ever since Jon's last word to Liara she's been just sitting there in a zombie-like state. Dr. Chakwas trying to snap her out of it with no luck. Once removed from the pod all that remained of the Normandy crew sat on the crew deck in a daze.

Liara continued to sit in complete silence then finally snapped out of her zombie-like state and blurts out "Where's Shepard?"

Dr. Chakwas turned to her as she let out a breath "Oh thank God you're speaking." She then responds with "I don't know dear, I'm sure they're still looking for him and the others."

"No!" exclaims Liara "Because we're moving and all the shuttles are here!"

Ashley, Garrus, and Tali all say… "You're right! But no Shepard or the others. We need answers."

Liara says "You're damn right." She got up and waved down the closest Manhattan member "Excuse me! Hello? I have questions that need answers!"

The Captain of the ship responds with "Hello, I'm Commander Mark Finot… Ms?"

She gave a quick smile "It's Dr. Liara T'Soni Commander Finot.. Where is Shepard?"

"I'm sorry Dr. T'Soni but we had to leave the area due to other arrangements."

Before Liara could respond Ashley's blurts out in anger. "Are you fucking kidding me? Other arrangements! So, you just leave twenty people including OUR commander dead or dying in fucking SPACE!"

Commander Finot highly irritated by her lack of respect for a commanding officer he snapped "Mind your tongue Chief! I AM your superior officer and YOU WILL respect me. May I remind you that we rescued you all, you ungrateful bastards. Also, note the time it's been over six hours and cut off time is six hours of air reserve in a suit. They're all DEAD!"

Liara snarled "You're just going to leave them BEHIND because you say they're dead?! You don't know they're DEAD!"

Commander Finot snaps back "Well, we're not a dead body recovery crew Doctor. We have other important things to take care of than to recover dead bodies." On that note, Commander Finot turned his back and left the Normandy crew.

Liara yells back. "You think this is finished but believe you me IT IS NOT!"

Commander Finot snarling "OH but it is…"

The entire Normandy crew shocked from what just occurred. Ashley says "What an asshole! The Alliance doesn't leave people behind, dead or alive. Something isn't right here."

Liara narrowing her eyes and saying coldly. "I agree. I'll get to the bottom of this. I need to contact Admiral Hackett and Admiral Hanna Shepard about this."