"How can I greet him, Mentor, even approach the king?
I'm hardly adept at subtle conversation.
Someone my age might feel shy, what's more,
interrogating an older man"

- Odyssey 3.24


Liara fought to calm her nerves as she carefully guided the Telemachus into one of Omega's docking ports. She was alone now: there was no chance of her returning to the Temple before achieving her goal. Shiala had done as promised, and as her mother entertained the entire temple, celebrating Liara's engagement to Samantha Traynor, Liara had watched with a mixture of amusement and horror as guests grew steadily more fatigued, dragging themselves to bed early, some even falling asleep in their chairs.

Her escape was so easy from there. Benezia had clearly not anticipated such a bold move on Liara's part, and all she had to do was pick up her bags, walk several miles from the Temple and take the nearest taxi to the spaceport.

The small, sleek ship waiting for her was beautiful. Comfortably furnished, there was enough space that when she and Shepard shared it they would not be bumping into each other every few seconds (not that Liara would complain, of course), and it reached Omega at such a speed that Liara was absolutely confident nobody had followed her.

She was free.

But she was also alone.

The thought was both frightening, and exhilarating.

As the dock's clamps held the Telemachus in place, Liara stood and considered her weapons locker, recalling what Shepard told her of Omega.

You stay in the main streets, and look like you know what you're doing, chances are nobody will give you any trouble. But the place is crawling with scumbags, and people are all too willing to keep their heads down. It's not a safe place, but if you know the rules, you'll be fine.

Liara pulled on her armoured coat, knowing that, protective properties aside, she cut a fine figure wearing it. Omega pounced on those who appeared weak, and she would not fail her love at this first trial.

Taking a deep breath, she disembarked.

The stench of Omega hit her with a force that was almost physical. The eezo mines might be long abandoned, but the scent of the valuable element still lingered, giving an unpleasant edge to the mixed scents of sizzling food, rotting waste and a heady blend of assorted organic sweat.

With a grimace she looked around.

All roads on Omega lead to Afterlife.

She wanted her business here done quickly, so set off along the widest road, towards a heavy heartbeat she could as much feel as hear.

She finally caught sight of the famous club when a heavy hand clamped her shoulder, spinning her around.

'Hey, pretty thiing...'

A batarian, breath stinking, leaned in close to her.

Liara fought back a wave of panic. If she allowed herself to be intimidated by this thug, she would be set upon in seconds by the rest of the lowlifes in this place. Several curious eyes appeared in a nearby alleyway. She needed to end this quickly.

Channelling her mother's voice, and carefully controlling her biotics to glow, without actually manipulating the reality around her, she fixed the batarian's lower eyes with a writhing glare.

'Remove that hand from me, or I will remove it from you.'

He blinked, and took a step backwards, before pulling his hand back and retreating without a word.

Liara closed her eyes briefly, feeling the blood pound throughout her body. That was terrifying.

She quickly remembered herself, and continued her journey towards the huge club, lit up in the dark streets with blood red lights. She was about to climb the stairs to Afterlife when the doors opened and a pair of turians dragged out a male human, and tossed him down to land at her feet.

'There's only one rule here, Nick, I would have thought even your puny brain could remember it.'

A sultry voice floated down, and Liara looked up to see what could only be Aria T'Loak, standing between the turians. She was absolutely stunning, with deep blue, almost violet, skin decorated with subtle tattoos that somehow seemed all the more vivid for their understatedness. Taller than most asari, she was dressed in tight leathers that glistened in the lights of the club.

Liara felt a tugging at her boot, and saw the human, blood dribbling from his mouth, look up at her pleadingly.

'Please... help me...'

Liara looked up again, to see Aria's sapphire gaze locked directly into her own. She was standing casually, arms crossed, but something in her eyes made Liara feel like she was being judged.

How she reacted to this situation would influence her interactions with Aria, Liara knew.

With a heavy, apologetic heart, she pulled her boot away from the man, and stepped over him, keeping her gaze locked with Aria's, and spoke with a confidence she did not feel. 'I believe your men dropped something. Would you like me to fetch it for you?'

Aria's features twisted a little bit, and Liara's breath caught. Was that too much... too presumptuous?

Her hand started to twitch, but she kept her cool. She needed to speak with this asari, impressed or not!

Aria's lip curled at the corner, and suddenly she flung her head back, and laughter pealed throughout the district. Liara nearly collapsed with relief, and even the turians at Aria's sides looked relieved.

Aria fixed her gaze again, grinning with good humour. 'And you look like such a good girl! Oh, very good! Boys, show Nick why it does well to remember the rule. And you.' Liara resisted gulping at the fire in the criminal warlord's eyes. 'Come with me.'

Liara climbed the steps on legs that felt like rubber.

She had certainly gotten her audience.


'What do you drink?'

Liara was on edge. Shepard had told her that talking with Aria was like playing a board game: every move was analysed, calculated and premeditated, and at the first sign of something Aria did not like, she would attack.

The "Queen of Omega" herself was drinking what Liara recognised as a strong asari liqueur. To order the same would be interpreted as toadying, water would be insulting, but perhaps Aria's drink gave the right hint as to what might work...

'Scotch.'

Aria's lips curled into a smile. 'I've only had one other person on my couch order Scotch before. I think...' she leaned back, swirling her drink, causing the deep purple liquid to shimmer in the light 'you're here because of her.'

'She is to be my bondmate.' Liara was not certain Aria meant Shepard... but the gamble was in her favour: her lover had a particular taste for the burning amber spirit, and had extensive dealings with the criminal.

This was all part of Aria's game, of course.

'Ah yes, the young T'Soni... I keep track of the politics in Citadel space, as boring as they may be... business you see. Your... "arrangement"...' Aria's face twisted into a horrible sneer 'has certainly been more entertaining than anything else coming through recently.'

'Then you know Shepard is missing.' Liara was careful not to sound overconfident... this was Aria's domain, but she did not ask it as a question.

'Her absence is causing me some trouble with her little planet. She pays me for protection... or she did. The fool she left in charge is less keen on our arrangement.'

'Then we both have an interest in her return.'

'You more than I, T'Soni. Shepard's coin is welcome, but on Omega, credits flow to me from every corner.'

It was Liara's turn to smile.

'We both know your alliance is about more than coin. She provides a certain level of... respectability... to the notion of dealing with you, amongst the humans, does she not?'

Aria frowned slightly, before chuckling again. 'I can see what she sees in you. You are correct. Go on then T'Soni, I'm sure you've been dying to tell me why you're here.'

A Scotch was placed in front of Liara, and she took a small sip. It was gorgeous. She was not an expert by any means, but she could tell the good from the bad. It had a strong, earthy flavour - "peaty" was the term Shepard used, and burned pleasantly on the way down.

Nodding her approval, Liara told Aria why she had come. 'Shepard is being held by the consort. I was told she passed through here recently. I wish to know if you have any information about her destination.'

'Sha'ira? The crazy whore was acting strangely...' She frowned a bit. 'I should have seen this. She was asking about Shepard; knew we have a history. What she likes, and so on. She occasionally asks about people I know - they'll end up in her bed sooner or later - but now you mention it, this was different.'

Aria frowned deeper. 'Look kid, I don't know where she is now. She was talking about heading to Tuchanka, but just for a meeting. Maybe you'll have more luck there.'

Liara's heart sank. Aria knew nothing she did not already know. The consort's questioning was strange... but if she was seeking to seduce Shepard, that certainly made sense as a place to start.

'Th... thank you, Aria, for your time. I must leave for Tuchanka. If you ever require-' Liara began to stand.

'Hold up, T'Soni.' Liara's blood froze, and she sat back down automatically. 'Look, I feel stupid for not noticing something was wrong, and I hate feeling like this. Shepard's an interesting woman, and you're a nice girl. So I've got a couple of things for you.'

Liara was not sure how much more of this she could take. Every second on Omega had her on edge, and her nerves were just about frayed out from overexertion. But still, she forced herself to act casually, and raised a brow.

'First, a story.' Aria smirked. 'Once upon a time, there was a beautiful, ambitious asari, who had dozens of people lining up to marry her, giving her gifts and making nice. But she didn't give a shit about them. She only wanted one woman.'

Liara tried to hold in a scowl. What was Aria getting at with this sick story?

'So one day, the asari saw her chance, and took' Liara jumped slightly at the sudden raise in tone, 'what she wanted.'

'Wha-'

'I'm talking, of course, about Sha'ira. There's only one reason she has Shepard and you don't, T'Soni. In the end, there's only ever one reason one person has something that another doesn't. Because she wants her more. Desire can be a powerful thing. You've come to me, polite as can be, and you're lucky I was feeling generous enough to tell you the truth. When you get to Tuchanka, that'll get you nowhere, or worse.'

Aria put her drink down, and leaned forwards, so her face was just inches away from Liara's own.

'How badly do you want your woman back, T'Soni? How far would you be willing to go?'

Liara grasped her fear, her nervousness, and fed it, turning it into something she could use.

'As far as I need to.' she was surprised at how cold her voice sounded to herself.

Aria leaned back again, with a chuckle. 'Now there's some fire! Maybe you'll get what's yours.'

Liara suddenly felt exhausted, and wanted to leave. To sleep... to dream of her lover, as she did so often. But she could not forget protocol. 'You said you have two things?

Aria nodded, and tapped her omni-tool. A few seconds later, a young looking turian jogged up the stairs to Aria's alcove, and saluted.

'I've got someone you'll want to take with you.'

'I am travelling alone, thank you.'

Aria chuckled. 'The lone heroine scouring the galaxy for her lost love? Don't be a fool, T'Soni. I bet you don't even know how to fight.'

'I-' she bit her tongue. She could shoot a gun, and knew how to use biotics, but she was not confident she would call herself a fighter.

'I thought not. Look, I owe Shepard for a non-business favour from a while back. I can't let her girl get herself killed; this'll make us even.' She nodded towards the turian, who was still holding himself stock still, arm glued to his head in a salute. 'He's a fine shot, and has some fun tricks if you find yourself stuck in front of a computer.

'Garrus, pull that stick out of your ass and introduce yourself.'


Liara: Telemachus

Aria: Nestor

Sha'ira: Calypso

Garrus: Peisistratus


A/N: Another recurring theme throughout the Odyssey is ξενία (xenia), hospitality. The greeting of guests was an incredibly important part of Greek etiquette, including strangers. And the behaviour of the guest was just as important: they must act with discretion, following proper protocols before moving to business.

Here, Liara realises the situation she is in requires a different kind of protocol to that she grew up with, and does her best to act accordingly. First impressions are important, and can set the tone of an entire relationship. She acts not as she would like to, but as she must to get the information she needs. Nestor is a more friendly face than Aria; I had considered using one of Shepard or Liara's "friends" in this role, but I believe this way I can capture the essence of what xenia might mean in the Mass Effect galaxy.