A/N: I hope you are all having a snowier winter than mine. Unless you are dead inside and hate snow.
Illium - Nos Astra
T'Soni Intel Group
29 June
"Tell them I'll be in momentarily, I need to speak with James," requested Liara, dismissing her secretary with a polite nod, too preoccupied with the meeting she was passively avoiding to pay much heed to the low hum of the hallway doors sliding open behind her.
"Would you like a copy of the Ontarom report?"
"Yes, send it to me. I expect – "
The remainder of whatever it was she was expecting was never voiced, words dying in her throat as the back of her arm was suddenly wrenched forward in a painful grasp. Stunned, Liara barely had time to observe who it was that so violently interrupted her before the momentum of her assailant's unbroken stride carried her into the adjacent office.
It was as she stumbled through the threshold, doors hissing shut as she did, that she realized who it was.
Aethyta.
"What are you doing?"
Insolent, glaring, unequivocally furious Aethyta.
"You're the Shadow Broker? Are you fucking kidding me?"
Instantly the confusion in Liara's face slipped away, shoulders stiff with defiance as she pulled her arm out of its invasive prison. She took an involuntary step backwards, expression hard, inscrutable.
"I have an obligation. We can discuss this later."
"No. We discuss it now," ordered the matriarch, tone akin to a snarl, abrasive. "You lied to my fucking face."
Outwardly she adopted a mask of professionalism, impervious to discontent, her own anger a quiet, simmering certainty beneath cool disinterest.
"Who told you?"
Aethyta snorted, not at all assuaged by the complete lack of denial.
"Your idiot drone," she answered, accusation deepening. "After I broke into your little forest base."
"You were that security breach?" demanded Liara, mask slipping, frustration burgeoning. "Damn it. If you had just talked to me first – "
"You would have lied," hissed Aethyta, cold. "And you'd have kept lying without a second thought, which is what scares me the most. What the fuck were you thinking?"
Liara folded her arms across her chest on instinct, wary, insulted despite her clear disadvantage.
"I was thinking about the war, and what Shepard would need to win."
For a moment, mention of the human commander halted Aethyta. Her mouth twisted downward.
"Did he put you up to this?"
"No, actually he advised against it," countered the maiden, unable to stop herself. "But that was a long time ago. Your unauthorized trespass notwithstanding, the network is under control. There is no danger."
"No danger?" laughed her father, incredulous. "Do you hear yourself? Anyone could wander onto that trail, and your man practically pissed himself at my biotics. Whatever ragtag force you hired, it's not good enough. Not to mention how completely stupid it is to entrust your identity to a bunch of mercs, for fuck's sake."
"I entrust nothing," reproached Liara, returning her own glare in kind. "They know even less about that facility than you do, and there are safeguards in place to ensure that no one but myself and a select few others can access even a single terminal. I will need to update Glyph's security protocols, and perhaps implement stricter hiring criteria, but I cannot afford to make that a priority right now."
"It's a time bomb," warned the matriarch, fervent reprimand unyielding. "And you're delusional if you think you can keep ignoring it. Is your money even clean? I hope some of those safeguards are financial, because all it takes is one auditor up your ass – "
"Enough," came the responsive hiss, defiant. "Of course it's clean. Do you really believe I'd leave an incriminating paper trail on Illium, of all places? Even if we were subjected to an audit, there would be no records to indicate otherwise. As I said, the network is under control."
Aethyta fell silent, brooding, dry in her disappointment.
"Great," she issued, casual tone insincere. "So you're free to do despicable shit while the rest of us run around in circles in the dark, trying to keep you alive. You know, it's a good thing your mother is already dead, because if she were here to see this, it would destroy her."
The caustic remark did not shame as intended. Liara stared, unmoved, hostility burning.
"That isn't fair. I wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for either of you."
Her father laughed, harsh, unyielding.
"Don't you dare try to blame this on me! You have no right."
"Neither do you," snapped Liara, bitterness that had long festered emerging anew. "You tried to blame Shepard, but perhaps you've forgotten – if he hadn't intervened, I would have gone the rest of my life believing I was an orphan."
Her scathing insinuation was met with no return, her father's features softening as she recoiled in silence, visibly stung.
"That was never what I wanted," confessed Aethyta, words low. "Your mother and I…nothing we planned for mattered. None of this worked out the way we thought."
Liara took no gratification from the vindication she felt, but there was no suppressing its existence. Nor could she release the hold of her resentment, even as it conflicted with the regret of callously wounding her father. She felt consumed, unable to stop herself from splintering.
Her words were remote, guarded, imbued with none of the sadness clawing within.
"You made your choices. I made mine."
Aethyta did not beg elaboration, nor apologize, though she looked uncomfortable. Her frown deepened.
"Right. Well it doesn't matter. Broker or not, I'm with you, Kid. I just wish you had told me."
Liara was relieved from formulating a reply by the appearance of her assistant, doors sliding open with hurried entrance, her normally calm disposition replaced with stern urgency.
"Dr. T'Soni, I'm sorry to interrupt. Detective Anaya needs to see you. You should go immediately."
"What's going on?" demanded Aethyta, not bothering with politeness.
"Something happened. The asari that attacked Lieutenant Williams is dead."
Liara sobered, anger that had fueled hardening to ice.
"What?"
Illium - Nos Astra
Nos Astra Medical Center
29 June
Alone in the privacy of her tiny bathroom cube, Ashley could not avoid the misery of her own reflection.
She had spent the majority of the past four days confined to a bed, and an operating table before that, but there was little in her haggard appearance that resembled rest. The skin beneath her eyes was dark and sickly, exhaustion the evident price for her recovery. Slowly, with tentative fingers brushing against the fabric of her hospital gown, she exposed her stomach to the mirror.
Five slicing red lines marred the otherwise smooth skin of her abdomen, four of them clustered, haphazard reminders of the knife that dealt them, the other a thin, surgical incision. The procedure itself had gone well, her damaged intestine removed and repaired without complication. This, at least, was reason enough to consider herself lucky, or so her caretakers insisted.
She would not have to shit through a bag for the rest of her life.
Ashley was grateful for her survival, but there was no luck in it, of that she was sure. She had extensive training in close combat, and she knew with complete certainty that a trained wetwork operative would not have so blatantly erred in their attempt. There were faster, quieter, and far more lethal ways to inflict damage. If her assailant had wanted her dead, she would be – the attack on her life was simply a message.
The thought was far from comforting. It only confirmed that Liara was in more danger than ever.
"Hey Ash?" prompted James from outside, his knock light, hesitant. "You good?"
Releasing a steadying breath, Ashley let go of her gown, turning and pulling open the door.
"Yeah," she answered, voice as tired as her body. "I'm good. Ready to ditch this place."
"It could still be awhile. Lots of paperwork."
"I don't care, as long as I get some real food at the end of this. This jello is seriously disgusting."
James made little reaction, no amusement shared, thoughts apparently elsewhere.
"What's wrong?" asked Williams, his lack of enthusiasm or any type of reply putting her on edge.
He turned his attention back to her, gaze apologetic.
"I talked to Hackett," he began in explanation, extending an arm to help steady her balance as she exited the bathroom. "I asked him to disclose Shepard's location, so we could contact him."
"Let me guess," snapped Ashley in discontent, lowering herself into the nearby chair. "He refused."
"He said what Shepard is doing on Palaven is too important for humanity. If we pull him out now, we could compromise him. He thinks this could be some bullshit scheme to lure out the Commander."
Ashley snorted, abrupt laugh slightly painful.
"No way. These attacks were personal, and public. Someone's playing with Liara and they want her to know it. If anyone's being lured, it's her."
"I know. It's just what Hackett said," Vega reiterated, shrugging. "Nobody can tell me where Garrus is, either."
She released another trying breath, grimace registering no surprise. Her latest brush with death had done nothing to soften her cynical edge.
"Probably the same damn foxhole as Shepard, wherever that is. Victus would know."
"Maybe, but even if I did have the clearance to get through to the Primarch, there's no point in asking. Hackett was pretty crystal in his order not to interfere."
"Liara could get you through. Maybe not above board, but she could do it."
Not quite the emphatic reaction she was expecting, Ashley watched with looming irritation as James prepared what was obviously a reluctant excuse.
"Hackett doesn't want her involved. After what happened to Traynor…I get the feeling trust is waning."
Her suspicion confirmed, she balked at his explanation, reactionary glare instant.
"What – so this is Liara's fault now?" she challenged, needlessly brusque. "Typical Alliance bullshit. Deflect blame and hope the problem goes away."
"He just wants to be careful. There's a lot of risk involved."
Ashley emitted a sharp exhale.
"Screw what Hackett wants. You're Liara's security chief, not his fucking errand boy."
"All he did was ask me to keep my eyes open."
"Great. Glad to hear he's broken up about my safety, by the way. Must really keep him up at night."
James did not probe further, bearing no desire to be on the receiving end of misdirected frustration.
"Ash."
"Forget it," muttered Williams, remaining reserves of energy dissipating, ignoring the flare of old anger in favor of focusing on freeing herself from the confines of this hospital, as she had meant to do all along. It was hardly the fault of James – who continually went out of his way to help her, care for her, even in her worst moments.
She relaxed her shoulders, breathing deeply, communicating her apology through silent pressure, palm clutched to his forearm as she leaned on him for support.
"Does Liara know about Hackett?" she finally prompted, restoring the neutral direction of their discussion.
"No. And she won't, ever."
"Right. For her own protection, I remember," remarked Ashley, snatching the clipboard from the stand closest to her, flipping through the pages of her release papers with limited retention. "Just hope she sees it that way once she realizes Hackett is playing her."
"It's not like that. This contract is a huge investment – he's covering his ass, same as she would. And anyway, it was my call. If she found out the Alliance was having second thoughts, on top of all the shit she's in already…she almost fell off the grid once. I won't be responsible for it happening again."
"What do you mean, off the grid? What happened?"
"She disappeared the night of the funeral, after I brought you here. I tracked her down to Site Six – not that hard really. When I got there she tried pushing me away – said we were free to go back home."
"Home? What – Earth?" demanded Ashley, exasperated, not sure whether to laugh or roll her eyes.
"You can guess what I told her. Still, hard to say where she's at mentally."
"I'm not surprised, actually," revealed the former Spectre, frowning as James relieved the attending nurse of the wheelchair meant to liberate her. "Everything she did during the war was done because she had to. Easy to be ruthless when your back is against the wall. Lately…I'm not so sure."
James did not further engage, vigilant gaze locked, shadow of fear unrelenting.
"We shouldn't talk about this here."
"No," she acquiesced, not overly fond of continuing that line of thought. "Let's go, then."
"You sure you're ready?"
Ashley rose and transferred her weight to the wheelchair by way of response, exertion enough to warrant a heaving exhale.
"I have to be. If what you said about Shepard is true…then keeping Liara safe is squarely on us."
"She might disagree."
Stark white walls blurred into obscurity as James moved them toward the exit, exhaustion of her body no match to the preoccupation of her mind.
"All the more reason."
Illium - Nos Astra
ILE Headquarters
29 June
"Hey – hey!" called Aethyta, slowing the harried steps of the maiden before her, demeanor stern as the latter's blazing warpath was brought to a sudden halt by the pressure on her elbow.
Liara shoved off the offensive grip, having already stomached far too much of her father's interference for one day.
"I need to speak with the Detective. Alone, if you keep attempting to hinder me."
"No, what you need is to pull your shit together. Tear her throat out and we get nowhere."
Fury flashed across Liara's irises, indignant, determined.
"That asari was the only lead we had, and now – "
"She's dead, I know. I'm not deaf. You want answers, you'll get them. Just let me do the talking."
The younger asari kept her steps frozen, unperturbed by the placating assurance.
"Answers? She's dead and any shred of use she had is lost. ILE had an opportunity and they threw it away. I fail to see what there is to talk about."
The patronizing curve of Aethyta's frown did nothing to quell the muted, churning vehemence.
"I know," she conceded, "that's why it'll be me doing it. Can you handle that?"
"Fine," Liara bit out, impatient, resuming her brisk pace without dignifying the grating tone her father had adopted to check her temper.
Aethyta followed without further comment, the expanse of the interior corridor passing quickly as they proceeded toward the executive offices in clipped silence.
"Dr. T'Soni?" called an attendant, intercepting their approach.
"Yes?"
"Detective Anaya said to expect you. This way," she urged, appraising the pair of them with a passing glance as they pressed onward.
The remainder of the journey was spent in terse silence, Aethyta trailing behind in wariness as she watched Liara dog the footsteps of their escort, relentless.
It was only a short distance more until their path was brought to a halt, intended destination now before them. Anaya stood in stiffness against the entrance of a holding cell, demeanor composed, though her stoicism hinted at impatience.
"Aethyta," she acknowledged with a brief nod, expectant. "Dr. T'Soni."
"Detective," returned the matriarch, unmoved, but not unfriendly.
Liara said nothing.
"Let's not draw this out. See for yourself," gestured Anaya, stepping aside to allow the two visitors a better view.
Slumped onto the otherwise pristine tiling of the floor was the asari that attacked Williams, viscous purple pooled beneath the gaping wound in side of her head, fixed gaze permanent, vacant.
Liara kept her attention exclusively on the grisly scene at her feet, revealing nothing but persistent tension, jaw set, eyes cast downward, sickened. Aethyta's expression soured, brow furrowed in vexation.
"How did this happen?"
Anaya exhaled with reluctance, not exactly thrilled to recall the tale.
"Quickly, and methodically. A turian claiming to be a Spectre requested to interrogate the prisoner – said she had information the Council needed. Biometrics verified his identity. When we opened the cell he walked in, drew his sidearm, and shot her point blank."
"Where is he now?" prompted Aethyta, just short of a demand.
"Gone. His departure was confirmed at the landing dock but he refused to disclose his destination."
"He…murdered…your prisoner," began Liara, cold, resolute, facing Anaya for the first time. "And you let him go?"
"I had no choice."
"At least tell me, please," she added, threatening edge honed, "that she told you something useful."
The answer was clear before the Detective even opened her mouth.
"No."
"How idiotic can you be?" sneered the information broker, intensity jarring.
"Even if I could go up against a Spectre and keep my head, I would have no authority to detain him, as you and your people know very well – "
"So not just incompetent, but a coward too?"
"Liara," rebuked Aethyta, wary, warning.
"Careful, T'Soni," returned Anaya, refusing to abide the younger asari's challenge. "I might be the only friend you have in the ILE."
"Why?" she laughed, caustic, undeterred. "Because tying my hands and sending my best operative away was somehow doing me a favor?"
"Yeah," conceded the Detective, succinct, defensive. "It was."
"Explain that to me, then, because if it you had left this up to me – "
"It is not up to you. You are a civilian, as you apparently need reminding, and shit that disrupts my district is not your responsibility. Nor does it belong to your company, your advisor, and certainly not to your operatives that I conveniently ignore. It's mine – and I didn't have to bring you down here at all, so yes, it was a favor, and when this ends, I won't owe you a goddamn thing."
Her unflinching disavowal unleashed the rage that had been roiling in disquiet, and the atmosphere exploded in lightning fashion, Liara stepping forward and slamming the Detective against the wall before she could react.
"Come within a mile of TIG, and I will kill you myself."
Aethyta stirred behind them, malcontent, but Anaya was too quick. With a quick shift of limbs and a grunt of impact she had Liara on the ground, elbow bent painfully, useless, knee pressed into her back, grim voice in her ear dangerous, aggressive.
"Threaten me again."
"Enough!" barked Aethyta, forcing Anaya to break her hold with an abrupt shove.
"Wait outside," she ordered her daughter, dragging her upright with little regard for her comfort.
"I am not – "
"Shut up and wait outside."
The remainder of her protest she kept to herself, flush with restraint, obeying the command with haste, fury cooled, but undiminished.
When she had gone, Aethyta turned back to Anaya, contrition noncommittal.
"I'd apologize for her, but I'm still deciding whether or not you deserved it."
Her jibe helped very little.
"I put my neck on the line for her, because I respect you both, but if she comes at me like that again I will fucking arrest her – and you, if you try to interfere."
Aethyta's mouth slanted, barest hint of a smile, laconic.
"No, you won't. She was out of line, but you let me handle her. You have bigger problems."
"No kidding," remarked Anaya, her own frustration evident.
"Investigation not going well?" probed her guest in mockery, feigning ignorance.
"Don't start with me."
"Oh, don't let me get in your way. You must be very busy."
Anaya frowned, sensing the bladed criticism beneath the snide jokes.
"What should I have done then, Aethyta? Get myself killed? What is it you think I should have done?"
"Nothing," she answered, less acidic than moments prior, more final. "Keep that head."
"Anything else to add?" snapped the ILE officer, unimpressed. "Or can I get back to my very busy job?"
"Please do, Detective. I was just leaving – I have a Spectre to track down."
Her cynicism was unmistakable, and Anaya could not help but bite.
"You? T'Soni would risk your life?"
Aethyta could not help but scoff, conviction foreboding, and clear.
"You have no idea."
Illium - Nos Astra
T'Soni Intel Group
29 June
Her first steps across the threshold were slow, stunted things, motion of her still-healing body not quite aligned with the will of her mind. On instinct she thrust a hand to her abdomen, a fruitless attempt to stifle the lance of pain that followed her strides. Carefully, she stopped, released the lingering tension with a silent exhale, then started over – an old habit she picked up after her spinal injury.
It had been some time since she last set foot in Liara's private suite, but it felt unchanged. Minimalist furniture was spread across a luminous interior, white floor tile glossed with light from the Nos Astra skyline, streaming through glass panel windows in flickering color.
Ashley traversed the remainder of her intended course with slightly more grace, stiffness loosening as she did so, making a point to keep a respectful distance from Liara, on whose personal space she was most definitely intruding. The asari in question sat at the edge of her bed, posture appearing relaxed, mind clearly preoccupied. She paid Ashley no acknowledgment, gaze torn elsewhere, transfixed on things unseen.
"Mind if I join the party?" broached the former soldier, her words quiet, smile thin as she nodded toward the open bottle resting on the low table to her right, elegant black label of minute contrast to the deep red within. Little of its contents remained.
"You should have gone home," replied Liara, drawn, even sad. "I told them not to let you in."
Ashley ignored the implied challenge, too familiar with the underlying exhaustion that spawned it.
"I asked nicely."
This, at least, earned a brief hint of amusement.
"That I doubt very much," she answered, pausing, as if overthinking. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh, you know - mixed bag," offered Ashley, moving to join her counterpart, sighing in relief as her muscles relaxed into the softness of the mattress. "The bad news is, I'm permanently disabled. The good news is, I already was before getting stabbed four times, so no harm done. Ready for action – as long as we rule out running, jumping, or any kind of physical exertion."
Liara stared in response, unmoved, her look a strange one.
"You and Shepard are so alike," she mused, remote. "You joke about the worst things."
Mention of Shepard seemed to have soured the mood, Ashley's attempt at levity all but evaporated.
"I can leave. Save you the trouble of kicking me out."
Liara released a breath, shaking her head in haste, almost apologetic.
"No – that sounded rude. I'm sorry. I'm glad to see you. I just thought not to expect you until morning."
"I heard what happened with Anaya," began Ashley, filling the silence with probing, unspoken concern. "Can you blame me for being worried?"
Liara snorted, demeanor split between humor and illness.
"You have more than enough to worry about. Let me handle the ILE."
Ashley frowned, displeased, even less pleased with the obvious attempt to placate.
"I had a feeling you would say that."
"A feeling?" posed the asari, irritation looming. "I assume my father spoke to you."
"She did hint at some things, yeah."
"Oh, she is furious with me."
"Aethyta is your parent…and also kind of an asshole. Honestly, I would expect nothing less."
Liara, who had long since stomached this, appeared unmoved, pensive. Brooding.
"She is my parent," she agreed, glass touching her lips once more, "though I suspect she would prefer otherwise, now. She said a lot of things to me, about what I do. Despicable, she called it."
"Fuck whatever she said. None of this has been easy. You had good reasons for all of it. You still do."
"I have done despicable things," amended Liara, unfazed, distant.
When Ashley offered no reply, the Broker continued, eyeing the expanse of the city before her with inscrutable focus.
"Do you ever wish you had never been dragged into this? That Saren had never landed on Eden Prime? Shepard found me on Therum, but after that I volunteered to stay. You never asked for any of this. I know I shouldn't dwell on these things, but I keep thinking – "
"That this is your fault?" supplied her companion, weighted with sympathy, with cognizance.
"It is," she confessed with certainty, having foreseen the protest and refusing it. "Hackett wanted Sam at that podium for his own reasons, and she agreed, but you…it was my choices you paid for. My stupidity – my arrogance."
"I paid because whoever attacked me was fucking with you," corrected Williams, unable to stomach the despair in passive silence.
Liara met her gaze, hesitant, still tormenting herself.
"As long as you are the Shadow Broker, none of us will be safe," pressed Ashley, resolute. "If you gave that up – if you buried that name as if it really had died, you could leave tonight. Drop your contract, sell your company, leave this clusterfuck on Illium behind, and go home."
"You say these things – "
"But you would be miserable," she finished, undeterred. "Hackett thinks this is about Shepard, but he's wrong. You were born for the things you do, and the world needs you. Sam knew it. Whoever is trying to hurt you knows it. You know it. Your father might be satisfied if you walked away, but you would hate her for it, and you would still never be safe. Not on Thessia. Your name means too much. I doubt Aethyta has forgotten that."
"Then I am cursed no matter where I go," professed Liara, sullen, "and you are too."
Slowly, with purpose, in a gesture as unwavering as the person making it, she grasped Liara's hands in her own, forcing her attention away from the corruption of her own mind.
"Listen to me right now, Liara. Nothing that has happened to me is your fault. Ok? Nothing. You owe me nothing. I treated you like shit when we first met, and still you did so much for me, without hesitation, even after I turned my back on the Normandy. I have far, far more to pay for than you."
The tightness in her throat did not dissipate, tears stinging pale blue, even as Liara tried to hide them.
"I could never let you walk alone. Don't ask me to."
It felt as if the galaxy had changed a thousand times over since their first meeting, and their lives with it. The resentment that once stretched between the sedate asari maiden and the fierce cynic soldier had tempered with shared loss, faded into nothing after Alchera placed vast distance between them, flickered and diminished at the onset of the war, then died with finality in its wake.
"How can I?" whispered Liara, hoarse, warmth of her palms unfading.
She never felt particularly moved by the grandiose and ethereal concept of fate, but somewhere deep within her mind she knew that her involvement with Shepard was written in the stars, predestined or no. The stirrings of this galaxy had converged to place him in it, and he was so uniquely suited to his position that it was almost as if he was not of this universe. He belonged to no one. They could be together until the end of their days, adventures unceasing, but even when he was dust, still he would belong to no one. Their bond was theirs, and it was not. Long ago she had accepted this.
But Ashley was not Shepard, no matter their equal and uncanny talent for gallows humor. She was just a colony kid built by her family, and the weight that carried. But she was brave where Liara was not, and she bore that burden with conviction. All of her choices were hers, and she chose to befriend someone she once envied and judged because she had been wrong, and she owned it. Ashley Williams was proud, even stubborn, but loyal. She had not once strayed from the friendship they built.
Liara had no words for her fear, to imagine that torn apart.
Ashley watched her with distinct wariness, not convinced that her outreach of trust had helped, that Liara was still aggrieved by pain unknown. The asari did nothing to hide the thin streaks lining her face, shining, and in their proximity, the flush of her skin was obvious. Her breath was close, scent of her exhale that of earth, and fruit unknown.
The slightest shift of her shoulders –
"Stop," ordered Ashley, not unkind, turning aside as she sensed Liara's impulse. "You don't mean that."
"I'm sorry," muttered the asari, tearing herself away.
"You're just confused – upset. You love Shepard."
"I'm sorry," she repeated, no longer capable of staying her tears. "I thought I would lose you too."
"I know."
"I…may have had too much wine."
"Yeah," answered Ashley, frown teasing, sarcastic. "Would never have guessed, T'Soni."
"I'm sorry," she said for the third time, torment she had briefly forgotten returned anew.
"I know you are. Forget it. You can sleep it off no problem, ok?"
"Ok," came the muffled agreement, its speaker having already reclined against the adjacent pillows. "Sleep seems like a very good idea."
"You can thank me later."
This time there was no answer, Liara either too tired or too inebriated to bother doing so. It was only a brief lapse in time before her breathing evened out, body turned on its side, wakefulness fading fast.
Ashley waited, moment of solidarity passed, replaced with a nameless dread that clawed her gut.
"Skipper," she spoke to the darkness, hoping, somehow, thousands and thousands of miles away though he may be, that her thoughts might catch his.
"You need to come home."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Enjoy your week!