Chapter 7: Dr. Tsoni I Presume
As the Mako slammed to a stop on the ground, Garrus took in the scenery - if one could call it that. Therum was a hot, barren planet with a harsh, dry climate. It reminded him a bit of Palaven. He glanced at Shepard, who was squinting out the front window of the vehicle at the bright sun. The quarian, Tali was driving. Garrus was impressed with her technical skills. He had watched as Shepard briefly explained some of the controls to her back on the Normandy. She'd stopped him midway through and assured him she would be fine to which Shepard seemed a bit amused.
Aside from the rocky landing, Tali seemed to be handling it well. Garrus wasn't surprised. He had always just figured all Quarians knew about almost anything mechanical. He wouldn't have been surprised to find mechanical schematics hidden somewhere in their very DNA.
"That looks...hot," Shepard observed out the window. Garrus glanced at the rocky terrain. There were visible heat waves rising from it.
"It's nothing that I can't handle," Garrus said. "Humans might find it a bit uncomfortable."
Shepard's eyes squinted at the sun. "I don't mind uncomfortable. I'd just rather not cook in my armor."
"You won't need to worry about that, Commander" Tali said, her tinny voice coming through her mouthpiece. "Your suit should be fine for the heat."
The corner of Shepard's mouth turned up. "This from the woman in the environmentally sealed and controlled suit."
"I was only trying to be reassuring, Shepard." Tali said. "This terrain is interesting."
"Interesting," Garrus said. "Looks like a wasteland to me." The Mako crawled over a craggy mass of boulders, jostling its contents gently. Garrus' head bumped the wall. It was a tight space in the Mako. There was really only room for three comfortably. He had to wonder how Shepard, Alenko and Williams had fit into it along with Wrex. The image made him almost chuckle, though usually he found himself glaring at Wrex. He didn't like him. Didn't trust him. He didn't trust any Krogan, and he disagreed with Shepard's decision to bring him on board. Of course, now that Garrus thought about it, he knew most of the Normandy's crew was looking at him the same way. Most of them didn't trust anyone that wasn't human, though some of them had already seemed to take to Tali.
"A wasteland?" Tali said, her voice interrupting his thoughts. "Not at all. A climate like this could produce lots of valuable minerals and resources with its intense heat." Tali seemed like a positive sort. It was refreshing to Garrus. He was finding himself to be something of a pessimist these days.
"Well we're not here for minerals," Shepard said. "We need to find Dr. Tsoni and get off this rock."
Garrus was glad Shepard had decided to take him along this time. He'd been itching to show the commander what he could do. Not that he was trying to impress him, he reminded himself. But he respected Shepard. He'd seen the way he spoke to his crew, how they listened to him, respected him, put their faith in him. He could tell already that Shepard was a one of a kind leader.
Garrus wondered just how by the book Shepard was. He'd heard he was a bit of a golden boy. But he'd also heard other rumors. There were rumors that Shepard could play just as dirty as the bad guys. Garrus had seen the way he'd interrogated Fist back on the Citadel. Garrus felt like he understood that part of Shepard. From what he could guess, Shepard was a compassionate man when it came to victims and allies and a ruthlessly efficient soldier when it came to the dregs of society that crossed his path. Garrus liked that.
"Commander do you copy?" It was Joker, the strange little human pilot on the comm.
"Copy. What's up Joker?" Shepard responded.
"I'm picking up some strange readings. Like really strange. Like off the damned charts. Just a couple of clicks away. Just a heads up."
"Thanks, Joker." Shepard answered.
Tali pointed. "Look. It looks like these structures with the pipes all probably lead to one larger compound. That's likely where your signal is coming from."
Shepard nodded. "Okay let's get there. Step on it, Tali."
Tali paused. "Step on what?"
Shepard shook his head. Garrus smiled. Garrus himself was bad with human terminology but even he knew what "step on it" meant. It was nice to see someone else that was as out of place as he was on the Normandy.
"I just meant go faster," Shepard patted Tali on the shoulder. Garrus could have sworn he saw her blush behind her face plate.
"Oh," she said. "Right." She punched the gas then, lurching them forward.
"Just don't kill us on the way," Garrus said. He had to smile.
Kaidan's migraine had finally subsided. He'd felt useless an hour ago when Shepard had approached him for the ground mission. He was in no condition. It was frustrating. Thankfully and luckily most of the time his migraines didn't interfere with important things. And he'd learned to work through the less severe ones. But this one had been bad. He'd half expected Shepard to be disappointed in him, but he'd simply smacked him on the arm and told him to get some rest.
Kaidan was relieved actually that he wasn't going on the op. He couldn't say the same for Williams. She'd seemed surprised, almost hurt when Shepard decided to take Garrus and Tali with him. He had to admire her dedication to the job. Or maybe it was her dedication to the commander. Either way, Williams was proving to be fully committed, something that made Kaidan happy. And he liked her. They'd become friendly. Her playful nature had put him at ease. He was relaxed around her, probably more than he should be as her superior officer, but he wasn't losing sleep over it.
Kaidan sat in the mess, glass of water in hand, willing the remaining dull ache away from his skull.
"Sir?" Greeted Wesson. He hadn't even heard her approach.
"Wesson. What can I do for you?" He asked.
Lisa Wesson had an amazingly potent sex appeal. Kaidan could admit that to himself. She was a natural blonde, a rarity these days with big green eyes and a pretty face. It was no real secret that she was attracted to him, but he wished she would back off a little. Kaidan simply wasn't interested.
That was a lie. It wasn't that he wasn't interested. He just simply wouldn't allow himself to be. There were regs against fraternization. And fraternization could lead to sloppy decision making. Kaidan didn't make a habit of mixing the personal with the professional.
"I uh," Wesson said. "I just wanted to see how you were doing." She cocked her head. "How's your migraine?" He looked up at her, somewhat surprised. She saw it on his face. "Oh Lt. Moreau…mentioned…"
"Oh." They both chuckled. "It's better. Fine. I get them sometimes. It's no big deal."
There was an awkward pause and then Wesson chuckled. "Oh and I also came to bring you this…system report." She laid a data pad on the table.
"Oh…thank you," Kaidan said. "Uh…you didn't have to – "
"Oh I know I just thought I'd bring it in case you were still –"
"Well oh…oh yes. Thank you." Kaidan smiled at her. "I uh…I appreciate it."
Her posture shifted very subtly but Kaidan noticed. It was the posture of woman who was trying to appear as though she was trying very hard to conceal her attraction and failing at it. But she clearly knew exactly what she was doing.
She smiled and sighed. "Well," she said. "I'll…see you later, Lieutenant."
Kaidan paused, trying not to look just a little intrigued. "Wesson," he said simply and she turned and walked out. He sipped his water and reminded himself again just how uninterested he was.
"Good shooting Garrus," Tali said as she rolled past the remains of a Geth colossus and several troopers.
"Thank you," Garrus said from the gun seat of the Mako. "You know this thing handles pretty good, Shepard. The gun is a little addictive I think."
Shepard chuckled. "I think so," he said. "Williams and Wrex seem love it too." Tali had decided she really liked the commander. She'd noticed that his eyes were honest, and she appreciated how smart he was. She was also grateful that he seemed to have confidence in her. And he seemed like a genuinely good man. He was already easy to follow. He'd had her loyalty right off the bat.
She had finally gotten to have a real conversation with him a couple of nights ago. He'd made it a point to come down to engineering to chat with her. She'd been pleasantly surprised. He asked about her pilgrimage, the Migrant Fleet, her father. They'd talked for a long time. She learned that he'd grown up with the Alliance. He'd also admitted to her that he was less of a mechanical genius and much more of what he called a "shoot and smash grunt." Tali got the feeling there was much more to him than that though.
"There's the entrance," Shepard said, pointing to a metal door in the side of the terrain. "Let's head in. I don't like that geth are already here. Stay frosty."
"That's going to be tough with how hot it is out there," Tali said. She saw Shepard's eyes register a tiny smile as he opened the door of the Mako and she felt slightly embarrassed again. He hadn't actually meant to stay cool, temperature-wise. She rolled her eyes at herself and exited the vehicle.
The heat was intense, but it wasn't too bad with the environment controlled suit Tali was wearing. She had to admit, for all the reasons wearing the suit was tough, it made some situations easier. She was never too cold, never too hot, and the privacy of her facemask allowed her to be more assertive with people. She often thought had she not had it on she would have been very shy.
Tali had to admit to not being in very many combat situations before her pilgrimage. She was proficient with weapons, like most quarians and had a basic understanding of combat formations, hand signals and terminology. She was confident she could hold her own, especially against the geth, and her hacking skills would surely come in handy.
They approached the circular metal door, weapons drawn. Shepard examined the keypad next to it.
"Tali," he said and motioned for her to open it.
"Yes Commander," She responded respectfully. She quickly and easily hacked the lock with her omni tool and the door clanged open. A long rocky passageway revealed itself and the dusty breath of the cave came through it.
Shepard looked down the narrow passage. "Not a whole lot of cover. Let's get to the end of this fast just in case there's something waiting for us," he said.
Tali heard Garrus ready his weapon behind her and they made it down through the tunnel. The lights on the ceiling were dim, but steady. Tali could hear her breath in her helmet as she descended, and the breath of Shepard in her ears over the comm. She wondered if Garrus actually breathed, though she supposed he wasn't as affected by the heat as Shepard was.
Tali could see the end of the tunnel. As they passed through it she saw that it opened into a large cavernous expanse. Ruins. Tali had never seen anything like it. It was amazing.
"Heads up!" Shepard yelled. Tali felt him push downward on her shoulder. Dust from the rock behind her sprayed making small clinking noises on her helmet. The repeated pops and bangs of Geth weapons.
Tali ducked behind cover as did Shepard and Garrus, what little cover they had. She heard Shepard's assault rifle fire first, followed by Garrus. Tali felt a rush of adrenaline hit her and she popped up, firing her shotgun into the chests of two geth. Out of the corner of her eye she watched three more geth drop, the victims of the fire from her comrades. And then it was quiet.
Liara Tsoni lifted her head. Had she been asleep? She couldn't remember. She had no idea how long she had actually been floating there, held in place by the ancient security device, unable to move. She was weak, hungry and positive she would die here. There was no way for her to free herself. The only positive side to her predicament was simply that the geth that had been hanging around couldn't get to her. She had at first been shocked and terrified to see geth outside of the veil. But as the hours dragged on, she merely watched them quietly as they tried to figure out ways past the barrier to her.
She could not imagine why they would be here, or what they wanted. She was afraid, tired, and hungry. And now she heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire. Or did she? She couldn't tell. In her hopes that someone would randomly come along to this barren deserted planet and just happen to stumble upon her, she realized she may have been hallucinating. She knew it was too much to hope for that someone had come along and begun killing the geth.
She struggled slightly against the barrier that held her, knowing once again that it would do no good. Her shoulders sagged and she scolded herself for getting into this trap in the first place. As an expert on the Protheans and their ancient civilization, she should have been aware of the security measures that now held her trapped and alone in a ruin on the far edge of space. She almost laughed at herself. In her work as an archeologist she had traveled many places and gotten into some pretty sticky situations. She had held her own against pirates and mercs and thieves and the occasional hostile indigenous creature. She found it slightly ironic that her death would now be caused by her own stupidity.
Her head snapped up at the burst of assault rifle fire that was louder than the last. Whoever was out there was getting closer to her. She strained to listen, but now there was silence. Someone had won the fight. She prayed it was someone friendly.
She gasped a little at the muffled clang and groan of the service elevator. Whoever it was, was descending down the elevator shaft to her position. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt her stomach turn to knots. No matter who it was, they would have to disable the system to get to her. If they intended to harm her she decided she might just be able to summon enough strength from her weakened body to hit them with a biotic shockwave and make a run for it. She panicked when she realized there was nowhere to run. There was no food other than the rations she had brought for her expedition. She had no suit on at the moment that would protect her from the fierce heat outside. If she left these ruins she knew in her fragile state she couldn't last ten minutes.
She swallowed hard as she realized she was at the mercy of whoever found her. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, at least outwardly. She opened them again when she realized the elevator had stopped. There was silence now. Dead silence. Her big blue eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to hear a hint of what was next to come. Finally, she decided she would need to be proactive.
With all her courage she gathered her voice and took a deep breath.
"Uh...hello?" She called timidly. "Can anybody hear me out there?"
She heard voices, and finally saw three figures walking toward her. From their blurred shapes through the barrier she could tell that one was a human, one was a Turian and the other was a Quarian. An odd combination, she thought. Were they mercs? It didn't matter now. They had seen her and were headed toward the barrier.
"I'm...I'm trapped. Please I need help." She was trying to hide the fear in her voice and was disappointed in herself for failing.
As the human approached the barrier he came more into focus. He took a look at the barrier with the blue eyes Liara could see through the faceplate of his armor and then finally looked at her.
"Liara Tsoni, I presume?" he said. She relaxed for a second at the sound of his voice and then tensed again when she realized he had called her by name.
"Yes. Yes I'm Liara Tsoni," she said. "Please get me out of here. I'm trapped."
"What is this thing?" The man asked.
"It is a Prothean security device. I am ashamed to say that that when I activated the barrier to protect myself from the geth, I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to." Her eyes widened. "Can you believe it? Geth, outside the veil!" She noticed the look on the man's face. It was clear he was not nearly as excited by the thought as she was. She continued. "I...I don't think there's any way past the barrier. You will have to find another way in."
"Right," he said, sounding just a little daunted. On the positive side he didn't seem to be there to hurt her, at least not as far as she could tell. He examined the barrier, looked at his companions and nodded at Liara. "Don't worry. We'll get you out. Just hang tight."
Her heart leapt. "Thank you!" Then it sank. "I heard gunfire."
"Took care of some of your geth back there," the man dismissed. "Right now we have to find a way to get to you. We'll be back."
Liara watched as the man and the other two with him as they walked off. She had no idea who they were or what they wanted, but she was at least put at ease by the thought that they clearly did not want to kill her. But what did they want with her then? She sighed, nervous to find out.
"Well," Garrus said. "This is just great. We found her but we can't get to her."
Shepard was slightly annoyed with Garrus' tone as he stood in the rocky cavern, thinking. He narrowed his eyes as he stood looking at the barrier. Garrus was right. They couldn't get to her. At least not without blasting through. His eyes traveled to the enormous mining laser that stood a dozen yards away.
"Huh." He said thoughtfully and took a few steps toward it.
"You're not seriously considering..." Garrus started, but then followed Shepard over to it. "Shepard?..." Garrus sounded nervous. Shepard simply examined the controls and the area at which the laser was pointed.
It appeared as if the laser was aimed at a lower section of the ruins. Much of it had been blasted through already.
"This is either the best idea or worst idea I've ever had." Shepard said.
"Wait," Tali said. "Let me have a look." She approached the controls and also examined the structure in front of it. "This could be very bad Shepard. It could compromise the structural integrity of the ruins."
Shepard shrugged. "I'm open to suggestions." Tali and Garrus looked at each other, each no doubt hoping that other did, in fact, have a better idea. Both of them shook their heads. "I don't see that we have much choice here," Shepard finished. "Tali. Let's get this thing blasting."
After a slight hesitation, she responded. "Yes, Shepard." She moved to the controls and opened the console with a few beeps and chirps. "Ready?" she asked nervously.
"Do it," Shepard responded in an even tone. He realized that this could either save the doctor, or bring about all of their deaths. Shepard wasn't a betting man usually, but he was sure hoping the odds were in their favor at this point.
"Okay," Tali said and hit one more button on the controls. A loud hum began and then a large, bright laser beam shot from the barrel in a steady stream and assaulted the rock face before it. After about five minutes, Shepard could clearly see an opening in the rock face. A blue light came from within.
"Shut it down." He commanded loudly. Tali did so. "Looks like it's through. I think the rest we can do by hand." He moved toward the rocks. "Come on." The rest of the rocks and small boulders were easy to remove and soon there was a small space leading to the pristine, bright ruin beyond.
"Look," Tali pointed. "That looks like some sort of elevator. They moved to it.
Shepard raised his eyebrow as he looked at the odd controls. "I…have no idea what any of this means," he said.
"Let me see," Tali approached, standing next to him. "Keelah," she whispered. "I have never seen anything like this before. These controls are amazing! And to think they are over 50,000 years old! I wonder what all of these do! I cannot even begin to imag-"
"We're in a hurry, Tali." Shepard said a bit shortly.
Tali flinched just a little "Sorry, Shepard. I got ahead of myself." She cautiously poked at some of the controls. Shepard was amused, and felt just a little bad for scolding her. Tali was such an inquisitive mind. He couldn't imagine how amazing this must all be for her. To him it looked like gibberish and nothing he could comprehend at all. "I…think I can see where the basic functions are located. I can't read the language, but there are pictures depicting the various functions. Here is the elevator….I think."
"Hope so," Garrus said.
Shepard stood silent as Tali timidly hit a few buttons. He was just as little startled as the floor shifted with a loud rumble and the platform began to rise. The corner of his mouth turned up.
"Nice one, Tali" he said.
"Thank you!" She seemed very pleased with herself. Shepard couldn't hide a smile.
When the platform reached the next level it stopped with a jolt, and there in front of them, with her back to them was Liara Tsoni, floating in the barrier device. As they approached she turned her head as best she could.
"By the goddess," she said, sounding relieved. "I did not think there was any way past the barrier! How did you get through?."
"We blasted through with the mining laser," Shepard answered.
"Oh yes. That was genius." She motioned to the console next to Shepard. "That glowing button there should shut down the field's containment sensors."
"What a minute," Garrus said. "Shepard, her mother is working with Saren. How do we know we can trust her?"
Shepard had already considered this and was about to answer when Liara interrupted.
"I am not my mother!" she said forcefully, her soft voice becoming surprisingly harsh sounding. "I have no idea why Benezia joined up with Saren!"
Shepard glanced at Garrus, who shrugged and then Shepard walked to the console and hit the glowing button. Behind him he heard a thump and a small "oof!" come from Liara.
"Oh. Thank you," She said, standing. "I didn't think anyone would come," She paused, looking Shepard in the eye with her big blue orbs. "Who are you anyway?"
Shepard stepped toward her tall, thin frame. "I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy." He motioned to the others. "Garrus Vakarian, Tali Zorah nar Raaya."
Liara smiled. "Nice to officially meet you, Commander. I am Liara Tsoni. I was studying the ruins here when the Geth showed up."
"There'll be time to talk later. We should move." Shepard said in an even tone. He paused, realizing he wasn't sure how to get out since the main elevator had shorted. "Any ideas how we get out of here?" he asked.
Liara nodded. "That elevator should take us to the surface," She was already walking toward it. Everyone else followed. She seemed to expertly hit the buttons that had made no sense to Shepard and when the elevator started moving upward she turned to him. "I cannot understand why the geth want me," she said. "Do you really think Benezia is involved?"
"You're a Prothean expert," Garrus said. "Saren probably wants to use your expertise to find the Conduit."
Liara looked confused. "The Conduit. But I –" She was cut off by a rumble beneath all of their feet.
"That's…not a good noise," Shepard said.
"These ruins are unstable," Liara said looking around. "That mining laser probably triggered a seismic event."
Shepard suddenly wished the elevator would go faster. "Great," he said. He touched his headset. "Joker. Get a lock on my signal and come pick us up. On the double."
"Aye aye" Joker's voice said over the comm.. "Comin' at ya."
The rumbling within the ruins was noticeable now and Shepard cursed himself for using the laser in the first place, even though he was certain it was the only way in. The platform came to a stop and Shepard immediately knew before he turned that something was wrong.
He turned then and saw a Krogan and several geth approaching. They weren't in combative stance at the moment, so Shepard held his hand up to Tali and Garrus signaling them to stand down.
The Krogan stopped a few yards away.
"Thanks for getting rid of that barrier for us," he boomed.
Shepard's eyes narrowed. "There a reason you're in my way?"
The Krogan laughed. "Same reason you're here. The asari. Hand over the doctor and we'll be on our way."
Shepard saw Liara out of the corner of his eye step slightly behind him. She was unarmed and he had no idea how proficient she'd be with a gun anyway. He would need to handle this carefully.
"She's not going anywhere," he said sternly, his hand tightening his grip on his assault rifle.
"Okay then," the Krogan snarled. He glanced at the several geth accompanying him. "Kill them. Spare the asari if you can. If not, no big deal."
Those were all the words Shepard needed to open fire. He didn't even have to give the order to hear Garrus and Tali ready their weapons behind him. As the shooting began, Shepard grabbed Liara. She gasped as he shoved her behind a small pillar.
"Stay down!" he ordered and he saw her huddle into a ball, eyes wide. He stepped out then, ran across the platform, drawing the fire from her position. As he ran he fired a few bursts from his rifle, taking out three of the geth there. By the time he got to cover he saw Tali and Garrus both dropping respective geth. But he didn't see the Krogan next to him until it was too late.
With a savage growl the Krogan grabbed Shepard and lifted him like a doll, throwing him into a nearby wall. Shepard grunted as the wind was knocked out of him and his rifle dropped to the ground. He saw the Krogan charging for another hit and managed to move out of the way just in time. He turned and readied himself in a fighting stance as the Krogan came charging toward him again. The two of them locked into a position and began fighting. Shepard landed a hard blow to the Krogan's mouth, but it only seemed to anger him. With a fierce yell the Krogan head butted Shepard hard, cracking the faceplate of his helmet and jarring his brain. Shepard's vision blurred and he got dizzy for a moment. He regained his footing and kicked at one of the Krogan's thin legs, knocking him to the ground. As Shepard stood the Krogan reached for his side arm. Shepard reached for his, but he knew he was too late. He cursed inwardly and then he saw the Krogan lifted into the air with a blue biotic field surrounding him.
Shepard glanced at Liara who now held the Krogan in a biotic grip. Her face was contorted with anger. The Krogan yelled in pain as with a fierce yell Liara threw him against the rock wall, hard. A sickening crack permeated the air and then the Krogan fell lifeless and bloody onto the floor. Shepard looked at Liara, somewhat surprised. Her eyes were wide.
"We have to go!" she said, her small voice quivering just slightly. Shepard snapped out of his surprised stupor, his head still pounding and they all ran for the exit. By this time the rumbling was constant, and rocks fell from the ceiling. Boulders larger than their heads narrowly missed them as they ran. The dust in Shepard's nose was thick as it also fell from the ceiling.
They were nearly to the exit and Shepard paused to look back at his sprinting companions. They moved passed him quickly as he eyed the rock ceiling above them. His eyes widened as he saw the crack widen to a terrifying degree. The entire ceiling was breaking itself free. Shepard panicked.
"Move move move!" he yelled behind them, spurring them on. His legs pumped fast and hard. His head throbbed as he ran. He thought to himself that any moment liquid hot magma would wash them all away from behind. His heart pounded in his ears as they approached the exit. Giant dust clouds moved past them. He saw Liara falter, coughing from the dust. He reached for her as he ran, steadying her and pushing her forward until they reached the exit. They all spilled from it into the intense heat, causing the unprotected Liara to fall to her knees hard.
Liara coughed and wheezed, struggling to find her breath in the searing heat. Shepard hoisted her up, putting her arm around his shoulders and they moved quickly toward the waiting Normandy hovering just over the hot ground.
As they entered the Normandy, Shepard quickly shut the cargo bay doors and touched his comm.. "Joker, go!" he yelled and the ship picked up and began its ascent. Shepard leaned against the wall, out of breath. Tali was hunched over, breathing heavily. Garrus stood, looking fresh as a daisy. Liara cleared her throat.
"Okay," Shepard said. "Everyone in the CIC in five minutes" he said.
Things were moving fast for Liara. Her head felt like it was spinning. She took a moment as she was being led to the CIC by the quarian, Tali to realize that her head probably was in fact spinning. She was looking forward to getting this next conversation over with.
She had to be impressed by the Normandy. She had never seen such an advanced ship, especially from humans. She noted the clearly Turian design aspects, particularly the position of the CIC as she entered. She was somewhat surprised to walk in and find the array of different species there. The turian Garrus was seated, as well as an old looking Krogan. Two humans, a male and a female wearing matching Alliance uniforms sat on the opposite side of the circle of chairs. The Commander stood at the front of the room waiting, still in his armor, though minus his helmet.
It was then that she was finally able to notice the Commander's appearance. It had been difficult to see what he looked like with his helmet on. She noticed now that he was a handsome human. The blue eyes she'd noticed through his helmet seemed bluer when contrasted with his skin, now covered in dust from the planet. He was fit, muscular and had a straight posture. His face had slight stubble and there was a noticeable scar on the corner of his close cropped hairline. He was an imposing presence. Liara tried not to stare as she sat.
Ashley listened, fascinated by the asari's knowledge of the Protheans. She was young, for an asari, only 106 she said, but her research was apparently very thorough. She had prattled on for ten minutes now, looking very pleased with herself. Ash wondered if the pretty doctor just really liked hearing herself talk.
She didn't trust her. For a moment, she was almost disarmed by Tsoni's innocent and somewhat oblivious act. Her big blue eyes looked a little like a doe caught in headlights. But it was too convenient for Ashley. It was quite a coincidence that Benezia and Saren were seeking something so closely related to the Protheans, and that Liara just happened to be an expert on the subject matter. And she didn't quite believe her when she said she hadn't spoken to her mother in years.
Ash glanced at Shepard as they spoke. He was listening intently, his expression unreadable. She wondered what he was thinking. She watched as he explained the Reapers to Liara, something else she claimed not to know anything about. Ash supposed it was possible she was being paranoid, but she also thought it would be good to have at least one person questioning the addition of so many non-humans to the crew. And Kaidan hadn't seemed to bat an eye at any of it.
As Shepard explained what had happened with the beacon on Eden Prime, Ash carefully studied Liara's face. She was very pretty. Like the other aliens, Ash had never seen an asari up close and in person. Liara's face came alive suddenly with a smile.
"I am…amazed that you were able to make sense of it at all," she said of the visions Shepard had suffered through. "A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the beacon." Ash didn't like her tone. It had changed. It was far less scientific than Ash liked. "You must be remarkably strong willed, Commander" Liara practically cooed.
That was enough.
"This isn't helping us find Saren, or the Conduit!" Ash barked, a little bitchier than she'd intended. In fact after she said it she felt somewhat embarrassed. She'd interrupted and now everyone was looking at her.
"I am…sorry" Liara practically stammered. "My scientific curiosity got the better of me." Ash was seriously hoping that her obvious dislike of Liara's sudden emphatic warmth toward Commander had gone unnoticed. More than that she wondered where exactly it had come from to begin with. Was that jealousy? Really? No. That was stupid. She and the commander were nothing, aside from one casual flirtation playing cards. And besides, she wouldn't dream of breaking regs anyway. There was no reason she would have been territorial. She decided it was simply that she didn't trust Tsoni.
"It is likely tha…" Liara touched her head. "Oh…my." She suddenly appeared a much paler shade of blue to Ash's eyes.
"When was the last time you ate?" Asked Kaidan. "Or slept? Doc should have a look at you."
"That…" Liara said. "That would be a good idea I think. Thank you, Lieutenant."
Shepard nodded and approached Liara's chair. "I'll come talk to you again once you get some rest," Shepard said to Liara.
She nodded and smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Commander." She began to walk off and Ash watched Kaidan and Shepard share a nod before Kaidan followed closely and took Tsoni's arm, leading her out.
"Okay," Shepard said. "We're done here. Dismissed." Ash paused just a second before getting up. Her instincts were telling her to say something to the Commander, tell him Tsoni's story just didn't feel right. But she stopped herself. What if, she thought, she really was just being territorial?
That was a whole new set of problems Ash just didn't want to deal with.
Shepard needed to talk to Liara again as soon as she felt better. Her knowledge of the Protheans was indeed vast and he thought, hoped, he could gain some useful insights by speaking to her. Shepard had to admit though that Liara herself was also interesting. He wasn't quite sure whether or not it was a physical attraction. He supposed she was attractive, though he really wasn't sure what was attractive by Asari standards. Maybe that was it, he thought. She was different, something new and unfamiliar. In any case, having her on board would be interesting to say the least.
After another frustrating conversation with the Council, Shepard glanced at the door of the com room to make sure he was alone and flopped down into a chair. His head was killing him and he rested it for a moment on the back of the chair, closing his eyes. The Council had made it clear they weren't going to feed into any Reaper ideas, and that was driving him crazy. He needed to blow off some steam.
After telling Joker to plot a course to Noveria, Shepard made his way to the gym. It would be awhile until he could speak to Liara and it would be five hours until they docked. A good workout always helped him think. He would come up with some sort of plan of attack for Noveria while he beat the hell out of the bag.
The Normandy's gym was tiny, consisting of a couple of weight machines, a weight bench, a sparring mat, punching bag, and treadmill. It was not meant to be a state of the art facility. The Normandy was too small for anything little more than a limited substitute for real physical training. With a crew fewer than 30 people it was really all they needed. Shepard's sweaty shirt lay on the floor next to the bag as he pounded combo after combo into it. He'd thought about lifting some weights, maybe running for awhile, but this was turning out to be just what he needed. After awhile he was dripping sweat, out of breath and blissfully stress free. He supposed that feeling would last about ten minutes, long enough for him to take a hot shower.
The bathroom in his private quarters wasn't bad. The shower was pretty big actually. At first, when he was XO and he'd gotten his own tiny quarters it had felt weird, a little isolated. He wasn't used to being separated from the group. Even in command he'd always eaten, slept, showered, shaved and socialized with his squad. Communal everything built camaraderie, teamwork, a bond between soldiers. Shepard didn't want to feel special. But he was special. Currently, he had what felt like the weight of the galaxy on his strong shoulders. With one hand on the wall he leaned, head down, letting the hot water hit the back of his neck. Eyes closed, he was suddenly grateful for the privacy, for a place he could collapse and show weakness.
By the time he was dressed it was time to check in with Liara. He made his way down the med-bay, still relaxed from his shower. He thought briefly of Williams' obvious dislike of Liara's overly kind words to him. He had noticed. And he had to admit he'd been a little surprised. Williams seemed like a cautious person. She listened, but tended to make assumptions quickly based on her gut. He could tell that about her. She wasn't very good at hiding her thoughts on her face.
He suspected Williams had a bit of a hot head. Actually it was one of the things he found sort of interesting about her. She was clearly no shrinking violet and usually had something smart-ass to say. He'd even seen her stop herself from making a sarcastic comment to him once or twice. He'd felt pretty comfortable around her, and he hadn't minded the occasional ribbing, even the thinly veiled flirting.
Since joining the crew two weeks ago Ash had been a bit of a breath of fresh air. She'd fit in with the crew almost immediately, and oftentimes Shepard had to stifle a laugh when she managed to out-snark Joker or made Kaidan raise a disciplinary eyebrow at her. Ash was a much better soldier than her rank implied and Shepard was confident she could get his back on missions. She'd proven herself on Feros. She was also one hell of a marine, and Shepard had to admit, quite a woman as well.
Dr. Chakwas wasn't in the med-bay so Shepard made his way to the back room where he suspected he would find Liara. As the door hissed open, she stood from her console.
"Commander," she said. Her voice was smooth, very pleasant and feminine.
"How are you feeling?" Shepard asked.
"Much better, thank you." She smiled slightly. "I am glad you are here. We have much to discuss." They did indeed. Starting with Liara's mother, Matriarch Benezia.
As they spoke of her, Liara seemed sad, surprised, confused. She seemed to love her mother very much, though she reported they hadn't spoken in a very long time. She expressed her regret and frustration with not being more help in regards to Benezia. She seemed eager, sweet and innocent. Shepard thought it was endearing. He found himself immediately feeling almost protective of her. Not that she needed protecting. He'd seen the way she'd broken that Krogan's large body as if it were nothing. Her biotics were powerful. There was no doubt.
Their conversation shifted to a discussion about Asari culture and politics. Shepard wasn't too familiar with the Asari, having met and spoken with only a handful in his lifetime. He'd never gotten the chance to talk in depth about any of it. He was asking a lot of questions and after awhile he wondered if it was beginning to annoy her, but Liara seemed pleased and excited to be sharing with him. She only seemed somber again when Shepard asked about her father. She explained then that her mother's partner had also been Asari, that she was a "pure-blood" but that none of her kind would be cruel enough to call her that, even though most Asari chose mates not of their own species. She then awkwardly explained Asari mating adding that Shepard "for example would be an extremely beneficial partner." Then he swore that her blue skin turned bright red, or the equivalent anyway and she looked down, fumbling for words.
"I mean only," she began "only in that the offspring would be... would have many positive traits of character and…" he allowed himself a small laugh as she finally found the words she'd meant to say. "What I am trying to say, Shepard is that we Asari choose our mates based on many things. And you, for instance are a prime example of the best your species has to offer. You have accomplished much in your life and career." She looked a little embarrassed again. "Forgive me, Commander, but I have accessed your files and learned much about you."
Shepard was a little taken aback. It wasn't that he minded anyone accessing his personnel file, learning every detail about his military career, family and medical history. He simply found it surprising that anyone would want to.
"It's okay," he said. "But I would have told you anything you needed to know."
"Yes," she said. "I am afraid my frequent isolation working with ruins and artifacts has depleted my social graces a bit. I did not want to say something stupid. Your interaction with the Prothean Beacon piqued my interest, but I must admit that I find you fascinating as well."
"You make it sound like I'm one of your artifacts," Shepard joked. He immediately regretted his choice of words as Liara looked more embarrassed than ever.
"What? No! I –" she stammered. He laughed again.
"It's okay, Liara. It was a joke." She relaxed then and smiled at him. Shepard liked her earnest and open personality, her willingness to show her feelings. It was very human of her, he thought, very disarming. He looked at the time. He'd been talking to her for an hour and a half. It was time to do something else productive. He could tell her about the asari Shiala and the cipher later. There was plenty of time before they reached Noveria.
"I have to go," he said. He stood, so did she. "Thank you for all the information."
"It was my pleasure. Goodbye, Commander."
Three hours later, all Shepard wanted to do was get to Noveria and find Benezia. He'd done absolutely everything he could to keep busy and so had many of the other crew. He stumbled across Ash, Kaidan and Fitzer, one of the engineering specialists playing cards in the mess. He paused for a second, before they saw him when he heard his name.
"All I know is the Commander was in there awhile," said Fitzer.
"So?" Said Ash.
"I'm just sayin' any man would be curious. And I hear the Asari aren't picky if you know what I mean."
"Knock it off, Fitzer!" It was Kaidan's reasonable voice. Shepard liked Kaidan. He was always putting a stop to nonsense. Sometimes Shepard thought Kaidan was more serious than he was. He'd heard enough and walked into the mess. Kaidan saw him first.
"Commander," he said.
"Join us for a game of cards, Skipper?" Ashley asked. "Give me a chance to win back my chips?" She smiled.
"No thanks," Shepard chuckled quietly. "We'll be arriving at Noveria station in less than an hour. I'm gonna get Wrex and Liara prepped."
"You're taking Dr. Tsoni with you?" Ash asked.
"I might need her when we find Benezia." He could see Ash resisting the urge to question his decision. He wondered what she would say, if anything, if they were alone. She might say that Liara was an archeologist, not a marine. She might ask if he was sure Liara could have his back, if she could hold her own in battle. They were valid questions. Shepard had asked them himself. He decided to answer all of them unprompted, since the others were probably wondering too. "She's got a lot of biotic power. We saw that on Therum. I think she can hold her own, but I'm hoping we'll be able to avoid a firefight anyway." Kaidan stood.
"I have some work," he said. "Commander." He nodded to Shepard and walked off. Fitzer stood too and tossed his cards on the table in front of Ashley.
"I gotta split too or Adams will have my ass. Later Chief." He ran off.
"Later," she said and stood up, facing Shepard. She smiled, but he could tell she was disappointed she wasn't coming with him. It was the second time he'd excluded her for the mission. But she was still healing from her injuries on Feros, no matter what she'd said. They were alone now in the mess, a fact that was not lost on either of them. "Well," she said. "I should probably go too."
"Before Fitzer starts any more rumors you mean?" Ash looked surprised, and more than a little uncomfortable.
"Oh. You heard that." Her face seemed to be trying to discern just how much Shepard had heard. He thought it was kind of cute. He smiled just a little.
"Not really," he said, finally and she relaxed. "Get back to work, Chief."
"Yes sir," she said with a smile and turned to go. She paused, turned back and looked at him. Her expression was serious. "Watch your ass, Shepard." He nodded to her and then she turned and walked out.
Good advice, he thought.