Liara was playing with her hair.

That wasn't terribly surprising. For the last couple of days Sarah had noticed that the Asari was fascinated by her shaggy red locks. Liara had taken every opportunity since Virmire to brush, graze, stroke, or otherwise just touch her hair. Sarah had always been bothered before when her hair was touched, and even considered the hair itself a nuisance. Now she had an entirely different perspective. Liara's touch was so relaxing that it was in danger of putting her to sleep, despite the fact that it was still only early evening.

'I could get used to that.'

*Good.*

'!'

An image of a smile presented itself to Shepard. In response, she framed words.

'Um, you're still here?'

Again the smile. *I would think that is obvious Shepard.*

'I meant in my head. I thought the meld would end, well, when we were done.'

*A mating meld will end when it does Shepard, in minutes or hours. It depends on both the focus and how strong a link exists between the partners. Proximity helps maintain a meld, and physical contact assists even more. I can force it to end if you find the connection distressing.*

'No!' Shepard regrouped, 'Uh, I meant not if you don't want to, that is. Hey, aren't you awfully relaxed about all this? Isn't this your first time and all that?'

*You know the answer to that Shepard.* Suddenly Sarah found that she did. *And we are taught how to meld from a very young age. I fully understand the process.* Finally hesitation, *Even though I have never actually done this before.*

Shepard pondered that for a time, basking in the presence of Liara, until finally another question occurred to her.

'Aren't you uncomfortable? We've been like this for a while.'

Liara was lying on top of Shepard, with her head tucked under Sarah's chin. Her right arm wrapped up and around, with her right hand idly twirling the hair that had started the conversation. Her left arm ran down Sarah's side, practically tucking under the Human's right leg. Sarah rather enjoyed it, but then the Asari was more padded than she was.

*Do I feel uncomfortable Shepard?*

'This does take away the need for asking questions, doesn't it?'

*I am sorry. By giving you offhand responses it might seem like I expect you to find the answers for yourself in my mind. Asari actually find such behavior to be terribly uncivil, and I would never do that to you. I meant to indicate that you would be aware if I were in any discomfort.*

Sarah took a deep breath, lifting Liara on her chest. Liara gave no indication that she found the motion unpleasant, and even snuggled tighter as she continued to slowly play with Sarah's hair.

'No,' she admitted, 'You don't seem uncomfortable.'

*I compare this to lying in the sun on a warm spring day. Now I understand part of why there are so many Human / Asari pairings. Among the races in Citadel Space, only Krogan and Vorcha have warmer body temperatures,* Liara shifted slightly, *I doubt very much that either of them would be as enjoyable to cuddle with.*

'I wish I'd known you were only looking for a cuddle partner. I could have had Vorcha brought aboard for a test run.'

*Not funny.*

'Really, I was concerned. The three times we melded before, you always seemed in such distress afterwards.' Sarah paused before continuing, 'I thought maybe there was something wrong with me - that I was resistant somehow.' Actually, she'd been terrified of the possibility, but best not to focus on that now while Liara still had full access to every thought.

*I had given some consideration to my earlier difficulties as well. I was also concerned, and had even prepared myself for an acclimation period before we were able to achieve this depth of connection. It is commonplace for Asari to encounter some degree of impedance when melding with a new partner if that partner is of another species. This is particularly true if that partner had never melded with an Asari before, as you had not. I simply believed we were at one end of a normal curve when it came to how strenuous the meld would be to achieve and maintain.* Again the smile, *I was delighted to discover how easy it was to join our minds.*

'Then why the difficulty before?'

*You are very strong willed Shepard. This is not a platitude, it is an observation. Your ability to survive the beacons proves it.*

'It was that difficult for you to connect with me before?'

*Quite the opposite, I think. I do not believe my fatigue and debility was caused by creating or maintaining the connection, but by fighting to prevent it from becoming deeper. Your mind was aware of my presence, and was not fighting against our connection, but rather attempting to strengthen that connection to... this.*

Shepard felt a blush rise to her cheeks. 'Sorry about that.'

*It is unlikely that you could have had conscious control over it Shepard. Perhaps if I were more... experienced I would have recognized it for what it was. Instead I believed my difficulties to control the meld were caused by your mind trying to force my consciousness out. We were not even connected to the degree that two Asari might be to share a greeting. However your mind was able to take what should have been the barest touch of connection and attempted to act to enhance it. As strong as I knew you were, I apparently still underestimated you.*

Shepard took one of her arms from where the were wrapped around Liara's upper back, and gently started stroking the top of her crests, careful to not go beyond the tips to the more sensitive spaces between or under them.

*Mmmm. You do that very well Shepard.*

'It helps to be able to know what feels good to you. I don't want to do anything I shouldn't.'

*Shouldn't?*

'You look so relaxed. I didn't want to instigate anything you weren't ready for.'

Liara opened her eyes, and turned up to look at Sarah. She lifted her head to face her new lover, while simultaneously using the hand entangled in the Human's hair to pull Sarah up slightly from her pillow. She bought their lips together in a long, slow kiss.

*I am an Asari maiden, Shepard. I can assure you that there is no danger of me ever being "not ready".*

Sarah was wide eyed with shock at Liara's response, so much so that she had still not replied when the maiden kissed her again.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Liara felt incredibly relaxed as she awakened. There was a warm place in the bed next to her, but that spot was unoccupied. She rolled into it anyway as she turned over to look for Shepard.

She didn't have to look for long. The commander was already dressed, leaning against her desk, watching her.

Liara reached out for the meld, and was happy to see that while significantly weakened, it had not unraveled completely. She could feel Sarah's love and attraction to her, against an undertone of concern about the mission. As she lifted herself onto her elbows she decided that this was a time for words, not thoughts.

"By the Goddess, that was incredible Shepard."

"You were incredible."

Liara chuckled. "Not one of your better lines, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Joker's voice overrode everything else as it broadcast across the ship's PA, "Five minutes ETA to the Mu Relay."

'So much for a heartfelt discussion.' thought Liara. "I had better go. Duty calls. You would not want to keep Joker waiting." She paused, "Shepard, whatever happens on Ilos, I just wanted to say, thank you. For everything."

"Duty calls us both. This is your life's work, of course you're coming down to Ilos with me."

Liara scrambled out of bed and collected her jumpsuit and boots.

"So, this will be our first date? Firefights and explosions?"

Shepard cocked her head. "I thought Jiirae's was our first date?"

'So did I," Liara thought in relief. It was good to know that as inexperienced as she was, she hadn't been entirely unaware. "That was dinner with the commandos Shepard."

"Well, we aren't going to be alone this time either."

"So, just you, me, and... Garrus?" Liara guessed that either Garrus or Wrex would be the other squad member selected. That gave her a fifty percent chance that it would be Garrus. Perhaps more than fifty percent chance of Garrus, as Shepard tended to select the Turian more often when the commander was in a good mood, possibly due to the Turian's predilection for witty comments during battle. Liara smiled inwardly. Despite what they were about to face, Shepard was radiating such a good mood that Liara thought she would be able to feel it even without the meld. The spectre was practically glowing.

"Of course Garrus! I can't deny my best friend a shot at taking down Saren, can I?"

Liara closed her eyes. 'Your best friend indeed. You are such an amazing Human, Sarah Shepard. Your family was killed by non-Humans. Many of your race are still xenophobic about the Turians and other races due to the Relay 314 incident. You encounter discrimination and intolerance at every turn, and yet you see nothing out of the ordinary at having a Turian best friend. I should be jealous of how close the two of you have become, yet somehow I am not. I hope that someday you realize how special you are. I hope that I am the one to help you see that.'

When Liara opened her eyes again, Sarah was looking at her with a strange intensity. The maiden wondered how much of that she might have been able to glean across the flickering remains of the meld. No matter. There had been nothing but truth in her thoughts. Liara was glad that she had found someone that she could be so completely open with, confident that she would be accepted without judgement. It was a new experience for her. She had always had to keep some part of herself hidden from each person in her life.

She put on a brave smile as she sealed her jumpsuit. "It is going to be fun, Shepard."

"That's the spirit! Go put on your armor while I give Garrus the good news. Saren isn't going to know what hit him."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

"That's it then," announced the XO as he, Alenko, and Joker watched the last of the Geth ships break orbit. "Lieutenant Moreau, lay in a course for the relay. Engage at half sublight when the final Geth ship makes transit."

"Pressly, we can't just leave the commander behind. What if she needs extraction?"

"Flight Lieutenant, you will address me as 'XO Pressly' for the time being as a reminder of who's in charge here. The commander gave clear instructions. If the shore party loses contact, or if the tactical situation changes, we are to immediately present the Normandy to Admiral Hackett at Arcturus and provide him a status report."

Lieutenant Alenko watched the exchange from the co-piolt's chair. His estimation of Pressly kicked up a notch at the way he handled the insubordinate Joker. Given how animated he had been in arguing against dropping the commander on Ilos, Kaidan was glad to see that the XO kept a level head when he was in charge.

"The XO's right Joker," Alenko added support to Pressly. "We have our orders."

"But what if Shepard needs us?"

"Needs us to do what? Fight the Geth? They're leaving, so they obviously know something we don't. Their whole objective is to get Sovereign to the Citadel. Since they're on the way out of the system, they think either that's been achieved, or is going to happen soon." He indicated the three dots marking the shore party on the contour map provided by the ship's sensors, "Shepard's team are all still providing strong bio readings, and still in motion. There are no remaining enemy targets on sensors. They haven't radioed for pickup, so they're probably still trying enter the ruins to reach Saren."

"And if Saren's already gone?"

Pressly picked the conversation back up. "Then nothing changes. The commander gets a couple days off waiting for us to come back during which T'Soni gets to revel in the archaeological find of her career. Look Moreau, there aren't any comm relays in system. The only way we're getting a report out is to deliver it ourselves. We have a little time to monitor the commander's progress because I don't want to transit into the Mu Relay system while there's still a Geth fleet there. In any case, the Alliance needs to be aware of what's happening. If the Geth are about to be on the Citadel's doorstep, don't you think the Admiral would want to know?"

"I guess you're right."

"You guess I'm right...?" Pressly waited expectantly.

"I guess you're right, sir."

"Maybe I am Lieutenant. But even if I'm not, those were our orders. The commander doesn't expect us to follow orders blindly, and neither do I. However, we don't get to choose which orders we want to follow either. The situation hasn't materially changed, and we were given orders to cover this exact circumstance."

Kaidan piped up. "We can leave a sensor packet in orbit to monitor the shore party until we transit."

"Good idea Alenko. Moreau, prepare a sensor packet and release it when we break orbit. Announce a 5 minute warning before transit." The navigator turned and left for the CIC.

"I never thought I'd see you supporting the XO like that Kaidan."

"It didn't hurt that he happened to be right. Shepard lets you get away with a lot because you're good at your job, and she isn't threatened by you. As small as the crew of the Normandy is, this is the largest direct chain of command she's ever been a part of. Pressly has served on larger ships all his life. The chain of command is what keeps things running smoothly in that kind of environment. It's what he's used to, and what he expects from his officers. He was being gracious in explaining himself to you. He didn't need to. You've been spoiled under Anderson and Shepard. Someday you'll have a CO that expects their command pilot to be by the book. I know you're a bit of a maverick, but sometimes it's better to follow the regs than break them just because you can."

Joker sunk lower into his seat, "Yeah, yeah."

"Yeah yeah...?"

"Yeah, yeah sir."

"That's the spirit. We'll have you spit and polish in no time."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Liara hadn't really meant it when she said Ilos would be fun, but if she were being honest, this had been one of the best days of her young life. She had left her suit camera running from the first time they disembarked from the mako after drop. She couldn't wait to get back to the Normandy so she would be able review the footage. She smiled to herself at the thought of her first book being titled High Speed Archaeology.

It was difficult to feel guilty about the distraction of the camera. If anything, it allowed her to focus. Every Geth trooper was just a diversion from being able to swing her camera at one more piece of statuary, one more engraving. She had been more aggressive in combat than she ever had been before, occasionally rushing beyond Shepard to engage a Geth that stood between her and some relic.

In such cases, the Geth in question never stood a chance. Liara was able to simultaneously target such enemies, maintain her barriers at a level that she never needed her shields, and keep her camera pointed in the direction to provide maximum benefit for later review. This bunker they were chasing Saren down might very well have been the last refuge for members of the Prothean species. No mere Geth was going to stand between her and its secrets. Her prowess to that end surprised her. She wasn't worried about the enemy, she wasn't worried about contributing to the team, she wasn't even worried about disappointing Shepard. The fighting was easy. She'd even found it within herself to joke with Shepard and Garrus when they were finally able to gain access to Saren's escape route. "Who votes we take the mako into the creepy underground bunker?" She shook her head, remembering her own audacity.

She glanced over her shoulder at Shepard after dispatching a Geth rocket trooper and was warmed by a view of the Human woman grinning from ear to ear. Liara's recalled Shepard's behavior on Virmire, before that mission had gone so horribly wrong. A day when the commander had seemed to swing back and forth between trying to impress Liara, and trying to protect her. 'She's enjoying this! Enjoying... us! Is this how every battle is for her?' Liara wondered if her own increasing aptitude was what freed Shepard to revel in the battle as they double timed back to the Mako.

She didn't have much opportunity to test her theory. After returning to the mako they were able to drive some distance down the tunnel without encountering additional forces left behind by Saren. Even Shepard's driving wasn't challenged by the straight downward stretch of tunnel they were currently traversing.

They had only driven a few more minutes when they encountered another obstacle blocking their path. Shepard braked sharply, throwing her teammates forward as she avoided impacting what looked like some kind of barrier curtain.

"What is happening?" Liara asked as the pushed herself back from where she was held by the mako's restraints.

Garrus was less restrained. "It's a trap. Saren must have set an ambush!"

Liara unbuckled to lean forward and peer over Shepard's shoulder at the obstruction through the mako's forward viewport. "I... do not think Saren is behind this." She swept a 360 with the turret controls. "There is another barrier behind us, and an archway on the starboard side of the tunnel. I believe we are being directed there."

Shepard looked up from her console. "There's no Geth on scanners." She popped the hatch. "Let's go see what there is to see."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

What there had been to see was yet another elevator. As they sank into the darkness, Liara had voiced her concern. "I have studied the Protheans for decades, but I have never felt this sense of foreboding." Garrus had tried to be reassuring, while Shepard remained focused on the task at hand.

It turned out, she needed have worried. Liara had been amazed by encountering working Prothean technology in the form of the beacons, and had thought that visiting Ilos would be the pinnacle of her archaeological career. Those were mere highlights compared to what waited for them at the bottom of the shaft.

Shepard had led them out of the elevator at a brisk trot, unholstering her pistol in the process. She only stopped at the end of the pier the elevator opened onto where a malfunctioning console crackled with unconfined energy.

Now Liara drew in a sharp breath as the console spoke to Shepard, revealing itself to be a functioning Prothean VI.

"You are not Prothean, but you are not machine either. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons."

Liara tried to rush forward, but was blocked by an outstretched arm from Garrus. She turned an angry look to to the Turian who gave her a quick head shake even as Shepard responded to the VI. She considered resisting for a moment, but then thought better of it. 'The mission comes first.' She'd never truly felt the sacrifice behind those words before now.

She listened impatiently while the AI identifying itself as Vigil answered a career's worth of questions about the Protheans. She didn't know whether to be jealous or overjoyed as Shepard was led down a path of knowledge that decades of backbreaking work and professional ridicule had been unable to reveal. She held her tongue as she monitored her suit's camera. When she captured Vigil's confirmation the existence of indoctrination, while unveiling the fact that Saren was himself indoctrinated, she could hold back no longer. In her excitement, she gave voice to the obvious. "This is incredible. An actual Prothean VI, and I can understand it!"

Her outburst drew an impatient look from Garrus, but Shepard never turned around. As for Vigil, it lectured almost like a professor as it seemed eager to impart its knowledge. "I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend."

Shepard finally started questioning the VI, and Liara eagerly absorbed the responses. Vigil confirmed that it was in fact not an AI, but was indeed a VI with a personality overlay from a Prothean scientist. 'No wonder it sounds like an academic,' thought Liara. Vigil went on to explain the trap that was the Citadel, revealing at last why Saren and Sovereign were willing to sacrifice so much to gain access to it. With control of the Citadel systems, the war would be over before it really began. The best of the Turian, Salarian, and Asari militaries were based at the Citadel, attached to the defensive flotilla there. Liara tried to imagine tens of thousands of ships the size of Sovereign. When the Reapers transitioned through from dark space, the might of Citadel Space would be washed away in an instant, leaving only the Alliance to lead any kind of counteroffensive. The maiden had never been to Arcturus Station, but she doubted it would be able to hold out against such an onslaught alone.

She kept her camera focused on Vigil and Shepard as the VI moved on to outline the final days of the Prothean Empire. It described isolated systems falling one by one without a central government to coordinate any kind of defense. Liara perked up as even though the VI spun a horrifying tale of total destruction, there was a glimmer of hope provided by the scientists on Ilos, and what they called the Conduit Project. They overcame nearly impossible odds. As power reserves diminished, the VI sacrificed the population of the research colony in the relentless triage of machine logic, leaving a mere dozen alive when the Reapers returned to the dark space between galaxies. Despite taking horrible losses as Vigil shut down life support for the hundreds of other Protheans, that final dozen dedicated the remainder of their lives to preventing the return of the Reapers.

Although unsuccessful in that task, the Prothean scientists were able to use the research from the original goal of the colony, to create working mass relays, to open a channel to the Citadel itself. The scientists traveled to the Citadel after the Prothean extinction was complete, and altered the Keepers so that they ignored the order to open the connection to dark space for the next cycle of extinction. While the Reapers remained a threat, their normal method of invasion was hampered, buying the current cycle just a bit more time to prepare for the Reaper onslaught.

When Vigil revealed that the Conduit was itself a mass relay, and one that connected directly to the Citadel at that, everything became clear. The Conduit was exactly that, a conduit Saren hoped to pass through to the Citadel to be able to open it for Sovereign. Liara was shocked when Shepard simply took the data wafer offered by Vigil, and turned to the elevator. Garrus immediately moved to follow, but Liara was torn. "Shepard," she pleaded, "I still have so many questions."

Shepard slowed but didn't stop. "We have to go, Liara. I'm not leaving you behind with god knows how many Geth."

Liara's blood ran like ice at the thought. 'How could she think I want that?' A split second passed during which she realized exactly how. 'Nevermind.' She trotted to catch up. "I apologize Commander." She made sure she had Shepard's eye as they reached the elevator. "It was merely momentary frustration," she said even as she marked the location with her omni-tool. "I would never let you continue into the fight without me."

Shepard didn't smile, but there was a sparkle in her eyes as she nodded in acknowledgement.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Liara watched as Shepard stode up to the petitioner's console in the council chamber. She waved her omni-tool across it, activating the control codes provided by Vigil.

"The data file worked. I've got control of all systems."

Liara blanched. 'That was almost ridiculously easy.'

Finally something had been easy. Liara had been given reason to be amazed by the commander on more than one occasion. Today had exceeded them all. She had to admit, flying a mako through a mass relay actually did sound like something the commander would do. Afterwards though, Shepard had blazed a trail in her pursuit of Saren that defied description.

They maiden had worked in many places with poisonous atmospheres over the course of her career. Never had she worked in zero pressure, only her suit and helmet separating her from the vastness of space. She'd certainly never fought in zero atmospheres! When Shepard had nonchalantly stated "Suit up, we're going outside" when the elevator had been frozen, without even attempting other solutions, Liara's hands had shaken slightly when she sealed her helmet.

Shepard on the other hand, had been unimpeded by vacuum. It made Liara wonder why the commander was so reluctant to wear her helmet it battle. It certainly didn't seem to slow her down any. She took out Geth as if it were a game, with her and Garrus having to get creative to even find targets to shoot. Shepard had been able to overcome Saren as well, first with biotics, and then with persuasion, but he had proved to be a significant delay.

A voice rang our from behind her. She turned to watch Garrus running up the stairs to the petitioner's platform. "Quick! Open the station's arms. Maybe the fleet can take Sovereign down before he regains control of the station!"

Liara turned from the Turian back to Shepard. "We need more information. See if you can open a communications channel."

Shepard's omni-tool crackled with static. Even through the interference a voice could be heard. "...the Destiny Ascension. Main drives offline. Kinetic barriers down 40 percent. The Council is on board. I repeat, the Council is on board."

The next broadcast was far more welcome. "Normandy to the Citadel. Normandy to the Citadel. Please tell me that's you Commander." Joker's voice was unmistakable.

"I'm here, Joker. The shore party is present and accounted for."

"We caught that distress call Commander. I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with Admiral Hackett and the entire Fifth Fleet. We can save the Ascension. Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send in the cavalry."

Liara was ablaze with anger at Joker's suggestion. "Shepard! You cannot sacrifice a Human fleet, not even to save the Council." 'Especially not the Council, not THIS Council. This Council who have abandoned and betrayed you at every turn. Even Veleda, sodalis of my mother, you have forsaken Sarah more than once! I refuse to allow Shepard to repay such betrayal with sacrifice.' She took a breath. "We will need every ship when the Reapers return."

Garrus looked at the maiden quizzically. "This is bigger than humanity Shepard. Sovereign's a threat to us all."

Liara held her ground. "That is why you cannot throw away the reinforcements trying to save the Council. Hold them in reserve until the Citadel arms are open. Then the fleet can target Sovereign."

Joker broke in to remind the commander that he still hadn't received a response. "What will it be Commander? Rescue the Ascension, or hold back?"

Shepard looked at Garrus and Liara. 'Dammit. This is SO far above my pay grade. What the hell Hackett? Did you forget about us down here? An order would have been nice.' She paused. 'Of course he's not going to give me an order. He doesn't know the tactical situation. He's as in the dark as Joker. There's a spectre in the theater of operations, and she has Asari intelligence and Turian security assets available to her. He's deferring.' Her voice was sure and steady, even as she locked eyes with Liara. "Opening the relays now Joker. Save the Council. Save the Destiny Ascension. If we can get those Geth off her, her main gun will be a huge asset against Sovereign. ''See? I even gave a valid tactical reason, not just because you would never have forgiven yourself for Tevos' death, no matter how angry you are with her.'

The Geth were no match for the Alliance reinforcements. As the fleets moved to englobe Sovereign, Shepard turned her gaze downward. Liara and Garrus moved forward to the end of the walkway,to join her in looking down at Saren's body. Shepard didn't look back at them. "Make sure he's dead."

Garrus took the lead as he and Liara rode the elevator down to the conservatory below the council's audience chamber. Liara held back even as Garrus strode up and unloaded his pistol into the rogue spectre's body. "He is dead," she radioed back up to Shepard.

No sooner had the words passed from her lips than the entire Presidium began to shake. Saren's body began to convulse, even as it was enveloped in red energy tendrils. Garrus and Liara were thrown from their feet, even as the petitioner's platform collapsed, causing Shepard to fall and join them in the conservatory.

Liara was the first of the three to her feet. Garrus was still on his knees, and Shepard had just pushed herself onto her hands and knees, and was shaking her head. Saren had risen as well. Liara watched as the indoctrinated Turian was growling, glowing, and changing. He was growing larger, his fingers extending into claws. When the energy that enveloped him burst in a gigantic flare, it left no organic component combined. All that remained of Saren was the technological enhancements added by Sovereign. Saren was now just a shell of a Turian, barely recognizable as such.

The Turian's corpse rose to it's full height, and then leapt away in a fashion similar to a Geth hopper. As it did so, it emanated a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once. 'I am Sovereign, and this station is mine!" Saren's body immediately started firing at the trio, a combination of energy bolts and plasma discharges, that caused the three to scatter for cover. The arrangement was fortuitous, as Saren's remains could not focus fire one one of them without turning its back on the other two.

And so began one more battle, like many others before. Saren / Sovereign was powerful, but it was only one entity. It had no backup, no path to retreat. Despite Saren's obvious power, Liara felt good about their chances and quickly fell into a pattern with Garrus and Shepard. Shepard would attack with a biotic charge, immediately following with a shotgun blast. With the enemy staggered, Liara would envelop it in stasis, locking it into place. This gave Shepard the opportunity to retreat to cover, and allowed Garrus to line up a shot with the location where the entity would fall. Once hit by Garrus' sniper rifle, Saren would jump away to a new position, and the trio would reposition themselves as well to allow a repeat of the strategy.

The fight was going well. Liara was growing fatigued, but whatever force was driving Saren was ebbing as well. There was less enemy fire to dodge as Saren seemed to be targeting Shepard more often than her or Garrus.

Saren jumped. She, Garrus, and Shepard repositioned themselves to accommodate its new position. Shepard charged, immediately following with her shotgun, driving Saren back. Liara locked it in stasis before it even hit the ground. She started counting in her head as Garrus lined up his shot. Just as she reached 14 seconds, Garrus' rifle barked. This time, Saren was ready. Instead of taking the hit, it jumped high and away, attaching itself to the wall above and behind Liara.

Liara turned as she drew her pistol. It was all she had. She was in her cool down period and had no other options. Garrus had a good line of sight, but his rifle was several seconds away from being able to fire again. Shepard was somewhere behind her, and likely only reaching the end of her cool down period as well, her pistol and shotgun no use at any kind of range.

Saren dropped, barely 10 meters away, and started unloading all his weapons at her. She heard the chime announcing the depletion of her shields, and she wasn't yet able to raise a barrier. "I love you Sarah," crossed her lips even as she continued firing. Her pistol would overheat, but that didn't matter. Any damage she did to Saren could make the difference for Sarah to finish it off.

Suddenly she was catapulted sideways across the conservatory, hitting the wall so hard she nearly blacked out. As she looked up dazedly, she saw Shepard occupying the space she had to abruptly vacated. 'She charged me! She threw me out of the way!'. Sarah stood a few meters from the dead Turian, unloading her shotgun and her pistol as fast as their heat dissipation would allow. Saren was firing in return, but the commander seemed unaware, as she screamed challenge into its face at the top of her lungs.

The commander's own shields were nearing the end of their capacity when a resounding boom coincided with the disappearance of Saren's head. The dead Turian's body collapsed even as Shepard turned to see where the shot had come from.

Garrus called out as he stepped from around the elevator. "I think we're done here."

"See to Liara," the commander shouted in return as she knelt to verify that Saren wasn't going to resurrect a second time.

Just as Garrus started to help her to her feet, Liara saw the debris from the battle in space crash through the windows above. "Shepard!" she called as the room was buried in debris.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

She could smell smoke. 'Perhaps we should both learn to wear a helmet,' thought Liara. it was dark, and she couldn't move. Her legs were pinned under what she assumed was debris.

She heard motion out of her sight. "Hello?" she called.

Suddenly a piece of wreckage was pushed aside, and she was bathed in light. A man, a Human, was using his omni-tool as a light source and was shining it in her face. As she put her hand up to shield her eyes, she saw Garrus to her right. He looked shaken, but unharmed.

The Human called behind him. "Captain Anderson! We've found them! They're in here!"

The Human security officer moved to attend to Garrus as Captain Anderson knelt by Liara's side. She tried to stand even as the Captain was freeing her legs. "Take it easy. It's over, you're safe now."

'No one is safe,' flashed through the maiden's mind as Anderson followed up with "Where's the commander?"

It was all that Liara could do to look towards the middle of the room. The position the commander had last occupied was now under the largest pile of burning debris in the conservatory.

Anderson didn't reply as he and an assortment of officers from C-Sec assisted her and Garrus to the doorway, allowing the fire containment teams unrestricted access to the site.

She felt dead, numb as she looked back at the remains of Sovereign. So blurry was her vision that for a moment she didn't believe what she saw.

Anderson saw the hope on the maiden's face and turned as well. He was just in time to see Shepard stepping up to the top of one of Soverign's enormous legs.

Shepard paused for a moment, before sauntering down to them. The spectre had a limp, was cradling her left arm, and had seemingly taken some kind of injury to her torso, but none of that kept her from flashing Liara her trademark lopsided smile. A smile that contained both joy and impudence. A smile that Liara had been afraid she'd never see again.

A smile that remained on the commander's face even as she collapsed at Liara's feet.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

And so ends Connections! Thanks for reading, and the story continues in Fragments (already posted)!


A/N: Assumptions here include:
FemShep/Liara (Finally)
Later ME1 - after Feros, Noveria, Virmire and this is the 6th story of the Cari'ssi'mi series (Sorry, it probably makes sense to at least read Obligations first)

Shepard is:
Colonist / Vanguard / War Hero

As always, feedback is welcome and desired.