Summary: Putting the Citadel behind them, the Normandy puts out for the Artemis Tau cluster and the only tangible lead they have so far-Matriarch Benezia's daughter. Though initially they start to doubt the intelligence they were given when scans of the first three star systems yield not even the faintest hint of Dr. Liara T'soni, who is undergoing the shock of her life on the surface of Therum.

Acknowledgements: I want to throw many kudos and flowers at the feet of my beta readers-xforeverquotex and my paramour. You guys are amazing and I appreciate your time and assistance with this piece.

10 Bleak Intangibles

i.

Once underway the crew of the Normandy started to develop a new rhythm, more in line with an operational tempo, though Shepard knew that if the pace were anything close to what she had been running before she got to the SR-1 no one on this ship would be ready for it. This prompted her encouragement of physical training for the entire squad. Vakarian and Williams already had their own regimens, and Alenko was leading PT for the marine detail. Wrex assured her that he would be fine with whatever they come up against, and Tali, well, Shepard was not completely sure how Tali approached it. The commander had warned them mainly because she knew what happened the last time the Alliance drove her team hard. She did not want to lose anyone on the ground or have them ask to rotate out a few months in. Shepard needed this crew to be solid, connected, and ready for anything, literally, because no one really had any idea what Saren Arterius was up to or capable of.

The jump to the Artemis Tau Cluster was made within hours of leaving the Citadel. But the next few days were spent painstakingly scanning and probing the planets of the relay system. After an unproductive nineteen hours in the Athens System, they set a course for the Macedon system. Shepard felt thoroughly drained from the lack of movement involved in hovering between the two stations in the rear of the helm; she needed some sort of outlet for her pent up energy and headed to the cargo bay to steal a short run in the hopes that some exertion might help her sleep.

Chuckling to herself, she shook her head when the elevator door opened-Wrex and Garrus were still arguing over the Mako like it was female. She knew eventually she would step in and see precisely what they were discussing, but like any conflict between crew she wanted to see if they would work out a solution for themselves. Whatever they were trying to convince one another of would eventually find its way to her desk, she knew. She did not figure either of them would do anything to the ground vehicle without clearing it past her or Adams first.

The gym was blissfully abandoned, and just like the first time she had tucked away in this hideaway, she cranked up some music with a quick pulsing beat which filled the compact space as she punched up her program on the treadmill. Once she reached her normal pace, she just hoped the run might do the trick. Within an hour, she opted to give sleep a chance, she knew the ship would hit the next system in a few hours and she should try to get a little sleep in case they found the matriarch's daughter they had come to this system in search of.

ii.

The nightmares had eased up some, but they still occasionally combined with old terrors to startle her awake in the ever-present night of space. Shepard had served long enough to know that while the nightmares were not standard issue for Alliance soldiers, they were nearly inescapable for people in her line of work. Her old friend Caz had them, Dave Jensen and Sergeant Hargis from her old squad had admitted to them, even Lin said she had them from time to time and she had merely been a medic. But Lin had told Nyx that her short time at a field hospital on Elysium during the period that followed the Blitz had given her more than enough bad memories to haunt her for a lifetime, while the others were still out there somewhere racking up fodder for sleeplessness.

Oddly, the images from the beacon seemed to fit seamlessly with the ones that had haunted Shepard for years, and the commander resigned herself to the fact that she would likely have more to join them by the time everything was said and done.

"Commander."

Her head shot up off the desk and slammed into the lamp that hung slightly over the surface. "Damnit."

Joker ignored it. "Entering the Knossos system."

"Thank you Joker. Have Pressly start scanning for me. I'll be up there in ten," she said. They had been searching the systems one by one trying to find the good doctor. Knossos was the fourth system in Artemis Tau that they visited since they left the Citadel. And it was the last place Dr. T'soni could be, if she was even still out here.

Shepard stretched lazily almost glad it was the speaking voice of another human that woke her rather than the usual culprits. "You'd think it wouldn't be so hard to find one asari archaeologist-" She stopped herself when she actually considered precisely how much ground the Normandy had already covered to find this one scientist.

Her hands rubbed at the back of her neck and moved toward her left shoulder. The tension in the muscles she knew was in part to odd position she had accidentally spent the last few hours in, as well as being compounded by the situation she was in. "Belay that," she muttered to herself as her fingers sought out and pressed at the knots in the muscles of her shoulder.

Knowing from experience that hot water would help, she grabbed her shower kit and a change of clothes, opting to grab a quick shower before the scans could possibly produce any results. That was one advantage to living on a ship. The water was almost always hot. And the commander hoped it might help slough away the added soreness caused by passing out from the sheer boredom of reading reports at her desk a few hours before. Despite the fact that Shepard was used to sleeping in odd places, her impromptu nap had left her a little stiffer than usual.

When she exited the bathroom she smiled. The large room smelled of fresh coffee. She went to grab her mug from her spot but it was empty. Then she remembered. Her cup had moved. Even the little things seemed designed to remind her of the big picture staring her in the face and taunting her. She filled the mug and dosed it with sugar. With her first swallow she seemed to feel just a little more like more awake.

"Commander, I think we found what you're looking for," Pressly said to the entire deck, not knowing precisely where she was. Likely he had tried her quarters first.

"On my way," she replied.

She hurried to the cockpit and found Pressly leaning over a young yeoman busily tapping away at the screen.

"When in doubt check the coffee pot," she said as she leaned over the other side of the chair. "That my asari's location?"

"Highly likely. Some large underground complex from the look of the scan, but we can't get any readings in the main structure down there. Something is blocking the scan. And there's a lot of activity down there, Commander. We're reading geth signatures. If she's down there, she's not alone," Pressly replied with a trace of concern.

Nyx nodded as she looked at the console for a long moment before she glanced up at her XO. "Well, it's not like I thought I'd be able to skip right in and pick her up with flowers and chocolate."

"Never figured you for the flowers type, Commander," Joker opined from a few feet away.

Pressly narrowed his eyes at the pilot's statement. Shepard could see he was considering a reprimand, but the commander shook her head. The other officer nodded at her, seemingly understanding. "Probably right," she replied evenly. "A bouquet of small arms and fusion grenades might be more my style."

"Oh really? Way I heard it sounded like you prefer long and sharp."

She glanced over her shoulder, the pilot was grinning. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she declared smugly as she crossed the small space and Joker laughed. She reached past him and keyed the intercom from his panel "Tali. Williams. How does a girls' night sound?"

"Hella fine, ma'am," Williams responded gleefully.

"Suit up! We're going for a ride," the last part of that statement was said in an incredibly playful tone.

As she turned to head for the elevator, Joker's voice stopped her. "Please don't crash this one, Commander."

"I'm fine on the ground. Nothing to worry about."

"Right. So, not what I heard."

She turned and walked away shaking her head. One of these days she would have to find out where he was getting his information. But this was not that day. She made her way down to the cargo bay, and polished off her cup of coffee as they suited up and checked their weapons. Since the chief was going with this time around, Shepard opted to leave her Reaper behind.

"There's a welcoming party waiting for us people. So keep your eyes open," the commander said quickly as she waited for them all to hop into the Mako.

"From what I hear Shepard, maybe you should let me drive," Williams chided, tapping her hand on the side of the door.

"Why do I suddenly feel like it might be more dangerous in here with the two of you than down there with the geth?" Tali asked, sliding into a seat in the rear of the Mako.

"Because you're perceptive," Joker added over the radio.

"Just open the garage door, Dad," Shepard quipped, slithering into her seat.

"Aye, aye, ma'am. Preparing for drop in three."

iii.

Doctor Plavia T'ngazi had spent nearly a year fighting for the right to block the looting of the Prothean Ruins on Therum. It seemed to many a lop-sided endeavor. A small band of scientists and researchers battled against the Eldfell-Ashland Energy (EAE) which was one of the most widely known human mining corporations. EAE had a significant presence in the galaxy and had a healthy revenue stream from its base element mining operations. That sustainable stream of revenue made it more formidable than other companies like it.

In her fight, T'ngazi had gathered support from Serrice University, as well as from researchers on Earth and brought in a few influential salarians as well. Her hope that a multi-cultural research group could get more recognition than an asari team had paid off. When pressured by academics from many races, the Council finally succumbed to the calls for it to live up to its promises to protect these sites from any further looting and pillaging.

At that point, EAE was forced to halt mining in and around ruins on Therum. The company not only had to pay fines, which were used to fund the research team sent to Therum, it was held to strict standards and penalties regarding the disclosure of such finds in the future.

Dr. Liara T'soni had come to Plavia's team a few months after the decision, just prior to the team's deployment. Her age seemed to concern several of the asari among the group of fifteen, ten of whom were scientists. But Liara had spent the past forty years on the move, from planet to planet, working at various Prothean dig sites. It had been more than quarter of a century since she last returned to Thessia. The young asari knew it was her time spent on-the-job, so to speak, that got her request to join Dr. T'ngazi's team approved.

Working dig sites in the remote regions at the edge of Council Space was not a calm line of work. It could be hard and back-breaking, which made the rewards of discovery that much sweeter. But Liara's work ethic was not the only reason for her approval. She could handle herself. More than once T'soni had been part of the defense of a site beset by pirates and looters. She could handle a pistol and her mother had ensured that Liara was quite skilled in the use of her biotics, even if her planned career path meant she spent more time in libraries and dusty ruins than in combat situations.

As the daughter of a Matriarch like Benezia, there were certain expectations placed on Liara; expectations she had never fully appreciated until she heard the scream echoing off the rock of the underground cavern. It reverberated off itself and the stone for a good five seconds, before only the echoes of an asari geologist's last moments faded after her body hit the rocks not twenty feet from where Liara and Plavia sat discussing ways to approach the security system of the ruin that still seemed intact. They feared someone accidentally setting it off, but the point seemed moot now.

Both women stared at the crushed and contorted body of the Niea, who often unintentionally sang most of the team to sleep every night. While looking at pictures of her daughters, the geologist would sing a familiar lullaby softly; it had become a comfort to them all. Liara shot to her feet with the first sounds of gun fire.

A turian mercenary hired to protect the dig, ran toward the tent and keyed open the weapons locker. "Hurry! Find a place to hide! Liara, I'll be on channel three if you need me," Lakis said sharply as he handed her and Plavia each a pistol.

T'ngazi's hands were shaking she did not know what to do with the weapon. Even when she was younger she had never defended herself or her earlier digs. It was a foreign and alien concept to Plavia and she quickly handed the weapon to Liara.

"Come, Doctor. Let's see if we can't find a safe place to hide," Liara stated. Her voice was steady and even.

T'soni knew Lakis, the turian. They had worked together before. She had faith in the people hired to protect them. At least until the choking whisper burned into her psyche, "Run! Get behind the shield!"

Panic set in. Lakis was likely dead or dying. "Plavia," Liara whispered, holding her mentor's face in both her hands as she spoke lowly. "We have to get to the ruins. We have to get the shield up."

"What's happened?"

"I think Lakis and his team are dead."

"What!?" T'ngazi screeched.

"Hush. We must go quickly," Liara insisted. She crouched low and pulled at Plavia's hand. When she saw them, she froze. "Geth?" she whispered in surprise.

The head of the research team was clinging to Liara's arm, staring at the catwalks. "What are they doing beyond the Veil?"

"It don't know," Liara stated dryly. She darted to the weapons locker that was still open then strode past the other asari, grabbing her hand as she passed. "But I'm certain we don't want to find out."

The younger archaeologist pulled the older researcher along at a quick pace, but they were moving slower than Liara would have preferred, in part because of Plavia's limp, but mainly due to her fear. T'soni had to keep stopping to comfort her and convince her they would be fine. When the elevator started moving, Liara's own fear reared up. In that moment she wished she had participated in more sports as a young woman.

The first throw went wide and the grenade detonated against nothing, but Liara had more luck with the second. It rolled right up against the door of the elevator; she just hoped it might be enough. But the first rocket shocked her as it exploded less than twenty feet away from them.

Plavia crumpled to the ground. "What is happening? Why are they here?"

"It doesn't matter. Come on!"

The dark-eyed woman looked up at Liara, shaking her head. "I can't."

It was only then that T'soni noticed the wide gash in Plavia's leg. "Yes, you can. I'll help you."

"No." T'ngazi pushed at the younger doctor's shoulder. "Go! You can make it without me. Go!"

Liara's hands trembled as she handed the pistol back to her friend, flipping the safety off for her. "I'm sorry."

"I know. Now go!"

A deep ragged breath shook in T'soni's chest as she stood. Another rocket bounced off the cavern walls not far from them, and her eyes moved to the geth pouring in from the back entrance on the opposite side of the large room from the elevator and the entry way to the ruins. By the goddess! There are so many of them. What could they want with Therum? The thoughts were chased away by weapons fire, and finally her survival instinct kicked back in. Liara sprinted up the metal walkway and dashed into the wide-mouthed opening in the ruin.

The rounds ricocheted off the pristine white-tiled walls as she tapped at the console. "Come on, damn you!" She hazarded a glance behind her, Plavia was still shooting, even though the geth had started moving past her. The errant thought that they were coming for her, spurred Liara onward more quickly. "By the goddess, you infernal piece of …"

Her scream was sharp and resounded inside her own head as she screwed her eyes closed at the sensation of being lifted off her feet. It took her a moment to realize she was not dead. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw the blue glow between her and the geth. They tilted their oddly-shaped heads as if studying the barrier between them and their target. Liara tried to move her arm, but nothing happened, but strangely she could move her head slightly, enough to see she was suspended, spread-eagle.

"Goddess," she groaned. She had managed to do precisely what she and Plavia had spent the last two days trying to figure out how to avoid.

Her mind raced. One advantage was that she was safe, for now. The bad part was that even if the geth did not get through the shield she would be dead in a matter of days anyway. Liara hung her head defeated. Escape a quick death only to drag it out, she thought. If they were planning to kill you, that is.

The thought made her remember Plavia. The other asari was no longer firing, she just leaned awkwardly against the grating. But she seemed to be smiling, though Liara could not be sure at this distance.

The geth quickly gave up their inspection of the barrier when a large krogan, even by krogan standards, walked up to the blue sheathe covering the opening.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you gift-wrapped yourself for me," he announced, studying the doctor. "If my boss is right once you're dead that little field will drop and I'll still get my payday, though this trip would be much more lucrative, if you were still breathing. But it's your call. You can come out, or I'll wait you out. Either works for me."

Liara just stared at him. Slow death it is, she decided in that moment. Even though she knew how to lower the field she could not get herself free of whatever stasis trap she had placed herself in. And if she could have dropped the field she would not. She would rather die slowly and painfully than cooperate with the likes of that mercenary or whoever might employ him.

iv.

The metallic thunk woke the asari. The geth came by on a regular schedule to see if she was still alive-she had counted fourteen such visits. She could only guess they were an hourly schedule and guessed she likely had been trapped for twenty or so hours. If she was lucky. But the sound that woke her was not the geth. Her fear, relief, exhaustion, and anxiety rushed to the surface when she saw the three figures on the other side of the barrier who were clearly not geth, nor krogan.

"Uh… Hello!" she called at the noise, then shook her head at herself for being so foolish. There was nothing here but geth and that horrible krogan that leered at her and licked his cracked lips like he was looking at his next meal.

When she saw the human, pistol in hand, Liara started laughing uncontrollably. "Are you real?" she asked finally as the female approached. No response save a curious raise of the eyebrows which made the asari second guess herself. Of course she's not real. How could she be? No one knows you're down here. No one but those damn geth and that krogan are looking for you. And why would a human be here anyway? The Council forced EAE to suspend their operations for at least six months in this sector. There was no good reason for a human to come down that shaft. Foolish child!

She shook her head and let it fall again.

"Dr. T'soni? I presume," the hallucination said.

Oh Goddess! I must be farther gone than I think, Liara thought as she decided whether to have this conversation with herself. "Fine. Sure. Yes, little figment of my subconscious. I am Liara T'soni."

Liara squinted when she heard another voice sharply whisper, "Got eyes. We're not alone."

"Of course, we're not alone," Liara stated rather loudly. "There are geth crawling all over the place and a rather sizeable krogan, as well."

"Hush," the figment replied at her, waving a hand at her.

"My! You certainly are rude for a hallucination."

"Shut up, doctor," the human growled, clearly annunciating every word with razor sharpness.

Liara, uncertain what triggered it-the fire in her eyes, the bite in her voice, or the calculating movements of her body-finally realized in that moment that the human was not some trick of the mind; she was real. Her anxiety peaked again as the human crept into the darkness beyond her field of vision. Her chest tightened and Liara had to bite back the tears of frustration as she listened to the weapons fire from beyond the security curtain.

I'm going to die down here. The geth are everywhere. This overheated rock wasn't worth it. This ruin was stripped by the mining company before we got here. It was all a waste of time, effort, … lives. And now I'm going to die in this ridiculous security ball in this crumbling tower. What were you thinking coming out here, Liara?

"All right, Doctor. What can you tell me about this thing?" the human asked.

Liara's head shot up and her eyes opened at the voice. She was alive. How did she manage to survive? Then the other two came close enough to the curtain that Liara could see them. There were three of them. All female, she noted. Two humans. And a quarian? She recovered from her surprise quickly and proceeded to explain what had happened.

The dark-haired one seemed impatient, it was the combination of rolling eyes and heavy sighs that suggested her irritation. The quarian constantly swept the distant part of the cavern, pistol at the ready. The light-haired one looked at the asari as if assessing her. She did not hurry Liara or push, as the other human did once or twice, only to be calmed by the shorter woman.

"The defenses can't be shut down from the outside," Liara stated. Her shoulders sank slightly. "And I'm not sure how you'll get in here."

The woman shifted her weight and set her hands on her hips before she turned to survey the area. "We'll think of something," she added with a glance over her shoulder at Liara before she walked to the railing and discussed the options with the other two women. "We'll be back," the human said, backing down the walkway after her companions.

A few minutes later the explosion and the acrid smell of smoke made the doctor's heart race. The scent became stronger as a grating sound seemed to get louder. It was nerve wracking and she had no idea what was going on. Liara could not remember feeling so scared, or tired, in her entire life. And though she did not know what this human wanted, at that moment it mattered not. The human seemed a much better alternative to the creepy krogan.

Her breath hitched in her throat, when the elevator in the tower started up. Liara, try as she might, could not see anything. Oh Goddess! Just let them kill me quickly. Please don't let them torture me, she prayed silently.

"So, how do we shut this off, Doctor?" a strangely gentle voice asked from her left.

"Oh, thank the Goddess," she murmured. Liara swallowed hard and took a deep breath trying to calm herself before she explained how to shut down the field.

When Liara fell, the woman she had been speaking with rushed to her side. "How long were you in that thing?"

"Too long. Maybe close to a day."

The blonde dug into a pocket and pulled out a silvery little package. "Here, eat this. I'm Lieutenant Commander Shepard, Alliance," she stopped suddenly and her look suggested she forgot something. "I'm a Spectre. We're looking for information on your mother, Matriarch Benezia. She's working with a turian named Saren Arterius."

"There are no human Spectres," Liara noted, taking a dainty bite of the horrid item Shepard had offered her.

"There are now," the dark-haired one bit back acidly.

"Williams," Shepard replied and the other soldier turned.

The ground quaked beneath their feet. "How did you get in here?" Liara queried as the commander guided her back to her feet.

"Mining laser."

"Oh my!"

"My sentiments exactly. We should probably get you out of here. Are you all right?" Shepard questioned as they moved toward the elevator.

"If we're leaving, I'm fine," Liara said with more steel in her voice than she had felt capable of an hour earlier.

v.

The heat seemed to have increased, and on the horizon a large peak was spewing billows of grayish-white ash which reached high into the atmosphere in a wide thick column, rolling and engulfing the sky by the second. That's not good! If that plume reaches us, we're going to have more problems than we've already got. "Let's move it. We don't have time to take in the view," Shepard barked.

The seismic trigger of the laser had not just prompted the collapse of the ruin, it seemed it had spurred a volcanic event. All the commander could hear was her old demolitions master jokingly saying, go big or go home. It was apt, in this situation, dangerous and foreboding, but apt. The ground trembled beneath their boots as they ran and stumbled back through the canyon, picking off a few geth stragglers that had come in with the krogan, or so the commander assumed. The lake not far from where they had left the Mako was spitting lava into the air violently and the little river of magma had risen noticeably. All signs pointed to it being well past time to leave.

"In. In. In," the commander called as she sprinted for the vehicle. She hopped in last and slid into the driver's seat, as Tali dogged the hatch.

They were moving before Ashley was able to dial in a static-filled signal. "Normandy. This is Mako. Can you read?" They had lost comms just after the tremors had started.

The reception was thready, but she heard Joker clearly say, "Get the hell out of there, Commander!"

"Roger that. On the move. Heading to rendezvous Alpha," Williams advised as Shepard floored it.

Shepard was thoroughly relieved the team had taken the time to clear the geth gun emplacements and had the foresight to lower both gates. The Mako bucked as they sped over the gate mechanisms and even the smallest rises and falls in the terrain caused the vehicle to react dramatically. Shepard listened to the tick of the scanner tracking her proximity to the rendezvous site. When it beeped at a steady, quick pace, she placed her hand on the roof and slammed the brakes, turning into the slide and coming to a quick but jostling halt. Her passengers suddenly wished they had been warned, as they all leaned hard to the right. Ashley's body strained against the tight straps of the passenger seat, but the quarian wound up sprawled in the asari's lap.

"Damn, Shepard. Some warning next time," Williams blurted coarsely.

"Sorry," the officer commented as she turned to the back of the vehicle. "Everyone all right?"

Groans and nods came forward in response as the Normandy closed on their position. From the safety of the bay, Shepard watched the flying spurts of lava reaching out for them as the door closed and the Normandy moved away from the very upset planet. Everyone in the Mako was familiar with the expression-pulled your boots out of the fire-some of them may have even used it on occasion, but never before had it been quite so literal.