A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in sooo long. School took and angry grip at me and tore me away from all my leisurely things. Actually, except for replaying the Mass Effect series again. I managed to squeeze that in. Haha, but now that my fix has been fulfilled, I present to you all another chapter! I kinda went head in for this chapter so if there are points where you're off, I'm sorry! I hope it's still worth while *prays*
All Mass Effect characters and galaxy lore belong to BioWare!
Chapter 10: The Shadow Infiltrators
"You went after the Shadowbroker?" Shepard's jaw was halfway down out of shock. "Alone?"
"I wasn't alone. I actually had some of our close friends come with me. They all knew there was something more going on than just an accident. Even though you requested leave, the Alliance still chose to discharge you from service and in the process, strip you of your rank." Liara crossed her arms as bit her bottom lip. "And you were forced to live under these poor conditions, with little to no benefit. I couldn't stand for it, and neither could they, so I ended up with a team to take him out. I admit it wasn't easy."
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Shadowbroker's base, Hagalaz, two years ago…
"Liara!" Ashley yelled out for the Asari as she flew across the hall, her back impacting with a crack against the wall.
Liara was being cornered as she saw the soldier being flung away from her. Aching with a bruised rib, she managed to contain the biotics swerving between her fingers and around her palm. With a single blast to the ground, an orb emitted into a large scope blasted away the perpetrators in her way. Liara ran up to Ashley who had slid down to the ground her head leaning forward, groaning very quietly in pain.
"Ashley! Ashley are you alright?" The human looked up and nodded holding her side as she pushed the Asari away, but Liara kept a grip on the soldier's forearm. "Ashley, please let me tend to your wounds."
"No, go! You need to take that son of a bitch down before he tries to get away." Ashley shoved Liara once more. "Please go."
Gunfire from behind echoed in the halls as a quarian and another human turned the corner. Liara held up her pistol as she heard the noise but lowered her aim as she realized who it was. To her relief it was Tali and James.
"Tali! Thank the Goddess, I was worried you and James were…" Liara holstered her pistol as she wiped her brow with her forearm.
"We're fine Blue. I made sure Sparks here didn't get a scratch." James's laughed bellowed as he knelt down against Ashley. "How's our LC doin'?"
"She assures me she'll be alright, but I'd prefer if one of you stayed with her." Liara crossed her arms as she looked down at the stubborn human.
"Aw, c'mon I told you already that you needed to go. I'll be fine!" Ashley groaned as she raised her voice, immediately supporting her side with her arm.
"I'll stay with her Liara. You and James shouldn't have any issues taking down that boshtet down." Tali pulled James from under his arm to stand him up, taking his spot by Ashley's side.
"But-" James began to speak, but Tali interrupted him. "Don't worry. She's in good hands."
Nodding, James rolled her shoulders and held his shotgun tightly against his person. Liara took out her pistol and tilted her head toward the direction of the Shadowbroker's office. "Let's go James."
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"Did Ashley make it out?" Shepard lowered her gaze as she thought about her friends, troubled by thought that none of them had made any contact with her. "How about Tali and James?"
Liara nodded and smiled. "They're fine Shepard, and I can understand why you're concerned. I assure you, there is a reason why you haven't heard from them in a while."
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Shadowbroker Confrontation
"You'd be an excellent prize Dr. T'soni. I'm pleased to hear that the Commander is still alive. It would be a shame if she wakes up knowing her bondmate has been killed." The yagh sitting behind the desk intertwined her fingers together as his deep voice spoke.
"Not if I can help it pendejo!" James aimed his rifle at the yagh, his brows creasing as his teeth snarled. "You're not laying a hand on anyone."
"James, calm down." Liara tightly gripped her pistol as she focused her gaze at the monster. "We're here because you have something we want, and I assure you, we will take it if you do not tell us what we want to know."
"You're not in the position to make threats Asari, and if you do not make the first move, I will!" The yagh's roar boasted his strength as he lifted up the bolted desk and flung it at the human and asari. Taking cover behind pillars, the yagh began panting heavily, his saliva dripping between the three sets of teeth. "I know your every secret asari, and don't think that if you manage to escape that you will be safe. I promise that you will suffer for crossing me, and you will be left with nothing as the darkness consumes you. You will wither into nothing." The yagh slammed his fist in to the ground, cracking it as it boomed in the room, startling Liara so much that she began to shake.
"Don't listen to him, Blue!" James opened fired a few shots at the yagh, his bullets being deflected by the tough skin and armor.
"James!" Liara yelled for the human, but the sound of his rifled muted her.
"You're a fool." The yagh growled as she charged the human, his arm back swinging against the pillars. Luckily the soldier had ducked and rolled out of the way, firing his rifle from behind has he sprinted to the next one.
Liara shook her head regaining her focus as she shot a singular bolt of a biotic warp, only shoving the yagh a few feet as he stumbled. Side stepping towards James, she fired another bitoc warp, and then another. Beads of sweat formed on her brow as she began hastily firing as many pistol shots and biotics at the enraged monster.
James peeked his head around the corner and noticed that Liara finally had the yagh pacified with endless bolts of pushes with her biotics, using the oppurtunity to arm his ammunition with incendiary rounds. Opening firing on the yagh, James let out a yell, his teeth gritting as he held his ravaging assault rifle.
"Take this you son of a bitch!" James cocked his rifle and let out a carnage shot, making a mediocre sized explosion due to the burns caused by his incendiary fire. Liara covered herself with her arm as she took cover behind a barricade, directly across the room from James. The yagh was finally pushed back against the wall as he lost a part of his balance due to the explosion.
"Did we get him Blue?" James was concealed behind the pillar reloading his rifle. Liara slowly took a peek above the barricade and saw that the yagh was enraged even more.
"No! He's still up! And he doesn't look too happy." Liara reloaded her pistol as her body began to glow a light blue, tiny fires of biotics leaving her fingertips.
"Lemme handle it." James recklessly sprinted to the center of the room, popping his barrier as he let out a barrage of fire encased bullets at the yagh. This time however, the yagh did not flinch as he began charging at the soldier. "Oh son of a-!" With a loud boom, the yagh backhanded James hard enough that he began flying across the room, and with his finger still on the trigger, James's rifle fired a few stray bullets into the ceiling, the glass above cracking just slightly.
Liara called out for James as she helplessly watched the human tossed across the room. Hearing a cracking noise from above, she noticed that the glass was holding pure energy within its core. An idea sprung up in her head and she finally leaped over the barricade, changing her bullets into warp rounds. Firing rapidly at the yagh to get his attention, she called out to James one more time, hoping the human had recovered from the strike.
James's head began to pound as he managed to squirm back onto his feet, his balance slightly skewed from being struck. Seeing that Liara had managed to pull the yagh off of him, he used the little time he had to regain what was left of his composure.
"James!" Liara caught James's eye as she glanced up at the ceiling. Catching onto the Asari's plan, James began firing at the ceiling. The sound of the flurrying bullets caught the yagh's attention as he roared, and as the monster was distracted, Liara focused all her biotic energy into the ceiling and vigorously pulled it apart, the pure energy that was stored now pouring all over the yagh. Veering out of the way, the yagh was engulfed in the liquid, burning energy, and whatever was left of him was melted until he was nothing but dust.
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"That's it? What happened next?" Shepard took a few steps back towards her desk, her gaze fixated at her ceiling.
"Well now having full access to the Shadowbroker's resources, I used every bit of it I could to find out who was behind the whole event on Akuze, and it revealed to be Cerberus. It also appeared that the Shadowbroker provided them the necessary credentials to gain access to the materials they needed for the mines." Liara kept her eyes lowered at the ground, watching as she fidgeted her fingers between one another.
"I see. And I'll just assume that you managed to grasp tightly onto the Shadowbroker's position. Which kinda explains why I haven't seen you since I left." Shepard crossed her arms even tighter, her fingers digging into her upper arm.
"Honestly, it wasn't easy for me to get it started at first, but I managed to get my bearings. I wanted to see you, but…" Liara looked up at Shepard who still had her back toward her. "But..I wasn't able to. I'm sorry."
"No, I get it. I understand. I just.." Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose. "I only wished we could have…started off this clean slate I got is all. I know shit had to happen for me to get it but…"
"Shepard, I wasn't going to sit idly by for the two years you were out of my life to just…wait. Right now it's the Goddess's blessing that you're awake now. For all I know you could have been in that coma for longer." Liara felt the sinking feeling in her chest, similar to the time she had to live without Shepard. "I wanted revenge Shepard. For what they have done for you. I will not stop until I achieve it."
Shepard sighed, understanding Liara's feelings. She knew if the situation's reversed that she would have done anything for Liara, Revenge was something that Shepard knew too well, and it was something she was very familiar with. "I'm not going to stop you, Liara, but I won't let you do this alone. You're walking down a dark road, and I'm not going to have you disappear on it."
"Well, I know better than to argue with you when you've made up your mind." Liara smiled coyly as she lightly nudged Shepard, knowing she had won what she wanted out of the argument.
"You're one to talk, Dr. T'soni." Shepard tugged on the Asari's elbow, pulling Liara into her arms. "So, what I'm actually dying to know is how you managed to actually secure your spot as the Shadowbroker."
"James, Ashley, and Tali helped me in reorganizing the Broker's resources and agents. And, they actually became what I called the Shadow Infiltrators. They are still around and still doing the required work to both keep our positions secure and to make progress on what to do next with Cerberus. That's also why you haven't heard from them directly in a while.." Liara trailed her fingers up Shepard's arms as they made it to the curve of the human's neck.
"I'm impressed T'soni." Shepard smiled subtly and wrapped her arms even tighter around the Asari. "I'm still amazed that you went through all that for me."
"When are you going to realize the meaning of the word bondmate, Shepard?" Liara tugged on Shepard's shirt collar and pulled the human in for a long, hungered kiss. Pulling apart slowly, the Asari whispered against Shepard's lips. "I am yours."