Thank you all for the reading and the reviews. I'm glad that you are enjoying Lili's story as much as I enjoy writing it. I'm going to try to keep updating on a regular basis now...say, at least once every two weeks. Thank you to my girl and beta, Rebornhoneybee for being my sounding board through all of this. And of course as always, Mass Effect is owned by Bioware, I own nothing.
Lili lay out in the warm sun, enjoying the feel of its rays kissing her skin. She hadn't done this since she was seventeen back on Earth. When Rod would take her to the beach it was mainly a way for him to show off his art work; her body being his canvas. She didn't mind being be his model. She loved her tats, especially the one vine of lilies that wrapped around her, and it gave her a chance to get out and relax in the sun. Now, she got to lay here in peace; nobody to bother her and no one to tell her to stand so they could see them flow around her. Nope, it was just her, and she enjoyed the peace, the quiet…the warmth. A hand reached down and brushed aside a stray curl that had come loose from the knot on top of her head. Lili looked up and smiled at her mother. Gods, how she missed her over the years. Walking up behind her mother and laying a hand on her shoulder, her father smiled down at her proudly; his piercing green eyes stared into her soul.
Lili sat up to greet her parents. Worry knitted her brow as her mother looked at her with regret. "Lilith, you must go back. The gods aren't finished with you; and your story must be completed, mo iníon."
Tears sprang in her eyes as she thought about what her mother was saying…going back; back to the cold, the fierce, the fighting…no! She wouldn't do it. She was happy right here, with them. She felt like a child again, begging them not to make her go, as though she were a child begging to not go to school. If only this were that easy; I can't come back at the end of the day. "I don't want to go back. For the first time in my life there is quiet…peace, and I have you here with me. I've never had a family. Is it too much to ask for me to just have a small family? Haven't I done enough for the gods? I've sacrificed, I've fought and I damn well died!" Tears were pooling in her eyes now as she realized that she indeed had to return to the cold and harsh world where all she knew was fighting.
Her father looked at her with a knowing smile as he lifted her chin up to meet her teary gaze. "That's not true, Lilith. Family isn't necessarily blood. It is those who care for you beyond a doubt, those whose loyalties you never question. You've always had that, even after you mother and I came here."
Lili sat and thought silently on all those she had in her life that were never failing. I found Britnee just after I went to the orphanage; she never left me even when I left her. Then there was Garrus, who was always my go to man on the Normandy; if I needed something, even if it was to hide from someone, he's my guy. Anderson has been like a surrogate father, always looking out for me. Chakwas who would force me to stay in the med bay overnight, like a mother would and then Wrex with his annoying brother-like teasing. Lili looked up at her father with fresh tears falling down her cheeks as she smiled at his wisdom.
He placed his hand over her chest and smiled. "Your mother and I have always been with you; even through the toughest times in your life, we were there…right here." Tears welled up in her eyes as her father brought her in for a hug. Lili pulled back and looked at her parents questioningly. "Now go, Lilith. Finish what you started, and know your mother and I are with you always. We love you."
Her mother looked at her and smiled sadly.
"Wake up, Commander!"
"Wake up, Commander! ...Shepard do you hear me? Get out of that bed! This facility is under attack!"
Lili groaned as a strange feminine voice spoke to her. She looked around, taking in the sterile white room and cringed, both from the thought of being in a medical bay or hospital and from the pain of moving her head. What the hell did I do? Reaching up to rub at her jaw, she froze as it all came rushing back to her...the emergency lights, ordering Kaidan to the escape pods, rushing to the cockpit to help Joker…She panicked for a moment, trying to figure out if he did actually make it. She remembered being spaced, the leak in her suit, the panic, and the warmth, beautiful warmth. The thought of it made her feel comforted, protected.
"…your scars aren't healed, but I need you to get moving. This facility is under attack."
Damn it, there is that voice again. Moving to get up and look around to see if she could find the source of the voice, she winced as her ribs creaked in protest. It felt as if she had been run over by a two ton truck. As Lili looked around for the first time she heard gun fire outside of the med bay she was in.
"There's a pistol in the locker on the other side of the room. HURRY!"
Moving with a little more urgency, Lili ran to the locker and found the pistol and armor. My armor? No, it's the same, but upgraded…significantly. The medical bay wasn't set up like any she had seen with the Alliance, but the voice talking to her was definitely human. If this wasn't the Alliance, how did they have access to N7 grade weaponry and armor?
"You don't have time to wait around, Shepard. Grab the pistol and your armor."
Quickly donning the armor over the strange black and white bdu's she had been given, Lili pulled out the gun and checked it for ammo. "Umm…Disembodied voice…this pistol doesn't have a thermal clip."
"It's a med bay!"
Lili mumbled to herself about keeping unloaded pistols in lockers without any ammo around as she moved to the door with the empty pistol holstered to her side."Well, then what the fuck was armor and a pistol doing in here then?"
"Get down!"
Lili ducked behind a wall just as there was an explosion by the door. She looked around, trying to find out how the hell the woman could see her and her surroundings. Who the hell is this woman? What is she, fuckin' omnipotent?
"Someone is trying to hack security…trying to kill you. Look for a thermal clip for your pistol."
"I'm pretty sure I know how to use my damn pistol, lady. I'm the best damn soldier the Alliance has and a goddamn Spectre! …Looks to me like someone has successfully hacked your security, and it's not the first time someone has tried to kill me. Unfortunately…" Lili let out a deep and exhausted sigh, wishing for the warm sleep she'd had. "…it probably won't be the last either." Lili jumped over the barricades that were blocking the exit just as mechs immediately began firing on her. She threw a singularity ball at them and followed it up with a warp, to cause a biotic explosion. Focusing, she brought out her pistol and shot the remaining two with a single shot each. She smiled to herself as she grabbed spare clips on her way out of the room. There was something about the feel of adrenaline flowing through her veins that mixed with the high from her biotic usage always put her in the mood for a fight.
"Keep moving, Shepard. We need to get you to the shuttles."
Lili cautiously opened the door and stepped in, taking in all her surroundings. Door straight ahead. Storage room to the left side….
"Shepard, security mechs are closing in on your position. Take cover."
Just then the doors on the other side of the room open, and mechs came pouring in through the room from the far side door and the storage room. What the hell? Do I have a tracer on me or something? How the hell does she know where I am? Lili sent out another singularity, this time followed by a wide range shockwave, causing another biotic explosion. She sent her energy down to her hands. As she reached back to grab her pistol again, a surge of power built up between her shoulder blades and she rushed forward, slamming into one of the remaining security mechs. "SWEET! That one's new!" She pulled her pistol and fired at the remaining mech coming toward her.
"Nice work, Shepard. The coast is clear."
She tried to move silently as she made her way through the door and to whatever room the omnipotent voice was leading her to. "Gods, it's finally happened…I've lost it. I've gone completely crazy."
"Don't waste time; I can't keep the mechs distracted for long."
Lili stopped and looked up at the ceiling, not believing what she was hearing. This obviously wasn't one of the gods leading her or an omnipotent entity of any kind. Surely they would know that she wasn't just going to trust someone or something just because they woke her up and temporarily kept her from being killed by deranged and rouge mechs. "Seriously, you want me to charge into a room without knowing what's in there? I realize you haven't let me walk into an ambush yet, but I haven't gotten this far in my career by trusting people or voices that I haven't met. Just be fucking patient!"Lili smiled as she moved forward and almost heard an exasperated sigh from the speakers above her. Sneaking through another door, her eyes widened with a smile as she spotted a little something just behind the railing of the balcony. Picking up the grenade launcher, Lili took aim for the door on the far side of the room. Grinning from ear to ear, she allowed a small cluster of mechs to come waddling into the room just long enough to notice her before she pulled the trigger on her new gun and fired. A single grenade flew across the room, landing in the middle of the swarming mechs and what the grenade didn't get the geyser of fire that was now coming out of the pipes beside the door did. "…Oops."
"Shepard, take the lift down one floor."
Lili rolled her eyes and hopped over the railing, letting her biotics slow her down before impact.
"Show off. Hurry, run!"
Lili smirked, at the voice and ran toward the fire, sliding under the flames caused by her new little toy…that she had every intention of keeping.
"You're doing…..Shepard, head to the….-meet you…Shepard? -read me? I've got….closing in….position."
"Well, there goes my tour guide…looks like I'm on my own." She let out a frustrated breath as she looked around her and realized she had no idea where she was supposed to be going. She looked up at the ceiling and raised her voice in an annoyed tone. "It would really help if I knew where the hell I was or if you left an omni tool with the armor…at least that way I could download the schematics of whatever facility this is." Lili walked down the hall and up the stairs, continuing on the path that she was being led by whomever was watching her. The idea of being watched itself didn't sit well with her; she found herself constantly looking over her shoulder and desperately wishing for Garrus at her six. Crouching at the foot of some stairs and feeling slightly vulnerable, she heard the sound of gun fire and the voice of a human male.
Sneaking and stealth wasn't her strong point. If the man on the level above her was hostile she didn't want to give away her position just yet, but if he wasn't then he needed her help. As an N7, she had been trained for infiltration and stealth. Subsequently, it was also what she got her lowest scores in as well. Sure she could operate on her own, but after having the amazing team that she had on her hunt against Saren, it was hard picking up everything again. With a deep breath, she poked her head around the corner to see a dark skinned man fighting more mechs by pulling them off the opposing balcony with his biotics. Taking her chances, Lili ran up to and took cover beside him before she stood and put two well-placed shots into the remaining mechs. "Shepard, what are you doing here? I thought you were still a work in progress."
Lili just stared at the man dumbfounded. A work in progress? What the fuck is he talking about and could his outfit be any tighter? Wow, no room for the imagination. She smirked momentarily as her thoughts drifted. Z is definitely bigger…wonder how he is doing? "Uhm, let's see. First, some disembodied voice starts ordering me around. Did I mention that I don't like to be ordered around? Then she disappears on me and I run into you, who seems to think I'm a 'work in progress,' whatever the fuck that means. Do I look like I know what's going on? Throw me a fucking bone here, man. I just woke up."
The man in the spandex outfit smiled at her sarcasm and stared hard at her face before meeting her eyes. "Right, sorry about that. I'm Jacob Taylor….I've been stationed here for…." Lili slid down lower against the wall as more hostile mechs came through the doors on the opposite side of the room. "Damn it! Things must be worse than I thought if Miranda…uh your disembodied voice, has you up and running around. I'll fill you in, but we better get you to the shuttles first."
Lili sighed in frustration; she'd had about enough of this. "Look, I'm sick of wandering around, taking orders. I want to know what is going on, NOW!"
Jacob winced; he'd heard of Commander Shepard's temper and apparently dying hadn't helped it. "Fair enough. I'll give you the quick version for now. Your ship was destroyed. You were killed; dead as dead can be when they brought you here. The Alliance officially declared you KIA. The whole galaxy thinks you're dead Shepard. Welcome back to your life."
"Great, I die and when I come back it is in the middle of a battle…just my fucking luck! Why couldn't I come back on a beach or at least somewhere there wasn't a war going on?"
Jacob looked to Lili in sympathy. "Let's finish off these mechs. We're low on thermal clips, but I'm a biotic. Just let me know when you want me to hit them with the good stuff." Jacob stood up and pulled a mech to him, as if to prove his point.
Oh please. Really? Lili stood up and gathered the dark energy within her and threw a massive warp to the other balcony, disabling all the mechs at once. She turned back to Jacob for her answers, and frowned when she realized he was staring at her with wide eyes. Great! Just what I need, another freaking Kaidan to follow me around like a puppy…..Damn it Z, I really need you right now. "You were saying? Where are we? Do you know anything about this attack? Who's behind it?"
Shaking his head at the display of power he had seen, Jacob stood and holstered his pistol before turning to face Lili. "Damned if I know. I was getting ready for some shut-eye. The next thing I know, every damn mech in this place starts shooting…at us. I'm guessing it had to be an inside job. You need top security access to hack all the mechs. To answer your other question, this facility is run by Miranda. She's the director of Project Lazarus, a project dedicated to rebuilding you. They wanted you exactly as you were before. You're still you…you may just have a few extra bits and pieces. " Jacob smiled like a child meeting his hero for the first time.
Oh, please. Give me a break! "What is the quickest way to those shuttles Jacob?"
"Follow me." Jacob turned to start down a hallway before he paused, listening to his comm and patching Shepard in.
"Check. Check. Anyone on this frequency? Anybody still alive out there? Hello?"
She nodded her head at him as the signal came through in appreciation at the gesture of trust. Jacob turned to face Lili with his hand up to his com. "Wilson? This is Jacob. I'm here with Commander Shepard; we just took out a wave of mechs over in D wing."
Lili could hear the shock in Wilson's voice as he heard of her being awake and moving before he changed his tone to one of concern. "Shepard's alive? How the hell….n-never mind. You need to get her out of here. Get to the service tunnels and head for the network control room."
Lili raised her brow and looked at Jacob in question. "I think I remember a Wilson…is it just me or was he a little too surprised that I'm up and alive?"
Shaking his head, Jacob tried to defend Wilson as he led the way to the server room, but she could see that he had his own questions about the situation. "No. He's just shocked; he thought you were out, like I did."
Lili rolled her eyes and shrugged at his naivety. She didn't know the man, so for the time being she would just follow Jacob and keep an eye on this Wilson-guy when the found him. "Sure, if you say so."
Lili and Jacob made their way to the Network Control Room, fighting wave after wave of mechs on the way. Lili threw shockwaves, warps, throws, and her new biotic charge without breaking a sweat. All the while, Jacob looked at her in awe; never before had he see a human throw so much biotic energy and not collapse afterward.
Wilson's voice came over the coms again just as they cleared out the room of mechs. "They've found me! Help! Server Room B…Hurry! They're out of control."
Lili turned to look at Jacob questioningly. "Server Room B?"
Pointing and running ahead of Lili, Jacob answered. "Up these stairs, Shepard." Turning the corner, they slowly entered another room expecting more mechs.
"Shepard, down here! Bastards got me in the leg."
Lili bent down to Wilson and began applying the only medigel she could find to his leg and ignoring the sour feeling in her stomach. She knew this man was a conniving bastard, but what was she going to do…just shoot him here with no reason for his co-worker? No, she bide her time; people like him would always show their true colors eventually. "We need to get off this station."
Wilson looked at her with disgust before indicating his injured leg. "I'm not going anywhere 'til someone fixes my leg."
What the bloody hell do you think I'm doing you jackass? Trying to give you a kiss? Not fucking likely! "It's a single fucking bullet wound. Shake it off; you aren't going to die."
Wilson got up slowly, biting his tongue as he staggered back until he was leaning against the counter behind him. "Thanks, Shepard. Never thought you'd be saving my life. Guess that makes us even now." Looking up to her and Jacob, Wilson waved his hand toward the room and the destroyed controls. "I came here to try and fix this…whoever hacked the controls fried the whole system. It's completely irreversible."
Jacob crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes as he finally began to question Wilson's motives…or maybe he was just annoyed at the slimy bastard's attitude. "We didn't ask what you were doing. Why do you even have security mech clearance?"
"Weren't you listening? I tried to fix this. Besides, I was shot!"
Lili stepped in, already sick of their bantering; when it came down to it, she knew who she would trust of the two and who she would shoot. Just because someone was shot didn't mean that they had nothing to do with the situation, only that their plan for whatever it was either back-fired or failed. Right now, she just wanted off this station and away from the thousands of mechs these people apparently kept on hand. "Look, I don't know or trust either one of you right now. We can throw the blame around later and shoot the guilty party later, but right now I want off this damn station, and unfortunately you are the only ones who know the way! So would you just shut the hell up already and tell me where to go!"
Jacob nodded at Lili in agreement, saying nothing about her comment on shooting whoever was guilty. "We need to find Miranda."
"What? She was over in D wing. The mechs were crawling all over that area. There's no way she survived."
Lili turned and looked at him like he was stupid; she also was surprised that he was so willing to leave behind his friends and co-workers. "Why? We did. Let's get to the shuttle bay. We can wait for her there." Just then a handful of mechs came through the door. Lili sighed; she was already tired of fighting them. What she wanted was an energy bar and a glass of Four Roses…hell a bottle. Then again, who wouldn't after just learning that you died when your ship was attacked and then brought back to life? That and this Wilson guy really got on her nerves. Everything from his mannerisms to his voice just rubbed her the wrong way. Once again she gathered the energy and threw a warp at the oncoming mechs and smiled when Wilson's eyes widened and he looked at her in shock and fear.
Jacob holstered his gun and watched Lili walk toward the exit. "Commander, if I tell you who we work for, will you trust me?"
Lili crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him incredulously while Wilson walked up to Jacob and got in his face, angry that he was picking now to come clean with her. "This really isn't the time, Jacob."
Jacob sighed and shook his head while looking at his colleague. Unlike Wilson, Jacob had served in the Alliance and he knew how most of their soldiers worked. They relied on trust and teamwork; if he could convince her that he was on her side and not holding anything back from her then they would have a stronger chance for survival and a better chance of her staying with them when this was all over. "We won't make it if she's expecting a shot in the back."
"Fine. If you want to piss the boss off, it's your ass."
Lili watched in amusement as Wilson stormed away from Jacob as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before facing her and continuing. "The Lazarus Project has been funded and controlled by Cerberus."
Lili took a steadying breath to try and control her temper as her biotics flickered. She felt no love for Cerberus. "Why would a terrorist organization want to bring me back?"
Jacob shrugged as he tried to show no fear of Lili and her anger. Shepard's hate for Cerberus was well known and he didn't want to be the first to fall under her hand, not when he didn't even agree with most of their ideology. "That question is way above my pay grade, but I understand your hesitation." Lili nodded at his honesty, appreciating the unspoken truced and offer of no secrets for the time being. It was more than she could say for his friend who was staring daggers at them both. Jacob continued slightly hesitant. "Once we're off this station, I'll take you directly to The Illusive Man…my boss. He'll explain everything to you. I promise."
The three of them made their way to the shuttle bay as Wilson ran up to a dock and began to punch in a code. "Over here!" He opened the door to find Miranda pointing her gun at his head. A rare smile flickered across her perfect lips as she shot him.
Lili smiled in relief that she wasn't going to have to be the one to kill the bastard and try to explain to his naive associate why. She looked over the figure who had shot Wilson for her and raised an eyebrow incredulously. Do all Cerberus people like to wear spandex…and heels? How the hell is she supposed to run in those things?
"Miranda, what the hell are you doing?"
"My job."
Lili just stood there, still smiling as she crossed her arms and leaned back on her hip. "I knew he was just waiting for a chance to stab me in the back."
Miranda looked at her and nodded approvingly. "Good instincts. Come on. My boss wants to speak with you."
oooOOOooo
Lili stared out the window of the shuttle, trying to figure out why Cerberus, a known pro-human terrorist organization, would want to bring her back from the dead. Hell, most of the time she got along with non-humans better than she did her own race. She had destroyed several Cerberus facilities while hunting for Saren, and last she heard, Cerberus was to shoot her on sight.
Miranda looked at Lili pointedly, breaking through her inner reverie. "We need to ask you a few questions to evaluate your condition."
Annoyed, she eyed Miranda with a raised brow. Are you fuckin' serious? Jacob spoke up for Lili with confidence. "Come on, Miranda, more tests? Shepard took down those mechs without any trouble. I can vouch for her combat skills personally."
Miranda looked at Jacob with an air of authority before she blew off his objections without thought. "It's been two years. The Illusive Man needs to know that Shepard's…."
Her eyes widening, Lili jumped at the verbal blow before she interrupted the dispute between the two Cerberus operatives. "Wait! Did you say two years? I've been gone two years?" She dropped back in her seat with a devastated frown. Her friends, her family, Z…they all thought she was dead; how was she going to convince those that she was really her when she wasn't even sure.
Miranda looked at her, without an inkling of sympathy in her face. "Two years and twelve days. Let's start with personal history."
Jacob sighed and pulled up his omni tool. "Your service records show you were born on Earth and enlisted with the Alliance on your eighteenth birthday. Your team was sent to Akuze where you encountered a Thresher Maw. You were the only reported survivor. Do you remember that?"
Lili sighed as the memories flooded her consciousness. Stilling herself, she took a deep breath to control her anger, attempting to calm her sparking biotics in the small shuttle. "Yeah, I watched my entire team die on Akuze. Then, I found out two years ago, that it was all a Cerberus experiment." Her eyes hardened as she remembered finding Toombs and she turned her angry eyes to the two Cerberus Operatives sitting in front of her. She didn't know if either of them had anything to do with the attack on Akuze, but if she found out that they did, she wasn't going to hesitate to take care of it…just as she had promised Toombs. "We were lured there just so some scientists could watch and study. Three good men died and one was tortured for years. Yeah, I remember it. Let's just call it another reason why I will shut Cerberus down." Jacob looked at her in shock as Miranda's face paled just slightly. Judging by the looks on their faces, they didn't know about that. Well at least Spandex Man didn't; his female counterpart is hard to read.
"Happy, Miranda?" Jacob eyed Miranda, not wanting to be at the receiving end of Lili's anger.
Miranda looked at Jacob, agitated. "Almost. Now let's try something recent…Virmire, where you destroyed Saren's cloning facility. You had to leave one of your squad behind to die in the blast, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. It was your call. Why'd you leave her behind?"
The mention of Ashley brought tears to Lili's eyes as she looked away and out the window, remembering how difficult the decision had been and every conversation they had aboard the Normandy. She remembered the faces of her mother and sisters as she spoke with them personally and the letter she had written to Admiral Hackett and the Alliance Brass in honor of Ashley and her family. "Ash was a dear friend. It liked to kill me that I couldn't get everyone out alive, but I had to save as many as I could. After Akuze I promised myself I would never leave anyone behind again, and I failed." Her gaze shot to Miranda and Jacob as she narrowed her eyes at them. "Ashley Williams died a hero, and everyone should remember that!"
Jacob held up his hands in defense. "We aren't questioning your judgment, Commander. Everyone at Cerberus knows that cloning facility had to be destroyed."
"We really should run more tests…"
"Everything's there, Miranda. Enough with the tests." Jacob looked to Lili. Even all her years of military training couldn't cover the internal battle she was fighting with her memories and the self-loathing at having failed to save all of her team, something the people at Cerberus didn't understand.
oooOOOooo
Miranda stared at the console in front of her, practically ignoring Lili as she made her way into the room. "Commander, The Illusive Man is waiting to see you in the other room."
Ready to get some answers, Lili ignored Miranda's tone and made her way into the far room. A light made its way up her body and an image of The Illusive Man appeared in front of her. "Commander Shepard, how are you feeling?"
Lili was still pissed off from Miranda's callous and insensitive questions from the shuttle ride over. "You have to earn the right to ask me those questions, and you haven't." Her shoulders went back and her chin up. You wanted me alive and here so bad, but didn't have the balls to talk to me face to face? Jackass…"I thought we were going to meet in person."
The Illusive Man inhaled his cigarette and exhaled casually before meeting Lili's angry green eyes. "I'm not your enemy, Shepard. The meeting arrangements are a necessary precaution for people who know what you and I know."
Crossing her arms over her chest, Lili narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Yeah, and what is it that you and I know?"
The Illusive Man smiled at Lili. At least he knew that she was still partly the same; her attitude was still one that hated and questioned authority of anyone who hadn't earned it in her eyes. "That our existence is more fragile than we like to believe. That one woman…specific woman, might be all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat of our brief existence."
Lili froze at his words as the coldness seeped into her bones. Fuck! "The Reapers."
"Glad to see your memory is still intact."
Lili looked at him with a sarcastic gaze. I wish it weren't. "Money well spent? So what have the Reapers done that made you decide to bring me back?"
"While you've been sleeping, entire human colonies have been disappearing. We believe it is someone working for the Reapers, just as Saren did for Sovereign."
Yeah, cause that's what I've been doing…taking a super long nap. I already don't like you asshole! Lili let out an exasperated breath, trying to rein in her temper until she at least had all of the information she needed. As much as she didn't care to be brought back by Cerberus, she also didn't particularly wish to die again, and wasn't sure if they didn't put some kind of failsafe in her or not. Her lips twitched slightly, pulling to the side. What he was saying didn't make sense. Why would the Reapers want to destroy only human colonies? "Sovereign wanted to harvest all life. Why are they only attacking humans?"
"I don't know why they're suddenly targeting humanity. Maybe you got their attention when you killed one of them."
Lili sighed, knowing if what he said was true, she didn't have a choice but to help him. It was her duty as a Spectre. "If what you're saying is true, I might consider helping you."
The Illusive Man put out the remainder of his cigarette as he smiled at her knowingly. "I'd be disappointed if you accept any of this without seeing if for yourself. I have a shuttle ready to take you to Freedom's Progress, the latest colony to be abducted. Miranda and Jacob will brief you."
oooOOOooo
"Shepard?" Frozen in shock, Lili looked to the Quarian and was at a loss for words. Her heart nearly stopped at the familiar face…or voice. Tali turned to her teammates with a firm and assertive voice. "Put those weapons down!" She turned back to look at Lili, hesitantly. "Shepard…Lili, is that really you? You're alive?"
Lili smiled at Tali, knowing she had just asked unspoken questions. "Did the information we found on the Geth help you complete your pilgrimage? Are you sleeping better now that you're back on the Flotilla?" She paused, watching her former friend's shoulders relax at her words. Come on, Tali. You know it's me in here. "Cerberus rebuilt me, Tali. In return, they asked that I investigate these missing colonists."
Tali's teammate pointed his gun at Lili. "You'll pardon us for not taking you at your word, Cerberus."
Narrowing her eyes, Lili let her biotics flare up her arms from annoyance and anger as she scowled at the obnoxious Quarian. "Please, you couldn't kill me if you tried, and don't you dare insult me by calling me Cerberus. I'm working with Cerberus." Lili turned her attention back to Tali. "What are you doing here?"
"Weapon's down, Prazza! This is definitely Commander Shepard. Yes, it did help me, and I kind of got used to the quiet after a while." Lili smiled softly and let her biotics die down as Tali continued. "One of our people was here on pilgrimage. His name was Veetor. We came to find him."
Lili looked at Tali with a creased brow, remembering everything Tali had told her about her Pilgrimage and the Quarian customs of proving their worth and moving into adulthood. What would the Flotilla and the Migrant Fleet gain from small human colony? "Why did Veetor come here? Isn't it a little strange for a Quarian, visiting a remote human colony?"
"Quarians can choose where they go on pilgrimage. Veetor liked the idea of helping a small settlement; he was always nervous in crowds."
"She means he is unstable. Combine that with damage to his CO2 scrubbers and an open air exposure, and he's likely delirious."
Lili's eyes shifted back to the male Quarian as she pursed her lips thinking…accepting their description. "He's probably the one who reprogramed the mechs and the only one who can tell us what happened. We'll help you look for him."
Tali nodded in agreement with Shepard as she pulled up her omni tool and a layout of the immediate area. "Head for the warehouse through the center of the colony. We'll circle around and draw off some of the drones to clear you a path."
Lili nodded, happy Tali was willing to work with her. She was impressed at how the meek and timid young Quarian had turned out to have such good leadership skills. "Be sure to keep in radio contact."
As Lili turned around to leave, she heard some of Tali's team arguing with her about working with Cerberus. She's working with me, not Cerberus. Get it right. Lili, Jacob and Miranda made their way through the colony, taking out security drones and mechs along the way. Jacob and Miranda's comments of everyone leaving during the middle of dinner and no visible structural damage stuck with her as they continued forward, hoping to find at least someone. What the hell happened here? If this has been happening for a while, why the hell isn't the Alliance investigating this? Tali came over the com, warning Lili that part of her team split up and wanted to get to Veetor before they had the chance to speak to him.
They made their way to the center of the colony to find a heavy mech decimating the rouge Quarian squad. The three of them took cover as the heavy turned toward their location. Miranda threw an Overload at it while Jacob fired with his shotgun, trying to take down its shields. Lili stepped around the edge of the crate that she was taking cover behind. Grinning, she threw a warp to disrupt its armor followed by a shockwave to knock it off balance, then waited for Jacob and Miranda to take it down. With a nod of approval to her team, Lili walked up to Tali to make sure she and the remainder of her team was okay.
"Shepard, now is your chance to find Veetor, while I tend to the wounded."
Lili nodded as Miranda hacked through the door to the shed on the far side of the clearing. When she entered Veetor's hiding shed, there were screens of footage of the entire colony stretched along the wall and Veetor muttering to himself. Part of her wanted to jump for joy at the prospect of possibly having footage of the attack or at least something to give them a clue as to what was going on or who was behind it.
"Monsters coming back. Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms. No…no…no"
Lili looked to Jacob and Miranda with a raised eyebrow before addressing the Quarian. "Veetor?"
"No Veetor. Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide."
"I don't think he can hear you." Lili frowned at Jacob's comment as she pulled out her omni tool and disrupted the images on screen. She pulled her arm away from the screens and closed down her omni tool as Veetor stiffened at their presence before turning around in fear of attack.
"You're human…How did you escape? Where did you hide?"
Lili knelt down in front of Veetor, trying to calm him with a soft voice. "We just got here, Veetor. Tell us what happened. What are the monsters that took the colonists?" Veetor pulled up footage from the colony that he had manually pieced together, mumbling something about seeing everything.
"Oh my God! I think those are Collectors."
Lili gaze turned to Miranda sharply. She had heard of the Collectors, but they were only stories. She had never seen one. Hell, the Alliance kept telling them they weren't real and any stories of Collectors were just over exaggerated stories of slaver and pirate attacks. Looking back at Veetor, she smiled reassuringly. "Thank you, Veetor. You were a big help. Tali'Zorah and some other Quarians are here to take you home to the Flotilla for medical attention."
"I have more. I studied them." Veetor pulled up his omni tool, displaying the readings for Lili. "I recorded them with my omni tool…lots of readings, electromagnetic, dark energy."
Miranda turned to Lili with excitement. "We need to get this to The Illusive Man. Grab the Quarian and call the shuttle to come pick us up."
Before Lili could get on to Miranda for assuming she had control of this little excursion and giving orders, the door to the she opened and a highly agitated Tali walked in, making her way toward Veetor protectively. "What? Veetor is injured; he needs treatment, not an interrogation!"
Nodding in agreement, Lili turned Miranda and Jacob with a warning in her eyes; a warning that she was sure Jacob had understood, Miranda on the other hand she would need to have a talk with later. "Tali will make sure we get the data we need from his omni tool. Veetor told us what he could. He needs to go with Tali. We don't have the means to treat an injured Quarian."
Miranda looked at Lili aghast as she tried to justify the logic of taking the Quarian with them. "The Quarians have already betrayed us…"
"Enough, Miranda! I am in charge here. I would trust Tali with my life, let alone a little bit of data!" I'm supposed to be the one fucking in charge here. Is she going to question my authority throughout the entire mission? That isn't going to work. I'll have to put a stop to that quickly!
Lili could see Tali visibly relax as she realized that Lili was still the one in charge and that she wasn't going to have to fight to take one of her own home. Tali felt for Shepard though. She could tell that Lili had a lot of strain on her and she looked as if she needed a friend to talk to and someone she could trust. "Thank you, Shepard. I'm glad to see you're the one still calling the shots."
