And It All Seemed Harmless: Chapter 14
"A Thessian Temple please."
"Neat or on the rocks?" The turian bartender barely looks up from the glass he is currently cleaning when the asari orders, his talons working carefully under a polishing cloth to clean away a stubborn ring of color near the top of the glass.
"Um…" Liara hesitates, a bit confused by the lingo. Though an asari of her age should be comfortable in a bar, or at the very least, comfortable ordering a drink, the scientist felt out of place. She very rarely partook in alcohol during her archeological career, finding the hobby to be detrimental for the scientists that did partake in excessive drinking. During her time serving the Normandy crew, she did spend a night or two in bars when the crew had shore leave, but Shepard would usually round up the entire lot of them and lead them to some eclectic loud bar without listening to argument. The Commander believed nights bonding over lowered inhibitions to be constructive, and Liara trusted her leadership. And for many of the crew, Shepard usually picking up the tab was reason enough for them to go out to drink. Liara was well aware the soldier was not wealthy, but she was not one to be persuaded from taking care of her crew.
Liara remembers the first night the entire crew had followed Shepard to a bar with a wistful sigh. Goddess, had she been this uncomfortable then?
"Volus binas for everyone!" Wrex had announced, cackling viciously as the rest of the squad besides Liara immediately feigned gagging.
The moment the small band of misfits had walked in the door, Wrex and Garrus had beelined for the bar as if it was a mission and drinks were their target to apprehend. Garrus only paused for a moment on his way for Shepard to shove her credit chit in his claws, her cheerful voice telling him to start a Normandy tab. Ashley had said something about trying to talk to an attractive marine with over-sized muscles and a faux-hawk, which had prompted a chorus of laughter from the Commander who immediately started leading Ashley to where he sat, saying something about being the perfect "wing-man." As Shepard disappeared, Liara awkwardly followed Tali to a table, and while Tali perused the menu making snarky comments about each beverage on the menu being less interesting than those the flotilla offered, Liara looked about for the disappeared Commander, feeling quite lost. She didn't feel in place until she felt a pair of strong hands cover her shoulders, a charming soldier kneeling next to her with a smirk on her face.
"What can I get you beautiful?" Shepard had asked with a playful glint in her bright green eyes. The moment her eyes caught Shepard's, Liara's fears had melted away, and she managed a smirk to meet the Commander's.
"Something that won't make me look like Wrex in the morning." She says shyly, and the spectre falls into a beautiful laugh, the joy on her face making her look quite younger, as if she was just a recruit enjoying a shore leave with friends. No Reapers and not a care in the galaxy.
"You got it." Shepard remarks, jogging off towards the bar to catch up with Wrex and Garrus. The soldier elbows her way to the front, and somehow gets served before her companions, prompting Wrex to howl about how he was much prettier than the Commander, and deserved the bartender's attention first.
Shepard pays no mind and returns quickly, setting a tall glass containing a sparkling blue liquid into the asari's hands.
"It's a Thessian Temple, not too strong. But still, drink slow my love, I can't imagine you have much of a tolerance."
Liara rolls her eyes and takes a large drink, grinning at the taste.
"I like it."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Liara replies, a smile overtaking her face as she looks at the soldier. "Thank you Shepard."
The soldier sits back in her chair, pleased with herself thoroughly, and begins sipping her own drink.
"What did you get?" Liara inquires, and the soldier only responds with a sheepish grin.
"Certainly not a Volus Bina."
Liara is shaken from her memory by the bartender's gruff voice. He has set his glass down, and is standing against the bar, watching her with his arms crossed.
"Neat or on the rocks lady I don't have all day."
"Get out of her Thrug your shift ended five minutes ago. I'll take care of her." Aethyta remarks, the purple asari stepping behind the bar, a small bag with her effects slung over her shoulder.
Thrug nods and taps on the purchasing kiosk, checking himself out while Aethyta places her bag under the bar and steps before Liara.
"I'm surprised to see you all alone kid." Aethyta remarks, a thin line of concern wrinkling her forehead for only a moment. "I thought you and your spec….soldier friend would be inside each other right about now. Or at least, beside each other."
Liara cringes, and Aethyta seems to catch the message that her comment hadn't come at the most appropriate time. Turning to the only other patron at the bar, a salarian nursing a virgin Mindfish drink, the asari unceremoniously knocks his drink off the bar counter.
"Beat it. I need this seat."
The salarian mutters something about terrible service and how he would be sending a very stern worded email to the manager of the establishment, but a glare from Aethyta causes him to practically dash out of the bar.
"All right, now that it's a little more private, why don't you tell me what happened. Let's not use her name, there's cameras everywhere on this damn planet. And, by the way…" Aethyta lowers her voice, leaning in to the other asari. "I took care of the bitch we left here last night. Also tried to delete the footage of everything from the cameras, but it was already gone by the time I got to it."
Liara nods, making a mental note to use her resources later to find out who had wiped that footage. In all likelihood, it had probably been one of Shepard's many loyal crewmembers or the soldier herself, but it couldn't hurt to be sure.
"Now c'mon kid out with it. What happened?"
Liara takes a deep, shaky breath, and Aethyta takes her nervousness as cue to make her a drink while she speaks, deciding staring at the asari would probably make her story even tougher to tell.
"We….didn't get a chance to talk. Shep….um...she slept through the night, she is...safe...thank you. But...before we could talk this morning, her second in command and another from her ship came to find her. They had noticed her vital signs were unusual. I...her crewmate and I got into an...altercation….about my intentions with her. The Commander she…..she only caught me admitting I can not abandon my mission to be with her. That is, a very...contested...point in our current separation."
Aethyta nodded, taking in what the other asari had said while she poured a spirit into a tall glass.
"The Commander can't abandon her mission to be with you either. She can't expect you to do what she can't."
"It's….different." Liara admitted, looking down at her feet. "Shep...she can't abandon her mission. The fate of humanity depends on her work. My mission….is personal. Vengeance based. She had hoped when she came back I would open up to her at the very least….but after what I have been through while she was gone….it's not the same. She can't fix everything and I have to do this."
Aethyta nods, placing the sparkling drink in front of the other asari. Picking up the liquor bottle she has just used, she sets to wiping it down starting with the pour spout, doing her best to listen without pressuring the young asari.
"Does she know why you want revenge on this...other being?" Aethyta asks, cocking an eyebrow.
"No….she doesn't." Liara admits breathlessly. "I have told her...little. Except for the fact that a dear friend of mine was taken and likely killed by the one I'm going after."
"Were you bumping uglies involved with this friend?"
"No!" Liara shrieks, and Aethyta puts her hands up in surrender.
"All right all right don't freak out just asking a question. Does Shepard know you weren't doing any bonding with this friend you're so obsessed with?"
Liara frowns, the implication that Shepard could be threatened by Feron never having occurred to her. The Commander was very passionate, but not insecure. The asari couldn't exactly picture the soldier being the jealous type though very few beings had made a pass at her while the very formidable soldier had been her lover.
"No….I don't think she would think I was involved with him. She knew I am not a very scandalous asari."
Aethyta chuckles at the implication and sets down the bottle she has thoroughly cleaned, turning her attention to programming the flickering specials board behind the bar. The turian clearly hadn't updated it, and the board still boasted the specials and date from the day before.
"Maybe not, but have you acknowledged your relationship with her at all to the kid since she came back? Confusion can make any rational person start to speculate the most fucking incredible theories about why things aren't working out. If she didn't know you still wanted her, she probably spent some time thinking about what changed."
Liara sighs, taking the other asari's words to heart. Shepard had been incredibly hurt in her office because the soldier had felt like the information broker hadn't acknowledged her as a lover since her return. Only as a hacker and a tool to be used according to the spectre.
"I….you're probably right." Liara says softly. Aethyta immediately stops tinkering with the message board when she does, leaving the board half programmed, the bright lights boasting an incomplete special of Weeping Heart, A Drell Spirit from C
"Hey, no long faces. It's a simple fix sweetheart. Tell the kid how you feel."
Liara scoffs, looking at Aethyta incredulously.
"It is not that simple! There are….missions...it's been two years….this is much more complex than just telling the Commander I love her!"
"Goddess, sometimes you have to let things just be easy." Aethyta says simply, rolling her eyes at her daughter. "I think she can cope with the two of you being on different planets for a while, if she knows you'll give her the time of day when she comes back from the whole goddamn galaxy trying to blow her head off. And if last night was any sign, I think you're very interested in her coming back with a head for you."
Liara blushes, and reaches for her drink. She takes a careful sip from the glass, and makes a sour face as the liquid reaches her tongue.
"I pour heavy. Let me guess, you take your drinks a lot of juice and a little alcohol huh?"
Aethyta chuckles and reaches for the drink to mix a new one, but Liara quickly grabs the base of the glass.
"It's fine really. Thank you."
"Suit yourself." Aethyta says with a smirk, turning her attention to a woman walking up to sit beside Liara at the bar.
"Move it along bodysuit. I'm currently not making drinks."
"That's fine I'm...not here for a drink. I'm here to talk to Doctor T'Soni."
Liara turns on her stool at the mention of her name, shocked to see Miranda Lawson for the second time today. Miranda looks equally uncomfortable as Liara in the bar, her jaw set as she glares at a marine near the dance floor who is giving her an extensive look over.
"What is this about?" Liara questions carefully, still feeling defensive after their interaction this morning.
"Shepard." Miranda states, and Aethyta immediately shushes her.
"Careful with that name sweetheart, there are cameras all over this joint."
"I'm...sorry." Miranda says softly, her voice slightly strained, causing Liara to take a second glance at the woman. In the information broker's memory of the other woman, Miranda Lawson was none other than the epitome of confidence. Miranda entered every room as if she owned it, and had a way of carrying herself like she was well aware she was genetically better than everyone around her. The woman currently in front of Liara is holding herself so starkly different, the asari almost considers accusing her to be an imposter. The operative's arms are crossed instead of at her hips, and her eyes are slightly puffy and red on the edges. It is clear something is deeply wrong, and worry pierces the asari's mind as she remembers Miranda had mentioned Shepard.
"What do you need Ms. Lawson? Is it about her? Is she okay?"
Miranda frowns, and looks away from the earnest asari.
"I don't know...that's why I came to you. She never returned to the ship and missed her follow up appointment to assess her combat injuries with Dr. Chakwas this evening. I initially intended on just tracking her down using the ship's linked AI, but our…. friend had commanded it to hide her location until further notice. Which is why I think she's doing something dangerous she doesn't want me to know about. Which, would be a completely immature choice as she is already injured, left all her weapons on the ship, and has no backup." The operative states bitterly. Clearly Shepard's disappearance was adding to an already sour mood.
"Could she just be in need of a little alone time?" Liara questions hesitantly, part of her desperately hoping her love was not in fact chasing a dangerous lead alone on Illium just to get some alone time from drama within her crew.
"It would be unlike her. Even when she needs space she doesn't miss required appointments with our medical staff for frivolous reasons. Her cybernetics are still relatively new to combat application and she understands medical upkeep is crucial for keeping them running properly."
"Yes, you're right…"Liara admits, a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"Ah-hem." Aethyta interrupts, snapping both women to attention. "This isn't the place for a public brainstorming session if you're trying to figure out where she went. I'll unlock one of the private rooms for you two, they don't have cameras. Let me know if either of you needs a shot to kickstart the juices flowing. Or maybe to loosen either of you up a little."
Both Liara and Miranda huff under their breath at the same time, causing the asari bartender to chuckle. Rifling through a drawer of key chits under her desk, the asari selects one and leads the pair into a private room off the side of the main lobby.
"Come get me if you need anything, or whatever." Aethyta says to Liara, her face betraying her concern for a moment before she returns to her usual obnoxious composure and returns back to the bar to shout at a stumbling volus.
"Shut the door." Miranda states, and takes a seat on the couch in the small room. The operative raises her arm, bringing her omni-tool HUD to life.
"I've scoured my leads on Illium, there isn't a great deal of pertinent activity here that I can imagine Shepard feeling required to investigate." Miranda says, running a hand through her hair and taking a deep breath, trying to keep her composure.
"Are you all right Ms. Lawson?" Liara questions, closing the door and sitting on the couch beside the operative. "I am sure Shepard will be fine...there is something else...isn't there?"
Miranda silently scolds herself for being so obviously distraught over her earlier confrontation with that damned tattooed woman who had managed to crawl into her mind.
"I'm fine...I'm sorry. You're obviously more….perceptive than most so I won't try to lie to you Dr. T'Soni. I am distraught over something else but the Commander is the priority. I won't let my personal conflicts interrupt finding her."
Liara nods, deciding to drop the subject to respect Miranda's clear discomfort with the topic.
"I've been...distracted today, so I have not kept current on my information feeds. I'll see if there's anything there that can help direct us to Shepard."
Accessing her own omni tool, the asari brings to life several HUD screens. Selecting her main information stream, the broker accesses her bookmarked topics, clicking on the topic highlighted "SHEPARD."
There are no new messages in the folder to the asari's disappointment. However, the top message still manages to catch her keen eye for abnormalities. The receipt time was around 06:00 hours, a time when she had been nestled into her own couch, keeping watch over Shepard. The message was not highlighted though, indicating it had been read on her terminal or omni-tool sometime after its receipt.
Selecting it, a completed auction page appears. Liara scans the description of the sold information, her breath hitching in her chest as she does. Miranda, watching the asari closely as she scans through her feeds, frowns at the slight gasp.
"What is it? Has anyone seen her?"
"I….honestly don't know what this could mean." Liara admits, turning her tool so the operative could join her in surveying the page.
"Someone sold footage from camera sources on Illium that reveal Shepard's location." Liara starts, but she is cut off by the other woman fiercely tapping on her own omni-tool.
"I know those numbers...the buyer." Miranda stated, her tone even. "Those identification numbers belong to a Cerberus employee. Either the Illusive man had someone buy the information to protect our investment, or someone within Cerberus has a dangerous interest in the Commander's location."
Liara nods, impatiently watching the operative's fingers on her tool as she waited for the identity of their buyer. When the woman stops typing, her fingers glide on the screen of her tool, stopping on a page of scientists.
"You have got to be….I'm fucking done with this…" Miranda nearly cries, practically forcing her screen before Liara so the asari could see the name.
"Dr. Gavin Archer…."
At sight of the name, the asari immediately recalls what she had read just yesterday about Shepard's most recent mission. The report on Overlord had been short, but implicative of a disturbing mess that the Commander had been forced to clean up. The only name that had been in the file was Dr. Archer's, the architect of the VI and one of two survivors of the massacre. And as of the last message, the doctor still owed his employment to Cerberus.
"Do you know who he is?" Miranda asks, breaking Liara out of her memories. The operative's voice is strained, close to breaking. This Archer had an effect on Ms. Lawson as well…
"I only know what came through on a vague report of the Commander's mission involving project Overlord. I understand the mission was to shut down a rogue VI created by Dr. Gavin Archer's science team. I was also informed the doctor was one of the two survivors your team found. He was rescued and sent for reassignment with the Illusive Man." Miranda tears herself from the asari's eyes as she finishes her summary, clasping her own hands tightly against her forehead.
"That's...not what happened. Not really. There's….a lot to what we saw there."
Shyly, the asari reaches out and clasps Miranda's shoulder. A meek attempt to comfort the other woman.
"It's okay Miranda. I don't need to know. I assume since Shepard recently saved Dr. Archer's life, he is protecting her in buying the information?"
The Cerberus officer laughs dryly, shaking her head.
"I don't believe the doctor has a lot of goodwill for Shepard. She barely let him walk out of there alive. Overlord….was a project designed to exploit the religious tendencies of the geth and allow for communication. Dr. Archer chased this objective by abusing his autistic brother beyond what you can imagine and fused his broken down mind to a VI to communicate with the geth. The rogue VI was just a scared brother trying to escape his torture. The Illusive Man...he was going to shut down the project if Archer didn't produce results. Which eventually led to Archer's disgusting decision to take his experimentation on his brother to the horrific level our squad witnessed. Shepard destroyed the data the experiment produced, and Archer...did not take it well. He sacrificed his soul and brother for that data, and she destroyed it. I can't imagine he is looking to protect her."
Goddess Shepard….
Liara sits in silence for a moment after the operative finishes. She can picture her love trudging painfully through a facility, surrounded by bodies she couldn't save, only to find a sight of torture that would only take more sleep from the spectre. The thought is like a round to her heart, and she is overcome with the need to run to her soldier, to tell her none of what she could have seen was her fault. The asari takes a long sip from her glass before she responds.
"Is the doctor still working for Cerberus?" Miranda shakes her head, smoothing her hair and sitting up straight again.
"No. I have not received official confirmation, but in the wake of something like this, rogue Cerberus officials, even highly ranked scientists usually 'disappear' to upkeep our reputation."
The operative tries to instill confidence in her statement, but she knows her sentence sounds forced at best. The usually faithful employee truly is not aware if Archer was considered rogue Cerberus, or if the Illusive Man had something else in mind for the unethical scientist. Archer had not turned against Cerberus by some definitions. He had done something unethical, but something unethical for Cerberus. A something that the Illusive Man did not condemn.
"So it is possible he has done something to Shepard." Liara states breathlessly.
"Or, is it possible Shepard found out he was on Illium and went after him? EDI informed me Shepard requested her location not be shared with the crew herself. It could be because she didn't want anyone to follow her on a dangerous bit of personal business."
Liara nods and suddenly puts her palm to her forehead.
"Goddess! I am being denser than usual. My emotions must be getting the best of me. Ms. Lawson, does Shepard have access to the same database you used to look up Dr. Archer's identification number?"
Miranda nods, and the asari continues.
"The message containing the auction was marked already read by the time I opened it. It is possible Shepard saw the message on my private terminal in my apartment...she was up earlier than I was….and found Archer knew where she was?"
"That's ...a decent hypothesis. I can use my security clearance in Cerberus records to identify if another employee accessed the same database searching for Archer's number. If Shepard made the search, I say we conclude she went after Archer and put our efforts into tracking him. Then when we find him we find Shepard."
Liara nods. Going after Archer was really all the two could do with their limited information. And, if the asari was lucky, she would have a chance to hurt a man that had clearly psychologically touched her love.
While Miranda taps away on her omni-tool searching for the access records of the Cerberus database, the asari rises, taking her half-full glass.
"I'm going to return this to Aethyta. If I don't she I will be too tempted to sip on it and it now seems we will need our clarity more than ever."
Miranda chuckles and nods.
"Shepard keeps everyone on their toes. It's hard to stand on your toes inebriated, so I understand what you mean. However, just one drink might relax me in this hunt not remove my awareness. I….it regularly helps me when the mission research is overwhelming. Would you be a dear and bring me a gin and tonic if they have gin from Earth? If not, the special that drell drink didn't sound repulsive."
"Why Ms. Lawson I did not take you for an officer that has a drink with their paperwork." Liara teases as she turns to leave on the errand. Miranda cracks a smile at the quip, but says nothing else, immediately once again immersing herself in her task.
Liara pads out of the private room and follows the narrow hallway containing the private rooms to the center of the bar once more. As the early hours of the night pass, more customers appear, and the dance floor and bar seem to have been suddenly overrun in the short passage of time.
Not paying too much mind to why the sudden rush of customers has occurred, blaming it on the evening turning into night, Liara frowns when she realizes how packed the small counter is now. Each bar stool holds a customer and some of the more pushy customers are weaving between bar stools to try and catch the bartender's attention.
Goddess...I don't know bar protocol. Is there a line? Or somewhere to stand if I have not been helped and don't wish to disturb anyone?
Trying to catch Aethyta's eye, Liara ventures closer to the bar. Weaving through the loud speaking patrons, once she finds herself close enough to see the other asari clearly in the mob of drinking and thirsty patrons, the sight is a bit...off.
Aethyta is not making any drinks or even holding a liquor bottle though the entire bar is clamoring for her attention and services. Two heavily armored men are standing on the left edge of her bar closest to the asari, each clearly trying to converse with the apathetic bartender who is giving each of them very little attention and instead focusing on the pad in her hands. Liara recognizes the pad as the programming device for the neon specials board Aethyta had been tinkering with earlier.
Strange, why is Aethyta so focused on updating the specials with so many customers?
Turning her attention to the message board, Liara's eyes widen at the secret message clearly meant for her. The drell drink has been erased, and in its place are only three words, bright and flashing like a neon flare.
Fly Little Wing.
Without a moment to waste, Liara begins to weave through the crowd to return to the operative unaware of the dangerous message in their private room. Keeping her head down, the asari carefully edges between patrons, using their bodies to keep her rapidly moving figure from the two men at the bar. When she finally makes her way to the slender hallway leading to the private rooms, the asari breaks into a sprint, practically throwing open the door to the room where Miranda had been left.
Miranda cocks an eyebrow when Liara enters, the asari's wide eyes and quick breath immediately alarming the operative.
"What's going on?" Miranda questions, leaping to her feet. The operative's hand travels to her belt to cradle her sub-machine gun.
"I don't know….I think Archer's men are here. If Archer has footage of Shepard's previous night I assume some of that footage takes place here. Some very well armored men are at the bar questioning Aethyta. She put a message on the board ….one only I would understand... telling us to leave."
"Then let's move."
Miranda strides past Liara, taking point in the two woman formation.
"If they saw any footage from this location, they likely saw your face. You were here with Shepard correct?"
"Well, I wasn't here with her per say. I saw she needed assistance from one of my camera feeds of the bar. I came to extract her."
Miranda nods, though if Liara can clean anything from the questioning look the other woman shoots the asari, she is more than aware that is a simplification of the story. Liara is grateful the operative doesn't have time to ask more questions.
" If they're working for Archer, they definitely saw your face. They're probably looking for you if they've been unable to find the Commander. I doubt they've been briefed on my face, they're likely just mercs for hire given a simple task to find individuals from a vid that I'm not in. Stay behind me and keep your head down."
Miranda edges out into the hallway and strides towards the main lobby, the asari close on her heels. However, the moment the operative edges into the main room, she wraps her arm around Liara's shoulders and pulls her into a side embrace.
"Sorry, when we stepped out those marines and some of the other slimy alcoholics were making eyes at us. It would be beneficial for our stealth if they think we're on a girls night or ...you know...one of those things. Act busy talking to me."
Miranda's briefing is awkward, and Liara is slightly relieved her companion is just as uncomfortable with the night club scene. The operative, like the asari was not experienced in reckless social nights at bars, vastly preferring catching up on her responsibilities to being seen acting stupid in front of her colleagues. Though she did know at least know a thing or two about alcohol.
Clutching each other, the pair begins to travel for the door. The moment they begin to move together, less men in the bar pay them attention, and the asari is thankful Miranda's idea seemed to be successful.
"Come this way…...SO…..any cute marines in your life right now?" Miranda says, raising her voice when she switches into their fake conversation. Liara follows her steps, allowing the other woman to guide her.
"I don't believe so….doctor...Mir..Angela." Liara stumbles out, resisting the urge to call the other woman by a more official title.
"Oh come on, what about that one training to be an N7? She's...attractive. She has good….battle posture."
Guiding the asari past a small gang of turians surrounding a table that is littered in empty glasses, Miranda sighs in relief as she realizes the last stretch to the door is relatively unguarded. Only a casually dressed turian swaying on his haunches is near the door, and his eyes are locked with the beverage in his glass.
"Let's go. We're clear let's move." As the two take fast steps towards the door, the swaying turian suddenly puts his arm out, grabbing Liara by the hips.
"Heyyy! I think I know who YOU are…." The turian slurs, stepping in front of the two women, positioning himself in the center of their side embrace.
"You're Dr. Liara T'Soni." The turian says his last statement with perfect clarity, the slurring suddenly gone. Before either can react the man has a gun in his hand, the barrel pressing into Liara's side.
"Take it easy…."Miranda growls, drawing her own weapon and pressing it to the turian's neck.
"I can blow you away just as simply."
Before the turian can react, he is suddenly airborne, a blue energy surrounding his body as he is thrown headfirst into one of the bar's many metal tables. Aethyta rushes to his place, her biotics still flaring from the energy she has just unleashed on the turian.
"Take cover! Fucking move!" Aethyta barks and the three women quickly scatter from a hail of gunfire as the two armored men that had been by the bar begin firing upon them. Aethyta topples a bar table and takes cover behind it, grabbing Liara by the shoulder and roughly forcing her down into cover beside her.
"Where did Miranda go?" Liara shrieks, trying to glimpse the other woman in the hail of gunfire and panicked patrons.
"Don't know but she can take care of herself. We have bigger problems kid. Those three aren't the only ones after you. Look!"
The asari can't even count how many of the seemingly harmless bar patrons now hold weapons and are unleashing fire on their position. The only ones who didn't seem to be a part of the ambush are the Alliance marines, who are all huddling behind a table, drunkenly sobbing about how they were going to die on shore leave of all things.
A merc in Liara's right field of vision suddenly goes flying across the room, his companions in cover near the dance floor with him now clutching their chests as gunfire rips into them.
Miranda is all right then…. Liara muses in relief, drawing her own pistol and firing at the group the operative has broken apart.
Aethyta immediately sets into a rhythm, tossing merc after merc into each other to try to disorient the pockets of soldiers focusing on the group of women. Liara tosses singularities at the furniture mercs are taking cover behind, allowing Miranda to take clear shots once the tables float away.
In a sickening moment that seems to slow down, Miranda's scream pierces the sound of gunfire, jolting both asari to their feet. The operative is on the ground, a Krogan merc standing with one large foot on her chest and his shotgun aimed for the woman's face. Before Liara can fire on him, Aethyta's entire body becomes enveloped in biotic energy, and the asari flies across the room in a biotic charge aimed for the Krogan.
Liara holds her breath as she watches the moment unravel. The familiar strategy of a single powered biotic charge fills her gut with fear, reminding her of her own vanguard love and the many times Shepard would recklessly throw her body into a fray to protect her squad.
The moment Aethyta hits him, the Krogan is thrown back several feet. His plated head collides with the smaller asari's, but instead of rendering the former commando unconscious, the Krogan himself seems to be struggling to stand up after the blow. Aethyta reaches out and grabs Miranda's arm, tossing her to her feet before another merc can descend to the operative's side. As she does however, a sickening noise of a shotgun round being unloaded into flesh is heard and the asari begins to sink to her knees.
"NO!" Liara shrieks, tossing a line of mercenaries out of her way as she scurries towards the other woman's side. Miranda catches Aethyta as she sinks, her blood staining the operative's white jumpsuit in a sickening splatter. The officer begins to extract medi-gel from her omni-tool, slapping a generous amount onto Aethyta's injury before another merc smacks Miranda's head with the butt of his rifle, knocking her to the floor and Aethyta from her arms.
Before Liara can reach them, another mercenary crashes into the asari, his armored form, pinning the small blue frame against an overturned table, a rifle locked on her head.
"STOP!" A mercenary's commanding voice cuts the chaos, causing Liara to scan the area, desperately trying to see which one of the many well-armed soldiers was giving the orders. "Archer needs them alive to get to Shepard. Put a bullet in another one of them and I'll put a bullet in you!"
The mercenary holding Liara lowers her to the ground, the barrel of his rifle square against her forehead.
"I have T'Soni!" He barks, chuckling at the crumpled asari on the bar floor.
Across the floor, another mercenary is holding a barely conscious Miranda up by the back of her jumpsuit, pushing her around like a trophy.
"And I have her friend!"