There was no body.

She couldn't remember the details of the crash or how much time had passed since then. The only way she could tell that time was still, in fact, moving was by tracking the reports and rumors that trickled in slowly.

There was still no body.

After the Alliance picked them up there had been hope that the twenty-one unaccounted for souls were just what their status indicated - Missing in Action. But after a few days (had it been that long? how long had it been?) the reports started to add 'presumed' and swapped out another word for 'missing'.

She didn't like that presumption. What she needed was more information. If there was one thing she had learned in her short life, it was that you always needed more information. She was used to operating on scraps and assumptions and intuition, but more data never hurt. And while there was a lot of chatter about the destruction of the Normandy, there were still too many questions that remained unanswered.

There was no body, but the Alliance had already set a date for the memorial service.

They were wrong, and she would find the proof.

Her omnitool beeped, lighting up the cabin.

Shepard was still alive. She just knew it.

Appealing directly to the Alliance was useless. The paperwork had already been filed, the speeches already prepared, and the politicians were already practicing their solemn looks and brave faces. She needed someone with a personal connection, someone who cared, someone she could trust.

Which was why Liara found herself in Lieutenant's quarters. It was a bare and impersonal space, no doubt shared between more than one officer on a rotational basis, but it was private. He had tried to feign warmth upon her arrival, but Liara could tell that she was not welcome. He looked tired. She asked him how he was doing and received the non-response that she expected. She indulged him in a few more awkward exchanges before deciding it was better to just be direct.

"She's not dead, Kaidan. I just know it.

He stared at her, pity and exhaustion warring with one another across his face. "Liara-"

"There are too many missing pieces, too many rumors. The Alliance hasn't even finished scanning the Amada system yet and already there are reports coming from Omega about an unusual amount of activity spiking in the Nebula immediately after the crash-"

"Liara-"

"It's just unreasonable that that the Alliance could close the book on this whole case so quickly, when they haven't even located the wreckage of the ship and-"

"Liara-"

"-Shepard's hardsuit vitals weren't recorded anywhere after the ship began to break apart, despite Joker's account clearly stating that she was still alive after the initial explosion-"

"Li-"

"And given the fact that there is no body-"

He grabbed her by the shoulders suddenly, and she saw anger and the barest flicker of blue in the normally staid biotic's large brown eyes. "Liara. She's gone."

She stared back at him in shock. "I don't believe it.

He searched her face for a moment, at a loss for words, before turning away and raising a hand to his temple. "You don't have to, but it doesn't mean it isn't true."

"Shepard isn't dead, Kaidan." She watched him take a shuddering breath. "She can't be."

His back was still turned to her.

"I just— I just thought you should know… I've put together some leads about what may have happened and where she could be, and I think they're very promising—"

"Leave." His voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper.

"What?"

"I need you to leave."

"I just thought that you of all people would want-"

He turned to face her sharply. "This isn't about what I want. She's gone, Liara." The anger receded from his countenance after a moment, leaving only the tired, defeated look from earlier. "You just- you just need to accept that."

She stared at him in disbelief. "I can't."

He shook his head. "Then I'm going to need you to leave."

She could feel her jaw working, trying to find something to say that would convince him of her certainty, but all she found was the desperate need to cling to this one little bit hope for herself. She couldn't accept the alternative, couldn't process this grief that was threatening to drag her down- not until she had definitive proof one way or the other. She turned to leave.

"The service is in two days." His voiced seemed to catch. "You should be there."

She nodded.

But they still didn't have a body.