Summary:
Shepard and Liara are ready to return to their mission. Liara to prove the existence of the Reapers, and Shepard to stop them.
Others however, would prefer the status quo.
Notes:
Almost there! It looked like we would make it to the beginning of ME2 in Chapter 25, but alas it was not to be.
For those that missed it, there are several (non chronological) shorts that are part of this series now bundled under "Cari'ssi'mi Drabbles"
"So now what?"
"Now Counselor," Hackett replied with irony, "We push her out of the limelight for a while. We keep her busy. We get her off the vids."
"It might be too late for that. She's already started stirring things up on Thessia."
Hackett nodded. "Which you only know about because of Tevos. I haven't seen anything about that on the vids, so no one seems to consider it newsworthy. Has Tevos complained?"
Anderson tilted his head as he considered. "I wouldn't say she'd been complaining. Actually, I don't think I've ever heard her complain. She talks about Shepard often, but it's more like she's commenting while waiting for something to happen. Or perhaps for something not to happen."
"Is she waiting for us to shut Shepard up? Is that it?" Hackett didn't quite pounce on the statement, but it was obvious he didn't want to risk the ire of the Council. "We're already going to ship her off to the Terminus. She can't cause much trouble for the Council from there."
"No, it's more like waiting to see what she's going to do next," he paused. "Valern and Sparatus a little too, but I think they might just be reacting to Tevos."
"Why doesn't she just ask Shepard? Why don't you, for that matter? She's a goddamn spectre, as she takes great pleasure in reminding me when she postpones an Alliance mission. I thought with you on the Council all this ambiguous guessing game crap was behind us."
"It doesn't work like that Steven," Anderson winced internally as he reflected how quickly he'd gotten used to calling the admiral by his first name. "Even between the counselors there are secrets. Plans within plans. No one wants to be the first to show their cards." He shook his head. "We have meetings just to agree to have another meeting."
"Tevos showed us some of her cards. She nominated Shepard to be a spectre. There had to be a reason."
"She supported me for counselor too. It doesn't mean I know why."
"Because you're close to Shepard, obviously. The Saren mission taught them that bringing Shepard to heel might not be as easy as they might like." Hackett said dismissively. "The commander certainly taught me that lesson. Also, Udina's an idiot."
"Exactly. Udina is an idiot. But don't you think the asari would be better served with a weak counselor in humanity's seat? Wouldn't all the other council races? But first with Shepard, now with me, it seems like Tevos is working to assist humanity into a position of power."
"Power to do what, exactly?"
"Tevos is scared, Admiral. I mean really scared."
"She doesn't seem frightened to me."
"She's ten times your age, too. You're right though, you don't see it in her, but you do see it in her people. The nervous looks, the hushed discussions. Staff volunteering for posting to remote colonies. Long time aides who take personal leave and never come back. For such a long lived race, the asari delegation is turning over at a rate that's creating some discussion. Then there's the time she spends with Sha'ira."
"The consort?"
"She has to talk to someone. I don't know anyone else with her reputation to keep a secret. Tevos clearly knows something is coming, and she doesn't think they'll be able to handle it when it comes. Her staff has even less faith along those lines than she does."
Hackett nodded. "The Reapers."
"That's an obvious answer, sure, but I don't know if that's all of it. If it were, why try to keep it a secret?"
"What else could it be?" They were talking in circles, and Hackett's impatience was beginning to show.
"Why don't you just ask T'Soni? You've got her working for you now, and she isn't going to go running to the Council if she doesn't like what you have to say." Anderson was starting to feel impatient as well.
"Doctor T'Soni has to feel that she's a free agent. She was starting to become open with me in her reports and communication, and I need to encourage that. If I start pumping her for data she's only going to clam up."
"You're an asari psychologist now?"
Hackett paused for a moment, letting Anderson know that counselor or no, he was close to crossing a line. "I've been around young recruits my whole life. Doctor T'Soni is intelligent, but she's pragmatic too. When Shepard's between a rock and a hard place, Liara needs to see me as a place to go for help. Shepard sure as hell won't admit weakness."
"She may not need your help. It isn't like she doesn't have resources of her own."
"Not in the Alliance, she doesn't. And if the Saren debacle is any indication, I'm willing to bet that when shit hits the fan, neither one of them will be looking to the Council for help either." Hackett turned for a moment to answer someone not visible on Anderson's comm. "But that doesn't answer the damn question of what's going on."
"Shepard has something to do with it, she has to. But like I said, I don't know what. They're monitoring her, Steven. Reports come in on her daily. Not just her, but T'Soni too."
"T'Soni, T'Soni…" murmured the admiral.
"Steven?"
"You've said before that their relationship isn't a problem for the asari, or for Tevos."
"Not that I'm aware of, and Tevos herself seems to condone it. She offers to 'relay greetings' when she visits the T'Soni estate, which she's done at least twice since Shepard went on leave. I think she's grateful for the distraction. Whatever everyone's nervous that Shepard might be doing, if the commander's spending time with Liara, she's not doing it."
"What if we've got it wrong, David?" Hackett asked suddenly.
"Wrong?" The counselor replied quizzically.
"What if Shepard isn't the one they're trying to keep distracted?"
.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.
Dr. Karin Chakwas was sitting in the cafe overlooking the Alliance docks, sipping her tea. The noise of the crowd filled the area, punctuated by the occasional PA announcement or alert signal. It was a far cry from the quiet stillness she'd grown accustomed to in the Normandy's medbay, but she drew comfort from the sounds nonetheless.
She was sitting at what had become her regular table, a rarity in a place where transient nature of military service seldom allowed for regulars. Despite always being surrounded by new faces, it had quickly become her favorite location to relax during the two months she had spent on Arcturus Station. Early on it had been her refuge when she was finished supervising Jeff's daily rounds of physical therapy. Now, it was a convenient place to wait for her second most difficult patient to return from the day's practical testing of the Normandy's systems.
The vessel had required extensive repair and refit after the battle with Sovereign, and the board of inspection was adamant that all of the repairs receive real world testing before allowing the ship to return to service. Joker had been only too happy to demonstrate what the Normandy was capable of, while demonstrating a camaraderie with General Invectus that did nothing to improve his relationship with Captain Dillard and the rest of the Alliance members of the SR development team.
Karin shook her head at the thought of how Jeff continued to antagonize his Alliance colleagues. At least he seemed to be enjoying himself, which was something she hadn't observed in the pilot since Virmire. Jeff might complain about Dillard and his staff, but at least he had been doing so with a sardonic smile on his face. 'It could be worse,' she reflected. His ego had been getting a boost as well. It seemed everyone on the station had found reason to visit the docks at one point or another, either to watch the Normandy's trials or catch a glimpse of the ship's storied pilot.
All of that was fine with Chakwas. With the recent changes of humanity's status on the galactic stage, Arcturus Station was busier than it had been since the First Contact War. The docks being an ever increasing flurry of activity was a beauty for her to behold. Karin had seen no fewer than four old friends among today's arrivals alone. It made her feel good to see so many of the Alliance's finest passing below her. There were young, eager faces, older, more seasoned veterans, and everything in between. She loved them all, and seeing such a number at once reinforced the warm feelings of bond and belonging that had kept her in the Alliance Navy these so many years.
She wouldn't be here much longer, of course. Her omni-tool had alerted her to her new orders just after she awakened, directing that she report to the Normandy the following morning. She had been relieved to see them reiterate her assignment as the ship's chief medical officer. It was a posting she hoped to hold for as long as she was able, and not just because it allowed her to oversee her first most difficult patient.
With difficult patients on her mind, she checked the time. 'Any moment', she thought. Normally an asari vessel would be directed to the civilian docks, but Shepard was never one to do anything normally. The announcement of the Petite'aile's arrival at the station had been nearly a quarter hour ago, and Chakwas knew the commander wouldn't dawdle. She directed her gaze to the throng below.
Picking the commander out of the crowd was about as easy as Karin expected it would be. There were few women of her height and hair color among the mass of people. There were even fewer in the company of an asari maiden. One, to be exact. Liara's distinctive shade of blue made it easy to track the pair even from the opposite side of the crowded thoroughfare. Chakwas finished her tea as she stood up. A wave of her omni-tool paid the check as she left to go meet Shepard as she entered the promenade.
.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.
Although keeping a leisurely pace, Karin easily reached the security checkpoint well ahead of the commander. She caught sight of her objective immediately, as Shepard and Liara were conspicuous in the crowd. Deciding there was no risk that she would lose sight of the pair, Chakwas stepped aside from the flood of Alliance soldiers entering the promenade, and waited for the the commander to make it through screening.
The other soldiers were doing a reasonable job of keeping their distance, Karin observed. Whether because of the commander's current notoriety or because Liara was an asari, the doctor didn't know. She would bet on the former however, as she saw no indication of the displeasure that would be obvious on the commander's face if she thought that Liara was being somehow slighted by her Alliance colleagues. The occasional sideways glance slid away quickly once the person in question noticed Liara's security clearance, which the young doctor had prominently affixed to her science jumpsuit.
Instead of the fatigued appearance that had recently become her norm, the commander seemed… rested. Karin couldn't remember the last time Shepard looked like she'd had enough sleep. The commander's face held no worry lines, her back held straight and her shoulders square. She was talking to Liara as she walked, unselfconsciously holding the maiden's hand while carrying both their bags slung over one shoulder. Chakwas shook her head. 'How far we've come,' she thought. As far as Chakwas was concerned, getting the two of them to open up about their feelings for each other had been the most difficult part of their mission. Compared to that, defeating Saren was almost easy.
Liara tapped Shepard, interrupting her when she saw Karin. She pointed at the human doctor, prompting a smile and a wave from Shepard as they stepped up to the security checkpoint to be scanned and briefly interviewed. Both women held up their omni-tools in response to the guard's inquiry. 'Orders,' Karin assumed. It only made sense. She had received her own orders today. As CO, Shepard's orders had probably been cut a minimum of a day or two earlier, as she would have also received the Normandy's mission orders in addition to her own to report for duty.
The requirements of station security met to the guard's satisfaction, Shepard and Liara stepped through the security perimeter and into the promenade proper. As soon as the crowd carried them to her, Liara embraced Chakwas tightly.
"It is so good to see you Karin," Liara's happiness was clear in her voice. "I'm sorry we did not get to say goodbye before you left for Arcturus."
Chakwas simply shrugged. "The life of a soldier, my dear." She gave her young friend a meaningful look. "You'll learn soon enough, I suspect."
"Doctor Chakwas," greeted Shepard, likely to circumvent the conversation veering too far in the direction of discussing the navy as a career. "Seeing you here tells me that Joker and the Normandy can't be far away."
"Correct Commander," replied Chakwas as she turned to her CO. "The Normandy is due back later this afternoon."
"That's pretty vague," challenged the commander. "I thought Dillard was more of a by the book kind of guy."
"He is Commander," Chakwas nodded her agreement. "The refit was complete last week. This is another inspection cruise."
"Another?" Shepard obviously didn't like the idea of anyone taking 'her' ship out for a spin, no matter their rank.
"It seems that every admiral in the sector has had reason to make port at Arcturus," explained Chakwas with a sarcastic tone. "Just like the civilians, everyone wants an opportunity to get a look at the ship that fired the shot that destroyed Sovereign."
"They better not get used to the privilege," growled Shepard in response even as Liara placed a calming hand on her arm. "Once we're out of here I don't expect to come back for a very long time."
"And we launch…" Chakwas prompted.
"Tomorrow afternoon, hopefully. Mikhailovich sent some rather terse departure orders. I think he's still upset with me." Shepard grinned at the memory. "I get the impression that he'd rather the Normandy be part of the 63rd Flotilla in fact, rather than just in name."
"Jeff tells me the admiral has been aboard the Normandy a great deal during the refit."
"I bet Joker loved that," chuckled Shepard, knowing how much the flight lieutenant loved Alliance brass. "It is fascinating to me how interested the admiral is in the ship that he declared was nothing more than an expensive failure just a handful of months ago." She shook her head. "As much as I hate burning bridges, I think I can safely say that this one's a goner. He didn't even include a personal note with my orders."
"Admirals don't like being told 'no', Commander," pointed out Chakwas dryly. "Not even when you do it politely."
"Hackett and Anderson don't have a problem with my spectre status, I don't know why he does," complained the commander.
Even Liara couldn't let that pass, beating Chakwas to the punch. "Of course you do, Shepard. Your spectre status assists Admiral Hackett, and Counselor Anderson. Whereas,"
Shepard cut her off before she could finish. "I know, I know. All it did for Mikhailovich was cost him the most advanced ship under his command, and if the Navy is true to form, we're all still hitting his budget." She grinned again. "I just thought about that, no wonder he's angry." She shrugged. "There's just not anything I can do about it."
"What are your plans for your last day of leave? I mean that for both of you," Chakwas directed her attention to Liara. "I can only assume that you'll be joining us, even if none of the rest of 'Shepard's Irregulars' will be."
Liara simply nodded with a small smile, as she moved half a step closer to Shepard.
"Oh, I think everyone's going to be joining us Doctor," replied Shepard to Chakwas' second comment first. "Garrus and Tali are on their way from the Citadel, and the Alliance crew should all be mustered in and accounted for well before departure. The only person I haven't heard from is Wrex."
"He's on the station, Commander."
"Oh?"
"Yes, Commander. He drops your name every time he has an altercation with station security."
"Outstanding. Maybe he doesn't need to know that we're here yet." She took a breath, probably to clear her head of the idea of keeping a krogan out of the stockade. "Liara's got an appointment with Hackett. While she's with him I'm going to arrange for everything we need to be taken off the Petite'aile so Eliata and her team can head back to Thessia. After that I'm going to find out if there's any Alliance overnight housing available, or if I should just get us a hotel."
"In that case, I leave you to it, Commander." Chakwas took a step aside to allow the couple passage into the main part of the promenade. "Will you need anything from me?"
"No, but thanks," Shepard replied as she again took Liara's hand. "I'm just counting the minutes until we get out of here." The pair slipped into the crowd as they left Chakwas by the docks.
Karin made her way back towards the stairs, hoping no one had taken her table. She had some time before Jeff would return, and if she wasn't there to intercept him, he'd neglect his evening treatment regimen. Sometimes she wondered of Hippocrates authored his oath simply to provide the self control to deal with patients such as hers.
.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.
"My resources in the Alliance assure me that Liara will accompany Shepard when the Normandy leaves Arcturus."
"Your resources… You mean Anderson. The human counselor. A man who has absolutely no reason to be honest with you." Irissa's scorn was diminished somewhat by the fact that she was represented by a ten centimeter hologram on Tevos' desk.
"Counselor Anderson has been nothing but honorable in his dealings with me for as long as I've known him."
Irissa laughed away the comment. "For as long as you've known him? What's that? A decade? Two? I have shoes older than he is. Humans can't be trusted, especially not humans with power. He'll turn on you as soon as he sees benefit to do so. I have no idea why you are so infatuated with such an obviously inferior race."
"The humans have more potential than you are willing to admit, Chancellor." Tevos deliberately used Irissa's title in an attempt to calm the matriarch. "They were able to fight the turians to a draw, they have proven able to expand and colonize in the Traverse with far more competence than the batarians, and some of their more powerful biotics rival even the abilities of asari."
Irissa rolled her eyes at that last. "More of them die from eezo exposure than ever become biotic. Besides, that makes them more of a threat, not less. The humans continue to militarize. What happens when their fleets are at our doorstep? When they decide to become our conquerors instead of our allies?"
"You mean like during the Battle of the Citadel? When we could have lost the Destiny Ascension and the majority of the Citadel Fleet? If it weren't for Shepard and the humans, the asari military would have been decimated. You know this. Until our fleets are repaired, the humans are the only thing standing between the Citadel and anyone who would see our weakness as an opportunity."
Irissa waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "They were saving themselves as much as saving you, or are you just so grateful to be alive that you would do anything for the humans?"
Tevos' response was quieter this time. "I am grateful, but the humans had no cause to sacrifice themselves like they did. Shepard's decision was to fight for the greater good."
"You got lucky with Shepard. You know it and I know it, but she was just currying favor for later. If she hadn't saved the Council, do you really think she'd have half the maidens on Thessia following her around with their tongues hanging out? She'd be hiding in Benezia's estate instead of galavanting all over Thessia making speeches." She looked Tevos in the eye. "Maybe it is unfortunate that she saved the Council after all. Shepard has become far too popular for my taste."
Tevos let the insult pass without comment as she met Irissa with a derisive tone of her own. "It could be far worse. She could be doing more with her popularity. Instead, she shows restraint. She could be attempting to incite the populace, but her speeches border on education more than a call to arms."
Irissa's eyes narrowed. "Her speeches are just one of many issues."
"Why? She is doing no harm. Others have tried to raise the alarm before. Shepard is popular yes, but not credible. Not on Thessia. Silencing her will simply cause others to wonder why, and possibly even take up her cause."
"Like the Maiden T'Soni?" Irissa finally jumped to her real target.
"Doctor T'Soni is more circumspect than you give her credit for. She would do nothing to instigate unrest in the Republics without demonstrable proof of her position." Besides, Tevos had other reasons not to fear Liara's next steps.
"But you do nothing to stop her from working to collect such proof."
"As I said, taking action against them would only create reasonable suspicion. She'd been trying to solve the Prothean mystery for nearly sixty years, and she hadn't succeeded until she met Shepard. Even now she lacks the proof she seeks. In any event, she is additionally distracted by Shepard and her agenda. Instead of focusing on research, she works to prepare House T'Soni for invasion. This behavior works against her credibility as well."
"It might be," countered Irissa, "But credible or no, I cannot help but notice that her behavior is enhancing her financial position. To the detriment of more than a few other houses, I might add."
Tevos offered a nod at Irissa's point. "Including yours, I understand. Again, taking direct action will only draw attention to their cause. Better that Liara is seen as a maiden thrust into responsibility she is not ready for, and making irrational decisions because of it. No one will investigate further if they already believe they know the reason for her behavior."
"That's not enough. Her line of research is dangerous. Who knows what Benezia told her before she died?"
"It doesn't matter what Benezia shared, if anything. It only matters what the young doctor can prove. At the moment, that's nothing."
"Inaction is not enough. Even if Benezia kept our secrets, what of the humans? They have their own trove."
"It is highly unlikely that the Alliance would ever invite an asari to Sol 4, Chancellor. Such an event staggers the imagination. Even if they did, Matriarch Sulilta did everything within her power to discredit her. Doctor T'Soni is still not respected by the academic community. She may never be." Tevos herself had seen to that.
Irissa was in no mood for Tevos' reassurance. "She needs to be silenced. Immediately. Permanently."
Tevos' reply was automatic. "No."
"No? Have you forgotten your place Counselor?"
"I have not, Chancellor."
"You can be recalled by the Conclave. A simple vote of no confidence and you'll quickly find yourself just one more matriarch among many." Irissa smiled in victory.
"As you say," Tevos nodded, "But I have been counselor for a long time. What would be the justification behind such an action? More importantly, what would be the public reason? Finally, what might I say if someone were to ask me why I was recalled?"
"You wouldn't dare."
"I've sworn an oath to my people, Chancellor. Are you releasing me from it? Such is your right, but if so, I find myself with a great deal of business to attend to."
The matriarchs stared at each other for a time. Tevos placidly, Irissa practically grinding her teeth in anger. When Irissa finally spoke, Tevos knew that she'd won. This round, at any rate.
"I do not agree with your course of action Counsellor, but I will allow it for now." The Chancellor broke the connection.
'As if you had a choice,' thought Tevos bitterly. She was in too deep. They all were. Their only hope was that a child and a human could overcome all the obstacles they'd placed before them. If they couldn't, Tevos might find herself having to choose between the survival of her society, and of her species.
Perhaps she'd call Hackett again, just to reassure herself. The human's polite deference always made her feel better.
A/N: Assumptions here include:
FemShep/Liara
Post ME1 ending - after the Battle of the Citadel, technically before the beginning of ME2 (but not for much longer)
Shepard is:
Colonist / Vanguard / War Hero
As always, feedback is welcome and desired.