Chapter 24: Family Matters Act 1

The Citadel (Presidium Commons)

Garrus went to the Presidium to get some fresh air; he was down in the refugee came helping with some injured soldiers from Palaven. Victus and Sparatus had convinced the other council to accept the wounded from Palaven, with the reapers laying siege to other Turian colonies, they had nowhere to go. However, the soldiers had to be treated at the refugee camp due to not having enough room at the clincs and Huerta Memorial, though the refugees had problems of their own a lot of them volunteered to care for the soldiers. It seemed even in a shit-storm like the reaper war, there was still time for kindness.

He went to the Citadel café, he really needed a drink or….two, as he entered he saw Liara sitting in the back with a datapad. The turian sighed and shook his head, his girlfriend was supposed to take a day off for herself. The asari had been quite busy when she wasn't on the ground with Shepherd for mission, she had checking updates from her agents on the status of various colonies, recruiting all the galaxy's talented minds to work on the Crucible, not mention probing Javik for information on the Protheans. It was not uncommon for Garrus to see the young asari at her desk asleep after an all-nighter. Garrus came down and met with Liara, who was still on her data pad.

"Aren't you supposed to be taking it easy?" Garrus said.

Liara looked back at the Turian and sighed. "I know, but one call leads to another…there are things that need be done…" she said. "We need to get eezo, heavy arms, mercenary groups…" Garrus came over and nuzzled her neck, Liara moaned and smiled a little at him.

"We'll get those done, Li…just don't forget to come up for air sometime" Liara kissed his cheek.

"I won't, I promise…" Garrus took a seat next her and Liara leaned her head into his shoulder. "How has your day been going?"

Garrus sighed. "Stressful…I was in the refugee area, trying to help some soldiers that flown in from Palaven"

Liara raised her head and looked at him. "How bad is it?" she asked concerned.

"More dead than injured…Eighty-five percent killed in action" Garrus said grimly. "We'll need a morgue soon…"

"Goddess, that high…?"

"I've heard the stories from the soldiers still alive, it's gotten worse…" he said. "Our front lines are being wiped out a platoon at a time, it's gotten to a point where it's not a war anymore…it's slaughter"

"Any word from your family?" Liara asked. When Garrus didn't answer, she knew it meant no. Ever since he got off of Menae, Garrus had been looking at reports of Civilian evacuations in hopes of that his father and younger sister made it off Palaven. From the look on Garrus' face he was under no illusion of what could have happened to them, the reapers were ruthless, they attacked anything that moved whether it be soldiers bringing the fight to them or civilians running away from their carnage, it didn't matter. Not only that, they were cruel, if one didn't die, they were converted…to fight for the reapers. Liara gripped his hand. "I'm sure they made it off, Garrus"

"That's the thing about getting old, Li…the platitudes get just as old…" Garrus said. "Have you heard from Shiala?"

Liara lowered her head, she had gotten a message from her aunt, and it detailed how the colonists on Feros were fighting the Reapers. The Thorian spores inside her and the colonists' bodies had given them the strange ability to sense one another, allowing them to think and act as one in battle. It gave them a small advantage, as it allowed them to plan and communicate without the reapers tapping into their communications. However as useful as it was in the short-term, she had no idea how it will affect them in the long term.

But it was not that part of the message that bothered her, it was the next part…Shiala spoke of voices in her head, and oily shadows in her dreams, she was starting to feel the Reapers' influence in her mind. However, she said that her indoctrination was being slowed by her connections to the other colonists, but she was under no illusion that her fate was sealed. She would either be killed by the reapers or she would lose her sense of self to reapers and be killed by the colonists but regardless she said she would fight until the Goddess called her. Liara closed her eyes and took her deep breath. "It was her last will and testament…."

"Li…" Garrus said softly.

"I'm fine, Garrus….I guess I should have expected it, after all she was too close to Sovereign like my mother was" Liara said sadly. "It looks like I'm the last of my family…"

"What about your mother's bondmate?" Garrus asked.

"Never knew her" Liara said. It was a lie, while it used to be true that she didn't know who her 'dad' was, since becoming the Shadow Broker a lot of things became open to her. Like the identity of her 'father', as it turned out she used to be a leader on Thessia like Benezia but unlike her mother she was very unpopular for her radical ideas. So she left Asari space, for a bar on Illum. "Benezia never spoke of her"

"Why not?" Garrus asked.

"Union among our kind is no longer common, some asari believe it weakens our species" she said. "It's was where the stigma…pureblood come from, it possible they were embarrassed by their union and separated on bad terms"

"So you never wondered about her?"

"No, not really…" Liara's omni-tool beeped. "Well…"

"What?" Garrus asked.

"It seems some mercenaries are willing to join the war effort" she said. "Well, I have to go Garrus"

"Wait you're meeting them in person?"

"Of course, I want to make sure the mercs don't try anything" Liara walked away, leaving Garrus. The turian went to the bar and ordered his drink, at the bar there was an asari that took his order. She was a matriarch, which was surprising considering asari matriarchs are supposed to be one of the most respected people in the galaxy short of the Council and leaders of the Council world. He would really like to know how a matriarch became a bartender on the Citadel.

"I know who you are, I've seen you with that Shepherd guy a couple of times" she said.

"He's my boss" Garrus said.

The asari chuckled as she reached for a bottle of turian wine, not something he usually drink, he liked the heavier liquors from Cipritine but since Palaven was under siege by the reapers this was as good as he was going to get. "So, you're in the thick of it….can't say I envy you" she said. "Heard what's going on Palaven, that's rough, you have my condolences"

"Thanks, but I have no doubts we'll kick them off Palaven and then the galaxy" Garrus said.

The asari smirked. "Damn right" she said. Garrus opened his omni-tool to pay for the drink, but the matriarch held out his hand. "That's alright, this is on the house"

Garrus blinked. "Uh, you sure won't you get in trouble with your boss?" he asked.

"You flying around, trying save our asses from the reapers I think we can afford a couple of free drinks" She said.

"Uh thanks…um…"

"Aethyta" she said. "And you are?"

"Garrus" he responded. Garrus took his drink and went back to refugee camp for updates on some of turian soldiers' conditions. Aethyta looked back at her human boss.

"Yo, Benson, I'm taking a break…I'll be back in ten minutes" She went to the back, looked to see if anyone was around and opened her omni-tool. A light blue asari in a black and yellow dress appeared. Her name was Keness Dantius, one of the high matriarchs back on Thessia and mother of the dead diplomatic emissary Nassana Dantius. In public, she had a façade of a caring advisor to the people, however Aethyta knew differently…among the other matriarchs, she was known to be quite ruthless and manipulative. In fact, the whole family was known to have some shady dealings…money laundering, blackmail, and back-stabbing was par for the course.

"Aethyta, glad to see you made it off Illium" she said with a smile.

Aethyta rolled her eyes. "I want off this thing" the matriarch said. Keness' eyes instantly went cold, Aethyta snorted…that was the asari she had come to know.

"Excuse me?" she asked coldly.

"You heard me, I'm not spying on Liara for you anymore"

"This is unacceptable Aethyta, think of the danger she poses" she said. "Don't be soft, just because she is your daughter!"

Aethyta frowned. "This isn't because she's my kid…it's because she's not a threat!" she said. "I overheard her and her boyfriend and you know what they were mostly talking about? Casualties in the war…resources for the war, she's on our side…in fact from the way they were talking she's in the middle of that clusterfuck!"

Keness scoffed. "I find it hard to believe, consider the shady connections she have…"

Aethyta snorted. "Because you would know about shady connections…" Keness' eyes soften and she calmed down, Aethyta frowned…she didn't like how calm the matriarch was. She had something under her sleeves.

"Very well, I'll tell the other matriarchs of you decision…although I would be worried about who your replacement would be…"

"Meaning?"

"I've heard…talks among the Matriarchs, they are expecting you choke on this assignment and they have plans replace you with a commando with a kill order…when you do…" That caught Aethyta's attention, she knew the Matriarchs were worried about Liara's broker connections, but to have commando on standby to kill her daughter meant they were really worried about what dirt she has on the republic and more importantly on them. Despite popular opinion on Thessia, the Matriarchs were not as clean as they would like the public to believe. "It's your choice, Aethyta, but choose wisely as it's your daugther's life…"

Aethyta frowned. "I get it, I'll continue watching her" she said. "I see three hundred years hadn't mellowed you out, Dantius, you're still the same cold bitch now as you were then"

Keness gave a smug smirk. "We'll be expecting updates" Her image disappeared.