Liara

I moved behind more crates, keeping to the shadows, wishing that I could be in two places simultaneously. Misgiving filled me as my eyes darted upward, towards the turret gun. I had not considered how much I would miss going into dangerous situations with those I knew I could trust. Ashley, Garrus, Wrex, Tali…even Kaidan would not have let me fall before an enemy. And Serena. Especially Serena.

Because it's you…her words on Virmire floated through my mind. She had kept me from my excitement, from venturing near the Prothean beacon that Saren had kept. She had taken the punishing touch of that artifact herself, and I had wondered at her reasoning and her explanation.

She loved me. I realized, my eyes riveted to the box that held what remained of her body. She loved me as none other ever had, or possibly ever will. To take the amount of pain she endured for my sake…not a sane mind in the galaxy would do that, even in the name of love. But her mind was broken enough, fractured enough, tempered by insanity just enough…to love me in a manner that outstrips comprehension.

I shook my head to clear it, knowing that, above all, I needed to focus on the task at hand. Saving Shepard. Her body was so close…and if I had been with any single one of the others from the Normandy, I would have felt no fear. But Feron…Feron I could not trust. He could speak of his personal misgivings and attempt to help me all that he wished, but I would believe none of it. Trust had standards that needed met, and he had not done that.

The krogan leader of the Blue Suns turned his face towards the stasis pod and the two men straining to move it.

"What's taking so long?" he growled. "Is it marked 'handle with care'? Get a damn move on." He chuckled. "Not like Shepard's going to get more damaged."

My hand curled into an angry fist. You uncouth bastard!

Tazzik's dark gaze was drawn to the ineffective actions of the gang members and his mouth curled in a sneer. "I'll take it from here." he told the krogan. "Your part in this is done, you've been paid, and I don't ever want to see you again. Stay in one place too long and things go…"

A loud blast tore the words away. Fire exploded into the crates…behind the ship. Feron had fired the gun, but missed the target. I wreathed my body in biotic energy as all attention and weapons turned towards the deck Feron had fired from.

Gunfire sounded through the hangar bay, but over it I could hear Tazzik shouting.

"Get that body on this ship now!" he ordered, his voice clearer above all the others that screamed out Feron's location.

I ran from behind the crates.

"You're not taking her!" I shouted, unleashing a biotic shockwave at the krogan leader.

The wave of energy knocked him back, into the still burning flames from the explosion. I ignored the screams and the miniature explosions of specialized rounds as they pinged off of my shields. A turian Sun ran up to me and received a biotic punch to the jaw. The hard plating of his mandibles tore my knuckles open, but he fell to the ground and did not rise again. I grabbed my pistol and fired in Tazzik's direction, but the smoke obscured too much for my aim to be true.

Another Blue Sun aimed his weapon at me and I wrapped biotics around it, wrenching it from his grasp. His weapon flew away and he flew upwards under the force of my lift, falling after I riddled his chest with bullets. They ripped through his armor as though it were paper and I briefly thanked Cerberus for their illicit modifications to their guns and ammunition.

I turned as a loud, scraping noise drew my attention, and saw the pod containing Shepard's body, the woman who had been dearest to me in all the galaxy, being loaded onto Tazzik's ship. The salarian himself stood on the ramp, pure disgust on his face as the Suns ran amok and were demolished by my biotics and Feron's bullets.

He hefted his weapon in his hands and seemed to sigh. I began to run towards him when someone tackled me, pushing me out of the way before a grenade exploded. The concussive blast propelled us further and my head slammed against the edge of a crate as we hit the ground. I sat up, disoriented, the room tilting in front of me, barely noticing that Feron was the one who had pushed me out of the way of the explosion.

If he had not, I would be dead, but I dismissed the thought as I broke from cover, running after the departing ship. A thousand emotions and feelings scoured through me, but at the foremost was the most wretched sense of failure and grief I had ever endured.

"Shepard!" I shouted after the ship, knowing it was useless, knowing she was dead, but screaming her name out anyway as though she might hear me and return.

The dead that she loved returned to her! I thought as angry tears streamed down my cheeks. Why am I not given the same consideration!? My love of her was no less pure, no less true, no less lasting! Come back to me, damn you! Come back!

"Serena!" I screamed, though there were none to hear it but Feron and the last of the Blue Suns, who had been wiped out with the shot from Tazzik's grenade launcher.

"Liara," the drell's voice, the thing I wanted least to hear, "Liara, she's gone."

I turned and shoved him, knocking him to the floor, not caring that I saw bloody gouges across his face or that he cradled his left arm against his chest.

"And it's your fault, you incompetent, blithering traitor!" I yelled. "You're still working for the Shadow Broker aren't you? Only pretending to help me so that you could drag me here, get me killed, and make certain Tazzik got away!"

"I never stopped working for the Broker, Liara!" Feron backpedaled on the ground, having the good grace to at least look terrified. "As far as he knows! But I did not do that on purpose! I don't want her body going to the Collectors, but this is fucking complicated. Now, you can kill me…"

He lifted his hands in self-defense as I approached, a swarming swirling mass of wrath and biotic energy. "That sounds entirely too tempting." the words emerged on a growl.

"Or you can get in my ship with me and we can trail Tazzik." Feron offered, and I stopped short.

If he was working for the Broker, then this would be the end of his mission. He would not offer me this, not even to preserve his life. In fact, I looked at him, seeing the weapon holstered at his side, he would kill me and be done with this entire sordid affair. I can offer him leniency...now.

"This is your last chance." I hissed, extending my hand and pulling him to his feet. "One more incident like this and you won't have to worry about the Broker finding you. I'll fillet you myself."

"Of that," he brushed dirt from his jacket, "I have not the slightest doubt."