Previously...
The Crew of the Normandy was left reeling after the tragic losses suffered on their mission to Aquilla's planet. With Commander Shepard dead and their defeat seemingly assured, Miranda Lawson was named the new Commander of the Normandy. Meanwhile, Liara T'Soni found herself a captive of the Sinister Athame while Aquilla's most trusted servant Ereyla was forced to watch Val bleed out in her arms after the human was gunned down by the ever devoted Korria.
The Janiri- 2192
The bright blue light of the ship's FTL travel glimmered on the asari's freckled face. She stood alone in front of a massive viewport with the soulless vista of space streaming by her. She once found the void to be a comforting sight. Back when the Normandy's observation room was the only place she could study her ancient books in private. Now, all it did was remind her of what a fool she had been, what a fool she had always been.
Before Shepard, Liara's life was nothing but a pointless search for knowledge on a dead race that ended up being no different than the selfish people who came before them and after. With Shepard was the only time Liara only ever truly felt purpose, the only time she'd ever felt like she lived up to Benezia's standards. Now she realized even her mother had been nothing but another lie she built her life around. It seemed that Jane had been the only true thing Liara had ever known and now there she stood alone facing the reality she had been dreading since the moment she fell in love. A life after Shepard.
She tried to think of their daughter, how she'd have to tell her her father wouldn't be coming back, how eventually the girl would forget the human's face before forgetting the woman entirely. The thought stung so hard Liara forced herself to dwell on the only other matter racing through her shattered mind.
Ending the woman responsible for the Commander's death.
Liara didn't flinch when the locked door to her chamber swooshed open behind her. Her guest surveyed the room in silent judgment. The glorified cell Aquilla had "gracefully" given her was a shell of its former self. The large vidscreen projecting a simulated beach was shattered by a large crack that ran across the entire length. The soothing sound of waves still filled the space as the flickering light of the screen illuminated it.
"Li…" Ereyla greeted her softly.
"Do not call me that!" Liara hissed back.
"We have to speak."
Liara turned and met Ereyla's sad gaze, "I have nothing to say to you."
"I heard about, Shepard….I'm...sorry. Truly. In the time I spent with the human she seemed-"
Liara didn't let her finish. In a fit of rage, the broker grabbed a nearby lamp and hurled it straight at her old friend's face. Ereyla narrowly ducked out of the antique's path. "Don't you dare talk about her like you knew anything about Shepard!"
Ereyla crossed her arms and leaned against the curved wall behind her. "I don't know how you feel, Liara. I used to think I did but…" Ereyla abandoned her condolences with a sigh, "Aquilla believes that eventually, you will understand your place is with us."
"I would sooner die than be like you, Ereyla. I will not be a part of this."
Ereyla bowed her head, "I know...You don't belong here." Liara spun around and studied the curious expression of sorrow on Ereyla's face. "I...I need your help, Liara."
T'Soni shook her head, "I don't care." she answered.
"Please-" Ereyla began but before she could finish the door to the ruined chamber opened once more.
The Goddess stood in the door frame, her regal gown had been stripped away and replaced with a wrapping of bandages around her torso. She wore tight black leggings and plain shoes, Liara had never seen her so casually dressed in all her life. If she didn't know better she'd almost say Aquilla looked vulnerable.
"I see I am not the first to welcome you aboard the Janiri." Aquilla looked Ereyla up and down with suspicion.
Ereyla bowed her head, "Just checking on an old friend, Aquilla."
"Aquilla?" Liara repeated like the sick joke it was, "So you lie to even her?"
The commando looked between her friend and her master in the pregnant pause that followed
"What does that mean?" Ereyla finally asked.
Aquilla fell silent as if she was daring Liara to challenge her. T'Soni did not back down.
"Do you not recognize the Goddess, Ereyla?" Liara snarled, "I suppose she does not quite look 50,000 years old. Being a murderous ardat-yakshi must have its perks!"
Athame turned to her commando. "She speaks the truth, Ereyla. And she is right, I have kept my secret for too long. Especially from you my friend."
"You're...Athame?" Ereyla took a step back.
"Among many other names, yes. I have always told you we were fighting for Athame's dream, Ereyla. That was never a lie."
"But...the goddess' visions that you shared with me in the meld…"
"Memories of a life lived for far too long."
Ereyla shook her head and turned her back to the Matriarch, "You asked Raila and me to kill Felina for being an Ardat-Yakshi. I was the one who raised her and you sent her to die for-"
"Felina became more trouble than she was worth. You have always believed that the ends justified the means, Ereyla. Is that no longer true?"
After a long silence, Eryela turned back to Athame, "No. I suppose it does not matter...everything I have done for you, I didn't do it for the Goddess, didn't even do it for the galaxy...I did it for me."
"You possess a rare talent, Ereyla. Most people spend their entire lives lying to themselves about their true nature...you have always seen yourself clearly. Even when you didn't realize it. It's why I trusted you. Why I still do above all others." Athame turned back to Liara, "I know what it means to lose everything, Liara. I have done it more than anyone. In time Shepard will be a distant memory and you will live in a Galaxy free of pain and senseless destruction. Eventually, you will look back at this moment and realize that all Commander Shepard ever fought for was to keep things the same."
Athame loomed over Liara but the young asari stood firm, "I have come to keep you informed. We are on our way to the Citadel where together we will finally write the final chapter in this long journey. Before it is all over I promise you this...you will understand your place in this galaxy."
"You think you know everything. It's why you're going to lose." Liara said.
Athame smiled, "My adversaries have been telling me that for far longer than I can recall. I ask you this...where would we be if they had been right? Deep down, you know I have told you the truth. I have spared the lives of billions and ended countless wars before they could even begin, I have saved the galaxy over and over and apart from a very select few…nobody knows. So do you really think I have done all this for myself? Do you really want to stop me, Liara?
With that said, Athame turned back to her Commando and laid a soft hand on her cheek, "I know I owe you many answers, Ereyla. Follow me to my chambers and I will tell you everything I have always wanted you to hear." Aquilla then left the two old friends alone.
For a moment the two asari merely stared at each other in silence. The contempt in Liara's gaze was unmistakable. The broker shook her head and buried it between her hands.
"I still need you-" Ereyla attempted to pick up where they left off.
"You need me?!" Liara repeated without lifting her face, "You could have told me all of this for decades, you could have stopped this entire thing in every conversation we have ever had. I don't care if you've had a change of heart, I don't care that you were the first woman I ever fell in love with! I don't care if there's any good left in you at all. Aquilla may be a monster but you Ereyla...you're just a coward and a liar. Get out of my sight!"
Ereyla opened her mouth to reply but there was nothing to be said. With her head hung low she followed behind the Goddess.
The Normandy
The dimly lit subdeck stank of sweat and booze. The pair sat hunched over in the shadows of machines the ancient warriors could never even attempt to name. A bottle rested between them nearly half drunk.
"Some clan leaders we turned out to be." The younger krogan stewed before taking a rip from the bottle.
"Shepard was more krogan than both of us." Wrex agreed.
Grunt stared thoughtfully at his stumped wrist, "Before I took my first breath, Okeer's tank told me strength was the only true measure of a leader." Grunt bowed his head in sorrow, "Okeer didn't know Shepard. We were fools, Wrex. Battling each other while the other races used us again like the blind pyjacks we are. It's a mistake we won't make again."
"What's left of us to even fight over," Wrex muttered before taking a heavy swig of ryncol and rising shakily to his feet.
"We still have at least one more battle, old man. That asari killed the only true friend I've ever known."
"A dozen fools out for revenge against an army...it's not the worst odds this ship has seen."
Grunt chuckled and finished the bottle with a mighty chug. "We finish it together then. Not for the krogan, not for ourselves. For Shepard...for my battlemaster."
Wrex nodded, "For Shepard."
The Crew Deck
"How's our patient?" Samantha Traynor forced a smile as she rolled her wheelchair into the medbay. The woman's hair was pulled back in a fraying bun and her uniform was a wrinkled mess.
Oriana Lawson removed her gloves and studied the new scar on the already well-worn face of the detective. "Tall, grumpy and smells like cigarettes, so I'd say she's made a full recovery."
Marion Corvus rolled her eyes and took a long drag from her smoke. "Just glad to have that bandage shit off my face," she said.
Ori plucked the cigarette from the woman's' hand. "What have I told you about these?" the Aussie took a cheeky drag from the smoke herself before crushing it out, "Remind Felina she can take the cast off tomorrow."
Marion grunted in reply and moved for the exit. Sam rolled herself in front of the massive woman, "I've actually come to ask you something, Marion."
"Make it quick," Marion said while holding a palm to her bruised ribs.
"It's Garrus. He...still hasn't come out. Even Wrex couldn't get through to him."
"The turian's no friend of mine."
"That's just it." Sam said, "We were thinking maybe he needs to hear from someone new. With Aria planning to rejoin what's left of the Terminus fleet...the teams almost gonna be in the single digits. We need everyone at their best-"
Marion turned to Oriana, "Thought it was your sister leading this show now, Kid. Talk to Lawson."
"No offense to Oriana but Miranda is the only person on this ship with a worse bedside manner than yourself. Besides, she clearly has other concerns at the moment." Sam rested a hand on Corvus' leg, "Just think about it, Marion...please."
Marion looked the woman up and down before flicking open her pack of cigarettes and taking her leave without another word.
"We do need to talk about your sister, Ori," Sam admitted and brought her chair to rest beside her secret girlfriend.
Oriana huffed ran a hair through her curly, blonde hair. "She knows what she's doing, Sam."
"I have been working my butt off following Samara's tracker on Aquilla. People have started to question why Miranda keeps taking the Normandy to these random locations instead of following her. I mean, the ruins of Horizon and then Typhon, it's like she's chasing ghosts. She wouldn't even let us have a funeral for the Commander and the crew knows that you and your sister did...something to her body. I have to admit, Ori...even I don't know what to think."
"Just because we know where Aquilla is doesn't mean we can beat her. We already tried it with brute force and look at what happened. If anyone knows how to outsmart her it's my sister."
"Then why doesn't she tell us what our plan is?" Sam replied.
"If I know my sister...she has a good reason."
Sam rested her hand on Oriana's thigh, "Tell me the truth then, Ori. What did you and Miranda do with Shepard? Why is it a secret?"
Ori withdrew from the woman and turned her attention to her terminal, "Miranda asked me not to say. And to be honest...I agree with her reasons."
"Well if you can't tell your girlfriend." Sam leaned her head down between Ori and her screen, "Who can you tell?"
Oriana smirked, "So we're using the g word now?"
"Sounds a lot better than Communications Specialist with benefits," Sam replied.
Oriana rose to her feet, "Well then...girlfriend. I have a proposition." she reached back and untied her curly blonde hair, letting it fall loosely around her shoulders. "We can talk about my sister."
A blush began to spread across Sam's cheeks, "Or?"
"Or we go into the AI core and...not talk for a while."
With one look at Traynor's face, Oriana knew her answer.
The CIC
Miranda Lawson moved with purpose, her former lover almost struggled to keep her stride beside her. Jack zipped up the old uniform she recovered from the crew deck and ran a hand over the back of her bald head.
"This station another piece of your puzzle, cheerleader?" She continued their conversation.
"The final piece," Miranda answered.
"Its been a week of this shit, Miranda. This better end with Aquilla's ass in the ground."
"On that, we can agree."
The pair moved down the bridge towards the ship's airlock. Up ahead, Aria T'Loak stood with one arm resting on the helmsman's chair. She peered over her shoulder when Miranda and Jack stepped into the cockpit.
Miranda looked past the asari to the view of the small human space station nestled in the gravity of a large moon. It was nearly the only habitation center in the system and given its purpose that was more than a little odd.
"A retirement community in the ass end of the Terminus. You really don't have a damn idea what you're doing, Lawson." Aria said.
Miranda ignored her, "Bring us in, Joker. I'll be handling this alone."
"Bullshit, I'm coming with you." Jack protested.
Miranda shook her head, "Not this time, Jack. Trust me."
"Last I checked you're still my wife, Miranda."
Miranda turned away from her and faced Aria, "It's my understanding you plan to leave the Normandy."
"I would say it's nothing personal but we both know that isn't true, Commander Lawson." Aria dull tone was dripping with sarcasm, "I agreed to work with Shepard, not the Illusive Man's plaything." Aria's eyes scanned the human from head to toe with clear disgust.
"So you're giving up?"
Aria crossed her arms, "Val's dead because of that old bitch and I won't pretend like I didn't admire Shepard. Aquilla doesn't get to walk away but I'm going after her my way now."
"I think it's in our best interests to divide and conquer. We now have less than half the fleet we attacked Aquilla with. We have no chance at attacking her head-on."
"No shit," Aria said.
"The old folks' station has cleared us for landing, Miranda." Joker announced, "Here's hoping you have some long lost grandpa who's gonna save us."
Miranda reached up to tie her raven hair in a bun and kept her lone eye set on the station as Joker began to maneuver the Normandy for docking. "Aquilla is en route to the Citadel." she spoke to Aria without turning her head, "If you won't take orders from me perhaps you'll listen to some advice."
Aria rolled her eyes, "Fine."
"Wait for us on the ruins of Bekenstein. We will regroup there before finishing this...one way or another."
"Now would be a good time to tell me the plan, Lawson," Aria advised.
"I'll know it when we get there." Miranda didn't waste another second on a farewell. She spun on her heels and headed for the airlock with Jack following right behind her.
Jack eyed the pistol still strapped to Lawson's thigh. "You worried some old man's gonna get too friendly in there?"
"Call it plan B," Miranda replied.
Jack opened the exit with a smack of her hand and stepped into the airlock first. "Spare me that you're going in alone shit. You know you can't talk me out of this."
Miranda let out a sigh, "I suppose I can't." she said before joining her side and sealing the airlock behind them.
"Then tell me who we're visiting."
"You would not know his name." Miranda deflected as the Normandy's exit swooshed open. At the end of the docking ramp stood a short woman with a rounded face. She was dressed in an all-white nursing uniform and kept her hands clasped at her waist.
The docking bay was unimpressive and depressingly grey. Against the large flat wall behind the nurse was painted a large black logo featuring three black dogs over plain text. The Swanson Retirement Community it read, just under it in cursive was scrawled a phrase that nearly made Miranda groan, "Where you get to enjoy life's dessert"
"Welcome to Swanson Station!" The nurse greeted them, "I must admit, myself and the rest of our nursing staff here were more than a little perplexed when the Normandy requested to land-"
Miranda didn't let her continue, "You know who I am." she was not asking a question.
The nurse bowed her head, "Of course I do, Mrs. Lawson. The entire galaxy knows you."
"The entire galaxy also knows the Alliance has a bounty on our ship high enough to set anyone for life. Yet you won't hail the Alliance here will you?"
The nurse looked up, her beady eyes darted towards Jack uncomfortably, "What do you want, Mrs. Lawson? I've never known any of our residents to have such a famous relative."
Miranda strode down the ramp with cold, deadly confidence. "I know he's here...and we both know he'll want to see me. So let's cut the shit and take us to him."
The Nurse didn't say anything. She merely lifted one wrist, opened her Omni-tool and slid one finger across the orange display. The double doors to the station opened up behind her. With a wordless invitation to follow her, the Nurse turned and climbed the short staircase into the atrium.
Jack tugged at Miranda's sleeve and gave her a clear 'what the hell' look with her brown eyes. Miranda merely shook her head, "Don't say a word." she warned her with a whisper.
The former lovers followed behind the nurse into the slightly more impressive chamber. A large fountain with a circle base served as the centerpiece to the atrium. Around them sat dozens of old men and women, all of them human and all of them sitting on large sofas staring into vidscreens displaying some old vid Miranda didn't care to place.
"Thursday is movie night." The Nurse explained in a forcefully cheery tone.
The old, wrinkled faces of the residents turned from the film to study the two outsiders. Jack felt a growing unease in the pit of her stomach as they followed the nurse. Something about old people had always creeped her out in a way even Reapers husks never had.
The nurse led them out of the communal area and up a long ramp which fed into a maze of white hallways like the ones you'd find in any hospital. The stench of the place alone was enough to make Jack regret the trip but still, she pressed on. She found herself growing more curious about the reason for the strange trip with every step.
"He's in our extensive care ward I'm afraid. Has been ever since his last episode."
"Episode?" Miranda inquired.
"It's his heart. We do what we can for him here but he does suffer greatly. But he's still every bit the fighter I'm sure you remember him as."
"Still barking orders then." Miranda surmised without a hint of surprise in her voice.
The group moved past many open doors with bedridden residents peering over their covers at the strangers. Jack felt her stomach churn harder and harder as they pressed on. Eventually, they moved on from the normal dormitories into a more full-fledged medical facility. Suddenly the old residents were replaced by young humans, all of them dressed in white lab uniforms and all of them wearing a curious and perhaps unnerved expression on their collective faces. For a second Jack's eyes caught those of a man a few years older than the rest of the pack. He stood behind thick glass and seemed to be the only one who's gaze followed Jack alone. Yet this was not what called her attention to the man. Somewhere deep in her gut, Jack recognized his grizzled face, she knew him from somewhere. Somewhere she had long since forced herself to forget.
Before she could place the memory the lab disappeared behind another corner. After one long and awkward elevator ride, the trio stepped into the "extensive care ward". Strangely the ward seemed almost abandoned. Jack watched Miranda's hand inch closer to her thigh before at last the Nurse stopped and turned outside of the door. The entrance's lock display was bright green. Miranda wrapped her hand around the hilt of her pistol and instructed the Nurse to open the door. The woman obliged with a wave of her hand and moved to step inside but Lawson stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"You can go." Miranda was not suggesting.
The nurse did not need to be told twice. With her head hung down, the woman scurried away back to the elevator.
"Who's in there?" Jack asked.
"Suppose there's no way I can have you wait outside?" Miranda said.
"Fuck no," Jack replied.
"Then I need you to keep your head in here. We need him."
Miranda stepped inside without another word and Jack had no choice but to follow behind. The chamber was hardly in keeping with the rest of the station's medical theme. A grand window into space was against the far wall framed by large theatrical curtains. A holoprojector dominated most of the space, it projected life-sized ballet dancers as they moved in a finely choreographed waltz. Like everyone else in the station, the hologram figures were all humans. However, the classical music could barely be heard over the one sound that dominated the entire room.
It began as a low mechanical churn before a deafening hiss would take over. Jack quickly identified the source of the hideous noise. A massive mechanical device that resembled an antique furnace rested in the corner of the room. A long, clear tube ran from it and across the entire chamber where it was tethered to the room's sole occupant.
He was old like the rest of the station residents but with one look, it was clear that there was much more than age weighing on the man. An elegant suit hung over his stick-thin body, Jack traced the mysterious tube to the man's chest where she could see it was fused to his pasty flesh.
The balding man leaned his unimpressive weight on a cane and smiled a crooked grin at the two women. "I thought they were playing a joke on an old man when they told me you were coming." His voice was strangely firm, the only hint of strength left in the man. "Miranda Lawson after all these years finally comes to visit me and she brings Subject Zero of all people with her."
"What did you just call me?" Jack hissed.
The old man chuckled before a retching cough stole the laugh from him. "Surely your beloved told you who you were coming all this way to see."
Jack looked to Miranda and waited for her to fill in the blanks. "His name is Anthony Ford."
"You brought us here to see some Cerberus fuck?" Jack surmised.
"Told you you should have stayed on the ship," Miranda said.
Ford gestured to Miranda's face, "It seems the years have not been kind to either of us, Lawson. A shame...you really were quite pretty." Ford settled into a nearby armchair with his free hand grabbing at the tube feeding into his chest as if he was afraid it would fall out.
"The last time I saw you, you were still Victor Reed's pride and joy. How is Operative Reed these days?"
"Dead." Miranda answered, "And by the looks of it you won't be far behind."
Ford's face soured before his sunken eyes turned to Jack. "I don't imagine you'd remember but we've met before as well Zero. Though I'm sure you're wife has already told you all about that."
Jack stepped in between them, she arched a brow, "What's he mean?"
Miranda closed her eye and Jack's heart began to harden with a mix of anger and sorrow when she realized Lawson couldn't look at her. "What the fuck does he mean, Miranda?!"
"This isn't the time, Jack." Miranda deflected.
"Who the hell is this guy?"
"One of the Illusive Man's most trusted. A man who for as long as I've known him has had one foot in the grave but always seems to survive."
"I can see that he's a cockroach! But what the hell is he talking about?"
"Come now, Girl. You haven't come to open old wounds have you?" Ford said.
"I've come to close them," Lawson answered.
A strange flash of hope glimmered in the old man's face. "I see." He muttered, "Won't you have a seat?"
"I don't plan on staying long." Miranda closed the gap between them before gently kicking the tube feeding into the man's decaying body. "How long do they think this will keep your heart beating?"
"Doctors gave me four months...six months ago. I've looked all across this galaxy for a cure, but they tell me the only person who can fix this damn machine inside of me is the person who made it."
"They're right. I could have."
"Could have?" Ford croaked out.
"Considering your condition, any attempt at heart surgery would be a death sentence."
The diagnosis made Ford sink into his chair. "So if you haven't come to fix me. What have you come for?"
"I know you like to think you've covered your tracks so well that the Illusive Man would be proud. But if anyone actually cared to look they'd be able to track the mess you and the rest left on Typhon. I'm curious, how many people on this station are Cerberus? All of them?"
Ford only answered with a grin, "Cerberus may have lost its head...but it still has two more."
"Two?" Jack noted. "Who's the other one?"
Ford let out another sickly laugh, "The Illusive Man's right-hand woman of course. Isn't that right, Lawson?."
Jack spun on her heels and loomed over the sick man's chair. "Miranda left Cerberus behind. They're dead!"
"If that was true...she wouldn't be standing here." Ford leaned over to peer behind Jack, "I don't know what you hope to achieve, Lawson. The station is lost if it still even exists. Wherever the Illusive man moved it to before his death...its location died with him. I would know, I spent years trying to find it."
"I know where the station is," Miranda said. Ford suddenly sat up in his chair. "It's in the same place its been since the Reapers. What I don't have is the key. I know you took it from him." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And now you're going to give it to me."
Ford studied her offer with a look of bemusement, "If I did have the key...why would I give it to you?"
"The same reason I assume you wasted so many years trying to find the station." Miranda said, "We're both looking for the same thing, Ford."
"And that is?" Jack asked.
Ford shakily rose to his feet, "So it's real? The Echo...You actually did make it?"
"Of course I did. The project never would have succeeded without it." Miranda answered. "So do you have the key or not?"
The old man nodded with a sly smile spread across his face, "I figured it was what you'd come for." Ford slowly drew his hand into the inner pocket of his jacket,"After the Citadel crashed to Earth, some filthy aliens had pulled his broken body from the wreckage. By the time I got to him, they had strung him up from the corpse of a Reaper." he removed a small wooden box from his jacket, "I cut him down of course...buried what was left of him. But not before I recovered them." Ford flipped open the box with a flick of his thumb.
"What the hell?!" Jack swore.
Miranda took a step forward and peered down into the box. Staring back at her from inside was a pair of glowing blue eyeballs.
"We came out here to get the Illusive Man's fucking eyes?" Jack asked.
"The keys to the heart of Cerberus. Poseidon station, humanity's last hope in a galaxy that has turned against us." Ford said.
"Why do we need to go to some Cerberus ruin, Miranda?"
"You haven't told her?" Ford asked incredulously.
"No." Jack answered, "She hasn't."
"Our people may die out but what we represent never will. You're going there...to finish what he started." Ford grinned. Miranda snatched the box from the old man's feeble grasp and didn't bother to correct him, "How do I know you'll keep your end of the bargain?"
"You don't," Miranda answered honestly.
The old man thought it over for a moment, bowed his head and slumped back into his seat, "Be seeing you, Miranda." He hissed before a fit of pained coughs overtook him.
Miranda didn't waste time on a goodbye. With a wordless jerk of her chin, she directed Jack to the exit. Jack stared at the pathetic man down even after Miranda turned to leave. Ford clutched at the tube in his chest and when at last the coughing subsided he spoke. "Thinking about finishing me off, Zero?" He wheezed.
"My name is Jack." She replied before slowly closing in on him. A dim, blue glow began to emanate from her balled fists. "You knew about Pragia? About what they did to me and the rest of those kids?"
Ford smirked and seemed to chew on his answer for a moment, "I knew about it...yeah."
"Were you a part of it?" Jack spoke through clenched teeth.
"Would you believe me if I said no?" Ford asked.
Jack shook her head, "Fuck no."
"Then do what you will...I won't defend myself to an animal."
Jack came to a stop directly in front of the man's chair and gently took hold of the tube connected to his chest. "Cerberus is over. Whatever is left of it dies with you."
Ford's sunken eyes rose to meet hers. "Nothing is ever truly over, Jack…your wife saw to that."
Jack tightened her grip around the man's cord, she watched the fear build up in Ford's eyes. The old man closed his eyes and prepared himself for an ending that did not come to pass. Jack loosened her grip on the cord.
Jack spat in the man's wrinkled face and turned to leave. Miranda stood in the doorframe, her arms crossed in silent judgment of her wife. She looked Jack up and down, "Time to go." she said.
"Yeah, I've had enough of this place." Jack agreed.
The Janiri
She watched the wine fill up the glass with a muted expression. Ereyla stood rigid in her white armor, she had barely stepped three feet into the chamber before Aquilla had offered her a drink.
Aquilla; the name repeated itself in the Commando's head. She didn't know if she should even still call her by that name. Across the room, Athame lifted two glasses of red and kicked off her shoes before closing the distance between them.
"You should take that off." Athame said warmly before offering her the glass.
Ereyla accepted it, "Take what off?"
"Your armor." Aquilla answered with a smile before taking a sip, "There's no danger here, my friend." Athame came ever closer until she was close enough for Ereyla to feel her warm breath on her forehead. The taller asari reached behind Ereyla and took hold of the armor's straps, "Let me help."
Ereyla set her wine aside and silently assisted Athame in stripping away the armors breastplate and greaves. Eventually, she stood only in her black, skintight undersuit. Athame took her by the hand and guided her to the nearby fireplace. The digital flames flickered an orange glow over the black couch Aquilla guided them into. Athame nestled herself in next to Ereyla, close enough for their thighs to touch.
"Go ahead." Athame said, "Ask."
Ereyla stared into her wine, "What should I ask?"
"Come now, there must be something."
The flames filled the blacks of Ereyla's eyes, "When we met...at the hospital. You said the Goddess guided you to me. So what was the truth?"
Athame chuckled, her hand slipped down to Ereyla's bare thigh and traced the line where old flesh met newer. "How to explain…" she wondered, "No doubt this will pose new questions but you are very special to me Ereyla. You always have been. This quest of mine, preserving the galaxy's future...I have fought for it across many lifetimes. There are some things...some people who I have met again and again in that time. Liara is one such individual and of course, so was her mother. But not you, Ereyla."
"Why?" Ereyla asked.
Aquilla smiled at her, "Most people I meet I know before we even speak. But you, you were a mystery to me. I told you I read about your misfortune and came to aid your recovery. That was the truth. I had never met you before that day. I suppose in the beginning I kept you close because that unknown feeling was so refreshing. But in time...I found it was not merely novelty that kept me drawn to you." Her hand slipped between Ereyla's thighs, "I have loved you for many years. When you live as long as I have...you find yourself dreading that beautiful feeling. Because you know eventually they will be taken from you."
"I...I still don't understand." Ereyla admitted.
Aquilla took a deep sip of wine and set the glass aside. "Words will never do the story justice. Only the meld can do that." She whispered before bringing her lips to Ereyla's neck. "I'm tired of running from this feeling, Ereyla." Athame brought one hand to the swell of Ereyla's breast.
Their lips came together next. Athame rose from the cushions and straddled Ereyla's thighs with their own, pressing their chests together as the embrace deepened. "I owe so much to you." Athame sighed when their lips separated.
"You owe me nothing." Ereyla gasped as Aquilla began to stroke the sensitive tips of her crest.
"Nonsense. The pieces are all finally in place, Shepard is gone and there is nothing left to stop us. I never could have done it without you. I fought for this for 50,000 years, it is no coincidence I finally succeeded when you were by my side." Athame peeled the straps of the undersuit from her shoulders and pulled the garment down until Ereyla's scarred tits sprung free. The Goddess slunk down to Ereyla's breasts and kissed their purple tips before wrapping her lips around a hard nipple.
Ereyla made handfuls of the couch cushions and gritted her teeth as a moan slipped from her. It had been so long since anyone had touched her but herself. Months since the last time the Matriarch had made love to her yet that was nothing like Aquilla's tenderness now. Her breath caught in her throat when Athame gently cupped her hand over her aching sex and began to rub her through the damp fabric.
The goddess fell to her knees in front of the couch and spread Ereyla's legs with her hands. "Let me begin to repay you."
Ereyla considered stopping her as Aquilla began to peel the rest of the undersuit off her body. She didn't though. Despite everything, despite the humans, despite the lies, despite even Val, Aquilla had been the only constant source of love and compassion in Ereyla's life for centuries.
The Commando bit on her lower lip as Athame slowly unwrapped the bandages around her torso and let her breasts free of their confinement. Ereyla's gaze shifted from the large tips of Athame's breasts to the new scar in her side.
"Don't worry." Athame said before bending over and planting a kiss on her navel, "I heal fast." she brought her lips to Ereyla's thighs next and began to kiss a trail up to the Commando's pulsing azure.
Ereyla threw her head back as Aquilla entered her. The Commando swallowed her and dared to reach down and grab Athame's crests while the Goddess ran her tongue along her throbbing lips. With one hand on Aquilla and the other on her breast, Ereyla began to rock her hips forward and let out a series of soft moans. The Goddess echoed her cries after Ereyla began to stroke the tips of her crest. She and Aquilla had made love in the past but never had the Matriarch played the bottom. Ereyla shut her eyes and tried to focus on the wave of pleasure building her core but only one thought remained at the center of her mind.
She imagined the human, she pictured Val between her legs in Athame's stead. She imagined the human fucking her like she'd imagined it a dozen times before in her most shameful fantasies. She imagined burying her own face between Val's legs and hearing the human cry out in that adorable, accented voice of hers.
Ereyla peered down once more. Athame kept her face buried in the commando's azure and her eyes stared up at her lover. Ereyla's pleasure began to peel away and be replaced with pure panic as she watched black slowly slip into the whites of Aquilla's eyes.
Athame lifted her head and replaced her tongue with two digits. As she toyed with Ereyla's clit she spoke with blackened eyes, "Embrace eternity."
The Normandy's Cargo Bay- Felina's Ship
A deep, animalistic grunt echoed through the small living room. Sweat dripped from the woman's face as she gritted her teeth and tightened her grip. Another groan sounded as the metal fell back to the tips of her breasts and then swiftly rose towards the ceiling. Marion let out a deep breath as the bar fell into the rack with a loud clanging. The Detective sat up on the bench press and swiped her wet hair back behind her ear before reaching for her canteen.
"W-Was that a new record? Felina asked sheepishly from where she stood in front of a blank canvas. The asari's good arm held tight to a paintbrush.
"Nah...I could have doubled that in my marine days." Corvus took a heavy swig of water. "I'm getting old…" her eyes turned to the nearby couch and then to the pillow where she could still see locks of blonde hair resting upon the pirate's former bed. "Guess that's a problem not all of us still have."
Felina's eyes fell to her broken arm, "I miss her too." she said. "Everyone on the ship is so s-sad about Shepard...it's like we're the only ones who remember Val. U-Us and Aria I suppose… Did you want to talk about her or-"
"Forget it." Marion huffed. "That Oriana kid said you could take your cast off soon."
"It is getting very itchy." Felina forced a smile. Yet she couldn't keep the charade going. Felina's shoulders sunk. "Marion...do you think Liara is still alive?"
Corvus reached for her cigarettes. "I don't know, blue. I hope so."
"Goddess, Samara, Val, Liara...Shepard...I wish I never pulled everyone into t-this mess."
"Don't say that, Felina."
"Why not? It's not as if we can even stop her anymore...if we ever even had a chance. I was supposed to be our last chance and she made a fool of me like she always does!" Felina tossed her paintbrush aside and buried her scarred face in her hands. A moment later she felt Marion's arms wrap around her.
"The Justicar believed in you. And so do I." Marion soothed her.
"We both know that isn't enough anymore." Felina huffed before softly pulling away from Marion. Felina tugged at the bandages around her face and let them fall away as she sunk into Val's abandoned sofa. "She knew the truth about me from the very beginning...and she didn't care." She said before grabbing one of the many empty bottles the pirate left behind. The asari studied the faded stain of lipstick on the bottle's lip. "I can't say that about anyone else I've ever known…" A sad chuckle left her as she wiped a tear from her ruined cheek, "And she was always so f-funny."
Marion hung her head and sat down beside her. "Yeah...she was."
"I wish there had at least been more time to say g-goodbye. We lived with her for months, I still feel like I hardly knew her but...she was our friend, Marion. She was our friend and she died for nothing."
Corvus grew silent. An all too familiar black cloud began to cast its shadow and Marion knew she was helpless to stop it. Felina was right, Val had been her friend and Marion had been too stubborn to even tell the pirate as much.
Marion suddenly rose to her feet and made for the transport's exit. "Where are you going?" Her love asked.
"I'll be back." She promised without answer, "There's something I gotta do."
The CIC
"So are we gonna talk about what just happened?" Jack stared straight ahead as she spoke.
The Normandy's airlock hissed as it continued its lengthy decontamination. Miranda looked down at the box in her hand. "What do you want me to say, Jack?"
"You fucking knew Cerberus was still around and just said nothing?!"
"I didn't know for sure. I just had a very strong suspicion."
Jack shook her head, "That's a bullshit answer and you know it."
"You want me to tell you that I'm a liar, Jack? Fine. I didn't tell you about Cerberus because I knew what it would mean for you."
"That's exactly why you should have told me!"
Miranda busied herself with her omni-tool, "Cerberus doesn't matter. We both have to let it go."
Jack slid in front of her wife and the door's entrance panel, "Then what the fuck are we doing with the Illusive Man's eyeballs? Why are we hunting down some Cerberus station? What the hell did you and Ori do with Shepard's body? You at least owe me a straight answer."
Miranda's hard expression seemed to soften some when she heard the desperation in Jack's voice. Lawson shut her eye and let out a long sigh, with a soft hand she reached out to Jack's. The convict held tight to Miranda and waited for her answer.
"I want to make you a promise, Jack," Miranda said. "I know I wasn't a good wife, I know I...I haven't told you as much as I should. You always shared everything with me and...I'm sorry."
The use of past tense made Jack's heart sink in her chest, "I still love you, Miranda." she said with absolute certainty.
"You shouldn't," Miranda replied. "But if that's true...I'm asking you to trust me one more time. Do that, and I promise you will know everything I have ever kept secret."
Jack considered the proposal while holding tight to Miranda's hand. "I just want things to be like they used to be."
"I don't know if that's possible anymore, Jack," Miranda said.
Jack hung her head and hit the door panel behind her. The airlock swooshed open and Jack let go of Miranda's hand, "I'll always trust you, Miranda." she promised.
A small smile crossed Miranda's lips before she stepped into the cockpit. Joker spun his chair around. The brittle pilot looked like he had seen better days. There were bags under his eyes and his uniform was clearly three days past it's wash. "Did you find what you were looking for and did you bring back any hard candy?" The man asked.
"Has Aria left?" Miranda replied.
"On her way back to the fleet now. Should I call her back?" Joker said with a tug on his cap.
"No. Summon the rest of the crew. It's time they got answers." Miranda said.
The Crew Deck
When the door to the lift slid open Marion was greeted by a list of names she barely knew. Yet there was a new addition to the memorial, one that even Corvus recognized. She stepped out of the elevator and came to a stop before the tribute.
The plaque at the center now read 'Commander Shepard' in large white letters. Below the name was scrawled a small collection of handwritten notes etched into the metal in colored ink. They told of the crew's sorrow, of the good times she had never known with Shepard and of the uncertainty of their collective future. Marion looked around to confirm she was alone before addressing the monument.
"I'm sorry you're gone, Shepard." She spoke in a low voice, "You were a good woman. Much better than I gave you credit for…" Marion had never believed in any kind of life after death. She figured what came after had to be exactly the same as what came
before. Yet for just a moment, Marion hung her head and hoped she was wrong. The fantasy didn't last. She turned down the hall, back to her original destination.
The door at the end of the corridor was sealed shut. It had remained that way since the Commander's body was brought aboard. It had been Wrex who tried to coax the turian out first. The krogan had spent hours with the man in shared grief to no avail. Everyone on the Normandy felt Shepard's death in their own ways, yet seemingly none had been left as broken by the loss as Garrus.
With one deep breath, Marion pressed on the door panel. It opened with a loud hiss and Corvus stepped inside to find the man almost exactly as she expected. Garrus sat at the bar on the far side of the room. His sniper rifle was stripped down to its parts and surrounded by a dozen empty bottles.
"Vakarian." Marion greeted him.
Garrus turned to look over his shoulder. His eyes fell upon her and he said nothing before turning back to his drink.
Marion didn't wait for an invitation. Corvus sat down on the stool beside him and picked out a human-friendly bottle from the lineup. "If your father could see us now." She said under her breath as she unscrewed the top.
Garrus' mandibles twitched, "Something I can do for you, Corvus?"
"Yeah, you can stop hogging the bar," Marion replied before taking a rip from the bottle.
A soft chuckle escaped the alien, "Shepard and I...we had a deal. Just trying to keep my end of the bargain."
"We've all lost someone on this ship. We're soldiers, we gotta bury it and get the job done. You know how it is." Marion said.
Now Garrus actually laughed, "Marion Corvus telling me to move on. That is funny."
Corvus set the bottle aside and leaned into the bar, "You got something to say, turian?"
"We met before all of this. Do you remember that?"
Marion shrugged and took another sip of whiskey, "No." she answered.
"I was still just a kid visiting my dad at work." Garrus reached into his pocket and withdrew a small piece of metal. He set the tiny object down on the bar and Marion took a moment to study the object before the memory began to seep back into her.
"You gave me that. The bullet you walked away from." Garrus said.
"Fuck…." Marion gasped and took the bullet between her fingers. "You carried this around all these years?"
"Used to think it was a good luck charm. Kept it with me through everything." Garrus said.
"Why?" Marion asked without tearing her eyes away from the faded metal.
Garrus nodded, "Your disappearance after the C-Sec massacre of 2170 became big news on the Citadel. My father used to tell me you were involved. I guess I took a fascination in some strange way of rebelling against him."
Marion closed her fist around the bullet, "Your father was right. The Justicar was looking for Felina. She was sent by Aquilla to kill her."
Garrus took a long sip from his bottle and slammed the glass back down, "Guess I've been wrapped up in this damn mess for even longer than I realized."
"Guess so." Marion agreed.
"They nearly stripped every human of the badge after you vanished. Still you were something of a role model for me, when I was too damn stubborn to admit I was following after my father. I took up your cold case as soon as I made detective and you know what I found?"
Marion leaned into the bar, "What?"
"Someone who didn't give a damn about the rules and the red tape stopping her from doing what was right. It wasn't too long after that I met a human just like that. And I jumped at the chance to join up with her…and it was the best years of my life."
Marion squeezed tighter to the bullet and took another rip of the bottle, "If you took up my case, then you know the story behind this." Corvus threw the bullet to the ground and listened to it roll away under the nearby couch, "You know about my family and what happened to them." Garrus nodded mutely, "Then let me tell you something I've never told anyone else. How that story really ended."
"C-Sec believed Krill Lambert disappeared into the Terminus after the murder," Garrus said.
"He didn't." Marion replied coldly, "He ran and hid on Bekenstein."
For a moment Garrus stirred from his grief and turned to face the human, "You found him?"
She nodded, "I found him." The human took a long swig of liquor and set the bottle aside. "They like to tell you that revenge doesn't make things easier. That it doesn't help you heal."
"Shepard taught me that," Garrus said with pride.
"Well I'll tell you this, turian. When I think about my family, the one thing that makes it bearable...is the memory of that piece of shit begging me for his life before I ended him."
The turian pushed his own bottle away, "Why tell me that?"
"Because the Matriarch killed Shepard and she's still out there. And I know we'd both love to hear her beg."
Suddenly the Normandy's comm system chimed in from above, "All crew report to the CIC." said the voice of Joker.
Marion rose back to her feet and extended a hand to the alien, "How bout we finish what Shepard started?"
The turians mandibles pulled into an expression Marion couldn't decipher before the man took her hand and rose to his feet beside her.
The Janiri
The purple sheets clung to their glistening bodies. Ereyla's head sat cushioned on the Matriarch's ample breast as Athame ran her fingers across her crests. The motion sent shivers to the Commando's sore azure yet she was far too anxious to appreciate the pleasure.
"That was everything…" Athame whispered, "For better and worse, I imagine you know me more than anyone now."
It was true. Their lovemaking had been intertwined with the Goddess' countless memories of her life and the lives she led beyond the veil. Ereyla understood it now, not just her part of the puzzle but the entire picture. For the first time in her life, everything had become clear. Yet the most perplexing fact was not the index nor even the alternate lifetimes and experiences Athame had shared. It was the Goddess's love for her that kept Ereyla's thoughts. She had felt it truly and completely when they were joined and now that their minds were apart once more...she didn't know what to do with it.
"Athame…" Ereyla said, "How many people will die when the turians bombs go off?"
Athame seemed taken aback by the question, "Countless." she answered.
"It will work though? Truly?"
The Goddess sat up letting the damp sheet fall to her waist, "I told you before, Ereyla. You do not have to be a part of this anymore if you don't wish to be. I know what we pursue is monstrous."
"But it will end this cycle?" Ereyla asked.
Athame nodded, "I showed you what happened when I completed my work on the other side. So tell me...was life not better off?"
The Commando bowed her head, "It was." she answered.
Athame took her face in her hands and brought their lips together once more, "Why did you not open yourself to me?" She asked as she kissed her breast, "I could feel you holding back, love."
Ereyla rolled over atop the Matriarch, "It was just...a lot to process." she explained before letting her hands roam across Athame's ancient body.
"You do not have to be ashamed of your feelings for that human." Athame said, "Regardless of if she was our enemy, she treated you with kindness."
"The human is gone," Ereyla said before climbing off the other asari and stepping out of bed.
Athame studied the Commando's muscled back as Ereyla retrieved her armor from the floor. "I want there to be no secrets between us." She said, "But I will respect whatever you wish to keep to yourself."
"I cared about her," Ereyla admitted while she slipped into her wrinkled undersuit.
"Of course you did." Athame said. "Opening your heart is not a weakness, Ereyla." she rose from the mattress and came up behind the commando. Ereyla felt her breasts press into her back as Athame rested her chin on her shoulder. "But as you said, she is gone. Soon we will be together in a galaxy free of peril." Ereyla nodded in silent agreement and finished securing her armor, "Must you go?"
"We're about to dock on the Citadel." Ereyla reminded her. "The other sisters will wonder where I am."
"Then let them know where you were." Athame replied without any concern.
Ereyla spun around to face her, "I need time to think."
Athame stepped back and bowed her head, "Take all the time you need. All I ask is that you keep my secret between us. The others are not ready yet."
"Of course...Aquilla." Ereyla made for the exit.
The Commando stepped out into the hall and as soon as the door to Athame's bed chamber closed behind her she let out a long sigh. Ereyla buried her face in her hands and swiped the sweat from her eyes before a voice called out to her.
"You look exhausted, sweetie."
Ereyla peered up from her hands and focused her eyes on the slim form leaning against the curved wall beside her. Korria was dressed in a tight-fitting purple dress, but it was not the asari beauty that caught Ereyla's eye. It was the new holster that wrapped around Korria's hips and the hilt of a large hand cannon that rested in it.
Korria rested her palm on Val's pistol and closed the gap between them. Her high heels clicked on the metal floor which each step, "Hoping to fuck your way back into Aquilla's good graces?" she hissed.
"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to, Korria?" Ereyla straightened her back and loomed over the petite asari.
"Does Aquilla know you didn't have the guts to end your human girlfriend? Does she know that I had to kill her for you?" Korria sneered and wrapped her hand around the pistol's grip.
Korria gasped in surprise as Ereyla smashed her open hand across her cheek. The slap left a purple mark on the woman's cheek. Korria rubbed her hand to her stinging face and waited for a response that never came.
"You've gone soft, Ereyla. You lead Shepard to us, you caught feelings for the blonde and you weren't strong enough to finish her. I don't know who's side you think you're on anymore. And you know what? I don't think you know either!"
Ereyla snarled and wrapped a hand around her throat before pinning her against the wall, "What did I tell you about questioning me?" she tightened her grip, "I have served Aquilla since before your pathetic life even began! And long before I ever knew what a human was! You think I've lost my way because I was fond of one human?!" Ereyla threw the woman to the floor.
Korria gasped for air and fell into a fit of coughs. "I have done more than you will ever know for this cause. You're just an obnoxious child."
Ereyla didn't wait for a reply. She left the matron to catch her breath and disappeared around the corner.
The Normandy CIC
Miranda studied the faces of the Normandy's surviving crew. There were only a dozen now including her and only half of them were able to handle themselves in a fight. She made a point to herself not to discount Donnely, Daniels, Joker and Traynor, without them and her sister the Normandy would have never made it this far. Still the numbers were not in their favor and that was a fact not lost on any of them.
The crew had gathered at her request and now stood lined up below the Galaxy Map's raised platform. Miranda tucked her arms behind her back and decided not to keep her crew waiting any longer to hear the truth.
"I know many of you have questions about our next steps." Miranda began.
"We put you in charge, Miranda." Wrex reminded her, "But I think I speak for all of us when I say we expected a little more...transparency. It's no secret we don't have a Rothgar's chance against the asari."
"I apologize for the secrecy. But with Aria and her Terminus forces aboard I felt it best to play my cards close to the chest. Because what I am about to tell you cannot leave this ship and it must remain between us." Her eyes found Jack amongst the crowd. Her wife's brown eyes showed no hint of doubt in her. "We're on our way to a system not on any charts. There's a station hidden there that I believe holds the key to our only chance at victory."
"And that key is?" Garrus asked while trying his best not to slur his words.
"You remember how we found Shepard, Garrus?" Miranda asked him.
The turian bowed his head, "Of course I do."
"There was an artifact buried on Aquilla's planet." Miranda told the rest of the crew, "We found Shepard's body in a chamber designed to house it."
"An artifact?" Marion asked, "More of that prothean shit?"
Miranda shook her head, "This was not Prothean or even Reaper. I...don't know what it was. But whatever it is, Aquilla went through great efforts to hide it even from her own people."
"So the damn witch probably had a reason to keep it hidden." Grunt chimed in.
Lawson nodded, "We've seen what happens when we try and outpower her. We can't afford to beat her in a straight-up fight. So our only chance is to understand her. Aquilla went through the trouble of taking Liara and Shepard down there to the artifact. She wanted to show it to them...to tell them about it."
"Liara is with them now." Wrex said, "So whatever information the asari shared with them died with Shepard."
Miranda's eye found Jack once more before she hung her head, "Shepard died many years ago. She died with the original Normandy."
The crew looked to each other in mutual confusion. "You brought her back though." Joker reminded her.
"The Lazarus project was never about resurrecting Commander Shepard. There is no cure for death. I didn't bring Shepard back...I made her." Miranda admitted at long last.
A stunned silence fell over the crew, "What the hell are you talking about?" Garrus cried out in outrage, "I knew Shepard before and after Cerberus!"
"The Illusive Man instructed me to bring back Commander Shepard exactly as she was. Any changes to her personality or her experiences would have made her not the woman the galaxy needed. Creating her body was never the challenge, we did that in a matter of months. However, It isn't our body that makes us who we are; it's our brain. Our memories, our thoughts, our emotions, creating that was the key to the project. So I developed a device I called the Echo. It was a hard drive of sorts, a way to make a digital copy of one's consciousness and interface it with an organic host. It took two years to perfect, but when I did, Commander Shepard, the one who beat the Reapers, the only one I ever knew and the only one who deserves to be standing where I am now...she was born then."
Silence fell over the room once more. After a moment it was only Garrus who spoke up, "Why tell us this? What does it matter now?"
Miranda raised one hand, caught between her thumb and index finger was a small piece of blueish metal about the size of an OSD. "Because Oriana and I extracted the Echo from Shepard's body. Whatever Aquilla showed the Commander down in that pit...the last moments of her life...they're still right here."
"So...we can bring the Commander back?" Donnely asked what the rest of the crew was hoping.
Miranda's expression softened, "No...Shepard still had an organic body and brain...Aquilla killed her...for good this time."
"Then why do we need to go to this station you mentioned?" Marion asked.
"Poseidon station." Miranda replied, "I suppose you could think of it as an archive."
"An archive of what?" Daniels asked.
Jack answered for her wife, "Cerberus."
Miranda confirmed her assumption with a nod, "The Illusive Man was paranoid about indoctrination years before the Reapers ever arrived."
"Well, that's ironic." Joker chimed in.
"He worried that if the Reapers got to him that Cerberus would die out. So every major advancement Cerberus made, every artifact they recovered and even the backbone of the organization's finances and network were backed up and housed on Poseidon station. Its existence was known only to Cerberus' most senior members."
"And that was you?" Marion asked. Miranda noded and Corvus stepped forward, "Back in the 60's Cerberus was some terrorist organization."
"An oversimplification...but not inaccurate. It doesn't matter now, what matters is that there is a copy of my work in the Lazarus project on Poseidon station. I know there will be a machine there I can use to analyze Shepard's echo and understand what happened."
"So you'll be able to...see her memories?" Garrus asked.
"In a sense," Miranda replied.
"And what if Aquilla told her nothing?" Marion asked.
"I have to hope that she did. But even if she didn't, there will be enough firepower and resources on that station for us to-"
"For us to make a suicide run against Aquilla," Garrus said.
Miranda stepped down from the platform and looked every member of the crew in the eye, "I know how it sounds. I know how many of you must feel about Cerberus and...about me. If anyone has a better idea ...now's the time to speak up."
Jack rose from the crowd, "So Cerberus is our only chance...seems only fitting I guess. Fuck it, I'm with you to the very end, Miranda."
Joker tugged at his cap, "Somewhere the Illusive Man just yelled 'Told ya so' to all of us."
The Janiri
Liara had barely moved from the couch in hours. There had been no reason to. There was nothing left to keep her company besides her painful memories and the hopeless future before her. She had tried to think of her daughter and Javik. Of how a Prothean would have to raise her child when she was gone. The irony was not lost on the asari.
The broker stared into the void with a trancelike emptiness. She didn't even notice she had a guest until Ereyla was practically right next to her.
"I told you I did not want to see you," Liara said without even looking at her.
"You need to come with me." Ereyla's voice shook.
"Because of you and Aquilla...Shepard is dead, my daughter will either grow up without me or as a hostage and millions of innocent lives will be lost over an insane woman's delusions. I want nothing to do with you anymore, Ereyla."
"She isn't insane." Ereyla replied, "And she isn't deluded...what she's trying to do. It will work...she showed me that."
"Then you're insane too."
Ereyla stepped in front of her and forced the broker to look at her. "Get up," Ereyla ordered forcefully. "I need you."
Liara continued as if the woman was not even there. It was only when she heard the gun's barrel extend that she looked up to meet Ereyla's gaze. The Commando held the gun aimed at the Broker's chest. Her aim didn't waver but the conflict was clear in her blue eyes.
"I said get up," Ereyla said.
Liara leaned back in her seat, "Are you going to kill me, Ereyla?" she asked flatly.
"I told you I need your help."
"I told you I don't care."
Ereyla grabbed the broker by the shoulder and hoisted her to her feet, "Then don't do it for me."
Liara turned her back to her old friend and felt the barrel of the gun press into her back, "What does Aquilla need now?" she asked as Ereyla led her to the door.
"Just keep moving and don't say anything," Ereyla ordered.
The Commando led her hostage out into the empty hallway. Her head moved on a swivel, rapidly searching to confirm they were alone. "This way," she said with a jerk of her pistol.
Liara did as asked. As they traveled in silence the Broker studied every inch of Aquilla's ship. The featureless hallways seemed as if they had been copied and pasted across the entire vessel. Still, she kept her eyes peeled for any advantages, any chance of escape. She knew that somewhere the Normandy was still out there continuing their mission. Shepard had been loved by nearly everyone aboard the ship, Liara knew she would not be alone in wanting vengeance. She had to find them, she had to finish this.
Ereyla moved her down another dark hall before they heard the noise of footsteps growing ever near. Ereyla seemed to tense at the sound, she grabbed Liara's shoulder and pressed the gun into the small of her back.
"Not a word, Li." Ereyla hissed through clenched teeth.
Liara didn't have time to respond before two asari she didn't recognize turned the corner. The two strangers seemed confused by the sight of the prisoner yet didn't break their stride.
"We've begun to dock, Lady Ereyla." One of them said to her.
Ereyla nodded, "Then get to your stations. Aquilla has plans for her."
The two asari bowed their heads and scurried past them. "We're at the Citadel?" Liara asked
"Yes," Ereyla answered quietly. "The ship is beginning to dock now."
Liara felt a spark of hope surge in her chest. She hadn't been back to the station since it was relocated out of the Sol system and back to its original residence. The station had been under heavy reconstruction for a number of years following the war and was only three months into its public redeployment. Only a fourth of the Citadel's population had returned to the station so far and from what Liara had heard there was much work still to be done. Liara smirked as Ereyla pushed her forward, it seemed a fitting enough place for this all to end.
Ereyla moved them into one of the Janiri's three hangers. The open chamber housed half a dozen small vessels equipped for troop and private transport yet there seemed to not be another soul in sight. Liara recognized the familiar shape of a UT-47 Kodiak situated near the hanger's shielded exit port.
"You know how to fly one?" Ereyla asked with a strange sense of uncertainty in her tone.
"Where are we going?" Liara asked, suddenly unsure of the reason for their journey.
"Do you know how to fly it?" Ereyla repeated.
Liara turned to face the Commando, "A bit." she answered. Indeed Cortez had once given her a few brief tutorials in the Normandy's mess hall. "Aquilla never taught you how to fly?" she asked.
Suddenly the Commando's weapon fell back to her side. Ereyla let out a long sigh and slid the weapon into its holster.
"What is this?" Liara asked.
"I told you...you don't belong here, Li." Ereyla's voice cracked. "Besides...I promised you a long time ago. I'll always stand up for you, Liara. Even to her."
Silently she led them to the side of the Kodiak, "You expect me to thank you?" Liara hissed, "As if you're some hero? Do you think helping me changes anything?! It doesn't!" Liara shouted. Tears began to sting in her eyes.
"I know…"Ereyla whispered. Liara was stunned to see her tears returned by her old friend. The scarred Commando wiped her cheek and stared down to the hanger floor, "I can't….I can never make things right between us, Liara. I know that. I just need you to know...you'll always be my best friend. And I'm...I'm so sorry. But I didn't bring you here to forgive me. She needs your help."
Liara cocked her head to the side, "Who?"
Ereyla signaled the shuttle's door with a motion of her hand. The Kodiak's sliding door pulled open with a swoosh and Liara's eyes widened in surprise at the sight before her.
"Hey there, mate…" Said a weak, accented voice from inside.
"Val?!" Liara cried.
The blonde pirate managed a weary smile. "I'm guessing we didn't win." she croaked.
The human was pale as a sheet. Her palms pressed to the two wounds in her chest. Even with the mountain of medi-gel Ereyla had applied to the injuries it was clear the pirate was running on borrowed time. She sat on the floor of the transport with her back pressed to the wall.
"Can you save her?" Ereyla asked.
Liara rushed to the human's side and knelt down. She lifted Val's hands and studied the scars beneath them, "I'm not a medical doctor but...I know one. If she still lives on the Citadel I believe I can get her help." She said.
"Sounds like a plan...let's go girls." Val groaned.
"I'm not going with you," Ereyla said.
"Piss off, Ereyla." Val hissed, "You're coming with me or I'm bloody staying here."
Ereyla slowly stepped inside the shuttle and fell to her knees beside the human. The Commando laid a hand to the woman's pale cheek, "I have to finish this." she said softly.
"The hell you do." Val replied, "This isn't you, Ereyla. This bullshit with Aquilla, all of it! Leave it behind...come with me back to the Terminus...please…"
Ereyla held tight to the pirate's hand, "This is me...it's too late to change that."
"I don't care what you've done...any of it...it doesn't matter," Val promised,
"It does to me," Ereyla replied, her eyes swam with a lifetime of shame. "What she's after...it will work...all of this, everything I have done...it can't be for nothing."
"Even if it will work." Liara cut in. Ereyla turned her eyes to the broker, "Will it really be worth it? Millions of innocents dying for what? Something that might happen? Who is she to make that choice?"
Ereyla bowed her head, "Just get her help, Liara and disappear. Without Shepard, she can't be stopped."
"You know I won't do that," Liara replied.
Ereyla smirked, "I know."
Val suddenly held tight to her hand and reached up to caress the Commando's scarred cheek, "Ereyla...please come with me."
Ereyla took the human's beautiful face in her hands. For a moment they simply stared into each other's eyes in wordless conversation. Then all at once, in what might have been the first time in her life, Ereyla finally knew what she wanted. It was just when Val thought of something smart to say that the words were stolen from her.
Ereyla brought their lips together in a kiss they had both imagined a dozen times before. As soon as they came together Ereyla felt a strange sense of calm fall over her. As if a question that had followed her for her entire life had suddenly found its answer. Ereyla ran her fingers through the human's soft, golden hair as the embrace deepened. She felt Val wrap her weakened arms around her and hold tight to her body with all the strength she still had left in her. Yet it wasn't enough to stop the Commando from pulling away.
Val for the first time in her life found herself speechless. So the asari didn't wait to speak her mind.
"I love you, Harper." Ereyla said.
Val smiled. For once, the human found comfort in those words. "Do whatever you gotta do...just promise me you'll find me after it's over."
Ereyla felt the tears run down her cheek, "I promise." she answered.
The Commando rose to her feet and stepped out of the shuttle. "This is goodbye, Li," she said.
Liara believed her, "If I ever see you again, Ereyla." The broker locked eyes with her oldest friend, "I will kill you."
Ereyla smiled at her as the shuttle door began to pull closed, "I know." she answered back before the shuttle sealed.
As she watched the shuttle shakily take off from the hanger and slowly slip away towards the spawling arms of the Citadel, Ereyla tried to picture her and Val retiring on some unknown Terminus world in Athame's new galaxy. She tried to picture what it would be like to be normal again, to live a life devoid of orders and regret. Yet in an instant, the fantasy was banished by the sound of a gun barrel extending behind her.
"Wish I could say I'm surprised, Ereyla." Said a familiar voice.
Ereyla tore her eyes from the shuttle and turned to meet the woman. Korria stood alone with Val's gun pointed squarely at her face. "Really though?" She pulled the hammer back on the weapon, "I'm just disappointed."
"You followed me?" Ereyla asked.
"And you betrayed us," Korria replied.
The younger asari raised her aim to Ereyla's head, "The Goddess will decide your fate."
Notes- Holy delayed update! I feel like I always have to apologize for how long these chapters take me. Between life, work and how increasingly complicated these updates get as we edge close and closer to the conclusion I am simply just not able to churn them out like I used to. However, I hope this update was worth the wait and I will try my very best to make the next chapter come sooner rather than later. We are just a handful of updates before this story is finally at its end. As always I would love to see your thoughts and predictions in the reviews! Thank you for reading!