Shepard Stories II

Ch. 1: Shepard!

Armali, Thessia - T'Soni-Shepard Estate - 2310CE

Shepard sat alone in the dark as his wife continued to run ramped through his mine. He sat through spouts of rage, sadness, loneliness, heartache, and sometime during the night, he drifted off to sleep. He couldn't escape her even in his dreams she was there. She was always there, in his mind, beyond the static. Comfort knowing she was always there for the most part unless he was away for long periods of time.

He looked around the mist, and it was getting thicker while everything else around him was fading. The mist was becoming constricting as he continued to move further. He could hear her off in the distance calling for him, and he could barely see a shimmering silhouette of her as if it was a bad holographic image. He ran toward her and reached for her "Liara?" She turned toward him and called to him again, "Shepard..." He picked up his speed just to get to her, but the closer he got, the further she became. "Liara?"

He jolted from his chair when his wife charged through him and called out to him in a panic "Shepard!" He quickly looked around the room as if his wife was going to be there. He leaned on his legs as he tried to catch his breath, then ran his hand over his face. That particular tone of hers he heard many times during the Reaper War. She called to him when she was in danger if she knew he was in danger or if she thought something was wrong and it involved him. He took a ragged breath as he thought of her calling out to him, and he wasn't there for her. He shook his head, "No…" He looked at the bloodied stained area on the floor and clenched his hands in his hair. "Why? You could have taken him easily. Why didn't you?" He scrunched his face as he let out a breath, "…because it was me." Tears streamed down his face as he sniffled then murmured, "I would have never…" he shook his head, "God… the crushing pain of betrayal from the one that you loved and trusted the most."

Shepard closed his eyes as he leaned his head back on the cushion of the chair. He took a few deep breaths as he wiped the tears away then he faintly heard his wife say, "Shepard…" His eyes popped open, and his eyes scanned the room for her. He took a deep breath as he stood, then looked around the room again and quietly said, "Liara?" He waited as if she was going to respond like every other thousands upon thousands of times she had before, but she didn't. He dug his hand in his pocket and pulled out her wedding band and bonding bracelet and looked at them. His head quickly turned toward the bathroom when he heard her call out his name, "Shepard…"

He blinked hard when he saw a sheer like image of her near the bathroom door. "Liara?"

She reached for him as she said, "Shepard…"

He quickly ran to her as he said, "Liara…" When he got to her, she faded. He scrunched his face as he looked around then softly said: "What do you want from me?" He stumbled slightly when he felt a small surge throughout his body. Tears began to fill his eyes, and his words got stuck in his throat as he tried to speak. "I….I know that's you. What do you want me to do?"

Her words came as a whisper, but it echoed throughout his mind and ears as her words lingered. "What I would do..."

He closed his hand around her precious items as he repeated her words, "What I would do?" He glanced at the faint bloodied spot on the floor. "But you are here." He pointed toward the onsite medical building "There…I don't…" He jerked his head back, then ran toward the facility. The commandos jumped as he plowed through the door and blurted out, "Liara! Pull her out I want to see her."

The commandos looked at each other, then one responded, "Right away, sir."

Shepard walked into the morgue section of the facility and waited as patiently as he could as they pulled his wife out of the cryo freezer. When she was fully emerged, he carefully walked around her as he looked her over. He was looking for specific markings on her body, ones he knew, scars, birthmarks, or anything that shouldn't be there. He glanced at her medium-sized purple freckle on her inner left breast then down at the lower right quadrant of her stomach near her hip where there was another medium sized freckle. He touched her side then pulled her body toward him as he glanced at her right butt cheek for her third mark. He touch her few battle wounded scars, and his heart sank when he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary then turned his head slightly when a commando said something.

"What are you looking for?" asked Zen

He shrugged, "I don't know. Wishful thinking that this wasn't her."

Zen pinched her brow markings. "How could it not be? I did a thorough reading, and everything matched up."

He shook his head "What if she's a clone?"

Zen scoffed. "There's no way."

He pointed to a random cryo freezer and said, "There's a clone of me…what if."

She shook her head as she pointed to Liara, "This is her. There was nothing out of the ordinary about her." She pointed to the cryo freezer. "HE was off. He was a blank slate, and they tried to upload basic information, and he tried to copy you, but he couldn't do you." She looked down at her friend then back at Shepard. "Believe me, I've thought about it, but everything lines up Shepard, even her newest upgrades from Gwyn, and no one has that tech."

He took a deep breath as he looked at his pastie blue, lifeless wife on a metal slab, then ran his hands over his face as he signed. He looked her over as he thought to himself, "It's you. What's to look for if you are here?" He turned and slowly walked out of the facility, and her words flowed through his mind. "What I would do." As he walked into his home, he glanced over at her office then mumbled, "Research… that's what you would do, but what."

Shepard reached into his pocket as he walked up to his wife's jewelry cabinet and placed her engagement ring one of the ring slots, then opened a small drawer and grabbed one of the many velveteen pouches and put her most precious items in there. He clenched the bag then slipped it in his pocket as he said: "You go where I go, my love, and we have things to do." He grabbed a bag and filled it with clothes and other items then dropped it at the front door. He walked to his office, then placed his hand on the biometric reader on his desk and said: "EDI, are you online?"

"Shepard, I'm available for assistance. What can I do for you?" replied EDI

"EDI, deactivate me from everything in this home." He turned when he saw a green glow coming from the corner. He looked away when a holographic image of EDI was standing there. A small beam scanned him, and then he heard, "Scan complete. Authorization verified."

He looked at a picture of Liara on his desk then softly said: "It's me."

"Shepard, may I ask why you ask for this request?"

"There's been a breach, and Liara was killed. Annabelle will be taking over, and I won't be returning."

There was silence for a moment, then EDI replied, "Oh my. I'm sorry, Shepard. Should I remove her as well?"

He pinched his eyebrows "No…wait until Annabelle has been officially signed over and tells you otherwise."

"Understood. I..."

"That'll be all, EDI. Thanks." He said swiftly. When she disappeared, he walked to his armory and filled his weapons bag. After he zipped up his duffle bag, he looked around his office and thought of the many memories in his home. He stood then walked over to his desk and grabbed the picture of his wife and said: "I don't know what you want me to do, but it doesn't matter how long it takes, I will do it for you."

As he walked to the front door, several of his comrades said, "Shepard? Where are you going? What about your girls?"

He hung his head, "I can't face them."

Shandri replied, "You can't do this to them!"

He turned quickly as he snapped, "Do what to them? I didn't take their mother from them!" He swept his hand across himself at them and snarled, "You all were supposed to protect her! An estate full of protection, and she dies in our own fucking home!"

Shandri looked down as tears drizzled down her face. "We were blindsided with a horrible tactic, and her death was unfortunate."

"That it was…" He said coldly, then turned and walked out the front door "I have shit to do."

Kirre and Teyr ran up behind him, "Shep, wait!" They looked at each other, then Kirre said: "We'll go with you."

He shook his head, "NO! You were under orders by Liara, and she's no longer here. I don't need or want any of you to protect me. You all sure as shit couldn't protect HER!"

Kirre grimaced then replied, "Shepard…let us go with you as your friend. You shouldn't do this alone."

He stopped near his car and thought quickly. Three brains are better than one, and they would be helpful in his mission. He let out a breath then said, "Fine. Grab your gear, and I'll meet you at the shipyard in two hours."

Kirre glanced back at Shandri, and she nodded at her to go. She turned back to him and said, "Yes, sir. We'll be there." As he flew away, she turned to Shandri and said: "What the hell is he doing?"

Shandri shook her head as she placed her hands on her hips. "He's doing exactly what Cameron did, running away. He can run, but it's never going to change the fact that she's gone."

"But the girls? Do we tell them?" replied Kirre

Shandri let out a breath then said, "No, they need to hear this from him. He needs time to process her death, and when that time is up, then he will contact them. If not, then they will begin to show up looking for her as most of them kept in touch with their mother on a regular basis. I give it a week or two before someone comes looking for her. At that time, then we will inform them of her death but before then." She looked at all the nearby commandos then said: "Anna is next in line."

A commando mumbled, "Great…. This should be interesting."

Shandri closed her eyes "Ladies, we have a war to prepare for. Even though Anna will be the one in charge, it'll be Benezia laying down what comes next. If you all thought what happened on Alcazar was a blood bath, then you haven't seen anything yet. She is the most powerful asari in the galaxy, and Liara knew that. Double that power with Milizkia at her side." She wiped her tears then continued, "Liara was terrified of what Benezia could do and well… that time is here and now. She will want to pursue Cameron to avenge her mother's death, and she will tear this galaxy apart to do so. This event will have the asari republics, the high council, the galactic council, and the alliance military on our asses, and she won't care one damn bit." She swallowed hard then took a ragged breath, "I say that, but I honestly don't know what's going to happen to us when I do tell her or when she does find out."

Teyr's mouth dropped open "Fuck, she's going to kill us all, isn't she?"

She shrugged, "Probably, and it won't matter if we run or not. If we run, then it'll only infuriate her more, and she'll think by running we had something to do with it. You all may go if you wish, but I will remain. Liara was my responsibility, and I will accept my fate as to what comes next."

Teyr shook her head, then replied, "Liara was all of our responsibilities, and we all failed her."

-/

A few hours later, Kirre and Teyr hurried down the T'Soni-Shepard shipyard. Kirre glanced at the many ships then she stopped when she saw a small one with the cargo bay doors open. "Shep?"

"Yea?" He called out

"Hey, we weren't sure what to bring."

He smirked when he saw them both with two medium-sized bags and a bag on her back, "Looks like you two brought everything you own."

Kirre shrugged, then lifted one bag then the other "Gear…clothes and other items. We suspected a long trip. Were we wrong?"

"No, it's going to be a while before we return." He pointed to the trash receptacle as they were boarding the cargo bay then said: "I need you two to dump your arm terminals."

Kirre looked back at the receptacle, then back at him and replied: "Why?"

"Because you no longer report to Liara or Shandri. If you're going to travel with me, then you do so as my friend and not under orders. You will not tell her where we're going or what we will be doing. So, if you want to come with me, then your duties end here."

She pinched her brow markings then nodded, "Understood, sir."

He shook his head "No, it's just Shepard or Shep and no more sir."

"Sir, it's out of respect that we say sir, and we will continue to say sir when we feel it's necessary."

He nodded as he said, "Alright." He reached into his side cargo pocket and pulled out two new arm terminals. "Here. This is your new terminal, and your old ones are trash."

She let out a breath as she removed her old one and walked to the nearest trash receptacle and discarded it then returned. "Ok, so what are we doing?"

"Research."

Kirre pinched her brow markings as she said, "Research? When do we do research? That's what Liara did."

He gave a quick brow raise as he replied: "I know..."

She nodded then said, "So, where are we headed? Back to Nefrane?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe…I haven't decided yet."He hovered his hand over his stomach then moved it up and down as he said: "I have the urge to do something, but I'm not sure what."

"Urge?" replied Teyr

He gave a quick grunt, "Mhmm…" He ran his hands over his head, "I can't explain it, but I feel like she's trying to tell me something." He looked at his friends as tears gathered in his eyes. "Maybe it's just me missing her, but I hear her…I see her…she's also in my dreams."

"Your heart is broken, and you're clinging to hold on to her." Said Kirre

He wiped his tears. "I know, and maybe it is just that, but she's racing through me." He paused briefly, then continued, "You know that mode shes in when she zones in on something and loses time in her work."

Teyr smirked, "mmhmm…"

"That's how I feel. It's so Liara, and I feel like she wants me to do something, but I don't know what. The only thing I can think of is research."

"What though?" asked Kirre

"What other than this new discovery." Replied Shepard

"Ahh, so Ilos?"

He nodded then said, "That's what I'm thinking, but why did they take us to Nefrane? There had to be a reason other than a distraction."

Kirre watched as he began to pace and think just as Liara did. Kirre rose her finger as she blurted out, "They did find the city or another relay."

He stopped pacing as he nodded, "Exactly, but why tell us?"

Teyr smirked then quickly said, "He needed her, her expertise in the field, but why kill her?"

He turned toward her, "He didn't. I mean, killing Liara wasn't his plan, and the clone went rogue. He was at the house for a different reason. Cam needed me gone for the clone to get in, but something happened." His eye twitch as he thought for a moment then said, "Liara… is what happened."

Kirre let out a breath as she softly said: "She knew it wasn't you, and the clone killed her."

He looked at them as he nodded slightly, "Maybe…"

Teyr quickly said, "No, it's true. I was there when it happened. There was a ruckus, and she called out for Shay. Shay told us to stay in the foyer as she went in to find out what was wrong. We could hear Liara, and there was a back and forth as she questioned him, but he knew all the answers."

Shepard scrunched his eyebrows and said, "…but, why didn't she kill him?"

Teyr gave a slight shrug, "I don't know, but we all know she could have. She did say she was going to kill him. Maybe it was luck, or maybe he knew, but he struck before she did." Tears drizzled down her face as she continued, "It was such a blow to us all that we froze. It was like our mind just couldn't process what happened. Then the next thing I know, I'm enraged and chasing after you…well, him."

He gave a quick grunt then said, "Hmm…" He let out a long breath as he sat on a small crate "This adventure is going to be a struggle because I'm no Liara and I won't understand the information we'll find if we find anything at all." He looked down then at his friends. "The only other people I know that are similar to her are my children, but their mindset is going to be heartache then revenge. I want to do this for her, but how?"

Kirre walked up to Shepard and placed a hand on his shoulder "We'll figure it out. You're a lot smarter than you think, and we'll work through it together. We can't think like Liara; we need to think as we do."

He nodded as he patted her hand, then said, "You're right. Let's finish up here and head out."

-/

Shepard looked down at his controls then at his destination Nefrane then at his time of arrival, eight hours. He glanced over at autopilot to ensure that it was activated then walked over to his small quarters. He grabbed the box that was left at Nefrane, and his laptop then walked out to the small common area. He set the box on a table then said: "Ok, ladies here it is." He looked at Teyr and said, "You up to speed on everything?"

She nodded and replied, "Yes, sir. I knew of the basics, but Kay has gone into more detail about everything."

"Good." He tapped at his laptop and accessed his wife's files. He knew the way she worked and how she documented everything. He knew he could pull up the item Benezia found, and there would be a paper written about it with detailed pictures.

He reached into the box and pulled out the item and took several imaging scans, and uploaded them to her data file.

Kirre tapped at his laptop and then threw the image on to the closest imaging wall. She pinched one of the images and enlarged it, then grabbed the older image and did the same "The one in the box almost looks newer."

Shepard nodded as he walked up to the old image and said, "So, the one Benezia found is older, much older. How old is undetermined, and this one is old but newer…improved." He ran his hand over his beard " He let out a breath then sat down as he said. "I don't know what the hell I'm looking for."

The commandos smirked, as Teyr said, "She had such a knack for this stuff. Her brain just knew what to look for and knew how to process it."

"I know, and mine is beeping caution brain overload." He said jokingly

They gave a small chuckle and nodded. Kirre pointed to the laptop. "We all know how Liara was, and she has massive amounts of information in her files. We're bound to find something."

Shepard's lips flapped around as he breathed out, then flipped through his wife's files until he came upon several audio logs. He stared at them for a moment then clicked on one of the many audio recordings of his wife. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes when his wife began to talk, "This portal Vilio talked about is quite interesting. I'm going to assume there are more, but where? An ancient species made these, but the who is unknown. My theory on why these were made was for us because of the Reapers. See, the mass relays were made by the reapers for them and for us to travel along a path in their hands. What if these were made in a similar fashion but just for us and unknown to the Reapers. OR for us to escape the Reapers for when they came. BUT why weren't they used? Maybe they were, and that species left, and these were lost to others for forever. Hidden amongst nature and coded uniquely. How many are there? A few? One on each planet? Information all unknown."

He clicked on another audio recording, "Possible races. Inusannon, Prothean, Arthenn all races had the technology to do so. The Protheans took knowledge from the Inusannon, and with that knowledge came the mass effect technology. They were capable of making the Conduit. Were the Inusannon capable of making these other relays? The Arthenn was a flourishing race among multiple worlds but wiped out to an unknown cataclysm. Were they though? Etamis also an advanced race. The unique Chasca rings… are they more than art?"

He clicked on another "It is known that the Protheans took knowledge from the Inusannon. What if, what they learned is the same as what the Inusannon did. The Protheans researched other species. Why? They were a species that wanted complete control of the others. "Join us or die" was their motto. The Protheans were more than just one species due to that motto. That was their way of becoming one as a galaxy. My confusion is, why did they not kill off the primitives? It goes against their motto. Javik mentioned they saved us; they taught us, they uplifted us, but why? Why not enslave us? Why save us? For what purpose? My theory is because it's the same as what the Inusannon did. The protheans were uplifted by the Insuannon and were given the knowledge to be who they were just as they did for us.

Vigil the V.I suggested the prothean scientists all died, but there were no remains. How convient was it that the top twelve scientists were the last ones to be revived. You would think that they would have been spread out amongst the others but they weren't. He also goes on to say that the Conduit was one way but it wasn't because relays are tethered to send information back and forth. So, where did they go? Ilos was a highly classified city and for a reason, and that was because the top scientists knew of the galaxy relay. If their cryo stasis plan didn't work, then their back up back up plan was to leave entirely if and only if all remaining individuals were dead. If all remaining individuals were dead then that means the Reapers won, and there was no reason to stay in a demolished galaxy."

When her audio file stopped he looked at his friends with raised brows "Wow…All excellent theories." He looked at the file at the never ending pile of audio files. "Should I keep going?"

Teyr nodded "One more and lets take a break as my brain is about to explode."

Shepard chuckled "Yea mine too." He looked at the many audio files and click on one that said "The Id."

"Ilos, and Junthor has megastructures. Signs of high intelligence. I've seen the technology at Ilos but what of Junthor. The Junthor unknown species interests me because their planet also has megastructures. The planet was never truly explored, just as Ilos was never truly explored. The inscription found by Matriarch Dilinaga's said: "Walk among these works and know our greatness." What does that mean? It could mean anything, but what if they're speaking of these galaxy relays. To travel among them and to learn of the other species that are out there. On the flip side of the inscription, itread "Monsters of the Id." AFreudian phrase. So, they're referring to the psyche. Id being instincts. Id being the impulses of our psyche that respond to needs, desires and wants. So, in translation… We are our own downfall. That inscription is true through and through."

His eyes closed as he let out a long breath then said, "There's audio log after audio log in here. We could be at this for years and have no idea what or where."

Teyr nodded then said, "Liara was extensive and always recorded her theories and notes. That way, she could always come back to it and for good measure as we listen to them now. What she said in her recording makes sense. What if these galaxy relays were a way to leave, but they were never utilized or only utilized by a select few." She pointed to the image on the wall "That would explain the difference in the units that were found."

Shepard nodded as he ran his hand over his beard then rose his finger. "Ok, so I'm thinking instead of researching, we just hit the known relay dead on. When we get to our new destination, then we can continue to research the local life and figure out how it works."

Kirre pinched her brow markings. "Ok, so we do what we know how to do, and that's infiltrate, but there's too many of them, and they know us. Well, definitely you. We need to be able to slip in with the crew."

He chewed on his lip. "Let's reset the course for Omega. There are people there that can do black market mods and an asari that I need speak to."

"Aria?" asked Teyr

"mmHmmm. She's our only viable option into the crew." Replied Shepard. He looked at his friends as he stood, "Set our course. I need time to think." He walked to his quarters, then sat in the closest chair and closed his eyes as her words flowed throughout his mind. He ran his hand over his beard, then pulled at it slightly, then ran his hand through his hair. He stood and slowly walked to the bathroom and up to the counter as the light auto illuminated. He stared at himself for a long moment, then bent down and opened his cabinet door, and grabbed his trimmer. He flipped it on, and he looked at it as it buzzed then at himself. His wife loved his hair, and he grew it out just to please her, and the people of today knew him as he looked now.

He grabbed at his long hair and mowed through his hair with that trimmer until there was just a prickle of hair left. He set down the trimmer, then took a hold of his razor that was rarely ever used, then lathered his face and shaved it bare. He looked down at the locks of hair scattered in the sink, on the counter, and on the floor, and the moment he looked up, he saw his wife standing in the doorway next to him. He quickly spun around just to see her not there. The palm of his hand suddenly came up to the side of his head as he rapped on it a few times, "Fuck!" He turned and placed his hands on the sink as he dropped his head. "What are you trying to tell me?" He began to tremble when he heard her softly call out his name, "Shepard…"

"It's important, I know, but what? Give me more." He pleaded. His body shivered when he felt her, then his eyes closed, and he saw visions of his daughter Gwyndolyn. He scrunched his face, "I don't understand. Gwyn? No, I'm not involving her in this." He shook his head "I know she could help with the tech and so much more, but I'm not involving her or any of the others. I will figure this out on my own."

—/

Omega - Three days later…

Shepard took a deep breath and called his daughter Annabelle from his small rental room on Omega. She smiled when she answered the call, and it faded immediately at the look on her father's face. A look she's never seen before it was emptiness, sadness, and pain. She pinched her brow markings and gently said, "Dad, what's wrong? What the fuck happened?"

He didn't speak at first but just shook his head then said softly said: "Your mother is...dead."

She scrunched her face as tears immediately gathered in her eyes when an excruciating pain struck her heart. She took a ragged breath as she barely got out "What?"

He closed his eyes as he could hear the pain in her tone, and it made his heart hurt even more. "Yes, she was killed about a week ago at home."

She grit her teeth then yelled, "And you're just know fucking tell me! What the fuck?"

He looked down, then nodded, "I'm sorry…" He wiped the tears from his face then said: "Your mother left you in charge of everything as you are the next T'Soni in line to take over."

She quickly shook her head "No, I'm not her. I'm nothing like mom, and I don't want her fucking job!"

He scrunched his face. "I'm sorry, Bella, but you are now the matriarch of your lineage and everything that goes with it. Believe me, your mother didn't want the responsibility either when her mother died, but it was hers to take, and she did."

She shook her head "Well, I don't want it!"

He let out a breath, "Bella, you're a leader, and you always have been."

She looked off to the side as she sniffled, "I can't do what mom did. I don't run fucking companies, and I'm sure as shit, not a voice or image of or for the fucking people!"

"Don't worry about the people, and your mother has her companies on autopilot, especially with EDI overlooking them. The only thing you need to worry about is your lineage and your sisters, that's all. Think about it, but the choice is yours to do so, or you can pass it down to your sister Benezia." He paused then continued, "Listen to me… you're the eldest, and you need to keep your sister in check."

She let out a quick laugh, "Benezia? Yea ok… Dad, there's no keeping Nezzie in check. When she hears about this, she's going to go ballistic, and you fucking know that!"

He nodded slightly, "I know, and there won't be a damn thing you can do about it, but you can try and be the voice of reason."

"Why would I try to stop her? I'm going to be by her side for this!" She replied as her tone escalated

He grit his teeth a few times as he nodded then softly said, "Bella, take care of your sisters and watch your six. I must go now. I have something I need to do."

She jerked her head back as she pinched her brow markings. "What? Wait—"

Was the last thing she said to him before he cut her off, and his screen went black. He exited his room as he removed his arm terminal and dropped it on the floor then stepped on it repeatedly until it was in several pieces. He looked up then down the dark, dank corridor. He grunted at the stench of the surrounding people as he continued to walk into the depths of Omega until he reached his destination. The door chimed as he walked through, and he saw a few tattoo artists working on their customers. He looked at each of them and said, "Dubois? I'm looking for a Dubois?"

A woman with a thick accent turned her head slightly as she was finishing up her work and replied, "I'm Dubois. Do you have an appointment?"

Shepard walked over to her and dropped a chit in the small metal plate that was on the table near her and replied, "Sure do, and there's my appointment card."

The young light-skinned brunette removed her ocular device covering her right eye and grabbed the chit then glanced at the hefty sum. "Ahh, you're right; it seems you are next. I need five more minutes, and I'll be finished here." When she was finished, she stood and waved him over to her as she walked toward another room and said, "This way. We can talk in a more secure room."

Once they entered the room, she locked it and said: "So, you obviously aren't here for a tattoo but something...more, no?"

Shepard looked her over and replied, "Yes, I'm here for a modification. I've heard from the vine that you are the best black market modifications dealer and installer."

She smirked, "That I am. You want a body modification installed, augments, upgrades; then I'm your girl. You name it; then I can do it."

He smiled, "Good, then I'm here for a modification."

"Ahhh modification, eh?" She patted her medical chair. "Have a seat. Mister?"

"Mister is fine..." he said as he sat in her chair.

She arched a brow as she replied, "Alright...So, what are we doing?"

He swirled his hand over his face. "Years ago, I had some facial modifications done. I want them removed and amplified."

Her eyebrows raised as she said, "Interesting. Most people want repairs, not the removal of repairs."

Shepard turned his head slightly toward her "Can you not do it?"

She replied quickly, "Oh, no, no, I can. It's just an odd request." She moved a large magnifying type lens over one side of his face and zoomed in as she scanned it. "Hmm... this is interesting. You have a weave and extensive facial repairs."

"Yea... the weave can stay."

She nodded, and she made a few adjustments on her lens. "Wow, there's more to these repairs than I expected, though. There are different types here and levels that I've never seen before. I mean, these are some high-grade repairs and mega expensive. Are you sure you want this removed?"

He let out a breath, "I know. I've had several parts of me regrown and my face being one of them. At one point, I had what looked like red cracks all through my face. Those repairs are what I want to be removed and the cracks to remain."

She pinched her brows. "Hmm, just the cracks, eh? I can do my best to do just that. Anything else?"

He nodded, then pointed to the side of his head and face where his claw mark scars were and said: "I want these scars biotically illuminated." He removed his shirt and pointed to his chest, then turned and pointed to his back "These too."

Dubois arched her brow at the numerous faint scars throughout his upper body "I see you've been through some battles."

He nodded, "Too many to count."

She looked him over then through her lens as she waited for her results to finish. She pinched her brows when she got her results. "I hate to say this, but this high tech material is bonded, and there's no... let's say...scooping it out. Your face is one as it should be and with quality of this mega-expensive shit. I can definitely do the other part that you asked." She gently slid a finger down his cheek as she said, "I can extend these and amplify the claw marks. Gruesome, I'm guessing is the effect you're looking for?"

He nodded, "Fine..." He glanced over at her and said: "No, not gruesome but battled hardened and resilient." He raised a finger and said, "I want the scars to remain and to be seen." He swirled his finger, "The illumination will go around, not in."

She blinked a few times at his request, then nodded as she replied, "Ok. I'll walk you through it as I go; that way, there's no misunderstanding."

"Perfect."

She placed her external ocular device on her eye as it made soft mechanical noises at it searched his face. She smiled when she saw the other upgrades, "Amazing, I've seen a semi-permanent ocular such as this, but yours is permanent and more advanced." She touched his temple, "This as well, but yours is also much more advanced." She trickled her fingers down his arm, "Oooh, these little guys so very rare." She gently touched the back of his neck "But this...I've never seen anything like this. Everything flows through here... it's almost like a secondary brain." She smiled broadly as she removed her ocular device and said: "You have some serious upgrades, and this has GTS tech written all over it." She bobbed her finger in the air as she stood "I will say she has some of the best shit out there but what you have in your neck is not available or even heard of. So, either you stole it, or you know her personally."

"Does it matter?" He snipped.

She leaned against the closest wall. "Usually, it doesn't, but we all know you don't fuck with a T'Soni, and I don't need or want them at my door. The last two that sought my help well the T'Soni's came looking for them when I was on Alcazar, and that didn't go so well for Alcazar. They sent a message, and it was heard loud and fucking clear."

He smirked, "I've heard. I'm here for only what we discussed and not for the GTS tech." He reached in his pocket and pulled out another chit. "Here, I can pay more."

She looked at the chit, then walked over to him and sat down. "Fuck... you're already paying out the ass. How can I pass this up?" She said as she picked up the chit. She looked him over then glanced down at his wedding band and bracelet "What will your wife think of this change to such a handsome face?"

Shepard grunted then replied softly, "She won't think anything of it."

—/

After his modification, he walked to the Afterlife to speak with Aria T'Loak. Eyes were on him as he walked through the club, and they stared at his glowing scars. He looked at one of Aria's goons that stood at the base of her stairs then said: "I need to speak with Aria T'Loak."

He smirked, "Aria doesn't speak with just any riff-raff off the street. Her time is precious."

"I know all about her fucking time. You tell her it's about the black widow."snipped Shepard

The guy arched a brow and hit his comm unit to relay Shepard's message then moved to allow him to pass. The moment he came into view of Aria, she said: "Who the fuck are you and what do you want or what do you know?"

"Aria, I've come to give you a heads up."

She pinched her brow, markings, "A heads up? For what?"

"Yea…" He paused as his words got stuck in his throat, "…Liara's dead."

Aria blinked rapidly as her mouth dropped open slightly, then she squinted her eyes to look at him better then softly said "Shepard?" When she realized it was him, she stood and walked to her office "With me." Once they were in her office, she turned and said: "I'm sorry, Shepard, but what does this have to do with me?"

He closed his eyes then replied, "Cameron and I believe Jessie sent the person who killed her."

Aria closed her eyes as she grit her teeth and growled "How fucking stupid can they be? Fuck!"

"Benezia will come for them… and possibly you. Mili will be torn on which side to take. To fight with her bondmate against you or protect her sister and you and fight against her bondmate."

Aria let out a breath "A fucking war has begun because of two stupid kids. My Lizzie loves Benezia too much to fight against her." She shook her head as she said, "Sisters fighting against each other, and one is more powerful than the other. I'm going to lose my kids, aren't I?"

He looked down as he replied, "I've already lost my kids, Aria…" he paused for a moment then said, "I need to know how do you get through."

Aria shrugged, "I have no idea."

"Oh, bullshit! I know you know!"

"I don't! I've never seen this portal or fucking relay in person. I've never seen it activated, and I've never been there."

"He can't be the only one activating it."

She shook her head "No, Jess has the other key. Those are the only two that I know of that function." She pushed off the side of her desk that she was leaning on and said, "I will tell you this, though. A shipment of goods and supplies go through quarterly."

Shepard tapped at his arm terminal, "Quarterly? So every three months."

She nodded, "I have a crew leaving tonight to make the quarterly drop, and the portal will open in two weeks. Tell them I sent you. I'll approve of it." She looked him over then said, "What the fuck am calling you. Slash? What?

He shrugged, "I don't care, but it's not just me. I have two commandos with me."

She huffed then hissed, "You're making this complicated."

"It's not fucking complicated. Get them two eclipse uniforms, and they'll need a marking."

Aria curled her lip. "No, if I'm sending Omega crew, then that's what it'll be! Look, I don't know what you're trying to do, but this will be my only involvement, and you're on your own after this." She walked over to a large cabinet and opened a drawer and grabbed three items, then tossed them to him. "Take these to Dubois, and she'll know what to do."

Shepard looked down at the small coin-shaped item that had an Omega symbol on it "What the fuck is this?"

A smile slowly formed on her face, "Omega verification."

"You're going to have me fucking branded?" snarled Shepard

Aria laughed slowly. "Do you want passage through or not?"

He clenched the coins in his hand, then turned and stormed out as he growled "Argh fuck!"

She smiled then said, "Enjoy your trip."

-/

Shepard and his two commandos were loading the last bits of cargo into the glowing portal when he heard his wife in his head. "Shepard…" He turned and looked toward the exit as he felt a sensation to leave. He looked at the portal then back at the exit then heard the nearby goon say "Hey! Let's go; time is ticking but you should know that as long as there is something in the portal, it won't close. It seems to be a fail-safe, so it doesn't close on you and slice you half. The first time through is a bit of a roller coaster and most puke, but just breathe, and you'll be fine."

"Hmmm… good to know." Replied Shepard.

"Aria said you three were taking the cargo through instead of us. When you get there have it checked in with Stephen, hes a tall motherfucker with red hair. Once it's checked in he'll have you escort it to section nine. When you're done there, go to section two for housing, and they'll have something for you, and they'll provide a map of what is what. There's a rotation when the delivery crews come back through." He looked at his arm terminal. "So, I'm guessing for you three maybe nine months to a year until you return, if you return at all."

Shepard nodded as he looked at his friends, "Right. Thanks." He stared at the exit for what felt like forever, then turned and walked through the portal with the others. As his body was almost completely submerged in the portal he heard his wife scream out to him, "Shepard!"