**Updated**
I do not own Mass Effect or any of the characters.
Warning: Strong language
Note: Important author's note at the end. Please make sure you read it.
Chapter 8: Team Meetings and Other Headaches
The attack on the human colony of Mindoir was a major incident in the decades long struggle between humanity and the Batarians. In the year 2170, Batarian slavers attacked the small colony, killing or enslaving three quarters of the colonies population and fleeing before the Alliance could mount any kind of defense.
The event was, undoubtably, a tragedy. Many children lost their parents, while many parents lost their children. And, worst of all, many families were completely wiped out, either killed or taken prisoner. One such child to lose his family was John Shepard, the first human Spectre. It has been many decades since that day and the people of Mindoir have rebuilt. The colony is once more the thriving settlement it was before the attack, thanks in large part to Shepard and a truly impressive amount of Alliance colonization advertisements built around the man.
"Take to the Stars; Humanity's First Colonization Efforts", by Derek Sterling. Year 2188.
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It had been a close call, however Shepard was able to get both himself and his team back to the Mako and loaded onto the Normandy. Turns out, the collapse of the Prothean ruins had held far greater consequences, destabilizing the already volcanic region.
Now, two hours later the team along with their newest passenger were gathered in the briefing room. He was expecting a call from the Council in the coming few minutes, so this couldn't last long, which was fine with him. He hated having to give these speeches and team meetings. He really was not suited for a military life but what was he gonna do? That was the path he had been put on, the one he had chosen.
He looked around the room and noticed the tension that seemed to radiate from his teammates. He absentmindedly shuffled an old deck of cards as he did so. The source of the conflict was clear, the blue skinned Asari they had picked up earlier that day. She had spent the next few hours being examined by Dr. Chakwas in the ship's medbay and resting from her ordeal. Thankfully, all Alliance medical staff were required to be familiar with alien autonomy. This left Shepard with the difficult task of deciding what to do with the doctor.
As tense as everything was, Ashley still picked up on the interesting object in Shepard's hands.
"Hey, Skipper. What is that?" She asked. It wasn't all that surprising that she wouldn't be familiar with a deck of cards considering everything was digital nowadays. "Is that an actual deck of cards?"
"Yes, it is, Williams", he responded. "Back when humanity was still stuck on Earth a deck of cards was the basis for more games than I can count, particularly when there was betting involved. The games are still around but nowadays they're played using a virtual one, that way you don't need to carry the deck around."
"I think I have played one such game", Liara commented, blushing when everyone turned towards her. "A few humans were playing it on one of my past expeditions and they showed me how. I'm afraid I wasn't very good at it, I lost a good amount of credits."
Shepard laughed.
"Yea, that'll happen to first time players", he said. "I bet when they heard you didn't know how to play they targeted you to get some extra credits. That's why one of the best scams is pretending you don't know how to play so they lower their guards. I can't even tell you how many times I used that one when I was living on the streets."
Everyone's heads snapped back in surprise. Hearing that their commander had at one point in his life been living on the streets was shocking. Though on the other hand, it did provide an explanation for the dark edge to him.
"So, why do you have an actual deck of cards", Kaidan asked, trying to change the subject.
"It was a gift from someone I used to know a long time ago", Shepard replied. "I've had it ever since. Gives me something to do when I get bored."
It may have been pointless small talk, but it had succeeded in lifting a lot of the tension that had been hovering in the room. Now he was comfortable moving on with business.
"Now that that's out of the way, time to get this meeting going", Shepard continued. "The sooner we start, the sooner we can all get some rest."
Taking a break Shepard reached down to the floor and picked up a small canteen and brought it to his lips, taking a drink. Wrex, who was seated closest to him, caught a whiff of the liquid and his eyes lit up.
"Wow, Shepard. Is that alcohol?" He asked. "And here I thought the Alliance was too uptight to allow their officers to drink on duty."
"They do", Kaidan commented, fixing the commander with a small glare. "How could you hold out on me like that?"
"Do whatever you guys want", Shepard replied. "Technically this whole ship is on loan to the Council so there can be some debate as to whose laws we need to follow. But more than anything else, I'm not going to report anyone for having alcohol on the ship. Hell, I'd be a hypocrite if I did. I'm not a strict guy, as long as whatever you do doesn't bring me any attention or extra paperwork from the higher-ups do what you want."
"I wish you had let us know before we left the Citadel", Wrex joked.
"Like you didn't sneak any onto the ship", Garrus said, amused. Wrex glared at the Turian for a moment before a small chuckle escaped him, conceding the point.
"Now, back to business", Shepard interrupted, his voice showing clear signs of annoyance. "As you can see, we have picked up a new passenger. Dr. T'Soni has agreed to answer our questions to the best of her ability so if everyone would keep a civil tone. I really don't want to deal with a pissed off Tevos because we were rude to the daughter of an important Matriarch."
"Isn't said Matriarch a galactically wanted criminal currently on the run from every Council race this side of the Skyllian Verge", questioned Kaidan. Everyone could see Liara tense up, fists clenching by her side. However, to her credit, she kept quiet. Not showing any other outwards sign of anger.
"Doesn't matter", he replied. "Now, Dr. T'Soni. Is there anything at all you could tell us about your mother? Where she might be, some places she liked to go in the past, any other connections we could use to trace back to her?"
"First of all, commander, please just call me Liara. Dr. T'Soni is far too formal", Liara responded. Shepard smiled kindly at her in an attempt to ease her nervousness. It appeared to work, if only a little.
"Thank you, Liara. Please feel free to call me Shepard", he said. Liara smiled as well and tipped her head slightly in acknowledgement. Beside her, Ashley tensed at the interaction between the two but kept control of her emotions.
"I wish there was something I could tell you", said Liara. "It's just like I said on Therum, I have not spoken to my mother in many years. Any information I could give you would be regarding her immense business network, and even that would most likely be out of date."
"Let us be the judge of that. I want you to give a list of contacts you can remember to Ashley, particularly ones that may be overlooked by an official report."
"As you wish commander."
Liara looked as though she wanted to interject however was nervous to do so. Catching her eye, he gave a small nod to indicate she was free to speak.
"I would just like to thank all of you for rescuing me from the Geth", she said. "If you had not, there is no telling what would have happened to me. The Geth would have killed me, or dragged me off to Saren."
"And why would they have dragged you off to him", Kaidan asked. "Why were they after you in the first place? I doubt it was only because of your mother. What do you know about the Conduit?"
"Very little, I'm afraid", Liara responded. "That word does not come up often in the Prothean's history. In fact, I only know of it being mentioned once, in some old records discovered about 20 years ago. There was no mention as to its purpose nor why it was created, however I do know it was around the time of the Prothean's extinction."
"That makes sense", Ashley exclaimed. "It must have been a weapon they created to try to drive back the Reapers."
Shepard gave a glare that had Ashley shrinking back in her seat. She was, at first, not sure what she had done to upset him. However, the Asari's next question cleared things up.
"I'm sorry, what are the Reapers", she asked.
Shepard continued to glare at Ashley for another few seconds before sighing in irritation and turning his gaze to focus back on Liara. This wasn't something he had planned on explaining to her.
"According to information we pulled from a Geth's memory banks, the Reapers were a race of hyper-advanced artificial intelligence's that were supposedly responsible for wiping out the Protheans 50,000 years ago" Shepard explained.
He could practically hear the gears working in her mind as she processed this new information. He could not say he had much experience with scientists, but he had to wonder if they all acted like this or if it was just her.
"Yes, I suppose that theory makes some semblance of sense", she admitted after much thought. "The biggest mystery in my field of study is, what happened to the Protheans? At one point, their empire stretched across the entire galaxy, yet over the course of a single century they were wiped out. Now, that may seem like a long time, however in terms of a galaxy wide extinction it is remarkably short, especially because it does not appear as though another civilization was responsible for it."
"So, your saying you think they were wiped out", Kaidan asked.
"It seems the most likely conclusion. And what's more, according to my research they were not the first."
That certainly caught everyone's attention.
"What do you mean they were not the first", Tali asked.
"Granted, this theory is not verified and was developed by myself, however based off my research, but everything I have found points to a pattern" Liara explained. "A great civilization would rise up before being violently cast down. This cycle goes back millions of years, and that is simply the evidence that I have found, there is no telling how long this cycle has really been existed."
Shepard's mind was being overloaded. If the Reapers were truly responsible for the destruction of the Prothean Empire, and there truly was a history of this happening before the first Prothean was even born, it begged a simple question. How old were the Reapers? And how many other civilizations had they destroyed? Apparently, he wasn't the only one to have this thought.
"Keelah", Tali said, breathlessly. "Are you saying the Protheans may not have been the first civilization the Reapers destroyed?"
"Assuming you are correct in the existence of these 'Reapers', I would say it is a likely possibility", Liara responded. "Of course, there is much more research to be done, including conclusively proving the existence of these machines."
"If you can find some way to prove it, please send the evidence to the Council", Shepard requested. "They won't even consider the possibility that the Reapers exist."
Liara was silent for a minute, as though considering what she wanted to say. However, he could never have predicted what she was going to ask next.
"If that is the case, I would like to request that I remain with you on your mission. I would not only like to find my mother, but I would like to remain with you for my career. I have a feeling I may learn more by helping you on your mission than I would spending another century searching the galaxy for another lead."
Shepard had to admit, it made a certain amount of sense to have her remain with them, even join them on some of the ground excursions. For one thing, she was an Asari, meaning she was bound to have some kind of biotic talent. For another, she could help him make sense of any other connections to the Protheans they may come across. He had a feeling the answer they were searching for would be found in the past. It appeared Kaidan had caught on to a different part of that statement.
"Wait, another hundred years? How old are you exactly?"
"It is difficult for me to admit, but I am only 106 years old. I believe that it is the main reason why my work is not receiving the proper attention that it deserves."
Meanwhile, everyone was still stuck on her announcement that she was over 100 years old. Also, the fact that she said it like it was no big deal.
"Wow, 100 years old. I hope I look as good as you when I get to be your age", Ashley exclaimed.
"That aside", Shepard interrupted, "yes, you may stay on this ship. I assume you have some control over your biotics that may prove useful in a fight."
"Indeed", Liara replied. "My mother ensured that I had the finest instructors available to see to my schooling. I was told I was quite the natural. In addition, I do have some basic training with standard firearms."
"Good, consider yourself a part of the team", Shepard declared. "Ashley will assign you your firearms, see Dr. Chakwas so she can approve you for active duty, and check in with XO Pressly so he can deal with the paperwork. Alright, good meeting everyone. Now, if anyone needs me I'll be in my room, drinking until I fall asleep."
"Wait, Shepard. While we're all here, do you think you should ask her about your vision", Garrus asked. His comment instantly drew the attention of one curious Asari, swiveling in her chair so her vision was centered on him.
"What vision is this?", she asked.
Shepard hesitated. On the one hand it would be good to get the opinion of an actual Prothean expert. However, on the other hand he still wasn't sure she could be trusted.
'I'm usually a good judge of character, but when it comes to girls my judgement gets hazy. Like that time on Omega when I went home with that stripper and woke up tied to the bed with my Omni-tool missing', he thought.
That had been one hell of a day. It had taken him several hours to track her down and retrieve his property. Thankfully he had upgraded his Omni-tool's security, so she hadn't been able to hack into it yet.
'Ah, to hell with it.'
"About a week ago, we received a mission to retrieve a rather sensitive package from a human colony named Eden Prime", Shepard explained. "It turned out to be a working Prothean Beacon."
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Liara could feel her eyes widen in both surprise and excitement. Finding any kind of working Prothean technology was extremely rare. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the way the universe worked. You could spend half a century combing the galaxy for any sign of Prothean artifacts. Then the newest species to galactic space travel just happen upon what could be the greatest historical find of the century.
"You found a working Beacon? Where is it? What was it like?" She asked excitedly. She could immediately tell from the expressions of the humans around the room that she would not like the answer.
"It blew up", the female human, she thinks her name is Ashley, responded. "We weren't the only ones to know about the Beacon. A group of Geth, led by our target Saren, attacked the colony to get the Beacon. They weren't able to transport it off world however Saren did gain access to it. When we got there, it transmitted some kind of vision into Shepard's head before it exploded."
Liara took a minute to let herself process this new information. The destruction of the Beacon was devastating, however there was still a bright spot. She was in the presence of a man who had experienced its effects.
"It is exceedingly rare to come across a working Beacon", Liara said. "Protheans used these to communicate across vast distances by downloading the message directly into their minds."
"Yea, I definitely got some weird images from that thing", Shepard responded. "But I definitely wasn't able to pick any sort of message out of the damn thing, it was too chaotic."
"That's understandable", Liara admitted. "Prothean Beacons were designed to communicate with Prothean minds. What may seem like a nonsense set of images to you, would prove to be completely understandable to a Prothean."
"That's interesting and all, but how does that help us discern its meaning", Tali asked.
Liara thought about it for a minute. It's true, her knowledge could prove useless, therefor prove herself worthless. These people may be working for the Council, but she didn't know them. Until she was able to determine who they were and get to know them better, it was in her best interest to prove herself a valuable player in this game. Not for the first time, she found herself resenting her mother.
Even growing up, Liara remembered her mother as being a powerful and influential Matriarch. One who many leaders from across the galaxy would go to for advice. From an early age, Liara had felt the pressure to be like her mother, even if it didn't come from her mother herself. But she had no interest in following in her mother's footsteps. Instead, she had found another calling. Yet here she was, drawn into her mother's world. No matter the distance she run, she couldn't escape who she was.
"If I may put forth an idea", she asked, uncertainly. It may be the best she could up with, but she doubted they would be happy about it. Especially Shepard. He gave off this aura of a man shrouded in secrets.
"I'm listening", he responded, skeptically. She could tell from the look on his face. He knew, whatever she was going to propose, he wasn't going to like it.
"Humans are not used to having other's ideas put into their head, however, for Asari, that process is part of our culture. If you'll allow me, I could meld my mind with yours. I could help you piece the images together, perhaps drawing a clearer idea as to the message."
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Well, Shepard was right. He didn't like the idea. In fact, he would even go so far as to say he hated it. Now, he had been with his fair share of Asaris. Hell, he had been with many men's fair share of Asaris. But there was one thing he had never allowed during any of his experiences, and that was melding. There was too much he wanted to keep hidden, too many things he had sworn to take with him to his grave.
But, on the other hand, he wasn't sure he could afford not to get her help. The fate of the fucking galaxy could rest on him and his crew, no thanks to the god damn Council. Could he afford to be selfish here? Normally he would say yes. Hell, he had been selfish his entire life. It was how he survived. Look after number one and to hell with everyone else. The only problem was, this could affect the life of the one person in the entire galaxy that he really gave a damn about. His sister, Jane.
Sure, he cared about his old friends like Rita, Jenna, and their mom. Hell, he had even come to care about Aria in a strange, fucked up sort of way. But when shit got real, and he had to make a life or death choice, Jane was the only person he would choose over himself. Call that selfish or whatever you want, he wouldn't apologize for it.
"Ok, one question before I even begin to consider this", he said. "If we do this melding thing, is there any way to control what you see or do you just get everything?"
"It should be fairly simple to find the message and view it without needing to dig into the rest of your memories", she responded. "The vision itself should stand out because it was implanted into you, instead of created by you. Also, judging by what you have said, it happened recently. Correct?"
Shepard nodded in confirmation, waiting patiently to hear what she had to say.
"Alright", she continued. "Since it is fresh, it should be even easier to locate. Now, if you agree to give me access to your mind we can begin right now."
Even though he knew what his answer was going to be, still he hesitated. He had spent years of his life learning and perfecting the art of keeping people out. No matter how much he knew it to be necessary, that was a hard habit to break. Finally, he gave out a long sigh and nodded his head in agreement, already dreading what was about to happen.
"You must prepare yourself, Shepard", she warned. "This will be a very intense experience. It may leave you drained and shaken, but I believe it will be well worth it in the end. Now, calm your mind. Let your thoughts reach out, beyond your body and into the universe around you…towards me. Now…Embrace Eternity.
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She may have been an Asari, but she did not have much experience with Melding. In fact, the only experience she had had was when she was just beginning to mature, a time she understood humans called being a teen, with her best friend as a way to sate their curiosity and get in some practice. Once she had left to pursue her hunt for Prothean artifacts she had not had any desire to do so again. She had had a few physical flings here and there, often separated by years in between, but that was all.
There was always that strange moment of anticipation. Her mind extended beyond her body, searching out Shepard's as it crossed the room. Then, she found it. For a human he was remarkably good at preparing his mind for someone else's. As their minds met, they wove together, intertwining until it became impossible to determine where one ended and the other began.
Over the half-century she had been joining archeological digs she had had many conversations with her fellow colleagues. Not so much lately, she tended to be more isolated over the last decade or so. But when she had first started she had been the sheltered daughter of a powerful Matriarch, and so was desperate for any kind of contact with others. One question she had constantly run into during these conversations was that of Asari Melding, and what it felt like.
Over decades of conversations, she still had yet to find a way to properly describe the feeling of connecting to another being. The answer she had taken to giving, one she had started using after the first decade, was the only way to describe it was to experience it. Of course, that usually led to some follow up questions that usually ended with the other person asking if she could do it with them. At which point she would politely decline before kindly, but sternly, telling them to leave.
His mind was so unlike her old friends. Shiala's mind had been so open, so welcoming to her own. Shepard's mind was guarded, reluctant to allow her any kind of entrance. Casting her mind over his, she searched for the irregularity she wanted. It may have taken a moment, but she finally located it. Again, it would be difficult to explain to anyone who may ask. The best she could do was it was like a color that was similar to the others, but still different. Like a drop of light blue in a sea of regular blue. And then the vision was upon her, drawing her in like a magnet until she could not have escaped if she wanted to.
Death
Destruction
A strange world
Machines
Darkness
And then, everything changed. She was on a small world, looking at a pair of human children playing in a field. It was impossible for her to tell the age, she did not have near enough experience with humans to accurately venture a guess, yet somehow, she still knew it. The boy in front of her was eight years old with the girl two years younger at the age of 6. The boy was currently running and laughing, glancing back at the giggling girl that was chasing him.
"John, Jane. It's time for lunch."
The children stopped to look back at the house in the distance. The voice calling them was female, the outline of her barely visible on the porch of the house.
"Come on, Jane. It's time to go back", the boy said to the girl. Turning around, he gestured to his back and, getting the hint, the girl giggled and jumped John's back. Hooking his arms under her legs, he took off running towards the house, smiling at the laughing girl clinging to his back. They were about one hundred yards from the house when a large boom rocked the world. Turning around at the same time as the boy, she saw a large explosion coming from the direction of the world's main colony. Looking up into the sky, she was able to see a fleet of large ships descending onto the world.
The boy turned and looked at the door, where the woman who had called them and a broad-shouldered man was staring out at the colony. Then there eyes went wide, and Liara could see several of the ships leaving the colony and heading out towards the farms, on heading directly for them. As it got closer, she was able to identify the kind of ship it was. Batarians.
"John, take your sister into the woods and stay there", the man said. "You need to hide, and don't come out until you see the Alliance."
"What about you?", he asked.
"I said go…NOW", the man roared. The small boy flinched back before gripping his sisters hand, she had slid off his back at some point while they were talking and taking off. Liara was dragged along with them. Once they had reached the border of the forest they looked back to see one of the ships had landed next to their house. And then the boy was pulling the girl into the trees and away from the sight behind them.
And then she was stumbling away, falling to the floor of the Normandy. Looking around she saw that everyone was moving most to check on Shepard while the Turian came towards her, looking somewhat threatening. Looking over she saw Shepard had collapsed into one of the chairs. He was glaring at her accusingly.
"I thought… you said you were… only going to see the… vision", he said. He was breathing hard and his face was covered in a thin layer of sweat. It was at that time Liara was able to realize what had happened. That boy she had seen, that was Shepard. She had heard of the Batarian slavers attack on Mindoir. She just did not know he was one of the colonists that day.
The female human, Ashley, turned on her next. Her tone of voice was just as accusing as his had been.
"What did you do to him", she demanded.
"I apologize", Liara responded. "I was able to view the vision however I got pulled into another memory somehow. Your mind must have made a connection between the two and I got swept along in it."
She could see him exhale angrily. Rising to his feet, though he still looked a bit unsteady, he waved off the members of his team that were moving to help him.
"Alright, I think that's enough for one meeting. Everyone out. Liara I want you to get some rest and come see me in my cabin tomorrow. There are some things I need to talk to you about." He said. As everyone started to file towards the exit a message over the intercom had them pausing.
"Commander, I have the Council trying to contact us. Should I patch them through?" The voice was male, though nowhere near as deep as Shepard's. She saw a clear look of annoyance and exasperation on his face before he responded.
"Yea, put them through."
The last sight she caught was of him schooling his features and looking very much alone.
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"So, Commander, I hear you were able to track down the daughter of Matriarch Benezia", Valern, the Salarian Councilor commented. "I assume you are taking the necessary precautions."
"What's that supposed to mean", he asked.
"It means don't let her get her hands on anything valuable she could pass along to Benezia", the Turian Councilor, Sparatus, interrupted. "I know you may be quick to trust her, but the Council is not so naïve. I want her kept away from any information related to us or the Alliance."
"Don't lecture me, Councilor", Shepard responded. There was a layer of thinly veiled anger clear in his voice, which took on a mocking tone when addressing him by his title. Even looking at his hologram, Shepard could see the anger on his face. He had always had a knack for pissing people off, but even for his standards, this was too easy.
"We are not trying to lecture you, Shepard", Tevos interrupted before things got out of hand. "We are simply looking to protect ourselves from any possible threats. What you do with Dr. T'Soni is up to you, within reason. Please remember, even though Benezia is working Saren, she is powerful and influential Matriarch. I hope you will treat her daughter as an honored guest until we can determine whether she is guilty or not."
"You don't need to worry, Councilor", he replied. "No matter what this Turian may think, I'm not an utter asshole. Dr. T'Soni has agreed to join my team and, as such, she will be treated like any other. She will be afforded all the comforts and protections I offer every other teammate."
Tevos looked slightly disapproving, no doubt thinking Liara should be afforded more preferential treatment than that. Sparatus had a similar look, though most likely due to a person of interest being an active member of a Spectre's team. Valern, as usual, showed no outwards reaction at all.
"What is your next step from here, Commander", the Salarian asked.
"Well, as of right now we don't have any leads to track down", he answered, after taking a moment to think things through. "Liara has given us the names of some companies that Benezia had ties to. We are already looking into them, hopefully that'll give us a lead of some kind. Until then I will be returning to the Citadel. There are some things I need to take care of."
"Very well. Send us that list of connections and we will see if we can uncover anything", the Asari said.
"Hang on a second", Sparatus cut in, angrily. "You have business on the Citadel? What business is that? You are now a Spectre, on a mission from the Council. You can't just go running around wherever you want…"
He probably had more to say, but Shepard was exhausted and really did not feel like dealing with this right now. There was a bottle of whiskey waiting for him in his cabin with his name on it.
"I really don't want to deal with this bullshit", he cut in. "Joker, cut the transmission."
"Don't you dare…"
"Transmission terminated, Commander", came the pilot's voice over the ship's intercoms. "They're not going to be happy with that."
"Right now, I really don't care. If anyone else calls, tell them I'm not available", he responded. Without another word he walked out of the room, the door hissing closed behind him.
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He wasn't really sure how he had gotten into this position, but he couldn't say it was terrible. While drinking, itself, was fun. There was just something better about drinking with a group. Like he was currently doing right now. It seemed every male member of his team, plus Jenkins, had showed up and filed into his room. The news that he had alcohol drawing them in like bees to honey. Or mercs to a strip club.
"So, anyone here got a girl waiting for them when this mission is over", Kaidan asked.
Wrex gave out a short grunt-like laugh. Shepard took that for a no. Garrus, apparently, had a little more to say on the subject.
"Not for a while", he said. Shepard jumped at the opportunity to tease him a little.
"Uh-oh, I smell a story. So…what happened."
Garrus looked hesitant for a second, draining the rest of his Turian Brandy before going for a refill. Finally, he began his story.
"Her name was Artemira. We grew up together on Palaven, went through military training together, the whole thing", he began. Everyone leaned back and got comfortable. This was likely to be a long story.
"We were together for a couple years before I left to be a C-Sec officer. She was a little younger, a year to be exact, so the plan was for her to finish her training and then move in with me on the Citadel."
"Ooh, big mistake", Shepard interrupted. "Long-distance relationships don't work."
"I'm going to have to agree with you there, Shepard", the Turian conceded. "About three months after moving, I met this Asari, Miria."
"I can see where this is going", Kaidan said. Wrex laughed. It appeared the Krogan had come to investigate Shepard's liquor supply, but had clearly not expected Garrus to show up as well. He had not appeared overly aggressive, despite the Krogan species' long, and well-founded hatred of both the Turian and Salarian species. Still, he had refused to speak to him. It was something Shepard was going to need to keep tabs on.
"Indeed. I was immediately attracted to her, but I had Artemira. Still, it had been months since I had last seen her and eventually my self-control slipped. One night, she and I went out to a nightclub and I had a little too much to drink. The rest of the night is hazy, but I remember going back to my place and waking up next to her."
"Shit man, I'm guessing your girlfriend found out", Kaidan asked.
"If it was just the one time, probably not", the Turian replied, somehow looking both guilty and sheepish. And…was that a little pride in there?
"Damn, Turian. Didn't know your species had it in them", Wrex commented. Everyone looked at him in surprise. He had actually spoken to Garrus.
"Yes, well. It's not something I am particularly proud of", Garrus responded. Shepard huffed softly, he doubted that. "Our affair continued for about a month before things went to hell. Artemira decided to come visit me on the Citadel one day. She wanted it to be a surprise, so she didn't tell me beforehand. She walked in on me and Miria…well…you know. Needless to say, she didn't stick around after that. I gave her enough credits to purchase a last-minute ticket on the next shuttle back to Palaven. Haven't seen or spoken to her since."
"That sucks, man", Kaidan commented. "But at least you still had Miria. What ever happened between you and her?"
"I believe you humans would call it Karma", responded Garrus. "We were together for a month before I caught her cheating on me. I suppose that is what I get."
"Ah, don't feel too bad Garrus", Kaidan said. "I think we all have one of those stories. Mine wasn't with anyone serious. Didn't mean she wasn't pissed off about it. I swear it took my nuts about two weeks to drop again."
Wrex and Garrus looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean 'your nuts'", Garrus asked.
"And why do they need to drop?" Wrex continued.
"Just forget it. I'll explain it to you later", Shepard interrupted before the conversation could continue. "Long story short…she kicked him in his man-parts."
"Oh", Wrex chuckled. "Wait…does that mean human man-organs can…"
"Moving on", He interrupted again. He was too tired and nowhere near drunk enough to have this conversation.
"So…Commander. Do you have any interesting stories to share with the group", Kaidan asked.
And suddenly Shepard wished he had kept his mouth shut. That or left to dup in to his emergency stash of alcohol he had hidden in the cargo bay. He took an extra long drink, hoping they would take the hint and leave him alone. No good. They just kept staring at him.
Shepard sighed.
"Alright fine. First of all Garrus, compared to me you're a saint. You cheated on your girlfriend with one Asari…call me when that becomes a regular occurrence. There's an old human saying, 'out of sight out of mind'. That could define every relationship I've ever had. Starting in my teen years, I had to travel a lot for my job. Turns out I'm not so good at the whole 'staying faithful' thing. Eventually just gave it up. Haven't had an actual girlfriend in years."
"Shit man, that's heavy", Kaidan commented.
"What's heavy?" Wrex asked.
"Nothing, never mind", Kaidan responded. "So, commander. What's our plan for finding Saren? Did the Council give you any leads?"
"Not yet", he responded. "I forwarded that list Liara made to see if they could find anything specific. Until then, I've got some business on the Citadel that I need to take care of. We should be getting there in a couple hours, should only be spending a day or so there. I'm not gonna need any help so while we're there, consider yourselves on break. Just don't do anything that's gonna need me to bail you out of C-Sec…yea, I'm looking at you Wrex."
Wrex chuckled guiltily. After that, there was nothing but a few minutes of silence as they focused on the drinks in their hands. As usual, Kaidan was the one to break the streak.
"So, you gonna tell us anything about your days on the street?"
"I doubt it", Shepard responded.
'I am this close to kicking them out of my room…literally.'
"Oh, come one Shepard", he whined. Receiving only a stern look in reply, he sighed and reluctantly let it go. "Alright, fine. So, wanna give us some more info on that deck of cards you were carrying?"
Shepard reached into his pocket and withdrew said object. He took a minute to stare at it fondly before passing it over the Kaidan.
"I guess you'll get a little bit of both", he said. "I'm sure you remember from the Council meeting that I ran away from the orphanage I was staying at. Unfortunately, I had no idea how hard it was going to be… living on the streets. I was half-dead by the end of my second week. That's when he found me."
"Who", Wrex asked.
"His name was Mike. I have no idea what his last name was, he never told anyone. He was an older guy, somewhere in his thirties. He had brown hair, average height. He was a pretty influential figure in the neighborhood's gang, the 12th Street Reds. They were a small-time gang, just getting started and building up power in the giant city that is New York. Anyway, he found me, homeless, on the street. Mike was in charge of street games, though he did dabble in running. I was pretty fast and knew the neighborhood well, so that's where he used me.
"Street games? Running", Garrus asked, confused.
"Running is slang for transporting things like drugs and money from one place to another. Usually from base to our sellers and then moving the money back. Street games were gang sanctioned scams that some of the people would run on the everyday citizens. Things like Three Card Monty and other stuff like that. Plus, once a week he would hold a weekly poker game for some of the high rollers in the area."
"Sounds like this guy became your mentor", Kaidan commented.
"He did", he replied. "Taught me how to play every game there is, and how to play it well. More importantly, he taught me how to cheat and not get caught. He also taught me how to survive the life we were living. He taught me everything, how to fight, how to disappear, anything I could possible need to know."
He was caught up in his own story, so much so he didn't realize what time it was until Joker's voice came over the intercom.
"We're about 5 hours out from the Citadel, Commander."
He sighed. He couldn't believe he had spent so much time talking when he really needed to get some sleep.
"Alright, you heard the man. Get out of my room so I can a few hours of sleep before we reach the Citadel.", Shepard said, standing up and gathering everyone's glasses.
"What? Come on, you can't just leave in the middle of a story like that", Kaidan protested.
"Come back some other time if you want to hear the end", he responded. "Now out. That's an order, not a request."
Still grumbling, Kaidan stood up and left the room. Wrex and Garrus followed after him, thanking him for the drinks as they left. Finally, Shepard was alone. Standing in his cabin and staring out the window at the blue blur that went by, their ship moving too fast to actually see any of the things that went by.
Walking over to the table where Kaidan had set down his deck of cards, he ruffled through it until he found the one he was looking for. The 9 of diamonds. Not a particularly significant card by normal standards, however this one was different. Dotting the face side of the cards was splotches of red, faded over time.
"Sorry things had to end the way they did", he said to himself. "But I know if our roles were reversed you would have done the exact same thing as me."
-Line Break-
Liara knew she should be asleep. Goddess knows she had had a difficult day, mentally, physically, and emotionally draining. Yet here she was, set up in the room behind the medbay, laying on the cot Shepard had ordered be brought in, and staring up at the ceiling. The only sounds she could make out was the gentle creaking of the ship.
The reason for her current insomnia could be described in one word. No, it wasn't the news that her mother was now a galactically wanted criminal, though that did plague her mind. It wasn't the brush with death she had experienced just hours before or even the new team she found herself on. A team she knew didn't trust her.
No, the reason for her sleeplessness was the man who had saved her. The man who had allowed her to join his crew. The commander of the ship she was currently laying in. Commander John Shepard. Humanities first Spectre.
She did not know what is was about him that had captured her attention, almost from the very moment she first laid eyes on him. When she was hanging, helpless and alone, caught in a Prothean trap just waiting to die, or worse, be dragged off to Saren.
Maybe it was his eyes. They were a rare electric blue, unlike any she had ever seen before. There was such intensity in those eyes, such passion that she had, at first glance, found them intimidating. But now, she found them captivating. They were like a black hole, drawing her in, and she wasn't sure if she even wanted to fight the pull.
Liara had never been in love. In fact, she had never felt anything that could even closely resemble love except for her mother. She wasn't even sure she knew what it would feel like… falling in love with someone. As a child she had asked her mother to explain it to her but had never received an answer. The question always made Benezia sad. She was most likely thinking about her father, another topic she had never received and answer to.
She definitely would not call these feeling towards the human love, but they were a new sensation, one she had no experience with in her short, long if compared to most other species, life. All she knew was that this human captivated her, in a way that went beyond the normal, scientific curiosity she normally would have felt towards someone who had experienced working, Prothean technology.
And then there was the memory she had experienced. She had felt everything he'd felt. The love and protectiveness towards the young girl next to him, the fondness towards the woman on the porch, the complex twister of emotions he had for the man in the memory. And finally, the terror he had felt, looking up into the sky at the coming ships.
Liara did not know what she had gotten herself into, but she was going to see it through. Her gut was telling her it was important to remain here, fighting with this new team and getting to know the diverse beings she would be calling her teammates. With any luck, this journey would lead her to the answers she had spent the majority of her life seeking. And she might even find something she had never known to look for.
Author's Note:
Sorry for the long wait. All I can say is life got in the way again. As you can guess, this is a filler chapter. I'm hoping to get back to the missions and action soon. So, I leave this up to you, I can use the next chapter to go over things on the Citadel, that means more character building and building relationships. Or, I can skip over it and just do a summary, maybe come back to it in the future as a flashback. Like I said, I leave it up to you.
You can message me or leave your decision in a review. Also, if you do was me to do the Citadel chapter, let me know if I should do a lemon with Sha'ira, just imply it, or not have them hook up at all.
Let me know what you guys think of the romance I am trying to build. I don't have much experience with it and have always found it hard to build one. Some feedback on how I am doing so far would be good. I know there is not much yet, but things should start picking up more in the chapters to come. Also, I will be posting two polls on my profile. One will be whether there should be a harem or not. The other will be to vote on who will be in it. If you don't want a harem, you can still go to the second poll and cast your vote for who the main romance option will be.
As usual, Follow, Favorite, and (most importantly) review. The more interest you show in this story, the more motivated I am to write and update faster.
