Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to us. They belong to BioWare and any other creators of the Mass Effect universe. We do this for free, fun entertainment and do not mean to offend anyone.

Warning: This story is rated a strong MA+ for sexual situations between two women. Other warnings will be posted subsequently based up what come up in each chapter. But as a general warning there are strong non-con elements in the beginning of this fic. This is not meant as an accurate portrayal of a non-consensual relationship, so please take this story for what it is - a fictional, romanticized piece of writing.

A/N: This story was (and currently still is) being posted on the kink meme first. If you haven't read it and don't have the patience to wait for updates, there's a link on Rae's profile, but hopefully the updates here will be quick as PC words through her edits. As always, we hope you enjoy and always appreciate any feedback you, our readers, might have for us.

Possession

Chapter 1

Captain Shepard stepped off the gangway of her ship and into the bustle of the crowds at the most heavily trafficked port on Watson. She didn't usually like to do business on primarily human colonies because of the hassle it could potentially cause if anyone recognized her, but it was unavoidable on her current job. Even though she was in the Terminus System, where Alliance law couldn't touch her, she still planned to keep this trip planetside as short as possible.

She set out with Garrus, her espionage specialist, Wrex, her weapons expert, and Ashley, her second in command, with everyone heavily armed. It was rare for Shepard and Ashley to be off the ship at the same time, since the Normandy was their prized possession and needed to be protected above all else, but she wanted Ashley's fighting skills just in case something went wrong on this mission. Shepard never completely trusted some of her contacts not to try and stiff her by killing her, or to take the Alliance up on that hefty reward they were offering for the capture of their former war hero.

Shepard had purposely chosen auction day for their face-to-face exchange because there were more people crowding the streets of the lower markets, but she still found the slave trade distasteful. The slave market was only open once every standard galactic week, and it drew a few thousand more lowlifes out from beneath their rocks. In all the years since she had broken with the Alliance, Shepard had done many unsavory things, but she had never become involved in slave trafficking.

It was only by luck - although Shepard certainly didn't consider it lucky at the time - that she and her crew were walking through the mob scene of the slave market when a beautiful young asari maiden came up for sale on the blocks. A not so well kept secret about Shepard was her preference for blue flesh in her bed, and the Captain couldn't help when her deep green eyes were instantly drawn to the appetizing body on display as though with a mind of their own.

'They certainly know how to display the goods,' Shepard thought as she stopped and turned fully towards the raised platform. She widened her stance and tried to find a little more room in her tight olive green pants for her twitching clit as she took in the half naked asari. The slavers had given the asari a long skirt to wear, but it had multiple slits right up to the braided belt circling her slim waist that gave the crowd a tempting view of what they could purchase. It was a clever design that allowed the potential buyers a glimpse of toned legs, but kept the ultimate prize at the apex of the slave's thighs out of sight.

Shepard barely paid attention to the batarian slaver, and apparently part time auctioneer, as he extolled the selling points of what Shepard guessed was his last sale of the day; they always saved the best for last. The asari seemed wary, but she held herself more confidently than an experienced slave, and Shepard was positive that she was unbroken. Anyone who had been a slave for even a short time knew that a show of spirit would only bring out the sadists, who were willing to part with a lot of credits for a new toy they could have fun breaking to their will. It would be an unfortunate end for someone so beautiful, and Shepard hoped the maiden broke quickly for someone who would lose interest afterwards.

Shepard stayed for the start of the bidding, curious how much the asari would go for and considering how many of her own precious credits she might be willing to part with to get to know this particular slave better. It was a combination of the price rapidly climbing and Shepard's personal disdain for the flesh trade that had the Captain turning her back before the final bid was in. If anything could make Shepard break her own rule about staying out of the slave trade, it was her libido, but she wasn't willing to part with the amount of credits it would take to buy the asari slave.

Unfortunately, Shepard didn't get very far before a new voice joined the last few who were still trying to outbid each other. She felt a shiver snake down her spine even as a noticeable hush fell over the usually boisterous and rowdy crowd. The bidding, which had been going fast and furious, suddenly stopped, and even the batarian auctioneer couldn't seem to find his voice. There was nothing like pure fear to silence the masses.

It was Saren, a former turian SpecTRe who had been stripped of his position and power when the Council had learned of his double-crossing deals and criminal activities, taking things too far to get his job done. They had been willing to overlook a lot, but when Saren's extreme - and many thought unnecessary - tactics were made public, the Council had little choice but to sever their connection to him. However, since his break with the galactic ruling body, Saren's methods had only become more ruthless, and no one was safe from his wrath if they angered him.

Although Shepard knew many people had a tendency to exaggerate stories, she had come across Saren's handiwork personally and knew what kind of sadistic son of a bitch he really was. She had never run afoul of him personally yet in the many illegal dealings she had participated in, and was grateful for that fact. If she knew what was good for her and her crew, Shepard told herself, she would keep walking and complete the transaction she was here for instead of getting entangled in something that wouldn't have a pleasant outcome.

There was an unnatural moment of silence. No one else dared to outbid Saren. Even the auctioneer looked uncomfortable, and perhaps a little disappointed that the bidding was unlikely to rise any further. "The bid is three hundred thousand credits. Going once..."

Shepard began to turn away, but she couldn't help but take one more look at the slave's face. The sudden silence hadn't gone unnoticed by the pretty maiden, and although she had looked wary before, the sudden flash of pain and fear on her face struck Shepard like a blow to the chest.

"Going twice..."

Perhaps it was that small, still living part of her conscience, or perhaps it was her troublesome libido, but before she could think any better of it, Shepard found herself raising her hand.

"Three hundred and fifty."

It took Shepard a moment to realize that the voice had been her own. If it had been possible for any more of a hush to fall over the formerly deafening crowd, then Shepard's challenging bid did the trick. Even the asari looked mildly startled, but when she saw Shepard, her eyes softened just a little. Obviously, she had gotten a glimpse of Saren and had decided that Shepard looked much less intimidating, despite her expensive armor and the weapons strapped to nearly every available part of her body.

Beside her, Shepard's second in command, Ashley Williams, leaned in. "What the hell are you doing, Skipper?" she asked in a loud whisper, staring incredulously at her leader. Shepard never backed down from a fight, and she had a way of seeking out trouble, but she rarely did anything that was completely and unnecessarily stupid.

Shepard stayed Ashley's protests with a steady hand, but didn't take her eyes off Saren. Slowly, the turian sized her up, curious about who had been stupid enough to challenge him. Had Shepard not already steeled herself, she wasn't sure if she would have been able to suppress the shiver that ran down her spine at Saren's cold, dead look. There was no small smile that indicated he was amused by someone going up against him, only a hatred that Shepard knew came from blind sociopathic tendencies.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand credits!" the auctioneer said, his four eyes blinking over at Shepard's raised hand. There was a slight waver in his voice, as if he wanted to be somewhere, anywhere, else. "Can I get three hundred and sixty -"

"Four hundred."

Shepard's eyes narrowed. She refused to look at Saren, focusing on the slave instead. She was prettier to look at anyway, and it would serve to irritate her competitor. "Four hundred and fifty."

"Five hundred."

The auctioneer didn't bother speaking anymore. He kept glancing back and forth nervously between Saren and Shepard, obviously hoping that they would resolve this power play without involving him.

"Six hundred."

This time, even Wrex looked uncomfortable. "Shepard? That's twice what we're getting paid for this job," he growled. "And what the hell are you going to do with that once you're done fucking?"

"She's not a 'that'," Ashley immediately defended. Despite her defection from the Alliance, she still had a moral core that Shepard occasionally found troublesome.

Shepard didn't bother adding to the whispered conversation. Instead, she waited. This time, there was no response from Saren.

The nervous batarian cleared his throat, blinking his four eyes rapidly. "Going once, going twice... sold, for six hundred thousand credits." He gripped the slave's naked blue arm. She flinched, her face twisting in pain, but Shepard doubted that the batarian had caused it. More likely, she had unintentionally flared her biotics and received a shock from the dampening collar around her neck.

"Ashley, you and Garrus escort our new guest back to the Normandy," Shepard said, her eyes continuing to follow her new slave across the stage. "Lock her in my cabin and prepare the ship for take off. I don't want to stay any longer than we have to on this planet." What she didn't say but what everyone in their party was thinking was that they now had a particular enemy they needed to get away from. "Wrex and I will finish our business here and get back to the ship as soon as it's done." Shepard's tone allowed for no argument, and she could even see Ashley stand a little more at attention out of the corner of her eye.

Turning towards Ashley, Shepard made sure her next words were understood perfectly. "No harm is to come to the asari." Shepard didn't think her crew would do anything to hurt her new slave, but she wanted it known that this was a direct order. Ashley was really good at following orders. Shepard also wanted to make it clear that Ashley and Garrus were expected to protect the slave if Saren were to dispute Shepard's claim on her.

"Aye aye, Skipper," Ashley answered, barely able to suppress a salute. She broke away from Shepard and made her way towards the stage, knowing that Garrus would be following behind her as their captain had ordered. As second in command, Ashley was authorized to settle any of Shepard's business, so she had access to the former Alliance Commander's personal account.

Trusting Ashley to take care of everything on that front, Shepard headed out for the scheduled rendezvous with her client. She didn't seem any more vigilant than usual – Shepard was always aware of the smallest nuianses in her surroundings – but she was definitely on the look out for any possible attack from Saren. From the stories she had heard, Saren didn't take losing well, and Shepard knew there would be consequences for going up against him. She just wondered whether they would be coming now or later.

Luckily, the client that Shepard was going to see had the same business expectations as she did – make it fast, then get the hell out. Chatty clients were the worst and tested Shepard's patience, but the Captain had little choice in the matter because she needed all the work she could get to keep her crew together. Today, though, expediency was survival, because Shepard wouldn't feel safe until she was back on board the Normandy and they had left this port far behind.

Liara T'Soni watched in silence as a dark-haired human female and a male turian spoke with the batarian auctioneer. Like all slaves, her translator had been taken from her, and their voices were an alien blend of strange words that she couldn't understand. Even though the thought of being owned by someone else was terrifying, she was relieved that her new owner would have to purchase her a translator soon or reinstall her old one. Having her words taken from her had been the most isolating, frightening part of her week.

The large brown eyes of the female human met hers, and she felt a little more at ease. Liara had no experience with humans, having spent most of her life in the safety and freedom of asari space or on remote, isolated digs, but this one did not seem to mean her any harm. She looked around, hoping to see the red-haired woman that had purchased her, but she and the krogan were long gone.

The male turian eyed her up and down, but his gaze did not linger on her for too long. Still, Liara crossed her arms reflexively over her naked breasts, shivering slightly. When the human handed the batarian a credit chit, the turian stepped forward to take her by the elbow, and he was careful not to grip her too harshly with his talons. Since both he and the human were wearing top of the line armor and were covered in weapons, Liara suspected that they were freelance mercs, and highly experienced ones by the look of them.

She had been captured by a much less professional group of mercenaries during a dig on a small, remote world called Therum a little over a week earlier. Normally, her biotics were more than enough to keep her safe, but when the mercs had surrounded her and held her at gunpoint, she hadn't dared to retaliate. Fortunately, they hadn't caused her any harm after taking her captive, and she had spent most of her time belowdeck on their ship in complete isolation.

Her attention returned to the female human as the batarian handed her a remote and the tiny translator chip that had been surgically removed during her first few hours in captivity. She stared at it longingly, but she only had a moment to gather her thoughts before the turian began leading her away.

The human female stopped her turian partner before he could lead Liara too far. She held out a jacket that she must have just purchased at one of the merchant stalls, and Liara gratefully took it. While most of her species was comfortable with their nudity, Liara had a pretty good idea what she had been bought for by the way her batarian captors had dressed her, and she didn't want to advertise her body any more than she was forced to. And it was certainly too much to hope for that she'd just been bought by a concerned citizen who wanted to free her; Liara wasn't that naïve.

As she was escorted through the still teeming market, Liara could sense her captors' vigilance. She wasn't ignorant enough to have missed the unspoken challenge in the bidding war between her final two prospective owners. The danger in the air had been almost palpable, and Liara was certain these two were on high alert in case the losing turian wasn't so gracious in his defeat.

To be honest, once the bidding had dwindled down to just the menacing looking male turian and the intense human female, Liara had been rooting for the human. Perhaps she was under the misconstrued notion that females of a species were more lenient or gentle than males, but still, Liara had been hoping for the human to place the winning bid on her.

With the fast pace her captors took up, it wasn't long before Liara was being led on board a mysterious looking craft she had never seen the likes of before. She did not have long to glance at the impressive outer shell, but what she saw made her think that they weren't your every day, run of the mill pirates or mercenaries.

As Liara walked through the ship, she memorized the path she was being led on, but held little hope of escape. There were far more people aboard the seemingly small vessel than she would have guessed. Not all of them looked like dangerous mercenaries, but Liara knew that looks could be deceiving. It would be difficult to escape if she could even get out of whatever room they were going to imprison her in, but Liara held out hope that she would if she just figured out a way to get the dampening collar off her neck.

The human who had purchased a jacket for her seemed to dismiss the turian once they went below decks, and remained with her when they entered what was unmistakably a medical bay. There was an older human woman going through supplies towards the back of the room, and Liara guessed that she was the medical personnel on board. She hoped they were here to re-implant her translator so that she could feel more secure in her alien surroundings.

The woman had short, sleek silver hair and a severe but genuine smile, and despite her unhappy position, Liara couldn't help feeling slightly comforted when she looked at her. This doctor, at least, seemed to pose no threat to her, and she didn't appear to have a weapon. As she had hoped, the human that had escorted her through the market handed the doctor the translator chip, and soon, Liara found herself seated on a raised cot as the doctor examined the folds of her crest.

Fortunately, the human seemed to know what she was doing, despite the variations in anatomy. With some local anesthetic and a few swift pinches, her subdermal implant was back in its proper place, and Liara was all too happy to repeat the test phrases that adjusted the settings. "My name is Doctor Liara T'Soni." Her voice broke slightly as she said her name, and she realized it had been a long time since she had last spoken.

This time, when the woman spoke, Liara could understand her. "And what, exactly, are you doing here, Doctor Liara T'Soni? Chief Williams wasn't very forthcoming with information, although I can make a few educated guesses." When Liara didn't answer her question, she continued speaking. "The biotic dampening collar, your removed translator, and your lack of sensible clothes tell me that someone picked you up at the slave markets."

"Yes," Liara admitted, slightly surprised that this woman wanted to converse at all. "Where am I? Who are you? And do you know who... purchased me?" Liara found it difficult to say those last few words. To be perfectly honest, there were moments when she still couldn't believe that someone had taken her captive. Just a few days ago, she had been free and content digging through the ruins on Therum. Now, she had no idea where she was or what was to become of her.

"You're on the Normandy SR-1, the fastest frigate you've ever laid eyes on. My name is Doctor Chakwas." The silver-haired woman turned around and began digging through one of the drawers beneath the cot. Liara breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled out some medi-gel and began applying it to the various scrapes and abrasions that remained from the past few days. "As for who purchased you... I imagine it was Captain Shepard. This is her ship and her crew. As to why... I really have no idea." Liara sensed that Chakwas wasn't telling her the complete truth, but she didn't push. So far, this woman had been nothing but friendly to her, and she didn't want to burn any bridges.

Liara stayed as still as possible while the doctor gently conducted a preliminary survey of her physical injuries. Honestly, Liara had been treated better than she had first expected after being captured by the batarians, but she still had a number of aches and pains and superficial cuts that needed tending.

"You're going to feel a slight pinch in a moment," Doctor Chakwas said while she was examining Liara's back, and Liara braced herself for the pain. She heard the sound of something being injected into her at the same time that she felt the forewarned pinch. There were a multitude of things she could have been injected with – a sedative, vaccine, antibiotics, etc – but if Liara were to guess, she suspected it was some sort of general anti-viral agent. The most dangerous thing to any crew out in space was some unknown contagion getting on board their ship, so Liara understood the precaution.

"Lieutenant Williams, please wait outside while I finish the exam," the doctor requested. Liara looked over at the human soldier that had escorted her and noticed the uncertain look on her face. Williams obviously wanted to fulfill the duties given to her by her commanding officer while also respecting what little privacy Liara still had. In the end, the soldier nodded brusquely and walked out the med bay door.

"I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but I'm going to need to complete my exam," Doctor Chakwas said as she walked back around in front of Liara once again. "I won't be invasive, but an exterior exam is absolutely necessary," she continued gently.

It took Liara a moment to fully realize what the human doctor was asking of her, and she couldn't prevent the blush that colored her cheeks. While Doctor Chakwas may have claimed she didn't know exactly what this Commander Shepard wanted her for, it was pretty clear that she had a good idea.

Reluctantly, Liara untied her skirt - not that it was covering her much to begin with. However, in a show of modesty, she kept the material draped over her stomach and upper thighs as she reclined on the bench. She took a deep, shaking breath, closed her eyes, and parted her knees, hoping that her face hadn't turned purple.

Thankfully, aside from a few brief adjustments to get a clear view, Chakwas's hands didn't linger. The exam was over quickly, and Liara breathed a sigh of relief when the human woman patted the side of her thigh, letting her know that she could close her legs. "I'm sorry about that, my dear. You have a clean bill of health. Unfortunately, some of the other slaves I've treated over the years haven't been so lucky."

Liara wasn't sure she would call herself lucky after being kidnapped by slavers, but she was grateful that none of them had tried to rape her. She wasn't entirely sure why she had been spared. Perhaps the batarians had guessed that she was a virgin, and hoped her inexperience would drive up her asking price.

A sudden thought occurred to her, and she felt her heart beat faster as she stood and re-tied her skirt around her waist. It might not have been much, but it was all the clothing she had. "Have you treated many slaves?" she asked.

"A fair number," Chakwas admitted. "It isn't a pleasant task."

Liara felt herself shiver, even though the med bay wasn't particularly cold. If this was part of Dr. Chakwas's standard exam, what did that say about her new owner? "Are there others here?" she asked.

Chakwas shook her head. "No. The Normandy isn't a slave vessel. I'm not entirely sure why the Commander decided to bring you here."

Doctor Chakwas waited for Liara to get covered again, resituating her skirt and slipping back into the jacket that the human female – Williams – had bought for her. As Liara slowly buttoned the jacket, she weighed the consequences of making a run for it now while the doctor's back was turned, but knew she wouldn't make it far.

"Come on, dear. I'm sure the Lieutenant has other things she needs to be doing if the Commander sent her back to the ship so early." They walked together towards the door, and even though Liara walked slowly in a vain effort to postpone her fate, Doctor Chakwas didn't berate her for it. "I know you didn't choose this life for yourself, but know that you will be taken care of on board this ship. The Commander can be hard, but she's fair to a fault."

Liara appreciated the attempt at calming her nerves, but nothing was going to help. She was still a slave, and until she had her freedom, she would be wary of anyone proclaiming to be her ally. It also didn't help that while she had met a few members of the crew she would now be living beside, Liara had yet to speak with her true owner. The only person's impressions she truly held any stock in were her own, and she hadn't even met the Captain who had purchased her; although just the fact that the merc dealt in the slave trade was a huge strike against her.

Williams was on alert as soon as they exited the med bay, but quickly relaxed her fighting stance when she saw everything was as it should be. After a brief conversation that Liara was only half listening to, the soldier took possession of her again and led her towards the other side of the ship. Sooner than she would have liked, Liara was being pushed into quarters that she knew had to belong to the ship's captain – her new prison.