Chapter 15: It Can't Get Worse Than This
"Are you sure?" Lucy crossed her arms as she leaned against her desk, and there was an undeniable lift of the corner of her lips.
"For all her stoic ways, it is not a good sign that she is having difficulty hiding her expressions now," Liara mentally noted. She nodded in confirmation. "I have full confidence that I will be able to remember once I am not so... Flustered. All I ask is for some time."
"And if you don't remember?"
"Then I will take your deal, if I still may."
Determined to deduce the meaning of the minerals and win her chance at seeing the Prothean visions, Liara held on stern to faith in her capabilities. After all, she had a growing suspicion that the 'future challenge' of Lucy's choice would be even more preposterous, with the way her inner devil was showing now. The archaeologist was sure that she had caught bits of nervousness in the cracks of the brave front however. That was the least of her problems right now - she had to calm herself down and somehow forget how incredibly close she was to seeing the visions for herself.
Silence stretched and stretched, up until she had finally realized she had yet to hear Lucy's answer about the deal. The soldier seemed to be observing her just as closely. There was another flash of nervousness in her eyes, and then she pushed herself off from her desk in a sudden approach to the bed. She sat on the edge and made the mattress buck in the change of weight. Her unreadable expression greatly contrasted how there seemed to be a question troubling her in the depths of her gaze.
"We still have an hour," Lucy quietly reminded. "What would you like to do in the mean time?"
Stuck, Liara stared. She gave a sort of half-shrug. "I do not know," she heard herself say, "I hadn't thought that far ahead yet."
There was something magnetic even in this simple moment - perhaps it was the way that Lucy looked at her, an uncharacteristic softness to her eyes. Almost... Empathetic, even?
And then dread pooled in the archaeologist's stomach. "Oh, no..."
That earned that subtle devious smile. "Oh, yes."
"Shepard please."
"You'll have to at some point, Liara. You can't avoid it forever. Doing so would be detrimental to your own health and your deteriorating hygiene may be... Unpleasant for the crew."
"I just took a shower before we left!"
"Yes but we have an unscheduled hour right now. We may as well utilize it."
"So have an unscheduled hour tomor-"
"No more excuses."
Lucy snatched Liara's wrist and before she could orientate herself to her coming doom, they were at the door and ready to leave. The archaeologist still dug in her heels. She knew it would be so easy to be overpowered, and was eternally grateful when she wasn't, as Lucy turned to her with a more empathetic gaze and concerned look.
"Are you truly that terrified, Dr. T'Soni? I have it all figured out this time, I promise. No one will be able to see you. I've improvised a privacy pane for you."
That was far more reassuring to hear, and Liara melted with relief.
"Oh... I did not know." She glanced over her shoulder at the bags on the floor. "What about the robe and other things?"
"Right, yeah we can take those with us. I forgot, sorry."
Okay, that level of reassurance was plummeting again. This was beginning to feel more like a reckless choice than a deliberate plan.
"But... She did say she improvised a privacy pane for me. And she said before that she could clear out the stalls if it got too overwhelming for me. What's the worst that could happen?"
With her confidence returned, she followed the soldier's lead after they had grabbed their things. She sucked in the flesh of her cheek and nibbled on it to stop herself from smiling when Lucy had donned her plush robe. Liara could helpfully supply that such a garment was typically adorned after the shower, but this was a guilty pleasure and a much-deserved distraction from the heart attacks ensued and about-to-ensue.
They wove through the corridors, where once again marines blasted with confusion were amusingly delayed in their salutes to their Commander. Lucy still strode with that purpose and strength, her gait never deterred one bit even when she'd make little pit stops along the way for report updates. Liara's own discipline was put to the test every time as she fought to remain steadfast and serious-faced, though had to look away often when marines would seemingly make pleading eyes at her for some kind of explanation to the Commander's odd behaviour and recent addition to her wardrobe.
Familiar laughter hid behind the next corner, one Liara recognized. When they turned around it, there stood Chief Williams, crossed arms and grinning manically with a young man that the archaeologist was somewhat familiar with.
"I think he was the one that came to extract us, back on Therum. He was the only one who took his helmet off in the vehicle and talked to me, but I can't remember his name..."
To be fair, she had other priorities at that time, along with an overpowering sense of guilt and stress over the Commander's state from the battle with the krogan. She prayed there would be a re-introduction or some kind of hint, of which only formalities were provided when Lucy strode up to the marines.
"Chief Williams, how has the survey been going for the female crew mates?"
As if for comedy, Ashley had given the most gusto of salutes, her serious tone a wild contrast to her smirk.
"Ma'am, the survey has been going great, ma'am!" Ashley bellowed. "So far we have 3 forest-green, 4 pale-blue, 10 luminescent-purple and 1 blush-pink."
"Yes, if they saw the colour of mine, they'd surely reconsider."
Lucy settled in her usual military stance, her scrutinizing gaze falling next on the young man. "Good work, Chief Williams. And Lieutenant Alenko, have you deciphered what the men want?"
"Deciphered. They are code-breaking daily amenities now," Liara thought with great amusement. She had to avoid Ashley's infectious smile before her discipline was shattered and she'd be called out by the Commander for her grinning along. At least she had somewhat of a name to put to the Lieutenant's face now.
"Y-yes ma'am," Alenko replied, seeming to be unable to get over Lucy's robe. "Many were hoping to be... Equipped... With better razors than the standard issue. I'm still researching reasonably priced ones."
"Understood. Get back to me as soon as you are ready to file in the report, we don't have much time left before we depart from Thessia and it will be better for me to purchase the products myself rather than get our requisitions officer to do it. Dismissed."
Liara had to look away again when Ashley's heels smacked together with enthusiasm, the marine's primary motivator clearly on display with how much entertainment she derived from the Commander's seriousness. Poor Alenko, on the other hand, was just as delayed as any other marine on board. They were off on their way in record time and the archaeologist got a significant workout just lengthening her strides to match Lucy's pace. She was surprisingly grateful when they entered the locker rooms, though that gratitude shrunk at the sight of so many other marines buzzing about with nonchalance - some even holding casual conversations despite their nude states.
"This is what I'll have to get used to," Liara dreaded, though this lined up with what she had imagined military life would be like here.
"I have several empty lockers near mine," Lucy stated as she continued on, coming back to retrieve the archaeologist who was rooted at the doorway. Thankfully, nothing was said or pointed out over the hesitance of which gripped Liara now, her own actions significantly delayed.
"You didn't have to clear them out too," Liara murmured as she glued herself to the soldier's side. "I appreciate this though, Commander."
"I didn't do that - nobody settled in beside me." Lucy shrugged. "I'm not complaining. I like the space."
"I wonder if the others know that and that's why they didn't go to her area, or if they're nervous around her?"
Liara tried to be subtle in her observations, noting that the other marines were attempting the same in glancing over at her. She was beginning to sense that despite Tali and the other aliens on board, the crew was still uncomfortable around other species. Now there was an asari on board, yet another alien for them to grow accustomed to - it was only natural that curious looks would be shot Liara's way.
"This is the absolute worst time and place for that to happen though," she inwardly lamented. She reluctantly followed Lucy and made sure to take the side where the soldier's body would block her, hit with a newfound nervousness that she was going to be disrobing and changing directly beside Lucy.
"She's already seen me," Liara reminded herself - as if that would actually provide comfort. "There was the showerhead camera, and the many attempts to break and enter my bathroom."
This wasn't really helping.
Something caught her eye in the corner though, and her brow pinched in bewilderment when she looked over.
"Are those the riot shields you stole?"
"Borrowed," Lucy corrected nonchalantly. "And yes."
"Why... Are they in here?"
There was a moment of silence, and upon closer inspection, Liara noticed that they were also painted black on the front. Her stomach recoiled with an ominous feeling. She pieced it together and looked at the soldier in horror.
"Is that my improvised 'privacy pane', Commander?"
Lucy shrugged off her robe and began to work on her uniform, to which the archaeologist resolutely turned with heat flushing her cheeks.
"Yeah," came the nonchalant answer again. "I'll be holding them behind you. No one will see a thing and if I see any eyes turn our way, they'll be reprimanded. Severely."
"Oh sweet Goddess, please save me. I've unknowingly become an accomplice to tension in galactic affairs and am about to earn the ire of this entire ship."
"I'll announce it before we head in there so the marines will know. I am not so unfair as to thrust punishment on them without their awareness."
"This is not making things any better, Luce."
"You can't shower in clothes, Dr. T'Soni. Undress."
This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. But then a very naked body circled around her and strode for the riot shields as if the soldier was on the most important mission of her life.
This was happening.
"But it can't. It really can't. I must be dreaming. This is a nightmare."
Liara squeezed her eyes shut. Imagination turned for the worst as she tuned in to the tidal wave of conversations that flooded the locker room, where laughs rebounded and echoed, where whispers ushered in through the cracks of lockers. She heard mild scrapes and deduced the riot shields had hit the floor. A firm hand laid on her shoulder.
"I could undress you and guide you if you'd like, Dr. T'Soni."
"This has to be a dream."
It was a battle of the centuries to determine whether it was a good dream or a bad dream, for she could never see herself as the bold one taking initiative. She was secretly grateful that Lucy held no qualms, but whether or not that was for a more intimate reason or not was left up to speculation if she would be bold there too. Liara gave a swift shy shake of her head - she couldn't bear that right now.
How did it go from one heart attack to this heart attack?
"I was supposed to be calming myself down, and here I am flustered in another manner."
"I'll shield you now, then. I won't look either, Dr. T'Soni. You just tap my shoulder or hold onto it when you're ready to head into the showers."
"Th-thank you, Commander," Liara whispered meekly.
Her gratitude didn't last for long when Lucy cleared her throat and rose her voice, her bellow thundering in the locker room and halting all conversations in a breath.
"Listen up, everybody! I don't want a single eye on me or Dr. T'Soni for the duration we are here. If I catch even one of you glancing over, then everybody here will be subject to cleaning the toilets with a toothbrush. Do I make myself clear?!"
"Goddess, this can't get any worse than this, right? I do not want anybody getting in trouble because of me..."
"Understood, Commander!" A few marines bellowed back, bare heels smacking together.
What a terrible image seeded into Liara's mind, one she viciously thrust out as soon as the most familiar human near her entered the horrifying landscape of naked saluting soldiers.
"Good!" Lucy continued, "I appreciate your cooperation. Let's all do our best in helping Dr. T'Soni feel comfortable as she grows accustom to our ways, just like Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. If anybody has any issues then feel free to speak with me, Lieutenant Alenko or Chief Williams in private afterwards, and we will come up with a suitable solution to accommodate your comfort level as well."
That piqued Liara's interest. Her eyes opened of their own accord, thankfully focused on the back of Lucy's head, briefly skimming the expressions of others. Some did not seem to be thoroughly pleased with her presence, as she expected of a human-centric crew, but there seemed to be respect regardless. Whether that was obligated of rank or inspired by the way Lucy led with surprising empathy and compassion for all was yet to be seen - or at least, Liara was beginning to see how this Commander lead.
"True to the 'Fair' part of her name. It appears to be a nickname then - attributed to her by her crew, perhaps?"
Bodies filtered in and out of the locker room, where the marines passed on the message to each other of the Commander's newfound order. Lucy stayed true to her word and always faced forward, the riot shields never relenting or diverting even the slightest inch towards the floor. With a touch bit more confidence and reassurance, Liara's hesitance peeled away layer after layer. She could feel the way her face had flushed fiercely though, the aching burn persisting and growing hotter with time as the weight of this damning action was crashing down upon her.
Every breath, every second, her brain screamed that she couldn't do this, to just redress and run. This exposure, this vulnerability, it was almost preposterous that she had to become accustomed to this. Couldn't she just never shower again? That was perfectly reasonable. Or just rent a room and shower there when they'd port at cities.
"I won't exactly have an income anymore, now that I won't be going on any expeditions."
What a horrific blow. She was going to be subject to the most gruelling work and have her life threatened - and she wasn't even going to get paid for it, if she wasn't technically Alliance military.
"Curse Saren. Why couldn't I find out about the Protheans without the fate of the entire galaxy at stake?"
"Dr. T'Soni, are you ready to proceed?" Lucy prodded gently, her head only slightly turned for her quiet words to be heard above the rowdy noise that's erupted back to life.
"Y-yes, sorry."
Liara grabbed her little bag of prepared goodies and stuffed her robe inside it. She suppressed her sigh and rose her hand, hesitating for a moment. She tentatively rested it on the Commander's organic shoulder and tried not to stare at all the scars on the canvas before her. She didn't want to risk her gaze flicking lower even for a second.
"Remember: if it gets too overwhelming to the point you truly feel you cannot do it anymore then just give me a signal, Dr. T'Soni. Say 'mission abort' or pinch my shoulder, or something. You worry about you and I'll figure it out from there."
Lucy turned forward and took a single step, waiting until the archaeologist followed suite. Another few steps, and confidence was challenged again. Liara bowed her head so that she couldn't see the other bodies they passed by, gluing her gaze to the synthetic shoulder to study every single fold of skin that machinery was woven onto. The sounds exploded once more when they entered the communal showers, and Liara shivered with the chill in the air as cold droplets splashed their way on her.
"Cold showers?" Liara dreadfully inquired.
"Yes. It's proven beneficial psychologically and physiologically, though we do have a limited supply of hot water if you do need it as per your own physiological needs. You may have my ration as well - so 5 minutes total."
"5 minutes?"
Oh, somebody save the poor asari. She couldn't quite make a good-natured argument that she did absolutely need hot water. Yet another thing to acclimatize herself - now quite literally - it seemed, but at least the good news was that this whole prospect of communal showering was more dreadful than the notion of cold showers.
"Oh, who am I kidding? All of this is dreadful. Can I actually adjust? Will I ever?"
Doubts continued to multiply the closer they got to a corner where a couple of showers were free. She set her bag down by the wall when they had turned in sync until she was facing her new enemy, with her backup shielding her dutifully. She nibbled on her lip as she stared at the wretched handle. The only thing that empowered to get through this was her desire to get out of this situation entirely.
"You've come a long way already, Dr. T'Soni," Lucy encouraged lowly, though seemed hesitant herself with her words. "I'm proud of you for facing your fears."
Liara glanced over her shoulder, staring at the back of the soldier's head. While part of her was utterly heart-warmed by the stiff encouragement, the other part was still screaming at her to hurry up and escape this nightmare. She sucked in a breath and steeled herself as she turned on the shower, where an embarrassing yelp tumbled out of her upon first contact. Foolishly, she turned around and yelped again as the ice-cold water jetted against her back. She hadn't put much thought into it when she had grabbed Lucy's shoulders to force herself to stay rooted, before she got a more considerable workout with her legs by sprinting out of here.
Some words tried to make it past the fog of shock that had consumed her, and she barely registered Lucy's voice - frankly, Liara had an incredibly difficult time caring in this cursed moment. Her teeth chattered and all she could think of was to hold on stronger, where pain laced her fingertips of one of her hands. She glanced over and saw that her nails tried to sink in and she eased up, concern and guilt flooding her when she had seen the marks she had left on the soldier's organic shoulder.
"S-s-sorry," Liara chattered, instinct taking over in a desperate bid to seek warmth as she rested her head against the back of Lucy's.
"Not a problem. You've got this. Don't forget you can turn up the temperature at least a few degrees. There's a light that will turn red to indicate when you've activated your hot water timer."
"That would have been lovely to know before I turned it on," the archaeologist inwardly grumbled.
It was hard not to direct her misery at the very catalyst of why she was here to begin with, even though she realized that this tough love was only for her own good. And Lucy truly was going out of her way to try to make this as seamless of a transition as possible - despite her own obvious discomfort, with the way Liara clung on.
Blindly, Liara felt behind her until her fingers caught the handle, and she turned it slightly until the temperature became more tolerable to turn around and see where the red light would be. She turned and turned until she felt she hadn't actually needed to anymore, tolerating the slight chill far more amiably. She rushed away and didn't bother setting up the shower caddy as she sifted through the bag for the products, not exactly thoroughly washing herself with everything with the shower she already had earlier in the day.
Her face flamed when she caught sight of a bottle with a scandalous implication - 'Crest Lubricant', something asari do not actually need, were one to know of such a thing. She wisely remained silent about it and made a mental vow to eradicate the falsely innocent bottle, praying with all her might that Lucy wouldn't actually question the validity behind this 'crest' lubricant.
Without further ado, she finished up and turned the shower off. She tapped Lucy's shoulder and mumbled. "I'm done."
"Understood. Pack up your things and grab my shoulder when you're ready to leave. However, Dr. T'Soni, due to my limitations, I apologize that I will not be able to guard your flank and that sector will be exposed."
"This wasn't supposed to get worse. At least she isn't vulgar about it." Liara's blush intensified. She cleared her throat as subtly as she could not. "Th-that's okay, Commander." She packed her things with record speed and settled her hand on Lucy's shoulder. They set off without another word and she swallowed a yelp from the speed, grateful of the sandals she'd been gifted to have some kind of traction and not add more humiliation by wiping out in front of the entire crew.
There was a significant weight lifted off her shoulders when they returned to their lockers, to which only then she had realized she could have adorned the robe since she had stuffed it in the sack. She sheepishly took it out and donned it, issuing a quiet apology.
"I-I'm sorry, Lucy, I forgot I had the robe with me. It wouldn't have been necessary for you to continue... Guarding me."
For some reason, Shepard seemed remarkably tense. Liara glanced around the locker room to try to deduce what the Commander might not liked to have seen - until she had realized that it was likely might not liked to have heard. The archaeologist wanted to stuff her whole fist in her mouth and internally screamed for her reckless reveal, now praying she wouldn't be questioned as to how exactly she had found out. She could try her hand at lying and say that she merely looked up Commander Shepard's record, but...
"I'm a terrible liar. And is she going to say anything?"
Tension jammed back into every nook and cranny between them. The soldier stole a quick glance and determined it was safe to relinquish the shields, to delve into her locker and don her robe herself. The shields noisily clattered on the benches, earning concerned looks from the other marines. Liara shrunk in her skin when Lucy closed her eyes and sucked in a subtle - yet deep - breath. The soldier pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh.
"Sorry, headache. I forgot to take my sunglasses with me."
"O-oh..."
Liara was positive she was heard. Were they just not going to talk about it? Horrible as it may be, it was much more preferable to confrontation and worse yet: confession.
She wasn't so lucky.
"I thought maybe I had misheard before, the first time you said it," Lucy murmured. She rested her forehead against her locker and twisted slightly with a strange smile - a forced one, naturally, but it was hiding something. "Now I know that you do know."
"I slipped up before? When?" Liara wracked her brain to recollect the damning memory, but she drew up a blank. Regardless, there was something that held more priority at the moment. "I'm sorry," she ushered. She was cut off from anything further when the soldier shook her head and interjected.
"Don't be. Everything is all in my records, after all - and I sent you my files about my prosthetics... Though I wager you learned much earlier than that."
Disarmed of what the right course of action was, the archaeologist relied on instinct and nodded truthfully.
"Well, that's alright, Dr. T'Soni. I do appreciate that you've been restraining yourself from utilizing my given name."
"Utilizing. How can she be so...?"
"However, I respectfully request that you continue to restrain yourself, if possible. Shepard is just fine."
"Why?" Liara blurted. That temptation to eat her fist came back with a vengeance.
"With the exception of announcements during successful completion of the N7 program, and my inauguration as Spectre, I have never utilized my first name. The last people... Well. I just don't use it anymore and I prefer it that way."
"Last people - as in your parents?"
That amiable air and patience surrounding Lucy was decimated in an instant. She sucked in another breath, and there was something terrifying about the way she turned. Liara was somewhat emboldened by her own recklessness, and evermore tempted to bolt out of the door in order to forcibly stop this train wreck.
"This is sounding like territory you don't want to tread, Dr. T'Soni," Lucy warned. "Please respect my request, as I have done for you."
Curiosity didn't know when to quit, but Liara leashed it and bowed her head apologetically. "I will, you have nothing to worry about. I'm sorry if I have offended you."
"You haven't. Just... Uh, I don't want things to be strained between us because of this. It's okay, okay? Just don't make it happen again, Dr. T'Soni. That's all I ask." Shepard engaged her omni-tool. "I've been pinged by our helmsman so I'll have to take my leave and see what Lieutenant Moreau needs. Will you be okay to navigate by yourself from here?"
Disappointment twisted her gut, but she suffocated that selfish whisper to hoard this woman's presence all to herself. Liara reached without thinking, lips smiling of their own accord, when she had untied the soldier's robe to redo it in a looser manner - well aware of the way Lucy's body had grown as rigid as a boulder. The archaeologist nodded, no longer trusting her voice or newfound promise to keep. Her skin tingled and nerves jumped when a hand slid over her knuckles. Her eyes lifted, that strange magnetic attraction pulling her in deeper when she had met the soldier's steady gaze.
And then Lucy left.
Bewildered, Liara stared at air, reaction delayed as her brain furiously fought to process this new information. She had glanced over her shoulder and barely caught sight of the ends of the pale-blue robe fluttering through the exit.
"She's... She's not... That's all she's wearing!"
Had Liara frazzled the Commander to have neglected to remember her uniform? What should she do now, should she chase after the soldier and tell her? Surely Lucy wasn't that careless when exhausted. She was so good at paying attention to details - perhaps she had been pinged again and whatever the helmsman had to tell her was now deemed an emergency situation. Barely minutes later, as if on cue, the announcements blared and she jumped, startled by the volume - it took time to realize that it was Lucy's voice.
"All hands on deck. We have received a distress call and will be departing Thessia now to commence a rescue operation in the Idmon System. Servicemen, report to Chief Williams in the armoury for your orders. Petty Officers and Ensigns, report to Lieutenant Alenko in the hangar bay. Specialized Paratroopers, report directly to me in the Comm Room. This will be a large-scale operation, I need everybody geared up right now. ETA to the Alliance colony of Cyrene is an hour."
"An hour? Just how fast is the Normandy? How far away is this system?"
Within seconds, the lockers were empty and marines flooded out as if a dam had broken. Each wore serious expressions, all laughter dead. It was almost jarring to see just how quickly duty could change the atmosphere. Liara didn't know where she fell in the midst of all these orders - who did she report to? Where could she go to find Tali and the other aliens?
Adrenaline coursed through her and she cursed her quivering hands as she tried to don her suit as quickly as possible. She kept fumbling, kept slewing curses under her breath as her stomach recoiled viciously. Everybody else looked so calm, even in the face of what was sounding like a dire emergency. What kind of rescue operation were they about to undergo? What kind of distress call did the helmsman pick up?
"Paratroopers, those kinds of soldiers are trained in parachuting, I think. So we must be going planetside then."
Her feet carried her off without thought as soon as she was ready, following groups of soldiers until she had recognized her surroundings. She was in the mess hall, with no idea where to go and frustration building under her skin for it. She glanced over at the infirmary, writing it off immediately as out of bounds for what the Commander ordered before.
"Should I go up to the CiC and ask Lucy directly what I could do to help?"
"You there! Asari!" A passing human jogged over. "Orders are for the... Uh... Aliens - no offence - on board to report to Chief Williams down by the hangar bay. Do you know where that is?"
"I..." Liara's brow pinched, drawing up a blank in her mental map of the ship. She shook her head.
"Follow me, you just take the elevator down that's right around the corner here."
Liara was getting a significant workout again when she had to jog after the human, adding further struggle to calm her fraying nerves. She never did well in emergencies.
"I'll be of no use to anyone if I cannot quiet my mind and my hands."
"Here! Just push the button that says 'HB' there," the human worked furiously to manually close the elevator gates. "Get going now!"
Liara was shook out of shock when the loud screech of the bottom gate clicked into place. It was almost humbling to see her shaking hand reach out to press the button, and her stomach rocked again when the elevator thrummed to life, slowly rolling down. Too slowly. It was a blessing for her, but she wagered that in an emergency like this, the marines likely cursed the damn thing. She closed her eyes and tried to settle in a practised mantra, but her heart wouldn't cease it's fierce thumping in her throat.
She relied on happy memories, of Shirvan and of a certain soldier getting revenge on her. It helped somewhat, but those nerves came back when the elevator stopped. Her eyes widened and the air became overbearingly hot to breathe with all the bodies in here, each marine gearing up or helping each other gear up. Someone had taken her wrist and pulled her off the elevator in order to send it back up, and that someone disappeared in the crowd soon after.
Orders were shouted above the flood of voices, and panic began to settle in when Liara couldn't find Ashley. She spotted a familiar quarian though, and jogged over. She stopped dead in her tracks when a krogan had approached Tali too.
"Goddess..."
Taken aback by his size, Liara pitifully stared, shaken out of her stupor with a firm hand coming on her shoulder. She glanced over and was face to face with a turian, who's mandibles flickered almost in concern.
"I take it you are Dr. T'Soni. You look like a - how does the human saying go? - a fish out of water here. Are you okay, Dr. T'Soni?"
"I... I am... But I do not know where to go. What's happening?"
"As far as I know: a slaver raid. An attempt at one, anyways. Stay close to me, I'll take you to Chief Williams. She'll know what you're slated to do to help."
Dread pooled and clutched tightly around Liara's heart. She nodded aimlessly and followed the nameless turian, once again tossed to the endless tides as her brain raced ahead.
"A slaver attack. That's what happened to Lucy. How is she doing right now? Is she okay? Will the colonists be okay? Goddess, I hope it's not a human colony - but she did say it's an Alliance colony... I hope it's not batarian slavers."
But that was unfortunately what they were most known for. Of course many other species had partaken in the despicable crime. Morbid as it was, Liara hoped for Lucy's sake that it was any species but batarians. And then her heart plummeted even further when she was able to hear Ashley's rallying cry.
"Let's show those four-eye freaks what it means to mess with the Alliance!"
"Hoorah!"
"This has to be a nightmare. It just can't get any worse than this, right?"
Life soon became a surreal blur, a strange out-of-body experience, almost. She was both present in the moment and yet felt as though she wasn't actually here. An hour seemed plenty of time, until it just wasn't. There needed to be more time. The dutiful turian guided her as promised, and an uncharacteristic serious-faced Ashley had given Liara's order: standby.
Standby for what?
There was an unmistakable screech of elevator gates rolling, and Liara glanced over. Out poured a small group of heavily-geared marines, with the Commander leading in front of them. They each wore packs, and when they passed by in their haste to continue to the end of the bay, Liara recognized that they were parachuting packs. She rose on her toes and grabbed on the turian's shoulder to reach his height to be able to be heard above all this noise.
"Why are they parachuting? Can't we land somewhere?"
"The slavers re-activated the colony's AA guns after they had landed safely themselves. So we need boots on the ground to disable the AA guns before we can all go in."
"And Lucy personally has to do that?"
Concern tightened and choked Liara at her throat. She helplessly watched, wishing she had the confidence the paratroopers had as they all laughed and shared rallying cries before they donned their helmets. Lucy never seemed to waver. She stood at the precipice of it all, ready to dive into the hell of her own personal nightmare. Warnings and red lights blared in the hangar bay as the hatch began to roll open.
"We're here already? It couldn't have already been an hour. Has it?"
The turian gently grabbed Liara and pulled her back as she was stuck in this mindless loop of observing everybody, before her gaze would fall on the back of that dutiful soldier who remained at the ready to take the leap of faith.
"Liara?" A familiar voice tagged her from behind, coming up beside her. Tali. "Are you on standby or will you be heading in with the rest of them after we get clearance to land?"
Stuck in a fog, Liara mindlessly mumbled. "Standby."
"Me too! Here, let's go inside the mako. It'll be a nice quiet place where we can listen to the comm chatter and be ready for when we might be needed."
"Why am I not needed right now?"
Granted, Liara most definitely wouldn't be able to go off parachuting, but it seemed as though that turian was with the rest of the marines that waited with Chief Williams and Lieutenant Alenko. She was dragged off to the mako by the quarian who seemed remarkably composed, despite the abrupt change of pace. Liara couldn't take her eyes off the Commander's back - up until that back disappeared when Lucy leaned forward and fell out of the hatch. As soon as all the paratroopers were gone, Liara eagerly pushed into the mako with the quarian, where a couple other ungeared technicians already waited inside. The comms were activated and the archaeologist held her breath to listen to the calm chatter among the paratroopers. Her heart both swelled and gnarled at Lucy's steady voice, not a hint of her being unhinged, but rather confident in the outcome of this mission.
"Somewhere down there, there's a little girl praying for heavenly angels to come down from the sky and save her family from evil."
"Is that what you had done, Lucy?"
Liara held her breath as the comms went silent, and then a low rumble of chuckles from the paratroopers when the Commander finished with a subtle levity in her tone.
"ETA: 3 minutes."
Liara blinked incredulously. Then she smiled. That stoic soldier - ready to dive head first into the maws of hell itself - was more of an empathetic leader than a heartless killer than she realized. She didn't need anybody's help the moment she listened to the human deep inside of her.
"...It won't get any worse than this. Not anymore."