Shepard Normandy February 6 2183
After talking with the councilor, and realizing Liara was going to want to go to Noveria to confront her mother, I had an entirely new struggle on my hands. I hated to think that justifying killing her mother was easier than keeping her alive and turning her over to Tevos without giving the young woman any kind of explanation. I chose to just make the decision in the moment, it'd be easier than fighting with myself right now. I figured I should still pay her a visit so that I didn't giver her the cold shoulder and make myself look suspicious. I headed through the doors of the med bay, and the scene playing out in front of me left me stunned. "Oh dear. Shepard everything is alright." I moved over to the table Liara sat at with battlefield prescision as the doctor stitched the side of her lip. "What happened Liara?" She cast her head down for a moment before looking into over at the doctor. "Chakwas?" The energy around me stiffened and the pair could see my biotics begin to flare uncontrollably.
"Shepard I can't release patient medical details, you know that. Besides, you need to calm down otherwise you'll tear a hole in the ship." I clenched my jaw and looked back at Liara. The doctor let her face go after she finish, and I replaced my strained fist with a gentle hold on her lower jaw. She jerked slightly before settling into my hand, and I could feel the anger rushing back into as I fought to stay calm. Almost childlike, Liara finally spoke, "Me and Chief Williams had words, and things got a bit out of hand.
"Commander Shepard!" The two called in unison, but before the words could reach me, I was already headed to the lift just barely containing my fury. It took longer than it ever had, but once it stopped I dashed out into the open space. "Everybody out. Now!" The crew that was littered around scurried out. Even Wrex walked briskly to get to the lift, almost knocking a young recruit over. Some went to the door to the drive core. Ashley turned from the position near her post, her breathing obviously elevated, as she tried her hardest to stay calm.
I grabbed at the collar of her work bdu's, pulling her in closer to me, all sense of order and military regulation seemingly erased from my mind. The Alliance had very strict rules on those who showed insubordinate conduct such as fighting when in public places in uniform, and with other species. I could care less and for a moment it felt like I was back on Earth with the gang I grew up in. I stared her down with a death gaze. She gulped trying to swallow some of her nervousness, although it seemed to have the opposite effect as her throat was completely dry. "Chief Gunnery Sergeant Williams, you attacked one of your fellow crew members while I sent you on a simple assignment to get her some proper armor. An assignment I sent you on in confidence. Now that team member is in the infirmary getting stitches in her lower lip. You have exactly ten seconds to explain why I shouldn't hand you your ass backwards and then kick it off my ship." I tightened my grip unintentionally as I pushed the struggling woman against the lockers, leaving a dent in the one she landed on. Ashely let out a shocked gasped as she made contact, her face contorting in pain. She searched around the room for an answer, and I grabbed the bottom of her face, forcing her back into my deadly gaze. "Six, five."
"She provoked me ma'am." The woman said, trying her hardest to keep her bearings. I laughed low at first, loosening my grip slightly as the laugh became visceral. She flinched when I put my hand around her throat, pushing her back into the lockers harder, my biotics shimmered in the low light of the deck. She let out a pained sigh as I leaned in so close, we could almost not make eye contact... almost. "You expect me to believe the shy, socially awkward Dr. provoked you? Try again Ashley." I lifted her off of the ground, as she struggled against me, scratching away at my arms. "Ma'am it's true I swear. I would never lie to you." I searched the woman's eyes for a moment, as she struggled against my hand thrashing as she got closed to losing consciousness. The pleading in her voice along with the sincerity in her eyes forced me to drop her, causing her to land in a crash on the ground.
"Explain." My blinding anger stopped for a moment, demanding more if I was to keep from tearing the scared shitless woman apart. It wasn't even about the fact that she had hit Liara, although it did fuel the fire. I had a no fighting tolerance unless it was sparring. I might've been standoffish to the units I had been with, but never did I advocate or cause violence. She scrambled up to her feet, stumbling over words at first, eventually gaining the ability to speak again. "I well, she." She took a deep breath, lowering her head and voice as if she was ashamed at what she had to say.
"She asked me why I pretended that I didn't have a crush on you even though it was obvious that I did. I tried to change the subject- kind of. I played dumb and then she got all weird and started talking about how I waltz around as if i'm some poetic soldier fighting for your affection. Then she went on to say how any interest you had in me or my body was over and that I needed to stop sending my misplaced anger towards her." She burrowed further into herself as she continued. "I called her a delusional spoiled brat for thinking she was more than a quick fling after overhearing her talking to tali in the mess earlier. She kept asking questions about why she had been in your room last night so long. She laughed at what I said, I guess after that I couldn't take it anymore, and I... punched her." I pinched the bridge of my nose. If this would have been because of Ashley's leaning towards xenophobia, things might have been easier to just kick her ass and kick her off the ship. But this was another matter completely; I had been in this position before. Two women; one with secret affections too quiet to share, and another who was quick to voice them or at least catch my attention.
Liara had been right though, the couple of times I did look at Ashley in that way, it was purely sexual. I knew something more between the two of us would be too much for either to handle, and turn bad before it could even mature. I sighed, still pissed but now not so much, slightly more understanding than I had been or even expected to be. "Ashley look, I cherish the relationship we are forming, and hope that one day we could have an unbreakable bond, but, i'm not interested in human women. I haven't been for a long time. Besides you should know between me and you, we would more than likely do more damage to each other than good. But seriously Ashley, if their are any and I mean anymore complaints about you in any way, I will have your rank stripped from you and have you thrown off this ship at the first station available." I gave her a small smile as I squeezed her shoulder, turning the air between us from thick back to breathable.
"Yes ma'am and you're right. It was just a stupid crush anyways. I see that now. And... I hope we have an unbreakable bond one day too skipper." I paused for a minute, raising an eyebrow at the sentiment. "Skipper?" she laughed and rubbed her neck as a bruise had began to form around it. I had started to feel kind of bad at being so rough with the woman. "It's an old school way of saying captain." I only nodded my head before walking off. I'd allow this one sentiment to pass, considering what had just happened. "As you were Williams."
Liara Med bay
"Oh by the goddess. I should have never told her." I talked through the pain I still felt coming from the lower side of my jaw. It had all happened so fast, and the angle Ashley had hit me in was so awkward. Dr. Chakwas only shrugged. "Honestly Liara, i'd say Williams deserves it for what she did." I paused for a moment, considering my words carefully. "I might have provoked the woman slightly." I said with my head cast slightly down. Honestly since the whole transgression had happened, I felt somewhat disgusted by the way I acted. The possessiveness I had started to feel was an unwelcoming side effect of having the commander's affection; or maybe even something deeper. My eyes opened wide in pain as the doctor injected a serum into the gash covered by stitches. "My apologies, it is a mix of omni gel and stem cells to help speed the healing process significantly. The stitching should dissolve by the end of tomorrow." She allowed me to hop off the medical table and make my way back to my room in the med bay's storage.
As I closed the door behind me, I immediately opened up a private link to Tali.
Tali is the commander down their? Their was really no need to ask, I knew exactly where she was.
Yes, and she was pissed. I heard her from the engineering room and both of the doors are shut. I wonder what has her so riled up.
I stopped and stared at the screen before replying, almost surprised she had not already heard. I resigned on telling her before she got some other crazy story from someone else. Me and Ashley got into a small argument and she hit me.
She what? That bosh'tet. No wonder Shepard is on a rampage, she made it very clear that she didn't tolerate interspecies xenophobia, let along fighting. I say she's about to get what she deserves.
It was not about that actually... I might have provoked her slightly. About her affection for the commander and how obvious it was, but she tried to play dumb. Something took over me... I... do not know why I said what I said but it felt right in the moment. Now I am more upset than anything.
Don't be. It was only a matter of time before Ashley did something to put herself in this positions. And it's not like you put your hands on her. She had no right.
Tali was right but it did not make it feel any better. Here. I'm going to sneak into the surveillance security and see what shepard is doing to her. Wanna watch?
Absolutely not, that is not for me to see. It is bad enough we are in this situation as it is.
"Ahh come on T'soni. You know deep down inside, right next to where that little possessive monster lives is the rest of that dark alter ego just waiting to be scratched. I knew you had one, everyone does. Also can I tell the rest of the main crew? She was right again. But I always fought hard against it, now it was cracking out of me at the seams.
Ok... but only for a minute and then I am done. And yes I suppose, if they are to find out, I rather it you than a random recruit. For a moment, I felt a disturbing churning in my stomach as I watched the footage come into view. Shepard had almost glided across the floor to Ashley as the last few people slid out into the engineering room. Her movements similar to when she found me in the med bay. I watched as she grabbed the woman who had unconsciously began to back away, by her collar. She pulled her in and I felt the heat rise in my stomach. The excitement and disgust mixing together to make one confusing emotion. I turned the vid off and left the private link, only to see the the main crew chatboard we had made without Shepard filled with exciting buzz.
Garrus: I would advise everyone to stay out of Shepard's way today. Apparently Williams has pissed her off to her last fiber.
Wrex: Yea. I'm not scared of Shepard, but I definitely wouldn't want to be Williams right now.
Garrus: Oh really Wrex, you're not? Is that why you were moving so fast to get out of there? You almost knocked one of the recruits over.
Joker: Anyone wanna bet Ashley said something xenophobic again? Come on I mean we get it. You don't like the alien crew.
Tali: Actually it wasn't that this time. She hit Liara.
Garrus: Oh no
Joker: Yikes. This is going to be worse than if it was just some xenophobia.
Garrus: But why? She's gotta have a death wish or something surely. I mean did she not see how the commander was on Feros, or Therum for that matter. She wouldn't dare let a scratch get put on Liara.
Tali: She's jealous.
Kaiden: Come on guys, maybe we shoudn't talk about this here. Or at all. Liara are you okay?
I stared at the message for a moment before plopping down on the bunk and staring at the halo lights. I sighed before typing onto my omni tool.
Liara: Dr. Chakwas assures me that I will be okay. I only required a few stitches.
Tali: Stitches? Keehlah. You didn't tell me that part Liara. Shepard's going too light on her if that's the case.
Garrus: What do you mean?
Tali" I hacked the surveillance vid to see what was going on.
Joker: Uhm are you going to forward that link to the group?
Kaidan: Joker!
Joker: Come on Kaidan, you know you wanna see it just like the rest of us.
Tali: Give me just a second.
I logged out, I didn't want to see anymore, choosing to smother this indescribably obliterating feeling embracing my 'dark side' as tali called it, gave me. I turned to lay on my side, facing the wall rather than the door, knowing once Shepard was done berating and possibly beating Ashley, she'd come and check on me again. Il laid their for another ten minutes before I heard the whizz of the door and a set of stealth like footsteps.
"Liara?" She asked in a quiet but soothing tone, reaching over to touch my shoulder. I rolled over slightly but not completely; just enough to make slight eye contact and still hide the scar. "I am fine Shepard, you do not have to check on me. For what it was worth, I deserved it." The muscular woman pulled at my shoulder to turn me completely on my back. "Don't say that Liara. Nothing you could have said to her should have made her do that." She pointed to my lip and I tried to turn back over, realizing a strong forearm barring the way.
"I do not know what came over me. I do not think I am the jealous type or possessive but... I would not know either."
"It's okay if you are Liara. I don't mind it."
"But I do Shepard. I fought so hard not to be like my mother, yet here I am giving in to my darkness just as she had for so many years. Her possessiveness was what ultimately drove me away. It became... overbearing. I do not wish to do that with you Shepard." I thought for a moment, knowing what my conclusion would come up to but hating the outcome all the same, and from the looks of it so did she. "Liara really, the life I grew up in, it takes more than a little jealousy and possessiveness to shake me. Just tell me what we need to do to work on it." As much as I appreciated her new found patience, it was not that simple. "I wish it were that easy Commander." She winced slightly as her eyes tightened at the use of her rank. "But... this is something I need to figure out alone. I am sorry if I seem a bit harsh, but I hope you can understand. Surely this would benefit everyone, including you. I fear this- we, have caused too much distraction from the mission." She sat for a moment as my eyes glazed over. I watched the emotional struggle in her eyes, before she steeled them, rising from her seat on the edge of my bunk. "Understood Dr." She turned to leave as I fought the urge to reach out for her, hugging the pillow on my bed as I sobbed into it lightly.