A/N: This is where it all started. The very first bits of AitD that I wrote are here (and the previous chapter): An extended conversation with Liara. I have always thought that there wasn't nearly enough time spent finding out about aliens in direct conversation with them. Even by the time we get to the end of ME3, we hardly know more than we do by the end of ME1; the writers were just recycling the same memes about how asari are all either commandos or pole dancers. (At least we got to ask Tali about governance aboard the Flotilla.) I found it was such fun to write, I started writing extended takes for other scenes. Eventually I discovered fanfiction was a thing, and it lives here at FF. Yaay!
References www.thoughtco dot com/parthenogenesis-373474
wikipedia dot org/wiki/Parthenogenesis_in_squamata
*** Shepard and Liara ***
Shepard asked, "How is it said in Thesserit?"
"Ohm Ath'm ao ta," Liara nodded toward him, "ee ta shoof reet." (see Glossary for a deconstruction)
"That's a lot shorter all right. Weird, isn't it?" Shepard nodded. "Earth used to have thousands of languages...many of them are still in use." He bent his arm at the elbow to indicate his omnitool without illuminating its gauntlet. "These things may keep languages from being a communications bottleneck, but it is interesting...and often revealing...how differently the same thought sounds when expressed in another language."
He smiled briefly, caught himself when he realized it might be rude to show teeth deliberately. It had been one of the most memorable and important lessons he had learned from his first encounter with turians, and fortunately, one that the turian OD had already been aware of. "And thank you for taking the time to explain that. It seems you are willing to share your knowledge with me, and I appreciate it."
"Commander, if you had not arrived when you did, my life would likely now be ended, and my knowledge vanished from the universe. Ah…you even have an expression, 'Who saves a life, saves the world entire.' I owe you a debt that I may never be able to repay. If you find value in my knowledge, I am only too glad to share it. 'In sharing, we grow together.'" This time, Shepard noticed the asari's omnitool glint as data was accessed by her ARA. "That is another saying of Matriarch Dilinaga…and how interesting that in your language it is also…a double-entendre."
"And a poetically apt one," Shepard agreed. "I must admit I've only heard her name, not what she did. Dilinaga was…a philosopher? A leader?"
"Yes…in fact, a didactic polymath. And it is traditional to say the stage in life one had achieved…'Matriarch Dilinaga.' Especially in her case…she is well-known even offworld. Much of our early scientific knowledge came from her and those of her city. You might compare her to…" She stopped and manipulated her omnitool. "Thomas Jefferson? Do you know who that was?"
Shepard nodded; he'd studied his Earth history.
Liara continued, "But with the influence of…Genghis Khan."
Now there's a combination you won't find every day, he thought. "What did she do?"
"In the sense of, 'What is she most remembered for'?"
"Yes," Shepard nodded.
"She dethroned Athame," Liara gestured expansively, "And in so doing, opened up every vista of knowledge. We've never completely abandoned the worship of the goddess, but we don't expect her to do anything except inspire." She paused, then inclined her head slightly, giving the impression she was looking up at him uncertainly. "Do humans have a goddess?"
Shepard looked away as if embarrassed. "That seems to depend on who you ask. Humans spread out across our planet so quickly, that our civilization became highly fragmented. We developed spoken language long before written language, and ended up with thousands of them. And thousands of little civilizations resulted: City-states, then nation-states, then corporate-states. Each with different languages, traditions, customs, and so on. And gods…mostly gods, not as many goddesses. Human females weren't generally as robust as males until we got augmentation nanotech, so our prehistorical groups were more often dominated by males. As a consequence, so were our temples.
"It meant we had lots of infighting, too…lots of wars. Relatively small ones, because we didn't develop effective ranged weapons – chemical-based firearms – until about…mm…eight hundred years ago. But we didn't have our Industrial Revolution until…four or five hundred years ago. We also couldn't advance very quickly until we learned to work together in large, distant groups. Becoming a galactic civilization has been an uphill struggle for us."
He paused, considering what he had just said. "Hmm…as I think about it, I should probably say 'will be a struggle for us.' Meta-cooperation, or non-zero interaction, wasn't generally recognized as helpful to the individual until this past century. There's still a lot of 'me-first-ism,' but then, three billion years of evolution doesn't stop being significant overnight." He sighed, "So much has changed even in my lifetime… once we found we weren't alone." He waved vaguely, as if to make the pesky human behavior go away. "But that's all in Earth's past. If you don't mind giving me your perspective, I'd like to know more about the asari."
The blue alien paused, seemed to be considering where to start. "We were the first species to discover the Citadel. We were instrumental in forming the Council. And we always strive to be the voice of peaceful cooperation in galactic disputes."
"That probably comes from your long lifespans?"
"I suspect it does; matrons and Matriarchs want there to be a world where their families can thrive. This 'long view' perspective makes us relatively conservative. When a Matriarch chooses her Remembered Name, she must abandon her family name, in part because she must now take a broader view, larger than her immediate family. Combine that with the 'All-are-one' doctrines of our major religions, and it's easy to understand why my people believe we are all part of a single, galactic community. Each family, each species, contributing something to the greater whole."
"What about species that don't 'play well with others'? Like batarians?"
She smiled as if amused. "Do not conflate genetics with memetics. Recursive sapience does not produce monocultures for long."
"Hm…" Shepard paused in thought, "I suppose you're right."
"It is not always easy. 'To understand another, I shall know what she chooses, and also why. Compassion follows.'" Liara seemed momentarily saddened. "And although we seek to understand other species, it seems few of them seek to understand us. The galaxy is filled with rumors and misinformation about my people."
"Really? Like what? Seems like all I've ever seen of asari is that they're these beautiful, eternally-available love goddesses."
"Love goddesses? Oh…I see. Goddesses of Love, like Tevura." She paused in thought. "I suppose that is understandable. I think we have been misrepresented, even commercialized, in that way. Indeed, most of the inaccuracies are centered around our reproduction. My species is monogendered…or non-gendered, depending on whom you ask. 'Male' and 'female' have no real meaning for us. We still require a partner to reproduce. This second parent, however, may be of any species and any gender."
"I don't understand. Your species can mate with anyone?" He raised an eyebrow. "Even…hamsters?"
The asari smiled in amusement. "Now you see why there is so much misunderstanding. If necessary, we could reproduce at any time…normal parthenogenesis. But by default, this would yield only a clone. This had advantages when we were struggling to survive – persistence of modes of thought even when individuals were lost to predation or accident – but as civilization developed, knowledge itself grew in value. And by melding with another complex intelligence, we expand the horizons of our daughters by gifting them a more refined and locally relevant way of thinking."
Her omnitool winked on and off quickly; the asari gave a subtle shrug and continued without pausing. "To be entirely accurate, I should qualify that you would probably regard it as thelytoky parthenogenesis, or hybridogenesis. Our daughters have entirely asari genetic materials, but some of the patterns will be selectively derived from the 'father' species. While this can ultimately manifest as dermal markings or eye coloration, it isn't implemented until after birth, when the early joinings will impart and reinforce parental ontological arcs."
"I thought you said you require a partner to reproduce. It doesn't sound like you actually do."
"You are correct, of course. The idea is so well-entrenched in our culture that we generally default to saying it that way. But we could be decimated down to a single individual…of almost any age…and asari would persist. Much of our cultural heritage would be lost, however.
"There are species on your own planet that use deuterotoky parthenogenesis as well. Though on your world, females of such species can produce male or female clones. Parthenogenesis is not nearly as alien as you might imagine."
Shepard thought for a moment. "So melding is important because it allows a greater diversity of knowledge to be formed? Does that mean you have memories…recall actual experiences of your great-great…great grandmother?"
"Not really, no. A successful meld applied to inception creates something that never existed before…a completely new ontology, manifest in its neuromorphology. This was important to our societal development because some ways of thinking are demonstrably better than others.
"Specifically, an ontology that doesn't accurately describe or encompass the environment, particularly in a mature individual, will at minimum require new heuristics to replace it functionally, until the ontology can be updated…if it can be updated at all. That individual, and those around it, can be adversely affected by this. Of course, this is only an influence on cognition, not a determinant.
"As with any organic neurology, updating in this way is nearly impossible, and even creating new heuristics is almost always time-consuming. And in a species like yours, where neuromorphology – and of course the resulting default behaviors and propensities – is genetically heritable and environmentally malleable, ontological adaptation of this sort does change, but only over generational timescales. But a new individual with a new ontology uses what has already been tested in the laboratory of experience.
"Over generations, the most successful ontologies, as encoded in neurological structure, become the most widespread."
Shepard nodded as he considered what he'd just heard, trying to recall his Natural History classes without restarting the VI, "Sort of like how some species can be distinguished from others only by their behaviors?"
The asari's omnitool illuminated and twittered, seemingly by itself. Wish I could have that kind of fluency with my omnitool, Shepard thought.
Liara glanced at her omnitool, worked it briefly. "Apparently that is the closest analogy your world's biology allows, but it misses much of the…leverage that this gives us. Consider that the asari cortex is only 60% as large as a human's, but it is at least twice as efficient per unit volume."
"Does that mean asari are generally smarter than humans?"
"Perhaps if you were measuring intelligence per unit volume…but not in practice. We have to invest some of that potential in biotics." She brought both hands up, as if brushing the sides of her head, "These areas are involved in a lot of the control of field shaping. Over time, depending on usage, the shape of each will change."
As long as we're having the talk, Shepard thought, I might as well find out what I can. "Interesting. Do they…move on their own?"
Liara looked at him oddly, "Le'ku? No…usually less even than your ears or nose move. But if I only ever performed Lift, it would use the first and fourth supraparietals, and they will become slightly longer and thicker over time, while the others will decrease in size. It would make my head look squareish or even deformed.
"In any event, I can direct the shape and intensity and even subtler characteristics of the field, depending on how I direct energy into and out of them."
"What do you mean? Don't they just emit the biotic energy you use?"
"No, my entire neurology emits biotic energy, but I can…direct that energy to each le'ku separately…and use each to change the characteristics of the field being emitted. Consider how you can breathe through your mouth, or your nose, or both. Playing a wind instrument usually involves learning how to control nuances of these different areas at the same time."
The asari put a hand to her scalp, indicating different structures as she spoke. "They differ not only in shape, but also in internal composition, and thus in function…in fact, the two are closely related. Different 'powers' have different requirements, but as I said, if I only used one type of biotic power, my le'ku would deform asymmetrically over time to favor those ones. That is why it is good to use a variety of powers, and even to learn others, if one is able.
"Depending on how I use them, I can create a variety of effects – flowrate, vortexing, trellising, spin and spinturbulence, which result in different 'powers,' which in turn depend on sequence, duration, and frequency..." She stopped, seemed momentarily self-conscious. "I have never had anyone ask. But it is considerate of you to direct our conversation…towards me. Are you being polite, or are you really interested?"
"I'm very interested. I'm not a biotic myself. Even Lieutenant Alenko is the first biotic I've worked closely with…and we only met when we were posted aboard Tokyo. I was pretty happy he got asked to be part of Normandy's shakedown." He smiled self-consciously and shrugged as he looked away briefly, "But I wanted to be one as soon as I found out they existed."
He looked up again as if quickly dismissing the topic, "Do you use your extremities to direct the energy? For example, I've seen Kaidan do something like this to Lift." He crouched and raised an arm to shoulder height, palm turned up.
"I do, but I don't have to. Manipulating a field is possible without the network of neurons, but with more neurons involved, the field can be stronger, or more precisely controlled, but usually both."
"What did you call these?" He gestured to his own head.
Liara's omnitool twinkled. "That is specialized fur, I believe…and asari do not have any. Your word 'hair' is its own singular as well. Your species has been living on land for longer than—"
Shepard chuckled, "No, I mean your…crests." He waved a hand toward her head, but was careful not to intrude into her personal space. "You have an anatomical word for them?"
"Oh! There I go again." Liara facepalmed, shook her head. "Yes, of course we do; the word is le'ku. Even these ones here." She indicated the structures on the back of her neck, "The word refers to the entire array, or to individual emitters. It is the same word we use for the fully movable tentacles of another species that still lives in our oceans, and that is fairly closely related to us. It uses them to move, and steer its path, without muscular activity."
Liara's omnitool flicked on, blinked off briefly, and then lit again. "The word le'ku is not an asari word in any dialect; it was applied by your own anatomists because they are similar in appearance to..." Liara smiled as though embarrassed, "a similar structure of a fictional creature. Apparently the similarity was close enough that it seemed to that particular scientist, and the story in which this creature appears is widely known; almost like a mythology, but without anyone purporting the tale to be factual."
Shepard canted his head in curiosity. "Forgive me if I change subjects too abruptly, but I noticed when you went like this," he repeated the hand-to-face gesture, "that your non-verbal communication seems very similar to my own. It's hard for me to believe you aren't just a human dressed up in an asari suit or something. Did the development of our respective species follow a parallel path that closely?"
"No…ah…" The asari looked away for moment, and seemed actually embarrassed. "I first heard about…your species was during your war…with the turians. There was coverage from independent journalists that were my first clues you were not the aggressors you were being made out to be by the Heirarchy."
Liara glanced up again before continuing, "I first heard about it because one of the...ahm…less credible networks claimed the turians were…jealous. Which may be true, but this was not a factor. Still, even today, your people are widely considered to be some of the most attractive aliens in the galaxy, at least by us. I assume that is simply because you look the most like us.
"I hoped you would survive the conflict, of course, but I assumed you would not; the turian fleet was very powerful and far more technologically advanced than your own…at the time. I wanted to learn everything I could about you before you were gone, like the rachni."
Shepard nodded. "It was a close one. Shanxi might have been the flashpoint and focus of the First Contact War, but it was hardly the only battlefield. My dad once said that if the turians were going to wipe us out, we were going to make them pay dearly for the privilege. If the Council hadn't intervened…well...never mind. I'm glad it didn't come to that.
"Anyway, your gestures are still surprisingly human-like. Does your omnitool translator provide you with information that's that rich? And so quickly that you implement it in realtime? If so, that's…really impressive."
Liara nodded. "I am using as many of your non-verbals as I have learned, but I am augmenting with a VI that provides me with realtime assistance. Your communication can be as rich and nuanced with gestures and subtle movements as elcor communication is with scents and pontik ribation. Since I'm communicating with you, it's helpful if I use as many of your idioms and non-verbals as possible."
"But I'm not using any of your idioms or gestures."
"At best, it would be…difficult for us to communicate to each other using the other's language, and still have to listen with our own language mapping."
Shepard nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm…because we'd both have to switch back and forth between the two different language maps; four times the work. An excellent point. Then allow me to express my thanks at your willingness to make the extra effort."
Again, Liara glanced away as if embarrassed. "I have been using omnitech for…longer than your species has been known. To ask you to make the effort would be at least unhelpful; it might even prove counterproductive."
"You don't have to try any harder to impress me. You certainly don't seem to have any trouble integrating with your omnitech."
"We have had carbon-based computation for many lifetimes…its usage is so pervasive that it's practically part of our culture. Even to the point where – in some individuals – its use starts developing before motility."
"Really?" Shepard stopped to consider what that would entail. "How do you know this? Are you one?"
"I am not, but I have a cohort who connected to her mother's p-net over a year before she was born."
"Did they actually communicate?"
"Not directly, but the nanets located her cortex and integrated with it, and then distinguished the mother from the daughter. She had her own network persona before being born."
Shepard paused, constructing his next question thoughtfully. "For humans, the development of spoken language allowed us to communicate complex ideas, and writing allowed those ideas to persist into the future." He squinted in curiosity, "Did your ability to imprint knowledge…well, ontological heuristics, anyway…did it delay your development of spoken or written language?"
Liara shook her head. "Compared to humans, no. Actually, we've had a written language for at least...forty lifetimes…ah…well over forty thousand of your years. Probably quite a bit more, depending on whose research you…consider to be sufficiently peer reviewed."
"Forty thousand years," Shepard shook his head in disbelief. "Even ten thousand years ago, our most advanced form of writing was drawing pictures on cave walls." He paused for the ARO to show examples before realizing it was still off. He improvised, "Still…the universe is so old, we have expected there to be civilisations that were orders of magnitude older than humans. There's a long-running debate about 'if they were there, why haven't we met them yet?' Even the First Contact War didn't end it."
T'Soni smiled broadly. "True, but remember that our galaxy is enormous. Even with the relays, we have hardly explored four percent of the stars with planets. Without some way to traverse parsecs in less than a year, stars are simply too far apart for us to find each other."
"There are some who maintain that Athame is more real than we realize, and it is by her desire for us to grow together that the relays and Citadel remained after the Protheans were extinguished."
Shepard considered an alternative, "If we can…reverse-engineer how the relays were built, perhaps we can build relays in other parts of the galaxy. Maybe even launch a mission to another galaxy, create a relay there."
"Such a thing probably wouldn't be in your lifetime…or even mine."
"Unless we could find a way to create an arrival relay at a remote location on demand…? Develop a 'Relay Drive' of some sort? Perhaps even free ourselves of the relays altogether."
The asari blinked astonishment. "Farsighted! With the enormous leap the Protheans' technology has given us, we should be able to develop such a thing. But first, we have to reverse engineer it, as you say. The Council has been extremely conservative with Prothean technology, and will probably continue to prohibit experimentation with it."
Shepard scowled.
"Have I said something wrong?"
"Sorry. I was wondering if the Council was debating whether to press charges against me for the beacon thing."
"What do you mean?"
He shook his head in embarrassment, "It's that story that I'd said was for another time during the debrief; I suppose now is the time. Our last mission with Captain Anderson was to recover a Prothean artifact on Eden Prime. Alenko, Jenkins, and I were on the ground team. The short version is that when we finally got to the thing to pick it up, Williams got too close to it, and it started making noise and…well, using some kind of vectoring field on her. It might even have been a biotic system.
"I didn't get to look at it, but I thought it was…" He couldn't find the right words, "Well…I don't know. But I thought it was going to hurt her, so I leapt at her in a tackle, like I'd use on someone who had become part of a high-energy circuit." He looked away, embarrassed. "I saved her, but the thing got a hold on me instead…and I was too close to get away. It picked me up," he gestured with his hands as if picking up a doll by its arms, "and paralyzed me, but kept me…aware."
He sighed heavily. "And then…it…tried to communicate with me. I think. It burned images into my head of…fighting, and something about blood on machines, and…just…apocalyptic slaughter. It was awful." He realized his teeth were clenched in recollection, and tried to relax.
T'Soni waited for a moment, then asked, "And…?"
He shrugged helplessly. "And that's all I can remember so far. Apparently it knocked me out and blew itself to bits. Normandy picked up the team, scraped the remains off the tarmac, and headed back to the Citadel." He folded his arms, "I have replayed the neurotronic recording, but it's just…" he shook his head as if to clear it, putting his fingertips to his head and grimacing as if in pain, "overwhelming chaos and agony. It seems more like some Prothean's dying impressions than a message, at least to me."
"Was it a tall, thin structure, or a semicircle that you had to stand within?"
"It was a sort of column, maybe five meters tall."
Liara nodded thoughtfully. "That was a beacon; it would have functioned something like a herald, or a newscaster. Likely the first person who got close enough to it would have triggered it. Or perhaps it was the first person with something like a Prothean mind…something the beacon could recognize. I have read about them in Prothean records. The recovery team that discovered and excavated it was surely close enough to activate it. Ashleywilliams is a soldier, as are you. I wonder…?" Her voice trailed off to silence.
Shepard said, "Wonder what? Because we're both soldiers, you think there may have been something military about the Protheans?"
"I'm more inclined to believe the message was intended for a soldier. The Protheans observed a very well-defined – if highly diverse – pantheon. Not quite a caste system, but in some ways similar. At some point in life, late in development, each citizen adopted the traits of an archetype they found most appealing. As far as we know, this choice persisted through life. That beacon's message may have been a warning, or a directive of some kind. Something any soldier – but only a soldier type – could have understood and carried out."
"Anyone could be a soldier," Shepard said dismissively. "Many are soldiers who do not choose it."
"Anyone not constrained by a caste system."
Shepard recoiled slightly, "Caste system. The only species using one is the batarians, and don't even get me started on that. They limit their own progress with it. This is just another example of a species' potential being choked by people with power rigging the system so it can't be taken from them. I wouldn't want to see them go through a revolution to get out from under it, though; it was bad when it happened on Earth. I hope they outgrow it first."
They stood in silence for a moment, each with private thoughts.
"Well, getting back to asari, you said that individual memories fade over time. Just so I'm clear, then...you don't have any distinct ancestral memories?"
Liara shook her head, "It would be wonderful if I did. I have been told the rachni were able to do that. There are preserved specimens in cryostasis that could be studied. Perhaps we may learn how they did it. It would be a valuable ability.
"But when asari meld, we aren't overtly trying to acquire new ways of thinking for ourselves, but by doing so with another sufficiently complex organism…usually ones with language, capable of abstraction and reflection…trying to make something new and more fitting for the future. A hybrid of asari and…ah…whatever the other parent is.
"Just as DNA blending through sex allows a species' morphology to change over generational time to adapt to current environment, neurological fusion allows our offspring to adapt to the environment better in cognitive and social respects. In the siari religion, this is encouraged for philosophical reasons. To a siar, bonding out adds to us as a species, and thus to the entire galaxy, of which we are all part." T'Soni quirked a slightly asymmetrical smile, "It seems like post-hoc reasoning to me, though that alone does not make it untrue."
"I take it you are not a siar, then."
"Not really, no. When I thought about it, it seemed to me that it is more popular with Maidens and the Young Ones because it promotes melding. I think the High Siarens – the priestesses – used this to gather local power many lifetimes ago. If you tell someone, even in later stages of ontological resolution, that their biological urges have beneficial – or even altruistic – philosophical implications, you create a self-feeding cycle of behavior reinforcement.
"If someone goes to a temple to find an interesting meld for her search, but is encouraged first to become an acolyte, she invests time and effort gathering others to do the same. As highly social animals, we have a bias toward group behaviors which can – unfortunately – be exploited in this way. If I were more cynical, I would even call it a very old sales technique."
"Doesn't a melding have some effect on you? Don't you retain any of the neurology that you just melded with?"
T'Soni nodded gravely. "Indeed; very insightful of you, Commander. As an adaptation, any joining increases the depth and breadth of species knowledge per se. But something of the melding usually persists afterward, too…in the neurology of the participants. That is why it is important to choose carefully."
"Do asari mate for life?"
The asari squinted faintly, as if uncomfortable. "It does happen, but it is rare. Most melding takes place early in life, and few sapient species live as long. Matriarchs usually are not interested in going to the trouble…or the risk."
"Mating is risky? To whom, and how?"
Another uncomfortable squint. "Mating is not quite the proper term. Not as you understand it. Physical contact may or may not be involved, but it is not an essential element of the union. The true connection is mental." Liara touched a fingertip lightly to one side of her head. "Our physiology allows us to fully meld ourselves with other beings. We can touch the very depths of their minds. We explore the genetic memory of their species. We share, at least for a time, the most basic elements of their individual and racial identities. We then pass these traits on to our daughters. It is how we grow as a species, and how we develop a greater understanding of other species as well.
"The dangerous aspect of melding is that…if…one of the melding pair is…ahm…somehow suboptimal…not only do the offspring potentially inherit these defects, but they can sometimes 'take' in the partner, too. This effect is even amplified in the case of a two-asari union…another reason to bond out."
"So… what happens to a non-asari partner after the union?"
"Each relationship is different. Some unions are a single encounter, with the parents parting ways afterwards. The other parent may never even know they are a parent. Sometimes one will meld with multiple species over time and produce offspring that are a blending of all of them. Other relationships can be more long-term. Sometimes an asari and her partner will stay together for many decades."
"Does a melding always result in offspring?"
T'Soni blinked, looked away thoughtfully. "That is an interesting way of putting it. As you've already observed, technically, melding has only a little to do with reproduction. Parthenogenesis is naturally triggered by population density…or actually the lack of it. If we still lived in the old Ways, we would use pheromones – unconsciously – to determine how many cohorts there are frequenting an individual's range. If the density is below a certain threshold, and resources are sufficient, we clone ourselves up to…once every six years or so."
"But if you're only melding with those near where you live, isn't there a danger of inbreeding?"
"Not really, ah…no, actually. That is a hazard of sexual reproduction that does not apply to us. But the idea of ontological homogeneity has always been recognized as a potential hazard. That is why Tevura tends the Ways of Love and Travel. Finding one's Way is central to all asari cultures, and one's Way should lead into the future, not simply in a circle.
"Multiple melds provide opportunity to examine partner ontologies for suitability. That's why melding is so important, and why travel is almost a required part of growing up. It gives us the ability to adapt our daughters to fit better into their new environs by having similarities to other sapients in it. If none of the available partner ontologies are deemed suitable or beneficial, a clone is the default."
Shepard squinted, tilted his head. "Wait a minute…back up. You mean if there aren't enough asari around, you…just…pop out a baby…and there's nothing you can do about it?"
Liara blinked at him in confusion, and then looked away and down. She seemed to have kept herself from laughing aloud, though she continued to smile. "I am so sorry, I hope I have not offended you. The very idea…of uncontrolled reproduction…" She shook her head, still smiling, "It is not...ahem…it would never happen. We have known how to control our reproduction since before we could write, by using local flora. We have had engineered prophylactics since before the time of the first cities, well before we developed spaceflight, and cybernetic nanotech for…since shortly after that.
"Xenophobes might worry that we will overrun the galaxy, breeding all other species out of existence, but it simply isn't so. The idea itself is delusional…or at least grossly ignorant. Consider that the human reproductive cycle takes only 235 days to complete. You could have at least six little ones in the time it would take me to grow one."
Shepard thought for a second, "It usually takes 270 Earth days."
"You are correct, of course; I am sorry, I was counting days on Thessia. But the point remains; it simply takes longer. More importantly, and for many of the same reasons you observed, we would not want to be all alone in the galaxy. 'By sharing, we grow together.' Such things would be impossible if there was no one else to share existence with."
"So asari Maidens…er…asari in the Maiden stage…will meld without reproducing?"
"Indeed they can, and most do. There are many good reasons to meld. If you find a brilliant scholar, or an expert biotic, and want to become more like her, by melding with her, you may obtain aspects of her neurology that can help you as they help her." T'Soni stopped suddenly, shook her head, "Ah…forgive me. I'm speaking to you as if you were a child…"
"And that's entirely appropriate for my level of knowledge; I understand what you mean. Please, continue."
Liara looked down for a moment to gather her thoughts, then up at him again. "In the case of asari, because the exchange flows both ways, you would have to have…some trait that is sufficiently attractive to her. Often, it is a part of finding one's Way…ah…I suppose you might say 'creating one's self,' that takes place while growing up. Even so, one meld does not a partnership form."
The asari paused to read a vignette offered by one of her VIs. "Ah…it seems you have a word – funsex – that fits here. Though you do not obtain the same depth of neural exchange that we do. Your lifetimes are short enough that your biology is more focused on creating more gametes rather than refining extant ones." She stopped, eyes widening. "Ah...though I do not mean to offend you by saying so."
"No apology necessary; I think you're right," Shepard smiled amusement as he nodded. "But to your point, there is also a very personal aspect to sex for humans because there is more commitment involved…and a lot of hurt if your partner ends the relationship…" He stopped short, hoping for a distraction from his own memories.
"And so with melding, though in the case of humans, there does seem to be a survival advantage to the offspring if there is a persistent relationship between a mating pair. Still, if you enjoy each other's company, and wish to keep growing together, you would stay together. And continue melding. But reproduce? That is a commitment, in many ways requiring more of one today than when whole clans reared young."
Liara's eyes continued to dart as she read from her nanotech overlay. "It seems that humans require more attention to successfully reach reproductive maturity, though for a much shorter time. I suppose that may simply be that your particular socialisation modality. It takes longer – usually several decades – for an asari to become mature enough to live alone in modern society. Thus even more importance in choosing a fitting partner."
"Do you know who Matriarch Benezia chose as her partner?"
Liara looked down and to the side. Shepard couldn't have said if it was from embarrassment or sadness. "She rarely spoke of her partner, though I know my 'father' — if you want to use that term — was another asari." She seemed to have some difficulty saying so.
Shepard nodded slightly. Of course, before the asari had gone offworld, or discovered other sapients, they would only have had each other. "Is that rare? You had said the 'practice' of bonding out made more sense, but that doesn't mean it's a rule."
"Union with our own kind is no longer common. At least not for the purposes of reproduction." Liara almost closed her eyes, but then she straightened, as if reminding herself that she had nothing to be ashamed of. "Most asari believe it weakens our species. I think the worst one could say is that it adds nothing new.
"Still, asari daughters inherit traits, even neurological patterns from the 'father' species. If both parents are asari, then…nothing has been gained. Or so conventional wisdom would hold." She couldn't help sounding bitter. "I am what is sometimes called a 'pureblood,' though no one would ever be cruel enough to say the word to my face." Behind my back is another story, but never to my face. "It is a great insult among my people."
"What happened to 'all part of a single galactic community'?"
"It is…complicated. I am of the opinion that, in our efforts to make the galactic community as strong in union and as interdependent as possible, the idea that nothing has been gained makes purebloods seem like the product of people who...do not hold with this ideal. This is complicated by the fact that it was not my choice to be so, and most people recognize this." She sighed, looked away. "It must seem rather petty to you."
Shepard frowned thoughtfully. "It does seem more like an insult intended for your parents."
"Indeed. And that is why it is so hurtful. Consider how your own species will 'take one for the team,' or bear the brunt of an impact to protect a mate or child, or even a dear friend." The omnitool on her arm lit and darkened again. "Your word 'vendetta' seems to convey some of the emotional import.
"We are a highly social species, in some ways even moreso than humans. The sense of in-group versus out-group is so inclusive that we…well, most of us…regard all asari as close cousins. Huntresses in the same pack - regardless of age - will call each other 'sisters.' It even extends to other species, as you can imagine…especially if the relationship has been long-term."
"Then why would…your 'father,' as you say, be so notably absent?"
Liara looked down at the table. "It is possible that Benezia's partner was embarrassed by their union. She may have been too ashamed to publicly acknowledge me as her offspring."
Shepard remembered losing his own father, nodded sympathetically. "Maybe she wanted to meet you but couldn't. Benezia may have had you without ever telling her partner. Or something could have happened to her. Maybe…maybe she is with the goddess."
"You might be right," Liara said quietly. "I hope you are. But I have no way to know for sure. Benezia never explicitly spoke of her partner to me. Whatever happened, it caused her too much pain to dwell on it. She raised me by herself, though that is not uncommon. A majority of asari raise their children alone, particularly because most other potential partner species are short-lived. Often, the partner will pass on long before the child reaches maturity."
"And yet aren't there public records you can look up? This is something that a search engine should be able to answer in milliseconds."
Liara sighed, looking away again. "I had honored Benezia's not telling me herself because I respected that she would have reasons. I still hope for reconciliation with her, and that she will tell me in her own time and in her own Way." Another sigh. "Again, probably the foolishness of my youth. I do not want to acknowledge that my mother may be well and truly gone."
She looked so despondent; Shepard felt he knew that pain, and wanted to ease it. He said, "'Anyone's death diminishes me. For I am involved in Mankind.'" He expected her ARA would display the reference, but could only hope the asari would take the meaning correctly.
Liara looked up and canted her head; she seemed confused.
Shepard balked, suspecting he had overreached himself. "Sorry…you looked so sad, I was trying to…uh…not let make you not feel so alone. That was…um…a quote, sort of paraphrased from one of our poets."
"It was also expressed by Matriarch Dilinaga. It is one of the Precepts of Sentience. How interesting that the idea is…also known in human culture. How is it that you know it?"
He smiled faintly. "Because I'm a soldier, I should not have heard it or think it true?"
"I am…I intended no offense…but your job is to end the enemies of your government, is it not?"
Shepard suddenly felt like he was under a microscope. "Well…technically that's true, but it's an oversimplification. Earth hasn't faced an enemy state like that since the turians tried to exterminate us. These days, most of our work has been in defending Earth colonists from non-state threats like pirates or disasters, or…well, even ourselves.
"The Alliance is a large, complex organization that, as they say, 'has a lot of moving parts.' As an engineer, my job is – or was – to build things and make technology work. I have a degree in production engineering with a core emphasis on intelligent systems. The whole business about killing being the only thing a soldier needs to be a proficient at…" He paused and thought for a moment.
"A lot of people think of me as a consummate soldier because I have this," he tapped his N7 badge. "And I am proud of it. But I got this because I…um…I had the opportunity to take the training. It's very prestigious, and in spite of the reputation, it's really just a way of finding out who's really got focus, commitment, self-control, and so on, before providing extraordinary knowledge. Once I realized this, I wanted to see how far I could go in the programme as an Engineer rather than a warfighter.
"The successive trainings, especially in N5 and N6, are grindingly unpleasant, but none of them are impossible. They're mostly about keeping your head when stressed, remembering how things work, how to find resources and get the most out of them, how to cooperate, how to recognise when you've got a Blue Falcon, how to think…and think critically...and do so under pressure.
"And one of the guys I met in N3 started me thinking about thinking. We got bunked together at Rio, and we'd talk about philosophy between activities, and before lights out. He taught me a lot. His name is Joe," Shepard smiled, "I introduced him to a friend of mine and they got married. We…kind of got separated after N5. He got stationed on Earth, at Point Mugu, or somewhere near there. I miss him."
Shepard was silent, momentarily lost in thought. "It's…made it increasingly hard for me to hear that someone has died. And even harder when I'm the one responsible."
Liara nodded. "Maybe that is why the Council chose you. Spectres have a reputation for leaving a trail of death and destruction. Perhaps they hope you will bring a more deft touch to the organization."
"It sure made me wonder when Captain Anderson told me. Deft indeed." He looked away, shook his head and scoffed. "I thought they had the wrong guy."
Incoming call: XO Pressly, C, winked on his ARO. As a social cue, he lit the gauntlet. "I'm sorry…I'm being called; I should go. But I hope we'll get to talk more."
"So do I." The asari smiled at him; it was a strikingly beautiful sight.
*** Glossary ***
Blue Falcon: buddy fucker; supposed comrade-at-arms whose actions harm teammates, usually but not always to their own benefit
cohort: to an asari, a "cohort" is the translation of the word for a chronological peer; "classmate" is a useful analogue, though the relationship is not necessarily scholastic
nanets: metastructure of networked nanotechnology, as distinguished from a single-point-of-contact device like a AED or neural pacemaker
Ohm ath'm ao ta, e ta shoof reet: Ohm (Greeting) Ath'm (short form of Athame) ao (something which inhabits, notably not in a parasitical sense) ta (you.) E (me) ta (you) shoof (shoo, improve (better, as in good, better, best) –f suffix adds intent to verbs, or acknowledges the imminent application of physical laws (e.g., gravity ) reet ([when] near, or "at a time of closeness")
p-net: personal network or devices; from bloodstream computing to wearables to carried VI-equipped devices
Thesserit: The most widely-understood dialect of the asari Republics, originally and primarily of scholarly usage; it is more technical and precise than most other dialects, but its construction and expansive vocabulary (with its many borrowed words) allows for a considerable breadth of artistic expression
