A/N - Know it's been quite a while since this was last updated, but as I said (I think), this is more of a side-story to my main stories I regularly update. However, seen quite a few people start to follow this, or even add it to their favourites, so I've been busy writing the past few days, trying to get some chapters written so I can keep you guys happy too!
The young asari walked through the med-bay, visibly upset, tears streaming down her cheeks as she quietly sobbed. Chakwas looked up from her terminal in surprise as the door had opened. She started to ask what was wrong, Liara simply shaking her head, continuing to cry as she walked past into her room, the door closing behind her. She stood up and approached the door, knocking lightly.
"Liara, are you okay?" she asked softly.
She didn't hear a reply but there was no missing the continuous sounds of sobbing and sniffling coming through the door. Chakwas was in two minds. Should she go in and speak to her? Or should she get the Commander? Although she had built up quite the rapport with Liara in recent weeks, this clearly had something to do with events from the mission they had just completed, though she had no idea what could have happened to have left the young asari so upset.
She turned back from the door and walked into the mess, noticing Alenko and Ashley sat together at one of the tables, Alenko already tucking into an energy bar. "Where is the Commander?" she asked the pair, both of them looking up as she approached.
"I think he's in his quarters, Doc," Alenko replied, "Why? Is there a problem?"
She thought for a moment. "What happened during the last mission? Liara is terribly upset about something."
The pair shared a glance before they looked back at Chakwas, both of them unsure. Clearly they don't know how much they should say. "Er, I think you may need to speak to the Commander about that, Doc. It was… pretty rough out there."
The doctor training kicked in for a moment. "Are you both okay?"
"Just replacing some of my energy, Doc. Like you always tell me to do," Alenko replied with a smirk, holding up the half-eaten energy bar.
"One or two minor wounds from those geth bastards, but medi-gel worked its usual wonders," Ashley added.
"Good. Usual advice, though. Any issues, come and see me. My door is always open. Soldiers sometimes forget that."
The pair of them just chuckled, waving her off as she continued on towards the Commander's quarters. She knocked on the door and waited until she heard him shout to enter. She entered to see he was sat at his desk in the corner, guessing that he was writing up some sort of report. He turned as she walked in and almost tripped over himself standing up as he noticed who it was, having to stifle a slight chuckle as he straightened himself out.
"Doc! I wasn't expecting you!" A look of concern then crossed his face. "Is there something you need?"
"It's Liara, Commander. She's very upset about something. I would try and talk to her, but I'm thinking it's something to do with what's just happened. It's not my place to ask but… what happened?"
She noticed him grimace and looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment, running a hand over the top of his short, dark hair as he was clearly thinking of how to respond. He eventually gestured towards the table and chairs near them. "Take a seat, Doc. I'll give a quick explanation." She took one of the seats available, the Commander sitting on the opposite side, leaning forward and clasping his hands together. "It's quite a long story but I'll give you the bullet points. Let's see… Noveria is a hive of criminal corporations, about which the Council turn a blind eye. To make matters worse, the company we were investigating, of which Saren was part, were deciding to clone rachni."
She widened her eyes at the mention of them. "Rachni! I thought they were extinct?"
"They were, but someone thought that hatching a rachni egg was a good idea. When they found that it was a queen, the geniuses in charge thought they could control her. It went very wrong, very quickly."
"That still doesn't explain Liara…"
"Her mother was there," he said quietly.
"Oh…"
She knew the Commander didn't have to say anything else as he simply looked at her and shook his head. Liara had never spoken of her parents. Then again, Chakwas never mentioned her parents. Shepard never spoke of his, though she was aware that both of his parents were still alive as they were listed as his next of kin. The only people who spoke about their family in glowing terms were Ashley, who appeared incredibly close to her mother and sisters, and Tali, who spoke in glowing terms of quarian society.
"Someone really should talk to her, Commander."
He appeared uncomfortable at the suggestion. "I'll be honest here, Doc. This is a bit out of my comfort zone. I really wouldn't know what to say. I haven't lost my parents yet. And certainly haven't…" He sighed before he continued, "She killed her."
She couldn't help but gasp at the revelation. "No wonder she's upset."
"She was fine in the Mako on the way back to Port Hanshan. I can understand she was just trying to put on a brave face. Can I ask a favour, Doc?"
"Of course."
"Could you talk to her? Would you be comfortable with that?"
She gave a slight smile. "Of course, Commander. It's part of my role. I patch soldiers up either physically or psychologically. Granted, this is slightly different to normal but I'll be the usual shoulder to cry on."
"Thanks, Doc. If she needs anything else, be sure to let me know and I'll see what I can do."
She nodded her thanks, stood up and walked out of his quarters. She wasn't particularly surprised that the Commander asked her for help with Liara, figuring many people would be stuck in regards to what they should say or do. The Commander dealt with death constantly but never had to talk about it afterwards. Most soldiers never really liked to discuss such matters. It was an unwritten rule.
She knocked on the door to Liara's room again. She didn't hear a response, so taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked through, noticing Liara hunched over at her desk, head in her hands. She didn't hear any more crying though there was still the occasional sniffle.
"I'm okay, Karin," she said quietly.
"Clearly you're not, Liara, otherwise you wouldn't be back here by yourself in floods of tears."
She laughed slightly, shaking her head. "What do you expect me to say?"
Chakwas simply grabbed a chair and sat beside the asari at her desk. "You don't have to say anything for now. I'll just here and keep you company."
Liara just nodded her agreement as Chakwas placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly just to let her know she was there. The pair sat in silence for a while, the only sound being the occasional sniffle from the asari while Chakwas simply sat there and thought about how difficult it must have been to have killed one of your own parents, someone who had once given you life.
"Has Shepard told you what happened?"
"He has."
"What do you think?"
"I couldn't possibly begin to understand how you must be feeling right now, Liara. All I can be is someone you can talk to. Whatever you're feeling or thinking. And I certainly won't judge as I wasn't there."
"Where should I start?"
She put a hand on her shoulder, lightly squeezing it again. "Why don't you start at the beginning?"
Liara turned her chair towards the doctor as she started at the beginning. Her child-hood with her mother. Her carefree days on Thessia growing up. Of days at the beach and her time at school. The teasing of her being a pureblood, something that somewhat shocked the doctor. Of her natural interests that her mother supported, though somewhat amused at her choices. Her time at university and growing interest in archaeology. And then the Protheans. Her schism from her mother because of her growing interests in the past. The fact she had not spoken to her mother in years prior to seeing her again on Noveria. The fact her mother had always been proud of her.
The fact that she had to put a bullet in her because of her indoctrination.
She was in tears by the end, Chakwas simply leaning forward to embrace the heartbroken asari. The tears did not last long, the doctor staying silent, simply trying to provide a modicum of comfort. The asari pulled back from the hug and gave a weak smile, continuing to sniffle as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "You must think I'm such a fool."
"Oh hush, Liara," the doctor lightly chastised her, "Any child losing a parent is a difficult time."
"Have you lost either of yours?"
Chakwas was slightly surprised by the question. "Er, no. They're both still alive. They live back on Earth. Like me, they were both doctors. Mother worked in a hospital in London. My father was a doctor in the military before the days of the Systems Alliance."
"Oh, I wouldn't have guessed…," Liara replied, slight surprise in her tone as she obviously didn't finish her sentence, drifting off and avoiding her gaze.
Chakwas chuckled. "Why the surprise, Liara?"
She watched as Liara shuffled, clearly uncomfortable with something on her mind. "May I ask a personal question?"
Chakwas grinned. "You're wondering how old I am?" Liara nodded. "Take a guess. No-one ever gets it right. Would you like a hint?" Liara nodded again. "Well, I'm old enough to remember a time when humans had not even discovered the Charon relay and of Jon Grissom's first expedition through the relay. I remember the Systems Alliance being formed and of Arcturus Station being constructed. Of planets around the galaxy being colonised. And then our first meeting with an alien race."
She felt Liara's gaze drift from the top of her head down her face and over her body. Eventually she just shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I know humans only live to around 150 or so. I know human hair comes in many colours, and can change as they age."
She couldn't help but play with her hair as she spoke. "Don't let that fool you, Liara. It's an unfortunate trait of Chakwas women. We go grey early. Although I prefer to call it 'dignified silver'. My mother was grey by the age of thirty. The men haven't had it much better. My father had a full head of dark hair at 18. By the age of 25 most of it was gone. Something in the genes, it seems. I've never cared for colouring as it's never bothered me." She shrugged. "And I'm not going out of my way to impress anyone."
"Other than that, your eyes clearly show wisdom but there are not the usual signs of aging that I'm aware occurs on humans." The asari grabbed one of her hands. "Hands are generally an indicator of aging. Yet even your hands appear relatively youthful. Hmmm… now I'm really confused."
Chakwas laughed. "I look after myself, Liara. It's amazing what a healthy diet and light exercise will do. Add to that I'm on my feet for most of the day and I manage to stay relatively fit. Hell, I like to think I look pretty good."
Liara just shook her head. "I'm afraid I have no idea, Karin."
"I'm just around half your age, Liara. Give or take a few years either way."
"You're still not going to give me a number?!"
Chakwas just laughed again, shaking her head. "Ask the Commander. He has all my details on file. Whether he's willing to share that information or not, though, is up to him."
"You're not embarrassed are you, Karin?" Liara asked, laughing herself.
"Heavens no, Liara. But, at the end of the day, it's just a number and it's not particularly important to me. But I figure I'll leave just a little mystery about myself. I can't go about revealing everything at once."
"Do you have any other family?"
Chakwas couldn't help but sigh ever so slightly. "No. I'm an only child. Unmarried. No children of my own. The Alliance has been my life and love ever since I decided to join up. Traversing the galaxy on a ship leaves little times for those sort of relationships. My former captain could make a bar full of men cry into their drinks with the stories he could share."
"You make it sound incredibly lonely, Karin."
"Oh, not at all. I have many friends, not just in the Alliance but back on Earth and on numerous colonies. But I chose to dedicate my life to helping the sick and the wounded. I enjoy my job and enjoy my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything."
Liara took a deep breath. "Thank you, Karin. For coming in and speaking to me. You've helped take my mind off…." She just made a gesture with her hand, the doctor simply nodding silently as to what she was referring.
"Would you like to grab a bite to eat?"
The asari grinned and nodded as they both stood up. "That's a wonderful idea, Karin. Let's go. I think we could both do with the company."
Chakwas just chuckled as they walked out together into the mess as the rest of the Normandy crew gathered for their nightly meal.
A/N – Grey hair doesn't signify age. My mum is 50 and has been colouring her hair for at least 20 years. I'm sure she'd appreciate me sharing that! I was pretty much bald by 25. So saying Chakwas must be 'old' simply because of her hair colour isn't a great argument!
