Chapter Three
Zoe found the decontamination scanner an annoying yet necessary tool. She just wished it didn't take so long. She knew it also confirmed the identities of anyone trying to access the Normandy. While on their walk from docking bay twelve to docking back eleven, Zoe keyed Liara's credentials into the Normandy's systems. She was certain she would have had received an escort from Alliance Brass but she was wrong. Joker or Pressly must have had someone they knew on the station who granted both the Normandy and the D'Nasir docking bays. Zoe knew it was protocol for all Citadel V.I.P.s were given escorts even Spectres. Her money was on Pressly. Pressy was an Alliance veteran who had a lot of experience yet not enough political pull to advance any higher than Executive Officer.
The hatch to the air lock automatically slid open. The Normandy's VI automatically announced her return which meant XO Pressly was now relieved to join the rest of the crew for that all expenses covered meal. She saw Pressly waiting near the Galaxy map. She returned his salute and wished him and the rest of the crew a tasty meal. She told him it was his responsibility to make sure they all made it back in fifteen minutes after she pinged his onmi-tool. He nodded his understanding. She turned around to see him leave when she saw the door to the cabin open. The door automatically closed and sealed itself if nobody was at the helm. Joker who needed assistance with his mobility was usually first off the ship. She asked Karin to show Liara to the secure communications room.
Zoe walked up to the cockpit. She saw her new gunnery chief and armory master Ashley Williams staring out the starboard window. This was highly unusual behavior for Ashley. She was rather obsessive about combat readiness that she was rarely found away from her weapons bench. The only other place she was normally was hanging out around the galley chatting with the crew. "Chief, is there something wrong? I thought you would be with the rest of the team in the comm. room." Shepard asked.
Ashley turned around and Shepard could tell instantly that something was visibly wrong with her gunny. Ashley had bags under her eyes and her hair wasn't in its traditional bun or pony tail. It looked disheveled. Her lips were open and moving but Shepard couldn't hear her. Shepard turned around and pressed a button that locked down the cockpit. Ashley had a look of absolute terror in her eyes.
"Chief, you are safe. Nobody can bypass the cockpit lock. Can you tell me what is wrong?" Zoe asked gingerly.
"Co… Com…. Commander, I…I…I re…re…request to be be excused from the debriefing." That was all Ashley was able to stutter out.
"Granted, chief. I recommend you see Dr. Chakwas if…"
"No no no no no no doctors!" Ashley said terrified.
"Ok, Ash no doctors, I am going to escort you down to my cabin. According to my onmi-tool readout, everybody else on board is in the comm. room. I am then going to seal my cabin closed to anybody else even Dr. Chakwas during the duration of the debriefing. I will be leading the debriefing and once that is done I will come back for you. You have my word." Shepard said. Ashley could only nod her understanding. Shepard quickly unsealed the cockpit. She led Ashley past the Galaxy map and down the staircase. Shepard unlocked her cabin and escorted Ash in. She guided Ash over to her small couch and helped Ashley sit down. Shepard walked over to her small refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. "Hopefully, the briefing will not take long. I will be back ASAP." Shepard said and then placed the bottle of water down on the side table next the couch. Shepard then exited her cabin. She brought up her omni-tool and enacted her cabin's lockdown program. She quickly made her way back up the stairs and into the comm. room. She turned around to a panel next to the door and pressed the dock lock button and the anti-eavesdropping protocol button.
"Is Chief Williams running late? She was supposed to be here by now." Lt. Kaiden Alenko asked.
"Chief Williams has already turned me her report. She had an emergency message from home and has asked to be excused from this debriefing. Seeing as how you and Ashley were joined pretty much at the hip during Therum, I think you can pretty much cover anything she might have put in her report." Shepard said as she stood in the middle of her team. "First and foremost, Garrus and Tali, I am in debt to you two. Your work on essentially rebuild the Mako from the ground up is remarkable. You both have earned a huge favor from me that you can redeem whenever you need to. For our mission two you get first refusal." Shepard said and then paused to look at both Garrus and Tali before turning back to the group.
"The mission on Therum was a success. We rescued our target and exfilled enemy territory. No crew member sustained any serious injuries. Dr. T'Soni and I were treated for minor injuries during transport to Arcturus by Dr. Chakwas on Liara's personal ship The D'nasir. She has agreed to join this crew with full privileges just like the rest of you. She feels that the safest place for her is right here on the Normandy until the Saren issue is dealt with." Shepard saw Kaiden become slightly agitated.
"Alenko, is there something you find wrong with my decisions?" Shepard said directly.
"Yes, Commander, there is something I find wrong with your decisions. Am I allowed to speak freely ma'am?" Shepard nodded. "I mean no disrespect Dr. T'Soni but I am objecting to the Commanders' automatic acceptance of you on to our crew. Wrex and Garrus helped Shepard take down a crime ring on the Citadel which lead to the rescue of Tali Zorah and the exposure of Saren's betrayal. I am just questioning her credentials."
"Kaiden, her knowledge on the Protheans alone is a gift I can't even put a price tag on and that is what is publically known. What I am about to tell all of you is considered above top secret and will not leave this room under penalty of a swift execution and a quick toss out of the nearest airlock. Liara is not just an expert in the Protheans but an information collector that could rival the Shadow Broker. Yes, her mother is Benezia T'Soni and Liara and I believe that she is actively working for Saren. Benezia is one of the most powerful biotics alive. Saren would have an extremely difficult time attempting a kidnapping let alone keeping her subdued." Shepard explained.
"Before she became a leading thinker and matron for the Asari Government, Benezia was a leading geneticist who specialized in cross hybridization of sentient beings. This is the reason we believe that Saren recruited her. We still have no idea why Saren would need a person with such a talent but it cannot be good. We need to find out as soon as possible because I think it's tied to the visions I encountered from the Prothean Beacon. For the rest of the briefing I am turning it over to Dr. T'Soni. Please hear what she has to say and save all of your questions you will probably have to the end. Liara?" Zoe said as she turned over the debriefing.
"Thank you Commander Shepard, as she said in my introduction I am an information collector. The Prothean aspect is just my current project and a good cover. While we were en route to Arcturus, Shepard allowed me to use a surface mental meld with her. Dr. Chakwas monitored our health every step of the way. I don't wish those horrific images upon anybody. The message imprinted on Shepard's mind was either damaged or incomplete in some way. Unless we come across another beacon that wasn't in any ways damaged, we may never get the full message. However, I have pieced together a theory of what the message might have said." Liara paused to steady herself. She hadn't even told Zoe this theory. After a few moments, she began again. "The message was a warning of galactic extinction created by the Protheans and stored in their beacons."
The room was quiet enough that Liara could hear everybody in the room gasp for air. She even heard Shepard take in an extra breath.
"I'm sorry doctor but this question cannot wait till the end of your brief. Is there any way to prove your theory?" Garrus asked sounding concerned.
"There is no smoking gun as you humans are rather fond of saying but there is strong circumstantial evidence if one knows where to look. Let me first pose a question of my own. Has anybody here heard of the race known as the Collectors?" Liara asked.
"Only in myths and rumors, most species use a version of the collectors as a nightmare story to scare young children to curb bad behavior. My own mother used it one or twice when I was young." Tali said.
"That is the most common response in the galaxy but a nightmare that has been proven true. The collectors are highly intelligent yet very reclusive race who live beyond the Omega 4 mass relay system. According to my mother's files from her days with the Asari High Command which I liberated during my youth, the Asari government knew about the Collectors for a long time. They even have photographic proof." Liara said as she punched a few commands into her omni-tool. A photograph of an alien being with a large head and four yellow eyes appeared on the holographic display in the rear of the room.
"This is the only known photograph the Asari government has of the collectors. It was taken during the only known collector attack on an Asari colony nearly five hundred years ago. I will now show you an artistic rendition of what a prothean would have looked like based on some ancient artifacts found at a prothean ruin." Liara punched a few more commands into her omni-tool. The screen showed the two pictures side by side. There were more gasps around the room. Liara knew that she had struck a chord.
"Are you theorizing that the Protheans aren't really extinct but a mutated or hybrid life form?" Garrus asked wearily.
Yes, Garrus I am. If I was able to show you all the visions the Commander encountered I would but you all would probably suffer from terrible debilitating headaches and horrific nightmares. As I stated earlier, we are still missing the full message but I think we are on the right track. I believe that Saren and my mother are either actively working on ways to reserve this genetic hybridization or they are working towards it. I cannot say which one is accurate. What we lack is definitive proof but short of capture or killing a collector to run DNA gene studies, all we are dealing with are theories and speculation. I feel that we are on the right track." Liara said before taking her a seat. She then took a long drink from her water bottle.
"Who or what is the cause of all of this death and destruction. I don't think you really covered that." Wrex pointed out.
"My apologies Wrex. I believe that audio recording the Commander used to prove Saren's guilt contains the answer. During my studies into the Prothean extinction, I came across a few esoteric references to a race of machines that possess unfathomable advanced technology that was also called the Reapers. My working theory is that after a predetermined amount of time, these robots come to harvest the leading species of the period. These reapers turned those Protheans who they didn't outright slaughter into the collectors. I wouldn't bring anything to the Council until we can prove this beyond any shadow of a doubt." Liara told Wrex.
"I have one reservation about you Doctor T'Soni. You claim that you are an information gatherer and your cover was a Prothean researcher. How do we know you haven't been sent by either Saren or your mother to spy on us? We Quarians are naturally untrusting because we have been infiltrated by enemy agents in the past." Tali asked worriedly.
"I could show you the metadata from the times I breached Asari High Command and snooped on my mother and her government but that wouldn't work at all with you. Do you trust Commander Shepard?" Tali was quick to nod her affirmation. "This too is a secret that should not leave this room. The Commander and I are soon to become full bondmates. To Asari, this is the highest form of a committed relationship. They are rare in our culture even within our culture. I think through our recent exposure to the Protheans has sped up our courtship. It would have happened eventually provided we crossed paths. So yes Shepard trusts me on a level most can't understand. I hope we can find friendship by working together." Liara said.
"If there are no more questions for Dr. T'Soni, our leads for now are either heading to Noveria to investigate Binary Helix, a genetics company which Saren is on the Board of Trustees and a financial backer or to Feros and investigate ExoGeni for the same reason. However in the immediate future, we are off to the Citadel. You are all free to do whatever you choose for forty eight hours once we are docked. Thank you all for hanging in there with me and my delays, I will try not to make a habit of it. Since it's Liara's first time on this ship, Kaiden would you do the honors of giving her a full tour of the ship. As soon as the security measures are lifted, I will ping Pressly's onmi-tool. This is to catch any stragglers still out to lunch. Anybody who is late will be locked out, left behind, and at some point will face disciplinary action." Shepard said as she walked over to the panel and dropped the security measures. Wrex, Tali, Garrus and Kaiden exited. Liara was about to exit the comm. room when Zoe gently grabbed her wrist and spun her around. Zoe then landed her lips upon Liara's. Zoe smacked the door lock button. The kisses came fast and sensuously. Breasts were groped. Nipples hardened and a bulge became rather well defined. Zoe knew she had to put a stop to their raging hormones.
"Li, we have to stop. I have to deal with a situation that brewing down in my cabin. There is something very wrong with Ashley. You should have seen her. She was hanging out in the cockpit which she never does. Her eyes were bloodshot with heavy baggage and her hair was disheveled. She is a stickler about how perfect her hair as to be in a perfect bun. Something has her spooked. I tried to get her to see Karin but she screamed bloody murder. I know Karin and there is no way in the galaxy she could ever knowly harm somebody. It has something to do with her profession then. I need to get to the bottom of this. I may even have to keep this from you. Please Liara take the tour with Kaiden. Meet the crew. Pressly and a few of the technicians will take some time warming up to you since they don't know the full story. I'll find you when we are done. I promise." Zoe said.
Liara gave her lover a warm hug. "That is why I fell hard for you Zoe. I won't find anybody who as caring for their crewmember than you. Ashley needs you now. Go to her and help her" Liara said sweetly. They exited the comm. room together after disengaging the lock. "I expect she is in good hands, Lieutenant? Just remember your final report from Therum is due on my desk by the end of the solar day for the official record." Shepard reminded her lieutenant.
"Of course Commander on both items, Dr. T'Soni is in capable hands and I will have that report ready for you as soon as possible." Kaiden led Liara to the cockpit to start the tour. Shepard quickly made her way down the stairs and was at her cabin door in less than ten seconds. She waved her omni-tool over the door lock and transmitted her passcode. She was frozen just inside her doorway. Ashley had apparently stripped out of her entire uniform. She had her fingers buried in her wet folds. Shepard immediately reapplied the lockdown measures to her cabin.
"Ashley, what are you doing? Why are you naked on my bed playing with yourself?" Shepard asked sternly.
"Fuck me Commander. Fuck me deeply. Let me suck on those big tits of yours. Let me feel like a beautiful human again." Ashley shouted rather loudly. Her fingers slid in and out of her folds at a dizzying rate. Ash didn't take much longer to cum. Juices exploded from her pussy as she let out a loud moan. Thank the Goddess that the lockdown measured also included the privacy measures. Shepard walked over to her computer workstation. She bypassed the controls on her cabin's air flow controls. She hoped the smell of Ashley's sex would have been removed from the room quickly.
"Ashley control yourself." Shepard said softly. She bent over and picked up Ashley's clothes as she made her way over the bed. She handed Ash her pink bra. Ashley had come down from her orgasmic high. She now was sporting that haunted look from before the briefing. She quickly did up her bra again followed by her standard issue uniform. "Can I see down on the bed." Shepard asked. Ashley nodded meekly. "Are you able to tell me your story? If you can't I think I have deduced most of the general details. I know that there is a warrior deep inside that can fight through any situation. You are a survivor." Shepard pulled Ashley in for a hug. She didn't let go until she felt Ashley gently push her back.
"Do you know the history of the two twelve Commander?" Ashley asked weakly.
"Other than your posting on Eden Prime, I don't know much about your unit. While we are in my cabin, you can call me Shepard, Shep or Zoe."
"I'll see if I can work my way up to calling you anything other than Commander, Ma'am. Anyways as you know, the two twelve was essentially Alliance security guards. We were assigned to guard human run colonies or human embassies throughout the galaxy. Our Eden Prime posting was our most recent posting. We had only been there about six weeks. Before that we were posted at the Human Embassy on Illium. We had been there over a year. You know that guarding an embassy is rather cushy job for any grunt like me. The brass rarely ever changes embassy postings unless there is a problem.' Ashley said. She was shaking. Zoe knew Ash needed to get this off of her chest in order to start the healing process.
"The Ambassador hosted a party for which some members of the Asari High Command were the guests of honor. The two governments were trying to improve trading and commerce. There are always detractors when it comes to negotiations between two races. We had received threats from both the Asari and groups like Terra Firma. The party had been infiltrated and one of the Asari high Command had her food poisoned. She began violently ill but after was able to make a full recovery. The Asari blamed us and humans blamed the Asari. The entire embassy staff was under investigation.'
"Since as asari was the victim, their high command even brought in a Spectre to investigate what happened. I don't know why but the Spectre zeroed in on me. I was interrogated for hours and hours. It was late one night like zero two hundred or zero two thirty. The spectre dismissed everyone else from the holding area. She must have disabled the surveillance system because the next thing I knew I was thrown into the wall by a wave of biotic energy. I regained consciousness but I was pinned to the wall by some sort of biotic wall shackles. This asari then used a powerful pull and all of my clothes were ripped off of my body.'
"She then roughly groped my breasts. She left scratches and bruises all over my body. It was what she did next that I still can't wrap my head around. I knew she was going rape me and I knew I could deal with that. As terrible as that sounds, I would be able to eventually get over that. She was very rough almost brutal but she finished by blasting a full powered beam of warp energy right around my groin area. She then knocked me out. I woke up in a back alley of behind Eternity reeking of cheap asari wine. She at least redressed me in some cheap clothing.
"I found myself to a free clinic and got a full work up. That's where I learned that she sterilized me with that warp blast. Before she started, she whispered into my ear that they had already closed the poisoning case before she even brought me in for questioning. She just liked my eyes and sweet ass. There is no evidence. I checked but she wiped all the tapes. I have no leverage over a Council Spectre. Nobody would believe my story." Ashley said as the tears flew.
"I believe you Ash. I believe you one million times over any Spectre even if I am one myself. It's in your eyes. Those loyal, truthful big brown eye tell me all I need to know. You'd have to arrest, court-martial and dishonorably discharge me and even then I'd still help you. We have some options. First what did she look like? What made her stand out?"
"She was tall. She had to be over six feet. Her skin was a royal blue. Her lips were silvery blue. She had purple facial marking with a large purple mark over her chin. Black Souless eyes and I don't mean when they initiate a mind meld. Shep, please don't become like her. You are like me. Loyal, truthful, beautiful, that's why I find you so attracting." Ash leaned in towards Shepard but Zoe put her hand on Ashley's lips.
"Ash, you are a wonderful woman who will make someone very happy in the future. It just can't be me. I am spoken for and it happened recently. You are part of my squad. I will trust you with this secret. It's Liara. We both share a very rare deep connection that I cannot fathom how to even describe." Zoe saw brown flames burning in Ashley's eyes.
"Which brings me to my next point; I have extended full Liara full membership into my squad. She is one of the best resources I could have ever stumbled across. However, my squad needs to work well together if we are ever going to take down Saren. If you can't work with Liara, I completely understand but that limits my options. You can stay here on the Normandy or you can request a transfer. If you elect to transfer, I will begrudgingly accept it but I know you Ash and I know you can work through this. I know you've been through a hell no one should never have to but look at it like this. You get picked serve on the Alliance's most advanced warship by one of the Alliance's most decorated captains who is in line to make Admiral soon. If you stay with me and the Normandy, you will advance because I will be on your side every step of the way. You can always talk to me about anything." Zoe said as she gave Ash a hug.
"Thank you Skipper. I know I had a long road ahead of me but my shoulders feel lighter and I think I can smile for the first time in a long time."
"Ash, I know this is very personal but can I ask Liara if she can identify your attacker? IF anybody can figure out who did that to you, it's her. I wish you were at the briefing because she explained everything to everybody there. Liara is more than just a prothean expert. She does that as a hobby. She really is an information gatherer that could rival the Shadow Broker but nicer and not evil. Tali blatantly told Liara that she doesn't trust her right now. Liara asked Tali if she trusted me. Tali said yes. She then told the whole crew about our deep bond. She explained that there was no way she could ever betray me without causing herself extreme mental pain. I don't understand it as it's an Asari thing. All I ask is that if you stay on board with us that you find a way to work with her." Zoe explained.
"I don't know if I can trust her Skipper but if she can ID my attacker I will owe her a huge favor. What about her mother? She is second in command of Saren's operation." Ashley asked. Zoe walked over to her workstation and brought up the heavily encrypted video log system. She called up the debriefing meeting video. "I called up the video from the debriefing. It would take me far longer to explain every detail. I am trusting you just like every other member of my squad. This briefing is classified beyond top secret only the people in the briefing and now you know about it. Your hard work has been exemplary above and beyond even my high expectations. You have earned a week pass to anywhere in the galaxy for a vacation for some R&R. If I were a betting woman, you'd be on the first shuttle home. We don't have any open missions yet and are off the Citadel so if you want to take it now is the best time. But I will leave it open to whenever you need it." Zoe said with a big smile on her face.
"Skipper, I don't know what to say. Every CO I have ever had as never complimented my work let alone offer a week pass." Ashley said.
"What can I say? Berating your subordinates never really offers the best results if you don't also build them up too. Besides yelling is not my style.
"Unless a pretty lady caught your eye." Ashley said cheekily.
"Watch it Williams. Just because I choose not to rip new assholes doesn't mean I can't. Now I've got orders to dole out and a ship to get back up in the air. Watch the briefing but don't take any notes then get back to your station. I want recommandations on Armor and Weapon upgrades within the next solar day. Hopefully Kaiden has finished giving Liara the tour of the ship." Shepard said as she made her way to the door.
"Zoe." Ashley said.
"Yes, Ash?"
"Thank you again. Dr. T'Soni is a very lucky woman."
"My door is always open to you provided you give me notice. It's me who is the lucky one Ash. I thank the powers that be every day for their gift to me." Zoe said before she exited her cabin.
Zoe found Liara exiting the Galaxy's slowest elevator with Kaiden.
"Ahh, perfect timing Commander, we were just finishing up the tour. I will leave Miss T'Soni in your very capable hands." Both Liara and Zoe fought to keep blushes off of their cheeks.
"Just keep in mind LT you still owe me your Therum report. If it's not in by the time the Citadel's docking clamps are on the Normandy, you will be restricted to the ship until it is done." It was Kaiden's turn to fight off a blush. Alenko was one of the most punctual subordinates she ever had. She hoped that this new tardiness had better not turn into something reoccurring. Kaiden saluted which Shepard returned as he turned and walked back to his post.
"How did it go with Chief Williams?" Liara asked.
"I can't discuss it with you right now. The walls may have unfriendly ears. We are getting ready to leave Arcturus. What are we going to do about your ship? I'm having second thoughts about using it. Shivka was somehow able to find you. If I had to guess they tracked your ship somehow or even worse somebody betrayed you." Zoe said.
"You are not alone. I share those same fears. My ship doesn't have the same level of stealth or speed that the Normandy has. As much as I trust my biotics if you hadn't to rescue, those mercenaries would have killed me. I am assuming there were far more outside the mine than inside the mine?" Zoe nodded her affirmation. "I can defend myself again a few mindless thugs but a full geth platoon and a krogan warlord is out of my comfort zone. I can set the auto-pilot to return to the T'Soni Estate back just outside of Armali on Thessia. Can you delay the Normandy's departure by an hour? I need that hour to remove all of my data drives."
"You'll have it. Is there anybody on our crew who could help you go faster?" Zoe asked.
"As much as I would like the help, these data drives contain a lot of extremely sensitive information. I can't allow anybody but you near those drives. As much as I want the squad to trust me, this information could start multiple galactic wars if ever it saw the light of day."
"That is a perfect excuse. I need your help in regards to Ashley. Can you start right now?" Liara nodded. They made their way up the staircase across the flight deck and into the cockpit.
"Joker, I want the Normandy and all its crew in their places in an hour. In fact as soon as I step back on deck, I want to hear the docking clamps releasing and the Normandy backing out of the docking bay. Let Pressly know right after I clear through the docking tube." Zoe said sternly.
"Aye aye Skipper." Joker replied. Zoe and Liara exited the Normandy. Shepard heard Joker's voice sound through her inner ear radio. Joker told her that Pressly was displeased that she and Liara were leaving the ship an hour. She told Joker to remind Pressly that she was still looking to fill the ship's environmental service technician position. Joker laughed for a good thirty seconds. "And people call me Joker." Joker told her. Liara had gone on ahead and unlocked the D'nasir. Shepard raced to catch up with her.
"Abbie, I need you to execute protocol Omega Sigma." Liara announced.
"Authorization code required Miss Liara."
"Authorize Zeta Omicron Epsilon Five Nine Two Three Alpha Mu Two Eight Two Six.
"Authentication complete. Voice Print one hundred percent match. Omega Sigma Protocol will take about fifty minutes to complete. The OSDs will able to be picked up in the Server control unit. Is there anything else I can do for you Liara?" Abbie asked.
"Yes, Abbie. Plot a course back to the T'Soni estate. I am not sure when we will be able to work together again. It was a pleasure working with you. Somehow I know we will need your services once again in the future. Luckily, I can access you anywhere in the galaxy."
"It shall be done Liara. It would be nice to work together again. If that is all, I will log you out." Abbie said.
"You know have my attention. I might have misled you a little bit earlier. It's really Abbie who does all the work for that protocol. I figured you had something to tell me. I saw it in your eyes as soon as we met back up. So Zoe, what's on your mind?"
"First when did you change that authorization code for that protocol?" Zoe said with a smirk.
"I admit it was a recent change but it was far more sophisticated that my last one. The last one was Bosh'tet. I changed it because it felt necessary. Zoe you know that using stall tactics on me won't work." Liara said. She walked over to Zoe and hugged her. She kissed her on the cheek.
"It's worse than I had expected. A year ago, Ashley was posted as a guard at the Illium Human Embassy. The embassy hosted the Asari High Command."
"I heard about that. They solved the case pretty quickly from what I remember. Both the Asari and the humans wanted it resolved quickly and quietly. They even brought in a Spectre." Liara explained.
"Yes that Spectre. Did they release the Spectre's name?" Zoe asked.
"If I remember correctly, that was the weird part. Usually Spectres are famous for stealing credit on every case they get called in on unless the Council deems it too sensitive. A simple poisoning would have not received the Council's black marker treatment." Liara said. Zoe smiled when she heard Liara use her favorite term to describe a government cover up. She must have picked that up from a memory.
"You are correct while according to Ash, the spectre solved the case that night. The Spectre probably by using one of those brute force mind meld you mentioned earlier." Zoe said.
"Did the Spectre have purple tribal tattoos on her face and silver blue lips?" Liara asked. Zoe couldn't believe it. Did their bond allow Liara to read her mind at will? It wouldn't bother her. It just surprised her if it were true.
"No, love I can't read your mind. I can't read it at will until we finalize our bond. I'm sorry to say that Ashley is not the first victim. The spectre had covered her tracks every well. Most barely remember anything about the attacker at all. That's why nobody has attributed the attacks to one suspect. She doesn't just have the Council protecting her but she is also an agent of the Shadow Broker. They don't care if she plays rough as long as she doesn't cross them. You are looking for Tela Vasir. An incredibly powerful biotic who is just as skilled with various firearms. She is ruthless to the core and needs to be exterminated. She is also my aunt. She is Benezia's younger sister and also was another one of my mother's first acolytes. Zoe, Ashley cannot find that out for obvious reasons."
"If Saren and Benezia weren't on the top of my shit list, Vasir would be number one. Nobody messes with my crew and gets away with it even if they weren't a part of the team at the time. Now she's number three. Liara, can I task you with getting any bit of information on Vasir you can? I promised Ash that we would bring her down with a bullet to the back of the head but that would bring more shit down upon us. I…" Liara interrupted Zoe with her lips. Liara knew that revenge would eat her lover alive. She deftly unzipped Zoe's green dress and let it fall to the floor.
Liara pushed Zoe back on to the galley table. She then roughly pulled off the green thong. Zoe looked Liara up and down. Zoe saw a very large bulge through both Liara's briefs and dress. Liara hiked up her dress and ripped off her briefs
"I have been waiting to rip off those evil things all day long. It feels so unnatural to keep such a beautiful thing trapped in a cloth prison." Liara said as her big blue cock bounced up and down with each move of her body. Liara then pulled of the dress and unhooked her bra. Li looked down at Zoe's pussy. It didn't look slick enough to handle such a large cock. She got down on her knees and leaned in to Zoe's groin. Liara was intoxicated with Zoe's scent and obsessed with Zoe's heart shaped crimson bush. She licked and kissed Zoe's inner thighs, teasing and tasting her lover.
Liara saw Zoe's pink little nub sticking out from its little hood. She sucked it in to her mouth. Zoe couldn't stop moaning and wiggling. Her legs rested on Liara's strong shoulders. One of Liara's fingers slid into Zoe's wet folds. She was incredibly tight with amazing muscle strength and control. Liara added another finger in and slowly increased her thrusting. Her lips hummed on Zoe's clit. She was starting to loosen up a little bit with the benefit of extra natural lubrication. She added one more finger as Zoe let out a loud moan. Liara knew that Zoe was ready. It was a good thing to because Liara's knees were starting to hurt.
She stood up rather quickly and her cock bounced around happily.
"That big beautiful blue cruise missile isn't wet enough yet for my hot little pussy." Zoe said. Liara's cock twitched with excitement when Zoe talked dirty. She walked around to the other side of small table. Zoe reached up took Liara into her hand and brought the flared head up her lips. Zoe could taste an exotic flavor in the liquid that leaked from the tip. Zoe engulfed the head of Liara's cock into her mouth while her hands gently pumped the thick shaft up and down. Liara was now the one who let out the loud moaning and gasping for breath. Zoe then removed one hand from Liara's shaft reached around and gave Liara's ass a few light swats. Liara couldn't help herself. She involuntarily drove her cock deeper past Zoe's mouth and down her throat. Zoe gagged on the huge cock. Liara heard Zoe gagging and quickly pulled her cock out.
"I think you lubed up my liṅga up just right. Now slide to the edge to the table and open your legs." Liara said authoritatively. The tip of Liara's liṅga lay on top of Zoe's bush. Liara then took her liṅga in her hand and rubbed the tip against Zoe's dusty pink folds. Zoe couldn't stop moaning. She wanted it deep inside her and for Liara to deny that was a crime against humanity. Zoe wrapped her legs around Liara's backside and tried to pull her lover in closer. Liara got her revenge. Without warning, she aimed her liṅga up with Zoe's wet folds and drove herself forward. Liara bottomed out deep inside Zoe. She looked down at Zoe and saw her lover's eyes and mouth wide open.
Zoe's legs were clenched very tightly against Liara's beautifully bouncy blue ass. Liara knew that Zoe needed a few moments to adjust to her liṅga. A few moments later, Zoe's legs relaxed a bit and she nodded up at Liara to say that she was ready. Liara slowly and methodically slid her cock in and out of Zoe. She then leaned over Zoe and took a hard pink nipple into her mouth nibbling on it a little. Zoe squealed loudly.
"Faster Li faster. I can't take this slow torture any longer." Zoe panted out loud.
"Look at me lover. Look into my eyes." Liara said as her body flexed back and forth. Zoe looked up at her lover. Liara's eyes shifted from their sapphire blue to an onyx black. "Embrace Eternity."
This meld was far different from first one Zoe experienced. Somehow Zoe's spirit left her body and was floating in mid air above her actual body. She could look down and see Liara thrusting deep into her. She loved the look of pure ecstasy and lust on her face. Liara's spirit form floated next to Zoe's. They shared a passionate look. Liara then started chanting in a language Zoe didn't understand.
"Ma timrai hum̐. Timī mērī hauṁ. Sadhaikō lāgi sam̐gai. Hāmrō prāṇa kaḍā hāmīlā'ī Athame āśiṣ dinuhuncha sutalī garauṁ. Hāmīlā'ī hērnuhōs. Hāmī phēri bhēṭna sam'ma hāmīlā'ī hērna." Liara chanted.
Zoe's spirit looked down at their actually bodies. Both bodies were glowing in biotic energy. By the time Liara stopped chanting a ball of bright blue light formed between the two sweaty bodies. The ball erupted at the same time as both Liara and Zoe exploded in a simultaneous orgasm. Spirit Liara and Zoe were momentarily blinded by the brilliant blue light. Liara's liṅga shot load after load of hot sticky light blue cum up into Zoe. Zoe's pussy contracted around Liara's big blue cock. She couldn't stop her own juices from mingling with her lover's cum.
Spirit Zoe looked back up from the two lovers. She wanted one last look at Liara's pure soul but she couldn't find. Spirit Zoe started to panic then a rush of warm feeling passed over the entity. Relax love you only cannot find me because we are no longer two separate entities. On one level, there are still our physical bodies. We will still be able to interact with everbody else in the galaxy yet at the same time our souls are linked. One bonus for me is that I won't have to initiate melds anymore. They can be rather draining. We can blend and access our pools of knowledge and instantly access them. We are on brand new ground love. I believe we will be returning to our bodies respectively soon. Physically speaking, I seem to have collapsed on top of you. There was a surge of energy as the new soul sank back down to its respective owners.
Zoe's eyes fluttered open and saw a beautiful sight. Liara was lying on top of her still sheathed deep inside. Even though Liara was taller than Zoe by about five inches, Zoe's muscular body outweighed the Asari's by about thirty pounds. Zoe had a devilish idea pop into her head. Liara's head was turned to the side just below Zoe's. She took one of Liara's longer tendrils of her scalp crest into her mouth while her hand teased the ribbed nape of her lover's neck. Zoe felt Liara's cock getting thicker again. Zoe squeezed Liara's ass with her feet. A few more kisses to Liara's crest caused Liara to have another orgasm. Zoe squealed as her pussy was filled up again with hot sticky light blue cum.
Liara's eyes slowly opened. "Zoe, you are incredibly incorrigible. The parts of my crest and neck are just as sensitive as my azure. I haven't had two such powerful orgasm ever." Liara smiled.
"We did it. We are one aren't we? What was that chant you were saying?" Zoe asked.
"It is an ancient bonding vow said to have gifted to the earliest Asari by Tevura who is the Goddess of love, sex, travel and the law. It roughly translates into 'I am yours, you are mine, together forever, our souls intertwined, bless us Tevura, watch over us until we meet you again."
"That is truly beautiful love." Zoe said as she wiped away a few stray tears. She placed a kiss on the top of Liara's head.
"I don't have much energy left Zoe. The bonding takes more out of the chanter because I was directing a lot of biotic energy safely around you. I will explain more of the ritual later. We don't have much time left." Liara looked over at a video screen mounted on the bulkhead. "The Omega Sigma protocol is nearly done and we are both in need of a shower. Can you help me shower?" Liara said wearily. Zoe nodded. She gently helped Liara to her feet. While supporting Liara's weight as well as her own, they made it to the shower. Ten minutes later, Zoe was pulling up her thong and doing up her bra then came the green dress which she slipped over her head. Liara however decided to change it up. She was in one of her full body jumpsuits that she used while on archeological digs. Her liṅga was quite flaccid and wouldn't be detected unless she became aroused.
Liara grabbed her field bag and the contents into an empty drawer in her closet. She then filled her bag with several sets of jumpsuits a few form fitting dresses and her entire collection of bras. She had to convince Zoe to take her shopping one day soon. "Zoe, love as much as I don't want to ask you but are you ready to go back to the Normandy?"
"Yes love I am. You will be bunking with me of course. You are not an Alliance soldier there for the fraternization rules don't apply. Second you are my bondmate. I won't have my bondmate sleeping either in the drafty room behind the medbay which you could use as your office if you'd like. Any equipment you need let either me or my requisitions officer know. I'll give you carte blanche to set up your office any way you would like." Zoe said.
"That is very kind of you Zoe. I don't want to be stepping on anybody else toes including your intelligence officers." Liara said.
"Liara, you are far too kind. If I could I would make you head of the Alliance's Military Intelligence Service. Those guys couldn't find their own asses without a map and precise GPS coordinates let alone figure out which enemies I going to be facing in the fight to come." Their little chat continued until they reached the D'nasir's exit hatch.
"Abbie, please activate the undocking protocol then follow the course I plotted for you as soon as we clear the gangway. I will miss you and I hope to see you again soon." Liara said as she pressed the button to open the door hatch. Liara had tears in her eyes in the airlock between the gangway and the ship. Abbie was like a member of her small but growing family. She just had to do some trimming to some of the dead upper branches of the family tree.