Chapter Seven – Suspicion
Liara didn't even bother to enter the room that Tevos had provided for her this time, there was no point pretending that she'd be able to sleep well there on her own.
So as night fell she instead found herself in bed next to Jules, in a room bigger and more comfortable than the cramped cabin they had shared on the Armali. They had a proper bathroom, a fully stocked kitchen area and a wide window with a magnificent view across Rinoka towards the sea.
They had left the curtains open so that they could see the stars and the city lights. There were no clouds and the moon was full, reflecting silver off the still ocean and casting dark silhouettes across the room.
"Liara?"
"Mhm?" Liara mumbled from where she was half-dozing against Jules' chest, the bed was even softer than the one on the Armali and they had collapsed gratefully onto it, glad of the chance to shut out the rest world and be alone again.
The moonlight brought a kind of peacefulness that resonated through the quiet room and had lulled Liara towards sleep.
"Have you heard of these 'Truthseekers'?" Jules asked softly.
"Yes. Egret told me."
"Seems crazy doesn't it? How could anyone think the Reaper War didn't happen?"
"Are you so surprised? A race of deadly machines invading the galaxy to wipe out all sentient life? Even we found it hard to believe and we lived through it."
"Strange isn't it?"
"What?"
"Back then we all thought we were fighting to save the galaxy. But the truth is the old galaxy was always going to die. All we could control was whether we got the chance to build a new one."
"And you don't like the new one?"
There was a pause and Jules' steady breathing became the loudest noise in the room.
"I… don't know if I belong here. Before we left, there were still people who remembered life before the war but now… the krogan have adapted, the other races have moved on, only the asari are holding on to the past and everything else has changed. The Normandy's gone, Earth is different, even Omega isn't there anymore. It's… hard to keep up with."
"That's the burden of a longer lifespan. We have to cling to whatever constants we can find."
"That's what Tevos said, about Thessia. Is that how you feel?"
Liara sighed softly, "Thessia isn't what I've been clinging to these past two hundred years, Jules."
Silence. Then movement. The tip of a nose brushed gently across her crests before a light kiss was pressed to her forehead.
"Goodnight, Liara."
"Goodnight, Jules."
…
Liara awoke in an empty bed, with a soft pillow beneath her head and the scent of fresh linen in her nostrils.
She was used to waking up to Jules' scent and the steady rise and fall of her breathing, but this morning both were absent. Usually Liara was the one who woke first, but as she blindly stretched an arm out across the crumpled sheets she found she was, in fact, alone.
She lay there for a moment, tempted to drift back towards sleep. But instead she shifted, stretched the stiffness from her shoulders, propped herself up on her elbow and looked about the room. It was also empty.
Pale sunlight was lancing in through the open curtains and she looked out to see the dawn was breaking across the ocean, turning the water to liquid gold. Thin grey clouds were stretched across the sky and the sea looked choppy.
She sat up fully, pulling the quilt around her for warmth as she squinted against the sunlight. It had been a long time since she had watched a sunrise on Earth.
She remembered many mornings like this after the war, often the dawn had set her up for a long day ahead or been her reward for working hard through the night. It wasn't like sunrises on Thessia had been, the sun here was paler and the sky less vibrant but it was still beautiful in its way and somehow more familiar to her.
A noise drew her attention and she looked round to see the door to the bathroom slide open as Jules stepped out, showered and fully dressed.
The wardrobe in the room must have been stocked with clothes for her as she was wearing smart, black jeans with heeled boots and a neat leather jacket. She had dragged her magnificent mane back into a loose bun and a few stray strands of hair framed her face, sparkling red as the sun caught them.
She stopped as she saw Liara and smiled, "You're awake, I was just about to leave you a note."
"Are you going somewhere?" Liara asked, eyeing the outfit. She was even wearing jewellery. Jade rings adorned three of her fingers and silvery earrings were dangling down through her hair.
"Interviews with the press," Jules explained, barely managing not to make a face, "Tevos arranged it."
"Already? We've only been here a day," Jules wandered over to sit on the edge of the bed and Liara raised a hand to the earrings she was wearing.
Jules shrugged, "I don't think there's any point putting it off."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
She shook her head as Liara's hand dropped back to the sheets "I'll save you that trauma. I'll tell them that the famed Liara T'Soni doesn't do interviews," she smiled wickedly and Liara laughed.
"And what if they insist on speaking to me?"
"I'll remind them who saved the galaxy," she leaned in to kiss Liara on the forehead, "stay in bed, have a lie in. I'll see you later."
…
Word of Shepard and Liara's arrival had spread like wildfire through the city, and indeed across the planet. Tevos had already watched several news reports on it that morning and had seen it debated on five separate chat shows.
There were corners of the Galactic Network – what had once been called the extranet – which were abuzz with debates and discussions and footage of the two heroes walking through the docking port was being watched by millions.
Yet it still hadn't garnered as much attention as she had hoped. It seemed that the war was too much of a distant memory for most people to care, many had barely registered the story long enough to even form an opinion on it and of those who had, most dismissed it as a hoax or didn't see how it related to them.
The general public weren't the only ones doubting Shepard and Liara's identities. The HTA had already contacted her for some kind of confirmation that they were the real thing and her investors actually seemed less confident in her now than they had before, apparently believing that she was desperate enough to fake Shepard's return just to gain her project some air time.
She didn't let their suspicions concern her, however. If Shepard was even half the woman she used to be then she would soon convince them on her own.
"We do have a lot of support from other asari," Tevos glanced over to where Adarna was sitting side-on to a console, her legs crossed elegantly and a china teacup resting in her hand as she scrolled through the various news reports on the screen, "of course many of them are old enough to remember Shepard and Liara before the war. Liara's presence is of particular interest to them, her name is still respected among our people."
"More than Shepard's?" on Tevos' other side Aria was leaning lazily against the wall with her arms folded. The three of them were in a small side room off the main room where the press interviews would take place. A glass window gave them a clear view of the two chairs that had been set up in the room and there was a microphone that would let them hear every word that was said.
"Liara did a lot for asari refugees after the attack on Thessia, during and after the war," Tevos explained to her without looking up from her omni-tool where she was checking the interview schedule for the fifth time in a row, "many of them owe her their lives."
"She has a lot going for her," Adarna agreed, "she's Matriarch Benezia's daughter, she was a member of the Normandy's crew, rumoured to have been the Shadow Broker; these things are still important to people who remember life before the war."
"Also rumoured to have been Shepard's lover," Tevos added, "judging by the gossip from the Armali I take it that is still the case?"
"Mhm," Adarna agreed, pausing to take a delicate sip of her tea, "I'd say so. They're very… subtle about it in public, but from what I saw it was still rather obvious. Why else would Liara have stayed with her on that miserable ship for so long?" she muttered the last sentence with a layer of distain that seemed common whenever she was discussing Shepard and Tevos saw Aria's eyes narrow curiously.
"I get the impression that you don't have the highest opinion of the galaxy's saviour," she drawled softly, her gentle voice sending shivers through the air.
Adarna didn't seem threatened, "A lot of people were involved in defeating the reapers, Aria. I sometimes think Shepard gets altogether too much credit for it."
Aria smirked slightly, "Funny. I don't remember anyone else managing to unite the races of the galaxy, when they were too busy settling old scores to realise there was a war going on."
"I'm surprised to hear you speak so openly in her defence."
"Why? She's the only reason we're all still standing here isn't she?"
"Debatable. And despite whatever she did during the war, that didn't stop her from running away one-hundred years later, though the galaxy was far from fully recovered. You'll understand if that doesn't give me the greatest confidence in her abilities now. You know I never understood why finding her would be worth our while."
"Enough," Tevos cut in, she was still staring at her omni-tool and had been trying to block out the rising argument with little success, "we have enough trouble keeping relations civil with our investors, I would rather it if we could avoid descending into petty bickering amongst ourselves," Aria sucked on her teeth audibly and looked away as Tevos turned to Adarna, "and we shouldn't judge Shepard's actions. The years following the war were hard on everyone, many of us reacted in ways we… now regret," she cleared her throat and shifted a little, "surely you can understand that gaining a longer lifespan would be hard for a human to come to terms with. She had to watch all of her friends age and die while she stayed the same."
"A reality every asari has to face," Adarna replied bluntly, "if you expect it to prompt any sympathy from me then-"
"Shut up," Aria's comment cut her off as the door opened and Shepard herself entered. From the way she paused and eyed all three of them suspiciously, it must have been obvious that they were talking about her.
"Morning," she muttered as she entered. She was fiddling with the collar of the jacket she was wearing like she wasn't entirely comfortable in it. Whether that was true or not she certainly looked the part, casual but formidable at the same time.
Tevos was reminded briefly of the first time Shepard had stood in front of the Citadel Council, with her vivid hair blazing red and her eyes gleaming like gemstones. Something had told her then that she was no ordinary human. If only she had known how right she was.
She pushed the thought to the back of her mind as she greeted Shepard briskly, "You're early, good."
"Didn't want to miss any of the fun," the human replied dryly, a look was exchanged between her and Aria which Tevos noticed but couldn't read. She knew the pair of them had spent several hours together after they had left her office yesterday though she didn't yet know what to make of it.
"How many interviews are we expecting to get through?"
"I've scheduled thirty-five so far," Tevos replied and decided to ignore the look she got in response, "not many of them will be long interviews, most are with reporters though several of our investors have sent representatives to speak to you as well. Some of them will also be filmed, if you'll permit it," Shepard didn't answer but Tevos took her stony silence to be an agreement, "Liara not joining us?" she asked casually.
A strange smile curled at the corners of Shepard's mouth, "Liara doesn't do interviews."
"People will be disappointed," Adarna said coolly.
"Be that as it may," Tevos cut in before Shepard could reply, "Liara is part of this project now and we will respect her decisions," she shot Adarna a look and then turned back to Shepard, "are you ready to start?"
Shepard raised an eyebrow, "Just like that? You're not going to brief me on what I can and can't say? I could go in there and bad mouth you to the whole media."
Tevos forced a pleasant smile, "They're here to talk to you about your return, nothing more. All you have to do is be yourself."
She seemed to consider that for a moment, arms folded across her chest, "Fine. Let's get on with it then."
…
The interviews were long and arduous with no one differing very much from the others and Jules found herself answering the same questions over and over again. Journalists, as it turned out, had not changed in two hundred years.
Some of the ones she met with were young and idealistic, they oozed enthusiasm and flashed charismatic smiles, seeming to believe every word Jules told them. Others were older and cynical, their questions laced with accusations as they tried to catch her out on every sentence. Some were ruthless, caring less about their work and more about the money a story like this stood to make them. Others were merely doing their job.
They all annoyed her in equal measure but she put on her best smile and answered each question with grace, giving them all plenty of quotes without actually telling them anything and she quickly built up stock answers for the questions she was asked repeatedly.
Many of them questioned her abilities after she had been gone for so long, yet more questioned her motives for returning. Some questioned her very existence, suspecting her to be an imposter Tevos had hired to publicise her project. Jules certainly couldn't blame them for considering it.
One was an asari who thanked her for saving a colony she could only vaguely remember fighting in. Another was a turian whose great-great-great-grandfather had fought in and survived the war and passed down numerous stories through the generations, he was so eager to tell Jules all of them that she barely got a word in.
Next there was a sour-faced woman who flat-out refused to believe that Jules was anything other than a fake, followed by a fidgety salarian who rapidly questioned her intentions and seemed to be implying that she and Tevos were involved in some sort of plot to put the asari back in power.
Between them, the two gave her such a grilling that she actually started to feel nostalgic for her interviews with Khalisah al-Jilani.
She deflected questions about Liara, remained vague on anything about Tevos' project and handled everything else with a patient smile that masked her growing irritation. Tevos must have picked up on it though as – after the fifteenth reporter had tried to catch her out on details about the war – she opened the door from the other room and suggested taking a break.
Jules gratefully kicked back her chair and stormed out of the room, dropping her smile for a hard scowl. She could feel the three asari watching her as she crossed to a small table, grabbed a bottle of water and downed three mouthfuls before stopping to breathe.
"I swear if one more person calls me 'Commander' I'm going to rip their fucking tonsils out!" she muttered irritably before turning to see Aria smirking at her.
"What?" she demanded.
"You're pricklier than I remember, Shepard. You always used to be so annoyingly rational."
Jules' scowl deepened, "Centuries of living might give the asari a patient and positive outlook on the galaxy but it just makes me sick of having to deal with the same crap over and over."
She angrily tossed back a loose lock of her vivid hair and turned her attention to Tevos, "How many more?"
"Twenty," she replied and Jules tried to avoid groaning, "after that everything will be conducted through our press office, you won't have to talk to them again. You're doing very well Shepard."
"Mm," she agreed grimly, "don't speak too soon."
"Just try not to punch anyone," Aria suggested helpfully.
"No promises. Do you think we'll be finished by lunch time?"
"With luck," Tevos said, "I also have several meetings I want us to get through. I thought you could meet all of our department heads and be briefed on their roles here. After that I want to take you through the restrictions the HTA have placed on us, it's quite a long list and I really do need to fill you in on everything we're up against."
Jules stared at her for a moment and was sure she saw a smug smile flicker across Tevos' lips, "You did say you wanted to learn more about the operation, didn't you?"
Jules had to grit her teeth to keep from glowering. She hadn't told Tevos yet that she and Liara had already decided to join the project, and there was nothing wrong with keeping her guessing for a while longer. So she gave Tevos her best smile and nodded.
"I'm looking forward to it."
…
Over a week passed and Jules' days were filled mostly with monotony. She was briefed on every element of the mission and filled in on its history, she attended meetings and conference calls and met several of Tevos' investors.
Between the official meetings with Tevos, there were also unofficial ones with Aria, where the pair of them swapped notes and attempted to build a clearer picture of what was really going on. And all the while Jules continued to wonder what Aria was really up to.
She knew that their apparent alliance made Tevos suspicious and Adarna practically bristled every time she saw them talking together.
In between the scheming and the plotting she found respite with Grunt and Ereba. Grunt introduced her to the galaxy's new culture, including his favourite singers, comedians, films and games – most of which involved big guns and lots of explosions.
They seemed to spend hours browsing the Galactic Network together, they also both agreed that 'Galactic Network' was a stupid name and 'extranet' had been much better. They must have complained about this a lot as Jules noticed that people had started rolling their eyes whenever they mentioned it, in the same way she had done when she was a teenager and her grandmother had complained about 'those new-fangled omni-tools'.
Ereba was quieter company but Jules enjoyed their conversations together. She seemed to have lived a lonely life since the war, throwing herself into whatever work needed doing. Jules learned that she had lost her whole family during the attack on Thessia and she had never really settled down since.
She enjoyed reminiscing about the old days, about Thessia and the Citadel and everything else that had been central to life before the war and was now just… gone. The conversations weren't sad though, in fact Jules always came away from them feeling happier that she wasn't the only one who still thought about the past. Sometimes it seemed like Liara wanted her to forget about it all and move on.
There were also, less enjoyable, daily visits to Doctor T'Carra, who would cheerfully make small talk as she ran scans and tests and then administered vitamin shots to help Jules' malnourished body recover. Not that it was actually making her feel any better.
Every morning her back still ached and days spent sitting around in stuffy rooms with even stuffier company were beginning to take their toll. Towards the end of the week even Grunt was struggling to cheer her up.
Liara, meanwhile, was adjusting to the new routine more quickly. The novelty of lying in had soon worn off for her and she was left itching for something to do. So she had thrown herself into the heart of the operation, spending her days amongst the analysts as she helped them calculate figures and run projections.
She got to grips with the running of the operation much faster than Jules did and it began to be joked about that it wouldn't be long before she was running the place – much to the unease of Tevos.
She perhaps wasn't settling in socially as well as Jules was. She had always preferred to work alone and soon gained a reputation for being reserved, closed-off and even haughty as she frequently refused offers from the other staff to join them for lunch or other recreation.
Jules knew that it didn't bother Liara if her attitude annoyed people, so long as she was left to finish her work in peace. She also knew that Liara was the exact opposite of haughty, but getting to know the real Liara was a privilege that she made people earn.
Aside from socialising, it was easy to see that Liara was in her element here. Even though she spent most of her time complaining about how many inefficiencies she found on the project, Jules could tell she was secretly revelling in the challenge.
"I don't know where you find the energy," Jules muttered one morning as she sat on the bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes and trying to muster the will to stand. Liara was already showered and dressed and was gliding about the room collecting datapads and briefings for the day ahead.
She paused halfway through reaching for her bag and turned to give Jules a concerned frown, "You do look drained," she admitted as she wandered over, "are you feeling alright?"
"Mm," Jules dismissed with a wave of her hand, "it's just T'Carra's vitamin shots, has she offered them to you?"
"No."
"Don't let her, they give you one hell of a headache."
"I thought they were meant to be making you feel better."
Jules grimaced slightly, "She says it's just my body adjusting to the change."
Liara hummed softly and ran the back of her hand across Jules' cheek, still pale and worryingly gaunt, "I think you need some fresh air."
Jules leaned in to the contact and smiled wearily, "With an army of press waiting for us outside the front doors? Somehow I don't think that would relax me much."
Liara paused thoughtfully for a moment and her eyes wandered from Jules' gaze, until Jules frowned, "What is it?"
Liara looked back and gave her a mysterious smile, "Hold that thought."
…
The next morning she was woken by a kiss on her cheek and warm breath against her ear.
"Jules," Liara's voice murmured softly, "wake up."
Jules shifted slightly, opened her eyes and then instantly groaned and clamped them shut again. Outside the sky was bright and clear and the sun had just fully risen above the sea, ready to blind her as she inadvertently looked straight into it.
Liara chuckled as Jules turned away from the light and snaked her arm around Liara's waist, "What time is it?" she muttered groggily.
"Early. Get dressed."
Jules opened her eyes again – more reluctantly this time – and squinted at her suspiciously.
"Why?"
"I've got something to show you."
She still seemed less than eager as she sniffed and made a face, "Does it have to involve me being dressed?"
"Yes," Liara insisted with a smile, "it'll be worth it, I promise."
Jules was still half asleep as Liara dragged her out of their room and down to the ground floor. She completely ignore the main entrance and instead veered off through a door marked 'Staff Only'.
No one attempted to stop them. Tevos had been keen to show her trust and had given them full access to the building, despite Adarna's advice to the contrary.
"Liara, where are we going?" Jules laughed as she found herself being dragged by the hand through a maze of storerooms, filled with boxes of stationary and office supplies.
"To get some fresh air," she replied, throwing a glance over her shoulder as Jules half-jogged to keep up with her, "I thought we could explore the city."
"Ri-ight, but why-" she broke off to smile at a confused looking salarian worker as Liara breezed past him, still dragging Jules by the hand, "but why are we going this way?"
"Apparently there's a back door around here somewhere," Liara explained, "Tevos uses it to avoid the press."
"How do you know about it?"
"Egret told me. She's quite the blabbermouth that one, she also spends a lot of her time eavesdropping."
"So she hears all the gossip and then tells you about it?" something about Jules' tone made Liara look back at her curiously.
"What?"
"Oh nothing," Jules shook her head, "it's just, you've only been here five minutes and you're already recruiting agents."
Liara threw her a wry smile but said nothing, "Here we are."
They stopped in front of a completely unremarkable door, halfway down an equally unremarkable corridor and Liara pulled out a key card that she must have acquired somehow. Jules assumed it was best not to ask how.
The lock clicked and the door swung open onto an empty back street, a rush of cool, crisp air greeted them and for a moment they stood and breathed it in.
"Does Tevos know we're doing this?" Jules asked, shivering slightly as the air touched her.
Liara just shrugged, "I wasn't aware we were prisoners."
"She might think we're running away."
"She's free to think whatever she chooses," Liara said dismissively then nodded ahead of them, "shall we?"
…
High up in the office block, Tevos gazed at the security footage and sighed softly as she watched Shepard and Liara step out into the city.
"Should we have them followed?" Adarna asked her from where she was hovering by her shoulder. Tevos shook her head wearily.
"Leave them, we can't expect trust to be reciprocated if we don't show it first."
"And are we sure we can trust them? When they sneak out like thieves without telling anyone."
Tevos shot her a look, "Leave them," she repeated clearly, "I'm sure they can look after themselves."
"Tevos, I don't think-"
Tevos stood, cutting Adarna off before she could finish and giving her a look of steel, "That is my final word. If they don't return by tonight, then we will start to worry, but I will not permit you to spy on them."
Adarna bowed her head and watched quietly as Tevos left the room. When she had gone, she activated her omni-tool, "Liara and Shepard have left the building by the back door," she spoke into the comm, "pursue them."
…
A salty, sea breeze touched Jules' skin as they stepped out into the narrow back street. There was no one around except for a large, black-and-white cat that was lounging atop some boxes. It turned its head to peer at them through wide, yellow eyes as they emerged and twitched its tail suspiciously, ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.
Jules could hear the distant sounds of traffic and people but nearby all was quiet, "So," she began, turning briefly into the wind as she tossed her hair out of her eyes, "is there anywhere in particular you want to go?"
She looked back to see Liara frowning as she looked about, "I… don't know, I've never been to this city before."
"Hm," Jules chewed her lip, "well, it's probably got parks, and shops – though we don't have any money. Do you think Tevos is planning to pay us for working for her?"
Liara smiled but didn't answer, "Let's not talk about Tevos today," she sighed and glanced around the back street, enclosed on all sides by tall skyscrapers, "I want to see the sea," she decided.
Jules nodded, "Well it's big enough, should be easy to find."
As they set off, it soon became obvious why the press had never found the back door. The backstreet they had emerged in did not lead directly to a main road, instead it connected to another backstreet, and then another and eventually a whole maze of streets and alleyways which Jules and Liara wandered through blindly without particularly bothering to remember their route.
Above them the sky was clear and bright and the cool air was a pleasant relief for their lungs which had been starved of proper oxygen for too long. Jules couldn't deny the skip in her step as she walked and she and Liara were soon laughing as they chatted carelessly.
Following the sounds of cars and people, they eventually emerged onto a busy main street where they found the throngs of people Jules had seen from the docking port. They stood and watched the moving crowd for a moment, catching snippets of conversations as people rushed by. The street was lined with shops and restaurants and the smell of hot food was wafting from a nearby bakery.
"Do you think anyone will recognise us?" Jules said suddenly, not that anyone was paying much attention to them.
"I doubt it," Liara replied, "people never look the same in person as they do on camera, besides, we're not planning on talking to anyone, are we?"
"Hm," Jules mused with a smile, "come on then, this city's surrounded on three sides by the sea, if we keep walking long enough we should hit it eventually."
They joined the throng, walking hand-in-hand down the street and commenting idly on whatever they saw. As much as things had changed since the war it was also remarkable how much had stayed the same, this could have been a street from any city on Earth or Thessia before the war.
As they crossed over a junction Jules caught sight of the ocean in the distance down another street and they headed for it, though they soon lost sight of it again behind the buildings that were boxing them in. Still, they both enjoyed the walk and even Liara didn't seem to mind being surrounded by so many people; her eyes were dazzling more brightly than usual and she kept looking up at the sky and smiling in a way that warmed Jules' heart.
As they neared the waterfront, both the city and the crowds began to thin out and they stepped out of the shadow of skyscrapers and into warm sunlight. They crossed over a quiet road and found themselves overlooking the quay and beyond it, a vast, breathtaking horizon was spread out before them, sparkling in the light of the sun.
Liara sighed contentedly as they stopped to observe it.
It was quieter here. They could hear the waves gently lapping against the boats moored below them and the water was calm and still. There were a few other groups of people taking walks here and Jules watched as a family of quarians wandered by.
Now they were unmasked, Jules had always considered quarians to be the most exotic-looking of the races. Perhaps it was because they were so similar to humans, and yet so different.
Their alien features were sharp and precise and made every expression seem intense. Their smooth skin was strangely textured and their pale-coloured eyes actually glowed. Even their hair was… different. Almost all of them grew it long and it fell in dark, luxurious locks that never seemed to tangle and reflected the light in a way no human's could ever hope to.
It had caused a lot of envy among humans, Jules remembered with a smile. Previously you would only see hair like that on models in airbrushed adverts.
"Still strange, isn't it?" she muttered absently as she watched the family pass, "Seeing them out of their suits."
Liara followed her gaze and frowned oddly, "I can hardly remember what their suits looked like."
Jules sighed.
They left the road, heading down a stone set of steps to a long promenade that stretched along the seafront. It seemed to go on endlessly in both directions so they picked one and began to wander.
Without the shelter from the buildings, the salty wind coming off the sea became bracing, snapping at their clothes and whipping Jules' loose locks into an unruly mess. It was an invigorating change from the stuffy air of the headquarters and they found themselves smiling as they walked. They almost didn't notice the two asari following them from a distance.
Almost.
"Do you think Tevos sent them?" Jules muttered as they settled themselves on a bench overlooking the sea and huddled together for warmth.
Liara cast a glance towards the unassuming couple. They had stopped discreetly at a distance and were leaning against the railings, appearing to admire the view. They were actually the fifth set of pursuers who had followed them through the city. Each time one pair broke off another had emerged. They were clearly professionals, but it wasn't so easy to fool an ex-Shadow Broker.
"Shall we assume the best and say she's just concerned for our welfare?" Liara suggested dryly.
"Understandable," Jules supposed, "we are a pretty big investment for her, I think the interviews I did are the only thing keeping her project in the news right now. Seems the galaxy doesn't really care about Thessia anymore," which was actually quite odd, now she thought about it. According to Aria, Thessia was the modern-day equivalent of a gold mine.
"I think news about it is being suppressed," Liara muttered and Jules turned to see her frowning thoughtfully out at the sea.
"What makes you say that?"
She shrugged, "I recognise the signs. The Citadel Council were suppressing news reports about the reapers after you were killed in the Collector attack. They had VI programs across the extranet that would keep any mention of the reapers from being seen in mainstream media. I used the same method during the war to draw more attention to our cause. It's amazing how easy it is to manipulate people that way. I've been studying the news coverage of the project, Tevos is constantly being portrayed as a mad woman and Thessia as a lost cause. Its resources are never even mentioned, it's like someone doesn't want anyone to think it might be worthwhile trying to reclaim it."
"But why?" Jules asked with a frown.
"And who?" Liara agreed.
"The HTA seem keen to make Tevos' life difficult. I think they hoped that if they placed enough restrictions on the project she would call the whole thing off."
"Why would they want to discredit her?"
Jules shrugged, "They've changed a lot since we founded them. I think they're the most powerful people in the galaxy these days."
"And probably hoping to stay that way…" Liara mused. Her brow creased slightly as she drifted into her own thoughts, then she sighed and shook her head, "we weren't going to talk about any of this today. I brought you here to get away from it all."
"Might be difficult, with Tevos' spies watching our every move," Jules smiled as she eyed the two asari, "come on, let's see how good they are," she took Liara's hand and stood. The harsh wind assaulted them immediately, blowing Jules' hair into her eyes and making her shudder.
They led their pursuers along the length of the promenade and then up to a sort of plaza where families were enjoying a day out and the smell of fried food made them lament their lack of money. It was here that the two asari disappeared and were replaced by a pair of salarians who maintained an equally discreet distance.
As it began to reach noon, they drifted back into the shelter of the city though they tried to avoid the busiest areas. They found quiet streets filled with houses and wandered lazily across a maintained field that was most likely used as a sports pitch.
Jules wondered what kind of sports people played these days.
Here there were no crowds to get lost in and it was defiantly making it harder for the people following them to stay inconspicuous.
"I think we're irritating them," Jules muttered as they walked deliberately slowly down an otherwise deserted street of fairly old looking houses that had probably been built not long after the war. Their pursuers had changed at least five times in the past fifteen minutes as they tried not to blow their cover, "do you think they know that we know?"
Liara glanced behind them to where a human and a turian were standing by a wall and attempting to look casual. As she caught the human's eye he quickly looked away and began chatting to the turian about something trivial – probably the weather.
"I'd say so," she smiled as she turned back, "they're not the best surveillance I've ever seen. If they were my agents I'd have fired them by now."
"Well," Jules grinned, "not everyone has standards as high as yours."
"Jules," Liara had stopped suddenly and Jules was three strides past her before she realised and turned back, "look," Liara pointed. They were beside the entrance to an old park, though it was hard to tell that's what it was at first glance.
The high railings that surrounded it looked ancient and were missing all together in some places. It looked like there had once been gates though now there was only an empty archway and the thick hedge that grew inside the railings had become twisted and unkempt, reaching ugly branches out into the street.
But Liara seemed to be ignoring the park itself as she was instead pointing to a plaque nailed onto the railings. Half hidden by the overgrown hedge, it read: Reaper War Memorial Garden. Someone had painted the word 'hoax' over 'Reaper War' in white letters.
"For fuck's sake," Jules muttered bitterly as she saw it. The paint looked fairly new, probably a sign that her and Liara's arrival in the city had stirred up talk of the war.
Liara didn't seem overly concerned about the graffiti however as she tugged at Jules' sleeve and led her through the arch, "Come on, let's have a look."
The park was in a sorry state. Flowerbeds were overgrown with weeds and wildflowers and the stone pathways that weaved between them were cracked and crumbling. In some places the plants encroached so far across them that Jules and Liara had to trample over stems and leaves to get through.
They ducked beneath overgrown tree branches and navigated through areas where it was hard to see the path at all. In one corner they saw freshly dug earth and newly planted flowers that suggested at least someone was looking after the place, though they were clearly fighting a losing battle.
Tall buildings had been built right up to the edges of the park, dwarfing it in shadow and the air was cold and damp. Nowhere else in the city had been damp, it made Jules wonder if this place ever saw sunlight.
There was something oppressive about the way the trees and the plants were so overgrown, like they were closing in around them. Still, they carried on walking and eventually reached the centre.
It opened out here into a paved circle. There was a round, stone basin set into the ground that looked like it might once have been a fountain, though now it was simply a dirty pool of rainwater with a few leaves floating on its surface.
All around the edge of the circle were tall, metal sculptures in simple, geometric shapes and on each one there were names carved. As Liara walked up to one she ran her fingers across the smooth surface and frowned.
"This feels familiar," she mused quietly, "it must be from-"
"The Citadel," Jules cut in. They had used metal from the Citadel to construct many things after the war, she would recognise it anywhere. It was a unique composition, the same material that the mass relays were made out of. They had still never found out how the reapers had constructed it.
"This must have been built not long after the war then," Liara muttered as she glanced around, "I think we're in the original part of the city."
"The forgotten part, more like," Jules said grimly, "it's a bit dilapidated isn't it? I can't believe this place has been allowed to fall into this state. A few conspiracy theories is one thing but when the authorities don't even care enough to-"
"Shh," Liara scolded her gently, "this was built to be a sanctuary, and look," she nodded to one of the memorials where a fresh bunch of white flowers had been recently placed, "someone must still care."
They wandered around the circle, reading the names that had been engraved into the sculptures, none of which they recognised. Most of them were salarian, presumably fallen members of the STG unit that had founded the city. There were others too, it was likely that every one of the original settlers had put the names of loved ones forward.
Eventually they came to a carved stone bench and Liara brushed several wet leaves from it before they sat and surveyed the garden quietly. Through a gap in the hedges they could see the human and the turian had followed them inside.
Jules sighed.
"Am I stuck in the past, Liara?" she asked idly. Beside her, Liara turned to look at her.
"I don't know," she lied, obviously, "what do you think?"
Jules thought for a moment as she looked around the garden, it looked like the unkempt grave of someone whose life had long since been forgotten.
"I don't want to forget what the quarians looked like in their suits," she said absently, "I don't want to talk about the war like it's ancient history when it feels like it only happened yesterday. I don't want to stop talking to Garrus, or Tali, or any of them."
She heard a calm sigh that told her Liara was holding back her feelings, "And does it make you happy? Clinging to the people who are gone?"
Liara surely didn't need an answer, she saw everything that went on in Jules' mind.
"I'm not sure I want to be happy, it doesn't seem right."
"Oh Juliet," Liara placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in a little, "why do you see their deaths as a sad thing? Almost all of our friends lived long, rich lives, mostly because of you."
"And for what?" Jules argued, "So that everybody could forget them, or deny they existed at all? Look at the state of this place, Liara, it was built to remember people who gave their lives fighting for this galaxy and now it's been left to suffocate under weeds. People don't care anymore!"
"It doesn't matter," Liara said sharply, "They're alive, Jules. They're living their lives, raising families, discovering the things they love. That's the legacy of everyone who fought during the war, it doesn't matter if they're remembered or not," she paused and took a deep breath and Jules felt her grip tighten a little as she nodded ahead of them to the flowers that had been left on one of the memorials, "ignore the weeds, focus on the flowers."
They stayed quiet for a long time after that, letting the afternoon drift away as they sat there, listening to birds chirping in the overgrown trees. Wildlife was certainly thriving in the uncared-for park and small creatures could be heard scuttling through the leaves. It was only the tall buildings and the occasional, distant sounds of traffic that reminded them they were in a city at all.
All the walking had worn Jules out more than she had expected and she found herself dozing slightly against Liara's shoulder as she mulled over what she had said. It wasn't so easy for her to imagine letting go of the war, for so long it seemed to have been the thing that defined her.
The air was starting to grow colder and movement from Liara drew Jules out of her sleepy trance, "We should probably head back," she murmured softly, "I think our friends are getting bored."
Jules blinked to clear the haze from her eyes and followed Liara's gaze to see that the human and the turian were now sitting on another bench a little way from them. They were both fidgeting restlessly and seemed to have run out of conversation topics.
"Hm, do you know how to get back to Tevos' headquarters from here?" she asked Liara who smiled and shook her head.
"No."
"Me neither," she turned back towards the pair, "Oi!" she shouted across the garden, making them both jump and look up, slightly startled, "Could you give us directions back to Tevos' please?" she asked pleasantly, "It'll be easier for you to follow us if you know what route we're taking!"
…
The bewildered looks on their faces as they had given Jules the directions she asked for, was still making Liara chuckle by the time they reached the headquarters. In order to avoid the press they used the back door again and found themselves giggling as they weaved back through the storerooms towards the reception area.
Jules was looking better, though the day seemed to have worn her out there was colour in her cheeks and her smile was genuine.
As they headed back towards their room, they passed one of the conference rooms and through a window they saw Tevos and Adarna sitting at the table together. Adarna's eyes narrowed disapprovingly as they passed while Tevos merely looked weary, almost like she was disappointed in them.
Liara didn't care. Jules was looking healthier and that was all that mattered.
…
It was the next morning when Jules fell ill.
She had become restless through the night, sleeping in fitful, feverish bursts and half-waking in between to mutter nonsense or struggle against unseen foes. Liara had soothed her with gentle whispers and soft caresses and for a time she would calm, but it had never lasted for long.
It was still early when she finally threw back the sheets, wriggled out of Liara's arms and hauled herself to her feet, stumbling against the bedside table as she did.
"Jules?" Liara sat up, the sky was only just starting to lighten and she had to squint to see Jules swaying slightly where she stood, "Are you okay?"
"I…" Jules was pinching the bridge of her nose, grimacing uncomfortably. When she finally turned to meet Liara's gaze there was confusion in her eyes before she suddenly winced and collapsed to the floor.
"Jules!" Liara scrambled out of the bed and knelt quickly beside her, scraping back the loose hair that had fallen to cover her face.
She was still breathing but unconscious. Centuries of practice at staying calm in a crisis helped to keep panic at bay as she mentally cycled through her options before she stood and crossed to a comm panel that was built into the wall, "I need Doctor T'Carra up here!" she shouted to whoever was on the other end, "Now!"
In the five minutes it took for the doctor to arrive, Jules' condition didn't change and Liara couldn't wake her.
She looked up when the door opened and T'Carra entered. The doctor paused for a moment at the sight of them and frowned as though it somehow startled her before she quickly recovered and moved to join Liara at Jules' side.
"What happened?" she asked, activating her omni-tool.
"I don't know, she stood up and then she just collapsed. Her pulse is steady I just can't wake her," as she looked up she saw the interface of the doctor's omni-tool was wavering slightly, "are you alright, doctor? Your hands are shaking."
T'Carra followed Liara's gaze and cleared her throat uncomfortably before she nodded, "Yes I'm fine. Shepard is… in a coma," she said it absently with no hint of surprise, though she was frowning oddly.
"What?" Liara's eyes widened slightly, "How?"
Again the doctor cleared her throat and her voice seemed to falter before she answered, "It's her implants, they're shutting down one by one."
"Surely that's not possible, she's dependant on those implants, she'll die without them."
T'Carra avoided her eye as she shut off her omni-tool and stood, "We need to get her to hospital."
"Will they know how to help her? Nothing as advanced as those implants has been seen in the galaxy for two hundred years."
T'Carra paused to look at her, she had gone incredibly pale, Liara noted, and a thin layer of sweat glistened across her forehead.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"We need to get her to hospital," the doctor repeated, "I'll make the call."
It other circumstances Liara might have considered it odd that T'Carra actually seemed more distressed than she was, but as she looked down at Jules her mind quickly found other priorities. She was breathing peacefully as she lay unresponsive on the floor and Liara brushed a hand gently across her hair.
"You've survived the odds too many times before for it to end like this, Jules," she smiled softly, "hold on for me."
The paramedics arrived swiftly and Jules was soon being taken out of the room. Liara had thrown some clothes on over the ones she had slept in and followed them through the building, down to the main floor.
She had no idea if anyone else had been told, Tevos, Aria, Grunt. Grunt would want to know. It didn't matter, someone else would handle it.
They passed the reception desk where the asari receptionists stopped their work to watch silently, then they passed through the front doors and were instantly met with the horde of reporters who were still camped outside, their interests having been stirred up by the ambulance parked by the doors.
Liara squinted against the cameras and mentally blocked out the noise as she positioned herself between Jules and the journalists, blocking their view of her as best she could. Jules had been interviewed several times in the past week but Liara hadn't been seen since their arrival and her presence seemed to excite them even more.
She watched in a daze as Jules was lifted into the back of the ambulance by the paramedics. There were three of them, two turians and a human. As she looked inside the vehicle she saw there were another three humans and drell waiting there.
It briefly occurred to her that it seemed an excessive number of people for one ambulance but she dismissed the thought as her eyes again fell on Jules.
The noise of the press was making her head pound and she grimaced as she stepped forward towards the ambulance. As she did, she felt something stop her and looked down to see one of the humans had held out an arm to block her path.
"We'll take it from here," he told her bluntly.
She frowned at him oddly as she processed his words, over his shoulder she could see the medics were leaning over Jules, they appeared to be injecting her with something.
"I want to go with her," she said distractedly.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that."
She frowned at him again, "Why? I'm her family," she didn't know if she would be officially classed as family but she didn't care, she was all Jules had.
The man paid no attention to her, however, "Step back," he told her. He raised his arm again and as he did his jacket opened slightly and she saw the shape of a pistol holstered at his side.
"Why are you carrying a gun?" the confused question escaped her before she had the chance to consider that it might have been a bad idea to ask and the man's face hardened. Behind him, wires were being inserted into Jules' arms and the drell was hooking her up to several different machines.
"Fuck," she heard him mutter as he stared at the screen, "she was right about these implants. They're worth a whole fucking army."
"What are they doing to her?"
She got no answer as the man simply pushed her back a step, "We'll take it from here," he said again and Liara's frown deepened. She looked around for support but found she was alone, when had T'Carra disappeared? Behind her the press were still shouting, flooding her senses with noise and chaos but something was wrong, she could feel it.
"Stay here," the man was saying, he was turning his back on her, making for the ambulance where the medics were still tending to Jules. Medics with guns. Something was wrong.
"NO!" she yelled suddenly, pure instinct made her biotics flare and she channelled the power towards the human, yanking him off his feet and tossing him aside into the crowd of reporters. There were a few surprised shouts and at least one scream but she ignored it as she sprinted forwards to the ambulance.
"Leave her alone!" she shouted as she bolted inside and physically pulled two of the medics aside. The third one was ready for her, however, and grabbed her roughly by the arm before pushing her backwards out of the open doors; her back hit the pavement as she landed and the impact shot through her spine. She didn't pause to think as she struggled back to her feet and readied herself for a fight.
She was painfully out-of-practice.
The human who she had sent flying was now on his feet and had his pistol raised towards her. She erected a barrier as he fired two shots and she deflected both of them, but her barrier was weaker than it used to be and the impact made her stagger.
The two turians had jumped out of the ambulance and were surrounding her with guns raised. A lot of the gathered reporters had scattered and fled though the more dedicated – or possibly stupid – ones were doing their best to film the whole scene.
Liara eyed her three foes, well aware that there were more of them still in the ambulance. With Jules. The thought made her mouth curl into a snarl and she lit up with biotics, ready to fight despite the odds against her.
One of the turians was the first to move, as he fired she deflected the bullets with a shockwave that sent him smashing back into the corner of the ambulance. Before the other two could react she spun on the spot and summoned another wave of energy which knocked the second turian off his feet though the human only staggered. As he tried to recover, Liara captured him in a biotic field and pulled him sharply towards her.
She smashed him face-first into the ground, cracking his head against the pavement so that blood stained the concrete. She was quick to snatch the gun from his hand and aimed it towards the ambulance where the other medics still had Jules at their mercy.
"Let her go!" she shouted, the two turians were back on their feet and had their own weapons levelled at her. There was nowhere for her to go, no cover she could take, "LET HER GO!"
The turians both opened fire at the same time.
The first bullet ricocheted off her barrier and made her stagger. The second knocked the gun from her hand. The third tore through the barrier altogether and she felt a searing heat ripping through her shoulder. The fourth took one of her legs out from under her and the world blurred as she fell to her knees. The fifth seemed to hit her arm, though she couldn't be sure. By the sixth she could taste blood and her vision was swimming.
The fallen human was being dragged towards the ambulance, she heard the doors slam shut and was vaguely aware of the sound of an engine. There were screams from the crowd as the ambulance veered through them and sped away.
She felt cold concrete beneath her head and the world went dark.