Chapter Twenty-four – Echoes

Liara had seen a lot of seedy bars in her time. The one she and Barbet found in a side street near to the base was far from the worst she had ever been in. It was small and dingy and the smell of alcohol and gunmetal was tempered by that of alien sweat but it was fairly quiet. There were only a dozen or so people here, clustered in small groups and conversations were kept at a low murmur.

There was a group of half-drunk turians at one table and a pair of salarians at another, exchanging fast, urgent whispers as their large, keen eyes darted about feverishly. Three batarians were seated in the far corner and Liara noticed Barbet's eyes were briefly drawn to them before he looked away and headed for the bar. It was staffed by two asari who both had their backs to them as they watched something on a screen on the wall.

"It can't really be her, can it?" one of them was asking, the other one snorted.

"Course not! Have you ever known a two-hundred-year-old human?"

"Good likeness though, right down to the eyebrows."

"What about her eyebrows?"

"I always thought they were kinda sexy."

As Liara got closer, she could see they were watching a fight taking place in an arena. Jules' red hair stood out from the screen like a beacon and she sighed quietly. It never ceased to amaze her how quickly Jules could find trouble, she seemed to follow it like day followed night. Of course, day and night didn't tend to catch up with each other and get into a fight until only one of them was left standing, she mused grimly as she reflected on the analogy.

Then her eye was drawn to Jules' opponent and she frowned, "It can't be…"

Barbet looked at her, "What's wrong?"

"The asari she's fighting, it's Samara."

"The Samara?" he asked, "From the stories."

Liara nodded, "Unless there's another Samara no one's told me about."

One of the asari behind the bar noticed them and turned, "It's not live," she said, nodding to the screen as Liara continued to watch, "no bets. Feel free to put money on any of the others though," she gestured to several other screens all around the bar and Liara saw that each one was showing a different fight in a different arena. It seemed arenas were quite the profitable industry in this city.

"What can I get you?" the asari asked. There were two problems with this question, firstly Liara had no idea what people would typically ask for in this part of space, and secondly she also didn't know what they used for money, and whether she and Barbet had any.

Instead of answering she smiled and leaned forward on the bar, "We're after some information."

"Mhm," the asari returned her smile knowingly, "new around here, are you?"

"You could say that," Liara agreed.

"What do you want to know?"

Liara hesitated. The asari was a lot older than she was, probably a matriarch. In the old days her age would have awarded her a position of great power, in this new world she was apparently stuck behind a bar. She thought briefly of Aethyta but the memory stung and she dismissed it.

Instead she nodded to the screen where Jules and Samara were beating the living daylights out of each other, "Who runs that arena?"

"Wow," the asari looked round to confirm which one she was indicating to, "you really are new, aren't you?"

The explanation they got was lengthy and Liara and Barbet found themselves having to nod knowingly whenever names or factions were mentioned that they were supposed to know about. From what Liara could gather, there were two levels to this city. This lower level was controlled by mercenary gangs, one of which was dominant and controlled by a human called Cadeyrn – the one who was holding Jules.

This part of the city was full of arenas and bars like this one where people could bet on them endlessly. All this funded the top level of the city, where people lived more normal lives working for businesses, paying rent and raising families. The people they worked for and paid rent to, were heavily involved in everything that went on down here, a fact the general public either didn't know or didn't care about.

From the way the asari told it, there were arenas up there too but no one ever died in them and the fighting was tamer and often scripted. Even so, this whole society had been built and funded around the sport.

She watched the fight between Jules and Samara conclude with one fist clenched on the bar as Jules was dragged away by two guards. Samara's involvement in all this made her suspicious.

She had always been uncomfortable around the justicar. She knew that she and Jules had been close, she had felt their friendship though her melds with Jules and she respected it. But there was something cold about Samara. Something… distant, unreachable.

Perhaps it was the knowledge that she had killed her own daughter. Even knowing what Morinth was, it was still unsettling to think of a mother taking her own child's life. The fact that she had used Jules as bait to do it didn't help. Liara had watched Morinth's death play out through Jules' memories and it had chilled her to the core. Whatever Samara was doing here now, Liara didn't trust her.

They ended up with two drinks on the house as a welcome to Piares. Liara was also pretty sure the two asari were hoping that a few drinks would encourage them to place some bets, they probably made more money on that than anything.

As they were left alone, Liara noticed Barbet was watching the batarians again, his expression somewhere between glum and thoughtful.

"I didn't know if we'd see any batarians in asari space," Liara said gently, trying to break whatever conflict was going on in his head.

He turned to smile at her sadly, "They might be the only ones."

She nodded in understanding, "Are there many of you left now?"

Before she and Jules had left on the Normandy, batarian numbers had been dwindling in the galaxy. She had lost track of what had been happening with them more recently. Barbet's heavy sigh was answer enough.

"The trouble with my people is, we love conflict too much. Always competing with each other, striving to be the best and kill anyone in our way. We tried to retake our home world and all that happened was a massive civil war that killed more of us than it saved. But you don't need me to tell you about that, you were alive when it happened."

"Yes," Liara agreed, "Jules and I were still working with the HTA back then, the old HTA, we tried our best to intervene but…"

Barbet chuckled, "Don't worry, I know how stubborn my people are. Most of those who are left are in the Terminus now, killing each other in pointless feuds. The HTA's probably clearing them all out now they've taken Omega."

"Did you grow up in the Terminus?"

He shook his head, "My mother got away from all of that, went to Earth, that's where I was born. She was a doctor."

"Really?" Liara hadn't intended to sound as surprised as she did and instantly regretted it, "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's alright," Barbet grinned, "she never minded people being surprised, I think she enjoyed the attention."

Liara smiled and looked away, "How many batarians are there on Earth?"

He shrugged, "More than you'd think. Most of them are like my mother was, they're trying to build a new society for us. They arrange pairings between people to ensure there's enough children to survive another generation. They're not marriages or anything, you don't even have to live together so long as you get a few kids out."

"You have children?" Liara realised.

"Nine," he replied, "four different mothers. They range from fully grown adults to toddlers, youngest's only two."

Liara smiled, "Do you keep in touch with them?"

"The older ones, yeah. Their mother and I were… close. The others didn't warm to me so much. Raising the kids isn't actually part of the deal and their mothers didn't want me involved," Liara frowned, that didn't seem right somehow but she didn't say anything. Attitudes towards parenting were quite individual for each species and she knew very little about batarian ideals.

"I still keep an eye on them though," Barbet continued, "what they're doing and where they're living. Even if I don't see them, I'm still their father."

Liara was reminded of Aethyta for the second time that day and she sighed, wondering if there was some reason her own father's memory was being so persistent.

"Nine children is a lot of birthdays to remember."

"Tell me about it," he agreed, "what about you and Shepard? Ever thought of extending the family?"

She laughed at the idea, "No. I like her too much to want to share her."

Her omni-tool bleeped and she looked down to see Maia was calling her. She activated the comm, "Go ahead."

"We're back at the sewer entrance," Maia said, "Can you meet us here? There's been some… developments."

…

Jules and Samara had fallen into silence as they sat side-by-side on the bench. They had both always been content in silence, neither of them needing to fill the gaps with small-talk. It was one of the things Jules had liked about spending time with her on the Normandy. It was always nice to find someone you could talk to, but the real test was finding people you could be silent with and still enjoy their company.

In this particular instance, however, she had fallen silent because she was thinking.

"How do you know Falere's still alive?" she asked as her brain mulled through possible ideas to get them both out of this mess.

"Cadeyrn lets me talk to her via a comm link," Samara replied, "though only when he allows."

"And she's never dropped any hints to where she is?"

"I don't believe she can," Samara replied, "I get the impression she's being threatened when she speaks to me."

They went quiet again and eventually Jules' thoughts wandered to other things, some of them were helpful, most of them weren't. It surprised her when it was Samara who broke the silence next.

She made a slight intake of breath and then asked: "You and Liara?" she had no doubt picked up on Kyla's little rant about them, still Jules was surprised she would comment on it.

"Quizzing me on my love life?" she queried, "That's new, it was always me hounding people with personal questions."

Samara peered at her, a glint of amusement lighting her pale eyes, "Consider this payback."

Jules chuckled and shrugged, she was frankly happy for the distraction from thinking herself in circles, "We were always close. After the war we just… got a bit closer. It started when you were still on Earth, I'm surprised you didn't pick up on it at the time."

"I did."

"Oh."

"You've been together ever since?"

"On and off. We went our separate ways for a while after the galaxy started getting back on its feet but we just seemed to keep ending up in the same places." she cleared her throat, "And the same bed. Then we stole the Normandy and ran away together," Samara cocked her head inquisitively but Jules waved it off, "long story."

Samara went quiet for a moment before she continued, "I am glad," she stated, "you are not someone who would thrive being on their own. With a lifespan as long as ours, it can be hard to find a constant in your life."

"Mm," Jules frowned, "Tevos said something similar, that's why she wants Thessia back. I think she's trying to reclaim the past."

"Then she may be disappointed. The past is gone, for other races whole generations have passed and this is their home now. Forcing our past on them would destroy the world they have built. We would be as bad as the reapers."

"I hadn't thought about it like that," Jules admitted.

"In many ways, we asari are accustomed to moving on and accepting the people we lose. But as a society, we struggle to keep up with the galaxy as it changes around us. We want it to stay static and familiar."

"That used to frustrate me about you lot," Jules agreed, "kinda understand it now," when she thought of how long she had stubbornly clung to the Normandy, trying to pretend nothing had changed, she realised she had no right to judge anyone for doing the same. What had surprised her most was how quickly a century could pass when you chose to waste it. She sighed heavily.

"Did you thrive, being on your own?" she asked to direct the conversation back at Samara, "You spent almost four hundred years with no one."

She waited a while before she answered, not unusual for Samara but the way she was squinting made it seem like she was conflicted.

"I would once have said I was… content," she decided at last, "though now I am not certain that is true."

"It's not like you to be unsure of yourself."

Samara's eyes brightened with a smile, "I was once sure of everything, until I joined your crew."

Jules paused, trying to read more behind those eyes, as always they gave little away, "I don't follow."

Samara's smile softened and she looked away, "The thing I noticed most about humans while I was living amongst you is that you question everything. Every ideal and principle, from the ones you were raised with to those of other races and cultures. You challenge every fact or statement that is put to you, even from those who are wiser or more powerful than you are. You question yourselves daily, your own beliefs and views and moral code, never afraid to look for new ideas or angles or to change your own point of view.

"For centuries I had accepted the way things were without questioning. I accepted that Morinth had to die and that Rila and Falere had to be kept isolated from society. I accepted every line of the code and every harsh reality that the life of a justicar forced on me. It never occurred to me to challenge any of it.

"Travelling with a crew of people who refused to ever accept anything without debate made me reflect on my own life and for the first time in four hundred years, I began to wonder if there could have been another way."

Jules blinked, staring at her, "You never told me any of this."

"I spent many years thinking it through, it wasn't until after the war that I realised the full effect your crew had on me."

Jules grimaced, she knew Samara had a lot of regrets but she always seemed to have found a way to be at peace with her life. It must have been hard to have that snatched away, "I'm sorry."

"Do not be. It was rather gratifying to realise the galaxy still had things to teach me. I learned much from your crew."

Jules nodded softly, "Well, we learned a lot from you too."

"Samara!" the voice was Connor's and they both turned to see him and Paige making their way through the other room, drawing looks from the fighters as they passed them. Realising their conversation had been abruptly halted, Jules shifted a few inches away from Samara on the bench. She didn't want it to be obvious that they knew each other.

Paige and Connor entered the medical room and for a second Connor looked between them, as though wondering what they were both doing there. Rather than asking, he simply cleared his throat and turned to Samara.

"The boss wants to speak to you," he told her, he straightened up as he said it, placing both hands behind his back. Jules noted from his voice that it was merely a statement, not an order and he looked remarkably like a soldier reporting to a superior. He respected Samara, that much was obvious, and worth remembering.

Samara considered him blankly for a moment and then accepted with a nod, "Very well," she looked at Jules briefly but said nothing before she stood and left. Connor watched her as she passed and made to follow but Paige stayed put.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, pausing in the doorway to look back.

"Nothing," she replied, when that didn't get rid of him, the asari folded her arms, "I want to talk to Shepard."

"Why?" she didn't answer and eventually Connor just snorted and rolled his eyes, "Fine. Do what you want."

With that he left, leaving Jules and Paige alone; though Jules noticed they had the attention of several of the other fighters in the next room. Paige ignored them.

She still had her arms folded and was watching Jules with and unwavering stare. Jules held her gaze and waited for her to say something.

"I know I'm right about you," she stated bluntly.

Jules blinked, "Ri-ight."

"You are Commander Shepard," she reiterated, "aren't you?"

"What makes you so sure?"

She shrugged, "Your face is hard to forget. I've got no idea how you can be here, but you wouldn't be the first impossible thing I've ever seen. There were a lot of those during the war."

Jules chuckled, "Yes there were."

Paige's face dropped, "So I am right?" she asked, suggesting she hadn't been half as sure of herself as she'd made out. She stared for a moment, then her brow creased and she shook her head, "What are you doing here?"

Jules made a point of looking about the filthy medical room, "This is where the guards brought me."

"You know what I mean."

Jules feigned ignorance, "Not sure I do. And even if I did, why should I trust you?"

She shot a look back at the other fighters and then slowly moved closer, "Well," she said carefully, "if you really were the real Shepard, maybe I'd be willing to help you."

Jules narrowly averted rolling her eyes. Convenient offers of help were rarely of much use to her, if they weren't traps they were usually just incompetent, "Why would I want your help?"

Paige shrugged lightly, "I could get you out of here."

"I don't want to get out."

"What?" Paige glared at her and made a point of rolling her eyes skywards, "Now you're just being childish."

"I'm being serious," Jules corrected her, the poor girl had probably planned this whole conversation out so perfectly, likely imagining herself as some kind of heroic conspirator, "I don't want to get out of here… yet."

Paige was looking at her sceptically, "You know, after all the stories I've heard about Commander Shepard being a courageous hero who takes no crap from anyone, this isn't what I expected from you."

"But you did expect that I would need your help to break out of here?" Jules raised an eyebrow and Paige hesitated, apparently unsure how to respond, "It was kind of you to offer and everything but if I wanted out I would just leave."

Paige stuttered for an answer, perhaps she was annoyed that the great Commander Shepard wasn't living up to her reputation. Jules didn't really care, "I'm not messing about you know!" she hissed sharply, casting a glance towards the other fighters, "If Cadeyrn found out I was doing this he'd throw me in that arena with you!"

"Then why risk it?"

"Because you saved the galaxy and I'm grateful!" she said it angrily like it should have been obvious, "Isn't that reason enough?"

Jules watched her calmly. She might have been telling the truth. If this was some kind of trick it was a sloppy one, not that it really mattered either way.

"You really want to help me?" she asked, "There's one thing you could do."

Paige eyed her cautiously, "What?"

Jules leaned in, "When the fighting starts – and it almost always does – just make sure you're shooting at the right people."

…

"I don't believe I'm hearing this," Liara could cut an impressively intimidating figure when she put her mind to it, Kyla reflected as the doctor stood in front of her, straight-backed with her hands locked firmly on her hips. There was fire gleaming in her sapphire eyes which were hardened in a frown, "of all the rescue missions I have ever been part of, this sounds like it would have been one of the easiest and still you came back without her!"

"Chill out, babe," Kyla retorted, rubbing a finger against her temple where she was starting to develop a distinct headache, "what did you want me to do, tie her up and drag her out of there? And anyway, you'll never guess who was in there with her."

"Samara," Liara stated. It wasn't even a question, she knew she was right.

Kyla let her hand drop dramatically to her side and scowled, "Alright, how the hell do you know that?"

Liara folded her arms, her expression one of smug arrogance as she clearly decided not to tell her, "You know something, babe?" Kyla snapped, "You are really starting to get on my-!"

"Perhaps," Maia interjected coolly, while flashing Kyla a warning look, "we would all benefit from remaining calm and focussing on the matter at hand."

Liara seemed to concede to that and nodded wearily, "What did she say to you?"

Kyla sniffed, resisting the overwhelming urge she had to be petty and childish in her response, "Something about an asari called Falere, she's being held captive and she wants you to find out where she is."

"Falere?" Liara suddenly became quiet, her defensive stance dropped and she took an unconscious step back as her eyes fell to the floor, searching the shadows as though there were answers there. She looked disturbed as she frowned into space. Kyla exchanged glances with the others, none of them seemed any the wiser.

"You know her?" Kyla asked at last.

Liara looked up, still frowning as though only vaguely aware of what she had been asked, "She's Samara's daughter."

That still didn't mean anything to any of them.

"Did she say anything else?" Liara asked.

"Only that the guy who has her – Cadeyrn? I think she said – wants to use her 'unique talents', whatever that means."

"Goddess," Liara closed her eyes briefly, "in that case we need to find her, I'll contact Ereba, ask her to monitor all comms in the city for any mention of Falere. The rest of us should ask around more here, see what we can learn."

"I take it this is a priority," Maia said carefully, watching Liara closely.

"Yes," Liara agreed, though she didn't explain further as she tapped at her omni-tool, "c'mon."

She turned and strode out of the alleyway. The others all looked at each other, exchanged a few shrugs and then Maia and Egret followed her. Kyla made to move too but Barbet caught her by the arm.

"Hey, kid," he said in an undertone, then nodded towards Liara, "what is it with you and her?"

Kyla shrugged like she didn't know what he was talking about, "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, I've never seen anyone rile you up as much as she does. What's the problem?"

His three good eyes were narrowed at her and she realised he probably knew her better than anyone else did these days. Still, she shrugged the question off, "She just gets under my skin."

He didn't believe her, but he nodded anyway, "Well try and rein it in a bit, okay?"

Kyla scoffed, "I wouldn't worry. It'd be hard to offend someone as cold and heartless as her."

…

Samara entered Cadeyrn's throne room without knocking, partly because she knew she was allowed such privileges and partly because she had no desire to show him any respect.

He was sitting forward in his throne, pouring over a large, leather-bound ledger that was open in his lap. He preferred handwritten records to digital ones, for someone to steal the ledger they had to physically get into the building which was arguably more difficult than hacking a system. Two hundred years after the Crucible had fired, computers were still crude and unreliable in this part of space.

He looked up as she entered, his beaded braids chinking softly. He looked her up and down, his narrow eyes peering intensely as his mouth twisted into a smile.

"You look marvellous, Champion. Quite majestic."

Samara held his gaze coolly and didn't respond. He liked everything to look just right. He adorned his elite followers with jewels and finery so that he might flaunt his wealth before the city. He had dressed her up in the same way, her purpose was to look intimidating and glorious in equal measure, to inspire awe and strike fear into her audience.

She would never admit it to anyone – not even Shepard – but some small part of her had always enjoyed the majesty of being a justicar. Having every head turn when she walked through a village, having villains blanch when they realised what she was and beg her for mercy. Making dramatic entrances to save those in need before vanishing without even a goodbye.

It was no doubt some foolish echo of the headstrong maiden she had once been, when she had sought thrill and adventure beyond all other things. But when Cadeyrn flaunted her in front of the crowds to inspire the same reaction in them, she found no pleasure in it. Indeed, it was quite disheartening.

So she remained silent and stared him down, waiting for him to speak again. He held her gaze without flinching, his smile still fixed in place. He had never shown any sign that he felt threatened by her. He was brave. He was also a fool.

"I hear you followed Shepard to the fighters' quarters. Any reason why?"

Samara cocked her head, "She was a worthy opponent, I wished to congratulate her."

He scrutinised her carefully, his body swaying ever so slightly from side-to-side as he considered her explanation. Humans were always moving, always fidgeting no matter how subtly. They could be quite exhausting to watch.

"I know you travelled with the real Shepard," he said after a time, "I also know that the woman I captured is not her. It's impossible."

"Indeed," Samara replied impassively. He must at least have suspected that she might be, otherwise he wouldn't be questioning her but she had no intention of engaging him in a conversation about it.

"It may be useful for you to befriend her, however," he continued, "she was found on board one of my freighters and has given no explanation of how she got there. I believe she's from the other side of the relay. I would like to know why she's here, if you can find out. She's quite the mystery."

Samara narrowed her eyes, "Is that why you called me here?"

His face darkened slightly and he flicked the ledger shut before leaning back, "No. I have another job for you first. Do you remember Eisheth?"

Samara assumed he didn't need her to respond. Eisheth was one of the gang leaders who had opposed Cadeyrn, an asari as heartless as she was cunning. From what Samara remembered of her, she was more than just cruel. She was sadistic. Samara had nearly killed her once but she had gotten away; that was just before Cadeyrn had captured her.

"She's been rebuilding her forces," Cadeyrn explained, "the freighter that Shepard was on, Eisheth raided it, stealing all of the eezo and a unique artefact my people had recovered from Thessia. The eezo is unimportant, I can always get more. But I want that artefact."

Samara blinked, "You're sure she was behind the attack?"

"She has just sent me a very gloating message claiming responsibility."

"Then she may be intending for you to retaliate. It could be a trap."

Cadeyrn grinned sinisterly, absently playing with the golden rings at his fingers, "I have every faith in you, Champion."

Samara considered him quietly, "What is this artefact?"

"An ancient tome. They say it's written in prothean."

History wasn't exactly Samara's specialty but even she knew that was unlikely. She didn't say as much though, "I haven't spoken to Falere in over a week."

He nodded softly, "Recover the artefact and I'll let you speak with her. She's quite well, I can promise you that."

His assurances brought her no comfort, but the knowledge that Shepard was close at hand and formulating a plan gave her more hope than she'd had in years. Even if something happened to her, Shepard would get Falere to safety.

She gave Cadeyrn a curt nod, "Consider it done."

…

Barbet followed his asari teammates through the murky back streets, keeping one of his three eyes on Kyla. He knew there was something going on with the kid, something that would probably get her into trouble. Most things did with Kyla.

Maia was at the front with Liara, subtly trying to get information out of her about this 'Falere' – whoever she was. Liara was staying tight-lipped, however; she kept saying it was important they rescue her, but she wouldn't reveal any more than that. From her earlier reaction, Barbet couldn't shake the feeling this was more than just an old friend who needed help.

His thoughts were interrupted by the distant echo of gunfire, followed by yelling and the other familiar sounds of a firefight. Liara held up a hand to stop them and then led them on again at a jog, headed towards the danger, naturally.

They weaved through the streets until they drew nearer. The crack of a pistol rang out dangerously close and Liara stopped and pushed her team back into the shadows of an alcove.

A bout of laughter echoed off the dank walls and ahead of them, a group of asari emerged from an alleyway, dragging an injured turian behind them. They laughed as they threw him to the ground and seemed to briefly debate how to finish him off. Until one of them got impatient and put a bullet through his head at close range, immune to his panicked pleas. After that they wandered away, chatting and laughing carelessly like girls on a night out.

"What did I tell you?" Kyla murmured quietly, "Gang war."

If Barbet didn't already believe her, he defiantly would have done when they entered the street the asari had left. It was completely deserted apart from the bodies, about a dozen or more were strewn around having suffered variously messy deaths. It was clear their attackers had no respect for their dignity.

Most of them were in light leathers while others were in blue armour, "These look like the guards we saw patrolling the base," he said, crouching by a leather-clad salarian. As much as they were dressed for combat, they all sparkled with jewels and piercings and even their weapons were decorated like fashionable accessories. The others must have been their rivals. Most of them were asari but he noticed one was a human boy. He looked young, probably a teenager, and was curled up into a ball in a pool of crimson blood. Maia moved over to kneel beside him.

"He's still alive," she called back to them, bringing up her omni-tool. Whatever the scans told her, they made her face fall and she shook her head, "there's nothing we can do."

"We can always do something," Liara replied, moving over to join her. She knelt at the boy's back and took hold of him, gently easing him onto his back until he was resting in Liara's arms. He was a bloodied mess, shaking and whimpering quietly like he didn't have the strength to scream or cry.

"Shh," Liara soothed gently as she stroked the matted strands of hair back from the boy's face, "it's alright, I have you, everything's going to be alright."

She continued to mutter comforting nonsense as she took the boy's hand and Barbet watched in amazement as her eyes seemed to flicker black.

"Is she melding with him," he asked no one in particular.

"Yes," Kyla answered quietly. His first assumption was that Liara was forcing the meld onto him to extract information. This struck him as incredibly cruel and – from what he knew of asari attitudes towards melding – extremely unethical. Then Kyla spoke again, "she's blocking the pain receptors in his brain."

As he watched he saw that the meld wasn't causing the boy any distress, instead it seemed to act as a soothing balm. He stopped shaking so much and his breathing calmed as Liara nestled him closer.

"See?" she whispered gently, "That's better, isn't it. Everything will be alright. I promise."

Barbet looked round at Kyla, who was watching the scene grimly, "Cold and heartless, huh?" he murmured at her. She glanced at him sideways and shifted uncomfortably but didn't reply. They watched on in silence as the boy died cradled in Liara's arms.

…

Liara held onto the meld as long as she could, holding back the pain and staying with the boy to the very end, even as he was slipping away. It wasn't the first time she had melded with someone who was dying. It was an odd experience, a dying mind was in turmoil, a chaotic mix of fear and confusion. Liara had done her best to soothe it all, offering a comforting presence without going too deep. Just because the boy was dying that didn't give her the right to go digging through his memories so she kept the meld shallow, just enough that he knew she was there.

But then, as death approached, a strange calm seemed to descend. All fear and rationale faded and the mind spurned logic and reason and embraced the impossible, much like when slipping into a dream. The thoughts became hard to interpret as they faded and then there seemed to be an exact moment of perfect clarity before they evaporated into nothingness.

Liara never knew what to make of it. Whether it was the mind glimpsing some tranquil afterlife or just the subconscious stepping in to ensure you didn't die afraid. All she did know was that when the meld slipped out of her grasp it left a cold, hollow feeling in its place, as empty as the body she was now holding.

She blinked groggily as her mind became her own again and tried to shake off the unease the meld had left her with. As her vision cleared, she found Maia gazing at her quietly.

"That was kind of you," the matriarch said softly, "not many asari would do such a thing for a stranger. I'm not sure if I would have."

Liara shrugged the praise off as she eased the boy out of her arms, "He was just a child."

"Did you learn anything about him?"

Liara gazed down at the bloodied face, retracing her way through his last moments, "His name was Liam. He wanted his mother."

Maia nodded softly, waited a moment more and then stood, "His comrades left him here to die. Whoever Cadeyrn's enemies are, they don't care much for honour, or loyalty."

"Falere is still our priority," Liara told her and also stood, "we need to learn more about this Cadeyrn," she looked down at the dead guards, "there must be somewhere his men drink together, if we can get to some of them, we might learn more."

She looked up at her team. They had all gone quiet after witnessing the boy's death; even Kyla didn't have a snarky retort for her, "We'll do better if we split up, Kyla can come with me, the rest of you go together."

Kyla looked surprised, uncomfortable even, but she didn't argue. They split up and went their separate ways. The echo of Kyla's footsteps was the only sound she made as Liara led her away from the carnage and through the back streets. It was unlike her not to comment on everything they passed or try to spark up a conversation every five minutes but Liara didn't complain, she wasn't really up to chatting right now.

The essence of the boy was still echoing around her head like a persistent melody she couldn't shake. He was a stranger to her and yet she had touched his mind and seen him through the hardest moments of his life. Now he was like an intruder in her thoughts, clamouring for attention. Melds, no matter how shallow, were never without consequence. He was part of her now, and always would be. She would reflect on it later though, right now there were other things to think about.

The sound of voices led them to a wider, busier street than most of the others they had seen down here. It wasn't exactly a high street but it was definitely a main thoroughfare. There were several shops and bars and people chatted casually to each other outside of them. It was still dank and grim and there were still a lot of weapons on show but it looked like a good place to find leads.

It was at that moment that Kyla decided to clear her throat and speak, "So," she started, like she'd been working her way up to this, "what you did for that kid back there," she paused, Liara looked round at her but Kyla didn't make eye contact, "that was… I mean, not many people would…" she trailed off and sighed angrily at herself, "you did good."

Liara waited, but that seemed to be all she had, "Okay," she said distractedly as she looked around the street for somewhere to start.

"And," Kyla continued, "it's made me think that I might have… maybe… been a bit harsh on you, sometimes."

Liara frowned impatiently, "Where are you going with this?"

"What?" she looked confused, "Nowhere. I'm just trying to… I was just saying… urgh! Can't you even accept a fucking apology?"

Liara raised her brow as she looked back at the asari, "I haven't actually heard one."

Kyla seemed to think about saying more, then shook her head dismissively, "Forget it."

Liara should have just accepted that and carried on; but there was something about Kyla. She always seemed to be on the cusp of saying something important, and always she'd just smirk and wander off instead. Liara had picked up on her simmering resentment more than once and she was curious as to where it came from, "You've started now, you might as well carry on."

Kyla's eyes narrowed sharply, like something was about to snap inside her, "You think you're so much better than everyone else don't you?"

Liara tilted her head. There was a dam of anger swelling behind Kyla's eyes and it was threatening to break but Liara wasn't going to rise to it, she just wanted to know the cause of it, "What gave you that idea?"

"You! Looking down on everyone that comes within ten feet of you! How many times have I tried talking to you? I'm lucky if I get two words out of you before you turn your back on me and walk away! I guess you think you're too good to need friends!"

"I'm sorry if I offended you," Liara stated calmly, "I had no idea I was so important to you."

"You're not!" Kyla snapped.

"Then why does it matter if you and I are friends? Why do you even care?"

Kyla laughed bitterly and shook her head, "Yeah, why should I want to talk to someone who's so superior to me? You know what? You are exactly like your mother was!"

Liara settled her weight onto one leg and folded her arms. The emotion coming off Kyla was palpable and she could feel her own pulse quickening as her body subconsciously prepared for conflict. Outwardly she kept herself calm, "You knew Benezia?"

"Briefly. She didn't like me either. Didn't think I was good enough to set foot in her precious palace. I should have known you'd be just like her. When I first met you, I was stupid enough to think I might see something of my mother in you. I know that's not how it works, asari don't inherit traits from their fathers. But I thought there might be something."

She went suddenly quiet and looked away, a flush rising in her cheeks as she realised she might have said too much. But the dam had broken now, and there was no way to undo it.

Liara said nothing as the realisation set in. The reason why Kyla sometimes seemed familiar, why she seemed to hold some kind of personal grudge despite the fact they'd never even met. And why she'd been so often reminded of her father recently. She almost laughed.

"Aethyta," she realised, "you're Aethyta's daughter."

Kyla chewed harshly on her lip as she studied the ground. Eventually she plucked up the nerve to meet Liara's eye and she shrugged, "Hello sis."

I reckon most of you had already figured out that plot twist by now, so well done :)