Book I - Chapter 3: Hope
Shepard had forgotten how disgusting the Thorian looked. Perhaps she had repressed that particularly unpleasant memory.
"And they call me ugly." Wrex muttered.
The tentacle monster's mouth/ear/nose (possibly any orifice) made a wet, slurping noise, and disgorged yet another green-skinned asari clone.
Somewhere in the back of the Commander's mind, she wondered why the clones were clothed, or armed. She didn't dwell on that much.
"Back up!" Shepard yelled, and launched a creeper off the ledge with a throw. There seemed to be an endless supply of those fast zombies.
"Shepard! Behind you!" Liara shouted, and thrust a hand forward to lift the two creepers sneaking up on them.
Wrex rushed in and whacked them with the butt of his shotgun until they exploded in a shower of green goo. Shepard span around just in time to get slimed in the face.
Had she mentioned she really loved her helmet?
The Commander found another node attached to the wall in the next room along with a fresh batch of creepers. She didn't keep track of how many roots were still attached to the wall, but she hoped this would be the last one because she was really tired of those plants already.
Shepard let out a victory cry as the slimy cthulhu fell to its death with a rumbling wail when the last node was destroyed. "I hope this washes off. Ugh. It smells awful." She muttered, wiping the worst of the slime off her helmet with the back of her hand.
One of the Thorian pods attached to the wall burst open. A purple skinned asari fell out with a groan. She stood up and exclaimed loudly, "I'm free! You saved me. I am Shiala, I am… I was Matriarch Benezia's disciple."
Liara perked up at that information.
Shiala then began to explain the indoctrination and why Saren and Benezia sacrificed her to the Thorian, and why the geth were here.
Shepard made a decision. "Give me the Cipher." She asked.
Shiala looked puzzled by her request. "Saren needed the Cipher to understand the vision stored in the Prothean beacon in order to find the Conduit. The Cipher is a collection of Prothean racial memories; it does not contain specific information such as the location of the Conduit…"
Shepard crossed her arms and gave her a look.
Both Liara and Shiala stared at her in shock. "You've seen the vision, just as Saren did! But Saren didn't know that… of course! You were on Eden Prime. You lied in the report to the Council. This is precious." Shiala started laughing.
"Hurry up, will you? It's been a long day, and I'm in desperate need for a shower. You can skip the chant." Shepard said dryly and took off her helmet.
Liara tensed up as Shiala intruded upon Shepard's personal space, brushed away a lock of sweat drenched red hair plaster on her forehead tenderly, and rested the tip of her fingers on Shepard's temples. "Embrace eternity!"
The two stood frozen during the meld. They finally broke apart with a sigh after a few long minutes.
Much to Shepard's relief, the knowledge meld was one direction only. It was like reading a book she had read before. It didn't give her any new information, but it did lend her new perspectives. Plus, the meld did not hurt at all, unlike the first time.
The Commander suspected it had something to do with being rendered down to pure energy, beamed through space-time, and then downloaded through a Prothean beacon. Though there was no way to know for sure.
Shiala regarded the Spectre with awe. "Your mind is... exceptional. A normal human mind is normally resistant to melding, but yours…" She shook her head, not completely sure how to voice her thought. "I've never met anyone like you before, Commander, human, asari, or otherwise. You are unique. You intrigue me."
Shepard backed away from Shiala and put her helmet back on. "O...K. Right. Now that's done, I'm taking you back to the Normandy."
Shiala lowered her head in submission. "As you wish, Commander. I will not run nor hide from my crime."
"You misunderstood. You are a victim of circumstances, I'm not about to arrest you for your bad luck. I'm taking you and all the colonists from Zhu's Hope to a medical facility on Eden Prime. Who knows what kind of side effects there might be? It's better this way."
"You are much too kind, Commander." Shiala said with gratitude.
"Just doing my job." Shepard said.
The clean up took a while. The Commander ordered Ashley to lead a team of five marines to go to the weight station and escort the ExoGeni employees back to the colony. Ashley's team encountered a few geth stragglers and a stray creeper on the skyway, but other than that, it was mostly uneventful, except for one thing.
"Take him to the brig." Shepard looked at the man sporting a very bloody nose with distaste. It was not just her; everyone who had heard what happened was sneering at Ethan Jeong.
"Sorry, Commander. He was ranting and raving and causing a disturbance in general, so I shut him up." Ashley said cheerfully with a raised fist, not looking apologetic at all.
Juliana was shaking with suppressed anger. "How could they do this? What is wrong with those people? They experimented on innocents, and now they want to bomb us all to the stone age to get rid of the evidence?"
"Alright. Everyone, listen up! Pack only the most essential items and load them on the Normand. You have one hour." The Commander announced to the crowd. She then turned to Kaidan and asked, "How are the colonists doing?"
"Some of them are waking up. They seem really happy to have their minds back. Most of them will be sporting bruises, nothing medi-gel won't fix." Kaidan said.
Shepard quickly assessed the situation and rattled off a list of duties, "Garrus, remove the colonists' restrains, but I want you to keep an eye on them. I hate surprises. Wrex, you are on guard duty. Do not leave Dr. Chakwas out of your sight when she is interacting with the civilians. Chief Williams, set up a parameter on the Normandy. Civies will be staying in the cargo bay, and I don't want them anywhere near our military assets. Lieutenant, ask for five volunteers from the colonists and tell them to pack fast. We are not coming back."
"Aye, aye, Commander" The team saluted and went to work.
An hour of frantic activities later, everyone was packed and ready to go. Normandy's cargo bay was small to begin with, and now the space was cramped with seventy-five civies living in it along with their belongings. Ashley had ordered a team of marines to move their own supplies up to the crew deck. It helped, but not by much.
Shepard ordered Joker to set a course to Eden Prime before the team gathered in conference for debrief. Dr. Chakwas was invited to attend as well.
"Dr. Chakwas, please give me an update on the colonists."
The older woman began, "the colonists are in acceptable condition. There have been some complains about headaches that are not related to being knocked in the head, otherwise they are on the mends. There might be other long term health issues related to being mind-controlled by the Thorian, but it will take some time for those symptoms to surface. On the logistic side, our medical supply is running very low. I would suggest we make another trip to the Citadel for restocking after we drop our passengers off on Eden Prime."
"Agreed." Shepard said, and turned to Ashley. "How about our other guests?"
"They are just thankful to be off that awful rock. I don't think ExoGeni treats their low level grunts too well. Besides, we stuffed them in the same area as the colonists. They are outnumbered four to one. They won't make trouble."
"Good. Otherwise it's going to be a long three-day ride." Shepard turned to Kaidan, and asked, "How are our men doing? I know you have to reschedule their shifts, and we are all sharing accommodations."
"Our guys are doing fine. Saving lives is good on morale. They are all with you on this one." Kaidan said.
Shepard shook her head. "I hope the Council see it the same way. I'll probably get reprimanded for getting sidetracked from my mission. Oh well, who cares what they think."
"Still, I can't believe you would lie to the Council about the beacon on Eden Prime, Commander." Kaidan commented.
Shepard massaged her forehead tiredly, praying for patience. Kaidan might be a bit sharper than Ashley, but he was still a dull stone. At least Ashley knew when to shut up and do her duty and not make it a habit to question her commanding officer at every turn. "Garrus, do me a favour and explain things to the Lieutenant for me."
The former C-Sec looked startled at the request, but obeyed quickly. "Saren attempted to destroy Eden Prime not only to remove evidence of his wrong doing, but also to deny everyone else access to the beacon. He didn't want anyone to stop him from finding the Conduit. Commander Shepard, having received the message stored in the beacon before it was destroyed, understood the tactical advantage of concealing this fact. As a Spectre, Saren would have access to her report to the Council. If the Commander had mentioned her vision, Saren would have perceived her as a greater threat. Besides, as real as the vision is, it's not hard evidence, therefore it is not submittable to the Council. They would most likely, as humans might say, laugh the Commander off the Citadel Chamber floor, if the she had done otherwise."
Shepard chuckled. "Well put. You are wasted in C-Sec, Garrus."
The turian's mandibles fluttered in embarrassment. "I have been thinking about reapplying for Spectre training after this is over. You've taught me the value of restrain when you asked me to arrest Dr. Saleon instead of shooting him in the head, but you've also shown me the necessity to think outside the box when you went out of your way to help the colonists instead of killing them all for the sake of the mission."
The Commander then turned her attention towards her much chastised subordinate. "So there you have it, Lieutenant. For future reference, come see me in private if you have any concerns, I am more than willing to discuss them. But do not question my order again. Is that understood?"
Kaidan jumped up and stood ramrod straight as he replied. "Yes, ma'am. It will not happen again, ma'am."
Shepard nodded, and gestured him to sit down.
Ashley was beginning to understand how Shepard's mind work. "So I guess we are keeping the part about the beacon off this report as well until we can find more concrete evidence to present to the Council. But what about the Cipher? We should probably keep that to ourselves, right?"
Shepard gave Ashley a lopsided grin. "No, we give them the full report on Feros. We tell the Council that Saren needed the Cipher because it allowed him to understand Prothean message stored in the beacon. We tell them that I have received the Cipher as well. It will be… useful if the Council would remember that I speak Prothean in the future."
"Speaking of the beacon, Shepard, what was the message? I must say, I am very intrigued. I've spent half my life studying the Protheans, yet, I still have so many questions." Liara asked. Shepard could tell the archaeologist was dying to dive into her brain to take a closer look.
"I can understand the message, but it's incomplete. The beacon on Eden Prime was damaged, and that means Saren probably doesn't know where the Conduit is either. With your background, you might be able to give us some insights if you could take a look at the vision yourself. But be warned, Liara. I call it a vision, but it's more like a nightmare. It's... extremely unpleasant." Shepard gave her the same warning she gave Sha'ira.
Liara was surprised by Shepard's reluctance to share, but she trusted the Commander enough to heed her caution. She took a deep breath to centre herself, her hands lightly touching either sides of Shepard's temples, and braced herself for the meld.
"Embrace eternity!"
Legions of machine devils dropped out of the sky, killing, burning, reaping, leaving whole worlds dead. Everything was burning. Fallen loved ones twisted into soulless husks, grisly mockery of who they once were in life. Flesh of the dead perverted and used as slaves. People screaming for help that would never come. The Citadel was the first to fall. Trapped, nowhere to run. Evil pouring out of every mass relay, raining down death and destruction in every world. Trillions mowed down like weeds. Betrayal. Indoctrinated servants of the machine devils. Surrender was not an option. Resistance was futile. Inevitable was the cycle of extinction of all organic life...
Liara woke with a cry.
"Liara? Sweetie, talk to me." Shepard's worried face was hovering over her vision.
"Shepard? What happened?" Liara found herself on the ground, cradled in Shepard's arms. Dr. Chakwas was kneeling next to her, checking her vitals. "I saw… Oh, by the Goddess! It's horrible!"
"You blacked out. It's my fault. I didn't sever the meld fast enough. I shouldn't have let you see the vision." Shepard's voice was thick with guilt.
Liara felt Shepard brushing her cheeks, and finally noticed tears streaming down her own face.
Dr. Chakwas spoke. "Liara, you had a panic attack. Whatever you saw in the Commander's mind induced an intense fear state. I suggest you find a quiet place and meditate. Some exercise would also help."
"Right. You are coming with me." Shepard helped Liara up, noticed her team was still in the room, and said, "dismissed."
x-x-x
Shepard had insisted that Liara should stay with her in her cabin that night.
Initially, Liara was a bit put off by how overprotective the human was, but when she was shaken awake from her first horrendous nightmare that night, she was immensely grateful for Shepard's thoughtfulness. Every time Liara started whimpering and thrashing in her sleep, Shepard would wake her up and chase away the demons. After waking her, she would help Liara with breathing exercises until she was relaxed enough to fall back asleep again. The same thing repeated once every two hours like clock work. It wasn't exactly a good night's sleep, but Liara felt a lot better the next day.
"You could take a day off, you know?" Shepard said softly, touching her forehead against Liara's.
Liara shook her head. "I could, but I don't want to. I will go help Tali with the VI program. It should help me clear my mind." She ran her fingers through Shepard's short red hair and studied her lightly freckled face. "You should go. I know how to take care of myself. I'll be fine. Promise."
"Alright." Shepard conceded. She pressed a final kiss on Liara's forehead before she left the cabin and went about her work.
Liara didn't feel like eating, but she still stopped by the mess hall. She did promise to take care of herself, and that included consuming a proper meal to start the day. She grabbed two standard ration bars with a cup of coffee and sat down at an empty table.
"Hey."
Liara looked up. Ashley was standing next to her table, holding a tray of food. "Chief Williams. Greetings to you as well. Please, have a seat."
Ashley sat down directly in front of her.
The two of them ate their breakfast in silence. Liara could practically feel the weight of this woman's gaze on her the whole time. It was not the usual sexual leer asaris attracted, it was the evaluating, calculating kind. "I sense you wish to talk to me about something." Liara asked.
"You look like crap." Ashley stated bluntly.
Liara was momentarily taken aback by her bluntness. Then again, Shepard was quite blunt with her as well. Maybe it was a human thing. "I did not have much sleep. The vision… It gave me nightmares." She explained.
"That bad, eh?"
Liara stared at her empty coffee mug, her eyes glazed as she recalled the vision. "It's worse than anything I could possibly think of on my own. The Protheans, I study them. It is a passion, an obsession that had taken up fifty years of my life. I have read practically every research paper on their extinction. And now I know. I've seen it. Can you imagine what it was like to have your entire race exterminated, your entire culture extinguished? That beacon is a distress signal. They were begging for help, and there is nothing I could do."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Ashley said.
"There is no need to apologize. I will be fine in a while. I wish I could be strong like Shepard. Her mental fortitude… To suffer such anguish on her own and not lose heart? Shepard is exceptionally strong-willed."
Ashley frowned at the asari. "You are not just talking about the vision, are you?"
Liara shook her head.
"Thought not. Everyone knows about Mindoir and Elysium. I've seen pictures. She had an adorable baby face at twenty-two. Don't tell her I said that." Ashley chewed on her bottom lip for a minute before she spoke again. "The Commander. She really cares about you, you know?"
Liara's lips curved into a smile. "Yes, I do."
Ashley snorted. "Of course you do. You should've seen her. Give her a pistol and point her at a two-headed thresher maw? She's cool as a cucumber. You fainting on her in a middle of a meld? She freaked."
"Shepard can be quite protective." Liara said, a little embarrassed.
"But she still brings you out on the field, into direct line of fire." Ashley pointed out.
"That is not the same. Shepard is protective of me, but she knows I do not need a protector. She trusts me to watch her back on the field, and she trusts in my abilities to do it well."
Ashley looked impressed by her explanation. "Huh. Didn't think of it that way."
"Shepard trusts you, too. She made you lead." Liara said, and noticed with some alarm that the human's lips seemed to tremble.
"Yeah, she did." Ashley said with a grin, her voice a bit rougher than usual. "I should get going. Take care of yourself."
"Thank you. I will." Liara got up from her seat and headed toward the med bay office to find Tali.
x-x-x
Shepard stood in front of the FTL comm console, facing the holographic projections of the Council with a blank look on her face.
Sparatus sneered at the Spectre in obvious disdain. "Of course Shepard would save those humans. She is human herself."
Shepard took offense at that comment. "And I would have done the same if they were batarians. I signed up for this job to maintain galactic stability. Slaughtering an entire colony of civilians in cold blood is counterproductive to that mandate. What do you think the press would say?"
Valern looked thoughtful. "You do have a point there, Commander. Regardless, you endangered the mission. Those colonists are not your concern."
"My mission is to stop Saren. Saren sent the geth there to remove evidence. I preserve them. I would call that mission accomplished."
"This Cipher you mentioned in the report," Tevos changed the topic to divert raising tension. "It is a dangerous asset in Saren's hand if it does what you claimed it to do. Are you certain?"
Shepard replied in something that the translation implants would not translate.
"What was that?" Valern asked, exchanging a bewildered look with the other two Councillors.
"I said, 'Of course I'm certain. We do have a Prothean expert onboard,' in Prothean. If you want, I can write that down in Prothean as well, in case you need more proof." Shepard answered.
"This is troubling news. What of the Conduit and the Reapers? Have you obtained more information regarding those as well?" Tevos asked.
"Yes. Saren has a Reaper ship called Sovereign. This dreadnaught has advanced technology that Saren can use to ensnare minds and create willing slaves. This process is known as indoctrination. Matriarch Benezia is one of his many victims. Saren had learned of the Conduit from the beacon on Eden Prime, and he needed the Cipher to fully understand the message stored in the beacon."
Sparatus scoffed. "Convenient story, taken from the mouth of a criminal who wished to escape justice - one whom, you refused to arrest!"
"She is a victim! Indoctrination is hardly a new concept. There are a number of different mind-control techniques already in use. Physical and psychological torture, sensory deprivation, hypnosis, psychoactive drugs, Thorian thralls, batarian slave implant, ardat-yakshi domination. Need I go on?"
Sparatus snapped his mouth shut at the retort, and Tevos flinched at the mention of ardat-yakshi.
"I think we get the idea, Commander. You've told us about the Reapers, what more can you tell us about the Conduit?" Valern asked.
"According to Shiala, the beacon on Eden Prime was damaged. Even with the Cipher, Saren will need more information to find the exact location of the Conduit." Shepard stared straight into Tevos' eyes and said, "short of pulling a working Prothean beacon out of Athame's ass and downloading the telepathic information into my brain, I may not be able to find the location of the Conduit before Saren does."
Tevos looked supremely uncomfortable.
"Then do your job and stop him before he finds it." Sparatus managed to get in one last word before the Council disconnected the call.
x-x-x
Dr. Chakwas' eyes lit up when she saw Shepard strolled in the med bay with a familiar looking bottle in her hand. "Is that…?"
The Commander grinned cheekily at the doctor. "Why, yes. Serrice Ice Brandy. I needed a dose of happy after wasting my breath on politicians. Thought you might want to join me."
"Oh dear. Bad?" Dr. Chakwas asked.
"Worse." Shepard snorted.
The older woman magically pulled out two drinking glasses from a cabinet. "Want to talk about it?"
Shepard poured a healthy amount of the blue liqueur into each glass. "The Council was disappointed that my new nickname was not the Butcher of Feros."
Dr. Chakwas looked appalled. "What?!"
"Hence me needing this drink. Cheers." Shepard picked up a glass and took a sip. "This is the best brandy I've ever had."
"It is my favourite too." Dr. Chakwas took a sip from her glass as well. "The Council is wrong, Commander, you did the right thing."
Shepard smiled fondly at the older woman. "I know." She said, and quickly finished off her drink.
"You are drinking it too fast. Did you even taste it?" Dr. Chakwas was appalled by the way Shepard gulped down this fine brandy.
"If I drink it slow, I won't feel it. This will probably last me five minutes." Shepard said softly. "Cybernetic liver and kidneys, Doc. I can out drink a krogan."
Dr. Chakwas paused. "I see." She said, and took another sip. "Whoever did this to you has a lot to answer for."
Shepard looked down on her empty glass, not sure what to say to that. "May I ask you a question? It's silly, but…"
"Go ahead, ask."
Shepard put the glass down on the desk. "You are a doctor. Saving lives is literally what you do for a living. I wonder how far you'd go to save one life."
Dr. Chakwas' eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Interesting question. Hummm… It would depend on whose life I'm saving."
"Let's say it's my life."
"You are an important person, Commander. I would do a lot to save your life." Dr. Chakwas said, holding up the glass of brandy in her hand and waved it at Shepard. "You brought me a drink. How could I not save you?"
Shepard laughed. "I should bribe you with alcohol more often."
"Yes you should."
Shepard leaned back against the hull. "Even if it means lying to the brass?"
Dr. Chakwas slowly put her drink down. Her eyes sharp and full of intelligence. "You are a good woman, Commander Shepard. I consider you a friend. My personal loyalty is to you, not to the Alliance."
A grateful smile blossomed on the Commander's face. "You are a good friend, Doc."
"I do hope this stays hypothetical, Commander." Dr. Chakwas said cautiously.
Shepard didn't reply immediately. She gave the doctor a sad smile, and shook her head. "Soon."
"Shepard…" Dr. Chakwas began, but the Commander put a finger over her lips in a gesture for silence."
"Here, keep the rest. You'll enjoy it more than I do." Shepard patted the doctor on her arm. "We'll chat later."
Ignoring the urge to hover, Shepard chose to leave the med bay rather than going inside the med bay office to check on Liara. She made her way down to the cargo bay to check on the civilians instead.
The Normandy was a never designed to carry so many passengers, and its cargo bay was hardly a suitable living space. It was cramped and uncomfortable, and the air was starting to get a bit funky. But still, no one complained because that was the best they could get under the circumstances.
"Commander Shepard!" The leader of Zhu's Hope, Fai Dan, called out to get Shepard's attention when he spotted her coming out of the elevator. He was one of the first colonist to be subdued by Garrus' team on Feros.
"How are you doing, Fai Dan? I hope you got that bump on your head looked at?" Shepard asked, pointing at a nasty bruise at his right temple.
Fai Dan chuckled good naturedly at the Spectre. "It only looks bad. Dr. Chakwas assured me the swelling will go away in a day or two. It knocked me out good though. For that, I am eternally thankful. I wasn't in control of myself. I didn't know what terrible things I would have done under the Thorian's control."
Shepard had a pretty good idea what that would be, and decided not to say anything. "We will be in Eden Prime soon. Two more days of this and you'll be seeing blue sky again. It's too bad Feros didn't work out for you guys."
"Now that I have my mind back, I can tell you that we should have left that ruin of a planet a long time ago." Fai Dan shook her head.
Shepard found the opening she was waiting for. She had been planning for this for a while, and now was the perfect opportunity to run with it. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your plan going forward?"
Fai Dan thought about it and shrugged, looking a bit lost. "I'm not sure. Most of us at Zhu's Hope, at least the ones who talked to me about it, went into the Traverse to build a better life for ourselves. It's our bad luck that we swallowed ExoGeni's lies about a better future on a dead planet. Now? The best I can do is to go back to Earth and line up at Colonial Affairs again to sign up for a new post."
"I have an suggestion. You've heard about Eden Prime from the extranet, right?"
Fai Dan scratched his head. "Sorry, not really. We were kind of out of it for a while. What about it?"
Shepard's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Eden Prime was invaded by geth a little while back. Lots of people died. It was a complete massacre. The geth are gone now, and the planet is in desperate need to rebuild, but people are scared. No one would sign up in the Traverse anymore. Which, I think is a complete waste. Here we have a perfect garden planet ripe for settlement, and people are too scared to leave Earth."
Fai Dan perked up with great interest.
Shepard continued. "I knew someone from Eden Prime. Corporal Jenkins, killed in action in Eden Prime under my command when the geth invaded his homeworld. He said the planet was like a paradise, that's why he enlisted. 'Even paradise gets boring', he said. I think Jenkins' home deserves to be rebuild, and I happen to know a few good colonists looking for a place to settle. What do you think?" She gave the man an expectant look.
Fai Dan smiled. "I think Eden Prime sounds a lot more habitable than Feros."
"Excellent. Give me a list of people wanting to sign up, and I'll get the paperwork fast-tracked for you. Perks of being a Spectre." Shepard joked.
Fai Dan thanked Shepard again before he went off to talk to his men with a bounce in his steps.
x-x-x
Later that day, Shepard got a message from Garrus that Shiala wished to speak with her in private. She agreed, and told Garrus to escort Shiala up to the conference room.
"Thank you Commander, for granting a private audience to me." Shiala said.
"Take a seat. What would you like to talk about?" Shepard ask, sitting upright in one of the chairs with her hands on her thighs.
"I would like to ask you about your plan for me." Shiala said.
Shepard sat back into her seat and crossed her arms. "Why do you think I want anything from you?" She asked.
Shiala smiled faintly at her. "Because you do, Commander."
Shepard grinned. "Yeah, I do. How do you know?"
"You are a Spectre, Commander. You have a quality that sets you apart from the rank and file of common soldiers. You have seen the vision; you of all people should understand. Stop Saren, and you shall delay the Reapers' advance, but the hoard is still invading. Having touched your mind, however briefly that was, I've come to understand you. You are a protector, Commander. You will do anything to save us from our extinction. But you can't do it alone. No one can. You need all the help you can get - I am offering mine."
Shepard sat there quietly, contemplating what Shiala just said for a long moment. Finally, she broke the silence. "There is a children's' story from Earth about a shepherd boy crying wolves. Have you heard of it?"
Shiala nodded. "Yes, I have. What of it?"
"The Council will think I'm crying wolves."
"Wolves are coming."
"No one will listen. It would be preferable for them to think I'm unhinged than to face the ugly truth. I would call that human nature, but..." Shepard shrugged.
Shiala let out a snort. "Asaris call it a Maiden's short view, as if Matrons and Matriarchs are immuned to the same pitfall."
"Their 'long view' won't help them this time. We don't have a hundred years for them to contemplate their actions. I give it two, three years, top. The Reapers didn't need the Conduit to destroy the Protheans. Something has changed. I think they need Saren to find the Conduit for them because they are already behind schedule."
Shiala looked pained. "I think you are probably right, and this terrifies me like nothing else."
Shepard switched on her Omni-tool and input a few commands. "I need you to stay in Eden Prime. I've just given you access to this bank account. Use it to fortify the defense of the colony and stockpile resources for a brutal siege."
Shiala did a double take when she saw the number of zeros in that bank account. "That's two million credits! This is too much."
"No, that's barely a drop in the bucket. Zhu's Hope is only the beginning." Shepard raked a hand over her short red hair, letting her frustration show for a brief moment. "There's so much I want to do, but so little time and resources. I'm fighting a battle on so many fronts, Shiala. I wish I only have the Reapers to worry about."
Shiala was flabbergasted. "Whatever do you mean by that?"
Shepard sighed. "You are intimately familiar with the effects of indoctrination. Do you really think Saren is the Reapers' only servant?"
"... No. Damn it!"
"I have my suspicions. I've been watching them for a while. They have been... naughty. There are subtle clues, little things, but never anything concrete. It's mostly a gut feeling, but I know I'm right."
Shiala gave the Commander a mirthless smile. "You are probably right again. How I hope you are wrong."
"I hope I am too. Watch your back, Shiala, they have eyes and ears everywhere, and they have credits to burn. I am humanity's first Spectre. They are very interested in me." Shepard warned.
Shiala nodded in understanding.
"Good. I should go. Lots of work to do." Shepard smoothly stood up from her seat and stretched, before sticking out a hand for Shiala to shake. When their hands touched, Shepard narrowed her eyes and focused. A thin strand of her consciousness lept across her skin in a muted spark of biotic energy and tickled the very edge of Shiala's mind.
Shocked that a human had enough mental focus to perform what should have been a strictly asari technique, Shiala reacted on instinct and established a shallow communication meld without thinking.
Welcome to Operation Exodus, Shiala. You are going to help me save a million lives. We are Ragnarok.
"How is this possible?!" Shiala stared at the human like she had never seen her before.
Shepard grinned cheekily.
You know the answer already. It's the Cipher. This is about all I can do. The Protheans were capable of so much more.
Shepard removed her hand from Shiala's and ended the meld. "Think on what I've said. Let me know if you need anything else."
x-x-x
Joker had landed the Normandy on the same open field they used as a drop point last time they visited. One improvement was that the landing was much smoother without geth firing upon them.
When the Normandy finally touched down on Eden Prime, the mood of the crew could only be described as exuberant. Three days was a very long time to have about a hundred people (plus their luggages) stuffed inside a tiny frigate meant for twenty. By the end of the third day, Wrex was just about to blow his top. The only person who wasn't bothered by the confined space was Tali. In fact, the crowded living space reminded her so much of home, she was actually sad to see these people go.
Eden Prime's main spaceport had suffered major damage during the first wave of geth invasion due to its strategic importance. In the subsequent month following the invasion, most of the rebuilding effort had be dedicated to getting the spaceport up and running again. Without a reliable supply chain, not much else could be accomplished. The projected completion date for this construction project was not for another seven months.
While the spaceport was under construction, life went on. There were some aid coming in from the galactic community, such as food and medicine. But the galaxy was a big place, and people's memory was short.
In other words, Eden Prime did not look much better than when Shepard first visited it to secure the beacon. Sure, the fire was put out, and all the bodies were removed, but the scars of the carnage remained.
"It's still a hundred time better than Feros." Fai Dan said with tears in his eyes when his feet touched the soil. "Open sky, green fields, and a possibility to build myself a better life. This place is perfect."
His sentiment was shared by all the colonists from Zhu's Hope. Shepard could almost see visible wave of excitement as the civilians hurried back and forth from the cargo bay to the pre-fab residential blocks that would serve as their homes until something more permanant could be built. There was an ant-like efficiency to the way the colonists went about their tasks. Shepard couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at the display of human spirit, being a former colonist herself.
"The Normandy will be empty again. I am having complicated feeling about this." Tali came up to Shepard and made the comment.
Shepard smiled at the quarian. "I'm just happy to have my cargo bay back. I like having leg room. In any case, you look like you want to talk to me about something."
"Yes, Shepard. It took me a while, but I have finished the thing you asked me to look into. I want to show you when you have some time."
"I see. I'll come over as soon as we are done here." Shepard agreed, and watched Tali walk away to chat with a colonist about hooking power up from the generator to the pre-fab blocks.
"Commander Shepard. A moment of your time, if you will." Shiala asked politely.
"Sure." Shepard said, and took a stroll with the asari to a little distance away from all the activities. When she deemed them to be far away enough to have a private conversation, she prompted the asari to start talking.
"I would like to ask you a personal question, Commander. Would you give me an honest answer?" Shiala said.
"That depends on the question."
A sly smile creeped onto the asari's face. Shepard narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Shiala.
Shiala tilted her head. "I've heard much praise of your virility. It is a well known fact that no asari could walk pass you without feeling tingles in their crest. I cannot speak for every asari, but I must admit I am quite tempted myself. Your charm and your apparent sexual prowess had impressed Consort Sha'ira so much, she felt compelled to lavish you with gifts after the deed. It is said that your personal touch was so sought after, all her acolytes practically threw themselves at you just for a taste."
Shepard swore loudly.
Shiala appraised every detail of Shepard's hard suit covered body with her eyes. She wasn't even trying to be subtle. "Soldiers talk, Commander. Put them in close proximity with civilians and they talk twice as much. I only relayed the polite part. As for the impolite portion of the tale, well. I'm sure you can use your imagination."
The dark blush on Shepard's cheeks was answer enough for Shiala. "Why do people always make me out to be some kind of azure chasing lout?"
"They live vicariously through your legendary exploits. Sexual or otherwise." Shiala explained simply. "You should maintain this illusion. Use their perception of you to your advantage."
Shepard gave her a sharp look, but she didn't move away or object when Shiala sidled up against her front, tracing her jaw lightly with her purple lips. "You are going to get me into so much trouble with Liara." She grumbled unhappily.
The pair of soft lips moved up to nibble her earlobe. "She is a smart maiden, she will understand. Just tell her the truth. You need people to think you have an asari lover at every port because the most secure communication channel is through touch."
"Can't we just shake hands?" Shepard closed her eyes and tried to ignore the pleasurable sensations invoked by Shiala's tongue and teeth.
Shiala let out a throaty laugh. "And where is the fun in that?" She said and pulled away, licking her lips at the flustered look on Shepard's face. "They had one thing right. You are exquisite."
Shepard clenched her teeth and swallowed the explesives.
x-x-x
"Don't freak out. I can totally explain!" The first thing Shepard did when she got back onboard the Normandy was seek out Liara. She found the maiden in the med bay office working with Tali on the VI program.
Liara looked up from the monitor screen, a little surprised at how distressed Shepard seemed. "Freak out about what? Are you alright?"
"Ah, it's you. I will come back after you've properly explained yourself to Liara. I'll be in the engine room." Tali said frostily at the Commander. Apparently the quarian had heard about the incident before Liara did, and she was feeling quite indignant on her friend's behalf.
Liara watched in complete confusion as Tali gave Shepard a disdainful sniff before she stalked away like an insulted cat. "What was that about?"
Shepard winced. "She is not happy with me because… well. It would be easier if I just show you." She said, and stuck out her hand. "Come on."
Liara took her hand. A moment later, she felt it. "Shepard!" Liara gasped.
"Trust me." Shepard urged, brushing her consciousness against the faint edge of Liara's mind insistently. Her effort to initiate the communication meld created several tiny sparks of biotics that arched across her skin and melted into Liara's blue hand like spring snow on a sunny day.
With a soft whimper, Liara complied and dove headlong into the depths of Shepard's mind.
… So warm. So bright...
Shepard felt Liara's familiar presence and realized with some alarm that instead of establishing a shallow meld, the inexperienced maiden had dove in too deeply. As Liara's consciousness folded seamlessly into her own, her body also followed. Liara's lips trailed down the column of her throat and closed around a spot that allowed her to feel Shepard's frantically beating heart. Too stunned by what was happening, she could barely think, let alone to summon enough willpower to resist. She instinctively clutched tightly onto Liara's firm buttocks as a needy moan escaped her lips.
… So good. Shepard… I want…
A shudder ran down her spine when she felt a faint clench through Liara's end of the meld. Shepard could tell that most of Liara's higher brain function had been shut off, leaving only a haze of desire blanketing over her mind. If she didn't do something soon, their first time would ended up a quick toss on the floor, or against a wall. Liara deserved better.
Liara, pull back.
Liara obeyed, only to press the side of her own throat against Shepard's lips, urging the woman to lavish the spot with her tongue and teeth.
Kiss me.
Shepard ripped herself out from Liara's arms and flung herself back to stay away from temptations. This break in contact forcibly severed the meld. Both of them were left breathless and disoriented from the sudden withdrawal. "One of these days I'm gonna die of blue balls because I'm trying to do the right thing." She muttered while massaging her forehead with a hand. "Ah, fuck." Shepard cursed when she noticed the look of hurt on Liara face. "Hey, are you alright?"
"... No, I'm not. You are giving me very mixed signals, Shepard." Liara said stiffly. Her eyes were still showing a bit of black from the interrupted meld.
"Liara, you misunderstood. I was trying to show you that I can initiate a communication meld with a biotic trick I learnt from the Cipher. I didn't expect you to, well. You said you weren't ready. I wasn't gonna push for it." Shepard scratched the back of her neck, a little embarrassed.
Liara was utterly mortified. "By the Goddess, I've made a complete fool out of myself. I presumed…" She groaned and covered her face with her hands.
"Hey, hey." Shepard coaxed the maiden into a hug. "You caught me off guard, that's all. I'd never reject you." She said, and proceeded to demonstrate just how much she wanted Liara by kissing her deeply until they had to part for air.
"Very mixed signals, Shepard." Liara panted against Shepard's shoulder.
"Sorry. Got a bit carried away." Shepard had the decency to look contrite. "I said I needed to explain myself. I still do."
"The communication meld."
"Yes, that's part of it." Shepard said, palming Liara's face with a hand. "Remember, don't dive in too deep unless you want to Join me. If that's what you want, at least let me get you to a bed."
Liara gave her a hooded glare. "It was not entirely my fault. You were doing th-the thing with your biotics. I felt it the first time. You didn't need to keep… rubbing and poking me with it. What was I supposed to think you want? You should have waited for my acknowledgement, instead of… what you did. Basic melding etiquette." She scolded with a supposedly angry pout, but the blushes on her face gave her away.
"Yes, ma'am. Will keep that in mind, ma'am." Shepard gave her a salute. "Let me know when you are ready. I want to show you some of my memories."
"Alright." Liara leaned forward and touch forehead with Shepard. "Ready."
Shepard took a deep breath and close her eyes.
Shepard was in the Consort's chamber, talking to the powerful matriarch. "... I can't ask the Council to mobilize its fleet based on one human's vision and gut instinct."
Shepard was in the conference room, talking to Ashley and Kaidan. She felt pity at their ignorance. "... a laundry list of atrocities committed by the Alliance at the highest level."
Shepard whispered in Ashley's ear, wanting to trust her, but was also afraid of betrayal. "... We are Ragnarok"
Shepard and Shiala clasped their hand together in a handshake, a symbol of friendship. She spoke to Shiala without speaking out loud. "... We are Ragnarok."
Shepard was exasperated with Shiala, the asari who was nibbling her ear. Shiala's breaths tickled her ear as she whispered. "...tell her the truth… the most secure communication channel is through touch."
Shepard ended the meld and opened her eyes. "Well? Say something."
"That's… I don't even…" Liara blinked slowly. "I need to sit down."
Without saying a word, Shepard guided the maiden to her usual chair and sat her down. She knelt in front of Liara and waited for her to process all the information she just dumped on her lap.
"I recognize the term - it's from a human story. Mythology." Liara finally spoke.
Shepard nodded. "Yes."
"Who are 'we'?"
Shepard coughed. "At the moment, just me, technically."
Liara palm her face. "By the Goddess, please tell me you are joking."
"Hey, I have plans! I'm not doing this by the seat of my pants. And I'm not doing this by myself. I have help." Shepard protested loudly.
"What help?"
"I have you!"
"Oh I feel twice as good about our chances now that it's two people instead of one going up against the whole world!"
"Exactly!" Shepard exclaimed passionately. "Don't you see? That's what I've been trying to tell you. I need you."
"You ridiculous woman!" Liara surged forward, grabbed Shepard's face with both hands, and kissed her so hard she tasted blood.
By the time they broke apart, Shepard's eyes had dilated so much, her iris was only a thin rim of green.
Liara touched forehead with Shepard again. "Yes." She whispered.
"Yes?"
"Yes, I will help you with whatever mad schemes you cook up." Liara said with a slightly hysterical laugh.
"Thank you." Shepard said quietly.
"Make it official. I want you to give me the speech."
"Of course." Shepard agreed, and linked her mind with Liara's again.
Welcome to Operation Coventry, Liara. You are going to save my life. We are Ragnarok.
x-x-x
A/N: Shepard was juggling multiple plans at the same time, so it might get a bit confusing. It should make more sense later on.