Location: Horsehead Nebula, Pax System, Novaria, Peak 15, Rift Station
We spent a long time navigating this endless maze they call a research facility until we finally made it to what appears to be the main research area of this wing. If Benezia is anywhere in this facility it's here.
I stopped the team and looked to Liara. "Likely, Benezia is behind those doors. Liara I want to know if you have the resolve to go in there and potentially kill her."
My question wasn't surprising in the least, but for a brief second, she was shocked and disgusted at my bluntness. I've never had a mother to speak of, so I can't really relate to how she feels right now, but I can only imagine her struggle. If I had to kill David… I don't know what I would do.
Rylee put her hand on Liara's shoulder and glared at me. Clearly, she felt I was being insensitive. "We are going to try our best to end this peacefully with her surrender, but if she has guns aimed at us, are you ready to support us. Saying yes on the ship is one thing, but when she's this close can you honestly give the same answer."
As Rylee finished her line of thought, all eyes were trained on Liara. This is a question that needs to be answered now. There's too much at stake for us to slip up now and after losing Kaidan, we need to be careful so we don't lose anyone else.
Liara's arms began shaking, but only slightly, I couldn't read her facial expression with her visor on, but I'm guessing it's the same look I had when I saw Talitha on earth. One wrong move and a woman you care about is dead.
Kai's words returned to me amid this tension and they began to weigh on me. Don't let Liara kill her mother. It never really crossed my mind until he said it to me, that Liara may be the one who struck the killing blow.
After Eden Prime I was angry and when I heard that Benezia was involved I had every intention of gutting her and Saren personally. They had killed hundreds and tried to kill thousands. It's only recently that I even considered sparing Benezia.
In an ideal world, we arrest Benezia and she's not executed, Liara gets to visit and she helps us stop Saren. But likely, she's been indoctrinated and it's too late to save her.
Liara didn't say a word to any of us, nor did she look at our faces. Without acknowledging any of us, she approached the door and opened it.
To no one's shock, we spotted an asari wearing a black tight fitted dress stood tall and proud on the staircase above. Her concentration fixed on glass window opposite to her.
Liara slowly took off her helmet, probably to confirm that what she saw was real. A single word escaped her lips without her even realising what she had said. Whispered so quietly that we barely caught it.
"Mother?"
Benezia's concentration on the glass window never waned. "You do not know the privilege of being a mother," she said calmly. "The power to create a life, to shape it, to turn it toward happiness or despair. Her children were to be mine, raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies. They still can be."
She turned to face the squad. She leered at Liara and sneered with venomous disgust.
"I won't be moved by sympathy, Commander. No matter what you say, no matter whom you bring into this confrontation."
"Liara chose to be here. No one forced her to come."
"Indeed? What have you told him about me, Liara?"
"What could I tell him, mother? How could I explain what has happened to you, what insanity or evil has overcome you?" Liara shouted.
"What could I possibly say to justify all of this!?"
Benezia dismissed her daughter with an annoyed roll of her eyes. Her focus then turned to me.
"Have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have."
"We don't need to fight Benezia. Just come with us peacefully and I'll put in a good word for you,"
"Ha! As if a human has enough clout to ask favours of the Council, even if that human is a SPECTRE."
"Mother… plea-"
"I grow tired of this meaningless drabble!" she yelled before flinging her arm towards Liara.
Before the attack could reach her, I managed to get in front of Liara, taking the blow as a result. She had trapped me in a stasis field, leaving me helpless. To make matters worse, the Commandos were beginning to move into position.
Rylee fired at Benezia, but strangely none of her shots hit. It caused the Matriarch to break her concentration, thus releasing the stasis field.
"You would really kill your own daughter!?" Shepard shouted in disbelief.
"It is clear now that I should have been stricter with her!" Benezia responded with a shockwave in our direction.
This time I was equal to it and replied with one of my own. The resulting biotic explosion gave us the chaos needed to spread ourselves about. A concentrated group plays right into these biotics hands.
Staying at this range isn't going to help so we need to get up close and personal. I'll try and leave Benezia for now. Her biotics are clearly powerful. From my count, she brought 3 commandos with her. That would be a problem if we met them a few months ago, but now, they don't stand a chance.
The real problem is the other Commandos Gianna told me she had with her. This room has two main entrances, and there's no way of knowing when they'll arrive. I'll have to plant charges at the doors during this fight.
"Rylee, Garrus, Tali keep Benezia distracted. She may not be as experienced as the Commandos but her biotics are definitely stronger."
"Aye, aye!"
"Wrex, me and you are going to charge at these Commando's, Liara support Ashley and make sure she gets up close. If they have distance, they can keep non-biotics in check."
"Yes Commander"
"Come on, we have things to shoot," Wrex guffawed.
The fight wouldn't have been so difficult if it wasn't for Benezia herself. Her attacks were powerful, more so than any biotic I've ever fought. She was changing the landscape of the room on her own, bending metal, denting crates, shattering glass and sending objects flying. The worst part was her relation to Liara was effecting all of us.
She isn't as experienced in combat as any of us so she leaves herself over exposed often, but no one is willing to make the kill shot. Every shot either scrapes her or is designed to distract her. Rylee and Garrus' shots have never been this wayward, but they still managed to keep her occupied long enough for the rest of us to deal with the swarms of geth and Commando's.
All that remained was the Matriarch herself. But something was different. She looks like she's trying to shake off the mother of all headaches.
"You must listen. Saren still whispers in my mind. I have kept a small portion of myself free of him. I can fight him briefly . . . but the indoctrination is terribly strong." She panted.
"So, you could turn on us again?" Rylee asked.
"Yes, but it would not be my will. People are not themselves around Saren. His allies and followers come to idolize him, worship him. We would do anything for him." She glanced at Liara, pain in her face. "Even kill your own child."
"How does he do it?" Shepard demanded. "Is it a telepathic effect? Alien technology?"
"I am not sure. I think the key is Sovereign, his flagship. I do not know who built it. Its technology is far more advanced than that of any known civilization. The longer you stay aboard, the more Saren's will becomes yours. You sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you. I thought I was strong enough to resist, but before long I was his willing tool, eager to serve. Beware of this, Commander."
"I have no interest in getting close to Sovereign, but I do need to know how to destroy it. But for now, I need to know who the informant was that Saren sent you to speak with."
"The informant you seek is the Rachni Queen, stored in the tank behind me."
"What!" Wrex exclaimed, before storming over to the tank. This was an emotion I've never seen coming from the Krogan before. I couldn't describe it, it wasn't fear or anger, but a mixture of the two.
"What did you learn from the queen."
Benezia dropped her gaze, clenched her fists hard at her sides, her hands shaking. "Two thousand years ago the rachni inhabited that region of the galaxy. They found the relay, drifting in interstellar space. The knowledge was passed down through ancestral memory, queens inheriting it from their mothers. I took the knowledge of the Mu Relay from this queen's mind. I was not gentle."
"Oh, Mother," I breathed.
"It's an emotion I cannot describe, being trapped within your own body. Killing innocence whilst being unable to stop yourself. Committing such atrocities, you know can never be forgiven."
"You can still make it right." Rylee held out a hand in appeal. "Help us stop Saren. Give us the information too."
"I . . . I . . ." She shook her head violently, and then turned to the workbench beside her to pick up a data disk, her hand trembling. "I will. I made a copy of the information on this OSD. Take it, quickly."
I stepped forward and took the disk, tucked it into a pocket of my armour.
Benezia recoiled abruptly, turning away from us, covering her face with both hands. "You have to stop him. You have to stop me. Oh, Goddess! He is upon me, inside me, tearing at me from the inside . . ."
"Mother, don't leave us!"
She turned to Liara, her arms stretched out in a futile attempt to touch me. Her voice was horribly strained, as if she had to force the words out against terrible resistance. "Liara . . . I have always been so proud of you . . ."
Liara instinctively moved forward to touch her mother, but before she could, Benezia was enveloped in a biotic aura.
"DIE!" she shrieked.
I yanked Liara back but it was pointless. Benezia had sent out a shockwave that knocked us all off our feet. I reached for my pistol but Benezia kicked it away and stood on my back.
"Saren's enemies will all perish!"
I glanced back and saw her ready to crush my skull with a biotically enhanced punch. Only thing that stopped her was a shot that managed to just skin her arm.
"Are you really going to kill your own mother?"
"Mother, step away from the Commander… the next one goes… it will go-" Liara stumbled on her own words. Shooting at Benezia must have taken a lot out of her emotionally, but to even threaten to kill her.
"Go where child. How am I to take your threats seriously if you cannot even finish a sentence," Benezia reprimanded.
Don't let Liara kill her mother
I have to do something about this. Think Nathan think. There must be something in this room that will help me out of this situation. It has to be light and small, small enough she won't notice and take her eyes off Liara.
The pistol she kicked away. If I can just pull it towards me I can throw it at her head, knock her off balance, then trap her in a stasis field. Yes, that has to work.
"Now DIE!" she screamed, throwing her fist at the back of my head.
A single gunshot was fired. Loud, unruly and deafening, and went straight through the Matriarch's chest. I looked at Liara in horror. I shouldn't have brought her here.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
[Rylee]
Poor Liara. She must be devastated. Watching your mother die in front of you must be more painful than I could ever imagine. But there wasn't another way it could have ended. She was ready to kill Nate, so she had to be taken down.
Liara didn't break down into tears at that moment, but you could see that she was broken. Her puffy eyes, pursed lips, clenched jaw and limp arms all showed the signs of someone that had given up. The air was thick and suddenly it became hard for me to breathe, you could smell the asari blood, freshly splattered on the pillars and some even hit Liara.
"Liara," I whispered, pathetically reaching out for her, but knowing that whatever I say now is pointless. There's nothing we can do for her right now.
Nate gingerly got to his feet, likely trying to shake the cobwebs from his mind. He still had the presence of mind to identify Liara but made no moves. He didn't want this to happen, not with Liara around, but that's reality.
"Wrex, thank you for saving my life," Nate said to the Krogan mercenary. "Liara, I'm sorry that it came to this."
I understand that you need to be professional Nate, but this just seems wrong. Thankfully Wrex didn't reply, instead just grunting in acknowledgement.
"Saren and Sovereign will pay for this Liara, I promise."
"We'll make sure of that," Garrus added.
Liara merely nodded at the declaration. She's still dumbstruck from witnessing her mother's death.
"Your way of speaking is strange, flat; it does not colour the air." Said a soft, monotonous voice, unfamiliar to any of us.
Startled, we all reached for our guns and aimed our weapons at the asari commando, who I am certain was dead.
"What the fuck is going on here?" Nate asked.
"I've seen some weird shit since joining you Anderson, but that-" Garrus said pointing at the tentacle of the Rachni Queen pressed up against the glass, seemingly controlling the asari. "Has to be near the top."
"This is going to be a fun conversation," Wrex chuckled.
"We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We are rachni" she declared.
"How are you speaking through the asari."
"Our kind sing through touching's of thought. We pluck the strings and the other understands. She is weak to urging. She has colours we have no names for. But she is ending. Her music is bittersweet. It is beautiful."
"So, she wasn't dead, but she was on the brink," Rylee gathered. That surprisingly makes sense.
"The children we birthed were stolen from us before they could learn to sing. They are lost to silence. End their suffering. They cannot be saved. They will only cause harm as they are"
"Listen, I don't care why your children attacked me and I don't want to hear excuses. Get to the point, or is this one long apology!" Nate snapped.
Now that reminds me of how he used to be before this mission. Quick to anger, rude and threatening. Well he's still rude and threatening he's calmed down ever since he got closer to Liara.
"You are not in harmony with those who hoped to control us," the commando said, her face expressionless, her eyes glazed and unseeing. "What will you sing? Will you release us? Or are we to fade away once more?"
"I think she's asking Nate to choose what to do with her, now that the Binary Helix project has been wrecked."
"Your companion hears the truth," agreed the asari. No, the queen. "You have the power to free us to sing again, or to return us to the silence of memory. What do you choose?"
"Look at those tanks above her, Commander," said Tali. "That's Hydrochloric acid, strong enough to kill anything no matter its biology. They must have been concerned about the consequences if she ever escaped."
I had thought that Nate would ask for our opinions or at least spend some time thinking this through himself. But he didn't. He simply pulled his pistol out it's holster and shot the asari in the head.
Not missing a beat, he went to the controls and when he was done the tanks began to lower.
"Can't take the risk." He said.
Wrex and Garrus both nodded approvingly, whereas Tali and I glared at Nate with disbelief. "Nate, what the hell was that?"
When I looked at Nate, he gave me one of the coldest looks I've ever seen. It wasn't cold in the sense of murderous intent. But just cold as in, it was empty and vacant. It was unwelcoming and hard.
"Grab any useful equipment and gather every bit of data on those terminals. When that's done, we're leaving." He ordered.
"And Garrus, grab Benezia's body."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
[Wrex]
Well that was a real shit show. We managed to get the info we need to get to Ilos and we got rid of the Rachni forever. Well I'm not sure if that's the last of them. We thought that a thousand years ago and look what happened today.
Despite those victories, nobody in this tram is enjoying the victory. And If I'm perfectly honest neither am I. This krant is unlike any that I've ever seen before. They are all so damn sensitive. When one feels sad so do the rest, and I think I'm falling victim too.
Damn humans. I blame them for this, especially Shepard and Anderson. Hard to believe that two so young could be as capable as they are. If they were Krogan they would be unstoppable. Shepard is intelligent beyond her years, she can assess a battlefield and pick her spot effortlessly. She knows where everyone needs to be to win and she can do something very few can. She can feel the tide of battle and she can pick the perfect moment to sway the tide in our favour. Something that not even Anderson can do and she's not in her prime yet. She will make a terrifying general in the future.
Even away from the battlefield she plays a major role. She keeps the crew happy and she catches what Anderson can't. If it wasn't for her, then this crew would have fallen apart during the first few weeks when Anderson was finding his footing. Hell, she even managed to find my grandfather's armour. She managed to get me to talk to Garrus, then Tali and even coaxed an apology to Liara out of me. Not too many like her in the galaxy.
Then there was the Commander. He's a natural leader but not in the same way as Shepard. Shepard can sway a crew with her words, but he leads through his actions. I never thought much of SPECTRE's but seeing what that training has done for him has made me rethink my position. He can't read a battle as well as Shepard, but he can read people. Shepard likes to use finesse and precision but his tactic requires none of that. He likes to throw himself in the thick of it and cause chaos, just like me.
"Anderson, we need to talk."
"Can't it wait Wrex."
"No, because this applies to you, Shepard, Liara and the rest of you."
"What are you talking about?"
"If you keep getting emotional, you're going to get yourself and others killed."
"Care to elaborate Wrex," Rylee interjected.
"I'll start with you Shepard. On Virmire. When Saren fought you and Nate. Why did you get in Saren's face?"
"…"
"Getting angry and going close range with a biotic like Saren was incredibly stupid. Kaidan didn't sacrifice his life so we could throw ours away needlessly." I said, knowing that might hurt her, but everything I say now is what they need to hear.
"Liara, Benezia was trying to kill us and because of that you couldn't concentrate. I almost shorted out my biotics covering you when I didn't need to, because you left yourself exposed throughout the entire fight. I'm probably the last person you want to hear this from, or even be around. But if this happens again, forget that it's your family, and remember that they are trying to kill you."
It's like when I had to kill Jarrod. Krogan killing their family wasn't uncommon back then, but it didn't make it any easier. He was willing to kill me without hesitation, just like Benezia while she was indoctrinated. I knew he wasn't going to change, just like Benezia. I knew if the Krogan race was going to survive, Jarrod needed to die.
I should probably get rid of that damn dagger at some point. I guess it's stupid sentimentality since that was the last thing that old bastard ever gave me. Never in a million years did he think I'd use it on him.
"Same applies for all of you. You all saw Benezia as Liara's mother so you couldn't bring yourselves to kill her. Even when she had Nate hostage, when one shot would have diffused the situation. None of you could pull the trigger."
"Can you blame them Wrex!? It's Liara's mother, it's hard to do something you know is going to hurt someone you care about." Ashley argued.
"Please! You all knew she had to die. It's Just that none of you had the quad to pull the trigger yourselves. You just wanted it to be someone else's guilt. Well that thinking almost got Nate killed."
"That's enough Wrex!" Nate snarled
"That brings me to you. You are the biggest offender of letting your emotions govern your actions. Where do I begin? The moon, Virmire, Darius, the Dantius drama, the fight with Benezia, the Rachni Queen."
"What!"
"On Earth's moon, your anger at Liara had you fight poorly and almost got both of you killed. Darius, you didn't wait long enough before instigating the fight. If you'd waited a couple of minutes we could have overwhelmed him completely. When we took down Dantius, you were so focused on catching up with Thane because you wanted to kill her yourself that you never noticed how me and Kaidan were picking up on your slack."
"…"
Again, the humans were speechless. "You were probably the only one who was trying to capture Benezia, rather than kill her. But you know that almost got you killed in the end. And your failure to capture her made you so angry that you to outright kill the Rachni without assessing the situation."
Nate has potential to become the most dominant combatant in the whole galaxy, if he fought with clarity and didn't allow his emotions to override his instincts. If he acts the way he did back there then he won't live for very long.
"You've given me a lot to think about Wrex."
"All I'm saying is that if Reapers can indoctrinate anyone that means at some point we may have to kill our own family members. If that happens, we need to be prepared to act and not let feelings get in the way."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
[Nate]
Location: Horsehead Nebula, Pax System, Novaria, SSV Normandy SR-1
Not a single word was exchanged between anyone from the tram until we reached the Normandy. No one was in the mood to talk. The last two missions we've been on have been the some of the most successful that I've ever taken part in. I've destroyed a breeding facility, confirmed my enemy and their capabilities, saved Salarian STG ops, found the Conduit, took down a corrupt bureaucrat and yet two deaths have fucked everything.
None of us knew Benezia, but Liara was someone we all cared about deeply. Seeing her like that wasn't nice, but it proved necessary. As far as we know there's no cure for indoctrination, so Benezia was doomed. I was foolish to think I could save her. We left her body with the Serrice Company to have it transported to Liara's recently acquired estate on Thessia.
Once aboard the Normandy I walked into the cockpit to give Joker his instructions.
"Boy I'm glad to be off Novaria. I don't know what's worse the cold or the corporations. One will freeze your balls off and the other will sell them right from under you," he japed.
"Jeff…" I said.
"You called me Jeff… no one does that. All of a sudden I feel like my mom is about to chew me out for not putting the seat down."
"I sent the Council my report during the tram ride. Have they contacted the ship yet?"
"Yeah, they requested to speak with you as soon as you got back"
"Put them through to the Comm-room," I ordered before heading into the CIC.
"What's got everyone in such a good mood?" he scowled.
"We had to kill Benezia, right in front of Liara," I said as coldly as I could imagine. I can't let my anger surface now. I left before Joker could respond, it's probably for the best.
I marched through the CIC like I normally would after a mission and stalked to the Comm Room. I just need to get this conversation out of the way before I head to the Citadel. Because the way I feel now, I wouldn't put it past me to kill them if they really piss me off.
Tevos- Commander. Do not cut us off like last time. I fail to find it amusing.
"Save the sermon. I'm just here to follow up on my report." I snapped.
I could see a vain threatening to pop out of her forehead and her jawline stiffen. I clearly get under her skin. But to her credit she kept on going.
Tevos- Is this report true, Anderson? You found rachni on Novaria?
Before I could even reply, the Turian interjected.
Sparatus- Found them and wiped them out! Do you take pleasure from committing genocide, Anderson?
"Depends on the species… and who I get to kill." I said looking directly into his eyes. I made the right decision choosing to do this away from them.
Sparatus- Commander! You are addressing a member of the Council. You will show the proper respect.
"Stop being a complete ass, stop provoking me and do your job well enough to make sure you don't nominate a traitorous Turian as a SPECTRE. Don't create messes humanity needs to clean up, don't get in my way, then maybe I'll show you the respect you think you deserve." I seethed.
I know Udina is going to deal with this shitstorm, someone needs to tell this Councillor where to shove the shit he dishes out.
Sparatus- You arrogant-
Valern- That's enough out of both of you. Commander, we believe you made the right decision. The Rachni were a threat we couldn't risk getting loose.
Tevos- It's a shame the Benezia's life came to such an end. But she chose her side.
"I should have saved her," I said unconsciously.
Shit I didn't say that out loud did I, especially in front of the second most despicable Turian in the galaxy. I looked up and none of the Councillors so much as changed a facial expression. Tevos on the other hand, I could see her features soften slightly.
"Joker,"
"Whoops, we disconnected. But I think that's a new record for your longest conversation. And I bet it felt great telling the Turian Councillor to shove it."
"You have no idea," I replied, smiling at the memory.
"What's our next move Commander?"
We have the location of the Conduit and we know that's the key to bringing the Reapers back. Time for the Citadel fleet to get to work.
"Head for the Citadel, they're going to give me an army to take Ilos and I'm going to stop Saren."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
"Come on Liara, let me in!" Ashley shouted.
"I want to be alone Ashley," Liara replied.
"We're worried about you."
"I am fine," Liara snapped "So stop bothering me at once."
Ashley signed, not out of anger but frustration. I'm grateful that she was around for Liara. Liara spoke with her often about what Benezia meant to her and the things they did together as children. I didn't know how to react when Liara spoke of her mum. I don't remember mine so I don't know what mother son interaction is.
"Maybe I should take over."
"Good, Commander you're here. Rylee, Dr Chakwas and Garrus all tried but she refused. She'll probably talk to you."
"Thanks for trying Ash. It means a lot." I said, before she left the medbay.
"Liara, it's me. I know you don't want to talk, so I won't talk about it. But let me be there for you, like you were for me... Please Liara," I pleaded. If there is one thing Liara knows about me, it's the fact that I'm not the most respectful person in the galaxy, as she likes to say, I'm rude. So, she also knows that I almost never say please.
But after all she's done for me to ease my pain. The least I could do is be there for her.
She opened the door and revealed herself to me. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, shoulders slumped and lips pursed yet quivering. "May we go to your quarters?" she asked.
She needed a s good deal of rest. She wore the pale blue onesie I normally saw her wear when she just woke up. She wants to sleep. Was she waiting for me?
"Of course."
She walked ahead of me into the Mess hall. There were a few crewmen currently off-duty enjoying some rest. I saw one of them look at Liara like they wanted to ask her something. Since I told Joker that Benezia was dead, the whole crew probably knows by now.
I positioned myself so that if anyone wanted to talk to Liara they had to go through me first. Before the Ensign Draven could open her mouth, I shook my head gently, and she got the point so she sat down.
Once inside Liara crashed on top of the bed and I followed soon after. She faced away from me so I spun her so we could look into each other's eyes. I'm not good at this consolation thing but I'll do my best for Liara. She deserves no less.
I pulled her into my chest, I could smell the sweat from her skin, I could feel the heat of her hitched breath on my body. I could feel the disturbing lack of tension in her muscles. She wasn't relaxed, she just felt weak. A feeling you can only relate to when someone you care about has been killed in front of you. Like Zay was with me and Benezia with her.
As I expected, my shirt was soon soaked with Liara's tears and the room was filled with the soft echo of her sobs. I gently placed my hand on the top of her head.
I wish I could tell her what she wants to hear, I wish I could stop this pain she feels right now.
I wish I could say she can take as long as she needs, but, she only has as long as it takes to get to the Citadel, which is about 9 hours. But until then I'll be by her side.
I'll be there for the woman I love.