"Agent Combat" from Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker / "Dig In Your Heels" from Lost Judgment

LXXXIX. Chasing the Sunset

(Liara)

Hagalaz.

The oceans boiled during the day before snap-freezing ten minutes before sundown. The Shadow Broker lived in this madness, with his ship following the sunset. Chasing the sunset to survive. Completely undetectable in the storm, unless the person knew where to look. Like Solheim, who'd led us straight here from Illium. We had followed her on the Normandy, knowing her ship had tracked us tracking her.

We'd tracked her to this storm. This magnificent force of nature battering the skies. In the beautiful brilliance of this sunset, the clouds glowed as soft, golden halos. Struck by rays of lightning, this heaven had created a special hell down on the Shadow Broker's ship. That impossibly large vessel of immense size survived through this storm. A constant lightning storm where the hot and cold air collided. Right at this safe spot, the Broker's ship rode the storm in subterfuge. Almost cloaked and hidden between the ethereal sunlight above, acting as a guide. A guide through this divine danger as a heaven-on-high.

With the shuttle bay locked down, Cortez brought us in to land directly on the Shadow Broker's ship. We had to move out on foot and hunt for a hatch to get inside. Presumably Solheim had done the same. We could only follow in her footsteps—and hope we found her before she defeated the Shadow Broker.

Once we touched down, this howl from the winds unsettled me in the twilight. Equipped with my breather for safety, I leaned on this protection from the elements. Shepard had suited up with her helmet, just as Wrex and Garrus had done. Safe and sound in her enviro-suit, Tali treated this excursion as any other. We all took our first steps atop this ship the same shade as the clouds around us. The half-golden clouds fluffed in gradients, darkening more and more the farther they extended from this dusk.

Passing by these panels catching the bolts of lightning, the far wings of the ship seemed to welcome us. Or they welcomed the light coming from that direction. Heavenly and ethereal, the sun rayed through those wings as pure benevolence. Or perhaps a corrupted light instead, guiding us forward.

Black Widow drawn, Shepard followed that light. I followed her with Wrex, Garrus, and Tali at my side.

Keeping my eye on her, I informed everyone, "It's hard to pinpoint in this lightning, but I'm picking up signals from a communications array near the back of the ship. There's nothing below but maintenance equipment. We have to find an entrance near the back shielding. I am sure Solheim did the same."

Shepard nodded in her acknowledgment. She took us around these many panels flapping along the ship's hull—around to the side of the ship. A clear path ahead. This side gave the illusion of an imminent end. As if we could have walked clear off the top of the Shadow Broker's ship, plunging to the heart of this storm deep below. Those clouds wouldn't have caught us. The winds would've torn us apart first.

As I followed Shepard with the others, I picked up on her mood.

She seemed oddly subdued. Quiet. Contemplative. I had seen her get quiet before. But not quite like this. Shepard took out the maintenance drones harassing us, mistaking us for mere debris from the storm. She sniped at each of those blood red orbs with ease. All as she continued on over the mechanical hazards of this ship's hull. Shepard appeared focused enough, leading us across this central bridge of sorts, nearing the capacitors discharging built-up lightning. Yet I felt her mind elsewhere.

We hadn't spoken much on the Normandy during our flight here.

Shepard had preoccupied herself with filing that report to the Council alongside Tali. They'd notified the councilors about Vasir's indiscretions and betrayals as a Spectre gone rogue. With her death, she would not be a problem for the Council anymore. They still needed to know they'd had a traitor in their ranks.

Aside from that, I could tell Shepard had quite a lot on her mind. Even as she fired at the capacitors from a distance, discharging the lightning as a small storm.

We passed by those machines before they collected more energy from the real storm around us. And back around we went. Down the side of this hull, encountering a few LOKI mechs. Not to mention a handful of the Shadow Broker's private mercs defending his home base. Tali used her automaton to disable the engineers from a distance, while Garrus sniped at the others. Wrex toyed with our enemies, using his biotics to lift them into the air, sending them flying down and down through the storm. Or he would shoot at the lightning capacitors, frying the mercs alive with those bolts in proximity. I cleaned up wherever I could, letting my singularity fields do the heavy lifting. We made quick work of these mercs.

Shepard kept an eye on our progress. She watched our backs and our flanks for any danger.

Yet she would not look at me. Not once through the slot of her helmet. I kept expecting to make eye contact with her. Perhaps as my way of asking, without words, if she was okay. Her silence worried me.

As we passed by this lightning capacitor, Wrex attempted to lighten the mood.

"No one shoot these things while we're near. I won't laugh at the joke."

Garrus quipped, "Sure you wouldn't. Though I'm sure Joker would get a kick out of it."

Tali asked, "Are he and Kaidan still knocked out sleeping?"

"Asleep like babies," replied Wrex. "Joker's a non-combatant anyway. Too bad we couldn't have Alenko here. If not for his wild night out, we could've had the full original team with us. Like back in the day."

"Just like old times, right?"

"Right," I agreed. "It seems like so long ago. You found me on Therum. We were all together for Feros. Then we did not have the guys with us on Noveria. We missed Kaidan on Virmire, Ilos, and the Citadel."

Garrus recounted, "Then we all got to fight again on Tuchanka. We came full-circle for Wrex's people."

Tali noted, "We may have been scattered around. But we all know who our true unifier is."

As our symbol, Shepard found the nearby rod controls. She lowered the obstacle in our way, opening a path to the next area of the ship's hull. We found more of the Shadow Broker's agents waiting for us. Yet all Shepard had to do was shoot the lightning capacitor, striking them with that dangerous voltage. We passed by more machines and mechanisms, finding several incapacitated LOKI mechs on the ground. Solheim must've left these in her wake. Had she fought through the Shadow Broker's army alone?

Heading down this sloping ramp, we wrapped around to a lower path on this side of the ship.

I should have kept my eyes to our path.

That drop…

"Okay. Looking down was clearly a mistake."

Tali laughed a bit. "You'd think we would be used to these heights after Illium."

Garrus added, "Or anywhere else in the galaxy. Guess we like our buildings pretty tall."

"Yeah, except my homeworld," said Wrex. "Still got a lot of work to do. We'll catch up after the war."

With the severity of our mission, of our surroundings, I almost expected Shepard to lay down the law.

I expected her to tell us to focus. Or to quiet down. Yet she continued her silence almost in dedication to us. I knew she listened to our group joking around. I knew she heard Wrex teasing me as we took out these handful of mercs in our way. Shepard allowed us to have this levity. As our leader, she gave us this time to unwind, enjoying this mission as friends and teammates. Shepard focused more so that we didn't have to. While we spoke and laughed, she protected us more, keeping anyone or anything from catching us unawares. She could never know how much we appreciated this. We smiled more for her.

Shepard soon found a door leading to an indoor area. Not the main entrance to the ship. But a brief enough respite from the winds outside. These inner-workings of the ship's engines toiled in a loud, but impressive commitment. These many panels fit together as slots of squared canvasses or dominoes. Lifting and letting back down, powered by the lightning coming in from the storm as a free source of constant power. A well-oiled machine of processes and systems, working on their own without support.

I couldn't help commenting, "This ship is incredible! It must have taken decades to build in secret."

Still leading the way ahead, Shepard actually spoke up, "I wonder what happened to the contractors."

"I think we can guess," I answered. Then she brought us over for a closer look at the engine. "Navigating this storm must be brutal. If the ship's engines stop even for a moment… At least Solheim and the Shadow Broker would go down with us."

"That's comforting," replied Shepard, not comforted at all.

Across from the engine: "Motion-dampeners. I bet you can't even hear the storm from inside the ship."

"Probably not," noted Tali. "These look especially advanced. You're right, Liara—this ship is incredible. A true marvel of engineering. I'm sure my people on the Flotilla would love to study all this. Well, not that they're my people anymore. Those days are over."

Garrus consoled her, "They have to know they made a mistake by now."

"I doubt it, Garrus. They hate that I chose to work on the Normandy instead of visiting home over the summer. Just because I take my duties as chief engineer seriously, the admirals saw that as a betrayal. They wanted to control me. All they care about is control! I don't need that kind of energy in my life."

Wrex asked, "The admirals never formally exiled you, huh?"

"No, it wasn't a formal process. I'm an exile from the Migrant Fleet all the same. It's not like I have a reason to go back. Not unless Admiral Raan asks us to. Even then, it would only be for an emergency."

We proceeded over this ramp to the next door. Back out to the impossible drop off this side of the hull. As we continued following Shepard up and around, the rest of us spoke more with Tali about the quarians. The whole time, Tali put on her brave face. She kept herself together. She remained factual, logical about her situation with the Migrant Fleet. But I could tell this issue had left her feeling lost. She clung to Rannoch more as a result—especially with her automaton Chatika following right behind her. She also clung to the Normandy more with Shepard as her home. Our captain would never abandon her.

We admittedly did not run into as many mercs as I'd expected. I imagined Solheim had thinned their ranks considerably. Only a handful of them barred our path as we kept on. Perhaps more of them had chosen to wait inside—as opposed to suffering through this storm. Or they had their hands full trying to slow down Solheim in there. I hoped they succeeded in slowing her down. As much as possible, anyway.

I didn't care if Solheim took over the Shadow Broker's operations. Of course she needed his information network for Cerberus. All to achieve her dreams and ambitions of corporate dominance across the galaxy. Solheim needed to assert humanity's value and importance to the other species. This was how she planned to do it. And it was not my place to stand in her way. None of those things mattered to me.

I just needed to find her before she escaped again.

I needed to prove she'd made a terrible mistake in underestimating me before.

Because I couldn't stand this feeling. This feeling of yet another rival of mine lording herself over me. I'd suffered this feeling all my life. From the many bullies in school looking down on me, mistaking my kindness for a weakness. From my so-called colleagues in academia dismissing my work on the Protheans. From my elders on Thessia also looking down on me for my age—something I had no control over. I'd always regretted taking the high road in life, or simply not knowing how to stand up for myself.

Years before in my naïveté, I'd had a much narrower outlook on this.

I couldn't comprehend malice in others. I could not wrap my mind around someone's need to belittle another, to put them down. None of those concepts had made sense. Not until I suffered my own torrid self-hatred did I comprehend that need to hurt. Hurt people hurt people, as the human saying went.

Solheim and I had already hurt one another.

Spiraling in a cycle of pain and misery and comeuppance, we had played this game for a while.

I expected to bring this game to its final conclusion today. With the Shadow Broker to also contend with.

Though I had no plans of killing Solheim. Ending her life…was a clear red line I refused to cross. I only wanted to defeat her. For my own sake, and for Shepard's sake—to fight for her for the first time. Though not the last time. Not with how easily people fell for Shepard in her endless allure. I couldn't be passive or complacent. Never again. I would forever need to stand ready to defend our bond together. I did not want to be the crazy girlfriend, as Tali had mentioned before… But I also couldn't allow anyone to believe they could walk all over me to get to Shepard. They would think twice before crossing me.

Shepard's certainty had brought us to this next checkpoint:

These panel controls. Shepard operated the controls, opening our newest path ahead. Just behind the metallic wings of this ship, through that opening, the sun watched us. The heavenly light set the stage for Shepard's every move. We pressed on toward that light, in that godly direction down the hull.

Again we found a rather weak amount of mercenaries in our way. Not nearly the scale of resistance we would expect from storming the Shadow Broker's lair. Solheim had to have thinned their numbers.

Another set of rod controls, and we arrived to one last central pathway.

Passing over this bridge flanked by lightning, I avoided the temptation to look down again. Not even a guardrail separated us from that fall. Shepard pressed on without a second thought, even as I hesitated to follow her. Tali, Wrex, and Garrus had the same feelings as I did. At least the view was nice…

At the end of this path, we found our next beginning:

"There! That hatch leads directly to the communication signals."

Interacting with the hatch controls, Tali assisted me with this roadblock. This thick door had obviously locked itself, keeping the likes of us stuck outside. I lacked the expertise to hack anything on this scale.

Tali searched through her omni-tool. "Hang on," she said. "I've got a bypass shunt program that can crack it. Shouldn't take long."

Wrex sounded impressed. "Just had that on you when we happened to need it?"

"Why wouldn't I have one on me?"

"Good point," approved Garrus.

Tali then guided Chatika to keep the program running on the door.

Shepard asked, "How long will it take, Tali?"

"A few minutes. I've never broken into the Shadow Broker's base before, but you can count on me."

Predictably, more of the Shadow Broker's agents swarmed us. They flanked us from either side of the door. Our team took cover where we could, dispatching these mercs with our guns, our tech, biotics—and the convenient capacitors across the way. We had something of a disadvantage with Tali's automaton out of the fight, stuck hacking the door. We couldn't count on her shutting down enemy engineers, overheating the enemy's weapons, or boosting our shields and barriers for a short time.

Over the sounds of our fighting, Wrex asked, "Won't be much longer, right, Tali?"

Tali yelled, "It hasn't been that long, Wrex! Be patient!"

Garrus reminisced, "Remember the old days when you could just slap omni-gel on everything?"

I smiled over the memory. "That security upgrade made a lot of people unhappy."

Airborne, small, and tough to aim at, several rocket drones appeared from the front of the ship. Immediately Shepard dealt with them. She sniped them from the air with her Black Widow, three at a time. Three shots straight through their shields, then reloading. Three deadly shots, detonating those drones before they could fire their rockets at us. I had long-since fallen in love with the sounds of her sniping. Especially from this gun Tali and I had purchased for her. We could always count on Shepard's perfect accuracy to save the day. She never missed a shot. No matter what else she had on her mind.

So soon, Tali's program finished unsealing the door.

We took out the rest of these mercs, then headed down this ramp and inside the Shadow Broker's ship.

Through this darkness and into the next unknown:

Faster we followed after Solheim's trail, needing to catch up to her before she escaped.

Darkened and silent.

Unusually silent. Unnaturally so.

We arrived to these eerie corridors making up the interior of the Shadow Broker's ship. The same metallic shade as the hull outside. This monotony continued in a faint shine and polish, well-maintained. Except for the many signs of previous battles around. Heading through these halls, we found multiple hints of evidence. Blasts of gunfire-shaped bullets in the walls. Bursts of scorched flames that had burned these metallic surfaces. Bunches of mild craters where grenades and other explosives had detonated some time ago. Outlines of blood around the handful of corpses scattered along the ground.

These corpses…

The Shadow Broker's other agents. Multiple casualties that had fallen in Solheim's path.

As we walked farther down these halls, we found more victims of her warpath. Countless bodies she'd left in her wake. A frightening amount of dead mercenaries, abandoned and discarded behind her. I saw their disfigurations from the sheer amount of force of her biotics—those dangerous slams of hers. I witnessed the burns and tearing of their skin and flesh, no doubt from her warp strikes. I smelled the faint smoke emitting from other corpses, from their overloaded shields having burned them alive.

None of them had stood a chance against Solheim. Against her singular power.

Tali asked in dread, "Did she really kill all of them…? By herself?"

Wrex said, "Looks like it. Unless we're missing something."

Garrus asked, "Commander, you picking up any remaining hostiles on your radar?"

Shepard had already started to check. "Some of them are still alive. They're nowhere near us. They must be searching around, trying to find her."

I wondered, "They are trying to find her? You mean they aren't actively chasing Solheim?"

"Their movements are too scattered for that. They lost her and they're looking to find her again."

Taking advantage of those distractions, we hurried ahead.

Ahead past more of these corpses.

Ahead down these empty hallways, as a miracle.

Winding and turning, we passed by so many different rooms. So many functions. Security posts, weapon storage areas, electrical rooms…and even a torture room, judging by the electric chair on display. This ship did not seem livable to me. Yet the Shadow Broker kept such a large contingent of his private army here. They hadn't been able to defend his 'home' from the likes of Solheim, or from the rest of us. Yet if the Broker was as powerful as Vasir had claimed, surely he could defend himself from us. I expected him to put up a considerable fight once we found him. I prepared myself for that inevitable showdown.

Then we reached this final door.

This door leading to the heart of the Shadow Broker's lair.

If she hadn't gotten away yet, then we would find Solheim inside.

But then Shepard warned us, "The enemy's converging on our location. There's too many of them. They'll have us pinned down in this narrow hallway."

Wrex suggested, "Not if we go throw them off."

Garrus added, "Right. We can distract them while you go on ahead."

I asked them, "Are you sure?"

Tali promised me, "We're sure. Take Shepard with you. You can't let Solheim get away!"

Without much of a choice, Shepard and I allowed them to handle this.

Tali, Garrus, and Wrex went off to deal with those mercs. Meanwhile, Shepard followed me through the door.

These shadows passed over us as we passed through this room. This large, open space of the ship's central operations center. Multiple monitors and machines surrounded the room's perimeter. Dead monitors and dead machines, rather. None of those computers or screens functioned anymore. Someone had plundered them, taking the root of the machines elsewhere. This round area also filled itself with a distinct blue glow. A light, bright blue from the decorative glass overhead. That glass contained some type of electric, kinetic energy. Something dangerous, something powerful. The supplemental kinetic energy materialized up above in warning; shown off there for the Shadow Broker's own vanity.

Amidst the fog of this atmosphere, this room sounded quiet. Much too quiet.

So quiet, it took a moment for me to process the scene in front of us.

Misting in the shadows of this fog, I spotted something on the ground. Or—someone. A very large someone lay there upon the ground, there at the base of the centermost desk. From the outline, that had to be a rare organic species. A yahg. Such a distant and disparate people in our galaxy. I'd only ever seen a yahg in-person back on Sur'Kesh, at the STG facility there. This one had to be the Shadow Broker.

Or he used to be, anyway.

Dead already. Solheim had killed him, and taken his information network for herself.

Had she already escaped? Were we too late…?

"It's about time, Liara. I wondered how long it would take you to find me."

Those clicks from her heels sounded from around a metallic pillar. She emerged from the shadows, making it out to this cold fog. Solheim met me at the center of this space. No wounds, no signs of battle on her. She'd defeated the Shadow Broker without even breaking a sweat. And her confidence. She didn't react once I drew my Paladin pistol, aiming in her direction. Her arrogance nearly disarmed me.

Shepard stayed behind. She did not draw her own gun. She watched us. She let me have my moment.

I asked Solheim, "How did you defeat the Shadow Broker so easily?"

"Simple. He allowed his fears to get the better of him. With the Reapers out there, the poor thing was desperate, as you know. He acted recklessly. He had nowhere left to hide and he knew it. His mistakes had already left his mind weakened. Taking him out was easy enough. Too easy. I was disappointed."

"Then did you already take his information network?"

"Obviously. These machines are empty. I have everything I need. Soon enough, I'll know the galaxy's every secret while they fumble around in the dark. Not to mention yours. What else are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything," I asserted, jabbing my gun in her direction. "Not that you can say the same."

Solheim admonished me, "Liara, don't be foolish. Don't make this out to be anything more than it is. I've made my motivations clear to you already. Both to you and the Alliance. You can paint me as the villain all you want. Anything to make yourself feel better. Whatever you need to morally justify your hatred; your short-sighted thirst to take me down. I could've left a long time ago. I did you a favor by staying behind. I'm giving you one chance to let this go."

"Don't tell me how to feel! I am sick of you judging me. You think you are so much better than me. I know just how miserable you are. I won't let you look down on me anymore. We need to settle this!"

"So that's it," droned Solheim. "You're obsessed over this. You've been the shy little bookworm your whole life. Bullied by others; looked down upon by everyone else. Now you want to move beyond that. Heaven forbid someone poses an actual threat to you. You may be strong enough to stand up to the Reapers, but that's while playing defense. You won't defeat me by keeping up a biotic field forever."

"Then prove your strength. Prove to me you aren't all bark and no bite. Face me, Solheim. If the leader of Cerberus is as capable as she claims she is, she should have no problem against me."

"If that's what you want. But first, you should put that gun away. You have the same advantage as Shepard with a pistol like that. I've done my research. No one-hit kills. I won't use my gun, either."

I placed my pistol back over my hip. "I'm not aiming to kill you. You should already know that."

"Nor am I. We won't play to kill, then. Though once I'm finished, you'll wish I had killed you instead."

Solheim rushed at me with an inhuman speed.

In this split-second before her arrival, she made a swiping motion with her arm, biotically-enhanced.

She spun a fiery effect around her form. Darkfire and darkflame: a dark violet webbing and vining in a short radius. An annihilation field! When did she learn this move?! She had never used this before!

Catching me off, my delayed reactions forced these faulty assumptions:

I assumed she would just tackle me. Tackle me and burn me with the effects of her annihilation field.

I readied my biotic fist to push her back. But it didn't matter.

Just out of my reach, Solheim took advantage of the moment. Such precision from her. She'd made it so that she stayed out of my reach, while still affecting me with that field of hers. As if her eyes had turned into protractors, measuring the exact plane angle she needed for this. Then she wound up her gun arm.

Solheim drew a long biotic whip from her wrist. Wielding it, cracking it, smashing me—she struck me with that whip, setting off this explosion. She detonated the priming from her annihilation field. Right in my face. And with no hesitation whatsoever. This explosion ripped through my kinetic barriers. The searing pain forced me to double over, screaming out in a strained helplessness. I couldn't see anymore.

And I knew in an instant:

If Solheim wanted to kill me, she could've done it then.

In that exact moment, shredding me with a single biotic explosion from her. Catching me off-guard.

Shepard knew it, too. I felt her heart bolstering me, sustaining me. She didn't want to lose me like this.

Solheim kept after me. Relentless in her energy. She refused to let up.

Forced on my back heel, I kept my distance. I backed away. I didn't want Solheim catching me in that annihilation field again! Yet I had to keep moving back, moving back. She abused the little distance I managed to keep between us. Hounding me, harassing me, Solheim kept striking me with her biotic whip. Cracking it and lashing it at me. She smashed that unexpected force into me again, even without a combo for another biotic explosion. She didn't care about the lack of efficiency. She knew she'd wormed her way into my head, deep into my mind. Preying on my fears, she stayed on a powerful offensive.

Manipulating that long whip as if it were leather, Solheim mocked me like this.

The dominatrix had somehow evolved into something else. Transcending her old limitations.

I recognized this relentlessness. I recognized this style of fighting.

Solheim had studied the ways of my people. She fought just like an asari Valkyrie sentinel. Such a stubborn insistence on close-quarters combat. All to punish me within the short, yet dangerous range of her annihilation field. And then using that same field to prime a biotic explosion from close range.

Because even once I moved a safe distance away, Solheim punished me again.

She whipped that whip above her head, spinning it. Spinning it; turning it into a lasso. She threw that elongated trap in my direction, catching me in it. Immobilized, I felt my arms stuck to my torso. I couldn't escape this mangled mess. Solheim tightened and tightened this trap, forcing this pain to cloud my mind even more. Then she pulled me down, down to the ground.

Falling over my back, I collapsed in place. That searing light from the contraption above nearly blinded me. Even more once Solheim came over this way. She stepped over my neck. She trapped my neck between her heel and the sloped wedge of her boot. Almost—strangling me as I grabbed her ankle.

Solheim stared down at me with such a cold expression.

Cold-hearted, cold-blooded. Completely uncaring as I struggled beneath her.

Solheim's annihilation field sphered around her, dimmed by that kinetic electricity above her head.

"Didn't I warn you, Liara?" she mocked, again. "Your obsessions have only gotten you in trouble. They got you killed once before. I'm sure you've already realized it could've happened again, by my hand. Surrender now. While you still can, anyway."

Still struggling beneath her heel, I looked around.

Elsewhere from that blinding light up above.

On the other side of the room, up a set of stairs…another door. Unguarded and unlocked.

Solheim warned me, "Don't even think about running away. I'll chase you down if I have to."

Running away…?

How did she know there was an escape route back there?

Was that where she'd smuggled the Shadow Broker's hardware from his information network?

Holding on to this information—any information about her—helped me focus.

I focused my energies on this cohesion:

Grabbing hold of Solheim's leg, I trapped her in a stasis field. Inescapable.

I maneuvered myself around, getting her boot off of my neck. I forced myself back to my feet.

Still frozen. Frozen in an expression of shock, anger, and dismay. Somewhere in there, Solheim couldn't believe I'd done this. I didn't care. I sent a warp strike right at her, returning this favor. I detonated this biotic explosion of my own, so much stronger. Tearing through her shields, Solheim screamed in a much harsher pain. Torn uniform, scars of blood over her body. I learned from her example. I took advantage:

With Solheim's shields down, I sent this singularity field at her.

Bloodied and weakened, her whole body floated in helplessness for a while. Floating, unable to stop it as I caught my breath. Then at the last second before the singularity dissolved, I sent another warp strike at her. Another, even more powerful detonation. Blasting in damage, what remained of the Shadow Broker's machines over there exploded from the discharge. Flames and smoke, electricity sparking; I knew this wasn't over. I went over to Solheim as she picked herself up, cursing loudly over there.

I refused to let her recover.

I grabbed Solheim's dominant hand, her whip hand. I used this next stasis field to keep her hand frozen. Solheim raged at me in a venomous spite. I didn't care. I hated this pain from her annihilation field still burning me, but I couldn't let it stop me. I threw these warps directly at her. Point-blank and without fear. I couldn't run and I couldn't let her escape. I couldn't let her play these mind games anymore.

Nearly forty years old as a human biotic, Solheim had grown extremely powerful, capable. And such a skilled sentinel to still survive from my barrage of attacks. But I was much older. For once, I could lean on my experience with age.

After all, I had expected a more measured, balanced approach from her.

The same way she had always fought before.

Since she'd decided to change things, I saw no harm in punishing her right back.

Mindful not to kill her, I stopped before this got to be too much.

The two of us somehow ended up back in the center of the room. That kinetic energy electrified over the ceiling. That mist blued our sights of one another. Spots of blood dripped from the corner of Solheim's mouth as we faced each other. The cuts and burns over her uniform, over her face. She glared at me in such a measured resentment. Past those burns, I spotted the redness tinting her skin. I had humiliated her…in front of Shepard. Shepard, who continued to spectate our battle somewhere behind me. Just because of that, I knew Solheim wouldn't let me live this down. She wouldn't simply let me win.

Still, I saw those calculations blazing through Solheim's eyes.

She had begun weighing her options. Would she retaliate against me, or would she give up?

I spoke to her, "I am giving you the option now, Solheim. Will you surrender or not?"

No smart-mouthed retorts from her. No back-talking, no threatening remarks.

Nothing at all. She had nothing to say.

She must've had a plan. Or she had started coming up with something then. I felt the breadth of Solheim's intelligence storming through her silence. That sharp mind of hers could get her out of anything. And so I began anticipating her next move. Would she go on the defensive? Or did she have something else up her sleeve? An omni-shield to block my attacks? Perhaps a set of tech armor instead?

Terrorizing me from the implications, Solheim glanced to Shepard past my view.

"Solheim, don't you dare," I warned. "Leave her out of this!"

She would never hurt Shepard to get to me. Never!

What was this about?

What was she doing?

In a final bid of desperation, Solheim gathered the last of her strength. Biotics glowing around her, flaring to dangerous levels, I braced myself. But when she sent out her warp strike, she didn't aim it at me… She sent it up above. Above my head. Up to the ceiling—at the glass rounding over that electric, kinetic energy. Controlling her biotics, controlling, she cracked and shattered the glass.

Fearing that energy about to crash down over me, I tried to run away.

But Solheim stopped me.

Omni-tool glowing blood-red, she fired this shock at me. A neural shock, paralyzing me in place. I couldn't move from this pain!

"Liara!"

Right as Solheim brought down that energy with all her might, Shepard saved me.

Shepard rushed to my side. She grabbed my entire body, pulling me away from that danger crashing down. That electrified liquid could've disintegrated me. And it would have, as I hadn't reacted in time. Shepard reacted for me. She brought me far enough away, leaving that liquid to cascade downward as a tidal wave of a hollow blue light. A burst of tides and shards of glass. Then the waves steadily subsided.

Exactly as she'd planned, Solheim took advantage of the surprise.

She ran off.

By the time that hazard disappeared, she had also vanished.

I didn't believe she meant to kill me with that spectacle. Solheim had anticipated Shepard would save me. Just enough for a timely distraction. Just enough to escape with her pride in-tact—and the Shadow Broker's information network.

"Sorry, Liara," offered Shepard, a bit sheepish. "I know this mission was important to you."

"This wasn't your fault, Shepard. I did enough to get my point across to her. I am satisfied with that."

I took a deeper breath as that light, that energy continued to make such a scene. Shepard looked me over, making sure I hadn't suffered any real injuries. Even though Solheim had decimated my kinetic barriers for a time, I felt fine enough.

Besides, none of that mattered anymore.

I had Shepard in front of me. I still had her with me. She stood in front of me like this, seemingly unsure of what to say. I suddenly felt insecure, realizing the likely reasons for her silence. The reasons she had been so very quiet since we'd left Illium. So subdued and deep in thought. I should've seen this coming.

These nerves jumbled as chaos in my stomach.

I felt the past repeating itself again. Or so I assumed…

"Shepard, you have been very quiet. If this has caused your feelings for Solheim to return, then I understand… I chose to fight for you. I didn't want her thinking she could take you from me. I don't want you to leave me… That is the last thing I want. But if you need some time to think things through—"

Shepard hugged me. She brought me close to her, dispelling my worries without a word. Except I could hardly believe it. I was so sure… What other reasons would she have had for her silence? I supposed I could've cheated and searched her emotions for myself. Something about that didn't feel genuine. Not right now. Not at a moment like this, with Shepard protecting me from the past, present, future and all.

I almost couldn't believe this outcome.

Had she truly deepened her attachments to me?

Or was this all just an illusion? Mere figments of my desperate imagination?

I whispered in disbelief, "Did you mean your words from before? When you said you only want me. Do you still want us to deepen our relationship? After all that's happened, am I the only one you love…?"

Making this point, Shepard held my face in her hands. So smooth in her wordless meaning, she kissed me like this. Breathtaking and full of purpose. Every promise Shepard had made to me since we'd returned to one another, I felt her reinforcing like this. The softness of her lips over mine, and the passion of this pressure from her presses, pressing and pressing into me. Infinite emotions brightened within me, almost as bright as that kinetic energy cascading from the ceiling. She moved me so much. Effortlessly.

I breathed this sigh of relief next to her face.

"Okay… Okay."

"Okay," she echoed, so confident.

She had settled this last issue so easily, and I couldn't be happier.

Especially once she smiled at me. Shepard melted me in her glimmering joy. I almost had a glimpse of her thoughts, her deepest emotions. The true reasons for her quieted mood today. Leaving the truth as a mystery felt like the right path to take. The most authentic path. And so I chose not to ask her about it.

Even if I did ask, we would've gotten interrupted.

Tali contacted us through the team's radio:

"Shepard, Liara—are you there?"

I responded, "We're here, Tali. What is your status?"

"We've dealt with the Shadow Broker's agents. All clear. Did you deal with Solheim?"

"We fought, but Solheim managed to escape. I came close to defeating her. She was smarter. She took the Shadow Broker's hardware with her. That information network belongs to Cerberus now."

"That's…a big deal, isn't it? Solheim is the new Shadow Broker?"

"She is. But there is nothing more we can do. We should leave her alone now."

"Sure, Liara. You sound satisfied. I'll call Cortez for extraction back to the ship. It's been a long day."

"Yes, it has. Thank you, Tali. We will meet you and the others at the shuttle."

"Right. See you soon."

We had no reason to remain on this ship anymore. With the old Shadow Broker defeated, and Solheim well on her way away from Hagalaz, we'd finished our mission here. Still, I felt this urge to look around. I decided to check for anything Solheim might've left behind. Shepard stayed at my side, searching around with me as another set of eyes. We searched and searched together—for nothing in particular.

Shepard asked me, "Did you want to take over as the Shadow Broker instead?"

"Not at all, Shepard," I balked, searching through this console. "We both know I don't have the personality to be an information broker. Even an information broker who operates from the shadows. Besides, given all that's happened in the past, it wouldn't be wise of me to deal in secrets."

"That's true."

Solheim really hadn't left much of anything.

I only found what looked like an information drone.

Activating the program, a round, holographic form appeared before us. Glowing in a friendly blue and white light, this drone floated right over to me. The VI found me in a surprising innocence.

"Greetings, Shadow Broker," it said in a gentle, masculine-sounding voice. Such a mild-mannered drone.

"I'm afraid I am not the Shadow Broker. Your old master is no more."

Still floating before me in patience, the glyphs of its shifting form wound around. It didn't seem to mind this news about its former master. I somehow felt an emotion from this VI. A soft attachment to me.

"What was your purpose? Were you the Shadow Broker's assistant?"

"That is correct. I served as his personal virtual intelligence. This form is a shell for specialized data processing. I notified the Shadow Broker of important news across the galaxy. I also helped coordinate the network's information. I understand the information network is no longer present."

Why had Solheim left this drone behind? Wouldn't she need its help to catalogue her new network?

"We are leaving this ship soon. There is no one else left here. Would you like to come with me?"

"Yes, please," it said, appearing to nod in-turn. "I promise I will be of great assistance to you."

"Wonderful. Do you have a name?"

"The Shadow Broker simply referred to me as 'info drone.' You may also do the same."

I frowned over the news. "That isn't much of a name. I'll come up with something else for you. We should be get going. If you don't mind, I will download your program to my omni-tool now."

"I am prepared to follow you, Shadow Broker."

Once I downloaded its program, the drone tucked itself safely away in my omni-tool.

Shepard sounded happy for me. "A new companion for you, huh?"

"Yes, it seems so," I replied with a smile. "It is a nice consolation prize after everything. I'm sure I will need Tali's help with its configurations. Perhaps I could use this drone to help me organize my research." Those gentler feelings from the VI reminded me to say: "Thank you for supporting me, Shepard."

"Don't mention it, Liara. I'm just glad you're all right."

"I am ready to move on with you. We have so much to look forward to."

"Yeah, like Valentine's Day in a couple of weeks. Is there anything you really want us to do?"

"We don't need to go all-out, Shepard. I'll be happy enjoying a cozy night in with you."

Shepard seemed to expect this answer from me. "On the Normandy?"

"Yes, a simple night in, as I said."

Even though she'd anticipated this, I could tell Shepard wanted more with me. Maybe she wanted to take me out on an elaborate date for Valentine's Day. But we had so many restrictions with the war on. We couldn't simply go wherever we wanted across the galaxy. I didn't mind. I felt content making the most of our situation, keeping things humble and laid-back.

"Okay, then," she accepted. "What about your birthday next month? It's on March tenth, isn't it?"

I felt myself beaming over her thoughtfulness.

"Yes, the tenth of March. I will be turning 110 years old. A century and a decade isn't much time to me."

"I know it isn't—not to you. I still want us to celebrate your birthday. I have some ideas in mind."

"Well, I still don't want us to have a big production. I'd like us to keep things rather tame that day."

"Why's that?" asked Shepard.

I didn't mean to bring the mood down: "I am aware the situation on Thessia might change by then. I don't want us to make plans to return there, only for the worst to happen… I would be too anxious to enjoy our time together." Solemn as she nodded, Shepard understood. "Let's not dwell on it. I will always be happy with you. No matter where we are together. I look forward to what the future holds."

Closer than ever, Shepard stayed by my side as we left the ship. We made it back outside, joining up with Tali, Garrus, and Wrex. Together we went back to the shuttle. We returned to the Normandy.

As we left Hagalaz behind, I basked in these new horizons that awaited.

We had finally made it off the Cerberus Express. For the time being, anyway. I knew this wasn't over. This wasn't the last we'd seen of Solheim. Especially now that she had taken over as the new Shadow Broker. Cerberus now had unlimited power under her leadership. I was admittedly impressed by what Solheim had achieved, yet I would never tell her. She didn't need me to.

Endlessly exhausted by our adventures, I knew Shepard needed rest. She would want to sleep soon, even though she did not have to. I wondered what she would dream about this time. Maybe her more elaborate plans for Valentine's Day—the ones we could not indulge in because of the war. Or perhaps her storied past, what with these reminders from Solheim earlier. I had no reason to feel threatened by the past anymore. I had no reason to feel threatened or insecure or jealous of anything or anyone. I had spent so long chasing after Shepard's sunlight, dimming and dimming across that horizon out of my reach. Yet now the horizon had extended and blended by my side, coloring in hope for our future. Never again would I doubt her devotion to me.