Chapter 11: The Gamble
Councillor Tevos, or rather it should be said The Wizard, watched the footage of the Collectors on Freedom's Progress for the seventeenth time since she got it nearly two weeks ago. It was not impossible to spin this by the Council's perspective but it would be extremely difficult. It might have been easier had the quarian adolescent not sent this same footage to the Flotilla but of course that was how Shepard got a hold of it.
The possibility of claiming the footage was nothing but sensualistic orchestration from Cerberus was vanquished with quarians verifying its authenticity. It was inevitable that Shepard would protest any attempt to derail or discredit the proof like what had been done with Sovereign. The Council, by a vote of three to one, had deliberately crafted plausible deniability concerning the Reapers; they redacted everything Shepard had said about the threat from beyond dark space. The Council had cemented the idea into the populace at large that the geth found a derelict Reaper and restored it to perfect operational functions. It was also conceivable the geth had discovered a way to utilize old Reaper technology such as indoctrination protocols. So careful orchestrated was the cover-up that not even Shepard could dismiss them as not being plausible. She hated them for it, loathed the fact that the truth was covered by lies that would, in her eyes, doom them all.
It wasn't until Tevos got the call from her former bondmate that she truly believed the visions of the young human Spectre. The Councillor was convinced that the images from the beacons and the Cipher were more than nightmares that had unfortunately wielded themselves into the maiden's psyche. The matriarch believed that Shepard believed it. When Aria told her what she had done, that she went deeper and further into Shepard's mind and ripped the visions out, Tevos started to trust in the young human's visions.
But there was a fragile system at play, one people like Shepard would never understand since it was too shaded in hyperbole and conjecture in a way that never sat well with the honest sorts. The truth of Sovereign had to be maintained with certain pretence or panic would sweep across the populous more virulently than any plague ever known to sentient kind, including the Omega plague. Despite the fragility of the situation, Tevos had passed along the recommendations to begin the construction of deep underground bunkers...vaults that could withstand a nuclear holocaust to the Matriarchy. They complied with the emergency precautions, to a point. It was decided that the Republics would finance and construct only 125 vaults to be seeded amongst various colonial words within asari space.
As predicted, when the asari moved to construct these bunkers the other Council races decided to follow suit. Their own governments individually decided on a set number of shelters in which to construct. Unfortunately, the expenditure of building the bunkers was astronomical, thus only a little over a hundred were to be commissioned. The reason given for the construction wasn't the Reapers as Shepard hoped, but precautionary measures against the geth creating more Sovereign class dreadnoughts.
Once more it was the geth that were blamed instead of the Reapers. Even on the macro-level the small measures being taken were slightly more significant than doing nothing at all and pretending there was no threat.
Now there was another issue.
No one counted on the Collectors being a variable in the equation. There was still no evidence that the enigmatic beings were working for the Reapers, but there was no doubt that Shepard would seek it out and present it to the Council. The only proof the human Spectre held to support any legitimacy to her claims was a piecemealed holo-recording taken from one terrified, now dead quarian pilgrim.
The Collectors taking human lives complicated things. Not just a few here and there as insectiods were known to do but an entire colony. And who knew how many more they would strike. The whole idea was unprecedented, never had the Collectors seized so many or so silently as not to leave any sign they had been there. So why were they doing it?
At one time Tevos might have thought it curious that as The Wizard she was given a far more detailed report than she had been as the asari Councillor. But that wasn't too surprising that Shepard was losing faith in the Council's willingness to listen and cooperate. Many of the new Spectres felt that way until they knew how to manoeuvre and work the system. Tela Vasir knew how to work the system into her favor. Yes, she had heavy dealings with the Shadow Broker, something which the Council deliberately overlooked because of the asari agent's effectiveness. She had served the Council for half a century with great distinction, though often times her methods were heavily scrutinized by the Council because it was a necessary move for the public eye if the asari had become too heavy handed. Privately, however, each Council member praised Vasir for her actions.
Shepard would need to learn this delicate balance of trusting her own integrity and judgment and working along with the Council's judgments. It was always a personal trial for most agents to reconcile the fact that despite doing their duty and fulfilling their obligations, the Council sometimes had to chastise the agents for actions rather than commend them for something that needed to be done. It took a person of great inner strength of self to be a Spectre. One that could handle their work being covered-up, disavowed and outright disciplined for if necessary. Most people couldn't deal with that, but those that did made for the best agents, because they put their duty before personal glory. Of course they did better if the Council listened with an open mind even if they did not act openly.
Shepard presumed the Council wouldn't listen to her. The Wizard was the Spectre's last hope to get the word out to the greater public, to prepare them for the arrival of the greatest and most terrible threat the galaxy had ever known.
The Spectre desperately wanted someone to listen. She went to great lengths to see that it happened: Aria, using the Wizard, even going as far as to accept resources from the enemy because they were the only ones listening.
Of all the actions, the latter one with Cerberus had been prearranged, only it hadn'tgone quite as planned, but that didn't mean it was a total failure. The idea was to 'wiretap' communications and trace a link that would eventually lead to the Illusive Man. It wasn't going to happen as TIM only utilized the QEC to comm the Normandy.
Because she knew her integrity would no doubt be placed in question by Sparatus, the turian Councillor, Shepard proactively had the STG support her claims. Indeed, Captain Kirrahe confirmed that first. The QEC allows instantaneous communication over any distance without reliance on the existing network of comm buoys, which is limited due to the sheer volume of space. Further, destruction of buoys hampers a foe's military intelligence; comm buoys are the first targets of raiders in wartime. The fact quantum communications cannot be intercepted between source and destination meant it wouldn't allow "wiretaps".
Shepard, of course, wanted to take advantage of this and have an entangled pair of particles that went exclusively from the Council offices to the Normandy. The Council agreed.
What wasn't agreed upon was what to do about the Collectors. There was a precedent that the Collectors had held to so far: the colonies that were attacked had abandoned the Alliance's protection and therefore were not under Alliance jurisdiction. If they were not part of the Alliance then they were parted from the Council's jurisdiction as well. It became entirely an internal human matter, and solely a human concern.
Needless to say, the post-mission meeting after claiming the SR-2 had not gone well.
MEMEMEMEMEMEME
"You'd help Illium! No hesitation, or discussion, no votes, you'd send help if the Collectors hit there like they hit on those colonies," Shepard spat. "And don't you dare get technical on me about location. Illium IS in the Terminus Systems. It's not a part of asari space. But you'd send the Destiny Ascension and whole goddamn fleet to intercept."
"The tragedy is technical, Commander Shepard. Illium never forsook the Asari Republics judiciary. Unfortunately those colonies that were targeted had seceded from the Alliance in favor of independence. That independence came at a graver cost than they foresaw. As we said before, the Council cannot intervene in what is entirely a human matter."
"Or human lives don't mean a goddamn thing to you, any of you. Except for you, sir." Shepard looked to Anderson for a moment he seemed more tired than ever before, drawn out, and worn. How long had he been battling the trio of wise monkeys? See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
"That is not the issue here," spat Valern. "We gave you leave to investigate and stop the Collectors, if it is indeed the Collectors."
"You just saw the vid!" Shepard was exasperated. "How long can you deny this? When will you people trust me? You know one day you're going to have to and I hope on that day it doesn't cost one of you your lives."
"Is that a threat?" came Sparatus.
"Oh, you'd like that wouldn't you, sir? That way you can destroy me and be rid of me like you've wanted from the beginning. No, sir, it's a warning. I at least have open eyes, ears and mind. I see the evil!"
Anderson smiled proudly, understanding the subtext. "Commander, I know how frustrated you are."
Yeah, I bet you do, sir. Her mind's voice was consolatory
"I know you're pissed off. Hell, I am too. And you're right if one of the other council races colonies that established themselves in the Terminus Systems like Illium had been hit a fleet would have been scrambled immediately. The shitty thing is that they're also right. The human colonies out there cut ties will the Alliance so only by morality are we obliged to help them.
"Admiral Hackett is working just as hard to convince the Preliminary subcommittee...the Intergalactic Oversight Advisory to send aid. To them it's all about cost. Hell, they intend to use this disaster as a cautionary tale; 'Break away from the Alliance and see what happens.' More to the point, the IOA feels the same as the majority of the Council, any extended mission into the Terminus System will be a drain on the Alliance coffers." Anderson looked like a man who just pronounced a death sentence on his own child.
"Drains are where things go to waste," the Spectre pointed out.
"Nevertheless."
Just nevertheless. You couldn't argue with nevertheless. Shepard drew in a breath of air. "How far did Admiral Hackett get, sir?"
"The best he could get out of the IOA was that they're very reluctantly willing to send a squad of marines into each colony and lend the use of one AA tower to each. It's not enough, not near enough, but it's what we got," answered Anderson.
"And there you have it, Commander," Tevos said trying to calm the room, but it did nothing to still the riotous storm in the young Commander's eyes.
Shepard wasn't going to buy it.
"You know Cerberus is going to eat this up. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if they have agents in the IOA. They'll claim the Alliance abandoned them and the Council never cared for them in the first place because they are human. They want this to happen. They will point out that it was the Council's fault they were so slow to move on Eden Prime, which gave Saren, a turian Spectre, the momentum he needed to amass the power he had. Hell, they are already spinning that the attack on my bondmate was due to a turian dominated merc group known as the Talons and that the Council sought to persecute me, the 'Hero of the Citadel', for even having a bondmate that put her in a position to be a target.
"This action, or rather inaction, will pull more people to them. You have to see that!" Shepard tried another tactic. "I'm not talking about radicals here, or the xenophobes. I'm talking about desperate people who want protection and don't see it coming from those they once trusted in. Naive twits who only see what Cerberus wants them to see, that they are looking after human interests when no one else will. These people aren't traitors; they are worried and desperate for some semblance of safety which makes them believe in the terrorist organization that promises to do just that; protect them."
"Commander, resources have been diverted to the creation of refugee bunkers on various reclusive worlds in preparations for what you claim is coming. Now we can either divert funds to aid the colonies that alienated themselves from their own government or we can continue our efforts for survival. Not both," Valern said.
These words did not have the effect the salarian intended. It had the fowl taste of ruthless calculus. It's so much easier to look at numbers instead of seeing them for the names and faces that they really were. So much easier to decide and so much easier to choose who lives and dies.
Tevos stepped in knowing she must redirect the Spectre's growing frustrations. She spoke in a manner she never had with Shepard, in a manner the Spectre never thought to hear. It was contrary to all that passed through the matriarch's voice; it was contrary to everything the Council had ever said to her. Indeed her words astonished even her counterparts, especially Anderson.
"Which why it is imperative they see you at the forefront of a crew of Alliance soldiers. They must see that you have seized assets of Cerberus, they will see the truth. Commander Samantha Shepard's truth. It may account for more than you know. People know about you, Commander. Commander Samantha Shepard who once arrested a rouge Spectre for treason. And Commander Shepard who destroyed a Reaper for gross acts of genocide and Commander Shepard who stopped a wholesale slaughter by standing before an entire platoon of batarian soldiers, pirates and slavers to save a colony. She's an arresting soul, Commander Samantha Shepard.
"She once killed a fraxon shark armed only with a ceremonial dagger and her biotics. She carries the law with her like a beacon. Commander Shepard is straight as an arrow, they say, cannot be corrupted and will never take a bribe. Listen to me; the truth is what we need. Rumor and uncertainty are the enemies now. The chatterers have started; they know how to turn words into weapons. They need Commander Shepard to tell them what to believe because that would be the truth."
What the Counselor knew, what she was counting on, was the causal effect of the Specter's words. The enemy would be no match for Shepard's meretricious duplicity. They were up against a mind that regarded truth as a reference point but certainly not as a shackle. The Spectre could think herself through a corkscrew in a tornado and not touch the sides. In many ways the commander reminded Tevos of herself in her earlier days. How the council operated now, it was an uncomfortable irony to be sure.
Shepard knew in her gut that if asked about the words just spoken, Tevos would offer no comment, in fact it was an unspoken demand that the conversation never be bought up again. But they had the effect Tevos wanted-the reinstatement of belief and trust in the Council that would publicly denounce her warnings that the Reapers were indeed real.
Peripheral support was a bitch. But it was hell to go without it.
MEMEMEMEMEMEME
Witnessing the jaded expression on her bondmate's face Liara knew the Council had once again stonewalled her. Samantha repeated what had happened during the briefing, but pointing out the fact that the Council was at least listening to the warnings about the Reapers and acting by creating the bunkers wasn't something Sam wanted to hear right at the moment. All she wanted to do was to vent her frustrations, so Liara quietly listened.
"Come, perhaps I can tempt you with a little distraction," Liara said coyly, wrapping her arm around her bondmate's. "I am sure the crew can handle the transfer of gear and equipment without you for a few hours. Don't worry about your pets; Shiala and Aleena are handling that transfer personally."
There was a quirked eyebrow from the human that indicated the unasked question: Why is my XO handling the fish?
"It is less stressful for Shiala this late in her pregnancy to cope with the aquarium then it is personal. If your presence is in dire need Jokerwill radio you."
Still feeling ruffled from the meeting with the Council, Sam was about to tell her wife she was not in the mood for frivolity, but the words died on her lips. Liara was attempting so hard to lift the Spectre's sprits that she had not the heart to deny her.
"What kind of distraction?" asked Shepard, hesitant to leave both the Normandy and Victory when her attention was needed to direct details of the transfer.
"I promise we will not be long, only a few hours. I wish to show you my...I mean our apartment." Liara's lips curled into a playful grin.
"Wait, how come I'm just finding out now that you have an apartment on Illium?" the Commander frowned. "You have a secret get away and you didn't think to tell me?"
"Melethril, do not be angry with me." The archaeologist placed a tender kiss on the human's cheek. "Honestly, the subject just never came to my mind."
"I suppose." There was a defiant pout going on, however. "So, why do you have a place here?"
Liara giggled, her expression filled with mirth. "I bought it long before we met, beloved. When I was not on remote digs where do you suppose I lived? Back on Thessia? No," she shook her head before leaning it upon Samantha's shoulder. "I took up residence here."
"Guess that makes sense," the Commander agreed, feeling just the tiniest bit ashamed that she had been upset that Liara hadn't told her of her home off ship. Frankly, Sam had thought for the past fifty years her bondmate had lived in tents and temporary habitats at dig sites. For the most part she was correct, but even archaeologists have to have a place to call home that isn't easily dismantled and packed away.
"But you didn't mention it on our last stop here." The pout was back.
"I think we had much more pressing matters to attend to, Melethril." Liara alluded to the treatment of Samantha's bout with CS and not to the 'protective custody' the Commander had placed Oriana in. "I was not trying to keep this from you," Liara placed a comforting hand upon the human's cheek and kissed her unresponsive ruby lips. "Do not be angry with me."
Sam gave a noncommittal shrug as if to suggest she wasn't truly disappointed with being kept in the dark. She believed Liara when she said the last time they were here there were far too many distractions to bring up the existence of the apartment.
After dropping a note to Joker that she and Liara were doing some recon on a possible base of operations for her information brokering, they hopped a cab with Liara at the wheel as she knew where to go. The penthouse was in one of the wealthier neighbourhoods of Nos Astra. Liara had to have dropped some serious credits to purchase the lease on the apartment. And it was one of the relatively smaller ones too. The interior had a circler construction which had wonderful panoramic views of the city below.
It had one bedroom on the upstairs loft area which was open save for a balustrade running the length of the floor. Behind the double-king sized bed was a massive aquarium filled with various marine life. Obviously the tank had a feeder VI as well as a tank-cleaning system to keep it free of algae, fish guano and other detritus just like the one back on the ships.
Off to the right of the large bed was a lounge area with a white leather sofa and setae and a handful of plants, though Sam might have called them shrubs and trees. To the left was a display case.
"Hey, you can put your Ilos cabbages in here." Sam pointed to the case. "They'll never fit in the Normandy's loft as they did in the Victory's."
Liara had long given up on correcting Sam's interpretation of the Ilosian plant life. "Yes, I think that is a good idea."
"You know, speaking of Ilos; I thought I saw a painting of the Prothean archives downstairs when we came in."
Liara nodded. "I had an art student from Illium University paint one of the holopics on my omni tool I took when we were there the first time. When it was finished I had it delivered to Althea who then hung it up in here for me." She slid her hands into Sam's and kissed her softy. Ilos had a very significant meaning to both women.
Sam nodded in understanding.
The penthouse had a spacious kitchen filled with all the newest conveniences. It had no table but a bar with four stools. Not that Sam ever spent much time in the galley- er, kitchen, but she guessed this one didn't lack for anything. The Spectre couldn't help but wonder how much time Liara ever spent in the room; she didn't seem like the whole domestic-goddess sort of person. But hey, a person could surprise you. To some, cooking was a means to simply eat, to others it was a mere hobby and to others a passion.
Not surprising, the lower area of the apartment had several displace cases filled with various Prothean artefacts. What did take Shepard's breath away was a piece of her old N7 Colossus armour. Indeed it was the very same breastplate Ash and Wrex had sent to the Council as a reminder of what Shepard had done and faced in order to save them all. The jagged edges of the deep serrated laceration left by the Saren-husk still had stains of the Spectre's blood on it.
Shepard turned to her bondmate, "How...how did you get your hands on that?"
"I asked Councillor Tevos to send it back to me. I...I didn't know how you would react knowing I..." Liara paused, her shy self once again reasserting itself, reminding Sam of the awkward archaeologist she had saved back on Therum.
Samantha's only answer was to kiss Liara tenderly upon the lips. This, too, she understood even as difficult as it was to put into words. The armour piece was a solid memorial of what might have happened, what could have lost. Samantha had died on the operating table more than once. She was alive by Liara's stubborn refusal to let her go and by the talents of a miraculous medical team and incredible technology. The breastplate represented the hope in the impossible. It was the same reason Shepard had kept her old N7 helmet in her quarters.
The common area had a fireplace, many more plants and a very large flat screen vidscreen and a small portioned area that served as an office space. The office area had two desks with three computer terminals, and of course there was several bookshelves containing actual antique books. On the wall was Liara's diploma from Serrice University.
"You know. We actually never talked about it, but I always assumed you went to Armali University, not Serrice."
"Because I grew up in Alamari?" Liara grinned. "Serrice has a superior archaeology department. And it was also a way to start asserting my independence from...Mother."
Samantha put her arms around Liara. "I think all kids feel that way, Angel Eyes. Your mom didn't begrudge you that. Hell, I bet she expected it."
"Perhaps, but it does not make missing her any easier."
Sam looked to the painting of Ilos. "You know, what if you found a picture of your mom back in happier days and had one of those art students paint her portrait?"
Liara's face beamed brightly at thought. "That is a wonderful idea, Samantha."
Sam wrapped her arms around her bondmates waist, placing a tender kiss on her lover's purple lips. "I've been known to have a few good ones from time to time."
"Ah-ah," Liara chided her beloved's play at modesty. "More than a few."
"How about another good idea?" Sam nuzzled her lover's neck. "How about we break in that bed of your...ours. And no 'later'. I'm sick of later."
"I wouldn't dream of saying later," Liara cooed, trailing her long delicate fingers along Sam's jaw, pulling her in for a kiss.
Deft hands made short work of the clothing impeding true caresses. "You know. I've always found you so sexy in this armor," Sam breathed gently into Liara's ear. Her fingers moved to unlock the seals of the white, blue and grey pinstripe hardsuit complete with the 'highway man's coat'
Liara giggled softly. "Why do you think I wear it so often?" Trailing her own kisses along Sam's neck to nibble on her earlobe.
"Minx," came a gasped answer. Sam nuzzled Liara's neck, her tongue darted out tasting the delicate flesh. She knew first from her time with Shi'ara just how incredibly sensitive the intricate folded skin of asari scalps, along their necks, and the underside of the crests were. Liara was particularly sensitive along the delicate folds at the back of her neck.
The Spectre moved onto the more delicate folds of flesh at the base of Liara's skull. Instinctively the asari titled her head to the side, allowing better access to the more sensitive velvety flesh. Blue eyes became solid black as Liara's arousal grew. She moaned again as her bondmate's lips traveled further down her neck, across her shoulder as Sam moved to stand behind her to guide her to the bed.
The Spectre's knees made contact with the bed's edge first as she sat then crab-walked backwards as Liara crawled over her. Sam rose up to capture purple lips only inches away. Lips and tongued explored, tasted, invaded and stroked against one another. Their minds interlinked, the bond surged, connecting their souls, transmitting their mutual desires. Their bodies shimmered in the shared glow of biotics. Bare skin pressed against bare skin, the sensations began to build within them.
Sam's hands settled on Liara's hips, turning her so she was now on top. Her lips abandoned the lush soft mouth to trail down tender, luxurious blue skin to trail kisses along her beloved's collarbone to her beautiful, full breasts.
Sam inhaled, drawing in Liara's distinctive scent, filling her, intoxicating her, stirring her arousal further and deeper. Her kisses concentrated upon one breast then the other, worshiping each indigo nipple in turn.
Liara sucked in a deep gasp of air, her back arched into Sam's administrations, her fingers gripping her beloved's shoulders, clenched in reflex, nails digging into her tanned flesh as ecstasy carried her into great heights.
Sam breathed out a moan of sheer pleasure against Liara's stomach. The bond surged brightly between them so brilliantly, their minds as always so fused they could no longer tell where one's craving began and the other's ended. This was where true pleasure was birthed, from the Joining, hearts, minds and spirits entwining, their nervous systems blending into one.
Sam pressed her lips against Liara's stomach, trailing lower to her inner thighs. Her lips and tongue tasted and traced their way across satiny smooth skin. Liara cried out when she felt her bondmate's tongue slip into the depths of her core. With agonizing slowness Sam explored every sensitive inch of Liara's center with delicate tormenting worship. Each long slow caresses or flick teasing the little bud brought wondrous waves of pleasure. Sky-blue fingers moved into the ebony locks holding the human in place where the pleaser was greatest. When Samantha stroked her fingers along the delicate membrane of azure, Liara cried out her bondmates name, her body bucked.
The Bond sent ripples of their desire trickling from one into the other and back again like a pebble tossed into a tidal pool.
Liara's orgasm roared as loud as ocean tides against the reef, creating an equal burst of release from Samantha. Caught in the tides and eddies of their release, the lovers allowed themselves to float in the ether of the Joining.
Eager to give Samantha as much joy as her own pleasures, Liara spun her human so she was now on her back. The asari sought out the luscious ruby lips, tasting herself upon them brought a smile to her own. The love she felt for her bondmate poured from her like a fountain, bathing Shepard in its glow. Liara always made Sam's heat beat faster. A touch, a kiss and they had each other aroused.
Purple lips nibbled, tasted, and kissed creamy flesh. Blue fingers pulsing with biotics caressed each nerve-point causing Sam to shudder and moan in sexual euphoria. Paying particular attention to Samantha's neck, Liara straddled her lover's hips. Knowing hands penetrated the warm passion and slick depths of the Spectre's core. Still soaring from their mutual climax, it would not take long before Sam reached such heights again.
The Spectre titled her head back calling out Liara's name, her body shuddered—quaking as she came. Her hands held firmly against the asari's waist with such strength she was sure to leave bruises as surely as the Prothean expert had left scratch marks on Sam's shoulders. They settled in the afterglow of their bliss, comfortably melting in each other's arms.
After a fashion when their bodies began to cool from their heated embrace and impassioned lovemaking, Liara shifted a fraction causing Sam to lift her head where once it was pillowed on the soft swell of the asari's breast.
"Getting stiff?" the Specter murmured in the half-drowsy state she was lingering in, "we can switch positions."
"Humm. Then I couldn't play with you hair," Liara said softly. Indeed, for the past ten minutes she had been twining the dark raven locks through her sky-blue fingers as lazily as one strokes a cat upon the lap. "No. I'm content to lay here like this for a few moments more. Soon you will be off again recruiting Justicar Samara and trying to find that assassin Thane Krios. But I do not wish to think of them or the others you are going to seek out."
Another shift this time caused Sam to sit up and rest her weight on her elbow so she might look at her bondmate directly. "Li, what is it? I can feely your mind working at FTL speed."
Blue eyes looked deeply into blue eyes.
Hesitancy. Then, "The loss of Secura is in the past. We need to leave it there," she sent, unwilling to trust her voice to speak the words aloud. "Samantha, I want a daughter. I want us to try again."
"Liara?" Sam was stunned.
"Please. Let it be our decision. This time we choose to make our daughter." The shy uncertainly that once possessed a young Prothean expert the night before Ilos was back in full force.
And in a mirror of that night, Sam said. "I want this Liara I do, but are you absolutely sure about this?"
A like wise answer followed. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Liara was now sitting up looking deeply into the eyes of her beloved bondmate.
"And the dangers of the coming Reaper war?"
"Had…" Liara sighed and tried again. "Had Secura lived, she would have been born in a few months time. She would have been touched by the Reaper War. Do you remember when I first admitted my attraction to you?"
The young Commander flashed a toothy grin, "Of course. You were so adorably shy."
"And do not forget a little afraid. You said we should embrace the storm, that a little danger shouldn't put me off. Melethril I can't let go of you, to loose you again…" she swallowed hard. "You don't know what it is like, you couldn't. You died Samantha! I felt you go. It shattered me. I wasn't going to let you slip away, I Joined with your dark consciousness and pulled you from the void. If Dr. Chakwas and the other physicians hadn't been able restore your body to life, you would have been lost to me forever.
"Now you are going to go through the Omega-Four Relay on a suicide mission. I need to know you're always coming back."
Sam's voice lifted in a disarming mirth to raise Liara out of her sudden melancholy. "I don't know, that's an awfully big promise."
Hearing the lightness in Samantha's sprit, the asari couldn't help be caught up into it. "Oh, is it?"
"Hmm… Now knowing I have something to come back to is very good motive."
"I'm open to ideas." Liara's voice took on a more coquettish sound to it, one that made Samantha very responsive. Indeed, the Spectre began nuzzling the sensitive curvature of her lover's folds.
"We already have marriage. Old age will come in time." They both giggled at the unintentional pun. "But a lot of little blue children…maybe we should work on that." Ruby lips kissed the lower ridge of Liara's crest which earned her a throaty moan. "A bondmate and daughter is defiantly something worth coming back to."
To mate, asari do not need to use physical contact, they need only join their conciseness to their partner's. That is not to say they don't, though, since the Joining is all the sweeter if they were bonded to their partner. The intensity of their lovemaking expounds with the connection. Touches, kisses bring lovers to new levels of pleasure and release.
Then, with both their minds focused on the thought, Liara let her control drop. She could feel it, like the currents ebbing and flowing through mental rivers as they reached out and grasped their choice and Sam felt a power like that of the gestalt surge through them. Their shared world exploded, the heightened sensations different than anything they'd experienced before, and for a brief moment—so brief that later, Sam doubted it—she felt a third presence join then only to vanish in the pleasure of their shared climax.
Afterward, as Liara lay clasped safely in her bondmate's arms, she knew that their daughter had been conceived. The arm that held her cradled against her was lightly tanned, quite in contrast to her own blue flesh. The soft locks of black hair tickled her crest which was so alien to the native Thessian, but beautiful. Their daughter would not posses any of Samantha's humanly physical traits, but she would hold much of the human's demeanor and nature.
Sam kissed the velvety texture of Liara's crest. "Benezia Hannah," she said as quiet confidence filled her. "Her name is Benezia Hannah."
Liara was ever grateful for the Bond linking them for she would never be able to convey what she felt into words. This child, this daughter, was one they both decided to create together. "Benezia Hannah," she smiled, stroking Sam's cheek before she kissed her. "It is a perfect name for our daughter."
MEMEMEMEMEMEME
At the same time Shepard was speaking with the Council, Miranda sat within the mess nursing a cup of Earl Gray tea. She was free of restraints, though not of guard as she was still on probation. Today it was Nual who shadowed her after they returned from capturing the Normandy.
Jacob was in the med-center undergoing the rigorous physical exam that she had suffered when he was first was taken. The raven haired beauty certainly didn't begrudge his prostate exam, hell she suffered a pap smear so it was only fair. Miranda had no doubts that Dr. Chakwas would be perfectly professional and courteous about it as she had been with Lawson.
It wasn't Jacob or his forthcoming unknown fate that was troubling the loyalist. Of course she had heard of the choices Shepard had given him and even what happened during his interrogation. The Spectre had gone for the throat. On the contrary, Chambers' interrogations had been much softer but no less emotional. Lawson heard some of her asari guards talking about the red-headed human breaking down and crying in her cell after. Kelly had, if the gossip was true, vomited as soon as she laid eyes on Taylor. Lawson had a small wonder if Shepard had shown the yeoman that accursed horror vid or just a portion of it. Whatever it was that Shepard had used, Chambers was likely turned because of it.
This too did not play on Lawson's mind, it was her sister that constantly took over her spirit and dominated her soul. Shepard's vid had put faces to the projects of Cerberus and unveiled the evil others saw. Crimes of inhuman experiments all done in the name of the greatest good. Wasn't it said that hell was lined with good intentions? The events of Akuze brought out anti-toxin underlay for hardsuits and poisonous rounds for small arms; though the latter was now redundant as firearms now use thermal clips in heat-sink technology.
Had the disposable shock troop experiments been a success then perhaps the colonies now being harvested by the Collectors might have had a greater chance of being defended. If those Seeker swarms were targeting humans then the use of things like the Thorian creepers or husks was a logical move, a strategic manoeuvre that could have saved a lot of lives. But what was good on paper as they say wasn't good in practice, not when it was given a face.
Her sister had seen those faces and there was no justification good enough for the younger Lawson for them to have been committed. Did Oriana see her big sister mirrored in the eyes of those subjects that fell victim to Cerberus' operations? Surely she must. This thought consumed Miranda. Cerberus had drunk deep the wine of betrayal and conspires, bribes and blackmail. It became blinded in the stupor of their political and back-room machinations. Caught in the middle were the innocents. That boy on Freedom's Progress, Corporal Toombs, Admiral Kahoku, Secura Shepard-T'Soni, Oriana Solheim.
"We're not successful because of our perfect genes," Oriana said, sitting down directly across from Miranda. Her soft voice startled the elder sister so much so that she visibly jumped at the intrusion of her drifting mind. "We are who we are because of our choices. Our actions make us who we are."
"You sound just like Shepard," Lawson said, keeping her voice neutral if not slightly upbeat. This was the first time since the two had an argument in the brig that they had spoken.
Oriana looked a little embarrassed. "She said something like that to me when I asked her about you. She said you only see yourself though your...our creation. That day in the brig, she saw me in the gym working out afterwards. Maybe she saw how upset I was or the guard told her, I don't know." From the corner of her eyes she saw Nual shake her head at the last comment indicating the guards had kept their silence.
"Anyway, the Commander took me into the biotics training area, showed me a few tricks helped me work out my frustrations. She said if you'd only see past the perfect genes you'd see who you really were. I asked her what she saw other than an enemy agent."
Miranda winced fearful of what Shepard might have said. Monster was one of them. Had to be.
"She said she saw an incredibly brave woman."
That was something Lawson had not expected to hear or quoted from the Spectre's mouth. But then Mirada thought the same of Shepard, why wouldn't you say that about an enemy you respected?
"Brave?"
"She said at sixteen you ran away from our father, from what he was trying to turn you into. She said shots were fired, but you resisted. I know you went back for me, to rescue me from becoming the legacy our father wanted, to become a monster that he is." Oriana looked deep into identical blue eyes. "But to do it, you had paid the devil's due. It's why you joined Cerberus. The Illusive Man agreed to find me a safe place, with good people, the normal life you wanted for me but in trade you had to serve him.
"When I asked her why she was praising you when you were supposed to be her enemy, she said, 'Mirada's sense of duty was no less than mine, Oriana. You wonder if your sister is really is evil at heart. What lies and threats led her down the paths she took; if your sister wouldn't have preferred to live with you in that safe harbor she placed you in.
"'I think if it was her choice she would have, but Henry Lawson was hunting you both. A newborn was safer without her. So she gave you up to keep you safe and she paid the devil's price, her soul. After a fashion Cerberus gave your sister a since of self. Her talents and skills finally had a use, and Cerberus admires perfection in human whether it's natural or made. Mr. TIMmy is very keen on reminding her of this. So that's what she sees when she looks in the mirror; a greatness because she as made so, not because it was earned.
"Cerberus turned that brave young woman who risked her life to save yours into someone else. Someone who now suffocates her realities and numbs her emotions. Cerberus turned her into a person who must dehumanize others so she can do what she does, so she can live with what Mr. Illusive makes her do. Give her a chance, Oriana. I think through you, she can remember what being a real human is. You are her humanity. Help her remember who she really is, not what TIMmy transformed her into.'"
Oriana took a breath before looking into the depths of her sister's eyes and saw them tear up. "I...I wanted to thank you for saving me, Miri."
Lawson only nodded; a small hopeful smile touched her lips before it slowly faded into uncertainty. "I wanted you safe, to have a quite, normal life. I never wanted you touched by any of this," she gestured to the area around her indicated not only the Normandy and the struggle between Spectre and Cerberus but all of it, including Mirada's own involvement with the organization. "I didn't want you pulled into the shadow of what..." she was about to say 'what Cerberus does', but stopped and thought better of it. In fact, she changed the direction of the entire conversation. "Wait...you called me Miri."
"I hope that's okay." For a moment there wasn't a nineteen year woman sitting across from her but a young child.
The elder sister nodded, tentatively reached out and touched the other's clasped hands that were resting upon the table's surface. "Of course it is." The hopeful smile was back again. She pulled her hand away and placed them around the now cold tea cup.
"I was going to talk to you earlier but by the time I got my nerve back up you were off to that base to confiscate that new ship. And I..." Oriana frowned a bit. "It was strange but I found myself worrying about you, hoping that you'd come back safely. I had to wait until we came back to Illium again so I could speak with you."
"You were worried about me?" Miranda didn't think after Oriana's tale of relating the conversation with Shepard she could become anymore astonished but here she was once more shocked.
"I only found out I had a big sister. It takes a bit of time to get accustomed to that, you know. And I was so mad to find out you were with such an evil group of people and that thing about our genes..." she signed. "But after talking with the Commander I started to imagine you at sixteen and escaping with me in your arms under the cover of darkness-fighting to keep us both alive and free." She laughed a little. "I think my imagination got the better of me and I made up an entire Hollywood epic in my mind.
"You were quite heroic you know, firing a gun in one hand and carrying me in the other using your biotics just like an asari commando. There were a lot of explosions. Very exciting. Big budget explosions. Like the ones that tend to happen around Commander Shepard. And the fight scenes were very dramatically choreographed including bullet time when you put a slug between a thug's eyes and made his head explode and the biotics were just as stunning and heart-stopping."
Miranda chuckled at her sister's imaginary version of events.
"I was crying, squalling really, but you cradled me close and told me to shush and that you'd always keep me safe and I drooled and smiled a silly toothless baby smile that made you have tears in your eyes and you smiled back at me. Then we vanished into the night with hounds baying at our heels. Oh and by the way I was an absolutely adorable baby."
The sisters Lawson giggled together.
"Then the very big emotional scene played out. You tearfully gave me up to the lovely young childless couple that became my mom and dad. When they left in a skycar into the sunset on Illium, the sinter TIMmy came out of the shadows and placed a hand upon your shoulder. Smoke billowing about him like a serpent and he said something very creepy and you hung your head and went with him. But you gave one last look over your shoulder to the tiny dot on the horizon and said 'Be safe Ori, be happy, you're free now.' then fade to black."
"I don't know if there were any explosions, but the rest..." Miranda scratched the spot under her collarbone. "That is pretty much what happened. Though there were a few other details glossed over or skipped. Giving you up, thinking I'd never see you again...that was the hardest thing I've ever done, Oriana."
Oriana looked down to her folded hands, "The family you gave me to, the Solheim's, they love me, they're good people. They raised me to be good people. And you did that, Miri. You have me a chance, not fancy tailored genes, just you."
Miranda remained transfixed by her near-permanent state of surprise that her sister seemed to have an unquestionable talent for placing her in. In a very strange way, in a very surreal way, she knew she owed this reconnection to Shepard.
The Commander practically insisted on making firm connections to family, to friends. She was an ardent believer that every soldier had something to fight for; to come back to. The Illusive Man was the opposite. He was adamant that there be no distractions in his people. The only connection an agent needed to affirm, the only bond was the one to Cerberus, fealty sworn to him, to the cause. In the manifesto to rise above the subjection of the aliens, to protect humanity the Illusive Man had forgotten what it was to be human.
Miranda looked into mirror blue eyes and saw a human looking back at her. Oriana was worth fighting for, protecting, she was something to come back to. How could you protect humanity if it didn't have a face? In the same way Shepard had put a face to the victims of the Cerberus Manifesto, The Illusive Man had taken away the faces of those the doctrine was supposed to protect.
Miranda looked at her sister-she didn't want to lose the face of her humanity. And there it was, that blasted thing again and Shepard was right in the damn middle of it.
MEMEMEMEMEMEME
*Hey, LT. Transmission coming in. It's from Alliance Brass at Arcturus: Admiral Hackett. Priority one.* Joker transmitted over the Victory's intercom, gaining Williams' attention since she had the deck of the Victory in Shepard's absence.
For the past two hours she had been stationed at the CIC overseeing transfer of gear and equipment from the Victory to the Normandy. "Acknowledged. Radio Shepard and appraise her of the situation."
*Can do, but, LT, the Admiral is calling for you.*
Ash's face fell into a confused frown. "Me? Why dose he want to talk to me?"
*Hey, when that man says he wants to talk to you, I don't stop to ask him why.* Joker said. * I like my job, messing with him is a good way to lose it. He has less of a sense of humor than Anderson has.*
"Alright. Send it to the comm-room"
*Still want me to pass the note to Shepard?*
Despite the fact the pilot couldn't see her, Williams shook her head. "Negative, I'll wait until I have to hear what the Admiral wants."
*Roger that,* Joker answered. *The Admiral is waiting on vid-comm.*
Walking to the Victory's comm-room just behind the wardroom, the young officer tried to make sense as to why the one of the Alliance's top Fleet Admirals (some might go as far to say the Admiral) wanted to talk to her on a top priority channel.
Maybe he wants more information about liberating the SR-2? Nah...can't be. Maybe it has to do with the prisoners? Or what if it's about Shepard seemingly bending to Cerberus. But that was for show. Shepard said Hackett and Anderson and the Council had the SitRep about the whole thing. So it couldn't be that. Maybe it was that elusive, cryptic thing the Skipper said about me becoming a Spectre. The curious frown became even more etched on the young woman's face. But wouldn't he wait for Shepard to be here with me, to spring the news? Well hell, they dropped the notion on Shepard's lap just before ground fall on Eden Prime. Why would they give me any more notice? Come one, Williams, buck-up, you won't find anything out until you open the channel.
Williams sucked in a breath of air and held it for a count of five before releasing it. She had never spoken to any of the Admiralty without a superior officer being at her shoulder, most notably Shepard. It was more daunting then the marine thought, academically she knew what to do, how to behave, but actually doing so in actuality was a whole other story altogether.
She activated the vid-comm and snapped to immediate attention with a very crisp salute.
*At ease, Second Lieutenant Williams," he said after returning the salute.
She went into parade rest.
*No doubt you are wondering why I called you here and not your CO.*
"The thought has crossed my mind, sir."
*Commander Shepard is not the woman I need for this mission. She is exactly where she is needed, doing what we need her do to. Williams, there is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer. I have to put together a mission, I need you for it. You know what top secret is?* asked Admiral Hackett.
"Yes, sir, it's the sort of mission you earn medals for, but they send them to your relatives."
The blue holographic imaged nodded. *Top secret…it's that you train for a mission that has a hell of a lot of unknowns. And you go without knowing where you're going or what you're going to face. You do it on that basis or not at all.*
"Understood. I'll go wherever you need me, sir."
*Good woman, I knew I could count on you. Commander Shepard has already been apprised, in fact she recommended you for your own command. I happen to agree with her. You will be going groundside, leading a squad of other B4 Marines on colony on the planet of Horizon. There you will set up a perimeter and oversee the installation of an AA tower and kinetic barriers.
*Our Intel says that Cerberus has made a strong push in the Terminus Systems. According to them they are only intent on protecting our colonies, Alliance Intelligence believes otherwise, however. We know they have an agent on Fehl Prime, but what his true goals there are are still unknown. We believe his presence there has something to do with a discovery made by an independent team of scientists led by a student of Dr. T'Soni's, a Dr. Treeya Nuwani.
*As far as we know, Horizon had no such finds, but it is a very likely target of either Cerberus or the Collectors. If it is Cerberus we want to ensure the colony is protected, if it is indeed the Collectors, the AA tower and military grade kinetic barriers will prove a deterrent. We believe Shepard is correct that the Collectors are a clear and present danger. They are threat. But we cannot afford to exclude any possibility that Cerberus is somehow involved in our colonies going missing.
*Lieutenant the IOA has granted each Terminus colony only a small fraction of the protection it needs. Which is why I need good, reliable officers to take command of a squad and protect our people.*
"Sir, permission to speak freely?"
*Granted.*
"Sir, so far I don't see where the top secret part is coming in. Putting in a massive AA tower isn't something that can be kept quite in a population of civilians. Especially when they're so mistrustful of the Alliance to begin with."
*True. The insulation is only part of your mission. Cerberus has agents in the IOA, in every echelon of the Alliance and even within the Council personal. Lines have been compromised, Lieutenant. Your mission is to find the agent on Horizon and neutralize them. This person has been deeply planted within the general population, they will not be easy to route out. Above all, Lieutenant, you must not give your true objective away, you must not be compromised. We can't afford any snags.*
"Snag." The word was charged with meaning for the marine. Getting caught in an ambush or a minefield, a teammate wounded, or aerial and orbital bombardments-those were all things she had trained for. Snags were things they didn't know how to handle. Complications that no one had planned for. Being with Shepard one might have thought that snag-training was par of the course. But that was the real kicker about snags; you couldn't train for them.
"I understand. I will not disappoint you, sir. When am I to be reassigned?"
*You will catch the transport with the turian and salarian troopers when they return to the Citadel.* Hackett paused. *Lieutenant, I know you're disappointed about being reassigned off the Normandy, but you're a damn fine marine, which is why I need you planet side heading that detail.*
"Yes. sir." Williams saluted smartly and waited for the Admiral to cut transmissions before she dropped it.
The old man was right, Williams didn't want to leave the Normandy, but she went where she was needed. And she was needed on Horizon. She would do her duty, she was a marine, it was in her blood and she followed her orders.
MEMEMEMEMEMEME
*Human Colony Cyrene Disappears Without Explanation*The human colony Cyrene has disappeared without a trace – the latest in a series of colonies which have been lost under mysterious circumstances. It is estimated that five thousand people are missing. The moon colony circling the gas giant Idmon was a transit station between the Titan Nebula and the remainder of the Terminus Systems. "It matches the modus operandi," says investigator Simon Haute. "No signs of force, no witnesses, a genuine Roanoke." Cyrene is the seventh human colony which has disappeared in the Terminus Systems since 2183. Only in one case could traces of looting be found which were attributed to a gang of marauders who had arrived first on the scene after the disappearance.
*The disappearance of the human colony on Cyrene has caused an uproar on the news networks, the reaction in the Terminus Systems, however, is indifferent."It's always humans," says local batarian, Kru'thep Narack. "I guess it's like with those serial killers who target people they know." Even among humans battle fatigue is spreading. "We have all the weapons and security systems we can afford," says seaweed farmer Yao Tze. "That's just the way of life out here." In fact, everywhere our news team went the mysterious abductions were always associated with slavers or pirates – common threats in the Terminus Systems. Meanwhile, the political will within the Alliance, which handles the complaints through its ombudsmen, seems to be almost extinguished. "We haven't forgotten it," says inspector Owen Adams, "we simply haven't got any hot leads."*
"You know, sometimes I hate listening to Wong's reports," Abby Williams said turning away from the vid screen. "It's rarely filled with anything good anymore."
"That's why I hardly ever listen to the news period," Chorban commented. "It's all hype and what the government doesn't tell them to say the media just makes up"
"It's not always like that. Wong tells it straight," Lizbeth said taking a sip of her beer. "I like her show, especially now that she moved from Newsnet to the Citadel News. That other guy they have is crap."
"I'll tell you what crap is." This came from Chells, "We're being tossed out because we're tech and science. What the hell did we do all that training for if we're not going in? Three weeks of hell from three sadistic knuckle-dragging militants for nothing."
"Hey, mind what you say about them. One of those knuckle-dragging militants happens to be my sister," Abby shot back at the salarian hacker.
"What of it? Our time was wasted. What did we learn all of that for?" Chells was almost always permanently in a fowl mood.
"Wait a minute, are you actually saying you want to go hunt the Collectors?!" Shilar the asari biophysicist sat up from lounging on the couch she was on. No one else with the little group could believe their ears either.
Other than Jahleed, Schells had been the one of the more vocal of all the scientists and tech-experts that complained against the three week training Wrex, Garrus and Ash had put the crew in. Since their three weeks of training, the Baynham mother and daughter, Abby, Schells and his fellow Chorban as well as Shilar had become quite close. They spent their after duty hours together often times both playing liar's dice or Skillian five and drinking. Jahleed of course had bailed after the training, citing he hadn't signed up for infantry duty.
"Yes. No. I don't know," the salarian mumbled into his drink.
"I think he is feeling a bit nostalgic for the Normandy and Shepard," Shilar teased.
"I am not! I don't like being tossed aside like some prostitute at the Council's whim."
"That hit a nerve. Why so defensive, Chelly?" Lizbeth baited.
"I told you not call me that, Lizzy." Chells stood up and drank the rest of his beer. "I'm going to bed." He ambled towards the door of the observation lounge on unsteady feet, leaving the others to their chatter.
"He's right, though. We went though that training to help us prepare to face off the enemy. And we were hand chosen by Commander Shepard to discover ways to fight the Reapers, but now we're being disbursed because the Council decided to send a human heavy crew into the Terminus. As you humans say, that's 'bullshit'," Shilar said.
"Are you suggesting a mutiny? The Commander didn't order this." Juliana shook her head.
"No, not mutiny, a protest. I vote when tomorrow comes and the volunteers are to assemble in the hanger-deck we stand with them."
"Shilar is right, Mom. Let's stay. Shepard can use our help. I know we're not he only ones to feel this way. You heard the rest of our division. And the science corps isn't the only ones grumbling. I heard the turian regiments and the STG don't want to go either."
"Beth, it isn't up any of us, nor Shepard and she had her orders. She's a Spectre and when the Council gives her orders she must follow them," Juliana spoke.
Chorban piped up. "I know Russan made a special request to the Hierarchy to be allowed to remain in this tour. Captain Kirrahe said if they take both the Victory and the Normandy when it comes time to go through the Omega-Four Relay, ourchances of success are doubled."
"Well of course they're doubled, its two ships. But how are we supposed to go into the relay? Anyone who has ever tired has never come back." Shilar shook her head.
"Then we need to find a ship that has. A Collector ship. They must have a way, something that marks them. Maybe a unique IFF." Chorban sounded eager to face the challenge of uncovering the secret. In fact, he thrilled to such challenges. Finding a way to scan and record data on the Keepers was the start, it was what got him on Shepard's radar in the first place. "Shepard needs us. Professor Mordin can't be the only one to help her on the science area."
"Listen to yourselves, all of you. You make it sound as if we're abandoning her and the cause. We're being reassigned to a lab with the sole purpose of uncovering all there is in the tech we found in those ruins. You three want to help Shepard. Then do what you do best. Figure things out. Find ways to use that tech against our enemy and make sure Shepard and the rest of our militaries have the best weaponry, the best defenses possible. Three weeks of field training might help us survive when the Reaper War finally does touch us but it doesn't make us, any of us soldiers." The elder Baynham sagely advised.
It was true the only ones of the Sciences and Tech corps that had any military training were Professor Mordin Solus and by proxy Dr. Liara T'Soni.
"And if somehow the turian troopers and the STG convince the Council to allow Shepard the two ships, what then?" asked Abby.
"That isn't likely to happen." Chorban shook his head. "I don't know the real reason the Council is whittling down the Command's support, but they have a purpose for it. Juliana is right, we're better in the labs. Besides, it is a greater chance to help more people that way. All our people."
"Yeah, maybe you're right, but sure as hell feels like a god damn retreat," Abby said, sounding an awful lot like her big sister. "I hate feeling like I gave up."
"I am quite certain that is a sensation we all share, Abby," Shilar commented.
The conversation hung there for a few moments until the asari reached for a new bottle of beer. "Come on, how about another round of Liar's Dice?"