Chapter Twenty-Six
The Touch of a Drunken Volus
Omega, Sahrabarik
On glancing at the chrono steadfastly keeping time in the corner of one screen, Liara was surprised to find it was early evening. She realised that she had lost all track of time. It was a frequent occurrence, probably ingrained in her personality. It also meant she could not berate Shepard for spending all day at Prax's clinic.
Liara was buried within the galactic ramifications of the Alliance's separation from the Council. It would likely be her reality for months to come. Only hours after the announcement there had been a flood of incoming information from the broker's agents. Even with Mack and Hannah's assistance, the sheer amount was beyond individual comprehension. To process the data, Liara relied on an intricate weave of complex analytical programs. Often data was sorted, tagged and dealt with without the need for someone to physically lay eyes on it. Without such aids, the Broker network would be a paltry thing, overwhelmed by the vast quantities of information being channelled beneath its auspices.
She stubbornly ignored her need for the bathroom.
Currently she was digesting the production figures from one of the largest munitions factories on Palaven. In the scant hours since the Alliance announcement, output had already increased over three hundred percent. Although Turian memories did not run as deep as those of the Asari, the animosity created by the First Contact War stubbornly lingered. Although the Turian military had been decimated during the Reaper War, the rebuilding process was swift and efficient. In all likelihood, the Turians would be the first to challenge any seemingly hostile move made by the Alliance.
The Asari reaction was more protracted. Liara knew that her people were still processing the news before they formulated a response. That response would simply be to wait and let humanity make the first move. Asari concerns remained centred around the rebuilding of a devastated Thessia.
On Rannoch, the Quarians and geth had responded with interest, but it was muted by the vast distance between them and Alliance space. The threat, for the immediate future, was minimal. The Krogan were also looking inwardly. The end of the genophage had predictably resulted in a breeding frenzy. Krogan gestation periods meant that the first wave of younglings was only just starting to hatch. Even amongst a race as warlike as the Krogan, this had the effect of generating a sort of peace. Ruminations of Civil War were, for the time being at least, placed on hold. Liara knew that any one of the seemingly inattentive races would fight tooth and nail to protect what was theirs, or possibly even to carve out a stronger position in the new world. After everything they had been through what was one more skirmish? How did a territorial dispute compare with fighting to save an entire race? Even though no one would want it, war felt like it was inevitable.
One person could prevent it all. The one person who commanded the respect of the galaxy's most powerful races. That person was currently wallowing in bodily fluids in a back-alley clinic on Omega. Liara sighed. Shepard wasn't ready. Not remotely.
The bathroom could no longer wait.
Even in the bathroom, her mind kept working over different scenarios. Mostly involving ways to ensure Shepard stayed out of the role of peacemaker. Unfortunately, nothing was working.
The expression in the mirror reflected her anxiety – pinched, drawn, and pale.
Her drive had fled by the time she returned to the gloomy, windowless box that dominated too much of her life. Her gaze wandered, looking for a distraction and she quickly found it in an unread message. It was a rare occurrence that Liara simply forgot about something, but amidst the Shadow Broker's all-consuming galactic wide concerns, she had overlooked a request of a more personal nature. She had tasked an Omega-based agent with researching the personal history of one individual. The assignment was accepted without fuss. No questions were asked as to why the Broker was interested in an unremarkable asari maiden.
Now, as she stared at the message sitting in her personal inbox, Liara realised that she had honestly forgotten that she had made the request in the first place. In just a few days, Mycea Kasos had succeeded in winning her over. Not to the same extent that the asari maiden had managed with Shepard, but Liara considered herself an adept judge of character - Mycea's naivety and optimism appeared genuine.
Everything changed when Liara read the contents of the message.
"Fuck," she whispered succinctly.
It had taken every ounce of Shepard's willpower to restrain herself from strangling the Batarian, even before he opened his mouth. She recognised him immediately. Just a few days earlier the bastard had been on the receiving end of her boot. Two of his four eyes were still swollen as a result. It was when he mentioned 'Aria' and 'Myke' in the same sentence that she saw red. With Shepard having seen off her merc gang in emphatic fashion, Aria had resorted to baser methods to obtain an audience.
Shepard had no choice but to follow the Batarian toward Afterlife. He'd introduced himself as Hanek. His tone was smug. He knew his employer had won this round. Shepard ordinarily wouldn't care about the opinion of some two-bit merc. She wasn't interested in being friends. Only in biding her time until she could finish the job she had started on his face. However, the moment Myke's name was mentioned she had been unable to stop the anxiety and fear from flooding her expression. It was the reason that she now found herself trotting after Hanek as though she was the obedient lapdog. The situation was the exact one that she had fought to avoid.
Guilt gripped her stomach as they approached Aria's infamous club. The flaming façade seemed duller than Shepard remembered. The music reverberating from within however did not. The deep, pounding rhythms jarred her teeth. A drum beat marching her toward the encounter that she did not want to have. All for the sake of a ridiculously naïve asari who ought to have meant nothing to her.
Despite the passage of time since her last visit, her boots walked a familiar path through the heart of the club. Years ago, the view would have provided a welcome distraction. Instead the dancers' gyrating bodies were ignored as Shepard kept her focus fixed high above the club floor. An ominous silhouette stood amidst the shadows. The Queen of Omega herself. Watching Shepard's approach.
Shepard knew she should have considered her appearance before coming face to face with Aria T'Loak. It was nothing to do with vanity and everything to do with the image she projected. Having given Yuri her jacket, she was dressed simply in cargos, white vest and heavy boots. Her hair was bundled back into a ponytail. At first glance, her appearance suggested just another wannabe merc – young and easily broken. This was not the individual Shepard wanted Aria to see. She missed her hardsuit. As restrictive as it was to be confined inside ceramic plates, it added bulk to her slender frame. Not to mention it was immensely helpful when the shooting started. Part of her even missed the disfiguring morass of orange scars that she had worn as a shield for so long. Now she felt frighteningly bare, her frail humanity laid out in stark relief.
As she crested the stairs leading up to Aria's private eyrie, the first face she saw was not that of Aria. It was Myke. The maiden was perched stiffly on the couch. Her stiff-backed defiance was negated by the terrified pallor she wore. A crust of dried blood covered the side of her head. Myke turned toward the stairs. Toward Shepard. Sheer relief flooded her face. In that moment Shepard found the strength that had been eluding her.
As she ascended the last stair, just before planting her boots firmly on the level, Shepard's gaze settled on Aria herself. Omega's de facto ruler was still facing the club floor below. Her attention however was not on Afterlife's patrons. It was a pretence. Aria knew exactly where Shepard was. There was no doubt a small smirk on the asari's face as she appraised the human entering her domain.
"What the fuck are you doing, T'Loak?" Shepard felt that it was imperative she speak first. Her tone was calm but firm. "Threatening my friends is not the best way to get my attention."
"You of all people should be familiar with the rules around here, Shepard," Aria replied in a mocking voice.
"Spare me the 'don't fuck with Aria' speech," Shepard said dismissively. She clearly remembered the effect that those words had on her the first time she heard them. While Aria had not intimidated her, Shepard had nevertheless received the warning signals very clearly. This was an individual not to be trifled with. Much had happened to her in the time since. Going toe to toe with the asari no longer fazed her as it once had. "You wanted my attention, you've got it."
Aria finally turned. The anticipated smirk lingered on her lips. Shepard expected to find the asari's eyes cold, but instead they danced with amusement and possibly even curiosity. As relaxed as Aria was, Shepard's own nonchalance was a cover. She remained on edge. There were surprisingly few goons in the eerie itself, just Hanek and an unfamiliar Turian, but Shepard knew that Aria was more than capable of defending herself. If the meeting descended into violence, Shepard would lose. The silence dragged on for almost a minute as they appraised one another.
"You look good for a twice-dead woman," T'Loak announced eventually. Her smirk was leering.
At no point had Shepard been interested in trading small talk. Although she kept her focus fixed on Aria out of necessity, she remained aware of Myke. The young asari had barely moved from her position on the couch. In Aria's intimidating presence she lacked any of her usual spark. Shepard didn't blame her. It took every ounce of her own confidence and strength to match the steely gaze of Omega's ruler.
"We can trade pleasantries after you let Kasos leave." Shepard knew she had no leverage to make such demands. At the same time it was tearing her apart to see Myke so wretched and to know that she was the cause. "She's nobody."
Aria's smirk became a full-blown smile. "Obviously."
Shepard folded her arms across her chest to keep them from shaking. It had been a poor choice of words. The 'nobody' had been enough to make Shepard drop everything and come running. For all her stoicism, Myke clearly meant something to her. Plying Aria's conscience would do little. It was very likely she didn't have one. She did however have an exceptionally large ego.
"I'm here to see you Aria, not quibble over some asari maiden. You've already got a whole stable of them plying their wares down below, you don't need another." Shepard hated the callous tone of her voice. Regardless of whether Myke saw through her words, she knew that they would still hurt.
"Fine," Aria waved her hand dismissively. "She's served her purpose."
When Shepard turned to face Myke, the asari was still rooted to her seat. Her expression was uncertain. "Get out of here." Shepard's voice carried no warmth. The urgency was masked, but it was there. All she could think about was getting Myke out of an environment where she didn't belong. "Now."
"But-" Myke started to protest. Her gaze darted from Aria, to Hanek and the turian before settling back on Shepard. The maiden rose to her feet and squared her shoulders defiantly. "I'm not leaving you alone." She shifted her expression back to Aria. Some of her bravado returned as she glared at the older asari. "Not with her."
Aria laughed. Full throated, honest. "The little one has found a quad at last!" Without warning she flared blue. Effortless. Powerful. The fields lashed outwards and swept Myke from her feet, wiping the defiant expression from her face at the same time. By the time the younger asari landed hard on her back, Aria had already extinguished her biotic field. The whole exercise had taken a mere second, like swatting a fly. "Run along like Shepard told you, Kasos. The grown-ups need to have a conversation."
Cradling her injured arm, with unshed tears glistening in her eyes, Myke cast one last look at Shepard. Her inadequacies had been laid bare. She was useful only as a means to drag Shepard down. Her departure was slow as she had to drag herself to her feet. Shepard made no move to help.
A distinct wave of relief passed through Shepard's body when Myke disappeared down the stairs. The maiden did not belong in Aria's presence. As inept as Shepard was at the whole game, Myke had no business playing in the first place.
Following a dismissive wave of their boss's hand, Hanek and his compatriot silently departed the eyrie. Shepard was left alone with the Queen of Omega. Aria crossed to the couch and settled down in a graceful, predatory series of movements.
"Down to business?" she suggested as Shepard took a seat on the opposite side of the couch. She cupped the back of her head in her hands and stretched as a precursor for what was to come. All traces of the smirk had disappeared by the time she met Shepard's gaze. "First and foremost, what the fuck are you doing on Omega?"
Myke lingered outside Afterlife for a few minutes, skulking in the shadows as she watched those coming and going. An internal debate raged as to whether she should ignore Shepard and march back inside. She had to do something. Her entire body hummed with pent up anger. It was directed at Aria T'Loak for being the raving bitch that she was; at Shepard for dismissing her so callously; and at herself for having been stupid enough to be caught in the first place. Most of her anger was reserved for the unknown forces that had decreed she be born without biotic ability. Whether it was the fault of her parents or just a giant 'fuck you' from some deity, Myke had never felt as helpless as she had over the past few hours. She lived her life to this point unconcerned by her lack of biotics. Being thrown into the midst of larger-than-life individuals exposed her for the fraud that she was. Shepard was right. She was nobody.
The one thing she could do was find someone who would be able to back Shepard up. Although a comfortable truce had developed between her and Liara, it was clear that they would never be good friends. Then there was the fact that the other maiden was extremely protective of Shepard. Myke had to weigh up the risks of not telling her, versus telling her and possibly being flayed alive. She didn't know whether it was possible for a biotic to flay someone alive, but even the prospect was suitably terrifying. Myke squared her shoulders and made her decision.
Ten minutes later Liara admitted her to the apartment with little fuss, even going so far as to offer her a drink before asking what brought her there.
"Evan is at Afterlife!" Myke blurted without thinking. She paused and drew a breath before continuing. "I mean, she's with Aria…talking to Aria, because of me." She studied Liara's face, watching for the first hints of fury to appear. "Aria's goons grabbed me in the markets. Evan…well, she was Evan. She came running. Now she's alone with T'Loak."
Myke finally managed to stop the babble of words leaving her lips but she continued to bound from foot to foot with nervous agitation. The angry response that she had expected from Liara never materialised. Instead the older maiden continued to stare at her with an unreadable expression. Myke ducked her head. Calm was just as bad as angry.
"I know," Liara replied simply.
"You know?" Myke was incredulous. "How the hell do you know?"
Liara regarded her with a level stare. It was almost condescending. "There are few things that Aria does of which I remain unaware. This particular piece of information especially. Evan does not like me keeping tabs on her, but in this place? With friends like you? It remains an evil necessity."
A scowl formed on Myke's face in response. "At least Evan has a friend," she muttered under her breath. She met Liara's gaze with a challenging stare. "Well, what are we going to do about it?"
"We will do nothing. You have already done enough and there is little I can do."
"You can help her!" Myke protested vehemently. She could not stop a shrill edge forming on her voice at she yelled at Liara. "Instead you're just going to stay here doing nothing?"
"It is pointless becoming worked up over matters beyond your control," was the other asari's infuriatingly calm reply.
Myke found a measure of calm of her own. Instead she fumed inwardly. "I can't do anything, but surely you can! You've got biotics don't you? You can kick T'Loak's ass. Instead you're just going to sit there with that damn superior look on your face while Aria has Evan!"
Liara cocked her head to one side as though Myke was merely an interesting species of plant life, or perhaps an insect on the wall. Myke's anger only heightened. As much as she wanted to be able to like Liara for Shepard's sake, she could not bring herself to think of the other asari as anything but a self-righteous bitch. Although she had never left Omega, Myke had seen similar types pass through Omega countless times over the decades. Aristocratic young maidens who thought the world would fall at their feet. They came to Omega on a whim, seeking to defy their mothers with a career as a merc or a dancer. Some succeeded. Most were quickly swallowed by the ravenous entity in which they found themselves. Liara T'Soni was different. There were elements of an aristocratic maiden about her. Then there was something else. Myke had difficulty expressing exactly what that 'something else' was. She wanted to say power, but the word was insufficient. As Myke studied the other maiden's expression, she suddenly wondered whether she would have preferred to be back in Afterlife with Aria.
"Aria does not have Evan," Liara eventually replied. "Not by any stretch of the imagination. The meeting was inevitable. It just happened that Aria chose to accelerate matters by preying on Evan's compassion and sense of loyalty."
"Yeah, I get it. The whole thing's my fault," Myke skulked, still feeling utterly useless.
There was no disagreement in response from Liara. The lack of one said everything that Myke needed to know.
"Besides," Liara continued. "There are very few individuals who can kick Aria T'Loak's arse as you so charmingly put it. As proficient as I am, I am certainly not one of those people."
Liara left her standing, stewing, in the middle of the apartment. As she crossed to a nearby compartment, Myke watched her with varying levels of mistrust and loathing. She eventually returned holding a small medkit.
"Take a seat." Liara nodded toward the couch.
Myke just stared at her in disbelief. "Why?"
"The wound on your head requires treatment," Liara replied.
The blow to her head had been completely forgotten. The reminder brought with it a throbbing headache. "I don't care about my head. Evan is-"
"I would suggest that you sit down, Mycea Kasos" Liara interrupted in a firm voice. "I may not be able to take on Aria, but I am fairly certain that I would be able to keep you from acting out whatever fool plan is floating around in your head."
In truth Myke had no plan in her head – fool or otherwise. Her only concern was having Shepard escape unscathed from her conversation with Aria T'Loak. Although their friendship was still relatively new, Myke felt as though she owed the human everything. Regardless of the differences she had with Liara, she had at least expected them both to be on the same page when it came to protecting Shepard. Keeping further disgruntled thoughts to herself, Myke instead made her feelings on the matter clear in the surly way she walked to the couch. She sat and scowled as Liara matter-of-factly began tending the wound on her head. Her touch was just as gentle as it had been when patching up her shoulder.
"I seem to be making a habit of this." The repetitive situation was not lost on Liara. Myke winced as she prodded around the swollen edges of the cut.
"Ow!" Myke snapped, suddenly wrenching her head away as she glared at Liara. "You've got a touch like a drunken volus!"
Liara couldn't help but smile in response. "Encountered many have you?"
"Not really, no," Myke admitted. "They've only got three stubby little fingers. I figure they'd be clumsy."
"I will endeavour to be gentler," Liara promised.
"Guess you think I'm fucking pathetic," Myke said as she submitted herself to Liara's ministrations once again. "Can't even defend myself from a bunch of two-bit mercs."
"That word did not cross my lips," Liara assured her. "Although it does seem strange that you have not learned anything about self-defence despite living on Omega your entire life."
Myke shrugged. "Maybe I should try. I never needed to, never wanted to. You'd have thought that a mother like mine would have insisted that her only daughter be able to defend herself, but she never did. Always said that she wanted me to live a different life." She caught Liara staring at her strangely. Myke realised that she had never mentioned her mother to either Shepard or Liara. She had not had any cause to. "My mother was a merc," was all she offered by way of explanation.
"Interesting," Liara commented. When Myke expected her to pry further, she changed the topic. "I care a great deal about Evan, more than you can possibly understand. I know it may seem as though I am abandoning her to Aria, I assure you I am not. There is something that Evan needs to realise, sooner rather than later. I am hoping that Aria may help her to reach that realisation before it is too late."
Myke frowned. "What realisation?"
Liara smiled again. It was not a happy smile. When the reply was not immediately forthcoming, Myke supposed that she was not going to answer. However eventually she replied in a soft, determined voice. "That she is the architect of our fate."
"What the fuck am I doing on Omega?" Shepard repeated Aria's question in a mocking tone to buy herself time. She hadn't realised the extent to which she was unwelcome in Aria's domain. "I'm keeping to myself. I can't see the problem."
Aria suddenly jerked forward in her seat. If Shepard had not schooled herself to equanimity then she would have reacted along a similar vein. As it was she remained calmly staring at Aria, almost enjoying the visible play of emotions across the asari's face.
"You wanna know the problem, Commander?" Aria fired back. "You've been here a month. A month and you haven't laid waste to a single district, nor have you cracked any skulls besides those incompetent morons I sent to fetch you. Frankly I'm fucking bored. And if I'm bored then I'm pretty sure that you're bored too. Did they castrate you while you were on ice?"
Shepard's calm faltered. It was replaced by confusion. "You're berating me because I haven't caused any trouble?"
Aria snorted disdainfully. "The human I remember carved through the ranks of Eclipse, the Blue Suns and the Blood Pack to get what she wanted. You and that Justicar of yours laid waste to half a district just to put down one Ardat Yakshi. That human had fire. I might have even liked her. You're just a shadow."
"You went to all the trouble of getting me here just to rip me to shreds?" Shepard asked. "I'm not that Shepard anymore – the famous Commander, the marine. Dying twice seems to do that to a person."
"So you died, boo fucking hoo," Aria replied without sympathy or commiseration. "I don't subscribe to a goddess or a higher power, but some fuck decided that you should be given more chances than the rest of us. What do you do? Sulk around on Omega of all places. Don't get me wrong, this place is fucking paradise, but it's my idea of paradise. You could be lying on a beach on Thessia-"
"I hate the beach," Shepard interjected. Confusion still reigned as to why Aria was even bothering with the pseudo pep talk.
"-instead you're doing nothing while the Galaxy is falling to pieces around you," Aria finished.
Aria delivered a challenging stare to accompany her words. The effect was lost because Shepard was still confused as to the point that was trying to be made. As she ruminated on the odd words, she was beginning to suspect that the Queen of Omega actually gave a fuck. The real question was why – especially when Shepard herself was struggling to find any empathy.
"There was a war," Shepard tried to explain. "Civilisations need time to rebuild."
"Ah...time. A commodity which will be in short supply following the Alliance's latest party trick," Aria continued. She paused, studying her own fingernails for a moment as though suddenly bored during her tirade. "I've got nothing against war - keeps things interesting, weeds out the galaxy's deadweight, and there's money to be made." It was only then that she lifted her head and gave Shepard a level stare. "Full scale war is another thing altogether. It's not good business, Shepard."
Shepard's composure deflated the moment she realised that she hadn't a clue as to what the Alliance's 'latest party trick' was – at least not beyond keeping her prisoner and allowing arseholes to dominate their ranks. She realised that shrewd tactics would be needed to salvage her self-respect – if that was even possible.
Leaning forward with her elbows poised casually on her knees, Shepard tried to look vaguely smug. "Am I to understand that you're asking me to sort out the Alliance's shit?" Whatever that shit is.
"You're The Shepard," Aria replied. "If anyone can make humanity realise that they are idiots to have left the Council it will be you."
Inwardly Shepard reeled at Aria's inadvertent revelation. Does she mean that the Alliance have actually left the Council? That's…bullshit. It's beyond ludicrous. Shepard vividly recalled the moment that she herself told the Council to fuck off rather than accept SpecTRe reinstatement, but she never expected the Alliance would follow suit. She fought for calm. "I wouldn't have taken you for a supporter of the Council, Aria."
"I'm not," Aria said in an emphatic voice. "Except when upstart young races decide that they're too good to belong to something that is the Galaxy's best chance at peace." Aria saw the expression on Shepard's face and rolled her eyes. "Don't look at me like that. I don't like rules, fucking hate them – but as long as they apply to someone other than me, there are things they're good for. Avoiding war is one of those."
"Forgive me if I'm sceptical, but-"
"I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, Commander. I just thought that someone who died for peace would fight a little harder to keep it," Aria finished in a gruff tone. She suddenly looked away with an awkward expression fluttering across her face. It vanished a moment later. "Goddess, if you don't give a fuck then I'm not going to sit here and waste my breath."
Shepard knew why Aria had sent her bodyguards away. This was not a side of the Queen of Omega that she would have expected or recognised. Regardless of whether Aria was simply protecting Omega's profits or something more altruistic, she obviously viewed the conversation as a weakness.
"I give a fuck," Shepard replied. "But I think you might find yourself sorely disappointed with my political abilities-"
"Dammit, Shepard," Aria snorted in disgust. "I don't want you to talk to the fuckers, I want you to stick to shit you're actually good at. Killing, blowing shit up, I don't care. Whatever gets the job done."
"You're still pissed at me for making a mess last time I was here," Shepard commented in an arched voice.
"I was, then Cerberus came along. Those cunts almost derailed everything I've built here."
"Hence the gratitude to Liara."
"Indeed," Aria murmured. "Your girlfriend has her uses."
The conversation had not evolved in the way Shepard had expected. Although she did not indulge in wild speculation, she had pictured herself dangling upside down in a singularity within five minutes. Instead she and Aria were having an almost civil conversation.
"You know I can't make any promises," Shepard began. Especially considering I only found out about this whole mess two minutes ago. Fuck, the fucking Alliance. "And I'm in no hurry whatsoever to go running back to Alliance space."
"This is just the start, Shepard," Aria replied. "Although this conversation was long overdue."
Shepard frowned as a thought struck her. "Your social skills could use a little work, T'Loak. First your goons tried to forcibly drag me into your presence, and now you drag Kasos into all of this shit. You could've just asked nicely."
Aria threw her head back and laughed mockingly. "I thought you knew me better than that? I don't ask nicely. Besides, Kasos could do with a dose of reality."
"I didn't think you would concern yourself with the affairs of one of your citizens," Shepard said out of curiosity.
Aria shrugged. "I am Omega. There are many things that come to my attention, especially the manner in which you spend your time skulking around the markets. Surely the infamous Commander Shepard would want to spend even her idle time more wisely?"
"I'm not wise," Shepard replied, rising to her feet decisively. "Well…I can't say that this has been entirely fun."
Aria remained seating. Smirking. "It was never meant to be fun. Do what you will, Shepard. Know this, if you decide to act, I may consider offering you my support."
"Provided I want it in the first place."
Shepard felt particularly reckless. She was still waiting for that biotic singularity. Instead Aria flashed a devilish grin that might possibly have been worse. Without a further word Shepard turned and descended from the eerie. She felt Aria's eyes as daggers in her back, even as she strode across the club floor toward the exit. Omega's Queen would no doubt watch her until she was out of sight.
During her walk back to the apartment, Shepard felt nothing other than an odd, detached calm. In hindsight, the conversation with Aria felt surreal to the point where she wasn't sure if it actually happened. It wasn't until she stepped across the threshold of her home and came face to face with Liara that reality hit. A myriad of emotions flashed across her bondmate's face in what felt like a heartbeat. First there was an obvious fear, then quickly followed by relief, then curiosity. Finally, the emotion that eventually won out and remained on her face, irritation. Reluctant to engage with Liara initially, Shepard searched for and found Myke perched awkwardly on the sofa. There was almost no trace of the head wound she had sustained other than a slight sheen of medi-gel on her forehead. She responded with a hesitant smile to indicate that she knew why Shepard had chosen such cruel words in Aria's presence. However the smile faltered and disappeared quickly. Although Shepard had intended her words to be fictitious, they carried a grain of truth. Beneath Liara and Myke's combined gaze, Shepard suddenly felt as though she needed something she hadn't had in a long time – a drink.
"How's your head?" Shepard broke the ice.
"Liara patched me up." Myke nodded. She scrubbed at her forehead, close to the wound. "I'm just left with a fucking big headache."
"There will not even be a scar," Liara added her own reassurance. "Much to her disgust."
Myke scowled. "Told you I didn't want any medi-gel."
"Trust me, scars aren't all they're cracked up to be," Shepard admitted from past experience. "You're better off staying pretty."
As Myke's grin hesitantly returned, Liara folded her arms across her chest and gave Shepard a level stare that indicated she wasn't going to stand around trading small talk. Shepard decided to pre-empt whatever it was her bondmate had to say.
"Why didn't you tell me that the Alliance has left the Council?" Shepard asked quietly. She could not keep the slight accusatory tone from her voice. "I had to hear it from Aria of all people."
"If you were not so determined to ignore everything beyond the cocoon you have built around yourself, you would have found out for yourself," Liara pointed out. Shepard opened her mouth to reply, but was silenced by a determined expression. "I understand that you want to shut it all out, but you still need to be informed. What happened today could have been avoided."
Shepard disagreed. "I regret Myke being dragged into all of this, but I needed to talk to her."
"Hey, I can handle it!" Myke piped up.
"You can no longer afford to live such a reckless existence, Evan." Liara ignored Myke. "Not now. You are trying to match Aria at her game and failing because you launch yourself headfirst into everything without thinking, without being fully informed."
Although Shepard nodded in agreement, the admonishment was still difficult to accept. "I did what I had to do. Aria couldn't get to you, so she took the only other person on this rock that I give a damn about."
Liara was not impressed by her deductions. "You let your concern for someone get in the way of rationality. You needed to take the time to stop and think-"
"This is Aria we're talking about. She doesn't give a thought to killing people simply for looking at her the wrong way," Shepard interrupted.
"Um, I should really go home," Myke mumbled awkwardly. She shuffled forward off the sofa and began to edge toward the door.
"Her life was never in danger," Liara stressed.
"Aria doesn't give a fuck if people like Myke die whilst playing her game," Shepard continued. "I thought you might, Liara."
Shepard bit her lip. She wondered if she'd pushed things too far. Liara simply regarded Shepard with a damnably serene expression on her face. The lack of response was irritating. Shepard turned her back on Liara before she replied. She needed to focus on something else, anything, before she lost her temper. In an effort to calm down she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.
"As callous as she is, even Aria would not deliberately harm her own daughter."
"And I'm not trying to play Aria's game," Shepard said, having not heard Liara's announcement. "I'm playing mine."
"What? That monster isn't my father!" Myke suddenly snapped. "And she sure as hell isn't my mother."
The exclamation immediately jerked Shepard out of her reverie. "Whose mother? What did you say?"
Myke surged forward, fists clenched and eyes flashing defiantly. "My mother was Leda Kasos. My father was some bastard Turian who left her when she was pregnant."
"No one is disputing the fact that your mother was Leda Kasos. I am merely saying that she lied to you regarding the identity of your father," Liara replied calmly. "Possibly due to the stigma of having a pureblood child…but more likely due to the fact that the other asari in question, your father, is Aria T'Loak."
"Okaaay," Sheard replied uneasily. She studied the young asari's face intently, but she saw nothing of Aria T'Loak in her features. "Was Aria playing me all along? Through her?"
"This is all bullshit!" Myke protested. She held Shepard's gaze with an air of desperation. "Evan, you know this is bullshit. I'd never even met Aria before today."
"Were it anyone else, reasonable deduction would suggest that she would be playing her part in her father's game," Liara answered softly, almost kindly. "But in this case I cannot find anything to indicate that Kasos is lying."
"That monster is not my father!" Myke hissed. "If she was, how the hell could she have murdered my mother and left me to fend for myself on the streets?"
Liara's expression was genuinely sad as she regarded the young maiden. "I do not know the intricacies of Aria's relationship with Leda. It was evidently short-lived, although serious enough to produce a child. When Leda challenged Aria's rule, she had no choice but to eliminate that threat – swiftly and brutally. It is how she has managed to remain in power for so long. I am…sorry that you had to find out in this manner, Mycea, I truly am, but it would have become apparent eventually. Aria has been indirectly protecting you your entire life. It is the reason that no one bothers you. Not because you are invisible, but because she has been pulling strings around you – subtly, but undeniably."
It was difficult for Shepard to simply stand by and watch Myke's usually optimistic expression crumple. She turned to Liara and pleaded silently with her bondmate to leave the pair of them alone. Without a further word, Liara inclined her head. She ascended the stairs. Shepard waited until she heard the door above close shut before she approached the young asari. Myke had remained standing, but her shoulders sagged and she appeared close to slumping to the floor.
"Hey," Shepard whispered awkwardly. "I'm sorry for what I said, about jumping to the conclusion that Aria was using you. I guess I was reeling a little."
Myke shook her head. "Nah, I'd react the same way. The boss's daughter just happens to latch onto you? Work her way into your life? You'd be stupid to believe that was just a coincidence." She lowered her head and stared at the floor. "Absolutely…fucking…stupid."
"You're going to accept what Liara said? That Aria is your father?"
"No!" Myke replied emphatically. She sighed. "And yes. It…explains a lot."
"If it's any consolation, you're nothing like her," Shepard commented quietly.
"I should hope not. Bitch is fucking crazy," Myke said determinedly.
Shepard grinned inadvertently. "That she is. Unfortunately, she's one of those crazies that wields a hell of a lot of power. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to go home," Myke eventually admitted. She managed a tight-lipped smile when she saw the blatantly concerned expression on Shepard's face. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not going to do anything stupid. Just need to sleep this headache off. Probably the worst thing I'll do is wipe the med-gel off so I at least get a scar out of all of this bullshit."
"Please don't," Shepard sighed in exasperation. "I meant what I said about scars."
"Well you're certainly not my fucking father," Myke muttered as she prepared to leave. She cast one last glance over her shoulder. "Thanks, Evan. For coming to get me…even if it turns out that it wasn't necessary."
"Don't mention it," Shepard replied. "I'd do it again."
A few minutes later Shepard found Liara perched on the edge of their bed with a contemplative expression on her face. If anything, she appeared slightly guilty. She looked up when Shepard entered.
"Is she alright?" Liara asked quietly as Shepard leaned against the doorframe.
"No...not right now," Shepard replied honestly. "Maybe when all of this has had time to sink in, but at the moment she must feel as though she's been punched in the gut. You have to admit, it's a hell of a revelation."
"I could have found a different way to handle it," Liara admitted.
"Probably."
Liara glared. "You are not supposed to agree so readily."
Moving away from the door frame, Shepard took up a perch on the bed next to her bondmate. Instead of looking at her, she studied the view beyond their window. "Tell you what, you admit that you were wrong in this, and I'll admit I've been wrong to shut the rest of the galaxy out."
"You were not wrong, Evan," Liara protested quietly. She placed a gentle hand atop Shepard's thigh. "Just…tired."
"Yeah, maybe that's it. And maybe it's the fact that I've already given my life…twice," Shepard said, keeping her eyes fixed on the view from the window. She suddenly felt tired. It was decidedly difficult to focus on anything. "I feel as though I've done enough. I've earned the right to be tired and not give a fuck…yet I can't even say that without caring. Aria even called me out on it. She has motives of her own, but I can't deny that her support would be useful."
"It would indeed be useful," Liara agreed. "The difficulty of course lies in the price."
"Trouble is, I don't know what to do. What should I do, Li?" Shepard asked wearily. The room suddenly began to spin around her. "Shit, I need to sit down for a bit."
"Evan…you are sitting down," Liara reminded her. In a business-like manner she turned Shepard to face her. Pressing a palm to her forehead, her nose wrinkled with concern. "You are burning up."
Shepard's stomach lurched uncomfortably as she gave her bondmate an apologetic grin. It faltered and disappeared a moment later as the familiar symptoms made themselves known with a vengeance. "I think perhaps I'm not immune to simian bacterial flu after all. Liara…you need to help me to the bathroom…this is about to get messy."
