Miranda led the trio, half-running, groping walls in the semi-dark of the back alleys, away from the pursuing troops. Liara trotted backward, looking back to check on Miranda and Shepard, and then forward for signs of pursuit. When the troops got too close, she unleashed a singularity, effectively blocking the alley completely for a time.

It was a game of cat and mouse that could not be sustained. Liara had already begun to feel lethargic, her energy sapped after the firefight, and now the chase. Her biotic feats were leaving her drained, and her vision had begun to blur slightly, only to refocus suddenly. The effect was nauseating.

"The alley is opening out onto a street," Miranda said, signaling for a halt. "I see people, and cargo containers. We might be near the space port."

Liara nodded, silently praying her thanks. She was out of breath despite her excellent physical condition. The chase was taking its toll. "Let's get to the Vanguard and get out of here before Cerberus catches up." Liara turned to Shepard, a slight smile on her face. "Almost there."

He eyed her suspiciously. "Out of what, exactly? Who was that back there, and what do they want with you?"

"Actually," Miranda said, not taking her eyes off the street ahead, "I think they're after you, Shepard. Project Nova Hammer's work, no doubt."

Liara watched as Shepard's face twisted with confusion. "Me? Why are they after me? I don't even know who I am!"

Liara placed a hand on his shoulder. "We do, and it's safe to assume they do too. Shepard, once we're back on the ship, I'll explain everything, I promise. I won't let you go."

Confusion returned to Shepard's face. The fire ripped through her veins as a wave of doubt shuddered through her. Confusion was something completely foreign on the face Liara knew so well. Confidence, calm, occasional anger, passion, but never confusion.

I have to keep reassuring him. He'll come to terms, and we'll figure out his memory.

"We should go. Blaque's men can't be far off," Liara said, gesturing for Miranda to lead the way.

They began to half-run towards the docking area. It was late, and the roadway was mostly empty. A few late-night workers milled about, but no one paid any attention to them as they jogged through the docks.

"I still don't understand," Shepard said, jogging between Liara and Miranda. "How did you find me? And why are you following me?"

Liara said nothing, focusing on keeping pace with the two humans and not allowing exhaustion to consume her completely. Miranda eyed her with concern, answering in her stead.

"Let's get on board, and we'll discuss details then. We're here to help, Shepard."

Shepard scowled, his features hardening, but he said nothing.

As they ran onto the raised docking platform, Liara could see Feron pacing outside the Vanguard, agitated. He relaxed visibly when he spotted them. "No time to waste- Nova Hammer troops are everywhere. We need to go, now!" He gestured quickly, waving everyone aboard.

Gunfire erupted behind them. Liara braved a quick look backward. A group of the Nova Hammer troops rushed forward, some dropping to their knees and raising their Mattock rifles to shoulder.

"Shepard! Get down!"

Liara reached deep and pushed. With a grunt, she unleashed a massive singularity, ensnaring the line of troops who had knelt down. She followed it up with a warp, and the biotic detonation ripped through the streets, killing several of the Nova Hammer troops who were too close to the blast. The remaining troops had been scattered by the explosion, knocked out or too disoriented to fight.

Shepard looked up from his place on the ground, staring at her in wonder. Liara smiled grimly, wavering on her feet. She grabbed his hand and helped him up.

"Thanks." He inclined his head toward the ship. "Come on, let's get outta here."

Liara smiled wistfully at yet another reminder of the old Shepard mannerisms appeared for a brief moment. With a hopeful sigh, she followed Shepard into the Vanguard.

"Feron, get us out of here," she called forward as she sealed the hatch. Feron nodded from his place in the cockpit, and turned his attention forward to the controls. Moments later, the ship shuddered and lifted off the ground, speeding toward the atmosphere.

Liara turned to Miranda, who was looking at Shepard curiously.

That shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, there was a point in her life where Shepard was basically one big science experiment. Her help with this whole memory mess will be invaluable.

Liara turned to Shepard, placing her hand on his arm gently. "I think it's time we gave you an explanation."

Liara led the trio back into the galley, gesturing for Shepard to sit at the small metal table.

To think… it was only days ago I was sitting at this table hearing you might be alive… Goddess, it seems like weeks have gone by.

Miranda stood in the doorway to the cockpit, leaning against the bulkhead. Her arms were crossed, and her expression was one of mild amusement. Liara took a deep breath, and sat down next to Shepard, who regarded her cautiously.

He's still trying to decide if I'm a friend or foe. I guess I can't blame him.

"My name is Liara T'soni. That," she pointed, "is Miranda Lawson." Liara looked to Miranda, whose only reply was to raise a brow in question as if to ask, 'now what?'. Liara wasn't entirely certain how to proceed. Thinking clearly wasn't exactly her strong suit this far into exhaustion. She closed her eyes for a moment, considering how best to explain the events to Shepard.

How do I convince Shepard he's Shepard?

Liara turned back to Shepard. "I know this has been difficult, and I know that right now, you have very little reason to trust me. But I need you to listen; just listen, Shepard. Once I've said everything there is, you can make your own decision from there. Agreed?"

Shepard studied her for a moment, his raptor-like gaze penetrating and all-consuming. Liara quit breathing for a moment. Finally, he nodded once. Liara joined him at the table, sitting next to him.

Liara pursed her lips, choosing her words carefully. "We've met before."

"On Omega," Shepard said, nodding.

"No." Liara shook her head sadly. "Several years before that. You saved my life on the planet Therum. You rescued me. While in service to the Alliance, you took me on board your ship as part of your crew. Together, we uncovered a serious problem. A Spectre- one of the Council's elite soldiers- had gone rogue. He was working with Sovereign, a Reaper who was left here to help bring about the harvest of all organic life."

Liara stopped for a moment, shuddering with the memory of Saren's betrayal and Sovereign's twisted plans. When she opened her eyes, Shepard was staring at her intently. The disbelief was there, but he wasn't outright rejecting what she was telling him. Liara took that as a good sign, and continued.

"The next part of your story is a little more complex. After we defeated Saren and Sovereign, the Alliance sent us out to hunt down the remnants of the Geth in the Terminus systems." Liara swallowed hard, considering her next words. "We were attacked- blindsided by a superior vessel. You… were… injured seriously..." Liara struggled, searching for her words.

Miranda cleared her throat softly. "You were killed. Your body was taken, but Liara and Feron- he's the pilot- took you from the Shadow Broker, who was holding your remains, and brought you to me."

Liara studied Shepard's face carefully. It was clear he was trying to keep an open mind. He was leaning in, listening intently, considering their words.

If someone pulled me off the street, I'm not sure I'd believe this story. He's doing remarkably well…

"I spent two years piecing you back together. Eventually, I was able to bring you back to life. At that point, you went to work for Cerberus."

Shepard glowered at her. "Weren't they a terrorist group?"

Miranda sighed softly. "Yes, in many ways, but at the time, you thought you were doing the right thing. Human colonies were under attack, and both the Alliance and the Council were doing nothing. You went into action trying to uncover what was happening."

He turned to Liara. "Were you with me then, too?"

Liara shook her head, lowering her eyes. "No, Shepard. I was… not made aware of your recovery until later." Not for the first time, Liara felt a pang of guilt for not being at Shepard's side as he took on the Collectors. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "At one point, your investigation brought you to Illium. I had been working there since shortly after I recovered your body. You stayed long enough to help me uncover who the Shadow Broker was, and to stop him." She sighed again, shaking her head in frustration. "Look, Shepard, we're watering a lot of this down-"

"Keep going."

Liara raised her head, looking at him in wonder.

"Please. I don't… I mean, I have no way of knowing if it's true, but..." Shepard shrugged. "Keep going."

Liara smiled and nodded, wiping away a single tear sliding down her cheek. "You discovered evidence that the Reapers were coming. You had to take action, and a lot of Batarians were hurt in the process. The Alliance put you under guard for months. That was about the time they requested my help to find a way to stop the Reapers from killing us all. I was examining the Prothean archive on Mars when the Reapers attacked. We reunited then, trying to find a way to stop the reapers before it was too late.

"We succeeded." Liara smiled then, thinking of the harrowing events that led up to the successful uniting of the galaxy and subsequent construction of the Crucible. "We built a device to stop them, and you set it off above Earth. The Reapers were destroyed- but so was the device." She turned to him then. "Your body was never found. 18 months ago, the Alliance declared you dead, having somehow sacrificed yourself to save every living being in the galaxy."

Shepard sat back, sighing deeply. "That's a lot to take in." He inclined his head toward Miranda. "So, do you think it's me?"

Miranda nodded once. "I helped Liara recover your biometric data from a Cerberus facility. We tested your blood which she found on Omega, against your records. It was a perfect match. Once we're somewhere safe, we can do a more thorough examination and I can confirm it… but I'm fairly confident it's you, Shepard."

Shepard nodded once, looking down at the floor. He then turned to Liara. "I've spent weeks trying to piece this together. People keep telling me, 'hey you look just like Shepard', and I laughed it off. I even let people buy me drinks when they wouldn't listen to me tell them, 'I'm not that guy'." He let out a laugh. "I'm not quite sure what to make of all of this yet."

Liara put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "It's a lot to deal with, Shepard, but we won't give up. Miranda and I are working on a plan to try to restore your memory. It's going to take time, and I don't want to say it's going to be easy…" Liara swallowed hard. "I won't give up on you, Shepard."

He regarded her strangely. "I know why this is important to me. Why is this so important to you?"

Liara felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "Because…" Liara took a shuddering breath before she brought her eyes to his. "Because after everything you've done for all of us, you deserve to live the life you created for you yourself, and for everyone else."

Shepard leaned back in his seat, considering her words. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry. I don't remember any of this. Either of you… The events you described… None of it." He let out a single, sardonic laugh. "It's like I've been robbed."

Miranda shrugged. "That's not a half-bad analogy, actually. But between Liara and I, we're confident we can restore your memory."

Although I think right now might be the wrong time to mention that we have very little idea of exactly how we're going to do that…

Shepard nodded slowly. "I don't know why, but I believe you." He appeared to breathe a sigh of relief. "Now, what about those people shooting at us?"

Miranda sneered in disgust. "Project Nova Hammer. The remaining elements of Cerberus."

"Why were they after us?"

"Initially, I thought it was because we broke into their base and stole your biometric data," Liara replied, her tone slightly amused. "At this point I'm considering the possibility that it's something more."

"It's likely they discovered what we were after, and are asking themselves why. They may have drawn the conclusion that we're trying to restart Lazarus, or that we somehow found Shepard alive." Miranda shook her head. "There are too many variables, and Blaque has intellect in spades. It's impossible to guess."

Liara sighed, rubbing her eyes. "We should all get some rest." She stood from the table and walked forward into the cockpit. "Are you okay to fly us solo back to Aite?"

Feron nodded. "You must be exhausted. Get some rest; I can handle things up here. I'll wake everyone when we've landed."

Liara nodded and mumbled her thanks, returning to the galley. "Let's get some sleep. We'll be back on Aite in a few hours, and we can begin work on your memory then."

Liara led Shepard to an empty sleeper pod beyond the galley. "Try to get some sleep."

As she turned to find her own pod, Shepard snatched her wrist. Liara turned back to face him. "Thank you."

Liara could only nod in reply.