Gunnery Chief Williams considered herself to be a skeptic, at heart.
She had assumed her family history had something to do with it. It might even be the relentless cynicism that ran in her blood. To be a Williams was to know the fire, and bask in its heat. It also meant watching for stray flames, tiny embers that could easily set everything ablaze. Maybe Shepard had been right. It was possible that, despite all her rationalizations, she just didn't trust other species.
It didn't matter right now, though.
The only thing that mattered now was the angry clatter of a Tsunami V, jumping fiercely in her gloved hands. Skepticism guided those hands long before the treacherous matriarch began her "surprise" assault. There was just something about a busty blue bitch in a black pinstripe suit that didn't sit well with Ashley Williams. Rigorous Alliance training exercises allowed her to lay down suppressing fire on the matriarch without shattering her nerves, though many would argue that nothing short of an industrial mining laser would be required to put a dent in the Chief's resolve. The embrace of Sirta's finest Phoenix armor, reddish padding between white ceramic plates, functioned not unlike the grotesque exoskeleton it resembled. It allowed her to survive the matriarch's offensive blast, a kinetic force far surpassing that of Doctor T'Soni's most impressive techniques. Knife-like pains tore through Ashley's shoulder when she attempted to stand, so she held fast to the catwalk and took aim with her rifle from a prone position.
Stupid biotic powers.
Liara, having hastily delivered over 1000 Newtons of biotic love to her estranged mother, reached for her sidearm without pause. The asari's biotic abilities, enough to worry even a fellow biotic, would be harmlessly deflected by this matriarch. She did not bother to make further efforts. T'Soni took drew her pistol, loaded with Shepard's gift of hammerhead rounds.
She was jarringly quick to point her pistol at the blue swelling of her mother's bosom, where once she fed. She did not look Benezia in the eye, but nearly dropped the gun once she heard the anguished cry of her mother.
The great matriarch collapsed.
"Liara, get down!"
She dropped instantly. There was the familiar staccato of Ashley's controlled bursts, followed by the smack of lean muscle against cold metal. Liara brought her weapon to bear, only to find the mangled corpse of an asari commando at the bottom of a flight of steps. She never thought a sight so morbid would bring her such relief. It was then that she noticed the strange pressure on her left ankle.
"Thank you, Mister Polonium", the Chief crooned like a bashful schoolgirl, bracing herself against Liara's boot for support.
"Shepard!" Liara shouted and gestured toward the slick sound of asari militia at full gallop. Their boots were padded for stealth, barely audible even to the attentive archaeologist. Benezia was a famed matriarch, and it was a bittersweet realization that she had never been among her mother's many followers. Benezia was certain to know that her daughter would not have made a good commando.
Not good enough.
"Hold position", the spectre quietly ordered her team while making her way down the stairs. Liara frowned when she noticed the dark stream trickling from Shepard's nose, but did as she was told. She kept her weapon trained on the fallen matriarch, while Ashley, having fought her way into a combative crouch, scanned the opposite walkway for new targets.
She didn't have to wait long.
Several rounds pinged off Shepard's shields when she ducked briefly out of cover to launch a high-explosive grenade at the narrow walkway, knowing hostile forces would need to cross it before advancing on her position. The spectre was outnumbered, but she appeared unconcerned. The grenade's extended blast radius would grant her a wider margin of error, and years of combat experience had refined Shepard's sense of timing. Shields battery life still read as half full, she noted, priming the remote detonator and steeling herself for the ear-shattering blast.
Footsteps. She clicked the activation key, and felt the metallic box that was her cover tap approvingly against her shoulder.
Extended blast radius? Someone at Hahne-Kedar was obviously playing coy with product descriptions.
A second set of footsteps, and Commander Shepard rose to full height.
The most courageous member of Benezia's commando team made a daring charge at the spectre. Having accepted a painful death as her reward for allowing the matriarch to be murdered, her thoughts ran icy and clear. To die by the hand of the council's elite, in service of the matriarch, would bestow honor upon her blood. She would surrender her life for the greater good. Preservation through sacrifice. From death, life. From fear, love.
For my mother.
The spectre exposed herself at last, a generous spray of gunfire quenching the commando's shields in two seconds flat. A single mass effect field was unleashed, but the asari had barely the chance to watch it impact clumsily with a nearby crate before she dropped involuntarily to the ground. She winced from the exertion of rising upon shattered knees. The commando's strenuous life was punctuated by a single percussive punch before her aching muscles relaxed, and the drowsiness became insurmountable. Even as she surrendered to the inevitable, her pulse throbbed in futility.
Sleep.
The asari exhaled, fighting only to calm her mind before entering time everlasting.