Liara: There's the entrance to the caves.
Rick: I see it. Here we go.
The shuttle lands softly a few meters from the opening in the mountain. The Commander gets out first observing carefully the surroundings through his M-8 Avenger's sight.
Shepard: Clear.
Liara joins the Commander after drawing her Phalanx.
Liara: Don't lower your guard.
Lieutenant MacNamara, with his Mattock loaded, is the last to leave the Kodiak. The caves are imposing. Of basaltic rock, the darkness which arises from the walls is something worth seeing. After they walk for a while guided by the doctor and seeing only what their lanterns illuminate they found an artificial wall. Liara moves her omni-tool over it and the wall slides aside. Before them there's a long and narrow corridor excavated in the stone, with rocks from the ceiling fallen all over the way. At the end they found an armored door locked. The control panel is smashed.
Liara: The server is on the other side.
Rick: I'll try to connect with this pad.
Shepard: Those wires have been pulled out by force.
Liara: I know.
Rick: Done!
They enter into a spherical room, as they advance the floor begins to light up revealing a terminal in the center of the room. Both soldiers move with Liara, close to her, aiming their guns around them.
Liara: -Accessing the computer- I'm in, I'll need a few minutes until finding what we came for. -Shepard observes what Liara is doing. Meanwhile, Rick watches over the entrance-. This has no sense. There are only files and recordings of Cerberus, but this shouldn't be here…
Suddenly the spotlights on the walls switch on with a flash that stuns them. The Lieutenant hears a metallic sound between his boots.
Rick: Grenade! -He throws himself aside, but the grenade brings down his shields. Shepard pulls Liara out of the terminal at the same time that the first shots begin to reach-.
Liara: We need all the information we can get from…! -A rocket from an ML-77 destroys the terminal- Damn it!
Shepard: Take cover! -With his wife, he gets to the door's left. The Lieutenant, to the right-. Is there any other exit? -He returns fire without aiming-.
Liara: No! -She shoots and hits an assailant in the head- This wouldn't be a good secret base if it had many entrances!
Shepard: Great!
Liara generates a singularity behind a rock, and then Rick throws a fragmentation grenade that falls right ahead. The enemies, helpless in the air, get the whole impact of the shrapnel. Three less.
Liara: We won't have enough grenades to get out of here!
Shepard: Give me cover and follow me when I tell you!
Rick: Aye, aye! -While the assailants cover the Commander runs to take refuge behind the rock. Once there his teammates advance-.
Shepard: -He looks at the dead enemies- Liara, don't you recognize those armors?
Liara: -Shocked- Are they of m -she rectifies- the agents of the Shadow Broker?
Rick: How can you know that? Have you faced them before?
Shepard: It's a -a rocket goes past over their heads- long story!
They keep their slow advance through the corridor while covering, no matter how many mercenaries they kill they continue appearing. Once in the cave the situation doesn't get better.
Rick: I thought the Broker was on our side!
Liara: Me too! -Rocks burst with the impacts-.
Rick: They're more coming by the entrance!
Shepard: -To Liara- Do you remember Therum? -She lifts several enemies with her biotic to eliminate them- There's no volcano here, but this place won't last long more if we continue like this!
Liara: Keep on! Our way out is almost clear!
When they finish the last of them they go outside, but they find their transport burning, reduced to a mere hodgepodge of metal.
Rick: What do we do now?
Liara: There's an industrial area beside this mountain, there must be a vehicle.
Shepard: It's our best option. -Suddenly an enemy shuttle appears, stops in front of them and opens its doors to deploy a mercenary platoon- Let's go!
Liara: Over here!
With numerous enemies at their backs they go down the slope until reaching the factory. After getting into the closest building they lock and bolt the door behind them.
Shepard: That will give us some time.
As they get inside the damaged facilities noises from shuttle's thrusters come closer, the enemies soon fly over them. When they reach the second level of the main industrial unit, through a demolished wall they see an Alliance convoy. The vehicles are not in a very good condition.
Liara: The reapers did that, both tanks are cut through the middle.
Shepard: The tanks won't take us too far, but look at that truck, it seems to be entire.
Rick: Yes. We have to reach it.
Liara: There's a long distance in the open.
Shepard: But there isn't any other way to get out of here.
A mercenary comes in through one of the scorched doors.
Shadow Broker Agent: They are here!
Before he can pull the trigger the team finishes him and the other two who followed him. Immediately the building begins to tremble and an A-61 Mantis gunship opens fire on them.
Liara: Jump!
The team falls to the first floor and the gunship disappears. A group of mercenaries catches them unaware from the back side of the industrial unit.
Shepard: Forget them! Run!
In the outside more mercenaries appear, and after a strong but far and recognizable sound the Commander stops.
Shepard: Sniper! -He looks back at his teammates and sees Liara on the ground- Liara!
The Commander moves back to her and he bends at her side shooting the mercenaries who dare to advance. After realizing she is alive he founds a dart in her neck. While he takes it away and helps her to stand up the gunship returns, and focus on the couple, but the Lieutenant opens fire against it. The pilot of the Mantis changes his target and before Rick can take cover he dies by the machine gun.
Shepard: No!
Liara: -Recomposing her voice- We have to go on!
Shepard nods and they keep running. When they get to the truck the Commander takes the steering wheel and Liara opens the upper hatch to shoot the Mantis forcing it to turn aside to avoid damages in the cockpit.
Liara: Go, go!
Shepard steps on the accelerator and Liara returns inside. The gunship comes back and begins the pursuit through the industrial area.
Liara: It's still behind us!
Shepard: I see it! Check those boxes, maybe there's something we can use!
The gunship launches several missiles but the Commander avoids them. Liara, after checking various boxes, finds a rocket launcher with two charges.
Liara: I hope this is enough…
The Mantis skillfully dodges the chimneys and cantilevered corridors of the factories, the sudden turns the Commander makes at the forks do not work. When Liara has targeted it, she fires and almost gets a direct impact, but the enemy gets away from it. The pilot responds with various missiles, Shepard does everything he can to avoid them. Then the asari sees the key to bring the hunter down. She does not think twice about it and fires a damaged tower in front of them. The structure begins to fall, but the gunship does not see it in time and collides against it.
Shepard: Good shot!
Liara closes the hatch and sits next to the Commander.
Shepard: -Worried about the dart- Are you okay?
Liara: -She touches her neck- I think so.
Shepard: You have to see a doctor.
Liara: First we have to leave the planet. The attackers… They are mercenaries who work for me, I don't know why they are coming against us.
Shepard: They were waiting for us… I feel bad for Rick.
Liara: He gave us a chance to escape. We couldn't do anything for him…
Shepard: I know, but…
Liara: Yes, that doesn't make you feel any better… Me neither.
Shepard: Let's call the Alliance to get us out of here.
Liara: No. We don't know what's going on, who is behind all this or if they are monitoring communications. Right now the best we can do is to continue on our own.
Shepard: Okay, then how do we get out?
Liara: We'll get fares for the first civilian ship that leaves the planet. With more discreet clothes and our equipment hidden as luggage we'll get out without attracting attention.
-O-
In the Normandy's lounge…
James: So, why have you decided to come?
Tali: Those things about organizing the reconstruction are not for me, I'm more useful here, in the Normandy.
Ashley: And you, Garrus?
Garrus: You know turians love action. I'm not going to see as much as I'll do with you.
Traynor: You two… You'd make a good couple. -Tali and Garrus get nervous-.
Tali: -Trying to sound sincere- Your imaginations…
James: -Pointing at Garrus- I'd swear you blushed!
Garrus: -Concealing- Me? My species can't do that…