The SSV Madrid was en route to Arcturus Station in the Sol system when Liara awoke on a cot in the shuttle bay. Karin was immediately at her side and very concerned by what she saw. Liara sat up, but there was nothing in her eyes; her face was totally devoid of emotion, like something inside her had been irreparably broken. As Karin spoke to her, Liara turned and faced her and flatly asked, "Where's Shepard's body?" Karin sat back on her heels; that question did not top the list of those she'd expected. She explained to Liara that once all the shuttles and pods had been collected, the Captain of the Madrid had scanned the local space and had not picked up a single trace of any personal recovery beacons. Because the area was hot, they had retreated to Citadel space, and were currently approaching Arcturus Station. Liara stared at her, the Asari's face going pale as she spoke, "The area was no longer 'hot.' We sat there for six hours of nothing! What if her beacon was damaged? They didn't locate the crash site to see if she was in the wreckage? They just LEFT the hero of the Citadel in a smoking ruin on Alchera?" Her voice continuously climbed in volume and everyone in the shuttle bay heard her last question, "They didn't even CHECK for her?" Karin no longer needed to worry about the Asari not having any emotions; she had zipped right past the denial stage of grief and gone straight to anger. As frightening as the situation was, at least she was expressing emotion. Karin didn't really think the Asari would hurt her, but then Liara suddenly stood, her fists clenched in rage, with blue wisps of power starting to circle around her hands. Riana quickly stepped between them and a simple look her way told Karin that perhaps she should step away for just a few moments.
Liara literally shook with frustration and, clamping her jaw tight, glared at Riana. Riana was very calm as she whispered to Liara, "Mistress, the Alliance Captain is a coward. Calm yourself, we are not without options...and remember these are your friends; they are on your side. They had no say in the Captain's decision. Matter of fact, the Turian almost came to blows and had to be restrained. I have already messaged Judea and she is bringing the transport to Arcturus. She is accompanied by a team of six others, and they are bringing full gear. They will meet us the day after tomorrow at Arcturus Station. We are going back to Alchera, and if she is there, we will find your mate. We will not come home without Shepard. Do you wish to accompany us, or return to Thessia?" The energy faded from Liara's hands and everyone in the shuttle bay breathed a sigh of relief.
Liara's eyes flashed the color of blue steel, her voice a razor's edge, as she looked at Riana and said, "Of course I'm coming with you."
Riana smiled a smile that did not reach her eyes as she answered, "I never believed otherwise, Mistress."
As Riana stepped away, Liara took a few deep breaths and let them out slowly; her eyes unfocused, she saw nothing in front of her until she found a place of calm within all her conflicting emotions. It was not until then that she approached Karin and dipped her head. "I apologize, Karin. It has been...an exceptionally trying day." Her lip quivered as she spoke, but her voice remained quiet and steady. "How is Garrus? I understand he came to Shepard's defense." Karin assured her he was fine, but currently confined within one of the evacuation shuttles. Liara then spoke with the ship's XO, Commander Mitchell, and got permission to see Garrus. Inside the privacy of the shuttle, Liara explained to Garrus her plan, stressing the transport was not the Normandy, and did not have any stealth capability. Garrus immediately volunteered, pointing out that whoever their new enemy was, stealth technology did not seem to matter anyway, so either way, they were potentially going into the mouth of the beast. Liara forced a smile for the Turian. "I knew I could count on you, Garrus. I will also ask Tali, and that will bring our total to ten, plus our pilot. If you would take the position, I would hire you as my Weapons Officer."
Garrus became very curious, and couldn't help but ask, "What kind of private transport requires a Weapons Officer?"
Liara wasn't capable of mirth at that point in time, but made an honest attempt, putting a strained smile on her face before answering, "You'll see soon enough. I don't want to spoil the surprise."
When Liara exited the shuttle, the XO was waiting for her. He attempted to apologize for what had transpired, but Liara cut him off. "I only have one question for you, Commander. Who made the decision to not search for Commander Shepard?"
Mitchell was caught off guard by the question and answered right away without thinking. "The Captain and I decided it was the most prudent course of action, given our exposed position in the Terminus."
"And just who is the current Captain of the Madrid?" Liara cocked an eyebrow marking, while a scowl filled the rest of her face.
The XO was looking puzzled as to what he considered a strange line of questioning, since the Normandy crew had just been scooped from certain death, or worse in the Terminus. "It's a matter of public record that the current commanding officer is Captain Mikhailovich. Why"
Liara, somewhat surprised by that information, had to ask, "And is he any relation to Admiral Mikhailovich?"
The XO was getting frustrated with Liara's accusatory tone, and snapped, "She's a younger cousin. Why do you care?"
Liara now glared at the irritating Commander Mitchell. "Because I want to get the names correct when I file a formal complaint with Admiral Hackett upon our arrival at Arcturus, for your gross negligence and failure to conduct a proper search for possible surviving Systems Alliance personnel. You, however, could slightly improve your position by releasing Garrus Vakarian from his temporary custody. I have spoken to him and he has calmed down considerably. Other than that, Commander, I have nothing else to say to you." With that, Liara turned and walked away.
The XO went to follow and Riana once again stepped in, barring his path. "Sir, you know not to whom you speak. That is Dr Liara T'Soni, head of one of the top ten most influential families on all of Thessia. If you desire to avoid any political fallout in addition to what you have already opened yourself up to, I suggest you leave her to her privacy."
The XO snorted derisively, "And who are you, to say who I can and can't talk to on my own ship?"
Riana gave him a cool appraisal before answering, "I, sir, am Huntress Riana Iregos of the T'Soni House Armali, and personal bodyguard to Lady T'Soni. And I, sir, am someone who is more than willing to create a diplomatic incident should you attempt to approach my Mistress when she does not desire your company."
At that point, the XO pulled himself up and surveyed the entire surviving crew, all staring at him and Riana at this point. "Did you know the Normandy was slotted to come to the 63d, until the damn Council stole it for their own purposes? And now, we just slid into the Terminus Systems to pick your asses up from a pretty damn desperate situation. Bunch of ungrateful prima donnas... the whole lot of ya!" He turned and exited the room, cursing under his breath and shaking his head as he left.
Liara walked among the surviving crew of the Normandy SR1, remembering how Shepard always took the time to check up on her crew. Liara, however, was saying her goodbyes because she had no idea what would happen to them once they got to Arcturus Station. Garrus would be the only one coming with her, and she would miss the rest. She had gotten quite used to seeing them on the Normandy, at their posts or in the mess hall, and had come to trust them all. Tali had already determined it was time for her to get back to the Fleet. She had collected an incredible amount of Geth data, and had been part of the crew that took down Saren and the Reaper Sovereign. She had plenty for a triumphant pilgrimage return to her people, and she missed her family. With Shepard gone, she just couldn't stand the pain of staying. Ashley wished she could take a place on the little private Corvette, but was sure the Alliance would have other plans for her. She extracted an oath from Liara to keep her posted on what was going on in her life, and Ashley promised to touch base with her at every opportunity, especially if she was going to be anywhere near Thessia.
Karin was the hardest to say goodbye to. She had been a kind soul, and always very supportive of Liara and her relationship with Samantha. They had developed a close friendship and Liara actually asked her if she would consider private practice. Karin shook her head. "No, my dear. My life is onboard a ship. If I don't have at least fifty soldiers under my wing on any given day I don't feel useful. I appreciate the offer, though, and if you ever need anything, you call me. And I do mean anything." Karin hung her head before she continued. "God, I'm going to miss that woman. She was like a niece to me. She was funny and could be infuriating at the same time, but I can't think of another Commander I'd rather serve under. You keep me updated on anything you turn up. You find her and you bring her home! She doesn't deserve to be abandoned on some uninhabited rock in the Terminus. Promise me?" Karin ended with a sigh and looked up at Liara as she asked her question. The tears threatening in the Asari's eyes were almost enough to make them both start crying. Instead they fell together, hugged and just gave each other comfort until they heard the chime announcing their arrival at Arcturus. They separated, and as Liara stood, she vowed that Karin would know everything she discovered. Liara picked up the only loose item she had left to her, her helmet, and left the SSV Madrid, confident that Garrus and Riana followed her. Not once did she look back.
Liara walked straight to Admiral Hackett's office, and when the group was put off by the Admiral's military assistant, Liara just stepped back and made a call on her omnitool, direct to the Admiral. Admiral Hackett answered rather promptly, "Dr T'Soni. I don't know what to say. I assume you are now on Arcturus Station?" She told him that yes, they were on Arcturus, and she was presently standing in his waiting room. Less than ten seconds later, the door to Admiral Hackett's office opened and he invited them in.
Liara and Garrus both told the story of the attack, the complete ineffectiveness of the stealth systems, the strength of the energy weapon, and then of the truncated search for Commander Shepard. Liara finished by having Riana replay her omnitool recording of the XO's comments in regards to the reallocation of the Normandy. "Sir, I feel the search may have been prematurely ended because of a professional grudge held by Captain Mikhailovich against Commander Shepard and the Normandy. Their official report will say they departed because the zone was hot, but I'll tell you, we sat in our evac shuttles for over five hours with no hostile action. We were not destroyed, killed, tortured or captured by pirates or mercs, because there were none." Hackett was shocked to say the least, and urged her to go on. Liara continued, "My personal opinion is that it was professional jealousy because she thought the Normandy should have been hers. The only other two options I see are gross incompetence or extreme cowardice. Either way, it matters not to me, do what you will with the information. What's done is done, and now I start damage control. I will provide you a professional courtesy because Commander Shepard thought so highly of you."
At this point, Liara's voice started to crack, but she pressed on, "I am returning to Alchera as soon as my personal transport arrives. Please, do not tell me not to go, because you have no jurisdiction over me, and I AM going. I am taking a private transport, with a personal crew, back to Alchera to see what we can find. If nothing else I want to find evidence of whom or what it was that attacked us. My personal theory is that is has something to do with the Reapers or with Reaper agents. We have no evidence that points to Matriarch Benezia and Saren being the only two. Matter of fact, I would highly doubt such a thing. Anyway, Shepard trusted you, and I trust her judgment implicitly. Because of that, I will contact you personally if I find out anything significant." Liara stood firm as her eyes heated and threatened tears, but she blinked them away and did not let them fall.
Admiral Hackett rose from his chair and thanked them for the information and escorted them out of his office. As they departed, he commented, "If there was one thing the Commander was exceptional at, it was inspiring loyalty within her crew. I believe she may have inspired a bit more than that this time. Fair winds and following seas, Dr T'Soni. I wish you well in your hunt." As Liara walked away, she noted yet one more Human idiom she would need to research. She hoped maybe it would distract her, at least for a little while.
The trip to Alchera was extraordinarily long. Not by normal time standards, but because of the torturous emotions that plagued her. Liara could not lay down her head without dreaming of Shepard. The dreams themselves were always brief, but wonderful; it was when she was in that period between sleep and wakefulness, when she reached for Samantha to find the other side of the bed empty; the jarring realization that snapped her back to the cold reality of a galaxy without Commander Shepard at her side. She dwelled in those moments, and found herself painfully wanting closure. Some way to end the ache that resided in her soul. With that thought, she rose to start the day. They were at Alchera, and perhaps the answers she was seeking resided on the surface. Alchera was a miserable planet with alternating light and dark cycles that lasted roughly thirty galactic hours each; fortunately it was currently light over the Normandy crash site. It was a barren, snow-covered mass of irregular terrain, covered in chasms and steep cliffs, very difficult to navigate except within the isolated plateaus that dotted the surface. Its atmosphere was a deadly mix of methane and ammonia and it was cold; twenty-two degrees Celsius below zero cold. Liara couldn't think of many planets that were naturally less hospitable than this one.
It was a somber group that climbed into the shuttle, and Garrus had thought to bring a few expandable packing crates on the assumption there would be something worth salvaging. He and Riana flanked Liara as the shuttle settled into the snow and the door opened, revealing the wreckage. Liara was actually shocked by how many large pieces of the fuselage had survived entry though the atmosphere. It must have had something to do with the low gravity and low atmospheric pressure, as well as the low temperatures. They must have all combined to generate less reentry heat, to create less friction burn as the ship came down. Whatever the cause, she was relieved everyone came; they had a lot to search, so they split into three groups and got busy. Liara was torn; she personally wanted to see two separate locations and couldn't decide where to go first. Shepard was last seen in the cockpit, so that was an obvious search zone, plus Liara wanted to see if there was any recoverable sensor data that could give them information on the attacking vessel. Liara also wanted to go to the tail section where their quarters had been; she hoped to come away from here with some memento, some keepsake to hold onto. She decided to go there first, because she was afraid if they found Shepard's body in the cockpit, she would be unable to function after that.
The tail section, including the sleeper pods, was remarkably intact. Liara saw what she thought were storage bins and when she opened them, she realized they were from Shepard's closet. She opened a few of them and eventually found Shepard's hooded N7 sweatshirt... It was strange how such a simple thing could evoke such a visceral reaction, but her vision suddenly swam and she had to kneel down to keep from falling. She felt a firm grip on her elbow, steadying her as she dropped to a knee. Goddess, it's just a damn sweatshirt...but it reminds me of the first time Samantha actually put together the words 'I love you.' Liara flashed back to when Shepard had pulled out those sweats for her to borrow...and everything else that came along with 'staying for breakfast' as Shepard had put it. Give me strength, Samantha. I do miss you so! Taking a deep breath, she slowly stood back up and patted Garrus' hand as a show of silent thanks, not trusting her voice. She balled up the sweatshirt and held it close to her tightening chest, suppressed sobs making it a bit hard to breathe. Opening a few more crates, she found some of Shepard's books, and even though they were in a language Liara would never read, Shepard had loved them, so she couldn't leave them behind. She asked Garrus to go get one of the packing crates he had so thoughtfully brought along, and he did so without question. All the books and the N7 hoodie went in, and Garrus took them to the shuttle for her. The one thing she had hoped to find but did not was Samantha's journal. She thought Shepard would have appreciated knowing it was safe and not in some stranger's hands.
One of the commando teams had found the armory storage lockers, some of which were intact. The commander's locker had been destroyed, much to Liara's dismay. She wanted to give Garrus the sniper rifle as a keepsake, but it was not to be. They also found Liara's locker and, though it was slightly damaged, they were able to recover her Stiletto pistol. She was glad to have it; even though it was not the original one gifted by her mother, it had been personally modified by Shepard. Garrus picked through his and Tali's lockers and pulled out everything useful, though it wasn't much. They also found a few intact crates of battle rations; Liara actually let loose a quiet, sad laugh at that. As horrible tasting a staple as they were, it seemed even the destruction of the Normandy couldn't rid them of those things. Of all the things to recover, battle rats were pretty low on the list. They did find some dextro rations for Garrus though, which was good, because the commandos hadn't known Garrus was coming, so they augmented their relatively limited stock. Other than that, the commandos had turned up some tools and other miscellaneous useful items, but nothing significant. Liara sighed; it was time. Taking a deep breath in a useless attempt to calm her nerves, she headed toward the large cockpit section of the Normandy, dreading what she may or may not find.
As Liara walked up through the control center towards the Bridge, she was surprised. Given Joker's description of their last moments on the Normandy, she expected there to be much more damage. Her steps slowed and her hands started to shake, and the closer she got to where the Bridge pod use to be, the more ragged her breath became. She smelled the smoke and felt the heat from the fires she had experienced that day while desperately searching for her commander. Her painful reverie was interrupted when Garrus asked, "Liara? Are you alright?"
Liara didn't realize she had stopped dead in her tracks, seemingly unable to approach the point where Shepard sacrificed herself to save Joker's life. A sob escaped her throat before she could catch it, and her hand smacked into her faceplate as she inadvertently reached to place a hand over her mouth, forgetting she had her helmet on. She hung her head and blushed in embarrassment, glad no one could see her face at that moment. "Y-yes, Garrus. I...I'm fine. Thank you," she stammered. "It's all just a bit...overwhelming, I fear." With that, she steeled her resolve and force her feet to start moving again, pressing ever closer to the point of no return.
She finally passed the hole left by the pod ejection port and stepped onto the Bridge proper. Her mind played through the scenario Joker gave her. She stared at the pilot's chair and imagined Shepard grabbing his arm and physically dragging him from it, opening the pod and forcing Joker in. Her head rocked with the explosion that pushed her love back to the bulkhead. Liara stared at the emergency launch button on the wall and it just didn't seem so far away from the pod entrance as to be such an impossible obstacle to overcome. By the Goddess, Samantha! Why couldn't you cross that distance? How could you not get yourself into that damn pod? Joker had said there was an additional explosion, forcing the commander away... Liara turned around and saw the gaping hole that must have been where Shepard had been ejected from the Normandy. With trembling hands, she traced the torn metal hull and cried. For the first time since the primal scream ripped from her throat right after the attack, Liara cried. She cried for her lost love, for the future they wouldn't have, for the void left in her soul that she felt she would never again be able to fill.
Liara had no idea how much time had passed before she felt the presence at her side. She knew she had exhausted her tears some time ago, but she still hadn't moved from that spot, having no idea where to look next. Shepard had been ejected from the Normandy. Her body would not be found on the Bridge. It was time to look elsewhere. But where? As she turned, she remembered that someone had approached her and as she raised her eyes, she saw Riana. "Mistress. When you are ready, the team has found something you need to see." Did they have Samantha's body? Liara couldn't speak the question out loud, not only because her throat was raw from crying in the dry air of the suit, but also because she feared what they had found. She couldn't bring herself to ask the question to which she did not want to hear the answer. There was only one thing on this journey that she would 'need' to see. Even without Liara giving voice to the question, Riana read it in her eyes. "I cannot explain. You must see it and draw your own conclusions, Dr T'Soni." With that, Riana held out her hand and, taking it, Liara let herself be led to the team's discovery.
At first, Liara did not understand what she was looking at. They were on a small rock shelf, not terribly far from the cockpit, and there were fragments of armor and a helmet. A complete, intact, N7 helmet, with little damage other than some scorch marks. Samantha's helmet. The armor was nearly destroyed, missing large sections, melted and burned, but still recognizable. But the helmet... the damn helmet is still intact! All of her gear is right here! Everything she was wearing is right here! Where is her body? Her grief changed in a flash to smoldering anger. Liara's head snapped up and her eyes zeroed in on Riana with an intensity that made even a huntress flinch. "Where the hell is Shepard?" she shouted.
Liara's brain went into overdrive. Someone had already been here. In the five days it took them to get to Arcturus, wait on the transport to arrive and get back here again, someone had peeled off Shepard's armor and they had taken her. Had they taken her alive or dead? Had it all been an elaborate ruse, a trap? Would someone have risked killing the commander just to hide or fake a kidnapping? Had the crew of the Madrid been in on it? Was that the reason behind their premature departure? None of it made sense...too many questions and no answers. Dr T'Soni was an archeologist. She knew how to dig. She knew how to find answers. She looked around at her team, and she was focused. She once more had purpose and she wasn't going to let anyone or anything get in the way. She knew what she wanted, she'd let the commandos figure out how to get it done. "I want every piece of electronic data to be found here. Every image, every audio file, every scanner recording. If it's digital, I want it collected...I also want the armor, the helmet, and every piece of Shepard's personal gear you can find. I don't care how long it takes."
The commandos jumped into action, hustling back to the shuttle to grab data disks, power cells, and the remaining packing crates. With an aching heart, Liara finally knelt down by the armor and started picking up pieces, turning them over in her hands. Something metallic caught her eye, mostly buried in the snow. She dug in with her fingertips and found an edge, prying the object up out of the snow. Her brain finally recognized what it was and her hand froze, hovering over the item momentarily before stroking it softly. She realized it was a silver chain. The chain with Samantha's dog tags! Liara gently pulled them out of the packed snow, careful to not break the chain or bend either of the little oval plates attached to it. Once freed, she tenderly brushed the snow off the face of one and looked at what she held in her hand. Samantha H. Shepard, Lieutenant Commander - N7, SN5923-AC-2826, Blood Type: B Neg. She had her keepsake; one she could wear around her neck so a little bit of Shepard would always ride on her chest and be pressed against her heart. By the Goddess, I swear those responsible for this will pay. They will rue the day they ever learned the name Shepard.
Liara helped pack up the armor, then helped secure all the data they could find. Once they got power cells connected, downloading all the logs was easy, seeing as both Liara and Garrus had the system access codes; it wasn't like they had to hack in to anything. Garrus went back through the quarters, armory, and lockers, hoping to collect any personal items of the surviving crew members he thought they might like back. They ended up making a second trip with the shuttle to drop one load off and pick up more packing crates. By the time they were done, the ship's storage compartment was full, and they had to floor load some of the crates in the equipment bay.
Once back on board and dressed in something other than her hardsuit, Liara went to talk to Judea. She wanted to fill her in on what they had learned and just talk for a bit; she didn't want any of the crew feeling left out. She thought to herself...it was a very 'Shepard' thing to do, and she found her hand pressing against her science suit, following the outline of the dog tags beneath the surface. Before she went to get some rest, she gave Judea a task. "I have decided on the name and colors for the ship. Shepard became partial to the blue and white combinations of my work outfits. So, the colors will be blue and silver; I'll leave you to choose the specific pattern. The name shall be Aletheia; it comes from Human mythology. Aletheia is the Greek goddess of truth."
Judea nodded in approval and with a light smile said, "Shepard would be pleased, Liara. I assume we are headed back to Thessia?"
Liara agreed, with a very quick stop again at Arcturus. She had some crates to drop off for the crew and critical information to pass to Hackett that she did not trust to open channels. "Judea, I also need you to check into some communications equipment for the Aletheia. It will be more efficient for future operations if we have secure comm capability." Judea did not verbally respond, but nodded in acknowledgement as she worked on calculating and inputting the course to Arcturus.
Liara had just returned to her cabin when there was a light knock on the door. She called out that it was open, and Garrus stuck his head in. "Hey Liara. Got a minute?"
Liara's face had a slight shadow of a smile as she responded, "Of course, Garrus. Please, come in."
Her Turian friend came in and sat down. "Ya know, this is one hell of a ship." Garrus paused for a moment, and Liara just raised her brow markings waiting for more. "I've been thinking about your offer as a Weapons Officer, and I honestly don't see it. Don't get me wrong, the weapons packed onto this baby are awesome, and they're a Turian design that I know like the back of my hand, so you know I can make 'em sing. But, you and I both know it's not a full time job, so what's the real deal?"
Liara smirked. "I wondered how long it was going to take you to get around to asking that question. Garrus...I am out of my depth here. I'm a researcher, a data collector, which is fine right now, but eventually I'll need a tactician, a military advisor. Commandos are great for small clandestine operations, but I have no idea what we're headed into. You and I both know if it involves the Reapers or Reaper agents, or even a large merc group, I'm going to need something more. You're that something more. You were Shepard's XO. You know tactics and military operations. I trust you, and I need you. Will you stay?"
Now it was Garrus' turn to smirk. "I had a feeling it was something like that, and the answer is absolutely yes. I just needed to make sure you didn't think I was a charity case because I had no place else to go without the Normandy." He chuckled at the expression of indignation on Liara's face.
"Garrus! I would never..." Liara paused for a moment, squinting her eyes. "Wait. You're joking, aren't you?" She continued as Garrus started to laugh. "Agh. It's no wonder you and Shepard got along so well. And Garrus? I'm very glad you're staying. The commandos are nice, but it's great to have a good friend to stand by my side. I hope you know how much that means to me."
Garrus looked at her, nodding his head up and down. "That I do, T'Soni, and I wouldn't want to be standing anywhere else through this. We're going to bring her home, one way or the other. Oh, and by the way, when we find her, you might want to give her this..." Much to Liara's surprise, Garrus held out Samantha's journal. "...I found it under some crap out in the snow...when I went back for that second look." Liara had no response to that, other than to jump up and hug Garrus tight, thanking him profusely. The Turian chuckled. "Alright, alright...you're going to ruin my tough guy image. I'm gonna go get some rest. You should do the same, Liara. See you tomorrow."
After Garrus left the room, Liara recalled Admiral Anderson's words... "Shepard's done the impossible so many times, I'm not giving up on her until I find a body." With that, she started a list of the most immediate questions. They had a starting point, and she and Garrus were going to follow this trail to its end, no matter where it may lead.