A/N: Thanks for your patience and again, sorry that it is taking so long between postings. Summer has proved to be a very large distraction from writing, but Fall is just around the corner!
Thanks to Bebus for your wonderful suggestions and edits - the writing process is a richer endeavor with your help! Also, thank you readers for continuing to follow my stories! All of your input is greatly appreciated and I love your comments, follows and favorites.
As an aside, is anyone going to PAX next weekend?
Chapter 17: Solace and Agony
Waiting in a trancelike state for signs of sentience from her offspring, Neresa guarded her progeny from the darkest depths of the ocean world. Her patience was rewarded, as she could feel her young start to develop and grow one by one. Small sparks that flickered in her mind with just a hint of awareness started to add to her very consciousness.
My presence has allowed you to develop faster and grow stronger. I feel you… you will know me and our history. Your minds are becoming strong; with the knowledge that I will share, you will know your past and all of those others that once merged their essences with us. I will give this to those of you that show the capacity to learn and see the greater plan for the galaxy. You are our future and are what is left of our species.
With just her own thoughts to keep her company, memories that had been handed down for generations began to trickle back into Neresa's cognizance. Knowledge of species and worlds long gone were still a part of Leviathan and provided Neresa with a new purpose and plan for her young. Nostalgia for those that had been more than pawns and longing for combining the essence of another replaced the lust for vengeance and power that had haunted her consciousness for so long.
Silence… it has been lost on me for ages and now it has become my companion. Through all of the solitude, I remember my life before the Reapers… before Krixo and his quest for domination. His will had filled my soul for so long; I thought it was mine too. But now in the quiet, my thoughts are my own and they are not of control. We were so much more than that… we had shared our minds with others and evolved because of the shared vision. That is what I want for my children… that is what I desire as Leviathan.
Over the eons, Krixo had used orbs that were spread throughout the galaxy to assess the state of each world. These devices allowed Leviathan to look into other worlds and cultures without their knowing; it also let Leviathan search for signs of Reapers or other threats. It was how Krixo controlled others and how he was manipulating the galaxy presently, but Neresa knew that she too could use them to help develop the young minds under her care.
My children, Krixo sees you only as tools to keep power for us, but you will be so much more. I won't allow his twisted vision to take you. We must be more than that… you will evolve through your unions and take our species to where we must go… not backwards… not just as masters. No, with other voices you will grow into more than I can ever be. But first we must find other minds and races that will be open to us… that will form you and pave the way for your future.
Neresa had never used the orbs independently of Krixo's mind, but the realization of what they could be used for filled her with excitement and hope. The female Leviathan closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, probing for life that had not been corrupted by Krixo. The feeling of touching other's thoughts was exhilarating and something that had been dormant within her. The process was intense, as consciousness, ideas, emotions, languages, and so much more all flooded her with an intensity that was overwhelming and took time to sort through. She touched hundreds of minds at once, some were primitive and some complex, but none seemed to possess the willingness that she desired. As she started to pull away, a voice echoed in the darkness. There was one mind that drew her in deeper, one that had suffered and knew the same loss that Neresa endured. There was harmony and intensity unlike anything Leviathan had felt. The mind opened and let Neresa enter.
There… I see it… beauty and clarity. I know your suffering and loneliness. I hear your song and will end your isolation. Like me, you have endured for eons and struggled against the galaxy, being used for others purposes. Together… we will be so much more. Together… we will find unity and peace.
Two souls linked.
I am Leviathan… I am Rachni.
The Destiny Ascension fired its engines in preparation for entering orbit around Desponia. Aethyta could feel the deceleration and knew instinctively that they had arrived at their destination, and Leviathan. A cold chill and panic ran through the matriarch; as if her body wanted to be as far away from the creature as possible. Aethyta gripped Liara's hand tightly and spoke in whispered tones, "Get ready kiddo, we're here."
The action caused Liara to slow. Her father looked shaken and there was something unfamiliar in the matriarch's expression. Does Leviathan have control of her? No… it is fear… I have never seen such fear in father. Liara returned the squeeze and knew that they both needed to get away from Leviathan's influence.
The route had been mostly deserted as Aethyta and Liara made their way through the corridors of the asari dreadnaught, it was almost eerie. Destiny Ascension was a very large ship and trying to discretely get to the shuttle bay without using the main routes proved to take longer than either expected. As the pair slowed, they could hear a large group approaching. Aethyta raised the gun she had taken off of the guard. Both father and daughter flared their biotics and brought up barriers.
"Ready, kiddo?" Some of the confidence had returned to Aethyta's voice.
Balling her fist tightly and putting the full force of her biotics into her raised hand, Liara nodded her reply.
In less than a minute, a squad of ten asari commandos was heading in the pair's direction. Aethyta assessed her surroundings: No cover, nowhere to hide, kid's pregnant, and we're outnumbered… Fuck!
Finding her target, Aethyta dashed into a rage fueled biotic charge and focused all of her energy at the leader of the advancing group. When the impact came, Aethyta was ready, but the leader wasn't and neither were the four asari flanking her.
Seeing her father charge, Liara quickly sent two stasis fields at the remaining group and then singularities in quick succession.
Aethyta recovered from the collision and then found her next targets; throw coupled with Liara's biotic handiwork caused an explosion that incapacitated the remaining resistance and took out part of the bulkhead.
Inventorying the carnage, Aethyta felt a slight swell of pride at the work of herself and her daughter. "Damn, I knew that there was some krogan in you kiddo."
Liara returned her father's smile and without warning, a sharp pain ran through her, as if something inside her was ripping apart. It caught her off guard, causing Liara to stumble and reach for Aethyta. "Father!" The strained word dragged itself from her lips.
Aethyta saw her daughter's pained expression and could hear the alarm in her words. She quickly tried to catch her child, but Liara was just out of her reach. Aethyta was left to watch her daughter clutch her belly and hit the floor. "Liara… no!"
The shuttle bay was just before them, both father and daughter could see the entrance and knew that their destination was only a few steps away… and so were more Leviathan controlled asari.
Rushing to Liara's side, Aethyta leaned in and gently grasped her daughter's shoulder. "Did you get hit?" A sickening feeling took hold of Aethyta, "Is it the baby?" Looking for some reassurance from Liara, Aethyta felt powerless as pain and shock washed over Liara's expression.
Tears started to form in Liara's eyes, as a pain that she had never known before rippled through her. "Father… please… we must hurry!" Her words were barely audible and took too much energy to force out of her lips. Liara held her stomach tightly, as her instincts told her that it was the baby. No, not now… please, not now!
"We have to move… Shit! No way they didn't notice that!" Aethyta was torn between staying at Liara's side as she endured the first pangs of labor and charging into the shuttle bay to attempt to secure transit for the duo. Liara helped to make the decision for her, as her daughter grabbed Aethyta's free hand and held it with a crushing strength that only someone wounded or in agonizing pain could grip. Seeing the agonized expression on her daughter's face, Aethyta tried to some words to help, "Try to breathe through it."
Liara was shallowly panting and hearing her father's words, attempted to fill her lungs and hold the pain at bay. She closed her eyes tightly and exhaled as deeply as the pain would allow. The warmth of her father's hand and the calming breath helped to center Liara. The pain slowly started to subside, but she knew that this was only the beginning.
"Your color is returning… that's good." Aethyta had never felt so helpless, as she did her best not to give into the panic forming in the pit of her stomach. She'd seen people give birth, of course, but as far as she knew this would be her first granddaughter. "Kiddo… we need to get out of here, can you move?"
Nodding, Liara felt some of her strength return. "Just give me a few more seconds and I will be ready."
"Shit! Too late…"Aethyta saw the asari crew hurrying towards them. Quickly dropping Liara's hand and bringing up her barriers again, Aethyta used all of her strength to call on another biotic charge. Her paternal instincts took over, as she hurled her body at the oncoming soldiers.
The war cry of Aethyta echoed off of the hallway, as her body propelled itself into the shuttle bay and the advancing crew. I must protect Liara…
Liara watched helplessly as her father collided with a biotic onslaught. "Father!"
The first two asari went down on impact, but the remaining crew saw Aethyta's charge and had placed up their barriers. Aethyta was slightly dizzy from the collision, but she knew that she didn't have time to shake it off; more indoctrinated crew were in front of her. Without aiming, Aethyta squeezed off a few blasts from her weapon, trying to give herself time to assess the scene and let her biotics recharge.
Shit… there are at least a dozen more guarding the shuttle. Aethyta hurled multiple warp fields at the crew and was able to take out three more guards before she felt the light charge of biotics encircling her body. Pain burst through her shoulder and torso, as shots penetrated her barrier and blood started oozing out of the wounds. A stasis field took hold of her, as she fell to the ground and started to lose consciousness. Liara…
Liara centered herself and flared her biotics; to her surprise, she felt strong and ready to engage the force before her. The asari that held her father quickly found themselves in a singularity, as Liara approached. The pain from moments before was gone and in its stead, was a biotic potential that she had never wielded. The pregnancy caused an imbalance in her biotics, a surge unlike anything Liara had known.
Raising her hand to allow the full force of her biotics to course through her, Liara aimed at the crew guarding one of the shuttles and released her powers. A large explosion shook the landing bay, as the remaining asari were blown away from the shuttle and her father.
Purple smears of blood now decorated the shuttle, the floor and the walls. Liara didn't stop to look at the gore, but hurried to her father's side and gently took hold of her body. Numbness was all she felt internally, as she checked to see if her father was alive. "Father, we don't have long before more arrive. Please... please… father." She reached down to help steady Aethyta and was frightened by the wet, sticky feeling that greeted her touch.
"I'll be alright… let's get to the shuttle." Aethyta fought back the nausea and dizziness that were now filling her head and pushed herself into the vehicle. "Go on… get us out of here."
The shuttle was not large and Liara was able to get to the cockpit quickly. She keyed in the start code, deactivated the shuttle bay doors and launched the small vehicle into space. As she did, she saw that her hands were covered in Aethyta's blood. We do not have much time.
Desponia filled the view screen of the shuttle. They were already in the planet's atmosphere and Liara realized that her only option was to head to the surface below. I will not panic. Liara's attention went to a warning light flashing on the bottom of the display: Ship Approaching… Identification… Midnight Star. "Aria! Goddess, let it be Aria." Flashes of pain rushed through her again, as Liara desperately keyed in a message to the advancing ship. "Please get this!"
Smoke still rose up from the remains of the statue, as Aria stepped closer to Tevos. "Show me again how you can defend yourself." The words were whispered seductively, as the Queen of Omega ran her hands down the biotically charged arms of her lover. "I like this side of you."
Tevos smiled and shook her head slightly, but allowed herself to be pulled in to Aria's embrace. She could feel the muscles in Aria's arms and the firmness of her breast pushing against her. "Goddess, Aria do my biotics excite you that much?"
Aria pulled Tevos closer and kissed her neck roughly. "Fuck or fight. Isn't that the saying?"
Tevos chuckled at her lover's question and wrapped her hands around Aria's arms. "No dear… it is fight or flight."
Pouting slightly, Aria returned her lips to Thea's neck and bit down lightly. "Well I like my saying better." Her hands continued their exploration of her bondmate's slender frame until she found the zipper to her dress and brought it down to just under Thea's breasts.
"Aria!" The nip sent chills of want through the Councilor and she could feel herself being guided to the sofa that sat next to the crumbled statue. Her mind stopped thinking of any potential dangers in the future and focused solely on her current needs.
Both asari jumped, as Aria's omnitool beeped loudly, demanding her attention. "This better be fucking important!" Aria growled into the omnitool.
"Boss, we are arriving at Desponia." The pilot's voice had a slightly higher pitch than normal for a krogan. "You wanted to be notified immediately."
The rage that had been simmering returned and the predator in Aria lit up with biotics. "I'll be there in a minute." The frustration was obvious in Aria's voice; she released her hold on Tevos and stepped toward the door.
"We will be there in a minute." Tevos corrected her bondmate and then turned to face Aria fully. "We do this together." She returned her zipper to its proper place, flared her biotics and stood defiantly next to Aria.
There was no question and the statement was said with an authority that Aria knew better than to challenge. "Fuck later… now we fight." Aria took Thea's hand in her own and felt the charge of their combined biotics as they made for the bridge of the ship. "Damn you're hot when you're ready to kick ass."
As soon as the doors opened, Aria barked orders at the krogan within earshot. She was feeling ramped up and ready for a fight and knew that the krogan would respond enthusiastically at the opportunity to kill something, especially something that was responsible for invading their homeworld. "Get ready to rip some fucking tentacles apart! I am going to kill that fucking monster! Who's with me?"
A battle cry of excitement went out from the krogan crew, as all responded to the realization of imminent violence at Leviathan.
Prak allowed for the commotion to die down and then did his best to get Aria's attention. "Boss, there's a shuttle leaving Destiny Ascension. It's heading down to the surface." Prak pointed to the display. "We'll be in range in a few minutes, shall we target it?"
Another krogan voice called out from across the room, "Wait! It's sending us an encrypted message."
"Encrypted? Who sent it?" Thea moved closer to the comms officer and closely followed Aria to the station.
The krogan punched a sequence into his terminal and then looked at the couple. "It's for Aria."
All looked to Aria as she keyed in her code. "It's Liara!" Aria's facial expression was a mix of rage and relief. "She's with Aethyta and…" Aria looked at Tevos, her face changed as her eyes locked onto her lover's. Her hands instinctively went to her abdomen and with a pained expression, Aria finished reading the message, "she's in labor."
Quiet resonated through the Midnight Star's bridge, as everyone reacted to Aria. Thea was the first to break the silence. "Are they alright? How far along is Liara in the birthing process?" As she spoke, Tevos reached over and lightly touched Aria's hand.
"I don't know!" Aria's response was filled with venom, but it was not directed at Thea. "It only says that Aethyta is hurt, that Liara's labor has started and that they are heading to the fucking planet's surface!"
"Leviathan is down there waiting for us and it sounds like our friends could use our help." Through their melds, Tevos knew what Liara meant to Aria and the friendship that they had formed; Aria thought of the younger asari like a sister and you don't fuck with Aria or her family. "Is there any word from Shepard or the Normandy?"
"No, but the Normandy should be running in stealth mode; we wouldn't be able to detect her." Prak offered.
Tevos smiled at Aria and then looked to the comms officer, "Please enter in this code, encrypt the message and send it: Normandy, this is Councilor Tevos on board the Midnight Star. We require your assistance. Please respond."
The officer quickly completed the encryption and then sent the message. Barely a minute passed before the comms officer spoke, "Councilor, you have your reply. It's on screen."
A few crackles and then the image of Commander Shepard displayed on the view screen. "Councilor, this is Commander Shepard, how can we assist you? And what is Destiny Ascension doing here? For that matter, what are you doing here?" Shepard's voice was all professional, but Aria and Tevos both could hear the concern within the questions.
"Commander, things did not go… well on Thessia. I am sorry to tell you that Matriarch Aethyta suffered under the influence of Leviathan and that she managed to take Liara. She used the Destiny Ascension to transport them all here."
"What? Liara is on board?" Shepard did not even attempt to contain the worry that she felt.
"When we arrived in orbit, a shuttle was heading to the surface. They were able to send us a message." Tevos stopped and took hold of Aria's arm, knowing that Shepard was not going to take the rest of the message well. "Commander, Liara and Aethyta are aboard that shuttle and… Shepard, I am so sorry."
"Why? Please tell me what is going on?"
"Aethyta has been hurt and Liara's labor has started. We are going to follow the shuttle down and offer them any assistance."
Shepard locked her legs in place and did her best to not hit something, "We are heading down in Kalros's Vengeance. I have a squad ready to go."
"Shepard, we will help in any way that we can." Tevos tried her best to offer her friend support, but she knew what Shepard must be feeling.
Aria stepped forward, "Fucking Leviathan! Count me in on your team when we rendezvous. I want a piece of that damned monster. We will send you the coordinates. See you on the ground Shepard."
"Right!" Shepard switched off the screen and her image faded from view.
"All right everyone, time to kick some Leviathan ass!" Aria's grin was vicious, but the rage in her eyes was smoldering. The Queen of Omega stood defiantly on the bridge, ready to face whatever waited for her. "Take us down to the planet… I've got a score to settle!"