When Fates Collide

Chapter 26

~ Full Circle ~

Early the next morning, an exceptionally well dressed commanding officer hailed her favorite alliance pilot from inside her cabin.

"Joker, this is Shepard."

Perhaps too early and too perky for the spectre, the pilot chimed, "Top of the morning to you Commander!"

If the alliance aviator had only known how long the galactic commander had really been awake, he would be greeting her with good afternoon instead. "Thank you Joker," replied the redhead, feeling the material of her alliance blazer brushing against her skin. "Good Morning to you too Joker… Now, I have a request for you. Please hail all essential personnel to the conference room for a mission update in 15 minutes. I need to discuss our options."

"Yes ma'am, all essential personnel in the conference room in 15 minutes. Got it."

"And don't forget to invite Dr. Chakwas. I want her there too. We are going to be under a great deal of stress, I want to make sure our bodies stay as sharp as our brains."

"Copy that Commander."

"Good. I'll head down there shortly. Shepard out."

The short trip to the oval office, including a brief stop by the mess hall for a quick bite, had been uneventful. The veteran soldier, who was still herself getting used to her new attire, had been grateful to just disappear into the shadows, like she had on Saren's rogue ship: Sovereign. Finally having reached the conference room, the spectre, realizing she was nearly late to her own meeting, started to chastise herself for succumbing to her growling stomach, but now, seeing mostly everyone there and the way some were gawking at her; she was glad she hadn't been there to greet everyone as they arrived.

Circling the edge of the room, were small groups of the spectre's essential personnel chatting amongst themselves. On the far starboard side, closest to the door, was Adams and Garrus deeply engaged in a technical discussion. The men, as well as the couple lingering across from them on the portside, barely budged when the Normandy's captain made her grand entrance. The bulky krogan had been delightfully entertaining the young quarian so much, that she had not noticed that she was sitting half way in the large leather chair allowing her feet to dangle below her. For a second, the unusual pair caught Shepard by surprise, but her attention was redirected when she saw two more of her crewmembers frozen in place as soon as the remodeled commander strolled into view. Making haste, the redhead quickly made her way over to the two human females, hovering by one of the leather chairs.

Regaining her composure first, the senior medical officer greeted the spectre, "Hello Shepard. I'm glad to see that you look a lot less like a Wookie, and more like an alliance officer now."

Ash gently tugged at the crossed arms of the medical officer and lightheartedly corrected, "You mean galactic commander. She hates being called anything alliance, thanks to Udina."

"I see," replied the silver haired woman with a twinge of an apology.

The redhead, slightly perplexed by the Wookie reference was distracted by the sound of Tali giggling. Whatever the krogan had said….correction: grumbled… had the young quarian bouncing in her seat… why can't he be super intelligent? Shepard pondered this idea for a moment, unfazed by the women's conversation. Scanning the conference chamber, she asked the chief medical officer, "Didn't Liara come with you, Doc?"

Still taken aback by the redhead's stunning appearance, the silver haired woman stared openly at the fearless leader, "No, I thought she was with you."

The commander frowned before her piercing green eyes suddenly fixated on the turian in the room and Shepard kindly excused herself from her present company, "I should be going now." As she dashed off, the spectre gently stroked the doctor's shoulder, "Thanks."

Chief Williams watched her commanding officer stroll over to Adams and Garrus. "I cut her hair, but damn, I'm not responsible for that…" The woman's sentence trailed off as her eyes glazed over the newly transformed spectre, "Now she looks like the perfect poster child for the alliance."

Unconcerned about interrupting their conversation, the commanding officer jumped straight to the point, before customary pleasantries could be exchanged, "Garrus, there is something I want to ask you."

Confused and curious, the turian rubbed his chin and turned to face the spectre directly, "Go ahead shoot."

"I never got a straight answer on how you managed to get Tali to hack those c-sec files when I had her assigned to calibrations."

Chief Engineer Adams stifled a snicker, as he helplessly looked on at the Palaven native. Flaring his mandibles, the turian proudly stated, "I informed her, that I'd do the main gun calibrations in return for her help."

Stunned by the task that would take the raptorial man two or three times longer than it would have taken for the quarian genius to complete, Shepard snapped, "But Garrus that could take you days."

"I know, but…" tracing the ends of his mandibles with his long talons, Garrus looked momentarily lost, if Shepard surmised was what she witnessed to be the turian version of a blush, a pleasant thought before adding, "…it was worth it. She came through for me in enormous fashion. So…" Garrus shot a sideways glance at the man, to whom he had just been inquiring, as to how he was going to accomplish his impending task, "…I'll be calibrating for a while. Not much for a former c-sec officer to do onboard anyway. Besides, how bad could it be? Tali already has this ship running as smoothly as a newborn's bum."

Incredulously the veteran soldier asked, "How would you know about baby butts Garrus?"

"Shepard, you haven't felt smooth 'til you've caressed the bum plume of a newborn."

"Yeah…" Realizing they were not talking about the same butts, the commander was still curious; however given her recent encounter with turian visuals, she certainly didn't want to start examining turian anatomy further…baby or otherwise, so the spectre refrained and instead patted the man on the shoulder. "Alright then, have fun."

At that moment, the doors to the conference room swished open and Lieutenant Pressley briskly walked in and questioned, "Shall we start?"

Starting to feel uneasy, with everyone now looking at her, the commanding officer agreed, "Yes, let's start the meeting." As the occupants of the room took their seats, Shepard began, "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I know you all have important duties to attend to, and your prompt response is greatly appreciated."

Before she could continue, the doors to the prestigious room opened once again. The asari maiden, aware of her tardiness, blushed heavily as everyone in the room focused on her. Dropping her eyes to the floor, the resident prothean expert quickly made her way to the only vacant chair, hurriedly offering her apologies, "Sorry. I was researching prothean data to see if I could provide answers to what…" Liara looked up, her rich blue eyes finally registering the redhead's transformation as she lowly scanned the exquisite specimen before her wearing the prestigious dress uniform, "… Saren… could possibly…want..." Shepard had to practically snap her fingers to shake the maiden's stare. "My apologies Shepard… I…uh, never mind. It is not important." Taking the seat next to her good friend, Tali, the asari maiden finished, "Please go on."

The spectre smiled at the prothean expert before addressing the rest of the room. Straightening her galactic commander's uniform, the redhead centered herself and began to speak. First, she again thanked everyone for coming so swiftly, shooting a wayward smirk in the asari's direction. As the veteran soldier went on, her fellow teammembers quickly forgot about the bandage above her left eye and the remaining bruises, partially discoloring the woman's face. Listening to the convincing words leaping from her tongue, promptly overshadowed the spectre's busted lower lip. Hearing the spectre relay the information about their mission, invoked a great deal of respect upon those gathered around her.

Liara stared in wonderment, as the distinguished soldier delivered her message, watching as the human imparted her knowledge with great conviction and authority. As the spectre spoke, the maiden looked about the room and sensed Shepard's mixed matched team of the galaxy's species would certainly follow her, without reserve to the death. Shepard had the crew's absolute attention, and not just from the manner in which she delivered her report. Her new look had completely astounded them and they sat totally transfixed by the extraordinary woman, as she fluidly paced around the room with the grace and nobility of someone born to command. The clean lines of her haircut perfectly complimented the sharp, dress blues clinging to her frame, making her appear taller. Her voice and mannerisms were filled with confidence, her overall presence one of true military bearing, instilling each crewmember with undying loyalty, as she delivered her earnest message.

Spouting the last of her speech with the right bit of arrogance needed for such a dangerous mission, the redhead confidently announced, "I didn't ask any of you to die for me. So at the next fueling station, you can honorably depart, if you want. No questions or ill feelings, I promise." Shepard resumed her theatrical pacing, her words becoming increasingly dramatic, her gesticulating arms punctuating each rally cry, "But if you stay…Stay with me… Fight by my side… I swear… We will catch that son of a bitch Saren and we will bring an end to his reign of terror on the galaxy!"

Not a single being stirred, nor were there any wisecracks emitted over the 1 MC from the eavesdropping pilot: her collected party was willing to follow her into battle. It was in that moment, Shepard realized she had transformed. Though she was someone she barely recognized; she knew she had become the woman, the soldier she was always meant to be. No longer the scruffy redhead in need of a haircut or the renegade solider disobeying every command, she was Shepard, first human spectre and savior of the galaxy. But beyond that, she was Shepard, their leader.

Virtually yelling, the woman barked, "Now who's with me?!"

Wrex was the first, if not the loudest, to pledge his assistance to the captain, immediately followed by Garrus, but then again, those two were always up for a good fight, as the rest of the group quickly rejoined, including the alliance pilot, and it was official as everyone hooted and hollered their support.

"What did I always say?" blasted Joker through the ship's comm, "She's a commander, that's for sure. Shepard, I'll follow you into battle anytime."

As the devoted team cheered, the asari maiden looked about the room in awe. Watching each member, she realized how far they had come to get to this point, to follow the woman who was once either hated or despised.

But now, they would surely follow her to the death, Liara reasoned. Bringing her attention to the captain tasked with saving the galaxy, she meticulously studied the redhead. The asari, being the only silent person in the room, beamed with pride as the crew expressed their desire to follow her.

Staring perhaps a bit too intently, she caught the spectre's attention as Shepard's piercing green eyes fixated on the maiden. A warm sensation filled both women as Shepard's smile glowed back at the prothean expert. The penetrating gaze was not lost on the maiden, as she too suddenly felt enchanted and inspired. Once the crew had been dismissed, leaving just Liara and Shepard in the large oval space, the young asari, who had emulated her mother's reserved style during the earlier excitement, stood up straight, like she had for so many of her mother's ceremonies, to personally commend the spectre and express her devotion, "Shepard, that was impressive to say the least. You looked incredibly sure of yourself."

In an air of smugness, the commander replied, "Something I picked up from a particular asari matriarch we were both very acquainted with."

Before the two could continue their discussion, a man's voice came forth from the overhead speaker. "Commander Shepard. I'd like to request your presence on the bridge. There are some new developments I'd like to discuss with you."

Shrugging her shoulders, by way of an apology to the prothean expert, Shepard replied to the unexpected voice, "Sure thing Pressley, I'm on my way now."

"Thank you Commander."

%%%%%

Making her way up to the bridge, the spectre received several strange looks and a few salutes as she moved about the passageways. Her shiny boots clanked on the steel grates below, as she nervously placed one foot in front of the other. Tugging at the high collar, that she had never been very fond of, Shepard felt a little easier when she saw the marine on the starboard side offer the respectful salutation, at least I was expecting that one, she mused, as he had customarily saluted her since she started wearing the former XO's uniforms. Walking towards the Combat Information Center, which housed the enormous galaxy map, the spectre pondered, do I really look that much different? As if in answer to her unvoiced question, a yeoman dropped her datapad as the spectre strolled past the galaxy map. I guess so, chuckled Shepard to herself.

Thankful to have finally reached the bridge, the commanding officer, believing she had successfully navigated the gauntlet had, in her haste, completely forgotten about the ornery pilot awaiting her. Sensing her presence behind him, Joker asked, "What can I do for you Commander?" When she did not respond, the galactic aviator, feeling he might have lost his annoying affect on the spectre, turned around in his mechanized seat to face the woman.

Hoping to avoid any crass remarks from the pilot, the spectre immediately began, "I'm looking for Pressley." The pilot's jaw dropped as he gaped at an entirely different woman from the one he had seen only yesterday.

Seeing the man's only response was to gawk, the veteran soldier repeated her request, "Hello. Where is Pressley?" Slightly annoyed by the pilot's trance, Shepard started snapping her fingers in an attempt to break the spell caused by her recent remodeling, "Joker! Joker!"

Pretending as if nothing had happened, the galactic aviator, not missing a beat answered, "Yeah, yeah. Pressly is in the decon chamber uploading an extra datapad for you."

"Very well… I will be with him if you need me for anything…" the commanding officer shot a sideways grin at the pilot before finishing, "…actually important Joker."

The amazed pilot was barely able to muster a sound, as he sputtered, "Copy that… Commander."

As the vessel's day drudged on, the spectre got used to the surprised stares and subtle whispers from her crew, while they became accustomed to the new uniform bearing commander. With Pressley by her side, as they discussed the ship's tactical battle strategies, and advanced hyperdrive systems, including the new mods imposed by the ship's quarian engineering genius, Shepard felt more comfortable, as the hours passed, being at the helm of such a mighty vessel. Overlooking the massive galactic map inside the belly of the CIC, the redhead couldn't help, but feel a tremendous amount of pride swell within her. For a brief moment, she guessed this was the feeling which kept her mom, who could have easily taken a posh position on the Citadel years ago, on active duty for so long.

Allowing her hands to firmly grip the metal railing that encompassed the star clusters, Shepard leaned forward on the captain's perch towering above the room. Her eyes quickly scanned the hustling compartment, as crewmembers, her crewmembers, moved about busily. Knowing she was in charge, tasked with stopping the galaxy's biggest threat with the Citadel's best ship, and the best crew, the former rogue soldier knew that if there was a chance of succeeding, it would be because of her, and the unusual collection of aliens and humans that chose to follow her. Allowing a cocky smile to slip, the galactic commander peered over her surroundings. "It is good to be, that is for sure."

%%%%%

A few days later, Shepard and Liara were gathering their chow for dinner. As the commander was explaining what the entrée's 'mystery meat' was to the asari maiden, a man's voice spoke from behind them. "You know Commander… I really love the new due."

Twisting around, Shepard saw the alliance pilot clearing his tray, as he was readying himself to depart the mess decks. From over her shoulder, the seasoned warrior could feel Liara intently looking at her new sleek hair style again. Attempting to distract herself from the professor's alluringly close proximity, Shepard complained as the two headed towards an empty table, "You know Joker, I'm still not comfortable being called commander."

"That's right. You're a galactic commander now," quipped the limping pilot.

Slamming her tray down harder than intended, the spectre glared over at the man. "Joker!" she bitingly warned.

Escaping Shepard's wrath as fast as possible, the galactic aviator limped off the mess decks, shouting out the last word as he rounded the corner towards the elevator, "Gotta go! Duty calls…Commander!"

Shepard rose to go after the pilot, but a soft blue hand reached out and gently covered her bare hand, compelling her to sit back on the bench. The commander, though growling under her breath, relaxed under the asari's touch and complied with the professor's silent request. The mess hall was almost vacant, as the two settled in their seats for a late dinner, and the pair soon found themselves alone as the last of the remaining occupants finished their meals and emptying their trays, departed. Looking around Shepard asked, "Where's Tali?"

Suspiciously poking her mystery meat, Liara announced, "Oh she ate earlier, with Garrus."

"Why Garrus?"

"Well they are both dextro's after all."

"Hmm…" Shepard, still hesitant about tackling her meal, fidgeting with her fork, before further querying, "Is it just me or do they seem to be pretty chummy lately?"

Looking curiously at the commander, Liara delicately placed another spoonful of mashed potatoes in her mouth. Surely, she thought, her translator must be incorrect, as the only clarification it gave to her for 'chummy' was fish bait, so the Thessian born asari questioned, "Exactly what constitutes 'chummy'?"

Prodding the mutton entrée with her utensil, the redhead shrugged before coyly responding, "You know…"

Liara, avoiding any reference to fish, shook her head and said, "I apologize

Shepard but I am unfamiliar with the term."

Slumping on one elbow, the spectre puckered her lips to one side before explaining, "Well, first there were these odd glances while we were at Dr. Michel's clinic, then she helped him crack the revised c-sec code on the Citadel, and now, since he introduced her to some new dextro dishes, they eat together all the time."

Relieved Shepard was not referring to their friends as oily fish, Liara carefully ensured she had the proper amount of food on her fork before conveying, "So hanging out… spending a great deal of time together… helping each other out…eating all their meals together, that sort of thing?"

Lifting her elbow off the cold metal table, Shepard excitedly shot back, "Exactly!" The commander began mixing an overly soft pat of butter into her peas before adding, "If they're not careful, people are going to start thinking they are doing the horizontal shuffle."

Exasperated over her translator's inadequacies with human slang, Liara took a sip of her juice and attempted to analyze the conversation in an effort to understand Shepard. Figuring the expression must be akin to chummy and considering it did sound a lot like an ancient asari dance, performed by close family members, the young maiden, satisfied with her reasoning innocently proclaimed, "So one could say… we were doing the horizontal shuffle then."

The Council spectre immediately started choking on her food, as she struggled to get air, rather than her dinner, into her lungs. Dropping her fork to the table, the shell-shocked commander gasped for oxygen, as she finally forced the mystery meat down. Teary eyed, Shepard signaled the apparently intergalactic symbol for okay. Looking dumbfoundedly at her residing prothean expert, the former rogue soldier suddenly realized how her relationship with the professor must look. Stunned, she absentmindedly raked her fingers across her scalp while staring down at her tray. She did, secretly, want to have that conversation with the asari when they were alone, but…not in the mess hall. Sheer panic gripped the redhead's body as she desperately tried to regain her composure, while thinking of something…anything… to redirect the conversation.

Breaking the silence, which had quickly become borderline uncomfortable, Shepard cleared her throat and asked, "So have you seen Ash lately?"

Liara's confused stare turned into a slight frown, as she answered the spectre's question, "She had the early watch so she ate earlier as well."

The redhead aimlessly stirred the brown gravy into her mashed potatoes, using the unappetizing spuds as a delay tactic until she could think of something else to discuss. With nothing coming to mind, the commander looked up and seeing the dejected expression on the asari's face, concerned asked, "What's wrong Liara?"

In a voice hardly louder than a whisper, Liara uttered, "Is there something wrong with dining alone with me?"

Nearly choking on her food again, Shepard retorted, "No! Not at all. I love being with you. I mean, eating with you. Dining!" Shrugging sheepishly over her verbal stumbles, she finished with, "You know what I mean."

A bright smile replaced the frown, as the asari's face positively gleamed. "I do," she said, before elegantly placing another spoonful of potatoes in her mouth."

The spectre's eyes never strayed from the utensil, as it made its way to Liara's lips. Watching the azure rimmed edges of the asari's mouth succulently close around the spoon before slowly releasing it again, made the redhead feel as if her heart skipped a few beats. Embarrassed and feeling slightly lightheaded, Shepard planted her elbow on the table and stared down at her tray of grub. Toying with her pulverized spuds for several minutes, Shepard finally confessed, "Liara, I really do enjoy the time I get to spend with you..." An unfamiliar crewmember walked by halting the woman's tongue, when Shepard was certain they were the room's sole occupants, she finished her declaration, "…all alone."

That infamous shy smile, tugging at the edges of the asari's lips, warmed the spectre's heart. The asari turned slightly and facing the veteran soldier harmoniously spoke like an angel, "As do I Shepard…but recently it seems to be a rare thing."

Letting her fork drop into the mushy meat, the spectre gently reached for the maiden's hand. "I know and it sucks." Tenderly squeezing the blue hand, Shepard continued, "I don't know what it is, but somehow Liara, you make everything better."

Sparkling blue eyes gazed at the female spectre, letting Shepard know she felt the same way. Just as the prothean expert was about to speak, Joker's voice broke the arousing trance, "Commander Shepard. Lieutenant Pressley is requesting your presence in the CIC immediately."

Alarmed the captain questioned, "Is something wrong?"

"No ma'am. He only said it was important. Something about realigning our course to save time, but it has to happen now."

Grudgingly standing up, the commanding officer wiped her mouth with her cloth napkin and replied to the pilot, "Tell him, I'm on my way." The quick glance to her dinner guest, served as the apology the asari maiden was becoming all too accustomed with as of late. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I know you have a galaxy to save." Tender blue orbs followed the spectre's every move until she was no longer in site. In a hushed voice, filling the otherwise empty space, Liara lamented, "I understand Shepard. I thoroughly understand, more than I care to sometimes."

%%%%%

The next morning in the back office of the medical bay, Liara leaned forward to look at Shepard's bandaged eye.

"Ow!"

"Well hold still."

"Shouldn't doctor Chakwas be doing this?"

"She said she was busy and said I could take care of this."

Ripping her face free from the asari's grip, Shepard protested, "But everyone on the Normandy is fine," the redhead began pacing as she pondered, "what could she possible be doing that is keeping her so busy?"

"You really are going to be difficult."

Shocked by the asari's words, Shepard spun back around. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Avoiding eye contact with the spectre, Liara nonchalantly fiddled with her impromptu first aid kit.

"Dr. Chakwas warned me that you might not be the…" the well educated woman paused before continuing, choosing the best words possible, as to not upset the captain, "…the most cooperative patient, in regards to medical treatment."

The stunned expression on the commander's face was priceless. Liara continued staring at the human's face, as she called out the, hopefully, savior of the galaxy, "Are you still going to be a baby or shall we proceed with your needed dressing change?"

Rolling her jade colored eyes, the redhead grumbled as she flopped down on the patent leather cot inside the med bay's storage room. Surrendering herself to the caring hands of the resident prothean expert, Shepard shifted further onto the temporary gurney, tucking her right leather boot under her left knee, as she scooted closer to the prothean expert. "Do you know what you are doing?"

The asari's teasing smile slipped into an awkward frown.

Worried she had struck a chord, Shepard gently reaching for the prothean expert's hand. "Liara, did I say something wrong?"

A shy smile crept back over the young woman's face. "I've had my fair share of bumps and bruises."

Not knowing this about the asari, Shepard lightly squeezed the asari's hand, encouraging her to expand on her statement. "Go on."

Accepting the comforting invitation, Liara explained, "Well, I wasn't exactly the ideal child for a distinguished Matriarch. I was always getting myself into trouble, mostly re-enacting an experiment or two, which usually resulted in a fire or some other such mishap in the house… Benezia's house."

Sitting directly in front of the prothean expert, Shepard soothingly brushed her thumb across the back of the maiden's hand as she tenderly consoled, "Liara, Benezia was very proud of you."

Dropping her gaze to the floor, Liara disappointingly muttered with, "You don't know that."

Moving closer to the asari so that their knees were now slightly touching, Shepard reassured her, "Trust me Liara, I know."

The sweet blush that had first swept Shepard off her feet, reappeared, as the veteran soldier picked up the roll of medical tape and handed it to Liara. "Why don't you show me some of your handy work?"

Shepard's green eyes closely followed every movement made by the asari, while she prepared the necessary items required for the bandage change, eventually staring into the maiden's endless pools of blue, as Liara's hands came up to her face. She didn't realize she had been holding her breath the entire time until Liara quickly ripped the sticky adhesive from above her eye, painfully stinging her flesh. Abruptly snapped out of her trance, a slew of curse words balanced precariously on the edge of the spectre's tongue before she stifled them, finally blurting, "Liara! That hurt!"

"Sometimes it is best to just rip it off."

"You could have warned me first!"

"Don't be silly Shepard. If I had warned you, you would not have sat still."

The smug expression on the asari's face, made the spectre feel as if she had just been duped. As her pounding heart returned to as normal a beat as it could, with the asari so close by, she felt Liara apply a cold liquid above her eye. Immediately, the seasoned soldier reacted by wincing in pain, fanning her hand about her face and whining, "It stings. It stings."

Enjoying seeing the hardened soldier, act like anything but a hardened soldier, made the asari's heart glow. Savoring the brief moment, Liara decided to end the spectre's suffering, and taking pity on the redhead, gently blew on the medicated substance, quickly making the warrior forget any discomfort. In between long, soothing breaths, Liara whispered, "Is that better?"

A childlike nod answered the beaming asari.

Exhaling once more for good measure or perhaps personal reasons, Liara slowly released her breath, staring at Shepard's closed eyes as they flickered. Studying the captain's peaceful state, she wondered if this is how Shepard looked when sleeping. All those times Shepard had stood guard over her, the veteran soldier had always been the last to fall asleep and the first to awake. Liara had lost that war of wills, not that she'd ever admit it, but examining the shut pupils before her now, she wondered, as an adoring crescent grin covered her face, if this was how still, how peaceful Shepard had looked during those times.

Sensing hesitation, Shepard's eyes fluttered open. Instantly, brilliant sapphires met glistening emeralds and everything beyond the unexpected exchange, diminished into the background. Mustering the courage to act, Shepard moistened her lips as she slowly leaned forward.

Although from an entirely different species, the commander's desire was not lost upon the asari, as she watched Shepard's eyes tantalizingly express the human's intentions. The matriarch's daughter evaluated every possible idea as to why pairing, with this human in particular, was understandable. This soldier, she had once despised, was now moving much closer to her and she was powerless to resist. However, she was her protector, the savior of the galaxy, not to mention, trusted by her belated mother, but it was beyond that. She was drawn to this charismatic woman, who stirred a vortex of endless emotions and secretly, the asari had longed for this moment. So, as she felt Shepard's weight shift, the roll of gauze slipped from her fingers onto the floor and Liara gazed invitingly back at the spectre.

Shepard, recognizing the beaming expression smeared upon the maiden's face, smiled and moved towards her intended target. Pushing aside all the reasons flooding her brain as to why she shouldn't proceed, the spectre thought only of devouring the tender, blue lips before her. Unable and unwilling to stop, the two moved closer together until their warm breaths grazed over each other's lips. Shepard peered up at the irresistibly blue eyes of her temporary nurse maid and felt something like never before, in all of her 29 years. Believing, for the first time in decades, she felt the stirrings of happiness deeply within, the woman beamed with hope and desire, as she held the prothean expert's enchanting gaze a moment longer before moving to press her ruby lips against soft azure ones.

Suddenly, the office door noisily slid open and Chief Williams entered carrying several large boxes, which were partially blocking her view. Unaware of her interruption she spat, "Hey, where do these go?"

Startled by the intrusion, Liara was the first to pull back. "Um, just put them on the shelf over there, please."

Attempting to reign in her emotions from the awkward moment, the spectre asked, "What are those?"

The observant marine scanned the pair's closeness and watched the spectre as she slowly withdrew her hand from the asari's lap; noting the last time she had seen anyone's face as red as Shepard's, was when she was on leave and caught her baby sister making out with some guy in her bedroom. Not really trying to stifle her laugh, Ash, placed a hand on her cocked hip and quipped, "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

The embarrassed prothean expert swiftly slid off the bench and scooted across the room to inspect the boxes. "Oh nothing really..." quickly trying to impress the alliance officer with a bit of human slang, Liara proudly announced, "we were just doing the horizontal shuffle."

Ash immediately dropped the boxes and sucked in air, as she glanced back and forth between the spectre and Liara. Shepard instantaneously froze in place, overcome with absolute horror from the misspoken professor. As the few moments of stunned silence dragged into what seemed like hours, no one moved and not a word was spoken until the commander, finally able to form a coherent thought, quickly got to her feet and tried explaining to Ash, "It's not what you think."

Ash simply raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

Exasperated, Shepard turned to Liara and said, "We need to talk."

The gunny chief snorted and said, "Talk? According to Miss Prothean expert here, you've moved beyond…talk."

Seeing the maiden distressed, Shepard slowly turned towards the alliance soldier. "Seriously Ash, It's not what you think. Liara was just changing my dressing."

The marine pivoted on her heel, chewing on her finger, as she stared at the alluring curves of the asari, "Yeah, dressing… right."

Ash's smug expression abandoned her when Liara turned to face the young marine. Dropping her hand, as the near century old female looked directly at her, the suddenly embarrassed alliance soldier stammered, "Ok… gotta run now." The eldest Williams sister however, couldn't resist one last teasing poke before the door closed, making the remaining occupants of the room heavily blush, "Now, you two don't have too much fun undressing …um… your wounds."

The sliding door slammed shut before the copper redhead could reprimand the gunny for her conniving jab. Slowly turning around, the commanding officer froze when she caught the asari's gaze. "I don't understand," Liara said haltingly, "you said it was something people do when they are…close…as us."

"Liara," Shepard began, however before the embarrassed duo could further discuss what had happened, or what had almost happened, the loyal pilot's voice boomed over the 1MC.

"Commander, I have an important message for you from the Citadel."

Here we go again. "Go ahead and patch it through Joker."

"I can't. It's heavily encrypted with something I have never even seen before and it's marked 'For Your Eyes Only'."

Hesitatingly rubbing the back of her neck, the spectre responded, "Well I'm a little busy right now."

To her surprise, the alliance pilot retorted back, "Yeah I know. Remember, a great pilot always knows the location of his commanding officer aboard the ship." Without skipping a beat, or rather, not allowing his commanding officer to comment on his last statement, the ornery pilot continued, "Anywho, I thought I'd save you some time, so I sent it to Tali to see if she could crack it, and she even said it was unlike anything she had ever seen." Shepard could tell the meddlesome pilot was shifting uneasily in his seat. "Now that's scary when our residing engineering genius has no idea what kind of encryption it is." The staggered harmonics of electronic tones filled the background before Joker added, "I'm telling you Commander, someone went to great lengths to ensure you were the only one to read it, that's for sure."

Glancing over at the woman she desperately wanted to talk privately with, Shepard disappointedly resigned and told the alliance pilot, "I'll take it in my quarters. I want see this mystery encryption."

"Sure thing Commander."

%%%%%

Strolling over to the desk within her private chambers, the commanding officer hailed the pilot, "Joker, I'm in my cabin, go ahead and patch that message through."

There was a hesitation in the man's voice, "Sure thing ma'am, but isn't Liara still there with you?"

Shooting the asari a lopsided expression that made the soldier smile, the redhead divulged, "Yes Professor T'Soni is here, why?"

Not letting an opportunity to tease his captain pass him by, the man stricken with Vrolik Syndrome quipped, "You mean Liara, right?"

Without as much as arguing, Shepard's green eyes glistened as she stared at the blue eyed beauty. "Yes, Liara is here in my cabin, why Lieutenant Moreau?"

Not liking the tone he was hearing on the other line, the man got back to business and explained, "Well, it was marked for your eyes only."

The spectre paused for a moment before cleverly answering, "Like how you sent it to Tali first?"

The alliance pilot immediately shot back, "Sending it now Commander."

The commanding officer and professor shared a friendly smirk at the sudden compliance of the naval officer. A few seconds later the monitor before them abruptly sprung to life. While the redhead stared mystified at the unique scribbles and codes, the prothean expert gasped in wonder at the encryption before her.

"What is it Liara?"

Awestruck, the asari maiden blinked wildly at the information. Spending so much time with the matriarch's daughter, the galactic officer immediately realized, Liara recognized the strange symbols. Taking a chance she was right, the redhead asked, "Is it Prothean?"

Pulling herself out of her own amazement, the prothean expert nodded no before breathlessly answering, "It's asari."

Shocked, the spectre asked, "What?"

Trying to explain, while still absorbing it herself, Liara's feminine hand traced over the screen, "It is very old, even by asari standards." Trailing her slender fingers over the writings as if she were reading them, the maiden explained, "Shepard, it appears to be ancient writings from Goddess Athame's temple."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know. That language is several millenniums old. I cannot even imagine who has access to such knowledge. Only the sworn priestesses from Goddess Athame's temple have access to such privileged scripture."

Further puzzled, the veteran soldier asked, "How is it that you know what it looks like then?"

Facing the spectre, Liara explained, "My mother was such a priestess. She had many followers before..."

Seeing the pain engulf the asari whole, the savior of the galaxy collected the professor's delicate hands in hers, disclosing, "Liara, that wasn't her fault. It was Saren and that awful ship of his: Sovereign." Lifting the asari's chin with the tip of her finger, the redhead added, "We will stop them, I promise." Glancing back over to the monitor, the spectre asked, "So, can you read this?"

"When I was a young child, my mother would place me on her lap and read these scriptures to me."

Shepard grimaced at the confusing writings on the screen, offhandedly stating, "Talk about a boring bedtime story."

Remembering her mother's loving voice, Liara smiled and announced, "Shepard, it is a very beautiful language when spoken aloud."

Somewhere between a blush and a bout of confidence, the former rogue soldier entreated, "You should read it to me one day then."

Before the two women had time to discuss it further, the encrypted transmission began to automatically play upon confirming Commander Shepard's voice.

To their surprise, an asari matriarch appeared in a three dimensional hologram in the middle of the room. A pleasant and calm voice spoke, "Good day to you Commander Shepard and if I know you well, which I believe I do…" the hologram looked next to where the spectre was standing, "I believe Liara is with you as well, regardless of the 'For Your Eyes Only' request."

The noble asari elegantly stood with her hands delicately folded in front of her. "But just the same, I am glad you are both here, so I do not have to repeat myself twice."

Recognizing the distinguished noblewoman standing before them, Shepard asked, "What is it Counselor Tevos?"

"I do not have much time and I am unsure how long I can maintain this secure transmission, so I will be brief. There is some important information regarding your mission Shepard I need to make you aware of."

Absentmindedly the former rogue soldier struck her infamous badass stance. With folded arms, the woman said, "I'm listening."

"Good." Turning towards the spectre's side once again, the voice declared, "This will involve you as well Liara. You will need to guide Shepard down the right path." The two juveniles, by the matriarch's standards, shared an awkward glance. "Do not let her stray. You are vital to her success. Without you by her side…" The occupants of the room swore they heard a strain in the matriarch's voice as she added, with urgency, "…the entire galaxy may perish."

Shepard thought she was the key to this whole mess, but as she looked at the innocent archeologist, she realized the asari maiden suddenly felt a burden she wasn't ready for; one she didn't want either. The young asari was a simple researcher, convinced she would live a solitary existence on barren planets, spending her days digging in the dirt. She never expected her life to take such an epic turn.

Offering the young professor a supportive smile, Shepard's hand reassuringly grazed the maiden's shoulder as she asked, "What do we need to do?"

Removing her piercing gaze from the prothean expert, the asari counselor addressed the human, "At no fault of your human ambassador, I believe that not all the information you received on Saren was necessarily correct."

"Not necessarily correct. What do you mean? It was a lie?" Shifting angrily in her boots, the veteran soldier asked, "Can you disprove it?"

The answer "No" was followed by a long pause before the matriarch continued, "Something about going to Sybin doesn't feel right. I am unable to explain it in detail. It is more of a feeling…" there was another pause, but it didn't last as long, "… call it Asari Intuition if you will."

"I don't mean you any disrespect councilor, but I think your intuition is wrong. Saren didn't know I was going to ...consult with Fist about …other matters, so how could he have planned anything?"

"Shepard's right Matriarch Tevos," Liara added, "She didn't know anything about Fist's involvement with Saren until the day we left the Citadel."

"Not to mention, Anderson said the weapons were intercepted before leaving the docks, so the information must've been legit," chimed Shepard.

"Yes, while you are correct, regrettably agent…former agent Saren has numerous contacts and through them must have found out about Fist, the weapons and subsequently, your involvement. That is probably when the idea must have presented itself to use this knowledge to his advantage and set a trap for you. The fact that he was able to manipulate it, such that, your Admiral Anderson passed along the bad intel...Well… I imagine given their history, Saren must have viewed that as 'icing on the cake,' I believe is what you humans would say.

Recognizing the spectre wasn't absolutely convinced by her warning, the councilor added, "My records show that Sybin has been absent of organic activity for decades."

"Organic activity?" questioned the younger asari.

"Yes. Only remote transponders monitor the area now."

In a tone, the human used to hear from her mother, the wise matriarch warned, "Shepard, please be careful on Sybin. It is likely to be an ambush."

"Why didn't you tell me this back on the Citadel?"

"There simply wasn't enough time to contact all my resources necessary for confirmation and we could not afford to delay your departure."

"What resources?" the soldier all but snapped.

Calming the spectre was the familiarly gentle, blue hand, "She is telling us now." Liara soothed.

Remembering not to shoot the messenger, the galactic commander exhaled before replying, "Thank you Counselor. The Normandy will take defensive measures when we get there."

A quiet and pleased, "I am glad to hear that Commander," responded.

Before the transmission was about to end, the asari matriarch spoke again, "One more thing Shepard. I do hope you enjoyed your visitor, during your brief stay in Udina's custody."

The spectre looked at Liara, knowing she was the only one who had visited, besides Dr. Michel and the four spectres who had released her. Shepard's mind raced, Was she the one who sent the escort of asari commandos for Liara? As the equally confused maiden stared back, the redhead pondered, Was Tevos the one protecting Liara that whole time?

As the asari matriarch stared affectionately at the prothean expert, standing by the soldier's side, Tevos stated with more passion than normal, "Shepard, I pray for her mother's sake... Please keep her safe."

Before the newly appointed spectre could enquire further, the connection was gone. Shifting in the now silent room, Shepard couldn't help but feel there was some double edged meaning in the asari's words.

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A/N: I'd like to thank George Lucas for his contributions to the world, by temporarily borrowing from the Star Wars genre into my Mass Effect fantasy. Wookies rock!