-Liara-

The halls filled with the sound of her marching footsteps; the rubber soles of her boots clapping off the marble-tiled floor in short, heavy, strides. Liara's fists were clenching and unclenching. Her lips were parted slightly to show her barred teeth gritting against each other. Her skin felt hot and itchy, and her head was aching. Someone was going to pay. Someone needed to pay.

She reached the hall's end and turned to enter the library's side entrance. Ashley Williams was sitting alone in the chamber-like room, positioned at the big table beneath the domed ceiling in the center. A cup of coffee was before her and a book was held between her hands. Liara's marching steps broke her concentration, and she looked up from the book; a small pair of reading glass perched on the bridge of her nose. "Liara," she greeted, then frowned. "What's up? You look upset."

"Do I?" Liara asked as she approached the table. Her air was coming in short, hot, bursts through her nose. "Do I, Ashley?"

Now Ash was concerned enough to put the book down and straighten in the chair. "What's going on?"

"Shepard. That's what's going on. She's gone."

"Gone?"

"Did you not hear me?" Liara snapped. "The Commander is missing, Ashley. Just... gone. None of the volus have any idea where, either. Up and disappeared. Vanished!"

She watched as a flash of emotions streaked across Ashley Williams face: confusion, anger, concern, fear. "Well I'm sure there's a reason for it. I mean it's not like she'd be in any danger. We're on her planet, after all. It's her mansion... the volus serve her. What could have happened?"

"Have you forgotten there's a lunatic out there in the woods? One who escaped and attacked me only a few days ago." Liara thought of the last time she had seen Jack: unconscious and in the hands of some mystery guest on the planet wearing a cloaking device. The rain had been coming down that night; she could still hear it pattering off the shed's roof as the cloaked thief spoke to her, warning her to deliver Samantha Traynor by tonight or she'd release the footage of what she'd done to Jack. Liara balled her fists tighter. This was all going terribly wrong, just when it looked like it was going to go incredibly right.

"Are you alright, Liara? You're shaking."

Liara looked back down at Ash: pretty little innocuous Ashley Williams. What did she know? Was she involved? Was she in some sort of collusion with that whore Miranda Lawson? A plot to steal away everything she'd worked to obtain? It was all too convenient that Shepard went missing less than one hour before she was going to hand over control of the mansion and the volus to her. No... no, Liara didn't think it was Jack or the thief who'd taken Shepard. She thought it was one of these little conniving bitches in the house... maybe all of them; together and working against her.

"Liara?" Ashley tried again, removing the glasses from her nose and setting them down. She reached out to put a hand on the asari's own.

Liara moved it away at the last moment. "Where were you all morning?"

Ashley's eyes narrowed on hers. "Why are you asking me that?"

"You know why I'm asking you that. Shepard's missing and anyone could be responsible."

"You honestly believe I would do anything to Shepard? I'm the one trying to help her past all this madness!"

"Maybe..." Liara admitted. "And maybe not."

"Are you serious?" Ashley questioned, her forehead creasing. She slid the chair away from the table and began to stand. "I think you're paranoid, Liara. Come on. I'll help-"

"Sit down," Liara commanded, doing her best Shepard imitation.

Ashley froze, staring up at her. It was, of course, a bluff. Liara knew she had no real power in the mansion. Not until Shepard gave it to her at least, but Ashley didn't know that. She stared right back at the woman, folding her arms across her chest, keeping the scowl on her face. After a long moment of internal debate, Ash sat. "No one's leaving the premises until Shepard's found," Liara explained.

"...alright..." Ashley said, folding her hands and lowering her gaze.

Liara smiled. This one would be easy to push around. Miranda, on the other hand... "Stay here and await further instruction." She turned to leave, but halted, spun on her heel, and gave Ash a shrewd look. "And if you do have anything to do with Shepard's disappearance... well, punishment will be in order."

Ashley's face twisted up in a fearful expression, and Liara allowed herself a delighted smile as she marched out of the library. It felt good talking to humans like that and watching them squirm. She was going to enjoy her power when she took it from Shepard. When she found Shepard first, though, of course. The next person on her list was Miranda Lawson. She wasn't looking forward to dealing with the woman. She was too clever for her own good, and likely had enough training to best Liara physically if their rivalry came to blows. The asari knew the only way to beat the Cerberus agent was with Shepard's help.

Of course it's her, Liara thought. She found out... somehow she found out that Shepard was going to hand me control. She knew how badly I would have punished her and her little slave. Liara's thoughts drifted to Sam standing between her legs wearing her strap-on... to the way she drove it inside her over and over despite Liara's muffled protests. Yes... I'll hand sweet little Sam over to the mystery thief tonight... but not before I make her scream. Oh, she'll scream. She will.

The volus were going about their daily business so casually, it made Liara herself want to scream. The aliens didn't seem concerned in the slightest that their 'Master' had miraculously disappeared. It infuriated her. She found four of them in the kitchen, two cleaning, one carrying a box outside, and the last reading from a datapad. Liara marched before him, and the little guy closed it promptly, looking up at her. He was the one who'd spoken to her in the garden a few days earlier; the one who'd confirmed her suspicions that the volus had, in fact, taken the Volus Oath of Servitude to Shepard. His suit was pink and red; the eye holes in its mask glowing a dull yellow as they looked upon her. "Yes, Miss T'Soni?" His voice came queer and flat from within the breathing apparatus.

"What is your name, Irune-Clan?" She asked, keeping her tone haughty.

"Our name's do not matter, Thessia-Clan."

"Still... I'd like to know it."

The volus stared at her, his apparatus glowing with every breath. Liara hated the fact that their eyes were so well hidden: it made them impossible to read. Finally, he spoke "My name is Boralus Serj, Ms. T'Soni."

"Well, Serj," she said. "I was wondering why in the hell you and the rest of your volus brethren are casually sauntering about the house when your commander is still missing! Do you not intend to do anything about this?"

Serj made a noise that might have been a chuckle. "Ms. T'Soni, we do not fear for the Great Commander's safety. There is no thing, and no one, that could offer her any challenge on this planet. The Commander is... beyond such nonsense. If she is missing, it's because she wants to be missing. Perhaps to make a grand entrance at her party tonight."

"Her party?"

Serj bowed his head. "Yes, Ms. T'Soni. A grand party is to be thrown tonight. The Commander had the invites sent out last night. She marked the occasion as very important in the invitations, so even with such short notice, we expect quite the turnout."

Liara mulled this information over. Was it possible that Shepard herself was responsible for her own disappearance? She hadn't even considered that. The volus doesn't think anyone can threaten Shepard on the planet... but, he doesn't know about our special mystery guest, Liara thought. The one who took Jack... the one with the cloaking device. Of course... it doesn't make any sense for the thief to take Shepard when their goal seems to be the capture of Samantha Traynor - whom, as far as I know, believes she's being delivered by me tonight at the shed.

The conspiracies within conspiracies were making her head hurt. She took a breath, licked her lips, and approached the volus from a different angle. "Well... what if the Commander is missing and something has happened to her? What if her guests begin to arrive and she hasn't turned up? Will you consider her in danger then?'

"We will."

"And what will you tell the guests?"

"Nothing. We will allow the host to disclose what they will."

"Host? I just said what if Shepard doesn't show up, and-"

"Not the Commander. The host. If Commander Shepard does not return shortly, my 'brethren' and I, as you refer to them, will be forced to name a temporary Master of Ceremonies in her absence. Someone to greet the guests and announce dinner and dessert. Someone to take charge of the event."

Liara's breath caught in her chest. Power: the volus was talking about power, and he and the rest of the little aliens had the authority to give it to her... just like that; simply hand it over. Her left eye felt a twitch coming on, but she bit down on her own cheek, the pain distracting her just long enough for the impulse to pass. "And... whom would you grant such responsibility to...?"

Serj tilted his head. "Well... seeing as Miss Williams is to receive... special treatment tonight, and Sam certainly cannot raise above her rank as house slave... that would leave you, Miss T'Soni. And Miss Lawson, of course."

Her lovely dream... and her worst nightmare. There they were. Two options placed before her and dangled like forbidden fruits. She made the corners of her mouth turn up in what she hoped looked like a pleasant smile. "I see. Of course I would be honored to take this responsibility if you'd allow it."

"We will see."

The twitch was coming again. Liara bit the inside of her cheek once more, this time a little spurt of blood came with it. "The Commander was planning on making an announcement this afternoon. I'm not sure if she told you. She was going to transfer your Oath of Servitude to me while she was undergoing her rehabilitation."

"Oath of Servitude, yes." Serj said, nodding his tiny head. His gaze held on her for a long moment then, though what he was thinking within the suit was impossible to tell. He finally broke the silence with "She informed us of your desire to climb the ranks of the household."

"And she told you of her plans to allow this 'climb of rank'?"

Serj nodded.

"I see. Well... I feel your decision should be easy enough, then."

"Perhaps."

Although his face was hidden, Liara just knew the volus was grinning under that mask. He didn't like her; she knew that now. It was the way she'd spoken to him. The haughty little tone she'd put in her voice. He didn't care for that, and he didn't care for her calling the other volus his 'brethen'. Now he was going to fuck her... fuck her just like Shepard had. And Sam had. And they all would have if they'd had the chance. That twitch. That god-damned twitch was coming on again.

Serj's head tilted further. "Miss T'Soni, I assure you I play no favorites if that's what you're thinking. I only say 'perhaps' because I still believe Shepard will return before any of this is necessary."

"Yes... yes, I understand," Liara assured him, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Allow me to pour you a drink?"

She considered it. "Yes, that would be nice right now."

Serj retrieved a glass from the cupboard, and produced an aged bottle of whiskey from below the sink. He poured for her; his chubby, gloved, fingers struggling to keep a grip on the bottle as he tipped its contents into the glass. Finishing, though, he hadn't spilled a drop.

"Thank you," she said, forcing a smile.

"You know," Serj said, taking a seat beside her and folding his hands atop the table. "You do not hide your intentions very well, Thessia-clan."

Liara froze mid-sip of the whiskey, her flicking above the glass and landing on the dull yellow rims of his mask.

The volus chuckled. "You're a very interesting Asari, to say the least. You know, my 'brethren' and I built this mansion. Were you aware of that?"

Liara swallowed the whiskey, lowered the glass, and shook her head. She suddenly had a very bad feeling looming in the pit of her stomach, and the booze hadn't helped.

"Well, we did. There are nooks and crannies and twists and turns in this old house that you wouldn't believe. Volus architecture is usually cramped and stuffy - ha, a bit like ourselves, I suppose - but we purposely designed this place to be the polar opposite of that." He took a glance around the kitchen, seeming to reflect on his own work. His face turned back to her. "Spacious and eloquent and beautiful. You know, we also set up the surveillance system, too."

That urge to let her eye twitch was screaming in her left ear. Her headache from before had increased its thrusters, and was now barreling around her forehead in pulsing circles, making it hard to think. Yellow rims peered at her from within Serj's mask, and she was transfixed to peer back. Her heart hammered in her chest.

"The Commander has monitors for every room in the house, that includes the bathrooms. Ha, she's not one for privacy, I suppose. However, you see, certain surveillance the Commander does not care to be bothered with. She is a busy woman, after all, and leaves such tasks up to myself and the rest of my Irune-clanmates. We have a camera set up at the clearing in the woods were you docked here a week ago. Another is set up at the beach side where most of the party guests will arrive later." His head tilted ever-so-slightly as he peered at her from behind lifeless yellow circles. "And yet another is positioned over-looking the garden."

She could run. The volus carried themselves on short, stubby, little legs. She wore no collar. They'd never catch her.

"So it was of great interest to me when I reviewed the footage of the young tattooed woman... Jack is her name, isn't it? Yes, that's it. Jack... After you spoke of her attack, I reviewed the footage from that day. I saw her capture your attention, you two spoke, and a few moments later you both entered the tool shed. And yet... only one came out."

She tried swallowing, but her throat betrayed her, blocking the attempt. She coughed instead, taking hold of the edge of the table to steady herself.

"That was interesting," Serj continued. "But not as interesting as that night when I went to investigate, and found you had bound and gagged the young lady, leaving her within. And even more interesting is that you never thought to tell the Commander about this."

She'd had enough. "What are you going to do to me?"

Serj chuckled. "Miss T'Soni! I am a simple servant of the household here! It is not my place to judge the actions of our guests! For all I know, Jack deserved what she got. ...did she?"

Liara frowned. It was impossible to understand what the volus was doing, why he was telling her these things, and why he had never told Shepard of her deceit. "Yes. I feel she deserved it," she answered honestly.

The volus nodded. "Well, then I suppose that makes you a just ruler, doesn't it?"

"Yes. I suppose it does," she answered, playing along with whatever strange game the volus played. Her skin still felt itchy and warm.

"Have you ever felt the Commander herself deserves such punishment?"

"No!" Liara defended. If she was in a hole already, there was no way she was digging it any deeper. "That's ridiculous! I would never-"

"You lie, but I understand the reasoning. You believe our servitude of the Commander runs so deeply within us that we consider any talk against her blasphemous, no?"

"I-" Liara stuttered, unsure of how to respond. "Well, I suppose-"

"'Yes', is how you mean to answer, Thessia-clan."

"...yes."

Serj refilled her glass and took a deep pull from his breather; a soft glow emitting from within as he did. "Us volus take our Oaths and Pledges very seriously. They are the cornerstone of our people's belief system. In the early era of our evolution, we ran our civilizations based on such oaths. They mean so much, in fact, that once we undertake them - we are bound to them for life, for if we break them? Our lives are filled with such deep shame and regret that we have failed our duty as a species, a crippling depression can overtake our every thought and even end, ultimately, with our own self-destruction. There is nothing more sacred, more noble, to a volus then upholding his Oaths. Doing his duty. Do you understand the severity of what I say. The... the importance?"

Liara had given up trying to figure Serj out, and instead simply nodded her head and remained silent.

"Myself and the rest of my people you see in this mansion were sworn to Commander Shepard a long time ago. Verga there is my brother," Serj said, gesturing to a blue-suited volus removing silverware from a drawer. "And my uncle Wurn is here somewhere as well, though the rest are simply friends of mine - not family. All of us, though, were sworn to the Commander together, though the one who insisted upon the swearing is not present. He was our clan leader, Borrak Rul, and after the Commander saved him from a certain death at the hands of a krogan bounty hunter, he repaid the woman with us. We took the Oath. That was over a year ago."

Liara sipped at the whiskey, waiting patiently for the volus to continue.

"We had no idea what kind of woman Commander Shepard was when we took that Oath. No idea what we were swearing ourselves into. Yet we took it... and here we are today. We wait on her hand and foot. We serve her meals, entertain her guests, clean their messes. We silently go about our tasks without protest, without praise, without reward. It is our oath, you see, and one which we cannot break. Not ever."

Liara narrowed her eyes onto the volus' eye rims. She was understand. Finally, she was understand. "You can not break your vows... But I can. If Shepard were to pass your Oath of Servitude to me... I could release you from it. Set you and your clan mates free from the shackles your clan leader placed upon you so long ago. That's what you're saying, isn't it?"

"Any conclusions you draw are your own, Thessia-clan. To suggest such a thing would be a break in my vows. I am permitted to say this, however: the volus can be powerful allies to those who aid them. We are a small people, but what we lack in size we make up for in perseverance and hard work. And we value our friendships... value them very much."

"I understand," Liara said. Her ominous feeling had passed, and been replaced with quite the opposite. She felt... hopeful. A smile played at the corner of her lips. "Then let us hope that Commander Shepard returns soon."

Serj watched her for a moment before nodding. "Yes. Lets."

His hand fell on the table beside the whiskey glass. She looked down at it, back to the yellow rims of his suit, and smiled. She laid her hands gently atop his and squeezed, and though she couldn't be entirely sure, she believed the two of them had just made some sort of pact.

Serj stood. "I would start your hunt for the Commander in Miss Lawson's room. Perhaps... the bathroom?"

Liara lifted her brow, confused.

Serj's head gestured ever-so-slightly over the back of his shoulder and upwards. Then he bowed, turned, and left the kitchen. Liara's gaze traced the line of his gesture to the corner of the room, where a small, black, marble was positioned; nestled tightly along the ceiling's edge. It took her a moment to realize what it was, then she had it: a camera. Surveillance. Serj wasn't just guessing about Shepard's location - he knew. He had seen the commander abducted, and yet... he did nothing. Possibly because he knew it was his opportunity - a chance at his own freedom.

Liara stood, a rush of elation coming over her, and headed out of the kitchen.

Suddenly her meeting with Miranda Lawson seemed much, much, more exciting than she'd anticipated earlier.

-Miranda-

Waves of icy water crashed along the beach, reaching snaking tendrils of blue up the sand, pausing, and racing back down. Miranda took hold of her hips, sighed, and stood staring out along the horizon. She'd been looking for Jack for the last hour. It had not gone well, and the sun was preparing to dip below the ocean line again, plunging the planet into darkness. She was certain the day-night cycles were changing rather rapidly now. Perhaps it was a seasonal thing, but the days were growing shorter, the nights longer, and the wind colder. She didn't like that. Not with Jack out there somewhere amidst it.

The tide came rushing back up, threatening to wrap her ankles before halting and retreating back to the ocean. Miranda looked North once more, hopeful to see something, anything, but when she did not she simply lowered her head, kicked some sand, and began the long walk back to the mansion.

It was twilight by the time the huge structure came looming up over the treetops beside the beach. In the sky above, Miranda squinted and could see the lights of shuttles and cruisers dropping into orbit of the planet in the distance. Shepard's guests for her party were beginning to arrive, and Jack was still missing. That meant she'd have to endure at least one more of these... bizarre get-togethers. The idea of sitting amongst a group of kinky, wealthy, weirdos, didn't sit well with her, and she hoped that perhaps Sam and herself could avoid it altogether if the volus allowed.

And of course she still had to speak with Ashley Williams in regards to her feelings about a certain commander she had kidnapped and stashed away in the bathroom of her guest quarters.

It was going to be an interesting night.

Miranda reached the front stairs of the mansion just as the purple of the twilight sky was deepening to blue, and climbed them to head inside.

She heard the shouting immediately. Upstairs. Anger. ...Liara.

"Sam!?" Miranda shouted, catching a breath to calm herself before taking the spiraling staircase up to the second floor to deal with whatever mess awaited her. It had to be Shepard. Someone had to have found her.

Six volus had the outside of her quest room encased in a semi-circle. When she breached the upper hall, their eyes fell on her but they did not move. She stared at them, hesitant and wary of some sort of trap, but the aliens simply stared back in silence.

"Do it!" Liara's voice boomed out of the open doorway.

Now she could hear the soft, gentle, little sound of Sam sobbing. That started the fire she needed to get her feet moving - traps be damned. She rushed down the hall, shouldered past the volus, and stormed into the room.

The first thing she saw was Shepard. The commander had been removed from the bathroom, yet she was still bound in her chair, though it had been tipped onto the floor and a volus in pink and red was hovering over her with his hands up. Her head lifted from the carpet and her eyes, alert and full of anger, flicked only briefly to Miranda before glaring back across the room. Miranda turned that way herself and saw Liara T'Soni had Sam knelt before her and was pressing the sharpened edge of a kitchen knife to the girl's throat. Sam's eyes were red and her bottom lip quivered as she held her shaking hands up, doing her best not to move her throat against the blade. Liara turned to face Miranda and frowned. "You stay where you are you little bitch. Your time is coming soon."

Miranda took a step forward.

Liara yanked back on Sam's hair, the girl winced and cried out, and the asari pushed the knife in closer. "I said stay!"

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Miranda snapped, looking from Liara to Shepard and back.

"You were right about this psychotic blue bitch," Shepard explained from her position stuck on the floor; the usual calmness in her voice slightly offset by her anger. "She's nothing but a power hungry little-"

"Silence!" Liara screeched. "Do it, Shepard! Do it or I'll spill her blood right here, right now!"

"No!" Sam cried. "She's insane, Commander! Don't-"

Liara pulled back harder on the girl's hair, causing her to scream again.

"What do you want!?" Miranda demanded.

"She wants the volus," Shepard said, her eyes burning holes across the room into Liara. "She wants me to transfer their Oath to her."

"Oath?" Miranda wondered.

"Shut up!" Liara yelled, briefly pointing the knife in her direction before driving it back towards Sam's throat.

"Please," Sam whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Don't do it, Commander. She'll kill all of us in time if you give her power."

"Or I kill you right now," Liara said. The asari looked back to Shepard. "Last chance, commander. You have the next five seconds to make your decision."

The silence that befell the room was deafening; only the quiet little sobs coming from Sam could be heard as Miranda, Liara, and the volus stood frozen in place, and Shepard glared up from the fallen chair tight-lipped and fuming. The time came and went, and then Liara was nodding and leaning forward, pressing the knife into Sam's flesh, pulling on it-

"Alright!" Shepard screamed. "Let her go you bitch. Take the fucking volus. You hear that you little suited bastards? I submit your Oath of Servitude to Liara T'Soni. You are no longer under my command. Now get that fucking knife away from her throat!"

Liara shoved Sam forward, spilling her to her hands and knees. She promptly crawled across the carpet and knelt beside Shepard stroking her hair and sobbing. Liara looked positively elated. She was taking deep breaths, her eyes wide, her hands trembling. It was as if she'd just received the most wonderful orgasm of her life.

Miranda saw her opening.

She rushed forward, ready to wrap her hands around the psycho's neck-

-but the volus in the red and pink suit, brought something hard down across the back of her head. She stumbled forward, tripped, and spilled onto the carpet. Everything was swimming away from her in black shadows. Her eyelids felt heavy.

As she slipped into unconsciousness, the last thing she heard was the sound of Liara laughing.

The laughter was loud and shrill and filled every inch of her head.

Only darkness then.