A/N: Thanks to everyone reading and adding this to fav/alerts, your support means more than you realize! This chapter features a certain fairly adult scene, though it's not particularly graphical. I don't have much experience with smutty stuff, so I'm interested to know how it worked, was it alright or did it suck completely. Don't be shy about letting me know. :)
Chapter 5 - The Path to Ilos
The Conduit is on Ilos.
It does not take long for Liara to figure it out, but before they rush through the Mu Relay, Shepard makes her report to the Council. They are pleased to hear of the successful blow against Saren's operations and promise to mobilize their fleets to protect Citadel space against the inevitable geth attacks. Before Shepard can decide whether to head to Ilos straight away or wait for reinforcements, Normandy receives another comm transmission, this time from Ambassador Donnell Udina, requesting them to return to Citadel for debrief and rendezvous with the Council fleets.
Even if time is of issue, the order cannot be ignored. They are several more hours of journey away from the Citadel, and Shepard makes yet another short walk down to the armory. She stands in front of Ashley's locker, looking at the remains of burned candles on the floor, nobody has had the heart to remove them. The candles lay extinguished, just like Ash's life.
They all knew the dangers of the mission on Virmire. Hell, it was a small wonder they suffered as few losses as they did. The salarian distraction teams had been ready to sacrifice themselves so that Shepard's team and Normandy could deploy the bomb. And still, the reality of loss, when it actually happens, it is so stinging and brutal that it brings back all the suppressed memories of the Blitz.
"I knew I would find you down here," she hears Liara's voice, soft steps approaching her from behind. "We all miss her, Commander. But it wasn't your fault."
"Knowing that doesn't make it much easier," Shepard replies. "I'm no stranger to loss, many times I have given commands to soldiers knowing that I am sending them to their deaths. It was necessary so that many others could live. But I have never had to do it to someone I knew closely, like Ash."
They stand side by side in silence. "You know," Liara starts. "I'm actually feeling a little sorry for Saren, too."
"You feel... what?" Shepard swirls around, incredulous, the ferocity in her voice prompting Liara to back off. Shepard stops before saying anything else, thinking, then shaking her head. She remembers Benezia, realizing Liara has been thinking of her mother. "No, I... I'm sorry. I understand what you mean. Indoctrination... it is a gruesome fate."
Liara nods. "He is trapped within his own mind, barely aware that Sovereign is trying to manipulate him, clinging on to a shred of hope that he might be able to resist. His words, they were so full of denial... I don't think he even believes anymore that he can shield his mind from the Reapers."
"For a moment, I thought I could get through to him, appeal to what little shred of decency was still within him," Shepard says bitterly.
"I have been wondering what made him seek out Sovereign in the first place," Liara ponders. "Was it simply lust for power? Or did he genuinely believe that he would be saving all organic life from extinction?"
"Well, whatever it was, it doesn't matter now," Shepard says resolutely. "He's a threat to everyone in the galaxy. And we will stop him."
Soon after, they arrive at the Citadel. Commander Shepard and Lieutenant Alenko meet with Udina and are taken before the Council to discuss further plans of action. The ugly truth emerges quickly. Not only the Council will not be sending their fleets after Saren, they will make certain that nobody tries anything that would risk them getting involved in a war with the Terminus Systems. Ambassador Udina senses his opportunity to make friends with the Council. He agrees that Shepard should not be allowed to go to Ilos. The SSV Normandy is grounded, her crew literally becoming hostages on the Citadel.
Shepard no longer even mentions the Reapers in her conversations with the Council or Udina. It is pointless to warn them of this threat, she has realized that it merely destroys her own credibility in the eyes of the Council. They have brushed her warnings off once, twice, dismissing them as simple fairy tales that Saren has conjured to hide his true motivations. She will no longer provide Council with an opportunity to further humiliate her, she will no longer speak of the Reapers until she has a solid, tangible evidence of their existence. If only she could get to Ilos... then, Shepard is certain that she could obtain more than enough proof.
As she sits on the floor back in the captain's quarters of Normandy, at a loss of what to do, she realizes that it is the betrayal of Udina that irritates her the most. He and the others who would accuse me of not always having humanity's interests close to heart, of making too nice with the aliens... and then he sells me out at the first opportunity, maybe for a promised seat on the Council? she thinks angrily. He's not doing much to convince me that I should always put humanity's interests first. There are plenty of ungrateful bastards amongst every species in the galaxy, it would seem. Most of them politicians.
"I can't believe they would do this to you," the door to her quarters slides open quietly, Liara entering without much warning, too upset to announce her arrival. "After all we've done to stop Saren, this is how they repay us? I already gave a piece of my mind to the asari councilor... much good that it did."
"Well, thanks for trying at least," Shepard attempts a smile. "It's more than I could come up with."
"Yes, I was getting to that, Commander. What are our plans? Don't tell me you will simply accept them stripping you of command?" Liara asks. "After all this, we just can't... walk away! We can't let them doom the entire galaxy to extinction!"
"I don't intend to let them, Liara. I've been sitting here and trying to figure out how to get Normandy back in the air," she looks up at Liara. "Give me a bit more time."
"Of course. Know that I believe in you, Shepard. I'm with you every step of the way," Liara says quietly, reaching out with her hand, urging Shepard to get back up to her feet, back into the fight. She takes Liara's hand and swiftly rises, coming to stand face to face with the asari. Her other hand on Liara's shoulder, the emotion in Liara's blue eyes mesmerizes her. Without thinking, reflexively, she leans closer. Her throat feels dry and her heart is skipping when she sees Liara moving towards her in turn, eyes semi-closed, lips parting in anticipation of their first kiss...
"Sorry to interrupt, Commander," the voice comes over the comms, crisp and clear. It is Joker. "Got a message from Captain Anderson."
You have got to be kidding me, Shepard swears mentally, briefly envisioning strangling Joker. The spell is broken, Liara pulls away, looking both amused and embarrassed. "Are you spying on me, Joker?" she says over the comms. "If I find out about any hidden surveillance cams in my quarters..."
"Just knew you were on the ship, ma'am, and thought I'd pass the message on," Joker explains, sounding genuinely surprised at her accusation. "Though... of course, now I am curious to find out why you thought you were being spied on..."
"Never mind that, Joker," she shuts him down sternly. "You mentioned a message from Anderson? Give me the details."
It turns out to be the big break they have been waiting for. Anderson is the only one on the Citadel who is aware of the stakes in this game and is willing to trust them, as far as putting his own career at risk. He offers to hack into Udina's computer to cancel Normandy's lockdown, allowing them to escape. As the SSV Normandy makes haste to the Mu Relay, Shepard hopes that Anderson at least drew an amount of satisfaction from punching Udina in the face.
On the way to Ilos, Shepard addresses the crew, but there isn't much she can say, they are all acutely aware of what is at stake. They had all hoped to have the Council fleets backing them, knowing that Ilos will be swarming with Saren's geth. This will be yet another near-suicidal stealth mission, and they all know and accept it, ready to lay down their lives for the sake of the galaxy.
While the goal of preventing the extinction of all organic life in the galaxy is all the motivation they need, it does help to have other, more personal reasons to want Saren dead. For Garrus it is basically Saren being a 'pathetic disgrace of a fellow turian'. For Wrex it is Virmire, and the false promise of genophage cure. For Tali, it is the lengths to which Saren went in order to silence her and prevent her from disclosing the evidence of his plot. For Liara, it is all about her mother. As for Shepard and Kaidan, they need to do this for Ashley.
Finally, everything has been said, and they all retreat to their private quarters on the ship, mentally preparing themselves for this one final assault. Joker warns her over the comms that it will be four hours before they reach the Mu Relay. Shepard thanks him before closing the comms and sitting down at her desk to write some final reports. To Admiral Hackett, Shepard reports everything she has learned about the activities of the former Alliance Black Ops group, Cerberus, their sickening experiments with rachni, husks, mind-controlling properties of the Thorian, all in the name of advancing humanity's best interests. And of course, their involvement in the death of Rear Admiral Kahoku, who had come too close to revealing the disturbing truth about the shadowy organization.
To Captain Anderson, Shepard leaves a report describing everything she has learned about the Reapers, their plans, their motivations. He is the only one who would take her word simply on faith. Shepard only hopes that he will be in position to do something with this information, as the consequences of knocking out Udina and letting them escape Citadel could be severe. Then, she sets to write one last message, this one to her mother, the hardest one of them all. Words don't flow and she grows frustrated, and the unexpected knock on the doors of her quarters comes as a welcome distraction.
It is Liara, looking thoughtful and resolute. "I have done all I can to prepare myself for what is to come," she says, approaching Shepard. "Then I realized that... I do not want to spend these last hours on my own. Say if you wish to be left alone."
"I'm glad you came," Shepard replies. She reaches out and takes Liara's hands in hers. "I've been thinking about you. A lot."
"I can't put you off my mind, either," Liara confesses. "I think it is time."
"Are you sure?" their eyes lock, but Liara looks determined like never before.
"I think we could both do with another reason to fight for," the asari replies, pulling her up from her seat.
"One more thing to come back for?" Shepard asks, smiling softly. "Liara, for you I would crawl back from the world of dead. But hopefully... such drastic measures won't be necessary." She reaches out and traces Liara's cheek with her fingers, slipping down under her chin and bringing it forward, into a kiss. Her lips are soft and yielding, and she melts into Shepard's embrace, with their lips locked and tongues dancing, they stumble towards the bed, eventually falling down with Liara on top of her.
They undress each other slowly, teasingly, taking the time to explore. Shepard decides that she has never seen anything more beautiful than the body of her asari lover, and Liara's gratifying sighs of contentment are like the sweetest music to her ears. Finally, the last remnants of their clothing give way and they embrace, heated skin against skin with no obstructions in the way. Shepard rolls on top of Liara, her hands moving across her partner's body, from her supple breasts towards the crest of her legs, moaning softly at being explored in turn.
Liara stops her, pressing her brow against Shepard's. Her breathing is rapid and unsteady, as she struggles to regain composure, but then her eyes cloud, slowly growing dark, then completely pitch black. "Embrace eternity," they both whisper in unison. As Shepard moves to caress Liara's skin again, it now feels as if the touch goes deeper, under the very skin. She releases all control, opening herself completely to the joining, now only vaguely aware of their bodies, like frozen in a never ending caress. Their shells feel like something alien, belonging to the outside world, there is no Commander Shepard nor Doctor T'Soni any longer, they are one, something new, a union of the very essence of their beings.
At some point, the world around them slowly starts shifting back into focus, they become aware of their physical bodies, still moving against each other feverishly. The gradual way they regain control of their consciousness, the unified nervous system detaching, it is a feeling Shepard cannot put into words. It is almost like swimming underwater, then having the liquid surrounding her drained, feeling it flowing out from all around her, leaving her dry and somehow diminished, exhausted to the point of being unable to move.
As Liara's eyes slowly return to their normal blue, Shepard knows it is all over. Still shaking slightly from the sensory overload, she slides off her partner, Liara turning on her side to face Morgan, wrapping her slender blue legs around Shepard's. "By the Goddess... no, descriptions in the books don't really do justice to a true union," she sighs, looking happy beyond measure. "That was fantastic, Morgan."
Shepard smiles, realizing this is the first time Liara has actually used her name. "No," she leans closer and kisses Liara on the brow. "You were fantastic, Liara."
"I wish we would have more time," Liara says. "But then, I guess that was the point."
"Yeah," Shepard nods. "Now I know we won't fail. I'm absolutely coming back for more of this."
Liara laughs. "You're incorrigible, you know that?"
Shepard is about to reply, but there is noise on the blasted comms again. "Commander?" It is Joker, of course. "ETA to Mu Relay fifteen minutes, get yourselves ready."
"Wonderful," Shepard sighs. "We should go. Duty calls and all that. Damned Joker and his lousy timing!"
"Interesting timing, indeed... how did he know that you still needed to get ready?" Liara wonders, rearing her head and starting to look around. "Now I am very curious about those surveillance cameras..."