A/N: The Mars mission kind of grew into two parts. But worry not, we're getting Liara back in this chapter. Woohoo! Also, there's a very obvious Firefly reference that everyone should be able to catch. :)
Chapter 40 - Return of the Blue
"So, you're on my ship again," Shepard says, staring squarely at Kaidan, trying to tell herself to remain calm no matter what he might reply.
"Not exactly by choice, Commander," Alenko shrugs. "But Hackett and Anderson seem to believe I can do some good here. So here I am."
"Will you accept my orders?" Morgan asks.
"Of course. I still remember what it means to be an Alliance officer," comes the reply.
"The implication being that I don't," Shepard's laughter sounds hollow. "Damn it, Kaidan, what will it take for you to..." she stops then, making a gesture of resignation with her hand. "Look, I don't have time to justify my past actions to you. I can only let you judge me by the actions I will take now, hoping that they will show that you are wrong about me."
"Commander, I wish for nothing else but to be proven wrong on this," Kaidan simply says.
"Alright. I guess that will have to do for now," Morgan manages a hint of a smile, with a corner of her eye seeing Lieutenant Vega approaching them.
"I can't believe Anderson would order us to leave!" James is deeply upset. "The fight is back on Earth, not in arguing with those schmucks on the Council!"
"Don't tell me something I don't know already," Shepard snaps at him. Don't need him to start something now too, got my hands full with Alenko. "But it's not a fight down there. It's a slaughter. We need something to fight them with!"
"Bullshit, how is the Council going to help-"
"Can it, James!" she orders angrily. "You saw those things down there! You really think that any of this..." Morgan points at their guns and rifles scattered in the armory, "is going to be enough to take them down? Use your head, LT. Yes, I want to be down there and do something for all those left behind, but... the reality is, our presence back on Earth right now would make absolutely no difference."
"Shit..." James finally acknowledges that her words make sense, his shoulders slumping a little in defeat as he shakes his head. "Loco. Completely loco."
"Commander!" suddenly there's a voice on the comms, and with surprise Shepard recognizes her old pilot.
"Joker? That you?" she asks. "How the hell did you get back aboard the Normandy?"
"Not important right now, Commander, I'll explain later," Joker replies. "I have an emergency transmission coming in from Admiral Hackett."
"Excellent," Shepard says, rubbing her hands. "I've been waiting for this. Put him through." Time to find out what he and Liara have managed to discover. I know you won't disappoint me, babe. I can't wait to see you again.
The image coming in is heavily distorted and the audio broken in pieces, making it hard to understand what the Admiral is saying. "Shepard... sustained heavy losses," she manages to understand.
Tell me about it... I saw the remains of the Fourth Fleet, Shepard thinks as the Admiral continues. "... you were right to claim... cannot be defeated conventionally..."
"Anderson ordered me to go to the Citadel and talk with the Council," Morgan says. "But I've been praying to get a message from you before that. Tell me you have something."
"Yes, I need you to-" the signal becomes completely broken up and the audio dies.
"Damn, wish we had EDI to clear up this signal at least a bit," she says to herself.
"I'll do what I can, Shepard," suddenly she is stunned to hear EDI's voice.
"EDI? What the hell... the Alliance retrofit teams somehow did not see the need to tear out a Cerberus AI from the ship?" Morgan asks, shaking her head. "Not that I'm complaining, you've proven yourself valuable to us many times."
"...wait, what's this about a Cerberus AI?" Kaidan suddenly speaks up as she is left silently cursing her own regrettable faux-pas. "Shepard, I said I wanted to trust you, but you're not making it easy for me."
"There, the signal is back, Shepard," EDI interrupts as the image of Admiral Hackett's face reappears on the screen.
"...need you to go to Mars outpost... before lose control of this system..." she understands as much through the crackling audio. "...been researching the Prothean archives with Dr. T'Soni."
Oh, Liara. I knew you would come up with something. You never let me down, she thinks, smiling serenely. "...thinks might have found a way... stop the Reapers... report as soon as you-... Hackett out," the signal dies down immediately after that.
"Did you get that, Joker?" she asks on the comms. "Plot our course to Mars Archives, fast. And let's hope the Reapers aren't already there in force..."
From the first glance, the situation on the surface of the red planet seems quiet and peaceful. As Shepard, James and Kaidan board the Kodiak shuttle, Joker broadcasts the latest information. "No sign of Reaper activity, Commander," he says. "But I also cannot raise anyone on the local channels."
"That's odd," Shepard states, feeling a little worried. "Any ideas why?"
"The base appears to be online," EDI states. "It is possible the inhabitants were evacuated."
"I'd have thought that Hackett would mention it," Kaidan says, looking uncertain.
"Maybe it just got lost in that crappy connection," Shepard shrugs as James takes the shuttle closer towards the sprawling facility, embedded deep within the craters of red rocks.
"Taking us in, Commander," James warns them, bringing the shuttle towards a landing pad. "Still no word from the base, and there's also a nasty looking storm headed our way. In half an hour, we'll have trouble keeping up comms with the Normandy."
"Doubt we can wrap this up that quickly," Shepard shakes her head dismissively, as the shuttle doors open and she jumps out, landing on the hard rocky surface of Mars. She immediately looks around, feeling unsettled from the looks of that incoming storm. Even if it is still a good way in the distance, it appears like a giant tsunami wave rolling in, at least five miles in height if not more.
Hurriedly walking from the landing zone towards the facility, Shepard readies her rifle, just in case. There is something that worries her about the base all of a sudden losing all communications for no good reason. And her concern is quickly justified when they come across a corpse of an Alliance soldier, propped against a stack of crates. "Sergeant Reeves," Kaidan says, dropping on his knees before the dead man, checking his ID. "Doesn't look like he put up much of a fight."
"Strange, I wonder..." Shepard starts to speak, but promptly stops as she hears gunshots coming from the path ahead. Quietly they sneak towards the source of the sound, using scattered containers and rocky elevation as cover. They see several other Alliance soldiers lined up on their knees, hands behind their heads, as heavily armored intruders execute them one by one, putting bullets through their skulls from point blank range. "And now we know why the base is silent," Shepard silently curses at herself.
"Let's get those sons of bitches," James snarls angrily next to her.
"Yeah, they're nicely exposed too, with no cover in sight," Shepard nods. "Hit them with the good stuff, Kaidan."
"As you wish, Commander," Alenko nods, leaning out of the cover to launch a cryo blast at the unsuspecting attackers below. Nicely bunched up, he manages to catch most of them, easy prey for James and Morgan's weapons fire. Those escaping the initial attack are not presented with the chance to recover, Shepard's sniper rifle catching up with them before they have managed to reach suitable cover.
"Those guys were Cerberus, weren't they?" James asks, looking mightily pissed off.
"Cerberus," Kaidan states, before giving Morgan a sidelong glance. "What are they doing on Mars?"
"I assume that wasn't just a rhetoric question, but was instead aimed at me," Morgan faces him down, but Kaidan refuses to flinch. "How would I possibly know what they are doing on Mars? I have not had any communication with them over the past few months! Unless you are also accusing James here to be a Cerberus mole."
"That's not what I meant," Kaidan says defensively. "But you have to admit, their sudden presence is a little... convenient."
"How is this convenient?" Morgan blinks. Is the paranoia making him illogical? "They're in our fucking way, Major. Shooting, executing our people! They're a damn fucking inconvenience to us, that's what they are!"
"How about little less fighting amongst ourselves, and a bit more killing Cerberus," James speaks up. "Just a suggestion."
"James is right," Shepard nods. "We don't have time for this. We need to find Liara ASAP. With Cerberus here, she might be in grave danger."
"Who's this Liara?" Vega asks.
"Oh yeah, you haven't met her," Morgan realizes. "Don't shoot if you see an asari. Probably wearing a blue-white combat suit. Looking totally smoking hot."
James chuckles. "Sounds like someone I wouldn't want to accidentally shoot."
"No, you most definitely don't want to do that," Shepard agrees as they follow further up the path. There is another small group of Cerberus troopers camped at the entrance of the base, but they seem mostly concentrating on monitoring the base itself, and as such turn out an easy prey for a sneak attack from behind.
"Commander, I thought you threw Cerberus off your ship after you wiped out that Collector base they were after," James says as they step inside the entrance to the archives, closing the heavy doors behind them and pressurizing the room, finally being able to take off the helmets of their combat suits.
"After destroying the Collector base the first thing I did was to kick their crew off on Omega, and steal their ship. I think that's a pretty solid hint of what my intentions towards them were," Shepard replies, turning around to face an unconvinced looking Kaidan. "That doesn't help, does it?"
"I just... have trouble believing that you would not feel any gratitude towards those who brought you back from the dead, gave you a ship, showered you with resources..." Kaidan says. "Just... makes me think at times."
"But you know for a fact that I have had no contact with them since I destroyed the Collector base," Shepard snaps, growing a little angry despite her best intentions to remain calm. "I have no idea why they are here or what they want, I swear."
"Yeah, I get that," Kaidan slowly admits, as the elevator slowly takes them up, into a larger hangar filled with crates of provisions and heavy machinery. "I want to trust you, Commander, but... it's just not easy with everything..."
"Wait. Keep quiet," Shepard reaches out with her hand to stop him. There is a noise coming from somewhere up above them, it seems like something or someone is moving hurriedly through the big ventilation shafts running directly under the ceiling. "Get your weapons ready, but be careful," she warns.
The cover of the ventilation shaft is suddenly and violently thrown off and a slender, white shape gracefully jumps out of it, landing on the crates below, doing a soft somersault before straightening up and launching a singularity towards the exit from the shaft, catching the two Cerberus troopers about to jump down. Instead, they are suspended in the air, completely helpless as their 'prey' pulls out a heavy pistol and unloads a pair of precise shots into each of her hunters, sending them on a painful fall from which they do not rise. With a mesmerizing sway in her hips, the graceful beauty approaches the badly injured Cerberus troopers, following through with a few more control shots just to make sure that her attackers will never rise again.
"Liara!" Shepard shouts, grinning, as the asari spins around, immediately bringing her pistol up, almost about to fire. "Babe, there's nothing sexier in the galaxy than watching you execute these Cerberus morons," Morgan grins broadly, quickly running up to the very surprised looking Liara.
"Morgan!" she recovers swiftly enough, breaking into a happy smile. "Goddess, you're alive... when I heard of what happened on Earth, I was... so worried."
"I'm here, and I could use a good greeting right about now," Morgan continues to grin, reaching out and pulling Liara closer. The asari yields easily, quickly holstering her pistol before she embraces Shepard in turn, pair of lips meeting in a hungry, needy kiss.
"Whoa... I... didn't expect this..." Shepard grins inwardly at James' befuddled reaction. Want us to put a little show for you, kid? I certainly don't mind... she thinks, continuing to kiss Liara ravenously, pushing her lover with her back against a heavy crate, her hand slipping lower and grabbing Liara's thigh, pulling gently until the asari wraps her leg around Morgan's hip.
Liara is not to be outdone by her efforts, Morgan can feel her lover's hands running through her hair like wild, tousling it and generally making a mess out of her red strands. The asari is pressing against her with such insistence and ferocity that easily matches Morgan's own need and desire, as their tongues dance in a fight for dominance, a battle in which nobody gains the upper hand for too long. Eventually they run out of breath and are forced to part, panting heavily and grinning like fools.
"That almost makes it up for those six months of waiting," Shepard manages a weak chuckle.
"Almost... but not quite," Liara smiles back. It is only then that she seems to realize that they are not alone in the hangar, growing rigid in Morgan's arms from the embarrassment. "...goddess, we didn't just... in front of..."
Shepard grins like an adolescent schoolgirl. "I think the boys will forgive us for that display," she says. "James, at least. Won't you, James?"
"I... ah, Commander, I'll be in my bunk," James replies weakly.
Liara finally disentangles from her arms, looking at the two men. "Kaidan!" she exclaims. "Goddess, I almost did not recognize you! It has been some time."
"Good to see you too, Liara," Kaidan smiles, Shepard glad to notice that his expression carries warmth.
"I'm so sorry about Earth," Liara then says, her face overshadowed by sadness, looking from Kaidan back to Morgan.
"It was... hard to leave, yes," Kaidan nods.
"It was, but soon there will be no safe place in the galaxy," Shepard states grimly. "Have you heard news from Thessia? Are the Reapers there yet?"
Liara shakes her head. "I would not know, communications have been sketchy for a while now. Last I heard was four days ago, when there was no sign of invasion." She then gives Morgan an inquisitive look. "How did you know to look for me here?" she asks.
"We got a message from Hackett just before leaving Sol System," Morgan replies. "I was praying to hear something from him, hoping that you would have found something to help us. And... Cerberus presence here implies that you have."
Liara smiles briefly. "I have," she says.
"Hallelujah," James exclaims, looking relieved. "Finally, some straight answers!"
"I have discovered plans for a Prothean device," Liara explains. "Something that they believed could wipe out the Reapers."
"...you're kidding me," Shepard blinks. Liara remains dead serious. "You're not kidding me. But here? On Mars?"
"Yes. In the Prothean archives," Liara nods. "Even though the archives have been here for a decade, there is still... an overwhelming amount of unexamined data. But the information I had..." she gives a meaningful look to Shepard. Right, the Shadow Broker resources. "It helped me narrow my search. The blueprints for the Prothean device are stored in the archives."
"So it's just a matter of heading there and picking up those blueprints?" Shepard asks.
"Quite so," Liara agrees. "Well, assuming that Cerberus have not locked down all the tram lines heading there..."
"Are they after the same thing?" Kaidan asks. "How did they know to come here if only you and Hackett had privy to this information?"
"They must have tracked me somehow," Liara reluctantly admits. "As for what they are after... I can only guess."
"Well, if it's some kind of super-weapon capable of destroying Reapers, I bet Timmy would like to get in on that," Shepard shakes her head thoughtfully.
"So we just need to outrace Cerberus to the archives?" James asks, rubbing his hands. "Bring it on, Commander."
"Hmm... wait a moment," Shepard raises her hand, thinking. "We really can't risk them reaching the archives first and then making away with the intel. If that happens... then we are completely and utterly fucked, and our best chances will be to hide in some quiet, forgotten corner of the galaxy and somehow drag out the last days of our lives praying the Reapers don't notice us. I don't want to fucking risk with this kind of bleak future."
"What are you saying, Shepard?" Kaidan asks.
"I'm saying that one of us should get back to the shuttle and lay in wait somewhere in the vicinity of the archives, ready to intercept Cerberus if they are about to make off with the data," she explains.
"Solid idea," Kaidan admits. "Want me to take care of that?"
"Nope, Major. I want you to come with us and see that I have no hesitation whatsoever in wiping out dozens and dozens of Cerberus suckers," she replies before turning to James. "James, back to the shuttle, now."
"But..." Vega stares at her in disbelief, having been so eager to shoot more and more Cerberus.
"You know how to obey orders, LT? Do what is asked of you," Shepard snaps, but her tense expression then changes to a wicked grin. "Cheer up, James. I know you'll have plenty of interesting thoughts to keep you warm, after all those images we conjured up for you..."