Chapter 62 - Remembering Nezzy
"Commander Shepard? If I may..." as Morgan makes her way past the CIC, she is interrupted by the permanently embarrassed and hesitant looking Specialist Samantha Traynor.
"Yes, what is it, Specialist Traynor?" she asks, trying to appear welcoming, hoping to ease the girl's hesitancy. I wonder if she's like that with everybody, or is this just some kind of hero worship.
"While you were deployed on Eden Prime, I managed to find something while scanning the Alliance channels," Traynor manages an entire sentence without stuttering. "Or well, EDI found it and I managed to... uh, analyze the crap out of it, so I guess she deserves most of the credit, and-"
"Samantha, please, just calm down and breathe," Morgan steps closer, smiling as she pats the nervous looking specialist on the shoulder. Traynor looks mortified, blushing furiously as she stares at Shepard's hand and she withdraws it immediately. Oh god, don't tell me it's more than hero worship. She has a crush on me, hasn't she? she sighs inwardly. "Now, tell me what you and EDI found out."
"Grissom Academy is requesting help. The Reaper invasion front is approaching them," Traynor explains, relaxing a little bit. "A turian evac transport responded to their distress signal, so... normally I would have said that everything is under control. But... there was something... off about the turian signal. EDI and I performed our analysis and discovered that it was fake. EDI suspects it is Cerberus..."
Shepard nods slowly, fists involuntary clenching. "Yes, fake turian signals are like Tim's trademark," she says, gritting her teeth. "He once used it to lure us to an 'abandoned' Collector ship."
"Yes, ah... EDI mentioned something to that extent," Traynor nods, looking a little worried. "She said I do not want to know the details..."
"Trust me, you don't," Shepard smiles grimly. "So, everyone now thinks that Grissom is being evacuated, and meanwhile Cerberus are moving in to do... whatever it is that they intend to do. I doubt it's anything nice and benevolent."
"What do you think they are after, Commander?" Traynor's voice trembles slightly.
"I don't know, Traynor. But a specialized school filled with biotic children? Could be many reasons, none of them good," Shepard says. "Capture them, fit them out with those Reaper implants they are sticking into their shock troops, get an almost unstoppable, mind-wiped army at your disposal."
"That's... monstrous!" Traynor looks shocked.
"No, that's Cerberus," Shepard says. "Please, Specialist, tell Joker to plot a course to Grissom Academy, ASAP. I'll go organize a squad. Oh, and Traynor. Good job, catching that. Damn good job." She turns around and leaves without seeing the broad grin that slowly spreads on Samantha Traynor's blushing face.
Liara finishes reading the last of the agent reports with a heavy sigh, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes, trying to ignore Glyph's chirping and chattering as the info drone hovers around her. Five more agents failing to report in over the past twenty four hours, and she feels as if her spider web is slowly breaking at the seams.
Even more disturbing are the reports the other agents have been sending. New fronts are opening up faster than they can react and counter them, and Reapers are truly so close to being invincible that they do not fear spreading their forces thin across the galaxy. So many worlds have fallen already, including several asari colonies, the humans truly facing the brunt of the attack, their planets requiring evacuation one after another.
And then there are the casualty reports, staggering and demoralizing to look at. Over a billion lives believed to be extinguished on Palaven. Things are even worse on Earth, as Shepard has suspected it might be. The latest estimates put the count of casualties at 2.3 billion. Briefly, Liara considers 'adjusting' these numbers, fearing how seeing them would affect Morgan, but she is a scientist above everything. Forging facts is anathema to her, even to protect someone she loves, she simply cannot bring herself to do so. She deserves the truth, she decides. I can only be there to soften the blow.
Liara opens her eyes to look at one of the consoles storing the Crucible data. She knows that despite having sent a lot of scientists and engineers to Hackett, it does not make her own research any less important, and yet, the constant stream of depressing news have made it difficult for her to focus on the complicated equations and algorithms, and she realizes that she would be simply wasting her time without getting anything done. Why did Javik have to be this vengeance obsessed soldier? He can help, yes, but oh how we could have done with a Prothean scientist who had worked on the Crucible, she thinks, letting out a heavy sigh. He's so far from how I imagined a Prothean would be... I'm sure that when I compare my earlier notes on his people with how they truly are, I will feel like a complete and utter fool, a naive idealist and daydreamer.
Liara rises from the chair, getting angry at herself about this moping even as she realizes there's not much she can do to avoid feeling this way. She eventually heads out of her quarters, determined to find Shepard, hoping that Morgan's company would improve her mood. On the way to the elevator, however, her eyes fall on the doors to the lounge and she feels a strange tug at her heart, compelling the young asari to stop in her tracks. Maybe I should go and talk a bit with... dad, she thinks. I'm sure she would like that, too. I hope so, at least.
Aethyta is reclining on the sofa as she enters, typing furiously on a datapad propped against her bent knee. She rears her head and regards Liara with a curious, almost surprised expression on her face, but she appears happy to see her daughter. "Decided to check in on your dad?" she asks. "Well, come on in, kid, make yourself at home," Aethyta pats on the sofa next to her and Liara cautiously takes a seat, feeling a little tense, sitting with her back arched straight.
"We have not talked much since that last time when I... uh, knocked myself out with elassa," Liara blushes a little. "I thought we could... talk some more, if you want to."
"Certainly," Aethyta nods. "I'm surprised Shepard has let you out of her sight, she doesn't do that very often."
"I'm more than fine with that arrangement," Liara allows herself a small smile. "She is very good for me."
"Indeed. You could have done worse as far as bondmates go. Don't tell her I said that, though, she's far too smug already," Aethyta chuckles. "You're almost making me curious about what joining with a human would be like. Never gone down that road myself, that's why I cannot offer you any helpful tips, either."
"Ah... that really is not necessary," Liara protests weakly.
"I think I'll send her some detailed essays on how to best please an asari lover," Aethyta decides. "Goddess knows, you probably aren't much help to her, with your pathetic experience. Watching your two year dry spell on Nos Astra depressed even me."
Liara finds herself blushing hotly. "This isn't really what I came to talk with you about!"
"Well, I wasn't there to give you The Talk when you were growing up, so I'm making up for it now," Aethyta grins broadly, as Liara just groans. "But very well, what did you want to talk about then?"
"You know that mother never mentioned you to me," Liara says softly, watching how Aethyta's face immediately falls at the mention of Benezia. "I... wanted to know more about your relationship. I understand that you might not want to speak of it, but... I feel it is important for me to know."
"A fair request," Aethyta eventually agrees. "Nezzy and I were together for more than a century. I... loved her. She was so smart, always thinking. And nice too, hell of a lot nicer than I am. I think I mentioned her rack already, but it is an important detail."
"Let's not go there again," Liara sighs.
"How did my daughter turn out to be such a prude?" Aethyta chuckles. "Anyway, Nezzy was also the only one who listened when I said that our people were stuck in the past. Where we disagreed was that I wanted for us to stand on our own, when she wanted to work with other species and build alliances."
"No offense, dad, but I think I'll side with mother on that point," Liara says. "Do you think that's why..."
"Why it all ended? Nah. Well, maybe... I don't know," Aethyta shrugs her shoulders. "She just wanted to solve things the smart way. I wanted to fight."
"Those means aren't mutually exclusive," Liara shakes her head. "I prefer to solve things in a non-violent way, but I will fight when it's necessary. And Shepard thrives on conflict, but she occasionally thinks her way out of trouble, too. Though, yes... mostly she just shoots things, but... uh, cleverly."
"I'm not surprised about you, kid. You have Nezzy's smarts, hell, you already have as much as she had, if not more. Add that quarter-krogan side, and what you have is an impressive and deadly combination!"
"I wish you had not mentioned that krogan parentage," Liara glares. "Now everyone on the ship are making jokes about it!"
"Well, it doesn't help when you actually go and try to head-butt a krogan," Aethyta laughs. Liara stares at her curiously. "Your friend Urdnot Wrex told me you tried to do that to him on Eden Prime..."
"Oh..." Liara blushes. "Truly, I must learn to stop digging my own grave."
"You're just too easy a target, I'm sorry but it's true, kid," Aethyta smiles. "But yes... I knew Nezzy was going to leave me, sooner or later. Can't be the wise counselor when you're married."
"That doesn't make sense," Liara shakes her head.
"Sure it does. Everything has to do with sex appeal," Aethyta explains. "Most species only pay attention if they want to have sex with you, so you have to be available, mysterious."
"That's a depressingly cynical view to have," Liara sighs. "I hope that I will not arrive to the same conclusion."
"Maybe you won't. I can sense something between you and Shepard that I... I do not witness in many. I thought I had it with Nezzy, but..." Aethyta falls silent, thoughtful for a moment, before resuming talking. "I knew any daughter of hers would be special. So the one final thing I asked of her was to let you go your own way, no matter what she wanted."
"...really?" Liara suddenly feels her chest becoming painfully tight.
"I told her, "You're treating her like a baby bird, Nezzy, but she's going to raise one hell of a storm with those little wings."," Aethyta says.
"...Little Wing?" Liara suddenly finds it difficult to breathe, her words a mere whisper.
"Yeah," Aethyta gives her a concerned stare. "You feeling okay, kid?" Liara only manages a muted nod, trying to steady herself. "You know, I've been trying to remember her like this, rather than whatever that Saren bastard turned her into," the matriarch says, her deep voice tinged with sadness.
"It wasn't really her fault," Liara says, slowly recovering from trying to keep her emotions from spilling over. "She was trying to stop Saren, to lead him back to the path of righteousness. But she fell prey to the Reaper indoctrination."
"I have heard stories about the indoctrination," Aethyta says. "Most still assume that in regard to Benezia, it is just a paltry excuse to whitewash her crimes..."
"What? That is ridiculous!" Liara exclaims angrily. "I saw her and I know for certain that she was indoctrinated! I saw her fighting it with every fiber of her being! She... she even broke free and managed to help Shepard on Noveria before she died... in my arms. She said I'd made her proud..."
A choked sob escapes Aethyta's lips as she brings up her palms to cover her face. "...all this time I blamed Nezzy for it," she whispers. "Thousand years old, and I still don't know crap... thanks for telling me, kid."
"Dad?" Liara asks, her heart aching at the sight of her father struggling not to cry in front of her. "Can I... hug you?" she asks timidly, and Aethyta nods without a moment of pause. Immediately, Liara throws herself in her father's embrace, feeling Aethyta's hands wrapping around her shoulders tightly and comfortingly.
They continue to hold each other for a long while, until Liara hears a buzz on the comms, Shepard trying to reach her and trying to locate her. "Go on now kid, scoot," Aethyta gently pushes her away, smiling. "Your persistent human won't leave you alone for too long, it seems."
"No, she won't," Liara smiles back. "But I'll be back later to talk some more, dad," she promises as she takes her leave. I did not believe I will feel this way about my father, but I'm so glad to have found her, she thinks with fondness, heading out to meet up with Shepard.
Shepard arrives in the docking bay to find some of her squad already gathered there, James, EDI, but also Garrus, with Liara on the way as well. "Hey Garrus," she calls out. "I thought you weren't supposed to be wandering around? Not going to earn many bonus points with Chakwas this way, you know."
Garrus gives her a gloomy stare. "She's been all over me, I just had to get away for a bit," he says. "Wasn't my intention to subtly squeeze along on this mission, Shepard."
"Fair enough," Shepard nods. "I know that lying around in the medbay is hell for someone like you and I. Doctor says you'll be good to go by the time we reach Tuchanka, though."
"Spirits be praised," Garrus breathes out a sigh of relief. "Though I am surprised that you're not bringing your new friend along for this mission."
"You must mean Prothy the Prothean," Shepard says, much to the amusement of the others. "Well, I figure we should watch him for a bit more before I trust turning my back on him in the battlefield. He's been pretty confrontational so far."
"I've ran into him a few times," James speaks up. "Seems like the guy's not all there. But yeah, brought forward 50.000 years? Being the last of your kind? That's bound to make you a little loco, right? Still, I bet Doc's all over the moon now."
"There is so much he can tell us that it is hard not to feel excited," Liara says, arriving to join them, her soft approach taking them by surprise. "Though, he has been... rather cold and unresponsive to all inquiries, thus far," she admits, looking a little disheartened.
"Hopefully you can at least discover what makes up a Prothean's diet," Garrus tells Liara. "What if it's boiled asari with a side of fried turian? You'd probably roll with it in the name of science, T'Soni, but I'm not taking that one for the team."
"Liara's not allowed to subject herself to something like that," Shepard says sternly. "Besides, we already discovered that they prefer salarian livers. I guess someone should warn Mordin about that."
"Mordin can probably take care of himself," James grins. "I wouldn't risk taking him on, and that's saying something."
"Uh-oh," EDI suddenly interrupts the debate with her exclamation. "Speaking of the Prothean... we have had difficulties making him understand the human custom of separate-sex restroom facilities. Dr. Chakwas does not appear to be amused."
Shepard groans, putting a palm to her face. "...we can always put some kind of warning sign on the restrooms for female staff. Like one of those traffic signs with a Prothean face on it?"
"I will consider it, if my attempts at enlightening him will meet with failure," EDI says. "I will update you if there is positive progress."
"...EDI, do you have some kind of 'Craft Disturbing Mental Image' sub-protocol installed that I don't know about?" Shepard sighs. "Anyhow... I should probably update you all on our mission goals. And also, I should kick Garrus' sorry ass back to the medbay."
"I'm going, I'm going," the turian grumbles, walking away. "Seriously worse than Chakwas."
"Liara," Shepard turns towards her asari lover, giving her a fond stare. "I think between myself, James and EDI, we should be able to handle this one, if you wish to stay onboard and continue your studies of the Crucible data."
A shadow seems to pass over Liara's face and she shakes her head vehemently. "No, I think I would welcome a distraction," she says. "And I do not feel comfortable leaving you without biotic support."
"I was kind of hoping you would say that," Shepard smiles. "So, the situation is like this. There's this Cerberus cruiser outside the Grissom Academy, and at least a dozen fighters on blockade duty. Direct fight is inadvisable, even with Normandy's upgrades. Fortunately, we have a contact inside who will open an auxiliary cargo port so Steve can take us there in a shuttle to dock."
"What do those Cerberus bastards want here?" James asks, both surprised and angry.
"They're after the students. Kids with biotic potential," Morgan replies, feeling the rage pumping through her system as well. "Three guesses what they plan to do with them."
"We can't allow that to happen," Liara shakes her head. "Outfitted with the Reaper implants, these biotics would be incredibly dangerous and would make Cerberus into an even deadlier enemy."
"So far we have managed to embarrass all their plots. Let's not stop now," Morgan says, ordering everyone to jump into the shuttle, following in as last. "Alright, Joker," she tells her pilot on the comms. "Wait for us to get clear, then follow through with what we discussed."
"Copy that, Commander," Joker replies. "One hell of a distraction coming right up!"