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Into the Pit
"You sure about this Matt?" Joker asked for the third time since he said that he was going outside.
The biotic stood in the airlock waiting for the automated voice to clear him to go ashore. In those final seconds Matt double checked his pistol to make sure he had it set to concussion, careful to not hurt any of the colonists because of what his sister had said. On his way out the doctor had given him some sort of injection of yellow liquid to help with the stress he was going to be putting on his body. It had made him wince, the big bad soldier hated needles. Whatever it was he was going to have to thank her for it though when he got back. Just a few seconds after the injection and he was already feeling like he had lightning behind his eyes raring to go.
"Of course," Matt said over the com through his helmsmen just as the airlock started to open exposing the outside to view, "Nothing to worry about."
Back on the ship he had been shown the live feed of the door where the colonists were pounding trying to get in, fruitlessly of course. Seeing them now though was a whole other matter. Their skin was pale and their eyes were sunken back into their heads a crazy look locked into place. Each of them were just rushing at anything that moved from what they could tell. What they hell had happened to them? Surely it was not some plant that caused this.
The hissing of the door opening drew the attention of the four there and all at once those haunted eyes found where he was standing inside. Each one of them parted their lips and let out a shrill scream that made his skin crawl, but Matt just raised his pistol and started firing. Two went down right away, a third took a couple steps before getting caught in the temple, but the last was right on him. Up close and personal the traumatized colonist tried to jump right on him clawing at the light armor he was wearing tearing out her fingernails to the base on the reinforced protection. For just a second Matt struggled to get her free of him, but like the others he pushed her off then placed a round right between her eyes sending her to crumple back onto the other three.
"What the hell is going on here…" he said to himself forgetting that the open com was still on.
"You ok Lieutenant?" Joker asked causing Matt to sharply take a breath having not expected the sudden voice.
Sighing Matt stepped over the bodies of the colonists and shook his head, "Five by five Joker, heading to the main colony to see if I can find Garrus and Tail."
"Roger that," he responded promptly.
"And you don't have to call me that anymore flight lieutenant."
"I never get the memos on time," Joker said sarcastically over the line, "Be careful out there. Normandy out."
From where the Normandy was it was not a terribly long walk to the heart of the colony. On the way there he encountered a handful of the colonist that were in no better shape, but were no more difficult to deal with. Every time he found one though that wail ripped from their lips and each time Matt found himself hoping he could take the next one down before they managed to get it off. It was just freaking him out. Crossing the courtyard on the main colony he stopped at every corner so that he could check around it for more of those crazed people. From time to time he had to check his Omni to make sure he was headed to the right location.
Matt found the shed the two of them bunkered up in surrounded by no less than ten of the remaining colonists pounding away on the flimsy metal it was made out of. They had been at it for a while it looked like as well judging by the red stains streaked across the metal exterior from them trying to get in. Options? Direct approach. Breaking his cover behind another one of the modular building Matt shot one of them square in the back.
All nine of the remaining colonist turned on him at the same time, "Oh shit."
Only a few more shots rang out from his gun until he gave up on it and summoned the biotic weapon that he truly was. Two at a time he knocked them back with well-placed throws all the while stepping back to extend the distance. There were just to many of them for Matt to get all of them before they crossed the distance and he was taken to the ground by a remaining two tackling him roughly to the dirt. He lifted his hands and tried to bat them off of his form so that he could rise to his feet, but every time he tried in their furor they kept him down.
"Not good," Matt said to no one in particular and told himself to make a mental note to thank whoever manufactured this particular armor.
Suddenly one of the colonists was thrown from his form at the sound of a concussive blast much louder than a usual slug out of sight. Matt blinked and held back the other one who was trying to take a bite out of the side of his helmet with a hand to her neck. A rifle butt connected with the side of the woman's head then a distinctly Turian foot pressed into her side and rolled her off of the prone soldier. Trying to catch his breath Matt turned his head from the colonist up to Garrus who had broken the cover of the shed when he saw his friend start to be overrun.
"Need a hand Shepard?" Garrus asked extending one while holding his rifle in the other. If he didn't know any better about Turians Matt would have guessed that he was smiling, what with the way his mandibles were flaring like that.
"Just this once," Matt said grinning behind his faceplate, "Let's not make it a habit of you saving my ass deal?"
"Deal."
Garrus nodded and helped him to his feet then gave him a quick once over, it didn't look like the colonist managed to break his suit seal in their frenzy. When it all started he could have probably broken through the confusion and made it back to the ship on his own, but the Turian instruction in him from since he was a little one had not let him leave Tali behind.
Back on his feet Matt retrieved his gun and watched Tali start to make her way out of the shelter and over to where they were standing. She was carrying the shot gun she had asked for in the both of her hands, it looked way oversized for her, but it's what she had asked for so he had put in an order for it.
"Thank you for coming for us Shepard," Tali said the vocal digitizer flashing away on the bottom of her mask.
"Don't worry about it, any idea what started all this?" Matt said starting to look around the complex a bit more closely now that they seemed to be out of any immediate danger.
Tali shook her head looking a bit too nervous to say anything; it was her first combat these things sometimes happened. Garrus though had his head up and rifle in hand sweeping each corner while speaking up in answer, "Not sure what caused it really, one second I was watching Tali repair a water filtration machine and the next the whole world just went crazy." Those sharp eyes looked back to Matt then he pointed over to a large section of one of the colony buildings that was lifted by their industrial crane, "One of the colonist lifted that around the time all hell broke loose as you humans like to say. There is a stairway going down into the superstructure under it. Maybe we should check it out?"
"As good a place to start as any," he said in affirmative heading in the direction of the stairs, "Tali you get in the middle, Garrus you bring up the rear. Tali you see anything move that is not us down there you shoot it you understand?"
The Quarian hefted her shotgun a little higher and spoke up, "I will do my best."
"Good."
The stairway going down into the darkness of the superstructure was old and they had to be careful where they stepped. To make matters worse most of the steps were overgrown with this strange looking moss and were damp, hell Matt was not going to, but he guessed if he took off his helmet that the place smelled horrible. Jane had said they were looking for some sort of plant, maybe this moss was it? Down a couple more dark flights guided only by their flashlights on their guns and helmets they descended into the darkness. When they came to the bottom and there were no more stairs down Matt kicked in a door leading them out into the light.
It was a large circular room with a natural light coming down from somewhere high above their heads. The middle of the room was just open and you could see several stories further down with the advantage of this light. The moss was everywhere, climbing the walls and ceiling. It looked like if they wanted to get anywhere they were going to have to make their way around the outside of the room and climb the sets of stairs provided. Oh right, and there was a massive green alien looking plant hanging suspended in the center of the room in that void surrounded by walkways putting off a weird looking green gas.
"Doesn't look like any sort of plant I have ever seen…its huge…," Garrus said after clearing their six and turning to see why they had stopped sounding somewhat at a loss for words.
It was huge; almost three stories high and it took up all of the large width of the room. Several tendrils attached to the wall here and there on various levels seemed to be holding its massive weight suspended. Matt certainly had never seen anything like it. Whatever it was it needed to die.
"Right, well let's stop standing around and figure out a way to kill this thing," he said inching a bit closer to the edge so that he could look up to the several tendrils up above them they could climb to, "We don't have heavy arms to go after the core, but I think if we manage to free its hooks from the wall the thing will fall to its death."
"Worth a shot," Garrus agreed and followed in tow along with shocked looking Tali. The girl was certainly seeing strange things on her pilgrimage.
It was slow going, the ground was slick and broken in so many places they had to be careful which path they took. Grips were shared and at one point they had to toss the Quarian, but they made it up two levels to that first hook that was secure in the wall. On his order the three of them leveled their weapons.
"Fire!"
The three of them gave it all they had just on the base of the hook trying to cut through the creatures hold. Almost instantly after the first shot landed the creature gave off what sounded like a groan in pain. Beside him the other two hesitated, Matt kept firing spurring them on to follow his example, no plant he had ever seen made a sound like that. With a sickening snap the tendril came lose and the building as well as the plant shuttered in response. It was losing its hold, this would work. Normally Matt might have said something like, Good work, or nice job, but it was the sound of many feet headed their way from around the corner that distracted Matt now.
"Back up a few steps, Garrus switch to Automatic and Tali be ready to burn them," the biotic said taking one knee with pistol raised so that they could shoot right over him.
Behind him Matt heard the distinct click of the Turian's rifle switching to full auto and the humming sound of a omni tool working in overdrive ready for a fight. He just lifted his free left hand and brought a biotic punch to bare making his fist glow blue.
Around the corner they came, humanoid in shape, but a mass of green plant life. They didn't seem to have it all together, stumbling about as they came, but there were a lot of them. The moss that covered the ground seemed to be the same thing that made up their sickly looking bodies and they seemed to be leaking some sort of green liquid from between the gaps in between leafs. This time he didn't have to tell the pair to open fire, Garrus starting to churn his way through the mass of them with his rifle cutting a clean hole from the left to the right, but there were so many. Tali unleashed her powered ignite from her Omni tool and it set most of the lot ablaze. That had the wanted affect and slowed their sprint to a crawl. Matt unleashed a flurry of his own bullets then the pent up biotics he had been saving to send most of the crowd over the edge of the center of the room down to the depths of the superstructure. There were not many left and Garrus was advancing seizing the advantage. Matt and Tali followed firing off where they could behind the hail of bullets the Turian was putting out until once again the building was quiet.
"Gods what were those things?" Tali asked crouching down beside one that had been ripped in half and nearly completely charred.
"Not too sure, they sure burn nicely. Good work Tali," Garrus said switching his rifle back to simi, he liked it that way more controlled.
She looked pleased at the compliment but didn't say anything in response. Matt crouched down on the other side of the one Tali was looking at and flipped it over so that he could see the "face".
"Asari?" Garrus asked looking over the both of them.
Couldn't deny that, the face might be a terrible reproduction, but the thing looked Asari alright. Even with the burns it was easy to tell. Why would the plant be making reproductions of Asari to protect it when the entire colony here on Feros was human? It didn't make a lot of sense. Couldn't exactly ask it though, didn't seem to speak at all other than in those painful groans.
"Let's get the rest of those hooks out and get rid of this thing," Matt said getting back up picking at a piece of that green goo that had stuck to the side of his helmet to throw away as he did, "I want to get out of this hole."
"Roger that Shepard," the both said in a chorus and the squad set out again.
It was a bit faster this time, just as dangerous, but they were starting to get used to working together so there was something to say about that. Matt had never worked with either of their races before. The only thing he knew about Turians is what they taught him in the military classes he took back in basic and in N7 school. Of course everyone knew the stories from during the first contact war. Quarians were a completely different thing, not many people knew much about them. All that was really public knowledge was that they lost their home world to the Geth and that they lived on ships since. It was why the lot of them were such good engineers, out of necessity rather than want.
"Matt you seeing this?" Garrus asked poking at what looked like some sort of growth out of the side of the wall from a bit of moss.
"Looks big enough to be some sort of pod…how the creature is creating the clones?"
"Maybe."
Three more hooks were removed without the problem of being swarmed by anymore of those things, Matt guessed that the plant creature, whatever it was sent them all at once to try and kill them before. Other than its groans in anguish it had yet to do anything else, if it was even capable of doing anything. At the last hook they just lifted their weapons and fired without a word. This time when the plant lost this hold the building shook, it shuddered like every time, but it also fell. From its suspended spot in the center of the room it plummeted down several stories to where the light from high above didn't reach ending its life with a pleasing squishing sound.
"Think we got it?" Tali asked while not daring to go near the edge to look for herself.
Matt reached his hand up and shaded his view so he could look down into the darkness with a laugh, "Yeah I would say that's probably the end of that. Let's pack up and head back to the Normandy."
They would have, really, they were all tired, hungry, and covered in goo that had yet to be named, Matt had called it slime, but Garrus had not gone for it. Instead one of those pods they had been seeing suddenly burst on the wall sending the green stuff everywhere. The three of them raised their hands to protect themselves, not that it actually was dangerous or anything, but mainly out of reflex then saw what remained.
An Asari fell from the pod gasping for breath covered in a skintight black commando armor that left very little to the imagination. All three raised their weapons at this new enemy? She was trying to catch her breath, then looking up her eyes widened seeing the three of them standing there with guns drawn. Matt was not thinking she looked shocked or surprised to see them, he was just trying to figure out why she was green. The plant maybe?
"Who are you!?" Matt shouted not taking his eyes off of the woman.
The oddly skinned Asari held up a hand in an effort to show that she was harmless and tried to get to her feet so that she could explain herself. Exhaustion was painted across her features; she was in no condition to do anything right now. Getting eaten by a giant plant creature might do that to you.
"M…my name is Shiala, I am follower of Matriarch Benezia," she had to stop to cough up some of that green slime, Matt didn't wish her that even after he found out who led her, "I was brought here to be an intermediary between Saren and the Thorian."
Saren? Matt Stepped a bit closer still keeping his gun raised right at her, "You are working with Saren? What did he want from the Thorian?"
She closed her eyes and lifted a hand to the side of her crest as if in some sort of pain, but she did manage an answer, "The Thorian is one of the few creatures to have lived through the death of the Prothean race. It had the knowledge to decipher the beacon from Eden Prime. My Lady commanded me to meld with the creature and to relay through a meld this information to Saren."
"Was one of the few creatures…It's at the bottom of a pit now," Garrus added helpfully from behind the sight of his gun.
"Right, of course, I have to thank you for freeing me from the creature," the commando said tiredly.
Knowing that the other two were going to be able to cover him just fine Matt lowered his pistol and holstered it back at his side. If this information had been so important to Saren that he was willing to go through these lengths they needed that information as well. Only problem was how he was going to have to get it.
"I touched the beacon and Eden Prime as well as Saren, could you….would you be able to relay that information a second time?" Matt sounded like he was almost hopeful that she wouldn't have the ability.
"May I ask your name?"
"Matt Shepard."
The green skinned woman looked him over once then tried to take a step forward towards him, but the Quarian and Turian made with the threatening glances and she was forced to stop settling for words where her kind might have embraced a touched.
"It would take a very strong human mind to survive the transfer of information from the Eden Prime beacon," she spoke softly with caution in her voice trying very hard to not get shot because of a false move, "The fact that you survived at all is surprising. If you wish for me to share the information with you like I did Saren I will gladly to repay my debt for freedom."
"Freed might not be the right term," Garrus stated evenly, but backed down at a raised hand from Matt that told him it was alright.
Every fiber in him wanted to avoid this, he didn't want to meld ever again, but he had to do this one, had to finish the mission. If they were going to catch up to Saren they needed this information. Matt reached up and undid the clasps on his helmet so he could remove it and expose his damp sweat covered skin to the stench that was the air of the superstructure.
"Let's do it," he said grumbling tossing his helmet over to Tali so that she could hold it for him.
She didn't seem to sure that he was ready for something like this so she questioned, "Are you sure Shepard?"
"Yeah, it's not my first time. Let's just get this over with."
Beside him his squad mates looked worried at this turn of events, but they were just going to trust his judgment. Shiala stepped as close as she was going to need until there was only a pace between her and Matt. There was a long stretch of quiet when the commando closed her eyes so that she could focus. Those normally green eyes opened replaced by a depth of blackness only seen in Asari and the void of space.
"Embrace Eternity." She uttered mechanically starting the meld.
Normally the two minds start to join and gentle share information with each other, at least on this level of meld being used more as a utility rather than between bond mates. This one did not go as planned of course as was Matt's worst fear. As soon as their minds met he felt Shiala start to transfer the cipher, but something was wrong. The images flashed by quickly and with each new picture in his mind's eye he felt an extreme pain that translated into a scream ripping from his lips. Melds were supposed to be harmless just sharing information, but this one was excruciating. Was it because of the beacon? Or maybe the cipher itself?
Shiala closed her eyes once more then the three of them watched Matt press a hand to the side of his head trying to get the pain from behind his eyes. Garrus made a low hissing sound and went to grab the Asari woman, but Matt snagged a bit of the Turians armor with his free hand.
"No Garrus," Matt gasped blinking his eyes repeatedly, "I don't think it was her."
"I assure you Shepard's reaction to the meld like that surprises me just as much as the two of you," Shiala said wringing her hands together worriedly, but never losing that commando façade that clouded her features. "It was…a difficult meld, like I had to force the information into place. Never before has that happened when I have melded with another."
Matt stumbled over to one of the pillars near the center void of the structure and promptly emptied his stomach down into the pit facing away from them. After another moment he brushed the back of his hand against his lips and started to regain himself. Turning back around he winced at his first step heading back over like he had one of his terrible migraines and every pace hurt. Tali looked on in a mixture of confusion and worry when he took back his helmet from her and went to set it back in place.
"You good Shepard?" Garrus asked speaking the mind of their Quarian friend. To which Matt just nodded not trusting his voice just yet after the meld. Taking that as all the answer he needed Garrus just turned back to the commando and motioned to her, "What are we going to do with her?"
It was a good question, she had followed their enemy, but if he had to guess she wouldn't have knowing what she does now. Was a second chance in order? Matt was not so sure. Withdrawing his pistol from where it was holstered once more he advanced until he was within a pace of the woman again.
"A long time ago I knew an Asari that looked after a group of reckless human colonists on the fringe of safe space," Matt said working the action on his weapon like he was getting ready to use it. "There was no way they should have been where they were at, but the prospect of reward was too great so like we Humans do they rushed."
Behind him Tali and Garrus looked at one another unsure of where Matt was going with this, it was not a story either of them had heard before.
"She was a commando just like you are, but a hundred years into the Matron stage of her life and retiring from running around the galaxy shooting at things for credits," he said flipping the gun over in his hand so the butt of it faced the woman who looked at it not understanding. "You want a second chance you take this gun and you protect the colony that this creature had a hand in wrecking. I don't care who you served before or who used you to talk with it. All I want to hear is that you will look out for them and succeed where she failed."
Shiala looked like she was considering it, those emerald hues trying to see the expression of the human before her hidden behind the blank helmet. In the end she reached forward to grasp the handle of the pistol taking it from his palm giving a small nod in response.
"If that is all that is required of me for a second chance I will try," she said lifting her eyes from the gun she had been handed right after she put it away on her hip where she usually carried her own, "May I ask who this person was to you?"
When she asked her question he reached down and turned on his Omni tool so that he could signal to the ship that they would be on their way back, a short burst transmission of a pre-determined texted based message since they couldn't get voice out from down here. A few short drums of his fingers on the device and it was away.
"Her name was Shala and she was my mother."
Everyone made it back shipside without much problem after the encounter with the Thorian. After the Doctor had a chance to look at a few of the colonist she seemed hopeful that whatever hold had been over them was fading away. Still Matt could see himself never coming back to this rock by choice. That Mako ride must have been hell based off the look Williams had given him after clawing her way out of the hulk of metal when they got back. True to his sisters word they had hammered that accelerator to the floor and got back to the encampment in just under an hour. Still that was only time enough to catch the three of them sitting up on some crates near the stairwell that led down into the superstructure trying to clean some of the grime off their gear. Jane had wanted to say something to him right away when she got the report, they both knew that he was going to need to meld again, but all she had to do was tell him in a look.
The crew gathered in the com room for their usual debriefing after the mission, this one having been just a little odder than the others. Joker had made several comments about the slime they couldn't completely get off after they got back. Jane must have said something to the group before the meeting because not a one of them mentioned a meld of any kind, Matt was thankful for that. In the end the Jane gave her short report to the council while the rest waited in their chairs behind, piping only in when needed, then she dismissed everyone to their duties. Matt was certain he heard Ash asking Garrus about new shocks for the tank, but he couldn't be sure. Again Jane shot him one of those looks full of connotation as she left, but he hadn't even left his chair. He had to do it.
"T'Soni."
Liara had much to say during the meeting, hell it had been hard to get her to stop, they should have known after taking her to the Prothean planet. Wrex had even given her a bit of praise for her first fight, even though he was upset she had not gotten herself a scar, what a waste. His words of course. Other than the night they shared the conversation down in engineering he had not really spoken to the Asari other than in passing on the ship and one other time when he had to tell her to wait so she didn't burn her tongue on "Human" coffee. It wasn't because he didn't like her, no, it was the opposite. Matt couldn't look at her without a variety of feelings coming to mind, but at least they were not all bad like when he saw most Asari. Frankly that was what was bothering him. Unlike Matt his sister had been by to see her many times back in the lab behind the med bay, that's just how Jane was though, and it was one of the things he really liked about how she handled command. She made sure she got to know everyone under her and anything she could about them. Evidently they had become so close that he had spotted them on more than one occasion sharing meals along with Garrus and Tali in the mess.
For right now though she hesitated near the door that led back out onto the command deck at his call of her name and smiled politely in that very Asari way. Were they all taught that expression as children? Probably.
"Did you need something from me Matt?" she asked tentatively already probably guessing what this was going to be about.
Without the crew in the large room the chairs were left empty and the whole space felt cold, something that Matt just noticed, his mind trying to find a distraction from this anywhere.
"I need…," he stopped thinking better of it rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand while looking at his dirty boots, "We need to figure out whatever is in my head Liara."
From off to the side near the door where she was standing she made her way over to take the seat that was empty beside his own quietly shifting so that she could face him with her hands folded in her lap form still covered in a freshly cleaned scientists uniform. Then she didn't say anything, she just waited for him to continue, Matt liked that.
"You have to promise me that you will do your best to not go digging where I don't want you Liara," he said finally living his head so that he could see those eyes. Gah, there was that feeling again that made him buzz with a confusing electricity.
Those features not for the first time took on one of worry and knitted brows together, "I assure you that if there is something you do not wish me to see Shepard that I will feel the reluctance and avoid it. If you need me to promise then I do, but all the meld would require from you is pushing that information you have collected to the front."
Right, it wasn't his first time, he remembered all that, but why when she said it in that soft voice of hers did he feel more relaxed. It didn't seem right and it made him look back down with many more questions on his mind.
"While you are going through the Eden Prime beacon I assume you will push a memory forward, a safe one, for me to experience." That was his expectation, in an exchange like this, one where a whole memory was shared it took a while. His mind couldn't be idle.
The young Asari shifted in the metal chair beside him and smiled in a friendly manner, though he did not see it, "Yes, I have one in mind. Would you like to try the meld now?"
"Gah…just…just don't call it that ok?"
She blinked confused at this, a human phrase? Why should she call it something else?
"Al…Alright. Are you ready to…Share…Matt?"
This actually got a chuckle out of the biotic, it sounded so childlike, so innocent and he was once again reminded of how early her race started teaching their children this and just how her 109 year of age really meant proportionately.
Letting out a held breath he leaned back and sat with his form against the rest of the chair and tilted his head over to her, "Yeah, let's get this done. Be gentle with me Doc it's the only head I got."
She seemed to smile at his terrible joke, but said nothing of it only standing up so that she could step up beside his chair. Ok, deep breath, Matt knew what was coming next. It was hard, so hard to keep her gaze, even harder when she reached out and cupped his cheek with her hand. Asari were like that, their culture was very…"Touchy" for the lack of a better world. It felt good. He had one last chance to visibly smile in reaction before she forced the blackness to her eyes and said those two words.
"Embrace Eternity."
Everything was so bright, like someone had just shone a light in his eye and they were still trying to adjust to the abrasive treatment. After a second though they came into view and he could see where he was. This must be Thessia, Matt was almost certain from the meld his mother had shared with him. The sand between his toes made him realize that he was barefoot, he hated sand, but when he tried to crouch down and bat some of it away he couldn't. There was nothing he could do he suddenly realized, this wasn't his memory. That was when the emotions flooded in. Oh man what was that? Sadness? No it was worse than that, sorrow. Liara/Matt sat down onto the sand and looked out across the water; something made him feel like she had come here many times before, a favorite spot maybe. This couldn't have been the memory she had meant to show him, he could feel the tears she was shedding like they were his own. It was a surreal experience to be within someone else's skin like this.
That was when he figured out why she was crying. She had a bag with her, he had not seen it before, and she pulled something from it. It was a stone with lettering etched into it, nothing he should have been able to make out because it was not in any language he should have known, but it read clear as day. The inscription was acknowledgement of her completing her schooling at one of the most prestigious colleges on Thessia in the field of archeology. Among humans this would have been something to celebrate, something to go out and get smacking drunk over. Why was she crying in the sand by herself then?
"It's never going to be enough is it mother," Liara said, or he said depending on how you looked at it. Her voice coming from his "lips" felt strange almost instantly.
Liara's mother was an important person, hell very important; she was like a race leader. To have a daughter spend her maiden years on something like this had not gone over well with the elder mother. In that moment he wished that he could do something for her, hug her, wrap an arm around her shoulders and cheer her up. Anything was better than what he was feeling right now. That soul crushing feeling like you didn't have family anymore. Wait why did he think that? Why did she think that? Matt tried to grip onto that, but Liara's mind was moving on. She tried to clear her cheeks off with her fingers and just enjoyed the breeze on her skin. Things would not always be this way. There would come a time when her mother would have to acknowledge her work in the field she had chosen. Certainly, and that was more than enough for her to go on.
Liara sifted through the images of the Eden Prime beacon, there were so many and they came so very fast that she would have to sit and think about what she had seen. Like Matt had said the information he had been given in the meld from the commando back on Feros had helped to make some sense of the memories, but there was just so much there. It felt like a warning though, in that there could be no mistake. Reapers, it was not a name she had come across in her study of the Protheans, but here in this memory of Matt's it was obvious that the long lost race wanted to warn those ahead of some impending doom. The name that doom was given was "Reapers". It didn't mean anything to her yet; she would just have to do what she always did and sift through her notes and the texts from back at the university.
Finding the memory had not been hard, it had been right where she expected it forced to the front like she had told Matt to try. Moving through his mind was like swimming underwater and the memories were bubbles of self-contained information. When she reached out and touched one it burst and the information sprung forth like a fountain quickly. What surprised her though was that while this one was easy to find and there were a large collection of memories grouped together in the distance out of reach that was not all that she found. There was another, a small one, nothing but the briefest of moments he had experienced in the past could be this size. Unlike the others though this one was hard to get to, like the water she was in suddenly grew thick and burdensome. To make matters worse the inside did not glow with the same light of the other memories, this one was a pitch black so she couldn't make any guesses as to what it held.
It was a small one. So small, seconds really, but she had been told not to go anywhere she shouldn't. This tore Liara, should she look? She had promised that she would not, but this one…something was strange about it. It fit so comfortably into the palm of her hand, the image in her mind she was using to navigate, and when she popped it she was exposed to what was inside. The black haze filtered over the whole of her form like it did when she popped the white memory and instead of her eyes having to focus because of a bright light they adjusted to darkness.
The first thing she realized was that Matt's eyes were closed and that he was embracing someone, the whole of his form pressed tightly to this person. Then there was the sweet taste. It was coming from his lips and tongue, he was kissing someone! Inwardly she scolded herself; this was just why he had asked her not to go poking around. Finally he pulled back far enough from his partner to break the kiss and run his tongue across his lower lip, Liara tasted the sweetness left then saw who it was when he opened his eyes.
Held in his arms, in the smoky rubble of some city that looked like it was falling down around them Matt held Liara in his arms and the even more astonishing thing about the moment was the feeling. He loved her, not like a friend, not like family, but loved her. This feeling…Liara had never felt something like it before and it overwhelmed her. This was all so confusing, this had never happened! Liara tried to shout for him to look around, to give some sort of bearing to where they were, but Matt did not, his eyes didn't want to move from her. Her eyes, they were looking back at "her" in a way she had never looked at anyone. They were bond mates. It was the only explanation for the feeling the two of them obviously shared with one another. Mercifully one of them finally spoke.
"This is…it isn't it?" Liara said softly quiet enough so those soldiers running about around them couldn't overhear, like the two of them were in their own personal world.
When Matt parted his lips to respond she felt how chapped and broken they were, he was tired, more so than he had let on with anyone and barely holding on at this point, "I dunno…we have been through worse spots. Wouldn't be the first suicide mission i got a team through now would it? I love you Liara."
He meant it! Goddess he meant it. So much so that it drew the other Liara to smile softer if that was possible at just the sound of him speaking those words and it did sound wonderful she couldn't deny that even in the confusion of the memory.
"All those little blue children are going to be upset that it came down to this and I didn't have something good to say…"Liara joked with Matt lightly thumping him on the chest of his battle-scarred armor with a loosely balled fist. The scene was obviously something of a goodbye, a final one, but the other Liara, SHE, looked so happy to have him regardless.
"Ah, well I am sure we can think up something grand to tell them when the time comes," Matt said pulling a hand back from around her waist so that he could reach up and draw her in with soft fingers on the skin of the back of her neck until her forehead rested gently against him.
The sense of foreboding was all encompassing; this was something that they had been preparing for after years of hardship. All of it led up to this, a final battle, Matt's emotions betrayed that much. When his eyes panned up and looked out to the ruined city it was one that she did not recognize, but anyone could see that it was nothing other than ruble, a war zone. There above the shattered men running about and the building aflame she saw it, a hulking mass of metal in a shape she couldn't have guessed. The ship was huge and the army was less than flies against it. Every time a tank or fighter moved in to strike it they were burnt from the Earth without hesitation or problem. Reapers. That's what it was, this was what wiped out the Protheans and it was wiping out Earth. Earth? The human homeworld. Matt's memory finally gave her that last piece to the confusing puzzle then it was over and she was snapped back to the com room with the biotic ex-Alliance soldier sitting across from her looking at her cautiously.
Should she tell him what she saw? Did she believe it enough to do so? What was that feeling they had shared? It didn't make any sense it had never happened in her memories so why did he have it?
"Is everything alright Doc?" Matt asked when after he came out of the "Sharing" Liara had not said anything.
The look of confusion she had was unmistakable, had she not been able to discern anything from the vision he had been given on Eden Prime? Great all of this for nothing Matt though noticing that her hand that she had extended to cup his cheek was still there. Only now it was cold, clammy even why was that?
"Right…ahem…." Liara suddenly said shaking her head stepping back away from him that hand recoiling like it had been burnt, even more so when she rubbed those fingertips with her other. "It was a lot to go through as I am sure you can attest," She said visibly swallowing with worry, "I will need time to go over my notes and what I saw…ple…please excuse me."
He couldn't be certain though it did appear that he had just been run from. One minute she was here sitting excitedly beside him at the prospect of learning anything about the Protheans extinction. Then after he gave her the vision she had so hastily sought out, she left the room without pomp and circumstance. Did she realize that they had shared a vision she had not expected to give him? Of her on the sand, maybe that was it. It was just something else he couldn't put his finger on so he stayed behind racking his brain over it until he had his answer. Those eyes shot up to the door like he might get another chance to see her run out of the room, to stop her with a hand on her arm before she made it, but he was not going to get the chance. It was the look she gave him, the one she had on the beach in the memory he was given. A resilient sorrow in what was to come. Liara had that same look when she headed out of the room. Why? Matt was the one that had experienced that memory, what could have made her react that way?