So, I'm not going to recount all of LotSB, just the parts that are different/significant in this story. Plus, as you'll see there's definitely a lot of scenes not in that DLC at all.
Liara paced across the floor of her apartment, trying to settle her jangled nerves. Cerberus' information had proven to be more useful than she could have hoped for. It included coordinate data from a series of calls made by key Shadow Broker operatives to their master that, if properly triangulated, might at last lead the asari to her quarry. What's more, the calls suggested that Feron, whom she'd always assumed the Broker's men had killed was alive and his prisoner, offering a chance at a rescue she'd never believed possible.
The Shadow Broker, Shepard, Feron, Cerberus… Everything that had filled her thoughts for the last two years was coming to a head, and it was all a bit overwhelming to the frazzled asari. With a huff, she stopped her pacing short, running a hand along the top of her crest.
That small act of frustration might well have saved her life. The crack of shattered glass and the explosion of floor tiles burst into her awareness so quickly that she had no time to think, only react. On instinct, the asari pulled up her barriers, the glittering energy field surrounding her just ahead of the second shot. The sniper round blew through the reinforced windows of her apartment but not her shields, knocking Liara backwards yet leaving her unharmed.
Before there could be a third shot, the asari dove to the ground, rolling across the floor towards a position behind the staircase that couldn't be seen from the window. Reaching cover, Liara took a moment to catch her breath and she silently thanked Shepard for teaching her that bit of tactical wisdom. She had learned so much from her lover, about so many things, and she wouldn't let those debts go unpaid.
The shooting didn't resume, the assassin having apparently decided to cut their losses, which gave Liara a chance for reflection. The timing of this attack couldn't be a coincidence, she decided. Someone knew she was getting close to the Broker, and that put not only her but the others she'd involved in her investigation in danger. Shepard could take care of herself, the powerful Spectre generally living in a constant state of alert given the variety of people trying to kill her, but Sekat, her contact analyzing the Broker data was another matter.
Her first thought was to call the salarian and warn him, but she realized that her communications might be monitored right now. There was no time to lose either; certainly not enough of it to wait for Shepard to get to her apartment. The commander would just have to catch up with her.
Reinforcing her barriers in case the sniper was waiting her out, Liara emerged from her hiding place. No new shot came, and she quickly transferred a copy of the relevant data onto a backup disc and hid it in case of intruders before leaving the apartment.
The asari's heart was pounding in her chest as she waited for the elevator to arrive, but she realized that in spite of that, she felt better than she had in some time. She'd spent much of the last two years behind a desk, pulling carefully on one thread after another, buried in minutiae, and grief, and confusion, and it was almost a relief to have someone actually shooting at her again.
No sooner had the elevator doors opened than Shepard's green eyes widened in surprise. Electronic police barriers were marking off the entrance to Liara's apartment and behind them, she could see a bevy of Nos Astra law enforcement officers standing there. "Liara!", she blurted out, running past the cops' startled protests and into the large living room.
"Commander Shepard." The asari who addressed her from the other side of the apartment wasn't her ex-girlfriend, but rather a striking, dark-skinned woman in combat armor. "Tela Vasir. Special Tactics and Recon," she said by way of introduction. The other Spectre gestured to the officers surrounding Shepard to back off. "Don't worry, girls," she told the cops, "Let her in."
"But, ma'am…" a young, teal-skinned officer started to protest.
"Leave us." Tela Vasir's voice left no room for debate and the apartment rapidly emptied of everyone but the two Spectres and the team Shepard had brought with her.
"What happened?", Shepard asked, noting with no small relief that while there were bullet holes in the windows and some damage to the floor of the apartment, there was no body anywhere to be seen.
"Heard a report about a shooting here and decided to check it out. Your friend, Doctor T'Soni, has made quite a name for herself in Nos Astra these last two years. What about you? What brought you here?"
"Catching up with an old friend while on shore leave," Shepard responded. She still didn't know what this Spectre's angle might be and she didn't want to give away too much until she did. Meanwhile, the people she'd brought with her were starting to explore the apartment, Mordin studying the bullet holes in the glass and Kasumi simply slinking around the luxurious domicile and inspecting seemingly random objects.
"Two shots," the salarian interjected. "With powerful sniper rifle most likely. No blood though. Shots either missed or were blocked. Would need to calculate trajectories of impact to be sure."
"We don't have that kind of time," Tela Vasir told them. "Your friend isn't here and whoever attacked her is probably still be on the hunt. Do you have any idea of where she might have gone?"
"No," Shepard admitted, "We were supposed to meet here before we went out."
"Well, look around. You know her. Maybe she left a clue for you."
Shepard joined Kasumi in her inspection of the apartment. It was very nice, certainly more expensive than any place the human Spectre had ever called home, but what caught her eye were the mementoes of Liara's time aboard the Normandy: the painting of Ilos hanging on the wall, the photo of their old ship by Liara's bed, the piece of armor sitting in a case…
The Spectre froze as she realized what she was looking at. This wasn't just a piece of armor, it came from the suit she'd been wearing the day of the Collector attack, the day she'd died. If Liara had it, there were only two possibilities: she'd gotten it from Cerberus, which made no sense, or… That had to be it. Liara had been involved in the original recovery of her body. Had her lover given her to Cerberus? She couldn't have know what they planned to do with her, could she? Not all of it. No way.
"Got it." Her troubling thoughts were temporarily banished by Kasumi, the thief holding up a data disk. "It was hidden under one of these expensive prothean doo-dads she's got all over the place."
"Great work," the Spectre told Kasumi, trying to cover her distraction. "Let's see what's on it."
The thief put the disk into a drive on the wall and the recording of a call between Liara and a salarian appeared on a screen above them. The frightened alien was apparently helping Liara to process the Shadow Broker intelligence Cerberus had given Shepard, and they were arranging to meet in his office at the Dracon Trade Center.
"That's where she must have gone," Tela Vasir remarked. "She wanted to get to the contact before the assassin could."
"Then that's where we're going too," Shepard agreed, trying not to panic. She reminded herself that Liara knew what she was doing, but at the same time, the waters were definitely starting to get deep.
"This place fucking sucks." Jack slammed her empty shot glass down on the table, motioning to the asari behind the bar for another drink. "Looks like an airport longue."
Zaeed gave her a skeptical look. "Not my cup of bloody tea either, but this is Ilium. Whole city's too damn clean. Still don't think that's what's got your knickers in a bunch."
"Nah," Jack conceded, slamming down another shot of what she had to admit was excellent asari brandy even if the place serving it was a drag. "It's Shepard."
"What's your problem?", Zaeed snorted. "Half the ship wanted a piece of that ass and you're the one who got it." He took another pull on his beer. "Wouldn't have minded a go myself."
Jack smirked, thinking that the old mercenary might feel differently if he knew what Shepard had between her legs. Or not. Some guys dug that kind of thing. "Yeah, I did," she agreed, "But now she's dragging us all the way out here to Ilium just so she can hang out with that blue ex of hers."
"I thought you were fucking Shepard, not looking for a bloody ring. Sounds to me like you might be getting sweet on her."
"Fuck you." She punched the mercenary in the arm, but denying the truth of what he said was harder. Most of the people she'd fucked before were either pussies who ran off once they got to know her or assholes who tried to screw her over. Shepard, though… Jack had to admit that girl was different, way too tough to scare but still a big girl scout at heart. Plus pretty damn good in the sack… Fuck if she wasn't getting attached.
"It's not that," Jack said, not willing to admit her feelings to Zaeed. "It's just… Liara's this rich, perfect little asari bitch, and it'd really piss me off if Shep ditched me for somebody like that."
"I'm sure," Zaeed said dryly as he took another drink, and not even hitting him in the arm again was able to make Jack feel any better about her situation.
"Drones on your 10, Mordin!"
Their trip to the Dracon Trade Center hadn't exactly gone smoothly. No sooner had the team arrived at the building then its top floors exploded. Unsure if Liara was alive or dead, Shepard had led her people up through the burning, mercenary-filled wreckage, only to find the information broker unharmed but facing down Tela Vasir, who she'd revealed to be behind both of the attempts on her life that day.
A chase had ensued, and even after she was finally run to ground on a rooftop high above the city, the asari Spectre had proved to be worthy of her title, at least as a combatant. Still, Shepard was confident they finally had her on the ropes, the bleeding, panting Tela Vasir forced to call in more reinforcements as she reeled from their attacks.
Mordin whirled to face the incoming drones. "On it. Deploying incineration tech."
The salarian fired off a burst of flame that caught the two flying attackers in its radius, and as their shields collapsed, Shepard followed up with a burst from her assault rifle, ripping apart their now-super-heated hulls.
While Shepard was firing, the enemy Spectre struck, her biotics propelling her through the air at her human counterpart. Liara was ready for her though, raising a powerful barrier that took the brunt of Tela Vasir's attack and threw her back several paces. The information broker was staggered as well, dropping to her knees with the strain of maintaining her defenses, and while she recovered, Shepard spun around to give her covering fire.
The commander emptied what was left of her clip at her enemy, catching the Spectre in the mid-section, but her increased barriers prevented any further harm to her already-cracked armor. The other asari aimed her shotgun at Liara and on instinct, Shepard hurled herself in front of the shot. Her shields shattered but her armor held and she lashed out with the butt of her rifle, smashing it into the asari's shielded face.
Tela Vasir staggered backwards and while she was off-balance, Liara rose, summoning up a powerful biotic blast and hurling it into the enemy Spectre. Her target skidded backwards, her barriers knocked down as she impacted hard into the railing at the edge of the sky-scrapper. The asari tried to get back to her feet, but two shots from Mordin's Carnifex shattered her chest-plate and sent fresh streams of purple blood pouring down her armor even as her shotgun fell from her hands.
The downed Spectre coughed, a hacking, defeated sound. "Set-up," she muttered to herself.
Shepard knelt next to her enemy. "What do you mean?"
"It was a set-up. Just not sure if…" She gasped, fresh drops of blood coating her dark lips. "If it was for me or her."
The human shook her head. After all the civilians the other Spectre had killed trying to murder Liara, she wasn't exactly sympathetic. "Serves you right," she snapped. "A Spectre, working for the Shadow Broker. You disgraced everything we're supposed to stand for."
"Screw you. Broker intel saved lives. Besides, Cerberus worse. Biotic death camps for kids… Killing admirals… No right to judge…"
She didn't finish her last sentence, slumping down to the ground even as Mordin joined them, the doctor bending down to check her pulse.
"Dead," he told them. "Too much blood loss. Amazed she made it this long."
"Does she still have Sekat's data?", Liara asked, not sounding too interested in the dead Spectre at her feet.
A quick search of Tela Vasir's body uncovered the murdered salarian informant's files in a pouch of her armor. "Here," she told her ex, handing her the drive.
"I'm sorry if I am being cold," Liara said, "But if we do not find the Shadow Broker, then all this death will have been for nothing."
The asari turned away from Shepard, and in spite of her tough demeanor, the commander could see her former lover's body shivering slightly. "Liara, wait. Are you okay? Talk to me."
"Shepard, I…" Her voice was soft, the asari trying to hold back the emotions roiling beneath the surface.
"I'm so sorry." Shepard wasn't sure exactly what she was apologizing for, but she couldn't escape the feeling that somehow, she was responsible for this. The Spectre wrapped her arms around Liara's waist and the asari pushed back into her embrace, nuzzling her crest against the Spectre's face. For just a moment, the warmth of her smooth skin took Shepard away from their situation and back to a better time, a time when everything had been right between them.
And then Liara pulled away. "We can't do this right now. I have to finish the mission."
Shepard took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. Liara was right; they couldn't do this now for a whole host of reasons, not the least of which were the secrets the information broker had been keeping from her. "What is it we have to finish anyway?", she asked suspiciously. "I was in your apartment, Liara. I saw that piece of my armor you have. What's going on here?"
"Oh, Goddess." Liara sighed. "I had hoped to find a better way for you to find out, but I suppose it's too late for that now. I was the one who retrieved your body, Shepard. Cerberus came to me for help and I gave it to them."
"You helped Cerberus?" Shepard couldn't keep anger out of her voice. "Liara, you knew what they were."
"I did." She could hear the asari's voice cracking, her guilt clear as day. "But they gave me a chance to bring you back."
Shepard took a deep breath. There was that. As hard as these past few months had been, she couldn't say the thought of staying a corpse was more appealing. "Fair enough," she conceded. "And the Shadow Broker? Where does he fit into all this?"
"He was trying to get your body as well, but for the Collectors. They nearly took you but someone I worked with, a drell named Feron, sacrificed himself so I get you out. I thought the Broker's men had killed him, but I just found out he's still alive." Liara buried her face in her hands. "The Broker has him. I have to make this right, Shepard. Feron, and the rest of it too."
"What do you mean? The rest of what?"
"Never mind, I…" The asari stepped further away from her, clearly not willing to discuss the matter any more. "We should get to the Normandy. The Broker will know what happened here soon enough and we'll want to reach him before he can move."
Shepard nodded. She knew Liara was right but goddamn it, every time she looked, this just got more complicated. Plans on top of plans, secrets beneath secrets; where was it all going to end?
"The other Spectre failed?"
Miranda kept her voice level. "Yes, sir. Liara is still alive, and Tela Vasir is dead."
"I see." The Illusive Man sounded disappointed, but not angry. "Where is she now?"
"With Shepard. They're on their way back to the Normandy. They have the Shadow Broker's location and they plan on confronting him."
The Illusive Man took a drag on his cigarette, considering this new information. "So be it. The Broker has been a problem in this past; his elimination could serve our purposes. However," he paused, crushing out his cigarette before continuing, "There is one caveat. Whatever else happens, we need Shepard's affair with Subject Zero to continue, especially considering how difficult the commander has been to control. Do not let Liara get in the way of that." Miranda nodded. Meddling in other people's romances wasn't exactly her favorite part of working for Cerberus, but a good operative did what she had to.