Shepard's eyes fluttered open as a dull ache made itself known through her entire body. She stifled the urge to groan and closed her eyes; despite the nightmarish visions that had just been haunting her, she had no desire to talk with anyone quite yet, as she assumed would happen if she appeared to be wide awake in her bed. The sounds of the med bay soon became clearer; she could hear Chakwas ordering around both her assistants to help a number of others. I guess Team Backdoor got a little banged up. Though if they're here, they'll definitely be fine. She thought, subtly checking her range of motion in her extremities. Alright. Everything works, that's good. And I suppose that cold feeling in my right arm is an IV. Damn good thing, it was hot down there. I probably sweat off half my bodyweight. She mused, giving a tired sigh as she recalled her rush to the Normandy.
Moments later she froze, and couldn't help but move her hand somewhat sneakily to her ribs, finding only a sharp ache where there was once terrible pain. I can breathe! Kind of… She thought, smiling. Though, I wonder exactly how long I've been out…
"Mandira, can you please wipe that absurd grin off the Commander's face? I'm too busy re-setting Garrus' shoulder at the moment." She heard Chakwas call out, which only brought Shepard to laughter. "Shepard, please. You need to give those ribs time to heal."
She calmed her laughter, regetting after the onset of pain; her eyes opened, spotting one of the medical assistants approaching trying to hide a smirk.
"How long have I been out?" she whispered to the assistant. Mandira Rahman…I suppose I'll probably be seeing her a lot in the coming months.
"Only four hours. Which is why you really should try to lay still and let your body heal." Mandira noted, giving Shepard a mock chastising finger waggle. "And we'll need to keep the IV in for at least another hour to get you properly hydrated. I'll come by then with some nutrient paste, you're probably starving."
"Starving for real food, but I'll take what I can get, I guess." Shepard grumbled, turning her head to take in the sight of the room. Murakami had his left arm in a cast one bed over, Chakwas and Garrus were practically wrestling two beds over, and she spotted the bottom half of Liara far off on the third bed. Nothing too serious then.
A loud crunch tore through the room, followed by the turian's legs flailing slightly. "Spirits, Chakwas! Gah!" Garrus yelled, practically leaping off the bed and away from the amused looking doctor. "That really hurt!"
"Well, it's better now, isn't it?" Chakwas asked, laughing under her breath at the scowling turian, busy nursing his shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the help, doc." He grumbled, marching out of the bay.
Chakwas shook her head, watching him leave, and made her way closer to Shepard. "Murakami, you can leave now if you'd like. Just be sure to keep the cast on and not use that hand in any fashion, am I clear?"
"Yes ma'am. Thanks, Chakwas." He mumbled nervously, sliding off his bed.
"Just remember that you're due for a full medical in just over a month. I assume you won't be avoiding me in the future?" Chakwas warned, Shepard holding back her amusement at the sheepish looking marine scampering out of the room. And then there were two…
"And you, Shepard. Two missions, and both times you have required surgery. I hope this won't be an ongoing pattern." The doctor said, wearily. "I do prefer friendly visits to these…less than ideal scenarios, Commander."
"Well, I'm just happy we all got out of there with our lives. Thanks, doc. Don't know where we'd be without you." Shepard said, in part stating her mind, but also hoping to win some points with the doctor in hopes of being let go early.
"You'd be lying in a med-bay with broken ribs, lacking body fluids and nutrients. But I do appreciate the thought, Shepard. I assume the mission wasn't so pleasant?" she asked, opening her omni-tool and starting a body scan.
"Well, we fought some geth. Then fought more geth and a krogan in a volcano. Then we nearly died escaping it as it seemed to be getting ready to erupt. So…it wasn't very good. Hope I can avoid more of those in the future." Shepard stated playfully, toning it down as Chakwas looked at her with annoyance. "I'm thinking missions like that won't come across often, but I can't promise. As much as I'd like to." Shepard explained, offering a sympathetic smile.
"Well, just so long as you take the time to recuperate, and don't take any unnecessary risks, I think I'll be able to stomach it." Chakwas noted, her omni beeping as the scan completed. "Do you usually find yourself injured during your missions, Shepard?"
She tilted her head and thought back the last few years, from mission to mission and nodded. "Yeah, well, when you're on the front lines, you tend to take most of the punishment. I try to keep it to a minimum, but if me getting hurt means someone in my squad stays healthy, I'll take that, because I can. It's just what I do."
"Just don't become a martyr on me, Shepard. You're a nice girl, but…" Chakwas began, before Shepard waved her off.
"You don't need to give me the talk, Chakwas. Martyrs want to die, they just want a good reason kick the bucket, or some flashy exit. I want to live. I want to help." Shepard reasoned. "I'm here to protect people. Just because they signed up to do the same doesn't mean I can't help them too."
"Shepard, I checked over Gunnery Chief Williams and Tali, they barely had a scratch on them." Chakwas stated, giving Shepard the stink eye.
"And they've never fought a krogan up close before either. I was the only one with that kind of experience, it had to be me today." Shepard continued, hoping she was getting through and making sense. "And I know I need their help. I expect it, and I got it today from them. I want to train them so they'll be ready for anything, but they're green right now, and I'm not going to lose these kids to inexperience. That krogan would have killed them. I can handle some broken ribs if that's the alternative." She finished softly, feeling disturbed by the mental image of the krogan tearing through Williams and Tali. I couldn't let that happen. I just couldn't.
"Just don't push yourself past your limits, Commander. You certainly risked that today." Chakwas noted, sitting down on the edge of the bed Murakami had vacated.
"I understand, doc. I'll do my best." Shepard said, knowing her escape had been far too close for comfort. "Anyway, how's Doctor T'Soni?"
"Heavily sedated." Chakwas noted with a sad smile. "She was rather panic stricken when she was brought here… I believe she thought you were dead. Joker's poor taste in comments didn't exactly help either."
Shepard imagined any of the plethora of things Joker would have been mad about and shook her head, smiling. "I'd laugh, but I DID kind of just collapse at the end, there." Shepard said sheepishly. "And Joker is a bit of an instigator."
"Well, for what it's worth, Miss T'Soni will be fine. She's very fortunate…she was so immensely dehydrated and exhausted that were she trapped in those ruins for another twelve hours, eighteen hours, she would have died. You saved her life, Shepard." Chakwas said, looking over at the unconscious asari.
"We saved her life. Everyone who went down there on Therum, you and your assistants…we did it." Shepard corrected her politely.
"Well, if you're handing out the credit, you can thank me with a bottle of Serrice Ice brandy." Chakwas said playfully, getting up off the bed.
"How long will it take her to recover?" Shepard asked, a thought coming to her mind.
Chakwas's gaze turned stony immediately. "Seven more hours minimum before she can wake. Longer for her to be allowed anything but bed rest."
Shepard cursed under her breath. "I wanted to do a full debrief. I guess I'll have to fit her in later. No worries." She said apologetically as Chakwas crossed her arms in front of her, looking at Shepard skeptically. "Honest! I'll be a good girl and just rest here until you let me out, then." She finished cheekily, drawing a smile from the doctor, who left and took a seat at her terminal.
Well, nothing can ever go quite to plan, but…I guess I'll have to have a one on one with Liara sometime later. That should be…terrifying. She mused, closing her eyes and letting herself heal.
Shepard leaned up against the control terminal in the comm room, watching as the ground crew flocked in; Kaidan, Williams, and Murakami sitting on one side, while Garrus, Tali and Wrex sat on the other. Interesting decisions… she thought, not entirely surprised considering how new some of the crew were to the Normandy, but still slightly disconcerting.
"Alright, I guess we should get started." Shepard began. "Joker, I hear you had a few choice words while I was down and out."
"The Normandy's not exactly equipped to land in exploding volcanoes, Commander. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull." He noted sarcastically. "Just for future reference."
"Point taken, Joker. How is the ship right now? I can't imagine it got out clean." Shepard asked, looking around the room.
"There was some damage to the hull…some of the panels will need to be replaced soon. Adams and the engineers and I…we've worked together a stopgap, but we'll need to repair it soon, or else we could lose the ability to travel by relay. Which would be bad if we're chasing Saren." Tali explained quickly. Shepard hoped she was fitting in well with the engineers. And with Adams as team lead, I'm sure they'll be able to work miracles.
"Good to know we can go for a bit longer, but I'll try to make sure we stick around known repair yards. I don't see why we can't stop off at the Citadel soon enough, if we're running wounded." Shepard stated.
"Speaking of running wounded, Commander, what the hell happened back there in the mines? You almost died!" Williams blurted out angrily, her face flushed red.
"Key word being almost, Williams." Shepard replied playfully. "I'm fine. Just a wee bit exhausted."
"That asari could have killed you, Shepard. I had a bad feeling about this from the start, I knew we shouldn't have trusted her!" Williams yelled, waving her hands angrily in the air as she spoke, the full attention of the crew completely focused on her.
"Uh…I think I'm missing a piece of the puzzle here, Shepard. Why can't the doctor be trusted?" Kaidan asked, sounding more curious than anything.
"Her mom's helping Saren." Williams gritted out, facing Alenko. Shepard rolled her eyes and face palmed, expecting chaos to ensue. She was not disappointed in that regard.
"What? What do you mean her mom's working with Saren? What the hell for?" Murakami demanded.
"Let me in a room with her for a half an hour and I can find out what we need. Spent three years perfecting my interrogation skills, she'll crack fast, I promise." Garrus piped in, drawing a grunt from the krogan next to him.
"You be the good cop, and I can be the bad cop. Or we can both rake the whelp over the coals." Wrex chuckled, his deep voice shaking the room.
"Shepard, you're telling me I broke my arm for the enemy?" Murakami added, turning to her. "Why the hell weren't we informed of this? I thought you weren't about that need-to-know crap?!" Shepard stood silent, waiting a few moments for tempers to drop slightly before dropping her hand back to her side.
"Murakami, this wasn't need to know. It just didn't matter." Shepard stated slowly, drawing each syllable out.
"Shepard, I left C-Sec to get away from this bureaucratic tripe. Please, explain." Garrus asked, his expression stony.
"I was handed a tip a few nights ago from a contact who claimed that Saren's partner had a daughter. Saren was searching for her. He wanted her prothean expertise for himself and to further coerce his partner's cooperation. Saren's partner, a certain highly esteemed asari Matriarch, hasn't allied with anyone nearly as terrible as Saren in her hundreds of years, so the idea is that she's forced somehow. My contact gave me an idea of where Liara was, in hopes that we could find her, communicate to this Matriarch that her daughter is safe, and get her out of Saren's control. Boom, he loses huge influence and resources, we get help with prothean stuff." Shepard explained, her head starting to pound.
"And you didn't tell us this…why?" Kaidan asked succinctly.
"Well, you obviously told Williams, so why not spread the word, Shepard?" Garrus added, sounding slightly less miffed.
"Because it wasn't important. I'm not going to lie to you, but I'm not going to tell you every little bit of information floating around in my head. Fact is, you proved I made a good call. You heard the Matriarch is working with Saren, and you lay all this blame on Liara as if she's her mother. That's the last thing you needed going into this mission. It could make you sloppy, less motivated, and it just didn't matter. We were going after her, Saren was going after her, and she was a valuable resource that we stole from Saren's grasp. You want to lay guilt on her? Let's hear your evidence. I want to take down Saren as bad as anyone, but it doesn't do any good to scapegoat the Doctor." Shepard asked the room, focusing mostly on a fidgeting Williams.
"She almost got you killed, Shepard." Williams muttered, shaking her head. She understood the marine's anger, but it wasn't justified. Welp, here I go…
"Williams, I got hurt fighting that krogan…" Shepard began, before a thunderous voice interrupted her.
"You WHAT?!" Wrex demanded, rising to his feet. Shepard gave him a shit-eating grin in response.
"Oh, right. I fought a krogan battlemaster." She said as smug as she could manage, rubbing her knuckles on her collarbone in jest. "Wasn't so bad, really. His biotics were just 'meh'. Only got a broken rib or two. It was kind of forgettable, I've fought stronger." She finished, having fun riling the old krogan up. She noticed Tali giggling at the performance, Wrex entirely unaware as he glared at Shepard intensely.
Wrex slammed himself back down on his seat. "Shepard, I swear, one day you'll see the real might of the krogan. You'll be in awe. Pray that it's not on the battleground against me."
"Sure, Wrex." Shepard answered, feigning innocence. "Anyway, Williams, I got those broken ribs myself, and I told everyone to run when the whole place was blowing up. I was slower because of it, and Doctor T'Soni was in no shape to run at all. It would have been close with or without her. Besides, we used the laser that probably caused the whole thing to blow in the first place."
She'd sworn she heard Wrex grumble about missing out on the laser as well, but ignored him for the moment.
"A laser that just so happened to be there, Shepard?" Williams asked, skeptical.
"It was an excavation. They needed to dig that ruin out somehow. Look, there's no way Liara was a trap, or a spy. She would have died if she was left in there for a few more hours, Chakwas can confirm that if you'd like. Would an asari Matriarch risk her daughter's life for the minor chance we happen to figure out where she was? If we chose the other planet, she'd be dead. Period. There wasn't any point bringing up her mother, because there was no benefit in giving that information at the time. I didn't want a distraction, I didn't want unnecessary suspicion, and I didn't want reckless behaviour. I needed an efficient team, and you didn't disappoint. Can you tell me you'd absolutely fight the same if you knew beforehand?" Shepard reasoned, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Look, if you disagree with me on this, fine. We can talk about it now, or later, or whenever, but that's my reasoning. We got what we came for. This could be a huge win, and there's one less person that Saren can kill or capture in the galaxy."
"Understood, Commander." Kaidan replied, nodding slowly. Murakami followed suit, while Garrus seemed to offer a nod in begrudging approval.
Williams just shrugged, still looking upset. "I guess so, Skipper."
"Alright, is there anything anyone wants to bring up?" Shepard asked, receiving silence. "Alright then. Good work sealing the deal, everyone. Couldn't have done it without you. Dismissed."
"Mission reports filed, Commander." Joker announced before his comm channel cut off.
Good. Hopefully the rest of the council doesn't have a hissyfit. I think we did good… she thought, watching everyone file out of the small, round room. I should talk to Ash a little later. Maybe tomorrow. This headache would probably be a bit much, right now…I think I should lie down again for a while…
Liara sat high up in her bed, propped up against her pillows, as she scrolled through the datapad Chakwas had given her. She'd never been one to sit around doing nothing, and quickly found herself bored upon waking. Her fingers danced across the small piece of tech, searching through the last series of information she had uploaded to a personal account. Nothing…not only is the physical research I accumulated on Therum destroyed, I cannot use the preliminary data in my research. The university will not be pleased… she thought, switching over to popular asari news channels in hopes of finding anything particularly relevant to her situation. That krogan on Therum said my mother sent him, but mother would never do that. She would always send her acolytes…this is so confusing…
Liara laid the datapad down and let herself sink into her pillows, enjoying the rest. It was a pleasant change from being forcefully suspended in stasis. Perhaps Aunt Tevos learned Saren was attempting to trick me into his custody, and would then blackmail mother…perhaps this was under mother's orders? She…hasn't contacted me in years, and perhaps this was her way of protecting me without actually communicating with me.
She closed her eyes and let out a tired sigh, unable to fool herself. No, that couldn't be. We did not part on good terms, and she has cut me off entirely. There would be very little chance of that. But… Liara bolted forward as worry began to overtake her. But if Tevos is attempting to help me, that would be going against mother's wishes. I had sent many messages to her in attempt to gain an audience in the past years, and all were denied. Why would Tevos do such a thing now? It is such a risk, it could be construed as betrayal, even! I…oh Goddess, I hope I haven't caused her trouble. She was always so kind to me…
The med-bay doors slid open, interrupting Liara's thoughts for a moment as the Commander entered, appearing pained and exhausted. She felt relief at seeing the Commander up and moving around so quickly, especially after how dire it had seemed when she'd collapsed on the ramp of the ship. Liara was surprised at the size of the human woman; without her armor, she looked much smaller. It was hard to imagine the woman carrying her out of the ruins.
"Commander, I must thank you for saving my life…and not just from the volcano. If you hadn't shown up… those geth would have killed me, or dragged me off to some unspeakable fate. Or the heat and dehydration would have worn me away." Liara said, hoping to help the woman feel better. The Commander took residence in the bed beside her and stretched out, taking a moment to get comfortable.
"It's fine, really. Don't worry about it." She said dismissively, her focus squarely on a medical screen across the room. "You…look much better. How are you feeling? Must have been hellish down there."
Liara couldn't help but find the woman's behavior curious. When she had first spoken to her, the Commander had been focusing almost entirely on her, but now, she seemed distracted, evasive. I would have thought a compliment on her abilities would cheer her up…perhaps I was mistaken…and she can hardly say I look better when she's not looking in my direction, can she? Do humans have extraordinary peripheral vision? I wouldn't imagine so but…
"Doctor Chakwas assures me that I am going to be fine. I was impressed with her knowledge on asari physiology. I still feel weak, for certain, but I am quite lucid." Liara stated, resting back on her pillows again. "I fear I was rather uncooperative at first, and… was only made less so when your pilot made some rather disparaging remarks. I apologize for my behaviour."
She heard a stifled giggle over to her side and saw the Commander smirking. "Yeah, Joker's a bit of a wildcard. It's kind of how he communicates, really. But he pulled our asses out of there, I figure he's earned a few 'disparaging remarks'."
"I…see. It must be a human thing. I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander." Liara spoke, unsure of why a high ranking officer would condone such behavior. If there was one thing she was increasingly sure of, it was that humans were confusing. So many shades of skin, varying types of facial structure, builds, fur colour and distribution…there is so much variation between them. That they are split into two other categories of male and female only makes it more troublesome…
"Look, I'm happy you're doing better. Doctor Chakwas really knows what she's doing and it's a credit to her that you're doing as well as you are. I just…needed to ask you a few questions." Shepard began, trepidation audible in her voice. "When was the last time you communicated with the Matriarch?"
Liara was pleased that the human addressed her mother by her formal title, as befitting her status. "I last spoke to her nearly a decade ago." She said quietly, recalling her final argument with Benezia over her studies and chosen career path. Simply recognizing the time they'd spent apart made her heart ache.
"A…decade ago? I…what? I don't understand. How old are you?" the woman asked, appearing entirely confused. Liara couldn't help but blush in embarrassment over her lack of years.
"I hate to admit it, but I am only a hundred and six." Liara stated, turning her focus away from the Commander. "A century may seem like a long time to such a short-lived species such as yours but…among asari, I am barely considered an adult."
"I'm sorry…totally skipped my mind that you live for millennia. But still…a decade? That's a long time between meeting up." Shepard noted bluntly, finally turning to look at her. "I mean…if I have to go a few months without seeing my family, I'm probably not going to be the happiest person."
"The Matriarch and I had a number of disputes over my future. They did not end well." Liara noted sadly. She hated reliving those memories, and forced her mind to empty.
"So you've had a few squabbles, and you just gave up?" Shepard asked derisively, prompting Liara to face the Commander again, in utter disbelief at how rude her statement was. Perhaps it's more appropriate for humans to say such things in their culture?
"It was more than mere squabbles, Commander. Perhaps you are not aware of the pressures placed on the daughters of Matriarchs, especially ones such as her. People expected me to follow in her footsteps. They wanted me to become a leader of our people as she is. Matriarchs guide their followers into the future…they seek the truth of what is yet to come." Liara explained, feeling a little self-conscious under the gaze of the Commander. "She wanted a career for me in politics, a busy life within her social circles, and felt my forays into the secrets of the past were foolish and trivial for a daughter of such an esteemed Matriarch. For years she entertained my interest in the protheans, but… she eventually lost patience. She demanded I cease my research and when I decided to remain under the employment of the University of Serrice, she…decided it was best to cut me off until I came to my senses. This was to be my last research work under the university before my contract expired, before they would let me go due to the Matriarch's influence."
"And you couldn't work out a compromise?" Shepard asked, seemingly baffled.
"Compromise with a Matriarch? One does not question Matriarchs in such matters. I am incredibly surprised that Councilor Tevos has offered to help me, considering the Matriarch has likely forbidden it. She could come under great scrutiny for doing so." Liara continued, hoping some of the information she was giving was sinking in with the Commander.
"That just sounds so…I don't know. I probably shouldn't judge, so I'll just shut up." Shepard said, shaking her head slightly. "Look, fact is, your mother's working with Saren. Now that I know there's a…rift between you two, there's very little chance she hid you on Therum to keep you safe from Saren, so…that means she's probably working with him willingly. Before, Tevos was pretty sure that the Matriarch was being coerced. Can you give me any reasons why she'd be doing this?"
Liara stifled a laugh at the notion that a Matriarch could be coerced. Especially mother…there is no being in the galaxy that could coerce her…"I apologize, Commander, I am not entirely aware of who this Saren is. All I have been able to gather from the extranet is that he is responsible for an attack on a human colony." Liara noted, unsure why her mother would ally with someone such as that turian. "My mother…the Matriarch Benezia, has always been outspoken about the need for asari to become more involved in shaping galactic events, in fostering peaceful cooperation, and she has never actively pushed for unjust violent measures. Maybe she thought by allying herself with Saren that she could steer him toward more peaceful endeavours, or maybe she felt it would serve the greater good in the long run? I am not sure what her motivations are, Commander. All I can say is that it is not like her to ally with Saren. I am sorry that I cannot offer more. I have no idea where she is, or what she is doing."
Shepard scooted up against her pillows into more of a sitting position, nodding at Liara's words as she spoke, seemingly deep in thought.
"Doctor T'Soni, I…this must seem really strange. I just have a hard time believing she wouldn't want you researching protheans when she was involved in a raid on a prothean beacon herself. That's why they attacked Eden Prime." Shepard said, covering her mouth to yawn.
"But…that does not make any sense. She derided the protheans as a dead, useless species, irrelevant to modern thought and practices, inherently separated from what was to be sought in the future. Why would she seek out a prothean beacon?" Liara asked, her mind racing over why her mother would do such a thing. Why wouldn't she contact me for help? Why…oh…but, she would have sent Shiala, or another acolyte, certainly. This is so confusing…does she truly hate me so? Oh, mother…
"Because Saren needed to access it, I think. They're searching for some Conduit thing, which is probably prothean as well." The woman replied monotonously.
"I can assure you that my mother could have had my cooperation quite easily if she had wanted it, Commander. She would only need to send one or two of her acolytes to find me, and I would have gone willingly. That she did not, and Saren sent geth and krogan instead…I cannot believe she wanted me to join her. There must be some reason why she is with Saren, but would also want to distance herself from me further." Liara rambled, trying to hide the sadness from her voice. She wasn't sure she'd been successful, but her head began to hurt from all the confusion and the revelations. I would have listened, mother, if you had come back to me! If you would have allowed me be in your grace again…I do not understand why you've done this…I just don't…she thought, fighting back against her emotions. Focus, Liara, back to the topic. "Did you…see the beacon before Saren took it?"
"Oh, he didn't take it." The woman chuckled. "He tried to blow it up, along with the rest of the colony after he'd accessed it. My team and I managed to disable the bombs, but the beacon kind of blew up on me anyway."
Liara sat up, surprised that beacons might have self-defense mechanisms. But…they were built for communication, storage…only accessible to protheans, usually. No need for defenses…
"Why would it explode on you?" she asked skeptically, finding it difficult to believe the human.
"Alenko, one of my Lieutenants, wandered a little too close. It pulled him toward it, I knocked him out of the way, and it kind of burnt a vision into my brain. Then, deciding it hadn't caused enough trouble, it exploded." The woman grumbled, staring at the ceiling. However, when Liara swung her legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand, the human was immediately on her feet, gently guiding her back onto the bed, looking strangely apprehensive.
"Gotta keep to bed rest, doc. Chakwas wouldn't be happy if I let you walk around." The human said softly, appearing to be sweating for some reason, and her hands were noticeably shaking when she backed away to the bed she was on moments ago. She must be exhausted from the mission as well. I wonder if Doctor Chakwas is aware she's up and walking around? Perhaps I should inform her later…
"Visions…yes, but…prothean beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user…Finding one that is still functional is very rare!" Liara stated excitedly, her mind going over the possibilities of what the beacon could have contained.
"Doctor, you've written about prothean extinction right? What can you tell me about it?" the Commander asked politely, for once.
"Yes. I…you mentioned a 'Conduit' that Saren was looking for…I know of it by name only, but it appears to be linked to the prothean extinction in some way. Unfortunately, there is very little evidence surrounding their demise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them." Liara explained, running over her findings and memories in her head.
"That seems like a hell of a long time to study one topic. I'm not even thirty years old, and I feel like I've been doing my job forever." The woman joked, lightening her mood slightly.
"Well, unfortunately, it is deemed quite a short amount of time for asari scholars. That is why my research has not received the attention it deserves. Other scholars tend to dismiss my theories on what happened to the protheans strictly due to my age. It is…unfortunate." Liara stated sadly.
"I take it you found something useful?" the human asked curiously, leaning forward as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"It is more on what I haven't found, Commander. The problem with performing research in this field is that the protheans left remarkably little behind, meaning only traces of evidence are ever recovered. It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved, as if someone came along after the protheans were gone, and cleansed the galaxy of clues." Liara explained, feeling more at home discussing this than her mother's activities.
"Sounds understandable. We barely know anything about the protheans, it's not too far-fetched to think they covered their tracks, or someone else did." The woman stated bluntly, though Liara was a little unnerved at the pained expression that had been forming on the human's face. Am I boring her? Or making her uncomfortable? Hrm…
"One thing I have discovered is that, at least according to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This…cycle…began before them. Subtle patterns began to emerge, patterns that hinted at the truth…although I cannot point to a single specific thing to prove my case. It is more a feeling derived from a half-century of dedicated research." Liara rambled. She knew she was rambling, but the Commander seemed interested, so she decided it would be appropriate to continue anyway. "Eventually, I will be able to prove it. There were other civilizations before the protheans, the cycle has repeated itself many times over. We have found space-age technology from a number of extinct species, but no signs of their fossils, their civilizations, their history…it cannot be a coincidence. It is just difficult to prove, because there is barely any evidence on the protheans, and even less on other species who came before them, but I know I am right!"
"A cycle? I'm no scientist, but I'd like to try and understand." The woman stated, staring at Liara intently. Her eyes shift colour under the light…that is rather peculiar, although not unpleasant…though I wish she would stop staring at me like that, it's quite harsh…is she in pain?
"The…the galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive. The protheans, for instance, rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Yet, even they climbed to the top on the remains of who came before." Liara continued, appreciating the Commander's enthusiasm. It was rare for anyone to take interest in the protheans, or be willing to listen to her speak about them for longer than a minute or two. "Their greatest achievements, the mass relays and the Citadel, are based on the technology of those who came before them."
"Figured it was too much of a discrepancy. No way the protheans made slow elevators on the Citadel, and then made fast ones on Therum. I can understand that, yeah." The woman muttered, drawing a laugh from Liara. To reduce the argument down to…elevators…although she does have a point on that specific comparison.
"Indeed. So it proceeded that the protheans suddenly disappeared. Somehow. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why." Liara finished, smiling at her own accomplishments. It's good to remind yourself of successes, when in dark times…
The Commander sat silently on the edge of her bed, pondering something as she nursed the side of her head.
"Doctor, what you just said made a lot of sense. A scary amount of sense." The woman noted quietly.
"I assure you, my peers would state otherwise." Liara said playfully, deflecting the compliments. She appreciated them, but the subject matter wasn't likely something the human woman could fully grasp considering her inexperience.
"Well, they haven't seen what I have, and I'm going to agree with you." The human mentioned firmly, but her voice still rather quiet. "I've been getting these headaches…"
"It is expected that your brain would have trouble recovering after coming in contact with the beacon. Have you spoken to Doctor Chakwas about this?" Liara asked, hoping the beacon hadn't damaged the Commander too badly.
"I have, and there's nothing she can do about it. She gives me some meds that help reduce its effect, but it's kind of intense still. But when I'm having these headaches, my mind's going crazy. I always need to focus on something, because if I don't, my brain goes back and relives that vision the beacon gave me. I can't escape it in my sleep either. It's always there, and over time, it's gotten clearer." The Commander said, focusing back on Liara who was hanging on her every word. "And while it's a huge mess, and I still don't understand much of it at all, I know slaughter when I see it. The beacon…I think it sent me a warning. They were being annihilated."
Liara's eyes opened wide at the admission. She…she recognized part of the vision? But how…even still, this might not mean much but…it could be the key! It could be proof that they were struck down by another civilization, but…but who?
"You…you are sure of this?" Liara stammered out, her body shaking with some mixture of anticipation and excitement. "You can understand part of the beacon's message?"
"Like I said, parts of it don't make any sense to me, but I saw an organic race slaughtered horrifically by this monstrously huge machine race…we think they're called the Reapers. The geth revere them as gods. Saren and the Matriarch…they're trying to bring them back. That's why this whole thing is happening, and I have no idea why they would ever want to do this." The Commander said, looking downcast and pained. She understood the apprehension of having to deal with a geth army and a combination of a Spectre and her mother, but she couldn't help but be increasingly fascinated by the human woman. If only I could see into her mind, view that vision! Someone who actually TOUCHED a prothean beacon, and lived, and has some clear understanding of it! This could be a huge find…she would be perfect for an in-depth case study!
"I…am amazed you were able to make sense of the beacon's message at all! A lesser mind would have been destroyed in the process. You must be remarkably strong-willed, Commander." Liara said, in awe of the fact that she only escaped the beacon with headaches and nightmares. Many researchers of asari and salarian birth had tried to access beacons in the past, only to fall victim to the effects of the incompatibility, often leading to permanent brain damage. Perhaps if I accesses it through her brain, if would be a less foreign interface, and the signal would be less volatile…it would give me a chance at dissecting the vision and finding clues to the prothean extinction! She…she could be the evidence I've been waiting for…
The human blushed immediately and began scratching the back of her neck nervously. Is she nervous, or perhaps there's been a minor hemorrhaging around her skull from the effects of the beacon, I should…oh, it's gone now…I wonder if she has an itch, or if there's a tight muscle. Perhaps I shall offer a massage in exchange for more information on the beacon's message later…best to insure she's not mentally taxed or feeling too much strain from the effects of the beacon…
"Anyway, Commander, I am grateful you brought me aboard. I cannot think of anywhere safer from Saren than here on your ship. My…knowledge… on the protheans may be useful in the future as well." Liara blurted out, seeing the Commander rise from the bed.
"And you have some biotic training, right?" the woman asked, receiving a quick nod from Liara. "Good. Just rest up, and please head out tomorrow to the mess hall and get something to eat. I want to make sure you meet the crew."
The prospect of meeting the crew had her at unease; she'd never been the fondest of crowds, or large groups of people. She liked her alone time, it led to less blunders on her behalf. Still, if it helps prove the Commander that I'm trustworthy, then maybe in the future, I could be allowed to make sense of the vision…hrm…
"I…I will. Thank you for everything, Commander." Liara called out after the retreating human. The woman just shrugged and waved silently, before exiting through the doors, leaving her alone in the med-bay.
She flopped back down onto the bed, though the pillows weren't so comforting anymore. Not with the knowledge that her mother was doing something unimaginable and potentially in danger. Not with the revelation of the prothean's demise fresh in her mind. Not with the new interest in the ship's Commander racing through her thoughts. Even though she was a bit rude…
I fear sleep may not come tonight.
A/N: Yay! Another chapter down! I'm trying to get these out on a regular basis. I really am. In fact, I released this a day earlier than expected, because I've got Ch 11 and 12 done and semi-proofed. Due to my school schedule getting intense beginning….uh, now… I figured I'd shackle myself down a bit the other day and pound out some material to last me through most of the month. I just do not have much opportunity to write until Dec 3rd or Dec 12th(term papers, exams). It's going to be a rough ride until then and I didn't want to leave any of you wanting…so hopefully this works out and I've bought some time. I really do hope.
Anywho, post-Therum begins! I hope you enjoyed it :) Kinda wanted to expand on the bit with Wrex in the comm. room, but I couldn't imagine Shep saying anything else without Wrex getting into a fist-fight with her :P Perhaps he's just biding his time…and of course, the talk with Liara had to happen. Hope it was up to snuff. Wanted to do a Liara POV.
Anywho, thanks everyone for reading and reviewing and everything else that's wonderful like alerting and adding my stories to favourite lists… you are all awesome :D I genuinely hope that you're getting some enjoyment out of my little mass effect fics (maybe not so little anymore), and I hope that November is treating you well so far!
Have a good weekend!