A smile stretched across Shepard's face as she woke, having had, for the first time in days, a wonderful dream; she'd laid on her hammock by Melody's tree and spoke to her sister. It had been the first truly peaceful sleep she'd had in a very long time, and it had been too long since she'd dreamt of her sibling in any positive way. She went to nuzzle into the pillow she felt in her arms, but her mind gave pause, knowing something was amiss. It was then that memories of the previous night filtered into her thoughts. Liara…
So much about the asari had caught her off guard. What she felt were her most foolish hopes seemed very much to be not so foolish, recalling Liara's behavior. Her demanding they both relax together was already enough to get Shepard hot and bothered, but the smaller moments had really set the tone for her. She'd always been terribly embarrassed over how afraid she'd get during horror vids, and Liara had only playfully teased her. And that was only after she held me close. Christ…when she pulled her arm around me, I swear, I just stopped shaking. And…well, it quickly got pretty damn warm under that blanket…
She laughed as she let go of the pillow and rolled over in her bed, noticing a datapad propped up on her desk. Well, I guess that explains why she's not here with me. I'll admit, it would have been…nice…but explaining to the crew why Liara's exiting my room this early…yeah, I don't really want to give that talk.
She chuckled a little to herself, at how idiotic she'd been after the little intermission, thinking Liara had wanted to be closer to Tali than her. Of course, I just HAD to go and wall up after that…maybe if I hadn't jumped to conclusions, I would have noticed her falling asleep. Maybe…maybe I could have said something, or done something to show her…Christ, well, all's well that ends well. She…she did give me a goodnight kiss, even if it was on my neck…
Shepard brought her hand up and brushed the spot that the doctor had pressed her lips to. It had been the moment that her doubts flew away, that her heart practically ignited, that she knew she'd made the right decision, mission or not. It was as if a void had been filled somewhere in her, and even though Liara was away, she at least knew that there was some attraction. I mean…who kisses someone else if they don't like them? I mean…on the neck? I'm pretty sure that even asari would find that…more sensual than just a friends thing. She mused, flipping off her warm blanket and getting to her feet, gently cursing over how much of a mess her hair was in. Though she did stare at it a lot last night, so maybe it was worth it…seems she likes my 'hair-fur'… she thought, giggling as she took the datapad into her hands and read the message, her heart feeling as if it were preparing for a gymnastics competition. Checking her chrono, Shepard noticed there was a mere fifteen minutes until when Liara would schedule her meditation.
Quickly, she set out some clothes and a towel and popped into the shower, washing her sweaty body and managing to pull her hair into a somewhat messy bun. She didn't want to miss the session, and didn't want Liara to think poorly of her, or that she didn't want to be there with her. It was a flurry of new thoughts and, while they were perhaps a bit stressful, she couldn't stop grinning. Maybe Faridah's right…maybe Liara likes me and just likes hanging out with Tali? Hrm…well, it's definitely possible…and suppose I'll just keep prodding in hopes for more answers. And…she did say she had a wonderful night…if I can have more of those in my future, I wouldn't complain…
Finishing up, she stepped out of the shower and toweled off, humming along to a tune in her head as she got dressed. I'll do some meditation with Liara, I'll get the crew in order, help Ash prep mods and weapons, and start planning for Binthu. Should be a good day.
Ashley heard the slight delay in firing, offering her the chance to slip out of cover again and pepper the Cerberus soldiers in the next room. Her bullets continued to tear at the enemy's defenses, exploding tables, lab equipment, and deteriorating the structure of the few sturdy pillars some soldiers hid behind.
She slid back into cover as her weapon cooled off; they'd slowly whittled away the Cerberus forces, pushing them back from room to room to room, and she could tell their morale was at an all time low.
"Got a sniper at 10' o clock, but he's gunshy. Two with assaults hiding behind the second to last medical bed on the right. I saw one escape into the next room, but it looks like it's more of a storage room or closet from what I saw." Ashley spoke, turning her head to Garrus. She was rather pleased to be stuck with him, as she felt he complimented her well. Shepard had taken Liara and Tali in her main group, and Kaidan had been saddled with Wrex, a duty she didn't envy.
"So just three?" Garrus asked, receiving a nod. He shrugged his shoulders and peeked his rifle out of the doorframe, aiming it at the tip of an assault rifle behind one of the beds. Ashley watched him pull the trigger, and a distinct yelp echoed through the lab as one of the Cerberus soldiers jumped from cover, trying to escape into the storage room like his peer. A second pull of the trigger ensured he wouldn't. A third pull, sending the rifle into a screaming mess of overheat alarms, silenced the sniper behind the pillar.
Ashley admired the turian's composure; there was a time where she questioned if Garrus could hold his own with soldiers, but she'd become convinced of his military history and aptitude. She strolled out of cover and over to the final Cerberus soldier cowering behind the bed, and ordered him to kneel and turn his back to her. She promptly tossed her set of flexi-cuffs on him, keeping an eye on Garrus, who was keeping an eye on the storage room doors in case of a surprise attack. The sound of an explosion and the spray of blood brought Ashley's attention back to the soldier, the impact of bone shards and gore on her visor reminding her why she liked wearing her helmet. What the heck!
She'd expected to take one in for questioning, to get answers to what was going on. Instead, a mostly headless body was slumped on the floor, bleeding profusely. Idiot! You'd throw your life away over this? How the hell did that even happen?
"Spirits! Figures they'd give their workers implants, but..." Garrus started, shaking his head with disgust. "Whatever they were working at, they don't want anyone knowing. We need to keep going, Ash, they might be destroying more evidence."
Ashley nodded and got to her feet, following Garrus to the door. On the count of three, Ashley opened it and scanned the area with her rifle; it wasn't a dark, dingy storage room, it was a hallway with a number of closed off cells ahead of them, with another door at the other end. Taking a deep breath, she trudged forward cautiously, wishing the doors to the cells were transparent, wondering why they all seemed like miniature blast doors.
"This isn't right, Garrus… watch the rear, something's up." Ashley said, cursing as the sound of steel scraping on steel ran through the room, all the doors sliding open upward. It was only an instant before Ashley knew exactly how much trouble they were in, though her confusion delayed her initial reaction for a half second. A half second too long, as the swarms of enemies piled out of the cells toward them. "Spitters!"
She immediately began firing into the hordes of thorian thralls, confused over their presence, angered at her foolishness in walking into a trap. Her bullets tore through them, sending many to the ground, but they were fast, and they were many. Even with Garrus firing off his assault rifle, they were in terrible trouble very quickly.
Ashley swapped out her assault rifle, grabbing her shotgun as she kicked one of the thralls away. She was able to fire one burst off, blowing the crowd back and killing a few, before she felt herself hoisted off the ground and tackled to the hard steel flooring. Again, she fired from her back, kicking and flailing her weapon at her attackers, the spray of acid panicking her into a fury. I'm not going to die like this! Ashley groaned internally, sweeping one of the thrall's feet and using the wall behind her as leverage to get back to her feet. She felt the sharp talons of a thrall slice through her rubbery body suit under the armor, reminding her of the danger and the crowd in front of her. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she used her shotgun as a bat, exploding the thrall's head as more tackled her up against the wall. She knew that she could take three or four, but there were eight.
And then, after a short wince from another slashing attack, there were three; five of them having been tackled to the ground by Garrus. Ashley refused to waste the opportunity, pulling out her knife and slicing through the frail thralls, never taking her eyes off the visceral destruction to her left as the turian tore through them with his weapon and talons.
The two of them finished off their attackers, breathing heavily and ensuring nothing on their armor was too severely damaged. She pulled Garrus to his feet, seeing he was just sitting in a goopy green puddle, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Thanks Garrus, you saved my ass there." She said, giving him a smile.
"I guess we're even now, after Feros." Garrus laughed, starting toward the door they'd initially been heading toward.
Ashley recalled the amusing annoyance of having to lug Garrus around for over an hour. "Not so fast…I had to put up with hauling you around through that Exogeni building. No way we're even yet." She quipped, imagining the turian smirking from behind his helmet.
"And here I thought the pleasure of my company was a bonus." Garrus noted wryly. "Well, if anything comes to mind, just let me know. Or don't…I was an investigator for C-Sec, after all. I'm sure I'd find out."
Ashley merely snorted and readied her assault rifle near the door. "Let's just finish up here and get back to the others. Call Shepard, tell her there are creepers."
"Tell me something I don't already fucking know!" Shepard yelled out, her warp detonating yet another group of thralls that Liara had managed to cluster together with a singularity. "Do you have any idea what the hell is going on here, Garrus?!"
"Look, we kind of ran into them near the labs down here, I'm not exactly sure how Cerberus got their hands on them." The turian spoke over comms. "And all the people who might have answers keep exploding their own heads."
"You're the damn investigator, figure it out!" she yelled, cutting off the channel. Shepard was furious, and while she knew it wasn't Garrus' fault, she couldn't help but lash out a little. She'd felt something was wrong on Feros, and seeing the thralls all the way across the galaxy meant that it was likely Cerberus had a hand in it. The colonists and thralls had died when the thorian there was killed, so it was probable that Cerberus had another hiding around. Whether they found and stole one, or whether they grew one…not sure. They found the thorian a month ago on Feros…what progress could they have had in that time? These are weaker, and only human shaped thralls, but…Christ. I can't believe they've done this.
Shepard looked back at Tali, who was hiding back and using Chiktikka to corral the thralls for them, and was pleased to see the minor amount of dead green puddles near her. Ever since running into the acid-spitting doppelgangers, she'd been terribly anxious for her quarian friend. She hadn't known Tali for all that long but she'd quickly come to adore and respect her, and with those feelings came responsibility. Tali being hurt by acid again was not an option.
Shepard tossed a grenade into the approaching pack, taking a bit of pleasure in simply getting them out of the way as the explosion rocked the area. It all seemed a little strange, though. The thorian on Feros could control maybe a dozen or so at a time, but…this thing is controlling at least two dozen at a time. Were there more of these things? But…the soldiers and scientists here weren't all wearing helmets, and didn't show signs of being controlled, so…what the heck is going on?
Cautiously, she led Liara and Tali out of their cover and further through the room, stepping around the acidic goop puddles. Shepard called them to a stop as she noticed to her right yet another entrance to holding cells, likely where the creatures had come from in the first place. Signaling caution, she led the duo into the dank, dark hallway, the doors all open already. One by one they slowly advanced, checking the cells for any inhabitants before continuing. As she reached the third last cell, Shepard stopped, Liara nearly bumping into her from behind, unaware that she'd halted.
They had seen remnants of the Alliance soldiers since their mission began, but most had been intact, killed by gunfire rather than by the thorian's creatures. The mission Kahoku had run was a suicide run by anyone's measure, and though the released thralls seemed to signal that the soldiers did well in dispatching Cerberus' armed guards, it still had seemed to be a failure. Seeing Rear Admiral Kahoku's body slumped at the end of the cell, his neck slit open and torso showing acid burns, merely cemented the foolish endeavour's failure.
"Fuck." She muttered, walking into the cell and kneeling by the body. He held nothing in his pockets, and he'd been dead for hours. Shepard held her hand to her earpiece, activating her comms, selecting the Normandy's channel. "Joker, we're going to need the med team to get prepped, we've got some dead bodies to recover, and I'm sure we could use a little patching up too." She noted, wincing as she stretched her right shoulder, where one of the thralls had slashed open.
"Aye aye, Commander." Shepard heard the pilot speak, his two second delay in cutting his channel long enough to notice a faint yelling sound in the background. She assumed that once again, he'd been tormenting Heather with his pranks, and couldn't help but shake her head. She was glad someone was enjoying themselves. Explaining a rear admiral's death to Alliance brass wouldn't be the least bit fun, she knew.
Switching channels to Kaidan's, she let out a sigh and activated the channel. "Kaidan, status report." She said, hoping he and Wrex had cleared their portion of the facility. She stepped out of the cell and began moving back to the larger room, deciding that heading back to the central hub would be a good idea at that point.
"We're all clear on this wing of the station. Wrex's made sure that every single one of those thorian things is dead. We came across a door I wasn't able to hack, though. Seems pretty heavy-duty, I might need Tali's help." The lieutenant stated over the comms.
"Good work, Alenko. We're clear here…unfortunately, we found Rear Admiral Kahoku's body. We're heading back now to meet up at the hub and debrief. Get there as soon as you can." She spoke, cutting the transmission as she rounded into the room.
She wished it had gone better; the crew didn't need another failure on their mind. Or, more accurately, I don't need another. The crew has been handling everything pretty well, it's just…
"Shepard!" she heard Liara yell, a blue barrier immediately surrounding her as the asari leapt a step in front of her. Her battle instinct took over immediately, her eyes instantly scanning the area and catching the glimmer of a scope half hidden behind a doorway across the room. The spray of purple blood and the impact of Liara's body against hers distracted Shepard for a mere moment. Proton rounds…low damage, but from that distance…
"Tali, get Liara to cover!" she yelled, charging at her newfound foe, cutting off the sniper's shooting angles as she continually burst forward; one bullet finding its way through her armor directly after a charge, but she pushed on, finding herself within inches of the sniper. She'd seen some of the Cerberus soldiers and scientists heads burst, and knew there must be a trigger mechanism. She'd come across the odd non-Cerberus terrorist in her day, and many still used tooth implants to trigger the effect.
Maybe she wanted the sniper to potentially be alive. Maybe she wanted him to suffer. Ultimately, her fist collided fiercely with his left cheek and, in one swift motion, she used a lift on him and grabbed hold of his jaw. Clamping her other arm to the one gripping the soldier, in an attempt to get more force, she swung his body through the air and into the wall, snapping the jaw off as the man cried out. She picked up his rifle, attached it to her maglock, and took any weapons or items on his person as he squirmed in pain. Satisfied he was no longer a threat, she charged back to the cover where Tali had brought Liara.
Her hand immediately went up to her ear and connected to the Normandy again. "Joker, get Chakwas down here NOW. One of the crew's been wounded." She said, cutting the comms before the pilot could even respond. Her hands sought out her small, portable medkit, and quickly opened it up, grabbing the tubes of medi-gel and a scalpel. Fuck fuck fuck I'm such an idiot! Who doesn't scan a hostile environment? Who just fucking waltzes in like a fucking green recruit? Damn it!
She gently moved Tali aside and got a look at Liara, who was breathing heavily. Shepard felt herself gasp as she saw just how close the bullet had come to the asari's heart, and quickly detached the chest plate. Applying some pressure to the wound, she lifted Liara slightly, nodding at the lack of exit wound. Well fuck me sideways, it's a proton round…not a real bullet, get your head back in the game! You seriously fucked this up…big talk about protecting Liara, and you go and let this happen…
"Shepard, you're bleeding." Liara noted weakly beneath her, drawing Shepard from her thoughts.
She shook her head and cut away a small part of the rubber bodysuit, before returning to her med-kit and grabbing a bottle of painkillers and a syringe. Shepard quickly filled the small device and sought out a vein in Liara's neck, slowly emptying it into her bloodstream. "You're going to be okay, I promise." Shepard mumbled, setting aside the syringe for the tweezers, using them to take some of the visible shrapnel from her armor out, her heart aching at the pained sounds coming from the asari. She fought back her emotions as she removed a large, sharp piece of ceramic plate. "I'm so sorry, Liara."
She made no effort to hide her sorrow; she knew Liara, if not Tali as well, would be able to see through whatever mask she tossed up. She just worked away, carefully pulling out whatever damaging shards she could, before packing the wound with medi-gel.
Looking down at her work, somewhat happy with it, she took the patch of rubber she'd cut out and used some sealant to put it back over the wound. "Can you stand? Can you walk?" She asked Liara, who winced as she nodded. Shepard and Tali helped her to her feet, but it was clear that she would need help as they made their steps back toward the exit. Shepard could feel her heart just screaming out in her chest as Liara staggered and winced, each breath pained, and each movement slowed by the painkillers.
"Here, can I try something?" she asked, gently stopping the asari in her tracks. Liara gave a short, slow nod, her eyes darting away. Shepard shook her head at the look of shame on the asari's face and used a biotic lift on her before positioning Liara to lay in her arms. "You took a bullet for me, Liara, I don't want you to be upset at anyone but me right now, alright?" she asked, looking down at the asari's face as she concentrated on moving smoothly and carefully through the base, doing her best to focus her biotics into Liara to sustain the lift all the while. Liara simply blushed and looked away.
Shepard held back a sigh. She knew she'd have two asari to talk to that day.
Shiala had been there in the cargo bay when they had brought Liara in. She had followed the small crowd into the elevator, silent as the medics worked on both her charge and the human gunnery chief. She had followed them to the doors of the med bay, only ceasing to enter after the doctor's orders, finding herself slumping against the nearby wall with worry. Her eyes scanned the area, and noticed many of the crew evacuating the mess hall, heading either up to the CIC or into the elevator. Only the quarian, the turian and the human woman who had tested her a number of times in recent days. All had their eyes on the woman Shiala wanted to hate. She wanted the Commander to hurt for every moment of pain she had allowed Liara to experience. She wanted to dole it out herself, but she wasn't certain that was the proper reaction. Anger and pain were to be used to incite feelings of responsibility, shame, remorse, all three of which were already becoming clearer by the moment through the commander.
The woman's face was like that of a baby bird hatching from an egg, her sorrow slowly breaking through the calm, concerned exterior, revealing itself to the world. Wanting to spare the woman from the public self-destruction, she grabbed her by the arm and roughly led her into the battery. It was a small, cramped room, and she felt it would work for what had to be done.
"If you want to hit me, do it. I deserve that much." Shepard mumbled out, sagging against a machine of some sort.
Shiala looked her up and down warily. "Why would I do that?" she asked simply, attempting to calm herself. Her Liara was in danger, and the cause was a mere foot from her.
"Because I deserve it… Liara took the bullet meant for me. Because I saw that you wanted to. That you still do." The woman muttered, raising her eyes to Shiala. She saw the tears brimming at the soldier's eyes and shook her head.
"I do not attack people who are already defeated, Commander." Shiala spoke, noticing the trickle of fresh blood oozing from the woman's right shoulder. She placed her hand on Shepard's left and pressed her up against the machine. "Tell me how she came to harm, and tell me true."
Shepard's gaze never left hers as the woman recounted the event. "I found the corpse of our target. After sweeping his body for anything important, I decided the teams should meet back at the hub. I was distracted for a moment thinking…thinking about how I've led the team into another mess of a mission. How I was partially responsible for a lot of good people's deaths. Liara noticed the glint of the sniper rifle before I did, and erected a barrier." Shepard said, her voice surprisingly calm considering the pain being written across her face. "Her barriers are normally damn strong, but the sniper used proton rounds. Blew through her barrier and because she'd jumped in front of me, it hit her in her chest. Would have hit me in my heart otherwise, I think, by what I can remember."
Shiala nodded, recalling many times in the past half century where she'd had to combat forces with those ammunition mods. They weren't impossible to stop, but more powerful weapons would usually go through any but the most focused barriers. Well, at least they aren't often terribly lethal. But in the right hands…
"And is that wound from the same weapon?" Shiala asked, pointing to Shepard's bleeding shoulder.
Shepard nodded sadly. "I couldn't let him shoot her again. They don't penetrate all that well, but they can still be deadly, especially from a damn Titan model rifles. Fucking Cerberus."
Shiala hesitated, an idea forming in her mind, before pressing Shepard a little harder against the steel cover of the device. "You've said before that Liara is your main allegiance. I want to show you what you're fighting for, in case you've forgotten." She spoke, her tone cold as she slowly began reaching her mind out. Shepard seemed to sense her presence and nodded. "Embrace eternity."
She navigated one of her most prized dreams through to Shepard, fighting off the woman's natural resistance with ease. The woman's offense halted as a scene erupted before the both of them. A massive, glorious garden of all colours and shades fabricated itself in their minds; grown asari populating the stone walkways as smaller, younger asari populated the grassier patches, playing games in and around the plant life. Shiala moved her focus far down the path, moving down the walkway and beneath the ihltar fern overhang, glowing blue as it often did in the first days of spring. It had been one of the more popular plants used to decorate the Janiris festivities, and the young child ahead of her always loved them.
Shiala halted at the edge of a small round nook and watched the young asari dance to the far off orchestra's music, the child's eyes too enthralled with the glowing blue ceiling of ferns and the ornate, elasa berry covered fountain in the middle of the small area to notice her guardian. She couldn't help but feel the sheer joy emanating from Liara, then a mere twenty nine, and smile. She also felt, outside of the memory, a sense of awe and shame from the human.
This was during an annual festival on Thessia. Benezia had many friends and family to attend to that night, so she had me watch over the young one for her. It was my first time watching her during Janiris. She thought openly, sensing immediate confusion from the human, though she suspected it was merely the woman's lack of familiarity with the melding process. She is such a bright light in this galaxy, Shepard. If she had died, this would have been my happiest memory of her.
Shiala took a moment of silence, letting the memory finish, Liara finally noticing her and giving her a smile so bright it would have made any star in the galaxy dull in comparison, at least on that night, in that moment.
I am only three hundred and seventy nine, Shepard. I wish to be there for her bond mate ceremonies. I wish to be there when she ascends into the matron stage. I wish to see her become a matriarch that will lead the asari, the galaxy, into a better future like her mother. If Athame wills it, she will be at my deathbed from old age and I will know I have accomplished my life's work. That I will have had centuries to watch her blossom. Shiala thought, not relenting as she felt Shepard's remorse storm around her mind. If ever you have doubts, if ever you feel complacent, remember this moment of mine. That young asari is who you swore allegiance to, Shepard. Do not forget that duty again.
She briefly eased out of the meld, leaving the woman shaking slightly against the machine she was leaning on. She knew that, like turians, volus and hanar, humans felt meld sickness quite strongly. That, along with the guilt, was a fair punishment, she felt. She could hardly lash out at the woman, considering how similar of a position the commander was in to her own after Feros. It was clear by the woman's expression that she understood the magnitude of her failure, though she couldn't help but wonder whether the woman would react the same to each member of her crew in the same circumstances. She barely even gave the gunnery chief a glance during the elevator ride…she was so focused on Liara…
"Have I made myself clear?" Shiala asked, noticing the woman appearing a little calmer, more secured, though still visibly guilty.
"Clear as crystal." Shepard spoke, meeting Shiala's gaze again. "Thank you."
The woman gestured her to follow her out, and the two moved down the hall toward the mess, the turian propped up against the food counter while the rest seemed to have left.
"Garrus, are you feeling alright?" Shepard asked the turian as she neared him. Receiving a nod, she continued. "You'll join Kaidan, Wrex, and Tali. I want you all to head back in there, find whatever you can about that place. Salvage anything. And find out what's behind the damn door Kaidan found. I want reports the moment you find out anything."
Shiala watched him hop off the counter and give her a nod. "I'll tell the others."
Reminded by her anxiety and restlessness from being held aboard the ship, she stepped forward, getting into Shepard's field of view. "Shepard, if this ground team lacks biotic support, I would be happy to help."
The woman cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Wrex and Kaidan are biotics, they can probably handle anything that comes up." Shepard noted, staring at Shiala for an extra moment or two. "But sure. If you want to finally get off this ship, you can."
"Thank you. I am…eager to be able to do something other than meditate." Shiala reasoned, drawing a concerned expression from the woman.
"Well, don't thank me quite yet. Just in case it might make you uncomfortable, though…there's a chance that there's another thorian in the base. If you don't want to handle that, that's okay with me. It won't shine poorly on you at all, I know it must have been pretty hard down there on Feros. And we'd need this thing alive, just in case." Shepard explained, sighing. "Truth be told, I find it hard to believe there could be one, but we fought the damn thralls down there. So yeah, you can back out if you want. I wouldn't blame you."
The mere thought of facing down a thorian unnerved her. It was scary, and it brought back the nagging headache that had gone away in recent days. Another thorian? Did they not learn enough from the first? Are these humans just more idiotic, longer living salarians?
Still, the idea of facing that which she was sold to, the thing that owned her, controlled her, used her, was enticing. A chance at redemption and closure.
"I'll be fine, Shepard." Shiala said firmly, giving a nod to the turian before following him to the elevator. She hoped her day would get more interesting, and that when she returned, Liara would be healing and awake to see her.
She had a feeling the human would see to it that Liara would receive all the possible help and comforts in her leave, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought as the elevator descended.
It had taken a little over two hours before Shepard was allowed inside the med bay. She had heard seven reports from the ground team on Binthu, and confirmation of a thorian's presence. She was happy that Garrus and Tali were there to investigate, but even happier to hear Chakwas' voice over her room's comms.
"Shepard, she's awake and asked for you." Chakwas stated, pausing for a moment as Shepard quickly made her way across her room. "And she will be fine."
The last sentence of the doctor's transmission forced a relieved sigh from Shepard's lips, thankful for the good news. She practically ran over to the med bay doors before freezing mere inches from the entrance sensor. What the heck do I even say? Oh hey, sorry I let you get shot? What the hell…what the hell do I even say or do? Why would she want to see me?
Shaking her head, she decided she had no answers to any of her questions and felt it reasonable enough to wing it. If she's angry or upset at me, then I can stomach that. I'd deserve that.
The door slid open, revealing Chakwas resting at her terminal, and Liara further toward the back of the room, in the same bed she'd been in after Therum. Shepard suppressed a smile as she stepped past the doctor, mouthing a thank you to the woman as she passed, and made her way to Liara's bedside, pulling up a chair. The sound of moving furniture brought Liara's attention over to Shepard.
It was clear that Liara was on some painkillers, and coming out of anesthesia, but her heart soared as the asari smiled brightly upon seeing her.
"Shepard. Good morning." Liara spoke, slurring lightly as she smiled.
Shepard kept herself from giggling as best as she could, fully aware that it was clearly not the morning. According to standard time, it was closer to seven PM than seven AM. "Hi Liara." She choked out, so happy to see the asari pain-free and awake. She had let her imagination get the better of her in the past few hours, and it was nice to release that burden. After taking a moment to steady her voice, she continued. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?"
"I'm a little hungry, but I'm still kind of tired. Is it morning?" the dazed asari asked, her eyes squinting.
"It's the evening, actually. Don't worry, I can get you something to eat and drink." Shepard answered quickly, offering Liara her own smile.
"Oh…that makes sense then. I…I will pass on food for now. I am a little tired." Liara spoke, bringing her free hand to her eyes, rubbing them gently.
"I should leave you to rest then." She said reluctantly, not wanting to leave the scientist's side, but not wanting to keep her from rest.
Liara shook her head slowly, reaching out for Shepard with her hand. "No, stay. I…I'm sorry my barrier wasn't good enough." The asari noted sadly. Shepard shook her head at the apology and took Liara's hand, lightly grazing the blue palm with her thumb.
"It was from a very powerful rifle, using a very special ammunition made to pass biotic barriers. And you were the one who got shot Liara, because I was careless. Please don't apologize, it was my fault." Shepard reasoned, loving the feel of the asari's hand in hers, those space-magic blue eyes meeting her own hazel set.
"Oh. Okay." Liara said hazily, leaning slightly on her side to better face Shepard. "So I was not a burden?"
Shepard brought her other hand to Liara's face, caressing the worry off of the prothean expert's face with each soft touch. "Liara, you are never a burden. If not for you, I would have been shot a few times. I might have been hurt badly."
Liara's gaze dropped down to Shepard's wounded shoulder, now covered by her casual blues. "You were shot." She stated, worry returning to her face. Shepard leaned in slightly closer and smiled.
"I'm all patched up. Chakwas came and fixed me up while you were recovering." She said, taking delight in how quickly Liara seemed to be reassured.
"Good." Liara said simply, her voice filled with an easy joy as she happily yawned. "I'm a little tired, I apologize."
Shepard knew the asari would be pretty out of it for a while, and figured it would be better to talk to her later. I've seen her and…and she's fine. She'll be fine. "I really should let you rest, Liara. I'll be back in a few hours if you want."
Liara sleepily gazed at Shepard, vainly attempting to blink away the encroaching sleep. "I want…" the asari started, pausing mid sentence for a number of long, torturous seconds. "I want you to sing me a song." Liara finished, a smile stretching wide across her face.
Shepard blushed at the request; no one but Liara had really ever heard her sing, and she had planned on leaving that as a one time thing. She'd never found her voice to be anything special, and she often was embarrassed by how quickly she could find herself singing along to music when she was alone. Nearly every part of her was holding strong to her insecurities, telling her to decline, to do anything but sing. Shiala's memory of Liara dancing around without a care in the world, however, inspired a little bit of courage in her, alongside the kind smile the asari was currently giving her.
"A…alright. But…but you have to turn your translator off." Shepard stammered out. "If I'm going to sing you to sleep…then…then I might have to choose a song that has lyrics that might not be all that soothing, out of context. I mean…yeah."
Liara lazily brought up her omni-tool and Shepard helped her deactivate the translator for a span of a few minutes.
"What are you going to sing?" Liara asked, softly slumping back down onto her bed. Shepard got up out of her chair and stood by the asari's bed, giving her crests a gentle caress or two before speaking in astral, so Liara could understand.
"A song that I heard a friend sing once." Shepard answered simply.
Liara looked at her, slightly confused. "You speak astral?"
Shepard allowed herself a small laugh. "Don't sell me short, Liara. I'm fluent, and in a few years, I might have armali down as well."
"I wouldn't ever sell you, Shepard." Liara said between yawns. "What is the song called? What is it about?"
She leaned in close and prodded Liara lightly in the stomach. "It's called Songbird, and if you can remember that name a few hours from now, someone might provide you a terminal to research it." She noted playfully, stroking her hand lightly across the dazzlingly freckled crests.
In truth, the song had been something of a comfort for her in more difficult times, and each night for weeks, she would sleep to the music on loop, often the only cure for her woes at the time. It reminded her of her friends, and the comfort and safety they'd provide, but she imagined in this case, it could apply. Even if I can't say I mean the lyrics in a certain sense…I do care for her…aw hell, let's just get this over with. She's tired.
She let the first words come out fairly hushed, doing her best to try and make her voice as soothing as possible. "For you, there'll be no more crying. For you…the sun will be shining. And I feel that when I'm with you…it's alright. I know it's right." She sang, earning a pleased smile from Liara as the asari's eyes closed. She heard Chakwas swivel in her chair, but pushed past that shred of anxiety.
"To you…I'll give the world. To you…I'll never be cold. 'Cause I feel that when I'm with you, it's alright. I know it's right." She continued, her hand moving down to stroke the asari's cheek. "And the songbirds keep singing, like they know the score. And I love you, I love you, I love you…like never before."
As she hummed along to the piano parts between the lyrics, she saw Liara doze off happily, a familiar snore escaping her cobalt lips. Shepard stroked the asari's head a few more times, hoping Liara was comfortable, happy and was starting a restful sleep.
As she lifted her head sheepishly, she noticed Chakwas had turned back to her terminal and was sitting rather still, hands on the desk in front of her. Shepard slowly made her way from Liara's bedside and quietly tiptoed through the bay, halting near the doors as Chakwas's whisper met her ears.
"Shepard." The doctor called out, freezing her in her tracks. Shepard turned around, meeting the older woman's gaze; Chakwas had a small grin curling at her lips as she gave her a knowing look. "You should have let her keep the translator on. She would have found it delightful."
Shepard blushed at the thought and shook her head, letting out a low chuckle. "Maybe another time, doc." She answered, turning away and moving out of the med-bay with a difficult question filling her mind. Do I love Liara? Can I say I've reached that point, or do I just care for her? Does it matter at this point, anyway? So what if she kissed my neck and I…I sang to her? Christ, this is really confusing. A day at a time, Shep. A day at a time. She thought, as she walked into her room and comically plopped face first onto her bed.
I need some help. I…might need some guidance right now. She mused, nuzzling into her pillow, using her leg to pull the blankets into arms reach, allowing her to grab a few hours of comfortable sleep. Maybe I'll see about it tomorrow.
A/N: Hooray! Binthu is over. I wonder what's next? Next chapter will answer that, I guess. Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. I literally sat for two and a half days on the tiny Binthu mission part. Writing, and then cutting and then writing more, and then cutting more. In the end, I just cut out the third scene of it and let it end up as you just read. *shrug* Next chapter should be a bit easier.
And my output will slow in the next 2 weeks. I'm hitting midterm season hard, and with no buffer this time around. So you might be looking at 4 releases this month. I'll try for more, but I can't really promise anything. Sorry about that. But even at 4 chapters, March will likely start off all fluffy-like. So that's good, isn't it? I think it is. You won't be seeing any Valentine's day romantic confessions from Shep and Liara. I have 2 midterms and a paper due that day. And a midterm the 15th. So yeah…no. No lovey-dovey stuff that day, just in case you were hoping. :P
So yes, thank you all for such an amazing January! It was a pretty great month, and I wish I could say February will be the same. I hope I can at least keep things interesting by putting some twists and fun stuff in the few chapters I WILL be releasing this month.
And thanks to all those who follow my stories, and those who review, and everyone who takes the time out of their lives to read my stories :) You're all rather inspiring.
Anywho, I'm going to get to sleep in a few.
Also, special thanks to a certain ffnet member (*cough*Tayg*cough*) who helped wheel me through this chapter and who is solely responsible for this being released tonight, instead of tomorrow afternoon or evening. :3 If you haven't read her story, you really should…
Hope your weekends are all stellar!