Chapter 11: A Brief Reprieve

-Thessia, Matriarch Terriana's compound, Security Offices Com Link

"Jane! You look like hell. What happened?"

Commander Jane Shepard stared at her friend's image on the screen, and tried to make sense of the woman's surroundings. They were… eloquent.

"Danger, where the hell are you? Did you break into some rich guy's house to use his phone?"

The mercenary tried to look innocent as she answered, "I'm on Thessia."

Jane's jaw dropped. "You're on Thes.. Are you serious? For the love of soup, Danger, you hit on ONE asari and now you are invading their home planet? This is insane even for you." She shook her head in wonder.

"Yea about that, you will never believe what happened. Well, after our little mission, the matriarch requested I escort her back to Thessia. The creds were decent and well, I had nothing better to do anyway. Curiosity, you know. So I'm on my best behavior, which is to say, I stammered and stuttered like an idiot the entire time, and the trip is pretty uneventful. THEN, her assistant Rolus offers me a job as her personal bodyguard. Can you believe that? So now I'm here, living on Thessia, and escorting her all over the galaxy. That's why it's taken so long for me to get back to you. She runs me pretty ragged and I have to sit through all the unclassified meetings. Sometimes I think she is trying to bore me to death."

Jane's head was swimming. Why did nothing make sense these past few weeks? Danger insulted an important asari diplomat, and now was her personal bodyguard? It was ludicrous. She shook her head, hoping to clear it.

"Gosh Danger, why did you accept?"

For the first time, Danger actually looked confused. "I don't know why, and at the same time I do. I'd rather not get into all that though. That's not the purpose of this call. What's going on with you? Your note sounded kind of desperate…"

The commander leaned back in the chair. Where to begin?

"I was hit by the thunderbolt."

"Oh shit! Are you serious, Jane? It's about time! Let me guess, Matriarch Benezia's kid, right? I just heard about that mess, and the word is you were there with her baby girl when it happened. Don't tell me you got it for an asari now. Is she hot?"

"I don't know, Danger. It doesn't make any sense. One minute I'm fighting off geth and everything is fine, and the next, the entire world stands still and all I can hear is her voice."

"Yep, you got it bad. I wish I could have been there to see it. It must have been magnificent, to see the always-in-command Jane Shepard stammer like me!"

"Don't be an ass. I don't know what to do and this could seriously compromise the mission."

"Pft, you and your stupid missions. This is actually important. Is she interested in you too?"

"Apparently so, but she's not diving in headfirst. She asked for some time and frankly, I need some time too. With all that's been happening – Saren, Geth, gosh having to kill her mother…"

"Yea..." Danger said, suddenly somber. "I'm sure that was hard for her. Everyone around here is mourning the loss. The matriarch has been pretty quiet these past few days. She's barely yelled at me." Danger suddenly perked up. "Taking it slow is probably a good thing anyway, Jane. The last thing you need to do is forget about saving the universe because you can't bring yourself to get out of bed."

"You have such a wonderful way of putting things into perspective, Danger."

"Do you want my advice? Make her part of your away teams. Every single team. The more time you spend together, the better chance you have of getting annoyed with each other."

"That's your advice?"

"Yep, that's my advice. In fact, I'm following my own advice right now. What better way to get sick of an asari matriarch than to spend every second protecting her?"

"Is it working?"

"It's too soon to tell. Right now, I'm kind of just enjoying the view. You know these asari work out in the garden like, all day and night? They do it in shifts. I'm starting to see what you appreciate about them."

Jane slapped her forehead in exasperation.

"Danger, I don't want to hear word that you were impaled for hitting on some Justicar. I still can't believe you invaded Thessia. THESSIA, Danger. It's fucking insane."

Danger shuddered. "Don't worry; I can see those asari coming a mile away. Scary as hell. I don't want to get tangled up with one of them. Well… maybe. No definitely not. I'm sure it's far more enjoyable in my head. Nah, I think I'll just stick to my duties, and keep building that retirement fund. Are you going to be ok?"

"Yea, I should be fine."

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you bring your new girl to the Citadel for drinks? I have to escort Terriana there to meet with a salarian ambassador in a couple weeks and it might be good for you to take a break from saving the world."

"Terriana, huh?"

Danger shrugged. "Apparently I'm allowed now, but only sometimes. I have to gauge when she's in the mood to let me be friendly." She scrunched up her nose. "It's not easy."

"Well drinks sound great. I'm sure that Liara won't mind getting off the ship and stretching a bit. Will it be just you?"

"That's her name? Very pretty." Danger tapped a finger on her cheek thoughtfully. "Yep, it will be just me unless one of these lovely young maidens outside decides she just can't live without me." Danger clasped her heart and leaned back dramatically. "You know how irresistible they all find my lovely blonde locks."

Jane did know, and for a split second was a little nervous... Asari seemed to really like Danger for some reason, and always swarmed her when they went to the flux. She studied her friend over the video link, and smiled. She knew Danger and knew that there was no way she'd try to step out with Liara. The mercenary had always been a good friend to her, and had never done anything like that before.

The question was whether Liara would try to step out with Danger…

Oh I hope not. For once, just let someone be interested in me...

"Yea well, you just keep a handle on yourself. Don't taste too many of the delicacies their goddess has provided. That kind of behavior always seems to come back to haunt you."

"Relax, old friend. I haven't sampled a thing. This whole thing is just a… Freak accident or something."

"Well just send me the dates you will be there and when you want to meet up. We'll see you in a couple weeks."

"All right! See you then, and I'm really looking forward to meeting this asari of yours."

Jane turned off the console, and got ready for bed. Talking with Danger hadn't exactly cleared up her head, but she did feel better now. It would be good to see her and take a break from all this serious galactic bullshit. She lay down on her bed, and drifted off to sleep.

-Thessia, Matriarch Terriana's compound, Outside the Security Office

Matriarch Terriana backed away from the door, and scowled. She had come to see if Danger was available to provide security while she went over some logs in the garden. She'd taken to doing that fairly often, even though there was no risk of her being attacked with hundreds of asari warriors training in the area. Danger never refused though, and just quietly reclined next to her while she listened to whatever she was currently working on. In fact, she found that more and more often she was drifting off during the actual meetings, just so she could catch up on them later in the gardens with her bodyguard.

She had meant to knock but heard voices coming from within the room. Clearly, Danger was chatting with someone. Despite her upbringing and her conscience fairly screaming at her to walk away, she leaned closer to the door and just… listened. The human was talking with that soldier friend of hers, and they were going to get together for drinks.

You won't be going to have drinks with Shepard alone, or with one of those maidens.

Terriana stalked back to her offices and told Rolus she was not to be disturbed for the next several days, especially by Danger.

-Nightmares

She was getting closer. The planet of swords still loomed very far off in the distance, but Jane felt she was definitely getting closer. She was also getting stronger, and she was no longer afraid when she slipped into slumber and awoke in the platinum wonderland. The pain and the blood had become of part of it all, and she had almost started to look forward to it.

Almost.

How must I clear this trial?

She was standing this time, but the land wasn't flat like it had been before. Mountains adorned the horizon, and their peaks were hidden by platinum clouds. She thought she saw lightning dancing across the edge of the veil, but couldn't really be sure. The swords were singing. The staircase was near.

I must get through the mountain path. I must arrive.

Jane started walking, and almost laughed when she felt the wind pick up gravel from the ground and attempt to slow her down with it. She felt it dig into her skin, and splinter off as the force of the air carried through her. It felt like the splinters were moving, they were changing; they were digging into her bloodstream and coaxing the life essence out. It dripped over her skin, as she pushed forward. The debris rained down upon her, and wriggled into her veins, attempting to slow her movements and congeal her blood.

It just made her angry.

She focused on a point in the distance, and then closed her eyes. She tested her injured left ankle, but couldn't feel the weakness this night. Something was lending her strength, and as the realization dawned on her, the song of the swords grew louder. The voice wanted her to channel it. The voice wanted her to have it.

She opened her mouth and sang with the swords as she ran forward, intent on nothing but the mountains and the singing and the lightning. She ran forward with all her power and will and endurance, and caught the wind in her hands and tore it asunder with platinum electricity. She laughed as she sang, and she sang as she ran, and she ran as she slashed and split the gale in two. The air bowed to her, and she ran faster, testing her endurance and pushing her body to its limits, as the blood trailed out on the silver path behind her.

She sang a different note, and the mountains crumbled at her approach. The silver clouds parted, and as she shattered her bones running into a quartz barrier, she glimpsed the stairwell. The voice was pleased with her, and the swords clattered together, and changed the key of their song.

She closed her eyes, and willed her broken bones through the wall.

I must arrive… I must arrive.

A wave of silver ice shattered the crystalline universe, and carried Jane away into the darkness…

-Citadel, Salarian Embassy, One Week Later

Danger sat outside the offices patiently, waiting for the meeting to end so she could transport Matriarch Terriana to her next destination and head off to meet her friend. She looked at the schedule on the datapad, and shook her head. Something wasn't right. Something was missing.

She shook the machine, turned it off and back on, but there was still something not quite right about the schedule. Something was just not there. She checked to make sure it was synchronized with her main terminal back at the compound, but everything checked out.

Someone had canceled an appointment or two…

Shit. That can't be good…

-Citadel, Flux

"Oh come on, it wasn't THAT bad. It was only one cliff and it was barely dangerous. In fact, we probably could have just hopped down," Danger said, musing. "Then again, using the car was much more dramatic. You should have seen it, Liara. Jane picked up the matriarch in one arm, and that turian dude in the other, and rode the hood of my rover like a surfboard, shooting at the compound with a gun she held in her teeth! In her TEETH! It was epic!" She pointed to her own teeth to emphasize her point.

Danger grinned as she looked at her friend, who was clearly not pleased with her interpretation of events. She and Jane were trying to explain to Liara the details of their most recent mission together, but Danger kept embellishing the facts and trying to make Jane look like more of a hero.

"You nearly killed all of us. Really, Liara, it was nothing at all like she is describing."

"Well, I got us out alive, commander. That's all I was contracted to do. I left the heroics up to you." She turned to Liara. "And believe me, she was heroic. You should have seen how she literally scaled the side of the building, FIVE STORIES HIGH, stopping at each window to shoot inside and kill the guards. When she got to the top, she backflipped off the wall, shooting her assault rifle in one hand and her pistol in the other, just raining bullets down on those pirates. THEN, she ran into the compound, and just created this MASSIVE biotic field that filled the whole place, and it gently lifted and carried the matriarch and the turian to my car. You really should have seen it. That building was FIVE STORIES HIGH!" She held her right hand up, all five fingers extended and nodded sagely at the young asari.

Liara hid a giggle behind her hands, and looked shyly at Jane. She knew that Danger was making the story up, but it warmed her heart to see how much Jane's friend cared about her. It was obvious that Danger approved of their relationship, and was encouraging it in her own way. She was glad Jane had come and fetched her for this outing.

Jane just threw up her hands in exasperation. There was just no talking to Danger when she got on a rant like this. Instead, she turned to Liara for support, but the young asari just shrugged, and kept smiling.

"I was not there, but she does have a point. Matriarch Terriana is alive, and it is a very good story."

"You aren't helping, Liara. Don't take her side, and DON'T encourage her! I wish you hadn't even asked her. None of that is how it happened. I'm not even fitted for a biotic amp."

"I am not taking anyone's side. Objectively speaking, Danger is correct. The matriarch is alive."

"And the matriarch is deeply saddened at your loss, my child," Terriana interrupted. "Benezia was a respected and dear friend of mine for many years, and I know she was very proud of you. She was not upset that you left to find yourself." She moved to embrace Liara, and the younger asari allowed the older woman to comfort her.

After a time, she stepped back and looked at the elder. "Thank you, Matriarch Terriana. That means so much to me."

"Child, if there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to contact me."

"Thank you."

Jane looked at Liara and could tell that she was moved by the matriarch's words. They hadn't really had a chance to talk about Benezia and the whole situation, but she knew enough to know that Liara had always wondered if her mother was angry. She sensed a moment of indecision, a hesitation in the young asari, and guessed that Liara was struggling with whether to ask Terriana about who her "father" was. Surely the matriarch would know, but Liara didn't ask. Maybe she really didn't want to know, deep down.

Jane turned her gaze to her mercenary friend. Danger was fidgeting. No doubt she was uncomfortable. When they had planned this meeting, they hadn't planned on Matriarch Terriana joining them. Jane wondered briefly why the elder asari was there, and made a mental note to ask Danger about it the next time they could chat alone. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the company of her friend, and her proximity to Liara. The asari was seated next to her, and the commander got the distinct impression that the young scientist was trying to move closer. It seemed that every time Jane turned to look back at Danger, Liara fidgeted a little, and it brought her closer to the human's side.

Don't be afraid, Liara. You can move as close to me as you want...

"Let's get some food, Danger." Jane waved over the waitress, and ordered another round for everyone. Danger threw her credstick on the woman's tray and nodded.

"Good idea. I skipped breakfast this morning. Trying to keep my girlish figure you know." The mercenary grinned at her friend, and Jane grinned back. The four of them spent the next several hours eating, drinking, and talking. Jane and Danger talked about old missions, and the matriarch and Liara chatted about asari history and Liara's Prothean research. Though Jane would have liked to have spent the rest of the night there, time was advancing, and the mission was pending. Their brief reprieve was coming to an end. The Normandy crewmembers needed to get back to their duties, and Danger had to get the matriarch back to Thessia.

Jane stood and offered Danger her hand. Danger took it, and cocked an eyebrow at the human soldier.

"Danger, it was good to see you."

"You too, Jane. We're going to see each other again, right? You aren't going to like, go out there and die, are you?"

Jane Shepard just looked at her friend, the one who she had been through so many dangers with, the one with whom she had shared so much of herself, and smiled. "Danger, I don't really know. But I'll tell you this: If I go before you, I'll have a drink waiting for you in hell."

"Ha, you better!" And with that, Danger did something completely out of character. She pulled her friend into a hug. Jane hesitated only a moment, and then returned the embrace. Liara smiled at the two, but noticed a shadow cross the matriarch's face. Curious. I wonder what that is all about.

"All right, get off me Shepard, before I cry rape. I need to get the matriarch back to her quarters to pack and then we need to get out of here."

"Take care of yourself Danger. Keep in touch."

"I will!"

Danger held a door open for the matriarch and made sure she was strapped in tightly before hopping into the driver's seat of her leisure rover, a variation of her CamMech 3 that she kept in the Citadel garages. This one looked more like a classic muscle car, but was still segmented and had smaller tires. "Woo hoo, here we go!" Danger cried as she started the engine and AI. With a jerk of the gears, she punched the gas and the vehicle lurched forward on the road, turned to the left, and promptly drove straight off the bridge.

"Don't worry, it's a short cuttttt!"

The matriarch held onto the ceiling for her life, and for about the ten thousandth time wondered what possessed her to hire Danger as her personal bodyguard. Surely she was more likely to die in a car accident with the mercenary than anywhere else without. She would have to spend some time lecturing Rolus for convincing her to hire the human.

Jane and Liara rushed to the edge to see Danger's small car hopping the floor, righting itself, and then disappearing into the distance.

"I kind of feel sorry for her," Liara commented.

"The matriarch? She will be fine. Danger is an ass, but she won't lose a mark. She's got incredible tunnel vision in that respect. She isn't military, but she's worked with us so closely over the years she might as well be"

Liara was more somber. "I see that, but that is not exactly what I was talking about. I am more concerned about Danger. I am not sure if it is something in her aura, or just her general direction toward Matriarch Terriana, but she clearly has a vested interest in her job. It is more than a typical mercenary would display. Did you see how close she sat? I am sure it was subconscious, but it was certainly there. And a matriarch of Terriana's age and stature, who has never bonded, typically never will. She is also one of the most widely known and respected of my people. I fear that even if she were considering taking a mate, it would never be a human like Danger."

Shepard leaned back against a table. It suddenly occurred to her that maybe Danger was in over her head this time. "Maybe I should talk to her?"

"I think that would be wise. This cannot end well for either of them."

"Hmm. I always thought Danger could handle herself. You know, I don't think she's ever had a serious relationship?"

"No? She certainly seems old enough to have had a few."

"She is early forties by our count. Quite a bit older than we are, if that gives you any perspective – on the cusp of what you would call matron years I guess. She's just always been wrapped up in her machines and I guess never had time or interest in anything else."

Liara looked thoughtful as she watched the rover disappear into the horizon. "Why did the matriarch hire her?"

"Temporary insanity? The truth is, no one really knows." Shepard shook her head. "One minute she was cursing Ambassador Udina out about us, the next minute she was demanding Danger be personally assigned to her. I have no idea what happened. I don't even know why she was here today. When I planned this with Danger, she said she was coming alone while Terriana was in some meeting or another."

"Hmm." Liara turned back to Jane. "I do not know what to say. Maybe I am wrong about the matriarch. It is impossible to read her aura. She is too powerful and strong willed. It is almost like she has a barrier up."

"Well, she's certainly got the ice queen act down to a science. Listen, thanks for coming here with me. Danger is sometimes a little much to handle and it was nice to have you to lean on."

Liara blushed slightly, but looked pleased nonetheless. "I enjoyed being here with you, Jane. It is nice to get to be around you outside of missions."

"Come on, we need to get ready for our next task." She held out her hand for Liara and the two of them headed back to the Normandy.