Chapter: 16: Games of love and war, Part II

-Earth, Alliance Training Ground Location: LC1 (Red Team)

Liara settled in her position on top of the tower, and kept one eye on the road below. She knew that now wasn't the time to try to sort through her scattered emotions, but the atmosphere on this planet was soothing and conducive to deep thoughts.

I can see why they developed to be such a passionate species. This planet really is a beautiful place.

She knew that the time was drawing near. Sooner or later, she was going to have to get the courage to take the next step with the commander. Jane had been incredibly patient with her, but Liara recognized that the amount of time she was taking to sort herself out would soon exasperate the human. Besides that, she felt they were getting ever closer to the eventual confrontation with Saren, and there was no guarantee any of them would make it out of that alive.

They do not have the luxury of time like we do. I could think about this for a hundred years, and by the time I have the courage, she will already be long gone.

Liara took a deep breath of the cool morning air. She was actually kind of enjoying herself. She had never considered becoming a commando among her own people, but now that she was thrust into a quasi-military life she had to admit that part of it was appealing. Teamwork, and the camaraderie, was actually kind of nice. Her years in isolation had kept her from really developing much of a personality, but Jane and her friends seemed to know how to draw out the best in the young asari and make her feel comfortable.

There is just nothing about her that I don't like. There is just nothing about her that isn't unique and interesting.

She looked out at the road. There still was no sign of movement or anything unusual. Relaxing again, she thought about the night she spent alone in the small storage room. It had been one of the most exhilarating experiences of her entire life. The feelings that were stirring in here were foreign, yet familiar at the same time. Heat seemed to rise throughout her whenever she thought about the commander. She knew that her people were considered mono-gendered and could potentially mate with anyone, but something in particular about the commander's form had captivated her and she wasn't sure she could feel the same way if the commander had been a different species or gender.

The woman wasn't tall, but she wasn't short either. She kept her dark hair neatly combed and behind her ears, and her uniform was always pressed and in place. Her presence was just, commanding. There was no way to ignore when Jane Shepard walked into a room. Whenever she spoke all eyes went to her. Liara felt she could drown in those eyes, and attempted to get the commander's attention at every possible moment. At first Jane had been responsive, and every time their eyes locked Liara felt like lightning had shot through her. Now though, Jane was starting to avoid contact with her.

If she is in half as much pain as I am over this, I can understand why. She has so much pressure on her to hold everyone together, and I am not making her job any easier.

Liara sighed. She wanted very badly to just walk into the commander's room and lose herself in the human's embrace, but she was… afraid. She wasn't even sure what she was afraid of. Jane felt the same way about her, right? It was obvious with every glance that the human was interested in Liara on more than just a friendship level. But, there was something else there as well.

The weight of the world is on her shoulders, and every time she looks at me she has to balance her desire for a relationship with her duty. I don't want to be the reason she fails in her mission.

But, aren't you causing her more of a distraction by withholding yourself from her? Aren't you causing unnecessary pain to the both of you?

Liara struggled with her internal dialogue for what seemed like hours. No matter what angle she looked at it from, the end result would be the same. She was having a negative effect on the commander, and the human had been compassionate enough to leave the progression of the relationship up to her. She felt a little guilty about taking such advantage of the commander's patient nature. Liara was purposely withholding herself and denying the both of them the pleasure and comfort the union could bring.

Why couldn't we have met in another hundred years? Surely I would have been emotionally equipped to handle this by then.

Jane Shepard would have been dead by then, or at least too old to pursue a romance with you.

I know that. What I mean is; why am I not older… I should be more prepared than this. She deserves someone who can understand her and support her. She deserves better than me.

But, she wants you. No other.

And I want her.

Then you need to stop playing games and make it happen.

Liara sighed and shook her head to clear it. She knew that she needed to approach Jane. It was only a matter of time before the human grew tired of waiting and moved on. Jane wasn't going to live for a thousand years, and Liara felt certain that this love was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She could live the rest of her days happy knowing that she had the love of this one woman, once upon a time.

Something moving in the brush below caught her eye and she peeked over the wall to get a better look.

They are coming up the road. They are doing a frontal assault.

"Chief Williams! There's something going on down there!"

-Earth, Alliance Training Ground Location: Outside LC1 (Blue Team)

Commander Jane Shepard grinned at Garrus as he programmed the Mako.

"This isn't going to fool Ash for long," Garrus commented.

"It won't have to. We will only need a few seconds to get them off their guard. Remember, cascading the events is the key when you are outnumbered. You need to make three soldiers look like three hundred and play off your enemy's weaknesses."

"Right. Are you sure you want to be the one to do this?"

"I have to be. We can't take the risk of tearing Tali's suit, and you are just too big. Besides, I have heard enough bragging about this move that I kind of want to try it myself, just to rub it in her face."

"Ha, all right Commander. Let's get everyone into position."

-Earth, Alliance Training Ground Location: Outside LC1 (Battlefield)

The Mako sped off up the road, zigzagging crazily. When it came in sight, Liara shouted a warning to the team and Ashley joined her on a ledge just next to the tower. They started firing on the vehicle, but it stopped a few feet from the entrance to the compound. Williams held up a hand, and they ceased firing. She looked closer, but couldn't see anyone inside of it.

"There's no one in it. That makes no sense... Alenko, do you see anything?"

"Negative Chief."

"Wrex, are they coming your way?"

"There's nothing here."

Ash studied the car for another minute. They have to be using some sort of remote control device. Damn it, why is it just sitting there?

"Alenko, check to see if anyone is hiding inside. I'll cover you from here. Don't even open the doors; just shoot straight through the windows into the seats. They might be pulling some sort of Trojan Horse thing."

Alenko slowly walked toward the vehicle. He couldn't see anyone inside, but he shot through the windows anyway.

"Nothing Chief."

"Ok, get back to your post."

Just as he turned to leave, he heard a clicking sound, and the Mako rushed forward. Jane Shepard shot him twice in the back, and then started rolling fast to her right to avoid Williams and Liara. It only took them a second to register what had happened, but that second was all that Jane needed to get herself in position for the Mako to pick her back up. The Mako stopped suddenly, reversed and turned slightly, then rolled back over her. She grasped the magnetic disc handles and pulled herself up under the vehicle as it sped backwards down the road.

All of their Omni-tools reported, "Alenko, Disabled."

"Ok, looks like she sent Alenko to investigate. You're up Tali." Garrus gave the quarian's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and then squatted back down to watch her approach.

She nodded and made her way along the debris, sticking to the shadows as she came up to the compound on the east side. Ashley was so focused on Shepard's entrance and exit that she didn't even notice the quarian. Tali set her explosives all along the wall, and ran a short distance away. She found a comfortable looking tree with low hanging branches, and waited for Garrus' signal.

Garrus started moving south and then crouched just out of Ashley and Liara's range of vision. He looked through his sniper scope at them and waited a few moments to see whether Ashley was going to take over Alenko's position, but it didn't seem like she was particularly concerned with the wall.

Good. You just keep your eyes forward, Chief. Don't even pay attention to what's going on around you.

He waited a few more minutes, just to let the chief stew, and then signaled Tali. The next thing he heard was a massive explosion as part of the wall on the east side of the compound crumbled. It had the desired effect. Ashley and Liara turned around to see what had happened, and Wrex abandoned his post and rushed to the site. He was easy pickings for Tali, hidden in her tree.

"Wrex, Disabled."

Garrus ran as quickly and quietly as he could towards the break in the wall Wrex had been patrolling. It didn't take him long to reach it, and he scaled the wall easily. Just before he reached the top, he found a comfortable place to leverage his sniper rifle, and he took aim.

Ashley turned to the krogan, furious. "Damn it. Wrex don't EVER abandon your post again. That's an order! "

"Williams, Disabled."

"What the hell?" Ashley looked behind her and saw Garrus and his sniper rifle disappearing back over the wall. Just then, the Mako sped back up to the building.

"Damn it, T'Soni just blast the thing all to hell."

Liara nodded and started firing on the vehicle. The Mako stopped again, but this time the commander wasn't under it. Liara heard the sound of a pistol powering up behind her, and she closed her eyes as Jane Shepard said with a grin, "It's time to surrender, Liara."

-Normandy, comm room

"So, what did we learn at today's game?" Jane Shepard asked her crew.

"Never abandon your post," Wrex said in his slow krogan drawl.

"The true threat is not always where you think it is," answered Liara, thinking about Jane dropping from the bottom of the Mako and later sneaking up the tower while she and Ashley had been distracted.

"That subterfuge is sometimes better than direct confrontation, and a little bit of help from unexpected places can often turn the tide of battle," commented Tali, recalling the new AI in the Mako and the extra supplies.

"That cascading small events will cause a greater distraction than one large disturbance. It can render an entire team disoriented and the chain of command will break," observed Garrus.

"Always look under the damn car," said Kaidan.

"That the commander can still kick my ass." Gunnery Chief Williams smiled at her superior officer. "But that stunt won't work twice. I hope you didn't exhaust your entire bag of tricks on this one game."

"Ha, don't you worry Williams. I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve. That one wasn't even one of my tricks, to be honest. I borrowed it from a friend."

"Well it was still pretty awesome. The way you rolled and the Mako knew exactly where to run back over you, that was amazing. I don't know anyone else who could have done that. When did you develop a death wish?"

"Yea, well I did improve on it a little. A merc friend of mine has used that dropping technique to get into various places where security wasn't as tight as it should have been. Wait until I tell her how I modified her routine. She will shit a brick."

"Well, tomorrow we get to storm the place. You'd better be ready, skipper."

"Don't you worry gunny. We'll be ready. Everyone go get some rest now. We'll pick it up again tomorrow."

Everyone turned to leave, except Liara.

"Liara, do you need something?" Jane asked, suddenly concerned.

"No, I just wanted to say thank you for training us. I have felt a little out of place getting thrown into all of this, but you were right. The war game today helped a lot."

"Good, that's the point of these. How did you feel about working with Williams?"

"She's a good soldier and respects you very much. I do not think that she means most of the comments she makes about the other species."

"I don't think so either. She's a solid gun and in the end will always make the right decision. I really hope that after this mission the Alliance will see what an asset she is and will stop stonewalling her and her family."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, her grandfather surrendered to the turians during the first contact wars, and the Alliance has been taking it out on the rest of her family ever since. It's really a shame, but humans just don't have the wisdom that your people have yet."

"Well, my people make their fair share of poor decisions. My mother is a good example of that."

Jane saw a shadow pass over the young asari's face, and immediately regretted the direction the conversation had taken. She hadn't wanted to upset Liara.

"I'm sorry Liara. I didn't mean for the conversation to take this turn." She grasped Liara's hand, and her eyes widened as she was immediately bombarded with images. "What... Liara what is going on…?" Jane tried to sort through them, but there were too many and they were all scattered. There were visions of Liara in the storage room, there were visions of Liara with her, and there were visions of…

"Wow. What's all that about?"

The young asari pulled her hand back and looked a little sheepish. "Jane, I…" She didn't know what to say.

Jane sank into a chair, and rubbed her temple. Her head was starting to hurt, and she wasn't sure how to ask what she wanted to ask.

"Liara… There was this one night… I guess it was a few weeks ago now. Well, I woke up, covered in sweat. I thought that I had been dreaming, but couldn't remember the dream. Or at least, the dream couldn't remember me. It felt like… like…"

"Like… I was there." Liara nodded, and knelt down on the ground in front of the commander, sitting back on her heels. "I cannot explain it Jane. It has to be something to do with the melding." She shyly reached for Jane's hands, and smiled when the human leaned forward and gripped them confidently.

"Ok, but I melded with Shiala once too, and I'm certainly not linked up with her." Jane turned the asari's smaller hands over in her grip, rubbing her thumbs absently across the soft skin.

Gosh, I think I'm in love with her.

"I think that the unique nature of our relationship might have something to do with that." She gave the commander's hands a reassuring squeeze, and smiled.

"Right. I still don't understand all of this though. I guess it's just going to take some more time to figure out. Are you going to be ok?"

"I will be fine. I just need to go and rest a bit."

Jane nodded. Rest actually sounded like a pretty good idea. It had been a long day, and she was tired as well.

"Ok, just make sure you have Dr. Chakwas have a look. I'm worried about you, Liara."

"I will be fine, Jane. I will see you tomorrow."

Jane released her grip on Liara's hands, and smiled weakly. The asari rose, and looked almost if she wanted to touch the commander again, but Jane had already leaned forward and buried her face in her hands.

I had better just go. I'm not sure how much of my fantasy she saw, but now is definitely not the time to discuss it with her.

Liara turned away and left the commander to her solitude.

-Normandy, Comm room

Jane put her head in her hands and sat like that in the comm room for what seemed like hours. It had been a really good day, but now she was left more confused than ever. When she had touched Liara, something had transferred into her, and she was kind of getting a little tired of her mind not being her own. If it wasn't crystalline dreams haunting her with pain, it was Prothean beacons shitting in her mind, and if it wasn't either of those, it was asari poking through her memories and depositing their own.

It's impossible to be around her. If she isn't distracting me with suggestive glances, she's actually transferring suggestive images directly into my head. It's just completely impossible to be around her.

She leaned back in the seat, and closed her eyes. The chair was actually rather comfortable. She couldn't understand why Liara always fussed in it during debriefings. Then again, as far as Jane was concerned, the hard steel floor probably would have been comfortable at this point.

Liara, what is to become of us…? I feel like I've loved you forever… I feel like, you were designed for only me...

Jane's head fell to her shoulder, and she slept.

-Dreams

The apartment is small. There's not much room to move about, but it suits me just fine. I find that I get a lot of writing done here. That's what I am doing tonight as she walks in. She never knocks, but I never lock the door either so it has settled into a sort of mutual agreement. Besides, I knew she was visiting tonight to pick up some information I had found on her favorite subject: history.

I often leave the planet in search of inspiration for my stories. I have spent my entire life writing works of fiction, and have gained a reputation as the one of the 'great romantics' of the age. On this trip I came across some of the most wondrous documents on an uncharted world near our home planet of Thessia. I immediately chronicled my findings, and returned to send along the news of my discovery to my closest friend. It cut my trip short, but I would use any excuse to have her walk through my door.

"Here are the notes I promised," I say with a smile. She accepts them, and leans against the wall as she reads the datapad.

"This is wonderful. Where did you find this? The images are so clear. The documents seem to be intact."

"I found it on a small planet near here. There isn't much else on the surface, but it looks like there may have been an ancient civilization there once. The coordinates are in the datapad, and the documents have been delivered to the scribes for safekeeping. I thought it would please you, so I returned immediately."

She smiles at me, and it takes my breath away. I know her better than anybody does. She has been a commando for the last several hundred years, while I have been spending my time traveling the stars and writing, but her true love lies in studying the past. She has a brilliant intellect, and she spends every spare moment she has reading. As I admire her perfect form, her expression changes. I can tell that there is something on her mind.

"We need to… We need to talk," she says, depositing the datapad on a nearby table. I lean back on the sofa I occupy, and cock my head at her quizzically. I am not sure what is going to come next, but it seems important.

"What is it you would like to discuss?" I ask her.

"We need to talk about us."

My heart stops in my chest. She had never given any obvious indication before of an interest in an 'us' and my curiosity is piqued.

"I'm not sure as to what 'us' you refer to." I examine the words in my head after saying them, and decide they do in fact sound stupid. In my attempt to appear clever and collected, I manage to sound ridiculous. She notices my internal dialogue, and smiles that quiet smile that causes me to fall in love with her over and over again. She notices everything.

"Jennestia has made me an offer."

My heart stops yet again. Jennestia is one of the most attractive creatures to ever grace the galaxy. She works in the public relations offices, and is often seen hosting events at all manner of posh hotels and restaurants. Tall and luxurious, with her tiger-like facial markings and almond shaped eyes; there isn't a soul in the charted universe that didn't desire her. There isn't a soul who wouldn't give up everything for one night with her.

"Oh?" Self-conscious about my own lack of facial markings, I try to sound nonchalant, though I feel my heart breaking as I anticipate her next words.

"Yes." She looks straight into my eyes, as if to bore through to my soul. I pray that she doesn't see the pain in them, for I just want her to be happy. "Does it not bother you at all?"

"What would you have me say?" My voice cracks, and her keenly observant mind latches onto the one signal I have given of my fear and disappointment.

"I came here to talk about us, and I want to talk about us."

"And again I ask, to what 'us' do you refer?" And then, it happens. All of my confusion and self-doubt are washed away as she walks over to me, and straddles my lap. My hands instinctively grip her waist as my body responds, pushing up into her, and I hear her whisper, "this us," as she covers my mouth with hers and her eyes turn to obsidian.

The years have grown long and I hadn't realized how many of them had been spent in such internal isolation, until I found myself supporting her back with one arm, standing, and cradling her neck with the other as I lay her down on the sofa. She is slightly surprised by my strength, but I sense that it excites her and she wraps more securely around me as I settle onto her. I have never felt anything quite as natural as the sensation of this woman beneath me, and I feel her responding to my every movement with encouragement and frantic desire. I have kept myself locked up for far too long.

She is fumbling at my clothes, and suddenly I feel that hers are too much a barrier between us as well. Something feral inside me awakens as I feel her scratching along my skin, begging for the love that I have held inside for her all these long years. I don't want to break the contact, but I must to remove the last remnants of our clothing. I gaze for a moment at the beauty lying beneath me, but she leans up and locks her arms around my neck, pulling me back onto her. I am blinded as our skin makes contact, and I can feel her heart pounding as she struggles to melt into me.

I feel her pushing into my mind, and I am sure now that she has loved me for as long as I have loved her. It all pours into me as I reach down to adjust her hips, settling more firmly against her and letting down all my barriers, my own eyes turning to obsidian. I know she is searching for something, but I don't fight her. She grasps along my back and sinks in deeply, eliciting a primal growl from deep in my throat. I sense her amusement at her ability to control my reactions, and she pushes up against me again, chasing the electrical reward that shoots through her own body every time it receives a response from mine.

I feel she is coming close, and her search becomes more frantic. I can feel her in my mind, everywhere along my skin, as she seeks the most perfect parts of me and my legacy. She is holding me in place, writhing beneath me as I bury my face in her neck and open the deepest parts of my being for her examination. I feel her picking through and accepting various pieces into herself, and I wait to see which ones will be placed aside. I am coming close now as well, and I bite into her shoulder to alert her. She understands the signal, and I feel her hands move further down my back and latch on, pulling me against her desperately as she takes these last few seconds to secure her final selections into herself and away from me. I cover her mouth with my own once more, swallowing her cries as the throes of passion overcome both of us. As I push one last time against her, willing everything about my essence and legacy into her, I black out and collapse.

One last thought invades my darkness before sleep overtakes me: Of all the pieces of me she encountered during her search, many of which were surely structurally inferior and useless, she rejected none of them.

I wake sometime later, and she is watching me. I prop myself up on one elbow and ask her, "You did it, didn't you?"

She nods slowly. "Are you angry with me?"

I shake my head and pull her closer, turning her over and holding her tight. "I am in love with you. I will love you through every age," I whisper as I curl my arm protectively across her belly, where soon my child would grow. "I will love you through every age."

-Normandy, Comm room

Jane woke up to the sound of the console beeping, signaling an incoming call.

"Call coming through for you Commander," she heard her pilot say. "Patching it through."

She shook her head a little to clear it. The dream had seemed so… so real. As if it had actually happened, somewhere else, in another age long past.

I think I am going mad. It's a wonder I can even still think for myself with all this mental stress… That was just an exhaustion induced dream likely triggered by Joker's mention of asari porn. Yes, that's all it was.

She turned to the console, and flipped open the communications channel. At least in this sea of confusion, she could count on her friend to be stable.

Jane's eyes widened as they adjusted to the light and her friend came into focus. Danger looked… terrible.

"Danger, you look like hell! What is going on?"