Loyalties:
Mass Effect Trilogy is a Bioware game. For any reference to the Official Game All rights are owned by Bioware. The Fan Fiction "Mass Effect At Dawn Again" is fruit of my imagination and my work, it is a free tribute, passionate and personal to a great video game. It is not allowed any use partial or total for profit and not.
Chapter 51
Plan B
The atmosphere is quiet and full of expectations. An intense bright green halo shines all around, excited by a powerful field of biotic energy. Father and daughter are standing, facing each other. They are joined in a deep mind-meld. Their wide-open eyes glow unwittingly, like large onyx beads, radiated by mysterious lunar reflections. Their faces are telling of an ancient knowledge. The fingers of their hands are still intertwined, while the two Asari stand out in silence, like beautiful blue marble statues to life size.
The motionlessness, however, is only an apparent, outward state. In the mind of both, the images follow each other, quickly, like the scenes of an action movie. Liara can clearly feel and see Aethyta's memories make their way inside her, blend deeply into her feelings, and become unforgettable experiences. Still hard to believe, but she can grasp every sound, savor every emotion! Events occurred centuries ago seem to happen now, in Liara's real life, who observes everything clearly, from an intimate and inner perspective. Her father's past, the very long life, and the choices taken or not taken, they make up a constantly evolving patchwork, which widens her heart and floods her mind with awareness. Slowly, it all starts to make sense. The young Asari is finally able to feel, understand, and even share it.
Her father's life has been adventurous, intense, endless. Events chase each other, stories intertwine, doubts and questions get clarified. Sometimes, they are a source of joy, other times they cause great despair. Tears and laughter, and sighs and heartbeats take their turns. They chase one another, warm the soul, and make the heart vibrate. Sometimes they are about Liara and they involve her directly, in a very personal way. Feeling joy or pain, with vivid empathy, the girl absorbs everything with excitement, drawing in the source of her father's memory, like a sun-thirsty soul in a lake of light. When the mind-meld is slowly exhausted, the two Asari find themselves breathless, as after a long run, and tight in a tender embrace, deep and silent.
Disbelief fills Liara's throat, like a delicious nectar, which makes her softly impossible to speak. So, she lingers in Aethyta's gaze, eyes full of heaven, as she cradles in the pleasant awareness that she has never been abandoned. As if awakened from a dream in a beautiful reality, the young Asari has just finished realizing that her father has been present in her life, and unbeknownst to her, has been watching over her, tirelessly, since she was a child. Liara feels like she has known Aethyta intimately her whole life, and it is a great feeling. She feels really proud to be Aethyta's daughter. Even the matriarch floats in her boundless emotion, enjoying every moment with the conscious euphoria of one who has waited infinitely long, and is finally enjoying her well-deserved reward. The no longer young Asari feels like she is floating blissfully in a warm ocean of rewarding emotion, as in a dream, which is not going to end. Or, much more prosaically, as if she just downed a whole bottle of Brandy Serrice Ice. She damn likes that feeling, for that matter.
"I thought you and Mom broke up before I was born! I had no memory of those beautiful moments in my childhood... when you used to tuck me into bed and told me the most bizarre fairy tales in the galaxy. About how you taught me how to walk, and most of all... how much I liked being with you. Thanks for showing me, Dad!" Liara is the first to speak, her voice still excited. She leans towards her father, a bright smile of gratitude on her lips. Thyta smiles back. As she speaks, she has the half stupefied and half ecstatic gaze of those who are thinking about very pleasant things. "Hell yeah! It was a wonderful time. We were a close family. I was damn happy, kiddo!" She sighs, shrugging. "Your mother and I really loved each other, and... for a very long time! Benezia was a fantastic creature, and a monumental piece of ass too! Then it all went to shit! One damn day she took the fucking embassy job and... something broke between us!"
Liara still has in her eyes, her father's memories just shared, and sees herself as a little girl, all curled up in a corner of the kitchen. She has just turned 3, and is blinking hard, while covering her auricles, with delicate little hands. Her mom screams that she wants to leave. Her dad begs not to take her beloved little kiddo away. She feels desperation all over her tiny body and she feels like she is choking. It is terrifying, and she will not listen anymore. She cannot be without her mom, and she sure as hell does not want to be without her beloved dad. All that screaming frightens her to death, and she bursts into tears, desperately. She shouts it loud too, with all the breath she can find. "I want my mommy! I want my daddy!"
Benezia and Aethyta stop bickering immediately. They pick her up, apologize... they cry! Her father carefully tucks her into bed sheets and looks at her beautiful, clear eyes for a long time, letting herself be bathed with blue and light. Daddy gently caresses her face, tenderly kisses her forehead. One cheek, the other, then the lovely nose, while a tear escapes daddy's eyes, reaching those of Liara. She eventually falls asleep, peacefully. Slowly, she can feel safe again, thanks to her beloved daddy!
Things get worse after a while. Benezia is holding her hand, with the other, she drags a large suitcase. Mom and she are leaving. Her daddy picks her up, holds her tightly, recommends that she always be a good kiddo. She clings to daddy's neck, full force, squints, grinds her teeth and does not want to come off. They just got out. Liara's small voice still echoes in the room. Aethyta quickly locks the door, and bursts into tears. So badly, her back still leaning against the jamb. In the throes of sobbing, daddy lets herself slide more and more down, towards the abyss hidden in the floor. The memory of the desperate clutch of Liara's little hands around her neck is all she has left.
"Oh, by the Goddess, father! But, why did she do it?" Liara wonders aloud, suddenly rousing from her thoughts. Aethyta furrows her brow with a grimace of dispassionate acceptance. "When love ends, we very often don't know why. It just happens. It's life, honey! Your mother simply stopped loving me, yet I couldn't help myself. I would've given my goddamn right arm to instantly stop feeling all that love for her, but that's not how it works! I couldn't do shit and neither could she! Anyway, I swore to myself, I would never give up on you. At the very thought of not seeing you grow up, I felt like I was going crazy. So, I followed you secretly, and found accommodation in an out-of-the-way neighborhood on the outskirts of Armali. I was hoping with all my heart to continue to protect, and take care of you. I didn't know exactly how, but I desperately needed to. I just knew I had to do it secretly... from afar, but I'll be damned if it wasn't worth it!" The matriarch sighs, smiling at Liara with her eyes.
"And I thought you had abandoned me! Instead, you were always there, a few steps from me, and I did not see you. Goddess! How could I be so blind!" Liara shakes her head, looking disconsolate. She tries in vain to repress the redness that colors her cheeks and cannot avoid feeling very stupid. "Well, because I was good, obviously!" Thyta minimizes, with a cunning smirk. Then, she adds, more seriously. "Also, when your mother left, you were so young that you probably removed the fucking traumatic event. So, there was a small chance you could remember me, much less recognize me." She concludes, camouflaging the slightly embittered tone with some profanity.
"Maybe you're right!" Liara admits with a thoughtful sigh, as she watches her father stand in front of her. The proud look and the straight shoulders, despite the weight of very painful experiences, and a stubbornly serene face. She takes a step forward, to touch Thyta's shoulder, with a loving gesture. "I'm so sorry for my grandparents, and for you! Now that I know what you've been through, I... I wish you had been young enough to remove everything too!" The matriarch gives her a seraphic smile, sliding the back of her fingers on Liara's cheek, full of grateful satisfaction. "Oh, don't worry, kiddo. It's been a long time! These wounds have been healed for centuries!" She minimizes, sincerely convinced. "Besides, you and Shepard cured the genophage, and thanks to that, your grandparents finally found peace, and... so did I. Then, you killed Saren, defeated the Sovereign, and avenged your mother! It's only thanks you two if her sacrifice was not in vain. Finally, Benezia can rest in peace!"
Liara straightens her shoulders and lifts her chin, delighted at this new prospect as she feels a surge of genuine pride in her father's esteem for her. Aethyta's words make her feel relieved and, from now on, perhaps she may be able to feel a little less sad about Benezia's fate. Liara's thoughts run at full gallop and lead her to reflect on her father's biotics, extraordinary enough, to make her the Priestess of Athame. The solemn Consecration Ceremony is still flowing before her eyes, sumptuous, poetic, moving. She thinks of the Priestess Solhareis, who passes the office to her father, of their deep merging in the Silence Room. Every gesture, every emotion is still vivid in Liara's mind. The three secrets, the three oaths... She feels faint imagining her father brutally made aware of a disturbing reality, and deprived of any way out, like a rat trapped! She cannot help but share the same tremendous discomfort, the same anger and the burning disappointment, in the face of the atrocity of the dark secrets buried in the past of her Species.
She grumbles something incomprehensible through clenched teeth. Then, blurts out, no longer hiding an unbearable shame. "In the face of the Goddess! I can only imagine, how you felt on the day of your Consecration... What they did to you was horrible! There is no justification! And... to hell with that damned Prothean Beacon! If only our ancestors had shared it... Perhaps we would have been ready, and the Reapers wouldn't have destroyed Thessia! I never imagined our kind was capable of... of..." Liara stutters in anger, fists clenched so bad to scratch her palms, without even realizing it. The matriarch nods several times, with a grim face. Not even she is able to hide a veil of that same bitterness. "You're damn right, kiddo! That's why I secretly passed that information on to Councilor Tevos, making sure she passed it on to Shepard. If only I could've done it centuries ago!" She sighs in a regretful tone. Sitting up on the bed and crossing her legs in anger, the no longer young Asari blurts out.
"Our worlds suck... Unfortunately, with no exception! We Asari are famous for being damn civilized. Sure, like hell we are! Too bad that often the worst people are also the most educated and civilized. They are always those capable of subtle reasoning and devious choices, those who plot in the dark for their own gain and who do not hesitate for a moment to put themselves at the service of evil, who end up ruling. Strange enough, isn't it? Once they put their rapacious asses on the highest bench, they just have to find a way to justify, or better still make holy their cause and it's done. Monsters are the others and we're the champions of justice and freedom! You know, that's curious, because even the "monsters", for their part, play exactly at the same game, only shifting their point of view..."
Aethyta pauses for breath. Liara sits next to her, waiting patiently, without interrupting her father's train of thought. The matriarch seems to be searching carefully for words, before continuing her speech, with an increasingly hoarse and rasping voice. "In a thousand years, I've seen hundreds of times this equation repeated. So far, no one has ever been able to reverse such a diabolical mechanism of power, kiddo, not even the Reapers. It would take compassion towards others, but as far as I know, in the galaxy, it's a rarer commodity than a three-boobed Asari! However, each species has its own monsters, saints, and fortunately also its own heroes. There's a fine balance, often painfully precarious, yet this is the only constant that can preserve us from self-destruction. So that, thanks to the buttocks of fate, we poor assholes are still here to be ashamed! At this point, we should all be in a Reaper's big, synthetic ass. Instead, your heroic soulmate has found a way to give us another chance... maybe the last! Would to heaven that, just for once, it won't be wasted!" Thyta sighs, with a scornful grimace, raising her eyes to the ceiling.
"No, it won't!" Liara gets up and starts walking back and forth with a dreamy face. She reflects, with a contemplative voice full of youthful passion, putting a lot of conviction in what she says. "Not this time! We've sacrificed too much to dare even imagine to let this unique opportunity slip. Personally, I'll do everything I can to prevent the strong unity of intent consolidated under the threat of the Reapers' from crumbling. Shepard has achieved unthinkable partnerships between galactic species still divided by ancient grudges. Outstanding achievements that must become the basis and inspiration for a future new Alliance of truly cohesive and advanced Galactic Systems. Thanks to which each species can continue to evolve and share all the best aspects of its civilization, in peace and harmony with all the others. Thanks the Goddess, Shepard can continue to be a great help and inspiration, for those species that have faced the Reapers, and an example to all others!"
The matriarch observes her daughter with admiration, breathing of nostalgic relief. A good vibe starts to warm her stomach the moment she savors Liara's enthusiasm. The horrors of war, the disappointment in the behavior of their and other species will not affect her daughter's confidence in the future, nor the energy and desire to change things for the better. Young people of all species, have always tried, are trying, and will continue to try to change their worlds to make them better, in the eternal swing of cosmic balances. A smile of pride escapes Thyta's lips, thinking of the passion of the new generations to come, and the bright soul of Liara.
"Great! It's time to bring her back, then!" Aethyta ventures, seizing the opportunity. She jumps to her feet and heads for the door, as if she were about to begin right away. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" Liara asks, in a stern tone, while a cold shiver runs down her spine. She hurries to lock the door, moving a quick finger over her omni-tool. The matriarch stops, hands on her hips, aware that she will never break her word. However, she needs to be absolutely certain that in the heart of Liara there is not even the slightest spark of hesitation. With all senses alert, she opens her mouth to speak, but her daughter's resolute voice has already filled the room. "I haven't changed my mind, Dad... I warned you I wouldn't." Thyta turns slowly. The sound of Liara's voice tickles her ears, like a tempting melody. She tries her best to ignore the pleasant sense of soothing that caresses her stomach at the thought of going home to Karin. She imagines Karin's resigned expression as she smiles at her, takes her in her arms, whispering that no, she (Aethyta) won't have to leave anymore. She seems to see her partner's incredulous eyes bathed in wonder, to smell the scent of her skin, to savor the taste of her thirsty lips, to feel the rhythm of her heart exploding with joy against her chest and it is all like flying.
What if Liara's plan fails? She wonders one last time, as she comes back to reality, and gets the unpleasant feeling that the enraged varren in her belly is now feasting on her bowels. For a long moment, Aethyta stands still, listening to the torment of her heart so torn by conflicting expectations. She feels like a gambler, clinging to the last, childish hope, in front of the pit of fighting, staring at her dying varren. Conscience grabs her by the crests and forces her to make at least one last attempt, and then... then, everything will be as it should be! Aethyta slowly looks up, until she stares at her daughter's eyes with dark and penetrating eyes. "So... are you gonna let her fucking die?" Her voice comes out of her mouth, almost without any lip movement, outstretched and sharp, like razor blades. Liara does not seem impressed at all. On the contrary, she resumes walking back and forth, with the enlightened eyes of those who could make a great revelation, but for some inexplicable reason she must hold back.
Thyta hisses. "Look, kiddo, there's no more time to fuck around! We must do it right now, before it becomes pointless to try! Open the fucking door, damn it!" She commands, impatiently, as she mentally weighs the resistance of the door hinges to a possible biotic strike. "No, I won't! And you gave me your word. You didn't forget, did you!" Liara scolds, twirling her index finger in front of her father's face. "Besides, I have a plan too, I told you. It will probably take a few more days, but there we go. Trust me!" Liara's face gets more and more serious. She stares at the matriarch with wet eyes, while she adds, affectionately. "Anyway... I don't wanna you to die, daddy! Now less than ev..." The last word gets stuck in her teeth, incomplete. Interrupted by the communicator's sudden buzzing, signaling an incoming call, young Asari gasps in surprise. She distractedly checks the origin of the call, intent on finding the right words to convince her father to give up her suicidal intentions. "This is it!" Liara bursts out, suddenly, eyes wide open, as she hurries to answer the call, with a gasp in her heart.
"Feron, finally! Please, tell me you've got something for me!" She asks, without daring to breathe. The vibrant voice of the Drell, returned by the communications buoy, spreads in the senses of Liara, like rain in the desert. "Yes, Boss, I do! We've got the Catalyst!" Aethyta stares at her daughter with a quizzical face, while Liara's heart stops and starts dancing, in an endless series of somersaults."Goddess! Oh, Feron, my friend... you're saving my life... Thanks, thanks, thanks!"
To be continued...