With the time drawing closer for the Normandy to at last leave the Citadel, Garrus had reluctantly left their cabin to tend to his duties as Captain, needing to check everything and everyone was accounted for before they were once again underway. Still needing time to prepare, Shepard figured it made sense to hang back for the time being. Give herself a chance to shower and remove any traces of his scent before coming into contact with the rest of the crew. But as she lay there in her new bed, naked and sweaty and sated after a morning of utterly mindblowing sex, she could hardly find the wherewithal to move. "God damn, that man is insatiable," she sighed, gazing through the skylight with a blissful smile.

After a while, however, she knew she had to kick her butt into gear. Shore leave was officially over, which meant the days of lazing around in her birthday suit were too. Heaving herself up from the mound of ridiculously soft cushions, she let out a disgruntled groan, already getting the sense that she wouldn't be slipping back into the routine so easily this time around.

Quietly grumbling to herself, she trundled across the cabin and headed into the bathroom, taking her daily dose of meds and having a long, hot shower to wash away the morning's many salacious sins. By the time she was done, she had to admit she felt better for it. Brighter. More alert. Wrapping a towel around herself, she used another to dry her sodden locks, stilling when she heard the echo of a familiar chime; the sound of an incoming vid call on her terminal.

Dashing out of the bathroom, she darted over to the desk and scanned the name on the screen, a whole world of emotions running through her upon seeing those five little letters. Quickly taking to her seat, she accepted the call, locking eyes with the crystal blue orbs that popped up on the display. "Shepard," the familiar voice said, her smile as obvious in her tone as it was on her face.

"Liara," she greeted, feeling herself smiling just the same. "Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to get hold of you all week."

"I know," she said regretfully. "I'm sorry, Shepard. Things around here have been.." She trailed off, her lips pursing as if to stop herself from saying anything that could reveal too much. It was a little frustrating, Shepard had to admit, but she was used to it by now. Came with the territory. "Anyway," she said instead. "I called as soon as I was able.. I understand congratulations are in order."

Shepard's mouth twitched with a small smile, almost having forgotten about it amongst everything else that'd happened lately. "You heard about that, huh?"

"Shepard, even if it wasn't all over the galactic news, you of all people should know that I have eyes and ears everywhere," she said, a subtle smirk upon her delicate, blue features. "I hear your ceremony was quite something."

"Oh, it was something, alright," she sighed, reflecting on the memory of it. "So, you had your little birdies keeping an eye on me, did you?"

"Not well enough, it seems," she replied, her gaze drifting to rouge bite marks etched upon Shepard's skin. "Goddess, Shepard, you look like you got into an altercation with a rabid varren." In her haste to answer the call, she'd forgotten she was still wearing nothing more than a towel. Forgot about the many rosy signatures Garrus had left on her body throughout the past few days. She really ought to make a point of keeping those concealed in future. "..I can see why you like him," Liara said, smiling warmly. "He seems like a good man."

She didn't bother denying it. There was no point when it came to Liara. Realistically, she didn't mind her knowing. If nothing else, she understood the need for discretion. After all, keeping secrets was very much her repertoire.. for the most part, anyway. "He is," Shepard said fondly, lowering her gaze to the fresh mark upon her thigh. "Best I've ever known.. aside from Pops, obviously." Her eyes flicked up to the screen to studiously appraise her asari friend, knowing damn well she hadn't merely called to exchange pleasantries. "I'm assuming you're calling about the datafile I sent you?"

"..I am," Liara nodded. "I must admit, I found it to be most.. troubling."

"Really?" she chuckled, raising a brow. "I thought for sure this would tickle your Prothean g-spot."

"Oh, I certainly found it fascinating, to be sure. Goddess, I can scarcely believe you came into contact with a working Prothean beacon. I only wish it hadn't been destroyed, I should've liked some time to study it for myself."

"No.. no you wouldn't," Shepard insisted. She shook her head, recalling the searing pain and gruesome images that had plagued her upon coming into contact with the beacon. "Trust me on that."

"Well, it explains why the geth attacked Eden Prime. The chance to acquire a working beacon, even a badly damaged one, is worth almost any risk."

"But, why? Is this about the vision?"

"Almost definitely," she nodded. "The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user."

"..that must have been why Saren was after it," Shepard realised, furrowing her brow. "Though I can't imagine the information got him all that far if he had the same vision I did. I'm still no closer to figuring out what it all means.."

"That's because the beacons were designed solely for Prothean physiology," her friend explained. "Whatever information you received would have been confused. Unclear."

"So, Saren wouldn't be able to make any more sense of it than I can.."

"No, thank the Goddess. Providing that it was already damaged before he got to it, of course."

"That's the spirit.. kind of."

Running a hand through her damp hair, Shepard huffed out a frustrated breath, feeling like they were back to square one. Whilst it was useful to learn what Saren's true intentions were with the beacon, they still had no leads as to where he, or this Matriarch Benezia, could be found. And now, the vision they'd acquired seemed all but redundant without any means to decipher what it meant. All she could hope was that their return to Eden Prime would dig up new evidence that would aid their search. "You know, Shepard," her friend said tentatively, pulling her from her thoughts. "I may have a resolution that could help to better understand the information you acquired in your vision."

Her brow quirked in intrigue, yet she noted the subtle hint of reservation on Liara's face. "I'm listening."

"Well.." she said hesitantly. "If we were to connect our minds-"

"Uh, uh," Shepard cut in, shaking her head firmly. "Not a chance in hell. Have you forgotten what happened the last time we tried?"

This power inside of her, whatever it was, it didn't manifest the same way that a typical biotic's abilities would. The last time the two had tried to mind-meld, the overwhelming energy inside of her had nearly killed Liara. And if her sudden, dour expression was anything to go by, her friend clearly recalled the incident just as vividly as she did. "What choice do we have, Shepard? With my knowledge of the Protheans, I may be able to help you uncover something you had no means to understand previously."

Nope. There was no way in hell she was putting her friend at risk. Not again. Not willingly. Still, she couldn't deny that, under different circumstances, it could've been their best shot at finding a new lead. Lightly chewing her bottom lip, a thought occurred to her then. He likely wouldn't be best pleased when he found out, but..

"..what if there was someone else?" she asked cautiously. "You could link minds with them, right?"

Even through the terminal, she could feel Liara's studious gaze practically burning a hole into her skull. "In theory, yes," she said, eyeing her with suspicion. "Why, do you know of someone else who came into contact with the beacon prior to its destruction? I think we can safely assume that you aren't referring to Saren."

Her lips pulled into a thin line, quietly debating whether to defy Garrus' orders. They'd agreed to keep their shared vision a secret for the time being, but if they truly had no way to understand the information..

"..Shepard," Liara said, urging her gently. "I cannot help you if you won't tell me the truth."

Propping an elbow on the desk, she dragged her hand down her face wearily. This wasn't at all how she'd envisioned this call going but, what choice did she have? As it stands, they barely had anything to go on save for a handful of names. Saren. Benezia. The Conduit. The Reapers. All of it was connected somehow, and so far, they didn't have much at all by way of answers. "Alright, look," she said finally. "If I tell you, then this has to stay between us, we clear? I mean it, Liara."

"Shepard, when have you ever known me to break your confidence?"

She had to bite her tongue at the question, eager to remind her friend that it was only through her doing that anyone even knew to find her on Omega in the first place. But they'd already exchanged words on the matter as soon as Shepard had learned the truth. She'd aired her grievances, and Liara had explained her justifications for doing so. Simply put, she believed in Shepard. Believed in the good she could do under Concordia's banner. Far more so than she could whilst stuck on Omega, at any rate. So, as much as it may still sting a little, she knew it was something she'd simply have to let go. Liara never would've told them where to find her without worthy cause.

And so, she proceeded to explain what really happened back on Eden Prime. How it was Garrus who'd been caught with the beacon's ominous snare, and only through trying to save him did Shepard also find herself trapped within its unyielding grasp. And all the while, Liara listened with keen interest, quietly nodding along as she took it all in. "This is fascinating," the asari said, leaning closer to the screen. "Tell me, Shepard.. have you two encountered anything strange since this happened?"

"Can you be more specific?" she snickered. "Strange seems to be our kinda normal these days."

"Well, the beacons transmit the information held within via a powerful psychic link," she explained. "To both be caught within the same connection, sharing the same vision.."

Leaning back in her chair, Shepard curiously pondered the suggestion. It wasn't something they'd considered up 'til now, though she supposed they hadn't seen any signs that would make them do so. "I guess Garrus started having nightmares," she idly mused. "But they, uh.. well, they've stopped now."

"I see," Liara said thoughtfully. "..and yours?"

Shepard could already feel herself smiling. For nearly three years, she'd been plagued with horrendous night terrors, reliving the most pained memories of her past. Yet, for some reason, Garrus seemed to take them away, just as she was somehow able to do with his. Maybe Liara was right, and they shared some kind of connection that set both of their minds at ease so long as they were together. She had no way of knowing for sure, all she knew was that she'd slept more peacefully over the past few days than she had for a damn lifetime. No wonder she felt so good lately. Invigorated. Energised. "Mmhmm," she nodded. "I never seem to have them when he's with me.. but I found that out long before we went to Eden Prime."

"Interesting."

She watched Liara's blue eyes dart back and forth between her own, quietly sizing her up for long moments. "..what?" she queried. "What is it?"

"Oh, no. It's.. it's nothing. I was just.. thinking," she dismissed. "Either way, it would definitely be possible for me to link minds with Spectre Vakarian. So long as he's willing, of course."

"I think I'll be able to talk him around," Shepard said, though not entirely convinced. "I'm assuming this isn't something that can be done via vid call?"

"I'm afraid not. If we're going to do this, you'll need to convince him to come to Ilium so that we may do this face to face."

"I don't see that we have any other choice," she sighed. "We're running out of options here."

"..about that," Liara said tentatively. "I believe I may have other information that may prove useful for your investigation.."

"Oh?" she queried, perking up a little. "Do tell." But she watched as her friend's demeanour shifted to something far more sullen and reserved, as though she couldn't quite bring herself to bring voice to her troublesome thoughts. "..Liara?"

Barely meeting her gaze, she let out a soft, defeated sigh. "Matriarch Benezia," she said finally. "I believe I know where you can find her."

"You're kidding?!" she blurted out, bolting upright in her seat. "Why the hell didn't you lead with that?"

"You have to understand.. this is difficult for me, Shepard," she said solemnly.

"..why?" she frowned. "Do you know her or something?"

A pained crinkle etched upon Liara's cerulean brow, and she had to swallow past the lump in her throat to force the words out. "That's one way of putting it," she said sadly. "Matriarch Benezia is.. well.. she's my mother."

"What?!"