CHAPTER 2

The Admiral

"Dr. Tsoni? My god, it's good to hear your voice." Admiral Hackett looked exhausted, but his tired expression gave way to a faint look of relief. "We've been working for days trying to get a headcount on who survived the battle. When I heard the Normandy hadn't responded, I feared the worst."

"Glad we were able to allay those fears Admiral," beamed Liara.

Admiral Hackett nodded. "My aides have informed me as to your current situation. If you can figure out your location before repairs are finished, I'll have a rescue team sent to you immediately."

"Aye Aye, Sir!" Traynor responded with a salute, but she blushed with embarrassment when she remembered that the Admiral couldn't actually see her. This brought another smile to Liara's face.

"Admiral?" Liara returned to face Hackett. "I need to know. What happened when the Crucible fired? Did it… did it work?"

Hackett responded by doing something that shook Liara and Traynor. Something neither of them had ever seen the old man do.

He smiled.

Traynor wasn't sure if the venerable Admiral was even capable of smiling.

"It's good news, Doctor. When the Crucible fired it released a massive energy wave that moved through the whole cluster, which then surged through the mass relay and-"

"That's what knocked us out of transit!" Traynor shouted, blushing again when she realized that she had cut off a superior officer.

Hackett awkwardly cleared his throat and continued. "Yes, it seems so. Our scientists have reported that the Crucible's energy then surged through the entire mass relay network and set off similar blast waves like the one at Earth. It appears the whole galaxy was covered in it."

"And the Reapers?" Liara asked, holding her breath.

Hackett again paused, but kept his smile. "I've been getting reports from all over. As soon as the blast wave hit them...they collapsed. Every capital ship, destroyer, even down to the last husk. Every single one of those bastards has been rendered inert. We did T'soni… We got them."

Liara couldn't help but stare at him in disbelief. "We … did it.." she stammered. Traynor covered her mouth with her hand and looked as if she was about to cry.

The Reapers. The single greatest threat organic life in the galaxy has ever faced, had been stopped. The Crucible, the Prothean's last gift to the galaxy, and Liara's greatest discovery, had actually worked. Liara leaned against the control panel of the QEC. Tears of joy welled in her eyes as she lowered her head to face the floor. By the Goddess… she thought to herself. We did it… He did it.

He… Shepard!

Liara's eyes sprang open as a sudden wave of realization smacked her.

"Have you received any word from Shepard? Is he alright?" she asked, studying Hackett's face for any clues.

The smile that had so shocked Liara and Traynor immediately faded and he tilted his head down as if he was trying to avoid eye contact even though he couldn't actually see her face. Liara's heart sank in response.

"We've…." Hackett paused trying to plan his words carefully. "We've been analyzing all of the data about what happened just before the Crucible fired. We detected that Shepard and Anderson had indeed made it through the conduit and onto the Citadel alive. But after the Crucible had docked with the station we…" Hackett again paused.

"I contacted Shepard to see if there was anything he could do to activate the Crucible from his location. I never got a response. We had lost all contact with both him and Anderson. We did, however, detect a large explosion at the site where the Crucible was docked with the Citadel when it fired… We believe that Shepard may have had something to do with it."

"Has a rescue team been sent? Have you sent anyone to find them?" Liara pleaded.

Hackett nodded. "I sent a team as soon as I could. They reported back to me that they had found two bodies."

Liara froze. "Two bodies?" she asked fearfully, silently praying in her mind to the goddess that it wasn't them. Anybody but them.

"The bodies were identified as David Anderson… and the Illusive man, believe it or not. We've been unable to find Shepard."

"Shepard is still missing? Are they still looking for him?" asked Traynor.

"Search and rescue is ongoing, but it's been days and we are stretched thin. I have hundreds of teams going through the whole station looking for survivors, but it's been difficult to get through all the debris. The Citadel nearly shook itself to pieces when the Crucible fired, and our long range biometric scans of the area where we believe Shepard to have been, have come up with nothing."

Liara hung her head in disbelief. Shepard… After all the work you've done...

"I'm sorry T'soni, but at this point… I don't know if there's much hope that we will find him alive." Hackett crossed his arms. "Just know that his sacrifice was not in vain. He did what he set out to do from the start. Stop the Reapers."

Liara was barely listening anymore. All she could think about was Shepard. About how far he'd come, how hard he fought, and how she may truly never see him again.

"I need to get back to work. I'll have one of my aides get in contact with you shortly and fill you in on everything else that has happened. There are still many ships and personnel unaccounted for. Hold on to this channel. I want regular progress reports."

Liara didn't answer.

"Aye Aye, Sir!" Traynor filled in, quickly realizing Hackett would get no response from the now despondent asari.

"I've sent out a general call to all surviving ships to rendezvous above Earth. I'll be eagerly awaiting your return. And... I will be sure to keep you posted if there are any updates on the Commander. Good luck, Normandy. Hackett out." And with that, the image of the scarred admiral disappeared.

The room was once again silent. Traynor was stunned. There was so much to take in. The Reapers were dead. This thought made her more happy than she had ever been in her life. But the cost... How many did they lose in the process? And Shepard? She didn't know whether to react with joy or grief, so she just stood there. Staring. Staring at the empty space where the image of the Admiral once stood.

Traynor glanced over to Liara. She hadn't moved since the Admiral broke the news about Shepard. She just stood like a statue staring down at the floor.

"Liara?" Traynor gently asked. "How do we tell the others?"

Liara snapped her head up upon hearing Traynors voice. "Oh. I'm sorry. I'm still... processing all of this." she replied wearily, finally letting go of the control panel and drifting away from the QEC.

"Don't be sorry, Liara. I'm… at a loss as well."

"The crew needs to know," Liara said, stealthily wiping away a tear that had streaked down her blue face. "I'll make the announcement. Stay here and... wait for any more news from Hackett."

"Right." Traynor straightened up and took her place at the QEC panel as Liara silently made her way back toward the door out of the room.

"Liara?" Traynor meekly asked as she watched Liara walk away. "Thanks for your help..."

But Liara's mind was elsewhere, lost between grief and uncertainty, and without saying another word, she stepped out of the room.