Shepard Stories - Chapter 1: Meeting Liara
Main characters: Shepard and Liara
The war against the reapers has yet to begin as they are still making their way through the vast galaxy. The Reapers only source of information was a scout they left behind called Sovereign. Even though Sovereign was only a Reaper scout he was powerful. If any species were close enough to their technology or ships, then he could assume control of our minds and body. Once they were indoctrinated there was no turning back and they became his puppets for the war.
He made alliances with the artificial intelligence group called the Geth. The Geth were created by a species called the Quarians. The Geth turned on the Quarians when they tried to end them but only after they thought their creation became a threat. The Geth were perfect for what Sovereign needed in order to complete his mission.
Once humans and many other species were captured by reaper alliances they were changed into husks. Husks were essentially evil mutations of our many Milky way species. Their mission was to help the Reapers in harvesting every advanced species in the Milky Way Galaxy in order to start anew.
Our galaxy was oblivious as to what was happening. Commander Jonathan Shepard of the Alliance Navy saw what was happening and he warned the council of the Reapers, but they failed to listen. Even after their rejection of information he still began to gather a crew that would help in defeating the Reaper threat.
-/
The year is 2183CE on Planet Therum, commander Shepard's current mission is locating an asari named Dr. Liara T'Soni who is an archaeologist and an expert researcher of an ancient species known as the Protheans. Protheans were a highly advanced prominent species that mysteriously vanished over fifty thousand years ago.
Liara was the daughter of Matriarch Benezia T'Soni who was currently in the alliance of the Reapers. Her involvement was puzzling for many as she was an aristocrat of high standing on her asari home planet of Thessia. Many looked up to her as she was a renowned teacher of religion and a philosopher.
Shepard's crew fought their way through waves of Geth and into the entrance of the facility. He continued to fight off Geth and their drones as he made his way through the catacombs. He came upon an old rickety elevator and his crew was apprehensive in entering as it looked like it would plummet to the bottom at any moment.
He looked at his crew then said "Ok, I'll enter first and check it out." Once he was inside, he jumped up and down a few times then said "See all good."
Shepard, Ashley, and Tali all hopped off a rickety elevator. Shepard quickly said, "Let's hope we can find another way up that doesn't require us to get back on that death trap waiting to happen." He looked around at the continuous dilapidated walkway and said, "Wow the Geth have really torn this place up. We need to find Dr. Liara T'Soni and get out of here before this place crumbles upon itself."
As they headed further down the rickety walkway, he could see a blue light illuminating the floor below. Once he reached the bottom, he heard a woman call out "Hello, can anyone hear me?" Shepard smiled as he approached the asari then turned to his teammates and said "Well, isn't that a sight?" He looked backed at an asari suspended in the air in what appeared to be some sort of bubble. He glanced over at Tali as he said, "Uhh what is that?"
Tali was his quarian mechanical and technology engineer. If he needed something fixed or hacked, she was his girl. Tali quickly tapped away at her omni tool then scanned the blue bubble. She gave a small grunt when her omni tool didn't provide her with an answer, "I'm not sure Commander, but I wouldn't touch it. It looks to be some sort of protective field."
Ashley nodded and said, "Yea, let's not touch that Skipper, it could shock us or who knows what else."
Shepard nodded in agreement as he pointed at her then said, "Good call, Ash." Ashely was a marine in the Alliance military as a gunnery chief and highly skilled soldier.
He turned his attention back toward the bubble and walked closer. As he eased in, he heard the light blue asari frantically call out "Can you hear me? I'm trapped I need help!"
He cocked his head and replied, "We hear you. Are you Dr. Liara T'Soni?"
In relief she replied, "Yes! Thank the goddess I did not think anyone would come looking for me. This thing I'm in is a prothean security device. I cannot move, and I need you to get me out of it."
His eyes wondered around the bubble as he said "Hmm? How long have you been in there? Are you ok?"
"I accidentally trapped myself in here when some Geth and a Krogan battle master we're chasing me. I honestly don't know how long I've been in here. Possibly a few days. Can you please get me out of here?"
Shepard turned to his teammates and said, "What do you think? Do you see a way to get her out of there?"
"Skipper, we should ask her some questions first." suggested Ashley.
He nodded as he said "You're right!" he turned back to Liara. "Your mother, Matriarch Benezia has currently taken sides with a rogue Spectre, and the Geth, whose side are you on?"
Liara looked to be taken back by his question and replied with confusion then firmness, "What? I'm not on anybody's side. I may be Benezia's daughter, but I'm nothing like her! I haven't spoken to her in years. Please just get me out of here!"
He pumped his hands toward the ground as he said: "Ok, ok, do you have any ideas on how we shut this thing down?"
"Yes, there's a control panel that can shut it down, but it's behind me, and I'm not sure as to how you get to it. The Battle master and his goons couldn't figure it out, but maybe you can. Be careful; they're still in here somewhere."
"Thanks for the heads-up, Dr. T'Soni; we'll be back as soon as we clear the area and find a way to get you out." He paused for a moment then bobbed his finger at Liara as he said "So, don't you go anywhere." He turned toward Ashley with a grin plastered on his face and gave her a quick brow raise.
Ashley shook her head as she smirked, "Nice one, Skipper."
He snickered, "What? I couldn't pass that one up. She literally can't go anywhere."
Tali shook her head as she walked toward a large open area then called out when she saw a large mining laser. "Commander, come take a look at this. I believe this will do the trick."
Shepard walked up to the large mining laser with a broad smile as he pat the laser. "Yes, I believe this will do nicely. We can punch a hole underneath, and that should get us to the other side. Let's clear these Geth and then go get Dr. T'Soni."
Ashley nodded, "Copy that."
When the mining laser activated it ripped through the ground and the hole it left would have allowed two large military makos to drive through it.
"Well, that was bigger than I expected, but it did the job. Let's get Dr. T'Soni and get out of here." Said Shepard.
They walked through the large opening and rode an elevator shaft up to the floor that Liara was on. When they walked up behind her, she turned her head to look at them. "Wow, how did you get in here? I didn't think there was anyway passed the barrier!" said Liara in amazement.
"We need to get you out of here before more Geth arrive." Suggested Shepard
"Right, I've seen enough of them to last a lifetime." She jerked her head toward a small terminal as she said, "That button over there should shut down the barrier."
Shepard walked over to the terminal and hit the button to release her from the barrier. Liara dropped to the ground, as she stood, she wiped herself off then turned and said, "Thank you, Mister?"
Shepard walked to her with a gentle smile on his face as he replied, "My apologies, Dr. T'Soni. How rude of me, I am Commander Jonathan Shepard of the Alliance Navy and Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. My crew members here are Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the Alliance Military and Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."
"Well, now that's out of the way. How do we get out of here?" asked Tali
The ground suddenly started to tremble. Ashley wobbled around then caught herself as she said "What the hell is that?"
Liara looked around then replied "That mining laser must have triggered some seismic activity. We need to get out of here and fast before the whole place caves in."
Shepard hit his com unit, "Joker, I need you to lock in on my signal and get the Normandy here on the double!" he demanded.
Ashley pointed ahead, "Holy crap Skip, we have a battle master ahead and some very large Geth."
Shepard quickly turned to Liara and demanded, "Find some cover. Everyone else, let's kill them and get out of here before we all die."
Ashley nodded as she raised her weapon toward the enemies, "Copy that, sir."
-/
As soon at the last enemy fell to the ground Shepard threw his head back as he said "Whooo! Ash! That has to be a new record. I seriously think we took them all down in about two minutes flat."
"Well, Sir, your crash and bash are pretty damn brutal. It's not every day you see a vanguard charge a krogan battle master head-on."
The ground shook again violently, and the ceiling began to fall down around them. Shepard quickly replied "Ok, enough talk, let's get the hell out of here and on the double!" As they ran up the long ramp and toward the exit Shepard looked back to see Liara trailing behind. He stopped and ran back to her. "Dr. T'Soni, are you ok?"
Resting her forearms on her thighs as she took in deep breaths, "I'm trying, I'm just so exhausted." She raised her hand to her head and tried to speak then fell into him as she fainted.
He quickly grabbed ahold of her "Doctor! Are you ok?" He said then felt her go limp. He let out a breath then carefully lifted her as he ran toward the exit. When he made it out of the facility, he said "Ash, call up Dr. Chakwas to prep the med bay for Dr. T'Soni."
She nodded as she replied, "Roger that."
Shepard carried Liara into the med bay and laid her down on the closest available bed. "Karin, I have Dr. Liara T'Soni here. We found her trapped in some prothean security device, and she didn't know how long she was trapped in there."
Dr. Karin Chakwas was an older woman and a highly skilled medical doctor and surgeon for the alliance military. She walked over to Liara and took a quick glance at her then replied in a gentle tone. "From what I can see, she looks extremely dehydrated, but I'll run a few tests. Thank you, Commander. She should be fine in several hours."
"Thank you, Karin. I'll let her rest and check in on her tomorrow."
-/
Liara's eyes slowly blinked open. She stirred quietly as she looked around the dimly lit room to see a woman typing softly away at her computer. The older woman stopped typing and said: "You're awake."
"Yes, I am. Where am I?" asked Liara
The older woman stood from her desk and walked over as she replied. "I'm Dr. Karin Chakwas, the medical doctor and surgeon on the SSV Normandy, and you're in my med bay."
Liara blinked several times then pinched her brow markings. "How did I get here?"
"Commander Shepard carried you in here. He said you fainted down in the catacombs. You were extremely dehydrated, a bit malnourished and amongst other things." She tapped at her omni tool then a scanning beam initiated as she said "Let me just do a quick scan. You seem to be much better now." She pat the clothes on the nearby table as she said, "I hope you don't mind but I sent your clothes off to get cleaned as they were rather soiled." She made a hand movement toward a door as she continued "If you like, there's a small bathroom with a shower right on the other side of this room. When you're done washing up, you can just toss the gown in the clothing bin in there. Then we can head out and have breakfast if you like." Replied Dr. Chakwas
Liara smiled slightly as she nodded, "Thank you! Breakfast, you say. I am absolutely famished." She looked around as she continued "How long was I out? I also must speak with the captain of the ship."
Dr. Chakwas looked down at her omni tool, "You were out for about fifteen hours, dear. It's currently 0800, and you've already spoken to him. The captain of the ship is Commander Shepard. Why don't you go ahead and shower. He'll be by here shortly to check on you."
-/
Liara zipped up the last zipper on her suit then brushed away some lint that was on her shoulder. She adjusted the top part of her suit as she took a deep breath before she walked out into the med bay to see Commander Shepard talking to Dr. Chakwas.
Shepard turned to her as he smiled then said, "Hello, Dr. T'Soni, I hope you're feeling much better today?"
She returned the smile as she walked over and replied, "Yes, I am. Thank you for asking Commander."
He nodded, "That's great news. Would you care to grab some chow?"
His question fell on deaf auxiliary cavities when she became lost in his beautiful crystal blue eyes.
Shepard cleared his throat, "Dr. T'Soni?"
She snapped herself out of her daze, "Hmm? Oh, I'm so sorry what was the question?"
He smiled at her. "Breakfast? Would you care to join us for breakfast?"
Liara turned a shade darker then replied, "Oh, yes! Please, I'm starving." She looked off to the side as she closed her eyes. Goddess how embarrassing.
-/
They walked into the chow hall, grabbed their trays, then some available prepared food. Liara looked around and nervously followed Shepard to a table. Goddess, there are so many people here. I'm never going to fit in here. I can't do this.
He glanced at her and noticed that she seemed to be extremely nervous, "You, ok? We don't have to eat with the others today. Would you like to eat alone?"
Shifting on her feet she replied, "Commander, I'm a bit of a recluse. This crowd is making…"
He interrupted her, "No, it's fine, doctor. How about we sit in my office and talk while we eat?"
She looked at him and smiled softly. "That is very kind of you, Commander. Thank you."
They sat at a small table in his office, then he looked her way and said: "So, Dr. T'Soni, tell me about you."
Taking a careful bite of her yellow looking curds, she replied, "Well, Commander, I spend most of my days on remote dig sites alone, researching Prothean artifacts. The other days are spent analyzing the data and writing papers."
The commander nodded his head and smiled as he sipped his coffee then sarcastically said. "Sounds… interesting."
Not catching on to his tone, she smiled then continued, "Well, it can be quite interesting at times…" She continued to ramble on until she looked up to see him digging around at his tray then said: "and… I'm boring you, aren't I?"
He looked up at her "Oh, I'm sorry. No, no, I just have a lot running through my mind at the moment. You're not boring, and I was listening." He rolled his finger in a small circle as he smiled, "So, please continue about the prothean artifact cluster you found."
She raised her brow markings in surprise that he was actually paying attention. "Oh, well, I wrote a thesis on it and submitted it to the Galactic Archeological Team, but I have yet to hear back from them about it."
He interlocked his hands and placed them on the table, "How have you not? You're the number one prothean archeologist in the galaxy. I mean, that's why Saren and your mother are after you. It's also why we came looking for you."
"It's because I'm only a hundred and six a child by most Asari standards, and they see my work as non-reputable." She replied
He rubbed his knuckle up and down his chin. "I see, well how would you like a job in the Alliance Navy as our civilian prothean advisor?"
She blinked at him several times, "Sounds probable. What's the pay?"
Shepard leaned his hands on his thighs, smiled, then replied in a playful tone, "Ehhh you're only a hundred and six. I mean, the Galactic Archeological Team doesn't even look at your work. So, I'm thinking… low."
She scrunched her faced then scoffed slightly as she replied "Excuse me?"
He noticed she didn't catch his playful tone, "Dr. T'Soni, I was joking."
She softly bumped her head with the palm of her hand. "Oh, by the goddess, how could I be so dense. I'm not used to that type of banter."
He chuckled softly, "Well, Dr. T'Soni if you're going to work on this ship, you'll definitely need to get used to it. The best I can probably offer you is seven thousand a month plus food, a roof over your head, and our company."
She stared at him for a moment as she thought He has a wonderfully kind face and a lovely smile. She extended her hand across the table and said: "Commander, you have yourself a deal."
He smiled as he clamped down on to her hand. "Great! Welcome aboard the SSV Normandy, Dr. T'Soni." He stood from his seat and walked over to his desk.
Her eyes followed him all the way there in amazement as she looked him up and down. Wow, he is so very mmm… she shook her head and looked down at her trey. What is wrong with you?
He sat back down across from her, then cleared the trays from the table. He gently tapped the datapad on table then swiped his finger across the screen to find the documents he was looking for then said "If you could read over these documents and sign them." Then slid the datapad over to her then tapped the datapad.
She slid the datapad closer to her as she said: "What are these?"
He cleared his throat as his hand jiggled around the screen of the datapad as he spoke, "The regular military mumbo jumbo affidavits and you agreeing to the amount of pay we discussed. Yada yada yada…" He placed a palm down on the screen in front of her face. She jerked her head back as he twisted the datapad back to him. He quickly swiped the screen a few times and held his finger on it then twisted them back to her. "This is the one you need to worry about. Just make sure you definitely sign this one, or you don't get paid."
Liara scooped up the datapad this time and looked at it. Shepard chuckled as he got up from the table. "I'm going to drop these trays off as you analyze those documents, doctor."
Liara's eyes hovered over the top of the datapad in confusion, "Am I not supposed to read important documents such as these?"
He smirked then said, "People such as you do yes, but most just sign their life away."
Her forehead instantly furrowed as she spoke, "Sign my life away? What exactly am I going to be doing?" She paused for a brief moment, "I'm thinking, I need to re-evaluate my pay before I sign."
Shepard rumbled in laughter, "Dr. T'Soni, you honestly take every meaning literally? Signing your life away is just saying…." He paused then gave a quick side head nod "Well… actually, it's normally just a saying, but in my type of work it can be literal. So, maybe we DO need to discuss what you will be doing. Give me a minute to drop off these trays. I'll be right back." He left, and when he returned, he was right back in motion "So, as you know this is a military ship and well… there are some dangerous situations going on. If you're going to take this job, there could come a time where you could be in danger. So yes, in other words you're signing your life away if that is what you choose. I could really… I mean, we could really use your expertise with these prothean artifacts."
She looked at him and smiled, "I see. I should inform you that I've trained with commandos, and I can take care of myself. I developed into my biotics at an extreme rate when I was younger, and I know how to use a pistol."
Shepard arched a brow as he nodded at her then said, "Very nice doctor. I was honestly afraid you didn't have any combat skills."
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. Intrigued with his discovery she asked, "Tell me more about this prothean artifact. Can I see it?"
He scratched the back of his neck. "No, the prothean beacon exploded when I accidentally used it on Eden Prime."
Her eyes widen as she leaned forward. "Wait, you found an actual working prothean beacon, and you used it? Amazing." She said as she looked him over.
He winced slightly as he replied, "Yes, and I can't make heads or tails of the visions. To be quite honest with you, they're giving me terrible nightmares and headaches… and… I have no idea why I told you that last part." He looked at her looking him over and smiled. "Ease up there, Doctor. It almost seems as if you want to whisk me away to some lab and dissect me."
Her eyes flashed as she quickly replied, "What? No, I would… oh, you're doing it again, aren't you? Joking with me"
Shepard chuckled then nodded at her "Yes."
She stood slowly and walked up to him and hesitantly said, "May… I… do a meld with you?"
He blinked rapidly and tripped over his words, "I umm. Well… I... "
She suddenly realized what he was probably thinking, and she quickly responded "Oh, not that kind of meld Commander. This would be just a light melding to gather information to help with the visions. Besides I've never done one of those types of melds."
He chuckled as he pointed to her, "Nice one Doctor. I see your catching on."
Her brow markings pinched as she cocked her head, "I'm sorry, I don't understand. Catching on to what?"
He furrowed his forehead as he studied her face "Nothing, I umm miss understood you for a moment." He cleared his throat and changed the subject "Dr. T'Soni, if you decided to become part of this team, I'll need to find you some sleeping quarters. I believe there's a space behind the med bay. I'll send a message over to Dr. Chakwas about it. Also, if you don't mind, I'd like you to join me in training."
Liara stepped away from him and toward the documents, "Right the documents. I almost forgot. I'll take a look and get them back to you as soon as possible. Whenever you can find a place for me, I will be grateful. When's your next training day?"
"I'll let you know about training days the day before if that's ok. You're more than welcome to go down to the gym area and workout at any time. It's down on the bottom floor."
She nodded, "Thank you, Commander. I should head to the med bay and talk with Dr. Chakwas about those quarters. Thank you for speaking with me."
"It was my pleasure, Doctor, and please call me Shepard or Jon if you wish, but there's no need for formalities unless we're on a mission."
She smiled slightly. "Thank you, Shepard. Please call me, Liara."
"Well, I'll see you around Liara."