Date Night, Part 3

The Loft

"Hey Commander, we'll be docking with the Shadow Broker's station in about 15 minutes. Just F.Y.I."

"Thanks for the update Joker. Feel free not to tell me every five minutes."

"Just keeping you motivated. I know I'd've been ready and waiting by now if I was waiting for that big blue—" Leanna jabbed her finger on the mute button before Joker could say which attribute of Liara he found the most appealing.

"He's right, you know." Leanna turned toward the source of the voice, Kasumi, who was rummaging through the locker. "You really should get up there."

"Like this?" Leanna indicated her body, which was wearing underwear only.

Kasumi placed her hand on her chin, regarding Leanna like a painting. "Well, you'll certainly get her attention."

"Ha ha, very funny. Will you be serious for a minute and help me figure out what to wear?"

"I keep trying to, but you keep shooting down my suggestions."

"Well, maybe if you made better suggestions, I wouldn't have to shoot them down," Leanna retorted.

Kasumi threw up her hands in exasperation. "Well if I keep making bad suggestions, why are you even asking for my help?"

"Because you're the only one on this whole damn ship with any fashion sense!"

Kasumi place her hands on Leanna's shoulders to calm her down. "Shepard, if that's really what you think, then maybe you should let me decide."

"I…" Leanna sighed. "Ok. Just… just make it a good one, alright?"

Kasumi smiled. "I've know just the thing." She moved back to the locker and started searching for a dress. "So what's got you so stressed anyway?"

"Well, you see," Leanna flushed a bit, "it's my first date."

"Really, I thought you and Liara…"

"We never really had a date. Not unless you want to count the time we killed Saren, or the time we killed her mother."

"What's a date without a little bloodshed?" Kasumi quipped.

Leanna chuckled a bit. "And anyway, I didn't just mean it's my first date with her. It's my first date ever."

Kasumi stuck her head out. "Really! But I thought you'd…"

Leanna held up a hand. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I've been around. It's just that… the guys I was with didn't really care about me as a person, and the girl I got with… let's just say that sometimes, life doesn't give you all the time you think you need with a person."

"I'm… really sorry. I didn't know."

Leanna nodded. "That's why this has to go well. I don't know if I'll ever get another shot at it. Something could happen tomorrow and one or both of us could be dead. I don't want it to end and regret the only date I ever had."

Kasumi emerged from the locker holding a silky green dress. "Wear this, and I guarantee no regrets."

Leanna put it on as quickly as she could. "Well? Does it look alright?"

Kasumi smiled widely. "You better be careful. You wear that dress long enough and even I might sleep with you."

Leanna blushed.

---

With one minute to spare, Leanna strode confidently out of the elevator and through the CIC. She attracted few glances from the crew, who by now were used to the Commander wearing a dress, though this particular one stood out a bit more than the others.

Leanna soon found herself at the airlock, at which time she heard Joker say, "Just in time Commander, we're finishing docking procedures now."

"Thank you Joker."

"If you really want to thank me, take pictures."

Leanna rolled her eyes. "Don't push your luck."

A voice came over the intercom. "This is Liara T'Soni, requesting permission to come aboard."

Joker tapped a comm. panel. "Permission granted. Welcome aboard Doctor."

The doors hissed open. Through them strolled what was perhaps the most beautiful sight Leanna had seen in the past two weeks: Liara. Leanna took a minute to bask in the sight before she realized the expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?"

Liara realized that her mouth had been hanging open a bit. "It is just… that dress."

"You hate it, don't you? I knew I shouldn't have worn this. I never should've listened to—"

Liara raised her hands to stop her. "No, it is not that. The dress is lovely. What I meant to say was that it looks new."

The smile returned to Leanna's face. "Oh! Yes, it's new. I got it a few days ago."

Liara nodded. "I know that you were wearing the black dress before due to a lack of options, but I never expected you to intentionally dress—"

"—like a girl?" Leanna tried to finish.

"I was going to say 'formally'."

Leanna smiled. "I wanted to look nice for you. It's our first date together after all."

Liara's cheeks turned violet. "I am flattered Shepard."

"Besides, don't think I've gone too soft. I can still fit a pistol in this dress."

Liara looked her up and down. "Where?"

Leanna smirked. "You don't want to know."

"I do," Joker called from the cockpit.

Leanna ignored him. "So, we've got about two hours before dinner. I figure I can give you a tour of the new ship and then maybe we can go to my cabin and talk."

"The talking sounds nice, but I have already seen the ship."

"Ah," Leanna smiled, "but you've only seen a few areas while you walked around it. You haven't gotten the grand tour from Commander herself."

Liara returned the smile. "No, I suppose I have not."

"Very well." Leanna extended the crook of her arm to Liara. "Come with me Doctor T'Soni. Let me escort you as we explore this mighty vessel."

Liara gave her a puzzled expression. Leanna lowered her arm, whispered something in her ear, then stepped back and extended it again.

"Uh… yes." She linked her arm with Leanna's "Come Miss Shepard, escort me through this… ship."

"We'll work on it," Leanna replied quietly as they headed into the CIC.

"Hey Commander," Joker called after. "Don't forget to set up a camera if you two decide to start reenacting Vaenia."

Leanna yelled back, "Don't be an ass, Joker."

"What is Vaenia?" Liara whispered.

---

"And here we are at our final stop, the Loft," the doors opened, "better known as my room." Leanna entered the room, Liara following close behind.

Liara gazed over the room. "This certainly is impressive."

"Isn't it?" Leanna spread out her arms. "It's almost twice the size of my quarters on the old Normandy, plus I get a fish tank, a skylight, and my own private bathroom."

Liara wandered over to the fish tank. "Your fish look well taken care of."

"Wish I could take credit for that," Leanna chuckled. "Kelly comes up here once a day to feed them. When I tried doing it myself, they all died."

"Yes, you and Miss Chambers seemed to be very close." She turned to face Leanna. "There is not… anything between you two is there?"

"Well, like half the women on this ship, she's madly in love with me." Leanna was only half joking with this. "But, I explained that I was a one woman girl and you were the one for me, so she backed off."

Liara laughed lightly. "I see you are still thinking of me as a woman."

"Am I wrong to?"

Liara shook her head. "My time spent among other races has shown that most binary gender species think of us this way. Still, as I told you back when we first met, the Asari do not have the concept of gender."

Leanna shrugged. "You know what they say: 'If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, and can give birth to live children, then it's a woman."

Liara took a moment to process the confusing sentence before she said, "I see your knack for metaphor has not changed."

"You should see my simile," Leanna grinned.

The two made their way from the office alcove to the couch and sat down. A bottle of red wine and two glasses were waiting for them on the table. Leanna poured the wine and handed a glass to Liara.

"So," Liara said after taking a sip, "how are you doing Shepard? And I mean how you are really doing, not just what you tell your crew to keep their morale up."

Leanna downed half the glass before speaking. "I'm just taking it day by day. Some days, I worry about what's going to happen when the reapers come and no one's prepared for them because no one will listen. Other days, I just wish they'd show up and get it over with."

"You don't really mean that."

Leanna shook her head. "Of course I don't. I just… I have no idea what I'm doing or where I'm going. I feel like I've been moving non-stop since I first found out about the Reapers, and this wait is killing me. I feel like I'm not closer to stopping the Reapers than I was when we defeated Sovereign."

"Still, you have done more than most could claim against them. You defeated the Collectors in their own territory and… oh. I'm sorry; I forgot that you lost someone on the mission."

"You mean Zaeed, the one-eyed wonder merc?" Leanna laughed. "To be honest with you, I'm glad he's gone."

Liara was a little shocked. "I am… surprised to hear you say that. I never thought that you would speak so callously about the death of a teammate."

Leanna took another sip of wine. "That's the thing though: he was never really part of the team. He was just here for the money, and he made damn sure to remind me of that. I mean, yeah, I did favors for the rest of my squad, but I gained the trust of everyone, so much so that they're all sticking around, even though we don't have a mission right now. Zaeed though, he would've left the ship the moment we got back."

Liara raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

"Pretty sure, he said as much several times."

"You know Shepard, I know from experience that it can be difficult to open up to someone you've just met; to tell them you trust them, even though you have no reason to. Is it not possible that Zaeed trusted you but could not bring himself to tell you?"

A puzzled look spread across Leanna's face. "I don't… no. I don't think so. No, he couldn't have, could he?"

Liara shrugged. "I am unsure. I was simply telling you a possibility." She sipped her glass.

"Well, that was a downer." She drank the rest of her wine.

Liara set her glass down. "It is funny though. We finally get time alone together, and all we can talk about is others."

"Yep," Leanna replied, setting down her glass. "It's a real riot."

"So tell me—" Liara inched closer. "—what is it you want. If this all ends tomorrow, what happens to us?"

Leanna stretched her arms out on the sofa and leaned back. "You know, I was thinking of retiring, settling down, getting married, growing old, having a bunch of little blue children."

Liara gave her a playful shove. "You just say these things."

She stood, walking over to Leanna's second desk, upon which laid her old charred N7 helmet. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "Goddess Shepard, you were dead."

Leanna came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not anymore, and I have you to thank for it."

Liara turned. "We got lucky, but you burned that bridge already, and even if you had not, Cerberus no longer has the money to bring you back a second time." She moved next to the bed to look out the skylight at the stars. "When the Reapers finally come, you will be the first to dive into the fray."

Leanna followed her. "Liara?" she asked tentatively.

Liara turned to her, grasping her hands. "I spent two years without you, and I mourned for you every day. If we are going to be together, I need some sort of assurance that you will always come back."

"You want assurances? How's this?" Leanna freed her left hand and reached to the back of her ponytail. She undid the clasp that kept it tight and then removed the ring she had threaded her ponytail through for the last fifteen years. Without letting go of Liara's other hand, she got down on one knee.

"Shepard, what are you—"

"Liara T'Soni, will you marry me?"

Date Night, Part 2

Entry 225

I'm feeling a little anxious today.

The thing is… I've never really been on a date before. I know that Liara and I being together is the most natural thing in the world, but the idea of a date… well it scares the living hell out of me. And to make matters worse, it's not just a date but a double date. Ugh! I could just rip Kasumi's head off!

I think I finally decided on an outfit for the date. It's a sparkly blue dress I got the last time we were on Illium. Then again, that green one might work better. Damnit, now I've got to figure it out again!

Ok, moving on to food. That one shouldn't be too hard. What do people eat on a date? Wait, is this a food date? 1600 seems a little early for dinner. Should we do something first and then eat? God I am freaking out. I've got to talk to someone about this. Oh god, who do I talk to about this?

It's alright Leanna, calm down. I'll talk to Kasumi. She's the one who got me in to this, she can help me out. Not to mention she and Jacob are the only ones on the ship with a successful dating life.

I think Gardner's about to open up the kitchen. I guess I should go down for breakfast. Maybe playing a bit more "Crazy Pyjaks" wouldn't hurt though. I think I'm about to finish it and I heard there's some big boss fight at the end. Could be fun.

---

It was breakfast in the Mess Hall. Gardner was busy cooking. He'd managed to get one glove on this morning, though it wasn't the one that was touching the food unfortunately.

A few of the crew members were sitting at the larger table, either reading reports or talking between bites of food. The atmosphere on the Normandy had gotten a bit more relaxed since the Shadow Broker incident as there was very little anyone had to do.

Meanwhile, at the smaller table, Garrus and Tali sat, each apparently lost in their own thoughts.

Garrus finally broke through the silence. "Don't you ever get tired of it?"

Tali focused her attention on him. "Get tired of what?"

Garrus held up the tube he was eating out of; an identical one was attached to Tali's suit. "This. Day in, day out, eating the same paste for every meal, doesn't it get boring after a while?"

"I've… never really thought about it. Every meal I've eaten has been some sort of vegetable or protein paste."

"You've never even been curious? Never wanted to try some meat?"

"Of course I've been curious, but that's a major indulgence. For one, it's almost impossible to find someone willing to prepare meat in a way that a quarian could eat it. And even if you do, they make it so expensive that most quarians have to save up for years to afford it."

Garrus leaned forward slightly. "What if I told you that I know of a restaurant, no more than a few hours away by shuttle, that specializes in quarian and turian cooking?"

"That would be great, but there's no way I could afford to eat at a place like that."

"Then let me take you there, my treat."

Tali shook her head. "No way, that's too much money for anyone to be spending on my behalf."

Garrus held up a hand. "It's no big deal. The chef is a friend of mine. He owes me a favor. I'm sure I could get him to give us a discount. Besides, I'd really like to go to this place, but people always look at you funny if you show up alone."

Tali cocked her head to the side. "And they won't look at you funny if you show up with a Quarian?"

Garrus smiled. "Only the close-minded ones."

Tali thought for a moment. "Well…"

Out of nowhere, a fist hit Garrus on the side of the head, followed by someone yelling out, "You ass!"

Garrus grabbed the side of his head that had been struck and turned to face his attacker. "What the hell Shepard? That's my injured side!"

Leanna was standing there, her fists at her side, shaking with what looked like a combination of fear and rage. Tali took one look and began to leave, the tube of past still attached to her suit. Garrus reached out towards her with his free hand, but he was too late to stop her.

Leanna finally stopped seething enough to speak. "Why didn't you tell me there were Thresher Maws in that game?"

Garrus rubbed the spot where she'd hit him. The bandage had come off a week ago, but his exoskeleton hadn't entirely healed yet. It was still soft, which was probably why Shepard had targeted it in the first place. "Thresher Maws… You mean you beat the game?"

"No." The anger seemed to quickly subside as Shepard slumped down in the chair next to Garrus. "I made it all the way to the boss fight, and then that Thresher Maw burst out of the ground and then… I froze up. I just sat there, staring at the display until the time ran out. And when it did, I turned off my Omni-tool and was overcome with the strong desire to come down here… and hit you."

"Did it make you feel better?"

She looked at Garrus. "No. If anything, I feel worse. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. It's not like you would've known what kind of reaction I would've had to that. Hell, I didn't even know I'd freak out like that."

Garrus continued to rub the side of his head. The pain was subsiding, but not gone. "No, I'm sorry. I should've known better. I knew what happened at Akuze, but I just forgot. It's just that I've never seen you be anything but level-headed when facing down a Thresher Maw."

"Trust me; I'm terrified whenever we have to fight one of them. It's just that, usually when I'm terrified, my instinct is to shoot. Most of the time when we've faced down Maws, we've been in a tank, and the one time we had to fight one on foot, I happened to have a mini-nuke-launcher strapped to my back. But here I was, alone, unarmed and half-naked in my quarters. What was I supposed to do?"

"To be fair, the point of the game was to throw pyjaks at it."

Leanna gave Garrus a punch on the arm, much lighter this time. She smiled. "I'm sorry Garrus. I over reacted and I think I scared Tali off. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Garrus thought for a minute. "Maybe you could talk to Tali for me. I was trying to invite her out to this restaurant that serves dishes made exclusively with dextro-proteins. Maybe you could get her to say yes?"

"Really? I thought you were going to wait a while before you asked her out."

"It's not a date; not a real one anyway. I just figure she could use some time to blow off some steam. I'm worried about her. I… know what it's like to have family problems."

"Yeah, about that… don't mention what I said to here, about her not being over the loss of her father. I don't want her to know I was talking about this to anyone."

"So you mean you'll do it?"

Leanna gave a smile. "I'll do my best. I'll talk to her first thing after breakfast." She stood and turned to the kitchen, only to see Gardner scratching himself with his ungloved hand. "And now I've lost my appetite."

---

A few minutes later, Shepard entered the Engineering room. Ken and Gabby were having a hushed conversation while casting occasional glances at Tali. Leanna cleared her throat behind them.

"Guys, give us a minute?"

Gabby spoke first, "I'm gonna go check on the Cargo."

Ken chimed in as well. "Aye, I'll help ya with that."

Without another word, the pair left the room.

Leanna walked over to Tali. She was slumped against the console in front of her and her head was in her hands. She saw the empty protein-past tube on the ground a few feet away. "Tali?" she asked tentatively.

Tali turned her head towards Shepard. "What do you want from me?" She sounded as though she'd been crying, though Leanna was unsure if quarians cried.

Leanna took a single step forward. "I… just wanted to apologize. I didn't mean to scare you off like that."

Tali straightened herself up and turned back to the console. "Fine, you apologized. Is that all?"

"Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine Shepard."

Leanna took another step. "Ok, I may not act like it sometimes, but I am a woman, and I know that when another woman says that everything's fine, it means that something is decidedly not fine, so spill."

"Fine, you want to know what it is?" Tali turned to face her, placing her hand on her left hip. "It's you."

"Me?"

"Look Shepard, I have deep, strong feelings for you. I told you how I felt, and you said you had to talk to Liara first, and that was fine because I wasn't out of the running yet. Then Liara comes and she won't talk about it, so I encourage her to. Why, because I wanted you to be happy. Sure, part of me wanted her to decide it wouldn't work out and then we could be together, but I just kept telling myself it didn't matter as long as you were happy. But then, when it comes down to it, you two don't even talk it out do you? You just decided to get back together like the last two-and-a-half years never happened. And now, I'm still trying to say it's ok, just as long as you're happy, but it's not! It hurts! And I feel so alone!

"I know that if this were about anyone else, you'd be the first person I went to. You were there for me so many times, when Fist's goons attacked me, when I lost my squad on Haestrom, when my father died… but now it feels like there's no one I can talk to about this. The only person on this ship that I've known as long as you is Garrus, and I don't feel comfortable enough to talk about it with him.

"And then, once I finally get the courage to leave the lower decks and talk to someone, you burst in and punch Garrus as soon as he gets the courage to ask me out! That took a lot of courage, and you have to go all 'jealous girlfriend' on him over someone you already rejected!"

Leanna stood there in stunned silence for a few moments before speaking. "Ok Tali, first of all, I wasn't jealous of you and Garrus. I was upset at him for something he did that I thought he did for different reasons but he just forgot. Anyway, it had nothing to do with you and I'm sorry if I made it seem like that."

"Oh," Tali said in a mixture of relief, embarrassment and a slight bit of disappointment.

"And second, I'm sorry for not being there for you. You're my best friend and you've been there for me just as much as I've been for you. I don't think I could've gotten through the past few months since I was brought back without your help."

Tali quickly closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around her. "No Leanna, I'm sorry." She pulled back. "I shouldn't have exploded like that. It's not your fault I've been so distant. I guess… I just needed to vent. Look, I'll be ok. You should go; you have that date with Liara tonight."

"You know about that? Oh god, who else knows?"

"The Normandy's a small ship Shepard. Gossip spreads fast."

Leanna shook her head. "I really wish we were busy; then people would have something better to talk about than my personal life." Suddenly, inspiration struck. "You know what? I think I'm going to start instituting some mandatory shore leave, starting with you and Garrus."

"What?"

"Yep, as the only two on board who require dextro-proteins, I'm grouping you two together. Take the shuttle, go to that restaurant, have some fun together and don't come back for 24 hours. And here, take this." She reached into the pocket on her right leg and pulled out a credit chit. "It's got about 15,000 credits on it. Use as much as you need."

"I… I don't know what to say. Thank you, Leanna."

"Well don't just stand there! Tell Garrus and then start packing!"

"Right!" Tali headed for the door.

"And remember," Leanna called after her, "24 hours. Then I want you back here to tell me everything."

Tali made a gesture resembling a salute as she walked backwards through the door. "Yes Captain!" As she turned, Leanna could see a bit of a spring in her step.

Leanna exited through the other doors, only to run into Ken and Gabby, kissing each other in the space between the doors.

Leanna looked at them and said, "Get a room you two."

A voice cried from below, "And stay out of mine!"

Episode #4 – Date Night, Part 1

Entry 224

I'm restless.

Kelly said I should start each of these log entries by saying how I feel. She said that if I want to be in a better place emotionally, I needed to be honest with myself, which meant being honest with how I feel. So yeah, I'm feeling restless.

It's just that there's nothing going on right now. When I was in the Alliance, I was always on assignment. Even when I was with Cerberus, I had a million things to do beyond my main mission. I feel like I'm sitting on my hands, twiddling my thumbs here.

Wait, that sounds kind of weird. How would you do both?

Ok, it's not like I haven't done anything. Still, I'd hardly call clothes shopping with Kasumi a thrilling experience for either one of us. She didn't like having to pay for it, and I didn't like being escorted out for threatening to shoot that bitch who snaked the pants I wanted. It was just a leg.

Kelly also says I have a bit of an anger problem.

Right now, the only thing I have left to do is to convince the Alliance and the Council that the Reapers are real and they're coming. Doing both those things requires intelligence gathering skills that I don't have. That means it's up to Liara.

It's been nearly two weeks since I've seen her. She said she needed some time to get the Broker's base put back together and figure out what she's doing there before we talk out what we're doing together. Thankfully though, we've at least established that we're together.

I think Tali's taking it a little hard. I saw her in the mess yesterday, and when I asked her how she was and she said she was "happy for me." I'm starting to worry that she might decide to head back to the Migrant Fleet. I don't think I could bear to see her leave.

Anyway, that's my log entry for the day. Kelly said I have to make one each day so I guess I'll be doing another tomorrow. I hate it, but she's got me by the quad. She keeps threatening not to feed my fish if I don't.

---

Leanna leaned back in her chair, brought her hand up to her face, stroked the bridge of her nose, and sighed. She looked down at the silk pajamas she was wearing. They were a "gift" from Kasumi, though she didn't remember her buying it. She thought about getting dressed.

She tapped the comm. button. "Kelly, any calls?"

"No."

"Any messages?"

"No."

"Any missions?"

"No Commander Shepard."

"It's a good job, huh?"

There was a pause. "Is everything alright Commander? Do you need company?"

As it wasn't one of her counseling days, she knew exactly what Kelly meant by "company". "Uh, no thanks Kelly, I'm good. I'll be up in the loft if anyone needs anything."

She switched off the comm. Again, she contemplated getting dressed.

Instead, she switched on her omni-tool. She loaded up a game that Garrus had convinced her to buy. In it, she was trying to knock down buildings that varren had made by launching pyjaks at them. The concept made no sense, but damn if it wasn't addicting.

She was in the middle of a particularly challenging level when her stomach growled. There was no escaping it this time; she'd have to get dressed.

After saving her progress, she walked over to her armor locker, which doubled as her wardrobe. She looked through the much more substantial wardrobe she had now. Of course, she wasn't looking for anything too elaborate, just something she'd be comfortable wearing around her crew. In the end, she settled on a simple engineer's uniform that looked a bit like her old Alliance fatigues, only a lighter shade of blue.

Fifteen minutes later, she found herself in the mess hall. At her arrival, she saw Gardner make a mad dash to put on the gloves she'd bought him. Maybe I'll wait a few minutes before ordering anything.

"Would you like a seat Commander?"

She turned to see that Jacob was offering her the chair across from his. She looked at the chair, shrugged and said "Why not."

The chair she sat in was next to Garrus. Across from him was Kasumi, who was deliberately trying to look like she had not just been cuddling with Jacob. She looked at the food in front of Jacob.

"Lunch already? You mean I missed breakfast?"

Garrus smiled, or at least what she'd always assumed was the Turian equivalent of a smile. "Maybe if you got up in time you'd make it to breakfast."

"I was up in time. I've been up for," she checked the ship time on her omni-tool; it was 1130 hours, "four and a half hours."

Jacob chuckled. "You spent four and a half hours in your room?"

Kasumi elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to almost choke on his sandwich.

Leanna lightly smacked Garrus's arm with the back of her hand. "It's your fault anyway."

"How is it my fault?"

"That damn game you made me buy. Ever since I got it, I play it whenever I'm bored, and I'm bored all — the — time."

Jacob had finished his sandwich and was holding Kasumi's hand. "Yeah, I liked the quiet for a little bit, but now…"

Leanna made a gesture to Jacob indicating her agreement. "Right? You know what I'm talking about. In the Alliance, we hardly had downtime. Shore leave only ever lasted what, a week, if that? Most days you spent on a ship you at least had something to do."

Kasumi let go of Jacob's hand to grab Leanna's. "I've got a great idea. Why don't you call up Liara and set up a date."

Leanna regarded her quizzically. "A date?"

Kasumi's smile broadened. "In fact, why don't we make it a double date? You and Liara with me and Jacob."

"Wait, what?"

Jacob turned to her as well. "Yeah, what?"

Kasumi looked at him from under her hood. "Oh come on. This is our one chance to do a couples night. It's not like there's anyone else we can double with, unless of course Ken and Gabby realize what's between them."

"What about Garrus?"

"Garrus is single sweetie."

"Yeah, but maybe he and Tali should hook up. I mean, they've both got that dextro-DNA thing, so they're biologically compatible, and they've known each other for a while. I think they'd be a good fit."

Garrus looked between Jacob and Kasumi, his mandibles quivering expectantly. "You really think she'd go for me?"

Kasumi shared a look with Leanna before speaking. "I don't think now's a good time. She's… um…"

Shepard chimed in, "Still mourning for her father."

"Yeah, that," Kasumi nodded.

Garrus's expression fell. "Yeah, you're right. It's too soon. I guess I didn't think of that." He looked at his half-finished tube of protein paste. "You know, I'm not hungry anymore. I'm gonna go work on some calibrations." They all said goodbye to Garrus as he headed for weapon control.

When he was out of sight, Kasumi turned back to Leanna. "So, double date? Come on, you owe me." She cast her a look that said, because of what I just did for you.

Leanna gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine, I'll call her. I'm not promising anything though. If she doesn't want to, then we're not doing it."

Kasumi smiled. "Trust me, she'll want to."

---

Leanna sat at her private terminal. She was trying to psych herself up to make a call. She didn't know why she was so nervous, it was Liara. Asking her out should've been the most natural thing in the world. This was different though. She'd never asked Liara on a date before. Hell, she'd never asked anyone on a date before.

After sitting there for fifteen minutes, she finally pressed the call button on the comm. The screen on her terminal went black, with a large white line spanning across it that oscillated with the voice that spoke. "This is the Shadow Broker."

She hated this part. "It's Shepard."

There was a pause before, "Vocal ID recognized. Securing connection."

The line began to expand both upwards and downwards until it took up the whole screen. He now saw a drell, the Broker's base behind him.

"Hi Feron. Is Liara available?"

"Actually, she left strict instructions that she was not to be disturbed…" he paused for a moment, "unless of course, you were to call."

Leanna gave a light smile. "Can you go get her for me?"

"Yes Shepard. One moment."

The screen returned to the white line for a moment. Leanna amused herself by flicking a few pyjaks at some varren. The screen flickered on again.

There was the most beautiful blue face Leanna had seen in quite some time. She looked even better because she was smiling. "Shepard, it is good to see you!"

Leanna smiled back. Every trace of nervousness was forgotten. "Hey there Blue. Long time no see."

"I am truly sorry about not calling you lately. I have just been very busy being the new Shadow Broker."

"Too busy to take a night off, like maybe tomorrow?"

"I do not know Shepard. I am unsure if I can…"

Leanna began to pout. "Please Liara, for me?"

Liara smiled. "Oh, alright. I suppose I could let Feron handle things here for a single evening. You know I can never say no to that face."

Leanna gave a coy smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Tomorrow, 1600 hours Normandy time. I'm not sure what that is on your station's time, but I'll send you a timestamp so you can set your clock by it. Deal?"

"I'll see you then Shepard."

As the call ended, Leanna was feeling much better about herself.

Flashback – You're Welcome

Miranda stared at the report she'd just written. It was odd to think she wouldn't be sending it anywhere.

To be perfectly honest, writing the report had been completely meaningless. She'd essentially quit her position with Cerberus and she knew that Shepard hated reading through paperwork. Still, there was something comforting about the act.

The door opened.

"Got a minute Miranda?" Shepard walked in.

Miranda looked at her terminal, then back up at Shepard. "I suppose this can wait. Have a seat."

Shepard sat in the chair on the opposite side of Miranda's desk. For a moment, the two women just looked at each other. Finally, Shepard spoke, "I want to thank you, Miranda."

"Thank me for what?"

"For standing by me. For supporting my decision to blow up the base. I was afraid that you were going to side with the Illusive Man and try to stop me from destroying it. That you didn't, well, it means a lot to me."

"It was a stupid thing to do."

Shepard was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Not you. You made the right decision. I didn't. I never should have quit Cerberus."

"You're wishing you had stopped me?"

"Shepard, I'm not like you. I can't just strike out on my own. I've always been working for someone. First it was my father, then Cerberus. I don't know if I can make it without them."

Shepard smirked. "Is that what this is about? Miranda, I've never been on my own. I make it by because I have my friends, my ship and my crew. Sometimes I feel like I only got where I am because better people helped me get here."

"You can't really think that, can you? What about Akuze? You survived while 50 others died."

"49 actually, thank you very much Cerberus. And second, I only survived due to dumb luck and… someone else who sacrificed her life for mine."

"There you go though. Why would someone else sacrifice their life for you they didn't see how important you were?"

Shepard shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Trust me, that wasn't the reason."

"I've met plenty of people in my lifetime, and not one of them would be willing to sacrifice themselves to save me."

"I would," Shepard stated flatly.

"Very funny Shepard."

"I'm not joking. Miranda, everyone on board this ship is like family to me. I'd risk my life to save any of them, including you."

Miranda was shocked. She'd been called many things in her life; some of them had even been complimentary, but family? Hell, her own father had never called her that. "I… thank you Shepard."

The two women sat in silence for a few moments before Shepard spoke up. "Miranda, I have to ask you something."

"Of course, what is it Shepard?"

"Am I… alright?"

Miranda was nonplussed. "What do you mean by 'alright'?"

"I'm just… worried is all."

"What are you worried about?"

"The Lazarus Project."

Miranda was even more confused. "The Lazarus Project is over. We brought you back."

"Did you?" Shepard stood and began pacing frantically. "I mean, you say I'm fine, and for all I know you're right, but how can I be sure? How can I trust my senses, if my memories are lies?"

Miranda was beginning to comprehend. "You're saying… you're not sure if you're the real Shepard?"

She stopped pacing and slammed her hands on the desk. "Yes!"

"Shepard, I supervised the Lazarus project myself. Even though the technology that brought you back was Wilson's, I was present for everything he did and I understood the science of it, possibly better than Wilson himself. I can assure you, you're the genuine article."

Shepard jabbed her hand at her temple. "But what about my mind? Just because you grew me from the original Shepard's body doesn't mean we have the same mind, does it?"

"Why don't you tell me? Look back on your memories. Do they inspire the same feelings they used to?"

Shepard sat back down, closing her eyes. "I… I think so." Her eyes opened. "But how do I know they're true?"

Miranda grabbed her hand. "Shepard, every cell in your body was dead, that's true, but the way your body was preserved, every cell in your brain was completely intact. We were able to restore nearly every one and the ones we didn't could easily be chalked up to a night of heavy drinking."

"You're sure? I'm… I'm really Shepard? I'm not just some clone with her memories?"

Miranda smiled, "You are one-hundred percent Shepard, through and through."

To her great surprise, this didn't cheer her up at all. Shepard laid her head on her arm and began a dry sob. "Then why don't I feel anything?"

The smile dropped from Miranda's face. "What do you mean?"

Shepard raised her head. Her face was dry but her eyes were red. "Every time I've lost people, it's hurt. When my squad died on Akuze, I was a wreck. When I lost Jenkins on Eden Prime, it hurt. When Kaiden died on Virmire, I was devastated. Now, Zaeed dies in the collector base, and I feel nothing, and now you tell me that's supposed to be normal!"

"I see. You wanted me to tell you that you were a clone, didn't you; that you were somehow not the real Shepard. I'm sorry, but I won't lie to you like that. You're the real deal and you have to accept that and learn to live with these emotions, or lack thereof."

"Miranda, I need help! I need to know why I don't seem to care."

Miranda thought for a moment. "Tell me, how close were you to your squad on Akuze?"

"We were very close. Most of us had joined the alliance together. I'd shared a barrack with half of them during basic training."

Miranda nodded. "And Jenkins?"

"I wouldn't say we were close. I'd only just met the kid a few weeks ago. Still, he seemed like a good kid. I thought he had a lot of potential."

"What about Kaiden?"

"Kaiden was a great friend. He was the first person who managed to bring me out of my shell after I lost my team on Akuze. Losing him was… a tragedy."

"Now, tell me how you felt about Zaeed?"

"He was… not the best person I'd known. His first reaction to everything seemed to be to shoot it or at least punch it. Ninety-five percent of his stories ended everyone but him dying, to the point where I just stopped talking to him… I guess you could say… I didn't like him."

Miranda nodded her head again. "I'm no psychologist, but I think that's the reason you're not upset he's gone."

"But…" Shepard considered her words, "don't you think that sounds a bit… selfish?"

"Everyone's selfish Shepard, it's just to what degree. Zaeed's own selfish desires put him at the forefront of the distraction team. He used himself as a human shield and that got him killed. Maybe a part of you knew that would happen. Maybe a part of you wanted him dead."

Shepard cupped her face in her hands. "I don't want to believe I have that part in me."

Miranda grabbed her hand. "Everyone does Shepard. The trick is, saving it for people who truly deserve it. I don't think Mr. Massani will be missed by anyone, do you?"

Shepard thought for a moment. "No. No, I suppose you're right. I… I think the galaxy's a better place with him being dead, and I… I don't miss him at all." The words seemed alien to her, like she was spitting them out through a second mouth. She rubbed her eyes. "I don't want to have these thoughts anymore."

"Maybe you just need to relax."

Shepard stood. "Yeah, you're right. In fact, I was gonna head to Omega for a drink. Want to come with? It's just me, Kelly and Garrus right now."

Miranda looked at her desk, then back up at Shepard. "I don't think I'd be good company right now. Perhaps another time."

"Ok, then." Shepard headed for the door, stopping just before it opened, "And Miranda, thank you… for everything."

Miranda smiled. "You're welcome Shepard."

As the door closed behind Shepard, Miranda turned to her terminal. She saved and closed the report, then brought up her extranet-mail. She began a new message.

"Dear, Oriana…"

The Hunt, Part 5

Interrogation Room, Continued

Liara's heart was racing. Time seemed to stand still. She turned to face Feron, waiting for the inevitable moment when the electricity with surge through him and burn out his central nervous system.

Nothing happened.

This had not gone unnoticed by Thirty-six, who was now mashing the console button repeatedly.

"What in the—"

Shepard raised her pistol. "Say 'Good Night' Thirty-six."

Liara, for whom time was still moving slowly, could see it all in her mind's eye. The pistol sheared a few atoms off the large metal block it used for ammunition. The shot was enveloped by a mass effect field and propelled forward, to the point that it had nearly reached the speed of sound when it erupted from the barrel of the pistol.

Upon emerging, mass effect field was merged with Shepard's own biotics, causing the shot to increase in velocity, rather than decrease. The shot was now spinning. It was almost beautiful as it crossed the room.

The shot then impacted Thirty-six's exposed head. The shields overloaded like they weren't even there. The mass effect field that enveloped the shot caused it to flatten out, spreading the impact over the majority of the man's forehead.

In that instant, time returned to normal as Thirty-six's head was obliterated. It did not explode like Vasir's, it was simply gone. His headless body fell backwards, collapsing onto the wall.

Liara just stood there, staring at the place where Thirty-six once stood. The only emotion she could convey was shock. "How… how did…?"

Tali ran over to the console, scanning it with her omni-tool. "I managed to disable the console remotely."

"But how did you…?"

Tali held up her arm with the omni-tool on it. "I believe the appropriate expression is 'Duh'."

Liara turned to Shepard, hoping for answers. Leanna tapped her visor. "While Thirty-six's attention was on you, Tali and I worked out the plan to disable his console, making it safe for us to stop him without endangering Feron. We would've let you in on the plan, but we had no way of communicating with you that he wouldn't have spotted."

"Why did you let him… make me choose?"

"Tali had just cracked it by then. I tried to stop you, but you just kept going."

Tali chimed in. "Guys, we've got a problem. Feron's chair is hooked into the Shadow Broker's mainframe. I managed to disable the console, but if we try to take him now the chair will still fry him."

Liara approached the unconscious drell. "Feron, can you hear me?"

He stirred, waking up. "Liara? Is that you?"

She took his hand. "Yes, it is me. I have come to rescue you, just like I said I would."

"You can't Liara. It's too dangerous."

"It is all right. We have already made it here. We just need to free you and make it to safety."

Feron gave a weak chuckle. "You can't take me out of here. The chair is connected to the Broker's information network. The only way to disable the mechanism is to take it out at its source, the Broker's office."

Shepard walked up to Feron's other side. "What can you tell us about the Broker?"

Feron turned his head towards the voice. "Who's that?"

"I'm Commander Leanna Shepard."

He turned back to Liara. His eyes were starting to focus again. "So you did it. You found Shepard. And she's alive too. At least now I know it was all worth it." He turned back to Shepard. "I'm afraid I can't be of much help. There's a VI monitoring my words. If I say the wrong thing, I'll be shocked, and in this state, that might knock me out again."

"Then we'd better hurry." She made her way to the door, Tali following close behind.

"Shepard, wait. About what I said earlier…"

Leanna cut her off. "Like you said Liara, we'll talk about it when this is finished."

---

The doors to the Shadow Broker's office opened.

Shepard entered, Liara and Tali flanking her. They all drew their weapons and pointed them at the thing they could only assume was the Shadow Broker.

The Broker was probably the most alien intelligent life form Shepard had ever seen. Its face was oddly flat, with horns emerging out of the top and odd fin-like flaps that she could only assume were sensory organs. Its triangular mouth contained rows of very sharp teeth, jutting out at odd angles. Just above the mouth were two sets of four eyes arranged in a type of parallelogram.

He was also very, very big. Bigger than a krogan even.

"I take it you're here for the Drell. A reckless move Commander, even by your standards."

"And I'm supposed to believe blowing up a building on Illium is your idea of subtlety?"

"My methods were extreme, but your actions required it."

"Nothing justifies what you have done!" Liara yelled, "The bombing, Vasir, caging Feron for two years like some sort of animal!"

"It was your hand that caused this Dr. T'Soni. You convinced Feron to betray me and give you the body. Now he serves as an example that disloyalty will not be tolerated."

Shepard spoke up. "What did you intend to gain by turning me over to the Collectors?"

"A great deal actually. Of course, now that you've destroyed them, I no longer need you alive. I can still use the Normandy's IFF to salvage the remains of the Collectors' base."

Liara glared at him. "You sound very confident for someone who is used to hiding. I don't know if you've noticed, but you are outnumbered."

"Perhaps, though I'm surprised you brought the Quarian with you. Her supposed leadership on Haestrom resulted in the deaths of the majority of her team."

Shepard tightened her grip. "You shut up about Tali."

"It's pointless to challenge me. I know your every secret, while you fumble in the dark."

"You think so?" Liara smirked. "You are a Yahg. Your species was quarantined to its homeworld for the massacre of the Council's first contact team. This base's age predates the discovery of your planet, meaning you killed the previous Shadow Broker sixty years ago, and then took over with no one noticing the difference. I would wager you were taken from you planet by a trophy hunter looking for a slave… or perhaps a pet.

"How am I doing so far?"

In one swift movement, the Shadow Broker ripped his desk from the ground and threw it at the three of them.

Shepard had little time to react. She grabbed Liara, moving them both out of the way of the desk. Tali was not so lucky.

Shepard took a moment to steal a glance at Tali. She was unconscious, the Shadow Broker's desk on top of her. Her visor data told her that Tali was still alive.

Liara stood, Shepard rising with her. They both turned their guns on the Shadow Broker. They were in for the fight of their lives.

---

The cascade of information washed over him. For a moment, he didn't just have information, he was information. It was too much for him though. He could not handle the strain. His skin began to crack as the energy tried to escape. Within seconds, he was vaporized. Gone, without a trace.

Leanna lay on the floor some distance away. The sheer charge of the blast had blacked out her visor. She retracted it as she waited for it to reboot.

Liara approached. Her expression was unreadable, but she offered a hand. Shepard took it and helped herself up.

From the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Tali appeared to be stirring. Leanna walked over to help.

The Lights flickered and died for a moment before the back-up generators kicked in. Shepard knew that would be enough to disable Feron's chair.

As Shepard helped Tali, Liara noticed that the Broker's computers were coming back online. Signals were coming in. Various operatives and agents were asking what had happened.

Liara had been afraid of this. The Shadow Broker was in charge of an empire. If they killed him and then left, there would be a power vacuum. Unless…

Liara steeled herself, like she had done so many times before. She approached the console and brought up the comms, sending out a general message to all of the Shadow Broker's agents and operatives.

"This is the Shadow Broker. The situation is under control. We experienced a power fluctuation while upgrading hardware. It caused a momentary disruption of communications. We are now back online. Resume standard operating procedures. I want a status report on all operations within one solar day. Shadow Broker out."

"Liara? You… how did you?"

Liara turned to see Feron. He looked thinner than she last remembered and he was limping, but he was free.

"Everyone who has ever seen the Shadow Broker is either dead or in this room."

"So you become the new Shadow Broker?"

Shepard chimed in. "What about this strikes you as even a remotely good idea?"

"If we leave this behind, we lose everything he had. His contacts, his trading resources, not to mention the intelligence he's gathered over the decades. We may find the key to defeating the Reapers. With all this, maybe I can finally give you… I can…"

Tali grabbed Feron. "Why don't we get ourselves checked up? Somewhere far, far away from here."

They both walked out the main doors.

Leanna watched them leave, then turned her attention back to Liara. Her face was buried in her hands. Leanna gently touched her shoulder. Liara turned, tears in her eyes.

"It is over. Two years and it is finally…"

Leanna grabbed her and hugged her. Even through the armor, it was comforting to both of them.

"It's all right," Leanna whispered gently.

Liara drew herself back slowly, then suddenly kissed her.

She drew back just as quickly. "I'm sorry. I know it has been two years. We have both changed so much. We need to talk it out and…"

Leanna grabbed her again. "You talk too much T'Soni." She kissed her, drawing her in an embrace they both hoped would never end.

End of Episode #3

The Hunt, Part 4

Interrogation Chamber, Shadow Broker's Base

"That's close enough Dr. T'Soni."

A man stood at a console next to Feron's unconscious body. He was wearing the typical Shadow Broker armor, but no helmet. His hair had the disheveled look of a man under great stress. His normally handsome visage was contorted with a manic smile.

"One false move and I fry this Drell's central nervous system. That goes for all of you," he added, gesturing to Shepard and Tali.

Liara stopped moving, but kept her gun trained on the man. "We're here for Feron. Release him and we'll be on our way."

"I know what you're here for you Blue Bitch–" Leanna had to steel herself to not shoot him at that point, "–and you're not getting it."

"Do you know this man Liara?"

Liara closed her eyes for a moment. "Yes. This is Agent 36, one of the Shadow Broker's top lieutenants," she hesitated for a moment, "and Vasir's lover."

Thirty-six gave a manic chuckle. "You find that out through your info-network? Or was it when you raped her mind?"

"I did what I had to."

"So did I! And now she's where none of you can hurt her again!"

Leanna finally understood. "You did it. You triggered the explosion. You… killed her."

"I would've rather she died than have to live with the indignity of being used in her–" he pointed his pistol at Liara, "–demented little scheme!"

A voice chimed in from the back. "Look who's talking."

"Seriously not helping Tali."

"Sorry Shepard."

Liara took a minute to contemplate the situation. "So, your threatening Feron is not part of the Shadow Broker's orders then. This is all just part of some revenge scheme. You intend to kill me for what I did to Vasir."

"You think me killing you will get me any sort of revenge?" Thirty-six laughed. "No, I intend to make your life meaningless, just like mine became when you forced me to do what I did. I will expose you as the dirty girl you are, and then I will take away the thing that gives your life purpose."

Liara surveyed the room for anything she could biotically manipulate without drawing too much attention. Unfortunately, everything was bolted to the floor. She would have to play along with Thirty-Six's game until she could get a clear shot without endangering Feron.

When Thirty-six next spoke, his voice was suddenly much calmer. "It's interesting what you said earlier. You 'did what you had to.' That's not the first time you used that excuse, is it?"

"I don't want to hear any stories," Shepard had a touch of impatience in her voice. "What Liara's done as an information broker doesn't matter."

"Oh, I think you'll like this story. It's a very good one. It explains how everyone got here. How the Drell wound up in this chair; how she became a broker; it even explains how you're walking around right now!"

Liara shifted uncomfortably. This was not how she wanted Leanna to find out, but there was nothing she could do right now, not without effectively killing Feron anyway.

Thirty-six looked from Shepard to Liara, then back. "Don't tell me she hasn't told you?" He laughed again, this time less manic but much more sinister. "Well, let me tell you the tale."

"No!"

Thirty-six turned back to Liara. "You shouldn't lie to people you claim to love. I'm sorry little girl, but you don't have much choice in the matter. This story will be told whether you like it or not."

"I do have a choice." Liara lowered her pistol. "Shepard, when Feron was captured, it was because I sacrificed him in order to recover your body."

Leanna's turned her head to Liara, still keeping her gun pointed at Thrity-six. "I thought Cerberus recovered my body?"

"They had your body because I gave it to them."

"Why… why would you do that? You knew what they did to me. You saw what they did to me, through my eyes. How could you give my body to Cerberus?"

"I had to. They said they could bring you back. I know they could have just as easily been lying, but I didn't care. I needed you back."

"Selfishness," Thirty-six chuckled. "You abandoned a comrade and turned your lover over to her worst enemies, just because you couldn't live without her."

"That's not true! That Galaxy needs Shepard. She's the only one who can stop the Reapers!"

"Ah yes, the 'Reapers'–" now Leanna really wanted to kill him, "–that you claim wiped out the Protheans. Tell me, if the Reapers exist, why is it that the Shadow Broker has never found anything to confirm their existence?"

Shepard gripped her pistol tightly. "The evidence is there. Anyone who's seen it and refuses to acknowledge it is either lying or fooling themselves."

Thirty-six laughed again. "No matter. The point remains that what Liara did was selfish, and now she will have to make a new choice, but it's the same as last time!" He cackled manically. "You can save Feron, whom you came so gallantly to rescue, but it comes at a price! You must leave behind Shepard!

"Oh, don't worry. She'll be quite unharmed. Of course, she'll be a prisoner of the Shadow Broker, never allowed to leave the confines of this station. It's safer for the galaxy anyway. They won't have to be bothered by her insane delusions of Galactic Reapers.

"So which will it be? The man you came all this way to rescue? Or the woman you profess to love, but probably hates you for what your selfishness has done to her?"

Liara turned to Thirty-six, a determined look in her eyes. "I choose—"

"Liara, you don't have to do this!"

"It is all right Shepard. I do have to do this. I choose Shepard."

Thirty-six seemed puzzled. His maniac smile faltered. "Really? You'd choose her? Even knowing you two might never have a future together?"

"I've sacrificed too much to get her back. Feron, the last two years, they might as well mean nothing if I hand her over to you. She may hate me for what I've done, but to deprive the galaxy of her is the worst thing I can imagine. Now do what you're going to do and let us get this over with."

Thirty-six's face contorted again, this time with rage. "Then so be it!" He jammed his thumb on the console button.

The Hunt, Part 3

Planet Halagaz, Sowilo System

The Normandy began its stealth run to the planet. Of course, stealth was a relative term. It would still be visible to anyone who just looked out a window. Thankfully though, the Broker's base wasn't a tourist destination.

---

Liara stood in the Normandy's cockpit, gazing in awe at the planet. She almost didn't notice when Tali came up behind her.

"Did you talk to her?"

Liara broke her attention from the view-port and turned to Tali. "Yes, I did."

"And?"

"We… we're going to discuss it later."

"You didn't tell her, did you?"

Liara cast her gaze to the floor. "It's not that I didn't want to, it's just… complicated."

"Well you better un-complicate it soon. She's not going to wait on you forever."

Liara lifted her head up just in time to see Shepard walking towards them, now fully suited up.

"You two talking about anything I should be worried about?"

Tali whirled around. "What? No! Why would we be talking about you? Not to say we were talking about you; not to say you thought we were talking about you; I didn't mean we don't want to talk about you—"

"Relax Tali." Leanna held up her hands in a calming gesture. "It was a joke."

"Oh. Of course. A joke. I guess I should have known."

"It's Ok," Leanna smiled. "It's cute when you ramble."

Liara felt a twinge of jealousy at that. While Tali had agreed to hold off her pursuit of Leanna for the time being, she couldn't help but envy the time they'd shared since her resurrection. She wondered if she would ever be able to be that close to her again. Not if you continue to keep her at arm's length, she told herself.

"Shepard," Liara said, perhaps a bit too loudly, "we're approaching Halagaz. There's a large lightning storm that Joker is going to try to maneuver us in to. Once there, we will be able to launch the shuttle undetected and land it on the Broker's base."

"Yeah, go ahead. Just talk about me like I'm not even here."

"Don't be an ass Joker," Leanna yelled to the front of the cockpit.

"I'm just saying, I coulda said the same thing."

Liara thought back to the first time she heard Joker's unusual brand of humor. At the time, she'd found it annoying, now she found it endearing. She realized how much she missed being part of the crew; part of Shepard's crew.

"Are you all right?" Leanna asked as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

Unbidden, memories of the intimate moments they'd spent together flooded her mind. She tried to push them aside and return to the task at hand.

"I am fine." She took a deep but silent breath to compose herself. "We should head to the shuttle."

Without another word, she headed to the elevator, Tali and Shepard close behind.

---

Agent 36 stood at his new console aboard the Shadow Broker's vessel. He was tasked with coordinating the Broker's security forces is the pending assault. Furthermore, he was to be the last line of defense should the existing forces fail.

He was flanked by two rocket troopers, three soldiers, and an Asari Vanguard whose name he'd never gotten around to learning.

An alert popped up. He pressed the comm. button. "Sector 9, report!"

"We lost a few maintenance drones. Happens all the time in the storm. Should be nothing to worry about."

"I don't want to hear that, not when were under threat of assault. Dispatch a recon team to be sure."

"Affirmative, sir"

A minute later, another alarm went off, this time in Sector 8.

"I'm reading unscheduled capacitor discharge, what's going on?"

"Sir, the recon team is dead. They reported seeing something, but just before they said what, they were electrocuted by one of the capacitors."

Thirty-six swore under his breath. "It's got to be them. They'll be heading up the length of the ship to the secure door. Dispatch Alpha forces in defense pattern Bravo-One-Niner."

"Deploying sir."

Thirty-six checked the security cams. Unfortunately, due to the ships location in the storm, there weren't any mounted on the exterior of the ship. The Broker would rather keep his location undiscovered than heavily protected. In fact, the crew currently guarding the station was nearly ten times the standard amount.

"Sir, Alpha forces are down. Intruders have breached into sector 6."

"Deploy Bravo and Charlie teams, and tell them to mind the capacitors."

I swear Tela, you will not have died in vain, he thought to himself.

---

The trio reached the main door, mostly unscathed.

Shepard passed her omni-tool over the door. "It's too secure. I can't bypass it. How the hell are we supposed to get in?"

"Stand back," Liara advanced with a small device, "I have a bypass shunt program that can crack it."

She attached the device to the door. It lit up similar to an omni-tool, but with additional displays. It did indeed seem to be hacking the door.

"How long will this take?"

"I do not know," Liara replied. "I have not broken into this particular Shadow Broker base before."

"But are you sure it's working?"

"It is outlawed, even on Illium."

"But you at least tested it, right?"

Tali called out, "Shepard, we've got incoming hostiles!"

"Liara, tell me you tested it!"

"No time to talk!"

Liara unleashed a biotic wave at the attackers.

---

Thirty-six checked his console. The intruders had already taken out squads Echo, Foxtrot and India, and their shunt program was almost finished with the door.

He jammed the comm. button unnecessarily hard, "Teams Whiskey, Sierra, Tango: deploy in spread formation. Converge on all sides. Don't let them get through that door!"

He cycled through the cameras and stopped at the Drell prisoner. A thought occurred. He pressed the comm. again. "Victor squad, this is Thirty-six. I want you on the door. Tell November squad to take position by the prisoner and have Oscar squad take the mid-point. Move out!"

He switched off the comm. and turned to the men with him. "Zulu squad, I want you to hold this position. No one gets past."

"Yes sir," they said in unison.

He headed for the door. "I have some unfinished business to take care of."

---

Shepard took out the last goon with a laser-guided pistol shot to the head.

Liara gestured to a nearby door. "That should be where they are keeping Feron."

The door was sealed, but Tali made quick work of the lock. They filed in, Shepard taking point. Feron was there, alive but unconscious. He was strapped to what looked like some sort of interrogation chair.

And he wasn't alone.

The Hunt, Part 2

Location Unknown

In a dark room, a man sat at a computer, his finger hovering above a button he'd pressed mere moments ago.

The display in front of him said "Signal Lost, Operative Terminated".

He clenched his eyes and managed to hold back all but a single tear.

A voice sounded out from the terminal. It was deep and distorted, but clear and familiar. "Good work Agent 36. You did what needed to be done."

"I didn't… I can't believe she tried to do that."

"Now you see how dangerous they are. They will stop at nothing to achieve their goal of including falsely accusing me of conspiring with their made up enemy."

Agent 36's face twisted itself in anger. Pounding his fist on the wall, he yelled, "They won't get away with this!"

"There is a transport waiting for you. It will take you to where I need you to be."

"Yes. I will make them pay for their crimes, Shadow Broker."

---

Liara stepped out of the Normandy's shower and toweled herself dry. She placed the towel in the reclamator, put on the clean outfit she had brought with her and stepped back into the Deck 3 proper.

She passed by several crew members, many of which had in some way defaced the Cerberus logos on their uniforms. As she headed past the mess hall to the med bay, she was stopped when a voice called out from behind her.

Liara turned, "Oh, hello Tali. Are you going to see Shepard too?"

"I already did. Wait, do you mean you haven't?"

"I wanted to get cleaned off first. I had bits of Vasir on me."

There was a pause before Tali spoke again. "She misses you, you know."

Liara was surprised by the turn the conversation had taken. "I don't see what business it is of yours."

"Leanna is my friend. If it affects her, it is my business, and right now she's hurting because of you."

Liara was taken aback. "You care for her, don't you?"

"How could I not? She's saved me, no matter what stupid situation I've gotten myself caught in, and she never asks for anything in return. She's done more for me than anyone back on the flotilla, and that includes my own Father. But she doesn't want me. She wants you. So the question is do you still care for her?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then why don't you tell her!"

"I can't. She doesn't know. She doesn't know what I've done… what I had to do… while she was gone. If I told her, I know she would hate me." Liara bowed her head slightly and shut her eyes.

"You won't know unless you talk to her." She pulled out a datapad from one of the pockets on her suit. "Look, maybe you need this more than I do."

Liara opened her eyes and looked at the datapad. It contained two educational vids: "Understanding Body Language: Human Edition" and "Human Courtship and Mating". She lifted her head back up to look at Tali.

"Of course," Tali's mouthpiece flashed, "If you don't use it, I'll want it back."

Liara managed to return a half-hearted smile before she turned to the med bay.

---

The doors opened with a hiss as Liara entered.

Dr. Chakwas looked up from her desk. "I'll leave you two alone." She got up and exited through the still open doors.

Liara walked over to the exam table that Leanna was laying on. A blanket was draped over her, covering her to just above her breasts. Her dark red hair, which she normally kept up in a ponytail, was loose and touching her shoulders. Her eyes were closed shut.

"Shepard?" Liara called out tentatively.

Leanna's green eyes fluttered open. She looked over at Liara. "Hey there blue girl."

Liara breathed a sigh of relief. "Goddess Shepard, don't scare me like that!"

Leanna cracked a smile. "Well I wouldn't have if you'd shown up faster." She propped herself up on her elbows.

"I am sorry. It was just that, I was filthy and I wanted to make myself more presentable first."

"I don't mind it when you're filthy," Leanna smirked.

Liara ignored the comment. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm good. Dr. Chakwas gave me a once over, but it seems I put my barrier up in time. My dress is a mess though," she lifted the covers briefly to show Liara she was naked. "I'm just waiting here until Kelly can get it clean."

"Do you know what caused Vasir to… blow up like that?"

"Mordin theorizes it was an ocular flashbang grenade activated remotely."

"Why wasn't this detected when she went in for surgery?"

"According to Mordin, ocular flashbangs are 'difficult to detect, harder to deactivate'. You tie that with a Quantum Entanglement communicator like the Illusive Man uses and it all makes sense. The Shadow Broker killed her when you tried to invade her mind."

Liara hung her head. "I am sorry Shepard. I know that was the wrong thing to do, but it was clear that she was unable to access the memories, and I knew she would not let me into her mind willingly."

"You're right. It was a bad judgment call, not to mention the wrong thing to do ethically. That said, I think she did far worse things herself, and if you managed to get the info you needed I won't be too upset."

Liara gave her a quizzical look. "How could you not be upset? I remember the dressing down you gave Ashley when you heard she planned to shoot Wrex without your authorization!"

"Ashley was a soldier under my command. I had to be tough with her or I wouldn't be a good commander. So did you get the information or not?"

"I…" Liara hesitated, thinking about the question she wanted to ask Leanna but couldn't bring herself to do so. "Yes, I was able to extract the last piece of information from Vasir's head. It's the location in the Hourglass Nebula."

"Good. Did you give the info to Joker?"

"Yes, he's set a course. We should be at the Broker's base in just a few hours. I'm worried though. If he terminated Vasir remotely, he may already know we're coming. He may decide to kill Feron."

Leanna shook her head. "He won't. Right now, Feron's the only leverage he has. If he killed him, nothing would stop us from taking his base out completely. We'll get him out of there alive, I promise."

"I know," Liara replied in a melancholic voice. "You're here to help, like always."

"You say that like it's a bad thing?"

"Do you remember when we first met, on Therum? You saved me from the geth and a Krogan battlemaster, while I simply cowered in fear. And now, here you are, saving me again. And I'm still relying on you for help."

Leanna grabbed her arm. "That's what you do when you care about someone."

Liara pulled away and started pacing. "Once we get there, the Normandy's stealth systems will keep us hidden. We'll be able to sneak onboard and infiltrate his base. We will keep it simple: get in, get Feron, and get out. And kill anyone who gets in the way."

"Liara, will you just sit down for a damn second. We'll be jumping a few thousand light years. We have time to talk."

Liara stopped and turned to face her, but did not sit down. "What's there to talk about?"

"I don't know, how about us?"

"Look, Leanna, I'm glad you're here but…"

"But what? You're worried you might need me to hack some more terminals?"

Liara advanced toward her. "That's not fair. You were dead!"

"I'm not dead anymore," Leanna took her hand a placed it over her heart, "am I?"

Liara tore away and started pacing again. "It's not that easy! I mourned for you for two years. You can't expect me to just forget and pick up where we left off." She stopped in front of the door. "Look, I just can't get into this right now. Can we please just focus on getting Feron back?"

The door opened.

"Fine," Leanna said, resigned, "but when this is over, we're talking it out."

Liara started to say something, but couldn't get the words out. She walked out door and it closed with a hiss.

Episode #3 – The Hunt, Part 1

Normandy SR-2, Starboard Cargo

"You're sure she's stable?"

Miranda turned to Shepard, "Yes. Doctor Chakwas said she was in stable enough conditions to be moved. She's being kept under sedation until you're ready to interrogate her."

"This cell you put up here will hold her physically, but what about her Biotics?"

"While she was being operated on, Mordin installed a biotic dampening chip in her."

Shepard turned to her right, where the Professor was standing. "How's something like that work?"

"Dampening chip blocks body's natural ability to manipulate element zero. Similar to removing implant in human biotics. Subject can no longer consciously use biotic abilities. May still use reflexively, but not enough to cause harm or damage."

"Can it be removed?"

The Professor shook his head, "Chip embedded at base of spine. Removal problematic. Uses 'Dead Man's Switch' instead. Deactivates chip. Allows it to break up on its own."

Leanna contemplated the prisoner. Neither Normandy had been built with the idea of taking prisoners. It was always expected that anyone captured would be detained locally until other, more equipped Alliance or Cerberus forces could take them.

Now, it seemed that Shepard was operating alone. She'd left Cerberus, and the Alliance wouldn't dare hold a Spectre prisoner, regardless of what she'd done or who she was working for. It was up to her to get the information they needed. Well, her and…

"Liara's headed your way Commander," Jacob's voice said over the intercom.

The doors hissed behind Leanna and she turned to see Liara striding confidently in.

"Shepard, I…" Liara froze in mid sentence as the doors closed behind her. Her face contorted into a puzzled look. "What are you wearing?"

Leanna looked down. "Oh, this?" She turned looked back up. "I kind of… threw out all my other outfits." She gestured to the trash compactor on the other side of the room, next to the jail cell they'd constructed. "This was all I had left. You don't like it?"

Liara looked at her thoughtfully. "It's just… strange to see. I've never known you to wear a dress. I thought you had always hated them?"

"Well I didn't buy it for myself. Kasumi got it for me so I could infiltrate this crime lord's party. It's grown on me though, I kind of like it."

Liara opened her mouth to reply, but Miranda cleared her throat, cutting in to the bubble the two had placed themselves in.

"I think Shepard's wardrobe can wait. We have a prisoner to interrogate and we're not getting any closer to the Shadow Broker while she's unconscious."

"Goddess, you're right. We cannot be distracted by this."

Shepard turned back to Liara, "Ok, so how do you want to do this? Good cop, bad cop?"

Liara's puzzled expression returned. "Good cop bad…?"

Shepard smirked slightly, "It's a two person interrogation technique. One of us is aggressive and tries to force the truth out while the other is more comforting trying to get the truth through kindness."

Liara pondered for a moment until comprehension spread across her face. "Ah, I think I understand. I believe Asari officers use a similar tactic, though they call it by a different name. Yes, we should do this 'good cop, bad cop'.

"So which do you want to be, the good cop or the bad cop?"

"I hardly think I could be comforting to Vasir after what she's done. I shall be the 'bad cop'."

---

Vasir's eyes fluttered open as the stimulant traveled through her system. She was strapped to a chair with her hands behind her back. Liara and Shepard were standing on either side of her.

Liara noticed the tell-tale twitch of attempted biotic usage. "It's not going to work Vasir."

"What's not going to work," she sneered.

"Your biotics. They've been disabled."

"Bullshit!"

"It's true Tela," Shepard said gently. "Go ahead and try if you don't believe us."

Vasir shut her eyes. She gritted her teeth. After about a minute, she opened them. Nothing had happened.

"What the Hell did you do to me?"

Liara gave her a cold look. "The Professor is very good with Biology."

"Tela, listen. It's not permanent. Just tell us what we need to know and we'll disable it and let you go."

"Yeah, right. I talk and the Broker will come after me, and that's assuming you don't hand me over to your little Cerberus buddies."

"You do not have many options Vasir."

Shepard placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you help us, I promise I won't hand you in to Cerberus, and if you need protection, I'll be happy to provide it."

Vasir lowered her head in resignation. "What do you need to know?"

Liara placed a datapad in front of Vasir's face. "Based on the data I've collected, I believe that the Shadow Broker is residing in one of these three systems. Each of these systems has a planet that could serve as the Broker's base of operations. I believe that you have information that could lead us to the right one."

"How the hell would I know that? I've never met the Shadow Broker before, much less been to his base."

Shepard folded her arms. "Surely you must've heard something, anything that could give us a clue. Maybe it was something you didn't even think mattered at the time. If you even know what Mass Relay is used to get there, that would help."

Vasir racked her brain. "I… no, there's nothing. I haven't heard anything."

Liara moved in front of Vasir deliberately. "But the man you called for backup, your contact with the Shadow Broker, he's heard something hasn't he?"

"Maybe, but he's not the one in this cell, is he?"

Liara placed her hands on Vasir's shoulders. "True, but my sources report that you bonded with him on at least two separate occasions. You've shared enough of his memories to know what he knows."

"Liara, what are you…?"

"Get the hell away from me you Bitch!"

In one swift movement, Liara raised her hands to the sides of Vasir's head. "Embrace eternity!" Her eyes turned black.

Shepard had little time to be stunned with Liara's behavior. She heard a high-pitched whine that she recognized all too well. "Liara, get down!"

She tackled Liara and brought her to the floor just before the explosion.

Flashback – Earthborn

"Do I really need to do this?"

Leanna sat on one side of her corner couch with Kelly on the other, facing her.

"Dr. Chakwas suggested you might have some issues to work out, and as the medical officer on this ship she does have the authority to relieve you of command."

"Ok, but why are you the one doing it? Aren't we a little too… close for this?"

"Leanna," Kelly said calmly. "I'm the only one on this ship with a degree in psychology. I'm also a professional. Any relationship we may or may not have had will not affect my evaluation of you."

"But…"

"I'll stop feeding your fish. Is that what you want, dead fish?"

Leanna pouted. She loved her fish, but could never remember to feed them herself. If Kelly stopped feeding them, they would die.

"Alright, you win. I'll do it."

Kelly smiled. "Well then, why don't we start at the beginning?"

---

My parents died in a fire. I was two, maybe three years old when it happened. It's the earliest memory I have.

I remember the fire, the smoke. I screamed out for my parents. I tried to find them, but before I made it to their door a fireman scooped me up.

I kept trying to tell him to go back, that my parents were behind that door. He wouldn't stop though. He kept running until he got me out of the building.

He got me to a fire truck, one of those old fashioned kind with the wheels and everything, and he set me down on the rear bumper. I screamed at him. I told him to go back and get my parents. He said he'd try, but as soon as he said it, the building started to collapse.

I cried. I cried for what felt like forever. Even as young as I was, I knew my parents weren't ever coming back.

So there I was, three years old and an orphan. I had no living family members so that made me a "ward of the state" as they called it. That meant they threw me in whatever hospital my parents' leftover money could afford, and that wasn't much. See my dad had sunk all their savings into colony expansion, and the First Contact War had just begun. Any money they might've had went up in smoke with their apartment.

So they stuck me in this Catholic orphanage, St. Helen's I think it was called, and just forgot about me.

Looking back, I guess it wasn't so bad. I ate three times a day. I got a decent education. Still, it wasn't enough. I wanted a connection, a family. Sure everyone there was nice and all, but it didn't feel like home to me.

I guess that's why I joined up with the Reds when I was 14. They made it seem like a family. I felt closer to them then I'd ever felt to anyone back at the orphanage.

On my 16th birthday, they made me a full member. I dropped out of school and left the orphanage. Some of the nuns tried to stop me, but I didn't listen. Some days I wished I had.

The next year and a half was tough. I never stayed in one place because no one really let me. Some days I could stay in the hideout, other days I stayed with various guys in the gang, often for "favors" as they called them.

So next thing I know, I'm 17 and it's December. I remember because it'd just started to snow. I'd barely eaten in a week and no one in the Reds was helping me out. I spotted this woman walking down the street with her purse in an easily snatchable position. I gathered what strength I had left, snuck up behind her and grabbed the purse. I took off as fast as I could, but after two and a half blocks, I was tackled from behind and knocked out cold.

I woke up in a jail cell. Turned out the girl whose purse I'd grabbed was an Alliance Marine on leave. She was the one who'd tackled me. She came in the cell to talk to me.

She asked me my story, why I'd done what I had. I told her as much as I could. She said she knew I was telling the truth. She also said that, since I was almost 18, if she pressed charges, I'd be tried as an adult; that meant serious jail time.

She offered me a deal: get my GED and enlist in the Alliance, and she wouldn't press charges. I leapt at the offer.

She kept in touch with me while I was in basic training, sent me messages with advice, words of encouragement and such. She even visited a few times. She came to see me at graduation. She recommended me for the N7 program. She was my mentor, my friend, my…

Anyway, once I finished the N7 training, I found out exactly where I'd be working. She'd put in a request for me to be in her squad, as her Lt. I learned a lot from her. Until… until she…

---

"It's alright Shepard. You don't have to continue. You've already told me once before."

"I know," she looked up at Kelly. "It just hurts to remember."

"Focus on the good times," Kelly hugged Leanna, "I'm sure she wouldn't have wanted you to hurt when you think about her."

After a minute, Shepard pulled out of the hug. "Thank you Kelly. Really, it was good to get it out."

Kelly smiled gently, "That's what I'm here for."

Hide and Seek, Part 5

Illium, Market District

Assassination attempts, bombs going off in buildings, a high-speed skycar chase between two Spectres, it was just another average day on Illium.

The two skycars weaved through the tall buildings that made up Illium's skyline. In the pursuer, the driver and front-seat passenger argued like an old married couple. In the lead vehicle, the lone Asari made call.

"This is Vasir. I've got the data, but Shepard and her pureblood whore are on my tail. I need backup."

"Sending in agents," a male human's voice said over her Omni-tool. "I'm plotting an escape route now, feeding it into your nav-computer."

"Thanks. If I make it out of this one, the first drink's on me." The other voice chuckled lightly.

Vasir checked the escape route. It would be tight, but she could make it work. She made a hard left, cutting her way through a construction site in the middle of a building. A hard right led her into a tunnel.

"Vasir, leave the tunnel, make a left, then punch it. I've hacked a pair of freight trucks to collide. It should slow her down at least."

She did as she was told. Sure enough, the proximity alert showed that the cab chasing her was falling out of range.

Vasir's escape route had been updated with a new course. She swerved around a few more buildings and crisscrossed a traffic lane. The proximity alert went off. Shepard was catching up.

"Damn, how the hell can this Bitch keep up with me?"

"I've been tracking her," the voice on the line said. "She's going full-throttle, even on the turns. Her recklessness is… surprising, to say the least."

Vasir's lip curled. "Well I've got a few surprises of my own."

As she emerged from another construction zone, she pressed a blue button on her steering console. Outside the skycar, the first of several proximity mines dropped. The cab was hit, but not slowed.

"That should've taken out their kinetic barriers at least!"

"It seems that the Quarian is amplifying the taxi's shields. Even so, looks like three impacts out to take it out."

Vasir jammed the button two more times. The second missed wide, the third impacted, though not as direct as the first.

She made a wide turn before dropping two more mines. Both missed. She hit the button again. She was out.

"Now would be a good time for that backup!"

"Head for the tunnel."

As she entered, she saw explosions go off above her. "What the hell was that?"

"Your backup."

She looked back to see a small troop transport behind her. Two of the gunners were firing on the cab.

"Vasir, what the hell are you doing!"

She looked out her front window. She was about to crash into a rather large truck. She bit her lip as she made a tight turn, swerving close enough to the front of the truck that she could see the Salarian who was driving.

The troop transport wasn't so lucky though. It impacted the side of it, igniting the fuel it was carrying. The resulting explosion dampened her proximity sensors, to the point where she didn't even realize the cab had caught up until it was beside her.

She slammed into the cab. It swerved into oncoming traffic, but managed to weave through the cars and ram back into her. She tried to ram back but was impacted again. The two skycars were scraping together.

"Damn bitch! What the hell do you think you're…?"

"Vasir!"

The cab swerved away. Vasir looked up and saw why. She tried to swerve, to stop, anything to get out of the way of the oncoming car, but to no avail. The other car impacted her windshield.

"Vasir, you're not gonna make it to the rendezvous point. Find someplace to land and we'll come to you."

She looked around frantically for a place to set down. She spotted a terrace on top of a hotel. That would have to do. She did her best to slow her decent, but she knew this was going to hurt.

---

Leanna set the cab down in the closest place to Vasir's skycar that she could. She had no intention of letting her get away.

Another of the Shadow Broker's troop transports came at them, landing in their path. Tali used her Omni-tool to hack their shields. Liara glowed blue and launched a singularity at them which pulled them all together. Leanna deployed a warp field, causing every last one of them to fly off in every direction.

Leanna smirked. "Just like old times, isn't it?"

"Hurry; there will be more on the way. We must continue to pursue Vasir," Liara responded plainly.

She headed in the direction of Vasir's skycar with Leana and Tali following her. They arrived to find a smoldering hulk. The care was totaled, but empty.

"Shepard look," Tali pointed to the ground a few feet from the wreck. "Blood"

Liara looked at it. "It's Vasir's. There's more up ahead."

"Follow the trail of blood. Sounds like a fun party game." Shepard quipped. The two just looked blankly at her. "Never mind, just keep moving."

They followed the trail through a hotel room. A man and an Asari were huddled in the corner, apparently too scared to speak. They looked unharmed though. It seemed likely Vasir hadn't even noticed them.

Sudden movement out of the corner of her eye made Leanna jerk around, then all at once lower her guard. The entire wall of the main bedroom was a giant vid-screen. It appeared to show previous hotel patrons with other Asari. She recognized one of the Asari in the vid as the one huddled in the corner.

"What kind of Hotel is this?" She asked Liara.

"Azure. It's a luxury resort with an… exotic edge. "Azure" is slang for a part of the Asari body in some areas of Illium."

Shepard gave Liara a sideways glance. "And where's that?"

"Mainly the lower reaches, near the bottom."

Leanna smirked. "I meant, where on the Asari body."

"So did I." Liara gave a smirk right back.

"In case you can't tell," Tali interjected, "I'm rolling my eyes."

Liara straightened her face. "We need to keep moving."

---

Vasir was limping along through the hotel. Her injuries were slowing her down. She was leaking too much blood. What little medi-gel she'd had was already used up. She hadn't heard a thing on her comms since she crashed. Did they even know where she was?

She stumbled her way into a rooftop party. A number of humans, turrians and salarians, all rather well off, were surrounded by asari "comfort women". They were too lost in their world of sin and vice to notice the bleeding commando.

"It's over Vasir!"

Vasir spun around. Shepard and the pureblood had caught up to her. Her suit's systems were damaged. If there was a fight, she'd have to rely solely on her biotics.

She drew up a biotic barrier around her then grabbed the nearest body she could, a human female, mid twenties if her estimates on human age were correct. The other patrons and staff ran off screaming. She pointed her pistol to the woman's head.

Shepard shouted at her, "Drop the hostage Vasir! This has gone too far. Put down the gun and we can get you medical attention."

Vasir only tightened her grip. She knew what would happen if she betrayed the Shadow Broker. Dying was preferable.

"What's your name?" she asked her hostage.

"M-Mariana," she stuttered.

"Mariana, you want to live don't you? Tell the nice people how much you want to live."

"Please, help me."

"Don't worry Mariana," Shepard stated calmly, "We'll get you out of this."

"Such a nice sentiment, but are you sure about that? You could've just walked away, but now it's going to get ugly." She dug the gun into the woman's temple.

"Please. I have a son."

Vasir could tell she was lying but it didn't matter. She knew Shepard would believe it. "I hope he gets to see you again. I hear losing a parent is horrible. Scars the kid for life, doesn't it Liara?"

That struck a nerve with the pureblood. "I am going to end you Vasir."

Shepard turned to her. "It's ok Liara. We're going to handle this. She's not getting away."

"You want Mariana's little boy to grow up all alone? Throw your guns on the ground. All of them."

"That's it?"

Vasir was shocked by this response. She was sure Shepard would surrender rather than risk a hostage.

"I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the Destiny Ascension. I unleashed the Rachni on the galaxy. Hell, I even sacrificed my best friend to blow up Saren's cloning facility. If you think I'm going to let you go for a single hostage, you're sorely mistaken."

Vasir turned her pistol on Shepard. "You're bluffing."

"Yes, I am. Garrus, now!"

A shot impacted her pistol and it flew out of her hand. A biotic field enveloped Mariana and she was thrown to safety. Three more shots and she couldn't hold her barriers anymore. The four shots that followed pierced her armor. She could feel blood pooling in her lungs.

The pureblood came up to her and pulled the disk she'd stolen out of her armor. It didn't matter. She was dead anyway.

As she slumped against the wall, she chuckled. "You think you can stop him? The Shadow Broker has been around since before any of you were born. He'll kill you before you get a chance to see him."

Shepard faced her. "Is that why you sold out the Council? You're afraid of him?"

"You think I sold out the Council? You think I'm like Saren? Screw you!" She gasped for breath. "The broker's intel has helped me save countless lives over the years. If the broker needs a few people to 'disappear', it's a price I'm willing to pay."

Shepard advanced on her, pointing an accusatory finger. "Trying to kill Liara is one thing, she knew what she'd gotten into, but Spectres don't blow up buildings filled with innocent people!"

"What do you think Spectres are for? We get our hands dirty so the council doesn't have to. The councilors might complain about our methods, but it's all just a show." Vasir's vision was getting blurry. It wouldn't be long now. "Besides, you're working with Cerberus now. Do you have any idea what your terrorist buddies have done?"

"Yes, I worked with Cerberus, but I didn't work for them. I never forgot who they are and what they've done. And I never betrayed who I am for them."

It was getting harder to breathe. "Enjoying the view from your high horse? You want to judge me? Look in the mirror. Kidnapping kids for biotic death camps? Your own unit on Akuze? And you work with them. You don't have room to judge me. You can't…"

Vasir closed her eyes as she felt herself slipping away. Her last thoughts were of the man she'd talked to as she tried to escape, how she'd never see him again. With everything she'd done in her life, this was her only regret.

End of Episode #2

Hide and Seek, Part 4

Illium, Dracon Trade Center

There was fire everywhere. Leanna was running, screaming for someone whose name she could not longer remember. A man in a yellow suit came up to her and scooped her up, carrying her to safety, but she didn't want this man. She wanted the person she screamed for. She wanted her Mother.

---

A second blast knocked her off her feet. She tried to shake off the memory she'd lapsed into. She hadn't even thought of her parents deaths in a long time, and now was not the time start. Liara needed her.

Vasir headed back for the skycar. She intended to take it to the top of the building while Leanna worked her way up. They'd find who did this and find Liara.

Leanna ran for the main entrance, Garrus and Tali hot on her heal. For once, she was glad that they were silent. She knew the question they wanted to ask; the one she was afraid to ask herself. Was Liara still alive?

There were scattered survivors among the debris. Some were injured, others just frightened. She ordered Garrus and Tali to look after them.

"Treat their injuries and get them to safety. We'll meet up when you're done or I've found Liara."

She went through the main doors to discover the elevator was out of order. She'd have to make her way up the 3 floors to Baria Frontiers on foot, and the building didn't even have a standard stairwell. Stupid Asari architecture.

She found the first set of stairs and ran up. She heard groans coming from a corner. A man was slumped against the wall, sliding down it. Blood flowed from his gut.

Shepard tried to get over to him in time, but he was dead before she could apply medigel. He wasn't injured in the blast. He was shot.

Leanna continued up another flight of stairs, past more shooting victims. According to the floor plan she'd downloaded, she'd have to go through an office before she reached the last set of stairs leading to Baria Frontiers. As she headed for the office, she noticed an unexploded bomb sitting off to the side.

Sloppy work, this was set up fast.

She entered the office. Several desks were overturned and there were a number of twists in the passage. This was the perfect location for an ambush. It was then that she heard the faintest squeal.

She managed to activate the light blocker on her visor just before the flashbang grenades went off. She reached for her Locust SMG while brining her Tech Armor online. The digital targeting reticle on her visor showed five Humanoids up ahead, but there were likely more. These must be the Shadow Broker's soldiers.

Shepard leapt over one of the overturned desks and faced her ambushers. She fired a massive biotic blast before firing the Locust, using up an entire thermal clip in the process. Her visor told her that there were more up ahead as she charged forward, replacing her clip in the process.

Another corner and she heard more soldiers up ahead. Shepard exchanged her Locust for a Phalanx and un-tinted her visor. She crouched behind a continently tipped over desk and took aim.

She managed to get three headshots in before the others even took notice of her. She took out a fourth before he could draw his pistol. She overloaded the fifth and sixth's weapons and they exploded in their hands. Only when there were two left did she have to duck back down as a missile soared above her head.

The Heavy was firing missiles in between blasts from the other's Assault rifle. If she wanted to get a shot in, she'd have to be tricky. She tapped a few keys on her omnitool and waited for a lull in the firing. After a missile impacted the wall behind her, Shepard stood and threw out a small glowing disk, squatting down before the firing could resume. She could only hope it reached its mark.

A beep on her omnitool told her it had landed. She slapped the center of it and heard a hiss coming from the soldiers. The firing had stopped.

Shepard stood to see the Broker's men frozen solid; still alive, but completely immobile. She smashed both their arms with the butt of her gun. They won't bother me again.

She was at the last set of stairs. Baria Frontiers was right at the top. She'd made it. She ran up the stairs and opened the door.

---

Tela Vasir was standing in the middle of the room. She lowered her weapon when she saw Shepard.

"I was too late." She gestured to the ground where a dead Shadow Broker soldier laid next to an equally dead Salarian. "He'd already killed him when I got here."

Shepard pointed to the Salarian, "That's Sekat?"

"Yeah, if only I'd gotten here sooner. Did you find your friend's body?"

A voice from behind Shepard said, "You mean this body?"

Liara walked through the door, her pistol trained on Vasir. "You tired to kill me."

"What?" Vasir replied. "That's crazy why would I want to kill you?"

"You broke into my apartment after I left it. You disabled the alarms and called off the police. I saw you."

Shepard pointed her gun at Vasir as well. "It all makes sense. You're the assassin. The Council didn't send you, the Shadow Broker did. You couldn't figure out where Liara would be until you found me, and then you called in the Shadow Broker's soldiers to bomb this place."

"And when she got here, she found Sekat, took his data, and killed him. I'm guessing she's still got the disk on her."

"Good guess." Vasir held up a hand that held a data disk. "Not that you'll ever see what's on it, you pureblood Bitch!"

The glass window behind Vasir shattered as she flung it at Liara and Shepard.

---

Tali and Garrus had just managed to fix up the last of the survivors as they saw Vasir round the corner. She hopped into a skycar before either had a chance to ask what had happened.

As she was taking off, two more figures came in sight.

Garrus spoke, "Shepard, Liara, what's going on? We just saw Vasir take off like something was chasing her."

"Yeah, we are. I'll explain later, just get in the cab."

The four of them piled in a nearby taxi and took off after Vasir.