Deep Space: An Epic Sci-Fi Romance

by Joan Jett

  I glanced at the external view and saw several black-clad figures twisting as they fell. "Kinetic barriers at sixty percent and holding."

  Shepard slowed the Mako to a stop about twenty meters from the stronghold's main entrance. "Any sign of active sensors?"

  I checked my displays. "No, Commander. All targets down."

  "Time to go inside, then."

  We opened the Mako's side door and emerged into a howling wind, laden with abrasive dust. I saw an indicator inside my helmet turn yellow, indicating that despite my armor, the environment was harsh enough to do me harm in time.

  Fortunately we didn't have far to go. The two humans led the way, on the alert, Shepard with his assault rifle and Alenko with a pistol, their feet scraping through the ever-present dust and fines on the ground. I followed, unconsciously taking up the handgun stance I had learned decades before. No one challenged us as we crossed to the stronghold's entrance.

  The main entrance was locked from the inside and far too thick to blast open, but to one side we discovered an individual-sized door with a code lock. Alenko quickly hacked the door open, and we passed through an airlock. Once we were in a shirt-sleeves environment, I removed and stowed my helmet with a sigh of relief.

  Inside the stronghold we found a dimly lit entrance corridor, with a small ready room and another door at the far end. We moved down to the ready room, which was unoccupied except for a small stack of crates. There Alenko used his omni-tool to scan the room on the other side, and nodded grimly to Shepard.

  The commander returned his assault rifle to its hardpoint on his back. In its place he produced a longer, thinner weapon: a sniper rifle. "All right, Doctor, here's how this is going to work," he said in a low voice. "You and Kaidan will take up positions on either side of this door. Use your sidearms and your biotics to harass the enemy. Your job is to keep them busy and yourselves alive."

  "Where will you be?" I asked.

  He pointed to the crates, which I realized were well-positioned to give him cover and still permit him to see through the door once it was open. "Right there, for the kill."

  We took our positions. Alenko opened the door.

  A storm of weapons fire blazed in the doorway, enough to kill us instantly had we simply walked through.

  Alenko and I began to duck out, each time firing a few shots or sending a biotic field into the large chamber on the other side of the door. We staggered our attacks, never appearing at the same time, changing the interval from one to the next. The withering fire continued, but we were never exposed to it long enough to bring down our kinetic barriers.

  I soon became frustrated with the tactical situation. The enemy's ferocious weapons fire prevented us from pressing into the chamber. On the other hand the enemy had no way to flank us, get behind us, or force us to expose ourselves. So long as Alenko and I stayed in action, it seemed like a stalemate.

  Then Shepard fired, bringing down the lightning.

  I was immediately in awe. I had seen asari commandos with centuries of experience who were less proficient. He exposed himself for no more than two or three seconds at a time, but each time he calmly found a target, fired, and scored a hit. If a slaver exposed even a tiny portion of his body, it was enough to give Shepard the chance to strike unerringly. A shot in the shoulder or the leg took down the target's kinetic barriers and crippled him. A shot in the head meant instantaneous death.

  Little by little, the enemy's fire slackened.

  Suddenly Shepard stowed the sniper rifle and produced his assault rifle once again. Vaulting over the crates, he charged through the door. Kaidan followed. After a split second of terrified surprise, so did I.

  Only a few of the slavers remained, the careful or cowardly ones who had not exposed themselves to Shepard's terrifying accuracy. They could no longer prevent us from entering the chamber and finding new vantage points.

  Shepard fired his rifle in accurate three-round bursts, twisting to hit multiple targets even as he ran for his selected bit of cover.

  Alenko calmly sabotaged one pirate's weapon at range, then cut him down with two well-placed pistol shots.

  I saw movement to my left, hurled a biotic warp without thinking, and heard screams as a slaver's body began to vibrate apart from inside. Shepard fired a burst from his assault rifle and the screaming stopped.

  A krogan mercenary charged into the chamber from a back room, roaring and brandishing his shotgun. We concentrated our fire on him, bringing down his shields in a flare of blue light. Alenko and I hit him with biotic throws almost simultaneously, knocking him off his feet. Our combined fire tore him to shreds.

  Then a biotic field came at us, picking Shepard up and flinging him several meters into a pile of crates.

  "I will destroy you!"

  From nowhere appeared another attacker, graceful and swift.

  Asari.

  She flanked Alenko and fired at him with a heavy pistol. I saw his shields go down with a flash, even as he dove frantically for a new piece of cover.

  I shouted something and broke from my own cover, launching the strongest biotic lift I could manage. The asari in red-black armor rose into the air, spinning helplessly, trying to twist and bring her weapon to bear on me.

  I was faster and had both feet on the ground. My sidearm kicked at my wrists, one-two-three, and she cried out in agony.

  Then Shepard's rifle thundered and she fell.

  Silence.

  I found my heart racing, my breath coming hard and fast. My hands shook violently as I holstered my sidearm.

  "Are you okay, Doctor?" Shepard's voice was full of concern. I could see Kaidan on his feet and moving toward us, looking unharmed.

  "Goddess, Shepard.” I struggled to keep my voice from shaking. “After all of that there's no need for formality between us. My name is Liara."

  He gave a short laugh. "All right, Liara."

  "It’s just an adrenaline reaction. I'll be fine."

  We spent about an hour exploring the stronghold, and found no more slavers alive. We discovered bunkrooms, offices, cages in which slaves must have been kept, all empty. Eventually we convened in one of the empty offices, where Kaidan was working to hack into the slavers' computer network.

  "I have a question, Shepard," I told him. "If Nassana Dantius's sister was captured by these slavers, then why was the only asari in this place apparently leading them?"

  "I think I can answer that," said Kaidan. He had apparently gained access, and was downloading the slavers' databases into his omni-tool. He pointed to a document on the display in front of him.

  Shepard examined it closely. "It's a purchase order for weapons and armor, working through a broker on Omega. What about it?"

  "Look at who signed the order," said Kaidan.

  Shepard and I did. He cursed under his breath.

  Dahlia Dantius.

  I nodded at this confirmation of my suspicions. "I think we have just been manipulated into helping Nassana Dantius resolve a family disagreement."

  "You may be right," said Shepard. "We'll have to have a word with her when we return to the Citadel."

  "We finished here, Commander?" asked Kaidan, closing his omni-tool.

  "If you've got all the evidence locked down for C-Sec."

  Kaiden nodded and rose.

  "Liara."

  "Yes, Commander?"

  Shepard extended his hand. "I'm very glad you came with us today."

  I smiled and took it. "So am I."

  Chapter 7 : Citadel

  6 March 2183, SSV Normandy, Interstellar Space

  Over the next few days Normandy finished her patrol through the Artemis Tau cluster, still finding no sign of geth activity. We then turned back for the Knossos system and the mass relay. Shepard wanted to return to the Citadel and consult with both Council and Alliance intelligence, hoping to turn up some lead as to where Saren might strike next.

  During that time, I discovered that something had changed for me on board the Norm
andy.

  Before Sharjila most of the human crew showed signs of uneasiness around me, reluctant to accept my presence. To them I represented an unknown: alien, mysterious, daughter of an enemy. Not wishing to disturb anyone, I lived as a recluse, spending most of my time in the medical bay or my little laboratory. I even ate most of my meals there, alone or with only Dr. Chakwas for company.

  I suspect Kaidan made the difference.

  The morning after Sharjila, two of the young Marines approached while I stood in the breakfast line and engaged me in conversation. Before long I found myself sitting in the center of the crew mess with them. We talked for over an hour. I answered earnestly curious questions about asari culture, asked them about their life in the Alliance military, and listened to their gossip and speculation about our mission.

  That evening, the same thing happened with another Marine and two technicians from the bridge crew. Once again, almost before I understood what was happening, I was sitting in the crew mess surrounded by chattering humans.

  Kaidan passed through the mess just before I finished my evening meal. He didn't join our group, but he caught my eye as he passed, and nodded with a small smile. I thought I understood then. In my mind's eye I could see him delivering his judgment to his Marines, knowing the message would spread through the crew: The asari did well on Sharjila. She's okay.

  From that point on, although I still sometimes ate alone in my compartment, I spent most of my mealtimes among the crew. I came to know most of them by name, and learned about them as people. I became curious about the humans around me, and began to enjoy their company for the first time. It helped me deal with the uncertainty of our mission, the trembling that came over me whenever I thought of my mother gone over to the enemy.

  Even Ashley Williams came around.

  Before we landed on Sharjila she had been coldly professional, giving no sign of her personal feelings as she helped me prepare for the mission. On our return she had warmed slightly, perhaps relieved that Shepard and Kaidan had come to no harm, that I had been an asset and not a liability.

  Three days later she entered the mess just as I emerged from the medical bay for the evening meal. At first she glanced at me and hesitated, but then she took on a determined expression and walked to meet me by the galley.

  "Doctor," she greeted me brusquely.

  "Chief Williams."

  "Mind if I join you?"

  We filled our trays and sat down out in the mess. I had been exploring the possibilities of pasta dishes, great mounds of starchy noodles with vegetable sauces, meat, and cheese. Chief Williams had selected a salad, a cold collation of leaves and other fresh vegetables.

  "Hardly seems fair," she observed after we seated ourselves.

  "What do you mean?"

  She pointed at my plate with her spork. "That. How do you eat like that and still look as good as you do? Even with all the exercise I get I have to watch every bite."

  "I understand. I believe the asari metabolic rate is set somewhat higher than yours. Our biotic abilities require the support of a high-calorie diet."

  "I know what you mean. I've seen Kaidan – Lieutenant Alenko – eat. He can sure put it away."

  I smiled. "He is Kaidan to me as well, Chief Williams. At least since Sharjila."

  She blinked and looked undecided for a moment. "What the hell. Call me Ash."

  "All right . . . Ash. My name is Liara."

  "Okay." She worked on her salad for a few moments, obviously trying to decide how to attack the subject that was on her mind. "Liara, I just can't figure something out. What's up with you and your mom?"

  This again, I thought ruefully. "I assure you, I am not working with her. I've had no contact with her in a long time."

  "That's just it. She's your mother. How can you not be in contact with her?"

  "Very easily, I'm afraid."

  "Isn't family important to asari?"

  "Certainly it is." I cocked my head to one side, watching her closely. "I sense there is more to your concern than simple mistrust, Ash. Your own family is important to you?"

  "Absolutely." She stabbed at her salad as if to vent her frustrations. "Family traditions, family honor, they're everything to me."

  "The same is true for some asari, but not for all. Surely there are humans who live more or less estranged from their families?"

  "I suppose," she admitted.

  "Tell me about your family,” I suggested.

  She shot me a strange look, almost hostile. "It's big. I've got three sisters, and more cousins than I can count. Family reunions would be a madhouse if we weren't scattered across half the galaxy."

  "There are many colonists in your family?"

  "Most of us are Alliance military, actually. That's one of the family traditions I mentioned." She hesitated, and then changed the subject. "How about you? Big family?"

  "No. I am my mother's only child, and I never met my father. My mother raised me alone."

  "That's terrible."

  I shrugged and took another bite of my spaghetti. "It is not uncommon among asari. Our customs don't require permanent pair-bonding, as I understand is normal among humans. My mother was wealthy and independent enough to care for me without help from a bondmate."

  "But now you haven't talked to her in a long time. Why? Was she mean to you?"

  "Not at all!" I shook my head decisively. "She was strict, but never unkind."

  Ash waited with patience.

  "I suppose it was a matter of the expectations placed upon me when I was a child," I explained slowly. "It's very unusual for a Matriarch, especially one as powerful as Benezia, to bear her only child so late in life. I grew up knowing that my mother was a great leader among our people. I was expected to follow in her path, to become a philosopher and diplomat, to be a leader in my own right. But I had no desire to do any of that. I became a scientist instead, studying an obscure field that few of my people find interesting. My mother always supported me, but I think I was a great disappointment to her."

  "So you go your way and she goes hers," Ash said. "Then there's nothing but awkward extranet messages and the occasional greeting card on a holiday, until even that seems like too much trouble. Yeah, that's not the Williams way, but I've heard the story before."

  "And now she's joined forces with Saren and the geth," I said grimly. "I don't understand it. It's so out of character for her."

  "People change. How long has it been since you talked regularly?"

  "About fifty years."

  Ash dropped her spork and stared at me in shock. "Just how old are you, anyway?"

  "One hundred and six," I told her.

  "Damn." She laughed out loud. "I hope I look half as good when I get to be your age!"

  I spread my hands widely, a helpless gesture. "I suppose she could have changed. Fifty years is not a short time even for asari. But I keep hoping that we will find it's all a horrible misunderstanding."

  "I hope so too."

  I could tell she didn't believe it, but I thanked her all the same.

  * * *

  7 March 2183, Citadel

  Normandy reached the Citadel the next morning.

  Today the Citadel orbits high above Earth, that unlikely capital of the galaxy, but in those days the Reapers had not yet moved it. It remained where it had been since at least the days of the Protheans, deep inside the Serpent Nebula, gravitationally bound to a planetless A8-class star. As always, the view was breathtaking as Normandy approached dock: great streamers and plumes of dust back-lit by the distant star, shadows of the Citadel’s ward arms stretching across thousands of kilometers of space.

  Almost the moment we opened the airlock, Shepard found himself buried with work.

  First an unpleasant Alliance officer named Mikhailovich appeared, insisting on a full inspection of the Normandy. Shepard spent over two hours escorting the admiral around the ship, explaining its features and answering a series of antagonistic questions. Once the admiral had been s
ent on his way, the Commander and I took an elevator onto the station . . . only to be ambushed by a member of the human press. Once again Shepard tolerated a hostile challenge, keeping his patience and his wits about him.

  "I'm surprised," I said after the reporter finished her interview, as we walked toward a causeway leading to the Presidium. "You're a Spectre. Technically you aren't under Alliance authority anymore, and you certainly don't have to speak to the press if you don't want to."

  "A little tact can pay off in the long run," he explained. "Consider my position. I'm the first and only human Spectre. I have to represent my whole species to the Council, prove that humans can play a positive role in galactic society. It's also my job to represent the Council to the rest of humanity, military and civilians alike, to demonstrate that they can benefit from being part of galactic society. None of that is going to work if I act like an arrogant jackass."

  "You think of yourself as an ambassador?"

  "It's not the profession I was trained for, but duty calls." He glanced at me and smiled suddenly, as if inviting me to share a joke. "I try to do a better job at it than some who have the title."

  We emerged onto the Presidium and took a skycar to the embassy district. Nassana Dantius had agreed to meet us in an expensive lounge just around the corner from the Asari Embassy. When we entered, it wasn't hard to pick her out. Half the inhabitants of the lounge were asari, but her opulent gown and coldly arrogant expression set her apart from the others. Besides, she resembled her dead sister.

  She looked up and saw us as we approached her table. "Commander Shepard? I am Nassana Dantius."

  Shepard and I seated ourselves, exchanging a moment's glance as we waited to see what gambit she would employ.

  "I'm glad you're here," Nassana continued. "Were you able to rescue my sister?"

  Shepard raised a hand to stop her. "Don't bother, Nassana. Dahlia is dead. I know she was a pirate, and the leader of that slaver band."

  I had to admire her poise. She barely hesitated. "I'm impressed, Spectre. I was all set to manipulate you into hunting her down for me. I suppose that won't be necessary now."