If It Meant Living: Mass Effect 1

8: Surprises

The snow swirled around her face then stuck to her hair.  It would have been delightful if it wasn't twenty degrees below zero.  Her ears were going to fall off and shatter on the ground below.  She really should have worn a full helmet....

"We're clear."  Garrus came over the comm link.  They couldn't hear each other for crap over the wind.

Other considerations aside, she had meant it that she needed to get all her crew out and killing bad guys.  Liara was something of a necessity on this mission.  Of course, three biotics would have been idiocy. 

***

Kaidan had understood.

They had talked about it last night after dinner.  She had wanted him to understand she wasn’t going back on her promise – especially after what had happened at Terra Nova.  And after.  They had talked about other things too, and eventually he had told her about the fateful day at Jump Zero when he had killed Vyrnnus.

She looked at him for a long moment; long enough that he started squirming.  “Are you afraid of me now?”  He looked down at his hands, visibly uncomfortable.  “Afraid I’ll snap?”

“Of course not.”

He looked back up at her.  “Then what is that look you are giving me?”

“Respect.”  She chuckled softly.  “I was arrogant enough to assume that I was the only one here who had lived through a horrible childhood trauma and successfully overcome it.”

“No, there’s no comparison to…and I was the cause of this – it was my fault.”

“It changed your life forever, didn’t it?”

He sighed.  “Yes, yes it certainly did.”

She smiled.  “Well there you go.”

***

Garrus was a good, good soldier.  A warrior even.  He made her wish the Mako held four.  In the firefight at the Synthetic Insights office he had easily followed her lead, and hadn’t complained once about having to try to aim and shoot all the bodies flying around and through the air, presumably recognizing it as a hazard of running around with two particularly powerful biotics.

"Okay, back in the Mako.  We're almost to the Peak.  I think."

"Yes, Commander."  She could hear the uncertainty in Liara's voice even over the comm.  Liara was nervous about seeing her mother, and becoming more so by the moment.

Shepard imagined that if her mother was 900 years old, she might be a little intimidated as well.  If she was 900 years old and had turned into an evil mastermind, even more so. But Shepard couldn't not bring her – she owed Liara that much – even if she had to kill Benezia before it was over.  That seemed the likely outcome, though she was hopeful it would end in a cleaner, better way.  The odds never truly mattered in the games of life and death.  She mostly really hoped she didn't end up having to kill Liara as well.

Liara had a good heart and a kind soul.  She would never willingly choose the side of Saren and the Reapers.  But the side of her mother?  All sentient beings craved the love and approval of their parents; it would certainly be unfair to expect Liara to be any different.

She would just have to be ready.

***

"What could I say, mother?  That you’re insane? Evil?  Should I explain to Shepard how to kill you?"

Shepard's heart simply broke at the raw, visceral pain in Liara's voice, in her eyes, on her face.  She was going to enjoy killing this cold heartless bitch standing before her.  Only two dozen Geth and a handful of Asari Commandos in the way.  Piece of cake.