Lazarus Project: Mass Effect 2 (Shenko)

Chapter 10

Milky Way/Alingon Orbital Station/Tazzik's Ship

Earth year: 2183 CE --- April

Two days had passed since she and Feron had lain together. Now she stood beside a cryo-stasis pod that contained Shepard's remains. She'd caught a glimpse of what lay inside and turned away quickly, feeling bile rise in her throat. She couldn't reconcile what lay inside the pod with the vibrant, fierce woman she knew as Shepard.

Shepard, whom she loved, she thought before catching herself. Did she really love Shepard? She had thought so before she'd fallen into Feron's embrace. Not once, not twice, but four times before reaching the Broker's base and infiltrating it without being discovered. A flush rose in her cheeks at the memory as she stood beside what remained of her friend.

She was getting nervous, her heart pounding with fear. She'd been waiting at least ten minutes for Feron to return. It was taking too long. He was scouting the area ahead since they would have to take a different route out of the facility now that they had the stasis pod to consider.

As the minutes ticked passed, Liara began to question the morality of what she was doing. Stealing someone's remains? Giving it willingly to a known terrorist group? And why? Because she couldn't let go? Or because of the Collectors?

She shook her head, not wanting to acknowledge that Shepard had rejected her, or that she was clinging to the desperate hope that if Cerberus did bring her back, Shepard would give her a second chance. Was she insane? Crazy like her mother had been before she died?

No. She told herself firmly. I am nothing like my mother. I'm doing this for Shepard and for everyone in the galaxy. The Universe needs Shepard. When no other argument rose within her to object to what she was telling herself, she peered out the crack in the doorway, her eyes scanning the hallway for Feron.

"Liara." He whispered as he stepped into view, causing her to jump. "We have to go. Now. I think the Broker knows we're here."

"What? We'll never make it!" She cried, casting a worried look at the stasis pod.

"We'll make it." He said, his voice firm as he gripped her hand in his. "But we must go. Now."

Twenty excruciating minutes later, they reached the transport vessel and had Shepard's stasis pod halfway on board when a shot rang out behind them. Liara felt something whiz past her, inches from where her head been as she'd bent over to check the pod's readout. Looking up, she saw a dozen heavily armed broker agents descending towards them down the docking ramp.

Giving the pod a final shove that sent it sliding across the floor of the ship's cargo bay, Feron gave her a look.

"Go Liara. Take the shuttle and get out of here. I'll buy you time to escape."

"What?" Liara cried, feeling a sudden pain in her chest. "No Feron! You can't be serious. You'll never make it!."

"Do you want Shepard in the hands of the Collectors?" He asked, his voice urgent.

"No. No I don't."

"Then you have no choice." He said, stepping away from the door. "Go now!" He yelled, sprinting toward a pile of crates and drawing his weapon. "There's no time Liara! You must go now!" He cried as he turned and fired into the wave of approaching agents, making them scatter and duck for cover.

"Thank you Feron." She whispered, before sealing the hatch behind her.

An hour later, after passing through several relays to prevent anyone following her, Liara sent a message to Cerberus requesting coordinates for the exchange. It came moments later, directing her to a facility in the Traverse.