Welcome to Book 4 of the Chronicles of Samantha Shepard! I want to thank my new Beta reader, Old Gamer, for the great assistance provided. It brings these chapters to you sooner than it ever would have happened otherwise! And now, off to a story about love, pain, loss and hope... all parts of a thing called war.

Notes:

Siame - "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian)

XO - Executive Officer

Wake-up Calls

Citadel, Serpent Nebula

Liara had stared at the report for a few moments before her brain was able to accept what she was reading. The Batarian home star cluster of Kite's Nest, including their homeworld of Khar'shan, had gone dark. The Reapers had emerged from dark space and were in Harsa; the Galaxy's preparation time had expired and the Reapers now had access to the relays. She immediately forwarded the data, but even with the new reports, Councilors Anderson's and Tevos' arguments still proved ineffective at swaying the other councilors. Until he saw irrefutable proof, Valern held fast to his refusal to believe Sovereign was anything more than a Geth construct or that the Reapers were anything more than things of myth and a tool Saren used to control the Geth. He assumed the total absence of communiqués from the Batarians was a simple expansion of their typical isolationist policies and absolutely nothing to be concerned about. He actually preferred it over their continual rants and demands for Shepard to be turned over to them for justice. For the new Turian councilor, Quentius, the passage of the last six months with no appearance of the Reapers as Shepard had warned made him cautious as well, wondering if Sparatus had been correct in his belief that Shepard's tales were no more than the delusions of a Human suffering from battle stress. With the council's inability to break the stalemate, the Asari's Destiny Ascension and their battle cruisers dedicated to the Citadel fleet remained restricted to the Serpent Nebula and none of the races were mobilizing for war. The only significant change came when David Anderson apologized profusely to Tevos just after he tendered his resignation and turned the Human council seat over to Donnel Udina.

"David! Why would you do such a thing? The timing could not possibly be worse!" Tevos stared at the man she had come to call friend and ally, surprised he had given her absolutely no warning before his rash act.

"I'm sorry, Tevos. Truly. But if Liara's report is correct, of which I have no doubt, I'm headed back to Earth. I'm a soldier, not a diplomat. When the Reapers get here, I need to be back with the Alliance." Anderson shook his head. "It's where I'm at my best. Udina will be fine here. This is his battleground and he knows how to get things done, and that's what we're going to need. We fought the good fight to a stalemate, so now it's time to face our demons and I can do that best on the front lines, not sitting in some office arguing uselessly against Valern and Quentius."

Tevos dropped her chin and closed her eyes for a moment before responding. "I will miss you, David. You have been a good friend through trying times and I'm sure there will be worse ones ahead. Please, do be careful."

"I will. You take care of yourself, as well. If Saren wanted this place, you know damn well the Reapers will want it too. If there's even a hint they're getting close, promise me you'll be on the Destiny Ascension long before they're knocking on the doors?" Anderson gave her a look that said he wouldn't take no for an answer before his gaze also drifted to Huntress Tenir. When he got a smile and acknowledging nod, he returned his focus to Tevos.

His concern for them made Tevos smile, even with the topic of discussion. He was a good man and she really would miss him; she hadn't said it just to be kind. "Don't worry. I'm not the 'go out in a blaze of glory' type, so I swear to you that I will be safely tucked away in my quarters on the Ascension with time to spare." Tevos stepped forward and, much to his surprise, grasped him by the shoulders and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Go with the Goddess, David."

One month prior - Destiny Ascension

Matriarch Lidanya stood with her hands on her hips, staring in bewilderment at the other matriarch before her. "I don't know what more you expect me to do! I've upgraded the ships in the Citadel Fleet as much as I can, but I cannot force the matriarchs of Thessia's independent republics to do anything they don't want to! Armali is moving forward, but only because of Lady T'Soni and Mozia... and you, I imagine." She paused for a moment when she saw a brief flash of grief pass over the face before her. "I'm sorry. It must still be hard for you to hear us refer to Liara as Lady T'Soni. Does she know yet?"

Aethyta growled. "Know what? That her mother is dead? Yeah, it's pretty fucking obvious, isn't it?"

"Thyta! There is no need for that! You know exactly what I mean, but from your answer I'll assume you still haven't told her."

"Of course I haven't told her! I've been here, helping you bang your head against the bulkhead with every matriarch's refusal to prepare for what's coming!" Aethyta's voice dropped back to a normal volume as she thought about her daughter. "There hasn't exactly been time for me to think about how I'm going to do it. I can't just walk up to her door after a hundred years and say, 'Hi kid, I'm your Dad', can I? She'd probably try to warp me into dark space."

Lidanya's posture relaxed a bit and she sighed. "No, I suppose not. There probably isn't any good way to do it. No matter how you approach it, it will be a shock. But hopefully a pleasant surprise... for her to know she's not alone."

A gravelly sound escaped Aethyta that approximated a laugh in her distraught state. "Oh, she's not alone. She has that damned Human... Shepard. She doesn't need me." She shook her head. "Assuming Shepard doesn't get herself or my girl killed during this war. Or both."

A hand grasped Aethyta's upper arm and shook her gently. "Don't say such things. It is war. People will die, but we cannot dwell on it. We lost many to Sovereign and this undoubtedly will be many times worse. There will be dark days ahead and I'm sure that for some of them, all we will have is our faith and hope. Do not lose sight of them."

"Thanks, Liddy." Aethyta's face held a pained smile. "You're right. It's just... Damn, but I still miss her. A hundred damn years and I still miss her. And Liara's so smart. She reminds me so much of her mother, it hurts."

Lidanya laughed lightly. "All the more reason to get to know her. She is the best of both of you and every day you delay, the more you miss out on." Her face turned serious. "Don't wait too long, Thyta. If something does happen, to either of you, you will have never met your daughter and she will learn from someone else who her father was or go to her grave thinking you never loved her. It would be a gross injustice. To both of you."

"Yeah, you're right. The timing of it all is just incredibly horrible." Aethyta closed her eyes and sighed.

"It is because of this war that it has happened this way. Do not let the Reapers dictate your future with your daughter. You must not pass to the light with such guilt on your conscience, Thyta. Find time to tell her." Liddy released Aethyta's arm and stepped back. "Now, go back to the Citadel and talk to Tevos. Figure out what's next for you."

One month prior - Palaven

Kasumi sat casually on the couch in the home of Garrus Vakarian, awaiting his arrival. As he opened the door and stepped in, he knew something was wrong somehow, but couldn't put his finger on it. He quietly pulled his pistol as he walked through the house as he normally would, but being exceptionally watchful and ready for whatever came at him. If someone had been casing his house, he didn't want them to know he realized something was out of place. He grabbed a tray, a sandwich and a drink and walked to the living room as he always did, to sit and eat dinner. The main difference was he carried the tray a little lower than normal to conceal it was held up by a pistol, not just his hand. When he entered the living room, he stopped his forward motion and started to chuckle. "Kasumi. What the hell are you doing, sitting on my couch?"

He couldn't see much of her face with that damn ever-present hood, but he saw her mouth turn up in a smile. "Had business here, and figured you'd be mad if I didn't stop in and say hello."

Garrus shook his head and sat down. "I'd offer you something to eat, but I wasn't expecting company so I don't have anything edible for you. My apologies." She let out a light hearted chuckle and he smiled. It was nice to have one of the old crew to chat with. He missed them all.

"No worries, Garrus. My job was for an extended period, so I brought plenty of my own supplies." Kasumi sat up from her relaxed position and got to business. "Have you heard from Liara lately?"

Garrus swallowed his bite of sandwich and looked at her, suddenly nervous. "I get the weekly updates... Have I missed something?"

"So you're up to date on Feron and the Cipher, and that she's working on Mars?"

Garrus relaxed a little bit, happy it wasn't something big. "Yeah. Spirits, Kas. I thought you were ready to drop a bomb on me. Don't do that."

She shrugged. "Actually I am. I need to tell you why I'm here. I may need some help and I'm not referring to your task force. I'm talking about Archangel."

Garrus' mandibles flexed. "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while. What could you possibly need from him? I heard he was retired. Permanently. Didn't he get killed on Omega?"

"Thane was getting ready to retire, too. He changed his mind when he heard about the mission he was needed for." Kasumi wondered why Garrus was being so careful. Is it possible his house is monitored? She quickly ran a scan and turned up nothing.

"Getting ready to retire and being dead are two different things." His voice flanged noticeably, so Kasumi knew he was stressing over something, but it wasn't that he was being spied on, so she spit it out.

"Garrus, Liara sent me to find out about Sparatus' status here, to insure he was actually being punished for what he did to Shepard."

Kasumi watched the big Turian stand as he growled. "And they're not doing crap. Oh yeah. He's under house arrest, but his 'guards' are his regular bodyguards, not cops. And if he wants to go out, he goes. He just has to stay in the city. Like he'd know what to do if he stepped anywhere outside the city limits anyway." Garrus walked to his window, looking out toward the city center. "I think he still receives his government stipend. Once a councilor, always a councilor. Problem is he still has powerful friends in high places, so Fedorian's hands are tied. The Council should have turned him over to the other Spectres and been done with him."

He suddenly spun and pinned Kasumi in place with his piercing eagle-like eyes, all prior hesitation gone. "Whatever it is, I'm in. What do you need from me?"

"Liara wants me to make his life less pleasant. She didn't come right out and say it, but I don't think she would object if it suddenly became... shorter. Much shorter." Kasumi cocked her head slightly to the side as she awaited Garrus' reaction.

"You want me to assassinate him?" Garrus' voice expressed surprise. "On Palaven?" He shook his head as his mandibles twitched. "That would be a tall order. He's under constant observation."

Kasumi smiled. "I could sneak in and poison him if that's what I wanted, but you're right. He's too high profile and we don't need that much attention. Not right now. I was thinking something a bit more subtle. Like maybe a skycar crash or something, but that's not my specialty. I don't know how to kill someone and make it look like an accident."

"Huh... me neither. Too bad Thane's not healthier, but he'd be missed if he skipped treatments, so we can't ask him. Not to mention it would be really bad for his health." Garrus paced back and forth. "I know a certain Spectre who could probably do it, but she's otherwise indisposed at the moment. Not that I think she'd actually do it. Liara on the other hand..."

"No. Liara and Shepard would be the first two people they'd look at. It can't be connected to them at all. They'd be too high on the suspect list." Kasumi suddenly jumped up off the couch in her enthusiasm. "Oooohhhhh! I've got it! We need to find Mordin! I'm sure he's still got contacts in the STG and they do political assassinations! Haven't done any I'm aware of in quite a few years, but they've got the history!"

"Now that's an idea. Mordin would have the connections." Garrus was nodding his head in agreement. "But if you're going to keep Liara out of it, you have to find him on your own, which means going to Sur'Kesh. Good luck with that!"

Kasumi laughed as she headed toward the door. "Hey. At least I can eat the food there! Thanks a bunch, Garrus. I'll see you around!"

Garrus watched the thief shimmer and literally vanish as she went out his door. His face bore a puzzled expression as he wondered exactly why Kasumi had thanked him; he hadn't done anything but talk to her. He shook his head and returned to his dinner. He may like the human friends he'd made on the Normandy, but he didn't think he would ever truly understand them.

Alliance Earth HQs, London, Sol

It had been a week since Liara's warning and as soon as Anderson had returned to Earth, Admiral Hackett left London and returned to his mobile command post on the SSV Orizaba, the flagship of the Fifth Fleet at Arcturus station, captained by none other than Hannah Shepard. Anderson was promoted to Rear Admiral and settled quickly into the job as the Headquarters Commander, made his rounds of the staff and finally stopped in to see Samantha Shepard. She popped to attention in surprise as Admiral Anderson walked into her quarters. "Don't get me wrong. It's good to see you, Sir, but what the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, God. Are we starting all over with that crap? Don't 'Sir' me, Shepard! What's it look like I'm doing?" Anderson chuckled at the greeting he received from his once XO.

"It looks like you're an Alliance admiral instead of a Councilor?" Shepard was happy if that was the case, but concerned as to who he'd left in the seat at the Citadel.

"Well. It's good to know you can still see. At least you'll point your gun in the right direction." Anderson's joviality vanished. "What I'm doing is assuming that Liara's right. And since that's the case, I belong here, not in some damn political office on the Citadel. I'm no politician, Shepard, and that's not where I belong during a war."

He nodded abruptly. "So. I'm here and Hackett's back in command of the Fifth Fleet on your Mom's ship. Right where everyone should be... except for you. I've got to talk to the Defense Council, get you reinstated as a Commander, and get your ass back on the Normandy."

"And Donnel Udina? That man has no business sitting in a council seat." Shepard smiled as she took in his words. "Wait. Commander? That would be nice, Anderson... but that's not a reinstatement, that's a promotion. From jail, but a promotion none-the-less."

"From protective custody... and one that's overdue." Anderson shook his head. "You've been a Lieutenant Commander now for what, seven years? And you command your own frigate. With everything you've done, you should be a damn Captain, but I know that won't fly."

"I've only been in for fourteen years... twelve if you take out the two when I was... well, you know... gone." Shepard still had a hard time telling people she had been dead, even those who knew the story.

"Shouldn't matter. I liked the days when people were field promoted on the spot for their abilities, not just because they survived and stuck around long enough." Anderson stepped back toward the door. "Anyway. I've got to run. Just wanted to stop in and see you, let you know I'm around and working to get you back on your ship. I'll see you soon, Shepard."

When Anderson stepped out of Shepard's quarters, he didn't realize just how soon that would be. With the Council and the Alliance Defense Committee still in denial and unwilling to take action until they had hard evidence, each separate force stood independent and alone at the gates of Hell when the Reapers surged through the relays.

Anderson was standing in the control center when the first calls started coming through. He let his staff take most of them, but when Hackett came on the line, he took the call personally. "How bad is it?"

"Bad. We just lost contact with two of our deep space outposts." Hackett already sounded tired, and the war hadn't even begun. "There's something massive on the long range scanners."

"Liara told us they were here. Nobody would listen." Anderson practically growled out the words. "It's the Reapers, isn't it?"

Hackett's reply was short and to the point. "I'd stake my life on it."

"How long do we have?" Anderson was already calculating, trying to come up with a way to get Shepard on her ship and the Normandy in the air in the least amount of time.

"Not long." Hackett's answer wasn't very comforting. "I've already sent the order. The fleets are mobilizing. Hackett out."

God help us all." Anderson whispered to himself as he placed a call to Vega. "Get Shepard to the Defense Committee on the double. I'll meet you enroute."

When James fetched Shepard from her room, the halls had already started to fill up with marines scurrying about to get to their battle posts. He had no answers for her questions, just that they needed to hurry and Admiral Anderson would be meeting them on the way. Shepard immediately reached out. {Liara.}

Liara responded quickly, concerned about Shepard's tone. { You sound... tense, Shepard. What's the matter?}

{I don't know. I'm on the way to the Defense Committee for an unscheduled meeting and people are running the halls in a hurry to get somewhere.} Her thoughts paused only momentarily before she continued. {I think they're here, Love. Start downloading all your data just in case, I may be on my way. Soon.}

{Goddess! I love you, Samantha. Please be careful!} Liara had already started the download process as she was speaking. {I'll try to be ready when you get here.}

{Do that. I gotta go, Blue. See you soon. I promise.} Shepard caught sight of Anderson walking toward them at a fast clip. "Anderson."

"Shepard." He reached out and they shook hands quickly as they walked. "Admiral Hackett is mobilizing the fleets. Something big is headed our way. I'm pretty sure we're all in agreement on what it most likely is."

Shepard scoffed. "We're not ready. Not by a long shot."

Anderson kept moving, as quickly as the crowds allowed. "Tell that to the Defense Committee."

"Screw the Defense Committee. I've been telling them that for over six months!" The anger in Shepard's voice turned Anderson's head.

"They're just scared. That's why they need you. None of them have seen what you've seen." Anderson's voice almost came out as a laugh. "Hell. You spoke to one and then blew the damn thing up!" He stopped momentarily and grabbed her arm. "I know they're supposed to be in charge, but they need your confidence right now. They need your guidance and your leadership." He released her arm and started walking again. "As much as you may want to, don't piss on them. Help them help us."

"I'm just a soldier, Anderson." Shepard shook her head in disgust. "I'm no politician."

"Good, because that's what we need. I need someone who can do whatever the hell it takes to help us stop the Reapers."

When they got to the committee chambers, Shepard was surprised to run into Ashley outside the doors; Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams. She just spoke her name, but Ashley's voice sounded almost anxious as she greeted the commander. "Shepard."

Before Shepard could respond, Anderson cut in, allowing no time for small talk. "Ashley. How'd it go in there?"

Ash shrugged her shoulders. "I can never tell with them, but they're on board with Shepard. They're cutting her orders now." Her eyes shifted to Shepard. "Congratulations, Commander. Welcome back to the Normandy."

"Thanks. Congrats to you too, Lieutenant Commander?" Shepard raised her eyebrows and Anderson saw the look pass between them.

"You hadn't heard?" His voice sounded surprised.

"No. I'm a bit out of the loop these days." Shepard's voice turned bitter. "The novelty wore off and nobody talks to me anymore."

Ashley immediately took it as a personal chastisement and her cheeks turned a little red. "Sorry, Ma'am. Didn't mean to leave you in the dark."

Shepard let out a small huff, doubting her sincerity. "Don't worry about it. Not like you learned the Reapers were coming and didn't tell me."

Anderson realized a storm front when he saw one and cut the discussion off. "No time for chit-chat. They're waiting on us." He glanced meaningfully between the two. "Come on, Shepard."

"Yes, Sir." Her words were clipped, but Shepard recognized what he had done and followed close behind as he started to walk away. She knew she and Ashley were going to have to work through this, but now wasn't the time. They had more important things to worry about.

They walked in on a Defense Committee that was in chaos, asking her what they should be doing with this new unknown enemy. Shepard was almost beyond words as her frustration rose to the surface and she echoed their words back to them. "You have got to be fucking kidding me! Unlike anything you've ever seen? Incomprehensively powerful?" Shepard practically shook with the effort of controlling her rage. "What about Sovereign? What about all the reports you read and all the debriefings with me. You all have no excuses for being caught so unprepared. Now it's too late. There's only one thing we can do." She pointed at the committee before waving her hand at all the monitors showing Reapers touching down at various parts of the globe. "The Reapers are more advanced than we are. More powerful. More intelligent. They don't fear us and they'll certainly never take pity on us. They are here to wipe us out of existence so we only have one option. We fight, or we die!"

"That's it? That's our plan?" The committee was completely at a loss as to what to do.

Anderson looked almost as disgusted as she did as he ignored them and looked at Shepard. "We should get to the Normandy."

Just then, the sound of loud thunder erupted outside and Shepard's head snapped around to look out the window. "We're out of time! Get away from the windows! Move!"

The members of the Defense Committee had been sitting behind a comfortable desk for far too long and completely failed to respond to her warnings with the reflexes that should have been befitting those of life-long soldiers. Catching them completely flat-footed, an energy beam ripped through the building and threw furniture and personnel like tumbleweeds in the wind. Shepard had run to the back of the room but still got slammed to the wall with the force of the explosion, her ears ringing so loudly she couldn't hear anything else for a few moments. As she sat up, she saw Anderson speaking before she could actually hear what he was saying and he was already helping her to her feet as her auditory canals started working again.

"Come on, get up!" He quickly handed her a pistol and they got on the move, working their way to the Normandy. Anderson managed to get in touch with Williams and told her to get to the Normandy and meet them at the landing zone. As they stepped outside, Shepard reached out to touch base with Liara, only to get a rude awakening. Even through the link, Liara sounded terribly out of breath and Shepard immediately feared the Reapers were also on Mars and her heart clenched in fear. {Goddess! Shepard!... I down... loaded most of the data and we were watching... the news feeds.} Shepard felt Liara grunt, like she was climbing over something. {Gunfire... erupted and I just knew they were here as well... Ahhh! Goddess be damned!}

Shepard was suddenly met with a sickening silence. {Liara!}

{Here, Shepard. Sorry. I had to kill a Centurion.}

Shepard immediately felt confusion. Not from Liara, but in her own mind. {Centurion? What the hell are you talking about, Li?}

{Oh. Right. No Reapers yet...} Liara grunted again with effort. {Cerberus. Goddess. Please hurry, Love.} Another grunt. {Not sure how... long I can avoid them... but I really need to go. I have to...} Another long pause. {... concentrate on staying alive until you get here. I... am a tad... bit... outnumbered.}

Shepard put on a burst of speed and flew past Anderson, a new drive thrusting her forward. {I'm coming! Just stay alive for me, Liara! I'm coming.} She wasn't sure if the link was still active but she pushed anyway. {I love you, Li!}

The fight to get to the Normandy took an amazingly long time, the entire time Shepard finding it hard to concentrate as Anderson spoke about getting to the Citadel and asking the Council for help with her Spectre status. When the Normandy arrived to pick them up, more than twelve minutes had passed and Anderson was dragging his feet.

Shepard looked back after she had jumped onto the loading ramp. "Come on!"

Anderson watched a shuttle arrive over his shoulder. "I'm not going." He pointed back toward the shuttle. "You saw those men back there. There's a million more like 'em and they need a leader."

Shepard was impatient. "We're in this fight together, Anderson. Get your ass up here!"

With everything going on, Anderson couldn't laugh, but a small smile graced his face. "My fight is here, but it's a fight we won't win, not without help. Your fight is out there. Go to the council. Get us the help we need, Shepard. I'll be waiting on you."

"And if they won't listen?" Shepard was itching to leave, but duty drove her to find out exactly what Anderson expected of her.

"Then make them listen, Commander!" Anderson reached into his pocket. "By the way. You'll need these." His arm flicked out, launching a chain with a pair of dog tags at her. As she caught them, he finished and waved the Normandy away. "You know what you have to do, so go do it."

Shepard nodded, hoping it wasn't the last she'd see of David Anderson. "I'll be back, and I'll bring every fleet I can, Anderson. Stay alive!"

As the ramp came up, Shepard started striding towards the elevator to go to the loft and get her custom armor, but was intercepted by Riana who had already gathered it together for her. "Shepard. It is good to see you. Thought you might be needing this." Her expression reflected concern and the commander knew why.

Shepard pulled up short. "Shit! It's good to see you, Riana. I forgot you were on board! Don't worry, we're headed straight to Mars." She slipped her dog tags over her head and Riana started to help her get all her gear on.

In the meantime, James rolled up, his eyes going wide. "You are not Dr T'Soni. Where'd you come from?"

Shepard scowled at the reminder Liara wasn't safely aboard with them. "Deep breath, James. This is Riana Iregos, Liara's personal guard and Broker assistant. She's been on the Normandy crew for longer than you have. Riana? Lieutenant James Vega."

Riana just stared at him. "Yes. I know. He is bigger than I imagined. Welcome to the Normandy, Lieutenant."

Shepard snapped her last armor fastener and started walking. "Wait! Commander?" Vega was hot on her heals. "Where's Anderson and why the hell are we going to Mars?"

Shepard stayed on the move and talked over her shoulder. "Anderson is staying to organize the resistance and we're picking up Dr T'Soni on our way to the Citadel."

"Leaving? Fuck that! Drop me back off!" Ashley heard the tone in Vega's voice and walked over to join the conversation.

"What's going on?" She glanced back and forth between Vega and the commander, not really sure what was about to happen.

Shepard ignored them all for a second. "Edi, you with us?" She breathed a sigh of relief as Edi's calm voice responded to the affirmative. "Great. All available speed to the Mars Archives."

Shepard spoke to them all quickly, explaining her conversation with Anderson and about Liara having found something of interest. "We need to retrieve her and her research before we leave the Sol system. I'm afraid if we don't do it now, we won't get another chance." Saying the words out loud put a knot of fear in her gut.

Joker came on the line. "Commander. Got an emergency transmission from Admiral Hackett for you."

"Shit. Patch it through, Joker!" The signal was heavily distorted and Shepard only managed to catch every other word, but she got the gist. The Alliance got their asses handed to them in the initial confrontations and their worst fears had been realized. The Reapers had shown up with overwhelming force and their only hope lay with Liara and whatever she had discovered in the Archives. "Understood, Sir. We're on our way there now, and then to meet with the Council to gather whatever help we can." She didn't say anything about her conversation with Liara or the Cerberus forces there. They'd handle whatever was thrown at them when they got there.

Hackett nodded in agreement. "God speed, Commander. Hackett out."

Prothean Archives, Mars

By the time they got to the Archives, thirty minutes had passed and while maintaining her outward calm, inside, Shepard was frantic. Joker had attempted contact and no one was answering. Shepard knew why, but she still didn't say anything. She did have one question she needed to ask. "Any sign of Reaper activity?" She breathed a small sigh of relief when Joker replied to the negative. It was a little easier knowing they only had to worry about Cerberus, if they were even still here. She didn't want to think about the implications if they were not.

As James set the Shuttle down, he commented, "Still no contact from the base, but we've got a massive storm headed our way."

Shepard glanced at him as she readied her weapons. "How much time do we have?"

James shook his head, "Not a lot. Thirty minutes, tops. After that, talking to the Normandy will be tough."

"If we're here for thirty minutes, I think we may be in for bigger trouble than a Martian sandstorm." Shepard looked at her crew. She knew James and Riana were current in their battle training, but didn't know if Ashley had seen any real action since Horizon, and she had missed most of that frozen in stasis. "Alright. You guys haven't worked with Riana before. She's a Vanguard, so just treat her like me and you should be fine. Let's hit it."

They had barely gotten out of the shuttle before they realized something was most definitely wrong. They found an Alliance trooper lying dead by a transport. Ashley pulled his tags. "Sergeant Reeves. Doesn't look like he put up much of a fight."

Shepard's heart was beating so loudly in her ears, she barely heard what Ashley was saying. "Come on, we've got to keep moving. Something's not right, and maybe we can stop it before it goes any farther."

She turned and moved quickly toward the facility entrance. As they approached, they heard gunfire. As Shepard peeked around a large rock, her worst fears were realized. Cerberus was pulling people out of the facility and executing them; she prayed they weren't too late. When James made a comment about it, Shepard growled. "It's fucking Cerberus! We've got some clean-up to do people." She stared directly at Ashley. "Show no mercy. Kill them all." She took a deep breath. "Ash. I need you and James to lob grenades down there. As soon as they explode, Riana and I will charge and take the fight to their doorstep. You guys get down there to back us up as fast as you can."

Shepard was pleased when Ashley didn't even hesitate as she pulled a frag grenade off her belt. "Roger that, Ma'am." She looked at James, who stood ready and nodded. "On my count."

They cleaned up the last of the Cerberus troopers outside the facility and finally breached the doors. Shepard immediately threw her mind forward. {Liara!} The silence was deafening and Shepard felt her heart squeeze in her chest. {By the Gods, Liara, if you don't answer me I'm going to tear this facility to the ground to find you!}

A very tired voice came back and Shepard exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding. {Shepard. Thank the Goddess.}

{I'm here, Li. Coming up on the vehicle elevator now. Where are you?} Ashley started to talk to her but Shepard shook her head and held her hand up for her to be quiet. Riana pulled her to the side and explained she was probably 'speaking' with Liara over the meld.

{I ended up hiding in the ducts. Crawling through them is loud and I was getting shot at. It was a bit distracting and I obviously didn't feel you the first time you called. I'm sorry if I worried you.} Shepard felt Liara sigh in relief, but she was too concerned yet to feel any joy in the pending reunion.

Shepard understood completely. {It's ok, Li. Can you work your way to us or do I need to come to you?}

{I can... get to you... I think. I know there's still two more up here with me somewhere and I'm running low on ammo. They'll...} Liara stopped for a moment and Shepard realized just how tired her lover was.

{Liara. You can't 'think.' You have to 'know.' You did this for me once and I was amazed at how much it helped. You need to get to me safely and you're almost completely drained. Take what you need.} Shepard pushed energy, support and love toward Liara and felt the Asari draw on her strength.

{By the Goddess. That's amazing. Thank you, Shepard. I'm coming.} Even her voice sounded stronger through the link and Liara was once more on the move.

Shepard smiled and turned to Ashley. "Sorry Ash. What did you need?"

The elevator was coming to a stop on the upper floor and Ash hesitated. "It's not important, Shepard. I was just wondering if you knew why the hell Cerberus was here."

"I imagine they're after the same thing we are. A way to stop the Reapers. Liara's had a few run-ins with them at various Prothean research sites." They stepped off the elevator and Shepard glanced around and gestured upward. "Liara's headed to us through the ducts. Keep your eyes open and watch for hostiles, but positive ID before you shoot. I'd appreciate it if you don't shoot my future wife."

Ashley shook her head, not to be dissuaded from her inquiry. "Shepard. Cerberus rebuilt you from scratch. You really don't feel like you owe them anything?"

Shepard laughed. "All I owe TIM is a bullet between the eyes next time I see him. He's a narcissistic ass with dreams of galactic domination. No, I don't owe him shit. I stole the man's ship. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a bounty on my head."

Vega stepped up and looked at Ashley. "Hey, Amiga. Ease off. I've been tagged to Shepard since she turned herself in at the Citadel and she's been under constant surveillance. No way she's communicated with those pendejos."

Ashley backed off. "Sorry, Shepard. I just... I don't know. Just, your version of events is kind of hard to swallow."

"Trust me, I know, Ash. Half the time I don't believe it myself. But I'm done explaining myself to you. You'll either trust me or you ..." Shepard stopped when they all heard the banging in the duct.

They could now tell which vent hatch her bondmate was aiming for, but could also tell from all the noise and the gunfire that she wasn't alone. Once again, fear clutched at Shepard's heart. She didn't use the link and just shouted out, "Liara! Come on!" She spun and looked at her crew. "When Liara comes out of that vent, I'm going to pull her to me with my biotics." Her eyes turned molten hot and she spoke through clenched teeth as she finished. "You kill whoever tries to follow her out."

They heard Liara utter a pained yell and the commander was literally glowing with caged power. Suddenly the vent cover was kicked off and two white armored feet emerged, quickly followed by the rest of the Asari's body. Shepard whispered "Gotcha!" as she reached out with her biotics and pulled Liara to her so quickly she bowled them both over in the process.

Riana ripped the first trooper out of the vent and crushed him angrily with biotics as James and Ashley quickly finished off the second Cerberus trooper before he could even gain his footing outside the vent. They all turned to see Liara collapsed in the commander's arms. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily as Shepard carefully put medigel on a bullet graze across her temple and side crests. Riana was instantly at her side and James took a step toward them and queried, "She gonna be ok, Commander?"

Shepard spoke quietly. "Yeah, she'll be fine. Just tired and a bit dizzy. Give the medigel a couple minutes and she'll be up. I think it was my unexpected pull that has her so disoriented." Shepard caressed a blue cheek and Liara blinked her eyes open and smiled gently.

Her voice was tender. "Siame. I was so worried when I saw the images from Earth... and here you are, rescuing me. Again. Thank you." She chuckled and took a deep breath as she sat up on her own, running her hand gingerly over her temple. "That was a bit closer than I like. Riana. I was hoping you were here with the Normandy." Her eyes went to Shepard's companions as she stood. "Thanks to all of you. James, Ashley... it's... good to see you again."