Series Title: After the Reapers; The Liara Chronicles
Pairing: MShepard/Liara

Author: Knights-Honour
Disclaimer: Mass Effect universe © BioWare
Any character you haven't heard of © me

Author's Notes:

Thanks go to my Beta; Blueglaceon, who despite having little knowledge of the Mass Effect universe, agreed to edit the series anyway. Thanks, Blue!

Aftermath is set after Priority: Thessia

Aftermath

"I don't care how slim the leads are. We've come too far to let Cerberus stop us now," Shepard addressed his crew in the War Room. "I want that Prothean data. I want the Catalyst. No excuses. Dismissed." The first human Spectre remained propped up against the holo-table, his body stilled numbed from his failure on Thessia, as the others filed out of the room.

"Admiral Anderson is available for vid comm, Commander," Specialist Traynor's voice over the com brought him out of his reverie.

"Thanks, Traynor," he replied as he pushed off of the table and headed to the Comm room.

Activating the holo, he was met by the sight of his friend and mentor.

"Shepard, I heard about Thessia."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Ten minutes later found the chocolate-skinned human leaving the War Room and stepping into the CIC, but before he went any further EDI approached him.

"Commander, there is a situation brewing down in the Port Cargo room."

Shepard let out a sigh. "Let me guess, Liara?"

He knew the mission hadn't been easy for his Asari wife, watching her homeworld crumble before her eyes. Javik had only made matters worse as he'd revealed the extent of the Prothean's influence on her race whilst they'd been scrambling to get the info they'd need whilst fight their way through Reaper forces.

EDI nodded her head. "She went down there as soon as the debriefing ended."

"Thanks for the heads up, EDI. And tell Joker that he's getting slow; he's usually the one to bring these things to my attention."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

When he arrived onto the Engineering deck, the atmosphere was tense.

"What's going on, Commander?" Engineer Adams questioned his CO from the doorway that led to the ship's drive core when Shepard stepped out of the elevator.

"Those were all lies back there!" Liara's angry voice was heard from Javik's quarters.

"I've never seen Liara like this," Tali murmured softly as she stood beside Adams. "Not even after Noveria."

"It's alright, I'll handle it," Shepard assured the two. "Continue on with your duties."

"Yes, sir," Adams returned to his post, but Tali continued to hover in the doorway and watched Shepard as he entered the port side room as Liara's anguished voice was heard again.

"My people weren't animals for your kind to experiment on!"

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

"You wanted to know more about your history, Asari," the warrior told his guest bluntly as Shepard entered the room. "Now you do."

"I have a name!" Liara snarled back at Javik, tired of being referred to only by her race. "It's Liara T'Soni-Shepard. And I'd appreciate you using it from now on!"

Shepard saw her biotics flare around her body as she prepared to attack the Prothean and he reacted, gently grasping her arm and pulling her back to him. "Liara, settle down," he soothed.

But she wasn't having any of it, angrily wrenching her arm free from his grip as she turned on him. "My home was just destroyed!" she hurled at him before glaring back at Javik. "And all he can do is gloat!"

Seeing that his tactics with Liara weren't working, Shepard looked at Javik. "Given what's happened today, I think you owe Liara an apology, Javik," the human soldier stated.

"Apologize for the truth?" the four-eyed warrior scoffed, crossing his arms.

"For not doing more!" Liara rebutted. "You're a Prothean! You were supposed to have all the answers! How could you not stop this from happening?"

"We believed you would," Javik stated simply. "Long ago we saw the potential in your people. Even then it was obvious: the wisdom. The patience. You were the best hope for this cycle. So you were… guided… when necessary."

Liara took a step back then, her rage and anger disappearing at the Prothean's words. "Well, it didn't work," she stated sombrely as she gazed down at the floor.

"You're still alive aren't you?" Javik refuted. "Your world may have fallen, but as even one Asari is left standing, the fight isn't over."

Liara smiled wryly as she returned her gaze to the Prothean's "I guess that goes for Protheans, too."

"Despair is the enemy's greatest weapon. Do not let them wield it… Liara T'Soni-Shepard."

Without saying anything more, Liara turned and left the room. Shepard watched her go before turning back to Javik. "Did you mean any of that?"

"She believes it, so she will keep fighting," the warrior responded as he turned away. "Isn't that what matters, Commander?"

With a shake of his head, Shepard left the room.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Shepard couldn't help but chuckle as he stepped out of the elevator and into the Crew deck and found Tali and Garrus waiting for him. 'News travels fast,' he mused to himself before speaking aloud, "How bad?"

"She went straight to her room. She's not responding to her comm either," Tali told him. "I was just asking Garrus if he'd go and talk to her."

"But considering that I'd only be another reminder about how many people are dying, I thought Tali should do it," the Turian responded.

"How can I? I just regained my homeworld. She just lost hers!"

"It's alright," he soothed the pair. "I'm on my way to see her now."

"Good. When she went by… She just really needs you right now."

"I know, and I'll do what I can," Shepard assured the Quarian before striding to his bondmate's quarters.

When he entered, Liara was in the middle of a conversation with EDI and didn't look up to greet him from her place on the double bed at the back of the room. "I've studied Protheans my entire life. If I'd been shown the beacon on Thessia earlier…"

"You would have needed Shepard's Cipher to understand it," EDI interjected over the comm.

"I still could have learned from it! Instead, my mother hid the galaxy's most important archaeological find from me. It must have been such a joke to her when I became a Prothean researcher."

"The penalties for withholding Prothean technology are among the harshest in Council space." EDI responded. "Your mother's motives may have been simply to shield you."

"Perhaps. Thank you, EDI. I… hadn't considered that," the Asari maiden admitted as Shepard approached her. "How did this happen, Shepard?" she whispered, still not looking at him as he came to a stop at the foot of the bed. "Did I just assume that the Asari would be ready? That the Council would protect them?" As she spoke her voice became more and more anguished. "Or was I so focused on the Catalyst that I ignored my own people?"

"You'd never do that," he responded as he began to pace like a caged animal.

"They're dying by the millions!" she argued, finally looking up at him, tears streaming down her face. "I told those people on Thessia that we'd save them! How many Asari died because I demanded their help-"

Seeing where this was going, the chocolate-skinned soldier abruptly stopped pacing and pressed a hand down onto the mattress so that he was eye level with Liara. "None!" he cut her off.

"Theo, that isn't true!" she responded instantly, her tone-of-voice softening as she met his unyielding gaze.

"You've been warning your people for four years that this was coming, Liara," he told her firmly before turning away and striding towards her computer. "There's not a damned thing you should feel guilty about! And if we move fast enough," he continued, as he began to use the terminal. "They'll have a chance to survive this, to start again. We lost Thessia, but we haven't lost the Asari, not yet."

At her beau's word's, Liara collected herself. Her purpose renewed, she slid off of the bed and strode to where he was working, and Shepard stepped back to allow her to take over the task he had started. "Helping the refugees, that's something I can do. It's something I owe them."

"I'll let you work," he told her, raising a hand to her shoulder and giving it a brief squeeze before turning and leaving the room.

Fin.