Three months...

Three months had passed after Shepard's dramatic announcement to the media. The woman herself had been whisked back to Earth by the Alliance, before the Council had pulled rank and put her through their intensive SPECTRE training.

They had only spoken once before being split up. Faith had reassured Liara that they would find a way to work together to fight the Reapers, but for now she had to indulge the politicians she would need on her side. They did not talk about their relationship.

So Liara had left. She had agreed to accompany the Ilos expedition as an expert adviser (the title still both amused and depressed her; one battle was enough to do what half a century of solid research could not), but after finding that the last of the planet's power had died with the Conduit's final activation, she spent most of her time with her information networks.

It had begun with tentative contacts to several powerful Asari, who paid attention to her both by virtue of the T'Soni name and her association with Shepard at the battle of the Citadel. It had not taken her long to realise that influence might be more important in the upcoming war than pure might. There was enormous strength in the Galaxy, but much of it lay behind reluctant individuals who might need 'persuasion' to share it for the greater good.

She had already convinced several of the rich families to begin emergency provisions; hardening communication lines, stockpiling resources and bringing acolytes in from their travels for military training. It was not much, but for such a short amount of time she felt she had accomplished a good deal.

In doing so, she had begun to build a network of suppliers and contacts; those who could put her in touch with the right people to get things done. The work was absolutely invigorating; she was making such a difference, and the concept of doing it all from the shadows appealed to her. Her previous studies, digging for clues about an extinction she now knew the truth of, had given her the necessary patience and deduction for her work but the sheer thrill of knowing a piece of information that could make or break a family could not be matched.

The thought worried her. She hoped she still had something of an intact moral compass, but she knew that what she had planned would end up causing a lot of trouble. The Asari were very tribal; aside from their presence in the Citadel Council they had little resembling a unified government. Liara planned to take steps to bring the powerful families closer together; to share militaries, bloodlines, supplies and more. Unity would be needed when the Reapers came. She knew many would oppose this, and it was likely there would be blood spilled before the end.

But that was something she would deal with as it came. And, with any luck, she could do it with a friend. She had been in touch with Faith, exchanging mails when they had the time, and the woman had recently been released from the Citadel with the command of the Normandy, with the brief to scout the Traverse for further Geth activity. They both knew it was a nothing job, designed to keep her out of trouble for a few months, but it also gave her a lot of room to begin manoeuvring against the Reapers.

Tali had returned to her people, and Wrex to his. She had kept in touch with Tali; her pilgrimage gift, as well as her status as a member of Shepard's crew, had guaranteed her a hero's welcome and a place on one of the Quarian's greatest ships. She was doing what she could to prepare the Galaxy's biggest fleet for large scale war, using the Geth as an argument to begin arming up, while subtly discouraging actual war with them. Wrex had been silent; due in no small part to Tuchanka's woeful technological state, but a contact there had reported that he had already fought his way to the head of clan Urdnot and was preparing to bring the other clans together, just like she was.

She had not heard a lot from Garrus or Kaidan, only that the former had applied for SPECTRE training, and the latter had been poached from Shepard's crew by the Alliance, so both were no doubt restricted from open contact.

But Shepard had sent the message of her life not a week ago. She wanted Liara back. On the Normandy. She would be on Ilos to pick her up in less than a day.

Three months...

Three months of endless debriefings, of lectures, of training so intense it put her N7 program to shame.

Faith Shepard missed her friends.

The feeling was... strange. Her military career had seemed fulfilling to her at the time, but considering her distant attitude after Mindoir, and her reputation after Torfan, she had never known anybody she could simply call a friend. But her time chasing Saren had changed her, and during her training she had felt a deep longing for the companionship of the Normandy.

When she had been pummelled by biotic attacks for five hours straight, learning the proper way to defend against them, she missed how Garrus would have joked about going another round.

When she had been sat in front of a panel of politicians ranting at her about killing the Rachni, she missed how Wrex would have reminded them that she was only finishing a job they were too incompetent to do themselves.

When she had been struggling at the advanced hacking training, she missed how Tali would have let out her lilting chuckle and shown her some shortcut she had worked out.

When she was angry after a day of grilling by dignitaries who seemed to be shouting at her for the sake of shouting, she missed how Kaidan would give a measured opinion, explaining their point of view, making the process seem a little less pointless.

She missed Ashley. She had met with the soldier's mother and sisters on Earth, telling them how bravely she had died, how she had done the Williams name proud.

Most of all, after a days' gruelling work, physical or otherwise, she missed Liara. How she would just sit with the Asari, enjoying her presence, sometimes talking, sometimes in silence. She missed the peace she felt, the happiness when she gave the Asari a gift, the enthusiasm when she started talking about a topic she found interesting.

Their messaging had been sadly brief; neither person's schedule allowing time for drawn out correspondence. But Shepard had finally been sent from the Citadel, to investigate reports of unusual goings on across the borders with the Terminus systems. The Council suspected Geth, and while Shepard was loath to be their guard dog, she also knew that the Geth were probably the best place to start in their efforts against the Reapers.

But before she began her work in earnest, she was collecting Liara. The Asari had led the archaeological expedition to Ilos, but her messages gave the impression that she had not actually been involved in the dig, instead pursuing her own ideas on the best way to prepare for the Reapers.

They would be on Ilos in less than a day.

Brace for evasive manoeuvres!

Joker's voice rang throughout the ship accompanied by flashing warning red lights.

Attack!

All of Shepard's emotions were stowed away as she moved automatically, crossing to the armour locker in her cabin and beginning to suit up swiftly. An enormous crash and the Normandy tilted to one side, they must have been hit.

I thought we were running in stealth! Just check out the distress call, they said...

She finished arming herself, the ship's siren telling her that they had been exposed to the vacuum. She chose her full face mask, and instantly got in touch with the bridge.

'Joker, what's going on?'

'Shepard! We're under attack, enemy cruiser, no known signature, they can see right through our stealth!'

'Damage report!'

One of the co-pilots responded, Joker apparently too busy.

'It's bad, sir! Their first shot was some kind of beam, it cut straight through one of our wings, we're barely keeping the Normandy stable!'

The only ship she knew with power like that was Sovereign...

She activated the emergency channel.

'Abandon ship! We're outmatched and hobbled!'

Joker again: 'Negative, I can still save her!'

'Dammit Joker!'

The stubborn fool was going to get himself killed. She vacated her cabin and saw a nightmare. The mess was burning, fire flooding in from an unknown location. The emergency lights danced red against the walls, and one of the operations crew was lying on the floor, head split open by what appeared to be a fall onto the table. Another blow shook the Normandy, and she heard a crashing from the direction of the stairs.

Doctor Chakwas ran out of the medical bay, only for Shepard to grab her arm.

'Get to the escape pods!'

'But Joker...'

'I'll get him! Now get out!'

'I... yes Commander, good luck!'

She ran to the stairs up to the CIC, having to turn back as the starboard flight was blocked by debris that had fallen down from the ceiling.

Dammit, I will see Liara again!

As the door to the CIC opened, she felt the air behind of her sucked out, only a swift activation of her magnetic boots stopping her from flying through the gaping hole above her.

Oh god...

Almost the entire canopy of the Normandy had been torn off. Pressley's body, nearly unidentifiable underneath extreme burns, floated past in a grotesquely serene manner.

Move soldier!

Carefully planting her feet, she walked towards the bridge where she could see Joker's frantic movements behind a localised mass effect field. As she approached, Chakwas' voice filled her ears.

'Commander, we have evacuated as many as possible, only Joker and yourself are left on board!'

'Good, get out of here Karin! We'll use the pilot's escape pod.'

'Aye aye Commander.'

She reached the bridge. She knew Joker, how he responded to adversity. Her words were carefully chosen, not an order.

'Joker, the Normandy is dead, going down with her won't make the sacrifice any more worthwhile.'

'I... ok. Let's-'

He glanced back at the monitor.

'Oh god, they're coming around again!'

'Move!'

They rushed back to the small escape pod by the airlock, Shepard practically manhandling the man.

'Hey, watch the arm!'

'Get in there!'

She shoved him in, and was about to follow when an explosion threw her backwards, and a beam of yellow fire cut in front of her, heading towards the escape pod. Joker would be dead in seconds. Without thinking, she slammed the external release and the pod's doors shut, ejecting just before the beam tore through the space it was occupying. Another explosion sent her flying backwards, away from the wreckage of the Normandy.

Shooting a person-sized target in space was practically impossible, and her suit had a few hours of oxygen. Perhaps she would be rescued before then, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

She floated for several seconds before the horizon of the planet Alchera came into view. It was a beautiful sight, as blue as Liara's eyes.

Her mind was curiously detached about the whole situation. The Normandy was lost to an enemy with what was almost certainly Reaper technology, but that was a problem for another time. Right now... she felt relaxed, the deep blue of the planet calming her troubles. Everything seemed so simple, as she floated through the vacuum, Alchera gazing at her like Liara did.

She felt more than heard the final detonation of the Normandy behind her. She would miss the-

Oh no.

The telltale hiss snapped her mind back to her predicament. Her suit was ruptured. Behind... she tried reaching around, but had no way of knowing where the breach was. She quickly calculated... oxygen leaking at the rate it is...

No no no no!

She felt her throat tighten, trying to suck in air that was not there. Her eyes started to water, and she let out a silent scream as her lungs began to burn.

Not like this!

Her vision started fading, and the strength leeched from her muscles.

I... still... have to...

Her final thoughts were of Liara, coming to her cabin before they reached Ilos. Faith had turned her away.

"I am sorry"

Why had Liara said that? What did she...

"I am sorry"

She forced her eyes open a final time, and looked into the brilliant blue beneath her. She could hear the voice... see her eyes...

"I am sorry..."