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Turnabout-	By : Spiritwolf71 Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 7688 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This story takes place within Bioware's Mass Effect Universe, their creative property. I do not own any of Bioware's stories or characters or locations. The Author recieved no money from this story and is writing it purely for entertainment.

Chapter List
- 6
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- 8
Liara was not sure what was more frustrating, the fact that every time she got a lead on deciphering the drive she hit a wall, or the fact that Ashley was constantly asking for reports. She was losing precious time and wanted to get back to either tracking down Kai Leng or finding out who the blond woman was. She had a feeling they were probably intertwined.
She had been working on the cypher for just over three days now; she was beginning to wish she had brought Glyph with her. She was good but he had a processor built for things like this. A couple times she almost brought it to the Normandy but her pride decided against it.
She had been able to identify it as Reaper but there was something more to it, something that made her skin crawl but she could not put her hands on it. It would explain why Cerberus wanted it though. It was simply a smaller part of a much bigger picture. She would need to send more resources towards the Eclipse to find out what they had known.
She looked through her latest battery of algorithms and one at a time they failed as well. She sighed in frustration and threw herself into a chair, rubbing her forehead.
“I remember when a nice massage and some wine would relax you.” Shepard voice snuck once again into her head. Liara growled slightly.
“Why now am I hearing your voice in my head, why not five years ago?” She hissed.
“Hey, Blue, I am simply your subconscious. That blonde woman has put me here and you know it, you just don’t know why.”
“That’s true.” She said and shook her head.
“Call EDI. You know she will help you and not tell Ashley.”
Liara knew she would, she was being stubborn but as the Shadow Broker she had learned to work alone. When she had first met Shepard she depended on the human for a lot of things. Liara knew she had been naïve but once Shepard had died she had changed. During the two years after Shepard’s “death” she had learned independence and she had learned assertiveness. She had been like a bull on a charge with the Shadow Broker as the Matador.
She remembered when Shepard had first reappeared in her office on Illium. She had been threatening to flay a man’s mind; she had written it off to simply a threat. She had told her lover that she would never have done that, but she would have, and in those two years she had done worse.
Shepard had brought her back, had taken her out of the darkness she had been allowing herself to descend into. Knowing Cayle still loved her seemed to fill a void that had torn open when she watched her lover die in the explosion of the original Normandy.
This time, when the Citadel had exploded with Shepard on it she had felt shock and depression and even sadness, but she had never felt that deep void. It was one of the reasons that she had never been completely convinced that Cayle was dead.
She inhaled deeply and slammed her fist down on the arm rest. Twice she had been forced to abandon her lover.
As she hit the arm rest her computer went off. She looked to it for a few moments before rising. It had finally been able to break through the firewalls. She was actually, finally, going to get somewhere. She smiled slightly to herself.
She took a step forward when a familiar voice grated through her the communications. “Liara, any luck.” It was Ashley.
“I think I do.” She said moving to the computer. She watched as the data started to stream through. “Yes, I have finally broken the code.”
“I am on my way.”
“Great.” Liara mumbled to herself after the communication ended. “I just can’t wait to have you breathing over my neck.”
She continued to go through the information that was now appearing and as she did she felt a small flame of fear start in the pit of her stomach. She was glue to the screen before her as Ashley entered the room. The Lt. Commander stood with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Well?” She asked finally.
Liara looked to her. “It’s a small file, and it’s about reaper technology.”
“Everyone has Reaper technology.”
“Yes, but not everyone has Harbinger.”
It was quiet for a long time as both women let the implications sink in.
Harbinger had been behind the Collectors and had tried to get Shepard’s body the first time she had died. It had guided the Collectors to wipe out colonies of humans and use them to try and make a human reaper. It followed Shepard relentlessly, almost to the point of obsessively. It had been on Earth during the final push of the battle. Harbinger had been what knocked Liara and Garrus out of the rush. Harbinger had been what eliminated all but Shepard and Admiral Anderson.
After it had taken out the Hammer force, Harbinger had disappeared. The allied forced had combed the wreckages on all the worlds that the Reapers had invaded but it had never been found. Most had theorized that it had made it back to Dark Space. There were even rumours of harbinger being spotted here and there. It had become somewhat of a myth.
“Harbinger.” Ashley repeated finally. “Well shit, which has it now, Cerberus or the Eclipse.”
“That would be the next big question.” Liara scratched at her temple. One could only hope that the Eclipse were the ones holding it, they were not as organized as Cerberus. Liara had a lot of information on them and more than a few “favours” to hold over some members of the organization. She had no information on this new Cerberus front. Basics really; they had a new leader, they booted Kai Leng and they have some blonde assassin working for them.
“How bad is Harbinger?” Ashley asked. It was a good question but there was one problem.
“I really don’t know. The theories run wild. The most common theory is that Harbinger is able to control the citadel. Some believe that it might even be able to control other reapers as well. It was the first after all. It holds the entire history of the reapers and their technology. Not only that but we don’t know its condition. It could still be active.”
Ashley whistles slightly and looked to the floor. “You think you can get some information, find out who has it?”
Liara looked to her. Finding Harbinger had just made to the top of three things to do list, that was just a given, but she certainly did not want to work with the Alliance. Rather; she did not want to work with Ashley.
“I will try but it will take time. I can let you know as soon as I do.”
It was quiet for a long time as both women looked at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing on the small ship.
“I know you still don’t believe Shepard is dead.” Ashley started but Liara jumped on her quickly.
“Ashley now is not the time.”
“I fell like you blame me for her, for everything.”
Liara stuck her finger up into Ashley’s face, her anger building quicker than even she expected. “Is that what you think? That I am angry with you because she is gone? That I blame you for everything that had gone wrong in the Universe, that you’re some big bad evil witch?”
“Liara, come on whenever we are even near each other the air thickens. I know you are angry with me. Shepard was my friend too, like a sister. I miss her too. She was like a sister to me.”
“Was she, really?” Liara started crossing her arms over her chest. “Well you certainly had a funny way of showing it. You stab all your sisters in the back.”
Ashley moved closer her own temper obviously starting to boil. “You watch what you accuse me of. I respect you because Shepard loved and respected you.”
“Stop it Ashley, do you even have any idea of how much you lack of trust in her hurt. Your words on Horizon, they haunted her. The fact that you did not trust her, accused her of being a traitor. Walking away from her like you did. She wanted you there, by her side to take down the Collectors and you would not even give her the time of day. She wanted you to have her back and you refused.”
“She was working for Cerberus.”
“She was trying to save the human colonies in the Terminus system that the Alliance would not. She worked for Cerberus because they would allow her to do that. When it was over she dumped them. She used them and you turned your back on her.”
“I was going on the information I was given at the time. How was I to know?”
“You didn’t need to know, Ashley, you just had to trust the woman that has always had your back.”
“It was Cerberus; they could have been controlling her.” Ashley defended; Liara threw her hands in the air dramatically.
“Even after she left Cerberus and returned to Earth you still doubted her, constantly questioning her, linking her with Cerberus. You pointed a gun at her for goddess sake. All she ever did was support you and you pulled a gun on her. She forgave you Ashley, even after all that she forgave you, but I will tell you this. It bothered her that you could never trust her.”
Ashley stood looking at the floor again, rubbing the back of her neck. “I wish I could take it back.” She said softly.
Liara suddenly felt bad for throwing all of this on the black haired woman. She sighed, “When you came back to the Normandy, Shepard was very happy. I mean she was never the type to come out and tell you, but the crew of the Normandy had always been like her family. She lost Kaidan, Morden and Thane she really did not want to lose you, you were like a sister. An annoying little sister that continually argued, but a sister.” There was a long pause.
“I miss her.” Ashley whispered.
Liara smiled slightly. “As do I Ash, so much that there are times I feel like my heart has broken out of my chest. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t see her in those last moments, that I don’t hear goodbye. There is not a day that I don’t think of how alone she must have been on the Citadel.” She began to fiddle with her own hands. “We were going to have lots of little blue babies.”
“I’m sorry Liara.” She said earnestly.
“I’m sorry too.” It was quiet for a few moments longer. “I have a lead on Kai Leng that I want to follow up on. Cerberus is looking for him rumour has it that he stole something and I’m thinking now it might have something to do with Harbinger. I would like to get to him before that Cerberus assassin does.”
“Liara, he bested Shepard twice, you need to be careful going after him.” The Alliance officer didn’t need to say it; it was obvious Ashley did not think Liara could hold her own. Liara was not an arms master like the woman before her, but she could certainly hold her own in a fight. She would need to be careful though, she had been there both times Kai Leng bested Shepard.

“I’ll be ok Ash, I won’t be alone. I am the Shadow Broker after all; I do have my own small army.” She smiled slightly. She had fired most of the original Shadow Brokers army and hired her own, personally overseeing the recruitment herself. Not only that but she had added several independent mercenaries to her payroll.
“I will take this information to the Alliance and the council.” Ashley said. “See what they want me to do with it.”
Liara smiled. “What do you want to do with this information Ashley?”
“I would like to find Harbinger and either destroy it or place it in safe hands.” Ashley said.
“And what are safe hands, the council, the Alliance. You don’t think either would use it to benefit themselves. Being a Spectre is sometimes deciding what is best for everyone as a whole. What would Shepard do?”
Ashley was silent for a while, they both new the answer to that. “She would not let it fall into hands that would use it for their own purpose. Do you think the Alliance would do that, the Council?”
“Time and again the Council has proven that they look after themselves first. The Alliance, even though they led the war, are still fumbling for a place; Harbinger and being in control of the Citadel would be a huge boost. Not only that but Cerberus fingers run very deep, would we truly know who to trust. I am going to look for Harbinger Ashley, but if I find it I will destroy it. Shepard…” She could not say the words. “She’s not here because of what she did to destroy the Reapers and I will finish it for her.”
“If it means anything Liara, the Normandy and I will be there for you.” She could hear the determination in Ashley’s voice. She smiled to the woman.

“Thank you.” Liara whispered and nodded. She watched as Ashley left her room and then turned back to the console she had been working on the others that lined the wall. She just needed to get a hold of the two that were hunting Kai Leng. She rubbed her neck remembering the encounter she had with him where he threw her like a rag doll through the shrine on Thessia. He would not ever do that to her again. Taking care of Kai Leng would be another situation she would finish for Shepard.

Liara could only wonder why anyone would want to come to Horizon. She had come with Shepard all those years ago when Cerberus had built Sanctuary. Before Sanctuary the Collectors had hit but Shepard had been able to stop them from taking the whole colony. It was still advertised as the next Earth but the population had pretty much dwindled to scientist. People still remembered the horrors that had happened here and some of the colonies were merely ghost town with the only signs of life a colony outpost that was funded by the Alliance.
It would figure that Kai Leng would return to such a wretched place. Sanctuary had been demolished since the war and the underground tunnel sealed. Entry was barred. A large statue had been placed on its ground as a tombstone for all those that had died within. They would never know how many people perished but they had listed as many names as they could on a wall that stood around the statue. Not that anyone ever came to see it. It was not even considered a tourist attraction. Just a memory that most wanted to forget. Liara knew she certainly wanted to forget it.
Another ship waited in orbit of the plant for her and she recognized Mouse’s new Mantis A-71 gunship immediately. He had after all taken pictures of it from every angle and sent it to her. He was extremely proud of it and he deserved to be. For the last four years he had saved just about every bit of pay Liara had sent his way, living in squalor, eating paste or whatever else he could get for free. When she had hired him he had said that one day he would have a ship of his own and he had worked hard for it.
He shared it now with Koylat and they work well as a team. They were perhaps her most trusted agents behind Javik, but then the Prothean was more like muscle anyway.
Liara smiled as she spotted the name on the side of the ship; Krios. Not for Koylat but Mouse had been close to Thane as well. She could not help but wonder what Shepard would make of the two; she had originally dealt with both of them as they were working outside of the law. She opened communication with them.
“Hello Boss Lady.” Mouse’s voice filled her room. He always called her that. She had tried to discourage it once but it had never worked.
“Hello Mouse, is he here?” She said cutting right to the chase.
“He landed a few hours ago, Krios went down to try and find him.” There was a pause. “I have not heard back from him.” She could hear the worry in Mouse’s voice.
Liara did not like the sounds of that but Koylat was one of the best trackers she knew and he had this knack of blending in to pretty much anything. The communication silence could have been for anything, there were some very dense forest areas on the planet. He could be too close to Kai Leng to make a report. They would not be able to find out from up here.
“I am sure everything is fine. Koylat is very capable at what he does; we will go down and find him.” She smiled reassuringly even though Mouse could not see her.
“Sounds good. I’ll meet you on the…” He was cut off as a third; larger ship came out of FTL. It was obviously some sort of a gun ship and it looked dangerous. It stopped in front of them hovering, menacing.
“I don’t think this is a good thing.” Liara said to Mouse as she paged Falere to the bridge. The other woman had obviously been on her way judging by how fast she made it.
“Who is it?” She asked strapping herself in. Of the two of them Falere was the much better pilot. She took the control.
“I don’t know but I have a bad feeling about this.” Liara said preparing herself for the worse.
- 6
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