Life after the Reaper 2 - Liara 6/8

Life after the Reaper 2 - Liara - 6

Author: written and translated by Servala, corrected by a very nice person from Fanfiction.net
Game: Mass Effect 3
characters/pairing: Jane Shepard/ Liara T´Soni; Ashley Williams/ James Vega
Disclaimer: Mass Effect and its assets belong to Electronic Arts and BioWare.
No copyright infringement intendended

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Samara's mind merged with the young Asari ones. She was used to the situation, because it was not the first time. Only the environment changed, according to the personal memories. In Liara's case Samara was in an ancient Prothean ruin. It was a dusty, barren planet over which a pale sun shone. A steady wind blew strange scents at her and kicked up shimmering dust.

Samara rose from the cross-legged position and looked around. Somewhere in this barren wasteland was Shepard´s bondmate and Samara had to find her. Afterwards, she would find the Asari responsible, because somewhere in Liara's mind was the culprit's mental shadow, hiding, controlling and manipulating the young Asari.

She felt the fear and helplessness as she watched through Liara's eyes a singularity fly at Shepard. "Stop," she commanded loudly and immediately the danger disappeared. "Help me," Liara's mental voice pleaded; whispered softly in the wind. Samara turned in circles searched the ruins which shifted and then she saw the young Asari, trapped in a stasis field.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" She called. Samara saw Shepard, who came from somewhere in the picture above. They were talking. Samara walked around the scene. She knew she would not find Liara in there; it was only the shadow of a memory that was there to distract her and lead her to a false trail.

She moved on, followed a path which brought her to a huge, kilometer high towering rock formation. Since it was just a mental projection, Samara could overcome these problems easily, but she could not risk overlooking anything. The road went down in circles until Samara was faced with a decision. She could go down or take a second path that would lead her up. Samara sat down, cross-legged, with her hands sliding over the floor. She attempted to feel which of the two paths would be the correct one in Liara's thoughts. She felt that the young Asari tried to help her, but whoever had her in their grasp, had no intention of handing her over and fought strongly against Samara. She emphasized only with a slight tremor that going right was the accurate one.

She got up again and trod the path that wound up the rock. She heard a chuckle, a softly whispered answer, as of two lovers. She saw Shepard, as she held her wife in her arms, whispering sweet nothings. Liara blushed and looked to the side, embarrassed. Samara spent no further notice to the memory and followed the path to its end.

She stood on top of a mountain. Around her drew a labyrinth of paths, ruins and tunnels. Memories floated past her, trying to entrain her. Samara's iron strong will was the only thing that helped her stay on the right path, and not get lost in the different levels where she would disappear in Liara's memories.

She sat down again, freed her own mind and searched. An eternity seemed to pass, even if it was just a fraction of a few seconds, then she saw it: two shimmering opals sparkled on the horizon. It was only a few seconds but Samara followed the direction and dived into another memory.

----

She found herself in a science lab. Rachni stormed in large waves and attacked. They were no trouble for Samara. However, she had not expected such a fierce attack. She fought through the lab until she walked through a door. The room beyond was created in a square and in every corner was another passage. In the middle was a platform with a control console. Over this in a tube sat a Rachni queen trapped and surrounded on either side with large tanks full off acid.

"Mother!" Samara turned around, as the image shimmered and Liara, along with Shepard and Tali entered the room. In addition, on the control platform stood Matriarch Benezia and Samara was shortly overwhelmed by a wave of despair.

She herself knew the matriarch briefly and more from the reports related to Saren. But Benezia did not look at the scene itself, she rose from the memory and went to Samara. She did not blink, she turned towards her. The two circled each other. The Justicar knew that this was not Liara's mother, only a borrowed figure, one with which the culprit would be able to get access to the Asari and destroy her.

Samara was attacked and blocked it. It looked like a biotic battle, but was only the projection of both their thoughts and her opponent was strong. So strong that even the Justicar had some problems to keep up. She went to her knees, produced a barrier and began slowly reciting an old chant; to refocus. Then she slammed the Benezia figure with a wave of incredible force. The figure blocked it off, but withdrew into another, deeper memory. Samara sprinted to the door to reach it in time, but the road closed before her. The images began to blur, danced and whirled faster and faster. She felt Liara helping her find her again in her memories. Finally the carousel ride stopped and Samara found herself in an apartment.

---

"I do not understand why you want to study archaeology and waste your potential. You know that I'm working on the future for us Asari and I need you."

Samara looked around the apartment, it was tall, colorful and bright yellow flowers were distributed everywhere. She looked out the window and realized that she was on Thessia. The conversation came from the next room and Samara walked slowly and carefully around the corner. She did not hear Liara's answer, but it seemed to be a conversation the two had had often.

"Well," Benezia finally sighed resignedly. "If you must absolutely continue to rebel... I spoke with a friend at the University of Serrice. In two days, you can start."

Benezia looked at her as Samara entered the room. A younger version of Liara sat at a desk and worked on a computer. Since the Justicar was prepared this time for an attack, it caused her no problems to block. She catapulted herself forward and pushed the figure out of the window with her.

They fell several floors. It was irritating, but the impact on the ground produced no pain. Nevertheless Samara knew from experience that her own body would react with bruises and in the worst case even with fractions, but this also meant the intruder would show injury as well. She tried to keep her, to grab her, but when the mask was crumbling, she disappeared.

Samara was lying on the green grass under the apartment house and pumped before she turned on her back and got up. She did not like the direction of the memories and she felt that her time was running out. The younger Liara got in her memories, the weaker she and Samara would be and the stronger the intruder.

The next memory was in the same park, but some thirty years earlier. Liara was much younger, she was reading in the grass and the Matriarch was talking to her. Samara jumped forward and crashed at full speed, a warp throwing, against her. 'Benezia' fell to the ground. The mask crumbled further. It was difficult to maintain the image and under the attacks by the Justicar it cost too much power.

Samara would only need a little longer to see the Asari and the perpetrator knew it, therefore fled again. Only this time Samara followed her immediately.
She stood next to a three-year old Liara. The other Asari smiled coldly, that was Liara's last – or her first - memory and she felt that she was close to a victory. In this memory, Liara had nothing to oppose her. She was defenseless. If she destroyed her mind now she would also destroy the Asari and she would finally get her revenge. She grabbed the child and pulled her closer.

Samara was desperate. Her strength was at the end and she felt like she was withdrawn from her body. This double burden took its toll, but she would not budge. Then she felt someone from the outside help her with a burst of energy, someone melded with her and together they tore the facade. The face of the intruder shone brightly before it dissolved. Seconds before disappearing, Samara recognized her true face. Exhaustion took hold and she broke down and plunged into darkness.

---

Karin sat on the sofa. Asleep in her arms was the little Asari and in her free hand, she balanced a data pad when someone knocked.

She carefully put Dahlia into the transport bed. 'What a sweet baby', she thought, 'and so loving'. When she opened the door, Karin did not recognize the dark sky and lightning. Her eyes were merely on the Asari before her. She looked as though she had been attacked. She was bleeding from her ears and eyes. Then she stumbled toward the human and the doctor caught her.

Karin helped her out a completely torn white-blue coat. "Help," muttered the Asari. When Karin turned around to let her into the house, a cold smile played across the Asari's lips. She followed her and left a red footprint on the floor before entering the doctor's house.

tbc