Chapter Text
The Shadow Broker’s Ship—Endgame
“This is it.” Liara declared with a steely glint in her eyes. “Command and control. The Shadow Broker has to be in here.”
“Unless he’s already dead or bailed.” Garrus pointed out, sounding a cautionary note.
“No.” The asari information broker shook her head, “There’s too much in those databases for him…her…it…them…to just walk away. The Broker’s in there…I feel it.”
“You’re putting a lot of faith in your intuition.” Garrus warned.
“There’s only one way to find out.” Cilla replied as she readied her phaser. “And that’s to go in.”
Gathering her strength, Liara declared in a low voice, “Time to end this.”
Bursting through the door, the trio at once came under a ferocious barrage of fire from above coming from mercenaries firing from behind heavy cover.
“That alcove!” Cilla shouted to her teammates pointing to a tiny enclosed area. “Hurry!”
“Shit!” Garrus cursed as Liara quickly threw up a biotic barrier, buying the team enough time to make it to the dubious safety of the alcove. “I think one of their shots got through my shields.”
“Let me.” Liara responded as she quickly administered medigel and a hypo to the wounded arm. “How does that feel?”
“Better.” The turian sniper sighed as the blonde woman beside him laid down a barrage of suppressive fire from her phaser. “What’s the situation?”
“Gone to hell.” Cilla coolly replied as she continued to fire her weapon. “The good news is that this alcove is a good defensive position. They can’t effectively fire on us from above and the entrance way is narrow so they can only come at us in ones or twos.”
“And the bad news?”
“We’re trapped. They can just wait us out and they know it.” The Dutch tactical officer answered back. “And if they get tired of waiting…they’ll simply use gas. While our filtration systems and Liara’s biotic barrier will work for a while, in time they’ll degrade to the point where the gas will get through.”
“So, we’re stuck.” Garrus grumbled as he kept watch over the entrance.
“Not necessarily.” Cilla grinned as she pointed to a console. “I think with Liara’s help I can hack into the ship’s computer and internal defense systems from here.”
A sly grin appearing on his face, the turian sniper remarked, “We’ll turn their own weapons against them.”
“Exactly.” Cilla replied, “However…”
“I’m going to have to buy you girls the time you need—right?”
“Correct.” Liara answered back.
“Guess you two better get to work then.” Garrus declared with a grin as he recharged his weapon, “Because they’re coming.”
RRW Gallena
“He’s coming.” Joker exclaimed as the Terran Akira appeared on the viewscreen.
“I’m not worried about the Akira.” V’lana remarked, “It’s the cloaked ships with him that are my concern.”
“How are you going to flush them out?” Anaya inquired in a low voice.
With a smirk on her face, the Romulan subcommander replied, “Watch.” Raising her voice so that the rest of the crew could hear her, she commanded, “Let them get closer…a little closer…Now, Veril! Hit them with the tachyon field.”
“Aye, Subcommander!” The young Reman engineer responded, “Tachyon field activated.”
Smiling in satisfaction as three Tal’Shiar T’Varo warbirds appeared well within her minefield, V’lana signaled her tactical officer, “Your turn, Solana. Activate the mines. Fire all weapons. Maximum torpedo scatter. Joker…maximum impulse…course 40 degrees mark 10.” After a short pause during which two of the T’Varos exploded from the combined impact of mines and torpedoes, the subcommander ordered, “Now Joker! Execute!”
As the cocky helmsman smartly maneuvered the Gallena into its new attack arc, V’lana gave her executive officer a cheeky grin, “Now, Big Brother.”
“Aye, Little Sister.” Tovan smirked back, commanding, “Execute Attack Plan Omega…Now! Full power to weapons. Concentrate on the remaining warbird…then pivot on the Akira.”
The screen illuminated by the explosion of the last warbird, Satra exclaimed, “The Terran Akira just warped out.”
“Did he just…” Anaya trailed off.
“Throw away those warbirds?” V’lana finished her friend’s thoughts, “Yes. Now…the question is…why would they do that?”
“Maybe the Terrans are playing their own game?” Tovan prompted.
Nodding her head as she contemplated her executive officer’s suggestion, V’lana responded, “Probably. The Terrans and Tal’Shiar are problematic allies under the best of circumstances as I’m sure that whoever is pulling all these strings is more than aware of. Hmmm…” She mused, “It poses some interesting possibilities. If there are multiple factions…we might be able to play off one against the other.”
“As our string puller has been doing playing off Cerberus against the Systems Alliance…the mercenaries against each other and the Citadel…” Jodrum mused, “Could also explain the increase in activity of batarian terrorists and pirates.”
“Do you think the Undine might be at play here as well?” Tovan inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t be.” V’lana responded. “There’s no reason to think that either fluidic space or subspace couldn’t bridge the divide between the universes. I also wouldn’t rule out a Changeling acting either with or without the approval of the Dominion or even mirror Mass Effect universes.” Taking a deep breath, the youthful Romulan exhaled, “This web keeps getting more and more intricate the further we dig into it.” Taking another breath, she declared, “But that’s a topic for later. Right now, we’ve got people we need to get back. Ideas?”
“It’s difficult penetrating all the magnetic and ionic interference in the atmosphere, Subcommander.” Satra declared with a worried frown. Then, a big smile appearing on her face, she exclaimed, “I’ve located the ship they’re on.” Frowning, she reported, “I’m registering explosions on the ship.”
“Sabotage?” Tovan suggested only to have the science officer shake her head.
“No…” The readings indicate that the mass effect drive is being overloaded. If we don’t get our people out soon…”
“I’m open to suggestions.” V’lana urgently prompted, “Quickly, please.”
“I think I have an idea.” Veril timidly answered, “If we use the Telara to act as a bridge, our transporters, combined with those of the Telara, should be able to cut through the interference.” The young Reman then cautioned, “I don’t think anything like this has ever been done before. I’m not sure it’ll work. We might lose them. But…”
“Time’s running out.” V’lana finished, quickly making her decision. “And a slender chance is better than no chance at all. Do it. Now!”
The Shadow Broker’s Ship—Endgame
“Tell me that you girls are almost done!” Garrus grumbled as he laid out two more charging mercenaries with his pinpoint fire. “I’m running out of charges.”
“Almost there.” Liara replied as a deep voice called out to the asari information broker by name.
“Liara T’Soni!”
“Shadow Broker.” Liara spat out, her voice a mixture of venom and scorn.
“I give you and your friends one chance to surrender. Do so, and you will survive.”
“To be tortured and dissected like Feron?” Liara scoffed. “No thanks.”
“Lieutenant Commander Cilla Oudekirk.” The voice again announced. “There are many who would pay a handsome bounty for a Starfleet officer and what you have in your brain. However, you do not have to be sold at an auction where mercenary gangs, Cerberus, and the batarians will be bidding on you. Instead, you could work for me. I could use your knowledge. Surrender…cooperate willingly…and you will be treated handsomely.”
“He’s not kidding.” Another familiar voice called out, “Do your job and do it well and the Shadow Broker will take care of you. That goes for you too T’Soni…Vakarian. The Shadow Broker wants all three of you alive and working for him. Take it from me…” The voice warned, “It’s a lot better working for him than against him.”
“Tela Vasir.” Liara growled, “Were you there when they tortured Feron?”
“No.” The traitorous Spectre responded, “But he did make the mistake of betraying both the Shadow Broker and our patrons and paid the price for that betrayal.”
“Keep her talking, lieveling.” Cilla whispered, “I’m almost done, but there are some weapons calibrations that I need Garrus’s help on.”
A smile coming to his face as he recalled his old teammate, Garrus fondly reminisced, “I told Ashley that all those calibrations I was doing on the old Normandy would come in handy one day.”
After a momentary pause, the Shadow Broker’s voice again rang out. “Garrus Vakarian! There is a sizable reward being offered for your head from the Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack. Surrender, enter my employ, and you will enjoy my protection and be well rewarded.”
“Right.” The asari information broker replied as she and Garrus switched places. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Liara shouted back, “How do we know you’ll keep your word if we surrender?”
“You don’t.” Tela Vasir replied, “But it’s not like you’ve got a lot of choice in the matter.”
“I need another minute.” Cilla whispered urgently. “Keep stalling her.”
“We’re getting impatient T’Soni!” Vasir shouted, “What’s your answer?”
“Can we have a minute to talk it over?” Liara pleaded, “Just sixty seconds.”
After a momentary pause, the former Spectre responded, “You have thirty seconds.”
“All I need.” Cilla declared as she and Garrus worked feverishly. Moments later, she whispered, “Done.”
“Your answer, T’Soni!” Vasir demanded, “Now!”
Her lips turning up in an evil grin, Liara responded, “Here it is, Vasir.”
“What the…”
Cringing at the sound of rocket weapons fire, explosions from rockets and turrets, and the screams of mercenaries, the trio listened in silence as the carnage played out until they heard the Shadow Broker’s voice booming throughout the ship. “Ship’s systems have been breached. Executing Omega Protocol. Self-destruct engaged. Two minutes and counting.”
“Shit!” Garrus cursed as he gazed at the two women standing before him. His lips turning up in a rueful grin, he remarked apologetically, “If I’ve got to go out, I can’t think of two other people I’d rather go out with. When we get to that bar on the other side, first round’s on me.”
“I’m sorry, siha.” Liara sobbed as she and her blonde companion embraced, “I wish…I wish…”
“Shhh…” Cilla replied in soft voice as, gently touching Liara’s chin, she lifted upwards so that their lips could meet. “We’re together now, lieveling. That is all that matters.” With those final words, the lovely Dutch woman and asari’s lips met at the same moment as they felt a tingling feeling.
RRW Gallena
“Ahem…”
Hearing the sound of Garrus clearing his throat, the embracing couple reluctantly broke their lip lock. Her eyes gradually focusing on her surroundings, Liara murmured, “The Gallena. We’re back…but…how?”
“You can thank our Chief Engineer.” Quickly turning to the source of the voice, the asari information broker and her blonde companion quickly blushed deep shades of blue and red. “Tali?”
Chuckling, the young quarian explained, “Veril came up with the idea of using a burst of hyperbarionic energy to cut through the interference and then use the Telara as a bridge for your transport. We thought for a moment that we’d lost you, but Veril did some quick adjusting and…here you are. So what exactly happened down there?”
Quickly putting on her normal icy expression, Cilla remained silent, her reply a slight upturn of her lips. Quickly changing the subject, the Dutch tactical officer declared as she handed Tali a padd. “While we were hacking into the Shadow Broker’s computer, we managed to download this. We’re not sure what’s in there so…”
“We’ll be careful.” Tali replied as she took the padd from the other woman’s hands. “You three better get to the bridge. The subcommander’s waiting.”
“And we all know how she doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Garrus quipped as he gestured towards the door, “After you, ladies.”