Book 2, Chapter 17 -- In the Shadows
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A/N -- After the smuttiness that was the previous chapter, a return to normal service. Oh, there's still smut, but it's not an entire chapter of it.
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There was no sign of Liara, but someone had definitely taken a shot at her. The apartment was a mess otherwise, though I think that was due to the detectives and their investigation rather than what the potential assassin had done. But it was the arrival of another asari, this one darker than I was used to seeing, who seemed to know all about me.
"Looks like someone tried to kill your friend, Commander Shepard."
"I don't go by that title anymore. Just Shepard. Who are you?"
"Tela Vasir, Special Tactics and Recon."
"Another Spectre?" I offered my hand, which she took immediately, meeting her eyes. They were pretty, and her hand was softer than I expected for someone in her line of work. "Nice to meet you." Withdrawing her hand, she then turned to the detectives and immediately dismissed them. I was surprised by that, but though they tried to argue, Vasir pulled rank, and I was eventually left alone with the two asari for company. Vasir appeared relaxed, watching her walk over to one of the lounges and take a seat, crossing her rather long legs. I sat on the other lounge, Shiala sitting close to me.
"Who is your friend, Shepard?"
"This is Shiala. We worked together when taking down Saren. She's visiting from Feros while I'm here."
"Ah, yes, you were an acolyte for the traitor Benezia, yes?"
"I was, until she chose to sacrifice me to the Thorian. I won't deny that our relationship has mended since then, though complete forgiveness is still something I am working on."
Vasir turned to me. "I'm not sure why you didn't just kill her, Shepard. Benezia, I mean, not the cute little thing beside you. She was a traitor to everything we stood for."
"I deemed her worthy of saving. And, I guess, it was a small favour for Liara." I paused before asking, "Surely you are aware of my own issues at the moment?"
"Of course. Every Spectre was informed when you returned, Shepard. But there is a difference. You work with Cerberus to save your people and, who knows, maybe the galaxy again. Benezia worked to destroy all of us. I think that is a substantial difference."
"Informed for what reason?"
The smirk that formed told me everything. "I understand the word treason may have been used. I don't believe in that nonsense, of course. Sometimes, Spectres must do what has to be done, push the boundaries, get their hands a little dirty from time to time. It comes with the job and responsibilities of who we are."
"Learning that every day I'm with Cerberus."
"And what brings you to Illium, Shepard? Apart from visiting Liara, of course?"
"While we get reports of Collector activity, we've hit a snag. So we're here to recuperate from the missions so far. Liara is an old friend so we're catching up."
"And you?" Vasir asked Shiala.
"I'm the one who contacted Shepard to come here straight away. I returned here to find no sign of Liara and detectives milling about. Of course, I was immediately concerned for my friend."
"And lover, correct?"
"You are well informed, Vasir," I stated.
She gave me another look, the smirk having not disappeared. "Come now, Shepard. No need to play innocent with me. Your reputation precedes you, of course. As for your asari friend, I find it hard to believe Liara doesn't believe she is monitored by those who still remain suspicious of her activities."
"Why would they be suspicious of her?" I wondered.
That made Vasir laugh. "She is the daughter of the traitor, Shepard. If it wasn't for the fact she was part of the great Commander Shepard's crew of the Normandy, she would have been persona non grata, forced to scrape a living at the very edge of the activity with her mother. We did find it bizarre that she was allowed to live on Eden Prime, considering her role in the attack on the colony. But that isn't why I'm here. Can you think of any reason why someone would want to take a shot at Liara?"
"Well, she is an information broker. Perhaps someone doesn't appreciate what she's up to?" Shiala replied, as we started to look around for evidence of where she might have gone.
"Anything else that would warrant someone wanting to putting a bullet in her?"
"The Shadow Broker."
That definitely gained her attention. "The Shadow Broker? My, my, Shepard. You do have some interesting enemies. Dangerous ones too, it seems."
"Mind if I call in a friend to help us look into this? He's former C-Sec. Would definitely have a keener eye for details than myself."
"No problem, Shepard. Whatever you think will help us find evidence of where Liara might have got herself too."
I messaged Garrus, asking him to head for the apartment immediately, not giving him all the details. He replied, stating he'd be with us as soon as possible. I wandered around the apartment, everything already familiar, but something was already tickling the back of my head. It wasn't sitting right. A little... too convenient almost. I show up, spend a couple of days, and suddenly someone is taking a shot at Liara.
He showed up no more than ten minutes later, and after introducing him to Vasir, he got to work. I tailed him around as his investigative abilities came to the fore. His first stop was the window, assessing what type of rifle was likely used, the bullet that would have been fired, the distance and trajectory. "A thousand yards, I believe," he stated.
"No shit."
"No blood around though. None of the floor, so it seems the first shot cracked the window and caused the barrier to fail, and that gave her enough time to move before the second bullet passed through the window. Both shots would have been successive, not even a second apart."
