“John, glad to see you…”
Benezia answered my call very quickly.
I got the impression she had been waiting for it.
Although outwardly, she showed no sign of that.
“Me too, Benezia, me too.
I decided to get in touch because…”
“Has it started?”
She cut me off, her gaze turning extremely serious.
“Yes.
Where is Liara now?
Saren showed interest in her, and…”
“She’s on Therum.
Prothean ruins were discovered there, and she rushed off on another expedition, listening to no one.”
“Well…”
I casually shrugged.
“…you didn’t send her without protection, did you?”
“Of course not.
She has my people with her…
a small team who were supposed to keep her safe under any circumstances.”
“You won’t make it in time.”
I shook my head, looking at this imperious asari, and was glad that I had managed to change her fate.
Flashback.
“And why did you summon me here?”
Benezia looked displeasedly at Aria, who was sitting in a comfortable chair next to me.
Liara’s mother had settled into the chair across from us and was currently looking mildly…
puzzled about my presence here.
“Why?
Let’s just say I want you to get into this guy’s head.”
“What?!”
Benezia looked at her interlocutor with indignation, her voice seeming to ask, “Have you lost your mind?”
“Aria, how old is this guy now?
Although…
no, that’s not important.
What’s important is that he’s younger than my daughter, and you’re suggesting I sleep with him?”
“Well, not exactly…
I’m not suggesting, I’m insisting.
And not just sleep with him — I want you to remember your youth, when you were into industrial espionage.”
Benezia calmed down a little and looked at me carefully.
Her gaze plainly asked, “Boy, what is it about you that Aria would suggest something like this?”
“Maybe you could give me some details?”
“No…
but I’ll tell you this: what you’re about to see will change your life.
Drastically.”
“And what could possibly be there?”
“Look up information about yourself, your daughter, and the Harvesters — or, the Reapers.”
Benezia frowned.
“If this is some stupid joke…”
“Check it out, and then talk to me in that tone.”
Benezia sighed, got up from her seat, and walked over to me.
She leaned down slightly, causing her magnificent chest to sway right in front of my eyes.
“You’re looking in the wrong place, boy.”
There was undisguised mockery in her voice.
“My eyes are higher.”
“Hm…
my apologies.”
I pulled myself together and met the matriarch’s eyes — and then I fell into a black abyss.
When I opened my eyes, tears were streaming down Benezia’s cheeks.
“I won’t allow it…
I won’t allow this to happen…”
I didn’t have time to react before she grabbed me by the shoulders, yanked me up, and wrapped me in an embrace — my face ended up in a very appealing captivity.
“…I don’t know who you are or why you decided to help, but thank you.”
“Hm-hm…”
Aria drew Benezia’s attention, though she still didn’t let me go.
“I haven’t forgotten about you…
I’m grateful to you too, but…
this young man was already ready, even without your help, to contact me and, at risk of his own life, warn me about the danger threatening Liara and me.”
I was squeezed tighter in her embrace and started running out of air, so I wrapped my arms around Benezia and gently patted her on the back.
“You’re suffocating him…”
There was mockery in Aria’s voice, but honestly, dying this way…
maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
Though, as soon as Aria said that, I was released.
“Sorry, it’s just that what I saw in your head…”
She shook her head.
“…it doesn’t quite fit into my worldview, and I…”
“Started acting like a brainless maiden.”
Aria couldn’t resist adding her comment.
“So what?
Are you jealous?”
“Me?
Jealous?
Not at all, but it seems to me you could thank John a little later — he wouldn’t mind if you visited his room.”
This was said with a hint that made me blush, while Benezia just smirked, as if to say, “Maybe I will visit his room, but that’s none of your business.”
“I just want us to get down to business now, because we have very little time left.
Maybe ten to fifteen years.”
*** End of flashback.
***
Yes, that was a very interesting time, but unfortunately — or perhaps fortunately — Benezia never did come to my room.
However, after we put together an approximate work plan, she left and returned about a month later with Liara…
Ah, what a meeting that was!
Flashback.
“Daughter, meet my savior, John Lawson.”
“A pleasure, Mr.
Lawson.”
Liara nodded shyly.
She looked at me with confusion but also gratitude.
Her expression made it clear she didn’t understand how some young guy could have saved her mother, but at the same time, she didn’t entertain the thought that Benezia might be joking.
“Likewise, Miss T’Soni.”
I decided to stick with a formal introduction.
“Alright, cut that out!”
Benezia took two steps toward me, grabbed her daughter’s hand, dragged her over, and literally pushed her in my direction.
“Hug and kiss!
We have a lot of work ahead of us together, and I don’t want to deal with such formality…”
“Mom!”
Liara pulled away from me and looked at Benezia indignantly.
“I said, hug and kiss.”
Benezia’s voice became a little sterner, and Liara didn’t dare disobey her mother.
So I was pulled into an embrace, and after about ten seconds, she pulled back slightly and kissed me on the lips.
The kiss was clumsy — I’d even call it childish — and her eyes were tightly shut.
In that moment, I felt like a dream from my past life had come true.
It would’ve been even better if Tali were kissing me right now!
And if only…
I quickly chased away any thoughts of something more.
“Hah, well, actually, I meant a kiss on the cheek, but I’m even glad my scatterbrained daughter, who only cares about science, has finally taken an interest in a boy, so I bless your union.”
“Mom!”
Liara looked at Benezia with anger and indignation, but I gently took her hand.
“Hey, believe me, your mother has reasons to act like a maiden with a burr under her saddle.”
“Pfft…”
Liara laughed quietly.
“Hey, I was doing this for you two!
I wanted to make sure your pairing worked out!
And here…”
“Well, I’m taking Liara’s side against you, so let’s just say…”
I didn’t get to finish, because I received a light biotic smack on the back of the head.
“Actually, I’ve already told you that you can, and should, drop the formal address with me, and if you’re formal, I’ll punish you.”
“Sorry…”
I smiled weakly.
“…it’s just hard to accept that you can be so straightforward.
And I think you’ll soon find out everything.”
“Well…
she’s already told me some of the information, but it’s very hard to believe.”
“Well, I don’t want everything I know to be true either, but I think we don’t have the right to rule out that possibility.
“I understand…”
Liara nodded firmly.
“Okay, kiss one more time and let’s get to work…”
I pulled Liara toward me, still holding her hand, and caught her lips with mine.
She, taken aback, didn’t pull away and only awkwardly embraced me.
“Good job!”
As soon as we pulled apart, Benezia gave me a thumbs up.
“But keep in mind, if you hurt my daughter, I’ll personally twist your head off!”
“Mom!”
Liara blushed with embarrassment and hurried to hide behind my back from her mother.
*** End of scene.
***
“Too bad…
so we’ll meet on Noveria?”
“Yes, and be careful.
Remember that you have people who would be upset if something happened to you, and right now I’m not just talking about me and Liara, but also about Aria, with whom you’ve clearly had an extremely close relationship in recent years.”
“Tch…”
Benezia shrugged.
“I’ll remember, and you remember that I expect you to return my daughter to me safe and sound.
And if that’s not the case…”
She stared at me intently.
“Then you’ll personally twist my head off.
I remember.”
“Good…
and also, you do understand that our lives may turn out differently now?
That all our plans, which we worked so hard to create…
They might just fall apart when reality hits…”
“I understand.”
“Then, if something does happen to me, take care of Liara, and also keep an eye on Aria so she doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“You’d better drag Aria to Noveria, she’ll be needed there.”
“Alright, I’ll drag her.”
Benezia nodded, after which the connection was cut.
I calmly left the comms room and looked at Pressly.
“Is the ship ready for departure?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then plot a course for Therum, that’s our first destination.
We’re going to rescue an archaeologist that Saren is hunting.”
“Sir…”
Pressly looked at me with slight doubt.
“…don’t you want to address the crew?”
“The crew, huh?”
I looked thoughtfully at the first mate, then nodded.
“Well, go ahead, I’ll address them…”
After these words, I walked over to the console from which the captain usually gives orders.
Or at least, is supposed to give orders.
In reality, he usually does it from any part of the ship.
“Dear crew…”
My voice began to broadcast from all the ship’s speakers.
“Many of you know me, but I’ll still introduce myself.
My name is John Shepard, and the Normandy has been transferred to me by the Alliance so that humanity’s first Spectre has high mobility.”
Right, and also because there’s simply nowhere else to assign this stealth frigate…
humanity has never had anything like it, and they just don’t know what to do with it.
“The mission the Council has given us is very dangerous, and it’s quite possible that not everyone will return from it, but I want you to know this.
I will do everything in my power to ensure that the number of those who return matches the number of the crew, and that we don’t have to bury any comrades.”
I paused for a few seconds.
“I want you all to know that a great deal depends on us.
Nothing is being said about it yet, but it’s quite possible that Saren has linked up with someone or something that could threaten not only our colonies, but all the races of Citadel Space.”
Quiet murmurs rippled through the ship; I could tell by watching the crew members who were in the CIC.
“We don’t have the right to make a mistake, so I’m asking you all…
work as if the life of your loved one, your child, your sister, or your brother — who are still safe — depends on this work.
And when this is all over, let’s drink to a successfully completed mission and to saving the galaxy, or we can laugh at me for being a paranoid fool!
For Normandy!”
“Yeeeeah!”
A thunderous roar from every crew member was my answer.
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