Chapter 7 - Chapter 7, The Mines of Therum

Yay! Here it is, Therum. Now we meet Liara at long last. I know a lot of you have been awaiting this so I hope you enjoy it.

Also I've read feedback and I've done my best to make this chapter more epic than it is in the game, in particular I've made the meeting with Liara are more love at first sight thing and i've swaaped the Krogan at the end with a familiar face. I am also trying to make the dialouge more different to the game since some felt I should do that.

Please do enjoy.

Chapter 7

Therum

Austin stood in front of the Galaxy Map. At the moment they were still looking Dr. T' were currently in Artemis Tau cluster. Although they knew the Cluster, they still had no idea what planet she was on. It had been almost a whole day now and still nothing. Then as luck would have it, Joker's voice came over the intercom.

"Commander we've got a message coming in. I'm patching it through." He said.

"Who's she?" Austin asked.

"Just keeps saying that she's a friend and that she has the Intel you need." Said joker.

"Am I speaking to Commander Austin Shepard?" came a familiar voice through the comm.

"Yes it's me, Xun. It's been a long time. You sound well." Said Austin happily.

"As do you, old friend." Came Xun's reply. "All of Arkadia has heard about your recent admission into the Spectres. There's been a fair bit of celebrating. The Arkane Council send their regards."

"Thanks." Said Austin.

"Anyway. I got your message about searching for Doctor Liara T'soni. I've pulled up what Intel I had and I've managed to track her down. My reports say that she was last seen on the planet Therum in the Knossos system. She's exploring one of the recently discovered Prothean ruins there."

"Thank you, Xun. I appreciate this. It'll make the job a lot easier." Said Austin.

"Anything for an old friend, Shepard. Plus I owe you a few favours anyway. Good luck rescuing Doctor T'soni, wish I could do more to help. If you need any Intel, you know who to contact." Said Xun as the comm ended.

"Joker. Plot a course for Therum. I'm going to suit up." Said Austin.

As the Normandy entered Therum's atmosphere and his team where gathered in the cargo bay.

"Okay, everyone listen up. Thanks to the Intel we've received from Xun we now know exactly where Dr. T'soni is. We'll take the drop ship in for this mission, head down to the excavation site and get T'soni out of there."

"And if there are Geth?" Wrex asked as the whole team filed into the drop ship.

"We kill anything that tries to get in our way." Austin replied.

"Now you're talking, Shepard." Wrex laughed.

"So, this is the sort of drop ship the Helldivers use?" Ashley asked as secured her seat belt.

"Yeah. I figured I'd make our job easier but getting some Helldiver tech for us." Austin replied.

"Interesting." Said Ashley. "If this where Alliance, we'd use the Mako."

"Therum's environment may be a bit too dangerous for the Mako, Williams." Said Garrus.

"This is as close as I can to the excavation site, Commander." Came Joker's voice through the comm.

"Copy that. Set us down at the entrance." Austin said to the drop ship's pilot.

There was a small bump as the drop ship unclamped from the cargo bay and flew out. The drop ship flight was short and the doors opened within minutes. Austin was the first to jump out (once again due to his Helldiver habits). Then others disembarked.

"You gonna do that a lot. Skipper?" Ashley asked.

"Force of habit." Austin replied.

From the looks of things the excavation site looked as if it had been deserted for a while. But there were no bodies, no sign of an attack. Suddenly everyone's comm flashed into life again.

"Commander! I'm reading incoming Geth!" came Joker's voice.

Right on Cue several Geth troopers and a Geth Colossus descended from the sky.

"Everyone, get to cover! Now!" Austin shouted.

Everyone immediately dove for cover behind some nearby crates. The Geth soldiers where easy to deal with but the Geth Colossus was still standing. While the team continued to fire Austin then noticed some Geth soldiers that they had missed. Unfortunately they were right at the entrance to the Prothean ruins. Before Austin could fire on them, the entrance opened and the Geth disappeared from site.

"Oh, shit! Guys, some of the Geth have made it inside!" he said to the others.

"We can handle this, Shepard. You get in there. Find Dr. T'soni!" said Ashley.

"You're sure?" Austin asked.

"We'll be fine!" said Wrex.

"Okay, cover me!" he ordered.

Austin dove out of cover and ran for the entrance. The cover fire from his comrades managed to keep the Colossus distracted long enough for him to get inside. Austin quickly descended into the dig site with his rifle at the ready.

As he continued to descend deeper however the tunnel became much darker due to the power for the lights being out and also steeper, forcing him to not move too fast. If he tripped on something and lost his footing it would not be a pleasant sight. Eventually it became far too dark for him to see. He first activated his night vision. However it didn't do much good. He then took a small flash light attachment from his combat belt and fitted it to his rifle. With a small bit of illumination now he continued down the tunnel. Unfortunately he failed to notice a small gap in the tunnel. He tripped and lost his footing.

"Shit!" he said as he continued to fall down the tunnel.

He tried to stop but there was nothing to grab onto and it was too steep now for him to regain his footing. Mercifully though the tunnel finally came to an end. He landed on his face with a very loud clang. He groaned as he slowly got up.

"Oh, blast! I'm gonna feel that in the morning." He groaned as he picked himself up.

This part of the dig sight appeared to be lit, but the power still appeared to be of the lights where even flickering on and off. However it was bright enough that Austin didn't need the flash light or his night vision anymore and he deactivated both.

"Sterile lighting. Protheans sure knew how to make a person feel as if they weren't welcome here." Austin thought.

As he descended a flight of stairs he caught a humming sound just in time to raise up his rifle in preparation. There were two at what looked like an elevator. He decided to go on the attack and threw a grenade at them. The Geth looked at it momentarily before it exploded, killing both of them in the process.

Austin activated his scanner to see if there were any more. There didn't appear to be. He moved into the elevator and pressed what looked like the down button. The elevator very slowly descended to the lower levels. He kept looking at the massive open chambers on the nearby wall he couldn't help but chuckle thinking the Protheans seemed to have liked tile designs. Still it was a very fascinating design. Although it Austin had a small fascination with Protheans and there technology he didn't show it that much. There were very little people he knew of who were also interested.

"Perhaps that's something Dr. T'soni and I share in common." Austin thought to himself.

As the elevator stopped Austin stepped out. He then saw another elevator. There was another path, but it lead straight to a dead end. It looked as though this place had seen one or two cave-ins. This cave in however looked like it had been there a very long time. It was almost as though the people working here had forgotten it. The Geth had only just arrived here so it seemed odd that the cave in hadn't cleared sooner. Austin however turned his attention back to the mission and headed for the next elevator. As it descended though it began to screech and then stopped before it had finished.

"Great. That's all I need." Said Austin annoyingly.

He walked up to the door and began to force it open. Surprisingly the door was extremely heavy, even for him. His suit gave him enhanced strength which allowed him to lift and move some objects that would normally be impossible for others. The Arkanes even had reason to believe that the suits where powerful and strong enough to give a normal human the strength of a Krogan. Austin sometimes wondered how strong Kraan was since Krogan where super strong even without suits and armour.

After a lot of effort he finally managed to force the doors open. As he stepped out he found himself on a small walkway. He looked down and noticed that one of these chambers on the level below him was protected by what looked like a biotic field. The end of the walkway was destroyed so there was no clear way down. Austin shrugged his shoulders and sighed. He climbed over the edge of the railing and landed with a large clang on the level below he heard a voice.

"Uh… hello? Could somebody help me? Please?" said the voice.

Austin immediately snapped to attention and pulled out his SMG. He looked around but couldn't see anyone.

"Hello?" said the voice again. Austin slowly turned around and found the source of the was immediately taken by surprise.

Inside the chamber wasn't just an empty tile filled room but in this room there was the most beautiful Asari he had ever seen floating in the centre of the chamber. His mouth was caught open and he had to remind himself how to form coherent sentences. She was dressed in a rather tight fitting green science uniform. She didn't look that old compared to other Asari he had met. From the sound of her voice and how beautiful she looked, Austin guessed she was probably only around roughly 90 years old. The blue beauty began calling out again in a sweet frightened voice.

"Can you hear me out there? I'm trapped. I need help!" she said.

"It's alright, I can hear you." Austin replied. "Are you alright in there?"

"I'm fine. Just a bit frightened. Who are you? What are you doing here?" the Asari asked again.

"Commander Austin Shepard of the Helldivers. You're Dr. Liara T'soni, I presume?" Austin asked.

"Yes, I am. Thank the goddess. I didn't think anyone would come looking for me." Said Liara." This thing I am in is a Prothean security device. I cannot move, so I need you to get me out of it."

"Don't worry, Miss T'soni. I promise I'll get you out of here in no time." Said Austin reassuringly.

Despite her position Liara couldn't help smiling what was it about this human that put her at such ease , she knew such little about humans but this one man had already made her want to learn more about their culture.

Austin tried to approach her but he couldn't seem to get past the barrier. He even tried his Omni blade, but even that didn't work.

"There's some sort of barrier in the way. I can't get past it. How'd you even end up in there in the first place?" He asked Liara.

"I was exploring these ruins when I suddenly heard a massive explosion. Before I knew what was happening, a small squad of Geth showed up. I fought them off as best as I could with my biotics but in the end there was too many of them. So I hid in here. Can you believe that? Geth! Beyond the veil!"

"Trust me, T'soni. My comrades and I thought the exact same thing. You're not alone." Said Austin.

"I activated the tower's defences. I knew the barrier curtains would keep them out. But it seems I also hit something that I wasn't supposed to, next thing I knew I was suspended in the air like this and unable to move. Please, you have to get me out." Liara pleaded.

"Just calm down, Liara." Austin said reassuringly. "I'll find some way to help you. It's just getting past this barrier that' the problem.

He looked around activated many of his masks other visions to try and see if there was anyway of deactivating the barrier. But there was nothing, he couldn't even see where the barriers power was coming from.

"The controls to my prison field are in here. If you can get past the curtain you can free me." Said Liara.

"There must be some way." Said Austin.

"Please, be careful, Commander. When the Geth attacked they were being led a different Geth. It was much larger than the others, and also much scarier. They've been trying different ways to get in." said Liara.

Austin then looked behind him and saw what looked like some sort of large cylinder.

"Hold on. I see something that might help. Just stay calm, I'll be back. I promise." He said to Liara.

"Take your time. It's like I can go anywhere." Said Liara.

Austin moved over to the cylinder. On closer inspection he saw that it was in fact a mining laser.

"Perfect." He thought. "This'll do the trick."

He pulled a panel off of the mining laser and activated his omni tool. The mechanism was difficult but it took several attempts before the laser kicked into life and activated. Almost immediately a large laser shot out of the cylinder and melted right through the rock under Liara's barrier in seconds. Austin proceeded through until he found himself on what looked like an elevator.

Liara hung her head she had felt so secure only moments ago when the human man had assured her should would be fine but her insecurities about her situation began to eat away at her. What could he possibly do that would get him inside here? It wasn't until she heard footsteps and saw the same Commander walk into the chamber from behind her that her expression changed from depression to amazement.

"But… but how did you find a way in here? I didn't think there was any way past that barrier." she asked.

"I blasted through with a mining laser." Austin replied as he smiled warmly at her.

"Oh, of course. That makes sense." She said.

She was relieved this was real and not something she'd imagined. After a second Shepard made his way to the console, clicking a few buttons. Liara immediately felt gravity returning to her and knew there was nothing to stop the abrupt landing, however instead of the hard tile she'd expected to feel herself connect with she, felt herself in two strong protective arms.

"Don't worry. I've got you." Said Austin as he caught her in his arms and slowly knelt down to put her gently on the ground.

"Th… thank you again, Commander" she stuttered.

"You're welcome, Liara." Austin responded. "And please, call me Austin or Shepard. Only soldiers use my last name."

"Of course, Com-, I mean, Shepard." Liara corrected herself looking down and blushing.

"Here, have this. It's water. You look like you could really some." Said Austin as he detached his water flask from his combat belt and handed it to Liara.

"Thank you." Said Liara. "That feels so good."

To her surprise he then took her face into his hands and seemed to look at her closely.

"Good. No injuries. No signs of trauma either." He said. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I don't think I can walk though. My legs are just too weak. I'm sorry." Said Liara.

"That's no problem. I'll just have to carry you out." Said Austin reassuringly.

Suddenly his comm beeped.

"Shepard, its Kaiden. We've dealt with all the Geth outside the dig site. We're watching the entrance. Do you need help down there?" Kaiden asked through the radio.

"No need. I have Dr. T'soni with me. I'm heading back up top. We'll rendezvous at the entrance." Austin said.

He picked up his helmet and fastened it back on. Then he scooped Liara up.

"I am sorry Shepard for this inconvenience; I don't think I can walk just yet." Said Liara, blushing again as she wrapped her hands around Austin's neck for stability.

"It's alright Liara; it is not every day that I get to carry beautiful asari such as you around." Austin said, immediately thinking to himself. "Did I just say that out loud?" Liara's face was now purple in colour, she didn't say anything just smiled and tried to turn her eyes away from Shepard's helmet.

As they made their way to the main elevator that would take them back to the entrance the whole place began to shake slightly.

"That doesn't sound good." Said Austin as he placed Liara on the floor of the elevator so that he could access the controls.

"These ruins are unstable. That mining laser must have triggered a seismic event. We need to get out of here, fast." Said Liara.

"No argument there." Austin said to Liara. He then activated his communicator again. "Joker, the whole place is coming down! Get the Normandy airborne and lock on in on my signal, on the double mister!" he ordered.

"Aye, aye, Commander." Came Joker's reply."

"He needs to move fast." Said Liara.

"He'd better. Because if we both die in here, I'm gonna kill him!" Said Austin. However he saw Liara's shocked expression. "Not literally of course. Just a figure of speech." He said reassuringly.

Austin picked Liara up again and waited for the elevator to stop. When it did however they were both greeted by a very unwelcome sight. Four Geth troopers where advancing towards them and with them was a face that Austin recognized all too well. It was the Terror slowly put Liara down on her feet.

"Get behind me." He told her.

Liara did as she was told and moved behind the Helldiver. Austin turned his attention back to the Terror Geth.

"You again." He said. "Back for more are we? What's the matter? Didn't have enough last time?"

The Terror Geth growled at Austin. Then to both Austin and Liara's horror, it spoke.

"Shepard." It said slowly in a very deep groaning voice.

Austin had heard a lot of scary noises in his time but the Terror Geth's voice was something else. He quickly regained his composure.

"You speak? Funny. I thought Geth where just mindless robots." He said.

"You presume much. But yet you know so little." Said the Terror Geth. "You know why we are here, human. You should know what happens next."

"This isn't really the best time for us to fight it out, you know. In case you didn't notice, this whole place is going to come down on our head any second." Said Austin.

"That is of little concern to us." Said the Terror Geth. "You have proven useful in disabling the energy fields, but now you have served your usefulness to us. Hand over the Asari, and we will consider sparing your life." It ordered as it pointed its plasma blaster at Austin.

"Whatever it is you want, you are not getting it from me!" said Liara bravely.

"You heard the lady. She'll stay with me, thanks." Said Austin.

"That is not an option for you human. Saren wants her, our gods want her, and we will never disappoint them." Said the Terror Geth angrily.

Austin was slightly nervous. There were five of them and only two of them. Plus the Terror Geth was probably equal to three Geth alone and Liara was not in a good condition to fight and she didn't have any armour or weapons. The odds were not in his favour. Plus one Geth alone could do real damage to him. The Geth used lasers, which his suit was not designed his shields wouldn't last long either, and with The Terror Geth it was impossible for him to survive a direct hit from its plasma blaster. Then Liara suddenly whispered something to him.

"Throw me into the air." She said.

"What?" Austin asked.

"Throw me into air. Trust me. I can help even the odds for you. I know what I'm doing." Said Liara.

The Terror Geth turned to its soldiers. "Destroy the Helldiver! But do not harm the Asari, Saren want her alive!" it ordered.

"Now!" said Liara.

Austin immediately grabbed Liara and threw her into the air. As he did she charged up all of her biotic strength. Once she had gone as high as she could she unleashed it in a single massive biotic explosion. The four Geth troopers where completely obliterated by the biotic but the Terror Geth was smart. It activated some kind of omni shield and the blast didn't affect it. Liara gently floated back down to ground and Austin caught her. He knew now what to placed Liara behind the elevator console.

"Stay here." He said.

The Terror Geth deactivated its shield.

"I am smarter than you think, Shepard. I learn from my mistakes and can evolve my strategies. Can you?" it asked.

"As a matter of fact I can." Said Austin.

He took a small EMP grenade from his belt and threw it at the Terror Geth's plasma plaster. It exploded on impact and the Terror Geth's weapon malfunctioned.

"A smart tactic, Shepard. But you will still fall. We will settle this, as you humans say, the old-fashioned way." It said as it unclipped the weapon and let it fall away.

Austin readied himself for a fight.

"It's just you and me then." He said.

"No, it's just me, Shepard!" the Terror Geth roared as it charged at him but he was ready for two opponents wrestled with one another. The Terror Geth tried to push Austin back but instead, and too Liara's amazement Austin ended pushing the Terror Geth back.

"You're strength is impressive, human. But you're form is fragile." Said the Terror Get intimidatingly.

"You don't frighten me. You're just a machine, and machines can be broken!" Austin retaliated as he grabbed the Terror Geth and flung it over his head. He unholstered his SMG and tried to shoot at the Geth but it activated its omni shield again. The projectiles merely bounced off.

Liara still continued to merely watch as the Helldiver and Terror Geth fought hand to hand with one another. Both had equal amounts of strength but Austin had better agility and was smaller than his opponent. This made it slightly harder for the Terror Geth to land every strike. Unlike Austin however the Terror Geth was not affected by pain or endurance and it had more force in its punches. Liara wished she could do something, but the biotic charge she had unleashed on the Terror Geth's soldiers had zapped all of the strength out of her. She was too weak to use her biotics again. All she could do was watch as the two opponents fought. She was amazed though by Austin's bravery to wrestle the Terror Geth. She had heard some stories about Helldivers but hadn't been sure whether to believe them or not. Now though, seeing this Helldiver fight a mutated Geth Prime hand to hand, she had a very different opinion.

Austin managed to land a critical hit on the Terror Geth's head which dislodged one of its mechanical face flaps and break one of its horns. The Terror Geth however counterattacked with a swift punch to Austin helmet, knocking him back. This left Austin temporarily disoriented and the Terror Geth saw this as an opening, it charged at him at full speed.

"Shepard!" Liara yelled.

Austin just managed to get his focus back and turned back to Liara, only too late did he notice the Terror Geth charge at him. The machine caught him and charged him right into the was a small explosion of bricks and dust.

"No!" Liara cried.

She saw the Terror Geth move slightly and then surprisingly and went limp and fell. Then she saw why. Austin must have managed to get his omni blade out just as the Terror Geth charge him and had managed to stab the Geth in the chest. He tried to move but it looked as though he was stuck in the hole that the Terror Geth's charge had caused.

"Liara, I'm stuck. Can you help?" he asked.

Liara summoned up all the strength she could manage and hauled herself to her feet. She moved slowly over to Austin and managed to pull him free of the wall.

"Thanks, Liara. Now let's get you out of here." He said as he picked her up again.

"That was simply incredible, Commander!" Said Liara. "You fought a super powered Geth Prime hand to hand, on your own!"

"You can congratulate me fully once we're on the Normandy." Austin replied. As the neared the tunnel the whole place shook again, this time more violently and rocks started to fall from the ceiling.

"Hold on tight!" he said to Liara as he ran for it. Liara immediately obliged and clung tightly to Austin as he carried her out. For a moment everything went pitch black and she couldn't see and then, sunlight. They had cleared the dig site. In the distance Liara could see a ship coming to land.

"That was way to close." Said Austin as he took a moment to get his breath back.

The Normandy touched down quickly and the cargo bay doors opened, the rest of his team where waiting for him.

"Commander, quickly, the lava is overflowing!" Garrus shouted.

Austin immediately hurried into the Normandy and the Cargo bay doors sealed.

As the Normandy flew off the dig site began to collapse. Once it had stopped, all was suddenly a large robotic hand burst out of the rubble. With it followed the damaged, but functional body of the Terror Geth. Like it had said, it learned from its mistakes. It would take more than a simple omni blade wound to defeat this Geth. The Terror Geth's chest had large hole in it from where the blade had stabbed it. It watched the Normandy leave the atmosphere of Therum. This was far from over. It knew that it and Shepard would meet again and when they did it would not lose to the human.

"Run, Shepard. Run. You have only prolonged the inevitable. We will meet again. You cannot stop us. The Old Machines will return!" it spoke.

"Too close, Commander. Ten more seconds and we would've been swimming in molten sulphur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference." Said Joker over the intercom.

They had all gathered in comm room. Everyone except Austin was seated.

"We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?" Liara asked, sounding slightly appalled.

"Sometimes Joker's a real arse. Just try to ignore him." Austin replied with a shrug.

"I see. It must be a human thing. I don't have a lot of experience with humans. But I am more than grateful to you. You saved my life back there." Said Liara.

"What did Saren want with you? Do you know anything about the Conduit?" asked Kaiden.

"I'm afraid I know very little. I've heard of it a few times but I'm afraid I have no idea what it is. All I do know was that it was somehow connected to the extinction of the Protheans. That is my real area of expertise. I've spent the past fifty years learning all there is to know about them." Liara replied.

"How old are you, exactly?" Kaidan asked.

"I hate to admit it, but I am only 106." Liara replied.

"Damn! I hope I look that good when I'm your age." Said Ashley.

"That may seem like a long time to us, Ash. But by the standards of her own people she's still considered a child. Err… no offense." Austin quickly said to Liara.

Liara was surprised by Austin's knowledge of her people. "None taken, Commander. I would have used the same sort of words. Yes, I still barely considered more than a child." She said.

"I'm guessing that does cause some problems? If you're that young then I can't imagine other Asari are the best listeners to you?" Austin asked. "Again, no offense."

"None taken. You are correct. Because of my age, my research hasn't received the attention it deserves. My theories on the Protheans are often dismissed because of it." Liara replied. Once again she was surprised by Austin's knowledge on Asari. Plus he seemed to describe it in the same sort of manner that she would, it was almost as if he could read her mind.

"I've got my own theory about why the Protheans disappeared." Said Austin.

"With all due respect, Commander, I mean no offense but I have heard every theory out problem is the lack of evidence to support them. The is remarkably very little that the Protheans left behind." Said Liara.

"Some of us believe that they may have been wiped out by a race of sentient machine. The Reapers." Said Austin.

"The Reapers? But I have never heard of—what evidence do you have for this, Commander?" Liara asked.

"We found a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. It burned some sort of vision into my mind. Even with my suit's systems I still can't make any sense of it. But it certainly seems to show the Reapers exterminating the Protheans." Austin replied.

"A beacon? Yes, of course. That makes sense. Prothean beacons where designed to transmit and imprint information directly into the minds of their users. However finding one today that works is extremely rare. No wonder the Geth attacked Eden Prime. A working Prothean beacon in this day and age is worth almost any risk." Said Liara. "However the beacons where only designed with Protheans brains in mind. That is why the information you received does not make any sense to you. But I am amazed you were able to make sense of it at all. A lesser mind would've been unable to handle all this. You must be remarkable strong willed, Shepard."

Somehow, Austin found that compliment rather flattering. He was glad at this point he wasn't' wearing a helmet since he worried he might be blushing. He hadn't done that for years.

"This isn't helping us find Saren or the Conduit." Kaiden interrupted.

"I'm sorry. My scientific curiosity got the better of me. I really do wish I had more information for you. But I honestly don't know anything." Said Liara.

"I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture. But I think we can benefit heavily from having you with us." Said Austin.

Liara was even more surprised. He wanted her to stay.

"Thank you, Shepard. I cannot think of anywhere more safer than here with you on this my knowledge of the Protheans; I'm sure will prove useful later on." Said Liara.

"And your biotics will make you a formidable ally for us in battle. Welcome aboard, Liara. It's good to have you on the team." Said Austin.

"Thank you, Shepard. I am – ohh. I am afraid I am feeling a bit light-headed." Said Liara.

"You haven't eaten or slept for a long time. Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you." Said Austin.

"I'm sure it is just mental exhaustion, Commander. I need to process everything that's happened. Still, it wouldn't hurt to be examined by a medical professional." Said Liara.

"Okay. Everyone dismissed. Liara, I'll show you to the med bay." Said Austin as everyone left the comm room.

"Commander, the mission reports are filled. You want me to patch you to the Council?" Joker asked through the comm.

"Right, on second thoughts, Liara, just wait a minute while I talk with the Council." Said Austin to Liara. Liara nodded and sat down on the furthest chair. "Path them through, Joker." Said Austin.

"Setting link up now, Commander." Said Joker.

The three orange, holographic images of the Council appeared before Austin.

"Well done for your work on Therum, Commander. I understand Dr. T'soni has joined your team." Said the Asari councillor.

"I assume you're taking the necessary security precautions?" asked the Turian councillor.

"Don't tell me how to do my job!" said Austin annoyingly.

"You are free to act as you see fit, Commander. Our role is to offer Council and advice." Said the Asari councillor.

"Well, questioning whether I know what I'm doing isn't what I would call advice." Said Austin.

"It's up to you to decide if you're smart enough to use that advice." Said the Turian councillor.

"Well, give me actual advice and maybe I'll use it. Anyway, security precautions are unnecessary, Liara's on our side. The Geth were trying to kill her." Said Austin.

"Benezia would never allow Saren to kill her own daughter." Said the Asari councillor.

"Maybe she doesn't know." Said the Salarian councillor.

"Or maybe we don't know her. We never expected she could become a traitor." Said the Turian councillor.

"At least the mission was a success." Said the Salarian councillor.

"Apart from the utter destruction of a major Prothean ruin. Was that really necessary, Shepard?" the Turian councillor asked crossly.

"If you want the mission done in a certain way, then maybe you should do it. Otherwise don't lecture me on how I handle missions! Besides, the mission always takes priority; I would've thought you of all people would know that." Said Austin smugly.

"The Commander is right. Getting Dr. T'soni out was the main objective." The Salarian councillor backed him up.

"Good luck, Commander. We will be waiting for your next report." Said the Asari councillors the transmission ended and the holograms disappeared. Austin turned back to Liara.

"Now, I believe I was showing you to the med bay?" he asked.

"Yes you where, Shepard." Liara answered.

Austin offered her his hand and she took it.

"Probably best I don't carry you this time. If the crew see me carrying a beautiful, young Asari through the CIC they might get the wrong idea." Austin laughed. Liara giggled slightly.

Austin led her through the CIC, down the stairs to the second level and into the med bay.

"The med bay is just through there." He indicated to Liara. "I'll check on you later. In the mean time I have some things I need to take care of and I need to get out of this armour."

Liara nodded. "I understand, Shepard. I will see you later. Thank you for all your help." She said.

For a moment the two stared into each other's eyes.

"You're welcome, Liara. Let me know if you need anything." Said Austin as he stepped into the elevator.

"How is she, Karen?" Austin asked.

Having removed his armour now, Austin had returned to the med bay to check on Liara as he had promised.

"She'll be fine, Shepard. She just needs to regain her strength. You okay?" Dr. Chakwas asked.

"Just a few minor scrapes and bruises. Nothing bad." Austin replied.

Austin walked into the extra bit of the med bay where Liara had decided to take up residence. She noticed him come in. Finally she saw him without his armor for the first time. For soem reason she couldn't take her eyes off of his face. She couldn't deny how handsome she found him. The long hair, the short beard... Even his British accented voice was enough to make her relax and feel safe. She didn't understand it. She had never felt this way about someone before when she had first met them.

"Shepard. Are you here to check up on me?" she asked.

"You look much better. The colour seems to have returned to you as well. You look even bluer than before." Austin replied.

Liara couldn't help but blush slightly.

"He's such a charmer." She thought.

"I see you wasted no time in getting settled in." said Austin as he looked around at how Liara had rearranged some of the boxes.

"Since I am going to be serving with you, I felt it best to get comfortable. I never properly thanked you for saving me from the Geth, Shepard. You have my gratitude." Said Liara.

"You've nothing to thank me for, Liara. In fact I should be thanking you. If you hadn't used your biotics against those Geth, we might not even be here. So really you're the hero here, not me." Said Austin.

Liara didn't know what to say. She'd never had someone call her a hero.

"Why, thank you, Shepard." She said, blushing slightly. "I'm also surprised you seem to trust me so much. I have seen the way the rest of you crew looks at me. They do not seem to trust me as you do."

"If you were with Saren then the Geth wouldn't be trying to kill you. Plus if you were an assassin you would have made an attempt on my life by now. But I refuse to believe you're lying, you seem to sweet and innocent for that." Said Austin as he smiled at Liara.

Liara chuckled and smiled back at him.

"You're too kind, Shepard." She said.

"If I may ask, how is it that you knew a lot about Asari lifestyle?" she asked.

"Helldivers are trained to work with and understand the species that they work and fight this case there are plenty of Asari in the Helldivers, so that's kinda how I knew."

"Tell me a bit about yourself, Liara." Said Austin.

"Me? I really doubt you'd be interested in someone like me, Shepard. I'm not what you would call a very sociable person. I've spent a lot of my life alone on remote digs examining Prothean ruins."

"That at least explains why there was no one else on Therum." Said Austin. "Why is it you prefer to be on your own?"

"I guess it came from being the daughter of a Matriarch. When I was much younger, people expected me to follow in the footsteps of my mother. Matriarchs guide their followers into the future; they seek the truth of what is to come. Perhaps that is why I became more interested in studying the secrets of the past. It sounds foolish when I say it like that. I make it sound like I became an archaeologist merely to rebel against Benezia."

"It's not foolish. All children rebel against their parents one day. It's part of growing up." Said Austin.

"You share the wisdom of a Matriarch, Shepard. Benezia said the same thing when I told her of my decision." Liara chuckled. "But there was more to it than that. I felt drawn to the Protheans were these wondrous, mysterious figures. I wanted to know everything about them."

Austin chuckled slightly. "You remind me of myself at a very young age. When I was around 10 years old I had the same sort of interest in Protheans. Today I still have it, though it's nowhere near as close as your interest is." He said.

"That is why I find you so fascinating, Shepard. You were marked by actual Prothean technology." Said Liara.

"Oh, you find me fascinating do you?" Austin asked slyly. "Ha, it sounds like you want to dissect me in a lab."

Liara laughed.

"You are funny, Shepard. Though I admit, I wouldn't mind learning more about you." she said.

"Indeed. But we'll have to continue this another time. Hate to do this, but I have things to take care of. Good to see at least your better. I'll see you later, Liara." Said Austin as he turned to leave.

"Goodbye, Shepard." Liara responded.

"And please, Liara, call me Austin."

"Okay… Austin."

And there you have it. The start of their relationship. You can expect them to flirt a lot more with each other throughout the story as I've made Liara just a tiny bit more used to teasing.

Also i now have a proper picture of the Terror Geth up on Deviantart. Hope the design is good. Just go onto Deviantart and type Terror Geth into the search. It should come up.

Hope you enjoyed the changes I made to the story and hope you look forward to more like this.

I'm also happy to report that chapter 8 will be the one that some fans have been waiting for. Some reviews I've had want to know more about the history and backgrounds of the Arkanes and the Helldivers. Well I'm pleased to say that it will be in that chapter that Liara looks into Shepard's background and ends up finding out everything about how the Arkanes first came into contact with the other races and how the Helldivers have become so powerful.

Keep up those reviews.