Just Liara

Shepard scanned the room a moment before her eyes landed on the aquamarine skinned scientist. She was the one most familiar with the Mako's communication technology and the probe. A logical choice. The high-orbit drop would be especially hard on an Asari raised in low gravity, but Liara could take it.

"Liara, I'll need you to come along. You have the best knowledge of the technology involved. Will you be okay?"

"Yes, commander. Though I do not relish the thought, I will be ready."

Shepard scanned again, the rest of the crew tried to avoid eye contact. She didn't blame them, high-orbit drops were hell and it proved to be long and boring. She considered Kaidan, but his implants had been acting up lately. Kaidan had enough on his plate. Tali would always be ruled out for high-orbit drops. Everybody else had jobs to do aside from... not, not Williams. Shepard had made this mistake of taking both girls on an away mission before and her ears still rang sometimes. Especially not with how much Williams was at Liara's throat today. Besides, what was life without a little **** of rank to get some alone time with the scientist you were secretly crushing on?

"Liara and I will take this one alone, we need everybody at their stations in case this proves to be a trap."

There was a collective silent sigh of relief from the rest of the crew. Were it not for Shepard sharing their sentiment she'd have been upset.

The drop had gone as well as one could hope, at least by the standards of high-orbit Mako drops. In a mechanical process with the capability to make your lower jaw meet your pelvic bone, the best you could hope for was a process you wouldn't wish on most of your enemies. In Earth gravity, the sensation while in impact locks was still worse than taking a bullet. Shepard's line of work involved taking a few bullets, Shepard preferred that experience. In the moments before the drop Liara's face was placid but nervous, marked with the slight grimace of apprehension. They sat in adjacent crash seats at the helm, no words were exchanged. Shepard offered Liara her hand, Liara took it and squeezed it harder than she may have intended. Liara's jaw quietly clenched against the composite mouthguard they were given to keep from shattering their teeth or biting through their tongues. Her face was a twisted struggle of attempted meditative serenity and the furrowed brow of intense stress. Shepard felt something intangible scrape against her mind, an invisible biotic hand brushed against her consciousness. Shepard let Liara's approach in, their minds briefly and blissfully intertwining and embracing. Shepard had experienced this before when opening her mind for the Asari scientist during their mission. Never this personally, never this tenderly. When the light had gone green Shepard drew back her hand, but the mental embrace remained in place.

The Mako landed like a bird getting hit by a rocket. Even in full lock with the impact compensation pushed to its maximum, it felt like her skeleton was trying to climb out through the top of her head. She felt Liara's mental embrace slide away as she tried to unscramble her own brains. Shepard stretched her aching legs, letting her joints scream at her as blood rushed back into her limbs. Despite her own pain Shepard took time to check on Liara, who waved her off with a smile despite a full-faced grimace. Before long, they set the Mako to moving.

The Mako inched along the sun-blasted surface of the red and grey planet. With each bump, rock, and dip the mechanics groaned and screamed. When designing equipment for space exploration, one often must design things with an absolute logical **** in mind. It is unfortunate, then, that nature does not often play by this same logic. On the main console of the Mako, the high gravity compensation readout proudly declared that it was only operating at 75% capacity. The shocks themselves sang a different tune. The Mako shrieked at a snail’s pace even with maximized power output. An hour passed. Then another. They were barely halfway.

The time passed slowly and tensely. There were instruments to read, adjustments to make, calibrations to perform. Every time the Mako groaned and bucked like the planet was trying to exorcise its passengers onto the baking surface, the cabin's atmosphere would grow especially tense for a moment before settling back to gentle paranoia. Liara at times reached out to grasp minds with Shepard, at times she extended a physical hand for comfort. It was in these moments that Shepard had to remember that no matter how much combat the Asari faced, she was no solider.

It seemed like a lifetime had passed before Liara, trying to contain her relief, finally spoke aloud. "The beacon has entered optical range Commander."

Shepard sighed in relief and flicked a switch, causing the protective shield over the transparent alloy viewing screen to slowly rattle up. Instantly the cabin was blasted by a wave of **** heat. The polymer alloy was graded to block out 99.9% of external heat sources, by Shepard's scientific reading that meant it was likely extremely fucking hot outside.

Inside a small crater on the blasted nickel surface of the planet sat a twisted hunk of shattered featureless metal. Any decorative painting or markings was long blasted away by whirling chemical wind and scorching sun. Around it there was only debris, no life could be seen for miles.

The Asari was silent, unreadable for a moment before she offered "We may be... too late?"

"I don't know many who could have survived that, but we need to be sure, give me the computer files on the source."

"It's an escape vessel commander, recorded as the Knight. Records say it's registered to commercial shippers, hasn't checked in anywhere in several months."

"Could be stolen then, how long has the beacon been up?"

"It reads as recently tripped, within the past week. It seems to have been activated automatically upon losing pressure."

"In atmosphere?"

"Affirmative."

Shepard hesitated a moment, trying to stare a hole into the desiccated husk of the once teapot-shaped vessel. Every instinct in her body told her to pack up and go, but she resisted the urge.

"Ping it back once, generic signal. If we don't get any response in a minute, we leave."

"Commander, while I appreciate your good intention, I fear we would be exposing ourselves to ambush."

"If it's pirates we can handle it, if it's something worse we have a duty to deal with it."

"Yes, commander." Liara concluded, there was a hint of admiration in her tone.

The cabin was silent as the seconds ticked by slowly. Shepard quietly fingered the turret controls. Nobody dared speak for fear they would talk over some whisper-quiet plea or sudden alarm of danger. Sweat that had been running continuously down Shepard's neck was beginning to soak into the collar of her stiff military regulation uniform. Sweat, a rare occasion for Asari, began to bead on Liara's face. Shepard became acutely aware of just how hot the cabin had gotten when she reclined and her shirt clung to her back.

Shepard flicked the switch to re-shutter the viewport with a sigh. The cabin cooled immediately, though not nearly enough. She punched in the drop zone's coordinates and touched a finger to her earpiece.

"Shore Party to Normandy."

"Joker here, what's the status?"

"Alarm autofire, if anybody survived the crash, they died a week ago at least."

"Well, not for nothing commander but I got some bad news of my own." The comms buzzed.

"How much worse can the situation get?" Liara asked nervously.

"There's a sun storm coming in about an hour, that whole planet is going to be blasted with enough radiation to cook a reaper. The Mako will be fine but the Normandy can't take that ****, we'll be at a safe distance if we burn at full for most of that time, but that means you guys need to come back ASAP."

"There is no way that we can be there that quickly!" Liara yelped, she was beginning to twitch nervously. Shepard offered her a hand and received another too-firm squeeze.

"We can't make that Joker, get the Normandy to safety, and come back for us when it's safe."

"I can take her down there and make an in-atmosphere grab, I've locked on your signal."

"Too risky Joker, the atmosphere will crack the Normandy like an egg. If we burn the engine low we can hold out for longer than it'll take for you to get back."

There was a long silence, finally, Joker responded defeatedly "Aye aye commander, we'll be back in orbit as soon as we can, but it may be a while."

The crew of the Mako trudged the vehicle back toward the landing zone in defeated silence. Shepard held Liara's hand but the Asari was mentally distant. It was around halfway to the location where they intended to deploy the beacon that they heard a noise like a thunderclap, followed by the Mako's instruments going fuzzy and then dead. For a moment they sat in the pitch black, silent as the grave. Then the emergency lights kicked in. The cabin switched to life-preserving capabilities only. The temperature rose.

During the first day, there was no anger or sadness. There wasn't even denial, the understanding of what had happened to them set in quickly. It was frustrating, but they weren't in danger, there was no fear. The inside of the Mako was close but quiet, aside from the occasional hum of the generator as it refreshed the air or recycled their water. Shepard had been grilled for these situations in training, well at least something like them. They had four days of water for each of them, after that it was filtered bodily fluid. Not ideal, but livable. Best not to think about it. There was more than enough food to last double the time they expected to wait, awful freeze-dried fare but you can't complain when it's the only option. Shepard took stock quietly. Liara switched between pacing and checking instruments that wouldn't update for days. When stock was taken, she invited Liara to sit with her. Liara sat stark upright in opposition to Shepard's relaxed slump.

"Take a breath Liara, we're okay."

The Asari seemed to consider arguing but ultimately sighed. "If only I could share your composure."

"It's okay, what you're feeling is healthy. These feelings will pass, don't try to stop them. Just breathe, try to calm down."

Liara sighed again, flustered. She laid her head against Shepard's shoulder and Shepard wrapped an arm around her. Liara's breathing slowed and steadied, her whole body relaxed.

Shepard swore she only closed her eyes for a second, but when she opened them again Liara was snoring gently and her head had come to rest in Shepard's lap. Shepard held still as possibly could, listening to the Asari's peaceful breathing. With a sturdy but nervous hand, she brushed one of Liara's pale blue cheeks as gingerly as she dared. Even slick with sweat her skin was smooth as glass. Liara didn't shift but a slightly darker color flushed into her cheeks. Shepard traced a gentle fingertip up the sleeping girl's jaw and behind her ear. When the girl didn't shift again, Shepard took a moment to brush her hand against the fringe of tendrils that decorated the head of all Asari. It was as much to satisfy her own curiosity as anything else. They were the same soft-but-firm texture of the rest of her skin. Shepard traced her fingertips down them, doing her best to stroke them like she would hair. Liara stirred, turning onto her back. Her eyes opened softly, looking tiredly up at Shepard.

"Is this... a dream?"

"If you want it to be."

Liara exhaled heavily and slowly, a dumb smile coming across her face. She rolled over onto her stomach, pressing her face into Shepard's lap. Shepard felt a momentary shudder of embarrassment. Liara froze, then pushed herself off of Shepard and away.

"Please! You must forgive me, Commander!"

"It's okay Liara, and it's just us here, you can drop the rank."

"Somehow after that, I feel it would only be more embarrassing."

Shepard stretched her stiff legs, rising to an uncomfortable stand. Liara sat up. her hands clasped firmly in her lap and her head hung low.

Shepard stepped away toward the Mako's cabin. "You should get some rest, there's a bunk in the back that should be more comfortable."

Liara rose ashamedly. "Thank you." She paused but then added, "Jane."

Liara disappeared into the back and Shepard took her seat at the console. She sat a moment, remembering the sensation of Liara's skin and the feeling of the Asari's face buried in her thighs. She felt a surge of blood in her face as she realized just how ruined her current pair of panties were. She mentally kicked herself for not bringing a change of clothes. Eventually, she managed to slip back to sleep.

They both didn't sleep much, the heat was proving to be suffocating. Sleep would come in spurts of an hour or maybe two before you'd wake up, shirt soaked to the navel and eyes watering from sweat. Shepard shed her military uniform around the third time she woke up, favoring her unglamorous boy shorts and sports bra. It did not help. She felt trapped, she felt gross. Training didn't prepare you for how dull the real thing got. Shepard chewed the pen of her datapad absentmindedly, one of her hands brushed over her pussy. A gentle twinge went through her, her thoughts shifting to Liara.

"Were you able to sleep at all?"

Shepard nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Liara's voice. She stood quickly, hands falling at her sides. The Asari stood wiping sweat from her eyes in the narrow connecting hall. The moment she saw Shepard she gasped and turned around.

"I'm sorry, I must have caught you changing."

"Don't worry Liara, I changed out of my uniform to try and cool down. It didn't help but it's better than nothing."

"I... I see..." Liara choked out, turning back but her eyes constantly darting to and from Shepard's body. "I suppose... since it is just us."

"You could try it too if the heat's bothering you." Shepard tried to phrase it in the least lecherous way possible.

"I suppose so..." The Asari gulped. She quickly turned back away "Tea! We need tea!"

Shepard suddenly felt a good deal more naked than she had before. She sat down again and went back to chewing on her pen. Was this all too much for the poor girl? The military didn't exactly train you for subterfuge and romance. Direct was the language she knew, maybe the Asari were big into courtship.

"I have good news and bad news."

Shepard turned again, Liara had returned with a handful of blank military-issue packets. More importantly, she had opened her one-piece uniform down to the navel and the top hung around her waist. She was plump, a body better fit to be cast in marble than that of a scientist. Her waist bloomed into sweeping hips that tested the integrity of her uniform. A black sleeveless undershirt, now soaked in sweat, strained to hold in breasts that plunged into cleavage that would make the girls in holo-vid ads jealous. Shepard started to feel like a lech again.

"The... bad news?" Shepard managed.

"Well, we were not provided tea. The good news is that we do have coffee. Would you like some?"

"Yes, please."

Shepard turned back away to her datapad, trying not to steal glances back. She buried her face into her hands, internally a sigh mixed with a scream.

Liara set a thermos in front of her with a gentle thunk. Shepard looked up at the steaming container of what was almost certainly swill coffee. She contemplated drinking it right away, perhaps burning her tongue away to nothing would be a good idea at this point.

"You seem stressed Shepard, perhaps some deep breathing may help you? It did help me to relax."

Shepard looked over to see Liara smiling with an almost-mocking playfulness.

"And wind up with your face in my lap again?" Shepard shot back. Maybe a bit more biting than she intended.

Liara flushed almost navy blue. "I meant no harm, merely to jest."

"I know, sorry. I suppose I am a bit on edge, maybe you could show me how to meditate?"

Liara perked up. "It has been a long time since I've had somebody to meditate with, though you may find Asari meditation somewhat offputting."

"Try me."

Liara stood and beckoned Shepard to the back of the Mako. Shepard grabbed her thermos and took a drink, swill. She took it with her anyway and followed Liara. Liara sat on the floor, resting her back against the wall. Shepard sat beside her. When Liara crossed her legs, Shepard strained to do the same. Liara stopped her.

"Comfort before form. Focus on being loose. "

Shepard sat with her legs folded at the ankles and tried to ignore any stiffness in her body. Liara offered a hand, Shepard took it. The Asari's hand was soft and oddly cool, her grip gentle and reassuring. Liara breathed inwardly, deep and long. Shepard matched her. The Asari held in before slowly exhaling like a deflating balloon. Liara closed her eyes and Shepard matched, joining each other's breathing on sound alone.

"I try to picture myself as grains of sand in the tide, with each inhale a few pieces of me fall backward into the ocean, with each exhale a few other parts return to the shore. Eventually, all that remains of me is the motion of the breath, the physical pieces have fallen away."

Shepard tried her best to relax and follow in Liara's example, but found no luck. The Asari slowly rose off of the ground into a gentle float, the room rippling with biotic energy around her. Shepard had never been so close to an Asari when she entered meditation before. Instead of the usual ear-popping pressure, she felt light enough to start floating herself.

"Are you having some trouble?" Liara asked gently.

"I think so."

"Then think with me."

Liara's mind brushed against Shepard's and Shepard let her in. Their minds twisted together in the familiar biotic embrace but now in ways alien to Shepard. She felt Liara's mind lift and pull her up and away from herself effortlessly. Shepard looked down into the cabin at herself, completely free of her own body. Their faces were both completely peaceful and their bodies floated off of the floor. Shepard became aware for the first time of the colors that danced around Liara when she meditated, a brilliant hue of some purple and blue mix. Shepard herself radiated something like scarlet, but the energies flowed in unison and didn't clash. She felt herself being pulled up out of the cabin, seeing the Mako sit peacefully on the sun-scorched surface of Metgos. They moved even high, even faster until the planet itself shrunk away. Shepard was walking the halls of the Normandy, the people inside moved like sped up afterimages around her. Kaidan passed her, his face knotted in worry. His eyes glanced over her at first like the rest of the crew did. But he stopped and turned back, looking right at her. He gave a soft wave. Out of instinct, Shepard waved back. His expression softened, he seemed relieved.

The Normandy faded away around her, replaced by the Mako. There was a figure beside her, viewing the pair from the third person. It was shimmering, it's shape was indecipherable, but somehow Shepard knew that it was Liara. It hung in the air moving as Shepard pushed herself toward it.

She was on the Normandy again, but she was speaking to herself. When she spoke, Liara's voice came from her mouth.

"That is kind of you to say. I appreciate your concern Shepard, but it is a personal matter."

Shepard remembered this conversation, Liara had come back from a mission in a jumpy mood. Shepard was checking in on the girl but she had been distant.

"You can tell me if you need anything Liara, it's okay."

"Really, commander. It is nothing to be concerned about, I merely need some rest. I am on the edge, as you would say."

Shepard watched her own face twist in dissatisfaction, considering more follow up, but deciding against it.

"Alright, get some rest Liara. Let me know if you need anything."

Shepard watched herself turn and leave, Liara's gaze admiring her as she left. Immediately she was barraged by mental images. Shepard's face twisted in pleasure, her own bent over, exposed, undressing, teasing. When the door clicked closed Liara went and locked it, before stepping nervously over to her desk and opening one of the locked drawers at the bottom. Liara grabbed the box inside and double-checked her locks. She opened the box, immediately grabbing a piece of fabric and pressing it to her face to smell. Shepard immediately recognized it as one of her uniforms that she'd lent to Liara when asked for a spare.

Liara fell back onto her bed, uniform pressed over her face. It'd been so long since she's been able to cum, more than a week of close-quarter drills and planetary excursions. She needed this, she needed it bad.

Shepard reeled as she was yanked back into her physical body in an instant. She was seeing stars, her head pounded. Liara had lifted her to standing and shook her by the shoulders.

"Shepard!"

"Wha-?" Shepard managed.

"You had no right to... to invade my memories! They're personal things!"

Shepard tried to retire but choked back a gag, she just as quickly became aware that her legs were made of gelatin. In the moment before they collapsed she instinctively threw her hands around Liara's neck and suddenly her full weight was throwing the Asari backward. They landed in an awkward heap, thankfully with some quick biotic cushioning. They laid in silence as Shepard tried to regain her sense of reality. When Shepard lifted her head her face was inches from Liara's. She drew steady but nervous breaths, blue skin slick with sweat and flushed midnight blue. Her expression had softened, anxious but almost pathetic.

Shepard didn't dare breathe, her face inched closer to Liara's. Liara's eyes widened, darting between Shepard's eyes and lips. She didn't object, she didn't move in. Shepard's kiss finally contacted the Asari's purple lips and Liara's eyes closed, finally coming to meet Shepard with passion. Liara's arms closed behind Shepard's waist and pulled her tighter.

They savored each other for a long time, Shepard laying on Liara and grinding her pussy gently into Liara's stomach. Liara suddenly lurched and heaved Shepard underneath her. For a blissfully moment Shepard was smothered between blue skin and the floor at her back. Liara tried to pull her mouth away and push away but Shepard clapped her thighs around Liara's waist and bit into the Asari's lip. Liara whimpered and tried to pull Shepard's legs off.

"We...we can't do this Jane."

"And why the fuck not?" Shepard protested, letting go nonetheless. While Shepard sat herself up Liara quickly darted into the bathroom and closed the door.

"You... it's against your rules! I won't jeopardize your job!"

Shepard sat against the wall facing the door as she talked into it "Sorry Liara, but you're not my first 'off the books' fling. Besides, that's not your real reason and you know it."

Liara sighed "Okay. It's because I'm worried you won't like what I am."

"Liara, I already like you for who you are. Even if you weren't already the most beautiful woman in the galaxy you'd still probably be the smartest."

"That is not what I mean."

"Well then what do you mean?"