Liara offers an escape.

Two days later...

Stepping out of the aircar, Shepard looked down at the Illium dig site.

Nestled on a grassy plain, Liara's preliminary efforts had already exposed the bones of some large structure. She sounded confident they would find an entrance into the lower levels any day now.

Shepard wiped at her brow. This particular neck of the woods on Illium was a little closer to the boiling hot equator than the hyper-rich asari liked it. Made sense the protheans would be able to tough it out, though.

The Adept smiled as Liara joined her, surveying the site. The heat wasn't the only thing that would make the three of them sweat on this retreat.

Climbing out of his seat and locking the car, Kaidan joined the two women, whistling as he did.

"Not bad! Rare to see such a well-preserved example of Marlan Dynasty architecture. And on an asari world, too." The Major observed.

"Excellent work, Kaidan!" Liara smiled, leaning over to give the Alliance man a peck on the cheek. Shepard narrowed her eyes at them.

"What? We've had a lot of time to talk lately." Kaidan protested. "Prothean architecture is actually kind of fascinating, Shepard."

"I'm sure that's not the only thing you were fascinated by, Alenko." Shepard smiled wryly.

Liara beckoned for them to trudge down into the digsite. The two soldiers followed the asari. Shepard was sure Alenko was ogling Liara's ass just as much as she was.

"So, this is my life now? Security on a dig and fathering little blue babies?" Shepard groused.

"Would a Reaper or two liven things up enough for you?" Liara smirked over her shoulder.

"And the babies don't all have to be blue, if that helps." Kaidan chimed in.

Shepard was just about to respond, when all three of them were stopped dead in their tracks.

"That wasn't... I didn't... Goddess!" Liara stressed.

On the other side of the digsite from where they had entered, a compact excavation laser had been erected. Rather more crudely that Dr. T'Soni would've liked, the earth around part of the ruin had been blasted away, revealing an entrance to the lower levels.

"We must stop whoever did this!" Liara insisted, making for the open entrance.

Shepard looked to the rushing asari, to Kaidan, then alongside her comrade and lover, charged after Liara.