Practical Purposes

Dr. Liara T'Soni had loved Jane Shepard since she first laid eyes on her, and Shepard had loved her in return. It was a love so great and pure it had transcended **** itself, in no small part because Liara had moved heaven and earth to retrieve her lover's corpse and deliver it to the only people who could maybe bring her back. When the Reapers disappeared, a part of Liara had thought maybe they should retire together right then and there. They'd earned a rest after all.

Of course, that was never really on the cards. Shepard always wanted to be where the action was, and now for the first time, Liara felt she could really help. Her new place as the Shadow Broker gave her access to resources which Shepard could make great use of as a Spectre. At the very least, they could always find new places for adventure and excitement.

She had just been looking into one of those when suddenly the power cut out, leaving her in the dark. It lasted only a few seconds, and when the power did come back on, the familiar voice of EDI echoed throughout the ship.

"We apologize for the inconvenience. A problem was discovered in the ship's main computer. We have now corrected it. Carry on."

Liara arched her eyebrow, then she just shook her head as she went about trying to reboot her own computer. She had gotten that started when the door slid open. Standing on the other side was a familiar red-headed beauty, her emerald eyes peering out from her silhouetted form, scanning the room. She stepped inside after a moment, door closing behind her.

"Shepard," she smiled warmly.

"Liara." Shepard, strangely, did not return it.

"What's wrong?" Liara asked with concern. "You seem troubled. Does this have anything to do with the power outage just now?"

"Miranda has already resolved that problem."

Miranda? Odd. Liara never really thought of her as a tech savvy woman. Then again, Liara didn't think about her much at all.

"Then what is it?" She asked. "Something is obviously bothering you." Shepard's eyes locked on Liara, narrowed, and then refocused on Liara's newly rebooted screen.

"I need you to open your database and search for something for me," she said, in a commanding tone of voice, bring up some info on her data tool. It appeared on one of Liara's screens a moment later.

"A control chip?" Liara asked. "Slavers use these to control their captives. It's implanted in the brain. Once activated, the person its implanted in can be made to do, say, or think anything. I've heard rumors that if it's left on long enough, it will permanently reprogram the victim's brain, so that even if the chip is discovered and removed, they will remain a **** for the rest of their lives..." The thought made her shiver. If the body was shackled, you could at least resist with your mind. If the mind was shackled, then you were little more than a puppet on strings, dancing obediently at someone else's command. It reminded her of what happened to her mother as she was indoctrinated by Sovereign.

"I need you to compile the name of every individual and organization capable of manufacturing these," Shepard said.

"Oh! Of course..." Liara turned back to her computer and smiled to herself. It made sense now. Shepard had been from Mindoir, where the Batarians had killed or taken away her friends and family to fill their **** markets. The thought of it had always agitated her. No doubt they would soon be putting them out of business. She set the computer to produce an automatic record.

She did not hear the faint beep of an omnitool behind her.

"There, it should be completed in two or three minutes... I-Ah!" Electricity surged from the back of her neck until she tumbled out of her chair. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Commander Shepard, looking down on her, a taser module for the omnitool in hand, her eyes beaming like a predator who just found prey.

....

When Liara awoke, she was naked, her generous breasts hanging free. She was bound to a chair, restraints on her legs and hands, and a metal bar gagging her mouth. She felt numb. They were nullifying her biotics. She wasn't going to be able to **** her way out of this one.

"And she left the console open too... Save us the trouble of having to hack into it," Miranda grinned. "The entire Shadow Broker network now at the command of Cerberus..." The so-called perfect woman was standing in front of Liara's computer. "EDI, this is your responsibility now. I'm sure you'll make optimum decisions now that we've dealt with that pesky independent streak of yours."

"Yes Operative Lawson," came the voice of the computer. "Anything to serve Cerberus."

Shepard, meanwhile, was standing at attention near Liara.

"S-Shepard?" She managed to mutter through the metal rod in her mouth. Shepard did not respond, instead staring blankly forward. Miranda, however, turned to look at her and strutted over, a smug grin on her face.

"Ah. Nice to see you're awake, doctor." She placed particular emphasis on the word in a mocking tone. "Oh. Hang on. I'll help you with this." She pulled down the metal gag. Liara immediately spit in Miranda's face. For just an instance, her smug face fell alway, replaced with overwhelming rage and indignity. She recovered quickly though and wiped her face off.

"Little blue bitch..." She grumbled. "How dare you disrespect your betters? Such a thing requires punishment... ****!" She called out. As if a switch had been thrown, Shepard moved.

"Yes mistress?"

"Your lover thinks she is above her station. Why don't you... slap some sense into her like a good little drone?"

Shepard nodded and walked over to Liara, who looked up into Shepard's eyes with despair. There was no life behind them anymore. Just cold, unending emptiness, and someone else's hatred.

"Shepard...?" She tried weakly.

Jane slapped her across the face.

"Quiet whore!" She yelled, before slapping her again. "You have the audacity to disrespect a perfect specimen of the human race. You are not a person. You are property. Property of this ship and its human crew." Shepard shoved the gag back in her mouth, as Liara felt tears in her eyes, and rage in her heart. What had this Cerberus bitch done to her beloved?

Shepard stood back as Miranda came up behind her.

"That's enough sweet ****. We don't want to damage that pretty face of hers. Go ahead and go blank for me again, dear." She planted a kiss on Shepard's cheek and she looked completely vacant once again. Miranda hung off one of her shoulders and began to trace her twirl her finger around a lock of Shepard's hair. "Beautiful isn't she? The chip in her brain works better than I could have ever hoped. She'll do anything I say, like a living doll. Cerberus now has an agent almost as perfect as me. All thanks to you, Dr. T'Soni. You wanted your love back so badly, you didn't even think about who you were giving her too," Miranda leaned on Shepard's unmoving form, her expressionless face contrasting with Miranda's manic grin. "There's not a trace of the woman she was in there. Just an obedient little drone with all her memories and experience, ready to use them however Cerberus wishes." Miranda leaned in and kissed her prize tenderly on the neck, starting at the bottom and slowly moving up. When she was done, she shot a glance at the murderous look in Liara's eyes, smiled, then ran her tongue up Shepard's cheek. Shepard didn't even try to resist. She just stood there, an empty shell of her former self, her eyes vacant and devoid of life.

Liara screamed into her restraints, flaring with blue biotic flame, but it was in vain. She felt herself grow weak.

"Ah. Can't have you doing that, now can we? We don't want to burn your body out, just your mind. Shepard, retrieve the device for me if you will." Shepard nodded, walked over to a table, and pulled out a strange looking helmet, sleek and silvery. She returned and handed it to Miranda. "This little beauty is a new toy Cerberus has been working on. Once I put it on your head and turn it on, it's going to turn your little brain to mush, and when it's done there won't be anything left of you." She sauntered closer to Liara until she was standing over her. "No memories, no experience, no identity or sense of self. You'll never have another independent thought in your life. You will simply... obey." She shoved the helmet onto Liara's head and it instantly got to work. Liara felt every muscle in her body tense as her brain and nervous system were assaulted. She felt it peeling away her personality, her sense of individuality, but she refused to give in. She steeled her resolve and tightened her focus on the strongest emotion she could feel in this moment.

Rage.

She would have her vengeance on Miranda Lawson. She would kill her for what she had done to Shepard. That was not a threat, it was a vow. The **** on her mind continued, but it had ground to a halt. This thing couldn't last forever. She'd just have to outlast it.

Miranda smirked curiously.

"Someone's stronger than I thought. Heh. No matter. Shepard. Why don't you help make the good doctor's transition into her new life as painless as possible..."

Wordlessly, Shepard began to undress...

Liara continued to focus, screwing her eyes shut to keep her thoughts focused.

I will kill you Miranda, I will save you Shepard, she thought to herself, a little mantra to hold on to the anger. I will kill you Miranda, I will save you Shepard, I will kill you Miranda, I will save you Shepard, I... Ah! Her eyes shot open again; they were pitch black. She immediately turned them downwards. A naked Shepard was between her legs, eating her out. Oh goddess... No... Oh goddess! She thought as Shepard worked her tongue. Her mind might've been enslaved, but she still knew all the right places to touch. Suddenly, pleasure shattered the rage, and her focus became divided between the vengeance she craved and the utter delight her body felt as Shepard lapped away.

I-I will k-kill you M-Miranda, I-I will s-save you S-Shepard... She began to convulse with stimulation in the chair. I-I will kill... you... M-M-Mistress... N-No... I-I will s-save... I will s-serve you... She felt her memories starting to go, one after another. She felt her anger slip as she forgot why she was even angry in the first place. Why would a **** be angry? Slaves weren't allowed to have feelings. It's why she didn't care when she couldn't remember her own name. This was just natural. Soon there'd be nothing left and she be almost as perfect as her owner. She looked down at the red-headed **** between her legs. She was so good with her tongue... Mistress was so lucky to have one like her.

I am a ****. I must obey. I am a ****. I must obey. I am a ****. I must obey. I am a ****, I must... I am... I...

She came. Harder than she'd ever cum in her entire life. In an instant, every last trace of Liara T'Soni was obliterated. She went limp in the chair, her head falling forward, drool dripping from her parted lips onto her exposed breasts. Shepard stood up and marched back into position, her face dripping with Liara's juices. Miranda walked up and removed the helmet. When she did, she tiled Liara's head up so she could look into her eyes.

They were milky white.

"Magnificent," Miranda smiled. "EDI, send a communique to Cerberus. Tell them that the device was a resounding success."

"Yes Mistress Miranda."

"What do you think ****?" She said, turning to Shepard. "How do you feel now that your lover is nothing but a husk?"

"I am proud she has been shown her place, Mistress. At the feet of humanity, where she belongs." Miranda's smile only widened. She released the restraints on Liara. "Stand."

Liara's head straightened and she did as she was told. She stood, arms at her side just like Shepard.

"Come forward."

She took a few steps forward until she was standing about arms length from them. Miranda reached out and teased Liara's erect nipples. The asari **** didn't even tense her muscles. She was as all of her kind should be. Servile, silent, and unquestioningly obedient to her superior human masters.

"You will be the first of many, Dr. T'Soni. In time, we will modify your body as we have your mind, but for now... On your knees. I think Shepard deserves a reward before we move on to the next phase..."