Chapter Text
Samantha Traynor had seen some things on the extranet before.
As an Alliance officer, she’d spent years navigating classified comms, intercepting coded messages, and managing encrypted transmissions across the galaxy. But nothing - not Cerberus plots, not Reaper invasion updates, not even Shepard’s latest biotic-slinging rampage through enemy territory - could have prepared her for what she just found.
It had started innocently enough. She’d been bored. The Normandy was in transit, and since she wasn’t decrypting enemy transmissions or coordinating comms, she did what any reasonable person would do:
She scrolled the extranet.
That’s when she stumbled upon it.
"Spectre & The Shadow: A Shepard/Liara Romance": Chapter 3: The Shadow’s Gentle Caress.
Shepard’s steely gaze softened as Liara traced her fingers along the scars on her face, whispering, ‘You don’t have to be strong all the time.’
Shepard shuddered at the touch, eyes fluttering shut. Her breath hitched. "Liara…" she began, but her voice broke into a whisper, fragile as the space between stars…
Traynor blinked.
Then blinked again.
Then, with trembling fingers, she clicked next chapter.
She sat motionless at her station, mouth slightly agape, staring at her terminal.
What the hell did I just read?
It had started well enough. The premise was promising: Shepard and Liara, war-torn lovers against the darkness, fighting together while sharing tender moments in stolen time. The drama? Excellent. The tension? Delicious.
But then…
Then came the horrors.
- Shepard completely OOC. In no universe would Shepard tearfully confess her love in the middle of battle instead of punching something.
- The horrific grammar. The word ‘smirked’ was used twenty-six times in one chapter.
- The worst sin of all: UNFINISHED STORIES: Last updated: 2185. No update in 2.5 years.
"NOOOOO!" Traynor slammed her hands onto the console, startling Joker so badly he almost swerved the Normandy.
"Bloody hell, Traynor!" Joker yelled. "I get that we’re in a war, but if you’re gonna scream, at least give me a warning first!"
Traynor ignored him. Her mission was clear.
She needed to fix this.
It started with a small decision.
"I’ll just write a little something. Just to set the record straight."
One quick chapter. Something respectful.
The truth about Shepard and Liara.
And that’s how "Echoes of the Stars" was born.
She posted it anonymously, convinced maybe three people would stumble upon it.
The next morning, she checked the extranet.
It had 5,468 views.
And 1,192 comments.
Comment #42:
“Finally, someone gets Shepard right. Thank you for your service.”
Comment #117:
“I wasn’t ready for this emotional gut punch. 😭”
Comment #324:
“Wait, do you actually KNOW Shepard IRL? Because this is disturbingly accurate.”
Comment #650:
“Fic author pls don’t disappear. We have trust issues. Don’t let us down.”
Traynor stared.
She had accidentally become a fandom celebrity.
This was a problem.
Because if anyone - specifically a certain Commander - ever found out who was writing this, she would be launched out of the airlock.
The extranet was obsessed with her fic now.
And worse?
She had already started plotting the next chapter.
Traynor had never written fanfiction before, but apparently, she had talent.
She found herself slipping into it effortlessly.
She agonized over word choice.
She debated Shepard’s personality nuances.
She researched asari cultural traditions like it was an official Alliance report.
What the hell am I becoming?
She pulled all-nighters.
She skipped meals.
She forgot she had a job.
Then came the requests.
Comment #893:
"Okay, but when’s the spicy stuff? 👀"
Comment #1,025:
"I need explicit content or I’m rioting."
Comment #1,389:
"Author, I will literally give you my credits if you write Liara domming the hell out of Shepard. I’m desperate."
Traynor turned bright red.
Nope. No. Absolutely not.
She closed her terminal.
She was not writing Normandy-based smut. That would be wildly inappropriate and utterly humiliating if anyone ever found out.
…But also.
Could she?
For science?
Shepard was a strong leader. The extranet loved the idea of a badass Commander who led in battle but surrendered only to love.
And honestly? It kinda made sense.
"This is purely a psychological exercise," Traynor told herself.
One tastefully suggestive scene.
Just one.
And then she’d stop.
For good.
She did not stop.
The fanfic took over her life.
Her soul.
Her dreams.
Every night, she was haunted by the thought of Shepard and Liara, locked in desperate passion against the backdrop of war, stealing moments that were intense, tender, and undeniably spicy.
She had fallen too deep.
But as she hit "Publish" on her best chapter yet…
She got a notification.
A new comment.
From a user she’d never seen before.
"AllYourDataBelongToMe has commented on your story."
"This is an intriguing interpretation. However, I believe you may not fully grasp the intricacies of asari flexibility. Would you like sources?"
Traynor’s soul left her body.
She knew that phrasing.
She recognized that sentence structure.
She had heard that exact smug tone in real life.
This was Liara.
And she knew.