A shuttle descends onto the harsh desert planet, a fierce sandstorm whirling around. It lands near a solitary habitation, causing further plumes of the red sand to spiral around. The shuttle door opens and a figure in a hooded cloak exits, pulling the hood around themselves tightly to avoid the worst effects of the storm as they head towards the shelter. The owner of this simple pre-fabricated shelter steps out of his doorway, blinking his four eyes against the flying sand.
"You chose a terrible day to visit!" he shouts through the wind.
"Every day is terrible here! I do not know why you chose to live here, Javik!"
"So I can avoid visits from people like you, Doctor T'Soni! Hahaha! Come! Inside! Quickly! Out of this storm!"
They enter the humble shelter and the wind settles to a low rumble as the door shuts. The décor is Spartan, with only a bed and a desk housing Javik's precious memory shard. A pistol lies next to the shard.
"Goddess! I thinks that's the worst I've seen so far." Liara says as she shakes the sand from her hood.
"Ha! I am used to it. So. Doctor T'Soni. Are you here to discuss prothean culture?"
"Hmm. Yes and no."
"Oh?"
Liara has a concerned look on her face and attempts to speak a few times amongst quizzical looks at Javik.
"Well?" Javik says with impatience, his social skills still lacking somewhat.
"We've made a discovery."
"Yes?"
"Prothean."
"Oh? More archives?"
"No. Not exactly."
"Doctor T'Soni, you try my patience. If you have something to tell me..."
"I think it's like Ilos or Eden Prime." she suddenly blurts out.
"What?"
"I think we may have found..."
"Protheans in stasis?" he says in disbelief.
"It needs confirming but... all my studies into the Ilos facility, from the scans of the new site, I'm not sure what else it could be. We've only scans at the moment so I'm going to send a team to investigate but... Javik..."
"My people..." he says with a gaze into the middle distance.
"Javik..." she says again, to return his attention to the now.
"Yes?"
"I couldn't not tell you this." Liara says with some resignation.
"Of course." Javik agrees, then with some suspicion, "What do you mean?"
"Your people. They might not..."
"I know." he says, realising what she will say.
"Oh?"
"To resurrect a million protheans now could be a disaster of galactic proportions. I am well aware of that. If your findings are correct, do I wish to bring my people back? Of course I do. Will I? Aaah. That is not so simple. Would they wish to live as an equal along side the other races in your inclusive galaxy? I could not say. They have not known this cycle as I have."
"We have no idea how many might be down there or if their pods are even still functioning but I am glad that you are at least aware of the potential harm this could cause."
"If it is confirmed then I shall go there. I shall assess this for myself."
"We."
"What?"
"We shall assess this. Together."
"Very well. But I shall decide the fate of my own people."
"Just... be aware of what we fought for, what we just sacrificed so much for."
"You doubt my intentions?"
"Let's just see first, shall we?" Liara says, trying to avoid the potential confrontation with Javik over this.
"Yes. And..." Javik begins, then after a pregnant pause. "Thank you. I appreciate that you thought you could bring this to me."
"I know it cannot be easy to imagine all your brothers and sisters held in stasis like that but..."
"I have already said. I understand your concern."
"Good. Well, if nothing else, we'll have some interesting information to add to our studies!"
"Indeed. Though in all honesty, Doctor T'Soni, such amusements are far from my mind."
Liara looks to the pistol that sits with the memory shard, aware of some of the intentions he had stated in London.
"Are you okay out here, Javik?"
"Yes, yes, I am fine. I prefer the solitude and in this desolate place, there are few memories to disturb me. But what of you? How are you, Liara T'Soni? It may be some time now but it is not easy to lose a loved one."
"Straight to the point as always, Javik? I'm okay. I will not say it is easy. It's not. But thank you for asking, really. It's just... the not knowing. If I knew how she'd died then maybe I could move on, get some closure. Goddess, some days I convince myself that we don't really know if she is even dead at all and that one day, she'll turn up out of the blue but... I know. I'm not deluded. I just miss her so..."
"Be proud of her sacrifice, Liara T'Soni. Commander Shepard was a fierce warrior."
"I know... and I am... thank you, Javik."
"Charlotte Jones, sir!" she shouts with some gusto at the turian pilot of the Disciple, a medium sized craft reportedly built from debris of the various Reaper battles. It looks to be state of the art, though a little sparse on fittings inside with open panels exposing the ship's innards. It is docked at the Omega mining facility.
"Woah! Save it for someone who cares! Back there." the pilot indicates by pointing his thumb towards the back of the craft.
"Thank you, sir!"
Charlotte heads towards to back of the craft to where she would expect a CIC to be.
"I ain't no 'sir'. I just pilot the ship." he mutters to himself.
Charlotte finds the emergency lit CIC empty and a far door open with sounds of activity from within. The galaxy map appears to be working and lit up but there is no busy activity around the CIC like she would expect on an Alliance ship, though this is not an Alliance ship.
"Can't you two at least help? Just help me look, that's all I'm asking!" a female voice emanates from within the open doorway. Charlotte remains unseen as two short, bare-footed asari figures in loose flowing smocks step into view in the doorway with their backs to her, holding hands.
"What shall we do?" the asari ask in unison.
"Oh. Good." the voice from within says with surprise. "I'm looking for a black case, about this big. It's in one of the crates here, it has to be."
Charlotte walks hesitantly towards the doorway.
"Hello?" she calls out.
The two asari turn to look at her with wide eyes, staring and possibly terrified, Charlotte isn't quite sure. They move closer together, shivering slightly.
"Miranda...?" they say as they then scurry further into the room and away from this stranger.
"Who's there?" the other voice calls from within.
"Hello? Charlotte Jones, I was told to meet you here on this ship?" she replies, stepping up to the doorway.
"Ah!" the voice now marches to her, a striking dark haired figure in tight fitting white casual armour with black trim. "Good. We were hoping to get this show on the road ASAP and it seems like we can now. Miranda Lawson."
Miranda holds out her hand to Charlotte and they shake.
"So. Alliance not cutting it for you?" Miranda asks, aware of her history.
"I'm still loyal but they just don't have the postings I need. I helped out with the colonies for a while then this came up and I thought, hell, why not? About time I was kicking ass in the galaxy again and who better than Cerberus?"
The two asari have begun searching through crates, slowly but methodically. Each item they move fills them with a childlike fascination, though they never release each other's hands.
"What's with the er..." Charlotte says quietly as she gestures towards the asari.
"Oh, the twins? Don't mind them, I'll fill you in on the team later. For now, I'll tell Grellus to head to our first co-ordinates."
"Already?"
"Something you've forgotten? I'd like to get this moving right away."
"Do I need a weapon?"
Miranda holds her fingers to her nose and sighs.
"Do you need a weapon? What do you think we're going to be doing? Taking on Cerberus with diplomacy?"
Charlotte is a little taken aback by Miranda's short tone but defends herself in her usual blurt-out fashion.
"I only came here to talk about the job but I didn't realise we'd be shipping out immediately, I received your brief but I was going to supply based on our conversation here and I don't usually carry a weapon due to my recent work, if you'd said to bring one I would have, I do have one just not with me, I..."
"Okay, okay! Fine! I'm sure we have plenty of spares lying around for now. We can hit some less reputable store here and you can gear up with what you prefer. So, you have the general brief, you basically know what we'll be doing. You in?"
Miranda has already studied Charlotte's service records, aptitude tests, psyche reports, everything she could amass. A few years ago, Miranda would expect nothing but the highest calibre for whatever task she was charged with. If Miranda's time with Shepard taught her nothing else though, it is that you have to accept the issues and roll with the punches, not everything can be controlled. Charlotte is not top class material but she seems to be bright and dedicated, which for Miranda right now is enough and she came recommended. This meeting is just a formality in her eyes; operatives can only really be assessed in the field anyway and Miranda is eager to begin their work.
From the brief received from Miranda, they will be investigating and disabling remnant Cerberus operations. Many are still dotted about the galaxy and seemingly with a myriad of purposes. More specifically, there are disturbing reports into the extent of some of the Illusive Man's research, particularly into mind control and indoctrination and some of the intended goals and applications beyond the Reapers. Either way, the team will separate fact from fiction and stamp out the horrors that Cerberus have no doubt created.
"Sure. I'm in. But..."
"Yes?"
"The crew?"
"What about them?"
"Where are they?"
"You've met us all now I think. Oh, you haven't met our engineer Preetus, salarian."
"Really? Six? Including me? Well, technically five with Flopsy and Topsy being joined at the hip but that seems to be another story."
"There's enough to run the ship. We're not here to fight space battles. Fly in under the stealth drive, assess, shuttle down, take out the ground targets and get the hell out again. If there's any AA towers, the ship has orbital strike capabilities. With a competent helmsman, this is easy work and Grellus is a more than competent helmsman."
"Put like that, fair enough. But you are aware that we're exposed if we're caught out in open space?"
"Noted but our stealth drive should avoid that. Besides, this isn't military intelligence, Charlotte. Not everything is up for debate. What I say goes, got it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Miranda." she corrects.
"Yes, Miranda. Though, I dread now to think what eccentricities your engineer has. Another one like the cranky pilot? Or the creepy asari twins?"
"Do you always complain like this? And anyway, what's wrong with this crew? They all have their own reasons for wanting to find Cerberus remnants and the bounties are high for captured officials, particularly those deemed war criminals for their actions during the Reaper War. Come, let me show you to your quarters, we can talk along the way."
"Yes, thank you. Sorry. I always ask too many questions. I know I can come across as questioning but I'm just going through everything in my head. I'm not questioning you, if you know what I mean. I... I'll just shut up."
"Don't worry. Better a bunch of questions now than problems later."
Miranda is well aware of the sorry state of her assorted crew, which is why she was happy an Alliance operative was coming on board. Someone who knows the regs and can follow orders, useful in the field. Charlotte is not quite the Alliance marine Miranda was hoping for, although the former Cerberus operative reflects that to be fair, not every serviceman can be Commander Shepard.
She offers the elevator to Charlotte, who duly enters and Miranda presses on the panel to take them to the crew deck. As they exit Charlotte notes that this is unlike a military style crew deck; a medical bay is stationed here as she would expect but a corridor runs the length of the deck.
"As we are not intending to fight space battles, we've sacrificed a main cannon for more comfortable living arrangements. Each apartment is large, self contained with sleeping and living areas to do with as you will. Yours is the second on the left. There are the usual communal observation lounges and whatnot behind the elevator column there for down time and... that's about it really."
"So who do we work for?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well... who runs the show?"
"I am in command and run the operation. The ship belongs to a turian consortium led by Grellus, they basically just take a slice of any bounties. Like you, Preetus is contracted. The twins... they're with me."
"So... no-one is actually in charge of this operation beyond the operational team itself?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I've just not worked like that before. To micro-manage operations like this as well as oversee them..."
"Look. You've only just got here. Stop over-complicating things. I've worked in some pretty tight situations over the years and this is just run-of-the-mill outside of the Alliance. Let me worry about the details."
"So where does our intel come from? How do we know where and when to target?"
"We have... sources. Is there a problem?"
"Not a problem. I just like to know the ins and outs."
"At the risk of sounding officious, the ins and outs are: do as I say and there'll be no problems."
"Yes, Miranda. It's just... the only one who could readily access this kind of information about Cerberus is the Shadow Broker."
"You're probably right there." Miranda says with a knowing look.
"Oh... I see." Charlotte says with a little surprise as she wonders now what kind of dark operation she is joining. "Are we Broker operatives then? That's not..."
"No! I... Look..."
"Miranda, Miranda." the twins rush from the elevator, carrying the small case Miranda sought aloft. Miranda is thankful for the interruption.
"Oh excellent! Thank you, girls."
The asari present the case to Miranda almost with reverence and are about to leave again.
"Girls?"
"Yes, Miranda?"
"This is Charlotte. She's joining us. This is Juseia and Malan." she says as she points first to the left asari then the right, though Charlotte can see no discernible difference in them.
"Hi girls! Everyone calls me Charlie." Charlotte says cordially.
"Hello." they say with weak smiles and only the briefest of eye contact, then return to the elevator.
"So... what's the score with them?"
"Cerberus experiments into asari melding and indoctrination. They created genetically identical asari and engineered them to be permanently melded. Some guff about boosting mind control through the asari melding technique. Obviously, it didn't work and the twins? Well, they were kept like pets by some sick bastard in the facility. I found them huddled together, tied up like animals. I'm not sure they'll ever truly recover. I sort of became their guardian, I felt so sorry for them. They're only the equivalent of around seventy years old as best we can tell from the accelerated growth process Cerberus used."
"They're physically dependent on each other?"
"We've never had them far enough apart to find out. They won't leave each other. So in that regard, yes. They're fragile enough without experimenting on their limits."
"But if they're on this mission..."
"They're not field operatives but with their combined minds they suck up and analyse information like no other. They were well educated by Cerberus so their minds were fit for the job they'd intended and it seems there's little they can't pick up. If we need to know what experiments Cerberus are specifically running at a facility we're investigating, the twins can analyse their data and give us an answer quickly. They also assist Preetus in engineering, they're a great help there and seem to like working, just tinkering. I know they can be... difficult. Just give them a chance. They're actually quite charming once you get to know them."
"So you're the only field combatant?"
"And now you. Speak with the team, they're not so bad. There's quirks, I'll grant you, but believe me, they wouldn't be here if I didn't have faith in them. So if there's no more questions..?" Miranda pauses in case there are. "No? Good. Get settled into your quarters then we'll get you kitted out."
"Was she okay then?"
"Yea. A bit greener behind the gills than I was expecting but she'll do. We'll see how she is in the field but she seems a likeable sort, sometimes that's more important."
"Good. Thanks for giving her a chance."
"What is she to you, anyway?"
"Oh, Charlotte was my main contact for Admiral Hackett when supplying information to the Alliance. We sort of bonded and kept in touch and I know she needed more fulfilling work. Just to be clear though, she doesn't know about my... 'role' in the galaxy."
"Yes, she was quite questioning when I mentioned your role in all this. I managed to avoid it at the time but she's an inquisitive one."
"Hmm."
"Anyway, any more targets yet? We've just got this one job to see through at the moment."
"There is something around Relay 314 but nothing confirmed as yet. Get your current site out of the way and I'll send you co-ordinates and a brief. This one might not be so simple and Miranda? It's not Cerberus. I'd rather not say more just now."
"Oh...?"
"I know your operation only really wants Cerberus targets but this one... it's best for everyone if you check this out. I'd rather send friendlies like you on this one. I'll pay regardless. This is important."
"You know it's not about the money but yea, the others might need that kind of convincing to take a side-job. I'll get them on board, don't worry. If you say 'it's best for everyone', I can imagine that it's big. Tsk, the rachni again?"
"In our experience it could be the creator herself come to say hello!"
"Haha, yea. That reminds me of when we stopped Operation Overlord."
"With Shepard?" Liara asks expectantly, always happy to hear an anecdote about her love.
"Yea. There was this console we were directed to by the Archer VI. Shepard hovered her hand over a button then stopped and said, 'Don't be surprised if this summons a Reaper!'"
"Haha! Oh yes, that's so like her."
"Well, I won't keep you."
"That's really made my day. Oh Miranda?"
"Yes?"
"I never said."
"What?"
"Thank you for giving me back Shepard. I may have lost her again, but... those were some wonderful days you gave back to us. Thank you."
"I'm not proud of some of my work with Cerberus but that operation, I can handle. Thanks, Liara."
"Bye, Miranda, and thanks for the story."
"No worries. See you, Liara."
Their work not so different, Liara and Miranda formed a partnership of sorts in the wake of the battle for Sol. Miranda found it difficult to give up her operations and the dark work she conducted, and Liara is always looking for useful operatives, particularly ones she knows she can trust.
Liara smiles and picks up her picture of Shepard and gazes at it a moment, then laughs a little at the tale told by Miranda. She sighs, replaces her beloved image and re-activates her voice affecting program to contact an operative.