The three made their way back to the Normandy, following the Commander who was oddly quiet.
"Nice biotics out there, Miss Lawson, I was quite impressed."
Miranda gave him a nod, "Nice shots Mr. Vakarian, we never would've taken out that Colossus without you."
Tali laughed, "I think we can all agree that Shepard is the reason any of us are still living. Right, Commander?"
When she hadn't given a response Tali spoke up again, "Commander?"
She turned around now, "Oh... yeah, sorry, guess I wasn't really paying attention. I couldn't have done it without any of you."
With that, she boarded the Normandy without another word.
Miranda sat in her office, writing up the report of their latest mission; she had learned early that Commander Shepard wasn't a woman for paperwork.
EDI came over, "Officer Lawson?"
Miranda didn't stop typing, "What is it, EDI? I'm a bit busy at the moment."
"You may want to check on Shepard down in Engineering, seems Jack and her are having a bit of a disagreement."
Miranda rolled her eyes, "I'm going."
"Why haven't you taken me on a mission, Shepard?"
The blonde woman cowered behind the corner, "Look, I thought the Haestrom's dying sun would damage your biotics."
"But you didn't hesistate to take that cheerleader did you?"
"For God's sake Jack, her name is Miranda."
Jack stormed around the corner, pinning Shepard, "I don't care what her name is, she's Cerberus, she's an enemy."
Miranda came down the stairs, "Jack, leave the Commander alone."
"Why don't you leave? The dark might scare the princess."
Miranda rolled her eyes, walking over and pulling Shepard away, "You leave her alone, and she didn't take you because with your extensive and intricate genetic detailing the Haestrom sun would've become lethal to you within minutes of exposure."
Jack finally had nothing to say.
Miranda escorted Shepard up the steps and began to notice how heavily the Commander was leaning on her.
"Commander, are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine, just a bit... lightheaded. It's really bright up here."
Miranda looked around, the lighting was the same as it always was, "I think you should get some rest Commander."
The two emerged at the Captain's Cabin and the blood had vanished from Shepard's face. "Just a bit more, Shepard."
Miranda opened the door, quickly taking Shepard to her bed. She watched as the usually fearless and strong woman curled into a ball, shielding herself from the light.
As Miranda left the only the she could see of Shepard was her long golden blonde hair that fell over her pillow.
Miranda awoke the next morning to EDI, "Miss Lawson? As XO of the ship, you are in charge for the day."
She sat up, rubbing her eyes, "Where is Shepard?"
"The Commander is plagued with moderate to severe headaches and is extremely sensitive to light."
Miranda knew that Shepard wasn't one to lie in bed and take a sick day, it had to be serious. She quickly took a shower and got dressed, making her way to Shepard's cabin.
When she opened the door she found that even the light in the fish tank had been turned out. Luckily with her genetic modification she had been given more precise night vision that adapted within a millisecond.
She saw the surprisingly small form of Shepard lying in her bed. Even when she had been reconstructing her, she noticed that the Commander had a very small form and looked a bit out of place in her large armor plated suit. This was the Shepard she knew, the one behind all the titles and responsibilities.
She had to admit, she had made Shepard a bit younger than anticipated, the woman's real age was about thirty one, but due to a bit of a slip on Miranda's part she looked to be in her early to mid twenties. Before Lazarus had started, Shepard was just a name on a dossier, not a human. Even when her body was brought in, she was still just a project, but when she became a breathing, thinking, speaking human, it was all different. She had become something Miranda was not so familiar with: a person.
Though, Shepard had begun to change that. When she was first nursing Shepard, she noticed that she tended to be a bit childish, despite her age. Yes, she could be mature and a great leader when needed, but that was her battle stance, when just being herself, she was... fun. In a way, Shepard was the replacement for actually being Oriana's sister. The young appearance did nothing to help the little sister feeling she got when she looked at her. She had to take care of her until she was able to again, and they shared an unspoken bond.
Miranda approached the Commander's sleeping form with caution, as not to alarm her. It looked as if she hadn't moved since she had left her there the night before. Her shining blonde hair still covered the pillow beneath her. Miranda had to admit, it had been on of the most painstaking procedures of Lazarus aside from her brain. Commander Shepard had always sported long flowing blonde hair, despite that most Alliance women opted for the more short haircut. None the less, Miranda had been proud of what the Commander had ended up like, despite the scars that had recently been healed by an upgrade on the Normandy that restored her porcelain skin.
The officer bent down, putting her hand on Shepard's shoulder, "Shepard..." But she got no response, "Shepard, you need to wake up." Still she got nothing, "Sidney Shepard, wake up."
The Commander finally answered to her name, rolling over in the darkness, "Miranda?"
She saw the woman's eyes, the veins were highly enlarged and irritated. "I'm taking you to Doctor Chakwas, you need to be looked at."
She helped the Commander stand, but just like when she had to teach the woman to walk during her rehabilitation, the blonde woman fell on her heavily.
Miranda bent down, putting an arm behind her knees and lifted her up, "Come on, Shepard. EDI put out an announcement and shut down the lighting on third floor, I'm taking Commander to the infirmary."
"Yes, Miss Lawson."
The doors of the infirmary opened, and Miranda set the Commander down on one of the tables. She pulled a pair of sunglasses for dilated eyes out of the cabinet and put them on Shepard's face.
She heard Dr. Chakwas come up behind her, "EDI turn lights back on, engage black out of infirmary windows and set lighting in here to 20%."
"Yes, Miss Lawson."
As the lights came on, the doctor took the sunglasses off and examined the woman's eyes. Shepard was resistant, but Miranda was firm with her.
"Is she okay, Doctor?" Miranda was surprised by the sincerity in her own voice.
"I'm not sure what's causing her sensitivity to light so I cannot really address the problem..."
EDI interrupted their conversation, "I scanned her eyes while she was still sleeping in her cabin. They reported that her irises have been damaged by the dying sun on Haestrom."
Miranda raised an eyebrow, "Why are I and the rest of the team unaffected, EDI?"
"Commander Shepard's medical history reveals she has a rare disorder of the eyes which causes low pigment and are highly susceptible to damage caused by suns like Haestrom's."
Miranda cursed herself under her breath, how had that gotten by her when she was reconstructing her? It clicked in her mind that her disorder was connected to Miranda's thoughts when reconstructing her eyes; she had always thought they were a very rare (but brilliant) shade of green.
Dr. Chakwas nodded, "Yes, I remember now, it never came up while I served on the first Normandy, but she did require quite a few check ups. EDI, what is the suggested treatment?"
"Doctor it seems the damage is worse than expected, she will require immediate surgery to avoid blindness but it is not guaranteed that her vision can be salvaged."
"EDI, is this something that can be preformed aboard the Normandy?"
"Yes, though afterwards the Commander should not be allowed to go on any missions or do any challenging activity."
"Then let's get her into surgery ASAP."
Miranda couldn't help but cringe as she left the infirmary.