(AN: Hi! This is only my second ME fic and unbeta'd so if I've made mistakes or grammar errors please let me know and I'll be very grateful :) In fact, feedback in general is like crack to me so gimmegimmegimme! This is friendship fic, focusing on the platonic relationship developing between a young Miranda and fem Shep, there are no pairings currently. The year is 2170 and Shepard and Miranda are 16 and 20 respectively.)

"Operative Lawson, the ship's sensors have picked up a Cereberus distress signal generating from a small research cell base on a local colony. Would you like to lock onto the signal?"

The Operative nodded at the ship's VI. "Affirmative, let Helmsman Pieters know when you have the co-ordinates."

Cerberus Operative Miranda Lawson, estranged daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the galaxy and at 20 years old Cerberus' youngest operative, walked away from the command console and started towards her cabin ready to suit up for a ground mission. Miranda liked ground missions; she was damn good at espionage and bureaucracy, she knew how to work the system, but there was nothing quite as satisfying as emptying a clip into whoever had been stupid enough to cross her employers this time. A colony though, that could complicate things, especially if whatever had triggered that distress beacon had targeted the colony as well, endangered civilians were always a gray area on Cerberus operations. On the one hand Cereberus was a pro-human organization, their purpose was to protect humanity as well as their interests, and on the other hand Cereberus was a illegal terrorist organization and surviving civilians meant witnesses. In the end it tended to come down to the personal choice of whoever was leading the mission, Miranda tended towards helping civilians where it didn't conflict with her mission. She was cold but she wasn't heartless, and she also knew the power a more positive reputation would give Cerberus.

Miranda strapped the last piece of her light, flexible armor in place and placed a pistol in her holster, she left the room just as the ship's helmsman spoke over the radio.

"Operative Lawson, report to the cockpit at you convenience, please."

Miranda picked up the pace a little and snorted in amusement, she liked Jan Pieters but he was far too apologetic about being placed in charge for this run. Cerberus didn't have a military chain of command and normally an Operative would be commander of their own cell but Miranda was young and this was only her 3rd mission alone, she was still in... beta testing. Even she knew that she wasn't ready to command a ship. She knew it, she just wasn't happy about it, and Pieters knew that.

The young woman admired the command deck as she walked through it, by Cerberus standards this was just a small scouting ship but it still had all the best, most cutting-edge technology installed, including prototype inertial dampeners that wouldn't go on the market till 2172. She ducked slightly as she stepped in the cockpit. "How are we doing Jan?"

The pilot tweaked their course slightly before turning around to speak to her He was a slight, fair-haired man in his early thirties and he spoke with a slight Polish accent. "Operative Lawson. The FTL drive is stable, should be good to land when you are ready. VI has done a full scan of the planet, we have picked up 54 life signs but naturally we can't detect whether they are Cerberus or colonist. We're also picking up three unmarked, Batarian freighters orbiting the planet. You know what the means Miss Lawson."

"Slavers." Miranda smirked. "You know, I think I'm going to get even more job satisfaction than usual today, neutralizing this scum will be a pleasure."

Pieters laughed a little at the young women's enthusiasm, before his expression sobered. "We'll have to be fast Miranda, this is a human colony, we can expect Alliance ships here within a few hours at least."

"Don't worry Helmsman, I'm efficient. Prep a shuttle, our ground team is taking back..." Miranda paused awkwardly and Jan resisted the urge to giggle at the operative. "What is this planet called again?"

"Mindoir."

TBC.