Miranda was in her cabin aboard the Salarian cruiser when her door chimed. Signaling it to open, she was greeted by Jondam Bau, the Spectre who had been evaluating her. After working so long with Mordin, Miranda had gotten good at reading Salarian facial expressions, and Bau was definitely worried. This was beyond concerns about a mission; this was fear and anxiety.

"Ms. Lawson," he said softly. "I've transmitted my report recommending you as a Spectre, and have recommended that you be put into service without delay."

Miranda stiffened at this. "Bau, we still have three more missions!"

"Those are a formality," Bau replied. "I read Shepard's reports about the Collector Base, and his report about your performance; I needed only see you in action once to confirm his findings."

"But why cut our missions short? I mean, Bau, these are not training exercises; they need to be handled."

Bau was quiet. He looked down at the floor, and then back up at her. "None of that matters now, Ms. Lawson. You're needed urgently, and I'm taking you back to the Citadel. Trade disputes, pirates, slavers, political intrigue—none of it matters, not now." He paused again. "Miranda, the Reapers are here. Earth has been invested, and Commander Shepard has been reactivated. You're to meet him at the Citadel and board the Normandy."

Miranda felt her legs buckle, and she fell back into her chair, her entire body shaking. "The Reapers," she gasped. "I thought we'd have more time."

"So did we," Bau agreed. "STG always took the Reaper threat seriously, just as factions within your own military did. I only hope our governments' and the Citadel Council's mishandling of Shepard's warnings don't condemn us to extinction.

Miranda could only nod. Bau left, and Miranda was alone again. Taking to the extranet, she took stock of the devastation wrought to Earth and the Systems Alliance. She allowed herself to cry for the countless lives lost on Earth, and then clenched her fists tightly. All that time Shepard had been warning them, and the lead time and intel Shepard and Miranda had bought had all been squandered and ignored, and now humanity was paying the price. The fact that the Council had thrown Earth under the bus really angered her.

"Those pompous, self-righteous …" She stood and projected a powerful biotic blast that knocked over all the furniture in her room, and shook the ship itself. Breathing hard, Miranda looked around the room. Her anger would find focus in the weeks to come, that she knew. She would reunite with Shepard, and together, they would drag the galaxy into a united front against the Reapers whether it wanted to or not.

Shepard had fought his way to the Normandy, and then Ashley, Vega, and Shepard, had fought their way through the Mars Archives, where they had picked up Liara, and where Ashley had been critically injured by a Cerberus synthetic. With the synthetic on board, and Ashley comatose, Shepard had ordered the Normandy to the Citadel, to get help for Ashley, and for Earth. In a matter of hours, Shepard would be face to face with the politician he hated most: Donnel Udina.

The Council had to know by now about Earth. There was no way Udina did not know, and if he knew, then the Council knew. Udina had replaced Anderson at the end of Anderson's first term, using his political savvy to rob Anderson of his position for the second time. Udina always boasted of his political savvy, and his ability to get the job done for the benefit of humanity. Shepard only hoped that all that bragging Udina had spent the past few years doing had actual substance. If Udina was busy playing politics as usual, Shepard thought he just might have beat the councilor into cooperating. There would be no tolerating of Udina's backstabbing as had happened before Sovereign's attack; Shepard answered only to Admiral Hackett, not the Politicians, and had been given broad authority to do whatever he needed to in Earth's defense If Udina stood his way, Shepard would put him down hard.

His thoughts then turned to Miranda, the second Human Spectre, and Shepard's fiancée. He had tried to get word to her about Earth, and desperately wanted to know if she were alive, but none of his communiqués had received any response. He did not know Jondum Bau, but after Saren turning on Nihlus, and his run in with Tela Vasir, Shepard could not trust Bau just because he was a fellow Spectre. He had heard good things about the Salarian Spectre, but then, Saren was legendary before his fall. A good reputation could be hiding a dark secret—like indoctrination by the Reapers, or some other ulterior motive, as it had for Vasir. He hoped and prayed that Miranda was alright.

His door chimed, pulling him from his reverie. "Enter," he called.

Liara entered, moving with her characteristic Asari grace. Shepard often wondered if the Asari used their biotic unconsciously to achieve this effect, or if they really were that graceful. Liara said only her customary greeting: "Shepard."

"What's going on, Liara?"

She took a seat on the sectional, looking across the corner of the coffee table at him. Even though he knew she was the Shadow Broker, she still looked as sweet and innocent as she had when he had rescued her from the Geth on Therum. That led him to wonder if Tela Vasir had utilized her innocent appearance to greater effect, or if Asari used their biotcs to maintain that appearance.

"Shepard, how much do you know about Asari mythology and the Athame Doctrine?"

"Not much," he confessed. "I know Athame was a goddess worshipped before your current Siari religion, but beyond that …"

Liara's eyes widened slightly, her eyebrows raising. "That's considerably more than what most humans know, Shepard. It may not seem like much, but it is surprisingly quite a bit. What do you know of the Athame Doctrine?"

Shepard reclined, trying to recall what he actually knew, which as he had already said, was not much. The entire conversation was bizarre to him. What was she getting at?

"I know Athame imparted knowledge to the Asari through two guides, Janiri and Lucen, and that there is a triple aspect to her, similar to some Earth myths. Her doctrine fell out of favor thousands of years ago."

LIara nodded. "Yes, Janiri and Lucen were guides sent by Athame, but there is another figure less notable in the Athame Doctrine, one that is prophesied to appear. Like Lucen and Janiri, this figure, called the Poimayn, is not Asari, and is fated to arrive in Thessia's time of greatest need. It is believed that Athame herself will have blessed this figure with biotic power, a power greater than any biotic known to have lived."

Shepard laughed. "Well, if she's going to appear, now is probably a good time. We can use all the allies we can get!"

Liara shook her head. "I never said the Poimayn was a 'she,' Shepard," Liara corrected. "The gender of this figure is unrevealed, though most Asari assumed as you, that it would be feminine, but I do not believe this to be the case."

This piqued his interest. Clearly, Liara had some ideas about this figure. "What makes you say that?"

"Because Poimayn is an Asari word which translates as one who cares for the flock," she explained. "In other words, a shepherd."

Shepard shook his head. "Now wait a minute, Liara—you don't seriously think that I could be this biotic messiah … do you?"

"Messiah is the wrong word," Liara corrected, "but yes, I do believe it's you. Think about it, Shepard; you have natural biotics, with no need for any implants. And though you're largely untrained, your biotics are very powerful. Your name certainly reinforces my theory."

"It's a lot to take in," he said. "I guess time will tell."

"That it will, Shepard," Liara agreed. "For what it's worth, I am with you no matter what."

Miranda waited nervously at Docking bay D-24, worried that Shepard may have been killed, in spite of the reports to the contrary. She chided herself for her anxiety; worry was not something she had been prone to—but until Shepard, she had never invested so much in another except Ori, and Miranda had nearly worried herself to death—literally, during that ordeal. To her relief, she spied the Normandy's sleek profile gliding ever closer, until the ship, now decked out in Alliance colors, pulled into her slip. Shepard was here—at least she hoped he was.

Before she could approach the docking tube, she heard a commotion behind her. A medical team with a gurney hurried past her, heading straight for the tube. At first she thought the worst, but when the doors opened, it was Ashley who was transferred to the Gurney, her comely face a mass of black and blue. Shepard followed, flanked by Liara and a large marine.

"Barely got a pulse here," a Turian med tech said as they wheeled her out. "Move her out!"

"Where are you taking her?"

"Huerta Memorial," the Turian replied. "Best care on the Citadel."

As the medical team hurried off, the marine said, "We're not going with?"

"We need to see the Council," Liara said.

"Yeah, but there's someone I need to see first," Shepard said. He then went straight to Miranda and embraced her tightly, kissing her deeply. "God, I've missed you, Miranda!"

She could not help smiling. "I've missed you too, Shepard. Bau finished my evaluation and got me back to the Citadel as soon as he heard about Earth." Then her tone became more serious. "But Shepard, what happened to Ashley?"

"Long story," he replied. "Short version; Cerberus had a synthetic at the Mars Archives, and Ash tangled with it. We neutralized it, but not before it did a number on her."

Miranda cocked her head, looking at Shepard with surprise. Going there made no sense. "Mars Archives? What on Earth were you doing there?"

"Hackett's orders," he explained. "We picked up Liara there, and we have—something. We're about to present our findings to the Council." Then he paused, and smiled. "Say, would the second human Spectre like to join us?"

"Like to? I'd love to!" She hugged him tightly.

"Ahem," said Liara, interrupting them. "If you're coming, and for the record, I'm in favor of it, then we need to get to the Council now."

The big marine looked, and said to Shepard, "Looks like they might be comin' to see you."

Miranda looked over toward the door at the other end of the docking tube, and saw Captain Bailey walked up to greet Shepard. His uniform was different, and he had grayed a bit, but he was still Bailey, looking pretty much the same as he had when she had met him over a year ago.

"Commander Shepard," Bailey greeted in his gravelly baritone. "Got word you might be arriving."

Shepard walked over and shook his hand, saying, "Captain Bailey—good to see you again."

"You too," Bailey said. "Though it's commander now."

Shepard seemed unsure, and said, "Congratulations?"

"Uh—thanks," he replied unenthusiastically. "Now half my job is dealing with political bullshit and escorting dignitaries around." Then he quickly added, "No offense."

"None taken," Shepard replied. "So, you're here to bring us to the council?"

"I'm here to tell you that the Council is expecting you, but their' dealing with their own—problems, with the war and everything." Bailey walked them over to the automated security station. "They apologize for the inconvenience, and blah, blah, blah. Meet them here—at Udina's office. They'll be ready soon enough."

Same old Bailey, Miranda thought.

"Alright," Shepard said, clearly ready to get moving.

Bailey sent Shepard the nav-point from his omni-tool, and added, "You might have time to go by the medical center, if you want to check on progress over there."

"Thanks," Shepard replied. "I might do that."

"You two go on ahead," Liara interjected. "I'll head up to Udina's office."

"One of my men can show you the way," Bailey said. As Liara walked off, Bailey turned to Vega. "You?"

"I'm just a tourist today," Vega replied. "I'll try not to get into any trouble."

Miranda heard Bailey's earpiece.

"Commander, we've got a situation in the embassy quarters. We could use your help."

"Mm-hmm," he replied. "I'll be right there." Bailey groaned. "The other half of my job." He then walked off. "I'll see you around Shepard," he called back.

"No doubt," Shepard said to nobody in particular.

At last, Miranda had him all to herself.

"Shepard," she said as they walked. "It's so good to finally see you."

"You too, Miranda," he replied. "So far, you meeting me here is the first thing that's gone right since we got back to Earth after defeating the Collectors."

"I couldn't get anywhere near you when the Alliance had you locked up."

"Relieved of duty," he said. "It's complicated."

"I'm sure it was," she agreed. "I'm surprised they didn't court-marshal you. The Alliance isn't known for its flexibility."

"Doesn't matter now," he said, his eyes downcast.

"Shepard," she interjected. "About Earth …"

He walked past her to a railing by the picture window, and stopped, partway to the lift, his back muscles tense. "Countless people lost their lives within minutes. The Reapers are everything we feared."

"They should have listened to you a long time ago." She tried to reassure him, but he just looked down silently. Miranda went to him, saying, "I'm sorry, Shepard."

Finally, he turned to face her. "What about you? What brings you here?"

"Well, Bau finished my evaluation, and released me so that I could rejoin the Alliance. I came here to meet you." Miranda took his hand, and they began walking to the lift together. "I need to talk to people, like you. The Citadel is a good place to meet for now. What's the Alliance's next move?"

"We have a plan—it's a long shot," he replied.

Miranda sighed, and led him to one of the rows of benches that occupied the area. "Not surprising." Then it was her turn to look down. She moved closer to him, not looking him in the eye yet. "Shepard, am I still part of your plan? It's been so long I wasn't sure where we stood." She could hardly believe she was asking him this. She should already know the answer, but those old insecurities nagged at her.

Shepard came closer and took her hands, prompting her to look up. There was an energy in his hands, an energy she could feel. For as long as she had known him, he had had it. Feeling her hands being held in his made her worries go away.

"Miranda, it's never going to be easy for us, but I'll always want you in my life."

"No second thought? This is your chance to back out."

"None," he said resolutely, giving her a smile.

Miranda fell into his arms again, kissing him. It was a question that had nagged at her the longer they were apart. She scolded herself for allowing such insecurities to take root, but Shepard had answered exactly as she had hoped.

"It was hard to be away from you," she confessed. "I surprised myself—how attached I got. I'm not good at attached."

"Just stay close from now on, alright?"

She nodded. It was time to tell him, though. "I want to—and I will, but there's something I need to deal with."

Shepard put his arms around her. "What is it?"

"I haven't heard from Oriana for a while," she confided. "I'm getting worried."

Shepard looked surprised. "Your sister?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "I don't want to overreact but—well, there's a lot going on."

Shepard looked at her with puzzlement. "I thought we made sure she was safe."

"We did," she agreed. "It's probably nothing, but I just know that my father is involved."

"What happened?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "Everything I had in place to make sure she was safe went dark."

Shepard pulled her close, an island of stability in a galaxy going mad.

"We'll find her, Miranda," he said. "I promise you that." He must have sensed that she was going to say that she needed to do this on her own, because he added, "We'll find her together, Miranda."

"But, Shepard, you have a galaxy to save, and …"

"And we'll save it together," he assured. "But I have Liara on the Normandy. That's the resources of the Shadow Broker at your fingertips, and the Normandy can get us to her faster than any other vessel." He pulled her close. "Don't leave, Miranda. Don't try to do this on your own. I know how independent and strong you are, and it's one of the things I've always loved about you, but you don't have to do this alone. You have me, and we can do this together."

She rested her head against his broad chest, smiling to herself as she listened to his heartbeat. Finally, John Shepard was back in her arms. If her father really was involved, she resolved that whatever he could take from her, whatever he might force her to give up, Shepard would not be one of those things.

"I'm all ready to go deep under cover; deal with this alone—and then you come along, and suddenly, I have hope again. Alright, John, you have me—well, I guess you always have, but you have me for the duration, and beyond."

At long last, they were reunited. The first two human Spectres would be aboard the Normandy, along with the Shadow Broker, and an Alliance crew. She idly wondered if the Reapers, Cerberus, and her father had any idea just how much damage the three of them could do.

They're about to find out, she thought.