-The thief and her treasure-

She drew her hood and waited on her perch on Level 27 of Zakera Ward. Kasumi was waiting to see if Cerberus really was telling the truth. Their claim sounded quite outlandish. Elia Albarn Shepard, Savior of the Citadel, the first human Spectre, the Butcher of Torfan, one of the heroes of the Skyllian Blitz (though it had never been acknowledged in the reports; conspiracy theorist that she was, it was easy for her to fit the evidence to support her belief), was really alive. She'd made all the preparations, hacked that gaudy advertisement board downstairs. Made sure she could see her mark clearly when she came around. She only needed to be patient now. Fortunately, she possessed that in great big spades.

After a while, she spied a well-armed group below. They were led by a woman, a red-head, hair worn in the 'Cyberbabe' style. It had suddenly become all the rage for human teenagers ever since Anglia Thomas had worn it in the blockbuster flick, 'Inception', six months previously. It had been well-received by all audiences, with Thomas' portrayal as the leader of a highly specialized band of misfits, which included a salarian, a turian, a volus, two krogan, an asari and a quarian. It was quite possibly why it had done so well. Multi-species cast and galactic harmony and all that jazz sold, and sold well. Especially when the exploits of one Elia Shepard were still fresh in the public's memory.

Anyhow, the woman Kasumi was observing had an aura about her, which marked her as one who had done and seen many things, and that she was not to be trifled with. An aura of power. Kasumi Goto had to be good at reading the little things. That was how she had become such a successful thief, probably the best in the galaxy.

The woman's figure was attractive, by any standards. Several men, and women glanced at her appreciatively as she walked by. She couldn't make out her face though. Or her eyes. A person's eyes always told you a lot about them. In this case, the woman wore something that looked like night-vision goggles. Wait, it couldn't be. An umbra visor! Kasumi had seen prototypes of it lying around during one of her jobs at a Rosenkov Materials facility. She remembered being fascinated by its incredibly complex design.

The woman was followed by a krogan. The krogan was obviously new to the Citadel- he was turning his head and looking in every direction, drinking in the sights. Another red-head similar in build and appearance to the one who led the group walked beside the krogan. She wore her hair in pigtails. Probably the sister of the cyberbabe.

Wait, if the cyberbabe was Elia Shepard, and pigtails was actually her sister, then it would the pigtailed one Elisira Noel Shepard! The Hero of the Skylian Blitz, a legend in her own right! Kasumi would be in distinguished company indeed.

The red-haired woman with her cyberbabe hair stepped purposefully up to the ad-board.

"Um, Kasumi Goto?" asked Shepard.

Kasumi heard a playfulness in her voice, and knew right then that she was going to get along with her.

She decided to have some fun. Once she'd turned on her omni-tool vidcam, Shepard appeared on her holo-screen. She could be seen at the other end as well.

"Commander Shepard? I was led to believe that I am to lend you my assistance to save the galaxy" she asked, playfully.

"That's...not exactly how I'd put it, but yes. You've grasped the gist of it, Ms. Goto"

"Please. Call me Kasumi. Or Sumi if you prefer. Now, would you like to tell me the password you received?"

"Certainly. 'Silence is golden'."

"Hmm, you played along. Not that hardcore or badass, I see. I think we'll get on quite well, Commander."

Shepard gave Kasumi a lopsided smirk. "Oh you're gonna change your opinion soon enough. I'm as badass as they come. Can't have my sister or Grunt here not think the world of me. That'd be uncool...And about getting along, I'd tend to agree. Also, please call me Elia. Or El. Or whatever you want. Just not my middle name. I don't have a military rank, and I'd rather not be reminded of it."

"So I shouldn't call you Albarn?"

Shepard frowned a little. "Yeah, I find it rather irritating. Parents were fans of some crappy boy band from the late twentieth century."

"It's nice. Quaint and unusual. I like it...but, I'll honor your request, Shep."

"'Shep', huh? That works." Elisira giggled.

"So, did the Illusive Man tell you about the help I needed? I purposely didn't give him too many details. Don't really trust the man."

"The Illusive Man didn't tell me anything. Just sent a dossier, said you're a master thief, one of the best in the galaxy. I asked my old friends, Natalya and Irene if they'd heard about you. And they said that your reputation was quite justified."

Kasumi smiled mischievously. "Just 'one of the best'? No way, Shep. I AM the best. Not the most famous. Watch my step to keep it that way. And you know Nat and Irene? How are they doing?"

"We go way back, actually. They were sort of my guardians for a while too, though I took care of them more than they took care of me. They're too old to actively involve themselves in my shenanigans nowadays, but they do help where they can."

Kasumi was surprised. "You're more and more interesting every second, Shep. That's good. I like interesting."

Elia shrugged. "What can I say? I aim to please", she said, smirking lopsidedly.

Kasumi laughed. "I'm sure you are."

"Come to think of it, I could take pointers from you on that."

"Pointers on what? Thieving?"

"Eh, no. I meant the not being famous part. Keeping a low profile. Don't get me wrong - it's a great help to be famous at times, but it's a major drag otherwise. Once in a while, I'm fortunate enough to come across merc bands who get scared at the prospect of facing me and probably dying... So, they slink away without question and save me a lot of thermal clips in the process."

"I can well imagine."

"So you're Japanese? What's with the Medieval looking costume?"

"Yes, from when that mattered. My family's ancestors were originally from Kyoto, and they even have an old property there. I don't remember much of it, though. And the costume...well, it has a story of its own. Ask again later. You may get it out of me."

"And maybe get you out of it, hmm", mused Elia.

Kasumi was shocked at Elia's forwardness. She was at a loss for words, and didn't know how to respond.

Elisira snorted and said, "Really, sis?", shaking her head.

Elia gave Kasumi a lopsided smirk, asking her, "Cat got the burglar's tongue?"

Kasumi recovered quickly, and retorted with, "Like they say, Shep. Try and you might succeed."

Elisira laughed out loud at this, commenting, "Burned!"

Elia took it in her stride. "Ooh, I see the cat's got claws", she said.

After a moment, both of them started giggling, and then burst out laughing.

Elisira shook her head at what was going on. This new person seemed like fun. And she'd never actually seen her sister be flirty with anyone. Maybe, this first meeting would have a good kind of significance for her.

Meanwhile, Grunt seemed very interested in a mech walking around moving crates.

Once Elia had recovered, she managed to ask, "So er… down to business?"

Kasumi was surprised. No one had elicited a laugh from her on their first meeting in a very long time. She was beginning to see hints as to why Elia's leadership skills were so legendary. The woman made you care about her, and she cared about you a great deal in return. And, she was so easy to talk to.

"I suppose you meant about the help I need? It's a heist"

"Yes, that. But first, how can you be sure that I am me. That is, I am the one you were supposed to meet. You know, how do you know that the filty bastards weren't lying."

"Filthy bastards? Oh, you mean Cerberus?"

"Yes. Actually, I'm generalizing too much. Miranda's a good egg once you get to know her enough. Prickly on the outside, but she really cares. Some others I've met are all good too. But for the most part, they're extremely shady."

"I'd tend to agree with you on that. And you should know...I didn't accept this gig with Cerberus for the credits they were offering. The credits on offer was considerable, mind you, but I made it conditional on setting up a meeting with you first. Also, it is nice to see your sister as well. The Hero of the Skylian Blitz. Both your reputations precede you."

"Nice to meet you too", said Elisira, nodding to Kasumi's image on the billboard.

"And as to how I know you're you, I read people extremely well. Side effect of being a thief, and perfecting the art as I have. There's something about you. An aura. Like you've seen and done things most people couldn't imagine. I knew straight off that you were the real deal. Couldn't have been anyone else."

"I'd say there was a complement in there somewhere, but good to know. Come on down, if you want, and we can meet in person. Little sis and I are exploring the Citadel, seeing how stuff has changed, and Grunt's never been here before, so he's a tourist. I will have to drop by at Anderson's office later to check on the old codger. If you don't feel like coming along, you can head over to the Normandy, docked in D17. Make yourself comfortable."

"Aren't you curious at all about the heist I want to pull?"

"Of course I am. But, this isn't exactly the best place to discuss it, is it? I rather fancy that I look like a bloody ass talking and laughing around a damn billboard. Enough people are questioning my sanity. I don't particularly want to provide validation."

"Oh, your sanity is non-existent. Even you should know that."

Elia considered that for a bit.

"Well, you are coming along on this little jaunt too..."

"Oh, I just meant to say that you are insane. But I never said it was a bad thing. I approve. Insane is interesting."

Shepard simply smiled at that.

-0-

Kasumi found the lounge comfortable. Drinks were close at hand. The Normandy had even requisitioned some of Kasumi's favorite amazake drink. Kasumi had reacted with no small amount of delight when she saw it at the bar. She'd poured herself a glass and settled down with one of her favorite romance novels. She wondered who'd been the one to get it.

A while later, the older Shepard sister walked in. She made her way to the bar, where she poured herself a generous measure of a red drink.

"Noverian rum?", Kasumi guessed out loud.

Elia nodded and diluted the alcohol with some water and settled down on one of the comfortable chairs next to Kasumi.

She took a sip from the glass and settled down to read something from her datapad.

Silence reigned for a time as Elia cleared off her mail.

Presently, she put down her datapad and asked, "So you do like sake!"

"How did you know?"

"I didn't. Lucky guess by little sis. The two of us enjoy sake every now and then, too. So, we figured it wouldn't go to waste even if you didn't really like the stuff."

"Very shrewd."

Elia looked around the room. She noticed how Kasumi had laid down her things and started getting comfortable there.

"So you've claimed this for your personal quarters?"

"I suppose. You did say to make myself comfortable."

"I suppose I did. I wouldn't have minded this room myself. Don't get me wrong - my room is a lot more spacious. Only Eli and I have our rooms up there, and I have my own washroom. But, the downside is that the booze isn't as close at hand. Ah, well, maybe I can filch some for my personal supply cache."

The two women settled in to a companionable silence.

Presently, Kasumi asked, "So, why Noverian rum? I personally find it rather more sweet than I'd like."

"Yeah. I developed a taste for it when I went to investigate Matriarch Benezia on Noveria. It was a lifesaver in that freezing cold place. Each time I drink it, I remember that feeling. Or something like that..."

"Ah, one of your more famous escapades. Tell me what happened."

"Well, it's a long story. I probably should get down to writing it sometime. Pretty sure I could make a bunch of money as a writer too...In any case, the summary of the story is this: I met the last Rachni Queen too and released her. She seemed peaceful...regretted what had happened all those years ago. And really, every war is written by the victors. We don't have any idea about their side of what went down...she said that their songs soured or something. To me, it sounded like other forces we didn't know about were involved. Maybe, it was the Reapers. Or something related."

Kasumi looked at Elia wide-eyed. "You think that the Rachni were forced into the war?"

Elia shrugged. "I believe that there's something off about the whole thing. The Rachni were peaceful enough until the wars. What changed? The queen said that there was some external influence souring their song. I'm inclined to believe that, after everything that I've seen."

"It would make a certain sort of sense", mused Kasumi.

"Yes, it would. We also found some interesting stuff when we were scanning their homeworld. Remnants of tech that were new...or at the very least, different from what we've encountered before."

"I see...so what else happened on Noveria?"

"We found Benezia's stronghold at the ExoGeni research facility. She was indoctrinated, unfortunately. Liara was in my squad, and had to help me kill her. I've never been good at the touchy-feely stuff, and I didn't want to make her shoot her mother. I knew she'd do it if it came down to it, and that she'd die to protect us. But, I didn't want her to come. But, she insisted quite vehemently. Tali and Garrus supported her. And Wrex even offered to let Liara go in his place. Imagine! A krogan like Wrex, a guy who could never pass up a firefight, saying that he would sit it out for Liara. It is very difficult to find me at a loss for words. But, that time...it was so unreal."

Kasumi chuckled. "So, your crew doesn't just stick around because of you, but truly have each other's backs. That bodes well for your current mission, Shep. Good to hear."

"Eh? I don't really get the point."

"It was just me, thinking out loud. Think nothing of it. Go on, then!"

"Right. So in the end, I gave in and switched to a five member squad instead of the usual four. The people at ExoGeni were quite surprised when they saw a bunch of people, each from a different species, coming to save the day. Eli had to miss it since she was nursing an injury from a trip to the Moon, or she may have joined our group too. Come to think of it now, I never did take Kaidan or Ashley out on missions much. Putting Ashley on the Normandy wasn't my choice. Anderson was fully to blame for that one. Kaidan was a skilled technician, and had reasonable control over his biotics, but unfortunately, got regular headaches as a result of his L2 implants. Tali, Eli and Garrus far outstripped him in combat tech, and for biotics, Wrex, Liara and I had him easily beat. I took him out on the less critical missions, and he did improve rapidly, to his credit. Ashley - I left on deck most of the time. She maintained the armory - ammunitions, equipment, guns. To be fair, she did that well. Took her along even less than Kaidan. She was a commando through and through. Could handle any weapon, but offered nothing much else beyond that. Liara was a reasonable shot with a sidearm, and her biotic abilities were rather advanced. She liked violence at lot more than I'd expected an archaeologist to."

"Tell me more about your old team back from the days of the initial Normandy. They sound fascinating."

Elia considered Kasumi briefly. Then she flashed her a bright smile.

"You know, you're the first one on this crew who's asked me to relive that time of my life. I'm not complaining. I'd like to know why you are interested in that, though?"

Kasumi smiled back. "Just curious, Shep. I won't be offended if you aren't willing to share. If they're too painful or something. You've just recently woken up from a two-year long slumber. Things around you have changed drastically. And well, as smart, tough and adaptable as you no doubt are, it must be hard to come to terms with your situation. Just thought I'd try and provide an ear if you want it, and get to know something about the most famous human being in the galaxy. Making friends with you doesn't seem like something I'd regret... And, if you do succeed in getting me out of my suit like you said when we first met, it would give me an idea of what I'm getting into, at the very least."

Kasumi's concern and friendliness seemed genuine. Not forced and put-on like that irritating yeoman Cerberus had inserted at the CIC. What was her name again? Chambers? Shepard found herself warming to the obviously mischievous little Japanese thief. Plus, she was totally flirting back with her, which was cool!

She produced a pack of her favorite cigarettes. The Omega Lights. She took one and offered it to Kasumi, who accepted. She lit Kasumi's and hers, and took a long drag before continuing.

"Let's see. My team. Hmm… well, let's start with the humans on it. Ash never liked aliens much. Always found her a bit irritating with her shitty xenophobia. A result of being the daughter of General Williams, the man who surrendered to the turians on Shanxi. She wasn't as bad as Pressly. But still, their sentiments are shared by the majority of the Alliance. One reason I never really liked the Alliance life. The exploring space and meeting new races part was exciting. The rest of it was a drag. Especially at mealtimes. Always could find a bunch of idiots talking trash about how humans were superior to turians or salarians and whatnot. How humanity would get its place eventually. If I'd really wanted to listen to that kind of bullshit, I'd have switched on the radio to the Terra Firma party channel. She died to save us, to ensure our success on Virmire. A model soldier. Marine, through and through. Kinda sad that I owe her my life and all I can call her is irritating. Kaidan was different, though. Judged everyone on their merits, not on their species. Have to give him props for being open-minded. And finally, my little sister, Eli. She's great. I've loved her to bits ever since our first meeting. That was about fifteen years ago. We've always worked extremely well together. Encountered each other a bunch on missions, and always synchronized our leaves so that we could spend time with Mum. She was a bad soldier. Took after me in that respect. Almost as bad at taking orders or following protocol and chain of command as I was, and butted heads with more than a few incompetent COs. Anderson managed to wrangle her into the Normandy crew, and then put her under my command. She's been with me ever since that first deployment of the Normandy about six years ago, and we've only been getting stronger. She's also one of the people who were instrumental in digging me out of Alchera and saving my life. Always was bad at giving up. Kept going at anything she put her mind to, until she succeeded. And always has my back. But, I can sense that she was scarred quite badly by the whole chain of events. I'm trying to help her out as much as I can, since I was responsible for getting her involved in this whole freaking mess. Great big sister I am!"

Shepard gave a short, bitter laugh.

"From what I've seen, she really does dote on you. And she definitely looks up to you a lot. Maybe, she felt lost without you, and the hurt of losing you is wearing off the more time she spends with you. I don't believe she'll ever complain about where she is."

"Maybe not, but still...I feel responsible for her."

"As you should. But, she's her own person and she's chosen this. She didn't ask to be the younger sister of the great Elia Albarn Shepard. Even so, she's carved out a place for herself in this crew, and by extension, this entire galaxy. Everybody respects the Normandy crew, and for good reason."

"Yeah. I don't know where I'd be without her. Or any of my crew, for that matter."

"Let's talk about the aliens you had on your crew before. It was pretty big news at the time, you know. Commander Shepard, first human Spectre, the best that we had to offer, embodying the willingness of humanity to stand with the other races. They seemed like an interesting bunch."

Elia paused to take a sip of her rum, and went on, "Liara was the bookish type. Curious to learn all the secrets of the galaxy. We found quite a few Prothean artifacts on our travels. She spent several happy hours finding out if they had any useful data. Otherwise, she chatted often with the rest of the crew. She grew close to Karin...Dr. Chakwas. They practically shared living quarters, after all. There was this one time I left my music player at her room. She discovered my old rock music collection and started playing it. Sometime later, I went by to search for it, and was looking to see if I'd left it there. I could hear her singing along to one of my favorites. Dr. Chakwas looked rather amused. She said something along the lines of, "Looks like our scientist has discovered Liam Gallagher and Oasis. Her voice is rather good, you know." I stopped short, and went, "You listen to Oasis too, Doctor?" The doctor looked up at me, smiled and said, "On occasion, yes." I went in to her animatedly drumming to the sound of Wonderwall and singing out the lyrics. I tapped her shoulder. She was definitely surprised, and more than a little embarrassed. "Discovered Oasis, have you?". "Yes, Shepard", she replied breathlessly. "Though I don't understand some of their lyrics. If I may, could I ask you what they mean?" When I nodded, she proceeded to ask me, "What kind of a supernova is a Champagne? In all my years of study, I have never heard of such a phenomenon." I burst out laughing. Oh my, Liara was such a good friend. Loyal to a fault. Little sis and she never gave up on finding me, even when everyone had declared me dead."

Kasumi could see Elia's eyes misting up. A single teardrop fell from her left eye and coursed down her cheek. She didn't seem to notice it. She took a sip of her rum and went on.

"On to Garrus. He was a 'bad turian', as he liked to say. Never liked following rules. Believed justice had to be served, no matter the cost. I had similar principles, so we got along very well. Both of us drew the line at hurting innocents. My best friend, a confidante, and someone who just seemed to understand me well. He willingly joined me on this mission too. Great shot with a sniper rifle, probably the best on the squad. Also, a lot more open-minded than the other turians I've met. Doesn't seem to have that big of a stick up his ass."

Elia and Kasumi both chuckled at that. By now, Elia had started crying softly, without noticing it. Kasumi quietly walked over to the sofa she'd sit herseld down on, and took a seat beside her. Elia didn't really seem to notice. She was far away, lost in the memories of her old crew. She took another drag from her cigarette as she went on.

"Tali was on her Pilgrimage. Took a detour to help our team with Saren, and even ended up finding some valuable data on the Geth. She told me that taking that back to the Fleet had allowed her to officially complete it. She was curious about everything. Damn talented engineer. Adams used to say she was probably better than him at troubleshooting problems with the drive core. That, coming from Adams, must have meant she was something special. She was a good friend, like a younger sister, and got along really well with Eli too. They were similar in that they felt that they needed to be guided, and were eager to learn. And finally, we come to the biggest guy on the crew. Man really had a heart of gold. Urdnot Wrex was aggressive, brash, and liked a good fight. But, he was extremely well-read, and deeply saddened by the state of the krogan. He had tried to do something to help them out of the pit they'd dug for themselves, way back. Got betrayed by his own father, and lost hope for any possibility of change after that. Still seemed to think about it a lot, though. I heard he's back on Tuchanka now, trying to unite the clans. I used to keep telling him that he should make a go of it, if he felt it was the right thing to do. Keep trying until you force the issue. And really, if anyone can do it, he can. Most importantly, he'd be doing it for the right reasons. No race deserves what happened to the krogan. Slowly killing them off, not offering them a way out. Everyone deserves a chance to atone for their mistakes of the past. For their ancestor's choices. It's a sad state of affairs. Just one more thing that shows how screwed up this fucking galaxy is. And here I am, sacrificing everything that I am like some big fucking hero to save it. Taking along a bunch of good people, possibly to their deaths, with me. They say I'm a genius. But, I really do act like a bleeding idiot. No wonder I almost died. And now, I'm working with a terrorist organization because they happen to be the only ones who take me seriously. Oh, and for good measure, they just decided to rebuild me with all these extra pieces. Somedays, I don't know what I'm supposed to be."

She had started sobbing openly by now. They were wracked with despair, with guilt, with sorrow, with loss. Kasumi felt sorry for the woman next to her. All the things she'd done, and the horrors she'd experienced. Any lesser being would have broken down long ago. A hero who wasn't really a hero. Elia didn't let it break her. She might have her moments of weakness, but really, the universe be damned if she didn't deserve them.

Kasumi leant over and hugged her. "There, there, Shep. It's all right."

Shepard continued crying on Kasumi's shoulder for a while, Kasumi simply patting her back comfortingly. Eventually, she stopped. Then, she wiped her face and looked over at Kasumi, giving her a thin watery smile.

"So much for being a badass, eh? The hero of the Citadel is a cynical, bitter and utterly vulnerable fool."

She gave a derisive snort.

Kasumi gently punched Shepard's arm. "Don't give me that, Shep. You can't save everyone. However much you try, you just can't. All the ills of the galaxy are not yours to fix. Don't be so hard on yourself. And I would have been surprised if you weren't vulnerable. Might have started doubting that you were not a robot, and actually alive."

Kasumi gave Shepard a wink. "Anyhow, you aren't alone, Shep. You never were, and looking at you, you never will be. You try to do what you can to take care of the crew, and you don't let anyone really take care of you. The entire weight of everything doesn't need to be on your shoulders. I think you should change that."

Elia turned a questioning gaze on Kasumi.

Kasumi shrugged. "I've talked to some of the crew. Grunt, Jack, even Mordin. Not so much Miranda and Jacob. I distrust Cerberus as much as you, especially Miranda. Grunt's just a kind who wants to find his purpose in all this. The way he talks about you, you'd almost think that he thinks you're his mother! Come to think of it, you maybe the krogan equivalent of one to him. Jack talked about how you gave her full access to any files Cerberus had on her, how you talked Miranda down on the issue. Nobody's ever helped her like that before with no strings attached. You told her that you'd help her get to the nearest spaceport if she didn't want to join up when the prison she was being held in got shot to hell. That tells me a lot about the way you work, Shep. Mordin was quite impressed with your help at Omega. Especially how you helped his assistant out. He appreciated that it was a detour from your prioritized mission, but you did it anyway."

Kasumi stopped to drain her amazake. Shepard did the same with her own drink. The two sat in silence for a while.

Presently, Kasumi took a last drag from her cigarette, stubbed it on the ashtray and said, "You know, everyone you're picking up, they have scars of their own. It haunts them, festering below the surface. That includes me. Even Miranda and Jacob. I can make out. You shouldn't be worried that you're the only one with something they've lost. Or that they feel regret for. But maybe, this is a place we can all begin to heal. At least a little bit. I have a really good feeling about this."

Shepard glanced over quizzically at Kasumi. "It's almost like I willingly surround myself with that sort, you know. And soon, we're going to be joined by a drell assassin, an asari justicar, and possibly an old warhorse of a merc. They should all be quite interesting. Hope we can get them to join."

"I look forward to meeting them, too. If you'll take me along, that is."

"That depends on the nature of the mission, I guess. I'm the only one who gets to go each time just because well, I'm me."

She smirked in her lopsided way at Kasumi.

Kasumi smirked back. "Just remember, Shep. I can come along if I want to. Optical cloak, remember."

Shepard suddenly became serious. "Kasumi, please don't do that, ever. What if we shoot you by mistake. Or, if we leave you behind? I'd never be able to live with myself after that."

"Why, Shep? Do you like me that much?"

"Irrelevant. You're my squad. No one gets left behind."

Kasumi was surprised by the intensity of the last statement, the conviction with which she said it. Must have stumbled onto one of her guiding principles. She considered it, then nodded.

"Just yanking your chain, Shep. I'd never do that sort of thing. I've worked alone most of my life, but I do know what it is to be a team player. To be honest, I didn't really have much to do besides going around stealing stuff. Like I said before, I took this job for the chance to work with you, and if you'd help me, a chance to gain some closure on something. Maybe, I'm trying to do something that matters. Be part of something that's bigger than me. To find meaning."

Shepard mused on Kasumi's revelation. "I'm helping you gain closure? Is that your scar?"

"You could say that. You're under no obligation to help, though."

"I want to, if you think I can."

"Thanks. Umm, maybe I'll tell you the details later. We need to go to Bekenstein. It's in a system that neighbors the Widow system the Citadel is on."

"It's nearby? Okay, whatsay we do it before popping around to Illium? Like maybe, tomorrow? Or do you need more time to prep?"

Kasumi was a bit taken aback. Her preparations had almost been complete. Fully anticipating that Shepard would agree to help her, she'd taken the liberty of having most things setup and ready.

"Just one thing. Er, I'll need your dress size. And we'll need to go to a clothes shop to get you an outfit."

Shepard suddenly looked alarmed. "This won't be one of those skimpy black dresses will it?"

Kasumi smiled evilly. "Why the alarm, Shep? It'd suit you. You're extremely attractive, and you really could have been a supermodel if you'd wanted to, I'm sure. And, yes, it's a black cocktail dress."

Shepard's face fell, almost comically. Kasumi felt a tad sorry for her.

"Don't worry! It'll be fun. And, if everything goes right, you'll only need to wear it for about an hour. You can be back in your armor and shooting bad guys in no time. Though, I'd prefer you keep it around. Never know when I may feel like getting you out of it."

Kasumi winked at her roguishly.

Elia blushed a little. "So, there will be shooting? Lots of it?", she asked, almost hopefully.

"I fancy there'll be quite a bit."

"That's good. How many of us going on this jaunt?"

"I want you all to myself, Shep. So, it's gonna be just the two of us."

Kasumi winked again.

"You sure? Eli and Miranda will feel much better if we brought along some back-up."

"Yes, I'm quite sure."

Shepard didn't seem convinced, but she made no comment.

-0-

"Damn that gunship. Damn that Hock! Its shields regenerate!", swore Shepard.

She gave Kasumi, who had taken up a position in cover just a few feet away, a wry smile.

"Any ideas?", she yelled.

Kasumi smiled back. "A few. I need to get close. When I see my chance, I'll take it", she yelled back.

Shepard nodded. At the very least, they had an almost unlimited supply of thermal clips lying around. They'd taken cover near a few crates. Mecifully, the Eclipse merc whom they'd displaced from that position (Shepard had shot him between his eyes with her newly acquired Locust. Kasumi had whistled in appreciation. Shepard had been rather pleased with herself too; the new Umbra Visor headpiece was working out nicely) had also been carrying an ammo box. The two women helped themselves to it whenever they ran low. Which was once every minute or so. They were picking off the mercs slowly, not taking too many risks. Shepard was using her biotic charges sparingly, and Kasumi was using her cloak-and-dagger thing only when she was absolutely sure.

It was good that Kasumi was almost as good a shot with a sidearm as Shepard. She hadn't used her shotgun for a while-not a great many chances to get up close enough. Shepard swore slightly. The new Incisor sniper rifle she had brought along hadn't made her happy one little bit. She was going to have to have a chat with Jacob on what he thought a Viper felt like. She'd believed him (without actually testing it) when he said the feel of the Incisor was similar to a Viper. When she used it, she found that the damn thing fired in bursts, like a Vindicator. Shepard hated the Vindicator, always much preferring the Pulse Rifle for covering fire. Since then, she'd totally abandoned it. Which meant that she was stuck with a sidearm SMG/Pistol combination until further notice. She trusted Kasumi though. The thief had already proved herself very resourceful. She'd be a great addition to the team.

The mission had been unlike any other Shepard had been on before. She found that she rather enjoyed not having to answer or report to anyone in particular, and running her ship in a more civilian style. The Cerberus crew referred to her as 'Commander', but she walked around in a hoodie and jeans. She had no intention of ever running any of her ships military ever again. Taylor had been surprised at that. He seemed interested in her. Well, she was damned attractive; she rather fancied her glowy scars and eyes actually made her even more striking. However, she wasn't even remotely interested in him. He was just another soldier who believed in a greater cause. The same as all those idealistic meat-heads who made it up the ranks in the Alliance. She was mildly surprised that he hadn't followed that path. Ah well, not everyone got things to go their way. Reminded her of Kaidan, only a lot less accepting, more opinionated, and more human-centric.

What had actually made him a lot less appealing to her had been the fact that he'd had the balls to tell her he'd keep an eye on her, that he had issues with certain actions she'd taken. Must have been the suicide bomb thing. That got these Alliance types worked up. Or Torfan? Maybe he disapproved of Spectres and the fact that they weren't answerable to the law. Or the fact that she got on with aliens? She didn't know, and didn't particularly care. She wasn't going to take him on missions much either - not unless it was absolutely necessary. She hadn't been particularly impressed with him when she'd brought him along. He thought he was good, and he probably was halfway decent. But, the rest of the crew wasn't just good. They were something more. He was distinctly average in comparison. Plus, she didn't like him, so that was the biggest factor.

She liked Miranda, though. She believed in Cerberus, but it was because she believed in what they were doing to protect humanity. Human dominance, not so much. But they were doing something about the abductions, at the very least. If Elia rejected consequentialism outright, she supposed she wouldn't have like Mordin either. Somehow, she respected Miranda for the conviction she had in her beliefs, for her confidence. And the fact that she'd been instrumental in resurrecting her helped too.

Kasumi's heist had been interesting. Shepard had to infiltrate a party with the who's who of the galaxy's criminals. Kasumi obviously thought that having been among similar company for so long, Shepard would be used to it, and therefore fit in nicely. She'd gone under the moniker, Alison Gunn. Kasumi had recounted in loving detail, all that she'd done to build up the legend of Alison Gunn. Shepard made a mental note to ask how she'd planned the whole charade later.

The party had been a drag, though. Kasumi hadn't even let her try the food. Kept telling her they had to get her partner's 'graybox'- some sort of a neural implant that held memories and information encrypted in them, that could only be accessed by the memories? Shepard hadn't entirely understood it, but would have helped Kasumi get it anyway, since it seemed so important to her and she considered her a friend. Kasumi had also said that the information encrypted in it could be dangerous since it contained something that could give ample fodder for a Systems Alliance-Batarian Hegemony war if it got in the wrong hands. Hock definitely fell into that category. But, still. It didn't hurt to eat some of the stuff laid out. She had forced her to wear the black dress, after all! Though, truth be told, it was a lot more comfortable than Shepard thought it would be, and the necklace was nice. Maybe she'd wear it more often. She made a mental note to ask Kasumi how much it had cost, so she could pay her back. She also had had her eye on some very inviting raspberry cheesecake. Shepard was a sucker for raspberry cheesecake. She managed to sneak some away for later consumption when Kasumi wasn't looking.

Hock was an ass. Anyone could see that. A very paranoid ass. His vault had all the security it needed, and a lot more. Only a master thief could have infiltrated it. Fortunately, Kasumi was one. They'd nullified the barriers and obtained the password simply enough. His DNA sample had taken some work. The biggest drag had been getting a voice sample. The idiot obviously liked the sound of it. He gave her, and everyone around a five minute monologue about how important they were. And, she'd been forced to applaud him at the end of it. That disgusted her no end. Kasumi had taken the opportunity to snidely comment on Shepard's ability to loosen Hock's tongue. Shepard had given her a look in return. Then, they'd broken into the vault, just like that.

The best part of it was that Shepard had finally been able to change out of her little black dress and into her combat armor. They'd walked right into Hock's trap (quite obviously; after all, no self-respecting crime lord could let their loot go without some resistance). The Locust had been a brilliant find though. It far outstripped the puny SMG Cerberus had provided her as their 'top-of-the-line'. Shepard's lips curled in distaste at the memory of the weapon she'd biotically slammed and broken against the wall, once she had her hands on her new SMG. Kasumi had also managed to get her graybox. Once she'd broken it out of its security case, they'd found out that Hock had actually wanted her to find it, so that she could decrypt it for him. Apparently, the only person alive who could open that particular one, was her. And of course, he'd intended to do it by force, and kill her (and her unknown accomplice) off once they'd served their purpose.

Eclipse mercs swarmed their position. Bad mistake. No one had realized yet that Kasumi had brought along Elia for the fight. Truthfully, Elia felt quite aggrieved at that. She had saved the galaxy after all, and let these fools continue their crooked ways. Any reasonable person would have thought that they'd be at least a tad bit grateful.

Several corpses marked the path the hooded Japanese thief and the supposedly dead former Spectre took to get to the extraction point, a dock that overlooked the sea. That was where Hock had been waiting with that bleeding gunship.

Shepard continued taking down the merc waves as they came. It was slow, painful, repetitive work. Hock and that damned gunship wasn't making her mood any better. There was a lull for a moment. The merc waves seemed to have stopped. Suddenly, Kasumi perked up, and yelled, "I see my chance."

Shepard wondered what she meant. She could see the gunship out of the corner of her eye. No use shooting at something that kept regenerating its defenses. A giant overloard would have helped, but Shepard didn't think omni-tools could output that kind of power. She certainly hoped Kasumi knew what she was doing. She then turned to watch Kasumi pull a series of crazy acrobatic stunts. She got on top of one of the pillars in the dock and jumped right on to the gunship. Shepard whistled in admiration. Kasumi mock-saluted Hock and did something on her omni-tool. The gunship overloaded itself. Shepard could sense no shields on her visor. And, it wasn't regenerating! She made a mental note to ask Kasumi about that move when she had the chance.

Kasumi had immediately cloaked after that stunt, of course. No use pulling off a maneuver like that and dying immediately afterward. Shepard fully expected her to appear at her side in due course. Till then, she fired at the gun-ship with gay abandon. Moments later, she hear Kasumi firing at it too. It didn't take them long to whittle down its defenses. Shepard then threw a powerful warp field at the rotators. It succeeded in making a huge blast where the gunship had been, with Hock inside. His squadron of gunships hadn't helped at the end. They tended not to be much use if you were dead. Still, whoever inherited Hock's assets would find them handy. Maybe, Elia could appropriate control of it. She made another mental note - this time to ask EDI for help with that. The AI would know what systems to hack and registers to update so that Elia could be the legal owner of those assets.

Shepard and Kasumi made short work of the few stragglers around the dock, before setting off toward the waiting shuttle.

The two women made their way back to the Normandy, Shepard driving this time. Shepard was a bad driver. Everyone thought so, except her. Kasumi had been contemplative when they started the drive back, lost in her own thoughts. Shepard's driving skills made that course of action rather impossible, though. She decided she'd rather drive, so that they didn't die in unmarked graves at the bottom of the sea.

"Er, Shep. There's no way to sugarcoat this. You really really suck at driving. Move over and let me drive so you don't get us killed."

"No way. You drove on the way here. My turn now."

"Yes, Shep. I would have willingly given you your turn and continued reminiscing about Keiji. But, that's hard to do, especially when I keep getting jolted. I suspect that a drunken monkey could probably do a better job driving than you."

Shepard considered the insult briefly.

Then, sorrowfully she said, "Damn it, everyone says the same thing. Even on the old Normandy, my squad would have an unspoken agreement to talk me out of driving. They always gave me gun duty. I liked gun duty, so I normally gave in. It started getting suspicious when Garrus and Wrex suggested it to me on our missions together too. Not just once. Each bloody time. I mean, Garrus? Wrex? Those guys liked guns and explosions as much as I did."

She looked at her screen. "Damn, off-direction again", and then proceeded to pull off a full speed right angled turn to her left.

Kasumi was lucky she'd put on her seatbelt. Shepard continued to regale Kasumi with stories of her crew and their missions. Kasumi found them too interesting to further press the issue of switching drivers (though she probably had several minor heart attacks along the way). Elia was incredibly good at telling stories.

A rather bumpy ride later, they disembarked from the shuttle and on to the Normandy.

"You know...I drove the entire way back. And I got us here fine."

Shepard stuck her tongue out insolently at Kasumi as she got off the elevator.

Kasumi was stunned. Shepard had tricked her! Shaking her head and smiling, Kasumi went into her quarters in the Lounge and reflected on what they'd been through. Or rather, what she'd dragged Elia through. Elia had proved herself a remarkably good friend. Possibly the first real friend she'd had since Keiji. Maybe she could make more of those, now that she'd basically decided to settle down for a bit. And get closer to the one who'd helped her, the one she felt inexorably drawn towards. The first person in ages she'd felt comfortable enough around to naturally flirt with.

She had always been a friendly, outgoing, easy-to-like person. Just never stayed in a place long enough to make any real friends. A lot of acquaintances, sure, but no real friends. Kasumi looked at the graybox. She thought for a bit, then placed it on her desk. She was too tired to look at it immediately. Besides, Elia deserved to be there when they saw what it held.

-0-

Kasumi activated the graybox. It had been plugged into the holo-projector. The memories of Keiji washed over her. In the background, Keiji's voice played. That what he found was dangerous, and that she would be in danger if she kept it. Something about a black ops squad finding something in Batarian space. Kasumi didn't care. She only cared about the memories.

She looked over at Elia after a time. She was staring open-mouthed at what she was seeing. Of course, she'd respectfully ignored the more personal elements of what the graybox held. She'd probably guessed about her and Keiji, anyway. Kasumi hadn't been particularly subtle, and hell, Shepard's IQ was off the charts. Keiji had said that she needed to destroy it, to protect herself, and to continue living on for his sake. She didn't know what to do.

Elia looked enquiringly at Kasumi. "What do you want to do?", she asked, quietly.

"I just, I don't know….", said Kasumi, unsure, and nearly in tears.

Elia briefly considered the situation, and said, "Is there any way you can separate the data, so you get just the memories, but destroy the data that was encrypted in there? I got all of it in my head, so I can warn Hackett and the Alliance what it contained. You won't be in danger, and the cross will not be ours to bear."

"No, we can't. They're tied together. My memories, his memories and the data. And, he was damn good at encrypting things. If he meant it to be this way, there's nothing much we can do to break it apart without breaking everything."

Elia looked conflicted, pained. "Damn. Kasumi, I just don't know. It's your graybox. And he obviously meant a lot to you…It doesn't feel right for me to tell you what to do, either way."

Looking at how Elia seemed to understand and even feel the pain that she, Kasumi herself, was feeling, something inside her just clicked. She would follow this beautiful, heroic being to the depths of hell. There was no way out for her, not anymore. She didn't need one, either. And so, she came to a decision regarding what she had to do with the graybox. Just leave the decision to Elia. Her leader.

"Shep, I've decided. We do what you say. You decide, and we roll with that", she said, in a clear voice.

Elia looked at Kasumi in surprise. "But, its..."

"No buts, El. I trust you completely."

She thought for a while. Then, carefully, she said, "I know it's important to you. But, he'll always be with you, Kasumi. Keiji wanted it destroyed to protect you. And as much as it pains me, I agree. If Hock could find out about it and murder Keiji, there is no telling who might come after you. He wouldn't want you to die over it, especially since well, he already did. Neither would I. You're my crew. My family. I wouldn't feel right if I told you to keep it. I'd tell you that we have to destroy it."

Elia looked troubled. Kasumi nodded and put the graybox on the table.

They just stared at it for a while.

Finally, Elia broke the silence. "Kasumi, do you want me to do it?"

Kasumi looked at her gratefully. "Please! Just do it quickly."

Elia nodded. Kasumi looked out the window at the stars beyond. Shepard did something in the background and walked up next to her.

"Beautiful view, eh?", she commented.

Kasumi turned right and looked at the woman standing next to her. She had been through things that would have destroyed anyone, she had scars that could not be healed easily, possibly not ever, and yet, she had cared enough to help a random stranger gain closure for something, just because she was part of her crew. It really did feel like she was part of her family. Something told her that she'd have done it for any of her crew, and that she probably wasn't a special case, but that didn't stop her feeling the stirrings of love for it. She put her hand on Elia's shoulder and turned her around. She pulled her face closer with her free hand. Elia stood about a head taller than her. She stood on her tiptoes and pushed forward slightly to place a kiss on Elia's lips, and found her responding. The kiss was gentle, without heat. Elia gently drew away and stared at Kasumi. Kasumi seemed slightly overwhelmed.

She said, "You need some rest. Just let me know if you need me later." She smiled warmly.

This wasn't a rejection in any way. Elia realized that Kasumi probably needed time to cool down and decide if she actually wanted to pursue anything with Elia, and Elia needed time to entertain the idea in her mind as well. Hell, she liked Kasumi, and she was unattached. Kasumi was the one person she had so far been able to find real comfort in...But, they'd not known each other too long, and she would never rush anything. Kasumi deserved time, and so did she.

Kasumi seemed to realize this as well, smiled and replied with a simple, "Thank you."

-0-

Kasumi reflected on what had happened. She'd gotten Keiji's graybox back two years after his death, and had lost it less than a week after she'd retrieved it. She realized that it was the right choice. She could let Keiji go. And concentrate on living her life without that hanging over her. She chose to start this new chapter by swearing her unfaltering loyalty and devotion to the woman who'd helped her gain closure. She'd follow her into hell, safe in the knowledge that she'd get her out. Probably…

She looked up at the stars, and said, "Keiji Okuda, I will always love you. But, I do think you were an ass for dying. I found something else to live for, and possibly someone else to be with. Sayonara…"

Kasumi smiled impishly as she contemplated what had happened, and her future. One thing was for certain - it was going to be a hell of a ride! And she was going to treasure every moment of it.

-0-