4.

They listened as Veetor, in his disjointed way told them that the monsters had swarms of insects, insects that paralysed the people and then the monsters came for them, "Why not you?" Taylor wanted to know,

"His environmental suit hid his readings" Miranda explained "and it fits if they wanted just humans, they wouldn't be looking for him."

"Veetor, what did these...monsters look like?" Shepard asked, taking on board what Miranda had said.

"There were many readings around them, dark energy reading, dark matter." He was rambling and he was scared. He used his omni-tool and up on the screen came the image of insect like creatures swarming round the humans, then...something.

Cassie, using her own Omni-tool brought the image closer and enlarged it. "What the fuck are they?" She muttered.

"The Collectors" Miranda slowly said.

"Ridiculous" Jacob scoffed "The Collectors don't exist, they are myth, like the gorgon or something..."

"i am telling you Taylor, they are Collectors" Miranda firmly stated. "They rarely venture beyond the Omega 4 relay but that's not to say they don't come through."

"Whatever they are, they are targeting humans" Shepard got to her feet as Miranda suddenly, and quite urgently said,

"We need that data Shepard, we should take the Quarian back with us."

Tali came running in to hear Miranda rather clipped order, and it was an order, not a suggestion. To her relief Cassie shook her head.

"He needs help Lawson and I doubt that Cerberus would be able to give him that help." She looked at Tali "Do you know anything about the Collectors Tal?"

"No" She shook her head "I know that there have been time in the past the Quarians sort their aid to try and get back the home world, but from what I learnt of those times, the cost would have been too high." She twisted her fingers around each other, a sign that she was nervous "Shepard, let me take Veetor back, please. I give you my word I will pass on any details I find, and when I am finished with what I have to do, I will come to your aid...please Cassie."

Cassie put her hands on Talis shoulders and kissed the top of the visor, "Your word has always been good enough for me Tali, take Veetor home and when you are done, come find me, or if I can aid you I will."

Tali hugged her friend tightly "Keelah it is good to see you Cassie." She smiled although pleased that her visor hid the tear that fell from her eye "I am glad that you are the one still calling the shots."

Shepard nodded and watched her friend leave. She returned her attention to the screen and heaved a heavy sigh, so, they had a name for their enemies. The Collectors had her attention now...

Cassie stood once more on the holo-imager and the arguments of Taylor and Lawson left behind in her ear. Once again the Illusive man was sitting in his chair, a glass of bourbon in his left hand and a newly lit cigarette in his right.

"The Quarians forwarded their findings to us, given our history I am surprised."

"Tali gave me her word" Cassie folded her arms, now out of uniform and in a pair of jeans and vest top she cut an imposing figure. Her body full regaining her previous muscle tone, she was impressive a figure as any military figure or athlete. "So who are the Collectors?"

"Unsure," The Illusive man admitted "What we know is they barter their technology in return for whatever they require, slaves, specimens anything they want they get their technology is very sort after."

"So its worth any price then? OK so they are targeting humans. Why don't we just go after them?"

"We can't" He pointed to her left side and as Cassie looked she saw a chair and a drink behind her. Sitting down she picked up the drink and sniffed it "I believe Haig was your favourite tipple" She nodded and arched an eyebrow as she saw the cigarette. She took it and lit it with the lighter beside it.

"So why can't we chase them?"

"Because the Omeaga 4 relay leads to dead space, the galactic core if you will, the Bermuda Triangle of space, if we go in there now, we will end up like the thousands of other ships that have gone through and never returned.

No, you need to build a team Shepard, and then get everything you will need to allow you to travel safety through the other side and back again."

"I want the same team that helped me once before, we all worked well together."

The Illusive man swallowed his liquor and shook his head "I will admit, Tali helping was a surprise and I will need time to think about that one. Urdnot Wrex returned to Tuchunka when you died, he has not been off world since."

"Really?" She frowned a little and hoped that Wrex was OK, she would head there at some point and check on him.

"I have no idea what he is doing, the Krogan tend to keep outsiders away from their home world, given what's happened to them in the past, I can't say I blame them."

"What about Liara T'Soni and Garrus Vakarian?"

"T'Soni is on Ilium and we believe she is working for the Shadow Broker, if that is the case then she cannot be trusted."

"Pfft" Shepard scoffed "Liara is not some international spy you know."

"A lot has changed since you died Shepard. Vakarian, well he quit his job at C-Sec and vanished, no one knows where he is."

She thought that might happen, Garrus always swore he would find her, she supposed he was still looking and she desperately needed him to find some peace. His soul was wounded, it always had been ever since he had seen the reality of the way things were, how justice and revenge could blur into lines that were sometimes indistinguishable from each other.

"What about Williams?"

"She is on duty somewhere, her file is very highly classified, even I can't get at it." He admitted.

"Right.." She sighed, it was obvious she was going to have to work with Lawson, Taylor and whomever they found.

"Take some rest, your ship will be ready later tonight, and acquaint yourself with your pilot, they will be sufficiently up to the task, So can I count on your aid?"

Shepard picked her glass up and stood up, she nodded and walked away. The platform shut down. As the doors opened a familiar voice said in shock "Damn it, they said you were back but...CASSIE!"

Cassie could have wept there and then, the last time she saw him, he was screaming her name, fire and flame, explosions all around him. She had whispered goodbye to him and slammed the pod shut, let him get away.

Joker almost fell into her arms, he had not dared to believe that what he had been told was true, for the last two years he had blamed himself for her dying, when they took his life away he had joined Cerberus, they had offered him not only to have his dream of flying back but his best friend, his sister back.

He had not believed it until now. Now she was standing before him, and he could barely contain himself.

"What's this?" She laughed "No braces?"

"Miranda did some work on my legs" he admitted "Hasn't cured it, never will but she said they are strong enough without the need for braces. Doesn't mean I can dance the fandango but, I can move about a little easier then I did before."

"Damn Jeff.." She moved him back to take a long look at him "I can't believe its you"

"Speak for yourself Cass, I saw you get spaced. I – I watched you die and yet here you are...you aren't one of them clones are you?"

Cassie laughed "No I can assure you I am not one of them clones, I did check with Miranda and she insists I am me."

They walked along the corridor to the mess hall. Joker told her why he had joined Cerberus, and she was shocked that the Alliance wanted nothing to do with what happened over Sovereign,

"But what about Anderson?"

"Come on Cass" Joker sighed as they stopped by a darkened window "The Captain may be on the council but against those three...well the Turian and Salarian, Teevos actually seemed to be on our side, they walk all over him as far as they are allowed to anyway"

Cassandra ruefully agreed and scowled as they stopped by the blackened windows. "Um why you stopped here Jeff?"

For once the Joker had the upper hand on his friend "Well I been flying those Cerberus fighters to keep my hours up, and this well they only told me about this last night, said I was to reveal it to the frigates new commander."

He spoke into his collar and the lights came on, one by one, revealing a sight that took Cassies breath away. She rested a hand against the window as the vessel that had been part of her soul began to reveal itself.

"We'll have to give her a name Joker" Cassie whispered although she knew that they would call it, and so did Joker.

"There's only one name to give her Cass" He put his arm round her waist and kissed her forehead "Welcome home Commander"

"you too Joker"

The Normandy, bigger than her namesake, flying the black white and gold colours of Cerberus, hung before them both like a goddess ready to deal omnipotent destruction on the enemies of mankind and her allies.

She was a credit to her previous incarnation and she would do those who died aboard the original Normandy proud.