When action grows unprofitable, gather information; when information grows unprofitable, sleep. — Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness

Irin — Pronounced similar to the girl's name 'Erin'—Zaeed Massani's shortened form of 'Iringù-Eßizkur'
Siame — "One who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)

• INSIDE IRINGÙ-EẞIZKUR · BRAVO WARD, CITADEL · WIDOW SYSTEM •

Admiral Steven Hackett attempted, without much success, to school his expression of dismay at the information with which he'd just been presented by an agent for the Shadow Broker. Sipping hot coffee from his mug, he studied the image looking at him from the QEC display pad as he asked, "Are you sure this information is accurate?"

Buchanan chuckled, knowing the vocal modulator was rendering his speech into something dark and ominous sounding by disguising his voice, adding a flanging quality while making it sound every bit as deep and bassy as it did for Traynor's voice – listening to test recordings of Traynor's modified voice compared to his own revealed no detectable difference; additionally, his face was completely masked in deep shadows cast by bright backlighting and an oversized hood made of a darkly dyed artificial leather. "Admiral Hackett. Realize that the Shadow Broker does not sell erroneous information. To ever do such would call into question every single bit of data gathered and disseminated to each of our many clients … galaxy-wide." Griff paused a moment to allow his declaration to register; pressing on, he said, "There are apartments—owned by an organization the Systems Alliance has declared to be a terrorist enterprise—sitting just beyond and above the docks assigned to Normandy and Hong Kong. Martial Law is still in effect, Admiral. I cannot believe you need to be reminded that the Blue Suns can be prohibited from allowing anyone to reside in the top floors of those buildings."

Hackett replied, "It doesn't seem fair to simply toss people out in the streets."

Griff lowered his voice slightly. saying "The only tenants of any of those exclusive, top-floor apartments are Arius Varangian and Salo Rac'Maroh; both are longtime members of the Blue Suns, Admiral. You would be doing the crews of both frigates an enormous favor by declaring those apartments off limits … unless the Suns would care to have Alliance crew members domiciled there … rent-free." Griff chuckled before continuing. "Currently, the arrival or departure of either ship causes an immediate uptick in communications among the mercs, on this station and galaxy-wide, as they file position reports while the ships transit the relays. Their destinations are known … and monitored … before they can even arrive."

Hackett sighed. "I see your point. I will direct our security teams to have access to those floors vacated and sealed. I am grateful for your diligence in reporting this to me. Thank you."

• OMEGA STATION, SAHRABARIK SYSTEM · OMEGA NEBULA •

Aria T'Loak stretched languorously. She was preparing to leave her comfortable bed—along with the fabulous maiden with whom she had spent the previous evening—in order to shower and dress for the day, then slip into Afterlife for breakfast. She took a close look at the sleeping face beside her and sighed as she brushed her lips across the purple-tinged top crests. This one is a skilled lover … physically, at least. Her mental abilities need honing, but that will come with practice … which I am only too happy to provide. Placing a final kiss on the young asari's forehead, Aria slid out from under the sheets to silently pad into her lavish bathroom.

In less than forty minutes, the Pirate Queen had left her private chambers and was enjoying a steaming mug of tea along with a hearty breakfast, the food chosen specifically to replace calories and eezo expended during the intense physical romps she had enjoyed the previous evening.

Having cleaned her plate, Aria was enjoying her second mug of tea as she looked through the station's financial reports for the previous day, week and month. She had just taken a sip from her mug when two credit amounts on the page caught her undivided attention, causing her to nearly choke on the hot liquid. After a small coughing fit to clear her trachea of the misplaced beverage, she forced herself to remain calm—outwardly, at least—as she took another sip of tea, swallowed the mouthful of warm liquid and carefully placed the mug on the table. Glancing up at her two nearby bodyguards, she said, "Bray?" in a questioning tone.

Her unofficial second-in-command immediately approached Aria's table; crossing his arms over his chest, he tipped his head to the left for a moment as he responded, "Aria?"

The asari leaned back in her high-backed chair as she placed the ankle of her left leg atop her right knee; glaring at Bray through narrowed eyes, she commanded in a low voice, "You need to discover what in Goddess name has caused the bottom to fall out of the price of eezo – processed, and raw ore."

Bray always did his best to satisfy Aria's orders, but felt he needed clarification in this instance. "May I presume to have your permission to do whatever is needed to obtain results for you?"

Looking up at him from under her scowl, she coldly replied, "I need this done yesterday, Bray."

The batarian immediately spun on his heel and left. He had seen that look from Aria before … Any recipient of that particular gaze needed to produce results … fast.

• SHADOW BROKER'S APARTMENT, BRAVO WARD · CITADEL •

Apprehension was the first reaction I experienced, just before responding to the incoming Comms call; it was the first one I had received from a reactivated agent. Buchanan was still tracking down and enlisting the aid of as many former agents as he could reach; this call was from the first agent he had successfully contacted … the salarian Jipaw Zilorno, on Omega Station.

Touching the ACCEPT control on the receiver, I gave what I believed to be the Shadow Broker's standard response in one word. "Report."

The salarian was plainly nervous. It had been many months since he had needed to personally speak with the Shadow Broker. Thinking back to a time not so long ago, before the Reaper invasion—before Liara and Rachaél had killed the yahg that was the Broker at the time—I remembered paying a personal visit to the Broker's salarian agent on Omega Station. I had been searching for an exceedingly rare asari figurine, stolen by pirates and sold to the Blue Suns. Thinking about this, I was only half-listening to the salarian's report; I would replay and listen to the full recording after he was done.

Before signing off, I ordered Zilorno to continue gathering details concerning Aria T'Loak's sudden interest in the price of Element Zero. After carefully listening to his report once again, I placed the saved recording in a newly created file on the server; I recalled that, after being forced to eject Žiuk'Durmah's core before Javik's rogue code could destroy him, I had requested that Harbinger begin recovering the refined eezo spilled from the broken cores of disabled warships and Reapers alike. I expected that portion of the recovery was still ongoing above Earth and in the skies of every other planet that had seen ship-to-ship combat; besides Earth, the greatest numbers of destroyed ships and dead Reapers were in orbit about Palaven, with a lesser number above Tuchanka, Thessia, and the industrialized colony worlds.

I had never expected the recovered material to be marketed; Zilorno's report of crashing prices seemed to indicate a substantial amount of the element must have found its way into the legitimate markets. Someone—or a number of someones—was making a shit-load of credits, selling fraudulently obtained or stolen eezo primarily through energy traders and brokers on Illium; the results of a suddenly abundant supply of processed eezo—available for only the cost of shipping it—was depressing legitimate wholesale and retail prices.

I could just imagine how this would affect Omega's Pirate Queen. Aria had her blue fingers in every illegal activity on the station; nothing happened on her station that was too unimportant to garner her attention. Unfortunately, the legitimate sale of Omega Station's refined eezo was the prime mover of the station's entire economy. Additionally, the prices for raw, unprocessed ore recovered from the asteroid's interior had collapsed, as no one wished to pay the queen's asking price when the cost of processing it now exceeded the amount that could be earned from its sale.

The prospect of a galaxy-wide eezo trade war prompted me to set a third server to work. I also needed to compile a list of any non-Repository organizations recovering the processed stuff spilled during combat. After initiating the search program, I placed an urgent, secure call to the Normandy. As the Shadow Broker, it would be my first official conversation with an Alliance representative.

In only a few moments, Yeoman Coleen Pruitt's image materialized above the miniaturized display platform adjacent to my work station. "This is Yeoman Pruitt of the SSV Normandy. To whom am I speaking, please?"

Speaking slowly—and enunciating each word carefully—I replied, "This is the Shadow Broker. I have important information for your captain." Trusting that the shadowlike image of my face was being rendered unrecognizable by the hooded cloak and severe backlighting, along with the vocal modulator rendering the sound … the timbre … of my voice as deeply powerful and evil as the Broker's voice had always sounded, I waited to see how Pruitt would respond.

Despite looking nervous, she had the audacity to ask, "May I relay the subject of this call to him?"

"You may not!" I thundered in reply. As much as I had liked Coleen when still on the ship, I intended to establish right up front that the Broker was not to be questioned by a lowly non-com. "You are wasting my valuable time, Yeoman, not to mention the credits I am billing the Alliance!"

I watched in silent amusement as Coleen's face blanched at the harshness of the Broker's response to her question. With a meek, "Right away, Sir," her image disappeared as she hurriedly left to personally track down Bill Cody, leaving me to wait while trying to arrest a chuckle at being called, 'Sir'. The vocal modulator really does make a difference!

When Cody's image appeared after several minutes, the irritated expression on his face was more than worth my wait. "I don't give a damn how important …"

I was more than ready for him and pounced, shouting, "Silence! Do not presume to address the Shadow Broker as if he was some fucking bilge rat on the Normandy's crew, Captain Cody! I did not contact your ship to bandy words about with one of your subordinates; my time is much too valuable to waste standing by while you are tracked down in order for me to speak with you!" I had to bite my lip to keep from snickering at Cody's increasing expression of disbelief … and anger … at the way I was dressing him down. "You may rest assured the Alliance will be billed for the additional time I was required to spend staring at an empty screen."

"Shadow Broker you may now be, but I have not forgotten your true identity," came the terse response. "I don't answer to you, no matter how important you think you may be."

Of course you haven't forgotten, came the thought as I replied in a lower, deadlier tone of voice. "Then you would be wise to also remember that, should I so desire, I can have your miserable existence terminated with little more than a thought, and you would never see it coming." Pausing to wait for a rejoinder to that little bon mot, I continued when none was forthcoming. "I have valuable information for you, but I think now that I should sell it to an organization that will display more … gratitude … and provide me with more credits. Eclipse? The Blue Suns, perhaps?"

It was easy for me to see Cody's expression harden further as his face took on a reddish hue. "My apologies, Shadow Broker …" he ground out, his jaw clenched in barely controlled anger. "By all means, please tell me what you have."

Grinning inwardly at his emphasis on my new title, I declared, "Aria T'Loak has become extremely interested in the price of Element Zero; the retail price is falling at an accelerating rate. The Reapers have been retrieving and storing loose eezo from orbit about Earth, Palaven and other planets; additionally, they are salvaging the eezo cores from derelict Reapers, many of which are in failing orbits, thus in imminent danger of falling into the atmosphere and crashing to the surface of the planets over which they now orbit."

Cody had calmed down slightly as he listened to me. "I do not see how any of this is a problem in which I should involve myself or this ship."

"Quite simply, Captain, the recovered material was never intended to be sold. There is a very large amount currently sited near the Citadel. Refined eezo, such as has been recovered, has suddenly become available for sale on the commodities market, primarily on Illium." I paused for a moment to glance at the now flashing search terminal, which had results I needed to study.

Continuing in an even voice, I said, "These sales can only be possible if the material has been looted from the recovered stockpile in the Widow System, or alternatively, if it has been stolen or illegally recovered from planetary orbit. The source matters not. The instability created in the legitimate markets does matter. Omega Station in the Sahrabarik System has historically been the primary source for refined eezo used in starship mass effect drives."

Cody took the opportunity to jump in when I paused. "Is there a point to all of this … Broker?"

With a small chuckle I replied, "Your impatience is appreciated, Captain Cody. The point is this: Aria T'Loak has noticed the precipitous decline in the revenue she receives for the sale of refined eezo, and she is currently unable to sell the unprocessed ore … at any price. She does possess numerous warships, left behind when Commander Shepard assisted her in removing Cerberus forces from the station … what you need to understand is that she will not hesitate to employ said warships against civilian targets in defense of the suddenly non-exclusive market for her product."

Cody's next question was tinged with amazement. "She would target citizens allied with the Alliance over this? What the hell is she thinking?"

"She believes the standard of living enjoyed by the citizens of Omega Station is being negatively affected by this development, Captain. Understand … Aria T'Loak believes Omega's domination of the galactic trade in eezo is under attack, just as surely as if a fleet of warships was firing on the station. The further the price falls—particularly because the material being offered for sale is low-cost or no-cost salvage—the more inclined she will be to lash out at those sellers."

"Are you suggesting the Alliance needs to use force to keep Omega's queen in check?"

I chuckled mirthlessly, knowing the modulator would transform the sound of my laughter into something exceedingly sinister. "I am suggesting no such thing, Captain. Instead of open conflict, this problem can more easily be resolved by persuading Aria to lend physical support to the recovery efforts. Many of the destroyed Reaper constructs and Allied warships are in unstable orbits about the planets over which they were fighting; most are in imminent danger of falling from orbit. Atmospheric friction would cause the structural break-up of already damaged vessels, thus exposing their cores and spreading eezo particles and dust across a wide swath of land and water below."

I intensified my voice to get my point across. "The smaller constructs destroyed on the ground are themselves an environmental disaster, just waiting for people ignorant of proper handling methods to unleash massive amounts of eezo across the landscape; what will become of people beneath the reentry paths of a large number of massive constructs and warships disintegrating as a result of an uncontrolled reentry into each planet's atmosphere?"

The full realization of the Shadow Broker's assessment caused Cody's expression to grow solemn as he softly replied. "A lot of people would contract cancerous tumors. It would be an ecological disaster on an unprecedented scale … on Earth … on Palaven … hell, all of the council affiliated worlds and colonies, just as they are beginning to actually recover from the effects of the war."

"It is good to know you have gained an understanding of the seriousness of these circumstances, Captain," I replied. "I believe there are a sufficient number of Reapers to effectively monitor the situation. As declared by the Citadel Council and the Systems Alliance, Martial Law is still in effect; it would not be out of line for the Alliance to confiscate any vessel and detain their crews if they are caught in the unauthorized recovery of eezo. Those found to be stealing eezo for a quick sale should be imprisoned and their vessels impounded for auction."

"That's just a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"Deal with those problems however you see fit, Captain, but know this: making an example of two or three of those caught stealing would send a powerful message to any others thinking of continuing their own thefts. The Systems Alliance absolutely cannot afford to be seen as a cowardly or indecisive pushover in this matter. Send the message, and convince the asari, salarians and turians to follow your lead."

Terminating the connection before Cody could respond, I knew the Alliance would never allow a captain to simply destroy a private, unaffiliated vessel, merely because it might be in the business of stealing or illegally retrieving eezo. I sometimes think having the batarians run the Alliance's enforcement division would be better for everyone, came the thought as I played back the conversation. Cody will not be able to do as I suggested without getting approval from Admiral Hackett, who appears to have misplaced his balls … It will be interesting to see what develops.

I studied the results of my search for the organizations recovering processed eezo; as expected, the list was quite short. Of some surprise however, one group that seemed to be profiting from the sale of illegally obtained eezo, while based on Illium, had a substantial presence on Omega Station; I needed to get this information to the Queen. Activating my omnitool, I contacted Buchanan, who had been staying inside Iringù-Eßizkur while working to locate agents. As soon as he answered, I said, "I need you to contact Jipaw Zilorno on Omega Station."

• OMEGA STATION, SAHRABARIK SYSTEM · OMEGA NEBULA •

It had been only two days since Aria had tasked Bray with learning the cause of the precipitous decline in the retail price of refined eezo; he had been summoned to her private residence below the promenade in front of her nightclub, Afterlife. The batarian bodyguard and enforcer wasn't happy, as the news he had for her was less than golden.

Standing in front of Omega's queen, he crossed his arms over his chest and set the majority of his weight back on his left leg. "There are several reasons for the decline in eezo prices, Aria; the primary reason being the recovery of material spilled from the mass effect cores of destroyed warships belonging to the Earth Alliance and Turian Hierarchy. There is also the material being recovered from the destroyed Reapers above Earth, Palaven and other worlds."

"They're selling it?" Aria scowled in disbelief. "What the fuck are they thinking?"

"Officially, it's being stored; the Alliance has not placed any of it on the market, nor do they intend to do so." Bray referred briefly to a datapad, before handing it to his boss. "The recovered eezo is earmarked for the replacement ships currently beginning construction at Arcturus. Unfortunately, there are numerous third parties at work out there. Some are illegally retrieving material from those same sources—there are many hundreds of destroyed vessels in orbit around a number of planets, and the remnants of the Alliance and Turian Navies are stretched too thin to adequately guard everything from being clandestinely plundered."

"You said material was being stored? And remnants, Bray?"

"The Reaper War took a tremendous toll on Alliance warships, Aria. The Second Fleet was completely destroyed at Arcturus and the Fourth Fleet was totally destroyed over Earth. As for the eezo being stored, it's parked out of the shipping lanes … the majority of it is stored near the Widow relay. It's a huge amount—probably enough to power several mass relays, with the stockpile growing larger by the day—recovered by the big Reapers from the shattered hulls of their own brethren. Bits from that horde are being stolen as well," he replied. "There is no organized intent to force the prices down, Aria. It's simple profiteering, being carried out by a small number of unscrupulous individuals … and a couple of merc gangs."

Aria frowned as she studied the data on Bray's device. "Eclipse? Right here on Omega? Right under my fucking nose?" Her violet eyes, darkening in barely contained anger, bored into Bray like a pair of lasers. "They wouldn't dare!"

Bray chuckled, causing Aria's scowling frown to deepen. "Oh, but they would, Aria. They were not high on my list of suspects until I spoke with the Shadow Broker's agent here on the station."

"Wait! The Shadow Broker is involved now? What the fuck, Bray? Has the entire galaxy gone stark raving mad?"

The batarian was quick to reply. "Mad, Aria? No. But you told me to do what was needed, so I reached out to some old contacts … from before the Reaper War. This agent has been on Omega since before Sovereign. He told me the Broker was already gathering information on these illegal eezo sales and offered to sell me the data at a discount." Bray paused for a moment, then added, "I did some more nosing around, and the intel I purchased is solid. Eclipse is stealing and moving large quantities of eezo."

Aria was not convinced. "Eclipse? I thought they were all wiped out during the war. I know they still have a presence here on the station, but it's quite disorganized … they don't even have a leader. Archangel managed to put a high-velocity AP round through Jaroth's head shortly before disappearing, and Jona Sederis was killed when the Reapers moved the Citadel to Earth."

Bray responded with a snort of derision, saying, "Sederis seemingly escaped from lockup, apparently amidst all the confusion during the Citadel's relocation to Earth by the Reapers … a body was never found. I'm still attempting to confirm the rumor that she has taken up residence on Illium, probably in Nos Aedelos. The Eclipse was very much involved with the trade in mechs, and Nos Aedelos is the base of Hahne-Kedar's planetary operations there."

Aria leaned back, thinking about everything she'd just learned. When she finally spoke again, she quietly asked, "Do you have any suggestions for me, Bray? There has to be some means of dealing with this problem before the market goes completely down the shitter."

Aria's attitude had changed drastically—and for the better, in Bray's view—ever since Commander Shepard had assisted her in kicking Cerberus off the station during the latter stages of the Reaper War. Still, the batarian replied to her question in a cautious tone of voice. "You possess a small fleet of very capable frigates and destroyers, along with a number of F-61's, courtesy of the Illusive Man and Cerberus. Reach out to Spectre Shepard, Aria … offer your assistance. I can think of no one with a greater stake in seeing this problem resolved, and I expect the Alliance would welcome your participation."

Aria chortled at the mental image brought about by Bray's words. "Rumor has it Shepard is alive and living the good life on Thessia with her prim and proper archeologist bride. I've even heard she's planning to resign her commission in the Alliance … retire from their Navy in order to accompany Liara on expeditions to those moldy old Prothean sites she loves traipsing around in."

"Would you like me to make an attempt at contacting her?"

Aria thought about Bray's question for several moments before replying, "Do it, quietly and quickly. This situation is costing Omega a fortune. We need to stop the hemorrhaging, fast."

• T'SONI ESTATE, THESSIA · PARNITHA SYSTEM, ATHENA NEBULA •

Rachaél Shepard was sitting in front of one of several terminals in the secure communications room near the suite she shared with her siame. After downloading and glancing through the messages addressed to her, she started to shut down and secure the terminal when it trilled a warning that a high-priority request for a live communication was being received. Looking at the identity of the sender nearly caused her to reject it out of hand … the last person in the galaxy she wished to speak with was Aria T'Loak.

After mulling it over for a few moments, she heaved a resigned sigh and touched the ACCEPT control on the haptic interface. Of great surprise, the image that resolved itself in front of her was not Aria, but Bray, her batarian bodyguard, who greeted her in a quiet voice. "Commander Shepard. It has been some time since we have spoken. May I inquire as to the state of your health?"

Rachaél actually smiled in return. "Bray. I'm well, and I'm glad to see you survived the war. Oh, and it's 'Captain' now. What can I do for you?"

"Aria asked me to contact you … and Lady T'Soni. She wishes to provide assistance to the Alliance—in the form of warships and fighter craft—to eliminate the illegal recovery and sale of Element Zero that is threatening to collapse prices galaxy-wide."

Shepard was intrigued. "Couldn't she … or you, contact the Alliance direct? Why involve me?"

Bray chuckled as he tilted his head slightly to the left. "She trusts you, Shepard … as much as she trusts anyone not directly under her thumb. She realizes you may be leaving the Alliance, but also knows you remain a Spectre, so would rather deal with you and T'Soni than some mid-level bureaucrat in the Systems Alliance Military."

"While I truly appreciate her vote of confidence, I'm really not sure what she expects me to do. I can contact Admiral Hackett, ask him to look into the matter."

Bray continued to smile, saying, "Aria knows you have a great deal of influence with Alliance top brass, Spectre. This problem exists on a regional basis … so far. But make no mistake, Shepard. If something isn't done … and soon … to get this situation under control, there will be more trouble in the Sahrabarik System than there ever was when Cerberus controlled Omega." Bray finished with, "We'll be waiting to hear back from you, Spectre," and severed the connection.

• SHADOW BROKER'S APARTMENT, BRAVO WARD · CITADEL •

I was enjoying my second mug of Kaffe after having breakfast; Buchanan was sitting at the table to my left, sipping coffee from his mug. He appeared lost in thought, to the point I nudged his knee with my own and said, "What's up, Griff? You're awfully quiet this morning."

Greenish-grey eyes flicked to the right. He must have noticed the concern in my expression; setting the mug gently on the table, he sighed heavily as he replied, "Just thinking about where we have been, you and me."

I compressed my lips in a straight line, with the exception of the corners, which I could not keep from turning up ever so slightly. "Any place in particular?"

"Humph … Cartagena Station." He grimaced as he said the name of the place.

My own mouth fell open in surprise. "Are you havin' a laugh? Why ever would you be thinking about that hell hole?"

"You will probably think me crazy, Sammy." He waited for a rejoinder—when I continued to silently study his face, he quietly said, "I was just … reminiscing, trying to picture in my mind how you single-handedly managed to get Xiùlán and me out of there, despite every damned squint on the station standing against us. I do not think I will ever be able to forget how you moved … how you left over fifteen dock workers unconscious, dying or dead in less than two minutes."

"What can I say, Griff? I was extremely motivated." I drank the last of my Kaffe and rose from the chair. Taking the mug and my dishes into the small kitchen, I washed and dried everything, then put it all away before rejoining Buchanan. He looked up at me as I came to stand behind him; laying my hands on his shoulders and squeezing lightly, I said, "Both of you were injured … Xiùlán critically so. I was not about to let them capture or kill us." With a final squeeze on his shoulders, I dropped my hands and moved past him, saying, "Come on, Big Guy … we have a lot more work to do."

I was just walking past my secure comms terminal when it trilled to announce a private, incoming message. After a quick glance at the ident header, I smiled and pressed the ACCEPT control. The image that resolved before me was of Liara T'Soni and Rachaél Shepard. Taking a seat in front of the viewer, I greeted them both. "Lady T'Soni … Spectre Shepard … to what do I owe the pleasure this morning?"

Liara spoke first, placing a bit of emphasis on my new title. "Shadow Broker. I am given to understand you have been rather busy with rebuilding the network." Glancing past my shoulder, she asked, "And who might your companion be?"

Quickly looking around then back, I motioned for Griff to sit beside me as I chuckled in reply, "This big fellow is my former squad mate—the man I spoke of during our first discussion about me taking over this job—from my days in the Alliance Ø7 program, Griffen Buchanan. Griff, this is …"

Buchanan quietly interrupted me, saying, "Dr Liara T'Soni … and Spectre Rachaél Shepard. An honor to finally meet you." With a broad grin, he added, "Sammy has told me much about you both."

Rachaél nodded as Liara said, "The pleasure is ours, Mr Buchanan. It is a relief for me to know that Ms Traynor was able to convince you to join her; good to know she isn't totally alone, either in the apartment or within Iringù-Eßizkur."

Griff glanced at me as he replied, "I love Samantha as much as if she was my own sister, Ma'am. I owe her my life."

I blushed and grinned as I gazed at the big man beside me. "Griff's been doing a great job, getting in touch with all the field agents … those that survived the war, anyway. And, he's been learning how to set up and use the equipment … covered my six a few days ago while I was ashore, investigating the Blue Suns." I inadvertently allowed a shadow to cross my face as I returned my gaze to the vidscreen and asked, "Calling to check up on me, Ma'am?"

Shepard was quick to reply. "Not at all, Ms Traynor … not at all. We received a call from Omega Station – Aria's body guard and number two, Bray. He was offering the assistance of the queen's warships in stopping whomever is illegally recovering or stealing reclaimed eezo and selling it on the open market." Shepard glanced at Liara before continuing, "It's driving down the retail prices for legitimate sources …"

I interrupted, "Like Omega's, Spectre?" With a soft chuckle, I continued, "That Aria is reaching out to you and Lady Liara is a direct result of the information we sold to Bray through our agent on Omega. Retail prices for refined eezo are going down the proverbial pyjak hole, and that is causing a great deal of harm to the legitimate markets. It was your … umm, well, my agent … on Omega, that first alerted us to the problem."

Liara nodded in understanding. "It would seem that you are the right person for the job, Ms Traynor. I am really sorry you felt it necessary to abandon your Navy career in order to take on the mantle of the Shadow Broker."

"Don't be silly," I replied softly. "It was for the best, Liara. I could not be an effective info broker if I still had to answer to the Alliance chain of command. My only real problem right now is my former captain."

"Cody?" Shepard asked, raising her eyebrows.

I couldn't stop the smirking expression on my face as I replied, "He still thinks of me as Specialist Traynor … I had to remind him in no uncertain terms the person he is now dealing with will not be treated or spoken to like some miserable bilge rat." After a pause, I added, "I don't think he'll make that mistake again."

Shepard laughed at that statement. "I believe you have found your true calling, Ms Traynor." Rachaél paused for a moment before continuing. "There were rumors during the war that the Broker—meaning Liara—had gone soft. The Broker's promises of violent retribution were not being followed through on. I expect you'll personally back up any threats you make … am I correct?"

"Only if I have to, Spectre. Some of the agents Buchanan has been contacting were contract enforcers for the Broker previous to Liara … I believe one of the pre-spaceflight terms for them is leg-breakers. I would prefer to refrain from having to do enforcement or wet work in the future, but if it comes down to it, I certainly won't shy away from it."

Shepard chuckled in return. "Understood." After a brief pause and a glance at her bride, Rachaél looked straight at the screen and said, "Okay, Shadow Broker. I will contact the Alliance brass—probably Admiral Hackett—and relay Aria's offer of assistance. I may even suggest that Harbinger move the stockpile of recovered, refined eezo from Widow to Sahrabarik, where Aria can provide better security."

I smiled in response as I said, "That would be wonderful, Spectre. The only reason the Repository-recovered eezo was stored near the Citadel was for convenience, as Tali'Zorah and I were working to restore Žiuk'Durmah's source of power." Nodding my head, I added, "Congratulations on your bonding, Rachaél … and Liara. I'm truly sorry I was unable to be there for the ceremony. Perhaps I'll come see you next time I have a couple of days to myself."

Liara beamed, saying, "You … and Xiùlán, of course … are more than welcome to visit, anytime. It's been wonderful chatting with you … Shadow Broker. Please … stay safe, both of you."

My view of the pair faded to black as they terminated the connection.

• SSV HONG KONG · NEAR ELYSIUM, VETUS SYSTEM · PETRA NEBULA •

"Long-range sensors just got a hit, Captain. Too far out for a positive ident, but preliminary analysis indicates a small vessel, no larger than an escort corvette. Just cleared the relay … on course for Joppa, probably to discharge its drive core." Lieutenant Jack Cross looked up at the woman standing on the platform at the rear of the projection well for the galaxy map, currently set to display the planetary system in which the Hong Kong was operating. "Location is marked on the system map for you, Ma'am."

Captain Yuán Xiùlán nodded in acknowledgement as she replied, "Thank you, Lieutenant." She studied the relative distance of Joppa from Elysium before turning her attention to the bright, red dots representing the other three vessels—affiliation unknown—that had entered the system after the Hong Kong's arrival. In addition to what now consisted of four unknowns near the hydrogen-helium planet, there was an additional vessel Specialist Lawson had identified as a Blue Suns corvette. Xiùlán glanced at Miranda as she queried, "Any luck in identifying our four visitors, Ms Lawson?"

"All four are on the far side of Vetus, Ma'am," replied the specialist. "Interference from the star's magnetosphere is affecting long-range scans."

"Based on their mass and energy signatures, do they match the corvette we have identified?"

Miranda, continuing to scan the four vessels despite the interference caused by the star, replied, "They all seem to match each other, Ma'am." The former Cerberus agent, continuing to analyze the results of her long-range scans, added, "Based on the very limited readings we've been able to gather, each possesses a mass that is no greater than the corvette we've already identified."

Lieutenant Cross glanced over Miranda's shoulder, then addressed Yuán. "Captain, all four are in orbit around Joppa's northern hemisphere; perhaps if we repositioned the ship above the galactic plane?"

Xiùlán studied the graphic display of the system spread out before her. Touching a control on her display console, she caused the apparent viewpoint to shift from 90 degrees above to an angle 10 degrees above the system's orbital plane; this skimmed across the planetary orbital disk. After studying the system from this new perspective, she touched another control and spoke, seeming to address the air above her. "Asharru. Please reposition to 1.2 million kilometers positive zed, then scan and identify the four ships orbiting Joppa."

After waiting a few moments, the ancient voice of the Hong Kong's self-appointed Guardian Repository replied, ›Repositioning as requested, Yuán-Captain. Standby for scan results.‹

Xiùlán watched the display as an image—a blue dot, actually—appeared and seemed to detach itself from the graphic depiction of the Hong Kong; it rose rapidly as Asharru accelerated, leaving a computer-generated trail of tiny blue dots depicting its path. After 20 seconds, the apparent motion visibly slowed, then halted. The cold, metallic voice stated, ›Scanning … standby.‹

Miranda suddenly began entering instructions on her terminal as data from the destroyer-class Repository started streaming into her comms array. In less than ten minutes, Asharru had stopped sending data and was returning to a position alongside the Hong Kong. Miranda cleared her throat and quietly spoke with Lieutenant Cross for several moments; returning her attention to Yuán, she said, "Captain, the four vessels orbiting Joppa appear to be turian-designed corvettes. The scans indicate all were formerly registered under Cerberus ownership."

Xiùlán expressed a look of shock at this information. "Turian, you say. I didn't think Harper would have anything to do with alien tech, no matter its superiority to equivalently designed and constructed human vessels."

Miranda looked at her captain with the slightest hint of a smirk in her grin. "Jack Harper always figured he could take any ship, from any source, and improve on its design, Ma'am … make it better, more efficient. Case in point, the Normandy SR-2."

Xiùlán replied with a taut smile. "If anyone here would know Jack's thinking back then, it would be you, Miranda." Her smile shifted to a slight frown as she asked, "This may be wishful thinking, but does the data happen to include the launch dates? Maybe where they were constructed?"

"Actually …" Miranda paused as she scrolled through the specifications; pausing at the section she wanted to inspect, she continued as she read, "… all of them were constructed prior to the battle with Sovereign and Saren at the Citadel. The designs may be turian, but Cord-Hislop manufactured all four of them … probably built the one orbiting Sidon as well." As Miranda continued looking through the data collected by Asharru, she added, "Their armor is consistent with design standards of ten to fifteen years ago, as is their weaponry, which appears to only be defensive in nature."

"Has our presence been detected … by any of them?"

Lieutenant Cross answered, saying, "Indications are that none of the five are aware of us, Captain."

›Yuán-Captain. I am projecting a dampening field that deflects any scans directed at our location. The vessels at Joppa and the vessel at Sidon are unable to detect my structure, nor are they able to detect frigate-Hong Kong.‹

Xiùlán grinned as she shifted her attention between Cross and Lawson while listening to the Repository. The tone of Asharru's metallic voice sounded somewhat … self-satisfied … smug, even. Thinking it best to not comment on this, she simply replied, "Thank you, Asharru." Fixing her gaze on Miranda, she said, "Continue studying the specs on those ships, Specialist … see if there's anything else you can learn about them. I'm going to my quarters for a few minutes … I need a short break. Lieutenant Cross, you have the ship."

Receiving verbal acknowledgements from Cross and Lawson, Xiùlán stepped off the raised platform, walked through the port side hatch and down the stairs to Deck Two. Pausing in the galley long enough to retrieve a fresh mug of tea, she went to her quarters; once inside, she brought out the secure comms device given to her by Samantha Traynor. With the unit powered on, she trans-copied all the collected data concerning the five ships in the system. Once that was done, she initiated the transmitter section and sent everything to the pre-programmed destination; the microburst of data was on its way in a matter of seconds.

After securing the device and placing it in her storage locker, she sat behind her desk, leaned back in her chair and placed the heels of her boots on the edge. Taking a sip of tea, she gave silent thanks to her ancestors that Sammy had sent her a warning about these vessels. Xiùlán wondered what Sammy would make of the contents of the message she had just sent. Just another challenge for her, came the thought. Hope she can give me some feedback without too much delay.

• NOS AEDELOS, ILLIUM · TASALE SYSTEM, CRESCENT NEBULA •

Jona Sederis shut down the data terminal and let out a small, self-satisfied chuckle—which quickly morphed into an extended coughing fit. Upon regaining control of her spasming diaphragm, she used a tissue to wipe the small amount of mucus from the corners of her disfigured mouth.

The crazed asari, once one of the most feared leaders of any of the galaxy's mercenary gangs, had been reduced to a half-cripple, unable to do anything without suffering sometimes intense physical pain. While it was true that she had escaped confinement on the Citadel, that escape had only been facilitated by the numerous explosions on the station; one such had shattered the structure of the wing where those judged to be criminally insane—like Sederis—were confined.

In order to make her escape, she had been forced to run through sheets of chemically-fueled flames so intense her biotic barrier could not protect her. She had suffered numerous burns—some severe enough to burn the skin from her body—along with damage to her lungs from inhaling the toxic fumes and super-heated smoke. Worse—to her mind, anyway—her crest had been severely burned; the top of her head now looked not unlike that of a turian female; this, along with the burns to her face, had utterly destroyed whatever beauty she had possessed. An unfortunate side-effect from her many injuries was that she no longer possessed the strength to utilize her biotics, even defensively. She had quickly discovered the mental strain of erecting a simple barrier was more than enough to put her on her knees, gasping for breath.

Even though she had chosen to live as a recluse, she was still able to direct the Eclipse; the group's latest foray into the commodities market had turned out to be quite profitable. Sederis wasn't personally concerned about profiting from the sale of illegally recovered eezo; what had her chuckling was that Eclipse was hurting Aria T'Loak. Sederis had discovered Aria's weakness and intended to exploit it for every last credit she could.