A/N: Thank you everyone for continuing to read my story. Sorry for the delay in this update, I couldn't figure out where to start, haha. So I really hope you enjoy this chapter, this one is pretty important to the story.

Also wanted to thank those who have been following and the new followers: , skyoria, ShepardisaBOSS, babybear1994,ironcrosslegion and Shadowed Replica. And to , ultimate idiot, ShepardisaBOSS, babybear1994, and ironcrosslegion for all faving this story, and for commenting. Comments are always appreciated and wanted!

I also wanted to let you know that I have started another ME series that kinda coincides with this story call 'Garrus' Unsent Letters'. They are all written in Garrus' POV and very short insightful thoughts he has about his friends and family.

Thank you again for reading my story and please comment! Sorry for being so long winded in my intro this time, I won't make a habit out of this.


"Is there something wrong Commander?" Miranda asked as she entered the comm room. Everyone was standing around the table, looking at a rotating planet. Upon further inspection she noticed it was Mirdoir, one of the human colonies. "Did another colony get attacked?" she asked with a ting of worry in her voice.

Shepard shook his head before he answered. "No, nothing like that. I just got word that my sister is somewhere on this planet, and I intend to find her," he said with determination in his voice. "Zaeed I heard that they hired some mercs and assassins to track her down. Do you think you can find out who we might be dealing with?"

"I might be able to make a few calls, but I promise nothing," he said with a nod of his head. Shepard nodded his thanks. "What's she known as?"

"Birdy is probably the only name she goes by these days," Shepard said trying to rub the tension out of his neck. "Other than that I wouldn't know."

"I will contact STG. Maybe they know something," Mordin muttered as he started typing away at his Omni-tool.

"Thanks Mordin. Do you think that they know anything?"

Mordin nodded. "STG has information on many people."

Shepard mused over that thought of a moment and wondered what they file on him looked like….Probably don't want to know.

"Cerberus' file is thin on her," Jacob said as he threw down a datapad.

"She is a hard woman to find," Miranda chimed in. "Most everything there in that file is accusations, nothing solid."

Shepard picked up the datapad that Jacob had thrown on the table. "So you mean to tell me that Cerberus had a file on her and you didn't tell me Miranda?"

Miranda met Shepard's intense gaze with her own. "Cerberus, like the STG, has files on everyone of interest," she said as she leaned into her hip.

"What do you mean 'of interest'?" Shepard said as he folded his arms over his chest.

Miranda signed heavily. "Years ago Cerberus looked into finding her, but they didn't get very far. She's very good at hiding herself."

"Why would Cerberus want my sister?" Anger was hinted in Shepard's voice as he tried to stay calm. He didn't like the idea of his sister being tracked down by Cerberus and their goons.

Miranda smiled wickedly for a moment. "For the same reasons you want her on this mission. She's good at what she does," she said as she matched Shepard's posture. "But the more we hounded her the more she ran from us. Besides she doesn't see races, just the just and unjust."

Shepard shook his head. "What does Cerberus know now?" his anger growing by the second.

"Nothing. After your death she went to Omega and fell of the grid for good."

Shepard looked from Miranda to Jacob. It was obvious to him that Jacob knew nothing about this, and that didn't surprise him in the least. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" his anger started to dissipate ever so slightly by the question.

Miranda unfolded her arms as she glanced to Jacob for a moment before turning her gaze back to Shepard. "It wasn't relevant," she simply said.

"I'll be the judge of what is relevant of not," Shepard said with his anger back in full force.

"Understood sir," Miranda said as she stood up straighter.

Shepard rolled his neck as he closed his eyes. "Joker, how long till we're at Mindoir?"

"We'll be there in about four hours Commander."

Shepard nodded. "Okay, I know that we just got off a hard mission, but this needs to happen now," he said as he looked at his crew, as he tried to mask his anger. "I have a feeling that this isn't going to be an easy drop in and snatch so everyone's going to need to rest up. We'll get together again before we head to the shuttle. Everyone's dismissed."

Shepard watched as everyone walked out of the Comm room, the only person to stay behind was Mordin. "Here are EDI and I findings on the tank-grown Krogan," he said barely looking up from his Omni-tool. "Very interesting data. Everything looks sound. Structure should hold well until opened. Warning now, very dangerous. Would not open if I were you."

Shepard nodded as he took the datapad. "Thank you Mordin."

Mordin smiled and blinked his large eyes before he swiftly turned and walked out of the small room. Shepard was then left alone with his thoughts and two datapads.


"So it looks like whoever hired these mercs is really pissed off at your little sister," Zaeed said with a smirk as he dodged a spray of bullets.

"Yeah, you're not kidding!" Shepard agreed.

"What the hell did she do to get so many people to go after her?" Garrus questioned as he sniped a Krogan of the balcony of a nearby two-story house.

"Gee Archangel I wouldn't have a clue," Shepard said jokingly as he took out a wounded merc with his assault rifle.

Shepard and team had only just landed on Mindoir when they started getting hit. Zaeed and Mordin's intel was limited, but it gave them a good idea of what was waiting for them….hell, hell on Mindoir was waiting for them.

The area they had tracked Shepard's sister to was an old abandoned town from the Batarian raids roughly fifteen years ago. The Cerberus files on the place were vague, but they basically stated that it was a trading place for the local farmers. No more than a few thousand people actually lived within the city itself, most lived on the out skirts. Even to this day, with the town abandoned as it was, the surrounding area was populated with farm lands.

"Shepard, I believe that your sister is in a building on the far side of this town," EDI's voice sang over the comm. "There are many mercs headed in that direction now. I would advise to approach the area with caution."

"Thank you EDI," Shepard said quickly while he motioned for everyone to listen to him. "Okay, we're going to do this in two teams. Garrus, Mordin you're with me. Zaeed, Jacob fallow Miranda. Miranda I want you to wait five minutes before following us. I need you and your team to keep the heat off our backs."

"Shepard wouldn't it be smart to take a biotic with you?" Jacob asked before Miranda could agree.

Shepard chuckled while he looked though his scope. "Yeah, maybe," he said with a shrug. "But both you and Miranda are Cerberus, and if what you told me is true than she'll kill you on the spot, no questions asked."

Jacob glanced at Miranda looking for some sort of response, but all he was greeted with was her stoic face. Jacob was now thinking twice about bring this woman aboard the Normandy.

"Okay, Garrus, Mordin, let's move out!" Shepard exclaimed with a smile. "Good luck Miranda."

"We won't let you down Shepard," she responded as she replaced her heat sink in her pistol.


Sweat dripped down the sides of Primrose's face, making her long blond curls stick to her forehead and jawline as well as along her neckline and collarbone, as she counted her weapon stock. She placed her two katanas securely on her back, her heavy pistol on her right thigh while her submachine gun rested on her right hip. A set of daggers rested in their sheaths in her left thigh high buckled leather boots, along with several throwing knives.

She had found herself a basement to hide in for the moment, but she knew that she couldn't hide there for much longer. But for the moment it would have to do. She needed time to repair her torn leather armor and wounded flesh before it became infected, and unfortunately Medi-gel only went so far.

Rose leaned against wall as she fell to the floor. She didn't know how much longer she could keep up this pace, but she knew she had no other choice. It had been a very long couple of days without sleep or rest and the little bit of water she had was now gone. She was trained well in survival, but this was pushing her own capabilities and she knew she was going to be at her end soon.

She smeared the cool blue gel over her bleeding wounds on her arms and legs. Rose had to admit to herself that she had done quite well at avoiding any kill shots. "As many bullets that there were I am surprised that none of them got a better shot at me," she said to her own shadow. These days of running with no food and little water were making her delirious.

As the cool blue gel knit together the small cuts and lacerations, Rose closed her eyes and thought back to another time. She remembered all the times that Dom and herself would get into trouble. When they were young it was simple: sneaking out and stealing this and that, but as they got older their problems got more difficult.

Rose laughed quietly to herself with little humor. I wish you were here Dom. I suppose if there is an afterlife I'll be seeing you there soon, but not before I kill as many of these sons-of-bitches as I can!

Finding her fourth wind, Rose stood up with new vigor in her veins as she made sure her weapons were secure one last time before she left her hideout. The basement was in an old abandoned office building, something of a common sight in these parts.

Rose made her way up the stairs quietly. It didn't take her long before she found a Salarian and Asari, both clutching katanas in their hands. This wasn't an unknown sight these days. Many of the old clans have found that the alien races not only to be efficient with a sword, but also willing to learn the old ways. Her old clan was now being led by an Asari, by which many people were not happy, but it mattered little to her now.

Rose circled around till she was behind the two assassins. She drew one of her katanas; the sound of doing so alerted them to her presence.

"Well, well, well look what we have here Charn," the Asari said as she turned around and leaned into her hip.

The male Salarian laughed wickedly as his eyes narrowed to slits. "Looks like we didn't have to go looking very far to find her did we?" he said as he pulled his own blade out of its sheath. "So Birdy, how have you been?"

Rose flexed her fingers over her handle of her katana as she took a defensive stance. "Ah, Charn, Delia it's been too long my old friends."

The Salarian, Asari and human stared at each other for a moment, the two sizing the third up. Rose smiled as the Salarian made the first move. Charn had always been inpatient, she didn't know if it was because of his short lifespan or just his nature, but she was going to use it against him.

Salarians and Asari were naturally weaker and slower than humans, but they made up for their short comings by being highly skilled both with sword and their biotics. However, no matter their skill, Rose knew that she had more raw talent and experience than they did.

A smirk crossed Roses lips as Charn bounced off the wall and leapt into the air, his blade glinting in the light. A quick move with her blade soon had it covered with green blood and Charn stumbling away holding his gut as his innards spilled out.

Delia snarled as she watched her longtime companion fall to his knees, his intestines in his hands. "You will pay for killing Charn!" she exclaimed, venom dripping from every word.

"Make me bitch!" Rose uttered no louder than a snarl.

Delia ran toward Rose, her roar echoing down the hall. Rose repositioned herself, readying herself for the attack, Charn's green blood dripping of the end of her gleaming blade.

Their two blades sang as they connected, their bodies danced as one tried to avoid the other. Their weapons moved in tight, quick movements their faces only a few inches away from each other. They battled each other in silence, only the song between their metal and muffled footsteps telling their tale. Neither of their blades stayed clean for long.

"Why did you have to turn your back on the clans?" Delia asked hatred tainting every word. "We would have given you everything! Anything you wanted."

Rose swiped her blade toward Delia, forcing her to duck the attack. "But NOOOO, you couldn't play your part," Delia continued. "You had to go noble and start caring what happens to those people. We could have been wealthy rich!"

Delia kicked and slashed at Rose as she swiped Delia across the waist, one blade dripping in purple blood the other dripping in red.

Rose spun around clenching her side, dark red seeped through her gloved fingers. However bad of shape Rose was in it was apparent that Delia was worse. She leaned against the wall clenching the same area Charn was right before he died. "Someone will take you down, Little Bird," she spat with blood covered teeth and bubbles at her lips.

"The clans were wrong Delia." Rose tried to reason with the dying Asari, but she knew there was no hope.

Rose took a step toward the woman, favoring her left leg, and felt pity for the woman that lay dying on the floor. "You should have listened to me. I told you, I told all of you to turn back and forget about me," she said as she clenched her katana. "I just wanted people to do what is right."

The Asari woman coughed up more blood as her head lobbed to the side and her eyes rolled back into her head. Rose closed her eyes and wondered for a moment if she should say a prayer. She wasn't sure if Delia or Charn believed in what the clans do, and to be honest Rose wasn't too sure what she believed either. However, that didn't stop her from trying to find some sort of peace, both for herself and for the ones she kills.

Rose continued down the hall, eager to find a way to leave this deserted office building. She rounded the last corner and found herself facing the stairs that would hopefully lead her to the first floor. She ran on her tippy-toes, still checking behind her and still being cautious.

Anyone who has seen as many fights as Rose has she knew that opening that door, well any door really, was always a risk. However, the reward was outweighing the risk and that was all she needed. Cracking open the door, she craned her head out to sneak a peek and soon she was sneaking her body out of the door.

Moments later she heard the familiar sounds of gunfire in the distance. Rose smirked to herself as she slid along the wall to a door that appeared to exit to an alleyway. She enjoyed knowing that her enemies were too busy with each other than actually finding and fighting her.

Rose paused before she opened the door and opened her Omni-tool to check the various cameras she had scattered all over the complex. Clicking through the different cameras she spotted the various merc groups and assassins that were in different areas of the small town. Blue Suns, typical, they are some of the easiest bought merc groups around. Freelance and Eclipse as well. They too were typical, found everywhere and easily bought either with credits or enough products.

The clans however were not exactly what she had expected when she found out that people were coming after her. Sure she probably should have, but she's human and a part of her hoped that her 'legend' and the fear she had built up around herself would have protected her from them. Seems like I under esteemed them and their need to have me killed. A pity they have to break the old laws, hell for that matter that they break any laws at all. I wouldn't have to hunt them down and exterminate them would I? she asked herself with a smirk that didn't reach her eyes.

Rose flipped through the rest of the cameras, spotting a couple more clan members and a trio she could not place, not until she looked at two of their uniforms logo. "Cerberus," she said through gritted teeth. The female and the dark skinned man both wore Cerberus logos on their uniforms, while the third man did not. He appeared to be a common merc, someone that she wasn't familiar with, but that meant little. She knew plenty of mercs, but only by name, not face.

She signed heavily as she clenched her jaw and fist. She couldn't believe that they, out of everyone else in this blighted galaxy, had followed the information to find her.

Rose closed her eyes as she took another deep breath; there was one more camera she needed to look at. Calming her nerves, she pushed the button to flip the image on her Omni-tool. She was then greeted with an odd image. A human, a turian and a salarian all carrying different weapons were heading in her direction from the north. She paused for a moment; something in the image of the three fighters reminded her of people she knew. However, it wasn't until the human looked toward the camera that it all hit home. Dom… my brother. Is that really him? She held her breath as she watched the all too familiar man in the vid move from cover to cover. And it wasn't until she saw the familiar cobalt blue tribal markings on the bandaged turian that she believed that he could be. Archangel- Garrus Vakarian. You knew my brother before the accident, you served with him. He called you his brother, if this man is my brother you would know better than anyone, but me.

Breath started to fill Rose's lungs again as she hope filled her heart and soul. She couldn't believe that he was still alive, that he drew breath. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, and took a deep breath before she face the door and opened it.

She winced as she slid out the door and leaned against the outer wall, her hand shooting up to her left side. Her wound was still bleeding profusely and she had no more Medi-gel to help stop it. She cursed herself for being in this situation. She knew that people were coming after her and the only thing she cared about was making sure the mercs and assassins stayed away from the populated areas, rather than equipping herself better. Hell, I'm still alive and if I can make my way to Dom than I should be okay.

Rose smiled as she picked up her pace to a near full jog as she continued to hold her side. The gunfire picked back up again and she knew that Dom, Archangel and their salarian friend were there, spilling their bullets into their enemy's chest.

Jogging along the alleyways, crisscrossing through building and taking out the various stragglers that were in her path, Rose made her way to Dom and his companions as quickly as she could. The sound of gunfire ended as she neared the last set of stairs that remained in her path. She still could not see her brother and his companions, but she knew they were close. As she neared the top of the stairs she was not greeted by the sight of her long dead brother, no, instead she found the one man she had no desire to see: Sicarius Pillidis, a male turian with phenomenal hand-to-hand combat skills.

Turians have always been pretty evenly matched with human, if they are propionate, when it came to strength, agility, and speed. Where their strength lied was in their discipline. However, this meant little to Rose, because this turian, Sicarius Pillidis, and many others were far stronger that she was and she knew it. Her much smaller frame being both a hindrance and an advantage with people built like him.

"Well, well, well look at what we have here boys. Seems like you have become wounded my Little Bird," Sicarius thrilled loudly with delight as his mandibles fluttering. His eyes shined as he turned from what he was once looking at.

Rose paused right before the wall broke that would have given her a view of what he had been looking at, but she didn't care. The only thing she could see was the man that stood in front of her. She pulled her katana from its sheath and gripped the handle tightly as she took one more hobbled step toward the sunlight.


Shepard and his companions made their way south through buildings and alleyways. There were various groups of mercs and a few assassins that came in their view. Building after building they were fired upon. They would hide behind half-walls and staircases to shield themselves from the barrage of bullets.

"Miranda how is everything on your end?" Shepard asked through the comm when they had found themselves a brief moment of silence.

"Everything is okay here Commander," her voice chimed over the comm. "We have remained several paces behind you to keep your six clear."

"Thank you Miranda," Shepard said with a nod. He motioned to Garrus and Mordin to follow and they continued south.

It wasn't much longer till they found themselves in a courtyard of some sort. As the three of them advanced with their weapons drawn, they heard the familiar sounds and strides of an armored turian walking in their direction. They readied themselves as he came into view.

"You must be the great Commander Shepard," the male turian said clicking his mandibles.

"You know who I am?" Shepard asked, his gun pointing right at turian's chest.

The turian chuckled with little humor behind it. "Of course I know who you are," he said with a bow of his head. "But I have been rude, my name is Sicarius Pillidis. I was a former… well, let's just say a former friend of your sister's."

Shepard tightened his grip on his assault rifle. He could hear a growl emerging from his turian friend beside him and murmurs coming from his new salarian friend. "Where is my sister?" he asked through gritted teeth.

The turian laughed again. "That seems to be the question on everyone's mind here," he said with a wave of his hand.

A moment later Sicarius turned his head down a nearby staircase. Shepard watched as recognition broke through the older turian's mask of indifference. "Well, well, well look at what we have here boys," Sicarius said as he turned his body to the staircase, completely ignoring Shepard and his companions. "Looks like you have become wounded my Little Bird."

Shock hit Shepard as he realized who Sicarius was talking too, but he hesitated to approach further, even though every fiber in his body wanted him too.

A moment later Garrus watched, along with Shepard and Mordin, as a woman covered in asari, salarian, turian and human blood limped toward Sicarius. He watched as his friend struggled to not scream out at his sister, as he struggled to keep his calm at the sight of her bloodied and beaten. Garrus had to admit that the sight of her was very overwhelming.

Rose limped toward Sicarius with her katana gripped tightly in her hand. A smirk crossed her lips as she stared up at the older turian, his mandibles fluttered into his own smirk in response.

The turian's 7 foot stature towered over Rose like a mountain bloating out the sun. Silence hung in the air like an atomic bomb waiting to be released. Everyone paused, waiting for someone to make the first move.

"Birdy," Shepard said just above a whisper. Her eyes shifted from the turian to him, and her smirk softened and her eyes shined with unshed tears.

Shepard took a step forward, followed by his comrades, and they watched as Rose twirled around with her katana in hand. Sicarius moved to the side to avoid Rose and her blade as he pulled out his assault rifle.

However, he didn't move fast enough. Sircarius roared as he felt her blade slide between metal plates of his armor, slicing his right side from his hip to mid abdomen. Turians had few 'soft spots', but she knew every one of them, especially on him.

Sircarius gripped his rifle and pulled the trigger, spraying bullets at Shepard and his comrades as well as into Rose's right side. He fell against the wall opposite of Rose and watched as she stumbled backwards from the force of being shot.

Garrus watched as Shepard moved in-between his sister and the turian. He only hesitated for a moment before he pulled the trigger, blue blood straying across the wall.

Mordin rushed passed both Shepard and Garrus so that he could assist Shepard's sister. She was leaning against several abandoned crates as she checked her right side for bullets wounds.

"Many cuts and gashes. Favoring left leg. Two bullet wounds in right shoulder," Mordin muttered to himself as he scanned the woman in front of him.

"You know usually I make a guy take me out to dinner before he's allowed to scan me for various injuries," Rose muttered with a smirk. Mordin smiled as he pushed several buttons on his Omni-tool and started to administer the Medi-gel to her various wounds.

Shepard turned around to look at his sister while Mordin worked on her wounds. She looked at him, her eyes big and blue, shining with too many emotions. "Is that really you Dom?" she asked, barely a whisper.

Shepard stepped forward as he placed his rifle on his back. "Yeah, more or less from what I can tell," he responded back to her. They smiled at each other for a moment. "Mordin, Garrus I want you to meet my sister: Primrose, or Rose, or Birdy."

Rose laughed. "Argh! Shit, I can feel my skin splitting when I laugh," she said as she gripped her side.

"Yeah, you look like shit Birdy," Shepard teased, placing a hand on her unwounded shoulder.

"And you look pretty good for a dead guy," she retorted back with a smirk.

Garrus chuckled along with Shepard. Mordin muttered under his breath as he applied the last bit of Medi-gel.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Shepard responded with a smile. He turned his back and walked toward Garrus. He clicked his Omni-tool to Miranda's frequency. "Miranda, we found her. Meet us at the pick-up."

"Miranda?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow.

Shepard nodded as turned back to his sister. "Another ground team I have out here."

Rose groaned as realization struck her. "The two Cerberus agents and the tattooed merc. There with you." It wasn't a question; she knew they were working together. "What the hell are you doing working for those bastards?" That was a question.

Shepard watched as his sister circled around till her back was facing south. He knew what she was doing, he'd seen it before, she was going to bolt the first chance she got. However far her injuries would get her and he knew not very far. The professor had done what he could out here on the field, but they all knew that she needed a more treatment than the Medi-gel could give.

"Yeah, they're the ones me back together after I had died," he tried to explain, but he could see it mattered little to Rose. "I'm not working with them. They gave me my life, a ship, and a crew and were taking out the Collectors." Shepard finished.

"Bullshit!" she said through gritted teeth. "How can you forgive a company like that?"

Shepard stepped closer, while Rose stepped further. "I haven't, and I don't believe I ever could, but this is bigger than my issues with them," he confessed. Shepard took another step toward his sister. He noticed her leather armor was torn from bullet holes and blade slashes. Blue, purple, orange, green and red blood was in her hair, on her face and staining her armor.

He took another step toward his sister. "I need you with me Birdy," he whispered loud enough for only Rose to hear and Garrus because of his excellent hearing.

Rose looked up to her brother and nodded her head. He was back, and she had too many questions that needed answering to leave him now.

Besides, he has to have a good reason for siding with Cerberus, right? Rose pondered that thought for a moment-she needed to know what was going on.

She also knew that she couldn't get off this planet without his help, and she needed to get off planet and get medical help.

Rose smiled weakly and nodded her head. "Let's get out of here and talk more," she said as she threw an arm around Shepard's shoulder. "But if I don't like what I hear I'm getting off your ship," she warned with a single finger in his face.

Shepard chuckled. "Understood."

What that being said, the trio plus Rose made their way to the pick-up zone. Garrus walked behind Shepard and his sister, while Mordin took the lead. He watched the two humans as they walked. They seem so close. It will be interesting to get to know her and know how Shepard is around her. He seems very protective, something I can relate too. Garrus thought back to the many moments he had embarrassed his sister because he was looking out for her. He missed his sister and made a mental note to write her a message. Whether he would send it or not he didn't know yet.