Just a slight chapter preface. I know it's been a number of months between chapters but that's thanks to some good old writer's block and a lack of motivation. Rest assured, I have no intentions of letting this whole story go unfinished.
"How's your father doing?" Tali asked. Shepard, Mathias and Tali sat at the sectional lounge in Shepard's own private quarters on the Normandy, a rather nice room situated on the top of the ship with a skylight, aquarium, king-sized bed and private washroom.
It was the first time Mathias was truly at peace in twenty-three years despite the on-going tyranny of the Collectors. Even though he had been settled before, the idea that his father's 'killer' was still at large had always been at the back of his mind and constantly nipped at his heels. With his father in the care of the Normandy medical crew, he could finally rest easy and he had no regrets joining Shepard's mission for this one reason alone, as he felt that without Shepard's and Garrus' help, he may have never found Moray or his father. The idea that the Collectors would end up in possession of him was a troubling thought, but was fortunately never made a reality.
Mathias lightly shook his drink and sipped the sweet, red fluid. "Mordin and Kelly think that he's going to need a lot of therapy. I'm not surprised considering he was kept in constant captivity as a trophy for the past twenty-three years. But he seems to be okay, I had a good talk with him last night. He told me about how he had never thought he'd see me again and how it was a happy surprise that he was wrong."
"What did they do to him while he was held captive?"
Now frozen, a sigh left Mathias' lips and his heart started to pound. Sweat beaded his brow and his chest burned and his normally bright eyes dulled. "He... He could hardly even talk to me about it." His eyes avoided both Shepard's and Tali's curious gazes. He hoped that they would arrive on Illium quickly enough so he wouldn't have to tell them the things that were done to his father, but seeing there were no notifications and Shepard and Tali still waited, he decided to tell them after a long and somewhat awkward silence.
"They did awful stuff. He somehow survived when they tried to kill him. He said that Moray thought it was because his gods, 'Almachi' and 'Senia' wanted him to save him as a trophy. It's why he's always hated organized religion… Well that, and the fact that it made life difficult for us vampires in the past." Mathias gulped down the last of his beverage and put the empty glass on the coffee table in front of them. "They experimented on him... Took his blood, venom and... Others... Tried to make weird potions that would make you immortal or immune to disease and illness. They injured him just to see how quickly he'd heal and when they saw how fast he healed they'd hurt him again, they mentally abused him on a daily basis and did even worse things... One of the asari that was there wanted to engineer his and her genes so asari could reap the benefits of being a vampire…" Mathias paused as the sensation of swelling in his stomach rose like it were going to eject its contents. "I'm sorry, I can't talk about it anymore. I'm just so glad we got to him when we did... They were eventually going to sell him off to the Collectors."
Tali and Shepard stared at Mathias speechless. Shock was likely the reason, that someone could be so sadistic for such trivial reasons. Shepard put his drink back on the table as Miranda returned from a lower deck. She stopped when she noted the unusual silence and the expressions on everyone's faces.
"You all look like you've seen ghosts. Is there something I missed?" Miranda asked, returning to her spot on the sectional.
Tali adjusted her position on the sectional. "Mathias just detailed the trauma Rodon went through. We're stunned at what they did to him. They were going to sell him off to the Collectors."
"That's what I heard. I don't know much of the details, but he's going to need a lot of cognitive behavioural therapy, and it could take a while." Miranda said matter-of-factly.
The room became silent, only with the sound of the beeping from Shepard's omni-tool. He retrieved a number of Cerberus files documenting Reaper husks and read them over in his mind while Tali, Miranda and Mathias watched quietly. "Would the Collectors have turned him into a mindless husk, like some of the Humans we had seen on Virmire? Could they have even turned him into one? I'm doubtful they have much knowledge, if any, on vampirism."
"Those husks were created by Saren and the Geth." Tali interjected.
"Don't forget where they got that technology from." Closing his omni-tool, Shepard said. "Saren, the Geth and Liara's mother were all brainwashed by the Reapers."
Arms crossed, Miranda leaned on Shepard's aquarium while exotic and Earthly fish floated by. "Like you said, it's highly unlikely the Collectors have any experience with vampires because they're so rare. I think it's more likely they would simply use Rodon's genetic material to create something else, or use it to modify their own bodies. If they were able to turn a pureblooded vampire into a husk, we could be in a lot of trouble if we ever managed to run into one."
"She's right." Mathias started, getting up. "My father and I descend from an extremely powerful bloodline. I know that I'm probably the most powerful biotic in the galaxy, not counting pureblooded vampires. Even without that, I'm still many times stronger than even regular halfbreed vampires, I heal faster and I'm far more agile - and regular halfbreed vampires are superior to normal humans in virtually every regard. My father multiplies my power hundreds of times over. I've seen him in action. If he was turned into a husk like the ones I saw on Horizon, I wouldn't stay to fight. I'd run and hope that he didn't catch me. I just hope they hadn't captured any other members of my family like my aunts, uncle or cousins. I don't have any reason to believe that's what happened because I've spoken to them all shortly before joining this mission, but it's something to think about."
"You've seen him in action?" Miranda asked with her eyes carefully trained on Mathias.
He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry... I've got to go." He turned towards the exit to Shepard's quarters. Miranda looked at him perplexed.
"Are you still willing to go with Miranda and I to recruit the Justicar and the Assassin? We'll reach Illium shortly, and we'll be taking both tasks consecutively." Shepard asked, getting up to pour more drinks for himself and Miranda. He sat back down with the glass drink pitcher and handed Tali her own drink bottle she brought, Miranda sitting next to her.
"Yeah, just call me when you're ready." Slowly, Mathias exited Shepard's personal quarters and returned to the Crew's Quarters and the Starboard Observation deck where Kelly Chambers input information into a data pad, with his father sitting calmly on the bench. Rodon was clearly very startled when the door opened, but relaxed again when he saw it was Mathias.
Kelly put down the data pad. "Do you want some time alone with him? He talks about you a lot."
"Yeah, sure."
Kelly got up with her data pad and left the Starboard Observation deck, leaving Mathias and Rodon alone. Mathias went and sat across from him. "How is everything going?" Mathias calmly asked.
Seeing the massive pureblood vampire, normally so bold, powerful, intrepid and outgoing in a deteriorated state of constant fear was gut-wrenching for Mathias. Rodon sat, with his hands together, his wings closely folded in and tail pressed close to his outer thigh. As Mathias recalled, his father never kept his wings so close together. He even noted several scars along the thick membrane between the bony fingers of his wings and that one of the huge, silver talons on the end of the bony wing structure was missing. "It's... It's been difficult. It's abnormally difficult to let go of that which has been and gone." Though still fearful, Rodon's voice was monstrously deep and the mere sound of it in the dark would frighten most people.
"I understand. The thought of losing you was also not easy. You're going to need a lot of help, but I'm so happy that you're okay." Mathias looked to the floor. Words couldn't describe how happy and relieved he was, but Mathias was still somewhat uncomfortable.
Rodon examined the vast expanse of space through the observation deck's window, watching the distant stars and planets pass by. "I have found that, in defiance of the awareness of my asylum, I have been curiously aflutter - incapable of tranquilizing my neurasthenia. The woman Kelly Chambers promises the termination of my torment through therapeutics and medicinal remedies, but it so far is unforeseeable."
"Huh." Mathias breathed. "I suppose I take that from you? I think I've mostly curbed my anxiety."
Rodon shook his horned head. "That is a feature your mother possessed." He smiled. "You are alike me in virtually every way; nevertheless, I still observe her in you. Her remembrance, as well as yours, has been a sparkling spring of consolation. I had always aspired that one day, I would tread with you again." The massive creature sighed, the sound of the air entering his lungs was deep and relaxed Mathias, reminding him that his father was not gone and of times when he was young. "I behold my son before me - his tremendously disparate appearance contrasts with my recollection. What is your reasoning for the change?"
Mathias looked up from the floor. The last time Rodon had seen him, he lacked the skull facial tattoo, long bangs with white highlights and heavy-set muscles. "After I thought you… Died, I wanted to improve myself. I didn't want to collapse and wallow in despair. I tried to hide my true self, and this has become who I am now."
"I comprehend your innovative transformation. It truly is marvellous to behold that which you have become. I do believe you have flourished." It was quite apparent that Rodon was allowing himself to relax, though he did maintain a degree of nervousness, looking around every now and then. His mind was likely playing tricks on him: deep down, still believing there was danger. Mathias knew the feeling all too well. "My son is unlike any other - you recognize you're the first halfbreed in my bloodline?"
A mild grin illuminated Mathias' face. "That's one reason that makes me yours. I see you still haven't lost your quirks, like everything is a formal meeting."
"Old habits die hard. As it happens, I delve into and encounter the infinite wilderness of the cosmos, very much for the first time; never done so prior to our current meeting." Rodon scrutinized his surroundings before reluctantly getting up to approach the large observation window, to more closely examine the stars as they passed. He kept his tail tucked around his legs while checking the area behind himself often. "It's… Like nothing else. As per my request, we drifted alongside the Earth. In twenty-three years, I had nevermore felt invigorated."
Mathias rose from the sectional and stood beside his father. "You never forget an experience like that. Tell me… How did you feel when you saw the whole of the Earth for the first time?"
"Sensation…" Rodon sighed and looked down to Mathias, dwarfing him quite significantly. It made him feel small. "Sensation is not an equitable summarization of the experience. Reminding me of how insignificant we really are, how irrelevant my problems, beholding the planet upon which you were born grants a universal consciousness. While incredible, it prompts a recollection of the dissatisfaction with the state of current events which I hold. A potent impulse to act upon said dissatisfaction arises; world affairs - even galactic - become so petty. The desire to draw a politician so far from home and make them realize the bigger picture, is something I previously never considered. Edgar Mitchell was correct."
Even now, despite his state of perpetual restlessness, the awe could still be seen in Rodon's luminous golden eyes. It reminded Mathias of his first venture into space and he suddenly wished he could experience it again. Humanity had been in space for many decades before his birth and growing up he was bombarded with knowledge about the cosmos but nothing could prepare him for the intense sensation of seeing the Earth in its entirety for the first time - the only reason for Mathias' existence, something so cosmically random yet so crucial all at the same time. It was very much like being high on something illegal.
The sectional creaked as Rodon's monumental weight burdened it. Mathias had been so taken aback by the astronomical veracity about their existence he didn't even realize his father had returned to the seat to continue fighting the demons inside.
"On the day you were born, I deposed I would defend and preserve you for as long as necessary to ensure you were ready. I failed." Mathias sat next to him, concentrating on Rodon's voice and saddened face. "You were forsaken, at a time of great strife, and I had not been there to ease your struggle." A vivid wave of guilt flooded Rodon's mind as he recalled the day he and Mathias were taken, causing his chest to burn and heart to beat faster. Anger still remained; the image of seeing Mathias bound and not being able to save him made his blood boil temporarily.
Mathias was somewhat confused by his father's apparent admission of fault and struggled to string together a relevant sentence. "What do you mean 'you failed'? There was nothing anyone could do."
The pureblooded vampire sighed. "I found myself unable to be there for you. My remorse is more than… Compelling."
Squinting his eyes, Mathias closed in placing his chin on his hand. "Give it some time, that'll go away." He got up and hugged Rodon quickly before heading out of the Starboard Observation deck. Welled up eyes were the least of his concern as he made his way towards the Helmsman's Deck where Joker was so he could observe the Normandy's path towards Illium.
A quickly approaching mass relay began firing up the Element Zero that attached itself to the Normandy. The rings containing the Element Zero began rotating at a much faster rate before finally propelling the frigate into a wormhole; enveloping it in a light blue tunnel.
"That never gets old." Joker stated towards EDI, acknowledging by flashing the blue holographic light. Mathias silently positioned himself behind Joker's cockpit armchair and demonically eyeballed the blue orb representing EDI to tell her to remain silent. She complied and allowed Mathias to expeditiously grab Joker's arm. "What the-" He jumped and turned around, temporarily distracted by the unfamiliar face before returning to the ship's controls.
"Watch the arm! Vrolik's Syndrome?" He paused for a second, realizing who was beside him. "I… Don't think we've really been acquainted." Joker slowly started. He guided the frigate out of the wormhole and engaged faster-than-light drivers, stretching the surrounding stars. Mathias shook his head and hoped Joker couldn't tell he had been dolorous. Apparently, it was not the case - Mathias saw himself in a reflection on the cockpit's fortified windows and could see that his prior tears were not visible.
A thought crossed the gothic vampire's mind, unusually making him feel uneasy. Since joining Shepard's mission, Mathias noticed a change in his own personality: he had become less aggressive and irritable though not when out fighting and he had toned down some of his usual antics such as searching for a rise in other people. Instead, his more introverted nature shone a lot more as he reflected on his failed attempts at succeeding in all fields and avoided the majority of sapient contact.
"No." Mathias started slowly, coolly and deeply. His voice contained an aura of mystery. "We have not been acquainted. How much longer before we reach Illium?"
A holographic map overlaid itself in front of joker. "About thirty minutes at roughly one-point-eight parsecs or six times the speed of light." The orange map clearly displayed the Tasale system as well as their approximate triangulated location, updated in real time. Mathias watched it and examined the numbers displayed on the holograph as they shrunk, indicating a declining distance between them and the asari-controlled world of Illium.
Mathias turned quickly and headed towards Jacob's armoury and saw him applying an upgrade to a high-end set of armour. It was black with red with white accents and appeared to have a price tag worth more than Mathias' entire annual salary on Earth. Jacob examined his handiwork then turned to Mathias, pulling his chestpiece off the table and handing it to him.
Turning it over several times, Mathias examined the chestpiece and noticed several new capacitors. "I managed to get my hands on some prototype shielding. You'll notice I installed the more powerful capacitors to handle the denser shields." Mathias ran his fingers along the finer details of the suit as he listened to Jacob. "These upgrades also allow for a more direct flow of medi-gel and strengthen the armour itself."
The armoury doors whisked open as Shepard and Miranda entered. "I didn't expect to see you here so early, Mathias." Shepard said as he began to equip the previously seen high-end armour. It must have been a new, custom set just recently ordered. Mathias watched Miranda equip her shielding and guns as he, himself suited up and activated the shields while Jacob briefed Shepard and Miranda on the upgrades he had done.
Many people had high expectations of Illium and Mathias thoroughly imagined what it was like. He had heard both good things and bad things alike; accepting of slaves while remaining highly appealing to tourists and prospecting immigrants. Supposed to be hot, most people lived in the northern regions of the planet or at higher altitudes. Much of Illium's capital city, Nos Astra, excited Mathias as it was known for having many glitzy casinos and glamourous nightclubs just like his hometown of Calgary. It was just the kind of place he liked; however, the anticipation of it was bittersweet as on one hand, it would be a break of the constant business of military life but on the other he didn't want to leave his mortified and powerless father behind. Mathias was sure Rodon would be safe in the care of the Normandy's professionals but he was uncomfortable with the idea regardless.
Mathias looked up after a rather unpleasantly long silence. He had realized that Shepard, Miranda and Jacob had been beaming at him, wondering what was going on in his mind. The red-eyed vampire returned the gaze with a sarcastic shrug and a poker face, shaking his head. "What?"
"You don't have to go if you don't want to." Miranda said, adjusting her suit's collar and placing a pistol on the holster mounted on her back. "We can call someone-"
"I'm going." Mathias interrupted her somewhat snidely then stormed out of the Armoury to wait in the Pilot's Cabin for the ship to reach its destination. He wanted to watch the unimaginably extensive abyss pass by as he lost himself in thought.
Mathias let his mind slip back to when he was a mere sixteen years old, just one year before he lost his father for two decades. He had returned from school to the small, abandoned warehouse he had grown up in just outside the dense urban areas of the Calgary-Edmonton Metropolis. Running into the building, in hand a pair of small replica vampire fangs hand-carved out of balsa wood attached to a ring he had purchased earlier that day intending to present them to his father as a gift.
Dropping his backpack at the front door he crept towards the main living area and prior to entering, he saw his father conversing with three other pureblooded vampires from beyond the corner; Mathias' uncle Oniron as well as Oniron's two sons, Bromir and Irvire. Mathias decided against entering the living area as he managed to make himself feel somewhat alienated from the rest of his relatives, thanks to the fact that he was the only halfbreed vampire in the entire family bloodline. He wasn't close to his uncle, aunts or cousins; especially the two who were at his home - he knew damn well that both Bromir and Irvire were a lot bigger and stronger than he was and he feared being picked on, as he experienced torment every day at school. The last thing he wanted was to go through it at home. Listening to the conversation his father and uncle had, he leaned against the wall and examined the small trinket with his fingers.
"I continue to recall that event when you had come to me for help - with your son." Uncle Oniron said, for some reason chilling Mathias to the bone. He didn't like people talking about him behind his back, especially when he thought it would reveal what others truly thought about him and he typically jumped to conclusions, thinking the worst - even without any real reasoning or evidence behind it.
From behind the corner, Mathias watched his father pause for a moment to think - an action that filled him with anxiety and other bad feelings. "A painful reminder, yes. Feelings so powerful, the simple action of looking back stirs up exactly how I had felt. I had no knowledge I was capable of inseminating a human female - the notion I had unthinkingly made myself a father, principally considering the case I had no motive to ever do so - made me conclude I had made the most grievous error of my life. I saw no one else to go to for recommendation." Wait... What?
A nearly audible gasp escaped Mathias' mouth as a burning sensation filled his chest and a pit formed in his gut. His father had essentially admitted to him (albeit unintentionally) that his own son was a mistake. Mathias searched the floor contemplating what he just heard. He had been very close to his father which helped him get through his frequent depression and anxiety attacks but now felt he had nowhere to go - immediately, thoughts of hopelessness filled his mind. Shattering and pieces scattering shocked the air when Mathias slammed the trinket intended as a gift for his father to the floor. He saw the attention of the pureblooded vampires turn in his direction milliseconds before he darted out of the small converted warehouse and into the forested area, not looking back even once. A new hate for his father had taken root and Mathias intended on disappearing.
Mathias collapsed into a bush, having deteriorated. He thought he had cried so hard that the millions of people living in the nearby urban areas could hear him - he then realized that with how sharp a vampire's hearing was, then his own and remembered that a pureblood's hearing was even sharper. The idea forced him to quiet down as he didn't want his father to find him, provided he was searching. The intense sadness he felt turned into anger. Mathias pulled himself out of the bush and pressed on further into the wilderness, hoping to eventually come upon the Calgary-Edmonton Metropolis.
Instead, what he came upon was a pack of angry coyotes. Roughly a dozen, they began to circle around Mathias as he stood in shock and terror, unsure of what to do. He began waving his hands around in the air and shouting at them to see if they would back off; however, his pleas went unnoticed. The coyotes eventually began to close in, completely intent on killing him. One of the coyotes pounced on Mathias and pressed him on the ground. He panicked and thought that his short life was now over, but a strange feeling overcame him - adrenaline plus the sensation of a strong electrical current flowing through his body compelled him to do something he thought he could not - without thinking, he violently ripped the head off the coyote who had pounced on him and threw himself up into the air using his newly discovered biotic ability. The kinetic energy surrounding him was so powerful the shockwave sent all offending coyotes flying off into the depths of the forest, leveling smaller and weaker trees in the process. He watched two of the closer coyotes pick themselves up off the ground and slink away, terrified of the monster in front of them.
Mathias closely inspected the blue energy that had enveloped his body. He watched as it swirled around his hands, feeling the heat it gave off and imagining how far the blue light from the energy was travelling. Eventually, it calmed down and withdrew back inside his body. 'Those are biotics?' He asked himself. He was confused, particularly since humans, asari, turians, krogans and basically any other being discovered to be a biotic required bio-amp implants to even be able to take control over their power and he knew he was not fitted with such technology.
Moments passed and Mathias' father, uncle and two cousins appeared in the new clearing created by the shockwave Mathias had inadvertently created. They had apparently noticed the bright, blue radiation and stared at Mathias in disbelief.
Mathias mentally thanked himself for having bio-amps implanted into his body to augment his biotic power as he knew he would likely need it for Shepard's mission.
"Begin preparing for docking protocols." The sound of Joker's voice ordering EDI woke Mathias up out of his wandering mind, bringing his attention to the asari-controlled garden world of Illium which unsurprisingly reminded him of Earth. The idea that one could leave the planet they were born on and live on another was still a mind-blowing thought for Mathias who, prior to joining Shepard's mission against the Collectors, rarely ever left Earth due to how expensive it could be for the average citizen. His friend Dan had paid for his ticket to Freedom's Progress, as long ago as that had seemed.
The Pilot's Deck provided a wonderfully clear view of the descent into the planet's atmosphere, then the growing streets as they drew nearer and nearer. Once low enough, the Normandy flew forwards towards the city's plentiful and dense skyline, weaving in between the tall towers.
Nos Astra was clearly a different city, almost nothing like Calgary. For one, Mathias noticed a high concentration of the colour purple - so much purple, especially the neon lights. In comparison, Calgary was a lot more colourful and far more cyberpunk - many neon lights, all a vastly diverse range of colours, many different building styles from many different eras - so much shiny glass. Nos Astra, even though it was considerably beautiful, seemed somewhat monotonous.
The Normandy breezed by the many busy towers and fast shuttles until it reached its destination, a docking bay attached to a spread out and high-up building. Mathias turned around and saw Shepard and Miranda approaching, turning into the ship's airlock. He followed, entering and waiting for the ship to complete the standard decontamination routine, leaving once it was finished. They walked along the huge building's balcony that provided a clear view of the city's skyline and many towers, as well as the tremendous Normandy SR-2. Mathias wondered if his father could muster up the ability to leave the Cerberus frigate and venture out into the alien city, just as a professionally dressed asari approached with two humanoid mechs trailing behind.
The asari concierge stretched a smile on her face as she greeted the three, though addressing Shepard more directly. "Welcome to Nos Astra, Shepard." She waved off the mechs who went to stand by a wall. "It's an honour to have you and your team visiting our city."
While Mathias stared out into the vast expanse of the asari-controlled city, Shepard responded to the concierge with a simple nod. "We've got some business to take care of here, but thanks for the welcome regardless." Shepard said politely. "I'll have Cerberus take care of any fees we'll incur here." Just as Shepard began to proceed forward, the asari concierge held up her hand so they would not. Her smile didn't fade, and it made Mathias suspicious towards her. He felt that most commonly, people's smiles were fake and not to be trusted. He placed a hand on his pistol which was now holstered on his armour's belt, ready to use it if necessary.
"That won't be necessary. All of your docking and administration fees have been paid by Liara T'Soni, who has asked to speak to you at your earliest convenience in her office above the trading floor."
Shepard seemed a little bit stunned and crossed his arms as he visually searched the concierge. "Liara paid our fees? What's she doing here?" Mathias and Miranda waited for the conversation to continue as Mathias began pacing back and forth, becoming impatient. He wasn't looking forward to having to do anything today and only wanted to go and lie in his bed or play video games. He searched the floor as he listened.
Maintaining an adept posture, the concierge continued. "Liara is one of Nos Astra's most well-respected information brokers. Because Illium is so trade-centric, information is a highly valuable commodity and Liara has done quite well for herself. She's been looking forward to seeing you; and like I said: she can be found in her office above the trading floor."
"Thank you." Shepard simply said, watching the asari concierge nod, finally continuing forward past a customs desk and onto the busy trading floor loud with voices, which was completely open to the sky. Mathias' powerful sense of smell could pick up traces of an expensive grill. The exact dish was unknown to him, but he did know that he wanted it. He looked towards Shepard and Miranda to see if he could read their emotions, only to find that they had maintained poker faces.
Miranda approached the balcony, looked down to the ground hundreds of metres below then looked off into the rest of the city. "You've got to give the asari credit, Illium is a cultural marvel. Humanity can learn a lot from their ingenuity. Too bad they seem to deal with slaves here." She pushed herself off the balcony and returned to the squad.
Confused, Mathias read Miranda quizzically and looked around the trading floor to see if he could spot any dubious or questionable activity. "They have slaves here?"
"They like to call them 'indentured servants'. I'm still not so sure if I agree with the idea, but if someone wants to pay off a debt they may as well work for it." Miranda said with her Australian accent, glowering at another human male who was quite obviously rubbernecking at her in a wolfish manner.
"A Justicar named Samara has recently visited this port. Liara is likely to have information as pertaining to her location. She may also be aware of Thane Krios." EDI explained to the three over their headsets. Mathias looked for her office and saw it overlooking the trading floor. Inside, he could see an asari speaking to a human through a holographic display. "Also, I have a message for Miss Lawson. Lanteia has reserved a room in Eternity and will be waiting for you there regarding your personal situation."
"Thank you, EDI." Miranda responded, following Shepard calmly towards Liara's office.
"Are they the ones we're looking for? Samara and Thane Krios?" Mathias asked as they walked into a corridor and up a set of steps. The sound of pleasant and classy music starting to louden, signifying an area of wealth.
"Yes, but we've got a more pressing issue at the moment." Shepard jogged up the rest of the stairs and they entered a somewhat luxurious lounge high above the trading floor, not the office Mathias was expecting. A human, turian and salarian sat around a table as an asari striptease artist swayed seductively on the table surface. Two of the men - the human and the turian - spoke to the salarian about how they thought they should have a party, but Mathias wasn't quite sure why. He also eavesdropped on a conversation between a quarian and a turian, and how the male turian thought they should date. As he, Shepard and Miranda entered a room off to the side of the lounge, Mathias realized the conversation at the stripper's table was supposed to be regarding a 'stag party'. Inside the room, an asari dressed in military attire leaned against the wall, getting up upon seeing Miranda.
"Miss Lawson? I'm glad you made it."
Miranda seemed somewhat exasperated. "We came as quickly as we could, Lanteia. What happened?"
Watching the shuttles pass by outside through the window, flashing past the sunset, Mathias tried to read the emotions of Miranda and Lanteia, as aside from recruiting Thane Krios and Samara, he was unaware of what was going on. "There's been some complications." Lanteia spoke with urgency and it started to make Mathias' heart beat faster.
Huffing to herself, Miranda turned around and paced quickly before turning to face Lanteia again with her arms somewhat open, as if she were confused. "Is Oriana alright?"
"She's fine." Squinting, Lanteia increased the strength in her voice though remaining calm. "You listed a man named 'Niket' as your trusted source. He contacted me and warned me about mercenaries your father had sent after her to make a sweep. Niket suggested they might be personally watching for you and offered to escort Oriana and her family to the terminal.
Miranda seemed somewhat dumbstruck with her mouth mildly agape. Shepard turned to face her. "Who's this 'Niket'? You didn't mention him before." He asked.
"He's a friend of mine. We go back a long way." The Cerberus officer hesitated to explain, eliciting a slender grimace from Shepard. Mathias thought it was because Miranda had been keeping secrets from the Commander and hoped that his own secrets, trivial they may be, would not upset Shepard as well. Aside from his father, Shepard was the only other person Mathias had seeked approval from.
"Would you like to bring in any of your other Illium contacts, Miss Lawson?" Lanteia asked as she readied a datapad.
Miranda held up her hand. "No, that won't be necessary. I only trust you and Niket on this matter." She shook her head.
Turning to Lanteiai, Shepard crossed his arms. "What else can you tell us about the mercenaries?"
"I've confirmed that they're Eclipse and are a part of the organization Miss Lawson warned me about. They haven't done anything illegal so I can't alert the authorities." She explained.
"It's okay, we can handle it ourselves." Mathias asserted after feeling a need to have his voice heard - it felt strange to him. Shepard's mission seemed to have been really changing him, though Miranda nodded with approval.
Shepard exhaled audibly. "Making changes to the plan can be dangerous. Are you sure you can trust this 'Niket'?" He waited as Miranda hesitated to answer his question as if she were starting to doubt herself.
"Absolutely." Miranda then proclaimed after a few seconds of silence. "He is one of my oldest friends and I trust him implicitly with Oriana." She turned back to Lanteia. "Lanteia, we'll follow Niket's suggestion. Shepard, Mathias and I will take the shuttle and draw away their attention. You will have Niket escort Oriana and her family to the shuttle and give him full access to the family's itinerary, just to be safe."
"Understood, Miss Lawson." Lanteia, the asari contact, left the room to continue with the rest of her dealings, leaving Shepard, Miranda and Mathias in the room.
"So, the plan is to get us shot down by Eclipse while your sister gets to safety?" Shepard snidely remarked, making both Miranda and Mathias feel somewhat uncomfortable. Mathias moved himself to face Shepard and further examine the dealings in the background of the asari lounge.
Miranda's expression remained plain. "No. Eclipse will have orders to take my sister alive. I very seriously doubt they'd risk anything that would kill us. I'm sure Niket can take care of himself, so we just need to worry about ourselves and Oriana."
Shepard nodded and they turned to leave the room. "Let's go."
"Thank you, Shepard. I appreciate what you're doing for me. I hadn't planned on Eclipse, but they didn't plan on either of you." Miranda said as they left the lounge, motioning to both Shepard and Mathias. Shepard radioed to the Normandy to have some of the crew prepare a civilian shuttle for them as they headed towards the docking bay where they first stepped foot in Nos Astra.
"So your sister is running from someone, and from what I could tell, that someone is your father… Am I right?" Mathias asked somewhat innocently, focusing his gaze on the neon-dressed towers that stood guard over the city.
A shuttle parked itself near the Normandy and enabled the squad to enter. "It's a long story, but yes. I'm trying to keep her away from my father to prevent her from having to go through… What I did." Miranda explained. Mathias wanted to press her on the matter but a cold stare from Shepard advised him not to. They got into the shuttle and whizzed off into the city and merged with traffic, Shepard piloting.
Traffic was busy, to say the least. It almost appeared that nearly all of the city's residents were out and on their way to somewhere. Mathias thought that it must have been the weekend on Illium or some other holiday and everyone wanted to go out and about. It forced Shepard to fly the shuttle outside of normal traffic boundaries to get to the cargo terminal.
The squad flew through an industrial area and eventually reached a warehouse, dropping down to fly in through the large cargo bay doors. As they zoomed in, a number of Eclipse mercenaries came into view. "Let's hope they really do want to take us alive." Miranda said, destroying any hope Mathias and Shepard had left to the contrary - especially when the mercenaries began shooting at the shuttle. The hot bullets cracked the shuttle's windows as they ricocheted off the metal plating. Mathias felt the shuttle drop as Shepard feigned a crash in behind several shipping crates, violently shocking everyone inside. They shook it off, readied their weapons and exited the shuttle and approached the group of mercenaries, Miranda leading.
"Since you're not firing at us, I trust you know who we are and why we're here." She said firmly, stopping directly in front of one of the human men, who appeared to be the most heavily armoured. Shepard and Mathias both accompanied her on either side to provide extra support.
The mercenary stood firm and frowned at Miranda while his backup men unsuccessfully attempted to scare the squad. "They told us to expect you. You're the dumb bitch who kidnapped the boss' daughter." Mathias sneered and growled at the mercenary but he remained unfazed. Mathias wanted to show the mercenaries who was really boss, but he wanted to wait for Shepard's command or until the mercenaries decided to fight back. "He wants her back and we're not going to let you take her away."
Miranda was taken aback. She scoffed at the mercenary and almost smiled sarcastically, appearing to almost be trying to hold herself back from killing the mercenary leader outright. "Kidnapped?" She snapped. "This doesn't involve you. I think you should leave with your groupies. I'm not leaving without making sure Oriana gets away."
The mercenary leader had an obvious sense of entitlement and he stood comfortably, as if he was already sure of the confrontation outcome, but Mathias knew otherwise. He watched Shepard's biotics begin to flare up while he readied his hand to reach for his gun quickly. The mercenary leader glowered at the group and sneered. "You think you got everything figured out, don't you? You're too late because Captain Enyala's already moved in on the kid. She knows about Niket and I don't think he'll be helping you any time soon."
"Did you do something to Niket?" Shepard asked suspiciously, still ready to fight.
The mercenary leader simply shrugged off Shepard which annoyed the entire Normandy squad greatly. He waved his arm to dismiss them. "That's nothing you need to concern yourself with. Unless you do something dumb, no one's going to get hurt. If you walk away, Oriana will go back to her father without incident. I'd advise you to take my suggestion. You don't want things to get rough."
"Do you want to see rough?" Mathias virtually shouted, flaring his biotics. The anger in his blood was powerful enough to turn the blue kinetic energy enveloping his body a violent red. "I'll show you rough."
"You've got one chance to turn around and leave." Shepard quickly exchanged looks with Mathias and Miranda to ensure they were ready. "That's more warning than what most get."
The mercenary leader almost laughed as an insincere smile outlined his face. He crossed his arms and shook his head, making Mathias even angrier. "Captain Enyala ordered us to give you one chance to walk away. I'd suggest you take it. This whole time we've been talking, my men have been lining up shots." The mercenary leader stepped closer to Shepard in an attempt to rouse him. "If you don't take the chance we're giving you, we'll unleash hell-"
In one quick move, Mathias grabbed the self-righteous mercenary leader and broke his neck with a loud snap, crackle and pop, prompting Shepard and Miranda to quickly fire at and subsequently kill the surrounding Eclipse mercenaries. Shepard fired at a crate being transported above several metres away, causing the cargo to fall on top of a few quickly approaching mercenaries, sending their limp bodies flying over another mercenary, startling him.
Shepard, Miranda and Mathias ran forward and hid behind several crates and started picking off the approaching Eclipse mercenaries with their guns. Consisting primarily of humans, salarians and asari, they began dropping off, one by one, allowing the squad to advance further into the shipping warehouse. They turned a corner to face several more mercenaries off into the distance and Miranda took the opportunity to throw a biotic shockwave their way, sending them scattering in every direction. Shepard finished the move, sending a bolt of kinetic energy to explode in place and kill any mercenaries within its vicinity. An asari mercenary managed to escape injure by the attack and returned the assault with a similar area of effect attack that would have taken down the Normandy squad's shields, if Mathias hadn't thrown up a biotic field to prevent damage at the last second. Miranda fired the fatal shots into the asari's chest and led the way towards an elevator door.
Shepard opened it and allowed Mathias and Miranda to enter, entering last himself. Before the elevator door had a chance to close, Miranda halted it to keep them open when she heard a voice over a radio headset one of the fallen mercenaries had dropped. She calmly approached it and picked it up, returning to the elevator thereafter. "Team four! Do you read, team four? Do you copy?" The synthesized voice on the other end desperately called for an answer.
"Looks like we should have no trouble getting their messages. I'll patch us into their network and give us an idea of what we're up against." Miranda said, reading the radio information off the device and programming it into her headset, allowing Shepard and Mathias to do the same. When they were finished, Miranda broke the mercenary radio headset in her hand then dropped it to the floor. Miranda closed the elevator door and it slowly began moving up several levels, to a floor indicated by the mercenary radio.
Shaking her head, Miranda sighed and looked disappointedly at the elevator's level indicator. "Shepard, I believe I owe you a bit of an explanation." Miranda said, Shepard looking at her quizzically, probably feeling somewhat inconvenienced.
"You didn't actually kidnap your sister like that idiot back there said… Right? What's this even all about? Why is your sister running from your father?" Mathias asked innocently. "I don't like going into something without knowing exactly why we're even doing it." He almost felt betrayed because of it.
"I suppose you deserve to know." Miranda faced Mathias specifically, looking up to him as he towered over her somewhat significantly. "My father is an extremely controlling man. He created me, based off his DNA and had me genetically engineered so I could be a perfect example of a human being. He didn't want a daughter or a family; he wanted fame, a dynasty. I got everything I ever wanted, but I was never perfect enough for him. He never truly approved of anything I did and made me work harder and harder towards perfection. I was never allowed to have my own life, my own friends." Her voice noticeably slowed down, perhaps due to unpleasant thoughts. "When I was a teenager, he created a twin of me - Oriana - intended to be my successor. I took her away from him when she was still young, so she wouldn't have to go through what I did."
Mathias shook his head. "You took her away from a life of wealth and comfort so that Oriana wouldn't have to go through the unpleasantries you did? I'm… I'm not sure what I think about that."
"It doesn't matter what you think." Miranda leaned on the wall, crossed her arms and looked to the floor to search for a way to construct her words. "I wanted her to have a normal life, a good life. So I had to take her away."
Shepard puzzled. "You said Oriana is your twin, but your father created her when you were a teenager?"
The elevator drew nearer and nearer to its intended destination. Miranda continued to explain. "Oriana is my twin… Genetically. Like I said, she was meant to replace me, but I didn't want to let him do to her what he did to me. So I rescued her." Miranda checked the level indicator as it showed the elevator hitting the intended level. "She's almost a woman now." The doors opened and the squad readied their weapons in case any mercenaries were waiting for them, seeing that there were none - silence.
"I understand going your own direction, but you took a young child from her father." Shepard criticized, only confusing Mathias further.
"If you knew who my father was you'd understand my reasoning." Surprisingly, Miranda didn't frown or appear annoyed towards Shepard, she simply explained to him further. She wanted him to understand. "I wasn't the first one that he made, I was only the first one he kept." The admission shocked both Mathias and Shepard. Mathias had loved his father and his father loved him, and the idea that a parent could use their child for their own gain baffled Mathias and even disturbed him.
Miranda continued: "He never let me have fun. He never let me have friends. He constantly pushed me to meet impossible demands and strive for perfection. Failure was punished harshly and I was rarely, if ever happy. To him, I wasn't a daughter. I don't... " She sighed. "I really don't know what I was to him. I don't know if he ever even cared about me. I know I made the right decision with Oriana, because she's had a normal life."
"How old is Oriana now?" Mathias asked, dropping his confusion and feeling more sympathy towards Miranda and her sister. "You said she's nearly a woman now?"
"She'll be nineteen years old this year. She's had a much better early life than I ever had. I want it to stay that way." In saying so, the inflections in Miranda's voice changed for the better. The talk about her hard upbringing likely had gotten her down, but she likely felt better after remembering that Oriana didn't have to go through the same thing she did. She sighed. "Let's not keep them waiting. I just hope they hadn't gotten to Niket somehow. We'll probably have to cut through the cargo processing station to get there."
Shepard nodded and the squad left the elevator, slinking around the corner and behind the shipping crates in order to gain the upper hand against the Eclipse mercenaries. Off in the distance, Mathias could see an elevated tram carrying crates of shipped goods across to other areas of the shipping warehouse, and he used his Blood Sight - a vampire's ability to spot someone's heartbeat through solid objects - to see the locations of all the hiding mercenaries. He identified several mercenaries behind a large crate in the cargo processing station and warned Miranda and Shepard of their presence. They quietly approached and fired on them all with zero warning, not allowing the mercenaries to get off a single shot. Further off into the cargo processing station, more mercenaries had been alerted to their presence and took point to try and take the Normandy squad down.
Mathias hid behind his own crate while Miranda and Shepard each took their own. They killed the mercenaries one at a time. Hearing a sudden silence, Mathias stood up to get a look at the area but was immediately struck by a barrage of mercenary fire. He felt the kinetic barriers in his armour shatter and forced himself to the ground before his own body began to absorb the shots. While he sat and waited for his shields to regenerate themselves, he watched Shepard and Miranda take down the mercenaries who had shot at him and he swore to himself that he would be more vigilant so he did not have to go through a repeat.
Upon hearing nothing but silence a second time, Mathias decided to make use of his Blood Sight again, this time not seeing any beating hearts anywhere in their near vicinity. He waved to Shepard and Miranda to let them know the area was clear and they passed through, underneath the tram transporting the crates above and into the next section of the cargo processing station where the locations of the mercenaries were quite apparent. "These crates are carrying hazardous materials. Watch your shots." Miranda quietly warned, as they took cover behind the railing before the second transporting tram.
Mathias initiated combat with the mercenaries, using his biotic abilities to overload several nearby suits of armour and weapons, incapacitating three and killing one other. Miranda was able to finish off the final few mercenaries, allowing the Normandy crew to proceed forward, into a shipping storage room. Another wave of mercenaries attacked them, forcing the squad down behind heavy crates that, according to shipping labels, contained thousands of Credits worth of plush toys. As the mercenaries fired at them and they fired back, plush stuffing began filling the room.
The mercenary radio began to squawk covertly to Shepard, Miranda and Mathias. They listened to the asari's voice as they fought. "Hurry up and finish the bitch off! Niket is nearing the transport terminal. When he gets there, he'll hand the family over to me and we can be out!"
Miranda stopped for a moment, then continued firing towards the mercenaries, as more poured out of a nearby elevator to replace the fallen members that Shepard, Miranda and Mathias had taken down. Mathias was getting tired of fighting and wanted to get to Miranda's sister once and for all. He decided to end the fight then and there - he built up biotic energy within his body, causing him to float in the air as a kinetic shield guarded him from enemy fire. Shielding Shepard and Miranda, he then released the energy, killing and blowing away all remaining mercenaries. The storage room was now quiet and the three hurried to the elevator. They entered and ordered it to go up to their final destination.
"That can't be right." Miranda thought out loud, desperately searching the floor for answers. "Niket wouldn't betray me, that can't be right."
Shepard shook his head. "Maybe the Captain knows, and she's just feeding us false information to mislead us."
Miranda started pacing the elevator. "Damn it, why won't this thing go any faster?" She slammed the control panel with her omni-tool. "Maybe it means something else. I'm sure Niket wouldn't do that. He just wouldn't."
"But what if he really is sending Oriana to your father? What do we do then?" Mathias asked, his heart starting to pound a lot more quickly with the knowledge that they were nearing their final objective. He knew that the fight wasn't quite over and if this 'Niket' really was luring Oriana into her father's hands that the situation would become a lot more complicated.
"Did Niket know that you just took Oriana from your father?" Shepard asked calmly as he watched the control panel indicate their current level.
"No, he found out about that just recently. I was too nervous to tell him when I did, but… I never really thought about it, but maybe… No. He knows what I went through, he should understand what I was doing." Miranda explained. She was quite clearly on edge, especially as the elevator neared the end of its line. "He could have turned on me at any time, especially when I ran away. I'm sure my father would have tried to buy him off. If he didn't do it then, why would he do it now? I don't understand."
Sighing, Shepard prepared himself as the elevator slowed to a stop. "We won't know anything until we get to Niket. We have no choice but to wait and see."
"And I'm going to have a word with this 'Captain Enyala'."
The elevator door opened and directly in front were three people: two asari and a male human. They turned their attention to the squad as they left the elevator and casually approached them. The human man squinted slightly, then widened his eyes. "Miri."
The armoured asari who was likely Captain Enyala got up off the ledge behind them and pointed a very heavy and high-powered weapon at the Normandy squad, who responded by aiming their weapons at her. "This should be fun", she snidely remarked. The second asari took a couple of looks at the situation before making the decision to run off. Enyala turned and shot her, blowing her away.
"You sold me out, Niket. How dare you." Miranda growled. She pointed her gun directly at Niket as he stood back with his hands up.
Shepard looked over the area they were in - a docking bay. "Doesn't seem like there are any civilians here. We can end this right now", he said.
"Not before I get some answers." Miranda kept her gun pointed at Niket. "Why? Why did you do it, Niket? You helped me get away from my father, I thought you were my friend."
Niket didn't move. "Yes, but that was because you wanted to leave. That was your choice. But if I had known you stole a baby-"
"I didn't steal her, I rescued her!" Miranda interjected with a scowl on her face. "You know what my father's like!"
"No, you weren't saving her! You took her from a life of wealth and happiness! You were just getting back at your father." Rebutting, Niket's face started to turn into a frown as well, while Captain Enyala kept her weapon trained on the three.
Miranda squeezed her gun harder. "You would have known if you were in my position. You would have understood."
"How much did Miranda's father pay you, Niket?" Shepard asked, getting ready to shoot at Enyala. Mathias stood by, with his biotics flaring. If anyone was going to have the last word, it would be him and he made sure that he'd be ready to react. He felt anger towards Niket for betraying Miranda.
Sighing, Niket looked to the floor and stopped for a few seconds before shaking his head slightly. "He paid me a great deal to do this. When he told me what you had done, I told him that he could go to hell… But then you called me and told me what you did. I called him back later that night."
Grimacing, Miranda shook her gun in anger. "You could have at least let me explain! You should have let me because you wouldn't understand! You were the only one I trusted from that life. I thought I left no loose ends, but I see now that I made one mistake."
Shepard turned his head towards Miranda, but kept his eye trained on the asari. "If Niket knows about Oriana's whereabouts, your father does too."
Dropping his hands, Niket faced the ground again. "I… Miranda's father knows nothing. I didn't tell him anything." He looked back up and stepped forwards, closer to Miranda. "I knew you were spying on your father, Miri. I kept it private, I'm the only one who knows."
Mathias heard Miranda sigh a breath of relief but he kept himself ready just in case. His senses told him that this would not end pleasantly. Miranda nodded. "Which means that you're the only loose end. I wish it didn't have to end this way, Niket, but I don't think I'm going to miss you." She fired a single round into Niket's chest and watched as he fell to the ground, dead. As far as Mathias was concerned, Niket had asked for it and Shepard didn't seem all too concerned about what had happened to Niket either. Now all that was left, was Captain Enyala.
"I was tired of talking to him any-" Before Captain Enyala could finish her sentence, Miranda picked her up with her powerful biotics. "So was I." She then threw her across the room and the surrounding mercenaries began to attack the Normandy squad. They ducked down into cover and started returning fire back at them. They started cornering Shepard, Mathias and Miranda onto one side of the docking bay. They hid behind several shipping crates and started to kill the Eclipse mercenaries. Mathias heard the heavy shots coming from Enyala's powerful gun and he managed to overload it without directly pinpointing it. Enyala then began to flex her biotic muscle and used it to pick Mathias up out of cover and hover him in the air. Before Miranda was able to throw Mathias away and free him, Mathias began to absorb her biotic energy, draining her and forcing her to stop. He fell to the floor and just as another mercenary was about to grab him, he teleported himself a short distance away - right in front of Enyala. With his right arm, he picked Enyala up off the ground, by the throat and absorbed the rest of her biotic power to render her helpless.
Shepard and Miranda finished off the last few Eclipse mercenaries and approached Mathias holding the struggling Enyala. "Is there one last thing you'd like to say to her, Miranda?" Mathias asked, focusing his intensely glowing eyes into Enyala's.
"I suppose my father's going to have to try a little harder." Miranda simply said, finally issuing a 'go ahead' to Mathias. Enyala began to scream as Mathias used his biotics to burn her from the inside out, finally killing her as her skin sunk inwards. He then discarded the body on the floor. Mathias then realized that Shepard and Miranda had been looking at him aghast by the way he had killed Enyala.
"That might have been… A little harsh, if you asked me." Miranda said, as they turned and headed towards the elevator.
Mathias smirked and pressed the button to open the door. "She got what was coming to her, now let's make sure Oriana is safe." They entered the elevator and Shepard used the control panel to tell the elevator which direction to go in.
Dejected, Miranda looked towards the floor and shook her head. "I can't believe it. I can't believe Niket sold me out like that. How did I not see it coming?" Mathias was able to imagine the anger, sadness and disappointment she felt as he knew exactly what that felt like. Shepard turned to face her with a look of sympathy on his face, a nice change from his normal straight face.
"No one is perfect. We all make mistakes, but I take it you won't be repeating that one any time soon." He responded calmly with a smile. He knew that justice had been served.
Miranda sighed. "Why did he make me kill him? He could have run, he could have lied about storing the data somewhere else, but he just stood there. He knew what I would have had to do and he just let me do it."
"If it's any consolation, I would have done the same thing, Miranda. You did what you had to do. He left you no choice, and there's nothing that you can do about it now." Mathias explained. "I'm sure you heard all about it - I thought my father was dead, and I had lost him for twenty-three years. I spent that time wanting to hunt down the man who I thought killed him and thanks to Shepard I followed through. If I hadn't, my father would have been sold off to the Collectors and that worthless piece of shit might still be on the run. He had to die and I have no regrets about it. Likewise, Niket had to die and you shouldn't regret it because he betrayed you and he could have given away Oriana's location at any time."
Shaking her head, Miranda sighed and forced herself to keep back her tears, but Shepard and Mathias could both hear her breath getting heavier. "You're right. I made the mistake of trusting him when I knew in the back of my mind that I never should have trusted anyone. I'm responsible for his death, but it's not my fault." She turned around to face Shepard and Mathias. "Frankly, I don't think it's even Niket's fault either. My father's the one behind this whole mess. It's always been like this. He's always given me anything I ever wanted, but there's always been a hook, a catch, an angle for his long-term plan. When I ran, I threw away everything he ever gave me - except Niket. Is it weakness on my behalf? I don't have anyone now."
"You still have your sister, and you have us. You can always trust us." Shepard smiled.
Miranda finally smiled for the first time since they met Lanteia at the lounge. "You're right. I do have something. I guess in my rush to keep Oriana safe, I forgot that I still had her. My father didn't give her to me, I rescued her and I'm so glad that I did. I also have the Illusive Man to thank for putting me on this mission with you. Thank you."
The doors to the elevator opened and they met with Lanteia, whom Miranda ordered to take Oriana and her family to safety. Shepard ordered to have their shuttle returned to them and when it arrived, they returned to the building where the Normandy had been docked. Shepard, Miranda and Mathias returned to the trading floor and overlooked the busy area.
"No signs of Eclipse here. It looks like we're clear." Miranda observed, finally spotting three humans standing together, near the balcony. She stood and looked on for a minute before speaking again. "There she is… She's safe, with her family." Miranda quietly spoke, smiling, then looking to the ground before closing her eyes for a few seconds. "I still wish I could have had a normal life, but I'm glad that she can now. We should go."
Mathias looked on towards Oriana and her family. He saw her and how she looked just like Miranda, and he felt happy for her too. It felt unusual as he rarely cared about how other people felt. Shepard regarded Miranda. "Don't you even want to go and say hello?"
Miranda shook her head. "No. It's not about what I want, it's about what's best for Oriana. The less she knows about me, the better. She's got a family, a life. I don't want to complicate that for her."
"She doesn't need any details, but would it really be so bad for her to know she has a sister who loves her?" Shepard said, motioning for Miranda to go and speak to Oriana.
Miranda looked on and smiled. "I guess not."
"Go on, we'll wait here." Shepard said. Mathias watched Miranda smile at Shepard, then go over calmly to speak with Oriana and saw as they embraced and spoke for a little while, before Miranda returned to the squad, teary-eyed. Mathias could see Oriana looking back at them, with a smile across her face. They waved a final goodbye, then turned back towards the Normandy.
Mathias sighed. "What are we doing now?" He didn't want to go and do much else after the fight to keep Oriana out of her father's hands.
"We all need a break. Don't go too far from the Normandy, and make sure you're good for contacting us." Shepard dismissed Mathias with a smile. Mathias smiled back and decided to head back towards the lounge they were previously in for some bar food. On his way there, he noticed a human man, dressed in heavy black clothing, covertly snap a photo of him from behind a corner. He found it highly suspect and pursued the man, who hastily disappeared into one of the building's hallways.
Mathias entered the hallway and briefly saw the man, shortly before he disappeared behind another corner. Angry, Mathias pursued but didn't yell after. He didn't want to bring too much attention to himself, but whoever this man was he needed to be stopped. He entered a shuttle bay and followed the man into a darker hallway, one that most people likely didn't use. A door closed at the end and Mathias assumed that's where the man went.
The room at the end of the hall was dimly lit and had no access to windows. It was also empty and it made Mathias very nervous, more nervous than he liked. Someone had entered - he had seen it - but he saw no one in the room until someone suddenly landed on him from above, pinning him to the floor. Before Mathias could react, the man who he had been pursuing him stunned him with an hard shock from a special taser, leaving him paralyzed just long enough to tie his hands behind his back, tie his ankles together and place a dark sack over his head. Without warning, Mathias was rendered unconscious.
