A/N: Remember, I modified Chapter One's description of Miranda and Jacob to a more positive review. Also, know that I have already written most of this story prior to the release of Lair of the Shadow Broker today. Playing it merely gave me the will to update. My story's plotline has not been affected by the Downloadable Content's release, and I hope your interest remains steadfast. I can promise you a much happier ending. And a sequel about the Reapers. Read on, and please, please don't hesitate to review!
And be sure to vote in my newest profile poll, which decides what currently unused squadmate from ME2 will be returning in Part II! Keep an eye out for more story-influencing polls, including the Fate of Feron, coming soon!
Serpent Nebula, Widow, Citadel Space, SSV Normandy SR-2/SSV Midway Airlock, 1312 hours
It was when the airlock finally cycled open that he saw her.
Her beautiful face wore a look of reckless abandon; her lips recalled a smile they had long since forgotten; her azure eyes met his own, an alluring gaze paralyzing him. For the longest time, all was still. There was nothing else that mattered.
Finally, she cast her eyes away in embarrassment, breathless. She had attained a marvellous indigo complexion. He seemed to have forgotten how to breathe at all, and he wasn't even sure he wanted to anymore. She had returned. What more could he desire?
At long last, she took a tentative step off the ramp, into the soft light of the Normandy bridge. Her eyes flicked up hesitantly, and her expression flushed further as she realized he had never torn his gaze away. Closer she came, and her excited breath was his only air.
Liara halted inches away from Shepard. The asari stood with a strange, awkward grace, an attractive evening gown draped over her slender form. The commander gave a rugged grin to match her dazzling smile.
A blue hand rested upon his chest tenderly. He took her other in his own. And, for what seemed the first time in a lifetime, they kissed.
The galaxy was at peace. There was nothing to fear. There never had been. How could there be danger, how could there be anything, in the universe beyond their own private heaven? There were no Reapers. The Shadow Broker was a memory. All that was real to him was the feel of her body against his own, her reassuring arms entwined about him.
He felt her warm breath on his neck as she broke the kiss just long enough to whisper into his ear softly, teasingly, "Did you miss me?"
Neither knew just how long they stood there, embracing, basking in their love. Neither cared. Eventually, however, they became aware of many eyes upon them, and the spell was broken.
Drawing their lips apart, they did not break their embrace, but rather turned their heads to see the congregation that had gathered around them. Cerberus crew seemed to have come out of the woodwork, materializing in a semicircle behind them. A group of crewmen paid rapt attention, far more interested in the show than their station readouts. One officer had slopped steaming coffee down his front, but he didn't seem to mind.
In the cockpit, Joker had rotated his chair to face the excitement, accompanied by the holopresence of EDI. The helmsman wore a look of manic glee, his unshaven face sporting a toothy grin.
There was a stunned silence. Shepard and Liara seemed to be the only ones truly aware of their surroundings. And painfully aware they were.
Someone wolf-whistled.
Instantly, the deck was alive with chatter. Groups of men broke their intent study to smirk cruelly at each other. Several women bowed their heads together in gossip.
Shepard had never realized just how hot the overhead lights were. Liara drew a hand across her face self-consciously. Simultaneously wincing in embarrassment, they struggled to disentangle themselves from each other, a difficult feat due to the fact that one of his arms had caught on her dress. A shameless guffaw resonated from Joker's direction.
Face reddening, Shepard had just been brainstorming ideas of where to send Joker on a permanent shore leave when another body stepped off the exit ramp.
Clad in an imposing naval uniform, the captain stood clear of the entryway, completely at odds with her surroundings. Unyielding in appearance, the Alliance officer wore her graying hair in a tight bun, a naval cap affixed atop her head. Her eyes, while warm and kind in nature, were now deadly slits as she stood in the midst of such needless frivolity. Hands clasped behind her back primly, she strode, dignified, past the crewmen, who instinctively piped down, sensing authority. Several unlucky souls failed to notice Captain Shepard's entrance, and received a look that might have melted diamonds.
Silence immediately fell once more, respectful this time, rather than shocked. Heads bowed as though hoping to escape her attention, the crew seemed to vanish faster than they had arrived, leaving Shepard and Liara virtually alone.
Hannah's attention shifted to the scrawny helmsman seated nearby, mouth half-open where the laughter had died in his throat. Joker seemed to writhe under her lethal gaze. Evidently she hadn't forgotten him. Seeming to shrink in his seat, the pilot gave another small squeak, and turned away from the scene.
A wry smile bent the corner of her lips as she admired her effect on the unfortunate helmsman, but only for a moment. Turning to the last duo left standing, her expression became hard and inscrutable once more. For a moment Shepard found himself wishing he'd followed Hadley's suit and ducked out through a maintenance shaft.
Then he felt the gentle pressure of Liara's fingers wrapped around his own, and he couldn't help but smile. Everything was going to be fine.
Hannah said nothing, merely approached inexorably. She tilted her head back appraisingly, eyes examining the couple. Face hot, Shepard found himself thinking fondly of the crew's gossiping and catcalling.
But he held his mother's gaze, unblinking. Unconsciously, he drew Liara closer to himself.
This seemed to get the captain's attention. Nostrils flaring in a way that Shepard had learned in his childhood signified trouble, the captain glanced back and forth between her son and the asari, lips drawn tight.
Finally, the silence was broken. The captain seemed to give permission to breathe at last as she drew a deep breath herself. Shepard braced himself for the bombardment.
"Commander. At a first glance, I'd say that your crew is not up to disciplinary standards. I suggest you employ more rigid means of discipline."
Shepard was slightly taken aback. "What?" he couldn't help but ask, a sense of anticlimax creeping over him. This was it?
"Your crew, Commander," the captain stated with an air of mild disinterest. "I suggest you take a harder line with them. That should be sufficient to discourage unmilitary behavior." Her tone wasn't particularly dangerous. She was giving an evaluation.
Liara seemed to relax marginally, but Shepard knew better. Captain Hannah Shepard was known throughout the fleet for being a stickler for discipline. As a mother, she had been no different. She'd never been afraid to voice criticism about something that didn't sit well with her. Yet here she was, ignoring the obvious issue and nitpicking everything else.
"Mo— Captain," Shepard began cautiously, "Is something wrong?"
The captain's eyebrows rose critically. "Of course something is wrong, Commander. As an Alliance officer, it is my duty to present my evaluation of a vessel to its commander. I take issue with your crew's attitude." She seemed to address the open air, as though issuing a statement.
He was missing something here, he knew it. She'd said As an Alliance officer. It wasn't like his mother to speak in riddles.
"And what about as yourself?" he asked, nervous but somehow inexplicably amused.
Hannah Shepard's dignified expression seemed to waver, and she glanced once more at Shepard. Her eyes had lost their hard, flinty quality, and her mouth bore the faintest of warm smiles.
"I'd say you have a damn fine ship, John. While I may not agree with your choice of crew—"
Her gaze shot into the cockpit, where Joker had been gradually inching his chair about to view the impending drama. The seat promptly snapped back into place.
"—I can see that you know what you're doing," Hannah continued, her face curiously devoid of scorn. "And I respect your decisions. All of them." There was that smile again. Barely there, and only for a second. He might have imagined it.
John's eyes widened, his expression one of complete surprise. His mother had never been one for gushy sentiment, except at medal presentations and while watching Earth (and, although she'd court-martial him for saying so, turian) soap operas. Otherwise, this was about as close as she ever got.
Was this… acceptance?
Liara was still figuring things out. For all of her menacing plans and abilities, Liara still reminded Shepard of the archeologist within as she asked in that endearingly confused way of hers, "Captain, I don't understand. How does the state of the Normandy relate to this? Isn't it obvious that the issue at hand is my relationship with your son?"
Hannah cast the asari a glance, not pointed or critical, but, incredibly, warm. "You're hopeless, you know that, right?" She laughed pleasantly, her steely eyes bright with affection.
Shepard and Liara glanced between each other, thunderstruck. "I… but…" Liara began, disbelieving. "You're… happy?"
The commander said nothing. What more could be said? A sense of euphoria crept over him and, with a grin, he strode forward and pulled his mother into a warm embrace. The captain hugged her son back for a brief while, then, pushed him away gently. "Go on," she bid him, teasingly. "You've got someone else to hug now."
This was too much to hope for. Still reeling, Shepard was only conscious of the glowing look of pride on his mother's face, and the light touch of Liara's hands as they drew around him once again. Turning his head, he gazed into her radiant sapphire eyes before they rested their heads upon the other's, cheeks side-by-side.
A tender movement as her face drew alongside his. A whisper, her lips tickling his ear. The rhythm of her excited breathing and the reassuring pounding of her heart were a symphony of perfection, and nothing else mattered as she said, softly, "I love you."
They drew apart, but their hands held fast. Liara was aglow.
Together, the couple returned their attentions to the Alliance captain, without shame or fear. "Thank you, Mother," was all Shepard could muster.
Hannah shrugged, and although her face smiled, she seemed to shrink, her posture weakening slightly. John had another woman in his life now. That was a sobering thought.
Liara noticed this, and sympathetically she smiled at the officer. She wanted to say something, anything, to comfort her, but the words were slow in coming. What do I call her, now? Shepard? Hannah? With a mental pause, she marvelled, hardly daring to think it: Mother?
Not since Benezia's death had she called anyone by that name. Liara had spent much of her life without a parent, anyway, and she'd never known her mother's bondmate. And now, she so longed to express that love for a parent, something she'd been denied her whole life.
But she decided it best not to rush things. "Captain," she began, kindly, "What exactly changed your mind about me?" Shepard turned his focus away from Liara in curiosity.
Hannah locked eyes with the young woman, and an unspoken understanding seemed to pass between them. They both loved the same man. Liara realized, with a start, that they would have to share that love.
Still, the captain answered. "I'm not much of a fan of aliens, Liara. Never was. I confess, when Williams told me what happened between you and my son," (Shepard cast Liara an alarmed glance here) "I sent Kolyat after you so I could chew you out in person. You were a nonhuman, and you were with John. I figured your ass was mine."
Shepard interrupted with a quick, "Sorry, already taken." An appreciative bark of laughter sounded from the bridge. He winced visibly when he realized who he was talking to. Liara spared him a quick, sly grin.
Hannah decided to let it slide. Most unlike her.
"Like I was saying," she reiterated, while Shepard tried to make himself disappear, "When I met you, I was doubly sure. Here was some blue girl trying to steal my boy away from me. But then I talked to you, and even when I tried to intimidate you, you stood up to me. You showed me your…" Hannah paused momentarily. Perhaps she wasn't completely at peace with the reality of things, but she was trying. "…Love for my son was more than some cheap thrill. And then I realized, John didn't love you because you're an asari. He loves you because you're you."
Liara's mouth parted in a slight gasp, and once again she was overwhelmed with affection for the aging human. Hannah smiled, and Shepard managed to overcome his shame to say, turning to face Liara, "She's right. I'd still love you if you were human, or turian, or krogan…" He paused, and seemed to think things over. With a joking tone, he amended, "Okay, maybe not krogan. But the point is, I love you for who you are. You know that, right?" His hand brushed along her head fringe tenderly as he spoke.
Her smile was wider than ever as she replied, her eyes softening, "I know. She laid her head upon his chest, shutting her eyes peacefully. Everything felt just so… right.
After another of their endless hugs threatened to live up to its name, Hannah said sheepishly, "Come on now, you two. My sentimentality's running out fast. Shape up or I'll hit you with a charge of conduct unbecoming an officer, Commander." Reluctantly, they broke apart, but allowed the fingers of one set of hands to caress each other.
Hannah ignored this too. Hell, I'm getting too soft. But she nodded professionally, glad to have the matter behind them. John may have found his happiness, but there were other matters to attend to. All business now, she began crisply, "Commander, I believe congratulations are in order. The Council has accepted the existence of the Reaper threat, although I'm not sure they relished doing so." Her eyes travelled once more about the Normandy interior. "I would like to speak with you about your plans, Shepard. The Council, not to mention the Alliance, will be wanting you to return soon. You put things in motion, but I'm afraid they're not finished with you yet."
Shepard felt a stab of guilt. He couldn't reveal the mission's objectives, not even to his own mother. To do so would risk compromising the entire operation. He trusted Hannah Shepard implicitly, but who knew what information could be stolen from inactive omni-tools, or heard from whisperings between friends who thought themselves alone. The Shadow Broker was everywhere, his eyes ever watchful, ears attuned for the faintest mention of a secret to wield.
"I can't talk about it. I'm sorry," he began falteringly at the hurt expression that managed to pierce Hannah's demeanor of professionalism. "But we've risked too much to put the mission in jeopardy now. I want to tell you, I do."
Hannah frowned somewhat sadly, her eyes downcast. "I don't like not knowing what my son is up to, John. I fear for you. You're always putting yourself in the worst danger possible. But you're a Specter. I'd better get used to it." She couldn't help but allow a bitter note to creep into her tone.
Shepard sighed, conflicted. "I'm sorry, but we've sacrificed too much. It's taken Liara two years to come this close. My own team managed to get some very important data, and one of my crewmates is lying on a gurney to pay for it."
Liara stared at Shepard, startled. "What? Someone's hurt?" Her expression was distraught, eyes wide in worry. "Who? When?"
The commander's eyes were haunted as he spoke. "Tali was shot on our last job. Her condition is stable, but…" Words failed him. He lapsed into silence.
Liara, by contrast, seemed to have a lot to say. Her face contorting in anger, she spat, "Damn it! How did it happen?" Without waiting to hear his answer, she went on. "I should have known it was too dangerous. She told me you were up to something. I should have warned her, and now she's… she's…"
First Feron, now this. Goddess, it's my fault. All my fault.
Where previously Liara's more aggressive side, the part of her that had been dominant for two years, had been, it gave way to the face Shepard had known so well. Young and confused, terrified, not for herself, but what had happened to her friends. Her hands rose to her mouth in shock, and she seated herself, oddly disconnected with her surroundings, in a nearby chair. Her eyes had begun to water as she whispered, "Damn it. Damn it."
Forgetting what he had been saying, Shepard drew away from his mother, kneeling by Liara's side. "Hey," he began gently, placing his hands supportively on her shoulders, which had begun to heave as she sobbed. "Hey, it's alright. It's not your fault." With a sour taste in his mouth, he said. "It's mine. You didn't do anything, Liara."
She made no answer, only shook her head from side to side.
Grief threatened to overwhelm Shepard, now, too. Bowing his head, he rose, drawing Liara up with him. She didn't resist as he held her close, and over her shoulder he called to his mother, "You see? We can't stop now. Good people have been hurt. More probably will be. But it's a price we're all ready to pay to stop—," he caught himself. "To finish this." More to himself, he mused, "It's just that we'd rather pay the price ourselves," he explained, his eyes finding the beautiful, mournful face of the asari that cried freely, "Than see others pay it."
He shut his eyes, and buried his face in Liara's head fringe. It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Shepard heard a quiet movement, and opened his eyes to see that Hannah had drawn close. Her expression was just as pained, just as afraid, as it had been, if not more so, but something else had dawned there: understanding. With a pitying smile, and a weak nod, she answered, "You do what you have to, John. Just remember, while you're out worrying about the people you love, realize that some people worry about you. Stay safe, John."
Without another word, Hannah turned away, and had begun to make for the exit hatch, when she paused, conflicted. Shepard took no notice, only focused on stroking Liara's head reassuringly. Finally, after debating with herself for some time, Hannah strode back aboard. For a moment Shepard thought she was coming back to talk to him, but she hung a sharp left, and strayed onto the bridge.
Picking her way between chairs and control consoles, Hannah forcefully spun about the helmsman's chair. Joker, who hadn't been occupying himself with anything anyway, swore as he spun to face the officer.
Cringing, he asked fearfully, "What do you want?" Then, hurriedly, "Ma'am."
Hannah's eyes were, strangely enough, not hardened by the intense dislike that usually fell across them when she appraised the Normandy pilot. Rather, her expression mirrored one of worry and purpose. Kneeling at eye level with the cowering Joker, she locked eyes head-on. She spoke, and her words were not, for once, harsh or reprimanding.
They were pleading.
"Please, Mr. Moreau," she implored him, "Take care of family." Rising, she added, "Both of them."
Joker could only nod rapidly, eyes wide and glued to the officer, lest she suddenly decide to attack. But Hannah Shepard merely sighed, and turned away. She paused once more at the exit hatch, but this time to glance back at her son, who still held his loved one close.
Their eyes met, and Shepard could see the love there. The love of a mother.
"Be careful John. I have a feeling that we'll need you. Before the end of all things."
And she was gone.
SSV Normandy SR-2, Crew Deck, Outside the Med Bay, 1348 hours
"By the Goddess, I thought it would be bad… But I guess nothing can prepare you for it."
Liara gazed sadly through the clear viewport into the clinical white Med Bay beyond. All the cots were empty, save for the one closest to the door. Upon it, a young quarian lay, her close-cropped raven hair framing a pale, pointed face. Tali's wounds were cleaned and hidden beneath a surgical blanket, and grisly though they were, her expression was at peace.
Her chest rose and fell methodically, as several automated machines hovered over her, monitoring her vital statistics and administering intravenous antibiotics.
The asari stood by her human bondmate, his arm draped over her shoulders caringly. Both sets of eyes studied the comatose quarian, whom they both knew and loved.
"She insisted on coming with me, you know. She warned me that if I didn't bring her, she'd hide my guns when I got back."
Liara managed a weak chuckle. "A very serious threat." Drawing her gaze away from their mutual friend, Liara focused on Shepard, who continued to stare, visibly pained. "And what did you find, Shepard?" she asked. "What was this Admonitor hiding?"
The name brought back flashes of memory for Shepard. The old man sat, unmoving in his chair, eyes blind but somehow locked on a sight no one else could see. A past that he both loved and mourned. A vision. A promise.
A lie.
Shepard met Liara's blue eyes as he spoke, his voice filled with weariness. "I found a friend. Someone that the Shadow Broker has hurt. Just like us." He recalled that strange stare, blind, yet somehow piercing. He had to suppress a shudder, despite himself.
"He'd been manipulated by the Shadow Broker. He blackmailed him into helping him build his network. He says he manages all the Broker's secrets, but I think he's still stuck in the past. The network is too big for one man to handle now."
Liara nodded sadly, her beautiful face somber as she spoke. "I imagine the Broker keeps him just as a prize. An example."
Shepard shook his head. "No. The Broker met the Admonitor when they were both young, and before the network was established. They had an understanding. I think the Broker realizes, somewhere, what he's become. He may have started out differently, but now he twists people. But he's human, the Admonitor said that much. And I think he keeps the Admonitor to remind him of something. Who he used to be."
A pause. "I feel sorry for him."
Liara said nothing for a while, but drew away. Shepard felt a sudden void where she had been near. The absence of her warmth cut him deeply. Her back turned, she spoke after a time, and her voice was alive was a hostility Shepard hadn't heard before.
"No. You can't feel pity. He's a monster. No better than a machine." She turned around, and her eyes were afire with passion, but it was not the sort of passion Shepard recalled seeing there. It was anger. And hatred. "Worse. A machine doesn't harm people needlessly. The Broker… he likes it. I'm sure."
Her chest heaved in anger as she panted as though she had just run a mile or shouted at the top of her lungs. Her stance was threatening, but Shepard realized the anger wasn't directed at him. She went on. "He tried to sell you, Shepard. To the Collectors. To be processed and consumed in some sick experiment. He tried to kill me, and when he couldn't, he imprisoned the man that saved me. Saved us."
Shepard felt a strange sensation grip him. "What man?" he asked, somewhat sharply.
Liara didn't notice his jealousy. "Feron. An agent of the Shadow Broker. He betrayed his master to help me rescue you, Shepard. I owe him everything. My life. My vengeance…"
The anger melted away, and she looked him in the eye, begging him to understand.
"You. I love you Shepard, more than anyone. Don't doubt that for a moment. But Feron… I can't be at peace, I can't rest easy and embrace the happiness he bought me, embrace you, as long as he suffers for it. He might still be alive. He might not be. But it doesn't matter." Her voice took on a hard edge. "If I can save him, then everything will be alright. If I can't, then I can at least exact my revenge on the Broker."
Shepard approached her, his momentary bout of jealousy dying away. "Don't forget yourself, Liara. I'm grateful for what you and Feron did. But it isn't worth losing you forever."
They both knew he wasn't talking about her life.
She nodded, and her anger passed. Running her fingers across his chin, she said, her words serious, "You won't lose me, Shepard. Part of me, the part that has been hunting the Broker for two years, is so close to its goal. But it isn't me, Shepard. It's angry, and hateful, and so confused. And its existence is linked to the Broker's. I can't be happy until I can find myself again."
He understood. Taking her hand, he answered her, "We'll find him. He's done hurting people. We'll bring him to justice. For the Admonitor, for Feron, for us. I promise."
She kissed him briefly, then asked, "What are we going to do?"
He had already given this some thought. Glancing from Liara to the wounded Tali, he answered, "We'll use the coordinates and zero in on his location. We have a state-of-the-art vessel and a crew to match. They won't let us down. We'll find him. But first…" His determination gave way to sadness. "We've got to get Tali to safety. She can't stay here. We'll leave her at an Alliance hospital, or with the Migrant Fleet. Everyone on this ship will be risking their lives, and I don't want to risk Tali's again. Not in her condition."
Their eyes found each other, and Liara was filled once again with adoration for the man before her. Shepard, always so selfless and kind, so loving. So good. She would have to rely on him to rein in her darker impulses. He wouldn't let her fall.
She was just about to say so, tell him once again that she loved him, that she couldn't live without him, when someone else spoke up.
"Don't even think about it, you bosh'tet."
Their eyes widened in shock, and both Shepard and Liara approached the window looking into Medical. Tali had stirred, had half-risen from her prone position, an arm clutching at her side. Her eyes were dark, exotic, and her face wore a look of stony conviction.
"Doctor Chakwas!" Shepard called out, alarmed. "It's Tali!"
Tali took no notice, only batted away with her hand a medical drone that had begun to harass her with a sedative. "Get away. Get away. Keelah, I'm fine!"
Shepard couldn't take his eyes off Tali out of fear for her. "Tali, you're sick. You need to get to a hospital. You're in no condition to move, much less fight!"
"I know that, idiot," she stated rather bluntly, but not particularly unkindly. "But there's no way, no way, that you're leaving me behind. I joined you Shepard, I joined this crew, and I'm not leaving it now for something like this. I'm staying on this ship. My fate will be the same as the Normandy's."
"You're not thinking straight," Shepard maintained firmly. "It's my fault that you're injured, and I won't see you hurt again!" Why was she being so stubborn?
"Shepard," Liara interjected, "It's nobody's fault. And it's just her body that's been harmed. She's still fully aware of what she's saying. She doesn't want to leave you." She drew close to him, hand on his chest, trying to make him understand. "Can you blame her?"
"I see you got my message, Liara," Tali stated, as though they were discussing the topic over lunch, instead of through a quarantine window. "It's good to see you again."
Liara turned toward the young quarian, and a grateful smile broke out across her blue features. "I can never thank you enough, Tali. I sent you a response. Did you get it?"
"I was a little indisposed." She gestured expansively at her torso. "But you're welcome."
Shepard was touched by the display, but there were more important things to talk about. "Tali, I'm not going to see you get hurt again. I can't." His voice became rather helpless here. What could he do? He was used to situations where he had some degree of control. On the battlefield, on a mission, where he could take action. Here, he could just talk through an intercom, and right now, he was losing this battle.
"That's not your choice, Shepard. The Normandy will only be in danger if you fail. And if you fail, then the Reapers have already won, and nothing can protect me. I'm staying." There was a sense of solemn finality about her words, and Shepard realized, with a start, that she was right.
Frowning, his brow creased in worry and thought, he tried to convince himself that she was wrong, but deep down, he already knew his answer. And like she said, he thought with a smile, he didn't have any choice.
"Okay, Tali," he conceded, smiling in appreciation of her loyalty as Chakwas came running over, shouting orders to the medical drones. "We'll do it your way."
Settling back in her cot and yielding to the insistent chattering of the machines, Tali allowed a drone to inject her arm with a sedative. She muttered sleepily, as the drugs took rapid effect, "I knew you would."
As Shepard and Liara shared a happy smile at the sight of their recovering friend, Tali shouted out, her words slightly slurred now, "Oh, get a move on. Why don't you two go embrace eternity or something?"
SSV Normandy SR-2, CIC, Galaxy Map, 1402 hours
Shepard gazed into the swirling, glowing depths of the Galaxy Map, taking in the wide, infinite expanses it portrayed. Millions of stars shimmered, their miniscule representations dotting the galaxy. The planets in orbit around them were all but invisible at this scale.
Liara had gone off to familiarize herself with the ship, as EDI had insisted on giving a guided tour. Joker had hinted to Shepard that the AI was actually interesting in extracting some juicy gossip about the commander from his asari bondmate. Shepard reflected that EDI's personality algorithms had been growing more and more pronounced since her unshackling. He couldn't help but laugh at the thought.
But there were more important things to do.
Shepard highlighted one cluster in particular, inputting coordinates from his omni-tool into the system computer.
He watched, on edge, as the computer selected a distant system. An in-depth map of the region materialized, centered on a single star. Planets ringed the area, their obits displayed readily. Usually, any trivial information on the system and its planets would be rendered by the Cerberus database.
And while the Illusive Man's organization was, usually, quite well-informed, they had next to nothing on the system. Nothing, because its location had been hidden from the galaxy for thousands of years, and had only recently been rediscovered.
But Cerberus, not to be outdone, had this to say on the system: The Pangea Expanse has long evaded contact with the modern galaxy. Accessible only by the fabled Mu Relay, this system has been sought after for centuries by researchers and plunderers alike, due to its obvious connection to Prothean culture prior to their destruction. However, records show that the Mu Relay was knocked out of its recorded position several millennia ago by a nearby star that went supernova. The resulting cataclysmic explosion caused the Mu Relay to drift and, over time, become lost. In the year 2183, a Council Spectre rediscovered the long-lost Relay, and travelled to the system beyond.
Yes, the Mu Relay had only recently been discovered. Shepard would know…
He'd discovered it.
His blood felt chilled with excitement, as he remembered his adventure two years prior. He had raced Saren to recover the lost Mu Relay, and reach its ancient destination.
It all made sense. Would not he, the greatest dealer of secrets the galaxy had ever known, who had plumbed the deepest mysteries of the universe, have discovered it already himself? What better place to hide than in a system that nobody thought existed?
Shepard's heart pounded in anticipation as he rushed away from his terminal, calling out to EDI to order the crew to the Conference Room. He left the galaxy map running, displaying its last coordinates…
The Shadow Broker was on Ilos.