The Normandy arrived at Illium the following afternoon and Kalissa found herself faced with an interesting predicament: almost every member of her team was unfit for this mission in one way or another. Garrus was stuck in the medbay for at least another day according to Dr. Chakwas; taking Miranda with her right after their argument would be foolish; Mordin was too busy with his research to go wandering around the city; Jacob was both Cerberus and an unknown, so she didn't feel comfortable taking him to meet Liara, either; Zaeed, well, she'd had a long talk with the mercenary over breakfast and if she had to hear another one of his stories, she was going to shoot the man. That left her with only one option: Kasumi.

Thus it was that she left the Normandy and stepped out into the sprawling metropolis of Nos Astra, Illium's capital, with a cloaked thief at her side.

"Towers, traffic, lights, and asari everywhere you look," Kasumi marveled at they walked away from the ship. Then her tone turned harsh as she added, "I lived here for a while, but everybody's so tight ass. It's all about money and power to these people."

"You alright," Kalissa asked worriedly, but Kasumi just shrugged off the question with an amused, "I'm fine, Shep."

Shep again. That was the third time Kasumi had used that nickname and Kalissa had to ask, "Are you going to keep calling me that?"

"I think it suits you," the thief explained. Then her voice took on a curious tone as she added, "Why, does it bother you?"

"From anyone else, maybe, but from the woman who installed a bar on my ship? Not really," Kalissa admitted after a moment's pause.

The thief's only reply was quiet laughter that faded to silence as an unfamiliar asari and two LOKI mechs approached them.

Kalissa's immediate inclination was to use her biotics to throw the mechs over the railing of the docking bay. She kept that instinct in check as the asari, whose name was apparent Careena, welcomed them to Nos Astra and informed them that Liara T'Soni had paid all docking and administration fees.

The fact that Liara knew of their arrival was unsurprising, especially since Kalissa had sent her asari friend a brief message that morning informing her of their travel plans. That didn't negate the Commander's surprise that Liara had paid all of their fees. Nos Astra was not a cheap city. Just how well was the former archeologist doing for herself?

Well, those questions would be answered soon enough.

After a quick glance at the spot where she assumed Kasumi was still hiding, Kalissa asked Careena for instructions to Liara's offices and then headed off into the city proper.

When she stepped out of the docking station and onto the streets of Nos Astra, Kalissa had to pause for a moment and just breathe as she took in the view of the first, real sky she'd seen since before her death.

It was late in the afternoon and so the sun was already starting to sink out of view, the downside of having so many towering spires. Or maybe it was the upside. Kalissa had the feeling that sunset would paint this city in shades of amber in pink for hours to come.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it?" she whispered, knowing full well that Kasumi would be close enough to hear.

That belief was confirmed when the thief replied, "Yeah, in the same way that a viper's beautiful right before it strikes."

The sentiment made Kalissa start and she wondered just what had happened to Kasumi. It wasn't her place to pry, though, so she just sighed and said, "Come on, Liara's probably waiting for us," before starting to walk towards the nearest transport station with Kasumi hot on her heels.

It didn't take very long for them to get to Liara's and, upon their arrival, the information broker's secretary immediately showed them to her employer's office.

When she saw who'd come to visit, Liara's face broke out in a wide smile and she told her secretary to hold all calls before rushing forward and wrapping her arms around Kalissa's neck in a tight hug as she said, "My sources said your were alive, but I didn't believe it until I got your message."

It was weird to hear Liara talking about sources, but all that Kalissa said in reply was, "It's good to see you, Liara."

By the time that the two of them broke apart, the secretary had left and Kasumi had decloaked. Liara didn't seem surprised to see the thief, though, and she casually exchanged a formal greeting with the other woman before asking both Kalissa and her companion to have a seat.

Once all three of them were situated in their respective chairs, Liara said, "As happy as I am that you're here, I doubt that you came to Illium just to see me given the nature of your mission."

That comment had Kalissa raising an eyebrow in surprise, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to know how Liara knew, so she didn't ask. Instead, she simply explained the nature of their trip to Illium and the reason they'd come to Liara for help.

When she finished, the asari sighed thoughtfully and then began to quickly browse through files on her computer. After a minute or so, she smiled and said, "I thought so" before turning back to look at her visitors.

"There have been rumors of a drell or drells unknown removing some of the least savory individuals on Illium for the past two years, but nothing more than that. If they've all been your Sere Krios, then he's good. Very good."

This was better than Kalissa had expected and she found herself leaning forward as she asked, "Any idea where he is now?"

Her excitement only grew when Liara replied, "As far as I can tell, he's still on the planet."

Kalissa couldn't let her excitement get the better of her, though, so she remained calm as she questioned Liara about the accuracy of her information.

The asari's response was an amused smile and the words, "That's the thing about Illium, once your here, disappearing is easy, but it's hard to leave unnoticed."

And there was the downside. "So we know he's here, but we don't know where he is or who he's after, right?"

Liara nodded and then a sudden gleam entered her eyes. A few quick swipes on her computer later, she told them that, "There's a party being thrown in two weeks' time by a man named Donovan Hock. If your assassin's going after another unsavory target, there's a good chance that he'll be at that party, too."

This statement didn't make any sense to Kalissa and all that she could think to ask was, "Why?"

Kasumi had been silent during this entire exchange, but now she spoke up. "The security will be increased, but that doesn't mean that the party goers aren't easy targets. There's only so much you can do to protect that many VIPs without ruining the party."

There was a hard edge to the thief's voice as she said these words and Kalissa couldn't stop herself from turning to look at Kasumi and saying, "Are you okay?"

The thief shrugged and Kalissa could see her hands tightening into fists as she admitted, "Hock he… let's just say that I hope he's your assassin's target."

There was no way that Kalissa was letting that statement go by uncommented upon, but she did her best to keep the curiosity from her voice when she asked, "What did he do?"

Kasumi didn't reply, she just tightened her fists and kept staring at the floor. She didn't need to explain, though. Liara did that for her. "Killed her partner, apparently."

That announcement had both Kasumi and Kalissa staring at the asari, one with amber eyes full of rage and the other with shocked, sea-green ones.

"Oh, I don't get me wrong, I don't know for sure. I don't even know you're name. I'm just putting together the puzzle pieces," Liara explained evenly, which was quite a feat given the way Kasumi was glaring at her.

Kalissa was equally impressed that the thief's follow up question of, "Puzzle pieces?" was spoken in something other than a growl.

Liara nodded and then pulled up a file on her computer. Several seconds later, she began to summarize its content for them. "Hock's people killed a man named Keiji Okuda several months ago in order to obtain an item in that man's possession. Mr. Okuda was rumored to have a partner that escaped the incident unscathed."

Her summery finished, Liara closed the file and then turned to look at Kasumi as she continued on, saying, "Given your reaction to the mention of Mr. Hock's name, I assumed that there might be a connection. Was I wrong?"

"No…" Kasumi admitted. Then she sighed and added, "I can see how you got to be so powerful so quickly, Ms. T'Soni."

"It's Dr. T'Soni, actually," Liara quickly replied. Then she smiled softly and said, "but you can just call me Liara."

Kasumi nodded as silence fell in the spacious office. Then Liara cleared her throat and speculated, "I should probably mention that the item Mr. Hock stole is currently being held in his mansion on Illium. I'd imagine that it would be quite easy for a master thief to get his, or her, hands on it during a party where the security staff is busy watching over the guests."

Kasumi's hands instantly unclenched and her amber eyes met Liara's blue ones as she softly agreed, "Yes, I imagine that it would be. Especially if he, or she, had blueprints of the mansion to study beforehand."

"Indeed," Liara replied evenly. "It just so happens that such blueprints would be easy for me to acquire, should I want them."

Kasumi was grinning now. "How long is the guest list for this party?"

"Extensive, I'm told, and I'm sure that someone's going to be unable to attend. They always are," Liara answered as a matching grin spread across her pale, blue lips.

A grin that turned positively wicked when Kasumi replied, "I'd imagine that a talented hacker could easily get into their systems and change those names. If he, or she, wanted to."

By now Kalissa had realized that this was one of those times when it was best for her to just leave everything to her team. That decision made, she cleared her throat and asked, "What, if anything, do you need from me? Because I'm quite happy to just sit back and let you two do all the planning for once."

The asari and the thief exchanged quick glances in a silent conversation that Kalissa couldn't hope to follow. When it was over, Liara looked at Kalissa and said, "We don't need anything but you measurements right now and we'll let you know if that changes. I do have something that might keep you busy, though."

"Oh?" Kalissa inquired, curious what Liara had in mind.

That curiosity only grew strong when the asari asked, "Have you ever heard of a justicar?"

"Only in passing," the Commander admitted. "Aren't they like the asari's version of samurai? Warriors who dedicate their lives to some code?"

"Yes, exactly," Liara agreed. "They rarely leave asari space, but one of them recently came to Illium."

"Wait, they're real?" Kalissa exclaimed. "I thought that they were myths or ancient history!"

"Not at all," Liara replied, sounding amused at Kalissa's ignorance and the Commander could hear Kasumi snickering at her side.

Realizing that she probably needed to explain her assumptions, Kalissa crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "Then why are their justicar comic books?"

"Because asari culture is very different from human culture in some ways, Shepard," the former archeologist explained before adding, "And a justicar would be a powerful ally against the collectors. Their biotic abilities are unparalleled."

"A biotic, huh?" Kalissa murmured as a slow smile spread across her face. A biotic would certainly be useful, but then her smile vanished as a thought struck her. "Aren't justicars big on honor and righteousness? I have a feeling that she'd be compelled to take out at least half of my crew."

"Not necessarily. Justicars can act against their code if they swear oaths of loyalty to a person, but that isn't common," Liara explained. "Still, it might be worth talking to her if you don't have anything else to do between now and the party."

Kalissa couldn't argue with that logic, so she asked Liara to forward her all of the information that she had on the justicar. Then the Commander rose to her feet and bid her two teammates adieu, but not before saying, "I have every confidence in you two. I couldn't think of a better team to plan this."

The other women gracefully accepted the compliment and then Liara inquired if Kalissa would like an escort back to the Normandy.

The Commander was inclined to say no, but then she remembered the warning that Garrus had given her before she left the ship. "We were always told that Illium is one of the safest places in the galaxy—until you fell of the grid. Sign the wrong contract, join the wrong company, or go down the wrong alley and it's just as dangerous as anywhere else."

She took the escort.

What, we're changing Thane's recruitment mission? Of course we are! It's more fun that way!

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