15 Thargelia 3364 AR (21 January 2198), High Thessia Orbit

Captain Ashley Williams didn't smile. Miranda wasn't sure that she ever smiled anymore. She did, however, have a very effective look of stern approval.

"Liara. Miranda. I understand you've uncovered a Cerberus base that needs smashing."

"In fact, first it needs infiltration, so we can pull down all their operational data." Liara grinned. "Then there can be as much smashing as you like."

"It's a deal. How long will it take for the rest of your ships to get here?"

"I'm afraid I can't divert Dark River. They're up to their necks in preventing a turian colony from going violently separatist. Cannae is already on station, of course, and Three Banners should arrive in about six hours."

Ashley nodded in satisfaction. "That should be enough. We'll have a planning session once everyone's here. I understand you're having something of a revolution."

"Yes. It started in Armali, and that's where the confrontation has been the most intense. As of today, we've seen protest marches and political activism spreading to some of the other Republics as well." Liara handed Ashley a data chip. "A complete assessment for the Spectres, and for Admiral Hackett. Cerberus is definitely supporting some of the reactionaries, in Armali and elsewhere."

"Well. Let's hope we can nip this in the bud, then."

"I have every confidence." Liara paused, then went on. "How are Owen and the girls?"

Ashley's face softened, just enough for Miranda to notice. "They're fine. Owen gets grumpier every year, but I'm used to that. Marian and Bethany are growing like weeds. Marian was asking about you, a while ago. You've got a bad case of hero-worship from that one. I think she may want to go off to college and get a degree in the sciences when she grows up, instead of picking up a rifle."

"I'll make sure to come visit, next time I have business on the Citadel."

"Do that." Ashley heard a chime from her omni-tool, opened the device and flash-read a message from it. "Look, I'm still on my morning shift, and a hundred things to do to get ready for our little expedition. Putting troops on a Titan-class moon, against armed opposition, is no joke. Let's have the girl talk when this is over, okay?"

"Of course. I should see to my people as well."

"I can give you the flag cabin for a headquarters." Ashley cocked her head, still not smiling but looking faintly amused. "It's not much like you remember it, but all the connections are still there. Miranda, I have a half-cabin free in officer country. Will that do?"

"Miranda will be staying with me," Liara said quietly.

"Oh." Ashley did a double-take. "Oh. Well. That's a surprise."

"It's a recent development."

"Well, good for you both. EDI, full access to the flag cabin for both Liara and Miranda."

"Of course, Captain," came the voice of the AI. "Hello, Dr. T'Soni, Ms. Lawson. It pleases me to see you both again."

"The same to you, EDI," said Liara. Miranda only nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'm off." With no more elaboration than that, Ashley was away, moving at her usual decisive speed.

"She really is a force of nature, isn't she?" Miranda said quietly.

"She reminds me of Shepard sometimes," said Liara. "I look at her now, and I can barely remember the brash young soldier she was when I first met her. You humans mature so quickly."

"Some of us do. Need me for anything?"

Liara shook her head. "Go wash up and get some rest. I won't be very long. If you feel like waiting up for me, I think I could make it worth your while."

Miranda stared at her. "T'Soni, was that a proposition?"

"If it didn't come across clearly, I can be more emphatic."

"Right."


It felt strange, walking into the flag cabin.

Once, this space had been her domain. She had been Normandy's unspoken queen, holding the strings that bound the ship – and its supposed captain – on behalf of the Illusive Man. In time, she had seen Cerberus for what it was, and helped to cut those strings. For a short while she had remained on board as Shepard's true XO, but then came the mission to Bahak. The Reaper invasion was delayed for six months, but only at the cost of Shepard's independence. When the Alliance arrived to claim Normandy, they found Miranda long gone, not entirely trusting the amnesty she had been offered.

Then, when Shepard took command once more, Liara had taken over the space, installing a mobile command node for the Shadow Broker network. Miranda had visited only once during that terrible time, and found her old cabin packed with computers, monitors, and communications gear. A bed and a tiny refresher had taken up the far end of the space, almost an afterthought. They had clearly been little used. Liara had spent her scarce moments of free time two decks up, in the captain's cabin.

Now, Miranda could see no trace of any of that.

Steven Hackett apparently preferred Spartan accommodations. Miranda saw a small conference room, with table, chairs, an unobtrusive computer, and comms gear. Behind a semi-transparent partition stood the personal space: bed, footlocker, personal desk, reading chair, short couch, double-sized closet for uniforms and combat armor, a somewhat larger refresher cubicle than she remembered. Everything was impeccably clean and neat, and rather anonymous. She could see no sign of personality, not so much as a display case for medals or challenge coins, or a picture of family.

"Ms. Lawson?"

"What is it, EDI?"

"Dr. T'Soni wished me to inform you that she has been delayed. She will be able to join you in about half an hour. In the meantime, a personal message for you has arrived in the comms queue. Shall I download it to your omni-tool, or to the cabin system?"

Miranda suppressed a smile. The ship was being solicitous. "Who is the message from?"

"From Oriana Kapoor, on Earth."

"Thank you, EDI. I'll take it on my omni-tool."

Miranda lounged on the couch, stretching out and crossing her legs, and opened her omni-tool to read the letter. It turned out to be irrelevant to the current struggle on Thessia, if still worth reading: news of Ori's husband and sons, an amusing anecdote from the office, progress reports on a half-dozen projects. Snapshots of the slow rebuilding of a planet. Ori still seemed brilliant, and intensely focused, and quite happy with the life she had built for herself.

Miranda closed her omni-tool, and let her head rest against the back of the couch. Tired, she was tired, a catnap would be good. She closed her eyes, and began to drift.

So far, I've wasted my life. I spent half of it building Cerberus up, half of it tearing Cerberus back down, net effect zero.

On the other hand, making sure Ori got to grow up free from the old bastard, making sure she never got entangled with Cerberus? That gave her the chance to be herself, and she's doing great things with it. It's the best thing I've ever done.

Hopefully that will add some good karma to my account. If there really is such a thing.

She dozed, thinking about Ori, and Earth.


A soft sound awakened her: the door, opening and closing.

"Miranda?"

"In here," she called, opening her eyes and unfolding herself from the couch.

Then Liara was there, stepping close to slip an arm around Miranda's waist, her other hand sliding up Miranda's spine. She tipped her face up to be kissed. Miranda decided to oblige, and then the world went away for a moment.

Taste of warm breath and cinnamon. The slick feel of tongues pressing and sliding over one another. The intricacy of the back of an asari neck under her fingertips.

Miranda growled a little, in the back of her throat. "Please tell me," she murmured, "that Vara isn't going to appear, like a bloody Greek chorus, for at least six hours."

"I told her she was off duty until we set out for Tevura," said Liara, her expression suddenly shy. "We have time to get some sleep. If that's what you want."

"I want some sleep. Yes." Miranda took a deep breath. "Later."

Liara was surprisingly aggressive. Miranda was so busy exploring the feel of an asari face under her fingertips, the taste of an asari mouth under her lips, that she barely noticed when clever asari fingers found the seam of her jacket. A few moments later, Miranda found herself sprawled on the couch again, shivering with delight while Liara kissed and caressed her bare breasts.

"Lights, one-third," she called out, and was obeyed. Then a sudden thought came to her, and her eyes snapped open. "EDI, are you actively monitoring this compartment?"

"Relax. I asked her to give us some privacy." Liara made a pleased sound, as she peeled Miranda's jacket back further. "You're beautiful."

"So are you," Miranda told her, and found that she meant it. "Let me see."

Liara stood up and made a small Mona Lisa smile, as she pulled her own jacket off and pushed her trousers down over her hips, tossing the discarded gear to one side. In the dim light, she was suddenly a creature of blue highlights and shadows, watching Miranda closely.

"God," Miranda muttered. "Come here, would you?"

It got a little involved after that.

One thing was very nice. Liara didn't seem to be in any kind of hurry. Human males tended to rush things, too focused on what they considered the main event. Asari seemed to understand the value of a deliberate and varied approach. Liara explored, compared, contrasted, like a surveyor taking the time to map every inch of an unfamiliar country. She asked questions, and whispered praise for what she found. She touched, and tasted, and breathed in the warm scents of her lover's body. She recognized Miranda's growing sense of need, cultivated it, lavished attention upon it.

Miranda became fascinated with the differences: the variety of textures in Liara's skin, the intricacies of her crest, the utter lack of hair, the subtle variations in scent and taste. The way she responded when light human fingers brushed across her nipples, or along her ribs, or down the small of her back. The subtle power of her biotic corona, as it began to show in little electric arcs around her shoulders and down her arms.

After a time, Miranda could feel something else, like a whisper in the back of her mind. A taste of desire, not unlike her own, but somehow lighter and smokier. It came from outside. From Liara.

"We're starting to be superimposed," Liara explained, when Miranda could frame a coherent question. "It becomes a feedback loop. Before the end, we'll be feeling each other's pleasure as well as our own."

"Do you want to . . ." Miranda wasn't sure how to ask the question.

Liara smiled, understanding. "Not yet. Plenty of time for that. In fact . . ."

She gave Miranda a deep, searching kiss on the mouth. Then she slid downward, kissing, trailing her tongue across sensitive skin, easing Miranda's legs apart with gentle-but-firm force.

Miranda suddenly threw her head back, closed her eyes, and felt her fingers claw at the upholstery.

Bloody hell where did she ever learn to do that . . .

She gasped for breath, all her attention focused on what Liara was doing to her. She felt her own biotic corona slip free, blue-white discharges fizzing and snapping across her skin. Her torso moved, out of her control, like the surge of waves on the deep ocean. She could feel the muscles of her thighs, jumping and starting to quiver under Liara's hands. Then her mind whited out entirely.

It took a few moments for her to come back to herself, her heart beginning to slow, a pleasant sense of warm relaxation in all her limbs. Then Liara arrived, moving up once more to snuggle close, her arms holding Miranda tightly.

"I love you, Miranda," she murmured. "That was for you."

Miranda moaned quietly, not feeling up to the challenge of being verbal just yet, but Liara seemed to understand. They nestled together for a while in silence, a tangle of limbs on the couch.

"That was awfully good," Miranda finally managed. "You're going to spoil me if you're not careful."

"I certainly intend to try. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Hmm. The Shadow Broker doesn't know that?"

"The Shadow Broker doesn't spy on her friends."

Miranda took a deep breath, and ran fingertips down Liara's spine to make her shiver. "Yes. It's been a long time. After the war, I think I lost track of this part of life. Or maybe I just didn't think I deserved it anymore."

"I understand." Liara reared up for a warm kiss. "Thank you for being my friend, Miranda. For being willing to take a chance."

Miranda probed her feelings, searching for some knot of resistance, and found none.

Strange. Here I am, sprawled stark naked across Admiral Hackett's couch, having just been shagged quite thoroughly by the Shadow Broker, and it feels perfectly natural. Like I've found something good that I didn't even realize I needed.

Still, something nagged at her. "That wasn't the complete experience, was it?"

"No. As I said, it was for you." Liara sighed, a slight frown on her face, as if she questioned her own motives. "I didn't want to be selfish. If you would be more comfortable retaining the privacy of your own thoughts, your own memories . . ."

Miranda stopped her with another kiss. "I think we're well past that now, Liara."

"Mmm. Good."

Then the Shadow Broker squeaked, as Miranda swung her legs over the edge of the couch and abruptly stood, swinging Liara into a bridal carry with effortless strength. Three steps, and the asari found herself unceremoniously dumped into the admiral's bed. Miranda followed, climbing in after her with a slow, predatory crawl.

"I keep forgetting how strong you are," Liara said, suddenly rather breathless.

"All those genetic enhancements have to be good for something," Miranda said, and then leaned close to run her tongue along a blue collarbone.

Miranda had never made love to a woman before, or to an asari. She decided not to worry about her lack of experience. This wasn't the first time in her life that she had thrown herself into a task, armed with nothing but theory and a generous helping of self-confidence. Liara certainly didn't appear to be unhappy with the results. She seemed content to lie on her back, her eyes closed, one hand sweeping over Miranda's skin, and let her lover work.

Soon, Miranda began to sense that overlap once more, her own nerves responding to what Liara's were doing. There was more urgency to it now, as if the asari had cast aside some restraint.

It's time, she decided.

Miranda moved to press close along Liara's side, watching her from a few inches away, her right hand busy between the asari's legs. Liara's face had gone slack with pleasure, her eyes closed, a low moan escaping her lips. Miranda could feel it too, a powerful surge of uncomplicated lust that made her want to burrow under her lover's skin. Her hips moved involuntarily, grinding against the asari's raised thigh.

Liara opened her eyes, which had gone black as night. "Embrace eternity," she whispered.

The room suddenly blazed with blue-white light, both of their coronae surging together.

Miranda's body tensed, shivering violently at a flood of new sensation. She felt the sudden sense of another whole consciousness overlapped with hers, a lifetime of memories and experiences slamming into her awareness.

"Liara," she gasped.

Liara's voice came through the link, silent but loud as trumpets: Miranda.

So this is what it's like to be you.

The surge of memories reminded Miranda of the truth about her lover. Liara had earned her doctorate, earned tenure as a university professor, and set out on that notable scientific career, all before Miranda was even born. Since then she had seen a hundred worlds, fought in dozens of battles, managed an intelligence network that spanned the galaxy. She had absorbed the memories and experiences of Shepard, one of the most remarkable men in human history. She had made shallow mind-links with any number of others, learning from them. All of that was put on the table, in one timeless moment.

Wealth beyond imagination.

The last fifteen years had scarred Liara, just as they had scarred everyone who survived them. Yet beneath the anger, the loss, the carefully cultivated pose as a ruthless player for high stakes, Miranda saw an essentially gentle soul. A scientist, when all was said and done. Someone who wanted nothing more than to know, to understand, and then to bring the benefit of that understanding to others.

Miranda might still have trouble saying it, but all at once she knew: she loved Liara.

Liara saw it, and was content.

Thank you, came a thought across their link, and then something more.

It was as if Liara held up a mirror, so Miranda could see herself.

In Liara's mind, Miranda sat on a throne, crowned and cloaked with authority. Her right hand held a naked sword upright, light shining on the blade. From her left depended an ancient set of scales. Her face was cool and impassive, but fiercely attentive as well, her eyes missing nothing.

Amid oneness, Miranda laughed.

Flickering thought, a deep exchange that took only an instant. Words only came later.

Tarot imagery now, T'Soni?

Sorry. I think I picked it up from Shepard. It still fits you. All your life, you've been in pursuit of justice. Proper relationships between sentient beings, the kind that can only be attained through a clear understanding of their nature. Even your time in Cerberus was driven by your belief that humans would be denied justice by a galaxy that despised you.

I was wrong.

Everyone is wrong sometimes. You're no more forgiving of yourself than you are of anyone else. You never stop trying to do better. Another reason why I love you, Miranda.

Light. Everywhere, shining through everything, light.

Miranda fell out of eternity, back into her body, shaking like a leaf in a storm. She felt Liara shivering hard too, the shared sensations almost too much to bear. Then the link broke, and she pitched forward into Liara's arms.

This time it seemed to take a long while for her to recover. She became aware in small bites. Soft sheets and cooling sweat against her skin. Liara's breath warm on her throat. Fine scales under the palm of her hand. Pleasant warmth in her belly.

She found herself reviewing memories. So many memories. The scientist in the back of her mind wondered just how that was done. How the asari nervous system could push so much data across the link, in such a short time, and have it all make sense at its destination.

One memory rose to the front of her mind. Possibly because Liara had been thinking about it at the critical instant. Almost as if she wanted Miranda to pick it up at once.

Miranda's eyes snapped open, and she pushed partway out of Liara's embrace to stare at her. She saw calm acceptance in those cobalt-blue eyes, and no surprise at all.

"Wait a moment," she said. "Shepard is alive?"