Lower Wards. Citadel.

"So. . ." Jacob cleared his throat slightly. "Er. . . Ms Goto?"

"Kasumi's fine," the thief replied cheerfully.

"Right," he nodded. "Call me 'Jacob', then. I gotta ask, what made you want to join our mission?"

"You mean apart from all the credits your boss is throwing my way?"

"People don't exactly join suicide missions for the credits," Jacob pointed out. "Not much point of having them if you're not around to spend them, is it?"

"Suicide Mission!?" Kasumi exclaimed. "My, my. . . aren't you a bundle of optimism?"

"He's just being realistic," Miranda spoke up from behind her. "The odds of returning from this mission are very, very low. The entire relay is unmapped and no ship or person that ever attempted it has ever been seen again." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Personally, I find it a bit curious myself that someone of your. . . profession would be interested in a mission like this one. Just why are you here?"

For some reason, this question caused Kasumi's mind to go back to the man lying comatose in Huerta Memorial hospital. The man who had, despite her best efforts, come to mean so much to her.

"I. . ."

1 year ago.

The man grunted in pain as he was slammed against the wall, and slid down painfully to the ground. "For the last time, Goto," he groaned. "I don't where he is!"

"Liar!" Kasumi shrieked, jumping onto his back. "You were the one who set us up! Now tell me where he is!"

"I don't. . .aaargh!" He screamed as his right shoulder was viciously dislocated. "You crazy bitch! I'm telling you, I DON'T KNOW!"

"One last time: where is Keiji!?" Kasumi said dangerously, her arm around his other shoulder.

Her captive merely scoffed. "You think you scare me, you little bint!? What you're doing is nothing compared to what Donovan Hock'll do to me if he finds out I betrayed him! You don't even have half his imagination!"

"Oh, I disagree. She's got plenty of imagination."

Kasumi nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the heavily-disguised voice from the corner. Whipping out her pistol, she spun on her heel to point it at the intruder. . .

. . . only to see no less a dozen laser sights dancing on her.

"I wouldn't be too hasty, Ms Goto," the stranger in the shadows warned.

She cursed vilely under her breath. Sloppy, idiotic. . . she must be completely off her game if she could allow so many enemies to get the jump on her so easily.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she snapped.

The figure in the shadows stepped forward, revealing a fully armored turian. "Believe it or not, I'm a friend," he spoke in a heavily-synthesized voice. "And what I want right now is to help you."

"I don't have time for. . . ."

"Bekenstein."

She blinked. "What?"

"Your partner Keiji Okuda is at Donovon Hock's private residence on Bekenstein," the turian said smoothly. "If you come with us, we can help you recover him."

Kasumi looked at him as though he were insane. "Just how stupid do you think I am?" she demanded. "You think I'll simply go off with the first stranger who comes along and gives me a random location!?"

Now, that wasn't strictly true since she did vaguely remember Keiji mention Bekenstein once in relation to Hock, so there was a good chance the turian was telling the truth. But considering that she'd just been betrayed by an old acquaintance a scant few hours ago, Kasumi wasn't in a hurry to go around putting her faith in people she'd just met.

"I think that you value Mr Okuda's life more than your own, and I think you'll have a better chance of saving both if you'll let us help you," the turian answered. "Believe me when I say I'm not in the business of giving out wrong information."

It was then that Kasumi noticed the symbol on his armor. "Since when does the Shadow Broker hand out information for free?" she asked suspiciously.

A gruff laugh sounded from the side. "Yeah, I said the same thing."

Kasumi recognized the scarred mercenary immediately. She'd be a fool not to. "Zaeed Massani," she whispered.

"Guilty as charged," he grunted. "And you might wanna make your decision quickly, sugar. I know that son-of-a-bitch Hock, and he ain't exactly the patient type."

Kasumi bit her lip nervously. While it was true that she didn't trust the turian as far as she could throw him, the fact that he had Zaeed-goddamn-Massani vouching for him was a point in her book. The old man was a legendary mercenary, famous for being one of the few people out there with a sense of honor. Stabbing someone in the back simply wasn't in his nature.

But could she honestly take the risk of exposing herself so brazenly?

Get a grip, Kasumi! Now's not the time to be a chicken. Keiji needs you. . .

"What about him?" she gestured at the rat lying at her feet.

The turian simply pointed his omni-tool at the prone man, causing an overload to electrocute the traitor into unconsciousness. "I've put out the word. C-Sec will pick him up after we leave; assuming you're willing to accept our help, that is."

"You'll really help me get Keiji out of there?" she asked.

The turian bowed his head. "You have my word."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Then lead the way."

The journey to Bekenstein was faster than Kasumi had anticipated, and between her, the turian known as Archangel, his men and Massani they made short work of the security around Donovan Hock's estate.

Unfortunately, they were still too late.

"You bastard!" Kasumi howled, physically tackling Hock onto the floor. "You killed him!"

"Goto. . ."

"You killed Keiji!" she screamed hysterically, punching the prone man in the face over and over again. She could feel the bones in her hand jangling with each blow, but she was too far gone to care. "You killed him!"

She jumped back and drew her pistol, pointing it shakily at his head. "I'll kill you!" she snarled. "I swear I'm going to kill you!"

Hock grinned at her through his ruined face. "Do it," he challenged her. "Do it Goto. . . if you have to guts, that is."

Kasumi ground the pistol into his temple, her hand shaking even harder. "Don't. . . don't you dare. . ." she said quietly.

Hock gave a harsh chuckle. "You can't," he grinned, spitting out a few teeth. "You've never actually murdered someone , have you?"

"Your guards would beg to differ," she spat angrily.

"Bah! I'm not talking about killing in combat, you silly girl! I'm talking about murder." He gave her a contemptuous grin. "I'm talking about holding down a defenseless man and shooting him in the head, while you look straight into the whites of his eyes. Never done that, have you?"

"Shut up!" she snarled, kicking him viciously in the ribs. "Just shut up!"

Hock laughed again. "You dumb broad!" he wheezed. "You're an idiot, just like your boyfriend. If he'd only given me what I wanted, I would've made his death painless."

"DON'T TALK ABOUT KEIJI LIKE THAT!"

"Then again," Hock pressed on. "If he really had any sense, he wouldn't have. . ."

He never got to finish that sentence as a pistol round went right through his head, causing his brains to be splattered all over the place.

Kasumi jumped backward in shock. It took her a second to process the fact that she hadn't pulled the trigger before she spun around. "Massani!" she yelled at the old merc standing behind her with a smoking pistol. "What the hell was that!?"

"Two things," he grunted. "First: I don't like these smug critters mouthing off so much. Makes me feel like I'm in a fucking comic book."

"That's not the point. . ."

"Secondly," he spoke over her. "Your boyfriend is still alive."

Kasumi blinked dumbly. "What?"

"You heard me, kiddo: your man's still alive."

"But. . . but I saw Hock shooting him. . ."

"You saw Hock pulling a gun on him," Massani corrected her. "The shot you heard was the big man knocking the pistol out of his hand. Yeah," he said at her disbelieving expression, "he's that good."

Kasumi felt her heart soar. "Where is he!? Where's. . .?"

Massani simply pointed at where Archangel was conversing with one of his underlings.

Kasumi ran towards them, and as she got nearer she could make out the asari's voice. ". . . severe damage. We've put him on life-support for now, but he needs a hospital. . ."

"Keiji," she interrupted them breathlessly. "How. . . how is he?"

The asari hesitated, glancing over at Archangel, who simply nodded. "She needs to hear it, Melenis."

Melenis took a deep breath. "It appears that Mr Hock went a bit. . . overboard with his questioning. He somehow got it into his head that he could bypass Mr Okuda's greybox protocols through brute force, and to that end he used this contraption," she waved her hand at the blood-covered chair they'd found Keiji strapped to, "to attack his brain."

Kasumi covered her mouth in horror. "You mean. . .?"

The asari nodded sadly. "They passed a rather large amount of current through Mr Okuda's cerebral cortex. Preliminary scans show that the damage is. . . extensive. Several of his neurons have been completely fried. We had to induce a coma just to stabilize him."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Will he. . .?" she choked, unable to say the words.

"He'll survive, though it's much too early to say how much he'll be able to recover." Melenis reached out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't give up hope yet, Ms Goto."

Kasumi could only nod shakily.

"I've made arrangements for a special ward in Huerta Memorial's ICU," Archangel said suddenly. "We should leave immediately."

"Huerta Memorial?" Kasumi was surprised. "On the Citadel?"

"That's right," he said, walking back to the ship. "You can thank me later. Now let's go!"

"Wait a minute," Kasumi cried, running after him. "Why. . . why are you doing this?"

He paused mid-stride, turning around slightly. "Because I know what you're going through better than anyone else," he answered quietly.

It was a whole month later that Kasumi found herself standing cloaked on the landing above Huerta Memorial's second floor, right above Keiji's room.

"You know," she spoke suddenly. "You're pretty light footed for an old geezer."

Zaeed Massani gave a gruff chuckle as he sauntered into view. "Good instincts."

"I could say the same about you, old timer." She shimmered back into view. "How'd you find me, anyway?"

"You don't live as long as I have without learning a few tricks, sugar," Zaeed grinned.

"Uh-huh," she gave him a small smile. "Still, I gotta say Gramps, I'm flattered by the attention and everything. But I'm not into older men."

"Don't worry your butt off, hun," he grinned. "I don't do kids, either. I like my women like my wine."

"More than a century old?" Kasumi guessed.

"I was gonna say classy, but you ruined it." He casually lit a cigar. "So, how's he doing?"

The smile slipped off of Kasumi's face. "He's still in a coma," she said softly. "I overheard the doctors saying they're going to repair all the damage to his brain before waking him up, but that could take years." She hurriedly blinked away the tears from her eyes.

If Zaeed noticed the heaviness in her voice, he didn't react. "What're you gonna do?"

"Don't know," she answered honestly. "I've been working with a partner for so long I've almost forgotten how to pull a heist alone." She sighed. "Right now, the only thing I want is to see Keiji back on his feet. Mind you, your boss is being pretty helpful with that."

"He ain't my boss," Zaeed muttered. "But I hear ya. He's a bit weird, that one."

"Tell me about it. You know he's made arrangements to have Keiji in that room for the next couple of years. A private ward in Huerta hardly comes cheap." Kasumi shook her head. "And he hasn't even asked for anything in return yet!"

Zaeed shrugged. "What can I say? Goddamn turian's as nutty as they come."

"I figured," Kasumi grinned. They were silent for a few minutes before she spoke again. "Hey, Massani?"

"Yeah?"

"By the way, I have to ask: why didn't you let me kill Hock back then?"

Zaeed blew out a cloud of smoke. "Dunno what you're talking about."

"Oh, cut the crap, old man," she sighed. "I saw what you did back there. You killed Hock before I could, and I've heard enough about you to know that it's not your style. So why'd you do it?"

"Cause the bastard was right," Zaeed answered without hesitation. "You've never murdered someone in your life, have ya?"

"So you think I couldn't do it?" Kasumi challenged him. "You think I couldn't have killed him?"

Zaeed simply stared at her for a few moments, puffing his cigar in silence. The he spoke. "You know how I got this scar?"

"You tried to hit on a krogan?" Kasumi mock-guessed.

"Cheeky brat," he snorted. "No, it was nothing so nice. You see, twenty years ago my old. . . friend," he spat the word as though it were venom, "Vido Santiago and I founded a merc group. You know it as the Blue Suns."

"Whoa. . back up there a sec! You founded the Blue Suns!?" Kasumi asked in surprise. "How come nobody's ever mentioned that?"

"Because it's not common knowledge. Vido wiped me out of the records," Zaeed spat. "He ran the books, I led the men. Worked real well for a while. Then Vido decided to start hiring batarians. 'Cheaper labour', he said. 'Goddamn terrorists', I said."

He took another deep puff of his cigar. "Eventually Vido got tired of dodging around and turned my men against me. He paid six of them to restrain me while he put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger."

"Wow. You survived a gunshot to the head!?"

Zaeed simply shrugged. "A stubborn enough person can survive just about anything. Rage is a hell of an anaesthetic."

"So yeah, I survived and I spent twenty years chasing down the backstabbing son-of-a-bitch. Managed to finally corner him a couple months ago in an oil refinery on Zorya, thanks to our mutual friend."

He sighed softly. "I shot him in both kneecaps and slapped him around like a bitch. Then when I was done paying back the bastard with my fists, I doused him with jet fuel and set him on fire. Alive."

Kasumi clamped a hand over her mouth. "Gross," she mumbled.

"Yeah, it wasn't a pretty sight," Zaeed agreed. "He screamed like a vorcha for fifteen minutes before his face melted off."

"Anyway, after that I went off and started celebrating. I mean, I was happy you know; I finally got the revenge I'd been looking for twenty years. Felt like a huge weight off my chest."

"A week later, Archangel's cronies found me drunk as a skunk in a filth-ridden hovel down the street."

His eyes were unfocused now. "It was supposed to be satisfying, supposed to be the best feeling in the world. For twenty years, I saw that bastard every time I closed my eyes. Every time I sighted down on a target. Every time I heard a gunshot. . ."

"But it didn't feel any different. Not to me."

Zaeed took another deep puff of his cigar. "You see, I forgot something important. For twenty years I'd been so fixated on Vido that, now that he was dead, I had nothing left anymore. No aim, no reason. . . just didn't have anything meaningful, y'know? Figured I should just buy a ship full of explosives and commit suicide by Omega. Easiest retirement plan I could come up with back then."

He blew out a cloud of smoke. "That's what revenge does to you: makes you cross a line you thought you never would. Makes it feel easy. Then when the deed is done, you're left all alone to figure out what's next. Mind you, an old man like me could live with that. But you," he fixed the young thief with a stern glare, "you're much too young to be dealing with that shit."

Kasumi didn't know what to say to that, so she wisely remained silent. "So," she asked after a few minutes. "What happened to suicide bombing Omega?"

"Got scuppered thanks to the nosy turian asshat," Zaeed grumbled. "He said if I really wanted to die that badly, I could do it while making myself useful."

"How?"

"Saving the galaxy," he shrugged. "Fighting the good fight. You know, usual bullshit."

"Is that what he wants from me?" Kasumi asked shrewdly. "Fighting the good fight?"

"That'd be a start."

"I'm a thief, gramps," she said with a hollow laugh. "In what reality would a thief and a mercenary fight to save a galaxy full of innocents?"

Zaeed casually pulled out an OSD and offered it to her. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"

Present.

"I want the galaxy to be a safer place before he wakes up again," she murmured softly.

"Excuse me?" Miranda asked.

"Never mind. So tell me, Miranda," Kasumi said brightly. "When am I getting my special Cerberus suit?"

"Your what?"

"The suit. You know, like the one you're wearing. Every new recruit gets one, right?"

"This is a custom hardsuit specially made out of a high-density polymer, issued specifically to Cerberus' best field operatives," Miranda stated with no small amount of pride. "It's not a signing-up bonus."

"Aww, that's no fun," Kasumi pouted.

Miranda rolled her eyes. "I'm starting to wonder if we made the right decision by bringing you on board," she muttered quietly. "Shepard was bad enough. . ."

"Aw, c'mon. Don't be like that, Miranda!" The thief threw one arm over the taller woman's shoulder (with some difficulty). "We'll be the bestest of friends."

"No. And get your hands off me. . ."

"Say, will you give me a suit if I act all racist for a while? You know, Cerberus agenda and all that."

"For the last time, we are not a xenophobic organization!"

Thus, the two bickering ladies made their way into the less reputable regions of the Citadel, followed by a bemused Jacob.

Presidium. Citadel.

David Anderson knew it was her the second she walked through his door.

The confidence with which she carried herself, that wide smile, that familiar mischievous twinkle in those bright green eyes. . .

No clone could ever mimic that. No imposter could possibly hope to fake that.

He knew, before she'd even spoken, that this was the real deal. This was Jane Shepard: his subordinate, his prized protégé and, dare he say it, the closest thing to a daughter he'd ever had. . .

"Commander," he said, turning away from the holograms of the Council. "We were just talking about you."

She shot him a warm smile. "It's been a long time, Anderson. I hope the last couple years have treated you right."

It took all of David's self-control to maintain his composure. Two years. Two damn years she was gone, and now she walks into his office like nothing's happened! He didn't know whether to embrace the damn kid or smack her up the head.

Then again, he mused, this was how Shepard had always been. Even during her ICT camp days she had a knack for pulling off the craziest stunts and then acting as though nothing had happened. It was why he had come to like her so much. Kid was as tough as they made 'em.

"There's been some rough spots," he said. In a lower voice he added, "It's good to have you back."

"We've heard many rumors surrounding your unexpected return, Commander," Valern, the salarian councilor interrupted them. "Some of them are. . unsettling."

The brief grimace that passed over Shepard's face was identical to his own. Rolling her eyes slightly, she stepped forward before the Council.

"My apologies, Councilors," she said smoothly. "I meant to inform you of my return a bit sooner, but found myself delayed by unavoidable circumstances."

This display of professionalism caused David Anderson to feel even prouder of his protégé. There was a reason, he reminded himself, that Jane Shepard had come so highly recommended for position of Spectre. She was easily one of the best officers the Alliance Academy had produced over the last decade. She understood decorum and protocol, and knew how to conduct herself before her superiors (personal opinions notwithstanding). A fine example of what both the Systems Alliance and humanity to the rest of the galaxy.

"We called this meeting so you could explain your actions, Shepard," Tevos said gently, who was the only person there (apart from David himself) who seemed sympathetic towards the young woman. "We owe you that much. After all, you saved our lives in the battle against Saren and his geth." The last part was almost a gentle rebuke to the other two.

To her credit, Shepard seemed to have noticed this as well. "The only action I've taken so far was to investigate the abductions of human colonists out in the Terminus Systems," she said earnestly. "So far, I've identified the kidnappers as the Collectors. Worse, there are indications that they're working for the Reapers."

"The Collectors!? Please!" Sparatus, the turian councilor, scoffed. "Everyone knows that they're nothing more than a myth!"

"They're much more than a myth, Councilor," Shepard countered. "And I have proof." She turned back to the door. "Professor, could you come in please?"

David watched in mild surprise as an old salarian ambled through the room and bowed slightly to the Council.

"Dr Mordin Solus," Valern nodded in acknowledgement.

"Councilor," Solus smiled.

"Dr Solus is a member of my team who's been studying all the data we've gathered on the Collectors," Shepard explained. "You can examine it if you like."

The three councilors briefly studied the information presented and exchanged looks. "Dr Solus is a very reputable scientist and a highly respected former member of the STG," Valern said. "The Council will accept his testimony regarding the Collectors."

"Be that as it may," Sparatus growled. "The Terminus Systems are still beyond our jurisdiction. Your colonies knew this when they left Council Space."

"You're missing the important part, Councilor," David interjected. "The Reapers are involved."

"Ah yes. 'Reapers'," Sparatus said sarcastically, making quotation marks with his talons in the air. "The immortal race of sentient starships allegedly waiting in dark space." He waved his hand loftily. "We have dismissed that claim!"

The expression of utter shock on Shepard's face mirrored that on David's. The incredulous look they exchanged asked a simple question: Is he being serious?

But before either of them could voice their indignation, Tevos stepped forward.

"Councilor!" she snapped, drawing surprised looks from everyone. "I find it highly disrespectful that you would speak to Commander Shepard this way. Need I remind you that this person here is the reason we're all standing here today? Have you forgotten the sacrifices she and her race made in the defense of the Citadel two years ago?"

It was hard to tell who was more surprised by this passionate outburst, Sparatus (who looked like he'd just been slapped) or the other two Councilors, who had never seen Tevos be anything but calm and composed until now.

"That. . . that has nothing to do with this," he stammered, mandibles quivering in agitation. "No one denies the sacrifices of the Alliance. But there is no evidence to support these ridiculous claims!"

"Just like there was no evidence to support accusations of Saren's traitorous actions two years ago?" Tevos shot back.

"That's. . . Councilor, look. This whole business makes no sense! Do you honestly expect us to believe that there is a race of sentient machines hiding out there, waiting for a chance to eradicate all life in the galaxy?" He snorted derisively. "Preposterous!"

"I see. And you're willing to gamble the lives of your people on that statement?" Tevos asked coolly.

"What!?"

"It's simple: if Commander Shepard is indeed mistaken, then the only thing to worry about are the Collectors. But if she is right, then the lives of every single one of our people is at risk. Are we willing to risk billions of lives and the possible destruction of our homeworlds just because something sounds unlikely to be true?"

And that, in David's opinion, was the million-credit question. If Shepard was right (and he didn't doubt that for a second) then billions, if not trillions of lives were at stake. Sovereign alone had nearly destroyed the Citadel; an army of Sovereigns could destroy half the galaxy with practically no effort.

"But. . ." Sparatus began.

"Two years ago," she loudly overrode him. "We ignored a warning from Shepard for the exact same reasons, and it nearly cost us everything. Hundreds died, thousands suffered due to collateral damage when the geth came and attacked us in our very homes." She spread out her hands and made brief eye contact with all of them. "I ask you all now: are we going to make the same mistake again? Do we stand back and wait for the enemy to arrive at our doors instead of taking advantage of the opportunity we have?"

A tense silence followed this dramatic announcement. Finally, Sparatus spoke again. "That is all well and good. But that does not change the fact that we have no evidence whatsoever to prove the existence of these. . . Reapers."

Tevos bowed her head. "You're right that there is currently no evidence," she conceded. "However," she continued, causing Sparatus' smug expression to slip slightly, "just because we have no evidence doesn't mean we can't find any."

"Commander Shepard," she addressed the woman directly. "I understand that your mission involves going through the Omega 4 relay?"

"Yes, Councilor."

"A risky undertaking. To my knowledge no ship has ever survived a trip of that sort. Tell us, what do you hope to find on the other side?"

"The Collector homeworld is my best guess. Or wherever they come from," Shepard answered.

"Then I have a motion to put forth before the Council," Tevos announced. "I propose that we order one of our Spectres to accompany Commander Shepard on her trip through the relay. Assuming that the Collectors are indeed working for the Reapers, there is bound to be solid evidence of their existence on their homeworld. It will be the appointed Spectre's responsibility to ensure that data is brought back to the Council, so that we may make an informed decision on the matter."

"I second the motion," David said without skipping a beat.

"I am opposed," Sparatus growled distastefully. "This is a waste of the Council's resources and time!"

All eyes turned towards Valern, who stood there blinking rapidly. David was under no delusions about their situation: this was a golden opportunity. If Valern sided with them, then they'd finally have the chance they needed to clear Shepard's reputation with the Alliance and resolve the Reaper matter once and for all. If he refused, then the Council would be deadlocked and they'd be back to square one.

The question now was: could they count on the slippery salarian councilor to do the right thing?

AN: Oh look, it's a cliffhanger! In the immortal words of a certain krogan: Heh-heh-heh.

And yeah, Kasumi is one of Garrus' moles as well, though I'm sure most of you figured it out before this. She also happens to be the last of the people Archangel has reached out to, apart from Zaeed and you-know-who. From this point, all new recruits to Team Shepard will be genuine. Incidentally, Kasumi is also the only squad-mate whose backstory is different from canon.

For once I wanted to see a Council meeting where an alien race stands up for humanity. The whole "Boo-hoo, the entire galaxy hates us" cliche gets boring pretty quickly, since almost every sci-fi franchise has this in some form.

And as you might've noticed, all the squad-mates will be getting their own moments in this fic, like Zaeed did over here. So there's plenty of interesting moments to look forward to in the future.

Next up: A meeting with some 'old friends' leads Garrus to discover something that may turn out to be the biggest clue to defeating the Reapers. Meanwhile, Valern makes the decision that will make or break Commander Shepard's mission. How will this turn out for our heroes?

Stay tuned to find out :)