"There he is…" I said and put the sniper in position.

"Careful, Shay. If we don't time our shots…" Shade's voice cracked in my ear, making me sigh.

"I know. It's not my first time with a sniper…" I said, putting the weapon better in position, waiting for the right time to strike the small group walking beneath us. I had my eye on a woman in some sleazy jumpsuit, her long black hair waving around her as she looked around. Yeah, you try and find us… I thought, finding it amusing how little she was actually looking. It almost looked like she wasn't used to field work.

"Now!" Shade said, and at the same time we pulled the trigger on our snipers, taking down two of three shields, making it impossible for the group to say where the shot came from. I flared my biotics, lifted the two and knocked them both unconscious before anyone could make a move, leaving the third to aim and fire at me as he noticed my biotics. His shots was reflected on my shield and barrier.

He quickly changed rounds, but a shadow appeared behind him, pressing a pistol to his back. "You'll be dead before you even pull the trigger." Shade threatened, making the soldier lift his hands in surrender. I drifted down to them, and walked towards him.

"You should get yourself some better people, commander. Those two would have been dead by now, had it been our intention to kill them." I said and came closer. "But I was feeling generous. Killing people isn't the best way to secure a possible alliance."

"PtM, I assume?" he said, clearly not intimidated by either of us. I nodded. God, even the voice was as I remembered him to be… I thought as I stared at the soldier, the Commander; John Shepard. He looked the same, except for the few red lines on his face and the slight red glimpse in his eyes. The armor had changed as well, but he still wore the N7 symbol. Now I just had to find out if he really was the one and only…

"And you must be Commander Shepard. I've heard you were dead." I said, my voice twisted thanks to the recon hood. I waved a hand at Shade, who stepped back and allowed Shepard to lower his hands.

"I was, partially." He said, looking back at the Drell, before he gripped his weapon and took a step towards me. "But who are you, and why did you attack my people?" He said and I huffed.

After I discovered the Normandy and that there truly was a Shepard onboard, I went through my old addresses and found his. Then I spent a few days working on what to write and how to get to talk with him in private without revealing who I was too early. I had my remaining team members help me set up a plan, and Shade offered to be there with me. Honestly I hadn't expected for it to work, but here he was and as I suspected, he hadn't come alone. The two Cerberus operatives were no match, however.

I leaned back on a leg. "I'm not fond of Cerberus. And honestly, I wouldn't have expected a man like you to work for them, commander." I said, avoiding the question about my identity. He lowered his weapon and stepped closer again. Shade was ready to interfere…

"I'm not working for Cerberus. I'm working with them to stop the Reapers." He said, his eyes hard and cold, but I sensed some of the life. He stepped back again. "What even gives you the right to judge me? Who are you and what do you want?" he said, clearly not fond of the situation, but since we hadn't tried to kill him or the others, he wouldn't do anything. That is, if he really was the Shepard I knew…

"Palaven, and I called you here, hoping to talk with you." I said and stepped closer to him, coming within a few inches of his reach. "The Reapers are on the move again, aren't they?" I asked and he lifted a brow slightly, trying to look through the lenses of my hood.

"What do you know about the Reapers?" he asked, the tension in the room rising, making Shade tense behind Shepard. I took a step back, crossed my arms and leaned into a hip.

"There are some in this galaxy who hasn't rejected your theories, and even seen the evidence themselves, commander." I deliberately twisted the sound of his title, hoping to bring a reaction out of him, something I could recognize…

"We're not entirely sure yet, but everything points at Reaper influence. Several human colonies in the Traverse have gone silent, and every time there is no trace of any hostile activity. Everyone is just gone." He said and I relaxed again. "We have confirmation that a race called Collectors is involved in these attacks, but we still don't know if they are working for the Reapers."

"But you suspect it?" I asked and he nodded, making me walk a little back and forth. "So, the Collectors are involved, the Reapers might be behind it all, and the deceased first human Spectre returns to life, working with a known terrorist group, in order to stop them…" I stated, just trying to be along with the facts. Of course, I already knew, thanks to the return of my knowledge about the games…

I stopped walking. "Sounds like you have your hands full, Shep." I said, folding my hands behind my back.

"I have no intention of going alone. I'm trying to gather a team of…" he started, but then trailed of and I smirked behind the hood. You could see the thoughts work in his mind, and this was the final clue I needed to know I was standing with the one and only Commander Shepard. If he didn't pass this one, I knew I had to kill him…

"Shep…?" he said, narrowing his eyes and took a step forward. "There's only one person who has called me that before…" he stored his weapon and then walked forward, reaching for my hood. Shade lifted his pistol, ready to shoot should it prove necessary. I didn't move as Shepard slid the hood of my head and my hair was allowed some air.

The look on his face was almost priceless as I looked up at him and he instantly recognized me.

"But… I was told…" he said, not believing it.

"That I was dead? Technically, yes, but don't believe everything you hear; especially not if it's from the Illusive man." I lightly growled, and then all of a sudden I was held tight in his embrace, our armors clashing together.

"I thought you were dead…" he whispered. I made Shade lower his weapon and then embraced Shepard, holding him the best I could.

"I've missed you too…" I whispered. There was no doubt anymore that this was Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre, the man who had defeated Saren and Sovereign, and who I had given myself to during my first real journey in space.

We separated and he looked at his two Cerberus companions.

"Now I understand why you knocked them out." He said, lifting a brow in that teasing way I knew and liked about him. I shrug my shoulders.

"What can I say? I don't like Cerberus." I said, and his smile disappeared. I quickly laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled up at him. "But if you need me, I'm there for you… Commander."

That brought a smile back on his lips. "Appreciate it, Shay." He placed a hand on my shoulder and shook it lightly, apparently as glad to see me as I was to see him. He suddenly looked back at Shade who had stored his weapon. "Friend of yours?" he asked, pointing at the Drell.

"More like a guardian angel." Shade said before I opened my mouth, and stepped closer to Shepard glaring at him from under his hood. "I'll leave her in your care, commander, but if anything happens to her, you better say your prayers. For I will find you!" he growled, activated his cloak and disappeared before anyone managed to blink.

Shepard looked at me, and I shrug my shoulders, putting the hood back on. "I'll tell you later…" I said and then walked over to the male of the Cerberus companions Shepard had along with him. I shook him, trying to get some life back in him and when Shepard realized what I was doing, he went to the woman.

We got life in them and both stared at me as they got on their feet. Shepard introduced Jacob and Miranda to me and would have used my real name, but I came before him and called myself by Palaven the Mercenary. Miranda seemed to have heard about me, but I couldn't determine whether she was glad to have me onboard or if she was annoyed. Honestly, I didn't care. Shepard was back, he remembered me and now I could help him again.

That was all that mattered to me…

"According to my research Palaven the Mercenary should have died on Illium. How do we know you're the real thing and not some cheap knock-off?"

I had never been a fan of Miranda Lawson in the game, and the only reason I ever had a romance with her was due to curiosity; nothing else. But right now I hoped more than anything that Shepard wouldn't date her for mere curiosity. She was more annoying in real life than in the game…

I had followed them back to the Normandy where Miranda instantly had taken me to the com-room and glared at me while we waited for Shepard to return in more civil clothes. Then she had begun questioning me, and it was seriously walking on my nerves.

I huffed and shrug my shoulders, taking a step forward. "According to my knowledge, Commander Shepard should be dead and the Normandy destroyed, yet here I am, standing in the very ship with said commander, who's now working with a known terrorist group." I said and walked closer to her. "Want me to guess how it's all tied together?" I growled and she took a step back.

Miranda may be a little taller than I was, but she wasn't intimidating me.

"What we did to Shepard…" she began, but I turned away.

"Save it. You honestly believe I would be here if I wasn't aware of the connections?" I growled, but I really enjoyed playing with her. Shepard cut my pleasure short.

"That's enough, Shay." He said and Miranda looked right back at him, staring. This apparently came as a surprise to her.

"My apologies, commander." I said and she looked back at me, the hood concealing the large smirk I wore at her ridicules expression. Her voice was slightly affected when she spoke up.

"Shay? As in… Shayla Kryik? But… that's not possible." She said.

I looked once at Shepard, who nodded lightly, and then I pulled off the hood, revealing the golden eyes of mine. A small rumble entered the silence.

"Why not? Because Cerberus wasn't involved?" I said, and again she stepped back, before she turned to Shepard.

"Shepard! We can't trust this woman! Shayla Kryik died on Illium! Multiple people confirmed it was her corpse!" She said, clearly not fond of having me around any longer, and she was going to put up a fight to keep me off the ship, if she could! Shepard crossed his arms and leaned back on a leg.

"I trust her, and even if I didn't, we need all the help we can get to take down the Collectors. She's staying." He said and that was final in the discussion. But instead of slumping her shoulders together, Miranda stood tall and gave him a small nod.

"Understood, Commander." She said, turned, glared at me and left. I had a hard time not cracking into a loud laughter as I watched how she left with her hips swinging from side to side, like a cloth in a strong breeze. Clearly thinking of me as a threat. I thought and went closer to Shepard, leaning on the table.

"If she swings her hips more than that, you're gonna need bigger doors." I said and pointed over my shoulder. It took a little time before he understood, but as he did he let out a small laughter and shook his head.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" he asked, coming closer. I looked like I pondered on that.

"Hm… Lock me up? I'm a criminal after all, in her world." I said, hoping that I wasn't stepping in too soon with normal behavior. He smiled and came even closer.

"If I were to lock you up, it would be in my room…" he said seductively, ghosting his fingers over my neck, which both surprised me and sent shivers down my spine.

I gently pushed him away from my skin.

"Whoa, straight forward, huh Shep?" I smirked, lifting a brow, but it seemed like he misunderstood as he stepped back, gaining his commander façade.

"Sorry… It's still a little hard to fathom that I've been dead for two years…" he said, rubbing his neck.

"I can imagine… Must be a confusing time for you right now. I mean, to you, it's only been a few weeks since we last saw each other, but to me, it's been two years." I said and he nodded, not looking at me. He was no doubt thinking that I couldn't show the same emotions we had shared before. I took a small step closer. "But… I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the idea of being locked in your room…"

He looked at me and lifted a brow. "Straight forward, huh? Look who's talking…" he said and I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. "Hey, you started it." I smiled, but then grew serious. How could I flirt so openly with him when I knew what kind of situation he was in? After all I had been through something similar when I first woke up in a hospital bed on the Presidium so many years ago.

"Is it true, though?" he suddenly asked and looked seriously at me. I tilted my head slightly, an annoying habit I had gained from Crip… "What is?"

"That you died on Illium?"

I turned and leaned against the table, crossing my arms. "Technically, yes. Shayla Kryik died on Illium, and from her ashes Palaven arose." I said and looked at him, before flashing him a smile. "Then, Palaven became a pain in the ass for criminals on Illium, she was betrayed and murdered, and now I don't really have either name or existence." I said with a large smile, making him shake his head, clearly trying to keep the chuckle down. He had to be professional.

"Besides, does it really matter who died where and why?" I asked. "Something is disturbing the peaceful balance of the galaxy right now, and we're taking action to find out what and why. And two years without you hasn't changed anything, Shep." I said, attempting to make my point clear. I had long been thinking about what to say to him if I was ever given the chance, and I felt responsible for making all of this happen to him, so I wanted him to know I was with him and that I would die for him if I had to!

"I don't care if Cerberus brought you back to life. From what I have seen, you're still the Commander Shepard I fought alongside with against Saren, and the Shepard I know and love." I said, letting my mouth run.

I should have thought more…

It took a moment before my words sunk in with both of us and when it finally did with me, it was too late to correct. I was pinned in his embrace, warm lips on my own and I could feel a heartbeat getting stronger under my fingers.

Shit! I hadn't intended to say that! I thought, but despite I knew the truth I couldn't tear myself away from him, and it was a lost battle when my body and mind remembered the landscape before me, fingers beginning to run on automatic. I gently wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling the muscles underneath the skin, scraping it lightly just to feel rather than hear his shudder. Hands grabbed my thighs and roughly planted my ass on the table, bringing our lips from each other for a brief moment, but he was quickly back, taking advantage of my open mouth.

"Miss Lawson requests your assistance, commander. She claims it is urgent." A synthetic voice suddenly sounded, ripping us from each other. I looked around slightly to see if I could find anything unusual regarding the voice, but nothing seemed out of order. Shepard groaned and lowered his head to my shoulder.

"I'll be there in a minute, EDI." He said, his voice vibrating with angry tones. He pushed from me and straightened his shirt a little. When had I crumbled that…?

"Sorry, but duty calls." He said with disappointment clear in his voice. I couldn't help but to tease (which I knew I shouldn't have, but seriously when will I ever learn?).

"Aw… and just when it was getting good…" I said and jumped from the table, walking towards the door. "But I guess I'll just have a look around, then." I said, waving back at him and when the door had closed and I finally had a free moment, I leaned against the wall, blushing like crazy.

What the hell was I doing?!

When I had calmed a little I went around to see what I could learn about the new crew and ship. Kelly Chambers was a wonderful girl to talk to and we quickly got along, as she was very interested in getting to know more about me. Part of me was glad there was such an open-minded person among us, and yet my defenses kept kicking me, telling me to keep my distance to this Cerberus member. She could just be pretending…

Joker was happy to see me, enough to get off his ass and hug me. I wasn't completely sure how to react to that, and felt he was a little out of character, but I guess the news about Shepard's death had struck him hard, and he had no doubt learned about mine as well…

I was introduced to EDI, the artificial intelligence onboard the Normandy now, and despite Joker wasn't pleased about it, I still got a small conversation out of her before leaving to look more around. On the third floor I ran into Chakwas, who also seemed quite happy to see me again, and alive. She did a few scans on me to make sure I was in fighting condition, and then we sat down to talk. My mother hen had missed me and was glad to see I had done well in these two years, but she was also glad that Shepard was back. Even I had to admit, it had been hard without him.

But I seemed to be able to get along with the crew, and while we were on course to our next destination, I learned about the Master Thief, Kazumi Goto, they had picked up at the Citadel before meeting with me.

We were getting the meal of the night when a scent moved past me, making me lift my head and start to look around, but I saw nothing. It definitely wasn't the typical military scent, or any of the Cerberus members, but unfortunately it had been so brief that I couldn't really determine what it was. I shrug it off and went to an empty seat at the end of the table.

I had barely taken the first bite when a voice sounded.

"Wow! You're really the Human Turian, aren't you?"

I looked up and just as I did, a cloak flashed and revealed a woman seated at the opposite side of me, her elbows on the table and her head rested in the palms of her hands. Amazingly enough, I was startled out of the chair, an un-dignifying scream coming from me as if I had never seen a cloak before. I landed hard on my ass, looking up at the woman as she chuckled.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." She said, her voice surprisingly light and I could easily hear the amusement in it. I groaned a little and rumbled low when I went back to my seat. The crew members were looking at us, whispering, but I couldn't tell if it was because I had been startled, or if it was something else.

"No harm done, just don't do that again." I said with a stern look in my eyes, and she moved back a little, yet she still smiled.

"No promises." She smirked and then extended a hand. "Kazumi Goto, at your service."

"Shayla." I said and shook the hand. At least I could still be polite…

She leaned back on the table, looking at me as I began to eat again.

"But you are, aren't you?" she asked, making me halt in taking a bite. I looked confused at her, before she moved a little forward. "You are the Human Turian, right?" she asked with a smile, which made me move back and take my plate, rising from the chair.

"I don't see how that is any of you concern." I said, possibly harder than I should, but my entire defense was up and running, and not once had I noticed she was there. For her to ask a question like that made me suspicious and had me draw back into myself. I noticed the crew whispering again and when I looked back at Kazumi, she was gone.

"Don't worry. I'll find out." Her voice suddenly sounded close to me, making me jerk and turn towards it as she leaned against the counter in the kitchen. "I always do." She smirked and disappeared before I could even open my mouth to yell at her. That woman was going to be a pain in the ass!

I went back to my room, a small storage room on the top deck with just enough room for a bed, a closet and a small shower. Why there even was a shower in there, puzzled all of us when we decided to change it into my room. Anyway, as I reached the room I let myself fall back on the bed, sighing. I was happy to be on the Normandy again, to be with Shepard, Joker and Chakwas, to be able to do some good, but if I was going to have to deal with both Miranda and now this Kazumi person, life was gonna be a little difficult.

I turned to lie on my side, thinking about what she had said. The Human Turian… A lot had called me that lately. Was that how Shayla Kryik was remembered? As a human/Turian hybrid?

A tear suddenly slipped over my skin.

Nihlus… why did you have to die…?