AN:- Fun times. Lots and lots happened.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Illium

That night in the mess hall Jacob came and sat with them.

"Unusual to see you eating this late," Garrus said as he sat at the chair next to Joker.

"It's been an unusual sort of day."

"That's one way of putting it," Joker said. "Not the best way to find out about the folks is it?"

"My father was dead a long time ago. That man wasn't him. At least not the memory of him I want to keep."

Garrus gave a low rumble in his throat. "I can understand that feeling."

Jacob chuckled. "I'd imagine you can. What with that Archangel work of yours."

"That, and some other stuff. You've had an unusual day, I've had an unusual two years."

"Since the Normandy went down?"

"More like since this human commander came up to me on the Citadel and started asking me all about a SPECTRE named Saren. Never did get her name…"

"Careful Vakarian, I've still got dirt on you Jacob doesn't know about."

The men laughed and she smiled, digging into her rations.

"So how do you come to us Jacob?" Garrus asked.

He shrugged. "I was a soldier. Then a mercenary. Then the Illusive Man recruited me."

"There has to be more to the story than that."

"Not much. I'm a damn good fighter, and the Illusive Man's always looking for talent."

"I'll say you're a good fighter. The last human I saw with such a deft hand was Ashley Williams."

"Now that's high praise coming from you."

Garrus looked confused. "You know Gunnery Chief Williams?"

Jacob nodded. "I read every line of the Normandy file, all the bits that weren't redacted, and some of the bits that were. You saw more action in three months than most soldiers ever see."

"That action wasn't exactly fun at the time."

"I can't tell you how many times I read that report wishing I had been there. You guys were doing something that meant something. Saving people, hunting geth, heroic business. And now I'm here. On the right side for once."

Shepard frowned a little at that. "On the right side?"

He met her eyes. "On your side Shepard. You have my word on that. What you did for me…" He shook his head. "The Illusive Man wouldn't have done that. None of my old squad would have done it. Hell I don't even think Miranda would have gone there. She'd have expected me to go off and do it alone. But you came with me. You were there when I needed it. So I'll be there when you need it."

Miranda sighed and put her head in her hands. Jacob had turned, that was almost certain.

But he had a point. Shepard had gone beyond the call of duty for him, despite him never having given her reason to trust him. And the woman was about to do it again, for her. And while Jacob might have been a foe only because of his tangential relation to Cerberus Shepard actively disliked Miranda. And she had good reason for that. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the monitor, permanently keeping an eye on Shepard's bed.

Her bed.

She shoved back from the desk and stalked across to the window, where at least she wasn't surrounded by all the reminders of what she did. It was usually easy to keep it all turned off, to ignore the specifics of her life and her choices. But suddenly it was all starting to hit very close to home. How could she have thought to ask Shepard to help her like that? What would she have expected other than a derisive laugh and a swift denial. But Shepard had said yes, simply because they shared a ship. She'd have done less for a co-worker she'd known for years. She had done less for a co-worker she'd known for two years.

At least he was a traitor. Makes it a little easier to justify.

She went back to her desk and shut down the recording in the mess hall. Then she paused while looking at the image of Shepard's bed. It took her less than five seconds to shut the image down. She would rubbish up some report for a Cerberus tech the next day and figure out what to do in the long term after that.

"Illium's a pretty busy planet, TIM-wise."

Shepard ignored EDI flickering in annoyance and leaned against the back of Joker's chair. "Two dossiers and a personal mission? I'd say so."

"Personal mission Commander?"

Shepard mentally kicked herself. "Ignore that Joker."

"Ignored."

"I'll be taking Miranda with me."

"Miranda?"

"Ignore that too."

"You know I'll find out what's going on sooner or later."

"Hopefully I will as well."

"How wonderfully cryptic. Bringing us in to dock now."

She turned to leave, but he made a strange noise. "Something in your throat Joker?"

"You do know who else is here don't you?"

"I do. And I'm not going to be avoiding her. Just, maybe not rushing straight to see her."

"Can't be easy."

"It won't be. What it will be is private."

"Understood Commander. And good luck."

"Thanks joker."

"We're not going alone," Shepard said before Miranda was even fully through the door.

"Can't trust anyone else Shepard, don't ask me to do that."

"I'm not asking you to trust someone else, I'm asking you to trust me."

"Shepard," Miranda turned to her, and she actually looked distressed. "Don't push this."

The elevator doors opened and Garrus was standing there, waiting against the CIC. "I'm not risking your life Miranda. Garrus goes with us or we don't go."

"You told him?"

"Of course not. As far as he's concerned we're assisting in a Cerberus prisoner transfer."

"You always have me assisting with such glamorous jobs," Garrus drawled as the two women stepped up next to him and they began to make their way past the CIC. "And we do seem to be doing a lot with prisons this time around. Couldn't you at least find one mad scientists lair? For old time's sake?"

"We're about an hour early this time if you want to do some shopping."

"Oh no, I'll stick close. You tend to find trouble in even the most mundane situations." They stood in the airlock and waited for it to cycle open. "Strange to arrange a transfer on Illium though."

"You think TIM's sharing with me?" Shepard managed to keep her tone light.

"TIM?" Miranda asked from behind them.

"Oh, the Illusive Man, T-I-M, TIM. It's Joker's thing."

"Of course it is. You and Joker need to learn a little respect."

"For TIM?" Garrus said. "I don't think so."

"Oh great, now you've got Garrus doing it as well."

They came out onto the docking bay and were immediately met by an asari in an elegant dress. "Welcome to Nos Astra Commander Shepard. We've been instructed to waive all docking and administration fees for your visit. My name is Careena, If you need information about the area, it would be my pleasure to assist you."

"Who instructed you to waive the fees?"

"The order came from Liara T'Soni," Shepard's chest tightened and for a moment it felt like the floor was shifting under her feet. "Who paid all fees on your behalf. She also asks that I direct you to speak with her at your convenience. she's near the trading floor."

Shepard managed to stammer out a thank you and the concierge moved on.

"Shepard?" Garrus stepped up to her elbow. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Garrus. Yeah I'm fine. I. I will be fine." She shook herself. "We don't have time for a reunion with Liara though. The transfer's in just over two hours. We need to kill some time, let's get down to the trading floor and see if there's any good tech."

"We're not exactly going to blend in," Miranda said. "You're in full combat gear and he's a Turin. There's not many on Illium."

"We don't need to blend in. But buying high end combat gear will spread an immediate story of mercs on Illium. If anyone hears that they'll be wary. Hopefully that'll make our job a little easier."

"Why would mercenaries make girds on a prisoner transfer nervous?"

Dammit Garrus, why do you have to actually be intelligent?

"It's not a standard prisoner transfer," Miranda said, surprising her. "There may be mercenary groups trying to stop the transfer on someone else's orders."

"And you think if rumour gets out of a heavily armoured trio of soldiers making the rounds b eyeing up high tech weaponry it might scare some of those mercenary groups off?" Garrus nodded. "Smart. That's the way I'd play it too. Kick up a fuss, make a scene. Scare off some of the riff raff at least."

Miranda was reassured that he wasn't more suspicious, but Shepard knew him. He was filing the information away, working at it from every angle until he could figure out the true story. Miranda would do well not to forget that Garrus had once been a detective for C-Sec.

"So where did you want to start?" Miranda asked as soon as they were on the concourse.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a familiar woman, sitting at one of the tables and drinking something green and fruity-looking. "I think I have an idea."

She led them over to the table, standing in front of it and folding her arms. "Gianna Parasini."

"Shepard! The news said you were dead!" She leaned forwards, smiling. "What happened? No wait, probably classified. Forget I asked, you'd just have to lie. It's been a couple of years. You clearly remember me."

"Whatever did happen to Administrator Anoleis?"

"He made the one mistake Noveria won't tolerate, he got caught taking their money. He's doing a few years in white collar prison. More importantly he won't work in the field again. Sit down. If I remember right I owe you a beer."

Shepard sat, gesturing for Garrus and Miranda to do the same.

"What brings you to Illium, y'know, that you can talk about?"

"You ever heard of the Collectors?" She enjoyed watching Giana's eyebrow rise. "They're attacking human colonies. I'm going to stop them."

Parasini covered her surprise with a laugh. "Damn Shepard, for me a tough job involves more paperwork." She glanced over to one of the kiosks and immediately her manner changed. "Hey, listen, I just remembered something." She knocked back the last of her drink and pushed a beer over to Shepard, taking care to keep the coaster under the glass. "I've gotta go, talk to you later? And don't forget to drink your beer."

Shepard waited until Parasini had vanished into the crowd, then lifted the drink and scanned the note beneath. "So what does it say?" Garrus asked.

"Apparently we have to talk to that asari merchant. She's got some sort of prototype Parasini wants."

"You see what I mean?" Garrus said as they stood and made their way over to the weapons stall. "Trouble, even over a drink with an old friend."

The shop owner spotted them as they came up to her. "Welcome! You look like someone who needs high quality equipment! Feel free to look around! My store has the best tech and biotic equipment on Illium!"

Shepard made a big show of looking over the list, spotting some bits and pieces she might even consider buying. "Is everything here so expensive? I'd planned to drop a lot of credits today."

"Really?"

She nodded to Miranda and Garrus. "I'm outfitting a team for a dangerous mission. I need the best and I'm willing to pay for it. As long as you work with me."

"Well, perhaps I could give you a proffered rate at the kiosk." She turned and adjusted the prices, and Shepard knew she had her. "Here, a small discount, and when I get special items in, you can take a look."

Oh really? "What kind of special items are we talking about?"

"Oh, you know, schematics, designs." She leaned in close, lowering her voice. "Nothing illegal, but I may not have all the licences to sell them."

"Do you have anything else?" She played along, leaning in closer. "Anything not listed on your main merchandise kiosk?" She managed to avoid saying 'if you know what i mean,' but it was close.

"Well, there is one thing. Very advanced design, not public ally available yet."

"That's because it's still in development on Noveria, and illegal to export." Gianna appeared behind them. "Hello Hermia."

"Parasini!" She reminded Shepard of a Scooby Door villain. "You set me up! But this isn't Noveria, you don't have the authority to arrest me!"

"I don't care whether you go to jail. I've got all the evidence I need to fine you out of business."

Shepard turned to Parasini, completely ignoring the weapon's dealer. "Do you have the authority to seize the schematic she 's trying to sell?

"I don't have to. Hermia was under suspicion. We leaked a faulty device to her. All this thing will ever do is blow up in your face."

The asari was deflating fast. "I, I need to go. I have to talk to my lawyer." She actually ran away.

"Talk fast Hermia, when the fines hit, you won't be able to afford him!"

"And I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids," Shepard muttered to her team. Garrus only looked confused, but Miranda looked away to cover a smile.

Gianna turned back to them. "Ah, that was good. I've gotta go file a few papers. Come by my table when you've got minute."

Shepard watched her walk away, smiling despite herself. "Hey Garrus, you feel like getting some trinkets?"

Five minutes of shopping later they wandered over to Gianna's table, where she was waiting with two beers.

"Hermia is going to be a very poor woman very shortly," she said by way of greeting. "Thanks for the help Sheppard. I love nailing asari. So ageless and superior, then you get them and they squeal like schoolgirls." That conjured very different images in Shepard's mind. She took a drink and tried to calm herself down before she started blushing. Garrus gave her a sideways look.

She decided to change the subject. "It must be nice having a job you really enjoy."

"I wanted to be a cop, or C-Sec, but my family had bills. I needed the money a corporate job brought in." She shrugged, but it was rueful. "Besides, in this job you don't see things that make it hard to sleep at night. White collar crime is nice and clean. Hell, at least time I didn't have to wear heels and a dress."

Shepard took a long pull of her drink while Gianna did the same. "It's been a pleasure Gianna," she said, holding out her hand.

They shook, Gianna smiling again, but this time it looked genuine.

"You too Shepard, see ya around."

She stood and walked away, leaving Shepard and her team alone.

"That was friendly," Garrus said. "Usually our old friends are the first lining up to point fingers."

"She actually likes me." Shepard finished her drink. "It might be a good idea to keep an IA agent on side."

Miranda was starting to look nervous. "We've still got some time to kill, might as well go and wait at the bar."

Shepard nodded and let Miranda lead the way to a bar called Eternity.

There was a man at the bar, yelling at the bartender. The voice seemed oddly familiar. "You're really holding out on me? I'm a man o the edge! I got nothing to lose!"

"Uh huh." Thai bartender was an older asari, and she looked supremely unconcerned with what the guy was saying.

"I'll do anything to get the job done, I'll go all the way without a second thought!"

"Uh huh."

"You wanna see how far I'll go?" He turned away and waved dramatically. "I leaned how to shove a gun in people's faces from…" He spotted her just as she recognised him. "Commander Shepard?"

"Hey, if you know this idiot can you rein him in before I slap his ass with a singularity?"

"Shepard? Is it really you? It's me, Conrad Verner! We met on the Citadel! I wanted to be a Spectre? Oh, uh, and then you shoved a gun in my face?" She was suddenly defensive No I didn't. "You showed me what it meant to be truly extreme. I leaned that lesson well." He finally managed to rein in his fan boy and put on the same 'hard-man' voice. "So you're alive huh? I hear it goes like that in the biz. Why don't you sit back and watch how it's done? I've got some asses to kick."

"Conrad, why are you acting like me?" she heard the whine in her voice.

"What? Are you crazy! I'm nothing like you. I'm not a Spectre working for the Council! I'm on my own, backed only by my wits and my nerves. No rules, no laws, just whatever it takes to get the job done! I'm not like you at all!"

Garrus shifted behind her. And she thought she knew the source of his discomfort.

"Why were you trying to get the deed to this place?"

"This place is actually a front for a red sand dealer. I need to take it over to crack the ring!"

The bartender broke in. "What? Who the hell told you that?

Conrad turned back to her. "The owner of that weapons store near the carport! She's an undercover cop! She told me about it when I introduced myself."

"Listen, crap-for-brains, First, we don't sell red sand. Second, red sand is legal on Illium! You just need a licence."

Shepard held up her hands, stepping between them. "I'll talk to this undercover cop and figure out what's going on."

"Thank you," the bartender said as Conrad went to stand menacingly by the door. "If I kill annoying customers it usually causes property damage, that comes out of my pay."

It took thirty seconds and a basic grasp of common sense to realise that the weapons dealer wasn't an undercover cop. It took another ten to convince her to go and 'seal the deal' in person. She arrived back at the bar just in time to see the asari being arrested. Conrad was still by the door, looking like a lost puppy.

"What happened? The undercover cop from the weapons kiosk just got arrested."

For a moment she was tempted to just let Conrad know exactly what was going on. The kid needed a wakeup call. But she couldn't do it. Better to let him have his moment of glory and let him get out clean. "She wasn't a cop. She was a deep cover operative from a terrorist cell. I'd never have found her if not for you."

"Really?"

"Really." She felt the speech springing to her lips, just like it had half a dozen times before. "You did a great job Conrad. Now please, go home. Let me take it from here."

"Can do Shepard, and thanks." He actually saluted, and she returned it. "It's really good to have you back."

As she left she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"He'd only have gotten himself killed," Miranda said.

"Huh?"

"If you let him keep going because you felt bad for how pathetic he was? He'd have gotten himself killed. Or maybe someone else. And then you'd have felt like their blood was on your hands."

"Thank you for your pragmatism Miranda." Ahead she saw an asari, sitting alone and looking around. Something about her posture made her look out of place with the other patrons. "Heads up."

They walked over, Miranda nodding as the asari's face came into proper view. "Lanteia."

"Ms Lawson, I'm glad you've made it, we've had a complication."

"What happened? Is Oriana alright?" Shepard glanced at Miranda. She was worried. Genuinely, very humanly, worried.

"She's fine but… you listed a man named Niket as your trusted source? He contacted me, warning me that your father has sent Eclipse mercenaries to make a sweep. He suggested that the mercs might be watching for you personally, he's offered to escort Oriana's family to the terminal instead."

That didn't sit right with Shepard, and she couldn't imagine Miranda trusting anyone enough to let them guard her sister. "It's your sister Miranda. What do you wanna do?"

"Lanteia, we'll follow Niket's suggestion. Shepard and I will take the car and draw their attention. Have Niket escort the family to the shuttle. Give him full access to the family's itinerary, just to be safe."

"Understood Ms Lawson." Lanteia walked off, leaving Shepard alone with the operative and a lot of questions.

"So the plan is for us to get shot down by Eclipse while your sister gets to safety?"

"Eclipse will be under orders to take my sister alive. They won't risk anything that could kill us."

"I'm ready when you are Miranda."

"Thank you Shepard, I appreciate this. I hadn't planned on Eclipse, but they never planned on you."

AN:- You might remember me saying something about how the late night dining hall dinners would be important character-wise. This is basically what I meant. Some of the post-loyalty conversations will instead take place at the dinner table.

Miranda, Miranda, Miranda...

Read Broken Mirror, my Miranda centric fic. This is basically the breakdown that precedes that fic. Miranda begins to question where her loyalty lies. Existential crisis time!

Illium really is packed with stuff to do. Shadow Broker, Liara, Thane, Samara, Miranda, Conrad, Gianna... It's just packed with missions.

I was originally going to write this with just Shepard and Miranda, but that wouldn't fit the overall theme I'm going for with Miranda, of her finally learning what an actual team is, and what it means to trust people. The fact that she doesn't protest Garrus' involvement more is supposed to be a sign that she might be starting to come around to the idea of the team.

I love Gianna. I kinda wish she'd come back for ME3, but then that might have meant her death given some of the other missions, so...

I also love Conrad. He's just so fun

Next chapter is pretty much all Miranda's mission.