"Welcome to Illium Captain Shepard. I am Careena. I have been informed that all fees and checks have been waived on your behalf."
"Oh?" Shepard asked the asari with two armed mechs behind her. "By whom?"
"Dr. T'Soni. I believe she paid all fees herself." She said as she checked her omni-tool.
"Will we have any trouble completing our business here?"
"As long as you abide the laws of Illium then no. But I must advise you not to sign anything."
"Isn't that one of the finer points of business?" Shepard asked with a raised eyebrow. "Signing contracts is generally how business is accomplished."
"Yes, but please ensure you check for all manner of fine print and hidden clauses. It is highly frowned upon but you could find yourself tricked into an indentured servitude contract."
"Slavery?" Ashley asked in disgust. "That's legal here?"
Garrus, Ashley and Shepard turned to Harry.
"What? You think I don't know what goes on here? Liara reports in regularly. I've investigated the system they have here and I have to admit it is a pretty sweet deal." Harry nodded in approval.
"It. Is. Slavery." Ash bit out.
"But it isn't." Harry countered with a smile. "Here, I'll explain." He stepped up to Miranda. "Lets imagine that the lovely Miss Lawson here got herself into a huge amount of debt that she couldn't afford to pay off."
"As if I would be so-"
"Quiet slave!" Harry whispered harshly. He then turned back to the others. "She has the option of approaching an agent who deals with Indentured Servitude contracts who will assume her debt and pay it off for her. The agent then shops around and tries to find someone to buy her contract. Usually it is a major company who could make use of her for her skills, occasionally it will be just because she has two hands and two feet and can manage to carry and lift things.
"The buyer of the contract will pay her a decent amount of money that is heavily garnished until the amount she owed is paid off.
"During that time the buyer is required by Illium law to ensure that the signee is housed, clothed and fed and kept in good health. Generally the only restriction on freedom is that they can't leave the planet." Harry shrugged.
"Still sounds like slavery to me." Ashley grumbled.
"Then congratulations Ash, you are officially a slave of the Alliance Navy!" Harry beamed as he slapped her on the back.
"Hey!"
"So, any other things we should watch out for?" Harry turned to Careena quickly as he side-stepped Ashley's slap to his head.
"Just be warned that there is an asari Justicar at the Nos Astra port. Whilst I doubt Spectre Shepard would garner her attention, I do not know about the rest of you." She said.
"Thank you for the warning." Shepard nodded.
"Have a good visit." She smiled before walking off with the mechs in tow.
"Alright… who here thinks it might be a good idea to leave the murderer, the two terrorists and the salarian responsible for continuing mass murder of babies behind?" Harry asked.
Garrus, Tali and Shiala quickly raised their hands.
Ashley was still glaring at Harry whilst Shepard was looking thoughtful.
"We are not terrorists." Miranda objected.
"Then how did you know I was talking about you?" Harry smirked.
"Harry is right." Shepard said before the bickering could begin. "We'll handle the Justicar last. We'll get the assassin and see Liara first, then we'll see if the Justicar can be convinced to work with… terrorists and murderers." He sighed.
"We can check in with Liara first." Tali suggested. "She must have heard of a Justicar and might even know about the assassin."
"Agreed. Ash, Garrus, Harry, Tali and Shiala can come with me if they want to catch up with Liara. The rest of you can find ways to amuse yourself… Jack, try not to kill anyone."
"As long as no one looks at me funny." She shrugged.
"Grunt, Tank, keep an eye on her and watch her back." Shepard ordered.
"I don't need a babysitter!"
"Go and see if the local law enforcement could use your services." Harry suggested. "There are probably plenty of armed crime syndicates for you to take down, just remember to follow the rules the officers set down."
"I hope they put up more of a fight than the Blue Suns." Tank mused.
"Tali! Ash! Shiala!"
The three men watched as the women squealed, hugged and greeted each other.
"And once again the asari claims that they aren't really 'female' are smashed to smithereens." Harry muttered quietly.
"Harry, if you're not careful you'll experience the 'feminine wrath' four times over." Garrus chided quietly.
"What are you three whispering about?" Liara asked the men suspiciously from in the middle of her group hug.
"I would guess they are tempting fate whilst trying to mock women." Ash said shrewdly.
"Liara, how are you?" Harry grinned widely as he stepped forward with arms wide open.
"Definitely." Tali nodded. "I would say that my fiancé started it."
Harry sighed. "Liara, would you take it as a compliment if I said you were a beautiful woman?"
Liara frowned. "Of course."
Harry's smile returned. "Then I have nothing to worry about."
Liara's frown returned to suspicious.
"How is your work going?" Shepard asked as he pulled Harry back and indicated for him to secure the room.
"Slowly. I am being stonewalled by many governments, including my own."
"We're safe and private." Harry assured them as he sat on the couch in Liara's office.
"Good, I could use your skills Harry." She said eagerly. "I need some hacking done as I think I am onto something regarding the Collectors. There are several terminals around the Nos Astra Port that I have determined are being used as a form of dead drop. I believe they are connected to the Shadow Broker. If you can hack them and link me in then I can start working on their networks."
"Doesn't sound too hard." Harry shrugged. "Give me the locations and I'll get to it."
"Thank you." She sighed. "I've been hearing some rather disturbing news about the Shadow Broker. Rumour has it he tried to acquire your body, Shepard. He was going to trade it to the Collectors."
"Harry, I'd just like to take this opportunity to once again thank you and the geth for saving and rescuing me." Shepard said uncomfortably. "First Cerberus and now the Shadow Broker… this explains why the Collectors knew me by name." He sighed.
"We already know why Cerberus wanted you." Harry reminded him. "They wanted you as an asset, they think they have you anyway."
"But why would the Collectors want his dead body?" Garrus asked. "I doubt they wanted him alive."
"Could it be for the Prothean knowledge like the cipher?" Tali asked.
"Possible." Harry mused. "While the Reapers have all the knowledge of the Protheans they assimilated, there were some hidden caches of data, like Ilos."
"How are you though, Shepard?" Liara asked with genuine concern. "You have only been awake properly for a week or two. Are you coping alright with what you went through?"
"Better than I would be if Cerberus had found me instead of the geth." He admitted. "I still have nightmares about falling through Alchera's atmosphere but… I have help for those." He gave Ash a sad smile.
"It might be possible for an asari mind meld to help you." Liara said nervously. "I don't have the experience myself, but Shiala might be able to help."
"I know what you are referring to but I don't have the experience either. The only person who might who I would trust to send Shepard to is the Consort."
"I can call up and arrange that." Harry offered.
"I'll consider it." Shepard said reluctantly.
"Next time we are on the Citadel you and Ash can join us when we have dinner with Sha'ira." Harry said firmly.
"It would make sense for you to be seen in the presence of the Consort." Shiala nodded. "You walk the halls of power already."
"Usually to try and keep Harry in line." Shepard glared at the wizard.
"Listen, I know what you need to do on this planet." Liara said suddenly all business. "This is all the information I have on the Justicar and the assassin. This is the address I am staying at. When you are done for the day, come and see me and I will prepare a meal." She promised.
"You can cook?" Ashley asked carefully.
"Of course!" Liara said indignantly. "All those months on planets alone, I couldn't just bring an endless supply of rations. I had to forage for my own meals."
"Here's hoping you've been foraging in shops on Illium instead of the back alleys." Garrus chuckled.
Harry headed off on his own to complete the hacking for Liara. He made it five steps before he realised Ashley was right behind him.
"Look, I'm sorry. You aren't really an Alliance slave." He rolled his eyes. "Ow!"
Ashley just smirked at him as he rubbed the back of his head. "Admiral Hackett ordered me to watch your back. The only person I would trust with that job other than myself is Shiala and she is watching Tali's."
"Fine. Follow me." Harry sighed as he continued walking.
"Are you really ok with all the slavery?" Ashley asked after a few moments.
"Do you honestly think I would be calmly walking through the streets of Illium if I thought it was anything close to slavery?" Harry retorted. "Do you know what the difference is between a servant and a slave? Choice. You choose to serve the Alliance. A slave has no choice. They are stolen from all that they know and brutally forced to submit to the will of others."
"I still don't believe you aren't doing anything." She persisted.
"Fine, ExoGeni is buying all the contracts they can provided the subject of the contract didn't do anything too shady." Harry broke down and admitted.
Ashley was far too smug. "I knew it."
"Shut up!" Harry whined.
The pair continued on their way through the various markets, occasionally stopping for Harry to quietly hack the nearby terminal.
When they reached the third terminal near the Tracking Office they saw a familiar face sitting on a bench nearby.
"Lizbeth Baynham, what brings you to this neck of the woods?" Harry asked.
"Mr. Potter, Chief Williams, I didn't expect to see you here." She said somewhat nervously.
"Lieutenant now." Ash said proudly.
"Oh, congratulations."
"What's wrong? I would have thought you would be with the other colonists. My understanding is that you still have a mental link due to the Thorian's influence." Harry frowned.
"We do." She admitted. "ExoGeni actually came through for us and set us up on a new planet with plenty of relics to study and learn from.
"But… we were alone for a good few months. ExoGeni was actively trying to bleed us dry. They claimed we had proprietary property in our blood and brains as a result of our interactions with the Thorian."
"Those elements were supposed to be routed out. They aren't still trying to get to you are they?" Harry was suddenly very intense.
"Oh no!" She said quickly. "We've been assigned a liaison. A Dr. Hermione Granger. She hasn't been to the colony but she checks in at least once a week and if there is a problem she makes sure that the paperwork is rushed through.
"But before ExoGeni pulled their surprising 180, we were desperate and we approached Baria Frontiers to handle our medical work ups."
She paused and licked her lip in stress. "You have to understand that we were all still pretty fragile, mentally and physically. When Fai Dan signed on behalf of the colony he had no idea that he was agreeing to highly invasive and mandatory procedures where they would take whatever they could to turn a profit.
"The consequences have thrown Fai Dan into a deep despair, we've had to put him on suicide watch."
"Why hasn't ExoGeni or Hermione sorted this out?" Harry demanded.
"The woman who is in charge, that's her over there, the asari. She refuses to take our calls and Dr. Granger says she can't leave her office. She promised that she was attempting to send someone to negotiate on our behalf but that she was having trouble finding someone."
"This is disgusting." Ashley scowled. "In fact… I think I prefer the slavery over this."
"Lizbeth, I am fully authorised to negotiate on behalf of ExoGeni. You head back to the colony, on your way contact Hermione, she will tell you that I can handle this. Baria Frontiers will never bother you again." He promised.
"Are… are you sure."
"He is very sure." Ashley gave her a small smile. "Go on, relax. We'll probably contact you before you've even boarded your flight."
Lizbeth was still unsure, but after being rescued before by the two humans and their friends, she had a lot of trust in them. She slowly walked off, occasionally turning around and sneaking glances at the pair before she turned a corner and lost a line of sight.
"So… would it be too much if I pulled my sword on the bitch?" Harry asked, his fingers twitching.
"It might cause us problems with the Justicar if you resorted to murder." Ashley reasoned.
"Bugger… back to diplomacy then."
"I'll keep an eye out for a big enough stick." Ashley promised.
"Hey! Lady, you have a lot of explaining to do." Harry said as he angrily stormed into the Baria Frontiers booth.
"Who do you think you are human? Don't make me call security." The dark skinned asari scowled.
"I represent ExoGeni and the colonists of Zu's Hope." Harry said as he slammed his fists on the desk. "Do you really think you can get away with illegal experimentation on sentients?"
"They willingly signed the contract. This is Illium, that makes it legal." She sneered.
"They were not of sound mind when they signed that."
"Irrelevant." She waved a dismissive hand. "If they can focus enough to sign their names then that is all that is required."
"So it doesn't matter that they were basically drugged?" Ashley asked.
"The first thing you are told when you arrive on Illium is 'don't sign anything'. That should tell you all you need to know." She smirked.
"Hmm, a dose of red sand in diluted form would do it." Harry mused. "I know quite a few other methods of mind control as well."
"I am an asari matron. You couldn't defeat me human." The asari said as she glared at him.
"Why are you so hostile to humans? Or are you like this with asari as well?" Ashley asked, she couldn't believe the hatred this woman had.
"Why? You humans are some of the worst. But you aren't the only ones.
"We asari were the pinnacle of evolution!" She said proudly. "We walked amongst the stars long before anyone else."
"Is she monologuing?" Harry asked Ashley with a sigh. Ash just nodded.
"All right, I get it. You hate other species because they proved they are better than you." Harry rolled his eyes.
"Better? The salarians interfere with things beyond their comprehension and caused the krogan rebellion. The krogan seek nothing but destruction. The turians bomb everything that looks at them funny. The quarians…" She faltered and began to cry. "The quarians and their stupid geth killed my bond mate.
"And you humans!" Her tears were flowing freely and angrily. "You bring nothing but trouble with Saren attacking the Citadel. If you had just backed off then my daughters would still be alive! My beautiful daughters." She sobbed as she slid into her chair.
Harry was looking at her with wide eyes. "Your mate… was killed when the geth gained awareness?"
"Yes, the foolish quarians, playing god." She said as she sniffled.
"Your daughters… Sephyria and Nelyna."
She looked up sharply.
"I am Harry Potter, Emissary of the geth. Your daughters were my friends. They told me about their mother… I gave them recordings from the geth of their mother… I had promised to take them to Rannoch to visit her grave… I… I was at their memorial." Harry said woodenly.
"You are the Emissary?" She snarled. "Why did you let Saren attack the Citadel? Why did my daughters have to die?" She wailed.
"The Emissary did everything he could." Ashley said firmly. "He chased after Saren with the rest of Shepard's team whilst the Council tried to have them arrested. He single handedly took out the Reaper.
"If you want to blame someone, blame the Council, if that isn't good enough, blame your government along with the salarian, human and turian governments. All four are trying to claim that the Emissary and the Captain are insane and that the Reaper was just a geth ship."
The asari looked outraged.
"Leave the Reapers and corrupt governments to me." Harry said before the woman could build up for another rant. "Head to the Citadel, talk to the Consort or her acolytes. Tell them who you are. Then go to the batarian and quarian embassies, they will take you to Rannoch so you can see what it was your mate loved about quarians… what your daughters were supposed to see."
"You… you'd still let me visit, after all I said?" She asked tearfully.
Harry just shrugged. "When I lost the only member of my remaining family I tortured his murderer. Grief makes us incredibly stupid." He said in disgust. "Go and find something to find happiness in."
She looked down at the OSD on the desk thoughtfully. She then tapped it three times and handed it to Harry. "Thank you." She said before calmly walking off.
Harry sat on the edge of the desk wearily.
"You ok?" Ash asked softly.
"I'm just tired of being reminded of everything I lost." He admitted. "I hate it. I never knew my parents. My godfather was kept away from me for twelve years and I lost him two years after he finally found me. I deserve a break… don't I?" He asked Ashley pleadingly.
She put her arm around him and sighed. "Lets put these Reapers in the ground then we can all retire to Rannoch." She promised.
Harry nodded as he stood up and the pair made their way back to Liara.
"Captain, could I have a word… in private?" Miranda asked with a pointed look at Garrus.
"I'll check your back for the knife when you return." Garrus promised with mock sincerity.
Miranda closed her eyes and tried to ignore him.
"We can talk over here." Shepard smiled as he led Miranda to a nearby table in the Eternium bar.
"I need a favour." She said cautiously. "It has nothing to do with Cerberus and I would prefer that nobody knew about it."
"That… does not sound promising." Shepard admitted.
"It is nothing truly nefarious. It involves saving damsels in distress… it should be right up your alley." She said with a hint of snark.
"Go on." Shepard said calmly.
"Do you remember how you came and asked me about my history? I said I was a genetically engineered being, designed as a legacy for my father?"
"How could I forget?" Shepard said as he remembered the rather frank discussion. He had been tempted to ask if her ego was as genetically enhanced as the rest of her.
"Well my father is not the type to leave things to chance. I was not the only person he created. I have a sister. I rescued her when she was a baby and managed to get her away. She is with a loving family and none of them know her origins."
"And that is all about to change?" Shepard said leadingly.
Miranda sighed. "I have received word through my contacts that my father has located my sister and intends to reclaim her. I need your help to find the leak and save my sister."
Shepard leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. "I have no problem helping you and your sister. I just don't like the idea of doing it alone."
"Secrecy has been the key to keeping my sister safe and away from my father. Not even she knows her history." Miranda insisted.
"There are two ways to do this: The easy way and the hard way." Shepard said as he leaned forward. "The hard way involves you and me taking on your father alone. I assume he will have guards of some sort involved?"
Miranda nodded.
"So we will be up against unfavourable odds and dealing with someone who has no comprehension of the danger she is in. People will die and it will be messy and noticeable.
"The easy way is to ask Harry for his help. He can hack anything and he can get anywhere unseen. He might be able to resolve this whole thing with a few well placed viruses."
"I don't trust him." Miranda said firmly. "He is far too… flighty. He doesn't work well in a team, he often abandons any plan we already have and does his own thing-"
"One thing you must have realised about Harry by now is that everything he does is to ensure his friends and his team make it home safe." Shepard interrupted. "You put Harry on this mission and I can guarantee that Harry will sacrifice himself to save your sister if it comes down to it.
"Of course, with Harry, it is unlikely that your sister will ever know we were involved. Harry doesn't like recognition, despite the fact that the Alliance and the Free People of the Emissary have all recognised his work."
"I haven't read about any of that." Miranda frowned.
"Like I said, he doesn't want recognition. He just wants to keep his friends safe. He has the accolades, they just aren't publicised."
"Can you swear you will keep him line?" She gave him a steely look.
"I can swear that your sister's chances of freedom will rise exponentially. Keeping Harry in line is not really possible. All we can really do is try and keep tabs on him."
"Shepard! We might have to shift our timelines a bit." Harry said as he jogged up to the tables the group was occupying in the Eternium bar.
"What did you do now?" He sighed.
"Me? Nothing!" Harry was outraged.
Nobody was buying it.
"Honestly, it wasn't me. Tank, Grunt and Jack were getting on fine with the local PD when the Justicar turned up. Apparently she is more trouble than she is worth and the Detective in charge is… well, not to put too fine a point on it, begging for our aid. Well, Spectre Shepard's aid at least."
"She's supposed to be a force for good! What could she have possibly done?" Shepard asked exasperatedly.
"Shepard, whilst the Justicars are highly respected and given a wide berth, they are… single-minded in the pursuit of their duties." Shiala explained. "They will kill any whom they perceive as… evil."
"And this is an asari world." Shepard pointed out.
"It is a corporate world, just like Noveria. It is simply based around the asari and the asari maintain it. The law enforcement needs to cater to the needs of the businesses and a woman who would kill them because they deal in corruption is not something they want on their planet."
"Who did she kill?" Shepard asked Harry.
"Just an Eclipse merc." Harry assured him. "But like Shiala said, the fat cats want her gone."
"She hasn't attacked Jack?"
"No, but my understanding is that Grunt had Tank sit on her… I'm still not entirely sure if the Detective was being literal." Harry frowned.
"Alright, everybody settle your tabs. We're moving out."
"Harry, I think Tali wants you." Garrus pointed to the suit-less quarian who was waving for him.
"Music to my ears." Harry smiled happily as he headed over with Ash and Shiala in tow.
Tali was standing with a quarian in a sealed suit and an asari in a professional dress.
"Harry, this is Lida'Domenz and Karile Sentalis." Tali introduced the quarian and asari respectively. "Lida signed a slave contract with Karile but she can't find anyone to buy it."
"Miss Sentalis, you're quite new to this business, aren't you?" Harry smiled kindly at the asari. "You have a good reputation though."
"You've heard of me?" She asked in surprise.
"Indentured Servitude is far too close to slavery for it not to be closely monitored. I know a few people on the regulatory committee. A few thought your more caring nature would make you horribly ill-equipped to handle the buying and selling of sentient beings whilst the others thought your determined nature would ensure you got the best for your contracts.
"You came very close to not being given a trading license."
Karile was shocked at that news.
"Don't worry." Harry assured her. "I like your attitude. I hope you will do quite well in this business."
"Th- Thank you." She said, slightly flustered.
"So, what was the problem with the contract?" He asked professionally.
"Oh… well, Lida has experience with AI's. I had thought that Synthetic Insights would gladly buy her contract. Unfortunately they are heavily invested in Citadel Space and the Council disapproves of slavery."
"Well, I can't blame them for that." Harry admitted. "I have some pretty bad personal experiences with slavery myself.
"Anyway, all is not lost." Harry grinned. "I assume you are familiar with Tali'Zorah?" He indicated his gorgeous girlfriend who blushed deeply.
"Oh yes." Lida said excitedly. "I tried to convince my family to leave the Flotilla but… I don't think they can." She said sadly.
"If they need transport then that can easily be arranged." Tali assured her. "The geth won't approach the Flotilla but the humans have readily agreed to act as intermediaries for anyone wishing to return to Rannoch."
"No… the Admiralty has recalled all pilgrims. I can't leave because of my debts, but all of my friends are leaving." She explained.
"Damn… it sounds like the Admiralty is getting scared." Harry frowned. "Never mind, it isn't your problem." He told the two women. "Go to ExoGeni. They will be happy to buy your contract. They may want to negotiate the terms as you could be useful on certain projects off world, but the pay will be a lot higher so your contract is paid off quicker."
"Are you sure ExoGeni will buy?" Lida asked hopefully.
"ExoGeni is owned by the Emissary. The Emissary has a vested interested in the health and welfare of quarians, geth and batarians in particular." Harry assured them.
Lida turned to Tali, nervously wringing her fingers. "Do you think I will be able to save up enough to afford the nanites treatments?"
Tali frowned. "The nanites are free."
"Oh… the Admiralty-"
"Will be getting a severe kick up the arse pretty soon. They are currently holding the Flotilla captive." Harry interrupted. "Go on, ExoGeni has supplies of nanites. This time tomorrow you will be breathing in this fresh air." Harry grinned.
"Thank you very much for your help." Karile said gratefully as she led the young quarian off. Lida was clearly on the verge of gushing thanks and praise.
"Was I really that young and naïve?" Tali asked wistfully.
"You shot me in the chest within seconds of meeting me." Harry reminded her with a raised eyebrow. "You attempted to make an honest deal with a crook. Yes, you were."
"Harry." Shepard called over.
Harry jogged back to the table.
"Can you give us some privacy?" Shepard asked.
Harry cast a quick muffliato. "We're safe."
"Miranda has a personal problem."
"I believe they make a lotion for that."
"She has a sister, she is a genetic creation like her." Shepard ignored Harry's jokes. "She saved her from her father as a baby but it seems he has tracked her down and may be making a play for her."
"You believe her when she says she 'saved' her?" Harry queried.
"I do. She was insistent that I not tell anyone but I managed to convince her to bring you in."
"You had a role in mind for me?"
"We need to do this quietly. We don't want to startle the family. I was hoping you might be able to handle this with a bit of hacking."
"That is a tall order." Harry breathed. "Off the top of my head I could probably redirect anyone suspicious who approaches her but she would need to be watched for the rest of her life."
"Miranda says she already has a plan in the works to move them off planet."
"Ok… that I can work with. Why don't I go and sort this out now? You lot can handle the Justicar. Just make sure to have Tank and Grunt keep an eye on Jack."
"Alright, but take Miranda with you."
"Spoil sport."
"Detective Anaya? I'm-"
"Spectre Captain Shepard." The asari said with clear relief as she met them at the spaceport. "You'd have to have been living under a rock to not recognise you." She admitted. "And I am glad you came."
"Happy to come, but I'm not entirely sure how I can help." Shepard said as they began to walk towards her offices. "My understanding is that Illium is an asari world but you are having an issue with someone that the asari usually would do anything to help."
"All true. But at the moment I have just under twenty-four hours before my job brings my life to an end… and it won't be because I am doing anything illegal.
"I have been ordered to detain the Justicar until she can be deported. The Justicar has agreed to remain in my custody for twenty-four hours before her code forces her to leave… by force if necessary. At which point my oath as an officer will put me at physical odds with her and she will turn me into a stain on the walls."
"I would do everything in my power to ensure your death was quick and painless."
Shepard raised an eyebrow as they entered the office and saw a much older asari sitting on a counter-top in a meditative pose. She wore a brown, leather-ish type of body suit with a plunging neckline that hugged her curves and showed that asari did not 'sag' the older they got.
"And I appreciate the effort you will go to, Justicar." Anaya gave a small respectful bow.
Shepard noticed that on the other side of the room, Jack was wedged tightly between Grunt and Tank and she was looking murderously between the two.
"Shepard, get these two hippos off of me!" She snarled.
"Hippo?" Grunt queried.
"Earth creature." Zaeed answered. "Very large, looks kinda docile… ferocious fighter."
"Docile?"
"Peaceful." Jacob offered.
Grunt looked down and glared at Jack. "Do I look 'docile' to you, Little Pyjack?"
"What you look like is a big fa-"
"Jack! Close your mouth and remember that you are severely outgunned." Shepard barked. "Grunt, Tank, I think you can let her up now."
The two krogan's shared a look and took a step to their respective sides.
"Oof!"
Up till that point, nobody had realised that the krogans were suspending her a foot off the ground.
Tank easily reached down and pulled her up and pushed her towards the group. Jack scowled mutinously but kept her mouth shut.
"Detective, Justicar, perhaps one of you could tell me what is preventing you, Justicar, from leaving Illium and instead levelling the threat of death on what appears to be, in your eyes, a respectable officer of the law?" Shepard asked formerly.
"My target is known to have passed through this area." Justicar Samara explained. "I know that she sought aid from the local chapter of the Eclipse and has left the planet but I need the name of the ship she left on so I can follow her."
"So you intended to… 'entice' the information out of every Eclipse merc you came across?" Shepard was going for diplomatic.
Samara seemed amused by his choice of words. "I was in the process of doing as much when your team mates there found me."
"Bitch was going hardcore on some asari merc." Jack actually sounded impressed.
"Bitch?" Samara frowned dangerously.
"She actually means that as a compliment." Jacob assured her.
"Hey! I don't need you speaking for me, Cerberus!" Jack snapped at him.
"Jack, don't make me have Grunt and Tank deal with you again." Shepard said without looking at her.
"Cerberus?" Samara stood up, she moved like a predator circling another hunter and preparing to defend herself.
"There are extenuating circumstances." Shepard said quickly. "This team is trying to stop the Collectors and the Reapers from ending all organic life in the galaxy. I was actually coming to see if you would join us."
"Ah… I am not so absorbed in my duties that I have not heard of you or your exploits Shepard." Samara backed down slightly. "But so far, all I have heard is that you are delusional."
"I would advise contacting Matriarch Benezia or Matriarch Aethyta, Justicar." Shiala spoke up. "If you explain Shepard's presence and his request for your help they will be able to confirm his… sanity."
"In the meantime, if you give me the name of your target my team can try and track down the ship they left on." Shepard added.
Samara eyed Shepard shrewdly. "Very well, I will allow you to prove your honour whilst I contact the Matriarchs."
"Don't do us any favours luv." Zaeed rolled his eyes.
"She is even more beautiful than you!"
"We are genetically engineered to the same level, we have identical levels of 'beauty'." Miranda scoffed as she stood next to Harry at the Departure Waiting Lounge.
"Yes, but you scowl and sneer so much that you spoil your looks. If you were to allow yourself to relax and enjoy life you would always be something for your sister to aspire to."
"My sister will never know me." Miranda said firmly. "She deserves a happy life where sneering and scowling are alien concepts."
"Whatever." Harry sighed.
Oriana, along with her adoptive mother and father were waiting to be called for a shuttle to take them to the ship that would convey them to the new planet where Miranda had arranged for the father to get a better job.
Miranda's contact had heard that her genetic father had arranged for the family to be intercepted, the parents to be disposed of and Oriana brought to him.
"Alright, I'm going in. You just keep your eyes peeled for trouble."
"What do you mean 'going in'?" Miranda hissed "Oriana is never to know that we are involved."
"Well, you can stay in the shadows and watch dear old dad rip away your sister's happy life. But I am going to go over there, explain she is in danger and give her some options that will mean she never has to watch over her shoulder again."
"Impossible. If you tell her she will always be watching, worrying."
"Only if there is something to worry about." Harry said pointedly. "By the time I am finished, your father won't even think about you or your sister again."
Miranda examined his expression carefully. His mouth was smiling… but his eyes spoke of something… permanent.
"Shepard said I could trust you. He said that you would increase the odds of this succeeding." She said.
"I guess the real question then, is how much do you trust Shepard?"
Miranda looked at her sister and couldn't help the pang of longing. Of wanting to be with her only decent family.
"Do it."
When she looked back to the shorter man she found he was already halfway to her sister. She couldn't help but snort a laugh at the man's audacity. It was no wonder that he had an N7 operative and an asari commando as his minders.
Shepard and his team had fought their way through nearly fifty members of the Eclipse. Most of them were asari vanguards capable of impressive biotic acts.
Jack, Grunt and Tank had taken it as a challenge and risen to the occasion.
The trio had formed their own sort of team and ploughed on ahead of the others as they engaged the mercenaries until the others arrived to pick off the stragglers.
An interesting issue revealed itself when the trio made their way back to the group voluntarily with Tank carrying a somewhat delusional volus by the back of its suit.
"I am a biotic god!" The volus declared woozily.
"Shut up ya little hob goblin." Jack scowled. "We found this one stumbling around up ahead." She reported to Shepard. "I was just going to kill it but I think these two elephants want to keep it as a pet." She pointed at the two towering krogan.
"Elephants?" Grunt looked at Tank.
"Oh for gods sake girl." Zaeed said in exasperation before turning to the two krogan. "I'll show you later." He promised. "When I've got you hopped up on so much ryncol you won't be able to kill the little bitch." He added under his breath.
"Fear me lesser creatures…!" The volus trailed off in slight confusion as he dangled from Tank's hand. "See how I fly? Proof of my omnisinessessess!"
"You two made a good call." Shepard assured the krogan. "Jacob, Kasumi, take the volus back to the precinct and hand him over to Anaya."
"Sure thing Shep." Kasumi smiled.
"Yes Captain." Jacob almost saluted.
"The rest of us will continue on. According to the intel we've managed to gather, the headquarters should be just ahead." Shepard said as the two humans lead the 'biotic god' away.
"The quarians have a need for people from all walks of life." Harry explained as he walked with Oriana and her family down the hallway to where the Tiger-Lilly was docked. "Most of them only have experience as engineers. This is great for helping the geth keep things in working order but not so good when it comes to things like medicine, agriculture, education or running a government."
"So even Oriana will have a chance of getting employment on Rannoch?" Her mother asked.
"With her brains? She'll have the pick of the litter!" Harry said as he cycled the airlock. "So, there is an ulterior reason I have you on a private ship."
The father's hand tightened protectively on his daughter's shoulder.
"Relax, your safety is paramount." Harry assured them as he led the now nervous humans through the ship. "No, I am not a threat, but your… shall we say, 'genetic' father is."
"You know about why I was put up for adoption?" Oriana asked with keen interest.
"I do. It is an interesting if somewhat depressing story." He said as he indicated for them to sit on the couches in the lounge. "But considering it ends with you in a loving family, it can't be all bad. Want to hear it?" Harry grinned.
"Mordin, do you have anything that will knock her out?" Shepard called over to the Doctor from his position in cover.
"I've got this Shepard!" Jack shouted as she happily continued to pound the local Eclipse leader, Captain Wasea, into the ground with her fists.
"Should have just thing!" Mordin chirped as he quickly stood and fired something from his arm guard.
Jack paused for a moment before she dropped bonelessly to the ground.
The crew slowly crept up to the pair of unconscious females.
Wasea was a battered mess and barely alive.
Jack was drooling in her sleep.
"Perfect dosage." Mordin said proudly. "Must be monitored to ensure no ill-effects though. Dosage was enough to take down an enraged krogan."
Jack had been dosed with a highly potent variant of the drug known as 'Red Sand'. It boosted a biotics levels but also caused euphoria and lapses in judgement. Jack getting dosed was a disaster in the making.
"Dammit." Shepard groaned. "Tank, accompany Mordin and Jack back to the ship. Doctor, Jack is your patient. Do not leave her with the ships doctor and do not let him have access."
"Doctor DiArgo is highly trained." Mordin assured.
"He is also pure Cerberus, Jack would kill him if she woke up to find him hovering over her." Shepard explained.
"Hmm… Do not have appropriate monitoring equipment in lab." Mordin frowned. "Will be interesting experiment to craft alternatives to suit purpose." He smiled happily.
It was now down to just Shepard, Grunt and Zaeed.
Shepard was regretting that he let Ashley, Tali and Shiala chase down Samara's target another way. He didn't feel comfortable without the others there.
Garrus was off on a personal errand. He had seemed pretty serious about it but wouldn't give any details.
"Start searching people. We need to find a list of ships that have left the Eclipse base and who boarded them."
"I'm a test tube baby." Oriana wasn't sure how to process this fact. "I… I don't have a mother at all."
"What do you call her then?" Harry pointed to the woman on the girl's left. "She's the one who raised you and loved you."
"Why are you helping us? I'm sure this Henry Lawson could pay you more than enough to get Oriana." The father, Jeremy Handle, frowned.
"Henry Lawson might own a few billion credits, I on the other hand own several trillion credits." Harry snorted. "Henry would have had to spend a small fortune to pay the mercenaries to get Oriana. I wasn't paid a single credit."
Harry leaned forward in his armchair and looked Oriana in the eye. "All it took for me to help you was the sincere plea of your sister to protect you and your parents."
"You know where she is?" Oriana asked eagerly.
"Of course. She was the only one who knew where you were as she rescued you, we covered this already." Harry smirked.
"Where is she? Can I meet her?" The nineteen year old was nearly bouncing on the couch.
Her father was looking slightly green from the way the springs were moving.
"You really want to meet her? She's a bit of a bitch." Harry grimaced.
"But she rescued me! She's still looking out for me! She can't be all bad." Oriana argued.
"I don't believe she is. But she has made some poor choices." Harry sighed. "I'll tell you what. I'll go and see if I can't convince her to come and meet you. You go down the hall and pick out some rooms for your journey. It will only take a day or two but beds are better than couches.
"My fiancée will be along with our other friend soon and they will accompany you to Rannoch."
"Don't ask her. Just… drag her here!" Oriana ordered.
Harry snapped to attention and saluted. "Ma'am! Yes Ma'am!"
"You consort with unsavoury characters, Shepard." Samara said with disapproval. "You expect me to simply not take issue with the fact that you have a murderer and two members of a terrorist group with you?"
"Come with us or don't." Shepard shrugged. "Your presence will increase our chances of success. I trust that the Matriarchs told you just how important this mission is?"
"They did. But Matriarchs can be political animals. They are not known for their honesty."
"Like I said, come with us or don't. But if you cause problems with the rest of the crew… well, my mission is too important to have anyone jeopardising its success." He said with all seriousness.
"Very well, you have proven your prowess. You have shown you can be merciful. I will swear myself to your cause. But know this, should you do anything that my code disapproves of then I will be forced to kill you when I am eventually released from my oath."
"Then I probably deserve it." Shepard agreed.
Samara's eyes turned white and she went down low on one knee, her back hunched over and her face point downwards as she closed her eyes. A fully submissive posture that was deeply at odds with the predator they had witnessed earlier.
Anaya stood up respectfully.
"By the Code, I will serve you, Shepard. Your choices are my choices, your morals are my morals. Your wishes are my code."
She began to glow with a biotic aura that could easily eclipse Jack or Kaiden, or even the Matriarchs.
Samara stood and the aura receded and her eyes resumed their normal colour.
"I never thought I would see a Justicar swear an oath like that." Anaya was awestruck.
"I understand and accept your oath, Justicar Samara. I swear my own to ensure that our actions are honourable." Shepard gave a slight bow.
"I appreciate it." Samara inclined her head. "Truly, the life of a Justicar can get lonely. I admit, I am looking forward to serving with a company of honourable heroes… regardless of the more… 'colourful' members of your team."
"We've all done things we aren't proud of." Shepard admitted. "All we can do now is try to be better."
"Indeed." She agreed as she recalled her own past.
"Shepard, we managed to track the target. She just landed on Omega." Tali reported as she jogged up with Ash and Shiala.
"Damn. A rogue Ardat-Yakshi in a place like Omega?" Shepard swore.
"It would be like an all you can buffet." Ashley sighed.
"Tali, Shiala, can you go with Samara to Omega?"
"Harry already contacted us. He needs us to act as an escort for… a group of people. He was far too vague." Tali scowled.
"Alright, take Samara to Harry and ask him to take Samara to Omega to deal with her target."
"You would allow me to finish my previous mission whilst under your command?" Samara asked in surprise.
"Of course. This Morinth is a dangerous murderer. We are still performing intelligence gathering at this stage. We are a while off before we can take on the Collectors and put a stop to them."
"Then I have truly made the right choice in swearing my oath to you." She gave a very respectful bow.
"Damn you Potter! Release me!" Miranda screeched as Harry manhandled her into the airlock of the Tiger-Lilly.
Any passers-by were confused as to whether they should intervene but Harry's playfully cheeky grin made them doubt the woman was in any real danger.
"I told you my sister wasn't to know about me." She hissed as the airlock sealed and Harry released her arm.
"Yes, but I like your sister better than you and she was very insistent." He smiled.
"She deserves a better life than what I can give her."
"You are just going to meet her, Miranda. You aren't about to adopt her." Harry rolled her eyes.
"This is still-"
"Listen, Lawson." Harry said with a slight irritability as they waited for the airlock to cycle. "I am not real fond of you. You are a stuck up bitch who has made some really questionable choices in her life.
"But there is one thing I am certain of: You are a damned fine sister and Oriana deserves all the family she can get… and so do you.
"Take it from someone who had no family."
The inner doors opened and he shoved her through before quickly shutting them and locking her onboard.
Miranda stood there glowering at the door.
"I thought we'd be identical." Came a curious voice.
Miranda spun around with a 'deer in the headlights' look.
Standing there with one hip cocked and her arms folded beneath her breasts was her baby sister.
"But you are beautiful. Why are you still single?" Oriana asked with a hint of a smile.
"Why are you?" Miranda countered as she matched her sister's pose.
"We are supposedly perfect. Can anyone really match up to our standards?"
"You're women. Nobody is ever good enough." Came the slightly sarcastic voice of her father.
The sisters turned to see Oriana's family standing there.
Miranda swallowed. She might be physically perfect and highly trained for all situations… but this was completely foreign territory.
Potter was a dead man.
"Emissary!"
"That's it! There is absolutely no point trying to hide my identity!"