LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BLINDLUCK92 IS BACK IN THE HOUSE!

*clears throat awkwardly* Um, hi? Yeah, it's been a while, but I'm back. Let's get going then, huh?

I would like to take a moment to thank someone called Ttran2323 for recommending my story on TV Tropes. I love that site, but I never knew until now that somebody had put me on the Mass Effect Fanfic Recs page! So whoever you are Ttran2323, thank you somuch! You can't see it, but I'm jumping with joy!

And it seems I've been spelling Miranda's sister's name wrong all this time. It's "Oriana" not "Orianna" but I went back and fixed it for this chapter and the previous one. The other mentions were too minor to track down, so in the words of Cassandra Pentaghast: Deal. With. It.

Also, I'm warning you all now that I'll be starting some side projects. For real this time. As in, you can expect at least a couple chapters of a Supernovas of Thedas story of some kind before the summer is over. Spread the word, because it'll be awesome.

Finally, the BLOODHOUND subplot is not "over" but it is finished in the sense that Governor is done chasing the Supernovas. I had about six (thousand) different ways it could have ended through typical violence and force of will, but then I thought: "what if his own people just get fed up with Governor leading them to their deaths?" Then it got interesting, and a bit less violent. Personally, I'm glad it's over. It was a good idea in theory, but it just took too much out of me to write it, and I felt like I was killing to story. Regardless, it's over. Back to your regularly scheduled ass-kicking.

And now for some guest reviews:

To superpeirce and ShepardPawnch: See the above announcement for answers to your question about other stories. I am indeed going to start branching out. I just need my life to quiet down. If it doesn't, I'll take a sledgehammer to it and make it quiet by force.

DracoAngel17 and Frontrunner Omega: That was really nice. Thanks.

Dog: Never mind. Payback got scrapped in favor of a resolution to the BLOODHOUND subplot that just felt right.

Zack: Thanks dude!

And now on with the show!

Summary: The Supernovas will go as far as it takes to protect Miranda's sister. Maybe even a little farther.

Spoilers: Usual. Not much else beyond that.

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. But if anyone's making an offer…?


The Prodigal

Normandy SR-2: IES Stealth System Engaged
Crew Deck: Forward Battery

Almost everyone was groundside for the mission to help Miranda. Everyone except for Mordin and Garrus. The salarian was holed up in his lab, as usual, running experiments that straddled the line between ethically ambiguous and outright insane. Garrus had similarly locked himself inside the forward battery. He finally had a moment of peace and quiet, and there was only one way to properly spend it.

The turian gave a contented sigh. "Calibrations…"


Nos Astra: Illium Cargo Terminal
Container Transfer and Conveyor Belt Wing

Jack screamed and unleashed a small hurricane of biotic energy, blasting away all Eclipse in her path. More just replaced them, however. "What the fuck Cheerleader?!" the psychotic biotic yelled. "How many mercs did daddy dearest hire?"

Grunt cackled with glee as he smashed through the Eclipse ranks, tanking whatever they threw at him and giving back twice as hard with just his Claymore and his thick skull. "Nowhere near enough!"

"More like I'm not being paid enough!" Zaeed ranted. "I thought we were here to track down some kid, not fight a guddamn war with the Eclipse!" Ducking behind cover, he pulled the pin on an inferno grenade and tossed it downrange, burning several mechs and mercs to death.

Alex picked up one of the many conveniently-placed explosive containers and effortlessly hurled it into enemy lines. Those who survived the explosion were literally crushed under his heel. "We are," the virus said simply. His voice was thick with fury, but it was all focused, directed towards accomplishing his goal. "But so are they. Dr. Henry Lawson is a narcissist and an egomaniac. He'll do whatever it takes to reclaim his stolen 'property.'" He spat the last word with enough venom to put a thresher maw down.

This surprised Miranda. She never expected Mercer to empathize with her situation. "How did you know?" she asked. She asked because she had to know.

Cole chuckled as he fried several mechs with ease. "The original Alex Mercer was a narcissist and an egomaniac. The virus with claws is a better person, and he eats people. That should tell you how much he can relate."

"The original Mercer unleashed a virus in Manhattan out of pure spite!" the Blacklight runner growled. "I share his name, but I'll never do what he did. Even Dana, his sister – my sister – was just another useful tool at his disposal. He cared for nothing but the prestige that would stroke his cancerous ego. So yeah, I think I know exactly what kind of shit-sucking bastard Miranda is protecting her sister from!"

Miranda thought it would be a cold day in hell before she ever found common ground with Alex Mercer. He was the smug, immortal, insufferable, shapeshifting bastard that hated Cerberus more than anyone else in the galaxy. She had always seen him as a useful weapon to point against the Collectors, as well as an unacceptably dangerous threat to Cerberus once the ceasefire agreement came to an inevitable and violent end. Yet here he was, lending her his full support. Why? Because he knew her pain. Because like Miranda, Alex Mercer would tear the galaxy asunder if it meant his sister would be safe. Perhaps they weren't so different after all.

It was something to consider, at least.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Jacob used his biotic barriers to soak up enemy bullets while returning fire with deadly precision. "Miranda and Oriana are his daughters. That's gotta count for something, right?"

Ryan laughed at the ex-Corsair's naïveté. "Oh, sure it counts. It counts that they're his daughters, meaning they belong to him. They have no rights as people because in his mind, they are not people. They are his prized possessions. He claims ownership for them as you would for your gun. Tell me, would you allow your gun to choose for itself when to fire? It's the same principle."

"The geth 'chose' to take away my people's homeworld," Tali added, ripping the shields and tech armor off of an Eclipse sentinel and blasting him with her geth plasma shotgun. "They chose to take our homeworld from us. "We're not exactly on speaking terms with them either."

"Proves the same point," the Master Chief boomed. He mowed down the entire mercenary front line with his Typhoon. "Try to create sentient life and enslave it, you're just gonna piss it off."

"If one brings life into the world," Samara declared, "that life is their responsibility." With her biotics, she flung mechs and mercs into the walls as if they were mere toys. "It is not. Property." This clearly struck a nerve with the otherwise unflappable justicar.

From stealth, Kasumi stabbed an Eclipse vanguard in the back with her omni-blade. "Why do I get the feeling that most the people here are touchy on the subject of family?"

EEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIAH

No matter how many times they'd heard it, even the other Supernovas were terrified by Eleanor's signature scream. For the newer members of the squad who hadn't heard it before, the shriek was nightmare incarnate.

The Big Sister appeared in the middle of an Eclipse squad with a flash of purple. Cupping her right hand, she telekinetically suspended them all at once. "Touchy?" she repeated. "As Henry Lawson is to Miranda and Oriana, so my mother was to me!" She flicked her wrist, severing the mercenaries' spinal cords with no regard for the shields, barriers, or armor that could only protect them from physical harm. Casting aside the bodies aside with a mere gesture, she threw herself into the fray, tearing, stabbing, burning, and blasting anything that was in her path.

Nobody could see it with her helmet covering her head, but Eleanor Lamb had tears running down her face. "Brought up without a single friend, subject to hellish lessons and experiments meant to groom me for the role of a utilitarian messiah! And when I rebelled, she was disappointed in me for being 'selfish'. Is it 'selfish' to want the freedom to think for myself? To want to retain my bloody individuality?!" On those tearful words, Eleanor lunged at a vanguard with her needle, impaling him straight through his barriers. The three mercs behind her were next.

Crack Snap Crunch

But when the rampaging Big Sister turned around, she saw that they were already lying dead on the ground with their necks snapped. Thane was standing silently over their bodies, something that gave Eleanor a moment's pause. When did he get down here? How did he get down here? Last she checked, the drell had been in a sniper perch over sixty meters away! What's more, Eleanor hadn't heard, seen, or otherwise sensed his approach. Thane caught her completely off guard, something nobody had ever managed before. Not Alex, not her brother, not even Desmond. That this drell had done it so effortlessly was unnerving… and maybe a little exciting.

This wasn't the time or place for flights of fancy, however. All Eclipse in the area were dead, but one of their comms was still in working condition (aka: the Supernovas hadn't torn it apart while cracking skulls). Eleanor tossed it to the Chief, and within seconds, Cortana had them all listening in.

"I'm not liking this," Ryan grumbled. "You sure you can still trust Niket after what that merc said?"

"Absolutely!" Miranda reassured. Such faith coming from the woman who didn't trust anyone spoke volumes. "He's one of my oldest friends. You could probably say he's my only real friend."

Cole shook his head. "That's the betrayal you never see coming, and the one that hurts the most." Zeke had sold him out in Empire City. The pain the conduit had felt that day, he wouldn't wish it on anyone.

"He knows what my father is really like, MacGrath!" Miranda argued vehemently. "I trusted him with my life when I ran away. He won't betray me now."

"For your sake," Cole said grimly, "I hope you're right."

They were going to find out soon enough. It seemed the Eclipse had begun to comprehend just how righteously screwed they were for getting in the Supernovas' way. They were going nuts on the comm.

"They're slaughtering everyone, Captain! We need backup now, before they reach our position!"

Alex laughed at how they thought backup would make the slightest difference. Then they heard an asari on the line. It was Captain Enyala if they had to guess. The overconfident tone demanding unearned authority gave her away.

"So the bitch brought backup, huh? Interesting. Alright, divert everyone except my guard from Niket. I'll handle him and the kid personally."

"Dammit!" Miranda yelled. "I'm not letting her get Oriana!"

The Supernovas still had reservations about the way Enyala had mentioned Niket, but they didn't press the issue further. As powerful as they were, Miranda Lawson was downright scary right now. Normally when she got pissed about their Cerberus bashing or how she could never learn their closely-guarded secrets, she got irritated and flustered because their logic made more sense than any of TIM's justifications. This was different. Right now, Miranda Lawson was a genetically superior Aussie, she was violently protective of her sister, and she was pissed as all hell. It was in the best interest of all parties if the Supernovas just fell in line and did what they did best: kill the bad guys.

And of course, there were a lot of bad guys in the way, especially now that Enyala had sicced reinforcements on them. Luckily, the Supernovas came up with a rather impressive solution to quicken their progress.

"Shield wall!" Alex yelled as he jumped to the front of the squad, simultaneously shifting into his viral armor and shield. Ryan and Cole took up positions on his left and right, using Return to Sender and frost shields in both hands respectively. On Ryan's left, Grunt stomped up, fortification tanking absolutely everything. The Master Chief did the same on Cole's right with both his MJOLNIR armor and additional hardlight shield. They had formed an utterly unstoppable wall, and now they were marching forward. The intimidation factor alone was enough to send half of the Eclipse running for the hills. The other half was effortlessly cut down by the rest of the squad. They moved forward with all the inevitability of a glacier, albeit much faster, and soon they were standing right in front of an elevator.

Ridiculously slow elevators, the most hated nemesis of the Supernovas on the whole fucking territory. Saving Oriana just had to require an elevator ride because their luck was just that bad. Before anyone could step inside the dreaded machine, however, the Eclipse comm. began squawking, hopefully with useful information.

"Niket has reached the terminal. He'll switch the family over to our transport."

Well… shit.

"Niket?" Miranda muttered in disbelief. "But… that can't be right." Of course, they wouldn't know for sure until they took the elevator up and found out for themselves. Unfortunately, the elevator lacked the space and the carrying capacity to bring the entire squad up at once, so they improvised. Alex ran up the wall, Grunt and the Master Chief stayed behind with Eleanor, and Ryan saved space by hanging onto the elevator's ceiling. Everyone else just had to make themselves comfortable. The Splicer King would use the Summon Eleanor plasmid to bring his sister and the two heavyweights up when they reached their destination. Elevators: slow, and totally cramping their Supernova style.

Miranda was unaware of their suffering, however. All she could think about was Enyala's words, and their terrifying implications. Her stoic exterior crumbled as she looked for a way to rationalize what she'd heard. "Maybe the Captain knows we're listening in and she's feeding misinformation about Niket making the switch." She was overlooking the fact that Cortana was the one who hacked into the comms and there wasn't an Eclipse merc alive capable of detecting that subtle an intrusion. Such was the extent of her emotional turmoil.

Emotional turmoil that Jack was enjoying far too much. "Face it Cheerleader!" she laughed. "Your BFF fucking sold you out!"

"Jack," Cole said threateningly. The psychotic biotic stopped laughing when she realized just how furious the conduit was. Her silence wasn't entirely on account of fear, however. Ever since the first mention of betrayal, the typical "broody" Cole had been replaced by "straight up angry" Cole. After that Collector ship mission and that Solara shit, Jack knew what the Thunderhead could do when he stopped holding back, and damn if it wasn't turning her on like nobody's business.

"Or maybe it means something else," Miranda continued, barely registering Jack's snide commentary. "Niket wouldn't do that." Without warning, she activated her omni-tool and began overloading the hell out of the elevator's control panel. "Dammit, can't this thing go any faster?!"

Apparently it could. Much faster, in fact. All it needed was a Lawson's touch.

"Damn," Ryan sighed from his spot on the ceiling. "Why didn't we ever think of that two years ago?"

Tali looked up at the Splicer King with a smirk behind her facemask. "I did think of it. I just kept it a secret as payback for always teleporting me." Ryan gave his mechanic a halfhearted glare, both of them knowing that the quarian had won this round. This new dance was more fun now that she could give as good as she got.

"If you're finished?" Cole asked sarcastically. He was in no mood for games right now. "Okay Miranda, we don't have much time since you sped up the elevator, but I gotta ask. What the hell did Niket do to earn blind faith from you of all people? You always expect there to be a catch. Why not him?"

"He could've turned on me when I ran away," Miranda answered, voice desperately seeking some measure of its usual composure. "I'm sure my father tried to buy him off. If he didn't do it then, why would he now?"

"Maybe something changed," Ryan theorized. "Could be your father gave him a few million more reasons than last time he tried." Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Or it could be new information. This time it's not about you, Miranda. It's about Oriana." The Splicer King looked down at the Cerberus officer. "Did you tell Niket about Oriana when you took the kid from your father all those years ago? Or is he just learning the truth now, same as us?"

Miranda looked away. "I only told him recently. It was too personal to involve anyone else. Even Niket."

"Well there you have it," Cortana chimed in on the comm.

"You keep a secret like that from your oldest real friend, as you called him," Alex added, "You can't predict how they'll react when the truth comes to light. Sorry Lawson, but this has all the trappings of betrayal."

Strangely enough, Miranda actually heard sincerity in Alex's voice. He genuinely regretted the thought of her oldest and closest friend turning on her. That brought some small comfort, and right now, she'd take what she could get.

"Either way, we'll find out soon enough," Miranda said stoically. "Then I'll have a 'word' with this Captain Enyala."

She'd get not arguments from the rest of the squad. Nobody, not even Jack, was stupid enough to get in Miranda's way this time. The writing was on the wall: Enyala was gonna die.


Nos Astra: Marketplace
Office of Liara T'Soni

When the reports of extremely violent disturbances began flooding in, Governor realized just how thoroughly he'd been wasting his time. Explosions, energy fluctuations, odd weather patterns, screeching, and an obscene amount of gunfire all coming from a single location? Might as well post their exact location on the goddamn extranet.

"They've been here all this time!" Governor yelled Liara, rage consuming him. "And you knew! You knew and you withheld the information to protect those freaks from me!"

Liara was very tired of this man wasting her time, patience, and money. Slamming her fist down on her desk, the asari's biotics flared just as bright as Governor's. "I am protecting you from them!" she snapped, voice colder than the ice on Noveria. "For once in your brief mammalian existence, face the facts! The only reason you survived your encounters on Horizon and Arcturus Station is because the Power Five allowed it! You are not a threat to them. You are simply in the way, and they have been patient enough not to kill you. Eventually that patience will run out, and the longer you pursue them, the sooner they give up on mercy. When that day comes, you will be reduced to a fine red paste. This is not a threat, nor is it a warning. It is a simple fact. One of many I have tried to help you understand." Liara sat down and turned her chair to face the window, indicating quite clearly that she was done talking. "Good day, Major Wojcik. You may see yourself out."

Governor knew Dr. T'Soni would warn the Power Five that he was coming as soon as he left. He could leave a man behind to keep tabs on her. Unfortunately he couldn't spare anyone to watch the asari and hunt his targets down on such short notice. He would barely manage to pull together the resources necessary for the latter objective. Trapped and outplayed, the N7 Vanguard snarled and stormed out of the room.

After he left, Liara waited another ten seconds before giving a sigh of relief. Governor's interrogation had been a long and taxing ordeal. She didn't need a doctorate from Serrice University to read the writing on the proverbial wall: BLOODHOUND ended today, one way or another.

"Goddess go with you," she prayed. Whether it was for her friends' safety or for Governor's, even the asari herself didn't know.


Nos Astra: Illium Cargo Terminal
Dock 94

Miranda's handiwork gave the elevator a serious boost of speed. Alex was a little faster, so he reached their destination first. He figured a little recon wouldn't hurt while he waited for the others. From the looks of it, things were about to get interesting.

"I'm sorry sir," an asari transport officer informed a moderately well-dressed human male. "We're under security lockdown. Until the situation in the cargo terminal is resolved, no passengers can be rebooked."

Alex smirked. That's what they always said. And then the "situation" always came to them. Like now for instance.

"This isn't worth my time Niket," an asari complained. The virus assumed that it was Captain Enyala. "I get paid regardless of how the girl gets there."

"No!" the human cried emphatically. Obviously this was Niket, and even more obviously, he'd betrayed Miranda. "I was told that we would handle this my way!" Well, traitor or not, he had a solid brass pair to stand up to an Eclipse boss like Enyala. "We're not traumatizing the family any more than we-"

Naturally, that's when the elevator door opened to reveal the Suicide Squad. Ryan immediately summoned his sister, who teleported in with Grunt and the Chief. This shocked most of the Eclipse in the room except for Enyala. However, Niket was too focused on the extremely pissed off woman at the front of the squad to notice anything else. It had been years, but Niket recognized her instantly and he bowed his head in shame.

"Miri…" The Supernovas all looked at each other to make sure they'd heard right. Did this guy just use a nickname for Miranda bloody Lawson? Must have been one hell of a close friend back in the day.

Enyala smirked and hopped off the crate where she'd been sitting. "This should be fun," she said, drawing a Claymore exactly like Grunt's. If she could fire that thing without shattering her arm, then the bitch likely had an illegal enhancement or two.

The transport officer came to the conclusion that she wasn't getting paid anywhere near enough to deal with this kind of insanity, so she did the intelligent thing and ran. Unfortunately, Enyala was very bored by this point. Desperately itching to kill something, the Eclipse boss turned her Claymore on the fleeing asari and fired from the hip.

BOOM

And a reaction time that gods would envy, the Master Chief was instantly standing between the transport officer and Enyala. His vastly superior shields and armor tanked the Claymore rounds like they were spitballs, covering the transport officer's escape. To clarify, the Master Chief did not get shot. He simply body-checked a blast from the galaxy's most powerful scattergun. He already had reached boogeyman status among the Eclipse on Illium after he tore apart the Sisterhood and busted their red sand operations. This most recent act just served to remind all the asari in the room exactly who they'd royally pissed off. It was working.

Tired of watching from his vantage point up above, Alex dropped down and landed next to Miranda with a sadistic grin on his face. "Niket, if this is what it looks like, then you're either the bravest son of a bitch in the galaxy or the stupidest. Which is it gonna be?"

Miranda forced back any and all tears as she held her (former) friend at gunpoint. "Why Niket?! You were my friend! You helped me get away from my father!"

"Yes, because you wanted to leave," Niket shot back. "That was your choice! But if I'd known that you'd stolen a baby-"

"I didn't steal her," Miranda insisted as she held Niket at gunpoint. "I rescued her!"

"From I life of wealth and happiness?" Niket scoffed. "You weren't saving her, you were just getting back at your father!" Every Supernova in the room was impressed. Niket was wrong of course, but he got serious points for standing up to not one, but two women that could easily kill him with their brains.

"Speaking of the esteemed Mr. Lawson," Ryan drawled, "how'd the bastard turn you? Obviously money was involved, but unlike last time, you actually sold out. What's the thinking?"

The man never looked away from Miranda. "They told me you'd kidnapped your baby sister all those years ago. Said I could get her back peacefully. No trauma to the family. I told them you'd never do that. That they could go to hell. Then you finally told me what you'd done." He sighed. "I called them back that night."

Miranda looked at Niket as if he'd lost his mind. "Why didn't you call me, Niket?! We've been through a lot, you could've at least let me explain!"

Niket glared daggers at Miranda. "Yeah, I deserved to know that you'd stolen your sister, Miri!" he snapped, pointing at her accusingly. "I deserved to know you were with Cerberus. But I had to hear it all from your father first."

"And how much money did you 'deserve' to heal your wounded pride?" Eleanor quipped. A quick once-over told her all Alex had seen and possibly more. She stuck to what was relevant. "Henry Lawson is paying you for your betrayal. That's not in question. Judging by the modest choice in clothes, middle-class I'd guess, you're either hoarding what he gave you and dressing conservatively." She smirked. "Or the payout alone has elevated you to the middle class." When Niket shifted uncomfortably, her smirk widened. "Ah, then you were poor before. Even easier to justify. You 'deserve' this, in your mind. Miranda's secrecy makes it easier to sleep with the blood money. Betrayal for betrayal. All is right in your world, yes?" The Big Sister shook her head in pity. "So simple to buy you, Miranda's oldest and possibly only trustworthy friend. It is, in fact, because you were her only trusted friend that Henry Lawson bought you, correct?"

Niket slumped his shoulders, absolutely defeated. "Yes."

"And you just took his money?" Miranda hissed.

"Don't get holy with me, Miri!" Niket retorted. "You 'took his money' for years!"

"Maybe it was her allowance?" Cole chuckled. Coughing awkwardly when he realized it was in bad taste, he gave Niket a deadpan look. "She was running away from home. That's not something you do without cash in your pocket. Trust me, I know from personal experience."

"Yeah?" Niket challenged. "Well, I know I've never liked being poor from personal experience. Dr. Lawson can still give Oriana a better life."

Alex facepalmed at the man's stupidity. "Alright, listen carefully shit-for-brains. Henry Lawson can give Oriana many things, but a 'better life' ain't one of them. He's going to use her, parade her around like an extension of his dick. His money is a disease, and it'll rot Oriana to the core if you let the Eclipse put her in a gilded fucking cage!"

"Speaking of the Eclipse," Eleanor asked, turning towards Enyala, "when did you lower your standards to trafficking children?" Considering Little Sisters were the most valuable commodity in Rapture, human cargo was as profitable an enterprise as it was disgusting. And considering Eleanor used to be a Little Sister, her opinions on the matter were… strong, to say the least.

"I'm not kidnapping her," Enyala said, sarcastically echoing Miranda's earlier words. "I'm rescuing her. Come on, Niket. Let's finish this bitch off and get out of here."

"Take your best shot," Miranda warned. Everyone knew shit was going down when the resident Ice Queen was itching for a fight.

"I was just waiting for you to finish getting dressed," Enyala said smugly. "Or does Cerberus really let you whore around in that outfit?"

"I like her," Jack piped up. "We're still recruiting, right?" She fired a warning shot at a commando getting a little too uppity in the back for her tastes.

Cole chuckled again. "I always figured the outfit was for recruiting, but I could be wrong."

"You used to wear a tracksuit!" Ryan yelled, the comment so random and hilariously true that half the squad was laughing again. If Miranda didn't know that they were the most deadly sons of bitches to ever live (and possibly die), then she'd be demanding more courtesy right now. Instead all that mattered was stopping Niket and the Eclipse.

"If Niket knows," the Chief said, "your father knows." It was all he said, but they knew what he meant. Relocation alone wouldn't cut it against a man who could drop billions of credits on a whim.

Niket looked away awkwardly. "Miranda's father has no information about Oriana. I knew you had spy programs in your father's system, Miri. So I kept it private. I only told him I had a number of leads to follow up. I'm the only one who knows the whole picture."

Enyala looked at Niket out of the corner of her eye. Was this human stupid or something? He was backing out of a job worth tens of millions! What kind of idiot did that because of a guilty conscience? If he expected the Eclipse to walk away just because he did, he was sorely mistaken.

Miranda was shaking with so many different emotions, it was hard to aim for a moment. "That means you're the only loose end," she summarized. The Supernovas knew where this was going, and they knew it would only cause her pain. Ryan teleported to her side and forced her to point the gun up instead of at Niket. "What are you doing?!"

"If you pull that trigger, you'll die a little inside," Cole said as the Splicer King continued to hold Miranda at bay. "I once wanted to fry my best friend. I'll always be glad that I didn't."

"You don't understand, this has to end here!" Miranda snarled, protection shining in her eyes. "My father will keep trying to find Oriana!"

"No, he won't," Alex replied, glaring at Niket from beneath his hood. "Will he, Niket?"

"I'll say you got here first," the terrified man offered, "or that none off my leads panned out. That I don't know where she is." Whether it was redemption or fear motivating Niket, they didn't care so long as he did the right thing for the Lawson Sisters.

Miranda stabbed a finger in her former friend's direction. "I never want to see you again, Nik-"

BOOM

She never would either, as Enyala had just shot Niket with her Claymore at point blank range. He came apart like wet cardboard. "Done," the Eclipse bitch said casually as the man's remains fell to the floor. "Now if you don't mind, I have a shipment to deliver."

Referring to a young woman as a "shipment" or any other form of cargo was one of the fastest ways to end up on Ryan and Eleanor's shit list. They were literally about to commit unspeakable crimes against Enyala's very soul, but Miranda was even angrier and faster. Cupping her hand, the Cerberus Officer lifted Enyala off the ground in a tightly constricting biotic lift. It was humbling for the asari – supposedly the ultimate biotics – to be completely helpless in the psychokinetic grasp of a human.

"You'll die for that, bitch!" Miranda screamed in anger and loss. With a flick of her wrist, she fired a compressed throw field that sent Enyala's blue ass to the other end of the dock. The display of raw power and uncharacteristic anger had left the entire squad in stunned silence as Miranda turned around to face them. "What are you waiting for?!" she yelled. "Do what you do best and kill them all!"

"Don't have to ask me twice!" Ryan hollered. "Divide and conquer, everyone gets a turn!" Eyes yellow, he leapt into the air and shattered out of existence.

Cole ran up Alex's back and put his arms forward. The virus reached up and grabbed the conduit before throwing him forward in the mother of all kamikaze attacks. The room lit up with electricity as Cole made impact with a commando, blowing off her barriers and tech armor and shocking her to death instantly. The shockwave radiated out, staggering many of the other commandos.

When one of them got her bearings, she found herself looking up at a massive krogan with the same shotgun as her boss. The krogan laughed, and then her world went black.

Another was desperately trying to kill the green suit of armor as it slowly advanced. She was failing. It lifted her by the head and crushed her skull through her helmet.

A quarian should have been an easy target once one of the commandos got past her drone. Unfortunately, that quarian was insanely good with a shotgun, and this was a geth plasma shotgun. A single charged blast stripped away the commando's defenses just in time for the drone to spawn again and light her on fire. Another one blew up Chiktikka from behind, but this only caused the drone to detonate, knocking the commando to the floor and destroying her barriers. Tali pulled out her sidearm and quickly double-tapped the downed asari before she could get up. "Anyone else want to try?" she taunted. Never had a glowing omni-tool looked so dangerous.

A thief struck, hidden in plain sight. A justicar crushed all before her with a mere thought. What a legendary mercenary lacked in flashy tricks, he made up for with good old-fashioned bullets and firebombs. An ex-Corsair used his gun and his biotics in perfect sync to keep the pressure on the enemy. An assassin provided unparalleled overwatch with his sniper, cutting down whatever tried to hide or flank the squad. A Blacklight Runner consumed. A Big Sister shrieked and burned and stabbed. A Splicer King froze and shattered any in his way.

Soon only Enyala and her two best lieutenants were left alive. Enyala glared in defiance and an arrogance that went so far past stupidity it wasn't even remotely funny.

Miranda charged ahead, blood pounding in her ears too loud for her to think of anything but Enyala's death at her hands. When the commandos got in her way and she showed no sign of slowing down, help came from the most unlikely source.

FWOOOM

With an almost feral cry, Jack unleashed a massive shockwave that launched both asari into the air, giving the Cerberus Officer a clear path straight to Enyala. Before the two commandos had even finished falling, the psychotic biotic annihilated them in a hurricane of dark energy. "Nobody kills the Cheerleader bitch except me!"

"Well, come on then!" Enyala challenged, shotgun at the ready. "Show me what you've-ugh!"

She never finished before Miranda Lawson made it clear what happened to those who threatened her sister. An overload dampened Enyala's biotics and briefly made it too painful to aim while a small warp field rendered the Claymore useless. A biotically enhanced kick to the gut cracked the asari's armor and left her winded while a sharp chop to the back of the neck had her seeing stars. With Enyala doubled over, Miranda introduced the bitch's head to the floor with a hurricanrana driver. Getting up, the Ice Queen pulled out her pistol and pointed it at her opponent's head. "For Niket," she said quietly before putting a single bullet into Enyala's brain. Whether she meant that this was revenge, or that the bullet was originally meant for Niket, nobody would ever dare ask.

After a tense silence, Miranda turned to the Supernovas and looked at them desperately for some sign that this was all right. She knew she'd let it get personal, and she knew she'd screwed up. Was that the kind of "perfect" human that Cerberus needed? That the Supernovas needed? What good was Miranda to anyone now?

Her insecurities were put to rest by smirks, smiles, and nods all around. Eleanor and Alex in particular walked up to either side of Miranda, each placing a comforting hand on her shoulders.

"Back to the Kodiak people!" Ryan shouted to the rest of the squad. "Nothing to see here!" They obliged without (much) complaint, filing back into the elevator. There would likely be a few Eclipse stragglers waiting for them down below, but they'd be sure to inform any remaining mercs that their services were no longer required. The fact that their boss was dead wouldn't hurt either.

Even after the squad had left, it still took Miranda another few moments to let it all out, let alone show weakness after years of forcing herself to do otherwise. Her voice was shaking, barely holding together. "I still cared for Niket, and my father knew it. He knew it and he used it against me, just like always." Nobody said anything. They already had figured this much out, but Miranda needed to say it for herself. "My father gave me anything I ever wanted, but there was always a hook, an angle for his long term plan. I threw away everything he ever gave me when I ran. Everything from my old life." She paused and took a breath. "Except for Niket. Weakness on my part."

"He –or she – who has nothing to lose, has nothing to love," Alex cautioned. "Trust me, that's not a life worth living."

"And if you cast aside everything that you do love," Eleanor added, "then you've cast aside your humanity in the process. You'd be no better than your father."

"I know," Miranda said after another ragged breath. "I know, but it's good to hear it from someone else. My father hurt me, but he didn't break me."

"Anyone else he can still use to try and 'break' you?" Cole asked. He wasn't too keen on all the bitter memories this day had brought up.

"No," Miranda assured the conduit. "I cut ties with everyone else. Anyone I'm close to now works for Cerberus… or you lot. My father is powerful, but he won't cross the Illusive Man." A tiny smile appeared on her face. "And he certainly won't cross the Power Five," she drawled.

"Smart man," the Chief grunted. This earned several laughs and utterly shattered the thick emotional tension in the room. Miranda laughed especially hard because for the first time in over ten years, she was treated like an equal. More than that, the Supernovas treated her like a normal human. Nobody did that. She was always perfect and as such, everyone demanded perfection from her. But not them. The Supernovas had never asked her to be perfect. They just asked her to be. That's all they'd ever asked, but she was too busy taking orders from the Illusive Man to notice until now.

But now wasn't the time for soul searching. They still had to finish relocating Oriana and her family. And much to the chagrin of the Supernovas, that required getting back in the elevator.


Nos Astra: Marketplace
Office of Dr. Liara T'Soni

Governor shook his head in disbelief. Dr. T'Soni had just shown him a recording of the Power Five and their crew of killers rip an army of Eclipse apart. No audio of course, protection of privacy and all that, but he got the general idea. Eclipse were hired for something that the Power Five clearly didn't like. Power Five massacred everyone in their way, as usual. Ten minutes ago, Governor would have simply treated this as more evidence that they were mutant terrorists to be hunted down and destroyed.

But ten minutes ago, he hadn't been handed a transfer request by each and every member of his squad. Jenkins had put it rather eloquently:

"Sir, you interrogated Dr. T'Soni in an attempt to piss off an immortal sociopath that eats people and kills thresher maws with his bare hands. With all due respect, have you lost your fucking mind?"

Delgado, Carson, and even Isaacs all basically had the same message:

"We didn't sign up for this shit. You wanna get killed, count us out and do it alone."

And Mancham, well…

"Governor's squad was led by a fair and honorable man. I'd like to be transferred back to that squad, sir."

So here he was, back in Liara's office, thinking clearly for the first time in months. Seeing the recorded destruction hammered it home. They might be chaotic, unorthodox, and generally an embodiment of everything Governor hated, but that wasn't the point. The point was that they weren't even trying while slaughtering the Eclipse. They'd hardly ever tried. Thinking back on other footage he'd seen, he felt like an absolute idiot for not noticing earlier. Governor was out of his league, and if he pressed this any further, he was going to die.

"Upon closer examination," Governor said slowly, "Operation: BLOODHOUND has been deemed cost-prohibitive, both in lives and resources. I will submit a full report to Admiral Hackett upon my return to Arcturus."

Liara gave him a knowing smirk. "I thought you reported directly to Major Antella? What happened to that chain of command you love so much?"

"Doctor T'Soni, I just saw over ten new ways people can die horribly, nine of which I didn't think were physically possible." Governor looked at Liara with exhaustion clear in his eyes. "To hell with the chain of command right now."

The information broker's smirk widened. "Fair enough. Before you depart, I have a proposal for you. A way to turn Operation: BLOODHOUND into something that can benefit the Alliance and the Power Five?"

"You want me to aid terrorists?" Governor asked. "My generosity does still have limits, ma'am."

"I want you to aid literally everyone except terrorists," Liara clarified carefully. "The Power Five cannot stop to help everyone. Follow them, just as you've been ordered. Their journeys will take them to numerous backwater worlds for reasons both personal and professional. You will never catch them, and by the time you arrive, they will be gone. Do not look for a trail. Look for how you can help in ways they cannot. Wherever greed and corruption are torn down by the Power Five, the 'order and structure' you value will be in high demand. Provide it."

"Then I am on cleanup duty?"

"You were ambitious enough to try and kill men that do not die. By comparison, this is a vacation. Your orders have not changed, but in this new context, you can help more than you hurt by following them."

Governor sighed. "I'm listening, but I guarantee nothing yet."

The Alliance Major never would know that an elite wetwork team was seconds away from killing him. A sniper had had his head in the crosshairs, ready to split it open with an armor piercing Kishock harpoon, the signature of Ryan to make it look like the work of the Power Five. The Shadow Broker's false flag operation. If the "anomalies" wouldn't kill Governor, then he would frame them for it, and nobody would care to think otherwise.

Except Alex Mercer kind of happened, and the assassins were now all very much dead. The virus held the sniper by the throat and growled.

"Let's get one thing straight, Broker-boy! I'm a killer, and a damn good one. But to try and have me framed for a murder that I didn't actually commit?! That's just fuckin' insulting!"

And with that, he popped the last assassin's head like a grape and consumed what knowledge the Shadow Broker hadn't kept compartmentalized. Taking a deep calming breath, Alex leapt out through the window and landed on the Kodiak as the Chief flew by right on schedule. Their work here was done. The rest was up to the Rapture Siblings.


Illium: Nos Astra
(Location Redacted)

Miranda watched from a distance as Oriana was walked through the "official story" regarding her relocation. It filled Miranda with pride to see how much her sister had grown in person instead of through surveillance bugs. Oriana was beautiful, smart, happy. Normal. Everything Miranda wanted for her had been achieved.

"She's safe," Miranda said almost sadly.

Yes, she was sad. The problem was, as previously stated, Miranda was watching from a distance. She wanted nothing more than to be a part of this young woman's life. They were sisters, twins even, but they would never have the actual relationship of sisters. Never do things that sisters were supposed to do. The pain was too much knowing that observing from afar was as close as Miranda could get.

"Come on, should-"

"Just go talk to her already," Eleanor insisted. "We'll wait here." She had her helmet off, so Miranda could clearly see when the Big Sister smiled. "Don't deny you want to."

"Stop getting inside my head," Miranda ordered, though her heart wasn't in it. "And I can't 'just go talk to her.' It's not about what I want, it's about what's best for her. The less she knows about me the better. She's got a family. A life. I'll just-"

"Complicate things?" Ryan finished, a wistful smile on his own face. "Imagine this exact scenario with five adoptive daughters. I'm the spitting image of their father in his prime, and if I introduce myself, it'll be another reminder that they'll never truly escape the underwater hell where they were born. That's complicating things." He looked at Miranda, tears threatening to fall from both their eyes. "What you have right here? The golden opportunity to meet your family and actually talk without bullets flying? That's something I'd commit regicide for in a heartbeat. Don't waste this chance to remind yourself why you're out there with us, especially if everything that keeps you human is less than thirty meters away."

Eleanor gave the conflicted Lawson woman a gentle push that sent her staggering three feet forward. "Go and bond, dammit. Tuchanka will still be there when you're done."

And that's how Miranda found herself walking towards Oriana. With every step, she tried to convince herself that this was a bad idea and that she should turn around while she still had the chance. And with each step, she just couldn't find a good enough reason that this actually was a bad idea. They were right. Her sister, her humanity, had taken notice of Miranda by now, and she was smiling warmly. As if she, somehow, already suspected what was going on. It wasn't possible, but Miranda drew closer, she could see Oriana analyzing like she would herself. Noticing the similarities in their appearance for one.

"Hello," Oriana greeted the family she'd never met. She tilted her head to the side slightly. "I feel like I should know you."

"You do, Ori," Miranda said softly. The last time she'd spoken to this young woman, Miranda had been a young girl and Oriana had been an infant yet to develop long-term memory. "I," she stopped and smiled, really smiled. Miranda "Ice Queen" Lawson was smiling like never before and possibly never again.

"I am your sister."


Later

Miranda returned to where Eleanor and Ryan were still waiting. It had been at least two hours, and yet they were patient. Family was important to them, and they'd respect its importance to others.

"So," Ryan asked, "how'd it go?" He wasn't really expecting an answer, but the smile still etched into Miranda's face told him all he needed to know.

"Come on," Eleanor chuckled. "The boys are eager to crack some skulls on the krogan homeworld." She held out a hand, and Miranda took it. And with one final look back at Oriana, she disappeared into thin air with the teleporting Supernovas.

Oriana's eyes widened. "My sister has awesome friends!" she laughed. Her parents were still in shock, but it didn't matter. She'd met her guardian angels after all this time. It was a good day."

Normandy SR-2
Destination: Tuchanka


The Supernovas of Mass Effect had just kept a family safe, and finally rid themselves of BLOODHOUND's idiocy. Now they were heading to the most inhospitable planet in the galaxy capable of supporting life. It was a very good day.

Mission Summary:

Miranda's sister and her family have been successfully placed at (LOCATION REDACTED). Mother's new job pays well and enough to ensure comfort and ease. Unaccounted for boost to income 'donated' by Mercer. Will keep Oriana under observation for her safety only. Miranda Lawson is too valuable to Cerberus, and Oriana's well-being is easiest means of procuring loyalty.

Miranda remains loyal to Ceberus, and her relationship with the Power Five has improved. This new level of trust could potentially allow her access to some of their secrets, but it remains to be seen. Additionally, the threat of BLOODHOUND is over, and some benefit may yet come from the the Shadow Broker and the Alliance's fumbling.

The rest of Officer Lawson's report is surprisingly light on details, but nothing of concern. We know how far she would go to protect Oriana, even from us. Admirable, but unnecessary. Hopefully we will receive proper intelligence about the Power Five in the future. Those freaks of nature will inevitably betray us, and we must be ready to strike when that day comes.

Report end.


WOOOOOOAAAAAAAHHHH! That should not have taken so long. It really shouldn't have. I'm done apologizing for delays though. It's going to continue to be an issue probably for the rest of my fanfiction days, so I'll just apologize in advance and say sorry for every time it happens in the future.

Sorry.

There, now I don't have to say it again when delays inevitably keep happening. I hope you liked this chapter. If not, then deal with it. I've been through hell. I'll get back next time with regularly scheduled curbstomp. Tuchanka-style! Until then though…

Read, Review, and Enjoy!

ALSO IF YOU ARE ASSASSIN-117 PLEASE READ THIS NOTE! I can only assume that you will continue to backtrack your way through my chapters until I reply to your question, so I put a comment here, and at the top just in case you missed it. You are a guest reviewer! I cannot message you directly because you do not have an account. Please don't spam me. I will respond to you with all the other guest reviewers when I get around to posting Chapter 31, so just be patient until then, alright?