34: Expanding the Ranks
Miranda's eyes suddenly jolted open as a wave of panic entered her mind. Always alert and prepared for anyone or anything that would attempt to strike her down in her moment of weakness, she quickly realized where she was, seeing the fully content and peaceful face of Shepard as she rested on his chest, lost in a sleep she had rarely seen from the Spectre since bringing him back to life.
Her mind drifted back to their reunion on the Citadel just after he returned from Rannoch, successfully ending a conflict centuries old. Their time together on the Presidium had been nothing but the pent up release of months apart finally coming to fruition, yet Shepard had remained unable to sleep.
When it came to their relationship he was a terrible liar, saying he would stay awake while she slept after being on the run for so long, giving her 'the security she deserved,' but knowing the war was taking a toll on him both emotionally and physically. Nightmares of running through wreckage, rubble, finding deceased and converted loved ones all around him as he continued to always run towards the fight.
He was too selfless, too genuine, how she scolded herself for refusing his pleas to rejoin the Normandy in her search for Oriana. She learned on Horizon how wrong her choice was.
She had enjoyed their date that evening immensely, letting her guard down completely for a few hours outside of the Normandy's cabin, experiencing what life could be like in the future for the two. From the look of Shepard's face he enjoyed it too, yet waking up in such a paranoid fashion must have been her body's response to the rare situation of peace.
Miranda gently flashed her biotics towards the TV screen on the opposite side of the room. It was early morning, but among the hundreds of channels and extranet connections there was always something on. Quickly tapping on her omnitool Miranda's earpiece became the source of sound, allowing Shepard to remain undisturbed.
"Preparations are in store for the big Council ceremony, and we're here to show you the post-war fashions that would make even the Reapers give pause!"
Terrible, she thought as she gently removed herself from Shepard's body, although in his current state she could have pinched him on the cheek and he would still be out of commission. Next...
"Cerberus. The vile organization that claimed to 'represent humanity's advancement' now lies broken and shattered after nearly destroying galactic unity. Come with us as we look through their darkest location to date, Sanctuary."
Next. Miranda quickly changed the channel with a swipe of her hand. She knew of the good that Cerberus had done, that she had done, but couldn't deny what The Illusive Man had done in the time since her resignation. Try as she might, it would be a while until she would react without emotion to anything about that organization.
"-building efforts on Earth continue despite continued dissatisfaction with promised Council support. Many in the Alliance feel Earth is being put on the backburner while the focus remains on returning the Citadel to the Serpent Nebula. However, interim Councilor Osoba remains confident that-"
So soon after the war, one dedicated channel caught Miranda's eye from the tiles of options before her.
"Diana Allers. Fearless ANN reporter whose front line reporting from the infamous Normandy put her in direct line of fire-"
Oh this should be interesting, Miranda internally scoffed at the bombastic announcer as various doctored images showed the young reporter right by the Normandy squad on various planets.
"-yet her dedication to the truth is what made Battlespace the most watched Reaper War program, shattering extranet records. On today's program of Battlespace: After the War, Diana shows hereto unseen footage of Spectre John Shepard holding the line against a Reaper on the planet Rannoch."
Hmmm, a nice coincidence...
She remembered reading about the various reports, even the ones Liara would send regarding Shepard's missions, the ones that gauged his true feelings and not those he put on display for the morale of the ship. Brokering peace between the quarians and geth was what made the headlines, the destruction of a reaper was secondary. Despite the lopsided nature of the war the enemy could be destroyed, but only at the cost of significant resources. But the video footage Miranda was seeing showed a different tale, something she thought would have been plastered all across the galaxy.
From a camera on the Normandy's hull Miranda watched as a Reaper Destroyer rapidly moved on a geth hovercraft as Shepard fired away at the giant enemy from an exterior platform. Thanks to a well timed hit from a quarian cruiser the Reaper stumbled back, giving more than enough time for the hovercraft to escape.
Allers' voice narrated what was being shown on screen. "Riding in that hovercraft was one of the more harrowing tales during my time aboard the Normandy-"
A lie. Again.
"But what the Normandy cameras captured in the skies above cemented Captain Shepard's legacy even more."
As the Normandy slowly made a holding pattern, the camera turned as it tried to refocus on the Destroyer. The viewer was clearly confused at what just happened as a round of fire was launched from the Normandy's battery along with a massive barrage of artillery coming from Rannoch's orbit, courtesy of the quarian fleet every few seconds.
Oddly, the geth hovercraft was nowhere to be seen. A wise decision considering the massive firepower raining down on the Destroyer, with a precision that couldn't be done without a laser target system. That meant someone locking onto the Reaper from a close range. Which meant...
Oh my.
"As you see now, that iconic black and red armor against the orange backdrop of the quarian homeworld is none other than Captain Shepard himself, making sure all quarian ships in orbit bombard the Destroyer with pinpoint accuracy. That enough is cause for praise, but the famed Spectre was also avoiding the deadly laser that emits from the Reaper's eye."
She shouldn't have been concerned with what she saw since that same man was sleeping comfortably by her side, still oblivious to the gentle light that was emitted from the screen.
But as the camera zoomed in to clearly track Shepard as he dodged the red beams while simultaneously targeting the reaper, Miranda couldn't help but feel a momentary pause in her breath as each new beam carved through the plateau he stood on.
She stood by his side as they fought the Reaper Larvae, but as the name implied it was nowhere near a fully functional enemy. And even then they barely survived.
He only told me they defeated a reaper on the ground, not that he was being the bloody bait during the fight...
The final moments of the battle were shown as the Destroyer lunged forward in a desperate end to the fight, eye primed and ready to fire. Yet Shepard remained firm, keeping the reticule locked on as the final bombardment struck and the legs of mighty AI collapsed underneath it.
"Remind me never to play the Captain in a game of Skyllian Five if he has that kind of poker face."
Miranda rolled her eyes at how annoying this supposed off the cuff remark came across as Allers continued to talk over the camera footage.
"Yes, that is the first human Spectre attempting to talk to the damaged Reaper. According to information I was able to procure from sources close to Admiral Hackett this was the third Reaper Shepard made contact with over the past three years."
The final attack that destroyed the reaper landed seconds after Allers' voiceover ended, quicker than Miranda had thought. It seemed whatever the AI had wanted to say John wasn't interested in. He often had that way with those that would repeatedly attempt to end his life.
"I've asked Captain Shepard repeatedly what the Reaper said, but he was not at liberty to discuss."
The screen returned to Allers as she sat behind a desk, multiple screens showing heroic footage of Shepard and others in the war fighting across the various planets.
"Coming up, Cronos Station, the final assault. Finally approved for public viewing, see what the battle looked like outside the station while Captain Shepard fought inside, along with interviews from various pilots of our famous fifth fleet."
Miranda's swipe of the hand turned off the large screen as Shepard stirred slightly. At first she was concerned that she had woken the man from his sleep, but then noticed a truth that she thought was only a humorous tease: she had taken most of the bedsheets.
Sliding back down from the headrest Miranda gave Shepard a mock look of tease. Even though he was asleep she could practically hear "told you so" emitting from his from his sealed lips. The fact that he was lightly smiling made it all the more unbearable. Gently she brought the covers over so he could retain some of the warmth he was starting to lose.
Propping her head on her elbow she watched the man sleep for a few more minutes, etching his peaceful look into her memory. She wanted to touch his face gently, simply to feel connected to this man who chose her of all people in the galaxy, but was content to remain watching him a pillow's length away.
A minute passed into her nighttime observation before a voice whispered from the sleeping man. "Come here, you" was all he spoke as a grin crossed his lips, eyes still closed.
Miranda surrendered the idea of hitting him for playing possum and simply obliged the request as she rested on his chest once again, but not before another kiss landed on his cheek.
"So, about the big ceremony today..."
"Yes?" Shepard said as he continued to use the pull up bar for his morning exercises, waiting for a response from Miranda as she returned to the guest room with towels in hand, continuing to wipe her face and neck as she finished her workout routine.
"You're going to be occupied watching the crowds, the Council, the attendees, and I take it having a former Cerberus operative around would only add to that problem..."
"Hackett gave you a pardon, I made sure of it after Horizon. Clean slate, just like Jacob and the others." Shepard continued to lift himself up and down as his eyes never left contact with Miranda's, slightly showing off like an adolescent teenager.
Eyeing her prey, Miranda stopped just in front of the opening the bar was installed into. "Still, optics. I think I'm going to sit this out here, maybe finalize some Normandy equipment inspections with Adams and Traynor."
"I could always use your help to spot any potential problems."
"Half the crew will be with their own species coordinating security."
"True..."
The Normandy was staffed with the best from across the galaxy, but during this shore leave loyalties returned to their familiar locations. Garrus was asked via personal communications by both Councilor Sparatus and Primarch Victus to be front and center for the turian envoy. Samara and the remaining justicars were chosen to escort Councilor Tevos. Even Ashley was chosen to lead Councilor Osoba's guard.
Intelligence reports indicated no chatter for any disruptions for the day's festivities, and Liara's back channels confirmed this. Still, it was best to plan for the worst, making the ceremony become nothing more than postwar posturing for the barrage of cameras that will surround the Citadel Tower.
Shepard was lost in his thoughts that it wasn't until he opened his eyes that he saw Miranda's purple hued face looking back at him with a raised eyebrow, keeping in sync with every repetition he did.
"I'd be much more impressed if that wasn't biotics."
"It's my own exercise."
"Uh huh. Distracting me is your real exercise."
"Whatever do you mean, John?" One of Miranda's hands gently cupped her face in feigned ignorance as she widened her eyes to show her deep blue eyes. With fine control she moved her body closer as a smirk formed on Shepard's face. The two's lips gently connected as Shepard held his head above the bar.
"Shep, I'm all good for oh, come on!" Kasumi's overreaction at the two's public display of affection succeeded in its goal, stopping Shepard and Miranda as the two quickly dropped their feet back down to the floor.
Putting her hands away from her face the hooded thief gently brushed her shoulders off, "Stop showing off for your lady and get ready."
"I appreciate you helping out, Kasumi."
"Yeah yeah, what else was I going to do, steal from Gold Coast again? Besides, working the crowds might allow me to sneak in to some of the after parties and continue funding my 'donations' to various war charities."
"See, Miri?" Shepard said as he wiped his face with a provided towel, "usually she'd put a thirty percent finder's fee on her outside work. Now, thanks to my influence? Free of charge."
"Wait Shep I-"
"Completely. Free." He interrupted to make his point. A lion needs meat, a bird needs to fly, and Kasumi needed to keep her skills honed. And surprisingly, her moral compass was strong enough so that Shepard knew she wouldn't pick on the weak, which were in abundance after the war.
Miranda hummed a sound of understanding as she slowly ran her hand around the top portion of Shepard's cast, tugging more than he had anticipated.
"What are you doing? Chakwas said one more day."
"Which actually means it healed today, thanks to your implants." Miranda slowly activated her heavily modified (and highly illegal) omnitool to create a simple circular saw of hard light, gently breaking the cast with a vertical line.
"This breach of trust is disturbing," Shepard said deadpan as he held on to his towel that rested on the back of his neck.
"It was something we agreed to after rescuing Garrus on Omega two years ago. It was the only way to make sure you would actually let yourself heal properly."
"And now that the Reapers are gone it doesn't matter if you lose a limb!" Kasumi gleefully teased as she left the room, glad to get a retaliatory swipe in at her Captain before leaving for the Presidium.
"Where? Where did the fear of confronting a Spectre go to?" Shepard said in puzzlement.
"Aw, the Lion of Elysium is reduced to being a whimpering cub," Miranda pouted as she used her genetically enhanced strength to break the cast into smaller, more manageable pieces.
Wiggling his leg as the skin breathed in the surrounding air he hooped his towel around Miranda, pulling her close so that she had to catch herself against his chest. "Join me in the shower and see if I can still roar."
Miranda rolled her eyes as her head dipped down as she ran a finger across his chest. "I know in your head those words sound so much sexier, but really John, focus on being a soldier..." her eyes slowly rolled up to make contact with his "...it's the only thing you're good at."
Hearing a grunt of disbelief Miranda felt her legs lift up as she found herself being cradled in Shepard's arms, her hands reaching around his neck as he made his way back up the nearby stairs.
In the study Oriana was busy trying to reestablish contact with friends long thought lost in the war, busily distracted by the sounds and attention that modern extranet screens needed in keeping up with the deluge of readily available information, but she could swear she heard her sister scream in surprise as a loud splash immediately followed.
The Citadel Tower, now showing no signs of the battle weeks prior, was littered with floating cameras and a standing room house of important individuals from each of the various races that found their seats at the beginning of the audience chamber, C-Sec guards positioned every other aisle in order to keep up the airtight security. Bau and the other Spectres lined at the pillars of the anteroom maintaining an imposing presence to anyone even foolish to attempt any hostilities.
Two hundred invited, a cursory estimate from where Shepard stood, standing just to the side of the Petitioner's Stage as he unsuccessfully attempted to remain out of the spotlight. There he stood in motionless form as the existing Council members made their way through thoroughly edited speeches made to inspire all who watched.
As Councilor Tevos stood in front, addressing the invited individuals (and equally present reporters that were allowed entrance) about galactic unity, the preservation of life, etc., Shepard had no longer paid attention and simply tuned out, keeping his mind focused on scouring the room as he retained the standard resting position as minutes seemed to turn into hours.
He had easily located his various friends among their own kind, a few making eye contact with him as if to empathize with the current political ordeal. Grunt had even waved before being physically scolded for his action by Wrex. And to her credit even Kasumi had yet to be identified in his scouring for any oddities among the media.
It seemed being lost in his thoughts and diligence in security had made the time fly by as a round of applause came from the audience, standing to their feet as Councilor Sparatus finished speaking. For a second Shepard thought to clap along, but remained steadfast in his neutral position.
As Tevos stepped forward it was clear the main portion of this ceremony was about to begin.
Look alive, Shepard, pay attention.
"Would those who have been selected by the various governments of this galaxy please step forward, so that we can truly recognize the expansion of the Council among all our allies on this most joyous day."
According to plan, the various chosen members made their way to the Petitioner's Stage, turning around to find a few cameras flying past the imposed no-fly zone. Shepard quickly looked to Bau and Vo who returned his maintained gaze with nods, quickly warning the media to retrieve their devices back to the designated filming area or suffer the consequences.
Now standing in front of the Council were the new members, facing the crowd.
Ka'hairal Balak, the highest ranking official of the Batarian military and instigator of the assault on Terra Nova in 2183. War made for strange bedfellows, and in the Alliance's case this was the key example. Despite the human deaths at his hand he successfully controlled the remaining batarian forces to hold their own against Reaper forces during the final assault against the reapers. The Hegemony no longer existed, and from what Shepard understood all decisions regarding the remaining survivors of batarian worlds rested with Balak and the few under his command.
To the right of the batarian stood Admiral Shala'Raan, hands folded in front of her person as her suit donned ornamental touches that he didn't recognize during the war. Her envoy had no other admirals outside of Tali, the rest being chosen captains of key ships in the quarian fleet that participated in the battle of Earth.
Standing proudly next to her and taking the center spot of the new members, a person who will hopefully be as influential in the history books as Shepard, Urdnot Bakara. The female krogan, donned in multiple garbs of fabric from krogan, turian, and human origin, she was clearly much more adept at the politics of the situation than he would have thought. And at least he considered her a trusted ally on the Council, something the humans had lacked. Thinking to his time on Tuchanka a few weeks back, Shepard wondered if Bakara's first clutch had hatched.
Lost among the presence of Bakara gently floated the Hanar member, Andon. Shepard knew nothing about this individual, but it seemed they were elected in near unanimous vote by the citizens of Kahje. Below amongst the other hanar stood a handful of drells, their eyes showing the modified marks that Thane carried on his eyes. It seemed these drell were also trained assassins.
The volus representative, Seril Von, carried a name that was familiar to the Spectre. While Seril's brother, Barla Von, was one of the most clever and surprisingly honest financial brokers on the Presidium (at least with regards to Anderson and Shepard), his brother had taken a more hands on approach to helping the Volus Protectorate. One of the few ground troops of his species, Seril received many commendations for his engineering prowess in assisting turian and human special forces behind enemy lines.
Finally, as if some unintended joke to the Hanar and Volus stood the Elcor representative, Xeltan. The former ambassador was one of the first species Shepard had helped after being instated as a Spectre, and remembering his ordeal with the Sha'ira brought a smile that he forced back down for the sake of posterity. He also remembered Joker bringing up the ambassador's ordeal to Miranda during one of their meals in the mess hall after defeating the Collectors. His wry use of the phrase "prothean trinket" meant that for nearly two days Shepard had to explain to her that it was not slang for anything that was usually implied when it came to the asari consort. Come to think of it, he still needed to repay Joker for that unnecessary stress.
A growing wave of applause came from those in attendance, prompting another quick look around the audience in preparation for any possible disturbances. None were present.
Tevos stepped forward to acknowledge the applause and cheers, a subtle message to cease the celebration. As noise died down, she prepared to end the ceremony. "We have suffered so much over these past few months, but when united we prevailed. It is with a solemn memory to this war, and those that were lost, that we remain united. Removing our prejudices we can, goddess willing, create millenia of peace. From this day forward, let it be known that together we prevail!"
A thunderous applause broke out among all in the Citadel Tower as even the Spectres in attendance joined in the celebration. It was a speech that appealed to the better nature of all in attendance and those watching across the galaxy, but the cynic in Shepard and others who fought this war on the front lines couldn't help but feel that the following day will erase any sense of peace.
"Captain Shepard, if you would," Tevos' voice could barely be heard as the applause continued. He nodded his head as he led the group of ten to the inner Council chamber to get acquainted with one another before heading tot he various parties held by all the species and persons of importance on the Citadel.
The door slid open as Shepard remained on guard at the door, dipping his head in response to the thankful gestures he received from all Council members. Except for the Hanar and Elcor, but that could be forgiven.
The door closed behind as Shepard stood watch for a few minutes. It wasn't necessary as festivities or not, much like before the war nonstop C-Sec security awaited the Councilors inside. But Shepard preferred standing there lost in thought as opposed to having to deal with the media below.
Unexpectedly, he was greeted by the other Spectre who called the Normandy home.
"Been awhile, Skipper," Ashley jokingly said as she found herself resting against the same wall as Shepard, arms crossed.
"Ash. Not wanting to join in the festivities?"
"Nah, had my fill the last time we did one of these things. Too many memories, makes me think of what happened after..." Ashley's mind went back three years, when a thankful Council changed face nearly hours after Anderson became Councilor. Then came the waiting, the stalling, the excuses, and finally the busywork of finding rogue geth in Terminus space.
Shepard sensed where her mind was going. The years lost, her own busywork on colonies, Horizon. Had the Council simply listened to Shepard and Anderson, acknowledged what they saw with their own eyes, things would have changed drastically.
He quickly hit her shoulder to snap her out of going down the rabbit hole. "Hey, enough of that, think in the present. Your mom and sisters, are they ok on Amaterasu?"
"Yeah, they are," Ashley replied with a light smile and sigh of relief that he remembered their evacuation from the planet below, "and Sarah''s doing better, helping with rebuilding work back on Earth. But... mom's been telling me that the colony has had quite a few refugee ships land in the past few weeks."
"Everyone's looking for a new place."
"Amaterasu is right off the path of common shipping lanes. And close to Illium. If you were a pirate, what would you do? Pick the rock that was able to hold off the reapers during the war, or that small human colony where VIs outnumber humans three to one? Plus the nearby Alliance fleet pulled away with more pressing matters, it's a goldmine for pillaging."
Shepard let Ashley vent, he knew she needed just to get all her thoughts out. After a few seconds to catch her breath he responded.
"Well, go fix it."
Ashley was somewhat surprised with the blunt response. "What do you mean?" she said in a defensive tone.
"You're a Spectre, Ash. If you want to check it out, you can. Just because they won't give you a mission doesn't mean you have to sit around waiting for one, not if you know you can fix things."
A part of Ash understood what he was saying. Beyond being Udina's choice for a Spectre due to his perception of her being easy to influence, her former lover knew that the skills she possessed would suit her just fine in patrolling the galaxy during this time of uncertainty. Another part of her, a deeper, emotional vein felt betrayed by those words. Why isn't he offering to fly the Normandy out there? Is he saying he wanted her off the Normandy? Did Miranda tell him to remove her?
Shepard caught the conflicting feelings in her eye as he removed himself from the wall to look at her face to face. His arms were crossed in a more imposing manner, the type he would use to dissuade any ruffians from interfering in his travels across the Citadel or Omega.
"I have no problem with you aboard the Normandy, but you're more than Udina's failed puppet. And you know that, Ash. It might not feel that way here," he gently tapped his right finger above the armor that covered her left breast, her face showing no change as he then gently tapped her left temple, "but here you know exactly what I'm saying."
Ashley closed her eyes with the final tap against her head as the words lingered inside her brain. She knew he was right. Spectres were a rare breed, and any good they could do should be done now to right that metaphorical ship or let nature take its course.
In an almost solemn manner Ashley nodded her head as her muted response came forth. "You're right, Skipper. You always are." Quickly composing herself she returned her eyes to meet his with a smirk, "I bet you're saving those lines for Garrus too."
"You know it," Shepard smiled as she picked up on his belief that Garrus should join their ranks.
Ashley gently whipped her hair back as she straightened against the wall. "Looks like the Sailor Boy still has a fearless way with words." Shepard raised an eyebrow, he hadn't heard that pet name from her in over three years.
"Careful, LC. I have a recording of you drunkenly singing karaoke at the party that the Alliance would love to see..."
"Hey! I was still sober when that happened!" Ashley oddly defended her previous actions while attempting a quick punch at his left shoulder, but missed as Shepard rotated back to the wall.
The two continued to act busy until the crowds dispersed from the Tower, reminiscing and telling old stories as friends were want to do during these calmer times.
"Miranda, I'm glad to help with providing the information you asked for, but are you sure this is necessary?" Liara asked in concern across the comm channel.
"It's just something I need to take care of, Liara."
"I believe the correct term is 'burning bridges.' "
"The bridge was burnt a year ago. Think of it more as closure," Miranda ended her communication as she quickly tied her hair into a ponytail, a move done to look more professional in demeanor for someone who was second in command of the most advanced ship in the fleet.
Miranda ended her communication as Traynor looked on, wondering exactly what Liara was saying to her XO. They exited the elevator into a nearby C-Sec hallway that was unofficially an Alliance outpost. Various Council races had areas of the Citadel for their own purposes, be it docks and shopping areas to even government specific holding cells. Behind Miranda's purposeful walk was Traynor, trying to keep up with datapad in hand.
"I'm not sure what my presence here would really do, ma'am" Traynor said in part confusion and surprise that she was part of something secret, unknown to the rest of the crew. Even her Captain didn't know about this apparent meeting.
"Simple, Traynor. I just need you to verify everything I say. You can do that, can't you?"
Confused by the rather cold response from her XO, a woman who had slowly warmed up to the crew in recent weeks, Traynor nodded her head in agreement, then speaking when she realized Miranda was unable to see her face. "Yes, ma'am."
Weaving through the foot traffic full of similarly dressed Alliance soldiers and officers the two finally stopped at the request of the two Alliance guards on duty to a rather unremarkable building entrance.
"Authorized personnel only, ma'am." One of the guards said as his hand stopped the two from entering, eyes lingering on Miranda's figure.
"Miranda Lawson, Normandy XO." Her omnitool activated to provide her clearance codes and after a purposely delayed checking of codes to allow the two soldiers another excuse to keep glancing at the two women/
The guards flustered look conflicted with what they saw transmitted to their own access records. "We...we weren't expecting anyone of your...stature arriving today."
"Plans change. I have Captain Shepard's personal comm specialist here to verify the meeting."
Miranda smoothly pointed her hand to Traynor, who nodded her head in agreement. It seemed this was her reason for being here.
"I'm not denying the change in schedules, ma'am, it's just odd that Captain Shepard isn't available."
"Corporal, in case you haven't been watching the news he has more important matters to attend to. Or do you want to be the reason the Normandy is delayed for an extra day?"
"No ma'am! I understand now, just making sure..."
A nod of the rifle in his hand ushered the two into the sterile white room where upon another security check Miranda and Traynor found themselves resting in yet another elevator.
A final check from another pair of guards awaited the two as they exited the elevator into the lowest level of the holding facility, Miranda and Traynor found themselves passing down a narrow hall until they were right outside an interrogation room. The former operative made her way into the room as she held a hand for Traynor to stop her progress.
"Wait here, Samantha."
"Of course." The specialist was surprised by the comfort and use of her first name, a completely different tone than what Miranda gave to the multiple security checkpoints in the past few minutes. Traynor flicked the activation of the one way panel as the light inside the room turned on.
No one was waiting for the XO as she elegantly sat to one side of the table, waiting for whoever she planned to meet in such a facility. Legs crossed as if she was wearing her old catsuit she waited patiently for a few minutes until the other door to the room unlocked, a large green light above indicated the opening of the door.
Casually stepping forward was a large human male, his white skin pale but well maintained, much like his beard. His previously short black hair was longer but still combed properly as he seemed to make an effort to keep up his appearance while in Alliance custody. The fact that he was given the opportunity to maintain such pedigree was something the XO was not expecting to see.
Making eye contact with Miranda the man smiled warmly. It was hard to tell from Traynor's perspective if this was a smile of true familiarity or if it was done in a mocking manner.
He gently sat down in the available chair as his large stature warped the optics of the room, his chair looking much smaller compared to Miranda's more proportioned seat on the other side. Hands still shackled, he gently placed them on the table before bellowing out warm words of welcome.
"Miranda Lawson, I was wondering if I'd ever see you again."
"Hello, Oleg."
Ashley's reference is from the Tennyson poem The Sailor Boy, which actually works quite well if Shepard was of the earthborn origin, and it seems like something she would bring up during their time together.
Volus Engineers, the round heroes of multiplayer.