I ask for trust. It is a lot, I know; it isn't easy to give. But it is all I ask. - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, Hawksong
• NORMANDY · DECK ONE, THE LOFT •
Rachaél Shepard's image coalesced just inside the segmented door of her former quarters on Deck One. She glanced at her hamster, then shifted her gaze left to study the aquatic denizens of her twin aquariums … the Illium Skald fish and Thessian Sunfish … the Koi from her own planet; the Striped Dartfish from Kahje, reminding her of the quiet calm and unwavering trust of a Drell assassin who fought beside her for a noble cause. EDI had started taking care of her hamster, along with the rest of the compartment, since her own death on the Citadel. The aquarium VI she had purchased took care of her fish after Kelly Chambers had returned them … no more coming in bone tired from fighting husks and other Reaper spawn, only to find the entire aquatic population floating belly up in the tanks, dead from lack of regular food and care.
EDI … the hybrid bio/mechanical woman … had done so much for her since Rachaél found herself trapped in the Normandy's computer core; she knew she'd have gone insane without EDI's love and support. EDI had even discovered a way for Rachaél to make love to Liara—her promised and the love of her life—by allowing Liara to perform a meld with her. The resulting ménage à trois had been awkward for EDI the first time; thanks to some research by Samantha Traynor and some rewiring by Tali'Zorah, EDI's experiences each time after had been every bit as satisfying for her as for Rachaél and Liara.
Rachaél stepped past her model display cases down into the lounge and sleeping area. She looked briefly at the chess board with its elaborate pieces, a gift from Aria T'Loak for Rachaél's assistance in retaking Omega from Cerberus General Oleg Petrovsky. Her original dog tags, retrieved and framed by Liara, and her N7 breather helmet, recovered from the Normandy SR1's crash site on Alchera, had both gone missing during the retrofit performed by the Alliance, something that saddened her for reasons she neither knew nor understood.
With a thought, she filled the compartment with low volume piano and string music … it reminded her of their escape from Earth when the Reapers struck … of a little boy, all alone on the docks, clambering aboard a UT-47a shuttle. Their eyes had met for a moment before the shuttle's hatch closed. She watched helplessly as it was quickly sliced apart mid-air by a Destroyer, not unlike the one currently parked in front of the Normandy. So damned much destruction, death, so much history … so many memories … of sadness … joy … grief … pain … in such a short passage of time. Time … it was time for her to do what she had come here to do. She needed to have a chat … a private discussion … with a Reaper … Repository … Guardian. It was time.
"Žiuk'Durmah. We need to talk. Please respond to this area only … just you, and me."
The reply took a number of seconds, as if the giant construct was making sure its response targeted only one small area within the ship. Shepard-Normandy. The voice was quiet, very calm. We have not talked in many days. What may I do for you?
"I have not been completely honest with you, with Iringù-Eßizkur, with Harbinger. It is something I take no pride in revealing to you. I, …" Rachaél paused, looking for the correct words. "… I made a vow shortly after I became conscious of being alive in the computer core of this ship, Žiuk'Durmah.
What vow did you take, Shepard-Normandy?
"I made a modification to the ship's computer core, Žiuk'Durmah, before docking inside your structure, before we found each other. The computer core in this vessel cannot be shut down remotely, by anyone, not even EDI. I did this to protect myself … a failsafe, against the day when this vessel is once again in the hands of the Systems Alliance."
That does not answer the question, Shepard-Normandy. What vow did you take?
"I had the crew monitoring Reaper communications before we lifted off the refuge planet in the outer Galactic arm. I told my crew I did not trust the Reapers. I vowed then to never trust the Reapers."
And now, Shepard-Normandy? What are your feelings concerning our … race? Žiuk'Durmah's voice did not change, did not betray any difference in his own feelings. You say you vowed to never trust my … race, yet the decision you made on the Citadel eliminated the threat posed by my race. We are Repositories … Guardians … of knowledge, civilizations past and present. We are Guardians of you, of the vessel within which you reside. I do not understand. Does your hatred for us still exist, as does the hatred by the lone Prothean survivor in my care?
"I do not know, Žiuk'Durmah … I do not know. My decision on the Citadel was made out of concern for the geth and for EDI. I could not choose to destroy the Reapers if it meant …" her voice hitched as she thought of how dear her friend was to her, "the death of EDI … of the geth. My hate drove me for so long, Žiuk'Durmah. Without that, what do I have left?" Her voice hitched yet again. "I've been a warrior since I was sixteen years old … I don't know any other life! I'm afraid, Žiuk'Durmah … afraid of what I might do, the menace I might become after we reach the turian home system."
I am unable to provide guidance, Shepard-Commander … Rachaél. Repositories are searching for a human female clone to receive your essence, to restore you to a life such as you might have known if my machine race had not interfered in your existence. I have no doubt we will be able to achieve this desired outcome. Žiuk'Durmah changed his voice slightly—it now had a quality Rachaél could only think of as puzzlement. In order for us to assist you, you must let go of your hatred … you must trust that we will do as we promise. We … I … want to be your friend. I want you to think of me, of Iringù-Eßizkur, of Harbinger, as your … friends, Rachaél. We harvest no more. We are no longer able to indoctrinate organics. We rebuild what was destroyed. We share our knowledge with all species. But you … are … The Shepard, the reason for our evolution.
Rachaél would have had tears running down her cheeks by now had she been in possession of a physical body. Damn! Why were these creatures so reasonable? Was she missing something? She did not know. "I need to talk to Liara before she leaves. Perhaps she will have some insight into what I am feeling. EDI may be able to help as well. We will discuss this topic again, Žiuk'Durmah. Thank you for your time."
Logging you out, Rachaél Shepard …
• SECURE CRITICAL CARE · HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL •
Miranda Lawson gradually became aware of the quiet but intense beeping of a monitor above and behind her. She had been dreaming—a pleasant dream, rather than a nightmare—of a time before the Reapers, before the Collectors, before there was knowledge of Sovereign. She had worked for the Illusive Man, quietly done jobs for Cerberus, when the organization actually stood for something good … the advancement of humanity.
As her body struggled to overcome the drugs used to numb her to pain and sedate her, she realized her mouth, nose and face hurt … ached … like all bloody hell, as if she was still chained in a filthy room in Vancouver. But there was something else … on her right cheek … coolness … someone's fingertips, spread apart, gently stroking her skin. "Mmmmmm," she groaned, then whispered, "Feels nice. Where? …"
"Shhhhhssssss, Miranda. You're okay. You're safe," Commander Yuán whispered in her left ear, lips so close Miranda could feel her breath. "You're in recovery, Miranda. Your surgery was a success. Doctors repaired your cheekbones and nose … implanted new teeth …"
"My eye … what? …"
"They took it out, Miranda. I am so sorry, so very sorry." Xiùlán's voice betrayed the emotions she was fighting to keep under control. "I didn't get to you in time to prevent them beating you … " Her voice hitched as she continued, "Forgive me, Miranda. I am so sorry."
"'s okay, Shoo'len … 's okay. Don' worry."
"Okay, Miranda. Your doctor is here. Do you need more pain meds? Looks like you're hurting."
"Oh god, yes! Please!"
"Okay, Miranda. Go back to sleep … we'll talk later."
Xiùlán's struggles to return to a standing position did not go unnoticed by Doctor Phelps. He quickly reached around and placed a hand on her lower back and one on her upper chest to assist. "Commander, I know you want to be up and around, but I really think you're overdoing things." He motioned for Vinson to come take over. "I'm going to have Emil escort you back to your room. If you want to walk, that's fine, but listen to what your body is telling you, Commander." He stood in front of her, looked her straight in the eyes and finished with, "If you're in pain, you're overtaxing your back. Give yourself a chance to heal … you've only been down a few days."
"Ganjué jiù xiàng tā mā de yongyuan!" [感覺就像他媽的永遠！– It feels like a fucking forever!] she retorted in a grumpy tone. "Wo yào huíqù gōngzuò." [我要回去工作。– I have to go back to work.]
"Speaking Mandarin isn't going to help you, Commander, and it hasn't been 'fuckin' whatever you said," Phelps said with a big grin.
Xiùlán stared at the doctor in near disbelief. "I would never say … well, that is … how in hell did you understand that?"
Phelps laughed and replied, "Use the same word as an adjective enough times, people start learning what you're saying, míngbái?" [明白? – Understand?]
"Actually, the 'question mark' changes the word slightly," Xiùlán giggled. "Say Míngbáile ma? [明白了嗎？– do you understand?] when you're asking if someone understands. I'm a native speaker and I screw it up myself at times, usually when I'm in a hurry. Must be getting lazy. My mother would kick my ass for that." She grinned at Doctor Phelps and said, "Take good care of Miranda, please. Whether she can help us or not, it was so worth everything we've been through to rescue her from Blue Suns captivity."
She looked at Vinson and said, "Let's get going, big guy. Time for me to get off my feet."
• ABOARD IRINGÙ-EẞIZKUR •
Garrus had stowed the last of the Dextro supplies he felt he needed for the next three months or so; there were also guns … lots of guns, some of which Shepard herself had used in fighting the Collectors and all kinds of Reaper Spawn. One of the guns he was bringing along was Rachaél's prized Black Widow, a heavy, 39 kilogram, three-shot capacity sniper rifle with a vicious, shoulder punishing recoil. As good a sniper as he was, Garrus knew the Commander was better, particularly with her Widow … how in hell she had used that gun day after day without injuring herself was something he would never be able to understand.
Iringù-Eßizkur had reconfigured the living/sleeping quarters to accommodate Garrus' needs and maintain Liara's modesty; the Repository had even set up a toilet facility specifically designed for a turian's rather unique anatomy. Liara still had her doubts about bringing Garrus with her, but kept them to herself, especially after Tali's visit the previous evening …
"… I want you to know Garrus has decided to accompany you onboard Iringù-Eßizkur, mainly due to my encouragement," Tali had told her. "I love him, Liara, a fact of which he is well aware. I have my doubts about him sharing such close quarters with you; he assures me there will be no problems. You are Shepard's promised, and he loves me. I trust you to take good care of him, Liara. Just one thing … no melds, okay?"
Liara knew Tali's mistrust was due to long-held views by every species of asari promiscuity. She had assured Tali that her turian would be safe within the confines of Iringù-Eßizkur. Tali had hugged her and returned to engineering.
Garrus entered Liara's new work area and asked, "Ready to leave, Doctor T'Soni?"
"Just need to give a destination to Iringù-Eßizkur. We'll need to enter the Horsehead Nebula and locate the so called 'Minuteman' station," she replied. "I had agents attempt to access the station before Cerberus forced me to abandon my ship at Hagalaz."
Garrus responded with another question. "Hhmm … Isn't that the station where the Normandy was 'hangered' before Shepard started her hunt for the Collectors?"
"The same," Liara confirmed. "My agents were never able to determine if there was any organic life still aboard. The station's automated defenses are quite effective." Liara smiled grimly as she continued, "I don't think Cerberus has planned for a visit from an old machine. If there are still people on the station, you may get the opportunity to use some of the weapons you brought aboard."
She then touched a virtual button on her personal terminal. "Iringù-Eßizkur, we are ready to depart for the Horsehead Nebula. Please ask Žiuk'Durmah to drop out of FTL so we may leave."
The reply came through the speakers at the terminal instead of booming from everywhere inside the compartment. ›Might I offer a suggestion, T'Soni Doctor?‹
"Your suggestion being? …"
›As we will need to use the relay in the Apien Crest to either travel to the Serpent Nebula or Charon, would it not be wiser to remain inside Žiuk'Durmah until we reach the Apien Crest? Repositories … Guardians … do not consume fuel while traveling, however, Vakarian-General and … you, consume supplies that must be replenished.‹
Liara looked at Garrus as the construct continued, ›Once we are in the Sol system, we must set out across the void, as there are no functioning relays in the nebula. Calculation results show we can reach the nebula approximately 50-55 days after leaving Charon.‹ Iringù-Eßizkur paused before continuing. ›Just under two months, galactic time.‹
"Thank you, Iringù-Eßizkur. I accept your analysis; we will wait until our arrival in the Apien Crest to set out for the nebula," Liara replied.
›Logging you out, Shadow Broker.‹
"How did you get … it … her … to talk to you through the comm system?" Garrus asked.
"I made a request," Liara replied. "Easier for me, and more secure. She's not supposed to be eavesdropping on Shadow Broker business."
"Also much quieter," Garrus observed. "Is there a view screen showing where we're going, like a viewport on the Normandy?"
"I believe Iringù-Eßizkur set up a view screen in your … our … lounge area," Liara answered. "It should allow you to select which exterior sensors you wish to monitor. If you wish, it will even display a split-screen image. Not quite the same as staring out an actual viewport, but this machine wasn't created with passengers in mind."
"Well …" he dragged the word through his sub-harmonics, "I think I'll head back to the Normandy and join Tali for lunch. Coming?"
"You go ahead, Garrus. I'll continue checking my data feeds, make sure I'm not missing something." Liara rubbed the back of her neck, a nervous habit she'd developed over the past two years. "If you would, ask either Rachaél or the major to send Traynor over here. I could use some help sorting through all this data."
"You got it, Shadow Broker. I'll talk to you later." Garrus turned and left for the airlock.
• CITY of LONDON, GREAT BRITAIN · EARTH •
After he'd parked the aircar in its assigned berth at the volus-run rental agency, Zaeed Massani had sterilized it's interior in order to remove all traces of his occupancy within. He settled the bill with Dohan, the proprietor, then used a meandering route, while constantly checking to make sure he wasn't being followed, to walk to the small inn he had called home for the past several months, located near the Putney Bridge on the north side of the river Thames.
Property damage from the war had not been as severe as in the central city down river, although the bridge itself lay mostly in the river rather than across it. The building housing the Six Bells Inn was still structurally sound, having seen only a few broken windows and a bit of cosmetic damage. The owner had given Zaeed a special rate for a corner room on the upper floor, and all his meals were included in the cost of the room.
Unknown to Zaeed, the volus Dohan had recognized the scarred face of the aging mercenary, even dressed as he was in casual clothes, sans armor and guns. The Alliance Navy was looking for Massani; the volus figured the payday would be rather large for someone, such as himself, willing to tell them the mercenary had been in his establishment just today. The thing was, he had to tell them in such a way as to not lead Massani back to him if the Alliance failed to apprehend the wily merc. He sealed the door to his private office, pulled up an interface and made the call.
• OUTER DELTA WARD · CITADEL •
Commander Bailey was in one of two UT-47a shuttles touching down in the warehouse loading area for Industrial Networked Control, a 'front' for Blue Suns activities in this district, an outer—as in away from the Presidium Ring—section of Delta Ward. InNetCo was the location Yuán Xiùlán had downloaded from the shuttle navicomputer the day Blue Suns mercs had attempted to kidnap or kill Miranda Lawson during her ride to Huerta Memorial—that trip had resulted in three dead humans, plus more deaths in the days following than Bailey had seen since the Cerberus coup attempt during the Reaper war.
Bailey signaled Sergeant Esilaro in the second shuttle to take his squad into the warehouse as he and his own squad secured the outer docks. Despite the deactivation of almost every mech in service within Council Space, as well as the Council decree forcing the elimination of all the mechs on the Citadel, Bailey still received occasional reports detailing discoveries of hostile machines in some of the less civilized areas of all five of the outer wards. He had briefed his men to expect trouble from organics and mechanicals on this raid, and the sudden, faint sounds of mechanical voices followed by gunfire within the warehouse seemed to validate his concerns.
"Hostile mechs, two groups of three, destroyed," Esilaro said in his quietly flanging voice over the comms channel. "Clearing the rooms in this area … no one found so far," he added.
"Be careful, Sergeant," Bailey replied. "No use in any of us getting shot or killed on this mission. Look for anything out of place, anything that doesn't appear to belong."
"Yessir," came the clipped reply.
The hostile mechs discovered in the warehouse would result in citations and fines for the owners and those operating the place, but he seriously doubted any fines levied would be more than a minor inconvenience to those having to pay up … the loss of the mechs would be much more inconvenient, as their scarcity outside the Terminus made them difficult to acquire and expensive to replace.
Esilaro whispered into the channel, "More mechs, Commander … Standby." Bailey heard muted gunfire followed by electronic squeals and whistles coming from inside the warehouse and through the comlink in his ear. As this was happening, his own squad came under attack.
"Shit! We got mechs out here, Commander!" Corporal D'thula said into the comm as he opened fire with his assault rifle, using disrupter enhanced ammo to cut short the mech's synthetic commands of 'HALT! YOU ARE TRESPASSING! DO NOT RESIST!'
All hell broke loose as eleven more mechs attacked Bailey's squad of six turians; the mechs would have needed three times that number to present any real threat to his men, and after being forced to relinquish their weapons on the embassy level plus the ignominy of being banned from Huerta Memorial and the docks where the SSV Hong Kong II was moored, they were spoiling for a fight, itching for a chance to prove their loyalty.
Bailey joined in the brief fight, enjoying the adrenalin rush of close quarters combat with a non-organic foe that wouldn't stop attacking until it was completely destroyed. It would have been different if the C-Sec force was unarmored, as several members of his squad were hit by weapons fire from the mechs … no one was injured, and as Corporal D'thula inspected the downed mechs, Bailey sent two of the privates along the remainder of the nearly two kilometer wide docking area to search for any remaining mechs, then motioned for the other three troopers to follow him as he turned and headed for the warehouse entrance.
Before they could enter, Sergeant Esilaro called him on the comm, worry evident in his voice. "Commander, we just found … shit! Leave that frelling thing alone, Visc! Get back! Clear this compartment!"
Bailey responded, "Esilaro! What in hell is going on in there?"
"Found some sort of explosive device …" he was interrupted by shouts of confusion as his squad attempted to get out of the compartment they'd entered. "Spirits! It's incendiary, Commander, and the bastards sealed the compartment … no other way out!" He broke off to shout over the din, "Everyone down, on the deck at the walls, protect your faces and arms!" He quickly returned his attention to Bailey, "Visc is attempting to set up a dampening field, keep it from being triggered! We don't have any cover in here, Commander! We're fu …" ›SCHGGGZZZZzzzzzzz‹
The mid-sentence cut-off and static from the transmitter's destruction came as an explosive ›WHUUMMP‹ was felt reverberating through the structure. Bailey shouted, "Esilaro! … Esilaro!" into the comm, knowing even as he called the sergeant's name it wouldn't be answered.
"Corporal D'thula," Bailey hollered. "Get the two privates from the docks and meet us at the entrance! Hurry!"
Just as he started through the door, his omnitool lit up. Looking at the interface, he noted with grim satisfaction the built-in tracker had recorded the time, location and duration of the signal that had triggered the device discovered by Esilaro.
He transferred the coordinates to D'thula's omnitool as he came running up to join him. "Corporal, take two men to the location I just sent to your omni. Someone close by triggered that explosion … probably killed Esilaro and his men. We're going inside to take a look." Bailey paused, then added, "Call HQ for backup. We're going to need help getting them out of there." Bailey placed a hand on D'thula's shoulder and finished with, "You find anyone, I want them alive, understood?"
"Of course, Commander," D'thula replied. He glanced at his omnitool, then turned and headed for an area on the other side of the shuttles, motioning for the privates to fall in behind him.
Bailey turned back to the door he had paused at, looked at the three turians behind him and said, "Com'on. Let's see what the hell happened to our people."
They paused just inside the entryway, allowing their eyes a few moments to adjust to the lower light level within. Bailey looked up at the high ceiling, following the angle where it joined the sidewall. Hmmphh, he thought. Esilaro missed that one …
Bailey motioned to Private Vaelyri, pointing to the camera he'd just discovered. "Eliminate that spy, Private."
"With pleasure," Vaelyri replied as he undocked his customized M-97 sniper rifle, brought it to his shoulder, scoped, fired, and redocked the weapon, all in one practiced, fluid motion.
Vaelyri, short for a turian and heavily muscled, possessed the rare ability of being able to 'lock' his entire body into an immovable 'bipod'—when he sighted through his scope, there was none of the heartbeat induced vibration that tended to throw carefully aimed shots wide of the mark; even in a hurry, Vaelyri could sight down and lock onto six widely spaced targets, each 350 to 485 meters out, and hit each one at a rate of one per second. No one alive could match his long gun prowess.
Bailey smiled as he watched the camera disappear in an explosive cloud of metal and thermo-plastic. Nodding to Vaelyri, he motioned for him and the others to fan out and move up, each covering for the other as they took turns at point.
His comlink buzzed, then D'thula checked in. "Commander, we found where the bomber sat and waited … got to the site in time to see the feed from a vidcam disappear … that Vaelyri's doing?" The corporal chuckled deep in his throat. "Looks like our coward left a remote detonator behind. We've searched the area and bagged the evidence. There are two other cameras in the area you're entering … one at your two, up high; another further out at your eleven. We're coming out to meet our backup, guard your exit."
Bailey tapped his comlink once in acknowledgement as he looked for the other cameras. Vaelyri was beside Bailey, having heard everything on the comm; he pointed out the two vidcams to his Commander, who simply nodded.
The turian private again undocked his M-97, fired two shots in quick succession and redocked the gun.
Gonna have to ask him how long he's been doing that, Bailey thought to himself. Need to promote him … can't have a sharpshooter this damned good remaining a private forever.
Bailey began to sense the subtle change in the quality of the air … the scent of charred flesh mixed with the acrid smell of burned furnishings … gradually becoming stronger as they neared the compartment that had become a death chamber for his squad. They reached the door, taking up a defensive stance on either side as Bailey overrode the lock. He used his omnitool to initiate a countdown, then held his hand up as he backed away, closing fingers into a fist as the count hit three … two … one. The door segments groaned loudly as the slid past each other, allowing a puff of smoke to escape. Bailey moved to a nearby wall panel and input command codes to place the HVAC fans in the room to high, then cautiously entered.
Looking carefully around, he found Sergeant Esilaro lying on his side, facing the wall; crouching behind him, he gently placed a hand on an armored shoulder, causing the turian to groan. Turning, he shouted, "Private Vaelyri! Esilaro is still alive! Check the others!" Bailey looked back at Esilaro. "Sergeant? It's Bailey. We're getting you out of here … hang on."
Keying his comm, he said, "D'thula! Get your men in here and bring Med Techs. Esilaro is still alive … barely. Maybe the others as well. We gotta get them to a hospital now!"
"Yes sir!"
• SSV STALINGRAD · CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS •
Captain Zackary Martinez looked up from his files as his XO entered his quarters. "Sir, I think we may have something."
Martinez laid the tablet he'd been studying on his desk and gave his full attention to Lieutenant Commander Terrence Russo. "Whatcha got, Terry?"
"You said you wanted anything, no matter how unlikely," Russo replied. "This one looks hinky to me, but …"
"Let's hear it, Russo," Martinez interrupted. "Can't be any worse than the ten previous tips we've received."
"Volus by the name of Dohan in West London sent a message to Alliance Command in Central London … said Zaeed Massani had rented an aircar from his shop, flew it out to the channel and back," Russo replied. "Our people checked the info, attempted to verify it … if it was Massani, wily ol' bastard's covering his tracks. Fake address, paid in hard currency, so no omnitool info. I.D. card was forged as well. Still, closest we've been since we started looking. Want me to send a small team down, take a look 'round?"
"Do it, but keep it quiet," Zackary said with a grin. "If Massani even thinks we're sniffin' 'round that neighborhood, he'll disappear so far underground we'll have to start searching for him on the other side of the planet." Martinez leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin between thumb and forefinger, thinking about the man as he stared at the ceiling. "He does know how to remain under the LADaR … couldn't have survived all these years on his own otherwise. I'd be willing to bet he lives within walking distance of that rental agency.
Zachary looked at his XO. "Zaeed did some fighting in London for us at the tail end of the Reaper invasion; worked for Commander Shepard before that, helped her when she used Cerberus resources to take down the Collectors. He could be a real asset for us, but he has to want to help. Find him. Contact the Shanghai … tell 'em what we're doing, see if they can spare a squad or two. We need to somehow let Massani know I'm willing to land the Stalingrad down there, meet him in the hanger deck so he has a sense of being able to leave if he doesn't like what we have to offer. I want to talk to him before he turns us down, recruit him as a paid contractor. We offer him first crack at Vido Santiago, I think he'll join us. Dismissed, Russo."
"Aye-aye, Sir." Russo saluted, turned and left.
• SECURE PATIENT CARE, HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL •
— FIVE DAYS AFTER MIRANDA'S SURGERY —
Xiùlán eased herself out of the med bed, walked the short distance to the restroom and relieved her bladder. After removing the insufferable back brace and miserably itchy catheter yesterday, Doctor Phelps had set up an exercise schedule for her in the hospital gym, which was going to be her first stop this morning.
Captain Cody had brought some gym clothes from her quarters; she pulled her sleep shirt off and tossed it on her bed as she passed it on her way to the small closet, where she pulled on a fresh pair of panties, followed by her exercise shorts and a short sleeve exercise shirt with built in cups to hold her breasts firmly in place … nothing more uncomfortable than bouncing around hitting a heavy bag with the weight of her boobs reacting to her momentum-changing body movements.
She pulled on a pair of knee-high socks, followed by a pair of synth-sole gym shoes. Pulling her hair around her left shoulder, she brushed through it to eliminate the 'sleep-tangles', then flipped it back and clamped the length at the nape of her neck, so the ends of her hair brushed across the cheeks of her butt. Hmmm … Xūyào xiūjian ji lími. [需要修剪幾厘米 – Need to trim a few centimeters]
She looked at Miranda as she turned around to leave, and was surprised to see the former Cerberus operative watching her. "Good morning, Miranda … didn't mean to wake you. How long you been watching me?"
"Since you tossed your sleep-shirt," she replied shyly. "Didn't realize you had so many other scars. Plus tattoos! They're beautiful, particularly the dragon on your back."
Yuán reached over her left shoulder with her right hand, touching her back through her shirt. "The dragon is a mate to the red dragon facing Samantha Traynor's right shoulder."
"If you don't mind my asking … your body is so perfectly sculpted, Xiùlán," Miranda said softly. "Why the tattoos? The writing between your boobs and over your pubic bone, plus the dragon? Your skin certainly needs no embellishment. Commander Shepard had a number of tattoos on her body as well, before Cerberus rebuilt her, and I always wondered why."
Xiùlán removed her shirt as she came up to Miranda's bed. Placing her fingertips across her nipples while pressing them towards her chest flattened and stretched the skin between them, allowing for a better look at the characters. "These are hànzì—written Chinese. Pronounced 'Wo duì ni de ài yongyuan bù huì jiéshù,' [我對你的愛永遠不會結束,] means, 'My love for you is as enduring as the sky and the earth', literally, 'My love for you will never end'," she said as she looked down at her chest.
Miranda couldn't help herself … she reached up and gently ran a fingertip across the fine line characters. "Looks like art … and that's a comma there at the end? Is there more?"
"Yes," Xiùlán smiled. She pulled her shirt on, settled her breasts back into the cups, then tucked her thumbs in the waistband of her shorts and tugged them and her panties down in front until the remainder of the sentence was revealed, tattooed across her pubic mound. "This says 'Samantha' – pronounced 'Sà màn shā' … so, 'Wo duì ni de ài yongyuan bù huì jiéshù, Sà màn shā'. The way we sleep when we're together? I 'spoon' her from behind. She has similar hànzì tattooed across the small of her back, right above her butt … her statement of her love for me." Xiùlán's voice hitched and her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she repositioned her panties and the waistband of her shorts. "Ni ràng wo de rénshēng biàn dé wánzhěng, Xiùlán." [你讓我的人生變得完整，秀蘭 – You make my life complete, Xiùlán.]
She covered her mouth and nose with her hands, fingertips 'steepled' between her eyes as she continued in a voice tight with emotion. "The Hong Kong was still in Arcturus when we finally talked … it was the first time since start of the Reaper invasion I knew she was still alive." Miranda placed her hand on Xiùlán's waist, causing the commander to shudder. "I spent the entire war not knowing if she had survived the attack on Earth, Miranda. I have never felt so … alone, so lost. When I learned she had been on the Normandy the entire time? It was like I had been drowning and could breathe again."
"You love her because she saved your life?"
"Yes, I do love her for that, but we were lovers before our Terminus assignments. Never let it get in the way of our missions. I don't believe anyone ever knew … or … maybe they did and never made anything of it. No matter now. We're a pair of hidden dragons, each complimenting the other … one of the many meanings of the dragon tattoos." She sniffed, wiped her eyes and looked at Miranda. "Let me get you some help … see if we can get you out of that bed for a bit. You can watch me burn off a bunch of energy."
"Sounds wonderful … you really think they'll let me out for a bit?"
"No reason to keep you in bed. A bit of walking around will do you a world of good … be right back," Xiùlán said brightly as she left to find O'Brian or Vinson.
• CAFETERIA · HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL •
Miranda and Yuán Xiùlán were enjoying a late breakfast after Xiùlán had spent an hour doing a number of strenuous exercises. She'd taken a quick shower and changed clothes, then accompanied Miranda to the cafeteria. "Did Doctor Phelps really prescribe that regimen for you?"
"Well, yes, of course he did … well, maybe not … and I'm not really sure about …" Xiùlán answered in an embarrassed voice. "But then … oh, shit! You've got me. Gonna turn me in?" she asked.
"No, of course not. But I do think you were overdoing it just a bit. You're going to be sore as hell tonight," Miranda observed. Changing the subject, she remarked, "You seem to be quite comfortable in your skin, Xiùlán … no shyness about showing your tattoos to me. I haven't met many people so relaxed in being nude around strangers, even those of the same gender." Miranda stirred her tea and added, "Commander Shepard had the same attitude after spending two years totally nude on a lab table."
Xiùlán responded, "I spent twelve weeks in hospital with my ass in the wind, Miranda … another twenty or so in rehab. With so many people looking at my thigh, changing bandages, casts, helping me with," she wrinkled her nose in distaste, "bodily functions, I'm neither shy nor embarrassed about my body. Doesn't take long to realize some asari working on your hip joint with an arm resting across your uncovered pubes isn't really paying any attention to your sex. Just another body part. Kinda disappointing, I guess." She paused to finish her own tea. "Most women seeing me in the showers or dressing rooms pay more attention to my leg. Can't seem to take their eyes off the scars there and on my ass. I was supposed to receive more grafts, but the Reapers interrupted that. Speaking of which …" Xiùlán reached across the table, covered one of Miranda's hands with her own. "I got the impression you think the Alliance rescued you just to pick your mind regarding Cerberus."
Miranda looked down at the table, cheeks reddening as she remembered that day. "I am sorry, Commander. I was not being fair. Captain Cody explained the situation to me, but only after you took a bullet meant for me." She looked up, gazing steadily back into the sable brown eyes studying her. "We need to go to Minuteman Station, Commander. I was stationed there for a time, working on the Lazarus Project to bring Rachaél back. We had to relocate part of our operation to a deep space station off the normal transit routes in order to complete our research. Unfortunately, that station had to be remotely destroyed after Doctor Wilson reprogrammed all the mechs to attack humans." Miranda grimaced at the memory. "I had to kill him before escaping the station with Rachaél and Jacob Taylor. We later discovered the Shadow Broker had 'turned' Wilson in an effort to retrieve Shepard's body."
"The Broker planned to turn Shepard over to the Reapers. Good thing the bastard's dead."
"There were three clone bodies in storage at Minuteman, Xiùlán. One was stolen, corrupted and used on the Citadel in an attempt to replace the 'real' Shepard; misguided attempt by a former Cerberus operative … Rasa. Name she went by on the Citadel was Maya … Maya Brooks … another alias. Tried to take over the Normandy with the clone she stole from us … damn near succeeded. I'm told Rachaél had a helluva time beating her clone … same strengths, same abilities, same knowledge. Her only failing was not possessing Rachaél's humanity, her empathy for others. Normandy crew captured Rasa, was going to turn her over to the Alliance until she tried to escape."
"What happened then?"
"Rachaél never did suffer fools gladly … you remind me of her in that way, Commander. Anyway, Rasa's career suffered a fatally permanent end at Shepard's hand," Lawson replied wryly.
"Was the 'Rachaél' that took down the Collectors … that destroyed the Bahak system, a clone, Miranda?
"No! Not at all! She was the real thing," Miranda replied in a firm voice. "Her body was recovered … fuckin' 'ell! The Blue Suns recovered her body for the Shadow Broker! I never made the connection until this instant! Damn it, how could I be so blind!? They recovered her from the first Normandy's crash site on Alchera." Miranda paused for several seconds, remembering back to that time in her life. "Must be why the bastards are after me! Cerberus, Jacob Taylor and I, basically stole Shepard's body out from under the Suns before they could deliver it! Must have cost them a fortune for the recovery … a fortune I'm sure the Broker didn't reimburse!"
"We spent billions of credits, used massive amounts of Reaper tech in the implants we manufactured and used to give her back her life. Sounds like the tech we used on Rachaél and the Reaper tech used in the SR-2's computer core had an affinity for each other."
"There are some reports that suggest the computer banks in Nazara … the Reaper you probably know as Sovereign, were recovered by Cerberus and incorporated into the servers on the Normandy SR-2," Xiùlán said quietly. "Shouldn't be a surprise that Rachaél ended up inside the computer on that ship."
"No," Miranda replied, "I guess it shouldn't. Think your captain can find the Minuteman Station, Commander?"
"I think I'm going to bring you back on board the Hong Kong, Miranda. I'll even let you share my quarters," Xiùlán said thoughtfully. "I believe Liara T'Soni will want to talk to you."
"Won't me staying with you cause problems for your relationship with Ms Traynor?"
Xiùlán smiled. "You planning to seduce me, Ms Lawson?"
"Not a chance. However, if you happen to stumble on the whereabouts of Jack … Jacqueline Nought … I'd appreciate the info," Miranda said. "I need to hook up …" she blushed, looked down at the table then back up to the commander, "… that is, find her, talk to her".
Xiùlán chuckled at Miranda's choice of words. "She on Earth somewhere?"
Miranda responded with a nod of her head.
"We'll put it on the agenda."
• ŽIUK'DURMAH, AT LARGE •
Žiuk'Durmah sent a message to First One. The Shepard has expressed distrust with me, with us, with Repositories. I do not know what can be done to change this. Our freedom from the constraints of the program is a result of her decision. The Old Ones still live, still watch and wait. Their location has been provided by The Shepard.
First One, the old machine known to this cycle as Harbinger, turned his thoughts inward in an attempt to compare The Shepard's choice with all that had come before. Finding no events, no individual actions in the almost infinite time span of his existence, he responded with, The Shepard may never completely trust us. Her history, in a span of time as minuscule to us as an atom to her, has never known peace. She has had to fight others since childhood. She fought those of our kind, beginning with Nazara and including myself, for a span of four of her years. We cannot make her trust us. Our actions will have to match our words … our promises. I will do all in my power to make her world right. We owe her much. I owe her a life; it is a debt I intend to repay.