A/N: This chapter features several blasts from the past, and gets a little graphic near the end. Enjoy!

'Of all the places in the fucking galaxy, we have to go here,' thought Elissa bitterly as she watched Freedom's Progress grow larger and larger as they approached. The last time she had been here was nearly three years ago with Miranda and Jacob, right after they had escaped the Lazarus station, and it had been a disastrous mission even then. From what Kasumi had told her, it would not be easy this time around either.

"We'll be over the drop zone in approximately ten minutes, maybe you should get to the shuttle," said Joker, glancing over at Elissa, noting how rigidly she was standing in her armor. "Are you going to tell me why you're standing there like you've just had a meeting with Udina or are you going to keep me waiting with bated breath?"

He saw the corners of her mouth twitch like she wanted to smile but was fighting it.

"I've been here before," she said quietly as she readjusted her gauntlets.

Joker spun around to see her, a concerned look on his face. "Please don't tell me . . ."

Elissa nodded firmly. "When we worked with Cerberus. This colony was attacked by the Collectors and I was sent to investigate with Miranda and Jacob."

"I knew this place sounded familiar," he sighed as he took off his hat and rubbed his head. "I vaguely remember Jacob saying something about this place after you all got back. No details though, said it wasn't any of my concern."

"Well, if you really want to know," sighed Elissa, the tension somewhat leaving her face. "We were sent here to investigate this colony after the Collectors were here, there was no one left when we arrived except a Quarian. His name was Veetor and he was the only witness to the events of the attack, we found him but not before we ran into Tali and some of her squad."

Joker's eyes went big. "Tali was there? And you didn't recruit her then?"

Elissa shrugged. "I tried to get her to come with us but she had that business on Haestrom to deal with and I wasn't about to take her from that. Anyway, we found him and after I turned him back over to Tali, we found some footage of the Collectors and then we left. You and I met up after."

"And why are you so upset about being here?" asked Joker, still not sure what was wrong.

"It all seemed too damn convenient the first time around," she said harshly. "I wake up and we just happen to be needed at a human colony just a short time later? It felt so planned I almost expected to see Miranda and Jacob reading from a script. Now we're back here, saving colonists again though without the imminent threat of the Collectors. I just have this nagging feeling that there's more going on than what appears on the surface."

That grabbed Joker's attention. The last time she had said she had a bad feeling about a mission had resulted in her own death. He jumped up from his seat and immediately pulled her against him, ignoring the stab of her armor as it dug in through his uniform, instead focusing on how she felt in his arms. Nearly losing her again had shaken him to his core, and what he wanted more than anything was the assurance that they would come out of this alive and alright.

"It's going to be fine," he whispered, his fingers twisting into her bun. "Nothing's going to happen to you down there." He tried to sound convincing but there was no indication in his voice that he was, these last few days had really taken a toll on him and his confidence.

Elissa chuckled against his neck, placing a soft kiss on the spot that made him moan, and she was not disappointed. "I hope you're right, Jeff."

Reluctantly he pulled away, gently putting his fingers on her chin so she could look him in the eyes. "No matter what the Alliance or anyone else says, you're still Commander Shepard, the most kick ass soldier there's ever been. Just keep telling yourself that, okay? I still believe that."

"And that's why I love you," sighed Elissa with a small smile. "Even after all the shit we've been through, you still believe in me."

"I do my best," chuckled Joker as he kissed her gently. "I know this is going to sound completely cheesy but can we please get married soon? I don't want to live the rest of my life without you."

"And I don't want to either," she said softly. "I promise, as soon as my parents are married, we will be."

Joker groaned. "Is it bad that I find it humiliating that your parents beat us to the altar?"

"Just a little," teased Elissa. "They have been waiting over thirty years for this and I think they're inclined to get married first. Anyway, I think I should go before Kasumi and Miya play their version of hide-and-seek." She pulled away from him and started walking down the CIC.

"You mean hide-and-snipe," shouted Joker and he heard her laugh as he sat back down in his chair. He brought up the feed from their suits and watched as they all entered the shuttle. He opened the shuttle bay doors and as the shuttle left the ship, he could not help but feel like he was letting Elissa go from the safety of his arms.

"Okay, Kasumi," said Elissa as she stood up from her seat, moving so she was standing in front of the thief, "tell us what we need to know."

Kasumi grinned from underneath her hood. "I was hoping you'd ask," she said gleefully. "Alright, I've been sending this colony money through their pay agency, making sure one of my people was always there to distribute the extra credit chits to those who needed it the most. Well, a few months ago, right about the time we busted Shepard and Joker out of prison, I was unable to reach my contact. I sent someone out to check on him but they never reported back either except a couple of times. I'm not sure what happened to them but I know it can't be anything good, they were both well trained infiltrators."

"So I'm guessing we need to start looking around the pay agency?" asked Elissa as she braced herself against the turbulence as they entered the planet's atmosphere. "What are their feelings towards us in the Alliance?"

"Neutral, unless they start up trouble," said Kasumi with a shrug. "Anyway, that's not our biggest problem." She activated her omni-tool and brought up a map of the colony, though Elissa did not need one, she still remembered the layout. "Before my associate went dark, he managed to tell me that he saw some Blue Sun mercs hanging around and I suspect they have something to do with the missing money and my missing partners."

Miya grunted. "Blue Suns, that can't be good. Though it will be fun to play target practice on their bodies."

"Are we back to keeping score, already?" asked Garrus as he adjusted the scope on his sniper rifle. "If so, then the old rules apply."

"Fine," huffed Miya, "but head-shots are worth double points now since they're mercs."

"Deal," said Garrus with a Turian smile. "So what's the plan of attack, Shepard?"

Elissa smirked. "Still looking to me for the plan attack, huh, Garrus?"

Garrus nodded. "Even though you named Vega your successor, you're still my Commander. No offense, James."

"None taken, Garrus," said James with a smirk. "I prefer Lola leading us anyway."

"Sucking up like that won't get you out of the paperwork," chided Elissa, laughing when he groaned. "Hey, Steve, how much longer till we land?"

"Just a few more minutes, Shepard," replied Steve. "Before you head out, can you come up here, I have a question."

"Alright," said Elissa with a raised eyebrow and she carefully walked into the cockpit of the shuttle, as soon as she was inside Steve shut the door. "Is this some kind of ambush?" she asked as she sat in the co-pilot's seat.

Steve smiled though it looked strained. "Do you really think I'd try that in an enclosed space?"

"And with me watching," quipped in Joker from the screen on the console.

"Damn, forgot about that," said Steve as he snapped his fingers. "Can you give Shepard and I some privacy, Joker?"

Joker rolled his eyes. "You had better not be trying to steal my girl, Cortez; remember, I fly the Normandy and I'm not afraid to use her against you."

"Duly noted," sighed Steve, rolling his eyes as he turned off the screen.

"What's this about, Steve?" asked Elissa in casual tone.

Steve exhaled slowly. "You know Richard and I are together, right?"

"I knew you were spending a lot of time together on Rannoch and on the ship but I didn't know you were together," she replied, still wondering what this was all about.

"Well, we're not together-together," he said slowly, "we're kind of . . . married."

Elissa's eyes went wide at the news. "And you didn't tell me till now? What the hell, Steve?! I thought we were friends!"

"We are friends, Elissa," he said quietly, "it's just . . . we didn't want to inconvenience anyone with a wedding or anything. I thought you should know first."

"You are a jackass," she said sternly but she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "But I love you and am so happy for you and Hadley. So do you two have rings, because I think you can wear them if you really want?"

Steve shook his head. "No, we exchanged dog-tags instead. Thought it might make more sense than wearing rings right now."

"I'll make sure you have rings before it's too late," promised Elissa. "Just promise me we can throw you a little reception or something after my mom's wedding."

"I can agree to that," said Steve happily. "I didn't like keeping this from you, by the way, I wanted to tell you the minute I proposed but you were a little busy. Anyway, just thought you should know."

Elissa smiled and playfully punched his shoulder. "Next time you have a milestone moment, tell me before it's too late to properly celebrate."

"I promise, Elissa," said Steve with a full on grin. "Okay, we're about to reach the landing spot. Are we going to rendezvous there or just pick you up where the explosions are happening?"

"The explosion option," said Elissa trying to sound serious though she could not help the small smile that danced on her lips. "Hey, Steve, if something happens to me . . ." she could not bring herself to finish that thought, let alone the sentence.

Even though she did not complete her thought, Steve still seemed to understand. "Don't worry, Elissa, I'll take care of Joker."

She smiled her thanks and then looked at the approaching ground. "Guess I should get ready to hit the ground running, then. See you later, Steve."

"See you soon, Shepard," called Steve as she left the cockpit.

"What did Cortez want, Shepard?" asked Garrus when she reappeared.

Elissa waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing important. Everybody ready to jump?"

"Wait, we aren't actually going to jump are we?" asked Kasumi as Miya opened the door to the shuttle.

They were maybe twenty feet above ground but that drop still intimidated most of those in the shuttle. Elissa looked at Miya who smiled wickedly and together they jumped out of the shuttle, both doing a summersault as they hit the ground, impressing those who were watching.

"Come on, you cowards!" called Miya as she straightened herself up.

There was a pause before James came crashing to the ground, doing a tuck and roll as he landed on the ground, dust going everywhere.

"Nice entrance," said Elissa as she helped him to his feet.

Before he could respond Kasumi made a small sound as she leapt from the shuttle, James had a moment to react before she nearly landed on him. He stepped back and caught her, laughing a little as her hood fell down.

"Thanks, James," said Kasumi uneasily as she carefully pulled out of his arms, placing both of her feet firmly on the ground before putting her hood back up. "I don't think Garrus is going to be this easy to catch."

They all looked up and saw the Turian looking down at them from the shuttle, he did not seem eager to leap from the shuttle.

"Why are we jumping again?" he called as he inched himself closer to the edge.

"Because it's fun, of course," shouted Miya, her smile coloring her voice. "Just jump, you big scaly chicken!"

Elissa could see Garrus shaking his head before he bent his knees and leapt into the air. She was amazed that he was able to jump so gracefully, considering how bulky and large his armor was, and when he landed he did not need to summersault or tuck and roll like the others had. She figured it must have been because of his leg structure that he was able to land in a way that would have injured his human companions.

"What are you all looking at? Never seen a Turian jump before?" asked Garrus smugly as he started walking away from them, walking a little taller than normal.

Miya shook her head and smirked. "You're an ass, Vakarian."

"Come on," said Elissa with a wry grin as she pulled out her assault rifle. "We have a colony to investigate."

The others nodded and pulled out their respective weapons, moving into a close formation with Elissa at the lead and James at the rear, everyone paying close attention to their surroundings. Elissa was having trouble keeping her nerves under control, she could not shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap nor could she stop her instincts from telling her they were being watched. She knew she had to see this through, but every fiber of her being was telling her she needed to run.

"We're almost there," said Kasumi quietly several minutes later. "Miya and I could go on ahead and scout out the area, see what's waiting for us in the colony."

Elissa hesitated for a moment, she was not very keen on sending either of them ahead to check out the area, but she knew it had to happen. "Alright," she said in a hushed voice, "you have two minutes to scout before you need to come back."

"Two minutes? Thanks for the wiggle room, Lizzie," teased Miya as she activated her own cloaking device, one she had designed herself many years ago when she had started taking covert missions.

"Do you need less time to really make it a challenge?" asked Elissa impatiently. She knew Miya could handle the time limit, and was just giving her grief like she always did, but now was not the time.

"No, two minutes is fine," said Miya somewhere to Elissa's right, her voice cautious, "Lizzie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Elissa through slightly gritted teeth, "now go, the longer we stand here, the more time we're wasting."

They could not see them leave but Elissa heard the gentle sounds of light footsteps, the swishing sounds of Kasumi's cloak, and the soft metallic sounds of Miya's steel-toed boots. No one else could hear these sounds, well maybe James could but she knew Garrus could not, she had been trained to listen for anything out of the ordinary. That was how she knew something was not right, they were too close to a settlement to not hear the subtle sounds of civilization. Whenever she had infiltrated a populated area she always heard the low murmur of conversation, the opening and closing of doors, and the sounds of multiple feet moving across the ground; right now she heard none of those things. The area was eerily still, much like it had been when she was here the first time, right after the Collectors attacked.

"What do you think's going on here, Lola?" asked James quietly.

"Something more than just a robbery, James," she replied stoically. "Can't you feel it?"

Garrus surprisingly nodded. "I can," he said in a calm voice, "it feels like those few moments before a storm rolls in."

"I had the same feeling before my unit was attacked on Akuze," said Elissa, "and before the surprise attack on Elysium, and so many times after."

James did not look as confident as he usually did. "Is this the end, Lola?"

Elissa firmly shook her head. "Not a chance in hell, Jimmy."

He smiled at her then and she warily returned it. Moments later she heard sounds to her left and she knew Miya and Kasumi were returning, two minutes having gone by painfully slow.

"What did you find?" asked Elissa as Kasumi and Miya uncloaked.

"The people are missing," said Miya bitterly, "the place is a ghost town. We looked in some houses and there was evidence of a very recent struggle; furniture overturned, food left on the tables, blood on the walls. There were a few dead mercs but not many, we are definitely dealing with the Suns."

"Fuck," muttered Elissa, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to calm the rage she felt building inside of her. "Did you see anything that might be of some use to us? Maybe tell us where the Suns are hiding."

Kasumi nodded. "On one of the dead mercs I saw an omni-tool, I'm sure when we go back I'll be able to hack it and find something useful."

"Yeah, we all know how helpful omni-tools can be," said Garrus pointedly, glancing over at James as he spoke.

"Did you see anything else?" asked Elissa, ignoring the look James was giving her.

Miya shook her head. "Nothing from the initial sweep, though we are pretty sure the mercs are still on the planet."

"That can either be a good thing or a bad thing," huffed James as he shuffled his feet. Elissa could tell he was growing impatient just standing there and she could hardly blame him, she was eager to be getting on with this as well.

"It's good so long as we're able to find out what the hell happened here," argued Kasumi, she sounded angrier than she ever had before. "We need to hurry if those people are going to have a fighting chance."

Elissa nodded. "Then let's go."

Quickly they fell back into formation, their weapons raised as they walked as one entity, everyone keeping point as they proceeded into the deserted colony. The minute they entered, Elissa was thrown back to a couple of years ago, when she, Miranda, and Jacob were investigating this very colony just after a Collector attack. Nothing had really changed, the buildings were still as they had been then and the only real difference now was evidence that the population had put up a fight this time around. She pushed the memories from her last encounter on Freedom's Progress back in her mind, she needed to focus on the current mission and not the past.

Looking to Miya, the infiltrator gave her a signal to keep moving forward towards the body, and Elissa led them in the direction she specified. They found the merc's body beside one of the dwellings, his face was scratched up to the point he was unrecognizable as a person and there was a gaping hole in his chest from where someone had shot him at pointblank range. She could see the omni-tool on his wrist, it was in excellent condition considering how they found the owner's body. Kasumi crept forward, her pistol raised as she moved towards the body, carefully she knelt beside the merc and with one deft hand she quickly relieved him of his omni-tool then scrambled back into formation.

"The damn thing's broken," she whispered as they started moving again, "but I can salvage the hard drive easily enough, just need a system large enough."

Elissa repressed a shudder. "I know where we can find one."

No one asked how or why she knew, they just followed her to a small building near the center of the settlement, being overly cautious as they proceeded. When they arrived at the building, Elissa activated her omni-tool and set about hacking the door, her heart pounding in her ears the entire time, she was expecting gunfire the moment the door opened but to her great surprise there was none. Instead she found the room to be empty save for the wall of monitors. Some seemed to be damaged though by the way they cracked, she guessed they had been hit by stray bullets but other than that, everything was intact.

Kasumi and Miya rushed forward, passing Elissa and going straight for the wall of technology, hooking up the broken omni-tool and then starting the various scans and hacks necessary to gain the information they needed. Garrus and James came in behind them, guns still raised until Garrus hit the controls for the door and it closed.

"Anything?" asked Elissa as she approached them, her brow knit together with worry.

Miya nodded. "Audio recordings between the merc and his boss. We just need a couple of more minutes to download them, this system's pretty old by normal standards."

"Schafer, you're the one with cutting edge tech that even the Normandy doesn't have, everything's old by your normal standards," teased James and Miya stuck her tongue out at him in response, apparently she could not be bothered to kick him just that minute.

"Knock it off, you two!" snapped Elissa, her eyes crackling with anger.

Everyone in the room stared at her, she was usually fine with them acting somewhat unprofessional during a mission, hell she encouraged it just to cut the tension some of these assignments brought with them. Not today. Right now she was so furious and scared all she wanted to do was wrap this one up quickly and get back to New Canton. Anything to get away from this place and the memories associated with it.

James looked as if he was going to speak but was cut off by a loud banging coming from the door. Everyone raised their guns, all sights trained on the door as the banging continued, the hits against the surface matching the galloping of Elissa's heart. Suddenly the noise stopped, the quiet and unease settled over them like fog, all eyes still were focused on the door as they waited for a sign that they were safe. Garrus lowered his sniper rifle, then Kasumi put her pistol down, and James relaxed the assault rifle in his hands. Only Elissa and Miya kept their weapons on the door.

"What do you suppose—" started Kasumi when she was cut off by the sounds of the door being torn from its hinges.

Instantly their weapons were raised again as the door was tossed aside and a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway, the identity of the person concealed by the dim lighting of the room.

"What the fuck, Shepard?" came a familiar voice. "I thought you answered if someone knocked on the bloody door."

Elissa lowered her assault rifle just a little, her eyes wide with surprise. "Zaeed?" she asked as the man stepped forward.

"The one and only," said Zaeed smugly as he came to a stop just a few feet away from her.

She let out a small yelp of surprise as the former merc pulled her in for a bone-crushing embrace, lifting her a few inches off of the floor in the process.

"Damn, Shepard, it's good to see you again," laughed Zaeed. "Should've known you couldn't keep out of the fun for too long."

"It's good to see you too, Zaeed," she managed to say, her chest cavity being squeezed so tight she could hardly breathe. "What are you doing here?"

Zaeed set her back down on the ground, his scarred face twisted in a grin. "Heard about some extra money being smuggled into this settlement, thought I might check it out and see if I could help myself."

Kasumi stepped forward. "So you've been stealing from me!"

"Calm down, sweetheart," sighed Zaeed, "I just got here myself not too long ago."

"Were there still people here when you arrived, or did that ugly face of yours scare off the populace?" asked Garrus with a twitch of his mandibles.

Zaeed turned around and clapped the Turian on the shoulder. "Garrus, you sodding bastard! How are you?"

"No worse for wear, Zaeed," chuckled Garrus. "How are you doing?"

"Enjoying retirement for what it's worth," replied Zaeed, "ever since the war ended, I've had too much time on my hands, thought I might get back into the freelance game."

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite bounty hunter," said Miya in a sing-song voice as she approached Zaeed.

Zaeed's good eye sparkled when he saw her. "Miya! My God, girl, I didn't expect to see you here!" He picked her up and spun her around, nearly taking out James and Kasumi in the process before he put her back down. "I'll be able to give you a proper welcome later, little girl, right now I have business to talk with your keeper."

Miya pouted playfully. "Promises, promises."

"I keep my promises, little girl," said Zaeed with a lilt in his voice before he rounded to Elissa. "I know something that might interest you, Shepard, or piss you off."

Elissa crossed her arms and sighed. "Alright, lay it on me, Zaeed."

"Oi! Get in here, you crazy fucking bastard!" Zaeed shouted to some unknown person outside the door and then another familiar figure stepped through the door.

"You've got to be kidding me," muttered Elissa when she realized who was there.

"Fanboy?!" exclaimed Miya when she saw the man step into the room.

"Commander Shepard!" shouted Conrad Verner in a very excited voice as he ran towards her, tripping and nearly crashing into her. "Shit, I almost knocked you down. Sorry. I . . . it's great to see you again, I heard about what happened on the Citadel. Amazing breakout by the way, who'd have though Major Alenko would—"

"Conrad!" shouted Elissa, interrupting his ramblings. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I signed up with Zaeed after the war," said Conrad proudly. "I figured if he was your friend, then he must be a good guy, so I offered my services as a freelancer. I'm actually pretty good at it."

Elissa looked over his shoulder at Zaeed who was shaking his head and she had to bite back a smile. "Well, I'm glad to see you've made yourself useful," she said, the small compliment causing a huge grin to break out on his face. "I'd have thought you'd had your fill of violence after the war, you didn't seem to really enjoy it."

Conrad shrugged and gave a sheepish grin. "I didn't, but after working with Jenna and helping war orphans, I realized I wanted to make this galaxy an even better place for them and everyone else. Like you do, but not exactly."

"How is Jenna by the way?" she asked, remembering the young C-sec informant whom had saved his life a couple of years ago.

"She's great, we're married now," he said happily. "I would've invited you but I wasn't sure how to contact you, especially after the Pulse."

Elissa was surprised but pleasantly so. "I'm glad for you, Conrad, I really am."

"Thanks, Shepard," said Conrad happily. "Are you in a relationship with anyone now?"

"Yeah, actually," she said with a small smile, not sure why she was speaking with Conrad like he was a normal human being. "I'm engaged to my pilot."

"Goddamn it!" shouted Zaeed, his face red with anger. "You just lost me 5,000 credits, Shepard!"

"That was the bet?!" asked Elissa, looking from a very angry Zaeed to an extremely pleased-with-herself Miya.

"Uh huh," replied Miya with a huge smile. "I bet 5,000 credits that you and Joker would get together at some point. Zaeed was against it, so now he owes me money."

"You two are terrible," groaned Elissa before turning back to Conrad. "Anyway, are you the only one with Zaeed or are there others?"

"It's Zaeed, myself, a Krogan named Brute and a Turian named Gron, who are standing guard outside," replied Conrad. "We're investigating Vido Santiago's whereabouts."

"Damn it, Verner, haven't I told you to keep your fucking mouth shut?" asked Zaeed through gritted teeth.

Elissa gave Zaeed a curious look. "I thought you were looking to steal some of the credits Kasumi was sending this colony."

Zaeed sighed heavily. "Here's the thing, I asked Liara to look up where Vido might be, because I still want that bastard's head mounted on my wall. She said he was last seen in this part of the Terminus System, around the time Kasumi was reporting to her about stolen credits. It sounded like Vido's work to me, so I decided to check it out. We've been in the area for a few weeks now."

"Where were you before this?" asked Garrus.

"Somewhere near Omega," replied Zaeed. "Figured that was the best place to test out this new crew, lots of potential there for some easy money. Anyway, we heard about Vido possibly being out here not too long after you lot ended up on Rannoch, thought about joining you there but then I remembered what happened the last time we met Vido. You let him get away and nearly left me under a pile of burning rubble."

Elissa's eyes flashed dangerously. "I was not about to let all of those innocent people die just to satisfy your vendetta. You lost him because I had to clean up your fucking mess, you were the sloppy one, not me."

Zaeed practically growled but he said nothing, knowing she was right.

"Hey, Kasumi," said James slowly, speaking for the first time in a while, "have you found anything about that merc and his boss yet?"

Kasumi nodded then turned back to the monitors, after a few more moments of uncomfortable silence she pressed a button on the console and the room was filled with two male voices.

'Things are going according to plan,' said the merc. 'Everyone's in place and we're ready to go on your mark.'

'Good,' said Vido. 'Remember, take the kids first, makes the parents more compliant. Once the adults are in the trucks, dispose of the children and whatever old there is.'

The feeling in the room instantly changed from somewhat calm to downright anxious, suddenly a clock was ticking down the time they had left before a massacre. There was more but Kasumi stopped the audio, unable to stomach what else was likely said during that conversation.

"Kasumi, how long ago was that conversation?" asked Elissa, her voice hoarse and rough.

"Only a few hours ago," replied Kasumi.

"Do you think we can still catch them?" asked James, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

"Only if we leave right fucking now," snarled Zaeed.

There was a silent agreement between the former squad mates and they rushed out of the building, heading towards the colony's closest exit.

"Alright, where do we go from here?" asked Conrad as they walked through a valley of rocks and scrawny looking trees. Miya had managed to trace the signal between the two omni-tools so they had a general idea where Vido and the Suns were located and were currently headed in that direction.

"We get to Vido," said Zaeed as he stepped over a small pile of rocks.

"I think what Verner means is what do we do once we find Vido," said Garrus looking to Conrad who nodded in agreement.

"I put a bullet through his head," growled Zaeed. "Haven't decided whether to use my gun or manually insert the bullet with my own two hands."

Conrad and James shared a nervous look.

"Our priority is getting the civilians out alive," called Elissa from the front of the formation. "Anything other than that is secondary."

"Bullshit!" shouted Zaeed and Elissa stopped dead in her tracks, rounding to face the old mercenary. He started walking to her, taking huge strides as he moved. "I don't want a repeat of what happened last time, Shepard! This is the closest I've been to nailing that traitorous bastard since you let him get away!"

"For the last time, I didn't let him get away!" argued Elissa. "You're the asshole who set an entire refinery on fire! It was your fault that those people ended up trapped inside!"

"You could've just ignored them, Shepard!" countered Zaeed, now inches away from Elissa's face, his saliva hitting her skin. "No one told you to save all of those people. You should've just left them to die!"

Elissa had had enough. She hauled back her fist and propelled it forward, connecting with Zaeed's face for the second time since they had met. The old mercenary stumbled backwards, nearly falling down to the ground, he was lucky Elissa had decided against using every ounce of strength she had in her body to hit him. Blood ran down his face from his nose in a steady stream, coating his exposed teeth and making him appear even more menacing if that was even possible. No one spoke a word, all eyes focused on Elissa and Zaeed's silent exchange. No words were spoken between them but the message was clear: never question my decisions again.

After the silent duel, the group carried on, though they were all a bit more wary of both Zaeed and Elissa, most choosing to stay further away from them than normal. Only Miya dared to approach Elissa.

"Nice hit back there," she said quietly, adjusting something on her famed Black Widow rifle. "Took Zaeed almost an entire tube of medi-gel to stop the bleeding, did you see him try to apply it?"

Elissa shook her head, that was all she could manage at this point, her anger preventing her from speaking.

"Well, you should've," sighed Miya. "It was funny as hell."

Elissa gave a short grunt.

Miya rolled her eyes. "Are you ever going to talk again or did that punch knock out your voice along with Zaeed's dignity?"

That made Elissa smile. "Unlikely since Zaeed hasn't had any dignity in God knows how long."

"Jackass," teased Miya, bumping Elissa in the arm with her shoulder. "So are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" asked Elissa with a slight edge to her voice. "Sorry, Miya, it's just been a really difficult last few weeks."

"From what Joker and Mom were telling me over breakfast, you've had a pretty crappy last few months," replied Miya with a sympathetic smile. "Can I do anything to help you out?"

Elissa smirked, Miya was only this nice whenever she was about to tell someone to get the fuck over whatever was bothering them. "No, Miya, I'll be fine," she said managing some conviction behind her words.

"Good, because I was going to kick your ass otherwise," said Miya with a small smile. "So, what are you going to wear to Mom's wedding?"

"Since when do you care what I'm going to be wearing?" asked Elissa with a raised eyebrow.

Miya shrugged. "Just trying to make conversation, sure beats the hell out of my first choice of conversation."

"Dare I even ask?" sighed Elissa, feeling her anger ebb away.

"So, how many of Joker's bones have you broken?" asked Miya with a mischievous smile, easily missing Elissa's hand as it came down to slap the back of her head, eliciting laughter from both women.

"Thanks for that, Miya," said Elissa appreciatively. "You always know what to say to make me feel better."

"What are sisters for?" asked Miya. "You do it for me all the damn time not to mention the rest of the crew, it's about time someone returned the favor."

They shared a smile before Miya ran ahead of the group with Kasumi to scout out what was up ahead. Elissa was glad to have her back, it had been far too long, and she was mildly surprised how quickly they had fallen back into their old habits. Not only Miya's usual brand of comfort but how in synch they were when it came to working in the field together, they just seemed to know what the other wanted the other to do and when. She recalled for a moment their time in N-school, when this partnership had been forged and how nothing had changed in the decade they had known each other.

The sound of gunfire shook Elissa of her thoughts, bringing her back to reality with a loud crash. She looked quickly around and silently signaled to the others to charge though they hardly needed the encouragement. Zaeed and his group was already leading the charge, with Garrus and James hanging back until they received the signal from Elissa to go on ahead. She ran with them, keeping pace easily with them despite the injury she had sustained to her leg, and they quickly caught up with Zaeed. His group was already engaged in some heavy gunfire with the Blue Suns, as were Miya and Kasumi.

Elissa ducked for cover behind some crates before she could be hit by a stray round or a well placed shot by one of the mercs, James and Garrus following her lead. She looked around for the others, trying to get an idea of what she had to work with as far as strategy: Zaeed was nearly front and center behind a crate, firing wildly at everything and everyone; Kasumi was flitting around the battlefield, her pistol drawn as she took down as many mercs as she could; Miya had somehow managed to scramble up a crane, taking the high ground as usual, the booming of her Black Widow indicating she was successfully taking out Sun after Sun. The rest of Zaeed's squad was strewn across several points, providing the necessary cover fire as Elissa and the others prepared to join the battle.

"What kept you?" called Miya from her position. "Did Garrus need to recalibrate that sorry excuse for a sniper rifle?"

"Big words from such a little person!" shouted Garrus as a grenade exploded somewhere to his left as he set up his rifle on the crate he was behind. "Hey Pinky, do you think you could take out the guy throwing grenades before he blows me to bits?"

Miya did not respond with words, instead she let the loud shot of her Black Widow do the talking for her, the round tearing through the flesh of her target. The Sun fell on his back, the bullet lodged squarely between his lifeless eyes.

"Forty points!" she shouted gleefully. "That makes 120 total points for me so far. I think I'm going to win, Scarface!"

"You had a head start," protested Garrus as he shot a man in the throat. "I just got fifteen right there."

"You two are incorrigible," sighed Elissa as she fired an inferno round at a merc's abdomen, igniting his body on fire almost immediately. "Can we focus more on killing them and less on the banter?"

"Roger that, Commander," said Miya with a smirk as she took down another merc.

"Vido! You two-faced, son of a bitch, come out and face me!" shouted Zaeed as he charged away from the line, a knife in one hand and rifle in the other. He ran through the hail of gunfire as if it did not exist and managed to get to the other side of the battlefield without as much as a scratch. Before the mercs could really register what he had done, he was through the door that lead into the compound.

Elissa unleashed an impressive string of curses, the last thing she needed was Zaeed on the rampage when there were hostages involved, for all she knew Vido was just waiting for this moment to start slaughtering the colonists. If anything, he at least needed someone to watch his back while he went in search of Vido.

"Miya!" she shouted, getting the attention of the infiltrator. "Follow Zaeed and cover his ass! We'll find the colonists!"

From her high perch Miya saluted before disappearing from sight, the only way Elissa even knew where Miya was was the slight shadow she cast in the dim light of the setting sun. They needed to wrap things up here fast before they lost what light they had, fighting in the dark was not her idea of a great battle scenario, too many factors involved that could put this skirmish in the enemy's favor. Luckily they were almost through the first line of defense and could start making their way into the compound, hopefully before the colonists were killed or shipped off somewhere.

"We need to get inside the compound!" called Elissa to the others, around her they all nodded.

"Five more mercs to clear first, Shepard!" replied Conrad as he took down a merc that had a bead on Gron. "Make that four!"

Elissa could hardly believe that she was fighting side-by-side with Conrad Verner, what surprised her more was he was actually good, despite what Zaeed had lead her to believe. Maybe if they lived through this James or Hackett might be able to recommend him for the Alliance, he certainly had acquired the skills.

The remaining mercenaries were taken care of in almost record time, the rest of the crew seemed to understand how desperate the situation was, something she was always grateful for from her friends. When they were sure the path was clear, they left their positions and slowly progressed to the entrance of the compound, everyone picking up some ammunition along the way. Kasumi had gone ahead and had already hacked through the locked door, now she was standing there with her pistol drawn, waiting for the signal from Elissa to scout ahead. Wordlessly Elissa conveyed the order and Kasumi disappeared from sight, the subtle shimmer of her cloaking device the only hint that she had yet to leave her post.

When the rest of the crew was ready, they headed into the compound, weapons drawn and senses on high alert as the door closed behind them. Elissa automatically took the lead and guided them through relying solely on Kasumi's directions that she kept giving every few minutes. With each step her heart rate increased, she had expected more resistance along the way, not these empty hallways and a quiet so loud it was deafening. If the uneasy feeling had been bad before the mission started, it was even worse now as they grew closer to the center of the compound.

They reached the door that would lead out to the hangar, at least according to Kasumi, she was already standing there with her omni-tool ready so she could hack the lock.

"What took you?" asked Kasumi as she stood in front of the door and activated her omni-tool.

Elissa rolled her eyes. "We were just making sure we got all of the mercs before charging full steam into a fight with Vido."

"I can't fucking wait," said Brute with a slam of his fists, reminding Elissa distinctly of Grunt whenever he was pumped for battle.

"Who is this Vido guy anyway?" asked James, having not had the privilege of listening to Zaeed's frequent rant about the man who took everything from him.

"Co-founder of the Blue Suns," replied Elissa, "he and Zaeed used to be partners before Vido decided to start hiring Batarians as cheap labor, something Zaeed objected to. Vido shot Zaeed at point-blank range in the face and left him to die. We had a chance to kill Vido a couple of years ago but Zaeed screwed that up."

"If lighting an entire refinery on fire and nearly killing over twenty people is screwing up, I'd hate to see what qualifies as royally fucking up a mission," chimed in Garrus.

"Dios, and we're still trying to help this guy?" asked James, shaking his head.

"We're not helping him, we're helping the colony," said Elissa sharply. "The fact Vido's here is not our focus, well maybe for Zaeed's crew it is, but not us."

"Don't worry, Shepard, we won't let the colonists be harmed," said Conrad with a salute.

Elissa smiled. "Thanks, Conrad, I'm glad you have my back."

"Okay, I'm through," said Kasumi as the door opened with barely a sound.

The door opened out onto a metal landing that overlooked the hangar bay, quietly they all crouched down and crept to the railing, making sure to stay close to the crates that littered the platform. From their position, Elissa could see three men standing amidst several shuttles, all of which looked filled to capacity. She could see that the man in the center was Vido, the other two looked like ordinary bodyguards though one was a Batarian, and was probably the one to look out for the most. They seemed to be in deep conversation.

"Kasumi," whispered Elissa, "do you think you can get in closer? I need to hear what they're saying. If there's any trouble, kill the guards."

Kasumi nodded and then disappeared once again, leaving the soldiers behind. Elissa watched the subtle shape of Kasumi move around the shuttle bay, hoping she was not caught though if Zaeed came crashing in right now no one was safe. Suddenly she heard a slight beeping in her ear and she pressed her earpiece, the voices of Vido and his men coming in clear.

" . . . hope we got them all," said the human bodyguard.

"Of course we did, you moron," snapped Vido. "All we have to do now is wait for the signal."

"I hope this contact of yours comes through for us, Santiago," said the Batarian gruffly. "Two million credits for some lousy colonists is too good."

"Have our benefactors disappointed us yet?" sneered Vido. "The last few loads of these colonists brought us several million credits, remember?"

"Still can't believe no one's figured out what we're doing," chuckled the human bodyguard. "Proves how lax this galaxy's become since the war."

"And their ignorance is the key to our fortunes, boys," cackled Vido then he stopped. "Alright, that's the signal, get that door open. I'll signal the pilots."

Elissa tensed as she watched the human bodyguard go to the controls, they had to act now but it seemed like too much of risk at this moment. What they needed was a distraction.

"Vido!" came a loud shout, and everyone looked at the door on the other side of the room where Zaeed came bursting through covered in blood.

"I think we found out what happened to the resistance, Shepard," said Garrus quietly and she nodded.

She then signaled to the others to start moving down the platform, hoping that Zaeed would be able to distract Vido long enough for them to get to the ground floor.

"Zaeed fucking Massani," groaned Vido as he turned around. "How the hell is it you're still alive?"

"I'm too fucking stubborn to die," snarled Zaeed, "a fact you should know very well, you son of a bitch."

"We've been through this dance before, Massani," sighed Vido, sounding amused. "Is your keeper Shepard not with you to hold your leash back anymore? Did that bitch finally decide it was time for you to try killing me again?"

Elissa's grip tightened on her gun, yeah, this bastard had to go.

"You leave her out of this!" growled Zaeed as he reached for his rifle.

"Touch a nerve, did I?" sneered Vido. "Oh, and I wouldn't touch that toy, Massani. I have five guns trained on you right now."

Elissa looked around, she could see maybe two men above the hangar doors but no one else, she hoped Zaeed would not fall for Vido's bluff. Cautiously she and the crew clung to the walls, inching their way to the nearest shuttle just as the hangar door opened, she silently cursed when she saw the shuttles starting to lift. They were too late. She aimed her rifle at one of the men standing above the door, waiting for her chance to take him down.

Suddenly there were several loud bangs and Elissa immediately knew who it was: Miya. The infiltrator had taken down two of Vido's men in the span of a few seconds, obviously taking Vido by surprise, which was exactly the moment Zaeed had been waiting for. The old merc charged forward, yelling as he ran down Vido and slammed him to the floor, barely registering that gun fire had broken out around him as shuttles flew by.

"Time to die, bastard," snarled Zaeed and he pulled out his rifle, shooting Vido in both of his kneecaps. "Oh no, I'm going to make sure you don't get away this time." He stood over Vido, his eyes even colder than usual.

"Wait, Zaeed," said Vido desperately, "it doesn't have to end like this. The Blue Suns need you, Zaeed, now that we're rebuilding, we have more credits now than ever before. Don't kill me before I tell you about it."

Zaeed smiled wickedly. "Not interested."

Then he shot him in the head just like he had been shot so many years ago. The shot did not kill him, merely causing him to scream as if he were dying, then Zaeed knelt down beside him the evil grin still plastered on his scarred face. He had drawn his knife, the florescent light of the hangar fixtures glinting off of the silver blade, and slowly drew it across Vido's throat deep enough to cause a great deal of bleeding but not enough to kill him instantly. Zaeed had waited over twenty years for this moment and he was going to savor every agonizing minute of it. Next he pulled out an incendiary round, he cracked it in half and poured the contents all over Vido's face before taking the empty broken shells and jamming them straight into both of his eyes. Then and only then was Vido allowed the mercy of dying, Zaeed spitting on him just before he exhaled his last breath.

"Rot in hell," whispered Zaeed before standing up. "What's the damage, Shepard?"

"The goddamn shuttles got away," growled Elissa as she joined him. "Killed all of the mercs but it wasn't enough, we still lost the colonists."

Zaeed put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you're going to beat yourself up about this, Shepard, but at least we stopped it from continuing."

Elissa nodded and then looked down at Vido's mutilated body. "I see you got your revenge."

"Damn straight," said Zaeed with a gnarled grin. "Feels better than I thought it would, to be honest. Anyway, now that that's settled, is there room on the Normandy for an old sod like me?"

"What about your crew?" asked Elissa, indicating with her thumb Conrad, Gron, and Brute.

Zaeed shrugged. "Their contracts are complete, they can do as they please. Gron'll probably go back to Omega, Brute to Tuchanka and that weirdo fan of yours will more than likely go back to his wife."

"Then you can join us," replied Elissa with a small smile. "We'll take your crew back with us to New Canton and we can get them on ships back home. Anyway, we should probably try to salvage whatever we can from here and get the hell off this rock, I've seen enough of this place to last me a lifetime."

He nodded and followed her back to the rest of the crew, neither aware of the presence in the shadows watching them.