We all have moments of darkness, moments when we are so unlike ourselves. And like vultures, they wait for a slip, a misstep, then they take that part of us and try to convince the world that is all we are. — Lang Leav

Ai – [愛 - love] (whether spoken by Xiùlán or Samantha, the meaning is 'luv')]
In bocca al lupo – Good Luck (Italian)
Kaffe – equatorial Thessian vine, the seeds of which are used to produce a non-alcoholic beverage of the same
name, the taste described as a mix of coffee and chocolate. (Thessian/Source: CDN)

• SSV HONG KONG, AT LARGE · ARGOS RHO •

Captain Yuán Xiùlán was silently reviewing the reports from her department heads when a muted, tri-toned alarm began sounding from the secure comms device sitting in the back of her wardrobe. Sà mi! … came the happy thought. Haven't heard from her in a while … wonder what's up. She quickly activated the vid-terminal at her elbow and linked it to the comms unit.

The solemn image that resolved itself on her screen must have surprised her; even though I had slept well enough the previous evening, I still felt tired, probably because of all the different directions I was being pulled. Despite my attempt at a smile, the suddenly suspicious expression on her face told me she had noticed my fatigued appearance before I even opened my mouth to greet her. "Hello, Ai. We haven't talked in a while … how have you been?"

"I've been fine, Sà mi … everything's good. However, you look as if you haven't slept in a week! Maybe even a bit like death warmed over. What's the matter, darling? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, Xiùlán, really." I paused for a moment, then continued with, "No, that's a lie. I'm really tired, and I truly need to meet with you, darling. Can you get a three-day pass so we can get together somewhere? … for a couple of days? … my place on the Citadel, perhaps? We can do some shopping, have a couple of quiet dinners out. I really need someone to talk to … need to get my head clear of all the stuff I'm dealing with." I blinked when a tear escaped one eye, to leave a glistening trail as it slid down my cheek. "I need to feel your arms around me, Ai. Is that something that can happen?… soon?"

"I'll place the request immediately, darling, and send you a text with the dates." She looked down for a few moments; returning her gaze to the image on her screen, she said, "Méiyou ni de ài wo de shēnghuó shì bù wánzhěng de!" [沒有你的愛我的生活是不完整的 – My life is not complete without your love!] Cheer up … we'll be together soon, I promise."

I allowed a snarky expression to creep onto my face. "You're in the Alliance Navy, darling. You shouldn't make promises your superiors may not agree with." Shaking my head, I concluded with, "Just do your best, my love, and let me know when. I'll meet you the instant the Hong Kong touches down at the Citadel. Ni de ài shi wo de shēnghuó wánzhěngle!" [你的愛使我的生活完整了 – Your love completes my life!]

Xiùlán grinned. Touching the fingertips of one hand to her lips, I watched her place them on her viewscreen on the location I suspected my mouth was being displayed. With a quiet "Zàijiàn," [再見 – Goodbye] she cut the connection, clasped her hands behind her head and leaned back in her chair. After staring at the overhead for half-a-minute, she stood, stretched, and left her quarters for the comms center between Decks One and Two.

• AHN'KAHAR STATION, STRENUUS SYSTEM · HORSEHEAD NEBULA •

I felt much better after my brief comms call to Xiùlán; the prospect of spending a few days with her—the last time we'd been together was on Grissom Academy Station in the Petra Nebula—had a soothing effect on my mood … almost as if our proposed rendezvous had already occurred.

I joined Buchanan, Oriana and Chinami in our combination lounge and dining area; with a steaming mug of coffee in hand, I sat next to the quarian at the table. After taking several sips of the aromatic beverage, I looked at each of them in turn as our newly hired chef set a loaded plate in front of each of us. I suddenly realized that Chinami had removed her entire helmet, leaving only the patterned, fabric cowl covering her head; this prompted me to ask, "Chinami, how is it that you won't get sick?"

She turned partway to look at me as she replied, "Commander Shepard's choice on the Citadel … remember? Her choice of synthesis affected all of us, my people … and the geth in particular; quarians that live in the same, relatively sterile environment and interact with the same few people on a daily basis—as I now do—have only a slightly increased chance of getting sick." She turned back to her breakfast and took several mouthfuls as I gazed at her unmasked face.

Short, wavy hair in a brilliant shade of lavender, highlighted with variegated, translucent streaks of reddish-blue, framed a pale, oval-shaped face with light, greenish-blue skin. Lush lips sat invitingly under a pixyish nose dusted faintly with a sprinkling of freckles, and she viewed her world through vertically oriented slit-irises, similar to those of most felines on Earth. Her eyes resembled pale, violet-white opals, glowing with hints of jeweled orange and blue fire around the edges.

I tore my eyes away to look at Griff, who was unabashedly staring at the quarian in open-mouth wonder. I broke his concentration by gently kicking him under the table; he responded by glancing at me before returning his gaze to Chinami. He cleared his throat and told her what I was thinking. "Chinami, I don't wish to make you uncomfortable, but your face is beautiful … strikingly so."

She dropped her eyes in embarrassment, saying in a soft voice, "Few but family have ever seen me without my mask … you three are the first outsiders … the first humans, ever." She directed her gaze back to Buchanan and smiled coquettishly. "You really think I'm attractive?"

It was Griff's turn to blush; he looked down at his breakfast for several moments before returning his gaze to her mesmerizing, opalescent eyes "Chinami, I really don't have the words necessary to describe how lovely you are … but yes, I think you're attractive … very much so."

I cleared my throat and said, "I saw Tali'Zorah without her mask a number of times during my tenure on the Normandy, Chinami. Seeing you unmasked today simply confirms my feelings that quarian females are hiding an exotic allure behind their tinted visors. You could be her cousin."

The quarian's slight blush intensified. "I didn't think removing my mask would be cause for comment or concern, Sammy. I'll put it back on after I finish eating."

"Nonsense … Griff and Ori have never seen a quarian without a mask, and humans are naturally curious. Seeing you with a key component of your environmental suit removed is unprecedented for us. If you're comfortable without it for short periods of time, I think that's great. It gives me hope that your people will be able to live on Rannoch as they did before the Morning War."

The instant display of gratitude in her expression made my heart clench. "Thank you, Samantha … Sammy. I would like to continue my … experiment …" here she glanced at Griff and Ori in turn. " … if no one minds seeing me in this manner."

Oriana spoke up, saying, "Chinami, if occasionally leaving your mask off brings you pleasure and you don't get sick from exposure to our environment … or the three of us, by all means, continue." With a touch of concern, she added, "However, it would probably be a good idea to wear your mask in the new garden area. No telling what all that plant-life would do to your immune system."

With a chuckle, she responded, "No argument there, Ori. My respiratory system would probably choke on everything in that compartment."

Ever since Oriana Lawson had joined us on the station, she had been working diligently on sorting through the many credit accounts belonging to the Shadow Broker, to the point I felt she needed an introduction to her 'boss', along with a new directive: I needed her to ferret out the holdings belonging to Cerberus and The Illusive Man.

After meeting with General Park and Garrus Vakarian at the T'Soni estate on Thessia, I was more determined than ever that Cerberus funds—sitting in various banks on a number of worlds—would be far better utilized at making war reparations to the turians and the System Alliance, than making more money for the banks storing those credits. For this conference, I would appear as the Broker, while Griff stood in the compartment with Oriana to provide moral support.

During my conversation with Buchanan concerning what I wanted to do, he held up a hand to interrupt. "Sammy, I'm all for Cerberus credits being used to compensate the turians for the loss of the Anixara, her passengers and crew, but please … don't scare Oriana to the point she decides to leave us." He hung his head for a moment before adding, "I really like her, Sammy, and I'd like a chance to get to know her better."

I cocked my head at his confession. As long as I'd known him, Buchanan had never expressed any interest in women generally … or even one in particular! … it was something I had never thought about. "I'll go easy on her … and not just because you asked. I don't wish to scare her off either, Griff. We need her to stay, and I'll do whatever I can to ensure she does." I straightened my head back as I studied the greenish-gray eyes anxiously regarding me. "It's pretty obvious to me you're sweet on her, Mr Buchanan, so relax, okay?"

His heavy sigh told me all I needed to know … the man had been besotted with Ori from the moment he met her. "I trust you, Sammy. It's just …" he raised his hands shoulder high and let them drop.

"We all need companionship, Griff. Intimate companions are difficult to come by, and that's just one reason I cherish what I have with Xiùlán. She makes me a better person." I turned to leave as I concluded, "Come on … you go find Ori and stay with her. I'll contact her in a few minutes."

"Greetings, Oriana Lawson. This is the Shadow Broker." Oriana looked at Griff for a moment as she attempted to wrap her mind around the frightening image that had appeared on her comms monitor. In a processed voice designed to induce nightmares, I continued, "I have been remiss in my duties as your new employer. Please, accept my welcome to Ahn'Kahar Station. May I presume you have everything you require in order to be comfortable during your tenure?"

Buchanan nodded to her and smiled in encouragement. She turned back towards her vid-display, swallowed hard and haltingly replied, "I seem to have everything I need, Sir."

"Very good, Ms Lawson." With only a brief pause, the ominous voice continued. "I have been reviewing the work you have done since your arrival; it pleases me to learn Samantha Traynor's faith in your abilities was not misplaced." Another brief pause, then, "Unfortunately, I find I need to add another task to your workload. You are most likely aware of the human-centric organization known as Cerberus?" I phrased it more as a statement than a question.

"I was aware of their existence … because of my sister's involvement. Wasn't their leader killed at the conclusion of the War? … Jack Harper? Didn't the organization die when he did?"

"There are a small number of groups, scattered around the galaxy, that continue to share Harper's xenophobic beliefs concerning the galaxy's other races. They are all well-financed, chiefly from interest earnings from the billions of credits deposited during the Illusive Man's reign as their leader." The resonance of the ominous voice lowered slightly. "I intend to change that balance, Oriana Lawson."

Ori glanced over at Buchanan again, then reached for and grasped his hand; this—Shadow Broker—was more than a bit frightening to her, but Griff's steady smile, calm demeanor and warm hand reassured her. Looking back at the Broker's image, she asked, "What do you need of me?"

"Mr Buchanan and Ms Traynor will provide you with a new path of investigation. I intend to syphon credits away from Cerberus accounts in order to reimburse those that were harmed by them during the war … and before. You just need to trace those accounts, then discover a way to gain access that cannot be easily discovered by those organizations holding the credits. Ms Traynor will provide assistance as needed."

"If I may be so bold, that sounds like stealing, Sir."

The Broker actually chortled, although Oriana was certain the evil sounding laugh held no humor. "Virtually none of the Illusive Man's machinations for procuring credits were legal, Ms Lawson. He used those illicit funds to buy influence at the highest levels of the Alliance government. He rigged elections, financed assassinations, enabled kidnappings, performed murders for hire, enabled the thefts of highly dangerous materials, and destroyed private property. Just prior to the Reaper invasion, he even floated the possibility of having Samantha Traynor murdered on Arcturus Station."

Oriana's mouth fell in amazement at these revelations, particularly the last one. Seeing Griff nod in agreement with the Broker's words, she said, "I was not aware of any of that, Sir. It would seem Jack Harper was no shining example of humanity. I'll do whatever I can to assist you."

"Thank you, Ms Lawson. And again, welcome to Ahn'Kahar Station." The image dissolved slowly as the connection was terminated, leaving Oriana to ponder all she had just learned.

She realized with a start she was still holding one of Buchanan's hands; with a blush coloring her grin, she released that hand and clasped both of hers together in her lap. "I'm sorry, Griff. It's just …"

"No need to apologize, Oriana," he interrupted. "The Broker is pretty damned intimidating, and that's putting it mildly." He hoped she didn't see how flushed his own cheeks were as he softly added, "I was happy to hold your hand for as long as you needed."

Something in the tone of that statement made her pause … choosing to change the subject, she asked, "Was that true … about Sammy, before the war?"

"The reality is worse than the few words the Broker used to tell of it. Sammy's commander at Arcturus Station during her posting there, Garrett Sutton, was in the Illusive Man's hip pocket; Harper felt that Sammy was getting too close to discovering that Cerberus was in complete control of Arcturus Station, and encouraged Sutton to eliminate her."

Griff heaved a sigh before continuing. "Fortunately for Sammy … or maybe, fortunately for Sutton, he decided that transferring her from the station to the nearby shipyard would be a better, more productive solution, so he put her to work on the Normandy SR-1."

Griff rubbed the back of his neck, then brushed his hand forward across the short hair on his head as he added, "A Cerberus agent even murdered one of her classmates during Sammy's time on Mars, back in 2179 … before I knew her. She never got any justice for that one either, although the killer—along with her accomplice—was herself murdered, inside her holding cell in Alliance lockup, no less."

"That's incredible!" The expression of amazement on Oriana's face gave way to determination as she said, "Sounds like I have my work cut out for me, Griff, and … I believe I need to sit down with Samantha and have a long conversation with her. It seems she has led an incredible life, and I'd like to learn more."

"Learn more? About whom?" I asked as I entered the compartment.

Oriana turned towards me and repeated herself. "I want to hear about your time on Mars, Sammy … and on Arcturus Station. From what I just learned, there's more to you than meets the eye … a lot more. I'd like to hear about it … assuming you're willing to share?"

I gave her a reluctant smile. "Sure. It definitely wasn't the most pleasant time in my life, but I can certainly understand your interest … your need to know who you're working with. Maybe over dinner tonight?"

Oriana and I had enjoyed our dinners while I gave her an account of my time in the SpecOps schools on Luna and Mars, followed by my assignment to Arcturus Station and the adjacent shipyard. It had been a number of years since I had seriously thought about that time in my life – certainly not since the end of the war.

Thinking about some of the deaths directly attributable to Cerberus conveyed a number of unwelcome memories to the surface … early 2180 … Mars … Alliance SpecOps school … Heather Gonzales! The regretful realization that I hadn't thought about her in a very long time brought instant sadness.

"Samantha?" Cool fingers gently caressed my hand. "Something wrong?"

I blinked, realizing as I did so that my eyes were awash in tears. I looked at Oriana, coughed to clear the tightness in my throat, then used my free hand to wipe the tears from my cheeks as I replied, "Just thinking about a friend … a classmate, in the Alliance SpecOps program on Mars. She was murdered in early 2180 by a woman—working for Cerberus and planted as a classmate—that brutally sliced her throat open." I fell silent for a moment, thinking about just how intensely Heather's death had affected me at the time. "She was in the wrong place, at the wrong time." Voice hitching, I bitterly added, "And since I wasn't family, the Alliance wouldn't even give me leave to attend her funeral on Earth! Dammit! … she was a sister … my sister! … in all but blood!"

A sympathetic hand gripped my upper arm. "Oh, Sammy … I am so sorry." The warmth from Ori's hand felt nice. "Did she have family on Earth?"

"Mother and father, that I know of. Heather was their only child." Thinking of them, I said, "I think I need to locate them, Ori … if they survived the damned war. It'd be wonderful if some of this Cerberus blood money could find its way into their hands; if I can locate them, I'll deliver it in person."

Lawson smiled at me. "That would be lovely, Sammy. I imagine they would enjoy meeting you, if for no other reason than you were Heather's friend."

I grimaced, responding with, "Unless meeting me brings back all the pain from that time." I decided to track the Gonzales family down, despite my misgivings … see if they survived the war.

I rose from the table, took our plates and utensils to the wash-up station, then made a mug of Kaffe for each of us, returned to the table and continued telling Ori about my time before the war. She listened in wide-eyed wonder as I recounted how Michael Moser Lang, after being denied his completion bonus by Jack Harper, had been given the location of my duty station by a traitorous Admiral Owen Fletcher. I shared how I had stopped Lang from murdering me outside my residence, and how my CO, a Navy Lieutenant, had also attempted to have me killed by sending six Cerberus-employed mercs to intercept me as I walked to my quarters.

"You killed … five of them? Really?" At my silent nod of affirmation, she quietly observed, "Sounds as if Winters would have been better off simply leaving you alone."

"Kelsey Winters wasn't on Harper's payroll because of her common sense. Actually, I can't for the life of me think of a reason good enough for Harper to have employed her." I huffed at the memory before adding, "As soon as she was released from the base hospital, she went right back to her old job just as if nothing had ever happened."

After thinking about everything I had told her, she asked, "Are you still as effective at close-quarters unarmed combat as you were then?"

With a small smirk, I replied, "I've stayed in shape, so I'd like to think so, but being an information sleuth and analyst doesn't leave a lot of time for bashing heads. Besides, the Broker has people … crews, actually, that take care of that sort of thing. I was hired to be his lead researcher … a data analyst."

Oriana was looking at me as if I'd suddenly sprouted pointed ears and a pair of horns; in a small, uncertain voice, she said, "I can't imagine … well, having to kill … anyone. Does it ever bother you? … I mean, the lives you've ended?"

"You think me a bloody monster? … can't say I blame you, but here's the thing … it would bother me a helluva lot more to have been on the losing end of any of those encounters, Ori." I huffed slightly, then concluded, "That crew of six mercs on Arcturus? Any one of them would have killed me without giving the matter a second thought. When I defend myself, whether against one, ten, or twenty, I never think about sparing the lives of my attackers. I. Don't. Take. Prisoners! … Ever!"

In an incredulous tone of voice, she asked, "Even if they choose to surrender!?"

"I've never fought anyone that simply threw up their hands and pleaded for their lives." I rose and refilled my mug with more of the freshly-brewed Kaffe, then returned to stand beside her. After taking an appreciative sip, I said, "So, to be honest, I can't really say how I would have reacted." I shrugged and added, "No sense reliving it now … so, I'm going to check my data feeds, then stroll through our new garden before I go to bed. Have a pleasant evening, Ms Lawson."

She sighed while thinking, There is so much more I would like to learn about you, Samantha Traynor. Looking into my eyes, she whispered, "You as well, Sammy."

• ILLYRIA, ELYSIUM · VETUS SYSTEM, PETRA NEBULA •

Savina Delarosa ghosted through the outer entrance of The Bell Tower, a small restaurant in the middle of Elysium's capitol city, just a short walk from the embassies and consulates where the other races of the galaxy did everything in their power—which was considerable, in Delarosa's opinion—to keep the human race bottled up and 'in its proper place'.

She melted into the shadows as she carefully observed the lunchtime crowd of people moving about the modest lobby; she was looking for one person in particular – a member of the colony's security force. Savina had agreed to meet this person—gender unknown—at this restaurant in order to receive an assignment … one for which she had been promised a lucrative payday.

She was almost beginning to think her contact wasn't going to appear when she spotted a tall, dusky-skinned male leisurely approaching her. Just to be sure, Savina moved a few meters to her right; the man altered his path to compensate. When he stopped a half-meter in front of her, she silently looked him up and down as he drilled her with his eyes and whispered, "Savina Delarosa." Statement, not question, in an intriguing accent that sounded familiar, but one she could not place.

"That would be me … now tell me who you are."

"Not necessary, Ms Delarosa … safer, for both of us. I have something for you." He casually slipped his right hand in past his jacket's lapel, then slowly withdrew a small datapad. "All the information you need for completion of your assignment, including how to collect reimbursement for your services, is on this device, Ms Delarosa. You have fifteen days to complete the contract."

"That wasn't the goddamned deal," she hissed through clenched teeth. "That fucks my entire agenda completely to hell and back, not to mention the totally wasted days of careful planning."

"Circumstances have dictated an accelerated timeline." Indicating the dull silver datapad, he added, "Your compensation package has been increased accordingly. All the details are in here." He placed the datapad in her hand. "I'm sure you'll be able to effectively revise your plans and achieve an efficacious conclusion to your assignment, Ms Delarosa."

Savina carefully stashed the datapad in a deep pocket in the liner of her jacket while asking in a bitter voice, "Are there any other changes I should be aware of?"

The man shrugged, as if her concerns were of no consequence. "None come to mind. I'm sure you'll be contacted with any updates on your subject's schedule." Turning to leave, the man said, "Good bye, Ms Delarosa … in bocca al lupo."

Italian! I should have known. She looked around the busy lobby and decided to leave. I was planning to have lunch here, but that bastard really spoiled my appetite; anyway, I hate eating alone. Guess I'll just have beer and a sandwich when I get back to my room. Dammit! Why is it that every time I have to deal with politicians, I'm the one that winds up getting screwed? The question really had no answer – it was just how her adult life had always been. I wonder how deep this screwin' is gonna go. With a resigned sigh, she carefully made her way back outside and began walking, always keeping an eye on her 'six' without appearing to do so.

Lost in her thoughts as she was, Savina could almost be forgiven for seeing—and ignoring—a lone woman, apparently enjoying the fresh air and sunshine while sitting on a bench in the memorial park she strolled past on her way to the hotel. Unfortunately for Savina Delarosa, her passing had not been ignored by the woman in the park.

• AHN'KAHAR STATION, STRENUUS SYSTEM · HORSEHEAD NEBULA •

"I'm tellin' ya Sammy, that bitch is up to no fuckin' good. I ain't ever heard of her traveling this far to personally take a damned contract."

I studied the intense brown eyes gazing back at me from her quarters inside Grissom Academy; it was the first time Jack had contacted me since my visit … since I had enlisted her as an agent and given her one of my secure comms units. "How do you know this … Savina Delarosa, Jack?" At the instant expression of anger that washed over her features, I raised a hand, adding, "I believe you Jack … I totally believe you. It just seems a bit strange to me that you could recognize her. It's not as if you ran together in the same circles."

Her expression relaxed a bit upon hearing my explanation. "I saw lots of unpleasant shit right at war's end, Sammy. This bitch was doing so much wet work, mostly for political reasons, I half expected her face and hands to become permanently blood-stained." She smirked and barked a short laugh. "Anyway, I spotted her walking past the park in the city center … didn't think too much about it at that time. But then, when I was in the transit terminal waiting for my shuttle flight back here, I saw her again … watched her tight little ass waltzing towards the gate for flights departing for Earth." Before I could use her brief pause to ask, she concluded, "Only flight leaving at that time of night was bound for the Seattle-Tacoma metroplex. I'd be willin' to bet some unlucky bastard in that area is scheduled for a fatal encounter with Savina the assassin, Sammy."

I thought about this briefly before signing off. "I'll certainly look into this; Ireally appreciate your call, Jack. Thank you." Seeing the tiny smile that touched her full lips warmed my heart. Jack was really trying to be a better person.

Before I secured the equipment, I sent a notification to every Shadow Broker agent in the galaxy, telling them to be aware that Savina Delarosa might contact one of them for information on her target, whomever that might be; I sent the same directive to the researchers working on Deck One below me, then left the comms area to find Oriana.

"Miranda spoke about her once or twice … said Jack referred to her as the Cerberus Cheerleader during Shepard's campaign to end the Collectors. I got the distinct impression there was no love lost between them. Why did she place a call to you?" As I was sitting next to her, Oriana was splitting her attention between me and a pair of rather large monitors in front of her.

"Jack's an agent for the Broker … she saw something she felt needed his attention, and I agree with her. First time she's contacted us since Griff and I paid a visit to Grissom Academy." With a thought, I activated my omnitool and added a small bonus to the modest monthly retainer she earned. "Look for her name in the payroll records, Ori … it's listed as Naught, Jaqueline. I'm sure she'll appreciate the kicker I just added."

I rose to leave so Ori could concentrate on her work, saying, "Now, I have to do some research on an assassin named Savina Delarosa. I'm gonna find Griff, see if he's ever heard of her, then I'll start digging." I had a thought as I reached the hatchway. Turning back to face her, I said, "You'll be accompanying me to Thessia in a few days … the Broker will be furnishing you with a new Serrice Council omnitool, and we'll be going to T'Sere Shipwrights to inspect their progress on the Rebekah. It's an overnighter, so it's possible we'll be staying at the T'Soni estate in Armali."

With a warm smile, she said, "I'm looking forward to the trip, Sammy. See you at lunch."

Griff scratched his head and sighed as he thought about what I had just shared with him. "Hmm … never heard of her, Sammy. Wonder if she's in the data files Liara retrieved from Minuteman Station." Massaging the back of his neck, he grimaced, then added, "I really doubt assassins for hire are that common, and they can't simply advertise their availability on the Extranet; hell, I don't think she would accept a contract over a comms system, no matter how secure the damned thing is. Whoever hired Delarosa knew of her … enough so she'd fly out to Elysium to take the contract."

"I don't believe in random coincidence, and that she's probably already on the ground in Seattle-Tacoma worries me, Griff … Vancouver's only 225 klicks or so northwest of there. I'd almost be willing to bet that General Park is her target, so we need to double down. I'll dig up everything I can on Savina Delarosa. I'd like for you to search for any connection she has, no matter how tenuous, to Garrett Sutton."

"You got it, Sammy. Don't worry … we'll get it sorted."

"We have to, don't we? And even if Park isn't her target, it would feel good to stop Delarosa before she can murder anyone else. It's time … past time, actually, that she gets taken down, Griff."

Oriana had spent a half hour looking into Jack's history with Cerberus; to say it was unpleasant was a gross understatement. Unlike Miranda, who—in her past life as Jack Harper's top agent—had generally felt the ends justified the means, Ori mentally cringed at the facts of Jack's tortured childhood.

She was aware that Miranda had completely rejected the Illusive Man's philosophy regarding non-humans during the time she'd spent with Commander Shepard on the Normandy, but that really didn't excuse her behavior during the previous time. Oriana mentally filed away all she had learned concerning the Cerberus experiment on Pragia, in hopes of having a long discussion with Miri the next time they met.

After reading about the horrors of the Teltin Facility, looking for the credits stashed by Cerberus during those years took on new importance for her; Oriana now felt it was her duty to extract payment from the scattered bones of the group, if for no other reason than to achieve a bit of long delayed justice for people like Jack, along with the turians that had disappeared with the FTL explosion of the MSV Anixara in 2182.

She slowly and methodically worked her way through all the financial data retrieved from Harper's personal files by Liara T'Soni, during the asari's search for the clones left behind from the Lazarus Project. After studying the records for an hour, she stood from her desk, reached her hands towards the overhead in a huge, catlike stretch, then walked to the lounge for a cup of tea.

Cup in hand, she strolled into the newly created hydroponics area, there to sit on one of several padded benches in front of the deck-to-ceiling viewports. Looking at the numerous shrubs and large-leafed plants that filled the area brought Oriana a sense of peaceful calm as she sipped her tea.

After twenty minutes, she heaved a sigh of satisfaction and rose from the bench. With a last look around, she strolled back into the lounge to return her mug, then walked back to her workstation to resume her search.

While Oriana was searching for Cerberus funds and Buchanan was looking for connections between Savina Delarosa and Garrett Sutton, I was looking into Delarosa's background; unfortunately, I found very little hard data concerning the woman. Not that I expected to uncover much … being a successful assassin for any length of time meant becoming and remaining invisible, something that was incredibly difficult to achieve; ever since the advent of inexpensive computers, human governments had progressively placed the people they ruled under an increasingly powerful microscope.

In reaction to this unwelcome intrusion into their lives, a few had given up the conveniences of modern life, choosing to live 'off-the-grid' … divorcing themselves from any and all methods of being tracked by the government.

This assassin could be counted among their number … not as a matter of principal, but as a matter of survival … of remaining free. The only place I could find an image of Delarosa was in the transit records of the places from which she had traveled in order to complete her contracts. I had not expected to find any images of her, so was a bit surprised that I managed to uncover a few; these were decidedly out of focus, as if she was wearing some sort of electronic field generator that blurred the areas around her eyes and mouth.

Since there seemed to be no current or recent still images of her, I set up a search for any video images from a month prior to just after the start of the Reaper invasion … my thought being that the utter chaos of the first two-to-five months of massive destruction and wholesale slaughter in Earth's population centers could lead anyone to mistakenly abandon invisibility in order to survive another few days … or hours.

My persistence finally paid off. Savina had managed to buy her way onto a small transport leaving Lunar orbit for the Citadel, right after increased security measures had been implemented at all the departure and arrival docks still in operation.

C-Sec records were no more difficult for me to access than those of any other security organization, and everything was systematically archived, including an incredibly clear still frame showing Delarosa looking right at a camera she obviously failed to recognize.

The face unknowingly looking at the camera was actually quite attractive. Her long, silver-white hair was parted on the left and worn loose, just brushing her shoulders. The shiny hair framed a face that appeared to be the living embodiment of fine alabaster, with bright, bluish-grey eyes above a small, medium width nose. Petulant, sulky lips glistened in a pale shade of pink above a strong chin. With the exception of her eyes and mouth, there was no color in or on her face anywhere. The sleeveless dress she was wearing allowed an unimpeded view of toned, muscular arms, no doubt the result of hefting a rifle numerous times during her career.

I expected she currently looked every bit as striking—and was every bit as deadly—as she had been in 2186. I downloaded a copy of the image and sent it to all the agents I had alerted earlier; I attached a note to the copy I forwarded to Jack at Grissom Academy, with a request that she confirm the woman's identity. If Jack could identify Delarosa from a security image over three years old, I would send a copy to General Park with a suggestion that she alert her security teams to the possible threat posed by this assassin.

Only thing left for me to do—until I heard back from Jack, anyway—was find Buchanan and see how far he had progressed in the search for a connection between Delarosa and Garrett Sutton. I glanced at the nearby chrono; realizing it was past time for lunch, I sent a text to Griff, with a copy to Oriana, asking them to join me in the lounge for soup and a sandwich.

• SEATTLE-TACOMA METROPLEX · EARTH, SOL SYSTEM •

Savina Delarosa, standing in a queue with several dozen other travelers, reviewed her itinerary yet again; she was nervously waiting to board her connecting flight to Vancouver, after its arrival had been delayed by equipment problems on the ground at her destination. Thinking, The sooner I'm on the ground there, the sooner I can complete my job and fly home, she sighed as the line finally began moving. It'll be good to have this business finished.