Laryna

My personal console at my desk was blinking at me when I exited the shower, which I had ran a bit cold to cool off my skin from Haestorm. I was in a good mood. More of my scars from the surgeries were faded or gone completely, and I was on an emotional high after getting Tali back. And after I had admitted to myself, after much soul searching, that I had, at some point during our time reunited, have developed feelings for Garrus.

I shook my head at myself. Such relationships between our two people were rare. The First Contact War was still so fresh in many's minds, since it was recent enough for many to have lived through it. Like Captain Anderson. Trust was a slow thing to build, and the war had tainted many viewpoints. Not that I had any issues with turians. I suppose I was lucky enough to have been born after it had ended, and grew up in an environment that, while hostile, was not hostile at aliens. Then my experiences in the military when encountering turians were always civil.

Is that part of the appeal? That Garrus, while never part of the turian military, was a fighter, through and through? It's a strong part of their culture.

Maybe. But it was mostly him. I'm fairly sure I would have felt the same way if he were human, or quarian, or any other species. Because he was amazing. No one else could make me smile, or feel valued, like he did. I had an organization completely rebuild me from the ground up, and I knew this man would watch my back a hundred times better then they would their investment. A man I could share anything with, and would always be open and honest with me. He was funny and sure of himself. My best friend.

I finished toweling off my hair and let it hang damp down my back. I haven't worn it this long in years, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to cut it to a more manageable length. It was one of the few changes that clearly marked the time I was gone, but I couldn't depose of the reminder. I sat down at my desk and accessed my inbox. And my hand froze on the interface.

There was an email from Kaidan.

Should I just delete it? I don't think I can handle any more of his harsh words. Or ones of love. Not now. Not when my heart is finally letting him go. Yeah, I should defiantly delete it.

So naturally I open it instead.

Laryna,

I'm sorry for what I said back on Horizon. I spent two years pulling myself back together after

you went down with the Normandy. It took me a long time to get over my guilt for surviving

and move on. I'd finally let my friends talk me into going out for drinks with a doctor on the

Citadel. Nothing serious, but trying to let myself have a life again, you know?

Then I saw you, and everything pulled hard to port. You were standing in front of me, but you

were with Cerberus. I guess I really don't know who either of us is anymore. Do you even

remember that night before Ilos? That night meant everything to me… maybe it meant as much

to you. But a lot has changed in the last two years and I can't just put that aside.

But please be careful. I've watched too many people close to me die—on Eden Prime, on

Virmire, on Horizon, on the Normandy. I couldn't bear it if I lost you again. If you're still the

woman I remember, I know you'll find a way to stop the Collector attacks. But Cerberus is too

dangerous to be trusted. Watch yourself.

When things have settled down a little… maybe… I don't know. Just take care.

-Kaidan

I'm not sure how long I sat there, staring at this screen with his apparently sincere words staring back at me. What he said made sense. It really did. But it didn't stop the pain in my chest from recalling the words he used in person, and apologizing for it can't clear that up in one email.

Suddenly on my feet, I went to the elevator and hit the button for the crew deck. Part of me realized I was running to Garrus, but it was after hours and we had a long day, he was likely asleep. And I didn't want to disrupt that.

So instead of continuing on to the battery where Garrus had set up a cot in the corner, rather than sleep in the crew quarters, I stopped in the kitchen. The over head lights were off, and Rupert was no where in sight, likely also in bed. I started rummaging through the fridge, trying to figure out what I could make. I searched through the pantry and cabinets next, gaining a few ideas, and finally started covering the island with ingredients.

"Commander?"

I spun around, surprised. I could see Kelly standing on the other side of the island, and wondered how long she's been there, or how I must look, standing in sweats, a tank, wet hair, outlined by the light of the fridge while holding a carton of eggs in one hand and milk in the other.

"Evening," I said more calmly then I felt.

"Morning," Kelly corrected, eyeing everything I pulled out. "What are you doing?"

"Cooking," I replied simply, setting down the last of my raid and started pulling out pans and mixing bowls. "Do you know where the whisks are?" She shook her head, and I continued my hunt through drawers until I found a few.

"Do you often cook in the wee hours of the morning?" Kelly asked.

I looked up from where I was cracking the entire carton of eggs into a large mixing bowl. "Are you asking as a friend, or as the ship shrink?" I asked in turn, pouring in some milk and tackling it with a whisk.

"Which do you need more right now?"

Sitting down the thoroughly defeated eggs, I added some salt and pepper, and went at them again. "I think it falls under a girlfriend thing, but I haven't had many, so I can't be sure." I finally set aside the whipped eggs and grabbed a ham roast and a cutting board, and started to dice it.

Kelly leaned against the counter top, a gentle smile on her face. "Just talk, and we'll see how it goes, Commander."

"Well, let's start with you calling me Laryna then, if you insist on me calling you Kelly." I suggested, putting the chopped meat into a bowl and started in on green peppers.

"I would love that," she said brightly. "Can I help?"

I paused and then pushed the cutting board towards her along with the peppers, a couple tomatoes, and an onion. She started slowly dicing the vegetables, trying to match the size I was cutting them into. I turned on the stove, placed a wide frying pan over the blue flames, and added a couple tablespoons of butter to melt. "I got a message from Kaidan," I finally said, not looking at her.

"I bet that was hard. Was he harsh?"

"No," I replied while pouring the eggs into the pan. I quickly added the ham and gave it a good stir before giving it a few minutes to start cooking through. "He actually apologized," I continued as I put a small pot on the stove next, low heat. More butter. "Basically said I turned the world on its head, after everything he's been doing to move on." Add the cut peppers and the onion she managed to have diced. Give the eggs a stir.

"Had you two dated long?"

I let out a weak laugh as I added the tomato to the pot too. Salt. Pepper. Little bit of lemon extract. Garlic powder. Huh, we'll need more of that. "No. Technically, we never went on a date. Hard to find the time when chasing down an agent of the Reapers. I'm not sure where we even had time to develop any feelings." Turn the heat off for the eggs.

"Were you two ever physical?" She asked as she watched me lay out a few tortillas in front of me.

"Once," I replied weakly, watching the pot carefully as the vegetables simmered together, filling the air with a pleasant aroma.

"Do you love him?" Kelly asked point blank.

I turned off the heat slowly, the question heavy in the air between us. I grabbed the pan of eggs and ham and divided a small portion onto each of the laid out tortillas. "I don't think so. I think I was heading that direction, but now…" I added the vegetable mix on top of the eggs. "Even though it wasn't as much for me, to much time has passed. Everything is different." A handful of shredded cheese. "And I admit it, I'm hurt," I continued, rolling up each tortilla around its filling. "Garrus and Tali don't doubt me, why should he? He isn't here, and that speaks more than any words in an email." And I handed her a finished breakfast burrito.

"Oh, can I get one of those?"

Kelly started so bad she nearly dropped her burrito. "What…"

"Kasumi?" I asked the empty air warily.

The thief revealed herself, her smile all the more noticeable with her cowl hiding the rest of her face. "Hello, girls. Is this some kind of super secret meeting? Should I be recording?"

"How long were you listening?" Kelly demanded.

Another coy smile. "The entire time. So I guess this makes it a friendly chat, and not a session. But really, can I get one of those? It smells amazing."

Rolling my eyes, I passed one over and sat the third aside on a plate so I could lay out more tortillas. "What has you up so late?" I asked as I starting filling out more burritos. I frowned. "Wish I had some potatoes to put in these, too."

"Don't worry about it, they're as good as they smell," Kasumi replied after swallowing a mouthful. Kelly quickly agreed. "Some tea would go great."

Without a word I filled up a kettle from the sink and put it on the stove.

"How about this, Chambers? How many people can say they've been waited on by the great Commander Shepard?" Kat smirked.

"Kelly, please," she corrected, and smiled at me. "I think it's enduring. And humble. You never cease to amaze me, Laryna." Kelly looked back at our unexpected guest. "Why are you up so late?" she repeated my question.

"Don't sleep much. And I got an update on the job I mentioned to Laryna ages ago, and was to keyed up to even attempt it. I was seeing how many omni-tools I could hack when I heard you get up."

Unable to stop myself, I started laughing. Then I stopped as I remembered something. "Wait. Didn't you say that involved evening wear?"

"That's the one," Kat replied, smiling evenly wider.

I groaned. "Alright, give me the details."

She brought up her omni-tool, and several articles appeared. "Your name is Allison Gunn. You run a small but talented band of mercs out in the Terminus System. Precisely the type of person Hock respects. I took the liberty of giving you a reputation. Papers, witnesses, article in Badass Weekly. That's why this has taken so long. Just don't start talking business with him, and you'll be fine."

Skimming over the information, I was glad that none of them had any pictures. I was just vain enough to not want to have my face plugged in with even a fake career criminal. "Remind me. What kind of man are we dealing with?"

"Dovovan Hock. He's a weapons dealer and smuggler. He killed my partner and stole his graybox. Other than that, he's not so bad. Rich, charismatic, willing to crack open a man's skull to get at the neural implants inside."

"And how are you planning on us getting to him?" I asked while I tucked in the corners of the last burrito and started hunting foil.

"Our friend Hock is throwing a party for his closest friends," Kat replied, closing her omni-tool. "A couple dozen of the worst liars, cheaters, and mass murders you'll ever want to meet, all bringing gifts as a tribute to the man himself."

"You have something to take?" Kelly asked, curious.

"Our tribute is a lovely statue of your old friend Saren, rendered in loving detail and will be filled to the brim with our weapons and armor. You'll be able to keep your pistol, as long as it's concealed. They won't hassle you over a sidearm. Once inside, we'll make our way to Hock's vault door, somewhere in the back of the ballroom. Then we case the security and start peeling away the layers. The statue should be there, waiting for you to crack it open and arm up. Then we just waltz into the vault and take back Keiji's graybox."

"What's in the graybox that makes it worth all this trouble?" I asked, giving up on finding foil and taking out a large storage unit.

"The graybox hold Keiji's memories," she said softly. "Everything from all the codes and plans he stole to… all the time we spent together. Wrapped up in those memories is the secret he stole. Keiji never told me what it was, but the information got him killed."

"You've worked really hard on this," I said as I stashed the food in the fridge after rearranging a few things to make enough room. "Keiji must have meant a lot to you." And here I was, complaining about an old boyfriend who was at least still alive.

"Was I that obvious?" She asked a little dryly. "Keiji's graybox hold a lot of priceless, personal memories. It's all that remains of who he was. But the secret he discovered is dangerous. I wouldn't bring you there if it wasn't."

The kettle was whistling now, so I pulled down a few mugs, opened a few tea bags, and filled them with hot water. I sat the mugs in front of the women with the canister of sugar, and went about cleaning up my mess, filling the sink with soapy water. "So when's the party?"

"Tomorrow evening. That'll give us plenty of time to get ready," Kat replied, the smile on her face again.

Kelly's eyes lit up as she took on Kat's meaning. "I would imagine Laryna's disguise will need to look the part. Look how long her hair is. There's much I can do with that." Sudden regret at not cutting my hair now flooded through me.

"Can't we just blow the place up and dig out the vault afterwards?" I asked, and they laughed at me. I tackled the dishes, pouting.

It was worse than I imagined. I managed to get a few hours of sleep and was just about to see if I could find a place on the Normandy where Kasumi couldn't find me after seeing what waited for me in my small closest when I heard a knock at my door.

"Come in," I yelled, defeated.

Miranda slowly walked in. I looked up eagerly from where I was standing in my cabin, plotting my escape, and hoped I was about to be offered a better one. "Miranda. What's going on? Is it your sister?"

"No," she answered in her even tones. "Cerberus is still working on getting her father to accept a job to promote a positive reason for the move. I just wanted to wish you luck on your mission. We'll be on standby if you need backup, but Ms. Goto seems sure that the two of you will be able to handle it on your own."

I reached into my closest and pulled out the thin high heels that were stashed there. "Not a chance. I'll be breaking a leg, certainly. I may as well just take myself down to the medbay right now."

She actually laughed. A pleasant throaty laugh that had me smiling. "You'll be fine. One thing I have learned about you is that you never fail to get something done when helping someone else." And she left, passing Kelly, Kat, and Tali on their way in.

"Not you too," I groaned, watching the quarian look around my cabin.

"I overheard Kelly talking with Kasumi, and realized I have never seen you dress up, Laryna. I was curious," she replied, sheepish.

"Uh-huh," I said with a glare at the other two. "I'm sure they were really quiet about it."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Kat said, walking past me and pulling out the garment bag.

"You're already breathtaking," Kelly commented soothingly. "It's good for a woman to let her feminine side out, even a soldier."

"I hate you all."

"Alright, enough of that," Kat sighed, and suddenly my shirt was up around my ears. "Let's get to work." Shirt was on the floor now, quickly followed by my bra. In a matter of seconds I was half naked in front of them.

"Am I not allowed to dress myself?" I complained.

"Nice rack, Shep," was my answer. Tali busted up laughing.

"My revenge will be slow and painful," I promised.

The dress Kat picked out for me was a short black one that hugged every curve of my body. I wasn't even sure what kind of material it was made out of. A few tugs and it laid comfortably, at least. The heels were another matter. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to walk any amount of distance in them as I tested my balance. I was promptly lead to my desk, since it was the only seat where someone could stand behind me, and Kelly started styling my hair. I could smell the slight tang of the gel she used, and tried to stay still as she ran a small iron at mostly the forward waves of my hair, causing it to lightly brush my face. I grimaced. I prefer it pulled back.

Kasumi took her turn next, lightly brushing my face with a toner and adding some shadowing on my eye lids. This was harder to sit through, as I never did make up; the damn stuff stung in the eyes when mixed with sweat. She had chosen a flashy red lipstick, and I glared at her until she picked something more toned back. My costume was topped off with a thick silver chain, from which hang the symbol of my merc band. I recognized it from the false article Kat had shared.

"Wow, Laryna," Tali said as Kelly pulled me out of my chair and forced me to do a spin. "You look like a movie star."

"Is it to much?" Kelly asked her, worried. "I don't want to blow her cover but over dressing."

"No way," Kasumi replied. "These are the kind of parties that everyone over dresses for. She'll fit right in. The faded scars on your thigh, peeking out like that, is a testament to what you do, too."

"That's going to be an issue," I grumbled, trying to resist the urge to touch my face. "I've never been to a party like this before. I have no idea how to act."

"You can watch a few vids on our way there, but pretty much just act like you own the place. Nothing is out of your reach. Money, men, firepower. Just avoid talking shop." Kat said as she pulled the dress up a little higher in the back. I yanked it back down. "I have borrowed a shuttle from a buddy, so it won't be traceable back to the Normandy and give away our cover. We'll also need a ride once we're out."

We all crowded into the elevator. "Why aren't you dressed up?" I demanded.

"I won't be attending the party in the traditional since," Kat replied as we stopped by the second floor first to let Kelly out.

"Good luck," she said as the doors shut.

"So give me the cloak and you wear the dress," I pushed as we dropped Tali off in engineering.

"You look amazing," Tali said brightly as the doors shut on her too.

"Stop whining about it so much," Kat groaned. "You really do look like a goddess, and you'll do great. I'll be doing most of the hard work. Besides, I don't think it's in your nature to be stealthy. Most places you go, things blow up."

"People just usually over react when I'm around," I protested as we got off in the shuttle bay.

"No one told me anything about this," I heard Garrus snap as we approached the shuttles. There was a nice one painted in a glossy black that clearly wasn't one of ours, and Garrus was standing next to it, arguing with Jacob, who was dressed in a black suit with white trimmings. He looked pissed until he spotted me walking up, and his jaw dropped, mandibles going wide. Jacob had a similar reaction, but it was the way Garrus looked me up and down that had heat staining my cheeks.

"There a problem?" I asked as nonchalantly as possible.

"I… I, uh…"

Kasumi started laughing. "See, no one is going to be able to resist you."

Garrus finally looked like he was managing to pull himself together. Pity. "I heard you were going on another solo mission, and EDI wouldn't let me up to your cabin, so I had to ambush you down here. What the hell is going on?"

"I'm not going solo," I assured him. "Kasumi will be with me, too."

"To do what?" he demanded.

"Garrus, don't worry," Kat said soothingly. "I will have her back in there, but as the matter is a little personal, I would rather we not go into details."

"I won't break my promise," I said gently.

He closed his eyes a moment. "At least allow me to fly you there," Garrus requested.

"I'm sorry, but her cover says she leads a full human merc band," Kasumi replied. "I wanted something far from the truth and acceptable to our target."

"So I'll be dropping them off," Jacob said. "And hopefully be nearby if needed."

I could see he wanted to argue. I was both touched by his continued concern and a little annoyed. I haven't suffered any new noteworthy injuries in awhile. I was more than capable of handling myself.

"I understand, Commander," he said formally, backing down.

Smiling at him warmly, I did a slow spin for him. "How do I look?"

"Untouchable," he replied in a low voice, and made for the elevator. I watched him go, frowning slightly in confusion.

"We have best get a move on," Kat said, and I followed her onto the shuttle. The inside was nice, too. Soft white leather covered the to wide seats, with a bolted down table in the center of the space.

"Fancy," I commented as I sat down, crossing my legs like I recalled seeing people do in vids.

"The world is at your feet, Ms. Gunn."

Jacob was able to handle the shuttle well, and I did do some research while we traveled, talking over further details of my cover with Kasumi so I wouldn't slip up accidentally later. Originally I was worried about people recognizing me despite the get up, but I caught a look at myself in the reflection of the shuttle door (more than a little surprised they didn't force me in front of a mirror before leaving), and I barely saw myself. And I've been gone for years, and my return was not known, so no one should be looking for the face of the first human Spectre. I should be fine.

As long as I don't fall flat on my face from these damn shoes.

"Nearly there," Jacob called from the pilot seat, and I hiked up my dress enough to secure my pistol to my thigh. The dress was to tight to hide it completely, so I hoped Kat was right about them not being bothered by my having it.

"This ought to be interesting," I said as we touched down.

"That's what I'm going for."

"Aren't you going to cloak?" I asked as the doors started to open.

"You having a bodyguard escort to the party. It won't raise suspicion," she assured me.

"Why couldn't I have that job?" I growled.

Jacob unloaded our tribute as we waited from the back of the shuttle. Some of Hock's men hurried forward, bringing in a hover lift, to assist. It was moved forward, and I got my first good look at it. It was bronze, and an exact likeness of that bastard. Couldn't she have chosen some other figure to have made? I'm ready to blast the head off this one. We started towards the large glass doors of the mansion while I attempted not to glare at it.

"Hold a moment, ma'am," one of the guards said. He had his omni-tool out and was scanning the statue. "There seems to be an issue with the statue."

"Is there a problem here?" a voice demanded, and I inclined my head in that direction. Who I could only assume was Donovan Hock was making his way down the steps to us. He wore a pure white suit of simple but elegant cut, with just a few gold adornments on the coat. His goatee was freshly shaven, hair perfect, hands smooth. Purely a businessman, I thought. He likely never sees any combat himself.

"No, Mr. Hock," the guard replied smoothly. "Just doing a scan."

"I don't believe we've met," our target said to me. "Donovan Hock."

"I've heard a lot about you," I replied. "Name's Alison Gunn." I offered my hand.

"And I have heard a lot about you," he replied, not taking my hand for a shake or a kiss. "You've been very busy lately, if the extranet is to be believed."

He's tugging at my cover, I realized. Paranoid.

Before I had to come up with a reply, the guard interrupted. "Sir, the scanners aren't picking anything up."

"Hmmm. I don't think our guests would come all the way here from Illium just to cause trouble. Do you?" The guard was clearly losing his practiced act, but Hock turned from him before he had to reply. "You may pass through, Ms. Gunn. You were invited, after all. But I will ask your companion to remain outside. You understand, I hope."

"Care to explain why my 'friend' has to stand outside?" I asked, adding a little insult to my tone.

"I don't like the look of your 'friend,' so she stays outside. Simple as that." He was clearly willing to push the point.

So I shrugged, trying to act disinterested. "No problem. You're the host."

"Enjoy the party," Hock said back as blandly, and walked back inside.

I stepped aside with Kasumi while our tribute was hauled away. "Well, that didn't go as expected." she sighed.

"Any idea why he'd send you away?"

"No," she admitted. "We've never seen each other in person. And no one knows what I look like. Just watching his ass, I'm sure. I can't blame him."

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"We go on with the plan," she replied without hesitation. "You'll just have to do all the talking. I'll stay out of sight and stick with you the best I can. We'll keep radio contact in case something goes wrong." I didn't bother pointing out that was what I thought the plan was all along.

Kasumi stayed behind for the moment while I entered the mansion. It was done with mostly white accents, like his suit, and carefully placed lighting around several display stands and bars. There were guards posted regularly throughout the room, and small groups of men and women talking quietly with glasses of champagne or what I was guessing was some kind of scotch in their hands. Kat was right about the dress, everyone here was in breathtaking outfits. I approached a bar and grabbed a glass, sipping in very small quantities as I walked on my own, studying the art. Damn, this stuff was good.

"We need to find the door and case the security," Kat's voice said in my ear as I eased along. "We'll figure out the next step then."

I barely stopped myself from nodding. Damn it. I should be use to this on the fly, make it up as you go situation. Of course, I have my armor and plenty of firepower to make it work in those battles. All I had now was a single pistol, high heels and a wineglass. And I was a little chilly, and I envied the other women wearing long sleeved dresses with floor length shirts.

But I didn't see them turning nearly as many heads as I did walking by, and though I would never admit it even under torture, I rather enjoyed having that effect. Maybe some of the Red gang girl coming out in me.

There were matching, curved staircases that lead up to another floor, but both had stand alone fencing across the bottom to discourage anyone from heading up. I thought briefly about seeing if I could slip the guard's notice that was standing nearby, but thought better of it. A vault owned by someone with the kind of funds Hock clearly had to throw around wouldn't have it above ground where it would be less secure. So I needed stairs leading down.

"Some say Commander Shepard is still alive," I heard as I passed one of the larger groups.

"Really!" someone replied.

"Oh, please," another scuffed. "It's wishful thinking, at best." I smiled. There was an interesting door nearby where they were speaking though, but it's red interface marked it off limits.

"That goes to a security room," Kat supplied when I hesitated there long enough to show interest. "We'll probably have to get in there at some point. For now, let's case the vault and figure out what we have to do."

One of the guests had noticed me by then, and I lifted my glass in greeting, but then continued on, acting like I was more interested in the art at the moment then conversation. I moved further into the mansion, impressed by its size. Finally, near the back wall where there were another large set of glass doors, I spotted some stairs going downwards behind a well lit decorative wall. There was an older man with two asari sitting on the bench right next to it, but they were all clearly wrapped up in each other. No one looked my way as I wandered past and started to descend.

"What's your read on that Archangel guy?" I heard one of the asari ask, and I pulled up short.

"I hear he's dead. Or gone, or something," the man replied, dismissive. "Good riddance, I say."

I continued on, shaking my head. Glad we covered his tracks well enough that no one has come actively looking for him. Of course, if they thought the crowd he had around him before was bad, it may be worth the trouble just to see the look in their eyes when they would get a load of us.

Kasumi appeared next to me as I found vault door. It opened for us with no issue, and I could see why as we entered. "Very nice. There's more here than I expected," she said. "Password protected voice lock. Kinetic barrior. DNA scanner—looks like an EX-700 series. Everything a vault needs to be impenetrable."

"This gonna be a problem?"

"Please," she scoffed. "Remember who you're talking to. We'll need to get a voice sample for the voice lock. You'll have to go chat up Hock for that. We'll have to find a password, too. DNA? Child's play. We should find plenty of DNA samples in Hock's private quarters. And the barrier? Cut the power. Never fails… if we can find it. Keiji could get through a system like this in his sleep. And I'm better. Let's get to it." Her voice grew harder as she spoke, all her usual playfulness gone. She had her eyes on the prize, and was not going to let it slip away.

We exited the vault's security room, and after making sure the coast was still clear, began to scan the cables in the walls leading into it.

"It looks like the barrier's power cable runs under the floor here," Kasumi said, thoughtful, after I found the likely source. "But we can't get to it from here. I'll set your omni-tool to scan for electromagnetic fields."

I watched as a guard turned away a guest from a door as I was following the electro fields across the floors, saying that Hock's private rooms were off limits. Luckily Kat heard. "We need to get in there. That's the best place to find Hock's DNA. Forget the barrier for the moment, and let's find a way in there while they're most likely to still be empty." So I changed direction, using another bar as an excuse for the shift. I accepted a smaller glass filled with some kind of batarian brandy, and found I didn't quite like it as much as my last drink, which I had abandoned before going downstairs.

It's a good thing he has so much art plastered everywhere. It made studying the layout of his home much easier. Nonetheless, I wasn't seeing anywhere inside that would allow us access without getting me caught. So I headed for the back patio. There was a wide, wrap around path that lead from one door to another, with two short paths that followed under the windows about half way before stopping. Surrounding the paths were man made ponds filled with tiny, delicate looking fish. Lights were evenly positioned on the bottom of the ponds, clear and glowing in the hazy sunlight. Benches and chairs were set up for comfort of the view. There were cliffs just beyond, stark and strong looking, and then the nearby city poking up just above its raises along the skyline. It was lovely. It was a good location to build.

The only thing I really found that could help us though was a data pad sitting next to a guard who was busy chatting up a pretty young girl. I took a quick snap shot of it and sent it to Kasumi. No one seemed to notice, or cared enough to call me out on it if they did. I barely got a look at it myself. Something about wanting to sneak out of the party.

"Chief Roe, huh?" Kat said over our radio. "She sounds like a hard-ass. Hmm, if we could tap into the guard's communications, I could probably use this information."

Not seeing anything else that may be useful, or a convenient ladder to use, I went back inside. I started to follow the cable again for the barrier when I noticed it crossed the area where Hock was making himself available. He stood next to an indoor koi pond, talking with several guests. I downed the rest of my brandy, ignoring the burn in my throat, and decided now was as good as time as any to get our voice print.

"After you," she she said, noticing my intentions.

"Ms. Gunn," Hock greeted me, seemingly in a better mood. "Good to see you. That scene at the door door hasn't soured your evening, I hope."

"I understand the security," I replied pleasantly. And then teasingly: "But who would dare try to break into Donovan Hock's home?"

He actually smiled at me. "Gunn, in our line of work, we attract a certain element. Few understand the pains we take to keep the barbarians at bay. People these days want comfort, entertainment, love. They don't see that the galaxy is fragile." People were turning to look at us as he spoke. "They only have to worry about simple luxuries. Why? Because people like me—and you- are doing the terrible things that keep the galaxy spinning." He spread his arms to his guests listening in. "This party is for us. The cleaners. The support structure for the galaxy's gleeful delusions of peace. May there always be a market for the things we do."

People actually applaud his words, and he nodded to them gracefully. The best I could do was smile, trying to picture Garrus standing there instead to make it real. Otherwise I may just have to punch his teeth in.

Kasumi chuckled over the radio. "I said get him talking, and you got him talking. We've got enough of a voice sample. Let him go. Once we find the password, we can get past the voice scanner."

Before I could think of an excuse to free myself, he nodded to me directly. "Enjoy the party, Ms. Gunn." And dismissed me.

I made my way in the general direction I figured the cables for the barrier were heading as I moved away, grabbing another glass of the champagne from the bar, as well as a couple sushi pieces from a platter. I was drinking to much for my cover, and my stomach was empty. I shoved the first pieces into my mouth quickly, chewed, and swallowed. No one gasped in disgust at my display, so no one must have noticed. I did nibble on the second one though, taking my time eating it as I found my charge again and followed it.

It lead me into a tucked away corner that was set up much like a mini study. Luckily, it was abandoned. Using my omni-tool directly, I was able to find a switch hidden in a small statue on a book shelf, which released a section of the wall revealing a fuse box. It must be an access point in case they needed to work on the power draw.

"One sec," Kasumi said, typing in a command on her omni-tool, and waved it over the fuse box. It sorted, but not violently, and nothing else around us seemed to be affected. "That should take care of the barrier."

"Okay, I'll head over to the security room we spotted earlier. See if I can get us inside."

"Met ya there," she said, and vanished again.

It was still locked when I approached it again, but not hard locked. "Let me unlock that security room door for you," Kat said before I could say anything. I opened the door and walked through like I would my cabin on the Normandy, hoping it looked natural to anyone that may be looking on.

There was a short hall here, leading to another door. I could hear a movie or something playing in the next room as I set my glass down on the floor. The door was also locked, but with no witnesses but Kasumi coming up behind me, I used my omni-tool and the hack programs she gave me to take care of this one.

"You can't be back here!" a guard said as I stepped through.

"I'm aware of that," I replied and used a biotic lift to raise him into the air and then sharply at the ground. The air rushed out of him, and he didn't move. Another guard jumped up from where he was sitting, drawing his weapon. Kasumi appeared behind him and knocked him out with a heavy blow from the butt of her gun. He collapsed across the table.

"Hmm," Kat mumbled as she looked around. "I have an idea. See what you can find."

The room was fairly sparse. There was a few consoles, one of which was playing some kind of krogan based anime, and mostly coffee cups around. I did find a datapad under the body of the guard Kat knocked out, and I pulled it free.

-Nance

I have that problem, too. So many passwords around here, can't keep them straight. The

password for tonight is *PERUGGIA*, so it's not even that easy to remember.

It's no big deal. That voice scanner means the password's only useful to Hock, anyway.

After this party, want to grab some beers? Let me know.

-Samuels

Hock's men have grown lax. Writing down a password was very sloppy. Made our lives easier, though.

"Got something?" Kat asked from a console she was working at.

"The password is 'Peruggia.'"

"Huh. That's the name of the man who stole the Mona Lisa," she said, sparing me a glance. "Nice. I tapped their communications. I think we can get past that private-room guard. Tell him Chief Roe sent you. Now, I just take the voice sample we got from Hock, and… Got it! Now we can crack that voice scanner."

I nodded my understanding and rejoined the party. I walked with a purpose across the way and right up to the guard. Even though he saw me coming, and obviously right at him, he still held up his hands to detour me. "Mr. Hock's private rooms are off-limits to guests without security clearance."

"I have clearance to go in," I replied sternly.

"On whose authority?" he demanded. I must not have been the only one trying to sneak in. I hoped it wasn't for the same reasons.

"I have authorization from Chief Roe."

The name clearly caught him by surprise. "Okay, one second." He opened his comms. "Chief Roe? Samuels. Have you given access authorization to Mr. Hock's private rooms?"

"They have access, Samuels," I heard Kat say over the comms. "Now stop bothering me!"

"Got it. Sorry to bother you, ma'am." he replied quickly, closing the link. He stepped aside. "Okay, you're cleared to go in."

"Thanks," I replied, putting some annoyance into my voice that sent a brief flicker of panic on his face. He opened the door for me, and I entered calmly, walking forward in the hallway like I knew where I was going until I heard the door shut behind me. I stopped and waited.

"This man really likes his water," Kat stated as she appeared beside me. I looked at the walls that had built in waterfalls; for a hallway. "Let's find his bedroom." The hall contained enough rooms to fill out the basics needs for a home; a kitchen, a huge bathroom, a personal study, and at the bottom, his bedroom, which was larger than the CIC of the Normandy.

"Look for anything we can get usable DNA from," Kasumi instructed as we entered. "Make it quick and quiet."

The center of the space was taken up by a huge black and white bed, with yet another small indoor pond behind the head, separated by a thick shelf. More art work and antiques covered the walls, and the back of the room had a large desk and a couple bookshelves. Everything was neat and orderly. I found an datapad on his desk though that I read aloud: "'Okuda' Decryption Project Update. Little progress to report. We have now completed dictionary attacks using words and phrases from 4800 galactic languages. Research into the Okuda family has not produced any matches. It is unlikely that a random brute-force approach will produce a result within our lifetimes. Given the nature of the graybox technology, it's possible that the decryption key may not be a password at all. It could be a memory, an emotion, even a smell—the permutations could be infinite. I suggest that we begin investigating alternative methods for breaking through the security of the box."

"Not surprised," Kat replied. "Keiji was the best. We can probably get Hock's DNA off the datapad. He seems to have obsessed over this. But I'm not sure there's enough. Let's keep looking." She approached some old swords hanging on the wall. "The cleaners don't dare touch treasures like this. We can get some skin cells from the dust. It's probably contaminated though. We should find another sample."

"Got an abandoned wine glass," I said, coming up to a holo-table.

"Not a great saliva sample, but it's still useful. That should do it. Let's get out of here."

We quickly made our way back to the party. I didn't even bother looking at the guard when I emerged, strolling away like I knew what I was about. And in this case, I do. We have everything we need to crack the security on the vault. Sure enough, the barrier was down when we entered. Kasumi approached the DNA scanner with a cloth she had collected our samples from.

"DNA identification affirmed. Welcome, Mr. Hock."

She went to the voice scanner next.

"Password required."

Hock's voice sounded from her omni-tool. "Peruggia."

"Voice ID accepted. Welcome, Mr. Hock." And the door opened.

"I'll check for security cams," Kasumi said, none of the kick ass job we just did coloring her voice. I doubt I would have been so humble. "Go ahead and get dressed." she finished up in a tease as she walked into the elevator.

I put in the access code on my omni-tool and broadcast it to the base of the statue, doing my best not to look up at it again. I've seen enough of that face for several lifetimes. After a few seconds a long drawer rolled out, and my gear rested on top, as well as a normal pair of shoes and our additional weapons. I happily yanked off the heels and slipped my feet into the more sensible foot wear. I hiked up the dress so my lower gear fit around my legs properly, instantly annoyed at the folds pressing into my hips. My skin directly against the barely padded armor was going to be uncomfortable as hell after awhile too. Hopefully there wouldn't be any fighting, and we'd be able to sneak out without issue and it'll save me from the chaffing I was going to get.

As soon as I geared up, I followed Kasumi into the elevator while pulling back my free hair, glad to have it out of my face and most of my neck. I rolled it up in a lose knot and put on my helm, and I felt complete.

The trip was longer than I thought it would be, taking us a few levels underground. I was instantly wary about what was on the floors between the vault and the party.

All of Hock's most priceless treasures were in a room just as large as his ballroom above. There were statues from several different species, old artifacts and other rare collectibles, all arranged neatly on individual displays in the wide, open space.

"So this is Hock's vault. Very nice. My scanner will hone in on the graybox. It's not far."

Her scanner lead us to the far side of the vault, and we both stopped for a moment to stare at the massive head being kept there.

"How did Hock get Lady Liberty's head? Damn you, Hock!" Then she was quickly distracted. "This is a Kassa Locust. No, THE Kassa Locust. The gun that killed two Presidents. Gorgeous. It even comes with a perfect copy, too." A gun came flying through the air at me, and I wondered if she kept the original, or the copy. I didn't bother asking; didn't really care either way. I checked over the weapon and it looked solid, not tampered with in any way. "I'm sure Hock won't mind if we borrow these." Then she was moving quickly to the other side of the display. "Oh my god. There it is!" She brought up her omni-tool to do a quick scan of the graybox, and it responded instantly to her device. Twin matching holo screens hovered in the air as they communicated. She frowned after a moment. "It's taking to long."

"Don't bother, Ms. Goto," Hock's voice filled the room moments before a holo-projection appeared in the center of the vault. "It's codelocked." Wide, cocky smile spread across his face. Kat stepped back a few paces, clearly a little put off from him addressing her by name. "I had a feeling that was you at the door. I knew if it was really you, you'd get through anyway."

"You know me," she replied, regaining her composure. "I don't like to disappoint."

His face grew hard. "I need what's in your graybox, Kasumi. You know I'm willing to kill you for it. I'll admit your skills are impressive. You got into my vault like I'd left it open. But you're still going to die, screaming, just like your old friend."

"Let's see you try," she challenged. A warning went off on her omni-tool at the same time I saw a large group of red dots cross my combat visor. "This is where your special skills come into play, Laryna. Let's do this." I grinned at her and broke for cover while she vanished.

I had to be impressed with the mercs that attacked us. They spread out in the vault, weapons firing to keep me pinned, and not one of the art pieces were hit. I don't think I did either, but that was just because I took my time with my shots and warps. I'm no expert, but it would be a shame if anything here came to harm because of our presence. Kasumi popped in and out of view as I danced across the room to use the art to my advantage, regardless of how I felt. We took down the group without injury organic or stone.

"Checking blueprints…" Kat said, appearing at my elbow. "There's a landing pad to the east. Let's get out of here."

"Jacob, bring the shuttle in. Now!"

We moved to the door opposite from Lady Liberty, and it lead into a twin loading area. There was another large group of mercs and a heavy mech waiting for us. I lost my shields just moving into cover, but luckily nothing made it past my armor.

"They're out of the vault. Seal them in!" I heard Hock over the comms, and realized Kat must have patched into whatever new channel they were using, assuming the previous one wasn't a decoy. Hock must have figured that Kasumi would come sooner or later to reclaim that graybox, and had a plan in place.

There wasn't much space and a lot of cover, allowing the mercs to move in close while the heavy mech covered them. I was able to use singularities to keep them from flanking us outright, and I put the mech's machine guns to use for me by using throws to fling a few bodies helplessly in its path. The drive quickly became slick with blood, running into the drains thickly. Kasumi was able to take down the mech's shields, and I used my Collector Particle Beam to finish it off. The few remaining mercs at that point fell back, heavy gates sliding down to prevent us from following.

"Damn it," Kat cursed once we cleared our immediate area of those left behind. "They blocked the direct path. We have to find another way!"

The drive lead to the loading area, where we had wanted to met up with Jacob, but I couldn't find any way to influence the door so we could go that direction, and there was no way we could blast or cut our way through.

"Doors over here!" Kat called, and I joined her where there was a short staircase hidden behind a hard locked vehicle. She looked over the blueprints and went up to the one on the left, and I followed her through. Hacking the door, and were able to reach the other side of the hastily dropped gates. I didn't like the look of this area, though. There were stacks three high and several deep of security mechs. They were currently inactive, but with my luck not for very long.

The mercs that had originally retreated were attacking us again with reinforcements. They were using some kind sonic flash bomb, causing my vision to blur and ringing in my ears very time one went off. I was able to work through it, but it slowed me down a lot. I can't say how Kat was handling that little surprise, but as she was still able to ambush people, I think it was safe to assume well enough. I kept a wary eye on the still mechs.

It was slow, but we were able to push to the other side, where we were finally attacked by some security mechs, just not the ones I assumed. They seemed to be pretty standard, though, falling to our attacks. Finally the area was clear, and I stepped out of my cover, feeling the bruises of some bullets I had taken.

We were sealed in this room, much like the other, and a wall check didn't reveal any connecting rooms like that that had led us here.

"Now what?" Kat asked, sounding tired.

Frowning, I did another sweep of the room, and spotted some gas tanks near the mechs that had made me so uneasy earlier. Likely a refueling station. "What's on the other side of this wall?" I asked, motioning with my gun.

She looked over the prints again. "It's not direct, but it's at least a way forward. It'll take more than our guns to get through those tanks."

"No problem," I said, crossing the room again and up onto a tank. We were hard locked from getting inside, but the guns on these things were able to be handled directly, so it had it's own system from that available at the tank's main controls. I pulled a knife from my belt, pried a plate off the base, and sorting through a few of the wires there, cut a few. I then used my omni-tool to hack into the targeting, and it shifted around to face the wall.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Kat asked, actually sounding impressed.

"Use to run with a gang," I replied. "We liked getting into trouble. Duck." And the gun fired. The tanks went up, multiplying the explosion, and created a hole nearly big enough to drive a tank through.

"That got it!"

"What the hell are you people doing down there?" Hock demanded over comms. We pressed on into the now exposed… looked like a simple hall. There were crates everywhere, many toppled over. I could see mercs converging on our location. "Kill Alison Gunn! Bring the other girl to me!"

"You hear that? He wants her alive!" I heard one complain.

I actually felt a little better knowing that they'd be focusing more heavily on me. At least until I saw another YMIR heavy mech stump into view. It was a repeat of earlier; not enough space. At least there was no way they could flank us at the moment. Kasumi kept trying to move close enough for a direct line of sight to be able to take down its shields, but the mercs were keeping us firmly pinned.

"Don't fight me, Kasumi," Hock growled. "You know what happened to your boy toy when he fought back."

"You don't talk about Keiji like that!" Kat screamed. "Murder!"

I watched in complete amazement as she leaped nimbly on top of some crates, back flipped to another sack while dropping a couple grenades in the middle of a bunch of mercs, forcing them to scatter and cry out in pain, and make another small jump to land on top of the heavy mech. She overloaded its shields, quickly added more grenades into the spaces between its plating, and vanished before the mercs started shooting at her. A few seconds passed, and the head of the mech exploded, along with enough of its upper body that the arms fell to the ground and a large crack formed down it middle.

Let's hope I never piss her off.

Without their most effect weapon, I was able to push back hard on the mercs remaining. Kasumi had thrown them off balance between her distraction and the destruction of the heavy, and picking them off was easy as they attempted to regroup.

We found another door that reconnected with the direction we wanted to go, and continued on.

"Keep them busy. I'll take care of this myself." Hock grunted.

"We're nearly there," Kat said as we entered a large room. There were several landing pads for shuttles in here, as well as crates that were likely waiting for pick up. The mercs had pulled a few hover lifts into the open space to provide additional cover. There wasn't nearly as many as I was expecting. The only challenge we really encountered were a couple asari commandos and a handful of human engineers. We needed to be really careful about the combat drones sneaking up on us, hoping to knock us out of cover, and normally I would be concerned about my biotics in comparison to an asari, but I was holding my own surprisingly well.

I ran my recent biotic fights in my head as I fought on auto pilot. Besides Jack, and perhaps Miranda, who were both given their increased biotics through other than natural means, humans were just evolving our abilities with them. While I was trained in using it as a weapon, I never considered my own output greater than an average human biotic could mustard. Recent fights though have shown that my power had greatly increased from what I could do before my death. Like my fight with the indoctrinated humans on that damn asteroid. I wondered how Cerberus managed to pull that off; perhaps something with the countless cybernetics holding my insides together? And I still couldn't believe I hadn't noticed until now, or no one else had mentioned it to me. It just felt… natural.

Do I confront Miranda about this? It may not have even been intended. Just a side effect in bringing back a dead biotic. Regardless, I'll have to do a full stress test, relearn where my limits are. I've held back in a lot of situations because of what I use to know where it to be, and I'll need any advantage if I hope to survive and protect during this mission.

My thoughts trailed off as I followed Kasumi out of the building. The loading area outside was just light enough to see. We weren't inside as long as I had thought, expecting to find it dark. More surprising though was seeing it empty. No mercs, no shuttles, no mechs.

Then I could hear it. The loud hum of engines. Casting my eyes towards the edge of the platform, I could see a gunship rise against the city backdrop. It's shields were so massively powerful they were visible to the naked eye, several times stronger then what any of the heavy mechs inside sported.

"Incoming!" I cried out as the gun mounted on its lower body swung towards us. "Get down!" We barely got into cover quick enough to avoid being made into swiss cheese.

"You could have done this the easy way, Goto," Hock taunted over a speaker on the craft. "Allow me to show you the hard way."

And while he had us pinned behind some cover, a couple shuttles unloaded more mercs to come at us. The only time we had to counter was when the gun needed to reload or the mercs got into our line of sight while trying to flank us while avoiding the gunship's attacks as well. When we had their numbers reduced enough to make a significant dent in the craft's shields, he dropped out of sight. I cursed, knowing he likely wouldn't come back until they were recharged.

More mercs flooded the area, though I didn't see where they came from. These groups included salarians.

"Going dark," Kat said a moment before she disappeared. With the gunship currently MIA, we were able to push back on the ground attackers harder. Just when we made progress, it lifted back into the sky above us. "Gunship's back," Kat warned me right before it started firing, but gave me enough warning to get behind some cover. I could hear the strain of the metal crates as it took the beating. "And with full shields! If I can get to the ship, I can take down them down!"

We were forced to give up some of the ground we gained as his barrage destroyed some of our forward cover. "What did you tell your friend, Kasumi? You're doing this for love?" He mocked as he pressed his attacks, moving the ship from side to side in the air in attempts to get to us.

Kasumi appeared at my side. She was breaking heavily, and I could see a few minute tears in her suit slightly stained with blood, but otherwise seemed to be alright. My armor was a bit more protective than hers, but I could feel the welts from the bullets it barely stopped throbbing in several places on my body. I knew it likely wouldn't hold up much longer if this continued to drag on.

"Laryna," Kat breathed into our comms. "I need a clear path to the gunship. Take out these guards!"

"On it," I replied, feeling my biotics flare and my finger twitch on the trigger of my pistol. She vanished again, and I put up a barrier around myself and used a singularity to gather up some of the mercs that were restlessly charging in. Without waiting for a proper cooldown on my amp, I tossed a warp into their mass to detonate my singularity, sending bodies flying. Some ended up over the edge of the platform, and I wondered briefly if there was anything to below to catch them before focusing on the ones that still remained. Several didn't move from where they landed, while the rest were struggling to their feet, clearly dazed. I was able to pick them off with some quick shots. But the immediate area was clear.

"Got a clear shot! Here we go!" And she materialized to the left of the platform. Just as skillfully as she had with tackling that heavy, she shimmied up crates, onto some large exposed piping, and with a running leap, practically flew through the sky and landed on the gunship. Knowing what was coming, I pulled my Collector Particle Beam from it's restraint. I saw her omni-tool activate, and the gunship veered sharply as she violently took down it's shields. I watched tensely as Kat was nearly thrown, but she managed to hold on and swing herself back on the top of the ship. I think I saw her salute the cockpit before gracefully back flipping, twisting in the air and landed on the ground not two feet from me, one hand down for balance, the other extended out for the same reason. "Shields down! Let's tear that thing apart"

"It'll be my pleasure," I responded, and putting as much dark energy into my barrier as I could, I stood up and fired my heavy weapon. The armor of the craft held only a few seconds before it starting slicing through, and I watched in satisfaction as it was cleaved in two.

The remaining mercs ceased fire and retreated, and we watched them go.

"Jacob, do you read me?" I radioed after it seemed likely they would not be coming back.

"Commander! Where are you? I got your hail earlier and lost contact."

"Ping me,"I suggested, suddenly very tired. "We're somewhere outside. There's a landing pad where you can pick us up."

"I'll be right there." He touched down about five minutes later. "Damn, you two look horrible. What happened?

"What else?" I commented. "Shit hit the fan. We got in alright, but I think he was waiting for Kasumi to make a move for awhile, and had a trap laid out. Don't worry, we're okay. Let's get out of here before his hired guns decide they didn't have enough."

"Roger that," Jacob said and waited until we were settled before going back to the cockpit to lift off.

We sat in silence for awhile while Kat broke through the additional encryption Hock had placed on the graybox. Then she grew very still.

"What is it?" I asked, suddenly afraid it had been wiped.

"There's a last message here," she said softly. "A interception before the log can be accessed."

"I can sit with Jacob, give you some privacy," I suggested.

"No," Kat said, shaking her head. "Pull up a port. I think you've earned the right to see what he says."

"Are you sure?" I asked gently. She just nodded again. So I pulled up the shuttles viewing capabilities, and she inserted the graybox into the interface. A visor went over her eyes so she's experience this last message virtually, and I saw an image of who I could only assume was Keiji appear on my screen. He was a rather plain looking man, one of those faces that easily blend in with a crowd, and I'm sure he used that to his advantage in life.

"Kasumi," the recall said, his voice full of sorrow. "If you're seeing this, it's because I'm dead. The information we found is all here." A list of files appeared on a sub screen next to the visual display. "It's big, Kasumi. If the Council ever got wind of this… the Alliance could be implicated. Kasumi, I… I encrypted the information to keep it safe. And I uploaded the encryption key to your graybox, so no one could get the whole package." As he spoke, another sub screen appeared on my display, and I flushed a little bit when I saw the two of them, naked and rolling around on a bed. She must have accessed a memory. I spared a look at her, standing there not three feet away, and she had a gentle if sad smile on her face. "But if I'm dead, and if anyone knows about this… then I've made you a target, my love. I'm so, so sorry."

"Keiji," Kasumi whispered, longing and sorrow clouding her voice.

"I know you, Kasumi," the message continued. "You'll want to keep these memories forever. But you don't need some neural implant to know I'll always be with you. Please, Kasumi. Destroy these files. There's nothing more I can do to protect you."

My eyes flew up to her again as he said that, and I watched her entire body tense. "I… I can't do that!" She cried out. "This is all that's left!"

"Goodbye, Kasumi. I love you." Her arms wrapped around his memory, and I had to swallow back the emotion in my throat as I watched her embrace air, and not the man she had lost. The message ended, and I quickly closed the display as her visor faded from over her eyes.

"Is there any way we can just destroy the information?" I asked.

"No," she replied sadly. "Keiji's a master at encrypting files. He laced the information into his memories. You can't get one without experiencing the other."

She didn't know what to do, I could tell. Her having this could put the Normandy and my crew at risk, but having experiencing my own losses, I wasn't going to deny her the ability to possibility cope with hers, which was much more final.

"If it's that important to you," I finally said as I walked up and placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. "Keep it. Just make sure you're ready to live with the consequences."

"Yeah, I am," Kat replied without hesitation. "I'll stay off the grid. No one will know I exist." She sat down and looked at me again, thoughtful. "I think I want this. Thanks, Laryna." And her visor comes back up, and I sat watching as a few tears escape her eyes every once in awhile during our trip back to the Normandy.