Her room was silent with nothing but the sound of her own mind as Sai'ira remained with her legs crossed on the floor in front of her bed conjuring what traces of element zero in the air she could, feeling most of it from her naturally eezo charged asari body is what some refer to as 'biotic will' or at least that's what she would tell her students back on Earth. When in a state of mediation justicars are vulnerable as they open themselves to accepting excess energy that flows in their immediate area, sometimes they're able to reach out and sense those around them and even broaden their sight (if you could call it that) from an outsiders perspective she was simply using her biotics as a way to manipulate space allowing her to listen further, and even sometimes feel objects and the people around her. Sai'ira tilted her head as she heard footsteps across the grass as Maxine was walking towards the main house, she bore purpose, intent. Sai'ira turned her attention to Titus who was in the kitchen, chopping away for breakfast while drinking his dextro tea, Sai'ira tried to feel the cup but nothing came of it as usual her will lacked focus, she was an aimless observer in the universe and for that Lareniea, her sensei, told her she could never be a justicar.

Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, Sai'ira broke her trance, her biotics making a noticeable sounds immediately followed by a crinkled ceramic crack. Sai'ira then hadn't realized that she was in such deep meditation or rather time had gotten away from her with the energy created and pushed back into the world like a filter she sorted the space and matter she didn't want with the ones she did and ended up expelling it causing the lamp to float, as well as a few chairs however the lamp was the only thing that broke. She cursed herself as she knelt down to pick up the pieces, as she heard Titus' voice from the door.

"Miss Shepard are you decent?"

"Yeah, come in."

"Oh my, what have you done to Aethytas Decuri-period lamp there's a rather limited number of those."

Sai'ira looked puzzled as she stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "You put an eight-hundred year old lamp in a guest bedroom?"

"I said limited number not irreplaceable." His brow plate raised, "just a bit of a inconvenience is all-erm, Miss Roth is here to see you." The old turian hobbled out of the room as Max watched him leave she stepped into Sai'iras' room carefully as to not step on the ceramic.

"Why is it that when ever I see you, you're always breaking things?" She asked placing her hands on her hips as she gently prodded the ceramic pieces with her foot.

"Just give me a second to get this all together."

Maxine blew a raspberry as she sat on the bed and waited with her legs crossed. As she looked around the room while Sai'ira picked up the pieces of the lamp.

"What were you doing in here? All the chairs are turned over, the drawers are all pulled out...nice underwear." The drawers all shut as Sai'ira stood up setting what was a lamp onto her dresser.

"I was meditating." She kept her voice calm, but she did feel a slight rush to her cheeks.

Max raised her eyebrows as she looked from the drawers to Sai'ira seemingly holding a question in her mind only to relax and shrug her shoulders. "Whatever you say Shep, I've got a lead on Porthi."

"Who is he?"

"A friend of Kelles, one of the eight captains."

"Why eight?" Sai'ira placed the pieces of the lamp into a waste basket before walking back to her closet.

"That's how many were left when E'nea took Horizon. Eight soldiers, all except one of the original are alive today."

"Where does Kelles rank on the list?"

"Bottom, he's the newbie. Salarian, which is controversial to some."

"Why?"

"Because he's not asari."

"Got it. Uh, do you mind?" Sai'ira asked holding a shirt.

"Go ahead."

She pulled off her T-shirt and slipped on the button up with four buttons fixed to the left side, she left the top one undone and fixed the collar that stood less than halfway up her neck.

"So," turning around as she wiped lint off her pants. "Where is he?"

The skycar hissed to a stop and the doors popped open, Sai'ira and Max stepping out onto the crowded street as trucks and cars briskly flew overhead she was nearly run over by a crowd of people as she pushed herself up against the skycar as they passed while Max fed the meter. After a few swipes of her omni-tool she walked to the passenger side of the shuttle. Sai'ira saw a holographic street sign that read '89th St.' an old, jagged, and rather narrow little slice of New Horizon. Funneling people together like cells in a vein with clothing racks on the pavement in front of stores, restaurant tables sitting on the street in blocked off areas. Max began heading towards one of the restaurants that sat on a corner. A pub with the closed sign blaring in bright red across the door.

"We can get in through the back." She said.

Sai'ira followed Max across the street and entered through the building next to the pub where where in the middle of a dimly lit hallway a man sat swiping through his omni-tool.

"Hey Max."

"Cam, is Fel inside?"

"Yeah he's waiting in the dinning room, in a booth."

"Thanks." Sai'ira gave Cam a nod of the head as she walked by, passing through the kitchen She garnered a few looks from the staff as they were doing prep work.

"Maxy! You never come by anymore, too important for us now you work at the Pantheon?" One of the cooks called out, a portly Salarian with a smudgy apron approached Max their hands echoed in a loud clap before embracing.

"Too busy more like, you know how it is Daelek, one thing after another." She shrugged.

"Oh I know I was just messing with ya, I know you're in deep with your friend here."

"Heard about that huh?"

"Heard about it? Ha ha ha, Maxy everyone knows. We just don't know what the boss put you up to...you're still with us after all."

Max let out a sigh as she glanced over to Sai'ira she turned back to Daelek and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll come by later tonight we can have dinner, catch up."

"Sounds great, I'll uh, make sure to have the steak ready-real cow too."

"Thanks."

"You got it."

Sai'ira remained silent as they entered the pub the bar tender was working at the register behind the oval shaped bar in the middle of the room he pointed to a booth when they walked in. Even with the chairs on top of the tables Sai'ira was still walking sideways to get to Fels booth she wondered if it was on purpose, perhaps he liked to see the people he meet squirm before they do buisness. The turian glanced up as Max and Sai'ira left the maze he put down his fork and stood up with a hand extended.

"It's good to meet you Max, miss Shepard." They sat down and as Max opened her mouth as Fel began to speak he stopped however Max asked him to please continue.

"Can I get you ladies anything? The levo food hear is pretty good from what I'm told, or something to drink?"

"Water actually, Shep?"

"I'm fine thanks."

Fel swiped at his omni-tool tool and set his hands down on the table, they stared at each other for a moment when a waiter came out from the back expertly weaving through the tables. Sai'ira opened her mouth to say something but Max put a hand on her thigh, she remained silent. The waiter, Setting the water down as Max thanked him she then drank it nodded at Fel who gave her a nod as well.

"To buisness then." He said.

"Right, I've come to ask about your relationship to Korta-Kon the Volus congressmen."

"Korta huh?" Scratching his mandibles, "let me guess it's about her?" He pointed across the table at Sai'ira who looked to Max.

"So you do watch the news-"

"Didn't have to, I was at the gala with a good friend of mine Miss Dh'elia."

"Good friend? What does Kelles think about this?" Maxine's eye brow raised.

"I wouldn't know, haven't spoken to him in a few weeks." Fel was calm, he spoke evenly like he knew every word that would come out of Max's mouth. Sai'ira felt uneasy Fel was too calm and the room aside from the bar tender working at the counter was much too quiet. However Max seemed alright, or at least she was holding herself together.

"Interesting, then you know who I'm with and why she's here."

"Of course I was notified yesterday that you two would be here, the broker acts much faster than our friends." His gaze was piercing as it rested on Max who took another sip of water.

"Does your good friend know about your relationship with the broker?"

"I think I should be talking to her." He pointed at Sai'ira across the table who leaned forward.

"The failed Justicar turned teacher...only one hundred and twelve and you've led quite the life."

Sai'ira narrowed her eyes, "I never underwent the trials."

"Why is that?"

"My sensei said I wasn't ready."

"That simple huh?"

"Most things are."

"Sounds failed enough to me."

She saw the glass of water start to sweat as Fel's tea continued to billow steam. Fel shrugged at Sai'ira's response as he sipped his drink and sat up right in the booth.

"Well," Max began. "You ready to see the boss? She just wants to chat with your friend the broker."

"Of course, of course one thing first. Miss Shepard, he's waiting for you in the back."

"What?"

"Not in person obviously, but there is a console in the back for you. Just past the kitchen the waiter will show you."

Sai'ira looked to Max who seemed unfazed in fact she seemed down right pleased as she picked up the condensated glass Sai'ira noticed a small puddle now sitting on the table. The waiter came back he stood silently looking to Fel who nodded in Sai'iras direction.

"Go on, we'll be here." Max encouraged as Sai'ira already assessed the waiter his hands were relaxed and at his sides with no weapon bulges in his shirt or pockets not like she had much choice to follow him while leaving Max alone. The waiter took her back through the kitchen and into the hallway of the building next to the pub where Cam sat as he peered at her from his omni-tool she could feel his eyes on her as they walked further down the hall Sai'ira began to think this was some kind of set up, a sort of divide and conquer.

Did Korta lie? She thought, no the encryption was real but Sai'ira's little voice was telling her to snap the waiters neck. In fact it didn't stop whispering to her even when they stopped in front of a door in the hall that slid open to reveal a small office the waiter motioned with his hand towards the room. "Take a seat anywhere." And he walked back towards the pub, Sai'ira poked her head in first even though the room wasn't dark nor too big just a small office with a desk and chair however mounted on the wall was a thirty-two inch vid screen across from it a small table and chairs, Sai'ira posted against the table and waited.

"Hello Sai'ira, I've been waiting for you." The screen lit up and and across was an audio wave moving up and down as the hidden voice spoke.

"Well I'll be," she muttered. "Why is that?"

"It's not every day you meet someone as unconsciously connected as yourself, the governor of Horizon, the human councilor. Even more rare to meet someone capable of change."

"The hell is that supposed to mean? And how do I know you're the Shadow Broker?" Sai'ira folded her arms.

"What would you like to know?"

She had a few questions sitting in the back of her head, but she had to test him first with something easy.

"First give me something only I would know."

The room went silent then an image appeared on screen, Sai'ira covered her mouth to stop herself from gasping.

"Sai? Sai'ira?" An image of a human male walking into what she knew as the back room of his store. She wondered who owned it now, frontier planets rarely let that sort of thing go to waste.

"Guess I'm early." He said putting a cigarette in his mouth, Sai'ira knew she was there just waiting for her nerves to go away knowing they never would.

"Hands." She appeared as if from no where as she was taught and held him at gunpoint as she was told.

"What's this about?" His hands slowly raised.

"You know what it's about, you couldn't wait till we left? There were medical supplies on that transport, raw materials, things Salvador could use. Why?"

He dropped the cigarette and stepped on it. staring her down she knew why but maybe there was some kind of altruistic intent some kind of redemption from his actions.

"Money Sai, I did it for creds. Salvador, the colonies, they're just like home. Layers of bullshit bureaucracy that some moron gets to lord over the rest of us. So I took from them, now what? Your code says you gotta shoot me?"

"No, you didn't kill anyone and your actions have yet to lead to any deaths. You're to be turned in to the local authorities and return what was stolen."

"I can't do that.-"

"Turn it off, I believe you." Sai'ira pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a low groan as she held back tears. Diego was the last person she needed to be reminded of, hell if the broker knows about that then she wondered even more what he would want with a failed acolyte of a dead order.

"Goddess, and I came here for a vacation. Why me? There's plenty of more capable people, I haven't done anything like this in decades."

"There aren't plenty of people named Shepard."

"Ugh, as if that has...E'nea T'loak wants to talk to you, that is the reason I'm even here." With a sharp inhale she crossed her arms as she stared at the vid screen.

"That is not true, you are here because I wanted you to be, and I will see you again in Kriek. There the fate of a city lies in your hands."

"You got a ride for me? The whole area is under lockdown, and the airspace is under Alliance monitoring."

"Perhaps your new acquaintance can help you."

"Hm, I doubt it. Listen, as I'm sure you know I'm in deep with E'nea and wouldn't mind it if you give her what she wants."

"She will not be a problem, find a way into Kriek, the rest will become clear."

The audio wave was still after that and without warning it cut out. Sai'ira stared blankly for a moment at the wall. She stood up straight and paced for a few minutes, thoughts racing as she realized she had just become a pawn in a game she never intended to play. Sai'ira didn't want to keep Porthi and Max waiting much longer so she left the office. Once again entering the dimly lit hallway as the door sild shut behind her Sai'ira heard something coming from the dining room. It sounded like tables and chairs knocking over with a faint voice yelling, Max's voice. She began to run a blinding dull pain hit her on the side of her head that rattled her teeth as she was knocked into the wall. A hand on her shoulder whipped her around and Sai'ira found herself on the wrong end of Cam's fist as another human jabbed her in the stomach then quickly shot up against her lips with a club knocking her against the wall her hair tentacles painfully crumpling against it as she slid to the ground.

"Sorry beautiful, orders. You know how it is, your boss pisses off our boss and us on the ground pay the price."

She tasted blood from her busted lip and her jaw started to click, once she had a chance to collect herself Sai'ira decided who she would hit first.