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Returning to the Normandy, Shepard and Garrus walked together, with Thane a bit ahead of them, his head turning this way and that in interest. Shepard had to wonder if he was looking for the best places to infiltrate the ship. Actually, that wasn't a bad idea—having Thane go over the ship and make sure an assassin would have a hard time getting aboard might be something she needed to put on her list of things to do.

In the meantime, she was still deeply concerned about Liara, and she said as much to Garrus. "She was never this vengeful, not even after what Saren did to her mother."

"Whoever this friend was that the Shadow Broker killed, they must have been very close."

"I agree. But I hate to see her go down such a dark path."

Garrus looked at her affectionately. "How many of us have you helped gain revenge now? And yet you still don't approve."

"Just you," Shepard said.

"And Wrex—you hunted down the man who stole his armor and got it back. That's revenge. And you're taking me to the Citadel to find Sidonis and Jack back to her old cell to get revenge on the entire facility."

Reluctantly, Shepard had to concede the point. "Okay, so revenge is sometimes necessary for peace. But … it's just not Liara."

"It's not who she was. You have to accept that while you were dead, and unchanging, or at least so it seems to you, the rest of us were out here experiencing two years of life, on top of the loss of someone close to us and the break-up of what was our home. The destruction of the Normandy and your death changed us, Shepard—ironically, a lot more than it changed you." He paused, then continued, "And you're not exactly the same person, either. Oh, not that I think Cerberus got anything wrong in your rebuild," he added hastily, "but coming back to a world that is different than the one you left has put its mark on you. I'm just saying … don't judge Liara too harshly."

"I'm not judging her! I just … want to help."

"Be careful," he said. "The motivations may be different, but the results can look awfully similar."

Ahead, she saw Thane stop to wait for her.

"I've got to go get him settled." She put a hand on Garrus's arm. "But I'll take what you've said under advisement, Garrus, thanks." She meant it, too—he was right, the others had been through more in many ways than she had, and come out the other side more changed than she would have imagined. She would have to be easier on them—Garrus himself, Liara … and Kaidan.

Time enough to consider that later. For now, she hurried after Thane so she could introduce him to Jacob, since he had already met Miranda on Illium. Miranda approved, she could tell; so far, the addition of new crew had been remarkably smooth. Miranda and Jack were like oil and water, but they mostly avoided each other. No one went near Grunt other than Shepard, and they all thought she was crazy to have awakened him from the tank, but she remembered Wrex's unswerving loyalty. Because of him, she would give Grunt the benefit of the doubt.

Jacob was approaching Thane with his hand out to shake, but Shepard sensed a hesitation. In many ways, Jacob had never shrugged off his early Alliance training. He was still something less than completely comfortable with the extreme nature of some of Shepard's companions. Mordin he was okay with; he understood Mordin. And after years in the turian military and C-Sec, Garrus spoke Jacob's language. Grunt was more like Jacob than the human knew, but he couldn't see past the krogan to the person inside. Jack he clearly thought was just crazy. And apparently he was going to be uncomfortable with their new drell assassin associate, as well. Shepard hoped at some point the young human would learn to bend a little, or at least to see things in a new light.

"I've heard impressive stories, Krios. Sounds like you'll be a real asset to the team," Jacob said. He folded his arms across his chest, leaving no doubt as to his real feelings, even before he looked at Shepard and added, "That is, if you're comfortable having an assassin watch your back."

"Who better to know where an assassin might strike?"

The green plates above Thane's eyes, where a human would have eyebrows, had risen at Jacob's bluntness. Now they relaxed and he gave a courteous nod to Shepard. "A good point." Turning to Jacob, he said, "I have accepted a contract. My arm is Shepard's."

"Uh-huh," Jacob replied, unimpressed. "I don't know about you, but I'm loyal to more than my next paycheck."

"You seem very free with your assumptions. You don't know me; how can you assume you know where my loyalties lie or how I arrive at them?"

"Jacob, you might want to check your facts before you speak. Thane is doing this mission gratis—clearly this is not about a paycheck for him, either." Shepard leveled a look at her associate that spoke to her disappointment in his attitude—although if he was going to have an attitude, she preferred that he spoke bluntly rather than hid it behind smiles, the way Miranda and Jack dealt with one another.

Jacob's expression didn't change; nor did his body language. "I don't like mercenaries. An assassin is just a precise mercenary."

"Hardly. The amount of training alone makes a difference. And an assassin is comfortable working alone, where a mercenary always needs orders," Shepard argued.

"You show an excellent understanding of the requirements for the task, for a soldier," Thane remarked. "Have you ever considered taking up that line of work?"

She smiled. "Remember, I come through the front door while you drop in from the ceiling. That's my way. Hardly subtle enough for an assassin."

Thane didn't smile in return, but there was humor in his eyes. "True enough."

"You can't seriously say you respect a guy who shoots people from the shadows, for money?" Jacob demanded.

"I am saying that."

"An assassin is just another weapon," Thane said. "A weapon does not choose to kill—the one who wields it does. In this case, the one who wields it is Shepard. My arm is hers."

"And I appreciate it," Shepard assured him.

"I trust you will use me wisely." He gave that courteous nod again. Ignoring Jacob, who still stood with his arms folded across his chest, his expression hostile, Thane asked, "Where would you like me to put my things? If possible, I would prefer someplace dry."

From her station in the middle of the central table, EDI spoke up. "The area near the life support bay on the crew deck tends to be slightly more arid than the rest of the ship."

"Is it?" Shepard was surprised; she'd never noticed a change in humidity in different parts of the ship. EDI did have her uses, despite how much she irritated Joker.

"An AI?" Thane asked with interest. He gave the courtly nod to EDI's representation on the table. "My thanks." He glanced at Shepard. "You will find me there should you have any questions for me. Such as whether I intend to murder the entire crew one by one in their beds," he added with a sidelong look at Jacob. Then he shouldered the canvas bag he had brought on board with him and left the briefing room.

Shepard smothered a smile in response to Thane's comment. She didn't want Jacob to think she was laughing at him. Jacob was still practically bristling, and she sighed. He was really going to have to learn to stop wearing his attitudes on his sleeve. "Look, we need all the help we can get. You know that, I know that, the Illusive Man knows that, which is why he gave me Thane's dossier in the first place."

"Yeah," Jacob said reluctantly. "I guess."

"He's not what I expected in an assassin, to be honest; I think he may surprise you."

"He might. Then again, he might not."

"But you'll work with him?"

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. I'll work with him."

"Very good. Dismissed!"

She breathed a sigh of relief as Jacob left the room. Sometimes assembling a team was a lot more tiring than it sounded.