I really have no excuse for this long delay. I really feel bad about it. I just had no motivation to write anything at all. Call it writers block or something else but I had it.

This chapter justifies a bit the rating I put on my story so please comment and review or PM me with your thoughts. I always appreciate feedback. Even when I don't follow it.

Edited 31.05.2021 for grammatical, stylistic and logic errors

09/01/2174 Serpent Nebula, Widow, Citadel, Chora's Den

Miranda sat in Chora's Den again at the same time as yesterday and was pointedly ignoring the smirk on the turian bartender's face. She had studied facial expressions and body language of almost every species as studying volus or quarian facial expressions was useless as they never appeared anywhere where she might meet them without their suits, so she was quite confident that the turian woman was smirking as she looked at her. Miranda knew better than to try to explain to her that she wasn't some lovesick puppy so instead she nursed her asari mojito analog and glanced at her omni-tool again. It was her spare one, the one that she kept secret even from Cerberus, containing everything she would need to run if it came to that. After she escaped from her father with Ori she was always prepared to run again if needed.

Looking discreetly around Miranda noted how very similar this was to any number of human bars she had been to, it seemed not to matter what planet or what species the bars were all the same. Filled with drunk people either trying to drink themselves into not feeling anything or drink enough to throw caution to the wind and go off chasing a thrill, be it sex, drugs or a fight.

What surprised her most of all were asari. For all their supposed wisdom and their long life giving them an ability to look past a lifetime of most of the other species they seemed to throw themselves into the same distractions as any other species, even more so than other species. She had seen an asari wearing a partially transparent silk dress and trading kisses for drinks with basically anyone. She wondered briefly if alcohol was a way to sterilise her mouth after every kiss or if she had enough of it that she didn't care about how unhygienic it was.

Miranda had spent her time before the meeting trying to gather as much information about Sam Knight and his mysterious employers even going as far as paying one of the Shadow Broker's agents for information on him. Unfortunately it seemed Shadow Broker knew even less about Sam Knight than she did. His service record was perfectly made, his parents were listed as dead in a shuttle accident, no siblings and no known lovers or any other attachments. If he wanted to, he could run anywhere and do anything and Cerberus or anyone else would likely never find him again.

But this was not about Cerberus anymore. In her search to verify the truth behind the data given she had uncovered even more evidence of what Cerberus have been doing. She had been part of some of that but she had never seen the overall picture. As it turned out the noble goal of keeping humanity safe and secure was just a front for pure power grabs, financial gain on behalf of the Cerberus supporters or plain old revenge. Illusive Man's actions and decisions baffled her, one moment he seemed to be playing the long game, next he sent agents chasing momentary gain. If she had not met Illusive Man, if she had not talked to him she would have assumed there were multiple people under that guise. But she knew better and that puzzled her even more.

Deep in thought she finished her drink and was about to order another one when Sam Knight sat on the barstool next to her.

"Good evening Miss Lawson" I greeted Miranda and I could not help but feel optimistic at her surprise that turned into mild annoyance before turning into a vague smile that touched her lips for the briefest of moments.

"Good evening Mr Knight." she replied deadpan regaining composure

"Shall we go somewhere more private?" I gestured to a row of private booths lining the wall.

"That would be for the best." she nodded and headed for the nearest vacant one. I noticed Chora giving me a wink. If only the situation could be that simple.

Once inside I pulled out a multi-spectrum frequency jammer and put it on the table between us.

"Wouldn't want anyone to overhear us. So any pressing questions you want to ask me first?" I leaned back in the seat making myself comfortable, I doubted that the conversation was going to be quick or easy for either of us.

"What do you want from me?" she demanded as soon as she sat down

"Straight to the point I see. Well to be equally blunt I want you to replace Illusive Man. He is no longer capable of seeing the divide between a necessary but hard action and straight up evil. You have seen things that Cerberus has done, how many of them have been because there was no other way and how many of them were done simply because it was the easiest way to achieve the objective? When collateral damage is ignored instead of being regretful. Illusive Man, or if you want to know his real name, Jack Harper is no longer capable of seeing the difference." I explained.

"What makes you think I am capable of becoming a replacement for Illusive Man? Or that my judgement is any better than his? I did join Cerberus of my own free will and even back then they were called terrorists?" she said her voice steady but not disagreeing with me on the evaluation of Cerberus deeds. That was good. I hoped she dug deep enough to see just how much of Cerberus had been compromised.

"Because I know why you really joined Cerberus. Oriana. You ran from your father, from everything you knew because you couldn't bear to see him turn Oriana into what he wanted you to be." I said and prepared myself for an outburst of anger instead I got a shocked look before she averted her eyes. No doubt at the moment she was reevaluating the threat that I posed to her and her sister.

"I don't pretend to know what you went through or know what you feel but your actions speak for themselves. Actions not words matter. And yours say as much about you as Harper's say about him. Jack Harper was broken by what he experienced during the First Contact War, he might have had a noble purpose at some point but he only thinks of himself and Cerberus when he talks about humanity, everyone else is expendable." I said after a few moments of silence.

"So, this is the plan then. The organisation you work for does not like the competition and decided to take it out using internal strife using my emotional connection to my sister." she said her tone ice cold only matching the icy glare she was directing at me. I might have been a tad quick with mentioning her sister.

"That would have been a plausible explanation if I still worked for them." I said keeping myself relaxed.

"And how do I know that is true?" she asked

"The very fact that I am talking to you right now, that Cerberus was able to find me at all. My previous employers decided that Cerberus knows too much about me. How that information got leaked I do not know but Cerberus interest in me was too great of a risk, I had become a liability. There is a reason even people who work for them have no real idea of who they are. They are a secret organisation and they take the secret part very seriously." I explained

"Even if that is true you know why I joined then you know I can't go against Cerberus just because I don't agree with their methods. You know what is at stake." Miranda replied the look in her eyes changing from ice to regret

"Yes, which is why you have to do what I suggested. For Oriana's safety." I handed her another data chip, a bit of information I had dug up in preparation for this meeting, Shadow Broker's fee was worth it even as substantial as it was. Miranda took it and after a brief scan for any malware loaded into her omni-tool. For a few minutes she sat engrossed in what she was reading. Not that I blamed her. If what I had given to her before made her re-evaluate her loyalty to Cerberus enough to meet me a second time instead of sending a gang of goons after me then this would change a lot more.

"So, Illusive Man and my father. Playing me from the start. Using my sister as a hostage to keep my father in line. Using the threat of my father to keep me loyal. Outsmarting both the father and the daughter. But I still can't be sure that you are not just playing me. So far all of this proves that I am in danger and my sister is in danger because of what you have just told me." Miranda said as she finished reading and I could see her shoulders slump a little as the implication hit her. Henry Lawson was one of the first Cerberus supporters, their goals of human dominance aligned, their philosophies of results at any cost identical. But Miranda knew that already. What she didn't know was that Henry Lawson had been trying to gain more power in Cerberus, trying to undermine Illusive Man. So when Miranda ran it was a perfect opportunity for Illusive Man to put him on a leash. Officially Henry Lawson cut all ties but that was just the story. In reality Illusive Man had contacted Henry and told him that unless he cooperates fully then both of his precious examples of genetic legacy were going to receive a bullet to the head.

"You will simply have to trust me. You have played this game before. You know the score. Anything I say or do will never be the concrete proof that I am what I say I am. Not really. In this line of work nothing ever is a 100% sure thing." I said trying not to sound like smug bastard.

"Why do you want to do this?" Miranda asked her eyes probing

"Because humanity needs Cerberus, not as it is now but as it promised to be, a vanguard of humanity standing between it and any who will do it harm. Cerberus needs to stand where Alliance or the Council can't or won't. But Cerberus needs to help, not to cause more pain and suffering. You saw Teltin files. How many children did they kill? How many parents grieve for their children? I could go to Alliance and tell them everything I know about Cerberus or even go to C-Sec but it won't stop Cerberus. Even if we take down most of Cerberus cells some will survive to start it all over again with Illusive Man in charge. Illusive Man IS Cerberus. So the only option is to remove him." I ended my speech with rather more passion than I had intended but thinking about what Cerberus actions did always get my blood boiling. The sheer arrogance and stupidity of the methods Cerberus used to get it's way was just too much. And constantly saying they are doing it to protect humanity even while murdering innocent people.

"Tell me how." Miranda said simply and I could see that she had made the decision. Miranda I knew was always loyal to the idea of Cerberus rather than the organisation or it's leader. I was glad that Miranda in front of me was the same one. I leaned in and started talking.

Later, Tayseri Ward,A Touch of Blue Hotel, Room J32

Sam

I kissed Miranda and she kissed me back with seemingly no reserve at all. For a moment there, well ok, for a few moments there I was lost to the sensation of her silken, zephyr-like lips that had just a hint of sweetness to them. I couldn't help it, I have never been kissed like that so my control slipped a bit. She was after all the third woman I have kissed in my life. The next thing I know we are on the sofa, she is straddling me and we both have lost half of our clothes on the way here. Breathing hard as if I had just run for miles I noticed that her bra was laced in a pattern of small five petal flowers. What that bra contained was pressed hard against my chest. Judging by what I was feeling press against me, her swollen lips and the dilated pupils suggested that I had been not alone in my loss of control. That gladdened me greatly, to put it politely.

"Wow" I said the most cliché thing ever. I gave up trying to unhook her bra with one hand while the other was down south of her belt and put both of my hands on her hips and I used my thumbs to caress her abdomen on both sides of her navel. Lowering my head I planted a kiss on her neck and hearing her make a soft moan I was about to continue with what we had started when she put her hands on the sides of my head and brought my lips in contact with hers again. But she did not kiss me.

"Wait, we can't. Not right now." she breathed out quietly, her lips caressing mine softly as she spoke.

I nodded masking my movement in a nuzzle against her cheek.

"When?" I whispered, the reason for all this forgotten and could not help but trace my lips against her ear. She cast an appraising glance at me as she pushed herself off me.

"Soon enough." Miranda answered giving me the kind of look that promised way too much for my brain to handle but thankfully she turned around and strode towards the built in bar on the wall opposite the door and she did not see me stare at her slack-jawed. I knew my brain was short circuiting in the worst way possible but somehow I just couldn't bring myself to care about it.

Miranda

Miranda had to call up all the self control she could muster to walk away from Sam, she had not expected that a few kisses could burn so deeply with passion. She had always prided herself on her ability to distance herself from what was going on with her body and keep calm, it allowed her to ignore pain and push through injuries and discomforts alike. It allowed her to use her biotics for far longer than any other human she had met so far. And yet his kiss, his touch had gone straight through and now the fire was burning deep inside her. She had not encountered this kind of raw passion yet. What surprised her was that a part of her answered so eagerly. An ember so deep inside her that she didn't know it existed and Sam was the fuel that made it burst into a flame. As she reached into the bar and pulled out a bottle of something that looked expensive and strong she commanded her hands to stop shaking and taking two glasses from the rack poured a third into each glass. She swallowed the contents of her glass and turned towards Sam and then as if on queue the door slid sideways and two Cerberus operatives burst in. She felt the stun charge hit her in the small of her back. Then another one hit her in the left shoulder. She did not have time to even call out. Feeling her muscles relax she slid down to the floor her head turning in the direction of Sam. The last thing Miranda saw was the boot of a Cerberus operative.

Sam

Seeing Miranda fall to the ground without even making a sound put me in full battle mode, leaping forward I collided with the nearest operative driving him to the ground. The other one got off two shots with the stunner before my fist impacted the front of his helmet. There was a crunch as the helmet's visor cracked. Turning toward the guy on the ground I went for his gun when I felt the stinging pain against my back as if I was bitten by a hundred wasps. It was followed by the sound of a riot gun discharge. Made to take down groups of unarmoured people they were basically stun shotguns. I got hit with the whole blast on my own due to proximity of the shooter. I whirled around but another blast caught me in the side and I tripped over my own feet. Extending my hand to break my fall I felt it go numb and instead of a palm I hit the floor with my elbow. Rolling myself to face upwards I tried to say that I give up to the Cerberus operative aiming the riot gun at my head but all I managed was.

"Igshp"

I was still conscious when I felt as they tied me to a stretcher but all of it was far away, all my senses dulled to fuzzy incomprehensibility. I wasn't that worried about myself. I knew that they would not expect me to be as resilient as I am, my body and training made torture quite ineffective and there was no needle that could pierce my skin to deliver truth serum or other drugs. The only way would be to make me drink it but even then their effect was not a forgone conclusion. I let myself drift off my consciousness bouncing on woolly waves in a hazy sea. Surprisingly it was quite pleasant as kidnappings go. It was by far the most relaxing thing I have experienced in a year.