Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or any of its characters. They are products of BioWare, EA and certainly not me. This fan fiction is for entertainment purposes; no profit or intrusion of copyright is intended.

Note: Thanks for sticking with me. I'm really enjoying writing this story. Hope you all enjoy, by all means let me know what you think.

Before setting a course for the Citadel, Shepard instructed Joker to take the ship towards the Amada system in the Omega Nebula. Upon entering the system, Shepard walked down the long corridor towards the bridge and stood behind Joker, looking out at the expanse of the system. Memories flooded his mind from his last visit to the Amada system and the fatal consequences of their search.

"Never thought I'd be back here, Commander," Joker commented as he guided the Normandy through the system.

Silent, Shepard nodded, eyes searching the space and the familiar haze of the planets.

"Let's try not to have a repeat of last time, ok?" Joker said with a forced smile. "I don't plan on losing a second Normandy. Bad track record for a pilot, ya know?"

Shepard offered a smile and patted Joker on the shoulder. "Yeah, I know. Take us to Alchera."

Joker hesitated. "Alchera? Commander, you sure about that?"

"I'm sure. That was the closest planet when the original Normandy was attacked. Chances are that's where the wreckage is. I need to find it."

"You got it, boss man." Joker said and rolled his shoulders as he shifted in his seat, guiding the ship towards the fourth planet of the system. "Are you going down, Commander?"

"I'm going to have EDI scan it first. See if there are any anomalies or signs of the crash site. We can probe for some resources while we're there too. We're running low and Mordin's been barking about that."

When the Normandy neared the planet, Joker tensed, eyes darting as he constantly monitored the radar and the surrounding space. "Gotta be on guard," he stated to EDI as the AI flickered upon the console. "Last time I was here, wasn't too pleasant."

"That would be an understatement, Mr. Moreau." The AI quipped.

Joker eased the Normandy into orbit around the planet and switched on the scanners. "Alright, EDI, do your thing."

"Anomaly detected." The AI stated immediately.

From his place at the galactic map, Shepard maneuvered the scanners, probing the world not only for resources but for information about the anomaly. A slow smile finally crept onto his face as he whispered. "It's her." He pushed away from the galactic map. "Joker, send the coordinates to the shuttle. I'll be leaving shortly."

"Aye, Commander." Joker responded, looking curiously over his console down at the icy planet below. "Wonder what it looks like."

"Alchera is the fourth planet of the Amada system…" EDI stated flatly. "orbiting at 9.5 astronomical units with an orbital period of 29.4 earth years. The surface temperature averages at approximately negative 22 degrees Celsius with a surface gravitational measurement of …"

"Thank you … EDI," Joker interrupted. "You know next time you can just say, 'Pretty damn cold'. Or 'Holy crap, it's always dark.'"

"I was simply answering your question with accuracy, Mr. Moreau. Pretty … damn … cold is a fairly subjective response as I do not feel cold. Thus what is cold to you, will have no effect on me. Perhaps I could state instead: Based upon the core body temperature of human comfort the temperature of Alchera would be unsuitable for human existence without the assistance of protective outerwear."

Joker sighed. "The old Normandy was so quiet." He rested his chin in his hand as he planted his elbow into the arm of his leather pilot's chair and jammed his thumb onto the mute button.

Shepard purposefully strode through the docking bay towards the awaiting shuttle. He fiddled with the fasteners of his helmet then pulled the snug headpiece down over his head and attached it to the rest of his armor. "Joker, do you copy?"

"Loud and clear, Commander."

"Great, keep your eyes peeled and keep in touch. I don't know how long I'll be but I only got about four hours of air. Shoulda recharged it last week."

"Aye, Commander."

Shepard rechecked his armor and the airtank attached to the back of his suit then his omni-tool to ensure the environmental controls of the suit were active and stable. He looked up at the shuttle and paused in his stride. Miranda stood in the hatch of the shuttle, a hand extended to hold the bar as she leaned into it slightly, waiting for him. Her usual suit replaced with a thin flexible armor. A visor extended ear to ear, across her eyes in an orange patterned design. Her other hand hung limply at her side, a helmet in its grasp.

"Miranda, what do you think you're doing?"

"You're not going down there alone." She pulled the helmet on, fastening it to the collar of her suit. "I understand why you're going. I'm not judging you for that. But I'm not letting you go alone."

"I don't want company."

"You won't have it. I'm just here to fly."

Shepard placed a single foot into the shuttle, looking up at the woman. "This is something I have to do."

She shrugged casually. "I'm not arguing with you. I just offered to fly." She repeated then turned from him then and walked towards the cockpit of the shuttle.

He tilted his head, eyes raking her and settling on her hips. Every curve accentuated, even her heavy armor left nothing to the imagination. He quickly shook his head to clear his mind and pulled himself up into the shuttle then closed the hatch.

He eyed the memorial for the Normandy to be placed at the crash site as he sat at the back of the shuttle, legs spread and arms resting on his thighs. He ducked his head and closed his eyes when the shuttle launched and descended to the planet. Focused, he inhaled then exhaled calming his mind and forcing the tension to expel from his body.

He was exhausted, sleeping little and eating even less. Every moment he laid down to sleep, someone called on the communication device or his personal terminal binged to announce a received unread message. And the damn thing binged constantly every five minutes until the message was read. His mind refused to still. Food tasted like dust since his return to life, everything the same and entirely unsatisfying though that could be due to the army rations. His body felt weak but he refused to give in to the exhaustion. There was too much to do; he planned to sleep after they stopped the collectors.

The shuttle landed on the planet's surface and Miranda's professional voice announced the arrival. "Shuttle down, Commander. Just let me know when you're ready to move the memorial."

"Thanks, Miranda." He stood and threw open the hatch. He staggered slightly at the steady wind blasting into him then leaned forward to step out of the shuttle. He hadn't even noticed any turbulence on the descent. Either Miranda was the best damn pilot around or he was so engrossed in his thoughts, he didn't feel it.

Inspecting the crash site, memories flooded him, nearly crippling in their intensity. Minutes passed as he coped with the loss of a life, not only his but his crewmates. He found the perfect place for the memorial and returned to the shuttle for the metallic monument. The piece lay on its side in the shuttle and Shepard crouched down to grab a hold of the monument then tried to stand.

The monument heavy, he struggled to lift even one end. He braced himself and tried to shift the weight before muscles tensed in a second attempt.

"Shepard?"

He ignored the questioning delivery of his name and focused on the monument. He had to place it. The crew deserved it. Kaidan deserved it. Suddenly the weight was gone. Shocked, Shepard opened his eyes to see the entire monument glowing blue and suspended in the air. He turned his head quickly to the right.

Miranda stood just past the cockpit, a single hand extended towards the monument. A blue aura emanated from her as her biotic energies levitated the heavy object. "Where to?" She asked simply, in complete mental control of the daunting task. The memorial was heavy and he knew she had to focus intensely to keep it levitated and to manipulate it with intricate exactitude yet the difficult concentration appeared easy to her.

Accepting her help, he jumped out of the shuttle. "This way."

Miranda followed him with cautious steps, maneuvering the memorial with delicate precision out of the shuttle then towards the space he chose. She walked behind the object. Her biotic powers intensified the longer she utilized them; the blue aura around her expanded and pulsed as her usual sapphire eyes changed to a brilliant icy blue.

He pointed to the exact spot for the monument and watched her, transfixed, nearly entranced by her as she twisted her wrist to turn the memorial to a vertical position then slowly lower it to its permanent resting place. She finally released the monument and lowered her hand though her entire body still pulsated and glowed with energy. He saw only her eyes through her helmet, beautiful and bright from her energy consumption.

"Thank you," he whispered to her and though he couldn't see her mouth, her eyes smiled and she inclined her head to him. She looked up at the memorial. "It is a fine monument, Commander."

He circled the monument and nodded. "Yes. It is."

She waited in silence another moment. Her biotics calmed slightly but the aura remained as her powers slowly recharged. She turned back to the shuttle and as she passed him, she reached out to gently touch his arm. Her hand slowly slid away as she returned to the shuttle and stepped inside.

Shepard remained at the monument, staring at its curved beauty. Glinting metallic grabbed his attention out of the corner of his eye and he turned his head, brow furrowed. He walked to the shiny object and knelt to one knee. Dusting away the methane snow with his hand, he picked up the metallic object and ran his finger over the surface. 'Hector Emerson.' Dog tags.

He fisted the chain in his hand then looked around in the snow and ice, searching for more.

After an hour, Miranda stood from her place in the cockpit and walked to the shuttle hatch. Her eyes scanned the crash site. Shepard slammed the butt of his rifle into a crate then knelt to dig through the shattered pieces. Confused, she stepped out of the shuttle and approached him. "Shepard?"

Unresponsive, he tossed some large pieces of the crate aside before picking up a shining piece of metal. He stood then turned to Miranda, a dozen dog tags hanging from his left arm. He wrapped the most recent tag around his left wrist then eyed Miranda. "Twenty crew mates died with me that day. If their tags are here I have to find them."

Any sign of her biotic powers subdued, her colorful aura gone and eyes their normal deep and swirling blue. She nodded. "I can help you find them."

"I …" he wanted to find them himself but he had less than two hours left of air. "Ok. I didn't check over there." He pointed to the crew's area of the wreckage.

Together, they found the rest of the tags within the hour. Miranda waited for him at the hatch and when he approached, she slipped the tags over his left hand. "Twenty?"

He nodded and looked at the tags reverently. "Twenty."

"I'll start the shuttle. Close the hatch when you're ready." His eyes followed her back to the cockpit and when she sat down, he turned to look one last time over the crash site. With a sense of relief, closure and peace, he stepped into the shuttle and closed the hatch.

On the twenty minute flight back up to the Normandy, Shepard walked into the cockpit. He watched Miranda expertly pilot the shuttle, fingers agile as they swept across sensors, setting precise coordinates and maintaining the proper trajectory for rendezvous. So graceful, beautiful, powerful, talented. So damn perfect. "I wanted to thank you again, Miranda. I did want to do this alone but I wouldn't have been able to place that memorial without you."

"It was nothing, Shepard. I'm glad I can help you with this. After everything you've done for me, especially with Oriana, this is the least I can do."

"I didn't help you with Oriana because I wanted to be repaid, or to make you feel you owed me something."

"I know. You had no ulterior motives," she said simply, her voice steady though gentler than usual. "That is why I wanted to help you. No one has ever done something for me before just because. There was always another purpose. Except Niket, I suppose. He was a friend but in the end, anyone can be bought for the right price."

"Money won't buy me, Miranda."

"You can't make that statement. Everyone has a price."

"Do you have a price?" He asked. "You had said Cerberus would give you nearly unlimited funds. If they gave you unlimited funds on the condition that you jettisoned me out the airlock, would you do it?"

"Of course not, that's ridiculous." She stated simply then added. "I'd do that for free if you frustrated me enough."

Shepard laughed as the shuttle repressurized and removed his helmet, scratching his short hair His eyes lightened and when she reached up to fiddle with the clasps of her helmet, he touched her hand. "Let me. You fly." His fingers danced around her collar, unfastening the seals of her helmet before opening the back then carefully lifting it off of her head.

Miranda reached up with a hand to run her fingers through her hair, fluffing it and easing out any tangles from the tight helmet. "You laugh now." She smirked as she glanced over her shoulder at him. "Just push me far enough, Shepard, and you'll see what I can do to you."

"Oh, that's what I'm hoping for, Ms. Lawson." He murmured flirtatiously in her ear. Before she could respond, he rested a hand on her shoulder then turned from the cockpit to walk back into the main area of the shuttle.

After docking in the bay of the Normandy, Shepard and Miranda exited the shuttle. The moment his foot touched the floor of the docking bay, Joker's voice rang through the area. "Commander, the Illusive man is waiting for you in the communications room. I patched him through. He wanted the link to stay live until you returned."

Shepard groaned. "No fucking end."

Concerned, Miranda took her helmet from his offered hand. "If he's keeping the link live, it's serious. He never does that."

"Yeah, well he can wait til after I take a piss," he grumbled.

In her office, Miranda typed a brief report into her terminal before removing her visor then stepping into her private chambers to change out of the heavy armor. She glanced at the tight leather suit lying on her bed as she set the armor on the couch. Slowly, she pulled the leather suit over her legs then up over her hips, shifting to adjust against the tight fabric. She turned her back to the door as she slipped the suit further up and slid her arms through the sleeves.

The door to her office opened as she zippered the side of the suit and fastened the buttons. She ran her fingers through her hair and glanced over her shoulder at the door. "Chambers. This is unexpected."

Kelly Chambers quirked a little smile at Miranda and shifted nervously from foot to foot. "Yes, Operative Lawson, I know I don't usually come down here. Well except to sleep. Because I do sleep in the crew chambers and to eat because this is where the mess hall is. But I usually just talk to Commander Shepard. To give him information about the crew and what they need and their current condition."

"I am aware of your sleeping arrangements and duties, Ms Chambers." Miranda stepped to her desk and sat down, motioning for Chambers to sit at the opposite chair. "But something is obviously bothering you. And if you are coming to me, it must be quite serious."

"I … I don't want to say it's not serious but I also don't want to make it seem like this is trivial." Chambers quickly stated. "Commander Shepard trusts me and I don't want him to think that I'm betraying that trust but … well I have already talked to him about this issue and he's ignoring it. I don't know who else to talk to. I thought maybe the turian, but I'm still monitoring his mental stability as his brain waves do fluctuate at times so it could be hard to get a calm and controlled response if something were, say, to cause anger."

Miranda held up a hand. "Miss Chambers, it's obvious you're very worried about Commander Shepard. If something is wrong, I would like to know. If he is not at his best, we are not at our best."

Chambers nodded, her short red hair bobbing with the quick movements. "Yes, of course. You're right. Well, as you know, I monitor the habits of the crew. Whether it's mental, physical … everything. Shepard's vitals have been … declining."

"What?" Miranda leaned forward, brow furrowed in concern. "What do you mean, declining? Is his reconstruction failing? Are his cells degenerating?"

Chambers shook her head. "No no, nothing like that. Not yet at least. I just mean his sleeping and eating habits. He sleeps only a couple of hours a night, if that. Sometimes only four hours in a thirty six hour period. With that kind of schedule, his body is bound to shut down from exhaustion. And his eating habits. He rarely eats. The mess sergeant was muttering how no matter what he does, the commander always sends back the tray with very little consumed. I worry because, well I know that he's a special scenario." She shrugged. "Maybe he doesn't have to eat and sleep anymore because well he was dead and isn't dead now so his body needs are different."

Miranda frowned. "No, his body needs the same as it always had before he died. Thank you for telling me, Miss Chambers."

"Of course, Operative Lawson. Thank you." Chambers stood. "I … please don't tell the Commander I told you."

Miranda stood as well. "Don't worry, Chambers, I won't tell him. You were right to tell me. Thank you again."

Chambers smiled nervously and saluted before scurrying out the office door.