Miranda Lawson had played many roles in her lifetime. The good daughter, the loving girlfriend, the diligent agent. Now she was adding Hexogen public relations executive to her cap. Cerberus may be her real employer however that mattered little. Right now she was the most important person of the group's front company. "Okay Miranda you are representing one of the alliance's largest corporations." She smoothed out the uniform patterned in the company's namesake. "Come on girl pull it together. No one likes a giddy woman with power; It scares people." The operative couldn't help but smile. This was the first time in her life that she had so much influence and power. "You're merely the executive officer. You still have to answer to Commander Shepard." Another turn around to check her backside. "Human perfection."
Most people saw her as cold and calculating. Heartless, icequeen, royal bitch; the agent had heard them all. In truth she was playful even nieve, not that she would ever admit such things about herself. Agent Lawson was just a role to play. Another mask in her collection.
Miranda felt an uncharacteristic sense of excitement wash over her when greeting perhaps the most famous human in history. Someone in her false line of work would likely feel the same and act accordingly, so she let the emotions remain.
"Commander Shepard! It is an honor to meet you." Both women shook hands. One more excitedly then the other. "I'm Miranda Lawson; Hexogen's representative to the Citadel, your X.O. and Humanity's representative planetside."
"How the fuck did you manage to snag all that?" The specter's eyes were hard and accusatory with facial scars adding to the questions severity.
"Uh... my company footed the bill for the ship." She had not expected the ex-N7 to question her authority in such a blatant fashion. She decided to put any further speculation to bed. "What's a few billion when you can get in on the ground floor of a soon to be uplifted species who will likely come to us with all their advanced technology needs."
"So you're not military?"
"No."
"Then you're not my X.O."
"I'm sorry? That is against Hexogen's deal with-
"Not me." Shep spun on her heal to face the shorter woman. "The Council put me in charge of this mission and this vessel." She put her hand up to quiet the rebuttal before it started. "Even should they decide otherwise the SR-2 is a joint Turian Hierarchy and Systems Alliance ship. In neither military is a civilian allowed to be in a position of authority onboard."
Miranda was speechless. In a single breath Commander Shepard had revoked a title her boss spent several hundred million credits and half a dozen favors to get her. With that amount of power the illusive man could have had a councilor assassinated, and this woman just said no.
"The crew dossiers are on file. Pick someone from there." Shep walked off to engineering to start the pre-flight inspection leaving the no longer second most influential or powerful woman onboard with the beginnings of a migraine.