Chapter 26

Decoris System

Miranda leapt gracefully from the rooftop and through the open door of the idling shuttle. Taking hold of an overhead handle, she slapped the nearby panel, causing the hatchway to seal shut behind her, and shouted up to the pilot. "Punch it, Kolyat!"

The orbiter's thrusters flared and left a wake of vaporized water and superheated gasses behind as the shuttle soared into the air. Kolyat then immediately whipped the shuttle around and sent them screaming off to the west, hugging the rooftops over the Volpes settlement.

To her right, Miranda saw that Kasumi had just finished strapping in a still-dazed Amanda Kenson before sliding into the seat next to her and securing her own harness. Zaeed had thrown himself down into another chair along the opposite bulkhead.

Miranda frowned, seeing dark red blood was still flowing freely from the big merc's arm. She pulled a Medi-gel trauma compress from a pouch on her leg and thrust into Zaeed's chest. "For the love of God, tend to that wound! You're making a mess of my shuttle."

Zaeed curled a lip and let out a grunt as she passed. "Thanks, love."

She then angled her body through the tight center hatchway to the cockpit and squeezed into the co-pilot's seat. Scanning the instruments and long-range scopes, she strapped in just as the shuttle was buffeted by a barrage of violent turbulence.

They were rocketing away from Sanctum's capital at nearly nine hundred kph and still accelerating, intentionally remaining in the worst of the severe weather to better conceal their escape. The massive supercell rolling across the region was depositing a tremendous amount of electrostatic energy into the atmosphere, playing havoc with their avionics but also likely disrupting any local attempts to track their flight path as they fled the colony.

Miranda knew better than to underestimate the Cerberus or Blue Suns vessels in orbit, realizing they would be alerted to the raid on the lab at any moment. Kasumi's sabotage to the building's security and comm systems had given them a little extra time to get clear, but they were still operating with a very narrow window of opportunity. If they were to avoid interception, they simply couldn't delay a moment longer than absolutely necessary before they rendezvoused with the Cassandra, plotted a course out of the planet's gravity well, and reached the safety of FTL travel.

To her left, Kolyat was busy redlining the engines and weaving through the low peaks of a jagged mountain range. After they'd put three hundred kilometers between themselves and the colony, Miranda glanced over at him and gave the order. "That should do fine. Let's begin our ascent."

The young drell man returned a curt nod, but kept his attention fixed on the shuttle's instruments. He then yanked back hard on the stick, goosed the thrusters, and brought the shuttle into a steep vertical climb. They emerged from the massive, swirling weather system a few seconds later and glimpsed the pale blue sky of the upper atmosphere. He then skillfully executed a combined roll, pitch and yaw maneuver and pointed their nose toward the stars.

As the tiny eezo core engaged and enveloped the little shuttle in the mass effect field, Miranda worked the electronic jamming equipment and kept a close eye on the local sensors, watching for any sign of pursuit. Satisfied they'd avoided any immediate detection, she keyed the ship to ship comm. "Cassandra, this is Electra One-One on approach. Maintain silent running. We're coming in quiet and fast. ETA two minutes."

"Copy that, Electra One-One," Oriana's voice returned over the comm. "I have you on our scopes, standing by for retrieval. You're clear to approach. No movement detected from our friends in orbit yet. They're staying put."

Miranda furrowed her brow and eyed the telemetry pouring in from their tactical scanners. A Cerberus Hadrian class destroyer was parked in orbit, just over twelve thousand kilometers from the Cassandra, but hadn't made a move or shown any indication that they'd noticed their escape from the surface. Are they asleep up there? "Copy. Steer away and put the planet between you and that hostile. Stand by to break orbit the instant we dock. Be home shortly."

Several minutes later, Kolyat and Miranda worked in tandem to maneuver the little craft into the Cassandra's cramped maintenance bay. Once back inside the mothership's belly, the docking clamps engaged with a satisfying, hollow thump against the outer hull and the starliner's outer doors slid shut.

Kolyat let out a long breath and glanced over at Miranda with a cautious grin. "Well, that was exciting."

Miranda returned a reassuring smile, unbuckled her flight harness, and climbed out of the seat. "Well done, Kolyat," she said and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. She then slipped back over the center console and into the passenger compartment.

Kasumi had already pulled Kenson from her seat and was pushing the woman out of the shuttle. Zaeed was right behind the women, still clutching his assault rifle in close to the front of his armor, following the two women down the short set of steps and into the Cassandra's claustrophobically small shuttle bay.

The foursome and their prisoner arrived on the starliner's main deck a moment later where Kasumi, Kolyat, and Zaeed all looked to Miranda expectantly. Kenson's head was bowed, her eyes cast at the floor as she stood on wobbly legs.

"Kolyat, please take our guest to the Epsilon cabin and ensure she's well bound and sedated. I'll see to her wounds myself once we're clear of the system. Guard her until I come and relieve you. Do not underestimate her or engage her in conversation. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Miranda," Kolyat said. He then pulled the heavy pistol from the holster on his hip and took Kenson firmly by the upper arm, pulling her down the corridor and toward the aft section of the ship.

"Come on, big guy," Kasumi said, glancing up at Zaeed. "Let's head back to the infirmary and get you patched up. Miranda's gonna be pissed if you mess up the carpet." She gave a sly wink back toward her friend and led the mercenary toward the Cassandra's modest little Medical Bay.

Miranda then turned on her heel and strode purposefully in the opposite direction, toward the forward section of the ship and the starliner's bridge. She found Oriana there, seated within one of the Cassandra's two pilot seats.

The ship's cockpit was small, but functional. Soft, glowing lights from the instrument clusters and HUD illuminated the compartment and the twinkling of millions of visible stars shone through the viewing windows. It was quiet, almost serene, with only the hum of the ship's ultra-efficient engines and life support systems droning lightly in the background.

Her young sister was studying the long range scopes and sensor feeds intently, her brow scrunched up in concentration, but quickly glanced up from her console when Miranda stepped in and briefly stood beside her. "Hey," Oriana said softly, almost in a whisper. "Welcome back."

Miranda paused next to her and ran her hand affectionately through Oriana's shoulder-length black hair before sliding into the contoured seat next to her.

Oriana smiled up at her older sister's affectionate gesture and pointed, quite unnecessarily, to the bright red contact labeled 'Hostile' on the ship's primary tactical screen. "They still haven't budged from a standard elliptical orbit," she said and glanced over at Miranda. "Maybe they still haven't seen us?"

Miranda scrutinized the tactical plot and licked her lip. "Maybe," she said thoughtfully.

They'd noted the presence of the Cerberus destroyer in orbit above Sanctum when they had arrived the previous week. Miranda was well aware of the capabilities of that particular class of warship. She knew the vessel possessed an extremely advanced sensor array as well as a comprehensive cyber-warfare suite. And while the Cassandra was equipped with a sophisticated sub-light stealth propulsion system and other passive sensor-defeating technologies, the lack of movement from the hostile starship was tickling her intuition and making her feel decidedly exposed.

Still, even before their shuttle had settled back into its docking collars within the mothership's belly, Oriana was already sending the Cassandra on a rapid course out of the system, clawing away from Sanctum's gravity well. They were now putting tens of thousands more kilometers between them and the destroyer and were just another several minutes away from reaching the earliest safe point to engage their FTL drive.

"Detecting reactor activity and main engine burn from the hostile contact, Miss Lawson," the Cassandra's VI reported in its calm, feminine voice. "The ship is breaking orbit and appears to be coming about to match our course."

"Ah," Oriana said. "There they go. Thanks, Cassie."

Miranda turned toward her sister and raised an eyebrow. "Cassie? You named the ship's VI?"

Oriana let out a brief giggle before clearing her throat. "Yes! I got tired of calling her 'computer.' I felt like I was in some bad sci-fi vid. I had a lot of time to think about it while you were down there so now she'll only respond to her proper name: Cassie."

"I see," Miranda said and smiled, glancing back at the tactical plots.

"You know, I could have helped down there, Miranda," Oriana said, sounding more thoughtful.

Miranda closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "I know you could have, Ori. But I needed you up here in case something went wrong," she said, lying. "And you have to admit, Kolyat's the superior shuttle pilot. The timing had to be perfect and the weather down there was dreadful. You know how you hate turbulence. You'll be along with us on the ground next time. I promise."

"Alright …" Oriana said, looking unsatisfied. The younger Lawson turned her attention back to the helm for a moment but then quickly flicked her eyes back over to her sister. "He's still looking for me, isn't he?"

Miranda, still analyzing the destroyer's telemetry, gave a sideways glance at her sister. "Yes, he is."

Oriana shifted in her seat slightly and grunted. "What is his deal? I mean, does he think I'd ever be open to a life with him? It's so bizarre!"

"I don't know, Ori," Miranda said and sighed. "It's hard to explain his motivations, other than to say he's truly a megalomaniac and insufferably stubborn."

"Well, I guess that's one trait that runs in the family."

Miranda cringed inwardly, loath to admit any commonality between them and their biological father—or, to refer to the three of them in the context of a family. Oriana hadn't been raised within Henry Lawson's draconian household. She hadn't been subjected to expectations that were not merely unreasonable, but often times cruel. And she certainly hadn't been forced to endure a joyless childhood and adolescence devoid of almost any meaningful peer relationships.

However, she was also no longer the innocent, sheltered girl she'd been just half a year ago. She needed to understand the full scope of the threat that their father posed. But she was also right about one thing; a profound stubbornness was, in fact, a shared Lawson trait.

Oriana's expression fell, suddenly realizing Miranda's thoughts. "I'm sorry, Randa," she blurted out. "I didn't mean… I—I'm just weirded out by the whole thing."

Miranda flashed a brief, understanding smile. "It's fine. Really. I know how odd this all must be for you, never having met your biological father." Her expression then turned stony. "But you cannot underestimate that man. I can't stress it enough. He is terribly dangerous and not someone ever to be trifled with—or trusted—under any circumstances. Do you understand?"

Oriana gave her sister a pleading look. "Yes," she said in exasperation. "I got it."

"I'm serious, Ori. If anything was ever to happen to me, it's crucial you remain far away from him."

"Oh, come on. Nothing's going to happen to you! I mean, you're the most brilliant, badass ninja secret agent I've ever seen in my life, Randa. And that's even without your biotics!"

Miranda nearly let out a laugh, but instead shot Oriana a mildly reproving look. "Mind you station, please."

Oriana beamed back at Miranda and turned back to her console. "You got her, though, right? The Kenson lady?"

"I got her."

"Good," Oriana said. "Do you think she'll help clear Shepard's name? Let the Council and the Alliance know he wasn't the one that made the call in Bahak?"

"I doubt it. At least, she won't willingly. But there's much I hope to learn from her."

Oriana nodded slowly, glancing back over the ship's instruments, the gears grinding away in her head. "So who's this Zaeed guy? What's his story?"

"Someone else I'd like you to keep well clear of."

"Miranda, it's not like it's a huge ship! I thought he helped you and Kasumi down there? And that you knew him before, back on the Normandy."

"He did help—in a fashion. And yes, I worked with him before. But I'm not kidding. I don't want you alone with that man."

"Oh come on. You said the same thing about Jack, and she was great!"

Miranda groaned. "Ori," she said, her tone getting edgy.

Oriana rolled her eyes dramatically. "Fine, I got. Stay clear of the new guy. Sheesh, you really ought to work on that habit of always focusing on people's bad sides."

"Maybe people ought to stop showing me their bad sides so bloody often," Miranda muttered back.

They both then fell silent and busied themselves with the business of flying the ship. They watched as the kilometers ticked by, and eagerly anticipated reaching the point where they could engage the FTL drive and soar off toward the Skepsis System and its mass relay.

After a while, Oriana glanced over at her sister, a disturbed expression on her face. "Miranda, while you were down there, Kolyat and I were watching some of the coverage from Earth."

Miranda briefly shut her eyes and then turned to see a profound look of dread on Oriana's face. She reached over the center console and grasped her sister's arm. "I know," she said, trying to look confident but feeling like she was failing. "It's going to be okay though. We're going to help fix this."

Oriana's eyes were moist and she swallowed hard as she gazed back at her sister. She then seemed to steel herself and drew in a deep breath. "You must be so worried," she said. "I mean, I'm crazy worried for Shepard and I've never even met him."

"I am," Miranda said. "But he's strong. If anyone can survive an alien invasion, he can." She turned and looked out at the stars, trying to convince herself it was true. "But we have work to do now. We have to focus on what we can control."

Oriana set her jaw and returned a curt nod. The girl was petrified by what she'd seen broadcast from Earth, but she was also uncommonly brave and resilient for her age.

"Compu—," Miranda started before catching herself and rolling her eyes. "Cassie, can you establish a buoy connection to the Citadel?" she said, ignoring Oriana's giggling off to her side.

"Negative, Miss Lawson. All communications outside the system are currently inoperable due to an unknown network disruption."

"Very well," Miranda said and pursed her lip. She stole a quick look at the plot of the Cerberus destroyer, and then glanced over at their own telemetry. They were just seconds from escaping Sanctum's gravity well and reaching a point where they could jump to FTL speed. "Spin up the mass effect core to full output. Lay in a course for Skepsis and prep for faster-than-light velocity."

"Understood, Miss Lawson. Standing by to initiate jump to FTL."

Miranda nodded. "Let's go then."

Outside, the stars appeared to stretch and shimmer a little brighter just before streamers of blue-shifted light enveloped the Cassandra and they jumped away at incredible speed.

Miranda ignored the brilliant light display that popped all around them and instead gave the instruments and various running diagnostics one final look before glancing over to her sister. "You good here, Ori?"

"Of course," Oriana said nonchalantly. "Cassie and I got this."

Miranda, still wearing her sleek, black armor, made her way toward the aft of the ship and met Zaeed and Kasumi in the Cassandra's infirmary.

She saw that the big mercenary was sitting on the edge of one of the two beds in the small Medical Bay, pieces of his heavy, battle-worn armor strewn about. Kasumi was busy applying a fresh trauma compress to the ragged wound Zaeed had suffered to his arm while simultaneously injecting the area with multiple doses of Medi-gel and other antiseptic treatments from the multi-injector in her other hand.

Miranda crinkled her nose as she entered the space, Zaeed's musty body odor mingling with the smell of antiseptics and blood.

"Goddamnit, Goto," Zaeed growled, batting the injector away. "I swear, if you jab me with that bloody thing one more time."

"Hold still, Zaeed! I'm not a freaking nurse over here."

Miranda cleared her throat to announce her arrival. "Kasumi, here," she said, reaching out her long arm and gesturing toward the injector in the other woman's hand. "I'll finish that."

Kasumi looked up at Miranda and beamed a wicked smile. "You'll miss my bedside manner, Zaeed," she said and handed over the injector before retreating a few paces and taking up position against the opposite wall.

Miranda took the instrument, stepped closer, and lifted the man's wounded arm up at the elbow, holding it steady with her other hand. With smooth, practiced motions, she then proceeded to inject several more doses of the clotting and cellular regenerative compounds around the deep lacerations.

Zaeed had tensed, bracing for the inevitable harsh treatment he figured was coming from the raven-haired woman, but then relaxed after he realized he wouldn't be punished after all.

Kasumi, watching nearby, frowned in disappointment.

"Well?" Miranda said impatiently, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I'm eagerly awaiting this vital intel you claim to possess, Zaeed. And it better be good. Or else I might easily switch this injector to a paralytic compound and revoke the offer of safe passage aboard my ship."

"Well, what'd you want to hear first, love?"

Miranda glared down at him. "Do not try my patience, Massani. Begin with why in God's name Aria ordered a raid on a Cerberus-front shipyard, if you like."

Zaeed smiled broadly. "Fun story. Really starts a few months back when Cerberus sent a wetwork team to Omega to bag an operative who'd gone off the reservation," he said and then glanced up at Miranda. "This gonna hit too close to home, Lawson?"

Miranda made her next injection a little more forcefully. "Proceed."

"Ouch!... Right, well they were after some bloke named Grayson, who was working under an alias in one of Aria's crews. And as it turns out, the guy was also banging the Pirate Queen's daughter, Liselle."

"Whoa, wait!" Kasumi said, snapping to attention. "Aria has kids?"

He grunted a laugh. "Had. And just the one, as far as anyone knows. Still, there's hardly a soul left alive outside of this room that knows about Liselle. Anyway, the girl got her head nearly taken clean off while Cerberus was snatching up Grayson." Zaeed made an exaggerated throat slicing gesture against his neck with his free hand.

Miranda took a half step back, finishing Zaeed's treatment, and grabbed a bottle of disinfectant for her hands. She'd heard the name Paul Grayson tossed around a few times while she was assigned to the Lazarus Cell, but she was far too wrapped up in Shepard's reconstruction to pay much attention. She seemed to recall he was an assassin. "That must not have sat very well with T'Loak," she said under her breath.

"Yeah, you think? Went goddamn ballistic. She sent out a dozen tracker teams before they located the starbase Grayson had been hauled off to. I got the call to lead the raid, but it'd already been trashed and abandoned. Grayson and the rest of the Cerberus wankers were long gone. But they'd blown out in a hurry, before they could wipe the systems and data drives." Zaeed moved his heavily bandaged arm and activated his Omni-tool. A series of bio-scans and medical records appeared in holographic form. "They used Grayson like a lab rat, exposed him to Reaper tech salvaged from the Collector base that we supposedly blew all to hell."

Miranda stared at the imagery of the Grayson experiments, both astonished and horrified over what he'd been subjected to. Intentionally submitting a human test subject to Reaper technologies and influence was beyond ghastly. And more than that, it demonstrated a degree of irresponsibility on the part of the Illusive Man that was truly staggering, and, profoundly disturbing. "That's not possible," she said in a hushed voice. "We reduced that base to little more than an expanding cloud of gases and debris. And they had no means to safely traverse the relay without the IFF device." She paused, processing it all. "Unless…"

"You got it, doll. Cerberus bagged an entirely different Collector cruiser before the lot of us were getting ready to follow you and Shepard on your little suicide mission." He gave Miranda a smug look. "I'm pretty fucking speechless the Illusive Man never clued you in on that one."

Miranda had gone red, more out of anger than embarrassment. She understood full well that intelligence sharing within Cerberus was strictly 'need-to-know' and often times only disseminated according to the Illusive Man's ambiguous impulses. But sill, at the time she was helping to lead one of the most ambitious missions in the history of humankind, keeping her ignorant of the events Zaeed described felt like a whole new level of betrayal.

She supposed she had been deluding herself back then, feeling she was privy to a level of clearance on par with the man leading the organization. I was merely a pawn, she thought bitterly. Just another piece on the board to be manipulated.

"Salvaging and harnessing Collector tech may help to explain why Cerberus prioritized seizing Omega," Miranda said, recovering her composure—and her pride. "That region has suddenly become extraordinarily important, even beyond the strategic value of the station itself and its resources."

"Yeah, well, anyway," Zaeed continued. "After Aria saw the data we pulled from that starbase and what they did to Grayson, she had a major shit fit and decided it was high time she get off her tight purple ass and quit lounging about in Afterlife." He deactivated his Omni-tool and flexed his freshly bandaged arm. "Truth be told, she already knew the Illusive Man was a major player who couldn't be ignored when the Normandy showed up on Omega, sporting Cerberus markings and a certain resurrected Alliance officer in the captain's chair. It's why she picked up my contract with a hefty sum of creds after we got back and tried to do the same with Shepard."

"What? He never told me that Aria tried to hire him after our return from the Omega 4 Relay."

Zaeed shrugged. "What can I say, Lawson? Just because you were shagging him don't mean he's gonna spill all his secrets."

Miranda caught the anxious look Kasumi shot her, but remained calm. "This backstory is all very fascinating, Zaeed. But you claimed to have found something in the Cord-Hislop facility."

"Actually, it's who I found onboard the cruiser we stole," Zaeed said. "You see, it turned out my team had bitten off a bit more than we could chew after we'd made it onboard. We'd sealed the ship and dealt with the few troops posted inside, but we tripped an auxiliary alarm system. Security forces from all over the yard started moving in. My tech specialist bought it before he could finish the decoupling procedures and two Cerberus frigates farther up the docks were warming up their reactors, getting ready to cut off our escape route." He paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "That's when a team of turians and vorcha I had clearing the lower decks brings me a bunch of eggheads they found on the Engineering deck. Their leader says they want to defect from Cerberus and that they'll help get us out of there if we take them with us."

"Who exactly are we talking about, Zaeed," Miranda interrupted.

"The woman in charge was named Cole."

Miranda blinked. "Dr. Brynn Cole? You're sure?"

"Yeah, she's the one. I wouldn't forget her. Damn easy on the eyes, that one."

"You know her, Miranda?" Kasumi asked.

"Yes... Well, I've met her in passing. But I'm quite familiar with her work. She was the project lead for the team that designed the new Normandy's advanced propulsion and stealth systems. And if the Illusive Man has been delving further into Collector technologies, odds are she's been involved. She's a truly brilliant physicist and engineer—one of Cerberus's very best and brightest."

"Was," Zaeed corrected her. "I agreed to her deal and the ex-Cerberus geeks did their magic. They remotely powered down the frigates before they could clear the slips and dropped a nasty virus in their Vi's just to be sure they couldn't chase us down later. After another few minutes, they'd sealed off half the shipyard, keeping the response teams at bay, gotten the blast doors opened up to space, and overridden the locks on the docking clamps. Pulled out of that place without another hitch, the scientists riding shotgun."

"What became of them?"

"They stayed on for a couple days while we dog-legged it back through half a dozen different systems and relays, careful to shake off any Cerberus tails. When we finally jumped through to the Omega Nebula, the station had already fallen. Not that we could have done a goddamn thing about it—the ship hadn't even been loaded with live ordnance when we flew it out of dry dock." Zaeed jumped off the medical table and began gathering up his discarded armor. "We re-routed to the Crescent Nebula, where I kept my side of the bargain and cut Cole and her people loose. Gave 'em one of the ship's complement of Kodiak shuttles. Last I saw, they were making for Illium."

"Illium," Miranda muttered. "She wouldn't have remained there long. The woman's smart enough to understand the need to keep a low profile and stay on the move. Still, we may be able to pick up her trail there."

"So… What did you do with the Cerberus cruiser, Zaeed?" Kasumi said.

"I'm an independent contractor, not some fleet admiral or fucking pirate. I left it to Aria's people and went on my way. They were stashing the thing in the Tasale Asteroid Belt until they managed to link up with the Queen."

Miranda let out a long sigh. "That's everything, then?"

"Yeah," Zaeed grunted. "Consider yourself educated, Lawson."

"I'll require a complete copy of the intelligence you've shared, Zaeed."

"Yeah, yeah. You'll have it."

Kasumi cleared her throat and took a step forward. "One more thing," she said. "Before we blew the scene, I picked up a souvenir from the lab's processing area." She produced a small, cylindrical glass canister from her pocket and handed it to Miranda.

Miranda studied the object for a moment, noting it contained a white, viscous fluid of some kind and was sealed tightly within the canister. It appeared to be designed for use with a standard multi-injector medical syringe. "Well done, Kasumi," she said. "We'll have to secure better laboratory facilities once we get back to the Citadel in order to examine this properly." That is, if the Citadel still exists by the time they managed to return to the Serpent Nebula, she thought, picturing the Reaper onslaught that had descended on Earth.

"Zaeed, Kasumi will show you to a free suite where you can bunk. You're free to be on your way at our next port of call."

"Or," Kasumi said, "You could hang out and give us a hand. You know, old times and all." She smiled mischievously, glancing between Miranda and Zaeed.

Miranda smiled back stiffly and then began to gather up various supplies from the medical stores, placing them in a small hand-held container. "Yes, well, it's time I go attend to our other guest," she said, but then paused at the door, glancing back at Zaeed. "By the way, did you ever locate Grayson?"

"Nah," he said. "But you might check with Shepard's pal, Admiral Anderson. He might have a bit of insight on that topic."

She gave the mercenary one final thoughtful look and then swept out of the compartment.

After stopping in her quarters to remove her armor, change into a fresh set of clothes, and make a cursory pass through Zaeed's intel on Grayson, Miranda proceeded back to the other end of the ship and the small cabin she'd instructed Kolyat to take their prisoner.

Entering, she saw that Kenson was slumped over on a little sofa along the wall. Per Miranda's instructions, the Cerberus operative had been sedated and was unconscious. Kolyat was standing just inside the door, his heavy pistol still held ready at his side and looking eternally vigilant. I could almost mistake him for his father, Miranda thought to herself.

She then felt a series of subtle tremors reverberate through the ship as the Cassandra dropped out of FTL and began to decelerate. Oriana's voice was in her ear a moment later. "We're on approach to the relay, Miranda. Transition in three minutes."

"Thank you, Ori. You alright up there?"

"Affirmative. Cassie has everything lined up and Kasumi just joined me. We're good."

"Copy."

Miranda stepped closer to Kolyat, leaned against the wall, and crossed her arms under her breasts. She stood there in silence and studied Kenson, gathering her thoughts for several minutes and waiting for their transition through the relay to complete.

"Successful transition to the Raheel-Leyya Relay," Oriana reported a few moments later. "Recalibrating and prepping for the next hop."

Miranda allowed herself a brief sigh of relief, knowing they'd escaped any reasonable threat of pursuit. After they'd completed the next jump, it would be impossible for anyone to predict their destination with any degree of accuracy. "Understood. Stay sharp up there."

She then worked for several minutes, attending the older woman's wounds with the supplies she'd brought from the Med Bay. Kenson's injuries were less severe than Miranda had first thought and it was a relatively simple procedure to repair her burst eardrums and treat the largely minor contusions and lacerations she'd sustained.

After waiting while they completed their next relay jump, she injected Kenson with a potent stimulant, laced with her own personally developed cocktail of psychoactive chemicals designed to loosen the subject's inhibitions and decrease her resolve. She knew all too well that Cerberus would have conditioned Kenson's biochemistry to resist such techniques. After all, she herself had been treated with a variety of synthetic drug therapies to combat the effectiveness of so-called truth serums. Nevertheless, Miranda hoped she'd succeed in relaxing the double agent enough to glean a few useful facts.

A few moments later, Kenson began to stir before abruptly straightening her posture and casting her gaze around the small cabin. She looked up at Miranda and smiled benignly. "Hello Miss Lawson. It's lovely to see you again."

Miranda remained standing, her arms crossed in front of her. "Feeling better, Dr. Kenson?" she said, holding the woman in an icy stare.

Kenson drew in a deep breath and studied Miranda for a few seconds before responding. "This must seem all very odd to you, Miranda."

Miranda raised an eyebrow and then pulled a nearby chair over, sitting down directly opposite of the Cerberus operative and folding her hands atop the small table that separated them. "How so, doctor?"

"Well, I suppose I'm something of a mirror for you; Perhaps an image from the future of a road not taken or a predecessor you never knew existed." Kenson sighed and shifted in her seat. "It's really such a pity we didn't have the chance to work together before you abandoned Cerberus for your lover's childish idealism and naiveté. But perhaps I can understand the lure of such a man. He certainly is quite dashing and oh so eager to help a woman out of a dangerous spot." She smiled a little more cynically. "It was a simple matter really, to ensnare you both in Bahak."

Miranda remained impassive, stoically observing the loathsome woman.

"I was troubled to hear about the harsh treatment you received at the hands of the Alliance Intelligence Service," Kenson continued, feigning a look of concern. "I understand you're still incapable of safely utilizing your biotic abilities. A shame, to be sure." She stole a quick glance over at Kolyat standing in the corner before looking back at Miranda. "But you've become quite the nuisance since your fortuitous escape, Miss Lawson. I don't believe the Illusive Man would begrudge me for saying that none of us foresaw your association with the former ambassador. Very intriguing. Tell me, dear, does Anita Goyle satisfy the motherly figure you've sought all your life? Do you fantasize about one day introducing John Shepard to her, eagerly seeking the woman's approval for your foolish romance?"

"Enough," Miranda said sharply. "You will answer for what occurred in Bahak and you will help to clear Shepard of responsibility for that egregious act. And then you will face judgment for the three hundred thousand batarians you helped murder there."

Kenson shook her head slowly. "Look at you. I can't decide if it's touching or sad how you've become concerned with lives of an alien species so stridently hostile to humanity."

Miranda ignored the quip and placed the canister Kasumi had taken from the Sanctum lab on the table between them. "What will I discover after I finish analyzing this substance?"

Kenson glanced down at the canister, her eyes betraying a scientist's curiosity. "Oh, it's not my specialty, but I understand that this particular formula has improved the effectiveness of our shock troops exponentially."

"A synthetic genome therapy, geared toward military application?"

"Oh no," Kenson laughed softly. "Something much more exotic that that. I would take caution when handling that substance, Miranda. The effects on human physiology can be dramatic."

"I see," Miranda said and cocked her head to the side. "Then, perhaps a derivative of the experiments conducted on Paul Grayson?"

"An ugly business, yes. But the data extracted during those trials will likely prove invaluable in humanity's struggle against the Reapers. One man's life would be a small price to pay for such a thing, don't you agree?"

"But it's not just one man's life, is it Dr. Kenson? How many more will be sacrificed? You can't honestly believe that inflicting Reaper technology upon human test subjects will bring about a positive result. I've seen the data and it was nothing short of barbarism. To say the experiment was reckless would be a staggering understatement."

Kenson was unmoved. "As you are well aware, Miranda, Cerberus has always been willing to push the envelope far beyond the overly conservative tendencies of the Alliance and their myopic attitudes toward scientific exploration. Their dithering would prove to be the downfall of us all if not for the Illusive Man and his vision."

"His vision?" Miranda scoffed. "That man has been corrupted by his own selfish ambitions. If you think that he's still operating with the best interests of humankind at heart, you're a fool. I would never have allowed such reckless trials had he come to me the work." But even as she spoke the words, Miranda doubted herself. Would I have had the courage to defy him so overtly? She wanted to believe it, at least.

"Come now, Miranda," Kenson said, giving Miranda a disappointed look. "When did these ethical concerns become so important to you? Has John Shepard truly swayed you so far? Has he saved your soul? Tell me, do you ever consider the irony? You could have easily been among the dozens of Cerberus operatives your precious Commander slaughtered while he pursued Saren Arterius. It was only a few short years ago, after all."

Miranda returned a patient smile and leaned in toward Kenson. "I've simply acquired a broader perspective on the Illusive Man's motivations and an appreciation for the scope of his sociopathic tendencies. I freed myself from that man's oppressive nature. Shepard is everything that man is not but I didn't need him to see the world for what it is, to step into the light."

"Oh, I disagree. I believe you've shuttered yourself even deeper within that cold heart of yours; you've wrapped the flag of the Systems Alliance around yourself, desperately trying to fill the void left there when you abandoned Cerberus. It was a shortsighted decision on your part, Miranda. I can't tell you the regret you'll experience once you realize you've been left out of the coming revolution."

Miranda's ears perked up at the word revolution. The Illusive Man had used the same word when he'd spoken to her and Shepard in Bahak. She hadn't failed to notice it then and now she was certain there was greater significance to the phrase. "Let's move on, shall we? Tell me about the Alliance Intelligence Service. What is the nature of your relationship with that organization and how is it they became compromised by Reaper influence?"

"Well, that is an interesting topic, isn't it?" Kenson said, leaning back in her seat. "The origin of the group's exposure to Reaper indoctrination is unknown to me. Perhaps the Illusive Man has more insight into how that ultimately came about. But, it's immaterial now. You and your little group were quite successful in crippling their ability to function effectively when you disrupted the SAIS plans for Arcturus Station."

"Cerberus knew that they served the Reapers and yet you continued to aid them. Why?"

"The SAIS was extremely useful in promoting dissent within the Alliance and eroding the public's confidence. I'm sure you can recognize the utility of that sort of internal conflict. However, Reaper indoctrinated agents wielding highly advanced pathogens shouldn't be left unchecked indefinitely. Rest assured that a significant reactionary force of Cerberus vessels and troops were prepared to contain the situation had the plot against Arcturus succeeded."

"The shining white knight of Cerberus rushes in to save the day?" Miranda said. "And conveniently steps into the leadership vacuum."

Kenson shrugged. "The strategy may have been crude, but you can't deny its effectiveness. The dramatic turn of events on Horizon is proof enough of that," she said and frowned. "But of course you already know all of this, Miss Lawson. Why don't you ask me the real question you want answered?"

Miranda narrowed her gaze on the woman. "Very well. Tell me what they wanted with Shepard. Why were they so desperate to extract the Prothean Cipher?"

"Yes, the Cipher!" Kenson said excitedly. "Of course you already know that the SAIS was seeking out rare Prothean relics. It would seem they've found something. Something they don't quite understand. Something that poses a real threat to the Reapers."

"You believe they acquired an intact Prothean beacon?"

"Or, perhaps, another cache of intelligence requiring the unique perspective of a Prothean—or one possessing a Prothean Cipher—to decrypt? Personally, I firmly believe that that ancient species was close to finding a way to stop the Reapers. My own research indicates they were pursuing multiple promising leads." Her eyes lit up with interest. "It's fascinating, isn't it? Oh yes, there's clearly a threat they fear. Something they're desperate to recover before it's allowed to fall into the hands of someone capable of wielding it." She gave Miranda a look of concern. "I do hope your dear Commander Shepard managed to survive the invasion and escape from Earth. Losing him and the knowledge he possesses could prove catastrophic."

Something in the woman's eyes told Miranda she wasn't at all concerned with Shepard's well-being. They don't need the Cipher, she realized. The Illusive Man has something else.

But, even with the chemicals coursing through Kenson's veins, loosening her ability to withhold the truth, Miranda knew there was little more she'd be able to learn while onboard the Cassandra. In fact, the woman hadn't divulged anything that Miranda hadn't already guessed at or that might jeopardize whatever plans the Illusive Man may have in place. Whatever further secrets the Cerberus double-agent possessed, she'd need more time and resources to extract them.

"I think that will do for now," Miranda said before extracting a multi-injector from her pocket. "I'm going to sedate you again. When you awake, you'll find yourself in a cell onboard the Citadel."

"Bringing me to justice then, Miss Lawson? Delivering me to the eager hands of your new friends in the Alliance?"

Mirada tilted her head slightly to the side. "I'm doing nothing of the sort. You are my prisoner Dr. Kenson. And I am far from finished with you."

Kenson leaned in closer, stretching herself over the table, her hands still bound behind her back. "You can still come home, Miranda," she said, her tone suddenly beseeching. "The Alliance has been smashed by the very calamity that they arrogantly denied could ever occur. They can't save humanity. But Cerberus is unscathed. And we are making progress, not busy denying the truth about the Reapers. You're on the wrong side of this conflict." She flashed a kind smile. "You're defection was a blow to him, you know. He valued you immensely. But it can still be as it was before. You would be welcomed. As would Oriana."

Miranda resisted the urge to slap the woman across the face and instead answered in a steady, even voice. "You're wrong, Dr. Kenson," she said, her voice calm and precise. "The Illusive Man believes that the ends justify the means, no matter how horrific the means. He would see our species descend to the basest level of existence in the hope of averting our extinction. His actions are beyond reckless and jeopardize all we've accomplished as a people. I won't allow it to continue."

Kenson sighed, sitting back in her seat. "And so you will continue to place all our hopes on the so-called 'Savior of the Citadel'?" she said.

"John Shepard is simply a man," Miranda said, rising from her seat. "But yes, I choose to stand with him. Believe whatever else you like. Your opinion is meaningless to me."

Miranda then raised the injector to Kenson's neck, but was interrupted when the comm in her ear chirped and Kasumi's urgent voice came through a second later.

"Miranda, we have a Cerberus ship on extreme long-range sensors. The VI says it's an eighty-five percent likely match for the destroyer we saw over Sanctum. There are also two more contacts on an intercept course. We can't identify them yet—they're still too far away."

That's not possible, Miranda thought. "We're at FTL. How can they possibly track us past the relays?"

"I don't know," Kasumi said. "But they're able to see us somehow. We're moving at our maximum velocity but they'll still overtake us within ninety minutes."

Miranda had frozen in her tracks, but then glanced down at Kenson.

The woman was gazing up at her, a thin smile playing on her lips. "It really is time you come home, Miranda," she said quietly.

Miranda scowled back and then whipped around to face Kolyat. "You checked her thoroughly for tracking devices?" she demanded.

Kolyat looked utterly perplexed, his mouth agape slightly. "Yes," he nodded frantically. "There was nothing. I checked three times."

Miranda turned to look back at Kenson, racking her brain for the answer. A moment later, her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. She then quickly seized the kit of medical equipment she'd brought along, retrieved the handheld mass effect resonance imaging scanner from within the bag, and thumbed on the instrument's power switch.

Taking a firm hold of the woman's jaw to keep her still, Miranda began to wave the scanner over Kenson's body with slow, methodical movements. Her internal anatomy, skeletal structure, and nervous system were all output in clear, vivid detail upon the instrument's tiny holographic display.

Miranda scrutinized the imagery, finding nothing unusual, until she scanned the woman's head. When she recognized the small object imbedded in Kenson's brain, she drew in a sharp breath.

"What is that?" Kolyat said, peering at the display over Miranda's shoulder.

"A quantum-entangled particle," Miranda said almost matter-of-factly. "Encased within a cluster of Collector-based technology, fully embedded within her frontal lobe."

"Quantum-entangled particle? As in QEC tech?"

"Yes. It appears to be acting as a beacon."

"Can you deactivate it?"

"Not here. And certainly not without killing her in the process," Miranda said and then looked back at Kenson. "It's quite an extravagance, doctor. Should I feel flattered by such an extreme measure?"

"Feel whatever you like, Miranda. But you will answer to the Illusive Man and Oriana will be delivered back to her father. Our collaboration with Henry Lawson is vital to overcoming the Reapers."

Miranda smirked back at the woman for several seconds, studying her as if she was plotting her next chess maneuver. "We'll see." She then put the scanner down on the table, yanked Kenson up to her feet, and began dragging her out of the cabin, simultaneously tapping the comm in her ear. "Oriana, Kasumi, initiate deceleration and drop us out of FTL."

There was a brief pause on the open channel before Kasumi's bewildered response came back. "What? What's going on, Miranda?"

"Just do it. Now."

"Copy. Decelerating out of FTL and dialing down power to the mass effect drive."

"What's going on, Miranda?" Kolyat said, looking as perplexed as Kasumi sounded.

Miranda ignored him, pushing past the young drell as she hauled Kenson along behind her, leading the woman down the ship's main fore-to-aft corridor. When they arrived at the auxiliary starboard-side airlock a few seconds later, they felt the telltale reverberations of the ship's drop out of FTL speed.

Accessing the computer terminal imbedded in the wall next to the airlock's inner door, Miranda quickly confirmed the ship's velocity was reducing to an acceptable level and then keyed in a rapid series of commands, overriding half a dozen safety protocols in the process. A final set of instructions caused the seals to disengage before the door slid open, revealing the small space in-between the inner and outer hulls and the external airlock door standing between them and the blackness of deep space.

But, just as Miranda turned back to take hold of Kenson with both hands, Kolyat jumped between them and the open hatchway. "Miranda, what are you doing?" he said, glancing between the two women. "You can't do this."

"Oh, yes, she most certainly can, Mr. Krios," Kenson said, an odd look in her eye. "I believe she's quite happy to do it, in fact."

"Shut your mouth," Miranda snapped at Kenson before whipping back around, a fierce look in her eye. "Kolyat, as long as this woman remains onboard, Cerberus can track us with absolute precision. We can't outrun them and we can't evade them. Once they overtake us, they will take Oriana and me. They will kill you, Kasumi, and Zaeed. They will not show mercy and we cannot negotiate with them."

Kolyat looked unnerved as he returned Miranda's intense gaze and shifted uneasily on his feet.

Miranda's expression then softened a fraction and she gently touched his arm. "This is my call, Kolyat. It's completely on me. This woman is responsible for the deaths of three hundred thousand colonists on Aratoht. Innocents, Kolyat. Don't shed a tear for her. Don't you dare."

The young drell man swallowed as he hesitated another moment before letting out a quiet sigh and stepping aside, his eyes cast to the floor.

"It's okay," Miranda said in comforting tone. She then took a tighter hold of Kenson and thrust her into the airlock.

"You will fail, Miranda," Kenson said, recovering her balance and straightening her posture. Instead of fear, there was a strange determination in the woman's eyes. "You can't fight the inevitable. I urge you to recover your senses and come back into the fold. Cerberus holds the key to humanity's survival—and ascension!"

Miranda gazed back at the woman, her expression grave and uncompromising. "Goodbye, Dr. Kenson," she said and then tapped the nearby switch. The door immediately slid closed and sealed.

Still staring at Kenson through the small viewing port of the inner door, Miranda flipped off the cover of the final safety switch and engaged the outer door release sequence. Alarm strobes inside the airlock instantly flashed to life, casting beams of bright red and yellow lights within the small enclosed space.

Kenson's eyes remained locked on Miranda's. The woman then opened her mouth to shout something, but her words were inaudible through the heavily insulated doors and drowned out by the alarm claxon.

The compartment then depressurized and the heavy locking bolts of the outer door disengaged. An instant later, Kenson was jettisoned violently from the Cassandra, like an awkward projectile fired from a canon, and thrown out into the vacuum of space.

Miranda continued to peer through the viewing portal and out into the black of space, her feet rooted in place. When she finally realized her pulse was racing and her chest was heaving up and down, she tore her gaze away and slapped the button to secure the outer door.

A second later, Kasumi came dashing down the corridor and slid to an abrupt stop. She glanced between Miranda and Kolyat, a puzzled expression on her face, and then looked to the airlock door. "Miranda," she said slowly, "what did you do?"

"What was necessary," Miranda snapped, and then activated her Omni-tool and comm. "Oriana, power down all non-essential systems and alter course. I'm relaying new coordinates to the helm now. Bring us about nice and easy and prepare to engage stealth systems."

"Miranda, I read the starboard airlock activate for a moment. What's happened?"

"Later, Ori. I'm coming to you now. Acknowledge the new heading, please."

"Copy. New course plotted. Executing burn."

Miranda closed out her Omni-tool and met Kasumi's gaze. Her friend was biting her lip and staring at her with an anxious expression. She started to say something, but was interrupted by the loud thundering of heavy boots on deck plates as Zaeed appeared from around the corner and ground to a halt next to them.

"Why'd we drop out of FTL?" Zaeed demanded. He then paused and looked between the women and Kolyat. "Where the hell is the Kenson broad?"

"She won't be coming with us," Miranda said before storming past them and marching away toward the ship's bridge.

A little over twenty minutes later, Miranda and Oriana sat in silence on the bridge, watching the plots of the Cerberus contacts veer away from them and track the point in space where they still believed the Cassandra to be—but where they would only discover the frozen corpse of Dr. Amanda Kenson.

After altering course and going stealthy, they had gradually accelerated well away from the trajectories of their pursuers and put a huge distance between themselves and the human beacon Cerberus had planted onboard. They were now moving at a significant fraction of the speed of light, preparing to reinitiate their FTL drive and escape the system.

When Miranda told Oriana what she'd done, the girl hadn't questioned it. Instead, she gave her big sister a long, sympathetic look before giving a curt nod and returning her focus to the business of flying the ship.

Miranda now eyed the tactical display with absolute concentration, thankful to have something to focus on other than the distasteful act she'd committed a short while earlier. When the Cassandra was nearly two and a half million kilometers from the point where she'd thrown Kenson out of the ship and after the Cerberus warships showed no sign of having detected their true location, she finally allowed herself to exhale. "That should do it," she said in a hushed voice. "Cassie, have you had any luck establishing communication with the Citadel?"

"Negative, Miss Lawson," the VI said. "There appears to be several broken links or other disruptions in the network between our current location and the Serpent Nebula. Attempts to reroute or relay via alternative nodes have also been unsuccessful. Emergency band traffic has overwhelmed the auxiliary networks as well."

Miranda frowned and nodded slightly, unsurprised by the news. They'd been attempting to contact the Citadel ever since breaking orbit over Sanctum but had been met with nothing but static. "The Crescent Nebula buoy network appears stable and active," she said, eyeing a complex, interactive galaxy-wide network schematic displayed on a nearby console. "Can you confirm?"

"Affirmative. I am able to establish a consistent and stable uplink."

"Very well," Miranda said and then keyed in several new commands to the navigational and helm computers. "Bring the eezo core back to full output and prepare for FTL jump."

"Understood. New course confirmed and validated. Bringing mass effect fields to maximum integrity."

Oriana looked down at the course Miranda had input, frowned slightly, and then glanced over to her. "We're not going to the Citadel?"

"Not yet. Until we know for sure that the station hasn't fallen and that we're not flying into something truly awful, I'm not risking it. We'll go to Illium first. Liara still has significant resources in place there and we'll be able to get a read on what's happening in the rest of the galaxy," Miranda said and furrowed her brow. "Plus, there's a lead worth following on the planet."

"'Kay," Oriana said before turning her attention back to the task of preparing the ship for faster-than-light travel.

The two Lawson women worked with silent efficiency for another half minute before Oriana completed her checklist. "My board's green. Good to go here."

"Confirmed," Miranda said. "Cassie, engage FTL drive, maximum velocity."

"Acknowledged, Miss Lawson."

Hearing the drone of charging capacitors and feeling the subtle tingle of the intensifying mass effect field on her skin, Oriana paused her work for just a moment and glanced over at her sister. "Miranda," she said, "I love you."

Miranda looked over at Oriana and gave a trembling smile. "I love you too, Ori," she said, her eyes moist and her voice taut with emotion.

Oriana returned a reassuring grin, seized Miranda's hand and squeezed it tightly.

As the two Lawson sisters clasped hands over the center console, blue-shifted light shined through the windows and bathed the interior of the cockpit with the warm hues of color. An instant later, the Cassandra blinked out of the visible spectrum and shot away, off into the unknown.

Author's note:

I'd originally planned for this chapter to alternate scenes between Miranda and Shepard. But then all the Miranda content really grew so I decided against making it another mega chapter. Plus, I finished all of her stuff first and didn't want to delay an update any longer. Depending on how the next chapter turns out, maybe I'll merge the two together sometime down the line, after I judge whether or not it helps the flow and pacing.

Content about the Grayson and Aria backstory is pulled from "ME: Retribution" and altered a bit to incorporate Zaeed's presence during certain events. It's not really important to know who Grayson is in terms of this fic, just a reference to link some story elements. Also, I'm obviously switching up how Brynn Cole and the ex-Cerberus scientists are located. I have plans to incorporate her character a little more significantly into the story and don't think I'll have Jacob involved there. I have other ideas for Mr. Taylor.

Also, just tried to circle back around and put a bow on some of the original elements I've added thus far—The SAIS activities and motivations, TIM's role in that, etc. I hope it's not too convoluted or heavy-handed.

Ultimately, I like having Miranda continue to struggle and toe the line between her past and present, her old ruthlessness and newfound altruism. I think when the key characters occasionally behave erratically or do questionable things, it keeps it interesting.

And while Miranda and Co. may be heading to Illium now, it won't necessarily delay her long-awaited reunion with Shepard—it's just around the corner.