Book I - Chapter 9: Memories

As soon as the squad entered the C-Sec Academy, Shepard's eyes were immediately drawn to a heavily armed asari loitering in the lobby. Smiling inwardly to herself, Shepard made sure to keep her expression blank when her gaze fell on the woman. Even without her foreknowledge, Tela Vasir was eye catching enough that anyone with some situational awareness would take notice. Something about this asari demanded attention, but Shepard could not put her finger on what.

A large part of her really fucking hated Vasir. The Shadow Broker had sent this asari Spectre as his private hitman to assassinate Liara in Nos Astra when Shepard was busy blowing up the Collector's base. Vasir would have damned near succeeded in her task if not for sheer dumb luck on Liara's side.

But Shepard would refrain from doing anything against Vasir, not when the asari was still useful to her. If she could look at Vasir with an objective eye and an open mind, Shepard really had no cause to dislike her. Vasir had not done anything to Liara yet. If everything went according to plan, Vasir could even become a valuable ally.

The Commander was not the only one to find Vasir intriguing. Both Liara and Wrex tensed upon seeing her.

Wrex grunted. "She smells dangerous. Like you."

"Shepard, be careful. That woman is a very powerful biotic. It is invisible to human eyes, but asaris can sense it - she is intentionally provoking you with her aura." Liara murmured out her warning softly.

Shepard acknowledged their warnings with a small nod. As a human, and without extensive training, she could not perceive biotic aura nearly as well as asaris could. Liara had mentioned to her before that Shepard not only had a very intense natural aura, she also had a habit of projecting her intention. She had since been working with Liara to better contain her biotics, but it was still very much a work in process.

Said asari sauntered closer to Shepard and studied her face with great interest. "Humanity's first Spectre, Commander Shepard. I've heard so much about you." Vasir purred seductively at Shepard and traced her cheek with a finger.

Shepard pulled away from Vasir's touch while fixing her gaze steadily on her. "Do I know you?"

"No, but you really should. Tela Vasir. I'm your colleague." Vasir's eyes swept over to Shepard's squadmates with a clear air of dismissal. "How quaint. Do you enjoy travelling with an entourage, Shepard? A krogan bodyguard and an asari escort. Interesting choice. Bit predictable, though."

Shepard narrowed her eyes at the woman's crude implications. "What do you want?" She asked bluntly.

Vasir gave a careless shrug. Shepard only just noticed the white Spectre logo painted on her right pauldron. "Nothing much. I only wish to see the Hero of Elysium in person." She invaded Shepard's personal space, leaning over to whisper in her ear at a volume that was loud enough for her squadmates to hear. "Poetry, Commander? No wonder you enjoy tying your lovers up first - so your audience can't run away while you recite haiku in bed...?"

The Shadow Broker gave her my dossier. Shepard was very amused that her false trail was taken in by her watchers as real intel. It was even more hilarious that Vasir actually tried to use it to intimidate her.

Shepard made a show of frowning disapprovingly at Vasir. "I don't know where you got that information, but what I do in private is my own business. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to." She said in a frosty tone before walking away with her squad.

"See you again soon," Vasir said to Shepard with a wave.

On the way to the nearest rapid transit station, Liara's curiosity finally got to her. "I didn't know you like poetry. Or your other hobby." The maiden commented sulkily.

Wrex grinned wickedly. "You mean hog-tying people in bed while she fucks them? Why, has Shepard not done that with you? Taking it easy on the kid, eh, Shepard?"

Liara gave the old krogan a withering glare.

Shepard burst out laughing. "Don't believe anything she said. Vasir was just trying to get a rise out of me."

The look Liara gave her told Shepard she was not completely convinced.

Shepard scratched her chin, pretending to think hard. "Unless you want to give it a try? Where do you suppose I can buy quality silk ropes in the Citadel? I might have to venture out to Zakera Ward to find a specialty shop."

"T-that won't be necessary." Liara stammered.

"Let me know if you change your mind." Shepard paused for a second and added with a smirk, "I can always use my biotics to the same effect. Fun without the rope burn."

Liara wisely chose to remain quiet rather than continuing on with the losing side of the banter.

x-x-x

Shepard did end up in the Zakera Ward later that day, albeit for a completely unrelated reason.

Zakera Ward was slightly different from what she remembered, but it was mostly the same. Her favourite shops, like the Citadel Souvenir and the Dark Star Lounge, were still around. Though waking up on the washroom floor next to a turian taking a leak after one too many shot of ryncol was not a pleasant memory.

It was in the early days after Cerberus brought her back from the dead, barely a week after she met Liara in Nos Astra. Shepard was so shocked by the maiden's drastic change in personality and hurt by her cold rejection, she didn't know what to do with herself. It had been almost two years for Liara, but it was not even two weeks for her.

Under Miranda's unsympathetic watch, the resurrected Hero of Elysium proceeded to drink herself into a blind stupor in the Eternity Lounge, sobbing to a random asari bartender (Aethyta, not knowing she was Liara's father at the time) about how Liara didn't love her anymore. Considering her cybernetic implants, she must have drank the whole bottle of ryncol in one go. The drinking continued until the day she woke up on the washroom floor in a purple puddle of her own vomit in the Dark Star Lounge a week later. Miranda put her foot down after that.

It was very pathetic, though kinda funny in hindsight. Miranda always gave her the same judgemental, reproachful look every time she caught her staring at Liara's picture while wallowing in self-pity, even when she was sober. The Cerberus operative was actually not at all concerned with her drinking, knowing her implants were more than enough to handle the poison. Rather, she was greatly annoyed by Shepard's apparent attachment to her asari ex who had apparently dumped her ass like a box of spoiled leftovers.

Of course, later it turned out Miranda was wrong. Liara hadn't dump her. But Shepard wouldn't know that until she met Liara again on Mars, after the Reaper invasion began. They only had one short month of happiness together right before Ilos. Death had separated them for two years, and another year was wasted over guilt and fear. When they reunited again on Mars, Shepard grabbed onto Liara for dear life with no hesitation and vowed to never let go.

Then London happened.

Shepard shook herself from the depressing thought. She couldn't allow the ghost of future past to haunt her everywhere she went. They were in a middle of an important task; she could reminiscent later on her own time.

"Commander Shepard, enter the password and receive a free gift." A hooded asian woman in one of the many advertisement terminals in the Zakera Ward announced as the squad walked by.

Shepard turned her head to look at the holo-ad in puzzlement even as she continued down the street. Advertising nowadays has gotten so personal, it's borderline an invasion of privacy. She ignored it.

"The instruction I got was pretty vague. It just said that the contact will meet us in the Zakera Ward. It didn't specify where." She complained to Liara about the information she got from Barla Von in exchange of the data on Cerberus she compiled.

"Perhaps we should stop and ask for directions?" Liara suggested.

"Hrmph," Wrex countered. "Or, we can just keep walking. We'll find it eventually,".

Shepard humed. "Let me check the map." She pulled up her Omni-tool and slowly spun around on the spot. "Which way is north?"

"Commander Shepard, we have the finest companions waiting for you. Perhaps something petite, smart, and Japanese would be to your style?" The woman in the holo-ad asked cheerfully.

"North?" Liara frowned. "We are on a space station. There is no north."

"You know what I mean. The side that's closest to the Presidium is the default. So that's north." Shepard explained.

Liara still did not get it. "Must be a human thing. It is very confusing, and impractical. We are in space. There is no up or down, let alone a north."

Wrex huffed. "What's the point of standing here? We're wasting time. Let's just keep walking."

The asian woman in the holo-ad raised her voice. "Just enter your password for a fabulous prize package worth millions of credits."

Shepard looked around, trying to think of a landmark that was most likely to be the rendezvous point. "Since we are meeting the contact, it must be at a place where people can sit down and talk. A cafe, or a restaurant, perhaps?"

"Shepard, there are thousands of shops in this Ward. It will take forever to find the right one." Liara said.

"Then we better hurry. Let's split up and look separately. That'll be three times as fast." Wrex said.

The woman in the holo-ad finally lost her patience. "Okay, really? How many times can you walk by without stopping? I'm talking to you, dull stone."

That finally got the Commander's attention. "Guys, I think this is it." Shepard pointed at the holo-ad.

Liara and Wrex both stared at the projection. "In hindsight, this is pretty obvious." Liara admitted.

"Are you going to say the password or not?" The projection asked curtly.

"Um, 'silence is golden'." Shepard said.

"Good to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan."

Shepard studied the fuzzy image of holo projection. The only identifiable mark on the asian woman was the decorative strip of black tattoo on her lower lip and chin. "Can't say the same for you, sorry. I don't know anything about you. I paid to get in contact with the best stealth and infiltration specialist for a job. I don't actually know who I'm getting."

"I am a master thief. The best in the trade, not the most famous. I've worked hard to keep it that way, hence the cloak and dagger. If you want the best, you've come to the right person." Kasumi said.

Shepard crossed her arms. "I'll need to brief you in person, not to a holo-ad, and certainly not in public. We also need to discuss payment."

Kasumi smiled. "I will be waiting in your cabin on the Normandy - safest place to talk. See you soon."

Shepard gawked as the image flickered and changed to an advertisement for Tupari sports drink. "Did she just say she'll be in my cabin?" She asked dumbly.

"Yes she did." Liara said, equally perturbed.

"She did boast she is the best at stealth and infiltration. Think of it as a job interview. She can get on the Normandy, she is good enough for whatever job you're planning." Wrex said.

"That also means there is a security risk that I don't know about." Shepard muttered in dismay. "I'm not sure if I want to find her on board or not when we get back."

"If she is as good as she claims to be, you will be happy to have her help." Liara said.

Shepard agreed to the logic. "We'll find out soon enough. Let's get back to the ship."

An hour later, the Commander found Kasumi sitting at her table inside her cabin, drinking her secret stash of Kraken black spiced rum reserved for special occasion. To get in here, the thief would have had to bypass the decontamination process at the airlock, waltz through the bridge and CIC of the most advanced Alliance warship that was filled with marines, and hacked open her locked door. "Of course you found my stash." She grumbled.

Kasumi smiled at the Commander. "Kleptomaniac here. Can't help myself."

Shepard sat down at the table. "You are good. How did you get in?"

Kasumi raised a finger and wagged it in a scolding gesture. "A magician never reveals her tricks."

Shepard sighed.

"So this job you're hiring me to do, tell me more about it." Kasumi asked.

Shepard studied Kasumi's face with a thoughtful frown. "Before that, I want to know what kind of person I'm working with. Tell me about yourself."

Kasumi put the glass of black liquor down. "Me? I am an expert on sabotage, infiltration, extraction, property acquisition, and stealth. I go wherever I please and take whatever strikes my fancy. I'm a thief. What more do you want to know?"

"And I am a Spectre. I'm supposed to uphold the law. What made you agree to meet me in person? Aren't you worried this might be a trap?" Shepard pointed it out.

Kasumi giggled. "You're a funny one, Shepard. I told you I'm careful. I did my research before I told the Shadow Broker's agent I would meet you. Now, promise not to get mad, and I'll let you know how I got on the ship."

Shepard put her right hand over her heart. "I promise not to get mad."

Kasumi beamed and activated her cloak. The thief literally vanished from sight. "I have been following you around since your last visit to Eden Prime." Kasumi's disembodied voice said mischievously.

Shepard looked around intently, but all her senses were telling her she was alone when she knew Kasumi was right there. She changed the setting of her cybernetic eyes to see heat signature. Still, nothing registered. "You've been hiding on board the Normandy for over a month!" Shepard shook her head in disbelief.

"No, I would've been bored to death if I did! I only stayed for three days. I got off on Port Hanshan. Lots of rich folks stranded in a small port? Now that was my kind of vacation. Anoleis had some choice items in his personal vault." Kasumi's voice was now behind her.

Shepard sputtered and whipped around. If Kasumi had not spoken, she would've never noticed the thief had moved.

Kasumi deactivated her cloak and sat back down. "I didn't stay longer because I've learnt all I needed to know about you on Eden Prime. Godslayers, Shepard. Only you could whip a motley crew into a frenzy doing the hero's job. You're not hiring a contractor. This is a recruitment drive. If I'm in, I'm in for life. Or until the Reapers are gone. Am I right, Shep?"

"At least tell me you were not hiding in here when I was with Liara." Shepard groaned with a hand over her eyes while racking her brain to recall what embarrassingly private stuff the thief could have possibly witnessed without her noticing.

Kasumi looked offended. "I'm a thief and a stalker, but I'm not a pervert. Not that you two aren't attractive, I just prefer men."

"Good to know." Shepard said drily. "This saves me time. Since you were at that meeting, you've heard my sales pitch. You know why I'm doing this."

"Yes, of course. To ensure the continuous existence of all advanced organic life. And I also know, whatever you need me to do must be really important for the upcoming war effort. You know the Shadow Broker is keeping tab on you, yet you still went to the Broker's agent to commission my help." Kasumi tilted her head and asked, "why?"

Shepard smiled. "Astute question. The answer is simple - false information. Did you know what I paid to the Shadow Broker to get in contact with you? Intel on Cerberus. Combine that with my service record, the logical conclusion the Shadow Broker is going to draw is that I need a professional entry man to help me break into Cerberus facilities to bust open their illegal operations. These two factions are not exactly bitter enemies, but they don't get along. The Shadow Broker would most likely be blinded by his own prejudice and therefore never suspect what I really need you for."

Kasumi leaned forward with great interest. "Which is?"

The smile on Shepard's face widen into a conspiratorial grin. "The biggest heist of the century."

Kasumi waited, but that was all Shepard said. "Oh, come on, you can't just stop there! Give me details."

Shepard sat back into her chair and folded her hands together, smirking at the frustrated thief. "We haven't discuss payment yet. What is it that you want from me that would guarantee your loyalty? I have a feeling credit is not the answer for a master thief such as you."

Kasumi crossed her arms and pouted. "Fine. There is only one thing in this world that you can use to buy my loyalty. You help me get it, I'll even go on a suicide mission for you. Do you know what a graybox is?"

"'Fraid not. Never heard of it."

Kasumi tapped the side of her head, and a goggle shaped VI interface appeared over her eyes. "It's a neural implant. Illegal in most places. Stores memories, thoughts… secret codes, illicit information. This one in particular belonged to my partner, Keiji Okuda. We worked together for a long time, before Donovan Hock ripped his graybox out of his head and killed him. I want it back."

"Donovan Hock. I've heard this name before." Shepard said, trying to recall exactly where she had heard of it.

"Mr. Hock is a well respected businessman. Arms dealer, murderer, self-proclaimed patron of the arts, generally not a great guy. His mansion on Bekenstein is a fortress. I suspect Keiji's graybox is inside, but I haven't found a way in yet." Kasumi said.

"Do you know what's inside the graybox? It has to be something worth killing for." Shepard asked.

Kasumi shook her head sadly. "No, I don't. Keiji's last job was with the Alliance Intelligence Agency. Whatever he saw, it scared him so much he was determined to keep me in the dark to protect me. All he would say was that if this information gets out, it would do a lot of damage to the Alliance's reputation, maybe even start a war with the batarians."

Alliance black op. Batarians. Donovan Hock. With a jolt, Shepard suddenly remembered where she had heard of the name. During the Reaper War, Shepard was asked by a salarian Spectre Jondum Bau to help investigate a possible security leak in the embassy. She found a indoctrinated hanar diplomat, Zymandis, who was attempting to upload a virus to cripple the automated planetary defense systems protecting the hanar homeworld. The harnar was indoctrinated years ago when he participated in a botched illegal Alliance raid on a batarian science lab studying Reaper tech.

Jondum Bau had bought the information off of Donovan Hock. Hock must have gotten this from Keiji's graybox.

At the end, Sheppard had had to choose between saving the lives of millions on Kahje or the life of one man - a fellow Spectre, a respected colleague, a good man who believed in her.

Jondum Bau's blood was on her hands.

"Deal. After I conclude my business with Saren, I'll help you get Keiji's graybox back. Hopefully before Hock cracks open the encryption and gets his grubby hands on the blackmail material." Shepard extended her hand towards Kasumi.

Kasumi shook it firmly. "Then it's a promise. I'll let you know when I find a way into Hock's mansion. Now will you tell me what the biggest heist of the century is?"

"So impatient." Shepard grinned. "You're going to help me steal the entire Shadow Broker Network. I call it: Operation Cuckoo."

Kasumi stared at Shepard.

Shepard shrugged casually. "Go big or go home, right? It won't make you famous, but it'll prove you're the best. Interested?"

x-x-x

The Council summon came when Shepard was at the C-Sec Requisition Office, arranging for deliveries for the new equipment she bought. Perhaps it was a matter of timing, but the Council had decided to call Shepard in and talk to the Commander in person instead of giving her the order through the comm link.

The chamber was relatively quiet when the squad arrived. There were a few paper pushers milling about as per usual, but otherwise the enormous space was mostly empty. As Shepard waited for the Councillors to come out to begin the briefing, she noticed she was being watched by someone on the second floor balcony.

Vasir.

Shepard gave the asari a polite nod, and received a playful wave in return. Some part of her idly wondered what kind of insults the woman would hurl at her squadmates this time if given half the chance. Nothing creative, most likely.

"Do you know her?" Tali asked.

"Yeah. She's a Spectre." Shepard said.

Garrus added, "Tela Vasir is a very good Spectre. She has been one for over two hundred years. Executor Pallin hates her guts."

"I wonder why." Shepard drawled.

The three Councillors filed out of their offices and stood in the middle of the chamber to address Shepard.

Tevos began. "Commander Shepard, we've received information that may be critical for your mission against Saren."

"I'll take all the help I can get." Shepard said.

Valern continued. "An urgent message came from one of our infiltration regiments in the Traverse. We currently have several infiltration units scattered throughout the border region of the Citadel space. This particular unit was gathering intel on Saren."

"What did they find?"

Valern shook his head. "Unfortunately, the message we received was little more than static. The infiltration team must be in a situation where they cannot set up a proper interstellar communication. But, the message was sent on a channel reserved for mission critical communications. Whatever they were trying to tell us, we know it was important. Considering your interest in Saren, we thought you might want to investigate this. Find out what happened to our team. The signal originated from the planet Virmire."

Shepard frowned intently at Valern. "May I ask why the Council would send me to investigate, rather than sending in reinforcements for the unit's immediate extraction?"

Tevos, the most diplomatic of the three Councillor, answered the question for Valern. "The political situation in the Traverse is delicate. The Council prefers to be better informed of the situation on Virmire before we risk starting a conflict in the region by sending in our fleet."

"I respectfully disagree." Shepard said bluntly. Her retort caused an unnaturally silence in the entire chamber. The only sounds she could hear after her comment was that of a few onlookers gasping in disbelief.

"You… disagree?" Sparatus asked slowly. "Then please, impart your wisdom to the Council as to why you disagree?"

Shepard stared them unflinchingly in the eyes, her voice steady and calm. "This unit was investigating Saren's base. They must have encountered overwhelming geth opposition - it would explain the static message on the mission critical channel. It is my professional opinion that the best course of action is to immediately send in the Citadel fleet to destroy the geth fleet orbiting Virmire, send in a platoon of frontline soldiers to sweep the base, disable all ground-to-air fortifications, and then extract the unit. Any delay will result in more lives, as well as critical information lost."

"The Council does not make it a habit to mobilize its fleet over a mere conjecture. If you think this mission is too much for you, we understand. You are new. We can find other more capable, more experienced agents who are willing to do their job." Sparatus's voice took on a gleeful edge.

"There is no need. I accept the mission. I always do my duty. As it is also my duty to point out when the Council is making a terrible mistake." Shepard was able to speak dispassionately, but her eyes were cold as ice.

Ever the peacemaker, Tevos cut in before Sparatus could say anything he might regret later. "The Council appreciates your concerns. However, as we stand, we are of the consensus that further investigation is required. We prefer not to become involved in the specifics of Spectre activities, but we trust you will do whatever that's necessary to complete your mission. Good luck, Commander Shepard, we'll keep you advised if we learn anything else."

Shepard knew a dismissal when she heard it. She gave the Council a curt nod and marched away. In the corner of her eyes, she saw Vasir studying her intently. There was no trace of a smile on the asari's face.

It stung when Plan A didn't work, even though Shepard already anticipated a 95% failure rate before she went with it. The Council was predictably resistant to anything she had to say, even when she was making perfectly reasonable suggestions. So she gritted her teeth and moved on to Plan B without delay.

As soon as she stepped out of the Council Chamber, she stopped at the courtyard and fired off several urgent messages to start the ball rolling.

Garrus looked as upset and frustrated as Shepard herself felt. "The Council has lost their senses. I expected more of Sparatus. He's a turian, he went through mandatory military training. What compelled him to disregard sound strategic advice?"

"Their heads are so far up their asses, they are lost in there. Why else would they think a potential for conflict is a bigger issue than an ongoing conflict with the geth all over the Traverse?" Tali threw up her hands in disgust.

Shepard snorted. "The Council has been trying to downplay Saren's treason. Have you noticed? Check the news. You won't see Saren's name anywhere."

"I remember this. We were in Port Hanshan. The Administrator's secretary didn't know Saren was stripped of his Spectre status." Garrus shook his head. "The Council is trying to sweep the whole thing under the rug. They are protecting Saren."

"Hardly. They are protecting their own pristine political image. They don't care about Saren. He is merely a Spectre, as am I. We are the Council's left hand. The same one they use to wipe their asses. As long as I clean up after their mess, they don't care how I get it done. Saren will get his comeuppance. I promise you that." Shepard said to the former C-Sec.

To cool her head after the meeting, Shepard intentionally took the long route back to C-Sec Academy instead of using the rapid transport. As she expected, when the squad exited the elevator back to the docking bay thirty minutes later, she found Vasir already waiting for her on the gangway leading to the Normandy.

"Vasir." Shepard greeted, watching Vasir's body language carefully.

"Shepard." Vasir studied her with an equal amount of caution.

Shepard crossed her arms. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

With a smirk, Vasir turned on her Omni-tool and forwarded a message to her.

It only took the Commander a minute to verify the content of the message. Cheering inwardly to herself, Shepard faked a convincing look of bewilderment mixed with concern. "I see. Very well. I have one rule: I am the one in command. Will that be an issue?"

Vasir shook her head slowly. "No, not at all."

"Good. Then we won't have any problem." Shepard said, and took a moment to eye the senior Spectre wearily. "With a friend like that, no wonder you are so well informed."

Vasir grinned predatorily at the Commander. "If you have been in the business for as long as I have, Shepard, you would have made a few friends yourself."

"Sadly, that would be an impossible fantasy for me. Short-lived species here. Give me another forty years, and I'll be too infirm to hold a pistol steady with one hand." Shepard said.

To Shepard's surprise, her comment seemed to have invoked a genuine look of regret on Vasir's face. "That is unfortunate." The asari Spectre paused for a moment and added, "seeing you in action is more fun than reading your file. You are entertaining. To antagonize the Council on purpose… Ha. Some people would call you brave, but some would argue you're incredibly stupid. I haven't made up my mind which camp I'm in yet. Soon you will learn to play the game, Shepard. You will drown if you don't learn how to navigate these waters. Try to be a little subtler than a krogan headbutt next time."

"Thanks for the advice." Shepard said sardonically. "It might not be in my best interest to contradict the Council, but I did it because it was in the galaxy's best interest for them to listen. They are politicians, not generals. War is coming, Vasir. They can't negotiate their way out of this one."

"Ah, these 'Reapers' you have been talking about," Vasir said, with the infuriating air quotes Shepard hated so much, "I've read your reports. Are you aware you have a flare for the dramatic? Extinction this, annihilation that. You sounded like an angsty maiden embroiled in a particularly unsettling poetry phase. Considering your species' short lifespan, perhaps you haven't outgrown it yet."

Shepard gave Vasir an unimpressed glare. "Aren't asaris supposed to be wise and diplomatic? I do hope you will refrain from insulting my crew for the next ten days. You will be trapped inside a very small ship, sharing accommodations with thirty crew members, most of them being short-lived and short-tempered aliens. The only other person on the entire ship who might not be a youngling in your eyes is a old krogan battlemaster who killed a thresher maw on foot during his Rite of Passage."

Vasir rolled her eyes. "Fine. Enough talk. Just show me where my quarters are."

"Right. Follow me." Shepard said with a sigh.

x-x-x

When the Normandy finally left the Citadel for Virmire, the crew found themselves with more passengers on board than expected.

"Two Spectres. Man, this mission must be really important for the Council to assign two Spectres on it." Kaidan said to Joker.

Joker scowled while shifting in his pilot's seat with agitation. "I don't like it. This is bullshit. They are treating the Commander like she is a cadet who needs her hand held. I tell you, this is all because she is human. If the Commander were a turian or an asari, the Council would be patting her on the back for what an awesome job she has done instead of siccing a babysitter on her."

"Vasir may be the Commander's senior, but she is not her superior. They are equal in rank." Kaidan said.

"You can dress it up however you want, but the fact is, Vasir is here to babysit." Joker scoffed.

Kaidan sighed. "Yeah, she is. This is not fair. The Commander deserves better."

Shepard spoke up from behind the duo. "I appreciate how you two are indignant on my behalf, but please keep your personal opinions to yourselves. We have a guest on board."

Both men winced.

Shepard gave them a lopsided smile. "For the record, the Council did not send Vasir to watch me. Vasir is here on her own agenda. I am giving her a lift on the Normandy as a common courtesy to a fellow Spectre. Don't read too much into it."

Vasir was here because Shepard messaged Barla Von that the Council was sending her to Virmire to investigate Saren's secret base. Fifteen minutes after that message was sent out, Barla Von sent a reply that the Shadow Broker would consider it a personal favour if Shepard would take Vasir along to the Virmire mission.

Shepard had used the Shadow Broker's grudge against Saren to manipulate the yahg into giving her the help she needed, free of charge.

"Yes, ma'am." Joker said, but his eyes disagreed.

Shepard turned to the Staff Lieutenant. "Make sure everyone is on the same page. Don't let them say the Alliance makes a poor host."

"Understood, ma'am." Kaidan saluted.

"As you were."

Having spoken with Joker, the one with the loosest lips on the Normandy, Shepard made her way down to the cargo bay to speak with Ashley, the one with the quickest temper.

From the looks of it, Shepard had caught the Gunnery Chief just in time before she had the chance to go off. Ashley was at her usual station, maintaining rifles with a mutinous scowl on her face.

"Hey." Shepard greeted. "You alright there?"

Ashley looked at Shepard and put her tools down. "Just peachy. Nevermind me, what about you, skipper? I can't believe they did this to you."

"I get the feeling you have something you want to tell me." Shepard commented drily. "You have my permission to speak freely, Williams. Just keep the voice down."

Ashley took a deep breath to control her anger. "This is supposed to be your mission. That means you take the lead, you call the shots. The Council has no right to drop another Spectre on you like you're incompetent."

"Just so we are clear, the Council did not order Vasir to supervise me. She is here to assist me on the Virmire mission. I'm still the one in charge. Vasir was perfectly clear with this when I allowed her on board. Besides, we are not the only ones the Council sent out to counter Saren. There is an entire infiltration regiment on Virmire right now, investigating Saren's base. Vasir is not here to usurp my position. Even if she tries to, I doubt anyone on this ship would let her." Shepard explained patiently.

That explanation gave Ashley pause. "The Council didn't send her?"

Shepard shook her head. "No."

A longer pause. Shepard could almost see the gears turning inside Ashley's head. "The Council didn't send her, but she is here. That means you want her here."

Shepard smiled and nodded. "Yes."

Ashley frowned in concentration as she put the puzzle pieces together. "You want another Spectre to come with you to Virmire, where there is already an entire STG unit in position… Oh Lord. You think this is going to be bad." She stared at Shepard with trepidation.

"Yes." Shepard.

"Why would you think that?" Ashley asked.

"Why indeed." Shepard sighed.

When she lost Kaidan on Virmire last time, Shepard had beaten herself up, hashing and rehashing everything in her mind, thinking of all the things she could have done differently to save him. She couldn't. There was nothing she could have done. It was either Ashley or Kaidan. One of them had to die so everyone else could live.

Not satisfied with the conclusion she came to, her mind naturally moved on to a different place. It was not the mission itself that was botched. No, she had done everything right. The haphazard pre-mission preparation was the true culprit. In hindsight, Shepard could see those clues as neon signs in the dark.

First of all, the target. It was Saren's secret base, of course they should have expected heavy geth opposition. On top of that, Saren was a paranoid bastard who had been plotting for the Reaper's return for years. His secret base would have been fortified with everything he could think of. These two reasons combined should have more than warranted sending in a fleet. It made no sense to allow geth to run around unchecked, no sense to risk the synthetics setting up another foothold in the region. No matter how delicate the political situation in the Traverse might have been, even the most hardcore separatists would agree that allowing geth in their backyard was a very bad idea.

Secondly, the message from the infiltration regiment. STG specialized in stealth, infiltration, and espionage. They were not straight up front line fighters. When they sent out a message on an mission critical channel, that meant their supposedly covert operation was blown wide open. The least they would need was immediate extraction, which would require heavy air-to-ground fire support from at least one cruiser to counter the anti-air fortifications installed in the base. This was not a job for a reconnaissance stealth frigate.

Furthermore, STG operatives were the quintessence black op special force. They were brutally efficient and damned good at what they do. When they asked for help, that meant they really fucking needed a lot of help an hour ago. Especially when the unit was in such a tight spot, they could not set up a proper interstellar communication channel. The Council should have never brushed them off so callously. She really tried, but they just wouldn't listen. They never did until it was too late.

In Shepard's mind, Saren was to blame for all the lives lost before Captain Kirrahe's distress call. All the lives lost after that was on the Council's head.

Except Kaidan. She had chosen to sacrifice Kaidan. That was her own fault.

"The Council is sending me on a job that an entire infiltration regiment could not do. What does that tell you?" Shepard asked.

Ashley's face scrunched up in disgust. "It's definitely gonna be bad."

Shepard sniggered. "How did you come up with that conclusion? Maybe they have faith that I'm just really-freaking-awesomely good."

Ashley snorted loudly. "Right. Faith. They wouldn't believe anything coming out of a human's mouth. Even if the human is a Spectre."

"So maybe they will take the words of an asari Spectre." Shepard pointed out.

Ashley blinked. "Oh."

Shepard patted Ashley on the arm. "You don't have to like her, but try to get along. We're on the same side here. At this point, we can't afford to turn away help. My pride is nowhere near as important as my crew's lives. Got it?"

"Understood, ma'am. I apologize for my attitude, ma'am."

"Don't sweat it, Chief."

Shepard was going to use the Council's own words as her defense. They told her that they didn't care how their Spectres did their job, as long as it was done. Having said that, they could hardly reprimand her for asking a fellow Spectre for assistance. The Council might get away with dismissing anything Shepard said because humanity did not have the political clout to object to this unfair treatment, but they could not afford to dismiss Tela Vasir, a senior asari Spectre who had been doing this job longer than the three Councillors' career combined.

From what she knew of Vasir, this asari was a woman who would not hesitate to sacrifice innocent lives for the greater good. A lot could go wrong on Virmire. Shepard hoped she had made the right decision enlisting Vasir's help.

x-x-x

Liara had been glaring frostily at Vasir as soon as she saw the older woman on board the Normandy. Much to Shepard's relief, Liara did not object at all when asked to relocate to the Captain's cabin. If anything, the maiden looked strangely... appeased, and not at all bothered that the med bay office was now Vasir's domain.

Maybe it was the aura thing again, as soon as Shepard took off her hardsuit, Vasir began to show a lot more interest in her that way. Shepard was not completely oblivious. One good thing out of this was that the close proximity of a potential rival got the shy maiden into territorial mode. Normally, Liara would maintain a professional front and refrain from showing physical displays of affection while there were people around. With Vasir's undisguised ogling (staring at her ass while licking her lips, to be specific), Liara could not control her impulse to keep from touching Shepard whenever she could. It was a side of Liara Shepard had never seen before.

Shepard hadn't had the "asari gaze" problem last time. She blamed the Crucible for screwing with her biotics.

When the Crucible rendered her down to pure energy, Shepard was a very different person than when she encountered the first beacon on Eden Prime three years earlier. When the thirty-two year old self was downloaded into her twenty-nine year young body, the beacon must have tried to take the two separate entities and squish them into one new being instead of doing a simple software update.

Case in point, all of her new cybernetic implants from her thirty-two year old body were still there, while all the skills she had lost when she died the first time came back. It was like flipping a switch. Shepard still remembered how frustrated she had felt when she couldn't perform a simple biotic throw after she came back from the dead. Now, it was as if the skill was never gone. Essentially, Shepard had regained all her younger body's skills while keeping all the new skills her older body had learnt later in life.

In other words, Shepard could chain attacks together and cause a biotic explosion if she got the timing right. This was supposed to be a new technique developed by asari commandos in the beginning of the Reaper invasion, similar to how the Alliance had developed a new way to utilize the Omni-blade function to combat multiple Husks at the same time.

Maybe Shepard should count herself lucky that the "re-play" option had not resulted in two of her. That would have been awkward. For one thing, she wasn't sure she could share Liara, not even with her younger self.

Speaking of sharing, Shepard was treated with the novel experience of feeling the strong sense of possessiveness and jealousy coming from Liara's end of the meld later that night. She liked it so much, it drove her into a frenzy.

"I want you here forever." Shepard panted, grabbing Liara's rear with both hands while rolling her hips firmly between blue thighs.

Liara moaned against Shepard's jaw, her eyes a solid obsidian black. Biotics shrouded them as their consciousness mingled, as their bodies intertwined in a rapturous whole.

I'm yours, Li.

Liara arced back with a choked scream when she briefly grazed the edge of a building orgasm.

You are mine, as I am yours, Jane.

Shepard's lips latched onto the junction between Liara's elegant neck and her shoulder. With an approving hum, she pulled on the delicate flesh with her teeth. The sting made Liara claw at her back and leave yet another set of crisscrossing scratch marks. Shepard's rhythm was deliberately slow. They had been hovering on the edge for quite a while.

Yes! Now make me come before I lose my mind.

Liara's demand ripped a growl from Shepard's throat. She let go of Liara's neck and angled herself up to gain better leverage. The slow roll sped up to a fast trot. When they finally crested together, their bodies froze for what seemed like forever. Drunk in the haze of electrifying pleasure, Shepard forced her eyes to stay open through her own release to watch Liara spend underneath her. Her lover thrashed on top of the crisp white sheets wildly, her face contorted in unrestrained ecstasy. This sight alone brought a series of aftershocks rippling through her core.

Shepard felt Liara comb through her sweat slicked hair with her fingers. She didn't remember when her arms gave out, and frankly she didn't care. Lying on top of Liara after sex had blissfully emptied her mind.

"Feeling better now?" Shepard asked, her voice low and husky.

Liara nodded, looking mightily pleased with herself. "Much better." She purred.

"Am I crushing you?"

Liara stopped her from shifting her weight off. "No. I want you here." She rocked her hips languidly against Shepard to make her point.

Shepard grinned lazily at the possessive gesture. Inhaling Liara's comfortingly sweet scent, she closed her eyes and agreed, "I don't want to be anywhere else, either." Just as she was on the cusp of falling asleep, she felt something prickle at the edge of her senses. Her eyes snapped open; she was all of a sudden wide awake. "I promise not to get mad. Decloak, now."

"I'm sorry!" Kasumi reappeared in thin air. "You two started taking off clothes before I got the chance to leave. I swear to God I'm not a pervert!"

Liara bolted up from the bed in shock, holding the thin blanket protectively over her breasts in a vain attempt to preserve her modesty. "What?!" The deep purple blush on her cheeks was a combination of embarrassment and outrage.

Shepard sat up and pinched the bridge of her nose to stave off an oncoming headache. She let Liara hog all the blankets, not bothered with covering herself at this point. "What did I tell you, Kasumi? My cabin is off limit when Liara is here."

"I said I was sorry. I was hiding from the krogan and the other asari. It wasn't a problem before when it was just the krogan. He rarely came up to the crew deck. The asari walks around like she owns the place. Her senses are sharp. I have to be extra careful." Kasumi said with her hands up.

The Commander let out a long, suffering sigh. "Fine. You can hide in here. Just… give us a heads up next time so we can avoid this awkward situation."

Kasumi put her palms together in gratitude. "Thank you for your understanding. I'm going to turn around and sit in the corner now. You can go back to sleep."

"Sleep would be a tall order after this." Liara said stiffly.

"It's best if you pretend she's not here." Shepard said and fell back in bed.

"Maybe we should put on clothes."

Shepard snorted. "What hasn't she seen? Pretend you're on a nude beach if it'll make you feel better."

Liara paused for a moment and lay back down to snuggle with Shepard. "Nude beach? Why do you need to specify that it's nude?"

Shepard gave Liara a weird look. "Um, you're supposed to wear a swimsuit at the beach, unless it's a nude beach."

"Oh, I see. For asari, wearing swimsuit is a fashion statement. Every asari beach resort is cloth optional."

A goofy grin made its way up to the Commander's face as the mental image of an entire beach full of naked asaris, all stretched out under the sun, water dripping down their skin… "Niiice. We should visit one sometimes. You can rub sunblock on my back. It'll be great. Do asaris need sunblock?"

"No, we don't. But you can put massage oil on me. Actually, there is a very nice beach not too far from my family home on Thessia. I haven't visited since… since I ran away from Benezia."

Shepard inwardly winced. The last time she went to Thessia with Liara was at the height of the Reaper invasion. Her first and only memory of Thessia was forever sealed with blood, fire, twisted flesh, and the stink of death.

She never wanted to see another Banshee again.

"We'll visit Thessia together." Shepard promised. She held Liara close and dropped a kiss on her crest. "You can show me where you grew up. I want to see your baby pictures. You can take me to all the cheesy tourist traps. The temple, the beach, maybe even a night out to a concert. It'll be great."

Liara looked up at Shepard with a glowing smile. "We can visit Earth together, too. I would very much like you to show me human's homeworld."

Shepard agreed readily. "We should visit Vancouver. My parents were born there, so I'm technically a Canadian. We have the best beer..."

London. Bullets flying from all sides. Brutes prowling the desolate streets. The foul stench of burnt flesh and rotting corpses. The screams. Harbinger. Death.

Liara. Dead.

Shepard abruptly stopped talking and held Liara in a desperate, bruising hug. The flashback was so unexpectedly, it completely disoriented her.

"Jane?" Liara's muffled voice called out in concern.

Shepard hesitantly loosened her grip and gave Liara a tremulous smile that could be called a grimace. "Sorry, um, maybe not Earth. I didn't grow up there anyway. Too many people. You wouldn't like it."

The crease between Liara's brows deepened.

Shepard didn't let Liara inquire further. "I'm tired. We should sleep. Goodnight." She said, and hastily shut her eyes.

x-x-x

Shepard was having a nightmare.

Liara had not really gotten used to sleeping in the same bed with another person, so when Shepard moved around too much in bed, she woke up right away. Under the dim light, Liara could see Shepard's eyes flittering rapidly behind closed eyelids. Curiosity and concern overtook her. After a moment of consideration, Liara tenuous reached out a thin strand of her consciousness towards Shepard's mind.

The landscape of Shepard's dream world was very different from her conscious mind. The edges were frayed and wispy, everything look slightly distorted. Even emotions and sensations took on an ethereal quality. Some were dulled, but others were intensified to an unnatural degree.

Through the thin meld, Liara found herself inside Shepard's body, looking through her eyes. By taking on the role as a passive observer, Liara could experience what Shepard felt without exerting influence.

Dream Liara was crawling on all fours, trying to get back on her feet. Shepard/Liara ran towards her. Her lungs burned, her heartbeats thundered in her ears. Crippling fear weighted her limbs down. Shepard/Liara realized she would never make it.

Please please please let me make it in time.

Dream Liara extended a hand, groping blindly to reach her. Shepard/Liara was too late. A red energy beam ripped through everything in its path. The explosion knocked her on her back.

No no no no nonono… Not Liara!

Dream Liara was consumed by fire and smoke. All that was left was dust in the wind.

Let me die.

The world spun. Liara was crawling on all fours, trying to get up again. She tried to run, but her body was heavy. It was hopeless. Nothing she did made any difference.

Please please please let me make it this time.

Liara extended a hand, groping blindly to reach her. Why couldn't she save her? Again, the red energy beam ripped through everything in its path. The explosion knocked her on her back.

No no no no nonono… Not Liara! Please, no! Not Liara! Not again!

Death. Fire and smoke. All was dust.

Let me die.

Let me die.

Let me die.

I'm so tired. Please let me die.

"Wake up!" Liara roughly shook the woman awake.

"Huh? What?" Shepard woke with a jerk. She looked up at Liara with an expression so helpless and vulnerable, it stung her eyes.

Liara pulled Shepard into a hug. "You were having a nightmare." She explained quietly.

"Oh." Shepard sounded embarrassed. "Was I? Sorry. Didn't mean to disturb your sleep. That's really weird. I don't even remember what I was dreaming about."

"Maybe it's better that way. Go back to sleep." Liara coaxed.

"Ok." Shepard agreed with a yawn. As soon as her head hit the pillow again, she was out like a light.

Liara did not get a wink of sleep for the rest of the night.

x-x-x

A/N: I was told that the sex scene was too graphic for this fic to stay T. Next up, Virmire. It's a complicated mission so I'll need more time to write.