Well now, if it hasn't been a long time since I uploaded a new chapter for this story! Sorry, guys! Circumstances arose, things went down, I won't make excuses, just apologize! I know I say this every time, but hopefully I will be able to release the next chapter a bit quicker!

–

Harry couldn't believe that energy Rho had unleashed. It was on a completely different level from anything he had encountered before. His PAD had been acting a bit glitchy since they came back, and his damn eye and scanner had exploded because they were almost tuned to the same frequency, same with Frank (who hadn't been able to shut up about the embarrassing defeat).

Well, at least there was peace and quiet for a while, with the Normandy latched onto the mass effect relay like a tic, giving Harry time to work on his new things.

Way back when, Nym had told him that he was being silly for always bringing spare parts for everything he brought into the field, and Harry could never convince her it was necessary. Boy, if she could see him now... She'd make him sleep outside for the smugness he'd show.

"You alright?" came a voice, breaking him out of his thoughts, and he looked over his shoulder to find Shepard standing in the doorway. Shepard flinched slightly when she saw the empty socket that should have contained his right eye. "Er, shouldn't that have grown back?"

"I replaced my right eye when I was a teenager," Harry told her, getting back to work on assembling his new eye, a silvery orb with a glowing green circle in place of a pupil, surrounded by three small, glowing lights. Shepard had to admit that it looked a lot like the design of the Illusive Man's eyes. The last part was attached to it, and Harry squeezed the eye into his empty socket with a slightly disturbing 'pop' sound. "There we go," he said as he fully turned to her, his eye, unlike the Illusive Man's, spinning slowly, the center circle expanding and shrinking in what reminded her of a camera lense focusing.

"So, why do you need that scanner thing?" Shepard asked, walking up to Harry's desk as he went back to work, this time starting to assemble said scanner. "I mean, that eye has all the same goodies, right?"

"My eye can cycle through many types of vision, record vids, et cetera, but my scanner contains much more. I'd pack it all into only my eye, but then I'd have to make it bigger and perform skeletal reconstruction on myself to make it fit."

Shepard glanced at him, now noticing that he had a tiny hole in his temple, the edges covered in metal. It sort of looked like something you might plug a pair of headphones into back in the day, before wireless became a thing.

"What's that?" she asked, poking the hole.

"That is what connects this" – Harry held up the half-assembled scanner – "to my brain. Has Frank reported in yet?"

"Yeah," Shepard said with a nod, turning around and leaning back against Harry's desk with her arms crossed. "There was a lot of cursing and complaining, but the jist of his report is that the Normandy is all hooked up to the mass relay."

"That's good," Harry said, before perking up. "You know, I just realized how lucky we were to encounter Object Rho."

"Lucky?" Shepard asked with her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "I don't think we share the same definition of the word. Frank blew up, and so did your eye, and I almost got indoctrinated. Hell, we all almost got indoctrinated."

"I mean lucky regarding this plan of mine," Harry clarified. "I would never have considered countermeasures against this unique energy signature the Reapers give off when they communicate. Never even struck me to search for it. When I did a complete inspection of my cloaking device, I realized that it had no way of blocking that signal. If I hadn't been blasted with it, and we had gone through with the plan with an unmodified cloaking device, then the Reapers would have still seen that it was there."

Shepard stared at him for a moment, considering the implications. They had almost actually been invaded by the Reapers... And Harry had actually missed something! Well, at least he seemed pleased about it... Shepard herself felt a shiver run up her spine at the thought of the Reapers invading. Taking down Sovereign in the Citadel back when had been difficult enough, and had required the bulk of the Alliance Navy to destroy. And if that vision she had seen of the Reapers was true, then there would be hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousand of them...

"Hey." An elbow nudging her brought Shepard out of her horrified musings, and she looked down to see Harry giving her a slightly concerned look. "Don't worry. We found the problem and fixed it. No use crying over spilled milk that hasn't even been spilt, yeah?"

"Yeah," Shepard said, sighing. "It's just that... when that energy hit us, I... saw things..."

"What things?" Harry was staring up at her with a curious expression as he lit a cigarette. "Like, visions?"

"Yes."

"Of what?"

Shepard sighed again and leaned back further, tilting her head back to stare up at the ceiling with a solemn look on her face.

"Hundreds of thousands of Reapers, death and destruction... The end of this cycle."

Harry scoffed slightly in amusement as he got out of his chair and puffed on his cigarette, leaning against the desk next to Shepard. He had a smile on his face that looked very strange on him. It was actually nostalgic. Shepard had only seen such a smile on him a precious few times.

"You know, back in my world, I was working with a top secret government project involving space travel. Every other week, an alien race or just general threat would risk ending the world as we knew it. But it never happened. You know why?"

"Why?" Shepard asked, to which Harry gave her a small grin.

"Well, O'Neill, and later Sheppard – That's Sheppard with two P's – would have said it was all because of them. But really, it was because we were prepared."

"You knew a Sheppard?" the Commander asked, getting a nod from Harry.

"Colonel John Sheppard. A good man, just a proud moron in many ways," Harry said, grinning slightly as he remembered the military man who always gave the smallest of reactions, usually a simple "Oh..." whenever Harry showed a quick solution to a problem.

"And who was O'Neill?"

"General Jack O'Neill was also a proud moron, the proudest and laziest of them all. He was the first person I gave the Peak Physical Performance Formula to. And he hated it. He didn't like how he started getting up just after sunrise, or how he could remember things easier."

"But he was military, wasn't he?" Shepard asked in confusion, which made Harry give a small laugh.

"Oh, he loved the excitement of missions, the thrill of going to other planets, but when he was stuck at home, he really didn't like doing anything. Hell, he tended to go to his cabin in the woods to go fishing in a pond with no fish."

Shepard snorted in amusement. That didn't sound at all like the gung-ho high-ranking military that she had experience dealing with. Anderson hated sitting still, and she couldn't remember even one moment where she had actually seen Admiral Hackett sitting down.

But then, the amusement disappeared from her face, and she glanced seriously at Harry.

"Can we win this? I mean, seriously win this, without taking too many casualties?"

"I'm sure we can win, but without getting some ships a couple of new upgrades, it's going to be difficult to win without taking damage," Harry admitted, frowning slightly. "Speaking of which, I've been thinking about what you said. I'm going to help. It's about damn time, I think. But when you tell Hackett, as I'm sure you're going to call him, I want him to know for sure that it will happen on my terms. I don't want to provide humanity with a bunch of upgrades and then find them going warlords on the rest of the galaxy. It would be bad for them if they do."

"I'll let them know," Shepard assured him, giving him a strange look. "Thank you. So, what brought this on?"

"Eh, I've been contemplating wasted chances," Harry muttered. "And I started thinking about how Nym would have reacted to all this."

"She wouldn't have approved?"

"I think she personally would have built a doghouse so I could sleep in it."

That was enough to break the solemn mood that had overtaken Shepard, and she actually laughed out loud, seeing a mental picture of Harry squeezed into a little doghouse with only his head sticking out. That was an image that wouldn't be going away anytime soon, for sure.

"EDI," Harry said, glancing up at the ceiling.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Is everything ready to go?"

"Yes. The cloaking device has been activated, and the sensors are tuned to the mass relay. We'll notice an energy spike when the Reapers attempt to make the jump."

"How will we know it's the Reapers, and not someone else trying to jump into the system?" Shepard asked curiously.

"We'll know it by their unique energy signature. Any other ship won't give it off when they try to jump. Any ship trying to jump in will think there's a glitch or something and try again later. They won't make a spike on our sensor," Harry informed her. "Thank you, EDI."

"It wasn't a problem."

"So it's helping Miranda next, then?" Harry asked, to which Shepard nodded.

"Yeah. We'll be recruiting Thane and Samara as well. Actually, I was thinking about saving us some time," she said, and Harry just raised an eyebrow, a silent way of urging her to continue. "I was thinking of splitting the rest of you up in teams to recruit Samara and Thane."

"I can take Samara," Harry told her. "We... have a history."

"History?"

"I'd rather not go into detail."

Shepard felt that familiar feeling of dread building up in her again.

"Oh dear..."

"I was very polite," Harry assured her, but Shepard didn't believe him for a second, especially when he said it with that huge grin on his face.

–

Harry, Shepard, Garrus, Jack, Miranda, Tali, Grunt, Frank, and Aceso stepped out of the Normandy at the docking bay on Illium. Harry, Garrus, and Tali were part of Group One, assigned to Samara. Jack, Frank, and Aceso were Group Two, assigned to Thane (That was a terrifying prospect...), and Shepard, Grunt, and Miranda were Group Three, assigned to helping Miranda's sister. Mordin remained on the ship. When asked to come, he had responded with a simple, "Need to think. Cannot come." Harry had accepted it, and had convinced Shepard to do the same.

Frank, much to his reluctance, had been forced to coat himself with the same nanobot-skin that Sujan was wearing. He had opted to take the form of a large, gray-haired man who looked the very image of a hardened veteran. Of course, Harry was the only one who knew her had taken the shape of Stephen Lang. The AI always did like the look of the actor in Avatar.

"So, we complete our objectives ASAP," Shepard said, looking over the three teams, already in her commander state. "No excuses. You don't manage to recruit them, you don't eat, is that understood?"

"Harsh," Harry quipped as he checked his pistol, ensuring it was in tip-top condition. "Understandable, but harsh."

"Anyone else?" Shepard asked, basically ignoring Harry as she looked over the others. When no one spoke up, she nodded. "Good. We meet back on the Normandy in eight hours, tops."

As soon as they started moving, they were greeted by an asari accompanied by two mechs, both carrying shotguns.

"Welcome to Nos Astra, Commander Shepard," the asari spoke, nodding in greeting. "We've been instructed to waive all docking and administration fees for your visit. My name is Careena. If you need information about the area, it would be my pleasure to assist you."

"Who instructed you to waive the fees?" Shepard wanted to know, to which the asari smiled at her.

"The order came from Liara T'Soni, who paid all fees on your behalf," she said and opened her omni-tool, uploading information to Shepard's own. "She also asked that I direct you to speak with her at your convenience. She's near the trading floor."

"Liara is here?" Shepard asked, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "What's she doing?"

"Liara is one of Nos Astra's most respected information brokers," Careena told her, almost looking proud to tell the Commander this. "Nos Astra is based upon trade. Information is a valuable currency, and Liara has done quite well."

"I'd say so..." Shepard heard Harry mutter behind her. She made a mental note to ask him about it when they weren't standing in front of Careena.

"As I said, you'll find her near the trading floor," Careena continued, not having heard what Harry said. "She was looking forward to seeing you."

"Thank you," Shepard said, nodding her head as a sign of dismissal. Careena smiled and bowed her head slightly.

"Again, welcome to our city, Commander. Please enjoy your stay."

As Careena walked away, they all heard EDI's voice in their earpieces.

"Customs records indicate a justicar named Samara is visiting this port, Shepard. Your former teammate, Liara T'Soni, may have more information. Her office overlooks the trading floor. Before Group Two moves out, they may wish to accompany you to speak with her regarding the whereabouts of Thane Krios, as well. Also, I have a message for Miss Lawson. Lanteia has reserved a room at Eternity and will be waiting."

"Thank you, EDI," Miranda said, nodding to no one in particular.

"So?" Shepard asked as she now turned to Harry, who raised an eyebrow.

"So, what?"

"Since you know about the rest of us, you know about Liara as well. That doesn't surprise me. However..." Shepard said with a small smirk on her face. After all, anything that can make Harry grumble in frustration is worth hearing about. "Have you met before?"

"Well, let's just say that she's the reason why I no longer keep organics in my information network. One little threat about what an asari commando can do, and my agent pissed his pants. He told her everything he knew about me. Granted, it wasn't much, but it was a bit too much all the same. I swear, this would never have happened if I had gone through with-"

"Father, planting bombs in the skulls of your agents would have been barbaric," Aceso cut in, which made Harry grumble again.

"So you told me, but still..."

Shepard had never been as glad that Aceso had been by Harry side for so long as now. She seemed to be the voice of reason. Although with both Harry and Frank there, she probably didn't win the arguments too often.

"Well, I guess we should go to the bi- I mean, Liara, shouldn't we?" Harry continued, his slip forcing Shepard to stifle a smirk.

"Yeah, we should go."

An hour later found Harry standing with his arms crossed in front of the stairs leading up to the office of Liara T'Soni. Only Shepard wasn't in the group. Some Asari had stopped her with a 'message from Noveria.' Shepard had told the others to go ahead and wait outside Liara's place. The message couldn't possibly have taken this long, though. No doubt she had been stopped by someone else, and her heroic side shone through. Of course she'd help anyone who asked for it... So damn selfless...

"To hell with this," Harry said, turning around and moving toward the stairs.

"Father, Shepard told us to wait her-" Aceso stopped when Harry glanced over his shoulder at her. "Right, never mind. Are you going alone?"

"I think that would be best," Harry said, jogging his way up the steps.

At the top of them was a small alcove to the right, where an asari was sitting behind a desk, going over something on the holographic screen of her computer. To the left was a closed door, the holographic panel glowing red to show that it was locked. The asari looked up when Harry reached the top step, and the skin where her eyebrow would have been if she was human quirked upward as she gave him a onceover.

"I'm sorry, sir, but Liara is taking no visitors today except one, and you are definitely not her."

"That's alright, she'll want to see me all the same, as soon as she heard my name."

"And that name is?"

"Dr. Harry Potter."

The asari gasped in surprise, her eyes widening. Immediately, she scrambled to reach the intercom, activating it and exclaiming, "Um, Liara, a Dr. Harry Potter is here to see you..."

There were a few moments of silence, and then the door hissed open, revealing a large, rrectangular office inside. Facing the window was another asari, wearing a green-and-white dress. Covering the window was a large amount of holographic screens, and also a hologram of a rather nervous-looking man. The asari had he back turned, and she held up a finger to stop Harry from talking before he even could.

"Have you faced an asari commando before? Few humans have," she told the hologram. "I'll make it simple. Either you pay me, or I flay you alive. With my mind."

With that, she cut off the call and turned to look at Harry, who had walked up to her desk.

"So, we meet face-to-face," she said, which made Harry grin.

"Still doing the commando threat, hm? It's a shame they don't know you'd never do it," he said, before shrugging. "Ah well, I suppose it works. In any case, it's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. T'Soni."

He held out his hand, and Liara stared at it for a few seconds, probably trying to figure out if it was a trick or not. After a few moments, however, she shook it.

"Likewise, Doctor. There aren't many people in this galaxy I have been unable to track down." She was speaking with a soft, near-whispering voice, yet it carried authority. From the recordings he had swiped from the SR-1, her voice had sounded like that of a child, naive and unassuming. It seemed she knew better now. "So, what brings you to Illium? Or rather, what is so important that you would reveal yourself to me without so much as leading me on a chase around the galaxy?"

"I'm here with Shepard," Harry said, making Liara's eyes widen. He thought he could see a great deal of affection shining in those eyes.

"My sources said she was alive, but I never believed..." she muttered as her gaze drifted sadly to the floor, but then she seemed to realize something, her eyes snapping back up to stare seriously at him. "If Shepard managed to draw you out of hiding, and if you agreed... this must be important."

"The Collectors," Harry informed her. Usually, he would have lied and made people work for information, but he had respect for Liara as an information broker. After all, she was the only one in the galaxy, save for the brat, who had gotten even a sliver of information about him. And even the brat had only gotten information on where he was last seen. Aria didn't count, because he revealed himself to her for shits and giggles. She was so adorable when she was angry.

"I had heard that they had been making bolder and bolder moves lately," Liara said, turning around to stare out the window. "But why would that bring you here?"

"We're putting together a team for Shepard to lead," Harry said, lighting a cigarette. "The brat seemed to think they'd be good assets on the mission. I'll let Shepard fill you in on the details later. In any case, we've heard two of them are here on Illium."

"And why were you recruited?"

Harry offered her his trademark grin and spread his arms out as if to said, 'Just look at me!' as the doors hissed open behind him.

"Because I'm amazing, of course."

"I see that exploding eyeball of yours hasn't put a damper on your confidence," came Shepard's voice as the Commander herself walked in, accompanied by Jack. Upon seeing Harry's questioning look, Shepard jutted her thumb over her shoulder toward the door. "The others are waiting downstairs. Team leaders only."

–

The meeting with Liara had gone so-and-so. Well in most aspects, except that Shepard had agreed to help her with something revolving the Shadow Broker. But really, though, she didn't have a chance in hell to find him. Even Harry hadn't managed that. He had managed to narrow his location down to three star systems, but nothing more.

If she actually managed to figure out where the mysterious information broker resided, then that would be a great blow to Harry's pride, for sure.

Ah well, in any case, Harry and his team had made their way to the transportation hub, trying to find an asari named Dara, who might know where Samara had gone. Garrus and Tali were acting a bit uncomfortable. No doubt the only human they had ever been under the command of was Shepard.

"So, what's this history between you and Samara?" Garrus asked, trying to break the silence, which got him a small smirk from Harry.

"Well, we had an encounter some two hundred years ago. It went so-and-so, but in the end we departed as friends."

"For some reason, I have a hard time believing that."

"Granted, there may have been some shooting involved, along with some harsh words, some painful uses of biotics, and maybe, just maybe, some broken bones."

"Should, uh, should we be worried?" Tali asked, looking the most nervous of the two dextros.

"Ah, you'll be fine!" Harry said happily, waving her off. "But that reminds me..." He looked over his shoulder at Tali. "Aceso tells me you had some wonderful dinner conversation recently."

"She is very kind," Tali agreed with a nod.

"I think she might have even raised Tali's opinion about AI a bit, until Frank made an appearance," Garrus supplied, and Tali cringed at the memory of him.

"Frank is just that one child who grew up watching too much violence," Harry defended immediately, then glanced over his shoulder at Garrus. "Surely, that is not a trait exclusive to AI?"

"No, I'm not saying that. Just saying that it gets a bit annoying to be referred to as an avian meatbag. I'm kind of self-conscious about my figure, you know?"

"You'd rather he call you meatstick?"

"I'd prefer him not to call me anything regarding meat."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen."

"Then meatstick is fine."

"Why do you allow such an AI to roam free?" Tali asked, which made Harry chuckle.

"Frank was the first AI I ever created," he explained. "He's... precious to me. He's been with me through thick and thin. His prime directives do have many loopholes that he could exploit if he wished to, and yet he doesn't do it for my sake. He's like a son to me. And like any sons, they sure get on your nerves sometimes, but you love them all the same."

Before Tali could speak again, they found themselves at the transportation hub.

"Officer Dara?" Harry spoke up, seeing a young-looking asari sitting behind a desk. She looked up and got to her feet.

"Yes?"

"We're looking for an asari justicar named Samara," Harry informed her, and he saw her eyes immediately widen in fear.

"W-Wait, why? Do you have a problem, or... Did she kill somebody already?"

"Relax there, love," Harry said, chuckling slightly at the fact that Samara still got such reactions from people. "We just need to speak to her for a bit."

"Oh, good... Samara's the first justicar I've seen on Illium. If I'm lucky, things will stay peaceful..." Dara sighed, rubbing her forehead. "She went to the commercial spaceport a few hours ago," she continued, pointing to a nearby parking lot. "If you want to get there, the pedestal on that balcony will summon a cab. Just be polite when you meet her. Justicars embody our highest laws, and they usually stay in asari space. She's not used to dealing with aliens."

"Oh, don't worry. We're friends!" Harry said, smiling happily at her, though he noticed that she didn't look at all like she believed him.

"Right..."

"Well then!" Harry said, turning around and clapping his hands. "Time for a reunion!"

It was half an hour later that the trio stepped out of their cab at the commercial spaceport. Immediately, they noticed that an area nearby had been closed off by the asari police, and an asari was walking away from a volus who was accompanied by two mercenary guards. Grounded, no doubt.

Well, it really wasn't any of Harry's business, so they strode past the volus and headed straight for the nearest asari officer who looked like she knew what she was doing.

"Nice guns," the asari said as they approached, noticing the weapons on Tali and Garrus. "Try not to use them in my district. What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for Samara, the justicar," Harry said, and was once more treated to the sight of a calm and collected asari's eyes widening in slight alarm.

"Hey, if you've got a score to settle with Samara, take it somewhere else. I've got more than enough trouble here already," the asari urged, which made Harry chuckle.

"No, no, no, we just need her help. We're here to recruit her. And if she's here for the reason I suspect, then she needs my help as well."

"Why would she need your help?" the asari asked.

"Well, because I know what she's here for, I believe, and I have information that will get her off-planet, leaving you with a lot less paperwork."

The asari paused, but then nodded.

"If you're getting her out of my district, I'll get you to her ASAP. She's at the crime scene."

"Crime scene?" Harry asked, getting a nod.

"A volus merchant was killed in that alley," she said, pointing out the window to the sealed-off area. "It's right next to an Eclipse hangout, so maybe Samara decided to dish out some cold, hard justicar justice? In any case, I'll send word to let you through the police line. Hopefully you'll be able to get her out of my district before I'm forced to take her into custody."

"Thank you," Harry said with a nod. "Let's hope you won't be forced to do that."

As they left the asari's office, Tali looked at Harry curiously.

"Why would she be forced to take her into custody?"

"Well, the Justicar Code is pretty strict. See a bad guy? Kill him," Harry explained as they rounded the corner and approached the alley, the two asari guarding it stepping aside to let them pass. "And if she were to slaughter, say, a room full of quarian drug dealers, that might cause an incident. But the Code doesn't allow a justicar to be taken in, which means she'd have to kill that asari."

"Talk about a rough job..." Garrus muttered.

They got to the crime scene, but there was no Samara there, which meant that she had gone further down the alley. Undoubtedly, she had decided to go pay a visit to the Eclipse.

"Get ready," Harry told his two companions, who brought out their weapons, Garrus with his sniper rifle, and Tali with her shotgun, both complete with modified heat sinks.

After a few moments, they heard a female voice reach their ears, barking orders.

"Get the rest of Bravo squad prepped! Alpha squad went after that justicar tenty minutes ago, and they've gone dark!"

Harry grinned.

"Well, good to hear Samara hasn't lost her edge."

Around the corner were seven Eclipse mercenaries and five combat mechs. Harry opted to go with his plasma pistol this time, rather than his scythe. He nodded to Garrus and Tali, and they nodded back, before all three came out from behind cover, opening fire.

This was the first time Harry had seen Tali in battle, but he had to admit, she was very handy with that shotgun. As it required her to be in close quarters, her lithe forms and speed allowed her to zig-zag the field to close the distance between her and the enemies, avoiding gunfire like a pro.

Well, considering she had served with Shepard before, that was to be expected, he supposed.

They made quick work of the mercenaries and mechs, and when it was done, Garrus and Tali both popped their heat sinks, and they kept moving.

"You're quick on your feet," Harry complimented Tali, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, if you hang around Shepard long enough, you have to be."

When Tali repeated Harry's earlier thoughts, he was reminded of what a low opinion everyone seemed to have regarding the probability of survival in any mission she undertook.

They made their way through another door, but had to duck as an Eclipse merc came flying screaming through the air, flying over their heads and impacting with the wall behind them with a very sickening crunch.

"Those... were my best troops!" came an angry voice from a raised platform above them, another Eclipse cowering in front of a very regal-looking, red-armored asari who was glowing with biotic power.

"Tell me what I need to know, and I will be gone from here," the asari, who Harry immediately recognized as Samara, said with a cold look on her face. "Where did you send her?"

"You think I'd betray her?" the Eclipse asked in disbelief. "She would hurt me in ways you can't imagine!"

"The name of the ship. Your life hangs on the answer, Lieutenant."

"You can kill me, but one of us will take you down, Justicar!"

"I can help you with that!" Harry called out, raising a hand to catch her attention.

Samara's head snapped toward the source of the voice, her eyes widening. The Eclipse took this opportunity to raise her pistol, pointing it at Samara. She didn't get the chance to squeeze the trigger, however, as Harry had raised his pistol and fired a plasma blast that blew the merc's head clean off her shoulders.

Samara spared the headless Eclipse only a passing glance, a tiny look of frustration in her gaze, before she jumped off the platform and approached Harry, who grinned at her.

"Samara!" he greeted happily, only to be served a biotics-powered punch to the noise, making him flinch and clutch at it with a groan.

"Blimey, woman, you still punch like a krogan headbutt, I see..."

"You have known where she is all this time, Harry?" Samara asked in a dangerous tone of voice. Well, Garrus and Tali probably couldn't hear the difference, but Harry could.

"If I did, I would have bloody informed you!" Harry barked, snapping his nose back into place and letting it heal. "I only found out a few days ago..."

"Where?"

"First, I have a request," Harry said, a serious look on his face. "I'm working with Commander Shepard at present. We're putting a team together to take down the Collectors."

"The Collectors are a worthy foe. I would relish testing myself against them. But you know my current objective, Harry."

"I hate to dangle a piece of meat in front of a hungry varren, Samara, but- Er, really, that's kind of amusing in most cases, but anyhow, we need you on the team. So I want to make a deal."

"A deal?"

"If you swear to help us see our mission through, I will help you with yours."

The skin where a human would have had eyebrows slowly rose in surprise as Samara regarded him.

"Are you asking me to swear my oath to you, Harry?"

"You've done it before."

"And I was almost forced to kill you."

"Things will be different this time. There are people around to, hm... keep me in line."

A semblence of a chuckle escaped Samara, and there was no mistaking the smirk on her face.

"Somehow I doubt that," she said. "But your cause seems just, for now. Very well."

Samara's eyes glowed for a moment, before she closed them and knelt before Harry.

"By the Code, I will serve you, Harry. Your choices are my choices, your morals are my morals. Your wishes are my code."

Her body glowed with biotic energy for only a second, and then she got back to her feet. Over Harry's left shoulder, Garrus raised a hand.

"Can anyone clue me in as to what just happened?"

"The Third Oath of Subsumation," Harry explained. "She follows the orders of whoever she swears to. But when she's released, she'll kill me, or try to, if I make her do anything dishonorable. Like, say, you know, forcing her to provide a distraction by giving a turian a lap dance."

"That was... specific..." Tali commented, noting how Samara's cheeks colored ever-so-slightly.

"In any case, shall we go?" Samara said quickly, giving Harry a pointed look, though he just grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, let's be on our way. Hm... I wonder how Frank is doing..."

–

"Brother, please, we don't want to attract any more..." Aceso stopped speaking when both Jack and Frank tore through the enemies in the asari business woman Nassara Dantius' partially built business tower, shredding through them with biotics and blades respectively. "...attention..."

"HYAH!" Jack roared, blasting five Eclipse mercenaries out of a window to fall several hundred stories to the ground. "That's forty-eight!"

"Kill-count at fifty-seven, meatbag!" Frank yelled back, before correcting himself after slicing the head off yet another mercenary. "Correction: Fifty-eight!"

–

"I'm sure he's having the time of his life," Garrus quipped, scratching at his scars with an uncomfortable look on his face. Tali leaned in toward him.

"Remind me again how these AI are supposed to be civilized?"

"So, Samara, wait 'till you see Shepard's ship!" Harry said, paying no heed to the conversation taking place behind him. "I know you like quiet places to meditate, so the observation deck would be perfect for you!"

Both Garrus and Tali stopped their conversation regarding bloodthirsty AI when they saw Samara, who was walking next to Harry, turn her head to give him a smile, a surprisingly affectionate look in her eyes.

"You certainly haven't changed, Harry."

–

Chapter completed! I hope you enjoyed it! Well, not much to say now. Usually, I give a bit of a teaser as to what's going to happen in the next chapter, but hm... I don't rightly know. I know some of the 'sub-plots' I'm going to implement, but I don't know in which order I want to do the rest of the missions. There will be at least one loyalty mission involved though. And with that said, please leave a review at the door!

Peace,

ZnK!