Disclaimer: EVE Online is owned by CCP and Mass Effect by Bioware, I claim ownership of nothing except the storyline.

A new week and a new chapter. This one took some thought, but I had fun with it so I hope any readers do too. Not in any way action laden, but more character building and some setups for the future. I find character building one of the harder things to do when writing, but it is very rewarding. As always any comments and questions are welcome.

Asari Grace

All she could see was a whirling of information flows and chains of numbers. Linked together, rising and falling. One thousand credits here, two hundred credits there. Corrupt CEO, stock falling. Contract still valid, buy stock. Hold on selling excess Eldfell-Ashland stock, refinery captured. Two new refineries planned, sell in 3 hours after public news announcement. New IPO on market, pour in credits. Raise price by three points, sell excess and adjust buy orders. Expected food shortage on New Baal colony, invest in local transport corporations. The internal clock ticked over another second and prices updated, starting the dance again. Always stay two steps ahead is the motto the investors here live by, Eve almost snorted at the notion as she bought as much Rosenkov stock as she could. Two steps, such a childish notion of thinking ahead. Thirty seconds later the announcement on their new armor line had hit the extranet, she sold the Rosenkov stock for a 12% profit.

Quietly she took another sip of the orange juice she had been served at her corner table just off the trade floor. Shepard had gone off with Miranda and Zaeed to take care of some personal business over half an hour ago. She didn't expect them back for another hour at least. She hummed and closed her eyes again. Stocks rose and fell and information flows were connected as her mind analyzed it all. Idly one part of her mind wondered when Dr T'soni would figure out what was happening and that it was her. The quicker she found out the higher she would rate her as an information broker.

After all, she had left all those clues for a reason.

Liara meanwhile sat in her office analyzing the data Shepard had managed to capture for her. She ignored the first blinking light in the bottom right hand corner of her screen, it could wait. Any information on the Shadow Broker took priority. Ten minutes later a second light flashed and she looked at it annoyed for a second or two before it died out again. She had specifically told Nyxeris to make sure she would not be bothered. As always with the Shadow Broker she would need to move fast for any information to be of use. It wasn't till the third time the warning went off that she decided to check it.

"By the Goddess."

Her fingers immediately flew over the console and information flowed through her screen. The stock market was in overdrive and even the Volus bankers were having problems keeping track of the money flow. Money flows changed by the second and stocks were rising and falling at a rate that was unheard off. She dug deeper and linked to some contacts. The change was subtle, but it was creating a ripple effect through the entire system. Someone or something was pulling off transactions she couldn't believe. But that didn't seem right, the rate at which the money flows were changing was unheard off. It couldn't be just one person, but it seemed to well organized to be a group of persons. A sophisticated VI then, perhaps even a rogue AI. The chance of that was remote she had to admit but not something she should rule out. Digging a bit further she noticed the money was flowing through certain accounts more than others, as if to wipe it clean and lose a trace. All the accounts were owned by different people, no doubt aliases and shell companies. However one oddity did spring out, the address listed on all of them was that of a small café down stairs. That seemed like too much of a coincidence, but still she didn't have enough data. She doubted very much whoever was doing this would be foolish enough to broadcast there location as easy as that. However the money had to end up somewhere at some point though, but she had trouble figuring out where. Then it hit her.

Moving away from the money flows she started tracking the location of the orders. Where was the person who was doing this located. This took her another ten minutes of searching and a few calls, but she got a location. Right outside of her office. The orders were originating from wireless network hub in the small café just off the trading floor and no more than 40 meters away from her. The same one all the addresses pointed to. She stood up to take a look, but then hesitated. This was too much of a coincidence. The person behind this couldn't have been dumb, they probably knew someone would come looking for this. Still, she needed to see for her own eyes.

Quickly she grabbed a pistol and concealed it in her dress and headed down. Illium wasn't Omega and had a decent police force, but neither was it free of crime. She did note that technically nothing that had been done was actually a crime, it was simply highly unusual. Unless it truly was a VI or even AI doing this, that would definitely count as illegal. As she turned the corner she decided to simply catch a table at the café and order a drink like she was just another patron. This wouldn't seem out the ordinary and allow her to scan the café for any unusual activity. She quickly passed up the three steps up the elevated plateau, only to be stopped dead by a voice coming from the table in the left hand corner.

"Dr' T'soni, have a seat. You were quicker than I expected so the Earl Grey tea isn't here yet."

Liara looked over to find a young, blue haired girl with slightly odd clothing smiling at her. The red t-shirt not really matching the oddly shaped grey combat trousers she wore. Still she could see that despite her age and her apparent happy demeanor she carried herself with a confidence that belied her small stature. This was someone who knew exactly what she was doing and thus not to be taken lightly. But Liara had learned to play this game as well.

"That's ok, it will give us some time to talk miss…."

The girls smile just broadened as she replied. "Eve, you can call me Eve. I'm sorry about all the hassle on the markets, but this way I could catch two birds with one stone as they say."

As Liara sat down she realized this was either a trap or a very elaborate way to simply have a chat with her. Then again she was here now and Eve, if nothing else, had peaked her curiosity. "Yes, you seem to have caused quite a stir with your market program."

Eve raised one eyebrow as she looked back at Liara and she immediately realized she had made her first mistake. One-null for Eve she mentally noted. "That was no market program Dr T'soni. I see you came here early not because you found all the clues, but chose premature action. Still a willingness to take action even when not all the facts are known is use full at times. In this case it does leave you with a distinct disadvantage."

Liara was raking her brain for more information on her, but nothing came up about her. Except….

Shepard had mentioned a new crewmate in passing that didn't quite fit the normal profile, but did seem to fit with her. Female, apparently young and more intelligent than any human he had met before. More pieces started to fall into place. He had mention she was from far away, her foreign clothes and appearance attested that. The odd way she had decided to meet her also meant she knew more then let on, but less then she wanted to. As Shepard had taught her, it was time to take a gamble.

"Perhaps so Eve, however I'm not the only one looking for information in this conversation. Having trouble settling into this part of space?"

Liara took care full note of Eve's eyes while she said that. The past years as an information broker had taught her that facial expression could be controlled, but eyes were where the emotions behind the mask could be seen. Eve's however showed nothing as she giggled at her reply. "Touché Dr T'soni, touché."

One-one she noted down. Her eyes still worried her, the facial expression was one of happiness and on the surface her eyes reflected that. But it was an empty expression. It wasn't quite genuine, but not completely played either. All in all very confusing. At least she now had confirmation this was Shepards new crewmate. Idly she wondered if Shepard knew what she was doing.

The Asari was as bright as she had anticipated. She would definitely be of use if wielded properly. Eve had followed her meeting through Shepards comm. signal in silence and had analyzed it at a slow pace while she was working the markets. Her intel had been accurate and to the point, to top it off she seemed loyal almost to a fault to Shepard. While she didn't trust Shepard much more than any other mortal, he had proved to have competent and capable friends. But as with everyone there was something she wanted as well and that gave Eve something to bargain with. First she would finally need to get to the point though. She was starting to miss the reverence she was always approached with by mortals back in her own universe, it let her dictate the flow of things much easier.

"Let's stop playing this game shall we. We're both well versed enough in it that it only serves to complicate our talks. I need something and you need something. I think a mutually beneficial arrangement could be made here."

The good doctor seemed to think for a second before she answered. "Well any friend of Shepards is a friend of mine I suppose. What is it you propose?"

"A simple exchange of information. I want anything and everything you know about Mass Effect propulsion systems and wormholes."

The request seemed to confuse her a bit as she raised an eyebrow, but she made no remark one way or the other. "And I would get?"

"I'll help you with a personal quest of your own. Let's just leave it at I have certain talents that wouldn't make it hard to track down the Observer."

Her eyes widened only a fraction of a millimeter, but Eve caught it. She had struck the right cord.

"That seems a rather trivial trade, after the way you decided to contact me."

Well Eve supposed she hadn't become such a prominent information broker in such a short time without being sharp. After all she was right, this was use full, but in the end a simple test to see if she could and would deliver.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. It's true that I doubt our dealings will be done after our current agreement ends. I could use a steady stream of intel and I do believe you could use an assortment of my talents for your own purposes. In any case, you didn't doubt for a moment when I said I could find the Observer for you. That alone was worth the unconventional introduction."

Liara realized she was right the moment the words had left her mouth. She hadn't doubted it, even for a moment. Somehow this human had managed to gain complete control of the Illium stock market within an hour of her arrival. She didn't know how and while she admitted to being curious, she honestly didn't really care either. Needless to say cracking encrypted transmissions would be childsplay for her. On the other hand, what did she have to lose. She would be no closer or further from catching the Observer if she failed than she was now.

Someone with her talents would definitely be use full if used right.

"Alright then. I have designated a number of terminals that contain coded transmissions from the Observer. These should confirm which one of the operatives on the list is the Observer. If you get me the transmissions I will do my best to acquire any of the information you requested."

She handed Eve the datapad on which she had quickly dotted down several locations. "Come see me when you have the results and we can discuss it further."

When she made to stand Eve giggled. "Please, some respect for my talents. Sit down, I'll have the data for you in four seconds."

Liara blinked mid standing up, but sat down as requested when she processed what she had said.

"Four seconds?"

Eve smiled as she sat down again and then closed her eyes. Liara couldn't help but count the seconds as she heard nothing but the muted bustle of the trade floor and her own heartbeat. Who was this woman that she could casually crack Shadow Broker files in a café?

As her mental counter hit four Eve opened her eyes again with a frown on her face. That lasted all of about half a second as the frown was replaced with a smile and a small "aahh."

"Downloading the data to your pad. Have a look for yourself."

Liara couldn't help but frown, an expression she had taken over from Shepard, as she looked at the datapad. The data was all there. Short messages, parts of conversations and send and receive locations. But something was off. The messages cleared all of their suspects, they all had other roles to play. Was this an elaborate trick? Was the Observer hiding himself as one of his own operatives?

"Something is wrong. This data clears all of the suspects off my list."

Eve giggling made her look up. "You're missing the point."

Point? What point. This data had just neatly destroyed her suspect list. Over four months of research by her and Nyxeris. All leading round in circles until finally Nyxeris had found a piece of information that gave them this lead.

"Alright I'm spoiling it, you're taking too long."

Liara looked up again, a bit miffed. "Taking too long at what?"

"Look at the data, link them all together. None of your suspects is the Observer, because there all male. The Observer is a female."

She looked again, now instantly seeing the link when it was pointed out. How could she have missed that. Not just now, but all this time. Nyxeris data had been clear….. It clicked.

"Nyxeris."

Eve just smiled again and nodded. "I'll wait here, see you in a bit."

Just as the waiter put down her Earl Grey tea, she got up and as if in a trance walked towards her office. Nyxeris, they were going to have a quick and decisive chat.

She had to admit she liked Liara. So conflicted in emotions, at the same time intelligent and still somehow a bit naïve through it all. Eve had landed the connection the moment she had analyzed the data. It was after all the perfect place for someone like the Observer. Somewhere Liara would have never thought to look and with direct access to any information she might have. The Shadow Broker was clever and his intelligence network seemed far more widespread then Liara's, but from recorded data not always reliable. It might be worth considering helping Liara along further, she would be more…. manageable given the same resources. She dedicated a part of her processing power to further developing this thought as another part of her consciousness noted an increase in Armax stock and subsequently sold it in order to buy more Hahne-Kedar stock.

Everything was working out nicely, for the moment at least. Mortals moved so much slower than capsuleers did, but if there was one thing a capsuleer had in abundance it was patience. After all, she had all the time in the world.

She wondered when Shepard would be done with his business.

Shepard couldn't help but smile as he saw Miranda talk to her sister. It had been close, but they had made it in time to prevent her from being taken. The Eclipse commander and all her forces were dead and sadly so was Niket. He had seen it in Miranda's eyes, she hadn't wanted to pull the trigger so he had stopped her, only for that Asari bitch to kill him herself. The man had only done what he thought right, nothing more and in the end he still meant something to her. Like him, he knew Miranda never had much of a childhood and this was probably her last remaining good part of it. Still despite all that he watched her smile at Orianna and he remembered why he did what he did. A reminder he very much needed right now.

From the moment Batarian slavers had hit Mindoir his life had been nothing but one long line of fights only linked by the purpose that drove them all. No one else should have to experience that. His life had already been shaped by these events, marked by death and destruction. But these people were free from that. Like Miranda fought to keep her sister safe and isolated from all that. He fought to keep it that way for everyone he could, for as long as he could. It was why he had held on at Elysium. All throughout the fighting, the wounds and fatigue, one thing had kept him going. No one deserved another Mindoir, not while he still drew breath. He knew it was an impossible ideal, peace everywhere, and it sounded as hollow and unrealistic in his mind as it would sound to everyone else. He knew he would never achieve it and that almost everyone would fight it. He also knew that was the one thing that made sure he would never stop fighting them. As impossible as it was, it was too good to let go.

Then the Reapers had shown up and he had realized that his ideal was no longer just an ideal. To fight the Reapers it would become a necessity. All races united and all fleets joined to protect the one thing that did matter. Not money, not power and not anyone's ego, but simply life as they knew it. He had died protecting that idea. Only to be brought back to see that in the two years he had been gone nothing had changed. His message had gone unheard and no one was preparing against the inevitable except a rogue organization he had fought tooth and nail two years ago, and he had moved on. It had only taken him the few hours in a silent shuttle ride to decide that he simply did not care. He did not care that he now had to work with an organization he didn't approve off or with a new team that barely trusted him. That the council was decision less and the Alliance too bound by regulation to react quickly enough. It simply did not matter. He was still breathing, so he would fight. As Saren had said, what seemed like an eon ago: He would fight, even when he knew he could not win.

Perhaps that was what set him apart, made people he had only barely met follow him without question. Or as Garrus had put it, to hell and back if necessary. His team was larger and more diverse than last time and it still wasn't complete, but he knew each of them were the best at what they did. In the end he knew they were all still people though, with their own past and problems. As much as he fought for everyone he didn't know, he fought twice as hard for the people he did. Not because he needed to gain their trust, but simply because they deserved it. Because Jack deserved closure from the Telten facility after what they had done to her there. Because he had seen Jacob cry on the shuttle back to the Normandy after they had found out what his father had done. And because Miranda for the first time he knew her genuinely smiled at a joke her sisters told. Whether they realized it or not, they were worth it.

Thoughts of his team eventually pulled him to their latest addition, if she could be called that. John had met his fair share of strange, confident, crazy, competent and independent people over his career, but she was something else entirely. She packed technology he could hardly believe existed on a ship she could pilot without crew or interface and all by a woman who was as power full, competent and confident as an Asari matriarch, with as much secrets as the Shadow broker. After their talk on the Normandy he knew for sure that she did not trust anyone easily and stayed simply because she needed him as much as he thought they would need her.

But then he would remember her interaction with Mordin when they first met and how she talked with Kasumi only a few minutes after having met her. No matter her implants and tech or whatever experience with war she had. Whether she denied it or not, as insane as it sounded, somewhere down there she was still a human being. A person stranded in a galaxy she didn't know with no known way back and no familiar people around. She too was worth fighting for, whether she needed it or not.

As for himself, well that was easy.

He was still breathing.