Chapter Four

Normandy SR-2, Debriefing Room, 2349h

"Everyone, this is Dean Watson. He's a member of the Spectres, so I'll expect everyone to treat him with the same courtesy as you would Shepard. Dean also has extensive training with the EIA, so he is no stranger to peril or dangerous missions," Miranda began the briefing. All squad members' eyes were focused upon her and the new crew member. "He's also a personal friend of mine from a long time ago, so we can trust him."

The silence that greeted the both of them was nearly overwhelming. She cleared her throat apprehensively. "Zaeed, Thane, your message was unclear about your results. Please clarify."

Zaeed looked at Thane, who gestured his hand forward as if to say 'go ahead'. The middle-aged bounty hunter put his hands behind his back and started to pace about. "Well, you did say that that account wasn't totally secure, so that's why there was a mystery. We had our meeting with Aria, which, surprisingly went better than I'd expected. She expresses her quote sympathy unquote for us, and says that her intelligence can't give us anything much about Cerberus that we don't already know. She wouldn't say much about the disagreement she had with the Illusive Man, neither, but she was apparently pissed off enough that she gave us two of her asari mercs to take with us." He paused and ventured back to his previous spot at the table. "So they're down in the sub-decks where Jack was staying."

Miranda was speechless for about three seconds. "What made you think that this is an autonomy?" she shot back. "I'm Shepard's second-in-command, Massani. And now that he's gone, that makes me the ranking officer on this ship. What the hell's wrong with you?!"

"I want him back like you, Lawson, and I'm willing to do whatever the fuck it takes. And if it means taking two more people aboard that can handle themselves, I'm not about to turn it away. So don't you go pulling your goddamned stripes on me, you egomaniacal bitch. I answer to Shepard and nobody else," Massani thundered and left the room. Thane silently followed him, as did Kasumi.

"Wait," Miranda snapped, "where do you think you're going, Kasumi? You haven't been debriefed yet!"

"It's all there in my email message. You said that you were going to delete it anyway," the thief responded coolly and made herself invisible.

"Guess we're done here," Jacob observed that they were the only three ones left. "Am I dismissed, Miranda? I'd like to catch some shuteye."

She sighed angrily. "Yeah, go ahead."

"You uh…gonna be all right?" Watson tried to make eye contact with her.

"I'm fine." Miranda licked her lips and glanced at her outfit. "No wonder they weren't respecting me."

"A woman like you can dress however she wants to get my attention, Miri," he chuckled. "Now, onto the important stuff, like, where can I put my things?"

"Oh, right. Silly of me to forget that. Um, we'll put you on the starboard observation room on the crew deck for now. Is that all right? It's got a lovely view."

"Sounds perfect if you're not too far away." He grinned and picked up his canvas bag.

"No, I'm just down the hall from it. Come on." They left and made their way to the elevator.


The next morning, Miranda's office, 848h…

That day, Miranda did not share breakfast with the rest of her crew mates; she had Mess Sgt. Gardner bring it to her as well as a very large carafe of coffee. After she readied herself for the day, she spent the last half an hour doing as much research as she could on Dean Watson's career. Unsurprisingly, the majority of his records with the EIA were classified, but Miranda was able to access some of them through a Cerberus mole.

There was only one unusual case that caught her attention, and it was the last one. He had been posted to infiltrate a notorious terrorist group in Damascus, Syria, and the handler from the EIA reported no known contact for four months from Watson. The Australian and North American embassies were bombed two weeks after the date of the communiqué. Hmm…that's odd. Just where did he go?

A message popped up on her monitor, notifying her that Chambers was coming to see her as requested.

Miranda took it upon herself to pour out the coffee into the cups, one for her, and the other for Chambers. Ten seconds later, the Yeoman strolled in with a pop-tart in hand. "Morning, Miranda. How may I help you?"

"Please, Chambers, sit down. Do you take cream and sugar in your coffee?"

"Yes, please, two tiny, little lumps. Thanks very much." Miranda nodded, distributed the ingredients, and passed the cup and saucer to her, who sat across from her desk.

"This isn't easy for me," Miranda began. "I thought that it'd come just as natural as most things do for me."

"Talking with me or…"

"Yes, well, no…well…I meant, assuming the role of Commander."

"Ah, I see. You have the floor, Miranda. I'm here for you," Chambers smiled and shoved the rest of her pop-tart into her mouth.

"I appreciate that. Being the Commander is harder than I thought. No one but Jacob seems to respect me, and even that respect seems to be slipping away as we speak."

Chambers nodded in response and drank some of her coffee. "Please continue, Miranda."

"Shepard's gone. He was the force pulling everyone together, and I seem to be pushing everyone away. I thought I could handle this, and now, this morning… I can't do this! What's wrong with my leadership?"

"Have you gotten much sleep?"

"I don't need it as badly as normal humans do." She rolled her eyes and dumped a large portion of her own coffee down her throat. "Another gift from Father," she mumbled to herself. The yeoman heard her last remark and nodded.

"Then I need to know something in order to know what to advise you next." Miranda put down her cup and leveled her gaze with Chambers. "How far would you go to get Shepard back? Now think carefully before answering my question, because there's more to it. We finished our fight against the Collectors, which are pretty impossible odds, I'll admit, and by the way, I'm still very grateful for the rescue. Now, I think you might know what I'm going to ask next."

"Spit it out already!"

"I wasn't onboard, of course, and neither were three-fourths of the crew members at the time, but, there's been a lot of talk between us all. Ship gossip, so to speak. Now, you and Shepard…ah…consummated your relationship, right? I don't always believe every rumor I hear."

"I appreciate your phrasing, Kelly, and yes, it did happen." The corners of her mouth widened ever so slightly, perhaps out of pride or sentiment.

"I know you're the sort of person who wouldn't casually approach sex, especially with a superior or a colleague, whereas someone like Jack would. So I suppose you're in favor of continuing your relationship?"

"Yes, however, I'm not sure what he wants from it."

"Well, regardless of that, I'm asking how you feel at this moment because it is very paramount to our mission. Do you love him?"

"I don't see how this has anything to do with-"

"All right, I'll be more frank, then. Your feelings for Shepard will greatly impact your decisions as commander of the Normandy. If you're not thinking clearly with your head, then maybe it would be best to step down and let someone else take over. Poor judgment shouldn't endanger this mission, Miranda."

"No one else has one-fourth of the leadership skills that I do!" Miranda got up from her chair and turned her back to the yeoman. "Of course I've been using my head!" A knock came from outside the door to divert their attention. "What?!" she yelled.

The door opened, and in walked Dean Watson. "Good morning, ladies. Please pardon the intrusion, but it's rather significant. Zaeed Massani, that merc and Kasumi, what is she, a thief? They've both requesting to leave the Normandy. Uh, thought you'd probably like to know as you are the baas around here."

"Shit," Miranda cursed to herself. What have I done?


Medical Bay, Binary Helix Corporation Headquarters, Noveria, 1230h

Mordin rushed into the room as soon as he heard the news that Liara woke up from her coma. "Dear me, dear me! Accept my sincere apologies, Dr. T'Soni!" he bowed his head remorsefully. "I never meant for this to happen, I-"

"Whoa," Liara opened up her eyes and raised herself up slightly. "Neither did I." She lifted her right wrist, saw that the Ochrana bracelet was no longer there, and sighed with relief. "Thank the goddess for technological advances in medical science."

"Told them that we should've waited five more milliseconds, used too many gamma rays, those nincompoops wouldn't listen to me," the Salarian began to prattle. "I ought to incinerate them for such stupidity, I-"

"Dr. Solus, it's all right. I will heal, probably very quickly thanks to this well equipped lab. If we'd been aboard the Normandy, Dr. Chakwas, although she is a wonderful doctor, might not have been able to save me."

"Good to know." His expression lightened. "So, step one is finished. Step two, much more difficult now that the Ochrana device is off. Will need to try to reverse engineer it." Mordin spun around immediately.

"Are you going to take a break, Doctor?"

"Break? No! Just did so to check on you, had to see how cognizant you were, vital signs, et cetera. Much to do, talk later?" He wasted no more time on Liara and left the medical bay as quickly as he had come.

Liara felt her strength returning her body and sat up. When that was not a problem, she removed the sheets from herself and dressed. Minutes later, she had the IVs out of herself and made sure that she was fit to leave with the doctors' permission. After requiring her to perform a few simple motor skills and memory tests, they did so.

Liara ate a quick lunch and returned to the makeshift office that Binary Helix administrators very willingly provided. It was adequate enough with a terminal that had access to the extranet as well as the capability for her to interface with her omni-tool. Without another second to lose, she activated both instruments and downloaded a majority of the messages she missed from her Shadow Broker network. None of them were as paramount as Shepard's disappearance, she decided, and pulled up her list of agents.

Ten minutes later, she found a dossier that could prove very useful and acted upon it by calling the operative by the name of Serena Longoria. Longoria was a Cerberus operative, had been for six years, and then was recruited by the Shadow Broker. She served the Broker for three years, proving at least some loyalty, and gave some of the intel included where Cerberus had suspected Shepard's body to be after the first Normandy had been decimated. Liara activated the voice filter after getting through to Longoria's Cerberus issued omni-tool.

"Operative Longoria, you are requested to patch in to channel beta sixty-two forty-one. This is a secure channel," Liara ordered and pulled up a visual image of Serena Longoria. She was an athletic young human woman who had flaxen hair, high cheekbones, and soft chestnut eyes.

The Broker agent silently obeyed. "Report is ready. Update can be sent electronically or communicated through audio communication now."

"Send the update electronically. Wait, no…" Liara gathered her thoughts. "Is there anything in there regarding an Ochrana bracelet?"

"No, Shadow Broker. I was forwarding some information about a planet in the Arghos system-"

"Do you have any data regarding a protection against biotics weapon? This is the Ochrana bracelet I mentioned a moment ago."

"Why, yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I did not regard its importance at the time I first came across it, I must apologize."

"How long have you known?" Liara decided that an assertive tone was the best way to remain objective.

"Two, three days, perhaps, at the most."

"Where are Cerberus' main headquarters?" This question seemed to take Longoria aback. Her eyebrows raised with incredulity and shock.

"I don't know that answer, Shadow Broker, I-"

"Your top priority now is to find the answer to that question. Devote as much time and resources as you are able."

"But, that's like asking me to find a needle in an asteroid field! Cerberus is so reclusive, even for an operative like me, that they are like nomads. They pick up everything and move if they have even one slightest hint that the Alliance will be raiding a base, thanks to that Spectre Commander Shepard's persistence. No one trusts anyone in this operation! All we ever see are the numbers that go into our bank accounts. That's the only guarantee that I have that I still have a job here!"

"You were given an order, Operative Longoria. Will there be an issue with your loyalty?"

"Definitely not, Shadow Broker." Serena swallowed nervously. She knew what would happen should anyone try to betray the Shadow Broker. Her life would likely be forfeit within as little as three days. "You have my complete and total loyalty. Cerberus will not cloud my judgment."

"Good, because there's more to this." Liara hesitated to think for a moment. "Cerberus has kidnapped Commander Shepard. You will submit your complete attention to this matter."

"What must be done?"

"That is the reason why I asked where the headquarters were. Funding your mission will not be a problem, should the need arise for bribery, or a significant raise for you should you need one."

"That would be a positive incentive," Serena agreed with a nod.

"I also want to know what their plans are for him. Find out either objective however you see necessary. Send reports over your secure connection as usual. Remember, this supersedes ALL other goals. You will see an amount of credits transferred electronically to your account in three hours as a sign of good faith."

"I will do what I can, Broker, but cannot guarantee that I will produce many viable results."

"This is not an easy task," Liara remarked. "I would not ask anyone else to do it because you are the best for it. Shadow Broker out." After breaking the extranet connection, Liara took some deep breaths to calm herself. Shepard has put himself on the line for me more times than I can count. I can't lose him…not like this! He means too much to me!

She closed her eyes to try and fight back the sobs, but the tears would not subside. She rested her head over the desk and wept bittersweetly to herself.


Normandy SR-2 Medical Bay, 1750h

Both Engineers Gabriella Daniels and Ken Donnelly brushed by Miranda on their way out. Each crew member carried an orange-colored pill bottle in hand, and neither greeted her. The physician rotated herself in the chair so that she directly faced Miranda and was civil enough to do so. "Operative Lawson, how may I help you?"

"I'd like to speak with you regarding Jacob Taylor's medical condition."

Dr. Chakwas gestured for her to sit in the empty seat adjacent to hers. "There are some things that I cannot divulge, and I'm certain that you're aware of the reason. Barring that disclaimer, what would you like to know, Operative Lawson?"

Miranda folded her arms across her chest. Her slate-blue eyes made a deadly clash with Chakwas'. "Doctor-patient confidentiality shouldn't matter to the Normandy's commanding officer."

The physician showed no sign of intimidation. "If we were talking about Shepard's health, I would completely agree and be as candid as possible with you, Operative Lawson." She started to turn back around until she heard Miranda's booted heels stroll towards the seat.

Miranda leaned her weight against the chair with her hands but stood. "I've noticed several of the crewmen visiting you in the last few hours. Is there an illness aboard?"

"There appear to be several cases of cranial neuralgias, and be assured, Operative Taylor has not contracted one."

Lawson's eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head to one side with piqued interest. "Headaches?"

"Yes. I postulate that this could have come from the Collector Base, since none of Shepard's team have come to me asking for some-"

Kasumi interrupted the conversation with her entrance, but when she saw Miranda, she spun around. "I'll be back later, Dr. Chakwas."

"Nonsense, do come in, Ms. Goto."

"Well…it's really not that bad…"

"Got a headache, Goto?" Miranda inquired suspiciously.

The thief took a step away from her. "Yeah, but maybe I just need to eat something…hmm…some Ramen would be nice…"

"That would be advisable. And here…" Chakwas arose to give her a container. "Take these with your meal and if I were you, I'd turn in early this evening."

"Thanks."

After Kasumi left, Miranda actually sat down. "Guess that eliminates your theory since Goto is on Shepard's team."

"Hmm…it would appear to be debunked, indeed."

"From one scientist to another, Doctor…what's wrong with Taylor?"

Chakwas sighed. "He came to me shortly after we came back through the Omega 4 relay complaining of some pain in his side. Naturally, I administered some medi-gel to him and conducted an examination."

"What did you find?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." She shook her head 'no.' "Then he notified me about some other ailments he was suffering from."

"What were his symptoms?"

She chose to ignore Miranda's query. "I believe Operative Taylor is suffering from renal papillary necrosis…as a side effect of drepanocytosis."

The Aussie leaned on her right hand and balanced it on top of the other as she gave the matter some thought. Sickle cell anemia…that's a very rare chronic condition…how would this have slipped through Cerberus' medical examinations? They're even more thorough than the Alliance's…or so I remember.

"I asked him to see a friend of mine on the Citadel," the Brit continued her narrative. "He hasn't been back to me for a few days, so I can assume that she gave him some treatment."

"I witnessed him experiencing some mild pain last night. It's either not working, or he never went to see your colleague," Miranda informed her. "I'll go have a word with him later on."

"With all due respect, Operative Lawson, I am the Normandy's chief medical officer, and I came here to serve with Shepard, not you. I'd prefer to keep the matter sub rosa."

"In your opinion, do you think that he should be removed from active duty?"

"We'll see how he feels at dinner."

"Let's schedule a physical examination immediately afterward." Miranda crossed her arms over her chest.

"That will not be necessary." Chakwas paused to lock her gaze with Miranda. "And should you approach Operative Taylor to discuss this, then expect to find yourself without me…effective immediately. " After delivering her ultimatum, Chakwas swiveled her chair back to her desk and began to massage her temples. She exhaled through her mouth loudly. "Now if there's nothing else, I should like to remain off-duty for the rest of the evening."

"Of course." Miranda stood and left the med bay without another word.


Half an hour later...

Instead of the usual happy, carefree environment that it had previously been, the crew mess was as quiet as a graveyard. The cheer was completely gone from everyone's faces, even though the meal Mess Sgt. Gardner made was outstanding as usual. No one laughed or smiled throughout the entire meal. The conversations were superficial and trivial, usually ending up with one-worded answers. As she came out of her office, Miranda was not greeted with the same kindness that had been bestowed upon her yesterday. "Want another supper sent to your quarters, Commander Lawson?" Gardner growled.

She shook her head no and adjusted her fingertip gloves timidly. "I should eat with everyone tonight."

"Oh, so she is good enough to eat with us, " Massani retorted. "Don't worry, Lawson, I'll be out of your pretty hair soon enough. Got my ticket booked to get the hell outta here tonight."

"That's not soon enough for me," Kasumi stated. "Best I could do was to leave tomorrow morning, lucky you."

"Now wait, please…" Miranda started to stammer and cautiously walked closer to the tables. "I…I…had my reasons for saying what I did last night…-"

"That your idea of an apology? Funny…I always thought that those started with "I'm sorry" or "I was wrong"," Zaeed fumed. His sarcasm added fuel to Miranda's fire.

"I wasn't wrong, you arrogant prick! You had no goddamn right to-" she thrust her finger in his face, but Watson, who had been sitting across from Massani, shoved it away.

"Miranda, you went out of line last night, and you're out of line now!" Watson stood up quickly, and his chair made a screeching sound as it scooted back. "Everyone is! No one has a right to do anything to compromise this mission. Don't any of your lose sight of your vision!" Dean left the table and stood at the head of it next to Miranda. "The time for petty differences like this need to be put aside. Miranda, you are the ranking officer just under Shepard, but does it give you the right to become a goddamned dictating fool?"

"Well said," Kasumi noted, to whom Miranda shot an icy stare.

"And none of you are without blame, either! Spending some time in the EIA gave me the skills I needed to be able to read all sorts of people. Thane, what caused you to accept Massani's solution?"

"The asari huntresses are great instruments to wield. I've fought against many, and they've tested my skills as an assassin many times. Those were some of the most fierce and toughest battles I've ever had. To underestimate one is to be, what's that human expression…stupid? Yes, that's it. Stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance," the Drell finished.

"In other words, you saw them as an asset, not a liability because of their combat skills," Watson paraphrased.

"That is correct," Thane nodded.

"And Zaeed, you came to the same conclusion, yes?"

The British merc agreed. "You're dead on, Watson. I get why you rose up in ranks quickly. You look like you've got a head on your shoulders, unlike some other people."

"We see eye to eye on this, then." Watson folded his arms behind his back. "But, you did break a protocol when you didn't ask Miranda whether they could come aboard or not. This is no longer an Alliance or Cerberus ship, but we should adhere to some sort of chain of command. Right now, that leader is Miranda Lawson."

"All right, say that I did ask her first," Massani growled. "Still the same answer, right? A no to extra help?" he directed this to Miranda.

Before Miranda could reply, Watson interrupted them. "What did Shepard do for you, Zaeed?"

"What?" the merc shot back.

"Shepard did something to gain your loyalty. In fact, I'm positive that he did something for all of you." Watson looked at everyone sitting at the tables. "We've lost sight of the mission already, and this isn't even the hardest part that I expect us to encounter! I did expect some mixed feelings, but no one seems to trust one another here. You act like there's no common ground, and you're all wrong! Shepard is the heart and soul of this ship. He named it, he decided which destinations to chart, how fast the Normandy would get there, and which missions would take priority. The fact that all of you are still here after you've defeated the Collectors says something. It means that you all are completely dedicated to him. If that were not so, you'd have left after you finished your jobs."

"But he's gone now, and there's nothing left I can do…" Kasumi began. "I couldn't find David Anderson. I failed."

"Then you'll be useful in another way to us tonight or tomorrow. All of you. I won't accept my fellow crew members' retreat, and to do so is cowardly, especially after all Shepard did for all of you."

"You're right, Watson," Massani agreed. "I'll cancel my passage on one condition only." He made a dramatic pause and pointed directly at Miranda. "That Lawson steps down from the command."

"Those will be my terms as well," Kasumi nodded.

"What?!" Miranda crossed her arms defiantly.

"Do you feel that those terms are acceptable, Miranda?" Watson turned to her with a determined and hardened stare. This expression reminded her of how she fell for Dean Watson in the first place. He wouldn't back down from the first time she said no to a date, he pursued his goals just as persistently as she, and his eyes always seemed to pierce her in the right place. It made him very irresistible back then, and she felt her resolve lessen. She relented with a nod.

"I do have one question, though," she said in a much more serene tone. "Who's going to lead us now? We must have a commander of the Normandy."

The silence that hung in the room was overwhelming. Jacob, who'd been quietly listening to everyone else bicker and complain, stood from his chair. "I volunteer."

Watson lifted his right hand slightly. "As do I."

"Why don't we put it to a vote?" Kasumi suggested. "That way everyone on the crew, not just us, gets to have a say."

"Great idea, Kasumi," Miranda chimed in. "EDI, tell the entire crew to assemble in the mess. This meeting is mandatory, and all must attend with the exception of Flight Lieutenant Moreau. I ask that you please leave a channel of communication open for Moreau to have a say while he's at the helms."

"Had to get one final order in, didn't ya?" Zaeed shook his head.


Two hours later, Starboard Observation Room…

"Well, congratulations are in order, Commander Watson," Miranda smirked as they both strolled into his quarters. "Why didn't you go into politics again?"

"Too messy. Besides, I still prefer to pull the trigger myself when taking out a bad guy rather than yanking some other guy's string," Watson replied casually. "This is the best way I think I can serve the galaxy at the moment, don't you?"

She said nothing in reply other than to nod and stare out the window into the deep void.

"You were never one for much talking, I'll admit that," Watson continued and sat down on one of the couches. "So, I heard Shepard had a full crew when you took on the Collectors. Who had this place before me?"

"An asari justicar named Samara."

"How prestigious. How'd Shepard manage to procure her services?"

"He helped Samara hunt down and kill an Ardat-Yakshi."

"A what?"

"Some kind of asari mythological creature translated into 'demon of the night wind'. She wasn't supernatural, from what I'd heard. She just had some kind of genetic disease that made her suck the life out of her lovers...literally."

"Hmm…where is this Samara now?"

"Not sure. She completed the mission against the Collectors, got a message from deep asari space, and left. Didn't even say goodbye."

"So what was her asset?" Miranda turned to look at Watson. "I'll re-phrase, sorry. What did she add to the team?"

"She was an incredible adept with the most powerful biotic skills I've ever seen. Even my own powers don't compare to hers," Miranda shrugged.

"I never thought that I'd hear you say that someone was better than you, Miri."

"Being part of the Collector mission taught me some new things."

"What about some of the old things?" He patted the seat next to him. "Remember those younger days?"

"I left that life behind me when I joined Cerberus, Dean." Miranda's eyes went back to space.

"You mentioned that you quit; what made you do it? And before you get all full of yourself again, remember that you owe me something for keeping your team here."

"You're right, I should be grateful." She caved and joined him on the couch. "You helped unite us again…like Shepard would want us going up against anyone else."

"I'd like to keep it that way, but it'll be easier for me moving forward if we're honest with one another." He slid over a little closer to her so that they were two feet apart instead of four.

"I left Cerberus because I no longer agreed with the Illusive Man. I saw how far he went to get some Collector technology, and we lost a whole science team to that mission. Sixty people. And the Illusive Man just…moved on ahead without a second thought. He didn't send letters to their families giving any closure about how their members died, he didn't go to any of the wakes. And he most certainly didn't hesitate to pressure Shepard…"

"Go on, Miranda."

"When we reached the Collector home world through the Omega 4 relay, we fought through Hell to get into that base. We took two separate teams in to distract the Collectors, then we freed our enslaved crew members from the central chamber. Guess that's why so many of our crew members voted for you. They see a fire in you like Shepard's got. He's got a drive that would just physically tear apart any normal human being, a perseverance…and when the Collectors attacked our ship, they took everyone but our helmsman. Our squads were in the shuttle at the time on another sideline mission, so none of us could help them then. But Shepard went in right away without a second to lose after the Collectors. He really cares about us all."

"Those are some giant shoes to fill, Miri." He slid even closer. "I think I'd like to stay on with Shepard's permission, after we save him, of course. I like what I see from your teammates."

"There's more to the story, sorry. The Collectors had been building a human Reaper with all of the lives that they'd taken. They'd turned each living being into liquid…or a husk. Shepard was about to blow it to Hell when the Illusive Man asked him not to. He instead proposed sending a timed radiation pulse that would destroy the base but leave the technology intact."

"What a domkop...bastard. That place sounded like a hellhole...an abomination."

"That's exactly what I thought, and I told him so. I was there on that platform with him. But, Shepard wouldn't hear another thing about it. That's when I had my final disagreement with the Illusive Man, and that's why I don't work for Cerberus any more."

"Isit…so…you never had any disagreements about his methods previously?"

"I was…under the disillusion that the Illusive Man always put forward the best interests of humanity first. I'm not usually wrong, but, when I know that I am, I'll admit to it." She crossed one leg over the other.

"God, you don't know how much I've missed you throughout the years. Seeing you at that party was like a breath of fresh air…an inspiration."

"You seem to have done well for yourself. Any past Spectre missions you can talk about?"

"Although it's rare, I got the opportunity to work with another Spectre…an asari named Tela Vasir. She was a vanguard with a biotic charge that could tear a krogan's heart in two! And that brain of hers…that body…lekker stukkie." He growled like a predator. "She was next to heaven. We did some work together in Illium to take down Nassana Dantius. She had done some rather scandalous things with her diplomatic power in the Asari assembly, so the Council wanted some action taken forward on it. It was more detective work than anything else, I admit...a little on the dull side. We sent our findings to the Council then found out two weeks later that somebody rubbed her out before we could arrest her."

"Hmm…she did wrong a lot of people, I heard," Miranda kept her mouth movements restrained. "What happened?"

"We're not sure who, but, someone put out a contract on her. Whoever this guy was, he did Illium a big favor. Her stock soared through the roof for one week and then fell flat like a rock," he made some gestures as he recalled the story. "You know how slowly the Council moves. Vasir and I wanted to move in on her; we heard that she was being followed and watched by this assassin."

"Did you ever see him?"

"Thought I caught a silhouette of him one time…might have been a drell." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye for her reaction. She had none, so he continued. "Then again, we never received the order in time to arrest her, so…I guess you could call it justice served."

"The Council didn't have you investigate her death?"

"Waste of time and resources. Vasir got called away, and I moved on. But I'll never forget our last night." Watson blew some air out of his mouth in a low whistle. "Finest piece of Asari art I ever got my hands on."

Miranda rolled her eyes and changed legs.

"Used her biotic charge on me once or twice. Still have a bruise...wanna look?" He grinned devilishly and was about to raise his shirt, but she blew him off with a slight air of disgust and looked in the opposite direction. "They're nothing compared to the ones I suffered with you, though. You almost broke my back one night when you threw us on that tiled floor!"

"Oh yeah. Forgot about that one." She directed her attention back to him. "You got better, though."

"I wasn't complaining then, and I won't complain now." Watson's hand moved onto her thigh, which made her get up and leave the couch. "Sorry if I was too casual about Vasir. You know how lonely space travel can be. A Spectre can't have a family or a wife and expect to keep 'em."

Doubts began to plague Miranda's head about Shepard. He was still a Spectre.

"I've gotta go, Dean. We'll talk later," she announced and departed without another word.