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Blue: Cerulean: Five
"What's wrong," Shepard barked striding into the cockpit. Joker was an ever present feature in the pilot's seat, EDI's body in the co-pilot's. Miranda was a examining the instruments over Joker's shoulder with Garrus at the weapons control.
"I respectfully submit that you do not kill me until after we've run the alliance blockade," Joker said without looking up. His hands flashed over the holographic controls, eyes darting from one display to another; the complex multitasking did not appear to affect his ability to speak in the slightest. "Dead pilot's just don't fly that great."
"I'll take it under advisement," Shepard muttered moving forward, "you said something about a blockade?"
"They're surrounding the relay," Joker confirmed. "Unless I alter course or slow us down we'll be right on top of them in under five minutes."
"All stop, quick quiet." Shepard demanded.
"Aye-aye," Joker obeyed, punching in a series of short commands. "All stop, quick quiet. Coming about for counter-thrust."
Shepard peered at one of the displays. It showed The Normandy's current location, far outside the orbit of Pluto, their intended destination and the relay. All around the relay were a lot of red dots. "Why can't red just mean something fuzzy?" Shepard muttered to herself. Turning her thoughts back to the matter at hand she poked at the display, her fingertip passing through the hologram. "Exactly how many ships are there?"
"Um..." Joker paused. "All of them?"
"There are approximately fifteen Everest class dreadnaughts in a sphere formation with the relay at the center," EDI contributed coolly. "Each dreadnaught is accompanied by the standard support force of two destroyers and a cruiser. I believe this represents the bulk of the fifth fleet."
"A fleet?" Liara repeated. She sat at the navigator controls, examining the read out. "How good is our stealth system?"
"They're blind to us," Joker affirmed. "But that might not last. They could ping our IFF at any time and the automatic system would respond. We get painted- it's over."
"Since we left earth I have been attempting to find a work-around for the IFF situation," EDI confirmed. However, it is is hard-coded into ship systems. I cannot, as of yet, simply shut it down."
"Why not yank it out?" Garrus asked from where he was sitting. "It is a piece of hardware."
"Doing so would in all likelihood destroy the IFF module," EDI replied. "It is still the one from the derelict reaper. That would mean access through the Omega-4 relay would be lost. This could prove detrimental. Based on on our current status as fugitives it could be highly advantageous to have access to a relay no one else in the known galaxy can utilize."
"Provided we can get there," Garrus added over his shoulder.
"I think the last time we were there we kind of blew up the only local habitat," Joker said. "Not great living arrangements."
"The Omega-4 relay is tabled," Shepard said straightening up. "Their formation choice. That's what's going to get us through."
"Commander?" Miranda asked. Liara noticed the Shepard did not visibly flinch this time.
"A sphere is great for protecting an objective," Shepard explained. "But there are two weakness. The first is that any fleet can only bring about just over half their combined firepower onto an external target. Despite auto-targeting the chance of the back part of a sphere hitting the front half is just too great. The second, if the enemy is a small or fast, like The Normandy, once it enters a sphere formation the risk of friendly-fire increases."
"You forgot to mention that large targets in such situation get blown to pieces under one-hundred percent concentrated firepower," Garrus said holding up one finger. "The Normandy is no fighter craft."
"Oh ye of little faith," Shepard grinned; as the muscles at the corners of her mouth tightened she felt a thrill run through her. This was a real grin; the grin of someone believing they held all the cards and the next play was going to be a thing of beauty. It felt good. Without even realizing it she reached out and stroked a two-finger caress along Liara's crest. The tremble under her fingertips in response made her grin widen.
"EDI, can you simulate the IFF's return ping?" Shepard asked.
"Easily," EDI said.
"And can that broadcast data be uploaded to our remaining probes?"
EDI's metallic eyelids fluttered for a moment and a small smile crooked the corner of her mouth. "It is already done commander. Awaiting final orders."
"Full speed ahead," Shepard snapped to Joker.
"Engines to full," Joker said. "Course heading?"
Her grin, still plastered to her face, Shepard's lips curled into a snarl. "Right down their throats!"
There was the slightest of lurches as The Normandy's oversized engines howled sending the ship surging forward through empty space.
"Hmmm," Garrus mused eyes locked on the scanner. "Horribly outnumbered and heading toward certain destruction. Must be Tuesday."
"Time to relay: Two minutes, seventeen seconds," EDI observed.
Shepard said. "Can't we get any more speed?"
"Uh..." Joker gulped. "FTL might have us overshooting the replay by a just a little bit."
Miranda stepped up besides Shepard. "Clever," she whispered.
Shepard shot her a tight smile and resumed staring out the main display of The Normandy, projecting an aura of invincible confidence; just out of sight though, her right hand reached out to find Liara's who returned the grip without looking away from her station.
Seconds ticked by, a minute, one minute, thirty seconds.
"Now," Shepard thundered. "Launch all probes on an intercept course with the relay."
"Probes away," EDI replied. "Beginning IFF ping broadcast."
"Joker, maintain heading and stealth, broadcast our IFF as well. Maximum dispersal!"
"Roger that," Joker said. "EDI can you bounce echos of the IFF broadcasts off-"
"We are being scanned," EDI reported. "Activating cyber-warefare countermeasures. Standby. Twenty seconds to fleet periphery."
The front face of the armada opened fire.
Salvos of rockets launched while mass cannons tracked targets and let rip- accelerating projectiles to one point three percent light speed in seconds.
"Seventeen percent of diversionary probes destroyed," EDI said calmly. "We will enter relay range in ten seco-"
"They've locked!" Garrus cried. "Permission to knock those guns out of commission?"
"Denied!" Shepard shouted back. "Maintain course."
"We'll be fine," Miranda murmured calmly. She leaned against the rear wall of the cockpit, crossed her arms over her chest and appeared somewhat bored.
"Fifty-three percent of the probes have been destroyed; entering relay in five-"
"They've fired missiles!" Garrus shouted over the countdown.
"How many?" Joker shouted back. His hands flashing over the controls.
"Um..." Garrus studied the swarm of incoming red dots moving toward the center of the display. "Enough!"
"That's good," Joker replied. "For a moment there I was worried we wouldn't be shown the proper amount of respect!"
Shepard felt Liara's grip tighten.
"Entering relay," EDI said.
The ship glowed azure as the relay's mass effect snaked across the space, embraced The Normandy in its grip and, in a shattering display of conventional physics being blown apart, flung the ship and her crew across the galaxy.
The missiles passed through the space where The Normandy had been not half a second later.
In the cockpit of The Normandy everyone just stared in silence as the streaming blur of intra-galactic speeds whipped past the ship. For a few moments no one said anything then:
"As I said," Miranda said, shrugging one shoulder. "We'll be fine."
Garrus nodded, tapping a few keys on the holographic controls to give his fingers something to do.
"Joker, get us to the Terminus systems. Once there put us in orbit around the nearest gas giant. We'll have probably built up a charge by then," Shepard ordered.
"You got it, commander."
Shepard turned to the rest of the people in the cockpit with her. "Everyone else, to the meeting room. I have a few questions."
Five minutes later they were all seated around the conference table in the small lounge that had once been the science lab before the SR2 had been recommissioned by the alliance.
From her seat Shepard asked the open air. "Joker you hearing this alright?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good," Shepard nodded and turned slowly in her chair, looking at the others. To her right from the head of the table was Liara, next to her Garrus. Miranda sat to Shepard's left.
"So," Shepard said and then nothing else.
"Yeah," Garrus replied, putting his elbows on the table.
"Before you ask, commander," Miranda added. "I arranged for The Normandy and the pickup."
Shepard cocked an eyebrow. "I figured as much, Miranda. What I'm wondering is how you knew that it would be necessary."
Garrus raised a hand and at the same time Joker cleared his throat. Liara glanced at them her brows knit and a small frown on her face as she tried to puzzle her way through. "What-?"
"My fault," Garrus admitted.
"Mine too," Joker threw in over the speakers.
"It was my plan," Miranda said. "You chose to join of course, but it was my plan originally. So my respon-"
"Excuse me!" Shepard raised her voice. "Let's assume not everyone knows what you're talking about and move on from there. Yes?"
Miranda flushed slightly. "My apologies commander."
Clasping her hands in front of her Miranda tapped one finger against her chin, thinking and then: "It pretty much started when I intercepted the initial inquiry from the admirals about the viability of terminating your life support."
Shepard sat up straighter. "Intercepted?"
"Well yes," Miranda said resting her check in the palm of one hand. "Old habits die hard, commander. True the alliance was quite forgiving; allowing me to oversee your recovery, having me use my intelligence skills for the unified races. Tracking down resources, coordinating repair efforts and so on."
She placed both palms flat on the table and leaned back. "But that doesn't mean I trusted them and I know they didn't trust me so of course I tapped what communications I could."
"Okay," Shepard replied and waved a hand in a 'go ahead' gesture.
"The second I got that information I started my plan," Miranda continued. "The first thing I did was contact EDI."
"EDI?" Shepard questioned.
"Yes commander," EDI said over the intercom. "Ms Lawson assumed that if there was any completely isolated and totally loyal source it would be myself."
"Hey!" Joker objected loudly.
"You tend to babble when you drink," EDI was heard saying to him in a conciliatory tone. "Also It would be difficult for anyone to eavesdrop on any communication with me and for me to not be aware. Ms Lawson also surmised that the rest of you might be under observation whereas with myself, that would prove largely useless. Finally she concluded that I would be able to access databanks and infiltrate servers with a far greater likelihood of success without being discovered."
EDI paused.
"And in every area she was correct. Impressive."
"Thank you EDI," Miranda replied quietly, not even an ounce of smugness detectable in her tone.
"You are welcome Ms Lawson," EDI replied.
Miranda stood up and walked around the table passing her hand over the center and her omnitool glowed in a single pulse. The holographic display came online and familiar images crystallized, hovering in mid-air where everyone could see them. Shepard heard Liara give a quiet inhale- she recognized the three-dimensional models as well; she had seen them not an hour ago in the main hall at the alliance HQ. Spinning in space were the same images of the new nanobots supposedly swarming through her bloodstream.
"Within hours of intercepting the communique I was given orders from alliance command to begin a thorough investigation into your implants, Shepard," Miranda said and again passed her hand through empty air. Again her omnitool pulsed and the images shifted slightly, beginning the animation sequence Shepard had seen earlier.
"The admirals wanted to know what they were, what they could do and how they were affecting you. They also wanted me to theorize possible benefits to military personal should the implants themselves prove benign," Miranda sat back down.
"When did all this begin?" Liara asked quietly; her tone clipped and harsh.
"More than thirteen months ago," Miranda replied just as quietly, her eyes looking into her lap.
"I see," Liara said and lay her palms flat on the table, took a deep breath and then another. The asari closed her eyes and continued breathing deeply; Shepard could smell ozone.
She leaned forward and ran her knuckles across Liara's cheek. Her asari's eyes flew open at the intimacy of the touch, she raised one hand as if to knock Shepard's touch aside then changed partway to lay her own fingers on Shepard's. If any of the others had any reactions or thoughts on this uncharacteristic public display of affection from Shepard they kept it to themselves.
A slow blink conveyed Liara's gratitude for the intervention, they parted; turning to Miranda, Liara asked, through not quite gritted teeth, "Why was I not told of any of this."
"This," Miranda said. A wave of her hand, a pulse of her omnitool and the air above the conference table was drowning in still images and looping footage of Liara. There were images of her at the hospital, cradling Shepard, images of her moving down the street, a short movie repeating over and over caught her laying a credit chit at the coffee shop in alliance HQ. There were other stills as well; Liara in an elevator, Liara gesturing frantically locked in conversation with a Salarian, Liara sitting on her sofa staring a picture of Shepard.
"Goddess," Liara swore.
"Someone needs a bullet to the brain," Garrus said stone faced.
Shepard's jaw ached and she realized she was grinding her teeth together.
"If I had told you," Miranda went on, waving her hand again replacing all the imagery with the older stills of the reaper nanomachines. "They might have realized it. You're good Liara but that kind of information might have triggered some sort of red flag and our enemies would have resorted to more drastic tactics."
The former operative rubbed her temples and said, "Once upon a time I would have."
Liara sat, lips pursed in thought.
Straightening in her seat she said, "Thank you, Miranda."
Miranda nodded, still rubbing at her temples, "Part of the job. I'm suddenly wishing I had another career."
"And the exfilatration?" Shepard prodded.
"Of course," Miranda continued, leaning back in her seat, hands in her lap- the cool professional once more. "There was absolutely no chance that I, or any other member of your former crew allow you to be-"
"Murdered?" Garrus threw in.
"Yes," Miranda agreed with a nod. "Murdered. I began to coordinate a plan to break you out of the hospital. EDI?"
"Per Ms Lawson's instructions I began amending personal orders," The AI's voice said through the intercom. "I had former members of the Normandy crew re-assigned back for ship duties. The Normandy was being repaired and overhauled once again for a return to active service. It did not take much effort to create convincing forgeries as the crew members themselves were best suited for the requirements at the job at hand."
"And the ex-Cerberus?" Shepard pressed. "How was that one pulled off?"
"You recognized them?" Miranda asked.
Shepard nodded.
"I had Garrus contact them."
"Garrus?" Shepard's attention turned to him.
The turian had his elbows on the table, fingers interlaced so his steady gaze passed over his knuckles. "The idea had been, as I was working for the turian government, any possible surveillance would be considered too high risk," he turned one hand palm up. "Possible scandals and all that. It was a risky gamble but it paid off. Miranda believed that these former Cerberus members, she vetted them personally, would jump at the chance to serve under you again. Especially after seeing how Donnelly and Daniels were treated."
"Were working?" Shepard asked.
"I doubt being part of a terrorist attack on the alliance HQ is going to do wonders for my career, Shepard," Garrus replied in a bored tone. Then he winked at her. "Totally worth it though. They served terrible coffee."
"They are going to portray us as traitors and terrorists," Miranda said.
"They already have," EDI replied. "The Extranet is quite active regarding the attack. To summarize Shepard has been accused of plotting a coup d'etat with former members of her crew. The Normandy has been declared a renegade vessel with all alliance ships, both systems alliance and council members, under orders to attack her on sight. Alliance HQ was heavily damaged and there are reports of fatalities."
"What?" Joker exploded. "Miranda used shaped charges. The blast wave was barely enough to knock out those windows!"
"Nevertheless Joker," EDI replied. "The official statement declares fifty-five soldiers perished in the attack.
All the blood drained from Shepard's face, "Fifty-five?" she croaked. She saw but did not feel Liara's hand grip her own. A gibbering howl was whirling around in the back of her mind, the edges of her vision started to cloud over. She could see everyone staring at her, their lips were moving but she heard nothing. A nausea began to roil up her throat. She had- no. She couldn't have- scattering- thoughts were cascading. Hot, cold, fear, disgust, loathing, hate, rage boiling, seething, choking all at the same time. One tiny detail blazing in her almost unseeing mind- Liara's grip so tight her blue skin was pale and yet Shepard didn't feel a thing.
Until the hypersonic wail practically blew her ear drums apart.
With a cry of pain Shepard, along with everyone else, clapped their hands to the their ears.
The noise cut off and through the ringing and the instant pounding of a new born headache Shepard heard Joker shouting, "EDI! What did you do!"
EDI, her voice sounding surprisingly grief-stricken and not at all her normal cool, clear tones, replied. "Jeff, I'm sorry! Shepard's implants- I felt them. They somehow broadcast a biofeedback wave that my on-board sensors detected and were able to read."
"What the hell are you talking about!" Joker demanded. Shepard groaned and pulled herself straight in her seat. She sought out Liara- her asari was lying on the floor, a dazed look on her face, blinking slowly. Lurching to her feet Shepard collapsed at her lover's side. "Liara!"
"I'm fine, Shepard," Liara whispers. "But please talk quietly."
"Commander?" EDI's voice sounded ashamed and...fearful?
"I'm here, EDI," Shepard said as quietly as she could, Liara rolled onto her side into a sitting position. Behind them both Miranda and Garrus were scrambling back into their seats. No one looked very happy.
"I apologize commander," the AI said. "I became aware- your implants- the nanomachines...I suddenly knew you were in danger of-"
"Uh..." Shepard couldn't believe she was saying this to an AI but- "Take it easy EDI. I trust you had your reasons."
"Yes commander," EDI's relief was audible. Another surprise. "You were suffering a seizure, commander. Neurological flaring in your cortex, disruptions to your cardiovascular systems and your neuro-chemical activity spiked alarmingly. I believe this was an emotional and physiological reaction, coupled with extreme exhaustion and stress, to the possibility that you are responsible for alliance military deaths."
Again Shepard felt a vice tighten around her stomach.
"You're not!" and EDI's volume again spiked through Shepard's head.
"How can you be so sure?" Liara said.
The displays above the table shimmered and were replaced by a three dimensional model of the room where Shepard and Liara had been hours before. There was a hole in one wall and on the far side of it, hovering, was a model of The Normandy. Small simple humanoids were scattered throughout the image, each one clearly labeled.
"This is the room based off of my own recordings of the conflict and data I mined from the security system," EDI explained. "The time is exactly point zero zero two seconds after Ms Lawson detonated the explosives. Please observe though note the playback is slowed down by a factor of ten."
Upon finishing her description the scene unfolded. The high table, on its dais directly in front of the explosion spun forward, launched across the room by the wave of kinetic energy. The simple figurines were sent sprawling and rolling a good four or five meters. A smaller table also was flipped but the two figures crouching on the floor were left unharmed.
"As is plainly visible, based on accurate assumptions of the weight and distance-" EDI began.
"Please summarize EDI," Shepard interrupted.
"Very well, commander," EDI replied. "Simply put the explosives did not have enough power to do lethal damage. Ms Lawson who was positioned very close to the explosion was, at worst, knocked off her feet only momentarily."
The figures were picking themselves off the floor and a new one, standing at the base of The Normandy appeared.
"To give yourself, Ms Lawson and Dr. T'Soni time to reach The Normandy Garrus positioned himself to intercept any reinforcements. He used only concussive rounds which, when used against armored opponents, are non-lethal, " EDI concluded. "There is no possibility that any of these actions could result in the deaths of fifty-five systems alliance personal."
Shepard then said what she knew everyone else had to be thinking, "That means either the fifty-five deaths are total lies or-" her face stretched into a grimace, "or they killed fifty-five men and women to cement the frame."
Garrus said. "Couldn't they just alter records of military casualties?"
EDI spoke up again, "There have not been that many deaths of enlisted personal in the local system since the end of The Reaper War. If records were altered it would require a variety of different times and places. Any official autopsies would reveal discrepancies."
"You said you were asked to begin research on Shepard's implants thirteen months ago?" Liara turned to Miranda.
"That's right," the former operative nodded. "And if I correctly anticipate where you're going with this then that suggests that this, for lack of a better word, conspiracy has been preparing for some time."
"Okay, I'm totally lost," Joker's voice cut in through the intercom. "But that's okay because I just fly ships and shoot things. Pew, pew!"
Liara glanced at Shepard, brow raised, asking permission to continue. Shepard nodded.
"To casually murder fifty-five people in such a short time would be difficult, Joker, " Liara explained. "If this ...conspiracy... has been this long in the making then it's possible the minds behind it have been preparing for this eventuality by not reporting certain deaths of military personal and now, with that having a use, revealing them to the public."
"Uhm..." Joker hummed. "That's pretty hard to swallow. They'd have to have known we were going to bust Shepard out."
"Or," Garrus added thoughtfully, "been covering every eventuality."
Shepard stood up and began walking around the table, rubbing her hands together. "EDI were the dead identified?"
"Negative, commander."
"To have all this prepared," Shepard continued, "they'd have to have falsified orders, ways of keeping anyone who served with these mysterious dead beforehand silenced- it's all too complicated. I'm thinking the deaths are a lie."
"Then how will they procure the bodies when the families demand them?" Miranda asked.
Liara swallowed, placing one hand over her heart as she realized a terrible possibility, "They'll procure them now."
Shepard slammed a hand flat on the table, "No! This is not how the systems alliance does things! Hackett would never allow it."
"Shepard," Liara said quietly, "Hackett was one of the admirals who originally voted for the termination of your life support."
Her breath rasping between her teeth Shepard swore and asked, "EDI when you scooped up all this data did you happen to get identification of all the military personal in the headquarters?"
"Yes commander," EDI confirmed.
"Any discrepancies?"
"I do not understand the request, commander."
"Compare the identities of service personal in alliance HQ at around eleven hundred hours with those at the time between eleven forty-five and twelve," Shepard demanded.
Liara shot her a look which Shepard ignored.
"I believe I have found what you were referring too, commander," EDI reported a split second later.
"Go on," Shepard replied.
"Between the two times you have stipulated standard time every single serviceman or woman in the alliance HQ has been replaced," EDI said.
Ignoring the sudden intense stares from everyone in the room Shepard grunted and muttered, "I knew it."
"Now I'm lost," Garrus said to no one.
"She- she said as much," Liara stammered, not taking her eyes off Shepard as her human moved back to her seat and slouched down into it.
"What did Shepard say?" Miranda demanded leaning forward in her seat.
Shepard said. "When Liara and I were coming back from meeting with you at the coffee shop. I knew that not a single person in the main hall and the first three floors that I could see were the same people I had seen when Liara and I first arrived."
"How the hell did you do that?" Garrus asked.
"Because," and Shepard slouched even lower, "even though I only saw them for a moment, I somehow could remember everyone who had been in that room down to the smallest detail and afterwards I didn't recognize anyone there. No one at all."
"That's impo-" Garrus got no further, Miranda stood up so fast her chair flipped over. She hammered at her omnitool and the images of the nano-tech she claimed were an example of Shepard's upgrades shimmered into existence over the table.
"Total recall," the woman breathed aloud. "You have total recall, don't you Shepard?"
Shepard said nothing.
"Was there anything else?" Miranda asked, when Shepard still didn't respond Miranda turned toward her, voice climbing in intensity. "Was there anything else?"
Liara was halfway out of her seat, mouth open when Shepard whispered, "Yes."
She sat up, leaned forward and rested her forehead on her palms, "I knew where the marines coming through the door were going to be. I figure somehow these...things...analyzed something or other, perhaps the average response time or maybe the sounds of their boots on the floor, bit of this, bit of that," she shrugged. "Either way I knew the split second when they were going to be through the door and which way they'd probably be facing. I knew where Garrus was, where you were Miranda, you too Liara. Some of that I saw- most of it was the only possible answer and I knew of it consciously I knew all this and the fastest, best way to get us out of there. Crystal clear," Shepard snapped her fingers. "Didn't even have to think about it."
She raised her eyes tiredly and stared at Miranda, "Did any of that come up in your theories?"
Miranda, her eyes a little wide, shook her head a bit.
"Any idea what it means?" Shepard pressed. A tiny nod answered her.
"And does it mean I'm even human anymore?" Shepard's voice dripped scorn.
"Okay, now you can shut up," Garrus' dry voice whip-cracked across the room.
Ignoring how everyone was now staring at him Garrus got up to stand over Shepard.
"Enough with the self-pity, Shepard." Garrus said. "Yeah, you're wasted, hell, I'm actually impressed that you haven't turned into a gibbering mad-woman. Betrayal, attempted murder, the day before that as far as you're concerned you're confronting an ancient, merciless killing machine with the entire fate of the galaxy on your shoulders and waking up to this. I get that, I really do," he knelt down to look her directly in the eyes and said, jabbing at her with one finger, "but don't pull this self-doubt shit on me. I could personally shove a coffee machine up your ass, turn it on and have you serving decaf out your nose and you'd still be more human than any other person I've met from your planet."
"Goodbye," Joker muttered over the intercom. "Good luck in your next incarnation."
For a split second the two old, beaten soldiers were staring at each other then Shepard snorted quietly, one corner of her mouth curving upwards, "Asshole," she said, shaking her head.
"And proud of it," Garrus replied getting back on his feet.
"I will kick your ass," Shepard promised.
"More than fair," Garrus sat back down, failing spectacularly to not look pleased with himself.
Miranda cleared her throat.
"Go ahead," Shepard sighed.
"What you've reported is consistent with what I theorized might be possible in terms of mental alterations to go along with the physical ones I reported earlier," she said. "I would recommend regular tests and scans to monitor any changes in the implants."
"How?" Shepard demanded. "The Normandy doesn't have that kind of equipment."
"Speaking of what The Normandy has," Joker's voice cut in. "But I should also mention that we're severly understocked. Despite EDI's efforts our baby wasn't expected to leave port anytime soon. We're okay for fuel but rations, weapons, heat sinks, both personal and ship based, are all really low."
"Not to mention we have to decide what we're going to do now," Liara added. "I do not even have a way to maintain my network."
"On the contrary Dr. T'Soni," EDI replied. "That much we were able to accomplish. I had your equipment returned to The Normandy. You will find it to be very similar to the operations theater you had during the war."
Liara blinked slowly, "That- that's good, EDI. Thank you."
"More than good," Shepard added. "You can use that to get us started on what we need to do."
"Which is?" Miranda asked.
"You really don't know?" Garrus said turning to face the other woman. "You have been paying attention to Shepard for years now, right?"
He held up one finger, "First-"
"We're going to find this new group threatening the alliance," Shepard finished.
Garrus ticked off another finger, "Second," he said.
Again Shepard interupted. "We end them."
Nodding Garrus raised his last finger, "And finally-" he said, voice expectant.
"Live damn happily ever after," Shepard concluded.
"I love my job," Garrus grinned.
"I'd like to add that I am very much in favor of that plan," Liara said quietly, almost holding back her smile.
"First we need supplies," Shepard said standing up. "Joker, once we've dumped the charge, set course for Omega. We're going to need some favors. Miranda?"
"Yes, commander?"
"Please have the crew meet in the mess hall, I'd like to address them personally."
Miranda nodded, "Of course."
"Good," Shepard moved to stand behind Liara's seat, embracing her asari. "Dismissed."
END- Cerulean05