Author's Note:

Yay! Happy New Year, everyone!

Sorry this chapter is a tad short...I'm only here half a day today so I didn't have as much time to work on it. I think what it lacks in length, however, it makes up in content.

Maybe. Hopefully.

Anyway, I have a three day weekend ahead so the next installment won't be up until Tuesday. Everyone enjoy your holiday and be safe!

On a final side note, on a lark yesterday (because I was bored and in a slightly goofy mood) I fiddled around and, long story short...Del Shepard now has her own email AND facebook account! Her email is shepardcommander11 at gmail. I will be linking both that and the facebook account in my profile as soon as I get home so if you're at all interested, check there. If you don't want to wait, you can probably do a facebook search of Del Shepard and find her...it should be pretty obvious which one is her :)

The account will be used to provide updates on my fanfics, to answer questions and for just random fun. Some of it will be posted 'in character' and some not. I will also probably eventually set up a facebook for my original writing stuff, but who knows when that will be? Del should be restricted to just the fanfic.

I'm so totally rambling now. I'll let you get back to it without further interruption. :D

It was dark inside the security prefab, the kind of close, almost ominous dark that seems to permeate homes and empty office buildings in the wee small hours of the morning. A bank of security vid screens cast the only illumination, cutting the figure sitting in front of them into sharp silhouette.

No…not sitting. Slumped.

Shipping her pistol Shepard immediately moved forward to the young quarian's side. As she took hold of him and pulled him gently upright, he suddenly regained consciousness, revolting with a cry of alarm, smacking at her shoulder-pad.

"Hey, calm down," she urged. "No one's going to hurt you."

"No! No, you can't take me," he stammered frantically. "Monsters, I won't let the monsters-"

"Shh, look…" Reaching up she pulled off her helmet. "Look at me. Veetor, I'm not a monster, see?"

"H-human?" he breathed, relaxing a little. His face-plate shifted from her to where Miranda and Jacob stood silently watching, then back to her. Lifting a hand, he shakily touched her face. "Human…but…but how? Where did you hide? Why did the monsters not t-take you?"

"We just got here," she explained. "We're looking for the other colonists."

"Gone, they're all gone," he told her. "Everyone…they took everybody, the monsters…I couldn't help them, I…I ran away. I ran away and hid. Th-the mechs but…but no…no the monsters, and the swarms…"

"He does sound confused, Shepard," Jacob observed. "Shaken up. He may not be able to tell us anything."

"No! No, I c-can show you…I can show you the monsters…"

Reaching for the console in front of him he hit a series of commands. The softly glowing security vids lit up with images pieced together from all over the colony. Shepard straightened as she watched.

The quality was not very good…most colonies couldn't even afford a full camera system like this, even one on the cheap end. Between this system and the mechs, the colony had probably used most of their allocation funds for an entire year. Blurred and distant as it was, she could clearly see alien creatures…Veetor's 'monsters'…lifting and stacking limp human beings like cordwood. Occasional ripples of static distorted the images and strange dark spots seemed to be swarming around in the images.

Swarms. Veetor had said that, hadn't he? He'd said the word swarms.

"They look like Collectors," Miranda said, squinting at the figures moving about the complex. Shepard, unconsciously fiddling with the gold chain wound around her wrist, didn't take her eyes off the images.

"What would Collectors want with human colonies?" she asked. "They're strange but they've always used agents to arrange their deals, letting others do the gathering for them. Why this all of a sudden?"

"That's a very good question," Jacob said.

She watched as the Collectors lifted another body, carrying it a short distance before dropping it like so much unfeeling laundry.

That could be Nan for all I know. She never had an enemy in her life, never had a cruel word for anyone…and they treated her like garbage.

Jaw steeling she tore her eyes away and looked at Veetor again. "How did they get the colonists, Veetor? What did they do to them?"

"Swarms," he told her, trembling. "Everywhere, they came from everywhere, no one could move. I can't…I have to hide, I can't leave…they left but they'll be back, they'll come back for me, I know they'll come back."

"Swarms, Veetor? What swarms? What were they?" Shepard urged, but the poor boy only cradled his helmet in his hands, shuddering and weeping about how the monsters were going to take him too.

"He's useless the way he is," Miranda murmured. "He may have recorded some useful information with his omni-tool but even with interrogation I doubt we'll get anything else useful out of him."

Shepard looked up at her sharply at the word 'interrogation'. Miranda, missing the look, had turned her attention onto Jacob.

"We may as well at least try," she told him. "Grab the quarian and we'll take him back to the station-"

"What? You can't do that!" Tali, having finally worked her way around to the other side of the courtyard, appeared in the doorway. Shepard straightened as the little quarian storm-cloud clenched her fists. "He's sick! Traumatized! You can't just…just take people and beat intel out of them!"

"Whoa whoa," Jacob held up his hands. "No one said anything about beating anyone. We won't hurt him. We just want to see if he can remember anything else-"

"No!" Tali snapped. "He needs to go home, to see a doctor!"

"Hey, that's enough," Shepard interrupted. "Veetor isn't going anywhere except with Tali back to the Flotilla."

"With all due respect-" Miranda began, then broke off as a finger pointed sternly at her face.

"That is something you never say to me again," Shepard told her, her expression imparting just how deadly serious she was. "Now. We've got the security footage."

Looking at her friend she said, "Tali, would you mind sending me a copy of Veetor's omni-tool data? And if he says anything useful about what happened here-"

"I'll let you know immediately, of course," she agreed. "Thank you, Shepard."

"All right. Lawson, Taylor, go back and wait at the shuttle. I'm going to help Tali get Veetor to her ship."

Her tone brooked no argument. It was the tone of a trained commander and natural leader, and more, it was the tone of someone who wasn't above breaking some teeth if she wasn't obeyed. Visibly irritated but saying nothing, Miranda turned and strode out of the security office. Jacob, less perturbed, nodded politely at the quarian.

"It was nice to meet you, Tali," he said, before he followed Lawson.

The quarian's small ship was not far, parked beneath the cliff and beside the colony's small power plant.

Smart move, Shepard thought, as she and Tali helped the injured Veetor inside. The electromagnetic field put out by the plant would all but completely hide the ship from most scans.

As Tali got Veetor laid down and secured for the ride, Shepard went out to the ramp, sitting down. The gold cross and chain glimmered on her wrist. Balancing the tiny cross on her gloved fingers she watched the way the faint light reflected off its surface.

Tali moved down and sat next to her. "What have you gotten yourself into, Shepard?" she asked. "Working with Cerberus? A fake death?"

"Death wasn't fake," Shepard murmured, lowering the cross and looking over at her friend. "I died, Tali. I don't remember the final few minutes and I guess that's for the best but…I did die. From what I understand somehow Cerberus recovered my body and spent the last two years and an unbelievable amount of credits nailing me back together."

"And now you feel you owe them, I suppose?" Tali ventured. "Is that why you're working with them?"

"No. They told me about the abductions of our colonies and when I heard that the latest was Freedom's Progress…I had to come. I…" she shook her head, her jaw tight.

Tali had grown to know Shepard very well over the months on the Normandy, tracking Saren. The woman was gruff, blunt…and most people did not like her initially. The first impression she gave off was usually that she was bad-tempered, irrational, and controlling. That wasn't the truth. Yes, she had a temper, and a foul-mouth but she was neither irrational nor controlling. She just didn't take bullshit, didn't coddle. It was very simple with her. Respect wasn't automatically given, it had to be earned. You earned her respect and you had it forever. She knew what had to be done and she did it. She gave everything of herself to her friends and her crew. She'd throw herself in front of a bullet rather than let it hit someone she cared about or was responsible for.

Tali had grown to look up to her a great deal on the Normandy. Not just because she was, as Liara had once put it, an 'incredible bad-ass' but because she treated Tali like anyone else, not 'just a quarian'. She defended her, took time out to check on her, to do things like teach her poker. She listened.

And right now, she needed someone to listen to her, for a change. The expression on her face wasn't one of anger. Instead, Tali recognized that Shepard was struggling to keep control, to stay strong. She had never seen the commander cry, never saw her break down, but all the same, Tali could tell she was desperately close to doing both right now.

"Talk to me," she urged softly.

"Everyone thinks I'm dead," Shepard murmured. "Just last week I was on the Normandy but…I wasn't. It was two years ago. Two years just…just gone. I feel like I've been goddamn robbed, Tali. Lawson expects me to just be grateful and I am, I am glad to be alive but…at the same time, it feels like she, like they, stole everything from me. All my friends… I don't even have a career any more. And Liara-"

Her jaw tightened again and she shook her head, lips thin. "No one can tell me where the fuck she is! She thinks I'm dead, Tali! I don't know if she's ok. And Nan…I can't imagine what she went through. First a husband, then her son, then me…and now this! She was here, Tali. This was her colony. And those fucking Collectors just took her. She could be anywhere, I don't even know if she's alive! They were throwing people around like they were fucking trash…!"

Leaning her head forward, she planted her forehead in her hand, teeth bared in a grimace as she struggled against the wet heat behind her eyes. Despite her best efforts, tears escaped against her will and when she felt Tali's light hand on her back, a choked sob struggled to escape.

Had Tali been anyone else save for perhaps Williams or Nancy herself, Shepard would never have permitted such a display, however brief it was. Had she been Liara, Shepard probably would have completely broken down, the asari the only person she would ever willingly allow to see her in such a state.

With a faint sniffle, she wiped her gloves over her eyes, swiftly erasing the tears, quickly getting herself back under control. After a moment she spoke. "I just…I need to find them, Tali. Both of them."

"Then you will find them," Tali affirmed.

"The Alliance thinks I'm dead. If I go back it's going to be a shit-fest. I'll probably be arrested, for one. Held, interrogated. They'll want to know where I've been or what I've been doing. Even if they believe me and I can somehow prove I'm not some kind of clone remote-controlled by Cerberus it'll be months before they'll even think of reinstating my status. There'll be no chance of finding Nancy then, alive or otherwise."

"Then work with Cerberus," Tali told her. When Shepard looked at her, the quarian shook her head. "I know, I can't believe I'm saying it either, but we both know this is big, Shepard. Huge. You can't delay for months. Even if Nancy was not one of the abducted colonists, thousands of humans are vanishing, taken by these Collectors. And the Reapers are still out there. Who knows if they'll find a way back or not, even with Saren gone? I'm not saying work for Cerberus. But if they'll let you take advantage of their resources and if it'll help you stop these horrible things, then I say do it. Just as long as you need to, and then dump them like a poetic krogan."

Shepard couldn't help it. She snorted a laugh, smirking. "A poetic krogan?"

"Have you heard a krogan recite poetry?" Tali asked. "It's brutal."

Reaching up Shepard hooked an arm around Tali's shoulders and squeezed her a moment, before releasing her. "I wish you could come with me. It'd be nice having at least one person I trust around, and I could use you."

"I wish I could too," Tali admitted. "But I have to get Veetor back and let the Admirals know what happened. Then I have…another project I'm needed on. Hopefully it won't take too long. If you want, when I'm done I can request permission to join you for a while."

Shepard nodded. "Yeah, that'd be good," she murmured. "I'd…best let you get on your way."

Wiping a hand over her face again she got to her feet, picking up her helmet. Tali rose as she did. Hugging the quarian again briefly, she gave her a light slap on the back. "Take care of yourself. I'd better see you soon."

"You too, Shepard. Be safe. I know the kind of trouble you get into."

Shepard smirked, shaking her head as she stepped down off the ramp. She lifted her hand in a good-bye as Tali retreated and closed the door, waving back briefly before she disappeared from view.

Like ice shot into the sun, any trace of happiness or levity seemed to vanish as the commander turned to head back to the shuttle, the tiny gold cross clenched in her fist.

In front of the bay windows, the asari woman stood, looking out at the beautiful view but in truth seeing none of it. The bright, lively lights of Illium shone down on shining streets, restaurants, shops and teeming masses captivated by the glitz and glitter that had inspired no small number of songs or lengthy books of poetry.

One could not imagine such a view could ever grow old…but it did, and with alarming swiftness. Her eyes saw none of it, focused away beyond the shimmering city to darker and far lonelier places.

She held a glass of pris para in her hand, the soft round swell of the crystal pressed lightly to her forehead. The faintly luminescent yellow-green libation had barely been touched.

In the background, low and sad, Flatwood lamented the summer days of years gone by. She swayed ever so slightly from side to side, as if caught in the gentle eddy of the man's smooth voice.

A cheerful chime startled her a little. Her eyes snapped back into focus and she lowered the glass, glancing around at her wall-screen. When she saw the contact displayed there she strode swiftly over, setting the glass down on a table as she passed, quickly accepting the call.

A man appeared on the large screen, wreathed in smoke. The details of the room behind him were difficult to see but he seemed to be sitting in some kind of overstuffed chair. A book, the old-fashioned kind with pages, was open and face down on one of the arms, as if she had interrupted his reading…even though he had been the one to call.

"Good evening, Dr. T'Soni," he greeted. "Sorry to disturb you so late."

"Illusive Man," she replied. "Is she all right? Is she awake?"

"Awake and lively, as a matter-of-fact," he told her.

Letting out a simultaneous breath of relief and apprehension, Liara placed a hand flat over her stomach, sinking down into a chair. She closed her eyes a moment, then regarded him again. "How…how is she? How did she seem?"

"She still has some minor healing to do, some strength to recover," he replied. "But all indications point to a complete success of the project. Her memories and personality seem completely intact, and she is just as hot-headed as she ever was."

"Thank the Goddess," she murmured, then sat forward. "When can I see her? I-I can have a ship ready in an hour, it will give me a chance to pack, make arrangements-"

"Dr. T'Soni."

"Nyxeris can take care of any business contacts for a few days, and-" she rose out of the chair, already picking up her PDA.

"Dr. T'Soni!"

"What?" she paused, looking back at the screen. Leaning forward, he gestured at her chair again.

"We need to talk before you make arrangements."

"What about? You said she was fine-"

"Physically, yes, but it's not as simple as all that. Please, sit down."

Lowering back into the chair, PDA still in her hands, she lowered it to rest on her lap. "There is something wrong with her…mentally? You said that her memories were intact-"

"They are, and that's the problem," he told her gently. "There are many things to consider here, doctor. Every contingency must be thought through logically. You're a scientist. You understand the importance of this."

"I…yes, but, I don't understand. Why does the fact that she remembers indicate a problem?"

He leaned forward again, clasping his hands between her knees, a faintly troubled expression crossing his face. "Dr. T'Soni, you know the reason that we brought her back as we did. The Reapers are an ongoing threat. Humanity needs a champion, an icon they can look to and rally around, one that has their interests…and only their interests, in mind. I'm afraid that…it is best if you do not see or speak to Shepard again."

"What?" she gasped, then frowned. "You cannot keep me away from her!"

"I know, I can't," he admitted. "But I am asking it of you, doctor. I understand the feelings you have-"

"Do you?" she scoffed. "Then you should know there is nothing you can say or do that will prevent me from seeing her again!"

"And if I told you her life depended upon you staying away?"

"Are you threatening-"

"I hardly spent billions of credits bringing her back to hold her hostage, doctor. But you know what I'm telling you is the truth. You are a distraction. If Shepard is concerned with or distracted by you I guarantee she will not succeed against the Reapers or their agents. They are far too dangerous to risk anything but her utmost concentration. Need I remind you of the injury she sustained on Noveria?"

"That was-"

"She put her back on an incredibly dangerous adversary because she thought you were in danger…and she nearly got herself killed because of it. Remember Feros? She risked herself again over concern for you. And far more recently, she died because of you."

"Th-that's not true," Liara gasped, trembling faintly. "Joker refused to-"

"Yes, Joker refused to leave the helm. But how long did she linger in Armament trying to get you to leave so she could go up and get him? Those few minutes…seconds…could have made the difference between her actually making it into the pod with Jeff, and being ripped out into space. Her concern for you delayed her. Time and time again, her concern for you has put her into danger. You know I'm telling you the truth."

Liara felt sick. Her eyes swam with tears, her heart thundering. His voice gentled as he spoke again.

"I am sorry, doctor. But if you care about Shepard…if you love her, then you know I am right. She is the only chance we have to stop the Reapers. Trillions of lives, billions of worlds, all rest in her hands. She cannot afford to be distracted for any reason, not if anyone is going to stand a chance against them."

She blinked, focusing on him again. The motion broke one of the threatening tears free, sent it sliding down her cheek. When she spoke, her voice was low, soft. "Even if…if you are right…even if I agree…she will look for me."

He sighed kindly. "Doctor….Liara. Shepard cares for you, I won't lie. She has a small measure of affection for you but I am not entirely sure it is to the depth that you imagine. Honestly, she hasn't even asked about you yet, she was more concerned with contacting the Alliance. That aside, she is extremely upset and confused. Everything in her life has been changed, torn away. Her career, her ship and crew, and now Nancy Salgado."

With every word he spoke, her lashes fluttered slightly, each seeming like an almost physical blow. Small measure of affection? Shepard hadn't even asked about her? Then his final words registered.

"Wh-what happened to Nancy?" Liara gasped, eyes going wide.

"Information broker or not, I'm not surprised the news hasn't yet reached you," he told her. "It's been less than twelve hours…the Alliance hasn't even arrived yet. Freedom's Progress was the latest colony to disappear. Nancy Salgado, along with every other human being that lived there…is gone. Shepard is on her way back from there now. You can imagine how she feels."

"Oh, Goddess," Liara moaned, covering her face. Nancy was an incredibly kind and understanding woman. Since Shepard's death, Liara had maintained contact with her. At times, she had been the asari's only port in the storm that had become her life.

"What Shepard is going through is enough to break even the most stable of individuals," the Illusive Man continued. "She will work with us because we offer the best chance she has at getting Mrs. Salgado back, but I needn't tell you how she feels about our organization. What do you think she'll do when she finds out that it was you that gave her to us? She may lie to herself at first, say it doesn't matter, but it will. Over time she will come to resent you, and finally…to hate you."

Liara shook her head, struggling against the tears that wanted to overwhelm her. "No," she whispered. "No, she won't, she-"

She sounded unconvincing, even to herself.

"Liara, you are a good woman, and you have done the galaxy an enormous service. I'm sorry, I truly am…but you know I am right. It's best for both of you if you let her just move on, to do what she needs to do…and in the long run, it'll be gentler on you as well. You're still young, intelligent. There will be others, doctor. In time this will all be easier, and you'll know you made the right decision."

Rising abruptly, Liara switched off the call, then turned her back onto the now silent vid screen. The tears overtook her, one hand covering her mouth as if to prevent the inevitable sobs from breaking free.

Sinking down to her knees, she made only a half-conscious, cursory attempt to halt her downward descent by gripping the arm of the chair. Bowing forward toward the floor, covering her face as if praying, the heart-broken asari could do nothing but cry.

In the background, Flatwood mournfully lamented loves lost.

Sitting back as Liara's image disappeared from his screen, the Illusive Man took a final draw on his cigarette, then stubbed it out. Touching another connect command on his small console, he spoke. "Is she ready yet?"

{She is on her way up now,} Miranda's voice answered.

Turning his chair to face the pad, he opened the connection from his end, then took a sip of his brandy. A moment later, Shepard appeared as the holographic interface activated.

"Shepard, I'm very sorry about Mrs. Salgado," he said as her image strengthened.

"Don't be," she glared. "I'm going to find her."

"I hope that you do," he told her honestly. "I take it you've decided to accept our help?"

"Let me make a few things absolutely straight," she barked. "Firstly, I do things my way. I'm not your lap dog or your lackey, dong ma? I'm not wearing anything that has the Cerberus designation on it and I'm not drinking any goddamn kool-aid. You are a resource…unfortunately the only one I can utilize if I even want to hope to get those colonists back."

"Understood," he replied with a nod.

"I'm going to need a team. Tali said that she'll come and help as soon as she gets some things squared away with the Flotilla."

"Tali would be a good asset," he agreed. "We'll make any arrangements you like. As for the rest of your team, we've been working diligently the last six months to find the top soldiers, mercs, techs and scientists in the galaxy. Dossiers have been assembled on the cream of the crop, narrowed down not only to the best but to the ones that might be willing to help us. It'll be up to you to choose your final cut and convince them to sign up. I want you to have people you trust. I know how important that is."

"Do you?" she snorted. "Fine. Final cut is my call."

"There is one person I'm going to have to insist you bring with you," he warned. "Miranda Lawson will be your XO."

"Lawson," she glowered.

"She's an incredibly intelligent and talented woman, Shepard. She takes…a little getting used to, but then so do you. You will need her and her skills and she is a non-negotiable aspect of our arrangement."

Scowling, Shepard folded her arms, then nodded. "Fine. Done. But I get something in exchange."

"What's that?"

"I want anything and everything you have on Liara. Last known location, everywhere she's been since the Normandy's gone down…everything you have."

"I can do that," he told her. "However, Shepard…I don't hold out much hope that even you will be able to locate her. The Shadow Broker hides his agents well. Even if you do find her, you have to ask yourself if she'll even want to see you."

"Of course she'll want to see me!"

"Are you sure? It has been two years…two years of you being dead, as far as she knows. That's a lot of grieving, a lot of healing, Shepard…for you to simply show up and rip the wound open again. It is natural after loss to feel a sense of anger and abandonment…if she realizes you're alive her first thought may be that you faked your death for some clandestine agenda, that you not only left her but that you did so on purpose. It will only hurt her the more, even if she does come to believe what really happened."

"Liara's smart. She'll believe me."

"Well, you know her better than I do," he admitted. "Still, I urge you to keep it in mind…and think about how all this will impact her. Some of our last intel on Liara suggest she has completely moved on, Shepard. You may be disrupting more than one life."

"I…what do you mean, completely moved on?"

"I could be mistaken but there are indications that she was involved with a drell, a man named Feron. But again, our intel where Liara is concerned is sketchy at best. It could be mistaken."

Shepard said nothing, but he could tell from the set to her jaw that had really hit home. Sitting back he waved a hand a little.

"But, agreed. I will forward you everything we have on Liara's movements and known whereabouts for the last two years. Miranda will have the dossiers ready and we shall have a ship prepared for your use tomorrow morning. Oh, and Shepard, I found you a pilot you might like…I hear he's one of the best."

As the hologram faded, Shepard stepped back off the pad. She didn't like this. Not any of it. Horrible as it sounded with as many people as had been taken, if it weren't for Nancy Shepard would already be on her way back to the Alliance right now…fuck Cerberus.

You can get through this. Just keep your head together, keep focused. Do what you need to, Shepard. Find her and get her back safe.

"Hey, Commander?" A tentative voice suddenly spoke up behind her. A familiar voice. "Uh…long time no see."

Turning, Shepard calmly looked at Joker a moment…and then promptly punched him in the face.