Wow. Stunned and stoked at the amount of hits this story is getting already. :D

You'll be pleased to know Gemini1179 that I've got the first twelve chapters mostly sorted and am sticking to around 2-3000 words a chapter. Just going over them to make sure they flow. As for Miri hiding... he he he should have put a major angst in the descriptor cos things are not going to be sorted between them for awhile yet. Not even sure if these two are destined just yet, they might have to much between them...

Hope you all enjoy!

"Was it really necessary to sedate Operative Lawson?" The Illusive Man asked, though his lips curled in a small smile at not only the audacity of Shepard but that she had actually been able to do it. No one had ever gotten the upper hand on Lawson in anything he'd been privy to, and he was privy to much, more than even Miranda herself was aware of.

Shepard gave the faintest little smirk, "She practically dared me to knock her out. I figured it would be safer to sedate her until we got here, if she woke up on the shuttle I doubt any of us would have returned."

The Illusive Man actually smiled, "Indeed. What was the altercation about?"

"Tali asked to speak with me privately. I asked Operative's Lawson and Taylor to wait outside. Lawson refused so I told her to get out or I'd throw her out on her arse. She didn't take to well to that and told me she'd like to see me try. So I did. I didn't think I hit her that hard, she was out cold before she'd hit the deck." she self consciously rubbed the back of her neck, looking a little abashed by it. Secretly though it had felt really good, quite cathartic in fact.

"And what did Tali'Zorah want to discuss?" The Illusive Man nodded, he'd have to keep a close eye on their working relationship but at least Shepard appeared contrite over the incident.

"She wanted me to be able to freely tell her how I was feeling without Cerberus listening." she stood a little straighter, looking him in his soulless eyes.

The Illusive Man noted that she actually looked a hell of a lot calmer and more at ease with herself than last time. He would have to keep a very close eye on Tali'Zorah to ensure Shepard was indeed telling the truth.

"I needed it, just a chance to clear my head a little with someone I trust. Now the Collectors." she moved them to the reason for this talk, "I'm in." was all she said.

He nodded, that was all he needed to know. "Excellent. You'll need a team."

"I had a team." she frowned. Was he going to push more Cerberus operatives on her?

"It's been two years, they're in different places now." He warned her nonchalantly.

"Granted but I can at least try." She asserted quickly, "Williams?"

"Is on a highly classified assignment for the Alliance." He'd been prepared for this so had done the necessary digging.

"Vakarian?"

"Disappeared not long after your death. No one has seen him for well over a year now."

"T'Soni?"

"Is an information broker on Illium and is mixed up with the Shadow Broker. I cannot risk her at this point in time considering the lengths the Broker has gone too to procure your body for the Collectors." he shook his head and tapped his cigarette.

She knew Liara would never hand her to anyone if she wasn't sure of their intentions, there was something going on there that the Illusive Man didn't want her pursuing just yet. "Wrex?" her heart was sinking.

"Is on Tuchanka rallying his people in readiness for the Reapers." It was wise and he didn't want to interfere with the Krogan.

Shepard exhaled, "Alright, got it. So I'm guessing Miranda's gonna be on my arse."

"She'll be your executive officer and reports directly to me." he nodded.

"And Taylor?"

"Will be your Gunnery Chief." he lifted the cigarette to his lips and took a drag.

Shepard waited, her eyes narrowing slightly at his arrogance.

"I'll be sending you some dossiers of people I would recommend. They are not Cerberus and you will have to impress them to get them to join you. But I have faith in your leadership abilities to do just that." he tapped the cigarette again.

Shepard nodded, not quite believing him but arguing would be pointless, "And a ship?"

"I think you'll like it, as well as the pilot. He's someone you can trust." he cast his small smile at her and nodded, "The Collectors come from beyond the unmapped Omega-4 relay. No ship that's gone through it has ever returned." he warned her gravely.

"Suicide mission. Standard operating procedure then." Shepard should have known it'd be something like this. Did he think that because he'd brought her back from the dead once he could do it again? Or that she was somehow invincible? Surely the fact that she'd died last time should have clued him in on the fact she wasn't. Why did everyone expect her to pull miracles out of her arse? She wasn't exactly a shining paragon figure after all, hell just ask the Batarians.

The Illusive Man smiled, pleased in her confidence, "I'll forward any information I can gather to Miranda. This mission is all yours Shepard. Do what you need to do, we brought you back because you are the best humanity has to offer. Humanity is counting on you." was all he said before tapping the console.

Shepard was already well aware that she was no longer alone and threw herself to the side as soon as the holographic wall began to dissipate. She just barely dodged Lawson's biotic attack and spun around lightly on her feet to grab Miranda by the wrist and slam her into the wall.

Miranda grunted, taken by surprise at how quickly Shepard had moved, she'd blinked and the woman had her pressed against the wall, both her wrists in hers, her hips pinning her in place.

"I'm going to let you go. I'd prefer it if you simply took a swing at me instead of mess up my insides. Fair's fair after all." Shepard drawled. A moment later she did indeed step back and simply turned her head in motion with the killer right hook, surprised at how well she just absorbed it. "Feel better?" she smirked coldly, looking into Miranda's furious cobalt blue eyes.

"What the hell Shepard?" She hissed at her.

"I could ask you the same thing Miss Lawson. All Tali wanted was to ask me how I was coping without you listening in. This might surprise you but given everything that's happened today I needed to talk with someone I know I can trust, I needed to vent my emotions where I felt safe. It helped me focus and come to grips with what's happening in a way you can't provide. Especially considering our earlier conversation about wanting to chip me and killing me if I sneeze wrong. You really can't expect me to share my heart with you for psychological evaluation after that." she growled at her angrily.

Miranda mentally swore at her mistake. She'd actually started making progress with the woman on the shuttle going through her upgrades and had well and truly ruined it in that heated moment. What about it had put her on edge like that? All Shepard had wanted was to thank her.

"Besides which you literally asked me to try and throw you out. I simply took you up on your offer and sedated you so that you didn't blow us up on the shuttle when you came to." she straightened her shoulders and assumed her Commander stance, "I'm not all that hard to get along with if you give me a chance. Treating me like a prisoner, however, is not going to do either of us any good. I've been given the latitude to do whatever I think is necessary for this mission which is bigger than Cerberus so I'm going to be using outside resources." she held up her hand when Miranda went to argue, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to be deliberately undermining Cerberus. I may hate what you do to achieve your goals but I'm not stupid. The Collectors and Reapers are more of a threat unless Cerberus or any of its operatives actively makes themselves one." she looked to Miranda pointedly.

Miranda straightened, nodding in understanding at the warning.

"So let me do what you spent two years bringing me back to do because clearly the Illusive Man doesn't think anyone else can." She hadn't intended it as a slight against Miranda but could see the woman had interpreted it as one.

Miranda hissed softly through her teeth at the reminder that the Illusive Man hadn't trusted her with this mission, she was just the second in command after being in charge of Cerberus Operations for years.

Shepard stepped forward, closing the distance between them again, "You have the intelligence in spades Miranda but somewhere along the way you lost your heart." She reached out and put her fingertips over Miranda's heart, "You can't lead people into hell without showing a little heart."

Miranda was shocked at the intrusion into her personal space and the galling observation of a flaw in her perfect genes. Was that truly it? Her throat constricted as Shepard reached up and tenderly caressed her cheek, her eyes softening to become both tender and sad. She shoved Shepard's hand away, "I don't need your pity." she spat and pushed passed her.

Shepard firmly gripped her by the shoulder and stopped her in her tracks, "I'd never pity you, but it breaks my heart to see..."

Miranda turned abruptly as if to slap her but Shepard turned her face, offering her cheek to be slapped. Her eyes narrowed and refrained from the motion, "Finish your sentence Commander." she growled.

Shepard shook her head, "It doesn't matter. My heart has never mattered to you." she sighed cryptically and walked out.

Miranda's frown deepened, what did she mean by that? She was talking as if... as if they'd met before but she knew sure as hell that she'd never met Commander Shepard. God this woman was frustrating the hell out of her.

Shepard was almost so lost in her thoughts she almost didn't notice the figure waiting for her outside.

"I see you survived the wrath of Lawson." A jovial voice sounded.

Shepard blinked at the man, then recognition hit and her entire face lit up, "Joker!" she moved towards him lightning quick and hugged him, careful of his bones.

Jeff blushed at her hug, "Commander." he mumbled.

"Goddess it's so good to see you! You got out alright then. I hoped you would." she pulled back, holding his shoulders and just taking him in.

He ducked his face, not able to meet her piercing gaze, "I'm so sorry Shepard. It's my fault you... you were..."

"Pfft." she lightly and playfully hit his cap so it spun around on his head, "Get over yourself. If you hadn't stayed at the helm as long as you did no one would have made it off." she was grinning, she didn't blame him at all for what had happened. Besides she hadn't actually had any time whatsoever to dwell on it.

He smiled shyly and fixed his hat. He cleared his throat and dropped the smile as Miranda stalked passed them, "So I get to show you something awesome!" he grinned at her once Miranda wasn't in his field of vision.

"Oh oh oh! You're letting me see your private collection! Joker I've been dying to see it!" Shepard teased him with shining eyes and the biggest grin.

Joker went beet red, "That's so not funny Commander."

Shepard smirked, "Oh it so is and you know it." she waited for the chuckle and was rewarded with it. She started walking and he quickly fell in step with her, walking so much stronger than he had last time, Cerberus must have done something about his bones, reinforced them or something.

Joker glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, this was what set her apart. She was the best in the field, was tactically brilliant but she could always make anyone feel better just with a few words. He bet she could even get the stone cold, stick up her arse Lawson to smile if she set her mind to it, granted she'd have to work really hard but if anyone could do it Shepard could.

"So why Cerberus?" she asked softly after a few minutes of quiet.

Joker sighed, "It all went to hell after you died Commander. You were the glue that held us all together. Everyone was split up, records sealed and everything you dug up about the Reapers the Council wanted gone then the Alliance grounded me. They fucking grounded me Commander!" he snarled not at her but at the Alliance. "Hell yeah I turned Cerberus."

"Do you trust them?" she continued in her soft, contemplative voice.

"I don't trust anyone who earns more money than I do, you and doc Chakwas being the only exceptions." he grinned at her but then became serious again, "They're the only ones taking the Reaper shit seriously. Someone in this fucked up galaxy has to and even if it's a bunch of terrorists they're still a powerful bunch of terrorists and they're doing something about it. They let me fly, they brought you back and then there's this." he nodded to a large window they'd arrived at.

Shepard's eyes widened as the ship in the hangar was the same profile as the Normandy, somewhat bigger, probably twice the size in fact, but it was clearly a newly minted Normandy class stealth frigate.

"You weren't the only one they resurrected." Joker beamed in genuine excitement, "Only thing left to do is name her."

"She's already got a name, let's not mess with fate hey, she's a fickle mistress after all." Shepard grinned, her heart was a little aflutter, in a good way but she was also very aware that this ship, hell her life came with strings attached so her excitement was greatly contained.

Joker chuckled, "Hell yeah, I was so hoping you'd say that. Normandy's back, you're back, it'll be just like old times Commander." he saluted her.

"Even down to the suicidal odds no doubt. Seems we get all the fun missions." she clapped him on the shoulder. "Is the crew on board yet?"

"Some, some are still coming, they've gotta name her too so it'll be a few hours before we can ship out." he nodded eagerly.

"Good, I've been conscious for twelve hours, I'm hungry, aching and so need a shower, preferably in medi-gel." she grumbled.

He looked to her scars and his heart ached, her beautiful face was still marred but she was alive, "Yeah, you woke up earlier than expected."

"Happens when some arsehole decides to attack the station and kills almost everyone on it before they're finished rebuilding me. I've been swimming in pain-meds." she murmured, "And they're wearing off, no happy place for me right now."

He grimaced, "Been there, definitely not fun. Come on then, let's get you on board."