"Arriving at Banner Station," the VI smoothly said.

Shepard stood up, trying to control his boiling emotions as the craft entered the bay of the space station. He had spent a few hours crammed into the cockpit after calming down from his initial wake-up. It had occurred to him that no matter what position he sat in, his body did not seem to relay any sign of discomfort, despite the fact that he could clearly feel the placement of his limbs.

He had taken the opportunity to study his new body a bit more closely now that he was alone. Shepard had run diagnostics on the capabilities that he now possessed and found himself rather intrigued at the tech that Cerberus had crammed into him.

As he suspected, the shield generator that had prevented any harm from coming to him was top of the line. The kinetic barriers were custom designed to withstand at least twenty seconds of continuous fire from a light machine gun. With the exorbitant cost from this, Shepard could have purchased at least ten Spectre requisition weapons. It seemed a little overkill but it did save his life at least once, no telling if he would need it later.

Special shock absorbers were integrated into his legs, allowing him to jump greater distances and not take damage from higher falls. The same technology was also implemented in his arms which would prevent the deforming of them if he ever needed to strike a solid object, much like the wall of the craft not two hours ago.

From what Shepard could discern, his organs were encased deep within the black chassis. Which ones, he could not say, but they most likely included his lungs, heart, stomach, and intestines, if he were to hazard a guess. Perhaps that was what the grey material that encased part of his body was for. The nanoweave material was shiny and reflective but it was light and tough as combat armor. There was no question that it would take a few solid hits before any rounds could penetrate, if they broke through the shield first, that is.

As he continued to stare at his body, random pop ups in his vision would constantly offer additional information about his surroundings. He found that if he concentrated on the icons, he could access different diagnostics embedded within the suit. The software, in essence, functioned as a computer running in tandem alongside Shepard's brain. It could display his body vitals, shield information, and even drop down a HUD if he so desired, without the need for a helmet. It was a useful feature but he hated that it would now act as a crutch for him when he had no use for it before the accident. As much as he despised what he had become, it was a change that he was going to have to get used to, a permanent addition.

There was a smooth bump as the craft settled down to the floor of the station. Shepard peered down through the tinted window to see a few scattered personnel milling around the bay. They were all wearing the Cerberus insignia, which made them all targets.

Shepard mentally frowned. He hadn't wanted to kill everyone aboard the station but the fact that they had all been shooting at him made his decision relatively easy. Should he exhibit the same sort of brutality here? He decided to give them a test.

Hooking his Predator to his side, he opened the shuttle door and stomped out, heavy footfalls echoing through the cavernous room. Everyone suddenly stopped and looked at the sleek metal form as it glanced menacingly on all sides, sizing up the opposition.

Shepard's eyebrows rose in amusement. "Hello there," he sneered, still unable to locate the feature that would change his voice back to normal.

All of the men stared for a long second before reaching for their guns, some shouting in surprise. Guess they failed the test. Shepard audibly sighed as the bullets hit, splashing harmlessly away as he grabbed his pistol again, mere moments after he had holstered it. He slowly aimed and fired at the nearest soldier, blood and bone bursting from his body as he fell to the ground, the crates stained behind him with red.

Shepard carefully used both hands to gracefully guide the pistol to rest on each individual soldier, each one perishing in a pulpy mess after the bullets had eaten away at their heads. With his firm grip, the pistol literally had no recoil, giving him a few extra seconds to gain the upper hand.

A series of footsteps were now behind him, very close. Shepard abruptly turned as he swept his right arm in an arc. A blaze of orange enveloped his upper arm and he saw that the trooper who had charged him was now inexplicably cut in half, the top portion leaking organs and blood everywhere as he writhed in agony.

The tall, ex-human backed away from the mess as he appraised the omni-blade that had been activated. Such a tool was still in the prototype stage when he last heard, and only then were they being utilized for specialist work. There were several different variations on the type of omni-blade depending on the software and the power input. One could have anything as small as a knife to a full-fledged sword, if you had the technology, or the credits. The one that currently extended from Shepard's arm was the size of a small sabre, longer than the average blade but smaller than an actual sword.

More and more surprises locked away in this body. I could almost get used to this.

Even though everyone in the bay was dead at this point, himself still falling into a grey area, Shepard's sensors were still picking up a few more personnel still on this station. He gave a mental shrug, Cerberus hadn't done anything to convince him that they deserved anything other than swift justice. If only they could try diplomacy once in a while.

The door took too long to cycle so he just smashed it open with his foot. Ordinarily, he would have exhibited some patience but he could be forgiven for the slight in his manner. One could only take so much abuse before snapping.

The few humans who crossed his path he killed with his hands, feeling the shattering of their vertebra as their each of their necks twisted beyond repair. No need to waste ammo on this scum.

He was now in some sort of waiting room. Benches lined all around, a few consoles stood at the end of the room, and a large window overlooked the entire bay. A staging area, perhaps. A place for the troops to rest before they were carted off for a mission. A part of Shepard was glad that he killed them all, that no harm would befall others from their actions. To their credit, they did not even plead as he killed them one by one, entering methodically into each room to steal their life. They seemed to have anticipated this outcome and they met their fate in a defiant, but accepting manner. It was better than them begging for mercy, he hated it when they screamed. It always made him sick to his stomach, not that he could ever feel that way again.

There was still one more room he hadn't covered and he now descended towards the staircase to check it out. Shepard stopped in the doorway as he approached the dark entrance. The room only contained a holodeck and from the looks of it, there wasn't anything else of interest. He didn't fancy making a call to anyone (who would accept him in this form?) and there was no point in using it at all. Room secure.

A quiet shuffling sound in the corner caused Shepard to rethink his analysis as he peered around, ready to silence this last person. The man was huddled in the far end of the room, sniffling as the horrendous machine came towards him.

Despite the dim lighting, Shepard could see clearly through his artificial optics but he wasn't so sure if what they projected was a hundred percent accurate at the moment. This person was different. This one wore the same loathsome symbol but the face was familiar. The beard on him was fuller, the eyes a little duller, but it was him. There was only one person who could pull off a look like that, complete with a trademark pilot's cap.

"Joker?" the raspy voice came through.

The man moaned and covered his face with his arms, not wanting to listen or bother to question the fact that this thing knew his name. Shepard paused, how to get the man to recognize him? He furiously brought up his menu list in the software, desperately searching for sound options. He scrolled through the multiple lists of voices he could choose from, hundreds apparently. They all had the potential to be handy in certain situations but he searched for a familiar keyword that anyone would recognize.

He stopped as the list neared the end. There was a file named "JShepard_01." Low file size, high quality filter, it was worth a shot.

"Joker," he spoke more clearly and gasped as his familiar, calm voice burst through, seemingly untouched by the electronic filters lodged in his throat.

"H-Huh?" Joker looked up in disbelief, wary at the demonic presence but confused by the recognizable voice.

Shepard raised his hands in a gesture of nonviolence as he slowly knelt down to the terrified man. He honestly had no idea of what to say to this man. How the hell was he going to convince Joker that this was his old commander? It was too late now, he had to try.

"Do you recognize me?" Shepard asked softly. The question sounded stupid in his head even before he said it. Of course he wouldn't recognize him by his appearance! He was only relying on his voice to jog the poor man's memory, which wasn't much to go on.

"That…that voice," Joker slowly shook his head. "No. It can't be…you're only using him to drive me crazy!"

"I promise you, Joker," Shepard pleaded. "It really is me, I don't know how else I can prove it to you, but-"

"It's a trick! You hanar are only using him to get me to surrender myself willing to you! You finally caught me, all right? I promise I will delete all of the videos, just stop using Shepard as a mental ploy!"

The outburst caught Shepard by surprise. It took a lot to make him laugh in this day and age, especially considering the fragile situation at the moment but the man's paranoia had finally broken the spell.

"Wait…what?" He chuckled, trying to make sense of the nonsensical accusation.

"I mean it!" Joker shouted, a pistol now in his hand, pointed at Shepard's head. "Stop laughing at me!"

One quick appraisal of the moment and suddenly the gun was now in Shepard's hand after he quickly (but carefully) plucked it out of the pilot's grasp. He tossed the weapon indiscriminately behind him, ignoring the clatter as it retreated into a dark corner.

"Joker," he sighed. "Stop being ridiculous. This isn't a hanar sting operation, you've just been watching too many Blasto movies when I kept telling you to monitor heat emissions during long jumps. On top of that, you've never handled guns in your life before and I don't think that they would meld well considering your current state, what with your Vrolik's and all.

Joker, rubbing his hand, dropped his jaw, "How do you know that? I've never told anyone here about my condition. And you know about my flight habits? Who are you?"

Shepard extended a hand to the shaking, skinny man. Cautiously accepting the gesture, he relented as the metal machine carefully hauled him to his feet. Despite his terrifying appearance, the man had calmed down significantly.

"If it will help you see the truth, then you can ask me any questions you like. But you will have to eventually accept the fact that I am the man you knew as your captain. Everyone called you 'Joker' because it was a nickname that stuck with you in flight school. You areFlight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, and I am Commander John Shepard. It may seem hard to believe, considering my current state, but I assure you that it is me."

Joker's knees gave out at his words but Shepard reacted just in time to catch him, all the while careful not to squeeze too hard lest one of the man's bones were to snap cleanly in half. There were no chairs in this room, so he slowly led him up the stairs to the waiting room just a few feet ahead. Lowering the pilot down, all he heard from him was mumbling.

"You can't be Commander Shepard," he was saying. "You can't."

Shepard slowly sat down behind him as the chair slightly gave to his increased weight. "Is there nothing I can do to convince you?"

"All right," Joker snarled. "If you really were Commander Shepard, then I would expect you to have a better plan than just telling me this right to my face! I mean, fuck! You're a goddamned robot! What other reaction were you expecting?"

"What would you have me do?" Shepard answered back just as intensely. "Just walk in and say, 'Hi Joker, I'm Shepard' and have that be it? I don't always have all the answers and I certainly have no idea what to do at this point!"

"Who is the human councilor?" Joker said abruptly.

"What is this?"

"Answer the question!" Joker growled. "I'll be able to tell on my own whether you're really him or not. You might not have the answers to everything, but you do have the answers for these. Who is our councilor?"

"David Anderson, I know it because I was the one who recommended him for the position."

"What gang were you affiliated with on Earth?"

Shepard tried to flex his upper features in a scowl, "The Reds, but that was a long time ago. But I don't recall ever telling you that."

"That's because I was monitoring a conversation while you were talking to Tali in engineering...if you actually do remember that. What was the name of the Reaper that attacked the Citadel?"

"We're going to have a firm discussion over the term 'personal space' later, Joker," Shepard scowled, "But the answer is Sovereign."

"What planet was the Conduit on?"

"Ilos."

"Who did you leave behind on Virmire?"

Shepard jolted, the question taking him aback. Joker was still staring at him in a hateful glare, awaiting an answer.

"Who was it?" he persisted. Shepard didn't answer for a moment and he tilted his head in remembrance, recalling the young, eager soldier that he had practically sent to the grave.

Joker leaned over to grasp the cyborg by the collar, "Who, Shepard?!"

"Ashley!" he shouted. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams! I ordered her to stay behind and secure the nuke! You think I would forget doing that to a person? Fuck you, Joker! I had to stop Saren at any cost and I needed that facility destroyed. She willingly put her life on the line and I had to respect her decision. You can't imagine how making a choice to sacrifice living being does to someone! Her death is on my hands but you would dig her up in a farce of a test so that I have to prove the fact that I am Shepard!"

He roared and grabbed a nearby table, easily lifting it over his head as he turned, ignoring the cry of surprise from Joker and threw it against the bay window. The glass shattered as the table was propelled right through it, crashing to the ground in a series of loud bangs. Shepard was furious at his loss of control and he stood there breathing in and out before turning to see the awestruck face on his pilot.

"C-Commander…" the man breathed. Joker stood up, despite Shepard's hasty indication for him to stay still, ripped off the Cerberus insignias on the sleeves of his shirt and stood in a full salute. Shepard was unprepared for the gesture; it was abnormal to even consider the man making such a formal action, let alone witnessing it.

"Welcome back."

The Veritas class of light frigates was a unique design when it was first commissioned by the Alliance Military. The main body style resembled a sideways "Y" shape, with large Thanix cannons equipped on each of the craft's small, stubby wings. It wasn't the fastest ship ever built, or the most reliable. At the moment, it had the most firepower, which Joker put to good use shortly after commandeering it in the bay and away from Banner Station.

Watching the glowing hot wreckage start to cool, Joker leaned back in the pilot's seat as Shepard sat beside him, in the copilot's chair. With a nod, both men sat up and walked over to the star chart, not positioned in the middle of the CIC like the Normandy or like most turian ships, but alongside a wall near the cockpit itself.

"So…" Joker started. "Where to, Commander?"

Shepard moved the cursor to indicate their current position on the wall. They were in some system in the Omega Nebula, well out in the Terminus systems. For all intents and purposes, the Terminus was a den of pirates, thieves, and cutthroats. The hub of all this detestable activity was centered in the mined out hulk of an asteroid simply known as Omega, in the Sahrabarik system.

Ordinarily, Shepard would have preferred to go anywhere else but it seems that external circumstances were continuing to conspire against him. The ship was relatively low on fuel and the nearest depot was, of all things, on Omega. There was no point in denying the fact that Omega was their next stop and didn't bother to state otherwise.

"Take us in for Omega then, Joker," Shepard said as he walked back to his seat.

"Aye aye, sir."

Shepard sighed, "Don't call me 'sir.' In fact, don't call me 'Commander' either. I'm not in the Alliance anymore technically and I don't want to keep things merely formal between us."

Joker shrugged, "You got it, Shepard."

He eyed his pilot with apprehension, "Do you still believe that it's me, Joker? For all you know I could be an advanced VI pretending to be who I say I am. Who's to say that it's really me?"

"Because when you responded with Ash. Only your crew would know how you really felt when you made that choice all those months ago. Last I checked, I was part of that crew."

Shepard blinked, "All those…you mean that it's really been fifteen months since I…you know?"

Joker turned, "How did you know that?"

"The display in my vision reads the current date. I thought it was an error at first but I now know that I died fifteen months ago when…when the Normandy was attacked."

"I saw you get spaced, Shepard. I thought you really had died. And now look, you're back and in a kickass robot body. Makes me wonder if I can do a switch for one of those, I need it more than you."

Shepard unconsciously flexed a hand at that, "I'd swap any day of the week to be back in my old body again, Joker. I didn't ask to be put in here nor did I want to. If I had known that this is where my life would end up I would have rather perished above that planet."

Fingers tapped against the dash before Shepard tilted his head in curiosity, "Joker, how did I wind up in the hands of Cerberus?"

Joker tilted his head down, "The…the Alliance thought you were dead, Comm- uh, Shepard. They stopped looking for you in less than a week."

That was disconcerting, "Standard protocol mandates that S&R sweep an area for a minimum of two weeks. Why did they stop?"

"Because the Council forced them to."

Shepard leaned forward, "What? Why?"

Joker waved a hand, "They didn't like what you had uncovered! They couldn't accept your hypothesis of a mega-advanced alien race that was bent on destroying us all. They maintain that it was the geth who attacked us and their official stance is that they were still behind the attack on the Citadel."

"That's insane," Shepard growled. "After I that I did for them…and they decide to sweep me under the rug like the rest of the trash? What about the VI on Ilos we encountered? Surely that was part of the report, it would corroborate my stance."

"They maintain that it has deactivated, Shepard. When we persisted in arguing with them, they retaliated by grounding me. I couldn't fly anymore, Shepard. Can you imagine how I felt in that time? Cerberus contacted me shortly after, said that they had a special assignment and that I would get to fly again, so I joined right up. I'm not letting anyone take my wings away if I can help it. Flying's all I'm good for, anyway. I just didn't know they would bring you into this, though."

"You and me both. Explains how you're here but I'm shocked. You mean to tell me that the Council…and the Alliance…abandoned us all?"

Joker nodded glumly, "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

Shepard felt like hitting something. He felt like smashing everything in sight of him, ripping out the flight console and throwing it out the window, letting the vacuum of space suck everything out while he slammed at the walls of the craft in the hopes that he could break it apart piece by piece.

Throwing tantrums, however, was not the proper response at the time, and Joker was starting to get a little fidgety from the cyborg's intense stare into space. Shepard finally twitched as he glanced back to address Joker.

"All right, then. We'll do it our way. I've lost fifteen months and I don't intend to waste another second. After we get to Omega, I want you to meet up with my old crew. We'll get them back and-"

"Shepard, wait! You can't just get the band back together in this state. I mean, look at you! You had a hard enough time convincing me as it is!"

"That's why I need you, Joker. If you're with me I'll have an easier chance of convincing the others to come along. First things first, where's Kaidan?"

Joker looked hopelessly lost, "Shepard, I'm trying to tell you that it's just not possible. Kaidan is still in the Alliance only he's now a Commander as well."

"Same rank I was?"

"The point is, you won't be able to pry him away from his duties because you aren't Alliance."

"Fine, I concede your point. What about Wrex? Last I heard he was-"

"-On Tuchanka. He's still there now but seeing as he hasn't left the planet since, it will be hard to track his movements."

"Liara T'Soni?"

"Left for Illium shortly after you died. There were rumors that she now works for the Shadow Broker which could make her a liability."

"What about Garrus?"

"Disappeared many months ago. No one has seen or heard from him."

Shepard wilted at that. The turian had been a good friend to him over the few months that they'd known each other. He was a brash, overconfident soldier but he listened well and was more than capable on the battlefield. He could have used his help right now. But there was still one more person that he wanted to know about, one name that seemed to jump out of his mouth.

"And…Tali?"

Joker winced, noticeable even to Shepard before he spoke, "She…you should have seen her, Shepard. She was devastated when you died. She would be crying nonstop for days. I think she might have really cared about you at one point. She eventually rejoined her own people and has remained there since."

Shepard was interested at the fact that Tali could have been crying over him but such a thought was vastly inappropriate. There was no reason for him to think that at all when all he wanted when she was aboard was to make her as comfortable as possible as it was her first time being away from the flotilla. There was no real reason that she could possibly have developed feelings for him, could it? Or for that matter, could he have felt something as well?

"Fine," he scowled, pushing his conflicted thoughts aside. "It leaves us little choice then. I didn't want to have to consider this before but now I see that it's the only route possible."

"What are you thinking, Shepard?"

If his artificial eyebrow could rise any higher, it would have locked into place, "I could use a drink."

The Kodiak entered the bay of the Monolith and Rukin swiftly stepped off the shuttle so quickly that he almost barreled over the man who was waiting at the door. Rather than stop to wait for the man, he let him catch up on his own time.

"Petrovsky," he said, no bothering to look.

"Rukin," the older man said, returning the hostile gesture.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but I needed to use your holodeck."

"You should have called ahead, colonel. It is the standard procedure for all arrivals to state-"

"Shut up, Oleg," Rukin snarled as he rounded the corner to face the door he was looking for. Petrovsky stopped and spluttered a response.

"You…you can't talk to me like that! You forget who you're addressing, colonel. As a general of Cerberus, I demand the most-"

Rukin whirled, meeting the general head on, "Right now, the Illusive Man is the one demanding of my attention at the moment, general. If I don't provide him with a report on this brewing situation, it could very well mean my ass if I don't set myself up in a good light. If you delay me any further, I will make sure that your ass goes in the fire with me. That, I promise you."

Petrovsky smirked, "Had a little trouble with some of his pet projects now, Henry?"

Rukin scowled, there was no way he would take the fall for this, not that this old man would ever see it, "Had I been listened to, there wouldn't be any trouble."

Letting the door of the room slam between them before Petrovsky could utter another word, Rukin furiously stepped onto the holodeck, impatiently willing the scanner to complete its duties. Wasted time is wasted life.

With a crackle of static, Rukin could now behold a dying star in the background as his appearance was projected to the man who currently sat in front of the star, the light shining around his form and casting his features into darkness.

The Illusive Man.

"Colonel Rukin," he started. "This is unexpected. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Rukin had to admit that the Illusive Man carried a very personal air about him, a charismatic atmosphere that made it seem like you were talking to an old friend, no matter how long you had known them. Of course, the effect was lost on Rukin as he had experienced the limits of his boss' patience before. It was not an experience he wished to repeat today.

"Sir," he gulped. "Wayfarer Station has just gone offline. From several recent reports it appears that Banner Station has befallen a similar fate."

The Illusive Man set down the cigarette he was currently enjoying, the smoke wafting up from the arm of the chair, "Both stations destroyed? Do we know the cause?"

There was a hidden tone of urgency in his voice because both men that were talking to the other knew what certain project both stations were working on.

"Yes we do, sir," Rukin paused as if delaying might soften the blow. "Based on security camera recordings, Commander Shepard awoke and killed all of our personnel before escaping to Banner Station. We haven't received any data from there so it's logical to assume that they have fled the area and are long gone."

There was silence for a good ten seconds, each moment causing Rukin to become painfully aware of the sweat starting to bead on his forehead. He could not meet his employer's eyes until he spoke again.

"Do we know the circumstances on how Shepard suddenly awoke?"

Rukin fumbled around on his omni-tool for his exact notes, "Um…yes. It appears that at 0200 a startup ping went undetected by the staff on duty, fatigue most likely causing the laxness. That ping was actually a live brainwave which showed up on the charts because the medical staff was sedating Shepard in erratic intervals, sometimes missing his scheduled doses altogether. When he woke up, it was too late."

"And he escaped after killing everyone in the process. I was assured that these people were professionals. How could this happen, Henry?"

As much as Rukin feared the backlash, he knew that the Illusive Man was lamenting to the only person within reach. It wasn't a direct blame, at least. "I did bring it to your attention, sir, that at least three of the staff on duty had been previously fired from their last jobs for drug abuse and that another employee, a Dr. Wilson, was fired at his job because he allegedly sold trade secrets to rival hospitals. I mentioned all of this in a report but was overridden by Miranda Lawson, with her claim that they were all 'dependable.'"

To corroborate his defense, the Illusive Man was now looking at a report that materialized on top of his lap. He scanned it a few times before responding, "Yes you did, Henry. Rather detailed, I might add. I'm not entirely sure how this slipped by me but it's not a mistake that I care to make again."

You know damn well how it slipped by you. You sided with Miranda because she was your favorite fucking toy. Still, he had gotten the Illusive Man to admit that he was wrong, not something that happened very often and the first time it happened in front of Rukin, who felt a burst of satisfaction at that.

The Illusive Man leaned forward slightly, "What happened to Miranda? I would like to know if she would be available to be briefed at her earliest convenience."

Rukin opened his mouth at first but decided that words were cheap and that a picture was worth a thousand of them. He instead synched his omni-tool to the Illusive Man's display and selected the clip he had recorded from the reel of gaffs made on that station.

The Illusive Man's blue eyes widened as the brutal death of Miranda Lawson was replayed over and over again in front of him. The sight of a machine obliterating her face all over the ground had a hypnotizing effect on the man and Rukin shortly stopped it soon after. He waited for the man to speak, fearful that any words out of his own mouth would be a snarky comment that would infringe upon the Illusive Man's bias for his ex-favorite operative.

The Illusive Man stood up in anger, "I want Shepard found. I don't care what it takes, colonel, you have my full support to track that bastard down."

Rukin frowned, "With respect, sir. Shepard could have left the Terminus systems by now. He could be anywhere in the galaxy. We have no means of locating him at the moment."

"His sense of duty will override any act to hide. He knows what's out there, what's coming. In time, he will reveal himself to us, or we will draw him out. And when that time comes, I want you there."

Rukin was flattered at the fact that he was now finally getting the attention he deserved. He probably should have killed Miranda himself a long time ago if that was what it took to incur the man's favor. He was planning his rise up the ranks in his head that he almost didn't catch what the Illusive Man had to say next.

"I'm sending one of my other operatives to you to form part of a command team."

What was this? "Uh, sir. I appreciate the gesture but I believe that I can handle any operational orders on my own. Besides, I have Lieutenant Rosun with me on the Desperado, we are more than capable of these duties."

That was partially a lie. Rosun was less than capable of taking orders, never mind giving them. The only thing the man could do was fight as he was a giant, for there being no other word for it. Standing six and a half feet tall, the mere sight of him was an edge in battle, an intimidation factor for his enemies. He preferred brawling as there were no guns that he felt could match the exhilaration of a straight up fight. Different strokes for different folks was Rukin's personal appraisal of the man. If his style worked, then it worked.

"It's not a question of your capability," the Illusive Man intoned. "It's a question of your reliability."

Rukin felt the blood rushing in his ears but made sure to listen as the man continued, "I'll be frank, I've never completely trusted you from the start. You've made some errors early in your tenure that have proven to be rather damaging to this organization. I kept you on because I sensed a cunning leader in there somewhere and I know I'm about to see him. The fact that you have developed oversight for the circumstances regarding Shepard's escape are quite surprising but rather pleasing as they are traits I look for in leaders. You're on your way to become one of Cerberus' greatest warriors but until then, I would like to keep an eye on you for the time being."

As much as his words enraged Rukin, there was some respect in telling the truth to a man's face. It was uncanny how the Illusive Man could have that effect on people, mad at him one moment and adoring him the next. He wondered if he would ever learn that secret someday.

Sensing no resistance from Rukin, the Illusive Man nodded, "I'll see to it that a holodeck is installed on board your ship. I can't imagine that Petrovsky is all that happy at you borrowing his. I'll also send a fleet with my operative. Tracking down the galaxy's most important human is not a job for one ship alone. This has to be a team effort and you need the best at your side."

"Do you have a name for the operative, or should I not even bother calling him by anything except his designation?"

"No, you can say it. His name is Kai Leng. He will meet with you in three days' time. Good luck, colonel."