"Miranda was an ice queen when we met on Lazurus Station. Cold, distant, and a bit of a bitch if I were to put it bluntly. She was full of self-confidence: confident in her skill, her talents, her work. But I got the sense that she didn't have a lot of confidence in herself as a person. But then again, maybe she never saw herself as a person."

Kacey and Miranda arrived on Illium promptly, heading directly towards the Eternity Bar where Miranda's contact, Lantiea was waiting. They walked towards the bar when a very angry asari shouted them over.

"Watch yourself if you go in there." She said, "Some human is causing trouble. He's demanding that I sign the place over to him!"

"I'll be careful." Kacey said dismissively.

"Or you could kill him. You know, legally. In self-defence. I'd make a really good witness. Failing that, I'm hooking up security cameras now. If he or anyone else causes trouble, I'll have their asses arrested."

Kacey simply nodded before walking away. She didn't know what to respond with. Miranda checked the time on her omni-tool as they entered the bar, with both of them seeing the troublemaker at the bar.

"You have got to be kidding me." Kacey sighed, frustrated.

"You know him?" Miranda asked.

"Unfortunately." Kacey replied, "He's…a bit obsessed with me. Guy creeps me out a bit."

"You fought your way through batarians, geth, husks, mercenaries, krogan, Collectors and a Reaper but this guy freaks you out?" Miranda scoffed.

"It sounds ridiculous when you say it like that." Kacey mused, "But the difference is that they aren't wearing my armour like a creep."

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, are you going to straighten him out, or should I?"

"Oh, fuck it. We'll both do it." Kacey said, "More fun that way."

Kacey and Miranda headed towards the bar. As they both drew closer, they could hear the man grilling the asari bartender like an idiot while the unamused asari stood there, clearly restraining herself.

"You really holding out on me? I'm a man on the edge! I've got nothing to lose!"

"Except your dignity." Miranda mused. Kacey scoffed.

"You want to see how far I'll go? I learned how to shove a gun in people's faces from—" He turned around, with a surprised look on his face as he recognised Kacey, "Commander Shepard?"

"Hey, if you know this idiot, can you rein him in before I slap his ass with a singularity?" The bartender said.

"Please do." Kacey said, agitated.

"Shepard? Is it really you? It's me, Conrad Verner!" Conrad said giddily, "We met on the Citadel? I wanted to become a Spectre? Oh, uh, and then you shoved a gun in my face! You showed me what it meant to be truly extreme. I learned that lesson well. So, you're alive huh? I hear it goes like that in the biz. Why don't you sit back and watch how it's done? I've got some asses to kick."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Kacey said pissed off, "First off, I didn't put a gun in your face, my boyfriend and best friend did that because you wouldn't leave me alone. Secondly, you have absolutely no idea what you're doing since you're acting like an idiot and finally, why the hell are you trying to act like me?"

"What? Are you crazy?" Conrad said, "I'm nothing like you! I'm not a Spectre working for the Council."

"You say as you wear a replica of her armour." Miranda mused.

"Hey, I'm on my own, backed only by my wits and my nerves! No rules, no laws just whatever it takes to get the job done! I'm not like you at all!"

"Do you have any actual combat training at all?" Kacey asked unamused.

Conrad scoffed, "I'm saving the galaxy, Shepard! I don't have time for training! Don't you get it? You're a hero! You saved the galaxy and showed the other races what humanity is capable of! And then you died! The galaxy needed someone like you, Shepard. We all did. I had to do something."

"You do know that every single security system will detect that you aren't military, much less a part of my crew."

"I just say that I'm in deep cover and don't appear on any systems."

"That's a load of nonsense." Miranda spoke up, "You'd still come up as military even if you're in deep cover."

"And what would you know lady?"

"Okay, I've just about had enough of this." Kacey said, losing her patience, "Conrad, you need to go. Now."

"What?" Conrad said confused.

"You heard the Commander." Miranda said firmly, "Now if you don't get your ass out of here, I'll do a lot worse than put a gun in your face."

Conrad quickly bolted for the door, leaving Kacey and Miranda satisfied. The bartender thanked the pair before they left to head towards the lounge where Lanteia was waiting.

"So, how did your boyfriend and best friend end up putting a gun in someone's face?" Miranda smirked.

"Long story short, Kaidan and Garrus should never go out drinking together." Kacey replied, "Those two are chaos when they're wasted together."

"You were with them?"

"Yeah. I might tell you the full story another time." Kacey said as they entered the private room where a lone asari was waiting.

"I remember that." Kaidan mused as the pair entered the Captain's Cabin, "Had one nasty hangover after that."

"You and Garrus both." Kacey mused, "I did tell you both not to drink too much."

"Yeah you did." Kaidan replied, "But I'm pretty sure we weren't that bad."

"You put a gun in someone's face, Kaidan." Kacey replied teasingly, "If I hadn't covered for your ass, you would've got a disciplinary."

"Guess it makes us even for the times I've covered for you."

"That it does."

"Miss Lawson. I'm glad you made it." Lanteia said, "We've had a complication."

"What happened?" Miranda asked, her face grim, "Is Oriana all right?"

"She's fine. But…you listed a man named Niket as your trusted source?" Lanteia continued, "He contacted me, warning that your father has sent Eclipse mercenaries to make a sweep. He suggested that the mercs might be watching for you personally. He's offered to escort Oriana's family to the terminal instead."

"You didn't mention anything about Niket." Kacey said, looking at Miranda.

"He's a friend. He and I go back a long way…" Miranda replied.

"Do you want to bring in any of your other Illium contacts, Miss Lawson?" Lanteia asked.

"No." Miranda refused, "You and Niket are the only two I trust on this."

"Do you have any information on the mercenaries?" Kacey asked.

"I've confirmed that they're Eclipse and that they're working for an organisation that Miss Lawson warned us about." Lanteia replied, "I could try to alert the authorities but so far, they haven't done anything illegal."

"You made the right decision." Miranda said, "We'll handle this ourselves."

"Okay, it's your sister, Miranda." Kacey added, "What do you want to do?"

"Lanteia, we'll follow Niket's suggestion." Miranda said decisively, "Shepard and I will take the car and draw their attention. Have Niket escort the family to the shuttle. Give him full access to the family's itinerary, just to be safe."

"Understood, Miss Lawson." Lanteia replied.

"So the plan is for us to get shot down by Eclipse while your sister gets to safety?" Kacey asked.

"Eclipse will be under orders to take my sister alive." Miranda explained, "They won't risk anything that could kill us."

"And Niket? I doubt Eclipse will send all their people just to stop you. Do you want to give Niket any backup?"

"Niket can take care of himself. Besides, any armed backup just draws attention to him."

"Alright. I'm ready when you are Miranda." Kacey said as they left the room.

"Thank you, Shepard." Miranda said after a few minutes of silence, "I appreciate this. I hadn't planned on Eclipse…but they never planned on you."

…

"Damn it! Eclipse Mercenary gunships. They'll be dropping off troops in the cargo areas." Miranda said.

"Put us down in that cover behind them." Kacey ordered.

"Let's hope they really do want to take us alive." Miranda mused as she moved the skycar down towards the cargo area.

"Miranda was determined; whatever she put her mind to, she would do it and excel at it. Success followed her. She was always given the most risky and most challenging tasks that Cerberus had, because they believed that Miranda could do it easily. They believed she was perfect, and she thought that of herself. A perfect tool for any demanding task. No imperfections allowed."

It didn't take long for the Eclipse to open fire on their car, but the spray of bullets stopped just as quickly as they had arrived. Kacey could hear someone shouting for them to hold their fire. Miranda landed the skycar, albeit a rather bumpy landing and the pair exited the skycar was it had grinded to a halt. As Kacey walked towards the small force of Eclipse in front of them, a young human man, somewhere in his thirties, moved up front, telling the mercs behind him that he would handle it.

"Since you're not firing yet, I trust you know who I am." Miranda said bluntly in a condescending tone.

"Yeah. They said you'd be in the car." The man growled back, "You're the bitch that kidnapped the boss' little girl."

"Kidnapped?" Miranda replied, "This doesn't involve you. I suggest you take your men and go."

"Think you've got it all lined up, huh?" The man scoffed, "Captain Enyala's already moving in on the kid. She knows about Niket. He won't be helping you."

"The fuck does that mean?" Kacey spoke up.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Commander." The man replied dismissively, "Nobody's going to get killed unless you do something stupid."

"Well, I'm fucked. I do stupid things all the time." Kacey mused, throwing the man off.

"Look, you walk away now, the girl goes back to her father and everybody's happy."

"Everybody but my sister…and me." Miranda spat back.

"Wait. Miranda, I though you said she was your twin sister." Kacey asked.

"That what she told you?" The man mused, "No, this crazy bitch kidnapped our boss' baby daughter. He's been looking for her for more than a decade."

"It's complicated, Shepard." Miranda interjected, "We share the same DNA, just not the same birthday."

"You took a baby from the richest guy in the galaxy, lady. I don't know what your damage is, but you're not getting away with it."

"Shouldn't we be talking to Captain Enyala about this?" Kacey asked.

"You don't want to talk to the captain." The man said firmly, "She's not as polite as I am. She's the best commando I've ever seen. I've seen her tear people in half with her biotics. And she's getting paid a lot to stop you."

"Yeah and I fought off thousands of batarians for twenty three hours straight without a scratch. Your point?" Kacey said.

"She gets in our way, she'll never have a chance to spend it." Miranda added.

"You're not getting Miranda's sister." Kacey said, her mind made up, "If you push this, it'll go badly for you."

The man scoffed, "Captain Enyala ordered us to give you one chance to walk away. But this whole time we've been talking, my men have been lining up shots. When I say the word, we unleash hell on you both. So I suggest you walk away nicely, unless you want things to get ugly."

"Is that a threat?" Kacey scoffed.

"What? Is Commander Shepard afraid?"

"No, but you should be."

In a swift motion, Kacey grabbed the man and quickly and painlessly broke his neck while Miranda shot both of the nearby Eclipse in the head. Kacey then shot the brackets holding a large gas canister in the air, which dropped the canister on top of the remaining Eclipse forces.

"Come on! We need to get to Niket!" Miranda said.

"Alright! Let's get moving!" Kacey replied as they ran through the cargo bay.

The pair encounter another three mercenaries by the elevator, which Kacey dispatched with two well-placed concussive shots. Kacey then approached the evaluator and called it, while Miranda looked around, clearly distracted.

Kacey could hear the sound of a radio; Miranda seemed already aware of it and picked the radio up from a nearby corpse. Kacey watched on as Miranda fiddled around with it.

"Hang on, I've got one of their radios." Miranda said, sound self-assured, "I'll patch us in, see if we can get an idea of what we're up against."

Miranda sighed as the elevator doors opened. She turned to face Kacey, who looked on with concern.

"Shepard…I think I owe you an explanation." Miranda said, "Oriana is my twin, genetically. But my father…grew her when I was a teenager. She was meant to replace me. I couldn't let my father do to her what he did to me. So, I rescued her. She's almost a woman now."

"Why didn't you tell me we were saving a kid?" Kacey asked.

"She's not a child; she'll be nineteen this year." Miranda protested, "But…well, it didn't seem relevant at the time, I suppose. There are people who'd use her against me. I'm very protective when it comes to Oriana."

"Do you think I'm one of them?"

Miranda looked at Kacey, confused, "What?"

"Do you think I'm one of those people who would use Oriana against you?" Kacey asked.

Miranda looked at Kacey, her expression firm, "No, I don't. You don't seem like the type, despite everything else to the contrary. I'm sorry I didn't trust you sooner. You deserve to know."

"Look, I get it. I don't trust people with this kind of information either." Kacey replied, getting in the elevator.

"Thanks, Shepard." Miranda replied, getting in the elevator.

"You know I can understand choosing to go your own way, but you stole a young child from her father." Kacey mused.

"If you knew my father, you would understand." Miranda countered, "I wasn't the first one he made. I was the first one he kept. I was brought up with no friends, pushed to meet impossible demands. I wasn't a daughter to him. I was…I don't know what I was. Oriana has had a normal life. I made the right decision."

"Okay. I'll trust your judgement on the matter." Kacey said, "We need to hurry. If Eclipse knows where Oriana is, they'll be moving on her soon."

"Agreed." Miranda replied, "I'm a bit worried about what the merc said. If they've got to Niket somehow, this is going to be harder than I'd planned. According to the specs I've reviewed, we'll need to cut through the cargo processing yard to get to Oriana."

"I hope your friend can be trusted."

"Absolutely. Niket is one of my oldest friends." Miranda said sombrely, "I guess you could say he was my only real friend. He was the only person I didn't cut ties with when I left my father."

"Is there a chance your father could be using Niket to get to you?" Kacey asked.

"I'm sure he's tried, but Niket's one of the few people who understands what my father is really like. I trusted him with my life when I ran away from my father, Shepard. He won't betray me now."

…

"Maybe I saw a little of myself in Miranda; someone so confident, self-assured and could pull off some incredible feats. But her story, her past…it rang a few bells for me. I could empathise a little. But the big difference was that I didn't carry that burden all the way to the present day; I didn't let it define me. Miranda…she believed it was the reason she was who she was."

The Eclipse were tricky bastards. Unlike the Blue Suns and Blood Pack, who relied on brute force, guns and grenades, the Eclipse relied on tech and biotics, the two things Kacey didn't have nor could compete with. She ducked and dived around the cargo crates that littered the yard, timing her shots and making sure that hazardous materials landed on the mercs and not herself or Miranda.

Miranda was throwing the mercs around like rag dolls, moving them out of her way and directly into Kacey's line of fire, which worked for the ruby-haired commander. Kacey kept her rifle steady as she shot through the mercs with her inferno ammo.

"This is Enyala!" Kacey heard through the comms, "Keep the bitch back! Niket is nearing the transport terminal!"

Kacey was immediately suspicious of Niket; she may not have met him, but something about what the merc said was gnawing away at Kacey. She needed to be cautious that's for sure. And so did Miranda, whether or not she believes him to be a liability.

LOKI mechs opened fire on the pair as the rounded the corner, causing Kacey to fire a concussive shot as a reflex. The fiery inferno engulfed the mechs and a nearby mercenary, frying them to pieces. It was then that Kacey was reminded that she needed to thank Mordin for that particular upgrade. The salarian doctor really did encourage Kacey and Garrus' worst habits.

Their weapon upgrades made the fight so much easier that it would've been otherwise; upgraded thermal clip compartments, strengthened damage output, laser sight precision aiming…Mordin had done everything he could to ensure their weapons were better than any other in the galaxy with those modifications, and both Kacey and Miranda could tell.

"I don't care how many mechs you lose!" Enyala shouted down the radio, "Just stall them, dammit!"

A few mercs arrived with rocket launchers in an effort to slow the pair down. However, their efforts were in vain; Miranda simply threw the rockets away while Kacey choose the more reckless option of shooting the rockets themselves, with the ensuing explosions killing the mercs outright.

"Divert everyone except my guard from Niket." Enyala ordered, "I'll handle him and the kid personally."

"Dammit! I'm not letting her get Oriana." Miranda said.

And that was all the conformation Kacey needed. While Miranda clearly thought different, the tone of voice Enyala used implied something different to Kacey.

"Miranda believed that she was always good at reading people. That she was always able to gauge how truthful a person was or what their motives were. But I think that's why this plan worked in her father's favour; she would've never guessed it was someone like Niket. She never would have doubted her childhood friend."

"Eclipse operatives have attempted to delay you by disabling the elevators." EDI chimed, "I am overriding their lockdown."

"Thanks EDI." Kacey said, "Right, we need hold our position."

A small wave of Eclipse mercs arrived, attempting to wipe the pair out. Instead the unsuspecting mercenaries were greeted with four inferno concussive shots that were more potent than any grenade and Miranda warping their barriers out of existence. After only a few minutes, the charred bodies of the mercenaries were all that was left as the elevator doors opened.

"Niket has reached the terminal." Enyala said, "He'll switch the family over to our transport."

"Niket?" Miranda said, her voice hesitant, "But…that can't be right…"

"I felt sorry for her. I know what its like to grow up with no friends. No social life. That isolation hurts. It eats away at you. Miranda trusted him completely. She didn't want to believe that she was wrong about someone she had known for so long."

The pair entered the elevator. Kacey listened quietly as Miranda tried to process what she had just heard.

"Maybe the captain knows we're listening in and she's feeding misinformation about Niket making a switch." Miranda speculated in denial, "Or maybe it means something else. Niket wouldn't do that. Damn it, why won't this thing go any faster?!"

Miranda began to hack the elevator clearly agitated. Kacey sighed; she wasn't surprised by Miranda's reaction. If anything, she had expected it to come much sooner.

"Did Niket know that you took Oriana from your father?" Kacey asked.

"No, he just found out about that recently." Miranda replied, "It was too personal to involve someone else. I never really thought about it but maybe…no. he'd have to understand why I did it. He knows what I went through."

"But what made you so sure that Niket wouldn't turn on you?"

"He could've turned on me when I ran away. I'm sure my father tried to buy him off. If he didn't do it then, why would he do it now?"

"Maybe because he didn't know about Oriana until recently." Kacey mused, "Look you know him best—"

"I don't know, damn it!" Miranda shouted, "But I guess we'll find out soon enough. And then I'll have a word with this Captain Enyala."

…

When Kacey and Miranda exited the elevator, they could see Niket alongside Captain Enyala and another asari who presumably works at the transport terminal. Miranda exited the elevator, clearly pissed off and staring directly at Niket, who looked shocked to see her there.

"Miri?" Niket said shocked.

"This should be fun." Enyala added, hopping off the crate and pointing her gun at Kacey and Miranda. The pair responded by pointing their weapons at the asari mercenary. The worker tried to run; but Enyala simply shot her in the back, apathetic.

"Niket. You sold me out." Miranda said through gritted teeth.

"How do you want to handle this, Miranda?" Kacey asked.

"Why, Niket!?" Miranda shouted angrily, "You were my friend! You helped me get away from my father!"

"Yes! Because you wanted to leave!" Niket shouted back, "It was your choice! But if I knew that you had stolen a baby…"

"I didn't steal her! I rescued her!"

"From a life of wealth and happiness? You weren't saving her! You were getting back at your father!" Niket replied, "They told me you'd kidnapped your baby sister all those years ago. They said I could help get her back peacefully. No trauma to the family. I told them you'd never do that. That they could go to hell. Then you finally tell me what you'd done. I called them back that night."

"Why didn't you call me, Niket?" Miranda asked, "We've been through a lot. You could've at least let me explain."

"I deserved to know that you had stolen your sister, Miri! I deserved to know you were with Cerberus! But I had to hear it from your father first."

"It was creepy how familiar this scene was. It played out exactly as it did on Horizon…with you and me. How close we were, how long it had been since we last spoke, how long we had known each other…and how we were ripped apart because of Cerberus and one stupid choice. I guess the only differences between us and them is that we didn't hold each up at gunpoint…and that we both walked away that day."

"So you sold her out?" Kacey said bitterly, reminded of her similar encounter on Horizon, "How much did he pay you?"

"A great deal." Niket replied.

"Damn it, Niket! You were the only one I trusted from that life!" Miranda said.

"He knew you felt that way." Niket replied, "That's why he bought me."

"So you just took his money."

"Don't get holy with me, Miri. You took his money for years."

"I knew Eclipse were willing to get their hands dirty, but kidnapping a child?" Kacey said.

"I'm not stealing her, I'm rescuing her." Enyala replied, "Come on, Niket. Let's finish this bitch off and get out of here."

"Take your best shot." Miranda growled back.

"I was just waiting for you to finish getting dressed." Enyala snickered, "Or does Cerberus really let you whore around in that outfit?"

"If your father knows about Oriana than we need to find a new solution." Kacey said to Miranda.

"Miranda's father has no information about Oriana." Niket confirmed, "I knew you had spy programs in your father's system, Miri, so I kept it private. I'm the only one who knows."

"Which means you're the only loose end." Miranda sighed, "This isn't how I wanted it to end Niket. I'm going to miss—"

Kacey grabbed Miranda's arm, "Miranda, wait! You don't want to do this!"

"I couldn't let her do it. I couldn't."

"This has to end here, Shepard." Miranda argued, "My father will keep trying to find Oriana."

"Maybe Niket can help…talk to your father. Just say that you got here first…"

"I'll…I'll tell him that you hid her." Niket said, "That I don't know where she is."

Miranda glared at him, "I never want to see you again Nik—"

Miranda never got to finish as Enyala shot Niket in the back, killing him outright. She looked at Miranda with a smug sense of satisfaction as Kacey raised her rifle and pointed it at the mercenary captain.

"Done." Enyala said smugly, "Now if you don't mind, I have a shipment to deliver."

Miranda picked Enyala up, furious, "You'll die for that, bitch!"

Miranda threw Enyala across the room, running after the mercenary before biotically slamming Enyala into the ground repeatedly. Before Enyala could pick herself up, Miranda pulled out her pistol and shot her in the head three times. Kacey watched on silently.

"There could be more Eclipse mercs near the shuttle." Miranda said with a deep breath, "I want to make sure Oriana and her family get on safely."

Kacey headed over to the elevator, with Miranda trailing slowly behind her, lost in thought. Kacey looked at the operative with empathy.

"It seemed that her icy heart had thawed after all this time. Maybe now, she could see how human she really was."

"I can't believe Niket sold me out." Miranda sighed, "I didn't see it coming."

"Even with all your upgrades, you're human just like the rest of us." Kacey replied in a comforting voice.

"But I let it get personal…and I screwed up." Miranda continued, "Why didn't you let me kill him? I could have handled that. But watching him get gunned down by that asari bitch…

"You would've regretted it. You still cared for him, even if he betrayed you."

Miranda sighed, "You're right. And my father knew it. He used that against me. It's always been like this. My father could get me anything I ever wanted, but there was always a hook, an angle for his long-term plan. I threw away everything he ever gave me when I ran. Except Niket. Weakness on my part."

"Its not weakness." Kacey replied, "You can't toss aside everything you care about just to be safe."

"Its okay, Shepard. My father hurt me, but he didn't break me. As much as he tried to turn me into exactly what he wanted…I'm my own person."

"You still have Oriana."

Miranda paused, "My father didn't give her to me. I rescued her. But…yes. You're right. I still have something. Thank you."

…

"No sign of Eclipse." Miranda said as she met up with Kacey, "It looks like we're clear."

"Good. I was getting tired of mowing them all down." Kacey quipped.

Miranda looked into the crowd, with Kacey following her gaze. Kacey then saw a young woman who looked almost identical to Miranda.

"There she is." Miranda said, bittersweet, "She's safe…with her family. Come on, we should go."

"Don't you even want to say hello?" Kacey asked.

"Its not about what I want. It's about what's right for her. The less she knows about me, the better." Miranda replied, "She's got a family. A life. I'll just complicate that for her."

"She doesn't need any details, but would it really be so bad for her to know she has a sister who loves her?"

Miranda pondered Kacey's words before replying, "I guess not…Huh. Damn you and your persuasive words."

"You better get going, Miranda." Kacey said, "Or I'll haul your ass over there."

Miranda went off to talk with her sister, leaving Kacey to watch on, satisfied.

…

"Thanks again, Shepard." Miranda said as Kacey entered her office, "Taking the time to help me with my sister…I couldn't have reached Oriana in time without your help. I'm glad Niket tried to redeem himself…for what good it did. Thank you for stopping me, Commander."

"Sounds like you had a soft spot for Niket after all." Kacey said, teasingly.

"I didn't have many friends. Niket was one of them. he never wanted anything from me. He was…safe…comfortable. A reminder of a more innocent time I suppose."

"I guess we all want to return to a time like that." Kacey sighed, sitting in the chair opposite Miranda.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Miranda spoke up, "Was it like that on Horizon?"

"What?"

"When you met up with…you know."

"You mean Kaidan?"

Miranda paused before sighing, "Yes. You too were close, and then the Collectors destroyed your ship and you died…then we roped you into this mess instead of—"

"Instead of?"

"Letting you go." Miranda finally said. Kacey cocked her head to the side as Miranda continued, "You could've done this without us. Without Cerberus. If we let you go, you could've gone back to the Alliance and the Council and make them care. Just like you did with Saren and Sovereign."

Kacey sighed. She didn't particularly want to talk about it, but as Miranda looked at her, Kacey eventually relented, "It…it did go a bit like that yes. We argued, he felt…betrayed by me. Like everything that happened to us, everything we stood for…meant nothing. But he chose to walk away. And I have to accept that."

"Have you?"

Kacey hesitated, "No, I guess not."

"It's our fault." Miranda added, "Not yours, or his."

"What's brought all this on?" Kacey asked.

It was Miranda's turn to sigh as she stared out of the window, "At first, I only knew you as the stories portrayed you. You're the face of humanity whether you like it or not. You are the paragon soldier. I assumed someone like that would be serious, hard-nosed, and firm. But then you woke up. And you weren't like that at all. You were…distant. Blunt. Kind. Humorous. Reckless. That idea that I had of you in my head was shattered completely. I questioned why someone like you was viewed like that. I didn't understand why people, good and bad, were drawn to you.

But then, you came here. You talked to me. You made me think of things that I had never thought of before. I am genetically made to be perfect. But you got there all on your own. You could do things I couldn't. I'm smart but you seem to be a lot more…wiser than I am. You draw people to you, inspire them to be the best they can be. You accepted your flaws and made them assets. You made me realise just how stupid I was to think that…that my flaws are a hindrance. You exceeded my expectations. And we took away your choice to do this your way. I guess being on the receiving end of something like that…it opened my eyes I guess."

"Maybe." Kacey replied, sneaking a glance out of the window, "Or maybe those stories exaggerated a little too much. I'm nothing special, Miranda. I just worked hard."

"I spent two years trying to revive you, Shepard." Miranda said, "And I know that's not entirely true. And so do you. We have little information on you because we couldn't find your files anywhere. And we came across something suspicious in your tests."

"I'm not going to talk about it."

"Oh, I know." Miranda said, "As curious as I am about it, I understand why you'd want to keep it quiet. And the Alliance too. Your secret is safe with me, even if you don't tell me anything else."

"Thanks Miranda." Kacey said.