"I take it everything is going well up here?" Kacey asked.

She was doing her usual rounds around the ship when she heard Joker and EDI arguing. Whether it was curiosity or simple concern that brought her here was anyone's guess.

"We're just having an argument over the personalisation of my workplace." Joker replied in a blasé tone.

"Cerberus regulations are clear, Mr Moreau." EDI stated, "'Personalisation' does not include grease on my bridge cameras."

"It's just mad that all its footage of me looks like a dream sequence."

"Sure, that's why." Kacey said sarcastically, "How are you finding the crew?"

"Well," Joker started, "I would never say anything against Miranda. And I expect to survive the reprisal. Jacob is way too nice a guy for the number of ways he knows how to kill people. It's just my opinion though."

"Well, I'll leave you to it." Kacey smirked, "Play nice, Joker."

"Yeah, yeah. See you, Commander."

Kacey walked off towards the lab, primarily to check up on Mordin. Afterwards, she'd head to armoury to see Jacob before heading downstairs to see Garrus and Miranda. It was her usual routine, one that she wasn't going to give up on anytime soon.

"Shepard. How can I help?" Mordin said as she entered the lab.

"Just checking in to see how your getting on." Kacey asked.

"Certainly." Mordin replied, looking up from his computer, "Plague on Omega dealt with. Plenty of time to analyse Collector intelligence. Impressive laboratory set up. Missed working for operations with a budget. AI in particular very helpful. Best set up I've seen since work with Special Tasks Group."

"Is your assistant Daniel settling in alright?"

"Quite well." Mordin replied, "Safe and secure. Neighbourhood mostly quiet with plague gone. Left him the security mechs just in case. Can't be too careful. Also tired of mechs. Noisy. Never used them in STG."

"STG huh?" Kacey mused, "I assume you mostly did research there?"

"Not simply research." Mordin corrected, "Several recon missions. Covert, high-risk. Served under young captain named Kirrahe. Studied krogan genophage. Took water, tissue samples from krogan colonies."

"Wait." Kaidan realised, "Is this the same Kirrahe that we met on Virmire?"

"The very one." Kacey smiled, "It really is a small galaxy huh?"

"You said it, Kacey."

"I met Kirrahe on Virmire." Kacey said, "His team helped me destroy Saren's cloning facility."

"Heard he was part of that!" Mordin replied happily, "Jury rigged explosives? Always got job done with limited resources. Good captain. Bit of a cloaca, though. Loved his speeches. Hold the line! Personally prefer to get job done and go home. Probably military bravado. Jargon, chest pounding. No offense. Should get back to work. Need to study. So much data."

"Nice talking to you, Mordin." Kacey smirked.

…

Jacob was busy in the armoury by the time Kacey arrived. She leaned against the table as Jacob turned and saluted her, causing more unease than she would've like.

"Commander." Jacob said, "There hasn't been time to really settle in and take stock. I want to say that working with you is a great opportunity to do something that matters. It's a privilege to serve on the Normandy, Commander."

"You may change your tune if we end up like the original Normandy." Kacey replied bitterly.

"Maybe. As long as the Illusive Man walks his talk, and you do the same, I'll do my best to make sure we succeed. That's been the condition for my service so far. I have issues with certain actions Cerberus has taken in the past."

"What has Cerberus done to make you nervous?" Kacey asked, "Aside from the obvious reasons."

"A lot. And most of it, is obvious." Jacob replied, "They're called terrorists, and with good reason. Doubt you could find a more checkered past. But the Collector threat is real, and if we do something about it, Cerberus will be remembered differently. Or we'll all be tried and executed. Can't count on people thinking about it as hard as I have."

"I appreciate your honesty, even for as bleak as it sounds." Kacey replied.

"That honours me more than you know Commander." Jacob saluted again.

…

"Commander. What can I do for you?" Miranda said.

Kacey didn't know why she was here in Miranda's office. Any previous attempts to learn about the operative left her more pissed off than satisfied. She figured she'd at least try one more time before throwing in the towel. She wasn't one to give up easily after all.

"Do you have a minute to talk, Miranda?" she asked nicely.

"No doubt you've got a lot of questions." Miranda replied, "You still don't trust us, do you?"

"Naturally."

"Hmm." Miranda mused, "You know, Cerberus isn't as evil as most people believe. If I can help allay any of your concerns, I'd be happy to do so."

"I find that hard to believe." Kaidan said, "I mean, even before this war started, they were killing people, experimenting on people."

"I know. You remember what happened at their bases?" Kacey asked to which Kaidan nodded, "They viewed that as a necessary sacrifice."

"What is Cerberus' long-term goal?"

"The advancement of the human race. Nothing more, nothing less. The salarians have the Special Tasks Group. The asari have their legendary commandos for stealth and recon operations. Cerberus is humanity's answer to those organisations."

"But those organisations are regulated by governments." Kacey pointed out, "Who keeps Cerberus in check?"

"Nobody." Miranda replied, "We're privately funded, and our backers trust the Illusive Man to make the right decisions. But he's very clear about our goals; to serve humanity and serve its advancement."

"So, it's a militia? A private militia?" Kaidan asked.

"Technically." Kacey replied, "I'd say it's privately funded terrorism, but you do you."

Kaidan laughed as Kacey continued.

"Are you military or political? Both?"

"Cerberus has several divisions: political, military, scientific. But we're all working towards the same goal. We keep our ranks and structure similar to the Alliance; a lot of our recruits started there. But not all Cerberus operations use the same protocols. We try not to get bogged down in bureaucracy or formality."

"Cerberus must be very well funded to afford all that."

"We are, although I doubt anyone other than the Illusive Man knows exactly how well." Miranda explained, "But our resources aren't unlimited. Reviving you and rebuilding the Normandy was a significant investment. And a significant risk. We're all hoping you can do the impossible, Shepard. No pressure. Anything else?"

"What can you tell me about the Illusive Man?"

"Not much that you don't know already." Miranda replied, "Even I don't have access to most of his background. And you've seen more of him than most ever do. It's rare for him to become directly involved in missions, but you're something special. Whatever else people might say about him, I can assure you he's got humanity's best interests at heart. That includes you and me."

"So, those in Cerberus' ranks barely see him and know little about him?" Kaidan mused, "That's odd…yet surprisingly in character."

"Yeah, it's a bit weird." Kacey replied, "And despite that, they trusted him."

"How can you be sure of that," Kacey replied curiously, "if you know so little?"

"I didn't get to where I am without knowing how to gauge people's motives and ambitions." Miranda replied sternly, "Even from brief encounters. He's no saint, and he'll be the first to admit it, but he is committed. Humanity couldn't have a better advocate."

"He's no saint? I'm pretty sure that was obvious." Kaidan murmured.

"True, and yet he certainly acted like he was." Kacey replied, "At least to me."

"And what about you?" Kacey asked, "Come on, I want to know more about you."

"I guess that's fair," Miranda replied, standing up, "After all, I've spent the last two years learning everything there is to know about you."

Miranda stood up as Kacey eyed the operative nervously. Did she know?

"Well," Miranda said, breaking Kacey out of her thoughts, "you should probably know that I've had extensive genetic modification. Not my decision, but I make the most of it. It's one of the reasons the Illusive Man handpicked me. I'm very good at just about anything I choose to do."

"What level of genetic modification are we talking about?" Kacey asked.

"It's very thorough. Physically, I'm superior in many ways. I heal quickly and I'll likely live half again as long as the average human. My biotic abilities are also very advanced…for a human. Add to that some of the best training and education money can buy and, well, it's pretty impressive, really."

"Sounds like you were designed to be perfect."

"Maybe but I'm not. I'm still human, Shepard. I make mistakes like everyone else." Miranda explained, "And when I do, the consequences are severe. Everyone expects a lot from someone with my…abilities."

"And yet, you certainly don't lack for confidence." Kacey replied.

"It's just a fact. My reflexes, my strength, even my looks—they're all designed to give me an edge. No point in hiding it. It's the reason I'm trusted to oversee the most dangerous, risky and technically demanding operations Cerberus undertakes. Just like you."

"Well, if you've done your research," Kacey smiled, "You'd know that isn't the case. Goodbye, Miranda."

Kacey left Miranda's office without another word.

A/N I'll be backing up all my stories on AO3 as well. See my Profile for more info.