AN: This is a massive rewrite of the entire ME trilogy. Several characters and plot elements have been rewritten/reconceptualized or axed completely in order to for the story (in my opinion) to be more narratively cohesive.
I opened my eyes.
My vision was blurry, and half of it was covered by blood. I felt a burning pain on and in my skull, I weakly put a hand on my head to stop the bleeding, but all it did was make it bloody. My back was laid against a hard surface, and my legs were felt heavy when I tried to move them. I made a Herculean effort to get myself off the ground using my rifle as a cane, the fact I was wearing armour didn't help at all. I grunted and clenched my teeth and my head hurt like hell, and I swear I could feel something writhing in me. I eventually managed to get on my feet before a violent force shook the ground and threw me against a wall. I squinted my eyes and tried to make out my surroundings through the blood on my eyes.
Bodies. Dead bodies everywhere. Some Turian, the rest human, though with how mangled their faces and chests were, I wouldn't have made that judgement otherwise. I began limping the way I came from. For whatever reason, the right side of my head wasn't woozy, and I could clearly hear… typing. I turned towards the source of the noise and saw a large figure who had their back turned to me. A light from some sort of large computer display illuminated them barely from my perspective. They were wearing bulky armor of a stale white colour with black accents, had a large shoulder-pad, and a dark headband was wrapped around their skull. Turian design. I remembered now, He was Specter Saren. He was interfacing with something of a machine embedded onto the wall, I couldn't make out anything from the screen despite my best efforts. "What are you doing? The whole thing's coming down and we need to get out of here!" I called out in a raspy and pained voice.
Though he should have heard me, he did not respond.
I figured he was ignoring me, and I decided to continue on my way out of this damned thing. Just for good measure, I turned to him again as I was about to exit the room. His mouth was agape, his eyes were wide, and both of his pupils were an odd blue. I wanted to ask why his eyes changed colour and what he was in awe of, but I didn't have the luxury of time and continued on my way.
Just as I exited the vessel, I was blasted by an overwhelming explosion of cold wind and knee-deep snow flooded into the room like water. I pushed on, the sky was impregnated with grey clouds, and they bore down upon me as I saw hands and legs coming out of the snow. It had buried them. May they find peace.
I hobbled forwards and came to rest when I leaned on one of the four appendages sticking out of the ship. I shot my gun into the ground and kept the hot tip close to my fingers to prevent the onset of hypothermia for just a bit. I took out my miniature distress beacon and signaled an emergency SOS.
"Commander Shepard of the Alliance military speaking. Requesting a pick-up from any nearby vessel. The entire ground team is dead, only I and Specter Saren are alive." I said hurriedly then withdrew the device. I would have stayed in the black ship were it not for the fact that it was on a fragile layer of ice that ought to collapse. With the amount of ammo and flares I had, I could maybe survive a few days if I used them conservatively, and the cold could help a bit with my head injuries, it could add an extra precious few hours. I tried will all of my might to lift myself, but my legs wouldn't move no matter what. I resorted to crawling. I wouldn't be able to get on top of the hill that surrounded the scene, but I needed to make distance.
Suddenly, a bright white light came over my face and blinded me for a moment, were it not for the fact I was feeling pain and thus knew I was alive, I'd think it was an angel descending on me. I put a hand up and titled my head to see what was projecting it. I saw a dark blue figure standing on top of the hill, it had something of a red shawl flowing from its body that covered half of its form, though I couldn't tell if it was just a piece of clothing or an actual part of the thing, and the light came from its… head? Before I could register that information, the figure slid down the hill and approached me. It had a flashlight head, a snake-like neck, and an obviously metallic body. That only meant one thing:
It was a Geth.
I crawled back apprehensively and put a hand on my belt-strapped gun. It seemed to have noticed this as it stopped moving towards me and held up its hands, several screeches came from its joints and I could clearly see some of the rust on its body.
"We mean no hostilities, Commander-Shepard." It said in an inappropriately calm multi-layered voice. It could speak? And why the pacifism? No matter, it could still be a threat.
I drew out my pistol and aimed straight at the chest. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?" I asked sternly.
The Geth awkwardly gestured to itself, and that same creaking noise was made. "We are Geth. Our name is Legion. We received your distress call." It said as it grabbed the red rugged shawl tied to the joints between its limbs and torso, then carefully untied it and offered it to me. It had a name? Did one of the Geth achieve individuality? No matter, I took the shawl and wrapped the thing around me, but I still held up my gun at the Geth. I had a moment to think.
It would likely take several days, if not weeks, for any Alliance vessel to come over and pick me up. The good thing was that this planet was outside of Citadel space, so the Alliance wouldn't have to shift through mounds of paperwork to arrive here, but that also meant only trickles of traffic passed through here. With what I had on me, my injuries, and the cold, it was assured I wouldn't survive here for long. If this Geth were to be trusted, it could help me up and get me to the crashed Alliance ship I was on to survive off the MREs for a good while. If I didn't trust them, I'd have to crawl to the ship on my own, and there was the possibility of them trying to trick me by appearing friendly and getting up close only to kill me. Either way I'd be dead, so I decided to push my luck and trust Legion.
I lowered my gun and gestured for Legion to get closer, it walked up to me and hoisted me up in a crutch carry. I felt nauseous from the sudden movement but I wasn't going to complain. Legion practically lifted me up from the bottom of the hill to its top, my legs trudged through the snow and only now could I feel the chill of the cold wind seeping from the holes in my armor and washing over the rest of my body. The adrenaline had faded. As I and Legion reached the top, I turned around to get one final good look at the shitshow that happened.
A gigantic black vessel the shape of a squid laid asleep on the plain of ice it was on. Reapers, they called them. There were small pores on its body, at its end were four rigid tentacles that became smaller as they went on, and there was a patch of metal that gave way to a dead 'eye' made of a material akin to glass. It was made of grey or dark metal, I couldn't differentiate with the looming cloudy sky above, and it appeared to be segmented. Was this thing meant to move like an actual animal?
Then I was reminded of this failure, *my* failure.
The memories hit me like rapid gun fire. I was on an Alliance ship with my crew when we received an emergency distress signal coming from a Quarian liveship being attacked by Collectors. I gave the order to shoot at the Collector ship and wouldn't have gave chase hadn't a Turian frigate housing Saren joined the scene and went after it. I didn't want those people to die at hands of the Collectors, so I gave the order to go after and help them on behalf of my absent Captain. A few FTL jumps later, and we were all above a frozen planet orbiting a star. We engaged in a prolonged dogfight just under the planet's atmosphere that saw all three ships make a crash landing. Despite my insistence on staying put and calling for help, Saren decided to instead go after the Collectors. I didn't want his whole platoon to die, so I made the decision to aid them. The Collectors retreated to the dark ship, and both my crew and the Turians engaged in a brutal firefight. What I had just experienced was the aftermath.
They were… good people, my crew. This was no proper burial, but I'll let them rest.
Before I could turn around, everything went white.
I knelt, and before me stood a large humanoid body with all of its limbs missing. It was of a dark colour, had absent eye-holes, and the bottom of its chin took the form of drooping water as if it were melting. Its torso supported no limbs, what were supposed to be extensions into the arms and legs instead ended abruptly like if a blade cut them. Though it looked down upon me, I didn't feel intimidated. I couldn't imagine living like this: No way to move, no way to speak, and no way to see. Despite this, if I were in its place I'd still push on until the bitter end, even if I were diseased or in constant pain I would still push on.
For whom though? My crew? No… for the mission.
I found the will to move my mouth and asked it a question. "What are you?"
"A child that has died in the womb." It spoke into my brain in a deep mechanical voice, not like someone who talked into my ear, but instead it felt like a message was carved into my brain that my mind understood as verbal speech.
"Who are you?" I found myself asking.
"A dead Reaper."
Suddenly, the ground around me started to shake, and in the next moment the air itself vibrated. My stomach felt like it was getting gnawed at and I was going to vomit-
I woke up and found myself in a hospital bed wearing a medical gown, I took a look around and recognized the place I was in as some sort of dimly-lit ER room. Was my condition really that bad? Maybe I didn't feel anything because of adrenaline. Regardless, the first thing I checked were my fingers, they were normal but they felt a bit stiff when I curled them, it seemed like my hypothermia was treated. I recognized the distinct noise of a door opening and turned my head towards the source. I saw a Caucasian woman with long hair wearing a mildly provocative suit that exaggerated her breasts, I also saw that she wore some subtle makeup and had a natural smile on her face. "Good. You're finally awake." She said in a British accent. She walked towards me with a gait whilst completely maintain a straight posture. I had suspicions about this woman but I needed more information first. "Who are you?" I asked her.
"Miranda Lawson, but you can just call me Miranda." She said as she took a seat on a plastic chair next to me with her legs crossed. "We found your body near an Alliance ship. Don't worry, the injuries on your head were treated quickly, and we quickly cured your early-stage hypothermia. All of your equipment and gear on you was retrieved and is currently under your bed."
Several things to note. Firstly, she asked me to call her by her first-name, so it could mean that she was attempting to form an informal relationship with me, and she didn't ask for my name, so perhaps she already knew of me. Secondly, 'We'? That implies that she's with some organization, and it certainly wasn't the Alliance because she didn't say the ship were their's, I didn't recognize her outfit but that could be just the way she dresses. Thirdly, she's implying that she oversaw the operation to treat me, so she was someone with some form of authority. However, I didn't ask her anything as I wasn't in the right state of mind for a long series of questioning. Despite the suddenness of the situation, I wanted to know what happened to that Legion person.
"There was a Geth with me named Legion. They were blue, wore a red shawl, and could speak. Where are they?" I asked.
"We got it as well, but it suddenly began to break down after it entered the ship and its voice module was rendered non-functional. We tended to it fast and prevented any further damage from occurring, but it's still being repaired. Before it broke down, it claimed that it had been traveling for a few kilometres before it got your distress signal, then it wrapped its shawl around your head to stop the bleeding, then carried you all the way back to the Alliance ship. It claims that it overclocked its own components to keep you warm, which if true could explain why your hypothermia was mild at worst." She said. It did all of that… for me? I… didn't know how to feel. Regardless, I found it odd for her to not mention them initially, so I kept a mental note of that.
I leaned forward to stimulate my muscles somewhat and noticed a bathroom to the right of the room. "Can I go to the bathroom to get myself properly dressed" I asked genuinely as I turned to her, and tried my best to study her reaction to me wanting a bit of privacy. If she gave anything away, then I could get a better read on her character.
"Of course. I'll be waiting outside." She perfectly maintained her smile as she got up to and left the room. That didn't work at all, and to be honest there could have been hidden cameras in the bathroom so it would have sense for her to not slip up. I got up myself and felt refreshed as finally was able to move my legs and stretch my arms. I crouched and, true to her word, saw all of my gear in a white duffle bag, but not my weapons. It made enough sense I suppose. I lifted it up and entered the bathroom. The first thing I checked was the state of my armour, the physical damage on it wasn't too bad, but I needed to get something better soon. It had a lot of shields but its regeneration of said shields was awful and only got worse with time; it was designed for short and violent combat encounters, not a long war-of-attrition style of fighting. I then entered one of the stalls with the bag and put on my casual clothes; said clothes being dark jeans, a white shirt, and a black jacket with stripes running down the shoulders. One thing I noticed was how remarkably clean the bathroom was, it could be that this place doesn't have many employees.
I exited the stall and examined myself in the mirror to check for any injuries. I had a buzz cut, a blue right eye and- A blue eye? I didn't have heterochromia, and I was very sure that my right eye was previously black just like my left eye. Moreover, Lawson didn't mention it at all. If she already knew me, then surely she would have commented on that. I took out my omni-tool to record a short video of myself, and to my surprise the video showed me having two black eyes. Did I suffer from brain damage and gained some form of schizophrenia- No, no point in going crazy over it now. It didn't affect me immediately in any noticeable way, so for the time being I glossed over it. I re-examined myself: Buzz cut, pronounced face scars, and a faint beard. Nothing else out of the ordinary, so I packed my stuff and exited both the bathroom and the ER room.
As soon as I went through the door, I was partially blinded by the strength of LED lights around the area. I took a moment to adjust my eyes and saw white plastic tables and chairs strewn about, to my left was a huge window that showed the dull beauty of outer-space, and far ahead of me I saw two people conversing. I recognized one as Lawson, but I couldn't place my finger on the other. He looked to be Asian, had short black hair, and wore what looked to be black light armor if the padding was anything to go by. I began walking towards to the two and they quickly noticed me approaching. As we were about to meet I noticed a few other things about this other person. Unlike Miranda, he didn't walk with a gait, and he had a smile on him, though I could tell it was forced.
"Mornin' Shepard." The man said jovially as he reached me first, then leaned in and brought his straight hand to the side of his mouth. "Just pretend the sun's here for convenience's sake, alright?" He whispered then leaned back to make a straight posture as he put both of his hands behind him. "I'm Kai Leng, second-in-command to- "He gestured in an exaggerated manner to Lawson who had just arrived before retracting his hands. "Greetings Shepard," Lawson said. "I hope you got all of your gear in order?"
"Yes I have." I replied. "Say, what do you two work as?" I asked.
Lawson answered first. "We're Cerberus operatives." She said simply.
My brain went into flight-or-fight mode. Considering the fact that my experience here has been 'cozy' so far, and that neither Lawson or Leng have shown any hostilities towards me, I came to the conclusion that I was going to be recruited or used for something. But why me? The two have must have seen the cogs turning in my head because Leng spoke shortly after Miranda did. "Don't worry, we're not going to hold you hostage Batarian-cartel style. We actually want to work with you." He said with a mildly cheery tone.
"And what makes you think I'll be working with Cerberus?" I replied immediately.
"I believe any questions you have are best reserved for our leader The Illusive Man." Miranda cut in. "Moreover, he has requested a meeting with you, so it'll do you well to let us take you to him"
I wanted to say no and get out of here as fast as I could, but I knew I had no choice. I was in a Cerberus ship out in space that I didn't know the layout of, there were likely guards positioned at strategic locations that could easily stop me, and trying to flee would only anger Cerberus, which would make future interactions more difficult. I decided the best idea was to follow them along for as long as need be. "Fine." I said neutrally.
"Good. I feared this interaction would go poorly." She said as she turned around and began walking away. Leng turned to me and leaned slightly forward. "I bet this isn't how you expected your morning to go, you didn't even have breakfast." He said with a mildly bigger smile then walked away himself. Was he trying to put me down? Regardless, I wouldn't let their façade fool me. They were still Cerberus. Terrorists, at the end of the day. Whatever they had planned for me, I'd refuse it, even if it meant death. I would not be a traitor to them- the Alliance.
I stood on a circular metal platform with Leng and Lawson behind me. At its rims were blue lights that form a hollow circle and suddenly began to light up after a moment. Then the lights jumped and I found myself somewhere else completely.
I was in a very spacious area, the floor and ceiling were pitch black and I was convinced the colour was painted on, an incredibly wide glass pane that spanned the entire room supported the ceiling and displayed a dim red star, and at the edge of the room was a sitting man in a suit who had several holographic tabs open that were closed quickly. He was white, had black hair, and blue eyes- Blue eyes just like mine.
He got up and only now did I notice the cigarette in his hands. "Miranda and Leng. I'll need you two to leave the room." He said in a rough voice that matched his age. I turned around and saw that Lawson and Leng had both been projected like myself. Leng's eyebrows were pinched and his smile turned into a frown, and Miranda's smirk faltered for just a moment. This must have been a surprise to them then, but they both complied and left the room. "Is there something we missed?" Leng asked Lawson. "Leng, you know I don't make mistakes." She replied immediately. They went out of earshot and I turned back to the Illusive Man a bit confused myself.
"It seems that my suspicions were correct, Shepard." He started. "You were in a Reaper body with Saren, and the both of you eventually reached its brain. The ensuing fight with the Collectors damaged the infrastructure and Reaper tech flowed out of said brain, and entered your body through your injuries. You were knocked out whilst Saren stayed conscious."
"How the hell do you know all of that?" I said sternly.
"Just now. Besides, I sent a ground team to investigate the fight and with a little bit of conjecture, it's easy to piece out what happened. But I won't get ahead of myself." He said calmly as he smoked his cigarette. "Tell me, what do you know about Cerberus?"
Where was he going with this? Fine, I'll play along for now. "Hmph. They're a human-supremacist terrorist organization formed by disgruntled Alliance veterans shortly after the end of the First-Contact war. They were radicalized by the treatment humanity got from the Council. Is that what you wanted to hear?" I said in a calmer voice.
"That's the official story at least." He replied as he got up from his black chair. What? "In truth, Cerberus is a black operations group formed by the Alliance shortly after the First-Contact war to spy on and acquire alien technologies. We were and still are funded by the Alliance, and we've been working in tandem with them to assure humanity's place in the galaxy and prevent its destruction."
I scoffed. "Likely story."
"Come on Shepard, you can put the pieces together yourself." He said like he was lecturing me.
"You're just saying all of that to excuse your actions and make yourselves more sympathetic, for whatever its worth."
He paused for a moment and his eyes glared onto my own. He let out a small "Hm" before he walked to the side. "Shepard, have you ever wondered why you or anyone else your rank have never come into contact with our ships? Or why despite the Alliance having so called 'combat-reports' of Cerberus encounters, there's no live-cam footage? Or how we managed to get such large and sophisticated ships despite only being around for a few decades?"
I stared into him.
"If you don't believe me, then perhaps you should ask your superior Captain Anderson." No. No. Anderson wouldn't hide this from me. He wouldn't, not after all I've done and sacrificed- He's playing me. The Illusive Man is making this up, but why? I needed to know one thing first though.
"Why the cover story? Why is Cerberus not just a spy agency then if what you've said is true?" I said with suspicion.
He threw his arms out and turned around to face the red star, then he began to walk towards the glass pane. "We're newcomers to the galactic stage, Shepard. We don't know what kind of technology the aliens have, and that alone is a threat to our existence. We will be spotted if we tried to hide." He turned around to face me and retracted his arms. "Just take a look at the Quarians. They were punished for creating the Geth, but don't you think they paid the price after three-hundred years? They were put down to prevent them from becoming a political and military threat to the Council, and especially to the Turians. Even the Volus, whom been around far longer than us, and play a large part in the galactic economy don't even have a seat at the Council, they were only given an embassy to keep them satiated. The Krogans were used to deal with the Rachni threat, and as soon as the Rachni were gone, the Krogans demanded equal representation. The Council refused on racist pretences, and the Krogan went to war with them. I don't need to tell you what happened next." He said with a subdued vigor. He then walked towards me and gestured to himself. "If the Council is willing to do that to races that have been around far longer than us, imagine what they'd do if we 'stepped out of line'. We need every advantage we can get, regardless of the methodology."
"And you think going under their nose is going to help with diplomatic relations?" I immediately replied. "How long do you think it'll take for them to figure out your true origins, if they're true anyway?"
He lowered his hands and walked to the middle of the room, standing between the star and me. "They have not been fair to any race that threatened their position, why should we? Besides, you should know of the STG. And for your second question, the only people who know what we really are you, me, and the Alliance top brass. Everyone else has bought our cover story."
"Even Kai Leng and Miranda Lawson?" I said with genuine curiosity.
"Yes, but be assured that their beliefs won't hinder your mission." He said calmly. I knew it, talk about putting on a mask. Wait, 'hinder my mission'? And he's implying they'll be joining me?
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
He walked slowly towards his chair and sat on it, putting his cigarette to his face. "Tell me Shepard, have you been contacted by a dead Reaper?"
I was surprised. "He's real?"
"I too was confused by his presence at first, but then I saw the bigger picture. I have talked to it, and if what its saying is true, then it means profound implications for the safety of the galaxy. The Reapers aren't just some dead race that existed before our time like the Protheans. They are…" He looked away from me, then looked back. "All I know is that they've been the cause for the extermination of every ancient race, and they're coming for us in exactly four years from now."
That can't be real. It just can't be- No point in panicking now, it would hinder me. "How can I know what you're saying is true?" I said neutrally.
"You yourself said that you talked to the dead Reaper, go ask it if you don't believe me."
I looked to the side. It was all real? I needed a moment. I cranked my neck and rolled shoulders, then looked back. I remembered him saying a moment ago 'all I know'. Was he cut off from the dead reaper? "And you haven't?"
"I'll admit, it refused to speak to me after it learned of my intentions."
"And they are?"
"Listen, Shepard. We are two of three people that have been blessed with the power of Reaper tech, tech that enhances our abilities and makes us better than the rest of the flock. Clearly, we were made to lead all of humanity into a golden age and assert its dominance." He said as he threw his arms out again. I was sure he wanted to add in 'over the other races'. He paused for moment, looking at me. My expression remained the same. "The Reaper said he's in the Collector base. If we could just find and study it, even if it claims it's dead, we could find a way to control the Reapers when they eventually come, and finally be placed where we rightfully belong." He said with renewed vigor. No wonder, I too would refuse to talk to someone who planned to make me his slave.
"And what about Saren? Is he 'blessed' too?" I said.
"Saren is one of the more brutal Specters the Council has, and he stands on the more supremacist side of beliefs. He is a test, a test to see if we are up to par. To see if we're truly deserving of Reaper tech and putting humanity at the top of the food chain."
"You have gone mad with power."
"I know now that I may seem like a raving lunatic to you, but I know one day you'll see the truth, Shepard." He thinks he's some sort of prophet just because he gained Reaper tech, likely due to sheer coincidence like me and Saren, but my time was better spent getting the answers to some questions, rather than pointlessly arguing with him.
"You've said Reaper tech gives us abilities, but you didn't elaborate on that."
"It doesn't give us powers, Shepard. It only enhances what's already there. In your case, most of your right-brain and a little of your left-brain have been infused with Reaper tech, but it hasn't reached your L5 implant yet. Haven't you noticed that your thinking processes have been operating at a higher level than usual? You're able to discern peoples' emotions and formulate an entire train of thought in a split second, moreover you should have greater perceptiveness and be able to see things other people don't." …On second thought, he was correct. And it was so subtle too, I hadn't noticed it.
"Just how deep has this Reaper tech been ingrained in my brain?"
"It's very deep. Most of the time, you won't realize you're thinking at a greater capacity. We don't even need to be aware of our greatness to utilize it." He said. Was he really going to include his beliefs at every moment?
"And what about you and Saren?"
He pointed to himself with knife-hands. "With me, my entire skull and brain have been infused with Reaper technology. I have been enlightened, able to process long-winded thoughts in a split-second and read people like a book. It's the sole reason Cerberus has grown so much in the last few years." He then leaned in. "It would do you well to take advantage of your gift." He leaned back. "As for Saren, I'll admit I know very little. The ground team I sent to investigate the dead Reaper did see a figure far in the distance running off in the direction of the crashed Turian ships quickly. It is very likely that figure was Sare, as we didn't find his body in said Reaper. Unfortunately, the Reaper fell through the ice it was on only after a few hours."
"The dead Reaper talked to me whilst I was unconscious. Can any of us communicate to each other like that?"
"No. I suspect that ability is something exclusive only to it alone, but if we could learn how to harness it, it'll be in the first step in our plan."
"Enough with the crazy talk. Tell me why you really brought me here."
He stood up and turned away from me. "The Collectors have been growing more bold over time. At first, they only targeted us humans, but now they're going after the more politically impoverished races. Quarians, Drell, Krogans, who knows who they might go after next." He turned around again to me. "With your link to the dead Reaper, we could find their base of operations and put an end to the Collectors once and for all."
"And I'm assuming that you're expecting me to help you just because I owe you for saving my life?" I said sarcastically whilst crossing my arms, and gave him an unassuming look.
"I'm not forcing anything on you Shepard. You give the word and we'll drop you off at the nearest Alliance base with no strings attached."
"Really? You're not worried about me selling you out to them?"
"Do you really think the officer you'd tell would believe you? Even if he did, the Alliance elites already know what you know, and nothing would change. And god forbid you tell the aliens about us." He scoffed. "Do you genuinely believe that telling them that a supposed terrorist organization is actually a black ops group that is directly funded by the Alliance is a good idea?" He glared at me, then he walked to be in between his chair and me.
"But are you really going to? Sure, you can go to the Alliance and tell them everything you now know. You can tell them about the Reapers, you can tell them what's to come in four years, you can tell them about the dead Reaper, but do you think they'll believe you without me confirming what you said? And who's to say that the Council will either? Not to mention the amount of bureaucracy that will be involved in such an operation, we are going to get held up by the Council at every opportunity."
"The Council is not stupid. If they know that we're attempting to combat an active threat to the galaxy, they'll help us."
"You're right. They're not stupid. They're prejudiced. All they'll see is their political enemies vanishing, and they'll turn a blind eye to the Collectors. Hell, they might even help them. All until the Collectors go after them, and only then they'll care. How knows many humans will die before then?"
"Who do you take the Council for? They're aliens, not malicious."
He paused for a moment, then turned away as he smoked his cigarette. "Shepard, this is your one chance to do your crew right-"
"Don't bring them into this." The bastard. They didn't all die just for me to join Cerberus!
"But they are involved, aren't they?" He turned to me, and I knew the empathy in his voice was faked. "You crew died at the hands of the Collectors. It was the Collectors that shot down your ship, that slaughtered your entire company, that killed fathers, mothers, and sons all because you ordered them to go on a suicide mission you were not prepared for." He slammed his fist onto an open palm. "And who's to say that won't happen again? That you won't get another set of people killed, people you would know as brothers and sisters in arms? You have the opportunity to wipe out the Collectors once and for all, and you're rejecting it on principles you know will get more people killed."
I looked down and rubbed my eyes. This fucker, he's placing all the blame on me for getting my crew killed, and he was… right. The ship was not fully repaired, and I made the call to help the Turian ship. It was my fault. Even if I were to go back to the Alliance now, we'd be able to stop the Collectors in our own territory, but that won't get rid of them permanently. And given the tenuous diplomatic situation with the Council, I'd be hard-pressed to say that they'd allow us to help anyone that wasn't an Asari, Turian, or Salarian. Even if we did find out the Collector base location, who's to say they'll help us? The Collectors were targeting their political opponents, not them. They would not let me do my crew right… If I were to work with Cerberus, I'd be able to have the necessary resources, speed, and team to take down the Collectors once and for all. But I needed to know the conditions of this agreement first.
I slowly looked back at the Illusive Man and read his face. One hand to the side, and another holding his cigarette. His eyes directly meant mine, and he didn't give off any expression. A straight posture as well. Nothing to suggest nervousness or unease. He knew I needed him more than he needed me."What are the terms of this deal?"
He smiled ever so slightly. "For starters, you'll be something of a semi-independent actor. You'll be provided with your own ship to command as you see fit, and you may go off on your own adventures as long as they benefit the mission in the long run. We'll attempt to cover for you as much as we can, but much of that matters on what you do. For as long as you progress your mission in a meaningful way, I'll provide you with all the resources you need. In other words, you'll be working with us, not for us." He said in a noticeably calmer voice.
"So if I fail, you can cut all connections to me and claim no responsibility."
"You won't." He immediately replied. Several flat holographs had appeared behind around him and contained swathes of information. They all floated to me and I gave each one a preliminary read. "To aid you in your mission, we've tracked down the most skilled people throughout the galaxy, each masters in their own fields. You will need their help in order to accomplish your mission."
Battlemaster Urdnot Wrex, Elite mercenary Zaeed Massani, Turian Vigilante 'Archangel'… I looked back at the Illusive Man with a bit of confusion. "Nearly all of them are alien. I didn't know Cerberus went against their own beliefs." I said minutely snarkly.
"We are saving the galaxy here Shepard!" He said. "We can't afford to me picky with who we choose." That had riled him up. Clearly, he didn't like the fact that he'd have to work with aliens. Maybe I could use that against him in the future, but now was too soon.
"And what makes you think they'll join Cerberus?"
He pointed to me with his own cigarette. "You said it yourself, you'll be working with us, not for us. They'll be joining you only. Besides, I'm sure most of these aliens are reasonable enough put aside their own beliefs to save the galaxy."
"I have to ask," I took a step forward. "Why me? Is it because I was at the right place at the right time?" I said slightly sarcastically.
"More than that." He said as he stood up. "You are Commander Shepard." He gestured towards me. "Hero of the Skyllian Blitz. The Savior of Elysium. The single most decorated Commander in the military. You're lauded and well known across the entire Alliance, and you have nearly two decades worth of service. I can't think of anyone more qualified than you who doesn't have to deal with bureaucracy." He said. He should know better than trying to play to my ego. Regardless, I supposed his explanation made enough sense.
"Moving on, I assume I'll have my own ship?"
"Not just any ship Shepard." He waved his hand. "You'll be the helmsman of one of the most advanced military stealth ships made by humanity. The SSV Normandy." He said with an undeniable reverence. "The result of decades of scientific research, several engineering miracles, and billions of dollars. With her, you'd be capable of infiltrating deep into enemy territory without being detected, perform devasting hit-and-run maneuvers, and evade nearly everything that comes your way. Even if she is hit, her shields and structural integrity ensure that you can afford being struck a few times to get out of harms way. She has been fitted with an Enhanced Defense Intelligence to perform cyberattacks, coordinate combat functions, and assist the crew as best as she can." He explained. He was proud of the ship, but he really trusted me to lead my crew with that? Well, there would be no point in running away with it, and if I was to chase the Collectors, then I would need a top-of-the-line vessel. Wait, he said 'intelligence'?
"The ship has an AI? That's a big risk you're taking."
"Shepard, no great successful mission has never had risk attached to it. You should know that better than anyone. Regardless, you need not worry about the AI, it has been programmed to be completely loyal and benevolent." A benevolent AI? Where have I heard that before? Right, Legion.
"That reminds me, where is Legion?"
"The Geth you refer to as Legion is being tended to by our mechanics-" Still doesn't tell me where it is.
"You didn't answer my question. Where are they?"
He took a deep sigh. "Why do you care about it? It's a machine, a sentient machine no less. It is fundamentally different to you on every level. It's more alien-"
"'It' had walked for several kilometres on end only to see me and carry me several more kilometres all the way back to my ship whilst harming itself to save me. They had several opportunities to kill me yet they didn't. I want them on my ship." I said. It would have been sinful and vile of me to repay their good deed by selling it out to Cerberus. There was also the fact that I was worried what Cerberus would do to a sentient being like them, even if it were synthetic.
For the first time, I saw the Illusive Man baffled. His eyebrows were raised and his mouth was slightly ajar, but he quickly put on a neutral face and shrugged. "I'll authorize your request then. I just hope you know what you're doing, Shepard."
"I do. Now, is there anything else we need to discuss?"
"Nothing of note yet." He said. "I'm glad we've come to an understanding. I hope to see you later, Shepard." And with that, the connection was terminated and I found myself back on the metal circle. I turned around and climbed up the metal stairs, instinctively reaching out to the wall due the nausea I had from that extended call. The Illusive Man had me hook, line, and sinker. He had decided and prepared the battlefield for me, and I had fallen completely into his trap. I was underprepared, uninformed, and too confident. Just like when- Nevermind. I will not make the same mistakes again.
I walked up the stairs and heard Leng and Lawson talking loudly at the top of the stairs. "What do you mean we have to move the Geth to the ship? That's a huge security risk!" Leng asked as he threw his hands out. "Leng, the order was authorized by the Illusive Man. I don't agree with it but you don't have to throw a tantrum over it." She replied in a higher yet still calm tone, she stared him down and put her hands behind her back. "I'm not-"
"I ordered it." I announced as I reached the top of the stairs and gazed at the two. Both of them immediately turned to me with their hands behind their backs and wearing different expressions. Lawson seemingly had a frown that quickly turned into a neutral smile, and Leng's eyebrows were furrowed and the edge of his lips were tugged down. "Commander." The two said in unison, they must have been made aware of the mission then. If the spat was anything to go by, Leng seemed like the type who wouldn't take well to supposedly bad orders, and attempting to assert my authority wouldn't likely go well. He wanted an explanation, so I gave one to him. "Leng, you can be assured that my decision to bring the Geth Legion was made in sound mind and I am very well aware of the risks involved. They will not have any access to the ships' programs and they will be constantly monitored. They will get no special privileges." I said. I believed Legion had good intentions, but I wasn't naïve. It was still a synthetic being that could hack the ships' AI, if not the ship itself, so Leng's worries were not unfounded. He closed his mouth and looked me over, before slowly nodding and putting on a neutral face. "Understood Commander." He said, and I could I hear him muttering "It has a name?"
"I believe we have to hurry along." Lawson said. "Besides, we've yet to show you the Normandy. What self-respecting Commander doesn't have a beauty of ship?" Leng chimed in with a smile, and Lawson just glared at him. "Then let's get to it." I said before she could chastise him. They led me to the docking area, but as they were doing so Lawson slowed down to match my pace. "I'm surprised you didn't try to assert yourself over him. Why not?" She asked.
"It was not a matter of authority. He raised up a reasonable concern of his and I had to address it. Trying to put him in his place wouldn't go over well, and it would make me seem biased towards Legion. The last thing you'd want as a leader is your unit dividing into factions and standing against itself because of you." I said not thinking much of it.
"But you risk looking weak." She said.
Ah, I got it now. Lawson was the type to always follow and execute orders and never question them, hence her attitude with Leng earlier. I wondered if she could have learned to act this way growing up. "There's a difference between being diplomatic and being weak. If someone directly opposed one of my orders, then I would have to act assertive to get them in line. Moreover it would make me look biased if I was to concede, and bias is weakness." I said.
She paused for a moment. "I'll keep that in mind." She said.
We entered the Normandy after following Leng and Lawson. We made it to the bridge between the pilot area and the place where there seemed to be a galaxy map before I heard a chair turn and someone called out to me. I immediately recognized his voice.
"Woodward!" Joker- Moreau called out with stretched arms, and I turned to him surprised.
"Moreau? What the hell are you doing here?" I asked exasperated and confused. I knew him for far too long to know that he had no business working with Cerberus. What the hell happened?
"Same reason you're here, to stop those bug people from kidnapping non-bug people. Besides, the hazard pay was off the charts. Nothing you'd see in the Alliance. Also, 'Moreau'? C'mon Woodward, we've known each other far too long to go by last names anymore. I won't stop you now though, I'm sure you have a lot things to attend to."
"Ai," Leng said. "There can be only one Jokester around here. This ship ain't big enough for the two of us."
Suddenly, a blue hologram popped out of some sort of device laid on the side. "It is, in fact, big enough to house an entire platoon of troops. This ship was designed to make each on-board member's experience as comfortable as can be on a ship of the Normandy's size." It said in a feminine voice.
"So this was the AI I was told about." I said a bit on edge. I was the one who brought the Geth in, yes, but at least I had an idea of its character. I was completely unfamiliar with this AI, so it'd do me good if I were to be cautious around it. "That's EDI, short for her long and complicated name." Moreau said less cheerily than before. Leng leaned against the doorframe of the section. "If 'Enhanced Defence Intelligence' is 'long and complicated' for you, then-"
"Come on Commander," Lawson interjected behind me. "We've got better things to do than listening to petty arguments." She said. I agreed and was about to go with her when Moreau called for me again. I turned to him slightly vexed.
"Woodward, I'm… sorry for what happened to your team, and I'm sorry for them too. Nobody should have gone through what you guys did." He said.
"…You shouldn't be the one apologizing." I replied before following Lawson.
Leng sped off to the elevator and supposedly went down to the cargo bay area since Legion was put there and he wanted to check on it first. Lawson gave me a rudimentary tour of the current area, and then instructed EDI to act as a tour guide for the rest of the ship. I went along with it but I paid close attention to what I said in case EDI took offense to it. Along the way, I recognized of Doctor Chakwas, Engineer Adams, and Lieutenant Cortex. I was shocked that they were here, but thankfully they joined for the reasons Moreau did.
Actually, all of the crew I met had joined for similar reasons as well. Perhaps the Illusive Man specifically picked them of out everyone else in Cerberus to make my experience here smoother. I thought of this because Anderson once told me he'd do something similar, that being putting together people who actually liked each other on the same ship regardless of skill. "No one person is too important to sacrifice the team's cohesion for." He once told me. I got the feeling that I wouldn't have the same luxury though: my team was already decided, and discharging them was off the table. If any disputes arose, I'd have to unbiasedly settle it on the ship by myself.
The elevator doors whirred and opened to reveal the cargo bay. Immediately I heard several shots in succession coming from the far end of the area, an assault rifle perhaps? Nobody in the area was bothered by the sounds, so I determined this was usual for them and walked closer to the source of the sound, then saw Leng with Legion in a firing range. I saw as Leng observed Legion shooting what seemed to be a M-8 Avenger at targets that were put at maximum distance. There were a few other weapons that laid on the small armory on the wall, and given the way they seemed to be put there hastily, I assumed they were recently used.
"What's going on here?" I asked as I approached the two. They turned to me, Leng gave me a quick salute and put on a smile, and Legion hoisted its assault rifle on its obviously newly-acquired belt. I then noticed that Legion's metal plating wasn't actually blue, but it was painted blue as there were a couple of scratch marks all over its body that revealed the white metal it was made of. The shoulder pads, the knees, and particularly the chest had dents and even a few small holes that were sloppily covered up by sheets of metal. The engineers must have only repaired the interior then. The most likely explanation was that since they were going to use Legion for study, there was no point in repairing its body that was going to be taken apart anyways, and they hadn't expected Legion to come with me so they just hastily put him in the ship. The shawl it still had on looked stale and seemed like it collected a lot of dust, it had a pattern that I swore I had seen somewhere before but I just couldn't place my finger on it. On its upper right chest was the number 23 embedded in paint. Odd. With the way Geth worked, according to Quarian experts at least, they didn't need to be physically distinguishable to identify each other, so why the number? Something to remember for later when this Geth's voice module is repaired.
Leng put his hands behind his back and spoke. "Commander," He started. "I was thinking that if we were going to bring this Legion along, we might as well make use of it somehow. I asked it what it could do, it couldn't speak but it did point towards the firing range, quite aggressively might I add. So we went in there, I gave it a bunch of guns, and sat back and watched. Well, leaned back, but you know what I mean. And the results? I think it's best if you look for yourself." He said sounding impressed then gestured towards the targets hyperbolically as he and the Geth stepped away from me to make space. I walked past wordlessly and leaned in to examine the shots on said targets. The bullet marks were contained purely within the chest and head areas, and I could only assume the scatter came from the guns themselves and not the imprecision of the Geth. Impressive, but not unsurprising coming from a synthetic being.
"I can only assume that comes from skill, not experience, and if Legion is looking to get experience, I'm right here." Leng said as I turned to him and pointed to himself, then lowered his hands as I just stared at him. "Right." I commented. "That reminds me: If I'm going to work with you, then I need to know your credentials and what you can do well." I said. My intention here was to figure out what kind of person he was. Leng stood straight and his smile grew just a bit bigger. He liked talking about himself. "Well where I do start?" He sarcastically said. "The beginning." I answered before he could do so himself. I didn't mean to shoot down on his parade, but I did want him to speak to me seriously. He seemed to have gotten the hint as he removed his smile.
"Well, it's your standard Alliance soldier story. Joined when I was eighteen, served for a few years, protected ships from raiders here and there. Y'know, nothing crazy. But then the highlight of my career happened, the Skyllian Blitz." He said with genuine wonder. Really? "You were there? I don't remember commanding or even seeing you at all." I asked.
"That's because you didn't." He briefly pointed at me. "I was in an entirely different division somewhere else in the frontlines when the Batarians hit. Before I go on, I'd like to say that when it came to ground combat, I was the sort you'd call a gunner or a heavy-weapons soldier. Machineguns, Anti-vehicle rockets, hand-held mortars, that sort of thing. So there I was on the entrance of a building that was essentially made into a vomitorium from all of the fighting, machine gun in both hands, and my officer tells me to hold position all by myself. And you know what? I did." He said with his chest puffed. "I gunned down fifty-something Batarians, some of them even went on-top of the roof and they still didn't have a chance." He said proudly.
"I'm impressed, and even more surprised that I haven't heard of you. Did something happen?" I said. He could have been easily lying, but I figured it didn't make sense for him to do so since it was easy to find out if he did.
"Kinda- well, yes, something did happen. I was told to retreat, but I refused to do so. At the time, it was a stupid decision, but put yourself in my shoes. You've just put down god knows-" I'm sure he does. "how many Batarians coming at you relentlessly. The adrenaline's in overdrive and you feel like the most unstoppable man in the world. Suddenly, you get an order to fall back. What? That doesn't make any sense. You're holding your ground pretty well, so you refuse. You think you're going to be made a war hero posthumously or not, you're going to be the one who held off the enemy assault long enough for every to leave. You tell that to yourself, and you refuse the order." He said excitedly before releasing a deep sigh and glancing at the ground. "It was a stupid decision on my part at the time. Next thing I know I was sent flying because of enemy close-air-support, Batarians started flooding in, and my shoulders were fucked from the impact. I knew I was outgunned, so I started running as fast as I could, and as you know, machine-guns don't make for good running material, so I threw mine away. Safe to say that my officer was not exactly pleased with me." He said in a joking manner, but I could detect the bitter undertone beneath his voice.
"You were discharged for insubordination." I said blankly. Leng reminded me of a few troops I had, they were good men and- I gritted my teeth behind my mouth. They were just that, troops. No more, no less.
"Yea, but I still think it was unfair. I fucked up, yes, but I deserved at most a talking down to, not an outright discharge." He said with a frown and furrowed eyebrows. He was still bitter about it? "I singlehandedly killed dozens and dozens of Batarians, and I got kicked out of the military for it. Ungrateful lot, I tell you." He said.
"You directly disobeyed an order from your superiors and put the lives of your company and yourself at risk because of it. It's your duty as a soldier to listen to your every order without fault. Your superior had every right to discharge you." I said sternly and stood straight. My intention wasn't to antagonize him, but to put him in his place to make sure he doesn't do the same thing under my command.
He pointed at me again and nodded his head. My shoulders slumped a little, I had expected him to be angry, so why did he act like this? "You'd expect me to be bitter, and for a decent time, I was. But then I realized something. You see, what you just said is nearly exactly what my officer said to me, and something about bugged me. I didn't know what at first, but then I figured out it was a word. 'Superior'. I realized that I didn't like being basically a grunt, always being told what to do. Don't get me wrong, I lived for the action and combat, but it always ruined my mood when a superior told me to what to do. A few months down the line, Cerberus reached out to me and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I was basically to be their own N7 operative, flying solo, doing things the way I wanted, and ordering people around. Hell, that was a prime time in my life. It's like a higher being heard me when I said to myself that I deserved better and answered my prayers." He said. I could tell the smile on his face was now genuine.
"So how did you end up becoming the second-in-command for Miss Lawson?" I asked. It was a discrepancy that bugged me. If he liked going at it solo, then why become someone else's underling?
"Simple really." He said and shrugged. "When I first met her, we were to be teammates on a mission to retrieve some alien tech. I myself did pretty well, but Miranda always seemed to do better. I shot a security done, she managed to shoot a sniper from thirty meters away with a pistol at the same time. A Salarian nearly managed to deck me in the jaw, whilst she took down took down a Turian twice her size with just her fists. My looks are good, but she's just simply better. You get the idea. I was wondering how she managed to do it all, and I wanted to learn for myself to become better. So after that mission, I approached her and basically asked to be taken under her wing. Surprisingly enough she said yes, and ever since then we've been going strong." He said. Interesting, there's definitely more to it than he let on.
"What is your relationship with Miss Lawson anyway?" I asked.
"Purely and strictly professional." He said as he put his hands behind his back, stood straight, and put on a smile that I could only describe as shit-eating. He abandoned the stance and let out a small chuckle. "Really though, it is. I mean, I do find her hot, but it doesn't get in the way of our jobs. If the Illusive Man told me to shoot her to save Cerberus, then I'd do it in a heartbeat. Fraternization and all, though I do still find it odd that Cerberus doesn't have an official policy against it. I mean you can't to stop a bunch of people stuck in a ship for month on end from having sex, but a soldier and his superior? That's a line too far." He said nonchalantly. I found it strange for him speak this freely about Lawson when everywhere on this ship is probably bugged to hell and back. Perhaps 'relationship' isn't the right angle here. Maybe 'promotion' is.
"If you could take over Miss Lawson's position, would you do it?" I asked calmly. I didn't want him to think this was an interrogation.
"Nah. Miranda deals with mostly paperwork, making deals, calling for favours, that sort of thing. In case you've forgotten who I am, not exactly my cup of tea." He said blankly. So that's what she does. Nonetheless I decided to push this a little further.
"What if you could take over my position?" I asked. For once, I saw him falter. His mouth was opened to respond, but he paused and closed it. He then looked away for a second before looking back at me without his smile.
"When you say that, do you mean that I'm qualified enough to do so?" He said slowly and with a raised eyebrow. I wanted to say 'it's up to your interpretation', but it would have been obvious that I was gauging his character. Something more solid could suffice.
"If you believe yourself to be qualified enough." I said. I figured that no matter how he'd respond, he'd give me something more to work with.
He looked down, and this time the silence was a few seconds longer. He looked back with tugged lips. "No offense, but yes, I would do so assuming-" He said that word quickly. "that Cerberus is perfectly fine with it and it isn't a hostile takeover situation. I mean, if I got better at what I'm good at, I'd say I deserve it." He said and crossed his arms. He never said if he became better than me, only if he became a better version of himself. That alone was good enough, and pressing him more would reveal my intentions. Yes I'd be working with him, but he was still a Cerberus operative, his loyalties didn't lie completely with me.
"Moving on, don't you have any qualms about working with aliens?" I said. I phrased it that way to imply I was being sympathetic to Cerberus's beliefs and make it seem like he was being hypocritical for not having any problems with having aliens on board.
"No, not really." He said and shrugged again. "I did check the dossiers for everyone we're recruiting, and safe to say we're getting dealt a very good hand. Just as long as they know their place and don't get in our way." Ah, there it was: 'know their place'.
"And where would their place be?" I asked immediately.
"Under you, Commander." He said near-instantly. Very smooth, almost like he prepared for it. Under me only? If he was the second-in-command to Lawson, then he was my third-in-command then. Technically, he would have more authority over the aliens I'd work with, so would have made sense for him to not have any problems with them. Regardless, I got what I came here for.
"I agree. Anyways, it was good talking to you. I should go now."
"See you, Commander."
I entered Lawson's office in the hopes of meeting her and getting a better read on who she was. I saw her sitting down on a desk where she was quickly typing away at a computer. Said desk had a few other terminals and other ornaments all placed in an organized and methodical manner. A perfectionist, maybe? There was a bed and a bathroom at the back. Not too strange considering that she was my second-in-command, and not just a regular part of the crew. Regardless, she noticed me but didn't get up to greet me. It could have been a powerplay but it was probable that she was just that busy, or maybe it was both. "Commander," she greeted as I approached and took a seat opposite to her. "Miss Lawson." I greeted back.
A small twitch on her lips made her frown for just a split-second before she corrected it. Did she have an abusive dad? Maybe that's why she told me to call her by Miranda only. I wanted to push her on that topic, but I simply didn't know her that well yet to do so without coming off as nosy. For the time being, I pretended to ignore it.
"Is there anything I could do for you?" she asked simply. No other change in body language. She could have gotten good at hiding her apparent disdain.
"I figured that if I'm going to work with you, then I'd need to know who I'm working with." I asked in a calm enough voice.
"If you're asking for feats, then I'll have you know that I can easily crush a mech with my biotics,-" She clenched her hand and a short pulse of biotic energy came over it. "land a pistol shot from a 100 yards away, and beat just about anyone in hand-to-hand combat save for a Krogan. Do I have to go on?" She said maintaining her neutral tone throughout. I thought she'd sound more prideful, maybe if I took a dig at her past.
"I was thinking more like history and your specializations." I asked.
"Specializations?" She said in a higher voice, like that word was a joke. "Commander, I'm good- no, great at just about anything I do, and I do mean anything. Deals, technical work, planning, you name it and I can do it. As for my history, I underwent heavy genetic modification at birth that ensured me to be the best human in all aspects, and when I joined Cerberus, they have seen nothing but success. Financial, military, and political success might I add. Cerberus has never seen a greater increase of members before." She said with pride in her voice. Again, there were several things to note.
Firstly, she was confident. That was obvious enough, but maybe that confidence could spill into egoism? Secondly, genetic modification at birth? That, with the fact that she flinched when I mentioned her last name, suggested that she had a problem with her father regarding her genetics in some way and that she had no direct bloodline to a mother, adding more merit to the idea her father was abusive. Lastly, 'Financial' success. I already knew that Lawson didn't know the true nature of Cerberus from the Illusive Man, my point was that she seemed to think that this financial success came from her, and it indicated that she didn't question the suspiciously large amount of funding Cerberus had. Maybe she did have an egoism problem.
"You seem very confident of your abilities." I said.
"That confidence isn't unearned. I'm designed to be perfect, there's no reason to hide the facts." She said without her vigor. She was sure of this, I deduced.
"Speaking of designed, you mentioned you had undergone genetic modification. Can you elaborate more on that?" I said and immediately regretted saying. There were signs that she had problems with her father, implicitly bringing him up wasn't a good idea. She seemed to have noticed this as her eyebrows moved just the slightest bit.
"Sounds like you've put the dots together." She said sounding… impressed? Huh, I read her wrong then. "I wasn't conceived naturally. I was made in a lab being worked on by several geneticists, my father gave them his own genome and they mixed it with the genes of several other women, all leading to my creation. As a result, I don't have a natural mother, only a father. Mind you, I wasn't the first child he made, only the first one he kept." She said.
"The first one?" I said with curiosity.
"Yes, I do have a twin sister. Her name is Oriana. However as far as I'm aware, I don't have any other siblings." She said. Alright, change of tactics. She seemed to like it when I matched her intellectually, or 'putting dots together' as she said. So I'll do just that. It wasn't that I liked to do it, I just spoke to her in her language.
"What made you join Cerberus? I'm assuming it has something to do with your father?" I said.
"Precisely. He was a terrible person, but that's a story for another time. The long and short of it was that I ran away from him with my twin sister in hand at a young age. Despite all of his connections and wealth, he never managed to find me. However I couldn't keep this chase up forever. His influence was everywhere and if I decided to ever apply for a legal job, even if it was in the Alliance military or government, he would found have me. So I reached out to Cerberus. They were the only organization who were powerful enough to ward my father off and were willing to take me in. I joined their ranks and quickly rose through, whilst they hid my sister on another planet. You can piece together the rest." She explained. It was already obvious that she didn't know what Cerberus was, but… maybe I could use that to turn her over to me
She was my second-in-command after all, she'd be an incredibly dangerous enemy to have, not to mention her skills, so it would be better to have her as an ally. Unlike with Leng, I had something she could want. If she was to figure out that Cerberus was a government branch, she'd think that he wasn't completely free of her father's grasp and turn against Cerberus. She didn't need to know that Cerberus was extremely secretive with what it truly was, just that it was secretive. If I could plant a seed of doubt into her, then it could be the first step. I wouldn't have revealed anything major yet, she wouldn't believe me, so I'd start small. Maybe… the Reaper tech? She never implied she knew of it, so I decided that was going to be my angle.
"Moving on, when you rescued me and that Geth, did you perform any brain scans on me?" I asked innocently enough.
"Actually we did. We were worried that the injuries to your head implied bullet wounds, but when the scan was finished, you came back as perfectly fine. Why do you ask? Are you feeling anything unusual?" She said with something of a genuine worry, not because she was empathetic but because I, her superior, could have brain damage. So the Reaper tech hides itself? If the Reapers were coming to the exterminate the galaxy, it would make perfect sense for them to hide the tech they used. But why leave dead Reapers behind? And why did this piece of Reaper tech in my mind help me instead of hindering me, or hell even call for the Reapers to come early? Too many questions, not enough answers. I'd have to keep track of them later. Now they weren't my priority.
I looked around the room, pretending that I saw the listening devices Lawson had hidden. Then I leaned in towards her and put on a serious face. "Miranda-" That word felt dirty to use. She was just an assistant to me, I didn't know her that well. I only called her that because she asked me to… and I didn't want to hurt her by reminding her of her father. Regardless, "I know this room is bugged to hell and back. Don't try to deny it. All I want to know is if the data collected in this room is sent directly to the Illusive Man or just to Cerberus databases." I said sternly.
She stopped typing and her smirk was gone, her body went stiff, and she stared me dead in the eye for a moment. "…It's sent to me directly, and I forward all of it to Cerberus databases. The Illusive Man doesn't receive the data directly." She said calmly, but I knew she was being wary of me.
"That's good to know." I said in a normal tone as I leaned back. "Because there's something I want to tell you, something the Illusive Man didn't." I paused to gauge her reaction. She had none. "Just before you rescued me, I was in a dead Reaper. You probably know that a fight happened in there between my crew and Saren's against the Collectors. What you don't know is that me and Saren suffered head injuries whilst in the brain of the Reaper. Reaper tech flowed into our bodies and enhanced our abilities. How do you think I've been able to keep up with you intellectually? Or how I saw the bugs planted all over your room and the ship? Hell, why do you think I'm working with Cerberus and not for them?" I paused for a moment to see if she would respond. She did not. "Because I twisted the Illusive Man's arm enough to let me have my way. And before you say it, the only reason you didn't notice it is because the Reaper tech hides itself from detection." I said.
"Why?" She immediately asked with a bit of smugness, she thinks she caught me in a lie.
"I won't tell you yet, because I don't trust you enough. I know you'll stab me in the back if the Illusive Man asks you, but then you won't learn more about what I know. The Illusive Man has been hiding the truth from you, and there's more than one truth to be uncovered from Cerberus." I said with a full assurance in my voice. Before I allowed her to digest all of that, I got up from my seat. "It was good talking to you Miranda." Bleh, that dirty feeling in my mouth again. I ignored it for now and turned around to take a step away from her, then stopped and turned back to her slowly. "By the the way, the Illusive Man has Reaper tech in him. It has infused with his brain completely." I said before finally leaving the room. Lawson did not respond.
I cranked my neck and rolled my shoulders. I just hoped that would turn out well. Before I could get another moment to relax, EDI radioed in with her monotone voice.
"Commander, we have received a distress signal coming from the planet Haestrom."