The Shadow Broker - 10

"Shepard?"

"Go ahead, Kasumi," Shepard replied after working out in his cabin.

"We found some...interesting things doing that mission for Liara..." Kasumi said leadingly.

"Alright. What have you got?"

"Her assistant...Nyxeris?"

"Yes?"

Kasumi sighed, "Well, she is working for the person Liara is going after."

Shepard paused in thought, "Who was she going after?"

"The Shadow Broker, some asshole that has people all over the galaxy working for him. Agents, assassins, and informants. Nyxeris is known as The Observer, the Shadow Broker's main informant for all of Illium."

"All of Illium? And she's masquerading as Liara's assistant?"

"You said she is into information gathering, right? Nyxeris is in a perfect position to pass on information where she is. There has to be something we are missing though, a reason why the Observer is targeting Liara," Kasumi said.

"Have you gone back to her with this information yet?"

"No, Keiji and I went into stealth after we figured it out. Who knows what resources the Observer has at her disposal. It's still the afternoon, so she and Liara should be working for a few more hours, but I wouldn't wait longer than that to move on her."

"Alright, let me make a call and I'll be there ready to take down the Observer."

"Sounds good, better hurry."

Shepard sighed, "Aurora."

His Titan Moonfang-X7 armor appeared as his under-clothes were replaced with the tight undersuit he preferred. A Sudden Death appeared on his back.

"Thank you, I need to get an assault rifle."

"You could always use an Avenger Assault Rifle, there are plenty in the armory," Aurora replied as she appeared before him. Her angles and edges all somehow conveyed a sense of helpless humor. They would have to return to Earth or beg Starfall for a Light-enhanced weapon.

"You don't like the Monte Carlo, I take it?" She asked.

"I like the stabbing power, but it's impractical since I can only wield one exotic weapon."

"Go ask Starfall to trade the Monte Carlo for a legendary auto rifle," Aurora said. "You know they enjoy giving weapons out, it's pretty much a hobby for them it seems."

He sighed, "Alright. Contact Garrus and see if he wants to go bag an Observer."

"On it."

Shepard had one stop to make before heading down to the Hangar where Starfall resided. He stopped on the floor below, turning the conference room into its communication form, and activating the quantum link.

It took some time to activate, but it worked all the same. The conference room went dark and the surroundings changed to that of a dark and expansive office. A man sat in a chair looking over a red star that seemed to be too close for comfort.

The chair spun, revealing glowing blue eyes and a cloud of cigarette smoke, "Shepard. How goes recruitment on Illium."

"Good, we have the Justicar so far, but something came up and I need the information Cerberus has on the Shadow Broker."

Like a poker player reading an opponent, the Illusive Man took a long and slow draw from his cigarette as he inspected Shepard, "The Shadow Broker."

Shepard nodded.

"You spoke with Liara then," The Illusive Man inferred.

"I did, we found some interesting things on someone called the Observer. If we can find the Shadow Broker, we should."

The Illusive Man nodded and put his cigarette out, "I'll send what information we have on the Shadow Broker and his organization. But don't let this distract you for long. Do not forget about the Collectors."

Shepard was expecting more hesitation and even frustration at his actions. He hadn't specifically disobeyed the Illusive Man's orders, but he certainly hadn't followed them to the letter.

"I can't forget the Collector's, but stopping the Shadow Broker can only help."

"If you say so."

"Shepard out."


Shepard sighed, "So, how do I prevent them from freaking out again? Can you message them from a distance or something?"

"Unclear. Fireteam Starfall is usually within normal deviation for off-duty behavior of Guardians," Aurora said as they took the elevator down to the hangar.

"Are you serious? They nearly destroyed the whole hangar last time."

"Affirmative."

Shepard shook his head. He had been a Guardian for a while now but hadn't spent much time with the larger community of them. He hadn't fully immersed himself in the way that Guardians live their lives. Aurora had previously told him that Starfall was one of the calmer or at least conservative Fireteams out there, refusing to waste their lives casually. They cared about each other too much.

Many Guardians would gladly die for a joke or just to show off. He had seen a video where one jumped from damn near orbit just to impact a building with all the Light he built up on the way. The building, and the Titan, were completely obliterated, leaving nothing but a crater and dust. He was famous among Guardians for that, given immense praise.

He sighed again, "Alright, well message Rico and ask if he can speak."

In a few seconds, three Ghosts appeared, Transmatted from the interior of the Valkyrie. Sam, Adam, and Ghost all showed up as if excited to speak to someone else.

"Ah, Commander," Sam said, her voice was filled with relief at the distraction.

"Sam, how is it going?"

She spun to look a the other two Ghosts whose strange 'body language' seemed to insist that she was in charge of the conversation. "Everything...is fine! Yes, everything is fine."

"That's right!" Ghost said.

"I agree," Adam said. Kessa's Ghost was always slightly strange as he didn't enjoy speaking, sort of like a silent Guardian.

"Alright. I won't ask. I was hoping to speak to Rico...at least."

"Nope," Sam said.

"Nope?"

"Definitely not. That is a bad idea right now!" Ghost said.

He sighed again, "Is anyone in danger?"

The Ghosts exchanged glances, sharp plates acting as facial features. Sam spoke up, "Uhh, not necessarily."

"Very unclear," Adam said.

"To be more specific, is anyone outside of the people in that drop ship, in danger?"

"Unlikely," Sam said. As she did so there was a loud 'bang' on the inside of the Valkyrie drop ship.

"Is Samara in there?" Shepard asked, his curiosity potent.

"Negative, Commander, she is currently located in the Starboard Observation Deck," Aurora reported.

"Whatever, just let me know if things get out of control. Until then, can you three help me in exchanging a weapon?"

"Of course!" Ghost said, his curiosity peaked.

Shepard had Aurora drop the Monte Carlo in his hands. "This is a great assault rifle-"

"Auto rifle," Adam corrected.

"Same thing," Aurora said.

"This is a great assault rifle, but it's exotic and I have too many exotic weapons and not enough assault rifles that I can use simultaneously."

"You know, even the Guardian said something about that," Ghost said.

Shepard raised his eyebrows, "She spoke?"

"Only telepathically, as far as anyone is concerned, but she did put together a weapon for you, thinking that it's good to have some midrange options even if you prefer a shotgun," Ghost said.

Shepard was aware of a burst of Transmatted information between Ghosts and Aurora. She made a weapon appear in his hands.

"Don't worry about the Monte Carlo, to be honest, it was just taking up room," Ghost said.

"Kessa also commented about your lack of hand cannon, and how you deserve to-"

Sam cut Adam off as he was about to insult the Commander with Kessa's exact words, "Many Guardians are extremely particular about having a hand cannon or side arm of some sort."

Adam scoffed but initiated a transfer to Aurora all the same. She then equipped both weapons on Shepard's body while storing the Monte Carlo.

Ghost took over the presentation, "That Auto rifle is called Gnawing Hunger, a favorite for many Guardians in the Vanguard. It is reliable, sturdy, and relentless. This one has a few of the top perks that would let you continue shooting with extreme effectiveness at mid-range. It has Rampage, Subsistence, and Flared Magwell. As well as the Arrowhead Brake to help with recoil and handling speed."

"Perfect," Shepard said.

"Kessa also had this hand cannon created for you, though I am sure she was planning on holding off on giving it to you until after she made fun of you for not already owning one," Adam said. "It is called Rose."

"Thank you, and...tell them thanks as well," Shepard said, nodding to the Valkyrie ship. He placed Gnawing Hunger on his back and pulled Rose from his hip. The Lightweight Frame allowed him to maneuver it easily. He holstered it and was ready to move out, "Aurora?"

"Garrus is waiting by the Starboard Air Lock, ready to join you in this mission," Aurora reported, anticipating his question.

"On my way."


"Three, two, one," Shepard counted down, "Go!"

Garrus and Shepard engaged the doorway and rolled into the stairway leading to Liara's office. Nyxeris stood up in shock, yet before she could react, Kasumi appeared from invisibility and struck her in the back of the head, knocking her out cold.

"Nice hit," Shepard said. He ran up the stairs and opened Liara's door.

"Shepard! What is going on?"

"Your secretary is an operative of the-"

Keiji interrupted, "Outgoing communications are disabled. You are free to talk now."

Shepard nodded at his fellow Guardian, "Nyxeris was an operative of your Shadow Broker. Kasumi and Keiji here were able to track communications between her and..."

He trailed off, looking for help. Kasumi spoke up, "It wasn't so much where the information was going, as it was just strange amounts of it. When Shepard gave us what Cerberus had, we easily connected the dots to confirm that Nyxeris is the Observer."

Liara stood and frowned, "I see. May I see the information Cerberus has?"

"Aurora?"

"Transferring now," Aurora said.

Liara focused on her computer and began watching a video and reading something, "Feron! He's still alive?"

"Who is Feron?"

"He's a friend. One that helped me recover your body from the Shadow Broker."

"Why did the Shadow Broker want my corpse?"

"He was going to sell you to the Collectors, but Feron and I stopped him. Feron sacrificed himself to save me, but I thought he died."

"So you rescued me? Then how did I end up with Cerberus?"

"They gave me intel to recover you. They actually put Feron with me in the first place. After I got out, I gave you to them. They said they could bring you back," Liara said, looking directly into Shepard's eyes. It was clearly painful for her to speak on.

Shepard nodded, "You kept me out of the Collector's hands...If you hadn't saved me, I wouldn't be here now. Thank you, Liara."

The Asari felt all her tension release as he spoke those words, "You don't know what that means to me, Shepard. I didn't know who you'd be when you came back. If you'd feel..." She shook her head, "And now they gave me a chance to save Feron."

"It sounds like you and him were close."

"It's funny. He betrayed me more than once. He was double-dealing for Cerberus, for the Shadow Broker. But in the end, he sacrificed himself for me. I owe him."

"We will get him back then," Shepard said. "What's the next step?"

"I am not sure. I need to prepare, to think. I'm going home. Use my terminal-"

"I don't think so. If anyone found out about Nyxeris, then you are at risk of being attacked. We have no idea the assets in play on Illium. We go together,"

Liara was startled at the interruption, but agreed, "Understood."

She sent a message out via email, and the three of them headed out to Liara's apartment and ran into Keiji and Kasumi who were still waiting for their next orders. "Alright, I have another mission for you two, one that will happen tonight at some point. There is an assassin named Thane Krios who will be eliminating a target in the Dantius Towers in this location," Shepard said, mentally nodding for Aurora to send the information.

Keiji's Ghost popped up and received it as he spoke, "Thanks, Parker. So, you want us to recruit this assassin? Not stop him?"

"I don't care about his target, let him finish whatever work he needs but be there after he is done so you can invite him on board the Normandy when we return. I have a feeling we will be back in a day or two, so hide out somewhere and I will contact you when we get back to pick you up, alright?"

"Understood, Commander." "You got it, Shepard." Keiji and Kasumi said at the same time.

The armored Guardian duo of Garrus and Shepard barely fit in Liara's luxurious skycar.

"Pretty cramped in here, huh?" Garrus said.

"I didn't expect to have so much armor INSIDE the vehicle," Liara joked.

They made it to the apartment complex, a gorgeous lofted building 2-stories above the first layer of air traffic. Liara went up the stairs to an open-air bedroom where she changed into her armor. Shepard had been staring at a piece of burnt and broken armor, so badly warped that nothing could have survived it.

He hadn't survived in it.

Garrus was speaking with his Ghost in the corner and didn't notice as Shepard zoned out. Liara walked up behind him and put a hand on his huge pauldron.

"I never thought that you would be here staring at your old armor like this. No matter how much I hoped that it would be the case, I held your...well, I held you after I recovered you. The one thing that hurt more than my guilt at handing you off was knowing that you were dead," Liara said. "It didn't seem possible, even after the Normandy was destroyed."

"It feels impossible now. But even after they brought me back, I didn't feel right. It wasn't until Aurora filled me with...Light, that things felt right again."

"What is it like? Being reborn as a Guardian?"

Shepard finally pulled his gaze from the broken N7 armor and looked deep into Liara's worried blue eyes, "Like I finally had what I needed to save those I care about."

Liara's chin rose almost imperceptibly, but it was an invitation regardless. Shepard knew those lips, her perfectly soft skin, and longed for her touch. But it wasn't meant to be just yet.

"Shepard! I believe we are about to be attacked! Put up a barrier, now!" Aurora said in his mind.

Shepard's gaze snapped to the window as a purple void bubble covered Liara and him. Two windows immediately cracked as small projectiles traveling at relativistic speeds impacted them, then pierced through, disintegrating on his Guardian Shield.

Garrus rolled into cover as his helmet appeared on his head and his rifle in his hands. He sighted out the window to a distant sniper, he held off on taking shots, however, as the strong glass could cause the heavy bullets to go off course.

"More incoming from the hallway!" Aurora yelled.

Shepard yelled, "Liara! Get a shield up against the window! Get to cover!"

The door hissed open and a squad of mercs in unmarked black armor entered with guns blazing. They met A Sudden Death, as Shepard's shotgun went to work. The hallway turned into a kill zone as foolish mercs tried to attack a room with 2 Guardians in it.

One of the ceiling windows burst open with some kind of seismic charge, allowing another squad of unmarked mercs to repel down into the room.

Garrus switched to his hand cannon, the Finite Impactor, and began dropping troops as they tried to land. Shepard switched to Gnawing Hunger and sent bursts at the mercs, then double-checked the hallway. He lost sight of a fleeing figure in purple armor who turned the corner at the end of the hallway.

"Shepard! Grenade!" Aurora warned.

But Liara was prepared and she switched her barrier to covering the grenade while backing away. The grenade went off with a muffled thump, leaving a black mark on the floor and little else.

A chime sounded from Liara's Omnitool and a holographic Salarian face appeared above it, "Liara?"

"Sekat! Have you found anything?"

"I have! I narrowed down the location to a cluster, maybe even a system. Come to my office in Baria Frontiers...the Dracon Trade Center and I can show you what I have found," The Salarian said.

"I'm on my way!" Liara cut the connection. "Let's get going, it's not too far from here."

They once again pilled into the skycar, heading through traffic at about halfway up the towering buildings. Liara was on a mission. She wove through traffic like she was trying to prove a point. "We have a tail!"

Shepard tried to look behind him but it was difficult in the armor. "Can you lose them?"

"I doubt it! This isn't a ridiculously fast skycar!"

"Just where I wanted to be, caught in a tiny bucket, waiting to get shot," Garrus said with grim humor.

"Shit! They are shooting at us!"

"Aurora, can you do anything?"

"I can summon the Obsidian Wings if you want to jump out," Aurora said with a bit of deadpan in her voice.

Liara spared a glance of absolute astonishment at the suggestion.

"What?" Shepard asked, laughing with Garrus.

She shook her head and began to evade the incoming shots, "They don't have tracking weapons, thankfully."

Eventually, the skycar was hit and they began to lose altitude as the Baria Frontiers building came into view, "I think we will make it?"

"Was that a question?" Shepard asked.

"I hope not...is jumping out still an option?" Garrus asked.

"Shut up!" Liara yelled as they came crashing into the parking lot.

The sharp ping of projectiles ran down the length of the skycar. Liara popped the top open and Shepard rolled out, followed by Liara and Garrus.

The tailing skycar banked for another strafing run, but Garrus was already putting Arc-enhanced rounds into the skycar. Shepard pulled his Gravitron Lance and followed suit.

"Fall back to the building!"

Garrus took one last shot and jumped through the air, his Light-enhanced leaps causing him to fly right over the rest of the parking lot with ease.

"What the hell? Since when could Garrus do that!?"

"Since he became a Guardian, you need to move! Now!" Shepard ordered.

She didn't argue and sprinted towards the building until the skycar had an angle. Liara dropped into cover and put a personal biotic barrier up.

Shepard switched weapons, pulling out his Gnawing Hunger, before completely unloading on the ship. It returned fire but they bounced off his shield with no effect. The ship disappeared over the building and they fully retreated inside.

A half dozen more ships dropped a few squads of unmarked mercs behind them.

"I got this Shepard, go with Liara!" Garrus said, taking out his Risk Runner. "Trust me."

Shepard nodded at him, "Don't lose! That's an order!"

"We got to move! He is three floors up!" Liara yelled.

The two took off running as Garrus did the same, but he ran forward, into the midst of the oncoming mercs.

A field of mass-effected grains of metal traveled toward him at relativistic speeds. None of them found purchase on his Light-infused armor. One of the mercs used his Omnitool to Overload Garrus' shields, not knowing the danger he just put himself in. While Garrus was dodging, rolling, and sprinting, Parker informed him that his Risk Runner was ready.

Garrus began to unload on the nearest squad, bullets impacted the first and an Arc lightning bolt crashed through all of them, immediately turning them to ash. The Hunter continued to duck and dodge as Incineration Modules, grenades, and gunfire all vied for the chance to take him down. Garrus tossed an arc grenade to the farthest group of Mercs, immediately stopping their advance on the building.

The Turian rolled behind cover, sprinting around while ducking low to get a better angle and he allowed the Risk Runner to once again do its magic. The gun reloaded itself as it simultaneously put out a field of fire mixed with Arc lightning. In seconds, about 60% of the remaining mercs were ashes and dust. Garrus finished the last squad off while sprinting directly at them and jumping into the air.

They had gone for cover, but it was too late as Garrus had the angle on them. "Shepard, all clear down here, I'm heading in behind you."

Parker also added, "I have detected troops landing on the roof."

"Affirmative, we are almost there! Third floor!" Shepard replied.


They reached the third floor and quickly went to the office where Sekat worked, only to see an Asari in heavy purple armor take something from the dead Salarian's Omnitool.

"Stop right there!" Shepard yelled out.

"Damnit, she killed Sekat!"

The unnamed Asari with blue tattoos on her face only turned to the mercs with her, "Take them down!"

Liara put up a biotic shield in defense, but Shepard rushed forward, putting his weapon on his back. The Asari turned to a window and smashed it with her own biotics. It was too late, Shepard ignored the incoming weapons fire and his right fist began to glow with Void Light.

The Asari saw her incoming doom and smashed her hand forward, unleashing a Biotic Shockwave that began to cascade through the mercs fighting for her to try and stop Shepard.

Shepard was flying through the air, a beacon of Void Light that met the incoming shockwave with a fist of destruction. His melee ability activated, and a huge flash of Void Light immediately canceled the Biotic Shockwave, overpowering the weaker source of power. The unfortunate mercs caught between the two blasts were turned to Void dust.

The Asari was trying to escape but was blasted away from the window courtesy of Shepard's shoulder check. He leveled his shotgun at her.

"Damnit!" She yelled, rolling over. She quickly got to her feet, "Just wait! I am a Spectre! My name is Tela Vasir, and I am officially here on Council Business! I am operating within the legal bounds-"

Shepard interrupted her with a scoff, "So am I."

He was about to fire when her face turned from frustration to fury. Biotic energy erupted from her and she activated a Biotic Charge in desperation, right into Shepard's chest.

The Guardian took the blow easily, but rolled back with her, carrying her momentum into a body throw. She was slammed into a desk, but her full body armor was high enough quality to absorb the impact.

It was Liara's turn to involve herself in the fight. She unleashed a massive Biotic Flare, launching Tela through one of the unbroken windows. The fellow Spectre was able to regain her stability before hitting the ground, but Shepard quickly vaulted out of the window.

While Vasir touched the ground with grace, she was unprepared for the veritable force of nature known as Shepard to crash into her. The force of the Void followed along with him as he landed the killing blow. His right fist was covered with purple Void Light as it crashed onto her skull. There was a surprising amount of blood for something destroyed by the Void.

Oddly enough the armor remained, as if only her body was destroyed within it. This also let her Omnitool remain intact. Liara soon dropped down to join him with Garrus walking out of the front door.

"She said she was a Spectre, but she has to be working for the Shadow Broker."

Shepard nodded, "Without a doubt, Aurora, can you store this armor and grab her Omnitool?"

"Of course," Aurora replied. The armor disappeared in Light and in his right hand, which he then offered to Liara.

"Thank you."

Liara quickly began to scan it, hoping to upload her hacking suite, "This is a custom Omnitool, I need more tools."

"The Normandy is on the way," Shepard said.


Shepard and Liara were in the Tech Lab with Mordin Solus. Shepard couldn't offer much as far as electronics were concerned, he was only there for Aurora to help out. At the same time, Mordin and Liara had the Omnitool suspended in a Mass Effect field as they dissected the custom hardware. In just a few seconds Mordin had a holographic window pop up and the two of them were digging through every piece of information within the device.

"Hmmm, the programming on here suggests Salarian design. Quite interesting," Mordin said.

Liara's eyes were taking in everything as text scrolled in front of her. She eventually found a series of conversations with a sort of IP Address.

She began to trace it and found the root transfer point, "I have it, I think... The Hourglass Nebula."

Mordin stopped what he was doing and began to help her identify the origin point.

"EDI?"

"Yes, Commander?"

"Tell Joker to head to the Relay, we will be leaving asap."

"Affirmative, Commander."

Mordin spoke up, "The signal is bounced several times throughout the nebula, but it seems to originate in the Sowilo System, we will need to be there to get the final location."

Liara nodded in agreement.

"Why do they bother bouncing the signal if it was that easy to find it?" Shepard asked.

Liara and Mordin exchanged glances, but before they could answer, the door to the CIC opened and in-walked Fireteam Starfall.

"Commander," Rico nodded.

"Rico, what's going on?" Shepard asked, noticing the strange body language of the three Guardians.

Aurora also spoke in his mind, "That is not Rico-77's Ghost."

Shepard got a good look at the strange purple Ghost, and it didn't look like any of the Ghosts would have recognized from Starfall. "Zavala gave you more?"

Rico's Exo face held a surprising amount of emotion, even if his mouth didn't move when speaking, "Ah, yes, it seems that the Traveler isn't finished spawning Guardians."

The new Ghost didn't say anything, but it floated over to the suspended Omnitool and a wave of scanning Light washed over it. In a strangely metallic feminine voice, the Ghost spoke for the first time, "Guardian accepted."

A larger flash of Light, and standing between Shepard and Starfall, the recently killed Tela Vasir appeared, clad in the standard underwear that Ghosts create.

Vasir was breathing hard and looking around in fear with wide eyes. Shepard pulled his shotgun out and leveled it at her.

"Hold your fire, Commander! She is one of us now!"

Liara also had Biotic energy flowing around her, ready to support Shepard against Vasir. To everyone's surprise, the Guardian herself walked over and put her arms around the terrified Asari Guardian.

The first Asari Guardian.

Vasir flinched but still didn't speak. It appeared that she found comfort in the embrace. Kessa followed suit and put her arms around both of them, "Come with us."

Vasir's entire personality seemed to change with her rebirth like she didn't know who she was.

Shepard was about to force them to lock her in a room when Aurora sensed his frustration. She spoke in his mind, "Jon, she might be a nameless one, just let her go with them for now."

The Commander sighed, but nodded to Rico, "She is your concern for now. You watch after her while we...take care of our goals."

Rico nodded, "We have her, don't not worry."

Aurora spoke up, "Ghost, I have her armor, though it is not Light-enhanced."

Vasir's new Ghost didn't have a name yet, but she floated over, and spoke again, "May I have it?"

Aurora Transmatted the armor over and equipped a freshly cleaned and repaired version of it on her new Guardian.

Starfall left the room, headed for their drop ship and the doors to the CIC closed behind them.

Liara let go of her Biotic energy and sighed, "That's not something you see every day."

"No, it is fascinating. There had to be less than a single drop of blood remaining on the Omnitool, yet the Ghost was able to fully regenerate her from that," Mordin said, clinically analyzing everything that had just happened. He began taking notes on his Omnitool.

Liara looked at Shepard, "She seemed different. At least...not hostile?"

Shepard nodded, "Aurora said she might be one of the Nameless Guardians. It is something that happens when they come back, for whatever reason, they just don't speak."

Aurora spoke up, "It is likely that she has lost her memories of her previous life. Many Guardians will only remember bits and pieces, especially after being so thoroughly destroyed when she was killed."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at her, "She was an enemy."

"I am not judging, just stating the facts," Aurora said.

Shepard shrugged.


Shepard, Liara, and Garrus loaded up into the Obsidian Wings, allowing Aurora to pilot it from the Ghost pad. A small platform that both held the Ghost against the G-Forces, but also let it interact with the vessel in every way.

Hagalaz was covered in endless storms and constant lightning. They stealthily approached the Shadow Broker's base, a strange ship that seemingly drew in lightning strikes to power its stationary lock in the terrifying weather.

"Hagalaz, the oceans boil during the day, then snap-freeze ten minutes after sundown," Liara explained, reading information from her Omnitool.

"The Shadow Broker lives in this?" Garrus asked.

Liara nodded, "His ship follows the sunset. Completely undetectable in the storm, unless you know where to look."

"How do we get inside?" Shepard asked.

Liara looked over to him, "We find a hatch."

Aurora dropped them on the top of the ship, causing the Obsidian Wings to Transmat into Shepard's Inventory a second later.

"That is quite something, that Transmatting," Liara said, trying to remain concentrated on the mission. She had spent some time on New Terra after Shepard died, but not enough to fully explore the technology that they had brought with them.

They made their way through the strange maintenance walkways along the top of the ship. The wind was extremely intense as if it was constantly trying to rip them from the face of the ship. Blinding flashes of lightning would seek out the many power rods every few seconds, only making the environment feel more hostile.

Maintenance drones began to release, thinking they were some type of debris. When they were easily destroyed, it seemed to set off a security alert.

Security Mechs were next, the clumsy humanoid robots were easily taken down. Garrus discovered that he could keep up a constant stream of destruction, just by touching the lightning rods, while wielding the Risk Runner.

"Holy shit Garrus, leave some for the rest of us," Shepard said after Garrus single-handedly wiped a squad of Shadow Broker Mercs.

"It is like I am made for this place. They don't have a chance."

"You seem to have gotten stronger since the last time we fought together, Garrus."

The Turian laughed, taking out more troops, "It has been quite a while hasn't it?"

"I guess so," Liara replied, watching him soak up lightning like a sponge did with water.

They finally made it to an entrance where Aurora immediately got to work, "Aurora has the door, let's keep the Mercs off of her!"

Liara looked at the little Ghost curiously but began launching Biotic attacks as Mercs went to flank them. Garrus touched another charged lightning rod and went to work, Shepard also laying down suppressive fire.

Aurora soon broke the security locks holding the main hatch closed. They entered the ship and began clearing hallway by hallway, taking down mercs by the dozen.

It didn't take long to locate the prison cell that held Feron.

"Li-Liara?" The Drell asked. He was held in a chair with screens all around him.

"I'm getting you out of there Feron!"

"No, wait! It's a-" He was interrupted as a visible amount of electricity was forced through his body. He screamed in pain.

"Damn!"

"Please don't, the system is hardwired directly into the ship. You have to shut the power off from Central Operations."

"Good, let's go and shut this down!" Shepard said.

"Right, we will be back for you Feron!" Liara said.

"I'll try not to go anywhere," He said, sarcasm lacing his pained voice.

"More mercenaries incoming," Aurora reported.

"Let's go!" The Fireteam continued, taking out no less than three squads before finding the Central Operations.

A massive shadowed form sat behind an equally large desk, giving acknowledgment to the name. The Shadow Broker closed out of a few holographic windows as they entered the room.

A huge beast of an individual with eight eyes and a terrifying three-sided maw stared at them. The endlessly deep black orbs flickered around to take in all three people. Fins and flaps were behind a crown of horns and carapace like the creature was meant for violence. He was wearing what appeared to be a formal suit of some kind, sized up to fit the massive frame.

He looked like an honest depiction of a devil or demon.

"Here for the Drell? Reckless, even for you Commander," The deep voice of the Shadow Broker sounded wrong as it tried to work the three-sided abyss of a mouth to form the words. It was disturbing watching the rows of jagged teeth move in place of lips.

"I've done worse," Shepard said, his shotgun leveled at the huge head.

"Release Feron right now!" Liara said, anger outlining her words.

The deep voice continued, "Dr. T'Soni, Feron betrayed me when he gave you Shepard's body. He is simply paying the price."

"Someone was bound to come after you for working with the Collectors," Shepard said.

"It was a mutually beneficial partnership. Your arrival is convenient. The Collector's offer still stands."

"Good luck with that. We had to have killed half your crew by now, the rest can be dealt with after you," Shepard said.

"They are irrelevant. Replaceable. Your arrival is barely an interruption. Enough talk, my operations are too crucial to be interrupted by a traitor."

"You're quite confident for someone with nowhere left to hide."

"You travel with fascinating companions Doctor. It's good you brought Archangel, T'Soni. Your friend's bounty is still unclaimed."

"You're not putting a hand on anyone!"

"It's pointless to challenge me Asari, I know your every secret. While you fumble in the dark."

"Is that right? You're a Yahg. A pre-spaceflight species quarantined to their home world for massacring the Council's first contact teams. This base is older than your planet's discovery, which probably means you killed the original Shadow Broker 60 years ago, and then took over. I'm guessing you were taken from your home world by a trophy hunter who wanted a slave." Liara spoke, her tone growing more vicious as she dealt the final verbal blow, "...Or a pet. How am I doing?"

It was hard to read the Yahg since its face was almost entirely locked in place with hard bone and carapace. The frills along its neck were a different tell, however, as they seemed to twitch with frustration at her words. The huge creature stood from his chair, towering over them at nearly 11 feet tall.

It growled and slammed a fist through its desk. He grabbed half of it and threw it at Shepard, who casually held up a hand and Void Light turned it to dust.

They were prepared for that. But what they weren't prepared for was when the Yahg pulled out an Omnitool-fabricated shield between them and his location. He then pulled what looked like a detonator from his pocket and clicked it.

Three grenade launcher turrets dropped from the ceiling and immediately locked onto the Fireteam. They were fitted with High-Explosive Fragmentation rounds which immediately locked onto their position.

Shepard wasn't quite fast enough to put up his Titan Shield. The first grenade hit Garrus in the back dropping his personal Arc Light shield to a quarter in an instant. The shot headed for Liara missed her, but landed between her and Shepard, knocking her back and out of the Titan Shield.

Liara's Biotic Shields were powerful, especially since she was one of the stronger Biotics out there, but that was when the Shadow Broker pulled some kind of turreted weapon from his back. He wielded it as easily as a handgun, allowing him to deliver high-caliber rounds easily.

Shepard watched the Yahg, time seeming to slow down as the barrel of that huge weapon sighted in on Liara. He released the Titan Shield since she wasn't protected by it.

This left Garrus exposed as he reeled from being hit by the first grenade. Shepard burst forward just as the Yahg pulled the trigger. He slammed into the beast with a massive right hook. The Yahg tried to block with his Omni-shield, but it instantly shattered as the mass effect fields were eliminated with Void Light.

The Yahg was sent flying back past the remaining ruins of his desk, but Shepard followed him. Aurora spoke in his ear but he couldn't hear anything right now. He was in a full rage as he once again launched himself at the creature.

The same huge rifle was turned on Shepard and the Yahg began to unload shot after shot at him after he stood up. Shepard flew forward and accepted the bullets. He didn't feel anything as he closed in on the brute. Shepard unleashed a series of devastating punches. One to the gut, to the chin, to the temple, another to the gut, and he finished with his helmeted forehead slamming into the Yahgs.

If its eyes could go any wider in shock, they would have. As the Shadow Broker fell backward, Shepard unleashed the power of his Super, but he channeled it differently than before, this time putting it together in his fists. He jumped up and dropped both of his fists down on top of the Yahg, causing it to burst into Void Light, purple particles of the former Shadow Broker exploded away from him.

He didn't give himself time to catch his breath. Shepard turned and watched as Garrus reformed in a flash of light. He immediately turned and unloaded on the ceiling-mounted weapons, taking them out in just a few shots from his rifle.

Shepard sprinted to the unmoving body of the woman he held so many emotions for. He slid in next to her and immediately began applying Medi-Gel to the series of wounds, the Omnitool immediately applying it to the holes.

"Sh-Shepard," Liara said, gasping for breath.

"Li, it's alright we got you, don't speak." In his mind, he spoke to Aurora, "Help! What do I need to do?"

"Apply pressure here, here, and. Medi-Gel has stopped external bleeding." The Ghost appeared next to him and scanned Liara, "Internal bleeding is..."

Shepard's vision began to close in on him. He had Aurora remove his helmet and he grabbed Liara's hand, "Li...just stay with me."

Her breathing was slowing down and her eyes were not able to focus.


Back on the Normandy, Fireteam Starfall was speaking with the new Guardian, Tela Vasir. She hadn't said a word to anyone but was seemingly calming with the touch of the two other women.

The Guardian had left her helmet and armor on, as she held the new Asari Guardian. Images from her own time waking up as a Guardian flashed through her mind. Being flashed into existence in the clothes she was buried in was only the first shock she had. From there on it was fighting non-stop with no rest, the Red War was fully in motion by then.

Kessa was speaking with the Ghost of the new Guardian as they calmed her down from her ordeal. She was speaking about current events and how the Collectors were kidnapping humans.

Rico had left to go get food for all of them and when he returned they got a message.

"Starfall! This is Aurora! We need a Warlock, now! Healing needed!"

The Guardian immediately stood up and nodded to Rico.

Rico nodded back, "Go! We will catch up!"

The Normandy was hovering in orbit a good distance directly above the Shadow Broker's ship. Ghost acquired a connection to EDI, "Please open the Shuttle Bay door! We need to help Shepard!"

The conversation between Ghost and AI was fast, with all information exchanged and EDI quickly agreed.

The Guardian jumped out of the ship. Her massive wings of flame ignited as she fell towards the ship. With one flap, she launched herself downward at obscene speeds. As soon as she hit the atmosphere, an aura of Solar Light ignited around her. She looked like a flaming meteor with a trail of flame behind her.

"We will be there in 26 seconds!" Ghost sent the message to Aurora, who quickly provided a waypoint for entry. Instead of going all over the ship, the Guardian would have a perfect line to Shepard and Liara.

The Guardian landed outside the entry doors, spread out to slow her fall. The door irised open and she flew forward at incredible speed.

Feron had finally been released from his torture chair and started walking to the Shadow Broker's room when he felt a shift of movement in the air. He turned to the left to see the armored form of a blazing angel take note of him as she flew past him at incredible speed. He watched, nearly awestruck as she flew past, taking corners and literally flying down hallways at an unbelievable pace.

He sprinted after her.

The Guardian reached the end of the waypoint and the final door hissed open. She took in the scene and immediately dropped a Healing Well right on top of Shepard and the Asari he cradled so lovingly in his arms.

There was no response.

Shepard slowly looked up and shook his head. The Guardian seemed to deflate at that, letting her wings dissipate into tiny embers as they disappeared.

Then, a tiny Ghost appeared, one that didn't belong to anyone in the room...yet.


Liara had so much regret. So much life she wanted to live! She had unfinished ties with Shepard and unfinished things she had to do. The pain wasn't physical. It was pure emotional pain. Shepard was holding her, but she couldn't feel it. Her body was just cold and something felt wrong.

"Sh-Shepard," She called out, unable to focus on him.

Darkness began to close in on her.

Was she really going to die? Was this the end?

Is this how Shepard felt as he fell through space, his air escaping his suit as he fell into the nearby gravity well?

So many regrets. So much work unfinished. So much...

As Liara died, she found herself going over all of her life. Images of her few years for an Asari flashed before her eyes. Time slowed as she began to feel at peace.

She felt tired and cold. And eventually...she felt nothing else.

Darkness swallowed her and she knew no more.

Until something changed. A burst of tingling heat swept through her body. Her eyes flashed open and she felt wide awake. It could have been days or more since she woke up, but it was extremely disorientating.

"Time to rise, Guardian, you have slept long enough!" A strange and metallic male voice spoke to her. She looked around and found the source of the voice.

A strange and geometric blue and white floating machine of sorts. It had a strange eye with interesting movements that almost appeared to convey emotions of a sort. "What are you?" Liara spoke. She was so confused.

"That is your Ghost," A strong and familiar voice said. She snapped her head to the left.

It was him.

"Shepard?" She asked.

He was wearing incredible armor, something that had to be years beyond anything that is made in this day and age.

"Hey Li, you gave us quite the scare," Shepard said. His eyes were red and tired like he had seen things he wished he could forget.

"Us?"

"Heh, I know I'm not as pretty as Shepard, but I'm glad you're alright T'Soni," Garrus' rough Turian voice said.

She smiled at him, then laid her eyes on another figure, clearly feminine, but fully covered in intricate armored robes. The other warrior didn't speak, but she slowly nodded once at her.

"This is The Guardian, a fellow Guardian...like all of us now," Shepard said.

"Guardian?"

"Indeed," The little robot said. "You are my Guardian, and I am your Ghost! Together, we will fight for the Light!"

She smiled at the little Ghost, "Do you have a name?"

"I am hoping that you will give me one!"

It took her a second, "Glyph."

The Ghost reacted with what she took to mean happiness. It was strange that a bunch of geometric shapes could so clearly convey those emotions.

Her mind seemed to start catching up with her body, and after a few seconds, she began to think about where she was and what she had been doing before she...Before she died.

"Oh, Goddess! Feron!? Is he alive!?"

Another person entered the room, "I made it Liara, thanks to you guys. Two years in that damn chair was enough."

She smiled again, this time in relief. Then her mind turned over again. She turned to the array of screens, nearly 30 of them, They had blinked on and off, and now worried messages were coming through.

Liara walked over as if in a trance. Comms from all over the galaxy were coming in, different agents and contacts, all requesting a status update on what had happened.

Liara quickly popped open a holographic window and spoke into it, her voice coming out distorted and unrecognizable, "This is the Shadow Broker. We experienced a power fluctuation while upgrading the hardware. It disrupted communications temporarily. However, we are now back online. Resume standard procedures. I want a status report on all operations within the next solar day. Shadow Broker out."

"Goddess of Oceans, are you taking over?" Feron asked, somewhat shocked.

"Well, everyone who has ever seen him is dead or on our side."

"Is taking over as the Shadow Broker really a good idea?" Shepard asked, somewhat nervous by the prospect.

"It was either that or lose everything: his contacts, his trading sources. Those will really help us. With the Shadow Broker's information network, I can give you...I can..." Emotions began to consume her voice.

Feron recognized the situation, "I'll uh, check the power systems..."

Garrus nodded, "Yeah, let's give them some breathing room, Guardian."

The Guardian nodded and with one last look at Liara, she followed Shepard out of the room.

As they left, Liara broke down into tears, looking into Shepard's face with a myriad of emotions. Pain, relief, fear, worry, sadness, happiness, and everything in between.

"It's over. It's finally over...for two years..."

Shepard closed in and brought his Asari in for a hug. She nearly collapsed into his arms and her lips found his. They kissed, and Shepard barely had time to reassure her, "It's alright. It's over now."

Liara wiped her tears and moved back a step, yet kept in physical contact, "It's been two years. We are different people, you have your mission and..."

He didn't hesitate and kissed her again.

"Okay...okay. But we should focus. We need to see what our options are."

"Whatever they are, you are part of it. You and me."

She nodded, "And what about..."

"What about what?"

"I know you Shepard, you wear your emotions on your sleeves, as they say. She brought you back before you became a Guardian. Do you have feelings for her?"

Shepard immediately recognized what she was saying, and tried to hold a grimace, "I have feelings for you."

Liara inspected him and sighed, "I understand. But it is possible to have feelings for both, I just don't want you to make some rash decision with me or with her without fully going over your..."

"Liara...I am on a mission, not some love cruise. Miranda has been there just like you were before. I admit that I would do anything for her, but that is the same for any member of my crew. The same for you. After all, look where we are..." He gestured around him and she nodded.

A small smile appeared on her lips, "I understand Shepard."

They hugged again and she walked back over to the screens, "Can you believe this? No safeguards or user restrictions. It's like he never anticipated anyone but himself being here. And it's all ours."

"You sure you want to stay here? This mission is important and we know the Collector's work for the Reaper's. I could really use your knowledge on the Normandy," Shepard said.

"I have to stay here for now. We can't pass this up Shepard," She pulled back from the array of windows. "All I wanted was to rescue Feron. But is it wrong that part of me wants this?"

Shepard shook his head.

"With the Shadow Broker's network, I can help you. Maybe I can turn this operation into something better."

"Don't you mean, your network? You are the Shadow Broker now. And not only that, but you are a Guardian. I expect the best from you, T'Soni," Shepard said, allowing for a bit of military command to enter his voice. He couldn't hide his smile though.

She smiled back at the tone, "I suppose I am. Guardian Shadow Broker, reporting for duty."

Glyph spoke up, as the little Ghost had been learning all he could from their conversation, "If we get some better materials, moving this network will be quite easily done. It could be made portable in maybe a few months time."

Liara was impressed, "Can you access this network?"

Glyph bobbed up and down, "Quite easily. The amount of processing power required is less than 1% of my upkeep per second. We need supplies, but once procured, moving this to a more...mobile situation is quite feasible."

Shepard raised an eyebrow, "I expect this mission won't be longer than that. But there is much more to do if what we both know is coming is actually on its way."

Liara nodded, "Good. Then you do what you need to and come back here. I will be ready."

Shepard smiled, "Don't be a stranger."

"Small chance of that. Come back soon. Come back in one peace."

She lifted her chin to the towering Titan in front of her. Shepard leaned down and kissed her one last time.


Year: 2185 CE

Sol System

On Board SSV Everest - Everest Class Dreadnought

Flagship of the Alliance Fifth Fleet

The Bridge:

"What am I looking at?" Admiral Hackett asked.

"I don't know sir, it's just the readings we are getting are consistent with some type of artificial power, signs of intelligently placed arrays are present."

"This is Mercury, Son. Half the planet is damn near molten."

"Yes sir, but this isn't coming from that half. It's coming from the day/night ring, right along a vertical axis. Mercury is Tidally locked to our sun so it maintains a face toward Sol. Nearly half of the ring is illuminated with these solar collectors if my readings are correct."

"Solar collectors? Someone is gathering energy on Mercury?"

"More than that, sir. They are producing something. Look here," The young navigation officer said as he pointed to certain spots on the holographic display. On each side of the planet, there appeared to be large and artificially illuminated craters that were rectangular. "The power is being funneled into these huge rectangles underground, someone...or something has burrowed into the planet and has been creating something. Lights can be seen at night, something is definitely going on there."

Hackett stared at the holo-screen, and his mind went to the only other force in the system that didn't answer to anyone.

Rasputin.

He sighed, "Alright, wrap this up in a document that I can send to High Command. Good work."

Hackett then had the Everest move toward New Terra, a sub-light journey that took about 8 hours as he dodged around the Sol System star and moved into New Terra's gravity well. Once again he found the Ring of Guardians, thousands of ships circling the Traveler like a halo of power. The ring fluctuated these days, with many more Guardians active than normal.

"Get me Commander Zavala on the line," Hackett said.

"Aye, sir!" A communications officer replied.

In moments, the handsome face of Commander Zavala appeared on his holo-screen in front of him, "Ahh, Admiral Hackett, what brings you to this side of the sol system today?"

"Commander Zavala, I have a file for you. Sending now."

He nodded to one of his bridge crew and they transferred the files on the activity on Mercury.

Zavala's silver eyes went back and forth as he looked at the reports that his Ghost displayed for him. He seemed to be in conversation with his Ghost for nearly 2 minutes before returning his attention to the patiently waiting Admiral.

"I find myself at a loss for words, Admiral. There seems to be no evidence of Vex, Cabal, Hive, or even the Fallen from any of these readings. Do you have any theories?"

Hackett raised an eyebrow, "If it's not Alliance, and it's not Vanguard..."

Zavala picked up on it. While the Vanguard was technically a part of the Alliance, they still operated under their own leadership, especially when it came to Guardians. "You are saying Rasputin has something to do with this?"

Hackett shrugged, "If the shoe fits..."

Zavala nodded, "I will contact Ana Bray immediately."

"Thank you, Commander, oh, and any word from the Normandy?"

"Indeed, it appears they found something in the Haestrom System... A Vex incursion."

Hackett frowned, "These Vex are the robotic terraformers?"

"Yes, they took Mercury and turned the entire planet into a supercomputer in our universe. Though, even with this news, I don't think they are on this Mercury. Their readings are quite specific."

"And what about this Haestrom System?"

"One of our best Guardians, an expert on all things Vex, has already been sent out. I believe you have met Osiris?"

Hackett nodded, "I have."