Unfinished Business

Normandy, 2185, November 23rd 8:15 AM

The mess hall's quiet as I walk through, my mind split between where I'm going, Miranda's office, and the unsettling feeling in my chest. I have no plan for what I'll say when I get there. Apologising isn't easy for me, especially when I know I messed up. But I have to do it.

I pause, spotting Liara sitting alone at a table, staring at a datapad in her hand. She seems… off. Not quite tired. Just distant. I sigh and head her way.

Stopping behind the chair across from her, I rest my hands on the back. "Hey. Mind if I sit?"

Liara looks up, blinking like she only just realised I was there. She gives me a small, polite smile. "Oh. Of course not."

I take the seat. Up close, yeah… she does look tired.

"How are you holding up?" I lean back, watching her.

She exhales softly and sets the datapad aside. "I'm managing," she says, sounding a bit out of it. "It's hard not to think about what happens next."

I nod. I get it. We have to deal with the Shadow Broker, save her friend, and we have no idea what we're walking into. I'm not even sure if we can do it.

She studies me for a moment. "And you? You look troubled."

Is it that obvious? I force a smile, trying to brush it off. "I'm okay."

Liara doesn't press, which I appreciate. But now it's time to face Miranda.

I stand, resting my hands on the table for a second. "You're not alone, by the way." I meet her eyes. "Riley and I have your back."

Because Riley would be pissed if I didn't.

Liara's expression softens. "Thank you, Vex."

"Don't mention it." I nod to the datapad. "Try not to work too hard, yeah? You'll overload."

She laughs quietly, and I take that as my cue to leave.

I make my way to Miranda's office, my nerves growing with every step. Apologising is one thing. Apologising to Miranda is something else. It makes me feel ill like it's wrong to do anything to her that needs apologising for.

The door slides open. She's at her desk, head tilted slightly as she focuses on her terminal. The glow from the screen catches in her dark hair, and I freeze.

For a second, I just… look at her.

I miss her. The way she'd challenge me. The way she'd comfort me. The way, no matter what, she was always there. And I regret it. All of it. Every fight, every word, every time I let my caution push her away.

But… I can't think like that.

She glances up, eyes locking on mine. A hint of surprise crosses her face before going neutral. "What do you want, Vex?"

Matter-of-fact. Professional. Distant… it stings.

I swallow hard. "I… I need to apologise for what I said." I try to keep my voice calm, but I feel terrible. "I was drunk and angry, and that's not an excuse. I know what I did was wrong." I take a deep breath. "I'm sorry for hurting you."

Miranda is quiet for a moment. Thinking. She exhales softly. "Thank you… but I can't accept your apology right now."

What? I know I didn't deserve for her to accept it. I just didn't expect this.

"Oh." I nod, trying to push past the ache in my chest. "That's okay."

She looks away, fingers tapping lightly against her desk. "I believe in Cerberus' vision, and I know you can't accept that," she says finally. But there's no anger. Just something else. Hurt, maybe. "I just…" She trails off, shaking her head. "I would like some time to myself."

I nod again, because what else is there to do? "I'll leave you to it then."

Turning around, I stare at the door for a moment before walking towards it. I want to get out of here.

She sighs quietly behind me. "We're not beyond repair, Vex."

I stop for a moment, my fingers twitching at my side. There's something in her voice. Not quite hope, not certainty, either. Just… something.

Maybe she's right… or maybe she's just trying to convince herself.

"Yeah," I say quietly. Then I walk away.

Hagalaz, 2185, November 24th 12:41 PM

The shuttle bucks hard as we push through the storm. Lightning flashes outside, illuminating the Shadow Broker's ship. It's massive, smaller than the Collector ship, but not by that much. The shape is strange, and uneven, like it was built in pieces. The bigger side is probably where we'd wanna go.

"Hagalaz," Liara says, staring out at the ship. "The oceans boil during the day, then snap-freeze ten minutes after sundown."

Riley raises an eyebrow. "Seems like an odd choice to live inside a storm."

Liara glances at her. "His ship follows the sunset. Completely undetectable unless you know where to look."

Riley shifts as the shuttle rocks again. "Great. So how do we get inside?"

Liara checks her omni-tool. "The shuttle bay is locked down. We'll need to land on the hull and search for a hatch."

I glance between them. "Maybe we should've talked about this before taking off."

Liara exhales, looking unimpressed. "You're right. But it's too late now. Let's just get inside before the storm kills us."

The turbulence gets worse, throwing the shuttle from side to side. A warning light flashes as we pull up beside the ship.

Riley pushes up from her seat. "Jump, now!"

The door slides open, and the three of us leap.

Wind slams into me, my boots hitting against the hull hard. The shuttle flies away fast, disappearing into the storm. We're on our own now. I straighten, taking in my surroundings. Massive steel panels, lightning towers, and an endless drop into the raging clouds below.

Perfect.

Liara pulls out her scanner, shielding her face against the wind. "It's hard to pinpoint in this lightning, but I'm picking up signals from a communications array near the back of the ship."

I follow her gaze. "So… the complete opposite side?"

She glances at me. "Correct."

Riley sighs. "Of course it is."

Liara starts moving. "I'm sure we'll find a way inside near the back shielding."

I adjust my rifle and follow. "It's better than being cooked alive by lightning."

The wind fights us with every step. Lightning cracks across the ship, lighting up the storm in bursts of white-blue. As we round a corner, I spot movement.

I tighten my grip on my sniper. "Looks like we have company."

Three Shadow Broker agents rush toward us, weapons raised. The first fires, but we're already in cover. Liara lifts a hand, sending one flying. I take a shot at the second, my bullet slamming into his shields. He staggers, and Riley finishes him off with a clean headshot. The last one tries to retreat, but Liara yanks him into the air before sending him crashing down into the ship.

We regroup and keep moving.

"I hate it here," I mutter, reloading my rifle.

Riley looks over her shoulder. "The feeling's mutual, but we're not stopping now."

I roll my eyes. "Wasn't planning on it."

"I'm sure it's not much further," Liara says, focused on her omni-tool.

I glance at Riley. "We should've brought more people."

She shakes her head. "The less we involve, the better."

"Sure," I sigh under my breath. "Whatever you say, Riles."

We push forward toward the ship's edge.

More gunfire ahead. Two more Shadow Broker agents appear with three LOKI mechs. I drop into cover and fire at an agent as Liara throws out a singularity, suspending some of the mechs. Riley dashes forward, blasting the remaining agent at point-blank range before ducking under the last mech's arm. It turns toward her, but I line up a shot and take it out.

It goes quiet… besides the loud, constant storm.

Liara steps to the edge of the walkway and briefly looks down. She pulls back quickly. "Okay. Looking down was a mistake."

I smirk. "Yeah, it's probably best not to do that."

Riley places a hand on Liara's arm. "Are you okay?"

Liara exhales, pulling herself together. "I'm fine, Riley. Thank you."

We step through a doorway into what looks like an engine section of the ship. This whole place is… overwhelming to say the least. Whoever built this thing didn't just have resources. They had power.

"This ship is incredible," Liara says, studying the structure. "It must have taken decades to build in secret."

I scoff. "No doubt the contractors are all dead."

Liara nods. "I can't imagine the Shadow Broker leaves loose ends."

Riley ignores us, walking ahead. We follow, reaching another exposed section. A bridge sits ahead of us, leading toward a slope on the other side.

Riley steps onto it. "No guardrail? Very safe."

"Come on, Riles." I walk up behind her. "Have a little fun."

She rolls her eyes.

A lightning strike slams into a nearby tower, sending a surge of electricity arcing across the ship. The sudden shock of it causes us to run across.

Liara checks her omni-tool and points ahead. "There! That hatch leads directly to the communication signals."

Riley reaches it first and tries the console. "It's locked."

"Step aside." I crack my knuckles and walk forward. "I've got this."

Liara shakes her head. "Hang on. I've got a bypass shunt program that-"

"Relax." I cut her off with a smirk. "Just watch my back."

I kneel, opening my omni-tool, working through the lock. Behind me, I hear gunfire as Riley and Liara fight and reminisce about the good old days of omni-gel.

Rolling my eyes, I glance at them. "Focus, you two. I'm almost-" The console beeps, unlocking. I stand up with a smile. "Got it. Let's go."

We rush inside, sealing the hatch behind us.

Liara takes the lead, and I keep my pistol at the ready. The halls twist and turn, cold and metallic, every corridor identical. It's like this place was designed to disorient intruders.

Footsteps rush toward us and three agents round a corner at the end of the hall.

I barely react in time, diving behind cover as a rocket flies past me, crashing into the wall behind us. Fuck.

Riley's already moving. Liara lifts a hand, smashing an agent into the ceiling. I fire at another, my shot hitting them in the chest.

The last guy lifts his launcher again. Riley doesn't let him. She closes the distance and puts a round in his stomach.

Liara scans the hallway. "More of them? How many guards does the Shadow broker have?"

I reload. "Too many."

A low, distorted voice comes over some hidden speakers. "Hold your positions, no matter the cost."

Well, that's not ominous at all.

We push forward, fighting through another wave of agents. The ship's design is a fucking maze, turn after turn, hallway after hallway. I stick close to Liara, hoping she knows where we're going.

She stops at a console, typing rapidly. "I think I can get the ship's layout." A few more keystrokes, then she sighs. "Got it. We're headed toward the prison block… and Feron."

Riley nods. "Then let's move."

We keep going, heading up some stairs where we find a vanguard and some more agents.

The vanguard charges, slamming into Liara. She stumbles but doesn't go down, countering with a shockwave that sends them flying. Riley and I fire at the others, taking them out easily.

Riley steps over the bodies. "Keep moving."

We round another corner, passing a large window. Inside, the room is filled with strange machinery. Towers of glowing panels and cables. In the centre, there's a man strapped to a chair.

Liara stops dead in her tracks. "Feron!"

The man lifts his head. "Liara?"

She rushes to the controls. "Hold on… we're getting you out of here!"

"No-" Feron gasps, panic in his eyes.

Electricity surges through him. He screams in pain.

"Feron!" Liara's voice cracks. She jerks her hands back from the console, stepping away.

Riley approaches the glass. "Are you okay?"

Feron exhales shakily. "As much as I can be." His voice is hoarse. "The equipment is… sensitive to tampering."

I step closer, frowning. "How do we help?"

His head barely turns toward me. "This chair plugs into the Broker's info network. You have to shut off the power. Pull me out now, and my brain cooks."

I cross my arms. "So that's what we'll do."

"It won't be easy," Feron says. "You'll have to go to central operations."

Riley smiles. "Easy or not, we're all getting out of here."

Feron gives a weak nod. "Good."

Liara checks her omni-tool. "I know the way."

Riley motions forward. "Take the lead."

We leave the room, but the moment we step into the hall, the ship's speakers come on again.

"I want all teams to outpost C," the voice orders.

Six more agents rush into the hallway, weapons drawn. No hesitation. We open fire.

The fight is hard. Close-quarters, tight spaces, no room for mistakes. Riley takes point, shooting enemies with steady bursts. Liara's biotics send two agents flying into the walls. One tries to flank her, but I pick him off before he can fire.

When the last agent falls, we rush forward, heading deeper into the ship. We take out a few more agents along the way. It's basically standard procedure by now, until we reach a desk at the end of the hallway.

A single agent sitting behind it, completely unaware.

I raise my sniper, line up the shot, and pull the trigger. He's dead before he even realises we're here. Riley gives me a look but doesn't say anything. She just walks forward.

The door behind the desk leads to another hallway, this one ending with a heavy-looking door. We step through that into a massive room.

Above us, electricity pulses behind a glass ceiling. At the far end, sits a desk. And sitting at the desk, watching us…

Is something I've never seen before.

He's large, easily bigger than any krogan I've ever met. Thick-limbed, hunched forward, a face full of sharp teeth and too many eyes.

We step into the centre of the room, weapons raised.

The Shadow Broker tilts his head. "Here for the drell?" His voice is deep, rumbling. "Reckless, even for you, Commander."

Riley doesn't blink. "Like you can talk. That bombing in Nos Astra wasn't subtle."

"Extreme," the Broker admits. "But necessary."

Liara's grip on her pistol tightens. "No, it wasn't! Neither was caging Feron for two years!"

"Dr. T'Soni. Your interference caused all this." He leans back in his chair, unbothered by her outburst. "Feron betrayed me when he handed you Shepard's body. The drell is simply paying the price."

I grit my teeth. "This is bullshit."

Riley shoots me a look. "Relax, Vex."

The Broker waves a hand. "Enough talk. My operations are too crucial to be compromised by a traitor."

Liara doesn't back down. "You're quite confident for someone with nowhere left to hide."

The Broker lets out a low chuckle. "You travel with fascinating companions, doctor." His gaze sweeps across us. "Commander Riley Shepard, a Spectre, Hero of the Citadel." Then his many eyes land on me. "Vexenna Ward, a hitman from Omega, Aria T'Loak's favourite."

I blink. Did… he? "Finally, someone got it right."

Riley rolls her eyes.

Liara steps forward. "You're not putting a hand on anyone!"

The Broker just watches her. "It's pointless to challenge me, asari. I know your every secret, while you fumble in the dark."

"Is that right?" Liara smirks. "You're a yahg. A pre-spaceflight species quarantined to their homeworld for massacring the Council's first contact teams."

The Broker's expression doesn't change.

She keeps going. "This base is older than your planet's discovery, which probably means you killed the original Shadow Broker sixty years ago, then took over." She tilts her head. "I'm guessing you were taken from your world by a trophy hunter who wanted a slave… or a pet."

Silence.

Damn, Liara. Even I'm impressed.

She smiles. "How am I doing?"

The Shadow Broker stands and I realise just how big he actually is. He lets out a roar and slams his fists down, shattering his desk in half.

He picks up a piece and hurls it across the room. Liara barely has time to react before Riley crashes into her, knocking her out of the way. This is bad.

I rush across the room, using my thrusters to propel myself onto the platform above where his desk once stood. I look through my scope in time to see him charge towards the others. He's fast for his size.

We unload into him, but he barely slows down. Then, with a lift of his arm, a shimmering barrier surrounds him.

I fire again. My shot pings off of him.

Liara's eyes narrow, studying him. "The shield is kinetically sensitive! Energy and projectiles are bouncing off!"

Riley exhales, holstering her rifle. She steps up to him and just… punches him.

Her fist slams into his side. The Broker barely flinches, then swings at her, but she ducks just in time.

I sigh, slinging my mantis onto my back. "Guess we're doing this, then."

Time to put my training to the test.

I launch myself down, flipping in midair to drive both boots into his shoulder before pushing off. The force staggers him, but only slightly. I follow up with a kick to the leg. It feels like kicking a fucking rock.

The Broker snarls and swings at me. I barely dodge, using my thrusters to roll quickly to the side. Riley takes the opening, landing a punch to his head. He turns, grabbing her arm and yanking her forward before smashing her into the ground.

I boost again, boots slamming into his ribs. I use the thruster to push off of him. This time, he stumbles back. Riley rolls away, getting on her feet.

He regains his footing, lifting his arm again. His omni-tool activates, becoming a shield. He charges forward, swinging at us. I thruster-dodge sideways. Riley isn't as lucky. His shield crashes into her chest, sending her flying onto her back again.

I land hard, skidding across the floor. Fucking shield. I can't get through that… but I can distract him.

"Hey, asshole!" I snap, lifting my pistol. "Wanna see what a hitman from Omega can do?"

The Broker snarls, turning toward me. I fire, forcing him to raise his shield. That's all the opening Riley needs. She unloads into his back.

He can't block both of us at once.

We keep him off balance, forcing his movements to become sloppier. More aggressive.

Liara watches him closely. "Get his shield back up again."

Riley and I exchange a look. She nods and I know what I have to do.

I launch above him, firing again. The Broker instinctively raises his shield. Liara hurls a biotic blast at the ceiling.

The glass cracks.

Oh.

I thruster-dodge out of the way as the ceiling shatters, landing on my side.

The built-up electricity comes surging down. It slams into the Shadow Broker in an explosion of energy. He roars in agony, his body convulsing. He drops to his knees, disintegrating.

I lie on the cold floor, staring up at the lights. The adrenaline is fading, leaving behind nothing but aches. Across the room, Liara steps over some pieces of broken desk, stopping by Riley, who's also on the ground.

She extends a hand. Riley clasps it, letting Liara pull her to her feet. Neither of them speaks. They just stare at each other.

Then Riley turns and walks toward me, offering her hand. I take it with a groan as she hauls me up.

"Shadow Broker, this is Operative Murat. We had a momentary connection failure. Can you confirm status?" a voice says from across the room.

Another voice follows. "Operative Shora requesting update. Are we still online?"

I turn toward the sound and spot a large console with multiple screens. Liara stands in front of it, frozen, staring.

The voices keep coming, operatives from across the galaxy calling in, unaware of what just happened.

Liara steps forward, hesitantly reaching out. Her fingers hover over the controls before pressing a button.

"This is the Shadow Broker," Liara says. "The situation is under control. We experienced a power fluctuation while upgrading hardware. It disrupted communications momentarily."

I hear footsteps coming from the doorway. I turn to see Feron stumbling into the room, gun raised. His gaze lands on Liara, and his grip falters.

She doesn't notice. Too focused on the console. "However, we are now back online. Resume standard procedures."

Feron lowers his weapon, stepping closer to Liara.

"I want a status report on all operations within the next solar day." She places a hand over the controls. "Shadow Broker out." She presses down, cutting the comms.

Feron lets out a shaky breath. "Goddess of oceans… it's you. You… how?"

Liara finally turns to him. "Well, everyone who's ever seen him in person is dead, so…"

Feron stares at her, realisation dawning on his face. "You're the new Shadow Broker."

Riley steps closer. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Liara doesn't answer. Her fingers brush over the controls, eyes fixed on the data streaming across the screens. "It was either that or lose everything. His contacts, his trading sources. Those will really help us." She swallows hard. "With the Shadow Broker's information network, I can give you… I can…"

Her voice catches and she looks away.

Feron rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'll, uh, check on the power systems." He turns, limping towards the door.

Liara's shoulders tremble, her hands tightening. Riley steps forward, pulling her into a hug. She stiffens, then slowly leans into it.

Exhaling, I turn to Feron. "I'll… help him."

I catch up to him, slinging his arm over my shoulder. He winces but doesn't protest.

Together, we step out, leaving them to work through whatever comes next.

Hagalaz, 2185, November 24th 4:37 PM

The shuttle glides through the atmosphere, heading back to the Normandy. Riley and I sit side by side, leaning back, exhausted. I can't wait to get some sleep.

I glance out the window, watching the stars pass us. I hope Liara made the right choice. Taking over the Shadow Broker's network will help us, sure… but it's also a lot of pressure.

"So, I guess Liara's staying behind," I say. It sounds dumb the second it leaves my mouth because… well she stayed behind.

Riley looks at me with a small, sad smile. "Yeah. It's what she wants."

I raise an eyebrow. "How did it go after I left anyway?"

She sighs, but this time, a genuine smile appears. "We kissed, so… I'd say that's a good sign."

I let out a laugh, playfully nudging her with my elbow. "See? I told you."

Riley chuckles, shaking her head. "Yeah, yeah." She relaxes, gazing out the window. "I'll visit her again… once all this is over."

I nod, smiling a little to myself. I see how important Liara is to her. So maybe, for the first time in a while, Riley feels like she has something to hold onto.

"Can you come with me?" she adds, her voice quieter.

"You don't need me." I roll my eyes. "But yeah, of course I will."

She glances at me, her face lighting up just a little. "Thanks, Vex."

I shrug. "No problem."

We fall into a comfortable silence, watching as the Normandy's hangar doors open ahead of us.

Thank you for reading.