Chapter 4: Many Meetings

Green eyes stared into dark brown ones. neither of them willing to break eye contact. Shao was dimly aware about how the quarian and the asari exchanged a confused look behind their leaders' back. The paramedics were obviously wondering what was going on as well but it did not stop them from doing their job as they approached her with a stretcher.

She gently laid Talitha's sleeping body upon it, and was shocked to discover that it looked even frailer now that she was asleep then before.

"Take good care of her, she's been through a lot." Shao told them softly before returning her gaze back to her old friend. Who unlike her had never stopped looking. She was uncertain what to do as the paramedics left with the still form of the traumatized form on their stretcher.

Jennifer stood in front of her, eyes staring into her own and her face was an expressionless mask. However, her hands were slightly shaking. Shao was wondering whether it was from relief or anger, or perhaps a combination of the two when the Spectre began to clench her hands into bloodless fists. Anger, of course it's anger. Shao thought dryly and braced herself. If her friend hadn't changed too much then she would unleash a scolding of epic proportions upon her.

"That's it? That's all you're going to say? After all these years? A measly 'It's good to see you again' as if nothing happened, as if we had just met yesterday?." Jennifer said quietly, her voice practically overflowing with anger. "I thought you were dead, Shao. After the attack… I found your burned house and no sign of you anywhere. I thought you had either died or had been taken. And now after all this time you simply show up and expect everything to be like it was before? How da-"

"What would you want me to say? You saw my scars didn't you? I was taken, for three years I was nothing more than an animal to them, something that did all their work and if they felt like it, something to be tortured." Shao whispered but her voice silenced the enraged Spectre. "I got lucky, some mercenaries raided the estate I was being kept in, got me out of there. Not that it did me much good at first. Both my mind and body were exhausted and at an end. It took me a long time to heal."

"And after that? Why didn't you contact me? Didn't you think that your best friend deserved to know that you were still alive?" Shepard shot back, apparently unwilling to concede defeat just yet. Not that she could blame her, she would probably act the same if their situation was reversed.

"After that?" Shao questioned gently and snorted. "After that I had no way of contacting you, no address. And you had just saved Elysium from the pirate attack. I wonder how many people tried to contact you then, and how many the Alliance blocked by withholding your data. How many do you think they are blocking right now, Spectre? How many of them claim to know you from days long since past?"

"That's not the point." Jennifer said with a shake of her head but didn't get the chance to elaborate further.

"Then what is? That you deserved to know? Yes, you did. But I lacked the means to contact you." Shao replied with a shake of her own head. She didn't like the situation she was in. Adrenalin was pumping through her veins and her fight or flight instinct was at the edge of consciousness. Of course she was familiar with it, if there was no chance of completing the objective or only the certainty of the death, she retreated. If she could fight her way through then she would fight and eradicate every threat in the vicinity, not that that was a viable option at the moment. With a sigh she went on. "Or perhaps that's just what I tell myself, because I don't even know what to say to you. Back then we always could talk about something, school, parents, working on the fields, cute boys. Now though… what should I say to you? I'm...at a loss."

"I-I'm sorry, Shao." Jenny said and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's just… all those years I thought you were dead, and now you suddenly stand before me, apparently completely fine and I just thought that perhaps you didn't contact me because you held me responsible."

That took the Assassin aback and she blinked in surprise. Apparently she wasn't the only one to suffer from guilt when remembering Mindoir. "What? Why would I hold you responsible for all that's happened?"

"It's stupid but, I once promised you that I would protect you, after you had just been bullied again. Shortly after that the attack hit, and I thought maybe you somehow thought it was my fault for not protecting you and your parents." Shepard said sheepishly and scratched the back of her head.

"Jenny, that must have been the single most dumbest thing I've ever heard." Shao said bluntly and shook her head. She made it a point to ignore the shocked expressions of everyone within hearing range of her tone. "What could you have done exactly? You were sixteen, unarmed without any training and they had just attacked your own home. There was nothing you could have done, if you had tried to help they would have gotten you too. Or killed you."

"Bu-"

"No buts." The Assassin said firmly and took a step towards her friend. "I do not hold you responsible, so there is no reason for yourself to do so. If you do then I swear to god I will make you regret it."

The Spectre let out a small laugh at that. "That's the Shao I remember. You've always been stubborn."

"It's one of my more endearing traits." Shao deadpanned and lifted her arm for a handshake. "So, friends?"

She was not prepared for the bone crushing hug that Jenny answered her with. What is it with hugs today, first I don't get any in years and now two on one day. She thought pleasantly surprised. She knew that this short conversation hadn't wiped away all of the doubts her friends may have had, but it was a start and for now that was good enough for her.

"Of course we're friends, you idiot." Shepard replied to her question and released her from her embrace.

"Hey!"

"Oh shut up and let me enjoy this. I've missed you." The Spectre said, still smiling, a few unshed tears in her eyes.

"I've missed you too, but you don't see me insulting you." Shao replied with an eyeroll, delighted by how fast they seemed to reconnect. Until that moment, a part of her had always feared that their friendship would never rekindle.

"Well first of all you did pretty much call me dumb, and second, you threatened me earlier, remember?" Shepard shot back without missing a beat.

"The first point is inaccurate, I called your idea dumb, there's a difference. And for the second point… touche." Shao was forced to admit with a small smile, before it slid of her face when she checked the time. With a grimace she realised that she had just missed her flight back home, but for a chance to renew her friendship, she would gladly miss it a dozen more times.

"Something wrong?" Her friend asked concerned when she saw the Assassin grimace.

"Just realised that I missed my flight, but I found you again, so that more than makes up for it." She answered easily. She didn't need Jenny feeling guilty about her missing the shuttle, if she knew her friend at all she probably would despite her best efforts but perhaps she could at least lessen the guilt.

"Damn, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have wasted your time a-"

"Jenny, I said it was fine. Please, do me the favour and believe me. If I were unhappy about it you would know, trust me." Shao cut her off and smiled reassuringly at her.

"Alright. Uh, can you walk and talk? I kinda need to go to the Citadel Tower, but I would like to catch up with you. So…" She weakly gestured towards one of the elevators behind her.

"Sure, I would like that." Shao said with a small smile and followed her friend into the elevator. The quarian and asari followed without any prompting from her friend.

"Keelah, this is awkward." She heard the quarian mutter under her breath.

"I agree." The Assassin said, surprising the other three occupants of the elevator. "So, perhaps we should make it less awkward by introducing ourselves. I am Shao Yu, it's a pleasure to meet you both."

The quarian seemed taken aback by her politeness, not that it was surprising, many inhabitants of the galaxy seemed to dislike quarians. Shao however had met a few during her travels and was quite fond of them. If you actually bothered to speak to them they could tell you a lot of fascinating stories and things you would never find in a book about quarians and their travels.

"I am Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. It's a pleasure to meet you." The quarain said after a short pause, appearing genuinely happy to meet her.

"And I am Liara T'soni. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The asari followed suit, but seemed more unsure and socially awkward then her quarian companion.

"How long have you known Jenny, here?" Shao asked pleasantly and smiled at both of them. If they were friends of her friend she at the very least would give them a chance.

"Uh, I've known Shepard for about two weeks now." Tali mumbled shyly and began to wring her hands again.

"I've known her for roughly four days." Liara replied more clearly but avoided any form of eye contact.

"Wait… Shepard? Do you ask them to call you that or is it just typical military regulation?" She asked with an amused smile, unable to think of an occasion where she would call Jenny only by her last name.

"Heh, I wish." Jennifer chuckled with a smile sent her way. "I actually try to get people to call me by my first name but everyone seems adamant about calling me Shepard."

"Strange, I always thought it rude to just call someone by their last name but maybe that's just me." The Assassin mused more to herself than anyone else. Before anyone had the chance to reply the elevator finally arrived at its destination and they stepped out of it.

While they made their way to the transit station Shao absently waved at a few familiar faces in the crowd that had gathered to gape at the new Spectre.

"Friends of yours?" Her friend wanted to know and looked at the crowd uncomfortably.

"Neighbours." Shao corrected with a shrug. "I don't live too far from here."

"Ah." The Spectre said and sent a glance her way.

"Whats with the 'Ah'? You want to come to my place later or what?" She asked amused and looked at the red haired woman next to her. "You know I wouldn't mind, if you want you could also bring your friends. I know a few shops that offer great dextro food, so I would have something for you as well, Tali."

"As much as I'd like to take you up on that offer, I can't. You undoubtedly know that I'm hunting Saren, and at any moment a new lead could come up that I would have to hunt down." Her green eyed friend replied with a heavy sigh, and in that moment Shao wished that she could offer her skills to the hunt, but she knew that soon another mission would come up for her. "Still, thanks for the offer Shao."

"Yes, thank you. That was very considerate of you." Tali agreed with the human commander and smiled at the Assassin underneath her mask.

"It is no trouble, Tali'Zorah. I guess you are on your Pilgrimage?" Shao asked as they climbed into the air taxi.

"Yes, how did you know?" The quarian woman wondered, her earlier shyness momentarily forgotten.

"You are not the first quarian I've met. Most of them had been on their Pilgrimage, and I think that if more people were to talk to your people, they would find out just what a fascinating and rich culture you possess." The Assassin replied honestly before her tone turned wistful."I've always wanted to see the Migrant Fleet with my own eyes, or perhaps even come aboard one of its ships, but your people are rightly distrustful of outsiders."

"That's an unusual point of view for an outsider." Tali said and cocked her head to the side curiously.

"Ask Jenny, she'll tell you that I've always been unusual." The Assassin joked back. She looked to her right where the human soldier sat. "Just wondering, where is this thing taking us? Hopefully not the Citadel Tower, because I don't think I am allowed there."

Not that that would stop me if I had to get there but still. She added in thought and waited for an answer.

"No, we'll land in the Presidium. Less illegal for you that way, though I could probably get you out of any legal difficulties, and we get to talk more." Jennifer said with a small shrug.

"Devious, Commander." Shao snarked with a smile and turned towards the Asari. "Just wondering, you don't exactly look like a soldier. Too shy for one. So how did you end up with Jenny, as I recall she isn't exactly the safest person to be around."

"I take offense to that." The first human Spectre said with a huff and crossed her arms in front of her.

"You can take as much offense as you like, doesn't change the fact that I got more often blamed for pranks you did then you got blamed for them." Shao said with a playful narrowing of her eyes, before she turned back to the Asari just as the taxi landed. "I apologize for that, please. Go on."

"I'm actually a xenoarchaeologist and the geth, th-they attacked my excavation site. Shepard rescued me and thought that I could help her." Liara summarized while stepping out of the taxi and into the light of the Presidium.

"I am sorry to hear about the geth, that must have been difficult." Shao said emphatically. "If you ever need to talk about it, I'd be willing to listen."

"Thank you." The asari said with slight inclination of her head towards her but Shao could already tell that Dr. T'soni would not take her up on that offer.

With a quick glance ahead the Assassin identified the reopened embassies bar, they had been forced to close, at least until the investigation was concluded. Not that it hurt their finances too much, with the outrageous prices they demanded in there.

"I was here two weeks ago, I wanted to meet with an asari emissary, but she got murdered just before I got here. What are the odds." Jennifer said with a shake of her head.

"She had been murdered? Here, in the heart of the Citadel?" Shao asked with fake surprise. "Did they catch the murderer?"

"No, they didn't. Whoever did this was a professional." Her friend told her and sent a glance up to the bars balcony. "They somehow approached her unseen and stabbed her."

"Oh my god." Shao whispered and put a hand to her mouth in apparent horror. "Who could have done such a thing?" Okay, perhaps I'm overdoing it a little. She thought with an internal shrug before she focused her attention back on her friend.

"No idea, but I'm sure that C-Sec will get them in no time." The Spectre told her with a smile, to Shao it was obvious that Jenny didn't believe that herself but perhaps that was only because she had become quite adept at reading body language. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. It's just, you've always been perceptive, I thought perhaps you had seen or heard something?"

In the mirror, yes. Shao thought to herself but instead answered. "No, I'm sorry to say. I don't come here often, I stand out in my usual clothes and then everyone keeps looking at me weirdly."

"Yeah, I get that. They don't seem overly fond of my armor either." Her friend said jokingly.

"If you two think that's bad then you should see the looks they give me." Tali said with a snort and shook her head in annoyance. "You would think I would have personally insulted every one of them by coming here."

"Yes, but in the end, if we want anything to change then we will have to bring this change about ourselves, the galaxy most certainly won't do it by itself." Shao told the young quarian with a small smile.

"Well said, even if it does sound kinda cynical." Her friend commented.

"Things happen, not all of them good. If we wish to take control of our lives after such a thing then we must do so ourselves and by our own free will." Shao replied quietly just as they stopped before the elevator that would bring her friend to the political heart of the galaxy. "You still have to give me a way to contact you though."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot." The Spectre apologized and activated her omni-tool just as Shao did the same with hers. A moment later she received all the necessary information for her to contact her friend again and vice versa.

"Thanks, Jenny." Shao said with a smile, though also sad that she couldn't spend more time with her old friend. "I guess I'll be seeing you around once you've dealt with Saren?"

"Actually, I planned for the crew and myself to visit Flux this evening. You coming? I would really appreciate it." Jennifer Shepard said and shifted subtly on her feet, a movement Shao was familiar with.

"Sure, as soon as you explain to me why you told me that you couldn't visit me in my own home earlier because you had to be prepared in case of news about Saren." The Assassin replied wryly and crossed her arms. "You've planned this from the start, I only want to know why."

"I didn't want to cause you any work, and if I had simply said 'no' you would have ignored me. Because, let's face it, you are more stubborn than a mule." The red haired soldier shot back her lips quirking in amusement.

"That's true." She was forced to concede. "So what time you wanna meet?"

"How about seven PM? Should give everyone enough time to get ready until then." Her friend answered with a small shrug. "See you then?"

"Definitely, until later Jenny. Tali'Zorah. Dr. T'soni." She replied and inclined her head towards the later two and waved when they stepped into the elevator.

Once the doors had closed she turned around and made her way to the air taxi from earlier. She still had a few things to do before joining her friend this evening. She briefly wondered if she should dress accordingly before she had to concede that she most likely had to. Her street clothes would otherwise make sure that she would stand out amongst Jennifer and her crew.

She disliked dresses, those infernal contraptions made fighting far more difficult than it had to be, and more often than not failed to conceal weapons as efficiently as other clothes and if they did, than she had trouble reaching them in time should something go awry. In short, she hated them a lot.

With those thoughts in mind she climbed into the air taxi and ordered it to bring her close to her home. However still some distance away, she had no interest in being stopped and asked about how she knew the first human spectre. The flight seemed to take longer this time, though she was most likely only perceiving it that way with the lack of conversation.

However, no matter how long it may have appeared to be, Shao arrived at her destination and jumped out of the air taxi. Without a backwards glance she made her way towards her home. Putting her considerable training to use to remain undetected. Her mind racing with countless thoughts.

One of the most prominent was of course about her friend, but not in the way she had expected. She had always expected that should they rekindle their friendship that she would be happier than before, and in a way that held true. However no matter how hard she tried she couldn't help but feel bad for lying to her friend about, almost everything. Which lead to more disturbing thoughts.

If I have to choose between Jenny and the Brotherhood. What would I choose? What is the right choice? Shao wondered, absently dodging passersby without really taking notice of them. What is more important? The single life of my friend or the unknown numbers of my new family? If Jenny were to find out and decide we are a threat, what then?

She needed advice on a few things, she decided as she unlocked the door of her apartment and stepped in. With a glance at her no longer needed packed clothes she walked to the small terminal she had set up. Of course she could have contacted her Mentor over her omni-tool, but she had done everything she could think of to ensure that any communication from her terminal was untraceable, and the cyber-experts of the Brotherhood had only enhanced it further.

Thankfully she didn't have to wait long until the face of her mentor appeared. His hair had started to gray and there were a few more wrinkles in his face then in the years before but she knew that he was still as strong as ever.

"Mentor." She said and inclined her head respectfully in his direction.

"Shao, it is good to see you again. I have heard about your work with the Dantius siblings. I trust that you are well." He said gently, clearly happy to see her but also a little worried about her wellbeing. As long as Shao could remember he had always been that way with her, though she supposed that stemmed from the fact that he had seen her shattered and broken on the ground of that batarian estate.

"I am unhurt, mentor. Although there are a few things… I could use your advise." Shao said slowly and looked him in the eye, this one of the few she knew whom she could tell everything and so far he had always been able to help her.

"Then I shall do my best to give it to you. What ails you, my little bird?" Her mentor said softly and she had to smile at the term of endearment.

And so she told him about Talitha first, how the conversation had brought back those painful memories and more importantly the rage and the thirst for vengeance. "I now fear that I will suffer it till the end of my days, mentor. However you once told me that you knew it as well, I hoped… that you would know of a way to defeat it."

"That is difficult to say. Over the centuries many Assassins suffered its touch, but I am afraid I cannot help you. For what helped me may do the opposite for you." He cautioned her, his expression emphatic as he looked her in the eye. "Your deeds from years past still burden you heavily, and it is because of this that you want to rid yourself of its influence."

"I- yes." Shao admitted shamefully and lowered her head.

"Your caution is admirably, but hardly necessary." He told her and she looked up abruptly, shocked by his words. "You still desire vengeance, and that is only natural but you didn't follow your desire for it. I believe that you have already conquered it."

"I… I thank you, mentor." She said, honored by his trust in her and wished that she were right next to him so that she could hug him. Even if she wasn't sure if she believed him, perhaps she would in time.

"You do not have to thank me, this achievement is your own making." Her mentor said with a small smile. "But there is more, isn't that so?"

"Yes, I met my old friend. Jennifer Shepard and now I am conflicted." Shao was forced to admit. "I am overjoyed that she still considers me a friend but…"

"You are afraid what will happen when she finds the truth about you and perhaps even the entire Brotherhood." He said, perceptive as ever and his features softened even more. "First I would like to warn you. You undoubtedly remember that the Brotherhood isn't infallible. And the same holds true for me."

"I remember." Shao replied and thought back to her lessons. The Templars had uploaded the story of Shay Patrick Cormac into the Assassins network in the early twenty first century, in an attempt to demoralize them. Instead the Assassins had taken the lesson to heart.

They had begun to document instances where the Assassin had acted in violation to their codex, or had lost their way such like in the case of Shay Cormac, or the treatment of the last surviving member of the Tsar family, Anastasia who had been unlucky enough to get the genetic memories of the Assassin, Shao Jun imprinted on her, she was accompanied by the Assassin Nikolai Orelov, who rebelled against his former brothers and rescued her. And was later Assassinated by the very order he had served faithfully for so long.

Each such instance was catalogued, and taught to every member of the Brotherhood, in the hope that in doing so the Assassin at large would not repeat the mistakes of the past.

It certainly worked for her, she had made her mentor promise her that he would kill her should she ever act in such a fashion. The stories however had had also an different impact on her, she deeply admired both Nikolai and Shay for their dedication, both had turned their back on everything they knew to do what they perceived as the right thing to do, and Shao found herself agreeing with both of them.

While Shay had been a templar in the end he had only switched sides to save the people, the very same people the Assassins had sworn to protect. She hoped that she could show such strength of character if she ever was confronted with such a difficult choice.

"But why tell me this?" Shao wondered and looked at her mentor in hopes of finding the answer.

"So you know that no matter what I say, it may not help you." He said quietly and his gaze hardened. "However I will tell you this. I don't think you should tell her the truth, at least not yet. Perhaps one day, but right now it would do more harm than good, and why force yourself to decided now when you still have time to think about it and perhaps even convince her of your and by extension our good intentions."

"I can see your point… but do you really think she will understand?" Shao asked hoping for some kind of assurance.

"You know her better than I do. Little bird, sometimes you just have to have faith in your friends." Her mentor said with a small smile. "I will tell you a small story. I was a younger man then, and filled with the adventurous spirit that so many are possessed by. I was amongst the first Assassins to travel to the colonies to establish our own foothold in the galaxy. I and a few of our brothers and sisters were on Shanxi when the attack hit. When it became apparent that the Alliance couldn't stop them with pure force we sought out the Templars we had originally identified to later neutralize them and they agreed that we had to work together to stop them."

Shao stood still entranced by the tale, craving to hear more, while also wondering what this had to do with her situation but she knew her mentor he would get to it soon enough.

"We coordinated our attacks with the Templars, for example they would cause a distraction and we would sneak into the enemy base to assassinate their officers. Although we often changed tactics to keep the turians from adapting. Together we wreaked havoc on the turians, eventually they came to fear us even though they had never seen us and lived to tell about it. Our actions brought General Williams enough time to hold the position until reinforcements arrived. However, during one of our last attacks against the turians… the camp was attacked ahead of schedule and I was wounded by friendly fire. An explosion had blasted some of their buildings apart and the shrapnel had pierced my leg." He paused and his hand lowered probably to rub his leg unconsciously. "I was lying there, unable to move and slowly bleeding out. That was when a young second Lieutenant found me. I knew him, we both had lived in Buenos Aires during our childhood, before I joined the Brotherhood. We kept in contact but still it had been years since the last time I had seen in person. His name was Steven Hackett."

"The admiral?" Shao gasped out in surprise and only her training prevented her from gaping.

"Yes, is that truly so surprising? We Assassin met and befriended a lot of historical figures over the centuries." He reminded her gently. "Anyway, he recognized me as well and even though he knew that I was no Alliance soldier he patched me up enough that I could disappear undetected by the rest of the Alliance forces he only asked me to explain once I got the chance. I did, though I told him from the beginning that I wouldn't tell him the whole story, but now he is aware of our secret war and one of the greatest friends I ever had."

"I… think I understand." Shao said slowly and bowed a little in his direction. "Thank you, mentor. You have been a great help."

"Anytime, little bird. But considering your repeated glances at the clock I guess you have plans for this evening." He replied with a small chuckle.

"I am afraid so, mentor. I apologize for cutting this s-"

"No, please don't apologize. You are still young, little bird. You should enjoy yourself more often." He cut her off with a sad smile and in that moment she saw what she had missed the whole time before. He was worried about something.

"Mentor? Whats going on?" Shao probed gently, if he was worried it was either of great importance or personal.

"Its… I lost contact to Jonathan and Richard Graham." He said after briefly hesitating.

Shao froze for a split second, she had never met Jonathan but his twin brother Richard was familiar. He had been one of the Assassins that had trained her, since he had a high concentration of precursor DNA as well he had taught her how to use her eagle vision. However he had also tested her combat and free run abilities. She had liked him, he had never treated her like something made out of glass. He had pushed her but had also ensured that she didn't push herself to hard.

"Where?" She merely asked and shook her head in shock, unable to believe that both brothers disappeared at the same time.

"Richard last known location is the colony, Feros. He went there under the name Jason Jones as a doctor to help the colonists. In truth he is there to find out what Exogeni is up to." Her mentor replied heavily, of course she knew what Exogeni was, a company that was under heavy Templar influence.

"And Jonathan?" She pressed on, having a feeling that the elder twin was not on Feros.

"We last had contact with Jonathan near Edolus. Where a whole group of Alliance marines was killed by a thresher maw. However, we have reason to believe that he is not among those killed." He replied and paused for a moment. "Your friend, Jennifer. She found evidence that the marines were lured there, perhaps whoever is behind this managed to capture Jonathan."

Shao thought for a short moment weighing her options. "I will go after Jonathan first, Richard is at least on a colony. Jonathan could be anywhere by now, I need something to point me in the right direction."

"I believe I can help you there. Your friend told a certain rear admiral Kahoku about the fate of the marines, since they were under his command. It appears like he is trying to find some sort of trail himself." He sighed heavily and suddenly looked three times older. "If he finds anything I will tell you immediately. In the meantime I will try to find someone who is willing to look for Richard."

"They are fine. You have trained them since they were little, they will be alright." Shao said to him, now wishing more than ever she could give him a hug, wishing she could comfort him with more than mere words.

"I hope you are right." He replied and looked at her. "But until I have new information there is no reason for you not to enjoy yourself tonight."

She opened her mouth to protest but he silenced her with a wave of his hand. "Please, Shao. Do me the favour and enjoy yourself, at least this once? Please?"

"Alright, I promise." She said heavily and lowered her head. One hand come up, palm inwards and stopped over her heart. "Nothing is true, Everything is permitted."

When she looked up he had already broken the connection, and she was standing in her apartment alone, with answers but also new questions. After a moment she decided to prepare for the little party Jenny had put together. She had promised and she always kept her promises. A little distraction would do her good since she would probably stay up most of the night and think about Richard and Jonathan otherwise.

That way she would only stay up the rest of the night and think about Richard and Jonathan, she was reasonably certain that that wasn't better but it was the situation she found herself in.

For now though she had another problem to deal with, namely what to wear for the occasion. With a small grumble she opened her cupboard, despite her hatred for dresses she owned a few, sometimes they were necessary to get close to a target.

However tonight she just wanted to appear as Shao Yu, colonist of Mindoir and not Shao, the feared Assassin. Of course she would take at least some weapons with her, just not as many as usual.

In the end she chose a long black dress that had a side slit on the right side. This way no one could see the the weapons she placed on the inside of her right leg. Just a knife, and a small pistol nothing more. The dress could easily described as elegant, which was exactly what she was aiming for, she had no interest in appearing provocative.

Since birds of a feather flock together she chose to wear the hated high heels to her equally hated dress. Sometimes she wished that she could travel back in time to find whoever thought that women had to dress like this, only to murder him before he could share his idea with the world. It would make things so much easier, but as long as she fit in Shao supposed she could at least tolerate it.

At least that was the thought, however when she arrived at the Flux at point seven and saw what Jennifer and the rest of her crew wore she was ready to strangle her old friend.

"Wow, Shao you look stunning." Her friend greeted her with a smile that slid of her face when she noticed the cold look in her friend's eyes.

"Thank you, Jenny. Though I wish someone had told me that it would be alright to wear something less formal." She replied politely though she was sure to emphasize her words in a way that conveyed her true intentions. Namely death by strangeling. The way had Jenny tensed had Shao sighing, as much as they liked to pretend that nothing changed they still had to get to know one another again, with a shake of her head she conveyed that she wasn't truly cross with her friend.

"Oh." The Spectre said weakly and rubbed her head. "I thought you knew."

"Really?" Shao deadpanned and raised her eyebrows. "So it is custom to come to parties in your casuals? Or in the case of your turian and krogan friend in full armor?"

Speaking of which, said krogan is huge even among its kind. I most certainly would use at the very least three of my knives against him to make sure. The turian wears a visor, even in here? No matter, hit hard and fast and he'll go down. Now the two marines… Shao stopped that train of thought once she realised that she automatically had begun to create a way to kill each and every crew member present. Old habits die hard, apparently. Good thing, though. Saved my life a few times already.

"Good point. But look it that way, the guys won't be able to keep their eyes of you." Her friend said unaware of the thoughts currently running through Shaos head.

"Jenny… just a little warning next time. I don't know if you noticed but I hate dressing up." The Assassin replied after a short pause. "For now, let us just have fun, alright?"

After a nod from her red haired friend they joined one of the tables currently in the crewmembers possession. Shao had to admit that she enjoyed herself, Tali was pleasant company and told her stories she had never heard before. Though admittedly she hadn't had close contact with many quarians, their closely knitted society made it difficult for both Assassins and Templars to gain any form of foothold. As far as she was aware less than half a dozen quarians were currently operating within the Brotherhood, while lacking solid intel she assumed that the numbers for the Templar Order were similar.

The turian, Garrus, always had a remark ready and was not above using sarcasm to amuse himself. Something that Shao had to admit she thought of as entirely untypical for a turian. Most she knew or interacted with tended to be rather rigid in their dealings. It certainly didn't help that the Templars had had an easier time inducting members from the militant species then the Assassins had. Some of their ideologies were rather similar after all, and thus more attractive to the turians then the vague idea of free will offered by the Brotherhood.

The krogan, Wrex was interesting as well. Though he came across as a little moody, and all of this stories seemed to end with lots of bloods and dead people. Not really surprising all things considered. The krogans were after all a species that had been from their very first moments of existence been forced to fight and after all that had happened in the millennia afterwards had both sundered them and made them distrustful of outsiders. A few krogans could be swayed by the arguments of either secret society, but thus far neither side had had much luck with recruitment on a larger scale than a few individuals.

Liara gave the impression like she had never been to such a gathering before. As she didn't seem to know how to act around everyone and kept quiet for most of the time, though Jenny talked a lot to her probably to make sure that she didn't feel left out. Which was quite honestly the first time Shao had seen a socially awkward asari especially one so young, usually they had no trouble connecting with people, even if said connecting often involved sleeping with them. Still, the asari were not to be underestimated despite the immature behaviour of their maidens.

The monogendered species was neither fully committed to either side of the secret war but rather joined both societies in equal measure. Though both Templars and Assassins were trying to get a foothold in more influential positions it was a slow going process due to the long lifespan of the asari, however both sides possessed a patience that would have surprised even a matriarch, having fought their war for longer than recorded history both sides knew the importance of patience in their war.

The two Alliance marines were not what she had expected. One she had already seen on the day she had killed Nassana Dantius. As it turns out Kaidan Alenko was indeed a biotic and furthermore a L2 at that. Shao had to suppress the grimace of sympathy when she heard that, L2 biotics most certainly didn't lead easy lives.

The other one, a certain Lieutenant Ashley Williams was a descendant of General Williams who had fought on Shanxi. She seemed capable, even if her body language suggested distrust towards the non-human members of their crew.

Both marines were currently locked in a drinking contest. Which the Assassin considered to be a really bad idea on the other woman's part. Biotics had accelerated metabolism, which meant that they could process alcohol far faster than no-biotics could.

It was roughly an hour later when Jenny began talking to her with a slur in her voice, although she could tell that her friend only pretended to be drunk. It was hardly something new, whenever Jennifer had wanted to tell her something she deemed uncomfortable or embarrassing she would pretend to blurt it out lost in thought, and no memory of it, or on some rare occasions faked a fall only to then mutter something in her 'daze'.

So the Assassin was of course a little curious what her friend would want to tell her and why she thought that she could deceive her with her old trick, only to remember that she had never actually told the Spectre that she knew the truth.

With a small smile Shao began to sip on her water listening to her friend curiously.

"You know, Shao. When we were younger… I had a huge crush on you." Jenny 'slurred' and took a huge gulp of her own drink. "Thought you should know."

Whatever Shao had expected that wasn't it, she exhaled so abruptly that some of her water exited through her nose, which felt just as unpleasant as it sounded. She did not know why her old friend felt the need to suddenly confess her bygone feelings, but she could guess. Jenny had most likely regretted never telling her how she truly felt and sought to avoid such a situation from ever occurring again. Still, she wasn't the only surprised at the sudden confession, Talis induction port emitted some kind of strange gurgling sound, while Garrus and Wrex merely looked at each other and laughed.

Liara however went bright red and looked away as if she was the one who should be embarrassed by this conversation. Kaidan, apparently still rather sober merely raised an eyebrow in surprise while Ashley's head hit the table with a deep 'bam', which didn't seem to bother her as she began to snore a moment later.

"Looks like I've won." Kaidan said with a small shrug and leaned back. "Well, I warned her."

"Jenny… wha-" The Assassin managed to stammer out, completely caught off guard by the admission. And to be honest she felt a little bad, she didn't swing that way, and she had never noticed Jenny's feeling for her. She wondered how much pain she had caused her friend over the years. After all unrequited love could be one of the most painful things one could suffer from.

"Don't worry, I am over it. Just thought you should know." The Spectre answered in the same fake slur from before. Before she the Assassin could reply her friend was saved by the beeping of her omni-tool. "Oh, better take that."

With that she stood up and left in far too straight line for someone who claimed to be drunk and Shao followed her a few moments later. She needed to talk to her friend, for one thing to tell her that she knew and for another to apologize for any pain that she had caused.

It didn't take her long to find her friend, in a dark corner in the corridor that lead to the recently opened club. As she stepped closer she could hear the last few snippets of the conversation.

"Evidence… Saren… on Feros… Good luck, Commander." The voice from the Spectre omni-tool said and the device shut down a moment later. Her friend let out a heavy sigh and massaged her temples with the heel of her hands.

"Jenny?" Shao questioned softly and her friend whirled around obviously surprised by her presence. "Everything alright?"

"Yes and no. They found a lead to Saren, but that means we have to get going." Jennifer said apologetically and went to walk past Shao.

"Jenny, wait." She called out and grabbed her friend arm. "There is something I need to tell you. First, I can tell when you are acting to get an uncomfortable topic out and later be able to pretend nothing happened. Like just now."

"Oh." The Spectre answered eloquently and blinked slowly.

"And more importantly… I am sorry. I never noticed your crush, and even if I did… I wouldn't have reciprocated your feelings. I want to apologize for all the pain I have caused you." The Assassin said and lowered her head in shame, she hated that fact that she had caused her friend grief without even noticing.

"Hey, that's not your fault. We don't choose who we fall in love with." Her friend said and put a comforting hand on her shoulder threw Shaos own words back at her.. "I do not hold you responsible, so there is no reason for yourself to do so. If you do then I swear to god I will make you regret it."

"Heh, good point. However there is something, I overheard the last few words. You are going to Feros, right?" Shao stated rather then asked and looked her friend in the eye.

"Yeah, why?" The Alliance commander wanted to know and furrowed her brows.

"Because a friend of mine recently went missing there. His name is Jason Jones, a doctor who helped me after I got out." She said to her friend and couldn't help but feel guilty about it. "He went there to help the colonists but I lost contact to him a few days ago, so if you get the chance to ask someone about his whereabouts…"

"I'll see what I can do." Jennifer promised her seriously. "But, I could be the bearer of bad news."

"I know, but it would be better then this uncertainty." The Assassin replied and looked back at her oldest friend. "Jenny, no matter what happens… I hope you find happiness I truly do."

With those words Shao turned and slowly made her way back towards her apartment. The first thing she would do once she had arrived would notify her mentor of the favour she asked of her friend, and then she would prepare for her next assignment. She held no hope that it wouldn't turn bloody, after all the Assassin had long since learned how stuff like this tended to play out.

End Notes:

Nomad-117: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I used it to set certain events into motion. And I even have a rough outline of a plan in my head for more chapters. And to answer at least one question, I have no intention of Shepard joining either Assassins or Templars, but that doesn't mean that she will remain ignorant of them for the rest of her life. No there a multiple scenarios in my head concerning that little revelation.

And I apologize for taking so damn long, I just had to rewrite this chapter a few times until I was satisfied with it.