Chapter 56 – Good For The Soul

Cockpit

The Normandy

"Jeff Moreau," I said solemnly. "You have done well in command during my absence. You have performed your duty. You are hereby relieved of your post as Acting Captain of The Normandy."

"And so the reign of terror passes," remarked Vega. A bandage swathed half of his head, and his legs were bound up too.

"I will never forget it," said Joker. "All that power. All that authority. I could have done anything I wanted. I could order Vega here to throw himself out of the airlock."

"No you couldn't."

"But I could have ordered Privates Westmore and Campbell to throw you out instead."

"Well you could, but then the Lieutenant would have knocked us out," said Campbell, while Westmore laughed. "I would never hurt you ladies," Vega said.

"Glad to see you're alright, James," I said. "How's everyone holding up?"

"Doc says they're stable. Ashley can stand up now, although she's moving slowly. Liara's woken up, but Garrus is still under."

"Alright, sounds like they're on the mend. I'll check in on them." Jackie gave my arm a yank.

"Jack, come on."

"Hold on, hold on. EDI? What can you tell me about the quarians and the geth?"

"The Migrant Fleet has begun landing transports on the surface of Rannoch," reported EDI.

"And my people are sending representatives to negotiate with the geth," added Tali. "The peace is holding."

"That's great news."

"The Captain ended a war by shouting at the quarians and the geth," said Joker, making everyone else laugh. "Maybe that's how we'll beat the Reapers."

Jackie socked me in the arm. "Jack! Seriously!"

"Wait a minute. Traynor? Have you sent a flash report to Hackett and the Prime Minister?"

"Yes sir," said the Comms Specialist. "They both want to speak to you urgently. I have tightbeam transmissions ready to go for both, who would you like to speak to first?"

"They'll have to wait, Sam!" said Jackie. "Jack and I gotta go take care of something."

She grabbed my shoulder and bent down my ear to her lips. "We can go to your cabin or we can start right here in front of everyone, I don't care where, but I want you to fuck me right now," she said urgently.

"Sorry Sam, give me a couple of minutes," I said quickly.

"A couple of minutes? If that's all then we are not getting married," said Jackie, as the elevator doors closed.

"Couple of hours!"

"That's more like it."

Captain's Cabin

The Normandy

Jackie and I made it to the Cabin without completely ripping each other's clothes off. We stumbled in the general direction of the bed, hands all over each other.

"I want you," I said, taking off my top and pulling off her own.

"I want you more," she shot back, yanking down my undershorts.

"No, I want you more," I said, as she stepped out of her trousers and tossed aside her panties.

"Oh shut up already, I'm going to suck your cock," she said, before kneeling in front of me and taking me into her mouth. I groaned as Jackie wrapped one hand around the base of my cock, with the other working furiously between her own legs. She bobbed her head up and down, taking in my full length. I felt my knees grow weak at the feel of her lips and her tongue sliding up and down my cock. In no time at all I had to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Jackie...I..."

She knew what I wanted, and pulled my cock out while energetically stroking me.

"Come for me, baby," she moaned, staring up at me, wide-eyed, lips pouted. I had never seen anyone look more amazing. I hit my peak and groaned again as I came on Jackie's face. She laughed delightedly, licking some off while wiping off the rest with her panties.

"Oh god," was all I could say once I got my breath back. "You're unbelievable."

"Good," she said with playful malice. "We've got that out of the way. Now make me come, and I'm not letting you up for air until I'm satisfied."

"Yes love," I said, gently placing Jackie on my bed, where she lay back, stretching luxuriantly. She spread her legs wide as I knelt down before her, my turn now to give her pleasure. I kissed the insides of her thighs, teasing her a little, unable to suppress a smirk as she grunted in frustration and pushed on the back of my head.

"Don't draw it out Jack, I swear to God..."

I finally kissed her full on her slit, rewarded with a sharp intake of breath. I ran my tongue up and down the length of her pussy, loving the taste and feel of my Jackie, slick and hot and wet. She cried out when I gently sucked on her clit, and louder again when I stuck a couple of fingers in her pussy, not giving her a moment's respite.

Jackie writhed, turning her head from side to side, arching her back as I kept up my relentless assault. She alternated between swearing and calling my name, and when she tightened her legs around my head I knew she was close. I flicked her clit again with my tongue and she came hard, crying and shuddering while I hung on for dear life, feeling her come all over my face.

"Fair's fair," she smirked, watching me wipe my own face dry. I lay down beside her, on my side, taking her face with both my hands. I gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead, then on her nose, then finally on her lips.

"I love you," she breathed, as I nipped at her neck. "Fuck, I love you."

"I love you so much, Jackie," I said, kissing her again. She laughed as I grew hard again, definitely feeling it.

"Do you want my ass?" she said, her eyes bright. My mind went blank for a moment.

"Um, yes. Yes please. I'd like that very much," I managed to say.

"I want you in me, Jack, I don't care where. Fuck my ass and don't hold back," she said, turning over so her stomach was on the bed, hugging one of my pillows to get comfortable. Her tight little ass was up in the air, and just the sight of it made me rock hard once more. I got behind her, running my hands over her ass, taking my time. I got some lube from a little bottle in my bedside drawer and applied a generous amount in and around her ass, making her yelp at the cold touch.

"How long have you had that bottle there?" she snarked, looking back over her shoulder at me as I slathered more lube on my cock.

"Day after I sprung you from Purgatory," I quipped, earning myself a backwards kick from Jackie. "Are you ready?"

"Been ready," she said, and let out a long, low moan as I thrust my cock into her gently as I could, taking it slow, feeling her peachy little ass slowly open itself up to take me in. She pounded the bed and hissed through gritted teeth. I immediately stopped, feeling concerned.

"Are you ok?"

"Don't...stop," she said. I reached down and caressed her tits with my free hand, while the other teased her clit. She screamed and bit into the pillow, and I felt her come again on my hand.

"Don't stop," she moaned. "Please. Don't stop."

I thrust in until I simply couldn't anymore, then slowly withdrew. Jackie kept making sounds of mingled pain and pleasure, and I kept up a slow and steady pace until I felt myself reaching my limit once more.

"I'm going to come," I said to Jackie, bending down close to her ear.

"Wherever you want," she babbled. "I don't care. Kiss me, you son of a bitch."

I did, then I withdrew from her completely. My cock pulsed again and I shot come over her back, ropes of it adding a splash of white to her tattoos. I collapsed onto the bed, as did Jackie.

"I love you, baby," I said, stroking her face. "I love you forever."

She smiled and circled her arms around my neck. "Do you love me or do you just love fucking me in the ass?"

I pretended to think for a minute. "Yeah, probably the second one," I said, mock-serious, and she thumped me.

"You haven't fulfilled your mission, soldier," she said breathily, prodding my nose. "You haven't come inside me tonight. You had two shots and you didn't hit the target."

"I do apologise, Corporal Nought," I said, cupping one of her small breasts. "I preferred to meet the target head on, as it were."

"John Kennedy Shepard, you will come inside my pussy and you will do it now," she said, throwing a leg over me and slowly grinding against me. Her pussy was wet again, no need for lube this time.

"I surrender," I said, kissing her breasts, feeling the shudder that ran through her body as I lightly bit on one perfect nipple. "I need some time for RnR."

"Then I'll start without you," she said, grinding against me even harder. "And I'll keep talking so dirty that you'll get hard again in no time."

"Try me."

"I want to fuck you in every room on The Normandy," she said, stroking my neck. "In the cockpit, helmsman's chair. Put Joker in the brig and fly the ship while I ride you, head thrown back, tits in your face."

"Now that's a great -"

"On the bridge," she said, not stopping. "Where you stand to look at the galactic map. I want to suck your cock and swallow your come while you plot our next course."

"Jackie, I -"

"Or down in the cargo bay," she said, grinding even more. "Rolling around on the floor. Getting filthy, covered in oil and engine grease, coming inside me, then fucking again in the shower afterwards."

"Jackie, how long have you been coming up with these ideas?"

"Ever since I stepped on board this ship," she said. She reached down, and lovingly fondled my cock as it slowly but surely grew hard once more.

"Tell me you want me, Jack."

"I want you."

She bit down on my collarbone, just hard enough to leave a bruise.

"Say it again, you son of a bitch. Tell me what you want."

"I want to fuck you till you scream."

"Good. I don't want you to ever stop wanting me," she said, lying back and spreading her legs while I got on top of her.

"I will always want you," I said, sliding into her. It was pure heaven to feel myself in her pussy, seeing the look on her face, seeing her bite her lip and close her eyes as I slid the entire length of my cock deep inside her.

Jackie wrapped her legs around my hips and her arms around my neck as I moved in and out of her, holding myself up with my arms. Occasionally I would bend down to kiss her, and she kissed me so hard I knew I would feel it the next day.

"I need you," she moaned, almost incoherently, her tits shaking every time I thrust into her. "I need you to love me. I need you to always love me."

"I love you," I said, making it a mantra, words to be written on my heart and soul. "I need you, I adore you. You and only you. Oh god, Jackie..."

She kissed me again, and screamed out loud as she came again, holding me so tight I thought I would pass out. I cried out as I came deep inside her, wanting it to never stop.

Our bodies were covered in more sweat than when we fought the geth. I gulped down some water from another bottle I kept beside the bed, and passed it to Jackie.

"Thanks, Jack, I needed that," she said, almost tenderly.

"Hydration is important."

"Not that, you dummy. The sex. The love. The trust. All of it."

I lovingly caressed her ass while bringing her left hand up to my lips, kissing my name inked around her ring finger.

"If you hadn't already said yes, I'd ask you to marry me again."

"Promise me we'll keep having mind-blowing sex after we're married," she said.

"I promise. Promise that you'll love, honour and obey me."

"I'm doing it now, aren't I?" said Jackie, arching an eyebrow. "Didn't use my biotics on Rannoch unless I absolutely had to."

"I know, and I'm grateful," I said, moving up my hand to play with her tits. "Promise me your tits will always look this good."

"You bastard..." she said, jumping on me.

Later, we were lying on the floor, naked as the day we were born. I was holding on to her hand tightly.

"You make me feel good," she said, breaking the silence.

"Mm?"

"About everything. I don't have to be afraid. I don't have to be scary. I don't have to play a part at all. I can just be who I am, and you'll love me for it."

I squeezed her hand a little tighter. "You make me feel exactly the same way."

A message chime made me raise my head a little.

"Captain?"

"Sam? What do you want?"

"The report, sir. Both Admiral Hackett and Prime Minister Serra would like to speak to you, rather quite urgently."

"Tell them I'm asleep."

"The Admiral gave me a direct order to bring you to the CIC room, sir, using physical force if necessary. He offered to draft both Vega and a couple of krogan. Anyway I saw Jackie go up to your cabin and I really don't want to walk in there right now."

"Fine, I'll be there."

I rolled over to look at Jackie. "Duty calls."

She made a noise of disapproval. "Don't go. Stay here with me."

I kissed her. "Nothing I want more. Tell you what, we'll have a night in. Just you and me. No work, no war, no crew."

"I'll take it," said Jackie. "Go on. You're the hero. You deserve to hear the applause."

"I would have never done it without you. We saved two peoples and stopped a war today, love. And we might be on our way to win another. We did something good. It's something to be proud of. And I am proud of you."

She didn't say anything, but the look of gratitude on her face was reward enough. I regretfully peeled myself off the floor and stood under the shower for a couple of minutes, before throwing on a fresh outfit. Time to check in with the bigwigs.

War Room

CIC

The Normandy

The resourceful Sam Traynor had found a way to broadcast not one but two tightbeam transmissions, so I could speak to both Hackett and Serra at the same time.

"General, it's wonderful to see you!" said the Prime Minister warmly. Inara Serra was wrapped in a bright pink shawl, and her dark waves of hair tumbled down her back, instead of being bound up. She looked fresh as a daisy. In contrast, Hackett in his usual dress blues looked as craggy and weathered as ever.

"You look tired, marine," rumbled Hackett. "Tough mission?"

Jackie had worn me out more than the geth and the Reaper, but Hackett didn't need to know that.

"Rough as hell sir, but we got it done. Sir, ma'am, I can confirm Specialist Traynor's report. The Migrant Fleet will join our war effort. The war between the quarians and the geth has ended. And the geth will also join our forces."

"A miracle," exulted Inara. Hackett let out a low whistle.

"You should have switched careers sooner," he said. "I send you to make contact with the quarians and not only did you get them to join us, you end their centuries-old war and bring the geth in to boot. You outdo yourself each time, son. Damn fine job you've done down there."

I tried not to blush. "Thank you sir. Couldn't have done it without my crew. And Tali'Zorah, who is now a part of that crew. And Legion's sacrifice."

"Their contributions will be honoured," said Inara. "When this war is over, their names will be in the history books."

"Thank you, Madam Prime Minister. Sir, both the quarians and the geth have volunteered to contribute to the Crucible Project."

"Can we trust them?"

"The quarians should be fully on board, sir. As for the geth, I made sure that the Reaper code was not uploaded to the rest of the species. They're not as intelligent as they could have been, but in time they may get there."

"You called them 'species'," noted Hackett.

"Yes sir. I've fought the geth. But I don't believe they're mere machines. Legion proved that to me."

"Very well General, we'll take all the help we can get. The PM will make arrangements for the quarians and geth to join up with us."

"Yes sir. But the bulk of the Migrant Fleet and the geth fleets are ready and willing to join the fight."

"Let me work on that," said Inara. "I'm scheduled to have a meeting with the rest of the Council. Bringing in the largest fleet in the galaxy gives us leverage. I make no promises, but I'm in a better position to finally bring the salarians and the asari on board."

"That would be just what we need, ma'am."

"And what you need is some recovery time," remarked Hackett. "I understand from the flash report that Lieutenant-Commander Williams, among others, were injured in action on Rannoch."

"Yes sir. They're not at a hundred per cent."

"Then I'm ordering The Normandy into dry dock on the Citadel for some much needed repairs. She's seen a lot of action and needs a little TLC. As does her crew. A small army of techs will take care of the details once you arrive, so get your crew out of there. You're all on shore leave for 72 hours once you reach the Citadel, and that's an order. We need everyone at their best."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir," I said.

"Oh, and Admiral Anderson asked me to pass on a message to you. He's still alive and fighting the Reapers somewhere in Montevideo."

"That's great!"

"And he wants to let you use his old apartment in the Wards. I hear it's a nice place."

"Thank you, sir."

"No, thank you, General. Your work gives us a chance. It keeps us in the fight. The day will come when we return to Earth, and everything you've done so far has been in service of that. Good job, and keep it up. Hackett out."

"I echo everything the Admiral said, Jack," said Inara, smiling. "My staff will be in touch with you when you reach the Citadel. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"You're very kind, Madam Prime Minister. We'll keep in touch."

"Wonderful. Take care, and I'll talk to you soon," she said, before ending her call.

I took a moment. Not everyday the top brass are full of praise for everything you've accomplished. And shore leave! Just what the doctor ordered. I decided to wander down and break the good news to the crew. And then we'd crack open a beer or two. Everything, for the moment, was peaceful.

Prime Minister Inara Serra

Acting Councillor of the Humanity Systems Alliance

Humanity Systems Alliance Council Office

The Citadel

Inara quietly read through a brief on the Asari Republics, sitting at her desk in her office. Outside her closed door, there was a tremendous racket. Her staff had been in an uproar the moment she informed them that Shepard had succeeded in his mission.

"Goddamn!" yelled Moira McIntyre, when she believed (wrongly) that the Prime Minister couldn't hear her. Inara had given her personal assistant a promotion to Principal Private Secretary when it was clear she was one of the most efficient members of her staff. "I don't know what's worse, dealing with the chaos when Shepard's around, or dealing with the chaos when he goes off into deep space and brings back more forces to throw at the Reapers."

A young man named Abdul, the PM's speechwriter, raised an eyebrow. "What are we going to do with the Flotilla? Not to mention the geth?"

"I heard some will join Hackett and the Fifth Fleet at the Crucible," said Xiaozhen, an assistant director of urban planning that like everyone else, had been seconded to the PM's Office.

"Surely they'd be more useful in the fight."

"Don't you worry your pretty little heads about this," said Moira. "The PM has it handled. You all have jobs to do. Get!"

Having restored some order to the chaos, Inara judged it was a good time to call Moira into her office. Two seconds later, she stood in front of her desk.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Have a seat. I'm going to bounce some ideas off you and walk you through what I foresee is going to happen."

"It would be a privilege, ma'am." As Acting Councillor representing humanity, Inara was entitled to use Udina's office, which she was faintly amused to note was somewhat bigger and more luxurious than her old office of Ambassador to the Citadel.

"First of all. Remind me again where our Navy forces are currently deployed."

"Um," said Moira, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. "Fleet Admiral Hackett and Fifth Fleet are with the Crucible, no one knows where. Sixth and Seventh Fleets under Admiral Blythe Parker-Prescott and Vice Admiral Kurt von Richthofen are in Turian Empire space, engaging Reaper forces. Third Fleet under Admiral Nitesh Singh is resupplying at a volus shipyard. And finally Eighth Fleet under Rear Admiral Moussa Nyobe is evacuating human colonies."

"Very good. So effectively, we have four fleets at our command."

"Yes ma'am, with Fifth Fleet unavailable, the Second destroyed at the Battle of Arcturus, and Fourth and First Fleet gone down fighting the Reapers during their advance on Earth."

"What do you think is the best way we can use our military strength?"

"I'm no soldier, ma'am."

"Neither am I, and yet I'm the de jure commander-in-chief. Let's hear your best guess."

"We can't take the Reapers head-on," said Moira slowly. "That's been clear since Arcturus. The best use of humanity's forces is in support of the other Council races."

"I think so too."

"So we should change tactics? Let the turians and the krogan know?"

"Let me put it another way," said Inara. "What do we need now, most of all?"

"Other than waving a magic wand and making the Reapers disappear? I'd say we need a united front. We need the salarians and the asari on board. They've been fighting piecemeal, but we'd be much more effective if we work together."

"Exactly. And how do we get them on board?"

Moira thought hard about it, but the easy answer failed her. "I don't know, ma'am."

"You give them a sign that we have momentum. An indication that we can fight the Reapers. You take back a planet."

"You don't think small, do you, ma'am?"

"Not if you're sitting in this chair."

"Palaven?"

"Not yet," said Inara. "I was thinking Digeris." She tapped a button and brought up a holographic image of the planet. It was a garden world amenable to dextro amino life, and the turians maintained a garrison and a few cities there. It had been attacked, like all other turian-held planets, but not in force.

"Is there a strategic reason?"

"There may be. But like I said, I'm thinking narratively. Digeris is famous for being the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Krogan Rebellions. It is a symbol of resistance. And according to our best intelligence reports, the Reapers have not committed a strong attack force to the system and planet. This is a fight we can win."

"Do we redirect a couple of fleets?"

"No, just one. Nitesh should be back at full strength soon. But wouldn't this be a marvellous first step for our new quarian and geth friends?"

"You'd involve the geth, ma'am?"

"Most of the galaxy still see them as the enemy. They suspect that they're in league with the Reapers. And they were. But if we get the geth to fight alongside the quarian to liberate a turian planet? That'd be worth a year's worth of campaign ads."

"It'll be hard to convince the turians and the krogan of the merits of a propaganda victory," said Moira.

"That's my next task, but I appreciate the feedback," said Inara. "Thank you for helping me."

"Anything you need, ma'am. Is there anything else?"

"Nothing for now. Please have a draft of the communique announcing our formal alliance with the Migrant Fleet and the geth ready to go when I need it."

"Certainly, ma'am."

Inara could hear her yelling Abdul's name the instant she left the office. They had a lot of work to do, but Shepard had done his job. It was their turn to do theirs.

Council Chamber

The Citadel

Inara took a sip from her customary cup of tea, savouring the moment of peace. It had taken some time, but she felt like she had established a good working relationship with the rest of the galaxy's power brokers. She ran over the briefing notes her staff had prepared over in her mind.

Councillor Valern, representative of the Salarian Union. Heavily influenced by Dalatrass Linron, who has enmity with General Shepard over the genophage cure, and therefore, the HSA. But Shepard personally saved his life during Cerberus's attack on the Citadel, which might make him more sympathetic to my requests.

Councillor Sparatus, representative of the Turian Empire and its Hierarchy. An arrogant and abrasive son of a bitch, but with a sense of duty and honour. Hurting terribly since the devastation on Palaven, but tries to hide it. And can't quite him for being annoying when my predecessor was none other than Donnel Udina.

Councillor Tevos, representative of the Asari Republics. Outwardly the most polite, but also the most guarded. Has the salarians more or less in her pocket. The turians take their cue from her more often than not. The asari have not been hit as hard by the Reapers as the others, but that's changing.

They usually had an endless parade of horror and death to recount every time they met. Another tale of a planet lost, soldiers sacrificed, more lives lost to the darkness. But for once, she had some good news to impart.

"Let's get started, your excellencies," said Valern. "Councillor Serra? I believe you applied to speak first today."

"I did indeed. I'd like to confirm something you've no doubt already heard. Thanks to the valiant efforts of General John Shepard, the conflict between the quarians and the geth has been defused. What's better, both the quarians and the geth have agreed to join the war effort against the Reapers."

"Both of them?" spluttered Sparatus. The others would never be so indiscreet, but then again, Sparatus was a former military man before he turned politician.

"Yes," said Inara. "They are ready and willing to fight."

"How can we trust the geth? Won't the Reapers have influence over them?" asked Tevos.

"We have the mission report of Shepard's activities on Rannoch, and I'm willing to share them for your perusal. I think it'll go a long way towards convincing you that the geth are willing allies. Besides that, your excellencies, the quarians trust the geth now. They were bitter enemies, and now they are working together. That should be enough to convince you. And speaking frankly, we'll need every gun we can get."

Two out of three convinced.

"I'm not sure if we can take the chance," said Tevos. But Inara didn't mind her intransigence. That gave her the opening she needed.

"Councillors, I have a proposal to lay before you." Quickly and efficiently, she laid out her plan for Digeris.

"Digeris," mused Sparatus, and Inara knew immediately that she had him. No turian alive could resist the patriotic allure of Digeris's story.

"We can't commit our forces to this operation," said Tevos. "The Reapers are encroaching further and further into asari territory."

"Regrettably, we are in the same position," said Sparatus.

"I understand, Councillors. And I understand that without the formal military alliance, we can't expect the involvement of the salarians. Let this be a human-quarian-geth enterprise, coming to the aid of the turian garrison. Once the geth have proven their worthiness in battle, we can expand their involvement in the rest of the war effort."

There was no real opposition to what she was asking for. Win-win situation for Tevos. Either it succeeded, or the geth are proven unreliable and they had clarity. No real commitment necessary for Valern. Another win-win for Sparatus. Digeris could be freed, but even if it wasn't, there was no loss to turian forces. Although Sparatus already seemed positively giddy at the thought of geth troopers shooting at the Reapers.

"Councillor, if I may," said Valern. "Circumstances have clearly changed since the last time we gathered. The Salarian Union has concluded that unity is necessary for us to survive the Reaper onslaught. We don't have much in the way of military might, but the Salarian Expeditionary Fleet is ready to link up with the rest of the Council forces. And of course, our best intelligence agents will work in full tandem with the Council on Reaper movements and threat projections."

If she hadn't been better trained, Inara's jaw would have dropped. She dared not look at Tevos. "Why Valern, I can't say this isn't a huge surprise. I'm delighted with the commitment of the salarians."

"It was the only logical path forward," said Valern. "The Union is already working with the HSA on the important project that may spell defeat for the Reapers. Our top scientific minds have been cooperating with your team at the Crucible, and their reports have been most satisfactory. But we can do more, and we will. Our people stand ready to fight."

"We will make arrangements as quickly as we can," said Inara. This was beyond her wildest hopes. Shepard's diplomatic miracle in pulling the quarians and the geth together was just the final weight she needed to tip the scales. Valern's surprise declaration was perhaps the first time in her experience that the salarians had acted without the asari taking the lead.

"Will the Migrant Fleet be willing to take orders from the humans, if necessary?" asked Sparatus.

"Not to put too fine a point on it, but Shepard helped them get their planet back. They owe us a few favours."

"I look forward to reading that mission report of yours," said Sparatus. "Perhaps I underestimated Shepard's spirit."

Tevos had not spoken at all since Inara's proposal. How bad is the situation in asari space, really?

But with the salarians formally on their side, it wouldn't be long before the asari, the most advanced Council race, would join them in a formal military alliance as well. Another Prime Minister, back on Earth, once had to win over allies with little but charm and force of character.

In the words of Sir Winston Churchill, "No lover ever did study the whims of his mistress most assiduously, as did I those of Franklin Delano Roosevelt." The British had fought hard, and at one point, stood alone against the Nazi menace. But with Dunkirk as a turning point, they had rallied, and gathered more and more allies until the attack on Pearl Harbor fully committed the Americans to war. Until the asari decided they were all in, until then, she would keep up her courtship.

"Let's move on to other matters," Valern suggested, and the rest assented. But not before Inara sent a message to her staff.

Moira McIntyre

Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister

Humanity Systems Alliance Council Office

"What the fuck? Now the salarians are on board?"

"Where did you read this? It's not on any of the extranet sites."

"It's a message direct from the PM, you idiot! I installed a secret file onto all of your computers marked Operation: Little Grey Men. Find it! Open it! Read it! Then get to work, now!"

"You shouted less when you were her PA instead of her PPS."

"That's because we have a hell of a lot more to do! Now get moving!"

Miranda Lawson

Ex-Cerberus Operative

Ex-Executive Officer of The Normandy

Watson

Miranda Lawson sipped from her tumbler of gin and tonic, savouring every drop. She took a minute to think about the amount of labour and resources that went into putting her drink together. The ingredients needed to make gin were not naturally available on the garden world of Watson, they had to be imported. That was a dicey proposition at the best of times. During this all-out war, it was practically impossible. Her drink cost her as much as a landspeeder would have back on Earth.

Elegant background music tinkled, the lights were turned down low. Even during a war, certain luxuries could still be procured for those with the ways and means to look for them. Watson was once known for stubbornness. Various nations of Earth bickered over who would get to colonise it. The bar she was in was located in what used to be French Republic territory. The Humanity Systems Alliance then came along and smoothed everything out, but she still liked the atmosphere. Of course, the fact that she spoke excellent French helped.

Ever since she parted ways with Jack Shepard on the Citadel, Miranda had been on a one-woman crusade to find her sister. She knew her father was behind her sister's mysterious disappearance. And she knew that her father was working on something for the Illusive Man. Even when pulling together everything she could from her Cerberus contacts, it wasn't enough. Her father was certainly rich enough to cover up his tracks.

But no matter how rich he was, he couldn't completely keep out the full weight and reach of the Humanity Systems Alliance. When Shepard authorised her access to Alliance intelligence reports, she finally had enough to work with.

It had been weeks, months of solid work before access to Alliance archives changed everything. She had offered favours and cashed in those owed to her. She had paid for scraps of information. Once in a seedy dive in Omega, she had to fight her way out. And on another backwards moon even worse than Omega, she had kept someone tied up in a windowless room while she tortured every last bit of useful information out of him before she slit his throat and tossed his corpse into a waste disposal unit. She did it and felt zero guilt doing so. She would do everything she could to find her sister.

It all came down to this. A meeting with a contact in a bar. It was like something out of a spy novel, the kind that she disdained reading. She much preferred non-fiction. But she had prepared for the meeting like the top-notch operative she was. Even in the beautiful midnight blue dress she was wearing that left nothing to the imagination, she was harbouring four separate weapons that could kill a man in close quarters. Whatever it took to help her find Oriana.

A man walked into the bar, and Miranda marked him immediately. It was something about the way he darted his eyes around, the way he carried himself. He was dressed in a nice suit, but it looked rumpled. He looked harried, as if there were hounds nipping at his heels.

He spotted Miranda and sat down at her table.

"Are you Miss Hale?"

"Yes."

He puffed out his cheeks. "Look, no one knows I'm here."

You shouldn't have told me that. If I have to, I'll make you disappear.

He continued. "I have the information you need. And I can make a pretty good guess as to who you really are."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"What I'm trying to say is that I made mistakes, Miss Hale. I'm not a good person. I never personally turned people over to Cerberus, but I took the money and looked the other way. I know now what's going on, and I wish to God I didn't."

Miranda willed her hands to stay still. For half a credit she would have killed him then and there. He knew what Cerberus was doing, and did nothing to stop it. But then she realised something. Wasn't she as bad as he was, once? She was kept away from most of the really evil stuff, but she still refused to believe the evidence of her own eyes and ears as it kept piling up, demonstrating that the Illusive Man really was a crazed, murderous thug. It took Shepard and a Collector Base and an embryonic Human Reaper to make her finally see the light.

Her experiences working for Cerberus flashed before her eyes. All the work she had put in to further the Illusive Man's experiments. Passionately defending the Cerberus cause to anyone who challenged her. It was all for nought. She was in no position to look down on this man.

So instead of killing him, or paying him money, or dragging the information out of him, Miranda did something she had yet to do during this investigation of hers. She listened.

He practically told her his entire life story. How he worked his way up to a comfortable position in the administration, here on Watson. How months before the Reapers attacked, Cerberus had gotten in touch about suitable candidates for their tests. He tried to set limits. Only violent criminals would be handed over to Cerberus, and on a hotbed like Watson, there were plenty of them. But he couldn't quite get rid of what remained of his conscience, the part of him that reminded him that he was essentially selling people into slavery, or worse.

With the money Cerberus paid him, he had enough to send his daughter to Earth and secure a research position at the prestigious University of Sarajevo. At least he could tell himself that it was all for his daughter, and her children. His grandkids. Then the Reapers hit, and he hadn't heard from them since.

He was a broken man, days away from suicide if she was any judge, and was desperately looking for atonement.

"I know what it's like," she said quietly. "To look the other way. To tell yourself it was all for the greater good."

His eyes brimmed with tears, and he quickly wiped them away. She didn't need to be an expert to read his body language, even though of course she was one. Coldly, she noted that he was coming around to the idea that he was not alone in his monstrous crimes.

"It changed, you see," said the man. "At first, they wanted people who wouldn't be missed. Then after the Reapers, this new thing popped up. A sanctuary, I suppose. A safe haven from the Reapers. It was everywhere. And I got curious enough to do a little digging, and I realised that it was connected to the same people who were interested in the criminals here on Watson."

Miranda tapped her fingers on the table, once. She had her suspicions, but this man had just confirmed them.

"Horizon," he said, spelling it out. "All the desperate people were fleeing to Horizon. And I don't have any real proof, but I've heard rumours that it's funded by Henry Lawson. You know, that big supporter of the Illusive Man."

"I've heard of Lawson," she said. She had what she came for. It was time to leave. She transferred the credits he asked for, although she suspected this was just a pretext for him to speak to her.

"Wait, before you go," he said. "Do you...would you by any chance know what Cerberus was up to, with those people they took? What did they do to them?"

Miranda considered. She could tell him the truth. The people this man had handed over to Cerberus likely died in agony as the Illusive Man's operatives performed sickening experiments on them. Death was the kindest fate they could expect. If what she suspected was true, and the Illusive Man was experimenting with Reaper tech, it could be even worse. Some semblance of a mind remained within a husk that was more or less a shambling zombie, unable to do anything but scream voicelessly as its body obeyed the will of the Reapers.

"Colonist work, most likely," she said at last. "Hard labour down in the mines, putting together prefab shelters on outposts, or manufacturing armour and weapons for the troopers. Takes a lot to keep Cerberus running, and there aren't enough mechs that can do precise work."

He nodded, a look of relief settling over his haunted features. Maybe her lie would give him some comfort as he lay awake at night. Maybe it would stop him from putting a gun to his head and pulling a trigger. Those who knew her would have been surprised at her show of mercy. But there was enough death to gorge on. All she could do was to help save the ones that remained.

Miranda called a waiter over, paid her tab, and added something else.

"Another gin and tonic please, for this gentleman. I must be off."

He thanked her, and she left him there, sipping on a drink that by now probably cost as much as he once pocketed for sending a human being into the clutches of Cerberus.

Miranda walked away from the bar, her mind already working on the next step. A certain former captain she once served under would have immediately gone charging in to rescue Oriana. But she needed to be smart about this. Henry knew that she was coming, and he would definitely have everyone in the colony on high alert, looking out for her. Going in alone was suicide. She needed to find out everything she could about this Sanctuary and come up with a plan. Then when the time was right, she could call on the help of an Alliance General and his hell-raising crew.

And finally lay her ghosts to rest.