A/N: Soooo, I know that the last update was like 6 years ago xD But I found this unfinished chapter on my computer, and I decided to finish and publish it. Not sure if there will be more (maybe in another 6 years xD), so know that this chapter ties in with the call Miranda gave to Shep after the Coup attempt.

Finishing the Mass Relay jump, Miranda found herself in Salarian space.

"Unidentified vessel, state your name and purpose." Came the fast-paced Salarian voice through the broadcast.

"My name is Miranda Lawson and I am professor Solus's informant." She said the only thing that would at least give the Salarians pause before they proceeded to arrest her, since she knew it was a matter of minutes before they figured out who she really was, so lying was pointless. She didn't exactly keep a low profile while working for The Illusive Man. "I have valuable information for him."

"You can give us the information and we will make sure he gets it."

"I am sorry, but this is for professor's eyes and ears only. It's urgent he gets it as soon as possible." Miranda was adamant in her intention to meet with Mordin.

There was a pause, as Miranda waited for them to respond. Few minutes later, came Salarians response "We are sorry Miss Lawson, but professor is unavailable at the moment. He is on a priority mission with Commander Shepard."

Miranda sighed. "Then I shall leave your space immediately."

"We can't let you do that. You must come with us to our outpost for questioning." Miranda didn't have time to explain how she knew where Mordin was stationed after his time on the Normandy, and she presumed there was a warrant for her arrest.

"Negative. I must find professor Solus ASAP" She changed her course back towards the Mass Relay.

Salarians were armed and ready to fire the moment she refused to come with them. "If you don't turn around and let an STG team board your ship, we will open fire!"

Miranda cut the communications with the Salarians. "That's a no-go Captain." She murmured to herself, as she prepared the EMP pulse. EMP wouldn't harm the Salarian ship in the long run, but would cripple them long enough for her to run away through the Mass Relay.

Salarians were gaining on her, and when they got close enough, she fired the EMP. Everything in sight around her failed, leaving her ship the only one operational.

Just as she reached the Mass Relay, Salarians got the systems back online, but before they could do anything, she was gone.

00000000000000000

(an hour later)

Thank God for the Alliance protocols. Contacting Hannah Shepard and asking about Normandy's mission saved me some valuable time I would have otherwise spent tracking them down myself, Miranda thought as she read the message she just got from the older Shepard. She set her course to the Krogan DMZ, since her communicator isn't as strong as the one she was used to aboard the Normandy.

When she was in the System, she opened a secured channel to Mordin's old lab. Unfortunately, nothing can escape EDI. Luckily, Miranda was prepared for that.

"Miss Lawson, what can I do for you?" asked the AI.

"First and foremost, don't tell anyone about this call EDI. Shepard's mission may depend on it." Miranda said urgently, stressing out how much is at stake.

"But Miss Lawson…"

"No "but's" EDI. If you don't do as I say, you could doom the entire Universe."

There was a silence as EDI was contemplating Miranda's words.

"Alright. What can I do for you?" The AI finally said.

Miranda sighed in relief, "You can patch me through to Mordin, but no one else can know about that."

Few seconds later, the comm channel was open.

"Mordin, this is Miranda. I need your contacts in STG." She said before the Salarian could react.

"Certainly. Will see what can be done. What, exactly, needs to be done?" Mordin asked a little confused.

"I need all data Salarians have on Cerberus."

"Ah. Taking down your former employer? Good. The Illusive Man needs to be stopped. Will forward all data I can get. Just tell me where." It was obvious to Miranda that the Salarian approved of her mission, and she knew he would help her as much as he could.

"Thank you." Miranda said, forwarding the data the professor asked for, "I have here some data about a bomb on Tuchanka, which Cerberus found out about a while ago." She sent the scarce data she found on her last raid, before adding, "Oh, and Mordin, one more thing. Please don't tell Shepard about this conversation. We can't distract her from whatever you are doing right now."

"Of course. Will delete all logs right away." Mordin said, as he closed the connection.

00000000000000000000

(few hours later)

Miranda was on her way towards the last Cerberus base that she knew about, when she received the data Mordin promised.

Oh, wow, that's a lot of information. I need to sort through it, and remove everything I already know about. But first, let's close another Cerberus operation.

She lowered her ship few kilometers away from the base, since even with stealth systems, she could be detected if anyone looked outside, as Joker would say.

Readying her heavily modded Eagle pistols, courtesy of Shepard, and a Locust submachine gun, courtesy of Kasumi, she added few energy bars into her new leg-pouch.

Last time she raided the Cerberus base, lack of energy from using too much biotics almost got her killed, so now she was ready even for that.

Exiting the ship, she found herself surrounded by trees and other flora, with sounds of various animals all around her.

Better not to use guns here, don't want to draw attention to myself even before I reach the base, she thought, readying her biotics for anything that might lurk between the foliage, as she proceeded towards the base.

Just as she lost the sight of the ship, she heard some rustling of leaves nearby. She stopped, listening carefully, and a few seconds later, a pyjak jumped from a tree on her left, startling her a little. She sighed, silently reprimanding herself for the lack of discipline as she continued onward.

She checked her omnitool for directions and saw that she was nearing the compound.

She was about to turn off her omnitool map, but she hesitated for a moment. Going on a hunch, something she learned from Joker, she switched the thermal scanning of the area on.

Damn it!

She was surrounded by a pack of varren, judging by the heat signatures.

At least they can't catch me by surprise now, she thought wryly.

She scanned her surroundings, looking for anything that might make it easier for her to dispose of the beasts, without drawing the attention from the troops in the base.

Nothing! Checking her omnitool again, she saw that they were now in much smaller circle around her. Probably just out of her sight.

Calming her racing heart, she closed her eyes, as she waited for them to make a first move, since there was nothing she could do, other than start shooting from Locust, which wasn't an option.

She didn't have to wait long.

First varren jumped out from the bushes right behind her.

Thank you Samara, for your shared meditation seasons, she thought as she whirled around, striking the beast with her biotics. She sent it flying into the nearest tree, and when it hit, the varren didn't move again.

But no rest for the wicked, as Shepard would say.

Two more varrens dashed at her, one from left and other from right. She waited until the last second before dodging them both, making them collide with each other, but with more force than normally, since she 'helped' them with her biotics, rendering them unconscious.

She didn't have time to get up from her crouching position, when all other varrens howled and dashed at her at the same time.

Damn it! Too much for me to take them with my biotics!

But just as she was about to take out her Eagles, rapid fire rang out from all around her.

Miranda raised her barrier, but it seemed that none of the shots were aimed at her. Rather, the newcomers were killing varren.

Doesn't mean they are friendly.

She had her guard up, barrier, and pistols ready and aimed towards the place where the shots were coming from.

The gunfire stopped, and a lone figure, with its assault rifle aimed to the ground, came into the light.

"Miranda! Are you OK?" Came a worried voice of an old friend.

"Jacob? What are you doing here?" Miranda asked confused, since none of her reports mentioned that Jacob Taylor was stationed at this base.

"Judging by your approach, probably the same thing you are."

She wasn't surprised that he defected from Cerberus, since she knew he was influenced by Shepard, just like she was, maybe even more, since Jacob was ex-Alliance.

But she was a little surprised by his company. There were quite a few familiar faces in the party Jacob was leading, people that worked under her on one project or another.

Jacob saw her curious gaze, and could probably guess what she was thinking, after the years they spent together. "We can catch up later. Now we need to coordinate and sync in our plans."

Miranda nodded "I'm here only to collect information and if possible, to destroy this base."

"Any particular information you are looking for?"

"Yes. But anything else is just a bonus." She wasn't about to reveal her cards in front of a bunch of people she didn't trust, and it seemed that Jacob understood that.

"Fair enough. We have some people inside, and we came just to extract them."

"So, how did you plan on doing that? Quietly, or with a bang?"

"'With a bang'? Damn Miranda, I never thought I'd hear you saying that!" Jacob chuckled, while Miranda rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well, I blame Shepard and her bloody influence."

"Heh, I know what you mean." Shaking his head from memories, he came back in full operative mode "Anyway, this is what we planned..."

000000000000000000000.

"Team Hawk, do you copy?"

"This is team Hawk, we are in position."

"Team Warden?"

"Team Warden ready and on standby."

"Team Dragon is in position. Let's go people."

"Roger that."

"Roger. Team Hawk is going in."

Miranda rolled her eyes at the comm-exchange. Seriously, who came up with these names?

She was leading the infiltration team, or 'Team Hawk', towards the main control room, for information gathering.

Jacob was leading the extraction team, or 'Team Warden'. Their mission was to extract the scientist that wanted to quit Cerberus.

Distraction team, or 'Team Dragon', was led by a mercenary Jacob hired for this mission. They had to make ruckus on the far side of the compound and hold their line until both other teams declared that they have cleared the perimeter.

Because Miranda didn't trust mercenaries, she advised Jacob to put some of his people in that team, so that if they decide to flee with half of their bounty, they would still have some warning and backup from their own operatives.

Her team consisted of herself, tech expert Tallisa Downey, and a phantom Marco Rankovic, both whom she worked with before, and knew their capabilities.

They developed a comfortable rhythm soon enough, with Marco going forward and silently disposing of any Cerberus personnel he came across, Miranda looking for the safest path on her omnitool map of the compound, with little to no operatives, and with Tallisa working on disabling the locks, traps and defense mechanisms.

They reached the control center without much difficulty, and Miranda and Tallisa started hacking the compound database, while Marco stood watch at the entrance.

"Hawke, this is Warden, do you copy?" Jacobs's voice breached the silence, and the sounds of gunfire made all three of them vary.

"Go ahead Warden." Miranda said quietly, stopping what she was doing, but motioning for other two to continue with their tasks.

"We have been betrayed." Her first thought was that Jacob was referring to the Dragon team, but he immediately continued, dispersing her doubts "It was an inside job. They knew we were coming and where exactly. Whole Dragon team is dead."

"Do you need assistance?"

"Affirmative! We need you to flank them and take some heat from us, so we can retreat with the scientists we managed to find."

"Damn it!" Miranda cursed aloud, but off comm, making Tallisa and Marco exchange uneasy looks.

I came too far, just to quit now. I need this information! But I can't leave Jacob and his team to die.

She pondered what to do for a few moments, before switching the comm on "Alright. Downey and Rankovic are coming your way now, and I will join them as soon as I get the data."

There was a few seconds pause "Alright. That will have to do."

I'm sorry Jacob, but I didn't come here to rescue your scientists, Miranda thought with regret.

She turned to face the two operatives that were waiting for further orders "Alright, you two go take some heat off of Jacobs's team, and I will be there soon to help."

Tallisa looked at her doubtfully, since she saw how much code they had to crack before they even got to the data they needed, but Marco nodded and was out of the door in the next moment, so Tallisa had to follow him.

Alright, let's see if I can do this and save Jacobs ass at the same time.

Miranda had to use every scrape of her superior intellect plus everything she learned while watching Tali work aboard the Normandy just to breach the firewalls that would give even EDI the pause. Not a very long pause, but a pause nonetheless.

She kept glancing at the door, hoping that everyone is at Jacobs's location, so no one would disturb her.

Just as she breached the last firewall, there was a blood-chilling scream coming from the hallway, soon followed by the panicked voices.

"... shee breached the confines! Run!"

Who breached the confines? Miranda wondered, as she was waiting for download to finish.

The screams were getting louder, and she could hear the gunshots too, now. It seemed that several turrets were deployed. Whoever was coming must be a formidable enemy.

She was halfway through the download when the screams intensified. Those are the soldiers outside. What in bloody hell are they fighting against?

Her answer came when the door burst open, and a powerful wave of biotic energy washed over her, making her cover her eyes with her arms.

When she lowered her arms, she saw an Asari standing at the doorway, looking at her.

Just, it wasn't an Asari. Not really. The… thing was so deformed, resembling the husks she fought while serving on the Normandy, more than Asari.

"Oh my God." There was no time for her to finish the download. If this one creature could kill dozens of Cerberus troopers, she had to get away from it, and fast.

Before she could move, the Asari-husk threw some kind of modified Warp towards her. Not knowing if her barrier can take that hit, and not willing to take a risk, Miranda ducked behind the console she was using for download.

She could feel the vibrations as the Warp collided with the console, short-circuiting it and interrupting her download.

The Asari-husk screamed, chilling Miranda's blood, and just as she was about to do counter-attack, the creature appeared right next to her, startling the ex-Cerberus operative.

Miranda vaulted over the destroyed console, just as the creature reached for her, barely missing her. She dashed towards the exit, while emptying the clip of her Locust over her shoulder.

The Asari-husk seemed to be unphased by her attack, as she slowly walked towards her, apparently collecting the biotic energy.

As she reached the door, she saw that one turret was still operational, and it was aiming right at her.

"You've got to be kidding me!" She cursed under her breath as she dove for the cover. She waited until the turret stopped firing, then Overloaded its shields, and Warped its muzzle. Next time the turret starts shooting, it will blow itself up. But Miranda wasn't sticking around to see that, since the Asari-husk was still targeting her.

"Jacob, do you hear me?"

"Miranda! Where are you? We need to go now!"

"I'm on my way towards you. I just saw…" She paused, wondering how to explain the new enemy she encountered, to Jacob "It's an Asari husk."

"WHAT?! Are you alright?" Miranda could just imagine Jacob's worried face right now.

"Yes, I think I lost it. It doesn't seem very fast."

"No! Whatever you do, don't stop until you reach us! She can teleport on shorter distances. One moment she can be around the corner and the next, right on top of you."

"I understand. I should reach you shortly. What can I expect?"

"One Atlas, three centurions, six guardians, a turret and an engineer, 3 nemesis and a dozen or so of regular troopers."

Miranda contemplated that information, just as she reached the corner from where all the gunshots were coming. There was no way she could pass unnoticed over to Jacobs's position.

A scream interrupted her thoughts. Damn it, she is closing in on me. Wait a second… It seems like the Cerberus troopers didn't hear the Asari-husk's screams. Maybe…

She sneaked right behind the Atlas, which was too busy deploying a rocket onto Jacobs's position to notice her. Come on…

Right on cue, the creature materialized few meters behind the Atlas and when it screamed, Miranda used the opportunity to dash through the enemy lines. She could hear a centurion screaming "Banshee!" which made Atlas and half of the troopers turn their attention to the creature, while the rest were now trying to prevent Jacobs forces from gaining upper hand.

Still undetected behind the enemy lines, Miranda managed to approach each nemesis and snap their necks, taking the worst heat off of her allies.

When Jacob saw her, he signalized retreat to his troops, using the confusion that Banshee created. Few moments later, Miranda joined him, covering the retreat of the scientists.

"Are you alright?" Jacob asked her, worriedly.

She shrugged off his concerns, "I'm fine. We will talk later, now let's just get out of this hell hole, so we can blow it, before that thing escapes."

Jacob just nodded, as he stopped firing, since none of the Cerberus troopers was paying attention to them. He and Miranda were the last ones to board the Hammerhead that was waiting for them just outside the compound.

Everyone was quiet in the Hammerhead, since they knew they weren't safe just yet.

They soon reached Miranda's ship, where she separated from them, but not before Jacob made her promise she won't just disappear when she boards it.

As soon as Miranda was out of the vehicle, the Hammerhead sped towards Jacobs shuttle, which was hidden few kilometers away from Miranda's ship.

"We are clear, Miranda. Blow it up."

"With pleasure." Miranda muttered off comm as she activated the bomb Jacobs's team planted.

"Do you need any help in locating the traitor?" She asked Jacob over the comm.

"I think I have it under control for now. I will conduct a quiet investigation, while pretending to think that the traitor died when the base exploded." Jacob said. "Did you get everything you needed?"

"No, but it will have to be enough."

"Listen, I don't know if you heard, but there was a coup attempt at the Citadel, and Shepard was right in the middle of it."

"What?! Is she alright?" Miranda asked, concern evident in her voice.

"She is fine, they managed to stop Udina before he seized control."

"That slime ball Udina, of course he would attempt to seize power right in the middle of a war for survival of the whole galaxy." Miranda was pissed now. "Thank you for telling me this Jacob."

"No problem. Good luck out there."

"Good luck to you too." She closed the channel and hesitated. Should I go to the Citadel? Can I risk it? Jacob said she was fine. No, I have to find Ori, Shepard can take care of herself. Maybe I should just give her a call, just to make sure…

Explosion rocked her ship and brought her attention to her current situation. Now what?

Checking the telemetry, she saw 2 ships approaching, weapons aimed at her.

Assassins. I have to get away from here.

The trick she used on Salarians wouldn't work here, since there are no Mass Relays nearby, and the EMP generator wasn't fully charged.

Time for some acting.

"Hold your fire! This is Miranda Lawson speaking, and I surrender!" She yelled on all frequencies. Lets just hope that this works.

"Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded." Came answer from one ship.

"Stand down! She is mine." The other ship pitched in. This one looked Asari.

"Oh yeah? And where does it says so?" The pilot of the first ship sounded like a Batarian, though his ship configuration was unknown to Miranda.

"If you do not stand down immediately, I will open fire, and then take the bounty." That's it Asari, don't let him take me, Miranda thought with a smirk.

"Lowering my shields!" Miranda called on the comm.

"Stand down!"

"You stand down! I won't let you take her!"

Batarian ship opened fire on the Asari, but couldn't penetrate her shields. The Asari turned from Miranda towards the Batarian, and poured all she had at him, destroying his shields, though his hull plating withstood the attack.

Miranda raised her shields and attacked the Asari ship, just as the Batarian returned the fire, and with their combined forces they managed to destroy her shields and cripple her ship.

Just as Miranda and Batarian turned towards each other, there came another blast that destroyed his ship.

"Right on time Jacob." Miranda said with a smirk.

"You were lucky we were still in comms range" came the answer through the comms.

"I could have handled them by myself, but it never hurts to have a backup."

"Right." She could hear the smirk in his voice. "What should we do with the other ship?" Jacob asked.

"Leave her to me, I need to have a chat with our friend." Miranda said icily "Thank you for your help."

"Any time Miranda", said Jacob before closing the comm and going back on his way.

Miranda then turned her attention to the Asari ship. The readings showed that propulsion and weapons were offline, but life support was still working.

She tried hailing the Asari, but got no response.

Miranda decided to board the ship and try to capture the Asari.

She brought her ship closer, grabbed her gear and put on her space suit, just in case, before connecting the ships and opening the hatch.

She managed to open the other hatch by hacking it. Readying her Eagle and biotics, she carefully stepped inside.

Lights were flickering, and some consoles were letting out sparks, but everything else seemed normal. She made her way to the cockpit, carefully opened the door, fully expecting bullets or maybe a Shockwave to come crashing through the opening, but there was nothing. She peeked inside and on the first glance saw that Asari was sitting in her chair, but not moving.

She carefully entered the cockpit "Turn around carefully, and keep your hands where I can see them".

No response.

She moved closer and closer to the chair, and when she was in reach, slowly turned it around.

The Asari was dead.

The console in front of her exploded and fried her front side completely.

Since she was in a space suit with her helmet on, Miranda didn't feel the stench of the charred flesh, that would have been a dead giveaway of her would-be-assassins fate.

Damn it! Now I cannot question her. Maybe I can salvage some information from her ship's computer, to find out just how much of a threat I am facing and if my father sent them, or the Illusive man. Or maybe both.

After downloading all she could to her omnitool, Miranda placed some charges around the Asaris core, before returning to her ship.

She moved to a safe distance and detonated the charge.

Now to find a safe place where I can go through all this data I gathered, and from where I can call Sheppard.