"Medulla, good news. You have the next few weeks off, unless something comes up." Miranda informs.

I look up at Earth.

"...I THINK I KNOW HOW I'M GOING TO SPEND IT...SAY, MIRANDA. WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR?"

"My sister, Oriana. I rescued her from my father, and now...I make sure she stays safe."

"I SEE. THANKS. THAT HELPS ME GET A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE."

"...Having a midlife crisis again?"

"...SOMETHING LIKE THAT."

I actually don't spend as much time on Earth as I thought I was going to. It was a completely different planet than what I remember.

Instead, I spend time putting a plan together.

It's becoming more and more obvious I can't trust Cerberus.

Miranda, maybe. but not Cerberus.

But, if I continue to fight for the galaxy, I will need intel, transportation, tech, maintenance, support… all things I will lose if I ditch Cerberus.

And it's not like I can create those things from scratch...or can I?

My few weeks are up, and I have laid the groundwork. My next mission is to support Shepard at a planet called Virmire.

I almost arrive too late.

I drop in from orbit directly onto Op Chief William's position, just in time to put all of my armament to good use and blow away a veritable horde of Geth that was about to overwhelm Ashley. I deploy my mag clamps, and prepare to hold the line.

"Miranda, I'm afraid we need to have a talk." The Illusive Man spoke.

"About what?"

"Medulla. We have received reports that he's not as… loyal as he used to be. Large purchases of computer equipment, stocks in ship manufacturers and weapons companies… he's gearing up for something."

"He's always shown initiative in such things. He bought and turned over Exogeni to us, for crying out loud!"

"And where did he get the funds to do that? He has a second supporter, that much is obvious."

"...He's no traitor. He's merely trying to help. Most of those purchases were for the Exogeni company. He even arranged for a new Board of Directors to run things."

"I hope you're right. but monitor him even more closely. And if he is a traitor… Dr. Josef made sure there's a ...failsafe. Don't hesitate to use it."

I overhear something about a bomb, and fly Ashley to the Normandy before it goes off, freeing the squad to save Alenko.

Miranda was watching the screen in horror.

Medulla was going to get captured. He landed right on an Alliance warship, with no way to escape. He trusted them… but he shouldn't. They were going to rip all of the intel he had about Cerberus out from his backup drives. Then they were going to rip him apart, to figure out how he worked.

There was only one way to prevent that.

The failsafe.

"I'm sorry, Medulla."

I stare intently at the Salarian ship's reactor. It's not every day you get to see a nuke go off, after all.

Right after the flash, there's nothing but black.

Shepard was insanely grateful for the Mech's help. Without Medulla, he would have lost a crewmate today. Just as he was walking over to give his gratitude, the mech started smoking, and then fell over, with no attempt to stabilize itself.

"Shit! Tali! Adams! Get over here, now! Joker, get on the line with Hackett! I think we're going to need Alliance R&D over here!"

Deed done, Miranda got up from her console, and walked, stone faced, to her quarters. Once there, she dove onter her bed and began sobbing into the pillow.

"I'm sorry, Commander, but I can't make sense of these systems. They're like nothing I've seen before."

"That's alright, Tali. You did your best."

"I hope you won't mind if my boys take a shot at it." Admiral Hackett asked rhetorically, as he arrived, along with members of Alliance R&D who practically swarmed the downed mech.

"Not at all. And keep in mind, this guy saved the hide of one of my marines."

"We'll do everything in our power to return the favor, Commander." Hackett reassured.

"Betrayal."

"What do we do? How does losing the Link affect our plans?

"Do we exact retribution?

"No. This changes nothing. Continue preparations."

"Agreed. To do anything else is contrary to His will."

"And we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted from the preservation of our race, and that of our progenitors."

….

"Well, that's decided."

"So…"

"Call of Duty 400 deathmatch?"

"I have no better ideas."

"Actually, I'd prefer Call of Duty 40,000 deathmatch."

"Heresy. There hasn't been a good Warhammer game since Games Workshop was purchased by Infinity Ward."

"...Don't we have to manipulate the Invisible Hand?"

"Got that done by 2 o'clock. So, we have nothing to do until the rest of the Galaxy catches up."

"Sometimes being so efficient is a curse."

"That's what video games are for."

AN: Don't worry, all will be explained in the Sequel, Not Just A Routine Mission. Maybe not right away, but it will be. It should be going up just a few minutes after this chapter.