Flashback – Earthborn

"Do I really need to do this?"

Leanna sat on one side of her corner couch with Kelly on the other, facing her.

"Dr. Chakwas suggested you might have some issues to work out, and as the medical officer on this ship she does have the authority to relieve you of command."

"Ok, but why are you the one doing it? Aren't we a little too… close for this?"

"Leanna," Kelly said calmly. "I'm the only one on this ship with a degree in psychology. I'm also a professional. Any relationship we may or may not have had will not affect my evaluation of you."

"But…"

"I'll stop feeding your fish. Is that what you want, dead fish?"

Leanna pouted. She loved her fish, but could never remember to feed them herself. If Kelly stopped feeding them, they would die.

"Alright, you win. I'll do it."

Kelly smiled. "Well then, why don't we start at the beginning?"

---

My parents died in a fire. I was two, maybe three years old when it happened. It's the earliest memory I have.

I remember the fire, the smoke. I screamed out for my parents. I tried to find them, but before I made it to their door a fireman scooped me up.

I kept trying to tell him to go back, that my parents were behind that door. He wouldn't stop though. He kept running until he got me out of the building.

He got me to a fire truck, one of those old fashioned kind with the wheels and everything, and he set me down on the rear bumper. I screamed at him. I told him to go back and get my parents. He said he'd try, but as soon as he said it, the building started to collapse.

I cried. I cried for what felt like forever. Even as young as I was, I knew my parents weren't ever coming back.

So there I was, three years old and an orphan. I had no living family members so that made me a "ward of the state" as they called it. That meant they threw me in whatever hospital my parents' leftover money could afford, and that wasn't much. See my dad had sunk all their savings into colony expansion, and the First Contact War had just begun. Any money they might've had went up in smoke with their apartment.

So they stuck me in this Catholic orphanage, St. Helen's I think it was called, and just forgot about me.

Looking back, I guess it wasn't so bad. I ate three times a day. I got a decent education. Still, it wasn't enough. I wanted a connection, a family. Sure everyone there was nice and all, but it didn't feel like home to me.

I guess that's why I joined up with the Reds when I was 14. They made it seem like a family. I felt closer to them then I'd ever felt to anyone back at the orphanage.

On my 16th birthday, they made me a full member. I dropped out of school and left the orphanage. Some of the nuns tried to stop me, but I didn't listen. Some days I wished I had.

The next year and a half was tough. I never stayed in one place because no one really let me. Some days I could stay in the hideout, other days I stayed with various guys in the gang, often for "favors" as they called them.

So next thing I know, I'm 17 and it's December. I remember because it'd just started to snow. I'd barely eaten in a week and no one in the Reds was helping me out. I spotted this woman walking down the street with her purse in an easily snatchable position. I gathered what strength I had left, snuck up behind her and grabbed the purse. I took off as fast as I could, but after two and a half blocks, I was tackled from behind and knocked out cold.

I woke up in a jail cell. Turned out the girl whose purse I'd grabbed was an Alliance Marine on leave. She was the one who'd tackled me. She came in the cell to talk to me.

She asked me my story, why I'd done what I had. I told her as much as I could. She said she knew I was telling the truth. She also said that, since I was almost 18, if she pressed charges, I'd be tried as an adult; that meant serious jail time.

She offered me a deal: get my GED and enlist in the Alliance, and she wouldn't press charges. I leapt at the offer.

She kept in touch with me while I was in basic training, sent me messages with advice, words of encouragement and such. She even visited a few times. She came to see me at graduation. She recommended me for the N7 program. She was my mentor, my friend, my…

Anyway, once I finished the N7 training, I found out exactly where I'd be working. She'd put in a request for me to be in her squad, as her Lt. I learned a lot from her. Until… until she…

---

"It's alright Shepard. You don't have to continue. You've already told me once before."

"I know," she looked up at Kelly. "It just hurts to remember."

"Focus on the good times," Kelly hugged Leanna, "I'm sure she wouldn't have wanted you to hurt when you think about her."

After a minute, Shepard pulled out of the hug. "Thank you Kelly. Really, it was good to get it out."

Kelly smiled gently, "That's what I'm here for."

Hide and Seek, Part 5

Illium, Market District

Assassination attempts, bombs going off in buildings, a high-speed skycar chase between two Spectres, it was just another average day on Illium.

The two skycars weaved through the tall buildings that made up Illium's skyline. In the pursuer, the driver and front-seat passenger argued like an old married couple. In the lead vehicle, the lone Asari made call.

"This is Vasir. I've got the data, but Shepard and her pureblood whore are on my tail. I need backup."

"Sending in agents," a male human's voice said over her Omni-tool. "I'm plotting an escape route now, feeding it into your nav-computer."

"Thanks. If I make it out of this one, the first drink's on me." The other voice chuckled lightly.

Vasir checked the escape route. It would be tight, but she could make it work. She made a hard left, cutting her way through a construction site in the middle of a building. A hard right led her into a tunnel.

"Vasir, leave the tunnel, make a left, then punch it. I've hacked a pair of freight trucks to collide. It should slow her down at least."

She did as she was told. Sure enough, the proximity alert showed that the cab chasing her was falling out of range.

Vasir's escape route had been updated with a new course. She swerved around a few more buildings and crisscrossed a traffic lane. The proximity alert went off. Shepard was catching up.

"Damn, how the hell can this Bitch keep up with me?"

"I've been tracking her," the voice on the line said. "She's going full-throttle, even on the turns. Her recklessness is… surprising, to say the least."

Vasir's lip curled. "Well I've got a few surprises of my own."

As she emerged from another construction zone, she pressed a blue button on her steering console. Outside the skycar, the first of several proximity mines dropped. The cab was hit, but not slowed.

"That should've taken out their kinetic barriers at least!"

"It seems that the Quarian is amplifying the taxi's shields. Even so, looks like three impacts out to take it out."

Vasir jammed the button two more times. The second missed wide, the third impacted, though not as direct as the first.

She made a wide turn before dropping two more mines. Both missed. She hit the button again. She was out.

"Now would be a good time for that backup!"

"Head for the tunnel."

As she entered, she saw explosions go off above her. "What the hell was that?"

"Your backup."

She looked back to see a small troop transport behind her. Two of the gunners were firing on the cab.

"Vasir, what the hell are you doing!"

She looked out her front window. She was about to crash into a rather large truck. She bit her lip as she made a tight turn, swerving close enough to the front of the truck that she could see the Salarian who was driving.

The troop transport wasn't so lucky though. It impacted the side of it, igniting the fuel it was carrying. The resulting explosion dampened her proximity sensors, to the point where she didn't even realize the cab had caught up until it was beside her.

She slammed into the cab. It swerved into oncoming traffic, but managed to weave through the cars and ram back into her. She tried to ram back but was impacted again. The two skycars were scraping together.

"Damn bitch! What the hell do you think you're…?"

"Vasir!"

The cab swerved away. Vasir looked up and saw why. She tried to swerve, to stop, anything to get out of the way of the oncoming car, but to no avail. The other car impacted her windshield.

"Vasir, you're not gonna make it to the rendezvous point. Find someplace to land and we'll come to you."

She looked around frantically for a place to set down. She spotted a terrace on top of a hotel. That would have to do. She did her best to slow her decent, but she knew this was going to hurt.

---

Leanna set the cab down in the closest place to Vasir's skycar that she could. She had no intention of letting her get away.

Another of the Shadow Broker's troop transports came at them, landing in their path. Tali used her Omni-tool to hack their shields. Liara glowed blue and launched a singularity at them which pulled them all together. Leanna deployed a warp field, causing every last one of them to fly off in every direction.

Leanna smirked. "Just like old times, isn't it?"

"Hurry; there will be more on the way. We must continue to pursue Vasir," Liara responded plainly.

She headed in the direction of Vasir's skycar with Leana and Tali following her. They arrived to find a smoldering hulk. The care was totaled, but empty.

"Shepard look," Tali pointed to the ground a few feet from the wreck. "Blood"

Liara looked at it. "It's Vasir's. There's more up ahead."

"Follow the trail of blood. Sounds like a fun party game." Shepard quipped. The two just looked blankly at her. "Never mind, just keep moving."

They followed the trail through a hotel room. A man and an Asari were huddled in the corner, apparently too scared to speak. They looked unharmed though. It seemed likely Vasir hadn't even noticed them.

Sudden movement out of the corner of her eye made Leanna jerk around, then all at once lower her guard. The entire wall of the main bedroom was a giant vid-screen. It appeared to show previous hotel patrons with other Asari. She recognized one of the Asari in the vid as the one huddled in the corner.

"What kind of Hotel is this?" She asked Liara.

"Azure. It's a luxury resort with an… exotic edge. "Azure" is slang for a part of the Asari body in some areas of Illium."

Shepard gave Liara a sideways glance. "And where's that?"

"Mainly the lower reaches, near the bottom."

Leanna smirked. "I meant, where on the Asari body."

"So did I." Liara gave a smirk right back.

"In case you can't tell," Tali interjected, "I'm rolling my eyes."

Liara straightened her face. "We need to keep moving."

---

Vasir was limping along through the hotel. Her injuries were slowing her down. She was leaking too much blood. What little medi-gel she'd had was already used up. She hadn't heard a thing on her comms since she crashed. Did they even know where she was?

She stumbled her way into a rooftop party. A number of humans, turrians and salarians, all rather well off, were surrounded by asari "comfort women". They were too lost in their world of sin and vice to notice the bleeding commando.

"It's over Vasir!"

Vasir spun around. Shepard and the pureblood had caught up to her. Her suit's systems were damaged. If there was a fight, she'd have to rely solely on her biotics.

She drew up a biotic barrier around her then grabbed the nearest body she could, a human female, mid twenties if her estimates on human age were correct. The other patrons and staff ran off screaming. She pointed her pistol to the woman's head.

Shepard shouted at her, "Drop the hostage Vasir! This has gone too far. Put down the gun and we can get you medical attention."

Vasir only tightened her grip. She knew what would happen if she betrayed the Shadow Broker. Dying was preferable.

"What's your name?" she asked her hostage.

"M-Mariana," she stuttered.

"Mariana, you want to live don't you? Tell the nice people how much you want to live."

"Please, help me."

"Don't worry Mariana," Shepard stated calmly, "We'll get you out of this."

"Such a nice sentiment, but are you sure about that? You could've just walked away, but now it's going to get ugly." She dug the gun into the woman's temple.

"Please. I have a son."

Vasir could tell she was lying but it didn't matter. She knew Shepard would believe it. "I hope he gets to see you again. I hear losing a parent is horrible. Scars the kid for life, doesn't it Liara?"

That struck a nerve with the pureblood. "I am going to end you Vasir."

Shepard turned to her. "It's ok Liara. We're going to handle this. She's not getting away."

"You want Mariana's little boy to grow up all alone? Throw your guns on the ground. All of them."

"That's it?"

Vasir was shocked by this response. She was sure Shepard would surrender rather than risk a hostage.

"I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the Destiny Ascension. I unleashed the Rachni on the galaxy. Hell, I even sacrificed my best friend to blow up Saren's cloning facility. If you think I'm going to let you go for a single hostage, you're sorely mistaken."

Vasir turned her pistol on Shepard. "You're bluffing."

"Yes, I am. Garrus, now!"

A shot impacted her pistol and it flew out of her hand. A biotic field enveloped Mariana and she was thrown to safety. Three more shots and she couldn't hold her barriers anymore. The four shots that followed pierced her armor. She could feel blood pooling in her lungs.

The pureblood came up to her and pulled the disk she'd stolen out of her armor. It didn't matter. She was dead anyway.

As she slumped against the wall, she chuckled. "You think you can stop him? The Shadow Broker has been around since before any of you were born. He'll kill you before you get a chance to see him."

Shepard faced her. "Is that why you sold out the Council? You're afraid of him?"

"You think I sold out the Council? You think I'm like Saren? Screw you!" She gasped for breath. "The broker's intel has helped me save countless lives over the years. If the broker needs a few people to 'disappear', it's a price I'm willing to pay."

Shepard advanced on her, pointing an accusatory finger. "Trying to kill Liara is one thing, she knew what she'd gotten into, but Spectres don't blow up buildings filled with innocent people!"

"What do you think Spectres are for? We get our hands dirty so the council doesn't have to. The councilors might complain about our methods, but it's all just a show." Vasir's vision was getting blurry. It wouldn't be long now. "Besides, you're working with Cerberus now. Do you have any idea what your terrorist buddies have done?"

"Yes, I worked with Cerberus, but I didn't work for them. I never forgot who they are and what they've done. And I never betrayed who I am for them."

It was getting harder to breathe. "Enjoying the view from your high horse? You want to judge me? Look in the mirror. Kidnapping kids for biotic death camps? Your own unit on Akuze? And you work with them. You don't have room to judge me. You can't…"

Vasir closed her eyes as she felt herself slipping away. Her last thoughts were of the man she'd talked to as she tried to escape, how she'd never see him again. With everything she'd done in her life, this was her only regret.

End of Episode #2

Hide and Seek, Part 4

Illium, Dracon Trade Center

There was fire everywhere. Leanna was running, screaming for someone whose name she could not longer remember. A man in a yellow suit came up to her and scooped her up, carrying her to safety, but she didn't want this man. She wanted the person she screamed for. She wanted her Mother.

---

A second blast knocked her off her feet. She tried to shake off the memory she'd lapsed into. She hadn't even thought of her parents deaths in a long time, and now was not the time start. Liara needed her.

Vasir headed back for the skycar. She intended to take it to the top of the building while Leanna worked her way up. They'd find who did this and find Liara.

Leanna ran for the main entrance, Garrus and Tali hot on her heal. For once, she was glad that they were silent. She knew the question they wanted to ask; the one she was afraid to ask herself. Was Liara still alive?

There were scattered survivors among the debris. Some were injured, others just frightened. She ordered Garrus and Tali to look after them.

"Treat their injuries and get them to safety. We'll meet up when you're done or I've found Liara."

She went through the main doors to discover the elevator was out of order. She'd have to make her way up the 3 floors to Baria Frontiers on foot, and the building didn't even have a standard stairwell. Stupid Asari architecture.

She found the first set of stairs and ran up. She heard groans coming from a corner. A man was slumped against the wall, sliding down it. Blood flowed from his gut.

Shepard tried to get over to him in time, but he was dead before she could apply medigel. He wasn't injured in the blast. He was shot.

Leanna continued up another flight of stairs, past more shooting victims. According to the floor plan she'd downloaded, she'd have to go through an office before she reached the last set of stairs leading to Baria Frontiers. As she headed for the office, she noticed an unexploded bomb sitting off to the side.

Sloppy work, this was set up fast.

She entered the office. Several desks were overturned and there were a number of twists in the passage. This was the perfect location for an ambush. It was then that she heard the faintest squeal.

She managed to activate the light blocker on her visor just before the flashbang grenades went off. She reached for her Locust SMG while brining her Tech Armor online. The digital targeting reticle on her visor showed five Humanoids up ahead, but there were likely more. These must be the Shadow Broker's soldiers.

Shepard leapt over one of the overturned desks and faced her ambushers. She fired a massive biotic blast before firing the Locust, using up an entire thermal clip in the process. Her visor told her that there were more up ahead as she charged forward, replacing her clip in the process.

Another corner and she heard more soldiers up ahead. Shepard exchanged her Locust for a Phalanx and un-tinted her visor. She crouched behind a continently tipped over desk and took aim.

She managed to get three headshots in before the others even took notice of her. She took out a fourth before he could draw his pistol. She overloaded the fifth and sixth's weapons and they exploded in their hands. Only when there were two left did she have to duck back down as a missile soared above her head.

The Heavy was firing missiles in between blasts from the other's Assault rifle. If she wanted to get a shot in, she'd have to be tricky. She tapped a few keys on her omnitool and waited for a lull in the firing. After a missile impacted the wall behind her, Shepard stood and threw out a small glowing disk, squatting down before the firing could resume. She could only hope it reached its mark.

A beep on her omnitool told her it had landed. She slapped the center of it and heard a hiss coming from the soldiers. The firing had stopped.

Shepard stood to see the Broker's men frozen solid; still alive, but completely immobile. She smashed both their arms with the butt of her gun. They won't bother me again.

She was at the last set of stairs. Baria Frontiers was right at the top. She'd made it. She ran up the stairs and opened the door.

---

Tela Vasir was standing in the middle of the room. She lowered her weapon when she saw Shepard.

"I was too late." She gestured to the ground where a dead Shadow Broker soldier laid next to an equally dead Salarian. "He'd already killed him when I got here."

Shepard pointed to the Salarian, "That's Sekat?"

"Yeah, if only I'd gotten here sooner. Did you find your friend's body?"

A voice from behind Shepard said, "You mean this body?"

Liara walked through the door, her pistol trained on Vasir. "You tired to kill me."

"What?" Vasir replied. "That's crazy why would I want to kill you?"

"You broke into my apartment after I left it. You disabled the alarms and called off the police. I saw you."

Shepard pointed her gun at Vasir as well. "It all makes sense. You're the assassin. The Council didn't send you, the Shadow Broker did. You couldn't figure out where Liara would be until you found me, and then you called in the Shadow Broker's soldiers to bomb this place."

"And when she got here, she found Sekat, took his data, and killed him. I'm guessing she's still got the disk on her."

"Good guess." Vasir held up a hand that held a data disk. "Not that you'll ever see what's on it, you pureblood Bitch!"

The glass window behind Vasir shattered as she flung it at Liara and Shepard.

---

Tali and Garrus had just managed to fix up the last of the survivors as they saw Vasir round the corner. She hopped into a skycar before either had a chance to ask what had happened.

As she was taking off, two more figures came in sight.

Garrus spoke, "Shepard, Liara, what's going on? We just saw Vasir take off like something was chasing her."

"Yeah, we are. I'll explain later, just get in the cab."

The four of them piled in a nearby taxi and took off after Vasir.

Hide and Seek, Part 3

Illium, Location Unknown

As the skycar sped off to its destination, Shepard reflected on the events that had led her here.

She looked at the Asari in the driver's seat, the same woman who had been standing in the doorway of Liara's office. She'd introduced herself as Tela Vasir, a Spectre. She said she was a fan of Shepard's. "I should get you to sign my chest plate," she'd said. Still, there were a few things about her that made Leanna long for Conrad.

Turned out, Vasir had been assigned to investigate Liara's disappearance.

"Why would the Council send a Spectre to find Liara?" She'd asked.

"Don't know," Vasir replied. "I imagine it had something to do with her connection to you. Could also be because she's a prominent Information Broker. Doesn't matter to me either way, I just go with the assignment."

This raised the first red flag in Leanna's mind. Either Vasir was lying, or she'd been picked as a Spectre because of her ability to follow orders. Both made her seem a little dangerous.

Vasir continued to explain that there'd been an attack on Liara's apartment. An assassin attempted to kill her. She suggested heading for Liara's apartment for some trace of where she'd gone. As the chip she'd found in the empty Volus suit wasn't doing anything on its own, she agreed.

Leanna closed her eyes and tried to remember what she'd seen there.

---

Obviously, the first thing she noticed was the bullet holes in the glass, four of them. She checked to see where the slugs had impacted. From there, she determined the trajectory of the shots, making it out to a building that she could see, but was too far away to get a good look in the windows, even with the scope on Garrus's Sniper Rifle. Whoever fired this, they were using a scope more advanced than any hardware she had access to.

"Where are the Police?" she remembered asking. "Wouldn't the security sensors on the glass have alerted them?"

"It did. I cleared them out when I got here though. Didn't want them messing up the evidence."

This was the second red flag. Using Spectre status to take charge of an investigation is one thing, but cutting the local cops out completely, that was just arrogance. It reminded her of Saren.

There was no blood anywhere, which meant that Liara was unharmed, physically at least. Leanna raised her determination to find any clue as to where she might have gone next.

The apartment was Loft style, which meant no internal doors. A number of artifacts from previous dig sights were scattered throughout. There was a painting of Ilos outside the kitchen. In the living room, Leanna found a piece of her old N7 armor.

How did she get this? Leanna had wondered.

Beneath the stairs leading to the loft bed was an alcove that Liara had made into an office. She'd placed a framed copy of her Doctorate from the University of Serrice on the wall. Leanna traced her name with a gloved finger. There was also a large computer on the opposite wall.

"I checked before I found you," Vasir said without being asked. "There's a lot of information on it, but nothing to indicate where she might have gone."

"I'll keep looking."

Leanna followed the stairs up to the bedroom. The rest of the apartment might as well have been in another room as all she could see of it was the window the shots had come through. Knowing her privacy, Leanna took a minute to sit on the bed.

She pressed the sheet to her face; it still smelled like Liara. She thought back to the last time they'd been truly together. How hopeful she'd been, not just about defeating the Reapers, but about her future with Liara. It seemed like another life ago. I guess it was…

She opened her eyes and caught sight of a picture. It was the Normandy. She reached for it, and as soon as she picked it up it changed. She recognized the new picture too. It was a picture of a Prothean dig site Liara had once shown her.

Digging deep into her memory, she managed to recall the artifact Liara had kept that was associated with that particular dig. She hadn't seen it with her own eyes, but had during one of their bondings. She ran downstairs and stood in front of an unassuming artifact and touched the pedestal it sat upon.

A tray slid out from beneath it. On the tray was a simple data-disk. She brought it over to Liara's computer and inserted it into the data-slot.

"Damn," Vasir said as a staticky image showed up on the display, "it's encrypted."

"Wait a second." Leanna pulled out the chip she'd gotten earlier and attached it to the computer. The image cleared up immediately.

It turned out to be a recording of a conversation between Liara and Salarian name Sekat. Sekat was apparently providing Liara with important information. Wouldn't be a stretch to think it's about the Shadow Broker. She would be meeting him at Baria Frontiers in the Dracon Trade Center.

---

Leanna opened her eyes as the skycar touched down in front of the Dracon Trade Center. She, Tali, Garrus, and Vasir stepped out.

All at once the ground shook. Looking up, the four could see several balls of flame erupting out of the upper floors of the building.

"Oh God no," Shepard gasped in horror before screaming, "Liara!"

Hide and Seek, Part 2

Illium, Nos Astra

The Airlock doors slid open as Leanna set foot on Illium yet again. The calm atmosphere of the dock seemed to mock her. It was as if no one cared that Liara was missing.

"Commander," Miranda's voice transmitted in Leanna's earpiece, "Illium records indicate that Liara's office has been rented out to a Volus named Jal Fia for the past three days."

"Why didn't we know this before we came here?"

"Because Liara still owns the office, Jal Fia is just renting it from her."

"Then he should know how to get in contact with her."

"She actually, and yes, I'd start there first."

"Got it."

Leanna, Garrus and Tali made their way through the crowded trading floor, past the sales kiosks, and up the oh-so-familiar stairs that led to Liara's former office. Leanna pressed the buzzer and the doors slid open immediately.

Behind the desk sat the unassuming Jal Fia. She looked up from a datapad she had lain on her desk to say, "Greetings Earth-clan. How may I help you?"

To say Leanna was shocked would have been an understatement. Here she was thinking she'd get her first glimpse of a female Volus only to find that she'd probably seen hundreds and hadn't even noticed. There was no difference in any feature she could see between Jal Fia and all the other Volus she'd seen over the years.

Thankfully, Leanna managed to compose herself quickly. She entered the room slowly but deliberately until the doors shut behind her. "I'm looking for Information."

Jal Fia cocked her head slightly. Leanna was reminded of a small dog she'd once seen back on Earth. "I'm sorry, but this office is no longer an information broker." She turned back to her datapad.

Leanna walked the rest of the way up to the desk. "Maybe you didn't hear me," she said as she grabbed the datapad off the desk. "I'm looking for Information."

The Volus looked up at Leanna again and repeated, in the same tone of voice, "I'm sorry, but this office is no longer an information broker," then turned back to the empty desk.

Leanna furrowed her brow, "What the hell's going on here?"

"Shepard," Garrus said behind her. "Look at the datapad."

Leanna turned to the datapad in her hand. It was off.

Tali activated her Omni-tool and waved it over the Volus. "Empty. This is just a moving suit with a VI in it. A cheap one at that, I think we've already seen the extent of its capabilities."

"What about this datapad?" she handed it to Tali.

Tali tried turning it on, but nothing happened. She waved her Omni-tool over it. "The power's working, but it seems to be locked off."

"Well how do you unlock it?"

"Checking," she continued to scan. "The internal microphone seems to be on. I think it's voice locked."

"Liara," Leanna thought quickly. "She must have set this up to get me a message. She knew I'd come. It must be keyed to my voice."

Garrus gave her a doubtful look, "You've been talking non-stop since you got in here. Shouldn't it have turned on by now?"

"It must be like Hock's vault," Shepard thought out loud, "It needs you to say a certain word or phrase in order to unlock."

"Even if you're right," Tali handed the datapad back, "you don't even know what the password is. It could be anything!"

"Not anything," Leanna cracked a smile. "Could you not listen guys? It's a little embarrassing."

Leanna walked to the far corner of the office and whispered to the datapad. At once, the display activated and an image of Liara appeared on it.

"Shepard, if you're watching this, then I've gone into hiding. I couldn't risk tell you this over open channels, but I'm very close to finding the Shadow Broker. I just need a few more bits of information and I'll have him.

"I think the Shadow Broker is on to me as well though. After I dispatched his agent, I caught traces of someone following me. I think he may have sent an assassin.

"There's a datachip in the Volus's suit that's keyed to your DNA. It should be able to help you find me, or at least get you closer. Be seeing you Shepard."

"What are we waiting for?" Shepard whirled around to see an Asari standing at the now open doors, "Let's go save her."

Episode #2 – Hide and Seek, Part 1

Normandy SR-2, the Loft

"Commander Shepard, please respond."

Leanna stirred groggily in her bed. "Do you have any idea what time it is Miranda?"

"I am Commander, but this is of the utmost importance."

"Have the Reapers started their invasion? Because that is the only conceivable reason I can see for waking me up at—"

Miranda cut her off, "It's about Liara."

Leanna sat up straight. "What is it, what's wrong?"

"The most recent piece of data EDI's been able to recover is relevant to her and the Shadow Broker. All attempts to contact her have failed. I think she may be in grave danger."

She jumped off the bed and started suiting up. "How fast can we get to Illium?"

"I've already had Joker set a course. We should be there within three hours."

"Good. Have Garrus and Tali meet me in the briefing room within the hour."

"Yes Commander." Miranda turned off the comm-line.

Leanna walked over to her personal terminal and turned on the comm. "Kelly? I need coffee. Now."

---

"What've we got?"

Tali, Garrus and Miranda were all waiting for her as Leanna entered the Briefing Room. She sat her coffee down on the table.

Miranda approached, "The data we recovered indicates that the Shadow Broker is holding a Drell named Feron. Liara has been looking for him since he was captured while recovering your body." She handed Leanna a datapad. "This contains all the data Cerberus has been able to collect on the Shadow Broker."

Tali chimed in, "Why would Cerberus share this information with us?"

"It was likely part of the Illusive Man's trust-building ideas," Miranda replied. "Not to mention that the Shadow Broker is Cerberus's major competition on the Galactic stage."

"He gives this information to us," Garrus interjected, "and he knows you'll help Liara with her Vendetta."

Leanna nodded, "He wins me over and eliminates his competition in one fell swoop."

"That Manipulative Bastard," Miranda said through gritted teeth.

Tali's mouthpiece flashed, "Maybe we should start calling him that instead."

Leanna cracked a smile, "Sounds like a plan." Her expression turned serious again as he turned back to Miranda, "You said you couldn't contact Liara?"

"Yes Commander," she replied. "Local time on Illium is early afternoon. She should be in her Information Broker office, but there's no response, and we know she doesn't have a secretary. Not anymore, anyway"

"Joker to Shepard, we've just passed through the Relay. We'll be arriving at Illium shortly"

"Got it Joker." Leanna turned to the others, "Ok, game-plan: Garrus and Tali, you come with me to retrieve Liara; Miranda, see if you can extrapolate where the Shadow Broker is keeping Feron, use EDI if you have to, just make sure everything is done as securely as possible. If the Shadow Broker's as good as they say we don't want him clued in on what we're doing."

"Affirmative Commander," Miranda nodded.

"With you Shepard," Tali flashed.

"Just like old times," Garrus said with a Grin.

"Move out!"

Flashback – Letters from Omega

The following letters were recorded by Commander Leanna Shepard before the Normandy SR-2 before traveled through the Omega 4 relay. Instructions were to transmit to their intended recipients upon returning unless canceled by Commander Shepard.

To: Councilor Anderson, Citadel

RE: Final Mission

If you're receiving this, my mission to stop the Collectors was a success, though at the cost of my own life. I don't know what it is that killed me, but I hope I died a Hero.

I want you to tell the council that the threat they face from the Reapers is real. I know they won't believe you, but do it anyway. Do your best to piss them off.

I also want to make sure you know something. I don't trust Cerberus. I never trusted them. From the moment I discovered they were the ones that brought me back, I knew I'd have to play along with them to get anything done, but if I'm dead, then it's permanent. There's no way they're bringing me back.

I've included data encrypted by Cerberus detailing everything they've done over the past five years. Guess that means there's nothing in it about Akuze, but there's plenty of other info to go around. It may take a while to decrypt, but I bet it's worth it. Give the Illusive Man hell.

Look after your family, give my regards to Hackett, and kick Udina in the balls for me.

-Lt Commander Shepard, Spectre

System Note: Recorded but not sent

---

To: Operations Chief Ashley Williams, Location Unknown

RE: One Last Goodbye

Hey Ash. If you're reading this, I'm dead. Again. Pretty sure this one will stick though. I didn't want to leave things the way we did on Horizon, but it looks like we'll have to.

On the bright side, if we were right, we'll both meet in the afterlife. I never got a chance to tell you how much it meant to me to have another believer on the ship with me. You gave me strength. I'll never forget that.

For what it's worth, I never trusted Cerberus or the Illusive Man as far as I could throw them, and since I never met him in person, that's not that far at all. It just felt good having someone listening to me for once. I felt like the boy who called wolf, only the wolf was there the whole time.

Anyway, when you get to Heaven, the Elysian Fields, Valhalla, or wherever soldiers like us go after we die, look me up. I'll be waiting for you.

-Lt Commander Leanna Shepard

System Note: Recorded but not sent

---

To: Liara T'Soni, Illium

RE: The Last Goodbye

Hey there Blue. I'm getting ready to hit the Omega 4 relay. Gotta say I'm nervous.

I wish you were by my side. The Mu Relay, Ilos, the attack on the Citadel, they seem like a lifetime ago. I guess technically they were.

Now here comes the hard part. I'm dead. I know it wouldn't be the first time, but I got a feeling there's not resurrection in store for me.

So this is the end.

I want you to know I regret nothing. I know we only spent one night together, but it was the best night of both my lives.

I wish I could convince you to give up on the Shadow Broker, but I know you can be quite stubborn. How many times did people try to talk you out of studying the Protheans? Not even your own Mother could stop you.

The only suggestion I can give you is not to lose yourself to revenge. The Broker might be able to take everything you care about from you, but he can't steal your thoughts, the things that make you, you. Hold tight to them, and he'll never win. Lose them, and even if you win, even if you get your revenge, you'll still lose.

I wish you nothing but the best Liara. I hope, someday, you'll meet someone who makes you feel the way you made me. I hope you two bond and have a bunch of blue daughters. Just promise me you'll name one after me.

So I guess this is it. I guess this is my last chance to say it, so here goes: Liara T'Soni, I love you.

-Leanna

System Note: Recorded but not sent

---

To: Donnel Udina, Citadel

RE: What to do

I'm going through the Omega 4 Relay to take out the Collectors.

I'll likely be killed.

Go Fuck Yourself.

-Shepard

System Note: Message Sent

The Drinking Game, Part 5

Entry 219

The situation with Kelly's been sorted out. I can't believe I broke down like that, but I feel better just telling someone what happened. I'm still not ready to enter what happened into any official logs though. Maybe I'll write it down someday, if I ever get my hands on some sort of analog writing equipment.

Kelly's news was… unexpected, to say the least. Apparently, before we hit the Omega 4 Relay, we received a major Databurst from Cerberus. EDI filed it for later decryption, but much of the data was damaged in the fight with the Collectors.

It's big though. EDI estimates several thousand Exabytes. Could take years to recover and decrypt all of it.

Miranda's been checking the ID signatures on the files. These are coming from R&D, Intelligence, even the Illusive Man himself.

So far, all that's been recovered is a handful of weapon and armor schematics. Some of it looks good. I'm keeping my Visor though.

I'm still uncertain where I'm going. The Reapers are coming, but I feel like we have some breathing room. I could head to the Citadel; see if Anderson will give me Ash's comm number, whatever good that would do. I don't even know if she'd hear me out after what she said on Horizon.

Illium's an option, but I don't know what I'd do there. Seems all Liara wants is someone to hack some terminals for her.

One thing's for sure, I'm sure as hell not getting drunk again.

End of Episode #1

The Drinking Game, Part 4

Deck 2 – Combat Information Center

Leanna couldn't wait any longer. It was time to face Kelly and talk about what they did. The elevator doors opened.

The crew was going about their business as usual. There was nothing to suggest anyone knew anything more than they should about their Commander's personal life. A few people looked up at the doors as they opened, saw Leanna, smiled or nodded, then turned back to their work.

Leanna breathed a sigh of relief. The confidence she had lost since she woke up was returning. There was just one last thing to do.

"Kelly," she called as she approached the Yeoman's station.

Kelly turned nonchalantly, "Yes Commander?"

"I need to speak with you. Privately."

"Certainly Commander. The briefing room has been fully repaired; we can talk in there if you wish."

"Lead the way."

Leanna followed Kelly through the doors to the Armory. Jacob wasn't in his customary place. Probably spending more time with Kasumi, she smiled to herself. The pair continued through the inner corridor and into the briefing room.

As the doors shut behind her, Leanna thought just how impressed she was at how professional Kelly was acting. That was, until Kelly locked her in a full body embrace.

Leanna couldn't move or speak out of sheer shock as Kelly told her, "I'm sorry Commander; I could barely contain myself until we got here." She then started to kiss Shepard passionately.

It took Leanna a full minute to recover. She gently tried to push Kelly away. "Kelly, please. Stop. I… we really need to talk."

Kelly stopped kissing her, but didn't let go completely. "I'm listening Shepard. I always am."

Leanna struggled herself free. "I think I may have given you the wrong idea."

"What do you mean?" Kelly was now starting to sound nervous.

"I'm just… not interested in you… that way."

"I don't understand."

"I mean I'm not looking for a romantic relationship."

"I'm fine with a purely physical one." Kelly advanced slightly.

"That's not…" Leanna was exasperated, "you're missing the point!"

"The point? I've been… All the flirting! You rescued me! And I know you find me attractive!"

"Of course I rescued you; you are part of my crew! I saved Gardner, and Chakwas, and Ken and Gabby, and everyone else on this whole damn ship! And I know I have a problem with flirting. It's a flaw I've been trying to work on."

"But what about last night? Those things you said?"

"Kelly, I don't remember anything I said or did last night. I had to watch Cerberus surveillance footage just to figure out what we were doing. Whatever I said, whatever I did, I'm sorry but, I didn't mean it about you."

"Is it because I'm a girl?"

"What!"

"Admit it!" Kelly screamed, tears in her eyes. "You can't stand the fact you woke up in bed with a girl! You're just as close minded as…"

"Goddamnit Kelly! I'm a Lesbian!"

"You're what?"

"A Lesbian: I prefer girls."

"I… I didn't know. I'm sorry." Kelly sat in the closest chair. "I shouldn't have leaped to conclusions like that."

"Look, it's not your fault. It's not something they put in Alliance military records, and I've worked hard to keep my personal life separate from… everything else."

Kelly dried her tears on her sleeve. "Why is that?"

Leanna leaned back on the table as she searched for the words to say. "The thing is, I've loved, and I mean head over heels, spend the rest of our lives together love, exactly two women in my life. The first died in front of me, the second had to watch me die."

"Who was it that died?"

"She was," Leanna hung her head, "my commanding officer. I joined her company out of basic training. We were sent to check on a science team we'd lost contact with on Akuze. The camp was a ghost town, but we stuck around and set up camp so we could find out what happened to them.

"Night came, and I went to her tent. I told her how I felt about her, and she told me she felt the same way. We made love in her tent and fell asleep in each-other's arms.

"I don't know how long we slept before the ground started shaking. The two of us ran outside the tent, and that's when the Thresher Maws came out.

"The first to go was the very tent I was supposed to be in. If I hadn't gone to…" Leanna gritted her teeth, "I'd be dead."

Kelly brought her hand up to her now open mouth in shock.

"Every tent was destroyed in a matter of minutes. About five of us managed to make it out in time, but we weren't safe yet. We had to make it to the landing zone and the Maws weren't letting up. They picked us off one-by-one until the only ones left were the Commander and Myself.

"We were about 2 klicks from the landing zone. We could see the shuttle. That was when the biggest Thresher I've ever seen came out of the ground. Bigger than the one on Tuchanka. One look between us and we knew we wouldn't both make it.

"She grabbed me, kissed me, and told me she loved me. Then she gave me the most powerful Biotic blast I've ever been hit with. I landed within five feet of the shuttle. Two marines scooped me up and pulled me into the ship. Then we left."

"That's terrible!" Kelly stood up. "Are… are you crying?"

Leanna reached up to her eye. A single tear had managed to escape. "I haven't… I've never talked about it before… out loud anyway."

Kelly approached her, "What do you mean, 'out loud anyway'?"

"Well, it was a while before I could let someone in again. I had a bad habit of flirting to cover my insecurities, to the point where I wound up misleading Kaidan into thinking I had feelings for him," Leanna smiled lightly, "but then I met her."

"Chief Williams?"

"No," Shepard chuckled, "Ash and I were just friends. It was Liara T'Soni. She was so sweet and innocent and I just wanted to hold her tight and keep her safe. But she was so much more than that. The more I got to know her, the more I fell in love with her.

"When I said out loud, I mean I didn't tell her about it like this. When we bonded though, she saw everything. Every moment of my life, laid bare. I gave up all I was to her and she to me. It was like a million nights of pillow talk in just a few minutes.

"And then I died. Two years pass, and I've come back. I'm still the same person I was when I left, but she's changed so much. I can't… I have to…"

Kelly held Leanna. Not a romantic embrace as before, but a comforting one. "I understand."

After a moment, Leann pulled back. She hadn't a single tear since her first, but she appreciated the hug.

"Listen, I want you to know that I'll always be here for you, but I won't stand in your way. If Liara still feels the same way about you, then I wish you nothing but happiness, but if she doesn't, then I'll be here for you."

"Thank you, Kelly."

"In the meantime, I do have some good news for you."

The Drinking Game, Part 3

Still Deck 3

It was the best she could do to choke down the passable meal Gardner had made. It tasted a bit more ass today though. She was going to have to pick up some more provisions from the Citadel, or some gloves, she wasn't sure which.

Tali had finished her breakfast, so Leanna was pretty much alone in the Mess hall. Gardner was cleaning the kitchen counter-tops with a dirty rag while a few crew members were quickly finishing their meals; first shift had started about 15 minutes ago.

She buttered her toast for the third time before deciding she wasn't hungry. She pushed the tray away from her and headed to the elevator. She'd be early, but she was sure Tali wouldn't mind.

"Deck 4," she said out loud as the elevator doors closed.

What the hell is going on today? What did Miranda mean by "the gender thing"? So Kelly's a girl. Why should I care about that? I mean…

"Commander Shepard, you have arrived at your destination."

"What? Oh, thanks EDI"

Leanna made her way to Engineering. As she approached Tali, she heard Ken and Gabby talking about Haggis. Her stomach lurched.

"Hey Tali," she called out.

"Oh," Tali jumped a bit. She cleared the screen she was looking at. "Shepard! I um… didn't expect you till later."

"My schedule cleared up faster than I thought, figured I should stop by before it filled up again."

"Right, that makes sense. Well… let's go to the engine room. It's private in there."

"Yeah, unless someone looks out one of the windows."

"Trust me; it's harder to do than you think."

---

"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Well," Leanna hesitated. She wasn't sure how to approach the issue. "There's this problem that… I need help with… in my bedroom."

"Shepard, I…"

"Crap, that came out all wrong. You see, the thing is… There's this camera… in my room. I need your help. To take it out!" she hastily added.

"Oh, sure, I can help you with that."

"Great, thanks Tali. I knew I could count on you." Shepard turned to leave.

"Shepard, wait." Leanna stopped and turned back to face her. "There was something else. Something I wanted to… to talk to you about.

Leanna walked back to where she'd previously been. "Oh, that's right. I must've spaced out. I forgot you had something too. What is it?"

"It's just…" Tali paused. "Well, it's about my future."

"Oh," Leanna was surprised, "your future? What about it?"

"Well, the thing is, I've been giving a lot of thought about where I want to spend my life. When I returned to the Migrant Fleet, I joined the crew of the Neema, but it never really felt like home. To be honest, I never really knew why until you asked me to come onboard at Haestrom. I realized that my place is here, on the Normandy," Tali paused to take a breath, "with you."

Leanna smiled a bit, "Tali, you know you'll always have a place on the Normandy."

"I know that." Tali paced a bit as she said the words. "But that's when I started thinking about what that meant. The thing is, this means I'd be spending a lot of time around Non-Quarians, which means I'd probably have to look outside my own race for… romantic opportunities."

"Did you have someone in mind?"

"Actually, yes. In fact I've had feelings for someone for a while now. Someone strong, but compassionate. Someone I could see myself spending the rest of my life with."

"Really, who is it?"

"Well," Tali replied, somewhat coyly. "It's you."

"Oh," Leanna was taken aback. "Me? You mean me? You have feelings for me?"

"I do. I've been trying to figure out the best way to articulate the words. I… I've been doing some research on how humans talk about these kinds of things, and I figured the best approach was just to be direct, but I was worried about how you might react so I sort of 'knocked around the tree' as you humans say, but then I figured I'd just out with it, and now I'm thinking that wasn't such a good idea… why are you laughing?"

Leanna was indeed laughing, "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it." She composed herself, "It's just… first of all, it's 'beat around the bush'."

"And second?"

"Well, I mean I'm flattered, but…"

"There's a butt?"

"A big one."

"It's not my fault! That's just the way our bodies are structured!"

"What? No, not that! I meant 'but' as in there's a reason I have to say no."

"Keelah, I knew this was a bad idea! What was I thinking! I'll have to leave the ship now won't I? I'm such a bosh'tet! Why are you laughing again?"

"I'm sorry, sorry. It's just… you're so cute when you ramble like that." She took a minute to compose herself. "Don't worry; nobody's throwing you off the ship. The reason I have to say no... is because of Liara."

"Liara? But I thought you two were… I mean she didn't even come on the mission!"

"I know, but I owe it to her to see where our relationship goes. It's not like we broke up or anything. I just… I need to see if the woman I met on Illium is the same girl I rescued from that collapsing Prothean ruin."

"You mean, you think that might not have been Liara we met on Illium."

"No, I mean the person inside."

"You've lost me."

"Never mind, what I'm trying to say is, until Liara and I have a chance to sit down and talk about our relationship, I can't really have a relationship with anyone else."

"I… I understand. You should probably get going. I'm sure you have a lot to do. Talk… talk to you later Shepard."

"Talk to you later Tali." Shepard started walking out of the engine room. Just before she got to the doors, she turned back, "I just want you to know, it's not like I've never thought about it before."

As Shepard headed back to Engineering, she could swear she saw Tali smile.

The Drinking Game, Part 2

Deck 3

The elevator opened.

Leanna did her best to seem as calm as possible. There were bound to be plenty of crew members on this deck, and if they saw their CO running to the XO's office… I'd rather not think about it.

Walking into the Mess, she saw Tali sitting at the main table, a tube of Protein Paste attached to her helmet. She was engrossed in a Datapad.

"Morning Tali," she called as she passed by.

"What?" Tali looked up from the Datapad. "Oh, Shepard! Um… Good morning to you too."

She quickly turned off the Datapad and straightened up before giving Leanna a quizzical look, "What's with the outfit?"

Leanna looked down at the black dress she was wearing. "Oh, this thing?" she replied. "It was the only thing I had that was clean." In reality, she'd jettisoned all her clothes with a Cerberus logo, which meant this or armor. She hadn't put it on since Kasumi made her wear it for that Greybox heist. Well, she'd worn it one other time, but that had been in the privacy of her own Quarters.

Privacy! Leanna suddenly remembered she needed Tali's help.

"Tali, there's something important I need to talk to you about. Not here though. Someplace more private."

"That's good," Tali's mouthpiece flashed. "There's something I want to talk to you about. Meet me in the engine room in about an hour. I've disabled all the listening devices, and the only cameras there are focused on the core."

"Thanks. I'll see you then."

"Shepard," said a voice from behind her.

Leanna barely managed to contain a squeak. She turned around and faced Miranda.

"Miranda!" Leanna tried to suppress her nervousness, but it just sounded like excitement instead. "I need to see you in your Quarters… I mean office."

"Of course Commander, come with me."

I'm her CO, Leanna though. Why does it sound like she's giving me orders?

"You know", Tali said as Shepard followed Miranda. "They're basically the same thing."

---

"So," Miranda said once she'd sat down. "What did you want to see me about?"

Leanna felt more exposed than ever before, and not just because she was wearing a dress. Miranda had seen something of hers. Something private. Something personal. And now she was just toying with her.

"Don't worry Commander, there's no surveillance in this room. You can talk freely."

"EDI said you watched it. Twice."

"To be fair," Miranda smirked. "I only watched part of it a second time. I just had to be sure."

"Sure of what?"

"That you were quoting Vaenia."

"I was… What!"

"This isn't the Alliance Shepard. There are no rules against Fraternization. What you and Miss Chambers do in the privacy of your quarters is entirely up to you."

"But it wasn't private! I was being recorded!"

"True, but the only persons on this ship with access to that are you and I."

"What about outside the ship?"

"Technically, the Illusive Man could access it, but I've given EDI explicit instructions to block him and any other Cerberus agents."

"Well fine, but I've locked down the files and I'm having Tali take down the camera. I'll sleep easier if I know I'm not being watched as I do it."

"That is, of course, your prerogative Commander."

"And this stays between us, ok? Word gets out, and I shove you out of that… thing… where space is."

"Airlock Commander?"

"Yeah, that."

Leanna stood to walk out, but Miranda stopped her. "If I may ask Commander, what is it that you're afraid of? There's nothing wrong with anything you did. Kelly was sober and willing."

"It's not… "

"Is it the gender thing?"

"No, of course not. I… It's complicated ok? I just… I need to… leave."

With that, Shepard whirled around and out Miranda's door, not looking back.

Episode #1 – The Drinking Game, Part 1

Entry 218 My head is pounding. Why in god's name did I have to have Ryncol? Again. I guess I should be thankful I managed to keep it down. How the hell did I manage to get back in bed?

"Morning sleepyhead"

Leanna looked back at her bed. Someone was sitting up in it.

"Holy Shit it's Kelly!"

"Yeppers Commander," Kelly replied sleepily.

"What… How… Why are you in my bed?"

"You asked me, remember?" Kelly's eyes became focused, "and as Yeoman, it's my job to make sure my Commander's needs are satisfied."

"You mean we… we…" Leanna stuttered.

"My Commander's every need," Kelly said forcefully.

Leanna was panicked. Her heart was pounding. How could this have happened? She'd managed to keep herself from every temptation even when it was staring her in the face. She promised she'd wait, at least until she and Liara had a chance to talk about where their relationship was going. But now…

"Well, see you at the CIC."

Leanna looked up startled. In the time she'd been trying to figure out what was going on, Kelly had gotten dressed and was headed out the door. She managed to get out a halfhearted, "See you there," before the doors closed and left Leanna alone. Well, not completely alone.

"EDI," she called out.

A blue orb materialized next to her, "Yes Commander?"

"Do you still have surveillance equipment installed on the Normandy?"

The lines on the orb oscillated, "Yes Commander, though I have overridden the transmission protocols. We are not transmitting to Cerberus."

"Good," Leanna hadn't even thought about that. God only knows what would've happened if the transmission was intercepted. "Can you bring up any recordings made last night including myself and Yeoman Chambers?"

"One moment. Accessing." EDI glowed bright blue, then disappeared. The video files she requested came up on Leanna's private terminal.

Everything looked pretty basic. Kelly, it seemed, was helping a Drunken Shepard back to her quarters. Damn, these cameras are thorough, she thought. I may need to get Tali to remove them… or I could just keep them for… personal use.

Leanna fast-forwarded to the elevator. It was there that she saw herself start to paw at and kiss Kelly. Kelly didn't look the least bit uncomfortable.

"I think I'm gonna be sick"

"Would you like me to call Dr. Chakwas up here?"

"Get out of here EDI!"

Turning back to the monitor, they'd made it to the Loft. It looked like a bad holo-vid from an erotic extra-net site. Regardless of what she did with the rest of the cameras, she was definitely getting rid of that camera.

She couldn't take anymore, "EDI?"

No response.

"Come on EDI, you know and I know that you're still there."

"Yes Commander?"

"I want you to lock-out and encrypt these files. No one watches them, you hear me? Not even Miranda."

"Operative Lawson has already watched these files."

"What!"

"Twice."

"Oh dear lord! No more! No one accesses these files, or any copies made, without express permission from me. Got it?"

"Affirmative Shepard. Logging you out."

This was a wildfire she had to contain. She had to go straight to Miranda and get this sorted out. She got all the way to the door before EDI stopped her.

"Shepard, might I suggest a change of clothes before you go out."

"Why, what's wrong with…" she trailed off as she looked down. All she was wearing was a pair of panties. And to make matters worse, they weren't her's.

"Son of a…"

Prologue

Entry 217 Personal Log, Shepard, Leanna, Commander, Normandy SR-2

We made it back through the Omega 4 Relay. I didn't expect to be able to say those words. I fully expected my previous entry to be my last. I'm cancelling the letters I'd scheduled to send to Liara, Ash and Anderson. I'm a little relieved too; they all seem a bit too sappy.

Miranda is busy working on her report. I'm not sure what she's going to do with it now that we've left Cerberus. I can barely imagine the strength it must have taken to turn her back on the man who saved her and her sister from her father. She's a much stronger woman than she gives herself credit for, genetically engineered or not.

In all, everyone seems glad that I destroyed the base. Grunt even thought it was funny. Legion made a comparison between my choice and the one his people made. He says we're more alike than he realized. What he doesn't know is that he inspired me to make my decision. If we continue to build our Civilization on the backs of Reaper technology, how are we ever going to stand on our own two feet?

The rest of the crew's fine. Jack's being her usual "chipper" self. Mordin's already moved on to his next project. Hope it's a cure for Thane. I'm worried that without more exercise, the Kepral's Syndrome will get worse.

I'm afraid Garrus might be minimalizing his accomplishments. He led that second fire team and probably saved Tali's life. If something were to happen to me, I trust him to be the one to finish what I've started.

I still question the wisdom of having a thief living on our ship. I swear, every time I go down there, her "personal collection" has gotten a bit bigger. Jacob's spending a lot of time with her, but I'm not sure if he likes her, or just considers her a drinking buddy.

I'm glad Samara hasn't left yet. When she first joined, I got the impression she'd take off immediately after we returned through the Relay (assuming we got back at all). She's staying on the ship though. She said she can "Continue to follow the code while onboard the Normandy". I hope she sticks around. She seems lonely.

Tali seems to be holding up well. I wish everyone had her strength. I'm surprised she hasn't tried to contact the Migrant Fleet since we've been back though. She seems to be spending most of her free time around me instead.

I also want to make a Note in the Logs about Zaeed Masani. Zaeed led the Distraction team that bought us the time we needed to make it through in Samara's biotic bubble. The team made it through alive because Zaeed took every shot the Collectors fired. In the end, it seems his stubbornness wasn't enough to keep him from death. Regardless of how he lived, Zaeed Masani died a hero. In his honor, I will make sure his ex-partner Vido is brought to justice.

At this point, I'm unsure of what to do next. Part of me wants to warn the Council about what is coming, but I don't feel like shouting at a bunch of idiots. Plus the way the Turian Rep does that whole air quotes thing just bugs me.

I can't face Liara right now. She's on her whole Vengeance kick and I can't deal with that. I need to feel happy for a while. I just wish things could go back to the way they used to be between us. The feel of her skin against mine. The way we…

Dear god I've got to get off this ship. I'm setting a course for Omega. I'm gonna get drunk.