KIRA SHEPARD .       ^{choseparagon‌}

“if i was exactly the same as before the project,” shepard states simply, almost icily, “i’d still be dead. if you all were expecting a thank you for that, by the way, i hope you’ll understand that i’m still a bit hesitant.” everything about miranda, the polite curve of her lips and careful words, makes her think about the diplomats back on the citadel, save for one key difference. the politicians seemed to her to always be eager to grasp at power, gild themselves in any illusion of it they could muster, but miranda? one look at her and kira knows her power isn’t an illusion. miranda lawson is powerful and dangerous and beneath that courteous power lies no small amount of ruthlessness. if the situation were different, shepard might have even been impressed by it. 

glancing towards the chair, shepard settles into a moment later, scarred visage impassive. “i would like to see the files. no offense, but the last thing i want is any surprises in the middle of a firefight, something i didn’t have before clicking on.” 

the thought of it sends a sharp shiver down her spine that she immediately suppresses, one lean leg folding over the other. “what about you? any fancy new upgrades courtesy of cerberus?” 

KIRA’S HOSTILITY IS HARDLY UNEXPECTED .     ^{it’d be quite a shock if she were completely accepting of all that happened ,    of cerberus and the ways it had crawled into every crevice of her life .    if their roles were reversed ,    miranda would revolt from such an invasion      —     as she already had once before .    leaning forward on the desk ,    palms upward ,    face softened ,    she begets an air of careful ease ,    unstirred by the edge in the commander’s tone .     she is nothing if not impeccable in her work ,    and ensuring kira’s cooperation is paramount .          ❝             yes ,    you would still be dead if not for cerberus .    but we didn’t want some facsimile of you ,    shepard .    we wanted the original .           ❞}

^{not waiting for a response ,     she raises her omni - tool ,    smearing soft light across her visage .    fingers dance quickly over the holographic buttons ,    instinctively finding the lazarus project’s data ,    harbored and secured .    miranda sends them unceremoniously ,    nodding to kira .          ❝         there .    that’s all the data ,   reports ,    and files i have on the lazarus project .    my own private notes included .    some of the older files contain photos ,    and they’re quite graphic    –    just in case you want to avoid them .          ❞           a warning ,    nothing more .}    

^{truthfully ,    miranda can’t tell if the commander is trying to bait her ,    drawing her in with a question like that .    hoping for a strong reaction :    anger ,    disgust ,    shame ?    or ,    perhaps a sympathetic ear ?    no ,    likely not that .    it could simply be curiosity .    she mimics kira ,    pressing the length of her spine into the chair ,     crossing her leg over the other .    mimicry of body language is frequently unrealized ,    unintentional .    she does it on purpose .        ❝         that’s a fair question .     but no ,    i haven’t received any upgrades from cerberus .    my genetics have been heavily altered and modified ,   but that was before i joined .          ❞}

GARRUS VAKARIAN .      ^{turianrebel‌}

❝  i’m  certainly  not  opposed  to  our  mission  .  no  one  else  seems  to  be  doing  anything  to  stop  these  strange  attacks                     the  collectors  are  walking  around  freely  and  taking  colonists  ,  and  not  even  the  alliance  will  act  .  ❞  garrus  keeps  his  tone  as  even  and  as  calm  as  he  can  ,  avoiding  any  subvocal  sounds  that  might  startle  her  .  ❝  that  doesn’t  mean  i’m  aligned  with  cerberus  .  i  trust  shepard  .  i  trust  her  judgement                    i’m  here  for  her  .  if  she  says  cerberus  is  the  only  one  taking  this  seriously  ,  i  believe  her  .  ❞  a  minute  scoff  at  her  question  .  ❝  couldn’t  stand  all  the  bureaucratic  crap  .  i  outgrew  c-sec  and  all  the  restrictions  that  came  with  it  .  seems  shepard’s  ability  to  take  things  into  her  own  hands  rubbed  off  on  me  .  ❞

miranda  admits  to  failing  in  her  initial  search  ,  and  garrus  can’t  help  but  stand  up  a  little  taller  .  ❝  the  only  one  miranda  couldn’t  find  ,  ❞  he  marvels  outloud  ,  breaking  this  even-toned  appearance  to  chuckle  and  duck  his  head  momentarily  .  ❝  i  think  that  might  be  the  greatest  compliment  anyone’s  ever  given  me  .  i’ll  be  holding  onto  that  for  quite  a  while  .  ❞  he  realizes  he’s  trying  to  joke  and  play  around  a  little               with  miranda  of  all  people                                       and  it  startles  him  quite  a  bit  .  ❝  i’ll  pretend  you  just  said  archangel  was  THE  first  consideration  for  the  team  ,  and  that’ll  just  about  round  out  my  day  .  ❞  another  chuckle  .  ❝  be  careful  .  if  you  bring  on  any  more  turians  to  do  cerberus’s  work  ,  we  might  think  you  like  us  .  ❞

❝         HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF COLONISTS GONE ,      ^{one would think the alliance might step in .     as it turns out ,     they’re more concerned about appearances than human lives .              ❞           a sneer cuts at the corner of her mouth ,     laden with a healthy disrespect for humanity’s representatives .    they would rather bend over backwards for the council than truly investigate the extent of innocent human lives lost to the collectors .    his distrust is evident ,    and expected .    the ranks of cerberus are padded with those who join out of simple xenophobia ,     rather than a genuine desire to see humanity succeed .     nodding slowly ,    miranda folds her hands atop her stomach ,    leaning backward into the wall .          ❝        yes ,     i do understand ,    and i appreciate your cooperation with us nonetheless .    there aren’t enough people who sign up with cerberus for the right reasons ,   and some who take the     …      flexibility cerberus offers too far .    i hope that your time here will show you that our true aim is simply the protection and advancement of humanity .    it isn’t really any different than ,    say ,    the salarian STG units    –    or even the spectres .          ❞          she won’t downplay or revoke her loyalties for the sake of good conversation :      but ,     offering a different side of cerberus to for him to see ,    that she can do .}

^{❝          so it seems .    but it works in your favor .          ❞             his distaste for c - sec and all of its many ,    many strings is near tangible .   her knowledge of garrus vakarian before their hasty ,    blood - bathed introduction at archangel’s base on omega was CLINICAL ,    absent details on his personality ,    his life ,     but the information seems consistent with the man before her now ,    puzzle pieces slowly snapping into place with each word out of his mouth .     his father was a c - sec officer ,    but given his frustration with it ,    was it forced upon him ?     must have been good at his job ,    or else why wouldn’t he have been replaced with someone more amenable ,     compliant with the rules ?     but his superiors likely didn’t appreciate that fast to act attitude .     he’s  interesting ,     and she finds herself far more curious about him than she intended .    his pride at her minor failure shocks a laugh out of her ,     short and fast .     her shortcomings are rarely treated with such      …      levity .          ❝           well ,     i’m glad you’re happy about it .    it was quite frustrating at the time .     but     —     i suppose it all worked out in the end .   though i’m afraid you were behind myself ,    obviously ,    and dr .  solus .     but we did come to get you first ,   didn’t we ?           ❞}

^{she’s surprised by the ease of their banter .     miranda is hardly someone who cloys for the approval and trust of others    –     she doesn’t need it to do her job correctly ,    which is what comes first .     still ,    it’s pleasant ,    and the carefully held tension in her shoulders slowly relaxes .    teasing ,    her tone takes on a lighter ,    easier lilt .          ❝           like i said ,     i    –    and cerberus   –   have nothing against turians .    and if i remember correctly ,    you’re the one who chose to stay ,     no questions asked .     you might like it here more than you anticipated .             ❞}

salrian.

_{my     eye     —     the     one     that     functions     —     remains     fixed     upon     the     work     surface  .     yes  ,     yes     …     great     alliance     commander  ,     reduced     to     primordial     pulp  .     i     apply     my     gloves     —     thin  ,     but     serving     purpose  .     cannot     allow     what     remains     of     the     asset     to     taint     my     skin  .     tainting  ,     tainting     —     it     taints     so     distastefully     —     others’     blood  .}

_{i     look     to     the     ally  .     ally  ?     no  ,     not     ally  .     customer  .     customer’s     lackey  .     i     feel     a     smile  .     should     i     be     smiling  ?     most     likely     not  .     she     has     a     supportive     frame  .          ❝          under - stand  ?          ❞          i     giggle  .     can’t     help     it  .          ❝          i     quite     understand  ,     representative  .          ❞          your     superior     is     droll  .     banal  .     basic     in     his     desires  .     lacks     creativity  .     perhaps     a     machine  ?     no  .     too     boring  .}

_{i’d     like     to     dissect     him  .     it  .     whatever  .}

_{❝          what     remains     of     the     asset     is     …     minimal  .          ❞          i     grin  .          ❝          disappointing  ,     but     not     unworkable  .          ❞          i     search     through     my     omni - tool     —     fingers     fast  .     impressive  ,     viln  .     tutor     solus     would     be     proud  .          ❝          i’d     recommend     looking     into     deoxyribonucleic     acid     extraction     and     extrapolation  .     preparation     for     recreation  .     so     as     to     avoid     difficulty  ,     if     organs     cannot     be     reassembled     from     …     this  .          ❞}

_{my     scar     feels     heavy  .     has     it     ruptured  ?          ❝          you     are     quite     beautiful  ,     representative  .          ❞          imperfectionless     skin  .     peculiar  .     unusual  .     why     so     imperfectionless  ?     why     here  ?     incentive  ?     unlikely  .     will     assess     at     a     more     convenient     time  .          ❝          what     is     your     business     working     for     your     employers  ?          ❞          employer     singular  ?     unknown  .}

SHE’S ENCOUNTERED ECCENTRICS    ^{in the past .    the job demands it ,    plying scientists who would be geniuses if not for their    —    distasteful habits .    one must be able to maintain a certain level of compartmentalization ,    tuck their smaller morals into a box to be turned over later ,     like broken china .     some might even consider her mad for this attempt :     playing god ,     for the sake of humanity ,     for a good cause .     nature in reverse ,    turning back as time pressures ever onward .   time .    never enough of it ,    snarling through everything with its slow - inching rot .    faster ,   still ,    for shepard ,     grey and lifeless ,    little more than a slab of meat    –    hardly humanity’s savior ,     the way she is now .    failure is unacceptable .    it will not be a lack of resources ,    credits ,    or wit that fails this mission ,    it will be time ,    and her patience runs thin with this wicked salarian .}

^{representative .     the upper corner of her lip curls ,     a wolf crawling behind the white cut of her teeth .          ❝          minimal ,    yes .    but we were lucky to receive commander shepard’s body so quickly    –    before decomposition could really set in .          ❞         her tone holds a careful edge ,      almost daring for him to question the weight of her authority .          ❝            we’ve already begun scans of the commander’s organs .    as far as we can tell ,    the brain can be saved ,     as well as the heart and lungs .    we’re less certain about the other organs .    whole areas of skin will need to be replaced .            ❞          her arms cross ,     and she leans away from the table ,    tilting her head toward the cadaver ,   mealy and ashen atop cold metal .        ❝         but my question is :     is the body itself salvageable ?             ❞}

^{the subject change is abrupt ,    but not entirely uncommon .    a placid ,    blank expression results    –    the arch of a slender eyebrow ,    the slight sneer of her lips .    if this is intended as flattery ,    she remains unmoved .          ❝        yes ,    i know .          ❞           curt ,    giving nothing ,    holding everything .            ❝          all you need to know is i’m heading this operation .    do you need more information than that ,     dr .   ieys ?            ❞}