Despite Tali being in the new set of dossiers from the Illusive Man, Commander Jane Shepard decided against going to the Haestorm next. Granted, when she met Tali on Freedom Progress, the quarian engineer reacted positively to her, but still, the redhead soldier figured that she didn't need another emotional rollercoaster right after meeting Ashley Williams on Horizon.
So instead, she set the course to Illium, counting that the city planet would allow her to rest a little (while still doing recruitment missions, of course), but it turned out that fate severely mocked her. Right after the landing, the commander and her team were greeted by an asari concierge who informed them that all docking and administration fees had been already paid... by none other than Liara T'Soni! The former scientist was apparently a successful information broker now and expected to see Shepard "at her convenience".
"Shit!" Jane cursed. "Here goes my mental rest. Well, no time like now," she said and went in the direction the concierge pointed her at.
"Have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have," was the first words Jane heard when she was let into Dr T'Soni's office. The asari who spoke them was without a doubt Liara (Shepard would recognize her from any angle), but her voice sounded cold, cruel even - not unlike her mother's. "I'll make it simple. Either you pay me, or I flay you alive. With my mind." Such a threat (toward a human she was speaking with through her omni-tool) didn't fit Liara Shepard knew.
But then the asari disconnected and spotted the commander in the room.
"Shepard! Nyxeris, hold my calls," she addressed her assistant and went for a hug. "Ah... Jane..." Once again she was the same cute, vulnerable girl the commander knew and loved. The soldier hugged the asari back, bending a little to keep her pelvis away from Liara. She didn't want her to feel the bulge forming in her pants in the presence of such a beautiful and sexy creature.
Next, Liara hugged Garrus as well and shook Miranda's hand - something in how the two of them looked at each other made Shepard feel they met before. The commander didn't investigate further though, focusing on catching up with the asari. T'Soni for sure changed in those two years, only rarely slipping from her new, assertive personality to the cute and bubbly maiden she once was. That made the commander sad that she couldn't be there for her lover who had to deal with the Shadow Broker all on her own.
Because, apparently, the Shadow Broker was Liara's nemesis now, keeping her friend locked down in his elusive base. In that light, T'Soni asked Jane to help her with some hacking, which the commander happily did - it was great to work with Liara again, even if their cooperation was completely different than how it was on the Normandy SR-1. The mission revealed that Nyxeris was, in fact, the Shadow Broker's agent, but T'Soni managed to... dispose of her before Jane was able to come back - it seemed her combat skill greatly improved when Shepard was 'dead'.
Ultimately, Jane had to leave Liara, but not before promising her full support if she would ever need it, which the asari gladly accepted. The commander also made use of T'Soni's information trading skills, getting priceless data about the whereabouts and goals of her next two targets: drell assassin Thane and asari justicar Samara.
But before she fetched them, Jane decided to help one of her squadmates first.
"Shepard, I find myself in the unpleasant position of asking for your help," Miranda Lawson said when Shepard appeared in her cabin after Kelly told her the agent wanted to speak with her. "I don't like discussing personal matters... but this is important."
The personal matter in question turned out to be Miranda's sister Oriana which she tried to keep hidden from their delusional father. Jane of course agreed to help Lawson, and after talking to Liara switched Garrus for Jack - she counted that inviting the Cerberus-hating convict into Miranda's life would help turn their hostility into at least mutual respect. Whether that was a success or not was uncertain at best (especially after Jack said that she liked a mercenary captain who offended Lawson), but the sister's safety was secured and it was the most important thing.
"There she is. She's safe... with her family," Miranda said in a cracking voice when they observed Oriana from afar. If she didn't know better, Shepard wouldn't recognize her as her XO's genetic twin; it's amazing how posture, hair, and clothes can change a person. "Come on, we should go," Lawson quickly added as if being afraid to show emotions that clearly swirled inside of her.
"Don't you even want to say hello?" Jane asked, to which Miranda showed some reluctance. After a quick persuasion though, she agreed with the commander that Oriana should know she has a sister who loves her and went to meet her. Not wanting to stare, Shepard turned away, sneakily wiping a tear from her face.
"Pussy," Jack said when she saw it, but her expression was inscrutable.
"But thank you, Commander. My sister is safe again, thanks in large part to you. I won't forget that," Miranda said after the two women discussed what happened during the mission. They were back on Normandy now, namely in Lawson's office.
"I told you, you're one of my crew. I'll always be there for you," Shepard assured her. "In other words, you're welcome."
"Still, I feel like a simple thank you isn't enough in this situation," Miranda replied and for a moment went silent, as if pondering on something. "I know! I'll give you a massage. You're in constant stress, almost constant battle... It may be good for you to relax a bit."
The offer surprised Jane, but when she thought about it, it sounded very reasonable. She flexed her impressive muscles and indeed felt a tension in them. Lawson was right, since Project Lazarus the commander was under constant stress: abducted colonies, having a dick, meeting with Ashley... A lot to carry, even for a 7-foot-tall Amazon with muscles able to bend steel.
"That would be nice for sure," she finally replied. "So when do you have time for it?"
"Why not now?" Once again, Miranda surprised Jane. "I have everything I need here," she said and went to recover massage supplies. She put a protective mat over her bed and put a bottle of lotion on the floor next to it. "What? I like to rub some nice oil into my skin when I'm relaxing."
"So you
do