WITH MIRANDA

  It had been three days since Samael departed, and while Miranda hoped things would calm down, the situation became worse.

  It seemed that the imminent end of the universe was enough to make people want to take action. That was good and all, but it also meant a lot more work, especially now that RR wasn’t on the company network.

  The AI had managed many areas in the company, and with her absence, Miranda's workload nearly tripled. She hurriedly tried to find help but soon realized that while her colleagues were intelligent, they weren’t on her level.

  The Phoenix crew stepped in to assist, with Tali and Liara coming to the LD headquarters to help alleviate some of the workload. However, there was only so much they could do, given their limited expertise in certain areas. Garrus also pitched in where he could, but it still felt overwhelming.

  Miranda attempted to call upon Mordin for help, but the Sarian was too busy with various projects, especially the one Samael had asked him to focus on. Almost all his attention was directed there, and it seemed he was getting closer to a breakthrough.

  Surprisingly, but not too much, the person helping Miranda the most was Oriana. The young girl was incredibly bright, on par with Miranda, and she absorbed knowledge just as quickly.

  After a day of assessing Oriana with the company workload, Miranda decided to trust her with a few tasks here and there. These weren’t crucial or highly relevant assignments, as Oriana was still just a kid, but they were enough to significantly reduce Miranda’s workload.

  So, the company continued to operate without RR and Samael, albeit with some issues here and there.

  One such issue involved Aria T'Loak, the owner of Omega, who was calling in a favor. “I need credits, weapons, and armor. With all this talk of the end of the world, people are growing bolder and attacking my men and wanting my power.”

  Aria was the 'lord' of Omega, a pce where all things illegal were legal. As a result, the area was filled with a rough crowd that somehow stayed in line due to Aria's control over the space station.However, with the end of the universe getting closer, things began to spiral out of control, and she had to ask for assistance.

  She was a little surprised when Samael said he was going to stay off the grid for a while, and she was shocked when, not even two days ter, she was attacked. Of course, she could handle the situation, but she saw no reason not to ask for help.

  Miranda sighed. She knew Samael had connections with Omega but never realized the depth of those connections, especially with Aria asking for help so btantly. Nevertheless, she had her orders. “What and how much do you need?”

  “Five million credits, and as many weapons and armor as you can send.”

  '' Consider it done.'' Miranda suddenly remembered something: Grunt and Samara.

  The duo had been training nonstop, but there was a limit to what they could accomplish here. Maybe sending them to Omega would be a good idea. The situation seemed like it was going to be resolved soon, so it would be a valuable experience for everyone involved.

  "How about I send you a Krogan and an Asari for help? They’re avaible right now and are LD personnel, so they were trustworthy.'' Miranda suggested.

  "Hmmm, what’s the name of the Asari?" Aria asked. She didn’t care much about the Krogan, as they were all simir in her eyes, but she knew a few Asari who had made names for themselves, so she wanted to be sure she wasn't enemies with the one LD was going to send.

  "Samara."

  There was silence on the other end of the call.

  Miranda quickly realized something, "Do you know her?"

  Aria replied slowly, "You could say that... I’ll accept the help."

  "Good. Please resolve the situation quickly, as I want both of them back sooner rather than ter." Miranda urged.

  Aria smiled sadistically. "Don't worry, I'll handle all pests in less than a week... I’ll remember this favor."

  The call ended, and Miranda slumped back in her chair. Jack, noticing her demeanor, came over with a juice. "Thanks."

  "Don’t mention it." Jack then gnced at Oriana, who was studying a blueprint with a puzzled expression. "What is that?"

  Miranda gulped down the juice in one go and looked at the blueprint. "The thing that will end the war with the Reapers."

  Jack was taken aback, as there was no sign of deceit in Miranda's tone. "...Really?"

  Miranda nodded slowly. "But, just like her, I can’t make heads or tails of what it really is and how it works." She had sent the blueprint to Mordin and the research team, who were currently studying it, but it seemed everyone had no idea what it was. She decided to let Oriana take a look, but the young girl was treating it as a challenge to figure it all out, and she was struggling.

  This revetion shocked Jack, as Miranda was one of the most intelligent people she knew. The fact that she had no idea how it worked was unexpected.

  "And it seems Oriana's the same." Miranda commented.

  Jack returned to normal after hearing that and looked over at Oriana, who was nearly pulling her hair out.

  "WHAT IS THIS!?" Oriana excimed.

  By the way, this blueprint and the ones the researchers were studying were recovered from the facility on Mars just a day ago. Miranda checked the blueprints against the ones Samael had given her, and they were almost identical, with only a few differences here and there. She didn’t know what those differences meant, but she pnned to report her findings to Samael when he returned.

  Miranda and Jack chuckled at the scene. Jack then asked after a moment, "What’s next on the schedule?"

  "Well, we should be free for a bit—"

  Just then, Miranda’s omnitool chimed, and she looked at who was calling. It was Admiral Hackett.

  He had been calling to discuss Earth’s defense for some time now, and they had been maintaining steady contact for a day or two. LD was the one that was financing almost the whole war effort and the Alliance too. So, contact was considered normal.

  Miranda gnced at Jack. "Sorry, love. It seems our free time will have to wait."

  "Don’t worry about it. See you ter."

  Jack left the room, leaving Oriana, who was still losing her mind over the Crucible blueprint, and Miranda behind.

  Miranda answered the call right away, "Admiral, what can I do for you?"

  While the call was happening, one particur Sarian was having some troubles.

  WITH MORDIN

  Things have been chaotic these past few days. Ever since Samael left, he has focused all his energy on the anti-PEM project, which is very important to the human. The only time he wasn’t concentrating on this was when Miranda introduced the Crucible project.

  He and his fellow researchers studied all night long but to no avail. They had no idea what it did, but they knew they could build it. So, for better or worse, those researchers had a new focus. They could not build it yet, but they could study it.

  Fortunately, almost all projects under their supervision were nearly complete, with a completion rate of 50%. However, that didn’t mean they would stop; they knew how important these projects were. It’s just that the Crucible had piqued their interest, prompting them to act on it.

  Mordin, on the other hand, was primarily focused on the anti-PEM device that covers an entire pnet. Just thinking about this made the Sarian sigh. Sure, they had managed to create one that covered 2 KM, which was already impressive, but covering the whole pnet felt impossible.

  Yet this was his job: to create the impossible. Still, it was tough, and the Sarian was not getting much sleep.

  The other researchers chimed in to help but to be honest, they weren’t focused on the project, so it didn’t help much.

  Just as Mordin was about to try brainstorming more ideas, he heard a voice he recognized, “It seems you need some help.”

  Mordin turned around quickly and faced Okker, his fellow researcher. Okeer was a bit eccentric but very smart. “The st time I saw you, you were on Tuchanka. How come you’re here now?”

  Okeer sat beside Mordin and looked over at what he was doing before responding, “I left the kids with their mother and came to help. Now is not the time to py family, I can do that after we win the war... By the way, what you’re trying to do is impossible.”

  Mordin didn’t mind the bluntness. “My job is to make the impossible possible. Will you help?”

  Before meeting Mordin, Okeer had already gnced at the Crucible project but decided to check on his friend first. Now, it seemed he was going to be stuck with Mordin, as the project he was working on appeared important. “Who assigned you this?”

  “Samael. He said it’s the key to ensuring a gentle post-war situation.”

  Okeer respected Samael a lot; not only had he created Grunt, but he had also helped with the Genophage cure. He nodded, “It seems I have the opportunity to repay him. Move aside, lizard, let’s create the impossible.”

  Mordin said nothing more and just handed over the notes he had about the project.

  The duo continued to work, hoping for a miracle.

  ---

  WITH TALI

  Ever since Samael left, Tali, Liara, and Veronica have made sure to spend as much time as possible with Valery. Their future mother-in-w didn’t mind the company, so all was good. When they weren’t with her, they spent their time training or helping around the area.

  Still, the atmosphere of the upcoming war loomed over everyone, not just in San Francisco or Earth, but throughout the entire gaxy. People were preparing, some crying and ‘accepting’ the end.

  While they were in a safe area, it couldn’t be said for the rest of the gaxy. Riots and protests were commonpce.

  Even then, some people embodied the saying: hope shines the brightest when evil is close. Many were joining the Alliance or their respective species' forces to fight. They knew winning this war would be difficult—almost impossible—but they chose to believe.

  The actions of these people inspired many more, creating a cycle of hope. It was still too early to say whether it was helping, but a lot of people chose to fight rather than cower in fear.

  Valery finally turned off the TV after watching some news covering this topic. She sighed, feeling she could do more.

  “What’s on your mind, mother-in-w?” a voice called from her side.

  Valery looked over at Tali, who was with her today. '' That I could be doing more than just staying at home.''

  She had contributed when the Reunion transmitted. It was limited, yes, but she helped. Now, she felt stuck.

  "How about helping LD with a few things?" Another voice, belonging to Liara, chimed in. "Samael never said you could not help; he just wants you to be safe. And San Francisco is most likely the safest pce on the pnet."

  "Hmmm... but where could I help?"

  Another voice came from the kitchen. "How about going to the compound and looking after the children there? While Jaret isn’t around, the pce is still crowded with people."

  Valery thought it over for a second and decided to go. Before doing that, she looked over at the three women. "My son is lucky to have you all in his life."

  Before the trio could respond, Valery got up. "Come on, let’s go help."

  With that, they left the house to lend a hand in their own way.