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She watched, dubious, as the famed Shepard strode into the lion’s den, head high, gaze venomous, and spine straight as an arrow. That posture was legendary- she had seen it in more holovids than she could count. Folks said that the Commander had faced down all of her enemies like this, utterly inscrutable, the very epitome of ‘Alliance greatness’. They say it was this unwavering stance that made her visage just as persuasive as her marksmanship. But if you asked Miranda, whose gaze scrutinized everyone present in turn, it would mean nothing to the mercenaries of Omega. At least not until the Commander backed up her presence with actions.
When their arrival was met with raised weapons, Miranda had to wonder if it was already time for that, if Shepard’s calmness had been mistaken for an offensive brand of ego. It made her jaw tighten and her mind start to race. Cerberus had gathered enough intel to be certain that two of their targets were on Omega, but without Aria’s aid it’d be far harder to pinpoint their location. And if they had somehow ended up on the Asari’s hit list?... Miranda didn’t even want to think about that possibility, knowing full well that their odds of even getting off the station at that point would be awful. With one hand on her gun, the other rippling with biotic energy, she glanced between Jacob, the Commander, and the mercs they faced.
“You must be Aria,” Shepard said, virtually unfazed by the half a dozen guns pointed at her. The simplicity of her words might have made Miranda pinch the bridge of her nose or sigh in annoyance, if not for the aforementioned guns. Luckily for everyone present, Aria soon motioned for the weapons to be put away, eyes lazily glancing the Commander over. They held themselves in utterly different ways- Shepard the pinnacle of formal, Aria leaning back casually- and yet they both exuded power. It was bound to be quite the interesting meeting. “I was told you could help me find what I’m looking for. Is that… correct?” Shepard asked once some of the tension had dispersed. A seat had been offered to her, but she stayed standing, arms crossed behind her back, still flanked by the two Cerberus operatives.
“The one you’re here for should be here shortly- assuming she didn’t decide to play dead for a few years,” Aria replied. True to her nature, Shepard didn’t react terribly strongly, despite her growing confusion. She merely cocked a brow and let out a little ‘oh?’. “I’ll be honest, I expected you to show up sooner, Commander. Guess you were too busy playing hero to visit. Not that I mind- your sister’s done some good work for me. Might even-” Aria continued, only pausing when the one thing nobody expected happened: Shepard lost her composure.
“What the fuck are you going on about?” She growled, left hand beginning to thrum with biotics. Whatever tension had left the room immediately returned, everyone present placing a hand over a gun, or otherwise preparing for a fight. Honestly, Miranda didn’t know whether the outburst or the biotics were more surprising. Records indicated that the Commander usually only resorted to using those powers when she was faced with indescribable odds. If she was using them now… Miranda had never felt so clueless in her life. Why would mentioning someone that didn’t exist get Shepard so riled up? Or had it been the suggestion that she was merely ‘playing hero’ that had miffed her so thoroughly?... Regardless of the truth behind the matter, Miranda felt the need to do something about it, before the situation got completely out of hand.
“What Shepard means to say,” she started, eying the Commander with clear disdain, “is that she doesn’t have a sister. You’ve been misinformed, I’m afraid.” To her surprise, Aria responded with a condescending laugh, smirking slightly, while Shepard seemed even angrier than before. The Commander turned to Miranda with a hand raising as if to strike her, but froze as soon as her gaze landed on something behind the woman.
“Is that so?... Well, shit, don’t I feel like a fool now, Miss Cerberus,” a voice too familiar to be real chimed, drawing the attention of those gathered to a shadow-garbed figure. They stepped forward quietly, first giving Miranda a hard stare, then turning to Shepard with something akin to a teary-eyed smile. Before anyone could process anything else there was a rapid blur of movement… followed by the loud sound of two armored bodies impacting with each other. “Gods, Shep, I missed ya so fucking much… Thought you were dead for nearly a decade, then word finally gets out to this shithole- no offense, Aria- an’ I find out you saved the bloody galaxy only to get spaced by some insect bastards!” The Shepard-Not-Shepard said, still latching onto the real Commander, blurry eyes watching her with such love.
“Oi, you thought I was dead? Your squad gets obliterated by fucking Batarians, blown to so many bits the Alliance couldn’t even count how many got killed and how many were captured, and your dog tags are found clutched in a bodiless hand, covered in blood. I thought you were dead, Lykaios. I thought I had lost you,” the real Shepard said, cupping her doppelganger's chin gently. Her voice was softer than it had ever been, tone half filled with awe, half filled with unrelenting joy. They stood like that for another minute, just holding each other, ignoring the confused looks from the Cerberus duo. When the silence was broken again, it was by Shepard. With a quick glance at the others, she finally pulled back, straightening her back before acknowledging Aria. “I’ve got plenty of questions- about Kai, a doctor, and a merc, amongst other things- but those can wait. I trust you’ll excuse us?”
The Asari, looking less touched by the reunion and more bored by it, simply gave a wave of her hand as if to say ‘whatever’. With that Shepard gave a nod of her head, grabbed Lykaios’ hand, and began to tug her away. Still utterly clueless (Cerberus’ intel on Shepard was supposed to include everything- and yet it had nothing on the stranger before them), Miranda and Jacob could only follow. They practically had to jog to keep up with the duo, who were holding onto each other so intensely one might assume their lives depended on it, not even sure where it was they were heading. Miranda kept trying to ask questions, only to realize she didn’t even know where to start. And so the four of them walked in silence, ducking and dodging through the station’s crowd, only stopping a few minutes later when they reached a small apartment complex. There wasn’t a doorman, so they were able to stride up to what was presumably Lykaios’ dwelling without delay.
Once they were inside, Miranda took the chance to really look over the stranger, not even bothering to examine the miniscule apartment. The room’s lighting was, thankfully, a thousand times better than that in Aria’s lounge. It let the woman see every detail of Lykaios’ face, and compare it to Shepard’s with ease. On her initial inspection… the only difference was their haircut and haircolor. Shepard’s was nearly a foot long, pulled back into a messy black bun, while Lykaios sported a short, mangy, clearly-dyed mess of red locks. But besides for that clear divide, their features were utterly alike. Same strong cheekbones, sharp jawline, and fierce brow. Even their eyes, a trait of the Commander’s that had always been considered unique, shared that same yellowish tint that demanded attention.
“I take it you’re pretty damn confused, Miss…?” Lykaios chirped, her emerging grin revealing one last (visual) difference between the two: Her smirk was crooked, and her canines too sharp to be natural, giving her the guise of a wolf. It felt ironic, considering her supposed relation to Shepard. If Miranda had been aware of the meaning of the woman’s name, that feeling would have only intensified, although it would make a lot of sense. As that detail eluded her, however, she remained too caught up in her thoughts to realize she owed Lykaios a response.
“This here is Miranda Lawson, my… ahem, my temporary XO. Next to her is Jacob Taylor. They’re the reason that I’m alive, so I’d prefer it if you didn’t try to maim them, despite their affiliation,” Shepard said, resting a gentle hand on Lykaio’s back. The redhead pouted at that, giving Miranda a wary glance. Evidently, Miranda found herself thinking, distrusting Cerberus runs in the family. “Lykaios is my twin, if you two somehow haven’t figured that out yet. She’s one of best biotics I’ve ever met, a bit of a gunslinger, and the only family I have left. So trust me when I say…” Shepard started, leaning forward, expression twisting into a foreboding snarl, catching both Miranda and Jacob off guard, “I won’t hesitate to kill you if you threaten her, understood? So, for the sake of our mission, I suggest keeping her a secret from the Illusive Man. I won’t let him try to turn her into one of his pet projects. Got it?”
There was a single moment of tense silence before Lykaios started chuckling wildly, eying her sibling with a mix of respect and amusement.
“Damn, sis, I know Sid nicknamed you Shepard for a reason, but holy fuck, you know I can take care of myself, right?... Not to mention Aria’s got a claim on my ass right now. There’s no way she’d let Cerberus yank me away without one helluva fight, yeah?” Lykaios said, stifling another laugh as she spoke. Shepard seemed to relax a little, even letting her expression fall back into its usual neutral state. “Ya don’t gotta worry ‘bout me, Shep. I ain’t gonna go dying on ya again, alright? And as long as these Cerb fu-... folks don’t get you hurt too bad, I’ll avoid accidentally tripping an’ knocking any of them over any conveniently placed railings.” With a little nod, as well as half a laugh, Shepard slowly looked up at Miranda, silently asking if she had any objections. To her surprise, the other woman, who understood her sentiment far more than one might guess, gave a curt nod.
Family, Miranda thought, remembering everything she had done to keep her own sister away from their father, is the one thing we can agree on, it seems. Let’s just hope it doesn’t end up ruining us...