WITH MIRANDA
Miranda watched as Samael and his ship disappeared from the atmosphere, heading towards an unknown location, as he never said where he went. She had a lot on her mind, especially after their conversation a few days ago, and even more plans to set in motion.
The things Samael said to her were astonishing, and surprisingly, he had some circumstantial proof to back up his claims. She had no choice but to believe him and move forward with the plans he proposed.
One of those plans was set into motion the day their conversation ended: removing Samael and RR from the LD power structure.
Samael had asked for this safeguard, just in case things went wrong, but Miranda hoped nothing like that would happen.
There was also his retirement plan, but that was a matter for another time. Today, she would play her role in Samael's absence: taking care of everyone on the crew.
With Samael gone, everyone felt a little lost, except for a few like Wrex and Javik, who had specific roles to fulfill in preparation for war.
Miranda was determined to position everyone where they would be most effective and grow. After all, she was in charge of LD in Samael's absence.
Before she could say anything, RR addressed the crew, "EDI, Legion, and I will be departing soon."
Everyone on the crew was a bit taken aback, but Miranda picked up on something, "Samael's order?"
RR nodded, "It's a secret mission. We will be back in six months at the latest."
"…That long?" Javik knew how vital RR was to the LD's routine, so her six-month absence would be challenging for the company in more than one way.
"Don't worry too much, Miranda has everything under control," RR said with conviction, and the crew had no choice but to accept how things were. "So, see you all soon."
RR, EDI, and Legion exchanged their goodbyes, carrying a load of supplies with them, and boarded the ship they had prepared beforehand. Soon, it took flight towards the Perseus Veil to ally with the Geth.
Miranda watched the ship disappear into the distance for a brief moment before shifting into full work mode. She had a lot to do afterward.
First things first, she went to talk with Javik and Wrex, as they were the ones who would leave first due to their duties in war preparations.
"So, what's your plan?" Miranda asked Wrex as soon as she approached. Fortunately, the Krogan and the Prothean always walked together, making it easy for her to find them.
Wrex immediately understood what she was asking. "To be honest, not much is different from what we are already doing. Sure, we will broaden our training scope, but at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter against the Reapers. It's more about morale and increasing their survival skills than anything else."
That was true. Having faced a Reaper and its ground troops, Wrex knew that unless they defeated the major one, the smaller troops would keep coming. His training would focus more on survival than anything else, as he would not be training just Krogans, but any species that wanted to join.
It was a big responsibility, but the Krogan Emperor was glad to take it on. After all, he was old, and things could get boring quickly, so this was a nice change of pace.
"Is there anything I can do to help? I know Samael must have already made some preparations with you, but it doesn't hurt to ask." Miranda offered. Though she now had full control over the situation, it hadn't been that way just a few days ago. Samael had helped his friend many times.
Wrex shook his head. "As you said, Samael has already prepared a lot for me and my people. The rest of it—those who want to train—can take care of it themselves... But if you want, you could lend me a few million credits."
Miranda rolled her eyes at Wrex. "If we win the war, I can give you a billion credits."
Wrex laughed loudly. "Samael said the same thing! It seems I'll be a billionaire!"
Realizing her conversation with the Krogan was coming to a close, Miranda turned to Javik. "And what about you? Do you need any help with anything?"
"No, Samael has already helped more than enough. I have enough weapons to overtake a planet and even more credits. If I need anything, I'll let you know."
Miranda nodded and, for a brief moment, allowed her true feelings to show as she addressed both of them. "Even though our time together was short, I consider you both—and the entire crew—to be family. So, please, do your best to survive."
Wrex looked touched, while Javik appeared troubled. Neither delved into their feelings, but they both knew Miranda was sincere. Just like her, they considered the Phoenix and Normandy crew, family.
"Don't worry, I'll train the green recruits so they can survive too," Wrex said slowly. "Don't be shy about calling us sometimes. We will be busy for a while, after all. We don't know when the Reapers are going to attack."
"What he said," Javik added. "Call us if you need any help; we will do our best."
"Thanks," Miranda replied, then shifted the topic to the arrangements for other crew members. "Grunt will stay with Samara here on Earth. I don't know if they're training or doing something else, but I assume you both are okay with that."
"The kid has been alive for less than five months and has already experienced too much war, even for a Krogan. So, even though we have another one coming, let him enjoy life for a bit." Wrex said this, though he really wanted the kid to come with him. However, Javik, Samael, and Samara had convinced him otherwise.
"Samara is a great teacher in more ways than one, so he's in good hands," Javik remarked, clearly impressed with the Asari's prowess and knowledge. He was okay with leaving Grunt with her.
"By the way, what about Garrus and Solana?" Wrex asked, curious about the situation. He had a rough idea of where the rest of the crew would stay and what they would do until the Reapers attacked, but he wasn't clear on the two newcomers.
"I'll use Garrus for LD business, as he is the former C-Sec director and has experience in that area, and Solana will spend most of her training focused not just on combat, but on other skills as well."
While Garrus is already a good soldier, thanks to his LD training and the ones he received on Palaven as a child/young adult, the same cannot be said for Solana. Sure, she underwent the same training on Palaven, but to be honest, she wasn't on Garrus's level yet. Therefore, Samael asked Miranda to train her using LD resources, not only in combat but everything else.
The war was fast approaching, and Samael was trying to strengthen everyone he knew.
"Good, good." Wrex still had a face that revealed his curiosity was not yet satisfied, something Miranda noticed.
Before he could ask any further questions, she said, "It seems you want to know more, and I'll help you with that. First things first, Samael will be away for some time—how long, no one but him knows. Jack and I will be out of training and combat until we give birth. Samara and Grunt will stay together here on Earth, but this could change if she sees fit."
Samara was in charge of Grunt, as mentioned before, and Samael didn't exactly restrict her to Earth. Sure, he planned on making the planet the center of the war by building the Crucible here, but he also didn't restrict others.
"Veronica, Tali, and Liara are free to do whatever they want, but Samael asked them to stay close to Earth. Mordin will be working on projects to improve our chances in the war. Okker, as you already know, is still on Tuchanka but should be returning any time now."
Miranda gave a rundown of what everyone in the crew would be doing in the meantime. Wrex and Javik appreciated the information.
"If he hasn't returned by the time I arrive on the planet, I'll send him back by force." Wrex added.
"Thanks for that. We will need a lot of brains to complete all the projects Samael has in mind."
As a perk or privilege, Samael had given Miranda full access to his private research team, so she knew what they were working on. Safe to say, she was amazed by their ideas and progress, as most projects were 50% done.
Only time would tell if they would be ready before the war starts.
"What about Project Andromeda?" Javik asked something he had been wanting to know for some time. While he and the rest of the crew knew about it, they didn't know its progress.
Miranda didn't hesitate to share, "LD has received a lot of funds since the reunion in the Citadel ended, but we still lack manpower. The Rachni Queen still hasn't hatched many troops, so their help will be delayed."
Wrex's expression changed slightly when he heard this, "I always forget how quickly they reproduce..."
It had been less than a month since the Queen was rescued, but she had already given birth to many in the meantime. The numbers were significant, yes, but not enough for what they needed right now. That would change in the near future, but that was their reality for now.
Additionally, the Queen had an LD team near her that served as a bridge for communication between her and LD. Initially, only Samael had that channel, but he passed it to Miranda as well, so she received reports periodically.
Miranda nodded at Wrex's statement but didn't comment further, "Anyway, the funds have been secured from the beginning thanks to Samael, and even though we don't have enough manpower, I'm proud to say that one of the arcs has been completed."
This was an impressive feat, considering it had been less than a year since Samael had assigned the project to Alec.
Wrex and Javik were surprised, and the Prothean asked, "What about the remaining arcs?"
"Well, some of them are 20% ready, while others are at 30%. We estimated that they would be ready in three years, but with the Rachni's help, that timeframe could be shortened significantly."
"Can we finish before the war?"
Miranda sighed, "Only time will tell. By the way, Javik, what about our Thorian friend? Any good news on that front?"
From Javik's complicated expression, the news wasn't good. "Well, it isn't indoctrinated any longer, but it also doesn't remember anything. So, basically, we saved it, but for now, it's useless in combat or in giving intel."
Samael had absorbed the Thorian's memories and put them into something that would allow the creature to remember who it was itself if used correctly. However, from the way things were going, the Thorian wasn't following through for some reason.
Miranda recalled the process that all LD members had to go through: logging their memories and personality into a video every few months. This was to combat the indoctrination, but it seemed the Thorian was slow on the recovering part.
By the way, now that she received all of Samael's intel, she was aware of the undoindoctrination process too.
"A shame, it would have been good to know things from past cycles... Now, gentlemen, I will let you go. Again, don't be shy—ask if you need anything. LD has a lot of resources."
"We will remember that. See you later."
Wrex and Javik gave Miranda a quick hug before they went to say goodbye to the others. Both found Jack coming toward Miranda and hugged her as well.
Jack was neither coy nor shy in reciprocating, and she said goodbye to them. After that, she approached Miranda, who was looking at the sky. "What's on your mind, honey?"
Miranda looked at her loved one and gave her a quick kiss. " That we have a lot of work to do."
"Good thing I'm here to help you," Jack replied.
Miranda rolled her eyes at Jack. "Oriana helps more than you do."
Jack didn't look offended. "I know. My role is to be the eye candy for the CEO, and I'm filling that role quite well."
Miranda couldn't say anything more; it was true. After one more quick kiss, they left the place and headed to work.