WITH MIRANDA

The past few days had been chaotic for Miranda, the CEO of LD. The entire company had been mobilized, and she was managing inquiries from significant clients—leaders of large colonies and presidents of entire planets. Most were asking about weapons or whether LD had any technology for intergalactic travel.

Miranda was growing tired of these calls, but she knew that her discomfort was nothing compared to what her family had experienced on Thessia or Illos. She was strong, so it pained her to be stuck on Earth, while her family was out there, fighting for the whole galaxy.

But she understood it was for the best. After all, she was pregnant, just like Jack.

They had confirmed with Mordin that their babies were healthy. Additionally, her father had, as Samael mentioned, created a sister just like her, but Miranda had already taken action and saved that sister. She had also dealt with her father, but that was a story for another time.

In the present moment, Miranda was wrapping up a call with Jaret.

"So, 34% of our troops died in battle," she said with a sigh. Money was no concern for her, as she had more than enough. What truly troubled her was the loss of personnel during two recent battles. Machines can be replaced, but people... LD had nurtured a lot of them from a young age, so it was really shocking losing so much of their numbers. Though they didn't die in vain, the pain lingered.

While LD is one of the most powerful groups in the galaxy, their numbers were considerably small, and now they lost almost half of their forces, making Miranda think about ways to recruit new people.

Samael had sent her the casualty list a few hours prior, but Jaret called to inform her about it as well.

"Yes... I trained some of them personally. War is poison, and this is one we cannot hide from nor should we," Jaret was a veteran of the First Contact War against the Turians, so he was familiar with the war, yet the losses still weighed heavily on him.

"How are you holding up? Physically and mentally?"

"...Once the war is over, one way or another, I plan to retire. I’m getting old and soft. I hate seeing my students die like that." Jaret replied with honesty. He recognized his worth but acknowledged it was time for him to step away.

"You’ll have enough money to buy a planet, I guarantee you that."

"Thanks, girlie. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things to organize here on Illos. I'll catch up with you later."

"Bye."

The call ended, and Miranda was brought back to reality. She glanced over at Jack, who was busy taking calls while she spoke with Jaret.

Smiling, she touched her belly. "We will win this."

With renewed determination, Miranda returned to her work, aware that the difficult part was about to begin.

Call the families of the deceased and inform them. Sure, she could relay the task to someone else, but she felt it was her duty to inform them.

' War.... never changes.'

She started doing just that, all while praying for her family's protection.

INSIDE THE PHOENIX

Tension filled the bar as Wrex eyed everyone around the table.

Reactions varied, some looked away, while others stared back, but Wrex struggled to read their expressions. He focused on Samael last, as the human was his target from the start.

Making a decision based on Samael's neutral expression, the Krogan announced, "Raise 10,000 credits."

Without missing a beat, Samael replied, "All in."

Gasps erupted from the other players and those watching, and Wrex smiled internally, thinking, 'I WON!'

The table had an A, 3 , K, 10, 4.

"Call."

Wrex revealed his cards: two Aces, making it three of a kind.

Before he could gloat, Samael laid down his cards: a 2 and 5, making a straight and winning the hand.

Everyone gasped again and soon began talking among themselves about the hand.

Wrex glared at the dealer, who just happened to be Samara. "Hey, you old hag! Why does Samael always win at the river, huh? Explain that to me!"

This was not the first time Samael had secured a win with the last card. They had played poker for a few hours, sharing laughs and conversation, but one thing remained constant: Samael winning against Wrex.

Calmly, Samara looked at Wrex. "I have no idea what you’re talking about. This is a game of luck."

She was blatantly lying, as her bank account was filled with credits from Samael.

Wrex gritted his teeth and shouted, "AH, DAMN IT! I'll go drink my sorrows away. Javik, you coming?"

Not everyone in the bar was playing poker. Javik had just finished a nice conversation with Shepard. He had gotten to know her better and could safely say, based on his impressions, that Samael was right, she was a good person.

However, he still wasn’t sure if she was cut out to be a spearhead.

At Wrex's invitation, Javik glanced at Shepard. "Want to join us?"

Shepard didn’t hesitate. "Yes." She liked the idea of getting to know new people, and Wrex and Javik seemed decent, based on her initial impression. "Though only for a while. I have something to do in a few minutes."

Javik, alongside Shepard, moved slightly closer to where Wrex was. The Krogan already had a new company in the form of Grunt.

"Tell me more about it," Grunt said. The young Krogan was a Wrex fan, or rather a fan of Krogans as a whole, and it showed as he asked about old war stories while Wrex happily shared them.

The old Krogan appreciated the attention but noticed Shepard and Javik's arrival. He then said, "Sure, but later. For now, let's drink our sorrows away."

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Grunt nodded, greeted the newly arrived duo, and joined in the drinking. The quartet began to talk, getting to know each other better.

After Wrex left, the poker table broke up naturally, with everyone dispersing. Some went to drink, while others relaxed at the bar, and engaged in conversation.

Samael 'thanked' Samara as he watched her walk away to talk with the rest of the crew. It wasn't long before Samael was joined by Tali and Liara.

Both knew he had 'cheated' during the game but chose to say nothing about it. After all, he had literally paid everyone on the ship and returned everyone’s money without them noticing. Being one of the richest individuals in the galaxy had its perks.

"You bad boy. Why do you do that to Wrex?" Tali asked with a grin on her face. Samael had only 'cheated' against Wrex.

"Because it's funny." Samael was completely honest. Messing with Wrex always elicited interesting and amusing reactions.

The crew played poker as a distraction until they arrived at Virmire. After all, they were living beings who had been through war back-to-back, so a little relaxation was more than okay.

Liara laughed at Samael's explanation. "How did you convince Samara to help? I mean, she looks and is righteous, so seeing her 'cheat' was unexpected."

"It's simple, actually. She and Wrex have history, she just needed a little push to help me troll him a bit."

"The more you hear, the funnier it gets," Tali added before changing the subject. In a playful, seductive voice, she said, "I know we’ll arrive at Virmire in a few hours, so we prepared a surprise for you."

"Oh?" This piqued Samael's interest. "We?"

Tali nodded and whispered, “Me, Liara, and RR. In a few minutes, our surprise will be ready, so meet us in your room.”

She then kissed Samael, a gesture that Liara repeated, adding, “Don’t keep us waiting.”

With that, Liara and Tali left, leaving Samael daydreaming about the surprise.

But it didn’t take long for another person to sit beside him. It just so happened that this person was also part of the surprise—RR.

The AI was more familiar with Samael than anyone else on the ship. She had also played a crucial role in the last two wars, helping out extensively across the battlefield.

"Fancy seeing you here," RR said. She hadn’t participated in the poker game but had been at the bar, keeping EDI company—well, more like being a third wheel in the young AI and Joker's relationship.

RR decided to strike up a conversation with Samael since they hadn’t had a chance to talk in a while. The surprise was still set to happen, but that was that and this is this.

"This place is really nice, so it's natural for me to be here. Oh, by the way, did I mention I built it?"

RR feigned surprise, placing a hand over her mouth. "Really?"

Samael nodded, "Not only that, I designed the whole ship!"

"You're amazing!" RR continued to praise Samael non-stop.

"I know, I know. But sometimes it’s troubling."

"Why is that?"

Samael sighed dramatically. "I'm so perfect I attract too much female attention! They get we—"

"PFFFTTT." RR couldn't hold it in any longer and let out a laugh, though she tried to hide it. "Sorry, please continue."

Unfortunately for her, Samael had run out of fuel for roleplay, so he simply passed her a drink, which RR accepted.

They both sipped their drinks in silence, knowing each other so well that sometimes silence was the best form of conversation. Each other's company was more than enough.

After a bit, Samael asked, "How are you holding up? Is anything troubling you or something I should be aware of?"

RR shook her head. "Nothing like that. I just missed us."

Samael smiled, remembering the countless times they had trained, lived, and done so many other things together. Those were nice days.

"Me too. When everything is over, how about we have a nice vacation?"

RR snorted at what Samael said. "Who are you trying to fool? I know exactly what your retirement plans look like, and vacations aren’t on the list."

"...A man can dream." Samael took a sip of his drink. "Now, how about you tell me what this surprise is all about?"

RR smiled seductively at him. "Spoilers. Besides, in a few minutes, you will find out." The AI then got up from her seat, kissed Samael, and left the bar area, saying, "Don't be late."

Samael stared at her robotic butt for a bit before ordering one final drink. During that time, Javik, Wrex, and Grunt approached him.

"Shepard just left us, saying she had something to do," Wrex said with a know-it-all grin. "Any idea what?"

Samael feigned ignorance, "I have no idea."

Grunt chimed in with a naive voice, "Really? Wrex and Javik said you're going to mate with her."

Samael almost spat out his last drink. He glared at Javik and Wrex. "You do know he's less than two months old, right?"

"HA! He’s already participated in two wars but can't talk about mating? Besides, news about him has already made it to Tuchanka. Your boy will be a ladies' killer when the cure is released."

“... Touche.” Samael had not forgotten that he had already asked Mordin and Okker to release the Genophage cure on Tuchanka. All that remained was for all the Krogan in the galaxy to gather on Tuchanka, and then he would release the cure. “And no, Grunt. I don’t know if we will mate. I certainly hope so.”

Grunt smiled at Samael. While he appreciated his captain, he felt he was often treated like a child, so it was refreshing to be treated like an adult for once, even though it was about a subject he had no experience with.

“By the way, Javik, speaking of mating, have you had any interactions with the Awakened Prothean?” Samael asked with a sly grin.

Javik glared, his look saying 'I was just enjoying the situation, why put me in the middle?' But nonetheless, the Prothean answered, “."Yes, but we don't have any offspring yet. We're waiting to see the results of this cycle before committing to it."

It made sense. Every cycle came with its dangers, and this one was no different. They didn’t even want to imagine the chaos that would ensue if they had babies during the war.

"If I could, I would have made a lot of babies," Wrex said with a serious tone and face.

"Of course you would, you sex maniac."

"Hehe."

"Don't laugh at that!"

Samael ignored the banter between Javik and Wrex and eyed everyone in the bar. Samara was talking with Kasumi, Thane, Keiji, and Kaidan. Joker was with EDI, while Dr. Chakwas and Clare were examining John's muscles. All in all, in this last cycle, his family was united.

Sometimes, that's all we could ask for.

Samael excused himself. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a surprise to attend to."

Samael said goodbye to Javik, Wrex, and Grunt before heading to his room. When he arrived, he paused to take a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what was inside.

He opened the door, and to his surprise, he found five people on his bed: Shepard, Tali, RR, Liara, and Veronica. They greeted him in unison, "Hi, honey."

"Well, this is a surprise," Samael replied. While he had heard Tali and Liara talking with Shepard about this before, he never expected to see Veronica there.

He looked at his childhood friend and made a decision about her. 'We have already made love in this cycle, so in one way or another, we have a connection. I won't mind loving her too.'

Samael knew that she had a crush on him, but he never acted on it because he was afraid, afraid of wanting everyone, and ultimately ending up with no one. However, as things were unfolding, it seemed that his worries were unjustified, as his loved ones appeared closer than ever.

Just like that, Veronica secured her place in his heart.

Samael undressed, and soon after, the party began.

---

Waking up beside your loved ones was good, now multiply that to five and you would feel like Samael was feeling right now.

Samael smiled as he recalled the previous night. It wasn’t the wildest he had experienced, but it was special. All his loved ones were present, and now he just needed to ensure it wouldn’t be a one-time event.

As Samael shifted, he inadvertently woke everyone else. He smiled at Shepard and said, “Hey.”

Shepard groaned, and the moment quickly came back to her. Last night had been enjoyable for more than one reason, but it also left her feeling a bit embarrassed. Still, she wouldn’t show it. “Morning.”

“Morning.” Samael replied, and soon, everyone greeted one another. Suddenly, someone spoke over the comms: “We will arrive at Virmire in 20 minutes.”

Samael turned to his family. “Do you guys have bikinis?”

They looked confused but nodded. “Yes, but why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s time for the beach chapter!”

They looked at Samael as if he had lost his mind.

---

They understood his statement once they landed on the planet. It was literally a beach planet, filled with sand and an enormous ocean.

However, they weren't in their bikinis, they were in full armor. After all, they didn't know what to expect on this planet.

Also, Samael was talking with the Ardat-Yakshi sent by the Headmaster. The Asari had arrived not long ago and seemed eager to help wherever she could.

She had heard and seen Samael fighting at the temple not long ago. It made her want to repay him, so when the Headmaster asked for someone to come to Virmire to help, she jumped at the opportunity.

And now, she would do her best.

“I’ll be counting on you.'' Samael said after getting to know the Ardat-Yakshi.

“Leave it to me!'' The Ardat-Yakshi answered with vigor.

With that, the entire crew headed toward the location provided by the Shadow Broker. Coincidentally, the information had also come from Samael.

Soon, they arrived at the facility where the Thorian was supposed to be located.

“Wait for me, old friend,” Samael thought as he entered without hesitation.