Chapter 2: My Way or the My Way

Miranda smiled as she left her cabin. Sgt. Gardner was amid cooking his latest meal. The poor man could only manage to eat a poor man’s stew. People assumed it was because he had no high-grade provisions, but the real reason was that was all he could manage to eat at the moment. Gardner’s mouth was so sore he would not be chewing anything for a day. Miranda had put his mouth on overtime.

It seemed like every time Shepard said anything that made them butt heads, Miranda would walk back to her Xo cabin and shortly after Gardner would be summoned there.

Shepard smirked as she saw the cook leave Miranda’s cabin, the third time this week by her estimations. She can have the fucking cook. Besides when I get back from the Citadel with those high-grade provisions, we will see how he reacts. To Shepard, Miranda was about to get a true lesson in respect, and respect can only be had by people who could get things done.

Shepard smirked as she overheard one of the crew members complain they lost their shirt to Donnelly. I might have to take that man down a notch but first I need to get our first recruits off Omega.

There were still two days out before they hit Omega. However, it was already Friday. Friday, the day Miranda told Kelly to meet her in her quarters to give her report. Kelly was terrified and stuck to Commander Shepard like glue. Kelly made sure that if Miranda summoned her to her office, it would be in front of the commander. Kelly suggested that Shepard talk to her entire ship, that way Kelly could evaluate the crew without anyone knowing about it. Shepard agreed, and the woman opened conversations with about just every single crew member on the ship. Kelly went to sleep that night thinking of how Miranda could not touch her if she hovered around Shepard. In Kelly’s mind this just proved that Miranda was “afraid” of Shepard.

Shepard made other rounds around the ship. She had a full day and hoped that Kelly had what she wanted out of her interviews. She did notice that Kelly for whatever reason seemed skittish when it came to Miranda. She did not even attempt to go in her direction when they were interviewing members on the crew deck. Miranda for her part made it a point to walk up to them and specifically say she was going to be on the CIC while Shepard did her interviews. Shepard agreed it would be a good idea.

Armory CIC Deck:

“So let me get this straight we have an armory that is stocked with the lowest level of weapons, a lab that is useless until we get a scientist, and only Miranda and you to take on the collectors. I hope Omega pans out or this is going to be a long mission.” Shepard said in exasperation.

“Oh, come on Commander I am not all that bad am I, I did take out those drones at Freedom’s progress?” Miranda quipped as she sauntered in with a bit of a sensual swagger to her gait.

“No ... Xo you are not that bad, but we need more, more of everything or we are dead in the water.” Shepard spat back.

Miranda did not let the Xo remark get to her as she would have the day before, after all if her plan went off as she anticipated ... Do not get too ahead of yourself Miri, first the counselor, then from there the rest of the ship. Miri thought to herself.

“Yes, you are right Commander, I believe this Archangel character and you will hit it off it sounds like you have some of the same sensibilities.” Miranda said back.

“Oh, and what sensibility would that be?” Shepard asked in a skeptical tone.

“You both think that there is no such thing as a lost cause. Never give up no matter what the odds, take it head on.” Miranda said as she deliberately made her mannerisms meek.

“Fair enough...” Shepard said abruptly.

Miranda left the conversation wondering if the EDI had finished Miranda’s training protocol she programmed. Miranda giggled in the halls when she thought of her plan to set the universe right again. The woman was as good of a tactician as anyone. Miranda knew that her plan to win this battle for control of her ship had just been put into motion.

“Soldier, I will be in my cabin if anyone needs me.” Miranda informed the crewman.

Shepard thought it might be a good idea to let Miranda tag on for a mission, besides Jacob was too much of a boy scout for her taste. She had no idea why the Alliance would enlist someone as goody two shoes as that man for the Corsairs. Sure, he was a good soldier, but he had the morality of a proper Alliance man not a Cerberus lackey. In the end she decided to take Miranda with her to the markets, she needed to find that 21b cup link anyway. She then wondered if that is what people thought of her. Shepard the Cerberus agent, the Illusive Man’s lackey.

Omega Markets

Shepard was obviously getting irritated at Miranda. What set her off was the off-hand remark of needing a shower after leaving Omega every time.

“Damnit you are such a racist. What part makes you feel that you need a shower, the criminal elements, or the aliens?” Shepard remarked back.

“The criminal elements, I obviously do not have a problem with aliens.” Miranda quipped back.

“Do you? You joined Cerberus. You literally invaded the Sovereignty of the Flotilla?” Shepard said with a smirk on her face.

Miranda’s hand started to make a slight blue glow in her fist when she listened to Shepard’s goading.

“Come on Miranda, let’s go, you want to go one on one with me, you WILL lose I can guarantee you that.” Shepard said glowing brighter in response.

“Ladies, ladies, you do not have to put on this show for me.” Zaeed said smugly walking behind the pair about to throw down.

“Oh Zaeed, mind accompanying me to the plague quarter? “Shepard said playfully smirking.

“Sure, you hired me I am all yours, unless you want to share me” He said looking back and forth from Miranda and Shepard.

Miranda was beet red with anger as she was really struggling to keep her cool. “It’s ok I have to go back to receive a report back on the ship”.

CIC

Kelly Chambers was busy filing through the ridiculous amounts of emails coming Commander Shepard’s way. She was even impressed of the caliber of individuals that messaged Shepard on a regular basis. The Commander had Admirals, restaurant owners, colonies, heck even Counselor Anderson, the representative of humanity on the Citadel Council.

An alarm went off on her vidscreen. “Oh, crap I have to give my findings to Miranda, and I did not have a chance to tell Shepard yet.” Kelly uttered out in exasperation.

Kelly started to panic and then steeled herself and stood straight up. She told herself that the Illusive Man himself gave these orders and Miranda will just have to deal with it. She told EDI to hold all her messages until she got back and left her post to walk down to the Executive Officers Cabin down on Deck 3.

After Kelly left the screen, her station read: “Miranda Protocol K Initiated”. It was odd and had anyone read it they would have had a devil of a time finding command in the manual.

She started to look over the current shops located on Omega and noticed a salvage shop run by a Quarian. Shepard thought that this would be a good place to see if they had the part Donnelly wanted. Shepard began her mission on Omega.

Meanwhile on the Normandy

Kelly slept hard on her bunk but suddenly awoke by the sight of Miranda staring over her. Miranda had put a wet cloth over Kelly’s mouth. The only thing she saw was the taller woman grinning ear to ear. She tried to scream only to pass before she could even try and make any noise.

Kelly woke up and she was the only one still asleep in the crew quarters. She was still in her sleeping clothes, and other than being a little tired she did not think anything of it, she chalked up the vision of Miranda to nightmares. Kelly got up and bent down to get one of her uniforms form her footlocker when she stood straight up.

“Hello you stupid slut ... We had a date and I do not appreciate being stood up.”

Kelly quickly turned around only to find no one there.

“You are going crazy doc; you must be really terrified of me.” Kelly heard Miranda’s voice say inside her head.

“Calm down Kelly don’t let her into your head” Kelly whispered to herself.

“Oh, but I like it here sexy, and I am not going anywhere” Miranda’s voice said.

Kelly just shook her head and opened her footlocker and gasped. Everything was gone, all her clothes. The only thing left was a lone data pad which read: