Author's Note. My first ME fanfiction. Standard disclaimer rates apply.

The Story So Far

"Relax, but stand up straight kid. Don't worry, you'll do fine!" Captain Bailey clapped his youngest and most promising recruit on the back while the drell fidgeted in his new uniform.

"I know, it's just really intimidating. I mean how many times has a guy like me briefed the Council?"

Bailey shrugged. "I'll admit, not very many. But you're good at surveillance, and given your 'closeness' to Shepard, you're the best one to report what she's been up to."

"Hmm," Kolyat sighed staring off into the distance. It'd been two years since he met the imposing Commander Shepard and summarily also met her fist. She'd apologized since then, but he still rubbed his jaw whenever he remembered her.

Tall, short brown hair, rich looking brown skin. Eyes fierce like fire and voice even tempered and strong. I see why father likes her.

"Agent Krios, the council will see you know." The chipper voice of the Presidium secretary prevented Kolyat from delving deeper into the memory. With one sharp breath, the young C-Sec operative steeled himself before stepping into the conference hall. Before him the four councilors and their advisors sat patiently await his report. Councilor Anderson nodded briefly at the young drell, they had spoken before. In fact, it was Anderson himself who staged this little meeting as a way to finally make the Council understand that Shepard was indeed on their side and worthy of her Spectre status being reinstated.

"So," Anderson opened, "Agent Krios, what can you tell us about Commander Shepard?"

"Right. It's been two years since the commander,"

Udina huffed at Kolyat's insistence on using Shepard's old title. Anderson gave his advisor a murderous look and motioned for Kolyat to continue.

"Since the commander returned through the Omega-4 relay." Kolyat put pointed emphasis on the word glaring directly at Udina, daring him to interrupt again.

"In that time, she has limited her contact with her former Cerberus crew and has established a small mercenary operation on Omega."

"I'm sorry, Commander Shepard, humanity's golden child, now runs a band of filthy, lawless mercenaries?" The asari councilor spoke up, bewildered.

Kolyat shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Yes, ma'am."

She turned to Anderson, "And you think she can be trusted still? Are you even hearing this Councillor Anderson? She's a bloody mercenary."

"If you'll let the man finish Councilor Tevos, you'll understand better." The asari settled back into her chair, skepticism painted on her dark purple face.

"Well, immediately after the Omega-4 incident, Shepard took a leave of absence. She left the Normandy SR-2 in the hands of its pilot and AI to be repaired. Everyone got an extended shore leave, and she left to…depressurize."

Kolyat wasn't exactly sure how to tell the council, "After Omega-4, Shepard and my father went cavorting about the galaxy bonking each other in just about every star port." He hoped he conveyed the idea as sterilely as possible.

"It is my understanding that Shepard was involved in relationship with your father, the well-known assassin Thane Krios. Is that correct?" This time it was the salarian councilor who spoke up.

"Err...Yes sir." If drell could blush, he'd be a nice shade of red now. He should have expected the council, especially the salarian, to be as well informed as he was.

Off to side, Udina sneered in disgust, obvious contempt for human-nonhuman couples was oozing from every pore. I took all Kolyat's self-control and sense of decorum not to vault over the conference table and beat the man to death.

Sure he had his reservations about Shepard, and damned if he was ever going to start calling her mom, or even stepmom. But even he could see just how happy she made his dad in his final months of life. Thane had done some horrible things, and Kolyat thought his disease was a vehicle for the gods to punish him. Thane had taken life quickly, quietly and without warning, it was a fitting punishment then to live every day knowing the method and manner of his own death while being powerless to stop it. His father had spent every day after his wife's death living in a cold and lonesome world of guilt and razor sharp memories. Shepard released him from that pain. Woke him up, set him free, and even put a smile on his face, a smile Kolyat hadn't seen since he was a young child. And in turn, Thane showed Shepard that real love can exist in the galaxy and that she was just as entitled to it as everyone else.

Shepard didn't visit so much after…the end, but when she did, Kolyat could see she had physically lost a part of herself. The woman who had been such a force of nature when he first met her was now thin, drawn, and mirthless. She didn't actively seek her death, but when it came for her, she'd welcome it easily.

When Thane died, Kolyat grieved as much for Shepard as he did for himself. Their love was as true and real as the love Thane had for Irikah. Udina's silent insults were therefore insufferable, and if he kept it up, Kolyat could potentially find himself locked up on death row for attempted murder.

"And it is also true your father was suffering from Kepral's Syndrome, an incurable and fatal disease."

"Yes," Kolyat replied almost inaudibly.

"Please continue, Kolyat." Anderson encouraged tenderly.

"Eight months after Omega-4, my father died on Kahje. Shepard was with him." Kolyat for the first time, broke eye contact with the councilors and stared at the floor, bidding his eidetic memory to spare him this one time.

My dear Kolyat. I am going to Kahje and I will not return. These past months have been more than anything I could have hoped for. I was restored to you. I missed the chance to watch you grow up, but I didn't miss the chance to see you become a fine young drell. Your mother would be proud. I am proud. Know that I am watching over you from across the sea, and if you should ever need anything, look to Shepard. Be good my son. Grow up, fall in love, have a family, and love them like every day is your last. I love you Kolyat.

Father

The drell took a deep breath, purging himself of the memory. "Anyway, after that, Shepard reappeared on Omega and started the previously mentioned merc group. She recruited some of her former teammates to staff it."

The turian council member leaned forward. Finally the juicy bits. "The turian Garrus Vakarian serves as her second in command. Subject Zero, an exceptional human biotic, is her biotics expert. Zaeed Massani is her weapons expert and the team veteran."

The turian straightened. "You mean the Zaeed Massani, founder of the Blue Suns!" His voice was high pitched like an excited child discovering the latest edition of a new toy. "Author of Blue Sun, the Real History of the Blue Suns Mercenary Group? That Zaeed Massani?"

"Um…yes." Kolyat reported flatly.

"Wow, that's amazing Shepard."

Bailey could be heard snickering behind Kolyat.

"Okay, moving on. A krogan by the name of Urdnot Grunt is her heavy weapons specialist and her bruiser type. Mordin Solus maintains his clinic on Omega and drops in from time to time for consulting work. As does Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya."

"Okay, okay, we get it. Shepard's kicking lots of ass in the Terminus system with a who's who of galactic badasses. What is her connection to Cerberus and the Alliance now?" Anderson interjected, still amused by the turian councilor's bit of star shock, but wishing to move this conversation along.

"Cerberus Operatives Lawson and Taylor send messages to Shepard from time to time. They give her updates about geth activity, generally believing geth and reaper activity to be linked. Shepard then usually investigates the disturbance, putting down any geth incursion." Kolyat kept the part about not destroying the collector base to himself. That probably wouldn't go over well.

"Wait, I'm sorry. How does that follow?" The asari councilor asked.

Councilor Anderson answered for Kolyat. "During her mission, Shepard came in contact with a sentient geth named Legion. Instead of doing what any of us would and vetting him out the airlock, Shepard restored him and learned some interesting things."

"Things like?" the salarian pushed eagerly.

"There is a division in the geth. Those that attacked the Council those years ago were actually following the reapers believing in them to bestow the geth with the technology to build their own future. Legion was a part of the faction content to leave other races alone and pursue their own future independently and more importantly without war."

All three councilors raised their eyes at Anderson.

"And with minimal effort, Shepard managed to reprogram a massive amount of those 'heretic' geth to see Legion's side of things, in effect, neutralizing several armies' worth of them."

The turian councilor whistled, impressed.

"So where is this Legion now?" the salarian asked.

"If my information is correct," Kolyat continued, "He's currently working with Tali'Zorah as a sort of ambassador between the geth and the quarians. They're working toward a peaceful agreement that will hopefully find the quarians back on their homeworld. That's also a product of Shepard's influence by the way."

Kolyat grinned pleased with himself being Shepard's de facto lawyer.

"Be that as it may, this still doesn't excuse the fact that Shepard is remaining in contact with Cerberus." Tevos remarked pointedly and Kolyat's smile deflated. "What is she up to now?"

"Cerberus influence is negligible at best. Now she just runs a simple merc outfit and keeps the peace in Omega and throughout most of the Terminus. If you don't want your door kicked in by an angry, bloodthirsty krogan, don't sell drugs to kids. If you don't want a biotic ripping up your insides, treat everyone like you would your own mother. And if you don't want Shepard at your door at 4 in the morning with a submachine gun in one hand and knife in the other, do not engage in any kind of slave trade and let her find out about it. Period."

Anderson smirked. That's Shepard, through and through.