Chapter 1: Interbellum

Fredrick,

I don't know whether I can find the most appropriate context under which I can explain myself, or find the will to say so before my twilight finally strikes. However, I will at least leave a note for you. A warning of sorts. I know I can't help answer every question you have, but do heed my warning. Do not feel rage when I say that you are my greatest regret.

I see you enter the vast unknown prepared to combat pirates and criminals supposedly for the common good, but I feel you are among our kind generating discomfort more than you are creating a safer galaxy. I can't help but think back to the time I was arguing with Captain Yuri about what to make of you before you initially came out of your growth jar. He said you were needed to defend our small populace while I argued that your strengths would better be placed in keeping people safe on the new homeworld. We compromised, but I see he still gets his way most of the time.

Maybe I wouldn't worry so much if I did know what lay ahead of you. Your career, the mystery of the Protheans, who you'll be recognized as, and much more would bring me comfort in my elder age. But here I stand, the apple of my eye doubling as a thorn in my side. I only hope for the best in your near future. Please prove me wrong.

Andrew

Sept 22, 2185

19 hrs/03 min/21 sec

Maximum security, Khonsu, Nile System, Ra Nebula

The technicians checked the cryopod vitals to ensure the colonel was still alive and unconscious. "Sir, the pod is active and Colonel Müller is under its full effect."

"And his equipment?" the captain of the prison wing asked.

"In out processing. It'll be waiting for him when he's called for." The riot troops and engineers began to make their way back to their respective posts.

"Good. Return back up here, someone wants to talk with you about the colonel. Specifically, monitoring."

"Yessir." He marched back to the main control tower, overlooking much of the facility. After exiting the elevator, he marched up to the captain and saluted. "You called, sir?"

"Ahem, I did." Another voice from the side called to him. Turning to look, a short-haired albino man in the standard gray officer uniform walked forward, reaching a hand out. "Hello, private. I'm Captain Nolan White, I was just transferred to the naval forces in regard to the recent information dug up by the good colonel. I appreciate you taking the time to talk." Despite being well over a century

The engineer reached out to shake the hand. "It's an honor sir. What do you need to discuss concerning our most recent inmate?"

"Just some monitoring. It's important to our current security," the captain explained. "So far, we aren't dealing with a normal infected victim here, and his case could go for the better or worse. In short, I need you to scan him on a weekly basis, and send me the scannings as well as any notes concerning abnormalities that you might spot. Of course, if he starts developing the symptoms of infection and so much as reaches a level three infection, terminate him. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir. Absolutely clear, sir," the engineer replied.

"As you were." Nolan managed to keep a level face as he spoke, but was wound up on the inside. "Sorry, buddy. You'd understand."

Sept 21, 2185

18 hrs/19 min/53 sec

Captain's cabin, SSV Normandy, returning from the Hourglass Nebula

If it's one thing Linda did take from the orphanage she was moved to after she first saw the insane Terran was that you couldn't judge a book by it's cover. Fredrick, while an irredeemable asshole for the most part, was like trying to read the entirety of Issac Asimov's Robot series in one sitting. He could genuinely be crazy, but there were so many parts in his autobiography that not one single bit could be cited as the main cause. "Jesus, how the hell is this bastard not dead?"

Garrus was in his civies and reclining on the couch with a glass of wine in his hand. "Beats me. My dad didn't really tell me much about him."

From her desk, Linda glared through her holo-screen at him. She didn't know how to feel after the fighting like hell through the Shadow Broker's ship. She felt frightened when he initially went down from the first blow, and was unable to check his vitals under the hail of fire from Yahg. Afterwards, when Liara, the new Shadow Broker, gave her files on many of her friends and what little of her family she could get at, she found files pertaining to Garrus' own family, specifically his mother. While she'd been slowly degrading from a genetic disease, he'd been playing space-Batman on Omega instead of at home, trying to comfort her. While the Collector corpses still collecting dust in Mordin's lab could provide the breakthrough the doctors needed to develop a treatment, she was pissed at Garrus for not coming out with it sooner. "Still, the fight would've been much easier if he was still here."

Between sips, Garrus replied, "He wouldn't have lasted two minutes against Fredrick if he were there."

It was long and she already knew enough. Clicking off the window, she decided to move onto Jack ready to peer into whatever secrets she had. It would help her in the long run, right? She took the sandwich from her plate and took another bite from it.

He looked at his omnitool. The night was still young, but it was the opportunity still stared at him like an enemy sniper, simultaneously scoped in. Putting the glass down, he stood up and put one hand in his pocket. "Linda, darling, before this galaxy goes to hell, I want to do one last thing. After your return, I decided to do some research."

She turned to look at him as he walked by the fish tank and up to the desk with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile. "Look, if you're in the mood for some sex, there's no need to beat around the bush."

"No no no, not biology-related. Cultural. I already went through the pain of losing you once. Even if one or both of us die in this next invasion, I want to have something in the back of my mind to keep me going." Garrus got down on one knee, pulled a small black box from his pocket, and opened the lid. "Linda Shepard, will you take my hand and be my mate?"

What? She slowly rose to her feet. She had been asked by a few guys in the Alliance when she was younger, but she did not expect to hear those words from Garrus. Inside the small black box was a small, silver band with an emerald imbedded in the center. "I- Garrus, you do know what you're asking, right?"

"I did my research, and I know this is what I want. I wouldn't want anything less than to spend the rest of my life with you. I can understand if yo-"

"I do, Garrus. I do." She could barely keep the streams of tears from rolling down her cheeks as he slipped on the ring. "Well, we've got time until the Reapers come and burn the galaxy down. Think we've got time for the wedding?"

The two wrapped their arms around each other as Garrus returned to full height before tapping foreheads together. "I'm sure we can fit it in."

Oct 12, 2185

10 hrs/36 min/04 sec

Urdnot Camp, Tuchanka, Krogan DMZ

Urdnot Grunt was put in command of Aralakh Company after his return to Tuchanka. Wrex, as the devout leader of Clan Urdnot felt the tank-born Krogan represented the future of their race, a symbol of hope. He remembered the behavior of Wrex when he briefly talked with the Terran doctor, and wanted to know more. Walking through the camp, he walked up onto the throne area and saluted. "Clanleader Wrex."

Wrex nodded in acknowledgement. "Commander Grunt, what did you have in mind?"

"You seemed to know much about Colonel Müller of the Terran forces. What do you know about him?" Grunt asked.

Wrex chuckled as he began, "He's a good friend. We've had plenty of history with each other. He's insane, strong, dedicated to the causes and individuals he fights for, and he's as much a soldier as any of us Krogan are. I would be proud to call him my brother."

"I was thinking more along the lines of who he is based upon his history."

"You might want to sit then. You're in for a long, strange story."

Nov 7, 2185

08 hrs/03 min/04 sec

[classified], Earth, Sol System, Local Cluster

Even in such grim times, he couldn't help but still throw one back. Part of the old adage for the group. Final arrangements had been put in place, the kids were about to enter cryo, and he'd be going under himself soon enough before departing. He felt sad abandoning this galaxy, leaving them to fight the fight themselves instead of defending Earth. He couldn't bare the though of Earth being a lifeless ball, whether it be from the invasion or the crumbling of civilization centuries later, when all he knew and left behind would be long gone.

Putting the finishing touches on the documents in front of him, his monitor lit up with an incoming call. Opening the call, he greeted, "Julianos, thanks for calling me. Even with what's going on, not a lot of people admit to knowing me."

It was a Turian with chalky white plates and the distinct blue colony marks of the Vakarian clan. Smiling, Julianos replied, "I owe you. Those were good days back on the Citadel. I checked back with my son, Garrus. He used to work there at C-Sec, now with the defense force back at home."

"Why the sudden change from away to the homeworld?" he asked.

"He said the council believes Commander Shepard's story is bogus. A couple years after he left, the bombshell dropped, and now I have my own doubts," Julianos paused, almost with hesitation as he glanced to the side.

"This threat... they're calling them 'Reapers'?" He hadn't heard much about the monstrosities before until the aforementioned bombshell dropped. The Alliance officials he did talk to simply denounced them as mythical.

"Shepard's word for them, the Terrans call them 'Harvesters.' Not sure which is worse. They come through, burn civilization galaxy-wide to the ground every fifty thousand years. An extinction event. I met the Wolf during my days at C-Sec. I didn't know just how deeply involved he was with this until he made it apparent that the alarm's about to go off... again," Julianos answered. Gradually, his tone went from eased to see an old friend to worrying for the existence of everything around him.

He sighed. "Ah, shit..."

"I know. But Garrus says she's as level-headed as she gets. Takes after most of you N7s. So if the commander says these Reapers are coming, I don't want to be around to see them." Julianos got up to end the call.

He turned for a moment to prod the projector to his left one more time. Initiating another call, he turned his attention to the screen. It was a females' voice, but it was the image of an elder African-American male. She was keeping a shifting image to maintain identity secrecy. "Yes?"

"I checked around," he replied. "Looks like shit will be hitting the fan after all."

She sighed as the image shifted to that of a blue skinned Salarian. "Like I told the board, if there is a war, the scramble for resources will be on a scale we've never seen before. The chaos will be monumental."

He nodded as her projected image once again switched to an Asian woman. "Then it's a good thing we've accelerated the timetable."

"Still, we should leave while the uproar is at a minimum. The arks must be underway before any fighting begins. We can't get caught in the crossfire."

He barely bit back a smirk as the image showed a green Turian. "Agreed."

"Is there something else?"

"Years ago, you mentioned 'salvation'... you knew this was coming."

"The Terrans, specifically the Wolf, made it apparent something was coming. The Wolf and Shepard dropped the blindfold, showing our reality. Naturally, we'll need a new home. If all else fails, we'll be all that's left of our civilization."

"And what about the Wolf? He's proven himself that he's up for the climb and that he's devoted to defending this galaxy."

"You may trust him, but I don't. I would trust him better if the Terrans would declassify his current standing."

"I see. Thanks for your time. If you'll excuse me, I have one more thing to do." He ended the call before looking at the projector, now displaying a blue cloud, like a nebula. "SAM, call the kids and tell them their old man needs to talk... it's urgent."

"Yes sir," the AI replied, pulsating with each syllable it uttered.

Dec 2, 2185

12 hrs/02 min/30 sec

Aldrin Space Port

"Is everything ready?" Admiral Hashimoto asked.

"Yes, admiral. The dreadnoughts are in place throughout all our territories. We can begin mass-evacuation on a moment's notice," Amory reported.

"Good to hear, wing commander." Even the mere thought of anything else was nice to put his mind off the constant threats the Hegemony put out, demanding that they hand over the colonel to carry out their own form of 'justice.' The admirals attention was drawn to the control tower entrance as Captain White and Major Schmitt entered, continuing a conversation they were holding on the elevator. "What's the trouble now, captain?"

"Most recent report from high security, admiral. Is it okay if I temporarily borrow one of the monitors?" Nolan asked. After subsequently plugging the data into the holo table at the center of the room, a projection of Fredrick's bodily scan came up. "This is our most recent scan. So far, it indicates that his brain is still undergoing the rewiring process despite the cryo-effects on his systems. This time, there has been one small change that has appeared."

The projection zoomed in on the base of the neck. Stripping down the projections of other tissue, it only showed the skeleton and implants. Growing into the back of the spine was a small bit that hadn't been there previously. "Is that a-?"

"It's a neural synchronizer alright," Lauren answered for the Admiral. "It wasn't there before, since he has no role as an engineer, and it sure isn't of our design."

"So over the course of his time under, his body has naturally grown a new implant?" Hashimoto asked, taken aback. "What are you suggesting we do to handle this new issue?"

"We were going to ask you that, sir," Nolan answered. "We would like to bring him out and excise it, however, we don't know whether it'll grow back regardless or if he'll be hostile if he at all wakes up during the medical operation."

The admiral sighed. "I don't know. The others agree that he's to be brought out when the Harvesters finally arrive, but this is new. I'll have to bring this up next time. Anything else?"

"That's all, admiral. We'll be waiting for your response," Lauren answered.

"Look, I can understand why you two are concerned, but please just put him out of your minds for the time being. I know he's been your friend for the longest time, but there's simply nothing we can do for him. Now, you two are dismissed." The two soldiers turned and left the room, leaving the admiral to continue staring at the projection of the implant.

Dec 31, 2185

23 hrs/49 min/13 sec

Alliance HQ, Vancouver, Earth, Sol System, Local Cluster

Linda decided to take some time off from the new years' celebration on Earth to check in with Garrus. As was her current role in the Alliance, he'd been called back home to Palaven to act as an advisor for the Hierarchy troops. Initiating a call from her desktop, Garrus' face showed up not too long afterwards. "Hey Linda, is everything alright?" her husband asked.

"Hi Garrus, I just wanted to check in and see if you're alright. Everything's fine for the time being. Is your dad still getting used to the idea of us being together? He did seem unwilling to talk at the wedding," Linda replied with a small smile.

"He may be a traditionalist, and ready to follow orders to the letter, but he's happy that we're together. He's somewhat softened up by mom's death. Other than that, I've been barely keeping up with work here," Garrus returned with a small chuckle before turning to a slightly somber tone.

"Yeah," Linda agreed as her smile faded and she looked away from the camera. "It almost feels too good, doesn't it?"

Now Garrus frowned with concern. "What's wrong?"

"I was just wondering what it'd be like if I were calling you from house-arrest instead. If I had gone down in the Viper Nebula instead," she continued. It simply didn't feel fair, especially considering the outcome Müller had to face.

"Honey, look, he knew this would happen and as much as he is who he is, he does all the wrong things for the right reasons. I wouldn't forgive myself if I watched you walk off into Alliance custody after we returned from the Viper Nebula." His eyes begged to see her return to her happy state.

Gradually, her smile returned. "I suppose. Hey, what did you want to do about kids?"

Garrus blinked. "Well, I hadn't really thought about it. I figured maybe we would adopt some war orphans once the dust clears. We aren't in any rush, are we?"

Shrugging, Linda answered, "Just a thought. It sounds nice considering I barely knew my own parents. And who knows? I kinda thought of-"As the fireworks began to explode in the night sky, Anderson pinged her. "Ah, shit. Gotta go! I'll try and call you back tomorrow! Love you!"

"Have a nice night! I love you too!"

"He's connected to the system, but I cannot establish a link."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It might be due to the previously established firewalls within their systems."

"Has the firewall not been overwritten?"

"Due to the spontaneous nature to which he has been installed within our systems, his development has been out of our control, and is subsequently something unidentified."

"I'll be keeping an eye on our point of entry. Keep looking at the problem and find a way around."

Feb 11, 2186

16 hrs/11 min/38 sec

Specter Academy, Citadel Station

"This is the Homeworld Maximum Security line for communicating with inmates, please state who you're trying to contact?" a dull voice responded as she called.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams, I'd like to speak with Colonel Müller please," she answered. She had asked for a number to call from Henry, one of Fred's older squadmates.

"I'm sorry, the colonel is currently unavailable in his current status. We can save a message from you for when we do bring him out. Would that be preferable?" the dull voice droned on.

It would have to do. "Yeah sure, just give me a sec," she sighed with lingering defeat. She looked up at the camera's optic piece before greeting, "Hey Fred, it's me Ashley. I wish we could've talked more that day when you got back with another run with Shepard. I'm almost jealous that you got to go along instead of staying here with Specter training. But if it's any consolation, I..." She looked down at the medal in her hand. Clenching it in her hand for a few seconds, she held it to the camera before explaining, "Kaidan and I finally graduated. There wasn't much of a ceremony, but I wished you were there for it. I even gave a bit thanking you for pulling me together back on the SR-1. Remember that? Those were good times." She blinked a few times to keep the tears back. "Ugh, now I'm just droning on. Listen, whatever the hell they're doing to you back there, please get out some time soon. We need you. As much as things die around you, you're the driving force for this whole thing, and we owe you more than turning you into a goddamned popsicle. End message."

"Thank you. We'll be sure he gets it when he goes to out-processing."

"Thanks officer." She got up and looked out the window into the Presidium. Now she waits.

March 23, 2186

18 hrs/39 min/05 sec

Purgatory, Citadel Station

"Damn. You crazy bastards stuck around with him?" A graying African American Alliance marine was talking to Samara, Thane, Kolyat, and Zaeed. "I remember training under that nut before shipping off to Torfan. He's crazy, but he knows how to get in and out of hell, I'll give him that."

"He is quite the survivor, and is incredibly adaptable," Thane complemented. "Don't let his role as support-commander fool you. He's very capable of holding his own."

"Damn right. Back when I was leading the Blue Suns, I thought I might get away with setting up camp a bit close to Terran territory. He goes in alone, drops from orbit, sneaks into my camp, and sets coordinates for an orbital bombardment. That creeper is not to be taken lightly," Zaeed commented.

Samara put down her own glass before adding, "We do have our doubts about him, but he's still trustworthy in the midst of combat. I can recall a few scenarios at his side where I probably wouldn't have made it out alive if it weren't for his skills and abilities."

"I see," the Alliance veteran replied. "Maybe he's just more comfortable with a smaller crew? We got shot to hell on Torfan, but he still led us to victory at the end of the day, no matter what the media says to take him down."

"Amen to that," Zaeed said before throwing back another.

April 9, 2186

11 hrs/24 min/40 sec

Aldrin Space Port, Khonsu, Ra System, Nile Nebula

"So we've basically done nothing to help him?" Admiral Hashimoto said between bites of a sandwich. He started eating lunches at work to be able to remain active. Nolan, the admiral, and Mary were looking over one of the maximum security engineers' explanation of the most recent scan.

"For all we can tell, it would've been better to just leave him in a cell instead. While the rate at which the virus can flow through his systems has been slowed by the cooling effects of the cryo-stasis, so has his body's ability to resist the virus' progress. Overall, one cancels the other out," the engineer concluded. "However, we have developed a script to help give him more time once he wakes up."

Walking up to the group was one of the communications officers. "Sir, a new message just came out of Hegemony space, but not demanding for the colonel this time."

"What is it? Yet another demand for the colonel? I thought I told them to stop sending those," Nolan asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned to face the officer.

"It's a distress signal. We sent a message back asking what was the issue, but we've yet to receive a response. It's been an hour, sirs."

A deafening silence fell over the group. "Private, get the colonel out of cryo ASAP, the rest of you get back to your stations, and begin evacuation. It was a nice seven months while it lasted, ladies and gentlemen. We've prepared for this moment, now let's make it happen."