Formerly 'Consequences', this is now the home of future updates to the Antiheroine AU. I'm not precluding the possibility of a future Antiheroine II, but if it does happen, it'll probably come out of something you see here; a collection of stories that follow(though some will begin during) the events of Antiheroine, showing consequences of Kara's actions through OCs new and old, and canon characters.

We'll begin with a thread. Who knows where it will go?

25 May, 2183, The Citadel

Red light filtered up through the trees that decorated the terraces of the Tower Court, giving the whole space an ethereal glow. Councillor Adar Tevos looking down on then from her office, on the balcony floor, watching officials and their aides speak with petitioners about matters both small and important. One of the four-legged Keepers, the Citadel's inoffensive caretakers, wandered past, as indifferent to the others as they were to it. None of them knew, of course, but how could they. No one had told them.

Adar sighed, turning away from the view. How could she tell them, when she wasn't sure if she believed herself. An entire race of ancient starships, complex and powerful AIs that destroyed all sentient life in a cycle that went back millions of years? She crossed the small space to her desk, and activated the main display.

Projected over the wall, next to the door, the image of a human female appeared. Kara Shepard, the source of all current information on the Reapers. There was something defiant about her green eyes, and a frozen intensity that seemed to stare out from the image. Unkempt red-auburn hair topped her head, not long enough to reach her eyes. Softly rounded cheekbones, a narrow jaw. Thin lips held in a serious line. She was reasonably attractive but, when properly filled out by personality, because decidedly beautiful.

A former Alliance marine, with N7 certification and a Commander's rank, she was now a Council Spectre, and still an enigma. Adar did not pretend to understand humans overly well, even after twenty-six years of contact, but Kara was something else entirely. Simply looking at her Alliance record hinted at a brand of willful insubordination that had Sparatus grinding his teeth, but Nihlus Kryik, himself a less than ideal soldier, had insisted that they take a second look.

Adar had agreed. One of the most important qualities of a potential Spectre was not their willingness to obey orders, but to see beyond them. To analyze a situation in its larger context, implementing a solution that not only saved lives in the present, but helped diffused the tensions which had created it. Kara's behavior during the Alliance's Torfan campaign was impressive, in this regard; when her CO had attempted a battlefield execution of several unarmed batarian prisoners, she disabled him and took command. It wasn't the only time, either.

Then there was the gap in her record. Starting when Kara was a fifteen year old student on Arcturus Station, the Alliance's headquarters, it continued for over four years, until she reappeared at a Naval recruiting station at the Citadel's human embassy. No one had been able to offer any explanation, until Adar had been contacted by an old friend of hers, Matriarch Muar Ilthaea, who hadn't left the homeworld in four hundred years.

Kara Shepard had lived on Thessia for almost two years, looking for a way to use her biotics without the agonizing headaches caused by a primitive Alliance implant. Muar had been impressed enough by the young woman to arrange a most complete solution; complex neurosurgery to replaced the L2 implant with a modified Serrice Council model.

After recovering from surgery, Kara had traveled to Sur'Kesh, helping a quarian pilgrim to defeat a batarian takeover of their transport ship on the way. From that point, she had more or less disappeared, between occasional visits with the quarian, and finally left for Palaven. Again, the details of her travels were lost, and there was no actual record of her leaving the world.

Adar had not revealed her findings to the rest of the Council. Kara clearly preferred that her years as a self-styled kyrande—a wanderer in search of knowledge—remain secret, and there was nothing in them that demanded censure. At most, they further illustrated her character. It took a different type of courage to travel unfamiliar territory than it did to fight a war, one which asari philosophy found more admirable. It was a trait that, though understanding and tolerance, had ended war on Thessia.

It was one of the reasons why she chose to trust Kara, after her initial skepticism, and the woman's questionable decision to hijack the Normandy. Which, considering all that had happened since, seemed somewhat prescient.

The soft tone of the door chime interrupted her musing, and she reached down to touch the control.

Councillor Varrus Sparatus walked in through the open door, his mandibles flexing irritably. "Right, Adar, I'm here. What is this about?"

Adar sat down, gesturing that the turian should do the same. "We haves some important decisions to make, Varrus, and I think it's time we discussed them."

Sparatus sat, turning his head to study the display. His eyes narrowed sharply. "Spirits, no. Not the human again."

"Her name is Kara," Adar pointed out sharply. "What exactly is your problem with her?"

"She's disrespectful," the turian replied. "She has no loyalty, to her species, or to this Council."

She was loyal to her beliefs, which was often better; they could lead one astray, but they never lied. Unlike governments. "She started us on a path towards peace with the geth. Would Nihlus have done as much?"

Sparatus crossed his arms and scowled, silently. Most of his irritation came from Kara's recent investigation of a human corporation, ExoGeni, and its actions on Feros, which had little to do with Saren or the Reapers. It was, instead, a Cerberus connection that had led her there; Adar would have preferred that the Spectre informed her, before going off on a tangential mission, but found the cause reasonable.

"My apologies for being late, Adar," Tellin Valern said, walking in through the open door. "Had business to finish. Mm, am I interrupting something?"

"She wants to talk about the human," Sparatus growled.

"Human?" the salarian asked, as the turian councillor pointed him to the display. "Shepard. Go on."

"In fact, I called you here to hear a proposal. We've all seen images of the Reapers—"

"Supposed 'Reaper'," Sparatus muttered.

"Of the Reaper, Sovereign," Adar continued, not allowing her irritation to show. "And had time to study the data provided by the geth. This isn't the first this Council has considered evidence that the Protheans were destroyed by an unknown adversary, but I believe that Kara has provided us with proof enough to act."

"Act how?" Valern asked. "The STG is following up on several leads. They aren't very promising.

Adar switch Kara's image with another, from a recent conversation. This version looked more tired, with her hair a little longer, but her eyes were no less intense. "Fine," the recording said, "but we need to have a talk about my future as a Spectre. If you want me to stay on after Saren is defeated, there are a few things to set straight. Now."

Sparatus' jaw tightened, just as it had when Kara had originally made that statement. The recording continued, playing his response. "Shepard, are you dictating terms? To us."

"Yes."

Adar struggled not to smile, again. That Kara had followed her investigation of the geth—the mission to which her image was presently objecting—by chasing down Cerberus operatives on Binthu, which had led her to Feros. "We'll listen," the asari had replied.

The woman nodded, running her fingers through her disorganized hair. "I accepted this mission because I believe the Eden Prime beacon's message was essential to catching Saren. If I do stay on, it will be to continue studying the Reapers, and to stop them if I can."

"Spectres are given wide discretion to follow their own leads, Captain," Vallern had told her. "You know that already."

"I'll need a new ship," Kara declared. "The Normandy will be returned to the Alliance, after Saren is caught."

Adar paused the recording. She believed she had made her point.

"The Asari Republic is free to give Shepard as many ships as you want, Adar," Sparatus frowned. "What does this have to do with us?"

"The Asari Defense Forces do not have a ship equivalent to the Normandy, Varrus" Adar replied.

The turian grunted. "You want access to stealth technology. What would we get in return?"

"I'm not suggested a straight exchange," Adar said, rising and circling the table. "There were several other advances made during the development of the Normandy, some of which are being integrated into existing turian ships. Others will certainly make their way into the next generation of designs."

"You're proposing a joint project," Valern noted.

Adar nodded. "The Republic will provide the facilities and materials for its construction, and in return we will keep the ship. The Union and the Hierarchy would provide scientists, and engineers."

In such a deal, the asari would benefit the least. They were already ahead of both species in ship design and technology, but there were several promising technologies which the salarians had introduced in the last generation of warships, and she did not underestimate the possibilities of an alternate perspective.

"I may be able to convince the Dalatross," the salarian councillor frowned. "They will want some assurances."

"I can only promise that any technologies developed by the team will be available to all our species. Increasing our readiness to deal with a threat like the Reapers is the goal, after all."

Sparatus, who had begun staring distantly out over the Court, frowned, and straightened. "Alright, Adar. I'll speak to the Primarch."

"Good," Adar said, with a careful smile. Even if the Reapers were nothing more than cleverly crafted lie of Saren's, there were many benefits to closer cooperation. And if they were real, then it would not due to be caught unprepared.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a comment. If you're joining me front Antiheroine, welcome. If you aren't, I'd really recommend you start there. While I do my best to make sure everything makes sense, this isn't the best place for new readers to join us.