Quinn Shepard was busy putting names to faces on all of the new crew members he'd encountered on the new Normandy as he made his way up from the shuttle bay. Freedom's Progress had been a hell of a wake-call and a lot of good people had died, but at least Shepard's squad had gotten the information they needed. Veetor's data proved that the Collectors were responsible for the abductions and, more importantly, it provided clues on how to neutralize the Collector's attacks.
Shepard felt stuck in the past with only nightmares and status reports to guide him back to the present. As he entered the CIC and made his way up to the cockpit he could at least be glad there was one familiar face amidst all the insanity. He arrived at the cockpit just in time to hear Joker bickering halfheartedly with the ship AI.
"You look like you're settling in just fine Joker, I'm going to head up to my cabin for a few minutes to unwind. I think that heavy mech down there gave me a headache."
Joker turned around, purposely spinning his chair out of reach of Shepard's as-yet uncleaned combat suit. "Careful with the leather there Commander. I don't need your soot covered gloves all over my new baby already. And hot damn! I was watching your combat feed. That blast gave me a headache. What'd you do, overload it's power unit?"
"That hardly seems likely Mr. Moreau. The Normandy's aerogel display screens do not draw significant power to pose a photonic risk to organic vision." Joker and Shepard both turned to look over at the disembodied globe representing the ship's AI.
Joker's expression went from jovial to annoyed in a blink. The new Normandy felt like having his baby back, but then that thing kept interrupting. "Is there anything you can do about that Commander? We did just fine without a nagging artificial intelligence before."
"Hardly, Joker. I died, remember? We're going to need every advantage we can get and if that includes EDI so be it. And no, I didn't overload anything. You'd be amazed what a well aimed sniper shot to a mech's head can do." Shepard still had his reservations about EDI, but as long as she stayed out of Joker's way he was confident everything would be fine. "Once everything's squared away we're going to need to head to the Citadel. As much as I may dislike the Council they need to know I'm alive and haven't turned traitor. EDI, wake me in two hours. I'm going to my cabin for a well earned rest."
"Will do Shepard."
"Got it Commander. You're going to need that rest, they're not going to be happy to see you." With that Joker spun back around and started looking for the mute button again.
With a heavy sign Quinn turned around and made his way down the CIC. He really did need that shower, and his suit could use a good cleaning. After a short ride up to the captain's cabin he made his way over to the armor locker began the arduous task of field stripping his armor. The last thing he needed was for some stray bit of debris to jam a crucial servo at just the wrong moment.
He had just managed to finish cleaning his visor and gauntlets when something on his desk caught his eye. "EDI, is that a photo frame on my desk?"
"That's correct Commander."
He had an idea. "What are the odds that Cerberus has a current photo of Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the Systems Alliance on file?"
"Searching now Commander. We have nothing current on Miss Williams. It appears her Alliance files are surprisingly well classified. I can begin an extranet search for a suitable picture for the frame if you would like."
"I would appreciate it. Thanks." Without even thinking about what he was doing Shepard found himself sitting at his desk with his datapad in hand. "While you're at it find me a current extranet mailing address for her as well, if you could."
There was so much that he needed to say, that he needed to tell her. But, as usual, his mind was having trouble processing thoughts to words. This happened every time he got nervous around Ashley, and between the combat fatigue and sleep deprivation he wasn't sure if now was the best time to let her know he was still alive. But if there's one thing Quinn remembered it was that you absolutely did not keep Ashley waiting or try to keep her in the dark.
Dear Ashley,
I'm sorry that I yelled at you to get to the shuttle when the Normandy was going down. I never wanted those to be the last words you heard from me before I died. And I really did die Ashley; I wake up every night screaming from the nightmares. The cold, the fire, the hiss of air. The only thing that calms me down is you, your voice. As one of my new crew is fond of reminding me I was "dead as dead can be", but you still bring me back.
They tell me I have a gift with words, that inspiring speeches come naturally to me. Why then am I having such a hard time putting my thoughts to pad right now? I think it's you. I've never been good with words around you.
My new crew and I just got back from a Terminus colony you'll probably be hearing about in your threat assessments soon, Freedom's Progress. It's gone, Ash. Every man, woman and child was taken by the Collectors in some sort of surprise attack. We're nearly certain that they're working with the Reapers and that they're targeting human colonies. Tali was also here. She had a squadron from the Migrant Fleet there looking for one of their pilgrims. She looks well, though by the end of the day I'm just glad we all managed to survive. The Quarian they had come to rescue managed to reprogram all of the colony mechs to attack on sight and most of her squadron was killed when they rushed ahead of us and right into a couple of heavy mechs. They were idiots, but at least they didn't get Tali killed too.
Hearing the shock in her voice when she saw me made everything hit home. I've only been awake for less than two days but to the rest of the galaxy I've been dead for two years. Two years. How does a man wrap his head around that?
Hearing from me like this must make you think I abandoned you. Hell, I wouldn't blame you if you thought this was all a cruel joke. It's not Ash, though I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that someone would spend billions of credits to bring me back from the dead and rebuild the Normandy. It's surreal, and I've been walking around in a fog every time the action dies down.
I already have Joker piloting us to the Citadel and we should be arriving in a few hours. I need to brief Anderson and the rest of the Council on what the hell's going on. Is that hardass Turian still on the Council? I can only imagine how happy he'll be to see me back.
I know that chances are slim, but if you're on the Citadel we need to sit down and talk. I hope life's treating you well. I love you.
Quinn
The message didn't contain a fraction of what Shepard wanted to say, but he hoped it was good enough for now. If he was lucky he'd hear back from her before they reached the Citadel. More than anyone Shepard was looking forward to seeing her, and for the first time in two days he walked over to his bed and laid down for a peaceful nap. The fact that he was still wearing most of his armor was a problem that could wait until after his nap.
"Sir, Commander Shepard has just sent an extranet message to Operations Chief Williams, should we keep it in intercept?"
The Illusive Man took a draw from his cigarette and thought it over, "Yes, I think so. The Commander may prove to be more trouble than he's worth. It's best if we keep him as isolated as we can. Quarantine the message but make it look like it reached it's destination. And remember, you not only have to fool Shepard but Miss Lawson and the ship's AI as well. They'll be monitoring his communications from their end and their interaction with Shepard puts their ultimate loyalty into question."