Shepard spun around and fell to the ground as the M35 tumbled over her head. It's rear end hit the dirt first and slowly started to fall onto it's back. Shepard looked up just as Garrus and Liara dodged the Mako's fall. The commander jumped to her feet and ran towards Liara. Time seemed to slow and the noise seemed to fade just as Liara looked up at her commander. Their eyes met, the war around them becoming but a blur. Liara's eyes started to widen as they trailed off beyond Shepard's face. Shepard turned to see Harbinger's frontal plates folding to the side, focusing in on Liara and Garrus, still curled on the ground. The commander turned back to Liara, their eyes meeting once more, time starting to gradually speed back up. Liara, on her knees, reached her arm out to Shepard, the reaper's energy beam streaming directly over the commander's head. Shepard noticed a single tear drop fall from Liara's eye. And then all that was left was red from the blast...

Jane's eyes shot open. A collection of specs, blurred. She blinked. Once. Twice. Her vision had started to become clearer. She was staring into the starry void of space. Not again. She reached up to her head. It felt as if weights were tied to her wrists. No helmet? She turned her head to see metal beams above her. A window... And what is that constant beep?

Shepard slowly started to sit up. She felt as if she had little control of her body. A med bay of some sort? And then she remembered. The reapers! Shepard pulled the IV out of her arm, the sensors off her head. She pulled to the edge of the bed, falling to the floor. The beeping turned into one endless beep.

She pulled herself up, grasping the side of the bed. Her legs wobbled, unable to support her body weight. She fell yet again, bringing the infusion pump down with her.

She noticed railing on the wall nearby. She started to pull herself toward it, half crawling. "Jane?" Shepard turned to see a petite nurse clasping a small datapad. "Stay back!" She yelled, looking around for something to defend herself with.

"Ms. Shepard, I-" "It's commander to you! Who are you? Are you with Cerberus? What have you done to me?" She accused, backing up, pushing herself toward the wall.

"Okay, commander. Just...hold on." The nurse walked over to the comm device. Shepard watched her as she pulled herself up against the wall, gripping the rail. She attempted to make a few steps.

"Dr. Elliott, I need your help. Shepard's... awake." The nurse turned back to Shepard. "Commander, it's best if you stay off your feet for a while." Shepard ignored her, continuing to take small steps. The nurse just stood there, watching her progress along the wall.

"Wow, that's impressive." Shepard turned to see a dark, slim man. His hair slick back, scruffy chin. He walked toward her. "Name's Dane Elliot," he said holding his hand out to her, "And you're standing pretty well. Sure are a fighter." Shepard ignored his hand.

"There is a war outside, Dane Elliott. And it's my job to make sure it ends. I don't have time for this." She continued on along the rail.

"Don't you think you're at least a little at a disadvantage here? Why don't you go sit back down and we can talk." He said, holding his hand out once more. "You've done something to me. I don't trust you."

"Okay. Well you have no choice," he said, grabbing at her arm. Shepard twisted her wrist out of his grasp. She let go of the rail and dove her shoulder straight into the front of his thigh, knocking him on his back. She got onto her hands and knees and, with a shot of sudden adrenaline, scrambled out the door and down the hall.

The doctor turned to the nurse who'd backed into the comm device on the wall. "Call Karin."


"My name is commander Shepard and I know a thing or two about killing reapers." "Pew pew pew! Die Harbinger!" The young Asari grasped her talking action figures tightly, her little blue hands dirty from playing in the sand. "Aurielle! Come inside darling, it's getting dark. And you need to bathe and pack up, we're leaving in the morning," Her mother called out from the cabin. Zohrr, once an uncharted planet in the Gemini Sigma, is where she was born. And she and her mother, and sometimes their family friends, visited it every year.

Aurielle shook the sand off her toys and ran inside. "I don't want to leave, mommy!"

"We have to sweetheart, I have a job to attend to. And the shuttles in town leave tomorrow."

"Oh whatever mom! They make trips every other day!" She said, rolling her eyes as she walked to the bathroom to bathe. Her mother smiled. Just as playfully harsh as her father was.

After her bath, Aurielle jumped into bed with her action figures. "Can you tell me another story about the commander before bed, mommy?" "Oh, Ellie, I'm sure I've told you just about everything I know." "Pleeeeease?" "Oh alright, hmmm. Have I told you about the rogue VI on the Luna base?" "Yes! Many times!" "You know, that VI ended up becoming a real good friend of mine." "Oh mom, I know already!" "Alright, let's see..."


The sunlight came into Aurielle's window. Mmm. She loved waking up to the smell of breakfast. It was her favorite meal of the day. She got dressed and ran to the kitchen.

"You all packed up and ready to go? We're leaving after breakfast." Her mother asked, serving her a plate. "Yes mom, I know!" "Eat up quickly, alright?"

Aurielle looked up at her mother, who was cleaning the stovetop with a towelette. She had the most beautiful mother in the galaxy. She was young, still in her maiden stage. Most asari her age had either never had relations with anyone and were too busy studying or they were dancers. But not her. She was very mature. She acted like a matron. And sometimes even a matriarch. She was so kind. And gentle. With the face of a goddess.

She held her Commander Shepard action figure in her hand. It was her favorite. "Mom?" She asked. Looking down at her toy.

"Yes, honey?" "Why do you cry sometimes?" She asked. "Is it because you miss my dad?"

Her mother paused for a moment. Her eyes started to water. She'd never told her daughter who her father was. And her daughter never really asked. But she had the feeling Aurielle already knew. She was already old enough to put the pieces together. How could she not know? How could I not tell her? Why won't she ask me?

"Yes, my love. It's because I miss your dad," she said, wiping a tear from her cheek. Aurielle gently ran her thumb across her toy commander's face. "I wish I could've met her."


Shepard managed to make it to the ventilation system without being spotted. She could feel her limbs starting to become easier to control. Then she heard a VI on the intercom.

"Alert. I have located an unidentified heat signature in the lower ducts of East Wing B."

Shit. Shepard pulled herself faster, now able to push with her legs. She turned and used them to kick out the vent at the end of the duct. She stood up, her legs shaking. She walked down the hallway as fast as she could.

"Heat signature lost in the main duct of East Wing B. Section 218."

Shepard hobbled along. She turned the corner. Fuck. Dr. Elliott and a group of nurses were waiting for her. And... Dr. Chakwas?

"It's good to see you, Commander," she said, walking toward Shepard. "Let me help you back to your room." The nurse brought out a wheelchair and sat the weary Shepard down on it. "Thank you, Eva. I've got it from here." Dr. Elliott followed behind. "What's going on? Why are you helping these people? Why aren't you on the Normandy? Where's Harbinger?"

"Slow down, commander. I'll explain everything as soon as we get you relaxed," she said, wheeling Shepard back to her room.

"Where's Harbinger?!" "As far as I know, dead. And probably still being studied in a secret Alliance facility somewhere. But definitely dead. Thanks to you."

"I-I killed Harbinger?" "You did. What's the last thing you remember, commander?" She asked, putting the breaks on the wheelchair and helping Shepard onto her bed.

"The last thing I remember... Liara. Liara T'Soni. She and Garrus Vakarian almost got hit by the Mako on earth. I remember calling for an evac. And the Normandy flew in to get them. The last thing I remember was seeing them standing in the shuttle bay." She responded as Dr. Chakwas checked her pulse. "Now can you tell me what I'm doing here? Who these people are?"

"We're ex-cerberus," said Dr. Elliott. "I should've known," Shepard said, "By the way you grabbed me, couldn't have been with the Alliance."

"I almost got assigned the Lazarus project-"

"So you knew Miranda?" Shepard interrupted. "I did."

"Where is she? ... Where's Liara?" "Commander, a lot has happened that you don't know about. But in order for it all to make sense, we need to recover your memory," said Dr. Chakwas, turning Shepard's machines back on, "So, that being said, I'll be able to help with some of it. After calling the Normandy back for Liara and Garrus, you did make it to the beam. Both you and Anderson-"

"Anderson!" Shepard interrupted, then paused. "I remember..." Shepard pressed her fingers into her eyes. She looked up, took a deep breath and wiped her tears.

"He's dead, isn't he?" "I'm afraid so," Dr. Chakwas replied, placing her hand on Shepard's. "The alliance sent a team to search for survivors on the citadel. Both The Admiral and The Illusive Man's bodies were found. In an area of the citadel we didn't even know existed."

"It's all coming back to me now..."

"The alliance was unsuccessful when searching for you," said Elliott, "so our team headed in without the alliance knowing."

"To turn me into a terrorist phantom?"

"No," Elliott replied, "we left cerberus as soon as we realized the Illusive Man had been indoctrinated."

"So then why go looking for me?" "We thought that if we'd recovered your body, it'd do us some good. We could redeem ourselves and prove our worth. Then maybe the alliance would give us a chance," said Elliott.

"We were luckier than we thought. You were still alive when we found you."

"Okay, I've had enough of this. Chakwas, you were on the Normandy the last time I saw it, where's Liara? I need to make sure she's okay," said Shepard, sitting up.

"I haven't seen her in a while, but I'm sure she's fine." "Well when can I leave? I feel fine. I just need to see her." "Shepard, just hold on-" Dr. Elliott started to say. "No! I'm fine! Just tell me where she is!" "Shepard, you can't-" he started up again. "Can't what?! What can't I do?! Can't you see I'm fine?! Why can't I-"

"Because you can't just show up from the dead again Jane!" Dr. Chakwas yelled. Jane? Chakwas swore she'd never call me by my first name. "What are you talking about Chakwas? Elliott said I was still alive when-"

"You were," She said, "but everyone thinks you're dead. When you wiped out the reapers, the catalyst destroyed the Mass relays and every VI and AI in existence along with them. The Alliance still had all the prothean data they found on mars in 2148. They used it to rebuild the relays. The Normandy crash landed on an uncharted planet in the Gemini Sigma. We had to survive on an unknown planet, lucky it was habitable. It was years before they got the relays up and running again. As soon as they did, we were rescued. Most of us settled in on Illium afterward. It was only a matter of time until VIs started popping up everywhere again. Then this ex-cerberus group contacted me and requested my help. I'm the only one besides this crew who knows that you're still alive. We didn't want to let anyone know until you woke up. Or the Alliance would have taken you from us. Shepard, It's 2194... You've been in a coma for eight years. And no one knows it."


"Disengaging FTL drive core, ETA 12 minutes!" Aurielle sang as she drove her toy Normandy through the air. She and her mother had just arrived in Nos Astra's docking bay. "Elle, do you want to grab a bite to eat before heading home? It's been a long ride."

"Sure mom," Aurielle said, smiling. Aurielle admired her mother more than anything. She had the best stories, the most beautiful smile and she was practically famous. She wanted to be just like her one day. She clenched to her mother's hand and stared up at her as they waited in line at the food vendor.

"Hey T'Soni!" Aurielle's mother turned around. "Garrus?" She said, shocked to see the turian standing in the distance. "Hey! Uncle Garrus!" Aurielle shouted in excitement, letting go of her mother's hand and running up to him. "Hey kiddo!" He said lifting her up and carrying her back toward the food stand. "You been doing any calibrations lately?" He teased her. "No one can calibrate like you can, Vakarian," her mother said, walking toward them with a bag of food.

"How have you been, Liara?" He asked her, putting Aurielle down. "Pretty okay, I suppose. We just got back from Zohrr, actually. I think the real question is how have you been? How's your family?"

"Well Palaven is getting there. Reconstruction seems to be getting along pretty well. You'd think after the amount of time it's taking, Palaven would be paradise by now. Anyway, mom started walking again. She's getting better and better everyday."

"That's so great to hear, Garrus. I'm happy for you," she said, guiding the three of them to a table. "Care to join us?"

"Ah, thanks, but I have to go meet up with the council. I made a request to move my family here to Illium. I figure the clean air is better for mom."

"Oh, yay!" Aurielle clapped. "We'll see you later, Garrus," Liara laughed. "Ooh! And if you want, we're meeting up at-"

"Moreau's?" Garrus interrupted. " I know, he sent a message to my terminal, not knowing I was already coming. He expected me to fly in and return to Palaven in the same night," he laughed. "Anyway, don't tell them I'm coming!" He said walking off. "See you tomorrow night!"

Since the destruction of the citadel, a new galactic council was formed on Illium. The planet was hardly touched by reaper forces, needing little to no reconstruction. It was rumored that the council was gathering assets to either rebuild the citadel or construct an exact replica. It was also rumored that the keepers refused to leave the remains of the citadel and that they continue to go about their business and live among the wreckage.

Liara and Aurielle caught a cab back to the apartment. Aurielle ran to her room to watch old vids of her mother and Commander Shepard fighting stimulated foes in the Armax Arsenal Arena back before she was born. They were movie stars.

Liara went up to the loft and fell onto the bed. Ahh, home at last. Tomorrow would be a busy day. She had to drop Aurielle off at Biotic Control Lessons and get back to the office. She couldn't leave Glyph and Feron in charge for too long. And the old crew had plans to meet up at Joker's place to watch the game after work.

As excited as Aurielle was about it, Liara was a bit stressed. She loved meeting up with her old friends. But things just weren't the same without Shepard around. Even after eight years. It was just hard for her. She'd only recently become able to cope, which flustered her. She's only ever wanted nothing but the best for Aurielle. And the thought of her daughter growing up seeing her mother so unhappy distressed her. She pulled the dog tags that she wore around her neck out of her shirt. She rolled onto her stomach, lying her head softly onto the pillow. She stared at the tags.

SHEPARD, JANE

5923-AC-2826

A POSITIVE

NO PREFERENCE

She'd retrieved them for Shepard and had given them back as a gift after She'd helped her deal with the shadow broker. The commander left them in a glass case on her desk in her cabin on the Normandy. Liara thought back to when they crash landed on Zohrr. She took the tags, put them around her neck and lied her head on Shepard's pillow. She layed there for hours. And she hadn't taken the tags off since.

She gently ran her thumb up and down over the engraved words on the warm metal. Tears rolled down her face as she drifted into a deep sleep.


It had been almost two weeks since Shepard woke up. and the rest of the ex-cerberus crew were going to wait until the end of the week to present Shepard to the Alliance Council.

"Commander wake up!"

"Chakwas?" Shepard asked, opening her eyes and sitting up. "Dane just clocked out. We have about fifteen minutes until the VI is automatically activated. Get up, follow me."

"Where are we going?" Shepard yawned. "Just follow me, commander, I'll tell you on the way. I made double rounds earlier making sure Elliott was in his cabin and the path was clear, come on, we don't have much time."

Shepard got up and tiptoed out if the room and down the hall behind the doctor. She tugged at her gown. "I seriously wish I had armor on right now."

"Shhhh! Look, there's the shuttle bay." Dr. Chakwas gave the all clear and they headed for one of the shuttles.

"So now do you want to tell me what's going on?" Shepard asked, climbing in behind Chakwas.

"Dr. Elliott and the rest of the crew were going to present you to the alliance like some kind of project," Chakwas said as she started up the shuttle and opened the airlock. "It'd be all over the Extranet, all over the news. Liara is living on Illium. In her old apartment. She's spent years trying to recover all her information. She's working in her old office in Nos Astra. Last I'd heard, she'd just recently got her terminals up to date with all the information she'd missed over the years. And as you can imagine, a lot of it was impossible to recover. But not even she knows about you. And she can't find out the way the rest of the galaxy does. Neither can the rest of your old crew. Can you imagine? 'breaking news! secret ex-cerberus scientists present the Commander Shepard alive and in the flesh to Alliance council! We're live now at the Systems Alliance headquarters!' all over the Extranet, news vendors, public screens. Anyway, Most of the rest of your old crew are living in Nos Astra as well. Garrus Vakarian, however, went back to Palaven with his family and to help rebuild."

"Why do I feel like this has been planned for a while?" Shepard asked.

"Because it has been," Chakwas replied, "The only reason I agreed to help these people was so I could steal you back when you woke up. You don't belong with ex-cerberus. Especially suspicious ex-cerberus."

"Wow. Nice. But Chakwas, I have to ask, do you actually know what you're doing?" Shepard asked, watching Chakwas mess with all the shuttle's controls.

"Commander, what good is the Extranet if you can't watch vids on how to properly hijack and pilot a shuttle?" Chakwas laughed.

"No good at all under our circumstances, I guess." The commander replied. "If only I'd done my N7 training via Extranet."

Chakwas laughed. "Oh, how I missed you, commander."

"I missed you too, doc," Shepard smiled. "So. I presume we're headed to Illium?"

"Uh, not quite yet," said Chakwas, "we're going to have to make a quick stop on Omega."


"Good morning, Nysia," Liara nodded at her secretary as she climbed the stairs up to her office. "Good morning Ms. T'Soni," she replied, "Feron is waiting in your office."

"Thank you, Nysia," Liara said, walking into the office.

"Liara!" Feron exclaimed, turning around. "I didn't know whether or not to take you seriously when you said you were actually returning to work today." He said, leaning against the wall.

"Very funny, Feron," she said, handing him a cup of coffee and setting hers down on the desk. "How was everything?"

Feron took a sip of the hot beverage and stood up straight. "It was okay," he said, walking toward her, "just received the usual. Numbers. Trade routes. Stocks. Council enforcements. Terrorist threats..."

Liara rolled her eyes. "How was everything with Glyph?

"Eh," Feron shrugged as he set his coffee down. "He still managed to follow me everywhere."

When the reapers were defeated, Glyph was destroyed along with them. Liara designed a new information drone, an exact replica of the original.

"Good day shadow broker, nothing new to report," Glyph informed her, moving close to Feron's side.

"Ms. T'Soni?" Nysia's voice sounded on the comm.

"Yes, Nysia?" Liara responded. "I don't mean to interrupt, but there's someone here that needs to speak with you."

Hmm. Liara asked Feron to start directing the new incoming information and headed for the door.

"Matriarch Valia," Liara said, shocked, "Is there something wrong?" Liara peered down the staircase to see her daughter dancing around in the corner.

Aurielle's Biotic Control instructor stood there with her arms crossed. "'Is there something wrong?!' Of course there's something wrong! Something always seems to go wrong when your daughter is in my class!"

"Oh no," Liara said, putting her hand to her forehead, "what has she done this time?"

"You know damn well what she did! I don't know why she and the other students find it humorous to see me dangling in the air, but I guarantee you, if something like this happens one more time, you're going to have to find someone else to put up with her!" She shouted.

"Oh Goddess..." Liara started, shaking her head, "Valia, I'm so sor-"

"Ah-ah! There's no need!" She said, frustrated. The matriarch marched down the stairs, Aurielle passing her up with a smile on her face.

"Darling, how many times do I have to tell you not to use singularity on your instructor?" Liara asked, grabbing her daughter's, arm.

"I just wanted to be like you and Commander Shepard mom!" She said, making a 'gun' with her fingers and 'shooting' Nysia.

"Just... Sit tight, I'm going to call James to come get you." She said, walking into her office.


"I'm sorry, no can do Doc," Vega came in on the comm. "The council has me trailing the biggest red sand dealer on Illium today. I know you don't want the niña around all your dangerous information, but if she were my hija, I know I wouldn't want her around red sand and criminals either."

"Alright, thank you James," Liara sighed as she disconnected.

"Call Aethyta," Feron suggested. "My daughter just got kicked out of class and you want me to call my father to come pick her up?" Liara asked, "she's not exactly the best influence."

"But you can't keep her around the office, you're kind of the shadow broker, remember?" Feron said.

Liara looked out the window, contemplating. "I know."


"So I heard my granddaughter has been using biotics on her teacher," Matriarch Aethyta laughed as she climbed up the stairs. "Nice. High five!"

Aurielle giggled and ran in for a hug. Liara stood atop the stairs with her arms crossed. "I'll pick her up at 6:30. Can you two try to not cause too much trouble?"

"We'll try," the matriarch replied as they started to descend down the stairs.

"And Aethyta," Liara said. The matriarch turned her head.

"Thank you."

"Yeah yeah yeah," she said, turning back around and continuing down the stairs. "Whataya say we go cut the power in Eternity and switch the turian and quarian peanut bowls with the others?" She asked Aurielle, who started to chuckle.

Liara shook her head and entered her office. She wasn't sure if her daughter got her destructive nature from Aethyta or her own father.


"What are we doing here again?" Shepard asked Chakwas as they were leaving Omega's docking bay.

"After you helped Aria T'Loak take Omega back, it quickly became the capital of illegal trade, smuggled goods and trafficking again. An ex-client of mine has a friend who is creating a fake ID for you. And there's no way we could've made it all the way to Illium in that shuttle."

"Chakwas, I never knew this side of you. Kidnapping. Hijacking. Illegal trade. I like it." Shepard laughed.

"You know, I only joined the medical field looking for exotic adventure. Which I did not get, by the way."

"You never cease to surprise me."


"Psst! Karin!" Chakwas and Shepard turned around. A scrawny, pale-tan salarian was signaling them over from the transport depot. They headed over to the X3M he was hiding behind. He had huge dark green eyes and his right horn curled in tighter than his left, making his left horn dangle over the right. It was obvious he was Lystheni.

"Tandig, do you have the stuff?" Chakwas asked him.

"Uhm, about that..." He replied, nervously playing with his fingers. "I might've accidentally told Geck, the guy who's making the ID, that it was for Commander Shepard, who is actually still alive." He gulped. "...And now he wants proof, by watching Shepard in action."

"Accidentally?" Shepard asked, moving in closer to Tandig. "You're lucky I don't have my Phaeston to accidentally blow your head off with!"

"What exactly do you mean when you say he wants to see Shepard in action?" Chakwas asked the shaking salarian.

"H-He hired a group of Blue Sun mercs to kill you at the warehouse he's at. An-and if you can kill them all, he'll give the ID. And if you can't, he'll kill me." He swallowed.

Shepard let out a loud laugh. "I wiped out the entire reaper race! Blue Suns? You've got nothing to worry about, princess," she said, hitting him in the arm. "In fact, I can't wait to get back out there. After two weeks sitting in a hospital bed, let's do this."

"It was eight years, commander," Chakwas corrected her.

"Whatever Chakwas! Salarian, am I at least going to be provided some clothes and a pistol?"

He lead them over to a large chest that was loaded with illegal guns and armors. "Take your pick," He swallowed.

"Hell yes," Shepard grinned, "I'm actually looking forward to this." She grabbed some black and gray Hahne-Kedar armor, an HMOT omni-tool, L3 biotic amp, the Arc Pistol, Katana, Javelin and of course her favorite, the Phaeston. "I swear, I'm still dreaming."


Shepard, Chakwas and Tandig jumped out of the skycar and headed toward the warehouse. "Are you sure you can handle this?" Tandig gulped.

Shepard looked at Chakwas. "Maybe princess should wait out here," she said, making fun of the salarian. "By the way, you look weird in armor." She said as she walked into the warehouse.

Chakwas looked down at her chest plate. "I feel weird," she replied, attempting to adjust the armor as she followed behind the commander.

"Hey Geck!" Shepard shouted, looking around the huge echo-y two-story room. "I heard you had a hard time believing I was alive!"

"Ah! Commander Shepard! It really is you," he said walking out from behind a large crate.

He was a drell. He had a light blue-green skin tone and a raspy voice.

"I have your ID," he said, "you know what you have to do to get it." He walked up to the second floor just as the mercs walked in.

"Who's ready to dance?" Shepard smirked, "Chakwas just stay in cover," she said firing off the first shots at the closest merc.

"Ay ay, commander," Chakwas replied, leaning against a metal box close to the entrance. She covered her ears, never having been so close to a rain of gunfire before.

Shepard dove into cover nearby, a line of bullets barely missing her. She rolled to the edge of the crate, shooting two mercs in the back of the head with the Katana. She tumbled over and pulled her assault rifle out. Ah, Phaeston V, my best friend. She thought as she shot at the knees of the merc in her direct line of sight.

He fell onto his stomach, yelping in pain. A larger, husky batarian merc circled behind Shepard, getting into melee range. The commander spun around, extending her omni-blade and puncturing his abdomen. She activated her tech armor and ran straight into the mercs who were firing at her, the bullets ricocheting off her shields. She twisted her body, using overload on the mercs to her left then turned to the right to use warp on the others.

She ran toward the wall and spun around pulling her pistil out and shooting them all one at a time just before they could regroup. One last merc ran at her, full speed. She laughed and used throw, flinging him across the room, his spine hitting the rail on the second floor, then falling straight back down to the cement.

Ouch. Chakwas thought, her eyes peering over the metal crate.

"That all you got?" Shepard called out, looking up at the drell.

"Uh, one more thing," he said, opening a large garage door on the other side. A YMIR mech walked out, opening it's rocket launcher.

"Hell yeah!" Shepard yelled, climbing a stack of metal creates as the heavy mech launched it's missile, barely missing the commander.

"Uh-oh..." Dr. Chakwas' mouth dropped as she saw the mech. "I'm out of here," she said, running out of the warehouse to wait with Tandig.

Shepard took cover at the very top, pulling out her sniper rifle. The mech lifted it's right arm, opening it's mass accelerator cannon. The commander waited until the mech stopped firing. She positioned the Javelin, looking through the scope. She aimed and fired straight for it's head. She fired again. And again before the mech opened it's rocket launcher once more. She ducked back down just in time, the missle flying straight over her head.

Shepard went tactical and used overload to nullify the mech's shields, taking cover every time it opened it's cannon.

After it's shields were down, she used warp, weakening it's armor. She continued to alternate from taking cover to using warp on the mech, finally destroying it's armor.

She pulled her heavy pistol out and finished it off by firing a few headshots. She quickly took cover. The mech exploded from overload to it's head. Shepard jumped down, dusting her hands off.

The drell walked down the stairs, slowly clapping his hands. "Very impressive, commander," he said, handing her the identification card. "I'll try not to tell anyone you're alive."

"You better. Unless you want to end up like these Blue Suns," she said, snatching the card from his grasp and walking out the door.

Tandig scanned Shepard and added the information to the card. "Alright, let's go," he said, getting into the skycar.

"We finally going to see Liara?" She asked, climbing in behind him.

"Aria T'Loak has a ship lined up to take us to Illium," Chakwas said, jumping in.

"Aria?" Shepard asked, raising an eyebrow. "Can't we find one somewhere else?"

"Commander, you helped her take this place back. She's getting us a ride to Illium free. We're going to see her."

"But it's so awkward," Shepard complained, "I thought I'd never see her again after she decided to... You know..."


"Shepard," Aria said as she and Dr. Chakwas arrived at Omega's docking bay. She was staring out the window, her hands behind her back. She turned around to face the commander. Her face looking a little more purple than usual. "You know, I will admit I got rather... How would you put it? Sad? ... When your body was never found."

"Oh, did you?" Shepard asked, crossing her arms and leaning her shoulder against the steel wall.

"Yes," she said, annoyed, "look I didn't come here to discuss what happened between the two of us-"

"You mean the kiss, right?" the commander replied, with a smirk on her face.

"No!" She shouted instinctively, "Just! ... Take the ship and go find your girlfriend. I'll be in Afterlife if you need me." She said, storming off.

Shepard and Chakwas boarded the ship. "The one rule on Omega," Chakwas said, shaking her head, "Don't fuck with Aria. And what do you do? You fuck with Aria!"

Shepard laughed, "I was just teasing her, Chakwas."

"Exactly!" The doctor exclaimed, "If it were anybody else, they'd be dead right now!"


"Hey! Come on in!" Joker said as he opened the door, "Join the party." He hobbled back to his seat. Liara and Aurielle walked in, looking around. Jack, Miranda, Cortez, Tali and Jacob and his family were already there. "Janie!" Aurielle shouted as she ran to go play with Jacob and Brynn Taylor's daughter.

Janie was only about 7 months older than Aurielle was. She had curly dark brown hair and large eyes the color of sand. Brynn had originally wanted to name their daughter, "Shepard," but Jacob spent most of the pregnancy persuading her not to until they finally agreed that Janie would satisfy the both of them.

"Aurielle, play nicely!" She called out as she set the bowl of dip she brought down onto the table. "Ooh, that looks good," Cortez said, with a chip in his hand.

"It's Benezia's recipe. It was my favorite as a child," she said, taking a seat. Steve swiped his chip through the creamy dip and took a bite. "Mmm-mmm, that's really good! Definitely the best dip I've ever had," he said, grabbing another chip.

"Hey Doc! Esteban!" Liara and Cortez turned to the door. James walked in, Ashley's arm locked in his. "Well if it isn't the family of spectres!" Joker called out from the living room.

"How is the spectre life, Vega?" Jack asked kicking her feet up onto the coffee table.

"Eh, it keeps me busy," he replied taking a seat on the sofa. "Oh whatever," Ashley added. "He loves it. It's all he ever talks about. You should've seen him on his first day."

Miranda took a seat next to jack, hitting her boot and giving her a 'behave' look. "Ugh, fine," she said, pulling them off.

"Sooo..." Joker started, "What's up with you two? Are you living together now or what?"

"Screw you, Moreau!" Jack said, pulling out a knife and picking under her fingernails with it.

"We're just wondering," James and Jacob laughed, "You're like always together now."

"What is up with them? Didn't they hate each other?" Cortez asked, pushing another chip into the dip, "are they... Together?"

"No one knows," Tali answered, taking a seat at the kitchen table with Cortez and Liara. "And they won't talk about it either."

"Where is everyone else? The game is about to start!" Joker said, impatiently.

"Kasumi said she'd try and make it, Garrus, Wrex, Zaeed, Samara and Grunt are off-planet, Traynor is probably just late and I doubt Javik even considered coming," Jacob said.

"Not late!" Samantha said, walking through the door with two pies in her arms, "You were right about Javik though. But I saw him in the plaza on the way over and dragged him here."

"Yes, yes. I'm here, primitives," the prothean said walking in behind her. "Hey buggy!" Vega shouted, raising his beer into the air.

"Two pies?" Liara asked, helping Traynor set them down.

"Well I made the other completely with ingredients that Tali can eat." She replied.

"Thank you, that's very thoughtful Samantha," Tali chimed in. "You know how to make quarian food?"

"There's nothing the Extranet can't teach you," She said, cutting Tali a slice.

"Everybody Shhh! Game's about to start!" Joker turned the TV up. "Who you rooting for?" Miranda asked him.

"The Elysium Warhounds, duh!" He answered.

"Oh please, humans can't beat turians at their own game."

Everyone turned to the door. "Garrus!" They all called out, practically in unison.

"Besides," he continued, "the Tarax Threshers are the returning clawball champions." He took a seat next to Joker.

"Uh-oh, I hear a bet coming along," James grinned.


"Pay up, Vakarian," Joker laughed, handing his credit chit over to the turian. Liara chuckled. She'd had a pretty great night tonight after all. The game had just ended and everyone was starting to clean up, still continuing to laugh and joke.

"And now, Nos Astra News at Nine! ... Breaking! Is Commander Shepard alive?!" Everyone's head shot straight at the TV, the room went completely silent. "A drell living in the terminus systems claims to have caught the, announced dead, commander on tape fighting Blue Sun mercenaries on Omega. We have the footage here..."

"Commander Shepard is alive?!" Aurielle asked, excitedly, running into the living room, Janie right behind her. "Come on girls, let's go back and play," Brynn said, taking them back to the other room.

The vid popped onto the screen. It was in horrible condition. It was very pixilated, with no sound.

Liara slowly walked toward the TV, her eyes glued to the screen. She started to lift her hand out to the screen a little, as if to reach out to the pixilated Shepard. A tear started to roll down her face. Then another.

Jack approached her, gently starting to rub her back. "It's okay," she whispered, lightly.

The vid ended and the asari news anchor returned to the screen. "Turns out that vid is actually a hoax," she said to to her co-anchor. "An almost-convincing hoax," the co-anchor added. And they kept on.

The sound around started to drown out as Liara looked to the floor, tears streaming from her eyes.

"It's been eight years," Miranda said, "Why the hell can't people just leave it alone? Enough with the hoaxes."

"Alright, we'll take her home," Jack said, getting their things together.

"Aurielle can stay the night with us," Brynn suggested. "That would be great, thank you," Miranda said, pulling Liara toward the door. Liara couldn't even think straight, she didn't know what was going on around her. The only thing running through her mind was the pixely figure on the screen.


Jack and Miranda pulled out Liara's couch bed. "Should we go up there and comfort her?" Jack asked, looking up at the loft from the living room.

"No, I think it's best we leave her alone," Miranda answered, taking her boots off. She got into bed. Jack turned around and smiled. She climbed into the bed and faced Miranda, scooting in closer. They stared into each other's eyes for a while.

"What if Shepard really is still alive?" Jack asked, concerned.

"Well, where would she have been for the past eight years?" Miranda replied.

"I have no idea..." Jack said. "What if someone found her body and turned her into some kind of phantom?"

Miranda yawned. "Oh, wow. I hope not, she'd be indestructible. But I guess we'll never know until we face a Shepard phantom," she joked, "for now I think we should just focus on getting some sleep." She yawned again.

Jack smiled and kissed Miranda's cheek. Miranda's lips formed a smile, her eyes closed. "Goodnight," she said. "Night."


"Oh, that son-of-a-bitch!" Shepard yelled, clenching her fists as Chakwas showed her the vid. "After this, we're going to go back to Omega and kick his ass!"

Shepard paced back and forth. "Do you think Liara saw it?" She asked, anxiously.

"No idea, commander." She replied, wondering if her plan was going to work after all.

"Of course she did," Shepard said to herself, "she's the fucking shadow broker!"

"Either way, commander, it was confirmed a hoax," Chakwas said.

"Yeah, but it wasn't actually a hoax, Chakwas, we were there remember?!" She shouted.

"Yes, but no one knows that, Shepard," the doctor reassured her.

"So what now?" Shepard asked, sitting on the bed, "Are you still going to call her?"

"Yes," Chakwas decided, "wait here," she said, grabbing the phone and leaving the guest bedroom. Shepard laid back and looked up at the ceiling.

Shepard spent the night in Dr. Chakwas' guest bedroom in her apartment in Nos Astra, borrowing some of her casual civilian clothes. Chakwas had plans to call Liara and set up a lunch date for later that day, not telling her about Shepard, of course.

Shepard had never felt so nervous in her life. Her stomach churned. She didn't know what she'd say. Or how Liara would react. Or if she looked or sounded different. Her eyes welled with tears. She may have been rough, tough and ruthless, but Liara was her biggest weakness. With her big deep blue eyes, shy smile and those adorable dark blue freckles.

Chakwas came back into the room. She looked worried. "So?" Shepard asked, "What happened?"

"She'll meet us at noon. In the plaza by her office."

"Everything okay?" Shepard asked, concerned about the look on Karin's face.

"Yeah... We should start getting ready," Chakwas replied, getting up and leaving the room.


Shepard and Chakwas took a cab to the plaza. It was 11:56. With a bouquet of orchids occupying one hand, Shepard placed her other hand on her stomach as they silently left the rapid transit.

Chakwas was worried. Liara had told her on the phone that she was going to take Aurielle too. She didn't know whether to tell Shepard now or to let her see for herself. But it was becoming too late to decide.

They reached the plaza. Chakwas saw Liara and Aurielle at a table in the distance. She stopped Shepard at the closest table. "Commander sit down," Chakwas said.

"But Chakwas, I thought you- wait, What's wrong?" She asked, watching Chakwas stare at the floor.

"Just sit," the doctor insisted.

"Okay," Shepard listened, taking a seat, "What's happening?"

Chakwas sat next to her. "Look over there," she pointed.

Shepard looked up, her eyes scanning through the many groups of people occupying the plaza. "What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"Right over there, the table right next to the souvenir vendor," she pointed.

Shepard looked over to see an asari and a child. "Chakwas, I- wait..." She looked again.

"Shepard, there's something you need to know." Chakwas started.

"Is that Liara?" She asked, standing up. "Who-"

"Shepard... She's your daughter..." Chakwas confessed, looking down at the table.

Shepard grabbed her stomach, stumbling backwards. It felt as if a giant mallet hit her chest. She took a breath and sat back down. "No.. "

"Yes," Chakwas replied. Shepard rested her hands on her head. "No... No. No, no... That's not... No.."

"Yes, Shepard."

"It can't be."

"But it is."

Shepard wiped her tears.

"Shepard, I delivered her. On Zohrr. After we crash landed," Chakwas said.

"No. No. NO!" Shepard yelled, getting up out of her seat.

"Why can't you just accept it?" Chakwas asked, "She's your daughter, Jane! She's a gift!"

Shepard wiped her eyes. "Why?! Why didn't you tell me Karin?! You told me so much, leaving out such a significant detail?! Why? You left me expecting anything but this!" She screamed, grabbing the attention of much of the crowd in the plaza.

"I didn't know how or when to say it, Jane!" Chakwas replied, "but she is yours, Jane. And that's all that matters."

"All that matters, Karin?!" She yelled, "Tell me, how old is she?! Seven? Eight? I haven't been there for her! She doesn't even know who I am! Would she even like me?" Shepard blotted her eyes. "I can't do this... I just... Can't do this. Not right now… This is too much..." She said, walking back toward the transport depot.


"Thank you. For making sure I got home safely," Liara said as Jack and Miranda walked out the door. "Anytime," Miranda replied.

Liara went up to the loft to change. Her eyes, swollen from crying all night. She put her hand on the dog tags around her neck, a tear falling from her eye. She still couldn't stop thinking about the vid. It was engraved in her mind. She kept thinking of the figure's mannerisms and motives and tried to think back to how Shepard acted in combat. It may have been a hoax. But she felt something. And the feeling wasn't wrong.

She got dressed and left the apartment to catch a cab. Dr. Chakwas called to say she'd be in town and asked if she cared to have lunch. Liara agreed. She wanted to put herself off as happy. She didn't want to continue showing people how sad she was.

Liara picked Aurielle up from Jacob and Brynn's. "Are you alright, mommy? Janie's mom told me that it actually wasn't Commander Shepard on the vid. That some mean guy lied just to get attention."

Liara choked up. She blinked her eyes rapidly to prevent any tears from shedding. "Yes... Yes Ellie, I'm fine." She looked at her daughter with a forced smile.

"Mom..." Aurielle said. "Yes, honey?" Liara replied.

"I know she's my dad..."

Chills instantly ran down Liara's spine. Tears welled in her eyes. "What?" she asked, her voice changing pitch from the incoming tears.

"Commander Shepard," Aurielle replied, "I know she's my dad."

Liara's fanned at her eyes as she and her daughter reached the plaza. They sat at the table closest to the souvenir vendor. "Mom, you don't have to be sad. You will always have me. I know you miss her, but you still have one part of her that will always be with you. And it's me."

Liara wiped her eyes. Aurielle was such a smart kid. She'd never been more proud than she was now.

"Do you remember Dr. Chakwas?" Liara asked her, changing the subject.

Aurielle thought for a moment. "I think so. Why? Is that who we are having lunch with?"

"Yes, sweetheart. She's been working on some stuff elsewhere. And now she's come back to Illium for a while. It'll be great to get to see her again," Liara said, "you know, she delivered you."

"She did?" Aurielle asked.

"Mhm, she sure did," Liara smiled, "After the Normandy crash landed on Zohrr, we were stuck there for a very long time. And no one else lived on the planet, so we had to help each other survive."

"But, there is a town there mommy."

"It was built After we'd discovered it. But we had to hunt our own food. And take baths in the river. And all the while, I was pregnant with you," Liara said, touching the tip of Aurielle's nose. "Dr. Chakwas had never delivered a baby before, though. But she was the only doctor there, and I was thankful for that. And she did a great job. You should ask her about it when she shows up."

"Wow! Okay," Aurielle exclaimed. They smiled at each other.

"... Seven?! Eight?! ... Who I am! … Like me?!" Liara looked up. She heard loud shouting coming from the other side if the plaza.

"... I can't do this..."

Hmm. Liara chuckled at first but took a second glance. No… She stood up. She moved closer. No, it couldn't be... She started to cry again. Her heart skipped a beat. Shepard? She walked forward, seeing Chakwas looking down at the table. She looked back over. No. This isn't real... She thought back to the pixely figure in the vid. She paused for a second, trying to take it all in. It was her... There she is…

Liara continued to walk toward her, watching her walk away. No, don't go... Don't leave me again... She started to run after her. "Jane!" She called out. She ran as fast as she could but the run seemed like it never ended. "Jane!" She called out again. "Jane! …Ja-" She started, tripping and falling to the floor.

Shepard turned around. Liara?... "Liara!" She ran over and squatted down, holding her hand out to help her up.

"Jane, I... I-I..." Liara placed a hand on Shepard's face. "Is this... Is-is this…"

"Shhh…" Shepard smiled, tears running down the sides of her face.

"Jane, I couldn't... I couldn't..." Liara managed to say.

Shepard pulled Liara up and into her arms, wrapping them tightly around her. Liara dug her face into the commander's chest, bawling.

"Hey, It's okay," Shepard said, lifting Liara's chin up.

Liara stared into Jane's piercing gray eyes. "I couldn't let you go…" She finally said.

"I'm here now," Shepard replied, leaning in close. Liara closed her eyes, their lips less than a centimeter apart. Shepard's warm breath permeated Liara's mouth, making her entire body shiver. Shepard held the side of Liara's face as they gently pressed lips. Shepard opened her eyes.

"And I will never leave you again."