Chapter 2

Beeep… Beeep… Beeep…

Voices and sounds of celebration crept into the room, invading the undisturbed silence and the shadows. LED lights glowed dimly in the darkness, illuminating a still hospital bed and a man sitting by it in a chair. Only the sound of breathing was present in this room. The hospital bed once taken up by Shepard himself now laid the half-dead body of Corporal Marcus Johnson. And Commander Shepard, who stares at the floor blankly, now inhabited the chair. He fiddled with his hands, thoughts taking up the spaces in the heavy air of the room.

There were a few things that kept getting turned over and over in his head until he was going through the same thoughts again and again. When they fought off the invaders, Shepard sat down with a few soldiers and some other people to find out what had gone on in the galaxy during his second absence. What he found wasn't exactly easy to hear.

After the Reapers were destroyed, all technology derived from the Reapers shut off all of a sudden. Hundreds of thousands of people died then because of oxygen systems and ships being shut off, but the majority of people were saved by the act. It took about a year and a half to get most technology up and running again, which turned out to be not too difficult. This period of time was known as The Galactic Collapse and was a very dark time.

Then there began a reformation period that's still going on to this day, but the majority of the rebuilding of governments and social hierarchies took place in the next six months, and the Citadel was opened to the public once more after repairs and cleanup.

After the Quarians and Geth reconciled because of the actions Shepard took, finally after hundreds of years of conflict, the two races joined together and now reside under one banner – The United Rannoch Republic (URR). The Turian Hierarchy began a close union with the Krogans after their work on Palaven, whose clans were united unto one government, The Krogan Empire led by Emperor Wrex, who was given a seat on the Council for his people's efforts during The Reaper War. The Asari's numbers have dropped considerably after The Fall of Thessia and they are still attempting to rebuild and are looking for alternative worlds to colonize in the meantime. The Salarians were better off than many other races as their homeworlds were never attacked, but most of their colonies had been destroyed. And the humans had been put in a place of much higher power as one of their own, Shepard himself, had saved the galaxy from an ancient threat and sacrificed his life once more for the lives of everyone now and to come. However, they suffered considerable losses after The Reaper's attack on Earth, and are currently rebuilding. Many humans also began a new religion that has become extremely popular in the last few years known as The Shepard's Way, where the belief is that Commander Shepard was the messiah himself and was the eternal guardian of the universe meant to be worshipped and his tale preserved.

The Council reformed and publicly addressed the galaxy and its tenants, talking of the sacrifice Shepard made and the struggle to make the people whole again will be long but prosperous. And while the Krogans were acknowledged for their actions… other races were not. And many felt that was an act of stupidity as the Batarians in particular suffered heavy, heavy losses because of The Arrival and because of them pledging their troops to Shepard's cause. The Council also outraged the Batarians because of the support for The Shepard's Way as they thought Shepard was a blasphemous soldier who should be tried for war crimes against their race.

This led to the Batarians and the Council getting into many squabbles that eventually culminated in the race stating the Council was an official enemy of theirs and cutting off contact. What the Council did not know was during this period of non-communication; the Batarians rallied all non-council races to take power as the Council refuses to give it to them. The Vorcha, many Quarians, many Geth, many non-Council colonies, many pirates, many bandits, etc. joined their cause, forming into what became to be known as The Coalition.

In particular a man who had helped rebuild a lot of the Terminus and led many into rallies against the council had become the poster boy of The Coalition, known by his codename – Spartan.

The conflict began when Orion Station near the border of the Terminus Systems was attacked and hundreds of soldiers and innocent people were executed on a live broadcast, where Spartan himself declared war on The Council, thus beginning The Terminus Rebellion.

This was their second offensive operation in the war. Shepard was there to stop them and many owe their lives to him.

He was getting tired of hearing that. He didn't want people to be put in that situation in the first place. He didn't want to have to save anyone. But here he is once more sitting in a hospital room, waiting to be called to action. And he will go without question. Because he's Commander Shepard. And his job is to be a hero.

When he asked about some of his allies, many didn't know the answers, as finding out about other people who aren't family or friends was difficult during this time of reformation. All they really knew was that Emperor Wrex was now a council member, Garrus Vakarian became a prominent general of the Turian army and has been extremely helpful to other council races in reforming, and Kaidan Alenko spoke at Shepard's funeral. No one knew Shepard was in the process of being resurrected.

"Commander Sam Shepard? Are you in there?" A few knocks accompany a somewhat obnoxious voice he does in fact recognize. He couldn't put a name to it, but it sounds familiar at the very least.

Shepard's head pops up, letting loose a few strangled sounds of recognition while he tries to find his voice, "Yep. Yeah. I'll be right there."

The Commander stands up and stretches as if he just woke up from a long nap. Something he probably should've been doing but he was unable to in light of recent events. And hell, he's done enough of lying down with his eyes closed. Five years worth.

The door opens a bit abrasively and a small drone floats inside, keeping a constant line of sight with the soldier who stood by the hospital bed, cocking his head to the left. But before he could even form a question in his head, a dark-skinned woman charges into the blackness, letting out her strong voice.

"Commander Shepard. Khalisah al-Jilani of Westerlund News. I'm here to ask you a few questions, do you have the… hm? What's going on?"

Shepard stood there with his mouth wide open, staring at the reporter. He was right. He did, in fact, recognize the voice. But never in a million years did he expect the first person to meet him after his second return from the dead to be Khalisah al-Jilani, the reporter he once considered punching in the face because of her stupid, stupid questions. While they did reconcile during the Reaper War, they still weren't anything even close to friends. For a moment, he didn't know whether to blow up in anger at the cruelty of the world; the fact that it wasn't one of his friends or the love of his life who smashed through that door like a freight train, but her. But instead, he laughed. He laughed with his whole body. Maybe out of stress or maybe he really did find things that funny.

"Wh-what's so funny?" Khalisah was taken aback by his sudden outburst.

"Life, Ms. al-Jilani. Life," Shepard sniggers, "You wanted an interview? Come. Sit next to me."

Shepard sits back down on his chair and pats the one next to him. Khalisah tentatively accepts his invitation, taking the seat while her droid got a good shot on both of them, having to turn up the lighting on the camera to get a full form of the commander.

"Is this thing live?"

"Yes. It's going right now. You're being broadcast across the entire galaxy. You still didn't answer my initial question. What is this?"

"It isn't a what, Ms. al-Jilani. It's a young man. His name was Corporal Marcus Johnson of Pride Station. He has two siblings and one living parent. Born twenty years ago nearly one month ago. Studying to major in English while doing service for his country. Nearly killed himself while saving my life," Shepard's voice is nearly monotone as he recites the information he had been going through over and over and over again for hours.

"I… hm. I'm sorry, Shepard. I was unaware."

"This person, who I did not know, died for my sake. As have so many others. So, so many others. And… you know what? The people I don't know? That's easy to deal with. They're just faces in a crowd. I never knew them. But the people who are close to you, the people you know personally, when they die… that's when it gets to you. It gets to even me. I've watched a lot of friends die during my service. Too many."

"But do you understand how many lives you've saved?" Khalisah asks, her gaze locked on Shepard.

He took a moment and then answered, "Not enough."

"So, Shepard, the entire galaxy is waiting to know what you have to say to them after The Reaper War, after witnessing the events of the Galactic Civil War firsthand, after everything that's transpired, what can you say to the people?"

"What can I say to the people?"

With a short nod from the reporter, he continued, "Go home to your families. Tell them you love them. Be a good person in general, it goes a long way during times like these. I lost the person I called my father and some of my best friends in that godforsaken war. Be grateful for what you have as small or as large as it may be, because it may not always be there."

"Can I have a word on-"

"Shepard?" Two hard knocks came from the door and another much more familiar voice came to them, causing the Commander's head to pop up with anticipation.

"Sorry, Ms. al-Jilani, but I should go. A friend is here," cutting her off from any further questions; Shepard stands up up and rushes to the door, whipping it wide open to see the grizzled, old face of Admiral Hackett, an old mentor to him.

"Sam," Hackett smiles widely and the two shake hands, pulling each other into a one armed hug.

"Hackett," Shepard pulled away and smiled at the old man, closing the door behind him, leaving the reporter to recap what she saw and heard to her viewers inside, "It's good to see you. So good. How are you?"

The admiral shakes his head, "You don't need to know about me. I'm not important. How are you after your second comeback?"

"Ah, I see it's common knowledge now," Shepard chuckles a little bit, "Well, I'm better than I thought I would be. The second time around wasn't nearly as shocking as the first."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it."

They began to walk down the hallway, a few soldiers and medical personnel rushing past them, "How are the crew of the Normandy? What happened to them while I was gone?"

"A lot, Commander. I'm unsure of some of their statuses. As you can imagine, in this dark period, it's been harder to track down our own than usual," they turn a corner, "I can only tell you what you probably already know."

"Anything about Tali?" Shepard asks immediately, the two stopping as they come to the end of the hallway.

"After the war, she was stuck on Earth for a while recovering from injuries, but then she returned to Rannoch. Built a house there and has been living there ever since. Apparently is one of the Fleet Admirals at present," Hackett takes a moment to speak, "Shepard, I understand you want to go home to Tali, but we have pressing matters we have to attend to."

"Like what?"

"We will let you go home to spend some time with Tali, but I need your commitment that before that you will help lead a naval assault on their forces and after that you will help finish this rebellion. I have an entire legion of press on me waiting to hear your answer," Hackett laid out all of the cards and Shepard stood there with a hard expression on his face.

War. More war. Shepard had grown to hate the word. But at the same time, his entire life, he had one passion and that was to protect this galaxy and his people from any threat they asked him to. He had done so. And now, faced with a choice, his mind would not let him choose any other option, for he would be going against the very purpose he was created for.

"Fine. I'll end this goddamn war but then I'm going home and I'm done forever. I want to have a family and be able to live long enough to see my children grow old, do you understand?" Shepard began to raise his voice a little, but when he was finished, he toned it down a notch and murmured an apology.

"That's fine. One more war, Shepard," and with that, the two shook hands upon their agreement, "Now, let's head out into the lobby of Pride. You need to make an address. Say you're taking command of Council forces to lead us to victory. For everything to go well, sorry Shepard, but we could use another one of Commander Shepard's famous speeches."

"I'll do my best," The two gave a thin smile to one another and then walked out of the infirmary and down to the lobby, where a hoard of different reporters had been waiting to hear from the Commander and, conveniently, a podium had been placed in the center of the room to allow Shepard to give a speech to the entire galaxy.

Shepard shook his head. He might've given speeches before. Speeches to whole armies, even. But the idea that he would have to address the entire galaxy and try to… what is he even trying to do? Reassure them things would be okay? Inspire them? Or would he end up making things worse?

Hell, all of the above could be a valid answer here. But that's not the point. The point is that he was ordered by a superior to go do something. He was a soldier; he took orders. That was his job. And he'd done everything else they'd ask him to thus far. Why stop here?

Before allowing the elevator doors to open, Shepard and Hackett braced themselves for the incoming onslaught of press. Sam took the time to slap his head and face a couple times, bouncing on both feet a couple times, and then opening the door with a heavy thrust of his omnitool.

"Showtime."

The reporters nearly rushed in, but security kept them back and wedged a pathway in through the crowd. Shepard tried not to pay attention to any of the people there; he focused on the podium. But he couldn't help but notice that while there was a strong presence of media here, there were many soldiers from all walks of life. Turian, krogan, human, salarian, asari, human, and even otherwise. Shepard's mind started reeling. He couldn't just have a speech that would reassure people. Not with this military presence. Obviously a lot of people are relying on him to be their saving grace and, whether or not that's a smart idea, he needed to at least pretend to be this inspirational figure. He had often been criticized for his crass and short behavior with other people, lacking a lot of tact. That part of him could not come into play now. No, he needed to be more than just Sam Shepard. He needed to be Commander Shepard.

Before long, Shepard arrived at the podium and climbed atop of it, where he stood above all the rest. The reporters were nearly climbing over each other to get something, anything from his lips. The military personnel had gleaming eyes, a kind of gleam reserved for men and women meeting their childhood heroes. The people there looked up to him as if he was some sort of messiah figure. It was overwhelming. Shepard was just some nerdy soldier from Vancouver. Not only did he not deserve all this, he wasn't sure if he even wanted it. But that wasn't his choice. He knew that.

"Please, quiet down everyone," Shepard made the gesture with his hands to tell everyone to calm down, but nothing changed, "We should get on with the address!"

And with that, the military personnel located in the room moved forward as if ordered by some unknown force. They cleared the area around the Commander and kept the reporters and fans at bay. They were a respectful lot and just sat in silence as they waited for Shepard to speak. He gazed into the eyes of a few of the men in front of him, men that he would order off into battle soon and never know their names. Just like Marcus. He engraved the look in their eyes into his very soul. He would not forget them. He would not let their sacrifices be in vain.

Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Shepard cleared his throat. Hackett and a few others he had met around the place gave him stern, reassuring looks. He nodded their way and looked straight into the camera.

"My name is Commander Samuel Shepard of the Systems Alliance and Spectre Division," He introduced himself as a formality, "And this is my second time cheating death."

The crowd went a little hectic at that, nothing too serious, but a lot of excited murmurs were going around, even amongst the soldiers. Shepard ignored it. He could get caught up with thoughts about it or he could talk.

"Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that in the time that I have been gone, even after defeating a godly race of alien beings, we still do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am aware that I have come back to you in a time of need. In a time of fear and uncertainty. In a time of war. In a time where people need heroes. But I do have some bad news for you all. I do not believe in heroes. Everyone has different shades to them. But yet, people still turn to me and call me as such. So while people need heroes, I am no hero, I try as best that I can, and that is all I can offer you at present," Shepard stares off into the crowd, who are hooked on to on every one of his words.

"While I do wish I could have come back sooner, I realize that I have come right on time. And I speak to the people when I say that my one passion in life has been to protect the good people of this galaxy no matter what life throws in my way. So, to aid the cause of a speedy recovery, I have pledged my efforts to the people and have taken command of Council forces," As he said this, the crowd cranked up the volume and began yelling things at random. Snapshots taken from cameras lit up the Commander's face as a news feed was broadcasted everywhere in the galaxy.

"But now, I look to the brave men and women that stand before me who have pledged their own efforts to the people. The military. Now, having been involved in wars against pirates, Geth, Collectors, xenophobic militants, and Reapers, I can, unfortunately, confidently say that many of the soldiers in this room and watching this broadcast today… will die."

Somewhere off in the galaxy, an old friend of Shepard's, a soldier in his own right, squinted his eyes as he reached up to stroke the scars he had gotten on Omega. His expensive, worn down suit had a blue hand placed upon it.

Shepard shifted uncomfortably, but he stood tall amongst the masses, "I have come to learn the gravity of a statement like that. Before, the deaths of many… it was a statistic. It didn't matter to me. Death became a tragic factor only when I was staring it down. But now I see that when a man such as I says something like that, it means that thousands of families, millions of friends, and billions more will be affected by each and every loss. Potential politicians, world-shakers, and heroic soldiers will never realize their potential. Overall, our galaxy will be a worse place after this war is done. It'll take time to recover. We all must be patient."

A large councilman stares at the monitor in awe, seeing his old friend deliver a speech so nostalgic he felt almost exactly as he did before they all made the trip to Ilos. He stroked his red plates with one hand and sat back in his seat, letting the charismatic words of the Commander wash over him. At his side, his most trusted, genetically bred soldier wearing white armor smirks at the speech. That was the Shepard he knew.

"But regardless of all of that, it is no excuse to lie down and die like cowards," Shepard clenched his fist and placed it gently on the podium, "We have spent years fighting off threats that could've potentially ended all traces of intelligent life. And we did it successfully. This is a rebellion, a mere uprising. We will be resilient. We will prosper. We will not surrender. This is our home and we will fight to defend it."

A sworn enemy of Commander Shepard's, the Batarian wearing combat armor stood away from the monitor even while his men crowd around it, shaking in their boots at the mere passion of this man. Their enemy. And this Batarian fumes in fury.

Now, instead of placing his fist on the podium, he dropped it with a hard thump, "We will not allow this to end everything we've built up for thousands and thousands of years. We will not take our fate lying down. We will stand tall together. We will stand up and fight. We will wage war upon those who would threaten the dream to have peace in our time!"

A mysterious dark figure's glowing eyes do not move from the broadcast for even a second. The figure does not blink nor does it do anything else other than pay attention to Commander Shepard's words.

Shepard slammed his fist on the podium, "We will not go gentle into that good night!"

A hardened soldier, with the men and women of the Citadel, look up at the monitors all around them, entranced by what they were hearing. His right hand man in his newly appointed N7 armor starts banging his feet against the floor. The Australian goddess and her colleague's family did the same. The hardened soldier's blue, Spectre-issued armor rustles as they all begin a slow, but increasingly loud cheer.

Shepard slammed his fist on the podium, louder, "We will rage!"

The people of Omega watched the countless transmissions of the broadcast. Most couldn't care less, if we're to be honest, but there were some that did. A powerful Asari smirks in recognition at the voice, a thief with a graybox nodded her approval, and an older mercenary whispered the words that he had said to Shepard at one point, "Rage is a hell of an anesthetic, that's for sure."

Shepard slammed his fist on the podium once more, with more passion than he had ever hit something in his life, "Rage!"

A tried and true warship sailed amongst the stars, with every crewmember screaming their applause and happiness for their long-lost Commander who finally came back to them. A doctor gently smiled at the picture of her old friend, a comm specialist yelled out in happiness, and a group of engineers all jumped up and down together like children. He was back. This time for good.

Shepard passionately tossed the podium aside and stood on the elevated platform, pointing down at the floor as he shouted out his final line...

"Rage against the dying of the light!"

The galaxy seemed to shake as it all erupted with cheers, angered cries, and worried yelps. Commander Shepard was back. And no one knew that more than a woman sitting in a starship, watching the transmission in awe as she broke down in tears under her mask. Her man was home. Her man was back. Tali's Shepard… has come home.

To Be Continued…


Hey guys,

Well I'm back. Please go ahead and read the intro I've added on the first chapter to get an explanation as to why I've returned to this story. It's all explained there.

I can't wait to go on this journey with you guys again.

Thank you so much,
Sam.