Notes:

CIC - Combat Information Center

CO - Commanding Officer

ICU - Intensive Care Unit

QEC - Quantum Entanglement Communicator

XO - Executive Officer

A New Dawn

Royal London Hospital, Earth, Sol System

"She'll live." Miranda's words drew a rousing cheer from the crowd, along with smiles, laughter and great rejoicing from everyone there... except for Garrus, who simply stared at Miranda for several moments, mouth open, mandibles flared. He questioned the tone with which she had spoken… the grimace… and hoped he was mistaken... hoped he was hearing the exhaustion in Miranda's voice and not Shepard's true condition.

"What do you mean... she'll live? Somehow, the way you said it... it's like it's not a good thing. I mean, did she lose an arm? A leg? Is she in a coma?" Garrus' imagination began to think of any number of reasons that Shepard could still be alive, yet not fully and truly with them.

Miranda finally offered up a weak smile. "Oh, God! No... I'm sorry, Garrus. She'll be fine... It's simply going to take a significant period of time for her to heal." She sighed and gestured at a row of chairs against the wall. "If I'm going to explain, I really need to sit down. Please?"

"Certainly, Miranda! Sorry... I didn't think." Garrus berated himself for his unintentional lack of consideration as he moved towards the chairs. "You were in there a long time; you're probably just as ready to collapse as I was before I took a nap in these damned uncomfortable Human chairs, waiting for news." Garrus waited for Miranda to sit before he took the chair next to her. "Was the commander really that badly injured?"

"She was a mess, Garrus. We quite literally had to peel the remnants of her armor liner from her skin and remove shards of burnt armor from all the puncture wounds. Without Riana's firsthand account of what she witnessed during the run to the beam, I never would have believed the commander survived an almost direct hit from Harbinger's main energy weapon, even with all the Cerberus designed technology I grafted into her."

Garrus' eyes opened wide and his sub-harmonics warbled as he muttered, "Spirits!"

"My sentiment exactly! And, after the blast, she was up and moving again before Riana was!" Miranda sighed before she continued, "So, as I said, she's going to make it... but her injuries were severe. If Riana had taken any longer to find her on the Citadel, we'd be planning the commander's funeral; the Human body, no matter how augmented, isn't designed to withstand direct fire from a Marauder assault rifle after one's armor has been mostly burned away. Shepard may be a member of Clan Urdnot, but she is most definitely not a Krogan."

Miranda smiled in spite of the circumstances and continued her explanation. "We had to do major reconstruction on her insides; the rifle blasts took her on the left side and perforated both her small and large intestines... as well as her stomach, pancreas and spleen. I'm honestly not sure how she was still upright and walking. We also had multiple ribs to set, her left lung had collapsed from all the fluid that amassed in her abdominal cavity, and her right arm and hand were damaged... though I think that actually may have happened after... as things on the Citadel started to explode. Riana shielded her as best she could but, after all the fighting, her barriers were significantly weakened."

Miranda glanced back toward the surgical unit and went on in a quieter voice, with Garrus now listening in stunned silence as the list continued to grow. "I'm surprised the sepsis didn't kill her; I think only the nanites kept her from going into septic shock. She's all put back together now, but the surgery has most likely created a lot of scar tissue, which will greatly reduce her mobility until we help the nanites to repair it all. We have to treat her almost as if she were a burn victim because, even with the nanites, it's going to take multiple treatments as we work from the inside out. After a few days of recovery to let her reassembled internal organs stabilize, she'll be in surgery again... multiple times... for gradual tissue regeneration. Once she recovers from all that, I'll be able to repair the skin weaves and complete some dermal regeneration... after which we might be done and we'll be able to simply let the nanites handle the rest of her healing from then on. All told, I anticipate roughly two months of recovery time, not including the physical therapy that she'll have to endure."

"Spirits!" Garrus' eyes reflected his shock. "All the times she's been injured in the past, I've never seen Shepard down for more than a couple of days… a week on the outside!"

"Yes. Well, two months are nothing compared to the two years it took me to put her back together the first time... But it gives you an idea of just how gravely she was injured." Miranda was all business, her blue eyes hardening to a steely glint, and looking ready for a fight with her next declaration. "At this point, even with the nanites, there is a tremendous risk of infection and she could still die. We need to limit her exposure to anyone not scrubbed; I'm going to demand that anyone who visits go through the sanitizer and slip into surgical garb, including gloves and a mask… Also, the approved list of visitors will be strictly limited until further notice. Currently, that list consists solely of you and Riana Iregos; I'll add Liara, Hannah Shepard, Karin Chakwas, Lieutenant Commander Williams, and Admiral Hackett when the fleet returns... In other words, leadership and loved ones. Period. No more than two at a time in the room, and no one in the room during any treatments. The Commander's condition is currently listed as extremely critical and she's in the ICU. Anyone on the list who causes the commander distress will be removed immediately... including you... even Liara. That's the bottom line, and it's nonnegotiable."

Surprising Miranda, Garrus chuckled softly, the sub-harmonics adding to the feeling of relief. "Shepard always did say you could be more stubborn than a Varren with a bone. I can't think of anyone better qualified to be watching out for her welfare, except maybe Karin Chakwas... and she's not here yet."

Miranda raised a brow at the unexpected compliment, but did not voice what she was thinking. You don't know the half of it, Garrus. I'll protect Shepard with my very life, if necessary.

The big Turian paused for a moment before starting to speak again, the flanging of his voice complementing the sub-harmonics. "I can think of two more people who would like to visit the commander. Would you add Tali'Zorah and Sarah Campbell to that list? They were both with me as part of Shepard's over watch during the final push, and I know she would be thrilled they're both still alive."

Miranda paused only briefly before shaking her head. "I'm afraid not, Garrus. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to see them, particularly her 'Little Sister,' but she'll simply have to believe you when you tell her they're fine. Let's wait a few days to see how she responds to the treatments before we expose her to too much. If all goes well, we might be able to add them in a few days or so."

He nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Miranda. When will I be able to start visiting?"

"She's just now being moved into recovery; once her ICU room is ready on the secure floor, she'll be moved upstairs. If all goes well, I'd say maybe three hours. That said, I've got to help monitor her through the process." With a quick nod, Miranda rose from her chair, turned, and stalked back into the wards.

Before she managed to escape, Garrus called out, "Miranda! Hey! You mentioned Riana..."

Miranda turned and replied with a smile, "Yes, I did, didn't I? She ended up with a fractured skull and a severe concussion. She's already been stitched, is through recovery, and is currently resting in room 23 on the same secure floor where Shepard will be moved to; 7th floor. Her visiting hours are the standard 0900 to 1900 hours, but you'll have to process through a biometric checkpoint; the entire floor is secure. Oh. And Lieutenant Kurin is up there as well."

"Thanks again, Miranda." Garrus stood up and reached over his head in a stretch before turning to leave, intending to gather his squad and head back to Hammer Base in an attempt to scrounge up some additional dextro rations for himself and Tali.

Frustrated to discover she would not be allowed to visit with Shepard for a few days yet, Tali remained at Hammer base while the rest of the squad set out to assist with the ongoing search and rescue effort. She soon cornered Major Coats, revealing the data Liara had shared about the relays and the plan in place to get them all operational again within a matter of months, with the primary relays to the council home-worlds active within a couple of weeks, if all went well. The major had stared in wonder at the display she projected in the air before him, just long enough to realize he had Shepard and T'Soni to thank for yet one more thing. In only seconds, he made a decision and called in an Alliance engineering team to work with the Quarian admiral. After he gave them instructions to follow Tali's lead, he shook her hand and thanked her, saying, "Admiral Zorah, you do whatever is necessary to get the parts rounded up and get that thing put back together. No one can come or go until it's repaired, so it just became our number one engineering project."

Tali nodded. "You've got it, Major. I'm taking Lieutenant Cortez and the Normandy's shuttle for primary transportation and I'll let you know if I run into any roadblocks. Once I explain what I'm doing, I can't imagine anyone being unwilling to help."

Coats shook his head. "Me neither, but I'm here, just in case."

Tali looked at the engineering team. "You heard the Major. We've got a relay to repair."

A heavily tattooed woman, known to most people as 'Jack,' entered the main gate into what was left of the Hammer base. She turned to address her three remaining students, saying, "Head for the Comms center after you all get something to eat… and don't be shy about asking for what you need, okay? All of you need some seriously high-calorie food to replenish your reserves. Anyone gives you any shit, tell 'em you're with me… should be enough."

They nodded in understanding and moved together towards the base cafeteria as Jack sighed and walked to the Comms center, where she addressed the young man sitting by the portable QEC. "Hey… Any word on Commander Shepard?"

The young Marine took obvious notice of Jack's rather revealing attire and the number of tattoos displayed on her nearly nude torso. Jack normally would have enjoyed messing with the young man's mind until she got bored, but wasn't in the mood for games today. Choosing instead to go directly to her end game, she spit out, "Quit staring at my tits and answer the question, jackass. Didn't the Alliance teach you any better than that?"

His head snapped up and he looked at her face, having the good sense to look both guilty and apologetic at the same time, while still trying to cover for his appalling lack of proper military decorum with a bit of bravado. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. That information is on a 'need-to-know' basis. I don't know you, so you don't need to know." He grinned at his clever play on the words until Jack placed both hands on the edge of his desk, leaned down and brought her face within a few centimeters of his.

"Kid, I'm really beat," she hissed in a menacing tone. "Now, I can guarantee you there is no other woman on this planet with her entire body covered in ink, and… now this is the important part, so stay with me here… and who works with Commander Shepard because I have a fucking bad attitude with the biotics to back it up. Alliance brass refers to me as 'Jack', but my students refer to me…" at this point Jack's entire body came alive with shifting blue waves of raw biotic energy, "… as the psychotic biotic."

The young Marine's smirking countenance turned into an expression of outright fear as he leaned back in his chair to contemplate the best way to extricate his ass from the blender into which he had placed it. "Ah, sorry Ma'am. I didn't realize… ah, that is…"

He stopped as Jack held up her right hand, palm facing him. "Just answer my question, Kid. Commander Shepard?"

"Ah, the commander was picked up from the Citadel, along with an Asari Commando. Shepard is currently in surgery at the Royal London Hospital… A doctor… Miranda Lawson is there with her."

"Well, fuck me." Biotic energy fading away, Jack stood and turned. So, Shepard did the impossible… and she's being tended to by Ms Bubble-butt herself. Checking the chrono on the partition wall above the 'still wet-behind-the-ears' Marine, she figured she had time to get some grub and some shut-eye before needing a ride to the hospital. Now to go find my kids…

Asari Specialist Cayla Thaus left the elevator and eased through the security checkpoint for the 7th floor wards, where many of the higher-ranking members from the 'Hammer' strike teams had been sent to recuperate from their injuries; Cayla was somewhat surprised that the powers-that-be had placed her lieutenant, Liessa Kurin, among them. As she searched for Kurin's room, she contemplated how important the Normandy team was to the people of Earth... and was happy to discover that Cerberus attitudes did not carry through the majority of Humanity... at least not today, in the city they called London. I hope it remains that way.

Cayla herself had escaped injury thanks to a massive biotic barrier generated by Justicar Samara, the fifth member of their squad. Lieutenant Kurin had been thrown approximately 20 meters from her position, only escaping the fates of her teammates through sheer luck. Even so, she had received a concussion, a fractured lower arm and some first and second degree burns across her back. After the Destroyer had moved on, Cayla had provided some limited first-aid and assisted her lieutenant back to the field hospital for stabilization and transport to the Royal London Hospital for specialty burn treatment.

She had been placed within a secure area that consisted of 40 rooms, each with a single bed; the floor was divided into eight sections (not including the ICU wing of 10 rooms). Each section was overseen by two nurses working under a supervisor. Upon speaking with the section supervisor, Cayla was presented with Liessa's Commando leathers, in the hope she'd be better able to obtain replacement clothing for the recovering Asari before her discharge from the hospital.

Cayla kept her thoughts to herself as she turned down the hallway, knowing full well that obtaining clothing – of any kind – for an Asari Commando would be difficult on this planet. When she reached Kurin's room, she knocked tentatively on the heavy wooden door, which was ajar just enough for Cayla to view an interior lit less by overhead light sources and more by the numerous lights and displays belonging to machines monitoring the Asari's heartbeat, blood pressure, respiration, body temperature, and brain activity.

Her knock was answered by a weak, "Come in…" from Liessa, who was lying on her side in a bed with a specially designed mattress to keep her from rolling onto her back, which was bare from top to bottom. She was wearing a standard open-backed hospital gown to protect her 'modesty', but the ever practical Asari hadn't bothered to cover her backside with the thin sheet on the bed. "Oh… Cayla! Come in, please. I'm going crazy in here! Not another Asari face anywhere!" Motioning with a nod of her head, she added, "Please, have a seat and talk to me. What news do you have? What's happening out there?"

Cayla grinned as she replied, "In short? We won! Do you remember anything of our return trek to Hammer Headquarters, Lieutenant?"

A beaming smile spread across Kurin's face even as she huffed. "Please, Cayla… Call me Liessa. I hardly think we'll be doing any more fighting, whether it's on this planet, or on our own once we can return; besides..." she smirked, "... with my ass hanging out, I'm not actually in good shape to be leading anyone anywhere."

Cayla chuckled. "It's a nice ass, Ma'am. I don't think anyone would refuse to follow it… er, you." Cayla's face darkened with embarrassment as she said this, much to the apparent amusement of Lieutenant Kurin. "So, your back? Burns going to heal okay?"

With the news Cayla had delivered, Kurin couldn't help but continue to smile as she answered, "The Humans are using Asari developed treatment protocols, so I imagine they'll heal without leaving any scars." She barely stopped to take a breath before asking, "So, the red wave we saw… did it really eliminate… kill… all the Reapers and their unnatural creations?"

"Everything I've heard indicates that it did, Liessa." Cayla shook her head in bewilderment. "Against all the odds... We actually beat the Reapers!"

"Our faith in Commander Shepard and Lady T'Soni was not misplaced, then. That is good news indeed." Kurin sighed in satisfaction, but her face quickly turned serious. She didn't honestly want to know, but simply had to ask. "So tell me what news you have of the Normandy teams. How many did we lose?"

"Well, you already know of Sasha T'Levos and Nilyna Vura," she said sadly. "I believe the Justicar made it… she left me to take care of you, get you back to the aid station." Cayla impulsively reached for and grabbed one of Liessa's hands.

Liessa's expression had changed from serious to sad. "Goddess. How could I have forgotten about Sasha and Nilyna?" She blinked slowly and continued as her eyes reopened, swelling with moisture. "But you told me on our way here... I ... I guess I didn't want to think about it, so put it out of my mind. At least you are here." She pushed a slight smile onto her face and gently squeezed Cayla's hand in return as she asked, "And what of the Turian-led team? They were supposed to provide top-cover for Shepard and her squad… surely they didn't all succumb to Reaper fire."

"Well, I do know that damn big Turian… the tattooed woman and three of her students… oh, yes! And the Quarian… Tali? They all survived, but… the huge Geth… the Prime named Legion? It fell at the crater's edge when the red wall washed over everything."

Kurin sighed. "The Turian… Garrus Vakarian. My understanding is he was almost always Commander Shepard's 'First'. I've never heard of a Turian so devoted to a Human… if I didn't know better, I'd have to think he's in love with her."

Cayla grinned at Liessa's observation. "There may be some truth to your opinion, but I think their relationship is based on mutual trust and admiration, and that's not something that occurs overnight. They fight as if they've been together long enough to hone their relationship into an amalgamation of all the best traits of both. To witness such is a rare privilege."

Liessa had yet to give voice to the question she'd been wanting to ask, fearing the answer would not please her. Screwing up her courage, she whispered, "And what of Shepard, Cayla? Did she survive that terrible release of energy on the Citadel?"

Cayla's grip on Kurin's hand tightened slightly. "She's alive, Liessa, but just barely. I was told Lady T'Soni's First followed her to the beam, found her in the control room and carried her to the council evac docks, where they were picked up by a shuttle. Shepard was still in surgery downstairs when I came in to see you. Riana Iregos… Lady T'Soni's First… is currently recovering from injuries sustained getting the commander to the extraction point. She's in a room on this floor, actually… I plan to look in on her after my visit with you is complete."

Liessa's smile broadened as she pulled Cayla towards her. "Find her, Cayla. She needs to know, as I did, that she is not alone in this place.

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula

It was almost midnight when the Estate Team 2 Lead, Huntress Allyna Taluri, burst into the house, leaving the door wide open, the light from inside the house shining outward into the dark night like a beacon. Matriarch Aethyta blasted out of her chair in a fury. "Close the damned door! You want all the Reapers on Thessia descending on our very heads?"

She started to rush at the door, but screeched to a halt at Taluri's next words. "They're gone! A red wave swept the planet and they're all gone!"

"What the fuck?" Aethyta could hardly breathe; she didn't dare to hope. "Explain yourself!"

"Apologies, Matriarch." Allyna's eyes were wide with excitement, but she stopped moving and stood erect as she continued. "It was about an hour or so ago... That's how long it took me to get back here from our patrol route on the south side. We saw a massive red wave in the distance, stretched across the entire horizon and coming at us incredibly fast... faster than we could ever hope to retreat... and thought for sure it was some new Reaper weapon, finally come to kill us all... but the only things affected were the Reapers themselves! Their creations simply... vanished... in a puff of smoke... and all the Reapers... Well, their bodies lit up with what looked like crimson electrical arcs jumping all over them... and they fell over dead shortly after the wave crossed their frames!"

Everyone in the common room exploded in cheers as Aethyta stood in the middle of the chaos, stunned into inaction. After a long moment, she shouted above the din, "You're absolutely positive they're all gone?"

The room fell deathly silent at the question and even though Allyna's grin said it all, she answered anyway, her voice solemn and steady. "We took the chance and turned on our radios... The network was full of chatter from everywhere. They are gone, Matriarch Aethyta; Lady T'Soni's machine must have worked!"

"Well, I'll be damned." A rare smile split the matriarch's face as the news finally sunk in. "Go get Captain Tremi and wake everyone in the dorms... They all deserve to know what's happened. I'll get Matron Lyessa so she can notify the house staff and then I'll get Mozia." Aethyta stood up to her full height and raised her voice above the excited chatter filling the room. "Remember this date, House T'Soni! June 7th, 2187 is the day the galaxy beat the fucking Reapers!"

Aethyta slid quietly into the bedroom, surprised the ruckus in the hallway didn't wake her sleeping companion. She walked silently to the bed and, as she sat on its edge, Mozia woke and rolled to her, instantly alert at the abnormal behavior. "Thyta? What's the matter? Why aren't you coming to bed?"

Rather than answer immediately, Aethyta leaned over and kissed the Regent's lips as she ran a gentle hand across Mozia's crests. When she stopped, Mozia gazed up at her, confusion and concern in her eyes, generated by Aethyta's uncharacteristic silence. Unusually subdued, Aethyta practically whispered, "Moz. It's over. They've fired the Crucible... and... I believe we've won."

Mozia stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending at first... until the sleep-induced haze cleared from her mind. Her eyes suddenly widened in understanding and she bolted upright in the bed and stared at Aethyta in shocked surprise. "By the favor of the Goddess! Truly? It's... over? It's truly over?"

"Yeah." Aethyta grinned at the nude Asari before her and palmed one of Mozia's ample breasts. "And even though there's nothing I'd rather do right now than climb into bed and keep you in it until next Janiris, I've ordered a House assembly to spread the word and talk about what's next. Lyria and Lyessa are already making the rounds to gather everyone up... so it's just you and me loitering about."

Mozia trapped Aethyta's hand against her breast and encouraged a gentle kneading motion. "Understood, Captain. But don't you dare forget where we are right now, because I have every intention of picking up this... discussion... later."

"Fine by me, Moz." Aethyta caressed the soft flesh under her hand and Mozia let out a small, inadvertent moan. "Wouldn't want to disappoint the Regent of House T'Soni, now, would I?"

Galactic Fleet, Arcturus, At Large

Williams left the Normandy's bridge and slowly walked through the tactical passageway to the CIC, head bowed in thought, pondering the amount of time she'd have to spend putting together the ship status report. Ashley had never truly appreciated just how many moving parts there were to the report and, now that she was responsible for writing one, she was beginning to understand Shepard's aversion to doing the damned things … On the other hand, the only action the Normandy was going to see for the next ten to twelve days (if they were lucky) would involve launching and recovering the shuttlecraft taking engineers out to work on restoring the Arcturus relay... so, she had plenty of time to focus on it.

She stopped for several moments at the top of the two steps that led down to the CIC level; there were several technicians and specialists around the massive galaxy map display, one of which drew her immediate attention. Of course! Samantha Traynor… She has much less on her plate now we're not engaged in a fight for our lives. She can help me compile all the reports.

Moving with purpose now, Ash stepped down to the CIC level and moved to her left; walking up to stand beside the young woman, she waited for a few moments before clearing her throat.

Sammi's head jerked up and to her right, eyes wide open in surprise. "Commander! I'm sorry… You startled me. What can I do for you?"

Williams chuckled softly. "Are you always so focused on your work, Specialist?"

Traynor had not had many dealings with the raven-haired woman since her arrival on the ship after the coup attempt on the Citadel… virtually all of her interactions with command staff had been with either Commander Shepard or Admiral Hackett. All of this ran through her mind as she responded, "Yes Ma'am… particularly now, with a number of our crew members on Earth…" Sammi paused, looked down at her terminal for a moment, then finished in a slightly shaky voice, "… their fates unknown."

Ashley placed a hand briefly on Traynor's shoulder; she withdrew it almost immediately when she felt the specialist's torso stiffen instantly at her touch. "Staying busy… staying focused on a task… is a good way to keep occupied. I suspect you're worried about one crew member in particular, though. Am I right?"

The look Ashley received from Traynor spoke volumes about the specialist's state of mind, but her voice was steady as she replied, "I'm worried about all of them, Ma'am. It's really difficult, not knowing the status of so many of my friends… but you are correct… my main concern is Riana." Traynor sighed sadly as she continued quietly, "I heard Dr T'Soni sent her to watch over Shepard... and we know the commander did reach the Citadel and that she activated the Crucible, but... after that? I can hope they are both safe, but without confirmation?…" she trailed off as she looked away, not wanting to share her apprehension with Ashley, not daring to give voice to her fears, lest they prove to be reality once the Normandy was able to re-enter the Sol system.

Ashley held all the same fears as Traynor and quickly came to the point. "Specialist, I need some help. The Normandy isn't going anywhere for a number of days – most likely, the only thing you'll be recording will be the crew members' travel logs as they come and go to make repairs to the Arcturus Relay. For now, that task can be handled by Ensign Copeland. I need you to assist me in putting the ship's status report together."

At Traynor's look of surprise, Ashley added, "I'm pretty sure you already have the latest mission summary portion of it ready for the CO, or," she smirked as she said, "the XO. But I'll also need the ship's armory and transportation officer reports, something Lieutenant Cortez would normally take care of along with…" Ashley paused for a moment before forcing herself to say the name aloud, "... Lieutenant Vega. I can get those together... but while I'm doing that, I'll need you to gather together Greg Adams Engineering report, the medical report from Dr Chakwas, and the stores and supplies report from Ensign Sweeney. Then, we'll assemble it all together into a concise, coherent form that the admiral can understand."

Traynor faced Ashley and said, "Aye-aye, Ma'am. You get me your info soon enough and I'll have everything ready by the end of the shift."

"That fast, Specialist? That's a lot of data." Ashley looked at her in disbelief.

"Yes Ma'am. I helped Edi a number of times and, whenever she went dirt-side with the ground team, I did all the quality checks and submitted the final reports for those missions anyway, so this is nothing new... other than having to collect all the pieces on my own."

"Very good, Traynor… Carry on." Ashley entered the elevator and input the code to access the hanger deck. May as well start at the bottom and work my way up.

Over on the Destiny Ascension, after all the other members departed at the conclusion of their latest meeting, Councilor Tevos remained and sat alone, staring out the port view screen of the temporary council chambers. Human Ambassador Osoba had provided only scant information about the status of Sol, other than what Admiral Hackett had passed on to him... information which she already knew. She understood she should be happier about the victory, but the potential loss of Samantha Shepard gnawed at her insides like a virulent pestilence that could not be curbed. As she selfishly pondered the impact such a loss would have on her personally, Nizia Tenir searched her out and entered the room quietly. "Councilor? Are you well?"

"Better than I had dreamed possible, yet disappointed all the same, Nizia." Tevos offered her a shadowy smile. "I know I should be happy; we've won an impossible victory, I have Sha'ira at my side almost every night, the relays are all repairable and we are able to continue living our lives... yet, I feel our victory incomplete without knowing whether Samantha Shepard lives... or not." She released a heavy breath and stared back out the window. "I feel compelled... I need to know that securing our future did not cost Shepard her own, Nizia. It would be a price too high for her to pay; she deserved better from us."

"She got everything she could from us, Raesia." Tenir approached quickly and laid a supportive hand on her shoulder. "We believed... and you argued to the best of your ability against those who did not. You were but one in the sea of voices and cannot be held responsible for your powerlessness to shout above the storm of opposition; your one voice was lost in the torrent."

"I suppose." Tevos reached up and gently removed Tenir's hand from her shoulder before rising slowly from her window seat. "But that does not change the hollowness within my chest of an empty victory... one without our dearest champion within it."

Tenir smiled gently. "Do not dismiss Commander Shepard so quickly, Councilor. We have yet to return to the Sol system and discover the truth of the matter. She managed to fire the Crucible... She may very well be alive and awaiting our return."

"Oh, I most definitely have not, Nizia. My heart simply hurts with the not knowing." Tevos turned toward the exit and took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and forcing a smile to her face. "Come. We must visit our citizens in the hold and see how they fare. And... just perhaps, we may cross paths with the Consort and request a private session to help deal with the insidious doubt crawling within my mind."

Eva's Vortex, Widow Relay, Serpent Nebula

The glowing, bluish-white element zero core within the set of revolving gyroscopic rings brightened in step with the increased rotational velocity of those rings as Eva's Vortex appeared in the distance beyond the Widow System's Mass Relay; rapidly decelerating from FTL as it drew abreast of the 15-Km long device in an ever-shifting, blue-tinged curtain of intense energy waves, the corvette rolled into a graceful turn away from the relay, coming to a near halt sixty thousand kilometers from the ancient device.

The ship's captain looked to Maya Brooks, standing nearby on the bridge, for any further instructions from the Illusive Man. "It really doesn't seem right the Citadel is no longer in this nebula, Ms Brooks. Did the Illusive Man give any indication of how long we should wait here before returning to either Cronos Station or the Sol system?"

Maya clasped her hands behind her in a non-verbal display of confidence she did not feel as she smoothly answered, "We're right where he told us to be, Captain. We'll have an answer, one way or the other, in less than twenty-four hours." Taking a quick look out the forward viewport, she added as she turned to leave, "I'm going to the galley, get something to eat and drink. Care to join me?"

"You go ahead… I'll be along in a bit."

Maya nodded once, then turned and left the bridge. Son-of-a-bitch doesn't believe me, so he's going to attempt to contact Jack direct while I'm off the bridge. Won't do him any good… if the Reapers haven't blocked comms to and from the Citadel, the Crucible certainly has.

She strolled nonchalantly down the passageway to the small galley, poured herself a cup of coffee, grabbed a sweet roll and moved to a table in the corner. Her thoughts continued to tumble around as she took a bite of the pastry, followed by a sip of coffee. Shepard was a fucking mess! I really should have killed Jack as soon as we entered the control compartment… Why in Hell did I wait? Maybe that big admiral would still be alive. Shit, Maya! Too little, too late. At least the Illusive Man is dead… no way in 'ell he got back up after I vented his head.

Maya took several sips from her mug as she contemplated her actions. …Closest I've ever been to someone I shot. Guess I'll have to watch my back for the rest of my life, unless I can somehow meet Shepard… maybe somewhere public, out in the open… apologize, ask her forgiveness. Hell, she'd probably set me up, have that big Turian she's always hanging out with shoot me from a distance. I'd be dead before I heard the gun. No, Maya, don't go down that road. Think positive! I'm a survivor. Just have to plan…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the collision-alert klaxon, followed by, "All hands! Brace for impact! This is not a drill… Brace for impact! Stand by for damage control!"

Maya was up instantly upon hearing the klaxon; she ran back up the passageway to the bridge, arriving in time to witness the Mass Relay's containment rings, dislodged, broken and drifting, being overtaken and passed by a wave of red energy, swiftly increasing in size as it approached their ship at an incredible velocity.

Even knowing the answer, the captain asked the bridge crew, "Can we outrun it?" only to receive a pitying look from the pilot. All they could do was watch and wait for the few seconds the wave needed to reach them.