They settled into a cosy back booth of a bar near where the old refugee settlements had been. After the Reaper attack on the Citadel which had brought to Earth, and its liberation after Shepard managed to use the Catalyst to destroy the Reapers, the refugees had fled once more, back to their own homes and worlds in most cases. The return of the Citadel to its original location had taken quite a few months, though with Javik translating Prothean tech plans and findings, things had gone much smoother than initially anticipated.
The bar was empty except for them, and a young turian bartender brought them their drinks quickly and then retreated behind the bar.
"Cheers." Savira knocked her bottle against Shepard's, and Cariana joined them with the glass of turian wine she had ordered.
"So, Sav, who else have you heard from?" Cariana's voice was business-like and she brought up her omni-tool to record and take notes from their conversation. Shepard quickly turned hers on too, not keen on getting left behind.
"Me, Karis, Bellon, Jardia, and Mernus were all on Thessia. Bellon's still there. Jardia too, but in a hospital. She won't…she won't ever walk again. Mernus bought it against a pair of banshees. Karis is dead too." Savira swallowed half her beer in one gulp after she spoke, and squeezed her eyes shut, fighting away any tears. Shepard looked away. 5 Spectres on Thessia, and only 2 had made it out in fighting condition.
"Jardia…shit. I'll send her a message anyway. Mernus too? I know his brother survived back on Palaven. Why the hell did they send a turian out to Thessia anyway? And Karis. I did an op with her once. Batarian slavers. Best damn singularity I ever saw. Sav…that makes you the senior most surviving Spectre." Cariana tapped away at her omni-tool, making notes, and then turned to Shepard. "Sav's been a Spectre for almost a century. Longer than most of us have been alive."
"Shit, it's a not a job where most people retire with a pension, Cari. I'll just keep doing what I do till some fucker gets a lucky shot in. What about you anyway? Who have you heard from?" Savira took a slower pull of her beer this time, and Shepard looked at her with a new respect. Surviving nearly a century of Spectre-level operations was almost unbelievable, especially for the high-risk, high-reward combat style vanguards used.
"Mostly the salarians. Jondum, Tormin, Alrin, Darok- all on Sur'Kesh, all of them made it. Kelrus, Vanick, Keria, Mattis and Jeon were on Palaven and Menae. Vanick and Jeon are still there…"
"Shit, fucking salarians. You sure about Keria and Mattis?"
Cariana nods once, slowly.
"Fuck. Three of us took down a major black market arms cartel once. Got drunk and had a threesome to celebrate, going back 5 years or so now. Always promised we'd get together another time…" Shepard almost choked on her beer, but manages to recover at the last moment. Savira looks up and grins at her, and Cariana rolls her eyes. She's seeing a whole new side to the Spectre organisation now, the easygoing camaraderie that comes from being one of chosen few, knowing that they're out there, fighting the same or similar battles that as oneself.
"What about you, Shepard? Heard from that other human, whats her name…Williams? Ashlon? I ran into her about a month ago, back at the office, but she was on her way out, didn't have time for a chat." Cariana's still tapping away, still making notes, but she stops and glances up at Shepard, who shrugs.
"Last I heard from Ash, she was on Bekenstein, chasing down a Cerberus cell. That was two weeks ago."
"Nice. Fuck Cerberus. Read your reports Shepard. That Illusive Man was a really fucking pain in the ass." Shepard nods. Already no one's favourite in the wider galaxy thanks to their anti-alien stance, when the breadth of The Illusive Man's indoctrination and plans had been revealed, Cerberus had basically become the pariah of the galaxy. Assets were frozen, known members arrested and cells were being hunted down wherever they were discovered. Even the midst of the rebuilding, Hackett had detailed a large Alliance team to clean up and find out everything they could from Sanctuary before torching the place to the ground.
"Actually Shepard, the Council…well, Tevos and Sparatus wanted me to talk to you about possible Spectre candidates." While Cariana spoke, Savira waved the bartender over for another round. Shepard swallows what remains of her beer, and then nods at Cariana.
"Fucking Council. Useless fucks. Didn't believe Shepard till it blew up in their face, and now they're kissing ass." Savira grins ruefully at Shepard to let her know that only the Council is the target of her ire.
"The salarians are really pushing their candidates, as they have lots of senior STG guys. Mirrin, Edren, Kirrahee… But a lot of the surviving Spectres are already salarians, and appointing Spectres is a political and symbolic thing. They want to keep the appointments roughly even between Council species."
"Fucking salarians." Savira mutters over her new beer. A political creature she isn't, Shepard reckons.
"Kirrahee I know. He's a good guy. Think he could definitely do the job." Shepard's liked Kirrahee ever since Virmire. Seen how he'd led his troops. Made sure the mission got done. Then when she ran into him again on Sur'Kesh, when he personally promised to help her when she was ready to go back to Earth, it just reinforced her feelings. She values loyalty and integrity, and she repays it in kind.
"After Udina got Williams selected, and her success during the coup and with you, and after the war, the Council are looking at other people you trained, from your crew." Cariana taps her omni-tool again, and a list of names pops in a message on Shepard's omni-tool, and one second later beeps on Savira's too. The asari opens her list, but Shepard doesn't. She knows her crew by heart. No need for Council dossiers.
"I didn't train Ash. She served with me."
"Fuck semantics Shepard, whatever. You were their mentor, their commanding officer. You know these people like no one else. Let's start with the turian. Vakarian. Excellent combat skills, investigative knowledge for C-Sec service, leadership and confidence initially compromised during time as Archangel on Omega but since second stint with you has shown remarkable aptitude and necessary outlook to be successful Spectre. Relationship with quarian Admiral thought to be beneficial rather than harmful given current predictions of future political integration into the Council of quarians and even geth." Savira rattles off the assessment on Garrus, and Cariana nods at key points. Shepard is impressed by the level of intelligence and its acuity.
"Yeah, Garrus was my first thought. If you can get the Hierarchy to cough him up." Shepard smiles at the thought of Garrus becoming a Spectre, like they'd talked about all those years ago back on the old Normandy. He deserved it.
"That's a problem for Sparatus. I served in the same unit as Garrus once, you know. Infantry scout. We didn't get along at the start, but he was an excellent soldier. Settled our differences in the end though." Cariana speaks in a clipped, professional manner, but Shepard does choke on her beer this time, memory of a conversation in the main battery returning unbidden. She eyes Cariana again, who has moved on down the list. She does look pretty flexible.
"We believe Dr. T'Soni will be more valuable to you as information source, and Samara wishes only to continue to serve as a Justicar." Shepard nods at Cariana's words. Liara and Samara are both on Thessia, helping in their own ways with the rebuilding.
"I like the sound of this Jack, but she's probably still a bit too unstable. Put her on the watch list for the future Cari. Massani has poor judgment and leadership, too many of his people die. If the krogan get their shit together and become a proper Council species…put Urdnot Grunt on the watch list too." Savira necks at her beer as she speaks and Shepard joins her, allowing the cool amber liquid to flow down her throat. She feels relaxed, in a way she probably hasn't since the whole mess began back on Eden Prime all those years ago.
"Taylor and Lawson?" Savira glances at Shepard, than Cariana inquisitively.
"Cerberus?" Cariana flares her mandibles and shakes her head.
"Ex-Cerberus. Taylor was never fucking strident. But he's a father now. Unlikely to leave his family. Lawson is more problematic. Intelligent, combat specialist with biotic powers, superb strategic and tactical mind, no longer has hit squads and merc companies after her thanks to the death of her father and the destruction of Cerberus. The line she espoused wasn't all that different from what Williams initially did too. Thoughts, Shepard?" Both Spectres turn to look at her, and Shepard decides to take a moment before she answers. Miranda has grown and changed a lot since they first met, and her actions during the destruction of the Collector Base definitely signified a maturity in her outlook that had not existed before.
"I think she'd make a fine Spectre. But maybe you should pull her into a non-human team environment first, something like a C-Sec special squad, just to make sure she's definitely over her some of her issues. I'm not sure she fully signed on with the Cerberus agenda even before they got extreme and she left, more that she was looking for direction in her life that they gave her."
Cariana and Savira both nod, making independent notations into their omni-tools, and Shepard takes a sip. Miranda hasn't been in touch as much as some of the others, but while she is helping out back on Earth, Shepard knows she's looking for a better outlet for her talents. Working for the Council after working for the Spectres would be a big leap to make, but Shepard is confident in Miranda's ability.
"I think getting her to fix some of the galaxy's bigger problems is a fine use of her talents. As long as you're prepared for the occasional…pragmatic solution." Cariana and Savira glance at each other, and then the turian smiles, a colder smile than Shepard has seen before.
"Spectres get the job done, Shepard. We'll take her into consideration."
"Besides, would you look at that fuckin' ass. Man I need to tap that. We need more genetically perfect humans around here." Cariana rolled her eyes at Savira's pronouncement, and Shepard chuckled.
"Stop drooling over Lawson. You're definitely not getting her for assessment." Cariana was slightly brusque and Savira pouted in response.
"Just because you're all bonded to the perfect fucking Dr. Dannen doesn't mean the rest of can't have some fun."
"Dannen?" Shepard asked her fellow Spectre.
"My husband. He's a doctor, back on Palaven. He survived, thankfully." Cariana brings up an image on her omni-tool. She and a tall turian male stand with their arms wrapped around each other, obviously happy.
"What about you Shepard?" Savira gags in jest at Cariana, and turns to Shepard for solace. She shrugs her shoulders, interlacing her fingers.
"No. No one for a while now."
"Well, if ever feel like embracing eternity, you know where to find me." Shepard can't help but chuckle at Savira's straightforwardness. It's refreshing in its own way, and she clinks her bottle against the asari's.
"Thanks. It's not likely, but I'll keep it in mind," she replies drily, fiddling with the clasp on the wrist of her armour-glove. "Are we done with the list?"
"Yes. Goto is the wrong line of work, but maybe you could stay in touch? We do occasionally need some items…retrieved from the people who possess them at the time." Cariana indicates the necessity of the situation with a shrug, and Shepard understands. Sometimes it's better to go in with the scalpel rather than the sledgehammer approach of a Spectre, all guns blazing.
"Shit, alright, enough. Ever thought of switching out your sniper rifle for a shotgun Shepard? You should see the havoc Cari here can raise with her Claymore from cloak. It's almost unfair." Shepard grinned. Now here was a real Spectre meeting.
"Nope, because my Black Widow can do all that and keep me safe and at a dist-"
"But the Valiant has a much higher rate of fire and lower recoil."
"Poor armour penetration on the other hand."
And so it went. The most pleasant hours Shepard had spent since she woke up.