[MASS EFFECT: RECONSTRUCTION]
The Normandy slipped quietly into the Docking Bay. The crew disembarked slowly, taking in the abandoned station as they walked into the desolate chamber. Tali was the first one off, followed by Garrus, then Kaidan led the rest of the crew aboard. As they approached the elevator, its doors slid open, revealing a familiar form.
"Shepard!" Tali raced to the elevator and into the Commander's arms. After a few moments, Shepard greeted Garrus and the rest of the crew.
"You don't look that bad for a man who's just been to hell and back, Shepard." Garrus said.
"And you look just the same as always." Shepard said, slyly.
"That bad, huh?" Garrus replied, jokingly.
"We've been through a lot, Shepard." Kaidan said with a grin. "But I knew that if we made it this far, a little Reaper invasion couldn't stop you."
"Thanks, Kaidan. You did a fine job yourself. I'm sure you'll make Admiral in no time."
"I certainly hope not." The Major shuddered at the thought. "Me? No way I'd let myself take an easy job like that."
"Don't count yourself out yet," James joked. "You know how the brass gets with promotions. Do one little heroic thing and suddenly you're watching the action from a comfy CIC in some dreadnought."
"Mind explaining how that's a bad thing?" Cortez muttered under his breath. The marine simply ignored him and rolled his eyes.
"I'll admit, Commander, I am...impressed." Javik had been awestruck at what had been accomplished by Shepard's Reapers ever since Hackett had briefed him. "I'm not quite sure I can call you 'primitive' anymore, but I am honored to call you 'friend'."
"Don't start going soft on us, Javik." Garrus quipped.
"I said I can't call the Commander primitive." Javik replied. "I hold no such reservations about you."
"It's good that you survived, Shepard." Liara looked visibly relieved. "I didn't want all my hard work recovering your body to be for nothing, after all." She cracked a feeble smile.
"You thought you worked hard to help him? I flew him all around the galaxy for years! Who else was going to write me up for a commendation?" Joker said, though he was just as relieved as Liara did, despite his brave front.
Shepard smiled. "It's great to see everyone again. Now come on, let's get back to the ship. I've seen enough of this place for a while."
"I couldn't agree more." Tali said quietly as she followed him and the crew back to their ship.
[THE NORMANDY, CREW DECK, MEMORIAL WALL]
Shepard placed the last plaque on the wall.
Adm. David Anderson.
He couldn't believe he was gone. The man had been his mentor for years. He had stood up for him, believed in him when nobody else would.
Have a good rest, sir, Shepard thought to himself. You've earned it.
He looked at the names of all of the good men and women who had died under his command. He still remembered Gabriella "Gabby" Daniels, the young engineer who worked so diligently down in Engineering, melted down and used to fuel a Proto-Reaper. And Yeoman Kelly Chambers, who had served as his personal assistant for a long time. She wasn't a soldier, she had never been in combat, and yet her life was taken. Charles Pressly, the navigator on the original Normandy who went down with his ship. Mordin, his friend and ally who died righting an ancient wrong. Thane Krios, who perished saving a Council that had done nothing for him. Legion, the Geth unit who sacrificed himself to build a future for his people. Ashley Williams, who overcame her prejudices and died on Virmire, fighting alongside Salarian soldiers.
All this death, all this sacrifice, and why was Shepard among those who still lived? He doubted himself sometimes. He didn't know if he could have done things differently. If maybe, some of these people might still be alive if he had walked a different path. But then, he looked around the room, and saw the survivors who stood with him. Garrus Vakarian. Jeff "Joker" Moreau. Liara T'Soni. Kaidan Alenko. Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy. They had been with him since this war began. He saw newer faces, too. James Vega. Steve Cortez. Samantha Traynor. EDI. Javik. There may have been death, but there were still survivors. There may have been loss, but there was still hope. Shepard stole a glance at Tali. He knew she felt the same way he did. They both had led people into war. They both knew the toll commanding could take. They embraced, and knew that not all was lost. The Normandy was docked on an Earth that was still turning, that had fallen once but was rebuilding. The dead would not be forgotten, but life would continue. And that gave those sacrifices purpose. And Shepard knew that those he mourned wouldn't have it any other way.
[CITADEL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS. 4 WEEKS LATER]
The Council had grown a bit in size in recent times. With Hackett now having assumed humanity's seat, a vote to give the non-council races that participated in the war positions had passed unanimously. Admiral Zaal'Koris Vas Qwib-Qwib had been elected to the position of Quarian councilor, although he insisted on a name change. Now, Councilor Zaal'Koris Vas Rannoch sat amongst them, serving as the representative for both the Quarians and the Geth, who had formed a united government on their shared homeworld. Beside him was Councilor Bakara, the Krogan queen that had been granted a seat thanks to Urdnot Wrex's relentless lobbying. The six politicians sat in the tower of the newly-refurbished Citadel, locked in debate. A bored Shepard watched idly, flanked by Tali and Garrus.
"All I'm saying is that we need to proceed with caution." The Salarian councilor anxiously ran his tongue across his lips. Shepard smiled to himself as he recalled Javik's mention of their former traits. They used to lick their eyes. Valern continued to speak. "The Reapers-"
"Are no longer a threat," Hackett interrupted. "Shepard has seen to that. He's a war hero, the Reapers couldn't be in better hands."
"Agreed." It was Sparatus, the Turian councilor who spoke this time. "You read the report. The Reapers are under Shepard's direct control."
"But can Shepard be trusted?"
The commander was annoyed now. "I'm standing right here, Councilor."
"We made the mistake of distrusting him before, Valern." Tevos, the Asari councilor replied sternly. "His Reapers have almost rebuilt Thessia from ruins. If that isn't proof he stands with us, I don't know what is. He has our support in any crisis."
"Not to mention all he's done for us on his own. He came to our aid on Menae when nobody else would. Not even your fleets, Salarian." Sparatus rose from his seat. "Shepard has full Turian endorsement. If you stand against him, you stand against us."
The Council had been going over the Salarian's position for weeks. Their refusal to provide more than a token amount of aid during the Reaper War had left them devastated. Even though the newly-controlled Reapers had recently finished rebuilding Sur'Kesh, Valern's people had petitioned to force Shepard to shut down and destroy the Reapers. The rest of the galaxy had some very vocal objections to this idea, as the advancements that the Reapers had brought about had already saved countless lives and outfitted soldiers with powerful new technology. Things had reached a boiling point, and the Council was in a last-ditch effort to avert a full-blown war.
"I concur with Councilor Sparatus. Shepard worked with Mordin Solus, a Salarian doctor and hero, to cure the Genophage, not to mention how he personally rescued me from a Reaper assault." Bakara, ever the politician, emphasized Mordin's race in an effort to appeal to Valern. "The Krogans stand at his side."
"As do the Quarians and Geth." Zaal'Koris, usually reserved, spoke up. "He ended a three century-long war and gave us our homeworld back. Now we've almost rebuilt it with his help. The people of Rannoch grant Shepard our full support."
"And of course, Alliance support is unquestioning. A conflict would be over as soon as it begins, Valern. Don't let your people go through with this." Hackett pleaded.
The Salarian councilor swallowed audibly. "I don't have a choice. The dalatrass has spoken. I have to obey her demands. She left me with only one option if I could not convince you." He rose shakily to his feet.
"The Salarian people hereby secede from the Council. All Salarian forces will return to the Sur'Kesh system in five hours. You have this time to make the necessary transfers to ensure all Council forces have been removed from our ships." He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"No," Hackett replied. "I am." Everyone knew how this conflict would end. Valern took one final look at the beautiful silver halls of the tower as he marched to the elevator. As the doors of the lift that would take him to his private shuttle closed, he looked down and shed a single tear.
[RANNOCH, ONE WEEK AFTER SALARIAN SECESSION]
Tali felt the wind against her face as she watched Rannoch rise from its ashes. It was certainly a peculiar sight. A Geth Prime held a steel column in place as a Quarian engineer fused it into a building's foundation. An army of Husks with supplies on their backs crawled up a massive tower to where a team of Quarian and Geth workers waited, idly talking and laughing. Brutes marched through the streets with entire sections of walls upon their backs, as Banshees levitated panels into place with their biotics for Geth drones to weld into place. Meanwhile, a Reaper Destroyer loomed over a huge portion of the rising metropolis, welding entire buildings together with technology that formerly ended thousands of lives. A Sovereign-class ship hovered in the sky, shuttling Husks across the planet with its troop transports. The newly-minted Admiral Kaidan Alenko had also sent Alliance freighters to help supply the workers.
Shepard approached her from behind. "Hey."
"Hey." Tali was still getting used to seeing the world without a transparent wall between her and her environment. Like the rest of her people, masks were no longer required to survive. The Geth had seen to that. They still wore their suits, however. They had become a part of their culture.
The unlikely couple watched the reconstruction around them from their balcony. They lived in an expansive house they had constructed in the very spot Tali had chosen when they had arrived on Rannoch, the spot where they had been married. They overlooked the water, with some of the countless cities of Rannoch on either side of the coast. Their own house still had a respectable amount of untouched beach and a well-kept, grassy yard.
"It's all happening pretty quickly, isn't it?" Shepard said, as he willed a Harvester to grab a shipment of supplies in its claws. The dragon-like creature flew past with its bounty moments later.
"I never thought I'd see the Quarians and the Geth get along. Seeing them rebuild together? With the help of the Reapers? It's unbelievable." Tali watched from the distance as a Geth guard chatted amiably with a Quarian worker, as though they were old friends.
"Back on Earth," Shepard said quietly, "I thought I'd never see you again. Seeing that ship leave with you on it was heartbreaking for me. But my will kept me going. My will to have shot at having a peaceful life with you. And I'm overjoyed that I could survive to see this moment."
There was silence for a while, as the two quietly watched the world around them change.
"It was horrible for me, too." Tali said sadly. "I was scared that you would die in that battlefield. But at the same time, I knew you would survive. And I knew this day would come."
The pair found comfort in each other's arms as a galaxy pulled itself back together around them. They knew a war with the Salarians was coming. They knew blood would be shed. But they also knew that they had each other. And in that moment, that was all that mattered.
[TO BE CONTINUED]