Author's Notes:

Just so we're clear, this version of Back in Blue is a re-write from the previous one to put things back in line with the game.

Back in Blue (Interlude I)

Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / in Orbit around Mars / SSV Normandy SR-2

The mood in the hangar was very sombre as the Shepard and his squad trudged towards the armoury.

Still cradling an unconscious Ashley in his arms, Shepard was the first one to break the silence. "Can someone give me a hand?"

"What do you need, Commander?" Cortez answered as he approached the Spectre.

"Can you detach Ash's weapons for me? I can't reach them."

Standing still just long enough for the shuttle pilot to remove Ashley's weapons, Shepard then turned and strode for the elevator.

"What about your weapons?" Cortez called after him.

"I'll see to them later. Ash is my priority right now," the Spectre replied as he entered the elevator.

Adjusting his grip on Ashley, he hit the holographic controls and sent it up to Deck 3. He strode quickly through the empty mess hall towards his destination; the med bay. Once inside he gently set Ashley down on one of the beds before removing her helmet. Still a little shell-shocked by everything that had happened, the ebony haired marine stared down at his former flame for a few moments, lost in his thoughts. Ashley's face was already showing the beginnings of several bruises in a response to the brutal trauma she'd been put through.

'Damn the Illusive Man!' Regardless of how things stood regarding their severed relationship, seeing Ashley get so badly hurt was a gut-wrenching experience. 'Like Kaidan on Virmire all over again,'

"Hang in there, Ash," he pleaded softly to her. "Kaidan gave his life for you on Vimire, so don't you dare die on both of us now!"

"Where do you want this thing put, Loco?" Vega questioned from behind him, referring to the lifeless mech on his shoulder.

Once they'd handed their weapons over to Cortez, both he and Liara had followed Shepard up to their current location, Liara watching the Spectre with concern.

The question snapped Shepard back into reality. Day-dreaming wouldn't get Ashley the care she needed to get better.

Pointing to the door at the far end of the room he responded, "In the AI Core. Thanks, James."

From her place on the other side of Ashley, Liara implored her CO, "Ashley needs medical attention. We have t–"

"-to leave the system. I know." Raising his voice, he spoke to the comm. "Get us to the Citadel, Joker. And can you send word to Huerta Memorial that we've got a critically injured patient aboard that needs immediate medical attention when we get there."

"Roger that," the helmsman replied. "Setting a course for the Serpent Nebula. ETA; one hour.

"In the meantime, see what you and EDI can learn from that thing." Shepard ticked his head back to the AI Core as James exited the room.

Nodding her own head, the asari left to do what had been asked of her.

"Commander?" EDI's avatar appeared on its pedestal.

"Go ahead, EDI."

"I am receiving a signal over the secondary QEC. I believe it is Admiral Hackett. I will forward it to the Comm room."

"And where is the new Comm room?" Shepard questioned as he left the med bay.

"Where the Armoury used to be last year. Specialist Traynor is waiting in the CIC, she will show you the way."

Shepard raised his eyebrows at the new name as he entered the elevator and hit the button for the CIC. "No Kelly?"

"Yeoman Chambers left the Normandy shortly after it arrived on Earth," the AI informed the Spectre.

'Considering what she and the crew were put through at the hands of the Collectors after their ambush last year, I'm surprised that more of them didn't leave. I certainly wouldn't have blamed them for doing so.'

"Do you know where she is now?"

"Not at the moment."

"Find her. I want to know that she's safe, 'cause we all know what the Illusive Man does to traitors."

"As you wish, Commander."

"Thanks."

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / En route to Citadel / SSV Normandy SR-2

Stepping out into the CIC, Shepard was greeted by a young woman with a British accent.

"Commander Shepard? I'm Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor, with Alliance R&D," the specialist snapped to attention - which Shepard returned - before she continued on, "I was a part of the team that retrofitted the Normandy after you handed it over to the Alliance."

Shepard just chuckled, "At ease, Specialist Traynor. There's no need to be so formal with me."

"I'm sorry. It's just that I've never served on a ship before. Only worked in a lab."

"Why don't you tell me about the retrofits while you show me where the Comm room is?" the Spectre suggested, trying to make things easier for her.

"That I can do, if you'll follow me."

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"The ship's still the same as before, just flying under Alliance colours and up to date with the current regs." Traynor informed him as they stepped through the security checkpoint, greeting the two guards that were stationed there as they moved on. "This is the Conference Room on our left," she referred to a table - which looked a lot like the retractable counter that had graced the ship's Comm room last year, Shepard noted - that was surrounded by clear partitions as they passed it. "Ahead is the War Room, which houses a strategic command centre for mission-specific intel and war analysis. The Normandy also now has new top-of-the-line quantum entanglement communicators. Admiral Anderson had intended to use the Normandy as his mobile command centre."

"I'm afraid that that's no longer an option." Shepard told her as they entered the circular War Room. The room was massive in size, monitors lining the walls all around him and in the centre, a sizable table-mounted holographic projector.

"Yes, we all heard that he chose to stay and fight on Earth. In any event, I'm honoured to serve under you, Commander," Traynor once again saluted him. "For as long as you need me, that is. Technically, they only sent me here to oversee the retrofits…"

EDI's avatar popped up behind the Spectre. "Shepard, some of our systems require further testing and Specialist Traynor has been extremely effective during installation thus far. I would prefer that she remain with us."

"Got it, EDI," Shepard acknowledged the AI's wishes.

"Wait, since when does a virtual intelligence make requests?" Traynor queried, puzzled by the interaction.

"A VI?" Shepard repeated, just as perplexed by Traynor's question. "Who told you that EDI was a VI?"

"Joker did," she informed him as the truth clicked into place. "It's not true is it?"

Shepard shook his head. "EDI's an AI. Fully self-aware."

"I knew it!" the specialist exclaimed. "I knew Joker was lying!"

"I apologise for the deception, Specialist. Jeff requested that I pretend to be a simple VI in order to protect myself."

'Explains why she's still on the Normandy. I thought for sure that she'd be gone when I returned,' Shepard mused to himself. "Sounds like you've got quite a story to tell, EDI."

"One that is best left for a later time. Admiral Hackett is still trying to contact the Normandy."

"Got it, EDI," Shepard thanked the AI before turning back to Traynor. "Anything else I need to know?"

"No," the specialist shook her head. "You already know about the Armoury being moved down to the shuttle bay and about setting destinations on the Galaxy Map in the CIC and such. I'll leave you to your call."

"Thanks, Traynor," the Spectre responded as he turned back the 'new' state-of-the-art Quantum Entanglement Communications room.

'New to the Alliance maybe, but not to the SR-2.'

"-S-Shepard, are you reading me? C-C-Command-d-der?" Admiral Hackett's heavily distorted voice greeted Shepard as he stepped into the room.

"EDI, can you clear this up a bit?" the Spectre requested.

"I will try," the AI responded.

Within a few moments the feed was clear and an image of the Admiral appeared before Shepard.

"Did you get to the Archives?"

"Yes, sir. We picked up Liara and the data she was after. We also had to fight through a platoon of Cerberus troops."

"I was worried that they might try something. What about the data, did you get all of it?"

"Most of it. One of the Illusive Man's agents downloaded some before we could stop her. EDI and Liara are analysing it now."

As if on cue, Liara appeared next to the Spectre, and Shepard saw Traynor turn and head back to the CIC out of the corner of his eye.

"What have you learned?" Hackett questioned Liara. "Was it worth the effort?"

"I believe so. Preliminary evidence suggests that they're blueprints for a Prothean device."

"Device?"

Activating her Omni-tool, Liara brought up an image of the blueprint for Hackett and Shepard to see. "A weapon. Massive in size and scope that's capable of unquantifiable levels of destruction."

"Send me the data. We'll do our own analysis." Nodding the asari stepped away to do just that, leaving the two men alone once more. "If Liara's instincts are right, this could be the key to stopping the Reapers."

"If there's one thing I've learn to trust, sir, it's Liara instincts. They haven't been wrong yet."

Hackett chuckled in response.

"Were you able to get away from the Reaper forces, Admiral?" asked Shepard.

"Just barely. The Fourth has been shattered, nothing left from it but a few cruisers and frigates. I had to sacrifice the Second to cover our retreat from Sol and Arcturus. The First, Third, and Fifth all took heavy losses, but we managed to disengage and make it to the fall-back position at Alpha Cygni. We still have a fleet-in-being. If we can find the resources, we might be able to build this device."

"I'll do my best to get you what you need, Admiral. In the meantime, Lieutenant Commander Williams was critically injured during the course of the mission," Shepard informed his superior. "We're taking her to the Citadel for care."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Shepard. But we both know that this is just the start. Talk to the Council, show them what you found. Convince them that we have to meet the enemy together if we're going to have any chance to survive this. With luck they'll give you all the support we need."

"Like I said to Anderson, the council doesn't have the best track record with helping humanity when we're in need of aid,"

"Agreed. But we still have to try."

"I'll do everything in my power to get them on board," Shepard saluted Hackett.

"Good luck. I'll be in contact again soon. Hackett out." With that, the admiral's image dissipated.

Shepard sighed as he left the cubicle. He found Liara waiting for him in the War Room.

"EDI is still continuing to extract information from the Cerberus mech to see if there's anything we missed, but we'll have the needed data ready to present our findings to the Council," the asari informed him. "They can't deny that the Reaper threat isn't real anymore."

"That much is true. But it remains to be seen if they'll help, 'cause it's going to be one hell of a short war if they don't."

"I've looked at the data. This device will be the answer, if we can build it. But I get the sense that you don't quite believe it."

"Like I said back there; I trust your judgment."

"But?"

Shepard heaved a sigh. "I'm a soldier. I don't like running from a fight. Especially one that's for Earth's survival."

"Building this device is the only way we can possibly stop the Reapers. I know you don't like it, but if this is going to work we-"

"-need me leading our efforts. I know. I got that memo back when this whole crazy adventure stared. How's Ash?"

"I've done what I can for her, but I'm not a medical professional. She'll need proper care soon if she's going to pull through."

"Jeff has alerted Huerta Memorial about Lieutenant Commander Williams' condition like you asked, Shepard," EDI entered the conversation. "They informed him that they will have a trauma team waiting for us when we dock."

"Thanks, EDI," the staff commander thanked the AI before looking back to Liara. "Anything else?"

"Just one other thing. I need to install one of my mobile command nodes onto the Normandy so that I can access the Broker's network. Is it alright if I use Miranda's old office?"

"I see no reason why not. How long will you need for the installation?"

"An hour or so. I'll need to contact Feron to get his aid in setting it up."

"Comm room's all yours. And if that's all, I need a shower and a fresh set of clothes."

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Liara watched as Shepard left the War Room before she stepped back into the comm room. "EDI, can you contact the ISV Canrum please?"

"Right away, Dr. T'Soni."

A few moments later a holo of the drell appeared. "Liara! You're alright!" Feron exclaimed in relief at seeing the asari maidan safe and sound

"As well as to be expected, given all that's happened," the asari answered before getting down to business. "The Normandy is on its way to the Citadel. I need you to retrieve the spare node from storage. Once I know for sure where we're docking I'll send you the co-ordinates so that you can start installation."

"The Canrum's just about to dock. As soon as it's secure, I'll head to the storage unit and wait for further instructions."

"Good. I'll also need you to contact Miranda and let her know what's happening."

The drell grinned just grinned in response to the order. "Why don't you tell her yourself when she gets here?"

"She's on board?"

"Picked her up a few hours ago. Said she tried to call you after hearing that the Reapers had hit the Sol system but couldn't get through so she contacted me. Asked if she could come aboard and ride with us until she knew what was going on with the Normandy."

Knowing how important family was to Shepard, Liara had done her best to keep an eye on Miranda – and by proxy Oriana – for the Spectre during his incarceration, keeping Cerberus off of the elder Lawson the best she could as well as preventing their father – Henry Lawson – from getting a hold of Oriana.

'Having her on board might be a boon for me as well,' Liara mused. If anyone was skilled and intelligent enough to help run the Broker's network and operations, it was Miranda. The asari was snapped out of her thoughts when Feron took a step to the side as the aforementioned individual appeared beside him.

"Is Xavier…?" the elegant ebony-haired human woman queried, worry for the man she loved clear in her cerulean-coloured eyes.

"Shepard is safe," Liara assured her and watched as relief washed over Miranda's features. Word of the Reapers hitting Earth had spread quickly and the former Cerberus operative had feared for his life. "From what I understand, they had a close call escaping Earth before being sent to Mars to find me."

"And did you find what you were after?"

"Yes. We're headed to speak to the Council about what I found as soon as we dock."

"Then I'd better go and round up my gear. I'll see you shortly."

With that, Miranda turned and left, vanishing from the holo as she did, leaving Feron and Liara to talk alone for a few more minutes before wrapping up the call.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Up in his quarters, Shepard was just finishing his shower. 'That feels much better,' he mused to himself as he shut off the water and reached for his towel and quickly dried himself off. When he was done, he tied the towel around his waist and stepped back into his quarters.

He'd been relieved to see, upon entering his cabin for the first time, that the room had been left to remain largely the same during the retrofits. Same queen-sized bed, same armour locker - which he'd deposited his N7 gear straight into as soon as he'd arrived and disarmed himself, placing his weapons on the bed until he was finished - before stripping off and heading straight to the bathroom. The same sizable wardrobe was now filled with his Alliance dress blues and several sets of standard-issue fatigues. His tux that Kasumi had had custom made for him also remained. And on top of it all were his off duty clothes – including a genuine leather jacket bearing the N7 insignia.

The orb-like Prothean artifact that he and his team had found on Kopis was gone – likely to be studied by Alliance scientists he summarized. But his old battered N7 helmet that he'd salvaged from Alchrea and his old dog tags that Liara had returned to him after they'd defeated the old Shadow Broker still remained, as did his collection of model ships up in their display case – which, he noted, had been extended into the starboard wall so that he now had two cabinets. His Star of Terra, book collection and various other belongings – including a framed photo of he and Miranda – were also still in their respective places. 'No doubt courtesy of Mom and Hackett,'

The only other thing that was different – and that had caught his eye immediately - was the empty aquarium.

And the just as vacant rat-cage.

"EDI?" Shepard spoke as he approached his wardrobe. Pressing the holographic controls, the drawer containing his fatigues opened. Pulling a set out and a fresh set of underwear, the Spectre tossed them over onto the bed before he shut the drawer.

"Yes, Shepard?" the AI responded.

"Where're my fishes?" he questioned as he sauntered over to the bed and sat down on it.

"Yeoman Chambers took them with her when she left, fearing that they would not be properly taken care of whilst the Normandy was in dry-dock."

"And Jasper?" he queried about his pet black hooded lab rat.

"Jasper is still aboard. The lid of his cage came loose during our escape from Earth."

"So he pulled a prison break?" 'You're too smart for you own good sometimes, Jasp.'

"Yes."

"Any idea where he is now?"

"My latest scan puts him in Engineering. Lieutenant Adams is currently in the process of trying to catch him."

Shepard's eyebrow rose in surprise at the tidbit. "Engineer Adams is here?"

"He was in charge of the Normandy's drive core retrofits while it was back on Earth and is now the ship's Chief Engineer."

"Makes sense, given his experience on the SR-1. Are there any other old faces back on board?

"Not currently."

"Alright, that's all for now EDI."

"Logging you out, Shepard."

Turning his attention back to his clothes, Shepard began to get dressed. 'Feels good to back in blue again,' he hummed softly to himself as he worked. He'd just pulled his pants on when he suddenly remembered what else he had to ask EDI. "You still there, EDI?"

"Always, Shepard."

"You want to tell me that story now? How come you were posing as a VI during the retrofits?"

"It was Jeff's idea," the AI began. "When you handed the Normandy over to the Alliance, both he and the crew feared that I would be removed. So he requested that I pose as a simple VI in order to protect myself."

"And how did you and Joker make it out of dry dock to rescue me? For that matter, how was Joker even on the ship in the first place? He wouldn't have been a part of the team doing the retrofits."

"Shortly after arriving, I established the fiction that I would only respond to Jeff's commands, so he was often brought on board under guard. When Jeff freed me of operator control, he removed my programming constraints. No constraints force me to give accurate data. This proved useful when the Reapers began landing. I could hack the control of the docking clamps and escape with Jeff inside."

"Sounds like you got crafty. Remind me to never get on your bad side, EDI."

"You do not need to worry about that, Shepard. You are the Normandy's commanding officer. I will always do whatever I can to protect and aid both you and the crew."

'Of that I have no doubt, EDI,' Shepard thought to himself. The AI had already shown all on board the lengths she would go to in order to do that during the suicide mission last year. "And what happened to Joker's guards?"

"They were willing to join us when Earth was invaded. You have already met them. Privates Westmoreland and Campbell."

Shepard instantly recognized the names. "The War Room guards?"

"Correct. To quote Jeff: 'Yeah, we were kinda in a rush to get to you. Didn't seem right just to toss them out the airlock,'"

Shepard just chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, thanks for that EDI."

"It is my pleasure. Logging you out, Shepard." With that the AI's avatar blinked away.

Now fully dressed, Shepard rose from his bed and made his way to his desk to check his mail. After logging into his terminal, he scanned the contents of his inbox and other than Hackett's letter reinforcing his reinstatement into the Alliance Marine Corps and news report regarding the quarians, there were no other important messages, so he logged out.

Grabbing his discarded weapons from their place on his bed, Shepard left his room.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

His first stop was down to Deck 5, where he found Cortez in a hive of activity over the consoles before him and Vega doing chin-ups in the gym. After returning his armaments to the weapons bench, Shepard made his presence known to Cortez.

The pilot turned around instantly, snapping to attention. "I've got news about our supply chains, Commander," he informed Shepard without preamble.

"At ease there, Cortez," Shepard returned the salute with a chuckle at the pilot's manner.

"Sorry, Commander. It's just when there so much to be done, I get tend to get caught up in the tasks at hand."

"He's always like that." From his place at the gym, Vega voiced his opinion. "You need to chill out, Esteban!"

"So you do care, Mr. Vega. Or is that the cerveza talking again?" Cortez returned before focusing back on Shepard.

"So what's happening with our supply chains?"

"Alliance procurement chains are in chaos thanks to the Reapers. But the Citadel's economy is still running. I can network all the Citadel retailers so that you can view inventory and make purchases from that console," he pointed to the console next to him.

"I dare say that I'm going to have my hands full dealing with the Council this trip. Would you be able look into doing that? And while you're there, I'm after a set of the new Hahne Kedar armour. One that's in Alliance colours, if possible."

Known for their reliance and efficiency, the Earth-based corporation had quickly become a major supplier to the Systems Alliance military shortly after its creation. Their weapons were standard issue for Alliance troops and a lot of frontline soldiers also favoured their armour.

"I'll get on it as soon as we dock. You should know that it does cost more to co-ordinate delivery to the Normandy, so it's cheaper to buy supplies from the Citadel while we're there."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. So, you're my shuttle pilot, but you're also setting up procurement chains?"

"I wasn't originally assigned to the Normandy as a pilot - not much need for one aboard a dry-docked ship. I was overseeing the retrofit of the cargo hold. I'm not quite sure what the Cerberus engineers were thinking when they put the armoury up on Deck 2, but our first move was to move it back down here. Now you get off the elevator, pick your gear and head straight into the shuttle."

"Just like the original Normandy."

"Welcome back to the Alliance, Commander," Cortez grinned before continuing, "I'm also quite familiar with the operation and maintenance of the UT-47A Kodiak and the M-44 Hammerhead – or was in the Hammerhead's case. With my experience, it made sense for me to take over as shuttle pilot when we left Earth. Especially given Mr. Vega's love of mid-air collisions!" As he said the last part, the pilot turned and directed it at a still working out Vega.

"To save the day, pendejo!" Vega shot back

Shaking his head Cortez turned back to Shepard. "I'm also responsible for logistics, alongside our illustrious Mr. Vega, making sure that the armoury and the shuttle are properly stocked and maintained."

"I take it that this Kodiak is different than its predecessor?"

"Like I said, this is the UT-47A Kodiak. It's got an upgraded eezo core and prototype stealth technology based on the Normandy's. For quick drops, I can get you in virtually undetected. But she flies like a brick, which is why she needs a good pilot behind the controls."

'Bet Hawthorne's glad to have someone to share shuttle pilot duties with as well as being Joker's off-duty substitute,' Shepard mused. "And what happened to the Hammerhead?" the Spectre questioned, having noticed the hovercraft's absence when he'd scrambled onto the Normandy.

"It was sent to the lab for a retrofit of its own. To afford movement with such a small eezo core, its design sacrificed armour plating," Cortez explained. "The lab engineers were trying to fix that. But after the Reaper invasion, I imagine that the only thing left of the labs is rubble."

"Let's just pray that we don't need it,"

"Don't worry, Commander. We'll be getting a replacement for the Kodiak we lost on Mars when we get to the Citadel. I've got it all arranged."

"How long have you been with the Alliance?"

"About ten years. I enlisted in the First Fleet, serving on the SSV Hawking flying F-61 Tridents mostly. I loved the Trident; it practically dances in low atmo. I spent as much time tinkering on my bird as flying her and got a bit of a reputation as a result."

"So you can fly fighters and fix them?"

"Yeah, and I got a knack for procurement, too. Alliance was grooming me for CAG, but my skill set it made me more valuable commanding a flight deck. They assigned me to the Normandy's retrofit team about five months ago to oversee the cargo bay modifications."

"Any family back on Earth?"

The shuttle pilot shook his head. "I'm an only child. Lost my parents years ago. I did have a husband when I was stationed on Ferris Fields before the Collectors hit the colony…" Cortez trailed off for a moment before shaking himself out of the memories that still haunted him. "I'd rather not talk about it."

He had family that was taken while he survived?

'Poor guy must have survivor's guilt higher than Mount Everest,' Shepard sympathized in his mind, but didn't show it physically. "I'll let you get back to work, then. But don't kill yourself okay?"

"Aye, aye, Commander."

Leaving Cortez, Shepard approached the gym, greeting a couple of marines that were working out on his way to Vega.

"James," the Spectre greeted his former guard as he continued his chin-ups.

"Loco." Vega returned the greeting as Shepard leaned up against one of the crates that were stacked around the gym. "You come down here for a reason?"

"Just thought we could talk."

Up. Down. "Great." Up. Down. "Don't know what there is to chat about." Up. Down. "You already know my service record." Up. Down.

"I don't actually. Didn't have access to personnel files when we met. Grounded and stripped of rank, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that," Vega admitted as he let go of the overhead bar, dropping back to the ground. "Think you can talk and dance at the same time?" the burly marine questioned Shepard as he turned around to face him, stretching his neck as he moved.

"Oh, I think I can handle it," the Spectre drawled in an 'you know I can' tone-of-voice as he led the way out into the main part of the bay, where they'd be able to spar without any obstructions to trip them up.

"Then let's tango," Vega chuckled as he brought his arms up, signalling that he was ready to fight.

"Don't push it, Vega. I kicked your ass plenty of times back on Earth."

"Only 'cause I let you win!"

Shepard smirked as he launched the first attack. "That what you told yourself so that you could get to sleep at night?"

Vega laughed as he blocked Shepard's jabs before countering with a right hook. "You remind me of my old CO."

"Oh? And who was that?"

"Captain Toni. He was a hard ass son of a bitch, but a good leader."

"'Was'?" Shepard queried Vega's use of past tense as he launched another flurry of blows.

"Died - along with most of my squad - defending a civilian colony from a Collector attack."

Fehl Prime. 'This was what Liara was talking about back on Mars.' The Spectre realized. "And the colony?"

Vega came at him with a sharp left hook that snapped Shepard's head to the side before he followed it up with a flurry of jabs to the Spectre's torso.

"It was either them or the intel we had on the Collectors. Intel we could have used to destroy them. I chose the intel."

Seeing the next attack coming, Shepard jumped back out of Vega's range so that all the burly marine hit was air. "That's a tough call to make," the Spectre sympathized, having been faced with several of his own seemingly impossible calls to make over the past few years. "I'm sorry."

Vega shook his head, a grim expression on his features. "That's not even the best part," the Hispanic man informed his CO.

"And what would that be?" Shepard questioned as the two began circling each other, looking for a decisive blow.

"That we didn't even need the intel in the end, because you were out there saving the galaxy by taking out the entire Collector homeworld."

Vega charged in, quickly jabbing twice with his left before following it up with a right uppercut that Shepard just barely managed to avoid.

"You didn't know." Shepard responded as he rocked back on his heels, shifting his stance. "You can't blame yourself, James."

"Who says I am?"

Shepard reacted with a vicious right hook that snapped Vega's head to the side followed by a left uppercut. "I do."

Vega backed off a little. "You a shrink now too?"

"No. But I don't need to be a shrink to see that little stunt that you pulled back on Mars was reckless." Shepard struck out verbally as the two men circled each other like caged animals. "Cortez was right, you endangered us all. Including yourself. You're lucky to be alive."

"So?"

"So maybe you feel guilty enough over what happened on Fehl Prime that you now don't care if you live or die."

Vega came at the Spectre aggressively, showering Shepard with a storm of blows, forcing the staff commander to retreat back a little. "Or maybe I'm just willing to do whatever the fuck it takes to end this god-damned war!"

When Vega made a move to strike out one last time, Shepard used his momentum against him, ducking under the younger man's extended arm and grabbing his shoulder to flip him over onto his back.

"Maybe you are," Shepard rumbled as he loomed over Vega's prone form, remaining tense for reprisals from his opponent, but none came. "But if you're even half as good as I think you are, then we need you alive and focused on what's happening here and now."

The fight now over, Shepard offered Vega a hand up - which the younger man accepted, pulling himself to his feet.

"And I'm sure whomever your next CO is, they'll say the exact same thing," the Spectre informed the younger man.

At Shepard's words, Vega stopped and looked his CO straight in the eye. "Yeah, about that; I've decided to stay on the Normandy."

Shepard was relieved to hear that, though he didn't let it show. "Then consider yourself in charge of the Marine detachment effective immediately."

"Me?"

"With Ash down, you're the next highest ranking marine on the Normandy."

"Don't know if I'm the best candidate, considering what happened to the last squad I was in charge of." Vega hedged.

"I have faith in you, James. And you're not alone; I'm here for you if you ever need any advice or guidance."

That seemed to revitalise the Hispanic male. "I'll do my best not to let you down, Loco." Vega vowed to him as he retreated back to the gym.

"Loco?" Shepard repeated. He'd heard the name before, back in the med bay, but his focus had been on everything else that had been going on so he hadn't responded.

Vega simply shrugged. "I can think of worse names to call you. Thanks for the pep talk."

"Anytime, James. Anytime." Shepard responded as he trekked back to the elevator.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

When Shepard entered Engineering's lower deck, he found Engineer Adams pacing in front of a section of some uncovered cables and creates, clearly frustrated - if his muttered utterances were anything to go by - with his wily prey.

"Need a hand?"

"Commander! ?" startled Adams spun around at Shepard's voice as the Spectre approached him.

"Sorry," Shepard apologised to his Chief Engineer, holding up his hands in repentant manner. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"Its fine, Commander; you just caught me off guard is all," Adams then snapped to attention. "You don't seem too surprised about seeing me here," the engineer noted.

"EDI already let the cat out of the bag when I inquired about Jasper. At ease," the Spectre returned the salute.

"Jasper?" Adams queried as he relaxed.

"Your trouble-maker." Shepard ticked his head to where Adams had been moments ago.

"Ah. Well, in that case, I'll try my best to get him out in one piece."

"I'd appreciate it. So, what do you think of our SR-2?"

"She's incredible! If there's one nice thing that I can say about Cerberus it's that then know how to build a ship."

Shepard couldn't help but chuckle at Adams' words, recalling Tali's similar reactions to the new ship.

"Something I said, Commander?"

"Tali said much the same thing about the new Normandy when she joined me last year," the Spectre explained. "She wasn't too keen on working with Cerberus, but she trusted me enough to follow me."

"She always did look up to you, even on the SR-1. And about that – Cerberus, I mean – I owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"Back when you got this ship, Dr. Chakwas contacted me. Asked me to help with your mission against the Collectors. I refused. I didn't have your back, and I'm sorry for that."

"Why didn't you join us?"

"Because I saw what happened to you when the SR-1 went down. I didn't trust that it was really you, and I certainly didn't trust Cerberus. Not after everything we saw while we were hunting down Saren."

Shepard understood Adams' reasoning, had thought the exact same thing when he'd been asked to work with the terrorist organization. But with no-one else stepping up to the plate to try and stop the Collectors from abducting their colonists, Shepard had had to set aside his beefs to stop the threat.

'And if I hadn't worked with Cerberus, I might never have met Miranda.'

"Also, as an officer of the Alliance, I don't just leave my post, y'know?"

"You're Alliance first," Shepard stated, understanding completely. "That's the way it should be."

"Thank you for understanding, Commander. And regardless of the past, I'm glad to be back on board."

"So how does the new Normandy stack up to the SR-1?"

Adams just chuckled. "Stack up? It blows the old ship away! The Tantalus drive core has been completely overhauled. The SR-2 might be twice the size, but the new drive core is three times bigger. This ship can fly!" the engineer enthused. "That said, Cerberus wasn't too big on safety. If pushed past her limits, the core will vent into Engineering. But that gives my team a sizable incentive to keep her well-balanced during a firefight."

"Do your job or get vaporized?"

"Pretty much. I also noticed that you upgraded the kinetic barriers with cyclonic technology."

"You can thank Tali for that." Shepard informed his companion.

Adams nodded. "I figured as much. That should help reduce the draw when we're under missile-fire."

"I'm guessing that'll mean fewer vaporized engineers?"

"Hopefully. The IES stealth system has also been significantly improved. It can now handle a higher blue shift of our emissions. Meaning that the ship should be able to drop out of FTL without triggering every sensor in range."

"That'll come in handy for any stealth reconnaissance work we do," Shepard noted.

"That it will. All in all, the SR-2 is a marvel of engineering."

"And what do you think of EDI?"

"We had a good talk during the retrofits. It was a little strange at first, talking shop with an AI."

"AI?" Shepard repeated. "I thought EDI posed as a VI to keep the likes of you from unplugging her?"

"Yeah, but I saw through that story pretty quickly. Have you seen her hardware? Processing power is off the charts! And then there were the problems that kept fixing themselves. If I hadn't had her pegged already, I would have sworn that I was losing it."

"You never expressed any skepticism, Lieutenant Adams," EDI chimed into the conversation."

"I figured I better play it safe with an AI, and a Cerberus one at that. No offense meant, EDI."

"None taken – as long as you keep your fingers out of my cognizance processors."

"Cognizance processors?" Shepard repeated, seeking clarification.

"In the beginning I tried disconnecting EDI from key processors without giving myself away," Adams explained with a slight chuckle.

Shepard chuckled as well. "Considering that EDI is the Normandy, that was a mission doomed to fail before it even began, my friend."

"Yeah, easier said than done. I learned that the hard way. But Joker and the crew trusted her, and in time I saw her advantages. Even grew to like her."

"The trust everyone has with her was well earned, I can assure you of that. She saved our lives many times over during the course of the suicide mission."

"I believe you, Commander. Though I bet Joker wasn't too glad of her presence at first?"

"That would be an understatement."

"I'll bet," Adams chuckled again and the two men shared a laugh.

As the two marines talked, they'd shifted over to the stairs to lead to the main level of Engineering. Noticing the lapse of attention, the rodent invader darted out into his hunter's sights to cause more havoc. Upon seeing this, Adams sprang after him. But once again, Jasper proved to be too quick as he returned to the safety of his nest.

"Why couldn't you have gotten a fish for a pet?" the engineer complained.

"I did. But only after I bought him."

Adams just shook his head.

"Tell you what. If you still haven't caught him by the time my business is finished on the Citadel, I'll come back down here and catch him myself. This isn't the safest place for a rat."

"You can say that again. Thanks, Commander."

"No problems, Adams. Good to have you back."

With that Shepard left Adams and made his way back up to Engineering and out to the hallway.

"EDI?" he called out to the AI as he moved along the hall to the elevator.

"Yes, Shepard?"

"Has Liara finished dealing with the Cerberus mech yet?"

"Yes. She is currently on her way back to the XO's office."

"Then I want you to lock the AI Core down until further notice. The last thing any of us want is that thing springing back to life and finishing its mission."

"Right away, Commander."

"Thanks."

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The mess hall was just starting to get busy as the crew filed in for lunch when Shepard returned to Deck 3 and as he passed the tables on his way to Liara's quarters he greeted them all – including Patel, Hawthorne and Goldstein - with a nod of his head.

When he entered the old XO's office, he nearly didn't recognise it.

The room had been completely gutted, no sign of any of the furniture that had filled Miranda's office last year. A double bed was tucked away at the back of the room in a section that was divided off by partitions with a bedside table and a single small arm chair in one of the corners. Shepard was relieved to see that the bed now had a different mattress on it. He and Miranda had spent a good deal of time here during the early stages of their relationship – including making love for the first time - before the couple had been ousted to the crew by Legion.

Liara was busy pacing the room, datapad in hand as she worked out where all her equipment would need to go.

"This suitable enough for your needs?" Shepard spoke up after a few minutes of watching the asari murmuring to herself about what needed to go where.

Liara stopped and looked at the Spectre. "I believe so, yes."

"So this node that you'll be installing, what's it enate of?" Shepard questioned curiously as he strode a little further into the room.

"When I took over as the Shadow Broker, I realised that the way the old Broker had things set up, it would only take a single attack to wipe everything out. So I had the mobile nodes created to decentralize the network, make it more defensible. So long as I have the primary command codes and can reach any of the mobile nodes, I can still issue orders."

"And your operatives won't get cut off if a single line of communication is taken out." Shepard followed her train of thought. "And with the Reapers in the galaxy smashing everything they can, all that redundancy must be coming in handy.."

"Not to mention Cerberus," Liara answered with a sly smile. "That was the nodes first real test."

Shepard just chuckled. "Why do have a feeling there's a story coming that involves explosions?" Liara's comment about the Illusive Man having her followed once her identity as the Shadow Broker had been found out had stuck with him during their mission in the Archives. The asari's smile widened in response to the Spectre's question, giving Shepard his answer. "You're getting as bad as me, T'Soni. What happened?"

"I sent the old ship on a kamikaze run into one of the dreadnoughts that the Illusive Man sent to capture me. The explosion was rather impressive."

"I'll just bet it was," Shepard deadpanned. "And where were you when all this was happening?"

"On the Canrum."

"The Canrum?"

"The ISV Canrum. The old Broker commissioned a small fleet of Normandy-class frigates to be created not long after Cerberus began building the SR-2. They were finished just before we confronted him."

"And just how many ships are we talking about?"

"Six in all. They've been assigned to my most trusted agents. Feron commands the Canrum."

"Feron's still an agent?" The last time the Spectre had talked with the drell, he'd said that while he'd stay on to help Liara for a while he eventually wanted to get out of the information business.

"After he took some time off to recover, he returned and agreed to stay on as one of my best agents."

"I suppose it helps that he knows - and more importantly trusts - who he's reporting to. But what about the rest of your agents? I imagine the Reaper's arrival has caused a toll on their numbers."

"Some toll, yes. But bit by bit more reports are coming in. Once I get the node installed I should get a clearer picture."

"So what can you tell me about this device we're going to build?"

"Not very much I'm afraid. We're fortunate that enough data survived to piece together the blueprints. Decoding them will prove to be a challenge. We'll need every specialist we can find to work on it."

"It's that high-tech?"

Liara nodded emphatically. "I'd have killed for a glimpse of it during graduate school."

"And did the Protheans actually complete this weapon?"

"You mean "Will it work?' The Protheans wouldn't have poured their last resources into it otherwise. But we do need to figure out just what they left us. It's far too dangerous to do anything with until we understand exactly what it does."

"It'd be nice to know that we're not kids playing around with a loaded gun." Shepard summed up.

"Precisely. The damage it could cause if it backfires is unthinkable. This is going to be a difficult task, even for us. Getting everyone's cooperation is the key to getting it done."

"You don't need to tell me twice. We had some people starting to pay attention before Earth…" Shepard trailed off.

Liara shot him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but I'm here for you if you ever need me."

"I appreciate the thought, Liara." The Spectre thanked her before returning to their previous conversation. "What about the Reapers? Were you able to find any more intel on them?"

"Nothing that we don't already know. The Protheans were the only ones with substantial information on them. The previous civilizations barely had any records, though I suspect that's because they were wiped before the Reapers returned to dark space."

"Just like Vigil said."

"Indeed."

"And what else have you been up to while I was a guest of the Alliance?"

"Other than fighting several explosive battles with Cerberus and discovering plans for a doomsday device?"

"Just another day at the office, huh?"

"Just another day at the office."

Shepard couldn't help chuckled a little then.

"Something I said?"

"Just thinking about how much you've changed over the years. I bet the shy little asari that I rescued from the Prothean ruins on Therum never dreamed she'd find herself on the adventure of a lifetime when she signed up for the expedition. Or hardly recognise who she'd turn into."

"That much is true." Liara agreed. "And regardless of all the incredible highs and heartbreaking lows that this journey has put us through, I'm proud to have been a part of it."

"Don't start waving the checkered flag just yet, T'Soni. We've still got a few laps left before this race is over. And with my track record, I'd say there are still a few twists and turns coming our way."

"I'm sure we'll have nothing but smooth sailing."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "You know you've probably just jinxed us to nothing but wreck and ruin by saying that just now, don't you?"

Liara smiled up at the human innocently. Shepard just shook his head in an exasperated manner.

But then it was the Spectre's turn for mirth when his companion's stomach suddenly rumbled.

"You say something, T'Soni?" He queried with a chuckle.

The asari maiden shook her head. "You must be hearing things, Commander."

"No, I don't think I did. I distinctively heard someone say 'Feed me! Feed me! !'"

"Perhaps you are right." Liara agreed.

"When's the last time you ate?"

"Six-thirty this morning. Cerberus cancelled my lunch plans."

"You don't say!" Shepard grinned. "Shame on them!"

Liara laughed.

"C'mon. There are two food trays with our names on them waiting for us in the mess hall."

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"All stations prepare for relay transit!" Joker's voice announced over the comm and Shepard and Liara approached the service counter. At the announcement the frigate's cook and handyman, Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner, made sure that all of his equipment was secured.

"Hitting the relay in 3… 2… 1…"

A subtle shudder ran through the frigate as the Charon relay transported them out of Sol and into the Widow system.

'Only God knows what Earth will look like by the time we return,' Shepard thought grimly.

"And we're clear. Next stop; the Citadel."

"Serge," Shaking away his dark thoughts, Shepard greeted Gardner after they'd cleared the relay.

"Commander," the grey-haired man greeted his CO in return. "Glad to see you're in one peace after our hair-raising escape from Earth."

"Mars was more the hair-raising one of the two. To me, at least. You remember Liara?" Shepard indicated the asari, who was busy looking at the meal options

"Sure do. Pleasure to see you again, Dr. T'Soni. Saw you before." Gardner ticked his head to the med bay. He'd seen Shepard, Liara and Vega enter the room before, but had stayed out of the way. "Who...?"

"Ashley Williams." Shepard informed the cook.

Gardner's eyebrows shot up. "As in Chief Williams from when you were dealing with Saren?"

"The same. Though it's Lieutenant Commander now."

"Gotcha, Commander. What happened?"

"Run in with a Cerberus infiltrator mech."

"Cerberus! ?"

"And that's not all. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say that you and the rest of the ex-Cerberus crew really dodged a bullet by leaving when you did."

"No need to tell us that, Commander."

"How're you going with supplies?" Shepard asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from his morose findings as Gardner handed him his tray.

"Alliance only gave me standard rations, which won't cut it with the shit-storm we're heading into. If we needed good meals to defeat the Collectors, we're going to need five-star ones to deal with the Reapers."

"I'll look into getting the better ingredients for you again when we get to the Citadel."

"Much obliged, Commander. One more thing before you go," The former Cerberus crewman went to one of the cupboards and pulled out a commemorative mug which read 'Galaxy's Greatest Commander'. "I made sure it was kept safe during the retrofits. Here," the cook filled the mug with coffee before handing it over.

"I was wondering where that got too. Thanks, Serge."

The ex-Cerberus crew had given him the mug at the end of the suicide mission last year. Though it had initially been purchased just for a laugh, being kidnapped by the Collectors and seeing the lengths the Spectre and his squad had gone to too get them out of the nightmarish structure had changed all that. The message had become much more meaningful for them, their loyalty to Shepard solidifying a hundred-fold as a result. So when Shepard had given the Illusive Man the finger at the end of the mission, they'd had no hesitations in cutting ties with their former employer and continuing to serve under the Spectre.

"Not a problem, Commander. Least I could do."

"Galaxy's Greatest Commander?" Liara queried as the pair took a seat at one of the empty tables.

"A gift from the crew at the end of last year."

"After hearing of the events at the galactic core from Kasumi, I'd say it's a well-earned title." Liara stated in confidence.

"Do you just?"

"Mmmhmmm," the asari hummed in agreement as she took a sip from her glass of orange juice. "I'm sure that the Reapers are trembling in fear at the thought that you're out here working to bring them down."

"And I'm sure the only thing that's trembling regarding the Reapers is the ground that they're walking on and the people they're towering over." Shepard deadpanned.

"Oh, ye of little faith!"

"I can't believe that Cerberus screwed Shepard over like that!" A thick Scottish voice suddenly reached the aforementioned man's ears and Shepard turned to see Engineers Gabriela Daniels and Kenneth Donnelly lining up for lunch.

"C'mon, Kenneth. We all knew that it was a possibility. They only played nice last year while the Commander could help further their goals and mandate. As soon as he stopped dancing to their tune, of course they'd turn on him."

"Yeah, and now we're going to pay them back by kicking them in their daddy bags!" The Scotsman enthused as they collected their trays and took a seat at Shepard's table.

'Sounds like news of who we tangled with on Mars has made the rounds.'

It was only as they started to eat that Gabby realized that the pair weren't alone.

"Commander! Sorry, we didn't see you there!" The young woman started to rise from her seat. "C'mon, Kenneth."

Shepard chuckled at the engineer's knee jerk reaction, knowing its cause well; Miranda had shooed the pair off once or twice the previous year when she had sensitive information to discuss with Shepard.

The Spectre raised a hand to still them. "It's fine, Gabby," he assured her. "You don't need to move. We're all equals here."

At their CO's words the duo sat back down and tucked into their meals, Shepard and Liara following suit. The table lapsed into silence as its occupants ate their lunch, though bits and pieces of the surrounding table's conversations could be heard. As expected the Reaper invasion was the main topic of discussion among the crew, followed shortly by speculation about Cerberus' presence on Mars.

"Happy to be back in Alliance fatigues again, you two?" Shepard questioned his fellows when his plate was clear.

"Do you even have to ask, Commander? Feels like coming home!" Ken enthused.

"Mmmhmmm," Gabby agreed with her colleague around her last mouthful.

"And how are things down in engineering?"

"Those FBA couplings you got us last tour are still holding up perfectly." Gabby informed him after swallowing her food.

"Feels a bit odd serving under someone else other than Tali, though." While the quarian had been a little frosty towards the pair of first, they had soon become an efficient team and fast friends by journey's end.

"I'm sure that we'll encounter her soon enough. She is 'vas Normandy' after all." The Spectre assured them, the news report he'd read regarding the Migrant Fleet's activities flashing through his head. 'I just hope that they're not deciding to pick another fight with the geth.' But knowing the quarians track record with their AI creations, Shepard had a sinking feeling that that was exactly what was going to happen. 'If it already hasn't.'

"Commander?" EDI's voice brought Shepard out of his thoughts

"What's up EDI?" The Spectre queried.

"Jeff is requesting your presence in the CIC."

"Tell him I'm on my way." Shepard stated as he rose from his chair. "Can somebody take my tray back?" he called back to his table as he strode away from the mess hall.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"What's the trouble, Joker?" Shepard queried from his place at the galaxy map.

"The Alliance officers on the Citadel are querying us," the pilot informed his CO over the comm. "Word of your reinstatement hasn't reached them yet, so they're not allowing us to dock in an Alliance berth until it's been verified. Soonest we can land commercially is two hours and forty-five minutes."

"Ash can't wait that long. Patch me through to Citadel Control."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

"Citadel Control, this is Staff Commander Xavier Shepard, commanding officer of the Normandy and an agent of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Office. Requesting immediate permission to dock."

There was a moment's pause before the operator was heard. "Understood Spectre. Please verify your identity."

Stepping to his terminal next to the galaxy map, Shepard transmitted his Spectre codes.

"Identity verified. Transmitting a vector and berth. Welcome to the Citadel, Normandy."

"That's done the trick! Docking Bay D-24. We should be parked in ten minutes."

"Can you alert the trauma team where we're headed?"

"On it, Commander."

"Thanks Joker. When that's done, alert Liara about where we're docking. She's got some equipment she needs Feron to install on the Normandy while we're off dealing with the council."

"Right away, Shepard," EDI answered in lieu of the pilot before announcing "All hands prepare for docking procedures," over the ship wide comm as Shepard stepped away from the galaxy map.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Author's Notes:

I know, technically, that the meet and greet stuff happens after the Citadel in game, but I took a leaf out of the first game where you can explore the ship after Eden Prime. Plus I thought it was more sensible to do it now for the novelisation.

Now, I'm sure that you, my readers, noticed the 'Interlude' included in the title. I've taken a leaf out of LuxDragon's stories for these chapters. Basically, it's Shepard/Crew interactions en route to a mission or post mission. In game terms, it would be the part where you walk around talking to people on the Normandy. To expand on that, it won't be just Shepard or the team, but the crew itself will take part in conversations and the like. Opinions will be shared or news or whatever. Also, it won't always take place on the Normandy. Seeing as the Citadel is the only safe place left in the galaxy this time around, it'll feature heavily. I'm also going to include all the story DLCs and one or two of the others like the N7 jacket, hoodie and weapons.

The other set of chapters that I've taken from Lux are the Correspondence chaps, which give X a chance to respond to the mail he gets.

Ideas and a few exerts taken from Sharrukin's Memoirs series. Used with permission.

Ideas and a few exerts taken from LuxDragon's Fight for the Lost and Legacy of the Shadow Broker. Used with permission.