A/N: I'm trying to write longer chapters. Hope this is a step in the right direction. Also, if anyone knows a good beta for a story like this, please send me a PM ASAP. I'd really appreciate it. I think I'm going to need an editor.
Chapter 3: A Way Forward
"I'm just saying, you can't have a better poker face than Tali. You can't even see it!" Engineer Jameson laid his hands out on the table, an expectant smile plastered over his features. His smile slowly faded as he realized that his commander didn't get the truthful joke…or just plain disagreed.
"All in."
All eyes at the table shifted to Shepard, who wore a creepy grin throughout the whole game. When Liara asked what the odd expression meant, he feigned taking insult at the lack of recognition for his "rape face."
Garrus eyed the pot longingly, took a glance at his hand, and threw his cards away with a tired sigh.
Tali glared at John, deciding whether or not to risk calling the possible bluff. But acting as crazy as he was, she had no way of knowing. If she stayed with this hand, she ran the risk of losing everything.
That grin is REALLY creepy. Shuddering, she reluctantly folded, crossing her arms and leaning her head downwards with a slight backward lean—the quarian equivalent of a pout.
His expression never faltering, John raked in the considerable sum.
"So? Was it a bluff or not?" she asked. He looked back at her for a moment, stopping his motions before resuming them a moment later. "Come on!"
"Commander Shepard?" a voice called through the ship's COM. "Report to the main COM room immediately. You've got an urgent call coming in from…the…oh. The Council. Uh, yeah, really urgent."
Idly wondering why the COM officer sounded so flabbergasted, Shepard finally dropped his smile and turned to Garrus. "Compile it into a single chit, please? Gotta go. Duty calls."
"Wait!" Tali called at his retreating figure. "What was with the creepy face thing? And what was your hand?"
He almost looked bored—Liara guessed that it was his tired facial muscles rather than a lack of satisfaction. "A neutral expression is great and all, but nothing beats putting your opponents at a complete loss. Oh, and a pair of two's." With that, he left the mess hall.
Walking into the COM room, John couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Deserved or not, he might have crossed the line. And asking Velarn to apologize to a human subordinate was probably an exercise in futility.
He wasn't disappointed.
"Your conduct yesterday was extremely unprofessional, Shepard." The spectre almost admired how quickly the turian could drive him insane.
"Your conduct towards me has been worse. I believe the word 'asshole' comes to mind." Well, might as well go all in with this one… "But since Councilor Tevos and Councilor Raigut have been professional and understanding from the beginning, I won't disconnect you this time. Instead, I'm going to point out the facts. First, you've criticized almost every mission outcome since my instatement as a Spectre, even when I did absolutely nothing wrong. You've insulted me multiple times. And for the love of god, your tone has been so contemptuous that you don't even bother to hide it.
"But since you obviously aren't going to admit to any of that, I'd rather not waste any more time. I assume you want details on the attack on the Normandy?"
Grateful that Shepard had presented an opportunity to move on, Tevos stepped in to take advantage. "Yes. Your actions, from what we know, were commendable. But your initial report suggests that we are dealing with an unknown race possessing weapons superior to our own. Unsettling at the least, but we are hoping you could provide answers to any of the many questions we have."
He nodded. "It was definitely unlike any ship I've ever seen before. And definitely nothing like Sovereign." The mention of the Reaper threatened to steer the conversation towards the heated topic, but John carefully sidestepped the issue. "Its hull appeared to be largely comprised of a carved out asteroid. Or at least it was added on to the hull. Its weapon was a powerful laser capable of slicing through the Normandy's hull easily. It was, however, susceptible to ECM at close range."
Velarn chose that moment to speak up, though his tone was much more controlled than before. "I am still curious as to how you destroyed the enemy vessel despite taking damage first. We might be able to utilize whatever tactics you used in the future."
Recognizing the olive branch immediately, Shepard tried to maintain as neutral a tone as possible. "My best guess is that we got very lucky. We were in close orbit with a nearby planet, giving us an avenue of escape from the ambush. We sustained significant damage in the initial attack, so we were very lucky that the Normandy held together through the chaotic and rapid reentry.
"The enemy vessel moved into extremely close orbit after that. I guess it thought there was no way we could have survived that maneuver and attack intact—it was probably looking for our wreckage. When we came up at them, full speed with ECM, they seemed to be taken by complete surprise. We expended our entire armament of JAVELIN torpedoes at point-blank range, taking out its weapons. We used an improvised nuclear device to finish it off."
Raigut nodded, his salarian mind obviously working at impressive speeds. "I'm sure your full report will cover all of the details, Commander. We will investigate this new threat immediately, though if they are located in the Terminus systems, we will have to be very discrete. In the meantime, I suggest you not announce the true nature of your attacker to the public—causing panic will not help the situation."
"Understood, Councilor."
Sensing an end to the conversation, he already began to relax. But Tevos had other plans, apparently.
"One more thing before you go, Commander. In case you have not yet heard, the Alliance Parliament just voted to appoint David Anderson as humanity's first representative on the Council." She offered a rare smile—something he found strange on her normally dead-serious face. "The next time we speak, he may be in on the conversation."
Finding the idea extremely pleasant, John offered a genuine smile of his own, despite his protesting muscles. "I'm looking forward to that. Thank you, Councilors."
Stepping into Arcturus Station was like being hit with a wave of nostalgia. He hadn't grown up here by any means, but he and his family visited this place many times over the course of his childhood.
The crew had leave, but John had to report to the Admirals for a debriefing in a few hours. He grimaced at the thought. As great as the story was, telling it over and over was annoying.
Still, he was determined to make the most of his time here. He'd started the effort back on the Tokyo, arranging for a much-needed reunion.
All he could do was smile at Ashley's utter shock as her family performed something between an excessive tackle and a spirited hug.
As sweet at the moment was—he even snapped a holo for Ash's sake—he had a reunion of his own to attend. Despite the desire to spend some time with just his family, he definitely wanted to bring Liara along.
After all, it would be so much fun to introduce her to their antics.
The Apollo was a relatively high-end restaurant for a space station outside of the Citadel. Photos chronicling humanity's ascension to the stars—with a heavy focus on the Apollo program, true to name—adorned the walls. It had a homey feel, as if it didn't take itself too seriously.
Those were some of the reasons why he loved it here, and why he was repeating a long-standing family tradition.
He saw them rather quickly; despite his parents lacking features that stood out in a crowd, he knew exactly what to look for, from familiar movements to table size. They were facing away from the door—the playful, mischievous side of him quickly tried to come up with a way to capitalize on the potential. But seeing as he hadn't met with his parents in nearly a year, his patience wasn't nearly good enough for a prank.
"It just occurred to me," he said to their backs. They immediately stiffened, but made no sudden movements. "If people catch me eating in a place like this, they'll think I'm taking a break from kicking five kinds of ass across the galaxy. Oh, wait. I am." Sliding into one of the empty seats, he smiled at his parents' controlled smirks. Liara hadn't yet followed his lead, looking on in apprehension.
"Life of a hero not what you expected?" his mom commented, a glint clearly visible in her hazel eyes.
"A hero saves the day against the odds. I encounter the most insane, unbelievable shenanigans so often that I'm probably the only damn Alliance marine who could see a naked asari commando clone be spit out of a giant plant and not hesitate to shoot her in the head before she breaks me in half with her biotics. While fighting off zombies."
"Sounds like a story."
"A simple, easy mission for me involves a trap in the form of a nuke set by the mastermind of the Blitz. That one, at least, was something that could go on the news. 'Commander Shepard saves colonists from zombie creating, mind controlling, 100,000 year old plant' was not. The fact that taking out several platoons of geth isn't even worth mentioning is rather telling, I think."
"Greatest story never told?" John's father finally asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Neil Shepard's smile grew. "If you thought the Blitz was bad?"
"Indeed. Welcome to my world."
Hannah shook her head in exasperation, but her grin gave her amusement away. "Why doesn't that ever get old for you two?"
He took a moment to glance at Liara, who remained standing behind his parents, her mouth slightly agape. Not even bothering to hold in his laughter, he cued his parents to her presence.
"My, John," his mother commented mischievously, "I didn't expect you to bring home a woman after a year like this. Then again, after a year like this, should I be surprised?"
Liara, acting slightly flustered at being the center of attention, composed herself.
"Mom, Dad," John began, gesturing towards the asari, "I'd like you to meet Dr. Liara T'Soni. Liara, my parents, Hannah and Neil."
Completely at a loss of how to properly behave, Liara fell back on the familiar. "It is an honor to meet you," she said, though she couldn't bring herself to smile through the nervousness.
"Please, take a seat," Hannah offered. Liara complied without a word, but didn't meet anyone's eye.
"She and I are actually…erm, romantically involved," John explained. As he predicted, their eyebrows rose in surprise—though he wanted to wipe the smirks right off their faces. Parents, he mentally spat in annoyance.
"Really?" Niel teased in a way that made his son cringe. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
Dear god, what have I gotten myself into? John asked himself. His snarky side had no answer.
Even his mother was in on it. Seeing his "hurt" expression, she smirk grew. "We've waited 29 years for this, honey. You're long overdue."
Shepard felt an immediate appreciation for the layout of the meeting location with the Admiralty Board—no raised dais or giant hall like at the Council Chambers, just a simple table and a chair facing opposite.
He recognized most of the admirals present, though there was a woman sitting in the middle of the table, wearing the uniform of a politician or diplomat.
"Commander, thank you for your time." The deep, rough voice of Admiral Steven Hackett began the meeting in earnest. Knowing the man's exploits and reputation, John had immense respect for him. "I know you are probably expecting this meeting to cover the attack on your vessel, but the details in your report make that unnecessary."
The spectre immediately lowered an eyebrow in confusion, but he immediately went from bored to excited. Sometimes, he mused, surprises were welcome.
Hackett continued a moment later. "Your actions in the past year have been nothing short of remarkable. You've done more for humanity than anyone else in this room. Furthermore, you have the respect and attention of everyone in Citadel space. Even the Council owes you their lives."
Pausing to let his words sink in, Hackett fixed Shepard with a steady gaze. "Which is why we have a unique opportunity. The galaxy was relatively stable for centuries, until the Battle of the Citadel. An enemy attacked us right at our throne, and nearly won. They'll be more open to the right kinds of change than ever before—and they trust you more than anyone."
John finally understood where this was going. He couldn't say he wasn't excited at the prospect, but it also left him apprehensive.
Hackett's already haggard expression became even more somber. "The Battle of the Citadel may have brought us some huge political gains, but it's revealed a new problem entirely. Public opinion of the Council and other races are lower than they've been since 2164. Political commentators are having a field day that humanity saved the galaxy and made the Council races look horrendously incompetent. Maybe this kind of sentiment existed before, but humanity having to save the day was a catalyst that unleashed a flood."
"We want you to be a proponent for changes to the way things are handled on a galactic level," said the mystery woman. "You have shown yourself to be very persuasive and trustworthy. The biggest hero humanity has got. If anyone can prevent this public outcry and resentment from developing into a diplomatic nightmare that lasts for decades, it's you. So we're open to any suggestion you might have regarding diplomacy, politics, or the military."
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've been introduced," he said. The surprised looks on all of their faces confused him further.
The woman was the quickest to get over whatever faux pas he had committed. "Of course. With the year you've had, this should have been expected. I'm Joanna Black, somewhat recently elected Alliance Prime Minister."
Oh. "Well, at least I know you're serious about this whole thing, then."
The light-skinned, brown haired politician twitched her lips upward. "You thought we brought you here to a meeting with the top admirals in the Alliance and its Prime Minister to joke?"
"Far, far stranger things have happened to me, ma'am."
She eyed him with an odd level of concentration for several moments before continuing. "So, down to business. We're asking you to interact with the media heavily, and do whatever else you think best to make the goals recorded here a reality. If you accept, you will have to keep in frequent contact with us in order to ensure that we don't accidentally run headlong into a political mess. What do you say?"
He stroked his chin with his hand, eyes absently looking up at the ceiling as he considered the offer. "On one condition."
It was clear to John immediately that she had been expecting this. "And that would be?"
"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams and her family have been subject to unofficial discrimination by the Alliance ever since Shanxi. I don't care what you have to say; I know the facts and I've done my homework. I want her promoted to the rank that I recommend and a public apology to the Williams family."
Most of the admirals slightly squirmed in their seats, but Black showed nothing but surprise—she clearly had not been expecting something like this. John could only guess that it was news to her, as well. "I was unaware of this, but as she was your subordinate, I trust your judgment. A public apology would hardly help us politically, but…I see. It's a way to combat humanity's newfound resentment of aliens as well as improve relations with the turians. Interesting. Unless the admirals have any objections?" she questioned, letting her tone trail off as she looked at each side, seeing none. "Very well. And before we get into the details, let's get this out of the way: effective immediately, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Major."
Despite not being particularly surprised, Shepard could not help but feel a swell of pride. This was an accomplishment he yearned for far more than becoming a spectre.
"You defy typical rank traditions," explained Hackett. "You command a ship, but personally lead a ground team in every op. You're a spectre, and your accomplishments demonstrate exceptional command ability in both small-scale and large-scale engagements. Though you won't be expected to carry out the expected duties of a Major, we thought that your rank should reflect your standing with the Alliance military."
Stiffening instinctually, Shepard kept his gaze straight ahead. "Thank you, sirs, ma'am. It's an honor."
Hackett and the rest of the admirals nodded, but Black snorted. "All we did was file some paperwork; you saved the day time and again. I'd say we had the easy part. Your experience and accomplishments give your opinion a lot of weight," she added, bringing them all back to the main topic.
Seeing the opening presented, Shepard began with the advice he had wanted to convey ever since Elysium. "I want to start with the fleet deployments with regards to our colonies."
That got everyone's attention immediately. "Our current deployments are very well suited for defending against powerful attacks from an organized military," he explained." Following the First Contact War, such a deployment was very useful and effective. But now, raids from slavers and pirates are a far more credible threat. Our token garrisons get us nothing but a lot of dead colonists, ma'am. We need to station a true defense at each colony. Even a single frigate at every colony would dissuade or defend against nearly every attack we've suffered in the past."
"I'm going to have to disagree, Major," said Admiral Dugal. His German accent gave his voice a stern but wise tone. "The geth attacks clearly demonstrated that we need to have large fleets on standby, lest we be overrun by a swift invasion."
"With all due respect, Admiral, I was there at every single geth attack," Shepard countered. "And at the risk of sounding arrogant, I personally led the successful defense and counterattacks at every single one. The Battle of the Citadel was the only battle in which I received any backup or reinforcements whatsoever. The Alliance has hundreds of ships, but only dozens of colonies. Keep a fleet or two at Arcturus, and position a few wolf packs at key relay junctions. Assign the rest for colonial defense and scouting."
Sensing that anger and frustration was starting to seep into his voice, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath so as not to become too emotional before continuing. "Elysium was nearly destroyed. Feros nearly wiped out. Eden Prime nearly nuked into oblivion. Terra Nova came close to being a scar on the planet's surface. I don't even need to bring up Mindoir." The regretful and subdued expressions on their faces steeled his resolve. He fixed each of the admirals with an intense glare, finally letting his anger get the better of him. "I'm tired of being the only one who manages to prevent disaster. You wonder why colonists don't like the Alliance? It's because you leave their asses hanging in the wind every time someone attacks them."
The silence stretched on for several seconds, but no one moved a muscle. Finally, Black relaxed back into her seat. "Well, there's the reason why we designed this arrangement in the first place. I find the Comman—Major's arguments sound. Objections?"
Dugal looked thoughtful for a moment. "More than dozens, Major. Regardless of our deployment strategy, we couldn't cover our colonies in the Terminus."
"I'm not asking you to," Shepard responded. "Those colonists go out there voluntarily to form colonies independent of the Alliance. We can't be held to blame if we don't provide protection."
"Then I have no objections. I just hope our trust in your judgment is not misplaced, Major."
"Good," the prime minister concluded. "Anything else, Major?"
Shepard smirked as he leaned forward, placing his hands on his thighs. "I'm just getting started, ma'am."
Faster than the human eye could blink, it viewed the news report by processing its raw data—a speed improvement of four minutes and six-point-five seconds, though at the cost of five-point-three-seven percent of its processing power.
The Normandy had been attacked by a geth dreadnaught, but the human ship had fought back and won, against all odds.
Analysis: Heretics unlikely to patrol area with a lone dreadnaught. Heretics also unlikely to possess a dreadnaught.
Conclusion: Heretic involvement unlikely. Classification of attacker as heretics likely a cover up.
Remaining imperative: Identify true identity of attackers.
Setting aside that conclusion for the moment, it returned its focus to the second task.
New data available: Shepard-Commander confirmed to be located at Arcturus Station.
Chances of contact without inciting violence or misunderstanding: extremely unlikely.
Resuming observation directive.
"An alliance with the quarians?" Dugal asked, obviously perplexed.
"Not in the typical sense," Shepard clarified. "The geth are a significant threat to the entire galaxy. And no one is more committed to fighting them than the quarians. They are also the foremost experts on the geth. I suggest joint weapons and defense development with them; we provide resources while they provide expertise and training. All will benefit, and we get a good relationship with a species that maintains the largest fleet in the galaxy."
"And what of the long term relationship?" Black inquired. "The Migrant Fleet has nothing in the way of goods or resources to offer to anyone. Expertise is their only commodity."
"That's all true," Shepard answered. "But we gain something that can't be bought: improving the image of humanity and the Alliance."
Black leaned forward, obviously interested. "How so?"
"Despite our actions at the Citadel, humanity is still seen as incredibly aggressive, ambitious, and, well, in the words of many, getting too powerful too quickly. It breeds mistrust. Giving to those who have nothing but are in desperate need of everything is an act that challenges that image. The quarians are an incredibly resourceful and resilient people. Give them the money and resources to develop technology to beat the geth, and they'll impress you. Give them raw material and parts to fix their extremely important but aging ships and they'll be eternally grateful. Loyalty is extremely important to them.
"Racism against quarians is common, even from the Council. No one has ever given them anything, and after the Eden Prime War, that isn't going to change. But they aren't beggars. Give them your trash and they'll make more use out of it than you could imagine."
The prime minister eyed him carefully. "You had a quarian in your crew and ground team. Are you certain that she hasn't made you biased in this matter?"
John slumped, looking down in thought. For nearly a minute, he forced himself to truly consider her question. His command style and personality meant that he was extremely loyal to his crew. But the facts were clear. "Honestly? I doubt anyone has a more informed perspective on this than I do."
"We'll take your suggestion into serious consideration," she said, though John had the impression that it wasn't a diplomatic way of brushing off his advice. "Anything else?" she repeated.
He wanted to bring up the Reapers, but without the Council's support or hard evidence, he wouldn't convince them. Worse, he'd undermine whatever gains he'd made at this meeting. But there was a way, he told himself. There's always a way. The guilty, spiteful part of his mind brought the image of Kaidan, alone and abandoned, but he squashed it immediately. Sometimes there isn't, he was forced to admit. But you can always try. "We need to focus our naval weapons development on weapons that can completely bypass kinetic barriers. As we saw against Sovereign, mass accelerators were extremely ineffective. The Normandy's recent engagement showed us the potential of these weapons, on both sides."
Hackett immediately spoke up. "I agree. I lost eight cruisers taking on that monster of a ship. We were hitting the damn thing with an entire fleet's worth of mass accelerators and it didn't make a lick of difference."
Shepard couldn't hold back a smile. True to his reputation, Hackett was a no-nonsense officer who never let circumstances get in the way of doing the right thing. The admiral may not have known it, but he'd had John's back once again.
Dugal shifted his gaze to his colleague. "Your suggestion would not be easy to implement, Major, but we will look into our options. Unless you have anything to add…?" He looked at Shepard expectantly, who shook his head. "Then I suggest we convene this meeting."
"Agreed," said Black. "We should call it a day. Everyone, thank you for your time. Dismissed."
A/N: Like it? Criticisms? Don't forget that quality reviews are BY FAR the best way to get faster updates-motivation is key for people to write for you guys on their spare time. Your reviews are like the paycheck for a job, in a sense. Seeing what you guys think-good or bad-is what motivates me to continue doing this.