The next morning at their daily meeting, the Council had some exciting news to share. News reporters from all over the Citadel had gathered in the Chamber, each desperate to get the best shot or the best recording. Shepard spotted Diana Allers, front and center as usual, and nodded almost imperceptibly at her. Allers caught the gesture and smiled briefly, before typing something quickly into her datapad. Surely she would ask for a private interview with Shepard later, and of course she would get it. Diana had done a great deal for the war effort while she'd been aboard the Normandy, and Shepard had actually come to enjoy the reporter's quick wit and tireless dedication to her craft. For now, though, Shepard would have to play her part as an impartial Councilor, looking into all of the cameras with a smile and a wave. As the Citadel clock chimed 9:00, Sparatus raised his hand and the crowd of reporters immediately quieted. They all poised with their fingers hovering above their datapads, ready to note whatever news the Council was about to give. Tevos cleared her throat and began.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to be with us on this lovely morning. We, the Council, have just received some very exciting news which we believe should immediately be made public. As you all know, today marks the seventh anniversary of the defeat of the Reapers. In the years since that fateful day, we as a galaxy have worked tirelessly to reunite our systems and to rebuild what was lost. A few hours ago, Councilor Sparatus was contacted by our foremost team of research scientists, and I will let him tell you exactly what they had to say."
Sparatus nodded at Tevos and placed his hands behind his back, reminding Shepard of the way Admiral Hackett always stood. "Thank you for the introduction, Councilor Tevos. As she was saying, a few hours ago I was summoned on the vidcomm by the team of research scientists led by Oriana Lawson. They have finally completed reconstruction of the final Mass Relay, and as of today every Mass Relay is back online and functioning at full capacity." Shepard couldn't help but gasp delightedly, and the entire crowd of reporters began to cheer and applaud. Sparatus's mandibles widened in what Shepard knew to be a turian smile, and Tevos was grinning as well as reporters hugged and high-fived each other quite unprofessionally. It was a day for celebration, that much was true. The galaxy would finally be whole again, and now even the volus and elcor could return to their home-world whenever they wished. When the noise died down a bit, Sparatus continued. "Also, due to the mass relays finally being operational again, the comm buoys in all systems are expected to be back online. This is wonderful news, of course, but we would like to remind everyone of what to expect with the re-opening of these buoys. Messaging systems may be clogged up for a few days, while seven years' worth of reports and messages come through to the Citadel. We ask that you have patience with the systems at this time, and please allow an extra week for all queries and requests. That is all we have for you today, but we hope that it is enough good news to satisfy your viewers."
With that, the doors to the Chamber opened once more, and the reporters were ushered out. Before she turned to leave with everyone else, Allers caught Shepard's eye again, her eyebrow raised in an unspoken question. Shepard nodded again, more visibly this time, and Diana smiled and left. When they had all gone, and the doors were once again closed, Shepard turned to the other councilors.
"Have we already contacted the communications teams?" she asked, looking at Tevos. The asari nodded and pulled up something on her datapad. Shepard admired the communications teams for the work they did every time a comm buoy was opened, but she did not envy some of the things they had to read. Many of the messages that came through were cries for help, pleas in the dark that had never been received. Thousands of messages were sifted through, praying for hope in a time where there had been very little. It hurt her heart to think of the lives she couldn't save, the ones she didn't get to. The ones she practically sent to their deaths. As the thought crossed her mind, unbidden, she sucked in a quick breath at the stab of pain in her chest. She had to stop thinking about it that way. The other councilors regarded her cautiously, but Sparatus's eyes held an understanding she was thankful for. None of them asked her about it, though, and they all just continued to type away, taking care of other important business until their next scheduled meeting, which was going to be miserably boring. Some volus ambassador was about to come complain to them again about not having gained a Council seat since the Reaper War - since they had inducted Cratazan as the first krogan councilor, the Council-associate species had been outraged. Shepard didn't quite care, though, that the volus and elcor wanted a Council seat. The krogan had more than earned their place here, and even Sparatus had been in whole-hearted agreement with the idea by the time they brought it to debate. The volus, however, no matter how adept they were with financial stability, had not earned in anyone's eyes but their own the right to a seat on the Council. And no matter what the ambassador had to say today, they were not going to change their minds.
#
Later that day, after four grueling hours of debate with the volus ambassador, Shepard left the Chamber with the other Councilors and returned to her apartment. She was surprised to see a large package left on her doorstep, with a red bow on the top of it. Deciding that it was better to be safe than sorry, she summoned one of her guards to scan the package. His omnitool reported no weapons or poisons, so she picked it up off the doorstep and carried it inside with her, thanking the guard as she shut the door. She set the package down on the kitchen counter and went to change out of her uniform. Once she'd shrugged into her old N7 hoodie and a pair of leggings, she returned to the kitchen to open the package. She set the little red bow aside and pulled off the lid of the box, pulling back layers of tissue paper until she saw a peek of something red and black. Intrigued, she lifted it out of the box and shook it out, groaning when she realized what it was. A note had fallen out of the tissue paper and onto the floor, and she bent down to pick it up. She winced as she stood back up, her lower back protesting at the action. The note confirmed Shepard's fear.
Shepard, I figured you'd say yes to being my maid of honor (that is what it's called, right?). That asari designer gave me your measurements a while back, and I had this made for you. Hope you like it! (And even if you don't, you're going to wear it.) - T
The jumpsuit was pretty enough, but the sparkles - though more subtle than she'd expect from Tali - were not exactly her style. She sighed, knowing that she would have to wear it whether she liked the sparkles or not. Tali had said that she'd gotten the measurements from Nariah, though, so at least she didn't have to try it on to know that it fit perfectly. The jumpsuit was jet black and made in quarian fashion, Shepard noticed with a wince, but it didn't look as though it would cling to her every curve like Tali's suit did. The sleeves were a little looser, flaring out slightly at the ends, and the legs were cut more straight-down than narrowed to the ankle. An N7-red stripe ran down the arms and the sides of the suit, which made Shepard smile. Of course, Tali would find a way to niggle a bit of her old self in there. She traced the stripes absentmindedly, grateful for the fact that Tali had remained such a close friend for over a decade now. After hanging up the garment in her closet, she sent a quick message to Tali thanking her for the dress and admitting that she did actually like it.
Her stomach suddenly growled, and she frowned. She hadn't ordered groceries in a while, so her refrigerator and pantry were nearly picked to the bone. But there was one more beer and a frozen dinner, so she decided that grocery shopping could wait until tomorrow. She unwrapped the meal and popped it into the microwave, before cracking open the beer and taking a long, smooth sip.
After the Reaper War, Shepard had gotten into a bad drinking habit for a while. She had never gotten into any trouble or harmed anyone, as she always did it alone in her apartment, but it always ended with her crying on the floor of her shower, the cold water being the only thing that would eventually sober her up. The drinking had slowed down when Admiral Hackett had visited in person for the first time, about a year after the war. He had knocked at her door just as she turned the shower on, and she had opened the door quite angrily, eyes glazed and red, to find him staring at her. Hackett had instantly recognized the situation, and had snapped her out of it with a pep-talk almost on-par with "Hold the Line!". Since then, she hadn't stopped the drinking completely, but now it was only a beer every once in a while, maybe two if she'd had a really bad day. After the drinking slowed, however, the nightmares started occurring every night, and she'd wake up screaming. After the first couple of weeks, the guards stopped rushing in to make sure she was okay - she wasn't okay, but there was nothing they could do to save her from reliving that last conversation with Garrus over and over and over again.
The last few nights, though, she'd gotten a full night's rest thanks to Tali's visit and Sparatus's kind words. Shepard pleaded with God (or the gods or goddesses or spirits or whatever was in charge of everything) every night just before she fell asleep, praying that another night of dreamless sleep would come to her. For three days, now, her request had been granted, and Shepard almost felt like a new woman every time she woke up after 9 hours of peace. The other councilors had noticed, too, and they seemed even more at ease around her. Ecron had even spoken to her today after the meeting with the volus ambassador, calmly remarking on the silliness of the whole ordeal.
As Shepard went to take another sip of the beer in her hand, the microwave dinged and she pulled the meal out and set it on a plate. She carried everything to the couch and flopped down with a sigh, before pulling up her omnitool and turning the television on. As she expected, the news vids were full of the Council's announcement from earlier that day, with different reporters all chattering excitedly about the same things. Diana Allers promised her viewers a private interview with the former Commander, now Councilor Shepard for the next day. But before Shepard could send her a quick message to set up an appointment time, her eyes had fallen shut and she drifted off into another dreamless sleep.
#
The next day, Diana Allers showed up at the apartment promptly at 10 a.m. The knock on the front door woke Shepard up, and when the knock came again she scrambled up off the couch, grabbed the untouched meal from last night and tossed it into the refrigerator. She didn't have time to brush her teeth or anything, so she snatched a piece of gum from one of the kitchen drawers and prayed that it would be enough to cover up whatever morning breath she might have. She opened the door to find Diana standing there patiently, dressed to the nines - of course. When Diana noticed the unkempt state of her hair and the slept-in clothing, she shook her head and tsked lightly.
"Shepard, what are we going to do with you?" Shepard shrugged sheepishly as the other woman walked into the living room and began programming her video drone. When she was satisfied with its lighting and sound settings, she looked back at Shepard. "Go get dressed. And for the love of God, brush your hair. We can't have the Savior of the Galaxy looking like a homeless vorcha." Shepard smirked and left the room to tidy herself up. When she came back to the living room, Diana looked her up and down and nodded her approval. She had donned the simple black jumpsuit she wore during the Council's more relaxed sessions, which were starting to become less and less frequent now that everything was nearly back in full swing from the war. Her hair was pulled back into a braid, and she'd brushed on just enough makeup to satisfy Diana. The reporter pulled the end of Shepard's braid in front of her shoulder, and then said "So much better. Now, shall we?" Shepard nodded and moved to sit on the couch, and Diana took the seat beside her, pulling a datapad out of her bag. She pressed a few buttons and a list of questions popped up. With a nod at the camera drone, the interview began.
"Good morning, Citadel News 1! I'm Diana Allers, here with the former Alliance Commander and Spectre, Councilor Posey Shepard. She's here to give us her opinions on the progress of the Citadel renovations, and to tell us more about yesterday's announcement of the final mass relay being completed. So, to start us off, Shepard, why did you decide to join the Council after all these years?"
Shepard folded her hands in her lap and tapped her foot nervously. She'd been a councilor for three years, and this wasn't the first interview where people asked about her decision. But she'd been rather vague with her answers to everyone else, and she figured it was time for a full explanation.
"Well Diana, like I've said before I never thought I would end up in a political position. But after the war was over and all the reconstruction efforts started, the doctors who took care of me in London advised for me to retire from the military. Now of course, I had a lot of reservations about that, but once they started me on physical therapy I knew it was the right thing to do. The truth is," Shepard paused, and Diana's eyes widened slightly, knowing that she was going to be the first reporter to hear whatever Shepard was about to say. "Well, the truth is, my body is no longer capable of combat. My vision is still just as good as it was, my hearing is fine, all of that is the same. But my cybernetic implants were placed under a lot of stress during my recovery, and while they sped up the process tremendously... My reflexes just aren't what they used to be, basically. I can still run, but not near as quickly, and even a short workout session leaves me exhausted afterwards." Diana nodded solemnly, typing a few notes, and Shepard continued. "Once I knew that retiring from the military was my only real option, I had no idea what to do with myself. I officially retired three years after the war, but I was done doing missions long before then. I was still sent out on a few trips to check up on specific planets, such as Palaven and Tuchanka, but nowhere that I would be in even the slightest danger. I thought for a while that maybe I could take up an Admiral position with the Alliance - they even offered it to me, but it was going to require too much travel, and my doctors wouldn't allow it. When I retired for good, the Council was finally reconvening and figuring out how the government was going to work in this new united galaxy."
Diana jotted a few more things down, and then met Shepard's eyes again. "And by the Council, you mean Councilors Sparatus and Tevos?" Shepard nodded and turned to the camera.
"Councilors Sparatus and Tevos were the only members of the Council to survive the Reaper War," she sighed. "The Dalatrass was lost as they were being evacuated during the Battle of London, and Councilor Udina was executed after the Cerberus attack on the Citadel. The surviving councilors took it upon themselves to find replacements for the human and salarian seats, and I was the first person they contacted. To be honest, I took the position because I couldn't think of anything else to do with myself."
"Thank you, Councilor Shepard. Now moving on to my next question, what are your thoughts on the reopening of the final mass relay?"
Shepard's eyes brightened a little - she loved getting to talk about the good things left in the galaxy. "Councilor Sparatus received the news yesterday morning from our lead research team. It took a really long time to figure out exactly what was wrong with the relays, almost five years in fact. But once they did, it was simply a matter of reconnecting them to the network. Once the first relay became functional again, we knew it was possible to get the rest of them back as well. We just had no idea that our scientists would get it done in such a short time. We had expected some of the farther relays to be out for another decade, at least, and the fact that they're all back online is nothing short of incredible. We all owe a great deal to those scientists." Diana chuckled and nodded in agreement.
"Don't sell yourself short though, Shepard - we owe you a great deal, too." Shepard waved the remark off with one hand.
"That was a long time ago, Diana, and I'm just glad to be alive now." Okay, so that part wasn't entirely true, but none of the viewers wanted to hear about her survivor's guilt, so she left it alone. "We will be sending out reconnaissance teams within the next few days, to scan the newly opened systems and evaluate the planets and populations left there."
"All in all, a tremendous step forward for the galaxy as a whole," Diana chimed in, and Shepard smiled and nodded. "I must say, Councilor, you and the other members of the Council have done a wonderful job of rebuilding the galaxy, especially the Citadel. And to all of our viewers out there, especially those who haven't visited the New Citadel, I highly encourage it. It's even more beautiful than before, and would make for a great vacation spot." She turned back on the couch to face Shepard, reaching out for a handshake. "Thank you so much for the great interview, Councilor. I always look forward to speaking with you, and I'm sure our viewers do as well! Now, that's all that I have for this interview, so unless you'd like to say anything else?" Shepard shook her head, glad that the interview was almost done. "In that case, I'm Diana Allers with Citadel News 1, and I thank you all for watching."
As the camera drone powered down, Shepard breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the sofa. Diana laughed and put a hand on her shoulder briefly before standing up and gathering her gear. "Thanks again for the interview, Shepard. I always appreciate it. I'll go ahead and let myself out, okay?"
Shepard nodded and smiled at the reporter before closing her eyes once again. However, just before she could fall back asleep, her stomach growled violently and she stood up. She realized that it was now lunchtime, and that she hadn't eaten since her small lunch yesterday. After reheating last night's untouched meal, she ate it slowly and then decided to order some groceries. Pulling up her omnitool interface, she punched a few buttons and a menu came up. She selected a huge amount of items, checked the box for delivery, and approved the credit transfer. It only took about half a galactic hour for a young salarian to show up at her door, with an entire wagon full of stuff. She smiled and tipped him generously, before unloading all of the bags into the kitchen with his help. He tipped his cap to her as he left, and she methodically stashed all of the food into the pantry, freezer, and refrigerator, finally satisfied when everything was full. Grabbing another beer from her newly-replenished stock, she eased back down onto the couch and turned the television on once again. She flipped through channels until she found one with old Earth vids, or "movies" as they apparently once called them. It was already halfway over, so she didn't quite understand what was going on, but the bright colors and graceful dances were entertaining enough to keep her focus for a while. When it was over, she had grown restless and decided to go for a walk around the Citadel. She stopped by and saw Captain Bailey in the C-Sec offices, visited Dr. Michel in the hospital (which had been renamed after the war at her request, and was now known as the Karin Chakwas Memorial Hospital and Treatment Center), and made a quick stop at her office in the embassies to make sure nothing important had come up. After hours of meandering about the Citadel, Shepard was exhausted, and returned to her apartment. Her guards nodded politely at her as she entered her door code.
Within an hour, she had showered, eaten dinner, and dressed for bed. Her muscles and joints ached dully, reminding her that she was not the invincible woman she once had been. As she nestled down in her bed the weariness took hold, and she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.