Chapter 3: Arrivals

Some time later, the Normandy arrived at the Citadel. As the seat of the Council, the closest thing that existed to a galactic government, it was the place where most major diplomatic business took place, and where many other deals of the less formal variety were also struck.

As Shepard stepped off the Normandy and onto the docking platform, he couldn't help but remember the attack by Sovereign. He thought about how Saren, once a Specter who enjoyed the highest confidence of both his peers and the government, became known as an infamous traitor for his part in facilitating the attack. Everyone knew the villain, but few knew that he fought the indoctrination at the end, taking his own life rather than giving ultimate control over the Citadel to Sovereign.

Saren wasn't a simple hero or a simple villain, Shepard thought. Turian or not, he was a man in over his head, and it was a feeling that he understood all too well. Coming to see the Council always made him feel this way.

At least he wouldn't be alone. Shepard had ordered shore leave for all crew on the Normandy as a few days rest was something they needed. Even before the Collector base was destroyed, they had been running on all cylinders for many days, and needed a chance to relax. The opportunities to do so were few and far between, and Jared judged the benefit to morale as worth the time invested.

He had informed the crew the stay at the Citadel would be two standard galactic days, enough time to cut loose but not so much that anyone was likely to get into serious trouble. Offering no other rules, Shepard had a pretty good idea what some people would be doing with their liberty, but he was not one to judge. Truth be told, he wished he could join his crew, but this was not just a social call.

Before he did anything else, he wanted to call on Councilor Anderson, and see if his old friend had any good advice. Although he had planned on going alone, Miranda and Jacob insisted they come along. Since they were the two crew members whose status was most up in the air at this point, Shepard assented to having them come with him.

Boarding the mass transit system, Shepard could see firsthand how far the repairs had come. While the high rent areas such as the Presidium were already in as good of shape as they had been before the attack, the lower wards still had not been fully prepared. He had been told previously that it would be at least five more years before everything was back to normal. Even that was remarkable, and a testament to the industriousness of the Keepers, the silent and omnipresent workers who managed the Citadel.

Jacob interrupted his thoughts by asking, "Commander, you knew Anderson when he was just a captain. Can you tell me what he was like?"

Shepard thought of how he would describe his former captain. "He's a fair man. He fights hard, doesn't accept excuses, and treats his crew right. I learned a lot from him, and he's done well with a very hard job here."

The Commander thought about how complicated the fights must be on the Council. At least you could shoot a Reaper. It might not do much damage but it was personally satisfying. He couldn't imagine having to smile at one and negotiate, but that is why he was sure he would never stay long enough to become an admiral, if he somehow managed to survive this ordeal.

Jacob nodded, and said, "Shepard, where you go, I go. If you go back to the Alliance, I'm with you."

Miranda smiled at this comment, knowingly, leading Shepard to believe there was probably a conversation he had missed. Those two had been friends for many years, with hints more might have possibly once been true, but whatever their past, they were now his crew. He would hate to lose either of them, and took strength from their resolve.

"Jacob, Miranda, I appreciate that. I don't always show it, but I'm grateful to have you with me." He smiled and offered this assessment. "It's good to have a team that can revive me if I accidentally die along the way."

Responding with a shove, Lawson let her emotions escape for a moment as she growled, "You better not. If you do, I might not put you back together the same way."

All three laughed at that comment, and a soft thud made them aware they arrived at the station near the Human Embassy. As they walked toward the entrance, Commander Shepard spotted the Elcor Ambassador, a friendly sort he hadn't seen in years.

"Ambassador, it is a pleasure to see you."

The Elcor was a towering specimen, but responded with the same limited response common to all of his species. Though they spoke to other beings, their own communication was largely hormonal and based on subtle gestures unperceivable to most others.

"Pleased greeting. Commander Shepard, a pleasure to see you once more. Inquiry. What brings you to the embassies?" Speaking in a monotone, it was unsettling to communicate with an Elcor until one had adjusted. Still, at least they seemed honest, more than Shepard could say seemed true of their Volus counterparts.

"I'm looking for Councilor Anderson. I wanted to touch base with him about what I learned about the human colonists disappearing."

The Elcor responded "Confused. Which base were they taken to?"

Jared couldn't help but smile as he realized his use of idiom was the source of the uncertainty. In the world of interstellar diplomacy, the terms of many different cultures were all meshed together, and the potential for misunderstandings was significant.

Offering an explanation, Shepard clarified himself, "My apologies Ambassador. I mean that I have news to share with the Councilor."

"Acceptance. I will not keep you then, Shepard. Enjoy your stay." The Ambassador made eye contact for a moment before moving along to whatever destination awaited him.

Walking forward and up the stairs to the right, this would be the third time the Commander had seen Anderson in this incarnation. The first was when the Council almost stripped his Specter status. The second had been after the incident on Horizon where he not only lost half the colonists, but where his former crew member, Chief Ashley Williams turned on him.

It was a hurt hidden but not forgiven. Why was it so easy for so many others to forgive, yet she had dared to judge him and what he must do? Did she not realize Shepard had no choices? Of course, she hadn't agreed the first time either, wanting to avoid the aliens, and to indulge her own death lust in her attempt to clear her family's honor. But it still hurt. Anderson knew about her, but didn't share any information, and he kept this information in the back of his mind.

Coming to the door, he opened the entrance, and saw Councilor Anderson sifting through a pile of papers. As he looked up to see the entrants, he smiled at his former executive officer.

"Shepard, perfect timing. This gives me the excuse I need to get away from all these requests." Dropping the papers he held, he stated, "I think it is time to have Udina earn his pay, and he likes to play the power broker much more than I do anyway."

With the confident glide of someone accustomed to command, it was still a shock to see Anderson in civilian apparel. He hadn't resigned his commission with the Systems Alliance Navy, but upon being given a desk job so that Shepard could audition his talents as a test of humanity's readiness to take on a more prominent role in galactic affairs, he became much more important than a Captain. In recognition of this, he adopted a much more diplomatic pose though it still sometimes agitated him to act this way.

Anderson extending his hand in friendship, Shepard received his firm grasp and said, "It's good to see you too, sir. How is the Council treating you these days?"

Shaking his head, the Councilor said, "I have you to thank for all this work. I was ready to enjoy retirement. I think, at a minimum, you owe me a drink."

Looking past Shepard for a moment, Anderson looked at Miranda and Jacob, unfamiliar with either of them and asked, "Jared, are you going to introduce me to your companions?"

The Commander laughed as he said, "Here are the Cerberus terrorists you feared. Allow me to first introduce Dr. Miranda Lawson, director of the Lazarus Project that was responsible for bringing me back from the dead."

Miranda nodded her head, and offered, "Despite my miracle work, rest assured I am not a witch, sir."

Anderson laughed and said, "Spunky. I like her. And who is your other friend."

"This is Jacob Taylor, former Gunnery Chief with the alliance, and our resident munitions expert and biotic."

More formal in the presence of an officer he had once met, Jacob adopted a formal response.

"Sir, pleasure to meet you again."

Nodding with approval, Anderson said, "Likewise, son."

Looking back to Shepard, Anderson suggested, "Let's go to the lounge. You look like a man with a story to tell." A small sigh escaped before he said, "I probably don't want to hear it, but if you've come back here, there's going to be a reason."

After a brief walk, they found a table in a quiet corner of the café, and Anderson observed, "You look like a man who has seen the face of death, Jared."

"And his mechanical body," added Shepard. "We went through the Omega-4 Relay."

Anderson looked with newfound interest, sharing, "There were rumors of an energy signature there, but no one had ever passed through there and lived. At least, not that we had known."

"It was a ship graveyard there with weapons and gravitational forces that almost tore the Normandy apart, but that wasn't the worst of it."

Anderson waited as Shepard took a drink to collect himself. Miranda and Jacob watched intently, offering nothing more.

"The Collectors were there. But they were the Protheans, or what was left of them after the Reapers destroyed them." He paused as he thought about how to explain what he saw, "It seems they were taking the human colonists to build some new Super Reaper."

The Councilor interjected, "That doesn't make sense. I thought they were synthetics. How else could they survive so long out in space?"

Shepard had a difficult time explaining what they were, "We thought that at first also, but having interacted with more than I'd like, it seems they are a hybrid between synthetic and organic life. They seem to have a particular interest in humanity. Our team thinks the reason might be the genetic diversity humans possess."

Anderson groaned and said, "Hell of a beauty pageant to win, isn't it?" He took a drink, swirling the liquid on the bottom of the glass, thinking, "Sometimes I wish we were still on our own safe rock."

Jacob nodded and offered his own assessment, "I feel that way too. But they probably would have just caught us flatfooted." Looking into the other man's eyes, he asked, "But that isn't going to happen to us now, will it sir?"

Anderson shrugged and said, "I believe you all. You know this. But the Council is a hard sell, and there are many problems. We haven't seen any Reapers in years, and we have other problems."

Miranda intervened, "With all due respect, Councilor, what could be more important than stopping a lifeform that wants to kill every human in the universe, not to mention every other species besides?"

"It depends on the week," was the deflated answer of Anderson. "Take today. Reports have just reached us that the Mass Relay system isn't working properly. We can't reach the…"

Shepard cut off the Councilor before he could finish, "Bahak System in the Viper Nebula."

Anderson's eyes opened more in shock. "The Batarians have been going crazy. Do you know anything about this?"

Taking a drink, Shepard offered a nod and said nothing more.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" was the worried rejoinder from the man sitting across the table.

"Probably not."

"Well, are you going to tell me?" was all Anderson could say.

Shepard said, "I could tell you, but since you have always wanted proof, I think it would be better if I showed you. We recorded what we saw with the Collectors, and in the Bahak System."

Forgetting the place and time, Shepard fixed his eyes upon Anderson and simply said, "The invasion is already here. It has been delayed, but the Reapers are coming and they have enough forces to destroy everything."

"Are you sure, Jared?"

"The Normandy was the last vessel through the Relay. I'm sure."

"We better convene the Council then," was all Anderson could say. "What happened to the system, to the Batarians?" Assuming the worst, Anderson said, "Did they fall to the Reapers?"

"They didn't have the chance, sir. We destroyed the gate."

Anderson fixed a quizzical look upon the Commander and said, "Is that even possible?"

"Apparently it worked. It was Admiral Hackett's idea, sir. I didn't plan on having to act upon it, but there was no time and no better option."

With the question still unanswered, Shepard said, "The explosion was sufficiently large to destroy the system. Survivors are unlikely."

"Shepard, you blew up an entire star system! Do you know how many…"

"300,000. Yes, sir."

"Why in God's name would you do that? If the Batarians get wind of this, there will be war for certain." Anderson asked without understanding the size of the threat involved, so Shepard tried to relate.

"Councilor, the Reaper invasion fleet was one moment from entering the jump relay system. They had hundreds of ships, and we believe their primary target would have been Earth." He let the gravity of the situation sink in. "I had no other choice."

Anderson looked at Shepard, then at Lawson and Taylor, each of their faces solemn with the grim expressions of soldiers who had seen the bloodiest of battles and survived.

Anderson sat there for a moment stunned, and then he activated his communication device. "This is Anderson. Summon the Council. We need to have an emergency meeting now."

Having made the request, Anderson said, "Jared, why is it you never bring any good news?"

Shepard could only offer this slight apology, "I wish it were different. I wish I was wrong. I wish I didn't see any visions, that Eden Prime was still standing, and you were still a Captain."

Anderson smiled slightly at this suggestion, and said, "I wish that, too."

His smile faded to anger as he considered one other thing; Admiral Hackett had not yet informed him of what had happened. The relationship between the Human Councilor and the human military was such that they worked well together, yet their interests were not quite the same and things could take time.

"Is there anything else I should know, before we go in there?" asked Anderson.

"One thing, sir, but it is a personal request."

"Well, Shepard, I'll help if I can. You don't have that many friends these days, but I remember what you did, and we shouldn't forget that."

"The crew of the Normandy wishes to leave Cerberus. While we had a productive working relationship, the time has come to bring humanity together with other races as well. We can't do that working for them, and we want to return to the Systems Alliance Fleet."

Anderson smiled and said, "This is good news. We can reinstate your commission immediately, Commander, and having the Normandy in the fleet would be a welcome addition."

"Councilor," the Commander interjected, "there is a condition."

A slight frown tugged at the corners of Anderson's lips. "Well…"

"I will remain in command until this threat has passed, and I want to see my officers be given commissions in the Alliance fleet. I understand the aliens won't be able to join, not yet, but Lawson and Taylor have proven themselves a thousand times over, and I won't serve without them."

Miranda and Jacob sat up a little straighter, their eyes reflecting the same determination of their captain, and Shepard was reminded of how precious their loyalty had become. When the entire world seemed to be turning on itself, it was only these links to each other that held together, that had overcome the obstacles before, and would need to do so again.

Anderson said, "I can't order this, but the fleet was already hit hard. We need all the ships we can get, and I am sure we can find a way with Mr. Taylor. But Miss Lawson was never part of the military, so that might…"

"Find a way, Councilor. We're a package deal." Jared was overly defensive of Miranda, but she smiled inwardly knowing he cared so much that he would fight for her. Always fighting that fear of abandonment, she had found some comfort finally even as Shepard wasn't certain he could live up to it, especially as questions remained unanswered.

Anderson demurred by saying, "I'll pass it up the line. But if what you're saying is true, that's the least of our problems." Taking a last drink, the Councilor waved to one of the waiters to come remove the drinks before saying, "I think we better head over to the Chambers now."

Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who has been offering their reviews and helpful suggestions. I find that I often write at odd hours, and since I self-edit, I sometimes miss things. I corrected the previous error where I referred to Legion as another name. When in doubt, I've been using the Mass Effect Wikia to fill in relevant details.

The story is going to take some time to develop here at the beginning, but it is important so you can see why events go the way they do as information begins to travel. The more I consider this work, the more lenghty it becomes, but I'm going to try very hard to keep a solid pace and your kind words always help. This is my first full-length fan fiction, so I hope you enjoy. I have some fun surprises in store for the crew and for you all, so we'll get there soon enough.

The other thing I am trying to do is link this story in such a way where it concludes where I believe Mass Effect 3 will begin. It is a considerable challenge, but I'd hate to see a story become too far removed from the canon only a few months after writing.