I wanted to give my thanks to all those that are reading this story. I still don't know how long will it last or what will happen in the end, but that's what makes it exciting. So I hope you'll keep reading and thanks again.
The Citadel, so peaceful at the time of war. It was so much different from what I've seen on Earth. There was no way Council could understand, no way would they help protect our home and still, if it was their planet, wouldn't they do the same?
What was I really doing here? Why was I so interested in the outcome of the meeting? At first I was surprised to see that Normandy was really here, somehow seeing her in the docking bay made my heart jump with excitement. On the other hand, I was afraid I'd see my crew here. I was afraid of what they'd say to me, what they would think about my disappearance.
But even after I left the elevator on the embassies level, I couldn't see anyone. The meeting was probably being held right now, there was nothing I could do except wait. So I stood in front of a window, looking at the Citadel, thinking what they would do if the war started here.
I was so lost in my thoughts, that I didn't notice a man staring at me from other side of the room. When I finally turned my head to meet his gaze, he started walking towards me. I didn't recognize him, I've never seen him in my life before, but considering his alliance military clothing, there was no doubt that he was a soldier.
"Commander Shepard." saluted the man. I wondered when everyone would stop calling me commander. "Lieutenant James Vega, it's an honor to meet you, finally."
"The pleasure's mine lieutenant, but you shouldn't call me commander, I'm just a civilian now."
"That's bullshit, ma'am. Everyone on the ship still calls you commander." he explained. "I saw you in that interview on Earth, that was pretty awesome, what you said I mean."
I gave out a laugh. "Yeah, I guess I wasn't really thinking back there."
"I'd say the same thing. Besides, it gave people on Earth some hope. They all seemed to lose it after you disappeared. But now that you're back, we can take the fight to them. You're more than welcome on the Normandy again."
"You serve on Normandy?" I asked, confused.
He nodded. "Yeah, Admiral Anderson pulled some strings and got me there."
"Then you must be one hell of a soldier." I gave him a wry smile, but he seemed to disagree. He opened his mouth as to say something, but I noticed that the meeting was over and a man, not much older than me, walked towards the elevator. But he wasn't alone.
The last time I saw Kaidan Alenko was on Horizon, when I was working with Cerberus. He thought I betrayed him, betrayed everything he and I believed in. And I haven't seen him ever since. But now, all of a sudden, he was standing few steps away from me, looking at me like I was a ghost.
"Well, what a surprise." the other man blocked my view of Kaidan. Now that he was standing right in front of me, I realized that he was a head taller than me. His short hair was raven black, same as his cold eyes. I could tell that he was looking down on me, probably laughing at me deep inside.
"I didn't think I'd have a chance to meet you in person, Shepard. I'm the new Commander, Alex Northway." he introduced himself and his lips twitched with a grin, but he held it back.
If he thought I was going to fall for his act, he didn't know the new Emilia Shepard. I stretched out my hand with a smile and when he took it, I didn't let go.
"How did the meeting go, commander? No wait, let me guess, they refused to help you in any way, didn't they?" I saw the look in his eyes change, so that meant I was right. I let go of his hand.
"Don't worry, Shepard. I'm not a coward like you, I won't run away because Council refused to lend me their toys." I turned around to leave, but stopped and faced me once again. "I'll make them see that I'm better than you and they won't have a choice."
His last words were quiet, meant only for my ears. I was so ready to wipe that smug expression of his, but I held back. With a corner of my eye, I could see that James was also doing his best not to punch him in the face. I quietly watched the new commander as he entered the elevator and Kaidan followed.
He didn't even look at me, he didn't give me a chance to explain, though I think he wouldn't understand anyway. I turned my head back to James, wondering why he was still here.
"I'll catch up to them later. There's something you need to know." he said, getting my attention. "But not here, meet me at the bar later, I'm buying."
He didn't give me a chance to say anything, he was gone before I could stop him. I sighed. Maybe I shouldn't go, I can only guess what he'd talk to me about. Coming back to the Normandy maybe? Garrus wasn't enough to bring me back, did he think he could do it? Well, either way, I was getting interested.
Besides, I didn't have anywhere to go, nor had I a way of getting there. I didn't have a ship, I got here with Alliance soldiers, but I don't think they'd stick with me for any longer, they had their own problems. So until I found a new ship, I was stuck here anyway.
But before I could figure out my next step, I was approached by another former teammate. She caught up to me near docking bays, looking behind her shoulder the whole time as we spoke. At first I thought it was because she worked for Cerberus before, but that wasn't the real problem.
"He's hunting you? That man has gone completely mad." I shook my head. I couldn't really say I knew Illusive Man, but this was going too far. And not only that, Miranda had more to worry about than Illusive Man and his assassins.
"Honestly, I'd do the same thing, considering how much information about Cerberus could be leaked out. But that's not the only thing I'm worried about Shepard. It's about Oriana." Miranda's eyes shifted to the ground, her voice was quiet.
"Did something happen to her?" I asked and Miranda shook her head. "Where is she?"
"That's the problem, I don't know. But I'm close to finding out." she said, raising her head.
"I could help you, I'm more of a freelancer now."
"I appreciate your concern Shepard, but this is something I have to do alone."
"But if something happens, you let me know." I tried to find my disappointment. Somehow I was missing all the action. Miranda said her goodbye and left, disappearing in shadows.
The only thing now was to hope for good news from Lieutenant James Vega. After that, I guess I should find my ride back to Earth. The fight was there after all and I needed to get into it.