CITADEL, July 29th, 2185

Shepard, Kasumi, and Jacob approached the first entry to the Citadel Wards, specifically, Zakera Ward. From the publicly available files, Zakera Ward was one of the wards more populated by humans compared to other areas. Much to his annoyance, the first time Shepard approached a rapid transit console, it announced that his Spectre clearance had been revoked. Paul sighed angrily. Yet another thing to sort out...what a pain in the ass.

The first security checkpoint was at the end of the first hallway, and Shepard walked confidently until he saw a scanner run up and down his body. A siren suddenly wailed once, and Kasumi hastily said, "I swear to God I didn't touch anything!" Shepard rolled his eyes.

The turian manning the checkpoint console spoke into his radio. "Shut it down." After a brief reply, he reacted with disbelief. "What? Do you seriously think...yeah, okay." He turned off his radio and politely turned to Paul Shepard. "Sorry for the inconvenience, sir. Our scanners are picking up false readings. They seem to think you're ah...dead." His voice trailed off and he shrugged his arms helplessly, as if there were no better way of stating the issue.

"I was only mostly dead." Shepard replied with a frosty smile. "Try finding THAT option on government paperwork."

The turian laughed uneasily. "Hah. Would you mind checking in with Captain Bailey? He can go through the necessary measures to get you reinstated in our system. He's just past the scanners in the office to the right."

As they passed through the checkpoint, they heard a gruff human voice say, "You'll have to make him scream a little: he's not going to tell you everything just because you ask!"

"I know sir." A polite human woman replied.

"If you haven't got the stomach or you're worried about being reported, I'll take care of it." The man, wearing a C-Sec captain's uniform, responded. Shepard surmised that his was Captain Bailey.

"No sir! I can handle it."

"Yes?" The man said lazily as Paul approached, before looking up. "Ah, I see the problem already, Commander Shepard. My console says you're dead."

"You aren't worried I'm some imposter claiming to be me?" Shepard asked drily.

Bailey smiled loosely. "We've got the best scanning equipment in the galaxy in that hallway. They can sample DNA from long-lost skin flakes. Hell, if you have unregistered gene mods, they can even figure those out."

"Your sergeant said you might be able to help with that." Paul said firmly.

Bailey nodded. "Usually, you'd have to go through the Station Security Administration to reactivate your IDs. Then to Customs and Immigration to regain access to the Citadel itself, and probably a stop by the treasury. "Spending a year dead" is a pretty popular tax dodge." Bailey finished wearily. Shepard nodded. "But I can see you're a busy man. So how about I just press this button right here and we'll call it done?"

"You're not big on formalities, are you?" Paul asked with a half-smile.

"I'm with them right up until they keep people from doing their jobs." Bailey responded calmly, pressing a set of commands. "There, I just saved you about nine days of running around. With that said, you should head up to the Presidium and tell the Council you're still alive. They probably want to talk to the person who saved their scaly asses two years ago." Bailey said with a hint of annoyance.

"I will." Shepard responded. "Having access to both the Council and Spectre resources would be useful."

"Yeah." Bailey said. "The Council can get just about anything; the best thing about working C-Sec is that any equipment, information or money that you need, you get. Anyway...something else you need? Or can I get back to work?" Bailey asked.

"I should go." Shepard announced on the spot. Kasumi practically doubled over behind him in laughter.

Captain Bailey nodded slightly. "If you need anything else, let me know."

Shepard turned to Kasumi. "What?!"

"Oh, Shep, you're going to need to drop that declarative statement if that heist is going to go smoothly at all." Kasumi said, chuckling a little.

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Let's get to the Council. With rapid transit reauthorized, that won't be much of a problem."

"Shepard, I hope you know I can hack an aircar in ten seconds flat..." Kasumi said, almost a little insulted.

"I know." Shepard responded. "But that would have been too much fun."

PRESIDIUM

Asari Councilor Tevos looked most irritable at the moment. "This meeting would be more productive if Udina were to join us."

Councilor Anderson turned to her and said calmly, collectedly, "My advisor is unavailable. As Councilor, I represent the voice of humanity and the Alliance. Shepard will be here at any..." Anderson turned to Shepard and greeted his old executive officer warmly. "Oh, Commander! Glad you could show up. We were just talking about you."

Shepard shook Anderson's hand warmly. "It's been a long time, Anderson. I hope the last couple of years have treated you well."

Anderson shrugged slightly. "I've had some rough spots. It's good to have you back, though."

Salarian Councilor Valern, who'd been sitting in his chair most irritably in the meantime, piped up. "We've heard many rumors surrounding your unexpected return, Commander. Some of them are...unsettling."

Tevos spoke, "We called this meeting so you could explain your actions, Shepard. We owe you that much; you saved our lives in the battle against Saren and his geth."

Paul had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. "Saren wasn't the one commanding the geth. I'd hoped you realized that by now. It was the Reaper, Sovereign."

Councilor Sparatus of the Turian Hierarchy spoke up disgustedly, "Ah yes, 'Reapers', the immortal race of sentient starships allegedly waiting in dark space. We have dismissed that claim!" Sparatus threw in an equally condescending toss of the wrist.

"You dismiss that which nearly destroyed you, then." Shepard said, not a hint of anger coming into his voice. "I suppose the proud turian flagship was rammed and utterly destroyed by a geth destroyer escort, then?"

"Shepard!" Sparatus's voice rose in anger.

Shepard ignored him. "Seeing as the Turians claim to have the most powerful fleet in the galaxy, maybe they should send an expedition to the Pangaea Expanse and take a good long look at the remains of Vigil. Only...they won't, because they're 'afraid of pissing off the Terminus Systems'." Shepard stared impassively at Councilor Sparatus. "Look, you trotted out that line when you refused point-blank to try and stop Saren. It was ridiculous then and now. I hope you remember that if it wasn't for the sacrifices of the human fleet, all three of you would be dead." Shepard transfixed Valern, who had been utterly unsupportive, with an icy glare. "Suffice it to say we would not be having this conversation now."

Councilor Tevos facepalmed, but Shepard couldn't tell who her annoyance was reserved for: Valern or Sparatus. She spoke up, "Saren was a compelling and charismatic individual, Shepard, and he was able to convince the geth that the Reapers exist...and he was able to convince you."

Shepard shook his head again. "I shouldn't have to convince you of this. But I will, anyway." He brought out his omni-tool and a display popped up. He drew more power to the display to make it larger, the screen's detail more broad. The images on the omni-tool's screen were of utter horror; Sovereign, rampaging through the turian fleet from not just one angle, but multiple angles. A gun camera from the Destiny Ascension focusing on Sovereign ramming the turian flagship. Another gun camera angle, this one from an Alliance dreadnought as it passed by the now-rescued Destiny Ascension, just as the Citadel's arms opened. Sovereign again, blasting another Alliance dreadnought from stem to stern with a single hit. Shepard closed the omni-tool screen and stared at the now horrified Councilors.

Sparatus's mandibles opened and closed a dozen times inside of a few seconds. "Where did you get that footage?"

Shepard's face was inscrutable as he replied. "It doesn't matter where I got the footage, Councilor. You know damn well it was a turian gun camera, but you've hid this footage for the past two years. You've done nothing to prepare." He turned his back on them and faced Anderson, his face still emotionless. He shrugged to his old friend. "It appears I was wrong when I kept Saren from conquering the Citadel and I sacrificed human lives to save this council."

"WAIT!" Councilor Tevos called out suddenly, causing Shepard to whirl on his heel and walk back to her.

"If you have something to say, then say it, Councilor." Shepard replied, fire in his voice.

"We are in a very difficult position, Shepard. You are working for Cerberus, a known enemy of the Council-" Tevos was cut off.

"No. I am not." Shepard responded evenly. "There's no proof to that accusation beyond hearsay, and that's far from admissible in a court of law." Jacob pointedly said nothing from the back of the lounge area. Shepard shook his head, showing the first signs of outward anger. "Stop making excuses to delay from the facts, Councilors. Either you make a token effort to help me, or I walk out right here, right now." He turned from Tevos to Sparatus and gave the arrogant turian another glare. Sparatus shifted in his seat.

"There is another alternative." Valern said wearily.

"Given your alleged ties, we can't offer a public acknowledgment..." Sparatus practically tripped over himself continuing from Valern's offer.

Tevos was just as eager to pipe in again. "We can issue periphery support. Nowhere near as much in the way of finances as you were given during the hunt for Saren..."

Sparatus looked very unhappily at Shepard. "Commander, if you keep a low profile and restrict your activities to the Attican Traverse and Terminus Systems, the Council would be willing to offer you reinstatement as a Spectre."

Shepard asked bluntly, "What does that mean? Will I need to start filing reports?"

Valern shook his head. "That will not be necessary."

Tevos cut him off. "Consider this as a show of good faith on our part."

"I accept your offer." Shepard answered more quickly than any of the Councilors had expected. "And I'm going to do more than that. I'll send reports regarding the Collectors, and, once they put me on the trail, the Reapers." He smiled frostily at Sparatus. "You can deny their existence all you like. That didn't stop one of them from dancing on the roof of the Citadel and killing hundreds of thousands of civilians last time."

Before Sparatus could retort, Tevos offered, "Good luck with your investigation, Shepard. We hope for a quick resolution...and a hasty end to your relationship with Cerberus." She strode out of the room, practically running as fast as her shoes could carry her. Valern followed her, nodding slightly to Anderson, while Sparatus said nothing and looked fit to burst.

"Well, that went better...and worse...than I'd expected." Anderson shrugged.

"I'm a Spectre again, but this time feels different." Shepard said quietly. "I don't suppose the Alliance has decided to be as generous as the Council, have they?"

Anderson strode to the window overlooking the rest of the Presidium and shook his head wearily. "To be fair, they have not. The rumors that you've been working for Cerberus haven't helped any. I'm...sorry. I've got one of my staff lobbying hard for your eventual reinstatement, but..."

"It's not your fault at all, Anderson." Shepard replied, taking up a position next to his old friend. "I'll have to give Admiral Hackett a call one of these days and spell out exactly where my loyalties lie. Working with Cerberus certainly isn't my choice, and the second the Alliance wants me back, I'm back."

Anderson nodded, accepting that answer. "You do realize the Council's offer is just symbolic. They won't actually be doing too much to help you."

"Then I need you to help me more than ever, Anderson." Shepard said quietly. "The footage I showed the Council is getting broadcast on Palaven next week..."

Anderson looked taken aback. "You really do want to keep the pressure on Sparatus."

"Exactly." Shepard nodded. "He's a pompous ass all the same, but he's not a complete moron. He looked about ready to fold like a sack of hammers after he saw that turian gun camera footage. If the Primarch of Palaven puts pressure on him, Sparatus will either get thrown out of office by not responding, or forced to concede that there might be more where Sovereign came from."

"The Primarch will have no choice but to open military channels on some level." Anderson replied, a smile coming to his face. "And Hackett will appreciate any new channels from the Turian military."

"On top of that, well..." Shepard sighed. "There's no real need to burn my bridges at this point with the Council. I tried not to lose my temper with them..."

"True enough." Anderson responded. "Don't worry about the Council; I'll keep both them and the Alliance off your back. That won't be too hard as long as you restrict your operations to the Terminus Systems."

The door to Anderson's office opened and Udina strode in like he owned the place. Shepard rolled his eyes as Udina barked, "Anderson! We need to talk about-" He caught sight of Paul. "Commander Shepard?! What are you doing here?" His eyes narrowed.

"I've got a long line of people I didn't want to see, Udina, and your name is right at the top." Shepard replied scathingly.

"The feeling is mutual, believe me. Your return is a bureaucratic nightmare for us!" Udina's voice was once again from 0 to outburst in roughly two seconds.

"I invited Shepard here to speak with the Council. We concluded our meeting about two minutes ago." Anderson supplied.

"You what? Councilor, do the words 'political shit-storm' mean anything to you?" Udina was incredulous.

"The Council reinstated my Spectre status. They're just happy I'm keeping out in the Terminus Systems." Shepard said courteously. More courtesy than Udina deserves.

"Yes, I can see how that arrangement benefits both sides. But you really shouldn't have taken a step like this without consulting me first, Councilor..." Udina's voice picked up a nasty edge.

"I don't answer to you, ambassador." Anderson retaliated. "Maybe you should go back to your office and think about that."

"Of course. Good day to both of you." Udina rounded on his heel and stormed off.

Anderson shook his head. "Sorry about that. Udina's never gotten over the fact that I got the Council position instead of him. Sometimes I have to put him back in his place."

Shepard nodded. "That meeting would have gone a lot differently if I'd chosen him. I still haven't forgiven him for that illegal order yet. I wonder if he still remembers..." A thought ran across Shepard's mind. "If he's that much of a nuisance, why do you even bother keeping him around?"

"He's got his uses. And if you want something on the Citadel, he knows who can make it happen. Plus, he's always happy to attend all those diplomatic functions I can't be bothered with."

"How've the last couple of years treated you, Anderson?" Paul asked.

Anderson sighed. "To be honest, serving on the Council isn't how I'd planned to spend my twilight years. Sometimes, it feels like I'm just beating my head against a wall. Knowing the truth about Sovereign is brutal; its nightmare stuff. I can't blame the others for not believing it. But I have to remember how important this is, so I keep trying." A weary sigh later, he finished. "Fighting the good fight, right?" Shepard nodded.

"The fight's not against the Reapers yet, at least, not directly." Shepard said, staring out at the Presidium. "Jacob, would you mind telling the Councilor what we know?"

Jacob nodded. "The Collectors are abducting human colonists all along the edge of the Attican Traverse and Terminus Systems. Over 200,000 humans have gone missing and 20 colonies to date have gone silent. Still more might vanish before we get to the bottom of things. But we need any help we can get." Jacob added. Shepard nodded.

"I'm compiling a group of soldiers, scientists, and biotics." Shepard continued. "I was actually wondering if Kaidan might be available for this..."

"Probably not, Shepard." Anderson responded. "Lieutenant Alenko is on assignment in the Attican Traverse right now, and you know damn well how many difficulties he has with Cerberus."

"That's something I'll have to keep in mind, then." Shepard said wearily. "I'm not a fan of their work by any stretch of the imagination. Anderson, you read the reports from when I blew up those Cerberus installations on Binthu and Nepheron in 2183. If there were an alternative, especially an Alliance alternative..."

"I understand, Commander." Anderson said firmly. "When the Alliance asks for you, I'll be sure to send that request for help along."

"We have to get going, Anderson, but it was good seeing you again." Shepard said.

"Of course, Shepard. If you ever want to talk, my doors are always open. Just..." Shepard had his back turned but he listened to the rest of what Anderson had to say, "Just be careful with Cerberus. You can't trust them."

Shepard nodded, turned to offer Anderson a crisp salute, and left for the rapid transit terminal, Kasumi and Jacob following him.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

"You do know it's not easy to change the mind of a Turian, Commander?" Kasumi asked.

"I know. I had to try once. It was one of the worst experiences of my life." Shepard responded, thinking of Saren again.

"I made your job a little easier for you, though." Kasumi said, smiling. "The instant Councilor Sparatus activates his personal computer, a little toy I slipped aboard his omni-tool will hack his screensaver. He's going to seeing that turian gun camera footage from the battle of the Citadel for...oh, the next year or so."

Shepard smiled. "You've got a nasty streak, don't you?"

"It was the least I could do." Kasumi said with a shrug. "Besides, he's not stupid."

Jacob spoke up, "Commander, where do you stand on Cerberus?"

Shepard contemplated his answer and said, "Jacob, the organization that is financing our little operation has tried to kill me multiple times in the past. They didn't change overnight. I'll take the Illusive Man's mission advice, but I fully expect a dagger in the back one of these days if I follow them to the letter."

Jacob nodded. "They've been called terrorists before, and with good cause. That attack on the Migrant Fleet and some other incidents in the Styx Theta Cluster weren't exactly their crowning glory."

"For now, the Illusive Man has made a pretty sweet bribe, but that's what it is. When push comes to shove, I'll be ready, Jacob. You better be, too." Shepard said coolly.

"I will, Commander." Jacob answered. He changed the subject as the public shuttle began to slow down. "It's been years since I've been to the Citadel. It never really changes, no matter how long you're gone. It must be comforting to some people, I guess...living in denial that all this could end."

Shepard nodded. "It's hard to believe that a single ship nearly reduced it all to rubble. I can't imagine how quickly they've had to work to repair the damage in some of the wards..."

ZAKERA WARD

The public transit shuttle from the Presidium to Zakera Ward came to a halt. Shepard, Kasumi, and Jacob stepped out, and the shuttle raced away to the next console. A dark-haired woman who Shepard recognized beckoned to the Commander. "The people want to hear your story, Shepard." She said soothingly.

Shepard rolled his eyes but couldn't resist for now. "Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News." The woman offered a hand, but Shepard folded his arms and stepped back. "I interviewed you two years ago, when you first became a Spectre. You presented your case very well on camera. Do you have a minute?"

"Why, so you can try to do another smear job on me?" Shepard replied warily.

Khalisah raised a hand and offered a false smile. "Now, Shepard – you may object to my methods, but we're on the same side!" Where have I heard THAT before? Paul thought.

The camera drone behind al-Jilani rose into the air and aimed at Shepard. Khalisah began, as usual, non-offensively. "Sources claim you were at the heart of the Presidium during the battle of the Citadel. It's fair to say the course of the battle hinged on your words." Kasumi hastily stepped out of the camera's field of vision from behind Shepard. "If true, you told Admiral Hackett to assist the Destiny Ascension, costing over three thousand human lives and securing the continued dominance of the Citadel Council."

Paul wanted to cut her off right in the middle of her damn report with a blow to the head. You weren't there, Khalisah. You couldn't have known what was at stake. He chose to meet her challenge with his own words. "The turians lost twenty cruisers and three dreadnoughts. Based on Alliance estimates, those cruisers had a crew of over 400, and the dreadnoughts had a crew complement of over two thousand. The Destiny Ascension, the Asari flagship that the Alliance Navy saved, had a crew of over 10,000."

"But surely the human cost..." Khalisah needled.

Paul wasn't having any of her crap. "The Alliance lost eight cruisers and two dreadnoughts. The cruisers Shenyang, Emden, Warsaw, Cape Town, Madrid, Seoul, Jakarta, and Cairo were destroyed with the bulk of their crews. The dreadnoughts Mont Blanc and Pyrenees went down with almost fifteen hundred lives between the two of them. Ms. Al-Jilani, I remember them all. The Alliance owes the survivors of the 5th Fleet and their captains a lot of medals for what they did. The Council owes them a hell of a lot more than that." Shepard stepped away and said tersely, "They deserve better than to be treated as a propaganda ploy. They deserve better than you." Shepard walked away from the camera, head shaking in barely-contained anger.

He made out Khalisah saying, "Commander Paul Shepard, the first human Spectre, hero of the Battle of the Citadel. Check vid. Did we get it? Fantastic. Bull-rushed on my own show."

Before he could think to go back to deck al-Jilani into the next star system, Jacob immediately grabbed one shoulder and helped him to a storefront. "You okay, Shepard? She threw a lot of shit at you..."

"You think that was bad?" Shepard said wearily. "Try explaining that tactical decision to the Alliance brass a week after the attack. Some of them were absolutely furious that I'd advised Hackett to save the Ascension."

"You made the right decision under the circumstances, Shepard." Jacob said with conviction. "That's what matters. As much as people complain now...I don't even want to think about where humanity would be if we'd let the Ascension burn."

Kasumi piped up. "You think there's any way things could be worse than they are now?"

"Please don't tempt the universe, guys." Shepard said irritably. "Let's get to some of these stores and get some new equipment for the mission. Then we leave this neon-overloaded, awful place for the Eagle Nebula. Hopefully before I get a migraine."

"Dr. Okeer?" Jacob asked. When Shepard nodded, Jacob smiled. At least he had a plan.