Chapter 6: Goodbyes and New Beginnings


"How do I look?"

"You look good. Are you sure you're alright to do this?"

"Yeah. I think so anyway."

"He was a good friend."

"He was more than that. He was… he was the only one who believed me…believed in me…from day one. Last night, when we got back from Omega, I went by the Spectre office to look over some of my original reports. At the time they must have seemed ridiculous. Any sane person would have doubted me, at least a little…but he never did. He took everything I said as truth without a second thought. When the Council laughed off my belief in the Reapers, he gave me command of his ship. I never took the time to appreciate that. It's funny… I've spent so much time over the past few years arguing with people… trying to convince someone to trust me or to join my cause… but because he never made me do that, I practically forgot he was there. He always was though…behind the scenes…risking everything he had to help me when he could. I…I would just give anything to go back and thank him."

"I may never have gotten to know him like you did, Shepard, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have wanted you to. When you put that kind of trust in someone… well, you don't expect anything in return. What he wanted was to see you become the man you are today. You gave him that. Any sort of thanks would have been a token gesture."

"Thank you Garrus."

"And you don't need to thank me either." Garrus reached up and brushed a fleck of dust from Shepard's lapel. "Alright. It's time."

Shepard stepped out onto the raised platform. There was a bigger turnout than he had expected, what with a war going on. He saw plenty of Alliance brass, members of the Turian Hierarchy, even a pair of Quarian Admirals, all sitting silently in their dress uniforms. Shepard wondered how many of them had known Anderson personally. He scanned for other familiar faces, but most just blended together. Everyone rose to attention as Shepard approached the podium.

"Please, sit down. I know as well as anyone what's going on out there, and I can only guess at what each of you is sacrificing to be here today. This won't take long."

Shepard rested both hands on the podium and took a deep breath.

"It's not easy to talk about David Anderson in a setting like this, because I'm sure you all knew him differently. Some of you knew him as the first human on the Citadel Council. Others as a devoted teacher and mentor. Some of you fought beside him during the First Contact War… some of you even fought against him in that same conflict. Regardless of the details, you all knew him as honest, trustworthy, ever dedicated to his ideals…and to his friends. He saw no value in bureaucracy or political dealings. Instead he trusted that people would take it upon themselves to do the right thing when it counted. Some saw this as naïve, but to others, it was a beacon of hope. Hope that the citizens of this galaxy could become something more. That they might rise above their self interests and useless grudges. He was a paragon in the truest sense. An example for us all to aspire to. Legendary in his feats, but always humble…no matter how you knew him; he would never have allowed you to call him 'Sir.'

At this Shepard had to close his eyes and take another breath. When he looked up at the assembled mass of military men and women, he could not help asking himself 'how many friends and family have they lost?' This war had to be won. And these were the people that would have to win it.

"When you leave here today and return to your fleets, let me ask you to remember this. The Reapers do not take time for ceremonies. They do not mourn their losses, and they do not celebrate their victories. Every move that they make is calculated and efficient, with the sole purpose of exterminating all that we hold dear. They consider this a strength…an advantage over their enemies. When you think back on the life of David Anderson, remember that they could not be more wrong. It is from moments like this that we draw our true strength. At Earth we showed them just how strong our will can be. We showed them that when we pull together as one, nothing in their arsenal can break our resolve. Even now, their grip on the galaxy is slipping. Wherever their forces have been isolated and weak, we have been quick to strike. When they pull back, we consolidate and grow stronger. They can no longer block all of our trade routes, and supplies are pouring into areas where the need is dire. The tide is turning, but the war is far from over. The Reapers will continue to exercise their most potent weapon. In the months ahead they will constantly be whispering in our ears, striving to drive wedges into the alliances that we have fought so hard to establish. It will be tempting to let old grudges divide us…to become blinded by fear, suspicion or greed. Everything depends on our ability to resist. I ask you to find strength in the memory of this fallen soldier. Remember what David Anderson stood for. Thank you."


Next: Slow Dance