Shepard rolled over and noticed the empty space in her bed. She sat up and saw Garrus, dressed in his under armor, sitting on her couch reading a data pad.
"Morning," he greeted her. He placed the data pad down and got up to sit next to her on her bed.
"Too restless to sleep?" She rolled her neck and shoulders to loosen them up. Even the captain's bed was hard as a rock.
Noticing her discomfort, Garrus positioned himself behind her and began to massage the tense parts of her body. "A little bit. I didn't want to disturb you, so I thought I would be a little productive."
"Oh?"
"I've been looking over my crew's dossiers. It's really hard to just pick two."
Shepard turned around to Garrus and placed her hand on the scarred side of his face, "I know you'll pick the best two. Need to bounce some thoughts off of me?"
Garrus nodded, "Yeah, if you don't mind." He stood up from the bed to grab the data pad. He returned and sat next to Shepard, scrolling through the files.
"I've narrowed it down to three candidates. The first is my explosives specialist, Tarina Lucus. Her skills are on par with my old salarian specialist back on Omega. She can rig an explosive in seconds and can strategically place them just as quickly. The second is my new Navigator, Acanthus Cinna."
Shepard raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to say something but Garrus placed one of his talons on her lips, "Before you say anything, hear me out. He was just assigned to my ship for this last mission and I haven't gotten time to get to know him, but his dossier shows a lot of potential. He's not just an average Navigator; he was part of the Cabals before this assignment."
"So he's a biotic?"
"Yeah," Garrus continued, "I didn't catch it the first time I looked over his files. It's strange that he's a former Cabal. They usually stay in their tight knit groups. That's my only reservation with him. I'm not sure if his absence from the Cabals is a good or bad sign."
"Ok, what about the third?" Shepard pressed on.
Garrus let out a light chuckle, "You'll get a kick out of it. I was seriously considering Solana, and not just because she's my sister."
"Wait, your sister is serving under you right now?" Shepard was honestly surprised by it. She hadn't had the chance yet to meet his sister but Shepard heard a lot about her from Garrus. She wondered if Garrus told Solana about their relationship yet.
"She is. It wasn't my decision though, it was Victus'. I'm glad she is on my ship. It's nice to have her around. Plus, she's a damn good field medic. If she wasn't around, dad would have gotten off of Palaven with broken limbs. Too bad she ended breaking her own leg instead."
Shepard flipped around to sit on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked directly into his blue-grey eyes, "It looks to me like you've already chosen your two people. I think they'll fit in quite well on the Normandy."
"What do you mean?" Garrus blinked.
"You seem set on Acanthus and Solana. I think they'll be great assets to the team."
She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Midway through the brief kiss, Joker came over the comms.
Morning, Commander. Sorry to bother you, but Kaidan would like to get the show on the road. If you want, I can tell him to piss off until you're *thwack* Ow! What the hell was that for? Are you trying to break my arm?
Shepard couldn't help but giggle, "I'll be right down."
She unwillingly left Garrus' embrace and got changed. Garrus also put on his armor while she dressed. As he snapped the last clasp closed, Shepard heard him give a light sigh.
"What's wrong, Garrus?"
"It's just that…I've finally got you back and now I have to leave you again."
Shepard placed her hands on his shoulders and gazed at him intensely and lovingly. It was the same look she gave him when she called the emergency evac back in London. He avoided eye contact with her, not wanting to relive that memory over again.
"Garrus, look at me," he couldn't help but obey, "I'm right here, and I'm not leaving you again like I did before. We'll be apart for a few short days, but that's it. If anything bad happens between now and then, I swear I will wreak havoc on this galaxy until I'm back in your arms. I can't imagine my life without you, Garrus."
Garrus fingered through Shepard's loose locks, "You're right. I'm over thinking it. Promise me to vid call me at least once a day? For my sake?"
"I promise," she smiled.
"You know, Commander, I understand that Spectres are above the law and all, but I don't think that allows them to physically abuse fellow crew mates, especially the pilot," Joker complained. Kaidan had apparently smacked Joker's arm when he suggested holding off on leaving the Kite's Nest system. Of course, Joker had an "eloquent" way of wording things, which resulted in Kaidan's "punch" to his arm.
"You should have respected your commanding officer, Joker," Shepard came back at him. Then she turned to Kaidan, "And you should have known better. Now you two kiss and make up and let's get moving."
She walked over to the airlock to meet Garrus. He took her hands into his.
"I'll see you on Palaven soon. It'll be nice to see it when it's not burning."
"When we have more time, I'll have to show you around. I think you'll like it, minus the heat," his mandibles flared.
They finally parted and Garrus moved to the airlock. She ordered Ba'el to go with him to undock the Inquisitor with the Havincaw and dock to the Normandy. While Ba'el was busy doing that, she had Kaidan debrief her on everything she missed while she was gone. That would easily take up the three hours it would require to get back to Earth.
Kaidan didn't spare any details and was very thorough with is narrative. He began with the destruction of the geth, including EDI, right after the activation of the Crucible. He didn't press Shepard on her decision and she was glad he didn't. She wasn't in the mood to have to explain the carnage that day dealt to her.
He also mentioned the Citadel orbiting Earth and the rebuilding of the massive space station. The Presidium and the more commercial wards were already reconstructed but the lower wards were still obliterated. The Council upped their numbers to five, finally adding the krogan to their ranks. Kaidan wasn't sure who the krogan Councilor was, since the addition was recent and he hadn't visited the Citadel in a few months. The quarians and the volus were also attempting to join the Council, with negative results.
She asked if Kaidan knew about her status as a Spectre. He said that the Council had only declared her MIA, which was better than the KIA they gave her four years ago, so there was still hope for reinstatement without too much of a hassle.
She then inquired if Kaidan, or someone he knew, had a spare omni-tool. She had a little project in mind, and luckily Kaidan had one he wasn't using.
Unexpectedly, she found she had about an hour till they reached Earth, so she decided to see how Genie and Ba'el were settling in. She dropped into life support first but Ba'el was nowhere to be found. She had a good idea of where he was and headed down to the engineering deck to starboard cargo. Shepard's suspicions were correct and walked in to Ba'el and Genie pushing containers to the back of the room.
"Oh, hey Shepard!" Genie greeted her.
"Seems like you're settling in quite well. What are you two doing, exactly?"
"We're moving some things around. Whoever was in this room last made a mess. There were files and pictures plastered all over the walls, papers crumpled on the floor, and boxes all over the place. Luckily there's a garbage disposal on the back wall. I've been ejecting trash out the airlock all night long."
Shepard shook her head with a smile on her face. The room was a massive improvement compared to what it looked like with its past two tenants. The room was mostly empty, save for a few things strewn on the desk and whatever was in the boxes Genie was trying to dispose of.
"Do you think I could get some studio mirrors and a barre installed in here?" Genie pointed over to the empty wall space that expanded the majority of the room.
"I don't see why not. I can put a requisitions order in for it. Speaking of which, I'll need to get some accounts created for you both and wire some funds into it. The work you two will do on this ship will earn you credits. I'll be sure to have them set up before we leave Earth," Shepard paused for a moment in thought, then continued, "Also, you both will accompany me groundside when we land. We'll be repeating this information to all the leaders of the galaxy, so get used to the redundancy. I suggest you two gear up while we're at Alliance headquarters after our meeting with Admiral Hackett. Ground missions can always go sideways so I need you two prepared for anything."
"Understood, Shepard," Ba'el acknowledged.
"And Ba'el," Shepard turned to address the Andona, "I've got a job for you. I've got an omni-tool I'd like you to modify a bit. I'm not sure if you have similar technology back home but I hope you can work some modifications in for me."
She handed the device to him and he gave it a quick look-over.
"We do have a similar technology to this. We call it an extrapolator. What kind of work were you looking to have done on it?"
"I was hoping you could splice the tech from the omni-tool with the tech from the Inquisitor's communication systems. I'd like to be able to communicate back with Victrol while using a system that's easily compatible with the technology here in the Milky Way. And if you can work in visual communications, that would be wonderful."
Ba'el looked back down at the omni-tool, then up to Shepard, and down to the device again, "I don't think it'll be a problem. I'll start working on it immediately. When would you like it back?"
"We'll make a quick stop at the Citadel after we finish up on Earth, so before then. And Genie," she grabbed the girl's attention, "If you still have that other translator of yours, I'll need to borrow it. I'll explain the details later."
"Sure thing," she moved over to her desk and grabbed the tiny piece of technology, "And you can keep it. I never had much use for it to begin with."
"Thanks," Shepard gave a thankful smile, "I'll leave you to finish moving things around. Just don't throw anything important away."
"Gotcha, Shepard," Genie waved as Shepard left the room.
There was still enough time for Shepard to make one visit on the ship. She decided to pop into the med bay and check in on Dr. Chakwas. It had been a long overdue visit with the good doctor.
"Shepard! It's so good to see you again," Chakwas greeted her as she swiveled her chair around to face the Commander, "I feel like it may be a stupid question to ask, but how you are doing?"
Shepard pulled up a chair next to Chakwas and sat down, "For all intents and purposes, I'm feeling quite fine. The cybernetics have been doing their job well enough."
"Speaking of which, I'd like to give you a full medical scan and check all your cybernetics when we're on our way to Palaven. Who knows what they've been doing without proper examination for a year and a half."
"Damn, I walked right into that one, didn't I?" Shepard suddenly regretted mentioning her artificial engineering. She let out a deep sigh and accepted her fate, "Ok, doc, you win. I don't think you'll find anything abnormal with them though. The people back in the Inar Galaxy took good care of them."
"Kaidan was telling me about that. The Inar Galaxy, I mean. So was he correct when he said we have one of their species aboard the Normandy?"
"Yeah, we do. He's taken on a human exoskin while he's here, so don't expect anything strangely alien when you see him. Maybe, if you ask nice enough, he'll show you what he really looks like. Hell, you two could probably exchange notes. He's a xenobiologist."
"Really?" Shepard saw light glow in the doctor's eyes. Ever since her service on the SR-1, Chakwas' medical curiosity grew towards alien species. Working with them hands-on was more than she could ever hope to have learned in med school. "Then I'll have to talk with him. Thanks, Commander, for dropping by."
Shepard gave Chakwas a firm grip on her shoulder, "It was good seeing you again, Dr. Chakwas."
Vancouver looked much better now than it did when Shepard first left Earth. The city was steadily rebuilding itself from the Reaper's destruction and almost looked like it did before the invasion.
The Normandy made her approach to the docking bay at the Alliance headquarters. Kaidan, Ba'el, and Genie waited with Shepard at the airlock, waiting for the button on the door to turn green. After a long hiss and a ping, the shore party moved out.
They didn't get but a few steps away from the ship before they were greeted by Admiral Steven Hackett himself. Hackett's appearance was seemingly the same as it ever had been. He was in his best service dress blues which were decorated by the array of medals and ribbons the man rightfully earned. His face, on the other hand, was worn and tired. His eyes were sunken and his cheeks gaunt.
Regardless of his changed facial appearances, the admiral's presence was still foreboding and Kaidan and Shepard stopped promptly in their tracks and gave a salute to the admiral.
"Alenko. Shepard," Hackett greeted them. "It's been too long, Shepard. I'm sure you have an extravagant story as to why you've been MIA for nearly two years."
Shepard wasn't sure if the tone of his voice was sarcastic or chastising. She decided to assume the latter.
"There's a very good reason, sir. I would never abandon the Alliance."
"Let's take this to my office. And who are these two people?" Admiral Hackett motioned at Genie and Ba'el.
"They're part of the reason I was gone so long. I'll explain everything when we get to your office," Shepard answered.
Shepard retold her story the same way she had with Garrus and Kaidan. Hackett didn't ask any questions though. He sat behind his desk, staring at her with a contemplative look on his face. He didn't even mention anything when Genie and Ba'el were brought into the equation.
After she finished, a cold silence filled the room. Shepard desperately wanted Hackett to say something, anything, in response. He stood up from his desk and moved in front of it.
"That's some tale, Shepard. Most men would brand you crazy and leave it at that. With you, though, it makes sense. The Reapers didn't make sense at first and when we did finally understand them, it was too late. I can't afford to make the same mistake again. Did you have a plan in mind to counteract the second wave of Reapers?"
She nodded, "I do, and it'll take the entire galaxy again to pull it off," she took in a deep breath, hoping that the admiral would agree to her plan, "I need a fleet of my own; a fleet which will incorporate all species in the galaxy, whether they're a Council race or not. This fleet will answer to the galaxy's races, and not just a particular faction. I also will need a reconstruction of the Crucible. Either that or fix the old one. The plan is to launch multiple Crucibles in Dark Space right at their HQ."
"That's a pretty tall order, Shepard."
"I understand, sir. We need both of these if we're going to be able to take the fight to the Reapers. I wouldn't be asking this if I didn't think it could be done." Shepard could feel herself shaking a bit from the anticipation for Hackett's response.
"This fleet is going to need an admiral to lead it. I think you'd fit the bill nicely," a smile widened across his face.
"Sir?"
"You heard me right, Shepard. I'm promoting you to Admiral. Hell, it's the least you deserve after all you've done for the galaxy."
Shepard was astounded. She never thought she make Admiral in her military career. She was Commander Shepard for so long, the word "admiral" didn't quite sound the same, but it was something she'd have to get used to.
"Thank you, sir," was all she could muster to say in response.
"You've got a galaxy to save again, Admiral. Be sure to drop by the Requisitions Office and get some new uniforms and equipment before you go off-world." Admiral Hackett raised his hand and saluted her.
Shepard soundlessly returned the salute and left Hackett's office with Kaidan, Genie, and Ba'el in tow.
She was sure the trio was giving her congratulations but she wasn't paying attention to them. Her mind raced with thoughts of being an Admiral. It was an honorable title as well as one with high responsibility. She acted as a commanding officer for most of her career so ordering troops wasn't anything new.
It was the scale of which she'd be commanding that would be.
She knew she would command the fleet if she was able to assemble it but it was something about the title of Admiral that changed everything she previously planned.
Before she knew it, she was at the Requisitions Office. She placed in an order for new uniforms as well as new N7 armor and weapons and had them sent to her cabin. She also set up the accounts she talked about with Ba'el and Genie and let them place any orders for supplies they needed. As she finished up her final orders, she heard someone call out from behind her.
"Hey, Lola!"