A/N Thanks to continued support of tccarty, littlelambs and Bluetoes and all others who have read and reviewed. And once again JULES HAWK you are my savior…..Time for Shepard to get a little bit bad ass and angry.

Chapter 11

Assets

Anderson stood waiting at the top of the stairs, 'come on Shepard they have already started.' Shepard mumbled to herself and all Kaidan could hear was, 'fucker,' and 'god damn,' among the words.

As they reached the top, there stood the three Council members of Citadel space. Next to them a holo projection of Saren….Shepard cursed under her breath, she didn't realize that the bastard would be attending this meeting.

'There is no evidence to say that Saren had any involvement in the Geth attack on Eden Prime,'

Councillor Tevos stood with her hands behind her back.

Saren stared at Shepard, she saw those holographic eyes bore into her own as she stared right back at him. They both knew the truth, they both knew they were dancing around politics and they both knew one of them was going to hunt down and kill the other, the question was who? Their silent conversation was broken when Saren spoke up to the Council.

'I resent these accusations Nihlus was a friend and a fellow Spectre.'

Shepard scoffed at the comment and he returned to staring at her before Anderson spoke up.

'That just let you catch him off guard,' Anderson was firm and stood there slightly shaking with anger as he faced the Turian who nearly destroyed his life.

'Ahhh Captain Anderson,' Saren's voice was snide and filled with hatred, 'you always seem to be around when humanity makes false accusations again me don't you? Can't handle the truth? Decided to make me the enemy? Well I can tell you this Anderson, STOP interfering, you had your chance and proved humanity was not ready.'

This was too much for Shepard to stand by and listen to, he can stand there accusing her of lying but not Anderson, no one speaks about him like that.

'Listen here you slimy shit bag. This has nothing to do with Anderson this is all about you being nothing but a lying murderous traitor. I swear I will find you and I will not rest until your head is on spike!' Shepard spat the words out like poison. Around her there was a sudden uproar of shouts. No one spoke like that in front of the Council. But she didn't give a shit.

'You let the beacon get destroyed Commander and now you shift the blame onto me to cover your own failures, you are nothing but a criminal and a liar. This is exactly what we can expect from a human,' he almost smiled as he said this, he knew how to play this game and he was playing it well. 'You're not ready to be on the Council, you are not even ready to be a Spectre, this is the second time Humanity has proved that.' Saren snarled at Shepard.

Udina decided now was the time to open his mouth. 'That is none of his concern, it is not his choice.' Shepard could tell that this was not going how he expected and now was worried this whole thing would blow up in his face, ruining his perfect little plans. Shepard didn't care much about being a Spectre, all she cared about was getting Saren. If they let her go and do that they can keep their Spectres, she wanted nothing to do with them if this was how it was going to be.

'This is not the purpose of this meeting,' Councillor Tevos spoke up, trying to get everyone back onto the correct track before things got out of hand.

'This meeting has no purpose, they are wasting your time and mine, it is pathetic.' Saren cut in, he was growing inpatient.

'What about the visions from the beacon?' Anderson asked. He was getting desperate; Saren was pulling up things from the past and using it against them.

Ashley and Kaidan looked at each other, neither one of them had heard anything mentioned about a vision before now.

'Are we using dreams as evidence now? How can anyone prove themselves against a dream?' Saren looked over to the Councillors who nodded in agreement.

'I agree, our judgment must be based on hard evidence; all you have to offer is a traumatized dockworker and a vision. This is just reckless speculations.' Councillor Sparatus turned and shook his head Councillor Valern did the same.

'We have found no evidence or connection between Saren and the Geth.' Councillor Tevos turned to Udina. 'Ambassador your petition to have Saren removed from the Spectres has been denied.'

Shepard looked over to Saren who had such an arrogant and smug look on his face, as his holo vanished, she wanted nothing more than to rip his head off. Shepard walked away her head hung low, biting her tongue and breathing deeply.

Back in Udina's office Kaidan and Ashley were made to wait outside, once Shepard shut the door she slumped down into a chair and lit up a cigarette.

'You can't do that…' Udina glared at her,

'Try and stop me.' Her challenge was not answered as she inhaled deeply and watched the smoke dance around in front of her.

Udina sat behind his desk looking at Anderson and Shepard. 'It was a mistake to take the both of you into that meeting, your dammed history with Saren Anderson makes us look like we have different motives, and you Shepard well your history altogether is one hell of a mistake.'

Shepard decided she wasn't going to waste her breath on that little shit. She stayed silent, words were no longer able to form she was so angry.

Anderson looked over to her, silent Shepard was a dangerous Shepard and he was worried what she might do next.

Shepard got up and turned to leave the office.

'Shepard where are you going?' Udina scowled at her.

Shepard just walked out, stopping and turning round she barked out to the two marines who stood waiting patiently.

'Alenko, Williams come on I need a drink and a plan.'

Shepard didn't say anything as she just walked off followed by Kaidan and Ashley. They ended up in the dingiest section of the lower wards and headed to the scummiest of looking places, Chora's Den.

As they stepped inside Ashley let out a low whistle, 'wow you come half way across the galaxy and still find girls shaking their ass for money.'

Shepard looked round and smiled, 'well a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do and if she has been blessed with such….' She gestured over to a nearby Asari who was dancing on a table, 'assets then…' she just shrugged her shoulders and turned round to see Alenko staring wide eyes at the place he found himself in. 'Alenko shut your mouth you look like a dumb ass standing there gawking.' Shepard laughed followed by Ashley as they watched Kaidan turn red with embarrassment.

'I wasn't….it's not my type of scenery,' he said shrugging, 'think the food is good?'

'I don't see many people eating so I would say….no, trust a biotic to think about food before the women.' Shepard said as she scanned the room for a place to sit.

'A man's gotta get his priorities straight skipper.'

'Oh yeah and what is that?' Shepard asked Ashley as they made their way towards a small table in the corner.

'Food, sex, sleep and food again ma'am.'

'I would add food in there a couple more times if we are talking about a Biotic chief.'

'Maybe food and sex at the same time?'

'I think you just hit every biotic man's dream there.'

'I'll have to remember that ma'am.'

Shepard and Ashley sat down laughing and Kaidan was beyond embarrassed at this point, but it was nice to see Shepard's mood had lightened since the meeting; he couldn't keep up with her mood swings.

Shepard headed off to the bar leaving Alenko and Williams at the table before returning with three beers. She handed them out and Ashley took it without question however Kaidan looked up at her, 'Commander aren't we meant to be on duty?'

Ashley nudged Kaidan in the ribs. 'Oh lighten up LT I think after that bull rush a drink is the least of your problems.'

Shepard grinned as she watched Alenko start to get very uncomfortable with the conversation so she decided to play nice and get back on topic. 'Well, to be honest I think after I stormed out of Undia's office I can say we are not officially doing anything so a beer won't hurt…. which leads me up to my next point. Like I said we are not officially doing anything right now, however, unofficially I'm going to be thinking of a way to get some evidence the Council can't ignore on Saren. I'm not letting that bastard walk away. Saying that, I understand this leaves you in a difficult position so I am giving you a choice, stay and do things a little bit differently than by the book, or return to the Normandy. I won't hold it against you if you decide to go back.' Shepard waited for the response from the two Marines in front of her as she sipped her beer. She probably already knew what was going to happen Williams would stay and Alenko would leave.

'No offense ma'am but it's because of him I watched everyone die, if that means I got to get my hands a little dirty then that's what I'll do.' Ashley took another sip of her beer as she remained firmly in her seat.

'Thank you chief…..Alenko? Like I said, no problems if you want to go back I won't say anything bad about you in the reports if you're worried.' Shepard looked over to him and watched as he was nursed his beer. He sat in silence for a while before taking a sip of his beer and sitting back in his chair.

'Garrus,' he said simply. 'That C-Sec officer we met, may be a good idea to find him?' Ashley smiled and Shepard couldn't help but feel a little shocked at what he was saying, does this mean he was sticking around?

'Great minds think alike Lieutenant, you gonna come along for the ride then?' She asked eyeing him up with curiosity, normally she was a good judge of character but Alenko surprised her. He just nodded before returning to his beer.

'Right then,' Shepard looked around the bar, 'we find Garrus, agreed?'

'This is your ride skipper we are just here for the refreshments,' Ashley smiled.

As they finished up their beers they still had no idea how they were going to find Garrus, and walking up to C-Sec headquarters and asking was out of the question. She didn't want to draw attention to herself, but staying in this dump was not helping so they got up to leave. As they passed a group of tables someone shouted out to them.

'Hey the redhead, come over here.' Shepard turned round to see a human sat in the corner of a table, obviously drunk.

'What,' she snapped back.

'Ohh you're a bit feisty, I like that in a woman, how much?'

Before Kaidan could say anything she turned to him and motioned for him to be silent. And she slowly walked up the man in the corner.

Kaidan and Ashley both stood there like idiots, wondering what the hell the commander was up to.

'Well that all depends on what you want?' She smiled at the drunk who was leering all over her, it made her sick, but she did not fail to notice that he was wearing a C-Sec uniform and couldn't help but smile to herself that this may be her lucky day.

'I can offer you anything and everything,' she leaned over and whispered into his ear as she slid her hand discreetly up his leg.

Kaidan and Ashley could not believe what they were seeing, Kaidan was struggling not to throw this sleaze ball half way across the room breaking his spine in two, she must have a reason for doing this right? Seriously, this was just wrong!

Harkin couldn't believe his luck. He was too busy staring at the way her shirt was stretched across her breasts to notice the Alliance Commander bars at her shoulders, too busy staring at her ass to notice the pistol at her hip, too busy to even think as he was taken into the dark alley behind Chora's Den to see the two Alliance Marines following closely behind in the shadows. He was too excited as she pushed him against the wall and ran her hands down his chest to even see it coming, before it was too late.

'WHAT THE FUCK!' He yelled out as he was slammed into the ground, his head smashing against the floor before he felt hands grab him by the throat and slam him back against the wall.

'Now it's your turn, you are going to give me everything I want.' Shepard smiled as she saw the disbelief spread across his face, and then he noticed the Alliance bars, the pistol and the two Marines who now stood behind her with their own weapons drawn and pointing at him.

'What do you want to know?' He said in a panic, 'I haven't done anything wrong,' he was spluttering out his words as he found it harder to breath.

'Name,' she said.

'Harkin, I'm an officer in C-Sec….you're gonna be in the shit when they find out about this.'

'Don't care, you're a scumbag and a lowlife I think I would be doing them a favour if I put a bullet in your head,' she shrugged. 'Do you know Garrus?'

'What?' he asked, what the hell was this about?

'Garrus! A Turian C-Sec officer,' she was losing patience and time with this fool.

'Yeah I know him, trying to clean up the streets and do some good, he is a jackass,' he spat but regretted it when Shepard tightened her grip around his neck.

'Where is he?' Her tone was now getting more and more impatient.

'How the hell would I know?' Harkin choked out.

'Wrong answer.' And Shepard slammed his head against the wall again, causing him to yell out and blood to seep down his face. 'Where is he?'

'Medical Centre, lower wards, something about looking out for a doctor there…..that's all I know I swear.'

And that was all that Shepard needed, she let go of him and he fell to the floor holding his head and rubbing his neck.

'Come on we're leaving,' Shepard turned around but before she left she threw a medi gel pack at Harkin. 'Get yourself cleaned up you prick,' and she left.

'I need a shower now,' Shepard rubbed her arms.

'That was fucking awesome skipper, how did you know he knew where Garrus was?' Ashley was in awe over what she had just seen. It was totally against all the regs but it worked and it was damn impressive how she even got him into that alley without noticing what was going on.

'The uniform he had on, I noticed it was C-Sec, as soon as I saw him, and a low life drunk like that trying to pay for sex, he was bound to know something right?'

'Your right about one thing ma'am.' Ashley said smiling

'Oh yeah what's that?'

'If you got the assets use them,' she said laughing and Shepard couldn't help but laugh with her.

'Well sometimes chief, a girls has gotta do what she gotta do.'

'You sound like you speak from experience skipper,' Ashley smiled at the thought of Shepard using her not so womanly charms on a man only to put a round into his head.

'First rule of SERE* training chief, use what you have. Failure is not an option and death doesn't count as an excuse.' Shepard grinned.

'Holy shit ma'am! I have never met anyone who has come out of SERE training with their sanity in check, let alone pass it.' Ashley was impressed, every marine knew the horror stories of that training, and supposed cover up's from the death toll in training and the brutal beatings of physical and mental torture.

'You have now…..I could never beat Anderson's time on the final testing, damn that pissed me off.'

Kaidan just stood there, what the fuck had he gotten himself into.

A/N: Yep my Shepard went a tad Renegade in this, but who wouldn't after all that? She is only human so at times I will let her go a bit bad ass. Please R and R it does help a lot.

Navy slang translations aka: Jack Speak

SERE- acronym for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape