AN: yearly update although I swear I don't try to wait this long but it's always so easy to write at my grandma's house over the holidays. So happy holidays and thanks for reviewing.
The shuttle ride back to the Normandy was filled with awkward silence as the occupants were either glaring at one another or staring off into space. As they reached the ship's cargo bay and unloaded, Aegis stopped the furious Operations Chief before they reached the elevator. The other two paused before seeing the Asari nod that they should go on. Shepard said to meet him in the conference room for the mission debrief.
"What do you want?" Ashley asked defensively.
"I wanted to let you know that I'll tell your councilor that you have joined this mission but to not tell the Alliance specific information. There will be no physical evidence that you were associated with Cerberus or this mission." The Spectre explained softly.
"Why would you do that?" The young woman was confused.
"Let just say that I owe you." Aegis said cryptically.
She continued onto the elevator ignoring the questioning look on the soldier's face. After they got in the elevator, Aegis spaced out as a memory of a different time came to her.
Flashback
Aegis stood nervously in front of the Council in a small room since the rest of the Citadel was still under construction. The war and stress of reconstruction had aged the look of the Council by hundreds of years even after almost two years. Before the young Asari could ask about her presence, all of a sudden the door opened and in rushed a Latina looking woman with black hair and a blue Alliance uniform on. She was out of breath as if she had run all the way from the docking area.
"Sorry, I'm late." The woman apologized to the room as she caught her breath and straightened up into attention.
"It's okay Lieutenant Williams." Anderson replied with a smile.
"Yes, anyway let's precede." Sparatus said annoyed.
"Aegis Rhodes, as you know, with the end of the war many armies, cultures, and Races were devastated. The Spectres were reduced to almost nothing and, as the first and last line of defense, for the Council we must rebuild it. Spectre lieutenant Williams informed us of your acts on Lusia during the Reaper War and, so, the Council has agreed with Lieutenant Williams and is bestowing the rank of Spectre on you." Tevos explained with a formal smile.
"I'm sorry, Councilors. It's an honor, truly, but I'm so young and inexperienced. I'm sure you can find someone more able to serve you than I can." Aegis responded humbly.
"Yes, you are young, especially in Asari culture, however even in your youth you saved a hundred young lives with your actions." Anderson said with a gentle smile on his face.
"Actions outweigh age." Valern explained.
"Look, I understand this is very sudden." Ashley interjected, "But not everyone would have done what you did. Also, the Council isn't throwing you to the wolves. You would be shadowing me until we feel that you would be ready."
Aegis was deep in thought as her father's word would echo in her head as they had that day on Lusia. Her father would tell her siblings and her in a firm voice that, while family was the most important thing in life, they had a duty to protect those that could not protect themselves. She never thought that those words would land her here, in front of the Council and a war hero, being offered the highest position one can achieve military wise. She, who was just barley pass thirty years old, would be told that she was good enough to be a Spectre; it was not something the young Asari could have ever contemplated. Her father's words echoed through her head again as her face became resolute and the Council knew her answer before she even said.
"I'll do it." The two humans in the room gave a big smile.
"Good, you can meet with Williams for the next week to train." Anderson turned his attention to Ashley and his smile became one of pride, "Congrats, again, Williams. I look forward to seeing you and the Commander at the altar."
"You aren't the only one, Sir." Williams said with an uncharacteristic blush.
End Flashback
While the two women talked, the future father and daughter were in a tense silence. Until the Commander turned a furious expression on the young soldier, Thalia responded by making herself impossibly straighter. She was trying not to be intimidated and shrink like a child getting scolded by their parent, which she was about to even if he didn't know it. She ground her teeth together and clenched her fists, not knowing if it was to stop her from reacting in anger or to stop her eyes from watering at feeling like a failure to her future father.
"I don't know how your commanders in the past have been with you or why you think you are above following orders, but when I tell you to do something I expect it done. One more time and I leave you at the Citadel." Shepard reprimanded.
"Yes, sir." Thalia ground out through clenched teeth.
The elevator arrived at deck two and the Commander walked off without a word or waiting for an explanation, while the young woman took a deep breath trying to gain control of her emotions. It was hard to hear one of her heroes berate herself even if she knew that he had done exactly what she would have done to a squad member. She had heard so many times from her parents' crew how proud her father would have been of her, after she joined the Alliance and, now, it all felt like a lie. She took one more deep breath before leaving the elevator.
Ashley had been lead straight from the elevator to the conference room with barley a chance to look at the armory. The room was full of people but the one that stood out the most to her was the one that helped her the most after Alex had died. She could remember days when she would do nothing but lay in her temporary bunk and cry or drink to her lost love. Those were the times when Garrus would come in with no pity or sadness in his eyes and smack some sense into her. He was one of the few reasons she continued to serve. So, when she saw him in the conference room, she forgot her anger and pulled him in for a tight hug, which he returned with a barely there smile.
"Damn, what happened to your face?" Ashley asked as she pulled away.
"I decided to block a rocket with it." The Turian joked and a cough from Miranda brought them back to the matter at hand, "I'll tell you more later, but it's good to see you, Ash."
After the debrief had ended with little interruption and a lot for the crew to think on, Shepard decided to have a talk with his fellow Spectre. He had not told the crew that she had frozen up in the middle of a fight and wanted to find out why. He walked into the room and found her staring unblinkingly out into space. She looked haunted as if she could no longer keep whatever she had been so scared of on Horizon out of her head anymore.
"Aegis." Shepard called softly trying not to startle her but she jumped anyway. "I'm sorry but we need to talk."
"I can't blame you, Commander." She responded honestly, "I thought I was over it but, I guess, I was wrong and that endangered the mission."
"What happened?" Alex asked softly taking a seat beside her.
"I've not been a Spectre very long." Aegis started trying to keep as close to the truth as possible. "I was on the Citadel when the Geth attacked two years ago. I was in one of the wards that got hit hard and with little C-Sec presence. The Geth and those husks were swarming the area when I saw a large group of children and injured adults being surrounded." The young Asari took a deep breath and tried to keep going. "My father was a member of the Alliance and she drilled into all of us that we need to protect those that couldn't protect themselves. So, I picked up a gun from a fallen officer and put up a barrier around the group. I don't know how long I was there but eventually an Alliance officer and their squad found us and took control. That's how I became a Spectre but it's hard not to remember the sounds or smells of that day." Aegis ran her hand over the top of her head, as if trying to run her fingers through her nonexistent hair, in a very human way.
"You did a good thing, Aegis. I understand that there are times in our lives that we carry with us. I trust you to have my back when it really matters." Shepard stood up and patted her on the shoulder as he started to leave the room.
"Thank you for your confidence, Commander. I promise that I will not let this happen again." The young Asari looked at the soldier gratefully.
AN: Please read and review. I had a review which corrected the names of the councilors so I made them right this chapter.
