Shepard stood against the wall in the Normandy's comm room: arm resting against a thick cable above his head and his forehead resting on his arm. He was staring at the console a few feet away from him. It was beeping at a steady pace, indicating that somebody was calling.

Shepard was just watching it. Each flash of light was like a dagger in his heart. How could he tell anybody that he failed? That he let them down? He didn't want to find out the answer to those questions.

But he had to. He didn't have a choice. After stalling for almost as long as possible, he stepped up to the source of the beeping and accepted the comm. A blue haze filled the space in front of him, condensing down into the form of an Asari. After a second, Shepard recognized the person. "Councilor," he greeted quietly.

"Hello, Commander. How did the mission go?"

Shepard placed his hands on the edges of the terminal and looked down at it. "We…" he started, trying to say that they had been defeated. But the words died in his throat before he could get it out. He covered his mouth and coughed to stall, deciding on something easier to say. "We didn't get the information."

The Councilor's eyes started burning holes in the top of Shepard's head. All of her surprise, anger, and confusion solidified into a single question. "Why not?"

The Commander flinched. He had hoped she wouldn't ask him that. "Cerberus was there," he responded as he looked back up at the Asari. "I-" the Councilor raised a hand to show him the palm.

"Don't." Shepard opened his mouth, searching for words, then closed it. There was nothing to say. "And the situation on Thessia?" she asked.

"Deteriorating fast," Shepard answered, looking down again. "The Reapers are there in force."

The Councilor allowed a moment of silence. Out of respect for her home world. It was excruciating for Shepard. Knowing she was there, but not talking. He looked back up.

"I have to take care of some things," she said simply, when he met her gaze. "To ensure the continuation of our society." She let out a humorless chuckle. "Never thought it would come to this."

"I'm-" the Councilor's body shimmered and evaporated. Shepard bowed his head and closed his eyes. "-sorry."

Shepard lingered in the comm room. He was starting to get overwhelmed by everything that was happening. Eventually, he stepped out, and EDI's form approached him. "Shepard, it is no longer safe to remain in this system. Reaper presence has greatly increased."

"Then get us out of here," he ordered. He descended the short flight of stairs, and approached the station in the middle of the war room. His entire team, except for Javik, along with Traynor, was standing around it. Shepard had called a meeting just before the call from the Councilor had come.

Tali was the first person to the right. She was just about to speak, but Liara, the first person to Shepard's left, beat her to the punch. "This isn't your fault, Shepard," she said after she noticed his expression. "Nobody could have known Cerberus would be there."

Shepard gave her an appreciative look, but then shook his head. "It's my job to know," he answered simply. "I should have been more prepared." Liara didn't know how to argue against that. She grew quiet, allowing Shepard to turn his attention back to the group. He spoke louder now. "I'm tired of Cerberus being two steps ahead of us," he told them.

Vega nodded at Shepard from across the console. "Let's kick them in the balls first for a change," he said excitedly.

"I couldn't agree more," Shepard responded forcefully. "Anybody have any ideas?" he asked as he looked around the circle. Nobody answered. Shepard started to feel overwhelmed again.

But to his great relief, Traynor spoke up after a few seconds. "Um, I've managed to track Kai Leng's ship," she said timidly. Traynor didn't like groups all that much, but this was more important than her. She hit a button on the terminal in front of her and a solid, pale blue line quickly traced a path that started at Thessia. "But it disappears when he enters this system," she explained as she pointed to the end of the line.

"Not only does it disappear: it's being actively blocked," EDI chimed in. "Specialist Traynor examined the data very closely. There was barely any trace of the disruption."

Traynor flashed EDI a thankful smile. "Nice work, Traynor," Shepard complimented, making sure to acknowledge her before going back to EDI. "Can we tell where they are?"

"No," EDI responded quickly. "But we don't need to. The only settlement in the area sufficient for meeting Cerberus necessities is Sanctuary, on Horizon."

Kaidan flinched slightly while Garrus glanced at him. Neither had especially fond memories of that planet. But Shepard was just happy to have a lead. "Good," he said, forgetting about that particular part of the past for now. "Set a course," he turned to the group as a whole. "I want that VI, and we're going to get it," he said confidently. "No excuses." Everybody could tell he was talking to himself just as much as them. They all nodded, dispersed, and headed back to their duties.

Well, almost all of them. Tali leaned against the middle station, waiting until the others had left. When they had, she approached Shepard, who has giving her a curious look. Her back was straight, and her hands were planted firmly at her sides. She looked very professional. "I want on the ground team," she told him, getting straight to the point, and trying her best to curb any arguments with her tone. She wanted to stay close to Shepard. Make sure he was really alright. Plus, it had been a while since she had shot something. It was great stress relief.

Shepard didn't even hesitate for a second. "Ok," he answered simply. Despite wanting to keep her safe, he wasn't going to argue if she wanted to be around him. Tali relaxed noticeably. He watched as she lowered her head and started rubbing a fist into a knot in her lower back. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing," she assured him as she looked back up at him. "Those new pods the Alliance got aren't exactly the most comfortable, is all," she teased as she finished working her back.

Shepard was momentarily dumbfounded. How had this never come up before? And why hadn't he taken an initiative or something? "Sleep in my cabin," he said with complete seriousness. He guessed he just hadn't been thinking about sleep much in general lately. He wasn't really getting a lot himself.

Tali concealed a smile. Even when Shepard was in his lowest state, he was still thinking about her and taking care of her.

But she wanted to make sure she wouldn't be intruding on his space. "No, I don't want to be-"

"You wouldn't be," Shepard replied before she could even finish.

Tali didn't hide her smile this time. It shone in her bright eyes. "Thank you, Shepard."

"Anything you want," he responded before stepping forward and kissing the top of Tali's head.

She wrapped her arms around his neck before he pulled away. "I want you."

Shepard's lips finally broke into a small smile as he returned her embrace, placing his hands on her back and burying his mouth in her shoulder. A few seconds passed before they reluctantly broke apart. "I'll see you in a little while," he assured her while he rubbed her arm and purposed to maintain his smile. He waited for Tali's nod before turning back to the main console to start preparing. He watched Tali out of the corner of his eye as she slowly left the room. As she rounded the corner, she threw him a quick, affectionate look, which he returned before she left his view.

Shepard worked for about twenty minutes before Traynor's voice came over the intercom. "Commander: Admiral Anderson is available on vid comm." Shepard's hands hovered over the keyboard as he registered what she had said. But they left along with the rest of his body as he tore himself away and forced himself back into the comm room. He immediately went straight to the console and linked to the Admiral.

"Anderson," he greeted as his old friend's blue form appeared before him.

"Hello, Shepard," Anderson responded. He paused for a moment, reading Shepard's face. "I heard about the mission."

Shepard sighed and leaned forward, matching his stance when he was talking with Councilor. "We were so close, Anderson. So close to ending this war."

The Admiral had only received a report on the basics. "What happened?" he asked.

"Kai Leng was there." Shepard noticed Anderson's jaw clench. If he weren't in such a bad mood, he would have smirked. "And he beat us," Shepard added as he looked down at his feet and ground a toe into the floor.

There was silence for a few moments.

"So what?" Anderson asked. Shepard head snapped back up to look at Anderson, the response thoroughly confused him. The Commander's eyes said it all, so Anderson just kept talking. "I've had my ass handed to me more times than I'd like to admit," he said. "But I'm still here. And so are you. Still fighting the Reapers. Fighting the odds."

"I'm bettin' on you anyway."

Anderson let out a short chuckle. "Shake this off, son. We need you."

Shepard saluted. "I will."

Anderson returned the salute while giving Shepard a reassuring smirk. "Good. Anderson out." The Admiral's image vanished as Shepard turned to leave the comm room and finish getting ready. Talking with Anderson had helped, but the feelings were still there. Once Shepard had finished in the war room, he went down to see Garrus. He had decided to take the two people closest to him down to Sanctuary, despite Vega's obvious excitement.

Garrus was typing at his console against the wall when Shepard walked into the battery. He didn't hear the Commander come in; he was busy looking at images of Palaven and surrounding space, deep in thought as he typed. Shepard walked up beside his Turian friend, and instantly recognized the planet. "Any news from your family?" he asked. Garrus had told him earlier that his father and sister were still stuck down on the surface.

Garrus tore his eyes away from the screen and looked over at Shepard. "Some. None of it that good." Garrus ran a hand over the fringe on his head. "They're still down there, still looking for a way out." Garrus released a large sight. "You know, Shepard, I'm getting pretty tired of this war."

"Tell me about it."

Shepard gestured towards the console, and Garrus chuckled when he realized Shepard had meant it literally. "I had to make a big decision. Told the Primarch to retreat." Shepard eyed him, confused, for a second, so he continued. "We've stopped all offensive operations, saving ourselves as much as we can for the Crucible."

"That's a hell of gamble," Shepard responded.

Garrus looked back to his console, and Shepard followed his gaze. "If there's another option, I don't see it," he said. He let out another sigh, smaller this time though. "How are you doing, Shepard?" All of this has got to be taking its toll."

Shepard kept staring at the screen in front of him. "There's only so much of this you can take, Garrus," he confessed. "Only so much death and defeat before-"

Garrus stopped him, and Shepard turned to look as he spoke. "Before your friend picks you up, dusts you off, and tells you you're the best damn soldier he's ever met." Garrus smacked Shepard on the back, and the Commander almost smirked. "We'll get through this, Shepard. We always do."

Shepard let a comfortable silence sink in. The two men stood next to each other for a little while, contemplating the ruthless calculus of war, and what they were fighting for. Shepard was about to leave when he remembered the reason he had come down in the first place. "Want to go down to Sanctuary?" he asked.

Garrus huffed. "Wouldn't miss it for the world," he deadpanned. Shepard nodded, and gave Garrus a single pat on the back as he walked out of the battery.


Later, Shepard, Tali, and Garrus were all standing in the shuttle being flown down to Horizon by Cortez. "So what do we know?" Garrus asked, directing the question at Shepard.

Shepard brought up his omni tool. "Sanctuary has been operating as a refugee camp for people from Reaper controlled systems," he explained. "EDI says it recently went offline: all communications have stopped." Shepard paused. "We don't know what reason Cerberus has for being here, but-"

"Commander." The three of them turned to Cortez, who had drawn their attention. "I'm getting pieces of a distress call. I'll try to boost it."

The only sound was a faint static as Cortez fiddled with the radio. Eventually, a garbled voice filled the shuttle. "-is Oriana Lawson…stay away…not what it seems…they're using-"

The signal cut off. "Oriana?" Shepard questioned, saying more than asking. "That's Miranda's sister. If she's here, Miranda must be close by."

Garrus nodded. "And that's our link to Cerberus," he added as the shuttle approached a landing site.

"Seeing a lot of damage, but not any movement," Cortez informed them as they unholstered their weapons.

The shuttle door slid open as Cortez made the shuttle hover just above the ground. "Stay frosty," Shepard reminded before hopping out of the shuttle. He heard Tali and Garrus land behind him, and then the swoosh of Cortez flying away. Shepard looked around. There were several wrecked shuttles, a few scattered dead bodies, and large amounts of generic rubble. It seemed like a quarter of the place was on fire. But aside from the occasional pop from the flames, it was quiet.

Too quiet.

Suddenly, a white shuttle with black and orange designs screamed overhead and crashed into a small balcony over the entrance to the facility. All three of them jumped, and then quickly slid into cover. A harvester flew over their heads and out of sight, content with its destruction, as three Cerberus agents started to crawl out of the crashed shuttle.

"Did you see that?' Tali asked incredulously. She hadn't seen a harvester yet, and it was fairly daunting.

Shepard nodded. "Reapers are here too," he explained to nobody in particular. He watched as the Cerberus soldiers stood after exiting the shuttle. One of them was covered from head to toe in a black, skin-tight outfit and was toting a relatively small sniper rifle. The other two were dressed identically, and similar to the sniper. They had a similar uniform, but it had sections of white and orange, as well as light armor and padding. Each had a long, thin sword sheathed on their backs.

A wicked smirk crossed came over Shepard's face as he put away his sniper and pulled out a submachine gun. He wanted to get in close.

They reminded him of Kai Leng.