Epilogue

"Admiral Shepard faced many demons in her life. She would, on occasion, succumb to them. Only to find the strength within herself to overcome these demons. That should would occasionally falter proves only that she's just as human, just as organic and just as flawed as the rest of us. And thus, all the worthier of our admiration and praise. Heroism is the act of achieving great things in the presence of flaws, not in their absence." He paused. "You did good, child. I'm proud of you."

There was sustained if muted applause as Captain Anderson stepped down from the podium. His taught face bore the struggle of maintaining his composure. He sat down, and Khalee Sanders' hands found his, he was momentarily assuaged. He'd lost many soldiers under his command, but no life had touched his as much as Admiral Shepard's.

Wrex stepped up the podium. A pregnant silence hung in the air as he looked upon the throng of mourners and well wishers. Some he recognized, most he did not. Kaidan's funeral had been small, Ashley's smaller. But this gathering was immense. Countless more were watching the broadcast on the extranet. He was quietly amazed that so many would come to witness the funeral of a stranger. Those kinds of bonds his krogan would have to relearn if they were to succeed as a species.

"Shepard." He said simply, with no small tinge of melancholy. He waited for an answer of some kind. But none came.

"This isn't a time to say goodbye." He said. "This is a time to say thank you." A shudder went through the crowd, as not a single individual was untouched. "From this day forth, the name Shepard shall be krogan for 'hero.' There is not a single race in the galaxy that has been untouched by her heroism. We all owe a debt that can be repaid in but one way. To look to the future, not with thoughts of retribution or revenge, but with thoughts of forgiveness and acceptance. That is what she fought for, lived for, and died for. Thanks to her, we all have a second chance. We owe it to her to take that chance. As Grand Clan Leader of all Krogan, I announce we forswear vengeance upon those who've wronged us. Enough lives have been lost in that cause. We no longer look to the turians or salarians with thoughts of retribution. But cooperation. And forgiveness." He stepped down from the podium, the last of today's speakers. The mourners dispersed, some went inside the chapel, some lingered outside.

The sun was shining brightly on a warm summer's day. Many, strangers and friends, passed by, paying their last respects to Admiral Kara Shepard. Her coffin was empty, save for a vintage Gibson Les Paul guitar donated by the owner of Galactic Antiques who would've gladly sold it for a discount in exchange for an endorsement, and a wedding band. Ashley Williams' coffin was no longer empty, the matching wedding ring now resting within it for all time. Upon Shepard's grave was her epitaph: I'm not a hero. I'm just a junkie who stayed on the wagon long enough to do some good. More than a few noted how appropriate it was for Shepard's grave to be next to Ashley Williams' and Kaiden Alenko's. Together they served. Together they would be remembered. Together they would remain until the end of days.

Liara approached an aged couple. Even among the civilians, they did not fit in. They wore formal business attire that didn't quite fit on them, having been years since they'd been worn. The woman was wearing a silver necklace that Liara recognized from Shepard's memories. They kept to themselves, looking uncomfortable. Everyone was talking among themselves except for these two. They looked ready to leave, only staying around to avoid looking impolite. She recognized them from Kara's memories, they had not aged much since they had parted. Most of the ageing had occurred during her stay rather than after. Tracking them down had taken some effort, but Liara was happy to see them here.

"Excuse me? Are you Mr. and Mrs. Silverstein?" She said. They nodded. Liara introduced herself and shook each of their hands.

"Thank you for coming. Won't you please accompany me? Her friends would love to meet you."

They were surprised at this but they agreed, they followed Liara.

"We were surprised by your invitation, Doctor." Anna Silverstein said. David grunted in agreement.

"We hadn't heard from her since the day we kicked her out." Anna said in a tone laced with regret. "Until we saw her on the news a few months ago, we assumed she'd fallen victim to her demon."

"You should not reproach yourselves." Liara said. "Kara knew she was uncontrollable. She did not begrudge your decision to sever ties. She never contacted you out of shame for how she behaved."

The two nodded slightly. Liara hoped to ease their burdens and remove whatever traces of guilt lingered.

"We're happy she made something of herself. Maybe, we had something to do with it, eh David?" Anna said. David shrugged.

"After she left, did you have much of a family?" Liara said.

Anna sighed. "We were unable to have children. We couldn't afford IVF so we decided to become foster parents. Kara was our first and last attempt. No one would adopt her. The social workers tried so hard to help us. She was more than we could handle. But you could always see a seed of something great inside her. She was smart, driven, passionate, artistic. But she was so hard on herself. Any small mistake triggered a grand crisis."

"Did you ever learn about her biological parents?" Liara said.

Anna shook her head. "Confidentiality laws. We were told only the parents were addicts. Alas, they passed that along to her. How different would her life had turned were it not for the demon inside her?"

"Very different." Liara said. "Perhaps so different that we would not be alive right now."

David grunted in acknowledgement. "We may never know who they were." Anna said. "Nor will they."

Liara led them inside to the chapel where most of the crew of the past and present Normandy was waiting, along with Capt Anderson. Liara introduced them. They were greeted warmly and found themselves the centre of attention, questions coming their way. Even David spoke. Liara drifted away from them.

"Nicely done, Liara." Sander Chandra said to her, his hand entwining with hers. She squeezed his hand and flashed him a warm smile. They went outside.

It wasn't just brass and politicians present, but people they'd met during their adventures. People like Gianna Parsini from Therum, Shiala from Zhu's Hope. Even Jacob Taylor and Jack were present, under guard. Jack was dressed professionally and her hair had grown more. Not far from them were Mrs. Williams and her daughter Sara and her boyfriend. Like everyone else, they wore bittersweet expressions. Oriana was standing before Shepard's grave, holding onto Traynor's hand. Both of them were crying and eventually they hugged another.

Far from the crowd walked an aged, krogan warrior. He looked to the sun rising above the rocky mountains. Tuchanka once had natural beauty like this. He would do everything to restore these natural wonders.

"Shepard." He said, for the last time. He paused, waiting to hear an answer of some kind. The wind rustled, trees and bushes stirred, a few birds fluttered into the air, and the krogan was positive the wind whispered back the name "Wrex."

The End