A/N: And ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to They Who Fight Monsters! I'm your host, Herr Wozzeck, returning with more of this deconstruction here!

Anyway, From another world is finally gone from the internet. Of course, it got replaced with the supposedly "improved" version, A tale of two worlds. Now, calling it an "improved" version is like saying that you can improve a badly seasoned shepherd's pie by seasoning it with shit instead of actual shepherd on top, but that's neither here nor there. The point is, this thing is now out of hiatus thanks to that thing's existence!

So let's get on with it, shall we? Welcome back!

Part II: The Wanderer and his Shadow

Chapter Twenty

"Jodie, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"We don't have any other choice, Ashley. We have to at least tell Anderson about this. I don't care who else he tells, someone needs to know."

"I don't know..."

"If we spring it all suddenly on them, they're not going to take it well. We have to tell someone first, at least about what we know so far."

"I hope you're right..."

Jodie nodded, standing outside Anderson's door. Ashley accompanied her on this journey. Shepard had taken leave, and Tali and Garrus had gone with him on what the commander had termed a "much-needed vacation". Thanks to the message Liara had left behind, though, Jodie had a feeling she knew what the commander was really doing.

Jodie shook her head, looking back at the door. "It's taking him a while."

"Well, he is a Councillor now," Ashley replied, leaning against the wall. "He's probably just busy. He has a lot of other responsibilities, you know."

"That's true..." She then looked up. "Aiden, what's he doing in there?"

The entity chirped, Jodie quirking an eyebrow at the entity. "Really?" she asked. "Well, isn't that-"

And then, the door opened. Admiral... no, Councillor Anderson stood there. Jodie noticed his wrinkled face for the first time since she had seen him, studying all the furrows in the Councillor's aging face. He wore quite a different uniform, though: this one was a very dark blue, a much darker blue than was present on the Alliance's formal uniforms. This uniform also had a red border around it, and seemed much more common to a politician.

Jodie pulled at the sleeves of her jacket, before bowing her head to the councillor. "Anderson," she greeted.

"Admiral," said Ashley as she saluted Anderson.

Anderson shook his head. "At ease, soldier," he said. "I'm a Councillor now. No use calling me an Admiral."

"With all due respect, sir, you'll always be an Admiral to me," Ashley replied.

Anderson nodded. "Fair enough," he said. "I guess we can talk more about the matter you've brought up inside my office?"

"Yes," said Jodie.

"Come in," said Anderson, gesturing into the office. Jodie saw a couple of boxes strewn about, the walls somewhat empty of personal effects. "You'll have to excuse the mess, I haven't had much time to settle in."

"I've been in messier situations, trust me," Jodie replied as she stepped in. Ashley followed, the door closing behind them as they stepped into Anderson's office.

"I'm going to guess the Council is still getting used to you," said Ashley.

"They're doing their best," Anderson conceded. "With a Citadel to rebuild, they've got their attention focused on other things. It's given me time to get used to it."

"I can imagine," said Jodie. She then rubbed her forearms. "That's not important right now. We have things we need to talk to you about."

"About Shepard, right?" asked Anderson. He turned to them. "Why not take it up with him?"

Jodie sighed. "I've got reason to believe he's been dishonest with us," she said. "And I don't know what he's after, but given what I've seen, this isn't something that I think we should talk about while he's in the same room."

Anderson frowned. "He saved the Council," he said. "Don't you think he deserves to know about that just on the strength of that?"

Jodie shook her head, stepping towards the Councillor. "He committed a war crime right under your noses," Jodie replied.

Anderson leaned forward, his expression stern. "That's a pretty serious accusation," he said. "What do you have to prove it?"

Jodie glanced down at the ground, before looking directly at Anderson. "It's... a little difficult to explain," she said. She then paused, stepping towards him and studying him.

It was after Aiden chirped above her a few times that she nodded, before holding her hands up, palms out-turned. "I guess the best way to explain it is to just show you," she said. "Take my hands."

Anderson's frown deepened, the Councillor edging away slightly. "Take your hands?" he asked.

Ashley stepped forward. "Jodie won't do anything to hurt you, sir," Ashley chimed in. "I can promise you that."

The former admiral cast a skeptical glance at Ashley. The gunnery chief nodded, holding her hands behind her back at attention. He then paused, turning over to Jodie and seeing her palms outstretched to him. He looked at her for a few seconds, his frown intensifying.

Finally, Anderson sighed, placing his hands within Jodie's palms. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he said.

Jodie shrugged. "I think you'll find it's not as silly as you'd think at first," she said. "Trust me, there is a point to it."

"I still don't know how this could prove anything," said Anderson.

"I know, and I know how heavy an accusation of war crimes would be," Jodie said. "But trust me. I know what I'm doing." She bit her lip, before looking back at Anderson. "Oh! Whatever happens, don't let go of my hand. If you do, that will break the-"

But before Jodie could finish her sentence, she suddenly threw her head back with a light motion. She then brought her head back forward, her head tilted at a very slight angle upwards. She looked directly at Anderson, or he assumed that, anyway: Jodie's eyes had gone completely white, such that even her pupils had disappeared. A scowl formed on her face, her lips curving in a way that no human lips should have curved.

"Jodie?" Ashley asked.

"What... what are you doing?" Anderson asked.

"Of all the conversations I wanted to avoid having when I was dead, this one was on the top of my list."

And then, Anderson jumped, almost letting go of Jodie's hands. Jodie had opened her mouth, but the voice that came out surprised even Ashley, for it was no voice that Jodie should have been able to make. The trappings of the voice that came out of her mouth were all turian, of course: the odd ways the consonants clicked, the way the subharmonics fluctuated, even the fact that Jodie's voice had acquired subharmonics at all was astonishing considering that the human throat was incapable of making them.

However, that was not what caused Anderson to jump. The first, was that the turian voice that came out of Jodie was also distinctly male. And the second, was that Anderson recognized the voice.

"Saren?" he asked, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"So you humans can do that." Jodie chuckled, the sound lush with subharmonics. "I'm surprised you didn't do it more."

Anderson frowned very deeply. "I don't know what you're doing, Jodie, but it needs to end right now!" said Anderson. "This is not a joke!"

"Neither was that refinery I blew up," said Saren, Jodie's expression suddenly turning a little sarcastic. "Did you really think for one second I cared about that precious Kahlee Sanders?"

Anderson's breath hitched, and Ashley gasped. "How... how do you know that?" Anderson asked.

"Hm, still can't figure it out?" Jodie quirked her shoulder in a strange way, something Anderson recognized as body language Saren would have used. "She's not in control of her words now, I am. You're hearing me from beyond the grave, human." Jodie then seemed to glance at her arms before turning her attention back to Anderson. "And of all people, it's a human channeling me, too. Ironic, isn't it?"

Anderson shook his head, looking down. "I see," Anderson replied with a bitter chuckle as he faced Jodie again. "Is that why you sabotaged my Spectre candidacy?"

"It would've been too soon," said Jodie. "You were too young. Impatient. You would've posed a threat, and why, so the Council could buddy up to a new race they knew could destroy them easily? Don't make me laugh." Jodie let out a sharp scoff. "But, I guess it doesn't matter now. You've got a Council seat. Congratulations. I'll be here while you destroy the galaxy."

Anderson frowned. "I'm going to keep order in this galaxy no matter what," said Anderson. "You don't have to agree with me, but the last thing I want to do is to destroy this galaxy that I've lived in."

"Hmph," said Saren. "I'll be the judge of that." Jodie shook his head. "When your actions cause the end of the galaxy as we know it, know that you'll be the only one responsible. I don't have time for this. Goodbye, Councillor. I only hope you can prove me wrong."

And then, Jodie blinked, her eyes returning to their usual brown color. She looked at Anderson, somewhat surprised by the angry look he was giving her. She leaned back, releasing Anderson's hands as she breathed in. She looked back at Ashley, before bowing her head apologetically.

"I'm sorry," Jodie said, her voice returned to normal. "I... I don't think either of us realized just how much history you had with Saren."

"Either of you?" Anderson asked, frowning. "Jodie, what the hell was that?"

Jodie sighed. "Either of us... meaning me and him," said Jodie. She then looked around the room, before leaning forward. "I've been attached to an... entity for as long as I can remember. His name is Aiden, and he's a supernatural entity." She sighed, looking at Anderson. "You've only seen part of what he can do. It's a long explanation, but... He tipped me off to so many things."

"And you expect me to believe that," said Anderson as he crossed his arms.

Ashley nodded, stepping forward. "If it helps, sir, I saw what Aiden could do myself," she said. "I can tell you he's very real indeed."

"I melded with Liara, and she saw everything," Jodie added. "If you really want, I'd submit myself to a meld with an asari of your choice. I can't really hide anything in there, you know?"

Anderson's frown lessened a little, before he uncrossed his arms. "So this Aiden," said Anderson. "It helped you see something about Shepard."

"He can give me... visions of things that've passed," said Jodie. "And one of them... Actually, a lot of things have been revealed because of that. I don't know how to begin."

"You can start by telling me what war crime he's committed," said Anderson. "I shouldn't have to tell you how serious that is."

Jodie nodded. "Do you mind if I have a seat?" she asked. "This will take a while."

Anderson nodded, pointing to one of the couches around the room. "Of course," he said.

Jodie nodded, following Anderson to the couch. Ashley did the same, and all three of them sat around a glass coffee table, Jodie looking at Anderson. Jodie settled in, looking up at the ceiling of the office.

"Sir..." Jodie began, looking down. "I'd like to start by asking something: have you been receiving any reports on Balak's mental state?"

Anderson frowned. "I'll need to get those reports from Admiral Hackett now," said Anderson. "I don't get them myself anymore, now that I'm the Councillor."

"Get them," said Jodie. "Shepard... did something that made him start to go insane. If I'm right about the pace of how it's going on, the madness should be starting to set in."

Anderson frowned. "Shepard made him go insane?" he asked. "I've fought batarians before, Jodie. The ones I fought were insane."

Jodie shook her head. "No, you don't understand," she said. "He did something physical. In the vision I saw, he described it as a kind of a... a gift of enlightenment or something like that. He just stared into his eyes, and..." She then shook her head. "There are other things he's guilty of, too." She then looked up at Anderson. "Everything you know about him is a lie..."

Anderson nodded, leaning close. "How?" he asked.

Jodie breathed in. "It's all an act on his part," said Jodie. She then leaned forward. "But I saw right through it. And the truth behind Shepard..."

She then explained everything she knew about Shepard.

"And that's all I know. I don't know what else he's up to, but..."

"I see..." Anderson looked at the glass of brandy he had poured himself. He sighed, leaning back and drinking some of it before setting it on the table. "This is all a little hard for me to believe, even with what you showed me."

Jodie nodded, nursing her own glass of brandy in her hand. "I understand, sir," she replied. "Honestly, even with what we know now, I'm not sure we can prove enough to the Council to get them to take this seriously."

"Do you know if they would threaten the Council?" Anderson asked.

"I... don't know," said Jodie. "My gut is telling me they are, but I have nothing to prove that with."

"Then you need to be able to tell me what kind of threat they are, if they even are a threat," said Anderson.

Ashley shifted next to Jodie, crossing her arms. "Well, we know they want to deal with Cerberus, and that their leader is willing to masquerade as a human to get that," said Ashley.

"But Cerberus is not relevant enough to the Council's interests, at least not now," said Anderson. "Cerberus and Shepard's organization have history together. But with the Council?" He paused, leaning back. "There's too little certainty, even with the impersonation of a human. Even if I gave what you have now to the Council, they wouldn't take it."

Jodie nodded, glancing up at Aiden as he chirped. "Ash had a feeling you might say that," Jodie replied. "As for me... I figured maybe you would've been able to help."

"Well, there's not much I can do right now," said Anderson. "My hands are tied, Miss Holmes. I can't order an official investigation into treason, not without more evidence that Shepard isn't human." He frowned. "I would do it right now just based on what you've told and shown me, but without further proof or even a window into what they want the Council won't order it. Especially not if some of it is the things a ghost says to you."

"Aiden's trust-worthy, sir," said Ashley.

"And would the Council believe that?" Anderson asked.

"I'd submit myself to a meld to prove it," Jodie repeated.

"True, but without any indication as to why they would threaten the Council..." Anderson sighed, pouring himself some more brandy. "The best I can do is help you from the sidelines. Provide intel, observations. But right now, there's not much else I can do."

Jodie nodded. "Even that can be helpful," she said. "I want to present a case to the Council at some point. Whatever is going on here, I don't think it bodes well for anyone in this galaxy." She paused, looking at Anderson. "And anyway, even if we don't have a case right now, I thought you deserved to know at least something."

Anderson nodded. "I guess I should thank you for that." He stood up, walking towards the balcony that was close by. "Still..." He looked away as Jodie and Ashley both stood up, following him outside. "To think that Commander Shepard might not be human..."

Jodie looked up, leaning on the balcony's railing. "It is kind of a disturbing thought, isn't it?" Jodie asked. "How all the achievements Humanity's made with the Council are invalid because they weren't done by a human."

"There's so much to think about," Anderson said, looking down. "Our first Spectre... The man who saved the Citadel... the man who gave us a Council seat... The Hero of Elysium..." Anderson shook his head, one of his fists clenching. "I don't want to think about the ramifications this could have on humanity."

"I don't think anyone does, sir," said Ashley. "Do you think you'll be kicked off of the Council?"

"I doubt that," said Anderson. "At least, I hope not. Shepard was under false pretenses with the Alliance as much as he was with the Council itself. In fact, I'd argue he was under deeper false pretenses with the Alliance. I'm sure the Council would understand." He shakes his head. "Still... How did we not discover any of this?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter now," said Jodie. "What matters is what we do about it."

Anderson nodded. "That's true," he conceded. "There isn't much we can do, though. Not unless he slips up at some point."

Jodie nodded. "There'll be something we can use," she said. "He's been keeping this ruse up since he first came to this galaxy. He can't keep it up forever. Nobody can, and he's extremely arrogant if he think he can."

"I know," said Anderson. He paused, glancing off to the side. "Though now that I think of it, we should have been tipped off from his arrival."

Jodie blinked, looking at Anderson in surprise. "You did?" he asked.

Anderson nodded, opening his omni-tool. "I'll give you Shepard's personal file to read on your own time," he said. "I can't promise there won't be redactions. You don't have the clearance I do to some information. But if you encounter any redaction..." Anderson then touched a few buttons on the omni-tool, and then Jodie's own omni-tool beeped.

Jodie opened the omni-tool, jumping a little upon seeing the name of the file. She opened the file, her eyes widening as she skimmed it. The file was intact, of course, but the contents of it...

"You're giving me his dossier?" she asked. She looked up at Anderson in confusion. "Won't you get in trouble for that?"

"It's not technically listed as classified," Anderson said. "It contains his full history, including that nobody knows where he was as a child."

Jodie nodded, looking at the file. "I'll look it over on my own time," she said. "Thank you."

"I'll do whatever else I can," said Anderson. "If you don't have anything else to talk to me about..."

"I don't," said Jodie. She looked back at Ashley. "We should get you back to the Normandy."

"Probably," said Ashley. She then stood at attention, saluting Anderson. "Sir."

"Dismissed, soldier," Anderson replied. "Keep making the Alliance proud."

"Well, that could've gone better," Ashley said as she settled into the seat on the Rapid Transit vehicle.

"It could've gone a lot worse," Jodie replied as she sat there, inputting their next destination in the cab's console. She shook her head. "I can't believe that of all people, it was Saren who had that kind of connection to Anderson."

Ashley frowned. "You can't control that?" Ashley asked.

"Not always," said Jodie. "The only thing I know going in is that there is someone in the Infraworld that they can talk to." She paused, looking at Ashley as the taxi doors closed. "Thankfully, I don't go in blind all that often. Usually when I've done that, it was from a recent enough loss that I had a very reasonable guess about who would show up."

"Like with Kaidan..." Ashley settled back in her seat. "I'm starting to see why you were so afraid of the Alliance brass finding out about Aiden."

"Yeah," said Jodie. She sighed. "Well, whatever the case, there's no turning back now. Anderson knows, and depending on what happens the top governments of the galaxy will find out. I only hope they don't use me for Aiden the way the CIA did." She shook her head, pulling her legs in close. "And now it's up to me to do what I have to do."

"Don't tell me you're actually thinking about following that dream," Ashley said.

"With no idea about where I'm supposed to go and how I'm even going to get in there?" Jodie asked.

Ashley nodded, crossing her arms. "That's true," she conceded. She sighed. "So we're waiting for him to slip up now."

"Yes," said Jodie. She looked at Ashley. "I need you on the Normandy. I need someone inside to watch his every move."

"I guess so," said Ashley. "I don't like it, but without Liara on the ship, I don't exactly have a choice in the matter, do I?"

Jodie nodded, her thoughts turning to Liara. "You haven't seen her since I talked with her on Kalo's ship, huh?" she asked.

"No," said Ashley. "She came back to the Normandy, but after a couple of days she just... vanished." Ashley shook her head. "I suspect foul play."

"You think that message was responsible somehow?" Jodie asked.

"It could've been," Ashley replied. "But I don't know. I'm not about to make a judgment. If we can find out for sure, great. But until then, anything's possible." She sighed. "This is fucked up."

"Tell me about it," said Jodie. "This whole thing is like something out of one of those conspiracy theories that only idiots believe in. Even I have to pinch myself sometimes to remember that this is real."

"Well, I'm glad we're on the same page about that," Ashley replied. "Well... whatever the case, I guess I'll see you elsewhere on the Citadel?"

"Yeah," said Jodie. "I'll have to find a new spot to do guitar, though. With the Tayseri Ward mostly destroyed, that complicates things a bit."

"You'll figure something out," Ashley replied. "Besides, with the payday you got from helping us on the Normandy, you should be tided over for a while."

Jodie nodded. "Of course," she said.

She then shifted her position, looking outside. Aiden chirped a couple of times, Jodie settling into the seat as she heard the entity talk. Ashley remained silent the rest of the ride, and for once, Jodie was glad she had some space to clear her head.

Jodie tapped her foot against the hard metal floor, waiting for the ship's decontamination cycle to end. She never liked the decontamination cycle on the Kolwoon class: it always took just a little longer than she would have liked. She knew how important it was, but she could not help but wonder if there was any way they could have sped it up to the speed of the Normandy's decontamination cycle.

She rubbed her forehead. Damn, that ship spoiled me, she thought. Am I going to think that about every other ship I enter?

As soon as this thought entered her head, however, the door into the ship opened. And standing there was Kalo'Veera nar Idenna: Jodie noticed that there was an oil stain on a part of his sash, but otherwise, the quarian looked rather similar.

"Jodie," said Kalo. "Welcome back."

Jodie smiled, Aiden clicking a few times as she stepped in. "Hey," said Jodie. She then nodded, looking at Kalo's oil stain. "Where did that come from?"

"I had to apply grease to a particularly old joint," said Kalo. He shrugged. "I would get a new one, but it would be prohibitively expensive, I fear."

Jodie nodded. "You do what you can," she said. She then walked in, Kalo following her. "I can't thank you enough for letting me stay here."

"Think nothing of it," said Kalo. "You are a friend." He then nodded. "How did your meeting with the Councillor go?"

"Okay, I guess," said Jodie as she stepped into the ship's newly-minted sleeping quarters. She sat on one of the cots right by the door, Kalo following her in and standing next to where she sat. "He didn't outright dismiss it, which is a good sign. He did say the Council might, though."

"Mm." Kalo sighed, before sitting next to Jodie on the cot. "I suppose it is not the Council's concern now."

"No," said Jodie. She then opened her omni-tool, opening the file with Shepard's dossier. "I got this, though." She gestured to the file.

Kalo leaned forward. "The Councillor gave you Shepard's dossier?" he asked.

"Better than nothing, right?" Jodie asked.

"I suppose so, but it is still useless information, no?" he asked.

Jodie shrugged. "If nothing else, it'll confirm a suspicion I've had for a while with him," she said.

Kalo's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, when we dealt with Cerberus on the Normandy, he would get very, very angry," Jodie replied. "He... He actually punched a wall so hard he dented it the one time."

Kalo cringed. "Keelah," he thought. "You do not believe..."

"Cerberus may have done something in Shepard's past, certainly," she said. She then looked at the file. "Maybe something in here can at least confirm that."

"Confirmation is still useful," Kalo added. He patted his legs, looking at the ground. "But that cannot explain everything."

"No," said Jodie. She closed the omni-tool, leaning back against the wall. "It doesn't explain the secrecy, or why he would masquerade as a human for this long. We know he wants to destroy Cerberus, but what does he want with the Council?"

Kalo sighed. "And the rest of the galaxy as well," he said, looking at Jodie. "If he is practicing that kind of deception that landed him in the Spectres..."

"I don't know..." said Jodie.

Kalo paused, looking down at the floor. He then turned around, placing one leg on the bed. "If you ever need to go anywhere, you can rely on me," he said.

Jodie blinked, the confusion evident. "Kalo?" she asked.

The quarian bowed his head. "I feel you may need help," he said. "If you want my help, then I am here."

Jodie blinked, before scooting away a little. "Oh, no. No." She shook her head. "You're not involving yourself any more than you already have."

"And why not?" Kalo asked. "I trust you to do the right thing, Jodie."

"Yeah, but..." Jodie shook her head. "Kalo, you're already deep enough in this whole thing as it is. I can't drag you with me. You... There's a Fleet that needs you. You could go to them."

"I doubt that would matter considering that Shepard could be a threat to the Fleet as well," said Kalo. He then rubbed her shoulder. "If this galaxy is a threat, the Fleet can wait. And besides..." He shrugged. "It is the least I can do for you, for remaining a steadfast friend." He shrugged. "And besides, I am already deep in this thing. Did you not join Shepard to see it to the end?"

Jodie looked at Kalo, before sighing. "I suppose I did," she said. She sighed. "I just... I'm worried that I'd get you hurt. I don't know if I could ever forgive myself if you got hurt because I dragged you into this."

"You will not have to worry about that," he said. "I cannot guarantee it will not happen, but I will not blame you for it."

Jodie pulled her legs up to her chest. "I only hope you don't get hurt," she said.

Kalo nodded. "We shall see," he said. "In the meantime, I suppose there is other work I should do."

Jodie smiled. "Do you need any help with that?"

The quarian stood up, offering his hand to Jodie. "I think I could use your help with something," he said. "How good are you at holding things in place?"

"Pretty decent," Jodie said. "But if I falter, Aiden can pick up the slack."

"Good," said Kalo. "Come."

And with this, Jodie took Kalo's hand, the quarian helping Jodie out of the bed. The two of htem then walked out of the room, heading towards the main chamber where the lab space was already beginning to take shape.

Jodie carried her guitar again, feeling the weight of the case as she moved along. It felt a little strange to get into this routine again, what with having been out of practice for several months. But it was a pretty easy thing to pick right back up, she knew: strumming chords was never very hard. Sure, she would like to build up the dexterity to do those guitar riffs she used to do as a teenager, but that kind of hard metal shredding was something she no longer felt was tasteful.

She thus stepped into the 800 blocks. That was where at least some of the people she was acquainted with on the Citadel had gone. The money was not as good according to some, but the patrons were not so stuffy. Jodie was a little confused by why people tagged that on, as Jodie never really felt any snobbishness from the Tayseri Ward patrons, but that was how it is.

Jodie sat down, looking around the ward. There were a few shops close to where she was, though one of them was still closed. Understandably so, of course: the large dent in the store's facade told her that it had sustained some fairly serious damage when Sovereign had blown up. There were still a good deal of people bustling about, though: it gave a rather busy feel to the whole place.

Jodie placed her guitar case down, opening it and pulling the guitar out. She strummed it, sighing in relief when she found it had not been detuned in any way. She sat up, quickly turning the guitar case around. Jodie already closed her eyes, thinking about what to play next.

Finally, she struck out an E Major chord. She strummed at the instrument for about a minute or so, hammering out what she could remember of the chord progression.

It's been so long since I've played this, she thought. She sat back, still strumming as she heard Aiden chirp overhead.

And then, she began to sing the lyrics of The Golden Age, closing her eyes as she sang. Her voice, admittedly, was not the most trained, but in what it had in shakiness it more than made up for in emotion in some sense. Jodie leaned forward, thankful that on the Citadel her fingers at least risked nothing in the way of freezing over. She simply kept strumming her guitar, singing along as she bobbed her head in time.

And every few seconds, she would hear Aiden chirp. This brought a soft smile to Jodie's face: she knew just as well as Aiden did that they could not hear him. The fact taht he did it at all, though, was nice. And so, Jodie kept playing, though her voice carried a little more in the din of the 800 blocks' work day.

As soon as the song ended, Jodie paused, opening her eyes as her fingers idly plucked at the guitar. She looked up, smiling up at Aiden while preparing her next song in her head.

"And here I thought I'd never see something like that on here."

Jodie jumped a little, glancing immediately to her left. She blinked in surprise, seeing a young-looking drell sitting next to her. Light teal scales adorned his face, interrupted by splotches of black here and there. Jodie found herself most unsettled at the all-black eyes: she could see the outline of what might have been his pupils, but these were barely registered under the blackness of Jodie's eyes.

Jodie exhaled, Aiden grumbling in distaste. "Jesus," said Jodie. "That came from out of nowhere."

The drell shrugged, turning away from Jodie. "My uncle tells me I'm good at just appearing in front of people," he said, his gravelly voice making him seem older than he really was. "Tells me I'm just like my father that way."

Jodie frowned. "Well, I was thinking more that you scared me half to death, but, uh... I guess that works too," she said. She looked over. "What are you doing here?"

"Is it so wrong to just sit next to a musician while they play on the street?" the drell replied.

"Usually, they don't just appear from thin air," Jodie replied. "I'm not going to say no, but at least announce your presence first!"

"I just did that," the drell replied, though his tone indicated he spat it more than he meant it.

"Um... not really," said Jodie.

"Whatever," the drell said, pulling his legs up to his chest. "Name's Kolyat."

"Jodie," Jodie replied. She then shrugged looking back at the guitar. "So what are you here for?"

"My aunt and uncle took me with them for a business trip," he said. "They'll be coming here every weekend for the next three months, and since there's no one at home that'll watch me..."

Jodie shrugged. "That's not so bad." She then strummed quickly for effect. "I mean, you get to see the galaxy, right?"

"That implies I want to see the galaxy," Kolyat fired back. "And that I want to see it so soon after a big geth attack."

"I wouldn't let that deter me," Jodie replied. "You only have one life, you know. Better to use it to make it as fulfilling as possible."

"Hmph," said Kolyat. "Maybe." He shook his head, looking back at Jodie. "So you like Beck, huh?"

"Yeah," said Jodie. "He just... speaks to me, you know?"

"I know the feeling," said Kolyat as he pulled his legs in. "I found him on an extranet search. He really speaks to me too."

Jodie nodded. "I guess he speaks to a lot of people, then," Jodie said. "And that's interesting, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Kolyat replied. He looked over. "Don't let me stop you. You've still got credits to earn, right?"

"Oh, sorry," said Jodie. She then strummed another chord under Kolyat's supervision, and then eventually she settled on a C Major chord.

She then launched into a rendition of Lost Cause. This time, she began tapping her foot on the floor of the Citadel, keeping time in this way as she played on. For a second, she flashed back to that cold street that she played on the side, right down to Kolyat's stare. It was not scrutinizing for her, even if she had a feeling others would feel that way. Rather, it felt enriching, knowing that someone actually cared enough from outside of the ship to miss her when she had vanished.

It gave her vigor. And even though the tone of Lost Cause was depressing, she hammered at it a little more cheerfully.

When the song ended, Kolyat was still there. He was quiet, his expression difficult to read. Jodie, however, noticed that his posture had shifted into something more relaxed.

Kolyat nodded, patting his own knees. "Well, I have to go," he said. "My uncle's probably ready to call C-SEC in a hurry asking where I am. They're that paranoid. But if you're going to be here for a while..."

Jodie nodded. "I'll be here for some time," she said. "Maybe I'll see you around?"

"Maybe," said Kolyat. "I'm glad I finally have someone on this damn station I can talk to."

"I think you'll find that lots of people here can be talked to," Jodie replied. "You take care, Kolyat."

"I'll come see you when I'm ever on the station," said Kolyat.

He then pushed himself off the ground and began walking away. In short order, the drell disappeared into the crowd. Jodie sighed, plucking some of the strings of her guitar absently.

Aiden chirped above her, and Jodie leaned forward.

Oh? she asked. I see... Did he always look that sour to you?

Aiden gurgled in response.

Jodie sat back. "Figures," she thought. "Probably like me when I was younger..."

She then shrugged, and strummed another chord.

"Well... maybe we'll see him again," she said.

And then, she strummed a definite D Major chord.

Several hours later, Jodie had packed up her guitar, and walked all the way through the Citadel to get back to Kalo's ship. The walk was a rather lengthy one, sure, but Jodie preferred to make that walk rather than take the rapid transit. There was something more calming about walking a rather lengthy distance on the way home. It was almost something therapeutic, really.

And as she walked on, she walked by a few familiar places. The med bay that Dr. Michel was located, the rapid transit station she'd used to go to the Tayseri Ward, a few other more noticeable locations...

...and then there was the one location she was always looking forward to seeing.

"Well, if it isn't the accidental racist once again."

Jodie sighed, looking over as she passed by Sura. The asari had just been walking out of office, now dressed in fatigues. "Are you ever going to stop calling me that?" Jodie asked.

"Well, that depends," said Sura. She then leaned against a wall as Jodie stopped in front of her. "How have you been?"

"I've been okay," said Jodie. "Still have a few things to worry about, but I'll get to worrying about that as I go on around here."

"Still, everything's been fine," she said. "And how's Kalo?"

"Kalo's been doing great," Jodie replied. "Before long, his ship will be ready to help the Fleet."

"That's good," said Sura. She smiled, the first really genuine smile Jodie had seen her give. "He's going to do great things for the Fleet."

"You seem to have taken to him," said Jodie.

Sura shrugged. "Well, that's what happens when you've got a quarian for a father."

Jodie blinked. "Wait, your father is a quarian?" she asked.

"Was," Sura corrected. She sighed. "Unlike a lot of people on the Citadel, I'm old enough to remember what a quarian's face looks like under that mask. Just old enough, too; it was weird becoming a maiden and then seeing quarians wearing those suits all around."

Jodie nodded. "I see..." she said. "So that's why you said Keelah se'lai when he got the ship, right?"

"Yep," said Sura as she crossed her arms. She looked up. "Father was a hardass. He didn't live long, unfortunately. A geth unit though he'd make a great wall decoration." Her eyes narrowed, glancing to the side with anger. "Died with a bunch of other people on Rannoch."

Jodie nodded, frowning. "I'm sorry for your loss," she replied.

"Hey, it was three hundred years ago," said Sura. "Heartless as it might seem, a girl can get over things over three hundred years." She sighed. "I still remember the way he'd look at me, though."

Jodie nodded. "He must've been a good father," she said.

"He always looked so happy," Sura said. "He was a marine, I remember that much. And a very sweet man..." Sura's usually sarcastic look had faded away, instead replaced by a far-off, nostalgic look. "I remember when he'd come home, he'd always play with me. He did nothing but stay at home with us whenever we came. And sometimes, he invited his friends..." She chuckled. "I remember I wanted to eat his pot roast he'd make for them so bad. But of course, there were the damn amino acids..."

"And now I'm almost jealous," Jodie replied.

"It was a good home life," said Sura. She frowned. "And it got taken away by the Goddess-damned Geth." She clenched her hand into a fist. "Mom was never the same after he died. We knew it would come eventually, but that soon..." Sura scowled. "I joined C-SEC to honor his memory. He was a good man. He didn't deserve to go out like that."

Jodie nodded, crossing her arms. "I see..." she said. She sighed. "I guess some day I'll find out what you did to get here?"

"Maybe," said Sura. She then pushed off. "I should get going for home. If you ever need anything, feel free to stop by."

"Sure thing," Jodie replied, smiling. "You take care of yourself, Sura."

"You too," said the asari. "Oh, and try not to call a turian spiky on your way home, eh?"

Jodie's eyes narrowed in displeasure. The asari simply chuckled, walking past Jodie and patting her on the back. "I kid, I kid," she replied. "I'll see you around."

And with this, the asari walked away. Jodie shook her head, turning away and resuming walking in the direction she was originally heading.

And once again, Jodie's life fell into a routine that she felt quite comfortable with. Wake up in Kalo's ship, get some credits by playing guitar, see Sura on the way back, look at information on Shepard on the downtime, rinse and repeat.

Kolyat would of course come around every so often, but this new addition to the schedule was nothing huge for Jodie. The young drell was rather abrasive, but Jodie eventually got used to his abrasive attitude as time went on. She figured pretty quickly that Kolyat had a rather interesting home life: she always thought of herself when she was a rebellious teenager when he was around.

He'll grow out of it, she said to herself. I know I did...

Nevertheless, she adhered to her schedule. Every so often, she would see Xerxes, of course, and now she did not object to his tendency to shower expensive items on her as much as she did before. After all, knowing that she and Xerxes were more similar in some ways than anyone could have known, they had come to an understanding, and Jodie did not feel as guilty of sabotaging his bank account as she did before.

And then there was Ashley. Ashley had to leave with the Normandy after Shepard returned from wherever he had taken leave. They had taken to patrolling the Terminus systems for geth activity, which was a rather small job. This gave Jodie some time to regroup, but at the same time it gave Ash nothing in the way of discerning anything about Shepard's true nature. Thus, a month past with no true updates.

And for a while, Jodie was fine with this. The anxiety of not knowing anything more about Shepard began to subside. She had played the intelligence-gathering game with Ryan, after all: she knew that it could sometimes take a while to get anynew intel.

After a month, there was finally a break.

It was a break that would be delivered in the most unexpected way possible, however...

Jodie sat back, looking over her guitar. She strummed it lightly, looking up at the ceiling.

"So that is how it sounds live? Interesting..."

Kalo leaned forward, looking at Jodie with his head tilted in curiosity. They were alone on Kalo's ship, the two of them in a lull between installing terminals on one of the many berths meant for scientific discovery. It was a break both of them had welcomed: Kalo was getting exhausted after a long day, as was Jodie. Since Kalo had still not heard Jodie's playing, they had decided to give a sample.

Jodie simply smiled. "I'm glad you like it," she said.

"It is very different from a recording," Kalo replied. He then sat next to Jodie. "It sounds more... open. Free."

"Well, you know how it is," said Jodie as she chuckled nervously. She paused, looking down at her guitar. "I can't imagine you have anything on the Fleet..."

"If we do, I haven't seen it," Kalo admitted. He sighed. "It has to exist somewhere, but..."

"Maybe it does," said Jodie. She then looked at the guitar, sighing. "You just need to look."

"Perhaps," said Kalo. "Still... I wish some day I could touch a musical instrument. I heard all about them in the vids I watched growing up. I grew... intrigued. I always wondered what it would be like to play one.

Jodie nodded, glancing down at her own guitar. She then shrugged, looking over at the quarian. "You want to try?"

Kalo blinked in surprise, pointing at Jodie's guitar. "That?" he asked.

Jodie shrugged, smiling. "Don't see why not," she replied.

"But..." He then lifted his hands, showing the rubber pods underneath the fingers. "Would these not damage the strings?"

"They're metal," Jodie replied, lifting the guitar's neck. "I'm sure they can take it. And hey, there are always solutions..."

Kalo nodded, one of his hands grabbing the guitar. "Well, if you say so," he said.

They then slid the guitar into Kalo's lap, the quarian shifting his legs awkwardly as he settled the instrument into his lap. The quarian looked on, his left hand awkwardly holding the guitar's neck from above. He frowned, moving his hand, but never bringing it under the neck.

Jodie shook her head, smiling gently as she leaned over, taking a hold of Kalo's wrist. "No no, you put it under the neck," she said, gently guiding Kalo's hand to the proper position.

The quarian chuckled nervously. "Hm... It is more comfortable that way..." he said. "I pondered more what I would do with the lack of two fingers, though..." He then flexed his two fingers.

"There's probably something you can come up with," Jodie replied, watching as the quarian shifted his legs so the guitar would sit in his lap more comfortably. "I imagine there are more than a few people that come up with... creative solutions."

"Possibly," said Kalo. The quarian then strummed the guitar, all of the strings sounding vibrantly. He looked down, turning his head in confusion. He then looked to Jodie, Jodie seeing that his eye lights had formed into an embarrased expression. "Um... how do I get the other notes?"

Jodie chuckled. "You press those fingers down," she said.

Kalo then placed one of his fingers on one of the frets. "Like that?" he asked.

Jodie looked over, again moving Kalo's finger off the fret. "No no, in between those bumps," she said. "Like... that." She then nodded. "Now, pluck."

Kalo strummed again, a new chord sounding from the strings, perhaps flavored by the added dissonance from where Kalo's finger was placed. "Oh..." He looked down, his finger straightening. "And I can pluck one string only, right?"

"Yeah," said Jodie. "You can do that too."

The quarian proceeded to do just that. He then turned to Jodie, his eyes seeming to shine brighter than they usually did. He plucked again, moving his finger to another space between frets. He slid the finger to another fret, plucking the string. He then leaned over, plucking another string as he moved his finger into another space between frets.

"This..." Kalo's voice was hushed, almost in reverence. "I never thought I would be able to touch something like this... I would watch from afar, but..."

Jodie placed a hand on his shoulder. "We don't always," said Jodie. She then smiled, patting Kalo's shoulder. "I guess there's an upside to dreaming..."

"There is..." Kalo breathed out.

Jodie heard Kalo exhale, before he turned to look at her. Jodie simply smiled, looking at Kalo as his grip on the guitar's neck lightened. Jodie shifted her posture, sharing a silence with the quarian. As her heart began to beat a little faster, the guitar settled in Kalo's lap, and somehow Jodie could sense that Kalo was smiling underneath that mask he always wore.

And then, Jodie's omni-tool beeped loudly.

Aiden shrieked loudly, Jodie sighing as the moment was ruined. "Sorry," she said. "I must not have turned it on."

"It is fine," said Kalo, adjusting so that the guitar sat comfortably in his lap. "I wonder what it could be..."

Jodie then opened the omni-tool, seeing it was a call from...

"Ashley?" Jodie blinked. She then accepted the call, shifting her posture. "Ashley?"

"Jodie!" said Ashley. In the background, Jodie could hear a lot of movement, a lot of hushed voices talking. "Oh, thank God you're there! It's... It's a clusterfuck over here!"

Jodie blinked. "Ashley?" she asked. "Is everything all right?"

"Jodie..." Ashley replied. "Jodie, don't tell me you haven't seen the news."

Jodie and Kalo both turned to each other. "The news?" Jodie asked as she turned her attention back to her omni-tool. "I... I haven't checked in all day. I was busy helping Kalo on the ship." She then leaned forward. "Why? What's going on?"

"It's the Normandy..." Ashley replied. "Jodie, she's been destroyed."

Jodie's muscles tensed, Aiden releasing a shrill cry. "The... what!?" Jodie asked as she stood up.

"We were taken by surprise," said Ashley. "We're cruising around patrolling for geth, and then we're jumped on by a vessel. I have no idea what it was, but it was big, and it tore the ship in half!"

Jodie breathed in, her heart rate spiking for a second as she leaned forward. "Oh my God... Is everyone all right?" she asked. "Are you all right?"

"Well, I'm fine, otherwise I wouldn't have been cleared to use the omnitool," Ashley replied. "But we have a few casualties. Tali and Garrus are both fine, and Joker's fine too. So's the doctor. But... But most of the crew didn't make it out alive."

Jodie paused. "You didn't mention Shepard," she said.

Ashley went quiet, the voices in the background seeming to come into prominence. Jodie felt her throat dry up, and she heard Kalo stand up behind her as Aiden began to gurgle lowly.

"Jodie..." Ashley began. "Joker wouldn't leave the ship at first. Shepard went to the cockpit to get him. Shepard..."

Ashley took a deep breath.

"He wasn't in the escape pod with Joker. Joker says he saw Shepard get blasted out into space, saw his air supply get cut open. Shepard's dead, Jodie. He's gone."