**Updated**

I do not own Mass Effect or any of the characters.

Warning: Strong Language

Chapter 4: Shadows of the Past

The now infamous first trial of the traitor Saren Arterius has been heavily scrutinized and criticized by leadership across the galaxy. While the evidence was admittedly shoddy and prior to his involvement with the Geth, he was the most respected and accomplished Spectres of his time, to this day there is outrage on the lack of consideration the Council paid into looking into these claims. So much so that it is widely accepted as the bases for the Spectre review meeting, in which a Spectre is put up for review once every five years.

"The crimes and Consequences of Saren Arterius", by Erin Frenters. Year 2246.

-Line Break-

Helping the Consort had proven to be much more time consuming than Shepard had originally thought it would. As it turned out, convincing Septimus to lay off had only been one part of the mission.

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(Flashback)

"Are you serious?" Shepard deadpanned. "The reason you're talking shit about the Consort is because she didn't want to marry you?"

"You don't understand, human." Septimus replied. "During my years as a general I have seen the worst this galaxy has to offer. And through it all, the only thing that has helped sooth me has been Sha'ira."

Sha'ira was the name of the Consort, not exactly a secret but not widely known.

"Oh, suck it up", Shepard exclaimed, losing his patience. This had already been a very long day and he still had a meeting with the Council to suffer through. Shepard had become very good at hiding his emotions over the years, however he felt himself snap dealing with the love-struck Turian.

"So you fell for a woman that doesn't love you back", Shepard continued, "you really think you're the first one. At least she still lets you see her and who knows what else, that's more than most get. Do you really want to ruin all that and lose her completely?"

The general thought for a moment, a conflicted look coming across his face as he considered his two options.

"I…I can't lose her." He finally said with a sigh. "I'll take what I can get, even if she'll never give me what I really want. Thank you, Commander. I'm going to talk to her right now."

Setting his drink down Septimus rose to his feet and walked past Shepard towards the exit. When he got a few steps past the Commander his paused and turned back towards the human.

"Now that I think about it, I might be in need of your help human." Septimus addressed Shepard. "While I was still angry and bitter with the Consort I may have done something I shouldn't have."

Shepard sighed before responding to the Turian.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"I leaked some rather sensitive information regarding the Elcor diplomat and told him it was Sha'ira." The general admitted, ashamed. "I knew he was a client of hers as well and everything said to her is meant to be confidential. I thought if she could no longer be the Consort she might accept my offer and be with me."

Shepard had to snort at that, despite the fact it meant more work for him.

'I will never understand the power jealousy has over people of all species.' He thought to himself.

"Alright, I'll deal with it." Shepard said.

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(Present)

After he left Chora's Den, Shepard and his team had run back over to the Citadel Embassies and found the Elcor diplomat in question. Thankfully Septimus had given him all the proof he needed to convince said diplomat of Sha'ira's innocence. Once they had left he peeked in to check on Anderson and Udina only to find both of them gone.

"Shit", he had said. "They must have already left for the Tower."

After that the three of them had sprinted through the Presidium and onto the elevator, which rose slowly into the Tower. The view would have been incredible if he wasn't so concerned with being late.

"Why are elevator's so fucking slow." He shouted, startling Ashley and Kaidan in the process. "I mean we can get anywhere in the galaxy in less than a day yet it takes ten freaking minutes to go up a few floors."

"It's probably supposed to build some kind of drama or something", Ashley said.

"Yet another reason why I hate politics", Shepard said with a snort of disdain. "Everything's a fucking production."

"Not a fan of the Council sir?" Kaidan asked. Shepard let out a laugh.

"I can respect what they're trying to do. It's a good dream, bringing all the races in the galaxy together in peace. But in doing so they are have become so afraid of action, so afraid for anything to change, they ignore chances to make a real difference."

The conversation was brought to an abrupt stop when the elevator finally reached its destination, doors opening onto the most impressive part of the Citadel. The top of Citadel Tower was as one might expect. Clean with hints of nature snuck in such as a fountain and several trees spread around. Diplomats and other such people of all races meandered around, talking to each other about this and that. Several sets of stairs separated by landing lead towards the giant windows on the far wall several hundred yards away.

"Wow, seeing this tower from the Normandy really didn't do justice to its size." Ashley breathed out in wonder.

"Yea, but it's not quite as big it looked from the Presidium", Kaidan commented.

"Yea, yea. We can look at the pretty building later", Shepard began, "but right now we need to get to the Council's meeting space."

Moving at a brisk pace the three humans set off up the first set of stairs. Once they reached the top they were met with the sight of two arguing Turians. They were both about the same height however were clad in two different colors. The one that appeared to be trying to appeal to the other wore a blue color while the other was in red. As usual the markings on their faces were different, both in design and color.

"Saren's hiding something", the blue clad Turian was saying, "give me more time. Stall them."

"Stall the Council?" The red one responded. "Don't be ridiculous, your investigation is over Garrus." After saying this the red clad Turian turned and walked away. The blue one, now identified as Garrus, let out a frustrated sigh before finally noticing the three humans. After a moment he approached them.

"Commander Shepard?" Garrus began. "Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."

Shepard gave the Turian a quick once over.

"Who were you just talking to?" He asked.

"That was executor Pallin", Garrus explained, "head of Citadel Security. My boss. He'll be presenting my findings on Saren to the Council."

"Judging by what I just overheard I'm guessing your investigation didn't go well." Shepard said.

"You could say that", Garrus responded. "But I don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. He's bad, I know it. I can, as you humans say, feel it in my gut. But he's a Spectre, everything he touches is classified. I couldn't find anything solid, nothing sticks."

"I think the Council's ready for us, Commander", Kaidan interrupted.

"Yea…well, nice meeting you and all but we've got to go", Shepard said.

"Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you", Garrus said in farewell.

Moving around the fountain the small group proceeded up the stairs and found themselves on another flat area, this one with a small assortment of plants in the center rather than the fountain they had seen on the previous level. As they were moving across the platform Shepard picked up the conversation between a Salarian and Turian Diplomat.

"Don't be ridiculous", the Salarian was saying. "The Volus won't be joining the Council for years."

"I'm not so sure", the Turian responded. "The humans are making a strong push and you can bet the Volus will be right on their coattails if they succeed."

"Allowing the humans to join is a sound strategic move, but the Volus?" The Salarian responded. "No, the Hanar are most likely to be the next. Then the Elcor."

Shepard paid them no mind and continued on his way. From here he could make out the form of Captain Anderson waiting for him on top of the stairs.

"The hearing's already started. Come on", Anderson said impatiently.

'Shit, I knew I was going to be late', He thought to himself.

Proceeding up the last couple steps he could hear the sounds of the meeting ahead of him. Once he reached the top he was able to see the Council's meeting chambers for the first time. Closest to him was a platform with Udina already standing on it. Across the room the Council stood at their platforms, all three standing straight and looking very regal. All around, about twenty feet off the ground, were balconies holding dozens of diplomats of all races observing the trial before them. Off to the left of the Council, in giant holographic form, was a Turian that Shepard could only assume was Saren. While him being twenty feet tall as a hologram enhanced his intimidating form Shepard could tell even at his regular height this was a Turian that could put fear into even the most hardened general. Beneath it all lay a silent cockiness, like he already knew he was going to get away with it. Shepard hated him immediately.

"The Geth attack is a matter of some concern", the Asari Councilor was saying. "But there is nothing to indicate Saren was in any way involved."

After the Asari had finished speaking the Turian Councilor stepped in.

"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your claim of treason", he said.

"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood", Udina argued.

"We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador", the Salarian Councilor answered. "The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling evidence."

Shepard had never been very fond of Salarians. They tended to be much too dependent on logic rather than what they feel. This often resulted in them coming across as utter dicks.

"I resent these accusations", Saren spoke. "Nihlus was a fellow Spectre, and a friend."

This was Shepard's first chance to hear the Turian speak. His voice did a good job wrapping up his whole badass Turian look. It was gravelly and intimidating, and somehow made Shepard hate him even more. Beside him he saw Anderson step forward and raise a pointed finger towards the Turian.

"That just let you catch him off guard." The Captain exclaimed.

Even as a hologram Shepard could see the obvious look of contempt Saren leveled at Anderson. It appeared as though the Turian Spectre knew Anderson somehow. His suspicions were confirmed a moment later when Saren spoke.

"Captain Anderson", he began. "You always seem to be involved whenever humanity makes false accusations against me. And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the Beacon get destroyed."

Shepard had had enough of hearing other people talk, though he often didn't mind staying silent and letting other people argue. But this had already been a long day and he was reaching the end of his rope.

"Ok first of all, I'm not his protégé", Shepard began. "Second, how would you know about the Beacon. That entire mission was supposed to be top secret."

"With Nihlus gone, his files passed on to me", Saren responded with the Turian equivalent of a smirk. "I read the Eden Prime report. I was unimpressed. But what can you expect from a human?"

Shepard leveled a disbelieving stare at the Council.

"Are you serious", he exclaimed. "We make an accusation regarding one of your agents and the first thing you do is turn over reports of what happened to the agent we just freaking accused."

"Be very careful how you speak Commander", the Asari Councilor responded in a warning tone. Shepard opened his mouth to continue but looking at the Asari he saw her give an almost imperceptible shake of her head. So, thinking better of it he took a deep breath and instead went back to addressing Saren.

"Insults…typical. Saren hates humanity and would have no problem attacking one of our colonies." He said instead.

"Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard", the Turian responded. "You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres."

While Shepard refused to rise to Saren's obvious goading it seemed Udina did not have as much self-control. Strange considering he was an ambassador.

"He has no right to say that", Udina exclaimed angrily. "That's not his decision."

The Asari Councilor was quick to step in and try to placate the human ambassador.

"Shepard's Admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting", she said in her soothing voice.

Saren took this time to jump in with a comment of his own.

"This meeting has no purpose", he said. "The humans are wasting your time, Councilor. And their wasting mine."

"Yea, laugh while you can asshole", Shepard said with a growl. "The Council's not going to protect you forever. And when they leave you on your own, I'm gonna be there to show you exactly how dangerous humans can be when you piss them off."

"Shepard", Anderson hissed silent enough for only them him and the other humans to hear, "that's enough. Don't jeopardize your candidacy any more than it already is."

"Let me make this clear commander", the Turian Councilor said. "If you should go after Saren the Council will order your arrest. That is if Saren leaves you in one peace."

"Enough…all of you", the Salarian Councilor stepped in this time. "Let us not allow ourselves to be distracted. Now, thus far we have seen no evidence to prove that Saren was involved in any way in what happened to the human colony of Eden Prime."

"There is still one outstanding issue", Anderson said. "Commander Shepard's vision. It may have been triggered by the Beacon."

As soon as he said it Shepard felt like putting his head in his hands.

'You idiot', Shepard thought. 'That just got rid of any credibility our accusation had remaining.'

Saren took that moment to jump in. It seemed he had seen the weakness the same as Shepard.

"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now?" Saren asked disbelievingly. "How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?"

It appeared this 'trial' was about to come to an end. The Turian Councilor made sure to follow Saren's lead and leap upon the opening his fellow Turian had created.

"I agree", the Councilor said. "Our judgment must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation."

True to the Salarians neutral tendencies, the Councilor turned to Shepard for any more comments.

"Do you have anything else to add, Commander Shepard?" He asked.

"You three have already made your decisions", Shepard began, "I won't waste my breath."

The Turian Councilor turned to the Asari and gave a slow, disapproving shake of his head. Shepard could tell the Turian was going to be problem going forward. He didn't know if he was just anti-human or pro-Turian.

"The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the Geth", the Asari Councilor declared. "Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied."

"I'm glad to see justice was served", Saren said with that same smirk that Shepard wanted nothing more than to wipe of his face. Preferably with a shotgun. The hologram flickered off and he was gone.

"Now, since we are here we might as well discuss the commander", the Asari Councilor said. With a simple gesture the C-Sec agents in the area set to work clearing the immediate area of anyone and everyone. It appeared that they did not want everyone to know about Shepard's perspective candidacy to the Spectres, though Saren had hinted towards it. The entire process only took a few minutes, mostly because the watching Diplomats were very cooperative with C-Sec.

"Now, we are going to be discussing the results of Shepard's background check," the Asari continued. "We had one of our other Spectre agents, who shall remain nameless, check into it."

"The results of our search were very mixed", the Salarian continued. "You were born on Mindoir, a small human farming settlement in the Attican Traverse. You lived a simple life, the first of two children born into a simple farming family yet received attention from the Alliance military at an early age for your powerful biotic potential."

"Then came the day of the attack", this time the Turian jumped in. Like the other two he was reading off a screen that no doubt held the Spectre's report. "In the year 2167, when you were just 8 years old, a group of Batarian slavers attacked the colony. Those who weren't killed were taken prisoner and implanted with cranial implants that they used to control them. Your parents were confirmed as two of those killed."

"Somehow you were able to escape the initial onslaught and make it through the attack with your sister", the Salarian continued the story.

'What is this a freaking class read-along?' He thought.

"You were able to survive on your own for more than 15 hours waiting for Alliance Marines to breach the Batarian's defenses", the Salarian continued. "Eventually you were rescued and taken off world by the Alliance ship, the SSV Einstein, and it's executive commanding officer Hannah Shepard, no relation. You were onboard the ship for a week while it travelled to Earth to drop you off until relatives could be tracked down. During that week neither of you were very outgoing, in fact you didn't say a single word to anyone aboard the ship. However, it is reported your sister, Jane, grew somewhat close with Hannah."

"You however did not", the Asari jumped in. "You two were dropped off on Earth while the SSV Einstein went back to its previous mission. You and your sister were placed in an orphanage temporarily, however after a week it was discovered the two of you had no more living relatives. As such the two of you were officially put up for adoption."

'I really don't know why we're going through all this. It's nothing I don't know and nothing they don't know. I guess Kaidan and Ashley don't know but I doubt this is for their benefit.' He thought to himself.

"You, commander, were only at the orphanage for two months before you disappeared", The Turian said. "Not much is known about the case, only that you had an incident with another boy and disappeared later that night, by yourself. May I ask why you didn't take your sister with you?"

Shepard kept up his usual stoic demeaner however flinched on the inside. He had never doubted his decision that night, he knew he made the right choice. But that didn't mean it didn't affect him.

"I knew what I was getting myself into", Shepard explained after a moments pause. "It's not like I was going into some cushy home. Life at that place was tough, the whole place was cold, the food was scarce and what food we did get tasted like shit. I left so I could earn some money and give my sister a better life."

"Ah yes", the Salarian said, "it was reported that every week a hefty sum of credits would be transferred to the orphanage with instructions to give it to Ms. Jane Shepard. The first time the money showed up a staff member tried to keep it for himself. Less than a week later he was mugged and hospitalized. Was that you?"

"What?" Shepard asked, his voice laced with clearly fake shock. "Someone stole the money I sent to Jane? I had no idea. I'm just glad karma got him. Did that happen again do you know?"

All three Councilors stared at him with looks of disbelief however none commented on it. Instead the Asari moved on to their next findings.

"Anyway", she said, "that was the last time our agent was able to prove where you were. Your sister was adopted 1 year after you left by none other than Hannah Shepard. Her ship completed its mission and she went to check in on the two of you. Learning that you had disappeared she decided to adopt Jane, who was 5 years old at the time. And, legally, she also adopted you. Though you were never found until you signed on with the Alliance Military when you were 21 years old. Of course, you were no longer a child, and such were not sent to Hannah Shepard."

"In fact,", the Turian Councilor interrupted, "as far as we know you have not had any contact with either Hannah or Jane Shepard since you disappeared from that orphanage. Both have made several requests to be put in contact with you since hearing of your enlistment however have been denied each time. Would you like to explain why you have not made any attempts to contact them in nearly twenty years?"

"Maybe we don't get along", he said. Neither his voice nor his expression allowed those in the room to decipher what was going through his head. Again, not one of the Councilors believed him but did not press the matter.

"Now, during your time with the Alliance you have accomplished an impressive number of things," Valern, the Salarian Councilor said. "You were the youngest to ever earn your N7, the closest thing your species has to the Salarian's Special Tasks Group. After graduating you were a part of three very notable missions. The first was your defense of the human colony of Elysium in what your species calls the Skyllian Blitz. You were on shore leave celebrating your graduation from the N7 program with several other graduates when the group of pirates and mercenaries attacked the colony. The five of you defended the colony and rallied its defenses to hold off the attackers until Alliance reinforcements arrived to drive them back. During your defense three of your four teammates lost their lives. Your heroics earned you the name, the Lion of Elysium."

The Salarian stopped talking and looked at Shepard expectantly.

"If you're asking me something you'll need to be clearer than that", Shepard said irritately. "Yes, I was there. I wouldn't exactly call those people my friends, but they were good guys…and girl. I'm sorry they died but it's not like it broke me up."

"Moving on", Tevos, the Asari Councilor jumped in. "That was a defining moment in your career for two reasons. You were awarded the Star of Terra for your efforts on Elysium, however you were also put in charge of your own unit just a month later when the Alliance mounted a raid on the Batarian stronghold of Torfan in retaliation for the Skyllian Blitz. There you showed a more ruthless side. The original push failed so you led your unit deep underground, into the heart of their base. You threw your entire unit at the defenders, resulting in the deaths of about three quarters of your men. Your attack succeeded, you broke through their line and took the enemy base. However, you also ordered the killing of every single Batarian in that base, even the ones that surrendered. These actions earned you your second nickname, The Butcher of Torfan. My question to you is simple, do you think your actions were wrong?"

"I'm guessing your question is pertaining to my kill order", Shepard assumed. "It may have been a harsh decision, but the reality of the situation was things were bad. They may have surrendered but we were still moving through the base. There was no guarantee they wouldn't have come back after us after we had moved on. So, I made a call. Right or wrong I accept the consequences, and I don't regret it."

Kaidan and Ashley looked at the Council worriedly, but they didn't appear to be upset. In fact, they appeared to like his answer. Even Sparatus had a glimmer of respect in his eyes for the human standing before them. There appeared to be one question left, this one from the Salarian.

"There is one last mission that sticks out in your service history", Sparatus, the Turian Councilor said. "About a year and a half after the events on Torfan you were sent down to investigate a potential settlement effort on Akuze. The pioneer team humanity sent in was lost, you received no contact from them. You led a team of marines to investigate their disappearance. During your first night there, your unit was attacked by a group of Thresher Maws. Two days later the Alliance sent in several teams to investigate what happened to you and your team. You were the only surviving member. After you were lifted off the planet you spent a month on leave, attending several Alliance mandated psych profiles to determine you were ready to return to active duty. My question to you is this, why was it you survived when no one else on your squad was able to?"

"I survived because I had the strength to", Shepard responded. "Thresher Maws are one of, if not the most, dangerous animal in the galaxy. Some tried fight, they died first. I got who I could, and we ran. Most didn't make it one hundred yards from the camp. Those who did spent the rest of the night running for our lives. As you can probably guess, I was the only one who won that race."

The Turian took a moment before nodding. Turians were taught from a young age to value their comrades. Sparatus probably didn't approve of his decision to save himself first but it was clear there was nothing Shepard could have done. Thresher Maws were no joke, if he had stayed and tried to fight he would have died to.

It appears Shepard had answered all their question because they took a moment to discuss things amongst themselves. This left the humans on the platform to wonder what they would decide regarding Shepard's, and ultimately humanity's future with the Spectres. Finally, they stepped back to their podiums and delivered their verdict.

"Commander Shepard", the Asari spoke, "it is the decision of the Council that you will continue to be evaluated for a potential space within the Spectres. Your mission on Eden Prime may have failed, however one of our best agents was killed on the same mission. You survived, showing us your skill and the strength of your resolve. You also managed to save the colony from the detonation devices the Geth planted in the main settlement. A noteworthy accomplishment. You will remain on the Citadel while we make arrangements for another Spectre to come work with you."

"This may be your chance commander", Sparatus said with a smirk. "According to our intelligence your sister is currently on shore leave here at the Citadel. She was last seen at Chora's Den a mere hour ago."

And with that the Council stepped away from their podium and left the room. Shepard stared straight ahead processing what the Turian had just said before turning and leaving the podium. Everyone was surprised when instead of stopping to talk to them he just stormed right by. He only stopped when Anderson called out to him.

"Shepard", Anderson called, "We need to talk about what just happened."

"Not a good time Anderson", he responded.

"That's Captain to you", Udina said angrily. "And what do you mean now's not a good time. Do you think just because you are a candidate for Spectre you can do whatever you want?"

"No", Shepard responded angrily. "I think I just heard that Turian bastard say my sister was on this station. And if he knows there is a good chance Saren knows as well. He probably already has agents headed towards her right now. Now Udina, I already don't like you. If you stand in my way of saving my sister I will go through you, career be damned. So, with all the respect I must show you, get the fuck out of my way."

Udina's face lit up in anger. He opened his mouth to say something that might very well have made Shepard punch him in the face and cost the commander his career, but Anderson put a stop to it. He grabbed the Ambassador's attention and shook his head, it just wasn't worth it. Udina shut his mouth and let it go, though he was far from happy about it. Before Shepard could leave Anderson gave him some advice.

"After your finished with that I recommend you track down that Garrus Vakarian", Anderson suggested. "He may have some potential leads on Saren. He's guilty…we just need to prove it."

"I have a contact in C-Sec that might be able to help", Udina said. "His name is Harkin."

"Forget it", Anderson responded. "He was suspended for drinking on the job again. Though if you really want to ask him, he's probably getting drunk down in Chora's Den. If you find him you could ask, though I doubt he'd be able to help.

Shepard gave a brief nod before he stormed off, followed by Ashley and Kaidan, who had to scramble to keep up with the commander's long strides.

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It took the three of them about twenty minutes to make it back to Chora's Den. Before they went in Shepard stopped his two teammates and gave them some last-minute orders.

"Alright, before we go in there are some things you need to know", he said. "Under no circumstances is my sister to know that I am here. We might have to wait a bit for Saren's men, if they come. If I see anyone that looks like they could be working for Saren I'll scratch the back of my neck with my left hand. If I scratch with my right hand, it just means I'm scratching. In the meantime, Kaidan you find Harkin and see if he knows where we can find Garrus. Clear?"

Both nodded though Ashley had a question for the commander.

"What do we do if you do spot some of Saren's men?" She asked. Shepard paused for a moment to think before he answered.

"I'll think of something. Now you two go in, I need to sneak in so Jane doesn't see me."

"Would she even be able to recognize you commander?" Kaidan asked.

"She may not have seen me in years, but she's almost assuredly seen a picture of me", he responded. "The Alliance has really been pushing me as what every recruit should strive to be. Pretty annoying, actually. Now go."

Kaidan and Ashley entered first. Shepard gave it to the count of twenty before entering himself. As soon as he was in he quickly went to the most crowded part of the bar, blending in with all the dancing customers. Moving to the bar he was allowed a good view of the room without leaving himself out in the open. And there she was, across the room he caught sight of a woman with shoulder length red hair. She was obviously fit, wearing semi-casual clothes typical of marines on shore leave. Shepard took a moment to observe her, she had turned into a beautiful young woman. This was the closest he had been to her in over a decade. He was incredibly proud of her, always keeping an eye on her to make sure she was alright. Just two years ago she had earned her own N7, though nowhere near the record time he did it in.

Time seemed to pass in a blur. Shepard alternated between watching her and keeping an eye on the other bar-goers. After about a half hour he was joined at the bar by Kaidan and Ashley.

"See anything yet?" She asked.

"No", he responded. "Find Harkin."

"Yes sir", Kaidan replied. "He was just as Anderson said, drunk. He was a total bum, though he did tell us where we could find Garrus."

"And where's that?" Shepard asked.

"He said Garrus has been hanging out around Dr. Michel's office", Kaidan answered. "She runs a clinic in the wards, right in the middle of that long hallway we were in before we headed to Flux."

Shepard thought for a minute before nodding.

"I think I know where that is. We'll wait a little longer, Jane is probably leaving soon anyways. I'll make sure she doesn't get jumped on her way back to her room and then we can go track down Garrus."

"Yes sir", they both answered.

Ashley followed Shepard's gaze and found herself looking at a pretty red head.

"Is that her, commander", She asked curiously.

"Yep", he responded, "that's my sister. Jane Shepard."

"Why don't you just go talk to her?" Kaidan asked.

Shepard shot him a glare so strong it made the hardened marine flinch before answering.

"It's too late", Shepard said, allowing a slight note of regret to show in his voice. "I don't want her in my world, there are too many things I want to keep her away from."

He could tell his teammates were still curious but wisely decided not to press the issue. They lapsed into another few minutes of silence before Shepard brought them back to attention.

"There they are", he breathed. The two followed his gaze to a pair of Turians sitting a little further down the bar.

"How do you know?" Ashley whispered under her breath.

"They've been glancing at her for the last fifteen minutes", Shepard answered. "That and they've been keeping those hidden blades handy."

Kaidan squinted his eyes and was just able to make out the slightest flash of metal. He didn't know how Shepard had picked up on that, but he wasn't going to question him.

"So, what's the plan?" He asked.

"Just follow my lead", Shepard responded. Downing the last of his drink he set the glass on the counter and took a deep breath. Without so much as changing his facial expression he tapped a Turian on the shoulder and, when he turned around, drove his fist into the Turian's unsuspecting face. This cause said Turian to stumble backwards, straight into a Krogan who then spilled his drink. Turning with a roar the Krogan sent the Turian flying, slamming into another Turian who collided into another Turian. The half-drunk or completely drunk Turians then set to shoving each other. This caused them to hit more of the bars customers, who then started fighting as well. In less than two minutes Chora's Den evolved into a chaotic scene of fighting a violence.

Shepard turned towards his startled teammates and smile manically.

"Bar fight", he yelled over the noise. "Meet me at the clinic."

Kaidan opened his mouth to reply before a random human grabbed him from behind. Ashley move to help her teammate, delivering a swift right hook, dropping the drunk. From that point on they were part of the fight, though their combat training proved to work pretty well in the chaos.

Shepard moved through the crowd, expertly dodging and weaving his way towards his targets. They were also moving through the crowd, headed for his sister who, upon seeing the fight break out, was headed to the exit with her friends. Before they could reach her Shepard struck in the confusion. Slipping his knife from his pocket he drove it expertly into the first Turian's ribcage, dropping him before he even knew what hit him. He then turned his attention to the second, ripping his knife out of his first victim and, pivoting, drove the knife up through the Turian's throat.

With his two targets dead and everyone around too preoccupied with their own fights to notice, he slipped his knife back into his pocket and watched as his sister exited the club. Moving away from the bodies he was stopped on multiple occasions by random people of all ages looking for a fight. Needless to say, they did not last long.

The dancers on the ground floor had retreated into the safety of the back room while the ones dancing above the bar just stood and watched. This was hardly the first bar fight they had seen, nor would it be the last.

Once Shepard judged that enough time had passed he headed for the exit, slipping from the crowd and out into the hallway. Ashley and Kaidan were already there waiting for him. Ashley's clothes were torn in some places but otherwise looked fine. Kaidan had not been so lucky, he was sporting a busted lip and the beginnings of a black eye.

"With all due respect commander", Kaidan began, "what the fuck? That was so not cool."

"What's wrong lieutenant?" Shepard asked with a smirk. "Never been in a good old-fashioned barroom brawl?"

Ashley laughed while Kaidan just scowled. With a nudge of his head the three were on their way to find the doctor's clinic. They did not ask what had happened to the two would-be assassins. In all honesty they could guess but really didn't want to know.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Garrus peeked stealthily around the pillar he was currently using for cover. The sight that greeted him made his blood boil. A group of five human thugs were currently holding a middle-aged woman at gun point. From his position he managed to pick up their conversation with the terrified human.

"I didn't tell anyone, I swear", the woman, Dr. Michel, was saying.

"That was smart doc", the head thug said. "Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart."

Just as Garrus was wondering how he was going to take these men out without harming Dr. Michel his answer came walking through the door. Turning to look at the door he was met with one of the last sights he was expecting. Coming into the office and reaching for their weapons as they took in the sight before them was Commander Shepard and his team. The lead thug quickly grabbed the doctor and put her between himself and the new arrivals.

"Who are you", the thug demanded.

Raising his weapon Shepard gave his signature smirk.

"Alright guys, this is gonna go one of two ways. Either you put your weapons down and get on the ground or I put a bullet through you and you still end up on the ground. I've had a really shitty day and to be honest kicking your asses is sounding really good right about now."

The thugs seemed to consider it for a second, the man in front of them gave off a very dangerous vibe. But ultimately their fear of their employer won out. In that second their fates were sealed.

Rising out of his cover Garrus aimed his pistol and put a single round through the head of the thug holding Dr. Michel. After that it was chaos. Shepard let out a Throw that blasted one of the remaining four thugs into the air and slammed him against the wall at an incredible force. A resounding crack split through the air as the body slumped to the ground and was still.

Garrus rushed forwards to tackle Dr. Michel and bring her into cover. Kaidan and Ashely managed to take down two more. The remaining thug managed to make it to cover, where he quickly ducked and let off a couple shots, forcing Shepard and his team to duck behind cover. Peeking out of cover Shepard took a moment to gauge his biotics and found his cooldown period coming to an end. Rising out of cover Shepard switched to a shotgun and activated a Barrier. Moving forward he waited for the last remaining thug to leave his cover to look before firing a shotgun blast. His enemy was able to land a few shots, but his Barrier was easily able to withstand them. He was not so lucky, as the single shot from his shotgun put him down for the count. Checking to make sure there wasn't anyone else hiding Garrus rose from cover and checked on the slightly traumatized doctor as Shepard approached him.

"Perfect timing Shepard", Garrus commented. "Gave me a clear shot at the bastard."

"Nice shooting there Garrus", Shepard responded with a smirk and a nod of approval. "Is everyone at C-Sec that good a shot."

"Hardly", Garrus said with a snort before turning again to the doctor. "Doctor Michel, are you alright?"

"I'm alright, thanks to you", she commented.

"Why were they threatening you?" Shepard asked. "Who were they working for?"

"They work for Fist", she responded. "They wanted to shut me up. Keep me from telling Garrus about the Quarian."

"What Quarian?" Ashley asked.

"A few days ago, a Quarian came by my office", the doctor said. "She had been shot, but wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker, she wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to run. I put her in contact with Fist, he's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

Shepard could see the looks of confusion on his teammates faces and mouthed that he would tell them later. In the meantime, Garrus was coming forward with a new piece of information.

"Not anymore", he said. "Now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't very happy about it."

Dr. Michel looked shocked at the news.

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker?" She said, disbelievingly. "That's stupid, even for him. Saren must have made him quite the offer."

"That Quarian must have something Saren wants", Garrus guessed. "Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get. Not even he would willingly go against the Broker if he could in any way avoid it."

"What else can you tell me about the Quarian", Shepard asked.

"I'm not sure", Dr. Michel answered. "She was looking for a place to hide, she didn't…wait a minute. She mentioned something about the Geth."

"Of course,", Ashley exclaimed. "She must be able to link Saren to the Geth. There's no way the Council could ignore hard evidence."

"Sounds like it's time to go save a Quarian", Shepard said with a smile. "I think we need to go pay Fist a visit."

"This is your show Shepard", Garrus said. "But I want to bring Saren down as much as you do. I'm coming with you."

"Well, judging by the way you took out that thug I'd say there are worse people to have around", Shepard commented. "Alright you're in. Just follow my orders, and anything I say to keep quiet about, well…you get the idea."

"No problem Shepard", Garrus responded. Finally, someone that was more interested in getting things done instead of focusing on getting things done right. "Just so that you know we aren't the only ones going after Fist. The Shadow Broker hired a Krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to bring him down."

"Yea…I think we ran into him at the bar", Kaidan commented.

"A Krogan could come in handy", Shepard said. "Maybe we should go talk to this Wrex."

"Last I heard he was at C-Sec Academy", Garrus said. "Fist accused him of making threats, so we brought him in for a little talk. If we hurry we can catch him before he leaves."

"Yea, well he wasn't very private about his intentions when we saw him", Shepard said. "He was telling Fist's bouncer right to his face what he was going to do. Sounds like my kind of guy…er, Krogan. Whatever."

Shepard gave that smirk again. The one that promised danger. Kaidan and Ashley were starting to recognize that particular smirk as a forewarning that he was probable about to do something stupid. Turning towards them he kept that smirk on his face as he said.

"Alright, let's go find us a Krogan."

Authors Note:

Well, there it is. The next chapter. I am getting so tired of the Citadel but it's something I need to get through before I can really get into the heart of the story. Here we get a little peek into Shepard's past but don't worry. There's still so much to tell. As you can see I combined the Earthborn and Colonist backgrounds and included all the missions.

I kept some of the dialogue the same but changed up a lot of it. If I just wanted to do the same thing as the game, well, that would be kinda boring. Also wouldn't be very creative. Next chapter I hope to get through the rest of the stuff still on the Citadel and set off into the galaxy. Expect the next update in the next week or two.

Like, comment, and favorite. Got a lot of interest in the last chapter and see. Faster update. Chapter 3 double the views of the first two combined. Getting a good amount of likes and favorites but not many comments. Let's see if we can't get that up. If you have any question that I can answer or if you just wanna talk specify in the comments or send me a message.

Until next, enjoy.