Citadel, Human Embassy

Donnel Udina

Udina paced around his office. It was a bad habit, one that had to be controlled in meetings but in his private moments he found it helped him think. He had heard troubling rumors concerning what happened on Eden prime. A covert pickup had gone horribly wrong, that was for sure. However, until he received a full report, the specifics were unknown. First the reports would be sent to the alliance military which would then filter to the prime minister, and him. The prime minister would have to figure out how to solve the internal issue, while it would be left to Udina to ensure this failure did not damage humanities standing in the galaxy at large.

What was worse was the fact the Shepard was involved. Even if a quarter of the rumors were true then Shepard could have done very little to fix the issue. Despite this the council could view this as a way to deny a human entry into the Spectres. Sparatus would certainly try to use this. Udina would have to expend considerable effort to keep Shepard in the running. That was the least of the issues. An attack on a planet long considered safe was a massive PR scandal. Along with massive economic and political implications. The reverberations of this would be felt for years to come.

A "ding" from his computer terminal brought Udina back into the present. He quickly walked over to his desk. He sat down and looked over the file sent to him. The name of the file made it clear what it was "Concerning Eden prime". Who sent the file said almost as much. It was sent directly from the prime minister. Whatever happened on Eden prime it warranted a communique from the head of government instead of the usual diplomatic office.

Udina read through the contents. His blood pressure rose with almost every line he read. The reports were almost impossible to believe. In fact, if it weren't for the pictures and other video evidence attached Udina would himself be skeptical of the claims made. Geth attacking a colony? A Spectre implicated? Nihlus dead! Things were worse than he feared. Finally, at the very bottom of the document were his marching orders.

First and foremost, he was to obtain aid in protecting against the geth. This was the most important task which the alliance set to him. Second was to get the council to revoke the status of Saren Arterius. Finally, the third and least important task was to ensure that Shepard's candidacy didn't end. They were rational goals that Udina agreed with. With all that's happened the spectre candidacy was no longer at the top of the list. Defending Humanity and getting justice take priority.

Getting the council to offer aid might take convincing. Technically they were obligated to help. The citadel conventions require the council to offer aid or mediate in the case of war with an outside party. They council refuse to offer aid in subduing pirate attacks on the grounds that pirates are not an organized government and thus their attacks are not acts of war. However, the geth were most certainly organized enough to be considered a government. They even had a defined area of space under their control that they enforced. That's the theory at least. Udina however, knew that if the council didn't want to do something it was hard to make them do it. He was sure they could come up with some random excuse to justify not acting.

The second goal was even harder. Getting the council to believe their best agent was responsible would be very hard. The evidence was convincing enough for him and the alliance. The council would view it differently. Without more concrete evidence, they council would simply do a cursory examination that would clear him of any charges.

The matter of the candidacy was probably the most uncertain. Shepard had performed better than could be expected. He stopped an antimatter bomb the geth planted from destroying the entire city and its surroundings. He managed to secure the beacon, and even though it was destroyed the blame could easily be shifted onto this "Ashley Williams" if needed. Nor could Nihlus' death be placed on his head, Nihlus was operating alone when he died. However, the simple fact that things did go wrong could be used as an excuse to keep Shepard out. As such it would all depend on what the council wanted to do. Which in this case would mean what Valern wanted to do. Sparatus would be a solid no, and Tevos would probably be a yes. She was after all the one who pushed for Shepard to be given a fair chance. It would be a bit of an embarrassment for her if Shepard failed. This left Valern the swing vote.

Udina thought about the predicament. Playing out scenarios in his head. Trying to figure out how to kill 3 birds with one stone. Slowly a plan began to emerge. It wasn't foolproof, but nothing ever was in his line of work. It was however the only way to get everything the alliance needed out of this situation.

Udina closed the file and began to write the first of several missives. A smiled slowing forming on his lips.

Citadel, Citadel Tower, Tevos' Office

Tevos

Tevos sat in her office having just finished receiving an audience of the Hanar ambassador with the rest of the council. The Hanar where once again complaining about the study of a prothean ruin. The council gave the same response they always did in this situation. The council understands the concerns of the hanar, however the study of a prothean ruin is a perfectly legal act, an act every species that has achieved interstellar flight has undergone including the hanar. The council would not stop a legal excavation from proceeding.

It was a tedious process that repeated itself every once in a while. It was however something that needed to be done. No matter how much Tevos disliked it. A message from the Human ambassador did little to brighten her mood but filled her with apprehension. Ever since she got to her office, she had been bombarded with various rumors about what happened on Eden Prime. Clearly something bad had happened, but not even the STG knew exactly what has occurred. This message would hopefully give some solid information about the situations.

After reading the bombshell of a missive, Tevos got up to get a drink and formulate her thoughts. This was worse than she thought. She thought a pirate band had attacked Eden Prime. Turns out a geth fleet had attacked the planet. Nihlus was dead, the beacon destroyed, and the humans were accusing a Spectre of orchestrating it all. This would have to be handled delicately. If the humans had not blamed Saren it would have been easier. An attack on a spectre is an attack on the council and Sparatus would try to use this accusation to push his policy of curtailing humanity.

Tevos poured herself a glass of Thessian fruit juice took a sip. She had come to a decision on how to approach the situation. The first thing she did was send a virtual meeting request to the other councilors. To her surprise it was answered immediately and an image of Sparatus and Valern were projected via hologram into her office. This meant Valern and Sparatus were already in a meeting. Clearly Sparatus was trying to get the salarian on his side before anything happened. Tevos wasn't particularly worried. There was no way Sparatus had managed to convince Valern to side with him in the short amount of time they had. That was why Tevos didn't try something like that. Even if she got to Valern first, she would barely have enough time to get the pleasantries out of the way before Sparatus showed up.

Sparatus was right in trying to convince the salarian. When it came to decisions about humans and the Alliance it usually turned out that the salarian held the tie breaking vote. Tevos usually was in favor of whatever proposal the humans had and Sparatus against it. Valern used his vote as a bargaining chip to get concessions in other matters.

"Hello Tevos, glad you could join us." Rumbled Sparatus.

"Yes, yes, much to discuss." Added Valern letting his natural fast speaking salarian nature shine through in the excitement.

"Agreed," said Sparatus "These humans have slandered our best agent to cover their failures. They also ask for aid to fix these failings. One must admire their boldness if nothing else. Am I the only one who think we should deny them their requests?"

"I think a flat-out denial would be unwise. Especially considering the circumstances. In regard to the request for military aid I propose we send a small scouting fleet to aid the Alliance in patrolling for further geth threats." Replied Tevos

"Why? Do you really want to spend time and money on a one-off event? The geth were clearly there for the beacon. They tried to wipe out all evidence of the attack. They didn't want it known that they were the ones attacking. Clearly, they don't want to start a war. If this were an invasion there would be more attacks than this singular one. I say we claim to not want to start a war with the terminus and leave it there." Countered Sparatus

Ahh, 'war with the terminus' such a delightfully vague response, thought Tevos. It was the go-to excuse for not taking action on the frontier. It was vague because the terminus was not united in any way. The largest single unified state were the batarians and a war with them was not something to be feared. Not that it would be a pushover but the batarians had no chance and knew it. They would not start a war. Nor would any of the other petty dictators or one world governments do so. The only thing that would stir the terminus to unified action would be if the council decided to conquer the terminus and made that goal known to all. Even then Tevos doubted that the terminus would truly unite. The terminus was the backwater of the galaxy, but they provided a good excuse.

"I agree that this was not the opening of a war but a surgical strike for a single goal. However, the geth are an unknown variable. They have not ventured outside the veil in centuries. It would be prudent to at least take this sudden development with some degree of seriousness. If we deny this request, it will look like we are neglecting our duties as protectors of the citadel species. The geth are not a mere pirate band easily ignored. The political outcry from humanity would be enormous and I can imagine several other species that lack military might would also become nervous. Send in a small fleet, and if nothing happens, we can reassign it later."

It was at this point Valern spoke up. "Agreed, this course of action shows we take threats to citadel space seriously without expending too much effort."

Tevos looked to Sparatus who had a stoic unreadable expression on his face. The turian was truly an excellent politician despite being a turian.

"Fine." Answered the turian councilor.

Tevos nodded. When the decision would be announced the council would have had a unanimous vote. That was how it usually went. When it became clear two out of three councilor would vote a certain way, the other would join in. This was done for several reasons. One, it made the council appear to be unified. This helped with keeping things calm. It stopped from any species getting annoyed that their councilor was outvoted. It also allowed the other councilor from being the one who 'lost' and thus losing prestige. It was better for everyone. The only time the third councilor didn't change their vote was when they wanted to make a political statement.

"This business with Saren must also be decided." Continued Tevos.

This got Sparatus going. "I will not allow our best agent be hounded by another spectre on the words of some smuggling scum. The idea he had anything to do with this is ludicrous."

"It does seem impossible he could have been the one to orchestrate this." Echoed Valern.

"Agreed, which is why I propose we task C-sec with the investigation." Said Tevos. She had to admit the idea that Saren was involved seemed impossible. Saren could be very charismatic when he wanted but convincing the geth to follow him in attacking a human world seemed impossible.

"That would work." Said Spatarus in a thoughtful tone. "It wouldn't interfere with Saren's activities, but still give the impression that we are taking this seriously. Now moving on to the last point. This situation was a complete failure. I say Shepard has more than failed his spectre examination. We have failed candidates for less serious failures."

This was the point of discussion that Tevos feared most. Going in she was fairly sure Valern would agree to giving the humans a token amount of military aid. She had also been certain that Sparatus would agree to having c-sec investigate Saren. She had a reason to hope this would go her way but wasn't sure. She was counting on Valern's self interest in getting the best deal for his vote.

She had been the driving force that allowed the humans to get a fair chance at a spectre. If their candidate failed completely it would look very bad for her. She was particularly determined that this would not end here.

"I disagree. As capable as a spectre is, they are one person. No active spectre could not have stopped the invasion force. Considering this Shepard did remarkably well. He stopped the bomb from going off, thus saving the colony. He secured the beacon, and its destruction was not his fault. Nor could he be blamed for Nihlus' death. Considering this I propose that we allow him to complete the examination with another spectre."

Both Sparatus and Tevos turned to Valern knowing it was him who would decide this. Tevos hoped that Valern's interest would win in the end.

Pondering it over for a long time (At least for a salarian) Valern answered. "I agree with Tevos. We don't have a report from an active spectre. Until we do, we can't make an informed decision."

Though obviously disappointed Sparatus didn't let it show on his face. "Understood, in that case I believe we are done here. I have a lot of work to get to. Goodbye Tevos, Valern"

"Goodbye" replied Tevos and Valern and then they shut down their connection.

Tevos laid back in her chair and stretched. This had gone very well considering the circumstances. It was a shame the beacon was destroyed but there was nothing to be done now. At least she wasn't humiliated by having Shepard fail. Although she bore no illusions as to why Valern took her side.

Humanity had slowly been brought closer and closer to the asari republics ever since the relay 314 incident. The Turians were unwilling to normalize relations so soon. The Salarians were largely uninterested. This let the asari to become humanities most important trading and political partner. The long-term goal was to put the humans firmly into the sphere of influence of the asari, and so far, it was going well. The turians have tried to undercut this by agreeing to codeveloping a ship with the humans but it would take more than that to undo decades of mutual resentment. The Salarian Union just now decided to formalize trade relations with the Alliance. They other power were hopelessly behind in getting the Alliance into their sphere.

The salarians tended to slightly favor the turians in the grand scheme of things since they had the largest navy. However, a strong humanity who was on the side of the asari could tip that balance. As such the Asari and by extension Tevos generally welcomed and facilitated a stronger humanity while turians and Sparatus opposed them. The Salarians and Valern took advantage of this by offering aid to whoever was willing to offer more. If Valern failed Shepard now he would have gotten nothing for his vote. However, if Shepard had another chance then there would be another vote later, and Valern could take time to get the best deal for his support.

There was time enough for Tevos to secure Valerns vote later. Besides Valern wasn't purely mercenary. If Shepard was obviously suited to the role, Valern would vote yea on that alone. Either way that was an issue for another time.

SSV Normandy, Med bay.

Shepard.

Shepard's eyes shot open, and with that the images finally stopped. By this point they were seared into his mind and yet still, made no sense. He could only make out a few still images but they gave him little insight as to the information it was trying to impart.

"Doctor Chakwas! I think he's getting up." A familiar but unexpected voice said.

As he stirred getting up, he could hear the good doctor Chakwas getting up and walking over. When he sat up the grey-haired woman was looking at him with a discerning eye. Along with the young marine they met groundside.

"You gave us quite a scare commander." She said with a practiced kindness. "We had no idea what the ramifications of your interaction with the beacon would be. I was afraid you might not wake from your vegetative state."

Thank God he did, thought Shepard. Spending the rest of his life watching an unintelligible movie running on repeat, seemed like a version of hell even he didn't deserve. It felt as if he was being screamed at by a madman except this madman had Shepard's utter attention and could project his madness straight into Shepard's mind.

"What happened after I lost consciousness, and how long was I out?" Asked Shepard.

Williams replied first. "After the beacon exploded, Lieutenant Alenko and I brought you abord the Normandy as soon as it arrived. After that, I don't know much of what happened. Captain Anderson had us report. We brought onboard a turian body. I assume the captain reported to the brass. We are on the way to the citadel right now. I expect the politicians want a report in person as well."

Chakwas picked up after Williams. "You were out for the better part of a day, 15 hours to be specific. The turian is obviously Nihlus, I imagine the council wants the body of their spectre. Poor captain Anderson has been couped up in his office during that time presumably doing vid calls."

As soon as Chakwas finished in stepped the captain himself. Williams jumped to attention. Shepard got up as well though in a leisurely manner.

"At ease," Said Anderson before continuing "Good to see you up Shepard, how are you feeling?"

"As well as can be expected after having my brain scrambled." Answered Shepard.

"You certainly don't seem worse off for it." The captain turned to Chakwas. "How is he really doctor?"

"Physically he's fine, I would like to take the time to do some quick cognitive assessments. Just to make sure beacon didn't damage the commander's mental state. Especially considering the vast amounts of rapid eye movement the commander exhibited while under. These signs usually point to intense dreaming. I want to ensure the commander is as fit as able before clearing him for active duty."

"You'll have all the time you need doctor, but I must ask for a minute alone with the commander." Answered Anderson.

"Of course, Captain." Said Chakwas as she turned to leave. Williams saluted then left as well.

"Bad dreams Shepard?" Asked Anderson.

"Before I was knocked unconscious, I had some sort of vision. It was largely unintelligible, but I think it was showing scenes of carnage. Machines killing people but it's hard to interpret. I was seeing that on repeat while I was under."

Anderson gave Shepard a sympathetic look before replying. "We will have to report this. The council will want to hear what you saw from the beacon even if it's nonsensical. However, there are more pressing matters to attend to. The other spectre the dockworker mentioned, Saren. He is bad news. I'm sure you heard of him at some point. What you might not know is that he hates humans."

"Nihlus spoke very highly of him." Said Shepard.

"You know as well as I that a man can be very good to his friend while being a menace to everyone else. 'For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans do the same?' Saren kept his more distasteful aspects in the closet. I am certain Nihlus knew of Saren's proclivities but not the full scope of them, and simply wrote it off as not important. It doesn't matter now anyways. I want to make sure you know who exactly we are dealing with here. Saren wasn't simply after the beacon of that I am sure. Whatever his plan is, it's a bad for humanity."

"Agreed, but the council is not likely to take the word of a smuggler."

"Very true in fact the council has said that this matter will be given to C-SEC to investigate and we both know what that will turn up. We're headed to the Citadel now. I want you to be ready when we get there. Ambassador Udina wants to see you. Apparently, you have a part to play in sorting this all out. So have doctor Chakwas check you out, get a bite to eat and ready yourself to dive headfirst into politics."

The captain then turned to leave, but he stopped at the threshold of the doorway. "And Shepard, Good work down there, no matter how this ends you saved a lot of lives, and without you we'd have no idea who was responsible." Then he left and doctor Chakwas soon came through the door.

"Well commander." She said with a practiced ease. "Shall we begin?"

Sometime later.

"Well Commander it seems your mental faculties are as healthy as your physical ones; however, we are dealing with an ocean's worth of unknowns here so if something unexpected comes up please come to me as soon as possible." Said Chakwas as she put away her exam equipment.

"You'll be the first person I tell." Said Shepard as he got up to leave.

"Also, since there is so many unknowns, I would like to do periodic checks just to deal with any complications should they arise."

"I'll make time for it." Said Shepard as he left.

Shepard wanted to refuse and say that if he noticed anything, he would come by himself. However, he knew if he didn't agree then Anderson would make him do it anyways. It was the downside of turning down promotions in order to stay in the field. More people got to tell you what you have to do. It was the thing he was most excited about being a spectre. They had a mandate not a mission. Meaning they could largely do whatever they wanted. Of course, every so often the council gives a spectre a specific mission but usually spectres decide for themselves what's important. This freedom appealed to Shepard. So, it was with a twinge of disappointment that Shepard accepted that it is unlikely he will become one considering what happened with Nihlus.

Shepard made his way up the staircase, and into the CIC. They were scheduled to dock at the citadel any minute and he didn't want to miss it. He made his way towards the cockpit. On his way he could see the stares the crew gave him. Some seemed sympathetic, a few looked pitying, and others seemed happy to see him up. He tried to pass through quickly without hurrying, he didn't like the attention.

Finally making it to the cockpit he could see Williams and Kaiden there as well. Williams jumped to attention as soon as she noticed Shepard. Kaiden followed suit halfheartedly. Personally, Shepard cared little for these formalities. When he was young, he cared much more but at this point in his life he rarely concerned himself with them.

"At ease." He said, and the two marines went back to looking out the window, and at the approaching relay. Williams shot Shepard some glances and seemed to want to say something, but it was Kaiden who broke the silence.

"Here to watch the relay jump, sir?"

Shepard just nodded in reply.

Hearing a lull in the conversation joker jumped in. "I still don't see why you do this. Its just a relay jump why do you come up here for just about every single one Commander?"

Shepard admired the onrushing relay before replying.

"How old are you, Joker?"

The pilot craned back to look at Shepard. An unsure expression on his face before being replaced with his usual 'devil may care' expression.

"Uhhhhhh, 36, for which I'm thankful for because if I was born even a decade sooner, I'd be dead."

"For you this is an everyday occurrence. For me this is space magic. When I was born China was a land of myth and legend. The Americas weren't even on the map and Australia may as well have been on the moon. This is beyond the wildest fantasies of my youth. It will take me a lot more time before I get tired of seeing this."

"Fair enough," Said joker before turning to Kaiden and Williams. "What about you two? Why are you here."

"I've never been to the Citadel." Replied Kaiden. "I've seen vids of it and it always looks beautiful. Wanted to see it for myself."

"Same here. Usually, I'm stationed groundside on some random backwater world. This is a step up for me." Continued Williams.

Joker gave a grin "Well it's a good thing you have the best pilot in the galaxy here. I'll make sure to give you the best view possible." He then turned to finalize preparations for the relay jump.

Soon enough the giant needle of the relay loomed up in view. The great blue tentacle of energy reached out to encase the Normandy. An instant later, so fast as to be undetectable, the inky blackness of deep space was replaced with the soft violet glow of the widow nebula. Out in the distance one could see the citadel poking out from a cloud of gas. Looking like a great whale poking his head above the water. The sight never ceased to evoke feeling of veneration in Shepard. The Citadel and relays showed just how much further there was to go. How much was left to discover.

"Amazing, really goes to show just how much is out there." Said Kaiden while marveling at the approaching station.

Joker, meanwhile, was true to his word and took a path that skirted closer than normal to the citadel defense fleet. Williams' eye was drawn to the largest ship in the fleet.

"Look at that monster! Its main gun could rip through the barriers of any ship in the alliance fleet."

"Size isn't everything." Replied joker

"Why so touchy joker?"

"I'm just saying you need firepower to."

"I think you might just be the first person to ever think that the Destiny Ascension is lacking firepower." Said Kaiden jumping into the conversation.

"The Ascension's main gun is top of the line, not arguing that. But its secondary armaments are lacking. It has too few secondary cannons for its size, and like many alien ships built before we showed them how to use fighters properly it has a criminal lack of point defense. The main gun is only useful against large capital ships. Against a swarm of smaller faster targets, the Ascension is largely a sitting duck. There is a reason she has never seen action and it's the same reason why the Yamato didn't either. People don't want to commit the biggest piece and risk losing it. If it comes down to it the Ascension will be taken down the same way the Yamato was. Blown to bits from aircraft launched from carriers."

"Never took you as a student of history Joker" Said Kaiden.

"I'm not but they teach this stuff in flight school."

Shepard could see the similarities but thought Joker was oversimplifying the situation. The human invention of fleet carriers changed the face of galactic warfare, but Shepard doubted it signaled the end of the large capital ship era like the carrier did on Earth.

Kaiden brought Shepard back by saying "Either way its's still impressive. It's a good thing it's on our side."

While Joker talked to citadel control and brought the ship into dock Shepard left to get ready to meet the Ambassador.

Ambassador Udina's office.

Udina.

"You don't get to make demands of the council ambassador!" Said Sparatus, Incensed by Udina's outburst. As usual Tevos stepped in before things got to heated.

"We will discuss the findings of C-Sec once we receive their report. We will render our decision then. Goodbye Ambassador."

Udina mentally kicked himself. It was a mistake to bring up Saren. It gave the council an easy way out of the call. He then heard the door to his office open and turned around to see Captain Anderson and Commander Shepard.

"Captain, Commander." He said in greeting. "I wont waste time, with pleasantries. We are in a crisis. The council gave us a pittance in terms of military aid, and C-Sec will not get any evidence against Saren."

The C-Sec investigation particularly rankled Udina. It was a slap to the face of humanity. C-Sec did not have the authority to investigate Spectres. Unless the council gave the agent investigating Saren certain additional powers and clearances (which they didn't) the investigation would come to nothing. By telling C-Sec to investigate the issue the council was essentially saying they did not believe the accusation and weren't willing to do whats necessary to find out the truth.

"Thus, as always we must force their hand. We need to prove Saren's guilt ourselves, and we need YOU to do it commander."

To his credit Shepard seemed unsurprised by these facts. Wearing the same serious expression as he came in, he said "I assume the fact that you want me to do it involves me becoming a spectre?"

Udina knew that Shepard had a good Head on his shoulders. If it wasn't, he wouldn't have been chosen as the spectre candidate. It was still good to see with his own eyes that Shepard was capable of connecting the dots himself.

"Yes commander, this is about politics. But there is more at stake than a simple spectre position. We have to prove Saren did this. Right now, the council practically ignores the situation because they can. If we prove that their agent did this, they will have to take more action than sending a tiny force to 'Help ensure safety in the region', and if the person who proved it happens to be the person nominated for a spectre position, well how can they refuse?"

Shepard could think of a way they could but Udina was largely right. If they refused there were things humanity could do that would cause large problems for the council. It was highly unlikely the council would cut of their nose to spite their face.

"Am I going to do this alone?" Asked Shepard.

"Officially yes, since you are 'operating alone' you will have carte blanche. No one in the alliance will second guess you, but it also means that if something goes wrong you are on your own. You getting arrested would be bad enough, but supporting you through it will be untenable. Humanities position is tenuous at best, at the moment. Nevertheless, we will provide all the aid we can discretely. The captain will provide you with all the leads we have compiled. He will also forward any additional information we find."

"If I have any issues I'll come to the captain." Shepard finished; clearly, he figured out how this would work.

Udina paused then continued "Yes, now commander do you understand what we are asking you to do? The council sees interfering with a spectre as a personal affront. They take it very seriously. Investigating Saren is very risky. Do you have any questions? Do you fully understand what this entails?" Udina had to make sure the commander gave informed consent. Not for Shepard's sake, but purely for deniability's sake. When sending someone for a black-ops mission that needed deniability you had to ensure the operative won't squeal if caught. Laying it out plain as day that no help will come if caught and sending only those willing was the best way to do so. It wasn't perfect but it was a lot better just telling someone to do something of questionable legality when they'd rather not.

"Yes, I understand all the risk and responsibilities I am taking on" replied Shepard.

"In that case I wish you good luck commander." Said Udina.

Shepard nodded and left without another word.

Normandy Citadel Dock Captains Office

Shepard

"You seem excited for this mission." Said Anderson.

"Of course, I like black ops. I like the freedom and the thrill of it. Although I am apprehensive about my chances. Proving something when everything about Saren is classified is a difficult task."

"It is a large responsibility handed to you. Do you have any plans on where to start?" Asked Anderson

"Outsourcing it to the best private investigator in the galaxy."

"The shadow broker? Well, it's worth a try at least. Although I doubt even, he will be able to prove anything. Still the names of his top lieutenants on the citadel are in the file."

"Do we know anything about c-sec's investigation?"

According to our informant, it's being headed by Garrus Vakarian. A young rising star in c-sec. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find out much more. We do know the council only gave him a few days for the investigation. Goes to show just how certain they are of the result."

"Any way for us to know what they dig up? They might find a lead they can't follow due to time constraints." Asked Shepard

"We'll do what we can but it's doubtful. The informant, Harkin, is a piece of trash. The humans at c-sec barely tolerate him and the turians hate him. It took a lot of political machinations to keep him on the force and the recently the ambassador has decided to stop protecting him. He'll be out of a job soon." Said Anderson.

"Well just keep he informed if anything comes up." Then after a pause Shepard continued. "Also, one last thing, I want some backup."

Anderson nodded before speaking "Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Alenko and Williams."

Anderson thought a moment before continuing. "Alenko is a decorated officer familiar with special operations. Williams is a stellar marine according to her file and field reports but untested in these operations. Any particular reason you want her?"

"They are already involved sir. The council is keeping a lid on Saren's involvement. We don't have the time to find and bring up to date someone with the perfect skill set. Williams and Alenko already know what's going on and why what we're doing needs doing. Also, I think despite her lack of experience in this field Williams is good enough. Like you said she's an excellent marine and that's exactly what I need right now." Argued Shepard.

"Fair enough, I'll give it the green light, but you have to make sure there completely onboard. You know what happens if this goes downhill. Make sure they know and are willing to take that risk."

"I will. Now I best be going I have to read this file you gave me." Said Shepard.

"Goodluck Shepard." Said Anderson as Shepard turned to walk out the door.

As he left Shepard decided to talk with Alenko and Williams first. He composed a message on his omnitool and sent it to Joker. For some reason the pilot preferred to do the announcements himself despite the fact that the Ship VI performed perfectly well. Perhaps it was something to do with the pilot being bored stuck in the chair all day.

As Shepard walked up the stairs, he heard Joker's voice over the ship wide intercom.

"Lieutenant Alenko and Gunnery Chief Williams Commander Shepard wants to see you in the comm room."

Shepard made his way up the stairs and into the CIC. Getting a few stares form the crew he passed on through into the comm room and waited for the other two to arrive.

After some time Alenko walked in followed closely by Williams.

"Commander. You wanted to see us?" Said Alenko

"Yes, what do you know about what's been happening vis a vis Eden Prime?" Said Shepard

"Nothing more than what we found out groundside. We were ordered to be silent about Saren, and no one has told us anything else." Replied Alenko

"That changes now, but this doesn't leave the room understand?"

"Yes sir!" they both replied.

"The council gave the investigation to c-sec." Said Shepard

"That's bull… that's ridiculous commander. C-sec doesn't have the authority to investigate spectres." Spurted Williams.

"Agreed. That is why the Alliance wants to investigate him themselves. was given this task and I want you two as backup. However, investigating a spectre is highly illegal. Which is why this investigation isn't official."

"So, if we get caught the Alliance doesn't know anything about this and we're just three people who decided to undertake the task themselves?" Asked Alenko

"Officially yes, which Is why this is an offer not an order. If we do this and get caught, we can expect no help from the Alliance and we will be expected to keep our mouths shut. As far as the Alliance is technically concerned this is me doing everything without their knowledge, consent or help."

Kaiden took a long time to think it over before answering. "I'm in commander. Saren has to be taken down. If the council won't act, we have too."

Shepard turned to Ashley, who seemed rather deep in thought. Eventually she spoke up as well. "I'm not sure commander. I would like some time to think about it."

It was a surprise to Shepard; he had assumed that out of the two Alenko would be more likely to refuse.

"Understood, I'll need a solid answer in 24 hours. However, if you are going to help be sure of it. Understand the risks and be willing to take them. I want no halfhearted acquiescence."

Williams nodded.

"Also, I wanted to thank you two for pulling me out after I was knocked unconscious."

Alenko spoke up "No need Commander it was our duty, besides the ship was coming to pick us up, it's not like we were going to leave you there."

"Seconded," Said Williams "I would also like to thank you for pulling me out of that beacon thing commander. I would also like to apologize for activating it."

"Duty or not, I still appreciate it." Said Shepard. "As for you Williams there is nothing to apologize for. We would have had to approach the beacon to load it anyways. Alenko I will contact you once I got a concrete plan in place, Williams I'll be waiting for you answer as well. Dismissed."

The two gave a quick salute before leaving. Shepard himself went to his private terminal to read over the files he was given.

Authors notes

1

Insert obligatory apology for taking this long to complete a chapter.

On the more serious not things have gotten a lot more hectic in my life. I'm back in a University after taking a break. I'm applying to various graduate programs and that is taking much of my time. I also began writing my own original fantasy story and that has taken most of my writing attention. The combination of work, school and other real-life issues have kept me from writing this story. I am not abandoning it however and will continue writing.

2

As always reviews are welcome and appreciated. Honest opinions and constructive criticism is welcomed.

3

I made a few changes nothing major. The only thing I want to say is the reason Ashley didn't immediately join Shepard was that she doesn't want to end up officially as a traitor/deserter to the Alliance. She's very concerned about restoring her family Honor and is worried what will happen if this goes poorly. She's going to help (I don't think that's much of a spoiler) but I think it makes sense for her to be hesitant.