Maelstrom Effect Book 2: Shadows of Crimson

by godospartan the Kitsune

After Soverign's defeat, the sibling Commanders left to clean up the mess it left behind. But one of them was struck down by an unknown force. The next 2 years they go in search of the ones responsible, unknowing that a secret group is bringing their sibling back to life to fight the Reapers again. How will they react when they meet again? NaruxTali, Shakarian, Mature content later

8. Picking up Passengers, Tensions Rising

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Staring at her brother, Emily Shepard could only wonder what kind of surprises were in store for them. First, he is exactly who he always has been, just 2 years of thin air from him until now, and next his power is even greater, if unstable. Through their ride back, he was explaining his current situation; with Jacob not only confirming the story himself but also giving his two creds that were not usual Cerberus operative talk.

"After the first headache I saw, it only got worse with his overly powerful use of a Lift field. He nearly had an aneurysm from that one."

Not even their Turian pilot could believe the story, whilst Garrus was dumbstruck beside him in the front. "I doubt even Cerberus has the amps needed to sync up that kind of potency to his biotics."

All said and done, the Elysium hero sighed. "This is only getting more and more confusing..." Turning to the front seat with Jacob, she was curious more of his almost cold shoulder attitude of Cerberus' practices. "I've seen more of Cerberus these past 2 years than I ever want to think about. Not a single operative was as critical of the group as you are. Every report I hear says people like you in the group disappear."

Jacob grunted as they flew away from the district in Omega; "Comes with being with a cloak and dagger organization that does its own thing. Not saying it's good. Far from it, but they do get things done."

A faint growl came from Garrus; "I can name quite a few things they got done."

"I won't sugar coat anything Vakarian. Cerberus has done some bad shit," Jacob omitted freely; "And I don't agree with everything they do, The Illusive Man knows and respects my stance. I only work for them 'cause right now they are doing something about the crap going on in the human colonies."

Emily glared; "So is the Alliance."

"But they still have their hands full don't they?" Jacob quipped.

"Emily," Naruto remarked calmly; "You don't need to grill him. I don't trust Cerberus, but I trust Jacob, He's been upfront since I woke up."

Zaeed leaned against his seat in the transport; "You're a bit too honest for Cerberus kid."

The former Corsair shrugged; "Maybe."

Trusting her brother, and trusting someone he trusts, was easy in the usual stance. This was still hard on the active Spectre. "One last thing here before I close my end of things... The Alliance isn't able to do everything the colonies out here need. Not because of red tape holding us back, but because of the red tape that is being boarded around those we help by the colonists. Hard to help someone who doesn't wanna be helped. Besides, proving we're trustworthy instead of lazy in the galactic whole isn't simple. Cerberus picking up the slack and calling it harder work isn't fair to anyone. Besides, there's never a straight answer from Cerberus, always cloak and dagger. For their private agenda."

"Not gonna argue the fairness of the situation at all, Captain Shepard, but you cannot argue that things aren't always as deep and bloody as you believe." Knowing full well he didn't know either, all he knew was what he saw, and he was willing to be fair and honest with his assessment. "Bringing back your brother the way he was without a single bit of control over his actions? I'd be willing to give the benefit of the doubt. In fact, I already am, that's how I was brought on board in the first place."

The agreement, though reluctant, was silently accepted by them. It didn't take long to turn her attention to her brother again. "We have too much to catch up on, and we're nearly back to Afterlife. I have to report to Aria, give her the news upfront. Besides, kind of a deal with her and me at the moment. After that, we can see this new Normandy of yours."

"Couldn't agree more on the catching up." He gave a smile to her, and the blond saw his sister give one back. Though the talk about Aria gave him a thought. Taking out a datapad he found, he hummed a minute and then offered it. "Tell her you found this little nugget too. 'The Fox Siblings saved your ass, keep us on good terms and it might happen again. She'll understand. Hell, she'd know I was the one who found the thing."

Looking it over, the woman was surprised by the contents of the message. "Seems we have a favor to bargain with. The Talons will surely hear this news and not go anywhere near her in fear of being torn apart. Complete dominance. Her favorite pastime."

Garrus grunted; "I knew to stay clear of her. As much as I wanted to bring her down, she just holds far too much power on Omega."

"More than that," Naruto spoke; "The woman was an Asari Huntress. A very dangerous one at that. She is strong enough to tangle with Krogan without fear. The guy who ran Omega before was a powerful Krogan Warlord. More vicious and brutal than Wrex, and she trashed him all over the station."

Zaeed whistled; "I spoke with what's left of that Krogan. I will say this, all those guards around her are just for show. She can fight her own battles, and she is one tough bitch. I think the only person she is remotely afraid of is Nightshade"

"The assassin," Jacob quipped

"Yup. Now that woman is a demon."

"We've seen her in action," Garrus brought up; "Never seen anyone fight like that. And with only swords. Heard all kinds of spooky stories around her while in C-Sec. And even more here in Omega. She has wiped out more gangs and people than most armies. I'm relieved she is going to Andromeda."

"Wait... She's leaving the galaxy? Why Andromeda?" He looked to the others around him, and to say he felt pretty left out of the loop was an understatement. Jacob and the merc were thoughtful a bit, but he could see the sad eyes of the Turian and his sibling. "Ok... This needs to be brought up to speed and pronto. The moment we get back on the Normandy, we're getting things straightened up."

"Agreed. And we will need you on the Citadel pronto too before anyone leaves for the Nexus." The transport landed, and the team stepped out with Garrus wearing his helmet. He had also covered part of a symbol on his arm.

Getting in front of Afterlife, Garrus spoke up. Being the only one currently with the most recent and longest leadership role of the group, he kind of fell into the plan-making. "I'm supposed to be dead, so I'll just head for the airlock with Jacob, get to know him a little more myself." Seeing the looks from Jacob being indifferent but curious, and his sniping rival not pleased with the wording, he made sure to be clear. "On a personal level, mind you. If we're gonna be part of a team, we'll need to be friendly, so I'm hoping to make some friends here."

"And I'll hit Aria with this notepad and be out as fast as can be. Mind waiting on me here?"

Shaking his head, Naruto agreed. "I'll be here in wait. Aria might take a bit of your time so it'll give me time to check-in and give an update while I am at it."

With a groan, stretching out a kink in his gun arm, the one-eyed man took to Garrus' plan. "Sorry to make you wait alone, but I should get my gear and set up shop with the ship. Quicker I'm off this station the better."

Seeing as the plan was set, everyone agreed, the dark-skinned soldier started leading the way for the two recruits coming with him. "I'll show you the way. See you on the ship, Naruto."

Waving them off, the siblings stood for a moment. Shepard silently groaned. She had a feeling this was going to be even harder than the two years since. "Be back shortly. Stay put, brother."

Naruto sighed as he stood alone outside of Afterlife. Absently his mind wandered to what happened when taking out the Blue Suns' leader. He gazed at his hands. "What's happening to me?" His eyes gazed around him as he turned on his heels before seeing Engineer Ken and Gabby coming from the entrance port where Normandy was docked. The two were conversing with each other before noticing him.

"Oh Commander," Ken spoke up as he came over to the blond's direction with Gabby. "Finished your missions here eh?"

Gabby thumbed behind her; "We saw that Zaeed guy with Jacob and Archangel. Professor Solus is already at home in the lab area."

"Good to hear," Naruto nodded; "So why are you two out here?"

"Well, you remember that maintenance issue we brought up when we first met," Gabby addressed getting a nod from the commander; "Well EDI scanned Omega for us and found a Quarian merchant who has the couplings we need. But she also found out that Quarian is not there by choice. He's working off a debt from another merchant, and Elcor named Harriot.

"Dodgy bastard undercuts the poor sod forcing him to stay here," Ken grumbles in irritation; "Seeing as you're on more friendly terms with the Quarians than Cerberus we figured you might be able to help him and get our couplings."

They had a point, and besides that, he was sure he could get away with the charity purchase because he was such a key figure in the plan the Illusive Man had for him. "I'll go see what I can do. You two stay here, and if you see my sister Emily, you let her know I'll be right back alright?"

Both engineers nodded as the blond turned to head for Tuhi District. Given there was a slew of shops and diners in that area, it would likely take a bit to find this Quarian merchant. Going down a flight of steps did the door open to enter the district, he stopped as he saw a lone Quarian male working at a makeshift shop metal counter with a kiosk.

"Well that was a quick search," Naruto mentally mused before going over to the Quarian who was working on wiring to something; "Hello?"

The male Quarian sharply looked up; "Oh hello sir, Welcome to Kenn's Salvage. What do you need today?"

"Do you have T6-FBA Couplings?"

Kenn went over to his Kiosk and began going through the inventory; "Ah! Yes, I do for five hundred credits."

The blond typed on his Omni-tool dispensing his credits; "Send them here for me."

The Quarian nodded happily; "Will do."

"...Are you on your pilgrimage by chance?"

Kenn froze for a moment; "You know about the pilgrimage?"

Naruto nodded; "I met a Quarian on hers. Became friends with her. What's your full name kid?"

"...Kenn'Laspar Nar Moreh."

"Well, Kenn'Laspar, tell me what's got you set up shop on Omega like this? Not very much you can get here for your pilgrimage." Rubbing his hands together nervously, the young mechanic was wondering how much to say. Catching this, the commander smiled. "Our secret, trust me. Besides, if it's that big of an issue, I'll take care of the ugly bits."

"I suppose..." Sighing with heavy regret for any potential fallout, the mechanic told the whole story. From getting there to the debt he owed to a cigar-smoking Elcor, which was beyond strange to Naurot, to say the least. "So, I'm stuck. I can't get the credits I need to get off the station if I sell higher than my competition by double, but if I sold competitively I'd be in the sights of thugs 'reminding me of my position with Harriot. Thankfully, the buy from you already has me at halfway, and I appreciate it. Though it'll be a while before I can get the required amount... If Harriot would let me sell at a decent price, I'd be debt-free within the week."

"Where is Harriot?"

"The upper section of the district," Kenn pointed to the stairs close by; "I'd appreciate the help... But."

Naruto waved of the concern; "I'll worry about Harriot. There will not be any blowback on you. I promise that."

"...I... Thank you human..."

The blond soon rounded the corner to run up the stairs into Tuhi proper as droves of people roamed the area around the shops. Human, Asari, Turian, Batarian, Krogan, and so many other races conversed and shopped. His cerulean orbs scanned through the place till seeing another flight of stairs where he saw a hulking Elcor at one of the fancier shops. He cocked a brow as the giant alien was indeed smoking a cigar.

Going the stairway he came over to the shop as the Elcor was speaking with a Batarian customer.

"Frustratingly, I cannot allow my prices to go lower than what we previously had agreed upon. If you cannot pay, with suppressed anger, find your parts somewhere else and do not waste my time."

Though it was a mild exchange due to tone, it was clear the haggling was strong with this shopkeep. For Omega. Obviously, he was an Omega native. His customer reluctantly agreed, and the exchange was made. As the four-eyed alien moved past the biotic, he scoffed harshly. "Out of my way, human. I'm already pissed off today as is."

Ignoring that, Naruto came along to the kiosk and saw the prices, and sure enough they were half what Kenn was selling at. "With a relieved cheer, welcome human to Harriot's shop. I am Harriot. What can I help you with?"

The blond gave a respectful nod; "Greeting Harriot, I wish to discuss Kenn'Laspar employment."

"Defensive; I do not know what you refer to, human. Accusatory, I don t take kindly to slander!"

The massive Elcor bulked up in anger until his beady eyes rose as he saw a crimson biotic aura glowing from the human. His blood felt like ice as the human's eyes were glaring blood red with slit irises; "Let me make this perfectly clear, Harriot. You will let Kenn sell his wares at his prices and end his debt." Naruto leaned in; "And if that kid I find is somehow harmed before he could leave this hellhole...I'll be visiting you... And it won't be friendly."

Seeing as anyone with half a mind to know the big names of the galaxy wouldn't ever forget the glow of red, Harriot was quite sure he was seeing a ghost in the flesh. "Fearful, you make quite a bargain, human. Hopeful and sincere, I will not cause you or the Quarian any ire any longer. In wishful conclusion, I will also sell to you at a discount to make up for my mistakes."

Easing off the aura, and with an even scarier change of attitude that made the Elcor almost drop his cigar in fear, the biotic human almost smirked like a kid in a candy store. "You must be a paragon of virtue with that generosity, thanks a bunch, Harriot. I'll keep an eye on anything else I might need for my journey, and keep your store in mind."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Kenn almost dropped his grinder as the blond human returned; "Y-you came back?!"

"I keep my promises," The blond nodded with a smirk; "Harriot's backed off and you can do business freely."

The Quarian slumped forward exhaling relief; "I never thought I'd hear that. Let alone get anyone to help me."

"I don't care what species anyone is. If someone needs help I help them."

The N7 was sure Kenn was grinning at him; "Happy to know there are some good folks out there. By next week I should be out of this hole and back to the fleet."

"Do you have a gift ready?"

Nodding, the Quarian went to grab something to work on. "As much as I hate admitting it, I did manage to get some gear to help the ship I want to join through less honorable measures than desired. I was worried I'd have to part it out bit by bit for spare creds, but I'll be fine now. Thanks to you. I'll be sending the parts you ordered to the ship you listed, be ready for pickup in the hour."

Walking with a smile, the former dead Spectre was happy it all worked out. "Keelah Se'lai, Kenn."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

On her end, Shepard was with Aria having got into the room and giving the Asari the data. To say she was furious was an understatement, already threatening her lieutenant with maiming to start for not being on top of such a thing. "Find out who let this slip, and bring them to me. If they don't have something to offer, they lose a leg... or tentacle if it's a damned jellyfish."

Emily crossed her arms; "So where does that leave us? The Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack took some major blows."

"As that human expression goes. We're square, Shepard." Aria activated her Omni-tool; "For wiping out those bosses and finding this annoying nugget I'm adding a bonus to our deal."

The human Spectre looked surprised; "So you do honor your word."

"I might be cruel-hearted bitch Shepard, but I always keep my word." Emily's Omni-tool soon chimed on; "Expect some top of the line Asari gear coming your way straight from Thessia."

Nothing top of the line leaves Thessia, so this was not just a shocking surprise of a cherry on top, but also even more curious how high Aria's command goes in the system. Keeping her thoughts to herself, the human woman gave a small bow of respect. "I'll be taking my leave, then. Thanks again, Queen of Omega."

"Be sure to thank Archangel as well. The way I hear it, he's the only reason you got on the station at all this time. The first thing he did was get that bounty off your head. Then again, thanking a dead man would be impossible right?" It was almost palpable, the grin almost giving an aura of knowing exactly what was going on around her.

"It's almost soiling yourself type scary how she's that in the know... Then again, it might come in handy to be owed a favor in the future. Keep on good terms, Emily." With that, she left the throne room of Omega's ruler.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Garrus slowly walked around the Normandy SR-2. His blue eyes taking notice of part of the crew was of the old Normandy who greeted him warmly. Joker as normal gave his two cents of him returning to the crew.

Returning to the crew... It felt strange hearing that in his head. While at the same time he felt a pang in his heart. The crew he had in Omega, people he called friends and brothers in arms... All of them... Gone...

He shook it off as he was greeted by a petite short redheaded woman in Cerberus regs; "Officer Garrus Vakarian, Welcome to the Normandy SR-2. I'm Yeomen Kelly Chambers"

"Just Garrus if that's alright. I quit C-Sec ages ago."

"You are still very much respected here with the Normandy crew. Both new and old. If you don't mind, I'd like to show you around. Whilst we've done everything we could to keep things like the original design, there have been redesigns and added space due to the doubling of the size of the ship."

"Just a brief tour, for now. Maybe where I can be of use, then I have to wait for Shepard and Uzumaki." He wondered just what kind of changes they had, and how it would benefit them at all against an enemy like the Collectors again.

Kelly was quite polite and respectful towards him as she showed the Turian around the new Normandy redesigned areas. Not what he expected from someone working for Cerberus. And it was something Chambers picked up on by his body language; "You weren't expecting hospitality from us were you?" It was more a statement than a question as they got onto the elevator.

"In truth? Not really given your group's agenda," Garrus spoke candidly. "And more than a few questionable activities you folks have done."

At that partially agreed; "Many do join us out of simple xenophobia I will admit. But not all of us. Still, doesn't excuse a lot that goes on in our group."

The Turian looked surprised; "So why be a part of it."

They exited the elevator to the mess hall; "Because like those like me, we want to forward humanity in the right way. The others might frown at us, but not all of us in Cerberus hate aliens. And we want to build something better."

"I take it your group is a minority within Cerberus."

Still smiling throughout the next part of the tour, she explained as Garrus noticed Chakwas also being a part of the crew, her medbay even bigger and with a window to look in now. "Many of this cell are old members of the Normandy from the Saren chasing days. As much as they look to have joined us, and on paper clearly they are on our payroll, most of them still consider themselves less a part of Cerberus, and more a part of the crew with Naruto Uzumaki at the helm, back from the grave. Chakwas was very clear about her stance, alongside her protege."

The real surprise came from the pink hair coming into view from where he couldn't see before. "That's Sakura. She was working at Flux before." Having met eyes, she waved his way, along with Chakwas when she noticed. he waved back as he was led through to the pod area, and the front batteries. "This makes Cerberus look way less like the evil bastards we've chased down that first year, and more like a force for good... a ploy? Or is their stance of rogue cells actually true?" Even thinking that had him shaking his head, and knowing full well this had to have some hidden meaning. Still, the possibility of otherwise was frightening.

"Miss Haruno joined us with her teacher Dr. Chakwas." The auto slide doors opened revealing the forward batteries of the ship; "Is there where you prefer to be Garrus?"

"Perfect," The Turian nodded; "Now just need a cot."

Kelly gave a concerned look; "We do have beds for all the crew your welcome to."

"I just prefer the solitude if that is alright?"

"Of course, I'll bring a cot here right away." She extended her hand to Garrus; "It will be a pleasure to work with you."

He took her hand and shook; "Likewise."

A light started to show from a device in the room, EDI's holographic interface popping up to the surprise of the Turian sniper. "Excuse the interruption, but all active members of the fireteam are requested to meet up with Naruto and Emily in the conference room on the main deck. They will be returning to the Normandy shortly." Then she vanished

The pieces clicked into place in the mind of the vigilante, after everything that he did with Shepard back when they hunted Cerberus, and what she talked about with an AI project. "That's the AI I heard Cerberus was working on..."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

The siblings both dressed in Cerberus-style battle dresses, much to their mutual annoyance. "Not a fan of these," Emily bemoaned.

"Neither am I but we play along for now. Least till we stop the Collectors."

His sister nodded as the door of the conference room opened. First coming in was Mordin and Jacob; "Been a while, Taylor," Emily addressed.

Jacob gave a salute; "Captain, know this has to be weird."

"Indeed," Mordin concurred; "A pro-human group seeking aid from aliens with an A.I. on board. This matter is serious."

Miranda and Garrus came in with Zaeed being the last. "This has got to the nicest goddamn frigate I've seen in a long time," The grizzled merc omitted in his usual tone. "Yeoman's a cute little thing too." A snort of disgust came from Miranda; "I'm old, not dead girl."

The lone Turian of the group came to Naruto and Emily's side; "You two always find the charmers." He spoke with humor.

"It's like we're magnets to the strange and bizarre." Groaning a bit, the ranking captain just crossed her arms and stared at the table. "And this is as bizarre as things become..."

Leaning in to show herself better, the second in command of the ship spoke. "It gets even more so if you two together is any indicator. Before we begin this meeting, should we head out to our next recruit in the meantime, Commander?"

"He's technically ranked Captain now, due to the deceased promotion. Guess that goes back down the moment this is public, and it won't take long before it does happen."

Looking to the active special operations agent, Jacob countered. "Be that as it may, he's in charge of this operation. Making him the captain of this vessel."

Ignoring that, Shepard looked to Miranda. "Recruiting for this mission can wait a little bit, we need to get ahead of this. My brother isn't on your damned payroll, and the longer your stupid rumors keep spreading that he's supporting Cerberus' efforts the more damage it does to any chance he has of getting out of your thumb. We need to see the Council, get things straightened out, and then we can figure out how to stop the Collectors."

"And I suppose he'll just be given other resources for a mission out in the Terminus?" The tight-suited Cerberus agent chuckled. "Even if Naruto came out as against us, Spectre's are not allowed in the terminus on official business, so any support is cut off from the get-go. And the longer we wait, the more the Collectors take from the colonies. You don't care what happens to the lives of the innocent people your Alliance cannot even protect?"

"Enough." Not wanting to waste time with small details, the blonde huffed out a sigh of irritation. "EDI, relay this to Joker. We're heading for the Citadel." Looking to Miranda, he explained as best he could to keep the peace. "We move too fast, we won't have our countermeasure. This gives Mordin time to get research in and it gives us a fighting chance. And time for me to read the other two Dossiers to pick who we grab."

Miranda gave a slow concede nod; "Very well Commander."

A low sigh came from Jacob, he knew this was going to be tense. "Which dossier should we go for after you meet the council?"

"Way I figure we try for Warlord Okeer."

The Salarian scientist narrowed his eyes; "Veteran of the Krogan Rebellions considered so radically and ruthless that even the Krogan declared him an extremist exiling him. Follows what you humans call Darwinism to a near-fanatical level."

Garrus grunted; "Well he sounds fun..." His sarcasm was thick. "Where is he?"

Naruto grabbed the datapad from the table; "Korlus, in the Eagle Nebula. He is working with a Blue Sun's unit run by a human woman named Jedore."

"Well we're in for a fight," Zaeed grumbled; "That bitch is crazier than a Vorcha high on red sand! Expect an unpleasant welcome with a lot of bullets."

The blond thought for a moment; "Then best to take the whole fireteam?"

"If you want to get out alive," The veteran merc quipped; "Jedore doesn't fuck around. Her unit is full of hardened bloodthirsty sons of bitches who are good at their jobs. You'll need all of us to get to Okeer and that crazy bitch."

With a plan in order, he knew he had to make sure things went smoothly. "Alright. Having a Krogan on board makes things easier in a heavy firefight, and we'll be getting things done on the Citadel quickly. Does that sound good enough for you, Miranda?"

"It's a start. Though, I should mention we do have two more Dossiers to check. Jack, and Kasumi. Kasumi requested a meeting on the Citadel, we should make that another stop on the station." She could see the pressure he was feeling. Deciding on leaving things there, she started towards the door. "I'll leave you to read the files and make your choice. I have to make my reports. Will that be all, Uzumaki?"

The blond waved his hand gesturing everyone to leave. All but Garrus remained with Emily and Naruto; "Well this has turned into one hell of a day." Garrus's mandibles twitched as he spoke; "While it was nice seeing Joker, Chakwas, and Sakura, along with some of the old Normandy crew. But I'm far from comfortable with Cerberus around."

"Think we can all agree on that," Naruto murmured dryly. "I even met their boss. Complicated is the best way to call him."

"But no friend," Emily declared.

Her brother shook her head; "Not a chance."

"Well, glad we're all on the same page. And damn glad your back with us Naruto," Garrus gave a Turian smirk

"Thanks. Though it feels less like 2 years for me, so all I can say is I can only imagine how bad things got with everyone for two whole years." The commanding officer of the ship sighed heavily. "I can't wait to be chewed out by every single member of the crew... First Tali, then you two. Wrex is probably going to knock me flat on my ass."

Shrugging, the dark-haired Spectre gave a soft smile. "He'd not care. Out of everyone, I'd say you only really have to worry about Ash, maybe Kaidan but that'll be what we find out on the Citadel. Liara's not going to get on you for Cerberus involvement, she's seen much seedier stuff on Illium than she ever thought possible, and Jenkins wouldn't dare talk down to you."

Having a better chance at talking about former crew now, instead of with the sly leader of Cerberus. "Speaking of, what's the deal with everyone? Heard Wrex is busy with the clans on his planet, Tali's got her mission going on as she told me, and all I got about Liara was she was working as a broker. Garrus vanished, according to the Illusive Man. No way I believe he meant it, considering we were coming for a 'Turian sniper' after all."

Looking at her Turian friend, she knew he would want to hear this too. "Well, after Garrus left for Omega... We have had a few errands on the Alliance side of things. Whoever Mr. Illusive is, he's right that Wrex is taking care of his people, and that Liara is an information broker. Garrus didn't really vanish, he left for the Terminus with little word and nothing came from him since, so he was just not watched. Ash is on a classified mission, can't speak on it because of the AI. No offense, by the way!"

Knowing they were being talked to, EDI popped up to answer. "None taken. It was determined you'd not talk about anything in front of us that might be sensitive information."

With the AI's hologram going away, Emily continued. "Kaidan's returned from his mission, he is currently on standby until we have more information regarding the Terminus effort. Also sticking by Anderson as temporary security. Last year, Jenkins started the N7 commendation I sent to everyone. Ash refused, Kaidan's on hold. Jenkins should be just about finished with initiation, will give him a call when we hit the station."

Naruto listened to everything before glancing at Garrus; "And you decided to raise hell in Omega."

"Followed your example. When the council rebuked your words on the Reapers I got sick of even being at the Citadel. Figured I'd do more good on my own. Outside of Aria, the other scum of Omega was fair game. Even gained a team of my own. Former C-Sec, military, mercs; people who wanted to make a real difference or redeem themselves. It was working for a while."

Emily noticed a fire glowing in their Turian friend's eyes. "What happened?"

Garrus lowered his head; "Was my damn fault... Was betrayed by one of my own..." He paused sorting his thoughts; "I'll tell you both once I gain my barrings. Need some time to myself."

"Whatever you need Garrus," Naruto came over patting his Turian comrade's side; "We're here for you."

"I know. Thank you, both of you. When things are settled, you can find me in the forward battery. Might as well keep me busy, and I know my way around weapons systems." With a hug from Emily, which he returned, the three became two as the dextro left.

With just the two of them, Shepard had to ask. "You know I'm going to be given a hard time on this ship, right? That woman with the catsuit is probably going to be grinding my gears about whatever I have to say about Cerberus."

"So far nobody has given me flak," Naruto remarked; "The old crew on board also made it adamant they work for me and not Cerberus."

Emily snorted; "Well that's something."

"And if you speak to the Yeoman she is pleasant enough. But she's also a therapist so be careful what you say."

"Not like we've not needed one sometimes, though our go-to is leaving the galaxy." That reminded her. "Think the ship will let me send a message out? Ino's going to flip hearing you are back with us. We should let her know you are alive and well before she heads out with the Nexus in a month or so. Ino's been keeping the place afloat for Sha'ira ever since some scumbags dragged the Consort's name in the muck, driving her back into Asari space for a while."

"The Nexus?" Naruto cocked a brow.

"Oh right, really need to fill you in on what's going on."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Naruto sits in his cabin with his sister who explains what has been going on while they make their way to the Citadel. "So folks decided to journey to Andromeda. And Ino and Neji are going there."

"Yup."

"I see... Guess my death made things difficult on everyone..." Sighing heavily, he could only wonder what else he missed.

Shaking her head, Shepard put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "You didn't mess anything up. The Collectors killed you, it's their fault."

The trip to the Citadel took a couple of hours to get past the clearance hell, but Joker came on the comms. "Anderson's pulling strings, we're going to be landing in a docking bay close to Zakera Ward. He wants to see Naruto and Emily right away. Sounds important."

Emily checked her Omni-Tool; "Got a message from Kasumi Goto, said she will be on the same Ward."

"Well, this will be an interesting day."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Upon docking the Normandy it was decided Emily and Naruto would go up to the Presidium with Garrus. Miranda and the others would fetch any supplies needed for the ship. The trio road on one of the transport cars while Naruto glanced out the window; "They cleaned this place up."

"The Keepers did most of the work. But there was a lot of unsanctioned work also done," Garrus remarked quietly.

Nodding, the blonde grinned, turning back to his ranged rival. "Want to get back to the bet? We never did resolve the thing." He was hoping a little friendly competition would help the Turian's mind and heart open up for later.

That truly made the Turian grin; "Sure you want to restart that? I have gotten better in the last two years."

"So you can hit something that moves now?" Naruto smirked.

Garrus leaned in; "Game on Uzumaki."

Emily rolled her eyes as she settled the car near the embassies. "Alright you two, let's get proper."

Walking past Avina they went up the direction for the human embassies. The slide glass door opened as they saw Anderson speaking with his fellow councilors. To the blond, the former captain looked a bit older with more grey in his hair. And while he looked good, politics were not his cup of tea and it showed.

"Ah, Shepard, Uzumaki. Thank you for joining us. We were just waiting for your arrival before we started deliberation." Anderson managed to get out before, of course, Sparatus chose to speak up.

And to say the Turian was annoyed at having to be there was an understatement. "Nothing to deliberate, Councilor Anderson, it's already pretty clear that Naruto Uzumaki's been alive and well under Cerberus payroll. Cerberus flagged ship, crew wearing their colors and emblem, and the last time I checked the dead do not return to the living."

Garrus glared; "Still the same asshole."

"Watch your tongue, Vakarian," The Turian councilor warned with a growl.

However, the former C-Sec officer looked unfazed; "I'm not a cop or a soldier anymore so I can say whatever the hell I want. And in my personal opinion Sparatus, we should have left you to burn two years ago."

At that both siblings turned to their friend's direction; "Garrus," Emily spoke sharply. The Turian backed off before walking to the open veranda.

Ignoring the hostility of his fellow councilor, Valern turned to what he knew. "Speaking of the Battle of the Citadel, because your actions saved all our lives, despite Sparatus' outburst, we are willing to give you a chance to explain things, and prove this is all just a misunderstanding of some sort."

"Agreed, we owe you the benefit of the doubt, Naruto." The Asari spoke with enough conviction to keep Sparatus quiet for the moment. Continuing, however, she did want to help the situation. "Besides, Shepard's been a reliable and honest Spectre, if she confirms your story, there's little room for doubt against your defense of such accusations as being allied with an enemy of the galactic community."

Without a word, Emily went to her Omni-tool. The respected Omni-tools of the Councilors came to life; "My full report plus video. My brother Naruto Uzumaki was dead for two years till his revival by Cerberus. They brought him back on account of the disappearances of our colonies. For whom we discovered are the Collectors."

Valern narrowed his eyes going over the report; "Even I thought they were a myth of the Terminus. Troubling news."

"The worst part is because the Terminus is off-limits to official business from pretty much anyone on our side of the galaxy, things are just being swept under the rug or going at a snail's pace. And right now, it seems we are running out of time to do anything." Naruto was going to hope he could persuade them to handle something, give him some sort of support, maybe let them take care of things even if it wasn't official.

"The fact remains just that, we cannot do anything, even for a few missing human colonies out in the Terminus." Though he was clearly holding his frustrations back, Sparatus was not about letting things go smoothly for either sibling. "It's clear we have a potential threat with the Collectors, but as long as they operate in the terminus it's out of our hands. It's no different than the gangs and thugs and groups of criminals all surrounding the Terminus with eyes everywhere."

"As much as I'd love to think it's as simple as a few small colonies going missing from a potential gang. Cerberus, and myself believing the theory presented given the evidence, find the Collectors possibly being pawns of the real enemy coming our way." Naruto was hoping to avoid anything, knowing full well from his sister it was not going to go anywhere, but he wasn't going to just let them forget.

A dry gaze from Sparatus; "Ah you refer to the sentient machine the Reapers. Those are just a myth.." He spat the word angrily.

With a small sigh barely heard over the audio, their Salarian friend could only confirm his fellow Counsilours words. "Anderson will even tell you, we've dismissed the Reapers as anything more than the ramblings of a madman. Much to his frustration, I am sure."

Knowing her teacher too well, Shepard stepped in. "Beyond everything we've given as evidence, it's hard to tell if this was an isolated incident or a delayed reaction from a further unknown race preparing some sort of war that is in no way connected to sentient super-machines from dark space." Everyone could hear the sarcastic monotone exasperation of the delivery as if unfeelingly spouting propaganda. Which it was exactly just that.

"Quite the mixing of words, Shepard, but alas it's irrelevant. The evidence clearly shows the enormous ship was nothing more than a severely advanced Geth Dreadnaught. Nothing else shows us definitive proof otherwise." Sparatus was not letting his chance to put these two in their place slip by.

Though he only got the blonde to grow even more frustrated by it all. Garrus himself scoffed and let it all play out, as Anderson decided to fight back. "The evidence clearly shows the ship was of even more advanced technology than we can fathom, but nothing shows it was Geth made, in fact, quite the opposite."

Tevos closed her eyes; "However we just don't know how advanced the Geth are compared to us. Sovereign at best could have been an extremely advanced prototype dreadnought."

Out of the three, her words were the most sound. But what's more, Naruto knew they only had little to no evidence to validate the existence of the Reapers. Thought he paused for a moment; "Wait, did you find the A.I. core of Sovereign?"

A disgruntled shrug came from the Salarian councilor; "I had my agent scour for it. But it seems there was a fail-safe that wiped the core upon its destruction."

The blond bit back a curse. Like the Geth do their cores, it was compelling evidence

The only real thing they had was Ilos, and they heard the VI was unresponsive about a week before their last send out that got Naruto killed. Beyond that, it was in the Terminus so nothing concrete could ever be publically shown even if they DID find anything.

Though Naruto had been working on one thing to show that it was definitely NOT Geth in origin. Pulling up the statistics he had mapped out, he gave the information he worked months on making to show it wasn't some advanced prototype. "Want me to show you it's no Geth ship? Here; we have the data on the Battle itself. Tell me, what stands out to you?"

Being the calculating one of the group, Valern tried to understand it all. He didn't see anything not already categorized in their records. "The fact the ship was strong enough to wipe out everything from Frigates to Dreadnaughts in almost a single shot?"

"And the rest of the Geth ships couldn't even stand against a medium cruiser in single combat." Pulling the numbers, he was smirking. "Ah, that's strange. The greatest Dreadnaught the Turians had stationed was destroyed in a single shot from Sovereign. It even crippled the Destiny Ascension's left side when passing it by to enter the closing arms of the Citadel. With such power, it could withstand the combined forces of the Citadel's remaining fleet AND the entire Fifth fleet in sustained combat by its lonesome. But, what did the entirety of actual Geth ships do in the battle? even their best large Cruisers were being pinned by single Dreadnaughts, it took hundreds of their ships to even match the Destiny Ascension when it was crippled."

As the information was being absorbed, and Valern was confirming every single piece of calculation in the record, the blonde was suppressing his ever-growing rage at Sparatus, who seems to be grinning behind his holographic interface. "Reaper or no Reaper, it could still be a prototype the Geth developed as an ace in the hole for their ploy to take out all organics. They didn't have any other Dreadnaughts, so of course, ours would have been sufficient against their cruisers alone."

Almost radiating his aura, Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself before plugging that little loophole out of the Turian's argument. "One Dreadnaught that had the power to wipe out most of the Citadel forces by itself, without it the Citadel would have been YAWNING at how pitiful the Geth forces would have been against them. You are telling me the Geth would have one single ship that is infinitely greater in technologic and combat superiority to its entire fleet? not to mention all Geth technology taken from Feros and Noveria was clearly only as advanced as tech from a year before they even attacked Eden Prime, minus their tech poles. Their weaponry evolved differently from ours but was only slightly more powerful than our own, we've since adapted to that I hear with equally better shielding. That ship was leagues beyond literally everything else they had otherwise."

Once more Tevos spoke; "At this point, we are unsure whether or not Sovereign was a prototype or something else. Nothing can be proven or disproved."

Naruto rubbed his brow with irritation; "So nothing's changed."

knowing the Asari was the one to speak reason, it seemed hopeless. Though Valern did give a peace offering. "Given all the evidence so far, we can at least agree that prototype ship or not, after this data being highlighted, it is not of Geth make. It could still have been from a group in the Terminus, potentially the Collectors who have been rumored to have greater degrees of technology than our own."

Though he looked to argue, Tevos glared at the Turian Councilor, and Anderson even gave a nod in confirmation before getting to the heart of the discussion. "As much as you believe the Reapers exist, and I personally believe you both, the facts remain that there's not enough evidence to support that conclusion. Rest assured, we are still preparing measures on our end to defend against any potential enemies like Sovereign appearing again."

Hand on his shoulder, Emily gave him her support. "We'll find the evidence needed, I'm sure of it. Until then... Given the situation," Turning to the Council, she was going to try and get this matter settled. "Let's talk about getting my brother back on track. He is alive and well, so he'll need full status back from before he perished in that attack two years ago. I'm sure Hackett will be on board to give him back his rank and privileges in the Alliance. But he was also a Spectre, will that status be honored?"

"I support it," Anderson declared.

Tevos and Valern nodded in agreement; "We know we can be frustrating to deal with Uzumaki. But we both respect your talents and accomplishments. Thus we approve your reinstatement." He glared towards Sparatus who gave a begrudging nod. He looked back to the human; "If you want it of course."

Glancing to his sister and David who nodded, Naruto stepped forward; "I accept."

"Then it's decided. We cannot support you openly when it's openly presented to the public through many rumors and news sources that you are working with Cerberus, but we will still support you individually, and will pray for a swift end to your relationship with their ranks." With that said, she left the call.

The twitching mandibles of the Turian Councilor flared. "Try to stick to the Terminus, for the time being, it would look bad for all parties involved if you try anything with Cerberus backing your investigation into the Collectors." Not wanting a response, he left as well. Valern only nodded and waved before disappearing too.

The tension was finally settling, even if the resurrected Spectre wanted to tear Sparatus a new hole to breath from.

Anderson for his part sighed heavily; "Well that could have gone worse..."

"Would worse be implying shoving Sparatus through an airlock," Garrus quipped coming back to the others.

"Whatever his deal is, he's not going to let up if we antagonize him." Emily crossed her arms and thought for a bit. "I'm pretty sure he's being defensive rather than trying to actively go against us."

Their former captain agreed. "He's been pushing back against some of the changes I've been trying to help implement, even if it involves better opportunities for the Hierarchy. Though, with Humanity gaining such a foothold, he's got supporters breathing down his neck to keep us down. Political games aren't my thing, but at least Valern plays ball with me. Tevos is as neutral as they came, I can never tell if she's trying to help out or keep things as they are."

"Councilor Tevos has been at this for five hundred years," Naruto recalled his lessons from Thessia; "No one will ever figure her out."

Anderson grunted as he motioned for them to the veranda; "True enough... Exactly what happened to you Uzumaki? While I believed you died two years ago, how was Cerberus able to do the impossible?"

The blond scratched his head before pulling out a datapad; "An old friend of mine gave me the details of what project Lazarus was. though feel a lot was left out." He handed over the datapad to the councilor.

Taking it over to read, Anderson walked to his desk. Then, of course, Ambassador Udina came in, eyes closed, trying to look like he had a high horse moment. "Councilor Anderson, we must speak about this business with Uzumaki, he's-" Then he opened his eyes and noticed the said person was standing right there. "Oh. Well, then I guess the rumors were very true."

Behind him came in an old friend, Kaidan Alenko. "Sorry I'm Late, Anderson, just got off the ship... And what a time to do so." Both men were slowly reeling from the scene before them.

"Udina," Naruto gave a nod; "You look well Kaidan."

The L2 soldier blinked a few times; "So... You are alive?"

"Sorry if that's a bother. I'm getting that lately." Sighing and scratching the back of his head, he could only really hope this didn't last long with Udina, he knew this would only go south if politics kept going.

And it kept going, alright. "I assume the Council has been notified? I don't recall being called to help in any meetings this time, so maybe there's time to save us from the bomb that will go off with this news."

"Don't bother." The Turian stepped forward in defense of his friends. "Meeting over. Sparatus is pissed as usual, but otherwise, things have gone really smoothly. Spectre status reinstated to Naruto Uzumaki, and limited vocal support of a returning Hero of the Citadel. With evidence showing he's being strung along by misinformation, so any Cerberus talk is being handled."

Emily nodded; "As Garrus said."

Udina glanced to Anderson; "Already?"

"Everything has been handled, as long as Uzumaki stays in the Terminus."

"I see..." Muttering to himself about the benefits of such a thing, he lost himself for a moment before chewing out Anderson. "You should have still had me negotiate things, regardless."

"I'm the Counselor here, not you." Standing, he gave the man a solid stare. "You should know your place around here, and it's to represent the interests of humanity, not your standing. I'd rather you leave us alone, Udina." The former ship captain sat back down as Udina bowed and left.

Not sure how to feel about all this, the Canadian soldier looked at the blonde. "So, this isn't a trick then? or some sort of undercover op?"

Shaking her head, the skilled engineer answered. "He was dead and had been brought back to life. Keep yourself from theorizing too much, Staff Commander Alenko."

"Commander," Naruto blinked.

The older man gave a small nod; "Yeah, shock to me too. Ash is an operation's chief now."

Well, the black list of her family was ebbing away slowly. But the blond focused; "Still getting used to the two-year gap."

Alenko got to the main concern he had; "Are you with Cerberus?"

"They brought me back. And no I am not working 'for' them. Call it an olive branch as they are going after the Collectors who are attacking our outer colonies."

The Canadian-born glanced to Anderson who looked up from reading the Lazarus project details. "I was able to confirm it."

"If you need my thumbs up, you got it, Kaidan." Sitting down on the desk with Anderson finishing his look-through, the active Captain of the group finished with a request. "Try not to think of this as naruto working alongside terrorists. He is back and hates them as much as we do. But they're spreading too many rumors under the table to keep him from getting any other support. And you know us, we like to launch ourselves into helping others, what bigger cause than stopping the Collectors?"

A moment of thought to that was all he needed. Alenko trusted Shepard more than anything, and if she confirmed Naruto was there, he trusted it. And he also trusted Naruto. "Then get those bastards. Heard they attacked another colony recently, we're still pricing together where, but it's looking like another Alliance-held colony."

Emily nodded; "We will get the bastards. Can you come with us?"

"Afraid not," Alenko spoke with some regret; "I've been on guard duty for our councilor and the ambassador."

Naruto respected the words from his old teammate before his thoughts turned to Williams; "How's Ash going to take my return?"

Not one to sugarcoat things, Kaidan quipped plainly; "We all know Ash wears her heart on her sleeve. She is going to be angry about the Cerberus association regardless. As long as her temper doesn't get the best of her and you explain it to her as best you can she might see you're not with Cerberus. But you know as well as I do that she might just not care if her temper is going full blast."

"Yeah, true. You're the brains who thinks through the problem, she's the heart that will follow her feelings even into an early grave if she isn't careful." With a groan, Naruto just let that sink in for how he could ever get her to understand before it got too crazy.

Shutting the pad off, the Counselor stood. "Well, this is an interesting set of circumstances... It worries me more than gives me relief."

"Why is that?" The crew turned to Anderson as he walked around the table.

"They spent almost as many credits as the entire Council makes in a year combined, and still able to fund their other projects that wouldn't be cheap either." A grim expression came over him. "They either depleted their funds and are betting everything they have on Uzumaki for a return on their investment..."

Everyone could see where he was going. Garrus was already thinking just that and nodded to the others. "Or, they have more funds and resources than even the entire galactic whole. Which means, they have backup projects in wait."

"Exactly, and neither is a prospect I care for." Anderson came around his desk and paced; "I can not stress this enough, but keep your head on a swivel and ears open with Cerberus Uzumaki."

"Plan to sir," Naruto gave a nod.

"Very well, Shepard you remain with your brother and assist in any way you can."

Emily saluted; "Yes sir."

Anderson gave a nod; "Now I'm sure you bunch have some business to do. Alenko and I need to do some work."

"I'll keep you updated the best I can, Captain." Alenko shook Shepards' hand, then gave the same treatment to her brother. "Safe travels to you as well."

"Ditto." With that, the team of the new Normandy left. as they were on their way, Naruto stopped them in a corner. "I think it'll be safe for now..."

Confusion had come to the Turian and his sister. "What's up?"

Taking from his pack a real paper book, he gave the thing to Emily and looked serious. "Message for you. Someone who was against Cerberus gave me a message... 'Rome fell in in a week'. Ring any bells?"

Taking the book, she could only think a moment for why that sounded familiar. A moment went by before she gasped and opened the book. "Of course... Clever of them..." Putting the book away, Shepard walked past her brother in a hurry. "Can't hang around right now, but trust me. You'll be thanking me later. This just cracked the code..."

"You don't mean... The final encryption?" Garrus was just as surprised. And he saw his partner grin. "Let's go, then."

"No. You go with Naruto, go see Kasumi. I'll be on the Normandy shortly. I need to make a call and go see Bau."

Now just being Naruto and Garrus, the duo slowly made their way out of the embassies. The blond's eyes zeroed in on the consorts area on the other side; "Need to see Ino too."

"Can make myself scarce if you want," Garrus omitted.

"Nah, think we both need to clear our heads a bit Don't you?"

The Turian picked up on the hidden message of needing a small break; "Might help us both."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Taking a small minute stroll the two came to the consorts office where instead of Nelyna greeting them, there stood another Asari who explained Nelyna and her sister Sapphira were both killed during the Geth attack two years ago. "We lost a lot of good people that day," Garrus remarked in mourning.

The blond lowered his head; "Too many." He looked back up giving a formal Asari bow much to the said woman's surprise; "Is Ino in?"

"Yes, she is. She said she was expecting someone, but... Wow. She's in the main room where Sha'ira called her office."

With directions in hand, Naruto bowed and said thanks in the Asari dialect and started up to see Ino. When he got to the door, he heard her call him in. The door opened, and he didn't get a step in before she grabbed him and pulled him into the room in the strongest hug she could possibly give him, shaking like a leaf even as she silently cried into his chest, even if it was armored.

Neither said a word as the male blond hugged his fellow blond back. "Are you real?" Ino whispered.

"I am," Uzumaki spoke quietly.

Garrus came in and closed the door, mandibles twitching as he watched with a Turian version of a smile. As the two finally let go of the super squeezing death hold of a hug, Ino wiped her tears as best she could. "You shouldn't have died at all, and now you're back with us and I don't even get a single message from you? it was big sis who had to tell me to wait for you you know."

"Didn't exactly have time, the moment I regained my life and woke up was to explosions, since then it's just been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Just got out of a meeting with the Council, and my communications are kind of being monitored."

Ino let out a sigh; "Okay..." She soon saw the former C-Sec officer; "Hey Garrus."

"Yamanaka," Vakarian crossed his arms; "Keeping everything afloat before heading to Andromeda?"

The buxom blond gave a thumbs-up; "Not easy but getting there." Her attention turned to her brother; "So back to you."

"Yeah... Basically, it's just been no rest since I got off that operating table..." The blonde Spectre gave the girl whatever he could tell her without getting her in trouble, knowing that spilling Cerberus secrets would end not so well. As she absorbed the information Naruto could only hope she didn't think ill of him.

And she just smiled and looked towards him with that loving look. "I know things have been hard on you, through Akuze, through our childhood, and even though the horrors of a toddler with biotics running amok alone before that. But if there is one thing I will always know, is you would never let Cerberus make you do something horrible. And, as much as I agree they are horrible people, I want to thank them personally for bringing back my big brother. The only good thing they ever did."

"So my turn," Naruto interjected; "Andromeda?"

Garrus looked curious; "Like to know that one myself."

A small sigh escaped Ino's lips; "After you died I thought about a lot. Then I heard about the Andromeda project and got hooked. Sha'ira encouraged me to go. Said I would be needed in times of darkness across the stars."

The formerly dead Spectre hummed at that. He knew she cared deeply about helping others. "So, you're not able to help many here? even after the attack on the Citadel?"

With a shake of her head, she stood and looked to Garrus. "Vakarian can attest, the Consort's absence, along with the accusations against her being ever prevalent in the media, has given this place a rather bad name. Our more loyal regulars, and some who can see past the obvious lies and tainted bias against her, still come and receive the help they need. But it's slow, and even with me at the head, there's really no one who wants anything to do with the Consort or her acolytes."

Seeing his friend confirm with a nod, Naruto frowned. "I see... No one will accept your help here, so if you cannot help here, then maybe others will require, and accept, help elsewhere."

"Exactly. Besides, the Foxes are strong and have gone their own ways. We still see each other, will always be family, and support will always be there. But without you, we've had felt a loss too heavy to bear here. So without you, and without anyone to help, I am rather useless here. So when they when Ryder came to see about mental specialists with an Asari Matriarch by his side, it was a good opportunity for me and a few of us here. So we'll join them on their journey."

Naruto could tell his fellow blond we determined to go through with this. He wraps his arm around her shoulder; "Then have a blast in Andromeda."

The Yamanaka grinned; "I plan to."

After a moment of catching up, it was time for them to go meet up with their new teammate. Ino was smiling the entire time. As Garrus hugged her. "You take care. When I needed advice, you helped me on the path. I might ask for another visit before you leave, that alright?"

"Sure thing, Vakarian. And you take care of my big bro, he's not invincible no matter how strong he is."

The Turian gave a faux salute; "Yes ma'am." before following Uzumaki.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Returning to Zakara Ward did not take long, reuniting with Emily who informed them, Miranda procured items needed for the Normandy and returned to the ship with the others. Which left her, Garrus, and Naruto to find and meet Kasumi Goto. which proved easier than they thought as the legendary hacker and thief had been following them the entire time while cloaked. A commercial terminal came to life garnering the attention of the blond as they passed it.

"Liuetenant Commander Uzumaki~!" An Asian accented voice spoke up. "Were you looking for me?"

Turning to the advertisement, the team knew they were seen first, which was how it would always be given their reputations. Walking up to it, he played her game as the others looked around for the rogue in question. "I take it from the fact you are using my actual rank in full you are the ever punctual Kasumi?"

"You'd be correct, but I do always wonder why they always called you and your beloved sister by just the Staff Commander's shorthand of Commander when you both were still just LT's. Still, now your rank is in question given the death double promotion and the reversal potentially coming up."

To be honest, most people gave them that kind of respect of rank due more to their N7 qualification, but it didn't stop them from correcting others when it came down to getting the job done. "You don't come back from the dead often, given I don't remember anything worthy of getting promoted on Alliance terms for two years but be dead and rest in a coma, Lieutenant Commander is just fine until I get properly promoted."

That seems to amuse the Japanese woman; "You're quite humble."

"Just honest."

"No wonder ladies swoon around you."

Naruto rolled his eyes; "Back to the topic, please. You wish to join our crew?"

The screen changed to a Quarian. "Well, the idea that we might all die has me rather less inclined, but considering both your skillset and the skills of your sister who I am a fan of, you two might be perfect in helping me with a little favor. And quite frankly, I don't get found unless I want to be, even if your Illusive Man has various ways of finding the unfindable. When I heard he was hunting me down to drag me into this mission, I got curious. So, I made a deal. You help me with a little side job, and my entire skillset is yours against the Omega 4 Relay's hidden race of brokers."

Turning towards Shepard, the revived sniper wondered what this was about. "You got the likes of her eyeing you up?"

"Probably because of my mentor... Right, Kasumi?" Shepard could have sworn she found a glimmer of the invisible cloak in the rafters but was not able to confirm it by any means.

a new image of an Asari appeared; "Bau is a good man. I can respect someone like him. Even if he has been after me for years."

Being one for asking questions, the Turian had to know. "Someone who can outrun that Salarian is no spring rooster, what could you be needing with us? What kind of deal did you make for coming aboard on a potential suicide mission?"

"Chicken, Vakarian. Spring chicken." Though even correcting the dextro-amino vigilante was polite. "Love spring, by the way, guess it makes me nostalgic for the tree's in bloom, all pink and vibrant... Anyway, as long as you help me with my little job, you can count on me to give it my all. Knowing Mr. Man and all, my scrap of information made no mention of my deal. I'll tell you everything when we are aboard the ship. It won't be but a short mission anyway, you can handle a couple of hours helping out, right?"

Gazing at each other and back to Kasumi's image, Naruto and Emily agreed; "We accept any help you can give us. And will help with your endeavor as well," Naruto quipped.

At those words, the thief grinned; "Arigato gozaimasu." The Japanese woman gave a small bow; "Will see you on the ship Senchō." With that, the terminal resumed its normal routine.

The mandibles of their Turian friend twitched; "What were those words she said, they didn't translate."

"It was Japanese dialect, the first one was 'thank you," Emily explained; "The other word was 'captain'."

Garrus blinked; "I've seen one race to have so many different dialects..."

"We're weird like that," Naruto jested with a smirk.

After that was done, the trio started for their ship again. Considering their business was concluded, it was safe to say they could get back to the bigger issues. "I'm assuming the big wig of the operation gave you more people to recruit? I only heard about the first three on Omega before I booked it there."

With a slow nod, the blond thought about the other two. "Miranda's pushed for Okeer, so that's next on our list. And some criminal named Jack with biotic powers that are way above average but it's on a prison ship."

"Any other information on Jack?"

Emily was curious as well alongside her Turian partner. "Sounds like they would be on your level from before this whole resurrection thing. And are we sure they are a criminal? It is Cerberus saying this after all."

Bringing up the dossiers himself, he gave them each a copy. "I've been way too busy working everything out between rushing to get us someone able to help against the Collectors little swarm of insects, saving both of your butts, and then coming here to set things straight. Barely enough time to talk to the new crew on the Normandy, let alone look over every file given. I still have control over who we bring aboard, but it's hard to judge by file alone, so I'm about to give up on anything but name and location."

At that Garrus snorted; "Wrex would be proud."

That earned him a snorted laugh from the brother and sister; "Zaeed said we're going to need everyone when wanting to nab Okeer for our mission."

"I've heard some tales about this Jedore," Garrus remarked as they strolled through the ship; "You even looked at her the wrong way she would shoot you in the head. So agreed with the merc, we take everyone and prepare for a small scale war."

In agreement, the three got back to the ship. And low and behold, Kasumi was there in her natural form instead of some hologram off a screen. "Took you long enough. I'd have snuck in, but that computer you got in there is a hard shell to crack. Gonna let me in, Sencho?"

"Sure. Find a bunk while you're at it." Naruto processed the codes for EDI and got them all inside. When done, Kasumi turned invisible again and she was off. "She'll abuse that ability, won't she?"

"No doubt about it."

Garrus nodded before going in and heading for the elevator. "Call me when we arrive."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

As the trip to Krolus would at least take twenty-four hours, Naruto got a bit of rest before wandering the ship and meeting the crew. the first on the list was Joker who sat comfortably at the helm; "Leather seats... We'd never get this good stuff while in the Alliance."

"Even the clothes are top-notch, doubt they were cheap too." Naruto retorted standing by his friend. "So what's take on everything?"

"Well, let's see. We have a shadow organization that's monitoring our every move with a freaky AI that's hardwired into our ship and access to our electronic warfare, we've got a hardened super-merc, whoever that invisible babe was, and now we're going after a Krogan who's in league with the blue suns in a ship that's bigger and better than the original Normandy in every respect and that's after the fact the original was top of the line never before imagined amazing." Silence ensued for a moment. "So, you know, 'routine' stuff for being around the likes of you and Shepard together, just the normal crazy as all the other times."

At that, a snort came from the blond; "So just a routine day for us."

"Pretty much." Joker sighed leaning back against his chair; "I've never been the emotional type, hell you know that. But everything was just a fucking mess without you man."

"I doubt it was just because I was gone. Sis shouldn't have had so much trouble keeping everyone together..." In his mind, he didn't realize how bad the loss of him was.

Turning his gaze to the blond beside him, the pilot was going to be blunt about it. As usual, though that's how Naruto liked it anyway. "Between her own heartbreak, and the vast amount of problems with the Citadel afterward, and some of the crew going to leave within the month anyway like Wrex, she did her damned best and then some. Don't think it was only losing you that did it, if it was the other way around I doubt you'd have done any better, probably just the same anyway. The situation was hell, plain and simple. Just happened to be hell with you gone, man."

A sad curve of the lips was seen before Naruto let that sink in fully. "I guess. Thanks. Keep me posted on our time till arrival?"

"You know it." Seeing his friend walk off, he sighed heavily. Seeing the AI interface pop off, he gave a large frown. "Got something to say to me?"

"Just wondering, Mr. Moreau. You and Uzumaki tend to call out each other's failings, but also in ways that are complimentary. I find this behavior quite strange, as it breaks the social norms I have found prevalent to everyone else on the ship, and quite the opposite behavior to the new crew's way of speaking to the same person."

"Well, humans are weird," Joker remarked as he went back to the console.

Walking through the CIC, the blond gave a small nod to the Yoeman who smiled back; "No messages commander."

"Thanks for the heads up." He kept walking to the Tech labs as he saw Mordin typing on his console.

The Salarian noticed him with a glance; "Ah, good. I found a Fabrication device that with the right amount of raw materials can craft whatever we would need for our missions."

Naruto cocked a brow; "That could come in handy."

"Indeed," Mordin quipped; "From mods to new weaponry, Biotic upgrades, shield upgrades..."

"Excellent."

Checking the new lab thoroughly, the head of the ship was impressed to see a fully functioning mobile lab complex in a warship like the Normandy. "Cerberus paid no small expense to give this ship everything for adapting on the fly..."

"Always throwing money at problems, I hear. One agent might need a flashlight, gets paid to get the highest quality one credit can buy. Nice to have resources again, will need them for what's at stake now." Mordin finished his calculations and walked around his desk to meet up with his commanding officer for the ship. "Running diagnostics and have samples set to test after. Anything you need, Uzumaki?"

Naruto shrugged; "Just checking the crew. See how everyone is."

"Mark of a good captain, I applaud you."

"Have experience with that yourself?" Knowing the Salarian was STG before his clinic days, it was a good question. Besides, he wasn't about to pry into such secrets when he knew he'd not get anywhere with it.

"Not a leader myself, prefer to be given goal and let loose to accomplish it. Led teams once or twice, not my forte." Remembering his own Captains from before, Mordin recalled his favorite. "Knew great Captains, one called Kirrahe was best. Knew how to get the job done with resources being limited. Heard he nuked a cloning facility in recent years. Never went into much detail, but seemed the best option given the circumstances of the mission."

Recognition sparked in the blond's eyes; "I was on that mission with Kirrahe. Hell of a leader."

"Indeed, loved his speeches. 'Hold the line!'." The Salarian chuckled before returning to his table; "Now much to do, Talk later?"

Naruto nodded; "See you later doc."

Leaving the tech labs he made his way to the armory where Jacob was currently doing sit-ups shirtless; "Sup Uzumaki."

At that, the formerly dead N7 chuckled; "If you not working your exercising. You haven't changed a bit."

Only just started, Jacob was giving it all he had without a breath wasted. "Yeah, was drilled early on how pathetic I was in boot camp. If my weapons are out of clips, and I get too overloaded on Biotic feedback, what am I left with?"

"And your father's history had nothing to do with that treatment and expectations?"

That got a chuckle from the weapons expert of the ship. "Can't deny there was some push for me to be better than average, but I got the point. If I wanted to be the best, I had to prove it." His breathing was starting to get a little heavy now. "What's the word? We only just started getting out of Citadel traffic, gonna ask me the real questions? I know you well enough that you're concerned about something."

Strolling over, the blond sat down beside his old teammate; "What have you been up to since joining Cerberus? Anything noteworthy?"

"Quite a few," Jacob grunted; "Saw some weird shit during the Alliance. But Cerberus showed me we haven't even scratched the surface of what's out there in the Terminus. And I see why the other races view humanity as we do. We're a thousand years behind most species but we bullrush our way onto the scene."

That was always the talking point for most Naruto saw, but he noticed a lot more during their time at the Citadel. "Can't really tell where the middle ground is when you've little choice. My teacher told me her thoughts were exactly that, thanks to three different wars in our time, we're hanging by a thread, and any ground we take to survive is seen as an attack. The political climate of Citadel space can be harsh. This is why she thinks we grab our foothold and stay put, instead of trying harder. Opposite of Cerberus."

Not realizing he was pushing into the triple digits, Jacob kept up his grunting, more effort was needed now and he knew he was going to need to stop soon. "Would be nice if the good we did was noticed." Gathering his breath, and thoughts, the soldier let his recent intro into Cerberus show. "Council was about to have on their hands a lethal biological attack, if it wasn't for Cerberus they'd have been killed before they even knew what hit them. No coverage on that."

"Sounds like a Spec Opts mission." Naruto quipped.

With an explosive exhale Jacob stopped; "Pretty much. Mission took us to Tortuga and parts of the Abyss. Met some good folks, even a Krogan."

A smirk showed for a moment from the blond. "You'll have to retell the tale one day. When Cerberus doesn't have me going seven different directions at once. I have to use every free minute doing what I actually want to do right now, and that's getting to know the ship."

Even if they both knew his body was not going to cooperate with him, the dark-skinned man stood up like it was nothing but a light workout. "You've always been that kind of guy. This is even more reason why I like this cell of Cerberus so far. They keep this line, I'll regret nothing."

"If they keep this line..." They both knew it could get worse. Both were in for the Corsairs, and both knew Cerberus was no saint.

XxX xx XxX

Having grabbed her bunk, Shepard made sure to set everything up with as little footprint as possible. And seeing as they were currently off duty, she didn't need the full movement of her arm. Twisting each joint and clicking rods in place, she cut off all movement and even powered it off. The entire arm was nothing but a log of dead weight on her now. "No using my prosthetic against me, EDI. Not under their control, at least."

Heading for the medical bay, she could only get to finally see Chakwas and Sakura. "Anything in here for headaches?"

The pinkette walked over to one of the medical cabinets; "Should be something... Ah, here." She took out a small bottle of pills.

"Before that," Chakwas spoke getting up from her chair; "I was thinking of examining your cybernetics."

"No, you want to check the connections. Besides, nothing to this arm besides the bare-bones minimum. Hard locks, deadbolts, power hardline disconnector. Everything I need to function in combat-" Turning to where she thought a camera might be, she spoke clearly for the thing. "Without a Cerberus AI getting nosy when I'm off the clock!"

Taking the medication from her pupil, the white-haired woman shook the bottle. "Be that as it may, this is a trade. I want to know everything that went into your prosthetic arm's connections to your body, make sure there's nothing the previous doctor messed up given how well I know you and your brother's anatomy already."

Said pink-haired pupil gave a soft and nervous laugh at that, knowing Chakwas could be rather strict and direct when it came to medicine sometimes. Knowing she would have to anyway, Emily gave the dead and locked-in-place arm to Sakura and went to go sit down at the first available bed. As she did, she noticed Garrus coming out to get some food and they waved through the window. "So, how long will this take?"

The doctor checked her Omni-tool scanning Emily's prosthetic; "Five minutes, Captain." Her eyes looked over the data; "This is quite the advanced arm."

"Jien Garson paid for it all," Emily explained garnering a surprised look from the other two. "Didn't I bring that up?"

Sakura deadpanned; "You kind of left that out sis."

"Jien somehow had gotten Kassa Fabrication to build this for me."

"I can see their work on it, alongside others. It's quite the medical process, full control over whatever equipment you attach to your body. This is probably the most advanced cybernetic system anyone can ever hope for, and most likely the only one of its kind and quality." Seeing the statistics add up, the older woman smiled. "Must have cost her a small fortune. Seems both you and your brother were fortunate to be given some extra benefits to cybernetic reconstruction."

Shrugging, even with her current stump of an arm, Shepard answered. "She owed me after a job I did for her went south and cost me my real arm in the process."

Checking over the attachment itself, Sakura hummed. "Don't see why she wouldn't give you any bells and whistles for a new arm attachment as well... Don't get me wrong, this thing's a piece of art and quality built, tough too, but it's quite low-tech for the best Engineer humanity can offer."

Pointing to the AI interface with a look to her younger adopted sibling that spoke volumes, Chakwas understood quite well. "Ah, right. Not risking any Cerberus sabotage. Probably have a better arm in storage." After all the data was collected, the doctor filed it away on her Omni-tool. "That settles the physical, you should watch your blood pressure for a day or so, it's seeming a little high at the moment."

Emily gave the thumbs up to the doctor; "Thanks." She got up from the medical bed. "Till next time." She walks out the door with Sakura handing her some painkillers. Strolling through the mess hall she made her way to the forward batteries. Going through the door she found Garrus eating some dextro food on his cot. "Not even going to bunk with the others?"

"Prefer my solitude," the Turian faintly jests; "So what was the prognosis from Chakwas?"

"Clean bill. She's impressed by the tech put into making this entire artificial arm system, and everything is just fine." Sitting next to him, the woman could only wonder what her friend and partner could be going through. She didn't pry, but she did wonder about the bounty being dropped. "Heard from Aria you made sure that the price on my head went away awhile after we got off that station in the first place. Thanks."

Remembering how he did it, Garrus gave an easy chuckle. "Wasn't hard, taking out Talon leaders left and right, I got the big wig angry enough to pull all his gang back. He kept them too close, and I gave the warning to drop the bounty or he gets his head blown off. He nearly blew a district up to get rid of me, but like you on Eden Prime, I took out the bombs and finished the job. He let his guard down and from halfway across the district he was toast. After that, I warned anyone still upholding that bounty that they drop it or they were next. Within hours every Talon made their thoughts known and it was history. Talons went into hiding after that."

A chuckle came from the woman; "Sly bastard."

"I have my moments."

"You stayed and gained a name for yourself, why pick Archangel?" Not that she minded, but that was more a human belief.

Her answer was given and it made more sense. "I chose to stay awhile, not like C-Sec would bring me back aboard after quitting and making a scene about it. Besides, the cesspool at Omega needed some cleaning, and I saved some people down on their luck. Saved more than enough humans who were getting bullied by Batarians, they were the ones calling me an archangel protecting them. When the time came for an Alias to hide my name a bit, it seemed better than any other I could think of."

Better than what she could think up of on a good day. "Things got a bit heated with you and the Turian councilor."

"I've spoken to Sparatus a few times. Never cared for him. While yes he does care about the concerns for all those in Citadel space. He expects it to run like the Hierarchy. And that won't happen by any means."

"Not to mention he's not had a single thing to say that even considers we might be in the right on this one." As much as she hated to admit it, she sometimes wondered about the Council being saved.

Finishing a couple more bites of his food, Garrus had a question. "Say someone from the Foxes betrayed you... You know they did, saving their own skin in the process, and went into hiding. What would you do? Find them and get some justice for your fallen brothers and sisters, or would you forget about them and move on?"

That question came out of nowhere to the woman who looked surprised; "I-I don't know what I would do if something like that happened."

A grunt came from the former C-Sec; "Figured that be the answer."

"Why ask?"

"I'll tell you and Uzumaki together. Don't want to talk about it twice if that's okay?"

Emily gave a nod; "I understand. But I have an ear to bend if you need it."

"Same to you, Shepard, if you ever need mine."

XxX xx XxX

After a while, Naruto decided it would be best to speak with the one person he knew he'd need to talk to about this entire ordeal. He knocked on Miranda's door, and sighed, not really feeling relieved over this talk coming up.

The door chimed and slid open to the sight of the buxom brunette working tirelessly on her console. Her sapphire orbs gaze up as he walks in; "Commander." She gave a nod. "Have a seat."

Taking the gesture the blond sat down at one of her chairs in front of her desk; "Figured we can clear the air since I felt we got off on the wrong foot."

"True, and given with your past dealings with the more amoral divisions within Cerberus has colored your opinion of us."

A small look came from Naruto; "You're going to tell me Cerberus is a pack of saints?"

To his surprise she let out a snorted laugh; "Hardly, but I do admit too many in our organization do join out of simply misguided xenophobia."

The blonde knew only too well from other groups from other races where that was the reason for bad groups becoming such a problem. "And you let them, and they do things their way, and make a mess of everything. Even if Cerberus does police their own now and again, there are too many times I hear the rogue cells get taken down by their internal problems, or from passing patrols from others like the Alliance."

"You're not wrong, but you tend to forget that half the time it's policed by the Alliance patrols, they are only just recently deviating from their main focus and causing troubles. In this day and age, hiding anything from the eyes of the public can be hard outside the Terminus systems."

Well, that was true; "So what good has Cerberus done?"

"Besides reviving you?" Miranda leaned back against her chair. "Prevented the council and the citadel from being attacked by Batarain extremists. Advanced the field of medicine and cybernetics that Sirta along with other medical groups has reaped the benefits of. Some of it has proved beneficial to Asari and Salarians. Even some of the new weaponry came from us in our R&D divisions."

The magnitude of those events was impressive, given that the first one was confirmed by Jacob already. "Doubt the beneficial efforts to the other races was intentional. But fine. Why, though, would you ever consider putting control chips in people? Kind of one of those things where you prove the bad part of your reputation. Sure, I'm not exactly a fan of Cerberus." The blonde listed off his hand his points. "I'm an N7 who has been given multiple commendations for service to the Alliance, have done many things to help others in trouble, and besides the trap your people set? I've had no issues talking it out with others regardless of if I disagree with them. Controlling me? You think that would be counter to your point."

Miranda made no apology for it; "I didn't want to take chances. But the Illusive Man refused. He wanted you to see Cerberus as it is. Both good and bad."

"Well, so far I've seen both..." Sighing, the natural biotic made up his mind. "Not about to trust a group that gets my friends into lethal situations, but if it's just the most horrible quality control of keeping your people in line, then I can understand that, and you know you need to get better at that... preferably without controlling their minds. Consider this my consideration of Cerberus not being as bad as advertised, but the leash is short on that trust."

"I can respect that," Miranda omitted before looking back to her console; "Was there anything else?"

"Should get to Korlus in a few hours," Naruto remarked as he got from the chair; "Should get some rest before we all go."

Miranda cocked a brow; "Following Zaeed's suggestion?"

"He doesn't strike me as the type to make up things. If this Jedore is as dangerous as he says, I want everyone."

"Very well."As Naruto went to finish reading the Dossier on Jack, the blonde sniper had a gut feeling this whole thing with Cerberus would end with their separate ways. He just hoped he and the crew manage to get out without too much trouble.

XxX Above Korlus XxX

Suited up and in the shuttle, the team was in their seats, with Naruto standing in the middle of the moving vehicle. "Alright. We'll hit atmo in a minute. I want everyone ready to fire the moment we get close to the LZ. Turns out, there's a firefight going on between the mercs and some Krogan. Either Jedore's wiping Okeer out of the equation, or this is a rival attack. Either way, we get in and secure our new recruit and get out of the area. Questions?"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX