—-pov Shepard—-

Shepard woke up in the medbay with a splitting headache. The beacon had given her a confusing vision, one of the Protheans being slaughtered by some kind of synthetic. She also saw the Protheans being turned into something similar to the husks, but more bug-like. The vision seemed to be fragmented and incomplete.

"Doc! Looks like our sleeping beauty is awake! Shepard, how are you doing?" said a familiar voice.

Shepard looked up to see Joey out of his warframe, sitting on the cot next to her and Nihlus lying on the cot after that. Dr. Chakwas was standing next to Joey, having apparently been in a conversation with the Tenno.

"Ouch." Shepard said, putting her hand on he head. "How long was I out? And what happened to the beacon?"

"You were out for a couple hours. As for the beacon, it exploded after you used it. Saren must have overcharged it for some reason, making it unstable. Ordis and I looked over the scans, and it was a transmitter that used some kind of biotic reverse psychometry. When it was touched after being activated, it would transfer information into the user. You hit your head in the explosion and were knocked out. Ordis is currently trying to fabricate replacement parts so we can repair it and hopefully retrieve its data." said Joey

"Shepard, you're awake! Good. Joey, Doctor, can I talk privately with Shepard?" Asked Anderson as he walked into the medbay.

"Sure. Me and Doc were already having a conversation about at what point someone stops being human and starts being considered synthetic." said Joey

"Are you talking philosophy with a medical doctor?" asked Anderson

"No, it turns out that he's being quite literal about it." said Dr. Chakwas as she walked out with Joey. "So they are forced to replace EVERYTHING?!"

"Yeah, mostly. There was this one guy I met when I got there, still had his organic arms and legs. The repo squad came and took him, 'repossessing' both of his arms and legs to settle his debt. A family friend managed to scrape enough together to buy him the cheapest pair of legs. Started calling himself 'Legs' because he doesn't have arms. Apparently that kinda thing is really common for people under Corpus rule." said Joey on his way out.

Shepard and Anderson shivered. "The more I hear about Joey's universe, the more dystopian it feels," said Anderson. "How are you feeling, Shepard?"

"I have a killer headache, but otherwise, I'm fine." said Shepard

"Good. I need you up and running as soon as possible. I won't lie, things are looking bad. We have a Spectre in a coma and the beacon was destroyed. Joey tells me it was some kind of transmitter and that you might have gotten something from it. Dr. Chakwas said you were experiencing something like an intense dream."

"More like a nightmare. I saw what I assume were the Protheans being slaughtered by synthetics. The vision was fragmented, incomplete. It felt like both a warning and a cry for help. I don't know what Saren wanted with that. Probably why he left it instead of taking it. Thought it would be destroyed when the colony was blown up."

"We have to tell the Council. If Saren was controlling the Geth, that means he has gone rogue. He's a Spectre, a living legend among some of his kind. Extremely dangerous and ruthless with a lot of connections. Worst thing is that he hates humans."

"We have nothing to hide. Everything went by-the-book outside of retrieving some Geth weaponry and the bombs. About the vision, what are we going to tell them, that I had a bad dream? Joey is undocumented and Ordis is a synthetic. Saren will use that to his advantage and the Council hates bad publicity. He can deny Ordis' recording due to Spectre laws and Joey has no records or reputation to back up his claims about the beacon."

"Udina will have to deal with that. For now, go tell Joker to prep the ship for Relay to the Citadel."

"Roger that." Shepard said and went to talk to Joker.

Shepard walked to the front of the ship and told Joker. To go to the Citadel. On her way back, she passed by Joey and Dr. Chakwas.

"Hey Joey. You've never seen a Relay being used before, have you? We're going to be going through it to get to the Citadel."

"Thanks for telling me, Shepard. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, just a little headache. Thanks for bringing me back."

"As much as I wanted to take credit for that, it was Jenkins and Ashley that carried you in. I carried Nihlus. You know, it would've probably been better if you didn't do the switch-out with me, even if the beacon ended up being a bomb of some kind. But… thanks anyway. Nobody's ever risked their lives for mine like that. Plus, you saved me from being thrown into the bureaucratic bullshit I know you will experience due to the vision."

"You might still get caught up in it. Your abilities and Ordis will raise some flags to the Council, as Ordis is considered a synthetic, which are illegal to create and you, well…"

"Void damn it! If another government sentences me to be executed without trial because I'm potentially dangerous, I'll fire a fucking wormhole at them!"

"I'm not going to ask how you will do that but please don't because that would kill millions since the Council stays in the middle of the Citadel. You've been sentenced to be executed before?" asked Anderson as he walked up to the group.

"Near the end of the Old War, the war between the Orokin and the Sentients, the Orokin noticed they had nearly won and decided to execute all 100 Tenno because of the potential danger we posed to their empire. My mother found out and smuggled the Tenno to a secret facility on Lua, Earth's moon. You see, my mother was the only one who treated the Tenno like who they really were: children who were part of an accident who were forced into becoming warriors. When the Council of Seven decided to execute my mother, something that failed due to one of the Orokin possessing a body clone of her and swapping them at the last minute, we decided we had had enough. We had lost 80% of our group in the war and they turned on us the second it became apparent they won. So we fought back. It took us all of 2 hours to finish what the Sentients had been trying to do for a decade. The destruction of the Orokin."

"You exterminated an entire race?"

"Technically it was self defense. The Orokin strictly relegated their population, never surpassing 200. We spared one family, who were actually nice to us and decent people, but the rest died. I cannot stress this enough, They. Tried. To. Kill. My. Mother. And at the time, we believed they succeeded. Even then, that was far from the worst thing the Orokin did to the Tenno. It was just the final straw. The Orokin considered themselves humanity's golden gods, so we decided to become godkillers."

"Killing your mother wasn't the worst thing the Orokin did to you?"

"It definitely was for me, but for the rest of the Tenno, the 'accident' that led to us becoming Tenno was the worst thing that happened to them. For me, it was preceded by my mother's execution and being forced to watch my father and aunts being turned into warframes simply because I existed. Remember how I talked about regulation of the Orokin population? Turns out having a 'halfbreed' is a heinous crime and the method of execution for the family is decided by the one who found the halfbreed. Ballas, the creator of the warframes and the Sentients, found my family. My dad and aunts, who helped hide me, were turned into warframes, my mother was spared because Ballas was apparently infatuated with her. I was sent into the Zariman 10-0, a colony ship meant to travel to another system. Or at least that was what we were told. In actuality, it was an experiment on what happens when people are in direct contact with Void energy for extended periods of time, with a sample size of 10,501 with 10,000 human adults, 500 kids, and me, the halfblood."

"What happened after that? Asked Shepard hesitantly.

"The Void emits this… siren song that brings back visions of loved ones who were lost and happy memories. Those that succumbed went insane and started attacking everyone who hadn't, turning into some kind of silver monster. The children, including me apparently, weren't affected by the song, but still had to fight off the crazed parents-turned-monsters with nothing but what was in the classrooms we were trapped in at the time of the accident. We gained the ability to manipulate void energy instead, and fought for survival. I saw horrible things happen. I saw a mother tear her son limb from limb and a daughter forced to kill her parents. That lasted 20 years, during which we found that we didn't age. We ended up coming out of the Void and were 'rescued', with only 467 people surviving, the Orphans of the Zariman. We were put in cells and experimented on, until the secret of our existence leaked and we were released. My mother took us in and helped us master our powers, becoming a mother figure and emotional anchor for the Tenno."

"How did you come out sane in that kind of situation?" asked Shepard

"I'm not sure I did. Three years after the Zariman, we were forced into fighting in the Old War, where we lost 80% of our number quickly before the Orokin found out we could pilot warframes. Been fighting ever since"

"Have you ever tried therapy?" said Dr Chakwas.

"Therapy was only available to the Orokin and the executives of the Corpus. The Tenno never had the time for that kind of thing, nor were we allowed near most places with civilian populations, as we are considered living weapons of mass destruction. I ended up getting into weapon creation and upgrading to get rid of stress. Void, my mother was the closest thing we had to a doctor and a therapist, and she was technically our commanding officer, as she was in charge of sending us on missions after she came back as the Lotus, her alias after her 'execution.' Doc here is the first medical doctor or doctor equivalent that I've met."

As Dr. Chakwas opened her mouth to tell Joey to see someone about the obvious trauma he had, Joker talked over the intercom. "Approaching the Relay."

Joey looked out of the window and saw a Mass Relay for the first time. The ship was surrounded by some sort of mass effect field and they were launched into some kind of tunnel. "The Relay seems to work similar to the Solar Rails back in the Origin System, except those are planet to planet. Neat."

The ship came out of the tunnel next to another relay in a nebula. They flew for about an hour before a giant structure came into view.

"Welcome to the Citadel." said Joker over the intercom.

"1000 credits that the Citadel is some kind of disguised secret weapon or relay of some kind." Joey said. The rest of the group ignored him except for Shepard, who took the bet.

As they neared the Citadel, a large, cross-shaped ship came into view.

"The Destiny Ascension, the flagship of the Council Fleet. Four times bigger than Alliance dreadnoughts. Look at the size of that thing! Its main gun could rip through any ship's shields!" said Ashley, staring at the ship in awe.

Joey looked at the Ascension, then at Ashley, then at the Ascension again, then fell on the floor and started laughing.

"What? Why are you laughing?" asked Ashley.

"Ha ha… Let me ask you this: you're saying THAT is a dreadnaught, a ship that has a cannon equal to its length? Where is that cannon? It's obviously not the giant hole in its center. And the size difference must be in height and width, because it looks like a starfish! It has to be unwieldy as fuck! Last of all- Shepard. You seem to have trained as a sniper before. What are the biggest things a sniper needs to be effective in an active war zone?"

"Visibility, maneuverability, and a good hiding spot, why?"

"Ha ha, dreadnaughts are the snipers of the fleet, they carry the big gun that's only really effective at a specific distance or else they can be taken down by smaller craft with better mid-range guns. Now, the Ascension is perpetually in a nebula, a mass of stardust that emits more than enough heat to mask any heat signature and heavily obscures visibility to basically anything, namely the Relay and anything coming out of it. It's like a sniper trying to shoot a target while using a thermal scope in the desert during a heavy sandstorm in the hottest summer in history. While weighed down by an unconscious bureaucrat they are forced to protect. Plus, it is forced to stay in one place protecting a single objective."

"So you're saying the Ascension is a PR stunt?" said Ashley

"Even if it is a super powerful dreadnought, it was crippled the moment it was assigned to the Citadel. Any enemy that attacks it will be able to sneak up in it because by the time the enemy shows up on its sensors, it won't be able to use its main gun and have to rely on its point defense turrets."

"That's… actually terrifying to think about. The Citadel is the seat of power for the major forces of the galaxy." said Anderson.

"It is also the weakest looking dreadnought I've encountered. I guess that might not be saying much, as the dreadnoughts I've encountered, the Fomorian Fleet made by a Grineer engineer, were around the same size and would probably be able to cut it in two with its beam cannon, considering it was able to slice a 2-km class galleon and a colony station in half."

"Wait, didn't you say that your personal ship was the strongest ship where you came from?" said Ashley

"I figured out a way to use an electromagnetic slingshot that my ship had into a launcher that could fire 12-ton rods at 2% the speed of light. After destroying the Fomorian fleet, I upgraded it to be able to use the beam weapon, armor, and shields of the Fomorian. There are also the experimental rockets that create wormholes on impact, cutting whatever it hits in two and sucking it in."

"Modern dreadnoughts can only shoot 20-kilo rounds at half that speed. What was the normal use of that slingshot?!"

"Launching warframes with archwings. We utilized a device that allowed limited teleportation to phase through the hill of a ship, allowing us to infiltrate ships and bases for missions without having to tear a hole in it or trying to find a way in."

The group looked at Joey in shock. "You launched yourself into other ships regularly?" asked Shepard

"A lot of missions included hijacking and clearing out ships for civilian use, so yeah, pretty regularly. 2-km case galleons make for decent settlement stations, once it has been renovated and some hydroponics is added." Joey said nostalgically.

As the group was talking, the ship docked into the Citadel. Joker spoke over the intercom. "We have successfully docked. Captain, Ambassador Udina wants to talk to you. Also, a medical team is here to retrieve Nihlus."

"Thanks, Joker. I'll be on my way. Shepard, you should bring your team with you in case Udina has any questions. Joey, I don't think Ordis will be allowed on the Citadel for the time being. You should also go without your warframe, as it could be considered a weapon of mass destruction."

"Fucking bureaucracy. Good thing I know how to access the Rift without my frame, even if it is extremely limited." Joey said as he opens a small rift with his hand.

"Wait, I thought you needed your warframe to do that?! How are you doing that?" asked Shepard

"Math. My father created an algorithm that allowed for travel between dimensions that can be utilized simply by knowing it. Unfortunately, he was off by a bit, and gained access to the Rift, the space between dimensions. I finished the theorem, so I can use the Rift to some extent. It's just a lot harder without my frame."

(AN: Math is a major part of many spacetime-powered people: Flash, Satoru Gojo, and the original Dr. Who before the time-lord thing)

The group disembarked from the Normandy and made their way to the Presidium, the central ring of the Citadel and the location of the Alliance embassy.

As they entered Udina's office, the group saw him shouting at projections of the Council members.

"I demand action!" shouted Udina

"You don't get to demand the Council to do anything!" said the Turian Council member. "Any action will take place after the hearing, not during and certainly not before it."

"C-sec is investigating your claim about Saren. We will discuss their findings at the hearing." said the Asari councilor, before ending the call. Udina turned and saw Anderson an the group walk in.

"Captain Anderson. I see you've brought half your crew with you. And the troublesome stowaway." Udina said.

"Only the ground team from Eden Prime, minus one. I brought them just in case you had questions."

"I read the mission report. I assume they are correct?"

"They are. Sounds like you got us a meeting with the Council." Anderson said.

"They're not happy about it. Saren is one of their top agents. They don't like him being accused of treason."

"Saren is a danger to every human colony out there! He tried to nuke Eden Prime! He needs to be stopped!" Shepard exclaimed

"Settle down, Commander! You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for Spectre. Eden Prime was supposed to show them you could get things done, instead Nihlus is in a coma and the beacon destroyed!"

"That's Saren's fault, not hers!" Interjected Anderson.

"Then you better hope C-sec can get evidence to back up your claims." said Udina. "Anderson, come with me to the Council tower. Shepard, you and the others can meet us at the top of the Council tower in an hour. I'll make sure you have clearance."

"I bet a Geth shotgun they'll find nothing because of 'clearance issues' due to everything being classified. Fucking beuraucracy." said Joey.

"You like making bets, don't you?" Ashley asked.

"Only ones where I know I will win. Saren's a Spectre, a special agent doing the Council's dirty work. It's kinda obvious his actions are all classified, making investigating him impossible for people below a certain clearance level. I've seen this shit before."

"What about the Citadel bet?" asked Shepard

"That one's more of a gut feeling. The feeling you get when you look at something and think 'this is going to be a giant pain in the ass'"

The group made their way to the central tower of the Presidium. As they approached the Council Chamber, they saw a turian arguing with another turian.

"Saren's hiding something. Stall them! I need more time!" said the first turian

"Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous. Your investigation is over, Garrus." said the other turian as he left.

The remaining turian the Councilor called Garrus spotted Shepard and her group and walked over to them.

"Garrus Vakarian. I was the C-Sec officer in charge of investigating Saren." Garrus said.

"Find anything useful?" Shepard said apprehensively.

"Saren's a Spectre. Everything he does is classified, but I know he's hiding something. As you humans say, I can feel it in my gut."

"Ha! I knew it! Pay up, losers!" said Joey jokingly.

Garrus looked at Joey, confused.

"I made a bet that the Council would send someone without the necessary clearance to investigate Saren, thus making the investigation come up with nothing. Bureaucracy at its finest."

"Nobody actually took the bet, Joey. You explained your reasoning so well that nobody could argue about it." Shepard said

"Oh yeah… anyway, I think Anderson is waiting for us." Joey said

"Good luck. Maybe they'll listen to you." Garrus said

"Pft. Of course they won't. They even denied the entry of the one who actually witnessed Saren being on Eden Prime because he is a human mind in a synthetic body. Got a video recording and everything, but can't be used as evidence because recording a Spectre during a mission is illegal or something." Joey chuckled as he walked toward the podium.

"Wait what?" Garrus asked in shock.

"Ordis, the Cephalon. Went with Nihlus on the mission. He's the only reason Nihlus didn't die when he got shot in the back of the head by Saren. Got the whole mission recorded from his point of view. There's probably more evidence of Eden Prime out there, but the Council waits for no one apparently. That being said, Shepard, Udina's on the podium and looking around frantically so we should go."

The group walked over to Anderson.

"You're here! Good. The hearing has already started." Anderson said, guiding the group up to the podium.

"The Geth attack on Eden Prime is of some concern, but there is no evidence of Saren's presence there." Said the Asari councilor.

"The C-sec investigation turned up with no evidence to support your accusation of treason." said the turian councilor.

"There is evidence! The researchers saw him and there is video evidence!" Interjected Udina.

"Illegally procured evidence has no place in a legal trial, and severely traumatized people are not reliable witnesses." Said the turian councilor.

"I resent this accusation. Nihlus was a fellow Spectre and a friend." Said the projection of Saren that was nearby.

"That just gave you the opportunity to shoot him in the back!" Shouted Anderson

"Captain Anderson. You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me." said Saren. "And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed."

"How would you know about the beacon if you weren't there? That was a classified mission." Said Shepard

"With Nihlus comatose, the mission report falls to me," said Saren "trying to shift the blame? How expected… of a Human."

"Saren obviously hates humans! Along with the beacon, he has a motive!" said Shepard

"You humans need to learn their place. Your species is not ready to join the Council! You're not even ready to join the Spectres!" mocked Saren

"He has no right to say that!" Exclaimed Udina.

"Shepard's induction into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting." said the asari councilor.

"This meeting has no purpose. The humans are wasting your time, Councilors. And mine." Saren said

"We have proof you were there, even if the Council refuses to see it! You can't hide behind them forever!" Shepard exclaimed.

"There is one more pressing issue: Shepard's vision. We believe it to be caused by the beacon" said Anderson.

"Are we taking dreams into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?" Saren said sarcastically.

"I agree. Our judgement must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculations." said the turian councilor.

"May I speak? I was technically called to take part in this hearing, and I have some things to add." said Joey, stepping forward. Udina glared at him

"You may proceed." said the salarian councilor with apparent curiosity.

"Thanks. I have three things to say. Councilor, the reason the C-sec investigation found nothing is because the person investigating, Garrus Vakarian, didn't have clearance to see the details of Saren's files, which made it hard to find anything other than heavily redacted paperwork." Joey said, causing the asari and salarian councilors to look at the turian councilor in shock, while the turian councilor looked confused. "Second, can Saren explain how the Geth, who haven't been outside the Terminus Systems until Eden Prime and displayed no previous tendencies towards wanton destruction, managed to get their hands on the 4 turian nuclear warheads they tried to use to destroy the colony?"

"Several warheads were stolen from the turian military. I was put on the job to find them, but failed. Perhaps they were sold to the Geth. As for why they attacked you, you humans probably stuck your noses into something that caused them to attack you." said Saren

"Careful Saren, your xenophobia's showing. The third part is about the beacon and Shepard's vision, but doesn't have anything to do with Saren except for what he got from it and while it is urgent, it doesn't need to be said during this trial."

"I agree with this statement. I wanted to bring it up to the Council as it involved the beacon. It does not have to come up during this meeting." Anderson said, catching Joey's untold suggestion.

"We will take this information into consideration. Do you have anything else to say before we leave to make a decision, Shepard?" said the asari councilor

"Your decision was made for you when you denied definitive evidence and had someone with too little clearance in charge of finding evidence." said Shepard.

"Then this trial is suspended for lack of evidence." said the asari councilor. Saren disconnected from the holo-call. Then the council members turned to Joey.

"You had some data on the beacon mr…?" asked the salarian councilor.

"Joey. The vision Shepard saw is only as much a dream as the information an asari takes from someone via the melding. Scans of the beacon prior to its destruction pointed to it being a transmitter similar to a radio or tv. The only difference is that it imprints the data into the brain in the form of a vision. And the vision that Shepard got was a warning and a call for help from the Protheans, and showed them being slaughtered by some kind of synthetic race. The scans we took of the beacon were enough for a companion of mine to attempt repairs on it." Joey said holding up a data pad showing the beacon and the data about it.

The salarian councilor took the datapad and inspected it with her omnitool, and passed it to the other councilors.

"We will send this data to be analyzed by our scientists. If what you said is correct, this may be almost as valuable as the beacon itself." said the salarian councilor. "Meeting adjourned. We will reconvene with our decision in two days, or when new evidence arises."