As the Normandy lifted off the surface and streaked away from the red planet, Shepard hurried through the newly transformed halls of her ship with Kaidan's unconscious body, the weight of his life carried on her shoulders. Shuffling behind her, Vega brought the deactivated robot that had done the damage.
She marched into the med bay and gently sat her injured friend on one of the grey patient tables. Liara joined her on the other side of the table, and they both looked down at him with grave concern.
His helmet had been cracked in several places, and splatters of blood were apparent on the inside of his helmet - the repeated impacts of his head with the helmet's interior had seen to that. Booting up the medical diagnostic module in the med bay, she linked it with Kaidan's medical diagnostic program within his combat suit to assess the damage.
Major head trauma. Skull and facial bone fracture. Percentage estimation of brain injury was almost guaranteed. How bad, it didn't know—major concussion at the very least. Cranial swelling would begin soon, it warned. The software flashed and urged her to arrange prompt medical care by a professional. The longer the wait, the worse his chances were.
The medical diagnostic software had told her nothing she didn't already know, but she had run the scan so that she couldn't escape the reality of Kaidan's delicate state. They didn't have the medical expertise or the faculties on board to treat him properly. She couldn't even take off his helmet as it had the possibility of causing further damage to his neck or head.
"Kaidan needs medical attention." Liara urged her, trying to keep Shepard's thoughts in motion. "We have to leave the solar system.'
"I know."
"The Citadel's our best chance," the asari offered. "We can find help there."
Shepard didn't think twice. "Get us to the Citadel, Joker.", she relayed.
"Roger that."
The med bay door opened, and Arius hurried in unsuited. "How bad are his injuries?" he asked them.
"Bad," she replied. "Kaidan sustained a lot of damage to his head. We're heading to the Citadel to find a proper physician."
"Good." Arius lightly moved around her to tap at the medical display to give himself enough space. Shepard was about to ask him to explain himself when she remembered something he had told her during one of their talks months ago: he had worked as a healer on more than one occasion. She wasn't sure what his credentials were in that regard, but he'd been around humans and had dealt with their illnesses since immemorial.
Arius silently tapped a few buttons on the diagnostic software and looked over Kaidan's prone body. Several stats opened, one, in particular, showing oxygen content within Kaidan's blood. He looked at the number and frowned. Murmuring to himself and furrowing his brow, Arius walked over to the cabinets and rummaged, finding a small selection of essential medical supplies. He withdrew a few syringes. He then found the medicine cabinet and looked over its vials, selecting a few and reading over their labels. He glanced back and forth between a few, unsure of himself and gritting his teeth in mild frustration.
"EDI, Priodex is safe for humans, right?" he inquired, holding up a vial containing a clear liquid.
"That is correct, Arius."
He looked at a few more vials within the cabinet, then decidedly withdrew three. He set the vials down on the top of the table and confirmed with the medical interface to check Kaidan's body weight.
While he tore open the sterile syringe packaging, Shepard looked at the vials he had placed on the table. She recognized a vial of diuretic, anti-seizure medication, and an oxygen-rich blood substitute. Seeing what he was trying to accomplish, she walked around to the opposite side of the table and popped open the medical module on Kaidan's suit. It activated the emergency medical administration port on the module, which administered an internal hypodermic needle from within the suit, enabling it to pass drugs directly into the wearer's bloodstream. By the time it activated, Arius was ready with the first syringe, and he used the port to administer precise amounts of liquid from the first vial directly into Kaidan, and followed suit with the other two. While the drugs worked their way into Kaidan's system, the levels on the medical display started looking a little better.
"These drugs will reduce the pressure in his brain, avoid possible damage from a seizure, and bring his blood oxygen level up temporarily," he told Shepard as he placed the vials back into the refrigerated medicine cabinet. "He will require surgery and a medical doctor specialized in treating humans... and soon. I've bought us a little time."
"What about your ability? Would you be able to heal him?"
Arius looked toward Kaidan's unconscious body and wavered, debating the outcome. "If the bones in his head are not positioned properly, it may cause the bones to heal in their current, incorrect position. They will need to be rebroken and set again, which will cause complications later. I shouldn't until he's been treated."
Seeing Vega's face contorted in confusion as they discussed cryptic topics was plain. Shepard, however, did not stop to explain.
"Okay." Shepard sighed, shutting her eyes and squeezing the bridge of her nose like she always did when thinking hard. "We're on our way to the Citadel now and should be there in minutes. EDI, you have my permission to tinker with Dr. Eva. See what you can glean from it. Vega, settle in. You're welcome to unload in the bay for now. Liara, stay here and monitor Kaidan until the medical team on the Citadel grabs him. Arius, maybe you should step away from Kaidan for now if his accelerated healing complicates things. You and I also need to talk at length once this situation progresses. I have a lot of catching up to do."
James Vega could no longer restrain himself. "Woah, EDI?" Vega stammered, "Isn't she just the Normandy's VI?"
Shepard realized her error too late and sighed. There was no way to keep EDI a secret for long. The Alliance probably suspected it anyway, considering they completely retrofitted the ship in her absence.
"No, Vega. EDI is a fully functional AI. She was created by Cerberus but willingly decided to defect from their service and helped me defeat the Collectors under my command. She's saved the crew's lives several times over; she can be trusted."
The shock and slight horror on the marine's face were entirely unpalatable.
"Oh dios mío!", said Vega. "Sheltering a rogue AI is illegal for a reason, Shepard! Do you know the penalties for getting caught?"
"I do, Vega. The crew members I've commanded over on the Normandy have always been on the fringe of what was considered acceptable by Alliance standards, but as long as I'm in command here and the Reapers are a threat, I will accept all the help I can get. Is that clearly understood?"
"You're crazy, absolutely loco," muttered Vega, but he backed away. He looked at Liara, then at Arius, whom he narrowed his eyes in evident distrust. "I'll be in the bay,"
he said after a pause, and he walked out.
"That went slightly better than I anticipated," said Liara once Vega had left.
"How bad could it have gotten, though, realistically?" Shepard asked.
"You could have mentioned that you once harboured a fully-functional geth platform aboard this ship. That might have exacerbated the situation." Arius answered.
"Good point."
"Commander, I'm receiving a signal over the secondary QEC. I believe it's Admiral Hackett."
"Patch me through. Liara, with me. We can brief him together."
"I'll forward it to the comm room."
.
The Normandy had been fitted with a war room in her absence, and while the change was a little jarring at first, it seemed appropriate. At the far end was the comm room.
The fuzzy image of Admiral Hackett flickered unstably on the comm.
"Shepard, are y-u read- me? Com-ander?" it buzzed.
"EDI, can you clean this up?"
"I'll do my best." answered the AI.
She did just that. EDI did some unfathomable computations to clean up the signal, and while Shepard had no idea how an artificial intelligence managed to smooth out a damaged signal from the point of incomprehensibility, she was grateful. The image and voice of the Admiral sharpened considerably.
"Did you get to the Archives?" the now-sharp hologram asked her.
"I was there. So was the Illusive man."
The Admiral shook his head. "I was worried Cerberus might try something. Did you extract Dr. T'Soni and the data?"
"Liara is safe; we got her out. As for the data, we got most of it." Shepard answered. "The Illusive man downloaded some before I could stop him. EDI and Liara are analyzing what we recovered."
The Admiral nodded toward the asari. "What have you learned? Was it worth it?"
"Preliminary evidence suggests the data is a blueprint for a Prothean device," Liara answered. She tapped her omni-tool, and a schematic popped up between them.
Shepard looked at the schematic for the first time and immediately noted the device's size. It was massive. She didn't know the exact length, but it looked as big as the entire Omega by quick eyeball estimation.
"Device?"
"A weapon," clarified the asari, "massive in size and scope, capable of unquantifiable levels of destruction."
Shepard's eyes met Hackett's, and across the light-years, they both deliberated the consequences of using a weapon as final as the Protheans' last hope. The Protheans had truly created engineering marvels in their own time, even reverse engineering some of the Reaper's tech. This superweapon would be far beyond anything any council would ever see. Would they be able to build it? Could they even understand it? Were they even ready for that sort of power? The ruins of planets strewn throughout the galaxy showed that a society's discovery of nuclear power sometimes caused its downfall. This was much, much more powerful. They may not have even had a choice.
"Send me the data. We'll do our own analysis. If Liara's instincts are right, this might be the key to stopping the Reapers."
"I hope so. Major Alenko was critically wounded on Mars. We're taking him to the Citadel."
"Sorry to hear that, Shepard. But we both know this is just the beginning. Talk to the Council. Show them what you've found. With luck, they'll give you all the support we need."
"And if they don't?"
"We don't have the luxury of choice," he said to her sternly. "Do whatever it takes to get them on board."
"Sir." Shepard saluted.
The Admiral returned the salute. "I'll be in touch soon. Hackett out."
The hologram fizzed away and blinked out.
.
Within moments of docking at the Citadel, an emergency medical team met them, bearing a stretcher for Kaidan. The medics swarmed, quickly reading his vitals and carefully moving him.
"Barely got a pulse here." said a human medic, checking his medical omni-tool.
"Move 'em out," a turian medic ordered. With a grunt, he hoisted the stretcher and led the way in front of the medic team.
Shepard and the team moved right behind the medical transport, walking quickly to match the feverish pace of the personnel. "Where are you taking him?"
"Huerta Memorial." The turian quickly stated. "Best care on the Citadel." The medic team then rushed off.
Just after Shepard took a few steps forward to follow, she paused, causing the others to come to a halt.
"We're not going with?" asked James Vega.
"I want to, but we still need to see the council."
"Right."
Liara motioned to a human walking toward them, intent on meeting them. "Looks like they might be coming to see you."
The human intending to meet them wore a familiar face. Close-cropped light brown hair with a craggy face. Not a face you forgot easily.
"Commander Shepard. Got word you were arriving."
"Captain Bailey. Good to see you again," Shepard said genuinely. The C-Sec officer had always been extremely helpful to them.
"You too – though it's 'Commander' now," he corrected without mirth.
"Oh, congratulations?"
"Thanks. Now half my job is dealing with political bullshit and escorting dignitaries around," he grumbled, waving his hand about. "No offence."
"None taken. So, you're here to bring us to the Council?"
"I'm here to tell you the Council's expecting you, but they are dealing with their own... problems. With the war and everything. They apologize for the inconvenience, and blah, blah, blah..." Knowing the straightforwardness of Shepard, he didn't even bother making up excuses, nor did he have the patience for it. "Just meet them here, at Udina's office." he told her, sending a way-point to Shepard's omni-tool. "They'll be ready soon enough."
"All right."
"You might have time to go by the medical center if you want to check on progress over there," he added, having just been nearly run over by the rushing medical workers moments earlier.
"Thanks, I might do that."
Liara opted to wait in her stead. "You go on ahead to the hospital. I'll head up to Udina's office."
"One of my men can show you the way," Bailey offered. "And you?" he asked Vega.
"I'm just a tourist today. I'll try not to get in any trouble."
"Good, we have enough problems to worry about." Bailey's earpiece interrupted him just then as it buzzed with a voice. He pressed it and then groaned. "I'll be right there."
He gave Shepard an exasperated sigh. "The other half of my job." he shrugged. "I'll see you around, Shepard."
"No doubt."
Liara and James took their cue to leave, leaving Shepard and Arius standing alone.
"How about you?" She asked him.
"I need to show you something if we're heading to the hospital," he replied.
"Okay. Lead the way."
The duo walked through the new entrance to the Citadel, now decked out with new security screens and checkpoints. Doubtless, the time she had spent incarcerated on Earth had seen drastic galaxy-wide changes. Even her ship, the Normandy, had looked so different when she had boarded it that she scarcely remembered how to navigate its interior. The changes around her were so unlike their state just months ago, and she felt a tightening in her chest in unease and frustration, like when one arrives last at a large event. Their galaxy was getting invaded by the Reapers, entire planets getting razed to the ground, security was tightening, missions were more critical than ever, and her team had been scattered to the winds once more.
Walking beside her, Arius kept pace. Six months may have been a blink in the grand scheme of his life, but to her, it had been excruciatingly long.
"Thank you for keeping your promise," she finally told him.
An innocent smile appeared on his face, and he nodded. "It's good to have you back, Shepard."
She wanted to say, 'It's good to be back.', but the fact was it almost wasn't, considering the state of things was now substantially worse off than when she had left them.
"You've been keeping busy?"
"I have," he answered, nodding. "We've made a fair amount of headway during your time in incarceration. I think you'll be pleased with the progress. I'll brief you when we return to the Normandy."
While they walked in haste toward the hospital, a keeper crossed their path and nearly collided with them, utterly oblivious to their hurried goings. Like every other member of its species, the insectoid gave them no regard and silently went about its way to perform whatever unknown maintenance duties it had aboard the station.
"I wonder how many times the inhabitants of this station have been harvested while these keepers have busied themselves with… whatever it is they do."
Shepard also paused, looking back over her shoulder to watch the insectoid travel to wherever it was. "I've thought about it too. Who knows when their own species were enslaved and repurposed by the Reapers? Since they are the Citadel's caretakers, they're probably around as old as the Citadel itself... which means you're not the only fossil around here," she joked, lightly elbowing him in the ribs.
He rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his smile. "Thank you, Shepard."
They soon arrived at Huerta Memorial, the premier Citadel hospital and the newest. Top care by some of the galaxy's best physicians and medical equipment. The location was a little unassuming as it rested in a horizontal tunnel across the presidium, but the interior was modern and clean.
"Mr. Farren! A delight to see you again." the receptionist said, greeting them as they entered. He nodded back politely.
"Ah, Mr. Farren." A passing asari doctor declared, "It's good to see you again." He once again extended his thanks.
"Arius! A pleasure." exclaimed another.
"You come here often?" Shepard asked him, curious as to why nearly all the staff knew him by name.
"I've made a point to visit a few times," he answered her. "A friend of mine is currently being treated here, so I check in to see how he's doing. I've also provided funds for a large amount of medical equipment for this hospital."
"What you wanted to show me here," she asked, "Is it your before-mentioned friend?"
"It is. They've been meaning to meet you for some time. Would it be okay to pop in for a minute?"
"Sure. Lead the way."
He led the way past an array of doctors and nurses constantly under the hustle and bustle of hospital life till they reached a patient room, where he pushed the door control to open.
"Commander Shepard," he said, introducing her as they stepped through. "This is Thane Krios. He's been meaning to see you for some time."
"Thane?" She repeated to herself, almost shocked to hear his name again. "Thane!"
Standing next to the patient window overlooking the interior of the Citadel, the drell assassin turned to them, not expecting to see anyone.
"Siha," he rasped, moving toward her. "I heard Earth was under attack. I didn't know you'd made it out. What are you doing here?"
"Visiting a friend. Kaidan. He got hurt pretty bad."
"The human biotic in intensive care... I saw the marks of an implant," he sputtered out, coughing. The wheeze of his chest did not sound good. "Your enemies may try to finish him off here. I will watch over him while he recovers."
"I appreciate it, Thane."
"I am near the end of my life. It is a good time to be generous. Kepral's Syndrome has put most of my other plans on hold," he rasped, acknowledging his deteriorating body plainly and without emotion. "You're back to Command the Normandy?"
"Yes. The mission is more important than ever. Sure could use you."
Even if Thane wouldn't physically do anything, Shepard needed all the support she could get, mental included. As much as she hated thinking it, friends still living were going to be in short supply.
"I would not be as I was before," he warned her. "I need daily medical attention. And if I know you, you will want to fight the Reapers somehow. You need the best at your side, and I am not at mine."
The realization of someone's irreversible deterioration, either of oneself or another, was never an easy pill to swallow.
"You don't have to wrestle down krogan and break their necks. I'm sure we could find you lighter work," Shepard reasoned.
"I am at peace with what I've done in my life, Shepard. There comes a time when one must rest from war and conflict. This is not your time, but it is mine."
It was clear Thane was not doing well, and she dropped it.
"Do you know how much... time you have left?"
"I've been to several doctors. My favourite gave me three months to live... nine months ago. Arius has been visiting me here. I suspect his presence has been keeping me alive. It's freeing to find no requirements placed on me, no responsibilities, no fears. It is a good end to a life."
"Are you in a lot of pain?"
"At times. The oxygen transfer proteins don't form correctly. Your human equivalent would be hemoglobin. As a result, my blood is low in oxygen. No matter how much I breathe in, I get tingling, numbness... and that is the best of it. As for my brain, I cannot track the damage. I just experience dizziness from time to time."
"I wish the best for you, Thane," she wished, pulling the drell in a hug.
"And I for you, Siha. Do not grieve for me. I have good doctors. My son visits regularly. Perhaps we will keep up via the extranet now that you are free. Until we meet again, Shepard. Arius, thank you for dropping by."
He shook hands with the drell. Shepard's mouth twisted into a frown as they walked out of the patient room. Her friends were already starting to fall, and they had just started the real war.
"There is one more person I'd like you to meet while you are here," Arius told her, checking recent messages on his omni-tool. "She's waiting near the entrance for you. May lift your spirits."
Her spirits were indeed lifted when she greeted another familiar face. This time, it was the gracefully aged face of her favourite medic.
"Dr. Chakwas! You're here?"
"Shepard!" The older woman exclaimed in her acquainted accent. "It's good to see you again. I'm working at an Alliance R&D lab down in Shalta Wards, coordinating closely with Admiral Hackett. I heard you escaped Earth in the Normandy and that someone was critically injured. I came as fast as I could."
"We had a run-in with a Cerberus synthetic on Mars," Shepard informed her, "Kaidan took the worst of it. How is he doing?"
"Hard to tell right now. He's being prepped for surgery as we speak. I wish I could have been there to help on Mars."
"Nothing you could have done, Doctor. It's been six months. How have you been?"
"Good," she replied, emphasizing that it was a surprise to have been. "I've been fortunate. When they impounded the Normandy, the Alliance didn't really know what to do with me. I was never officially part of Cerberus, and I'd gotten a proper leave of absence from my previous post."
"So you hadn't technically done anything wrong by joining me to defeat the Collectors..."
"Yes, though I suppose if you were judged to be a war criminal, I would have been tried as an accessory."
"Want to go back to abetting a war criminal?" Shepard asked her. "There's a med bay in the Normandy with your name on it."
"You say the word, and I'm with you."
"The Normandy wouldn't be the same without you, Doctor. Get your things. Docking Bay D24."
"Yes, Commander. And thank you." The Doctor tried to suppress her smile but only succeeded part way.
"Don't thank me so soon. Remember: Joker is still aboard."
"And I'd be surprised if he's been remembering his medication."
"Thank you," Shepard quietly told Arius as the two left Huerta Memorial. "For finding some of my friends. I appreciate it."
He nodded. "Of course."
Shepard dug her hands into her pockets as they walked. Her eyes were distant and drawn toward the ground in front of her. Her face betrayed the nature of her thoughts, and she carried a troubled expression with her. "I hate it," she muttered.
"Hate what?"
"The change. I get forced away from everything, and then when I come back, everything has changed. Everything. The Normandy, the crew, the galaxy…"
"Change is an inevitable part of the universe we live in, Shepard."
"Don't I know it."
"To be fair, your absences have always been very… removed."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Hmm, let's get a move on; we're going to be late to the Council meeting."
.
"We've got our own problems, Councilor. Earth is not in this alone."
The councillors, all in a line on their podiums, were present and in a heated argument when Shepard arrived. As absurd as it appeared, these four very average-looking individuals controlled the largest military force in the galaxy. Aside from the council chamber being at the very center of the Citadel, their garments never hinted at lavish lifestyles or egos fat with power.
"But Earth was the first Council world hit," Councilor Udina insisted. "By all reports, it faces the brunt of the attack."
"By your reports." appended the salarian councillor.
Udina glared at the salarian councillor then with an expression that would have chilled him to the bone had salarians possessed an equivalent facial expression, which they did not.
It was clear to Shepard that there were conflicting views on resource allocation for the war, even though battle plans had been made months ago. Despite all the warnings and discussions, no one was ready for a punch to the face. The threat had moved from a far-off rumbling to solid metal and flesh that had swooped in to raze capital cities to the ground in a very short amount of time. Everyone was panicking. She hoped that whatever Arius had to do during his time away from the Normandy had been worth his time. They could not rely on the chances of having unanimous support across the council.
"The reports are accurate," she insisted. "Earth was attacked – by the Reapers. And it's just the beginning. We need your help. Everything you can spare."
There was a prolonged silence after her plea, and everyone knew that as serious as her plea had been, not everyone agreed. They had their own people to protect now.
"Each of us faces a similar situation," The asari councillor reminded her. "Even now, the Reapers are pressing on our borders. If we lend you our strength to help Earth, our own worlds will fall."
"We must fight this enemy together!" Udina again beseeched the other councillors.
"And so we should just follow you to Earth?" the salarian incredulously suggested.
While the two were bickering, the turian councillor, typically against assisting human affairs, proved to be the voice of reason. Even with their abrasive relationship in the past, it was discipline if the turians knew anything.
"Even if we were to unite our fleets," he asked Shepard, "do you really believe we could defeat the Reapers?"
"I don't expect you to follow me without a plan," she answered, motioning to Liara to present her findings from the archives on Mars.
"Councilors…" addressed the asari doctor, stepping forward. "We have that plan. A blueprint. Created by the Protheans during their war with the Reapers."
"A blueprint for what?"
"We're still piecing it together…" she explained, pushing a command into her omni-tool, "but it appears to be a weapon of some sort."
Holographic technical renderings appeared between them, green models of three-dimensional objects rotating with no immediately discernible purpose.
"Capable of destroying the Reapers?"
"So it would seem." Answered the doctor.
The large eyes of the salarian regarded the information in front of him, her mind gathering the data as fast as it was displayed. "The scale is… it would be a colossal undertaking."
"No," Shepard assured. "I forwarded the plans to Admiral Hackett. The remnants of the human fleet are already gathering resources to begin construction."
"Our initial calculation suggests it is very feasible to build." Added Liara.
"….If we work together." Shepard completed.
The asari councillor narrowed her eyes, not trusting the idea. "Have you considered that the Reapers destroyed the Protheans? What good did this weapon do?"
"It was incomplete. There was a missing component. Here." Liara said, highlighting something among the data. "Something referred to only as the Catalyst. But they ran out of time before they could finish building it."
"Do you really believe this can stop the Reapers?"
Shepard nodded. "Liara believes it can work, and so do I. And while I haven't always agreed with Udina, he's right about this… we need to stand together. Now more than ever. The Reapers won't stop at Earth. They'll destroy every organic being in the galaxy if we don't find a way to stop them."
Both the turian and asari councillors turned their heads toward the salarian for his approval, but she shook her head in rejection.
Shepard thought that the salarian councillor would eventually come around, but not before her people began suffering heavy losses and realized how little they could accomplish by themselves. She supposed this was a consequence of salarian thinking; they preferred their wars won before they started - espionage and covert operations were their game. They were, therefore, entirely out of their depth with the Reapers and were genuinely frightened battling a ruthless foe they had nearly no information on.
"The cruel and unfortunate truth," admitted the asari councillor, "is that while the Reapers focus on Earth, we can prepare and regroup. We are convening a summit amongst our species. If we can manage to secure our own border, we may once again consider aiding you."
With those words, Udina threw his head into one of his hands and shook his head in silent frustration. His pleas were fruitless.
"I'm sorry, Commander," the asari expressed. "This is the best we can do. The meeting is adjourned."
"Shepard," Udina addressed, grinding his teeth together as he spoke, "Meet me in my office."
.
Shepard had been leaning on one of the desks in Udina's office when the councillor stormed in, fuming from the council meeting.
"They're a bunch of self-concerned jackasses, Shepard! We may have a spot on the Council, but humanity will always be considered second-rate," Udina spat. "They're scared. And they're looking out only for themselves!"
"Our people are scared, and we're looking out for them the best way we know how." added a third voice.
Shepard and Udina spun to see the source of the voice, not expecting to see the turian councillor come bounding down the steps of the office to their level.
"Councilor," Udina choked, clearly surprised by the turian's sudden appearance.
"I can't give you what you need," he told Shepard, straightening his back and joining his talons behind his back in impeccable posture, "but I can tell you how to get it."
"I'm listening," she replied.
"Primarch Fedorian called the war summit, but… we lost contact with him when the Reapers hit Palaven. Those meetings won't proceed without him. The Normandy is one of the few ships that can extract Primarch Fedorian undetected."
Shepard sighed to herself, tired of her repetition. She had told them what was coming, and they still needed her help when they ignored the message.
"I told you this would happen. Repeatedly. And you did nothing."
"We can argue the past later if you like," the turian acknowledged, "But the leaders of this summit will be the ones deciding our future. The fate of our fleet, where they fight, and with whom. A grateful Primarch would be a tremendous ally in your bid to unite us."
"We're at war, and you want me to play politician?"
"If it gets you what you need, what does it matter?" returned the turian.
Shepard supposed it didn't.
"Our latest intelligence says that the Primarch was moved to a base on Palaven's largest moon. I've done all I can to help."
And with that said, he turned to leave. While he ascended the steps, he paused.
"There is one other thing. The Council wanted me to tell you… we've chosen to uphold your Spectre status. And various resources will be made available to you. The rest is up to you. Good day."
He was gone with a quick tap of his omni-tool and some status reassigning.
"Well, that went well." Shepard reflected.
"It's a start. I'll talk to the others in the meantime. See if we can support this summit. Move things along." He said, sitting down at his desk.
"Thanks."
"The Council." Udina scoffed, "You saved their lives, and for what? Apologies that boiled down to, "maybe later." If we don't figure out something, "Maybe Later" will be an epitaph on a mass grave of eleven billion."
"I know what I'm going to do. What are you going to do?"
Udina leaned forward on his elbows, thinking. "Humanity has created some goodwill in the galaxy. Now we cash in our chips."
A renewed purpose fueled his words as a tremendous but vitally important task emerged in front of him. He was a politician through and through, and he would un-modestly admit he was a great one. With Parliament destroyed and Shastri gone, he had more power than any human in history. They were all as good as dead if he couldn't do it.
"I will get what funding and materials I can and spread the message: Help the humans, help yourselves. I'll institute a draft in our colonies and order armed civilian ships. Work on the Prothean device will be around the clock." He paused as he formulated his thoughts. "Rest assured, I will not be counted out long. I know I can move mountains. Do not lose sight of that, Shepard, because the task before us is moving planets."
"Anderson would be proud… so long as you deliver. You think you can do that?"
"You need a carrot or a stick to drive a mule, and humanity has neither right now. Our armada is tied down fighting or fleeing, and our economy is reduced to an IOU with Earth's comm buoys gone. But leave that part to me. I will lean on our colonies for all their worth, and I can broker enough trade to repair and resupply Hackett's fleet."
"Good. We'll be in touch soon."
.
"How did it go?" Arius asked Shepard as she exited the main atrium of the council chambers.
"Better than I anticipated. The turian councillor joined us as well."
"Councilor Sparatus?"
"Yes, got a mission for us. We're heading to Palaven's largest moon on a mission to extract Primarch Fedorian. He called the war summit. We need his support to win aid for humanity."
Arius brought a hand to his chin in thought, wheels turning. Humans and turians were more alike than people thought. He suspected the reason for so much hatred between the two species at the beginning was each recognizing themselves in the other. Both could be prideful to a fault. "The turians currently possess the largest fleet of the council races. Once they come to humanity's aid, the others will follow suit with less resistance. And Udina?"
"Same as always. He can sometimes be insufferable, but I don't doubt his commitment to the cause."
"Good. As much as I like Anderson, he does his best work in the field, and Udina does his best behind a desk. People dismiss him as a stuffed shirt, but this war has also gotten personal. You should have seen him in the council chambers after it was reported that Arcturus station was destroyed. He was in a rage."
"Looks like we all have our work to do. Is there anything else we need to do here? We need to get a move on."
"Let's."
The two of them hurried through the halls of the presidium, retracing their way back to the Normandy. They, at one point, passed the entrance of the Citadel embassies, and in front of the signage that welcomed visitors into the floor was a sharply dressed reporter, which hovered a video drone over their shoulder. The reporter was quick and called out to Shepard as soon as they arrived in sight. "Commander Shepard! Commander, the people of the Alliance have questions!"
"God, grant me the patience…" Arius heard Shepard mumble under her breath, and Shepard held out a hand behind her, motioning him to stay put and out of frame.
"Commander Shepard! Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani," the reporter unloaded rapid-fire, turning on the video drone and lighting up Shepard's face with the bright light before she could even respond. "Isn't it true that you were on Earth when the Reapers attacked?"
Arius saw Shepard pinch the bridge of her nose and give a deep exhale, her common behaviour when steadying herself against an emotional outburst. It was the umpteenth time that day that someone had purposely provoked her.
"How do you justify running away while millions of people on Earth die?" the reporter continued, slamming her with as many questions as possible. "Is that the best we can expect from the Alliance?"
He saw Shepard's jaw muscles clench under the incendiary questioning and could tell Shepard wanted to punch her. "I came to get help for Earth. For everyone," she told the reporter.
"What about all the people suffering while you play politics with the Council? What about them? How can you stand here while our families die? What are you going to do?"
The reporter was practically spitting venom into Shepard's face, but what happened next surprised Arius - the second time since he had watched her escape from Aratoht six months prior. All of the tension in Shepard's body relaxed, and she reached forward and gently laid a hand on the reporter's shoulder. There was a moment where Shepard didn't say anything but looked into the indignant face of the reporter, who obviously had not been expecting the familiar gesture and almost flinched from the contact. "Khalisah, we're doing everything we can," Shepard reassured her in a voice that was soft and not at all the commanding tone she usually carried.
The reporter, robbed of her fire, found she could no longer generate the steam to fight against her opponent. She deflated, and Arius saw her hard eyes soften. "Before they cut the feeds… there were so many dead," she told Shepard, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand. There was a thousand-yard stare, someone who had seen what should have never been seen.
Shepard nodded to her, understanding. "I'm going to stop the Reapers or die trying, but I need your help. Keep asking the hard questions. Don't let the Council forget about Earth."
"I… I will. Thank you, Commander." The reporter clicked off the feed and began walking away. She paused after a couple of steps, then turned back toward Shepard. "We haven't always seen eye to eye…but I'm glad you're on our side." And then she turned back and walked away.
Arius stood on the sidelines while watching the exchange, dumbfounded. He knew he was good at things; He enjoyed the challenges of solving technical problems and revelled in pushing at the boundary of feasibility. Every problem to him was a puzzle to solve, and his unnatural lifespan had given him the time to hone many of the crafts in his toolbox. But Shepard, he recognized, she was good at people - in ways he could never be. The whole exchange between her and the reporter was a masterclass in empathy, charm and persuasion - she instantly cognized her opposite's feelings, understood them, and not only diffused the reporter's tension but managed to transmute the hostility into support. It was a skill she could flex effortlessly, and it was undoubtedly one of the reasons she had rallied so many from all walks of life.
"You handled that admirably," he praised, rejoining her.
Shepard shook her head. "She's terrified; I could see it in her eyes. Unlike us, they can't grab a gun and go shoot something. She can, however, hold others to their word."
Shepard motioned to one of the windows. Standing in front of one of them was James Vega. "Go on ahead," she told him. "I need to speak with Vega."
"Commander.'
.
James saw her approach. "Hey, Commander." The Alliance marine turned back to look out the window. "Liara told me the Council's not interested in helping us."
"Something like that."
"Why would they? Look at this place," he said, turning back to her, eyes sweeping over the luxurious space. "There's no war here. People are whispering about it. Talking about it. But they don't really believe it."
"I take it this is your first time here… with the, uh, elite of the galaxy." The Citadel embassies hosted some of the wealthiest offices on the Citadel.
"I've been to the Citadel but never up here on the Presidium. It's… not right. It looks pretty. Calm and peaceful. But it's not right. It's all just an illusion."
"It was peaceful… once."
"But was it? Really? I mean, when push comes to shove, they're just gonna turtle up… hope it doesn't hit them too. They'd rather believe in this than face the truth."
Shepard looked out the window, seeing everything going on just like it always did. "I can hardly believe it, myself. Like everything back on Earth was some kind of nightmare."
"Yeah. That's what I hate the most. It's like this place wants you to forget that."
"So," she asked him, "you still want to go back to Earth?"
"Hell, yeah. But…"
"But?"
"You were right. So was Anderson. We can't stop them alone. Besides, looks like you're gonna have your hands full convincing these pendejo politicians to help us. And I'm up for it. Whatever it takes."
"Glad to hear it. We're heading off soon for our first assignment. Meet you back on the Normandy?"
"Let's go."