Chapter 20: I Said I Wanted His Head, Shepard.
Shepard stood outside of the Council chambers pacing and swearing under her breath. Even with Jane's warnings, she was still having trouble swallowing the bitter pill of the Council's refusal to take Sovereign and the reapers seriously. The real icing on the cake was Udina locking down the Normandy. Jane had told her it would happen, and that Anderson would fix the situation for her but it didn't make it any easier. She really wanted to punch Udina in his smug nose but that was definitely not a good idea.
Kirrahe stood by watching her, letting her calm herself before he attempted to speak to her. Shepard raked a hand through her hair and growled in frustration. When she realized Kirrahe was still standing there she turned to face him. Shepard debated telling the salarian that this wasn't over and she was still going to Ilos. She still needed him to be ready but she couldn't risk him reporting her to the Council. She didn't think that he would, but it wasn't worth the risk and besides if he held her secret that would put his ass on the line as well.
"Thank you, Kirrahe. They've been warned about Sovereign. I don't know what else I can do other than be prepared to clean up their mess. I guess that's in the job description, though, isn't it? I don't think that their plan is going to work, though. So, if you can, it might still be best if you stuck around here for a while," Shepard said.
"Indeed, Commander. I have had marginal success in securing aid. There are several members of STG who see the merit in your claims and are prepared to take action. Unfortunately, with Councilor Valern and the others denying your claims, it is unlikely that I will be able to rally much more support for you until there is more evidence," Kirrahe said.
"Thanks for trying, Kirrahe. I'll keep you updated when I can, on what I can," Shepard said.
The salarian nodded to her and walked away leaving her to stew in her own thoughts. Shepard spent a few minutes staring out one of the grand windows outside of the Council's Chambers. Images of a destroyed Citadel flooded her mind. Bits and pieces of a dead reaper strewn about. The Council had no idea just how wrong they were. They never do.
Shepard opened her omni-tool and sent Garrus a message telling him to meet her at Flux in thirty minutes if he still wanted to grab that beer. Anderson would be calling for her soon, asking her to meet him there anyway. She could really use a drink right about now. Shepard left the Citadel Tower and made her way back to the Presidium. She was going to take the long way to the Wards to blow off steam.
Half way to the Wards Access, Shepard's eyes snagged on someone familiar.
"Thane?" Jane said.
Images of the drell standing shirtless before her flashed through Shepard's mind. The feel of his lime green, scaled skin sliding beneath her fingers was so real it made the fine hairs on her body stand on end. Shepard shook her head to clear the images.
"I don't need to see that right now, Jane," Shepard thought.
"Sorry," Jane said.
Shepard squinted her eyes to try to get a better look at the drell before he turned around a corner and disappeared from her sight. Her feet started to follow him without a second thought.
"Dawn, no!" Jane said.
Shepard wasn't listening though; she was already pushing her way through the crowd. She turned the corner and caught sight of his brown leather jacket as the drell effortlessly wove his way through the crowd. Shepard lost sight of him again. Her feet picked up speed as she barged through people, mumbling apologies. Every now and again her eyes would catch on him once more until she rounded a corner and he was gone. Just disappeared. Shepard stood in an alley, there was no one back here but she knew she had seen Thane turn down this way. Remembering the vision she had of him as he slid from the ceiling to kill Nassana and her men, Shepard looked up and around. There was a series of catwalks in this area. She thought he must have taken them.
Hands slid around Shepard's head and chin, "Why are you following me, Spectre?"
"New territory," Jane said sounding resigned. "Careful."
Shepard didn't need to hear Jane's warning to know that she needed to stay very, very still.
"You know who I am?" Shepard asked.
"Everyone knows who you are. You are the first human Council Spectre; Alliance Commander Shepard. I will ask you again: Why are you following me, Spectre?" Thane's quiet, raspy voice slid over her ear sending a chill down her spine.
"I'm not sure," Shepard said as honestly as she could.
"Forgive me if I do not believe that you randomly chose someone to follow into a dark alley," Thane said.
"No, it wasn't random. But you wouldn't believe the truth if I told you, Krios," Shepard said.
Shepard felt Jane wince inside of her.
"You know my name," Thane said, it was not a question but an observation. "You speak it with familiarity."
"Careful!" Jane said.
"Yes. You're Thane Krios," Shepard said.
"Then you also know exactly how unwise it was for you to follow me," Thane said still holding her head with a feather touch.
Shepard knew that his light touch could turn deadly in a heartbeat, "In hindsight, yes."
She felt Thane's hand shift to rest a finger on her carotid. He was measuring her pulse. She didn't try to resist as he used his other hand at the base of her skull to rotate her head so he could see her eyes while maintaining his advantageous position. It wasn't a very comfortable position but it wasn't painful.
"Pupil dilation," Jane said.
"Crap, I can't fake that," Shepard thought.
"He's aware," Jane said.
"Have you come to attempt to arrest me?" Thane asked.
"What? No!" Shepard said emphatically.
"To kill me?" Thane asked.
"Absolutely not," Shepard said.
"I am a man of patience, by trade, Spectre but I will not wait all day," Thane said.
Shepard stared into the deadly assassin's blackened eyes; only the faintest hint of his iris could be seen in this light, "In just over two years, you're going to join me to take down a race known as the collectors. By that point, they will have abducted several human colonies. I will find you again on Illium when you make your move to kill an asari named Nassana Dantius, and ask you for help."
His eyes studied hers without giving any clue as to what he was thinking, "What evidence do you have to support your claims?"
Shepard scoffed, "That's the question of the year."
"Don't … smartass… kill you," Jane said.
He was not amused. Shepard licked her lips and swallowed back the knot in her throat.
"You're a religious man, Krios. Does your religion cover anything on reincarnation? Repeated lives? A chance to right whatever you did wrong?" Shepard asked.
Thane studied her eyes for long moments. Shepard took in the details of his face that she could see, the hint of red frills that ringed his neck, the black diamond on his forehead. Subtle images from Jane filled in what Shepard's eyes could not detect in the low light. Something in her wanted desperately to reach up and touch the frills at his neck; wanted to steal a taste of his full lips. Heat started to rise up in Shepard. She scolded herself for the response. Scolded Jane, thinking it must be coming from her despite Jane's insistence that his lips were the last thing she was concerned with at the moment.
Thane's brow twitched ever so slightly. Shepard wasn't sure if it was her words sinking in, or if he had smelt the change in her the way Garrus always did. She sincerely hoped it was the first. He rolled Shepard's head forward again with gentle ease. He was so quiet that if it weren't for the feel of his hands on her head and face she wouldn't believe he was still there.
"You believe your words to be truth. Your lack of forethought will not cost you your life by my hand this day," Thane said.
Shepard felt his hands slip away from her and she slowly turned to look but he was already gone. She glanced around the area but caught no further sign of the drell. Shepard made her way to Flux. She really needed that beer. At the entrance to Flux, a man leaning against a wall called out to her. She was in no mood to deal with strangers right now.
"Addict. Needs help," Jane said.
Shepard walked past the man, "I don't have time for this. You're an addict. You need help."
As she started up the steps armed guards escorted a salarian out, one of them hit the salarian in the back of the head and he tumbled down the stairs. Shepard groaned and headed down to make sure he was alright.
"Caught cheating," Jane said.
Shepard saw a small, hand-held scanner slide across the floor when she stopped to help the salarian up. She scooped up the machine and walked back towards Flux ignoring the salarian's protests. She spotted Garrus at the bar and held up a finger to tell him she'd be right with him. She climbed up the steps to the quasar machines and glanced around until she saw the volus who ran the place.
"Found this on the salarian outside, thought you might want it," Shepard said handing it over.
"Thank you, try a few rounds of quasar on the house?" the volus said.
Shepard held up a hand, "Thanks maybe another time. I'm meeting someone downstairs."
Shepard slid onto the stool next to Garrus and sighed. He sniffed the air around her, and she saw him raise an eyebrow ridge in silent question.
"No luck?" Garrus asked.
"Of course not," Shepard said. "Udina locked down the Normandy. They want to pull me off the mission. They said they have blockades up at all the relays. Idiots. Anderson will call me soon; he'll get us back the ship."
She decided not to talk about her run in with the assassin if he wasn't going to ask. She didn't want to hear him tell her how stupid that was.
"Damn," Garrus said.
"You?" Shepard asked.
Garrus had gone off to talk to some of his contacts on the Citadel and C-Sec when they arrived. She could already tell by how tight his mandibles were locked to the sides of his face that he didn't have good news.
Garrus shook his head, "I tried, Shepard. No one's interested in listening."
"Of course," Jane said.
"Yeah, I know. Thanks, Garrus," Shepard said. "Kirrahe had a few men express interest, at least."
"I'm not giving up that easy, Shepard," Garrus said smiling at her.
She motioned to the bartender but opted for something stronger than beer. Garrus' mandibles twitched but as usual he followed her lead and asked for some dextro drink she'd never heard of before. Shepard slammed back the shot and asked for another before doing the same to that one. Garrus watched her intently as she called for a third.
"You alright, Shepard?" he asked.
Shepard shook her head and held up the glass, "No. Not really, but I will be."
She slowed down on the third, she wasn't looking to get wasted she just wanted to take the edge off. Garrus nursed his drink, keeping wary eyes on Shepard. She gave him the best smile she could manage. He sniffed the air around her again.
"Sprits, woman what am I smelling on you?" Garrus finally asked.
Shepard took a sip from her glass before shrugging, "Drell."
"Drell?" Garrus asked.
She nodded and took another sip.
"And you were… spending time with this drell… intimately?" Garrus asked.
Shepard nearly choked on her drink, "What? No. Garrus he had his hands wrapped around my head ready to snap my neck."
Garrus growled, his mandibles snapped down tight around his face, "What did you do to piss off a drell?"
"What makes you think I did anything to piss him off?" Shepard said.
"Maybe because I know how much you like being shot at, Shepard," Garrus said.
Shepard snorted and glanced around making sure no one was sitting close enough to listen and lowered her voice, "I followed him. He didn't like being followed. It was the drell from the vision."
"Shepard! You saw a man you knew to be a damned assassin and you thought – what you'd follow him for kicks? Alone?" Garrus hissed.
Shepard chuckled and threw back the rest of her drink, "I don't know why I followed him, Garrus. I guess I just wanted to see him up close."
Garrus sniffed at her, "And I take it you liked what you saw?"
Shepard's face turned red, "I blame Jane."
"All you," Jane said.
Garrus chuffed, "Of course you do. Should I… be concerned?"
"What's the matter, Vakarian, afraid of a little competition?" Shepard smirked.
"I have no right to a claim on you, Shepard. I can share if you insist, but I'll rip his throat out before I let him take you away from me," Garrus said with deadly seriousness.
"Well now… new," Jane said.
Shepard laughed and reached out a hand to touch his face, rubbing a thumb down over the arch of a mandible.
"I don't think you have anything to worry about, Garrus. Honestly, I'm considering it a win that he didn't break my neck. Hopefully I didn't blow things by approaching him so early," Shepard said.
"What did you say to him? Did you tell him about Jane?" Garrus asked.
"You mean did I tell him that there is a thousand or more versions of me trapped in my head? That one of them named Jane talks to me, telling me things and showing me what my future holds if I can't figure out a way to change things?" Shepard smiled, "No, Garrus, I didn't tell him about Jane. Not exactly anyway. No one besides you would be crazy enough to believe me."
"Dr. Tulina believes you," Garrus said.
"Well, she has seen it, or at least some of it with the joining," Shepard shrugged.
"I think some of the others would believe you, if you told them. Why haven't you told them, Shepard?" Garrus asked.
"He's right," Jane said.
Shepard sighed and looked down at her empty glass, "Because… I know that I need to change things. I need to set things right, but with everything that I change… I worry if I'm actually making it worse."
Garrus hummed quietly. Shepard reached over and patted his knee. He covered her hand with his own, trapping it on his leg. She was content to leave it there. She felt like someone was watching her, her eyes scanned the room but she saw no one of interest.
"So what now?" Garrus asked.
"Now we wait for Anderson and go to Ilos. I don't think we can afford to wait," Shepard said.
"Hmmm. I don't like this, Shepard," Garrus said.
"I know. I don't either, but it's my job to do what needs to be done. I'm a soldier, Garrus. Sometimes, soldiers have to fight even when they know it means they're probably going to die," Shepard said.
"Doesn't mean we shouldn't go down fighting," Garrus said.
"Yeah," Shepard said.
Garrus hummed, "Yeah."
"Commander, Anderson is looking for you. He wants you to meet him in that bar on the Wards, Flux," Joker said over her comm.
"Already there, Joker. Thanks," she responded.
Anderson walked in just then and Shepard waved him over. He slid onto a stool next to hers.
"Garrus Vakarian meet Captain Anderson, Anderson meet Vakarian. Now, how are you going to get us off this station, Anderson?" Shepard asked.
The alcohol was loosening her tongue as well as relieving her stress, apparently.
Anderson shook Garrus' hand before speaking, "What makes you think I'm going to get you off this station, Shepard?"
Shepard looked at Anderson, "Because you know this is bullshit as much as I do and you know what's at stake. Besides, I'm your favorite Spectre."
Anderson chuckled, "That you are, Commander. That you are. I was thinking that if I can get into a console on Citadel –."
"Nope, too dangerous. You'll be shot. What else do you have?" Shepard asked.
Anderson looked at the empty glass cupped between Shepard's palms and arched an eyebrow at her. She shrugged.
"Udina was the one to issue the lock-down, I might be able to use his terminal to override the order," Anderson said.
"That will work. You might have to knock Udina out, you OK with that, Captain?" Shepard said.
Anderson grinned, "Well… we'll hope it doesn't come to that, Commander but if the need should arise… well, I can't say I won't enjoy it a little."
"Give him one for me, Anderson," Shepard said with a smirk.
"Alright, Commander. You going to make it back to the Normandy OK?" Anderson asked.
"I haven't had that much to drink. Besides, my favorite turian here will pick my ass up and carry me if I can't manage," Shepard said nodding her head at Garrus.
She heard him chuckle beside her. Anderson smiled and nodded a little too sagely.
"Alright, get back to the Normandy and tell Joker to stand by," said Anderson.
They all stood and Shepard held her hand out to him but he pulled her in for a brief hug. She chuckled and patted the man on the back. Anderson left Flux with a determined stride. Shepard could feel the warmth and the fuzzy feeling brought on by the shots spreading throughout her body. It wasn't enough to keep her from feeling the eyes on her, though, as she made her way back to the elevator in C-Sec to get to the docks. Garrus caught her scanning the area every couple of minutes and soon he was doing the same.
"What is it?" Garrus asked.
"Feel like I'm being watched," Shepard said.
"Thane," Jane said.
"I don't see anyone following us," Garrus said.
"Me neither," she said.
They stepped into the elevator and took it to the docks. Shepard gave one last look around before getting on the Normandy and heading to the cockpit.
"Joker, Anderson is getting us out of here. Be ready to leave the second those locks are off. They may not let us fly away easy," Shepard said.
Joker glanced up at her and watched her with narrowed eyes before nodding, "Aye, aye, Commander."
Shepard stood over Joker's shoulder watching the display. She chewed at her lip and noticed Joker nervously rubbing his thumb along the index finger of a loose fist. She laid her hand reassuringly on his shoulder. Joker glanced up at her before reaching up to pat her hand. The screen showed that the locks were lifted and Joker got to work.
Shepard watched the Citadel docks start to slip away through the observation screen. Thane stepped out of the shadows and into the light of artificial day. He stood still with his hands clasped behind his back. Shepard knew that there was no way for him to see her on the Normandy but she felt like he was looking right at her anyway. Someone walked in front of him, blocking her view for the briefest of moments, when they passed, Thane was gone. Shepard pursed her lips and left the cockpit.
She went straight for the galaxy map and input the coordinates for the Mu Relay before calling everyone in to the debriefing room. When the room was full, Shepard stood in the middle of the room.
"Alright, I'm sure you all realize by now that we just technically stole an Alliance vessel. Udina locked us down; he was trying to prevent us from continuing on with this mission because the Council is a bunch of idiots who think that throwing up blockades at the relays will be enough to solve their problem. I suppose I should be happy that they are at least doing something," she ran a hand through her hair.
"We're not letting this go that easy, though. We're headed to Ilos now. If anyone has any complaints about my actions today, you're welcome to voice your opinions but you're stuck on this ship until this shit is over with so you'd better come to terms with it all pretty quick," Shepard let her eyes roam over her team and was relieved to see nothing but nods and smiles of encouragement.
"Saren has gone to Ilos in order to access the Conduit. The Conduit will transport him to the middle of the Citadel if I'm not able to stop him in time. He plans to –," Shepard said.
"I'm sorry, but did you just say that the Conduit will take him to the Citadel? How is that possible?" Ashley cut in.
Shepard gave her a stern look for cutting her off, but she answered the question anyway, "Look, Williams… all of you… I don't know all of the details. It was something the protheans built before their fall. As I was saying, Saren plans to use the Conduit to get past the Citadel's defenses. Once inside he will attempt to seize control over the Citadel, allowing Sovereign to use the Citadel to open the way for the other reapers."
"How is the Citadel going to bring in the other reapers?" Tali asked.
Shepard took a breath and began pacing, "The Citadel is an inactive mass relay. It links to where the reapers are hiding out in dark space."
"Of course it does," said Wrex.
"Commander Shepard, that doesn't make any sense. Surely someone would have noticed?" Tali said.
"Yeah… that's pretty much what the Council said, too," said Shepard dropping herself into a chair.
She sat staring at her feet in silence while the others whispered amongst themselves. They quieted again when she looked up.
"I don't have all of the answers. I'm sorry. I need you all to trust me, though. I know that's asking a lot, but it's the way it has to be. When we get to Ilos, Joker is going to drop us all in the Mako. It'll be crowded but we can make it work. Joker will be given orders to immediately return to the Citadel. Sovereign and geth ships are already on their way there. He will assist the other fleets in taking care of Sovereign and the geth," Shepard said putting an end to the questions.
"The ground team will infiltrate Ilos and attempt to cut Saren off before he can access the Conduit. If we fail, Saren will arrive inside of the Citadel with more geth. If that happens, the ground team will follow Saren through the Conduit to stop him from seizing control. If we are able to deal with Saren before then, we will still use the Conduit to get to the Citadel if possible." Shepard said.
"Captain Kirrahe and his men have pledged their support. They will be ready on the Citadel to help from the inside. Are there any questions relating to what we have to do here?" Shepard asked.
A look around the room showed eyes full of doubt but everyone shook their head. She dismissed everyone before making her way to the cockpit to explain the plan to Joker.
"So, you expect me to leave all of you down there?" Joker asked.
"I do. The Normandy is state of the art, and you're the best damn pilot the Alliance has, Joker. They're going to need you to lead them in tearing apart Sovereign," Shepard said.
"Well, yeah, obviously but are you sure you'll be able to get back to the Citadel?" Joker asked.
"I am, but if for some reason we don't make it back, it's still better for you to be there than on Ilos waiting for us," Shepard said.
"Alright, if you say so, Commander," Joker said.
Shepard patted him on the shoulder and headed towards the stairs in the CIC. Garrus was leaning against the wall next to the stairs waiting for her. She smiled when she saw him. He was exactly what she needed. She took his hand and wordlessly led him down the stairs to her cabin. She stripped off her armor and turned to Garrus to wrap her arms around his neck.
Garrus nuzzled her neck, "I can still smell him on you."
"Do you want me to go take a shower?" Shepard asked pulling back to look in Garrus' eyes.
"No, I want you right here with me," Garrus said wrapping a hand around her waist to pull her to him. "Besides, when I'm done with you the only scent that will be on you is my own."
"Mmmm. That sounds promising," Shepard said bring her lips up to his.
Garrus growled, sliding his hands down her waist and over her ass before cupping them around her thighs. He heaved, pulling her upwards to wrap her legs around his waist. Shepard clung to his neck, her mouth staying locked on his. He turned and carried her to her bed, placing a knee down on the mattress he slowly lowered her before standing back up to slide his armor off. She watched him through heavily lidded eyes.
When he had stripped down to the snuggly fitting under armor, his eyes watched Shepard with a predatory gaze. It made the blood heat up in her veins. Garrus leaned down over her, a hand pressing into the bed on either side of her shoulders. He used his knee to spread her legs apart before sliding a warm thigh up to press against her, eliciting a quiet gasp from Shepard. His mouth found hers and she was lost to the scent and the feel of Garrus all around her.
For the first time, Garrus was asleep before Shepard. She laid in her bed with his arms wrapped around her listening to the sound of his soft breathing. They were racing towards Ilos and Shepard knew that the clock was ticking down for her. She didn't know if she was going to find a way to stop what lay ahead. If she was going to be able to find a way to keep herself from having to die and be turned over to Cerberus but still stop the reapers from destroying the galaxy. Why did she have to be the one to do all of this, anyway?
She turned her head slowly to look up at Garrus' face. His eyes were closed but he still had that visor on and the blue glow forced her to squint her eyes. Even in his sleep, she could see the tension in his face. She felt like she was the worst person in the world to invite him into her bed and heart all the while telling him that it might end in such a horrible fashion so soon. She was going to die and leave him to deal with the aftermath for two years if she didn't stop this. And then, she'd do it to him all over again when she died in the Crucible. Only she wouldn't be coming back to him after that. No, either she fixed the cycle and stayed dead or she woke up again in someone else's body. Sure, there'd be another Garrus… or was it still this Garrus, she wasn't sure. It didn't matter though, she wouldn't be herself and he wouldn't be hers. He would live though. He might hate her for it, but she would make sure that no matter what, he lived.
Shepard tried to gently lift Garrus arm off of her so she could slide out of the bed. He emitted a low growl and pulled her in closer. She had to fight back a laugh. She gave up on that idea and instead closed her eyes. It took her a bit longer to reach that quiet place of tranquility while she was lying wrapped up next to Garrus but she succeeded.
"Hello, Dawn," Jane's soft voice came to attention.
"What's going to happen to him, Jane?" Shepard asked.
"That depends on you at this point. What you do, how you change things," Jane said.
"What usually happens to him?" Shepard asked.
"Well, while Cerberus is busy bringing us back he struggles to come to terms with the loss and the impending invasion. He tries to get someone to listen to him, goes to his father. It doesn't do a whole lot of good. He ends up on Omega, a total shithole of a station, practicing his own version of justice," Jane said. "He rallies a team around him, until one of them – Sidonis betrays them and everyone on the team gets taken out. He… kind of loses it after that. When we find him again he's held up in a building with every merc on Omega gunning for his ass. That's how he gets those scars. A gunship shoots him with a rocket blast. It grazes his face. Fucks us up good to rush back into the room and find him lying in a pool of his own blood. He's not the same after losing everything like that. He's more cynical, closed off, more ruthless."
Shepard stayed quiet, swallowing back tears so Jane continued.
"This is the first time a relationship like this has happened with him before our resurrection. It may go completely different for him this time," Jane said.
"You mean it might be far worse," Shepard said.
"Maybe… or maybe it will be better somehow. Especially since he knows that you'll be coming back," Jane said.
"Maybe," Shepard said before pausing to think. "He lives through it, in the end after the reapers, right?"
"I can't really answer that with certainty, but I believe that's the idea. I don't really know what happens to everyone else when we wake up again. If the universe just resets them somehow or what," Jane said.
"I have to do this, though, right? I have to go to Ilos and stop Saren. Stop Sovereign," Shepard asked even though she already knew the answer.
"If you don't, they'll take control of the Citadel and the reapers will be here sooner than ever. We don't have the Crucible yet. We'd have no way to fight them. Dawn, they would rip through every ship we threw at them like they were nothing more than falling leaves getting in their way," Jane said.
"How do we get the Crucible?" Shepard asked.
"The plans for it are on Mars. Liara will find them when we're serving our sentence. We'll have to gather support from the rest of the galaxy to help get it built," Jane said.
"Maybe we can get the plans sooner, start work on it sooner," Shepard said.
"We can try. It's not something we can build though, the thing is massive and Hackett has teams of people working to get it built around the clock. We send everyone we can to help, but it still barely gets finished in time," Jane said.
"Still though, Anderson believes us about the reapers and if we get the plans for the Crucible to the Alliance sooner… maybe if nothing else we'll get it finished a little sooner," Shepard said.
"It's as good a plan as any. It might throw a wrench into a few other things, like EDI getting her body, but that's honestly the least of our concerns," Jane said.
"What does that have to do with EDI getting a body?" Shepard asked.
"When we go to Mars after we're reinstated to find Liara and get the plans for the Crucible, we have to fight the infiltration mech that becomes EDI's body. If we change that, the mech won't be there when we go. Possibly won't be there even if we go back later, depends on if Cerberus thinks there is still a reason to place the mech there. No way to know," Jane said.
"Hmm. What was the mech after?" Shepard asked.
"The same thing we are, information on the Crucible and whatever else they took from the prothean archives. It's because of them that it takes us so long to learn that the Citadel is the Catalyst that the plans call for to activate the Crucible," Jane said.
Shepard stayed quiet for a long time, teetering on the edge of consciousness.
"Get some sleep, Dawn. You're going to need it," Jane said.
"Yeah…," Shepard said letting herself drift off.
"… let her sleep a little while longer, Joker," Garrus' voice was pulling Shepard back into consciousness.
"Alright, but it's your ass on the line if she isn't happy with it," Joker's voice responded through the cabin's comm.
Shepard rolled over and groaned, "I'm awake. What's up, Joker?"
Garrus was already dressed and sitting at Shepard's desk working on a datapad. He turned to look at her frowned.
"We're hitting the Mu Relay in thirty, Commander," Joker said.
"Alright, thanks, Joker," Shepard said.
She sat up in bed and stretched, the sheet falling away to expose her breasts to the chill air of the cabin. Garrus laid the datapad on the table without taking his eyes off of her. Her lips pulled up into a lazy smile. Garrus crossed the room to crawl across the bed, nuzzling her neck when he reached her.
"Nuh uh, mister. We don't have time for this," Shepard said.
Garrus released a sigh across her neck and shoulder before resting his forehead there, "I know. Spirits, I know."
Shepard rested her palm on the back of his head beneath his crest, "I'm sorry, Garrus. For doing this to you. Putting you through all of this. I want you to know, though, I don't think I could do any of this without you."
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Dawn," Garrus said.
She wanted to tell him that she loved him, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words. She hoped he knew it, though. She hoped he never doubted it, and that it was enough to sustain him when they were apart. Garrus pulled away from her neck to give her a quick kiss before he touched his forehead to hers.
"I'll go get ready," Garrus said.
"Tell the others to get ready too, will you?" Shepard asked.
"You got it," Garrus said leaving her alone in the cabin to get dressed.
Shepard stared at her reflection in the mirror as she ran a brush through her hair. She gathered up all of the fear, all of the doubt, all of the regret, and even her love and locked it away inside of her. She reached deep to find that place of cold determination and wrapped it around her like a shroud. When she was ready, she left her cabin leaving Dawn behind and fully Commander Shepard once more.
She stopped in the mess hall long enough to grab some protein bars. Going in on an empty stomach was just stupid, no matter how little she felt like eating. Her eyes grazed over Kaidan's old station but she didn't let herself feel the old familiar ache for him. Now wasn't the time.
In the cockpit, Shepard stood behind Joker. She watched as the tendrils of mass effect energy reached out from the relay to grab a hold of the Normandy. She steadied herself with a hand on the back of Joker's seat when she felt the tendrils fling the Normandy forward as speeds simply not possible by any other means. The ship slowed to a stop in the Refuge system near the planet Agetoton. Ilos could just barely be seen in the distance. Shepard slipped into the co-pilots chair to watch their approach. Before long, her team had begun to migrate to the cockpit to watch as well. Navigator Pressly came in to access the map layouts of Ilos from a console.
The cockpit erupted into a flurry of activity and voices when the scanners started to pick up the full force of geth ships that were orbiting Ilos. She could hear the arguments starting when Pressly insisted it was going to be impossible to land the ship.
"Everyone be quiet," Shepard said.
She felt the eyes on her but she stared forward out of the observation screen.
"They can't see us and Joker is going to drop us in the Mako," Shepard said.
"Commander, there isn't an area that we can drop you anywhere near –," Pressly said.
"Joker can do this," Shepard said.
"Commander, you'd need at least a hundred meters –," Pressly began.
"We're doing it with twenty," Shepard said.
"That's insane –," Ashley began.
"I can do it," Joker said.
His eyes locked on Shepard and she turned to meet his gaze, nodding her head, "You've got this Joker. You're going to drop us in the Mako and then you're going to high tail it back to the Citadel."
Shepard ordered everyone to the cargo bay. It took them a few minutes to figure out a semi-comfortable configuration to fit them all in the Mako. Shepard was forced to cede the driver's seat to Garrus whose long legs made it difficult for others to get in the back. Wrex was given the passenger's seat in the front because he took up too much of what little space there was in the back. As it was, Liara was all but sitting on Shepard's lap. It occurred to Shepard that if Kaidan had lived, there wouldn't be room. She shut down the ache in her chest before it could overtake her.
Joker came over her comm to let her know that they were approaching the drop zone. Shepard gave Garrus the go ahead and he started rolling the Mako forward. The cargo bay doors opened and the Mako dropped fast and hard.
"Keelah," Tali said.
"Goddess," Liara whispered.
"Holy shit!" Ashley yelled.
Wrex whooped with krogan enthusiasm while Garrus white knuckled the steering wheel. Shepard stayed quiet. The Mako slammed into the ground. Ahead of them, Saren was sealing the doors behind him and his army of geth. The Mako wouldn't make it through in time. Garrus was pushing down on the breaks to keep it from slamming into the reinforced door. The Mako rolled to a stop and Shepard ordered everyone out.
She didn't give them time to stand around debating how to get inside; she already knew what needed to be done. Jane was already there directing her, and warning her of enemy placements. Shepard ordered her team away from the entrance and back towards the geth. She had them spread out behind the stone slabs that separated them from the armatures. Shepard, Wrex, and Ashley took point to focus on the armatures while Garrus, Tali, and Liara handled the foot soldiers. Working together, her team cut through the geth with ease. They pushed forward down the series of switchback ramps to the ground below.
Again, they spread out to confuse and harry the geth, keeping them from amassing on Shepard's location. Shepard kept pushing her team forward, avoiding areas that weren't necessary even if that meant leaving geth behind. There wasn't time. She left them to hold the ground while she ran up a ramp and into the security room. She activated the panel, ignoring the static filled warning message the protheans left behind. Her fingers ran over the keys, unlocking the doors to the archives.
Shepard rushed back down to her team and ushered them into the elevator beneath the security room. It took them back up to the top and let them off where they started, across from where the armatures had been. They raced back to the Mako and everyone piled in. Garrus slammed his foot down, pushing the Mako forward at top speed into the trenches of the archives.
She urged him to keep going even when geth appeared in their path, "Run them over if you have to just keep going. Ashley, on the guns! Take out what you can!"
"What are those things on the walls?" Tali asked.
"Stasis pods," Shepard answered without thought.
"Goddess, there are protheans in there!" Liara said.
"The pods are no longer active, Liara. There are corpses in there," Shepard said.
"I see. Still, can you imagine what we could learn from examining them?" Liara said.
"Maybe you'll be able to come back some day and take a go at it Liara, but today there's no time," Shepard said.
"Of course, Commander, I certainly did not mean to imply that we should stop now," Liara said before falling silent.
Shepard glanced at the asari and tried to give her an apologetic smile but Liara's eyes were still focused on the rows upon rows of deactivated prothean stasis pods lining the way. A golden barrier blocked the way ahead.
"Ambush?" Wrex asked.
"No, there's a prothean VI up ahead. It's trying to get our attention. Stop right next to that elevator up there on the right, Garrus," Shepard said.
The Mako rolled to a stop, "Garrus keep it running. Liara, you'll want to see this."
Liara took the elevator with Shepard and out onto the walkway where the console that housed the VI was located.
"Vigil, we don't have a lot of time. I know what the Conduit is, and I know it leads to the Citadel. I know the Citadel will summon the rest of the reapers if Sovereign is allowed to get control over it. I need the data file for the Citadel controls," Shepard said when she approached the VI.
The swirling mass of shapes and lights that was the holographic projection of the VI spoke, "You have seen our warnings. I do not detect the presence of indoctrination on you. You know what must be done. I will prepare the data file."
Liara gasped in surprise at being able to understand the VI.
"It's been monitoring our comms and adapting to our language," Shepard said.
"Vigil, can you also transfer information on the protheans work on Ilos to stop the reaper threat including everything about the Conduit and the Citadel to me?" Shepard asked opening her omni-tool.
"Shepard, that is an excellent idea," Liara said.
"Agreed," Jane said.
The holographic image of Vigil shrunk down into an orange sized orb before floating forward to hover over Shepard's open omni-tool. A few moments later it pulled away and expanded back out to its original size.
"Data transfer complete," Vigil said.
"Thanks. Come on, Liara, we have to hurry," Shepard said.
Liara pulled herself away from the VI's hologram and raced with Shepard back to the elevator. Once the elevator let them out in front of the Mako, they squeezed back inside. The force field was gone and Garrus already had the Mako moving before the door was closed. The trenches began to twist and turn before dropping them down to a lower level with a thin sheet of water filling the bottom.
"Hurry, hurry," Shepard urged.
"I'm going as fast as we can, Shepard!" Garrus' strained voice responded.
They rushed their way through more geth set up along the way, Ashley shooting down what she could while Garrus kept the Mako moving forward.
"Colossus!" Garrus called out.
"Just keep going, dodge the blasts as much as you can. Ashley, blast that damn thing!" Shepard barked.
They got past the Colossus and rounded more corners to zoom past a group of rocket troopers. Shepard's eyes were scanning ahead, hoping desperately that they would catch Saren before he got to the Conduit. All she saw was more geth until they hit the last run. A steep slope led downward, at the end several colossi were being activated by geth shock troopers. The Conduit stood, a massive beam of light coming from what looked a lot like a miniature mass relay just beyond them.
"There! There he is. Guns, Ashley, guns! Go, Garrus! Go, go, go!" Shepard slapped her hand on the back of the driver's seat. She heard him growl in response, the Mako really was going as fast as it could and there was nothing that he could do to speed it up.
"All new," Jane said.
Saren was on the ground supervising the geth setting up the colossi. A cannon blast hit the ground in front of him, knocking him back. Saren dragged himself to his feet and looked up at the Mako. They were already halfway down to him when he raced for his hovering platform and jumped on. He tried to head straight for the Conduit but another blast from the Mako's cannon forced him to detour. Ashley, switched to the machine guns to keep him harried. They Mako wasn't close enough to get a good lock, especially while he was moving and they were rushing forward.
The colossi shook and rose to their feet, already priming up electrical blasts. Troopers turned and started firing on the Mako. Garrus dodged the first of the colossi blasts; Ashley turned the guns on the quadruped geth monstrosities.
"No, stay with Saren, Ashley," Shepard growled.
It was too late though, Saren was at the Conduit and it was pulling him in.
"Damn it, Garrus get to the Conduit," Shepard said.
The Mako hit the conduit mere seconds after Saren. It was lifted up into the beam of bright white light and then suddenly they were being thrown out on the Citadel. Shepard had just enough time to see Saren before the Mako crashed into him sending him flying back into a pile of burning debris. The Mako bounced and flipped, sliding across the floor towards Saren before coming to a stop. She had to maneuver Liara's still form off of her in order to pull herself from the vehicle. Wrex all but ripped his door off the hinges in order to dive on Saren pulling him out of the fire and slamming his head into the turian.
Pride rushed from Jane into Shepard and back again as the living felt in sync with the dead. Shepard helped Tali out while Ashley tended to Liara. Liara still wasn't moving. Shepard couldn't think about that right now. She had her pistol out and was vying for a shot when Garrus climbed out through the passenger's door. She spared a glance in his direction to make sure he was alright. He was already drawing his assault rifle and moving into position.
They weren't far from the elevator that would lead up to the Citadel Towers. Saren had clearly sent geth in ahead of him to clear the way. Fires and destruction surrounded the area. Husks slid down off of dragons teeth to charge her team. Shepard opened her comm and flipped to Kirrahe's channel before firing into the heads of the oncoming husks.
"Kirrahe, we're at the elevator to the Citadel Towers. We've got Saren pinned down. Geth are swarming the area," Shepard said.
"Headed to you now, Commander," Kirrahe's breathless voice said amidst the sounds of gunfire.
Saren sent Wrex flying backwards into the crashed Mako, making it spin on its side. Shepard opened fire. Tali was beside her with her shotgun out, firing blast after blast into the augmented turian. Wrex got back on his feet and charged Saren again. The krogan slammed into him, taking him to the ground where he pummeled his face with meaty fists. Shepard ran forward and shot Saren in the skull. He stopped moving.
Kirrahe and five of his men ran around a corner. She could tell immediately that at least three of them were severely wounded and they were being pursued. Shepard had her pistol up to fire at the first geth to step into sight. Garrus turned to see what she was firing at, his gun already raising to meet the new threat. Tali was already Hacking the geth prime that was locking in on Kirrahe. The handful of geth collapsed, one after another making a nice little mound of geth.
Kirrahe ran up to her, "Commander Shepard, where do you need us?"
"Garrus, Tali with me. Everyone else set up position here. Defend this elevator. They want in to the controls console in the Tower. More might be coming through that Conduit any moment. Wrex? Wrex?" Shepard couldn't get the krogan to look at her.
His eyes were everywhere, wide and wild. His whole body was heaving and she only just noticed he was bleeding heavily from his side. Shepard started to walk towards Wrex when Garrus' hand shot out and grabbed her. She turned to him confused.
"He's injured too bad, his redundant systems have taken over. He's in full blown battle rage. Spirits, be grateful he hasn't assessed the rest of us as a threat," Garrus said.
Shepard nodded and stayed where she was, "Wrex, I need you to try to focus. I've got Medi-gel. I need you Wrex. Saren isn't really dead yet, he's not done. Do you hear me? Sovereign can take control of his corpse and trust me; it's far harder to take him down again. We need to do something with him to keep that from happening."
Wrex turned and locked eyes on Shepard. Jane told her to stay still and so she did. Kirrahe and Garrus started to raise their guns; Shepard held a hand out to stop them. She watched as Wrex sniffed the air before turning to look at Saren's corpse at his feet. Wrex reached down and ripped the turian's head right off his body before throwing it over his shoulder. Shepard's eyes bugged out and her mouth dropped open. She watched in horror and amazement for a second as Wrex began tearing the turian limb from limb.
"Dear gods," Jane said.
Ashley pulled herself out of the Mako; she stopped with much the same expression as Shepard when she saw Wrex dismembering Saren.
"Uh, Liara's going to be OK. I've got her stabilized. We should avoid moving her until we have a way to transport her to a hospital," Ashley said.
Shepard nodded at Ashley before asking, "Garrus is it safe to leave him like this?"
It was Kirrahe who answered, "He'll likely fall unconscious very soon. At which point it will be safe for someone to tend to his wounds. He will be fine, Commander. Go, get to the Tower."
Shepard patted Kirrahe on the shoulder before running for the elevators with Garrus and Tali right behind her. Without Saren at the controls, the elevator didn't lock up on them as Jane told her it had every time before. The elevator took them all the way up to the Towers before opening up to a path of dead geth.
"Go to the sea!" a familiar voice drew Shepard's attention towards the stairs.
Thane stood at the top of the stairs, a pistol in his hand and biotic energy called up around his body. A geth was flying through the air away from the drell assassin. He spun to face another. Shepard ran for the stairs, gun raised and shooting a geth that was trying to flank Thane. The assassin spun and shot a final bullet, dropping the geth that Shepard had been shooting. She reached the top of the stairs and leveled her gun at the advancing geth coming from the next tier. The assassin did not acknowledge her presence other than to adjust his method of fighting to accommodate the presence of covering fire.
Shepard pushed forward, instinct, training, and Jane telling her where the others would be and where her allies would take cover.
"Commander, if you're there we need you to get those arms back open. The Destiny Ascension is in trouble, we can save her," Joker's voice came through her comm.
"I'm working on it, Joker!" Shepard yelled over the sounds of battle.
A juggernaut fell off the balcony and crashed through the glass to land on the rocks and grass below. Shepard spared a glance, knowing that that would have been the location of the final battle with Saren if things had gone differently. She ran to the console and opened her omni-tool, activating the file Vigil had given her. She took control over the Citadel and opened the arms of the Citadel.
"Go, Joker! Get the Destiny Ascension out of there!" Shepard said.
She turned back to the others to see that Thane was gone. Disappointed but not surprised, she leaned over, putting her hands on her knees to catch her breath. She could hear the sounds of the ships entering the Citadel's arms. She only gave herself a few seconds, she knew that pretty soon pieces of Sovereign were going to come crashing through those windows and she didn't want to be anywhere near them when it happened. She listened to the chatter of ship captains ordering fleets to attack as they made their way back down to the elevator.
When the elevator opened up on the Presidium, she saw that Wrex was slumped against the overturned Mako. He had been bandaged and treated, but was still pretty out of it. Bits and pieces of Saren lay strewn about the area but his head sat on the floor right next to Wrex. The geth that Shepard had left behind on Ilos were still streaming in through the Conduit little by little. Shepard took up station in front of Wrex and raised her gun.
Shepard felt the Citadel shake as pieces of Sovereign pelted the station. Glass and twisted bits of reaper metal rained down all over the place. Shepard and her team were lucky enough to dodge anything that fell near them. Finally, the geth stopped coming through the Conduit and the residual sounds of battle from nearby places stopped. Shepard wondered if some of those sounds had been coming from Thane, wherever he went. She slumped down against the Mako next to Wrex.
She opened her comm link, "Normandy do you read?"
"Normandy here. Cleaning up the last of the geth ships. How are things on your end, Commander?" Joker asked.
"Quiet, finally. We've got wounded down here, Joker. Is there any one on the Citadel you can direct to our location?" Shepard asked.
"I'll see what I can do, ma'am," Joker said.
"Thanks, Joker," Shepard said.
"Normandy out," Joker cut the connection.
An hour later an Alliance search and rescue team found their location. Anderson was with them and she had never been so happy to see his face in her life. She moved to stand up when she saw him but he waved her back down and came to her.
"You did it, Shepard. Are you alright?" Anderson asked squatting in front of her.
"A little bruised and banged up but mostly just exhausted. Wrex got hurt bad; he's going to need special care. Liara is out in the Mako. Williams provided the basics. She said she'll be OK but we shouldn't move her until we're ready to transport her to the hospital," Shepard said. "Captain Kirrahe and his men provided invaluable support. His men are injured as well, treat them as our own. For me."
Anderson grinned, "Sure thing, Commander. Let's get you up."
Anderson slid his arm under Shepard's and helped her to her feet. Garrus moved to her side to help but Shepard waved both men off once she was on her feet again.
"I'm fine, help them," she said.
The rescue team was already securing Liara for transport. Stretchers were being brought in for Kirrahe's men. No one was really sure what to do about Wrex. A few men from the rescue team brought over a stretcher that was laughably too small to support the krogan. When they tried to shift him onto the stretcher he growled at them.
"Come on, Wrex, let them help you," Shepard said.
"No," Wrex said.
"Wrex, you're hurt we need to get you to the hospital," Shepard insisted.
"No. Go away Shepard. I'm trying to sleep here," Wrex said. "You want to help get me something to eat."
Kirrahe came to stand next to Shepard, "The krogan will be fine. If he's asking for food, that's a very good sign."
Shepard chewed on her lip, "Wrex?"
"What do you want, Shepard?" he all but growled at her.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, OK?" Shepard said.
"Yeah. Bring ryncol too," he said before dozing back off.
Shepard followed Anderson and his extraction team to a nearby portable medical tent. It was already nearly filled with wounded civilians, C-Sec officers, and a few soldiers of various species. Shepard watched as asari, salarian, and human doctors and nurses rushed about the tent assessing the wounded and treating the worst of those first. Liara was taken to one of the few empty spots on the floor. The rescue team folded down metal bars beneath the stretcher, before setting it down to act as a cot. An asari came over and began assessing Liara's injuries. Anderson left to speak with her and she saw the asari nod in understanding before looking up to see Shepard.
A few moments later a male human doctor came over to her and scanned her, "A few bruises. Nothing is broken. No internal bleeding. You're good, Commander Shepard."
She didn't bother to ask how he knew who she was, she didn't care. She nodded her thanks to him and sent him on to help other who weren't as lucky as she had been. She told Garrus and Tali to stay and rest even though they weren't seriously injured either. Shepard left the tent once she was content that her people were getting help. She spotted a smaller tent pitched nearby and headed over to peek inside. As she had suspected, a buffet line had been set up to provide food and drink for everyone in the medical tent. Shepard went inside and asked one of the servers to pack her up some things for Wrex. He nodded in compliance and a few minutes later handed her several collapsible boxes filled with steaming hot food and a few bottles of water piled together in a sack.
She made her way back through the debris that was slowly being cleared away to sit down next to Wrex. She wasn't really surprised to see Garrus walk up a minute later carrying another sack. Shepard nudged Wrex.
"Wrex. Food," Shepard said.
The krogan grunted as he stirred. He took the proffered sack from Shepard and began digging in. Shepard accepted a box from Garrus after he settled in next to her but didn't open it to start eating until Garrus gave her a warning look. She smiled weakly and started to eat.
"Where's my ryncol?" Wrex asked.
"Sorry, Wrex. The food tent didn't have any on hand. You'll have to do with bottled water for now," Shepard said.
Wrex grunted in response.
"That was him, wasn't it? The drell in the Tower?" Garrus asked.
"Yeah," Shepard said.
"He's impressive," Garrus said.
"He is," she said.
Shepard was glad that Garrus let it drop with that. They ate in silence surrounded by death and gore. Eventually, Wrex started to drag himself to his feet, taking Saren's skull with him.
"You're, uh, you're keeping that?" Shepard asked.
"I said I wanted his head, Shepard. I'm not letting go of it now that I have it," Wrex said.
"Indoctrination?" Jane asked.
"Alright, Wrex," Shepard said holding up her hands to show him she wasn't going to argue against it. "Just be careful with it, we don't know if that thing could still hold some juice. Don't want another indoctrinated krogan on my hands."
Wrex chuckled. Shepard and Garrus walked him back to the medical tent but he veered towards the food tent instead. Apparently she hadn't brought him enough. She followed him inside to make sure there wouldn't be any problems. She didn't want to know what would happen if one of the servers tried to deny Wrex his fill.
An hour later and Joker called her to let her know the Normandy was docked and repairs were being made. She gathered up her team and moved them back to the ship. She even had Liara carried back to the med bay to be tended to by Dr. Chakwas. Once Liara was settled in, Shepard went to her cabin and stripped down. She knew she was a mess, soaked in blood and sweat but she was too tired to care. She collapsed on her bed and was asleep before Garrus could slide in next to her.
The next morning, Shepard received a call from the Council. They wanted to meet with her at her earliest convenience. Shepard smirked. She knew 'earliest convenience' really meant get your ass here now, but she took her time anyway. She showered and dressed before taking a long breakfast with her banged up crew before heading to the Council's chambers. The Citadel was still a wreck closest to the Towers but it was getting cleaned up rather swiftly, especially with the keepers milling about dragging things away to unseen areas.
Anderson and Udina stood facing the three councilors when Shepard arrived. She walked up and took her place next to Anderson. It was rare for anyone to see the three councilors together outside of holographic projection. It was for their safety, mostly, but Shepard thought that they secretly liked the sense of mystique and power it afforded them.
"Ambassador, Captain, Commander Shepard," Tevos began. "We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the geth."
"Many humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel," Valern said. "Brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we, the Council, might live."
"It's… same…nothing… the fuck… take?" Jane said.
Shepard resisted the urge to cross her arms over her chest and settled for a cold look of disbelief.
"There is no greater sacrifice and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women," Sparatus said.
"The Council also owes you a great personal debt, Commander. One we can never repay. You saved not just our lives but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the reapers," Tevos said.
"Commander Shepard, your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol of everything humanity and the Alliance stand for," said Valern.
"And though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save ours, we can honor their memories through our actions," Sparatus said.
"How about an apology?" Shepard finally blurted out.
"Excuse me?" Tevos said.
"You heard me. How about you honor their memories by admitting that you were wrong and that you should have listened to me sooner? Maybe then those lives could have been spared!" Shepard bit out.
"Commander Shepard, you must understand that you had no viable evidence to support your claims. There was nothing to indicate that Sovereign was anything more than a ship. Nothing to indicate that Saren was anything more than a rogue Spectre who needed to be brought in to face justice," Sparatus said.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me?!" Shepard scoffed.
"Commander Shepard! That is enough –," Udina started to scold her.
"Can it, Udina or so help me gods, the love tap Anderson gave you will feel like a walk in the park," Shepard said.
Anderson cleared his throat from beside her. She knew him well enough to know that he was stifling a laugh.
"Commander, perhaps now is not the time for this?" Anderson said.
Shepard crossed her arms and shut her mouth for Anderson's sake.
"Your anger is… understandable, Commander. It is regrettable that things worked out the way that they did. The past, however, cannot be changed," Tevos said. "Today we want to honor humanity. We believe that humanity has shown itself to be worthy of joining the Council. As I am sure you understand, this is not a position that is earned easily nor given lightly,"
"Councilor, on behalf of humanity and the Alliance, we thank you for this prestigious honor and humbly accept," Udina said.
Shepard glared at Udina but bit her tongue.
"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill humanity's seat on the Council," said Valern.
"Given all that has happened, I am sure that your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight, Commander," Tevos said.
"Captain Anderson," Shepard said without hesitation.
"Him?" Udina asked. "You must be joking. Anderson prefers to let his fists do the talking."
"Only with you, Ambassador. Only with you," Anderson said.
Shepard smirked and she could feel Udina's eyes on her.
"Are you sure about this, Commander?" Udina asked. "The Captain's a soldier not a politician."
"That's exactly the point, Udina," Shepard said.
"I think it's an inspired choice. The Council would welcome him with open arms," said Tevos. "Should he accept."
"I'm honored, Councilor. As humanity's representative, I'll do everything in my power to help the Council rebuild," said Anderson.
"Sovereigns defeat marks the beginning of a new era," said Sparatus. "For both humanity and the Council."
Shepard opened her omni-tool and began typing, earning disdainful looks from everyone but Anderson. She compressed the files given to her by Vigil and forwarded a copy of them to the Councilors. She heard the ping of their omni-tools simultaneously as Sparatus, Tevos, Valern, and Anderson each received a copy.
"I've just forwarded you each a copy of files that were retrieved from a prothean VI on Ilos. The files contain reports from the protheans themselves on the reapers, and what is to come for us if we don't stop this from happening. I had sincerely hoped that you would all be ready to hear the truth after this attack. I guess I was wrong. Sovereign wasn't the end, he was just the beginning. I'm going to go find a way to stop them," Shepard turned and walked away.