From Ashes
Chapter Seven: False Prophet


Deciding against speaking to the council from the Normandy, Shepard and Kirrahe were in agreement that they would address the three in person when they returned to the station. Seeing as they were headed there anyway, it only made sense. There was another matter to attend to as well. On Virmire, while Wrex and Tali had guarded him, Kaiidan had left his tags with them. He had asked that they be returned to his family. David Anderson had agreed to it immediately when Shepard had sent him a message over her private terminal. She had gone to her cabin and sent the request to both him and Steven Hackett as soon as she had dismissed her crew from the comm room. She still found herself in there even as they cleared the Widow relay. Not quite ready to deal with the fallout of her decision to leave Kaidan behind, sh had isolated herself from the rest of the crew and had Pressly watching the command deck in her absence. Rotating the dog tags in her hand for the umpteenth time, Shepard finally stood and approached her terminal again.

"Computer, put in a real-time call to the Alliance dreadnought Kilimanjaro. I need to speak to XO Shepard." While waiting for it to connect, she sat down in the chair and placed the tags on the desk. After a few seconds of silence, she heard a familiar voice.

"Shepard here."

"Have you got a minute?" The question escaped her lips as if she were on autopilot. The tone she used was not like her usual however, and her mother was quick to pick up on it.

"I do. I'm off duty for another two hours. You sound troubled." Hannah Shepard's observation made her daughter's lips upturn slightly. Even when they were lightyears apart, the two could read each other like an open book.

"I assume you've been briefed on my current assignment." Shepard started as she placed both elbows on the desktop and leaned against them; chin resting on her overlapped hands.

"I have. Hard to escape the media circus that's calling you an "Anti-Human Spectre" and an "Alien Sympathizer"." Shepard could just see her mother shaking her head in dismissal at her own comment. "I heard through the grapevine that you were on Noveria."

"I was. The people are just as frigid as the climate." Shepard muttered. "I just left the planet Virmire in the Sentry Omega cluster."

"You don't sound too pleased about it."

"I lost someone, Mom." She blurted it out; unable to stop herself. "The mission went to hell in a handbasket and I had to make an impossible choice." When she didn't hear anything in response, Shepard went on. "I keep telling myself that I did it as a quick choice, but the more I think about it, I realize I did it for the numbers… It was save one man or save the remainder of a salarian infiltration regiment as well as one of my own… What the hell kind of choice is that?"

"The worst."Hannah Shepard's simple answer was followed by silence but she wasn't finished. "I'll remind you of something that I'm sure you know already. It's a lesson that is sometimes taught to the best and worst of us. Even in the situations where we believe we have control, we find out the hard way that we don't." Shepard knew the reference well. It was how they had lost her father.

"I chose to leave him and save another."

"You chose to leave one and save the other." Hannah corrected. "Seems to me that either way, you would lose someone."

"Unfortunately, yes." Shepard admitted. "I wanted to save as many as I could, but I didn't want to put a price on a life."

"I don't think you did." Her mother managed. "It isn't putting a price on a life when he knows the risks. I take it he did."

"He assured me it was the right thing."

"Then he had a grasp of the situation."

"Doesn't make it right."

"Doesn't make it wrong either." Hannah said simply but in a more sympathetic tone. "Remember what your father said about the burdens of command. Sounds like you're going through it now."

"Dad was right… about that." Shepard admitted with a ghost of a smile. "Glad he can't hear me say that." Both women shared a laugh at those words.

"Don't think on it too much. He knew what he was doing."

"Talking about me or yourself?" Shepard straightened up and looked dow at the tags again.

"A little of both." Hannah admitted. "Took a long time to let what happened with your father rest. It helps to remind oneself just how big a monster grief and guilt can turn into if you let them fester." With a brief pause, Shepard thought her mother was done, but the next question made her smile a bit more. "Just out of interest, did you have feelings for this lieutenant?"

"Nothing like that." Shepard laughed it off. "You know better than that." It was no secret between them that she preferred women to men. "Kaidan Alenko was a good friend. He'll be missed."

"Now there's the typical Alliance response I was waiting for."

"You know what I mean by that." Shepard said in a playful tone. "He has… had… an open mind, and I was thankful for it. As much as we're dealing with other species, it helps to have people around that aren't so anti-alien."

"Got one of those on your ship, do you?" Hannah laughed. "There's one good xenophobic crewman in every bunch, I suppose."

"Well, she'll come around, I think." Shepard thought about it for the first time since she and Ash had actually talked. "I guess "anti-alien" isn't the right term. Her judgment is colored by her family's past."

"Oh?"

"General Williams' granddaughter."

"That explains it."

"Commander, sorry to interrupt, but we're on approach to the Citadel." Joker managed to say before Shepard looked out the portside window to see the silvery pink hues of the Serpent nebula.

"Thanks, Joker. Send word to the others."

"You got it." Turning back to the terminal, Shepard was about to say something to her mother in regard to the interruption. Hannah beat her to it.

"No need for an explanation. Duty calls." Shepard rose from the chair and pocketed Kaidan's tags, but as she went to speak to end the call, her mother continued. "I want you to watch yourself out there though, alright?"

"I will, Mom." The commander nodded even if her mother didn't have a visual. "I've got good people watching my back out here. Fly safely."

"Always. Kilimanjaro out."

Leaving her cabin, Shepard headed for the command deck where the others had assembled in the comm room; even Captain Kirrahe and his men were there. Looking over them all carefully, she paused as her eyes landed on Kaidan's chair again. Shaking it off, she finally addressed them. "As I'm sure you've figured out, I'm speaking to the council in person in regard to the events on Virmire. Ambassador Udina has agreed to meet me in the tower with Captain Kirrahe, if he will accompany me. Any data you al gathered during the last drop will be appreciated." At the others' nod, she continued. "I have no authority to speak for the captain, but I'll give you all some advice. Do what you need to do to take care of yourselves. There is still work to be done, and I need you all fully focused." Looking at Kaidan's empty chair again, Shepard continued. "Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was a good man who will be missed. His death came too soon under the worst circumstances. I won't lie to you by saying that it will be easy to move on and get this done, but he wouldn't want the mission hindered on his account."

"Your lieutenant was an exemplar of bravery and dedication to the mission and his fellow men." Kirrahe stood and addressed the Normandy's crew. "Had it not been for him, the facility on Virmire would not have been destroyed and our mission there would have been a failure. He will not be forgotten by my men or STG as a whole." Turning to the commander specifically, Kirrahe spoke again. "My men have their reports on this entire ordeal and are prepared to present them to the council. It would be my pleasure to accompany you, Commander. With luck, they will se just what we are facing in the coming days. Saren will not stop there; your confrontation with him on the AA tower proves that."

"Approaching dock 422, Commander." Joker cut in. "Looks like we have a welcoming committee."

"Who is it, Joker?"

"Captain Anderson and Ambassador Udina. I guess instead of meeting at the tower, he wanted the full story first."

"So he can take the credit." Shepard muttered to herself, but the others heard it. Ashley frowned.

"Go figure. He's good at grandstanding, isn't he?"

"An expert." Garrus nodded. "I'm thankful I wasn't stationed on the presidium long. Couldn't handle that much ego all at once."

Sure enough, when Shepard and the others left the ship, Udina and Anderson were waiting. Ashley, Shepard, Tali, Liara, Kirrahe, Rentola, and Imness broke away from the rest of the crew to take the lift down to C-Sec where they would take skycars up to the tower. While everyone but the salarians went down first, Udina broke into conversation as soon as the lift doors closed. It seemed he had been itching to discuss this mater since they had sepped foot off of the ship, but Shepard had given her crew instructions to restock, relax, and try to recover so he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"What the hell happened down there, Commander?" He started off in his usual accusing voice. "First, you defend a traitorous matriarch and now you're detonating warheads on Virmire? You have already lost two people under your command, and on top of that, you let Saren escape." He was beside himself now. Shepard kept her eyes on the tempered glass before her while the lift slowly descended back down from the dock; her tone was surprisingly calm, though forced, when she replied.

"In regard to the matter of Benezia, I've already discussed that, Ambassador." She used the title almost sarcastically. "I had no choice but to flatten Saren's facility on Virmire. The salarian captain and his men will tell you that. As far as Saren was concerned, yes he got away. We were lucky to get off of thatplanet's surface ourselves."

"And Lieutenant Alenko?" Udina growled slightly. "I noticed you haven't mentioned him."

"I won't discuss that with you." Shepard said plainly. "It was done, there was nothing anyone could do, and that's that." She was short, but she didn't want to get into details with Udina over Kaidan. In truth, she didn't really want to discuss him at all, but she would have to when they met with the council. Stepping out of the lift, she and the others waited while the doors closed and it went back up for the salarians. Udina went to the transit terminal to summon a skycar, and Anderson spoke in a quieter tone in his absence.

"Shepard, how are you and your team holding up?"

"I don't know, Sir." Shepard admitted as she looked around the vast room. "I haven't had time to test the water with anyone while we were on our way back."

"And you personally?"

"I'll handle it."

"I heard the advice you gave your crew before coming down here." Anderson raised an eyebrow at Shepard's previous response. "I suggest you follow it yourself. Every now ad again, you'll need to come up for air."

"I know…" She didn't get to finish her thought, because there was a small group ofreporters that were coming down to meet her and her crew. Among them was Khalisah Bint Sinan Al-Jilani from Westerlund News. The questions came so fast it was hard to keep track of who said them.

"Comander Shepard, is it true that you confronted Saren?

"Did you narrowly escape a detonation involving an eezo core?"

"It is rumored that one of your own was left behind. How did you choose which to leave?" Those were the only questions she could really make out due to the shouting of voices around her. Reporters were waving omni tools, controlling their auto-cameras, and scrambling to get every word Shepard may or may not have been prepared to say. When she finally spoke, the entire cluster went silent to hear her; the reporters completely ignoring the arrival of the salarian captain, commander, and lieutenant behind her.

"Anything that occurred on the planet Virmire is between the council and those it impacted directly. I am at no liberty to discuss such matters until the time is appropriate. I appreciate your concerns and the fact that you all have a job to do, but so do I. If you'll excuse me, I need to go do it. I can answer no questions at this time." Brushing past the cameras and reporters, Shepard motioned her crew, Anderson, Udina, and the salarians forward. Three skycars had just landed on the nearby shuttle pad, and she had no desire to keep them waiting. Entering one with Ashley, Tali, and Liara, she heard Kirrahe's comment as he and his two compatriots entered one beside her.

"Skilled at handling the press, Commander. Well done. They are one hurdle I tend to try to avoid rather than direct confrontation."

Seeing Anderson and Udina take their place in the final skycar, Shepard sat back and took in the scenery around her. The wards were a sight to behild with all of their residents. The lights, the sounds, and the diversity were the likes of which she had never experienced as a spacer. Even on her brief visits here between missions recently, she hadn't seen even a small fraction of the life this station offered. She didn't have long to look at it however; within a short while, they had emerged out onto the presidium and were nearly blinded by the artificial sunlight. Eyes adjusting, Shepard looked back out of the window to see the tower fast approaching. They had just passed the relay monument and were descending to make a landing just in front of the Avina terminal. When the hatchreleased, Shepard paid the driver and stepped out with the others before the car took off again. This left them to wait for the others to arrive.

"You all okay?" Thinking on Anderson's question, Shepard asked this question carefully. "Haven't had a lot of time to talk since it happened."

"It is difficult to walk past his usual post in the mess." Liara admitted first. "He and I had several pleasant talks, and I enjoyed his humor."

"I appreciated his honesty and open-mindedness." Tali said next. "The few times we really did talk, he seemed enuinely interested in what I had to say rather than turning his nose up like most others have done in the past. I'll miss him too."

"I still feel like he should be there and I shouldn't." Ashley said as the other skycars came into view. "I know I shouldn't and he'd laugh and tell me I'm being too serious about it, but it's just something I can't shake. It feels like a lifetime has passed since we met on Eden Prime."

"He gave me his honest opinion about things." Shepard nodded slowly in response to the others' responses. "He wasn't afraid to express his opinion about an op. We discussed his family, service history, and our reasons for being here. He went in because of being a biotic and for his family; much like my reasons. Sure, I was born and raised on starships, but I wasn't pressured to be in the Alliance. I did it for myself and my family. Biotics were an interesting bonus." She paused while the others' cars were landing nearby. "I suppose what I liked best about him was that he was understanding and he tried to form a good relationship with everyone he served with."

"Good, you're already here." Udina interrupted their talk as he marched forward. "The council will be waiting." He pushed past and entered the lift that would take them to the top of the tower ahead of the others.

"Shepard was right about him." Rentola muttered as they all made to follow the ambassador. "Sounds like he's a real thorn in the horn."

"They're all like that." Kirrahe said with amusement in his tone.

Reaching the topmost level of the tower however, everyone's mood seemed to be more somber as they made their way past the trees, up the stairs, and approached the platform where they would speak with the council. As they stepped closer, they saw the three councilors taking their places. Their expressions wee neutral, but there was a certain twitch to the turian's mandible that said plainly that he was both curious and concerned.

"Captain, Commander." The asari councilor greeted first. "We are pleased to see that the mission on Virmire was a success and would like to express our condolences for the lives that were unfortunately lost there."

"Thank you, Councilors." Kirrahe spoke a bit more solemnly than his usual commanding tone. "In truth, if it had not been for their sacrifice, the casualties from that run would have been unthinkable."

"As it is, the loss of life is tragic." The turian councilor spoke for the first time, "We are thankful that the facility and its secrets were destroyed. Saren is formidable enough, but with an army of krogan behind him…"

"The krogan would have served Sovereign, a reaper." Shepard said grimly while the others nodded. Udina looked skeptical, but he said nothing as she continued. "That wasn't the worst of it. Yes, the krogan are a force to be reckoned with, but so are the indoctrinated agents that could have potentially come from that facility."

"Indoctrinated…" Tevos looked thoughtful for a moment. "You mean potential sleeper agents?"

"That is correct." Kirrahe nodded. "My men were captured, tortured, and subjected to something that changed them. In the end, they were reduced to mindless husks. My lieutenant and an asari neuro specialist can tell you more."

"The neuro specialist was held by C-Sec for debriefing." Shepard explained whn the council looked from one end of their party to another.

"I will send word that she is needed in the tower." Udina volunteered, but Anderson had already stepped away.

"Save your breath, Ambassador. I'll find her."

"Thank you, Captain." The salarian councilor addressed Anderson before he left but then turned back to Kirrahe. "Your lieutenant was held in the facility up until what point, Captain?"

"I was detained when we first found the facility." Ganto Imness stepped up and spoke after Kirrahe's nod. "Held for six days along with several others until the captain and Commander Shepard's teams raided the base."

"What was being done to those captured, Lieutenant?"

"Saren was studying the effects of indoctrination on his own followrs as well as those of us that were captured." Ganto began. "My personal belief is that he was afraid that it was effecting him, and he wanted to see the lasting damage."

"Which was…" Sparatus questioned this.

"I am not certain of the final results of the study." The lieutenant admitted. "my underatanding is that the subjects would slowly become less useful as the ship, Sovereign, exerted more control. Saren would order his people to dissect the brains of those that had become useless to study the physical changes it had on the body and neural tissue."

"I assume the neuro specialist you mentioned will have more information." Tevos managed with a more concerned expression. "The fact that a machine can exert such control over organic mids is alarming… Commander Shepard," She turned back to the human spectre. "Your reports indicate that this ship is indeed a reaper as Benezia suspected."

"That's correct, Madam Councilor." Shepard produced the omni tool data that she and Tali had recorded while on Virmire's surface. Allowing playback, she focused on the conversation with Sovereign through holo interface. "Sovereign and Saren confirmed it."

"He's playing you, Shepard." Sparatus interjected. "He still has contacts on the Citadel. He would have seen the mentions of your visions in your earlier reports."

"It is highly possible that he is using this reaper threat to throw you off balance." Valern agreed. "Our own intelligence has found no corroborating evidence-"

"Unfortunately, we have, Councilor." Kirrahe cut in. "The mission to Virmire and the results therein prove that there is a larger threat than simply a rogue spectre and an enclave of geth."

The council was silent for a few moments after Kirrahe had spoken. Shepard and the captain exchanged looks, and they both had the same thought. There was just enough evidence to suggest that Sovereign was at least a threat, but not enough to prove that it was the first of many reapers to attempt to return. Udina shifted nervously beside them, and Shepard had to fight to suppress the feeling of triumph that rose withn her. He had been so sure of himself when he had accused Benezia of being a traitor and when he had confronted Shepard about Kaidan and Virmire, but now he realized just how little he really knew. Hearing the conversation with Sovereign being repeated, Shepard chanced a look toward the council. They all seemed to be in thought while the harsh metallic voice of Sovereign echoed throughout the mostly empty chamber. Hearing footsteps behind her however, she turned to see David Anderson approaching with an asari at his side. It was clear the doctor had never been here before' eyes moving and taking in every inch of the tall chamber. Upon their arrival, Valern addressed the asari as soon as Sovereign's voice faded.

"I take it you are the surviving scientist from Saren's facility on the planet Virmire."

"That is correct." Thanoptis addressed the salarian. "I was sent there to assist in research on indoctrination."

"What were your findings on the subject?"

"For lack of a better term, a signal is emitted from the ship, Sovereign." She began. "It starts off as a tingle at the base of the neck, a whisper that you can't quite hear; you're compelled to do things, but you don't know why."

"Can a subject resist this behavior?" The asari councilor posed this question while the others nodded in curiosity.

"It is possible, but the more a subject resists, the more control Sovereign exerts." Rana used her omni tool to display a few simple scans. "This is a normal brain that has not been exposed to the signal emitted by Sovereign." Another image appeared near it. "This one has been exposed for a short amount of time. The subject attempted ro resist Sovereign's commands, and Sovereign was forced to exert more control over him. You can see extensive rewrite of neural pathways throughout." The neuro specialist marked places on the scan of the subject's brain. "While a healthy brain can still make judgment calls and react diferetly to outside stimuli, this subject cannot. He has been completely subdued and is compelled to obey Saren, and by extension, Sovereign."

"Who was this subject?" Sparatus indicated the brain scan that had been studied. "I assume we are not speaking on hypothetical terms."

"Sadly, no." Thanoptis managed with a shake of the head. "This was the brain of the man I recently replaced at the facility on Virmire. I was brought in and shown a body of a recently executed turian. I was gien an order to excise his brain and dissect it for study."

"This is reminiscent of what happened to Matriarch Benezia." Tevos frowned. "Preliminary scans of her brain revealed similar characteristics, if I remember correctly."

"Saren was afraid that the indoctrination was effecting him as well." Thanoptis went on. "I was told to forget I ever saw this, but it is a scan of his brain. He had it done the day after I got there."

"It looks more normal in comparison to the other." Sparatus commented.

"To the untrained eye, yes." Rana enlarged the 3D image and indicated a few places carefully. "These are the beginnings of the same genetic rewrite. It hasn't taken full effect yet, but the earmarks are there."

"You're saying that Saren is under the machine's influence?" Valern questioned now with a raised brow. "I thought he said that his mind was his own."

"The change from resource to slave is subtle." Rana nodded carefully. "He is needed for something, or so he and Sovereign believe. While you're needed, your mind isn't overrun with the changes we've seen unless you actively resist Sovereign's signal. If that's the case, you're not a resource worth maintaining; you're a liability."

"His mind is his own for now." Tevos repeated Saren's words carefully. "He believes he is needed to find the conduit. Commander," she looked directly at Shepard now. "Is there anything to indicate the nature of the conduit or if it even exists?"

"We still don't know what it is." Shepard shook her head as she and Liara shared a look. "All we know is that Saren and Sovereign believe it iexists and that it is the key to the reapers' return. Saren is more or less a pawn, and Sovereign is the real threat here. If they find that conduit, the reapers will return."

"The reports from Virmire and your interaction with Sovereign itself are alarming if they are accurate." The salarian councilor was going over the data Tali had passed on from her omni tool. "Sovereign, a sentient macnine; a fully artificial intelligence…"

"Unfortunately, all that we have is already in front of you." Shepard said evenly. "The evidence that we culd gather is there."

"Reports indicated that there was another prothean beacon on Virmire." Sparatus said slowly. "What became of it?"

"Like the one on Eden Prime, it stopped functioning." Shepard answered in earnest. "Even if it had functioned, there was no way to get it out of Saren's lab and off of the planet before the drive core had detonated."

"Even with all that happened back there, you do not see that Saren is not the real threat?" Rentola spoke for the first time as he stepped up beside Kirrahe. "If this thing were truly a geth creation as was previously assumed, the geth wouldn't worship it as they do."

"Our decisions effect billions of lives." Valern said as he looked back toward the STG commander. "We cannot act on the suspicions of one person alone; not even a spectre. Not without solid evidence."

"The council can take no official action here." Tevos nodded in agreement with Valern. "This is why the Special Tactics and Reconaissance branch of the Citadel was created." She addressed Shepard again. "You have the authority to act as you see fit in regard to this matter."

"If you truly believe that Sovereign is the real threat, then you must take whatever steps are necessary to stop it and Saren." Sparatus clarified.

"We thank you all for your time and effort in this matter." The asari councilor picked up where Sparatus left off. "We look forward to your report on Feros, Commander Shepard.

"One can only hope that it yields more answers, Councilor." Udina managed with a deep frown.

"This meeting of the council is adjourned."

With the council leaving their place at the head of the tower and the salarians heading for their embassy, Shepard was left to turn and look back out of the tall window ahead. She could hear the others talking behind her, but they were jut words until Ashley stepped closer and looked out in the same direction.

"Didn't go nearly as well as hoped eh, Skipper?"

"I'm not sure, Ash." Shepard managed with a slight shake of the head. "I think they see that something is up, but they can't put their fingers on it just yet."

"They can't or won't?"

"Probably a little of both." Shepard managed. "She's right, they can't take any formal action."

"So we're off to Feros, huh?"

"Hopefully there will be answers there." Shepard nodded as she turned away from the window to look at Tali, Liara, Udina, and Anderson. The former two had stepped forward to join them. "The geth view Saren as the prophet for their gods' return. He's not. He's not even a false prophet. He's just a pawn and we have to stop him before he brings about the reapers' return."


A/N: Well, here's chapter seven. Working on chapter eight now; "Their Sacrifice". Happy New Year, all!