From Ashes
Chapter Twenty Six: Thirty Days
A/N: It's been a while since I've updated this story. Post Battle of the Citadel is a bit difficult to word out because of the fact that we really don't have much insight, unless you count the comics, which I haven't read all of :) Anyway, here is the latest, and I'm already back to it on chapter 27. Admittedly, another reason I've been away from this one is because of my other brain child, Eclipsed :) Cheers, and thanks for hanging in. Really appreciate the feedback and interest in this.
"That's the best I can give you, Shepard." That had been the turning point in the conversation that had taken place a few weeks ago. Steven Hackett had stood in Ambassador Udina's office a few short hours after the decision had been made, and he had dropped the bomb that Shepard hadn't expected. She and the rest of the Normandy's crew, human and alien, were to leave the Citadel to explore the farthest reaches of the Attican Traverse. There had been mentions of geth in those areas, and the Alliance wanted them snuffed out before anything else happened to their colonies established out there. Four weeks had passed, and it would be two days before the ship left the dock for the Armstrong Nebula. Aside from spending time with her crew and other people on the station that were acquaintances, Shepard and the councilor had found more than enough time to explore the relationship they had "Gotten themselves into" as Garrus put it. Scuttlebutt was indeed running rampant aboard the Normandy, and it didn't help that they had been seen together in casual conversation more than once. This morning however, the two were sitting outside the councilor's apartment engaging in more or less light conversation over a late breakfast. Both of their respective injuries from the now heralded "Battle of the Citadel", either mild or severe, were well on their way to being healed over.
"You mentioned before that it was luck you were arrested." Shepard sipped on coffee while watching a bird dive at a bug on a nearby shrub.
"Most definitely." Tevos nodded and leaned back in her chair. "Not something I ever expected to happen or be thankful for, but yes. It was luck I was arrested."
"Not something I'm accustomed to hearing." Shepard had spoken of her father and his stories of when he had been in law enforcement at one point in the past. "Dad always said if he ever heard someone say it, he'd have questioned his profession then."
"Well, long range sensors had picked up something both massive in size and quantity approaching the Widow relay; naturally Citadel control was notified and the station was put on alert." Tevos explained. "When a visual was available, they compared it to your sightings of Sovereign and the geth ships on Eden Prime, Therum, Feros, and Virmire. Sparatus was with me discussing what had happened when the C-Sec officer came down."
"That was when you two were taken to the Ascension."
"Yes. Valern was already there, and a shuttle was waiting for us." There was a slightly far-off look in her eye as the asari spoke, and Shepard watched her expression carefully; the expression suggested conflict. "Minutes went by in a blur; people were talking around us in the shuttle, and for the life of me I cannot remember any of it."
"Given the situation, I can understand that." Shepard gave her companion a serious look. "There are parts of the Blitz I really can't remember in detail."
"What we saw on the command deck…" There was a slight waver to her voice as Tevos spoke now. "They were everywhere; geth ships, I mean. And then, Sovereign-" Her voice cracked. "It tore a turian cruiser in half without even…"
"Hey," Shepard stood and placed a steadying hand on the asari's shoulder. "You're not there." This was one of the main reasons Shepard wasn't looking forward to leaving the station so soon. As memories of the attack had resurfaced and reports had been bridging the gap between what the councilor remembered and what she didn't, the details were vivid and the cause of more than a few sleepless nights.
"I know." The response wasn't immediate, so that was something of an indicator that it was truthful. "It is not as bad as it has been."
"I really don't want to leave you like this." Shepard voiced her opinion on the matter that they had both been avoiding in conversation for the last day and a half.
"You know I will be alright in time."
"I know." Shepard nodded. "I get why they want any remaining geth isolated and dealt with, but it would be nice to have someone else handle it for once."
"No rest for the weary."
"Human saying that still rings true." Shepard muttered as she looked back out at the view ahead. "Speaking of no rest, are you ready to get back to solving political crises?"
"I believe so." The previous topic wasn't closed for discussion, but it was delayed, and they were both thankful for it. "I believe Irissa is somewhat ready to return to her previous post."
"I can see why." Shepard had seen the other asari in quiet conversation with another on the presidium many times over the last weeks. "I've seen them."
"It is about time, honestly."
"First order of business when you get back to the office?"
"Well, I suppose you could say that it is what humanity has waited for." Tevos answered. "You would have found out soon enough, so I feel no guilt in admitting it."
"Humanity finally getting a seat on the council." Shepard muttered. "I can just imagine the politicians' reactions now."
"I should refrain from expressing my opinion on this, but…" The councilor trailed off for a second before just speaking her mind. "The problem will be finding a suitable representative."
"I fully agree." Shepard had been considering this possibility for the last few weeks. Humanity had played a major role in achieving a victory against Sovereign and the geth, so it was only a matter of time. She di however, have doubts about the human ambassador. Donnel Udina was an ambitious man; passionate about his interests, but a bit too pro-humanity for Shepard's personal taste. That and he was full of himself. She personally didn't know any others who might have the qualifications for the position of first human councilor from Arcturus, but she didn't try to get too personal with parliament. "Can't say I would be too comfortable with Udina making decisions on behalf of humanity."
"The only thing that acts as a safeguard is that all councilors must agree when it is a matter that concerns all species in Council-controlled space." Tevos shook her head after taking a long sip of tea. "Otherwise, he would have to work closely with your government officials on Arcturus station and colonial affairs bureaus in regard to outposts."
"I hope it doesn't come down to ways that he can be restricted." Shepard said quietly. "If possible, I'd rather avoid the problem alltogether; as opposed to putting up roadblocks."
"That is my thought, but there is the issue of finding a suitable replacement for Donnel Udina… Someone who has been equally as active on this station that is capable of leadership and mutual cooperation for the good of all."
"Only person I can think of at the moment would probably be…" Shepard racked her brain for a candidate as she said it, and she found one. "Captain Anderson."
"David Anderson…" Tevos thought for a moment on the possibility. "One of humanity's most decorated and respected soldiers to date. He has leadership qualities, there is no question of that. It doesn't hurt that he saw the beginnings of this whole mess from the Normandy's shakedown run to Eden Prime." Going through the positives for Anderson's candidacy, the asari wondered aloud: "But would he accept the position? It is a lot to think about, and that is putting it mildly."
"I could run it by Admiral Hackett next I see him in a hypothetical sense." Shepard thought aloud. "He could take the hint to Arcturus. I have a mission brief with him later this afternoon."
"That would be excellent considering the council will more than likely render their decision on the matter tomorrow."
"I'll mention it to him when I see him." Shepard confirmed. "Sooner we can get the idea in their heads the better the result. Too bad I can't persuade them to send a survey ship out into the Traverse."
"I know the council approved of the search, but what do they all expect you to find out there, a geth armada prepared to strike?"
"I doubt it." Shepard shook her head slowly. "When we were investigating the Armstrong Nebula before, there were geth acting on their own out there. They had gone beyond the Veil and were not following Saren or Sovereign. They were hostile toward us, but that could have been because we showed up unannounced and posed a threat to whatever they were doing."
"That is refreshing." At Shepard's slightly amused but puzzled look, Tevos elaborated. "Having an open mind about the Geth. There may be a hand full of quarians and asari who do not see them all as a threat."
"Quarians, I'm not sure about, but asari?"
"There were asari on Rannoch during the time of the rebellion against the quarians." The councilor nodded. "One of them, you've met. To say that she has a different view of the "Morning War" between geth and quarians is putting it lightly."
"Morning war…" Shepard attempted to make sense of the name. "Where did that term come from?"
"The geth, apparently. They called it the "Morning War" due to the fact that the conflict started at the dawn of their true intelligence."
"It almost sounds poetic."
"It suggests that there is more to them than what we see, or that was the collective thought from the crew of an asari frigate that had crashed planetside during the initial uprising."
"If the geth are venturing out beyond the Veil and trying to build something for themselves beyond it, I'm not against it, but if we find any that were following Sovereign, we won't have a choice but to destroy them."
"Where all will this survey take you?"
"Starting off in the Traverse again." Shepard sighed. "Seems I'm spending a lot of time out there. If necessary, we'll have to go near the Terminus border, but I'd like to avoid that if possible."
"That would be preferable." Tevos frowned. "The Terminus systems have no good relations with Council-controlled space. The only reason we have not had to deal with an all-out war is because there are certain people in power that know how to play the game that is politics well."
"I remember Nihlus mentioning something about that earlier; that there was a delicate balance held together by a small cluster of people."
"Speaking of the Terminus and powerful people," Tevos sat her now empty teacup back down while giving Shepard a curious look. "I hear you now have a powerful asari who owes you."
"Where did you hear that?"
"Word gets around when one of the Dantius sisters is found dead in a mercenary compound in the Artemis Tau cluster." The councilor remarked. "Granted, she was the… How did Udina phrase it… Black sheep of the family."
"That's what I got from Nassana when we spoke after the fact." Shepard nodded. "Dahlia was guilty of more than extortion, and the family couldn't keep it quiet anymore."
"Seeing as she was putting pressure on Nassana herself, I should say not." Tevos shook her head. "She owes you, and you'll be wise not to forget it. Nassana is wealthy and has many people and things at her disposal."
"How powerful is this woman?"
"She owns key buildings in Nos Astra on Illium for one. There are several other buildings, associations, and such that she has… controlling interest… in all throughout Asari space."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"I will caution you, however." A more serious note was heard in Tevos voice as she regarded Shepard carefully. "Her business rivals would have rather seen her reputation go up in smoke as opposed to dealing with the fallout of an all-out takeover. She is a shrewd businesswoman and has been known to play very dangerous games."
"Sounds familiar." Shepard muttered as the thought of the Shadow Broker's contact searching for Kahoku's information came to mind. "Seems this galaxy is full of people walking a very thin line if not crossing it outright."
"Everywhere you look, a wicked game is being played." Tevos said in a would-be-mysterious tone. "It just depends on how adept you are at recognizing it."
The rest of the morning passed in casual conversation with the intent of avoiding the inevitable departure of the Normandy and the events that had taken place that involved Saren, Sovereign, and the Geth that had followed them. This tactic worked up until Shepard had to leave for a brief meeting with Steven Hackett, who had returned to the station for the day. He would be waiting in Udina's office while the ambassador was out speaking to the still present Terra Firma supporters. Charles Seracino was not a loud-mouth, per se, but he did know how to stir the pot. This could easily effect the power balance in humanity's parliament on Arcturus. Udina was meant to go and smooth things over; ensure that all was being done to protect humanity and serve the galactic community at the same time, but Shepard had her doubts. As she made her way across the presidium to the embassies, she remembered the conversation she and Ashley had with the party leader in the wards and shook her head. Ash had been ready to fly off the handle at the mention of Shanxi, and knowing her family history, Seryna could fully appreciate why. General Williams had been under pressure and had done what he thought was best, or so some thought. That action had put a black mark on Ash's family that had now become her cross to bear due to the passing of her father. These thoughts kept her occupied until she reached the ambassador's office a few short moments later; the door opening to reveal the aforementioned admiral with his back to her and looking down on the path she had just taken.
"Admiral."
"Commander." He turned finally and returned the salute she gave him with one of his own. "Thank you for meeting me on such short notice."
"Of course." Shepard noticed that he had chosen to sit down at one of the tables nearest him, and as she looked down, she saw a few datapads and a terminal there. Joining him, she could see what was displayed on the nearest one: Geth movements in the traverse. "Any new intel on the geth?"
"We've found something interesting in the Armstrong Nebula." Hackett indicated the datapad that she had seen briefly. "The sites you tagged earlier on with the quarian engineer, Tali'Zorah, have been monitored, and there are a few geth ships coming and going. They are leaving any nearby colonies in neighboring systems alone. We want you to start there with a low sweep so that you can collect data for us."
"Understood." Shepard said this without the usual stiffnesss. "The Normandy can get in and out without them noticing with the IES stealth system."
"Exactly." Hackett nodded. "There hasn't been any other activity on Feros or Noveria since you left those worlds in pursuit of Saren, but I'd like you to check in with someone at both ports to confirm." At the commander's nod, he continued. "I hear you have a few trustworthy contacts on Noveria now including Maeko Matsuo."
"She's a good one; does her job and doesn't take any bull from anyone."
"Used to be one of ours before going into private security."
"She did mention that when we spoke." Shepard nodded; remembering the conversation.
"There's also Gianna Parasini." Hackett looked over a dossier on a second datapad as he spoke. "She played a hand in the takedown of Bel Anoleis, if I remember your brief correctly."
"She secured a means of leaving the port for the Peak 15 research station in the process, yes."
"We've had our eye on her for a while." The admiral mused. "Good at gathering intelligence. If you happen to run across her while there, have a private word and mention it to her."
"I can do that."
"Juliana Beynham has been approached as well." The dossier on the datapad Hackett was reading changed to that of the ExoGeni scientist. "Her development of the Anti-Thorian gas grenades that were used on Feros was crucial in saving colonists' lives. We could use her in Alliance R&D."
"Any word from her since someone made contact?"
"ExoGeni was reluctant to hand over one of their own, but I think she's interested. Her daughter is still on Feros acting as Liaison for the colony."
"Good, she'll do well. Lizbeth cares about those people where the firm they worked for didn't."
"Lastly," Hackett placed the datapad back down and looked Shepard over as he said this with an almost searching look. "After the Armstrong Nebula, Foros, and Noveria, we'd like you to skirt the Terminus border. There have been rumors of quarian-geth activity along there. If anything is brewing, I'd like it stopped before any collateral damage occurs."
"Understood, but I don't think we'll have much of a problem with the quarians at this point." As Shepard said this, a flicker of something passed over Hackett's face, but she couldn't tell if it was doubt or a signthat he had expected this comment. "Tali suggested that the quarians would probably lay low for a bit with the recent geth activity. She herself has faced quite a few unpleasant comments here on the station although she was one of the key reasons Saren was exposed and brought down."
"You can surely see why." Hackett interlaced his fingers and leaned forward slightly. "The quarians created the creatures that betrayed them and joined Sovereign's cause."
"With all due respect Sir, that shows the community's ignorance and willingness to believe a stereotype." Shepard started. "There has been evidence presented that suggests there is more to it than that."
"I've always assumed so, but we're running blind until that is confirmed. For now, there are rumors from turian patrols that the quaarians are moving around and that there have been skirmishes with geth ships. Take a look and see what's going on. Don't get involved unless necessary. As for the geth as a whole-"
"Sir, I would rather not wipe out a potential race because of a portion that chose to join Saren." Shepard said quickly. "If they are not showing any hostile signs, I'd rather leave them alone."
"And if they're staging an invasion, I wouldn't want to be you when it occurs." Hackett said evenly. "Do a sweep and gather intel for us. We'll decide later if it's worth stopping."
"Yes, Sir." She finally nodded.
"Any questions?" Hackett had made to stand up while using his omni tool to transfer everything they had discussed to Shepard's extranet address for later review if needed. "Concerns?"
"Yes Sir, but nothing to do with the mission brief." Now was the time to bring up the matter of the human councilor. Rising as well, Shepard worked quickly to think of how best to approach it while the admiral finished what he was doing. When his grey eyes left his omni tool and returned to her, she decided for a direct approach. "I have concerns about who will best represent humanity's interests."
"Didn't peg you as one for political affairs, Shepard." Hackett remarked.
"We know that humanity will have a seat on the council." Shepard said bluntly. "It is inevitable after the attack on the Citadel and the role the Fifth played in it." At Hackett's nod, she continued. "I don't believe Ambassador Udina is best suited for this role. Working with him throughout my pursuit of Sovereign and Saren has proven that, at the very least, he thinks too highly of himself."
"Most politicians do."
"It's more than that." Shepard went to explain. "He almost wants to put humanity first, and as a councilor, he can't do that. He has to think of the galaxy as a whole."
"Ideally, yes."
"I suppose the best way I can put this is that humanity needs a beter "First" representative on the council." Shepard worked to get the right words out. It was odd that she would propose something like this, but it seemed that no one else was going to do it.
"I agree." That took Shepard by surprise, but Steven Hackett moved forward without a hitch. "Did you have anyone in mind?"
"I really am not in a position to name names, but I thought of Captain Anderson, Sir." At Hackett's slightly curious look, Shepard elaborated. "He's well-rounded, a highly respected Alliance officer, has seen more in the short time humanity has been a part of the galactic community, and he doesn't have a superiority complex." She added the last as an afterthought, and it earned her an actual laugh from the normally complsed admiral.
"I thought you might be thinking along those lines. I've already mentioned it to one of my contacts on Arcturus. They're running it by Parliament as we speak. I should have an answer by the end of the day."
"You what?" Shepard would have done a double-take if the situation ahd called for it.
"There have been a few people voicing concerns about Donnel Udina." Hackett nodded. "When they went looking for an alternative, David Anderson's name came up in conversation."
"Good." Shepard had to admit that had gone better than expected. "Off the record, we have enough politicians around here."
"Have to agree with you." Hackett nodded just slightly as the office's occupant returned in a huff. The admiral turned and addressed him. "Ambassador."
"Admiral." Udina said as he paused by his terminal for a moment. "Shepard."
"Udina." Shepard answered curtly.
"The briefing's done, Ambassador." Admiral Hackett stood a bit straighter and clasped his hands behind his back as he addressed the other man. "The Normandy is due to depart day after tomorrow."
"I take it you've stressed the importance of this." Udina said without sparing a glance toward the commander. "We need to maintain the strong appearance we've established."
"It's not an issue." Hackett dismissed that flatly. "I think everyone knows just how important it is to keep a good handle on this."
"It's handled." Shepard answered, and Udina finally turned to regard her with obvious scrutiny.
"Better than your last departure from the Citadel, I hope."
"Still sore over that, are you?" The tone she used was beter than originally planned. It had been nearly a month, and Udina seemed to still have a problem with the fact that she and her crew had successfully side-stepped his lockdown of the Normandy. "Can't stand that I got past your attempt at a power trip?"
"It was the correct course of action." Udina snapped. "You soldiers tend to think alike in moments like that; let your fists do the talking."
"And if I hadn't, you'd be dead along with everyone else on this station." Shepard retorted. "It's easy to argue now that it's all over, Ambassador. You're safe here in your office, but think of where you would be if Sovereign and Saren had succeeded."
"We were correct in thinking that they would attack the Citadel." Udina crossed his arms. "Ilos was not a necessity."
"Unfortunately, Ambassador, I have to agree with the commander on this." Hackett stepped in. "Reading her brief, they procured a data file from the VI on Ilos that gave them temporary access to the Citadel's master control unit. Without that, the arms wouldn't have opened and we wouldn't have had access to Sovereign before it activated the relay into Dark Space." When he finished speaking, Hackett looked to Shepard, who nodded. He then posed a question. "What became of that data file, Commander?"
"C-Sec is examining it right now. They want to know what all it gives access to, and then they'll decide on what to do with it. Executor Palin should be getting back to me by tomorrow afternoon."
"Good. There's no need for that to get into the wrong hands."
"He seemed to have the same idea." Shepard looked to the admiral for a second before speaking again. "Was there anything more, Sir?"
"No, nothing more."
The late afternoon faded into a night of drinking, quasar, and all around good talk at Flux. Ashley had convinced her CO to actually have a night out before they left for their next run. The nightclub hadn't been hit hard by the attack on the station, but its darker counterpart, Chora's Den had been wrecked. Doran was catering to soldiers, C-Sec, and the like this evening, and both Rita and Jenna were busy. Ashley, who was laughing and dancing with one of her sisters who had managed to get to the station, wasn't too far away from Tali. Shepard, who was leaning back in a chair at a table above the dance floor, was watching the three. She hadn't expected the quarian engineer to be a dancer, but she moved smoothly and precisely in time to the music. Garrus was at a table downstairs talking with a few C-Sec grunts he had worked with, and Wrex was in conversation with another krogan on the upper level opposite Shepard's table.
"Not on a date tonight, Shepard?" The teasing question flitted past her ear as Shepard looked for the one she knew had asked it. After a second of turning her head away from the dance floor again, she found Liara sitting down beside her; she had gone to get more drinks and was now sipping at a glass of wine. "Perhaps this place is not to her tastes."
"Probably not." Shepard played along. "Then again, it's not overly to mine either. It is fun to see these guys having a good time, though." She looked around again at her crew and spotted Joker at the bar laughing with Pressly about something. Turning back, she went on. "Not seeing you letting loose, Doctor T'Soni."
"Perhaps I would have had I not grown up a matriarch's daughter." Liara admitted. "Being Benezia's daughter meant that I was almost expected to do well and study hard. It's as if they want us to turn into our mothers."
"Another thing we have in common." Shepard sighed. "Humans have that same tendency. We are expected to follow in the paths our parents did, but in most times, we choose not to."
"Still, I wish I had her contacts." Liara admitted wistfully. "She was always very well informed. That and we could use them right about now to keep track of any anomalies having to do with the reapers."
"True." Shepard nodded slowly. "Go figure, even on a night where we are supposed to be having a good time, I can't help but think of work."
"Well, given the situation," Liara actually smiled. "I mean, we are being constantly reminded of it as of late."
"Got a reminder earlier." Shepard groaned inwardly as she spoke. "I had the meeting with Hackett about what we'll be doing out in the Traverse."
"Any new insight?"
"Not really." Shepard relayed the information that Hackett had given and smiled grimly. "Sounds like a tedious scouting run."
"Did you cross paths with the ambassador?" Liara's question wasnot one of curiosity but one of habit. "I saw him leaving the embassy lounge after a meeting with Charles Seracino."
"Yeah. He was just getting in from that meeting when the briefing ended. He is still angry about the fact that we left the Citadel under his nose."
"Of course he is." Liara smirked. "And it makes it worse that he was side-stepped by one of the people he thought he was leveling with. He thought he was getting a leg up with the council, when one of them actually turned and ended the lockdown."
"Bet that's still really making his skin crawl." Shepard let a grin grace her lips. "Think I'll have a drink to that; making him squirm." She raised her glass in a mock toast and Liara did the same. "Between us, his glass ceiling is approaching much too soon. I discussed something with Admiral Hackett; concerns about Udina being the possible first human councilor."
"I assume that yours wasn't the only concern." Liara said in a low voice. "I know at least one, if not three others that might be a little wary of welcoming him as a new addition to the council, if or when it happens."
"Yeah, sounds about right." Shepard answered as Garrus left the C-Sec contacts he had been talking to and joined them.
"Not sitting here discussing business while we're supposed to be relaxing, are you, Shepard?" asked in a sarcastic tone. "I mean we are supposed to be having fun."
"Says the one who was gossiping with C-Sec officers." Shepard countered. "What's the state of repairs?"
"Getting there." Garrus chuckled at her comeback and answered honestly. "There are still too many problems to count down by the Dilinaga Concert hall. That ward got hit hard."
"They are saying that Teyseri ward, on the whole, will still be facing reconstruction for years." Shepard had seen Emily Wong's report on the ward a few days ago while looking over Citadel News Net's briefs. A thought hit her before the subject was changed. "Dilinaga Concert Hall… Wasn't she the author of the ancient asari writings we recovered?"
"I think so, yes." Liara nodded.
"Well, Kithol ward is in varying states of chaos as well." Garrus muttered. "Seems the only real safe place at the moment is the archives. They're pretty secure and well-fortified." As he sipped a drink of his own, he looked over the bar and dance floor carefully before returning his gaze to the two women he was sitting with. "Honestly, this doesn't feel like it's been a vacation."
"Nope." Shepard shook her head. "Reports, inquiries, and the general upset that this happened right under the council's noses… It's going to take a while for anyone to feel safe again."
"That is if they ever do." Liara added. "The first time I came here with my mother, I could tell that there was no thought of a threat. The station was so secure and those able to live within its wards had a certain care-free attitude about them. That is gone now. They all know that the Citadel is not untouchable."
"We know that Sovereign's attack is only the beginning, but all we can do is prepare." Shepard nodded. "If that means going out on a long scouting run to hunt down hostile geth, then I guess that's something."
"Better than being here and picking up the pieces from Sovereign." Wrex had joined them now. "Just heard that there are some scavengers moving around and seizing what they can find to try and use some of it."
"Yeah, and there have been notices about doing that." Garrus growled. "They know that if anyone catches them at it, they'll be thrown off the station. We don't know what those pieces can do just yet. Reaper technology might come back and bie us in the ass."
"It will." Wrex grunted. "Sovereign wasn't always near Virmire, but those people were still being indoctrinated. It's not just the signal from the ship that corrupts them. I'm willing to bet that all reaper technology has that ability."
"Then what pieces of Sovereign that we collect for study should be properly secured so that we don't have more mindless dull stones on the station than there are already." Liara muttered. "Having ambitious politicians is bad enough."
"We'll see how long that lasts… at least with one of them." Shepard said this as she finished off her glass of wine. "Think I'm done for the evening though." She stood and looked over the bar from their vantage point. "Meeting with the council tomorrow and final preparations to make before we head out the next day. You all ready?"
"Will be." Garrus nodded. "Settling a few things here before we head out again." The others nodded as if to say the same.
"Nothing serious, I hope, Garrus." Shepard thought about the turian for a moment. She really didn't know much about his personal life, but he seemed to be an "All-in" type.
"Just a few family issues; making sure Mom and sister are well handled."
"Well, I'll see you all later, then." Shepard headed down the few steps toward the dance floor and said goodnight to Ash and Tali before heading out the door and down to the docks. She had every intention of getting all of her things sorted for the upcoming departure tonight so that the day could be hers tomorrow, or most of it anyway. Taking the long way around, she went past C-Sec academy and took the lift to the Normandy's docking bay. It had been moved back to dock 422 earlier in the week, and it would dock there from here on out unless otherwise directed by Citadel Control.
Clearing the airlock's decontamination sequence, Shepard found Joker leaving the helm after some routine maintenance. He insisted that he be the one to do it as opposed to the techs that were ready and waiting. He was heading off to the crew quarters for the evening, and she followed him after a cheery "Evening, Joker." He responded with a grin and a hello before moving around the galaxy map interface and down the stairs at a slower pace. From there however, they parted ways, and she went to her cabin. There were a few things she had been putting off on sorting out before their departure, and her armor was one of them. Each piece bore a mark from their recent travels, but in total, it was an assembly of armor that had been tweaked with combat optics, auxiliary shield capacitors, and a medical exoskeleton. She had looked to replace it with another armor set before they headed back out, and there had been one from Spectre requisitions that she had her eye on. Midnight blue in color, it bore the insignia of the organization she now worked with; the spectre insignia was on one shoulder while the other had stray gold markings. Based loosely on asari and turian armor design, it had the strengths of both and weaknesses of neither. Light enough to enhance movement for biotic use and sturdy enough to take a good hit, it had been inspected by a firm on Noveria before being reserved. Now, as she moved the old pieces aside, the case that held her newly acquired set stood sealed underneath. The augmentations that had been applied to her old armor were obsolete now, and they could be resold in the markets. She would handle that tomorrow. Opening the case, Shepard examined her armor with a critical eye; it didn't disappoint. Her weapons however, were another story. They had beencleaned and fully serviced while she had been here on the station, but they showed signs of wear and tear. They weren't beyond functional, though. That was the only redeeming quality. She hadn't gone browsing through the selection of firearms in the markets or at the requisitions terminal as of late, and that might be another thing she would have to do before leaving the station, but it wouldn't take long. Still, as she examined her weapons pack and the proffered firearms holstered there, she was satisfied with how they had performed in the race to stop Saren.
Going over her old armor with patching polymer and buffing out the scratches and creases, she came across some places that were not easily repairable. They had been torn down through the fibers, so they would have to be replaced if she was to keep using this armor for a bit. Places where the paint had been scratched or burned away were left alone as marks for future reference. That was one thing Wrex had taught her. His Battlemaster-class armor, obtained from a geth cache raid, looked beaten to hell from their travels, but there wre places he kept imperfect so that he could have a good reminder of what that armor had been through. Even Tali had kept some of the marks from their skirmishes with the geth as a mark of what she had gone through in her pilgrimage. That was another thing that would have to be addressed, now that Shepard throught about it. Tali and Wrex would more than likely go their separate ways after this scouting trip. She had to return the technology that they had recovered from the Armstrong Nebula to the flotilla for study. Wrex had spoken of going back to the Krogan homeworld of Tuchanka to try and change things there. His people had been feuding with one another and the galaxy for too long, and they didn't have the numbers to keep it up. So far however, Ash, Garrus, and Liara were in it for the long haul. None of them had said anything about accepting other assignments. Neither had Pressly, Adams, Dr. Chakwas, or Joker. There had been talks of Joker returning to the Systems Alliance's Military Academy to train other pilots, but it seemed that had been a joke orchestrated by one of the other pilots from the strike team that had gone in after Sovereign.
Finishing up with her armor, Shepard finally dropped back onto her bed and looked up at the bulkhead above her. It was a sight she would have to get used to seeing now that they were preparing to leave. The same lines and creases she would look into during her pursuit of Saren were looking back at her now; unchanged and shining from the recent polishing. The soft glow of the terminal's display provided a nice ambience to the cabin, and she didn't have issue adjusting to the visual aspects of it. Sure, the bed was its usual less-than-comfortable self, but it wasn't too bad. As oddly comforting as it was to be back on her ship and preparing for the next assignment, there was only one thing that bothered her, and it wormed its way into her thoughts as she started to drift off to sleep: Sovereign had only been the first to rear its ugly head in this, and the rest were out there in dark space. Pursuing the geth seemed to be trivial compared to that. What lay beyond the Milky Way's horizon left Shepard wondering just how out of reach a peaceful future was going to be.
