From Ashes
Chapter Thirty One: The Bitter End

A/N: So, if you don't have those tissues yet, I suggest grabbing them. That's right, you know what this is ;)


"Heard anything from her?"

"I haven't."

Two men stood in the human embassy, specifically Councilor David Anderson's office, with their eyes on a small-scale map of the known galaxy and its relays. Over the last two weeks, blips would appear and then disappear just as rapidly. That meant that a relay had been used, and that the ship that was being watched had been the one to pass through it. That hadn't happened in three days, sixteen hours, and seventy-two minutes. For the man who occupied this office, that meant possible trouble.

"It's been nearly four days. Surely, they would have found something."

"If you're looking for my opinion, they shouldn't have had to find anything." David Anderson finally said after a few seconds' pause. "It isn't the Normandy's primary mission to look into these ship disappearances."

"You and I both know that." Steven Hackett admitted with a tired shrug. "The only reason they are out there is because of their proximity to the last known locations of those ships."

"That, and the Normandy's IES stealth system keeps them from being detected." Anderson countered.

"That was a factor in the decision. I don't think that is the real reason you're angry about this."

"You're right," Anderson finally sat down at his desk and looked up at the admiral still standing on the other side of it. "It's the fact that we're wasting time with this search. The Geth aren't the real threat."

"Tell that to the people whose lives were lost, both here and on the ships that were destroyed." Hackett muttered. "I get what you're saying, but you know it will be a bitter pill to swallow when facing the press."

"Damn them."

"This is why I advised against Shepard endorsing you."

A third voice was heard suddenly, and when both men turned, they found Donnel Udina entering the office. The lines on his face were more pronounced as of late, and his mood was in varying stages of bitter.

"Because I'm rady to look the problem in the eye and not white-wash it like everyone else seems to want to do?" Anderson snapped. "I've heard the general chatter around the presidium. They're ready to call the attack on the Citadel a Geth incursion." He then sent something to the display nearby. It was an image of Sovereign; taken by the navigator aboard the Destiny Ascension. "The general public is ready to say that was a Geth creation, and that they were following the orders of their charismatic leader, Saren." He left the image there for effect. "That is a real insult to those families who lost loved ones; not seeing the threat for what it really is."

"Look at it from a political perseoctive, Councilor." Udina emphasized the man's title. "That gives people the illusion that things will eventually right themselves."

"But that doesn't solve the problem, does it?" Hackett frowned deeply as he asked this. "It only masks it. Everyone stationed aboard the Citadel fleet, Turian Peace-Keeping fleet, and the Alliance's own Fifth Fleet saw that thing for what it was. Hell, I saw it, and I still don't want to believe it." He looked back to the image of Sovereign. "That said, I still believe that Sovereign wasn't a Geth creation."

"The rest of the Council knows that as well." Anderson finally said. "Even if they don't want to speak of it publicly."

"From what I've heard, they're ready to believe the easier version of events." Udina persisted.

"All the more reason to make damned sure that they don't forget what really happened." Hackett turned away from the image of Sovereign then; his eyes on the door. "Let me know when you find out something." He gestured toward the galaxy map that still flickered. Anderson nodded in response.

"When I know something, you'll know something."


"Disengaging FTL drive, emission sinks are active, and the board is green. We are running silent."

Jeff "Joker" Moreau's commentary was heard by the few people that were near the bridge aboard the SSV Nomandy SR1. It was more or less a means of logging what was going on, and it was ignored for the most part. Today was an exception.

"We're wasting our time out here." Charles Pressly, who was normally closer to the galaxy map interface, stood over the helmsman's shoulder; datapad in hand. "Four days of constant scanning in this sector, and we've found nothing."

"Three ships went missing here in the last month." Joker said while swiping away a screen that showed relay statistics. "Something happened to them."

"Up, down, left, right, and back again." Pressly shook his head. "No sgns of Geth activity." He sat down in one of the vacant chairs; one on Joker's right. "My opinion: Slavers. The Terminus Systems are crawling with them."

"They're not the only ones." An asari, purple-skinned with ddark red facial markings, said fron Joker's left. "The reports coming in from the Traverse are staggering. Outer Council Space has their own troubles as well."

"Yeah, I know all to well about the Traverse." Pressly nodded sagely.

"Did you hear about how the Batarians are calling the Council's ban on the slave trade an "infringement" on their cultural rights?"

"That one I hadn't heard." Pressly addressed the huntress opposite him. "Where'd you hear that one, Selyna?"

"Heard about it on the Citadel the last time I was there." The asari replied. "Right before I was assigned to the Normandy for this mission, actually. Unfortunately, I saw the protests first hand on Omega while my unit was looking for someone there. They claim it violates their cultural rights, because slave trading is part of their chaste system."

"Surely, the council won't go for that." Joker muttered. "Last thing we need is for that to be legalized."

"Depending on the world you visit, it can be." Selyna shrugged. "Illium is an asari world, but it is also a Terminus Port. Indentured service contracts are very legal, but they are highly regulated."

"One of those deals where you sign yourself into service to pay off a debt, right?" Pressly shrugged. "I guess, I it is regulated and you're willing…"

"How is that different from what the others are doing out here?" Joker shrugged. "All sounds the same to me; indentured service just sounds fancier."

"The difference is that each broker is responsible for their charges' well-being." Selyna answered flatly. "They are treated well, and they leave indentured service with excellent references. Think of it as a fresh start."

"Still sounds shady."


"Another system down." Ash said casually as she discarded. "Your move, Skipper."

"Remind me why I'm participating in this again." Shepard played a few cards and then discarded.

"If you chose not to, you lost the bet." Garrus offered. He played what he had left and was forced to draw. "Liara?"

"You know, I'm surprised you have that good of a poker face." Ashley remarked as she watched Liara laying out another spread of cards. "Damn."

"I'm afraid the commander is in trouble." Liara said evenly. She then discarded and sat back. "Game over."

"Crap." Shepard, Ashley, and Garrus groaned; the former having spoken.

"She beat you, didn't she?" Karin Chakwas said as she passed back toward the medbay from the stairs that led up to the CIC.

"Like a rug." Shepard said with a chuckle. "So I lose, now what?"

"Chow duty for the next week." Ashley said with a wicked grin.

"Fine." Shepard passed it off easily.

"I did mention that you should have gone with weapon maintenance." Chakwas said airily. "As it turns out, the commander is an excellent cook."

"Careful, they don't need to know all of my secrets, Doctor." Shepard offered while shuffling the deck again. "Next game, you're mine, Liara."

"Careful, someone might get jealous if they heard that."

Ooh, she's got you there, Skipper." Ashley leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed. "Speaking of, ever going to spill why you took so long before we left?"

"Nope." Shepard dealt out starter hands. "One person knows, and they're sworn to secrecy."

"I shall never reveal the best of you, Shepard." Karin said evenly as she disappeared beyond the medbay's threshold.

"Oh you are not leaving us with that." Garrus exclaimed in mock protest.

"Who said she was the one that knows?" Shepard teased. Before the door closed, she managed to pose a question to the ship's doctor. "Have they seen anything?"

"Nothing as of yet. Pressly was discussing cultural rights of the Batarian Hegemony with our newest addition to the crew."

"Oh boy…"

"So, how did that come about, anyway?" Garrus asked while looking through his hand. "Right before we shove off, we get a new crew member."

"Anderson said it was part of some exchange." Shepard explained. "Said that while the asari were structurally sound with their navy, some wanted to see what the Alliance had to offer. Likewise, the Alliance wanted some of their most advanced biotics to learn from practiced hands."

"Alenko would have appreciated that." Ashley shrugged. "Better than an old bird who wasn't the best at teaching." This left Garrus chuckling.

"That surprised me when he mentioned that the Alliance reached out to turians to help them understand biotics…" He then discarded. "I mean, our cabal units are excellent, don't get me wrong, but they generally approach biotic combat in a different way."

"At first, it surprised me that humans had a specific academy for biotics." Liara admitted. "After looking into your history, I understand it better. Your people weren't constantly exposed to eezo. In most cases, asari are."

"Aren't there even trace amounts of eezo in your food on Thessia?" Ashley asked while playing a spread of cards. "Heard that from someone on the Citadel."

"It is true."

"Wow, and Kaidan heard a rumor that they were detonating drive cores over colonies to see if there was a connection between eezo exposures and biotic births." Shepard muttered. "Knowing how things work sometimes, that was probably true too. I have to say though, Lieutenant Selyna reminds me of someone in her mannerisms. Can't put a finger on who, though."

"Talked to her for a bit when we first shoved off." Ashley watched as Shepard played something on the spread that she had just laid down. "Seems well-rounded and down to earth."

"Just Earth?" Garrus teased.

"Can't speak for Palaven." Ash quipped. "Besides, it seems like turians are always up-tight about something."

"Just around humans."

"Something must be wrong with you, then." Ashley laughed as she spoke. "You fit right in here."

"Consider me a happy mutant." Garrus was alwo laughing. "Honestly, glad to be here."


"Picking up something on long-range sensors." Lieutenant Selyna announced suddenly. They had gone a little further into the Amada system, having edged around the Omega Nebula for the last day and a half. "Unidentified vessel," She swept through the many screens quickly until she found what she was looking for. "Looks like a cruiser."

"Let me see." Joker looked over to his left. "Doesn't match any known signatures."

"No, it doesn't." Selyna frowned as she watched the display. "Wait," Her brow furrowed. "The cruiser is changing course: now on intercept trajectory."

"Can't be." Pressly got up from where he had been sitting. "Stealth system is engaged."

"Take a look for yourself." She motioned toward the display in front of her. "What am I seeing?"

"Damn," Pressly swore. "There is no way a Geth ship could-"

"It's not the Geth." Selyna and Joker cut him off at the same time. The former continued speaking. "Evasive maneuvers!"

"Got it!" Joker's hands flew over the holo-controls with a little desperation encouraging their movement. "Notify Shepard!"

"Already done." Pressly managed before he saw an angry white-yellow beam shoot past the nearest window. He didn't have time to do anything else before the Normandy lurched sideways, sending him crashing to the floor. His head slammed against one of the chairs as he went down.

"Pressly!" Selyna rose quickly, but she was brought to her knees by another sudden shift of the ship. "Joker, status!"

"Kinetic barriers are down, weapons systems offline," Joker rattled off as he went through the alerts. "Multiple hull breaches! Somebody get that fire out!"

"On it!"

The sound of something being punched was heard, and the fire suppression systems kicked in locally. It was then that Joker heard the order coming from over the shipwide comm for everyone to get to the escape shuttles. Shepard's voice was loud enough for him to hear over the fire, alarms, and the rush of the fire-suppressors. He could hear people behind him running for the stairs.

"We've got to go!" Selyna, already wearing her breather, touched Joker's shoulder as she went to help Pressly. The navigator was sporting a bad gash to his face, but he had managed to pull on his helmet as well.

"Buying us time!" Joker challenged. "They're not going to sit around and let us leave-"

"Top of this ship has been torn off!" Pressly managed thickly. "We'll be exposed to vacuum soon enough-"

"The hell we will!" Selyna's response wasn't just verbal. Within seconds, there was a shift in the air around them, and the hum of biotics was added to the din. "Pressly, try and get the barriers to respond! I'll hold this as long as possible. Go!"

"Got it!"


"Shepard!"

Fire and ash made visibility impossible on the lower deck of the ship. One hand out in front of her to keep from colliding with anything, Liara moved past the upturned and twisted table where she and the others had been siting not long ago. Fully dressed in hastily thrown on armor, she motioned for Doctor Chakwas to head for the shuttles. Ashley was near the lift with a suppressor to keep the path clear of flames for those coming down from the CIC and up from the cargo deck. Adams, Tali, and Wrex had just cleared the lift, so she motioned them forward.

"Distress beacon is ready for launch." Shepard's response was clear and close by.

"Will the Alliance get here in time?" This time, it was Ashley who spoke; shouting from her place by the stairs.

"The Alliance won't abandon us!" Shepard assured. "We just have to hold on." She then addressed Liara. "See to it that everyone gets to the escape shuttles. Provide a biotic shield if needed."

"Joker is still on the bridge!" One of the other crewmen shouted as he rounded the stairs. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to say anything else. Another explosion, as the particle beam tore through the ship's hull, sent him crashing to the floor; his head a mess of burnt skin and exposed brain matter.

"Ash!" Shepard shouted over the screams coming from a few people who had caught the tail end of that explosion; their bodies burning as they fell. "Go! Get to the shuttles! Can't maintain integrity there!"

"Skipper, I'm not leaving without-"

"I need you both on those shuttles." Shepard countered sternly. "I'll take care of Joker."

"Shepard," Liara went to potest as well.

"Now, Liara."

"Alright." Liara finally nodded and followed Ashley toward the shuttles. When they got there, she put up a biotic barrier to help suppress the flames and maintain integrity for as long as possible. While she held it, a fw others from engineering managed to reach the shuttles.

"Everybody in!" Ashley shouted. "Go, go, GO!" With one last look back, she saw Shepard slam her fist against the launch control for the distress beacon. "Skipper,"

"I know, Ash." Shepard nodded firmly. "I know. Go."

Shepard saw the chief ducking down into one of the shuttles; its door closing on the one next to her. Immediately after, Liara dropped the barrier. There was no more movement from the lift or the stairs. There were no words. Instead, she just gave Shepard a final nod before she joined Ashley, Chakwas, and Wrex. The door closed on their shuttle, and the launch sequence started. This left the commander to turn toward the safest path to the CIC.

Making her way around the jumble of table, chairs, supply lockers, and the occasional body, Shepard staggered several times; they were still being hit by the particle cannon of the unknown cruiser. Mag-boots engaged, she reached the lift. Flames had crawled up the shaft, and black clouds of smoke were escaping into the stairwell from it. The display that had held the preliminary sensor readings was gone; having been utterly destroyed by that last explosion.

"Mayday, Mayday!" Joker's voice was heard over the comm. "This is SSV Normandy! We've suffered severe damage and casualties from an unknown enemy!" Another hit from the cruiser caused the comm to crackle loudly and the ship to rock dangerously once more. When the channel cleared a little, Shepard had reached the top of the stairs; joker's voice softer as he continued: "Come on baby, hold it together… Hold it together."

As the doors opened to the CIC, Shepard could see the air being pulled out of the lower decks; hot and smoke-filled against absolute cold vacuum. Pieces of the astrogation console and Normandy's sensor displays were releasing from their places. An eerie white-blue glow also illumninated the entire upper deck. Shepard chanced a glance up and around: the glow was coming from a planet that was looming ever closer. Still, she trudged on. The view was a terrible beauty with skeletal hands, made of scrap metal, reaching up to touch it. She found her way around the path toward the bridge and was surprised to see a strong biotic shield protecting it. Just behind its surface, Shepard could see the silhouette of an asari straining to maintain it.


"I…" Lieutenant Selyna gritted her teeth; her entire body feeling the strain. "I can't maintain it much longer-"

"No go on the barriers," Pressly finally said. "Nothing's responding!"

"Lieutenant," Shepard's voice cut through the moment of eerie silence that followed Pressly's announcement. He and the huntress looked up; the latter being addressed.

"Commander," Selyna managed while still maintaining the barrier. "Has everyone else made it to the shuttles?"

"Everyone that's going to. It's alright, drop the barrier and get down to the last shuttle. We're getting out of here."

"Joker refuses to abandon ship." Pressly offered as he reached out to stabilize the asari. When she'd let the barrier down, Selyna swayed dangerously for a second. Braced by Pressly's grip, she nodded to him in thanks.

"Go, I'll get him, and we'll meet you down there."

"Understood, Ma'am."

"Joker, come on," Shepard wasted no time in addressing her helmsman. "We've got to get out of here-"

"No! I won't abandon the Normandy, I can still-"

"The Normandy's a twisting hunk of tin at this point." Shepard didn't particularly like referring to her once sleek ship like that, but the fact was that it was a burning wreck. "Going down with the ship won't change that."

"I-" Another, less violen, tremor. "Yeah, okay... Help me up." Joker turned his chair, and Shepard got him to his feet. As he took one last look toward the helm, his eyes widened. "They're coming around for another attack-"

"Go, GO!" Shepard got between him and the helm as the scorching hellow particl beam cut into the remains of the bridge. Glass and shards of metal were breaking away from the ship's interior and were being pulled out into space. She could feel the heat from the beam, and it encouraged her to throw knowledge of Vrolik's syndrome by the wayside. The lack of gravity in the CIC was a blessing as she lifted him clean off the floor and proceeded back toward the shuttles. Hindered only by the explosions around her, she reached them in good time. His protests were duly noted, but a few broken bones was a good price to pay for one's narrow escape off of a smoldering warship. When she let him go, he free-floated into the shuttle; clumsily trying to secure his harness. Thankfully, Pressly was there to assist.

"Commander," He began. The particle cannon was firing again, and he could see the blinding light from where its beam collided with the floor and hull surrounding the shuttles' launch switches. It caused a wide gash to be cut into the floor; breaking the seal that Shepard's magboots held. She was gripping the side of the shuttle's docking ring to keep from being pulled out into the burning stretch of space below and behind her.

"SHEPARD!" Joker's shout was added to the din around her. She could see his hand, as well as Pressly's outstretched, but nothing doing.

A final explosion caused her to let go, but not before she hit the manual release. The shuttle door closed and sealed before it was jettisoned away. This left her to be propelled in the opposite direction.

It was a strangely liberating feeling to be free-floating in space. She had been through zero-G training both in standard Alliance and N7 survival scenarios. This time, it came with a bitter aftertaste. She wasn't in a training sim or just relaxing in a zero-G pod like some people did on Earth. This was real, and there was no going back. Joker's escape shuttle was already out of her line of sight, and all she could see was the glittering remains of her ship. Fires were started, but when they were deprived of oxygen, they flickered and died; usually leaving a gaping hole in their wake.

Activating her hardsuit's onboard computer, Shepard scrolled through the options until she found what she was looking for: the built in recorder. She tried to stabilize her breathing before enabling it, but there was no point. Her body was in survival mode, and there was a tightness in her throat that demanded that it act on impulse. When she saw the green that signalled her hardsuit was recording, she began to speak:

"This is Commander Seryna Shepard with the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel. There is very little to say that I haven't already made clear, so I will make this brief." She took a shaky breath; the air entering her lungs cold and bitter-tasting. To my crew: It has been an honour and a privilege to serve with each and every one of you. We've been through the ringer, and I'm grateful for the experience and memories made. I wish you all the best. To a spacer, her crew is her family, and you more than fulfilled that role." She could see them all, their finest and dearest moments flashing before her eyes in vivid clarity. "To my mother," That made her throat tighten even more. There had been no word on Hannah Shepard since she had left the Citadel the last time. "Wherever you are," The corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily. "You've got a lot of people out there looking for you. I hope you make it home safely." She had to stop again. A lump had formed in her throat, and it wouldn't go down. A few seconds passed, and she finally forced herself to continue. "You showed me the way forward and let me forge my own path; propping me up along the way. I love you more than words can say." The tears she had suppressed on the Citadel burned her eyes once again, but this time, she let them fall. Memories of her childhood, teenage years, and her early days in the Alliance Navy rolled like a cinematic in her head. It both hurt and calmed her. Even the whine of her ship being sheered and the odd bursts of sound from the particle cannon on the cruiser firing, couldn't penetrate the eerie peace that her mother's memories brought. In the wake of this, Shepard scanned for the distress beacon's virtual private network and uploaded that recording to it with standard protocols.

Adrift, she faced the white blue blazing star that illuminated the nearest planet. It would have been a beautiful view, save for bits of her ship raining down. Closing her eyes to it, Shepard was met with the most vivid of images so far: a pair of, near perfect, cadmium green eyes. They bore into hers for a second before dissolving into limitless black. She could feel her heart skip a beat, but she didn't open her eyes; she couldn't. On impulse, she prepared another recording, not needing to see the overlay in her helmet to know where the recording function was. Where the other had been sent on general protocols, this one would be on a coded relay; tagged as personal. When she spoke, her voice was strong and clear:

"On a quiet day in a shining tower, a soldier left a piece of herself behind, with a promise of her eventual return." She began. "For she had found her missing half in the arms of a familiar stranger. On that day, a bond was forged; one that could not be dissolved by space nor time. Shadows of a life against a grey horizon danced in her lover's eyes, and for a moment, she knew nothing else." The words came freely from her without any effort, but the hardest part was yet to come. "I swore that I would always find a way to come back to you, but faced with what I'm seeing, I know that is impossible." In the back of her mind, Shepard could hear her mother whisper something. Hannah Shepard had said it a few times, and it seemed appropriate now. "A wise woman once said that from birth, we are given things in pairs: two eyes to see all that life has to offer, two ears to hear the sweetest words and sounds, two legs to carry us to our every destination, two arms to hold our loved ones close, but the last is a little obscure. She said that we are given two hearts, but when I asked her why I only had one, she had only this reply: The other is given to someone else for us to seek out and find." Shepard opened her eyes finally; the view ahead was a blur of blue, white, red, and grey. She couldn't focus through the haze. She didn't want to. When she spoke next, her voice was losing its strength; growing thicker with each word. "For years, I thought nothing of it; assuming they were just poetic words. That all changed on that quiet day in the shining tower. These words may seem empty to you now, but their meaning rings true and clear to me now. Behind those shadows that I saw, I heard it. I understand that last part about the heart-"

A sudden pulse, the ear-shattering sound of something scraping against metal, and a blinding explosion; she felt something collide heavily with her hardsuit. Blinking rapidly, she saw a sudden line of angry red text burn across her field of vision:

Hardsuit integrity compromised: Primary and secondary oxygen vats depleting. Estimated time until total loss: 00:00:30

She had mere seconds to do what needed to be done. Swallowing, Shepard spoke the last words she knew she would ever say:

"You'll always have mine. Keep it safe…" She could feel the air getting thinner as the timer counted down; could hear it escaping into the void around her. Her breathing was becoming quicker and more frantic, but she couldn't help it. This had to be sent.

"I love you."

With a final notion, the recording was sent on the wings of the distress beacon's VPN. When it would reach its destination, she didn't know. All she had was the confirmation that it had been transferred and a timer that was quickly racing to zero. With each next breath, she felt an angry raw pain tearing at her throat and lungs. She was suffocating. Air was being stolen from her faster than she could breathe it in. As her vision grew dim, she searched the blackness for those same eyes she'd lost herself in. That seemed like many moons ago, but they were there. A warmth that she couldn't really have felt surrounded her, and Shepard released her last breath.

She never saw the countdown reach 00:00:00


Across the galaxy, in a secluded office, in an otherwise lively embassy, the sound of glass shattering broke the silence as a mug of tea crashed to the floor. Its owner stopped just short of her vacated chair; her head swimming after a flash of white-hot pain blazed through it. Her vision blurred as she reached out blindly to grip the edge of her chair for support.

"Ma'am!"

As if coming through a thick haze, the voice of her assistant barely scratched the surface of Tevos' eardrums. Really, she thought she had imagined it, When a pair of hands seized her gently and kept her from hitting the flagged ceramic floor, she realized that she had heard properly. Head still throbbing, her hand finally made contact with the glass surface of her desk. It shook violently, but she managed to stabilize herself.

"Councilor, what happened? Are you alright?"

She didn't trust herself to speak; a burning sensation crawling up into her throat. When the words came out, despite her best efforts to keep them in, they were said in a voice that shook as badly as her hand.

"N-no," she began in a rough tone that slowly depleted to a whisper as she continued. "Something is wr-wrong…"

"I'll send for a medic." The assistant, after easing her superior back into her recently vacated chair, straightened up and was prepared to head for the door..

"There is no need for that, Yvora."

"What?" Yvora, the assistant to the Asari Councilor looked up to the open doorway. "Ah, Commander, I wasn't expecting you for a few hours."

"I arrived early." Matriarch Lidanya stood stiffly in the doorway; her eyes on the asari in the chair. "Was on my way through when I heard the crash." She stepped into the office and gave the councilor a closer look-over. "Based on what I just saw, I think I know what this is; I've felt something like it myself. There is nothing any medic can do."

Reading the silent message being conveyed, Yvora nodded slowly. "I'll give you two some time. You wo't be disturbed." She left the office and, after a last concerned look over her shoulder, returned to her desk near the door; sealing it for the time being.

Inside the office, Lidanya moved one of the chairs nearby and sat down adjacent to her former huntress in training and friend. One look spoke volumes, but from experience, the matriarch aimed to let words be the vessel of what she knew to be the precursor to grief. When she spoke, it was in a low but even tone.

"How severe is the pain?"

"Sudden and acute but fading." It took a moment for her to respond, but when she did, Tevos found her voice to be just as distant as she thought her assistant's had been.

"You closed your eyes briefly. Did you see anything?"

"No." Slowly but surely, the distortion that left her sounding far away, even to her own ears, began to fade. "Should I have?" Tevos didn't like the tone in which she was speaking. It sounded flat, lacking emotion, and disconnected. That must have shown on her face, because her companion offered a sad smile in response.

"You're isolating your emotions right now." Lidanya placed a hand on the counclor's shoulder. It stiffened briefly before relaxing. "This is normal. It will hit you hard very soon, and you'll be thankful for this reprieve."

"Thankful?" The word came out in an almost choked voice. "For feeling nothing when-"

"Yes." Lidanya answered evenly. "Your mind is shielding you from what it knows is coming, but it won't and can't do it for long."

"Then this is…"

"Exactly what you fear it is," The Ascension's commanding officer nodded gravely. "Yes, I'm afraid so."


Ashley was fuming. Her boots echoed dully against the hull of the small ship that had managed to pick up the escape shuttles that had been set adrift after their thrusters had eventually burned out. They had been picked up on the edge of the Amada system by an Alliance cruiser that had been sent after the distress call had been received. The pod containing Pressly, Lieutenant Selyna, and Joker had been the last to be pulled in. The gunnery chief didn't know which emotion was playing on which at this point. Anger was clearly evident, but was it the root of the pulsing in her temples, fueled by grief, or was it grief; anger being its attack dog? Either way, she was pacing the floor slowly while others were trying to find something to do to distrct from the silence. Wrex was clenching his jaw while leaning against a wall. Garrus and Pressly were exchanging quiet words. Adams and his team were with Tali and Doctor Chakwas; quiet murmurings going on to keep the quiet away. Lieutenant Selyna was standing off to the side; eyes closed in an attempt to meditate. The twitching of her jaw every now and again was a clear sign that wasn't working. That left Liara and Joker. The latter was being looked over by the cruiser's medic to assess broken bones. A few other crew members were in the medbay as well with burns and other wounds. Liara, after having enough of the situation, approached Ashley and nodded toward the door. They were in a cargo bay at present, but they had access to the cruiser. When they were safely out of the cargo area and a few paces down the corridor, the two had an honest conversation.

"What the actual fuck?" Ashley began. "Why wouldn't he leave!"

"I don't know." Liara said quietly. Her mouth twitched slightly, and she clnched her jaw in attempt to stop it from repeating.

"Seriously, I don't even know what to even think." Ash ground out. "What Pressly said…"

"Goddess, I can't even imagine."

"If I had been there, I'd have been reaching out as far as I could."

"We all would have."

"Instead, she's d-dead." Ashley faltered then. "I can't… I don't…"

"There was nothing any of us could do."

"Pressly." Liara acknowledged the navigator's presence with a sympathetic look.

"It happened too fast…" He said thickly. The injuries he sported were still fresh, but he had been looked over by the cruiser's medic and by Karin Chakwas when they saw one another again. "One second, she was there, and the next…"

"I want to be furious with him." Ashley admitted suddenly. "I want to scream at him that she might have been alive and in that shuttle if he hadn't tried to play the god-damned hero."

"The sad part is that it would probably be a waste of time." Liara muttered; her mouth twitching again with emotion she was trying to suppress.

"Yeah," Ashley relented somewhat reluctantly. "He's probably telling himself that right now."

"Who am I kidding?" Pressly suddenly asked. "We should have tried to get him to leave when this all started!"

"Don't blame yourself." Liara reached out and touched his arm. "We can all think of things that could have been done better after the fact."

"I could appreciate that and even get behind it if I didn't see her get blasted back and spaced." Pressly said sharply.

"Fact is that the Shepard I know wouldn't want any of you to go around blaming yourselves or each other for what she chose to do."

"Admiral?" Ashley looked up suddenly at the voice that came from further down the corridor. Tadius Ahern, in his customary Alliance dress blues, was walking toard them. "We weren't told to expect you, Sir-"

"I was on my way to the Citadel when the news of the distress beacon hit." Ahern looked into each of their faces with the beginnings of a sympathetic expression. "Councilor Anderson can wait on my report. This seemed more important." He looked to the door that led back to the cargo area. "Come on, there's something you all need to hear."

When they followed the admiral back inside, all conversation died away. Eyes turned to regard Ahern with apprehension. Those that knew him searched his expression for any clue as to what he was doing there. Those that didn't looked on in confusion. He stepped into the center of the cargo hold and looked around slowly before nodding.

"We've made an emergency FTL jump to the nearest mass relay and are on our way to the Citadel." He began. "I'll make it clear that I am not here to interrogate you all on what happened aboard your ship. The Helsinger was simply the first to respond." Pausing only for a breath, he continued. "As it happens, Councilor Anderson is expecting you in his office as soon as you arrive on the station, so I would suggest you prepare. Any questions?"

"How are the others?" Adams was the one to ask this question.

"Those with severe injuries are being cared for as best as we can until we reach the Citadel." Ahern answered. "Those who are in better shape are also being attended to."

"What about Shepard?" Wrex voiced the question that was on all of their minds. "Was there any sign of her?"

"No." The answer was short, but not cold. Admiral Ahern looked around at all of them again; a slight frown forming. "Scans of the area only indicated wreckage from the SSV Normandy SR1. There were no life signs or any signals from a hardsuit, I'm sorry." He hesitated for a second before turning away from them and heading back toward the door. "We recovered data from the distress beacon, but I'm afraid that it won't be released until we reach the Citadel. We should be arriving in a day's time. Take that to rest. A crewman will be along to escort you to quarters once they're prepared."

Once he had gone, and the door had closed behind him, Garrus shook his head. "I don't see how any of us will sleep knowing what happened."

"I imagine he won't either." Doctor Chakwas quipped. "It has to be sinking in fo him right now." In response to a few confused looks, she added: "Admiral Ahern was friends with her father, Alvin."

The next hour went by in uncomfortable semi-silence. People split up and began speaking quietly to each other again, or they simply took the time to reflect. Liara and Ashley remained a constant pair; bouncing thoughts off of one another, and eventually, a few tears. The truth began to sink in for others as well. When the door opened again, another familiar face greeted them. Lieutenant Marie Durand, having accompanied Admiral Ahern from Pinnacle Station, escorted Normandy's surviving crew to quarters that had been made available to them. Those she had met when they had crossed paths in the Styx-Theta cluster, she had a private word with. They were in a common area, an it was well after four hours since the shuttles had been picked up. Still, Garrus had been right: none of them found sleep easy to come by.

"What were you doing on Pinnacle Station?" Ashley, Garrus, and Wrex stood around while Liara and Tali sat nearby. The gunnery chief had been the one to start the conversation.

"Running sims that Ahern designed specifically for high-risk scenarios." Lieutenant Durand admitted with a shrug. Auburn hair down, she looked a lot more casual than the tired soldier they had met previously. "Apparently our last encounter ended up with an N7 commendation in my jacket. I was on my way back to the Citadel to meet with Councilor Anderson and someone from Alliance Brass when Ahern diverted the Helsinger to the Amada System."

"Glad he did." Garrus admitted with a shrug. "The escape shuttles were damaged, or at least some of them were." He looked around to Ashley and Liara, who nodded, before continuing. "Thrusters failed, and life support was on the verge of going as well."

"Pressly said that their environmental systems failed." Tali added. "Described it as blistering cold."

"I still can't believe a cruiser just came after you like that." Durand looked from those sitting to the ones standing. "Any clue as to who or what it could have been? We didn't see anything when we approached the distress beacon's coordinates."

"Probably didn't stick around after tearing the Normandy apart." Wrex muttered. "As for what it was, none of us saw it. Pressly and the other asari might know something."

"It didn't match any known make." They all turned to the doorway. The aforementioned asari stepped over the threshold; the door closing behind her. "Forgive me for intruding. I couldn't sleep, and Navigator Pressly needed to. His head is still splitting."

"No need to apologize." Garrus motioned her over. "So, you saw it, Lieutenant?"

"I saw what long range sensors picked up,and when the thing came about and started firing, I saw it up close." Turning to Lieutenant Durand, she extended a hand in greeting. "Lieutenant Selyna Menaeis, posted to the SR1 from Thessia."

"Marie Durand, a pleasure, Lieutenant." They shook hands briefly before Selyna stepped back. "Did it match any incomplete profiles, even from the Citadel's records?"

"Nothing conclusive." Selyna shook her head. "Honestly, the only thing that comes to mind is something I saw back when I was about to leave Asari space."

"Anything on an official basis?" Ashley asked; suddenly a little more alert.

"Like I said, nothing that would match any known profiles." The huntress shook her head again. "No, this was actually something that was spotted in a remote system. Those who saw it claimed that they didn't get a good look." She activated her omni tool and pulled up a partial image of a ship. It wasn't an exact match, but there were similarities. "By the time the scout ship went back to get a closer look, the vessel had gone through the nearest mass relay."

"So," Tali began. "There is a ship that has been seen before, but it fled before anyone could get a closer look at it." When Selyna nodded, Liara picked up where Tali left off.

"Then why would it change to an intercept course and attack without warning?"

"That," Selyna said quietly. "Is anyone's guess."


A/N: T'was the day before Xmas, and throughout the land, the next chapter of this fic was in high demand. Readers watched and waited, their tissues ready, but it was late when I posted, so east-coasters' eyelids were heavy. 31 is here for all to see, but what happens next, that's up to me!

Mwahahahahaha!

A/N (after evil laugh): Sorry, had to do it. Happy Holidays, everyone! Chapter 32 will be up soon, and it will contain a little of what happens in the first days after the crash. Hint: If any have read what is posted so far on my A Jagged Whole: Imperfect Shards story, they might know who this lieutenant is that I've substituted the unknown ensign for in the opening scene of ME2. I'll be posting an update to that story as well in the near future.

From Ashes, Eclipsed, and the Jagged Whole series are all in the same storyverse, if you will. You'll find bits in each one pertaining to the others. Happy hunting!