Shepard had just sat down at her personal terminal with a steaming mug of joe when she got an encrypted comms request. There was only one place those requests came from anymore and she smiled widely as she accepted; the familiar background of the Normandy CIC framing several faces that erupted in a shout of congratulations. She laughed and waved to them, "Thanks everyone. I was beginning to think you all had me blocked!"

"Only because you never call without wanting something," Ashley joked while Joker snickered.

"Yeah," he said sarcastically, "And it's never a cup of sugar, amirite?"

Sam leaned a bit closer to the monitor with a wink, "I've been reaching out all month for another match. I think you're the one ignoring me because you can't even contemplate a fifth straight loss."

Shepard flinched dramatically. "Ouch! Don't worry, Traynor, I've got some moves I researched just for you," she purred.

"Just for me?" she squeaked, delight coloring her dark eyes as she glanced to her left at Joker, who choked unexpectedly.

"Oh come on, you two trying to make me," he growled with an embarrassed squeak despite his denial, "'Uncomfortable' is so last decade." Joker moaned, shaking his head in disgust. "You need new material."

"Jeff," EDI's detached voice intoned from nowhere and everywhere at once, "If their comments are unwelcome, I can sever Shepard's connection."

"Whoa!" "Wait a minute." "Holy wow!" Came the amazed responses before Ashley cut in, "EDI, I think that's a bit much."

"On the contrary, Captain," she said dispassionately to Williams, "Protecting a mate's feelings is an imperative of the relationship. Failure to acknowledge and defend their emotional state indicates that a partner is not fully invested in their wellbeing."

Shepard's brow rose in surprise, but before she could say anything, Joker said, "Oh, I get it. Hey you know what?" He looked around at everyone meaningfully even as he spoke to the AI, "Thank you for defending me, EDI, but this another one of those times where your own people are allowed to give each other shit when other people can't."

"I see," EDI replied. "You were not actually offended, despite the rise in your blood pressure and heart rate."

Joker's hazel eyes widened just a smidge before his expression became suddenly guileless. "Nope," was all he said, biting the word off with pursed lips.

"Ahhhh.." EDI said then in a vocalization Shepard had never heard from her before, tinged with disappointment. "I understand. You were aroused and only claimed you were uncomfortable to spare my feelings." All the faces on the screen now ran the gamut between humor and horror at her words, Joker's own turning a tad pale as she continued, "I'm sorry you feel neglected. I will arrange another 'skin date' for you at our next port of call."

"Wait, what?" He stuttered, embarrassed and defensive, "Skin date? I don't need one of those! I don't even know what that is!"

Everyone's heads turned to give him steady stares at that point and it occurred to Shepard just how hard life must be onboard for him...even with Donnelly there, he was hopelessly outnumbered with women from the old crew.

"Relax, Jeff," EDI finally said before one of the veins in Joker's neck could burst. "I'm just demonstrating my proficiency at 'giving shit'."

Shepard covered her mouth as she laughed. Ashley guffawed while Jeff looked relieved...and then slightly offended. Sam even snorted a bit.

"I have...so many questions…" Shepard said slowly, shaking her head, and the giggles got louder before she reconsidered just what she might be asking for. "You know what?" She asked with a chuckle and a wave of her hand, "Nope...just...carry on."

She was interrupted by the short, greyer-haired form of Dr. Chakwas muscling closer between Joker and Sam, clearing her throat. "As endearing as I find such talk, would you mind telling us how the child is doing? How Liara is liking motherhood?" Her eyes sparkled with their own mirth, "How you handled your first diaper change?"

Shepard grinned like a fool. In only a few moments she felt as if she'd never been away from them. "I'd love to, but speaking of severed connections...gimme a second? I think Liara should be in on this convo." And could probably use the distraction .

Half an hour later, after Garrus and Tali had joined them all in the great room, the proper celebratory mood had been revived. Shepard smashed the selfish sense of frustration she felt at having to disrupt the merriment and eventually asked Ashley for a private moment. Valern's life was in the balance, after all. She had limited time.

"What's up Skip?" Ashley asked with unabashed curiosity once she'd joined the private channel.

Shepard sat back in her office and picked up her lukewarm cup with a stretch. "Em...she's your boat, Ash. Why you keep calling me that?"

Without missing a beat, she answered, "Easy. I've earned it." She sat down at her own desk in the Captain's quarters and waited expectantly.

What could she do but shrug? "Alright then," she said slowly. "What was that with EDI?"

Ashley chewed her lip, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "EDI's come a long way. She's constantly surprising us with her sophistication."

"Was more concerned about the threat to cut off communications," Shepard said in a low voice before tilting her head questioningly, "You don't seem worried, though."

Ashley looked thoughtful for a moment. "I've found that she only does that sort of thing in certain company, you and me specifically," she said. "She's never followed through on any of it either. It's always a sort of demonstration...or exploration of human interaction, if that makes sense."

Shepard nodded. "Sounds pretty familiar. Just a shock to see these leaps, I guess," she added with a wry chuckle while leaning back in her chair. "Anyway, took you away from the party because I was curious about how things were going in the DMZ?"

"Wish I could tell you," Ashley replied with a tightened jaw. "Councilor Esheel redirected us to investigate some illicit genetics research in the Nemean Abyss."

"Um, I thought all research in the Abyss was illicit," came her annoyed response.

Ashley rolled her eyes. "There's clearly some political motivation involved. Esheel has no warm fuzzies for the Krogan." Her expression said there wasn't much she could do about it, regardless.

Shepard rubbed her chin with the pad of her thumb as her mind whirled. "So you agree that your diversion was on purpose. I spoke with Tevos just a bit ago and the Krogan matter doesn't seem to be that high a priority for her either. This is arguably the biggest game changer in the galaxy at the moment; they have to have someone assigned to look into it."

The Spectre shrugged. "Whoever it is, I can't imagine this mission will take long enough to keep me out of play for good. Regardless of Council games it's on top of my list."

"Good to hear," Shepard mused. "Jack's flying into that hornet's nest and could use a bit of cover."

"Well," Ashley sighed, lifting her hands in defeat, "Not sure why she picked that particular spot for a vacation but just tell her to keep her head low. She's on her own for now."

Shepard tilted her head back and forth, "I'll ping Miranda. Don't worry about it."

Ashley nodded and met her gaze directly. "So...how are you doing, really? I'm sure Baby Athena is the best distraction in the world but I'm still seeing your game face under all the smiles."

When Shepard took a peek under her own hood, so to speak, the roiling mix of jumbled emotions were too much to break down into something consumable and she wasn't really sure how much she could share without tripping into her own secret mission.

"I'm….still upset over Wrex, no surprise," she offered. "Grunt has asked Jack to come out and help with some of the fallout since I can't be there right now. Bakara thanked us for our condolences, and I know she's as strong as they come, but nothing really replaces being there."

"I get it," Ash said in an understanding voice. "But as I said, I think they'll be fine. You and Liara will be out there in no time."

"Yeah," Shepard murmured noncommittally. "Anyway, thanks for the update. I'll let you get back to the gang."

"Oh, you not gonna join us?"

"Unfortunately I have an appointment to keep."

"Right," Ash said with a smile, "Talk soon then."

With a few touches on the workpad, she disconnected and switched to that next appointment, which was waiting patiently for her.

YOU HAVE BEEN EXTENDED THE OPTION TO REACTIVATE YOUR AGENCY IN THE SPECIAL TACTICS AND RECONNAISSANCE BRANCH OF THE GALACTIC COUNCIL, SUBJECT TO REGULATIONS LAID OUT IN SECTIONS 230-314 OF THE GCOP CHARTER.

DO YOU ACCEPT?

Liara's words returned to her, then, the ones about her implication in everything the Convergence had ever done if she accepted Spectre status. She knew better than to ignore Liara's warnings; the woman had a towering intellect even before she had access to the largest information troves in the galaxy. The problem was that she couldn't very well change her mind and disavow any of the group's activities if she didn't know what they were; but she also didn't have time to have them detailed and absorbed, even if she trusted their complete accounting, before Valern's fate was decided...unless she shared.

And she really didn't want to share. The act of joining the groupthink carried bad memories enough; which made the fact that so many people had decided to remain in the Convergence after all this time baffling. But even if she shared and discovered every dirty little trick they'd learned and used, what sort of position would that put her in? If she disagreed with their choices (and she was certain she would disagree with some of them), then refused to get involved, she would still be duty bound to report them to the authorities. Failure to do so would make her an accessory….which put her firmly in the same place she was now; subject to the same penalties unless she protected the group herself.

Reporting to the authorities was a dangerous option, though. The Convergence had killed before and would kill again to protect their organization. If Shepard had ever been looked over in that regard the consideration stopped the moment Tevos advised her of their dilemma. Could Shepard protect her family from five million thought sharing agents if she turned on them? Perhaps. She was owed a lot of favors. It wasn't something she really wanted to test, though, when weighed against simply performing an investigation into the disappearance of a former Councilor; something the Spectres would absolutely do in the normal course of their jobs. If her choice as that Spectre raised brows it would only be in the upper echelons of the Council where every decision a politician made was fodder for speculation.

Plus, in their defense, Tevos and by extension the Convergence had actually done a stellar job at governance. Just because someone was a member of the group didn't invalidate the fact that they were members of their own races with their own ambitions, and those inclinations factored into every choice the group made. From what Shepard had seen, the policies they influenced weren't universally popular but they did seem to have everyone's best interest at heart. The difficulty of that decision making process, as well as the inevitable blowback, was something she keenly identified with; so if the net results were positive, even if their methods may have bent or broken the law, should Shepard withhold her assistance? The abject hypocrisy of the act would strike her with a bolt of lightning well before the Convergence would get their due. Mind made, she pulled closer to the terminal, fingers moving deftly over the interface.

|YES

SPECTRE STATUS RECOGNIZED.

WELCOME BACK, JORDAN SHEPARD.

YOU HAVE MESSAGES FOR REVIEW.

An hour later she'd made her apologies to her guests, said her goodbyes to Liara with a decidedly sharp look at her father, and kissed Athena farewell.

"Miri, it's Shepard," she said after the VI on her Omni directed her to leave a message. "Where are you? I...we need to talk. About a few things. Get back to me." Before she could disconnect, her screen lit blue and Miranda's face took shape before her.

"Shepard?" her voice said cooly while her eyes tried their best to take in Shepard's surroundings, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she protested, actually surprised she'd picked up. She closed the door to her shuttle and sat down in the pilot's chair, prepping it for departure. "We expected to see you this week. Is...everything okay there?"

Miranda's face looked wooden. "Everything was fine until I got a call from you, Liara and Jack within an hour of each other. I expected an emergency. What can I do for you? Did you get my gift?"

"Yes we did," she said with a growing smile. "It was thoughtful...and extravagant. You spoil us, as always."

That seemed to crack her facade for a moment, the left corner of her lip curling just enough to reveal a dimple. Her very blue eyes dropped for a moment before returning to their customary directness. "I wish I could be there. I'm very sorry to miss it."

"You...have a minute?"

Her eyes slid sideways before she replied. "Honestly don't, but I'll squeeze it in. Special occasion and all."

Shepard grinned, the interaction reminding her of former days. "I'll keep it brief, then. Heard about you and Jack. I'm sorry."

Her lips tightened and she nodded, her reaction frosty. "Thank you. What else?"

"Liara should be returning to work soon," Shepard continued after a confused pause at the brevity of her response, "But until then I thought you might want to know Jack's heading to Tuchanka. I know we don't have a lot of intel there, but you may want to redouble our efforts in that regard."

"We're already recruiting in light of the upheaval," the Shadow Broker said smoothly. Her eyes narrowed a bit then and she added, "What's the concern?"

"Jack's there in a diplomatic capacity," Shepard clarified. "Could get pretty hairy. Just want to make sure we've got a clear picture in case of trouble."

"Diplomatic…" Miranda repeated blithely, clearly surprised. "She's no business getting involved with this. Who put her up to it?"

"That would be Grunt," Shepard answered carefully at the accusation in the woman's tone.

"I haven't seen any official requests for mediation coming from Tuchanka, which means Grunt doesn't know what he's doing, either," Miranda snapped.

"Honestly, I take that as good news," she said. When Miranda tilted her head in annoyance she explained, "If she's just there for Grunt, that is. I'm planning on reaching out to Bakara directly."

"Well wishes aside, I think you should stay out of it," Miranda advised. "If the rest of the galaxy sees your name in a headline paired with 'Krogan Civil War' or anything remotely similar they'll assume the worst."

That made a lot of sense, though Shepard wondered if it wasn't just what she wanted to hear. She paused in her routine to focus.

"Listen, is it going to be a….problem for you to keep an eye on her just the same? If it is, let me know and I can tag Feron."

"If I thought she'd listen to me," Miranda said through clenched teeth, "I'd get her out of there entirely. But yes, I'll keep an eye on her."

"Hey," Shepard said after a long, tense moment, "Are you okay? You wanna tell me what happened?"

"Irreconcilable differences," was her boredly frustrated response. "You predicted it, really. What we had was good, but I think we both knew it was on borrowed time." The woman looked at her directly, every inch the Miranda Lawson that Shepard recalled from their first meeting on Lazarus Station; cold, brusque, and arrogant. "I'm fine, thank you for asking. I have everything under control."

Shepard couldn't help but smirk at her attitude. The difference between now and then was that she knew there was a different person there, under that mask of confidence; a person with real feelings and very real needs. "You always do," she said with compassion. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help?"

"Of course," Miranda replied with another softening of the eyes that apologized without her actually deigning to say it. "Was there anything else?"

She considered telling her for a moment, to the point that her lips parted to speak, but she closed them and shook her head. Miri seemed distracted and sad and Shepard didn't want to add more to her plate. "No," she finally said. "I'll call you later, when you're not so busy."

Lawson nodded, her eyes already moving to other tasks. "Tell Liara I said hello," she added.

"Will do," she agreed even as a banging began on the outer hull. She disconnected, then got up to punch the hatch release and see what the problem was. Much to her surprise, her view filled with a Turian armored in silver and blue.

"Garrus?" she cried with a lift of her hands. "What are you doing here?"

He strode into the shuttle with confidence, brushing by her to put down a large locked case. When he turned to her, his mandibles spread in exasperation. "Are we really going to have this discussion again? It's getting a little...dead horse, don't you think?"