"It's an admiral with the Alliance, his name is Hackett."
Shepard sat up in her bed and made a move to stand.
"Let him in."
To her surprise, he walked in and smiled at her. She saluted him immediately, dismissing the pain in her shoulder. "Commander Shepard." He said slowly and chuckled. "By God, you are one resilient woman."
She stayed silent and he nodded. "At ease, Shepard. Please- sit."
She gratefully obeyed and took a seat on the bed. He resolved to stand at the end of the hospital cot and put his hands behind him.
"What brings you here, sir?"
She asked, and swallowed hard, resisting the urge to barrage him with questions.
"I needed to see for myself that you were alive. I also have some news."
She adjusted her position to one of attention, eager to attain information, regardless of the contents.
"Shepard, you served the Alliance and the galaxy with distinction and integrity. I am proud of you. You never once wavered from your duty to your crew, your commanding officers, Earth, or your mission to stop the reapers and save the galaxy at all costs. I am proud to say that your ultimate mission is over. Thus, you are hereby honorably relieved of duty."
He dropped a datapad on the bed and continued.
"I will spare you from the paperwork for now. You have been awarded with a monthly pension or salary if you will, until the day you die."
He paused, leaving her a moment to respond. She had taken the datapad into her hands and had read it over. No, this didn't feel right. The only thing she knew was her work- her duty as a soldier. How could she just stop now?
"But sir-"
"Shepard, I am only doing what Anderson requested of me. If he was here, he would be giving this to you himself."
She raised a fist to her lips and nose, sighing. This was meant as a gift. Her mind wandered to the last conversation she had with Anderson on the Citadel. It brought tears to her eyes.
"Thank you, sir."
She couldn't look up at the admiral as her head began to swim.
"No, Shepard- thank you."
He walked toward the door, but she quickly stopped him. "Wait, sir! Have you heard anything about the Normandy?"
His eyes gave her an idea of what he was going to say.
"Shepard, we have the Normandy docked at Vancouver. It was brought there by pilot Moreau, but the crew had already gone their separate ways. I don't think any of them know you're alive."
"Is it possible to reach any of them?" He pursed his lips in thought, glancing at the floor.
"With the loss of our long-range communications- if you are trying to reach anyone beyond the Sol system it will be impossible to reach anyone at this point."
The breath left her lungs and she felt like someone was sitting on her chest.
"What about officer Vakarian, sir?"
He sighed softly and looked at her. "I'm sorry, Shepard. We haven't caught wind of anything off world. I would assume he went back to Palaven, they suffered just as much loss and destruction as we did. But If I hear anything- I will be sure to let you know."
When she couldn't articulate an answer, he nodded before turning to leave.
"Get well soon, Shepard. Take care of yourself."
After the door closed, the room became heavy with her own doubt and solemn acceptance.
Her family was missing- and she was in no shape to find them.