…

"Perhaps you were expecting some surprise, for me to reveal a secret that had eluded you, something that would change your perspective of events, shatter you to your core. There is no great revelation, no great secret. There is only you."

(Kreia)

…

Cairo Station, January 11th, 5:49 AM, 2185

…

I yawned, stretching my back out as I lifted my arms above my head. I hadn't gotten any sleep all night, though this wasn't due to lack of trying. I had nearly fallen asleep at one point around 2am, but was woken once more as Mineko rushed over to me with another medical report on Shepard's neurological activity. She was determined to give me hourly reports that showed little to no interesting changes.

The only real "change" was that Shepard had begun to remember more of what had happened shortly before his death. I could only imagine what was going through the poor man's head. Seeing your own death repeatedly… I wouldn't even know how to react to that.

Luckily, Hackett would be arriving soon to formally "reintroduce" Shepard to the Systems Alliance, and he was bringing Tali with him. Even though I was under direct orders to keep information regarding the ship and crew waiting for him under wraps for now, there was plenty of other things we could discuss. He had been very interested in our coalition the last few hours, asking any and all questions he could think of in regards to it. While he didn't seem all that surprised about it, he was more interested in how we were handling the issue of Cerberus.

He shared with me a story about his first real encounter with the group. He was given an assignment by Rear Admiral Kahoku that entailed looking for a missing squad of Alliance Marines in the Attican Traverse. He discovered that they had been deliberately lured into a Thresher Maw nest and slaughtered. After Kahoku probed further for information, Cerberus hunted and captured him, having him killed before Shepard and his team found the facility on Binthu.

Thankfully, the man didn't go unavenged. Using information found in the base, Shepard raided a larger facility on Nepheron and eliminated all Cerberus resistance.

I reneged on a few minor details, but I told him about our own experiences with the organization. I started with Aldrin Station, moving up the line all the way to their major attack on the system. I left out the events in The Barn just because those memories were still too painful for me to think about. As I spoke, I couldn't help but notice how shocked he was by everything I was telling him.

He seemed both surprised and impressed that we had not only survived so much, but endured it all for so long. In his own words, we were "the luckiest group of people in the galaxy." I couldn't even decide for myself if he was right or wrong, but I apparently made a big enough impression on him that he said he looked forward to working with me. Knowing his reputation, I didn't know whether to be honored or worried.

I walked into the Ranger, throwing myself into one of the thickly-padded seats before opening my omni-tool. There were no direct messages from below, but I did take the time to watch the rest of Admiral Mal's speech to the Admiralty Board. I couldn't help but notice Xen's highly visible pout as he spoke, getting a sharp chuckle out of myself.

His appointment to the Admiralty was the best thing that could have happened in the long run. All of us on the side of non-aggression were relieved that he had taken Rael's position. While I didn't like thinking about the subject using such a frame, I had to admit I was relieved Gerrel no longer held his military stranglehold on Fleet matters now that Rael was gone and Mal was there. While I still believed war with the Geth was inevitable, I knew this could delay it longer for us to do more work.

My eyes widened in surprise as Richard walked into the shuttle, his artificial eye glowing with a brilliant blue in the relative darkness.

"Christ almighty, I don't think I've ever seen you up this early." I commented, twisting myself around to get a better look at him.

"You must be joking." He replied in a groggy tone, shambling towards the seats in the back of the shuttle. He promptly laid down across four of them, almost immediately falling asleep.

I could only let out a huff of amusement through my nose at the brief interaction, turning back to face the cockpit windows as I opened my omni-tool.

I checked the status of the Hammerhead IFV transfer request I had put in, smiling as I read it had been approved. After having in thoroughly field-tested, we had begun building our own upgraded versions that would phase out the old antiquated turian IFVs that they had used previously. One of the new Hammerheads was currently being moved to our Phantom-class frigate. Once it was secured aboard the ship, it would be ready to go.

Despite there being preparations I was probably supposed to work on, I decided to instead lean back in the pilot's chair and get some sleep in before everyone arrived in a few hours.

I wasn't going to talk to Hackett again with no shut eye.

…

Cairo Station, January 11th, 11:01 AM, 2185

…

I squinted my eyes as I fruitlessly tried to push the wrinkles out of my shirt, giving up after it became clear nothing I could to now would fix it. I stood alongside Richard, Greg, Miranda, Hans, and Mineko. Shepard was obviously here too; having put on some old Alliance fatigues Greg had brought up from the Explorer. We stood in the hanger bay silently waiting for Hackett's shuttle to arrive.

Despite the occasion being a good one, part of me still felt tense for no apparent reason. I chalked it up to Tali, and me inevitably having to tell her the details of her father's death.

"I have to admit, part of me wishes I was going out there with you guys." Greg whispered just loud enough that only I could hear it. "I'd love nothing more than to work against the Reapers."

"I doubt it'll end up being as romantic as you envision it." I replied in a much drier tone before the shuttle bay incoming alarm sounded.

I reflexively stiffened as the shuttle bay doors opened, allowing the blue and white craft inside. Greg, Shepard and I stood at complete attention even as hot air from the thrusters blew our way. Hackett walked out moments later followed by Tali, smiling the moment he spotted Shepard. It occurred to me that it had been the first time I'd ever seen the man smile before.

"Commander! It's good to see you again!" He greeted with a big, friendly handshake as Shepard returned the gesture.

"Likewise, sir." He nodded, allowing his own smile to creep up as he looked at Tali. "It's good to see familiar faces."

Based on body language alone, I could tell Tali was even more nervous than I was.

"Shepard… after what happened on the Normandy… I…" She stammered out, unable to complete her thought as her emotions ran rampant. "It's… good to see you alive and well."

Shepard had noticed her tone as well. He smiled and nodded to her, knowing she likely had conflicting emotions going through her head.

"Commander, I don't have to tell you that a lot has happened since your… encounter above Alchera." Hackett redirected, getting our attention back on point. "I need to ask for your help again, son."

"Just give me the details, sir." He immediately accepted without hesitation, managing to surprise me.

He really was the man that the ANN made him out to be. Hackett looked over at us, giving me a quick nod.

"Shepard, as Richard mentioned earlier yesterday, colonies in the Terminus are going missing. Human colonies." I began, somehow managing to force my back even straighter as all eyes focused on me. "As part of our ongoing coalition, the Migrant Fleet and Alliance have pooled together millions of credits worth of resources to provide you with an advanced ship, capable crew, and some of the most advanced technology we have at our disposal."

"We're still in the dark about how and why, but we have reason to believe the Reapers are somehow involved." Hackett explained, taking another step forward. "We're sending you out there to find out what's happening and put an end to it."

"To further this goal, we've worked with Ms. Lawson here, a former Cerberus operative, to build a list of… talented individuals that you'll be seeking out and bringing onto your crew." I further elaborated, gesturing to Miranda who gave a single, silent nod. "We've got to work outside of the mold here. There's a lot of threats that could be waiting out there, and we need solutions to all of them."

"Where will I be going first, sir?" Shepard asked, looking between Hackett and Tali.

"We're leaving that to your discretion, Commander." Hackett answered bluntly, looking at me and Miranda. "Sean will be acting as your XO during the duration of this assignment. He'll keep everything in order. Ms. Zorah will also be rejoining your crew."

"I know I can depend on Tali, but what about you, Sean?" Shepard questioned in a light-hearted tone. "You're not going to pull rank on me, are you?"

"I may be a Captain in the Migrant Fleet, but in the Alliance, I'm technically still a civvie." I talked down, shrugging my shoulders. "I'll mostly be there to keep all the shiny, experimental equipment in working order, but if you need me in the field I can pull my own weight."

"That's good to hear, I'd hate to have someone on my team who's afraid of a fight." He smiled as he let out a huff of amusement.

"Trust me, if we find what we're looking for there'll be plenty of fighting." I shot back, getting another cheek-to-cheek. "So… would you like to see the ship?"

"Absolutely." He agreed almost instantly as Miranda fell in line behind me.

"I'll see to it that your service records are amended." Hackett finished, giving Shepard one more handshake. "Good luck, Commander."

Hackett went on to talk with Greg and the rest of our team while the four of us hopped in Ranger. Now that the meeting was officially over, we'd be able to head out whenever we wanted.

"I know we only covered the basics, but I'll go into more detail after I've shown you the ship." I reassured as he, Tali and Miranda took their seats in the back.

It was quiet for a few moments until Shepard began speaking to Miranda.

"So… former Cerberus?" Shepard questioned in a confused tone. "What made you want to quit?"

"The answer to that is… complicated." She admitted, sounding a little bit nervous. "I originally led Project Lazarus, the project to rebuild you, under the Cerberus banner, but after coalition forces took the station where you were being worked on, I decided to defect along with several other scientists."

"I'm the only reason why you chose to leave?" Shepard prodded further, not sounding at all convinced.

"Initially, yes." She admitted, still sounding a little shaky. "But after nearly being killed by a Cerberus assassin on Arcturus, my perspective changed quickly."

"She was lucky to be alive, took a knife to the gut defending the other scientists." I added from the cockpit as I maneuvered through the fleet.

"I don't believe any of it." Tali rebuked, sounding extremely skeptical. "Do you have any idea how much suffering Cerberus has caused for my people? How are you any different? You could be a deep-cover sleeper agent for all we know."

"I wasn't involved in either of the two major operations taken against your people, Ms. Zorah." Miranda shot back in a much more serious tone. "Cerberus operates in compartmentalized cells to contain information leaks. I was part of the Lazarus Cell, and our only goal was to revive Shepard."

"But you were still aware of what was happening." She accused in a higher, more outraged tone.

"I was only made aware of those events in detail after my defection." She defended, sounding slightly more exacerbated. "I admit there was a time where I admired The Illusive Man and everything he was trying to do, but seeing what lengths they've gone through to try and secure themselves on the galactic stage… it was too much."

Tali let out what I could only assume was a guttural growl before it got real quiet.

"Everyone needs to be calm, we're all on the same team here." Shepard talked down as I let out a sigh of relief. "If we're going to work as cohesive unit, we need to accept what happened and let go. Arguing about things we can't change, especially the past, won't do any good."

Silence filled the shuttle compartment once more as we got within visual range of the Phantom-class vessel. I smiled as it appeared through my cockpit windows, still loving its design. If it weren't for the space dock that held it, it would be nearly invisible to the background of space.

"Shepard, come look." I said out loud, getting him into the compartment. "She's a beauty, isn't she?"

"I've never seen anything quite like her." He remarked, gazing out the window. "Does she have a name?"

"No, I thought it was only appropriate that you got to name her." I answered, cracking a smile as he did the same.

"I think I've got just the perfect one." He cracked through his grin as I pulled into the waiting hangar bay.

…

MFV Normandy, January 11th, 12:59 PM, 2185

…

"So, Shepard… what do you think of her?" I asked with a smile, leaning against the railing that overlooked the reactor's fusion chamber.

"I think she's quite the looker." He replied, cracking a grin of his own as the blue glow shrouded his face. "Still… I need to get used to it. Part of me still misses the old Normandy."

"That's fine, take your time and get to know the crew." I urged, holding up both hands briefly. "I'm sure in due time, you'll come to appreciate what she has to offer you."

He nodded, putting both hands together behind his back as we moved on.

After spending nearly two hours giving Shepard and Tali the official tour, we all went back to the top deck and entered the conference room to discuss the mission we would be undertaking in further detail. They quietly took their seats around the table as I opened my omni-tool and activated the holographic projector in the middle.

"Alright, so the basic gist of our situation is that we still know very little about our abductors." I began to explain, pacing back and forth as I made eye contact with everyone. "The most Hackett's investigators have been able to ascertain from three of the missing colonies is that they were taken with very little struggle. Almost no sign of battle at any of the locations aside from a few discarded weapons, and no major infrastructure damage either."

"Perhaps some kind of gas or chemical agent was used to subdue their populations?" Tali theorized, leaning forward slightly in her chair.

"While that's a good theory, Hackett doesn't believe that's the case." I denied, tapping out an image from my omni-tool and "throwing" it into the middle of the projector. "There was an emergency bunker on one of these colonies that was sealed and forced open from the outside. It was equipped with a state-of-the-art air filtration system that showed no contaminates were absorbed."

"Strange… was there anything else his investigators were able to turn up?" Shepard asked, leaning his head against his fist.

"Actually, yes." I confirmed, throwing up a visualization of the comm buoy network. "The trend with these attacks seems to be the sudden cutoff of communications with the buoy network without damage to the buoys themselves. My best guess is that whoever is abducting these people has access to advanced communication jammers."

"So how do you propose we handle this?" Shepard inquired, folding his arms across his chest.

"I've already discussed this with Hackett." I deflected, holding up one of my hands. "He's setting up monitoring devices on the comm buoys that are near "at risk" settlements, and if one of them suddenly stops sending out comm signals, we'll be informed at a moment's notice."

I then looked over at Miranda, giving her a quick nod as she stood up and I took a seat.

"In the meantime, you'll begin building a team of highly-capable individuals that'll help you fight this threat." She stated, handing Shepard a datapad that held all the dossiers. "If I were to suggest someone to seek out first, it would be Dr. Mordin Solus, a salarian scientist and former STG member."

He took a minute to slowly read through each one, looking mildly confused by some of them.

"Some of these people are criminals." He objected, looking none too pleased. "Why can't I just get the remainder of my old team back together?"

"They've moved on to other things, Commander." Miranda denied in a calm, but sympathetic tone. "These individuals are some of the most skilled in the galaxy, and you're one of the few people who can make them work together as a team."

"To be fair, she is right." Tali agreed, putting her crossed arms against the edge of the table. "If I hadn't been working alongside Admiral Hackett, I very much doubt I would have been able to leave my position on Arcturus to come back."

He looked between the datapad and Miranda for a moment, eventually closing his eyes and sighing.

"You've already cleared these, Sean?" Shepard asked, looking me right in the eye.

"I was skeptical at first, but after discussing them in detail and doing my own research I trust her judgement." I voiced in support of her, which I noticed got Tali to turn her head away.

"Alright then." He said, getting up out of his seat. "We'll leave port in one hour. Make sure everything is settled before we leave, because it may be a while before we return."

"Understood, sir." I finished, giving him a quick salute as we all left the room. I walked into the empty science lab and decided to give Mara a call, knowing that it could be a while before I saw her and Elle again.

"Hello honey." She greeted with a video screen, showing that she was home. "Where have you been? You didn't come home last night, and Richard and the others just got back."

"I've been… really busy the last twenty-four hours." I answered in a slow, careful tone. "It's happening, Mara. Shepard woke up yesterday, and we just got authorization from Hackett to begin our mission."

"I… figured as much." She nodded in a disappointed tone, getting a sunken look to her face. "You… uh, have everything you need?"

"I already had my vital equipment and supplies moved over to the ship." I answered, looking back towards the door. "Um… I'll be sending the authorization message to the Admirals letting them know to transfer the development of our projects to you, Dan and Dimitri."

"OK." She replied in a solemn tone, looking down as if she was struggling to avoid my eyes. I could only imagine what must have been going through her head.

"Hon, I promise you I'll be fine." I reassured, getting my face closer to the screen as she looked back up. "I'll send daily messages to you and the spud, and will bring back some nice things for the house."

She stared into my eyes a few moments longer as she pursed her lips and her eyes turned reddish.

"Just… *sniff* be careful out there." She stated once more, suppressing the urge to break out into tears. "I love you."

"I know." I finished with a smile, feeling my emotions beginning to act up too as she cut off the video feed.

I sucked in the urge to quit now and turned to the door, only to suddenly see Tali had entered without me hearing her.

"Tali! Uh, is there something you need?" I asked with obvious surprise in my voice, feeling my heart rev up several beats.

"Before we go, I want to clear something up with you." She stated in an accusatory tone, crossing her arms as she walked towards me. "I want to know what happened to my father. What actually happened. I don't buy the official story, and I know you were involved with what happened in his lab."

I was taken aback by her sudden attitude, but knew better than to fire back at her. My breath suddenly felt very cold as my mind raced to think of something appropriate to say to her. Right as I was about to tell her the same thing I had told everyone else, I felt my throat seize up.

Rael was her father. Despite all the reservations I had about ramifications, possibilities and all that shit… I had to tell her the truth. She deserved to know. I let out a deep sigh, closing my eyes and mentally preparing myself for whatever reaction she would have.

"Tali, you're right about the official story." I admitted, ignoring my gut feeling and continuing on. "The truth is… your father and his team were rebuilding and reactivating Geth. They ended up getting free, and killed everyone in the lab."

Tali's stance and body language immediately crumbled as shock took over.

"What?" She stammered out in a disbelieving, almost hostile tone as she took a step back. "But why?"

"They were doing it for the sole purpose of performing experiments on them." I answered, holding my wrist tightly out of nerves. "He always talked about retaking the homeworld… and uh…I know how hard this must be for you to hear. You were so important to him, and I respected that bond too much to drag his name through the mud."

She stood in place for several seconds before she started crying.

"Father… why did you do this to me?" She cried out as I swallowed my words, watching her fall to her knees. "Damn it… damn it…"

I got down next to her, giving her a hug to comfort her. I held her tight as she sobbed for what felt like ages before another thought crossed my mind.

"I copied the data from his omni-tool, but never gave it to anybody." I explained, releasing her from my arms as I plucked the data chip out of my wristwatch. "Do you want it?"

She stared at the back chip for several seconds before she shook her head.

"No… you can keep it." She denied, still struggling to reign in her emotions. "I… thank you, Sean. If they discovered what my father had done…"

"Shh." I halted, giving her one more quick hug. "I know. Just remember that he loved you more than anything. Remember him for who he was, not for what he did."

She nodded, quickly walking out of the room and leaving me alone once more.

I didn't know if telling her the truth was the best thing to do, but it was the right thing. No matter how it affected her, she only needed to know he loved her very much.

"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home." Lydia commented as her image appeared on the nearest holographic projector. "Matsuo Bashō, poet of the Edo period."

"You make a habit of popping in like that?" I asked in a slightly aggravated tone, wrinkling my brow as I turned to face her.

"What, do you expect me to not throw my two cents in after hearing something like that?" She questioned, putting her hands against her hips as she shook her head and looked at the door. "The quarian people are so blinded by their obsession with returning to their homeworld that they can't see what's in front of their own faces."

I pursed my lips, knowing how true her sentiment was. Rannoch was like a forbidden, priceless gem to the quarians, and some of them were willing to sacrifice everything if it meant it was theirs again.

"You think she'll be OK?" I asked, knowing full and well she had heard and watched all of what just occurred.

"I think she just needs time to process the reality of what happened." She answered, crossing her arms across her chest. "Knowing your father did something so fundamentally wrong and got himself and others killed because of it… it's a lot to absorb."

I nodded without another word, walking towards the door but stopping to look at a reflective metal panel on the wall. I looked at myself in the reflection, taking a moment to look at the contours and colors of my face. I brushed the gray hair on the sides of my head, keeping my fingers in it for a few moments before exhaling through my nose.

The stress of it all was starting to get to me. It was a slow process, but the wear and tear was taking its toll on my physical appearance. Maybe it was just me trying to ignore the fact that I was getting older, but in the wake of Tali's emotional turmoil my thoughts turned once more to my father.

My lower lip trembled when I suddenly realized how much I looked like him. I had to break my gaze with the reflection lest I burst into tears.

I felt my heartbeat speed up before forcing myself to take deep breaths, leaning against the wall as I waited for the tight feeling in my chest to go away.

Part of me wondered if my physical appearance was a warning sign of my mental state. I dreaded to think what kind of condition I would be in years from now when Mara and I were old and tired, what our own daughter would think of us. Would she cherish and take care of us, or would she see us as a burden?

I was struck with guilt, suddenly remembering my grandfather on his deathbed. I remembered him crying out for pain medication as I held his hand as tightly as I could, knowing full and well that my incompetent grandmother and uncle let the nurse leave the house that day without giving them his painkillers.

When he stopped crying and my mother came to take my seat next to him, he told me what a good grandson I was, cracking the last smile I ever saw from him.

I went outside and wept like a baby. To see a strong man like him, a man who fought for his country during the Second World War, a man I respected to the core of my being reduced to that kind of state… it damaged me in a way I would never fully understand.

I forced myself to look back at my reflection, committing every possible detail to memory before allowing myself to leave the science lab.

God only knew how much more damage this extended trip would do to me. I needed a strong drink.

…

MFV Normandy, January 11th, 5:12 PM, 2185

…

I laid inside of my capsule bunk, taping pictures I had bought with me to the walls. They ranged from pictures of my friends, wife, Elle, and the mountains back home. I hoped they would motivate me to do my best, but all they ended up doing was making me yearn for home.

We had left several hours ago, having finally gotten the go-ahead from the Admirals. We were on our way to Omega just like Shepard said, and I was using my time to make myself as scarce as possible.

Out of the dozen pictures I had brought up with me, the one I kept my eyes glued on was the one Sira had quickly snapped of us while we were sitting inside of Dimitri's house, December of 83'. Mara had her arms wrapped around me, head against my back while I watched the snowstorm coming down outside. Dimitri was busy making popcorn for all of us, and we had to wait until he was done before we could watch our movie for that week, which happened to be Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Inside of my head at that moment I had been thinking about whether the storm was getting worse, balancing the different risk factors that would be involved with getting home that night. It was only after seeing the surprise photo that I noticed the way Mara looked at me. There was no better way to describe it other than pure love.

It had always been my favorite photo of her.

My thoughts were suddenly cut short as someone knocked on the privacy door to my bunk, which I reluctantly opened. I immediately came face-to-face with Inoe'Whilk, who I could already tell was a little worried.

"What can I do for you, Inoe?" I asked, pulling myself out of the bunk and back to my feet.

"Um… Gabriella Daniels in Engineering wanted me to come get you." She said, pushing her fingers together. "She's really worried about the reactor safeties, and wants you to come and explain them to her."

"Strange, you'd think this would have been something that had been addressed before we set sail." I replied, popping the air pockets in my neck. "Alright, I'll go have a word with her."

She nodded as we both walked off towards the elevators.

My thoughts of Mara would have to wait, there was work to be done.

…

A/N: I've managed to finally get things rolling on ME2, and despite all odds I've managed to do it despite having little to no free time the past few weeks. I've quite literally lost many hours of sleep getting this one done, and I didn't even have to force myself either. I'm quite proud of that fact.

I've also (finally) gotten some art commissioned for my story, drawn and colored by the talented nikadonna on Tumblr featuring Sean and Mara sharing a tender moment together. I've updated the story image to show it, but if you wish to see it in detail follow this link: sta . sh / 0eb6wfp5dbv (As usual, due to the website and its fear of links, the spaces must be removed.)

Make sure to follow nikadonna on Tumblr, there's more great artwork to be found there!

I'd love to read any reviews, I'm always up for suggestions or constructive criticism. Stay tuned!