LOCATION UNKNOWN….

Miranda felt the soft wind hitting her face as she was walking in a… park? She wasn't sure about that though and she don't know where she is and how did she got here. Wherever she is, the area looked peaceful. It was covered with numerous large trees and she could realize it was the season of autumn because she could see dried leaves on the ground and looking around, she spotted dried leaves are also falling from the trees with the gentle breeze. She kept on walking forward. Suddenly, she felt something small bump against her legs. She looked down to find a little girl sitting on the ground with her face down. Miranda realized the girl must have fallen after colliding with her. She bent down on one knee and placed her hand lovingly on the girl's head.

"I am sorry. Are you okay?" Miranda asked softly.

The girl looked up towards her and Miranda was so shocked after seeing the girl's face that she lost her balance and fell on the ground.

She was an exact image of Miranda, herself.

The girl quickly stood up on her feet. She kissed Miranda's cheeks. Then she giggled at her and ran away.

"Wait!" Miranda yelled and ran after her. But she couldn't find the girl anywhere. It was as if she vanished in thin air. Defeated, Miranda decided to turn back, but she stopped when she heard two voices speaking nearby. Curious, she followed the source of the sound and walked forward. After a minute or so she found the source of the sound. It was that little girl. She was hugging a man around his neck and babbling at him. Miranda couldn't see the man's face as he was turned away from her. Miranda watched from distance so they couldn't see her gawking at them. But the girl spotted her.

"Daddy! Look! There she is!" The little girl giggled again pointing her hand towards Miranda. Miranda wanted to run away but she couldn't. She felt an invisible force kept her rooted to the spot. When the man turned his face towards her, Miranda's eyes bulged. Only one word left her mouth, "John?"

He smiled at her. As if she was attracted by a magnet, she started walking forward towards him and the little girl. But suddenly, the ground shook violently and trees started to get uprooted. The little girl shrieked and embraced her father tightly. Miranda started to ran towards them. Then in slow motion she watched a red light fell on them and in front of her eyes they were turned to ashes.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" When she felt her heart breaking, she closed her eyes and yelled.

She was still screaming when she opened her eyes and someone else was there who was trying to calm her down. Miranda focused on her surroundings. There was no child, no John and she wasn't in any park, she is lying in the medbay of the Normandy. She realized what she saw was just a dream. She sighed and rubbed her face tiredly. Suddenly, she flinched as she felt a sharp pain shot through her head.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked her.

Miranda turned her head towards her right side. It was Dr. Karin Chakwas, who was looking at her worriedly. "I…. I am okay. I just felt a little pain inside my head." Miranda replied.

"It's normal after what you endured. You have a mild concussion and three broken ribs. You should be fine within few hours." Dr. Chakwas said.

Miranda nodded and lay back down. All she wanted was to ran away from the medbay and rush into his arms, right now. The temptation was almost irresistible. But as much as she wanted to be with him, she couldn't, at least not now. She has to hide her identity from him until the mission is over. But if she doesn't survive? Then she won't get a chance to tell him the truth, ever. She thought about the situation they are in for few moments and finally decided not to let him know. It's for the best. There are many reasons for which she should reveal the truth as well as there are reasons for which she shouldn't. She groaned in frustration. She felt her eyes slowly getting heavy with sleep. She realized the doctor must have given her some sleeping drugs. As sleep started to slowly overtake her, she focused her thoughts to the dream she saw. The little girl in her dream looked exactly like her, except her eyes. They were John's eyes. As she thought about her similarities with the child, she realized something.

Oh My God!

She was her and John's child. Her own daughter. Hers. She smiled to herself as she thought about having a child with him one day, perhaps. She kept on picturing the child in her mind over and over again until sleep claimed her.


DE-BRIEFING ROOM

"I have an idea, John. I think the beacon you found in Saren's base was similar to the one you found in in Eden Prime. It may have filled in the missing pieces of your vision. I might be able to help you put all the pieces together." Liars suggested.

"You want to join our minds again, don't you? Okay. Go ahead." John agreed.

The joining process was same as before but this time Liara felt a soothing sensation inside her when she joined her mind with him. She saw all the images inside his mind and put them together. She slowly opened her eyes after ending the process. But this time to her surprise she didn't feel exhausted like before.

"Incredible. I….. I never thought the images would be so… intense." Liars gasped.

"Did the vision make any sense to you?" John asked eagerly.

"It's a distress call, a message sent out across the Prothean empire. A warning against the reapers, but the warning came too late." Liara revealed.

"What about the Conduit?"

"There were other images. Locations. Places I recognized from my research…. Ilos! The Conduit is on Ilos! That is why Saren needed to find the My Relay! It is the only way to get to Ilos." Liara explained.

John stepped back from her and sat down on his chair again deep in thought. "We need to get to Ilos!" He decided.

"Forget about it. My Relay is inside the Terminus Systems. Alliance ships are not welcome there. Neither are Spectres." Tali intervened.

"The Conduit is on Ilos. That's where Saren is heading." He paused. Everyone saw that his face was showing unrestrained anger. "And when he gets there, I will be there waiting for him!"

"Saren will have his entire fleet orbiting Ilos. You will never make it down to the surface without reinforcements. You must alert the Council." Liara suggested.

He nodded in agreement and dismissed the crew. Everyone left the room except Liara who lingered behind. She stepped closer to him.

"John are you okay?" She asked kindly, but there was also concern in her voice.

"I am fine, Liara. I am okay." He assured her with a slight smile.

"Alright then. I will leave you here." Liara left him there. Next second Joker contacted John through comm, "Commander, there is a comm buoy nearby. I can link us in if you want to report back to the Citadel Council. You know, to warn them about Sovereign."

"Set the link up, Joker. They need to know."

"Patching it through."


FEW MINUTES LATER

"Commander Shepard. I'm pleased to see your mission on Virmire was a success." The asari councilor greeted John.

"Saren is formidable enough without an army of krogan serving under him." The turian councilor said.

"The krogan would have served Sovereign. A Reaper." John said.

"Yes, we saw mention of this in your report. Sovereign. A sentient machine. A true artificial intelligence. This news is quite alarming… if it turns out to be accurate." The salarian councilor said.

'Really? Now they are doubting me?' John thought. "Sovereign is a reaper. Saren confirmed it." John insisted.

"He's playing you, Shepard. Saren still has contacts on the Citadel. He probably saw your earlier reports. The ones talking about your vision. And the Reapers." The turian councilor argued.

"It's highly possible Saren is using false information to throw you off balance. Our own intelligence has never turned up any corroborating information." The salarian councilor added.

"Sooner or later, you're going to have to take something I say on faith, councilor." John replied a bit irritated.

"Try to see this from our perspective, Commander. Saren is a threat we can recognize. However, as far as we know, the Reapers only exist in your visions." The asari councilor added.

"Our decisions affect trillions of lives. We cannot act on the accusations of a single person. Even a Spectre. Not without solid evidence." The salarian councilor said.

"The council cannot take any official action here. That is why we created the Spectres. You have the authority to act as you see fit." The asari councilor explained.

"If you truly believe Sovereign is the real threat, you must take whatever steps are necessary to stop it. And Saren." The salarian councilor added.

"Good luck, Commander. From all of us." The asari councilor said before ending the transmission.

"I forwarded the mission update to the Citadel, Commander. We've got confirmation on those reinforcements. Ambassador Udina wants us to report back to the Citadel. The Council is massing a joint-species fleet to deal with Saren and his geth."

"Back to the Citadel, Joker. I want the Normandy at the head of that fleet!" John said.

"Yes, sir!"


FEW HOURS LATER AT THE CITADEL

"Good job, Shepard. Thanks to you, the Council is finally taking real action against Saren!" Udina said.

"The Ambassador is correct. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel…. as you believe… we will be ready for him." The asari councilor said.

"Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus Systems."

"Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus Systems." The turian councilor informed.

"How many ships are you sending to attack Ilos?" John asked.

"Ilos is only accessible through the My Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems. Commander, if we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war." The salarian councilor said.

"Now is the time for discretion, Commander. Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over." Udina said.

"One ship in the Terminus Systems won't start a war. I can be discreet." John said.

"You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire. I wouldn't call that discreet." The turian councilor said.

"Your style served you well in the Traverse, Commander. We recognize that. But Ilos requires a deft touch. We have the situation under control." The asari councilor added.

"Secrecy isn't his greatest weapon. The Conduit is!" John replied angrily.

"Saren is the master manipulator. The Conduit is just his distraction from his real plan to attack the Citadel." The salarian councilor said.

"Sovereign's the real threat! Saren is just a servant of the Reapers." John said frustrated.

"Only you have seen the Reapers. And then only I'm visions. We won't invade the Terminus Systems because of a dream." The asari councilor said.

"If Saren finds the Conduit, we are all screwed. We have to go to Ilos!" John tried to make them see the real threat out there.

"Ambassador Udina, I get the sense Commander Shepard isn't willing to let this go." The turian councilor said.

"There are serious political implications here, Shepard. Humanity's made great gains thanks to you. But now you're becoming more trouble than you're worth."

"You bastard! You're selling us out!" Ashley was about to punch Udina in his face but luckily Kaidan restrained her.

"It's just politics, Commander. You've done your job, now let me do mine. We've locked out the Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded." Udina said.

"Are you insane? After everything I've done, you still don't believe me?" John said outraged. He really couldn't believe that the Council is doing this to him.

"I think it's time for you and your team to leave, Commander. This no longer concerns you. The Council can handle this. With my help, of course." Udina said smugly.

John looked at all of them with anger in his eyes. They really can't imagine what's out there… waiting for the right time to attack. And now instead of helping him, they just grounded him. Defeated, he retreated with Ashley and Kaidan.


30 MINUTES LATER IN THE NORMANDY

Miranda heard what happened with the Council. She couldn't believe that they grounded him. How could they do it, after all he did? This is one of the reasons she hated politics. Now she wanted to be at his side, supporting him as a…. friend. She found him sitting with his back against his weapons locker. His gaze remained distant even when she reached there.

"John…" She whispered. She called him by his first name as she used to call him. After she came to know that he is her John, she can't bring herself to call him Shepard anymore.

"We are grounded, Alicia. The Council didn't believe me. If Saren get his hands on the Conduit, I don't know what will happen." John whispered.

"I don't know what will happen but know this I am with you always, John." Miranda said taking his hands in hers.

"That means a lot. Thanks, Alicia." He replied with a slight smile. Then surprising her, he pulled her into a hug. Miranda's hand automatically went under his hands and to his back embracing him in return. She smiled and a small tear left her eyes unknown to him. She felt safe in his embrace, again after so many years.

She pulled back from his embrace and looked straight in his eyes. Those eyes in which she can lost herself every time. John also got lost in her blue eyes. Unknown to them their faces were extremely close to each other, their noses almost touching. They could feel each other's breath on their faces. As their lips were about to meet, Joker's voice was heard in comm, "Commander, got a message from Captain Anderson. The Captain said to meet him at Flux. The club is down in the wards."

"Sounds important. You'd better go." Miranda said. He nodded at her.

On his way to Flux, John was stopped by a female reporter. "Khalish bint Sinan Al-Jilani, Westerlund News. Would you answer a few questions for our viewers?"

"What do you want to know?"

"You've been given a unique position to represent our race. People want to get a sense of how you'll do that. Humans have been trying to get the respect of the galactic community for 26 years. With that in mind, what are your feelings on being the first human Spectre?"

"The Spectres represent the best of every species in the galaxy. To be asked to join them in an honor." John replied.

"Some have said your appointment is the Citadel 'throwing human a bone.' Have you encountered any situations where Citadel asked you to place its needs before the needs of the Earth?"

"The Council is concerned with the needs of the whole galactic community. We're part of that community now. Our needs are on their agenda, but we're one of the many."

"You really do believe that, don't you?"

"I do. Otherwise, I wouldn't have said so."

"Alright. You've been given command of an advanced human worship for your missions. Is there anything you would like to say about it?"

"Actually, the Normandy, was co-developed by human and turian engineers. Its design incorporates many innovations. All of which are classified, I am afraid." John said.

"So, the turians have knowledge of the Normandy that is being kept secret from the Alliance public? Do you think it was appropriate for the Earth's most advanced warship over to the Citadel?"

"I wasn't aware it had been 'handed over' to anyone. I'm in command and last I checked, I'm human. Same goes for my crew."

"Human, yes. But you do work now for the Citadel, Commander. Speaking of your new job, did the Council ordered you to sabotage human research concern on Noveria?"

"I'm afraid I can't discuss the details of my missions." John replied, a bit irritated.

"So, you were there on a mission from the Council? Interesting. Given your recent experiences, do you think humanity will ever get the respect it deserves from the Galactic community?"

"Respect's a funny thing. People always assume they deserve it. The truth is, respect is earned. And I firmly believe, we can earn it."

Well said. Miranda thought. For some time, the reporter was getting to her nerves. She doesn't know how John has managed to remain calm and hold his composure for so long. If she was in his place, she would've punched the reporter in the face by now. helpless, she just glared at the female reporter from a little distance where she was standing with others. From the corner of her eyes, she saw that Ashley was trying hard to not to walk forward and deck the reporter, right there in the public.

"You're an idealist, Commander. A sincere one. I hope you are right. One last question, Commander. Rumours back home say that you are tracking a rogue Spectre named Saren. Do you have any comment on that?"

"I'm afraid I can't comment on whatever my current assignment may or may not be."

"Don't worry. We will find out. The eyes of Earth are on you. Don't let us down." She paused for a moment and said again, "Thanks for your time, Commander."


FEW MINUTES LATER, DOWN AT THE FLUX

"I'm glad you came, Shepard. I heard what happened." Anderson said.

"So did I." said a female voice from behind.

John turned around, "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I heard what happened John. So, I came down here to tell you that I believe you. We believe in you." Hannah said. Anderson nodded.

"Thanks, mom. That means a lot to me." He paused and turned towards Anderson. "They pulled me out of the mission, just like they forced you to give up the Normandy."

"Udina has always been a bastard! And still is." Hannah cursed under her breath.

"I know. I'm sorry. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to send a message to you before you docked. I know you're pissed off right now, but you can't give up. They all think this is over, but we both know it's not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit!" Anderson said.

"There's only one ship that can get me into the Terminus Systems undetected, and she's grounded." John said.

"Citadel control locked out all the Normandy's systems. But if we override the Ambassador's orders, we can get them to bring the Normandy back online. You can be in the Terminus Systems before anyone even knows you're gone. I can unlock the Normandy from one of the consoles in the Citadel control centre. You'll have few minutes before anyone realizes what's happened." Anderson revealed.

"That's a restricted area patrolled by armed guards. How are you going to get in?" John asked.

"Leave that to me. Just make sure you're in the Normandy when the systems come back online." Anderson assured.

"You're going to get yourself killed. There has to be another way." John protested.

"Don't worry, John. I will be with him to distract the guards." Hannah assured.

"Ambassador Udina issued the lockdown order. If I can hack in his office, maybe I can override it." Anderson said.

"He won't just stand by while you use his computer." John said.

"Hopefully, he won't be there. If he is, I'll just have to think of something." Anderson said.

"Udina won't forgive this, Captain. You'll be charged with treason, a capital offense." John said.

"We don't have a lot of options. I break into the ambassador's computer, or I take my chances with the patrols in the Citadel control." Anderson shrugged.

"You'll have a better chance if you go after the Ambassador's computer." John said.

"I was hoping you'd say that. The ambassador has made this personal." Anderson replied gritting his teeth in anger. Then he looked up towards John, who was already standing on his feet, "You ready to get the hell off this station, Commander?"

John nodded in confirmation. "Let's do this."

"I'll take care of the lockdown. You get down to the Normandy and tell Joker to stand by." Anderson said as he stood up on his feet.

Hannah faced her son. "I want to go with you, John. But I can't. For that I am sorry. Know this, I have faith in you and if anyone can stop Saren, it's you."

"Thanks, mom." John said embracing his mother.

She kissed his cheeks and murmured in his ears, "I am proud of you." She only got a smile from his son in return.


BACK IN THE NORMANDY

"Be ready Joker. The Captain will bring the systems online. Anytime now." John said to Joker.

"I am ready, Commander." Joker said. As the words left his mouth, the systems did come online.

"Get us out of here, Joker! Now!" John said.

He didn't need to be told twice.

"You know they will strip you off your rank for this." Miranda said.

"The Alliance have to catch me before they can strip my rank. But honestly? I don't care at this point about that." John replied.

"We had to do this, John. We had to. And you know that. There was no other way." Miranda said. Miranda noticed that he didn't mind her calling him by his first name.

"You are right, Alicia. But for now, I will just close my eyes for an hour or two." John said.

"Yeah. Me too." They parted their ways there.


SOMETIME LATER

The commanding officer's quarter was dark and the Commander was sleeping soundlessly on the bed with his arms folded over his chest. Suddenly, the door chimed opened silently and a figure came in towards the bed. The unknown person placed something in the Commander's palm carefully, without waking him up. Then the figure bent down and kissed the commander lightly on his lips and left the cabin silently leaving him in his sleep. After she left, John's fingers tightened around the object she left in his hand. It was the locket.


7 HOURS LATER

"Ah, Shit! That was close!" Ashley cursed as a bullet missed her head by inches.

"Ah! It's hell here!" Garrus agreed.

"You expected anything else?!" Tali responded angrily.

"Liara you sure this is the way to the gate controls?" John asked from behind his cover.

"I am." Liara replied shortly.

They were facing too many geth troopers in their way. They were almost cornered. Suddenly, John had an idea. "Alicia, Tali, Kaidan….. use those cloaks and flank them." They nodded and immediately became invisible. They crept forward slowly avoiding any geth attention. They took flanking position and rained heavy fire on them at John's signal. The geth troops were taken by surprise at the sudden attack. Many of them fell instantly against rapid fire of weapons. Next, the rest of them were taken down by combination of tech and fire powers.

"I hope that's the last of them." Garrus said. "Umph….!" Garrus fell on top of Tali when something hit him at his back.

Everyone ducked as bullets started to rain on them. "Shit! More geth!" Ashley cursed.

"Garrus get off from me!" Tali spat as Garrus was still lying on top of her.

"This is not the time for that Garrus!" John joked while giving them covering fire. Garrus cursed under his breath as he got on his feet and Tali followed.

"That must be the way." Liara indicated the way from where the geth were coming.

"You are right, Liara. Let's push them back!" John said. The team worked in perfect synchronization and easily killed the geth troops in no time. They moved forward and again faced more geth troops in their way. But the geth were no match for them.

"There!" Liara said in excitement. "I see it." She pointed above them. John noticed the stairs and quickly reached there wasting no time. Saren was already way ahead of them, they are already late. Just before they touched the ground, Saren entered the Prothean bunker and sealed it from inside. The door is very strong and they couldn't just blow it up with any of their fire powers. So, from then they were searching for the terminal to activate the gate and enter the Prothean bunker and now, they finally found it. John quickly opened the gate and turned away to leave but Alicia stopped him by putting her hand on his arm, "Wait, something is happening."

A damaged hologram appeared and someone was talking in it but it was unclear and mostly full of static. They could catch few words but they couldn't understand the language.

"What is this thing saying?" Ashley said.

"I recognize the language as Prothean which none of us can understand…." Liara said but John interrupted her. "I can understand what it is talking about. Not clearly because it's full of static but I can understand it's talking about the Reaper invasion. It's the warning."

"You… you can understand Prothean?" Ashley asked in amazement.

"Of course, he can!" Liara said in excitement. "Between the beacons and the Cipher, an understanding of the Prothean language has been transferred in his mind."

"It said something about the Conduit, but it's too degraded to help. We should go." John said.


FEW MINUTES LATER INSIDE THE PROTHEAN BUNKER

Garrus was driving the Mako with Tali and Wrex at his side. John was sitting on the passenger seat at the corner with his head leant against the glass window of the Mako. He was just staring outside, not paying attention to what others were saying. So, he didn't know a pair of curious blue eyes were watching him the whole time. His mind was both in peace and anxiety. When he woke up from his slumber inside his cabin, he found that locket in his hand, safely secured, her locket. He couldn't think of anyway about how it came back in his possession. He had lost it a while ago, when they were confronting Liara's mother, Benezia. Curiously, he opened the locket and to his surprise he found a small piece of paper inside it. There were only two words written on the paper. Have faith. What took him aback was that he recognized the handwriting immediately, it was her handwriting. There was no mistake recognizing that. It instantly gave his mind immense satisfaction knowing that she is alive and well. But his anxiety grew when he thought about why didn't she came to him and how the locket came to him. He was inside an Alliance vessel, there's no way she was in the Normandy. But then he remembered that a while ago he sensed her presence in the Normandy. At that time he thought that he was wrong, but now he is sure that he was right. She was there, in the Normandy. Then, how come no one noticed her? His thoughts halted when the Mako stopped.

"What happened? Why are we stopping?" He asked.

"There's some kind of force field ahead of us. There's no way we can go through it." Garrus informed.

"Work of Saren?" Alicia asked.

"I don't think so." Liara said.

They got down from the Mako and found an elevator at their left side. They took it and reached the top to find another hologram like the previous one. The only difference was that it was working.

"You are not Prothean. But you are not machine, either. This eventually was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warnings through the beacons." The hologram said.

"Looks like some kind of VI program. Pretty badly damaged." Wrex said.

"I do not sense any indoctrination upon any of you. Unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope."

"This is incredible. An actual Prothean VI, and I can understand it." Liara exclaimed in joy.

"I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend. My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe."

"Why did you bring me here?" John asked Vigil.

"You must break a cycle that continued for millions of years. But to stop it, you must understand or you will make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of the government. As it was with us, and as it has been with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually as enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through. And all you know will be destroyed."

"If he turns on the relay, the Reapers can wipe out the Council and the Citadel fleet in one fell swoop!" John said in understanding.

"That was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire was crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out."

"Some of you must have managed to survive?" John asked hopefully.

"Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data. Information is power, and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advanced across every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their populations enslaved. These indoctrinated agents became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines. Within a few centuries the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal and absolutely thorough."

"I don't understand. Where did the Reapers go after they conquered your people?" John asked confused.

"Our worlds were stripped bare, harvested by the indoctrinated slaves. Everything of value…. All resources, all technology were taken. Certain that all advanced organic life had been extinguished, the Reapers retreated back through the Citadel relay into dark space, sealing it behind them. All evidence of the Reaper invasion had been wiped away. Only their indoctrinated slaves were left behind, abandoned. Mindless husks no longer capable of independent thought, the indoctrinated soon starved or died of exposure. The genocide was complete."

"What do the Reapers get out of this? Why do they keep repeating this pattern of genocide over and over?"

"The Reapers are alien, unknowable. Perhaps they need slaves of resources. More likely, that are driven by motives and goals organic beings cannot hope to comprehend. In the end, what does it matter? Your survival depends on stopping them, not in understanding them."

"You said you brought me here for a reason. Tell me what I need to do."

"The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small-scale version of mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel, the hub of the relay network."

"Goddess! The Conduit is not a weapon. It is a back door to the Citadel!" Liara said.

"What happened next?" John asked ignoring Liara for the moment.

"We severed all communication with the outside and our facility went dark. The personnel retreated underground into these archives. To conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger has passed. But the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed. Decades, centuries. The Reapers persisted. And my energy reserves were dwindling."

"How did you survive?"

"I began to disable the life support of non-essential personnel. First support staff, then security. One by one, their pods were shut down to conserve energy. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even those were in danger when the Reapers finally retreated back through the Citadel relay."

"There were hundreds of stasis pods out there! You just shut them down? You killed them?" Liara said outraged.

"You were programmed to protect them! Not kill them!" John said.

"The outcome was not completely unforeseen. My actions were a result of contingency programming entered on my creation. I saved key personnel. When the Reapers retreated, the top researchers were still alive. My actions are the only reason any hope remains. When the researchers woke, they realized the Prothean species were doomed. There were only a dozen individuals left, far too few to sustain a viable population. Yet they vowed to find some way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle forever. And they knew the keepers were the key."

"Aren't they under the influence of the Reapers?" Tali asked.

"The keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station compelling the keepers to activate the Citadel relay. After decades of feverish study, the scientists discovered a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made modifications. This time when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space."

"Saren can use the Conduit to bypass all the Citadel's external defenses." John mumbled to himself.

"Correct. And once inside, he can transfer control of the station to Sovereign. Sovereign will override the Citadel's systems and manually open the relay. And the cycle of extinction will begin again."

"Is there any way we can stop them?"

"There's a data file in my console. Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station. It will corrupt the Citadel's security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign."

"Wait! Where's the Citadel's master control unit? I've never heard of anything like that." Wrex said.

"Through the Conduit. Follow Saren. He will lead you to your destination."

"Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!" John ordered.

When they reached the Mako they saw that the force field has disappeared and they could see a faint blue light in the distance. They quickly entered the Mako and this time John took the driver's seat. He drove through the geth troops. Garrus gunned downed as many as he could and John ran over a few. The Mako took several hits in the process and its shield was down to 0%. But he ignored it. They had no time to lose. He can see the Conduit now, it was close, very close. Several geth were guarding it. He just drove forward and entered the relay. Next thing they knew their heads were upside down and they were at the Citadel. They could hear the sounds of fighting there, echoes of people screaming. They got out of the Mako unharmed. John looked around. He didn't recognize the area. He never saw it before. Slowly keeping their eyes on their surrounding they started to move forward trying to find Saren. Suddenly their comm became alive and Joker's voice was heard, "Commander, we got a serious problem. The Council and the civilians need to be evacuated. Commander Bailey is on the task of evacuating the Council. But he and his team are under heavy fire. They need assistance. On the other hand, they don't have enough men to evacuate the civilians. What can we do?"

"Joker, the Council is most important but we can't let the civilians die too. I am sending Ashley and Kaidan to help Bailey. Garrus, Tali and Alicia will escort the civilians out of there. You lock in on my coordinates and pick them up." John said looking at his team. Everyone nodded in agreement but Alicia was looking a little hesitant even though she agreed to his orders. He saw her coming towards him and next thing he knew she was dragging him by his hand towards a dark corner. No one noticed as they were keeping watch.

"Alicia… what's wrong?" John asked when she let go of his hand.

"I…. I want to stay by your side until the end, Commander." She replied.

"I appreciate it, Alicia but those civilians need you. I need your help to keep them safe. Please!" John requested.

She nodded and turned away from him. "I just…" She wanted to say something but stopped when the Normandy arrived. Defeated she started to walk away from him. This cannot end like this. Never. What if she never gets another chance to tell him the truth or how she feels. But she cannot. She has to believe in him. It's not that she didn't trust him, she does more than anyone else. But last time….. to ensure her safety he broke her heart. Now again the situation may be exactly not the same, but it's definitely more dangerous. She made a decision at that moment. She cannot tell him who she is, but she can tell him how she feels about him. Yes, she can do that. She stopped in her tracks and swiftly turned around and begin to march towards him with purpose in her eyes.

John saw Alicia suddenly turned around and started to walk towards him again. He stared at her confused, not knowing what she wants. Maybe she wants to say goodbye or something like that. He thought. But what she did next completely took him by surprise.

Miranda watched him, looking at her with confused eyes. When she reached him, she didn't let him speak. Instead, she wove her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep passionate kiss. He grunted in surprise. The kiss was sweet and loving letting her remember all the times she kissed him, when they stayed together. But she pulled back quickly realizing that the others will definitely notice now. She looked straight at his eyes and whispered the words which were deep inside her heart, "I love you. I love you, John Shepard and thank you for loving me back." Then she left him not giving any chance to response.


THE BATTLE OF THE CITADEL

John just stood there with his mouth opened and watched her go. He couldn't say anything because there was nothing to say. At Joker's voice in his comm, he got out from the shock.

"Joker what is it?" John asked.

"Ummm…. Things are not looking good, Commander. Sovereign is coming."

"Drop them off and get the hell out of here, Joker. Get to a safe distance and rally the fleet. Prepare to attack, once I contact you… Wait!" Suddenly John realized something. "How are we maintaining contact here, Joker? The communication should have been down."

"About that…. I will tell you later, Commander. We… We need to talk in private."

John didn't press Joker for the information. It isn't much important to know how they are maintaining contact in this situation. "Very well. We will talk later." If I am still alive. He thought.

He, Wrex and Liara saw the others boarding the shuttle and flew away. "Guess, it's up to us now." Wrex said.

"Yeah." John replied.


THE COUNCIL

"Secure that door! Make sure nothing gets through. We have to hold on until the reinforcements and the evacuation team arrives." Bailey ordered his men. They nodded and concentrated on securing the perimeter. The members of the Council was secured inside a tight security room, at least for some time. Bailey prayed for the reinforcements to arrive soon because they are slowly getting overwhelmed by the geth. His men are trained but they needed to be commanded to fight efficiently. He can command them, but he cannot move away from near the Councilors. They need to be protected at all cost and he was the last line of defense. Bailey couldn't understand why all of a sudden, the geth are attacking the Citadel. Rumors are that they are working for Saren, a rogue Spectre.

What can they possibly want? To eliminate the Councilors and take control of the Citadel or something else?

A loud sound got Bailey's attention. He saw a couple of his men were blasted off their feet by the explosion. "Damn! They have started to breach our defenses! We can't hold them off for much longer." One of his men shouted.

"Hold them off! I don't care how you do it. The Council needs to be protected at all cost." Bailey yelled. He saw more geth foot soldiers arriving. Bailey also couldn't understand how they entered the Citadel without anyone noticing them. They had a perfect plan. First, they disabled the security system of the Citadel from inside and when the defenses are gone, they are attacking openly. Saren is behind all of this.

"Commander, a massive vessel is approaching the Citadel. Our defensive fleets are unable to hold it off. Our attacks is not even scratching it. Damn!" The soldier cursed.

"What's wrong?" Bailey asked.

"It took down all our fleets. It has some kind of defensive shield which our firepower cannot penetrate."

His words weren't even finished when they saw the massive fleet – Sovereign.

Inside the Councilors were panicking. They may be the controller of the Citadel but they have no experience in combat. Suddenly they looked out of the small glass window and their eyes widened. They saw it. Sovereign. An actual Reaper.

"We should have listened to Shepard." The asari councilor said." He was right and we didn't even believe him."

Bailey fired his avenger rifle and took out the two geth who already breached their defenses. Suddenly he felt pain in his left leg and fell down on the floor. He looked down and saw blood was running down from a wound on his left leg. He is shot. There is no hope. Where are the reinforcements? Bailey's eyes widened as he saw at least a dozen of geth soldiers coming towards them and there was no one left to stop them. His men were busy holding off other geth in other areas. But the geth couldn't approach further. A huge blast reaped them to pieces. Shocked, Bailey turned his gaze to see the Normandy flying overhead and a shuttle is approaching to his location. Shepard. He thought. Soon the shuttle landed and at least ten soldiers came out of it. He recognized two of them. Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. But where is Shepard? He let out a sigh of relief. Now they have hope. From what he heard, those two alone can do a lot of damage and they are perfectly capable of commanding his men. In his condition he is incapable to do anything now. His leg is pretty badly hurt. Next, he saw Ashley Williams approaching him. "We need a medic over here." She said and bent down in front of him to look at his wound. "I'm okay" He assured her. "It's not okay Commander Bailey, if that wound is not treated immediately, you would lose a lot of blood. I see the bullet isn't inside your leg. It's out. It completely penetrated your leg." Defeated he let the medic treat him. "Where is Shepard?" He asked her.

"The Skipper….. Commander has gone after Saren. He needs to be stopped." Ashley said.

"What does Saren want?"

"Saren wants to take hold of the Citadel and then transfer its control over to Sovereign. Once it gets control of the station it will open the relay and the Reapers will come from the dark space and then all will be lost." Kaidan answered Bailey.

"Does the Reapers really exist? And Sovereign is a Reaper?" Bailey asked.

"Yes, they exist and Sovereign is a Reaper. This situation wouldn't have arrived if the Council listened to the Skipper!" Ashley spat. Bailey nodded.


RESCUING THE CIVILIANS

"Garrus! There's a child over there!" Tali yelled.

"I am a little busy over here!" Garrus replied after shooting a geth.

"I got her!" Miranda rushed towards the child. The child was a little girl with blonde hair and brown eyes, no older than six. Suddenly, something exploded behind the girl and she shrieked in fear. Miranda saw broken glass parts are coming towards the girl. Without thinking twice she embraced the girl and turned her around to take the damage. Luckily her shield was able to protect them from getting their skins pierced by the glass. Miranda signaled Garrus and Tali that they were alright.

"Are you okay?" She asked the girl softly.

"Mhm! But I am scared." The girl mumbled in reply. Then she wove her little arms around Miranda's neck and hid her face there. Miranda let out a small smile at the girl's behaviour. She rubbed her back to soothe her. It worked. After few seconds Miranda pulled herself away from the girl's embrace gently. The little girl frowned at her. Miranda touched the girl's cheek lovingly.

"Can you do something for me?" Miranda asked kindly. The girl nodded in reply. "I want you to be brave for me. Can you do that?"

"I will try but I don't know if I can do that." She replied in a shaky voice.

"Hey! Look at me. Nothing will happen to you. I will get you out of here, safely. I promise."

"You promise?"

"Yes. It's a promise."

"Okay."

Miranda signalled Garrus that it's time to move after she checked over the other survivors. They slowly and carefully crept forward making sure to avoid all contacts. With all these civilians they cannot engage in combat with the enemies. It will cost innocent lives. Tali's drone helped them to scout the path ahead and make sure that it's clear of enemies.


SOMETIME LATER

"Alright! We are here. This place looks safe enough." Garrus said. Tali and Miranda looked around to make sure that everything was alright. All this time the little girl remained clung to Miranda holding her hand tightly.

"What are we supposed to do now?" One of the civilians asked. He was human male and very mean looking.

"We wait." Tali replied.

"Just like that? Wait for what?"

"Wait for the Citadel's arms to open and help arrive." Garrus said.

"This is absurd! We cannot just sit here. We need to get off the station. Now!"

"And how would you like to do that?!" Miranda asked with her arms folded over her chest. Her voice filled with irritation.

"I…. don't know. You people should figure it out."

"We cannot. There's no way." Tali said simply.

"And when will the arms open?"

"It's up to Shepard, now." Garrus said.

"Shepard? You mean the Commander Shepard?"

"Yes. Him." Garrus replied shortly.

The man got on his feet and turned towards the other survivors. "Brothers and sisters! We are waiting for someone who is probably busy in saving the Council, doing their bidding. We cannot wait for him. He isn't coming for us. He belongs to the Council, he is nothing but their lapdog. We should….. Ahh!" The man couldn't finish his what he was saying as a hard fist connected with his jaw. The force of the blow threw him on the floor. Completely shocked by the sudden attack, he looked up to see a dark-skinned woman with blue eyes was standing over him with her fists clenched in anger. Her blue eyes were blazing with fury.

"How dare you insult him?! He is risking his life to save all of your asses and this is the return he gets for all he did and still doing. People like you don't deserve to be rescued." Miranda spat angrily. The man begins to cower in fear under her glare. Tali came to the man's rescue at once. She placed her hand on Miranda's shoulder and stopped her, "Alicia…. He is not worth it. Leave him."

"Fine! But if he says one more word against him, I will break every bone in his body, slowly and painfully. I swear." Miranda warned and stormed away to the far corner of the room. She sat down there with her back against the wall and closed her eyes. She is concerned for him and now this insolent man is trying to blame him for their condition. It was no one's fault, except those politicians. If they listened to him, this situation wouldn't have arrived. Suddenly, she felt a warm and soft touch on her cheek. She opened her eyes to find a pair of brown eyes staring at her blue ones. Miranda smiled at the little girl. Seeing her smile the girl immediately lunged at her and embraced her tightly.

"Hey, it's okay. Everything will be alright." Miranda assured the girl while running her fingers through her blonde locks. The little girl pulled back and smiled at Miranda.

"What's your name?" Miranda asked the girl.

"Miranda." The girl replied.

The elder Miranda let out a full smile at the girl's answer. "Okay. Now you guess mine." She said almost in a childlike excitement.

The little Miranda pouted and thought for a while but she couldn't think of a name. "I don't know. Tell me. Please. Tell me! Tell me!" She stared at the elder Miranda with puppy dog eyes which melted the elder woman instantly. Miranda couldn't contain her laughter after watching the expression on the girl's face. Everyone looked at her in surprise, thinking that woman has probably gone mad. Garrus and Tali looked at each other and shrugged. They have never seen Alicia behaving like this.

Miranda whispered in the girl's ear, "I will tell you only if you promise me that you won't tell anyone."

"I promise." The girl agreed.

"My name is also Miranda." She whispered.

"Really?! Can we be friends then?" The girl asked.

"We are already friends." Miranda softly said.

Suddenly the girl noticed something. "Hey! What is this on your face?"

"On my face? Where?" Miranda asked.

"Here!" She placed her hand right beside Miranda's lips. Miranda herself touched the spot and her eyes widened. She realized somehow her mask has cracked and some part of it is already worn off, exposing her perfect pale skin. She is lucky that Garrus and Tali haven't spotted it yet.

"It's…" She started to explain but Garrus interrupted her.

"He did it! He did it! The arms are opening. We have gained control over the station." Garrus said and in excitement he embraced Tali tightly. Luckily Tali wears helmet, so he couldn't see her blushing under her helmet. Miranda looked up towards Garrus with pride in her eyes. She knew he could do it, if anyone could, it was him. This was her belief and he didn't disappoint her. Miranda realized this is her time to disappear. After this moment, Alicia will only exist in the memories of the Normandy crew. She activated her omni-tool and typed some commands, which sent a signal.

"Reinforcements have arrived along with extraction team. We are ready to go." Garrus said after he let Tali go. Everyone started to move towards the shuttle that landed a few feet away. Except one. The little girl was walking towards the shuttle but suddenly she noticed her friend wasn't there. She turned back to see that she was still standing back. She ran back to her friend.

"You must go." Miranda said.

"Aren't you coming?" The girl asked.

"I can't. It's my time to leave." Miranda replied truthfully.

"You can come with us. We are all leaving. Please." The girl requested.

"I…"

"Come on everyone. Quickly." Garrus shouted. That got the girl's attention. She looked back towards Garrus for a moment and it was enough time for Miranda to activate her cloaking device and slipped past her quietly. The girl turned around to find her friend is gone. She looked around wildly but couldn't find her friend anywhere. She immediately started to cry. Hearing the girl's cry, Garrus came to her and lifted her up in his arms.

"What happened?" He asked.

"My friend is gone." She replied while crying.

"Your friend? What….. Wait a minute where is Alicia?" Garrus asked Tali.

"I don't know. She was here just a minute ago." Tali said.

"I am telling you she is gone. Why don't you listen?"

"What do you mean she is gone?" Garrus asked.

"One moment I was asking her to come with us and next moment she was gone. Disappeared."

"The cloaking device." Tali concluded.

"But why?" Garrus said.

"I don't know Garrus. But we need to get out of here, now." Tali said urgently. Garrus nodded and the three of them boarded the shuttle and left the station.


COST OF VICTORY

"Get to the elevator!" John ordered while running and shooting the husks. He, Wrex and Liara got inside the elevator and activated it. The elevator was taking them towards the tower but suddenly it stopped.

"What happened?" Wrex growled.

"Saren must have disabled the elevator. We're going out." John replied and broke the elevator's glass with the back of his rifle. They wore their helmets and activated the magnetic shoes to walk and survive in the space.

"The turian said it right. Nothing is easy, when you are involved Shepard." Wrex said.

"You expected anything else, Wrex?" Liara asked.

"No." He shook his head. John smiled. "Come on let's go. We don't have much time. If Sovereign gains control of the station, then all is lost."

The three of them moved forward, watching their flanks. They didn't have to wait much, they got ambushed by geth soon. Killing the geth was no problem for them. But after moving farther, they faced bigger threats. Saren's krogan warriors. The three of them open fired and the krogans took hit. But it wasn't enough to stop them. One of them tackled John and crushed him against the wall. He felt the wind knocked out of him. Liara somehow managed to save herself from being crushed by another krogan warrior and Wrex was trying to stop another in what, seemed like a wrestling match. John tried to free herself from the massive creature's grip, but it was fruitless. His enemy was too strong. The krogan warrior began to crush him in his bare arms. Somehow, he did manage to get his hand on his handgun and with all his might, he head butted the krogan. In an instant it let it go. John wasted no time; he aimed his gun at its head and emptied the at least 10 bullets in the krogan's head to make sure it was dead. On the other side, Liara cleverly cast a singularity and caught the krogan warrior in its pull field. Wrex used all his strength and threw his opponent in the singularity's pull field. Liara lobbed an inferno grenade and jumped away. The explosion was great. It blasted the krogans bodies into pieces.

"We should make sure we don't run into any more of them." John said and the other two nodded in agreement.

They pushed further towards the tower but again got ambushed by geth. This time, there seem to be numbers of the geth were endless, because there was a geth ship flying above them, which kept on dropping reinforcements.

"We are wasting time. Their numbers are getting more and more." Liara said.

"We have to take down that ship, somehow." John said.

"How? Our weapons won't even scratch it." Liara said.

"Those AA guns." John pointed the large three AA guns. "We have to activate them. Liara can you do it? We two will give you covering fire." John suggested.

"This seems to be the only way." Liara prepared to move, but suddenly she remembered something and stopped. "I am so stupid."

"Why?" John asked.

"I still have the cloak. It will make things easier." Liara said.

"Alright, Liara. But be careful. Don't get spotted. We will keep them busy." John said.

She nodded and disappeared from sight. "Wrex, keep them busy. Don't let them spot, Liara."

"You got it, Shepard." He said after blasting away one geth with his biotics.

The plan was successful. Liara managed to remain undetected and activated the three AA guns while John and Wrex keep the geth busy. Against the fire power of the AA guns the geth ship was easily destroyed. They quickly killed the remainder of the geth and moved forward. On their way towards the tower, they faced another final threat. Six geth primes. They weren't not easy to kill, since none of them had the ability to take down their shields. They had to slowly drain their shields with gunfire. When their shields completely disappeared, the three of them lobbed all the grenades they had left and it was enough to kill all six of the primes. Pushing a few feet in front they discovered a shaft, which led them straight to the tower.

"Look, there. It's Saren!" Liara said.

"Quick! Move!" John said.

"He is mine." Wrex growled in anger. There were a few geth in between them and Saren who were taken down in no time.

"Ah! Shepard! You made it this far. But soon you will die. Sovereign will gain control of the Citadel within a few minutes and then the relay will open. You know what that means, right? The Reapers will return and there is nothing you can do to stop it. And since the last time I faced in Virmire, Sovereign has upgraded me. See?" He said flexing his arms.

"Sovereign is controlling you, Saren. Try to concentrate on who you are." John said.

"You can't change my mind Shepard because I realize this is the ultimate solution. The Reapers are the ultimate solution." Saren said.

"Sovereign is clouding your mind Sa….. Agh!" John cried out when he got hit by a sudden tech attack. He flew back a few feet away and crashed down the stairs.

"John!" Liara cried out in fear.

"THIS IS YOUR END SHEPARD! YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR ME! DIE!" Saren again attacked but he missed. Wrex got beyond furious. He ran towards Saren and tackled him. They both fell through a glass roof into a small kind of garden. Wrex kept on punching Saren in the face repeatedly but the turian was not affected by his blow much. With a powerful swing of his hand, he sent Wrex a few feet away on the ground. Saren slowly and menacingly walked towards the fallen Wrex who was panting on the ground. He aimed his gun straight at Wrex's head. But he couldn't pull the trigger as he got hit by a biotic power from behind. Wrex took the chance and sent Saren a few feet away with a massive upper cut.

Blue blood was dripping from the turians lips. But he just smiled at them and wiped the blood away from his mouth. "Well, aren't you the daughter of Benezia. It's a shame you didn't take my offer. You would have survived if you joined me. But now, I have to kill you."

"I would never join you. I would rather die." Liara said and hurled another warp attack towards him. Her eyes widened when Saren just slapped the energy bolt away with his hand. But Saren staggered a few feet back when a sniper round hit him on his shoulder. John was standing above them with his sniper. Liara looked towards him. He was looking bad maybe worse. She could see his armor is almost destroyed where the tech attack hit him. With his eye signal Wrex blasted Saren at his back with his shotgun. In such a close range his shield didn't work. Saren's back got badly hurt. But he got to his feet immediately as if he was feeling no pain.

"I told you Shepard. Sovereign has upgraded me. I was better than you before and I am more now." Saren mocked.

"You are more powerful than me, Saren. There's no doubt. But I have one thing, you will never have and which Sovereign will never understand." John said.

"Oh! And what is that?" Saren asked.

"Friendship and love." John said and jumped down into the garden with his assault rifle in his hand. Wrex tried to attack from behind but Saren hit him hard. John signaled Liara to cast a singularity behind Saren. The plan worked. Saren got distracted enough by the force field of the singularity long enough for John to get close and fire several rounds at Saren's head. His body fell to the ground dead.

"Told you so." John said. Then he helped Wrex up on his feet who was pretty badly hurt. "Wrex, you, okay?"

"It will take more than that to kill me, Shepard!" Wrex joked. John nodded. "Make sure he is dead." He climbed up and went to the console and used the file which he got from Vigil. The file did work. He got temporary control of the station. Liara and Wrex also climbed up and stood beside him. He immediately opened the comm channel and heard Joker's voice again. Since they got out of the elevator, he lost contact with Joker and John was glad that the henchman was alive.

"Tell me it's you, Commander!" Joker said.

"It's me Joker. What's the situation out there?" John asked.

"The Council and the civilians are safe. They are out of the station. We are ready to engage Sovereign." Joker replied.

"Do it. Take it down." John ordered.

"Aye, aye, Commander." Joker kept the comm channel open. The three of them could hear the sounds of the assault on Sovereign.

"It's no use Admiral. Sovereign is too strong. We must retreat!"

"Out of option. Hit it with everything you have."

"Shit! Sovereign is too strong." John said.

"There's nothing you can do more John." Liara said.

Suddenly the area began to shake and red sparks could be seen down in the gardens around Saren's body. "What the….." Liara gasped. Next, Saren's body was hanging in the air and slowly it changed and took the form of some kind of monster.

"SHEPARD!" It growled and attacked them. It was fast too fast for them to even hit it with bullets. With one of its attack the three of them were blasted of its feet. "YOUR EFFORTS ARE FUTILE SHEPARD. ONLY DEATH AWAITS YOU AND EVERYTHING YOU ORGAINICS LOVE WILL BE NO MORE. THE CYCLE WILL CONTINUE. AND IN FRONT OF OUR POWER, YOU WILL FALL." Saren's body said in Sovereign's mechanical voice.

While lying on the ground, John saw only one thing when his eyes were closed and he was hearing Sovereign's word. It was kind of a glimpse of the future. Everything was in ruins. Nothing was alive, except him and in his arms lay a dead body of a woman whose eyes remained open after death. He was holding her dead body in his arms.

He felt fear, pain, grief, sadness and anger. His rage broke the thin wall that was guarding the beast within. It came out, finally, which was suppressed inside for a long time.

When he opened his eyes, they were glowing blue. "You want to see what organics can do? I will show you. NOW!" John said coldly and got to his feet.

"DIE!" Sovereign said and attacked with incredible speed. Astonishing everyone, John grabbed the creature's throat with even more speed.

"Machines can never take the place of organics." John replied and his body started to radiate more energy than before. The creature in his arm could do nothing. It only thrashed. And with a blast its body got blasted off into pieces.

Liara and Wrex saw the whole thing. They have never seen such anger in his eyes, not even like this. Except one time though. And that time Liara and Benezia witnessed it, witnessed the power this human possess. Slowly the dark energy around him faded away. Miraculously, he didn't lose his consciousness this time.

"Sovereign's shield is down. This is the chance to take it down. Hit it with everything." They heard in the comm channel. Next, they saw, a massive part of Sovereign which is being blasted apart by Alliance vessels is rushing towards the area where they are standing.

"Move! Move!" John yelled and the three of them ran.


FEW MINUTES LATER

"Liara! Shepard! Wrex!" Garrus shouted with Tali, Captain Anderson, Ashley, Kaidan and several Alliance soldiers in his tow. They were searching for their friends in wreck in the Citadel tower. Captain Anderson discovered Liara and Wrex who were under a massive concrete slab. They were unharmed. But they couldn't find John.

"Liara…. Where's the Skipper?" Ashley asked her eyes full of fear.

Liara bowed her head as her eyes filled with tears. "No! No! It can't be. He can't be dead." Ashley whispered. Everyone bowed their head in sadness. The ladies were crying. Tali cried on Garrus' shoulder. Even Garrus eyes were breaming with tears for the loss of his brother.

"Someone missed me?" A voice said from behind.

Everyone whipped their head towards the direction of the sound. And there he was standing there with a teasing grin on his face, holding his left hand in his right. In the next second, he was engulfed in hug by Liara and Tali. "Oooommphhh!" He said as the wind was knocked out of him. Next came Garrus. When the two brothers were done, John moved towards Kaidan and Wrex. He shook hands with Kaidan and patted Wrex's shoulder. Anderson shook hands with John and congratulated him on his success. "Good work, Commander. You saved us all. And… it's good to see you alive." He joked. John chuckled, "Yeah….." Anderson walked away and began searching the wreck with the Alliance soldiers. Finally, he turned towards Ashley who was looking at him with hints of tears in her eyes. He smiled at her. Then she ran towards him and engulfed him in a tight hug. John was surprised by her action but nevertheless he patted her back awkwardly.

Ashley leaned forward towards his face. He knew what she wanted but it is something he can never give. Not to her or anyone, except his Miri. He slowly turned his face away, trying not to embarrass her and silently telling that what she desired is not possible. Ashley stood there like that for a few seconds looking into his eyes. Her own eyes filled with sadness and finally understanding. She nodded and stepped back without uttering a single word.

"I am sorry, Ash." He whispered only for her to hear.

She smiled sadly, "I understand."


FEW HOURS LATER WITH THE COUNCIL

"Ambassador. Captain. Commander Shepard." The Asari Councilor greeted John, Anderson and Udina. "We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the geth."

"Many humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we – The Council and the other civilians who were onboard the station could live." The salarian councilor said.

"There is no greater sacrifice and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women." The Turian Councilor added.

"The Council also owes you a great personal debt, Commander. One we can never repay. You saved not just our lives, but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Reapers." The Asari councilor acknowledged their mistake.

"Commander Shepard, your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol of everything humanity and the Alliance stands for." The salarian councilor said.

"And though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save ours, we can honour their memories through actions." The turian councilor said.

The asari councilor added next. "Humanity has shown it is ready to stand as a defender and protector of the galaxy. You have proved you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council."

"Councilor, on behalf of the humanity and the Alliance, we thank you for this prestigious honour and humbly accept." Udina said.

"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill humanity's seat on the Council." The salarian councilor said.

"Given all that has happened, I am sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight. Do you support any particular candidate?" The Asari councilor addressed John.

Udina looked at him hopefully but John knew who's the best candidate for the position is. "We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in. Someone like Captain Anderson."

"Him? You got to be joking. Anderson prefers to let his fists do the talking." Udina said outraged.

"Only with you, Ambassador. Only with you." Anderson joked.

"Are you sure about this, Commander? The Captain is a soldier, not a politician." Udina tried again. But John already made the decision. "We've got too many politicians on the Citadel. The Captain would be perfect for this job."

The Councilors accepted Anderson with open arms and he shared vows with them. John gave a nod towards Anderson and walked away from there after warning them about the incoming threat of the Reapers.


TWO DAYS LATER

"Mom! I am okay! Alright?" John said for the fifth time.

"A mother must make sure for herself. Isn't it?" Hannah teased. John rolled his eyes. "So, I heard that you have a…. girlfriend?"

"Mom…. You know there can be no one….. Captain. Come in!" John said standing up.

Anderson came in and placed a data pad on the table in front of John. "You got a mission, Commander."

John looked at the data pad and nodded.


NEXT DAY AT MIRANDA'S FLAT….

"Ori! Get the food from the fridge." Miranda said.

"I got it 'Randa. Be there now!" Oriana came to the kitchen and placed the food beside her sister. "So, when are you going tell me about this silly smile that you are wearing on your face all the time?"

"What smile?" Miranda tried to hide her smile but she couldn't. She remembers handing Joker the small communication device before heading to get the Conduit. It was connected to her omni-tool and she heard all even after she left the Citadel. She was relieved and happy when she heard he was alive and well. And from then she couldn't stop smiling.

"Well?" Oriana asked impatiently.

Miranda smiled again and went to her bedroom and lay down on her bed. "What the….." Oriana said and followed her sister.

"'Randa come on….." She pleaded.

"I have found him, Ori. I have found my John." Miranda whispered with a dreamy expression on her face.

"Really?!" Oriana asked in excitement. "And…?"

"And… what?" Miranda frowned.

"Where is he, now?" Oriana asked.

In reply Miranda activated her computer and an interview of John played in it. "There he is."

"What?! Commander Shepard?! Really?" Oriana asked in disbelief.

Miranda nodded shyly. Oriana embraced her sister in joy.

Later that night Oriana woke up from her sleep by a sound. She sat up on her bed and looked around but there was nothing unusual. Then she noticed her sister wasn't beside her on the bed. "'Randa?" She called but there was no answer. Confused, she got down from the bed and looked around but her sister was nowhere to be found. She decided to look in the small room where her sister kept her things. When she was near the door of the room, she heard news playing on the computer. She entered and got shocked. Her sister was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall. Her eyes were unfocused but they were flooded with tears. Concerned she sat down beside her and shook her sister calling her name but she got no reply. She realized her sister is in shock. But what could possibly make her sister go into shock? She wondered. Then her eyes fell on the news headlines on the computer and her eyes widened and began to fill with tears. "Oh…no…. Please no…."