A/N: Hey guys!

Just letting you know, since my knowledge of the Russian language is close to non-existing, I have written everything that is spoken in Russian in cursive. If a full sentence is in cursive, and I wrote that it is in Russian, then it's being spoken in Russian. I think this model works best, so you guys know what's going on as well. Shorter things, like curse words and such, I'll try and keep in Russian if need be.

Thanks guys, and enjoy the chapter!

29/4/2183

Normandy, On route to the Citadel.

Debriefing was in an hour's time. The mission on Feros had turned out in their favor, but it still been a struggle. Everyone needed to calm down, and unwind. That was the reason why Mads had chosen to delay the debriefing for a few days. Riesman was still in the medbay, but he was doing much better than before. Currently, Mads sat inside his cabin, studying the picture he had of his family. It brought a tear to his eye as he thought back to his parents, his siblings and everything else that had been left behind.

He could spend hours like that, sobbing over what had happened. Even to this day, he wasn't even sure what had happened. He wasn't sure why they had chosen to freeze him, and why they had chosen to bring him out of stasis again. These seemed to be questions he would never get an answer to, no matter how much he dug into alliance and Russian Intel, no matter how much he prayed to God.

Mads put the picture back on the desk, and went to take a cold shower. He needed get his thoughts straight before anything else. The jolt of the cold water was enough to spring him back into reality. Mads had no doubts that the debriefing would uneventful. They had only gained the cipher from Feros, and it hadn't really helped him make sense of the vision yet.

Right, the vision. The slideshow of horror. Brutal gore, showing machines butchering organics. While it didn't make much sense, Mads was sure it was some sort of warning, or something like that. It flashed in is mind alongside the voices he sometimes heard. They always creeped up on him. A nightmare he couldn't escape.

He shook his head to get those thoughts out of his head. He had a debriefing to get to, and a council to endure afterwards. With a deep breath, he stepped out of his cabin and made his way to the comms room, where all of his squad mates were already seated, awaiting him.

"It's good to see you all here, we have a few things to discuss." Mads announced as he sat down in his chair. He took his data pad into his hand and read up from it. "So, we managed to beat a 50.000 year old plant, save the colony and we gained the cipher, or at least I did." Mads read.

"How does it bring us closer to bringing down Saren?" Garrus asked from his chair.

"Commander, if I may?" Liara broke in and asked.

"What's on your mind, Liara?" Mads asked back.

"The cipher may have helped you understand your vision, but I assume it is still unclear?" She asked.

"Yup." Mads replied.

"As an Asari, I can meld minds with other beings. I could try and help you set the vision in order, and maybe clear it up." Liara suggested.

"Woah, hold it there sister. You want to meld with the Commander?" Ashley was skeptical, and if time was on their side, Mads would have been too.

"Ashley, calm down. I think this might be a good step towards understanding the vision." Mads said as he stood up, Liara followed suit, and approached Mads.

"Please relax Commander. Close your eyes." Liara requested. Mads obliged and did as she asked. "Embrace Eternity!" She cried. Blackness followed.

Something wasn't quite right though, it wasn't the same as when Shiala did it. There was something different. Mads assumed Liara wasn't experienced in doing the Asari meld, but there was something different. He felt as if she was poking around, seeing things she shouldn't.

Liara had never really performed the meld before, but it was taught to all Asari. She knew she had joined consciousness with the Commander, but she had never been instructed on how to locate a specific memory. She searched for a little bit, luckily time was mostly irrelevant in the meld, she could spend hours in there, and it would only be a few seconds in the real world.

She hated to admit it, but she didn't really have control over what memory came first, but instead of skipping forward… She got curious. The memory didn't have a time stamp.. Or a location. She noticed that there was sand, a lot of it. She could feel the sun punishing her skin, the sweat that was building up. She looked through the Commander's eyes, and saw that he was sitting at a folding table, and from the uncomfortable feeling, she could guess that he was sitting on a folding chair too.

"Reports?" Mads asked. The language was foreign, but Mads' mind translated it for her.

"We got them on the run, but they are still burning everything in their path. Fucking terrorists. You would think at least some human dignity remained." A man replied. Their uniforms seemed… Primitive, far behind the galactic standard. Their weapons too, they didn't look like anything she had seen before.

"Good. Orders from HQ is to continue pursuit as far as we can into Syrian territory, but we need to make sure the government forces keep up." Mads explained.

"Understood." The other man said. "Maybe we'll finally see some action, eh? I'm getting restless." He added.

"No! I hope we can stray away from this mindless violence! We shouldn't be here!" Another man broke in and said.

"Grow a fucking pair, Durov. You're here to fight. These pricks aren't going to have the same pity or mercy as you have." The first man replied.

"Calm down Victor. I'm sure Durov here will do what is necessary when the time comes. But there is nothing wrong with having a moral compass." Mads remarked.

"Yes sir." Victor replied. "Funny how that's the modern way to fight war, it's seems 2016 is the time for fighting terrorists and not an actual army." Victor commented.

2016? But how? Liara was confused, surely this couldn't be right? There was something amiss. She began to connect the dots. Everyone on the Normandy knew the Commander was different. He spoke different, he dressed different, he behaved different. Maybe the thought of him being so old wasn't such a crazy one?

She stopped herself there, she had a job to do. She forced herself away from the memory and began to look for the Prothean vision. When she got a grasp on it, she found the memory quick, but that scene… It was burned into her mind.

But, the Prothean vision overshadowed that for a moment. She saw the death and destruction in the message. Clearly, it was a warning of some kind. It was meant to show the fate of the Protheans. But, even with her help and the cipher, the vision was still a mess. That meant the original beacon had been badly damaged to some degree. When she had done what she could, she decided to not poke around any further. She wasn't sure what had rattled her more, the vision of Prothean destruction, or the Commander being older than her.

That memory… Why did it come to his mind now? Had she… Poked around in there? If she had, that meant she knew too much. His past was to remain a secret. No one could know. Mads shook the thoughts from his head. He would deal with once this meeting was done. He looked at Liara, and she seemed more confused than anything.

"Could you make sense of it?" Mads asked, keeping thoughts on the matter at hand.

"It's a some sort of distress signal… Sent out across the Prothean empire. At the time, it was already far too late. A desperate call to arms." Liara replied, also focusing on the Prothean vision, and not the… Other stuff.

"Against the Reapers?" Mads asked.

"Maybe… I'm not sure yet. I think the beacon was broken, even with the cipher, it's cut up." Liara answered.

"Okay, go down and lie down. I'll talk with you later." Mads made sure the tone of his voice was enough for her to understand what he meant. "Everyone else, you're dismissed. I have to talk with the council." Mads ordered. They all stood up and left as Mads made himself ready to once again speak with councilors.

As the last one left, Mads ordered Joker to put them through. He might as well get it over with. It didn't take long before a connection was made, and the councilor stood before him in their hologram form.

"Commander, we read your report. It would have been easier if ExoGeni had been honest about the Thorian." Councilor Tevos said.

"I doubt they would have given us anything, even if we pressed them before hand. That's simply how companies work." Mads replied. He knew all about it, even partook in the world of corporate secrets.

"Still, it's a shame you had to kill it. We could have studied it further. Such an old life form could provide a most interesting perspective." Councilor Valern remarked.

"I did my duty. Leaving the Thoarian there would probably have killed the colonists in the end. I won't stand for it. I'll do it again in a heart beat if need be." Mads defended himself.

"Well, at least the colony was saved." Tevos described the silver lining. That was the best lining in this case if you asked Mads. Working the deal with Jeong was just the cherry on top.

"Of course it was saved! Romanov would go to any length to save a human colony!" Councilor Sparatus ranted.

"Being human had nothing to do with it. Had it been a Salarian or Turian colony, I would have done the same to save it. You can take your attitude and shove it up your ass." Mads snapped. His anger with the Turian councilor seemed to rise whenever he had the displeasure of speaking with the councilor.

"Romanov! There is no need for such foul language!" Tevos lectured. Mads backed down. "If that is all, then we look forward to hearing about your next mission. Until then, Commander." Tevos said as a farewell message, and they all hanged up. Mads shook his head at them.

2 hours later.

SSV Normandy, Medbay.

Mads took a deep breath as he entered the Medbay. He noticed Chakwas sitting at her terminal, as she always did, and Riesman was laying on the bed. Quietly reading some sort of book. Mads couldn't make out the title.

"Commander." Chakwas greeted.

"Doctor. How are you?" Mads asked.

"I'm fine, Commander. I have been tending to Riesman's wounds. Though I think he is just about ready to leave." Chakwas replied.

"You agree with that, Riesman?" Mads asked as he turned his eyes on Riesman. Riesman put his finger on the line he was reading and looked up at Mads.

"I'd say so, Commander. Leg has healed up nicely. I can mostly walk without a problem at this point." Riesman answered with a smile.

"Good lad. We'll make sure you aren't put under any heavy workload just yet… That reminds me, is Dr. T'soni in?" Mads then asked.

"Yes, she is just through the door." Chakwas replied.

"Thanks." Mads said as went over to the door that would lead to there Liara had set up camp. Liara seemed busy doing some work on her terminal as Mads entered. Mads closed the door, and locked it behind him. He needed to have a serious chat with Liara.

"Hello Liara. Are you feeling alright?" Mads asked.

"Yes, I'm feeling better. Chakwas saw to my needs… Though I get that's not why you are here..." She answered, and she was right.

"I get the feeling you saw more in there than the Prothean Vision, am I correct in thinking so?" Mads then asked, his tone changed a bit. More harsh now. Liara hung her head low. Ashamed of herself.

"… Yes..." She replied, her voice meek. Like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "I'm sorry, it was an accident!" She defended herself. Maybe she was right.

"What exactly did you see?" Mads asked. He had to cover his bases. See what she really knew.

"… I saw-…. I saw you, in a desert… And… And I heard them say it was 2016… What does that mean?" Liara asked, her voice was still meek, but at least she was honest.

"Liara, you just saw my greatest secret. People keep asking why I'm different, why I am the way I am… Truth is… I was never meant to be here. I died in a hot desert in Syria, and instead of going to Heaven, I go here. Like some sick joke." Mads replied.

"So those that mean…?" Liara started the question, and Mads already knew what she was going to ask.

"Yes… I'm over 160 years old..." Mads answered truthfully. Not a word of a lie. Liara looked as if she was in shock. But that was understandable… To some extend. Sure, Asari lived long lives, but few others did. The only races that had a lower life expectancy than humans were Salarians and Vorcha.

"… But how?" Liara asked, the shock hadn't left her face yet.

"I'm not sure… All I know is my country betrayed me… I caught a bullet to the head-" Mads ran his hand along the scar on his right side of his skull to show her. No doubt she had noticed it before. "- And went into a coma… But instead of trying to help me out of a coma…. They decided to cryo freeze me. Left me on ice for over 150 years..." Mads explained.

"But I don't understand." Liara was more confused than anything, and Mads understood her position. He had been just as confused when he woke up.

"I don't know why… Some Alliance higher ups tried to dig up the old files, but they were a dead end… All of the files said that the orders came from someone 'higher up and above their pay grade'. Not sure I really care anymore… Not to mention how weird it is that they didn't freeze any other soldiers… They only ever used the technology on me… And no one knows how they even developed it. Everything is clouded in mystery." Mads laid it all out.

"I'm-…. I'm truly sorry, Commander." Liara replied.

"Me too… My family was told I was dead… Killed in combat. They didn't even give them a body to bury… By the time I woke up again, they were all long gone… Nothing but dust..." Mads felt sadness creep up in him. He sighed as he wiped a tear off his cheek. Liara put her hand on Mads' shoulder in a show of sympathy.

"How did you cope, Commander?" Liara asked.

"I don't know if I have truly accepted it yet… Sometimes I hope this is just some sort of dream. That tomorrow I'll wake up in a hospital bed and find that nothing has changed… Other times? I think about putting my gun in my mouth and ending things..." Mads confessed. He had never told that to anyone else. He had no idea why he told Liara, but it felt good to get off his chest in some way.

"Are you serious, Commander?" Liara asked concerned.

"I think about it, but I can't do… Not sure if I'm a coward, or if I have just dedicated my life to humanity now. If I have to die, I can at least die for a good cause… A wise man once told me: 'You can only die once, make sure it is worth it'. Those are the words I live by now. Killing myself would be selfish, and not to mention it is a sin. To cast away the life the Lord gave you… It's not right." Mads answered. Liara nodded her head. She understood what he meant.

"I think you are a truly strong individual, Commander. To withstand so much punishment, and still keep on a happy face for your crew… You have my support, no matter what." Liara promised.

"I appreciate that, Liara. I really do. Best thing you can do, is keep this secret to yourself. I don't need people judging or second guessing me because of what happened to me. So, this thing you saw does not leave this room… Do we have an agreement?" Mads asked.

"Yes, I will take it to the grave if necessary." Liara promised.

"Good… That's all for now. We dock at the citadel in 2 days, where there will be shore leave for a day." Mads informed her.

"Understood, Commander." Liara replied. Mads smiled and shook her hand. As long as this secret stayed there, all would be good.

6 hours later

SSV Normandy, Mess hall.

"Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers.

One hundred million angels singin'.

Multitudes are marching to the big kettle drum.

Voices callin', voices cryin'. Some are born and some are dyin'.

It's Alpha and Omega's Kingdom come.

And the whirlwind-" Mads stopped short. The tuning was off on his guitar. The guitar of which he had brought for a few credits back on Feros. Now he understood why the price had been so low. The tuning of the guitar was off, and it took forever to get it right. So, Mads started to play around with the guitar to get it to sound right. Music had been a passion of his for quite a long time. Johnny Cash was one of those artists that could really rock. His songs ranked among the best in Mads' opinion.

"Commander?" Mads heard a voice behind him say. Mads quickly put the guitar down and looked back to see Tali standing there.

"Hello Tali, how are you?" Mads asked.

"I'm fine, Commander. And you?" She asked back as she sat down across from Mads.

"Just peachy." Mads replied with a smile. "Did the trick help?" Mads then asked. Referring to his suggestion of listening to audio of engines.

"Yes, it worked wonders." Tali answered. "Thank you." She then added.

"No need to thank me. Far as I'm concerned, we need you sharp when you are working in engineering." Mads replied.

"And what about you, Commander? Are you sleeping?" She then asked.

"Not really. I take my sleep when I can, but it's usually hard to get. If you experience the things I have Tali, you would understand..." Mads answered.

"I see..." Tali could see this was a sensitive topic for the Commander.

"Oh, that reminds me. Wait here for a second." Mads requested as he got out of his seat and walked into his quarters. Tali looked at him as he disappeared into the Captain's quarters. A few seconds later, he reappeared with something in his hand. The Commander sat down and put the piece of paper on the table. "This-" Mads said as he pointed to the piece of paper. "-Is a temporary employment contract for the Alliance. I want you to sign it." Mads requested as he handed Tali a pen.

"But-" Tali was cut off by Mads raising his hand.

"I know what you are going to say, Tali. That being here is enough, that you don't need more. But I insist. While free labor might be good, I think it's best that we pay you for your services here. This contract is set to last for about 6 months. I'm not sure how long it will take for us to track down Saren, so if need be, we can either extend the contract, or break it off when need be. Please." Mads explained as he still held the pen out to her.

Tali nervously took the pen. "Feel free to look through it first. Just so you are sure we aren't screwing you over." Mads said. Tali did just that. She began to read the lines. She had expected him to do it on a data pad. Not… Whatever this was. She had never held a pen in her life. She found the contract to be very generous. It just stated that her obligation were as they had been during her time on the Normandy so far. There were no lines in small print. The pay seemed almost too good to be true. She would receive the same monthly salary as a senior engineer.

"But I don't understand… How can you employ me in the Alliance?" She asked.

"Technically, you are employed under me. The Alliance's logo is on the front, but that's about all. I believe in fair pay for fair work, Tali. You deserve pay for what you are doing. Wrex, Garrus and Liara have already signed the contract… Though Wrex broke my other pen just by holding it." Mads laughed. Tali chuckled as well.

"Okay, if you want me to do it." Tali said as she wrote down her name on the signature line on both copies.

"Excellent. That makes it official then. That brings me to the next point." Mads then said as he fetched a data pad. "Chief Engineer Adams remarked in his latest report, that you have worked a lot of overtime so far. Now, there are two ways we can deal with this." Mads said as he put the data pad down. "We can give you some extra free time to make up for your extra work. But from what Adams tells me, it's next to impossible to get you away from the engineering department… So-" Mads cleared his throat. Tali looked at him nervously. "- We'll have to compensate you for your extra time. That's means I'll have to pay you a bonus." Mads finished. Tali shoulders instantly went from tense to relaxed. Mads then typed in a few commands on his omni-tool, and a few seconds later, Tali's omni-tool beeped.

She opened her omni-tool, and found she had received 2500 credits from the Commander. She could hardly believe it. "Thank you." She said, after it had sunk in.

"No need to thank me. You'll be receiving a monthly salary, and I'll make sure any bonus you earn is transferred to your account. If at any point you would rather have some free time instead of money, just come and ask." Mads replied.

"I will." She said. She was smiling behind her visor. She almost couldn't believe it, very few people outside of the migrant fleet had shown her such kindness. To actually care that she gets paid what she is due.

"We'll be stopping at the citadel next. There be a chance for a day's shore leave, in case you want it." Mads informed her.

"Do you mind if I come with you?" Tali asked. She didn't even think about the words what just flew out of her mouth. She was actually nervous now, since she felt like she had just set herself up for a fall in case the Commander didn't actually want to take her along.

"Sure, I have to stop by the embassy to showcase the Geth Rifle to Captain Anderson. Hopefully they can reverse engineer it. And I'll probably swing by and get something to eat. You up for that?" Mads asked, and then mentally slapping himself for saying so. It almost sounded like a date in human terms.

"I would love that." She replied. Mads smiled, relieved. She looked less nervous now as well.

"Then it's a deal." Mads said.

1/5/2183

Normandy docking bay, Citadel.

Mads waited for the airlock to finish it's decompression. He tapped his foot on the ground lightly. Tali stood beside him, also waiting, although she was more patient about it. Finally, the synthetic voice of the VI told them the process was complete, and that Pressly had the deck. Most of the other crew members chose to remain on the Normandy.

As soon as Mads stepped out of the airlock, he saw a man standing a few feet away. Mads noticed the man was wearing an Alliance admiral uniform. Mads straightened up and gave the man the salute he was due. The Admiral returned the salute.

"Commander Romanov?" He asked. Mads nodded. "I'm rear Admiral Mikhailovich of the 63rd flotilla." Mikhailovich introduced himself.

"Mikhailovich? Are you Russian?" Mads asked in Russian. It had been a while since he had the chance to speak his native tongue.

"Yes. Born in Volgograd. Didn't know you were Russian." Mikhailovich replied in Russian. The same was true for him.

"Not many remember the name… Crossed out from Russian history. Anyway, I was born in St. Petersburg. So yeah, I'm Russian." Mads remarked.

"That's interesting… Anyway. I have come here to inspect this overpriced piece of flying junk. The SSV Normandy was taking out from my command to be given to you." Mikhailovich stated. He was clearly not impressed with the vessel.

"Junk? I assure you that the Normandy is a fine vessel. It serves it's purpose well, above and beyond what the rest of the Alliance's ships can do." Mads replied.

"That might be so, but for the price of the Normandy, we could have had a new bloody cruiser. The drive core costs alone could have covered the cost of drive cores for over 12.000 new fighters! The Alliance shouldn't put all it's eggs into this basket." Mikhailovich said. He surely felt strongly about it.

"I can vouch for the Normandy. I believe it to be a wonderful vessel. Go ahead and inspect the vessel, we can discuss your findings when you return." Mads suggested as he stepped aside to let Mikhailovich go on ahead. Mikhailovich quickly passed through. Mads had no idea how long Mikhailovich was going to spend in there, so he would wait for him to come back.

Mikhailovich spent close to 30 minutes in there. Searching around. Mads waited patiently outside with Tali as they awaited him to return. He finally came back out, and he looked less than pleased.

"Commander Romanov. I have inspected the ship, and I am not liking what I have seen." Mikhailovich stated.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Rear Admiral. Perhaps I can ease your burden by answering any form of questions you may have?" Mads suggested. Mads tried to turn on his charm for this one. The last thing he needed was for the Normandy to have a bad rep in the Alliance brass' mind.

"Who designed that god forsaken CIC? The Captain's post is at the very end of the room. What if the CO needs to give an order to someone on the other side of the CIC?" Mikhailovich asked.

"That's Turian design, Rear Admiral. As far as I'm concerned, the alliance wanted to test it out. So far it has worked rather well." Mads answered truthfully. He hadn't experienced any problems so far. Though, they hadn't tested it under extreme stress yet.

"I suppose that makes sense, but why not test that in a lab somewhere?" Mikhailovich asked.

"In my experience, the best test is a field test." Mads replied. Mikhailovich chose not to remark on that.

"And that drive core of yours! I already mentioned it, but seeing it in person only made me reaffirm my point. We could have brought a cruiser for the price of this piece of fancy metal! What good does a few hours under the radar even do?" Mikhailovich asked.

"It does a lot of good, Rear Admiral. So far, we have been able to both observe and deploy undetected. That's aces in my book. I would love to see it on a larger scale." Mads answered. Once again, not a word of a lie.

"Let's talk about the people you employ. Asari, Turian, Quarian?-" Mikhailovich pointed to Tali who stood beside Mads. She hadn't been able to translate any of the words they had been saying, so she was confused when the rear Admiral pointed to her. "-What were you thinking, Commader?"

"All of those crew members have been very helpful in my hunt so far. Tali, who you point your finger at, have been of the upmost importance to the mission so far. Saving my ass a couple of times, that's for sure. Besides, it's good PR, Rear Admiral." Mads said. He changed his tone a bit, to be more firm. He understood where the rear Admiral was coming from. But, he wanted it to be made clear that they were not freeloaders just given free passage.

"Hmmmm… Your job is to look good, Commander. The Alliance navy's job is to win wars… I will go and write my report to the Alliance HQ… It will not be as… Negative… As I had imagined. Anyway, thank you for your time, Commander." Mikhailovich finally gave way.

"Thanks for your time as well, Rear Admiral. A pleasure to speak with a fellow Russian." Mads said and offered the Rear Admiral a handshake. The Rear Admiral accepted and nodded to Mads as he left.

"What was that about?" Tali asked.

"The Rear Admiral was convinced that the Normandy was an overpriced piece of Junk. I convinced him otherwise." Mads replied with a smile.

After a long elevator ride down, which literally took so long, they arrived at the C-Sec HQ. It was as busy as it ever was, with Officers busy writing reports and citizens who wanted to report crimes. It was no different than when he last was here. He figured they probably never really caught a break with that. Before Mads had stepped even two steps out of the elevator, a woman approached him with a drone in tow.

"Commander Romanov?" She asked.

"That's my name and rank alright." Mads wittingly replied.

"Khalisah al-Jilani, Westerlund News. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" Khalisah asked. Mads crossed his arms. So that's what she was, a journalist. Mads had never been big on those types, just as likely to print truth as they were to print lies.

"I guess." Mads replied.

"Great!" She said and began to type in a few commands on her omni-tool. Within seconds, the light from the drone shined directly into Mads' face. A goddamn live interview. "Considering how long Humanity have tried to get galactic respect and recognition, how do you feel being the first human Spectre?" She asked.

"It's a great honor. Both on behalf of humanity, but for my family as well." Mads replied.

"Some people say that making you a Spectre was just throwing humans a bone. Any comment on that?" Khalisah asked further. Mads was already disliking her more and more with each second that passed.

"I think it's was due time, but I understand why the council is hesitant. A lot is at stake when you're concerning yourself with the whole galactic community. I'm happy to serve both the council and the Alliance. I'll help those who need it." Mads replied, honest truth on his part.

"Hmmm, interesting… Anyway, you have been given command of an advanced human warship for your mission. Is there anything you would like to say about it?" She asked.

"The Normandy is a fine ship. A product of a joint project with the Turians. So far, it's been serving my needs wonderfully." Mads answered. Keeping his stature straight and firm.

"So the Turians have knowledge about the Normandy? And the alliance public is being kept in the dark? How do you justify handing over the most advanced warship to the council?" She asked. It was clear that she was poking him for a reaction. Mads kept his head cool, no need to do anything rash.

"The Normandy is still flying Alliance colors, and will take on any mission the Alliance wants it to. It hasn't been handed over." Mads explained with a slightly annoyed voice.

"Okay… So, do you actually believe we will get respect from the council?" She then asked.

"Certainly, if we earn it. We aren't owed anything, but the more goodwill we make, the more it will rain back on us later." Mads answered.

"Hmmm… So, Intel would suggest you are tracking down a rogue Spectre by the name of Saren. Is that true?" She then asked.

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. The mission is classified. If you want answers, go haggle the council for them." Mads suggested.

"Okay Commander. That will be all. The eyes of earth is upon you, don't forget that… Thank you for your time." She said, and then promptly walked away.

"Oh, don't worry. I won't forget." Mads snarled. He felt like punching the woman, she had tried to smear him.. Luckily he managed to keep his head cool and not do anything he would regret later. That's all he could hope for. "Come on Tali, let's go see Anderson before any more reporters come for a piece of the pie." Mads suggested.

"I'm right behind you." Tali replied.

Human embassy. Citadel.

It was a short walk from the C-sec HQ to the embassy. It had a nice view, one he couldn't complain about. The embassy was quiet, as it always was. There was hardly anything ever going on there. The Asari at the reception greeted them, and told them that Anderson and Udina were waiting for them at the human embassy office.

Mads and Tali walked up and knocked on the door. The got a come in from inside. As they entered, Mads saw Anderson get up from a couch in the corner. He shook Mads' hand when he was in range. "Romanov, how are you?" Anderson asked with a smile.

"Just fine, Anderson. And you? You holding up okay with your new assignment?" Mads asked back.

"It's not so bad. Not quite what I imagined, but that's irrelevant. You have been busy, haven't you?" Anderson asked.

"Done a lot within the last few weeks." Mads replied.

"Quite so, Commander. Destroying a ruin on Therum, killing off an ancient creature." Udina remarked from his position at his desk.

"The Commander did as the Alliance expected him to do. He saved Terra Nova, he saved Zhu's Hope, and he managed to kick Saren in the balls several times!" Anderson fired back at the ambassador.

"I could do without the heat that comes from his heroics." Udina replied.

"Don't worry about him, Romanov. What did you want to showcase to me?" Anderson asked, referring to Mads' email he had sent a few days ago.

"Got something interesting to show you. I managed to pick up a Geth rifle while on Feros." Mads answered as he tapped his box. He sat down the box on the desk and pulled out the rifle, earning a jolt from Udina, who was unprepared for Mads to be wielding a rifle in his office.

"What's so special about it?" Anderson asked.

"It's way of bypassing the problem of overheating. They used detachable heat sinks. Pop in a new one, and you're good to go." Mads showcased what he meant with the rifle. "Perhaps the Alliance can reverse engineer it?" Mads suggested.

"That is indeed interesting." Anderson remarked as he took the rifle and studied it carefully. "I'll get it to the Alliance tech labs, no worry." Anderson promised.

"Thanks… That was all I wanted to show you. I'm afraid I have to leave again." Mads said.

"You do have a great many things to see to." Udina added. Mads stared annoyed at the ambassador.

"I'll see you around, Commander. If there is anything else you'll need, just contact me." Anderson said.

"Thanks. Stay safe Captain." Mads said.

"You too." Anderson smiled.

20 minutes later.

The wards, Citadel.

Mads and Tali walked through the crowds of the wards. Tali followed Mads the whole way. They had been talking most of the time, mostly about irrelevant things. Mads said they were going to get some lunch at a place he knew. Tali wasn't sure what to expect, but she followed him regardless.

Suddenly, Mads stopped short. They were standing in front of what appeared to be a crossover between a bar and a cafe. It looked nice, at least from the outside. "Here we are. This place is great." Mads remarked.

Tali looked up and saw the sign at the front. 'Taste of Russia'. It was called. Mads opened the door, and she went in first. Apparently it was a human thing to allow the ladies to enter first. Romanov was Russian, right? That's probably why he had chosen this location.

Mads and the bartender most have known each other, because the bartender's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw the Commander. "Look who's here! The boss man himself!" The Bartender cheered.

"How are you, Tony?" Mads asked as he gave the man a hug.

"Better, now that I know the boss man is here again. How have you been?" Tony asked as he returned the hug.

"You know how it is. The alliance needs fires put out, and I'm the man for the job." Mads replied as they ended the hug.

"No shit? I heard you had become the first Spectre. A champion for humanity and all that." Tony said.

"Yeah, that too. Currently living on the edge… How is business?" Mads asked.

"I'm surprised you haven't kept up Romanov. It's going okay, nothing major… Are you hungry? I think Mom is cooking up some Beef Stroganoff is the kitchen." Tony asked.

"Starving actually. The Alliance couldn't cook a good meal if their live depended on it. By the way, I guess I'd better go say hello to Olga, or she'll kill me." Mads joked.

"You'll better do that. I'll get some Vodka served up… Who is your Quarian friend?" Tony asked curiously.

"This is Tali'Zorah. She is serving aboard the Normandy with me. She is probably the best engineer I have ever met." Mads introduced her. Tali said hello and shook Tony's hand.

"So you ain't dating her?" Tony asked as a joke.

"No, I'm afraid not." Mads replied with chuckle.

"Anyway, go greet mom." Tony suggested. Mads nodded and went behind the bar and into the kitchen. As soon as he was out of ear shot.

"Do you know the Commander?" Tali asked curiously.

"Do I know him?" Tony asked with a laugh. "I sure as hell should. He owns this bar. I met him like… 5 years ago I think. We used to have a little restaurant in outskirts of St. Petersburg. Romanov used to eat at our place whenever he was there. One day he asked if we would be interested in opening up a joint here on the citadel. My mom and I were struggling with money back then, and so we took the offer. Best thing I have ever done in my life." Tony explained.

"Wow, Romanov owns this place? So you're Russian too?" Tali asked.

"Me? Only half Russian, I'm afraid. My mom, Olga, is full Russian… But my dad was Italian." Tony replied.

"Was?" It was wrong of Tali to go into details with this man she had just met.

"Abandoned my mom and I when I was…. Three? Something like that. I don't talk with him, he might as well be dead… But let's not get into such a conversation. Romanov called me yesterday and told me to get some dextro paste tube… I guess now I know why. Go on, have a seat." Tony requested. Tali did as such and sat down in the booth in the corner. A few seconds later, Romanov came back out and went over to sit down with Tali.

"You didn't tell me you owned this place." Tali tsked at him.

"Tony and his big mouth..." Mads shook his head. "Yeah, I'm the owner. But I hardly do much in the day-to-day operation of this place. It's a nice place to come and get some dinner." Mads replied.

"I like it." Tali said with a smile behing her visor.

"I'm glad you do. It's food is based on Russian and Slavic traditional dishes. It has also been decorated to look like any traditional Russian restaurant." Before Mads could finish saying whatever he was saying, Tony came over with a dish of Beef Stroganoff and a tube for Tali. He then served up some Vodka for Mads, and some triple filtered Turian wine for Tali, alongside a straw for her to drink it. Tony then smiled at them, and went back behind his bar to clean some glasses. They ate in silence for a while, both of them enjoying their meal. Tali could see that Mads greatly enjoyed a real meal. The tubes were fine, about the same quality as those she had gotten by her father. Nothing major.

"Give my compliments to Olga!" Mads yelled out to Tony.

"Will do, boss man." Tony replied as he went into the kitchen. They continued eating in relative silence. It was rather quiet within the small establishment. It didn't take long before Mads was done with his dish, and then quickly downed the glass of Vodka in front of him.

"Oh, that hits the spot." Mads laughed. Tali chuckled a bit as well. Then, the door opened. Mads looked out of the booth to see who just came in. Whoever it was, it was someone Mads knew, because his eyes lit up like Christmas tree this time. "Joe?" Mads asked. The man turned his attention the their booth.

"Mads? Jesus Christ, what a fucking coincidence. Good to see you!" Joe said as he approached Mads. They shared a hug, a tight one at that.

"Oh, this is Tali'Zorah. She is serving with me on the Normandy." Mads introduced her. "Tali, this Joseph. He is uhhh…. My nephew, I guess you could say." Mads said. Joseph and Tali shook hands. "Come on, sit down. What brings you to the citadel? I didn't know you were here." Mads asked with a smile.

"I didn't know you were here either. Just went here for a snack. As for the citadel, I'm here to look into buying new things for the Nexus. Actually, now that I do have you here, dad wants to talk with you." Joseph explained.

"Oh yeah? What about?" Mads asked as he granted himself a cigarette and lit it up.

"It's about the andromeda thing… Look, it's best discussed privately… How long are you on the citadel?" Joseph asked.

"I'm leaving tonight." Mads replied as he took another drag of his cigarette.

"Fuck… Okay, is there any other place we can meet and discuss it?" Joseph then asked as he rubbed his temples. Mads pondered on the question for a little while.

"I'll be on Noveria in like 1-2 weeks. We can meet there." Mads suggested.

"At the office?" Joseph asked.

"Yeah sure. I'll email the old man with the exact details when we get closer. Until then, enjoy a drink." Mads ordered jokingly. And that they did. Tali had a chance to speak with both of them as they drank what must have been half a bottle of Vodka. Turns out Joe and Mads were related… Somehow?

Mads called him his Nephew, but that wasn't true. Still, Joe seemed like a stand up guy. Young, but capable. She had no idea what the andromeda thing was, other than it was some sort of project, and they needed Mads' help on it. She didn't know what to think.

5 hours later

SSV Normandy.

As Mads and Tali boarded the Normandy again, everything was as it always was. She had a wonderful time while going with the Commander. Mads disappeared into the comm room, and she went back down to engineering, since there was still some work to be done. Mads went to the comm room to check if there was anything urgent for him to know about, turns out there was indeed something noteworthy. Admiral Kahoku had sent a message to him, pre-recorded.

"Commander, I got some intel from the beacon… It's not looking good. You were right, they were lured there… I put out some feelers, and called in some favors… Turns out it was a black ops group named Cerberus who did it. They have a facility on Binthu. I'm going there to try and stop this… But I think they are already on me… Please Commander, I beg you, do what's right… Admiral Kahoku out." The message stopped there. Mads clicked his tongue and then ordered Joker to set a course for that planet. He had to put this right.