"Shepard, are you reading me? Commander?" He could barely make out Hackett's voice through the static.

"EDI, can you clear this up?" Michael strode into the QEC. There were wires everywhere. His...The ship was a mess. No. His ship was a mess.

"I'll do my best." EDI's voice was almost comforting. He hadn't quite realized how worried he'd been about her.

"Did you get to the Archives?" Hackett's image now held almost steady.

"I was there. So was the Illusive Man." He probably should have found a way to kill that man before turning himself in. But he'd trusted the Alliance to handle it. Anger started to rise again, and he forced it back down.

"I was worried Cerberus might try something." Hackett folded his arms. "Did you get the data?"

"Most of it. He downloaded some before I could stop him. EDI and Liara are analyzing what we recorded." With those two minds, it should take only a few minutes. Sure enough, Liara was already entering the room.

"What have you learned?" Hackett's eyes went to Liara. "Was it worth the effort?" Kaidan's battered face flashed in his mind. It damn fucking well better be. Dammit, he needed to focus. He started one of the mental calming exercises Samara had taught him.

Liara nodded. "Preliminary evidence suggests the data is a blueprint for a Prothean device." She began pulling up schematics on her omnitool.

"Device?" Hackett leaned forward.

"A weapon, massive in size and scope, that's capable of unquantified levels of destruction."

"Send me the data. We'll do our own analysis. If Liara's instincts are right, this might be the key to stopping the Reapers."

"I hope so." He'd bet his life on less. Fuck. Odds were they would have to bet everyone's life on this. And it may have already cost them... "Kaidan's been hurt. We're taking him to the Citadel."

Something flickered across Hackett's eyes. "Sorry to hear that, son." Hackett exhaled, then squared his shoulders and met Michael's eyes. "But we both know this is just the beginning." Or the end. "Talk to the Council. Show them what you've found. With luck, they'll give you all the support we need."

"We've never been lucky, sir."

Hackett gave a short, bitter laugh, then nodded. "Do whatever it takes to get them on board." Michael saluted, and Hackett returned it. "I'll be in touch soon. Hackett out."

#

Liara turned to leave. Michael stayed where he was, staring at the blank QEC. He'd turned himself in hoping it wouldn't get to this point. That they'd finally listen and... And here he was again. "Commander?" He heard Liara's voice behind him, then the sound of her shifting awkwardly. "EDI is extracting data from the Cerberus machine. We'll have the details to present to the Council by the time we reach the Citadel."

He didn't turn around. "And Kaidan?" Liara wasn't a medical doctor, but right now she was the closest thing they had. Dammit, they should have been ready.

"I've done what I can for him, but we need to get him to a medical facility soon." The Citadel had those, too. He pushed himself away from the console and turned toward her. "The Admiral's right. It's going to get worse, isn't it?"

She wanted him to comfort her, to tell her it was going to be alright. They were past that lie, now. "Unless we stop the Reapers. Yeah."

As he walked out of the QEC, she followed. "I've looked at the data. This weapon could be the answer..." She spoke quickly, nervously. "If we can build it." She hesitated, then frowned. "I get the sense you don't quite believe it, though."

Miracles were something he'd stopped believing in a long time ago. Michael closed his eyes, then saw that boy's face and opened them again quickly. Here he was, about to go fucking play politics when... "I'm a soldier. I should be back on Earth fighting, not wasting my time with this." Almost six years ago now, Anderson had given him a chance.

"If it's going to work, we need you." Liara was staring at him. "Commander?" A note of desperation entered her voice when he didn't respond. "Isn't it worth trying, at least?"

Anderson had given him a chance. And now... And now he needed to return the favor. He wanted to hope. He really did. Liara deserved that much, but... "I'm going to go check on Kaidan." He paused after a few steps. No, Liara deserved that much. He turned back toward her and made himself meet her eyes. He'd try. If nothing else, Hackett had ordered him to. "Make sure we're ready to present our findings to the Council."

Liara smiled. "I'm sure the Council will see the need to help."

Over a hundred years old, and she was still so damn young. "It'll be a hell of a short war if they don't."

#

After checking on Kaidan, he started to take a walk around the ship to look over the changes. It took him about five seconds of that to realize he was just in the way of those trying desperately to finish retrofits on the fly, and he headed up to what had been his quarters instead.

The tank was still there, though now it was empty. Uncertain of how his pets would fair in his captivity, he'd readily agreed when Kelly Chambers had offered to take care of them. The room felt strange without their presence. Watching the fish had always been calming. Michael exhaled, and was starting to sit down on the edge of the bed when he heard a rustling sound. He frowned, then glanced around at where there was evidence of retrofits. The sound didn't seem to be coming from there.

A glance in the corner revealed one of his models. He picked it up, and something gave a frightened squeak before skittering away. Michael stared in disbelief before dropping to his knees and peering under the table. "Hey there. You're not supposed to be here." The hamster fled, and he crawled after it. He banged his head on the edge of the desk and cursed, then cursed again when the sound drove the hamster under the couch.

He held out his hand. "Hey, little guy. Remember me?"

The hamster made a soft chirping sound, then slowly moved closer. "Stowing away, huh?" He rolled his eyes. Had it really been here the whole time? "Not the smartest move. Chambers said she was going to build you a custom cage."

It crawled into his hand, and he picked it up gently. A stroke of a finger down its spine seemed to calm it down. "Don't tell anyone, but I kind of missed you." Michael petted it again.

Then he exhaled and sat down on the edge of the bed. He lifted up the hamster so they were eye level with each other. "You could have left the fight, you know." He petted it again. "Gone off somewhere, away from all this. Left it all behind and..." He shook his head. "Now it's back to the cage." The hamster chirped. "Yes, I'm talking to a hamster in metaphors." Michael rose again. "EDI, is there anything on board I can use as a hamster habitat?"

"Yes, Commander. There is a shipment box in the closet that may suit your needs."

"I'll get you a set of racing strips if you delete your recordings of the last ten minutes." He kept the hamster cradled in one hand as he dug the box out.

"Extranet consensus is that red ones go faster, Shepard."

"Noted." He put the hamster into the box carefully, and made a mental note to get something better on the Citadel when they...

He exhaled, then squared his shoulders. "Prioritize any remaining repair work you need, EDI. Get orders placed for stuff you can buy and let me know what we'll have to steal."

"Already done, Shepard."

He patted the bulkhead nearest him. "Atta girl."

#

"Barely got a pulse here."

Michael watched the medics take Kaidan away on the stretcher and told himself the man would be alright. Unfortunately, he was all too well aware he was an accomplished liar. "Where are you taking him?"

"Huerta Memorial. Best care on the Citadel."

He wanted to follow but stopped himself. At this point, he'd only be in the way. James glanced at him. "We're not going with?"

Liara spoke for him. "We need to see the council."

"Right." James shrugged. Michael turned to look at the ships coming in. Talking to the Council was necessary, but he needed to be sure he could keep his temper in check before heading up. "Looks like they may be coming to see you."

He turned to see Bailey. Shit. He'd hadn't been able to give the requested twenty-four-hour warning. "Commander Shepard." Bailey nodded to him. "Got word you were arriving."

"Captain Bailey." Michael strode forward to accept the handshake. "Good to see you again."

"You too-" Bailey gave an impressive eye roll. "Though it's 'commander' now."

Michael gave him a sympathetic look, wondering who exactly the man had pissed off and what part of any of it was Michael's fault. "Congratulations?"

"Thanks." Bailey shrugged. "Now half my job is dealing with political bullshit and escorting dignitaries around." When Michael started to narrow his eyes, Bailey smirked. "No offense."

"None taken," Michael lied. "So, you're here to bring us to the Council?"

Several expressions crossed Bailey's face. Not a one of them was comforting to see. "I'm here to tell you the Council is expecting you, but they are dealing with their own..." Bailey waved a hand. "Problems. With the war and everything. They apologize for the inconvenience, and blah blah blah..." He knew he'd liked Bailey for a reason. "Meet them here, at Udina's office. They'll be ready soon enough."

Pretty much what he expected. The fact that they had a human councilor was not as comforting as it could have been, considering said councilor was now Udina. Then again, Udina was a pretty damn good attack dog when it came to politics. "All right."

Bailey hesitated a moment. "You might have time to go by the medical center, if you want to check on progress over there."

"Thanks, I might do that." He'd already been planning on it. If nothing else, he was also going to need to steal himself a ship medic if they were really going to be back in the fight.

"You go on ahead." Liara nodded. "I'll head up to Udina's office." Bailey offered to have someone show her the way, but he was pretty sure she knew that already. He made a mental note to ask her if she had said office bugged.

He nodded a bit of approval to James for his agreement to stay out of the way and not get into any trouble. The kid was still a bit out of sorts, and technically didn't even have an assignment right now. Duty called Bailey away, and Michael took another deep breath before climbing into the lift and hitting the button for the hospital.

#

Kaidan was at least stable. That much was good news. He still looked like shit, but he had vital signs. "Hard seeing you like this." Michael exhaled. "I, uh..." He twitched a shoulder. "Don't know if you can hear me, but since you can't tell me to get the hell out, either..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm going to take my chances."

Michael took a step closer, then lightly put his hand on top of Kaidan's. "Don't die, Kaidan. You've got to fight. We need you in this. I need..." He shook his head. "You're a hell of a soldier. The Alliance could sure use you."

Stupid. Stupid thing to say. Kaidan knew how good a soldier he was. "I could use you." Fuck. He sounded like a twelve-year-old. "Hamster's okay. I mean, if..." He was saved by a doctor entering the room. "You need anything, doc, let me know." The man just nodded, and Michael turned back to Kaidan. "Come on, Major. Fight." He turned to go. "And that's an order."

#

Two things caught his eye on the way out of the hospital. A bottle of a Peruvian whiskey Kaidan had once mentioned, and Dr. Chakwas. "Shepard." She nodded when she saw him. "There you are." When he expressed surprise at seeing her, she just shrugged. "I'm working at an Alliance R&D lab down in Shalta Wards, coordinating closely with Admiral Hackett. I heard you escaped Earth in the Normandy, and that someone was critically injured. I came as fast as I could."

"We had a run-in with a Cerberus synthetic on Mars. Kaidan took the worst of it." He'd seen the charts, but... "How is he doing?"

"Very well, all things considered. I'm impressed with Major Alenko's resilience, as well as Dr. Michel's expertise." Chakwas felt Kaidan was in good hands. He felt a little of his tension ease. The other doctor's name sounded vaguely familiar, but at the moment he couldn't place it. "I wish I could have been there to help on Mars."

If she'd been there... Dr. Chakwas stuck in a lab, doing R&D. That was like assigning an elcor to figure-skating. "Your place is in Normandy's med bay, not some lab."

A slightly relieved smile came to her face. "I couldn't agree more. You say the word, and I'm with you."

"It's not the Normandy without you, Doctor. Get your things. Docking bay D24."

"Yes, Commander." She agreed so quickly he suspected she was already packed. "And thank you."

#

One meeting with the Council later, and he was kicking one of Udina's office chairs across the room. It hit the wall hard enough to break. After everything, they were selling humanity out. How many ships had died to save the Destiny Ascension? He should have fucking let Sovereign kill them. Maybe their replacements wouldn't have been so damn useless. Udina followed him in a moment later. The man must be as irritated as he was, because he didn't anything about the destroyed chair. "They're a bunch of self-concerned jackasses, Shepard." Udina was shaking his head. "We may have a spot on the Council, but humanity will always be considered second-rate."

"How can they be so blind?" They'd seen a reaper with their own eyes.

"They're scared. And they're looking out for themselves." Udina glared out the window.

"Our people are scared." They both turned to see the Turian councilor. Spartacus? No, Sparatus. "And we are looking out for them the best we know how."

The best would be to work together. Michael held his tongue, letting Udina speak. "Councilor." Udina squared his shoulders.

Sparatus, however, ignored Udina, turning to face Michael directly. "Commander. I can't give you what you need, but I can tell you how to get it."

Better than nothing. "I'm listening." Hopefully the man was about to tell him how many turians he'd need to shoot to put Garrus on the council.

"Primarch Fedorian called the war summit, but..." Sparatus began pacing. "We lost contact with him when the Reapers hit Palaven. Those meetings won't proceed without him." Sparatus turned to face him again. "The Normandy is one of the few ships that can extract Primarch Fedorian undetected."

"I told you this would happen, and you did nothing." Michael took a step toward him. Udina looked for a moment like he was about to wave Michael back, then the man simply stood back and folded his arms instead.

"We can argue the past later if you like." Sparatus didn't back down. "But the leaders of the summit will be the ones deciding our future. The fate of our fleets, where they fight, and with whom." His mandibles clicked. "A grateful Primarch would be a tremendous ally in your bid to unite us."

"We're at war, and you want me to play politician?" That was NOT going to end well for the politicians.

"If it gets you what you need, what does it matter?" Smug turian bastard had a point, and not just the ones on the top of his spiky head. Sparatus walked toward Udina's display and called up some information. "Our latest intelligence says that the Primarch was moved to a base on Palaven's largest moon."

#

After filling Bailey in, he headed back toward the lifts. A familiar figure was standing just outside said lifts. He narrowed his eyes but kept walking. "Commander Shepard. Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani. Isn't it true you were on Earth when the Reapers attacked? How do you justify running away while millions of people on Earth die? Is that the best we can expect from the Alliance?" Samara had given him a mantra to use if he encountered this woman again. How did it go? Oh, right. Don't punch the reporter. Don't punch the reporter. Don't punch the reporter.

Don't punch the reporter. "I came to get help for Earth. For everyone."

"What about all the people suffering while you play politics with the Council? What about them?" Her hands moved frantically as her eyes... "How can you stand here while our families die? What are you going to do?"

Don't punch the... He stepped forward to put a hand on her shoulder. "Khalisah, we're doing everything we can."

To his surprise, she hugged him, clinging to him briefly before stepping back. "Before they cut the feeds..." He could see the tears trying to escape her eyes. "There were so many dead."

"I'm going to stop the Reapers or die trying, but I need your help." He didn't like the woman, but when it came to attack dogs, she was one of the best humanity had to offer. "Keep asking the hard questions. Don't let the Council forget about Earth."

The tears were replaced by resolve. "I will. Thank you, Commander." She started to walk away, then turned back to him. "I haven't always spoken kindly of the military..." She nodded to him. "But I'm glad you're on our side."

#

"Hey, Commander." James met him at the lift. "Liara told me the Council's not interested in helping us."

"Something like that." Hopefully, the Primarch would see reason. Or he'd figure out the line of succession and keep going until he found one that would. He was still, after all, a Spectre.

"Why would they?" James gestured. "Look at this place. There's no war here. People are whispering about it. Talking about it. But they don't really believe it."

"I take it this is your first time here..." He stepped into the lift. "With the elite of the galaxy?"

James followed. "I've been to the Citadel, but never up here on the Presidium. It's..." James stared out at the view. "Not right. It looks pretty. Calm and peaceful. But it's not right. It's all just an illusion."

He'd been in enough firefights on the Citadel to know that for a fact. "They're in for a rude awakening. Every species will fall, one by one, if they don't work with us."

"No shit." The lift came to a stop. "I can't believe it's even up for debate."

Michael paused as they stepped out of the lift. "So, you still want to go back to Earth?"

"Hell yeah, but..." James shook his head.

"But?" Michael lifted an eyebrow, watching the younger man carefully.

"You were right. So was Anderson. We can't stop them alone." James squared his shoulders. "Besides, looks like you're going to have your hands full convincing these pendejo politicians to help us. And I'm up for it. Whatever it takes."

"Glad to hear it." Michael nodded. "Welcome to the Normandy, Vega."

The kid grinned. "I'm going to head down to some of the lower levels. Where they keep it real."

"One drink limit, we're heading out in the next couple hours."

#

He'd have turned Aller down flat if it hadn't been for his encounter with al-Jilani. People needed to be informed, or there'd be no way to hold the varied limbs of galactic politicians to the fire. Groups like Cerberus thrived in ignorance and misinformation.

Michael checked quickly with EDI. What they could get in time they had, the rest they could pick up after saving turian carapace. For now...

For now, he needed some sleep, or he'd do no one any good. He dropped a bit of carrot in the new hamster cage and headed for his bunk.

#

She hesitated before touching the control on the door. Somehow, the last six months had seemed longer than the previous two years. Then again, Shepard hadn't been alive a good portion of those two years. The last six months would have weighed far heavier on him. Liara sighed. She really should have made time to visit, especially given how often she'd admonished Kaidan.

It took a few seconds for him to come to the door, and he looked a bit rumpled when he did. She must have woken him. "Liara, can I help you?"

"I've been forwarding the turian councilor information on the Prothean device." She sighed. "It can't be built without Council support, but he's not budging until their primarch is safe."

Shepard walked past her and leaned on the railing, look at where some of the retrofits had yet to be completed. "I know."

Liara took a step toward him. "Are you all right?"

He turned to face her, shrugging, his usual stoic with a hint of cocky expression on his face. "Just shaking off some sleep."

If she hadn't known him for so long, she might have believed it. She was about to say something to that effect when another voice came from the hall behind them. "Commander Shepard? I'm Specialist -" The woman she'd seen in the CDC was gave them a startled look. "Oh. I beg your pardon. I thought you were alone."

She knew him well enough to know she'd never get him to talk in front of a stranger. With a look she hoped made him understand the conversation wasn't over yet, she headed for the lift.