The world came into focus in starts and fits. Standard-issue starship ceiling blended into the nightmare visions then back. One hand lifted to her temple as she squinted up at the concerned face of a standard-issue Alliance medical officer. "Lights … in my eyes," she grunted, shifting her hand to cover the piercing glare. Oh wow, her head … . She squeezed her eyes shut, the pain easing back once the light wasn't stabbing her, but then the vision from the beacon invaded.

Despair … terror … screams beyond counting … . 'No hope. The cruel gods have abandoned us'. Endless slaughter … brutality … corruption. Running towards an embrace once loved … then pain … sorrow … . 'What have they done to you?'

'Four of us remain. Only four, and you get too close. After so many missions, after all your training, you panic and step into an indoctrination field. Foolish … careless … . Now, die with your masters, traitor.'

Preferring pain to the nightmare downloaded into her head, Shepard opened her eyes again, blinking slowly. "I'm back aboard the Normandy?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"You are, Commander," the doctor said, her voice harsh and clipped. Shepard winced at the volume as Chakwas continued, "How are you feeling?"

Shepard held up a hand, waving a little to try to back the doctor down a couple of notches. "Like I tried to cure the worst hangover ever by lobotomizing myself with a coat hanger. Show a little mercy, Doc … whisper? Please?" She let her hand drop across her stomach, her eyes defying her to sag closed again.

"Apologies, Commander. Would you like something for the pain?" The doctor appeared in Shepard's field of vision, omnitool active, face professionally concerned.

Cool relief and gratitude washed through her at the significantly lowered volume. Painkillers? Images splashed crimson with blood flashed through her mind, pulled forward by the sudden yank and twist in her guts. Fuck yes, she wanted drugs. Enough to send her into sweet, pain-free, nightmare-free oblivion. "I'd send you flowers every week for the rest of your life." Shepard hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip a little.

You know you can't, Janey. Just grit your teeth and bull through it.

Shame and embarrassment tangled up with the need. "But um, non-narcotic, please, Doc?" Damn, she hated this part of a new assignment. That and explaining the scars when anyone saw them for the first time.

"Of course, Commander."

Shepard let out a long breath and relaxed into the gel mattress as she heard the clipped, efficient stride cross the medbay. Wait … she was forgetting something. Eden Prime, beacon, nightmare … oh, sweet baby Jesus … the pain in the ass Spectre … . She opened her eyes and lifted her head to find the doc. "How's Spectre Kryik? Is he okay after the whole beacon incident?"

A dual toned rumble answered instead of the doc. "I'm fine." Ah yes, there it was, the stick-driven-so-far-up-my-ass-it-rattles-against-my-back-teeth attitude she remembered so fondly.

Shepard's head flopped back onto the mattress. A heavy thump of feet hitting the floor was followed by three strides and then the very pissed-off face of a turian shoving itself into her field of vision. Shepard let out a long, moaning sort of sigh. Kryik had to be seriously furious for his temper to show through the rigid plates. She wondered vaguely if his eyes were loaded … probably best to check the safety was still on, or that glare was going to put thirty holes in her.

"You're welcome," she groaned. Pressing her palm against his brow, she pushed him back, buying herself enough room to sit up. "Back up, big fella." The agony in her head trickled down her spine and into her limbs as she settled into a sloppy pigeon pose to stretch her back and hips.

Nihlus jerked back violently enough to throw himself off balance. "What?" The word hit her like a slap, along with some spit.

Gross. Wouldn't have pegged him as a spitter.

A sarcastic, disappointed sigh preceded her reply, "Sorry, just figured the reason you were hanging over me is that you couldn't wait to thank me for saving your ass when the beacon grabbed you." She swung her legs off the side of the bed, her head falling like she'd dropped it. She caught it in her hands, her elbows hitting her thighs before she stopped collapsing. It felt as though a hundred squirrels had gone rampaging through her brain searching for nuts. Normally she wouldn't have minded. Nuts … oh yeah, everyone agreed she was nuts, so normally she had plenty to spare. But whatever the beacon had done to her had replaced all her lovely nuts with nightmares.

Well, at least you know you're still insane. That's a start.

Shepard slapped duct tape over her internal voice's mouth and tilted her head a little to look at the doctor. "How long have I been out?"

"Fifteen hours," Nihlus supplied, bristling until he loomed like a giant vulture waiting to attack. "The beacon exploding overloaded both our systems. I regained consciousness a half hour ago. What happened to you in those seconds, Commander?"

Shepard stared at him from under heavy-lidded eyes for a moment before she shook her head, more trying to sort out the mess in her head than anything. "I saw things, flashes of death and terror. Then I blacked out. The rest … maybe it was a dream? But I saw synthetic soldiers … abominations ... killing organics. Mass slaughter. There were also organics being fit with cybernetics or something. That part was ... gooey." She winced and let her hands take the weight of her head again. "I don't know, it's all a jumble. All I can tell you for sure was that there was a terrible sense of doom and terror." She pressed the heel of her hand against her right eye. "Except ... it feels like there are huge pieces missing. Blank spots."

A noisy breath whistled through the Spectre's nose as he nodded. "I experienced much the same thing. Nightmarish visions but large blank spaces." Nihlus grumbled and paced a few strides one way and then back, his agitation growing rather than abating. "You should have just left me alone. Maybe it would have been just fine."

"Yeah, if I'd left you alone, you would have woken up with all this crap in your head. Can't say I'd complain about that." She sat up straight, shoulders squared and pointed, pain and annoyance throwing up a forest of pikes all pointed his way. "Oh, wait ... no, you wouldn't, because if I'd let you have your way, Saren would have blown your head off before we got close to the beacon. So, maybe get off my back a little." She slid down of the table, bracing herself against the edge until she could be sure her legs intended to hold her.

Nihlus let out another long sigh, her shot hitting true, chipping away some of his arrogance. "Saren was my mentor. He saved m—" He shook his head. "I never imagined ... . Afterward, I needed to catch him and find out what he was doing there ... put a bullet in him."

"Yeah, well, we don't always get what we want, do we?" She kept her tone soft.

"Great!" Nihlus spun on his heel and strode to the door. He turned back before walking through. "You interfere with the beacon, get it blown to hell, and that's what we have to show for your incompetence? A vision of ... nothing."

"Me? My incompetence?" Shepard stormed after him, pressing in on him. "You're the idiot who charged ahead again after I saved you from the fuckup you caused when you charged ahead the first time. Did it hurt your ego that the little, fragile female human had to save you? Hurt that bloody stick-up-your-ass pride that Saren completely pulled the wool over your eyes?" She backed up a step, glad to see some fire kindle behind the dead shock in his eyes.

Nihlus drew himself up taller and broader, and she could see the iron set along his spine. Wouldn't hurt to push a little harder. At least anger wasn't flailing, and she knew that in his place, she'd be flailing if she didn't have somewhere to focus the energy.

A cold, hard smile cut across her face. "Let me guess? You're so supremely confident in yourself that it never occurred to you that Saren might be able to trick you?" She scoffed and turned away. Despite her back being turned, every sense remained fixed behind her, partially to keep a read on his emotions, partially to know if a punch flew at her. "My incompetence?" She flung a disgusted gesture as if tossing the idea to the other end of medbay. "I spent the whole damned mission saving your ass."

Shepard stalked back to the table and moved to hop up on it, but a large, long-taloned hand grabbed her arm, jerking her around to face the Spectre. He pushed in on her, trapping her up against the table. She stared into his eyes for a second, not knowing what she saw in them. It looked like she'd hurt his feelings. Yeah, he looked like she'd slapped him.

You aren't thinking that Nihlus actually likes you, are you? Don't be stupid. Stop projecting. Just because you had a—

She doubled up the duct tape and catalogued the Spectre's expression away for later as it disappeared, seven feet of fury looming over her.

"Watch yourself, Shepard. I have a limit to what I'll tolerate." His voice rolled low, the sub-vocals pounding against her chest like a jackhammer covered in cotton-batting.

She pushed back, forcing her voice down into her chest then channelled it so that it resonated through her head as she replied, "And you've reached mine." He might tower two feet over her, but when it came to intimidation, she'd learned to make up in attitude what she lacked in stature. "Unless you want to find out what it feels like to have a tiny, human female peel back your plates, you'd better be hitting on me, Kryik," she continued, keeping her voice to the low, dangerous growl. As intended, her remark startled him enough that he backed up a step.

"You just need to keep your mouth shut sometimes," he grumbled, then released her and turned away. With each step, his shoulders slumped a little more, the anger fading far faster than she'd thought it would. "I'm used to working on my own, not sticking with a squad. Saren … ." What came out of his throat sounded like the bastard child of a growl and a keen. "I screwed up, bought what he told me about why he was there. I never thought … ."

She watched him from under half-closed eyelids as he gathered the shreds of his dignity tight around him. He expected a great deal from himself. She could see that plain as the mandibles on his face. One corner of her mouth twitched up in a reluctant smile as the pieces fell into place, and she understood. She amounted to little more than a stranger. Saren had been his mentor and friend nearly as long as she'd been alive. Way easier to blame everything on the new guy. Yeah. She got that, and she could bear that for him until he reached a place where he could take the blame back and put it where it belonged.

Still, she couldn't resist the urge to prod him a little. "You going to blame the beacon being destroyed on me, Nihlus? Make sure I never become a Spectre?" She hopped up onto the side of the bed, allowing the disappointment to hit home as she heard the words out loud. "I think that's pretty much covered, don't you?" Damn it. Being the first human Spectre would have been something. Shepard shook her head and reached up to run her hand through her short, red curls. Oh well, it didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. The vision from the beacon … what happened to the protheans … Saren … that mattered. "Oh well," she said, "Look at the bright side. If the council rejects my Spectre candidacy, at least you won't have to deal with my incompetence as your partner."

He stared at her, his mandibles dropping and flicking. For a moment, she thought his expression might be disappointment, as if he hadn't considered that their mentoring relationship would die before it began. Then the heartbeat passed, and he chuffed a little, his mandibles pulling tight before he turned and walked out the door.

Don't leave it on that note, Janey. Throw the torin a bone for pity's sake.

"Hey, Kryik ... you're welcome. It was my pleasure to have your back," Shepard called after him. "Just so that you know ... you can count on me having it, no matter how big an ass you are." She softened the last sentence, taking the sarcastic edge out of her voice. She did want him to know he could trust her to have his six. "And for what it's worth, I'm glad Saren didn't kill you." The corner of her mouth tugged into a fleeting, crooked smile.

He glanced over his shoulder, his mandibles fluttering a little, and he rumbled low in his throat. After a moment, he nodded once, then continued toward the stairs up to the CIC.

Shepard slumped, the headache pounding like a prisoner trying to smash its way out of her skull. "Hey, Doc … about those meds?" She collapsed down until her head rested in her hands again. Damn, they'd gotten so wrapped up in beating one another, they'd forgotten about the vision from the beacon. Somehow, between them, they'd have to figure out what that thing packed into their heads.

"Apologies, Commander," the doctor said then administered the injection, "but I didn't think it was safe to step between you."

Shepard tilted her head and glanced up, catching the glint in the doctor's eyes. She gave Chakwas a tired smile. "Probably wise, Doc. Probably very wise.

A moment later, the doors opened, Anderson striding through, all hard-edged efficiency. "What the hell happened down there, Shepard?" Despite his tone, he walked right up to her and reached out to grip her forearms. "Are you all right?" Turning to look over at the doctor, he levelled his worry on her. "Is she all right?"

Shepard smiled and nodded. She squeezed his wrists before pulling away. "I'm fine … Dad." Grinning at his expression, she continued, "The mission however, went completely FUBAR thanks to our resident Spectre and his buddy." Shepard slid off the table. "I spent the whole time chasing Kryik, and when we got to the colony, it was swarming with geth, all working for another Spectre." Cocking a hip, she leaned against the bed, the hard edge digging into the bone. "He almost killed Kryik … tried to shoot him in the back of the head. I sniped him, but he bolted before I could take him down. By the time I got our Spectre back up on his feet, Saren had a massive head start."

Anderson bristled. "Saren?" He shook his head and paced back to the door. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. He's always been news of the worst sort." Turning back, he gestured for her to continue. "Sorry, Shepard. Go ahead."

"Saren slowed down our pursuit with enough demo charges to flatten the colony. By the time we reached the beacon, he'd activated it … used it as far as we know." She pantomimed the adventure in miniature as the adrenaline gripped her again. "While I was calling for pickup, Kryik got too close. The damned thing grabbed a hold of him and started pulling him toward it." Her right hand drifted back up to hold her brain in as it made a break for her eye socket. "I grabbed him, tried to throw him loose, but then the fucking thing hit me with some sort of mind blast. It left a vision of a synthetic-led armageddon behind." She shrugged and tried to drop her hand, but it just migrated back to her eye. "Some seriously crazy shit is going on here, sir. Seriously crazy shit. Kryik seemed just as blind as we were, but that other Spectre ... ."

Anderson nodded and paced back and forth across the narrow medbay. "Yeah, Saren Arterius. Powerful—damn near untouchable. One torin black ops squad." He chuckled but it came out cold and hard enough to raise the hackles on the back of Shepard's neck. "As you may have guessed, I've had some experience dealing with him. He hates humans. He thinks we need to be sent back to Earth like unruly children."

Shepard watched her oldest friend and adoptive guardian stride back and forth for a moment, as agitated as she'd ever seen him. Whatever their history was, it wasn't pretty. It was also a matter for another time. "He wanted that beacon in the worst way. He wasn't there to spank some humans. That was just a fortunate side effect."

She shook her head and let her hand drop to her side. "We're so screwed, Anderson. Forget the crazy shit inside my head and what it means … because that is a string of 100,000,000 christmas lights that will need an asari matriarch or someone close to untangle … ." Both hands lifted in a small hiccough of a shrug. "The council's going to be pissed as hell over the beacon blowing up. Kryik might be able to mitigate that a little, but they're going to use this to slap us back as hard as they can."

Uttering a grumbling sigh, Anderson stopped pacing and returned to stand, facing her. He looked old and tired, and for a moment, her throat tightened up. What in hell's name had happened between him and Saren? He took a deep breath, cracking his neck to either side, then the age and weariness disappeared back behind the mask of rank and duty. "All right. Politics, topic A. Now for B … the beacon vision? Of what?"

Shepard reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. Her ears still rang, and she wished the large group of taiko drummers would move on and take up residence inside someone else's skull. "I saw synthetics butchering people. It was a slaughter, literally billions dead. I saw other images, cybernetics being implanted into flesh … people turned into monsters ... it's all just a jumble of horror." She stretched her neck, trying to ease the ache. "It's not all there, though. I think Kryik and I split the information."

Anderson stepped forward to squeeze her shoulder. "That's probably why the beacon exploded as well. The both of you being caught in it overloaded it. But, at least you seem all right." He ducked down to look her in the eye. "Are you? Don't lie to me."

Shepard gave him a lopsided grin and nodded. He couldn't help being the dad. He'd stepped into that role in a heartbeat that day on Mindoir, and refused to put it down regardless of her age. "About as all right as usual." She let out a long breath, her shoulders collapsing a little. "Don't worry, I'll shake this off."

Like we shake everything off given enough time or mass quantities of illegal substances.

How had the voice gotten out of the duct tape? She slapped it back on and forced herself to focus. "Regardless, we need to tell the Council. If Saren wanted this information, there has to be a reason."

Anderson nodded to himself, and she could see the wheels turning as he set their course. "Head up to the bridge, and tell Joker to bring us in to dock with the Citadel."

Shepard let out a long sigh and nodded, straightening to give him an affectionate salute. "Yes, sir. I don't suppose now is a good time to ask you to send someone else to do your pickup on Eden Prime?"

Anderson chuckled and returned her salute before reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. "Way too late for that, Shepard." He strode to the door, then stopped and turned around. "Besides, if everything had to go tits up, I'm thankful as hell that you're on it. Just … for the love of God, try not to torture Kryik any more than absolutely necessary." He winced in the way only a father can when thinking of his daughter dating the local bad boy. "I know he's got that whole tough guy, army-of-one thing you can't resist, but if he shoots you, there's going to be paperwork til doomsday."

"No promises, sir, but I'll do my best." She reached out to snag his hand, giving it a quick squeeze. "I'm fine. I've got this under control."

"Sure you do." He walked out the door, back straight and shoulders square. "I'll start the paperwork now."

Shepard grinned and leaned back against the bed as the door slid shut. "Weird fuckin' couple of days, Shepard. Weird fuckin' couple of days." She looked over at Dr. Chakwas. "Am I free, Doc?"

The handsome woman straightened from her 'carefully not paying attention to the conversation' hunch over her computer. "As the proverbial bird, Commander. If the headache persists, come back. I'll give you another analgesic."

"Yes, ma'am." Shepard tipped an invisible hat brim to the lady and headed out the door into the mess. Spotting Alenko sitting at the dining table across the room, she detoured his way.

When he saw her coming, he moved to stand, but she waved him back down. She never could stand the useless ceremonies of command.

Probably why you make such a good N7. No pesky people cluttering things up with interaction and feelings. Gross.

Sometimes she wished she could slap her inner voice. Instead, she plastered on a smile and sat across from the LT.

Alenko returned the smile. "Glad to see you're going to be okay, Commander," he said, sounding genuinely glad. That alone was noteworthy.

Could she even remember the last time someone didn't have a heavy layer of false give-a-damn coated over everything they said to her? It felt … odd, but sort of nice at the same time.

And then … "Yeah, the crew would have cried endless rivers of tears had I bought the farm," came out. She winced.

Way to make friends, Janey.

She leaned back and folded her arms. "So, you came back okay? No undue trauma?"

"Yeah." A wide smile spread across his handsome face. What was going on? A genuine smile to go along with genuine concern? "Can't say a mission under your command is boring, ma'am. Probably take Nihlus the better part of a week to file his report. You sure gave him a run for his money." The smile disappeared as the lieutenant flinched and reached up to rub his brow. He squeezed his eyes shut and rolled his neck, obviously in pain.

"Headache?" Shepard asked, a concerned scowl forming. "Maybe you should go see the doc. Did you hit your head or anything during the fight?"

Shaking his head, he looked up and gave her a weak smile. "It's no big deal, just a side effect of my amp." His hand fell back to his side. After a moment of silence, he said, "Shame the beacon got blown to hell. Council's going to use this to beat concessions out of the Alliance. Wouldn't be surprised if Kryik helps them along, even though he totally dropped the ball turning his back on Saren."

Shepard shook her head, surprising herself as a spark of protective pique flared behind her sternum. "No, Nihlus is a good torin, an honourable soldier. And, give him a break over what happened with Saren." She shrugged. "Saren was Nihlus's mentor back in the day. Kryik had just as much reason to trust him as I do Anderson." She shrugged, that pang of empathy echoing through her again. Damn, it would sting … no, it would cut the heart straight out of her. Maybe she should search out the Spectre and check on him.

She stood and gave Alenko a genuine smile in exchange for his. "Oh well, I'd better check on Williams and make sure Jenkins's stories don't get too wildly removed from reality. See you later, Alenko, and take care of that headache."

Williams stood by herself over against the wall by the door to the Captain's cabin looking awkward and about as uncomfortable as Shepard had ever seen anyone look. She walked over. "Hey, Williams. Welcome to the Normandy. How are you holding up?"

"Thanks, Commander. It feels a little strange being here, leaving Eden Prime behind." The Marine straightened and shook her head. "Sorry, Commander, don't mean to grouse. You saved my ass and the colony."

Shepard cocked a hip and crossed her arms. "Don't worry about it, Williams. Hell of thing you did, staying alive with geth blasting their way through the colony. You come back okay, no major holes?"

Williams nodded. "Yes, ma'am." A small sigh escaped, giving Shepard some insight into the Marine's emotional state under the professional decorum. "A lot of good people died down there." Shaking her head, she squared her shoulders and clenched her jaw as if needing the mask to keep herself under control. "I've lost squadmates and friends. It's part of the job.. You deal, and you do better the next time to honour them." The mask cracked a bit. "But civilians … . Aren't we supposed to be out here to keep them safe?"

Shepard nodded. "We do the best we can, Williams. We don't always succeed the way we'd like, but there are a lot of people still alive on Eden Prime because of you and the rest of those Marines." She saw a glimmer of an expression cross Ashley's face—one she knew all too well. Sometimes the suffering of the few felt as though it outweighed everything else.

The chief slapped the mask back in place, a bitter smile cracking it. "The bird sure fucked things up. Thought you might plug him yourself."

Shepard straightened, her empathy for Nihlus outstripping her previous annoyance and turning her spine into a rod of molten fury. "That 'bird' has saved thousands of people and kept the galaxy safe from a hell of a lot over the years," she said, her voice snapping a little more harshly than she would have liked. "I never want to hear a turian, particularly one serving aboard this vessel, referred to in that manner again, understood? We all fuck up. The day we forget that and stop forgiving other people their fuckups ... well, that's the day to pack it in." She leaned closer to the Marine's face. "Is that understood?"

Williams paled, her lips pressing together, angered, but seasoned enough to know that the next slap would be right off the Normandy. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am."

Shepard nodded and relaxed, respecting both the chief's anger and her control. Shepard had never really learned the second. "We're coming into the Citadel. If you've never seen it, you should get somewhere with a view. It's something to see." She gave Williams a smile that amounted to a quick press of her lips and headed for the stairs to the CIC, calling back, "I still remember my first time. Not something easily forgotten."

Greeting people as she passed them by, Shepard made her way to the bridge to find Nihlus already there. He stepped back as she stopped behind Joker.

Joker glanced back over his shoulder. "Hey, Commander, just in time. I was just bringing us in," the pilot reported.

Shepard didn't respond, stepping to one of the ports to look out at the nebula. "It's beautiful."

"It's the most impressive structure in the galaxy," Nihlus said, his voice echoing the pride of someone who made it his home.

Shepard threw a quirky smile over her shoulder and shook her head. "I meant the nebula. The Citadel is just a very large chunk of metal covered in people." She blinked in the face of his surprise. "A city is a city, Kryik. This one is just a little more impressive than the others." Looking back out the port, she sucked in a delighted breath and grinned. "Now, there's a thing of beauty."

"Destiny Ascension, flagship of the Citadel Fleet," Alenko said from the co-pilot seat. When she looked at him, her eyebrows raised in a silent query about his headache, he nodded. He did look better.

Shepard listened to them discuss the asari dreadnaught, and to be sure, it was impressive, but like most asari ships, something about it made her uncomfortable.

"You weren't talking about the Ascension, were you?" Nihlus asked from just behind her ear. He pressed close enough that his heat envelope warmed the left side of her back and the heady scent of his cleanser or turian deodorant, or whatever filled her nose, making it hard to think.

Damn, he smells good. What is that? Sandalwood and some sort of spice?

She chuckled and shook her head. "No, it looks like something that should be trying to eat us." Her smile widened as he chuckled, and she ducked her head a little, sheepish. "I was talking about the Normandy. Look." She stepped back so that he could see the Normandy's faint reflection on the nebular dust.

"You've been to the Citadel before, Commander?" Alenko asked, glancing over at her.

"Yeah. Quite a few times. I have family here. Well ... of a sort." She smiled and looked past Nihlus to watch the light play on the dust. Space formed the ultimate dichotomy. Such vast, empty, terrifying darkness, sprinkled here and there with a beauty that made her heart stop and her eyes refuse to blink for fear of missing even a second of it. She loved it and hated it in equal measure.

Just chalk it up to the crazy.

"You have a problem with civilization, Shepard?" the Spectre asked, pulling back and facing her. Unlike before, his eyes had lost some of the predatory gleam. In fact, his expression could best be described as lost.

She softened in kind, a smile just brushing over her lips as she shrugged. "Not at all. The great loves of my life are Roger and Ingrid, and without civilization there wouldn't be all the things necessary for their creation." She looked into his eyes, eyes travelling along the strong lines of his face and the brilliant white of his familia notas. A proud beauty arched through the curve of his neck and angles of his body even under, or maybe because of, his armour.

"Ingrid's the sniper rifle, so Roger must be the assault rifle?" He shook his head a little, some spark returning to his gaze. "You're a strange human." He smiled, and there it was. Again. Warmth in his stare, and an expression that seemed to be saying that he wanted to tell her something, but couldn't find a time or a place or a way to say it.

Okay, fine, you aren't making it up. But don't get lose your mind until you know what it's about.

"Yes, yes I am," she said, forcing herself to focus on his words rather than the way he looked at her. She sighed, giving a weak, little shrug. "I don't hate what people build, I just think a lot of beauty gets trampled over in our attempt to show how impressive we are. I prefer things a little more understated." She laughed, the sound coming out more like a cough, as a wide grin erupted at her own hypocrisy. "Well, except for me. I'm far too amazing to go low key."

Straightening, she turned toward the door. "Might as well get ready for the firing squad. I can work on my report until we dock." Nodding to him as she passed by, it occurred to her for the first time that maybe, just maybe, having to work with the Spectre might turn out all right … if the council didn't crucify her over the beacon fiasco.

Way to stay positive, Janey.

She managed to get her report nearly complete by the time Anderson called her on the comm, tracking her down in her hidey hole in the back corner of the small gym.

"Shepard. Grab the ground team from Eden Prime and meet me in Ambassador Udina's office."

"On my way, sir." Shepard extricated herself from the corner behind the mats and headed to her locker to suit up.

Don't forget to pack your cigarette and blindfold.