The container had arrived that morning, while Tali and the others were coordinating and planning for their mission to one - any - of the Geth ships remaining. It now sat between John's feet, unopened, with the navy blue SR-2 script boldly announcing its origin. He stared at it forlornly, not quite ready to open it and unearth a fresh can of worms. Compounding his trepidation and indecision was Shepard's realization that he was alone. Not in the overall sense of the word, because clearly, this was not the case. Instead he realized that, right now, he actually felt alone. The origin of this loneliness was not something that he could easily place. Was it something impending? Like he knew that Tali and his friends would be off on another adventure (he chuckled at the word he'd chosen), and he would be stuck here. Without them. Without Tali.

Bingo.

That explained a few things, he reckoned.

All right, John. Then it's time to get the hell out of your head. You need to let this go, if you can. Because, honestly, this is the best I've felt in a long time. No one is shooting at me, I don't have to play politician and try to broker some ungodly cease fire, and for once I don't have the weight of expectation on me. Maybe that's it? Idly, he ran his hand through his ever-lengthening hair. He smiled at this. I don't think it's been this long since before basic. And Tali seems to like it. It feels kinda weird, but in that good way, I suppose. Like a part of my body knows that a change is coming.

He shrugged.

I wonder if that's it though? I've been doing something - usually dangerous - for so long, maybe I've forgotten how to just slow down? Maybe I'm just in shock - not having anything to do except recover. What a weird word after all this time. I feel pretty good. Probably couldn't take on a Reaper, but…maybe that's the point? I don't have to anymore. I haven't had to think of an objective, or goal, for so long - one was always readily apparent.

Shepard, go to Eden Prime with Nihlus.

Shepard, go stop this damn asteroid from crashing into this planet.

Shepard, thanks for taking care of that 'Geth dreadnought' and saving the Citadel. Now go hunt for some more Geth.

Investigate these missing colonies.

Build a coalition. Stop the Reapers.

Now though? It sounds stupid, but now I have to think for me, for once. Well, Tali as well, of course. He laughed at his own mental phrasing. Not think for her, but of her. But that's different, because I guess she is my objective now? Her happiness is my life, and fuck me if that's not terrifying and exciting at the same time. Maybe that's what has me bothered - we're creating the path. There's nothing to save, to conserve, but there's a lot now to create - to make… anew, I guess? Besides, Rannoch will be its own new frontier, won't it? There haven't been quarians on the planet in three hundred years, they'll be adapting to what is practically a new way of life, just like us.

With a huff, he started rummaging through the box of things from the Normandy. Ashley had sent them along since she wouldn't be able to bring the ship back to Earth just yet.

I wonder when I'll get to see that ship again, and the crew right along with it? Maybe when I get off of Earth. Hmph. That would be nice; one final cruise for John, Tali, Garrus, Liara, and the intrepid crew of the Normandy. Hmm, I remember this.

He had fumbled around and produced a photo that was taken on the Normandy…it had to have been the SR-1. He and Kaidan were in a makeshift boxing ring that had been set up in the armory. Kaidan's left hook was frozen in time over the commander's ducking form as his own uppercut was inches away from slamming into the lieutenant's ribs.

"C'mon commander. It'll just be a bit of fun. A little morale boost, ya know?"

He cocked an eyebrow then shook his head at Ashley's suggestion.

"Besides, it was Kaidan's idea in the first place." She gave him a sly grin. "And just so you know, I've got credits riding on you, Skipper."

Fuck sake.

He sighed. He knew it would be fun, and probably a good way to help the crew unwind…but the thought of two pretty potent biotics (by human standards, anyway) in a boxing ring unsettled him.

For good reason.

Both Garrus and Tali had asked him about this barbaric human sport, but for two completely different reasons. Garrus couldn't believe that they wore gloves and headgear.

"You know, commander, on Palaven we wouldn't -"

"Let me guess - no headgear, no gloves? Naked? Outdoors in high summer? First one down gets shot in the leg?"

Garrus laughed. "I see you've been doing your research, commander. But that's outdated intel. It gets very hot on Palaven, by your standards anyway, so we keep it indoors these days. Everything else though?" He made a coy expression and shrugged his shoulders as he turned to walk away. "Good luck, commander."

Shepard shook his head with a small smile on his face.

"What a strange guy. I kinda like him," he muttered to himself.

Then the quarian pilgrim had approached him. He noticed that she couldn't seem to decide if she should look over his shoulder or at her feet as she spoke.

"Shepard…um…can you explain this 'sport' to me? I tried an extranet search, and the most recent…um, reliable articles I could find were 80 years old. Keelah, people died doing this? Why would you…I don't understand it Shepard. We would never do such a thing…lives are too precious, and we don't really like hurting each other. Certainly not for sport…"

She was babbling, and she worked her hands nervously.

He gave her that stupid half-smirk.

"Tali, it's just part of our culture. We have a thing for competition, and there's always been an innate need to prove ourselves against one another. It's nearly universal in our species. And it doesn't get much more basic than hand-to-hand combat. No weapons, no tricks. Just two individuals using their most basic skills against the other." He shrugged. "I guess it's hard to explain."

She shook her head.

"Shepard…I guess if you say that it's normal, then I believe you. But…just be careful, okay?"

She had said the last part with a bit more feeling than the commander had expected, and was touched by it. He gave a full, reassuring smile. "Oh, don't worry about that. Besides, I don't think that Kaidan knows that I went undefeated throughout my entire military training."

Her eyes widened. "Keelah…how many…?"

He smiled again. "Throughout all of it?" He paused for a moment, as if in deep thought. "I finished with 14 wins and one draw. The draw was against the commandant." Shepard shrugged. "He was impressed."

Tali was more than a little confused by his nonchalance.

"C'mon. You can ask me anything you want about it. Let's go grab some lunch. I think we just got a shipment of your nutrient paste in with our supplies." He waved for her to follow him to the mess hall.

Which she did, of course.

Shepard placed the photo next to him with a sort of reverence, sighing as he did so. He scratched the back of his head idly before reaching back in blindly, letting his fingers rest on a small box. His eyes widened slightly - it was very familiar, and very recent. His throat tightened as his stomach clenched into a tight knot as realization struck him.

"Are we getting married?" He asked her dryly. He was sure that EDI was not proposing such a thing, but still…

"No," she replied with an air of obviousness. "There is a jeweler on the Citadel who produces these. They're made from metals from each Council homeworld."

Shepard examined the ring more closely as she continued to explain.

"Each metal compounds with the last, making the ring stronger. He calls them 'Victory Rings'. Due to-"

Shepard's eyes widened in surprise as he had an epiphany.

"EDI, I miss you," he whispered to the empty room, "and I'm sorry. Christ, am I sorry." Closing his eyes, he let out a small whimper of regret as he shook his head. "I think you would have loved to see what I'm about to do." Wiping a stray tear from his cheek, he opened his omnitool to send a message to Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay.

For an admiral, Shala'Raan really hated meetings. Of the four "senior" members of the board, hers was the smallest ego to stroke, and therefore she usually had the least to say. Instead, she listened in the subtle ways that only quarians could.

"Pompous asses," she muttered to herself as she weaved her way back to her office on the Tonbay. She had thought of relocating her office permanently to a place on Rannoch itself, but well…frankly she was comfortable on board her ship. And it did not take up space on the homeworld that could otherwise be used to house other settlers. And what kind of leader would she be if she did not think of others first?

A pompous one.

An ass, even.

She huffed as the doors to said office opened.

She was definitely in a sour mood. She hadn't liked siding with the others when giving Tali her "orders" - what a ridiculous term to use with another admiral - but it had to be done. Tali was the only one that was in the right location, had the know-how, and the right temperament for such a task. There were risks, of course. Most notably among them was that they risked alienating her even more. It was obvious that Tali hated being an admiral, and Shala had been shot down when she had given her remarks when they were deciding on making her an admiral in the first place.

She had known that this was coming.

Especially when Tali had been made an admiral almost exclusively for her expertise with the Geth, as well as for her clan name.

And then they dismissed her from the meeting because she wasn't on Rannoch. Shala actually agreed with this part, despite her personal feelings. As much as Tali would have wanted to help, there was very little she could provide from Earth. Her assertion was validated, in her mind anyway, when Tali had tried to conjure ideas regarding their network problems. She had gotten nowhere because Tali was not here. Shala didn't fault her for this, of course. If she and Shepard were indeed bonded, then Tali would most likely not have been able to concentrate on anything other than the missing half of her soul anyway. Certainly not when he would have been so far away from her. While this was "all for the best", it appeared to Shala that there would be serious repercussions regarding Tali and the Board.

Which brought her to what had just transpired in the meeting that she was just returning from. Keelah, Gerrel was an ass.

They had of course discussed the re-population efforts and the number of ships that had been scrapped. But then: How were their food stocks? What progress had been made on farming on Rannoch? Where was the Conclave to be located? Were they ready to fully commit to Jal'Himom? Then Shala had posited a question: what were they going to do about the thousands of missing quarians? The war had been brutal of course, and Shala had studied the reports of the confirmed dead, but keelah, there were so many that were just missing. That's when Han'Gerrel had opened his big mouth. Gerrel stated that, had Tali been present on Rannoch like she should be, she could have spearheaded such an effort. But she wasn't, and then he started a rant. Not only had he griped about how she wasn't here to help, but he had once again given his concerns about the Geth data. He had once again lamented about the lack of progress. He had once again expressed concerns about Tali'Zorah and her dedication to her people. Her Tali'Zorah.

Not for the first time, she wondered just how much Shepard's reaction to Gerrel's little stunt while Shepard and Tali had been on board the Geth dreadnought had affected him.

Considering that Shepard shut him up with a hard uppercut to the admiral's midsection.

Then he'd kicked him the hell off of the Normandy.

It was something that he had so richly deserved.

"Bosh'tet."

She did not let his insolence stand, not this time. She had, in a rare display of anger, raised her voice to him.

"Gerrel, how dare you! You would try to diminish Tali'Zorah's dedication to her people? Now? Have you forgotten that the only reason we exist," she had pointed a long finger at him accusingly, angrily, and with a shitload of malicious intent, "is largely due to her efforts, and the efforts of Commander Shepard? What were you doing - what were we all doing to stop the Reapers? Hmm?" She did not wait for a reply. "I'll tell you. Nothing. We squabbled over the Geth. About retaking Rannoch. And while I am eternally grateful, and thank the Ancestors every day for our good fortune, do not think for one second that you or any one of us, would have done it without her, and without the commander. So show some damn respect."

Keelah, what a day.

Shala plopped down into her chair, sighing as she opened up the datapad that lay upon the desk in front of her. She perused the latest data regarding the readiness of her Patrol Fleet. The ships were still numerous - over 75 strong - but quite a few were in need of repair or refit, especially after the Pulse had hit. While it wasn't the Pulse specifically that had affected their ships, it was the contingent of Geth ships that had. Those damaged ships had careened haphazardly into some of the ships of the Fleet, even destroying a few. Thankfully - at least from a raw numbers standpoint - they had been relatively smaller ships, and the loss of life was relatively meager (regrettable, of course).

But for now, she was studying the report. And the data went on.

And on.

And -

Shala stopped reading about the number of operational clean rooms that had begun to spring up planetside. She stopped, and did a double take. Her omnitool was flashing in bright green. There were only so many people who would message her at this time of night, and none of them were in-system.

Opening up her messages, she therefore expected to find the familiar name of Tali'Zorah vas Normandy attached to this latest message. To her surprise, and equal parts trepidation and relief, it was from Shepard. It had a simple subject of "Request".

Tapping her omnitool, she opened the message.

Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay,

I hope this message finds you well.

I will start by stating that Tali'Zorah is well and in good health. She has been a rock for me as I have recovered from injury, as she is in all things. Whatever words I could say or type here could never do justice to what she means to me, so I will not try to say them.

Shala smiled at the mild revelation. She of course knew how much they meant to each other, but it still pleased her to see the human admit it in writing, even without admitting it.

I would also wish to thank you, as well as the other members of the Admiralty Board for their thoughtfulness and concern regarding my own well-being and recovery. They are appreciated.

Shala scoffed at his mention of the board's "concern". She, of course, had been worried about him. Knowing that he meant so much to her Tali, and knowing the kind of man that he was, she had held a genuine concern for his well-being. As for the others…well, Zaal's concern was genuine. But the other two?

Not likely. Certainly not Han's.

She continued reading.

I would ask of you an important, and personal, favor. However, I would also ask that we discuss this face-to-face via QEC, and that you make no mention of this to Tali'Zorah.

If you would be open to this, please inform me of an appropriate time, and I will make it happen.

I thank you in advance.

Respectfully,

John D. Shepard

Admiral (Ret.)

Alliance Navy

Shala was taken aback by a number of things mentioned - and not mentioned - in the message. She sat there, elbows resting on her desk and her hands pressed together and against her vocalizer. The first thing she though of was the last thing that was written. He was an admiral now, and not only that, but retired as well. She had no idea the politicking involved or how exactly human naval promotions worked, but she found it striking. She didn't consider it to be a bad thing, just an odd thing. She figured that Tali would know more.

"Well, I wonder how he pulled that off." Tali had mentioned her own concerns and hopes regarding the commander's - the admiral's, she corrected herself - desire to leave the military. Shala hadn't been quite as hopeful as Tali had been. Maybe it was a consequence of her own unique position? She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Whatever happened, it appears that Tali's hope had not been misplaced. Nor has her faith in him."

Faith in this human. A few years ago, she would've scoffed at the notion. Keelah, she had known so little about his species. She knew little more than even what the most basic of guides that were used to instruct pilgrims before they left could provide. But the reports that they had received regarding Shepard during the hunt for Saren, and the way that Tali had spoken of him…it had given her pause then. And then once Tali had returned from Pilgrimage, and she had seen Tali's reaction to her captain's death…it had been difficult to watch. The constant sorrow that had emanated from her was sickening, and had, on more than one occasion brought Shala herself to tears. But, when after nearly two years, Tali had not notably improved, the admiral had become very concerned. She had even thought that perhaps the human had somehow taken advantage of her.

Even stranger still was Tali's change after the mission on Freedom's Progress. And how he had somehow come back, but under Cerberus colors? She had had a very long talk with her surrogate daughter then, but she listened in the quarian way, and watched in the quarian way…and left their meeting believing Tali. She left believing that the same man that Tali had been so smitten with had indeed come back from what had been a presumed death.

In Tali's messages to her after she had rejoined the Normandy, it was clear that this Shepard was the same man. Except, she had thought at the time, that Tali had noticed that he saw her in a different way, in a more adult way. The tone of voice he used with her was subtly different, even the way he stood was different toward her. She had noticed that he was now comfortable standing much closer to her than before. It was the little things - these small cues - that were tipping the young quarian off to his true feelings.

Still, Tali had had her doubts. Because she wouldn't be Tali without a healthy dose of those.

Keelah, Auntie! How do I figure this out? For him, it's almost like he never left, so he's trying to recover and "make up for lost time"? I've heard other humans use that phrase before and I think I understand what it means now. But now he sends me these signals, and my body reacts to them, but my mind wants to tell me that my body is not interpreting them correctly? It's almost like my mind doesn't want to accept that it's really him. At the same time though, I know that he's real and that I feel something for him. He still comes by to talk to me all the time, and Auntie…he still confides in me. It's so hard for him, because he wasn't just…humans call it a "coma", like when they're unconscious. But he wasn't that. He was dead. Two years have past and for him it is only a few weeks ago. And now he dreams about it, what it was like. He suffers dis'mael, humans call them "night terrors", which isn't quite right, but it is close enough. We talk about them when he can't sleep, usually in the mess hall, because I can't sleep either on this quiet ship.

Shala had almost been able to hear Tali's nervous giggle at the end of the message. And she had been able to almost pinpoint the exact place in the message where Tali had wanted to tell her about bonding with him.

But what sealed the deal for Shala?

The trial. Because of course it was.

She had never expected anyone to speak on behalf of another person in the passionately defensive way that this Shepard had for her Tali. He spoke as if he would have murdered them with his words, or that they would die from the shame that they evoked in the admirals; Shala to this day wasn't sure which. And that she wasn't sure told her everything that she needed to know about the man.

And she hadn't even counted his defiant effort against the Reaper that he had faced down while running around with nothing but a targeting laser for protection. She still remembered the way that they had spoken to each other.

"Shepard…" her voice was dripping with worry, "if you don't make it -"

"You worry too much." He had said it matter-of-factly, like he was going for a run around the block.

There was a poignant pause. "I love you." Tali's voice was full of conviction.

His response? "Keelah Se'lai."

Shala recalled how he had responded to her in a more quarian way than she could've thought that many quarians would have.

He cared for her, so much. Clearly more than himself, since she was aware of what he had done to save her Tali just before he boarded the Citadel. Yes, he loved her. Incredibly so.

But what of this personal favor?

She took a sharp inhalation as a notion struck her. "Could it be?"

With a curious (and dare she think "hopeful"?) smile, she typed her reply and sent it back to Admiral Shepard.