AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright, because I'm not being a forgetful idiot this time, few quick things. First, hope you enjoyed the fun I had last chapter with the 'Commander Shepard XXX' stuff. And, for the record, no. The Femshep look alike I snuck in is not supposed to be the actual femshep who's life took a different turn. Just who her double would have been had she been the sperm that won and not John. Then of course the other shit there was meant to be stupid. Not like the porn industry to actually put creativity and effort into their shit. Moving on, later you'll see the name Amul mentioned. Followed by the Prime Minister title. Did research in the wiki to learn the name of the Alliance Prime Minister. Amul Shastri. There you go for that. Next I want to address a review from HS508. Really sorry I didn't get back on this sooner, but I also couldn't message you directly in response. You asked if I would make an Andromeda story? Bruh. Check my profile. Already completed an 81 chapter novelization of it. (But skip the first 12 chapters or so. Got better afterwards but when I first started out it was kinda trash.) Also want to apologize for not doing this more often. School and work is really keeping me busy. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Commander John Shepard

Well, that was easier than I expected. Spectre credentials and authorization had been uploaded to my Omni-tool, and while David didn't have time at the moment, he invited me to his office once the ship had transferred, suggesting I bring Garrus and Tali along. Meanwhile, I had returned to the Normandy as it was being transferred out of the C-sec docks to one on Zakera ward.

"You're not in cuffs and the ship's transferring. Guess you didn't do too bad, hm?" Garrus remarked as he and Tali were both meeting me on the other side of the airlock

"Seeing as they restored my Spectre status and the only request was that I spend more time in Terminus than here until the Cerberus truce is up, yeah I'd say it went pretty well."

"It'll help having that clearance," Garrus nodded.

"Did you see Anderson?" Tali asked.

"I did. I think having him and Hackett so adamantly on my side were a big help. It was… good, to see him again," I allowed a small smile. "He invited me up to his office once we were docked and extended that to both of you."

"He did? I don't recall we ever spoke with him that much," Garrus added.

"Maybe. But I spoke to him a lot about the crew," I shrugged. "Including you two. We'll dock, and I'll send Gardner grocery shopping, Jacob to look around for weapon supplies, Chakwas for medical."

"We plan to stay long?" Joker asked.

"Just the rest of the day. We still need to pick up the Justicar and the Assassin on Illium," I answered. "Here? Resupply, and the thief."

"Fun. Coming into dock now. And I'll be keeping an eye on my wallet," Joker responded. It was only a short time before docking was finished. I had already given the orders to Jacob, Gardner, and Chakwas, telling them that they have full liberties over their shopping lists. It's all on Cerberus' tab after all. And I urged Gardner to purchase higher end supplies, so Tali, Garrus, and I worked our way through the airlock. Ah, a civilian dock. That means customs. Suppose it's a part of trying to keep me a bit more on the quiet end of things. Along the walkway to the customs checkpoint were a total of six advertising holo-projectors, three on each side. All their displays were blank for the moment, waiting for our approach. But one appeared to have a glitch. It was flickering. As we approached, the first two lit up. One apparently had paid the bigger bucks, as it's sound drowned out the other. The logo AI behind a black background, a large, four-pronged space-ship above.

"A whole new galaxy of opportunity! Your physical condition makes you a perfect candidate for a trek across the stars. Join the Andromeda Initiative today! Time's running out!" the advertisement called out. Biometric readings, personalized advertisements. On one hand, those can always be a little weird. On the other? Sometimes their screw ups make for some good laughs. The next two included the glitched advertisement, while the others just completely shut off. There was a hooded figure on the display, less than half of the human face still visible. Light skin, small nose, thin lips, and a small purple mark connecting her chin to the middle of her bottom lip.

"Commander Shepard! Enter the password and receive a free prize!" the woman exclaimed on the advertisement, the image still flickering occasionally. Well, this must be her. I glanced over at customs, the clerk outside was clearly struggling to keep her focus solely on her console. Pretending not to see anything. I wonder if she's also responsible for us docking here rather than somewhere closer to the Presidium. And I can't help but wonder where she is currently. Nearby? Or a safe house somewhere on the station. For the former, I glanced around, not seeing anything standing out. Or anything hiding. Apparently, I had been taking some time. "We have the perfect companions for you. Maybe something small, petite, and Japanese is your style."

"Sorry, I don't have yellow fever," I joked. The woman smirked. "Silence is golden. Seems to me the password isn't quite necessary."

"Maybe. It's still fun for me though. Good to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan."

"Oh? Enough to know my two friends."

"Aaaabsolutely. Garrus Vakarian, ex C-sec detective, and, Archangel. And Tali'Zorah, but I'm not sure what she is 'vas' of now."

"Impressive," Garrus remarked.

"So, you get briefed on the message?"

"Yep! Surprised they didn't come to see me sooner. My fault for being so hard to find."

"And what put you in contact with those asshats?"

"Bit of a story. Short one? They were looking for me, so I went behind their backs trailing them to find out why. Learned they wanted someone to join you on an important mission and were offering a serious signing bonus. So, I tapped them on the shoulders and waved hello. I have something I needed help with, so I made a deal. Here we are."

"And I take it this deal was in more than credits? They didn't give me details on it."

"Yeah, guess it slipped their minds," she remarked. "I'm looking for my old partner's gray-box. A man named Donovan Hock took it, and I'm planning to get it back."

"A gray-box? Rare technology," Tali mused. A cerebral implant that records memories, among other things. Plenty of secrets can be stored on those.

"I have one too," Kasumi's eyes lit up, a holographic display now in front of them like a visor, before vanishing. "Keji Okuda and I worked together for a long time. Before Hock… killed him," she went quiet.

"What did he do?"

"The best hacker and entry man I've ever known slipped up and made himself infamous. He stole something he shouldn't, warned me it was bad. Said it could spark war if it got out. He never told me what it was. He encrypted it in his own memories. To decode it, you'd have to sift through all of it. Now those memories are all that's left of him."

"I see. I'm sorry for your loss." Kasumi gave a small nod. "I've heard of Hock's name before. Scumbag hiding behind front industries, right?"

"Got it in one. Arms dealer, murderer, kind of a bad guy. His mansion is famous for being hard to crack. But I have a way in, and I think you're going to love it."

"Color me intrigued. Share any details here?"

"Sorry, can't do that. Besides, I need to nail down a few more details anyway. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're completely prepared when the time comes," she reassured.

"We'll get it done, then."

"Excellent," she smiled. "It'll be fun. And if you're lucky, you won't even have to draw your gun."

"Aw, where's the fun in that?" Garrus remarked. The advertisement turned off and descended into its slot in the ground.

"Catch!" a voice from the rafters above called out. A duffel bag was heading right for my face, and I caught it, barely. Setting it down as I saw Kasumi, in a black and grey hooded suit, picking up another bag to throw. This one, aimed at Garrus. The Turian having more warning to catch. "Thanks. I thought we should wrap this up. You looked silly standing there talking to an advertisement." She then jumped down, knees only bending slightly as she stood up. "Hello there."

"General Kenobi." Kasumi then sputtered with laughter. While the two non-humans had no idea what I was talking about.

"Another strange human thing?" Garrus asked.

"And an old one," Kasumi added, and picked up the duffel bags. "See you on the ship, Shep."

"See you aboard, Kasumi." I got onto the ship comms. "EDI, be sure to let her in."

"Of course, Shepard."

"She's a character," Garrus remarked.

"Seems like she'll be fun. Come on, through customs, grab a cab." The clerk outside let us pass into the checkpoint itself. A relatively wide hallway with glass panes that we couldn't see through, but not doubt had armed C-sec guards watching on the other side. At the end of the hall, a Turian working at a console, watching us.

"Initiating security scan." It began at the back of the group. Passing over Tali and Garrus without issue. But me? It locked on, a small alarm triggering. There was a confused look on the Turian as he read over the console three times. He got commed. "What? Do you seriously think… yeah, ok." He looked back up. "Sorry for the inconvenience, sir. Our scanners are picking up false readings. Records seem to think you're… ah… dead."

"Well, I was… listed MIA for a few years." I noticed a surge of… discomfort on Tali.

"I see. Would you mind checking in with my Captain? He can reinstate you." Hm, guess they've been a little slow with that themselves. Or maybe it was deliberate. "Just past the scanners, on the right." The door on the other side opened. There was a gruff human voice speaking into his terminal behind a large desk. Captain Bailey, the nametag on it read. He was nearly bald with blonde hair, light skin, and both scars and wrinkles.

"You'll have to make him scream a little. He's not going to tell you everything just 'cause you ask," he grumbled, keeping it a bit quieter so passer-bys outside the checkpoint wouldn't hear. But I could. I tossed Garrus a glance. He shrugged. He hadn't been around for a while after all.

"I… I know, sir," A woman's voice responded. Human. "If you don't have the stomach, or you're worried about being reported, I can take care of it," he lightened his tone.

"No, sir! I can handle it," the woman affirmed. Lying to herself most likely.

"Offer stands." he ended the call and looked up, hands clasped on his desk. "Garrus. Been a while."

"Long time no see, Bailey."

"I know why you're here, and I already see the problem. My console here says that Commander Shepard, you," he looked at me, "is dead. Obviously, my console is wrong."

"Not concerned I'm some imposter?" Bailey leaned back.

"Not with our scanners. They can sample DNA from skin flakes. You had unregistered gene mods, they can figure those out too. Facial reconstruction is child's play. Now, usually, you'd have to go through Station Security Administration to reactivate your IDs. Then to customs and immigration to regain access to the Citadel itself. And probably a stop by the treasury. Spending two years dead is a popular tax dodge, believe it or not." I sighed.

"And I already saw the Council and got my Spectre status back."

"Good for you. Even if you hadn't, I'd be making this offer. Now, screw it, I'll just do it. I press this button right here, and it's done."

"That would absolutely be appreciated."

"You've never been one for formalities, have you, Bailey?" Garrus remarked.

"They're fine and dandy right until they keep people from doing their damn jobs. Not everything needs bureaucracy or a committee vote. Well, I won't keep you. You're a busy man. See you around, Garrus."

"Later, Bailey." We made our way towards the cabs.

"Sounds like C-Sec changed," I mused.

"Yeah. I know I wasn't the only one who was disgruntled, but I'll admit some surprise at the growing… openness."

"I'm just surprised they didn't seem to notice me," Tali added. There wasn't much to comment atop of that, so we just continued to the cab parking zone, and typed onto one of the available consoles our destination. The lights of one of the sky cabs turned on and the terminal directed us to it. Our driver was a Volus, Denes Bornera. Garrus and Tali got in the back, myself in the front passenger.

"Oh! Such variety!" The Volus breathed a more feminine voice. "What are you all going to the Presidium for?" The cab began to rise into the sky car lanes.

"Meeting up with an old friend," I answered.

"At the embassies? Seems like a strange place to meet up," she responded, the signature heavy breathing still breaking apart the sentence.

"He doesn't have time to leave his office, but enough to multitask some social time."

"Oh, friends in high places? My sister met Din Korlack once at a party, but that's as close as I've ever gotten. Who's your friend?" she asked. I glanced back at the others and smirked.

"David Anderson."

"T-The Councilor?" she took a deep breath. "My, that is high up." She paused, taking another breath. "What's your names?"

"Garrus Vakarian," Garrus answered first. I gestured for Tali next.

"Tali'Zorah vas Neema." No recognition yet. I know the Council said to keep this quiet, but… who's going to believe her, and it's just fun.

"John Shepard." She sputtered, glancing between me and the skycar lane as we entered the presidium.

"I-I thought… I just shouldn't ask, should I?" I just shrugged, and the rest of the ride was in silence. We landed, I paid, she sped away. We walked through the Human embassies, a few glances shot our way. I wouldn't be surprised if a few found me familiar but couldn't place it. Anderson's office was now two levels above the level above where Udina's used to be. The Human embassy had expanded, now that we had a Council seat. In fact, the third floor was entirely dedicated to the Councilor and his duties. Outside the entrance to his office was a receptionist. A smaller woman with short black hair, and darker skin.

"Commander Shepard? The Councilor told me to expect you. Go right in," she stated, the door opening, showing Anderson sitting at his desk, working at a terminal. He smiled seeing us but held up a finger.

"Yes, Amul. I'll be sure to bring that up at the next meeting. I'll keep you posted on the results." He paused a moment. "Thank you. Goodbye, Prime Minister." He ended the call. "Great to see you all. Come on, let's move to the lounge." David stood from his seat and led us to a door near the back of the office. It's like a smaller version of the American White House. In space. There was a bar manned by an older man dressed like a butler, a den with a large TV and sofas, at least in this room.

"Would the sirs and the madam like anything to drink?" the butler asked.

"You've got the pick of the litter. If I have it, you can take some," Anderson reinforced.

"Share a bourbon?" I suggested. Anderson nodded in agreement.

"And I'll have a brandy," Garrus added.

"Please, just some water," Tali made her request. We all took our seats on the sofas, and it wasn't lost on anyone that Tali and I sat beside one another. Garrus was again, chuckling, shaking his head. Anderson, a raised brow and a smirk. Just a moment later, the butler came over with a tray with glasses, filtered water, and large ornate bottles holding Turian Brandy, and Human bourbon.

"Thank you, Elliot," Anderson stated as the drinks were being poured for us. "And thank you for giving him a chance to work. Apparently my new… recreational space and Elliot came with the job. You know how I am, John. A butler is one of the last things I want, let alone need. But I can't very well let him go, and he's still a big help. I'd never be able to keep this place clean otherwise. Too busy."

"Brings to mind. What happened to your old apartment? Is this home now?" I asked.

"God, no," Anderson chuckled. "I'd go stir crazy in half a week. Somedays I have no choice but to pass out here, but when I can, I go back to my own. Especially when, well…" Anderson smirked and looked down.

"David," I leaned forward. "Come on, spill."

"You first," he gestured between Tali and I. Tali awkwardly scrunched herself up, legs together, shoulders pressed inwards, wringing her hands in her lap. Meanwhile, I leaned back, and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, rubbing the side of hers to reassure her. She began to relax.

"Yep."

"Good for both of you, really," Anderson smiled. "Now, my turn. John, you remember my story about when Saren sabotaged my shot as Spectre?" I nodded. "There was a woman I met on that mission, Kahlee Sanders. We were close, and tried for a few years, but, we both were too dedicated to our jobs. After… you know, she came to me for help I couldn't provide. But I led her in a different direction. One that led her to Omega. Cerberus captured her and her companions while there, but were saved, and the three of them were brought onto the Idenna."

"Wait, your friend was on the Idenna? You know the people Cerberus hunted to our fleet?" Tali questioned.

"Yes, but I only learned that much of the story after Kahlee left and came back. But the reason I'm bringing this back up? I knew John had feelings for you, Tali, back during the campaign for Saren. Knowing that… that, happened before he could tell you? Well, I didn't want to make the same mistake. And we're making it work." I just ignored the parts hinting towards my death, as we, of course, wanted to keep the mood more positive."

"That's good to hear, David. Very good to hear. When will I get to meet her?"

"Give me some warning next time you're heading to the Citadel, I'll see if she, and myself, can take some time," he answered. "So, what about you two?" Anderson gestured at Garrus and Tali. "What have you been up to since Saren?" Garrus went first.

"Went back to C-Sec for a while, but everything that bothered me back then got worse. Not to mention I didn't exactly feel like anything I did made a real difference. So, I took a few pages from Shepard's book. I went someone that needed the help, that place being Omega, and found people who wanted things to change. We challenged the mercs there, clean. Now there, we were starting to make a difference."

"You planning to rejoin them after this mission?" Anderson asked, innocently. Garrus, however, just looked down. I subtly shook my head to the side in Anderson's view. He nodded, my gesture telling him all he needed to know. "Tali?"

"I went back to the Fleet, of course. I work with our Marines frequently given my combat experience. Sometimes leading small teams, others, leading a science team and coordinating with the Marine escort. I had to complete one such mission before I could join…" Tali paused and glanced at me. Ah, she's not sure whether to use my first or last name here. I grinned and nodded with a small wave of my hand. "John." Garrus chuckled, Anderson grinned, withholding his own.

"Using his first name. Damn, this is serious," Garrus joked, taking a swig of his drink. "You two, how did Joker put it? Suck face yet?"

"W-what? What does that even?! No!" Tali exclaimed.

"C-mon, let her be, Garrus. We're both still settling into this," I rubbed Tali's shoulder again.

"Alright, alright. I'll let up. For now. But don't think for a second I'll get right back at it as soon as you two are comfortable," he warned.

"I think that's all I can ask for," I chuckled.

"Damn right it is. What kind of best friends don't constantly give each other shit?"

"Ha! And I just didn't want to be the one to say it first!" I laughed. Anderson and Garrus both chuckled while Tali just calmed back down. "Yeah, you're my brother, Garrus. Thus, I extend the offer of the first name, to you," I took a swig of my own drink.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that," Garrus shrugged. "Right now, Shepard just feels right." The door to the lounge burst open, revealing a face I was rather displeased to see.

"Anderson! We need to talk about-" his eyes locked onto me, glaring. The entire mood soured. "Shepard," he frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I knew you were a backstabbing, slimy, prick, but when did you go blind? Or just plain stupid? Having a drink with an old friend," I responded.

"I invited him here, Udina," Anderson added.

"Before meeting with the Council? If I received word he docked, then they-"

"Already did." I cut him off. "Sorry for not stopping by to say hello. I've just got a long list of people who can fuck off. Right now? You're tied for first."

"The feeling is mutual, believe me," Udina growled. "Your return is a bureaucratic nightmare for us."

"Yeah? Call it even. Bureaucracy got my ship grounded right before the Geth attack," I countered. He just growled and shook his head. "And, Councilor, you already met? Do the words political shit-storm mean anything to you?!" he exclaimed.

"I make the decisions here, Udina. Your job is to clean up the mess I leave behind. Understand?" Anderson retorted. Udina glared daggers, still bitter. "Besides. It went fine. Shepard explained what happened and what his current mission his. His relationship with Cerberus is little more than a temporary truce. The Council took a vote and reinstated him as a Spectre. Hackett is working on his Alliance reinstatement."

"Just like that?" he wasn't quite believing it.

"They ask that he try and keep his business to the terminus, and himself down low," Anderson added.

"I… see. Yes, I can see how this works for both sides," he mused, the political and filthy cogs turning in his grubby little head. "But you really shouldn't have taken a step like this without consulting with me first, Councilor."

"Humanity's Councilor does not answer to his advisor, Udina. Why don't you go to your office and think on that for a while?" Anderson's brow furrowed.

"Of course… Councilor," he feigned manners and left. The door closed behind him.

"Ugh, I want to vomit just from the sound of his damn voice," I groaned.

"Sorry about that," David leaned back in his seat. "Udina never got over the fact I got the position instead of him. I still need to put him in his place time to time."

"What do you even keep him around for?" Garrus asked. "Surely the Alliance has other diplomats that could advise you just as well."

"I admit, I tried approaching Anita Goyle for advising, but she's not eager to leave her retirement. Besides, she argued some of the past events she was Ambassador for might muddle my image to the Council," David explained. "As for taking someone else? No one else in Parliament knows the Citadel like he does. If you want something done here, he knows who can make it happen. Plus, he's always happy to trot off to formal diplomatic bullshit I could never be bothered with. I tried at first, but it's just excruciating."

"What kind of progress have you made for the Alliance? Least, from things I remember you trying for."

"Like Farixen? Putting us in the same space as the Asari and Salarians in it was easy and seamless. As for matching the Turians, they're considering approving a… trial run, you could call it."

"I'm sure the Alliance is very happy about that."

"Quite. All the more to ward off the Batarians from ever trying anything major."

"Speaking of them. How many Batarian diplomats stormed the Citadel, kicking and screaming when you took your seat?" Garrus asked.

"More than a few," David chuckled. "But they were quickly reminded that they gave up their say in Council space. They border less and less unclaimed space every month."

"Hm, serves the Hegemony right," I took another swig.

"So, what about your new crew?" David asked.

"A lot more interesting than the original's, I can tell you that much," Garrus remarked.

"Putting it lightly," I chuckled.

"And less friendly," Tali added. David rose a concerned brow.

"That'll be Miranda and Jack I'd bet she's talking about," I explained. Tali nodded. "Might as well get them out of the way first. Miranda Lawson, Cerberus operative. Ran the show of my resurrection. She's cold and professional, loyal as hell to Cerberus. From what little she's told me, it's because of a near lifetime of… let's call it favors. Or debts. Crazy ass father breeding her in a test tube, viewing her as an object. She ran off to Cerberus and found a place there. I'm still not sure just how much she knows about Cerberus' actions, and just how much she does know, and genuinely doesn't. Then, what she does know about, and genuinely finds acceptable," I explained. "Jack? A woman, actually. Damn powerful biotic too. Thing was, she was a prisoner on purgatory."

"Let me guess. You were there when it blew up," Anderson smirked.

"Well… maybe…" David began laughing. "Hey, I swear it wasn't my fault. Not this time," I started. Garrus was chuckling, and I swear I heard an ever so slight giggle from Tali. "Look, it could have gone so easy. Cerberus had already made a deal with the Blue Suns for her exchange. They got greedy and tried to nab the rest of us too. Forced us to free Jack in a not-so-relaxed manner. Soon as she was free of her cryo cell, she just went into a rage. Legitimately cashed through not one, not two, but three YMIR mechs. Followed her through a set of holes in the prison, and the whole place was somehow on fire. No clue how."

"If anyone else was telling me that story, I'd have a very hard time believing it. But you?" David chuckled and poured himself some more bourbon.

"Yeah, crazy life of Shepard, right? Anyways. Jack doesn't trust anyone or anything. Not sure why yet, but she really hates Cerberus. But she's keeping to herself for now. But, still aggressive. Moving on. Jacob Taylor, Cerberus Op but was always on the fence. My little story brought him off that fence to our side of the field. Next would be Zaeed Massani. I know you've already heard of him. Then, Grunt. Tank bred-Krogan. Grown to adulthood and educated in the tank, but only got out of it a little over a week ago. Not really sure what to make of him yet. He just likes a fight."

"Hm." David smirked, and raised his glass. "Here's to another motley crew."