"Do you have a minute, Miranda?"

Miranda looked up from her desk. "Of course. I'm just finishing an operation report." She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm impressed, Shepard. So far things have gone exceptionally well. As Cerberus operations go, this is the best one I've been a part of."

"Maybe that's because this isn't a Cerberus operation," Shepard pointed out.

Miranda shrugged. "Not to you, maybe. But I report directly to the Illusive Man. And I'm here because he wants me to be. Cerberus gave you a second chance, Commander. Maybe you should do the same for us."

Shepard crossed his arms. "What did Cerberus do that make you so loyal?"

Miranda frowned. "Hmm… I suppose you deserved to know…" She waited until he sat down on a chair. "You remember what I told you I was genetically altered? Well, that wasn't my choice. My father… created me. He's a very influential man, and extremely controlling. He didn't want a daughter-he wanted a dynasty. I ran away as soon as I was old and brave enough. I went to Cerberus because I knew they could protect me."

"I assume that Cerberus approves of your enhanced abilities?"

"Of course," Miranda admitted. "Cerberus fully endorses anything that advances the cause of humanity… genetically alterations included. But unlike my father and his own selfish reasons, Cerberus and the Illusive Man believe in a greater good. They see the bigger picture… and I feel like I have a purpose here."

Shepard frowned. "You talk about yourself like you're just a… tool to be used. Buy your father, by Cerberus."

"Maybe. I like to know where I fit in the world. It helps me find meaning in how I was created."

"You are who you are, Miranda. You don't need to make excuses for it."

"That's easy for you to say. We've both been engineered for greatness, Shepard. The difference is, you agree before we rebuilt you… I'm great because of it."

Shepard shook his head. "Your spirit and personality are what make you great. It's what makes anyone great."

Because sworn that Miranda blushed. "That's kind of you… I'm not sure I believe you, but thank you for saying it."

"You've told me a lot about your father. What happened to your mother?"

Miranda closed her eyes. "I never had one. Most of my genetic material is based on my father's tissue. His Y chromosome was altered with an amalgam of desired traces from various sources." He could see the frustrated look in her eye. "How arrogant can you be? The man is completely egomaniacal. Just another reason I had to get away from him."

Shepard could take the hint that she didn't want to talk more about her father the moment. He then got to his feet. "Thanks for your time, Miranda. I'll talk to you later."

"Got a minute?"

"Sure." Garrus turned around. "Just checking the weapon systems. You can never be too careful." He shrugged. "I thought I'd seen every weapon in the galaxy in our fight against Saren. Mercenary work showed me otherwise." He gave the battery an admiring look. "And now Cerberus rebuilds the Normandy with a few upgrades to boot. I wish we'd joined up with them sooner."

"We haven't joined Cerberus. Their funding our mission. That's all."

"Relax, Shepard. Just a figure of speech." He looked down. "I can't exactly doubt your judgment. Not after I got my own squad killed."

Shepard leaned on a piece of machinery. "What did your merc squad do? It didn't sound like you were available for hire."

"You saw Omega." He gestured. "It was full of thugs kicking the helpless. I formed my team to kick back. We weren't mercenaries. At least, nobody was paying us." He paced the small room. "We made money by taking down slavers, pirates, or gangs that went too far."

"It doesn't sound like you are making any friends with the gangs," Shepard noted.

"I got three separate merc bands to work together to take me down. My manager at C-Sec would be impressed." Garrus made the expression he recognized as a turian smirk. "It was simple. We'd hit their shipments, disrupt activities. Get under their skin. Make them angry." He clasped his hands behind his back. "They'd come charging right into our well-prepared kill-zone. Crossfire and snipers, clean and surgical. They never stood a chance."

They chatted a while longer about Garrus' activities and group on Omega. Garrus hadn't changed one bit. "How did those mercenary gangs take down your team?"

Garrus hung his head. "It was my own damn fault. One of my people betrayed me." He paced. "A turian named Sidonis. He drew me away just before the mercs attacked my squad, then he disappeared. Everyone except me is dead because of him. And because I didn't see it coming."

"Do you know where Sidonis is now?" There was a galaxy to save. But they could find a few minutes to help Garrus put a round into a traitor's head.

"No." Garrus sighed. "His trail vanishes after he leaves Omega. But I'll keep hunting." He met Shepard eyes. "I lost my whole team, except for Sidonis. One day I'll find him…"His mandibles clicked sharply. "And correct that."

There were a few hours yet before they reached the Citadel. Shepard decided to check in on his other non-human crew member. Mordin was bustling about the lab. "Shepard. How can I help?"

"Got a minute to talk?"

"Of course." Mordin stepped back from one of the computers. "Plague on Omega dealt with. Plenty of time to analyse Collector intelligence." He gestured at the room. "Impressive laboratory setup. Missed working for operations with a budget. AI in particular very helpful. Best setup I've seen since work with Special Tasks Group."

"What kind of research were you doing with the STG?" He'd read the dossier, but he also knew the Illusive Man wasn't going to tell him more than what he wanted him to know.

"Not simply research. Several recon missions. Covert, high-risk. Served under young captain named Kirrahe. Studied krogan genophage. Took water, tissue samples from krogan colonies."

Shepard blinked. "I worked with an STG captain named Kirrahe. His team helped me destroy Saren's cloning facility on Virmire."

"Heard he was part of that. Jury-rigged explosive?" Mordin's tone actually sounded admiring. "Always got job done with limited resources. Good captain. Bit of a cloaca, though. Loved his speeches. 'Hold the line'. Personally prefer to get job done and go home." Mordin shrugged. "Probably military bravado. Jargon, chest-pounding. No offense."

He asked a few more questions about the genophage and STG, then left Mordin to his work.

They soon landed on the Citadel as a civilian ship which meant they had to go through certain protocols, but eventually they landed.

According to the dossier, one of his 'new crew' was supposed to meet him here. He even had a pass phrase. He started looking around, and then the advertisement said his name. "Please tell me your password, Commander Shepard."

Shepard looked around to make sure no one else was listening. "Silence is golden."

"Glad to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. The image said back to him. "Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan."

"You've been filled in on the mission?"

"Honestly, I'm shocked they didn't come to see me sooner. My fault for being hard to find, I guess."

"What brought you to Cerberus?" Shepard asked.

"That a bit of a story. Short version, they are looking for me, so I trailed them to find out why. Turns out they were looking for someone to join you on an important mission… and were offering a serious signing bonus. I had a thing I need help with, so I make them a deal. And here we are."

The Illusive Man was making it a habit of not informing him of the deals. "I assume this deal is something I should know about."

Kasumi didn't look surprised. "Yeah, I guess it slipped their minds. I'm looking for my old partner's grey box. A man named Donavn Hock took it, and I'm planning to get it back."

"I assume a greybox is some kind of hardware."

"It's a neural implant. Illegal in most places. Stores memories, thoughts… secret codes, illicit information. This one in particular flown to my partner, Keiji Okuda. We work together for a long time, before Hock killed him."

"Tell me about this former partner of yours."

"His name was Keiji Okuda, the best hacker and entryman I've ever known. Unfortunately, he slid up and made himself infamous. He saw something he shouldn't. He warned me it was bad, something that could spark interstellar war if it got out. That information… got him killed."

"What could he have found that's so bad?"

"He wouldn't say what it was, just that it was dangerous. He said if it got out, humanity could be in trouble. He encrypted it, wrapped it up in his own memories. To decode the information, you have to sift through all the time we spent together. Now those memories are all that's left of him."

Shepard nodded. "I can understand why you'd want to get it back."

"Getting it back will be easier with your help, Shepard."

If this information could really start a war then they had to get it back before this Donavn Hock started an intergalactic war. "If that's what service promised you, we'll get it done."

"It'll be fun. And if we we're lucky, you are have to draw your gun."

Shepard doubted that he was that lucky. Then the advertisement switched off and Shepard looked up to find that Kasumi was looking down at them from the catwalk.

"We should probably wrap this up. You look pretty silly standing there talking to an advertisement. See you on the ship, Shepard."

They were halfway through the corridor when alarms started going off.

"Looks like they've tighten up security," Garrus noted.

"Shut down," said the C-Sec officer. "What? Do you seriously think…" Whoever was on the other side said something. "Yeah, okay." He looked up at Shepard and clicked his mandibles. "Sorry for the inconvenience, sir. Our scanners are picking up false readings. They seem to think you're, ah, dead."

"I was listed as missing in action a couple of years ago."

The C-Sec officer nodded. "Would you mind checking in with my Captain? He can reinstate you into a system."

"Yes?" The man looked up when Shepard walked to his desk, then his eyes widened just slightly. "I see the problem already, Commander Shepard. My console says you're dead."

"Your sergeant and said you could help with that."

Captain Bailey nodded. "Usually you'd have to go through the Station Security Administrator to reactivate your IDs. Then to Customers and Immigration to regain access to the Citadel itself. And probably stop by the treasury. 'Spending a year dead' is a popular tax dodge." Shepard gestured this in silence. "But I can see your busy man. So how about I just press this button right here, and we call it done?"

"That'll be great."

Captain Bailey pressed the button and then looked up back at Shepard. "Done. You're good to go. You should head up to the Presidium, though. The Council would probably like to know that one of their lost Spectres is still kicking."

"I will." It's where he could find Anderson. "Having access to the Council and the Spectre's resources would be useful."

"Yeah, the Council can get anything. Best thing about working C-Sec is that any equipment, information, or money you need, you get." He shrugged. "Anyway. Something else you need? Or can I get back to work."

"I should go."

"So I'm officially dead?" Shepard shrugged. "I thought I was just MIA."

"They didn't tell you?" Garrus clicked his mandibles. "There was a funeral and everything."

"Seriously?" Shepard turned towards him.

"Seriously. It was actually quite moving." Garrus waved a hand. "Ashley cried the whole way through."

Shepard groaned. "Ashley is going to kill me."

"At least you will be officially dead. Rick also made a touching speech in your honour."

"Great."

He walked in on the tail end of a meeting. Anderson was looking out over the view while the holograms of the other councillors talked at him. "This meeting would be more productive if Udina was to join us." The Asari Councillor sounded annoyed.

Anderson also sounded annoyed. "My advisor is unavailable. As Councillor, I represent the voice of humanity and the Alliance." He squared his shoulders. "Shepard will be here any—" He turned and caught sight of Shepard. "Oh, Commander. We were just talking about you."

"It's been a long time, Anderson." He walked forward and offered Anderson a hand. "I hope the last couple years have treated you right."

"There've been some rough spots." His eyes flicked to the images. "It's good to have you back."

The Salarian Councillor's voice interjected. "We've heard many rumours surrounding your unexpected return. Some of them are… Unsettling."

"We called this meeting so you could explain your actions, Shepard." The Asari Councillor gestured. "We owe you that much. After all, you saved our lives in the battle against Saren and his geth."

"The Collectors are abducting human colonists in the Terminus Systems. Worse, we think they're working for the Reapers."

"The Terminus Systems are beyond our jurisdiction!" said the Turian Councillor angrily. "Your colonists knew this when they left Council Space."

Anderson then stepped forward. "You're missing the important part, Councillor. The Reapers are involved."

"Ah, yes. Reapers." The Turian Councillor made an air-quotes gesture. "The immortal race of sentient starships allegedly waiting in dark space. We have dismissed that claim."

"Shepard, no one else encountered the hologram on Ilos that told you the truth about the Reapers." Anderson turned to face him. "Only you and your crew ever spoke with Sovereign." He sighed. "I believe you, but without evidence from another source, the others think Saren was behind the geth attacks."

"Saren was an organic." Shepard shook his head. "The geth would never accept him as their leader. They only followed him because he was Sovereign's agent!"

"Saren was a compelling and charismatic individual. He convinced the geth the Reapers were real…" The Asari Councillor stared at him. "Just as he convinced you."

"It was part of his plan to attack the Citadel." The Turian Councillor nodded. "The Reapers are just a myth. One you insist on perpetuating."

The Asari Councillor kept her voice gentle. "We believe that you believe it, but that doesn't make it true."

"Go back to Ilos and talk to Vigil. Or just look at what's left of Sovereign." Shepard glared. "It's obvious the technology is more advanced than ours!"

"The hologram on Ilos is no longer functional, and we have found nothing to suggest that Sovereign was not a geth creation." The Salarian Councillor frowned.

"The geth are capable of remarkable technological achievements." The Asari Councillor nodded. "That is probably why Saren recruited them."

"This Reaper theory proves just how fragile your mental state is. You have been manipulated." The Turian Councillor pointed at him. "By Cerberus and, before them, by Saren."

Shepard was utterly furious. "I kept Saren from conquering the Citadel. I sacrifice human lives to save the Council."

"We are in a difficult position, Shepard. You are working for Cerberus." The Asari Councillor spread her hands. "An avowed enemy of the Council. This is treason, a capital offense."

Anderson immediately took a step forward. "That is too far. Shepard is a hero. I'm on the Council, too, and I won't let this whitewash continue."

"Maybe there is a compromise. Not a public acknowledgment, given your ties, but something to show peripheral support." The Asari Councillor nodded thoughtfully before turning to look at her compatriots.

It was, however, the Turian Councillor who nodded. "Shepard, if you keep a low profile and restrict your operations to the Terminus Systems, the Council is willing to offer you reinstatement as a Spectre."

Who wanted to argue more, but the last thing he wanted was to make an enemy of the Council "I accept your offer."

"Good luck with your investigation, Shepard. We hope for a quick resolution…" The Asari Councillor nodded to him. "And a quick end to your relationship with Cerberus."

After the images vanished, Anderson walked once more to the view and looked out. "Well. That went better than I expected." He turned back to Michael. "You realise the Council's offer is just symbolic. They won't actually do anything."

Shepard nodded. "Even if they don't help, might as well stay on good terms."

Anderson nodded. "True enough. Don't worry about the Council or the Alliance. I'll find some way to keep them off your back. Shouldn't be too hard as long as you keep to the Terminus Systems.

Shepard started to speak, and the door opened. Udina walked in. "Anderson, we need to talk about—" He stared. "Shepard! What are you doing here?"

"Stopping by to how Anderson was doing."

Anderson held out his hand. "You don't have the cover for me." He then turned to face Udina. "I invited Shepard here to speak with the Council." Anderson waved a hand. "We just finished our meeting."

"You what?" Udina's jaw nearly fell off. "Councillor, do the words political shit-storm mean anything to you?"

"The Council will invoke at my Spectre starters," Shepard interjected. "They're just happy staying out in the Terminus Systems."

Udina calm down a bit and rubbed his chin. "Yes… I can see how that arrangement works both sides." He then turned to Anderson angrily. "But you really shouldn't have taken a step like this without consulting me first, Councillor.

"I don't answer to you, Udina." Anderson folded his arms. "Why don't you go to your office and think about that for while?"

"Or course, Councillor." Udina's voice was somewhat shy of 'respectful'. "Good day to both of you."

He then made his way out of Anderson's office fuming.

"Sorry about that. Udina's never gotten over the fact that I got the Council position instead of him. Sometimes I need to put him in his place." Anderson sighed.

"What do you keep him around for?" Shepard asked.

Anderson turned back to the view. "He's got his uses. And if you want something done on the Citadel, he knows who can make it happen." He shrugged. "Plus, he's always happy to attend all those formal diplomatic functions I can't be bothered with."

"How have the last couple years treated you?" Shepard asked. Anderson looked more than just two years older than the last time they'd met.

"Serving on the Council isn't how I planned to spend my twilight years. Sometimes it feels like I'm just beating my head against a wall. Knowing the truth about Sovereign is brutal. It's nightmare stuff. Can't blame others for not wanting to believe it." He leaned on the railing. "But I know how important it is, so I keep trying. Fight the good fight, right?"

Shepard leaned on the railing next to Anderson. "What happened to Gunnar Chief Ashley Williams after the Normandy was destroyed?"

It took a moment for Anderson to respond. "Operations Chief Williams is still with the Alliance, but she's working on a special mission. It's classified." He didn't look at Shepard. "I can't say any more. Not while you're working with Cerberus. I'm sorry."

"I don't need the specifics of his mission, but I'd like to get in touch with him." Shepard straightened.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Anderson turned towards him, but didn't meet his eyes.

"You'll help me get Spectre authority again…" Shepard blinked. "But you won't let me contact a former crew member?"

"Shepard…"

"I better go." Shepard turned and left the office.

Shepard then ran into a very familiar face.

"Rick?"

"John?" Rick smiled giving him a friendly tap. "You son of a bitch, you are alive."

Shepard smiled back. "And I hear you got promoted, Lieutenant Commander?"

"What can I say to be an interesting two years? What are you doing backing on the Citadel?"

"Anderson wanted to keep me up to date with what's been going on with the Alliance and the Council. The re-establish my Spectre starters, but they don't seem to register the Reapers."

"Tell me about it," Rick sighed. "After you… died, Anderson had me searching every lead we could find to prove your warnings, but the Reapers cover themselves a very well. I even went to the Mars Archives hoping to find something there, but nothing."

"Surely Liara could have helped?"

"I tried to get to help, but she said that she had pressing issues. No idea what they were, but I can't see how important they could be compared to the Reapers."

"I'll let you know if I find out." Shepard then leaned in towards him. "Garrus told me that Ashley was part of your team."

"She is and she still doesn't believe that you are alive. Tali contacted her in to tell you of her meeting with you, but you refuse to believe that you are alive or working with Cerberus."

There was some silence between the two of them as they process this.

"I have to admit that I'm surprised that you're working with Cerberus, but I assume that you have a good reason."

Shepard nodded. "Technically I'm not part of Cerberus. Their only funding my mission which is to investigate the disappearances of colonies in the Terminus Systems."

"Yes, I heard about that. I figured you found who was the cause of them."

"It's the Collectors and I believe there working for the Reapers, no proof, of course."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Listen I have to do get back to Anderson, he's waiting for my report."

"Go right ahead, but I hope I see you again."

Rick smiled. "Can't wait."

Shepard was making his way back to the Normandy when he met at another familiar face. However, this one was not as friendly as Rick. It was the same reporter that try to slander him two years ago.

Khalisah al-Jilani extended her hand. "Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Weasterlund News." Shepard crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. Khalisah al-Jilani could sense the hostility and lowered her hand. "I interviewed you two years ago, when you first became Spectre. You presented your case very well on camera. Do you have a minute?"

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "What, so you can do another smear job on me?"

"Now Shepard—you may object to my methods, but we're on the same side. You're back, you're news. I just want to give you your story its due."

She then operated her datapad and activated her camera and then made sure her microphone was operational. "Sources claim you are at the heart of the Presidium during the Battle of the Citadel. It's fair to say the course of the battle hinged on your words. If true, you told Admiral Hackett to assist the Destiny Ascension, costing hundreds of human lives and securing the continued dominance of the Citadel Council."

Shepard could see where this was going, but stood firm and strong. "The turians lost 20 cruisers. Figure each had a crew of around 300. The Ascension—the asari dreadnought we saved—had a crew of 10,000."

"But surely the human cost—"

"The Alliance lost eight cruisers. Shenyang. Emden. Jakarta. Cairo. Seoul. Cape Town. Warsaw. Madrid. And yes, I remember them all. Everyone in the Fifth Fleet is a hero. The Alliance owes more medals. The Council owes them a lot more than that." He then narrowed his eyes at Khalisah al-Jilani. "And so do you."

Shepard then walked off and heard Khalisah al-Jilani talking. "Commander Shepard, first human Spectre, hero of the Battle of the Citadel. Check vid." She then talked to someone over the comm, no doubt producers. "We get it? Great, bull-rushed on my own show."

When Shepard returned to the Normandy he stood watching bubbles move in the fish tank which now had fish flowing around it in his quarters. He suddenly felt as if the whole world was against him, especially the Council and the Alliance. So far the only people who trusted and believed him about the Reapers was Cerberus and he could say he trusted them.

He still hoped that Anderson could have at least pointed in the direction of Ashley so that he could explain to her what had happened to him and his reasons for joining Cerberus. Of course, from what Rick had told him that might not been the wise decision just yet.

Rick was standing in front of Anderson after handing his report of his latest investigations.

"So you found nothing new," Anderson sighed.

"No sir, another dead end," Rick sighed. "I should also warn you that most of people into my command thinks that were wasting our time."

Anderson nodded. "Noted."

Rick then looked at the Counsellor uneasily. "I ran into Shepard before getting here and he looked annoyed if nothing else."

"Understandable, considering that no one seems to believe his warnings, but joining Cerberus has made people uneasy and questioned his judgement."

"Sir, you and I both know that Shepard is pro-alien which means he would have had a very good reason to join terrorist organisation that is pro-human."

"I understand that, but explain that to the rest of the galaxy. Shepard aside I want you to restock in head back to Horizon."

"That's hardly putting Shepard aside," Rick pointed out.

"Fair enough, but what is the situation with the AA gun?"

"It could be better and in truth so can our relationships with the colonists. Nothing major yet just a few insults, but if we don't get the gun operational soon and out of there it could get violent."

"Do what you can to maintain the peace. We need colonies protected from the Collectors or Cerberus."

Rick saluted. "Yes, sir."