Hours later Allegra paced the medical bay by Cade's bed. Kaidan sat in a chair up against the wall, his head in his hands. Dr. Chakwas had looked Cade over when they had first brought him aboard. Physically there was nothing wrong with him, but he'd been unconscious for nearly fifteen hours now. Allegra hadn't left his side. She hadn't even removed her armor yet.

She took a quick glance at Kaidan. He had helped Allegra carry Cade to the infirmary, then stayed while Chakwas had examined him. She knew he felt responsible for what had happened to Cade, but Allegra didn't blame him. She had ordered him to get changed and get something to eat after Chakwas' examination. But he had come back to Cade's side a few hours ago, sitting in the chair silently.

Allegra jumped slightly when he finally spoke. "It's my fault," he said miserably. "I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached the beacon."

Allegra looked him over carefully. His face looked so guilty and some emotion Allegra couldn't quite place flared through her. Tenderness? Compassion? She wanted to hug the Lieutenant and tell him it wasn't his fault. She wanted to soothe away that furrow between his eyebrows. Squeeze his hand to let him know she was glad he was here. And she had no idea why.

"You had no way to know what would happen," she slowly replied. "I don't blame you."

Some of the guilt vanished from Kaidan's face. Allegra found herself realizing how handsome he was; how broad his shoulders were, the rich color of his eyes, and the glow of his tanned skin. She swallowed thickly against a sudden lump in her throat. Why was her pulse racing? Why were her palms so clammy?

A groan from Cade made her spin to face him.

"Doctor!" Kaidan called. "Doctor Chakwas! I think he's waking up."

Dr. Chakwas quickly entered the room from her back office. Cade was slowly sitting up; Allegra rushed over to help him.

"You had us worried there, Shepard," Chakwas said. "How are you feeling?"

"A slight headache," he replied, rubbing his forehead. "Nothing serious. How long was I out?"

"About fifteen hours. Something happened down there with the beacon, I think."

"I remember pushing Kaidan out of the way," Cade replied slowly.

"It's all my fault," Kaidan said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Alenko. It takes more than a little extraterrestrial technology to get rid of me," Cade joked. "So what happened after that?"

"The beacon exploded. A system overload, maybe," Kaidan explained. "The blast knocked you cold. Allegra and I had to carry you back here to the ship."

Allegra felt a slight thrill flow through her when she heard her name in Kaidan's raspy voice. She definitely had to get him to call her Allegra more often.

"I appreciate it," Cade told both of them. He quickly squeezed Allegra's hand. Kaidan nodded.

"Physically, you're fine," Chakwas announced. "But I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming."

"I saw . . . I'm not sure what I saw. Death. Destruction. Nothing's really clear." Cade looked down at the floor with a frown.

"Hmm," Chakwas mused. "I better add this to my report. It may – Oh, Captain Anderson!"

Everyone looked up to see the captain strolling through the door. They all straightened in his presence.

"How's our XO holding up, Doctor?" Anderson asked.

"All the readings look normal. I'd say the commander's going to be fine."

"Glad to hear it. Shepard, I need to speak with you – in private."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Allegra and Kaidan replied in unison. She gave him a wry smile. They saluted the captain, then made their way into the mess.

Allegra grabbed onto his arm and dragged him over to a quiet corner. "Kaidan," she said softly. He raised his eyebrows at her use of his first name. "Look, about Jenkins . . ."

"Losing Jenkins was hard," Kaidan replied. "But I understand what you said back on Eden Prime. About needing to finish the mission."

"I saw the look you gave me, Kaidan," Allegra said. "Jenkins was an important part of the crew, and I didn't give him the respect he deserved."

Kaidan looked slightly taken aback. "That's okay, Commander. You have a lot on your mind."

"Things were pretty rough down there," Allegra said.

"Yeah, you never get used to seeing dead civilians," Kaidan replied. "Doesn't seem right, somehow. But at least you stopped Saren from wiping out the whole colony."

"I couldn't have done it without you," Allegra replied, looking up at him.

Kaidan swallowed. "Or Ashley. Or your brother," he finished. "We're marines. We stick together." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "It's been a hell of a shakedown cruise," he said after a moment. "Our first mission ends with one Spectre killing another. The Citadel Council's not gonna be happy about that. Probably use it to lever more concessions out of the Alliance."

"You've got a good grasp of the situation," Allegra smiled. "You a career man?"

"Yeah. A lot of biotics are. We're not restricted, but we sure don't go undocumented. May as well get a paycheck for it. Besides, my father served. Made him proud when I enlisted. Eventually. But is that why you're here? Because of your family?"

"My whole family is in the Alliance," Allegra replied. "Cade and I grew up on various starships." She smiled at the memories. "He was always more respected than I was though. He made our parents proud on Elysium. Bought him any post in the fleet. As for me . . . well, I became The Butcher of Torfan," Allegra said with a grimace. "My parents refused to speak to me for weeks after the way I managed to handle things."

"But you proved yourself to be a formidable soldier. You got the job done," Kaidan said.

"And I also proved that I'll never be a hero like Cade. We're twins. Everyone expects me to be just like him. They're disappointed I'm not."

"He must respect you. He requested you for this mission," Kaidan pointed out.

"He wants to give me a chance to change my reputation. Besides, I'm a good fighter, and he knows it. He likes to have me along when he doesn't know exactly what he's getting into."

"So he suspected something was off about this mission the whole time?" Kaidan asked.

Allegra nodded.

Kaidan cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Word is we're heading for the Citadel. Any idea why?"

"I imagine the Ambassador will want to alert the Council to Saren's actions. They'd need us to be there, as we saw what happened on Eden Prime."

"Makes sense. They'd probably like to know he's not working for them anymore. Whatever happens, we'll be ready, Commander."

"Glad to hear you say that, Kaidan."

After Cade talked to Captain Anderson about what had happened on Eden Prime and what it meant now that Saren was a rogue Spectre, he headed out to the mess, running directly into Ashley.

"I'm glad you're okay, Commander," she greeted.

"Thank you," Cade replied. "I'm pleased you got reassigned to the Normandy. We can use talented soldiers such as yourself."

"Part of me feels guilty," Ashley said. "If Jenkins hadn't died, I probably wouldn't be here."

"Don't think like that," Cade interjected. "You deserve to be here."

"Thanks, Commander. I appreciate it."

"Are you okay, Chief? Things were pretty bad down there," Cade said.

"I've seen friends die before, sir. It comes with being a marine. It never gets any easier though."

"No, it sure doesn't," Cade said sadly.

"It was my whole unit," Ashley whispered. "All of them . . . gone. And all those civilians . . . But, things would have been a lot worse if you hadn't shown up."

"We couldn't have done it without your help, Williams."

"Thank you, Commander. You know, I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about being assigned to the Normandy. I didn't know if I would be welcomed since I'm, you know, kind of taking Jenkins' place. It's nice that you make me feel like I belong here."

"I think you'll fit in here just fine, Williams," Cade smiled.

Ashley smiled back, then excused herself.

Cade wandered his way upstairs to the cockpit. He found Allegra and Kaidan there, talking to Joker.

"Good timing, Commander," Joker greeted. "I was just about to bring us into the Citadel."

Cade joined Allegra and Kaidan at the window. He was amazed at the site that greeted him. He had never been to the Citadel, but had heard stories from people who had. But those stories didn't do the station any justice. As it emerged from the clouds surrounding it, Cade couldn't help but marvel at just how big it was.

"Look at the size of that ship!" Allegra cried, pointing towards a very large spaceship floating around the outside of the Citadel.

"The Ascension," Kaidan answered, "flagship of the Citadel fleet."

"Size isn't everything," Joker said.

"Touchy are we, Joker?" Allegra laughed.

"You need firepower too," Joker replied.

Allegra giggled, making Kaidan smile. Cade looked between them curiously.

"Citadel control, this is SSV Normandy, requesting permission to land," Joker radioed in.

"Stand by for clearance, Normandy," Citadel control replied. After a moment they were granted clearance and Joker began taking them in to dock.

When they had docked Cade, Allegra, Ashley, and Kaidan all donned their armor and followed Captain Anderson through Citadel Security to the Presidium and up to the Ambassador's office.

Ambassador Udina greeted them tersely, announcing he had a meeting set up with the Council. The four soldiers stood to one side along with Anderson while Udina spoke to the holograms of the Council members. He told them about what had occurred on Eden Prime, but the Council didn't seem to believe anything he said, nor did they seem to want to help in any way. Cade noticed that Udina seemed convinced this was because the Council hated humans.

"This is an outrage!" Udina yelled at the Council. "If this had been a turian colony-"

"The turians don't establish colonies on the edge of the terminus system, Ambassador," the asari councilor replied evenly. "Humanity was well aware of the risks."

"And Saren?" Udina demanded. "You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre. I demand action!"

"You don't get to make demands of the Council," the turian councilor yelled right back.

"Citadel Security is investigating your claims against Saren," the asari said calmly. "We will discuss their findings at the hearing."

With that, the meeting was over and the Council's holograms faded. Udina hung his head and turned angrily to the assembled group. "Captain Anderson, I see you brought half your crew with you."

"Just the ground team from Eden Prime," Anderson replied. "In case you had any questions."

"The mission reports are accurate, I assume?" Udina asked.

"Of course they are," Anderson assured. "I'm glad you were able to convince the Council to have an audience with us."

"They weren't happy about it. Saren is their top agent. They don't appreciate hearing that he's gone rogue."

"We're not going to sit on our asses while the Council refuses to do anything," Allegra spoke up. "If they won't stop Saren, we will."

"Settle down, Commander. You and your brother have done enough to damage his candidacy for the Spectres already. The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done and you failed. Nihlus is dead and the beacon is destroyed."

"That's Saren's fault, not theirs," Anderson defended.

"Then we better hope C-Sec finds evidence to his betrayal," Udina replied. "Or the Council may use this as an excuse to keep Cade out of the Spectres. Come with me, Captain, I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard, you and the others can meet us at the top of the Citadel tower for the hearing. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in."

As Udina and Anderson walked away, Ashley muttered, "And that's why I hate politicians."

"You were a candidate for the Spectres?" Allegra asked Cade, wide eyed.

"Er, yeah," Cade answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't get a chance to. I only found out right before Eden Prime."

"So Nihlus was there to recruit you?"

"Pretty much."

Allegra frowned. "Why you? I mean, I know you're a hero and everything, but I'm just as good of a soldier as you are. I've proven myself too."

Cade shrugged. "I don't know, Allegra. Can we not discuss this now? We've got more important things to worry about."

"Fine," Allegra agreed unhappily. She walked out of the room with a glare on her face.

Cade groaned and followed her.

Allegra stormed her way down the stairs and to the main walkway of the Presidium level. She leaned against the railing and glared down into the lake.

It just wasn't fair. Why did Cade deserve to become a Spectre more than she did? They were both great soldiers, they both strived to complete the mission. And weren't Spectres supposed to achieve their goals using any means necessary? Allegra had no problem with that while there were thousands of things Cade would refuse to do if it came down to it. If the Council wanted a great Spectre, they should ask Allegra. Why couldn't they see that?

A warm presence at her elbow made her look up in annoyance. Her attitude quickly became much brighter as she came face to face with Kaidan.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"I'm just a little pissed off," Allegra explained. She looked around, noticing Cade and Ashley were at a VI Terminal about twenty feet away.

"Because of the Spectre thing?"

"Well, yeah, that and because the Council refused to do anything about Saren."

"They haven't come right out and refused anything yet," Kaidan replied.

"Are you always so optimistic?"

"Beats being a pessimist."

Allegra smiled at him. She didn't know why, but she really liked talking to Kaidan. "I know it's silly of me, but I'm jealous that Cade was a candidate for the Spectres and not me."

"It's not silly of you. A lot of people are jealous."

"I know. But he's my brother. I should be happy for him."

"I've noticed that he seems to get more attention than you. At least good attention, anyway. Everything I had heard about you before I met you were all horrible things because of Torfan." Kaidan looked away from her. "That must have been a difficult time for you."

"Very difficult," Allegra agreed quietly.

"I suppose not many people have listened to your side of the story?"

"No, they haven't." Allegra took a minute to study his profile. She had never had a man understand her like this before. She had never had anyone understand her like this before. She wasn't quite sure what to think or do. "Kaidan," she said softly, making him look up at her. "I don't know how you do it, but you make me feel so relaxed."

He opened his mouth to reply, but Cade and Ashley decided to pick that moment to join them at the railing. Kaidan quickly turned away from Allegra.

"We should be getting to the Citadel Tower," Cade said, avoiding Allegra's glance. "It's down that way a bit." He pointed over his shoulder.

"Well, let's get going then," Allegra said, walking off in the direction he had pointed. He let her lead the way. Allegra had hoped Kaidan would catch up with her so they could walk together, but he hung back slightly to walk behind them. Rationally, she knew she shouldn't feel so disappointed, but she just couldn't help it.

Eventually, they made it to the Citadel Tower and piled into the elevator. It rose slowly, the music grating on Allegra's nerves. She willed it to move faster, but instead it seemed to slow down slightly about halfway up the tower. And she had thought the Normandy's elevator was slow!

Finally, finally, the elevator arrived at the very top of the tower. Cade led them down a short hallway that opened up to an enormous fountain where two turians were arguing with each other.

"Saren's hiding something. I need more time. You have to stall the council," the turian dressed in blue armor was saying.

"Stall the Council? That's ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus," the second turian replied before walking away.

Garrus turned to see the four soldiers staring at him. "You're Commander Shepard," he said to Cade. "Garrus Vakarian," he greeted. "I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."

"Sounds like you really want to bring him down," Allegra commented.

Garrus looked her over quickly. "Ah, the other Commander Shepard," he said appreciatively. "I don't trust Saren," he said in answer to her statement. "Something about him just doesn't sit right with me. Unfortunately, he's a Spectre so anything he's involved with is classified. I haven't been able to find any hard evidence to prove he's a traitor."

"We should be going," Cade said. "The Council is waiting for us."

"Good luck," Garrus said. "Maybe they'll listen to you."

They passed through the rest of the top floor of the tower. Ashley commented on how many stairs there were, but Allegra was more interested in the trees and other greenery they had growing around the tower. It was a very beautiful place; she only wished she could fully enjoy it.

Standing on the final set of stairs, Captain Anderson waited for them. "The hearing's already started," he said as they approached. Ashley and Kaidan hung back as he led Cade and Allegra up the stairs to where the Council stood, already arguing with Udina. Saren was taking part in the hearing by way of hologram.

"There is nothing to indicate Saren had any part of the geth attack on Eden Prime," the asari councilor was saying.

"The C-Sec investigation turned up no evidence to support the charge of treason," the turian councilor added.

"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" Udina replied angrily.

"We've read the reports from Eden Prime, Ambassador. However, the testimony of a traumatized colonist cannot be considered hard evidence," the salarian councilor said.

"I resent these accusations," Saren spoke up. "Nihlus was a fellow Spectre and a friend."

"That just let you catch him off guard!" Anderson cried.

"Captain Anderson," Saren said coolly, "why is it you always seemed to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me? And these must be the two Commander Shepards. The ones who destroyed the beacon."

"You're the one who tried to destroy the beacon, then cover it up!" Cade snapped.

"Captain Anderson has taught you well, I see. Shifting the blame to cover your own failures," Saren taunted. "But what can you expect from humanity."

"Saren despises humanity!" Cade yelled. "That's why he attacked Eden Prime!"

"Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard. You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!" Saren replied calmly.

"That is not his decision!" Udina immediately argued. "He has no right to say that."

"The purpose of this meeting is not to discuss whether or not Shepard should be inducted into the Spectres," the asari councilor interrupted.

"This meeting has no purpose!" Saren replied. "The humans are just wasting our time."

"Saren is hiding behind his Spectre status!" Allegra butted in. "You need to open your eyes!"

"What we need is proof," the salarian councilor reprimanded.

"Our decision must be based on facts, not wild speculation," the turian councilor added.

"Do you have anything else to add, Commander Shepard?" the salarian councilor asked.

Cade looked to Allegra, who shook her head. "You've already made your decision," Cade said with a heavy sigh. "We won't waste our breath."

"The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbanded from the Spectres is denied," the asari councilor announced.

"I'm glad to see justice was served," Saren gloated.

The councilors adjourned the meeting. Cade and Allegra followed Udina and Anderson back down the stairs to where Ashley and Kaidan waited anxiously.

"How did it go?" Kaidan asked Allegra quietly.

"Not well," she answered briefly.

"It was a mistake to bring you into the hearing, Captain," Udina spat at Anderson. "You and Saren have too much history. The Council questioned our motives."

"I know Saren," Anderson said firmly. "He's working with the geth to destroy the entire human race. I'm sure of it. Humanity is in danger. Nowhere, not even Earth, is safe."

"We'll have to deal with Saren ourselves," Cade decided.

"We need to find a way to expose him but he's untouchable as a Spectre," Udina murmured.

"What about Garrus?" Kaidan asked. "He was arguing with Executor Pallin, asking for more time. He might have been close to finding something on Saren."

"Where could we find him?" Cade asked Udina and Anderson.

"I know a man from C-Sec named Harkin. He could help us track Garrus down," Udina suggested.

"Forget it," Anderson said. "Harkin was suspended last month for drinking on the job. I wouldn't waste my time with him."

"I don't want you part of our investigating," Udina demanded. "I don't want the Council to use your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore any evidence we find. The commanders will handle this."

"You can't just cut Captain Anderson out of the investigation!" Allegra cried irately.

"No, the ambassador's right," Anderson admitted with a sigh. "I need to step aside."

Udina announced he had some business to take care of and excused himself. After Udina had walked away, Anderson told them they could probably find Harkin down at Chora's Den in the wards.

"So you do want us to speak with him?" Allegra asked.

"He may prove useful. It's a long shot, but I don't want to turn away any help we can get," Anderson answered. "You should also talk to Barla Von in the financial district. Rumor has it he's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"The information dealer?" Allegra questioned.

"That's the one," Anderson replied. "I've heard Barla Von is one of his top representatives. He might know something about Saren, but any information he'd have won't come cheap."

"We'll find something, Captain," Cade promised.

"Count on us, sir," Allegra added.

Anderson nodded and made his way out of the Citadel Tower. Cade turned to Allegra. "I think we should split up."

"Good idea. You take Barla Von. I've got Harkin," Allegra decided.

"I don't know about you going to Chora's Den by yourself," Cade said uneasily.

"Cade, I'm a big girl, I can handle myself. But," she added resignedly, "if it'll make you feel better, I'll take Alenko with me."

"I'll keep an eye on her, Commander," Kaidan promised.

"Good. Well, Williams, it looks like it's you and me," Cade said to Ashley, leading her towards the elevators.

Allegra turned to Kaidan. "Sorry you got stuck with me," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Kaidan replied with a small smile.

"Isn't it?"

"Not from where I'm standing."

Allegra felt a slight thrill course through her veins, but resolutely ignored it. She cleared her throat and tried to remain professional. "All right, Lieutenant, let's go look at some strippers!"