"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite ship in the Galaxy."
Shepard rose slowly from her bed into an upright sitting position, clutching her forehead with a hand. She felt someone gently helping her up, their palm resting on her upper back. That was just the first thing she noticed. The second was that she was surrounded by people. The third was the realization that she wasn't aboard the Citadel anymore. In fact, she seemed to be in the Normandy's Medical Bay.
"Alright…" She groaned. "How did I get here and why do I feel like my brain is trying to mutiny?"
"You don't remember any of that?" She expected a more concerned tone when Garrus asked, but if anything he sounded relieved.
"I was a little busy being out of commission." She took better stock of her surroundings, and noticed there was a possessed Collector lying down right next to her. Someone who had seen significantly less may have been surprised. Shepard just felt her head throb a little more. "…Please tell me that's a fluke, as opposed to 'I failed miserably and the Reapers turned us into slaves'."
"Neither." Liara, who Shepard now realized was holding the Collector down one-handed, replied. "We just evicted Harbinger from, well, you."
"Harbinger, huh?" Shepard nodded slowly. "Okay. Someone get me a pistol."
"Gladly." Someone in the back of the room said. However, the elephant in the room himself picked that moment to speak up.
"The completion of your goals requires my continued existence, Shepard."
Those words caused a great wave of silence all around them. Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Explain that one to me. You only get one chance."
"You are foolish to think that yours was the first civilization to attempt to use the Crucible." As the thing spoke, Shepard mused that it was more than a little disturbing that no part of it moved when the words resounded inside the cramped bay. Aside from the telltale pulsing of the lava like veins within, the voice could have come from anywhere. "Yours was merely the first to succeed. There is a planet, in what you know as 'Dark Space'. It is protected from the Crucible's power. From any power. There lies your battle."
"How nice of you to just mention this." Shepard said, unconvinced. "What's your angle, Harbinger?"
"Our time is over, Shepard. You have proven this decisively. Now, I desire only what any sentient being desires. To exist."
"And you're willing to sell out the rest of your species to do it." Garrus growled, one hand still protectively clutching Shepard's shoulder. "You aren't doing yourself any favors with that explanation."
"I care little for your personal feelings. This is your choice. Spare me, or allow the risk of their return."
"You're insane if you think we'll go for-" Garrus began.
"Done." Shepard cut him off, drawing at least half a dozen looks of complete shock. "Garrus, come with me."
She led him out of the med bay and was relieved that he had to composure to wait until the door closed to begin an explosion. "Shepard, what the hell-"
She cut him off immediately, draping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips firmly against the front of his mouth. Not perfect, but it felt as right as it had...how long ago? Time seemed fuzzy to her, then. Reluctantly, she broke off after an eternal moment, looking him deeply in the eyes.
"Garrus…" She whispered softly. "I'm taking his deal so that we can find this planet and finish them off. After that, you and I can flip a credit over who kills him."
"I…uh…well…" He stuttered, at a loss for words.
"Don't worry." She smirked. "You can veto this when I'm out of good reasons." She motioned to the door. "Shall we?"
"Right…yeah." Garrus shook his head and followed her back in. His expression must have been vaguely reassuring, because several people instantly looked less tense. He supposed they must be thinking the same thing he was, as well; if Shepard could convince him that this was a good idea, she must have a great reason.
"Terms accepted." Shepard told Harbinger. "We let you live, you lead us to this…shield world. Or whatever it is."
"A wise choice."
"I'm not so sure about that, but whatever helps you sleep, I suppose." She looked around. "I have some things to follow up on. I'll see everyone later. Dismissed."
Reluctantly in some cases, everyone besides Dr. Chakwas, Kaidan, Harbinger, and a salarian she didn't recognize filed out. Shepard collapsed back on the bed, massaging her temples. Chakwas was up and over immediately, her omni-tool flashing as she ran a diagnostic.
"Anything I should know, Doctor?" She asked.
"Dr. Solus and I did some cleanup while you were unconscious." Chakwas said absently. "It wasn't hard, and you're as fit as can be, all things considered. You might want to indulge in a bath, though."
Shepard glanced down. She was wearing some standard-issue generic civvies, and was covered in dust and grime. Aside from her now-receding head pains, she didn't feel particularly injured, though, which was a good sign. "Solus?" She asked.
The salarian came around the other side and began his own examination procedure, smiling. "At your service."
"Any relation to Mordin Solus?" Shepard asked cautiously.
He nodded, thoug she noticed a slight change in his manner. Distress? "I'm his nephew."
"He told me about you." Shepard examined him curiously. "You're…a geneticist, right?"
"Among other things." He said casually. "It's a shame my research is on hold, of course, but personally, I found this more important."
"Research?" Off to her left, Chakwas closed her omni-tool, nodding an affirmative. Apparently, she was fine. Though, the doctor still looked concerned. They'd need to talk about that.
"Yes. I've been looking in to the ardat-yakshi condition, as well as krogan genetics. So far it's proven interesting…" He grinned. "But I don't want to bore you with the details. Suffice it to say I've been…well, hired, I suppose, to cure one and use the other to stop another potential rebellion."
That got her attention. "Are the krogan on the verge of a galactic revolt? Again?"
"No!" Solus said urgently. "Certainly not. Councilor Wrex has done an excellent job at keeping the peace. He merely wants me to help put failsafes in place so another doesn't occur."
"Councilor Wrex?" She repeated. "Wrex is on the council? The krogan are on the council? How long have I been out?"
"Ah…" Solus looked uncomfortable. "Five years." At her expression, he added: "Yes, we have no leading theories as to how, either."
"Symbiosis."
Harbinger said. Shepard fixed the Reaper with a glare.
"What do you mean by 'symbiosis'?" She asked.
"You were kept alive by my intervention, as I was by using you as a host. Your biotics were only limited by your ability to understand them...or mine."
"Your...intervention?" Shepard didn't like where the conversation was headed. "When did this 'symbiosis' start, exactly?"
"When I felt my mechanical body begin to fail, I left it. I bonded with the nearest organic who could sustain my presence. You were dying, your mind was fragile, and you had nearly done as I had. It was not difficult to control you."
"You've been…inside of me. For five years? Perfect." She looked up at Chakwas. "Am I mobile? I think I need to go take five showers."
Chakwas chuckled at that. "You're fit for duty, as near as I can tell, Shepard. Just…don't over-exert yourself."
Shepard raised a brow. "Why not?"
"Your…cells were starting to degenerate, thanks to your…" Solus' mouth curled in distaste. "New friend's intervention. We're not sure if it's still a problem. We will keep you up to date, of course, just don't go sustaining ludicrously fatal injuries."
"But Doctor," Shepard said, feigning shock. "That would disrupt the status quo."
"I suppose it is our job to make sure you keep ticking on in spite of said fatal injuries." Solus admitted, shrugging. "Though, if I'm remembering the stories correctly, I don't think the entire galaxy has enough medi-gel to last your missions a week."
"Such a hurtful exaggeration, Doctor." She chuckled, getting up from her seat. "…A month. Maybe."
"Sounds about right." Kaidan grumbled from the corner, eliciting laughter from the others. It felt like ages since Shepard had the need to really laugh, even without factoring in her half-a-decade disappearance.
Five years…
Oddly enough, it wasn't as shocking as it should be. She supposed it was just because of the repetition. The first time had been a shock. Now it was just mildly annoying. She stepped out of the medical bay, assuring Kaidan that she'd be back, and asking Chakwas to get Liara down there to keep an eye on Harbinger. No matter what he said, she didn't trust him. She assumed he felt the same.
It was…troubling, to say the least. She'd spent the longest time trying to kill him and his kin. Now most of the Reapers had been destroyed, and she was working with one of the only survivors. What was the galaxy coming to?
She stopped in front of a familiar terminal, pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind. Right now, she had more important things to worry about.
"EDI." She said, feeling nostalgic as she did so.
"Yes, Commander?" The familiar blue…head…thing appeared over the terminal. And now, Shepard was starting to truly feel at home.
"Is this a new Normandy?" She asked, looking around. "I don't recognize some of these additions."
"This is the Normandy SR-3, yes."
"Does it still have a Captain's Cabin?"
"Yes. It is currently vacant."
"Vacant?" Shepard was mildly surprised. "Why?"
"The crew felt it would be disrespectful if anyone but you were to use it. Major Alenko has taken residence in the Executive Officer's station."
"I…" Shepard found that she lacked the proper response to that. Feeling incredibly honored, even by such a relatively small thing, tended to incite those kinds of reactions. So she settled on her actual question. "Does it have a shower room?"
"Affirmative."
"Fantastic." She nodded, and started towards the elevator. She stopped in her tracks, looking back toward the terminal. "EDI…it's good to see you again."
"Likewise, Shepard." That was definitely a tinge of emotion. Shepard smiled to herself.
It was good to be back.
Shepard didn't know what to expect from the accommodations. Perhaps a smattering of tech she hadn't seen before, or an indoor palace. In truth, she felt nervous the entire elevator ride up, as it gave her time to think on her situation. She certainly was starting to have doubts as to what exactly she was doing.
Everything had felt natural right up until then. The only thing she could remember was the inferno, and losing consciousness, so waking up in the medbay was no issue at the time. Like after Eden Prime, but less severe.
But thinking about it, Shepard knew how ridiculous it must have looked for someone five years M.I.A. to sit up and immediately act as though nothing had happened. She wouldn't have blamed anyone for having heart attacks right then and there.
In the elevator, it felt like this stop would determine the rest of her regained life, in some odd way. How much things changed...or how much they stayed the same.
The doors opened. There was an empty aquarium to the left, a bed at the far end, a shower and sitting area along the right side...just like her most recent memories. More bare of her personal belongings, but otherwise a spitting image. She stopped to stare at it all for a while, drinking in the silence and the light. With each passing moment, she felt more like she was in some kind of dream. Maybe even a next life.
She frowned heavily, and began to disrobe, making her way over to the washroom. Whether asleep, awake, or dead, she was going to play this out clean, damn it.
However, she had barely turned on the water systems in the small white room when she heard someone knocking on the door. She sighed. It figured that someone was visiting exactly when she was about to get cleaned up.
She grabbed the towel she'd set out for herself prematurely and wrapped up before moving to open the door from the elevator hallway to her room. All at once, the timing made sense. It was Garrus.
"Permission to, ah, enter, Commander?" He asked.
"Granted." She replied, unable to keep the smile off her face. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and turned to face her.
"I thought now might be a good time to talk…" He began. "There are more than a few things I should fill you in on."
"I was just about to get washed up, actually." She thumbed behind her. "And those doors make conversation a bit difficult."
"Ah." He said, nodding. "I can always come…back…later…" He stopped talking entirely, possibly getting a handle on how foolish he sounded.
"But…" She reasoned. "I could hear you just fine if you were to, for example, join me."
"Hm." He mulled it over. "Tempting..."
She tried to keep herself constant, but she felt her expression fall when the obvious occurred to her. From her point of view, she'd been awake one minute, and then awake somewhere else the next. But he had lived on in a new galaxy for so long...would his feelings have withstood that particular test of time?
One foot involuntarily stepped back. She felt foolish in that instant, trying to figure out a way to back off until she'd ascertained exactly whether there was still anything between them.
Unfortunately, he noticed. "Something wrong?"
She made a split-second decision to be honest. "I've just...I'm having trouble keeping the time straight. I don't want to confuse you if something..."
"Shepard." Garrus cut her off smoothly and moved forward, taking her hands in his. "I've spent five years waiting for a moment when I could see you again. Not knowing whether it was reasonable or even possible. And it sure as hell wasn't easy to press on. Let me make this clear: You are not replaceable. Not to the galaxy, and definitely not to me."
SHe shook her head, now fully unable to keep a smile off of her face. "Sorry, I just...this feels like some kind of..."
"Dream?" Garrus asked. She nodded again. "I know the feeling. It's...not one I want to wake up from."
Neither did she. But if they could keep each other grounded, even for a few moments, all was well for her.
"You know," Davisson commented. "Back in my day, fixing engines wasn't at all like an old infiltration sim."
He and Tali were in the engine room, adjusting a few system flaws. Or, at least, that's what she'd said. And Davisson just happened to have wanted to come down for some conversation. As it was, it wasn't as face-to-mask as he'd like, but on the upside, he had a great view of her hips as she crawled through the ducts.
His job was more glamorous - to make sure nothing went actually wrong inside the vents. It required some degree of attention to detail, but wasn't that difficult. Still, it was better than spending lunch in awkward silence trying to avoid T'Soni.
"And yet, this feels like a childhood game." Tali commented. "Ever tried to fix a fuel line on the flotilla?"
"Nope. Vayn has, though. I take it it's a lot like this?"
"It- Wait. Vayn?" Based on his readings, she'd stopped her work, presumably in shock. "As in Admiral Vayn'Rolla vas Idenna?"
"Oh, she's an admiral now?" Davisson grinned. "Figured she'd get there eventually."
"How many admirals do you know, anyway?" Tali asked, adjusting a few settings on the conductor lines.
"Well, fully half of them are on the Normandy." Davisson broadcasted a few 'all clear' messages to Tali's omni-tool and the ship itself. "But it's not too-"
"Everything going well down here?"
Davisson turned in place, and there, ye gods, was the Commander herself. She was wearing a 'casual' Alliance outfit, and her black hair was hanging loose around her shoulders. It was also wet.
He saluted with a trembling hand, putting on a smile.
There was a wump and an 'Ow!' from the ducts as Tali came out hurriedly. "Well as can be, Comman-" Adams began.
"Shepard!" Tali exclaimed, rushing forward and embracing her. The Commander smiled and returned the gesture, at which point Davisson noticed Garrus was also there. In fact, his plates looked more than a little moist as well. He mouthed 'Rock on' to the turian, for which he received an exasperated shake of the head, though he saw Garrus' mandibles twitch in amusement as well.
"We didn't get much of a chance to talk in the med bay earlier, though I'd come down personally and see how everyone was." Shepard glanced over at the pair by the secondary readout consoles. "Donnelly, Daniels, Adams." She nodded to each, still being semi-crushed by an ecstatic quarian.
"Good to see you, Commander." Donnelly, too, was grinning like an idiot.
Tali backpedaled somewhat, giving herself the opportunity to examine Shepard thoroughly, eyes zipping to and fro behind the mask. "You look…"
"Like I've been out for five years?" Shepard smirked.
"Good." Tali corrected. "You look good."
"You aren't doing badly for yourself, either." Shepard commented. "Glad to hear your promotion wasn't temporary."
"There are benefits to having been on the team that reclaimed the homeworld." Tali stated wryly. "But that's fairly old news for both of us."
They paced over to the main readout console, leaving Garrus and Davisson leaning against a wall side by side, a muttered conversation between them.
"How's the ship?" Shepard asked.
"Better than ever." Tali said enthusiastically. "I'll never cease to be amazed by the progress the Alliance makes with each new model. The SR-3's drive core is even more advanced than the others, and I didn't think that was possible."
"Any new improvements in particular?" Shepard's eyes flicked to the pulsing core. To her, it looked like any other drive core. To Tali, it probably looked like a giant Christmas tree.
"I'm pretty sure they implemented a few of Kenneth and Gabby's design suggestions into the output control units, for starters." Tali indicated a few breakers connected to the console she was in front of. "Which, to say the least, is a good thing for those of us who don't appreciate being fried by an overflow."
"Why, you humble us with your praise, oh master of the core." Donnelly crowed from his station, earning him a light-hearted smack on the arm from Daniels.
Tali chuckled. "Ken tends to over-dramatize. But then, the more things change…"
"Speaking of which, how are the geth acclimatizing to Rannoch? For that matter, how are the quarians?"
"I'm impressed at how many steps forward we've taken in so relatively short a time." Tali said. "Not just in diplomacy, but technology. We don't need our suits on the surface anymore, we've managed to compress entire geth processing stations into one unit, and our relations with the galaxy have never been better." She paused. "We have an embassy, Shepard. On the Citadel. It's…"
"Wonderful." Shepard said.
Tali nodded emphatically. "It is. It really, really is."
"I've never understood how the geth work that well." Shepard admitted. "What were you saying about processing stations?"
"Well, like we've discussed before, geth link on their networks to share processing power and form intelligence by proximity." Tali began. "The more of them there are in a group or a unit, the more they can process. Normally, their platforms, like the bipedal geth we're accustomed to, only hold a few hundred runtimes at once, at most. But Legion proved that it's not only possible, but viable for a platform to operate with more than a thousand."
"The question I posed was whether it was possible to improve an individual runtime to operate more like a conventional AI - one unit, one intelligence." Tali continued. "The Admiralty Board was reluctant at first, but they let me organize an example. So I asked a platform if one of their runtimes would be amenable to the idea, and the consensus was 'yes'. Jeddah is my proof of concept."
"Jeddah?" Shepard asked.
"He's…I suppose you could call him my aide." Tali clarified. "He helps me with nearly everything. Nearly constantly, until someone started taking him on missions." She looked over at Garrus, who shrugged.
"You set the precedent with that keeper fiasco." He pointed out. "I never would have considered it until I found out he was…what'd you call him?" He asked Davisson.
"A synthetic ninja." Davisson answered with mock-solemnity. "There are simply no other words."
Shepard held up a hand. "Wait, he's combat capable?"
"Well, yes." Tali sounded like she thought it should be obvious. "But he doesn't harm sentients if he can help it. By choice, too."
"I must've imagined the whole 'trying-to-put-a-phantom-through-a-wall' thing." Garrus muttered.
"Woah, wait. What?" Shepard asked, eyebrows raised. She looked to Garrus while Tali placed a hand over her mask.
"A Cerberus phantom thought stabbing him would help, so he punched her nearly twenty meters into the side of a base." Garrus explained. "I've got to hand it to him, though, it wasn't a killing blow." He paused, then added as an afterthought; "Oh, and he cut the head off a Brute, too."
"Damn." Shepard grinned. "Sounds like someone I need to have a beer with."
"Lack of ability to drink notwithstanding, I imagine he'd like that. Then again, you're…well, you're essentially a hero to the geth." Tali said.
"I'd need an obscure encyclopedia and a few days to find a species she isn't a hero to." Davisson pointed out.
Shepard gave him a once-over and stepped forward. "I don't think we've met, have we?"
He shook his head. "Colonel Davisson."
She nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Colonel."
"Pleasure's all mine, ma'am."
Shepard turned to Garrus. "You mentioned Cerberus. Tell me they're not…"
"Splinter groups." Garrus assured her. "We've already eliminated two bases, and Miranda's been giving the rest hell."
"You brought down two Cerberus bases in your spare time?" Shepard asked. "That seems…unusual."
"Granted, they're a lot more pathetic than what we're used to." Garrus conceded. "Both of them had their security forces cut in half thanks to rampant experiments."
"How poetic." Shepard said dryly. "Is that where you got Harbinger's Collector body?"
Garrus nodded. "I've got to hand it to them, they're helpful when it's an accident."
"We-"
"Commander!" Joker's voice came in over a nearby terminal. "The Dawnstar just came in to the system, Empyreus wants to arrange a dock-and-talk."
"Slow down, Joker." Shepard told the terminal. "What are you talking about?"
"Admiral Empyreus commands the Dawnstar, he's an 'ambassador' in the frontier." Garrus explained. "We're in orbit above Eletania, and I asked him to come help secure the Cerberus outpost."
"Eletania…" Shepard mulled it over. "Garden world, full of pyjaks?"
"The data module I got far too excited about…" Tali added.
"The prothean relic that knocked you on your ass…" Garrus put in.
"The inexplicable mines…" Joker joined the other two in assisting the reminisce.
"No need to go back too deeply." Shepard said, forestalling further reminders. "Take us in, Joker. Tell him I'll be in the briefing room." She motioned for Garrus to lead on.
He moved towards the entrance of the engine room, then turned on a heel. "We should bring Davisson with us. Could be helpful if we need to negotiate."
Davisson raised a brow. "What am I, a diplomatic asset?"
"Today? Yes."
"Welcome to my world, Colonel." Shepard said. "Let's go."
They made a brief stop in the armory before they went to the briefing room to get a turian Shepard didn't recognize, again on Garrus' recommendation (female, if her judgment on dimorphism was correct), and so by the time they arrived, the 'guests' were already there.
There were three of them, in total. All turians, none familiar to Shepard. The tallest and most imposing (who she guessed was Empyreus) had a sniper rifle strapped to his back and was wearing heavy armor. Black clan markings interspersed with various scars made his face look like it was breaking apart and thus also more intimidating than it would be without. Any lesser human may have felt an instant need to salute and ask for permission to breathe. Indeed, Shepard herself had only felt such an air of command twice before, in the presence of the greatest Alliance officers of her time. Secretly, she believed not even Anderson and Hackett could compare to all of the details surrounding Empyreus at once. This man was an Admiral through and through, a leader.
Beside him, a turian of middle-age was checking his omni-tool repeatedly, looking busy and detached. His violet-blue facial markings made it look like his eyes and nose were dripping blood all over his face, and a piece of his fringe was missing.
The third turian was much younger than either, looking himself very eager and ready. Shepard noticed immediately that his markings was exactly like Garrus', though she tossed the thought off as coincidence. His hands were resting behind him, his stance a traditional military one, at ease.
All of them looked cowed when Shepard entered. It reminded her of her status, and the thought was simultaneously pleasant and…strangely, not at all.
"Commander Shepard." Empyreus had probably intended it to sound more like a formal greeting, but it came out more like a gasp of disbelief. The engineer beside him looked like he couldn't quite believe his eyes, and also worried that should he blink, she would disappear. The youngest looked, if at all possible, more excited than either, gazing upon her like she was a god in their presence…or, well, spirit, she supposed.
"It…is an honor to meet you at last." Empyreus continued, indicating himself. "Admiral Empyreus, of the Dawnstar."
Behind her, Shepard heard a soft chuckle, and glanced back just in time to see Garrus handing a credit chip to Davisson, who was smiling. She raised an eyebrow. "What are you two doing?"
"I bet that Ber-Bear would fanboy out even harder than me. Twenty easy credits." Shepard might have called him out on that blatant bit of disrespect to a superior officer, but she recognized the good-naturedness in his tone that only came from something much deeper than mere rank; camaraderie. This was compounded by Empyreus' expression - as opposed to barely-contained rage, he looked merely vaguely annoyed.
"I am not a-" Empyreus began slowly.
"Oh, don't be like that." Davisson said pleasantly. "You're standing in front of a legend. It's okay to lose a bit of composure."
There was a pause. "Noted." Empyreus grumbled.
Garrus, meanwhile, had moved to one end of the briefing room table, and nodded to the other two. "Lokkan, Renar. Thought you two would be on Palaven by now."
Ah, that would be awkward later. She and Garrus had discussed Renar (among other topics) briefly before that point, at least enough for her to have been 'reassured' that Garrus had no relation to the Lieutenant's blood mother, despite their relation to each other.
The engineer who had been introduced as Lokkan scoffed, and Shepard was surprised to hear that he had a rough Scottish accent. "Like 'ell we'd miss out on whatever you're up to. I didnae sign on ta the Victorious tae get dropped off on th' homeworld like some bloody tourist."
"Not that I didn't contest it." Empyreus glanced over at the turians beside him. "But they are loyal and hard to sway, I will give you that."
"I'm sure we can find some room on the Normandy for the both of you…with Commander Shepard's permission, of course." Garrus said.
Once again, all eyes were on her. Shepard spoke immediately. "Absolutely. What are your specialties?"
"I run calibrations on whatever weapons a boat's got on it." Lokkan said.
"Communications and ground team support." Renar offered succinctly.
She looked at Garrus and nodded. He probably knew more about both where to place them and even the specifics of the Normandy than she did. "Our Thanix on deck two could benefit from an expert touch." He told Lokkan, taking the hint.
His eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning. "You've got a Thanix? I'll have 'er firing straight as an arrow before you know it."
Garrus turned to Renar. "Specialist Traynor could use your help in between missions."
"I'll see her immediately."
"Not immediately." Shepard held up a hand to forestall their departure and looked to Empyreus. "Unless that was all?"
"Not entirely." Empyreus said. "I am leaving Corporal Vaya under your direct command officially. Also, funnily enough, the Hierarchy has no official duties for the former crew of the Victorious to undertake, presently." His tone indicated that he had something do with that. "And the Council wishes to see you as soon as possible, Commander."
"Damn." Davisson said. "How many FTL calls was that?"
"None." Empyreus replied. "Councilor Sparatus happened to be on Palaven when I delivered the survivors of the Victorious, and he relayed both additional pieces of information. That will be all, I think, unless there was anything else, Commander?"
Shepard shook her head. "Not that I can think of. Thank you for the report, Admiral."
"It was my pleasure, Commander." Empyreus turned to leave, but stopped short of the door. His gaze softened as he turned back. "And Shepard. It is…good to have you back."
Vaya and Lokkan followed him out, as did Davisson, though Garrus held Renar back while Shepard stared into the table, musing.
"I should take Harbinger with me when I go to see the Council." She said, barely even half-serious. "For Sparatus' sake if nothing else."
"That'll be something to see." Garrus chuckled.
Shepard turned, leaning her back against the briefing table. She locked eyes with Renar, and thought she saw traces of discomfort. He did a superb job of hiding it, but it was still there.
"I should introduce myself formally now, ma'am." He said. "Lieutenant Renar Vakarian, formerly of the Victorious."
And there was the awkwardness. "Commander Jane Shepard," She replied, extending a hand. "SSV Normandy."
He shook her hand, returning the gesture, and looked slightly more relaxed. She smiled softly to put him more at ease. She had to admit, she was impressed that he mentioned it himself. She supposed that, technically, she would have been his stepmother years ago. That thought, unfortunately, made the moment even more tense. And it wasn't as though Shepard couldn't expect everything to simply fall into place like some asari family sitcom.
"I, ah, realize this must be strange, to come out of nowhere like this…" He went on. "And after so long. But I just…well, it's…I, ah…"
"Renar, have you ever heard the human expression 'the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree'?" Shepard asked casually.
"Er, no ma'am. Commander. Shepard." Based on the brand new coloration of his fringe, Shepard was willing to hazard a guess that Renar was 'blushing' fiercely.
"Well your father's adorable during awkward conversations, too." She grinned, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about introductions. Just set your own pace. I'll be around if you need anything."
"Yes Commander." He said immediately, clearly relieved that she didn't let him potentially make a fool of himself.
"Shepard is fine."
"I take it the Council's waiting for me?"
Shepard was making her way to the galaxy map after a final check in the med bay. Apparently, given that she was now recovered (to the best of his knowledge), Dr. Solus wanted to be dropped off on Tuchanka to continue his work when they had the time.
She was planning to take the ship to the Citadel, so it was on the way. It was a shame, really, she thought. Even with such a short time span, she'd started to like the salarian. Though maybe that was just because of her experience with Mordin. She half-suspected she was still in shock from having learned so much in such a short span, not the least of which being a five year block between what she knew and what was actually going on. She could still scarcely believe it had been so long. Everything seemed so much the same.
But everything was about to change. And not just for her. She could feel it.
"Yes, Commander." Traynor was right beside her at the travel station, checking the various messages being sent back and forth as always, among other things. "Apparently, all five of them are going to be there personally. Not that I would expect any less."
"Give me the rundown." Shepard said, putting in the coordinates for Tuchanka.
"Well, Sparatus, Tevos and Wrex you already know." Traynor sent two profiles to Shepard's omni-tool immediately. "But Esheel and Ramirez are relatively new to the seats. They're replacements after the deaths of Councilors Valern and Udina, respectively."
"Valern's dead?" Shepard stopped inserting coordinates at that, and looked over in shock.
"Natural causes." Traynor assured her. "The ah, legendary salarian life span caught up to him, I'm afraid."
"I see." Shepard's mood fell somewhat; she'd liked Valern, as he'd seemed unusually clear-headed for a politician. He certainly left a better impression than the Dalatrass. "Go on."
"Esheel is…not historically as nice as her predecessor. Much easier to sway against salarian interests if she sees a good reason, and rather underhanded all around. Ramirez, on the other hand, seems like the polar opposite of Udina on a 'ponce' spectrum. He'll bend over backwards if it means good diplomacy, but he's good at toughing it out, too. At the very least, he's good at press conferences."
"And I have to deal with all of them." Shepard muttered. "Great."
"I'm expecting laurels, actually." Traynor noted. Then paused. "Well…except for Esheel. She probably hates you. Then again, you're not too popular with salarians."
"Still not over my part in curing the genophage, then?"
"Ah…not so much, no. I doubt she'll make a scene, though. Not with the other three on your side."
"Other three…" She quickly figured out what Taynor was getting at via process of elimination. "Tevos?"
"She's always diplomatic, Commander." Taynor's tone, in contrast to her words, was implying something more along the lines of disapproval. "Just not on anyone's particular side."
"I guess I'll see what happens for myself, then." Shepard sighed. "Is it strange that I'm more nervous to see them now than I was at any point during the War?"
"It's always worse when you have time to think in advance." Traynor supplied. "But I know you won't let it get to you."
A small alert flashed on the map, letting her know that they had docked on Tuchanka. They would be spaceworthy in less than fifteen minutes. That being the case, she decided that she may as well check the helm during the interval.
"Joker, everything going smoothly?" She asked when she arrived.
"Hey, if it isn't the zombie queen herself!" His grin was audible. "Normandy's definitely up to spec. Wish we were off doing something more challenging than tourism, though."
"I have a feeling you'll get your wish at some point." Shepard replied grimly.
"If it's you in the lead, no problem. Maybe more explosions in my face than I usually like, but we always come out on top." Joker paused. "But…If it's Harbinger leading the charge…I'm just saying, Commander, that's asking for trouble."
"I know the risks, Joker." She reassured him. "But I want this over and done with. He's our best chance to do that."
"All right, all right. Don't need to remind you, I guess. Still, keep your eyes on the prize, right?"
"That might take a bit of doing." Shepard commented, staring out the viewport.
"I know right? Check out that Tuchanka cityscape. It's like a whole other planet."
Shepard felt she had to agree with that sentiment. Far and away from the deserted wastes of the previous decade, this Tuchanka was a sprawling metropolis of activity. The spaceport they were at had numerous other ships of various other species docking by the minute, either for trade or tourism. Shepard for one knew how much history the krogan world contained. It was nice to see that the rest of the galaxy knew, as well.
She even thought she saw an arboretum.
You have given us hope…
And hope begets a future.
"I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs me." Shepard said at almost a whisper. "Let me know when we reach the Citadel."
"See you, Commander." Joker chuckled as she walked away.