Chapter3
Reunion
Ashley stood at her post on the command deck as Joker pulled the Normandy into the Citadel docks. She felt like a sail, filled with the wind. She closed her eyes and outstretched her arms as if feeling the breeze.
"You're . . . doing it again, ma'am," came Specialist Traynor's voice.
Ashley blushed and pulled her arms back to her side as fast as she could. She looked around the CIC, but nobody seemed to be staring. Those who did meet her eye smiled approvingly and resumed their work.
"Sorry, Specialist," she said, still red with embarrassment. Reduced to a girly girl on the CIC in front of the Normandy crew. This was a new low for her, but she couldn't help it. As she felt the ship come to a halt and heard the docking clamps engage, she smiled. Why not indulge her more feminine side? She got what she wanted three years ago on the way to Ilos. He had been taken away from her in the destruction of the Normandy SR-1, and when she finally had him within her grasp again, she uttered callous, hurtful words that caused her to lose him again. She got him back at the beginning of the Reaper invasion and thought she lost him for good at the end of the Battle for Earth. But she had not. In a few moments, she would be reunited with John Shepard. No longer Commander Shepard and Lieutenant Commander Williams; just John and Ashley Shepard.
"We're docked, Lt. Commander," came Joker's voice. "Time to bring your man home."
At that, the entire CIC cheered. Ashley blushed again, this time worse than before. She suddenly was overcome and began crying tears of joy as she stepped down from her post.
"Dammit, Samantha," she said wiping her tears away. "I didn't want to lose it here in the CIC."
"It's alright ma'am," Replied Traynor. "I think you've earned it."
Ashley embraced Samantha as Garrus stepped out of the elevator with Liara, Tali, James, and Cortez.
"Now for Shepard and me to make good on our promise," said Garrus. "Get rich off the vids, sign autographs, and sip drinks on the beach."
They all laughed as they walked towards the airlock. Tali ducked her head into the cockpit.
"Joker," she said, "After we come back, I have good news for you about Edi."
"Really?" Joker was almost disbelieving.
"Of course," replied Tali. Joker wasn't sure, but he thought he could see her smiling behind her visor. "I didn't want to say anything earlier because I need Shepard in order to do it. But now that we know he's alive, I think I can bring her back online. Besides, why should Shepard and Ashley have all the fun?"
Ashley led the group onto the dock and saw them waiting. Commander John Shepard, her mom, Abby, Lynn, and Sarah, Bailey, and a host of C-Sec and Turians along with one pudgy little Volus stood waiting for them at the dock. John must have been to his apartment, she thought, as he stood with a fresh suit of armor and had replenished his weapons. As soon as the door was open, she strode quickly, and soon broke into a run. John ran to her as well. They met on the gang plank and embraced. It was a long, tight embrace. The kind you give when you never want to let that person go. He wasted no time in kissing her. Ashley finally felt whole again. No more mistrust. No more separation. No more doubt. She had her John back at last.
"I thought I'd never see you again," she cried as he held her.
"It's been too long Ash," he said with a smile. "How have you been?"
"John!" She kissed him again, this time a long, lingering kiss. "Now that's what I should have said on Horizon when you said that to me."
"John?" He looked at her, "Now that's new. I don't think I've been called by my first name in over five years."
"Really?" She found it odd, but now that she thought about it, she'd never heard anyone use his first name in all the time she'd known him. Everyone just called him 'Commander' or 'Shepard.'
"Yeah," he said with a laugh. "Even Dr. Chakwas refused. Something about how using my first name was an insult to everything I stood for and had fought for."
"Now that's weird," said Ashley with a giggle.
"Yeah, that's what I said," he replied. "Might have been influenced by the Serrice ice brandy." He pause a moment, then smiled. "Also, you might want to turn around. There are some ladies who want to see you too."
Ashley turned to see her mother, Carlota Williams, and the three Williams sisters making their way to join them. Ashley just said, "Mother," and ran and hugged her mom, then her sisters. "I thought I'd never see you again!"
"You have your Skipper to thank for that," replied Carlota. "He pulled us out personally."
She was overcome and fell into Shepard's arms. He embraced Ashley for a few moments longer, then they both turned to see Garrus, Traynor, Vega, Cortez, Tali, Javik, and Liara saluting them. They returned the salute, and then John assumed the role of skipper once again.
"Alright, everyone," he shouted, "Let's get on board! Get the wounded on first! Trayor!"
"Yes sir," she responded.
"Get to Dr. Chakwas and help her get these people into triage," he said. "Cortez, get a makeshift camp set up in the shuttle bay. Vega, we need supplies, so get a team together to scavenge here. The strip is fairly intact. Sweep for survivors. If there's more than we can carry, report back so that we can make arrangements with Alliance command to send ships to get them out. Nobody gets left behind. Nobody."
He then turned to Garrus.
"Garrus!"
"Shepard!"
No further words were needed. The two clasped each other's forearms and slapped each other's backs.
"We did it," said Garrus enthusiastically. "We finally did it!"
"Damn straight," Shepard replied. "It's finally over. Now I can focus on the most important mission I've ever had."
And with that, he scooped up Ashley in his arms. She blushed brightly.
"John?"
"I might need a little practice for the big day," he said with a smile as he carried her across the 'threshold' of the Normandy's airlock.
Prayers are answered, she thought. Dreams have finally come true. In that moment, she felt the old Williams curse finally release its hold.
Shepard put Ashley down and kissed her softly. She stood at attention and saluted.
"I do," she said.
"And so do I," he replied, returning her salute. He held the salute for longer than usual. He just wanted to admire her and gaze upon her. He finally lowered his hand. He was finally home, he thought.
Shepard then ducked into the cockpit to check in on Joker and Edi.
"Mission accomplished, Joker," he said, "And I couldn't have done it without you and Edi. And … where is Edi?"
Joker stood and saluted Shepard.
"Sir, good to have you back," he said. "When the Crucible fired, Edi was …. Edi is dead, sir."
"No!" Shepard couldn't believe it. Edi was dead, and it was his fault.
"Yes," continued Joker. "She had Reaper tech in her design. Probably the same reason the Geth were also wiped out; the Reaper code is what made them sentient, but it also probably made them vulnerable to the Crucible."
"Joker, where is Edi now?"
"In the AI core," he replied. "Tali has been working on her. She thinks she can revive her, but she says she needs you." Joker was now speaking through tears. "Ashley said we'd find a way to get her back when you were back on board. We can save her, right?"
"We can if I have anything to say about it," replied Shepard.
Joker smiled. The commander always delivered. He just had to have faith like Ashley.
Shepard stepped onto the command deck and Ashley called out, "Ten hut!"
The crew all stood at attention. Aside from essential personnel in the med bay, Ashley had the entire crew assembled. Shepard responded with a crisp salute.
"At ease," he said. "I'll keep this brief, but a very big 'thank you' is in order. Each and every one of you put on the line to get our mission done. Every single one of you. And every one of you has experienced some kind of loss associated with this war. Now, the war is over. It's time to go home. Time to rebuild. Dismissed."
He then turned to Ashley.
"Ash, I need to see what I can do for Edi," he said. "You have the conn."
"Aye, aye, Skipper."
Shepard made his way to the AI core, which was housed through the med bay. All of the beds were filled up, and Samantha Traynor was wrapping up her assistance. Dr. Chakwas was examining Kelly Chambers. When Shepard entered, the three of them looked up.
"Commander Shepard." Doctor Chakwas stood at attention and saluted, as did Traynor. Kelly stood and followed suit, even though she was not obligated to.
"Karin, Samantha, Kelly," he said as he returned their salute. As soon as he lowered his hand, Doctor Chakwas embraced him.
"With all we've been through, coming through this together, Normandy's family intact," she paused and just smiled, tears of joy on her cheeks. "This is truly a miracle."
"Not until Edi is revived," he said, returning her embrace.
"Very true, Commander," she said approvingly. "Very true."
"Commander," said Traynor as Shepard looked in her direction. With another embrace, Shepard simply decided that everything he was going to do today would be at quarter speed. And he was okay with that. He returned Samantha's embrace.
"Good to be back, Samantha," he said.
He then turned to Kelly. Aside from the physical ordeal, she still looked haunted. He doubted that that would change anytime soon.
"Kelly, how are you feeling?" Kelly lit up when he asked her.
"I'm… okay," she said. "Seeing you again helps. A lot. I… I don't know if I'll ever be the same, cheerful Kelly again, but … I'm holding it together."
He pulled her close and gave her a firm hug.
"It'll be alright, Kelly," he said. "It'll be alright."
"Doctor," he said, "when you're free, I need to speak with you. I'll be in the AI core for a while, so you can find me there."
He then headed into the AI core. Tali sat at Edi's side. Edi herself looked physically unharmed, but she had a look of surprise and pain.
"What's her condition?"
"She's literally been wiped clean, Shepard," explained Tali. "Her power core has been completely fried, and some of her major circuits have been damaged."
"Can you fix her?" That was the bottom line, thought Shepard, praying silently for a 'yes.'
"Please, Shepard," said Tali with mock indignation. "I'm a Quarian AI tech. I've already changed out her power core and repaired her circuitry. The major issue is that her main hardware isn't the android but the hardware in the ship. That is a total loss. But, Dr. Eva was able to function in the body without the ship's hardware. If we can reinstall Edi's program into her body, theoretically, we can bring her back."
"Will she have the memories? Will Edi still be 'Edi'?"
"Well, that's where you come in, Shepard," she said.
"I was wondering why you needed me," he said.
"Right," she said. "On your mission against the clone, Edi was able to reconstruct the transmission logs even though the terminal was wiped. So I reasoned that anything that Edi transmitted would have been captured by the Normandy's communications system. With Specialist Traynor's help, I was able to access the data that I needed to. Shepard, Edi tight beamed a huge data patch right before she went dark. I think it may have been a contingency when she realized what was happening."
"Where did she send it?"
"Your private terminal here on the Normandy," she replied. "But only you can access it."
"I'm on it, Tali," he said. "I'll buzz you as soon as I have it. Keep doing what you can for her."
He then returned to the med bay and went over supplies with Dr. Chakwas and debriefed her regarding the wounded so that she could coordinate triage efforts.
"Commander Shepard," she said. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"Yeah," he said. "It was touch and go there for a bit. Thankfully, I was able to get to Dr. Michel. I only wish Anderson had made it out alive."
"But you got him out," she said approvingly. "What was it like in there?"
"Nothing but death," he said. "Dead bodies everywhere, the Keepers rounding them up for processing."
Karin was silent for a moment. She knew that Shepard and Anderson survived Harbinger's strike and that Shepard had actually been caught in the outer edges of the beam. She had heard that the push to the transport beam was two miles of near constant combat. Probably the fiercest ground battle Shepard had been in since the Blitz.
"You know, Shepard, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here."
"Thanks," he said. "I'm just glad that it's over."
Karin dropped her tablet and embraced him. It was more emotion than she generally displayed. Being the doctor, she had to keep it together when everyone else was falling apart. He returned her embrace, and she realized just how much she needed it.
"When Harbinger attacked, we thought you were dead. We thought that all was lost. That Humanity was about to be extinguished. All my friends, loved ones . . ." Her voice caught up in her throat. She finally let her walls down and just cried in Shepard's arms. For the first time in her career, she stopped holding it all together and just let herself fall apart. He just held until she regained some measure of composure.
"Commander," she finally said tearfully, "I had no idea how much I needed that. Thank you."
"No, Karin," he replied. "Thank you. You've been there for me, keeping me going, patching me up through three galactic conflicts. You've been one of the precious things that makes the Normandy a home and not just ship we roam around in." He kissed her on the forehead and let her go. "I couldn't imagine commanding a ship with anyone else in the med bay."
"Perhaps later, we can open up another bottle of Serrice ice brandy," she said, "to celebrate this victory."
"Keep me posted," he said. "I'd like that."
Shepard emerged from the elevator and stepped onto the CIC. Ashley was talking with Traynor about the situation in the med bay, but seemed have it under control. Nothing that requires my immediate attention, he thought.
He went to his terminal and entered his credentials. He went to unread messages and sure enough, there was a message from Edi with the subject line reading, "Help me." He opened it and there was a 7000 zetabyte data packet attached.
"No wonder I didn't see it when I was at my apartment," he said aloud. "This must have taken a while to get through, particularly with the com buoys being damaged."
He plugged in an OSD and began downloading it from his terminal. He felt the presence of Ashley from his right. And she was ….. wearing perfume? Now that's a first, he thought.
"Oh captain, my captain," she said lovingly as she put her arm around his waist. He instinctively pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her as well.
"You smell like a flower, Ash," he said with a smile.
"That.. that's good, right?" She was very unsure. She'd never worn perfume around him, or possibly ever, so he supposed that she didn't even know if he liked it.
"Yeah," he said. "It's good. It makes me think of you when you wore that pink and white armor. Quite fetching."
She blushed and then changed the subject.
"Any progress on Edi?"
"Yeah, as a matter of fact," he replied. "Tali has repaired the hardware damage and she and Traynor were able to track a communication from Edi that was sent moments after the Crucible was armed."
"A message?" Ashley seemed puzzled. "What is it? Her last goodbye? Seems she would have sent that to Joker."
"Not a message," he said, "It's Edi."
"I know it's from Edi, silly," she said playfully. "But what does it say?
"It's Edi," he explained. "It's not a message from her; it is her. She sent her files to me. This should contain not only her programming, but everything that makes Edi 'Edi'."
Ashley's face lit up.
"So Tali can use this to restore Edi!"
"That's the hope," he said. "I haven't shared any details with Joker yet. I don't want to get his hopes up even more and then have to tell him it didn't work."
"Yeah," she said. "Copy that."
"Ash," he said, turning to her.
"Yes, John?"
"I need you," he said. "Tonight, I want you to come to my cabin."
"Moving fast, huh Skipper?" she said playfully.
"Well, there is that," he said with a gleam in his eye, "but more importantly, I need you to bring me up to speed on everything that has happened. There's still a lot that I don't know and I'd rather hear your voice than read reports."
"Oh," she said with a bit of surprise and a touch of disappointment. "Just status reports."
"No, Ash," he said, putting both of his hands on her shoulders. "I need to know what has happened because after that, I want to talk about our future. Together." He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.
"Aye, aye, Skipper," she said enthusiastically.
The terminal chimed indicating that the download was successful.
"Now, let's save Edi," he said.
The Citadel Council met aboard the Destiny Ascension for the first time since the Citadel had fallen to the Reapers. The council was not whole, however, as the human councilor, Donell Udina, was now dead after trying to betray the council, forcing Commander Shepard to kill him, thus saving Councilor Tevos' life. The mood, while one of immense relief, was hardly festive. Their home worlds lay in ruins, with Palaven and Thessia being in the worst condition. Only Earth's devastation exceeded them. With the arming and firing of the Crucible, it seemed that they again, owed their very existence to Commander John Shepard. Now, with the Citadel in ruins and relocated around Earth's orbit, they needed to figure out what to do next. Humanity would need to send a new representative, but the council could not wait that long to begin charting the post Reaper war course.
"It's over," opened Tevos, the Asari councilor. "Thessia is in ruins, but it's over."
"Yes," responded Valern, the Salarian councilor. "Surkesh was thankfully spared much of the devastation that Earth, Palaven, and Thessia suffered. The Salarian government has authorized me to extend our full support in helping to rebuild your worlds, and those worlds devastated by the Reapers."
"Thank you, Valern," replied Sparatus, the Turian councilor. "I have also taken the liberty of contacting Alliance command. They are working to find a replacement for Udina. Admiral Hackett has informed me that the Alliance Parliament has just elected a new prime minister and that a council representative should follow shortly. Primarch Victus has informed me that he is willing to offer what he can to aid other council worlds, but with the destruction wrought upon Palaven, it is unclear how much that will be."
"And on that note," began Tevos, "I move that we report on the status of the worlds of the council races."
"Agreed," said Sparatus. "I move that the Asari councilor be allowed to begin."
"Motion seconded," replied Valern.
"Thank you," said Tevos. "Thessia suffered extreme devastation following the Reaper occupation. The Reapers were still in the process of pacifying major population centers when the Crucible was fired, so our cities are not completely gone. The Asari government managed to elude capture and is in the process of rebuilding Thessia."
"Yes," said Valern. "I also read in Shepard's report that the temple of Athame housed a Prothean beacon prior to its destruction."
Tevos was silent for a long moment. She was painfully aware that this was a huge breach of Council law. She was hardly surprised that Valern pressed the issue, but she didn't expect him to do it so soon.
"Yes," she said cautiously. "The beacon had been hidden there for thousands of years. The find predates the council and its existence was known to only privileged individuals and was our most guarded secret."
Surprisingly, it was Sparatus who spoke next.
"Shepard's reports indicated a good number of things," he said. "Uncomfortable things. Such as a Turian bomb left on Tuchanka in a major population center. And Salarian efforts towards uplifting Yahg, a species with whom contact is banned in Citadel space."
He looked at his fellow council members with an open, friendly face.
"We were derelict in our duties," he said. "Shepard warned us for years about the Reapers. We ignored him. Dismissed him. I even accused him of being mentally unbalanced. But through it all, he stood up for us. He fought for us. All of us. As frustrated as he must have been, he never wavered. We've all had the dirty secrets of our governments laid bare in this war. But the only way that we were able to win was through coming together. I learned the hardest lesson of all in this war; that deep down, I was a bigot. The Krogan, who I considered barely better than savage beasts came through for Palaven. Urdnot Wrex has proven to be a valuable ally and capable leader. He stood by Shepard longer than any of us. His people were wronged by this council and used as tools to fight wars that we couldn't. And yet, all he asked was that we undo the effects of the genophage for his people. In exchange, he sent the help that we so desperately needed without hesitation. It was Krogan boots on Palaven that enabled us to lend our fleets to the Crucible. Without those fleets, the Crucible would never have made it to the final battle."
He firmly placed his hands on the table.
"Valern," he said earnestly, "let us not start our rebuilding efforts by tearing one another down."
Before Valern and Tevos could respond, the com chimed and the Captain of the Ascension spoke.
"Councilors," she said, "I have an incoming hail from Admiral Hackett on the vidcom."
"Patch it through," replied Tevos.
Admiral Hackett's image slowly materialized before them. He stood calmly, his hands behind his back, his military bearing as unwavering as any Turian general's. During the war, Tevos had held back on recommending Asari support and had only second hand contact with the Systems Alliance after Udina's coup attempt. This was the first time she'd ever seen Admiral Hackett or spoken to him directly. Though smaller in stature and much older, he reminded her of former human councilor, David Anderson. If only he had remained humanity's councilor, she thought.
"Admiral Hackett," she said, "It is good to see you well."
"Likewise," he replied. "Councilors," he continued. "I have news for you. Shepard lives."
"This is an unexpected though most welcome development," said Valern. "How is he doing?"
"He was extracted from the Citadel by the Normandy under command of Spectre Ashley Williams," replied Hackett. "He ordered the Normandy crew to sweep for survivors. There are pockets of survivors on the Citadel and we're sending ships to help in evac efforts. Most of the station is completely without power and in unsound structural condition. Our plan is to evacuate survivors to Earth due to its present proximity. I'm ordering the Alliance fleets to Earth as well, where we'll rendezvous with the Normandy. From there, the Commander will be debriefed by the Alliance Parliament and we'll begin rebuild Earth."
"Admiral," said Tevos, "What is the status of Earth?"
"Major cities are in ruins, our infrastructures are completely ruined, and our population has been reduced by roughly two thirds," he replied. "Primarch Victus and Councilor Sparatus have kept me up to date on Palaven. What is the status of Surkesh and Thessia?"
"Thessia is bad, but the Reapers only occupied our world for about a month," she replied. "As bad as it is, our infrastructures are still intact and our cities are not all destroyed. Surkesh never fell."
"We've all been hit hard by this war, councilor," replied Admiral Hackett. "Earth is in ruins, but Prime Minister Osoba has informed me that the Alliance will assist in any way it can. He also would like to pass on that is aware that Dr. Tsoni was on the team that went to extract his son from Benning. Though is son had been killed, he is thankful to those who tried. He asked me to pass along his appreciation to you."
"Thank you, Admiral," she said softly.
"Admiral," said Sparatus, "I would like to again express my gratitude to the Alliance. We were once enemies, but now are brothers in arms. My life has been saved twice by human Spectres and it was through Shepard's efforts that Palaven received much needed reinforcements from the Krogan. I will not forget."
"The Turian fleets were instrumental to the Crucible, Councilor," replied Hackett. "It was the least we could do."
"Councilors, I've got matters that I must attend to, and you have jobs to do, so I won't prolong this. I'll keep you informed as things develop. Hackett out."
Tevos looked down at the table. The Asari and Salarian governments held back their support until it was almost too late. The galaxy united, she thought. It was likely the most important event in galactic history. And the Asari efforts were barely even a footnote. Even the Salarians had gotten on board after Shepard and his crew saved Valern's life from Kai Leng and the council from Udina. But the Asari still sat on the sidelines. By the time Thessia was invested, it was too late to coordinate with the Turians and Humanity. Had she not listened to Valern back when the Reapers first struck, perhaps the Asari could have coordinated with the other Council races to present a united front. And Thessia may have been spared. It was the darkest moment of her career. She wondered what the disposition of the new human councilor would be.
Before she could contemplate further, Valern brought up another matter.
"Speaking of cooperation," he said, "Urdnot Wrex has wasted no time petitioning for an embassy."
Tevos and Sparatus looked at each other. Tevos wasn't sure of Sparatus' feelings, but she was conflicted. Valern, however, would be very likely to debate strongly against it. She prepared for the inevitable debate, but Valern surprised her.
"Given the circumstances," he said, "I am inclined to vote in favor of granting them one."
"As am I," said Sparatus. This was unsurprising. The Turians and the Krogan had spent much of the war bleeding together as they fought the Reapers side by side.
"I too am in favor," she said. "All that remains is Humanity. I suggest we wait until Humanity has selected a new councilor. This is hardly a matter of extreme urgency."
"I can go along with that," said Valern. "And you, Sparatus?"
"That seems reasonable," he said. "It will also afford us the opportunity to get a feel for the human councilor on a fairly straightforward matter."
"Then it is agreed," said Tevos. "Let us hope that Humanity sends us their new representative as soon as possible."
"One final matter," said Sparatus. "I would like to personally put forth Garrus Vakarian's name as a Spectre candidate."
"An inspired choice," said Valern approvingly. "Given that he's been traveling with Shepard and Williams, I'd even be in favor of approving him pending an interview with them rather than put him through the usual process."
"I too am in favor," said Tevos with a smile. "We lost a good number of Spectres in the war and Garrus would be an ideal addition."
"Very well," said Sparatus happily. "I will inform him in person."
"In person?" Valern looked quizzically at Sparatus.
"Yes," he said. "In person. I would like to put forth that we hold a special ceremony to honor the Normandy crew, both the current crew, and those who flew through the Omega 4 Relay. Including Thane Krios. Shepard's crew is multi species and serves as a fine example of galactic unity. An example that shone when the galaxy was far from united."
Tevos and Valern agreed that it was a good idea. They then moved on to more practical matters of organizing disaster relief and aid, as well as discussing the state of the relays. Nobody could even begin to contemplate the state of the Citadel. Or the ramifications of its new location.