Surely enough, saving the galaxy was a sure-fire way to garner attention. A public restaurant wouldn't do, heck, anything public wouldn't do. So how do you get away from everything with your significant other? The solution involves a spare shuttle, a speed run through the closest grocery shop and stripping a sheet off Shepard's bed. Call it an impromptu picnic if you will.

This is how Shepard and Liara found themselves a mile away from the Normandy, sitting in an open field. An impressive display of food was before them, and thanks to two powerful biotics on the edge of metaphorical starvation, it ceased to exist about 15 minutes later. Having thoroughly filled up on food they settled close to each other to watch the sun slowly set toward the horizon. The conversation drifted from topic to topic aimlessly while carefully avoiding topics of war and death. Those were painful reminders that didn't need to be brought to light. Instead, Liara told Shepard about the time that Garrus lost his visor and everybody pretended that he was an imposter for the entire day. And then there was the time that Tali broke her suit's audio output and attempted to communicate entirely with 'sign language'. Shepard didn't have much. There was the one time he accidentally flashed his doctor, but that's about it.

As they continued to watch the sunset in silence, an unwanted thought worked its way up to the front of his mind. 'Do you know about the Andromeda Initiative, Shepard?' The words echoed in his head. 'They want you to go with them.' The fact that a mission to leave the Milky Way was asking for him made an annoying amount of sense. Shepard could try and move the spotlight as much as he wanted, but it would always return. No doubt the Council and the Alliance paraded his name around while he was under the scalpel. The thing is, Hackett was right. They were about to send a bunch of people into the unknown. There was no way to establish concrete facts, so it came down to believing it would work. Who better to make people believe in something than the one and only Hero of the Galaxy, Commander Shepard? Being really good at killing things was a bonus.

"Hey, Liara? Have you heard of something called 'the Andromeda Initiative'?"

The young asari lifted her head from its resting spot on Shepard's shoulder and looked over. "Of course, Shepard, don't forget who you're speaking to," she responded, needing to remind him that she is, in fact, the most well-connected information broker in the galaxy.

Shepard let his head down and chuckled wryly. "Right, it's just…"

"Is something wrong? If you need to talk about it I'm here for you." Liara reassured.

Shepard then found the sky to be of intense interest. "That thing that Hackett wanted to talk about? It involved the Initiative."

"Does the Initiative bother you?" Liara asked in an attempt to pinpoint her bondmate's distress.

Shepard took to the process of unraveling the proposal given to him. It wasn't working. "No…or maybe…I don't know. Hackett said that someone from the Initiative wants to talk to me about a…really big thing. Alec Ryder was his name."

A short 'huh' from Liara drew his attention back to her. "Know him?"

"Yes, I've corresponded with Ryder before, even before we met. Back in 2182 he contacted me and inquired about my research methods on the protheans. He was anticipating running into a deceased alien civilization when they made it to the Andromeda galaxy. I never actually met him in person though."

"So, he's some sort of researcher?"

"The Andromeda Initiative planned to leave all the known galaxy behind. He was probably hoping to leave prepared for every possible scenario. That's what I'm led to believe at least, my work at the time had been refuted by almost every notable scholar on Thessia. The fact that he wanted it surprised me."

"And he wants me to leave the galaxy," Shepard muttered.

"Wants you to leave the galaxy?" Liara questioned in disbelief. "For what reason?"

Shepard shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know yet, but I think I may have to do with me saving the galaxy." His gaze fell again as he let out a dry chuckle. "The price of fame I guess."

"I wouldn't expect you to commit to something that extreme because he asked, and I find it hard to believe that Alec would expect that. Surely there is more to it."

"There probably is. Just have to go get it," Shepard stated bluntly.

"I can find everything I have on the Initiative when we get back to the Normandy if you want," Liara offered.

"While I have no doubt that you could find good info." He swung his gaze back up to the young asari. "I think I can do better," came the smug reply.

Liara looked slightly affronted but exhibited no malice. "Oh really? Need I remind you who you're talking to, Shepard?"

"Believe me, I haven't forgotten, it's just that I can get it straight from the source." He tapped where his omni-tool would be. "With one message, I can have Alec Ryder show up and spill everything he knows."

Liara got to the point. "But you don't want to."

Shepard looked out to the horizon. "No. Not really."

"Is there any harm in doing so?" Liara asked.

"I guess not," Shepard conceded.

"Must you act on what Alec asks of you?" she added.

"No. It's just that an opportunity like this doesn't show up often, and now of all times." He turned to face Liara again. "Is it wrong for me to even consider it after all that I've done?"

"Of course not. You've done so much for everyone. There should be no obligation placed on you that says you must stay for the sake of others. If you think that leaving the Milky Way is best for you, then nobody can stop you."

"I know. It's a lot to take in. Hackett didn't even bother to sugar coat it."

There was a point that Shepard had to recognize. Nobody is going to force him to go. If he doesn't like what he hears, they can all get lost, and he can spend his later years in retirement on Nevos (or what's left of it) without anybody batting an eyelash. The least he can do is hear Ryder out before shoving the offer back in his face.

"What about you? Think I should follow this up?" he asked earnestly.

Liara gave a light shake of the head. "I can't answer that for you, Shepard. Who am I to tell you what is important to yourself? Just know that whatever you decide, I'll stand by you."

Shepard took the bit of confidence he gained from that revelation and decided to tread into dangerous territory. If it came down to it he just had to know.

He looked Liara in the eyes and went for it. "Even if it meant going to Andromeda?"

"Of course," came the sure response. "At one point, I would have thought leaving the Milky Way was an absurd idea, but the prospect of being the first to discover new things in an entirely new galaxy is something most archaeologists can only dream of."

This was unexpected. Shepard felt the need to pry. "Really? What about the protheans? Studying them has been your lifelong passion."

"Shepard, you have given me everything I could possibly want. Without you I would not have met any of the crew Normandy, I would not have the largest info network at my disposal, and…Therum may have been the end. You even gave me the last living prothean in existence!"

"Anything for you, my dear," Shepard quipped. That earned a smile from Liara.

She looked off into the distance at the little dot that was the Normandy. "Plus, it's not like I have anything to leave behind. The Normandy crew is my family, and the ship is my home."

"You mean, it's our home." Shepard corrected.

Liara tuned back, snuggled up closer, and put her head back down on his shoulder. "I love you, Shepard. If you go to another galaxy, I'm going with you."

Shepard moved an arm across her shoulders. "Thanks, Liara." Then he glanced around at the utter mess of scraps and crumbs. "We should probably clean this up and head back. It's getting dark."

o-o

The trip back was short and fairly uneventful. Shepard swung the Normandy's spare shuttle into the cargo bay and disembarked to the same desolate scene. There still wasn't anyone to be seen, but the day was drawing to a close, so they would be back soon enough. Or they were all hiding.

No such surprise made itself known as Shepard and Liara walked to the lift and began the ascent into the ship. There was a brief stop on the crew deck to let Liara off, then it was straight to the captain's quarters. She hadn't gotten off though, insisting that she would like to spend the night with him. Shepard was more than willingly accepted the company.

Now Shepard sat idly at his desk, staring into his omni-tool. At the end of the day, he was still an Alliance officer with duties to perform. There were loads of progress reports from the team that needed to be filed, statuses to confirm, inventory, the whole nine yards. Somehow, all of that was trivial compared to the message sitting on his omni-tool. The address was made out to Admiral Hackett. He hesitated to send it over and over, that message had the power to alter his life in a fast and hard way. But only if he let it.

"Can't it wait?" Liara called from his bed.

It was late and drowsiness had set in some time ago. This also wasn't the first time Liara had beckoned him toward the bed either. Every other time he just needed a few more minutes to finish 'important stuff'. All just an excuse really. There was no harm in it, just a couple words and some coordinates. Yet here he is, damn near falling asleep trying to push one message through.

"Almost done."

"Not this time, Shepard."

Liara stood and began to walk over. It was clear that any further resistance would be futile. 'Ah, what the hell,' he thought. With a deft swipe, the message was off to its new owner. Shepard released a sigh of relief and let sleep have its way with him.

She was standing in front of him now, arms crossed. "I'm not letting you go back to overexerting yourself."

Shepard finally relented. "Alright, you win."

Liara gently guided Shepard to his bed. He rather unceremoniously flopped face down onto it when he was within range.

"I hate work," he muttered into the pillow.

"Yet you force yourself to do it constantly."

"Someone has to do it."

He heard a soft laugh from Liara and mumbled something incoherent in response. Not even a minute had passed and his eyes could barely stay open. All in all, it was a productive day. The crew was most likely itching to throw him a welcome back party, but unless they showed up and injected him full of stims, that wasn't happening. A t-shirt, jeans, and yes, even boots, were comfy enough to sleep in at this point. But before he could succumb to the sweet embrace of sleep, he suddenly felt the distinct warmth of a body getting cozy next to him.

"Sometimes, it can be worth it." Liara's seductive voice left nothing to the imagination.

Suddenly, he wasn't that tired.

o-o

Shepard woke up the next day in a better mood. He set no alarm (or forgot to), got to sleep in, and had no orders to follow. Are far as anyone was concerned, it was indefinite shore leave until someone said otherwise. That someone turned out to be himself on occasion. Nevertheless, it was freeing to have no expectations placed on him. It just felt nice to be able to pass on the full body armor after the morning shower routine. Now, it was time to hit the chow. No war assets to manage, no Reapers to kill, and no lives in danger. Just some delicious breakfast.

As he made his way to the lift, he showed no regard for the stacks of work he was determined to take care of last night. He let Liara stay where she was curled up in the spot on the bed he occupied a short time ago. If he was right, she needed the extra rest more than anyone else on the ship.

One agonizingly long trip later, it deposited him on the crew deck, and as expected, everyone was gathered in the mess to greet him when he rounded the corner. They were already sitting around the table or standing off to the side, depleting the food at an alarming rate.

As he walked in, the pleasing scent of bacon hit first. A glance at the table showed not only that, but pancakes, eggs, waffles, and assorted fruit. There was other stuff he couldn't recognize. Probably for certain members composed of different amino acids. You would think that being a vessel of the military, the Normandy operates on nothing but hard rations. In a middle of a war, this is necessary. When parked in a city for a few months? People go and buy decent food. No regs against that.

James got his attention first. "Hey, Commander! Get over here and try this stuff! You know you want it!"

"Looks good."

"Made by yours truly," James replied with no small amount of pride.

"I made the dextro food!" Garrus chimed in.

James pointed toward Garrus's plate. "Yeah, but Shepard can't eat that, so it doesn't count."

Shepard claimed the open seat at the end of the table and began assembling his feast. "Sorry Garrus, you'll have to consult Tali for an opinion on your cooking."

Tali looked up at the mention of her name. "What? Oh…uh, yeah…it's…it's fine," she said. The state of her plate said otherwise.

Garrus appeared mildly offended but just shrugged and continued shoveling food in his mouth. "More for me," he said through a mouth full of something.

Ashley piped up next. "We were totally going to throw you a party last night. Shame you decided to hit the sack before we got back." She jerked a thumb toward Joker. "Just ask this guy."

Joker took his cue to speak up. "Yeah, I got Ashley here to go with me and buy a mountain of food and drinks last night." he pointed at the cabinets which Shepard just noticed were being held closed with zip ties. "It was my idea by the way. The party. Just saying."

The Alliance soldier just rolled her eyes and continued. "When we got back, we couldn't find you or Liara. It was pretty easy to connect the dots though, so we decided not to bother you guys." Her mischievous grin suggested exactly what she thought they were doing. "So anytime you want to throw a wild party, just say the word, because we're stocked."

"Maybe some other time," Shepard suggested. "I've got something to take care of today."

Ashley drew a brow up. "Back on the clock already? I thought you'd just retire after everything was said and done."

"I'm not sure I'd call it work, it's just a meeting with someone. If it goes well, we can see about letting loose for a night."

She propped her head up with an elbow on the table and poked at her eggs with a fork in the other hand. A yawn confirmed her less than rested state. "I could use it. I've been neck deep in volunteer work since we landed."

"I'll second that!" Garrus called out.

"Thirded!" James yelled from the other end of the table.

"Count me in!" Tali said enthusiastically.

Clearly, everyone at the table shared such an opinion. Shepard was just glad that nobody decided to pry into his vague statement. They would know later if they had to.

Joker held a hand out to encompass the table. "See, now you have to throw a wild party."

"We'll see," Shepard asserted.

The pilot fired some pancake in his mouth and spoke again. "So, need me to fly you there in style? Make a big entrance?"

"Unless you want to fly the Normandy down the street, you're out of luck." Shepard joked.

"C'mon Joker, Shepard makes a big entrance wherever he goes simply by being there," Ashley added on.

"Fine. I guess I'll just 'not do my job' a little longer." Joker said, voice exuding sarcasm.

Shepard paused to take a bite and threw an inquisitive look toward the Normandy's pilot. "Who said I need to be here to throw a wild party anyway?"

"Uh, everyone? Because it's your ship, you saved the galaxy, and basically came back from the dead, again. You deserve a party more than anyone."

"I'm just one guy, Joker. You might not even remember I was there by the end."

A laugh from Ashley drew his attention back to her. "Commander Shepard, the guy who complains about his friends throwing a party for him."

Shepard gave in. He wasn't about to get into an argument about throwing a party in his name at breakfast. He could feel the rest of the crew readying their witty comments already.

"Okay, okay. I'll be there, but I declare when it's time."

Joker threw his utensil down and settled farther down into the chair. "Good enough for me, Commander." he seemed satisfied, but then he looked around the table. "Has anyone seen Liara?"

A tired looking Liara made herself known and everyone turned as she rounded the corner to the mess hall. She looked rather disgruntled when she spied the sparse remnants of food left over.

"It was Shepard's fault!" Garrus finally said.

"Hey!"

o-o

After finishing breakfast, Shepard left the crew to their own devices and made his way to the CIC. It was eerily silent, a stark difference from the liveliness of the mess hall. Other than that, it was the same old space that it had been. Not a smudge to be seen. Not a thing out of place.

The place he chose to meet with Ryder was a short distance from where the Normandy was docked, enough to walk. In light of that, he grabbed his N7 jacket to fend off the cool breeze and strode out of the Normandy's airlock at a good pace. The guards at the entrance stood resolutely where he originally found them and the spaceport was still just as busy as it had been. He managed to make his way through the common area with only a few stares in his direction. Either the cargo they were moving or thought to be lost family members demanded their immediate attention. The pace he was setting made it look like he had somewhere important to be so that probably helped too.

On the shuttle ride from the hospital to the Normandy, Shepard had spotted a nice little restaurant along the side of the road. Initially, it had looked like a nice spot to spend time with Liara. That plan was quickly squashed under the thought of having to sign an autograph every two seconds. Now? Now it was the perfect place to have a secret meeting. It was early enough that the place was completely empty, save for two or three others. Sure, they could have gone somewhere more 'official', but that would require knowledge of operational 'official' places. You know, ones that weren't stomped on by the Reapers.

He stood at the entrance and looked through the glass façade of the restaurant. Sure enough, there was one particular man sitting casually at a table in the corner, steaming coffee in one hand and a datapad in the other. The man was older looking. His hair was grey, so was his beard. The way he was dressed didn't paint him as anything more significant than the twenty or so other men he passed on the way there. Unless you knew the significance of the N7 on his shirt, that is.

The man noticed Shepard and waved him into the building. No backing out now.

Shepard walked in and moved to the table the man was seated at in the corner. The man put down his datapad down, stood, and offered his hand when he got close.

"Commander Shepard. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

Shepard reciprocated the gesture. "You must be Alec Ryder?"

"Most people just call me Ryder." He waved toward the seat opposite to his. "Please, take a seat. Can I get you something? Coffee maybe?

"I had plenty before I came here."

"I see. Well, we both know why we're here, so no point in wasting your time. Let's get down to business."

'Thank god.' Shepard could appreciate the fact that Ryder insisted on skipping the pleasantries. Not that he had anywhere to be of course. Unease was just chipping away at him.

Being asked to leave the galaxy is no small matter, but he found confidence in the fact that he had been approached by Ryder. He had the higher negotiating position. A single 'no' and this whole thing can go away. Hell, he could probably make demands and get away with it. It wasn't in Shepard's nature to take advantage of his fame, but this might be an appropriate occasion if there ever was one.

Shepard let the rigidity evaporate from his posture and decided to strike at the heart of the matter. Deep down he hoped the proposal would be ridiculous enough to wave off immediately.

"So what exactly are you offering me?"

"A future." Ryder held a hand before Shepard could argue. "I know, too vague. What the Andromeda Initiative is offering you is a big opportunity, so I'll try to condense it for you. But first, I imagine you want to know what the Initiative is, and why we're here." When Shepard didn't reply, he continued. "As you know, the Initiative is a mission to colonize the Andromeda galaxy. The idea was founded in 2176 by Jien Garson. She put her expansive wealth into not only a means to get out there, but also a space station to call home. Citadel two point oh if you want." A pause as Alec sipped some coffee. "Construction and recruitment started simultaneously. For the next 7 years we poured virtually unlimited resources into the arks, recruitment, and the Nexus, our soon to be home. It was all going according to plan, but then you came along."

The seriousness returned to Shepard's demeanor just as fast as it had gone. He was willing to sit through a history lesson, but being accused wasn't about to go over his head.

"Me?" Shepard deadpanned.

Ryder nodded. "You and your claims of sentient machines coming to the Milky Way to wipe out organic life were laughable to most everyone. But not the Initiative."

"You believed in the Reapers? More importantly, how did you find out? The Council did their damnedest to hide that stuff."

"Well, you don't just threaten the galaxy with extinction and expect everyone to stay quiet, do you? People talk, and rumors were making the rounds. We didn't have evidence for or against them at the time, so we gave it the benefit of the doubt. Figured that if worse comes to worse and the Reapers do exist, we would be out of the galaxy before they showed up."

The fact that the one organization that could have backed up his Reaper claims planned on running away from the problem was not lost on Shepard. Not the best start to a potential partnership in his book.

"Could've used your help fighting them." His words were unapologetically accusatory. Ryder took them in stride and didn't flinch one bit

"I know, but you have to understand where we stood. We were too deep to back out. Four of the five first wave arks were finished and the Nexus was about ready to deploy. It was in our best interest to sprint to the finish while we could. So that's what we did."

Shepard leaned back and crossed his arms. "But you're still here."

"Yes, two years later your stunt with the Alpha relay convinced us that things were about to get serious—the evidence was there. The Initiative leaders decided to take inventory to see if we could make it with the current numbers. What they found was more than enough people, but not enough to sustain them all once we got to Andromeda. We needed more supplies to set up viable colonies when all the arks arrived there. The problem was that most of our suppliers started cutting us off. People started taking your Reaper threats seriously and were hoarding what we needed for their own good. We were effectively dead in the water."

"And somehow you managed to avoid the Reapers."

Ryder let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, by some miracle. We recognized that the chances of failure were just about guaranteed if we went for it, so it was time to face to music. Leadership let everyone know the situation, then put them into stasis. Some protested, but most accepted the idea. It wasn't hard to recognize the Initiative as a civilian exploration mission, not a military operation. We weren't geared up for a fight. The good news was that all the arks were finished as well as the pieces for the Nexus so we were able to jump everything through the relays to the edge of the galaxy closest to Sol. After that, it was a short trip into the edge of darkspace where the remaining crew members entered stasis. All we could do then was hope and pray."

Shepard came to get answers and was instead ending up with more questions. Frankly, at this point, he couldn't spare a single care for how the Initiative was here. The fact that a guy from it was sitting front of him right now was enough. It was time to push the conversation forward.

Shepard finished for him. "Now you're back to tie up loose ends."

"Exactly. Whatever you did to stop the Reapers lit the entire galaxy up red. Now, what you may not know is the arks are each interfaced with an advanced artificial intelligence. The event you caused was enough to grab its attention. Finding out the fate of the galaxy was paramount so it thawed key personnel, including me, and we came up with a plan for moving forward. Instead of putting the whole fleet at risk, one scout ship was sent with a team to confirm the status of the Milky Way. When I laid my eyes on the dozens of Reaper corpses floating in space I was nothing short of amazed. By putting comm buoys down along the way the good news was relayed instantly to the fleet, and they began the trip back. Didn't even have to resort to plan b."

Shepard allowed himself a slight laugh. "Safe to say that the Reapers through a wrench in your plans."

"Your preaching to the choir, Shepard. The Initiative was blindsided by the Reapers, but we got damn lucky, and have you to thank from what I hear."

It would seem that everyone left alive was going to pin victory on him. As trivial a matter as it may seem, it was something that bothered Shepard to no end. Yes, he brought people together, but he didn't fight the Reapers by himself. He just shouted the loudest.

On the bright side, it was blatantly obvious why Ryder wanted him to go to Andromeda. Still, Shepard let the displeasure show through.

"It wasn't just me. Millions of people fought and died for their homeworlds. All of them should be heroes for doing what they did."

Ryder's voice hardened and he pointed a finger at Shepard. "But you led them. They all looked up to you and followed you into certain death because you made them believe. The Initiative needs a leader like that now," he asserted.

"And now we get to the root of the matter…" Shepard sounded practically relieved.

"Look, I wasn't here to see how you won the war, but I've still got contacts within the Alliance and I like what they're telling me. I'm not asking you to lead an army against two-kilometer-tall death machines here. I'm asking you to do this because you're more qualified to lead the people of the Initiative to a successful future than anyone else."

"Because the ability to win a war is exactly what you need," Shepard replied sarcastically.

Ryder leaned in with his hands clamped on his legs. "Because being able to inspire is exactly what we need," he fired back. "Right now, most know you the guy who saved the Citadel from a geth armada, which is enough as it is. When people find out what you accomplished during the war, they'll believe anything is possible with you leading the way. It'll be a shot in the arm of what the everyone in the Initiative needs most: confidence that they made the right decision."

No matter how much he tried to dodge the fact, people would always consider him the tip of the spear in the war against the Reapers. They tell him that if it wasn't for him, the races would have fallen one by one. They tell him that he effectively had the entire galaxy under his command, waiting for his orders. And he did. He took every life into his own hands and fought for every individual that calls the Milky Way home, not just humanity. That was what drove him into every battlefield, every war-torn sector, every line of defense, every day. The thought of letting those people down was too much to bear.

Commander Shepard is a Sentinel. A guardian, guided by the need to stand in between others and danger. The need gave him a purpose in the world that was as rewarding as it was perilous. It was also as big a weakness as it was a strength. There are those in the world that would seek to take advantage of an individual such as Shepard. They wave people in front of his face like bait, enticing him to come to their aid. This certainly wasn't the first time he's come across this tactic. Shepard quickly burned away thoughts of Cerberus before they could manifest. Human supremacist group the Andromeda Initiative was not, but the act of coercion was much the same.

The worst part of having a weakness? Knowing you have it and not being able to do a thing about it. Cerberus took advantage of this and won because backing out doomed the galaxy. The Initiative will try to take advantage of this and will fail because they are the ones that need him. Shepard's newfound confidence had him wondering just how much he could impose on this proposal and get away with it. His guess was 'a lot.'

Shepard decided to entertain the thought of going to Andromeda some more instead of banishing it to the deepest depths. "Sounds like you already have leadership in place. Where would I even fit it?"

Ryder leaned back into his chair, feeling that his point was made. "We have a Pathfinder team for each ark filled with specialists to explore the golden worlds we know of. In short, you will be in control of all of them."

Shepard also curtailed his aggression, returning to a curious mindset. "Some sort of desk job?"

"If you want to play general and spend your time pushing symbols around on a screen, be my guest. I get the feeling you don't want that though. You would prefer to be the first one on a planet, scouting the terrain, placing an outpost, and ensuring the well-being of everyone who moves in."

Shepard was beginning to wonder just how much of him was public information. Apparently, he was wearing his psych profile on his sleeve at all times. Still, Ryder didn't need any confirmation.

"You never know. Caring for a large population is harder than it looks."

Ryder slid his datapad across the table to Shepard. "That's why the choice is yours. Remember, this mission can be a new start for everyone, that includes you. We have seven 'golden worlds' to choose from, basically the same idea as garden worlds here. They have perfect conditions for life, overflow with resources, and they're all within one system. If you want to settle down on one, then by all means, pick a plot of land and get building. I would recommend Habitat seven personally, it's probably going to be the new human homeworld once we get there. Scans indicate lush tropical jungle among other desirable features."

Shepard picked up the datapad and gave it a cursory scan. It was a small picture of what the planet looked like with statistics beneath it. Now Ryder looked like some sort of extragalactic real estate agent. He may be able to serve up enticing numbers and descriptions, but there was a difference between building a house and building a home. Property value be damned. Especially when your home happens to fly. Suddenly, Shepard had a clear idea of what it would take to drive him into Andromeda. Ryder probably wasn't going to enjoy it.

He put the datapad down returned a steely gaze to Ryder. "A home isn't much without a family."

"Nobody's gonna blame you for wanting to start a family in Andromeda. Upon boarding, everyone goes on blockers to freeze the reproductive cycle. When they do you're actually encouraged to…"

Shepard cut in before Ryder could finish and narrowed his gaze. "I already have a family, and if you think I'm going to leave them for one second…" The sudden show of authority was enough for Ryder to tense up. It was time to turn the tables and flex some of that war hero status.

Calmness quickly returned to the older N7. "Of course, I wouldn't expect you to. There should be an extra spot or two. Your mom is still, right? There should be space for your partner as well. If you have one that is."

A mischievous grin spread across Shepard's face and he slid down into a comfortable position with arms crossed. "How about a whole ship?"

Ryder composed countenance broke once again. "The Normandy? That's a tall order, Shepard."

Shepard dare let a hint of cockiness enter his voice. "If you want even the slightest chance of me saying yes, I suggest you find room for my crew. And my ship," he said confidently.

Shepard wasn't actually sure if Hackett would let him steal the Normandy away to another galaxy. He claimed it was his ship, and people accepted that, but technically it was still part of the Alliance. It's not like he put a down payment on the thing when Cerberus made it. He sure as hell wasn't going anywhere without it though. Anywhere he could call home on Earth was turned to dust by the Reapers, so the ship became that. It felt perfectly natural for the spacer in him.

The Normandy contained all his possessions, and most importantly, damn near all the people he cares deepest for. That's what makes the Normandy a true home. Sure, he couldn't force them all to go with him, that wasn't the intention anyway. Those were the conditions he set. The thought of joining the Initiative wasn't even worth harboring unless both the ship and the crew could be there at his side for the whole ride. No force, no guilt trips, no deception, just unwavering dedication and loyalty.

"It's a package deal," Shepard continued. "My crew are professionals and the ship is state of the art. I'd say having both of those would be beneficial."

"I see your point. Not only having Commander Shepard but also having the iconic ship and crew would undoubtedly be beneficial, no doubt. The problem isn't with the quality of what you're offering, but the quantity. Fitting in an extra ship crew when we already have enough is one thing, but an entire ship itself? That's another."

"Then do what you have to do, otherwise I'd start looking for another war hero."

Ryder released a sigh of defeat and readjusted in his seat. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting such vigorous demands. "I'll try and pull some strings, but this is going to take time. Thankfully, the arks still have at least 4 months left in transit before they make it back into the system under standard FTL. When they arrive, it'll be a little longer to finish procuring and loading supplies. In other words, you have time to make up your mind and I have time to make the right things happen."

"Then that's the deal. I'll make sure my crew is willing and talk to Hackett about the Normandy. You make sure there's space for both."

Ryder didn't look satisfied with the proposal. "I appreciate your need to have your crew and even your ship willing to go, but you haven't even told me if you're willing yet. I need an answer," he asked impatiently.

"Right now? No. Whether my answer changes or not, that depends on how badly you need me."

Ryder came to the conclusion easily enough. "And if you can convince the Alliance to surrender a prototype ship…" he said under his breath.

"Exactly."

Ryder let his head down and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't like the odds you're giving me, Shepard. But I have no reason to not try." He took a breath and looked back up. "So yes, we have a deal."

Shepard, on the other hand, was conspicuously chipper. "Good. I expect that we'll be in contact soon?"

Ryder simply nodded and stood up to extend a handshake. Shepard reciprocated.

"Stay safe out there, Commander. The paparazzi might get you yet," Ryder joked as Shepard started toward the door.

Shepard just laughed and left Ryder to his devices. He left the little building with an air of confidence surrounding him. He knew that Ryder wanted him up there badly. That didn't matter though. As long as Shepard was able, he would be the one to stand between others and danger. If he was going to do this, it would be for the people, not for some stuck-up official taking advantage of the Shepard name. Someone needs to make sure the Initiative isn't going to send them all to their deaths.

Yet the thought of letting a hundred thousand strangers being potentially sent to their death was easier to bear than leaving a single member of the Normandy behind. The twisted nature of this thought didn't go unnoticed by Shepard. War had desensitized him to large swaths of people meeting their collective end. It was an appalling thing to think of, but the war was also the reason he became attached so tenaciously to the Normandy crew. Running scenarios of what might happen to them the moment he left the galaxy would be crippling. Nobody needed to see the great Commander Shepard express weakness in such a way. He needed to be seen as a god in the flesh, and the crew would be his source of power. That was the only way he could operate.

'I'm only human, after all.'

A/N: Real fast update this time. I had this chapter pretty much entirely written by the time chapter 1 went up and I figured I would put it out now. No use in keeping a perfectly good chapter just sitting around is there? Anyway, I hope the situation I portrayed the Initiative in is at least semi-believable.

The next chapter is going to take longer to put out because of life and stuff. I'll try and put out a new chapter at least once per month. Anything longer seems like an unacceptable wait. Who knows, one could come out within a week, another could come out in two. Depends on how busy I get. If nothing else, just know that I don't plan on leaving this story dead in the water.