A/N: So sorry for the wait folks. Work, School, yada yada yada. Yeah, I hate me too. xD

After having the startling revelation of Anderson's death revealed, the spectre returned to the Normandy to inform the rest of the crew as well as recuperate from the mental shock of the sudden and very unexpected tragedy. Growing up on the streets of New York, running with the notorious anti-alien gang known as the Reds, Shepard neither knew his father very well nor did he have the desire to. He had never told a single sole, not even his newly wedded wife, that he had always seen Anderson as the closest thing to a father he ever had, and now he was gone. Snatched from his life by who so arrogantly believed their crime would go unpunished. He swore to himself silently, that when he found the man, women, or people responsible, he would make their lives worse than the hell he was going to send them to. To make things worse, the council would not even allow a proper funeral to be held until the guilty party in question was brought to justice, and who knew how long that would take. His body was going to sit rotting in a cold morgue while the council erected a bubble of lies and a sense of false safety to uphold their precious establishment. Maybe there would be panic and even rioting, but no one deserved to have their loved one's body stored away like old meat in a refrigerator. Especially not now when closure was needed so desperately.

Two hours passed before he decided that it was time to head out once again. He stood in his cabin's restroom, leaning over the sink in front of the mirror. He sighed mournfully as he slowly brought his gaze up to see his reflection glaring back at him. His face was red with anger and his teeth gritted tightly. He felt the sudden need to break something, anything for a temporary release. He threw his fist into the mirror, not shattering it but successfully leaving a cracked crater in the center along with at least a dozen tiny shards embedded in his knuckles, though he barely felt the pain or the blood that tricked between his fingers. If anything he imagined that it was the blood of the one responsible for his friend's death.

He proceeded to gather his team once again and journeyed with them to the C-sec office to speak to executor Pallin on the current status of the investigation. Miranda volunteered to stay and do her best to keep crew morale up while Mordin continued observation of the Prothean fetus. Well, it wasn't really a fetus anymore. In the several hours since their arrival, it had rapidly accelerated its growth rate and entered its child-hood years as Mordin put it. Already he could note the bone-thin arms and legs growing from its slender form. It also had an oddly long neck that looked like it could still grow a lot longer. It was rather majestic in a sense. They were the first beings in over fifty-thousand years to see a live Prothean, even better, they had the incredible privilege of watching several decades of its life pass by in a mere 72 hours! He began to ponder what it would be like, it's personality, what kind of food it liked, even though Mordin had already confirmed that it was a dextro based life form. Tali would soon have two sets of germs to watch out for.

Just before exiting through the airlock, Thane jogged over an offered to serve as a replacement for the two benched crew members. The spectre accepted without hesitation, knowing that the drell's knowledge of the Citadel underground may come in handy in combing the presidium for clues. Furthermore, the drell assassin had a son to check up on. He had informed the commander of the message he received from Kolyat, explaining how his son had recently been admitted into C-sec in the months that followed after his arrest. When Bailey spoke of Kolyat's remaining time in community service, he didn't mention that it was C-sec training he was undergoing. Kolyat probably had insisted that he keep it a secret so he could inform his father on his own and receive the affirmation he desired. Maybe the young drell would even have some insight on investigation.

"Remind me what we're doing here again?" asked Garrus as the group strolled down the corridors to the executor's office.

"If I'm leading this investigation, I'll need to know everything C-sec knows about the case so far. Pallin is going to give me that info," Shepard replied.

"I doubt he's very warmed to know that a Spectre is taking over his investigation, and a human spectre at that." It was a known fact that Executor Venari Pallin was not fond of spectres. He'd made that very clear to Shepard in person two years earlier.

"He'll live, I'm not going to let his trivial, political views interfere with MY investigation."

Maybe it was the tone of his words, or something she noticed in his body language, but Tali could feel a bitter aura emanating from her husband. The way he walked, head hung low, shoulders forward, fists almost clenched, there was anger and hatred seething deep down within him. Anger at the loss of his friend, hate for those responsible. She absentmindedly looked down at her two-digit hands, nervously wringing together. Shepard was bottling all his emotional stress up and she was afraid to find out what would happen if he let it out on the next person to cross him.

Moments later they stood in front of the executor's office. With a simple wave of his hand, the door hissed open. Upon entering however, he, as well as his companions, were surprised to find a very different occupant at the executor's terminal. He was human. Dark skin, tall from the looks of it, around six-foot two maybe. His hair was buzzed to a very short length, with the exception of a much thicker beard. He was obviously short on manners too because he didn't even bother to look up from his terminal and greet them, though it was clear he was aware of their presence by the look in his eyes. He spoke with a deep, guttural voice that added an intimidating air about him.

"Commander Shepard, bout' time."

The spectre shared a puzzled glance with Garrus and Tali before replying, "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've been acquainted. I was expecting Executor Pallin."

"Venari Pallin is..." the rough looking man slowly stood up from his seat, revealing that he was much taller then they originally thought. He must have been at least six-foot four or five. His muscles rippled through his clothing. Perhaps his most outstanding feature was the cybernetic arm that ran halfway down his upper arm and all the way to his equally complex cybernetic hand. "...deceased. I'm his replacement, Executor Theodore Nidas."

"You're human?" Garrus spoke up. The human executor's face grew rather vile at the turian's obvious statement.

"That's right, skull face," he said venomously. "Why? Does that...offend you?"

"No sir, your mouth is the only thing that offends me...sir," the turian added out of spite upon seeing the executors expression turn rather sour.

"You keep strange company, commander. I guess the massacre of Shanxi wasn't in any of your history books?"

"Humans were using the mass relays without authorization, we took it as an act of war and had no choice but to act!" Garrus retaliated.

"And thousands of our colonists paid for you skull face's war mongering with their lives!"

"When I'm finished with you, you won't even have a skull!"

"Stand down, Garrus!" Shepard intervened before turning to the executor, eyes narrowed into a glare. "As for you, executor, what company I keep is my own damn business. You can like it not but either way, my authority exceeds far beyond yours."

Nidas' eyes looked as if there were drilling lasers into the spectre. His forehead wrinkles bulged and his lips twitched in anger. The spectre was almost surprised he hadn't given himself an aneurysm with that look. Several seconds later he regained his somewhat disciplined composure and said, "Indeed it does..." he then stepped closer until he was almost within arms reach of the spectre.

"So...commander, what can I do for you?"

"On behalf of the citadel council, I'm taking over this investigation. You and your men report to me and me only now," folding both arms together, Shepard asked, "What's the status of the investigation?"

"We still only have bits and pieces of evidence..." the human executor said as he lead them over to his desk. Taking a seat in his chair, he quickly accessed the terminal and brought up security footage of the assassination from several different camera angles. Using his index finger, the executor selected a camera that gave a view from behind Anderson and his escort as they approached the old Krogan monument.

"Councilor David Anderson was meeting with Krogan delegates from Tuchanka when the shot was fired..." The footage began to play at the point where Anderson was struck by the shot. The spectre had to muster all his inner will to not look away from the screen as blood sported from the councilors back and he fell flat on his face. Immediately the c-sec escort surrounded the fallen councilor as the air was filled with the screams of frightened civilians. "He took it through the cervical vertebrae, poor bastard was dead before he hit the ground." Thane, upon observing the footage closer, noticed that one of the c-sec escorts was a drell. Kolyat. He'd know the color of his son's scales anywhere. "The shot was taken from the seventh story balcony of the Planar Hotel, here," he said, changing the camera angle to get a view of the hotel balcony. A faint trace of a cloaked figure could be seen at the edge of it. "The suspect in question used a high powered anti-armor rifle to make the kill. As you can see from looks of the cloak and precision of the shot, this son of a bitch was no amateur."

Tali then interjected saying, "It sounds like the work of a highly organized terrorist cell. Probably an anti-human group."

"That's what we've got our minds set on," Tali was almost surprised to receive a more compliant tone from the executor than Garrus did. Judging by his appearance and metal arm, she guessed he was a veteran of the first contact war. It would make sense that he was less than cooperative with turians. Apparently he had no beef with quarians. "Although, we were a little flabbergasted when we found that the perp' had left the weapon at the crime scene," scrolling through several screens, the executor brought up an image of the weapon. "An M98 Widow."

"Interesting," Thane finally spoke. "It would take a master of stealth to avoid detection from the elevated rate of citadel security during that time. The very tactic is consistent with that of a professional. However, speaking from experience, I can say that no trained killer would risk leaving his tools of destruction behind."

"Let's not argue about our apparent fortune just yet, Thane," the spectre turned back to Nidas. "Have you recovered any trace evidence from the weapon?"

"It's being analyzed at the c-sec crime lab as we speak," replied the executor.

"Good, I expect to know your findings yesterday."

"You'll know when we know, commander," he couldn't help but ponder, after witnessing the footage of the murder, what had become of his friend. He owed Anderson his respect and felt it would help to ease his mind if he could see the body. He was an emotional mess deep down as it was already. He had to lighten the burden somehow; to feel even the smallest touch of peace. Anything that could potentially allow him to remember that it is justice he must bring about on the perpetrators and not retribution.

"Executor, I would like to pay my respects to the late councilor. Where is his body being held?"

"In the academy morgue, I'll contact them and make sure you're given the proper clearance as well as all the time you need," the executor replied.

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse, I'll be on my way," the executor gave a firm nod to the spectre before the group sauntered over to the door, Shepard suddenly halting in the door frame.

"Something else, commander?"

"Yes, how was it, exactly, that Pallin was killed?" asked Shepard.

"Pallin was discovered to be in possession of incriminating documents linking him to enemies of the citadel. A C-sec captain by the name of Armando Bailey, now Commander Bailey, confronted and neutralized him when the former executor refused to be taken into custody."

"Then I suppose I should consult with Bailey immediately."

"That would be ideal, if you manage to locate him..."

"What do you mean 'locate'?" the spectre asked, turning to face the executor.

"Commander Bailey went AWOL shortly after the incident. We suspect he's involved in the councilor's assassination plot. So if you do find him, bring him in. And one more thing, the two krogan delegates are being questioned in interrogation, you may want to pay them a visit first. They were right in the middle of the whole incident when it went down."

Reluctantly nodding to the human executor, the spectre and his companions gladly exited the executor's office. Nidas certainly held a firm prejudice against aliens, turians in particular it seemed. Judging by man's expression, voice, and the steam that practically came from his ears at the sight of Garrus, Shepard guessed that Nidas must have been a veteran of the First Contact War. The cybernetic limb only helped in confirming his suspicion. At least he had the decency to be modest when it came to Tali. In his current emotional state, he was sure he'd crack if one foul thing was said about his wife.

"Father!" startled, the group turned to see a familiar Drell at the end of the corridor.

"Kolyat!" Thane walked over to meet his son, his joy snatched away when he saw the bloody bandages wrapped around his son's right hand. "What happened to you?" Kolyat lowered his head in shame.

"I...I tried, father, I tried to save him. I wasn't fast enough..." Kolyat began to reminisce over the cause of his injury, flashbacks of how he tried to shove the councilor to the ground when he spotted the sniper, but the moment his hand connected with the councilor's back, the shot was fired, penetrating his hand and lodging into the councilor's spine. He didn't need to explain, his father already had a good idea what he meant.

"It was unforseeable, Kolyat, the fault was not your own," the drell assassin said in an effort to comfort his son. He decided it was best if he discussed matters with his son in private. "You should find your krogan comrades, Shepard. I must speak with my son alone," he said pivoting in the spectre's direction. Shepard and his remaining companions nodded in unison and watched as the two drell strode away.

"We should find Wrex and Grunt. They are bound to know something of importance," Tali spoke up after a moment of silence.

The next few minutes were spent traveling down to C-sec interrogation where apparently Wrex and Grunt were being held for questioning. "How typical," Shepard thought, clenching his fist. Krogan are always the first to be blamed for violence. Granted they often were a brutal species, but he knew Wrex as well as he knew Grunt. Neither of them were capable, nor had any motive to commit such an atrocity.

When the elevator doors slid open, the three stepped out and rounded the corner of the corridor. The loud sounds of a heated argument present behind the first door they came to, he assumed this was interrogation. Shepard reached forward to unlock the door when suddenly, something struck the door from the other end with a loud clang. When the door opened, a human c-sec officer, previously leaning against the door, fell backward unconscious and the group were met with the site of two c-sec officers armed with shock-sticks desperately trying to restrain a krogan with a red-colored head-plate.

Freeing his arms from the grasp of the humans, Wrex grabbed each of them by the back of their necks and slammed them together so hard that both were knocked out cold. He gave an insidious smile to the spectre before two more c-sec officers stormed in with rifles aimed at the enraged krogan.

"Stand down!" Shepard commanded. "Commander Shepard, special tactics and recon. By the powers granted to me by the citadel council, I'm taking the suspect into my custody," the officers shared a confused glance for a moment then hesitantly lowered their weapons. Wrex chuckled and walked over to pat his old commander on the shoulder before the four sauntered out of the room.

"I wish you'd taken your time, Shepard. Been a while since I've had the privilege of rebelling against citadel laws," the krogan said.

"If that's what you think, then I'm glad I arrived when I did. Do you know where they're keeping Grunt?" the spectre asked.

"They threw him in a holding cell so we could be interrogated separately. I think they're afraid of us," Wrex finished with a smile. "What brings you back to the citadel anyway? I mean, besides that your council is now short one human?"

"I'll explain on the way to the cell blocks, a lot has transpired in the last few days..."

…

They were now less than a couple of miles from the Blue Suns' headquarters and Zaeed's confidence was ever so high in the success of the mission. The rocky hills and soon coming darkness of night would give them excellent cover during infiltration, but their method of infiltration would prove to be a more difficult task. The bounty hunter peered out from a large rock formation and used his binoculars to get a closer look at the thousands of feet of tritanium wall that protected the base on all sides.

"So what do you think?" Aranya asked, having sneaked up beside him. "A few breaching charges should make good work of that wall."

"Let's save that for plan B, love," he replied.

"It's the quickest way in, would also give us a clear path to the motor-pool."

"It's also the quickest way to alert the guards and put us on a path straight to hell."

"Then what would you suggest, hard-ass?"

Just then Zaeed spotted a single C-22 Cargo transport APC coming up the road and straight toward the base entrance. Aranya swore she could see a light-bulb hover over his head as he gave her a devious smirk. He had an idea and she had an idea she knew what it was.

"No! No way you are making me do that again!"

…

"Transport 2-9 reporting in, approximately one kilometer out. Requesting entry standby, over," the human driver spoke into the transport's communicator.

"Copy, 2-9. Standby ready, over and out," the batarian at the other end of the communicator responded. The Blue Sun's driver sighed and took a drag from his cigarette.

"I don' t get payed enough for this shit..." he said to himself. Coming around the corner, he spotted a single person in the middle of the road, a women, and asari at that. She wore loose fitting, leather military issue pants and a short, white, low-cut tank-top that left her waist exposed. He stopped the transport a few dozen feet from where she stood and waited as she waltzed over to the driver-side window.

"Hey there, having a good day?" she asked seductively.

"I am now," the human replied with a chuckle.

"Really?" she then drew a pistol and placed the barrel on his left temple. "Me too!"

"Shit..."

"Open the hatch!" The driver did as she asked and Zaeed and his hidden platoon all proceeded to board the transport with Aranya following suite in the passenger side of the vehicle. "Drive!"

Several minutes later they arrived at the base entrance. A single guard was posted outside along with two YMIR heavy mechs. The driver stopped directly in front of the gates and waited for the guard to approach the window. Aranya kept her pistol aimed at the driver's kidney.

"I need to see you're clearance code, sir," the helmeted turian guard said. Aranya nudged him in the side with her pistol and the human driver hesitantly handed the guard a datapad. The guard became slightly suspicious but still unsuspecting.

"Everything checks out, move along," the guard said after thoroughly examining the datapad. Walking back to his post, he radioed the gate operator and the gates began to slid open. The driver proceeded to drive through a large courtyard filled with combat ready vehicles and patrolling Blue Suns' troopers that set Aranya's nerves on fire. All it would take is one word and this human could have the whole base on full alert. Hopefully he wasn't that stupid, not with a gun leveled at his side. Seconds later the driver drove them into a closed hangar which housed most the bases vehicles, and killed the engine once the hangar doors closed behind them.

"Santiago's gonna grind you into tiny fucking varren treats, you blue bitch!"

"Not if I grind him up first," Aranya said then pistol-whipped the driver unconscious. Turning to Zaeed in the back compartment she said, "That's the last time I shake my ass at someone for you!"

"Not likely, love..."

…

Having reached the landing pad in the 800 blocks of the citadel, Kolyat set the sky-car down gently and powered down the thrusters. They soon found themselves in the elevator leading up to Kolyat's apartment.

"Uh, Father, there's something you should know before we set foot in my apartment," Kolyat said nervously.

"Judging by the hesitance in your voice, I feel I will find what I am about to hear unpleasant..." Thane replied just as the elevator reached the 91st floor and the doors opened.

"Well, I've sort of taken in a guest recently..." Kolyat waved his hand over the door's holographic lock and it opened with a quiet hiss.

"A guest?"

"Kolyat!" a quarian women yelled as she ran over to meet the two. "I saw what happened on the news-net, are you injured?"

Thane stared in confusion at the women before asking, "And you are?"

Like how I tied Mass Effect: Inquisition into my fic? Me too. Wanted it to feel like Mass Effect 2.5 rather than just another fic. R&R!