Kaidan watched silently as the Council came in, standing beside Ashley at the top of the main stairs leading into the Council Chambers. Udina had been too excited about the evidence to bother telling only Anderson and Shepard to come in to the chambers with them. That didn't mean they were invited but the others seemed perfectly content to see it that way.

The ambassador and Anderson were once again on the end of the walkway that faced the Council's stage. Shepard had broken away from them to stand beside the quarian a few paces behind them, her head bent toward her, probably giving her a few words of encouragement or reassurance. It was hard to tell with her but Tali definitely seemed nervous. Kaidan doubted she had missed the looks she'd gotten from the Council as they came in. It was nothing compared to the looks Wrex had gotten when they'd caught sight of him at the end of the walkway, standing casually just in sight. Even the ever composed asari councilor had seemed mildly taken aback by the sight of the krogan. Kaidan knew a bit about the Krogan Rebellions, enough to make him wonder how long it had been since a krogan had been in these chambers, if ever. Garrus, even bolder, had come up onto the walkway itself, standing a respectable distance behind the commander but close enough he could see what was going on. Only Kaidan and Ashley had stayed in the doorway.

Ashley glanced at him, then shrugged and moved forward, not close enough to put her near Wrex but nearer to the stage. Kaidan sighed and did the same. The ambassador was speaking triumphantly, gesturing behind him. "The quarian here..."

"Tali," Shepard spoke up, scowling at him.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." Tali concurred, an edge to her voice. She was probably sick of being referred to as 'the quarian'.

Udina turned his head to glare at them both slightly then gestured again. "She brought us concrete proof!"

The salarian councilor looked at the other two, blinking. The turian was silent, his arms crossed over his chest. Kaidan got the distinct impression he wasn't happy at all with this. He kept looking from one human to another with obvious impatience. The asari councilor frowned slightly, one of the few times Kaidan had ever seen some kind of strong expression from her, but she motioned for Tali to come forward. Anderson and Udina moved aside for her and she stepped forward, straightening her shoulders. Shepard leaned against the rail, keeping her place behind Tali.

Tali told them how she'd gotten the recording from a geth's memory core as she'd been traveling on her people's rite of passage (he thought she'd called it a Pilgrimage) and the events that had led up to her attack, her voice shaky at first but growing firmer. She finally lifted her omni tool and played the recording.

Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit. Kaidan could see the shock of recognition go through all three of the councilors.

Then a woman's voice none of them had recognized: And one step closer to the return of the Reapers. The asari councilor straightened up a bit, her brows furrowing.

Udina pointed at them, rather dramatically, Kaidan thought. "You wanted proof. There it is."

The turian councilor uncrossed his arms slowly and nodded. "This evidence is irrefutable. Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him to justice."

Kaidan breathed out a sigh of relief and Ashley grinned.

"That was Matriarch Benezia speaking with Saren," the asari councilor said. For all her poise, she looked deeply troubled. "A matriarch of great influence. She's a powerful biotic, and she has many followers. She will make a formidable ally for Saren."

The salarian councilor leaned forward. "I'm more interested in these Reapers. What do you know about them?"

The ambassador shook his head. "The quarian..."

Shepard growled.

Udina rolled his eyes but politely amended himself. "Tali said something about the geth worshiping them."

Tali nodded. "They were an ancient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans. Then they vanished."

"The geth think Saren is the prophet for their return." Shepard's voice had an odd tone that rang through her voice whenever the subject of the Prothean beacon or, now, the Reapers came up. She'd been agitated ever since she'd heard the recording, making some kind of connection to these Reapers and the vision that obviously still plagued her. Kaidan really hadn't understood what she was talking about. While they were waiting for Udina and Anderson, she'd been pacing back and forth in front of the steps, muttering to herself. Wrex had ignored her but Garrus and Tali had both watched her uncertainly until Kaidan had explained how she'd been hit with the same Prothean beacon that Saren had used.

"Did it make her...unstable?" Tali had asked, her voice pitched low so only Kaidan could hear her.

"Oh, no. She always does that. You get used to it."

"Besides, I prefer the term 'eccentric'," Shepard had spoken up without stopping her pacing.

"...You get used to that, too."

Anderson stepped forward. "We think this Conduit is the key to bringing them back. Saren is searching for it, and that's why he attacked Eden Prime."

"Do we even know what this Conduit is?" The salarian councilor said pensively.

Shepard shrugged. "Saren wants it for the Reapers. That's bad enough."

"Listen to what you're saying!" The turian councilor exclaimed suddenly, sounding exasperated. "Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible. It has to be." He made a slashing motion with his hand. Anderson started to speak but the councilor overrode him. "Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How could we have found no trace of their existence? If they were real, we would have found something!"

Tali looked over at Shepard helplessly. The commander shook her head, conceding that she had no answers.

"Let us go with what we know," the asari councilor said, trying to calm things down. "We know Saren is using the geth to search for this Conduit, but we don't really know why."

The salarian made a dismissive gesture and then folded his hands into the sleeves of his robe. "The Reapers are obviously a myth. A convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose. A legend he's using to bend the geth to his will."

Shepard held her hands up, obviously not agreeing but she wasn't going to argue the point. For the moment.

The turian councilor nodded firmly. "Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the rights or resources of a Spectre. The Council has stripped him of his position."

"That's not good enough!" Udina stepped forward. "You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse! Send your fleet in."

"A fleet can't track down one man," the salarian pointed out reasonably.

"A Citadel fleet could secure the entire region. Keep the geth from attacking any more of our colonies," Udina insisted.

The turian councilor leaned forward. "Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems! We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen human colonies."

Udina's voice rose, shaking with anger now. "I'm sick of this Council and it's anti-human bull..."

"Ambassador!" The asari's voice rose like a whip crack. "There is another solution. A way to stop Saren that does not require fleets or armies." She looked at Shepard pointedly.

"No!" The turian turned to look at her. "It's too soon. Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres."

"I'm going after Saren either way." Shepard's voice was quiet but firm.

There was a low chuckle from Wrex that had everyone turning to look at him. The krogan bared his teeth in some semblance of a smile. "Knew you had some spine in you, Shepard," he rumbled. "You'll lead us right into the thick of it, no question."

"You'll be joining her then, krogan?" The turian councilor's voice was laced with doubt.

"Oh, yes." Wrex straightened up to his full height, moving so he could see the Council clearly. "Because there's a storm brewing through the whole damn galaxy and she and Saren are right in the middle of it. Even if you're too stupid to see that, I'm not."

Kaidan saw Garrus nod his head a bit in agreement. They just want to be in the middle of the action, he thought with some disapproval.

There was a moment of uneasy silence. The asari councilor said something quietly to her compatriot. The turian listened and nodded at last, if reluctantly.

The asari looked back over. "Commander Shepard, step forward."

Shepard glanced at Anderson and stepped up.

"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."