Author's note: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update. The spring semester has been really difficult since I wrote that message earlier. That and I spent four days of my spring break doing nothing but play Mass Effect 3. I'll get back to that later. Now, as I said before, I haven't given up on this story. It's just been real difficult to focus on it while there are projects, homework assignments, and exams going on almost every single week. I will keep writing, but as I said, if anyone wants to write a story similar to this, they are more than welcome to do so. Just be sure to let me know; I would love to help you guys out in any way I can if you have any questions about doing so.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Now about Mass Effect 3…Overall, it's an amazing game. I love how all your past actions have an effect on the Reaper war (Ex. Sparing Rana Thanoptis the asari scientist…if I had known she would go crazy and kill several military leaders, I would have put a bullet in her head in the first game). It made me cry when I saw some of my friends die, and Joker always managed to make me laugh. However, when I saw the ending…I was emotionally shocked. All of that work, all of those countless playthroughs to get the perfect scenarios for each of my Shepards…AND HE DIES! I figured there would be a couple of endings were Shepard dies, but I hoped there would be at least one where Shepard could live happily ever after with Tali (being the loyal Talimancer that I am). Seeing him sacrifice himself like that…to say I was crushed would be an understatement. Afterwards, I didn't want to have anything to do with Mass Effect. All I could see was Shepards demise, and Tali's heartbroken face (video game character or not, I feel pain every time she cries). And then I heard about the indoctrination theory, and slowly but surely I made my way back to the franchise. I hoped that the theory was correct, that the ending was a fake…but now I'm hearing that the extended cut DLC will only provide more closure to the endings, rather than offer a new one. I was frustrated, but now I want to see how my decision at the end made a difference. I want to see what happens when all life is synthesized, or what happens to the Normandy crew. Most of all, I want to see what happens to Tali; I want to see if she at least gets a happy ending. I may be dead, but as long as Tali is happy later on after the war, that'll be good enough for me.

Anyway, here's the long awaited update. Hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 5: Politics

When Link opened his eyes, he first saw a grey mist. He looked around for any indication as to where he was, but the fog was thick wherever he looked. Link took a step forward, only to discover something different about his boots. He looked down, and immediately noticed that instead of his armor, he was dressed in civilian clothes, slightly torn and dirty. Acting on a hunch, he sniffed the air, picking up scents of freshly-turned soil and what he believed was…mother's….

Mindoir.

As if the very thought was the trigger, Sounds of gunfire and screaming was heard. Link rushed to where the screams seemed loudest, only to see a man fall right in front of him. It was Mr. Erickson, his boss at one of the many farms surrounding the colony. Link's blood churned at the sight of numerous bullet holes on Mr. Erickson's back.

Seeing as that direction was a bad idea, Link headed the opposite way, only to see another corpse lying close by. Terrified, Link dashed in a random direction, seeing more bodies and the occasional armored figure dragging away a frightened child. He tried to save the children, but the two always disappeared in the fog, no matter how close Link got to them.

Before long, Link was lost. Everywhere seemed to reveal more death and suffering, to which he was helpless to change. As he looked around frantically for some kind of escape from this horrible nightmare, the gunfire and screams never ceased, but instead grew in volume. Link covered his ears and closed his eyes, wishing for it all to stop—

"Link"

Link snapped his eyes open at the voice. It was a gentle voice, full of kindness and warmth. It was the kind that promised security and love. Only one person had such a voice…

Link turned and saw a figure in the fog. It was a woman with short blonde hair and green eyes, wearing a worn apron over her colonist clothing. She smiled at him and raised her arms, as if expecting a hug.

Mother…

Link tried running to her, to warn her of the danger, but his legs quickly grew heavy. Link grunted against the sudden shift and pressed on, his eyes focused on the still smiling form of his mother. He could not lose her again!

Mother!

He was halfway there when he saw it: the arms slowly falling limp, the eyes glazing over, a thin trail of blood running from the corner of her mouth.

MOTHER!

His mother fell to the ground, only for Link to grab her just before she hit the ground. He looked her over, hoping to still save her. He couldn't find the wound! He frantically shook her, hoping that she had just fainted.

Nothing. She was gone…again.

The tears flowed as despair overwhelmed Link. Why? Why couldn't he save her? Why did she have to die? It wasn't fair!

No longer able to contain it, Link cried out in anguish.

At the sound of his voice, the fog disappeared, revealing the world in flames. The buildings, the nearby forests, even the sky was on fire! Link looked on in terror as he saw colonists, young and old, being torn apart by familiar looking grey figures. His mind screamed at him to move, but his body was paralyzed!

Suddenly, the ground shook as something moved behind him, screeching a strange noise that seemed to pierce right into his brain. As soon as he was able to, Link turned his head around, just in time to see a gigantic synthetic leg about to crush him!

Xxxxxxxxxx

Link woke with a start, sucking in air as if he had been underwater. His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings. Where was he? What happened? Why does his head hurt so much? Such thoughts ran through his mind until he felt hands on his shoulders, and heard a gentle voice.

"-lright, Link. It's alright. You're safe now." The voice said, trying to calm him.

Link turned and saw none other than Doctor Chakwas, the medical officer of the Normandy. Seeing the aged doctor's face, he recognized where he was, and took in slow, deep breaths, slowing down his rapid heart rate. His head still hurt, but it was a dull throb now. Slowly, Link sat up, the doctor keeping her hands on his shoulders to steady him.

"You gave us quite a scare there, Link," Doctor Chakwas said. "How are you feeling?"

Groaning, Link brought up his Omnitool and began typing.

"Feels like I lost a fight with a Krogan."

At that, he heard chuckling from his left, and saw Shepard leaning up against the bed next to him. She looked pale and exhausted, no doubt feeling the exact same way he was. Other than that, she appeared fine.

"You would be crazy enough to pick a fight with a Krogan, wouldn't you Link?" She responded.

Link merely rolled his eyes at her and asked what had happened.

"The beacon exploded," a third voice spoke out. Link turned and saw the dark-haired colonial soldier that had fought with them back on Eden Prime, "After you pushed me out of the way, Shepard did the same for you, but you were still close enough to get affected by the blast."

"You had no idea what would happen, Williams." Shepard said.

Williams nodded, but Link could tell she still felt guilty.

"Well, Link, physically you're fine, "the doctor stated. "However, like Shepard, I also found unusual brain activity and increased rapid eye movement. Did you, by any chance, have any strange dreams?"

Link nodded, his thoughts wondering about the intense dream he had.

Seeing his response, the doctor continued, "I also found a rather unusual marking on your right hand."

Doctor Chakwas pointed to the hand in question, and Link noticed three dark yellow triangles on the back of it. They were arranged so that they created a larger triangle, with an empty spot in-between them. He thought back as to where he received it, and remembered the burning sensation that had on the hand before he blacked out.

"Alenko and I saw that when we took off your glove," Williams pointed out, holding a glove that had the same marking on it. "Seems like that weird glow etched the marking to it too."

"Is it some kind of Prothean symbol?" Link asked as he stood up.

"Not sure, we'll have to-" Chakwas began to answer before the med bay door opened.

A dark-skinned man walked in, wearing the uniform of an Alliance captain. His presence spoke not only of discipline and authority, but also kindness and understanding. Link immediately straightened as the captain walked up to the small group.

"Oh, Captain Anderson." The doctor exclaimed.

"How are these two holding up, doctor?" Anderson asked.

"Well, all the readings looked normal; I say they're going to be fine." Doctor Chakwas stated.

"Glad to hear it," he said before adding, "Shepard, Link I need to speak with you two …in private."

"Sounds like that beacon hit you two pretty hard," the captain said after Doctor Chakwas and Chief Williams left the med bay, "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I assume Williams has been reassigned to the Normandy?" Shepard asked.

"I figure we could use a soldier like her," Anderson answered.

"She's a good soldier," Shepard agreed, "…I still don't like soldiers dying under my command, though."

Link flinched as he recalled what happened to Corporal Jenkins. The sound the rounds made as they ripped through his shields and then his armor…Link should have done something!

"It's my fault. I should have pushed him into cover before-" Link said before the captain interrupted him.

"Jenkins wasn't your fault, or yours, Commander," Anderson said to them, "you both did a good job."

Link and Shepard nodded, but Link still thought about how he could have saved Jenkins. It's not the first time Link has lost a fellow soldier, but no amount of experience can ease the guilt it causes. It has, however, taught Link to use that guilt to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated.

"You said you needed to see us in private, Captain." Shepard stated, changing the subject.

"I won't lie to you two," Anderson said solemnly, "Things look bad. Nihilus is dead. The beacon was destroyed, and Geth are invading. The Council is going to want answers."

"We didn't do anything wrong, Captain," Shepard argued. "Hopefully the Council can see that."

Link nodded in agreement. Surely the Council wouldn't reprimand them for simply doing their jobs. Although, now that he thought about it, not once has he seen a politician who wasn't more than eager to point fingers at someone else. Link hoped the Council would be better than that, but he wouldn't hold his breath.

"I'll stand behind you and your reports, Shepard," the captain spoke. "You two are damned heroes in my books, but that's not why I'm here."

"It's Saren, that other turian," Anderson continued. "Saren's a Spectre; one of the best. A living legend. But if he's working with the Geth, it means he's gone rogue. A rogue Spectre's trouble. Saren's dangerous, and he hates humans."

A rogue Spectre, Link thought. It's bad enough that Geth were attacking human colonies, but finding out that a Spectre, one of few individuals with the skills and authority to take out armies at any cost, was leading them was far worse. Hating humans is one thing, but…

"Saren didn't attack Eden Prime simply because he hates humans." Link argued.

"You're right, Link. Saren has allied himself with the Geth." Anderson agreed. "I don't know how, and I don't know why, but it had something to do with that beacon. You two were there just before the beacon self-destructed; did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?"

"Just before I lost consciousness, I had some kind of vision." Shepard replied.

"A vision? A vision of what?" Anderson asked.

"I saw synthetics, Geth maybe, slaughtering people; butchering them," she hesitantly said.

Link felt a shiver run down his spine as Shepard described her vision. His vision wasn't too far off from that. He saw Anderson turning his attention towards him, awaiting his answer as to what happened. Link took a deep breath before replying.

"I saw those husk things slaughtering people on Mindoir." He said.

Link saw both Shepard and Anderson frown at the name of the colony. Both were aware of how the slaver raid on Mindoir affected him. In the past they tried their best not to bring it up, to which Link was grateful. No matter how many years pass by, he still feels the impact of the horrid event as if it was only yesterday.

"I see," Anderson said. "We need to report this to the Council."

"What are we going to tell them? We had a bad dream?" Shepard asked skeptically.

Link agreed. No one in their right minds would ever believe something like this had any significance. Heck, he wouldn't believe it himself if he didn't have such gruesome images lingering somewhere in his mind. As for politicians, they may be arrogant and self-centered, but they certainly weren't gullible; gullible enough to believe dreams, at least.

"We don't know what information was stored on that beacon," Anderson explained. "Lost Prothean technology, blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction, whatever it was…Saren took it.

"But I know Saren," he continued. "I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war. He has the secrets from the beacon, he has an army of Geth at his command, and he won't stop until he's wiped humanity from the face of the galaxy."

"Don't worry, sir. We'll find some way to take him down." Shepard said with conviction.

"It's not that easy," Anderson replied. "He's a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the Council on our side."

Link finally saw what the captain was getting at. To take down a Spectre, you first had to remove his authority and resources.

"We prove that Saren's a traitor, and the Council will revoke his Spectre status." Link said.

"I'll contact the ambassador, and see if he can get us an audience with the Council. He'll want to see us as soon as we reach the Citadel." Anderson said. "Commander, head up to the bridge and tell Joker to bring us in to dock."

With that, Captain Anderson walked away, no doubt towards the communication room. After a few seconds, Shepard also made a move towards the door, with Link not too far behind.

Link smiled to himself. They may have lost the beacon, and they may be plagued with daunting visions, but they had a plan for the turian creep that caused all of this. It was vague, and the evidence of Saren's rogue activities was weak, but if it's one thing he and Shepard were good at, it's improvising.

He just had to hope the Council would listen to them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!"

….although, it's easy to see why the Council would turn a deaf ear, Link thought as human ambassador Udina raged at the holograms of the three Councilors. He may not be a politician, but Link doubted shouting at them was an effective move to get what you want. As the Councilors gave their annoyed responses, Link tuned out the conversation, focusing on the view of the Presidium.

He had to admit, the Presidium was pretty spectacular. Its lakes, trees, and holographic sky almost make you forget your on a station (at least, until you notice the roof curving upwards on either end of the horizon). It was a shame that the rest of the Citadel didn't look like this. Link was hardly surprised, though. It seems like no matter the race, the rich and powerful always lived in luxury, while the rest received second-rate housing and the like.

"-son, I see you brought half your crew with you." An arrogant voice said.

Link brought his attention back to the conversation as Anderson explained that they were the members of the ground team on Eden Prime.

"I have the mission reports, I assume they're accurate?" Ambassador Udina rudely asked.

"They are," Anderson answered. "Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."

If you consider a temper tantrum a persuasive argument, Link thought.

"They were not happy about it," Udina replied. "Saren is their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason."

"Saren's a threat to every human colony out there; he needs to be stopped. The Council has to listen to us" Shepard said.

"Settle down, Commander," the ambassador said. "You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The mission on Eden Prime was to show that you could get the job done. Instead, Nihilus ended up dead and the beacon was destroyed."

Please tell me this jerk wasn't democratically elected, Link prayed as he tried to control his anger towards the ambassador's accusation.

"That's Saren's fault, not hers!" Anderson exclaimed.

"Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations." Udina retorted. "Otherwise the Council might use this to keep you out of the Spectres."

Again he emphasizes the Spectre candidacy. What about the hundreds of soldiers and civilians who lost their lives on Eden Prime? Aren't their lives worth more than a simple title? Link understood why being called a Spectre would be a big deal, but when a supposed representative of humanity focuses on that instead of simply righting a wrong against a human colony, it angers Link to no end. A small part of him wonders how the Alliance Parliament reacted when Mindoir was hit.

As Link watched the captain and the ambassador walk out of the room, he held nothing but contempt towards Udina. Apparently Ashley felt the same way as she said:

"And that's why I hate politicians.

A/N: …Yeah, I don't really like politics. Don't forget to review.

By the way, someone asked me if Link was going to be paired with anyone. Yes, he will be in a pairing. Who's he going to be paired with? Well obviously not Femshep, I already stated earlier that it wouldn't be her. You'll have to read to find out (unless you guys already figured it out).

Udina: OUTRAGE!

WTF! Udina, what are you doing here?

Udina: You can't just leave us all guessing, I demand an answer!

…..

*cocks shotgun*