Thank you all very much for the awesome reviews. Since this story received so much positive response I felt compelled to write more sooner than I thought.
Followed by her newest team members, Shepard made her way through the Normandy among a sea of, once again, unfamiliar faces. Since her incarceration, and the Alliance reclamation of the Normandy, the Cerberus crew had been disbanded and replaced with Alliance personnel. However, despite her unfamiliarity with the new crew, each one of them knew exactly who she was and paid her a great deal of respect as she passed. Despite her most recent transgressions she was still highly regarded as a hero.
As they approached the cockpit, she was quickly greeted by the easily recognizable grin of her most favorite pilot, Joker. The blue holo image of the ship's AI was perched by his side. "Welcome back, Commander Shepard," EDI greeted her with what sounded much like happiness in the AI's voice.
"Great to have you back, Commander!" Joker chimed in. "It was getting a bit boring with Anderson in charge again."
"It's good to be back," Shepard returned with a smile.
Joker glanced over her shoulder, not bothering to hide his grimace. "I see you brought Arterius back with you. Too bad. I figured you would have killed him on sight."
Saren growled from behind her, eyes flaring at the grinning pilot. "Watch your tongue, human or I'll –"
She held up her hand, stopping the turian mid-threat. "Don't take him seriously. He's a bit uncouth," she told the irritated turian.
"Am not!" Joker objected.
Both Ashley and James attempted, unsuccessfully, to repress amused smiles.
"Hey, you're Lieutenant Vega, right?" Joker asked, peering up at James. "I saw you around base a few times. I'm Joker. Notorious pilot of the galaxy's most beautiful ship."
James grinned. "Everyone knows Joker. 'Best pilot in the galaxy'," he said, intentionally feeding the pilot's justifiable ego. "Am I right?"
"Hey I like this guy! We need more like him." he exclaimed with a wink in Shepard's direction. "So where to, Commander?"
"The Citadel. Anderson asked that I petition the Council for aid."
"Right, like that's going to happen," the pilot grumbled.
She shrugged. "It's worth a shot. The Reapers threaten all races, not just humanity. They can't ignore it anymore."
"Yeah… I remember the last time you mentioned the 'Reapers' to the Council," he air-quoted the name. "They damn near threw you out. But hey, you're the Commander and I'm just the pilot. You point, I drive." Joker spun his seat around and began plugging away at his controls.
After ushering the others in the direction of the CIC, Shepard and her new team made their way out of the cockpit to leave Joker to his work. "What are you orders, Commander?" Ashley asked, eyes flicking toward Saren uncomfortably. She had apparently no desire to stay in the turian's presence longer than necessary, that much was obvious. She was never a fan of aliens to begin with, and the fact that this was Saren solidified that.
"Just keep yourselves busy until we reach the Citadel. Then you can take a few hours of shore leave while I meet with the Council" she replied.
"Aye aye, Commander," Ashley replied with a salute. She appeared as if she wanted to say something more but hesitated and, instead, moved quickly toward the armory.
Shepard turned to find Lieutenant James Vega gazing at her with a star-struck smile. "Commander, I just wanted to say how honored I am to be kicking Reaper ass under your command."
She beamed at his obvious determination and unregulated attitude. She could tell right away that this Lieutenant was going to be quite the interesting addition to her squad. "It's good to have you along, Lieutenant. I can't wait to make them pay."
James liberated a bellowing laugh, nudging Saren's arm. "Isn't she great?"
"Undeniably…" Saren growled under his breath, apparently not amused by the human.
"Well Commander, I'm going to go find me some grub. Hopefully I get first dibs on the non-ass-flavored paste," he said issuing her a quick wink before heading toward the elevator.
"If it weren't for that one's combat skills I'd have opted for leaving him with the Reapers," Saren sneered.
"He's not that bad."
"As far as humans go… I suppose he could be worse," he commented, metal-plated teeth slightly bared. He studied her silently for a few moments before changing the topic. "I assume you'll not be expecting me to take any leave on the Citadel." His tone was very matter-of-fact.
"What's wrong? Afraid they'll recognize your notorious ever-present scowl?" Of course she had no desire to allow Saren to wander around the Citadel, for both their sakes. It would be in their best interests if the Council continued to believe him dead.
"Indeed," he responded with narrowed blue eyes. His evident cybernetics did not disturb her as they once had. After her revival by Cerberus she had been outfitted with quite a few herself. They didn't feel as alien as she would've once thought.
"Don't worry, you'll be staying aboard the Normandy for this trip. I don't need my ass reamed any more than it already will be by those bastards."
"What?" he asked, giving her a blank stare.
She smirked and shook her head at him. "I didn't mean that literally."
"Humans…" he muttered crossly.
Shepard clenched her jaw as the strap from the new sack of supplies dug mercilessly into her shoulder. She knew she may have been a bit overzealous in her purchase but she wasn't certain of what would be available to her team in their upcoming travels so she was certain to stock up on medigel and firearms while she still could. Suddenly her heart jumped in excitement as she found a familiar turian waiting outside the Normandy's airlock. The blue markings on his face against steel-colored plating, the piercing blue-grey eyes; she recognized them instantly. "Garrus, what are you doing here?"
Adjusting a load of gear his shoulder, he moved in the way of her path. "Shepard!" he exclaimed with a teeth-baring grin. Wrapping strong armor-covered arms around her shoulders, he drew her into a quick but tight embrace. "It's great to see you."
"It's good to see you too Garrus," she said with a genuine smile. "It's been a while."
He nodded, then his expression turned grim. "I heard about what happened to your homeworld…" His tone was almost apologetic.
"Yeah…" she trailed off, unsure of how else to respond. "Look, Garrus, I'm sorry to make this short, but – "
"I know, Shepard. And I'm going with you," he interrupted, his voice filled with insistence.
She gazed at him with a shocked expression. She wasn't certain how he knew about her plans so soon. Or perhaps he just knew her and what she would set out to do. "What about the Council?"
"I'll comm them from the ship. The Spectres can live without me for a while. Besides, I won't take 'no' for an answer." His mandibles clacked against his face determinately. "This is a large undertaking, Shepard. More dangerous than battling the Collectors. You'll need my help. If the Council doesn't like it… too bad."
She studied the stonewalled turian that stood between her and her ship. The fortitude and stubbornness in his eyes was apparent. A part of her wanted to turn him away; to give him a chance to carry on with his life rather than following her into another hell from which they may not return. But, she knew he was right. She would need his help, both as a powerful fighter and a close friend. She needed trustworthy people fighting by her side, now more than ever. "Okay. I couldn't imagine doing this without you anyway."
"Good," he said proudly, giving her his largest turian grin. "I knew you'd see it my way."
As two of them entered the airlock and waited for the decontamination process to finish, something struck her that caused her heart to race with uneasiness. Garrus had no idea that the turian that he loathed almost as much as the Reapers themselves, was beyond this door. Should she bring it up now? How would she even begin to explain it to him? As the door to the Normandy slid open she planted her hand on his arm firmly, trying to keep him from boarding. "Garrus wait, there's something –"
Just as she nearly had his attention, it was suddenly pulled back toward the open door. Saren, who had been leaning against the opposite wall, stiffened the moment the turians' eyes locked. Garrus was the first to draw his sidearm and Saren immediately followed suit. The younger turian moved away from Shepard aggressively, standing between her and the rival before him.
"Saren," he hissed, his voice dripping with deadly venom. "Why are you here?"
"I suspect for the same reason as you. However, unless you put down your weapon soon, there will be one less turian aboard this ship," he warned coolly, a taloned finger wrapped defensively around the trigger of his gun.
Garrus could see a human hand appear into his field of view as it pressed down on the barrel of his weapon. As he let it fall his blue avian eyes turned to peer furiously into Shepard's stern face. "You've accepted him into your team?" he snarled.
She simply nodded in reply, her expression unchanging.
"Why?" he demanded, not hiding the betrayal in his voice. He had taken Saren's treachery as an offense to his entire race. There was no way he would understand the compassion she felt for Saren, forced to kill against his will when Sovereign had taken hold of his mind. He didn't understand when she allowed him to leave the Citadel alive, and he certainly wouldn't understand it now.
"He deserves a chance to redeem himself, Garrus. We all do." The last part of her statement his home to her harder than intended. Like Saren, she was a subject of circumstance, seeking redemption in an unforgiving galaxy.
Mandibles tight against his face, he glared from her to the other turian. "You would trust this lying, ruthless traitor?"
Saren moved to speak but Shepard beat him to it. "If not for Saren, I would likely be dead, or worse." she snarled. "He was there to pull my ass out of a holding cell during the Reaper attack. Where was anyone else? So before you start judging him, be sure you know where your own loyalties lie."
Garrus's expression turned hurt, causing her to almost regret adding that last part. However, it was how she felt and Shepard was always quick to speak her mind. It was unnerving that the one person who made the most effort to rescue her was once her enemy rather than those she called friends.
He stared at her searchingly for what felt like several painful minutes. "Fine," he said at last. "If you're so certain he can be trusted, Shepard, you won't have any trouble from me. Besides, I'm doing this to help you… because I do know where my loyalties lie."
"Wise choice, pup," Saren sneered, holstering his weapon, his eyes glowing like blue flames. "Shepard, I would like a moment with you. When you have time."
She nodded in affirmation. "Once I take care of things here."
As the pale turian began to walk away, Garrus stopped him. "You'd better hope you're on the right side this time," he growled warningly.
Saren turned, his expression serious. "There is no mistaking it this time," he rumbled before disappearing toward the CIC.
When the door to the Starboard Observation room swished open she half expected to find a stately asari meditating in the center of the room rather than the towering turian that stood before the starry backdrop. She was glad that the members of her previous team were able to find life after the Collectors. Though, she had to admit… she did miss them.
"Shepard," Saren greeted without turning.
"You wanted to speak with me?" When he didn't respond, she moved forward to stand by his side in front of the large observation window overlooking the expanse of space.
"How went your meeting with the Council?" he asked finally.
She sighed, remembering back to her meeting with the four Citadel Council members. While it hadn't gone as badly as it could have, the outcome wasn't promising. "While they can no longer deny the existence of the Reapers, they are uncertain of the amount of aid the other races would be willing to expend to Earth. Udina was, of course, very animated about it but he can't influence the other races' militaries."
"Udina…" Saren thought for a moment. "Wasn't he that loud-mouth ambassador of yours?"
Shepard smirked. "Yeah that's him. Though, through certain circumstances he's now on the Council. He's an ass, but he pushes hard for humanity," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"So what's next?" Saren asked, his vibrant blue eyes searching her features.
Her expression was grim indicating that her next move was not a preferable one. "They recommended that I petition the leaders of each race for their assistance. The Council will put my name forward, to each of their respectful homeworlds, in a request for aid. But I'll have to make the final push."
"That certainly won't be an easy task," he stated flatly.
"Especially not with my latest reputation," she muttered bitingly. "Since the Bahk incident I'm sure everyone thinks I'm an alien-hater."
"Let's hope not. Though, we unfortunately can't discount that possibility."
"I agree." She was relieved that he didn't make an attempt to assure her of otherwise. She wasn't looking for any sugar-coating and she respected the fact that he didn't attempt to give it. Respect… for Saren. Despite the truth in it, it was almost laughable. How strange fate was with all its twists, turns, and complexities. "If that's all, I should get back to work," she said after a few moments of silence.
Saren nodded, his gaze captured once again by the expansive universe laid out before him. However, when the woman turned to leave, he hesitated. There was more to say, but this type of thing did not come easy to him. But there was no better time, and the moment was fleeting. "Shepard," he rasped.
Turning to face him she found his synthetic blue eyes peering at her with uncertainty.
"I appreciate the way you handled the situation with your colleague. It ended much more peacefully than had you not intervened."
"I don't like fighting aboard my ship. It's counterproductive," she said with mock seriousness.
"That's a different story on turian ships. It's actually quite common for turians to fight. It relieves frustrations." He paused briefly. "I will attempt to refrain from instigating further hostile confrontations, however I can't guarantee it will never occur."
She was indeed aware of this commonality among turians. Garrus had once informed her of their species need to relieve tension through either fighting or sex. There had been several instances where she had agreed to spar with him ease those frustrations. And though he had worn protective gloves during those intense sessions, she still sported a nice collection of scars as a result. "I understand," she assured him. "Just don't kill anyone or disrupt the crew."
"Better tell that boy the same," he warned.
She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Rather than chance you and Garrus killing one another, just come find me. I'll always be available if you ever need to relieve some stress."
He peered at her blankly, mandibles pressed firmly against his face in apparent discomfort.
"For sparring," she said evenly when it became apparent that he had misunderstood her words. "There's plenty of space in the hangar."
"Ah, of course." he said finally, a tinge of uneasiness in his usually over-confident voice.
After giving him a brief nod, she left. When she was finally gone he released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He wasn't certain why her misunderstood offer had made him nervous rather than furious. She was a human. He hated humans; distrusted them. Not only that, but they were odd beings with their strange heads of hair and features. The mere thought of mating with one should've disgusted him. Yet… he had only found himself conflicted by the idea. Intrigued? No, of course not. That was ridiculous. He shook his head in irritation and glared out into the darkness of space.