After the heartwarming but traumatic recovery of Garrus, Shepard took the rest of the day to calm down, get everything back into place, and prepare for he next dossier and the next new teammate. The crew was a little warmer at the news of an extended stay in Omega, seeming happy to know they could shop for personal things, though this rock didn't have the best things, or prices. She had Gardner pick up a few more cans of the dextro coffee, and set off to organizing, adjusting her armor, modding her weapons, and sleeping in a random order for the next eight hours. Occasionally she'd be visited by Garrus, and Jacob, especially while configuring weapons and armor, but otherwise she had the hours to herself to recuperate, to recharge before heading out again.

She did some research on Mordin Solus, reading up on what the dossier could tell her. He's held up in a clinic deep inside Omega, healing people being hit by a spreading plague. A plague, by multiple accounts, affects every species except vorcha and humans, and long enough exposure ensures death. Fast spreading, quick acting, it was killing off lower wards easily. Reports of Blue Suns mercs were also thrown around the reports of the clinic, as well plenty of theories behind the spread of the plague and finger pointing at who could be at fault for its spread despite it being a complete anomaly.

"Why can't he just be at a normal clinic in the lower wards, I swear..." Shepard mumured, sighing before setting her datapad down. She plucked her modified visor up, adjusting it around her head and testing it for a moment.

"Alright. EDI ?"

"Yes, Shepard?"

"Tell Jacob and Garrus to suit up and meet me at the airlock. We're going for the salarian."

"Understood, Shepard."

"Shepard. If you want me to be safe, I can always go back and Miranda can take my place. You sure about keeping me along?" she asked as they took a moment in front of the quarantine.

Shepard rolled a shoulder for a moment, taking a breath before pulling her sniper off his back. "Is the great Archangel afraid of a cough? We shouldn't be in there long enough to risk anything... but I'd rather have you on my six, if you can handle it."

Garrus laughed gently, nodding in confirmation. "I got your back, Shepard. A cough isn't going to stop me."

"Good. Alright, you two. Let's find ourselves a doctor in the middle of a Blue Suns minefield."

Once past the guards of turians and into the real infected zone, it wasn't long to meet conflict and Blue Suns members still inside the quarantine zone. Some quick exploring yielded some credits, some mods, and a heartbreaking account of a couple of turians left locked inside their apartment. It wasn't a great start into a place riddled with the smell of death and horrors, something that made Shepard's stomach curdle, remembering her life's moments where all she could smell was this overwhelming weight of death. After a quick argument and talk with a batarian far into the through of the plague, and providing some relief so he could get to the clinic, they continued forward. A cough behind her had her turning to find Garrus the source of the sound, grimacing as best as a turian could.

"That's not a good sign." he said, coughing weakly once more.

"Still good, Garrus?"

He gave a nod, adjusting his sniper rifle in his hands. She nodded back with a worried smile, but did not argue. It was only the beginning, but she still knew it could get worse and impact him by the time they got to Mordin and his clinic. Jacob nudged his shoulder briefly, and although he was still a little stiff, he was warming up to the way Shepard worked and ran her crew and ops. It was a good sign. Forward they went, dodging bullets, and splattering blood as they went. One area did catch them, Shepard dodging into another room to keep from the spray of bullets and vorcha spitting fire. Reloading her shotgun, she quickly dodged out and shot one in the chest, a few stray pellets hitting his hand, hiding behind cover and smiling at the sound of his tank exploding into fiery death. Sniper fire and biotic blasts follow her as she moved and collects and attacks, trying to make good time so they can lower the risk of losing Mordin, and exposing Garrus to this plague any longer.

By the time they were closing in on the clinic, Shepard was getting annoyed by the Blue Suns. Finishing off the last three with precise blasts of her biotics, two of men's skulls exploding upon impact, her teammates looked on with mixed expressions. Garrus was mildly horrified, seeing how powerful she was now, and mystified by her abilities. Jacob was as horrified, however he looked more at awe at how she could use different abilities then his own.

"Let's keep moving, boys."

Her voice pulled them back, and they moved forward. She was guarded as they turned a corner into a hallway, spotting the mechs immediately. A man alongside them explained where Mordin was, and informing them that they were safe. As the doors slid open for them, they were met with a chaotically organized scene. People rescued from the plague, those looking for safety, nurses trying to help keep things together, a few guards. From a back room, Shepard could hear the quick words of someone; most likely Mordin Solus. She gave a breath of relief as she quickly grabbed what she could, met face to face with a quick lipped salarian, her dossier target.

"Professer Solus."

"Ah, Shepard. Good timing."

"You know me?" she was a little confused, but went along with it.

"Oh course. Savior of the Citadel, supposed to be dead, curious. Reanimated? No, regenerated? Not possible, humans cannot generate tissue in such large quantities. Perhaps will question that later. Here for me, then? Cerberus brought you here, looking for the Collectors. One moment."

She was left spinning from how quickly he spoke, but he seemed to move quick and without stop. He was analyzing Garrus swiftly, humming at the results.

"Turian, only barely affected. Immunobooster should do the trick for now. Now, Shepard, Collectors, can't join you yet. Must take care of the plague, have a cure. Needs to be released airborn, can't leave the clinic."

"We can do that-"

A clank had everyone look up, as fans whirred down to a dead stop. Mordin quickly moved for a few vials, handing them to Shepard.

"Vorcha shut of f the environmental systems, won't have much time until ward chokes to death. Take the cure, inject it into the system, plague will be dealt with. Go, Shepard."

"That's our cue, boys." Shepard said, nodding to Mordin as they made a swift exit to get the cure out.

Of course, the vorcha were the ones to spread the plague in the wards, working for the Collectors in exchange for power. They weren't weak, of course, waves coming for them with rockets from the catwalks above the fans, which they had to fix before the cure could be released into the systems. Honestly, she'd rather be back in the thick of it with Garrus against all three gangs instead of being shot at by vorcha with rockets. Luckily, they got both fans on, and the enviromental systems fired back up, distributing the cure to end this Collector-made curse.

"Well, that doctor was right about that cure." Garrus mentioned as they made their way back to the clinic, "Works well."

"I'm ashamed, Garrus. I only got you back and you go and get sick." Shepard joked, earning a rather swift hit on the shoulder from Garrus, earning a hearty laugh.

"Didn't you get him sick, though, Commander?" Jacob mentioned, Garrus' mandibles widening in a smile.

"Yes, yes she did!" he reinforced, "It was your bright idea, Shepard, to bring me into a plague area."

"I gave you a chance." she murmured, "but someone was stubborn."

"Bite me, Shepard."

Seductive eyes glanced over at him. "With pleasure~"

Their conversation snowballed from there, Shepard and Garrus taking shots at each other, Jacob fueling the fires of the joking and joy, eventually meeting with the Doctor to lead him to the Normandy now that everything was sorted out and the plague had been handled rightly. Mordin would be an odd addition, and he would take some time to get used to, but it would help tremendously with the fight against the Collectors. Jacob took the salarian back, while Garrus joined her for some oddball shopping in the meager shops available to her. Between shops, they would once again joke and laugh like old times, threatening shop owners into discounts quite easily.

"Hidden gems in a rotting pile, I swear." Shepard mentioned as they walked back, her items bought sent to her ship.

"Is it time to get off this rotting pile, now?" Garrus asked. As they passed the entrance, Shepard remembered something, stepping toward the throne room of Omega's queen.

"There's one more thing I gotta do, but I need to go into Afterlife. Head back to the Normandy, Archangel."

He took the note, waving her goodbye as she reentered, bypassing security swiftly. Aria waved her beside her, and she immediately pulled out a datapad, handing it to her.

"Found this a while back, while they were still after Archangel. Thought you'd like to know what's coming."

The asari scanned it before anger crossed her features, throwing it at her batarian before thanking her for the warning. They chatted for a moment before Shepard had to leave, sweeping into a grand bow.

"I'll be back sometime, I'm sure, Aria."

"I'm looking forward to it, Shepard," Shepard knew Aria meant it, her voice sultry, "Don't be a stranger for too long. You, my little human, are a great thing to have nearby."

It was a sweet goodbye to Omega, but she had a feeling she would return to this drug and alcohol soaked rock one day. She returned to the ship with a smile, and immediately took off to get some mining and hunting done before their next mission started. Disappearing into her cabin, she shifted through her remaining dossiers, before tossing one after another and laying out on her bed.

"Okay, some rest and some training is in order... gotta get my biotic tricks back in order."

Shepard had begun to crawl up to her pillows and close her eyes for some sleep, finally getting some decent shut eye-

"Shepard, Ms. Lawson has requested you in her quarters."

She groaned loudly, hitting her pillow. She hated the AI sometimes, and right now most certainly hated Miranda then. She sat up slowly, pushing back her loose hair.

"Did she saw why she needed me?"

"She did not."

"Then tell her I will not be coming down."

"I shall pass on your message, Shepard. However, I suspect she may not like it."

"Tell her to sit and spin then." she mumbled.

"Shall I pass on that message as well?" EDI asked. Shepard chuckled gently.

"No, EDI. She'll be mad enough with the first one. Just log me out and let me sleep, please."

"Logging you out then, Shepard."

With that done, Shepard let her head hit her pillows, sighing in relief that she could at least dodge that issue for now. Once she had enough sleep, a shower maybe as well, she would be able to talk and interact with Miranda. More likely then not, she wanted to bitch about her choices and how she was 'unprofessional' with her crew, whom would be more then likely dying with her on this mission.

Honestly, she was surprised how relaxed she had gotten on this ship already, how calm she was with the crew. Jacob was warming up to the idea of a family instead of a crew, and having Garrus back helped her more then anything. Having a rock from her past, someone she knew almost literally like family, made things just a little more worth it. She had been worried that after two years, they would have moved on, hated her even, if she came back before their eyes. It was still a possibility for the others out there.

Tali, she knew already. She hoped hatred didn't keep in her best friend's heart. Garrus was far from angry with her, luckily. Liara, Wrex, who knows about them. Ash... she could imagine she would be angry.

She opened her eyes again, looking up at the window into space once more. A small smile hit her lips, despite the bitter memories in her head, the ringing of the cold bells of the past. Something told her, 'it would all be alright'. Despite the risks, the warnings, the horrible position she was in with Cerberus... she had a good feeling.

"EDI... I have one more order before I call it quits for the night."

"And that would be, Shepard...?"

"After we do our prepared sweep of planets, set a course to the Citadel, please."

"Of course, Shepard. Logging you out."

Tali, Liara, Wrex, Ash, and of course Anderson. She could't forget her father figure, her mentor. Her best friend. It had been two years, after all. She wondered for a moment if he had been given that spot on the Council like she had recommended all those years ago, and smiled when she remembered Miranda had told her so.

"Counselor David Anderson... has a certain ring to it." She murmured, "Bet he's having a field day with the Council."

She laughed gently, curling around her pillow, wiggling under her blankets. She wondered idly if the Citadel was any different since she last saw it. She figured it had rebuilt after Sovereign attacked, and then was subsequently destroyed after Saren's death and her actions. She drifted off sometime after she began imaging herself looking over the Presidium once more.

When she woke once again, she was greeted to the sight of a datapad beside her bed, and upon it, a message. She pushed back her hair and grabbed for it, sitting up to read the message.

"Shepard-

Our scans in the Amada system have turned up something we thought you should see: the final location of the wreckage of the SSV Normandy.

We thought this news might be important to you, but we also have an ulterior motive. The Alliance would like to honor the Normandy with a monument, to be built on the site of the ship's final resting place. We'd like to invite you to place the monument and be the first to walk on the site.

There are still 20 crew members unaccounted for from the attack on the Normandy. If you find any signs of these lost crewmen, we ask that you report to the Alliance so that those heroes' families might find some closure.

Godspeed to you, Commander.

-Hackett"

Curiousty peaked, and fear ignited, she opened the file, and dropped it upon her lap.

The photos were of the crashed Normandy SR1. Hackett had been true to his word in the message, and before her eyes was the resting place of her ship, her team... and what would have been her death bed. A snowy planet. It was another mission to complete in her long list. She coughed roughly, hiding her face in her hands.

"Of all things... for the Alliance to give me after all of this..."

She took a deep breath, pulling herself out of bed and setting the datapad alongside her computer on her desk. A few of the models she had bought were displayed, a weak smile on her face. Garrus must have been in here to set them up, and he was most likely the one to set the datapad down.

"Commander. Ten minutes until we hit the Citadel." Joker's voice announced.

"Alright. I'll get ready."

"You alright, Shepard?"

"...I'll be alright. We'l have somewhere to go though, once we're done here. I'll pass on the coordinates on my way out."

"Understood. Also, give Anderson a hug for me or something, that son of a bitch needs one and I don't want to break my shoulders trying."

Shepard laughed, "I'll tell him it's from his long lost lover, Joker."

The Citadel had rebuilt, and returned to normal. The same red-tape covered piece of crap it was, including the Council. Being told to her face that she was a liar, that the Reapers weren't real, that everything she had done was covered up and told to be a lie, made her furious. She shook her head, but at least accepted their offer of symbolic restoration of her Spectre status. It was an annoying situation, one she didn't enjoy, but she had to accept it as much as she hated it.

There was also Udina. Fucking Udina.

"Anderson... god, I'm sorry to shove you with those assholes." she finally said once Udina was gone.

"It's a job that has to be done, Commander. As much as I don't like their decisions, or all the barriers in this job."

"Better you then Udina, though. He's just..."

They silently agreed on the decision made, however, as much as it was a difficult decision and difficult position. It was good to be with Anderson again, as little as the time would be. She spent some time talking with him, before she had to leave for other business, as much as she didn't want to at the moment, bidding him goodbye. She spent some time overlooking the Presidium, sighing softly as memories forbidden flooded back to her.

This would not be the same place it once was to her.

"It's good to know the Council hasn't killed him yet."

She chuckled gently as Garrus joined her on the railing, appreciating his presence as bitter nostalgia nestled into her chest. The Presidium almost looked calm and normal, but she knew beneath its perfect skin rested corruption and lies, nothing but a false mask.

"They probably will, with how they're treating me, and humanity. Should have expected it after they scuttled me into space to wipe out pointless pockets of geth. They just wanted me gone despite everything."

"Well... you got another chance to shove the truth into their faces. Not everyone can say they got to tell the Council to 'shove it' twice in their lifetime."

"I'd rather not have to deal with another Reaper on the Citadel. Preferably, I'd like them to take their eyes off themselves and look at the damn blood being spilled across the stars."

Garrus gently patted her shoulder, knowing them words wouldn't console her angry heart. She lowered her gaze, closing her eyes as she tried to find the courage to keep going despite everything around her telling her to stop and shut up.

"It doesn't help that the next stop we have is going to hurt." she murmured.

"Hurt how?" Garrus inquired gently. Shepard rolled her shoulders, leaning somewhat into his hand.

"Hackett found the crash site, and wants me to find some dog tags for the families... and put a monument up." her voice was but a whisper, emotions choking her windpipe as she spoke them.

She could hear the deep rumbling of his subharmonics, of his hidden voice to display his shock, and then his sorrow. He came a step closer to her as she steadied her breath, her shaking hands. It would be a difficult step, one she didn't know if she was ready to take. His hand tightened somewhat on her shoulder, a reassuring grasp.

"I... want to go alone, but I'll need help with the monument."

Garrus nodded, understanding the need to be alone, staring into the wreckage of a metal tomb, the whispers of ghosts surrounding her in a place now untouched for two years. A preservation of one of the legendary ships of the past, of the resting place of her crew, and her captain, only now the captain must face the ghosts she couldn't forgive, the corpses she never got to lay to rest.

"I can help you with the monument."

"Thank you." the words were choked in the tears she kept back, the ones to never fall down her cheeks. The growing cloud in her body and mind that began the storm to build until it struck with lightning.

They stood there in silence for a while, letting the emotions settle and disperse, to let them accept that things were not the same, but very, very different. Even if they got the pieces back, the puzzle would be incomplete. Shepard would have to make a new one out of her remaining pieces, and it would be a grueling task to remake a life and a reputation she spent years building.

"The others were heading for shops down on Zakera when you headed here. I know of a pretty good place that sells good noodles, if you'd like to, what's that saying you have... 'eating your sorrow away'?"

"That saying can apply to anything from depression to sorrow to boredom... but noodles sounds good."

A small smile lit her face, and it was enough to break the shield of sorrow around her. Garrus' mandibles fluttered again, and he offered to lead the way.

"I'll show you the place as long as you pay for the meals."

"You have yourself a deal, Garrus."