If I can't make you see the damage you've made…

I'll make you wish you'd never been alive…

-Trivium, Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation

"First thing's first," Shepard said when asked what their next move would be. Her crew members were still grinning from ear to ear at her return, but, as short lived as it was, the time of joyous reunions was over. The Normandy had been her ship from the very beginning, since Anderson had stepped down and handed the SR-1 over to her.

Garrus had once told her, in the silence of her cabin, he believed that though the SR-1 and the SR-2 were physically two different ships, both still held the same spirit, one that embodied the hardships and adversities her crew had faced throughout the years, one that stood as a symbol of unity and comradery amongst the different races of the galaxy, of loyalty and strength, of friendship and love. She firmly believed it to be true, and she wasn't about to let that go, not to the Reapers, not to Cerberus, and certainly not to a band of crazy mercenaries following an even more fanatical imposter, not then, not now, not ever. This was her ship, and she'd be damned if she was going to let anyone take it so easily.

"First thing's first," she repeated. "If we're going to be doing this, I need something other than a hospital gown and my bare feet to walk around in."

Wrex and Vega snorted with laughter, while Garrus, Chakwas and Admiral Shepard protested.

"Honey, I don't think you ought to be a part of this," Hannah said disapprovingly. Her mother, Hackett and Joker had come down in the elevator, guarded by the same four that had escorted Garrus and herself not ten minutes ago. Shepard rolled her eyes, "Mother… I'm fine."

"No… Shepard," Garrus snapped. "No you're not... You should be in a hospital bed… not traipsing through a hostile ship!"

Shepard glared at him stubbornly, "This is no different than you going through two days hyped up on stims, with no sleep, nothing to eat and running out of ammo, while three of Omega's merc groups attempted to mow you down…,"

"Fine, if you're gonna go there, then this is no different than you telling me that getting revenge on Sidonis was wrong…," Garrus replied with an arched brow plate, crossing his arms in front of him and leaning against a storage crate.

Shepard glowered back, sticking her bottom lip out at him, just ever so slightly. The pair stared one another down for several moments, testing each other's will and fortitude. Chakwas came to kneel beside her, checking over her bandages, and tightening the ones that were dangling loose.

"This has bad idea written all over it," the doctor said, looking over Shepard's limp arm. She remained silent, continuing to stare Garrus down.

"I would like to get off this ship while some of us are still young…," Kaidan said awkwardly, interrupting Shepard's and Garrus' mental argument.

"Some of us aren't so young anymore…," scoffed Javik.

"Garrus, please…," Shepard whispered quietly enough for only him to hear. He sighed, in spite of himself, "There's no convincing you to sit this one out, is there?"

"This is personal," she said, shaking her head. "And it ends today."

He turned away, muttering, what she could only guess were a string of turian curse words. She knew he didn't approve, and maybe she was being a bit hypocritical, but she didn't care. If that clone had her way, she would sabotage the Alliance from the inside out, destroy any relations left with the Council and lead humanity back to square one, alone and hated by the rest of the galaxy. And after the Reapers, that was something humans couldn't afford.

You chose wrong, organic… Even after all this time, you cannot comprehend our existence…

"Get out of my head," Shepard murmured to the voices speaking to her. Chakwas hesitated in reworking the bandage around her right forearm. Frowning at her, she said, "Commander? Are you alright?"

"What?" Shepard blinked. "Oh yeah… I'm fine…" She didn't realize she had spoken aloud and was startled by the doctor's question.

This is where the deceit and the falsehoods begin. Everything you know, everything you have fought for, has been a lie…

One of the voices was more pronounced than any of the others. It was louder than ever before, more terrifying, and more convincing. She wanted to cut it from her head with a melon baller before she lost her mind completely.

"Here, Lola…," Shepard was knocked back to reality as Vega approached her and dropped a pile of clothes in front of her. She unfolded them for a better look and grinned, "You just happen to have a crewman's uniform lying around?"

Vega shrugged, "There were extras in one of the crates. Figured it's got be better than a hospital gown made of paper."

"Thanks, Vega," Shepard replied, glancing around for Garrus. She found him, head bent low, speaking with another turian, one she hadn't noticed until now. She could tell from the fringe length that the second turian was definitely male and quite a bit older. He stood with a slight stoop, his shoulders hunched as if he was carrying a great deal of weight. Garrus turned around, as if aware she was watching him, and met her gaze. The other turian swiveled his head as well, and Shepard was shocked to see he had the same blue facial markings as Garrus. He finished his conversation and with a quick hand gesture, motioned for the elder turian to follow.

"Shepard," Garrus said as he and the other approached. "I want you to meet my father, Captain Tychus Vakarian."

"Actually," Tychus said sternly. "It's retired Captain Vakarian."

"This… I… Uh…," she stammered clumsily, taken by surprise. It took a few moments for Shepard to find words. Garrus bringing along his father was something she certainly did not anticipate, seeing as how Garrus had said his father probably wouldn't like her, being a Spectre and all. She had always pictured the elder turian as a strict father and a "by the book" detective, doing everything he did within the confines of Citadel law. Aboard the Normandy was the last place she would have guessed to finally meet him.

"So you're the great Commander Shepard? The woman for whom my son charged head first into hell? And… at a loss for words I see…," Tychus said, face devoid of an expressions, and his hands clasped behind his back. Garrus flared his mandibles in alarm at his father's statement.

Regaining her composure, Shepard jumped to her wobbling feet and continued, "I apologize sir… I was just hoping to meet you under better circumstances…"

It was several all too serious pauses later before Tychus relaxed and chuckled, "It's alright Commander, I was anxious about meeting you as well."

Shepard let out a silent breath of relief.

"I have always held high expectations for my children," Tychus explained. "And while at first, I'll admit, I didn't approve of Garrus' career choices or him… fraternizing with a human, though... I can now see why he holds you in such high regard…"

"Thank you, sir," she said modestly.

"You can always tell a measure of a leader by how his… or her followers respond in a crisis. I've learned a great deal about you while aboard this vessel, Shepard. And I've come to the conclusion that I wouldn't want my son to bond with any other. You're a rarity… a beacon of light and hope in the darkness when all other lights have been extinguished. You can't be taught that sort of integrity," And with simple a nod of his head, Tychus turned on heel and headed toward her mother and Hackett, leaving Shepard speechless.

She felt the temperature in her cheeks rising and didn't know whether she should be in awe or embarrassed by their encounter. Garrus snorted at the look on her face, "I think he likes you."

"Well… That went better than I expected…," she said, the corners of her mouth turning upward into a nervous smile. "He seems… nice… Not at all like you've described him…"

"Yeah… well… Don't be fooled, he can still be a hard ass ," Garrus said.

Liara interrupted them with a loud cough and said, "So about this scheme of yours?"

Javik stepped beside the asari, stating dryly, "Because I don't have another 50,000 years to wait around."

Shepard lowered her voice so the six guards by the elevator doors would be unable to hear her proposal, "Alright… I'm gonna need schematics for the Normandy, an omni-tool, some stims, and preferably a very large drink when this is over… I really wish EDI was here too…"

"I am right here, Shepard."

She whipped her head around, thinking the voice had come from her own tortured mind, but when she looked up and saw a small orb on Garrus' omni-tool, she nearly burst into tears.

"I thought you were gone!" Shepard cried aloud, grinning foolishly from ear to ear. EDI's orb flickered at her, "Tali managed to bring my systems back online. She certainly knows her tech."

"Oh this is just perfect!" Shepard said, giggling uncontrollably and throwing her good arm joyously into the air.

"Focus Shepard," Garrus warned, though one of his mandibles twitched with a smirk.

"Oh... right," she muttered sheepishly. "Anyone know what a wayward queen attack is?"

Traynor shifted against a crate, uncrossing her arms, brows furrowed, "You mean as in chess?"

Shepard nodded, "That's exactly what I mean."

Updated 6/7/14