A/N: WHAT IS UP MUCKAAAACHUNGAAAAAS!? IT's TRAVEZTY! And this is going to be the last chapter I'll be posting for a few days as work is about to get pretty crazy, so I'm going to put a stop to writing this story for the time being. In any case, today I'm going to be presenting you the second half of the Expose Saren Mission, my style, and I hope you guys are going to like what I'm going to be presenting today. I would also like to thank a few YouTube Channels for a few ideas I got for this story, "How To Drink" for his Veever Hand and Corpse Reviver Videos that inspired my version V's Drink, the Thrice-Dead, and "Curious Concoctions" for it's interpretation of Locust Pepperoni Pizza.

I honestly don't have much to say this time, aside from that… So I guess that is enough out of me for now, so let's get into the chapter! Please be sure toFollow, Favorite, Review, and Share this story with anyone and everyone you know who likes Cyberpunk 2077 and Mass Effect Content! Catch ya on the Flipside! Shepard…

Chapter 2: Exposing the Truth

It has been little more than an hour since the crew returned to the Normandy, and in that time, everyone seems to have settled down, for the most part, as it seems like the crew is getting an eyeful of the new crewmates, a Turian C-Sec Officer, a Krogan Mercenary, and a Quarian Engineer! However, despite this, everyone seems to pay them no mind, again for the most part. Navigator Pressly, though he was happy to see Tali on board, when he saw Garrus and Wrex, he felt really uncomfortable… Garrus, meanwhile, found plenty of work to do on the Mako in the cargo hold, where he had informed Shepard that somebody had skipped over a ton of crucial maintenance and the gun's calibration was extremely misaligned, something that would have sent Shepard into a rage, that is, until he was told by Garrus he could fix them in a few hours.

"You're a mechanic?" Shepard asks, bringing over the tools.

"Trained as an Infiltrator, actually! Something I can tell that you have experience in!" Garrus says, taking the tools and getting to work.

"Had to learn tech while on the streets of Night City! Though I was taken in by a good family, I had a bit of a side job by building custom guns that were both form and function, mostly function though. I also learned how to hotwire skycars, hack into security systems, other things when I ran with the 6th Street Reds!"

"The 6th Street Reds?" Garrus asks, keeping the surprise from entering his voice.

"Yeah, a Guardian Gang from Night City, we protected the Quarian and Human communities from exploitation by the Mafia and Cartels, and when we raided their compounds, we turned in the criminals for their bounties and sold all their stuff while destroying the drugs!" Shepard says, smiling, Garrus hearing the pride in his voice.

"And how long ago was this?" Garrus asks.

"Let's see… I joined the Military on my birthday in 2172, and the Gang threw a going away party then and it's 2183 now… So I left the Gang about 11 years ago!"

'That's about when they started expanding beyond Earth…!' Garrus thinks, 'Either Shepard barely dodged a bullet… Or…'

"But that was another life, but one I'll never forget! Anyway, do you need any help?"

"Thanks, but I think I got this! You should go talk with Tali, I heard something in Engineering!" Garrus says.

"Ah gotcha! Need anything, let me know!" Shepard says, walking out of the room.

'Poor Shepard… Once he finds out what the Reds have turned into since his departure, he's going to be heartbroken and angry…' Garrus thinks, 'And based on what I saw earlier, I'm not sure I want to see him like that again.' Shepard, meanwhile, makes his way towards Engineering, and he smiles as he sees Tali typing away at a holo-board with lightning speed.

"Commander!" Engineer Adams says. "Glad to see you return to Engineering!"

"Good to be back, Adams, so how is Tali treating you? She not causing any trouble?"

"Hell no! I wish half of the others were just as smart as she is! Give her a few weeks, days even, and she'll know more about our engines than I do! Plus, she's a joy to work with! I can see how you fell for her!" Engineer Adams says, causing Shepard to turn red.

"Adams, sh!" Shepard says, shushing him. "That's a secret, even from Tali!"

"Oh and may I ask why that is?"

"Let's just say the Patriarch of Clan Zorah does not approve of me!" Shepard says.

"Ah, the future in-laws!" Adam teases with a smile, Shepard groaning. "Oh buck up, Commander, your mother would be doing the same if she were alive, probably the Captain too if he were here at the moment."

"You know, I really hate you sometimes…" Shepard says. "In any case, has "that" come in?"

"When you say "that" you mean…?" Engineer Adams asks, to which Shepard nods, and Adams passes it over to Shepard with a smirk on his face, and Shepard immediately transfers over credits to Adams' account. "Thank you for purchasing from Adams Smuggling Inc."

Shepard nods as he puts the package in his inventory before walking over to Tali. "Hey Tali!"

"Just a moment V!" Tali says, finishing her typing on the keyboard. "This Ship is amazing Shepard, I mean getting a drive core this big into a ship this small, and the Stealth Drives! It's amazing!"

"Glad you're having fun, Tali!" Shepard says, "Now I know we could catch up later, but I wanted to know how things were with the Migrant Fleet!"

"They're doing great!" Tali says, "As you know, when we Quarians first encountered Humanity, it was thanks to your grandfather that peace was forged between us, and, with the Help of the Alliance, we not only started populating the Dextro-Planets that popped up here and there in Alliance Space, but we're given the chance to fully restore our breaking down Live Ships as well as manufacture new ones as part of a Loan." Tali explains, "Thanks to our sharing of knowledge and helping humanity get a proper foothold, we were able to pay back our debt within a decade. Now the Migrant Fleet, once our home, is now our part of the Alliance Navy after becoming full citizens! Though we still hold out hope of one day returning to the Homeworld, but if it never pans out, we no longer face extinction thanks to Humanity."

"I'm beyond happy that my gramps was able to help out your people as he did, it not only allowed us to meet, but it is a point of pride for me!" V says, smiling.

"As you should be!" Tali says, smiling under her helm. "It was also thanks to your grandmother that we Quarians were able to find ways to live without our Helmets all the time, at least as long as we take the time to adjust to an environment."

"And how long will it take for you to adjust to the Normandy?"

"A few months at best… I'm periodically turning off my CO² scrubbers so that I can intake some of the Normandy's environment." Tali says, "I will get sick at first, but thanks to Doctor Chakwas, my medical cybernetics, and the occasional Immune-Booster, I should be able to adapt to Normandy's environment, so long as I clean my suit after every mission. Thankfully, the engineers installed a decontamination unit into the entrance of the Normandy!" That is when she sees Shepard turning his head and whistling, almost hinting something. "Wait, you did that!?"

"Surprise!" Shepard says, holding up a peace sign. "The Turians were extremely tough to sneak it around, but I managed to convince them to let me install it, claiming it was common sense should the Normandy's ground team ever enter a biohazardous environment. Truthfully though…" Shepard trails off after that. Tali simply smirks under her visor as she looks at him.

"Thanks, Shepard!"

"Anyway, I was hoping to steal you for a few moments, since I noticed your Shotgun was… A Bit outdated…" Shepard says. Tali looks at her shotgun and chuckles nervously.

"My original shotgun that I got was stolen when I first got here, so I had to scrounge one out of a junk pile…" Tali says.

"Okay well I got a proposition for you, why don't you go to the Armory and get yourself a new Shotgun, and I'll make some adjustments!" Shepard says, smiling as he looks at her, "I plan on giving everyone an update on their weapons, and while I did update Williams's Assault Rifle, I wanted to update yours first with my new system that I developed!"

"Wait, you finished it?" Tali asks, smiling big!

"Yup, my Thermal Clips are as close to ready as they'll ever be!" Shepard says, smiling, in which Tali tells Engineer Adams that she'll be taking a break to take care of this, and Adams gives her the go-ahead as the two make their way towards the armory to get Tali a new Shotgun, then, once they get that, they head to the Mess, where they don't notice Wrex getting himself something to eat. "So have you got an idea of what kind of weapon you'd like, Tali?"

"You got any guns that might work?" Tali asks. Shepard then brings out a datapad with the information on certain shotguns for Tali to look through. "What about this? The Kang Tao L-69 Zhou?"

"A Smart Weapon? You'd need to get a Smart Link in your hand to be able to use that…" Shepard says, "Plus, Smart Weapons are extremely rare nowadays due to the fact that it doesn't mix well with Mass Accelerator Tech… I mean yes, in the Second Contact War, they gave us an edge against the Turians but the problem is that the projectiles are much slower… And you need to keep your eyes locked on your target for it's smart tracking feature to take place."

"True…" Tali says, "That hasn't stopped you before."

"Hey, V, I think I might have an idea…"

"Hmmm?" Shepard asks, looking at Johnny, who appears by crouching down on the table.

"I know you just said Smart Weapons aren't all the rage today, but what about Tech Weapons?"

"The predecessor weapons to modern Mass Accelerator Guns?" V asks, "While it is true those do shoot faster than Smart Weapons, they do take time to charge…"

"But they pierce through walls, remember, and Satara Tech Shotguns don't use shells, instead they use Slugs…" Johnny says. "I once had a handgun that combined Gunpowder Power Weapons with that of Tech Weapon railgun tech, didn't require charging, but it was certainly a menace."

"Your old Malorian Arms 3515? That was a Borg Weapon, if I remember correctly." V would say, but then he gets an idea, "Wait a minute, I think you're onto something!" Shepard explains what Johnny just told him and then Tali sees where he is going.

"That's it! Tech Weapons, while being the precursor to the Mass Accelerator Guns for your people, they function the exact same way, only at different speeds!" Tali says.

"And the Malorian Arms 3516 as well as the Techtronica RT-46 Burya are the result of Combining Gunpowder Bullets with Railgun Technology! So what if we actually combined Smart Weapons and Tech Weapons in the same way!" Shepard says.

"But how to combine the two? I mean we already have mass accelerator technology, what are we going to do for the work around to implement smart targeting?" Tali asks.

"I think that there is a way to do this! You see the major difference between Tech Weapons and Accelerator Weapons is that Tech Weapons don't require the ability to cool down, but need time to fully charge, Accelerator Weapons have the opposite problem. With Smart Weapons, all you need to do is to have a Smart-Link and be using your optics or have your scanners be aimed in the same direction as the target!" Shepard says the two get to work on creating their blueprints. "The best part is that Kinetic Barriers are all designed with Mass Accelerator Technology in mind, they have sensors that detect shots that go above a certain speed…"

"And then they focus on all the defenses where the shots are incoming!" Tali says, "But the critical flaw our respective grandfathers discovered is that the Shields have an upper and lower threshold when it comes to the speed of projectiles that they can deflect, and the weapons humanity originally developed were all well below that threshold. Sure they didn't do as much damage as Mass Accelerator Tech, but they were able to penetrate the barriers and deal some damage at least!"

"Though the problem was the limited ammo supply we had in comparison to Mass Accelerator Technology. But take the ammo block shavers and combine it with Railgun Tech, and you pretty much get the same result, just with less damage overall!" Shepard says.

"Then how do we add in the guidance systems?" Tali asks, "It's not like we can turn the ammo block shavings into seeking missiles! Wait… What about this?" Tali then draws out something interesting on a napkin and Shepard looks at it.

"This might work!" Shepard says, everyone, especially Wrex, is listening in as the two of them immediately get to work on building the gun. Using the schematics from the Burya as a base to work on, they retrofit the shotgun that Tali has and refit it with specially designed sensors that would carefully monitor and link up a SMART Guidance System with the Railgun Technology, the two of them actually quickly finish the gun with a smile on their faces. "Viola! It's finished!" The Weapon looks nothing like a L-69 Zhuo, but instead looks like a simple Double Barrel Shotgun, but with what appears to be a general casing for a Mass Accelerator Gun. Wrex, however, knew that appearances could be deceiving. The two of them quickly go to the Cargo Hold to test it out in the simulator, where Tali has targets set up to fly around her, in which the young quarian woman prepares herself by breathing in deeply.

The Simulation starts and Tali Pulls the trigger as one of the targets flies into view… Inside the weapon, the weapon shavers rapidly cut out the necessary shards of metal, sending them into the barrel, the electronic and magnetic components rushing into the barrels as the gun's internal chamber comes to life, the shards of metal being suspended by their magnetic forces, before suddenly sparking with arcs of electricity… Inside her helmet, Tali's visor creates a Smart Targeting array for her to see, whilst a laser flows from just under her sights, and flies into the target… The laser, nearly invisible to everyone watching, but not to her, strikes the target and bores an ionizing burn mark into it… In that instant, the shards inside the barrel are rapidly turned to liquid and evaporate into metal vapor, flying out of the barrel at high speed as electricity follows their path, striking at the target, before completely destroying it, shooting a quick cone of lightning out from the gun, which sprays out of the barrels and then converges upon the target, the ionizing laser guiding them onto that target, even after the recoil knocks the barrel back… The Burn that was left behind into the target acts like a homing beacon for the electricity to attack and strike, so long as Tali's visor keeps track of it.

"WOO!" Shepard whoops with a smile on his face, and Tali repeats this process over and over until she runs out of targets. Wrex is clapping with a smile on his face, loving the fireworks display and the crew who had come to see it done, are all cheering. "Now that's what I call a smashing success!"

"Haha! It works!" Tali says, smiling as she looks at her new shotgun. "It really works!"

"Jesus, you kids have all the best toys nowadays!" Johnny says, smiling.

"Well now that we've built this gun, what are we going to call it?" Shepard asks.

"Well I think since it's going to be a Quarian Weapon, I think it should be given a Quarian Name!" Tali says, smiling as she looks at V, but then begins thinking.

"How about the Z-1 Armature?" Shepard asks.

"Z-1?" Tali asks.

"Z for Zorah, as in it's creator, Clan Zorah" Shepard says, smiling. "In fact…" Shepard thinks on this, as he then transfers to Tali something interesting. "While you were training, I already drew up designs for an improved model, and three other variants on our tech: a Pistol, an Assault Rifle, and a Heavy Weapon!"

Tali sees the designs and she gasps, looking at them, and sees they were all of Quarian Designs she would've made, and she begins laughing.

"You know me too well, V!" Tali says, "Thank you! I'll add these to my Gift when I find it!"

"Happy to help!" Shepard says, "In fact, I think I could start my own corporation producing these when I retire!" Tali just bursts out laughing but doesn't disagree. However, their moment of joy is short lived as Shepard's team is called by Captain Anderson to come to the Council Chambers immediately, the Hearing is set to begin in ten minutes. Gathering the ground team and their guests, Shepard makes his way towards the Council Chambers, with Anderson waiting for them at front steps.

"Good you're here!" Anderson says, "What kept you?"

"Traffic." Shepard simply says.

"Well anyway, come on, the Hearing's already started!" Quickly, Shepard makes his way inside to the chambers as they begin hearing Councilor Tevos proceeding with her part.

"The Geth Attack is a matter of some concern but there is nothing to indicate that Saren was involved in any way." Councilor Tevos says.

"The Investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason!" Councilor Sparatus says, barely containing his anger.

"I would beg to differ!" Garrus Vakarian says under his breath as they approach.

"Wait for it Garrus, let's give them a show." Shepard says, smirking at the Turian, who nods.

"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" Ambassador Udina says.

"We've read over every detail of the Eden Prime Reports, Ambassador." Councilor Valern says, "The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly sufficient proof."

"While I resent these accusations, Nihlus was a fellow Spectre, and one of my closest friends! If he was killed while trying to evaluate one of your own, it only shows his faith in your kind was misplaced." Saren says.

"That just let you catch him off guard!" Anderson says.

"Ah, Captain Anderson, why is it that whenever a false accusation is made against me, you always seem to be involved?" Saren asks over his hologram, to which he then notices V, "I am also to assume this is your Protege, Commander Vincent John Shepard? The one who destroyed the beacon?"

"The beacon was already damaged by the time we tried to recover it…" V says calmly, "That or because you got to it first, you set it to explode, Choombatta… Besides, the Mission to Eden Prime was top secret, even to other Spectres, the only way you could've known that it was destroyed if you had already been there."

"When Nihlus died, his files were passed to me. I read the report about Eden Prime, and I was sorely unimpressed." Saren says, smiling a Turian smile. "But I would expect no less… From a Human…"

"Insults, how typical…" Shepard says, "Can't you see Councilors, Nihlus was willing to give us a chance, and he was murdered for it, Saren despises humanity. That is why he attacked Eden Prime with the Geth at his beck and call, to make it look like we're as weak and feeble as he thinks we are!"

"Your species needs to learn it's place! You're not ready to join the council, not by a very long shot. Even you aren't ready to join the Spectres…" Saren then leans in a bit closer, "But what could I expect from the Son of the Demon Lord of the Round Table…"

"Trying to scare everyone by invoking my mother's well deserved title?" Shepard asks, "I thought you were above hitting below the belt…"

"Shepard is right! He has no right to say that, it isn't even his decision!" Ambassador Udina states correctly.

"Ambassador Udina's statement is right, Shepard's admittance into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting!" Councilor Tevos harshly reprimands Saren.

"This meeting is ultimately pointless, Councilor. They are wasting your time, and mine…" To this, Shepard moves his hand behind his back and signals Garrus to step forward with Tali and the others.

"I beg to differ Saren, we have evidence against you!" Garrus says.

"Garrus Vakarian, you would turn against your own kind?"

"You're a disgrace to the Turian Race, and I have proof in which to prove it!" Garrus says, "Councilors, I would like to bring in the Evidence that Shepard had provided me with assistance with recovering."

"Why did you not bring this to us immediately, let alone your superior officer!?" Councilor Sparatus says indignantly.

"If I did, Saren would've gotten his talons on it and altered it, and we wouldn't have had the authority to say no to him. So while I will apologize for breaking protocol on this, it was imperative that I get this evidence to you unaltered." Garrus says, "May I present to you Tali'Zorah nar Rayya… She has the evidence I speak of!"

"A Quarian, you're relying on a suit-rat in cahoots with the Alliance, Vakarian? I thought you could do better than that." Saren says.

"Oh trust me, had your assassins not failed to kill her, I wouldn't have the evidence I do!" Garrus says.

"Miss Zorah, if you would so kindly present your evidence?" Ambassador Udina asks, being a lot nicer than he was on their first meeting. The Quarian Woman nods as she steps forward.

"Councilors, I am Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya, daughter of Admiral Rael'Zorah. I come to you today to present you with evidence against Saren for his crimes against both the Alliance and the Council itself." Tali says.

"Tell me, how did you come across this Evidence, and why have you come here?" Councilor Tevos says, "Are you perhaps on your Pilgrimage for the Migrant Fleet?"

"Yes, I am, Councilor. Initially I was on my way to Earth in order to have my Pilgrimage be set in Night City, a city where I spent a good portion of my childhood. However, as the ship in which I, along with my commanding Officer Keenah'Briezh, stopped on an uncharted Ice World when we spotted Geth Activity beyond the Veil, curious as to what was going on. When we managed to disable a Geth Unit, we managed to extract this from it's memory core…" Tali then begins to play the recording on her Omni-Tool. "I will say this now, this file has been on lockdown in my and Keenah's Omnitools ever since we left that world, only to be opened when our Omni-Tools have indicated we stand within the Main Council Chamber."

"Please play the information, Ms. Zorah!" Councilor Valern says, to which Tali nods and hits play.

"Eden Prime was a major victory… The Beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit!" The Recording plays out loud with Saren's voice, causing everyone in the Council Chambers to gasp.

"And one step closer to the Return of the Reapers…" Another voice plays. The Council looks at Saren with wide eyes, and Saren snarls loudly.

"KILL THEM!" Saren shouts as he cuts the transmission, in which, much to everyone's shock, a group of mercenaries charge into the Council Chambers and begin a firefight. Everyone takes cover, however, that is when, much to Shepard's surprise, Ambassador Udina takes a gun from Shepard's back and moves with such blinding speed as a light shines on his back. In an instant, the Mercenaries all lie dead on the floor, and Shepard, along with the rest of his group, looks in shock as Udina pops the Thermal Clip and wipes his brow.

"I'm too old for this crap…" Udina says.

"That was…" Shepard says, walking up to him, "So Freaking Preem! Udina, I didn't know you were such a badass!" Shepard tries to pat Udina on the back, only for the old man to suddenly appear three steps away, fixing his tie while clearing his throat. "What the? Wait…! You have a Sandevistan!?"

"A Rudimentary Implant, and a Relic from my days as a Soldier…" Udina says, "While I was skilled at combat back in my day, I found much more success as a negotiator rather than a warrior." He fixes his suit and returns to his place before the council. "My apologies for making such a mess, Council, but do you see now? You wanted proof, there it is!"

"As much as I hate to admit it, both this evidence and the blatant attack are irrefutable proof, Ambassador. Saren will hereby be stripped of his Spectre Status and all efforts shall be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes!" Councilor Sparatus says, unable to deny it.

"Sparatus, that other voice in the recording, I know who that is!" Councilor Tevos says, "That was Matriarch Benezia T'soni!"

"If I may be so bold, who is she?" Captain Anderson asks.

"Matriarchs are amongst the oldest and strongest Asari alive today, having survived long enough to enter the last stage of their lives. Their Power, Wisdom, and Experience are used as examples by which to guide us!" Councilor Tevos says. "Matriarch Benezia is actually one of the most powerful Matriarchs alive today, despite being relatively young in comparison, and had many followers. If she joined Saren, then she'd make a powerful ally."

"You sound unsure, Councilor." Captain Anderson says.

"Yes, I was one of Lady Benezia's students, she personally trained me as an Asari Commando before I was chosen to be a Spectre, and later it was her recommendation that allowed me to be put in the running as a Councilor for the Asari." Councilor Tevos says, "Which makes it all the more odd that she would join Saren, as she, unlike some Matriarchs, is a proprietor of peace, and, as such, tries to promote it wherever she goes. For her to join Saren, especially after what he has done to Eden Prime, is completely out of character for her."

"Could it be that Saren has dirt on her, or one of her daughters hostage?" Anderson asks.

"Matriarch Benezia only has one daughter, Liara T'soni, a young and brilliant archeologist, if he has her, or is aiming to strike at her, then it would make the most sense." Councilor Tevos says.

"I'm more interested in these Reapers, what do you know about the-?" Councilor Valern says, who then notices V. V, for his part is stock still, but his eyes roll in the back of his head. "Commander Shepard?"

"V?" Johnny asks… "Oh Shit!" He then hacks Tali's Omnitool. "Tali! Catch him now!"

"Shepard!" Tali says as Shepard begins to fall backwards and she catches him with Garrus's help. Much to everyone's shock, Shepard starts having a seizure with blood coming out of his nose. "Silverhand, what's going on!"

"Something's triggered the Beacon's data caches to flood his brain again! I'm having a hard time trying to lock them back up!"

"Medic!" Anderson says, "Shepard! Shepard, hang on!" Shepard finds himself in the middle of a vast battlefield, with an alien city on fire, in the sky there are multiple versions of the ship he saw upon Eden Prime shooting large beams from their weapons down upon the cities, and there are soldiers of a strange alien race attacking what appear to be… Husk Versions of themselves…

"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" A voice calls out as one of them. "Victory! Seal the Bulkheads!" Shepard finds himself being pulled alongside these alien creatures.

"Acknowledged, Commander Javik!" A VI says, making itself known, but then the alien looks to Shepard, who nods to him and pulls his comrade inside before the doors are sealed. In an instant, Shepard gasps as he sits up, still in the council chambers, a pain in his chest snapping him as Shepard begins coughing like he had a lung infection.

"V!" Tali says, holding a used up Bounce Back from Shepard's bag "Are you alright?"

"Yeah… My god… I think… I think I just saw the Protheans… They were getting wiped out by the Reapers!" Shepard says, once he's caught his breath.

"I think you might be right, V." Johnny says over Tali's Omnitool, "It seems that the word "Reapers" triggered some sort of Repair Protocol for the data you absorbed from the Beacon, but it lacks something to fully complete the repairs."

"Commander Shepard, are you alright?" Councilor Tevos says, in which Shepard nods and explains everything he had just seen from the Prothean Beacon, and confirms what Johnny Silverhand thinks, that Saren's damaging of the Beacon had left much the data corrupted, and it's trying to repair itself, but it's missing the protocols to do so.

"If that Beacon had information on the Reapers rather than Weapon Data, then this Conduit that Saren is looking for might be linked to these Reapers…" Councilor Valern says, "However, until the Beacon's Information is repaired and can be presented to the Council, we will keep the "Reaper Theory" on the metaphorical backburner for the time being."

"Listen to yourselves!" Councilor Sparatus says, "You're all saying that Saren wants to bring back the machine race that destroyed all life in the Galaxy? Impossible, has to be! Even if they did exist, where did they go, why did they vanish, and how is it that we found no trace of them? If they really existed, we would have found evidence to prove so!"

"I believe there is a reason why we found no evidence of it." Councilor Valern says, "Never underestimate the meticulousness of a machine, the Geth are proof of that. That is why I suggest we keep this information on the Backburner until Shepard finds the protocols to repair the data he absorbed and then present it to the Council himself."

"And if he can capture Matriarch Benezia alive, then we might just learn more about how and why she turned against the Galaxy!" Councilor Tevos proclaims.

"And what about Saren?" Ambassador Udina asks, "You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse, you need to send your fleet in to find him!"

"A Fleet cannot track down one man." Councilor Valern says, "Not only that, any action in the Traverse by the Council will more than likely provoke a war with the Terminus Systems."

"What about our Colonies?" Udina asks, "Sending your fleet in to take a defensive position around the Alliance Colonies until we can get our own people into position would do a lot of good in securing good will between the Alliance and the Council!"

"Again, we would likely provoke a War with the Terminus Systems, even if we informed them of what we were doing." Councilor Sparatus says. "I, for one, won't drag the Turian Race into a galactic war for the sake of a few dozen Human and Quarian colonies!"

"ENOUGH!" V shouts, having had enough, "Every single time Humanity or the Quarians ask you for help, you either completely ignore us or outright refuse to help us!"

"He's right!" Tali says, backing him up, "Every time my people have tried to negotiate for Dextro-Planets that we could live on, you always send the Turian Military to Boot us out violently when we simply just wanted to make a home for ourselves so we don't face extinction! And for what!? We made one major mistake, one we've been paying for over the past 3 Centuries, and the only ones who gave us a helping hand were the Humans!"

"Commander Shepard and Tali'Zorah are right, we have been playing nice with you for decades now and we've done our best to be on our best behavior, but every time we ask for help, nothing is done to help us and we have to figure out our problems ourselves and end up paying the price for your negligence!" Ambassador Udina says, to which everyone in the council chambers begins muttering, and while Councilor Sparatus looks like he's ready to explode and Councilor Valern intently listening to the rest of the Chamber, Tevos simply smirks as she knows that her compatriots have been called out on things she has, time and again, voted against. "I think I speak for the entirety of Humanity and Quarian-kind when I say that I'm sick and tired of this Council and it's Anti-Alliance Bull-!"

"Ambassador!" Tevos says, using her biotics to have her voice carry over the entire chamber. "There is another solution, one that does not require our fleets or armies!"

"NO!" Sparatus says, angrily, but that causes everyone to look at him, the Turian's bigotry obvious to everyone. "It's too soon…! Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities of joining the Spectres!" This backpedaling makes it even more obvious to everyone what he really feels.

"Actually, Councilor Sparatus, I think Councilor Tevos has the right idea!" Garrus says, stepping forward.

"You don't have to send your fleet into the Traverse…" Tali says, joining in.

"And the Ambassador gets his Spectre!" Shepard says, "Everybody's happy with the result!" Tevos gives a sly smirk whilst Valern gives a confirming nod, but Sparatus simply glares back at them with flared mandibles, obviously angry with them at being outvoted on this.

"Commander Shepard, step forward…" Councilor Tevos says, smiling at him, to which Shepard nods as he does so and salutes, before standing at attention.

"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." Councilor Tevos says.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen! Individuals who are forged in the fires of battle and service; those whose actions elevate them above the Rank and File." Councilor Valern says.

"The Spectres are an Ideal, a Symbol. The Embodiment of Courage, Determination, and Self-Reliance. They are the Right Hand of the Council, and the Instruments of our Will." Councilor Tevos states.

"Spectres bear a great burden…" Councilor Sparatus says, his tone neutral, but his eyes burn with deep seeded anger and hate. "They are the Protectors of Galactic Peace, our First and Last Line of Defense. The Safety of the Galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are the First Human Spectre, Commander." Councilor Tevos says, "This is a truly great accomplishment for you and your species!"

"I'm honored, Councilor!" Shepard says, bowing.

"For your First Mission as a Spectre, we are sending you into the Attican Traverse after Saren. He is a fugitive from justice, as such, you are authorized to use any means to apprehend or eliminate him."

"Just to clarify, would that include nukes if he were to, say, use a cloning facility to breed an army?" Shepard asks, the look on Valern and Sparatus's faces is almost enough to make Tevos lose her composure and start laughing.

"As a Last Resort, Commander, if there is no other option." Councilor Valern says, to which Shepard nods.

"Aside from that, do you have any idea on where I should begin?"

"We will forward any information we obtain to you Ambassador, that should be enough." Sparatus says.

"As such, this Meeting of the Council is adjourned!" Councilor Tevos says, smiling. After this, Shepard and the Crew actually decide there is one thing they want to do about this, and that's blow off some steam and get something good to eat.

"Well, which should we do first? Steam or Eat?" Garrus asks.

"Eat!" Was the unanimous vote, which Garrus chuckles.

"Thankfully I know a place here on the Citadel that will be most accommodating for all of us!" Garrus says, to which Shepard has Garrus lead the way towards one of the Wards, and once they reach it, Shepard's eyes light up as he realizes where they are going.

"The Afterlife!?" Shepard says, shocked.

"Yup, it's a new bar that opened up here? Wait, why are you looking at me like that, Shepard?"

"You've never been here before, have you?" Shepard asks, smiling.

"No? I just know from a few C-Sec officers that it serves great drinks based on people, both human and not, as well as serves food for both Dextros and Levos." Garrus says.

"Then let me introduce you guys to the Afterlife's clientele, and tonight's meal is on me!" Shepard says, to which the Squad cheers and everyone heads inside, and as soon as they get to the Bouncers, they activate a scanner and once it is done, the bouncer let's him in.

"Congratulations, Commander, you make your ancestors proud!" The Krogan Bouncer says, smiling, to which Shepard nods, thanking him.

"Your ancestors?" Garrus asks.

"Hey look!" A voice calls out, "It's Shepard!" The patrons all turn to Shepard, "Great Grandson of Thrice-Dead, Grandson of Jackie "Welles" Shepard, and Son of the Demon Lord of the Round Table! Now, add to that list, the First Human Spectre!" The human patrons cheer and congratulate Shepard on his appointment.

"Barkeep, my squad and I are celebrating my acceptance into the Spectres, food and drink are on me tonight!" The Barkeep nods, smiling big as everyone is given their booths and tables to sit at with a smile. That is when a Waitress in rather skimpy rocker clothes rolls over on some roller blades.

"What can I get you all?" The Waitress asks. To which everyone looks at the menu, and as they all choose their meal, one item catches Tali'Zorah's attention. "You have a question, honey?"

"Yes, there is something on here that I'm surprised you have…." She points to it.

"Oh, the Keelah Si'Yah? It's a recipe that a friend of ours from the Migrant Fleet actually procured for us so that we could serve it to Quarian Customers who occasionally come here, looking for something good and cheap to eat! It's actually a Rannoch Recipe from before your people's time in exile, and I know those Quarians who come here on Pilgrimage swear by it!" The Waitress says.

"Then I'll have that!"

"And, you, Commander?"

"I know what I want…!" Shepard says, smiling as he licks his lips, and then whispers it into the Waittress's ears, and she starts giggling at that.

"How many slices, honey?"

"Give me a whole pie, ma'am! As for my drink…" He smirks, "I would like my glass to be filled with 3⁄4 oz of Lemon Juice, 3⁄4 oz Orange Curacao, 3⁄4 oz Lillet Blanc, 3⁄4 oz of Old Tom, with a Dash of Absinthe, shaken."

"Oh a Thrice-Dead…? Alright then honey!" The Waitress says as she gets everyone else's drinks with a smile on her face. Everyone then gets to talking and learning about each other a bit, though Wrex remains a bit closed up on the matter, at least for a moment.

"Hey Shepard, question, you think you could make me one of those guns you made with the Quarian Earlier?"

"My name is Tali…" Tali objects.

"I could, but it will require something in return…"

"Money?"

"Nah, a story, one that really hits home!" Shepard says, smiling, to which Wrex growls, and then begins to spin his tale about how, unlike Most Krogans, who had wanted to fight back after the Genophage had been dropped on them, he actually was thinking about the bigger picture. His idea was to actually take the time to actually increase their numbers before the Krogans thought about fighting, as they weren't replenishing their numbers fast enough. According to his story, unlike most Krogans, he had actually learned the lesson that the Salarians and Turians had tried to teach them, that they had grown too aggressive for their own good, and if they learned to "play nice" with the rest of the Galaxy, they may not only get cured, but also be treated with the respect they truly deserved. As such, Wrex had decided to actually work hard to actually unite some of the clans under one banner in order to give their people a fighting chance by increasing their numbers. Unfortunately, Wrex's father had other ideas, and though Wrex tried to plead with his father to see reason, it didn't turn out so well, which lead to his father breaking a sacred tradition among his people, the sacred peace talks known as a Crush, no weapons, no violence until both aggressors return to their sides of the battlefield. By the end of it, Wrex was forced to kill his own father, and Wrex gave up on his people, condemning them to the decline to extinction that the Genophage damned them to.

By the end of it, Shepard was feeling terrible, realizing how hard Wrex had it, but, afterwards, Garrus would reveal his story about Doctor Saleon, a Salarian Geneticist who turned people into living, breathing test tubes. The sicko was growing organs to be sold on the black market inside of people, but only if the parts were not only good in shape, but completely operational, those that weren't were left to turn cancerous inside their "test tubes" until said test tube died. Garrus would have captured him, if it weren't for the fact that C-Sec were more worried about the innocent civilians that Saleon had with him when he was fleeing, and it was something that Garrus could never let go of. Because of all the red tape, the worst criminal of Garrus's Career got away, and the blood of the innocent people whom he was supposed to save was on his hands.

"Well in my honest opion, C-Sec made the right choice, even if he got away." Shepard says, stunning Garrus, "If they had shot him down, dozens of innocent civilians could've been lost, depending on where the ship crashed. The best course of action would've been to scramble pursuit teams and then disable it once he was far enough away to prevent any collateral damage."

"He was already in range of the guns, all they had to do was disable the ship then and there!" Garrus says, slamming his fist down onto the table, "Maybe the hostages would have died, maybe they wouldn't have, but the point is we needed to stop him before he continued to make people suffer more!"

"And stoop to his level!?" Shepard raises his voice, "There is nothing to be gained by proving you're no better than he is! The only difference between you and him is the fact you have a badge and you can get away with anything!" Garrus looks at Shepard, stunned, "Just… Like… Saren…"

"I…" Garrus says, looking down, the information processing in his head, "Maybe you're right… But it doesn't make it any easier…"

"True, but if we ever come across him, we're going to bring him in… And I won't let him get away, not this time…" Shepard says, promising Garrus with a look of resolution. "I got ya covered, Choom!" Johnny is smiling as he looks at this, but then Shepard starts sniffing the air as his mouth waters. "Oh boy!"

"Food's here!' The Waitress says, coming with her co-workers to deliver the food, and everyone is excited to see what is being brought to them, that is until they see what Shepard ordered. It looks like your ordinary pizza, covered with lots of cheese, basil, green peppers, red onions, black olives, arugula, minced garlic, finely chopped chives, but the part of it that makes everyone, but Tali, turn green, are the locusts that are on top of it, roasted locusts that are as red as pepperoni. "And here you go Shepard, a whole Locust Pepperoni Pizza with Extra Gouda Cheese!"

"Oh boy!" Shepard says, smiling rubbing his hands together in excitement.

"You're seriously going to eat that Shepard?" Ashley asks, shocked.

"Hey, I can't eat normal pepperoni, messes with my gut, Locust Pepperoni is actually a good substitute, especially after it's been roasted in the same spices used in pepperoni, far less greasy!" Shepard says, smiling as he picks up a slice and bites down into it with a smile on his face, many of the group looking like they are about to lose their appetite. "Delicious!"

"Seriously Shepard, how can you eat that?"

"Well it's by far one of the least crazy options in Night City, I mean there is Tofu'd Tuna and Pineapple…" Everyone looks at him like he's crazy, "But my personal favorite that ties for first place with Locust Pepperoni is the A&A, Artichoke and Avocado!" Everyone looks at him and then proceeds to eat their own food before he continues to talk about the crazy Night City Pizza combinations. Tali had to turn off her audio speakers whilst laughing her head off with a smile, trying to wipe her tears away. Shepard simply smiles and continues to eat, the crushing of the locusts really disturbing everyone, and he loves it!

"Well if there is a way to turn something strange into food, you should try Thresher Maw Steak!" Wrex says.

"Thresher Maw!?" Everyone says, with their mouths full.

"Yeah, those things are tough as starships, but when they are killed and their bodies harvested, their meat is actually extremely nutritious once properly prepared, it even contains both Levo and Dextro Proteins, depending on what section you harvest it from." Wrex says, eating his huge steak, "The Meat from a Thresher Maw actually tastes similar to those stalk and cap things your people grow, Shepard. Mushrooms I think they are called, after it's been sauteed in garlic and butter, whilst retaining the texture of a steak. Once properly cooked, the steaks actually end up having enough nutrients to sustain an adult Krogan for a full day, even when charging at full speed over a hundred miles." Shepard then looks at Wrex, who smiles as he sees the gleaming in his eyes. "Tell you what, if we ever encounter a Maw, I'll cook one up for all of ya!"

"Deal!" Shepard says as his drink is brought to him and Shepard smiles as he looks at it, and takes a sip, smiling as the Alcohol slips past his lips… Paired with his Pizza, this is just the perfect combination… Today is a good day…