Systems Alliance Embassy – 1115C

Secure Confidential Information Facility (SCIF)

Lieutenant Commander Claire Shepard

"Captain on deck!" Shepard called, bringing the room to attention. Only Joker was excused from this exercise and he always seemed to take delight in shirking this military tradition. The subtle smirk on Jeff Moreau's face through that regulation busting beard spoke volumes. Captain Anderson strode by, the picture of military professionalism. Claire's respect for the man knew no bounds – he was as sharp as they came. Still, she couldn't shake the words that Harkin had told her down in Chora's Den. What was Anderson hiding? Was he really the first human SPECTRE? If so, what the heck happened? There were growing doubts in her, but her face never betrayed her thoughts and she had no desire to sully the man's reputation.

The captain waved to the gathered senior members of the Normandy's crew as well as Private Fredericks, who had earned a spot in this briefing. "As you were," he said and the room filled with sound of people taking seats. "You may already know this information, but I wanted to brief the crew personally. We have uncovered irrefutable evidence of Saren's guilt in the attack on Eden Prime." Anderson's jaw was firmly set and a glow of satisfaction emanated from him. Murmurs resonated in the air until the captain quieted everyone with a raised hand. "Ambassador Udina is scheduling an audience with the Council and we will be presenting the evidence this afternoon."

"What about the quarian?" asked Ashley Williams.

The captain looked over to her. "She's in protective custody aboard Normandy. Nobody sees her without my say so."

Shepard had personally seen to the detail and a company of marines now guarded both ship and quarian. It would literally take a Geth assault to get to her. If that happened, they all had bigger problems.

Kaiden Alenko raised his hand. "Can we trust the Council to hear us out?"

'I don't think they can deny this evidence. The Alliance is a major player in Council politics. It's in their best interest to let us speak." Captain Anderson then pushed his palms outward. "Let's save the questions until after. Right now, I want to hear the after-action-report from the raid on Chora's Den. Commander Shepard…."

AAR's were a critical tool of the military to critique and improve its capability. They had to be professional, but also honest to a fault. Only then could mistakes be identified and corrected. Shepard stepped forward. She knew that this was not a flawless operation and that she made some mistakes. Well, as long as you survived, you could learn. She looked over to the door to see that it was sealed and that the room was cleared to discuss up to Top Secret information.

"This briefing is classified Secret," she announced and a video of her helmet cam began to play on a large screen. "First off, our intelligence of the opposition was reasonable. We had previously been to Chora's Den and had seen the layout and had identified most of the guards," she said, pointing to a floor plan of the infamous club that was displayed to the side. "It was fortunate that we had Lieutenant Alenko and Private Fredericks to sit through several lap dances as part of the reconnaissance effort. Their sacrifice is appreciated."

The room burst out in raucous laughter and Kaiden blushed a deep red. "I was just trying to take Chief Williams' advice and get to know women better," he retorted, getting more laughs.

Shepard smirked and gave Kaiden a wink. "Well, we knew that Fist's mercs were second rate with mediocre weapons and poor armor. We had an advantage in that. The echoscan prior to entry showed us that we were outnumbered though." An image came up of Kaiden's scan, displaying nearly twenty red triangles scattered throughout the show room and dance floor.

"I have to admit that our planning of the op wasn't first rate. We had only minutes from the time we learned that Fist might have had Tali until we were at the door. Additionally, I took a gamble and included two non-human members on the team at the last second," she said and saw a dark look come over Ash. She wasn't the only one either – Colin Pressly didn't seem to like the idea of aliens one bit. "I weighed the options and not inviting them had greater long-term consequences – we need the goodwill of other races to succeed in this. I truly believe that. In the end, Garrus and Wrex fought well and they are to be applauded for their bravery."

"Next…communications. I have no problem here. I knew where everyone was and what everyone was doing and I think my orders were clear and concise," she said, looking around the crowd for any dissenting opinions. There were none.

The video of the assault played on and showed Shepard getting sacked as she passed the bar. "Now for execution," she added and raised her hand. "I screwed the pooch on that one. I got overconfident and missed the krogan bouncer. Wrex saved my ass here."

Kaiden stood up, obviously distressed. "No ma'am. I was point. I should have seen him. You were cover – your job was to back me up when I identified a target."

"We both missed him, lieutenant, and we won't do that again, right? I tell you what…let's both buy Wrex a drink tonight."

"I can live with that."

AAR's were not meant to be floggings. That was for the Inspectors General to do. For this session, mistakes were identified and solutions proposed and life went on. "I don't think that anyone can argue that Wrex and Garrus earned their keep in this raid. The turian was fast and accurate with that sniper rifle of his. Too bad he'll be going back to C-Sec. We could use a guy like him. I'm going to put him in for a commendation with Executor Pallin."

The commander scanned the room. "Okay, anything else? Comments? Suggestions?"

Ash raised her hand and Shepard pointed to her. "Chief? You have something to say?"

Williams had a huge smile covering her face. "This sure beats garrison duty, ma'am. I've waited all my life for a shot like this and I won't let you down."

"You've been a real asset, chief."

"And one more thing," Williams said and then slapped Frederick on the back of the head, "the private here fought like a tiger. He deserves recognition." This time, it was Fredericks who blushed furiously. He shrugged and made a fist pumping motion.

The commander nodded. "He sure does. I'd just about pay for him to visit the Consort," she said and Frederick's buddies burst into a gale of laughter, some throwing popcorn at his head. Young marines just had this jarheaded testosterone-filled way about them. Shepard caught herself, thinking about her visit to the Consort and let out a nervous chuckle.

One of the other marines, Beau, stood up and began mimicking Fredericks. "Oh, the Consort's nothing like the girls back home. She is very special! I got the full treatment."

This got another round of laughter, but Shepard just whistled quietly to herself. She knew all about the full treatment. Another marine, Jazz, leapt right in. "Yeah, she's an asari who helps people with…things."

Fredericks turned back and threw popcorn at the two comedians. "Shut up already!"

Shepard made a chopping motion across her throat. "Okay, okay, settle down everyone. I think this is a wrap for the morning. Go get some chow and get your gear cleaned and stowed. That is all."

"Just a moment," interjected Captain Anderson. "I have one more thing. Lieutenant Commander Claire Shepard, front and center."

Claire knew this was coming, but the timing surprised her. She marched a few paces to face the captain and saluted, her hand coming up sharply to her temple. "Reporting as ordered, sir."

He returned the salute and presented her with a blue felt covered box. He opened it and inside, she could see shining silver oak leaves that twinkled in the lights. "It is with great honor that I present you with this promotion to full commander with all the rights and responsibilities therein. Signed this day, November 2nd, 2183 by Admiral Steven R. Hackett, Commander 5th Fleet."

Claire shook the outstretched hand and took the accompanying certificate. She then took one step back and saluted again. Captain Anderson smiled as he returned the salute and took one of the oak leaves from the box. With the gravitas of a hero of the Alliance, he pinned the insignia on one of her collars. "You have one more pin, commander. Who do you want to do the other one?"

Pinning on rank was a special thing. You had people that you loved and trusted to do it. Claire's mother pinned her last rank on, but she wasn't here today. Still, she trusted the captain. Who else would do now?

She turned to Kaidan. "Lieutenant Alenko, would you do the honors?"

Try as he might, he couldn't suppress the smile that bubbled up. She'd seen it before when she told him the Prothean Beacon's loss wasn't his fault and when she told him that he'd played a major role in saving Eden Prime. She found that she liked that smile. She offered him the pin and he accepted. He fumbled for a bit until Claire tilted her head up, offering him her neck. He slid the pin on her collar and she could tell that his hands were sweaty. Did that mean anything? Well, if it did, there was no time to find out. Tali had to be fully debriefed before the meeting with the Council. They had to make sure their witness was ironclad.

As Kaiden stepped away she found that her palms were sweaty too.

The Citadel Council Chamber – 1400C

Staff Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko

Wearing his dress uniform was never a pleasant experience. Biotics tended to run just a little hotter than normal people and it made the woolen clothing a bit of a sauna. He dabbed his face with a handkerchief again. Kaiden tried to mentally cool himself by watching the fountain spurt and listening to the sound of the water, but it wasn't working. He shifted his position on the park bench and looked over to the turian agent, Garrus Vakarian. He might as well make small talk. "Thanks for your help in saving that quarian. That was the smoking gun we were looking for to nail Saren to the wall."

Garrus curled his lips upward while those odd bones covering his jaw flared outward. "I knew Saren was guilty. Pallin's bean counters can't deny it now."

"You really can't stand that guy, can you?"

"It's that obvious, huh? He was a good agent once, but he sold his soul to the bureaucracy. That's why I admire your Commander Shepard. When we stopped those punks from killing Tali there were no warrants, no unrealistic operational plans approved by ten people, and no second guessing administrators. She saw her duty, she formulated an assault, and we carried it out…nuff said. If I had done the same thing, Pallin would have had my ass in a sling."

"It's that bad?"

"You don't know the half of it. There was this one time when I took down a major mod smuggling ring with Chellik…you met him already, right?"

"Yeah, we helped him out and got this girl out from Chora's Den."

"Right…well, Chellik's a good guy. But one of Pallin's morons, this Administrator Kimjo, she obstructed us every step of the way…sitting on approvals, denying resources, questioning every tiny decision. On the day of the takedown, she delayed the operation because she didn't like the font that the warrants were written in. Two years of investigation stalled because she wanted Turian Twelve Point and not Salarian Bold. When all was said and done she claimed credit for the whole thing and hung me and Chellik out to dry for going over budget."

"Whoa, that is bad."

Garrus shook his head. "You can't make that stuff up," he said with obvious disgust. "That's why I'm going to make a really tough decision."

"What kind of decision?"

"I offered my services to your Commander Shepard and she accepted. I'll be joining you in taking down Saren."

Kaiden was a little surprised. He'd seen the turian in action, both in Chora's Den and in saving Tali. The guy's ability to handle a sniper rifle was impressive and his tech abilities rivaled Kaiden's. For a long time he'd had a deep mistrust of turians…ever since BAat. Well, Garrus wasn't the goose stepping Commander Vyrnnus. He would give the C-Sec agent a clean slate. "Glad to have you with us then. We can use all the help we can get."

Kaiden then saw Commander Shepard step off the elevator with Tali and Ashley. Ever since the commander last saw the Asari Consort she had this… shit eating grin on her face and her cheeks were all rosy. What the heck did Sha'ira do to her?

Shepard stopped in front of the bench and put her hands on her hips. "Ready to get this show on the road? We have evidence to present."

Kaiden and Garrus jumped to their feet and fell in behind the entourage. He was feeling pretty proud of himself and the team right now. All seemed lost only a couple of days ago when the Council had rejected their pleas and backed Saren against all rationale. That was pretty much a low point for him. The race to take down Fist and save Tali nearly blew out his implant, the excitement was so intense.

They climbed the stairs to the Council chambers, all eyes in the tower watching them. Everyone knew something was up and they all wanted to see it – only the seemingly oblivious Keepers kept going about their mysterious business. Captain Anderson was waiting at the top of the long staircase to take them into the Council Chamber. "Come on, Udina is presenting the quarian's evidence to the Council."

The walk up the final set of stairs to meet with the Council was brisk with a lighter mood than the last time they were here. Kaiden was taking two steps at a time, practically bouncing upward. He wanted to see the faces of the Council when they reversed their decision. Even more, however, he wanted to see Shepard's face when that happened. Sure, she was his superior, but he found that he liked her…as a person and he wanted justice done in her favor.

At the top of the stairs, he could hear that the quarian's data module was already playing out for the audience. Kaiden had never met Saren and had never heard his voice before, but the lieutenant thought that he sounded just like the devil should. A slimy chill slithered down his spine as Saren spoke about Eden Prime and the Conduit, whatever that was. Then, a woman's cold voice chimed out about the return of the "Reapers." At this juncture of time, it took all of his Biotic training and focus to keep his rage in check. If Saren were standing before him he would tear the turian's throat out with his bare hands for what that bastard did. It would be a long time before he would feel normal again.

Ambassador Udina seemed to grow in size and gestured in grandiose fashion. "You wanted proof…there it is," the man said, his sharp eyes practically glowing with vigor. Normally, Kaiden couldn't stand the blowhard, but right now, he was the voice of humanity and the marine stood behind him on this one hundred percent. The lieutenant searched the eyes of the Council and for once, he liked what he was seeing. Even the turian councilor, normally hostile towards the Alliance, nodded at Udina and admitted Saren's guilt.

Kaiden let out a long, anxious breath. It was as if everything they had done up until now was finally vindicated. He chanced a look over to Shepard and he could see the same look in her eyes, but there was a fire behind them too. She was pissed that it took this long. The conversation amongst the councilors then turned to the woman's voice, which belonged to Matriarch Benezia, a powerful asari Biotic. Then, there were the Reapers to discuss. Captain Anderson and Commander Shepard presented what they knew about the mysterious machine race and how they believed that Saren would bring them back to destroy all organic life. Here's where things took a darker turn.

The look on the turian councilor's face told the tale of skepticism once more. "Listen to what you're saying," he told Shepard. "Saren wants to bring back machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible! It has to be!" It was easy to see where this was heading. " If they were real, we would have found something."

This sparked something in Shepard and she became a barely contained inferno, her face twisted up like a tornado. "I tried to warn you about Saren, but you refused to listen!"

Now all of the councilors banded together against her. The asari spoke out, followed by the salarian, "The Reapers are obviously just a myth, commander…." Minds were already made up, decisions were already decided, and the blindness had come full circle.

Smoke was about to come out of Kaiden's ears. Would it take a Reaper invasion to convince them? Shepard spoke out about how the Reapers wiped out the Protheans, the most advanced civilization in the galaxy 50,000 years ago. If the Protheans fell, the Council races didn't have a prayer. The turian scoffed and told them that Saren was stripped of his status. The tone of his voice told the humans to accept it and move on.

Udina practically jumped out of his skin. "That is not good enough! You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse…send your fleet in!" he shouted in his booming voice as he made a fist in anger. One had to admit that the ambassador was passionate in his defense of humanity. Still, the Council was unmoved and the meeting was on the verge of degenerating into legalistic crap so typical of a bureaucracy.

"Every time humanity asks for help, you ignore us!" Shepard added. Somehow, the politician and the warrior finally seemed in sync.

The tension was building towards a crescendo. Udina's arms were waving about like a conductor before a symphony. "Shepard's right. I'm sick of this Council and its anti-human bull!" Kaiden was practically rooting for them and it looked like they finally got under the cold hearts of the Council.

The asari was the first to crack. "Ambassador…there is another solution. A way to stop Saren that does not require fleets or armies," she turned towards the turian councilor.

"No, it's too soon. Humanity is not ready for the responsibility of joining the Spectres," the turian declared.

Shepard countered this and the asari gave a pointed nod towards the turian. It looked like he knew when the cards were stacked against him. What could it gain if he fought this losing battle? Turians were always methodical that way. He sighed and returned a reluctant nod to the asari. The lieutenant knew that a momentous occasion was upon them all.

"Commander Shepard, step forward," the asari said in a voice laden with dignity and strength.

There was an exchange of glances between Captain Anderson and the commander and Anderson gave her the slyest of smiles. Shepard strode forward, her shoulders thrown back and her head held high. All around, peoples of every races gathered, watching the proceedings – history was being made.

The asari continued, "It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the power and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch of the Citadel."

The maroon-colored salarian folded his arms. "SPECTREs are not trained, but are chosen. Individuals forged in the fires of service and battle. Those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."

"SPECTREs are an ideal," the asari said, "a symbol, the embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council…instruments of our will."

Now, it was the turian's turn. "SPECTREs bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

The asari pointed directly to Shepard. " You are the first human SPECTRE, commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your species."

Kaiden's eyes were riveted on the whole spectacle and he watched as Shepard bowed low. "I am honored, Councilors," she said with humble power. It seemed as if there was a collective sigh in the room and the gathered crowd was hushed and intent on every word.

Alenko was beginning to wonder what would happen now, but the discussion turned to where Saren might be and how to find him. The Council promised their full support and they adjourned. The crew of the Normandy knew what "full support" meant; it normally meant squat. He was trying not to be cynical, but here, at the heart of intergalactic politics, it was near impossible. In stark contrast, Shepard made a low and sincere bow to the Council as they left.

When the Councilors were out of sight, the crew gathered around their XO. Feelings were running high and the look of pride on the faces of the marines was priceless. Ash elbowed Kaiden in the side and gave him a wink and a thumbs up. This was just the kind of thing that humanity needed. Speaking of which, there were already news feed droids hovering near the ceremony, channeling news of the first human SPECTRE to the colonies. Shepard gave them a wave with a smile. Alenko smiled too for the cameras, so caught up in the moment was he. Claire was getting justice. She was finally getting what she deserved for all of her sacrifice.