W.i.t.G

Hey guys - me again!

I just wanted to start off with this little author's note as I, once again, want to say a massive thank you to those of you who have reviewed and have messaged me. Along with those of you who have simply been viewing the story. You're awesome too! So keep the reviews and stuff going people, if you don't like something, or are completely confused at my actions, tell me! I won't be able to help share the crap in my head if you guys don't ask for it!

Back to the story...

Ashley mentally slapped herself, for the fiftieth time, in the space of ten minutes.

'How the hell could I be so stupid?!'

'W-What if... What if I've gotten him killed?!'

The ice cold, vice-like grip of guilt that surrounded her heart, tightened ten-fold.

She had killed Commander Shepard.

She had killed the Alliance's hero... Her hero.

She felt like she would be sick at any moment.

'Please God. Don't let him die... He saved me - you sent him to protect me! You can't let him die!'

And yet, God remained silent to her pleas...

Ashley mentally slapped herself again for letting this cluster-fuck occur. She sat on the edge of a bed in the infirmary on the Normandy, leaning forward, hoping that the commander would rise from the dead, just by her look alone.

It was to no avail.

After the beacon had exploded, and Ashley had picked herself up off of the floor from the brutal shove by Shepard, the two Alliance marines hesitantly approached their unconscious commander. The beacon had completely splintered, with shards disappearing in every direction, and the emerald green glow of the beacon, the same glow that had drawn Ashley towards it, like a moth to a flame, was now extinguished.

Dull, cracked and lifeless, the beacon was now only fit to be an over-sized novelty paper weight.

Kaidan had radioed the Normandy, informing the captain that Shepard was injured. The response from the captain was immediate, but subdued. They were under strict orders to prep the commander for extraction when the Normandy came around; even if that meant carrying the man.

They did have to carry their commander in the end after all - into the Normandy's open cargo bay.

'He's a heavy son of a bitch as well...' Ashley thought with a hint of a smile on her lips, her once radiant features were contorted into a grimace as she continued to will the commander back to life.

They had carried Shepard into the med-bay, in which the surrounding crew were stunned and shocked to see the hulking man; their hero; their Lion, in such a state. Doctor Chakwas had immediately set about preparations once she had been informed about the commander's condition. A bed was already prepared, with the necessary medical equipment for any standard operation, standing by at the ready. Once the Doctor had removed Shepard's armour, and he was situated on the bed, clad in only his t-shirt and shorts, she set about inspecting the various, recently inflicted wounds on his body. He had a small hole, just below his left shoulder, where a round had pierced his armour, and had passed cleanly through. He also had minor cuts and burns on his body, which were quickly remedied by an application of medi-gel.

Ashley couldn't also help but notice how well built the man truly was. It was fair to say, her mind began to wander slightly...

It was strange for Ashley to be having such thoughts, but she simply shook them off as being a result of a stressful experience. She found peace and comfort when she viewed his form, as if he was a lighthouse in a perilous storm.

After that, she had exited the med bay, at Captain Anderson's request. She met up with Lieutenant Alenko, and the duo made their way to the comms room. Once they had informed Captain Anderson what had happened, the Captain dismissed the Lieutenant, leaving Ashley to the judgement of a - as she initially believed - severely pissed off Captain Anderson. She didn't feel angry, or sad; only guilt. She deserved what was going to come at her; all of that and more...

For she had acted a fool, and potentially got another man killed. A very important man.

However, the Captain didn't shout or scream, or even raise his voice.

No... He simply asked Ashley to stay on the Normandy as another member of the ground team, as well as telling her it wasn't her fault; she couldn't have known what was going to happen.

Ashley could only stand stoically; her mind drawing a blank. She had been mentally preparing herself for a massive barrage of questions as well as being reprimanded by a superior officer, but instead she had been invited onto the Normandy and treated as if she were already a part of the crew. With the briefing over with, Ashley had returned to the med bay, where she could keep an eye on Shepard.

'It'll be a fun ride, as long as you wake up.'

Again, there was nothing.

With a heavy sigh, Ashley leant backwards from her position, and closed her eyes. The fatigue and shock of the whole ordeal was only just beginning to set in.

It was then, a slight moan escaped Shepard's lips - a joyful and blissful sound to Ashley's ears, as she shot back up to regard her new commander.

Another moan, and Shepard began to jostle on the bed, seemingly uncomfortable in his current position.

'He's alive! Thank you, God!'

Relief flooded over Ashley; like a tidal wave, as the man she had thought dead by her actions, began to stir.

His stirrings and moans however, were too quiet or small for Doctor Chakwas to notice at first, as she sat on the other side of the room - monitoring the still unconscious Nihlus.

Ashley jumped up from her seat on the edge of the bed, her fatigue and shock completely forgotten, as she remarked with a joyful tone, "Doctor Chakwas! The Commander's waking up!"

Shepard slowly opened his eyes, not quite open enough to reveal he was fully awake, but open enough for him to gain a sense of his surroundings.

'White walls, and lots of medical equipment. I must be somewhere safe at least... I must be on the Normandy. That makes the most sense.'

With the realisation that Shepard was safe, he allowed his eyes to fully open. Turning his head to the side, he first spotted a bed that was occupied by a very familiar Turian.

Nihlus.

'At least they got Nihlus out safe.'

Shepard's attention was then drawn to the attractive, but yet still bouncing woman on his right hand side - practically bursting with what appeared to be happiness and relief.

"Oh thank God! You're awake!"

Shepard pushed himself up from his prone position on the bed, so his back was against his pillows. Ashley looked like she was going to pounce on him.

That, got Shepard worried more than anything.

Instead of pouncing, she simply leaned over to Shepard and gave him a soft hug; a small sob racked her body. With her face buried in his chest, only a muffled reply was heard by the incredibly confused commander: "Thank you... Thank you Lord almighty..."

Chuckling, the commander glanced once more around the room, to notice Doctor Chakwas was stood close by, a grin on her face. She began walking towards the commander once the Gunny had released him. Her next words were laced with the finest form of humour, that only age could grant, "If you think I'm going to give you a hug commander, you're sorely mistaken, I'm afraid. You're just not my type."

With a shake of his head, and quietly chuckling more to himself, the commander leaned over the edge of his bed and placed his feet on the ground. Doctor Chakwas had decided that a minute was enough time before she asked her questions, with her usual soft British tone:

"How are you feeling Commander? Are you experiencing any discomfort? Pain? Nausea?"

A smirk plastered the N7's face; his head as sore as he could remember in recent memory: "I feel like I've just woken up from the shore leave after the Skyllian Blitz... But. I'm fine Doctor, really. What about Nihlus? How's he doing?"

Both women just laughed at their commander's antics. He had survived a fifty thousand year old beacon exploding before him, saved a colony from certain destruction, and his first thoughts were of somebody else. Chakwas answered in a comical tone, "He's fine, Commander. He's just sleeping off the shock he endured. But I'm examining you, remember? Now, are you sure you're feeling well?"

"I've certainly felt better... How long was I out?"

"About fifteen hours. That beacon certainly-"

Suddenly, Shepard bolted up and began trying to get out of his bed, his voice taking on a panicked tone. "The beacon! What happened to the beacon on Eden Prime?!"

It was Ashley who answered next, her voice taking on a guilty tone: "It's my fault. I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way; to safety. The beacon's been destroyed, Commander. I'm sorry."

Shepard's response was immediate; his reply radiating warmth and a gentleness Williams didn't expect, "It's not your fault Gunny. You couldn't have known it was going to blow. And I'm guessing I have you, along with Alenko, to thank for bringing me back to the Normandy."

"Yeah... The beacon must have overloaded or something. The blast knocked you out cold. Lieutenant Alenko and I, dragged you back aboard - straight to the med-bay."

Shepard merely nodded as he began massaging his temples; a sudden bolt of pain in the back of his head caused his eyes to start watering.

Doctor Chakwas watched on inquisitively - the commander was clearly trying to steer the conversation away from his physical health and wellbeing. Speaking quietly, the doctor looked straight into the human titan's hazel eyes:

"Physically, you seem to be fine... But I detected some unusual brain activity whilst you were unconscious - a spike in abnormal beta waves."

The commander grimaced as the elderly physician continued: "I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming."

With a cough, the human juggernaut stared blankly at the bulkhead directly ahead of him; his eyes glossing over, "I saw... I'm not sure what I saw. Death? Destruction? Nothing's really clear."

Doctor Chakwas was already making notes on her omni-tool, "Hmm... I better add this to my report. You're going to need a new folder if you keep this up Commander. I'll inform the Captain about your condition; your armour is back in your locker for when you're ready to- oh, Captain Anderson!"

The veteran officer brusquely entered the medical bay - although his uniform was kempt, Shepard could see the sweat stains that had leaked from under his arms, as well as around the collar of his shirt.

"How's my XO holding up, Doctor?"

A gentle laugh punctuated the medical professional's reply: "All of the Commander's readings look normal. I'd say he's going to be just fine."

A heavy sigh came from the senior officer as he wiped a particularly bulbous bead of sweat from his forehead, "That's good to hear... Shepard, I need to speak with you - in private."

"Aye aye, Captain. I'll be on the bridge if you need me." With a crisp salute, Ashley left the med-bay; a smile on her face as she thanked the Lord above for bringing her saviour back from the brink of death.

Chakwas merely nodded her head, before wordlessly exiting as well - following the female chief out the door.

Anderson clapped the commander on the shoulder; a gentle squeeze passed between the two before the older human spoke: "Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard, Commander. You sure you're okay?"

A series of grotesque images slammed into the forefront of the N7's mind as he suppressed the urge to vomit. A weak chuckle was all he could manage; "I've been through worse old man, you know that..."

Nervous laughter resounded in the sterile room, before Shepard presented a statement; the most pressing question he had hidden, subtly within it: "Chief Williams isn't part of the Normandy's crew..."

Anderson picked up on this straight away, "I figured we could use a soldier like her. Especially after- well. I'm sure you can understand the logic behind it."

The Lion's eyes burrowed into the floor as he thought back to Jenkins' plasma ridden corpse; bile and guilt caused an icy pit to form in his stomach.

Silence reigned for a time before a soft whisper was the only reply Anderson received, "Williams is a good soldier. She served with distinction back on Eden Prime. She deserves the opportunity."

"Lieutenant Alenko agrees with the idea as well; he's the one who argued for her to stay."

'You could always trust Kaidan to have the biggest heart in the room.'

"Sir... About Jenkins-"

"Don't even go there, Shepard. Corporal Jenkins' death wasn't your fault. You did a good job, son - don't second guess yourself."

The commander merely nodded as anger began to surge through his veins; "Intel dropped the fucking ball with this one, Captain... We had no idea what we were walking into down there. That's why things went to hell! That's why..."

"The Geth haven't been seen outside the Perseus Veil in over two centuries, Commander. How were they to predict they'd attack Eden Prime in force? Stop blaming yourself for what happened - what's done, is done. We have to move on."

"Yes, sir."

With a shaky breath, Shepard tried to stand up - his legs however, gave way and if it wasn't for the intervention of Captain Anderson, the commander would have been kissing steel.

Steadying himself against the corner of his bed, the larger human got down to business: "You said you needed to speak to me, Captain?"

Another heavy sigh, and the older N7 began to unconsciously rub the back of his neck, "I won't lie to you, Shepard. Things look bad. A council Spectre has been wounded in action; the beacon was destroyed and the geth are invading Alliance space. The Council's going to want answers."

The commander eventually found his footing - standing upright, the larger human dwarfed his commanding officer when he stood tall: "I didn't do anything wrong, Captain. Hopefully, the Council can see that."

Anderson merely nodded as he turned to look at the wounded Spectre - the only other inhabitant of the med-bay; "I'll stand by your report, Shepard. You're a damned hero in my books... But the involvement of this other... Turian… That's what's worrying me..."

'I never mentioned Saren's involvement - I haven't had the chance.'

"Sir, I never-"

"Lieutenant Alenko mentioned Nihlus was babbling about another Turian Spectre being the reason behind the attack on Eden Prime. He didn't have to name names... I already knew it was Saren Arterius."

Shepard remained quiet as he allowed his captain to continue: "Saren's a Spectre - one of the best. A living legend... But if he's working with the geth, it means he's gone rogue." Before the commander could ask his next question, Anderson spat out the rest of his explanation; barely-concealed venom lacing his words. "A rogue Spectre's trouble. Saren, is more than just dangerous. And he hates humans."

The younger N7 could smell more to this story: "Why does he hate humans, Captain?"

The captain's eyes seem to gloss over as he once more looked at the injured Spectre, "He thinks we're growing too fast; taking over the galaxy. A lot of aliens think that way... Most of them don't do anything about it. But, Saren has allied himself with the geth. I don't know how, and I don't know why. I only know it had something to do with that beacon." Anderson ran a hand through what little hair he had left on his head; a seemingly unconscious action, before he rounded on the commander. "You were there just before the beacon self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?"

Images of blood, gore, violence... Destruction and synthetics... Shepard forced the bile in his throat back down as he answered; his voice hoarse. "Just before I lost consciousness... I had some kind of vision."

"A vision? A vision of what?"

"I saw... I saw synthetics, I think? Geth, maybe. Slaughtering people... Butchering them... It was a lot like Akuze, David."

The captain gave the commander a warm smile as he gently patted the side of his arm, "You're on the Normandy, Shepard. You're safe."

A shaky sigh was the only noise in the medical bay for a time - that and the rhythmic beeping of the machine hooked up to the commander's Spectre endorser.

"We need to report this to the Council, Shepard."

With a short, vicious laugh the Butcher stared at his superior. "And what are we going to tell them? That I had a bad dream? They'll laugh us off of the Citadel..."

"We don't know what information was stored on that beacon. Lost Prothean technology? Blueprints for some weapon of mass destruction? Whatever it was, Saren took it... But I know him. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war! If he managed to access those Prothean secrets... He has an army of geth at his command, and he won't stop until he's wiped humanity from the face of the galaxy!"

A vicious grin split the titan's lips; a malevolent twinkle in the commander's eye signalled that he wasn't going to let that happen. "Over my dead body."

"It's not that easy. He's a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the Council on our side..."

The Survivor of Akuze grunted as he started making his way to the med-bay doors - a clear purpose in the forefront of his mind. "Then we prove Saren's turned traitor, and we get the Council to strip the bastard of his Spectre status. When he can't hide behind that, we'll fucking gut him."

The elder human barked out a laugh; shaking his head as he spoke to the commander's back: "I'll contact the ambassador, and see if he can get us an audience with the Council. He'll want to see us as soon as we reach the Citadel."

Just before the Lion palmed the haptic interface of the door, the captain finished, "We should be getting close. Head up to the bridge and make sure Joker brings us in to dock."

With a grunt and a quick salute, the commander left the med-bay.

Captain Anderson stood over the unconscious Nihlus before softly whispering: "God help us all..."

Outside the med bay, the commander was greeted with cheers of approval by the crew members milling around.

As the commander moved towards the Normandy's elevator; in an effort to retrieve his armour, the crew's morale seemed to improve drastically.

They didn't know the commander personally, but his actions made him a legend in the Alliance.

If he died...

It was bad enough the crew of the Normandy had lost Corporal Jenkins to the geth on Eden Prime - if Commander Shepard had died as well, then they would all go down in the annals of the Alliance's history as bystanders to the greatest sacrifice in modern history.

Climbing the stairs towards the bridge after having been fully clothed, and well-armed again, the commander nodded to the saluting Alliance marines and continued on his journey to the cock-pit.

As he was moving along, Navigator Pressly, another elderly officer, smiled and saluted at the hulking titan: "I knew they wouldn't keep the Lion of Elysium down for long, Commander!" Shepard simply laughed and saluted back, before moving swiftly towards where Joker was sitting.

Kaidan was sat in the co-pilot's chair; his hands in a mad frenzy on the haptic interfaces' holographic keyboard. Clearly, he was trying to lose himself in his work and was too hyper-focused on whatever star chart, or Normandy maintenance report, was in front of him to hear his commander approach.

Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams - formerly, the last surviving member of the 212th, and now the latest addition to the Normandy's crew - was standing over his shoulder, merely observing. No words were seemingly passed between the pair; they seemed to be merely passing the time before the Normandy hit the relay.

Joker, however, knew everything that happened on the bridge.

Turning quickly around, the bearded human gave a low whistle - his eyes full of mirth as his face broke out into a good-natured grin: "I wondered when you'd be back up and about, Commander! It seems I owe Adams a hundred credits... I thought you'd be out until we docked at the Citadel."

Alenko immediately ceased his dancing fingertips, his tone laced with happiness as he turned around to face his old friend: "It's good to have you back up and about, sir. How are you feeling? The blast from the beacon looked like it packed quite the punch..."

The Lion slowly nodded his head, his shoulders unconsciously tensing before relaxing again at the persistent images that had been burnt into his mind; "I've been better, Kaidan. But I'll be fine. Thanks for asking."

It was Chief Williams that regarded the titan next: "I'm glad you're okay, Commander. The crew certainly needed some good news... Especially after what happened to Jenkins."

Another head nod and Shepard's tone softened; "Jenkins was a valuable part of this crew - he'll be missed."

A slight blush radiated through the young woman's cheeks as she began to stare at her boots. It was a few moments before she spoke next; her words laced with the same tone of guilt she'd had in the med-bay when explaining what had happened to the commander and the beacon.

"Part of me feels guilty about his death - over what happened. If Jenkins was still alive, I might not be here."

Before the commander could respond, it was Alenko that chimed in first, "You're a good soldier, Chief. You belong on the Normandy."

A warm smile graced the marine's lips as she kindly regarded the compliment; the N7 didn't give the pair long before asking a question that was rattling around his head: "How are you two holding up? Things were pretty rough down there."

With a heavy sigh, the Chief leant against one of the nearby co-pilots seats; "I've seen friends die before - comes with being a marine. But to see my whole unit wiped out... I guess you'd know what that's like, huh Commander? Do you ever get over it?"

Shepard repressed the urge to scream at thinking back to his unit being massacred on Akuze; his words clipped: "No. You don't. But you soldier on - so their sacrifices meant something in the grand scheme of things."

Ashley nodded her head as she turned to face out the primary viewport of the cock-pit; an unbidden tear gently rolling down her cheek.

Kaidan gently coughed as he stood from his seated position, a gentle nudge provoking the commander to say something else: "We couldn't have stopped the colony from being destroyed without you, Williams. The Lieutenant's right; you deserve to be on the Normandy - you served with distinction."

A small chuckle emanated from the soldier's lips as she gave a warm smile to both of the other marines in the cock-pit: "Thank you. I have to admit, I was a little worried about being assigned to the Normandy. It's nice when everyone makes you feel welcome."

Joker barked out a laugh as his fingers danced across his own display: "I don't even know who you are... You just showed up here ten minutes ago!"

Without any hesitation, the Chief quipped back; her tone jovial, "And I'd bet ten credits they were the best ten minutes of your life, Helmsman."

Laughter broke out in the cock-pit as Joker began to flush red; "I think she's going to fit in just fine, Commander."

The Normandy had already left FTL during their conversation, and was now slowing down as it approached the gigantic Citadel - the heart of galactic civilisation. The power base of a select few races. Although the Council didn't have any direct control over their own respective species, or any other council affiliated species, their words were practically law.

Shepard could only stare in awe as he witnessed the sight of the giant deep space station slowly approaching them.

The large station; its five white gleaming arms, open and inviting against the mixture of blues, blacks, pinks and purples of the Serpent Nebula; Widow to be precise. It was definitely a sight to behold.

The other members in the cock-pit seemingly agreed with Shepard's thoughts. It was simply beautiful.

Except for Joker.

He looked like he couldn't give two shits.

'He's probably seen too much of space to get this feeling any more. Poor bastard...'

With a chuckle, Shepard glanced around the cock-pit, trying to gauge everybody's thoughts.

Kaidan was stood near Ashley, pointing out into the Nebula, as if trying to capture the stars with his finger and Ashley was childishly grinning as she viewed the swirls of colours and the large ships of the Citadel Defence Fleet that were passing by.

Ashley piped up from her position next to Alenko as a gargantuan vessel glided past the approaching Normandy, "Look at the size of that thing! It dwarfs anything the Alliance has!"

Kaidan merely chuckled as he viewed the sight on Ashley's face, before answering her unspoken question, "The 'Destiny Ascension'. Flagship of the Citadel fleet. She's definitely a lot bigger than any of our dreadnaughts."

Joker added his own thoughts into the mix at this point as he spun around in his chair. "Size isn't everything you know."

Laughter broke out once more in the cock-pit as everybody regarded Joker's stoic face. It was Ashley that spoke first, "Why so touchy, Joker?". A vicious grin was plastered on her face as she teased the pilot.

Joker snorted and then defensively replied, "I'm just saying you need fire-power as well! It's no good being that size if you can't deal some serious damage back!"

Kaidan was next to comment on the pilots defensive tone, "Joker, look at the size of the main armament on the Ascension. It could rip through the barriers and shields of any ship in the Alliance. I don't think fire-power is a problem."

The commander said nothing as everyone fell silent.

Once a comfortable silence had settled, Joker swivelled back to face the controls.

Coincidentally, the comms in the Normandy suddenly came to life the moment the conversation had ended: "This is Citadel Control. Alliance vessel, state your purpose and approach vector."

Joker replied in a lazy tone, as if he was too tired to bother with such trivialities; "This is the SSV Normandy, requesting permission to dock."

"Stand by for clearance Normandy."

There was a pause before Citadel control answered, "Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator now."

Joker hands continued to dance across his display as he pressed a holographic key to open up another comms channel; "Roger, Citadel control." With another click, a human voice could be heard in the cock-pit - a slight warble as they spoke: "Normandy, this is Alliance Tower. Please proceed to dock 422."

Another swish of his hands and Joker began to slowly alter their trajectory - slowing the ship's speed simultaneously: "Roger, Alliance tower. Thanks for your help. Normandy, out."

Although the comms to both Citadel Control and the Alliance Tower had been disconnected, Joker kept speaking aloud: "Captain, we're a few minutes out from docking."

"Very good, Joker. See to it that Commander Shepard, Lieutenant Alenko and Gunnery Chief Williams are at the airlock waiting for me."

In an ironic turn of events; mirroring their previous conversation above Eden Prime a couple of days ago, Joker retorted: "They're already here, Captain."

Shepard gave a low chuckle as he regarded his squad mates.

'He's got some bollocks on him, I'll give him that.'

Captain Anderson waited a moment before speaking once more; his voice somewhat hushed, "Spectre Nihlus is awake now - once we're ashore, see to it that he receives a marine escort out of the Alliance docks. We don't want an inter-species conflict arising because a 'Turian Spectre from Eden Prime' was suddenly found wandering around an Alliance-only area."

Joker's response was calm and collected, as if he was reciting his alphabet, "Aye aye, Captain. Marine escorts to go with the Turian Spectre. Gotcha."

A few minutes later, Captain Anderson arrived on the bridge - a fresh, clean uniform having been equipped. Alenko, Williams and Shepard said nothing as the four humans readied themselves to leave the ship.

As the airlock eventually cycled and opened to the awaiting Citadel, once the Normandy was secure, the next sound, Shepard was to remark some time later into his life, was one of the most grating, rage-inducing sounds in his life:

"Captain Anderson and Commander Shepard are ashore. Navigator Pressly has control."

The Presidium was a calm, serene and tranquil place with luscious scenery as far as the eye could see. Many different races from across the galaxy strolled around on the Presidium: Elcor, Volus, Asari, Turian, Salarian... It was a comforting sight to the four humans as they ventured towards humanities embassy.

What they didn't expect however, when they entered the office of humanities ambassador, was to see said ambassador in the middle of a heated discussion with three holograms; namely that of an Asari, a Turian and a Salarian.

'They must be the Council, 'Shepard pondered, 'These are supposed to be the representatives of the most advanced species?'

Shepard could only mentally note how strange the situation was as he watched the human man in front of him, go red with pent-up rage.

"This is an outrage!" roared Ambassador Udina. Despite the presence of the three most powerful members of the galaxy, humanity wasn't going to take it lying down.

"The Council would step in and offer assistance if the Geth attacked a Turian colony!"

'I have to give the man credit; at least he can shout at the Council. Somehow, I don't think this is the first time this has happened...'

The four humans moved into the room, and seated themselves on different couches, adjacent to the entrance of the office. It was a strange sight if Shepard had ever seen one. An Alliance Captain in his dress uniform, two Alliance soldiers, clad in their respective armour's, and then there was Shepard. A tank on legs in a place of peace and prosperity, as they watched humanities ambassador give both barrels to the Council.

It was the Salarian hologram that spoke first, the one that looked like an over-sized frog, with a voice dripping with contempt, "The Turian's don't establish colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador."

It was the Asari hologram that spoke next, the blue-skinned 'woman' kept her voice calm and tranquil, as if she were speaking about something as trivial as the weather, "Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse, Ambassador."

Udina was still visibly fuming as he tried a different approach, "What about Saren?! You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre! He tried to destroy a human colony along with the geth!" Thrusting a finger at the Council and stepping forward, Udina bellowed, "I demand action!"

It was the Turian hologram who spoke up now, his voice was as cold as ice as he glared at the human ambassador, "You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador." The way the Turian Councillor spat the word 'ambassador' made Udina recoil as if physically hit. He had just been reminded of his position, and to who exactly he was screaming at.

The Asari spoke up now, following on from her Turian colleague, "Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing, and not before."

With that final statement, the holograms of the Council flickered and vanished, preventing Udina from firing back up again.

Udina turned around at the end of his conversation to face the soldiers who had waited patiently for him. With sarcasm drenching his words, Udina uttered a simple statement, but it was spoken as if he was itching for more confrontation, "Captain Anderson. I see you brought half of your crew with you."

The captain just stared back at the shorter man, his face impassive as if to show that Udina's attempts at provocation had not worked.

His reply was as civil as the experienced captain could muster, "Just the ground crew from the mission on Eden Prime, in case you had any questions. It also looks like you've gained an audience with the Council."

"I have. It was difficult, but they have allowed us a short amount of time to present our case. However, I read in the reports that there was a Turian Spectre on Eden Prime as well. Where's Nihlus? Is this another Turian you've let walk all over you?".

Anderson visibly tensed at Udina's comment, but Udina simply carried on, "Nihlus survived an attack by Saren, therefore he's a key witness. Where is he?!" Udina said with barely concealed impatience.

"Spectre Nihlus doesn't want any part of the situation, he wants to remain anonymous. If he speaks out about Saren, he could well be permanently excluded from the Spectre's, or worse..." Anderson stated in a slightly irritated tone.

Udina was starting to get on Anderson's nerves; that much was apparent to the other Alliance personnel in the room. They'd been speaking for less than two minutes and Shepard could already see a fight beginning to commence.

With some reluctance, Udina gave a heavy sigh, and continued. "Fine, fine... Nihlus is saving his own plates and scales. What evidence have we got then?! We can't very well go to a Council meeting without any bloody evidence! It would be publicly humiliating!"

"You have the reports of three reliable Alliance soldiers who were on Eden Prime; in addition to Shepard's report on his vision he experienced. That, should be plenty. Besides, if there's any evidence that C-Sec can come up with before the meeting, it'll only strengthen our case." Anderson explained; although he sounded fairly unconvinced at his last statement.

Udina instantly picked up on his lack of certainty, "C-Sec is not going to be able to do anything! The Council don't like having their best agent accused of treason! They're going to do everything in their power to lock everything away!"

Shepard decided it was his turn to join in now. "It's not an accusation, Ambassador. Saren, along with the geth, intended to detonate nuclear devices on Eden Prime! I had to disarm the fucking things!" Shepard was allowing his pent-up rage to filter out now.

Udina simply smirked at the angry behemoth in front of him. When Udina spoke next, if it wasn't for the fact that discipline had been shoved into Shepard, he would have knocked the smaller man down in one punch, "Settle down Commander... You've already jeopardised your candidacy for the Spectres. If we had the beacon left intact then maybe we wouldn't be stuck in this situation. Incompetence however, seems to be rife at the moment."

'You arrogant son of a bitch! I should make you swallow those shit-chiglets you call front teeth, right now!'

Captain Anderson, realising that Shepard was bristling with anger, placed a hand on the commander's arm, in an attempt to prevent the inevitable explosion of anger. Ashley and Kaidan, who had previously tried to blend into the background, now shot forward in Shepard's defence. Udina simply stood, smirking at the armoured titan of rage in front of him, not intimidated in the slightest.

It was Anderson that answered for Shepard, "The beacon exploding wasn't Shepard's fault! Nobody knew what was going to happen if it was activated. It's not fair to blame anybody; least of all Shepard for that!"

Udina, leaning back on one foot with his arms crossed over his chest, his face stoic once more, addressed Captain Anderson. "I see. Come with me, Captain. We have much to discuss before the hearing." Turning to face Shepard, who had only calmed down slightly, he continued, "And Shepard? Once you've recollected yourself, meet us at the Citadel tower. I'll make sure you clearance to reach the top level."

And with that, Udina walked away, beckoning captain Anderson to follow him.

Once both men had left, Shepard sighed and turned to face his squad. They were both burning with rage at the treatment of their commander at the hands of someone like Udina. It was Ashley who spoke up first, "And that, is exactly why I hate politicians! Arrogant sons of bitches! You should have knocked him on his ass, commander!"

'Ashley... That is probably the smartest thing I've heard in the past twenty-four hours.'

Kaidan felt similar feelings. "I don't know how you did it, Commander. I think I would have lost it."

Smiling at the loyalty shown by his squad members, Shepard silently beckoned them to follow him as he moved towards the exit. As he approached, he simply said, without turning around, "Trust me guys, I was pretty close to making his pearly white teeth his next meal..."

Ashley barked out a laugh as Kaidan simply chuckled, a small grin placing itself on the young marine lieutenant's face.

This wasn't loyalty you could buy. This was loyalty you had to earn.

Shepard hadn't had much chance to earn it yet, but he damn well knew he was going to try.

As the trio moved out of the elevator, towards the Council platform, they noticed two Turians were stood arguing at the top of a flight of stairs.

A young Turian, clad in dark blue armour, was arguing with an older Turian clad in dark red armour.

As they approached, they could just make out the conversation between the pair:

"Saren's hiding something! I just know he is. Give me more time. Stall them!" The younger Turian was saying to the elder; quite loudly in fact.

The elder Turian simply stood there in amusement and incredulity, "Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous Garrus! Your investigation is over. There is no evidence that Saren was going to destroy that human colony!"

With that statement made, the elder Turian turned about face and walked away, leaving the now fuming younger Turian to stand alone in the Council chambers. Shepard smiled when he heard the younger Turian mutter under his breath, "Of course I haven't found anything on, Saren... It's all Spirits be damned 'classified'! Incompetent sack of Varren shit..."

Shepard then saw that the Turian had noticed Shepard's presence and had begun to move towards him. As soon as the Turian was close, Shepard stopped in his tracks, allowing the Turian to introduce himself:

"Commander Shepard?"

Shepard nodded, and the Turian continued, "I'm Garrus Vakarian."

The men exchanged a handshake, before Garrus continued once more, "I am... I was, the C-Sec officer in charge of the investigation into Saren's actions."

Shepard simply smiled as he replied, his anger from the conversation with Udina now dissipated after walking though the scenery of the Presidium. "I heard. I'm guessing that was your superior?"

With a nod from Garrus, Shepard continued, "Sounds like all the evidence has been locked away then..."

With a sigh, Garrus replied, "I'm afraid so. All of the available evidence was labelled as part of a Spectre investigation, so C-Sec can't touch it." Garrus finished as he bowed his head in what appeared to be barely contained frustration.

Shepard simply laughed, causing Garrus to look up in confusion, "It's alright Garrus. it's not your fault. That's just how politics works: 'lock it away before it can be used'. It doesn't matter either way to me. I'll stop Saren. No two ways about it." Shepard stated, causing Garrus to swell with hope.

'This human's going to do what needs to be done. I wish I could say the same...' Garrus thought as he watched another human move up to the side of the commander, ready to speak.

"Commander? I believe the Council's ready to see us," the human said, causing the commander to simply nod and smile at Garrus, "Well, back into the pan we go... Wish us luck Garrus!"

As the trio of humans moved ahead, Garrus shouted back to the commander, "Good luck Commander! Maybe they'll listen to you!"

Captain Anderson was stood at the base of the stairs waiting for the commander and his entourage. As soon as he approached, Anderson began, "Come on! The Council's already in session!"

The trio of humans hastened their speed as they climbed up the stairs, eventually to stand on a platform - across from another elevated platform - which housed the three different Councillors.

Councillor Valern, the Salarian representative, Councillor Tevos, the Asari representative, and Councillor Sparatus, the Turian representative.

'At least Avina was useful for something...' Shepard thought as he remembered questioning the Citadel's VI on the Presidium ring.

However, off to the side of the Council's platform was a twenty foot hologram of the 'Turian of the hour'.

'Saren. He looks a lot more... Metallic up close...' Shepard silently remarked as he viewed the hologram, noticing the metal plates attached to certain parts of Saren's body.

The Asari Councillor began, "The geth attack in question, is a matter of some concern. But... There is nothing to indicate that Saren was involved."

"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason." The Turian Councillor further elaborated.

Udina fired up at the mention of this, "We have two eyewitnesses who heard Saren say he was going to destroy Eden Prime with nuclear weaponry, in addition to trying to kill a fellow Spectre!"

The Salarian now spoke up, "We've looked at the evidence Ambassador, and your eyewitness accounts are inadmissible. One terrified smuggler isn't a reliable enough testimony. And this other 'eyewitness'... Unless they step forward to be put on trial, their account stands for nothing in this meeting."

"I resent these accusations!" Saren interrupted, "I have no need to destroy a Human colony; and I would never kill for the sake of it."

"You despise Humanity! You tried to destroy Eden Prime!" Captain Anderson bellowed.

"Ah! Captain Anderson! Why is it, you are always involved when humanity presses false charges against me?" Saren said, sarcasm dripping from his words. Saren's eyes landed on Shepard next, "And this must be your protégé! Commander Shepard! The one who allowed the Prothean beacon to be destroyed..."

'How the hell does he know about that?!' Shepard silently fumed next to Anderson.

Anderson was the one however to ask the question, "How did you know about the beacon?! That was classified!"

"As a Spectre, I have access to resources that your Alliance could only dream of. I was, however, thoroughly unimpressed with the reports submitted about Eden Prime. But then again, what more can you expect from humans..."

"You lying cunt!" Shepard roared, his anger finally brimming over.

"Your species needs to learn its place, Commander!" Saren snarled, "You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!"

Shepard snarled with rage at Saren's comment; his anger had already poured over the edge, and Saren was just adding to the inferno raging in Shepard's heart.

Udina came to the rescue however, before Shepard did something he would probably regret: "He has no right to say that! That's not his decision!"

For the first time since stepping aboard the Citadel, Udina didn't seem that much of a dickhead to Shepard.

Councillor Tevos raised a hand as she began to speak, hoping to quell the argument, and prevent any more shouting, "Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting."

Saren growled back, his tone dark and menacing, "This meeting has no purpose! The humans are wasting your time Councillors, and mine!"

"Stop hiding behind the Council, you fucking coward!" Shepard barked, his passion still burning strongly.

"Shepard! Control yourself!" Udina bellowed as he began staring down the man next to him.

'Nope, Udina's still a dickhead. A bona fide dickhead.'

It was Councillor Tevos once again, positioning for peace, "Silence! The pair of you! If you do not act with respect towards one another, this meeting shall be finished! Am I understood?!"

Both sides were silent.

"Good. Now is there anything else to add to this hearing?" Tevos said, her voice still remaining calm and tranquil.

"There's one more thing; Shepard's vision. It may have been from the beacon." Anderson stated.

Saren merely laughed, his tone condescending, "Are we allowing dreams into testimony now?" He spread his arms out wide, "How can I possibly defend my innocence against dreams and wild speculations?!"

'You need some innocence first, you slimy fuck.'

"I agree," Stated the Turian Councillor, "Our judgements must be made on the basis of solid evidence and facts. Shepard's vision, does not constitute as evidence."

Tevos then spoke, "Have you anything more to add, Commander Shepard?"

"No. You won't listen to reason anyway."

'What's the fucking point?'

There was a momentary discussion between the Councillors - their audio devices muted; as not to give away their verdict just yet.

Finally, Councillor Tevos spoke once more, "The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth attack of Eden Prime. Ambassador, your petition to have Saren disbarred from the Spectres is denied. This meeting is adjourned."

"I'm glad to see justice was served." Saren mocked, before his hologram blinked out of existence.

'Don't you worry you son of a bitch', Shepard seethed as he marched down from the podium he was currently on, 'Justice will be served. With my boot so far up your arse, you'll taste metal till the day your miserable existence ends!'