Chapter Text
Shepard always enjoyed her time on the Citadel. For her, it was evidence that the galaxy at large could put aside its differences and come together to construct something greater. Additionally, it was perhaps the only place that truly felt like home compared to anywhere else.
With a clear growl, Shepard silenced the alarm clock on her cupboard. Due to her faster metabolism, she’s burned through her energy much faster than before. Fortunately, repairs had almost completed. The Normandy and its crew were in dire need of R&R after the Omega-4 Relay. After their narrow escape, EDI and Miranda had prevented the Illusive Man from siphoning away their remaining funds, giving them what they needed to start repairing the vessel. Additionally, the countless nights of launching mining probes had paid off, providing minerals to sell and material to manufacture replacement parts.
Shepard was invited for a talk by Kelly Chambers. After their departure from Cerberus, the yeoman had begun taking stock of their remaining resources. While it surprised Jane how enthusiastic she was to fight back against the pro-human organization, she wasn’t ready to turn down whatever help she could get. Considering how the Illusive Man constructed her crew with the specific purpose of keeping an eye on her, it was fortunate how quickly this turned against the Cerberus leader’s favour. Unfortunately, much of the crew had quickly disbanded in the weeks following their return to the Citadel. Kelly and Jacob were one of the first to leave, rallying some of the other disgruntled crew in their efforts against Cerberus. As the days passed, more of the crew left leaving only a skeleton crew to run the Normandy. Some did opt to remain, such as Kenneth and Gabby, who retained their roles down in the engineering deck. Others were more surprising; namely Zaeed and Kasumi, seeing that both were effectively guns for hire and held no actual loyalty.
The question that remained was what the plan was going forward. Her time under Cerberus had left her with few friends to turn to, with most of the Council and the Alliance failing to lend their aid. Despite her wishes otherwise, the only offer help came from none else than Sparatus. After a few sleepless nights, Paretia and Tali did bring Shepard back to focus on the task ahead. Having finally returned to the Normandy, the crew hastily prepared to move out once more.
“Systems are green. Looks like she’s ready to go,” Joker started, attempting to break the silence. It was apparent that Garrus’ absence hadn’t helped Jane’s peace of mind.
She only sniffed in response. “Hmm…” She only stared at the long list of errors popping up on the monitor regarding the current status of the main gun. “Would it have been so much trouble to run diagnostics one last time before he left?” she cursed.
“So still no answer from him?”
“No…”
“For the last time, hear me out. Garrus is probably helping at home trying to make up for lost time. From what little I’ve heard he’s also got a fair bit of family drama to defuse as well. Just give him time. Wait it out.”
“Wait for what?” Jane turns sharply, causing her plates to creak.
“Look. Point is, we can’t just sit here forever. Can’t you throw your weight around on Palaven…? Can’t she do that, EDI?”
“That’s correct. However, the current situation is…”
“Nailed it,” Joker hastily cheered, giving a light fist pump in some light celebration. “Now, just slap on some armor, make sure that N7 logo is front and center, and march to the Turian capitol. I mean, have you seen how intimidating you are now? With the plates and everything?” He angled his palms and thumbs as he looked back at the commander like he was conducting a photoshoot.
“I’ll admit that the idea did come to my mind,” she sighed, sitting down in the copilot seat. “Garrus and I discussed the possibility of forcing the Hierarchy’s hand, but we didn’t go into detail. That said, I was hoping to talk with Anderson while we were still here.”
“Shep, don’t forget he’s a member of the Council now. You put him there. I can’t imagine what bureaucracy he’s contending wi-”
“He’s been ignoring my messages and for all intents and purposes, he’s the one who’s been putting me in Turian hands,” Jane snapped, slightly letting loose her temper.
It was surprising to see he didn’t flinch. “The Alliance changed after you died. We all got stacked on some shelf to be forgotten. That said, you’ve known the Captain for longer than any of us put together. He’s willing to stick his neck out for you. In fact, I recall how he mentioned he slugged Udina across the jaw when we set us loose to head to Ilos.”
The memory did cause a smile to flinch across her mandibles. Before the banter could continue, her omnitool pinged with a new message. It was Sparatus, again. “It’s Councilor Sparatus. Better get moving.”
“Be careful, alright? They won’t leave you alone,” Joker reminded her. “And they won’t until they get what they want.”
She did not know what to expect. During her mission hunting Saren, she was constantly at odds with the turian Councilor and as such didn’t find many opportunities to get to know him. On top of that, she didn’t exactly know how to read him very well. At the beginning, she hoped that he would be a voice who understood her actions as a soldier, like most other turians of his caliber. Unfortunately, he was a politician first and foremost. Despite the tasks assigned by the council, she always had the impression that Sparatus demanded something more from her. It wasn’t until more recently did he start to warm up to her. Whether it was due to her new bodily form, how she risked Alliance forces to save the Council, how she vouched for Anderson over Udina, or all three was unclear.
His office was different from Anderson's. The most noticeable differences were the lighting, the turian furniture, and decorations. There were added tokens and souvenirs, but no family photo or portraits. As she enters, he offers her turian coffee before they sit at his desk. “I assume the Normandy is fully repaired and ready for departure?” She silently nods while taking a sip. “Any plans in the immediate future?”
“I was hoping to meet Anderson. There’s been a few things I’ve had on my mind?”
“Why? You’re not under his jurisdiction.” Despite Sparatus’ calm tone, she could still hear his dissatisfied undertones. She was still a hard case to crack and didn’t grasp what this meant to all parties involved. Cerberus mess up badly this time and someone else was pulling the strings. Sighing, he pulled out the document and laid it on the table in front of her. “The fact still stands. You are still listed as KIA by Alliance and I don’t see them begging you to return to Earth. In fact, returning to Earth is the least of your priorities.” Shifting their attention to the monitors, he pulled up a few additional reports. “Udina recently was making some moves. I think it’ll be in your interest to look these over.”
Shepard looked at the document in disbelief. She nervously fidgeted with her talons as she read further. Those she respected and cared for wanted her to return to Earth, but for all the wrong reasons. Later elements of the document showed an attempt to figure out whether Shepard would still be loyal to the Alliance and what action would be taken if she turned her loyalties over to the turians. How this would violate any laws was of no concern.
“They want to lock me down in some lab and pick me apart for answers?” Shepard summarized through gritted teeth.
“Anderson is doing all that he can. He legitimately wants you to be welcomed back on Earth, but he’s only one man. And despite his current position, he doesn’t have that much traction,” Sparatus added. “The world of politics and intrigue is governed by a separate set of rules Shepard. Not everything in this realm can be solved with the barrel of your rifle. Anderson can either adapt or be eaten alive by his peers. He has chosen the former.”
It was a disheartening revelation. She believed beneficial changes would come with Anderson over Udina and that his military experience would shake up administration. The reality of the situation was nothing like she imagined it to be. During all this time about speculating the Alliance’s motives, she never would’ve thought the Alliance would so willingly bury her and return to status quo. Now that they got their seat on the Council, they wanted Anderson out.
“I understand this is incredibly shocking, but these are the facts. The Systems Alliance is not the same entity you fought for. Despite the backlash you may still receive from the likes of Solana Vakarian, there’s still a place for you here.”
“And why I should do it? I’m just human in turian body.”
“We recognize that. They won’t. You have adapted clan marking, sending an important signal that you want to start fresh.”
She was quickly running out of counterarguments. “I’ve only accepted them to obtain Thanix guns.”
“And no one needs to know that,” he hissed, tired of her lack of subtlety. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’ve earned your keep here with us! You protected the Vakarian name! You helped catch Natanis! That Gray Box you destroyed could’ve sparked another Turian-Human conflict! You’ve proven yourself an invaluable member of society! All you need do is settle down and claim it!” Sparatus stopped himself to take a deep breath. “To reiterate, the Hierarchy values loyalty. If you want the system to recognize you, you’ll have to recognize the system. Whatever it is you want, you’ll just have to… play along, if you will.”
Her gaze dropped to the floor. She wasn’t prepared to meet such an ultimatum, but she was getting desperate. “Even if I want to gain support to stop the Reapers?”
“If you are loud enough, someone will eventually come over to see what all the fuss is about”
She was still racking her mind around Sparatus' last sentence. It was perhaps the closest thing to a blank check she could get. Entering the elevator, she hears someone from afar calling to stop it for him. “Thank you, ma’am. Christ, these elevators takes ages to get anywhere. Major Coats, Alliance Navy,” he greeted with a light nod.
Shepard nods in return, still concentrating on the previous conversation. “Turian Spectre.”
The document did not say what Alliance’s decision was, but she couldn’t let her guard down. As the elevator continued down to the front lobby, an increasing number of people entered the elevator car, mostly Alliance troops. It was increasingly alarming to her that the car was as cramped as it was. Due to her heightened senses, she could tell they were agitated. On the verge of pouncing, too.
“Oh, hell…” she muttered as the situation snowballed.
One of them bumped into her, pinning her torso to the elevator wall. Jane realized too late that on one of the wrists the attackers had put a magnetic cuff, pinning her left hand to the hand railing. The adrenaline kicking in, she used her right hand to slam the closest man’s head against the wall, dropping them to the floor. With another strong kick, she broke the leg of another opponent along with a few opponents against the elevator door. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that someone approaching with something she recognized as a collar meant for POWs. Getting desperate, she let out a biotic pulse, shoving everyone outward and causing the elevator walls to concave. Yanking her arm off the wall and disengaging the magnetic cuff, she took a moment to look around the elevator car.
The fight clocked in at about three minutes and all her attackers were severely injured and her hands were lightly speckled with human blood. Major Coats slowly stood back up, equipped with two stun batons. “Now, commander…” he panted, desperately trying to figure out how to work the fight in his favor. “Don’t get me wrong. At the end of this, I’d be angry too. But I just wanted you to know that this isn’t anything personal.”
She wasn’t having any of it. As he charged her, she blocked his jab with one hand and caught his shirt collar with the other before hoisting him over her head. His head slammed into the elevator ceiling with an audible crack followed by a wet thump on the floor with the rest of the bodies. She trembled as she looked around her, anger bubbling to the surface. This was the last straw. All her years of service and sacrifice sputtered into nothing. “Yeah? Well… It’s kind of feels personal, now,” Jane whispered.
It was a nervous trek out into the Presidium. Expecting more Alliance troops, her eyes darted back and forth. Not too many people suspected anything of her as they passed by, but chances are that wouldn’t be for long unless she got out of sight. Hastily hailing a taxi, she made her way back to the docks. She was all out of friends and only had one more place to go.
Solana looked at Garrus her brother. It had been years since they spoke and there had been no exchange between them until the hospital. He was years too late and she hated him for it. In their mother’s waning days, she constantly asked for Garrus when he was nowhere around. The illness had taken a toll on her mind and the memory of her confused state burned her.
Admittedly, Kasius helped to keep her level-headed. The days when he showed up was when her mother had the most clarity. She asked Solana about their bonding, having vague memories of Kasius. She didn’t have the strength to tell her they had broken up. Similarly, Kasius was also in a difficult position. As one of the last descendants of his clan, he was supposed to take a mate that could adapt his clan markings. For him, bonding with Solana would mean the end of the Caeldros clan.
It was shocking to see him in the hospital room, as he was supposed to stay on the ship to monitor Shepard’s movement at the time. There he stood in the doorway, silently watching. Her heart almost stops upon realizing he’s stripped half his face of his clan markings. Before she could ask, he simply walked to her side and put an arm around her side, encouraging her to continue. “Mother… this, this is my mate… Kasius.”
It was a moment that alone was Garrus’ saving grace. It was a stark reminder that the last thing their mother would want to see was the two of them fighting. Only now after a talk with Kasius did she notice he was sleep deprived and dehydrated. He’d spent much of his time just lingering with their mother’s urn after his return.
“Solana, you need to go to him,” Kasius reminded, quietly stroking her back. “I know much has happened, but these last few years have been taxing on him. You should at least extend something to him.” He was still trying to mentally draft up some incentive.
“Just give me time, Kasius.”
“I know… you both will need a lot of time to clear the air. But with all we know now, it’s either now or never.”