Hey guys, it's been quite a while. Life's been busy, and it's been hard to find the motivation to write for the last few months. So here's what I've managed to write in that time. Not much, but it's something.

24th July, 2183. Unknown.

She put a hand to her head, massaging the slowly receding ache.

"It doesn't look good, Shepard. Nihlus is dead, and the beacon was destroyed. The Council is going to want answers."

"Captain, we're on approach to the Citadel." Came the voice over the intercom.

Screeching. That horrific roar. The groan of machines malfunctioning. The flash of flesh and teeth. A sickeningly organic shreek. Circuits flickering through their states. The flash.

Her eyes jolted open. And then slammed shut as the blindingly bright light shone through. She blinked rapidly, trying to process the influx of images into something she could comprehend. This ceiling...unfamiliar...but also very familiar.

"Doctor, she's awake." A woman's voice. Familiar.

"You okay, ma'am?" A man. Also familiar.

A grey-haired woman stood over her, shining a torch into each of her eyes, causing her to blink.

"Pupil dilation. No concussion." The woman turned back to her. "You had us worried there, Commander. How are you feeling?"

Commander Theresa Shepard groaned as pushed herself into a sitting position, and immediately regretted the decision, as her head began to pound. She used a hand to massage her temple as she turned to face the other occupants of the room. Doctor Chakwas?

"Where am I? And how long was I out?"

The man, sitting on a chair next to the bed, spoke up. Kaidan Alenko. "You're back on the Normandy, ma'am. You've been out for about sixteen hours."

"It was my fault," the younger woman interjected. Ashley Williams? "I must have triggered the beacon's security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way." Williams shook her head. "I'm sorry, Commander. I lost my cool. I…" she paused. "I don't like losing people."

Chakwas looked at her. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Sergeant. We still don't know that that was what set it off. And now we'll never know…"

Noticing the confusion on the XO's face, Alenko stood up, and paced around the room, as if deciding how to phrase his answer. His expression changed to one of defeat after a few seconds.

"The beacon exploded, Commander. System overload. The explosion knocked you out cold. Williams and I had to carry you back to the ship." The images came back to her. Williams with her weapon out, then being dragged into the air. The air was on fire. Shepard blinked.

"Why the Normandy though? Eden Prime would have had adequate medical facilities."

Chakwas gave her a worried look. "Nothing we couldn't handle on the ship, Commander. The facilities at the colony would have been far too overtaxed as it is."

Then it hit her. Dammit. She bit back the anger. Remain calm. Remain calm.

"And I had to put you all through anti-radiation treatments. Which isn't particularly easy to do when two of you patients are unconscious, and one of those in a critical state."

"I see. Thank you." It took her a few seconds. Two? "Wait, Doc, what do you mean two patients?"

Chakwas didn't say anything, and just nodded towards the other end of the room.

Shepard turned. In the place of the third bed that would normally occupy the Normandy's medbay, was a large glass and steel capsule, with a green cross stenciled on the side. Along the edge, she could make out a name. Richard L. Jenkins, Cpl. The name was followed by a string of alphanumerics that made her head hurt to read.

"You saved him, Shepard. You should feel proud of that."

Shepard lowered her eyes. "But we couldn't save his home."

Alenko stood next to the capsule and placed a hand on it. "There was nothing we could have done, Commander. We were too far away from where those nukes were set. The fact that we saved anyone is a miracle." He patted the little grey-blue blob that she hadn't noticed on top of the capsule, before turning to face Shepard.

Williams stood and saluted. "Thanks, Commander."

There was a chime from the medbay doors, and the light on the door controls turned green as they slid open.

"So how's my XO doing?" asked Captain Anderson as he stepped into the room. He was wearing his dress uniform, the long sleeves hiding his prosthetic arm. Behind the Captain, the turian Spectre, Nihlus, strode in, taking in the presence of the humans in the room.

Chakwas handed him a datapad. "Perfectly fine, Captain, aside from some unusual brain activity."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Doctor?"

"Nothing harmful, Commander. Just unusual. It was as if you were dreaming."

Anderson crossed his arms. "Commander. What do you remember?"

Theresa put a hand to her head, trying to pull back those vague images. "I think it was a vision. Like the beacon put something into my head. Death, destruction, fire. There's a little bit more, but that's all I get."

"I see. Doctor, Nihlus and I need to speak to the Commander in private."

Chakwas nodded. "I'll be in the next room if you need me." The back door hissed shut.

Alenko and Williams stood to attention and saluted. Williams glanced at Shepard, before leaving. Alenko, however, stepped over to Jenkins' medical capsule, picking up the small blob of what looked to be feathers and placing it on his shoulder. The blob shifted slightly, and adhered to the man's back as he headed towards the door.

"Uh, Lieutenant? What's that?"

He stopped. "Oh, right. Commander, this is Flittering Dreamwalker. He's a Fythern. They found him with Jenkins; apparently he kept Jenkins awake until Doctor Chakwas could get to him."

The blob on his shoulder resolved itself into the shape of a small four-legged dragon, about the size of a small cat. It was covered in blue-grey feathers, and its small snout twitched slightly, making a small purring sound. Was that a yawn?

Shepard raised an eyebrow as Alenko carried the ball of blue feathers out of the med bay. She turned back to the Captain and the Spectre. "So what happened?"

Anderson sighed. "It doesn't look good, Shepard. The Beacon was destroyed, and half of New Eden is a radioactive crater." He shifted, the fingers on his still organic right hand tapping lightly against his leg. "I've sent a report to HIGHCOM on Earth. We're diverting to the Citadel to testify to the Council."

Nihlus' colour was grim. "The Council wouldn't risk galactic stability and prosperous relations for something like this. Saren must have gone rogue. And a rogue Spectre can mean a whole lot of trouble."

Anderson nodded. "The Security Council is probably still debating on how to respond, but they should have made their decision by the time we reach the Citadel." He tapped at his Omni-tool. "Ambassador Udina will brief us when we arrive. I've decided to bring the entire ground team from Eden Prime. You, and Lieutenant Alenko, as well as Staff Sergeant Williams and Corporal Bhatia."

"Williams and Bhatia, sir?" Shepard scratched her head. Bhatia is on the ship as well?

"I've had them temporarily transferred to the Normandy. We haven't had the chance to fill the hole left by Jenkins in Alenko's squad."

"Understood, sir. ROE on the Citadel?"

"Light patrol armour, Carbines and Service Pistols. No heavy ordnance. The rest is as usual for urban ops."

"Carbines seem a bit heavy for a diplomatic job, sir."

Nihlus paced around the room. He stopped by the medi-gel dispenser, looking at it curiously. "If I know Saren, he'll have a target painted on you, on all of us. My Spectre clearance will get you onto the station with weapons, but only up to a certain point."

Anderson's face had an oddly knowing look painted across it. Shepard decided not to bring it up.

"As for those visions, Shepard, we're going to send you to speak to a Naval Intelligence Esper to see if we can make any sense out of them, but that will come later. The Council will probably want to have one of their own examine those visions of yours." He looked down at his watch, an old steel and canvas timepiece. "We should be arriving at the Citadel soon. You alright to walk, Commander?"

"Aye aye, sir." She rose to her feet and saluted. "Commander Theresa Shepard, reporting for duty, sir!"

"Good. Let's head up to the CIC. A Citadel approach is something you need to see for the first time."

There was a flash of blue light against the purple-violet light of the nebula, and where there had only been a faint trace of stellar material, a small, dart-like shape burst into existence. Fusion torches at high-throttle, the UNSNormandy flew gracefully into the void. Like an eagle gliding through a forest, the Normandy swooped past the long lanes of ships lining up to dock at the space station off in the distance.

And what a sight it was. Even at thousands of kilometres, the station was large enough to be seen by the group of people standing behind the Normandy's pilot. The gentle curve of the colossal petal-like arms spread forwards from the immense ring at the end of the station. The Citadel. The centre of the "civilised" galaxy.

The ship sped past the warships of the Citadel Defence Fleet, rushing past the blunt, predatory shapes of turian cruisers and the sleek, aquatic form of the asari dreadnought, the Destiny Ascension, massive and powerful enough to take on multiple human-built vessels of the same tonnage.

The Normandy drifted closer to the station, decelerating as it made its way forwards.

"Transferring you to a human operator, Normandy."

"Follow the beacons to Zakera Ward Dock D24."

There hadn't been much time to see the sights, as Anderson hurried the team through the dock, and straight to the embassy, which was a mere hundred metres away from the docking bays reserved for the human United Nations Embassy. They were through security in seconds, and were standing in Ambassador Donnell Udina's office within three minutes of stepping out of the Normandy's airlock.

"A fine mess, isn't it, Captain Anderson. The Beacon was destroyed, the biggest city on Eden Prime was destroyed, two hundred thousand people are dead. Can I ask why you've brought a small army to a diplomatic hearing."

Anderson stood at attention. "Just the ground team from Eden Prime, sir. Minus our wounded man. Spectre Nihlus left to give his report to the Council."

Udina frowned. "I see. Come on, if we dawdle and longer we'll be late to see the Council." The Ambassador lead the group out of the bustling building and into a waiting D-22 Sabretooth dropship. The moment the six humans were locked into the jumpseats in the troop compartment, the rear hatch raised into its closed position, and the unarmed white dropship lifted off with a roar.

Towards the front end of the compartment, Anderson had a frustrated frown on his face. He was engaged in a quiet conversation with Udina, who looked equally discontented. Shepard could feel the disheartenment emanating off of the pair.

Nope. Not touching that with a ten-foot pole. Nope. This can only mean trouble.

"Ambassador, Captain, we're docking at the base of the Citadel Tower now."

There was a metallic thunk as the shuttle touched down at the the Presidium's Diplomatic Port. The entire section was covered in a mass effect field to keep the atmosphere in, so the moment the pilots gave confirmation to dock, the Sabretooth's portside door slid open. A pair of lightly armed UN Marines, probably from the embassy, stood at the ready, Behind them, two turian Citadel Security, C-Sec, officers waited, M-15 Vindicator rifles held in their talons. Shepard noted that the weapons were set to safe.

Shepard motioned to the rest of her squad. "Alenko and I will go first, then the Captain and Ambassador Udina. Williams, Bhatia, bring up the rear. We're taking no chances. Watch all angles. We don't know if Saren is going to try anything." Silent nods were the only response she received.

As she stepped down onto the platform, the two Marines stood at attention, but did not salute. They're treating this like a combat situation. "This way, sirs," said one of them. The young man had the symbol of the Martian Marine Corps painted on his chestplate, while the other had the crest of the Elysium Marines.

"Quickly sir, this platform is too exposed. We need to get you all into the Council Chambers immediately." The Marine tapped his wrist.

Shepard turned to her group. "You heard the man. Let's go, people."

The Marines and C-Sec officers led the group off the platform towards a large elevator at the end of the walkway. It was obvious to see that the men were constantly scanning their surroundings as they walked. In the end, nothing happened, and the escorts lead them into the elevator. Once they were inside, the doors slid shut, and the lift began to descend. Slowly descend.

After about thirty seconds, the elevator music turned into an advertisement for an elcor production of Hamlet. That raised a few eyebrows. At the front of the group, one of the turians looked at the other, and shrugged.

Longest elevator ride. Ever. Shepard looked around as she followed the escort out of the lift. The Council Chamber was massive. Polished tiles paved the deck, and panelled wood lined the walls. Well groomed plants and small trees grew from small gardens along the tiered staircases, and she swore she could hear a fountain somewhere.

"It looks pretty and all, but in a fight this could be a very defensible position," said Williams, who was surveying the massive chamber as the group walked towards the central staircase. The lift had deposited them somewhere off to the side of the main entryway. Alenko nodded in agreement, but remained silent.

Shepard looked up the stairway. The purple glow of the Serpent Nebula shone in through the colossal windows at the far end, bathing the chamber in violet light.

"-o you mean I'm off the case?" Shepard could hear a flanged, metallic voice further up the stairs. A pair of turians, both in C-Sec uniforms, stood. The one wearing the tactical visor and blue face-paint looked frustrated.

"Saren is a Spectre problem now, Vakarian. All C-Sec personnel are being pulled, not just you. Head back to headquarters for reassignment."

Vakarian narrowed his eyes. "But sir, just a little more time, and I could-"

"Don't make me repeat myself, Investigator Vakarian."

Vakarian's shoulders slumped. "Yes sir." He turned and began to march himself down the staircase. As he walked down the steps, he noticed Shepard's group. He stopped next to them.

"Commander Shepard. Welcome to the Citadel. Garrus Vakarian," he introduced himself, "Investigator, C-Sec. Formerly assigned to the Arterius Investigation."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. She nodded to Anderson, who returned the gesture. The Captain continued to lead their ad-hoc delegation up the steps.

She turned back to the turian detective. "Formerly assigned?"

The turian opened and closed his talons. "Council directive. The investigation started immediately after the reports about Eden Prime started coming in. Geth attacks don't happen every day, you know. And then Spectre Kyrik showed up with his reports, and the Council froze all investigations related to the attack."

Shepard scratched her head. "So….did you find out anything?"

"Something. It might be nothing. I tried to petition Executor Pallin for access to Saren's military and Spectre records, try and find some kind of link between him and the attack on Eden Prime. All of his mission records are heavily classified."

He looked back up the staircase, the violet light glinting off his metallic skin. The ambient noise in the chamber had increased. "You'd better go, Commander. It sounds like the conference has begun." He tapped his omni-tool. A contact exchange request appeared in Shepard's mental window. "I'm going to keep digging. I'll contact you if I find anything."

A UNN officer in contact with a Citadel Security detective. This could be promising. She thought-clicked the accept button.

"Thank you, Detective. Humanity could really use any help it can get."

Garrus nodded. "Good luck up there, Shepard." The turian turned and stalked off towards the elevator at the far end of the chamber.

Theresa gazed back up towards the top of the stairs.

"-on behalf of the United Nations of Earth and the Colonies-"

Her in-head flashed. A message from Anderson. "The hearing's started, be quick". The chamber had become quiet as Ambassador Udina began to speak.

As Shepard reached the top of the stairs, pushing through the small crowd that had gathered. There were a few news camera-drones floating in the air above. She took her place next to Anderson behind the speaker's platform. The Captain simply nodded.

"-t is with great regret that the United Nations will be ending all trade, scientific, and military relations with the Citadel Council effective immediately unless the rogue agent Saren Arterius is brought to justice for his crimes against humanity. This decision will be open to some negotiation. Thank you for your time." As the Council chamber descended into chaos, Udina bowed to the Council, before turning and stepping away from the platform.

What?

Councillor Tevos appeared slightly flustered. "Ambassador, this is clearly an overreaction by your government. Humanity has had amiable relationships with the Citadel for almost thirty years."

Udina had been facing towards the human group at the time, which allowed Shepard to watch his expression, and his colour, contort into almost pure rage. The man whipped around, furious. "Councillor. One of your agents is responsible for an attack on a human world that resulted in the deaths of almost two million people, and the destruction of one of the largest human settlements outside the Sol Drift. To say that our species is pissed would be a gross understatement." Tevos shifted uncomfortably and winced.

The salarian councilor, Valern, took the stand in place of the cowed Tevos. "Your anger and frustrations are understandable, as are those of your people, Ambassador. Why don't we reconvene at a future juncture for negotiations?"

With a gravelly tone to his voice, Udina replied, "I'll bring it up with my superiors."

Shepard blinked.

Again, sorry about how short this chapter is and how long it's been since the last update.

Question time:

Generatedname: I did read Turtledoves novels, but these are actually more Halo references. Big Halo fan.

BrokenLifeCycle: I'm a bit up in the air about energy shields. The closest thing to them in Muv-Luv is the Rutherford Field, which uses gravity distortions to bend shots around the vessel, rather than blocking hits. The problem with the Rutherford Field is that the equipment for generating and stabilising wouldn't fit on anything smaller than a frigate.

Ddragon21: When your civilisation has been around thousands of years longer than another, of course you'd feel superior.

Drygen: Yeah I'm thinking of rewriting and fleshing out the timeline more at some point in the future. It'll be cleaned up eventually. Also, the story will being to diverge more later.

edboy4926: maybe. I'm a bit up in the air regarding many things about the SR-2.