Chapter 3: Archangel

As the Kodiak landed in the Normandy's shuttle bay, Shepard felt a rush of nostalgia. This was the first time he had stepped on board the Normandy SR2 in years. He noticed Tali fidgeting in the corner of his eye. She was getting the same feeling.

Normandy crew members saluted him as he, along with Tali and Reegar, headed to the elevator to go up to the CIC. While he was officially retired from his duty as an Alliance Commander and a Council Spectre, the crew of the Normandy was 100% loyal to him first, and only him - and his former teammates. The Alliance opted to give Garrus Vakarian - now a Spectre himself - command of the Normandy and her crew as both a gesture of goodwill to the Turian hierarchy following the war and also as a tool for Garrus to use in his Spectre duties; in a galaxy focused on rebuilding, the Normandy would see little use otherwise.

"Welcome back to the Normandy, Commander," said Joker over the ship's intercom as they neared the elevator.

"It's Shepard now, remember?"

"Right. I'll keep working on that."

As Shepard and company got into the elevator, Reegar turned to him. "This is a magnificent ship. I see why you chose it as your flagship during the war."

"Just wait until you see the drive core and stealth systems," said Tali. "Back in 2185 and 2186 I did work down in Engineering - the ship amazed me with something new almost every day. You'll love it."

"That sounds exciting," said Reegar. "Always nice to observe new machinery."

The elevator door opened with a silent, soft "whoosh" to reveal a tall, fit and middle-aged Turian in dark blue armor, complete with a light blue omni-spectacle over his left eye.

It was Garrus Vakarian.

"Shepard!" He said, grasping Shepard's hand with his own. "It's good to see you. I haven't seen you in..."

"Last month, when you came and spent a weekend with Tali and I," said Shepard, with a smile on his face. "You ate all of our leftovers, remember?"

"Has it only been a month? Time seems to fly by faster than it really does when you live the life of a Spectre. And in my defense, no Turian could resist Tali's cooking."

Tali moved in and hugged Garrus. "It's so good to see you're doing well, old friend," she said cheerfully. "I worry about you a little too much, I think. Living the life of a Council Spectre and all."

"If Shepard can do it, then I can manage to pull it off," said Garrus. "Besides, with the galaxy unifying more and more every day, most of my assignments are nothing more than brokering treaties or investigating reports of the occasional mercenary raid. You know how the Blue Suns are..."

"Shepard! Tali!" The voice was female, and Shepard and Tali both recognized it as Ashley Williams, another Council Spectre that had served alongside them both over the years. She came jogging around the Galaxy Map and - after narrowly avoiding a collision with one of the Normandy's navigation officers - gave Shepard a hug and shook Tali's hand. "It's so good to see you two. Oh - Tali, Shepard's told me that you've become interested in human literature?"

Tali nodded. "Yes. I find the poems and novels of old are very insightful and interesting to analyze."

"You ever read any Tennyson?"

"Yes! In fact, I recently read the poem 'The Two Voices'. Much of his work is very dark."

"Here, come up to my quarters with me - it's been ages since I talked to someone who's as obsessed with literature as I am."

With that, Ashley dragged Tali to the elevator to head down to the third level of the Normandy. With a small wave, Tali said, "See you later..."

Shepard turned to Garrus, chuckling. "You know, back in 2183, Ashley strongly disliked non-humans. I'm glad that she's become more accepting of other species."

Garrus smiled and said, "Ashley finally came to realize that being united was the best course of action once the Reapers showed up and started killing us all by the millions, I think."

Changing the subject somewhat, Shepard asked, "Why is Ash here, anyway? Surely the Council doesn't think that picking me up required TWO Spectres."

Garrus laughed and said, "Ashley's short on assignments at the moment. She asked if she could tag along."

Shepard noticed that Reegar had silently taken leave via the elevator. Shepard guessed he had went down to the Engineering level as Tali suggested.

"I'm going to say hello to the crew. It will be nice to see them again."

Garrus nodded. "I'll be up here in the CIC if you need me, Shepard."

The two grasped hands and Shepard went into the elevator and descended down to Engineering. When he walked into the engine room, he found Engineers Daniels and Donnelly at their respective consoles.

"Commander Shepard!" Said Daniels, her voice cheerful. "It's been too long."

"Great to see you, sir!" Said Donnelly. "We've made sure to keep the ship in tip-top shape while you were on vacation."

"Good to see you too, Kenneth. And you too, Gabby," said Shepard. "And I'm not back for good. I'm just here to find out what the situation is with this Geth. Have you seen a Quarian down here? Male?"

Daniels spoke up. "Yes, actually. Said his name was Kal'Reegar. He was checking out the engines and electronics. I think he went to the Port Cargo room to do some exploring around the Engineering level."

"Thanks for the heads up," said Shepard. "I'll catch up with you two later. Keep up the good work."

"Will do, Commander," said the pair in unison, and with that, Shepard exited the engine room and walked down the hall to the Port Cargo area. When he opened the door, he found Reegar poking around the various supplies in the room.

"Hello, Shepard," said Reegar. "Tali certainly wasn't lying about this level of the ship - this is some of the most advanced tech I've ever seen on a ship. Thank you again for allowing me this opportunity."

"It's no problem," said Shepard. "Listen, Reegar, I have something I would like to talk with you about."

"Oh?" Said Reegar. "Feel free, Shepard. I am an...open book? I believe that's the human expression."

"Before you were thought to be...dead," Shepard began, "The Council was considering you for the position of a Spectre. Once they learn that you're alive, I'm sure that they would re-open their considerations."

It was clear that Reegar wasn't expecting that. "Shepard, I...I am not sure...they consider a QUARIAN a prime candidate?"

"After the Reapers were destroyed, the galaxy's opinion of you rose greatly, you know. Your people even got a position on the Council itself!"

"True. I will...consider it. I've come to enjoy being with my people on the homeworld. But I also often find myself feeling useless. Soldiers often feel this way in peacetime, I've heard."

"Think about it, Reegar. We have a while yet before we reach the Citadel."

The rest of the trip was a quiet one, with Shepard checking in on his old friends serving on the Normandy and chatting with Garrus and Reegar on various topics. Tali eventually returned from Ashley's quarters, looking stiff.

"I think Ashley has overwhelmed me with poetry," she said. "I wouldn't mind not reading a book for a few days."

When the Normandy arrived at the Citadel, the Citadel Defense Force identified them and directed them to an open docking bay. With the ship successfully docked, Shepard prepared himself to visit the Council for the first time since the Reaper invasion five years ago.