AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone, this is the last author's note that I'm going to do in the actual story.

This is a sequel story to my ending story A Little Ship Lost in Space. I encourage you guys to go read it, because there are some things I neglected to explain in here that are explained in the first story. Anyway, this is a story about immediately after all the celebrations of the war of existence, as I like to call it (or Reaper war). Shepard gets dragged into another galactic responsibility and ... well actually I don't want to ruin it! haha

This story will continue on with many other chapters. I sort of figured out the general plotline of it all and so I have a lot more planned. Just so you know, I selected the story to be a romance and drama story... please know that I also wanted it to be humor as well, but we all know that we can only choose two. Anyway, just wanted you guys to know that!

For those that want a new No is for Naga, don't worry, that's next on my list! Keep an eye out! xD

Here's my disclaimer (I always forget to put these in). Bioware owns everything except the story that I crafted. :D

Anyway, I present to you, From the Ashes. Enjoy! (and please remember that I do LOVE reviews!)

"Just think of it as an investment for the future. We spend some time on Earth until the prototype FTL drives are installed on the Normandy, and then we leave." Shepard said to the disappointed crew. "Earth does need the help with rebuilding, and we can truly rest in the meantime before we head out. Dismissed."

The crew filed out, many looking back at Shepard with sullen faces. They are still riled up after the celebrations yesterday. Shepard thought. They want more action, but now comes the boring stuff. He headed to the war room to contact Admiral Hackett.

Liara was outside the door. She was nervously wringing her hands. "Shepard, seeing as Garrus and Tali needed my room, I moved all my Shadow Broker stuff to the war room, I hope you don't mind."
Shepard smiled "The war room would seem like a perfect place for your stuff." With a peck on the lips, he beckoned her to follow him in.
"Good because I already moved everything in."
The doors opened and Glyph, Liara's VI, greeted them. "Greetings Commander Shepard, Dr. T'soni wishes to see you." It was oblivious to the fact that Liara was right behind him.
"I'm right behind him glyph, thanks."
The VI moved Liara into its vision. "Greetings Shadow Broker. I'm sorry for disturbing you."
"That's no problem glyph."

Together they walked past the VI drone and Shepard beheld the conference room. Technology filled the room without making it unbearable.
"I approve Miss Shadow Broker."
"You haven't seen everything yet."
They walked into the war room. Shadow Broker feeds lined the walls. In the center the holographic display showed a map of the galaxy, littered with flashing green dots.
"These are where all my agents are." Liara ran her hand along the side of the display as she walked around it. She leisurely tapped a button on the side to pull up the information on a specific operative. How come I never got to do that during the war? Shepard shook his head and laughed.
"I didn't even know you could do that stuff on this."
"There's a saying amongst your human women- Men never read the instruction manuals. I'd say I would have to agree." Liara smiled, tongue in cheek.
"Oh is that so?" Shepard came in close and put her arms around her. "Well that's why I have you around." Their faces came together.
After he devoted a minute or two to his bondmate, he turned and walked up the stairs to the comm station. Liara followed him up. He tried to hail Hackett, however the line was busy. Shepard grunted in annoyance and turned to his bondmate yet again.
"So I'm curious where you learned that saying Liara." Liara blushed and turned away.
"Oh, you know me, always having to learn about social interaction before I do it."
Shepard laughed. "You were looking up what human men like?"
"No, asking. Ashley, Tali, Samara, and I had a very good chat about human men."
"You… You asked her? You could have just asked me."
She smiled. "I'll have you know that we had a very good time together."
"Still, they don't know that much about men."
Liara laughed really hard at that point. "Ashley said you'd say something like that."
Shepard face palmed when he realized that he had fallen into the trap. He laughed to himself, all the while rolling his eyes. Just change the subject, you're digging a deeper hole for yourself if you keep this up. "You know, with everything happening, you and I should have some alone time."

Liara pulled him closer. "I'd like that."
Shepard was just inches from her face. He knew she wanted it, and so did he. They began to gravitate to each other. Shepard's hand began to push aside her jacket and...

AHEM.

The couple flew into the air from surprise. They turned around to behold Admiral Hackett present on the comm.
"How long have you been there?" Shepard asked.
"Enough to know that if I had waited any longer, I would have to hang up and call some other time."
Liara hooked her arm with Shepard's and rested her head on his shoulder.
There was a silence before anyone knew what to say.
Hackett laughed. "Ah young love. It makes an older man like me wish for the younger days."
Shepard shuddered at that thought. All he could imagine was the same old Hackett trying to hit on girls. He could not imagine him any younger.
"So what can I do for you two?"
"Since we are stuck on Earth while the Normandy is retro-fitted, what can we do to help with the cleanup?"
"Ah yes, the cleanup…" Hackett rubbed his temples. "We kind of need someone to head that."
"Well what about you?"
"I'm a military man Shepard, and I'm due to retire, especially with everything that has gone on in my career."
"So you're dumping it on me? That's what it sounds like you want to do."
"I'd like to leave it to the young ones who have so much life left." He laughed. Shepard did not. He grabbed the bridge of his nose and thought to himself for a moment.
"Fine I'll do it, I'll lead the reconstruction." He looked hesitantly at Liara as he spoke those words.
"That's much appreciated Commander. I'll get you set up with the right people."
Hackett disappeared from the comm station. Shepard rested his head on Liara's and let out a big sigh.
"I just can't get a rest, can I?"
"No good deed goes unpunished Shepard." Liara giggled and moved to face him. "Don't worry I will be there every step of the way."
Shepard returned to good spirits and kissed her on the forehead.
"Well might as well get straight to work right?" Shepard sighed. "EDI?"
The AI's voice chimed in overhead. "Yes Shepard?"
"Can you call all the crewmates together I need to talk with them."
"Of course, Commander."
"Good." Shepard nodded his approval. Arm in arm the couple walked out of the war room and headed for the crew deck.

"You're leading WHAT?" Garrus exclaimed, a confused look on his face. "Haven't you done enough?"
Shepard viewed all the other faces at the table. Garrus clearly had summed up what they were all thinking.
"Shepard, you should let someone else do it." Tali suggested.
"But I've been appointed Tali, there's nothing I can do now."
A silence followed as everyone went deep into thought. Shepard put both hands on the table and looked down in defeat.
"I wanted to ask for all your help with this. I can't do this without you guys." He pleaded.
"We're here for you Shepard, no matter what. You know that."
Shepard looked up to see that the faces had changed to those of support.
"If we all help organize, we will get done faster." Liara chimed in. "And that means we can leave sooner after the FTL drives are installed.
"Then let's get to work!" Joker got excited. When the ship was grounded, so was he. Don't worry you'll be flying in no time, Joker... I hope.

Shepard stood before a small panel of Alliance personnel. They were the commanding officers in the engineering corps, and were Shepard's main help in the reconstruction process. Shepard was leading them through his plan for reconstruction.
"Now we are only going to focus on Vancouver. This is the site of the Alliance capital and therefore needs to be rebuilt in order to get the Alliance in working order again."
One engineer raised his hand. Shepard motioned to let him speak.
"And why are we only focusing on Vancouver? The whole Earth is in shambles!"
"Look at the political state that humanity is in. We were divided amongst all these other nations. The Alliance is our galactic face for the galaxy, and we need to make sure that's in tip top shape. Now if the other nations want to go on being their own thing, we will let them but we won't help them rebuild at all. Those that join the Alliance will be helped. Vancouver is just the start, it's an example for the rest of Earth. Let's unite humanity while we can."
"What if the humans don't want to be united? It's in our nature to differ."
"We can differ and still be under the same banner." Shepard spat back. And one city to clean up means I get done faster.
The engineer sighed but looked content with the answer.
They debated for a little while where exactly they should start the cleanup and how to go about doing that. At the end of the meeting, Shepard decided to have a little walk around the city. Or what was left of it at least. He wanted to see with his own eyes the extent of the damage.

More selfishly, there was one place in particular that he wanted to see. He went to the old Alliance headquarters and retraced the path that he took with Anderson to escape. At some points it was hard because of all the rubble and debris, but nonetheless Shepard pressed on. He got to the office building that he and Anderson had entered during their escape. The roof had collapsed in on itself and Shepard climbed on top of the building. I'm almost there.

He approached the place where he had made his stand with Anderson while they waited for the Normandy. He climbed up onto the wrecked gunship, now rusted all over, and made his way to the nearest building. On top of that roof lay the wreckage of several shuttles. Here we are.

Shepard approached the shuttles.
"I might not be able to see you, but I know that you're there little boy. Hear me this." He pointed triumphantly at the wrecks.
"I beat you. I offered you help and you denied it, and yet you made me guilty." Shepard began to pace. "You died and you haunted my dreams. But I fought you, and beat you in the end. You might have been some indoctrination ploy, but I won. I'm free from you. I beat your curse." Those last words felt like an uplifted burden as they flew from his lips. He had beaten the Reapers physically, but he had never claimed victory for the battle against them on the inside as well. Shepard felt like he could fly. It was starting to get dark so Shepard headed back for the Normandy.

It was with that burden-less spirit that he greeted an exhausted Shadow Broker in the war room back on the Normandy.
"You look happy." Liara observed as she stood working at one of her screens.
"I am. Anything new from your agents?"
"Actually something very interesting." Liara tore herself away from the screen to look at him. Shepard could see how exhausted she was. "The council survived everything on the citadel. Apparently when the Reapers came they hid in one of the airtight bunkers with several other dignitaries. They were there the whole time."
"Gosh, politicians really are like cockroaches..." Shepard scratched his head in amazement. "I'm sure they have stuff that they want to discuss with me."
"I would believe so." Liara answered with an enormous yawn. "And what are cockroaches?"
Shepard laughed. "They are insects native to Earth that don't die no matter what you do to them. We revile them as well."
Liara laughed. "I could envision politicians to be that." Again she let out another yawn.
Without saying anything, Shepard took Liara's arm, and forced her to shut down the system. Despite her protests, he led her to their cabin to sleep.
They quickly threw off their work clothes and slipped into bed. Wordlessly, Liara cuddled up in Shepard's embrace. They fell asleep together rather contently, eager for the sweet dreams of a new life.

Shepard stood in a forest of burnt trees. Voices of his dead comrades all echoed around. A small distance away, Shepard could see a little boy hunched on the ground. The boy shivered from fear. Shepard ran to comfort the boy, but the boy ran away from Shepard before he could get to him. The boy disappeared behind a tree. The voices of his comrades got louder and louder, and Shepard searched for the boy.
Again a small distance away the boy resurfaced and Shepard made his way over to him. Again the boy ran in fear from him and disappeared. Shepard searched for the boy again, and the voices grew even louder. Dark shades began to approach him. Shepard fought and pushed them away. Again the boy resurfaced and Shepard ran to him.
When Shepard got to the boy, this time the boy did not run away. Instead it stood up and turned to face Shepard. The boy's eyes glowed yellow and he seemed unnatural. "Hello again, Shepard. Miss me? You have never won inside." The boy taunted before he ignited.

Shepard jolted up with a yell in bed. He brought a hand to his forehead. He was incredibly sweaty. He looked over to see a concerned Liara awake next to him. His body shivered from the perspiration. The dream sat vividly in his mind.
"What's the matter love? Is everything alright?" Liara put a hand on his chest and shifted closer. Her touch calmed him.
"I don't know... I... I had a nightmare."
"It was just a dream Shepard, it's alright."
"No." He replied rather definitively. "It was almost the same dream I got when we were fighting the Reapers." He dropped his head on her shoulder. "I... I just don't know."
Liara kissed him and laid him back down.
"Tell me about it, what was it like? I'm here for you." She whispered into his ear. She brought her arms around him and squeezed him tight.
"No... not now."
"Well tell me later when you are ready." They lay back down and she rested her head on his chest and fell back asleep rather quickly. But Shepard couldn't sleep. He lay in bed and listened to his bondmate's peaceful, steady breathing. As calming as it was, Shepard stayed awake the rest of the time. The dream still sat burning in his mind. There was no way that he would fall asleep. But nor did he want to.