"Shepard did everything right, more than we could have hoped for, saving the Citadel, but leaving the Council to die. Humanity's place in the galaxy is stronger than ever and still it's not enough." The woman standing next to the expansive viewport shifted her attention away from the swirling colors. Her dark silhouette against the roiling gases accentuating the absolute perfection of her body. She turned her attention to the man seated behind her, his face concealed by a wall of computer displays.

"Humanity may control the council, but Shepard still remains our first priority." As he spoke, the man's face was briefly illuminated by the glowing tip of his cigarette.

"They are sending him to fight the Geth. Geth!" Scorn was evident in the woman's voice as she stepped through the first layer of displays around the man's chair. "We both know they aren't a real threat."

She stopped as she cleared the second layer, pausing to brush invisible dust off of her white body suit. "The Reapers are still out there."

The seated man tapped ash off the tip of his cigarette before returning it to his lips. "And it's up to us to stop them."

Miranda Lawson scoffed, "The council will never trust Cerberus. They will never accept our help. Even after everything Humanity has accomplished." Her voice took on a musing quality and she turned to regard one of the holographic windows. "But Shepard, he might be willing to listen. The council respects him. He's a hero, a bloody icon."

The display showed a video from the Battle of the Citadel. Commander Shepard led his team in a desperate battle with Saren at the very center of the Council chamber. She reached out and tapped a control, and the video shifted to news coverage of Shepard being honored by the new council. "But, if we can't get him, we lose. If we lose, humanity might well follow."

The Illusive Man tapped out his cigarette and finally looked at his chief lieutenant. "Then you will have to make sure we get him."

Miranda returned her attention to the man. "Any suggestions on how I accomplish that? His recent run-ins with Cerberus may have poisoned him against us."

The Illusive Man's voice held just the slightest hint of rebuke as he spoke. "You have read the reports, what do you think is the best way?"

She sighed and she started to rattle off information in the tone of a bored student asked to present to the class. "His psych evaluations indicate that he has a well-established hero complex, as well as borderline sociopathy. His actions during the hunt for Saren seem to support these conclusions. On the surface he seems reckless and brash, but further examinations of his tactics show underlying reason and an unusually keen grasp of strategy. Video footage proves that he is absolutely ruthless in a fight. . His actions on Virmire prove he is willing to sacrifice assets in order to complete his mission." Her voice took on a hesitant note, "Those are his upsides."

Miranda's brow furrowed as she pulled up more information on her data pad. "Shepard is strong willed, and the emotional detachment that makes him such a good soldier is also linked to a superiority complex. Reports from his time in the N7 training program suggest that he is capable of following orders that will better him, but does not hesitate to ignore or misinterpret the orders he does not like. While normally this sort of behavior would make him an ideal candidate for Cerberus, Shepard is beyond even men like operative Taylor. His reluctance to follow orders stems from the fact that he truly believes that he is going to be the next great human hero. What's more, is he has the charisma to convince other of it. Half of the admiralty is already eating out of his hand, and his entire crew is fiercely loyal to him, personally. I fear that any assets we placed under his command would be at severe risk of defection in a short time. But," and here she stopped to give the Illusive Man a frank look, "you already know all of this and want me to recruit him anyway."

The seated man gave the barest indication of a smile. "True. Your concerns are valid, but we can overcome them. We will assign him assets who are already on the edge of our organization, ones who are with us in principle if not in heart. Their defection would be no great loss. So again, how would you recruit him?"

Miranda was a moment in answering, her attention locked on the swirling mass of colors visible through the windows. "According to both his file, and the man we have on the Normandy, Shepard does have one vice we can exploit. Shepard is a known womanizer, with records going back as far as his days in school when he allegedly had an affair with two of his teachers, at the same time. According to our source, Shepard took time out of his hunt for Saren to seduce both Gunnery Chief Williams and the asari, Liara T'Soni. It is a known and exploitable weakness and it is where I would focus my attention. I would set up some situation on a planet along the Normandy's patrol route, place one of our agents, into a position where she would need saving, and then let Shepard do his thing. Once she is onboard the Normandy, she can work her way into Shepard's confidence and begin to edge him towards our cause."

The Illusive Man took a drag on his cigarette. "Who would you choose for our damsel in distress?"

"Kelly Chambers. She has extensive psychological training, is cleared for field work, and has just the right sort of..." She trailed off at the Illusive Man's raised hand.

"No." The declaration was eloquent in its simplicity. "It will be you. As you have already pointed out Shepard is incredibly charismatic, you have the strength of will and dedication to withstand him, Miss Chambers does not."

"Sir, I have to disagree. You can't really expect me to, to…" She spluttered for a second. "To whore myself out to this megalomaniac."

The Illusive Man's voice held only the faintest hint of rebuke. "I expect you to complete your mission. Shepard's cooperation will be integral to our ability to combat the Reaper's when they arrive. Your plan is solid Miranda. With you onboard the Normandy I have every confidence that Shepard will make the correct choices when the time comes. How you go about converting him will of course be up to you. I have supreme confidence in your abilities and your judgement. Now, you have your orders Operative Lawson, follow them."

Her eyes blazing with a cold fury she nodded to him, turned, and stalked out of the command center. She had a mission to organize, and Shepard had better be fucking worth it.

I sat on the edge of my bed and idly skimmed through intelligence reports but nothing looked promising. I had brought the Normandy here in hopes of finding the Geth fleet that had been on the run since I had smashed them at the Citadel and killed the Reaper Sovereign. That had been a month ago though, and since then we had seen next to no action and I was beginning to get frustrated. The attack on the Citadel had killed the council and rocked galactic society to the core. I should be back there, putting things back together, building my power base, getting ready for when the rest of the Reapers showed up. Instead I was out on the edge of the Terminus system following up on reports of missing ships. Missing fucking ships. I had saved the entire fucking galaxy and now I was looking for lost merchants. A low growl escaped my throat as I contemplated the injustice of it.

In the bed beside me Liara stirred in response to the noise. She shifted restlessly and moved a little bit towards me, arms questing feebly. That had, I reflected, been the one upside of the last few weeks. Without the threat of galactic extinction hanging over us I had been able to devote time to other, more pleasurable, pursuits. When her arms found nothing, Liara sat up, blinking sleepily. The blankets fell away as she rose revealing her naked chest. She stretched, reaching both arms over her head and I reveled in the way the motion put her beautiful breasts on display. The sight was far more interesting than the useless intelligence reports and I let the pad slide out of my fingers. As it clattered to the floor I leaned over and kissed her. Her lips were soft, sweet and had a pleasant exotic taste which I could not describe. She kissed me back, mouth opening slightly so she could brush her tongue across my lips. After several moments she broke the kiss.

"Good morning Commander." She purred, sleep making her voice slightly muzzy.

"Good morning to you as well doctor. Sleep well?"

Her eyes grew hooded and a contented little smile spread her lips. "Oh, fairly well, when we actually got to sleep." Her eyes flicked over the bed. "Ash already leave?"

It was my turn to smile. "She had an early watch."

"A pity." Her voice took on a sultry note, "I had an idea."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Really? We could probably manage without her."

She gave me a teasing little smile and shook her head. "Afraid not commander, it really needs at least two women."

Liara continued to surprise me. When we'd first met she had struck me as innocent, almost naïve. She had seemed, not quite weak, but fragile, and unused to the kind of life I lived. As we had traveled together I had come to realize that I was wrong. Under her school-girl exterior, she was one of the strongest and most personally driven people I had ever met. And when we started sleeping together I'd realized that while she might have been inexperienced, she certainly wasn't innocent. Liara had a delightfully wicked imagination and a curiosity to match. She had taken well to being one of my lovers and had even offered several useful suggestions on how to convince Ashley to join us. That had been a memorable night. Those memories sparked memories of other nights and need swelled up inside me.

"Indulge me." I growled, pulling her a little bit closer to me. She let out a little giggle and pressed herself against me, our lips meeting again. Her breasts were warm against my naked chest and the feel of them sent a jolt of need through me. She slid one hand down my chest and began to massage my cock through my pants. I started to play my own hand in circles across the smooth skin of her belly. The kisses became hungrier and her thumb hooked against the top button of my pants, popping it open.
And then the fucking intercom crackled to life.

"Commander. Sorry to disturb you sir, but long range sensors are picking an unidentified cruiser. You may want to join us on the bridge." Presley's voice was an infuriating interruption and I seriously considered having the useless man thrown out the airlock. Instead, I reluctantly broke the kiss and turned to slap the activation switch on the nightstand.

"Thank you XO, tell Joker to maintain the stealth systems and move us in close enough to ID them, I will be there shortly." I was pretty sure I managed to keep the resentment and homicidal urges from my voice. I looked back at Liara, and instantly regretted doing so.

She had shifted her position and was now leaning over my exposed and fully erect penis. She idly stroked it as she pouted. "Are you sure you have to go?"

The feel of her fingers on my shaft was incredible and my dick screamed at me to ignore my responsibilities. It was very actively voting that I say here and get creative with Liara. Normally I am in better control of it, but she had started to swirl her hand along my length, giving the head a little kiss every time her hand left it, and I was not thinking as clearly as I could. Presley could probably handle whatever this unidentified ship was couldn't he?

From the ground where it had landed the data pad beeped, signaling receipt of yet another of the useless intelligence reports. With a sigh I pushed Liara away.

"Duty calls sweet thing." I rose. "This is the first contact we have had in a week and the crew will expect to see me." A thought crossed my mind and I snapped my fingers.

"Be a dear, go tell Ashley to ready a boarding party. If this just turns out to be pirates or slavers I want to see if we can't figure out where they are coming from. We will need a few of them alive to do that." Liara let out a little sigh of her own and gave me another pouting look.

"If it turns out to be nothing." I continued, moving my mouth next to her ear and letting my voice get deeper. "I expect to see both of you in here for a private debriefing." Her pout vanished and she gave me a swift kiss on the lips, then leaned down and took me into her mouth. She gave my dick one full stroke, down and back, the stood up and winked at me. "Till later then."

It was down to business after that and we dressed quickly. Liara gave me one more kiss before slipping out of the room to find Ash. I finished the last few adjustments on my armor and mused on the direction my life had taken. Barely a month ago I had saved the galaxy from probably the largest threat it had ever faced, catapulting humanity to a place of unprecedented galactic power. I was probably the most famous spectre and Alliance officer; and to top it off I had two exquisite women with me while I continued to grow my legend by hunting down the remaining Geth. There was an award ceremony scheduled for after this patrol cruise was done, where representative from each of the council races would bestow their highest honors upon me. Additionally, I was sure the Alliance would promote me to Captain, giving me access to more resources and influence. Tools I would need in the days to come. The Reaper I had killed, Sovereign, was just the first of many. They would be a threat to anything I tried to build and so they would have to be destroyed. To do that I would need influence and power, both of which it looked like were quickly headed my way.

The blare of the Normandy's alarms shattered my musings. The alarms were followed almost immediately by Joker's strained voice. "Brace for evasive maneuvers!"

I braced myself as the deck beneath me bucked. What the hell was Joker doing? I pulled myself through the door and started towards the stairs up when an explosion rocked the ship the other direction. I lurched, this time stumbling several steps before regaining control. What the fuck? Had somebody just shot my ship? That was supposed to be impossible, we were stealthed, nobody should have been able to see us at this range. The cool emotionless voice of the Normandy's VI sounded over the loud speakers. "Kinetic barriers are down. Multiple hull breaches. Weapons are offline. Estimated time to total depressurization, 5 minutes."

Changing direction I sprinted towards the emergency beacon near the cryogenic storage pods, stumbling again as another shot ripped into the Normandy. Who the fuck was shooting MY ship? Fires burst to life as systems overloaded. I slapped my hand down on the emergency transponder button on the console.

"This is Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy. We are under attack by unknown enemies and need immediate assistance. Any Alliance vessels in the vicinity please respond immediately." It galled me to have to ask for help, but this wasn't my fault. Whoever these enemies were, they were blowing a ridiculous number of holes in my ship despite the stealth systems. If they could see through those systems well enough to target us then their tech was too advanced by half. The important thing right now was to survive, regroup, and come back and show these assholes what happened to people who crossed me. The hull shook as yet another hit slammed home and I released the record button. I had been carrying my helmet and at the VI's continued warning of depressurization I put it on.

"Shepard!" Ashley's voice was strained with tightly leashed fear, and an underling hint of desperate worry, and it was coming for directly behind me.

"Distress beacon is ready." I said as I turned, my voice as controlled and confident as I could make it. The leader of the Normandy's marines stood just a few feet behind me, sealing her own helmet.

"Will the Alliance get here in time?" As if in response to her question a nearby control panel exploded, buffeting her towards the cryogenic pods. She reached out and caught herself in time to avoid losing her feet. The emergency beacon shorted out at same time. I lunged for a nearby fire extinguisher, cursing under my breath.

"I'm not doing this just so they can find our frozen corpses." I snarled, "Get everyone onto the escape shuttles." I tossed her the extinguisher and wrenched open an electrical panel.

"Joker's still in the cockpit. He won't abandon ship. I'm not leaving either." Damn it! I did not have time for this. I had worked hard to instill this sort of dedication in Ashley, it was part of why she had finally agreed to join Liara and I, but sometimes it made her sense of duty and loyalty get in the way of my orders. The station flickered back to life as I rerouted power and I slammed the panel shut. I surged towards Ashley, putting a hand on her arm, turning her to face me.

"I need to you get the crew onto the evac shuttles. I'll take care of Joker." Without waiting for a response I turned back towards the emergency beacon, just in time for the fucking console to explode. I swore as I stumbled back.

"Commander…" The uncertainty in Ashley's voice was actually sort of touching. It was reassuring to know she was willing to stay with me even now. I reached up to a power cable that had disconnected, looking at her as I did. I instilled my voice with every ounce of command and authority I could muster.

"Ashley. Go. Now." She hesitated for just a moment longer, and then took off, running towards the nearest group of crewmen. She would do her best to get them off the ship. I was glad she had listened, replacing her would have been annoying.
I reconnected the power cable and the holographic console reappeared. I slammed my hand down onto the activation symbol, finally sending out the distress beacon. As the display flashed green I began to hear the hollow thumps of the escape pods jettisoning. A grim little smile crossed my face as I sprinted for the stairs to the CIC.

The place was a mess. Half of the room was actively open to space, with chairs and control consoles floating around the extremely weak artificial gravity. At the far end, across the flickering remnants of the galaxy map, I could just make out the translucent sheen of the cockpits kinetic barrier keeping the atmosphere in. The walk across the ruins took a subjective eternity, but it gave me the chance to get my first look at my attackers. The enemy ship flashed by the hole for only a moment, but I had the distinct impression of a semi smooth, semi organic hull, and then they were past entirely, and, for the moment it seemed, out of their firing arc.

I felt it when as I passed through the protective barrier around the cockpit and the weight of atmosphere was a welcome relief. To my left, Presley's body lay slumped against the wall, half of his face a ruined and melted mess. On my right an ensign whose name I couldn't remember lay slightly blocking my path. And directly before me, still desperately trying to save the ship was Joker. The pilot had activated his flight caps emergency survival screen and his arms and fingers danced across controls trying every trick he knew to hold the Normandy together. It wasn't working another explosion rocked the deck, and I put a hand against the back of the pilots chair to steady myself.

"Come on, Joker! We have to get out of here!"

The normally jolly pilot's face was a mask of grim determination. "No! I won't abandon the Normandy. I can still save her."

Normally I considered the level of emotional attachment that Joker felt to the ship an asset, but right now it was a liability and I'd be damned if was going to let it get us both killed.

"The Normandy is dead." I said, my voice hard. "Just like us if we don't get the hell out of here!"

"No, we just need to…" What little color was left in Joker's face drained out. "Oh no. They are coming around for another attack!"

Brilliant, gold white light ripped into the remains of the CIC. The cohesive beam of light more powerful and accurate than any weapon in the Alliance arsenal. I had seen its equal only once before, in the devastating attacks the Reaper Sovereign had launched against Citadel fleet. Did that mean that these attacker's and the Reapers were connected?

I pushed that train of thought aside for consideration later and gabbed Joker, dragging him out of his seat.

"Ow, watch the arm." Was Joker really complaining while having his life saved?

I slammed the cockpit escape hatch open and deposited the pilot into the first available seat. I started for my own seat, and abruptly my legs were swept out from under me. An invisible hand had caught hold of me and was dragging me into open space. My arms lashed out and I caught myself on a nearby bulkhead. The tugging sensation continued, and I turned my head to see what was causing it.

That last attack had punched through the remainder of the CIC, effectively cutting the cockpit off from the rest of the ship. We were on emergency power and the shield which had been holding in the atmosphere was quickly dissolving. I looked back at the escape pod only a few feet away, and with a sinking feeling knew I would never make it. Joker looked back at me and I could see the same realization mirrored in the pilot's horrified expression.

Everything slowed down, my mind weighing facts and options. My armor was vacuum sealed and would keep me alive for a few hours, Joker's would not. The Alliance had a few other ships patrolling this region and they should be able to make it here in time to pick me up. Provided that my unknown attackers left me alive long enough for that to happen.

Before I could make a choice, another explosion buffeted me and the environmental shield collapsed. The pressure pulling me into space double and my hands were ripped off of the bulkhead. Making a snap call I slapped the launch button, sending Joker, and my best chance for survival, rocketing out of the disintegrating ship.

I went flying in the opposite direction, out through the remains of my crumbing ship, and into the vast blackness of space. Calling on lessons I had learned during N7 training, I fought down the rising panic, slowing my breathing. I had to do everything I could to conserve oxygen for as long as possible. I got my heart rate under control and willed myself into a meditative state.

Just in time for a piece of debris to slam into my back and rip into one of oxygen hoses. I thrashed about wildly for a moment, trying in vain to re-attach the severed hose. It was useless, the damn thing was in the center of my back. I kept trying, my vision getting darker and darker until finally it went completely black. The last thought that went through my head as I died was: "Damn, I really should have stayed in bed with Liara."