User blog comment:JakePT/The New Normandy/@comment-3061137-20110426024001/@comment-1900300-20110426093442

Until ME3 comes out i simply find it unlikely they were intending to return it. For one Shepard is on trail as a scapegoat, so finding him innocent would make the batarians angrier and render the trial pointless (especially considering he did what he is accused of and his only defence is the Reapers). Also returning the Normandy in a better state would be paramount to empowering Cerberus. Imagine if that got out. Alliance citizens would be disgusted at the corruption and aliens would consider it proof the Alliance and Cerberus are working together to gain military authority over them, particularly the batarians who would be even angrier the Alliance not only did not punish Shepard, but rewarded him.