The Long Road Ahead
I do not own Bioware, Mass Effect 1 or 2, or any of its characters. This story is in Garrus's point of view, and just so you know, Shepard is a female, her name is Elizabeth, she is a vanguard, and a spacer. Some of the situations may be changed to fit in my story. I'm going to start near the end of Mass Effect 1 and hopefully continue all the way to the third one. Please tell me what you think. If you have any suggestions, do tell. Thanks!
Chapter 1 : Heartache
The Normandy was grounded on the Citadel. Shepard was not particularly pleased with this, especially after all she's done for everyone. I watched her pace back and forth behind Joker in his pilot seat. He was yelling profanities at the screens in front of him while searching for a way to break loose from the locks holding our ship in place.
We were all on edge. We needed to get to Ilos as soon as possible or else Saren would use the Conduit and destroy the Citadel.
Suddenly, Joker stopped screaming and said, "Hey, commander, I just received a message from Captain Anderson. Patching it through."
Shepard stopped pacing to listen, and I listened as well.
"Shepard, I heard you were grounded. Well, I think I have a solution for your problem. Hurry down to the Flux. I'll be waiting for you."
When the message ended, Shepard sighed heavily and ran a hand through her dark red hair. I felt bad for her; she hasn't slept for 3 days with all this stress and Kaiden demanding her time and affection. To be honest, I hated that man. He tells her he loves her, but if he truly did, he would leave her alone for awhile so she could rest. Kaiden Alenko is sucking the very life out of her.
"Garrus, go fetch Tali. You two are coming with me," Shepard quickly told me, and then she exited the Normandy.
It was a good thing Tali came running up to me when she did; I didn't feel like finding her.
Out of breath, she asked, "Did the commander find out what to do yet?" She paused and looked around for Elizabeth. "By the way, where is she?"
I pointed towards the port side portal with a talon, and Tali gasped in horror.
"She left? I can't believe this! I have an idea of what to do."
"We've already found someone with a solution."
"Who?"
"Captain Anderson. He just sent a message. We're supposed to meet him at the Flux."
Tali glanced back at the port side portal. "So she's already talking to him then?"
I shook my head and answered, "No, she's outside waiting for us."
While we were heading out, I had to ask Tali, "By the way, what was your idea?"
She chuckled and said, "I thought that we should talk to Captain Anderson. I felt that he would have a solution."
As soon as we walked through the doors of the Flux, a familiar song blasted its beat all around us. I remember coming here with Shepard for the first time when we first met. Immediately after we entered, a smile spread across her face and she said to me, "This song sounds great." With that, she started to swing her hips and flail her arms. I sat back and laughed, enjoying the sight. My impressions of her changed then; she wasn't the cold-hearted soldier that everyone said she was, but a fun-spirited woman.
Captain Anderson waved us over to sit with him at a table in a corner of the club. He was accompanied only with a few drinks on the table waiting for us. Did his grand plan involve us all getting drunk?
As soon as we all sat down, he began to talk in a hushed voice. "Shepard, I think I know how to lift the locks on the Normandy."
Elizabeth took a sip of her drink and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
He quickly glanced at Tali and me, then said to Shepard, "All I need you to do is go back to the Normandy and tell Jeff to get ready to take off."
"Wait a minute," Shepard started. "What about you? What are you going to do?"
"In Udina's office, there's a console that can lift the locks on any ship docked on the Citadel. I can sneak in there and lift the locks from the Normandy."
The commander looked at her old captain with real concern and said, "I can't let you do that. What if you get caught? What if Udina is in there?"
"That's just a risk I'll have to take. Shepard, you know as well as I do that this is the only way."
A sigh escaped Elizabeth's lips, and she looked at Tali and me for us to agree to let Anderson do this. We both nodded.
"Alright, captain. Good luck." She stood and before leaving, she took a sip from her drink, then waved for us to follow her out the club.
Shepard, Tali, and I waited with Joker for the locks to be lifted from the Normandy so we could leave. Joker sat in his pilot chair, staring at the screens in front of him for any sign that the locks had been lifted.
Shepard began to pace again with her hands behind her back while Tali and I just stood and waited.
All of a sudden, Joker sat up straight and said, "Commander, the locks are being lifted. Time to get the hell out of here."
After we left the Citadel and used the mass relay, Shepard asked, "Joker, how long will it be until we get to Ilos?"
He pressed a few things here and there on the screens and replied, "Well... I'd say about six hours."
Elizabeth turned around to look at me and Tali and said, "You two need to go rest the whole time. I've decided to bring you along with me on Ilos. I'm going to be resting in my quarters if you need me, and I want you two to be up here ready when the time comes. No excuses."
We both nodded in agreement and she left us.
"Wow, I can't believe we're almost there. This...," Tali paused and looked down at the ground," This may be the end. I'm frightened."
"Tali." I wrapped an arm around her shoulders to comfort her, at least try to anyway. "We're going to make it. Saren and the Reapers are not going to win this war. Have some faith in Shepard and the rest of us."
"Well, I'll start preparing then. What are you going to do with your time?"
"I'm going to check my weapons and armor, then fix the Mako."
Tali giggled and said, "You should definitely fix the Mako, especially after Shepard's last excursion."
"Agreed. If you want to talk, you know where to find me."
I spent about an hour and a half of my time inspecting my armor and assembling my sniper and assault rifle. Shepard gave me this sniper rifle as a sign of our close friendship. It was the best in the market; no other sniper could match it. What have I given her? Absolutely nothing. I felt like a terrible companion taking things from her and never giving anything back. After thinking a bit, sniper in hand, I told myself that I have given Shepard something: someone to lean on during troubled times. Someone to listen to her when no one else would. Someone who would be at her side no matter what happened. She had only really needed me a few times. Not long ago, she needed someone to listen to her story about when she was on Akuze, and I was there to listen. She needed someone to talk to when her close friend Ashley Williams died. Shepard became depressed after her death; she wouldn't eat anything, and she stayed in her quarters most of the time. I was the one that helped her because I guess no one really cared that much except for Tali and me.
Exiting my quarters, I headed down to the cargo hold to work on the Mako. As soon as I entered the hold and began working on it, Wrex walked up to me with a huge grin on his ugly face.
"Liara was just down here to visit me. Strange, huh?"
"Sure is. Why would she want to visit you?" I asked sarcastically.
"Well, she came down to tell me something. Something that might interest you."
I stopped working for a second, wondering what Wrex knew. "What is it, then?"
"She told me that Shepard and Kaiden have been getting busy." He laughed in my face because he knew I cared, and he thought it was hilarious that I was interested in a human.
I struggled to contain my anger and sadness. My grip on the tool in my hand tightened, and my heartbeat quickened. She finally gave into him. That idiotic son of a bitch finally got to her.
Wrex saw my agitation and said, "Calm down, Garrus. It's nothing to get worked up about."
I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to crawl underneath the Mako and rot. "How does Liara know that they did that?"
"She said she witnessed Kaiden slip into Shepard's room, and a few minutes later, she... heard things."
Slipping under the Mako made me feel safe from Wrex's words and his criticism for me having strong feelings for Shepard. "Go away, Wrex. Don't you have anything better to do with your time than kill me from the inside."
"Bye, weakling."
After he left, I began to work on the Mako again. As I worked, I thought back to what my father always told me about humans: never trust them. They are only out for themselves, and never, ever get acquainted with one. They will always let you down. So far, my father's words were somewhat true, and I use to think that whenever he said that, he was just being a racist. I should have known that if I got close to Shepard, she would let me down.
Working on something for four hours really wears you down. My arms were limp and my back ached, but at least the Mako was fixed. As I finished underneath, I heard footsteps coming closer, and they eventually stopped on the side of the Mako. Thinking it was Wrex coming back to torment me again, I said, "Go away, Wrex. Just leave me in peace."
"Garrus?" It was Shepard's voice, and I felt like an idiot.
"What do you want?" I asked coldly.
"Are you done with the Mako?"
"Yes."
"Well then, could you come out?"
"Shepard, don't you have anything better to do than bother me?"
My words left her in silence. I think I hurt her. Good.
"Please, Garrus. I just want to talk to you for a few minutes. Is that too much to ask for?"
After sighing heavily, I replied, "No, I guess not."
"Meet me in your quarters."
As she walked away, I wondered why she wanted to meet me in my quarters. Oh spirits, please don't let her pull anything on me.
I crawled out from underneath the Mako and unwillingly went to my quarters. Stopping in front of my door, I hesitated going inside. What does she want from me?
The door slid open and I entered to see Elizabeth, her back to me, looking at something in her hands. When the door closed, she turned to me and half-heartedly smiled.
"So," I began, "Why did you want to meet me in my quarters?"
"I wanted to talk to you in private."
Curious, I asked, "About what?"
Taking a step closer to me, she answered, "I wanted to give these to you." Shepard lifted a hand, and dangling from it was her shiny dog-tags.
I shook my head slowly and asked with hostility, "Why are you giving me these? Shouldn't you give them to Kaiden? He did just have sex with you."
Her blue eyes widened in surprise, and then I saw a tear slip down her cheek. Sadly, she told me, "I don't want to give these to him. I want you to have them. You've done so much more for me than he ever will." Closing her eyes, she began to cry harder. I have never seen her cry like this before, even after Ashley's death. Still, I was hot with anger.
"Then why did you do it? Why did you let him have you?"
"Because... because I thought my relationship with him would turn out better. I had hope. All I know is that if I die on Ilos, Kaiden will only remember me for one thing. You, on the other hand, will remember me for so much more. I've spilled all my secrets and life to you. I trust you, Garrus. If this isn't what you wanted out of me, then I'm sorry for wasting your time."
Elizabeth threw her tags to the floor at my feet and rushed towards the door, but I grabbed her arm and turned her to face me. Cupping her head in my hands, I looked into her beautiful eyes, blue as oceans, and said, "Elizabeth, you're not wasting my time. I will always cherish our friendship, and I'm sorry I hurt you."
She smiled, bent over and picked her tags up from the floor. "Here. If I die, you'll at least have something of mine to remember me by." Lowering my head, she put the tags around my neck.
"Shepard, I really don't need these because you're not going to die. I'm going to watch you and protect you with my life."
Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around me and embraced me. With her head on my chest. I stroked her hair. I wanted to kiss her; she was the mos beautiful being in the galaxy, and I needed her.