Chapter one
Sounds like my kind of primarch
On the cliffs of Menae
"Who's the woman in the green armour?" A turian looked over at the small group of three who was sent in to fix the com-tower.
"Green? What? What are you-Shit! What the hell is she doing?" The other almost dropped his rifle as he turned towards the battlefield filled with husks.
"Biotic charging her way through a swarm of husks?"
It was the last sentence that peaked Garrus interest. He looked up from the data-pad and handed it over to the closest soldier in order to head over to the view.
"She killed that one with the butt-end of the rifle!" The first turian to speak pointed at the woman with his rifle. Clearly impressed by the show.
"But why is the armour so... green?"
Garrus joined his colleagues and looked over the chasm at the band of two humans and one asari defending the position. With every step he took one name crossed his mind over and over again. Though he kept on trying to push it out of there it just kept popping back. The name came along with a dark haired woman in a dark purple armour. But with the comments the two turians exchanged... 'Naah, it couldn't be...'
One glance was all it took, one glance and he knew he'd been wrong to push the possibility away. Just in time to see the human female making a biotic charge on the last husk. It didn't even get to crawl over the edge before she was there, flinging the creature away and almost tripping over the edge herself in the process. She staggered back to solid secure ground and turned towards the asari and human male, pumping her fist into the air, adding a victory roar to the gesture.
Sure enough, the dark purple armour had been exchanged for a bright lime-green one. But the red stripe on the arm was there. His visor had picked out the N7 logo on her chest. While he didn't recognize the human male the asari was without a doubt Liara. She looked good, a lot better than last time he saw her. When they had taken out the shadow broker together. Well he might have been out cold due to taking a table to the face (where he did make a point to learn how to duck) but he still figured it counted.
The radio in his helmet crackled to life and he heard General Corinthus voice.
"Vakarian, sir, we need to find General Victus. I could use the help."
"I'm on my way." Before leaving he threw away some orders to his task force. With a quick look up on his burning home there was this feeling creeping up on him. For the first time since the reapers invasion begun... there was hope. 'Looks like help might be coming after all' he thought.
"I need someone, I don't care who, as long as they can get me the turian resources I need." The woman's voice was filled with confidence, authority and a large portion of impatience. It cut through the air like a bullet soaring through the battlefield. Elevating itself and demanding to be heard and obeyed. Garrus knew that if she could find an excuse, good or bad, she'd end up punching General Corinthus in the face. Actually from the sound of it she was ready to skip the excuses.
"I'm on it Shepard. We'll find you the primarch."
"Garrus?" She barely whispered the name. Not loud enough for anyone to hear. He saw her freeze for a second as her eyes fixed on him. Shoulders relaxed as she finally got the name out loud. "Garrus!"
He wished he could've seen the look in her eyes. He'd learned to read her body language quite well, but he was never sure until he looked into her eyes. The general excused himself and Garrus calmed him down. Shepard downright couldn't care less about their business.
"Good to see you again. I thought you'd be on Palaven. Not that I'm complaining."
The turian hauled his sniper up on his back and took her hand in both of his. This wasn't the time or place to speak openly, but at least he could try to reach her with small gestures. He was both happy and thankful she was here. And to the fact that she was safe.
"If we loose this moon we loose Palaven. I'm the closest damn thing we have to an expert on reapers forces so I'm... advising."
"Shoot first, don't ask any questions?"
"Something like that."
She chuckled before waving out the male soldier he'd seen before.
"Vega, this is Garrus Vakarian. He held my back against both Saren and the Collectors. If you ever need a role model of a soldier. You've found him."
"Lieutenant." The turian nodded and turned his attention to the asari. "Good to see you too Liara."
"Good to see you in one piece Garrus. No more sharp, heavy or exploding objects to the face I take it?"
He laughed at her remark. Yeah, no one were ever going to let it go, were they?
"General Corinthus filled me in." He turned towards the commander again. "We know who we're after."
"Palaven Command tells me the next primarch is General Adrien Victus."
"Victus? His name's crossed my desk." Liara informed, shifting her eyes between Garrus and Shepard.
"Know him Garrus?"
"I was fighting alongside him this morning. Lifelong military, gets results, popular with his troops."
"Sounds like my kind of primarch."
"Yeah... not too popular with military command, has a reputation of playing loose with accepted strategy."
"For example?"
"On Taetrus, during the uprisings, his squad discovered a salarian spy ring about the same time the turian separatists did." Liara pulled the first story she remembered out of her head. "Rather than neutralize the ring, he fell back. He even gave up valuable fortifications, which the rebels took."
"Then the rebels attacked the salarians." Garrus continued with obvious approval in his voice. "When both groups had worn each other down, Victus moved back in. Didn't lose a man."
"Damn." Vega crossed his arms.
"I like him already." Shepard smiled.
"Bold strategy," Corinthus filled in. "but wild behaviour doesn't get you advanced up the meritocracy."
"Doesn't get you on the good side of the council either, I'll tell you that."
"Primarch Victus... That should be something to see."
"Tell me the truth Garrus. What do you think, can he get the job done?" She crossed her arms while shifting her weight.
"We both know conventional strategy won't beat the reapers. Right now he could be our best shot... And I trust him."
Shepard nodded acknowledging.
"Those four last words was all I needed. Where do we find this guy?" She turned towards Corinthus but before he could answer she had to hold her hand up. Radio chatter was coming in from the Normandy.
"Commander! Shepard, come in!"
For concentration she turned away while pressing the receiver on the helmet.
"Could this possibly wait Joker? We're in the middle of a war zone here."
Garrus pulled out his sniper again and followed her squad down from the ramp.
"We've got a situation on the Normandy, Commander. It's like... like she's possessed. Shutting down systems, powering up weapons. I can't find the source."
"Dammit, I need the Normandy standing by. We might have to bug out."
"Should I go back and take a look?" Liara stepped out in front of Shepard. Throwing a short cunning eye over to Garrus. A spot open on the squad, huh?
"Do it." Shepard nodded. "Garrus, you said you were with him this morning?"
"Yeah, but we got... separated. He went to bolster a flank that was breaking. Could be anywhere out there by now."
"We're trying to raise him Commander."
"Incoming Harvester, heading for the airfield!" Vega warned them while he pulled out is rifle, activating incendiary ammo.
Everyone in camp threw what they got on the fly-by but didn't do enough damage to have it blow up.
"Alright General, tell Primarch Victus we'll rendezvous here. In the meantime... lets go have some fun."
She looked over at the airfield, probably with something that resembled too much of a grin.
"You coming Garrus?"
"Are you kidding?" He gave a quick check to the rifle. "I'm right behind you."
After taking care of a few swarms of husks and a couple of marauders Corinthus called them back to the main camp. Apparently the battlements needed their attention. Shepard wasn't slow to respond. In fact she seemed to be in a much better mood if you asked Vega.
After climbing the ladder up the cliff Shepard was just about ready to jump down into the canyon when Garrus called out.
"Take the turret Shepard!"
"What? They're just husks! I can take 'em, you go play with the turret!"
"There's too many of them. With them dropping down like this you wouldn't have the time to recharge your biotics in time. Just take the turret Shepard." He couldn't know for sure but it sure as hell felt like she made a face at him before manning the gun.
They came in plenty-full numbers and even though she'd never admit it, there was a chance it would've been too much.
"Come on Shepard, they're on the battlements!" Garrus shouted to tease her.
To which the reply came fast.
"Who the fuck calibrated this thing? It's shoots waaay off to the right! And reloading a god damn turret? You're doing it wrong!"
They were looking at each other when a huge chunk of krogan/turian hybrid reaper dropped down into the canyon. James shouted something Shepard didn't register. When she turned to see what he was pointing at the thing was already metres away from ramming the battlement. The shake of the impact causing her to fall down. As she got up, instinctively drawing her weapon, anyone who knew her would've imagined the inappropriately huge grin on her face.
"Oh dammit."Garrus shook his head before shouting. "Take it easy Shepard!"
"Finally some real action!" Was the instant response.
So commenced a series of rounds from the assault rifle, even more biotic charges and some heavy melee attacks. All mixed in with a few Nova attacks. A biotic attack Garrus had yet to see. Handy it seamed. Handy, risky and potentially lethal to both the attacker and the victim. Yeah, Shepard probably invented that attack herself.
It was when the Brutes armour was next to depleted she risked a heavy melee attack without letting the biotics recharge. But the Brute didn't die, instead it reached for her, moving in for a infallible kill. If it hadn't been for Garrus, instantly being there yanking her armour, pulling her backwards and firing the last bullet from his Mantis sniper to finish the damn thing off, it might have ended that day.
"Christ that was close!" Vega exclaimed and hurried to join the other two.
"These guys can one-hit-kill you." Garrus extended his hand towards Shepard who took it. "Rips through your barrier like, what is it you humans say, butter?"
"Well that's good to know for future reference."
Watching her brushing off the dust from her armour he shook his head.
"You're not going to care much, are you?"
She stopped and looked at him. The green armour glaring like a nail in the eye among all the rubble.
"As long as you've got my back? Naaaah. Come on, lets go get me that Primarch!"
So she figured with her luck they'd have to get get him themselves. Much like expected, she was right.
If you liked or disliked this please tell me why in the comments! 3
Authors note: So this is where I get to rant.
This mostly started out with me making an insane character to play around on a forth round on Mass Effect 3.
Then I got struck by the thought "Could you write something with her without completely insulting the brand?" I spent alot of my time thinking about Kitten (the name adding to the insanity, seriously, Kitten Mac Shepard? How did I even think of that one?) And I remembered the amount of fictions I've read where their Shepard is a biotic. And finally playing one, I understand why s/he mostly end up as a slightly insane character.
My Kitten doesn't divert much from that image. I started forming her as a character. And I started wondering about what choices she might've made in the previous games. So yes. I replayed Mass effect from game one to get to know her better. And before I knew it I was writing more and more about her.
She has a lot of flaws. Can be extremely rash. Sometimes she doesn't know how to shut up, sometimes she can be extremely professional in her role. Her ego is just about the seize of a planet, very self confident. Trying to put myself in her state of mind has actually boosted my confidence at times.
So yes, she's starting to mean alot to me. And replaying the game with her insanity gets me thinking of how I can alter the conversation to fit her, without taking the essence out of it. It takes alot of time and some scenes I know by heart by now. (Thank god for youtube)
Also! I'm not at all sure how often I can update this! Chapter two is almost done. I'll try getting the updates a week apart.
Cheers!