"'I have the coordinates to a supply cache' she said. 'They're all yours,' she said," Shepard grumbled unhappily to herself, crouching behind cover as the shots resonated off the rocks around her.
"Bite me, Aria," Shepard huffed. She steadied herself against the rock, preparing to unleash a critical shot from her shiny new and untested heavy weapon, the M-920 Cain.
"Get ready to cover me, Garrus," Shepard ordered.
"You got it," Garrus complied, firing off a shot and distracting one of the YMIR mech units which bombarded them with a seemingly endless supply of ammunition.
"Grunt!" Shepard shouted over the droning barrage. "Get 'em bunched together!"
"Hehehe," Grunt chuckled wickedly, switching to his shotgun. "I'll give 'em something to shoot at."
Shepard waited for Grunt to skirt the mechs, warily creeping out of cover to peak at the bloodthirsty machines which slowly closed in on her and Garrus' position.
"Come on," Shepard muttered, waiting for Grunt's signal. She didn't have to wait long before she heard the unmistakable battle cry of the enraged Krogan youth. The torrent of fire ceased and Shepard could hear the halting movements of the frenzied units as they turned to chase Grunt as he barreled recklessly around them. Shepard was always impressed with how Grunt moved. For as big as the Krogan were, they were surprisingly agile. It was never good to be in their path when they charged.
"Good work, Grunt," Shepard murmured as she stood, readying the heavy gun and hearing it charge with a disconcerting hum. It began to pulse with power.
"Take cover!" She yelled to Grunt who immediately dove behind a rock alcove. The mechs turned to Shepard once again. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest.
"Come on!" She urged the heavy weapon which was still charging. Thankfully, Garrus distracted the mechs from Shepard by firing a few well placed sniper shots off their optic lenses.
The weapon clicked and Shepard knew the it was ready.
"Smile!" Shepard shouted just as the full force of the M-920 Cain was released. The blast from the weapon was catastrophic, but the recoil was just as deadly. Shepard didn't know when she'd become airborne. One moment, her feet had been planted in a firm stance against the rocky ground and then the next had found her lifted into the air, traveling at an alarming velocity. Shepard's back collided with the shuttle which had been a good distance behind her. She felt the breath expel from her lungs as if it were made of glass. She grunted in pain, sliding down the dented side of the shuttle and collapsing to her knees. Her ears rang loudly and her vision wavered out of focus. She shook her head, striving to remain conscious. She stared intently at the black smoke which billowed from the debris of the decimated mechs.
"Holy shit," Shepard wheezed, grimacing at the searing pain in her chest. She wondered if she had cracked a few ribs. She struggled to stand, hissing through her teeth painfully as her shoulder and back radiated with pain. She groaned softly as she surveyed the ground, her eyes landing on the discarded heavy weapon. The Cain still glowed bright red from the shot as wisps of smoke singed the air from the its muzzle.
Shepard took a step and yelped as a spasm traveled down her back, causing her to lean against the shuttle. She should have made sure the Cain had gone through the necessary testing before deploying it. While the Cain had proven rather effective, it had almost killed her in the process. Shepard planned to order the research team to find safer ways to utilize the heavy gun.
Shepard continued to brace herself against the shuttle, realizing something was definitely broken and severely bruised. She scoffed as her hand trailed across the body shaped dent in the hull. She knew Joker would get quite the kick out of that. However, Miranda would be less than amused with the result. Shepard cautiously stretched her neck and rotated her aching arm. Other than some stiffness, she appeared to be no worse for wear. A quick visit to Dr. Chakwas would have her ribs fixed in no time.
"Garrus, Grunt," she called, barely able to hear herself over the incessant ringing in her ears. "Report. Are you alright?"
"Sh-She-Shepard-ard," Grunt's voice came through distorted and choppy. "Tha-a-a-at ki-i-iii-cked ass!"
Shepard's brow knitted together and she raised her omni-tool to inspect it. She wondered if it had taken damage when she collided with the shuttle or if the massive shock from the Cain had somehow shorted it.
"Glad you're in one piece, Grunt," Shepard breathed. "Garrus, report. Garrus?"
Her eyes frantically scanned the rocks where they had taken cover, but she was unable to see the Turian. Shepard pushed away from the shuttle, stumbling slightly before regaining her balance.
"Garrus!" Shepard shouted, ignoring the flare in her chest as she jogged over to where she'd last seen him. Shepard spied his sniper rifle wedged in the crevice of two rocks. Fear and concern crept coldly through her. The last time she'd felt like this was when the gunship had taken Garrus down on Omega. She'd been so afraid that she'd lost him. When Garrus had walked into the briefing room, Shepard had been relieved beyond measure. That day, she had silently vowed would never lose him again. Now, panic had begun to settle in and she could no longer feel her maladies as she ran for Garrus' weapon.
"Garrus?!" Shepard called again, her heart thrumming wildly. She forced herself to calm down, endeavoring to assess the situation. Garrus had been close to her when the shot had been fired from the Cain. Logic would dictate that he'd been thrown by the blast as well. Shepard recalled his position and the angle of his body. She raised her eyes to a pile of rocks and realized he must have been launched over them. She sprinted around them, her breath catching in her throat as she saw Garrus' limp form. In an instant, she was on her knees beside him, gently tugging at his shoulder in an effort to roll him over and see his face.
"Garrus?" She whispered in concern, touching his mandible lightly. "Answer me!"
Garrus groaned at her touch. Shepard exhaled a heavy sigh of relief.
"Damnit, Garrus," she muttered. "You scared me!"
Garrus' eyes fluttered open and he appeared dazed.
"Sccri sha eeea treeeil," he replied.
Shepard recoiled slightly, shocked by the sharp sounds he elicited. "What the hell-?"
"Yerrreh scresss iira, Resh-ter," Garrus mumbled as he sat up.
Shepard stared blankly at him. "I can't understand you. I think my omni-tool was damaged in the blast."
Garrus tapped the side of his head and then reached out tentatively to touch Shepard's ear, indicating he couldn't understand her either.
"Oh, great," Shepard muttered. "Grunt, can you hear me?"
"Grufn gorkph bnuyla," Grunt growled over the line.
"That's not good," Shepard sighed unhappily. She was by no means a tech expert, but theorized that somehow the blast from the Cain had emitted a frequency which had shorted out their translators.
"And this is why the Alliance is so stringent about thoroughly testing new weapons," Shepard complained to herself.
"Iktray?" Garrus inquired.
Shepard waved her hand dismissively, signaling that her ramblings hadn't been important.
"EDI," Shepard relayed. "Do you copy?"
"I am here, Shepard," EDI answered.
"It looks like our translators have sustained some damage," Shepard surmised. "Can you run a diagnostics and see if they can be repaired?"
"Certainly, Commander." EDI was silent for a moment. "The damage appears to be superficial and can be reversed, but as it is a delicate procedure, repairs will take some time. I would suggest returning to the Normandy as soon as you are able."
"Can you let Garrus and Grunt know what happened?" Shepard asked, looking to Garrus.
"Scrkee eiya, Resh-ter," Garrus clicked. Shepard shook her head and shrugged, never realizing just how helpless she would feel without her translator.
"Blrnkar rivtnr!" Grunt shouted triumphantly, sifting through the wreckage of the devastated mechs. Shepard dropped her head to her hand. This was not turning out to be the best day.
"Alright, EDI. Prep a team for recovery of the crates," Shepard ordered. "We'll be returning to the Normandy shortly."
"Understood. See you soon, Commander," EDI complied.
Shepard focused her attention on Garrus who had been staring at her intently. She stood and offered him her hand. She struggled to help the Turian to his feet, her muscles complaining with effort. Once Garrus recovered his balance, he stood unnaturally close to Shepard. She looked up at him, wondering what he was thinking. He reached out, trailing a gloved finger over her cheek.
Shepard flinched under the pressure of his touch which caused a slight sting to throb through her cheek.
"Icklr reiya!" Garrus' voice had a concerned lilt to it.
Shepard watched him remove his fingers from her face, revealing red blood which gleamed against the material of his glove. Shepard had been so distracted by Garrus' disappearance and the pain in her ribs and back that she hadn't felt the cut on her cheek.
She shook her head slowly, placing her hand over Garrus' glove and giving him a smile.
"I'm fine," she said, knowing her assurances were useless as he couldn't understand her words. She hoped her body language would be enough to translate over to him. Even though she wasn't Turian, she hoped their body language was universal.
"Resh-ter" Garrus sighed, surprising her by gathering her to him in a tight embrace. Although the move was unexpected, it was not unwelcome. It appeared Garrus was just as worried about her as she was about him. Shepard returned the gesture, wrapping her arms around him as best as she could given the restrictions of his armor and the increasing limitations of her movements due to her physical ailments. A ripple of compassion and need swept through her. Ever since Sidonis, Garrus had appeared almost lost, drifting upon the unforgiving waves of a turbulent sea. Shepard had felt it her responsibility to care for him and make sure he found his way back to safe shores. She wanted to be his rock, his strength and light when he needed it because he'd always been that for her. It had taken her a long time to be able to pinpoint the feelings she had developed for Garrus; the feelings she had been carrying with her for quite sometime, but had suppressed in the name of duty. No matter what she told herself, she knew that she wanted Garrus to need her as much as she needed him.
Now, swaddled in his arms on some forgotten world surrounded by mech debris and a juvenile Krogan celebrating in some guttural language, she knew he needed her. She didn't have to hear the words to understand.
Shepard reluctantly broke the embrace, looking into his beautiful blue eyes. They gazed at her, striking and curious. She lightly touched the bandage on the side of his mandible and noted the blue hue which had begun to seep through the white cloth. She figured he must have torn something when he was thrown. Dr. Chakwas was not going to be pleased.
"Let's get you to medical," Shepard urged lightly, tugging on Garrus' hand.
"Eyush reikl Unhk?" Garrus screeched.
"I don't-" Shepard sighed wishing she could hear his dual tone voice again. Although his voice retained the same timbre and hum, it was distinctly alien and like nothing she'd ever heard before. However, she couldn't deny that she was still attracted to it.
She shrugged, immediately regretting the movement as pain stabbed through her shoulder. She wasn't sure how to express her inability to comprehend Garrus' words. Garrus understood her gesture, pointing and leading her line of sight to Grunt who continued to defile and stomp what remained of the broken mechs.
"Oh, that," Shepard muttered unhappily. Grunt was still working to control his bloodrage. Although Shepard wondered if he wanted to control it at all. The crew was nervous enough around Grunt as it was and Shepard feared having him aboard the Normandy with the inability to communicate with others would prove incredibly problematic.
"Maybe we could just leave him to play with his new toys until we get this issue fixed," Shepard mused to herself.
"Resh-ter?" Garrus remarked.
Shepard turned to Garrus. He had used this word before and it was the only one she could decipher out of the cacophony of noises Garrus produced.
"Resh-ter?" Shepard asked, tapping her chest. "Me?"
Garrus nodded, touching her shoulder lightly. "Resh-ter."
Shepard reached out and touched his chest, her heart fluttering lightly as she spoke slowly. "Garrus."
"Gerushh," he repeated slowly, endeavoring to emulate her speech. Shepard couldn't help the smile which spread across her lips. He was cute and if she hadn't completely fallen for him before, she certainly had now.
"We can play this game on the Normandy," Shepard said. "But right now, I think we need to catch us a Krogan and get to the med bay." She pointed to Garrus' mandible and her cheek, then motioned to the shuttle.
Garrus tilted his head and nodded slowly, assimilating the clues she'd given.
"Grunt!" Shepard shouted. "Come here!" She gesticulated with her hands in a sweeping motion to herself.
"Ipry mrloka Durnum!" Grunt shouted in reply, ignoring her.
Shepard grumbled to herself and turned to Garrus who flared his mandibles in annoyance.
"EDI, do we have a tranq gun in the shuttle?" Shepard asked.
"Yes, Shepard. Standard Cerberus protocol requires shuttles to be stocked with non-lethal arms such as tranquilizer guns in case of scientific discovery," EDI relayed.
"Good," Shepard mused. "Because I'm going to need it if you can't talk Grunt down."
"I will do my best, Commander," EDI said.
"I kind of hope she doesn't talk him down so I can dart him," Shepard murmured wickedly. "Is that horrible of me?"
Garrus looked at her, a question lingering on his face.
Shepard chuckled. "Probably a good thing neither of you understood that."
After several minutes of grumblings and guttural shouts, Grunt eventually trudged back to the shuttle. Garrus and Shepard followed Grunt, keeping the Cain a safe distance away from him. Shepard loved Grunt, but did not fully trust him with such a powerful weapon.
"Alright, EDI, we're coming back to you," Shepard announced. "Inform Dr. Chakwas that Garrus and I require some medical attention."
"She'll be thrilled to hear the news," EDI remarked.
Was that sarcasm? Shepard wondered as she took off and headed for the Normandy. EDI continued to astound her every day.
Shepard's cabin door dinged and she looked up from her mission datapad. The crates had been recovered and the contents had been dispersed accordingly. The Illusive Man had already generated funds based on the value of the salvage. Shepard may not have always appreciated the Illusive Man's tactics, but she couldn't deny his efficiency.
"Who is it?" Shepard asked.
"It's Garrus," EDI replied.
"Oh," Shepard remarked, surprised. "Let him in."
A moment later, the door opened and Garrus stepped through, looking around the cabin shyly. He had new thermal bandages on his mandible and appeared to have no lingering ill effects from the mission.
"Hey, Garrus," Shepard said pleasantly. "Come in."
Garrus stood, shifting uncomfortably as he appraised her. Shepard suddenly realized he hadn't understood her at all. She patted the couch beside her invitingly. Garrus nodded, coming over and sitting on the couch beside her. It appeared body language was mostly universal after all. At least among Humans and Turians.
"How are you feeling?" Shepard asked, swearing at herself for the inquiry.
Garrus tilted his head to the side inquisitively.
Shepard backtracked, sweeping her hand over her healed cheek and then motioning to Garrus' freshly bandaged face. Garrus nodded, his mandibles flaring in a slight smile.
"I was worried about you, ya know?" Shepard muttered softly. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you."
Garrus gazed at her intently, his eyes piercing through her.
Shepard scoffed at herself. "I know you can't understand me, but maybe that's for the best. I've watched you for a long time, Garrus. I've come to rely on you for so many things. You don't even know what you mean to me." She smirked, her eyes trailing over his patient demeanor. "When the entire galaxy and the odds are stacked against me, I know I can count on you. You'll always be there. I know you'll follow me to hell and back without question." She chewed on her words for a moment. "I think that's why I trust you more than anyone I've ever trusted in my life. There's no one I'd rather have by my side in battle and no one I've been more terrified of going into battle with. I don't want to lose you, but I hate it when I'm not with you."
She sighed heavily. "What a thing to get off my chest when you can't even understand me."
She reached for his hands and squeezed his gloved fingers. "I care about you so deeply. This feeling transcends friendship and though you don't understand, I still have to say it. I'm falling for you, Garrus. I'm falling and there's no stopping the descent." She looked him in the eyes. "And I don't want to stop."
Garrus squeezed her hands lightly in return, his eyes sympathetic and trusting. He looked touched, but Shepard couldn't be sure.
"You know, you could talk to, if you like," Shepard continued. "I may not be able to understand you, but I like the sound of your voice."
"Commander," EDI interrupted. "Mordin has finished with Grunt. He requests your presence to fix your translator."
"Thanks, EDI," Shepard said. She reluctantly stood, tapping her arm as she did. "I should go."
She started walking to the stairs, stopping and turning to Garrus. "Why don't you hang out here? Make yourself at home. Watch a vid." She motioned with her hand to the cabin and to her personal terminal. It wouldn't be the first time Garrus had utilized her cabin for training and recreational vids. In fact, she could still remember being roped into watching a Turian movie with him called Last of the Legion which was terribly over acted and bored her to tears. Shepard could understand why it had been banned.
"I'll be back soon," she promised.
Garrus watched her leave through the door, reclining leisurely against the couch.
"Garrus?" EDI inquired.
"Yes, EDI?" Garrus answered.
"Why didn't you tell the Commander that Mordin had already repaired your translator?" EDI asked.
Garrus felt a smug expression tug at his mandible. "It was more fun this way. Shepard seemed more relaxed talking to me when she thought I didn't know what she was saying. I figured I'd see where it led." He chuckled. "Spirits, I never imagined she'd tell me she had feelings for me. This is...amazing."
"Are you not concerned about the repercussions once she learns from Mordin that your translator was functional all along?" EDI pointed out.
Garrus bolted upright in alarm. "I hadn't thought about that! EDI can you short out my translator again and relay to Mordin that the fix didn't hold?"
"Why would you wish me to purposely sabotage your Omni-tool?" EDI asked.
"I can either play dumb or play dead," Garrus explained. "Except with Shepard, I won't be playing dead."
"Understood. Sending a short wave shock to your Omni-tool," EDI said.
A static charge crackled and zapped Garrus. He yelped in discomfort.
"You may experience a slight electrical pulse," EDI warned in Garrus' native tongue.
"Yeah, thanks for the warning," Garrus grumbled. "Oh, and EDI? Keep this between us, please?"
"As you say," EDI complied.
Garrus sighed in relief, going over to Shepard's terminal and queuing up a weapons algorithm video while he waited. However, his mind was far too preoccupied to retain any of the information the video presented. His mind drifted back to Shepard and their exchange. How she'd held his hands and how she'd sank into his arms on the planet when he'd been alarmed at the sight of her blood. A warm feeling began to blossom throughout his being.
When Shepard re-entered the cabin, she smiled warmly at him and Garrus knew one thing for certain. He'd been falling for her all along, too.