Honor's Boundary -

A Garrus Vakarian Tale

By: Kellieqd

Game: Mass Effect

Pairing: Shepard...eventually

Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and it's characters are the sole intellectual property of Bioware and EA. This is simply my interpretation of their story.

Chapter 1: Family Ties

Garrus' eyes darted down toward his omni-tool. 1658. Come on! His fingers strummed his desk impatiently. 1700 hours could not come fast enough. He knew he should be closing out his paperwork for the day, but what was the point. It could wait until tomorrow. It's not like any one would live or die by the work he did at C-Sec. As far as he was concerned a pyjak with a view-screen could do his job. Besides, he had to meet Solana in 15 minutes and she was on the other side of the Citadel.

"Have a good night," he chirped as he blew past Executor Pallin. Pallin didn't bother to respond, rather he let out an exaggerated sigh and nodded in return. Whatever. It was no secret that Garrus wasn't exactly a "model" Turian, which meant he bumped heads a lot with his Turian co-workers. Especially Pallin, his supervisor. For a minute he thought about how he should probably care more about that fact, but it didn't matter now, he needed to catch the next transit!

He climbed into the next available car.

"Where to Officer Vakarian?" the vehicle's AI inquired.

"Flux please," he replied.

He hated using public transit, but there was no way he could afford a sky car on his salary. If only I could have brought in Saleon... damn bastard. I would have been promoted for sure! He had spent months following leads on that mad Salarian "scientist". He still became uneasy thinking of the evidence he had come across during his investigation. He had tracked him to a transport there on the Citadel where he had taken hostages. He frantically got on his com and told Pallin he needed to disable the ship at any cost, but he was overruled. They had said they 'couldn't put the hostages at risk'. Fools. What awaited them was worse than death if that butcher escaped with them. He felt his cerulean blood pumping at a furious rate. If only he wasn't confined to C-Sec regulations, he could actually make a difference! He had a sinking feeling that his newest assignment was going to be just as futile. He had found evidence that a Turian Spectre by the name of Saren had been delving into some unscrupulous territory. He was dangerous and Garrus knew it. But how could he prove it to C-Sec? To the Council? Pallin did not take kindly to Garrus alleging anything bad toward a fellow Turian, especially one backed by the Council.

The car pulled into the upper wards and began its descent. Why was he rushing anyway? Spirits knew he had spent more than enough time waiting on his baby sister over the years. He reluctantly made his way up the stairs to the club. It wasn't exactly the kind of place he liked to relax. Sure it was one of the classier party establishments on the Citadel, but he preferred a quiet dinner overlooking the lake than the pounding bass of synth music. He looked around for Solana, but couldn't place her, so he headed over to grab a table.

"Will you be dining alone this evening?" asked a red haired human.

"Just waiting for someone, she should be along soon" he replied.

"Alright sugar. My name is Rita, just let me know if there is anything you need," she smiled and made her way back toward the bar.

What was that about? Even after spending the last few years interacting with them he still had a hard time reading human signals. Her tone seemed to be implying something that made him a little embarrassed, but her eyes told a different story. She seemed distracted, anxious. He thought about it for moment but began scanning the area for his sister again instead. His eyes moved across the room taking in the people around him; there were two Krogans taking shots at the bar, one minute they were laughing, the next the looked like they were about to come to blows, nothing new there; there was a Volus, no doubt monitoring for suspicious activity, as his people are notorious for being preceptive when it comes to business, no one would be cheating the house under his watch; there was a human male lusting after an asari as if he had never seen a female before, pffft humans, ruled only by their libido; lastly his eyes moved to the dance floor, it was an odd mix of bodies from all across the galaxy collected into one undulating mob, anxious to escape the stresses of their day. He wished he had the ability to forget his troubles like that. But he would never be caught dead on the dance floor. Turians were not known for their grace. He drifted away into the thought of his awkward feet desperately trying to find the beat, smashing into the foot next to him. He snapped out of it as soon as he saw a rather eager young human dancing on a turian female who responded by burying her waist into his. He was amazed at this interaction, so brazen. So... It can't be! In a flash Garrus was across the room with a firm grasp around the back of the young turian's neck, dragging her from the stage.

"What exactly are you trying to do Solana? Cause a scene?" He realized the irony of his accusation. "What are you thinking dancing with a human like that?" he roared, he didn't care that others were staring, but he lowered his voice, "What if this got back to Dad?"

"Spirits Garrus! Calm down! I was just having a little fun," she responded sharply. "I can't believe you would embarrass me like that."

"You?" he replied, "how do you think this reflects on the Vakarian name?"

"Really, you are going to go there?" she hissed, but her tone changed knowing she had the upper hand. "You wanted to run off and become a Spectre, abandoning Vakarian tradition, and I am the one who should worry about our family name? Please, that's a joke! I really should thank you, you tried all of Dad's patience for me, taking a lot of the heat off of my back."

"Dammit Sol," he reflected on what she had said, she took it too far. He knew his father had been disappointed with some of his decisions, but it was still hard to have it thrown in his face. "Never mind that, I just..." he stalled, " I just don't trust human males, they have no sense of honor, I don't want you getting hurt. They're not like the guys you grew up with."

"Aww Garrus, come on," her voice softened, she regretted being so harsh earlier, she didn't like hurting her older brother. " I am a grown woman now, I can take care of myself. I am Turian military for Spirits sake! You really need to relax."

"I'm sorry, it's just been a long week. I have a new case at work and I am already at a standstill. I feel like Pallin wants me to fail, he throws up roadblocks every time I make some headway! I guess I am just a little on edge," he let out a soft growl.

"That must be frustrating, I know pushing papers isn't how you pictured your life when we were younger...but you had to know you were always going to end up at C-Sec. If you can crack this case you'll be promoted for sure, then you'll have a lot more power to do things your way, you'll see," she said reassuringly, then added "don't let Pallin get you down, you know he's just set in his ways like Dad, there's no point in letting him get to you."

"Thanks," Garrus said, he knew she was just pacifying him, but it still helped. "Excuse me, Rita?" he motioned the server over.

Rita strutted over to their table, "Glad your guest made it, I couldn't stand seeing you sit there all by your lonesome. What can I get for you?" she asked.

"2 glasses of Serrice Ice Brandy, dextro filtered please and a plate of your Dextro-sampler," he replied.

"Coming right up!" the woman replied.

That Brandy was going to put a dent in his budget, but it was worth it. He never got a chance to sit back and catch up with his sister anymore. He couldn't believe how grown up she had become since the last time he had been home to Palaven. They chatted nostalgically about their childhood, what their parents were up to and what they thought the future would hold. He couldn't deny he hated the thought of her going to battle against some of the galaxy's most hardened criminals, but he was proud that she had been chosen as part of an elite division of the Turian military. Only a handful from each graduating class were offered the opportunity she had been. Honestly, he was a little jealous. He should be the one out there putting his life on the line.

Minutes turned to hours, and before they knew it was getting late. Rita cleared their plates and their tab popped up on his omni-tool, "Please verify your bill is correct and the balance will be automatically deducted from your account. Flux appreciates your patronage. Please remember gratuity is not included." He grimaced at the amount as he hit the confirm button and made his way to give his sister a goodbye embrace.

"Listen Gar... don't be a stranger, k? I know I will be harder to reach, but I will be checking for your messages every chance I get. And don't forget to check in on Mom and Dad either, you know they love you, right?"

"I know, I promise. You don't have to worry, I'll always have time for you Sol." He rubbed her forehead to his one last time. She stopped and waved as she made her way through the exit with a sullen look in her eye, before turning the corner and vanishing out of sight. Spirits if you can hear me, please keep her safe.

He passed a news terminal on his way to the door, and paused...

- Good Evening, this is Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund news. In a bold and almost desperate move the Council has appointed the first human Spectre today. Quinn Shepard, an Alliance Commander known as a war hero for being the sole survivor of the Skyillian Blitz could not be reached for a comment. (A picture of the new Spectre appeared on screen) Shepard can either further humanity's reach in the galaxy or make the council races regret granting so much power to a race they feel is still "young" in their galactic development. Only time will tell. The circumstances of this appointment have been kept hush hush, but an inside source tells me the cause for this sudden promotion is due to events surrounding her trip to Eden Prime where a run-in with a Turian Spectre went awry. This has been Khalisah al-Jilani wishing you all a good night. -

Turian Spectre? Eden Prime? Could it be Saren? He had overheard Harkin and Pallin say Saren had been spotted on the human colony just this week. It would coincide with what the human Ambassador had told him about the Spectre's involvement with their colonies. What does this "Shepard" know? If they've made her a Spectre it must be big. He was determined to find out.