A commenter on the masskink joked about secretly shipping Victus/Solana after I wrote the first bit of 'Get Your Game On.' I'd actually written this into the story initially, but cut it out. So, have an interlude set somewhere before the Reapers come.

Whatever he'd been expecting of Solana Vakarian, it hadn't been the sheer glee with which she watched holographic husks explode under a barrage of miniature grenades from, of all things, an assault rifle. It was one thing for Garrus to explain that his sister was a weapons tester for the Hierarchy, and another entirely to realize that not only did she love her job, but she brought her job home.

"I think it makes her feel closer to Mom," Garrus'd said. "Dad's the investigator, the one with the C-Sec approved pistol and no intention to use it unless he absolutely had to. /She/, on the other hand, never found a gun she didn't like." He'd rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment and changed the subject, then.

A voice at Victus' elbow made him start. "She's at it again. Guess I'm glad someone's getting some use out of the Reaper data we hauled back." Garrus'd walked up behind him, and in the racket of the explosions, he'd missed it entirely. "Though that's a new gun. ... are those... grenades?"

Solana'd stopped firing on the bulging abominations Victus couldn't name, wrenched her helmet off, and looked up at them. "I'm not above using my brother's Alliance connections to get my hands on something new," she called up to them. "He owes it to me, anyway."

Garrus covered his face with his forearm, muttering something indistinct under his breath. He seemed to have reverted to pre-boot camp behaviour; Victus recalled that he was the younger sibling, so to some extent, it made sense. It was still amusing to see.

Below, Solana was checking the rifle over, popping the thermal clip and putting the safety on before heading for a workbench. "Come down and take a look at this thing," she called.

"Go ahead," Garrus said with a sigh, looking at his blinking omnitool. "Duty calls. Might as well take advantage of /your/ leave-days; I've taken up enough of them anyway, and Sol could use a new audience. She's good at what she does."

"Blowing things up?" Victus stifled a chuckle. "I approve."

He'd been introduced a month or so back, but their paths didn't cross often; she lived in the city proper, tending to come to the Vakarian home when she wanted to use the shooting range. Garrus, on the other hand, had taken up his duty as a son and was staying near his father until the Hierarchy or duty called him elsewhere.

Victus wasn't blind enough to think that they were entirely one and the same.

"It looks like they dealt with the specialized ammunition requirements by making the rifle fabricate the grenades itself," Solana called without looking back. "Whatever else can be said about humans, they're definitely innovative."

"Unpredictable and tenacious, too," Victus offered, and was amused to see her hop sideways and twist to stare at him for a split second.

Then she saluted. "General Victus, sir!"

He splayed his hands, palm-down. "I'm not here in an official capacity. 'Victus' will do."

Her shoulder rose slightly in her armour, the tilt of her head turning more amused than startled. "I'd tell you to call me 'Vakarian,' but in this house that might get... confusing."

It was a neat side-step of protocol. A more traditional turian might've been shocked. Victus just chuckled. "Very well. Solana. Now, you were saying...?"