It wasn't until later, when he was en route to Palaven that he realized that Shepard had played him. He always had taken human emotion for granted—unlike other species, they were consistently easy to read. He had seen it in C-Sec; interrogating a human was remarkably easy. As hard as they tried, every twitch of their mouths and movement of their eyes gave them away. The average human wore his heart on his sleeve without even knowing it.
He had forgotten that Commander Shepard was the last thing from average.
It wasn't that she could control the subconscious reactions most of her species possessed—it was that she knew him, and knew what he was looking for. There had been fear, worry in her eyes when she looked up and smiled, but he was too relieved to see her mouth widen to notice. That laughter wasn't happy, but he was too pleased with himself to see it. She had taken advantage of his turian pride, his friendship, and sent him away while she faced a courtroom alone.
His irritation dulled when he glanced out the window, saw just how far away from the Citadel he was. She had played a dirty trick, but it was his fault for not picking up on it. And she hadagreed to the rescue plan, even if it was just to get him of the ship. It was too late to change things, and he had to put some faith in her. She had plenty of evidence, and he had seen her shake down the Admiralty Board. She could handle herself.
And if she couldn't, he would be waiting with a sniper rifle and plenty of grenades.
"Garrus."
"Not now, Solana," He responded, clearly agitated as he poked at his food. For a hospice cafeteria, the food was normally quite good; he just couldn't stomach anything today. Shepard's trial had started, and the doors had been closed to the public. No one knew what was happening, but it didn't stop reporters from speculating. Even though Shepard was human, the trial was a galactic sensation—blowing up a star system does tend to attract attention. Even though that was the main reason for the trial, the media eagerly reminded everyone that Shepard's activities were also being called into question—her reappearance, connection with the krogan, appearance at the Flotilla…even her choice in crew. He himself had been mentioned a couple of times, but it wasn't met with praise. A turian following a human's command was shameful; a turian who had chosen to follow a human's command was worse.
To escape the commentary and wild guesses on the trial, he had chosen to sit in the cafeteria. It was free of any electronic media, which he found a blessing. He would sit with his mother later; for now, he needed to think.
"Garrus. You need to see this."
It was the repetition of his name that prompted him to look up. Solana's mandibles were twitching, an obvious sign of distress, and he felt himself rise from his chair.
Something's wrong—but it can't be. The Collector tissue was helping, she was stabilizing—did she crash?
"It's not Mom," She clarified, and he breathed a sigh of relief, confusion quickly setting in. "It's… I can't. You have to see it."
She brought him to the lobby, the closest place with a television. The first thing he saw was the large group of turians huddled around the screen, all staring in silence. Solana pointed to the reporter, who was clearly just as shaken up as his viewers.
"…estimated to be in the millions. They have no weak points that the Alliance has been able to identify—not one has been taken down, while many Alliance ships have been destroyed. In a statement issued just moments ago, Councilor Valern has forbidden our military to interfere, saying that it would only lead to our destruction as well. Quote, 'This is an enemy we cannot fight one on one. We must build up our own forces and search for a weakness in their defenses,' unquote. Councilor Tevos added that any refugees should make their way to the Citadel, where they will be welcomed with open arms, and expressed hope that Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre, will make it out alive. Shepard was on trial today for destroying the Bahak system, a move she claimed was necessary. Ever since her reappearance a year ago, rumors have been flying that the Spectre believes in the Reapers—it seems she was right. The Reapers are here, and have struck Earth."
The reporter continued on, but Garrus had stopped paying attention. The Reapers were already here, and descending upon Earth—right where Shepard was. It couldn't be a coincidence. The one time she didn't have her crew with her to back her up…
Well, she wasn't completely alone. Rumor had it that Commander Alenko, newest human Spectre was going to be at the trial. While Garrus hadn't quite forgiven him for the way he dismissed Shepard on Horizon, Alenko was a talented soldier and could watch Shepard's six. Anderson was also going to be there, and Joker had traveled to Earth to tell the Alliance how the Normandy operated. If any helmsman could get her out of that mess, it was him.
Solana turned to him, face impassive. "What are you going to do?"
He didn't even have to think twice before his trademark snark popped out of his mouth, covering up his worry. "I'm going to the Citadel. Shepard could use a welcoming committee."
