Without bothering to put on the top half of his armor, Garrus exited the tent and scanned the area for the speakers and found them at the nearest gate, the guard demanding an explanation. The human was young, couldn't be more than sixteen and clearly civilian.

"What is it, Wikas?" Garrus asked the guard as he approached, scanning the boy quickly.

"He says he needs you to go to his camp."

Turning his eyes on the boy, he asked, "And why would I do that?"

"She asked for you by name."

His heart began to thump a little faster and he said, "Who asked for me?"

"A woman staggered into our camp this morning. Bloody and very weak. My mother met her and helped her into our tent and laid her down. She was wearing pieces of Alliance armor so I went to their camps first. Met a doctor who came back with me. She sent me to find you; said there may not be much time. You must come; I've been gone too long and my mother will worry. It is a long walk back."

Garrus didn't want to hope, but it had to be Shepard and the doctor had to be Chakwas. Who else would send for him?

"What's your name?" he asked the boy, beckoning him to follow him to his tent.

"David."

"How far is your camp, David?" Garrus quickly remounted his armor.

"Three miles, sir."

Outside the tent, Garrus spotted an empty truck.

"Kovach," he called to a soldier working on a datapad near the vehicle.

"Sir?"

"I need to borrow your truck to get this boy back to his camp."

"Oh. Alright." He looked a little unsure, but moved aside anyway.

"I'll bring it back."

"Yes, sir."

He started up the truck and waited for the boy to climb inside before rumbling out of the gate and onto a road littered with rubble.

"You walked three miles for a strange woman that passed out in your tent?" asked Garrus after a few moments of turbulent silence.

"Yes, sir. The doctor said it was important."

"Did she say the woman was going to be alright, or…?" His voice trailed, and the glimmer of hope that had suddenly taken residence in his heart would not allow him to finish.

"She didn't say."

Garrus drove faster, following the quick directions the boy gave until they reached a small settlement. They both ejected from the truck and the boy beckoned him to follow.

"Mum! Mum! I'm home. I've found him!"

A tall, slender woman stepped out of a tent and the he grabbed her around her middle, nearly bowling her over. As Garrus reached them, another woman exited the tent and his suspicions were confirmed.

"Garrus, quick," said Dr. Karin Chakwas. "But brace yourself."

He took a deep breath and ducked into the tent. There, on a pallet of blankets and pillows was the body for which he'd been searching all day. The deep breath had been taken in vain as the air rushed from him at the sight of the torn and bloody torso. It had been bandaged, but they were already soaked through. The face was bruised, almost beyond recognition, but he could see features that were familiar. He shoulder-length auburn hair was singed and burned in places, but he recognized it instantly, even in the dim lighting in the tent.

"Oh," he gasped, dropping to his knees beside her. "Is she alive?"

"Barely, but yes," said the doctor, kneeling on the opposite side of Shepard, omni-tool glowing as it performed scans. "I don't know how she walked into this camp."

"Kind of like this," said a small girl, much younger than David whom Garrus had not even noticed was standing nearby. The girl then staggered across the room and fell over. "But she was awake then."

Garrus blinked at the child and knew he would have found it more amusing if Amelia didn't look like she was bleeding out in front of him.

"Yumi," scolded the mother, reentering just in time to see the display. Then, with an apologetic look at the turian, she said, "I'm sorry, sir. She is very young."

"No, it's … fine," said Garrus. "She may be very young, but she is also very clever. Thank you for taking care of my friend."

"I've been applying medi-gel as often as I can," said Chakwas, "but her injuries are severe. A hospital would be better, but we need to let the gel work now."

"What about the Alliance med-tent?" asked Garrus. "Wouldn't that be better than this?"

Chakwas looked conflicted.

"Yes, but … I feel that the anonymity of this home would suit her recovery better."

Garrus looked around again, the children sitting quietly nearby, their mother having gone outside to tend food cooking over an open fire. They had no idea who any of them were. He understood the doctor's opinion on the matter and shifted to sit on the floor, stretching out his legs in front of him.

"She doesn't mind?" he asked, referring to the woman outside.

"Her name is Lentea, and no, I don't think so. She has been very hospitable and generous since I arrived. They don't have much, but what they have, they have freely offered, though this won't be more burden to them than keeping an eye on her. I have already informed the medical staff that rounds should be made to the civilian camps now that the War is over, and they seemed to agree. I will be able to offer her the same standard of care here, without the press."

"So, you've told no one?"

"I wanted you to be the first, especially when it seemed so dire before. But, she is stabilizing. The extent of her injuries left her in a terrible shock. It was touch-and-go for awhile. I will come back in the morning and check on her. David knows where to find me if something happens in the night."

"Karin, thank you," said Garrus.

Digging in her bag, she pulled out a few small canisters.

"Being a human settlement, you won't be able to find anything suitable for you to eat. It's not much, but here is some nutrient paste to get you to morning. I'll bring something more for you then."

"I'll be fine."

"When was the last time you ate?"

Garrus thought a moment and the woman gave him a stern look, pushing the canisters into his hands.

"Eat, Vakarian. You dying of starvation after we took out the Reapers is a piss-poor ending to your biography."