Chapter 2
Garrus didn't see the alien for a while. He had been kicked out of her room rather quickly after he let them know she was awake. It had been more than a week now and Garrus was curious how she was doing. No information had been passed along to him however.
In that time, Garrus was put in charge of investigating how the alien came to be on the Citadel. They knew a ship dropped her off but for what reason? And where had she come from? The officer found himself working long hours trying to find a lead.
Finally, another week later, he got one.
A male Turian named Visius had been reported trying to sell a primitive omni-tool that he claimed belonged to an undiscovered species of alien. The Salarian shop owner he'd been trying to sell it to had not been convinced. He reported the Turian to the authorities.
Visius had been easy to find. After being refused at the shop, he'd gone to the nearest bar and stayed there. The Turian was currently sitting down, drunkenly telling a small group of people of his exploits. Garrus brought a few fellow officers with him, in case he needed backup. They followed behind him as he walked up to their target.
"And then, just like that. Boom! We got 'em. And it's thanks to us there's one less slaver ship in the galaxy. We should be getting medals. But those barefaced politicians would never acknowledge us. We-"
"Visius?" Garrus interrupted the story.
"Who are you?" The Turian turned to look at the officer. He blinked a few times as if trying to clear his vision. "Oh. C-Sec. What brings you here?"
"I'd like you to come with us. We have some questions for you."
"Can this wait? I've got an audience here." Visius gestured around him, but then noticed that his audience had left once the C-Sec officers approached.
"Oh. Nevermind." He looked a little confused at where everyone seemed to have just disappeared.
"Will you come willingly, Visius?"
"Don't have much of a choice, do I?" Even drunk as he was, the Turian was not stupid. He swayed as he stood up and held his hands out to be cuffed.
Once a little more sober, Visius told Garrus everything he knew. Question one of his kind enough and most would spill their guts. It was how they were raised.
Visius admitted he had been on the ship that left the alien on the Citadel docks. He and everyone else on the ship were mercenaries. It was easier and safer for them to work together than by themselves.
The Turian explained that while outside Council space they encountered a Batarian slaver ship. It was an easy decision to attack. Batarian ships usually carried valuables pillaged from colonies. Visius justified the act by saying they always freed any slaves they found. He didn't mention the fact that they usually had the slaves reward them for being their savior.
Garrus listened to Visius intently, not really caring why the mercenaries had attacked. Slavers deserved whatever misfortune that befell them. If only the Council would do more to make sure the Batarians like them kept far away from anyone else.
According to the Turian, the slavers ending up fighting back harder than Visius and the rest of the crew anticipated. When the mercenaries were finally able to board the ship, they encountered the strange alien locked up. Not knowing what she was and having some trouble killing the rest of the batarians, Visius freed her. He hoped she would help kill her captors as she had been their prisoner.
The Turian admitted that it was thanks to female that they won that fight and killed the rest of the Batarians. Wherever she had come from, the alien was a soldier. And a good one at that.
The female had been left wounded in the fight and the men patched her up as best they could with what they had on them. Visius and the rest of the crew hadn't known whether or not she would just die of an allergic reaction from the medi-gel but there had been no other option. The alien stayed calm, despite not knowing what was going on and who they were.
Visius said no one knew what to do with the female. Though some had been wanting to sell her off, the Captain had refused the suggestion. He had once been caught and sold as a slave in his youth and would not subject that to anyone else. Since she had helped them, the mercenaries decided the best thing to do was to drop her off at the Citadel before they went to Omega.
Before leaving, the mercenaries took everything of value off the Batarian ship. Visius admitted that it had been a very good haul. Afterwards, they headed over to the Citadel. The female was looking worse for wear by that time so they had been planning on leaving her at the hospital. However, the Krogan carrying her outside the ship hadn't bothered to cover her up. A crowd formed and the mercenaries panicked and just left her on the ground.
Visius explained that he had been planning on staying on the Citadel for a while and did not leave with the rest of his comrades. He then handed over the omni-tool he found on the Batarian ship. He said no one believed him on what it was so it was worthless to him anyway.
In the end, Visius had been released. He had committed no crimes on the Citadel or in Citadel space. Garrus was fine with that. There were bigger things to worry about.
The Salarians were ecstatic to have the omni-tool. They stated they could possibly have a rudimentary translation program to help speak to the alien soon. Once they had access to the data they could also figure out where she came from.
After learning that Batarians might have been involved, the Council called for a meeting with the Hegemony. As far as Garrus knew from the news, things hadn't gone well at the meeting.
Pallin congratulated Garrus on the investigation, saying he had done an exemplary job. The Turian felt some pride at the praise but it also felt hollow. He hadn't been happy in his job for quite a while.
Garrus was once again assigned to watch the alien later that week. It seemed like she remembered him. She smiled, oddly just like an Asari, when she saw him through the glass barrier that separated them. He thought that was a good sign.
The female's keepers told him she had not been restrained since the first day. The female had not been violent towards anyone but they were careful to monitor her as a safety precaution. They could not be sure if she would panic or try to escape. And they were not entirely certain whether or not she was a danger.
Garrus realized that the alien talked out loud often, even though she must know that no one could understand her. She spoke her unintelligible language throughout his shift. Sometimes to him, sometimes to herself.
She seemed bored, and Garrus could relate. He tried talking, but felt like a fool when he knew she couldn't understand. The alien seemed to appreciate it though.
Three months after she first arrived, the alien transferred to a ship. The Salarians had created a translation program and discovered she came from the Sol system in the Local Cluster from the omni-tool. The aliens called themselves Humans. And the female Human called herself Jane Shepard. She preferred Shepard though.
Several representatives from the three council races were assigned to the ship. They were to introduce themselves to the Humans and gauge whether or not they could be introduced to the rest of the galaxy.
Garrus had been assigned as one of the guards on the ship. He had been surprised but he was one of the few officers that knew about the Humans. There had been rumors of a new species around the Citadel but no videos or pictures had been released. All footage had been confiscated by C-Sec. Most people thought it was just that, a rumor, or even a hoax.
The Turian was told the translator program was working and with almost 100% accuracy. He found himself nervous as he walked towards the bridge. He saw the Human talking to an Asari, her back facing him. Both seemed very animated in their conversation. Garrus could see how excited the Asari was. He slowly approached, curious how the Human was like.
"-tend to be rather impulsive." The human's voice still sounded odd but his translator worked. He could understand her.
"Do not worry." The Asari spoke. "We will do our best to ensure that we are not perceived as a threat."
"I'll speak to them first. They may not believe me, however. They may think I've been forced to do this, brainwashed or whatever other idea they may come up with."
"Of course! That would be logical to assume. Your species has never encountered sentient life like us before. To be wary is understandable." The Asari nodded.
"Shepard?" The word felt odd as he said it. Her own updated translator did its job and she turned around.
"Yes?" The female paused, then smiled. "Ah, the Turian from my first day here."
"You recognize me?" Garrus was a little surprised. She had only seen him the one time after all.
"You made a bit on an impression. Your first contact with an alien species and the only thing you were interested was my hair." Shepard smiled at him. "Plus, I think you were one of only two Turians I saw in person since I was brought to the hospital."
"Oh, well. It looked weird." Garrus said awkwardly. The female smirked at his answer, it really was strange how Human and Asari facial expressions were so similar.
"Well, since you know my name, can I have yours?"
"Garrus Vakarian." The Turian responded.
"Alright Vakarian, I've heard you are here to make sure I don't do anything stupid."
"I think that is highly unnecessary." The Asari scowled. "You've been absolutely perfect, considering the circumstances."
"They are being careful. I don't mind."
"Well, I still think it's unneeded." The Asari responded. She seemed to remember something then. "Oh! I forgot, I still have to work on that speech to your people. It still needs some polishing."
The Asari excused herself and rushed off, excitement showing plainly on her face.
"Are you sure you don't mind being watched?" Garrus asked once they were alone.
"It's a bit troublesome but I'll get over it. I'm on my way home, which is something I thought I would never say."
"You're not worried about all this?" Garrus asked. He knew he would be.
"I am. But you guys have already figured out where I came from from my omni-tool. You don't need me anymore so taking me home seems like a lot of work. Though I suppose you could be scouting my homeworld so you can attempt an attack or something else undesirable. But from what I've seen and read of the Citadel and the Council races, I think that you are trustworthy. I could be wrong however."
"I can tell you that we mean no harm, if that makes you feel any less worried."
"Thanks. It does a little."
"So Vakarian. We're going to be spending a lot of time together. Tell me about yourself." It was about a week's trip to the Sol system. She and the Turian would be together for a majority of that.
Garrus seemed a little surprised she was asking but did as she said. He told her that he was a currently C-Sec officer, that he had been one for the last three years, that he had a sister and that he preferred a sniper rifle. The female had many questions about Turians in general and he tried his best to answer them all.
In return, Shepard told him about herself. She said was a soldier of the Systems Alliance. Both her parents were part of the Alliance as well and she grew up wanting to be like them. She didn't have any siblings but always wished she did. She also preferred assault rifles. The female then explained her homeworld and the many governments it had.
It was strange to Garrus to listen to how different they were. Turians were taught to conform to society, that their duty was to the Hierarchy. Humans were so much more individualistic. Garrus found himself envying them, though he did not agree with their ways. It sounded too messy, too prone to conflict. Which was the case, as Shepard explained.
This meeting of a new species would be interesting, Garrus thought as the two lapsed into a comfortable silence. He greatly hoped that it would go well. The Human before him didn't seem that bad. The Turian found himself looking forward to learning more about the Humans and to see how they would react to the rest of the Galaxy.
Finally finished this one. Took a while, sorry!