Chapter 2: A Dream Come True
"Hey! Watch it!"
Garrus didn't stop to look at the asari yelling at him, let alone apologize. A stupid tourist who probably spent her day gawking at the Destiny Ascension through the windows in the Wards wasn't worthy of his attention. Wasn't his C-Sec armor and the fact that he was running through a crowded hallway a clue to stay clear?
It felt good to run. He spent too much time stuck in his office, mired in the bureaucracy. For once, he didn't care about the consequences. He wanted to bring in Saren, and by the spirits, that's what he was going to do.
And to do that, he had to reach Dr. Michel's clinic before something happened to the good doctor or the quarian in her care. He doubted that he was the only one interested in the info that the quarian was holding. He didn't want to give them a chance to get there first.
Panting, Garrus reached the end of the hallway and stopped in front of the small clinic. There was no one around. Garrus checked on the pistol attached to his hip, more out of habit than the real need. There won't be any shooting involved. All he had to do was to find the quarian, talk to her, get the info, make Shepard a Spectre.
It would be good to have a grateful Spectre on his friends list. Especially with the prospect of having both his angry father and boss breathing down his cowl in the immediate future.
There was an opportunity right there. He would be a fool to miss it.
Garrus put his hand on the gun, ready to unclip it. Better to be safe than sorry. He pressed the button that opened the door. It took forever to open, or at least it seemed that way to him.
Nothing happened. The one-room clinic was completely empty except for the doctor. He let go of the gun before he fully entered. Better not to alarm her.
He walked past her without stopping, going around the screen wall. He had to check the area with medical beds with his own eyes.
There was no one there.
"Where's the quarian?"
It was curt, it was blunt, but he had no time for pleasantries.
Surprisingly, the doctor's face brightened at the sight of him. Her smile grew even larger when she heard his voice.
"Oh, Officer Vakarian!" It took her several moments to continue. Garrus started tapping his foot. He wasn't sure if she took his hint or not, but she mercifully continued. "She went—"
The door hissed open, and several people poured in. Before he had time to do anything, they had their guns trained both on the doctor and him.
Shit.
This wasn't how he planned this. He wanted to kick himself for turning his back on the door, but he really wanted to talk to that quarian. Maybe his father was right, and his decisions were too rash.
"Don't move, C-Sec!" the guy with the gun pointed at him yelled. "We just wanna ask the doc a couple of questions. She answers, we leave, no one gets hurt."
"Tell us about the quarian. Where did she get that information?" their leader asked. Of course, it had to be that question. At least it was a confirmation he was on the right track.
"I'm not tell—ah!" The bastard hit her. Dr. Michel covered her face in pain and fear. Garrus felt like growling. He didn't care about collateral damage that much, but this was different. It was happening right before his eyes, and he was partly responsible.
"Be reasonable, Doc. Tell us what we wanna know, and we'll leave you alone."
Garrus doubted that. These weren't ordinary street thugs. They looked like they were hired by someone big enough to afford real professionals. Someone like Saren. It was unlikely he would leave any loose ends behind him. He hated himself for dragging the doctor into this.
The door hissed open again. And to Garrus' great surprise, the blonde-haired Spectre candidate he saw earlier entered.
Shepard.
The leader grabbed the doctor and pointed the gun straight at her temple. Other thugs turned to look at the newcomer.
"We've got a hostage! Stay put, whoever you are!"
Garrus didn't think any further. The thugs forgot about him momentarily; it was enough. His hand moved on its own, and unclipped the gun. He aimed and pulled the trigger and saw the leader fall.
The rest of the thugs were finished off by Shepard and her squad. Just like that. Several biotic flashes, tech blasts and a little gunfire was all it took. They didn't need his help at all.
He was in awe. Now he wanted to earn her trust more than anything.
She looked directly at him for the first time since she entered, and his heart sank. Even though she was a human, her expression reminded him of his father. It was the Garrus, you screwed up big time look in her eyes that irked him the most.
"What were you thinking?!" Now she sounded like his father, too. "You could've hit the hostage!"
Garrus fought the urge to fidget under her glare.
"I wasn't thinking… I just reacted!"
He stopped. The excuses sounded hollow even to his own ears. Shepard was certainly right. C-Sec pistols weren't known for their great accuracy. If his aim was just a little off…
Overwhelmed by sudden worry, he ran over to the red-haired doctor, who stood frozen still, trying hard not to look at the corpse at her feet.
"Dr. Michel! Are you hurt?" According to his visor, her vitals looked alright, except for the elevated heartbeat rate. Still, he had to ask.
"N-no… Just… just need a moment…" she replied struggling for breaths.
"We need to know about the quarian." Garrus tried to sound as reassuring as possible. "Your message said she knew something about the geth. Can she prove they're working for Saren?"
"I don't know about that," the doctor shrugged. "She had some sensitive information on her and wanted protection. It got her shot already, so I thought it's best if I put her into contact with Shadow Broker. Fist, the owner of a bar on this level, is one of his agents. I told her to go see him."
"Fist?" The little patches of hair above Shepard's eyes arched. Eyebrows, were they called? The meaning of the gesture was lost on Garrus, but her voice sounded surprised. "But… Barla Von told us that Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker and is now working directly for Saren."
"Fuck…" Garrus muttered under his breath. Did everything about this case have to be so complicated?
"My God!" Dr. Michel gasped at the same time. "I sent that poor girl straight into the lion's den."
"Chora's Den, you mean?" Garrus was surprised when everyone chuckled. "What's a lion, anyway?"
"It's a human idiom; don't worry about it." The doc recovered enough to smile. "But yes, that's the name of his establishment."
"Then that's where we need to be," Shepard said.
"You want that information to bring Saren in?" Garrus turned to her. She nodded. "Let me come with you. I worked on that case and I want to see it through."
"You really don't like Saren, do you?" she grinned. "I'm not sure if we can use a cop. I expect heavy action. Fist won't go down easily."
Garrus felt slightly offended, and then realized that she probably didn't know what all turians go through when they turn fifteen. He said, "I served three years in the turian military. I had extensive sniper training. Not anyone gets that; you have to be really good. I can also handle an assault rifle and overcharge an Overload to fry any shield in one go."
It sounded like boasting—no, it was boasting, but he couldn't help himself. He was damn proud of his service record before his father pushed him into C-Sec.
Her grin deepened. "I can fry several shields in one go. But I guess you'll do. Welcome aboard, Garrus." She extended her hand, and he took it. Her grip was firm.
He felt welcomed. Her words weren't just spoken out of courtesy.
The female human in Shepard's company frowned, but the male nodded in approval. "Commander? If we're expecting heavy action, we could use a krogan, couldn't we?" he asked.
"The bounty hunter Von mentioned?" Shepard mused. "I guess we could. The more, the merrier; isn't it what they say?"
It was another human idiom, but he got the gist of it.
The other human's frown deepened, but she kept her comments for herself. It wasn't a big surprise if she disliked aliens. Humans didn't start off their galactic journey well, and screw-ups like Saren did nothing to help the relations.
"To C-Sec, then!" Shepard declared and motioned for her group to follow.
"C-Sec! Great!" he chuckled. "I can get my stuff before I get fired! No need to go later!"
That earned him a smile from the entire group. Even the grumpy woman parted her lips slightly.
Garrus fell in behind Shepard, and couldn't suppress a grin. The day looked much better than it did couple of hours ago. He got to join the first human Spectre. He already liked her charm, sense of humor and deadliness in combat. It didn't matter that she was a bit stuck-up when it came to regulations. She was still serving the Alliance, and from what he knew they were a lot like the Council. He expected her to loosen up once she gets her own command.
Compared to another day with Pallin, serving under Shepard looked like a dream come true.
It was too easy.
Their fight against Fist went so smooth, it was almost frightening. Ashley and Urdnot Wrex on point, Kaidan and her providing support, with Garrus watching their back; it was over before they had time to realize it. As she mulled it her head over and over again on the way to the Alliance docks, Shepard was more and more certain she did the right thing.
She invited everyone to join her on the Normandy: the quarian girl, the krogan bounty hunter, and the turian ex-cop. Now that she was a full-fledged Spectre, everyone would have to follow her rules for a change, and she had decided to give unity among the races a chance.
She was once a frightened girl, lost on her journey of life. Her anger at the batarians matched the battle rage of the old krogan she fought with today. And, heaven knew it, she was frustrated with the damn bureaucratic arrogance that seemed to hamper the Citadel on every step. These people were like her. They were her before she was given a chance by Anderson.
She could at least try and do the same for them.
The elevator finally arrived, and Shepard could see the long form of the Normandy glistening under the artificial light of the Citadel. It was a beautiful ship, and now it belonged to her.
Wasn't that her dream ever since she was a little girl on Mindoir, gazing at the sky every night? To soar among the stars, free like the wind?
She spotted Anderson and Udina near the entrance to the ship and her poetic mood dropped to the ground like a rock. Spaceflight wasn't poetic or romantic. It was just one of the many means of transportation in the modern galaxy.
She was far from being free. She still answered to the Council and to the Alliance, no matter how fancy her new title might sound. Plus, they asked her to catch a megalomaniac with an army of synthetics under his rule and a powerful asari leader named Benezia at his side.
Was she up to the task?
"Shepard!" Anderson called when she got close. "We've just got confirmation from the Alliance. The Normandy is officially yours. She's a fine ship; take good care of her."
"Thank you, s-sir…" She couldn't hold in a small stutter. The realization hit her suddenly. Anderson was stepping down to give her this chance. He did it for her again. "You should keep the Normandy. It's not fair."
"It's my decision," he assured. "No one is forcing me to do anything. You deserve it. Both being a Spectre and taking command of the Normandy."
"And," Udina added with his annoying accent, "that way the captain stays away from the spotlight. We don't have to worry about his past interfering with your task."
Shepard swallowed hard. Now was her chance. Anderson's past with Saren bugged her ever since the first Council meeting.
"Captain," she began, "what is it with you and Saren? I understand if it's difficult for you to talk about it, but I'd like to know what exactly I'm getting myself into."
"It's true," Anderson began, "I don't li—"
"I-is this the right dock? The Normandy, right?" Another accented voice with rolled R's, although much more pleasant than Udina's, interrupted them. Shepard turned to see the slender masked form of the quarian girl approaching. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya was her name or something like that. Quarians sure liked complicated names.
"Sure it is, Tali," Shepard smiled. "Go on in."
The masked figure nodded, and scampered into the ship. Shepard could swear Tali was blushing, even though her face was covered.
"What is this, Shepard?" Udina blushed too, but from anger. "You invited a quarian on the most advanced human ship?"
Just wait a little, she grinned from ear to ear, you're really going to like the rest of the newcomers.
"We can't stay isolated from the galactic society forever just because we started off on the on the wrong foot," she said out loud, feeling her brow crease. "The ship is already a joint human-turian effort. I intend to show the other races we can play along."
Udina promptly shut up, and Shepard felt triumph… that is, until she saw the disapproval on Anderson's face again. Her mirth deflated immediately. Was she out of line… again?
In the silence that followed, Shepard turned to Anderson. "I believe you wanted to tell me about your experience with Saren, sir."
"I was a Spectre candidate once. Long story short, Saren and I were sent on a mission together, just like you and Nihlus. It went terribly wrong, with lots of civilian casualties. It was Saren's fault. He has no regard for collateral damage."
"In his report, however," Udina added, "all blame was put on the captain, and the Council promptly believed it. No matter what Ambassador Goyle did, they revoked his candidacy and—What the hell is this?!"
The bulky form of Urdnot Wrex popped out of the elevator and proceeded into the Normandy without a question asked. It was a bit rude in her opinion, but it made Udina fluster even more, so she couldn't bring herself to mind it at all.
"Another crewmember," she replied with an innocent smile on her face. "Please continue."
Udina took a deep breath. "Captain Anderson's candidacy was revoked and we weren't given another chance until… well, until you came along. So it's important that you don't screw this up."
"What's important is that we don't lose another colony to that turian megalomaniac!" Anger suddenly rose within her. There were colonies dying out there, just like Mindoir, and this slime of a politician thought only about their good image in the eyes of the Council!
Another disapproving look from Anderson, this time mixed with a hint of worry.
"That's correct, Commander." His deep, soothing voice put out her anger immediately, but also left her feeling guilty. She couldn't help losing her tempers with politicians, especially when there were colonies involved. "That's why we want you to begin investigating several leads at once."
"The details will be transferred to the Normandy's mission computer," Udina added. "Also, we've got intel that Dr. Liara T'Soni, the daughter of Matriarch Benezia, went missing while investigating a Prothean ruin."
"Her doctorate was based on Prothean history," Anderson explained. "In fact, she's the galaxy's best expert when it comes to them. It might be a good idea to get her on board, and find out if she knows anything about the beacon."
The beacon. Shepard shuddered at the word. Before her eyes flashed images of humanoid shapes cut down by… something big in the sky… and there were corpses on the ground… and the screams… and…
"Garrus Vakarian, reporting for duty." The pleasant voice of the cop she had met today snapped her out of her flashback. She didn't know how it happened, but a lot of her anxiety was almost gone. It had to be that other voice that all turians had. Rumor had it that it could do… interesting things to a human mind.
She took a deep breath and turned around to see him standing at attention, saluting her as she watched. His military training certainly showed through.
For someone so frustrated by restrictions and red tape, she thought suddenly, Garrus Vakarian certainly had a stick up his ass sometimes.
"Relax," she smiled at him. "This isn't turian military." She heard a lot of things about their harsh discipline. "Go inside and settle in."
Vakarian perked up his mandibles in the way she was now certain it was a smile or a grin and disappeared inside the ship.
"Have you invited an elcor or a hanar on the ship, Commander?" Udina asked through gritted teeth. He looked like he was about to get a stroke any moment. "Or is that it?"
"That's the last of them." The innocent smile was on her face again. "Everyone else is on board. We're ready to go."
"One moment, Teresa." Anderson took her under his arm, and led her towards the end of the platform. There was no one here except a keeper busy with a console.
"Teresa…" He paused, obviously looking for the right words. Shepard felt anxiety again. Anderson was the only person alive who still called her by her given name. It didn't feel like her. Teresa was sixteen, cowering under a large tree and crying, not daring to look back at the burning farm. Shepard was the hero of Elysium, with the Star of Terra proudly shining in her display case. She didn't like being Teresa.
"I know you hate politics," he said at last. "You and me both. But being a Spectre isn't just about shooting stuff. You represent humanity. You're another ambassador, in fact. You have to play the game. You can't go about telling them truth in their faces, no matter how much they deserve it."
She hung her head low and nodded. "I'll try my best, sir."
Military protocol was safe. If they started using names, she could become that girl crying under a tree again.
"I fully approve your multi-species crew, though," he added, a smile appearing on his face. "It's time we show the galactic society that we can play along, indeed. Just… don't be so blunt about it."
Shepard nodded again, feeling the weight of her duty on her shoulders. The task before her was tremendous, but if Anderson believed in her… maybe she could actually pull it off.
She walked into the ship, not turning back.
Once she was inside, she looked around as if she was seeing it for the first time. It was very different when the ship was hers.
"Hey, Commander?" Joker, the pilot and the resident endless supply of snarky remarks brought her to reality. "We're ready to go. Just punch up the destination on the galaxy map. Or maybe you'd like to give a speech first? You know, to bring the morale up."
"Open the channel across the ship," she commanded and approached the cockpit.
The deadly game they were entering began with a show of words.