Her head was buzzing. Picking up the Primarch from Menae. Right. Piece of cake. The moon of a planet that's heavily assaulted by reaper forces. The planet on which probably Garrus was on right now. The turian councilor had offered the help of his species, but that would only be possible if Ella managed to secure the Primarch.
But there was also the very small possibility that she found someone who'd be able to tell her where Garrus was and when they'd gotten the last life sign from him. Now that Kaidan was out and she didn't know if James would stay she needed someone who understood her. Liara was all good and well and a friend but not like the others.
Ella sighed at the thought of Kaidan. It hadn't been as hard as she had thought to leave his hospital room. He'd been past the worst and was in good hands, Dr. Michelle would take care of him and Ella didn't question for one second that that was possibly the best that could happen to Kaidan, well except from a treatment by Dr. Chakwas, but she gladly had re-joined the Normandy crew.
But the main reason because leaving had been easy was that she knew that there was absolutely nothing she could do for Kaidan. She had to concentrate to do what was expected of her. And that was for sure not sitting at his bedside and wait for him to open his eyes, but ending this damned war. And that didn't happen from a hospital room, but with a weapon in her hand out there on a battlefield. And that would be Menae for now.
She pushed the picture of him, lying in his bed, tubes in his veins and the oxygen mask on his face into the back of her mind and forced her thoughts back onto the mission.
But for said mission she'd need someone at her side, who thought like her. Someone who could take a blow from her when she was angry and who understood her. She could handle the rest. Okay, it would also be fantastic to have some more actual and maybe even experienced soldiers aboard. Without Kaidan and James she'd be the only one with a military background and planet side experience. Not that it would stop her, but it would be helpful nonetheless.
Ella walked towards the elevator that should take her to the shop area of the presidium, when she had to stop slightly surprised. Hadn't he said this part of the citadel wasn't for him? She shrugged and closed the distance between them.
"Hey."
"Shepard. Liara told me the Council is not interested in helpin' us."
"Something like that." She looked at him out of the corners of her eyes. Us? Did that mean he'd stay?
"Huh, why would they. Look at this place. There is no war here. People are whisperin' about it, they're talkin' about it. But they don't really believe it."
She couldn't hold back the ironic grin. "I take it's your first time here, with the… elite of the galaxy?"
James lifted his shoulders in a brief shrug. "I've been to the Citadel, but never up here on the presidium. It's… not right. It looks pretty, calm and peaceful – but it's not right. It's all just an illusion."
Ella lowered her gaze for a brief moment. "It was peaceful. Once."
James made a disbelieving gesture. "But was it? Really? I mean when push comes to shove they gonna just turtle up, hope it don't hit them too, right? They rather believe in this…" He made a gesture towards the neat presidium gardens behind him. "…than face the truth."
"They are in for a rude awakening. Every species will fall, one by one if they don't work with us."
"No shit. Can't believe it's even up to debate."
Ella nodded. She knew exactly what he meant. But talking about it any further wouldn't help them making the Council see reason. But actions would. And preferably before one of the homeworlds would fall.
"So… you still wanna go back to earth?"
"Hell, yeah… but…"
She raised an eyebrow. "But?"
"You were right. So was Anderson. We can't stop them alone. Besides, looks you gonna have your hands full convincing these pendejo politicians to help us. And I'm all for it, whatever it takes."
"Glad to hear it." She smiled lightly. Her words were no overestimation.
She was glad – fucking glad to be more precise. When they set off for Menae she'd have one experienced soldier on her team. And besides that, was James' presence on the Normandy was nice and he seemed to fit in with the crew. Or what she understood of a crew. She had had neither the time nor the mind to get to know every one of the crew so far.
The Normandy was dated for departure in six hours. The crew was still on shore leave and the ship almost empty. Some more would join the crew here on the Citadel to have a full functioning frigate once they left.
Ella decided against staying on the Citadel for longer than necessary and instead took care of restocking and incoming sitreps.
At her wish EDI informed Ella about returning crew members, while she worked. So she would know their name and task aboard. She visited some of them when they returned to their posts and had some brief conversation. Something she took serious as CO, knowing her crew. That had been the way she had learned it and the way she would continue to practice it, even during war.
Personnel that had been assigned on Hackett's order here at the Citadel were announced as well and their service records were sent to her private terminal. She didn't read all of them, only until someone with a special position was announced. Some she would actually like to meet in person.
She met Lt. Cortez in the shuttle bay. He would be her shuttle pilot from now on. So no more crash landings caused by James. Or probably. Because James and Cortez seem to know each other and had some amusing conversation while she was down there and what made her smile during her own very pleasurable conversation with Cortez. He was a nice guy who had just lost his husband. Another victim to the Collectors. Another colony wiped out of its habitants. And Cortez was one of the very few lucky survivors – whereas lucky was a very relative term in his situation.
She was so sick of all this crap.
That James was back already had surprised her already when EDI had told her about it. And when she was almost about to leave the shuttle bay, she decided otherwise and walked towards him, and the little corner he'd gotten comfortable in. Even if she knew him for about half a year she knew almost nothing about him. Maybe she should talk to him as well.
Ella could have just asked EDI for his service record, but she preferred the personal conversation. But said conversation took an unexpected term. He wanted to play? Fine. He could have it… if he could stem it. She hadn't prevailed against all these men in her career to let some basic flirting throw her off balance. That was usual intercourse on vessels.
"Actually I came to talk, but I could as well stay for the show," she retorted relaxed to the question why she had come down here. What made him jump the wagon and tell her that she had to try harder to make him blush. She grinned. Fine – if he wanted that…
That he would ask her for a spar while talking surprised her, but came convenient. She hadn't told him her opinion about his stunt on Mars and that would give her the option to punch him in his face for it.
But she waited. She let him talk first. About his assignment on Fehl Prime, about his CO Cpt. Toni. About the Collectors and about the decision he had to make between the colonists or the intel, that had proved to be worthless in the end, because she had blown the Collectors to hell.
Ella understood. "You didn't know that. You can't blame yourself, Vega."
"Who says I'm blaming myself?" He replied with his next jab.
"I do," was her reply when she hit his face. He was too unconcentrated. He was thinking about it too much to dodge her blows.
"You a shrink, too?"
"No." 'Stupid asshole' she called him on her mind while she blocked his next jab. "But that stunt on Mars was reckless. You're lucky to be alive."
"so?"
"So… Maybe you don't care if you live or die."
"Or maybe… I'm just willing to do whatever the fuck it takes to end thin goddamn war!"
He was so upset that he didn't see it coming that she'd use his next hit as a possibility to get him on his back. "Maybe you are, but if you are half as good as I think you are, we need you alive," she said standing above him.
He got back onto his feet and walked past her while she was still talking. After a moment he turned around. "Thanks for the pep talk."
She lifted one corner of her mouth. "Anytime."
Ella was already about to leave when he raised his voice once again. "Hey, thanks for the dance, lola."
She hesitated for a second, but then turned around again. "Lola, huh?"
"You kinda look like a lola."
She first raised one of her eyebrows, but had to grin very soon. Nicks were common in the military. And this one was at least not one of those ridiculous ones. And it gave her an opportunity. She grinned bit wider and placed one hand on her hip. "You're cute. So I let you get away with it – for now." She pushed one strand of her hair behind her ears and then turned around to head for the elevator at the far end of the shuttle bay.
"That's it. Now you made me blush," he called after her laughing.
Menae was a success. On more than one account. Not only that they had secured the Primarch, the new one that was. They also didn't have to look for Garrus.
He had been there before them. Reaper specialist and advisor Garrus. They had mocked him about it half of the way back to the Normandy.
Now they were sitting at a table in the mess and tried to compensate the used energy with food. Ella had already talked to Garrus and had also been the one forcing him to come with her. He shouldn't even start to fucking calibrate anything. He would come with her and she would have a coffee and eat something and he would… well eat or drink something… anything.
James had joined them after a while and even Liara had left her den.
"And you are going to try to convince Wrex that turians are his friends?"
She grinned. "Nope, not even I can do that. But I will talk to him. Wouldn't be the first time."
"If I recall correctly there was someone with a loaded gun not even ten feet behind you… just in case if you ran out of arguments."
"Well, then you know your task."
"Yeah, great idea. Let the turian shoot the Krogan. That will certainly help with your peace treaties."
"Not one bit. But as I see it, it doesn't matter who shoots the Krogan." Ella shrugged. "Because if we can't convince Wrex, we won't convince any of his people."
"You got a point."
"You had a discussion with a Krogan?" James sounded almost surprised.
Garrus had to laugh. "From a distance it looked more like they tried to kill each other with glances. Or shoot each other depending on whose fuses blew first."
"Hey, I had everything absolutely under control. I just had to make him understand that I was right. And very clearly."
"That was why Ash was standing ten feet behind you with her weapon locked and loaded."
Ella sighed. "She was careful." Her grin had vanished. Yeah, Ash had taken care about it, under Kaidan's shocked views. She had been one of the best marines she'd known… "I-I… should talk to the Primarch…" Ella got up and took her coffee with her.
Everybody was looking after her.
"What was that?" James asked.
"Ashley and Shepard have been good friends."
James looked at Liara. He needed a moment to understand. "She's…"
But it was Garrus who nodded. "Yes. We had to leave her behind on Virmire. A hero's death, but it had been Shepard who had to make the decision. Ash or Kaidan."
"Ah, now I remember. Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. Got promoted and honored post mortem for extraordinary achievements in the Service of the Alliance.
Liara was the one nodding now. "Shepard made sure of that and wouldn't back off before the Alliance had agreed."
"I can imagine that."
"Not even in the slightest, boy."
James looked at the turian when he got up.
"I think Udina didn't let her enter his office after she was done with him for three weeks."
"No shit?"
Liara laughed and nodded. "I saw the video file. He was more than pale after he had her removed from his office."
"Her tantrum and the buzz after that were extremely amusing. At least we had half of Purgatory on our own."
Liara laughed again. "True."
James tried to imagine that and wasn't surprised that it wasn't so very hard. Commander Shepard scared away half of the guests in a night club and got away with it, because no one wants to deal with her and her crew.
It had gotten silent at the table all of a sudden, when Garrus suddenly turned around and left for the main batterie.
James looked questioningly at Liara. "And what was that about, doc?"
"The evening we were talking about… That was one week before the Normandy got destroyed. It had been our last shore leave before she…" She sighed after a small pause. "We don't like to think about it."
James nodded. It had been a shock for the whole galaxy. "Must've been hard."
Liara smiled sadly. "More than that, Lieutenant."
He was left alone, when also doc rose a moment later. Despite the sad memories that had made them left this crew was the craziest bunch of people he had ever met.
Even on Menae Vakarian hat fit into the team so seamless, that James had felt like the fifth wheel. The two of them didn't need to talk, no commands; He knew what Shepard was about to do, even before she started to move. James had stood beside them and watched them while they had just looked at each other and nodded.
Sure, he had been able to follow them, but those two got perfectly together on the battlefield.
His thoughts started to run.
He could assume that it would be similar with Alenko. When the major was back on his feet, James could expect to be replaced in the ground team.
James grabbed his mug and rose from his chair.
A shit was gonna happen. He would earn this damn place on the ground team. He was far better than half as good as she thought. Under no circumstances he would stay on the ship while the rest of them had the fun down there. They could kiss that goodbye.
