Chapter 4

Looking on Tali did not understand what was going on. All she had heard from Gabby and Donnelly was that Shepard and Garrus were having a heated discussion.

However, here these two males looked more on the verge of a brutal brawl than a conversation. She had known that something was up with Garrus before he and the Commander left with Thane but none would talk. Continuing onward Tali took up a spot next to doctor Chakwas.

"What is happening?"

"That is something I am not sure about either, my dear. From what I can gather Officer Vakarian lost some friends while on Omega and he had a chance for vengeance but seems Shepard talked him out of it" the good doctor replied as she crossed her arms raising her right hand to her chin.

"Isn't that a good thing, that the Commander was able to stop Garrus?"

The two of them were friends stopping one another from doing something the other would regret is supposed to be something friends do for each other. Yet here they were as if bitter enemies, then again enemies might be too strong a word… Maybe rivals would better apply.

Returning her attention to the males, Tali could see the look in Garrus' eye as he spoke, the way he clinched his jaw as well as his talons. She could even hear the straining of the gloves over her helmets speakers.

A worrying sensation overtook her, if they were to come to blows what kind of injuries would they receive from one another. Tali had heard of the turian's skill at hand to hand, his higher agility and strength would give Garrus the advantage over Shepard. Judging by that look she had glimpsed in his eye, she wasn't sure if Garrus would even be able to stop himself before he killed the Commander!

'Keelah, stop this soon'

"Killing him wouldn't have solved anything then, it wouldn't have helped anyone, it wouldn't have brought back your men"

"But they would have had their justice. He deserved the same all betrayers deserve," his tone deepened to where it sounded almost like an indiscernible growl, "the same thing you deserve Shepard!"

Garrus' mandibles were quivering, his fangs bared, his eyes narrowed at Shepard's level as he slightly lowered his head adding to an intimidating posture.

Shepard was taken aback by the statement, never had Garrus even hinted at such feelings. Shock was scrolled acrossed his features, as well as on the faces of some of the crew.

"W…What do you mean by that?"

"You heard me Shepard, you deserved the same fate. You betrayed us!"

"How did I..., I would never betray you or anyone!" Shepard's voice had changed no longer was it the even tone he had kept since the beginning. Now it too held the spite of anger in the undercurrent.

"You betrayed our trust! We trusted you get us through was what was to come. You betrayed me then just as you did today! I trusted you to help me with Sidonis but you sold me out just like he did those years ago" Garrus pointed a talon in accusation leveling his arm with Shepard's chest.

"You're no better than he is!"

Taking a step forward "I couldn't let you go through with it Garrus. It was not you being yourself, that plan was born out of your obsession for revenge. I couldn't allow you to do something you would have regretted later on." Shepard shook his head.

The three squadmates had just dealt with "Fade" and his mercenaries. Now they were sitting in the RTV on the landing platform near the Orbital Lounge.

"Harkin is a bloody menace. We shouldn't have just let him go. He deserved to be punished."

Garrus shifted uncomfortable with this conversation.

"You're worrying me, Garrus. You were going to actually shoot Harkin."

"You don't think he deserved it" turning his attention to the human who sat beside him, "helping all those criminals avoid the law. He's no better than them."

"It's not like you" Shepard kept his eyes straight ahead watching the foot traffic.

Garrus turned away, his voice lowering "What do you want from me, Shepard? What would you do if someone betrayed you?"

Shepard paused mulling the question over in his head before answering, "I'm not sure but I wouldn't let it change me."

"I would have said the same thing before it happened to me. I am not going to be so naive again."

"It's not too late; you don't have to go through with this. There is still time to turn back." For the first time Shepard turned to look directly at his friend since the beginning of the conversation.

"Who's going to bring Sidonis to justice then, if I don't?" he drew a deep breath "Nobody else knows what he's done, nobody else cares"

"Let me talk to him then"

"Talk all you want it's not going to change my mind. I don't care what his reasons were, he screwed us…he deserves to die" a rumbling growl came from the turian as he pronounced the last word.

"I understand what you're going through" concern was permeating the Commanders words.

"I appreciate your concern… but I'm not you" the words came out almost as if they had been spat out in insult.

"This isn't you either, I know that much"

"Really? I've always hated injustice. The thought that Sidonis could get away with this…" Garrus' eyes seemed to stare off into the distance as his words followed suit with a seemingly light chuckle.

"Why should he go on living while ten good men lie in unmarked graves? He may not have pulled the trigger but he is the one responsible for this. He brought this on himself!"

"You felt the same way about catching Dr Saleon, obsessed then too"

"We put a stop to the same way as I recall."

"That's only as he gave us no choice."

"I'm sorry Shepard. But words are meaningless they aren't going to solve this problem."

Garrus still stood there teeth bared, his posture seemed even more rigid than before.

"It wasn't just Sidonis you were going to kill; I saw the look on your face when you had the pistol aimed at Harkin. If I hadn't stopped you then he'd probably be laying in pool of his own blood."

Shepard took a step nearer once more, he now stood within three feet Garrus.

"What if you had missed Garrus, did you think of that? Instead of hitting Sidonis, you would have murdered some innocent bystander. Is that something you would have wanted on your conscience?" Shepard motioned to the side of his head.

'Shepard's right, what if I had…missed' for a moment Garrus' expression softened, as the thought entered his mind for the first time.

Shepard gazed on as Garrus retreated inward, as he sought to answer the question proposed before him. The retreat did not last long as he seemed to push it aside for now.

"I wouldn't have missed! The crowds were not that tightly packed to worry. It was only you stopping me, holding me back."

Shepard's stance relaxed, the change made Garrus wary unsure of what this meant.

'Had the Commander given in? No surely not, he had gone against the Council, taken on the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius armed with just words and he had been able to conquer both.'

"So you wish to still hold someone accountable?" Shepard's tone had undergone a change; it no longer held any anger in it. Rather it had returned to normal but it held sense of regret to it.

Garrus merely gave a curt nod to affirm his standing on the subject. It was then a simple movement on Shepard's part caught him completely off guard. The movement was one he had seen many times before, but now it was directed at him and it actually filled him with a small sense of dread.

Shepard stood facing him, but Garrus' focus wasn't on his face instead drawn to his right hand. The cold metallic gleam of the pistol stood out clearly against Shepard's armor.

"If that is what you really want then Garrus."