I am very proud of this chapter

Chapter 4 –

Entering the new world Rubrum

Approx. 8:25 a.m.

3 months before loss of connection

Their shuttle was jumping violently as they passed through the atmosphere of Rubrum. The grey and cotton white clouds lifted and rose away like a red curtain to present the great view of the youngest turian colony.

Garrus didn't belong to the type to recite poetry when confronted by beauty, but damn, if Rubrum wasn't a sight to behold.

He'd heard of the unique tree species with red leaves that turned green, yellow and blue in autumn. They had seen pictures and read about those trees, but seeing them from above was an entirely different experience.

It was odd, that's for sure. Garrus had never given it much thought, but now as he and his team were on their way to Prima, the capital city of the colony, it dawned on him how limited his imagination was. Working with Shepard had led him to visit many worlds with a wide variety of cultures, but they had all been very similar in their appearance.

Rubrum, at least from their point of view, was different. Red, a green so dark it looked almost black, and a dust of yellow smudged the landscape. Further north they could see the beginning of the mountain chain making its way south and splitting to the east and around Prima. They were too far away to see them, but there were two mines in the eastern mountain sides, where the workers dug night and day for gold. The land was, apart from the mountainous part and the colorful forests, mostly prairie. The planet showed signs of having been victim of meteorite impacts as the mostly untouched nature was marred by pretty large craters. These weren't bothersome, though; it was there where the turians and other species had built their houses. Prima looked basically like a bunch of squares dropped into a bowl.

"We'll arrive in approximately thirty minutes," the asari pilot announced through the speaker. "The security has already given their clearance to land. Seems you're being expected."

In front of him, Syrus, a black turian with yellow colony markings from a middle class family, chuckled mysteriously, his mandibles clicking in amusement. Garrus couldn't resist the sound that his own throat emitted, but he too was excited, although the mission was of a very delicate and serious nature. Calah, a fellow turian from Palaven with light brown plates and the delicate red markings that showed her to be of a family of the same caliber as the Vakarians, gave Syrus a wry look, before turning to the fourth and last member of their team.

"You look a bit pale, Tavis," she noted with a light frown.

Garrus glanced at the youngest turian among them. "Have you taken the medication against airsickness, Tavis?" he asked calmly. He was aware that Tavis, as the youngest member of the team, had more to prove and any offer of assistance was a slight to his pride.

Tavis was young, had only recently turned 25 years old. He had fought first on his home colony in Aephus against Cerberus, before joining the turian fleet to face the Reapers on Earth. He had caught the attention of the Hierarchy during the Reaper War for his relentless pushing and refusal to give in and a type of endurance that even Shepard admired.

In Garrus' opinion, he had done more than enough to prove himself and was convinced that, with proper guidance and patience, Tavis would be promoted quickly in the Hierarchy. There was still a lot he had yet to learn, though.

Tavis grunted, hands clutching the harness of his seat with an almost feverlike grip. Had he been in a better condition, he would've given Calah a smart-ass reply, but since he was not, he kept his mouth shut.

"Commander Vakarian asked you a question, Tavis," Syrus admonished.

Syrus was a special case. He was a tease, but hated it when one didn't uphold rank. If a superior asked you a question, you better gave him an honest and respectful answer.

A weak groan shook from within his throat, but Tavis forced himself to look at his commander. The hide of his neck was pale, his dark grey mandibles pulled tight to his face. Unlike his team partners, Tavis' colony markings were simple and rough edged, almost like finger paint. Three blurry waves on each mandible and two stripes on his long fringe. It was a good thing that Tavis was very handsome and talented.

"I- I forgot, S-sir," he stammered, subvocals thrumming pitifully.

Garrus sighed and reached beneath him. He handed the young man a paper bag.

"Just in case," he added.

Tavis ducked his head in shame as he reached for it.

Syrus snickered. Tavis ignored him. Garrus hoped they'd get along. There had been no trouble during their training, but one could never know how things turned out on the battlefield.

He and Calah – the only mature ones in the group, it seemed – exchanged a dry glance, the woman flicking her right mandible in a manner that showed impatience. Garrus gave her a sympathetic nod.

It was then that their pilot spoke again.

"And on your left you will see one of the greatest and most dangerous sights Rubrum has to offer."

"The krogan?" Syrus asked, drawing a laugh from the others, quickly followed by a moan from Tavis as he regretted the action and burrowed his face in the paper bag.

"The Water Demon! Isn't it a beauty?" the asari praised. "Look at the color, at the speed of the current!"

Garrus rolled his eyes and looked down to the left.

Truly, beauty depended of the eyes of the beholder or whatever Shepard had said. He heard Calah releasing a restrained whine from between her teeth.

"Wow," Tavis whistled with an appreciative nod.

Garrus couldn't quite find it in himself to agree and by the nervous clicking from Syrus' mandibles, he knew that he was not the only one who mistrusted the large, proud river; Water Demon was a very apt name.

"You might know it by -" The asari said something that vaguely resembled the word in turian for Water Demon. Calah squeezed her eyes shut and snickered at the wrongness of the sound.

It was not that non-turians couldn't speak turian. However, the problem was not only in their pronunciation, but especially in their lack of subharmonics. A large part of their language relied on the sounds from their second larynx and the occasional clicking; without them the turian language simply sounded… tuneless.

"It is a pretty accurate name for it," Syrus commented with a shrug and settled himself back on his seat. "Even with our distance I can see the speed of the current."

Calah's brow plates twisted questioningly. "How deep is it?"

"217 meters," Tavis groaned from the bag. "Only about three meters less than the deepest river on the humans' homeworld."

Garrus flicked his good mandible, his throat vibrating with unmistakable pride. "Done your research I see."

The young turian groaned as he attempted to grin at his superior.

"Stay in the bag," Garrus warned. "We've avoided any accidents so far."

Calah chuckled hollowly. "Yeah. Hundred credits that it will change the minute we land."

"Two hundred that it happens while we're talking with the Primarch," Syrus said and reached out his hand. Calah shook it. The woman, obviously sure of her victory, turned to Garrus then.

"So what's the plan, Commander?"

"Get to know the area as soon as we've talked to Primarch Latus," Garrus answered promptly. "If everything goes well, then that's all we'll do today. Tomorrow we have a meeting with the military representatives-"

"Sounds like fun," Syrus muttered and clutched the harness as the shuttle hit another wave of turbulence.

"They have a lot to explain," Garrus said. "If there's something they refuse to tell us, then we'll move on to the outer perimeters that same afternoon."

"And if they do tell everything?" Calah tilted her head to the side.

"Then we'll go the morning after. Whatever happens, we're not staying in Prima. As often the krogan have hit Prima, the real battle is being fought in the outer territories."

The turian shook her head. "This is a big mistake on the military's part," she said with a frustrated rumble from her subvocals. "Of course, if Prima falls, then the war's over, but it's a grave mistake not to defend the outer territories, while we're in the position to do so."

"I agree," Syrus said seriously.

Tavis looked up with brow plates comically drawn. Even Calah was surprised.

"You do?"

He shrugged with nonchalance. "Yes."

She watched him suspiciously, but then shrugged as well and continued. "There's not much the Hierarchy can do to draw the krogan away, now that the Council…" She growled lowly in disgust. "…has sided with the krogan."

Syrus huffed in agreement, his mandibles flaring in unrestrained anger as he crossed his arms.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard it," he snarled. "Before and during the war, none of them would've sided with them. But now, all of the sudden, they decide to give in to the krogan's demands?!"

"Unbelievable," Tavis managed to growl.

Garrus sighed. "I know," he said, and he really did. He had never liked the Council very much, but now…

"But this is important," he reminded his squad. "Our mission is a secret one. No one but us, and the highest members of the Hierarchy know about it. The Council has nothing to do with it. We don't depend on them. So whatever frustrations you have, save them for the battlefield. For now, let's focus on what's really important."

He felt Tavis' hesitation, before the young turian could speak up.

"Permission to speak freely, Tavis."

Tavis' mandibles twitched in surprise, but he relaxed quickly. "Thank you, Sir." He cleared his throat as he mulled over how he wanted to say what he wanted to say. "Sir, you say we should focus on what's really important. Our mission is to find as much Intel on these krogan as possible and report them to the Hierarchy so that they can decide what to do next. Sir, the next step is obviously war against the krogan for stealing our colony."

"Sir, the Council will never approve of it. They will not side with us."

Garrus took his time with the answer. And when he did speak, it was to ask a question.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Well, they've sided with them before, didn't they? Not once, but twice! Sir." Tavis took a deep breath. His mandibles twitched distressed as he reached for the paper bag again.

"That wouldn't be a first, Tavis," Garrus explained slowly. "The Council didn't believe Shepard, when she told them about the Reapers." He laughed disdainfully. "They only started listening when the Reapers were already there." He wanted to add more, tell him about how reluctant they been after to give their full support to Shepard, how they had almost brought the galaxy to destruction in their vain, cowardly attempt to hide from the truth. But he didn't.

He gave him a reassuring smile. "If we hand them the right information, then regardless if their side with us or not, they won't be able to call the other races to turn against us."

He saw him digest his answer. A short moment of silence passed, but eventually Tavis nodded.

"Don't worry yet," Calah comforted him from her seat. "There are plenty of people who are scared of the krogan. I'm sure that, come the time, they'll side with us as well."

Garrus frowned. "You sound as if war is a done deal."

Her nose twitched. "Well… commander, the situation does not look very optimistic."

"I agree," he said. "But until we have more information, you should try being optimistic anyway. I've met good krogan and you have as well, Calah. Let's not rush into another war if we can avoid it."

They passed into silence, frequently interrupted by the wheeze of Tavis' subvocals every time the Shuttle jumped. Their minds were on the mission, their families, the Reaper War and all things they had lost.

Five years had passed since their victory, but unlike so many others in turian history, this one didn't invite for celebration. The wounds were too fresh, the smell of ashes and blood, the taste of smoke and rock still in their tongue. The war was so recent that no movie had been made yet. People rarely talked about it. And people who did, were avoided. If an author wrote about the horrors of the Reapers he was ostracized.

Garrus hummed. The shuttle inclined as it prepared to land. It seemed they had returned to the same point as before the war. Previously, no one but a few had known about the Reapers. No one talked about them. And today no one mentioned the Reapers, because the wounds reached too deep. Would they be forgotten again?

No. Garrus shook his head inwardly. No. They would not be forgotten. The sacrifices of the brave would not be forgotten. Their sacrifices were recorded in the histories of their platoons for all to honor.

Present day

Normandy SR-2

Six days after the connection loss on Rubrum

It was close to eleven in the morning when they arrived on Cipritine, two embarrassing hours later than scheduled.

"Kinda sad that we can't run around without our helmets," Vega mused as they walked out of the Cipritine's main Docking Bay.

"Yeah, my scans are acting crazy, because of the radiation," Shepard halted suddenly, uncaring of the people who bumped against her, and took everything in.

The place was crowded. As far as they'd been told, a group of young turians were on leave as they recovered from their first mission outside of their homes. Shepard studied them. They all had their facial markings already, some were taller than others, and there were more males than females. The young recruits rushed eagerly to greet their parents, who welcomed them once they met in the middle. The public display of affection was very restrained, most of the turians present opting for a handshake or a pat on the shoulder, but Shepard caught a few touching foreheads. The sight of this intimate gesture made her stomach flutter and warmth spread in her chest.

"I can't tell which one of you is Commander Shepard, but I suppose it must be the one with the red and blue stripes."

A wide grin split Jane's lips. She recognized that voice. She turned around swiftly and walked to the female turian standing with a hand on her hip, being sidestepped by exiting passengers.

Shepard reached out her hand, her grin widening, when Solana Vakarian grasped it into her larger one and shook it.

"It's good to see you, Sol," she said with a fond smile.

Solana's mandibles fluttered as she smiled at her. "I heard from Naxus that the coming squadron with the recruits delayed your ship." She took a deep breath. She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "That's what happens when you decide to travel to Palaven in early spring. That's when all the kids come back to visit."

Shepard chuckled, reached out to pat her arm fondly. "That information must have slipped my fingers. I didn't know turians had vacations in early spring."

"It's worse during the winter." She gave a shrug. "But anyway, I'm here to take you to the Primarch."

"Thank you."

"You're late, so let's hope they don't keep you longer, too. Dad and I want you to have lunch with us," Solana reminded her as she led the ground team out of the Docking Bay and to her car.

"Ah..." Shepard cast a glance at Liara, their gazes met, though they couldn't see each other. She couldn't say she was excited to have lunch with her husband's family. She liked them very much, had grown fond of both of them over the years, but it felt like a waste of time, dangerously tempting fate, instead of immediately continuing their journey to Tuchanka to make Wrex see reason.

"We were planning on -"

"It's just lunch, Shepard," Liara objected quickly, before the human could reject the offer. "Enjoy the nice moments while they lasts."

James nodded. "Yeah, we'll be butting heads soon enough anyway. I bet you that once we're on Tuchanka you'll miss this."

Shepard pursed her lips and glared at her friends. Former friends, she decided in that moment.

The truth was, Shepard was afraid. Turians had a superior sense of smell. What if Gaius and Solana smelled her child?

She felt her spirit deflate as she corrected herself. And the changed question was more painful than the original one. What if they smelled she had… lost it? What if they asked questions? What would she tell them? What if they told Garrus? She scoffed, stopping her head from shaking from side to side. She was making no sense. She was being stupid, as usual; again.

Whatever she felt in that second, Jane drowned it without any compassion for herself.

By that time, they had reached the Vakarians' car and one by one they crawled inside.

"Hey, cool. It's bigger than ours," James noted with approval. He was sat on the backseat with Liara, while their commander took her place on the passenger seat.

Solana released a sound that Shepard had learned to identify as embarrassed. "Shit! I'm sorry for the mess," she trilled as she reached out to stuff the papers, pens and something that looked like an unfinished dextro-bar into the drawer.

Shepard waved her off. "It's okay. You should see my apartment. I haven't cleaned properly since Garrus left."

She laughed in return, but it faded. The silence grew thick as both women worried over the same man.

"You haven't heard anything either?" Shepard asked quietly, and was grateful that her companions pretended to be occupied with watching the rapidly passing landscape.

Solana clutched the wheel tighter, but her grip relaxed as she exhaled. "No," she said, voice thin with worry. "I – uh – we were hoping you'd know something…"

Shepard looked out of the window. The reconstructions weren't finished here either. Many houses, especially those which belonged to the less wealthy, were still a skeleton, a broken body. She felt much the same.

"I haven't heard from him in five days."

"Oh…"

Her forehead wrinkled. "He hasn't called you?"

"He hasn't called in two weeks," Solana answered quietly. She was quiet for a moment, but whatever had crossed her mind, she quickly discarded it with a shake of her head. "I shouldn't be bothered," she growled bitterly. "It's not like he called every day before either…"

"I'll talk some sense into him when I find him," Shepard promised her firmly.

Solana chuckled. "Okay. But leave the ass-kicking to me. I'm his sister. It's my duty to do that."

There was a warm laugh from Shepard as she remembered how, two years ago, the two siblings had gotten into an argument and decided to take it outside. Their father had been unfortunate enough to be elected as the referee, but Shepard had never laughed that hard as she watched the two turians fight each other.

Garrus had won, by the way, and had not stopped bragging about it for the next two days, until his lovely sister reminded him of a certain event in his teenage years. It had been enough to shut him up.

That was another thing her turian had to explain. He had refused to tell Shepard any of it and successfully distracted her with his roaming hands.

Thinking of her husband inadvertently drove her thoughts into a less happy direction. She wondered where he was, if he was alright. He better be missing her as much as she was missing him.

She looked at Solana from the corners of her eye. Unsurprisingly, the turian looked just as worried, though her alien features concealed it better.

Turian expressions were harder to decipher since the plates left fewer place for movement, unlike with human or asari pliable skin. But once one got to really know them, reading their emotions became easier. It was a slow progress; a tiny flick of one mandible, a twitch of the jaw or the brow, a jerk or tilt of the head. Then, once one understood and recognized their expressions and gestures, the subharmonics became easier to identify as well. Of course, many of the sounds were too low for non-turians to hear, but many of them were of a "normal" volume. Watching turians argue with each other was a great learning method, too. Shepard recalled the conversations Garrus had had with his father or Solana, and that experience had been eye-opening to say the least.

Looking at her sister made her stomach twitch painfully. Solana missed her brother as much as Jane missed her husband, albeit in a different way. Solana had confessed to her how hard it had been with Garrus absent; the unbearable uncertainty whether he was ever going to return; the unresolved issues between her father and her older brother; their dying mother and if Garrus was ever going to see her again before she passed (luckily, he had); and then Solana's growing resentment because so many opportunities had passed by her and she couldn't take them, because someone had to keep their family together after Garrus' disappearance.

Shepard sighed deeply. Solana looked away from the road and met her eyes briefly. She gave her a weak smile. Solana reached out and covered the human's hand with her larger one. The commander's lips tilted upwards at the corners and squeezed her hand in gratitude.

"We're here." Solana slowed the car to the required speed and stopped it before the control posts. "I… I'm sure everything will be alright," she said, keeping her eyes glued to the soldiers patrolling the area.

"Victus likes Shepard," Liara stated as she climbed out of the car. "He will help."

"And you forget he has at least as much to lose as we do," Shepard added. "He's sure under a lot of pressure right now."

Solana nodded. "Our colony is at stake…" She hesitated. "I'll return in two hours, is that okay?"

Jane raised her shoulders. "Sure, why not? You may have to wait though. I have no idea how long the meeting will take."

"What's the worst that could happen? I'll just wait here until you're finished."

Vega laughed. "Oh boy, you don't know how missions usually turn out with Shepard if you said that." The glare he got in response, left him pretty cold and he turned away with a bright grin.

"Ignore him…" she advised the female turian.

"He's right, though," Liara muttered behind her back.

Shepard's jaw hardened, while she tried to keep her temper in check.

"Have fun, then," the turian smirked and started the engine. "Oh, and-" She wiggled a finger at Shepard. "I know you don't want to go to lunch. But don't even try to get away from it, okay?"

And she was gone without another word.

Liara and Vega giggled behind Shepard's back. They stopped immediately and pretended to be studying the architecture as their commander whirled around and stared at them with her famous glare.

"No comment," she growled.

The Hierarchy was more than happy to receive Commander Shepard. The building, like most turian architecture, was symmetrical, tall and strong, more imposing than graceful.

Shepard marched into the parliament with Liara and James following one step behind. Guards were posted on every entry, every hallway they walked through. If not for their breathing and the low hum of subvocals as the turians watched the hero pass by them, one could have thought they were statues.

A heavy gate with inscriptions relating their victories separated the ground team from the Primarch. It opened before Shepard could knock or storm in, leading to a relatively wide and bright office. There were three windows covering the wall on the right side of the turian sitting at his desk. There was a large bookshelf on the other and a galaxy map on the center of the room.

Adrien Victus, Primarch of Palaven, stood up and bowed his head respectfully as the three aliens entered. His plates had gotten a few more cracks in them, but the markings on his face and the brightness in his eyes veiled his advancing age.

"Commander Shepard," he said, his voice loud in the otherwise deserted room. He walked around his desk to shake her hand. "Thank you for coming at such short notice." He offered her a seat and the commander accepted gladly as did Liara, who sat onto the other chair. Vega stood a few paces behind, his arms crossed behind his back.

"I was on my way already," Shepard responded with a wry smile. "You just gave me permission to barge in."

Victus laughed. "Well then…" He crossed his hands in front of him and lifted a brow plate. "I'm sure you know then why you've been called."

"You need my help again", she couldn't help say, but hid her impatience with a polite smile. She wasn't sure how good Victus was at reading human body language, but respected him enough to not try to fool with him. "And I'm after Garrus, so me helping the Hierarchy is on the way so to speak." She shrugged sardonically and felt her heart lighten as the turian before her chuckled and his mandibles twitched in unhidden amusement.

"It is always a pleasure to have you around, Commander," he said and Shepard's smile brightened at the honesty in his double-edged voice. He grew serious again. "But the less time we waste on friendly exchanges, the faster you'll be on your way."

Shepard crossed her legs and her arms, and nodded. "Good idea."

Victus leaned back in his odd turian chair. "I won't repeat what the mission we sent Vakarian and his team to. You were there during the meeting."

The human grinned. "He must've been really annoying for you to allow a human participate in a secret all-turian meeting"

"And I'm not sure how much your husband has told you about the mission since he left." Victus tilted his head lightly to the side.

Shepard raised a hand. "Don't worry. Garrus didn't tell me anything that was classified", she assured him. "But he's told me enough to figure things out myself."

He gave a nod. "That's what I thought, Shepard."

Shepard leaned forward. "Shall we compare notes then?"

"No. I thought I'd fill you in."

"That works just as well", she replied with a grin.

"I will also send you all the files we have on the mission to your omi-tool, once we're finished." Victus cleared his flanging voice and began.

"As you know, Vakarian and his team arrived safely in Prima three months ago. The first reports they sent, showed nothing unusual or unexpected. Rising hostility on both sides, krogan invading turian territory and being cast out again… after three weeks Vakarian made the decision to investigate the outer perimeters, try to find a source, a mole to gain reports from the krogan's inner circle."

Her brows arched faintly in surprise. This was something Garrus had not mentioned. She was proud of him.

"Did they succeed?"

"They never said so directly, but we believe so. The reports on the krogan settlement were too detailed. We got information we hadn't had before. We were finally progressing," he explained and stood up with a deep, flanging sigh. "It was then when the problems really started."

"What do you mean?" Shepard asked, leaning her arms on his desk.

"It took us a while – an embarrassing long while – to notice what was happening," he mused. "The messages were intercepted," the Primarch said with a deep sigh, his left hand coming up to scratch his right mandible.

Shepard frowned lightly. "How many?"

Victus' eyes only held helplessness and anger. Not a healthy combination, Shepard knew.

"All of them," he answered.

Shepard breathed out slowly, controlled. "How did you notice they were being intercepted? How did they know your team was keeping you informed?" she asked.

Victus laughed bitterly. "Commander, if we knew all the answers there would've been no need for Vakarian's mission", he said, subharmonics vibrating with bitterness. "We had no reason to be suspicious at first since the messages we received all had the structure we had agreed upon. They were short, had no marks except at the very end."

"What happened?"

"The content. One of our com specialists assigned to analyzing the messages called my attention to it." The turian sighed. "One of the messages… we received it four days before the communication was broken. It was too detailed." He held a hand up as Shepard opened her mouth. "We know details matter, but for the messages we agreed that only the essential should be mentioned."

Victus pushed himself up from his chair, began to walk from one side to the other. His gaze was fixed on the bright view through the large window. Native birds flew in circles in the rosy horizon. The sun was setting on Palaven.

"It was only one message," he began with a clear, but quiet voice. "We almost missed it. It was a report on the most recent fight between us and the krogan a week ago. They tried to take over the communication tower. You can imagine how worried we were once we noticed the difference in structure. But the next message arrived a day or two later and it followed the directives. Then…"

"Then the connection to Rubrum was lost," Shepard finished for him. She huffed disapprovingly.

That's why details were important.

"Yes. We got a message the day it happened. One of them contacted us personally," he explained.

"What?" Her heart fluttered nervously in her chest.

"They were scouting the area around the com tower. It was difficult to make out the words – the connection was threatening to break and we couldn't risk losing it permanently. But I think it's best if you heard it yourself." Victus gave her a pointed look.

The way he spoke, the dark glow in his eyes made Shepard's blood freeze and her throat clench painfully.

"Okay. Show me," she demanded.

He led them to the communication central in a neighboring building. It was a flat building that surrounded the com tower like a protective wall. There were only two floors, but Shepard was sure the building stretched into the underground.

Their destination was on the second floor.

They walked there and Shepard used the extra time to ask more questions.

"How's life been treating you, Victus?"

"Oh, not bad. Things are very tense, but it's nothing we haven't experienced before," he said conversationally.

The line between her brows deepened. "How are your people reacting to the connection loss in Rubrum? They must be upset."

His mandibles twitched. "I can't imagine anyone being happy with recent developments," he replied, voice lowered thickly with worry. A low growl reverberated from his throat and he straightened his back. "I've tried several times to get in touch with clan Urdnot, but Wrex won't return any of my calls, or reply to my messages."

Shepard's mouth thinned.

Victus gave her a thorough look. "His behavior is not helping to change my opinion. In fact, it's never been lower. The turian in me is telling me to attack the krogan settlement before they take our colony for good. My better judgement tells me that a war is the last thing we need, something to be avoided if possible." He sighed deeply. "My people are angry, Commander. And so are the krogan."

"It seems everyone is angry these days," Shepard mused.

He hummed in agreement. "There might not be much I could do there," he said quietly. "And to be honest, there is a part of me that wants to fight. If it does come to a war between us, I assure you that we won't be the ones on the losing side."

"Is it true that salarians are working with the krogan?" asked Jane hurriedly in an attempt to move the subject into a less fatalistic direction.

Victus walked them through a seemingly endless hallway. He stopped before the door to the communications central.

"All our sources informed us that it's true."

She trailed a finger over a face scar. "And what does the salarian government say?"

"They claim not to have anything to do with them. And I believe them," he said firmly.

"It must be a separate group. Similar to what's happened with the krogan. Garrus told me… something about supremacists in Rubrum?" She tilted her head slightly, expecting an answer.

The turian nodded. "Yes. Their group was born on Tuchanka, I believe. The first time we heard of them was from Prima, and most krogan that settled there came originally from their homeworld."

"You think Wrex has something to do with this?"

He gave her another long look. "No," he said eventually. "I would like to blame everything on him (it would certainly make everything easier), but none of the… uh… civilized conversations we had, led me to believe he held any… blind hatred towards us."

Shepard nodded, relieved. "I don't think so either," she agreed. "Must be someone else behind this. I've been on Tuchanka before. I know there are many who disagree with Wrex."

Victus opened the door, indirectly bringing their talk to an end. "Krogan are not known for diplomacy. They shoot first, and then don't ask any questions. It wouldn't surprise me that many would much rather have revenge than a future."

Unsure of how to reply to that, the commander followed him into the central. The room was large, there were only three windows and these were small and placed very high. There were numerous consoles scattered in a structured formation across the room, all faced the main console, a galaxy map with all the communication centrals. Dots of different colors (white, green and one or two red) blinked and disappeared quickly; the map moved from side to side, zooming in on different nebulae and areas, depending what the command was.

Turians were sat on almost every console, each of them focused on their job. Shepard watched them intently as they took calls, analyzed messages and signals, send their reports to their commanding officers. It was loud, but not in a chaotic way.

It occurred to her, as she watched a female turian with blue clan markings stand and leave her post, that this would've been were Solana would have worked, had her mother not gotten seriously ill when the Hierarchy offered her the education for this post.

Victus waved her over to the console nearest to the galaxy map. Liara and James placed themselves at a respectful distance, far enough not to be suffocating her, but close enough to listen. The Primarch signaled the officer to talk.

The young turian took a deep breath. "We got the call at three in the morning," he said, sliding a long finger over the screen. The screen flickered as a map appeared. The man pointed at the marked circle in the middle. "Here… the signal came from the com tower compound…"

Shepard studied the map intently.

"It's a very strategic place," the Primarch explained. "It's been one of the main locations of fighting these last couple of months. Ever since the conflict started, it's been a struggle to maintain contact."

"It… it was an emergency call," the turian continued, glancing questioningly at Victus, who shook his head in a nod. He pressed a button.

At first there was nothing, only the hissing sound typical of a broken connection. But then, the silence was broken by chunks of unidentifiable noises.

"What-"

Victus raised a hand.

"S-surr-ded!"

The turian on the safer side of the galaxy answered loudly, but calmly. "This is Lieutenant Kyrik! What's your position? I repeat what's your position?"

The sound in the background changed. What had at first only been the frantic hissing from the dying signal, was rudely interrupted by the sound of gunfire.

"Calah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-" The voice got stuck, like a scratched disk.

The connection broke off again.

"We're – tzzzck… -tack!"

Then the sound cleared, like the sky after a heavy storm.

"Turians in com tower," a gruff, unmistakable krogan voice announced. "Battlemaster Sakkem orders the area to be cleared and claimed."

"Orders received. The gar- is on the mm-ove."

There was a throaty chuckle, before the connection broke off again.

The channel changed again, this time the Hierarchy answered.

"Vakarian?" Shepard's heart jumped painfully. "Secure com tower! Kill Sakkem!" a male turian voice ordered urgently. Victus, Shepard knew. "I repeat, secure com tower and kill Sakkem! Do you-"

"C…py …" There was a harsh break, for a short moment they could only hear the effort of the signal to reconnect. "- will be… back-up!"

"Repeat, soldier! The signal is bad over there!"

The explosion that rattled on the other side was even felt on their console. Silence followed. Dark, sliding slivers of silence. The sound fizzed back to life, but it was marred by approaching death.

"Sal- shhhh… det-nat… up! … Overr-n… elp-!"

"Vakarian! Can you hear me?"

There was no answer. The connection broke off. And on the map that was saved in the file, the blinking red dot for Rubrum disappeared.

"Commander?"

"Do you copy?"

"Hello?"

"Is anyone there?"

Adrien Victus pressed a button on the screen and the recording stopped, interrupting the insistent, desperate calling from his recorded voice. The silence was louder than the explosion had been. Shepard's fingers covered her mouth as she processed what she had just heard.

"Half an hour later and the connection to Rubrum was lost for good. We've been trying to rebuild it, but so far nothing has worked. If we want to restore it, it has to be restarted from there," Victus concluded.

Shepard nodded absently. "This is bad," she said.

"No kidding," Vega muttered behind her back.

Victus gave him a disapproving glare. "It is indeed."

Jane pressed her lips together, allowing herself a few moments to calm her whirling mind. It was difficult to form one coherent thought as the recording was still too present. She knew the voice had not been Garrus; his voice was a bit deeper, its drawl longer. She was worried more now than before. The fact that it had been someone else, who had contacted the Hierarchy…

Wherever he was, Garrus was not having a good time.

"If the krogan have him…" She left her thoughts unfinished, refused to say it out loud.

Victus' mandibles fluttered tight to his face. "His whole team was there as far as we know," he said, subvocals thick. "The salarians are working with the krogan. If they were captured by them, it might be best if they were dead."

Shepard's jaw clenched, but she forced her mouth open. "Luckily, it's not up to you, who dies and who lives," she said coldly.

"Commander…"

"I came here for information, not-"

"I have given you everything we know so far," Victus interrupted her heatedly. "We know our enemies are taking captives, but we know not what for. We know when and how the connection was lost. We know who is involved and we also know that Urdnot Wrex is being suspiciously quiet about this whole ordeal." He cleared his throat as he spoke louder and louder, his subharmonics trilling angrily.

"I don't know if you've noticed, Shepard, but we are very alone out there. Our allies either stay out of this or refuse to support us. The salarians are working with our enemies and the Council has turned their back on us. So tell me, Commander…" Victus straightened his back, mandibles flaring, head held high. To Shepard, who was not easily intimidated, he looked impressive.

"I have given you the information you requested. What do you give me in exchange?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" the human countered promptly. "Listen, I didn't come here to waste your time. I came here to help. I will fix this – and not only because Garrus is my husband!" She pushed a hair strand out of her face. "My next stop is Tuchanka anyway. I'll get the answers out of him, but until we know what really happened, please don't send your fleet to Rubrum!"

"Don't worry, Commander," he said. "I won't give the order to breach Rubrum's atmosphere until the com towers are working again."

His answer managed to calm her a little bit, though the pressure of success was still heavy on her shoulders. She doubted it would disappear until this whole situation was cleared.

Victus turned and walked away, leading them out of the central. "Once you've arrived in Tuchanka, I recommend you immediately ask Wrex for information. His silence is… disturbing."

She exchanged a look with Liara, who shook her head at her silent question. "He's alive though…"

"Yes, but as I said, he's ignoring me," Victus said with a low growl. "My patience, Shepard, is at its end. I am no longer willing to tolerate his behavior. Whatever offers of reconciliation we need to get the situation on Rubrum solved, they have to come from him first."

Shepard nodded. "I understand," she said and meant it. She was growing frustrated herself. "I will get some answers out of him, Primarch. And I promise I'll contact you as soon as I know more. But until then-"

"Until then, no military actions will be made against them. As long as there is no danger." He nodded.

Liara stepped closer. "And what after Tuchanka, Commander?"

"We'll almost surely head to Prima," Shepard said. "Depending on what Wrex has to say for himself, it might be sooner than later…"

Victus nodded in approval. "That is perhaps the best choice," he said. "But be warned, Commander, that since Rubrum has gone silent three attempts have been made to enter the planet and all of them proved to be fruitless."

Shepard scratched her chin lightly. "They were shot down?" She sighed deeply. "This means that the krogan have the com tower under their command…"

"Unfortunately, yes… but we've lost territory over time, and so far we succeeded in reconquering every single one."

They walked on in pensive quiet and eventually arrived at the exit of the communications building. The sun was high up and the air was hot. The commander patted her armor, grateful for its protection. Shepard checked her watch. They had been three hours inside. She briefly wondered if Solana was still waiting for her and discarded that thought almost as quickly as it appeared. She was a Vakarian, of course she would be waiting!

Victus sniffed the air, a faint purr rumbling in his chest as he felt the sun light on his face.

Shepard turned to him and reached out a hand.

"I thank you for your time, Victus," she said. "I know it must be difficult to be so far away, but I promise I won't fail you."

Victus grasped her hand in his and shook it, but before she could let go, he covered their hands with his free one. His mandibles broadened in a smile. His eyes softened considerably. "And I thank you for your loyalty, Commander. You've been an immense support and a great ally to us. Your efforts and sacrifices will not be forgotten."

They parted there. A soldier led them out of the compound, all the while with Adrien Victus watching their retreating backs. The enormous gate opened and when it began to close again, only then did he return to his office.