Garrus bounded his way out of the forward battery in a much better mood than being up at this hour supposedly with a hangover would warrant. Nothing it seemed though could dampen his mood. Nothing had happened; he had left her cabin after they'd finished their drinks, joking on the way out about scuttlebutt to which she scoffed. 'That's what my sidearm is for, stopping rumors' he had laughed and let the elevator doors shut behind him, whole heartedly regretting not scooping her up and embracing her 'goodnight.'
Stopping in his tracks he had to smile at the sight before him. Shepard was up early as usual, despite how late they'd been up drinking, seeming none the worse for wear and was sitting at the mess table with Mordin, Tali, Thane and a few crew members he recognized but couldn't remember their names. Plopping into a seat he nodded his thanks as the mess sergeant set a plate of turian food before him. Shepard nodded in acknowledgement to his presence without breaking sentence. She seemed to be discussing armor modifications with Mordin.
Oddly enough, the commander appeared to be the only person capable of keeping Mordin's attention long enough with conversation that he didn't steamroll her and dominate the debate himself. Garrus dug into his food ravenously as he watched her and Mordin banter shield strength matrices back and forth, arguing damage reduction over longevity. Shepard's point seemed to be that the shields would have time to regenerate under cover if need be, while her primary concern was having time to launch a counterattack without the shields failing.
Mordin seemed to believe it was more important the shields last longer. Diverting suit power seemed to be out of the question, so Shepard and Mordin were spitting equations back and forth faster than most of the crew could keep up with. The commander shook her head at his latest suggestion.
"Mordin, you're forgetting Tali's suit needs that emergency power, you can't divert that much to keeping the shields up longer without putting her operating systems in danger of failing. If she gets a suit puncture during combat then the bullets whizzing by her will be the least of her worries," Shepard took another bite of her food.
"Ah, point taken, indeed I had forgotten. Will need to reconfigure to quarian suit specifications without compromising shield strength…"
"See, my suggestion takes less power, amps the shield strength twice over without endangering suit power levels or regeneration, and takes into account special suit needs such as Tali's enviro suit and Garrus' ego boost," she continued without breaking stride, launching straight into a debate with Mordin regarding possible configurations on the back of their armor as Garrus nearly choked on his food.
"My god, Shepard did you just crack a joke?" he finally choked out, the crew snickering, surprised by this unexpected side of their Commander.
"Now Garrus, this is serious, why would I do something as obtuse as joke about the safety of my crew," she gave him a stern look, her eyes twinkling in unhidden mirth. The turian faked wiping a tear from beneath one eye, a starry eyed expression on his face.
"Joker would be so proud," he said, imitating the voice of a proud parent earning a fork thrown in his direction, dodging it smoothly as he laughed joining the rest of the crew in their mirth.
"Now Garrus, if you can be serious a moment then you can join our enlightening conversation," Shepard scolded him, a mock stern look on her fair features.
"My apologies, oh 'great and wise Commander Shepard'," he chuckled earning him a glare from the woman.
"I hope you realize," Mordin said leaning toward Garrus, "that the Commander, though acting aggressively, missed you with her projectile intentionally. If she had wanted to, her aim would have resulted in injury, possible head trauma, bleeding of a nasal orifice, potential facial plate damage, not that there isn't a substantial amount already, even accounting for your considerable reflexes, being turian a renegade and former Citadel officer…" his monologue was interrupted by Garrus' hands held up in defeat.
"Yes, Mordin, I'm well aware of our fearless leader's battle prowess," he said laughing, considering Shepard lightly across the table as she resumed eating, an eyebrow quirked in his direction, her eyes revealing only to him how amused she was.
=/=
An emergency message from the Illusive Man interrupted Shepard's current overview of Mordin's research reports, the comm light on her console in her cabin illuminating. Sighing, the commander stood and made her way down to the debriefing room, cursing Joker's interpretation of the message as 'important.' Stepping into the holographic projection floor, she waited as the usual grid flowed over her body and the Illusive Man faded into being before her.
His back was turned and he slowly swiveled his chair, a stream of smoke accenting the movement, settling the hand with the cigar on the arm of his chair, the other holding his customary glass.
"This better be important," Shepard crossed her arms.
"I was informed of something recently that I thought you might wish to hear while you can still do something about it," the commander raised an eyebrow at him, letting him know she was listening. "An old friend of yours was abducted recently. My network of information revealed his location," he blew out a lungful of smoke and Shepard stared at him disdainfully.
"What 'friend' might this be?" she inquired.
"Gunnery Sergeant Matthew Sterns."
Shepard stared.
"Send Joker those coordinates NOW." She stalked from the debriefing room like a woman about to rip apart a whole star system. Garrus received a worried comm message from Kelly Chambers who watched Shepard storm through the CIC to the elevator, spitting out vehement commands for Joker to get the ship to the coordinates from the Illusive Man stat. Joker balked, saying it would take them off course for their current objective. Her response was a snarl to 'do it or lose it' before disappearing into the elevator.
The turian made a beeline for Shepard's cabin, not stopping to knock, already feeling the Normandy's mass effect core jettisoning the ship toward their new destination. The information Kelly relayed to him meant they would be there in a little under fifteen minutes.
"Shepard, what's going on?" he asked, stopping in the doorway as she snapped her armored chest piece into place, the hissing and clicking of the seals locking her only response. With more force than necessary she shoved her feet into her boots, the sound of the locks filled the air before she retrieved her sentry visor, the blue interface statically illuminated as it adjusted, the digital display strengthened and updated her visuals to the conditions of her suit, methodically checking all the mechanicals.
Without glancing at him or acknowledging his presence she grabbed her weapons, attaching her collector particle beam to her back along with her locust assault rifle and finally chambering her carnifex and holstering it at her hip.
Turning to the door, Garrus stepped in her way, halting her forward movement.
"You and I both know that should I wish to I can keep you here," he looked down at her sternly, her smoldering blue eyes bored through his chest. "What's going on, Shepard," he questioned softly. For a few long, pregnant moments, nothing moved, neither breathed, neither blinked, it was as if time stopped.
"You remember Mindoir?" her quiet, steely voice finally broke the silence. He nodded the tone of her voice more deadly and dark than he'd ever heard it before. "As I told you Gunnery Sergeant Matthew Sterns was the man I yelled at. He retired a few years after I joined the Alliance and now he's prisoner on a facility in the Hawking Eta," the words poured from her like ice and Garrus stared at her.
"That's a little out of our way..."
Shepard's eyes finally slid to his face, her expression deadly. "I… don't… care," she said enunciating each word carefully. "He's an old, retired Alliance soldier who's been captured by a facility apparently known to experiment on their subjects," now Garrus understood. Shepard brushed by him curtly, ignoring him as he followed her to the elevator, sticking right behind her as she made her way through the CIC, briefly talking into his comm, telling Tali to get her quarian ass to the Normandy shuttle bay, that Shepard had an emergency.
The elevator ride was long and silent. The back of her head and shoulders was all that received his worried glances as they descended. This was a touchy thing for her; this man was probably as close a parental figure as she could have had after losing her own parents. Though at odds with his own father, he knew he would rip apart the galaxy to bring vengeance on anyone who hurt him. Briefly he wondered if she would have shared this burden had he not become so close with her lately. She had seemed a little less stressed in the days following their conversation; he hoped it was because he had managed to help her. For now, all he could do was follow her and hope he could help her once again his instincts to protect her as a potential future mate overriding all other priorities.
A few minutes later found Tali already at the shuttle when Shepard and Garrus arrived, the commander ignoring both of them. Joker's voice sounded over the comm as the trio felt the ship's mass effect core decelerate, the ship shifting subtly as they arrived.
The trip to the planet's surface was silent, Shepard had dismissed the usual shuttle driver, taking the controls herself, guiding the craft to a small clearing, a short distance from a sprawling, disturbingly familiar looking facility. Not that any of the team had been there before, but the layout was all too recognizable.
Without a word Shepard departed the craft, her teammates hot on her six, Garrus taking rear, covering their tracks. A few guards made an appearance, but Shepard shocked both her friends by changing from her usual tactics. Storming right up on each of the guards, she got right in their face, surprising her assailants as well, each man stumbling back as she descended on them brutally shooting each in the face with her carnifex before moving to the next. Ignoring the blaring of her barrier warning in her ear, orange tech shields holding out until each man was dead, she moved with brutal efficiency through the exterior compound.
Tali and Garrus stared, having not fired a single shot. This wasn't like Shepard. Her combat style was usually flawless, clean, minimizing damage to herself and her team. The Shepard before them was brutal, relentlessly forcing each man back before taking them, execution style.
The door was blasted open by the commander who immediately disappeared inside, both Garrus and Tali stopped a moment to consider the Cerberus symbol emblazoned on the damaged portal.
"Oh no…" Tali's soft voice intoned before they quickly followed their leader, gunshots from a short distance away telling them she had started without them.
Not once did she use her biotics, each guard the commander ruthlessly hunted, like a predator stalking its prey, confident of victory, and shot each, one bullet to the forehead. Oddly enough, the only ones emitting any cries of mercy were from the scientific staff they came across. The very ones committing the atrocities. The duo following Shepard still had yet to fire their guns, she was so thorough. This was her personal mission.
They passed room after room, small alcove after small alcove, the entire facility stinking of death, obvious reasons for it all around. Of every other Cerberus facility they'd shut down, this was by far the worst. Body parts, some melded with mechanical machinery, mutilated bodies, internal organs in tanks and jars, all human. Why would Cerberus experiment so brutally on the very race they supposedly were trying to protect?
Shepard knew the answer all too well. They weren't protecting. It was never about protecting. It was about domination at any cost. These experiments were designed to attempt the creation of a super soldier. Subject Zero style experiments failed, also proving to be too much of a time sink for not enough gain. They were attempting to amplify biotics and strength, melding it with machine parts, in a small way similar to some of the improvements they made when they brought Shepard herself back.
This facility seemed to be taking her upgrade implants to a morally desecrated level. Not one of the subjects they came across in Shepard's wild purge of the facility were alive, all displayed signs of restraint, not voluntary submission to experimentation. Morin would be disgusted.
The deeper they delved into the facility, the more traumatic, cruel and unusual the experiments became. Groans from a nearby alcove caught Shepard's attention once the gunfire stopped. The door opened easily revealing a man strapped to a table, his limbs severed just below the shoulder joint and his legs just below his hips. Track marks from countless needle injections were apparent from his neck to his severed biceps, long incision marks, still an angry red from being sewn together traversed his entire side, showing signs of heavy, invasive core cavity surgery. The bald man was numbered 00567 with a tattoo on his neck, just under his jaw. Discarded machine arms lay in the corner, infected flesh still clinging to where the scientists had attempted to meld the prosthetic limbs to his biceps.
Soft whimpers escaped the delusional man and Shepard removed her glove, laying a hand on his forehead.
"You're safe now. People are coming to get you out of here, just hold on a little longer," Shepard said quietly to him, unsure of if he could even hear or understand her. Rage welled up within her. Room after room produced similar, disfigured and horribly maltreated victims, some still alive, most not.
Her partner's concern grew with each guard she executed. This wasn't like Shepard; she was usually the first to give a chance for mercy, for forgiveness. Then again, this facility was far worse than any they'd seen.
Turning a corner, a door larger than the rest loomed before them. The room revealed an old man, shaved grey hair strewn across the floor, tubes feeding into most of his larger, arterial veins, a newly completed number tattooed in the same spot as the others, 00988. The doctors died quickly, cries of explanation and begs for mercy left unfinished as Shepard dropped them all the same way, their crimson blood pooling beneath their bodies.
With a care and concern that nearly broke Garrus' heart he watched as Shepard threw off her gloves, dropping her weapon and began removing the needles one by one, the withered old man's body pale, his skin paper thin. Briefly, he stirred.
"Sely…" his soft, haggard voice whispered. Shepard stilled his words with a soft hand to his mouth, removing the last of the IV's and grabbing a soft blanket from a cabinet, covering the naked man.
"Quiet, Gunny," she said, scooping him up tenderly and making sure the blanket covered all of him, his frail body now protected from the cold operation table, "I'm getting you out of here." The old man chuckled, his voice cracking with the effort.
"Ah, it's ok, kiddo, it's almost over for me," he said quietly, gazing up at the young woman's face.
"Don't you dare give up on me, Gunny!" she scolded him harshly, setting the small body back down on the surface, her hand touching the side of his wizened face, the grey stubble brushing her palm.
"My girl," he said fondly, looking up at her proudly, "you've come so far… your parents would be proud. Hell I'm damn proud of you. You were the best recruit I ever trained," he smiled.
"Gunny, don't you do this to me," Shepard practically begged, her voice choking slightly. "You were supposed to be retired, what were you doing out here in the Hawking Eta?" she scolded him lightly. He chuckled raspily again.
"Like you'd ever retire fully either," he chided her.
"I tried once," she retorted, "they brought me back," he chuckled again and looked up at her, his eyes filled with happiness as he took in her appearance.
"You've filled so many with hope, for the future, for all races," he wheezed slightly and shook his head when she tried to still him again. "You saved us all during that attack on the Citadel…" he gasped a few times, "and I know you're destined to do it a few more times before you finally 'retire,'" he smiled at her again.
"No, Gunny," she shook her head, "you saved the galaxy," he gazed at her. "If not for you, for all you taught me, for all you did for me, I wouldn't have joined the Alliance," she insisted and he grinned.
"Well doesn't that make me a damn hero," his coughs grew phlegmy, his lungs audibly filling with fluid.
"Gunny… Gunny no…" his breaths slowed, Shepard's hand on his face brushed his cheek insistently, as if she could keep the very life inside him from leaving. Her omni-tool with med-gel stimulus didn't help, she watched as he slowly faded away in her arms, a small smile on his thin lips.
Finally, the breaths stopped, the movement of phlegm in his lungs ceased, his pulse slowed beneath her fingers and faded away altogether.
"Gunny…" her voice choked, but he was gone. Her arms tightened around him slightly, the frail body held tight against her chest. Slowly she lay him down on the table, her head bowed. Tenderly one hand brushed over his face shutting his eyes for the last time. Garrus and Tali stood stricken, unsure what to do or say. Neither had any idea their commander had someone this close to her left.
Carefully, almost reverently, folded his hands across his chest as if in prayer. Silently she bowed her head, reminding Garrus a lot of Thane when he made an assassination, though he was sure she wasn't praying to Kalahira.
One at a time, each hand dropped to the cold metal surface, her gloveless hands gripped the edge of the operating table, her head still bowed. A few moments later Garrus' keen hearing picked up an odd sound. It took a second before he realized it was the screeching sound of metal being bent, the operating table under Selydra's fingers from the intensity of her grip.
With a sharp turn she let the table go and headed for the door, her silence disturbed Garrus and Tali deeply.
"Tali, grab her gloves and gun and catch up with us," he called back as he ran after his commander, her long strides having already carried her a good distance ahead of him.
"Shepard! Shepard, wait!" he called after her as he sprinted to catch up, overtaking her and stepping in front of her, forcing her to skid to a stop. Unsuccessfully she tried to shift around him, the fury on her face worrying him more than a little.
"Shepard, listen, I know you're upset. You can't do what you want to do. What I know in your heart you want to do more than anything in this galaxy. Cerberus is responsible, but we have something bigger than this, the Collectors," Shepard's face was tilted down; her eyes squeezed shut, fists tightly balled at her sides.
"Cerberus is the monster fueled by the Illusive Man," her voice was darker than he'd ever heard before. Without lifting her face her eyes opened and her blue eyes bored into him from the shadows of her pale face. "He will answer for his crimes… this I promise," her voice was almost a whisper that sent shivers of anxiousness down his spine. Despite their terrible war crimes, the turian couldn't help a pang of sympathy for the Illusive Man and his jaded organization. Shepard was not someone he wished to have hunting him down with murderous intent.
Shepard stepped past him and continued through the facility, the renegade agent tight on her heels. Once outside she stopped, stepping to the side where an outcropping of rocks were and sitting. Bowing her head the spectre placed a hand on each knee, taking deep breaths to slow her racing heartbeat and homicidal intentions.
The human woman knew in her heart that her rage was justified and that Cerberus had to suffer the consequences for their actions or inattention. It didn't matter that the Illusive Man might not have known about the operation or that he attempted to stop it once he knew. The problem became evident when it was his money being used for these experiments. If he couldn't control the expenditure of his own resources then he should not allow the appropriation of those funds at all. Too many examples of facilities like this. Too many brutal experiments done in the name of Cerberus. Too many lost lives for a misguided cause. No more.
Movement in front of her drew her attention from her interior fury. Tali stood before her, holding out her dropped pistol, her gloves in the quarian's other hand.
"You know…" Shepard started, accepting the proffered weapon and holstering it, "I might just do what you said you hoped I was doing when you first boarded." Tali cocked her head at her friend. "Still gonna lend me that grenade?" Shepard considered her as Tali chuckled and handed the commander her gloves watching as she pulled them on one at a time.
"More than happy to oblige," Tali responded. "Though I think it is very important that we wait until this business with the Collectors is over," Shepard nodded reluctantly, her face dark once more.
"I swear to you both, before I return to the grave I will tear the galaxies apart to find the Illusive Man and will shut down Cerberus once and for all." Garrus felt a cold dread lodge in his stomach at seeing Shepard like this, though he knew he'd be by her side to the end, no matter where that took him.
"We'll keep this quiet for now," Garrus began, his unusual voice filled with steely resolve, "but rest assured, Shepard, we will both be with you, no matter where you decide to take us," Shepard looked at him, her eyes unreadable. Tali nodded her agreement. The spectre nodded, wondering what she could possibly have done to deserve such loyal friends.
Shepard disappeared for a few hours after giving Joker some coordinates, doggedly avoiding any questions from the crew as to what was down there and where they were headed. Chakwas' small team extracted the victims and stabilized their new patients, the med-bay in lockdown. Thus it was only Joker, Garrus and Tali who were unsurprised by the sight of the Alliance flagship as it came into range, both vessels dropped out of FTL. Shepard boarded the vessel alone to have a private conference with Admiral Hackett himself. It was hours later when Shepard returned, accompanied by a small security force and medics who transferred the victims and immediately retreated to Hackett's ship. Shepard remained close lipped about her meeting, but Garrus could guess that Cerberus' future wasn't a bright one.
Emotionless, cold, brutal. Not once did the commander reveal any of her intentions or feelings during these meetings and transfers. Cerberus… and the Illusive Man… would not see her coming until it was too late.
=/=
The metal floorboard of the STV Strontium Mule exploded outward with a slam and a loud clatter when it landed on the deck nearby, a very femininely shaped boot retreating through the new hole in the floor before Shepard's head poked out. The commander hoisted herself out of their makeshift entryway, Thane and Garrus close behind.
"I don't suppose there was a quieter or stealthier method than that?" Garrus quipped at her, noticing the shouts and approaching footsteps of the Blue Suns residents of the ship as the three took cover and prepared for combat.
"Hush, Garrus, you're cramping my style," Selydra drawled back over her shoulder at him as incoming bullets pinged around them. A merc under the effect of reave collapsed suddenly, a large hole evident in his head as Garrus chuckled, chambering a new heat sink.
"That, dear commander, is exactly the problem. You have no style," Garrus said casually back, posting up in a good position. Shepard chuckled as Thane made a few headshots and her biotics flashed.
"I take offense to that. Brute force is indeed a style," she insisted. Thane chuckled as a whole group of Blue Suns collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony, their nervous systems overloaded by the streaming red biotic power running through them.
"As elegant as a club to the head," Thane laughed quietly, blasting the Blue Suns commander's shield with a warp, staggering the man as Garrus sniped him in the head, dropping him.
"Hey, it's all in how you swing it," Shepard bantered back, the team grinning as they made their way further into the ship, stepping over the bodies of their fallen opposition.
Apparently the Blue Suns decided to hole themselves up further in the ship, jamming the doors shut behind them to keep Shepard and her team at bay. Kicking the panel to shatter the lock, Shepard ripped off the now damaged metal plate, allowing her access to the circuit boards beneath. Weapon stowed safely on her back, the woman began reconnecting the circuits that would allow the doors to unlock, her small, deft fingers pulling at the wires and ignoring the small jolts of electricity as they reconnected, the voltage resuming its former paths. With a triumphant click, the last connection was made and the doors hissed as they unlocked, the spectre grabbed her locust and motioned the two after her.
Following the ramps to the second level, the one or two straggling mercenaries they ran across died quickly, the trio continuing around a corner into an open walkway above the console she'd just hacked.
"Heavy weapons!" Shepard shouted diving for cover as rockets slammed into the metal walls, showering shrapnel all around her while she gained her bearings posted up behind some crates. Thane made it behind cover but Garrus got slammed by the industrial crate he was headed behind, the force of the object toppling over shattered the glass railing and sent the turian over the edge to the floor below them.
"Garrus! You ok?" Shepard shouted into her comm relieved to hear him respond instantly.
"Yea, I'm fine," he sounded irritated. "I'm making my way back up," he said as he disappeared through the doors they'd previously hacked.
Sudden movement as a Blue Suns mercenary leapt out of cover caught Thane's attention, though slightly behind and to Shepard's right, out of her line of peripheral.
"Siha!" Thane yelled, warning her of the danger, both turned to incapacitate and take him down. Garrus stopped in his tracks. 'Siha?' Thane was close enough to Shepard that he had a nickname for her? Unreasonable jealousy bubbled up inside Garrus as he continued up the ramp. With great effort he shoved the feeling aside to study later leaving his mood considerably dampened the remainder of the mission.
A few more jammed doors and fallen mercenaries later had Shepard standing in a side room, the locks of the main bridge door just hacked open, a data-pad in her hand, reading the latest update from the mercenaries. Apparently, there was infighting. One of the sergeants had fallen back and was waiting for her and her team to kill off the captain of the Blue Suns so their share of the cargo would be larger. Shepard snorted, the groups divided only made her job easier.
The alienated groups fell easily, Shepard's prior intel warning her of their ambush, allowing her to post up on the bridge, easily overcoming their pitiful forces, leaving the ship and its cargo theirs. Shepard unlocked the cargo bay, finding the contested payload.
The group gathered the goods, Shepard scooped the gold glowing plunder and pushed it into a bag before turning to leave, their mission complete.
=/=
The mess portion of the Crew Quarters deck was relatively quiet, a few lingering crew remaining at the tables to talk a little after mess was cleared away, Thane among them. The drell had taken Shepard's advice to heart, leaving his sequestering tendencies behind and mingling with more of the crew, especially enjoying Tali and Kelly's as well as usually Garrus' company.
Arms full of new metal tubing to replace a few corroded parts on the new Thalix cannon, Garrus strode through the Crew Quarters deck, nodding to the mess sergeant but ignoring Thane completely, an unusual action for him given their considerable commonality. Deciding enough was enough, the assassin intercepted him.
"Garrus, may I have a word with you?" the taller man slowed slightly and only glanced at him out of sheer politeness.
"Not right now, Thane. I have quite a bit of calibrating I need to get done," Garrus could barely keep the irritation out of his voice and Thane held up a hand insistently.
"Please, Garrus. It's obvious something is bothering you concerning me and I'd rather it be reconciled," the drell placed his hands behind his back and politely waited. Garrus stared at the doors to the battery, so close yet so far.
"There's nothing bothering me, you're obviously mistaken," he insisted again when a small feminine figure shimmered into existence next to them.
"Now, now, Garrus, you don't have to be an observant thief and eavesdropper to see the palpable truth to what Thane's saying," she smirked up at him and he glowered at her.
"Small, freakish woman," he growled and she grinned.
"I do my best," the air shimmered again and she was gone… though he was sure she really wasn't. Sighing heavily he held out a portion of his burden to the green skinned man before him, nodding his head for him to follow.
Garrus worked in silence for a short while, letting Thane simply follow behind, handing him tools and assisting in his endeavor to replace the ruined tubing. Garrus knew he was overreacting, taking things way out of proportion. There was probably no meaning behind it, but it bothered him none-the-less, resulting in the petty behavior he'd been exhibiting. Truth be told, he didn't want to talk to Thane about it at first because he knew it was silly, but it bothered him.
"You called Shepard 'Siha,'" he finally stated more than questioned.
"Yes."
"Why?" all at once Thane realized the intent behind the question and smiled inwardly. He had sought possible attention from Shepard and was gently declined, his assassin's instincts telling him there was someone else. Now he knew who it was, though it should have been obvious. A good choice, he decided.
"Because that is what she is," he replied cryptically and Garrus gave him an irritated expression over his shoulder but Thane held up a patient palm. "I believe that we can both agree that Shepard is somewhat of a unique individual," Thane began before pausing, his fathomless black eyes seeking out the usual console EDI spied every corner of the ship from, Garrus correctly assessed his concern.
"I disabled it long ago, continue. EDI won't be logging our conversation."
Thane nodded in appreciation. "Ah, a wise decision. I have done the same in my own quarters. But to return to your query," cocking his head slightly he contemplated his words a moment. "There are… numerous deities in my religious beliefs. Some are avengers, some are protectors, some provide guidance, others are there for comfort." Garrus continued working though he listened in rapt attention.
"During my time in service to other contracts and now here with Shepard, I have come to understand it takes a very special person to be what she is," he paused again, obviously laboring to find the correct words for his expression. "She is 'Siha.' One of the warrior-angels of the goddess Arashu. Fierce in wrath. A tenacious protector," the turian's hands stilled on his work, finally meeting the drell's eyes, realizing how perfect the description was. "I have not told her what this means," he glanced down, his own embarrassment overcoming his inner tenacity. "I have realized as I have observed her that she desires no closer attachment to me than friendship. I am and always will be eternally grateful of that friendship; she was the first in many years.
"As unique as she is, it is a little difficult not to… desire something deeper, but I respect her decision and will not press for anything more, ever. However, she is and always will be 'Siha' to me. In many ways, she has saved me." In the back of his mind Garrus knew he was staring in a disbelieving and silly manner, he was sure he looked the part of a fool, but he couldn't bring himself to form a coherent response.
Thane was in many ways more of a man than he'd ever be. A realization decided at that moment to overload his brain with the knowledge that he wasn't the only man in Shepard's life. Others wanted her, perhaps as badly as he. Of all her crew, he considered himself the closest to her, but that didn't mean she wanted to be with him.
A sigh escaped him as he sat back on his haunches, considering the reptilian man before him, ticking the tool in his hand nervously with one talon.
"I need to apologize then, Thane. I had no idea what it meant and hearing it the other day…" the assassin shook his head.
"There is no need for apology, Garrus. You are closest to the commander and it is understandable that you would wish an explanation for something as personal sounding as that was. Normally I would not have used the name outside private conversation with her, but seeing her safety at stake it … came out without thought," the admission was clearly more personal than Thane was accustomed to being and it was Garrus' turn to shake his head.
"I think… in a way we all hold onto Shepard possessively. As you said, she is entirely unique. Even Joker calls her 'Sel' instead," Garrus admitted and Thane paused, considering his words.
"Joker's situation is… unique… I think. He was with her when she died and he was the first to see her after her resurrection. They shared a painful experience together that none of us can fully understand," Thane said thoughtfully and Garrus nodded his agreement.
"In my travels I've never met another like her," leaning on his knees he considered the paneling in front of him, his eyes taking on a far off light. "That aside, I have no right to respond so possessively to that kind of repartee with her. I'm an officer on her crew and a trusted squad member, nothing more," to voice it was much more painful than Garrus would have thought. Thane smiled slightly, patting the taller man's shoulder, rising to his feet.
"You are indeed more than that, Garrus." With that, the drell disappeared through the doors to the ship's armaments, leaving a confused and slightly hopeful turian behind him.
=/=
"Oh stars, I'm going to be sick," Garrus groaned earning a slight smile from Thane seated next to him, his arm raised, one hand securely gripping the overhead hand hold, his other firmly attached to the center console for extra stability.
"WOOOOOOOOOO! DAMN I LOVE THIS THING!" downshifting for more power, Shepard gunned the motor on her newest toy, the M-44 Hammerhead hover-all-terrain vehicle. Cerberus had notified the commander of research being done on the vehicle when their communication with the science team had become inexplicably terminated. It became imperative that her squad extract the vehicle, despite its experimental nature. Shepard seemed all too eager to put it through its paces.
"It would appear your driving skills have not improved since the Mako was retired," Garrus groaned earning a chuckle from the woman in the driver's seat.
"What's the matter, Garrus? Can't take a little speed?" she laughed again as she pushed the throttle all the way open, the turian's stomach dropped like a rock as she launched it off the cliff before them, bursting the hoverjets briefly to propel them across to the opposite side, the vessel jostling as it landed, continuing to jettison along.
The versatility of the vehicle was amazing and truth be told, Garrus couldn't wait to get it back on the Normandy and under his careful scrutiny and curious tools. Unlike the Mako it was capable of full 360 movement, being unrestrained by axles and wheels. Shepard took full advantage of that versatility, racing the small craft in all directions, the cannon blasting, stabilizing jets firing in the opposite direction to keep the Hammerhead in place. The geth didn't stand a chance against the amazing technology and Shepard's keen aim, even with a cannon and at ridiculous speeds.
Garrus leaned over to his drell companion.
"If you think her driving is atrocious now, try being in a vehicle with three axles and six wheels on a planet with limited gravitational pull. I swear I thought we were going to slide backwards to our deaths several times," Garrus made a forlorn face provoking a smile from Thane.
"And we came out just fine, now didn't we? You should learn to trust me a little more," Shepard snapped back, the humor evident in her voice.
"Oh, so trusting your strategic plans as we go sprinting headlong into oncoming gunfire isn't enough? I have to trust you to gun a vehicle down a ramp with geth tanks on all sides trying to blow us up while you race at reckless speeds into a miniature mass effect portal… oh wait…" Garrus' voice trailed off pointedly. Shepard was chuckling. "I didn't have any choice in that one…" he smiled.
"Uh-huh," Shepard jammed the throttle forward again and pulled back harshly, rocketing the small craft off another cliff and hopping it mid air to land safely though with a sharp jostle on the other side.
=/=
"Shepard, I don't think this place is entirely stable…" the turian said quietly as if his very voice vibrations were going to cause the compound to collapse around them.
"Really? Thank you, Captain Obvious," she quipped distractedly while Garrus glowered at her back, Thane stepped past him with a chuckle as they continued further into the abandoned research center. Apparently the team had been researching the recently explosive core when they vanished. From the looks of the facility, Shepard wasn't sure they got out alive.
Debris scattered the metal walkways which she easily stepped over, followed closely by her companions. Various data pads strewn around the command room spoke of a very unstable foundation, the electronics seemingly having an adverse effect on the unstable core.
Unable to access their research due to the offline power, Shepard stepped up to the main terminal like a woman approaching a ticking time bomb. Tapping her omni-tool lightly she prepared a link with EDI to upload any relevant data before flipping the power switch.
At first nothing seemed to happen out of the ordinary, the soft whirring sound of the systems powering up filled the small room, Shepard quickly uplinked her omni-tool with the onboard systems, establishing a good connection and sending the signal to EDI on the Normandy.
A slow rumble began beneath them, the sound soft at first, rapidly increasing in intensity until all three squad members were glancing around in deep concern.
"Shepard, I suggest we get out of here… NOW!" Thane had to shout over the roar of the unstable core crumbling beneath them. Shutting down her tool they all made a mad dash for the door, Shepard took up the rear, beams collapsing all around, causing the team to need to vault over and duck beneath them, the very floor beneath them rocking, throwing them off balance. Haphazardly leaping from secure foothold to the next they finally made it to the garage where the Hammerhead was, EDI finally intoned in their ears, letting them know most of the planet's volcanic core was collapsing, making it impossible for the Normandy to close in for a pickup until they reached a safer location.
The engines roared to life as Shepard leapt into the driver's seat and gunned it, not waiting for Garrus and Thane to strap in, the turian and drell nearly fell on one another as the small craft rocketed forward, vents of molten magma exploding all around them.
A three fingered, talon tipped hand grasped her seat back as she increased their momentum, the turian barely holding on as the craft sped at reckless velocity around corners, the metal creaking with the strain of remaining intact.
"Shepard… Shepard the lava's rising…Shepard…" Garrus insistently intoned in her ear, his grip tightening on her seat back, the chasm before them rapidly filling in with molten rock.
"So I see, Garrus, thank you," she ground out with a grunt as she slammed the throttle all the way open, the edges of the display screen blurring slightly, the hoverjets kicking into overdrive and overheating as she shot them over the ever increasing flow of lava, landing safely on the other side. The small craft zoomed through the caves before them, taking every elevated route the commander came across, streams of obscenities escaping her.
Abruptly the slope they were on plummeted down, the commander's streams of obscenities left her as they barely escaped heat damage from the rapidly rising lava. Downshifting for more power she hopped the vehicle over a few safe spots in the lake that was forming around them, traversing the danger to the relative safety of the other side.
Following the direction Garrus pointed in, Shepard piloted them to a ledge high enough for the Normandy to make a pick up.