W/N - Thanks so much! I really do appreciate the shout outs and the feedback. Your notes have also led me to discover your wonderful fics too.
Let's look again at Captain Anderson. I wanted so show a bittersweet moment for him where he thinks back 20 years ago to what might have been. Also, as a CO, Anderson has a deep sense of history and tradition. Then, some more of Shepard and Garrus, where I hope to give the turian some depth and develop a friendship between he and Tali. I want to give the sense of camaraderie that Garrus shared with his coworkers. A few of the minor sidequests make cameos. Nothing cosmic on the CODEX, just a historical reference fully explained and some projectile weapons technology.
Updated 10 MAY 10
The Citadel Council Chamber – 1430C
Captain David Anderson
He wanted to be the first to shake her hand and she took it with warmth and respect. He'd never had any siblings as a child nor children when he was married and was beginning to think of Shepard as a little sister or maybe even the daughter he never had. Although the moment of Shepard's success was bittersweet for him, he felt nothing but pride for her. Between Elysium, Eden Prime, and saving Tali, the commander had made her bones. What finer person could have been selected to represent humanity? If only things had been a little different 20 years ago. Perhaps he would have had more things to mentor her on.
In the next moment, Shepard was surrounded by friendly faces and pats on the back. David felt an uncharacteristic jealousy – this was supposed to be their moment, mentor to student. There was a lot that he wanted to say, but the moment was lost. Fredericks was slobbering all over Claire now, while Jazz and Beau were mimicking an Asari acolyte dance. So much for the gravitas of the ceremony. Only Chief Williams sidled up to the captain. "Sir, look up there…the man in black with the blonde hair and goatee."
"Yes, chief, what about him?"
"You know, we saw him down in the markets a couple of days ago. He was all over the commander. I was ready to take him down, but she waved me off."
"Was he an agent or something?"
Ash scrunched up her face. "That's what I don't know. He had glossy pictures of her and wanted autographs. Said he'd followed her career since Elysium. It could be harmless, sir, but it was just kind of creepy and now he's here."
"What's his name?"
"Conrad something…Verner…Conrad Verner."
"What did the commander do?"
"She was all nice and sweet to him, signing pictures, talking about his family. He just seemed a little too interested in her."
David lightly backhanded Ashley in the stomach. "Keep an eye on that guy and run some checks. I'll tap my sources too. Just remember that Shepard was a big celebrity. Wild fans will be everywhere."
Ash snorted. "Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives, live register'd upon our brazen tombs."
"Pardon me?"
"Shakespeare, sir. Love's Labour's Lost…about being famous."
The captain gave her a quizzical look and shook his head with a smile. Williams was a smart woman. "How'd you end up a marine, chief?"
"Long story, sir. Maybe another time."
"Fair enough."
Off to the side, Ambassador Udina stood thinking long and hard. There was a twinkle in his eye as if it were the Holidays. He stepped through the crowd and faced Shepard, his finger on his cheek. "We have a lot of work to do, Shepard. You're going to need a ship, a crew, supplies."
Anderson already knew what she'd need. He'd almost been there before. "You'll get access to special equipment and training. You should go down to the C-Sec Academy and speak to the SPECTRE requisitions officer."
Udina burst in like a bull as if his idea were a nuclear explosion. "Anderson! Come with me! I'll need your help to set all of this up."
The captain sighed, but knew that this was for the best. He knew that she would need her own command now, but had no idea what was really in store for him. In a flash, Udina was booking out of there – he was a man on a mission. Once something got into that man's head, don't get in his way. It was precisely how he'd gotten to be the Ambassador to the Citadel in the first place.
But one thing was for sure, he was damn proud to be the Captain of the Normandy right now. There was no finer vessel in the Alliance Navy and certainly no finer crew. David was really missing being aboard his ship right now, missing the organized bustle of activity and singularity of purpose. The navy had been his life and he loved the people in it – their sense of duty, honor, and commitment to defending the Alliance. He remembered the time in which he was given a VIP tour of the HMS Victory, berthed in Portsmouth Dockyard in England. She was an ancient ship, build of wood and canvas, with tall masts of oak and iron cannon. She was the Royal Navy's most famous warship, flagship of the fleet that defeated French Admiral Villeneuve at Trafalgar, England's most glorious naval victory. Standing on deck, he could feel the life in the timbers and feel the pride that went into creating such a masterpiece of fighting sail. He knew what Admiral Nelson felt when the great commander looked out over his sailors and marines. Every great leader who ever commanded a warship has that connection to his or her ship and the crew that serves them.
C-Sec Academy – 1600C
Staff Commander Claire Shepard
She had to admit that this place was pretty cool. "It's huge," she said, looking up at the cavernous interior. A couple of turian agents walked by and nodded a greeting.
Kaiden seemed a bit distracted by the bustle of activity. Officers were running around and people everywhere were talking at once, filing complaints, telling their stories, or giving confessions. The din was almost overwhelming and it seemed more so to the Biotic lieutenant.
"This way," Garrus Vakarian pointed. They took a few steps towards a grand staircase that led down to the training area and the turian halted. "Commander, thank you for accepting me into your crew. It means a lot to me."
"Honestly, Garrus, I was a little concerned about you after the firefight in Doctor Michels'."
He seemed a little chastised, his head down as if he was thinking about it. "I know. I was a little rash during that action."
Claire patted him on the shoulder. "But you more than made up for it during the assault on Fist. Consider yourself very welcome on our team. I think that Captain Anderson will welcome you too."
"I would like that very much."
Shepard tilted her head down the staircase. "So, what's down there?"
What had to be a turian grin came over Garrus' face and his cheek bones pulled back. "I think you're going to like this place, commander. Here, follow me."
He seemed to know where he was going and bounded down the stairs at a trot, his long, thin legs carrying him several steps at a time. They stopped in what looked to be a warehouse where one of the keepers was doing whatever it was that keepers did. Shepard quickly aimed her scanner at it and snapped a picture of it. That salarian, Chorban, was probably going to get her in trouble for scanning the keepers, but he had a good point – it was all in the name of science and no one really knew anything about those bugs. Plus, the cash was decent.
Garrus picked up the pace, appearing positively excited. "Just over here." He loped up to a desk where another turian was sitting. "Ranma!"
The turian looked up from behind a clear glass monitor. "Garrus! What brings you down here? Need a new mod?"
"Actually, I want you to meet someone," Garrus said, gesturing to Shepard.
Ranma stood and bowed to the commander. "I'm Ranma, the requisitions officer for C-Sec. Good to meet you."
"Likewise, I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy."
"I noticed that on my screen. Can I show you any equipment?"
"By all means," Shepard said and Ranma gestured to a wall that began to slide open, revealing a treasure trove of weapons, armor, mods, and ammunition. Shepard had never seen anything like it and she was like a kid in a candy store. A beautiful assault rifle caught her eye and she was drawn to it. As if an assault rifle could be called beautiful, she thought. She let out a nearly girlish giggle. "May I?"
Ranma nodded. "Please. However, you should know that the HMWA VII is reserved for SPECTREs only," he told her as he was setting up an account. "Oh, this must be a mistake. The system is telling me to offer you our select stock…SPECTRE. Well, I heard about that, but I didn't realize that it was you. Sorry, commander."
"No offense taken," Shepard said. She pulled the bolt back and checked the chamber to make sure it was empty. A professional always adhered to safety protocols and always knew the status of their weapons. Satisfied that the weapon was safe and empty, she placed the assault rifle on the checkout table. "One of these…and one of those," she added, pointing to a shotgun and a sniper rifle as if she were shopping for clothes.
Kaiden got the shotgun while Garrus took down the sniper rifle. The turian cradled the weapon lovingly as if it were a baby, stroking its fine metal finish. "I could put a round through a tick's butt at a thousand meters with one of these."
Ranma began ringing up the total and pulled down some cleaning kits. "You'll
need some bore brushes and cleaning rods and here's some of our SPECTRE solvent. It'll get the carbon out of the bore right quick." He then pulled down some hard metal cases, one for each weapon. "I can have these delivered to your quarters so you can carry them around when you're off duty."
"Thanks."
The Requisition Officer picked up the assault rifle and did his own safety check. It wasn't that he didn't trust Shepard's check, it was just protocol. You never accepted a weapon that you didn't personally inspect. "Hey Garrus," he said, "you'll never believe this."
Garrus turned and put his hand on his head as if he was expecting something very bad. "Oh, what?"
"Administrator Kimjo...she's now Assistant Executor Kimjo."
"Another promotion? You've got to be kidding me? She couldn't investigate her way out of a paper bag! You remember the time I got chewed out for stopping that bank robbery ring?"
"Yeah, wasn't that Kimjo who put you on report?"
Garrus shook his head sadly. "Yeah, that was her. I worked 30 straight hours to get confessions, evidence, and to draft the warrants. She accused me of fraud on my overtime voucher. You can't make that stuff up."
Ranma let out a cynical laugh and then they both made a shooting gesture at each other with their fingers. "No good deed goes unpunished," they said in unison.
Garrus shrugged. "At least I got a nice letter from Barla Von. Well, Pallin's numpties won't have me to push around any more – I've signed on with Commander Shepard. I'm going to submit my resignation today."
Ranma narrowed his eyes and flared his jaw bones. "You're kidding, right? What's did your father say? You know he's a C-Sec man to the bone."
"Uh, he doesn't know yet. I'm going to see him after I talk to Pallin."
The Requisition Officer sat back and shielded his face as if he were going to be struck. "Oh, good luck with that, Garrus. I wouldn't want to be your shoes."
"It's for the best, Ranma. I've got to do this…for myself. I don't want to think back on my life and be just another beaten down bureaucrat. I want to help take down Saren."
By now, Shepard had put the weapons in the hard case on her back. She was bouncing with excitement, ready to try these babies out. She would get her chance soon enough.
"Commander," Ranma said, getting her attention. "I got a message that you are to report to the training center ASAP for orientation to the SPECTREs."
She patted Kaiden on the back. "Lieutenant, please go help Garrus get checked in on the Normandy. I'll let you know how my training goes. I might be a few days so you guys go grab some R and R and please let the skipper know what I'm up to so he doesn't think I'm slacking."
He turned back and winked. "You could fall off your chair and the captain would cheer. Right now, you're gold."
C-Sec Academy – 1630C
Garrus Vakarian
It was easy at first, damn easy. After talking with Ranma in logistics, he was full of courage. He marched right into Executor Pallin's office and put his badge on the table. "I have a better offer," he said boldly, his young turian heart full as sure as it could be.
Pallin snorted. "What, some volus has hired you to be a bodyguard? Maybe you can make friends with that krogan, Wrex. You could use him as a reference."
Garrus gave a mock chuckle. "Yeah, Wrex has more guts in his thumb than I've seen around here in a long time. Oh, and one more thing," he said as he put an OSD on the table. "Here's the compliance issues I wasn't able to get to. You might want to get started as they're due soon."
The Executor scanned the disk and shook his head. "Vakarian, you just don't understand, do you? You have the luxury of seeing things only from the street agent level. C-Sec is not just about busting bad guys."
"You had me fooled," the agent said, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you enlighten me?"
Pallin stood and swept his hand around to the view from the balcony. The magnificence of the Presidium could not be denied, but Garrus had seen it all before. "Vakarian, C-Sec is about politics. We exist to keep everyone happy, the Council, the rich, the poor, even the keepers. I don't make these rules for my own health."
Garrus knew the man was dealing with a lot of pressure, but something needed to be said and he needed to say it. "Sir, with all due respect, I know that what you do is not for selfish reasons…although I can't say the same for your assistant executors, cronies all, they. However, you have to understand what these rules are doing to your agents. We're choking on meaningless and redundant bureaucracy. Do yourself a favor and see what the agents are actually doing. Sitting in an ivory tower theorizing over compliance reports and having everything filtered through your entourage is killing C-Sec."
Pallin appeared ready to lash out, but then breathed out and stepped back. "Vakarian, that is something I have both loved and hated in you – you were never afraid to speak your mind. You are definitely your father's son in that. So, what are you going to do?"
"I've signed on with Commander Shepard."
"Her? You mean chasing Saren around the galaxy?"
"Yes, I can think of no greater cause."
Pallin snorted. "You're still young yet, Vakarian. I tell you what…you get that adventure out of your system and if you're still around, I'll keep your badge in my desk."
Garrus thought on it for a moment. "Okay, deal. I'll be back…with Saren's head. You can count on that."
"That's what I'm afraid of. You know, for what's its worth, here is a commendation for your actions in Chora's Den."
The agent accepted the plaque, which was carved in black stone with the C-Sec symbol engraved. "I haven't gotten one of these in a long time. Thanks," he said, his voice just on the edge of cynicism. In truth, Garrus had been somewhat bitter that he'd been overlooked in spite of his good work while incompetent kiss ups seemed to garner all of the glory.
"I won't lie to you, Vakarian, this comes at the recommendation of Commander Shepard. She was very persistent…and very convincing. She seemed quite impressed by you. Well, you tell your father I said hello when you see him."
"I will." This was what Garrus had feared. He had played out all of the scenarios in his head. What would he say? How would the old man react? It wouldn't be good, he knew that much. The agent bowed respectfully. "Executor…I'll take my leave now."
He departed with some things to think about, but he was a light in spirit. He had fantasized about that meeting for a long time and imagined all sorts of arguments, but Pallin's thoughtfulness threw him for a loop. It wasn't a bad thing, mind you, but unexpected. Perhaps that meant that there might be hope for C-Sec afterall. Pallin just had to get rid of those sponges and sycophants who were milking the agency for their own gain and vanity. When Garrus first graduated from the Academy, he was full of piss and vinegar…a true believer in C-Sec. But, the years had worn him down and he knew that his attitude had gotten him blackballed for promotion with Assistant Executor Kimjo, bitch that she was.
As he came around the corner, the quarian, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, was waiting for him. He was a little surprised to see her as she had been absent since the Council hearing on Saren. He had to admire her skill and courage at having survived the geth and the Wards. Surviving certain parts of the Wards was not easy business especially for someone who had never interacted with other races before. "Tali, what are you doing here? Can I help you?"
"Hiya Garrus," she said in that warbling sort of voice of hers. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Sure, what about?"
"You were part of the team that saved me and I didn't have the opportunity to thank you personally. I have been in debriefings with the Alliance most of the day."
Garrus nodded. "I'm glad I could help," he said, somewhat curious as to what she looked like under the mask. He didn't know too much about quarians, but his investigative skills told him that she was young, but not lacking in intelligence. "What will you do now that your evidence has been presented to the Council? Is your pilgrimage complete?"
"Well, that was another thing I wanted to talk to you about, Garrus. My pilgrimage still has a long way to go and I have asked Commander Shepard to join her team and she has accepted."
"Oh?" More surprises. "You might be interested to know that I have done the same."
Tali took a step back. "Really? That is a coincidence. I did not know that. I was just hoping to get your opinion of my decision as you are not human. If I were to ask one of Shepard's team, their opinion might be somewhat biased. I was going to speak to the krogan, but I could not find him."
Garrus found her reasoning very sound and liked the idea of her joining the crew. The hunt for Saren would be much more interesting with her around. "I think you are making the right choice, Tali. Shepard seems to be a good leader and she cares about her people, not just the humans," he said and held up his plaque. "It's not much, but she pushed for me to get this in recognition of my part in the operation. She's done more for me in a day than all of my management has done for me in three years."
The quarian nodded, seemingly satisfied. "I'm glad I talked to you. I feel that fate is somehow drawing me to this quest."
"Well, I'm on my way to meet Lieutenant Alenko, who will find me some quarters. You are welcome to join me."
"Would you mind?"
"Not at all," he said and began walking to find the elevator to the Normandy.
He carried his plaque with a renewed sense of pride. So, Shepard really pushed for me, he thought. For a long time, no one in charge had been in the corner for him to back him up or to even advocate for him and he had really felt like the system had hung him out to dry…especially with the crazed Doctor Saleon. The powers that be cared more for the criminals than for the victims or the agents. Garrus was definitely thrown under a bus in that operation.
Garrus and Tali walked by the office and he saw the female turian, Kimjo chewing out some poor agent for daring to have a personal life. He listened for a moment just to see what was happening. The assistant executor never missed an opportunity to make a public spectacle of berating personnel. "What is that stroller for? You're creating a hazard in work space!" Kimjo said loudly, pointed her finger into the face of a frightened asari. "You are already on thin ice, Agent Cori. That thing you cart around in that stroller interferes with your job."
"You mean my baby, ma'am?"
"Yes…that!" Kimjo said, exasperated as if a three year old had intentionally thrown food on the floor.
"My baby is in day care, ma'am. She's not here with me. I'm just keeping the stroller here while I perform my duties. I'm sorry for having a baby, ma'am."
A look of ultimate satisfaction came over the assistant executor. Agent Cori actually understood the horrible misdeed that was done here. "You should be. I'm glad you've come around, Cori. I'll let you slide once more. I'll be keeping my eyes on you though," she said, narrowing her beady turian eyes.
"Hey Kimjo!" a voice rang out. It was Garrus. "Bite me," he said as he made an obscene turian gesture. He didn't know where that came from – it just sort of flew out of his finger. It was like he was not in control of his own body, just looking down at himself from above.
Kimjo stood, stunned. Her beady eyes bulged like saucers. "I'll have your badge, Vakarian. Don't you walk away from me!"
Garrus laughed out loud. It was a deep, belly laugh, one he hadn't had in a long time. The irony of the situation was just too much to pass up. "You're too late, Kimjo. I already gave it to Pallin. As an investigator you were always a day late and a credit short."
What happened next stunned the jaded agent – the entire floor stood up and applauded. Garrus' face flushed blue/gray with embarrassment – he didn't mean to attract such attention, but after a moment, he returned a curt, professional turian bow and then waved to the clapping C-Sec agents. He saw Kimjo storm out the other way and that was enough to have made it all worth it. If only he had the balls to have done that before. He really did have to thank Shepard for giving him his courage back. Yes, she could be brutally honest at times and sometimes it wasn't pleasant, but it made him see things in a way he never did before. But beyond that, she was compassionate – she saw the good with the bad and never robbed him of his dignity. That was worthy of respect…worthy of following unto death.
As he turned to go, he got a tap on the shoulder. It was Chellick, his friend from the academy. "Hey Garrus, good luck to you. I'm going to miss you, buddy."
"I'll miss you too. You keep these new guys safe from the likes of Kimjo, huh?"
"Yeah, you can't make this stuff up," Chellick said, getting a laugh from both.
"No good deed goes unpunished," Garrus said and they both made a shooting gesture at the other with their fingers.
"Garrus, I heard that you signed on with Commander Shepard."
"News travels fast. Yes, I did."
Chellick sighed and got this faraway look. "I envy you. That human has a good head on her shoulders. You know she broke the mod case wide open. I'm doing the take down in two days. You could still come."
Garrus shook his head. The temptation was there, no doubt, but he had closed that chapter of his life. Right now, there was only one other thing to do before he could open the next chapter. "Thanks Chellick, but I have to move on. I'll be back some day when we take down Saren and I'll tell you all about it."
"You talk to your father yet?"
"I was just going to."
"If I know him, he's not going to be too happy."
Garrus' father, Sho Vakarian, was a legend in C-Sec. He'd recently retired, but still, you could not wander the halls and not hear a conversation about him somewhere. His operations were required reading at the academy. Getting out from under his shadow was another reason for the young Vakarian to go it alone. "Yeah Chellick, you're right. I have to do this though. You take care."
They shook hands and Garrus waved to the rest of the agents. He turned to go, knowing that the biggest challenge of the day lay ahead. "Tali, would you mind coming with me to speak to my father?"
She put her hand on his shoulder. "Not at all, Garrus. Not at all."
CODEX –
Battle of Trafalgar – 1805 – The Royal Navy's victory prevented Napoleon from invading England. Hero of the battle, Admiral Horatio Nelson, was killed by a French sniper during the fight.
Bore – The inside of the barrel of a firearm. A smoothbore has no rifling. Rifling provides spin to the projectile, giving it stability in flight.
