Author's Note – I rewrote the Ashley conversation to reflect that Shepard would have sent a message as soon as possible.
The Heart Knows – Chapter 8
Cassidy was relieved that Grunt was willing to lend his strength to theirs. She did however wish she had Wrex around to help Grunt figure out the krogan thing for real, rather than just from a failed imprint from Okeer.
Garrus had been his efficient sniper self, but had not offered to hang around a bit afterward and talk about the mission, like had been their habit "like old times". She hoped he found Sidonis soon, so they could get this issue resolved.
She was about to step onto the elevator when the view of the cargo bay caught her eye. "EDI, place a requisition with Miranda for a ping pong table." Then she directed Joker to head to a nearby system and scan for mineral sources for the afternoon's work.
She spent the afternoon starting a new mission board. There wasn't much to put on it. She just had an image of Sovereign and an image of a Collector from Veetor's security footage. She also put up a list of all the colonies that had disappeared to date.
She took her dinner in the mess, hoping Garrus might show. Dr Chakwas joined her and they talked about the Mars base. Garrus came out, made a tray, but then took it back into his 'cubby hole', (which was how Cassidy thought of the main battery.) Zaeed came off the elevator, spotted her, and came directly over. "Commander, can I have a word, in private?" She got up and directed him over to the Life Support room. "You remember how my condition with Cerberus was that you would help me take out Vido Santiago if I found him. Well, I found him. Eldfell-Ashland has a refinery on Zorya. He's taken over, executed anybody resisting him and is using the rest as slaves." "I see. EDI, how long would it take us to get to Zorya and will it be day or night there if we left immediately?" EDI replied "Just over 5 hours, Shepard. It would be midday there upon arrival if we left immediately. Do you wish Navigation to set our course?" "Well, Massani, any reason to wait?" "Not that I can think of, Commander." "Navigation: Set course to Zorya. Get some rest, Massani." She sent texts to Garrus, Grunt and Jacob to be ready to join them on Zorya. They all sent acknowledgments.
–
She had split her team up down there. She had sent Garrus to go close the gas valves with Grunt and Jacob to cover him, while she and Zaeed went after Santiago. She and Zaeed were working on the heavy mech when Garrus, Grunt and Jacob reached that room. She assigned them to keep the mercs busy, while she finished off the mech. As soon as it exploded, she sent Zaeed on to scout ahead while she helped mop up the last few mercs. She had gone outside to find Santiago burning and Zaeed walking back with a satisfied smirk on his face.
–
At breakfast, Miranda asked about Garrus, "Is he normally this reserved, Commander?" "No, he's got a situation that needs resolution. Not much we can do until he corners his quarry." "Does this have to do with his lost team on Omega?" "Yes, but keep hands off and let him do his own hunting. It's a turian thing going on." "If you say so, Commander."
–
Cassidy agreed with Garrus about the guards on Purgatory. She felt bad that they had to take out so many. She agreed with the Warden's principles as he had stated them to her on the way in. It wasn't the guards' fault that the Warden had gotten so greedy and stupid. She hoped that many of them were salvageable, that she, Garrus and Wrex had not outright killed too many.
Jack was down under engineering. Cassidy wasn't sure if she could socialize Jack into any form of normal, but she would try. For the moment she would be hands off with Jack.
She went to have lunch in the mess, just letting the conversations of the crew wash over her.
–
Horizon: Cassidy was glad when she saw Ashley come up. "How are you, Ash? It's been too long."
"I got your message, Shepard, but you didn't really give much detail. Where were you on a medical slab? It can't have been Alliance, or they would have let us know. There were memorial services for you."
"Cerberus put me back together. They gave me the intel about the missing colonies and asked me to lead their effort to stop the force behind it."
"You're with Cerberus? And Garrus, too? I can't believe the reports were right. Why did Anderson stonewall me about this?"
"I went to Anderson. Neither the Alliance nor the Council are willing to support this mission officially. But, Anderson got me leave and the Council reinstated my Spectre status and practically pushed me out here into the Traverse."
"I don't trust Cerberus. It bothers me that you do. What did they do to you when you were on that slab? What if they are behind these attacks behind your back?"
"I don't trust Cerberus, either, that's why I sent you the message from Anderson's office. But they are supporting the mission and gave me control. I need more people with me that I can trust, and that could be you, Ashley."
"I'll never work with any connection to Cerberus. I'm no fan of aliens, but they are extremist."
"It's my command and you can see that I have Garrus and Grunt, here. I've got a salarian researcher, too. So, nobody is telling me I can't have the best, human or alien, except you."
"I know where my loyalty lies. I won't leave the Alliance, it's in my blood."
"I'm very sorry that you can't trust Anderson, can't trust me, Garrus, Dr Chakwas or Joker. The Collectors are the enemy. They're working with the Reapers."
"I'm going back to the Citadel and talk to Anderson, see if anything you say holds up. Goodbye, Shepard."
Ashley stalked away.
Cassidy called for a pickup. "I'm sick of this place." "Right behind you, Shepard" said Garrus.
–
After speaking with the Illusive Man, she was even more angry. She calmed herself and updated the mission board, adding images of the the new types of monsters the Collectors had sent into the battle and the fact that something could possess one of them and gain biotic powers.
Cassidy dreamed that night. She was in a hospital, bare-ass gown and all. Ashley walked in the door, stethoscope around her neck. She wheeled in a cart with a body scanner on it. "Lie flat on your back, Shepard. If you're brainwashed we'll soon see." She put the bar over Cassidy. When she went to activate it, though, it sparked and smoked and died. "So, they put some kind of protective field emitters in you, did they, the bastards?" She took a big scalpel off the cart. "We're just going to have to cut that out of you, aren't we?" Cassidy watched the scalpel come down toward her chest. Just before the scalpel touched her skin, it fell away when a bullet hit Ashley's hand. "You, too, Garrus?" said Ashley out the window. Ashley left. Cassidy got up and went to the window. There was no sign of Garrus.
