A/N: And it's the chapter we've all been waiting for! I hope you're as excited for it as I am. And to celebrate, I've added a bit of fluff at the end. Don't worry, it's nothing smutty. I also bumped up the rating of this story to M for future violence and occasional fowl language in later chapters. Romance scenes will continue to be T rated though. As always, please R&R and I'll see you again next chapter!
Garrus rejoined Kaidan on the Normandy after they dropped off the medical supplies on Anhur. She and the Havincaw were linked together, idling in the middle of batarian space. The two soldiers relocated to Kaidan's quarters to talk about their other mission in more detail.
They drafted a tentative crew for the mission. They would have Joker, Cortez, Adams, Chakwas, Daniels and Donnelly along with the rest of the Normandy crew to man the ship. Unfortunately, Traynor relocated back to the Labs shortly after they returned to Earth and she hadn't been heard from since. Tali and James were already confirmed squad mates for groundside missions. Infiltrating the CAT6 base could be done with only four people, but it would be preferable if they had more however time wasn't on their side, so four would have to do.
"I take it Liara is out of commission, seeing as we can't find where she is. Wrex is too busy with expanding the krogan population, plus, he's getting old. And everyone from the Cerberus days is either dead or busy with other duties. We're running out of people we can trust here, Kaidan."
The biotic rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off an oncoming headache, "Yeah, you're right. I can't think of anyone. Maybe we could recruit some people from your ship to join us?"
Garrus pondered the idea for a moment. He trusted his crew without fault, so any of them would do, "I'd have to look over my crew dossiers in more detail but any of them are more than qualified for this mission. The bigger issue would be convincing Victus to let them come with us."
"That won't be a problem, Garrus. I'm thinking two of your best soldiers should suffice."
Uhh, Kaidan, I think we've got a problem, Joker came over the comm.
"What is it, Joker?" Kaidan got up from his seat.
We have an unidentified ship approaching us from starboard. I can't tell what kind of ship it is from the scanners. It could be hostile.
"Shit," Garrus growled under his breath, "Could this be CAT6?"
Kaidan shook his head, "I don't know. Have you tried hailing the ship, Joker?"
Do you think I'd be telling you there was a problem if I hadn't? Of course I hailed them! All I got was a gargled mess.
"I'll be right there," Kaidan said and motioned for Garrus to follow him to the helm.
The Normandy was far off in the distance but in her sights. Serenity settled throughout her body. If felt good to see her ship again.
The ping of the flight console made her jump.
"We're receiving a hailing frequency from the Normandy. I'll patch it through," Ba'el stated.
Unidentified ship, this is the SSV Normandy. Please identify yourself.
It was Joker's voice. She was glad to hear him and she had high hopes that her plan wouldn't go awry.
Shepard pressed down on the button to respond, "Joker, it's good to hear your voice. This is Shepard. I don't have time to explain everything. I need to dock beside the Normandy."
Unidentified ship, I can't understand a damn thing you're saying. I'm getting interference. Please repeat yourself.
She repeated herself but got the same response. She turned to Ba'el, "What's up with the interference. Is there any way to fix it?"
"I'm trying to find the problem. I'm not sure why it's happening. I would suggest activating our shields, just in case they view us as aggressive."
Shepard agreed, that would be the wisest move at the moment, "Do it," she ordered.
Ba'el tapped away at the panel when another hail came through.
This is Major Kaidan Alenko with the Systems Alliance. We know your shields went up. This doesn't have to become violent.
Shepard released a sigh of relief. She was glad to hear Kaidan's voice too. She tried once more to communicate with them.
"This is Shepard, Kaidan. Don't engage us. We're friendly."
Kaidan and Garrus were at the helm in no time. Garrus stood back at the entrance to the cock pit while Kaidan took position behind Joker's seat.
"Bad news, boss. They threw up their shields. I'm not sure what they're trying to do," Joker said.
"They'd be stupid to take on two frigates alone, looking at the size of the ship. I've never seen a ship like it. I'm not going to underestimate it though," Kaidan reached across Joker to speak in the comm, "This is Major Kaidan Alenko with the Systems Alliance. We know your shields went up. This doesn't have to become violent."
Kaidan and Garrus soon understood what Joker meant when he described the transmission as "gargled."
T….Shepard…..enga…friend…..
That made Garrus stand at attention.
Kaidan turned around to Garrus and he instantly knew what the Spectre was thinking. Garrus gave him an approving nod.
"If this is you, Shepard, then you'll need to link with the Havincaw's port side. The Normandy doesn't have the extra airlock," Kaidan replied. He then took a few steps towards Garrus, "Put your crew on red alert. I have a sneaking suspicion that whoever is on that ship has ulterior motives. We greet them with a squad and if things turn sideways, we take them out before they do any damage."
"Agreed," Garrus said and reached for his earpiece, "Havincaw, this is the captain speaking. We are on red alert, I repeat, red alert. I want Alpha squad on airlock two, stat. Assume the approaching ship as aggressive but do not take any action until Major Alenko and I arrive. Vakarian out."
Garrus looked over towards Kaidan, "Let's go."
If this is you, Shepard, then you'll need to link with the Havincaw's port side. The Normandy doesn't have the extra airlock.
"It looks like our message got through, Shepard."
She looked at Ba'el, "Did you find the problem with the transmission?"
Ba'el shook his head, "No, I didn't. Your name, at least, came through."
Something didn't settle right with Kaidan's words. The tone of his voice sounded off.
"Ba'el, where are your guns? We'll need to arm ourselves before we dock."
Ba'el gave Shepard a blank look but eventually replied, "They are in my room. Do you think they believe us to be enemies?"
"I do. Kaidan isn't dumb. He's playing all the right cards. We just need to make sure we have arms just in case things go askew."
With that, Shepard directed Ba'el to dock with the Havincaw as she went to grab his guns. They were going into this situation without armor but at least they'd be armed. Shepard had to be sure to err on the side of caution here. One wrong step, order, or word could get the three of them killed. She just hoped that Kaidan would be there when they stepped out of the airlock.
After snatching Ba'el's weapons she grabbed Genie and gave her a debriefing on the situation.
"Can you fire a gun?" Shepard asked her.
"Of course I can," Genie retorted, "If I didn't know how to shoot a gun or how to defend myself after spending years with the Andona, I'd be a useless specimen."
"Good," Shepard shoved the pistol in her hands, "You follow my orders explicitly, understood? Not one shot fired unless I give the order."
"Yes ma'am."
The ship shifted slightly from docking with the Havincaw and then she heard the hissing of the decompression chambers. Ba'el got up from his seat and approached the two women. He picked up the assault rifle while Shepard chose the shotgun. She didn't need to say anything to Ba'el. She knew he would follow her orders exactly.
She checked the ammo in the gun and cocked it, "Alright, let's do this."
Shepard took point in their formation with Ba'el on her left and Genie on her right. She was glad they quickly fell into position behind her. Ba'el opened the airlock doors on the Inquisitor and immediately the Havincaw's opened, revealing room with a six turian squad, guns pointed at them.
"Put the weapons down, humans," one of the turians barked at them. His subharmonics were fierce and intimidating.
"Shepard," Genie whispered to her, "What are they saying?"
She completely forgot about this. Genie and Ba'el couldn't understand what the turian was saying. Shepard didn't have her translator but she understood him. Learning basic turian, as well as the other Council languages, was required in Alliance basic training. Plus, having a turian boyfriend kept her in constant practice.
"What did you say, human? Speak up if you're going to talk!" the same turian growled.
"He's not going to kill us, is he?" Genie continued to question. Shepard could hear the uneasiness in her voice.
This time, the turian heard her, "I'll kill you if you don't put your weapons down!"
Shit. Things were escalating too quickly for her liking. "Genie just shut up for two minutes. He's not going to kill us," then she turned to the turian, "I'm Commander Shepard. I don't think it would be a wise idea to fire at us, soldier. So why don't we all put our weapons down and talk about this like civilized people?"
"Sorry, Commander. The captain gave us direct orders. Unless I hear otherwise from him, we continue on like this."
The austerity in Shepard's voice came through, "Tell your captain that I…"
"Stand down, men," a familiar voice ordered.
Shepard looked over to the room's entrance and saw the familiar blue and black armor she adored so much. Garrus, followed by Kaidan, entered the room and the squad immediately lowered their weapons and saluted.
"Garrus," Shepard's voice caught in the throat as she said her lover's name. She dropped her weapon and motioned for Ba'el and Genie to do the same.
"Shepard?" he said, surprised to see her. His strides towards her quickly closed the distance between them. It took every bone in his body to keep himself from taking her into his embrace but instead, he offered his hand to her. She smiled at him and understood where he was coming from. He didn't want to flaunt their relationship to the rest of his crew, plus they would look at it as insubordination. It wasn't how he wanted his crew to view him.
She took his hand and they stayed together longer than they should have but no one really noticed, "I'm so glad to see you, Garrus."
"I almost can't believe it's you," he said as they pulled apart.
"Is that why I was greeted with a squad of armed and angry turians?" she jested.
"That was just a safety precaution. You know how turians are, with the sticks up our asses."
Shepard laughed. She then noticed Kaidan awkwardly standing behind Garrus, trying not to interfere with their moment.
"Kaidan! I'm so glad to see you," she walked over to her biotic comrade and gave him a firm and welcoming hand shake.
"Shepard," he said as he received her handshake. He looked over to Garrus and said, "I think this changes our plans, dramatically."
"I agree," Garrus replied.
"What plans?" Shepard asked.
"Let's head back to the Normandy and I'll explain it all to you," Kaidan suggested.
"Ok," she agreed, "But before we talk any further, I need a new translator. Same for these two," she motioned at Genie and Ba'el, "I'm barely keeping up with Garrus. If this is going to get technical, we'll be screwed without them."
Garrus looked over to Shepard's new companions when she mentioned them. The two humans looked suspicious to him. He didn't know the backstory behind all of this but Shepard seemed to trust them. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for him to quell his apprehension. He made sure to keep a close eye on them as the five of them headed for the Normandy.
"So what did happen to your translator?" Kaidan questioned.
"My old one got fried. The one I'm using now doesn't recognize most languages here," she stopped herself, trying to think of the best way to word everything, "Let's just say this one recognizes some different languages. I'll clarify more when we're back."
They finally passed through the Normandy's airlock. All the anxiety Shepard had built up released itself the second she stepped foot back on her ship. She was finally home.
"So who the hell were those idiots, Kaidan?" Shepard heard Joker's voice from the helm, "They must…"
He was speechless when he saw Shepard walk onto the ship. Shepard gave him a wide smile and a wave as she passed by him. Joker's jaw still hung wide open when she walked down the bridge into the CIC.
As she and the rest of her entourage made their way back towards the War Room, every crew member on the Normandy stopped what they were doing and stood to give Shepard a salute. They were all speechless, not thinking they'd see their old commander so soon. A salute was the least they could do for the women they respected most in the entire galaxy.
When they reached the conference table just outside the War Room, Shepard let out a sigh of relief. That entire walk was tense and slightly surreal for her. Kaidan left the room momentarily to grab the translators Shepard requested. When he returned, she promptly placed the device in her ear. Genie followed suit while Ba'el made a quick adjustment to it before placing it in his. Shepard guessed he was making sure it was on English settings so he could use it effectively.
"Much better. Now, before we get too deep into business, I'd like to introduce Genie and Ba'el. They'll be accompanying us."
Ba'el gave a slight bow while Genie offered her hand in greeting. Ba'el picked up on the gesture and then offered his hand too.
"Who exactly are you?" Garrus asked the new members. Shepard heard the aggressive subharmonics in his voice. He was obviously suspicious of them.
"I believe that will take some explanation," Ba'el responded.
Shepard noticed Kaidan's eyebrows rise and Garrus tilted and rubbed at the side of his head.
"Um, what just happened? My head kind of buzzed," Kaidan responded.
Shepard let out an exasperated sigh, "Let me explain."
It took hours for Shepard, and eventually Genie and Ba'el, to detail why Shepard was gone for nearly two years, the Inar Galaxy and its races, the return of the Reapers, and her plan to finally eradicate them. Kaidan and Garrus asked a myriad of questions but by the end of it all, they were one hundred percent behind Shepard. When Ba'el revealed his true form to them, they were taken aback; however, they've seen some pretty odd things during their voyages. They were sure they would get used to him but luckily he said he would use his human form the majority of the time during their mission.
Garrus' initial misgivings of Shepard's new companions soon dissipated but he still had some reservations. They would have to earn his trust, especially the Andona. He wasn't racist but it would be hard to trust him because he knew next to nothing about his species. However, he wasn't going to book the judge's cover on them, or whatever that human saying was.
Kaidan and Garrus also went over the ransom note Kaidan received and their initial plan to raid the CAT6 base. Shepard argued that it would still be a smart idea to investigate the base, plus they would get a nice little surprise when they finally show up.
They agreed they would continue with their current course of action. Tomorrow, the Normandy and Havincaw would part ways and the Normandy would come back to Palaven to get Garrus after they pick up James and finish some now new business on Earth. Admiral Hackett would want to see Shepard, so that meeting would need to take top priority.
Kaidan also suggested that they should acquire more squad mates and pitched the idea of some members from Garrus' crew to join. Shepard thought it was a sound idea and Garrus agreed to choose his two best soldiers to join them.
"We should call it for a night," Garrus suggested.
"Sounds like a good idea. Where would you like us to stay, Shepard?" Genie asked about her and Ba'el's living situations.
"What kind of place would be ideal for you two?" Shepard asked for their input.
Genie looked over at Ba'el then back to Shepard, "Well, if there's anywhere that has enough room for me to practice dancing without disturbing anyone that would be ideal."
"And a place with sufficient light would be preferable for me," Ba'el added.
Shepard gave it some thought, "Perhaps the starboard cargo on engineering deck for Genie and life support on the crew deck for Ba'el?" she looked over to Kaidan and Garrus for their opinions.
"I think they would be sufficient spaces," Garrus replied, "No one is occupying those rooms now, right Kaidan?"
Kaidan shook his head, no. "We've got a skeleton crew here. Most people are in the crew quarters. Bradley is in starboard observation and I'm in the XO's office. Those are the only occupied rooms."
"Wait," Shepard put her hand up, stopping Kaidan from continuing, "If you're in the XO's room, then who's in the captain's quarters?"
"No one," he simply replied, "I may be in charge of this ship but it's ultimately yours. She only has one true captain and that's you, Shepard."
The corner of Shepard's mouth rose, "I'm flattered, Kaidan, but there's no need to brown nose."
"I'm not," Kaidan argued, "just speaking the truth, ma'am. You really should get some rest. We can talk more about the mission tomorrow on our way back to Earth."
Kaidan gave a small parting gesture and left the room with Ba'el and Genie following suit. That left Garrus and Shepard alone.
"Shall we relocate to somewhere more comfortable?" Garrus asked. His mandibles widened.
Shepard returned with a devious smile, "You read my mind."
They left the conference room and entered the elevator to head up to Shepard's quarters. When she entered her room, she noticed that nothing changed. Her models ships were still displayed, her bed freshly made, and her fish swam around. She walked up to her aquarium and was glad they were still alive and kicking. That fish feeding VI was one of the best purchases she ever made. Knowing her fish were fine, she turned around to see how her little guy was doing, except…
"Where's Mr. Snuggles?"
"What?" Garrus' head tilted to one side.
"Mr. Snuggles, Garrus! My hamster! Where is he?" Shepard's body began to tense up.
Garrus placed his hands on her shoulder's and looked down into her eyes. His touch instantly calmed her down. "Don't worry, he's safe and sound. He's in my quarters on the Havincaw."
Shepard let out a breath the release the rest of her tension, "Good. I was going to have to murder you if anything happened to him."
"I'm hurt, Shepard. I would never do anything to harm your precious hamster," Garrus placed a hand on his chest, acting like her words actually wounded him. Damn, she really missed his humor.
The mood in the room quickly turned somber. "Garrus, I'm so…I didn't mean to…" Shepard felt the need to apologize for her absence but Garrus cut her off.
"Shepard," Garrus placed his hand on her cheek, "There's no need to apologize to me. You've done nothing wrong."
"When I died, you ran off to Omega and got yourself into deep trouble. This time, I was gone for about the same time and I worried that you…"
Garrus cut her off again, "I didn't do anything stupid. I got your message, albeit it was quite overdue, but I didn't go off and do anything crazy."
He moved his hands around her waist and pulled her close and placed his forehead on hers, "All I care about is that you're back safely. The galaxy sure as hell was different without you around but we made do. Now that you're back, we can go back to kicking galactic ass."
Shepard laughed and placed a light kiss on Garrus' mouth plates. He returned her kiss the best way a turian could. He became a better kisser as they grew closer to each other and she was glad he wasn't out of practice. She wrapped her hands around his neck and gave him another, more passionate, kiss.
Garrus propped Shepard up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He turned around and pressed her against the aquarium, lips still locked together. The coolness of the glass on Shepard's back counteracted the warmth rising in her body. She began to massage the soft skin behind Garrus' fringe. The low purring he emitted let her know she was hitting all the right spots. She moved her hands down his armor and started to unclasp the locks.
Garrus soon moved them over to her bed, Shepard dropping off pieces of the upper half of his armor one by one. Garrus also worked Shepard out of her shirt by the time he placed her on the bed. It didn't take long for the rest of what they wore came off and they shared the rest of their night in blissful love.
