"They say krogan females have a thing for scars. I've got a few myself… Here's hoping no one's planning an arranged marriage to cement this deal."
Natasha rolled her eyes with an exaggerated sigh, forcing herself to not look over to where Garrus stood at his console. She knew it was important for Rayhel to see them getting along, but he didn't make it easy to sit through. She folded her arms over her chest, looking around for her daughter, who had grown silent after running to the small room Garrus had for sleeping.
"Though I have to admit, I admire Eve. The things she endured while living with the genophage, and now to top it all off, she's her people's last hope. Imagine the pressure. Takes real courage to face that."
Natasha stood, giving him a look as she wandered over to the small space Rayhel had tucked herself in. She put her hands on her hips as the girl looked up at her, two halves of a wire in each hand.
"I fix it Mommy!"
"What did you do?"
"I fix it like Daddy."
Natasha felt Garrus behind her, his chest pressing to her back, a small chuckle in her ear.
"Excuse me."
She moved away from him, clearing her throat to sustain the smile that was creeping across her lips. Garrus bent down to Rayhel, holding out his hand. She gave him the wires with a large smile.
"I fix it."
"You can help me."
"I fix it with Daddy!"
Natasha loved watching the two of them together. She always had. Now it was just harder to deny Garrus what he wanted when she saw it. He sat Rayhel up on the console, grabbing a tool that Natasha had never seen before. He told the little girl to hold one wire while he fixed the other half of it. Rayhel was as happy as she could get, watching it happen as she held on tightly to her half of the wire. Natasha let her smile spread as she leaned against the wall, a flutter in her chest. The emotion soon turned to sadness, making her turn away to rub her eyes.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine." Natasha said, straightening up to face Garrus. "I have to go talk to Shepard about Eve."
Garrus knew she was trying to keep herself together, but it only made his pride swell. He was succeeding in getting her to rethink their separation. The only part of it that remained to be seen was how long it would take for her to stop pushing him out. Rayhel giggled, pulling him from his thoughts as they tied the wire together. He let her help him install it back to the console, happy to spend time with his daughter.
Tavus lead the small ground team, Crawlsky and Shisk watching his six while another three men covered their flank. Tavus could smell blood, hearing a faint groan in the distance. His heart jumped and he fought to remain calm as they advanced towards the closed room. They positioned themselves outside of the door, Tavus listening closely for any sounds on the other side. He could hear a man asking questions before a cry rang out, followed by a small whimper. Tavus nodded at his squad mates. Crawlsky and Shisk prepared themselves, kicking in the door for him before all three of them walked in, their guns raised and ready for a fight.
The other troops pointed their guns back, waiting for orders. Their leader smiled at the new guests, stepping away from the chair in the middle of the room. Tavus fought to keep his eyes off of Rayhel, knowing she had been beaten by the troops.
"I would assume this is your able-bodied crew, Vakarian."
"Let her go."
"You turians are too loyal to your officers." he laughed, looking back to Rayhel. "Tell them to leave."
"Let her go or we'll fire."
"Tavus." He hated the sound of her voice in that moment, hearing the exhaustion and utter weakness she held. She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Go."
"No m'am. We won't leave."
"I gave you an order, chief, get out of here!"
He was saddened to hear her attempt to take on her stern voice, hearing the pain she was fighting through.
"What do you want from her?" Tavus asked, ignoring his captain.
"We want information that you have no way of knowing."
"I'm sure if you asked nicely she'd be more willing to talk."
"I'm sure if you leave she has a better chance of making it out alive."
Tavus shook his head, stepping closer to the man, his gun still raised.
"You let her go, she'll tell you anything you want to know."
"You can't make that promise."
"I promise, if you don't let her go I will kill you."
"Stubborn turian." the man said, raising his gun at Tavus.
A shot rang out before the man fell to the ground. Tavus was grateful that the two men behind him wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger when it came to it. The shot caused an all out firefight after the man hit the floor, the three turians ducking behind a small wall for cover as they tried taking out the operatives. Tavus heard a scream, making him stand up from cover. Rayhel stood now, a man holding her up in front of him, a gun held to her temple.
"Drop the guns!"
Tavus put his hands up, setting his gun on the ground gently.
"Alright." he said, Shisk following his lead.
"Where's the other one?! I will shoot her!"
"There's no need to do that." Tavus said calmly.
"Where's the other one?!"
"Right here, you son of a bitch!"
The man couldn't even turn his head before Crawlsky shot him. He dropped his gun quickly, catching Rayhel as she collapsed. Tavus and Shisk ran to her, kneeling down as she rubbed her head.
"Can you hear me?" Tavus asked, making her look up at him.
"Yes."
"She needs water."
Shisk fumbled for his canteen, handing it over without hesitation. Rayhel used a shaky hand to lift the water to her mouth, letting out a loud sigh afterwards.
"Are you hurt? Do you need medi-gel?"
Rayhel looked at Tavus with half-lidded eyes, staring at him for a moment before falling back against Crawlsky. Tavus looked from him to Shisk, letting out a short breath.
"We need to get her back to the ship. The doc will want to take a look at her."
"Grunt?"
"Shepard?! Shepard!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question."
Natasha was pleasantly surprised to see the krogan running to hug the commander. She smiled at the sight, missing the crew from the previous mission Shepard was on. The reality of the end of life was setting in every time she touched ground with Shepard and Garrus. Seeing old friends, seeing the devastation everywhere, the desperation for things to continue on as normal after the Reapers… Everything was starting to get intense. Natasha knew it was only the beginning. Even seeing Jack at Grissom Academy tugged at her heart. Memories of releasing Grunt from his tank came to her mind. It seemed like so long ago now.
Garrus could tell Natasha was lost in her train of thought when he looked over at her. He knew she was taking on a lot, and he admired the fact that she wasn't giving up. He knew she'd go to any length to help end the war for the sake of her daughter's life. Even if it meant giving up her own. He shook the thought from his mind when she seemed to snap out of it, both of them lost as Shepard spoke with the krogan.
"The scans show those tunnels down there lead to a central point. If we're lucky, it's a nest."
"Sounds like fun." Garrus said.
"Just like old times, Grunt." Natasha chimed in.
The krogan laughed in agreement before telling his team to move out.
"Grab what you need Shepard. I'll meet you at the scout camp up ahead."
Natasha looked over at Garrus with a smile after the krogan walked away.
"What?"
"He's all grown up…"
Garrus admired the motherly side of Natasha. He gave her a smile before they started gathering what they needed to catch up with Grunt.
"It's very quiet here." Natasha noted as Shepard stepped into a small building, Garrus following in after him. The large metal structure shifted with their weight, tipping over to toss them down into the cavern. Natasha felt her heart cave as she watched, running to the ledge. "Garrus!"
She heard them both groan amongst the wreckage, her heart filling with relief. She looked to Grunt.
"You in one piece Shepard?" he called.
"We're ok. Keep in radio contact."
"On our way!"
Natasha watched them get up for a moment before moving out with the krogan. She fought to keep her thoughts straight, not finding much trouble amongst the scouts. As they found another entrance, a crash sounded over the com, Natasha's heart sinking as she put her finger to her earpiece.
"What was that?"
"Cave in." Shepard replied. "We're alright."
"Good." Grunt said. "Didn't want to dig you out."
"That hurts my feelings Grunt." Garrus teased.
"Yeah yeah." Natasha hated the darkness of the tunnels as they walked through, hearing small bugs running around. She kept looking over her shoulder in paranoia, hoping she wouldn't find something following her. Grunt stopped the scouts abruptly, finding more dead bodies. "Shepard I know what happened to the scouts."
Natasha kept a look out behind them as they spoke, a strange feeling washing over her at the sight of the wiring across the floor.
"Are you seeing this Reaper tech, Shepard?"
"We have it all over."
She hated this war.
"That wasn't webbing stopping us, that was Reaper tech."
Natasha followed Grunt and the scouts through the newly formed entrance, her eyes darting around to find Garrus. She was relieved to see him in one piece, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He hugged her back, a small smile on his face at the realization that she'd been worried about him. He looked down at her, expecting to see a wound of some sort.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine. There was a lot of fighting, actually. Nothing too crazy though."
Garrus was grateful that she'd decided to learn to protect herself back when she did. She had become deadly with a pistol, and she wasn't reliant on any of the krogan that she'd been forced to work with. Shepard looked over at her after speaking with Grunt. She gave him a nod, which he returned before they set out to venture further into the tunnels. They found a narrow passage that they had to crawl through, Shepard taking the lead. Natasha got to her knees, crawling in after him. She could hear a growl behind her, making her stop to look back at Garrus.
"Really?"
"Keep moving." he groaned.
"Would you like to go ahead of me?"
"Don't ask me where I want to go, you'll get an answer you won't like."
She shook her head with a smirk, continuing her crawling until they reached the other side. She got to her feet, knitting her eyebrows at the sight of the central cavern.
"What is that?"
Before they could reach the center, reaper walls threw themselves up, more enemy forces swarming in. It was a long fight, but it was an easy one made up of husks, cannibals and the occasional reaper-rachni hybrid. The sight of the rachni queen after the fight was a surprising one, but it was even more disturbing when it used the dead krogan to speak to them. She begged to be released, which Garrus protested, but Shepard decided to sacrifice Aralakh Company to get her free. Grunt came running through to lead them to safety, getting them through the tunnel's exit. They were cornered by more rachni at the end. Shepard and Grunt exchanged looks of worry, trying to silently come up with a solution.
"The shuttle is that way." Grunt said, pointing down the tunnel. "Get out of here Shepard."
Natasha shook her head at him.
"No…" she said, but Garrus stopped her from stepping closer to him.
With a short silence, and a pat on Grunt's shoulder, Shepard took off in the direction of the shuttle. Natasha flung her arms around the krogan, silently begging Garrus to do something. She gave him a pleading look, but he just grabbed her arm with a sad look in return, pulling her away from the krogan. Grunt waited for them to get a head start before holding off the rachni. Natasha fought herself to keep walking, tears falling down her face as they approached the shuttle. Garrus walked next to her, a comforting hand on her back. As they loaded onto the shuttle, Natasha looked back, seeing a bloodied and battered Grunt trying to catch up with them.
"Grunt!"
Garrus ran with her to help get the krogan to safety.
"The mission brief identifies the commander as Tarquin Victus."
"Victus?"
Shepard looked to Garrus, who sat next to Natasha in the shuttle.
"Primarch's son."
"Try to raise him." Shepard said.
Natasha opened her Omni tool, scanning for others in the area.
"For a turian commander, what happened here is… Well. Let's just say the turian code isn't forgiving." Garrus said.
"And that it's his son is bad for the Primarch. Promoting family without merit can bite you in the ass. What's strange is the Primarch knows that."
"Commander, I have to land well back from the main crash site." Steve said.
"That the best you can do?"
"Yes sir. The Reapers aren't aware of our presence. We'll have the jump on them."
"Alright. Let's save this platoon."
"The connection to Lieutenant Victus is weak, Commander." Natasha said.
Shepard used the connection to find the lieutenant before they fought their way to him. When they got there, the squad was looking beaten down, all of them simply waiting for extraction instead of trying to fight to accomplish their original mission.
"Lieutenant Victus?"
"Commander Shepard. My men and I are in your debt. Thank you for saving so many."
"What happened here?"
Another turian grabbed Victus, shaking him slightly.
"He screwed up!"
"Stand down, soldier!"
"These men are dead because of him."
"I said stand down."
Shepard broke them up, causing the other turian to back off so Victus could speak.
"Lieutenant, what's going on here?"
"I made a bad call. This is all on me. I chose caution and clever tactics over a head-on attack. My men paid the price."
"Owning your mistake takes guts, but you have to get over it and move on." Shepard said.
"Of course, it's just fresh right now. The mission is still a failure. When we've stabilized the engine, we'll go back to the fleet."
"You're abandoning your mission?" Garrus asked, stepping forward.
"We're down over thirty men. It'd be suicide."
"What was your original mission?" Shepard asked.
"There's a bomb on the planet. We were sent to defuse it."
"A bomb? How big?"
"Enormous. Cerberus has it."
"Lieutenant, if Cerberus has that bomb, you have to finish your mission."
"Haven't these men sacrificed enough?"
"I understand. This kind of sacrifice is the hardest to ask for."
"My men have lost hope. Even if I wanted to finish the mission, they don't."
"It's your job to make them want to." Garrus told him.
"How?"
Natasha felt that fire ignite in her stomach, shaking her head at the turian.
"What's wrong with you?! Inspire them, threaten them! Lieutenant, if Cerberus wins, the Reapers divide and conquer and that will be on them!"
Garrus looked over at her, raising a brow plate before looking back to the turian. Victus turned back to his men after a moment.
"Listen up! This isn't about your fears or grievousness."
"Fears?" a turian replied. "We're only afraid of the next messed up order you give."
"Irrelevant. Court martial, death and discharge await anyone who walks from his duty. We are turian. We finish what we came here to do or we die trying." the turians watched him for a moment before he advanced on them.
"Shuttle arrives any time, so get your asses in gear. Let's move!"
They saluted Victus before walking away. The turian looked at Natasha as Shepard and Garrus walked to their own shuttle. She gave him a small smile.
"Sorry."
"You're serious about the war."
She nodded.
"I have a daughter to protect. The war needs to end." He laughed slightly, giving her a nod. "What?"
"I have a son."
"Then we have to finish this mission to protect the ones we love."
He gave her a pat on the back before rejoining his men, allowing her to get on her own shuttle.
The fights to get to the bomb were quite easy, or so Natasha had thought. Cerberus didn't put up a large fight, and most of them were retreating as she, Shepard and Garrus swept through to get to the device. Once they got to Victus, they took on the role of protection duty as he hacked through to disarm the bomb. Natasha was set to protect the lieutenant, shooting anyone who was lucky enough to get past Garrus and Shepard. After a while, he told her he had to manually disarm the device.
Natasha looked up at the bomb, her heart racing as the Cerberus troops kept coming towards her. Victus had climbed high, only to have it shake and begin to fall once he got to the top.
"Lieutenant!"
"Victory at any cost."
"No!"
He looked down at her, placing a hand on a part of the bomb, hesitating to pull it out.
"I have a bondmate."
Natasha felt tears coming to her eyes as she nodded.
"I'll contact her."
"Tell her I love her."
"I promise."
With that, he pulled the pin out of the bomb, causing it to fall, taking him with it into the deep hole on Tuchanka. Natasha dropped her gun, leaning against the console as she cried. Shepard and Garrus raced over to the scene, Garrus quickly taking Natasha into his arms.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat before looking towards the hole in the ground.
"No."
Natasha felt herself struggling to find words as she watched the turian woman approach her. The turian smiled pleasantly after Natasha waved her over to the table she sat at. Her heart sank at the sight of a baby in her arms.
"Natasha?"
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Victus."
"Please, call me Nora."
Natasha cleared her throat, taking a deep breath before looking out on the presidium, the smell of the café reaching her as the wind swept through. She forced a smile, looking back to the woman before letting her eyes fall to the sleeping turian in her arms.
"How old is he?"
Nora smiled, looking down at him.
"Four months."
"He's cute."
"He's a handful is what he is."
"My daughter was too."
Nora looked up at her, her smile wide.
"You have kids?"
"Just one. Her name is Rayhel."
"How old is she?"
"She's four. Wait until he gets there, they get worse."
Nora laughed, stroking the baby's fringe idly.
"Thanks for the warning." Natasha smiled, watching the woman admire her son for a moment, doing her best to make small talk before telling her what she really needed to. Nora seemed distracted enough before looking up at the sky cars that flew overhead. "I'd never been here before the Reapers hit Palaven."
"It's an alright place." Natasha said, looking around. "I lived here all my life before the Collector's."
"You said in your message that you were with the alliance? You have a ship?"
"No. I travel on the SSV Normandy."
Nora seemed intrigued by this, her brow plates rising.
"Isn't that Commander Shepard's ship?"
"Yes m'am."
"That must be exciting."
"It's a bit stressful, but to be honest, any ship would be right now."
"Is your daughter with you on the ship?"
"Yes."
"I couldn't imagine leaving her somewhere off the ship. Nowhere is safe." Natasha smiled, admiring the motherly instinct that she shared with the woman. "Is her father onboard with you too?"
"Yes."
"At least you all have each other then." Nora said with a smile, looking down at her son again. "My bondmate is on a mission. Tuchanka. Stupid krogan problems."
Natasha bit her lip, looking away from the woman.
"I was on Tuchanka not long ago."
Nora looked up at her.
"No kidding?"
Natasha gave her a sad look, shaking her head. Nora tilted her head slightly.
"Shepard was sent to investigate some missing turian scouts. Primarch Victus sent us. I was on the ground team that found them." Nora went quiet, staring at Natasha, who fought to keep back her tears as she looked into the woman's eyes. "Tarquin made a bad call. He got a lot of his men killed. They were trying to defuse a bomb, but Cerberus had gotten it. We convinced him to complete his mission, with our assistance. It was my job to protect him from Cerberus forces while he disarmed the bomb, but… He had to do it manually. It fell, and he…"
Natasha closed her eyes, tears escaping them as she took a deep breath. She hated how quiet the turian across from her was. Natasha cried for a moment before looking back up at her.
"I'm sorry."
Nora's face was wet with silent tears as she watched Natasha, her baby stirring in her arms before she calmed him. Natasha wiped her tears, watching the baby now, instead of the woman.
"How…" Nora cleared her throat, shaking her head slightly. "How did you know to contact me?"
Natasha looked back up to her, giving her as much of a smile as she could muster.
"He told me about his son, and that he had a bondmate. He told me to tell you he loves you."
The words pushed Nora to closing her eyes to cry, holding her son closer to her. Natasha let her have her silence, knowing there was nothing she could say for comfort. After a while, the woman stopped crying, as if her mind was drifting into thought. They sat together, watching the presidium, watching the sky cars, Nora occasionally bouncing her son to keep him asleep when he stirred.
Natasha felt the turian looking at her, making her look in return, giving her a soft look that urged her to speak if she needed to.
"Why isn't your commanding officer telling me this news?"
Natasha gave her a small smile, looking down at her hands that rested on the table. She picked at her fingernails, biting her lip before clearing her throat.
"I lost a bondmate too."
The woman gave her a sad look, leaning forward slightly in her chair.
"When?"
"When I was pregnant with Rayhel."
"I'm so sorry."
"I took it upon myself to contact you, Nora, because I know how this feels. I know what it's like to have that taken away from you, with a baby to care for by yourself. We weren't facing Reapers then, but I know how hard it was. I would have preferred a friend, someone who cared, to come to me when my husband died, rather than the council."
Nora nodded in agreement.
"Thank you."
"I am very busy on the Normandy, but you know how to contact me if you need support. I urge you to do that."
"I will."
"Your bondmate died saving Tuchanka. He was a good man, and a hero in the end. Remember that."
"I will."
Natasha stood, Nora following her lead. Natasha gave her a smile, holding out her hand.
"It was nice meeting you, though I wish it were under better circumstances."
"I appreciate your concern for me. Thank you."
Natasha looked down at the baby who calmly laid in Nora's arms, chewing on a talon as he blinked at her.
"He's awake." she smiled.
"Yeah, he usually surprises me like that."
"What's his name?"
Nora smiled, looking down at him.
"Tavus."
Tavus sat next to Rayhel's bed, listening to the steady beep of the heart rate monitor that she had been hooked up to for the night. The doctor had told him that despite the abuse she'd been given, she just needed some rest. He wanted to keep an eye on her until she woke up, knowing she'd have words for him.
"Executive Officer, a request for boarding is coming from a council spectre's ship."
"You don't have to call me that anymore, Arkah, the captain is back."
"Of course, Victus. Shall I let the spectre aboard?"
"Let him in."
Tavus made his way up to the CIC, hearing a bustle at the new arrivals. As he walked through the deck, the noise came to a hush. The turian in front of Tavus was slightly intimidating, but he was sure that he looked that way because of the amount of firepower he had behind him. Two large krogan, a quarian and another turian all stood with him, guns in their hands as if they expected a fight. Tavus saluted the turian, who gave him a nod in return.
"I assume you're Victus?"
"I am sir."
"When do we leave?"
"Sir?"
"You called me here for a reason."
"We already extracted her, sir."
The turian looked around at the crew before his eyes fell on Tavus again.
"Where is she?"
"In the medbay."
"And?"
"She's resting. She was beaten and exhausted when we found her, but she's alright."
Garrus followed the smaller turian down to the medbay, his men coming with him. Tavus stayed outside of the room when Garrus went in, looking around at his backup that decided it was best to stay outside as well.
"Who was it that took her?" the quarian asked.
"It was at a Cerberus facility. I would assume it was them."
"Where is she?!"
Tavus turned at the sound, seeing a turian woman followed by a small human woman rounding the corner. The turian held her stomach, panting slightly from carrying the extra weight; she was clearly pregnant.
"I told you to wait." the male turian said, putting a hand on her shoulder after she reached him.
"Caeus, please. That is my baby in there."
"It's actually my baby, but hey. Who's keeping track anyways?"
"You're her mother?" Tavus asked the human.
She smiled, nodding.
"Natasha." He smiled in return, unsure of what to say. "You are?"
"Tavus Victus m'am. Operations Chief."
"Victus?" Natasha said with a smile.
"Yes m'am."
"Tavus…" she said, obviously thinking over the name. Something seemed to click after a moment as she pointed at him. "Nora is your mother."
"Yes m'am."
"I met you when you were just a baby."
He smiled, clearing his throat.
"Where is Rayhel?" the turian woman asked.
"Spectre Vakarian is in with her now."
"Oh call him Garrus." Natasha said with a wave of her hand.
"Call him Archangel, he loves that one." the turian laughed.
Natasha looked around at the others before looking back to him.
"Have you been introduced?"
"Tasha, it's not a party, they're military."
"The Normandy made it feel like family."
"This isn't the Normandy."
"This is Calpurnia." Natasha said with a nod towards the turian.
"Mrs. Adinus to you, boy."
"Yes m'am."
Caeus shook his head.
"Calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down." she said with a hint of warning in her tone.
Natasha laughed before the doors opened, Garrus stepping out to the hall. Her smile faded quickly.
"She's asking for you." Calpurnia followed Natasha into the room as Garrus gave Tavus a stare-down. Tavus stood up straight, not taking his eyes from the man. Garrus gave him a nod, gesturing for Tavus to follow him out of earshot of the rest of the people. Garrus stood inches away from him, his shoulders squared out as he looked down at Tavus. "You lead the team that brought her back?"
"Yes sir."
"Why?"
"She appointed me as her executive officer if anything ever went wrong."
"Why didn't you wait for backup?"
"That would have been a risk to her surviving, sir."
"It could have gotten all of your men killed."
"It was a risk worth taking to save her, sir."
"She's your captain, she's supposed to go down before any other man."
"I don't believe that sir."
"Why not, Victus?"
Tavus tried biting his tongue, bouncing around the right words to answer him. He refrained from shrugging at him.
"She is a captain for a reason, sir. She comes first."
"Speak up, I can't hear you through the bullshit."
"She's important sir."
"She is important because she is a leader, a role model for you all to better yourselves."
"She is an important person to everyone here because she is a role model sir, but she is also a friend, sir."
"She isn't here to be your friend."
"I will always be a friend to her, sir."
Garrus grew silent, watching the turian closely as he stood at attention firmly, not backing down from Garrus' challenging stance.
"You have a crush, Victus?"
"No sir."
"Bullshit."
"I have respect for her sir, a great deal of it."
"Bullshit."
"Sir, she is my captain."
"You think I'm stupid, I know her rank. Do you have a crush?"
"No sir!"
"You're wreckless, Victus. Why should I trust you at her back from here on out?"
"I would die to keep her safe, sir."
"That's a fool thing to do."
"If it meant she lived, I would gladly be the fool sir."
"Garrus!"
Tavus couldn't help but to break attention to look over at the sound of the human voice. Natasha stood with a stern look on her face, not saying a word before walking away. He knew she was trying to help him out, but he silently begged Garrus to keep going. He knew the spectre was hard headed, he'd heard plenty of stories about it. Luckily he had the will to go against it, and he wouldn't give up.
Garrus stared at him now, trying to put him in his place one last time before walking away in silence.
"I'll assume you didn't know about this. A good friend wouldn't hide the fact that his people hid a doomsday bomb on my planet. Right?"
"Wrex, I was just as much in the dark as you. Honest."
"That's what I needed to hear. Just making you sweat Garrus. Wasn't sure you could. You're always so calm."
"I'd be happy to give krogan some lessons on relaxing."
"We'd be happy to feed you to a thresher maw. Wrex out."
Natasha walked into the main battery in silence, her arms folded over her chest, her eyes stinging harshly each time she blinked. Garrus turned at the sound of her footsteps, laughing as Wrex ended the conversation. He saw her face, the dark circles under her eyes. He knew she'd been crying. The smile left his face at the sight of her.
"How did it go?"
"As you'd expect it to." she said, her voice hoarse. "She had her son with her."
"Takes you back, doesn't it?"
"Not in a good way."
Garrus sighed, stepping towards her. She knit her eyebrows in thought as he put his hands on her shoulders.
"Natasha, you have to let it go."
"Everyone is losing everything."
"Get angry, let that be your reason to fight."
She looked up at him with a slight frown.
"What's the point? There are thousands of Reapers killing everything and everyone. How are we supposed to win?"
"Listen, I know the odds are hard to look at, but we can do this. We have to try. Rayhel deserves a good galaxy to grow up in, that's what we're fighting for."
She nodded, taking a deep breath and looking around the room.
"Have you heard from your family?"
"Not yet."
"You will."
"I know everything is hard right now, Natasha, but don't forget to come up for air when you need it. Not because we need you to fight, but because I need you. Period."
She looked up at him now, seeing the look in his eyes. She knew he was trying to comfort her, but she hated his tactics. She didn't want to be lied to, or told he cared just because it'd make her smile. She wanted him to actually care. She wanted him to actually love her. She let out a small sigh, wrapping her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder.
Garrus let her hug him, returning it in kind so she'd feel safe. He wished he could do or say something that would erase her doubt, but even he felt it at times. The war was large, and nothing would change that but the end of the Reapers. He knew they had a long ways to go yet, and she was already to this point. He idly kissed the top of her head, taking in the scent of her hair as a calm spread through him. Natasha shifted, letting go of him now, backing away slightly.
"I should go find Rayhel."
He knew she was pushing him out, and he'd let her for now. Pushing her back would only make her more distant in the end. He'd be patient, and he'd wait for his moment, and until then, he'd let her walk away. He forced a smile and nodded at her, watching her leave before turning back to his console. Making her fall for him was proving much harder than he thought.
"Come on, Pyjak. Time to cure the genophage."
Natasha smiled, watching the krogan and the salarian walk out of the war room, a firm goal set in their minds to end the mutation of the krogan race. Before she could follow them, Specialist Trainer alerted her of an incoming signal from the salarian dalatrass. Natasha wondered what it was about, remembering the woman not being overly friendly when they held the summit on the Normandy, but she obliged and went to the comm room anyways.
"Dalatrass?"
"Natasha Kryik. We know you've reached Tuchanka with Commander Shepard. By now I imagine Mordin Solus has proposed using the shroud."
"Should I get the commander? I feel like you contacted the wrong person."
"If I thought Commander Shepard would listen to my proposal, I would have contacted him. You are working on the cure with the doctor first hand. I will appeal to you instead."
Natasha folded her arms across her chest as she knit her eyebrows.
"Appeal to me?"
"You can't allow your misguided sympathy for the krogan to cloud your judgment. Do you honestly believe curing the genophage will end in lasting peace?"
"This is you appealing to me? Alright, I'll go along with it… We have to give the krogan a chance. We can't condemn an entire race to extinction just because of what might happen."
"What will happen is the krogan will reproduce out of control. We uplifted them specifically for their violent nature, not their diplomatic skills. Another war is inevitable."
"What do you want?" Natasha asked, growing irritated with the woman's narrow frame of mind.
"Years ago, our operatives sabotaged the shroud facility to ensure what you're planning couldn't be done. Mordin will likely detect this malfunction and repair it."
Natasha put her hand up, shaking her head.
"You don't have to go any further. He'll repair it and we'll disperse the cure. End of story." she said, turning her back on the woman.
"Our scanners on that STG base picked up heavy traces of Hallex in your system when they checked Shepard's ground team for clearance, Natasha. It would be a shame if charges were brought against you during your service on the Normandy."
Natasha stopped, taking a deep breath before looking over her shoulder.
"I'm not with the alliance, you can't bring charges against Shepard."
"I can bring charges against you."
"You're blackmailing me into not curing the krogan, then?"
"If you ensure that Mordin does not repair the malfunction, you will alter the cure's viability just enough that it fails. No one will notice the change."
"Trick the krogan?"
"They need not be any the wiser. Let Urdnot Wrex believe you kept your promise."
"Mordin would never stand for that."
"How you deal with him is up to you, Natasha. We can clear the records of your scans, and we won't bring up charges against you."
"If I sabotage the cure?"
"Think about it Natasha. It'd be a shame if your daughter grew up without a mother, because you're locked up on Sur'kesh. The choice is yours."
"Shit."
Tavus looked over at the bed in the med bay, seeing Rayhel trying to sit up, holding her head in pain.
"Hey, take it easy." he said, rushing to her side.
"Victus." she said, closing her eyes for a moment. Her face turned to one of anger as she ran through the memories of how she got to safety. She opened her eyes, flinging her hand across his face. He recoiled slightly, looking at her in surprise. "You ever disregard an order from me again and I will kill you myself."
He let out a small laugh, nodding in agreement.
"Yes m'am."
"Thank you." she said, her tone softening slightly.
He gave her a smile, nodding again.
"I'd do it again m'am."
"Quit calling me that."
"Sorry."
She looked into his eyes, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"You did good in there. The men listened to you, and you completed your objective."
"Thank you."
Rayhel watched him for a moment, unable to deny the fact that she was filled with nothing but gratitude towards the man. He'd risked his neck to make sure she was safe. Something any soldier should do for his teammates. She was proud that she was able to teach them something, though she hated that he had been so reckless to save her. She smiled, watching him look around the room.
"My Dad gave you a shake down, huh?"
Tavus laughed, looking at her again.
"He tried scaring me, I think."
"I'm sorry. He does that."
"He doesn't scare me."
She raised her brow plates at him.
"I'm impressed. Most are."
"I'm not most." he said, looking into her eyes.
She faltered her gaze, looking around to the console on the desk as it became the most interesting thing in the room.
"I should get up to the CIC."
"Want help walking?"
"Victus, I can walk." He smiled, standing as she did, ready to catch her as she swayed. "Just a little dizzy is all."
"I think you drank too much."
She laughed, enjoying his company on her way up to the CIC.
"I know we've beaten the odds before, but getting to that tower… I don't know."
"We're curing the genophage no matter what."
Natasha felt Eve's eyes on her as the men figured out a plan. She knew something was wrong.
"Were you going to say something back there?"
Natasha looked at her, the guys' attention also grabbed. She sighed.
"I was contacted by the salarian dalatrass. She told me there was a malfunction in the shroud."
"She thought we wouldn't know any better?" Wrex said with a snarl.
"Can fix it." Mordin chimed in.
"You just spared our race another genocide, Natasha."
She gave a small smile, grateful that they went back to strategizing. Her heart sank at the thought of the charges that would be brought up against her.
The run to the maw hammers was a tough one. Natasha didn't stop to fire at any of the twenty brutes that tried blocking their path. She ran hard, getting to the first hammer and shoving it down as fast as she could. She turned, finding a brute behind her. Before she could raise her pistol, it raised it's claw, growling at her loudly. She closed her eyes, covering her head before hearing a loud bang. She jumped, but wasn't harmed. She looked around, seeing the brute dead in front of her, Garrus standing off to the side with a shotgun. She shook her head slightly, running towards the other side of the arena. He ran next to her, shooting at the brutes to keep her safe.
"A shotgun?!"
"What do you expect?!"
She got to the other hammer, pushing it down with all of her weight, hearing the loud ring throughout the arena. A large tremor started that shook the whole arena. Shepard shouted for Natasha and Garrus to get back to the truck.
They ran together, reaching the trucks after escaping the brutes. They panted, leaning against the vehicles after getting there. They watched the shroud disperse it's cure for the genophage, both smiling before watching the tower blow up. Natasha's heart sank as Shepard came back alone.
"What happened?" she breathed.
He shook his head.
"He did it."
Natasha didn't ask questions when he walked past her. She let out a long breath, looking over at Garrus, who still watched the tower. She shook her head, a large ache settling in her chest as the krogan got out of the trucks. Eve stood next to Natasha, watching the flakes fall from the sky and into her hand.
"Thank you."
Natasha gave her a small smile.
"I'd do it again."
"The genophage reduced us to animals." Wrex told Shepard. "You've changed that today."
"Now we can fight for our children." Eve said. "Not against them. It's just a pity Mordin had to die."
"He wouldn't have had it any other way." Shepard told them. "I'm sure wherever he is, he's putting in a good word for us."
"We can thank you in person, commander."
"Tell the turian command that we'll be deploying troops to Palaven immediately." Wrex said. "When you're ready to kick the Reapers off Earth, you let me know. The krogan are back in business."
Eve looked to Natasha, a smile shown underneath her mask.
"Goodbye, Natasha."
"What will you do now?"
"Spread the hope you all have given us. Even now there are clans gathering in the Kelphic Valley. I'll go speak to them and make sure this gift isn't squandered. Thank you for all that you've done. Know that Urdnot Bakara calls you a friend."
Natasha smiled, nodding at her in respect before following Shepard away from the krogan.
It wasn't long before everyone went back to the normal swing of things on the Wyandot. Rayhel was quick to heal after resting a few days, and she was quick to get back to work. Their priority was to go back to Palaven and report in, which she was grateful for. It gave her the opportunity to regain her bearings. She hadn't let it show that being kidnapped like she was made her slightly paranoid. She was weary, even among a crew that she knew she could trust. She wasn't in danger anymore, though convincing herself to keep calm wasn't easy. She kept her struggles on the inside, effectively keeping her crew from growing concerned. Except one.
Tavus could tell Rayhel was struggling. He saw how she looked over her shoulder, or grew tense when something surprised her. He knew she was tough, and the beating was rather mild considering what could have happened to her, but he didn't envy her paranoia, or what she went through. He wished, for her sake, that she felt more comfortable on her own ship. It was unfortunate that she was among her own crew and still unable to relax for a while. She had become slightly jumpy, as he had picked up on it. A noise would frighten her or sudden movement would cause her to become alert. He was unsure why he was so concerned for her. Was it that he wanted to be sure to keep her safe, or was it that he saw a friend suffering and he couldn't do anything to make it stop? He figured it was a bit of both, but even knowing the reason he felt uneasy didn't help a thing.
He made a silent promise that he'd do whatever it took for her to feel comfortable on her ship again. Whatever it took.
"I was just put in charge of managing turian support."
Natasha looked up at Garrus as he strode into the main battery, unclasping the buckles on his armor. She gave him a weak smile.
"That's good."
"You must be exhausted…"
"I don't have time to sleep."
"We both know you need a clear head. There's no room for mistakes here. You should catch some shut eye."
Natasha got to her feet, leaning against the wall as the blood rushed to her head. She let out a sigh as Garrus put his hand on her shoulder for support.
"I'm fine."
"You need rest."
She nodded, looking up at him.
"If something happened to me, would you take care of Rayhel?"
He tilted his head at her, his brow plates lowering to his eyes.
"What?"
Natasha wiped the tears from her eyes before they could fall.
"If I died, or if something happened to me, would you take care of her?"
"Of course I would. She's my daughter." She nodded in acceptance, walking past him. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him. "Why?"
She looked at him, sniffling as more tears welled in her eyes.
"The dalatrass is pressing charges on me for having drugs in my system on the STG base."
"What?"
"If I had kept it quiet and sabotaged the genophage, she would have let it go."
"She blackmailed you?"
"Yeah."
"And you think Shepard will allow that?"
"It's not Shepard's business!" she snapped, pulling her hand from his grip. "I'm so sick of everyone acting like a damn family around here! What's it for? The Reapers are just going to rip everything apart anyways, what's the point of doing any of this?!"
Garrus let her rant before pulling her into a hug, listening to her pant as she cried on his chest. He ran his talons through her hair, giving her a kiss on the top of her head as she calmed down.
"Please rest."
"I can't."
"Come on."
He led her to his small cot, letting her curl up under the blankets. He sat next to her as she looked at him, laying her head down on the pillow.
"Why are you doing this?"
"I'll go work on the console. I'm not doing it for a good time, Natasha."
"I meant being nice to me. Why do you care? We're not together."
His mandibles flared out into a smile before he kissed her cheek.
"A man can hope."
She watched him walk away, her mind running through the day before coming back to the present. It'd been a long day, and she knew even longer ones were still to come. She had to be strong, for her daughter. Garrus had been right when he said Rayhel deserved a good galaxy to grow up in.
She sighed, letting her eyes fall on Garrus as he typed on the console before her eyelids shut, sleep finally overcoming her.