Authors Notes- Well guys, my college year has wrapped up, so I will look to try and keep a one chapter a week schedule, and this is coming a week early as a sorry for being late on chapter 9. In other news, Life Anew has broken 2,000 views! Keep it up readers! As always, please review, follow, and favorite if you like the story, I need to know what you guys think!

Chapter 10

Terrible Burdens

Mater plus quam te amo se lunaeque Palaven- Mother, I love you more than the moons of Palaven themselves

Fumabat- Smoked

Garrus was in the corner of the room. It was dimly lit and dirty. If anyone looked around, they would have trouble even seeing him in the corner hidden from the small bulb hanging in the room.

His attention moved to the chairs in the room. One held the small frame of a Human female in tattered Alliance blues and the other was a long, muscular, and plated body, unmistakably Turian, with a crack in his keel plates.

He was bleeding from the wound. Both had bags over their heads, slumping as if they were unconscious.

Garrus' eyes darted to the lone movement in the room.

Admiral Hackett had stepped into the room with another person, carrying a syringe.

He walked over to the woman and slowly pierced her neck and pressed on the plunger. The blue liquid in the syringe moved quickly from the push of the plunger.

The woman woke up with a gasp, looking around but finding only darkness under the bag on her head.

" We need to talk, Commander. I need you to trust me, but I need to know if you can trust me," Hackett said as he lifted the bag from the head of the woman.

Garrus was shocked to see Shepard. Her dark hair falling after being released from the bag.

She was injured. Her face covered in bruises and blood coming from her head and mouth.

She coughed and let out a strained response, " Hackett, I'm not joining you. Every single time I've seen you, it's only been to ask if I'll join you. No ' How have you been Commander?', no ' Congratulations Commander,' I'm not going to change my answer."

Hackett moved behind the Turian and let out a sigh, " Well that's a damn shame, but we've bought more than enough motivation."

The bag came off the Turian to reveal himself.

It was clearly himself, but injured. His face plates were covered in dried blood and one of his mandibles were twisted.

Garrus grimaced at the pain that he was feeling. A injured mandible was one of the most painful things that could happen to a Turian.

A pistol had made its way into Hackett's hand and visibly showed it to Shepard. " This is what will help you change your tune, he said as he put the gun to Garrus's head.

" Commander, we don't have time for these games. Unlike you, we are on a timetable. If you don't join us, I will have to end your mate's life. I should do it anyways since it is what we're fighting against, but if it gives us leverage so be it."

" FINE! Just leave him be."

Garrus could see tears fall and start to stain Shepard's shredded clothes.

" Was that so hard? Welcome back to Cerberus."

As he walked toward Shepard, he hit her in the face with the pistol, knocking her out again.

—

Garrus woke up with a gasp.

Garrus looked around the room, finding a flimsy clock to check the time. He grimaced at the fact that he had slept for 4 hours, an entire sleep cycle for him.

He quietly got up to not disturb Shepard, who was still sleeping, she needs it more than I do. The past 3 years had been a drain on her, and it was about time they got some time off.

It all came back to him. His sister berating him in front of the higher ranks of the Hierarchy. How he had tried to forgive himself for leaving his mother, but Solana opened those old wounds again.

He needed something to eat. They never got to eat breakfast and his stomach was more of a threat to wake Shepard than him shuffling around the room.

With that in mind, he placed a note for Shepard and quietly left the room. He had to find Shepard and himself something to eat, and try to make sure he didn't run into Solana.

As he made his way into the mess he saw his father conversing with Solana in the far corner.

Food would have to wait. He couldn't deal with this right now, so he tried to slide back out to the lobby. Garrus noticed Solana look up as he turned around.

Well shit, he grimaced as he walked into the lobby.

Just as he went to go up the stairs to get to the room, he felt himself pulled back from the hand on his shoulder.

He turned around bracing himself for the abuse Solana was going to unleash on him, but was surprised to see the blue eyes of his father.

He held out his hand and showed the grey packaging of rations.

Garrus tensed wondering if his father bought some for Shepard, as he had gone to look for the both of them.

Sensing his son's worry, he responded quickly.

" No need to worry, I've bought both dextro and levo rations. In exchange for these, I want to talk to you."

" Okay, but where?"

" My room, and I have a bottle of brandy and some glasses."

As they made their way into his father's room, the elder went to a cabinet that revealed a bottle of brandy and glasses.

He grabbed two and twisted the top of the tumbler, and poured two glasses.

Vibos turned around noticing that the entire time Garrus had been pacing around, nervously wringing his hands.

He motioned to the empty chairs in the room as he handed his son a glass.

" Please, sit."

It was the only invitation Garrus needed as he slumped into one of the human chairs.

As his father set the glasses and tumbler down, Garrus reached to see what they were drinking.

He looked at the intricate tumbler, an aged Cipritine Fumabat brandy. "Wow, I've never had this. Even as an advisor I couldn't get my hands on this." he said as he continued to study the beautiful Turian script running down the tumbler.

" Now that Palaven is in shambles, only the Councilor, a few Generals, and the Primarchs themselves will be able to get it for some time." Vibos responded as he coaxed Garrus to give up the bottle and replaced the tumbler with a crystal glass of the dark liquid.

" So you wanted to talk?" Garrus asked as he looked up at his father, who was looking pained, undoubtedly over the rift in his children.

" Yes," he said as he took a sip of the brandy. " I'm sorry about Solana, but you must know that she hasn't fared well over the past year. She's just taking it out on you." He sighed, " The death of your Mater had pushed her, especially you not being there, but what you don't know is that the war took more than you think."

Garrus took a sip of the smooth alcohol. " Like what?"

" Well, to start, it took her leg."

" What do you mean, her leg?" Garrus asked, puzzled as he almost spit out his drink, to save himself by quickly finishing the little he had in his mouth. " I thought it was just a break?"

" No, son." the elder Turian started to look pained. " She had to have it amputated. She only was fit for duty a week ago." As he looked up and out the window overlooking the plaza of Turians milling about, working to tend to the needs of their people. " It's amazing how life-like prosthetics are now, and you haven't seen or talked to us for months, so you wouldn't really know."

Garrus dropped his head. That meant that Solana could no longer serve on the front line or in the Blackwatch, a dream of her's. She always wanted to be a front line combat medic, saving lives and doing work of high importance to the Hierarchy. With the prosthetic, she could only work in auxiliary units.

" That's not all." the elder said to break Garrus's thoughts. " She also had a potential mate, Garrus."

" What do you mean, "Had," father?" Garrus said as he prepared for what he already knew he meant.

" He died in the Reaper invasion of Cipritine. Helping save civilians, he was swarmed by Reaper forces as Sol and I had to watch from the shuttle." As Garrus's father took another sip of the drink, Garrus opened his mouth to speak.

"I had no idea, father," Garrus responded as he lowered his head in shame. He should've known. He didn't even know she had a potential mate. He had been running off protecting the galaxy from the Reapers and he didn't know about his family.

" I wouldn't have expected you. Communications had been down and you were busy protecting the galaxy, with plenty of success, I might add." The elder finished off his glass and replaced it on the small table between the chairs. " You couldn't be there then, and I understand, but she doesn't. Let her yell all she wants, but let her know that you are finally here to stay. Maybe then she will understand why you've been away."

Vibos got up and moved to the door. When he reached it, he turned around. "Also, don't think that she doesn't love that you found a mate. She doesn't know yet, but after Shepard's defense of you, I think she'll just assume. After having it teared away from her, she is just angry at the world as she sees how happy you two are." He went to leave and before shutting the door said, " When you finish the brandy, just leave the glass. You have a mate to get to."

He quickly gave his father a slight nod as he left and closed the door.

Garrus just starred out over the concrete jungle and the thousands of Turians milling about with his glass in hand. He had no idea the war had touched his family so close. The loss of a potential mate could be the end of a Turian, as they took their relationships seriously.

He sighed as he thought about how he would have to go and talk to his sister, or let her scream at him. Whichever made her feel better.

—

Damn you Garrus, was her thoughts as she quickly walked between the medical tents, tending to her patients. She was overloaded and her father throwing the burned, barefaced Turian on top of her load wasn't helping.

Even as she worked on every one of the patients she had, one datapad for each in the stack that she fumbled to carry around.

She mistakenly had confused patients for each other once or twice, no doubt from her current emotion state. The only one she couldn't mistake was the lone barefaced, Corporal Caeus Heldos.

She didn't know what had gotten into her father. He was always one to help everyone, but throwing the barefaced on top of her workload of looking at her other eight patients didn't help her.

As she walked into the tent and saw the soldier laying down, playing around with a piece of paper, she scoffed. Well time to get this over with.

" Corporal Heldos?" she asked as she tried to hide her disdain.

He set the wad of paper down and looked up. " Yes, ma'am?"

Solana was enamored on how the paper was folded into the shape of a small animal with wings. So much that Heldos had to stand up to gain her attention again.

" No, Corporal. Standing is a no go for you," she said as she moved to let him down back on the bed, careful not to touch him.

" O, sorry ma'am. So what can I do for you?" he asked quizzically as he looked up at her.

" I'm here to assess your condition," she said as she pointed to his leg. When she finally dug out his datapad, she started with the basic medical questions while she tapped away on the pad.

She looked up finally and asked her last question, " Okay, Any pre-existing conditions?"

With that, the Turian's face turned to stone and stared at her. " Don't you have my medical records?"

" No. If we were connected to Palaven, I would have them, but we have to ask."

With that he looked down and spoke softly, undoubtedly so no-one else could hear. " I'm a cabal."

No wonder he had such a wait, she thought as she looked at the Turian with his head sullen, obviously from shame.

She finished her scans, finding that he would be up in no time with a healthy dose of medi-gel to his leg. Through the whole ordeal, he still was silent in shame. In an attempt to at least cheer him up, she motioned to the small paper animal. " What is that?"

He looked up to see what she was pointing at and beamed at her interest in the piece of paper. " The animal is a bird," he responded quickly.

" I know that, but what is it called when you do that with the paper?" she responded with a chuckle.

" It's called Origami. It's an old Human form of art. I learned it from my childhood on Thessia," he smiled as he trusted the small bird into her hands. "Here, take it. I have plenty of paper to make more. Also, if you have time and want to learn, I can show you a few animals," he beamed as she graciously accepted the paper.

" Thank you, Corporal. Growing up on Thessia, you must have plenty of stories from being raised with the Asari." she said as she moved back to her datapads and deposited the paper into a cargo pocket of her trousers. " I think that I will come to learn an animal or two, if I have the time," she said as she scooped her datapads and began to move toward her next patient.

" Try to recover Corporal. I better not see you out of this bed until I give the go ahead," she sternly said, changing back into the hard, rigid Turian.

He quickly nodded in response. " Yes, Medical Sergeant."

With that she quickly left with a smirk on her face. Not because she was actually interested in what the Corporal had to say, but because it was the first time since she saw Garrus that she wasn't thinking of how to kill him.

As the Medical Sergeant left, Heldos watched her until she completely disappeared from view. He cursed over the fact that he couldn't walk, or else he would get up just to see her again. Her imperfect grace from the limp she tried to hide, or her beautiful face and physique that was beautiful by Turian standards.

Her stoic appearance reminded him of his mother, the graceful Turian that raised him alongside her second bondmate, an Asari.

He opened a small pocket along his keel and pulled a small holo out, pressing the button to activate it. It sputtered until it showed an image of his mother kneeling next his younger self. Like any child, he was very disinterested in anything except playing with the dirt, as his mother pointed to show him what direction to smile.

He reached out almost to feel as if he was touching her face. Smiling, he spoke only so he could hear. " Mater plus quam te amo se lunaeque Palaven."

—

Garrus teetered on whether or not he should see Solana. It would be best to talk to her before they left, and it would be best to talk to her on-duty. Maybe she would be cool headed and professional enough to handle talking.

As he walked into the medical tent, he spotted the Turian with the burns that Shepard had talked to.

As he approached, he saw the small holo of a child and what was presumed, their mother.

Garrus cleared his throat to get his attention. " Mate and child?"

Heldos looked up, his attention broken. " No, my mother."

Garrus looked down at the holo again, admiring the moment it was taken. " Well, Heldos. She's beautiful."

With that, the injured Turian's face became sullen. " That she was, Advisor Vakarian." he replied as he nodded in agreement.

Sensing he hit a nerve, Garrus decided to change the subject. " I've been looking for Medic Vakarian. Do you happen to know where she went?"

With the mention of Solana, Heldos smiled at Vakarian. " Medical Sergeant Vakarian went out that way a few minutes ago, sir," he said as he pointed to an open flap.

" Thank you Corporal," Garrus said as he nodded to the injured, barefaced Turian.

He moved outside the tent to notice that he was sitting in a supply closet. There was little chance she was still there, but if Heldos hadn't seen her leave, she was probably still here.

As he moved past a few boxes, he saw the female sitting on a crate, slumped over with something small in her hands. She was keening, as silently as she could to keep from others to come in and check up on her.

As he moved closer, he recognized it as paper formed into a small bird. Her attention wasn't fazed as he walked up to her.

As he walked closer, she surprised Garrus by talking. "Delorn loved little things like this. He loved little crafts."

She slowly looked up at her brother, softly letting out a keening noise. " I'm sorry Sol. Dad just told me today." he said as comfort while pressing his forehead to hers. " We have to have a talk."

She tried to compose herself and reply. " We do, but not right now." She said as she wiped her brow." Lets do it over dinner. Just the two of us."

" If that's what you want, then I will be there."