Chapter 10: Contact
"In essence, we will reach the outer rim in a few days. At that time no communication can be sent our way." The channel flickered. Spots of static squirmed around the edges of the frame. The picture cleared and the man inside the screen shook himself. "Sorry about that. Long range sensors are not what they used to be, even with the help of the Leviathans." The turian watching nodded his head; he had wondered what the last few Leviathans were doing after the Reaper War. Now he had his answer and it pained him that he could not use them on his mission. Not like they would even care to help us anyway, he thought bitterly.
The turian turned from his thoughts to the man on the screen. He had pressed his lips firmly into a line. He was old, too old to even be on such a mission. Yet he persevered. There was a reason he was named one of humanity's greatest admirals. I admire him for his determination, thought the turian with a mental sigh. Palaven knows I'll need it soon.
"So you can't help us at all?" asked the turian as he rubbed his scaled head methodically. The white haired human shook his head.
"I would like to, but we are stretched far too thin as it is. Plus, by the way you're describing them..." The human drifted off and looked to the left corner of the screen. The turian knew exactly what he was talking about. "I wish I could help, Garrus. You've done a great number of things with the help of Commander Williams. I've read the files, some really good cases. However, if you want my personal opinion this seems like a waste of time. These 'Vipers' can do no harm to us, I can assure you that."
The turian closed his eyes and nodded slowly. He knew that arguing his point would be useless. Besides, even if he did win his victory would change nothing. Having humanity's most advanced ships on the outskirts of the universe sure didn't help them much in the way of support. "For your sake and more importantly ours, I hope you are right Admiral Hackett." The man nodded and slightly smiled. That smile won over thousands of humans once the war had finished and it had also won him an early retirement, one he gladly declined.
"Say my thanks to Liara T'Soni by the way. She did us a great favour by using her network to scout out the safest route possible." The turian nodded and was about to close the channel before the admiral stopped him. "Good luck though Captain Vakarian, may God be with you." With that the human threw up his hand in a salute.
The turian could not help but smile at that. He mirrored the admiral in his gesture. "The same to you." The channel then died and Garrus was left with a dark screen before him. If he looked closely enough he could see his dim reflection in the blackened screen. However this was not the case. These moments of pondering never helped anyone when they had to get something done. And this is especially one of those 'shit just hit the fan' times, smirked Garrus as he laid back in his chair, closing his eyes and let the darkness envelope his vision.
There was a knock at the door. So quick and precise was its sound that Garrus could not help but peek his right eye slightly open and peer at the door. His eyes fluttered in more rapid succession as the door rattled again. "Who is it?" he called out gruffly.
"Oh," stated the female voice curtly, "just a little lost friend of yours who still demands that drink." Garrus gave a chuckle as he called Liara in. The asari stepped in dressed in the red and white of the Normandy's new uniform. Ashley had specifically picked the colours out and while Garrus preferred not having a distinct colour, he could not do much to argue the point.
"If I remember correctly," replied the turian with his usual wit, "you declined my offer for a drink and then promptly bought your own." On the asari's face was a wide grin as she looked about Garrus' loft. It was small, yet adequate for his needs. A few racks for guns and a few pictures of past experiences on a desk that lay in front of him. He did not complain though, his tastes were of finer things. Besides, he reasoned, I don't have to entertain hot ladies in my cabin. I have better places for that. He shook his head at his thoughts. Let's be honest with yourself Garrus, when has a hot lady ever wanted to see your 'cabin'? Well there was that one turian woman... ya, better not remember her.
"Well," sighed the asari as she brought up a chair, "then it looks like you'll have to treat me again."
A grin crossed the scarred face of the turian. "You just can't get enough of my charming personality.
Liara laughed. "Yes, something like that."
The two stayed silent for a while, gazing across at one another. Silence was their only company, something both had grown accustomed to. To Garrus, silence was a time for thought and reflection; a time to understand your mistakes and move on from them. He had embraced enough silence in the past few weeks; he did not want to visit it again. To Liara however, it was an old friend. It was a blanket of comfort that hid her from the evils of the world; hid her from being hurt. It was a mechanism she learned while she was a young archeologist, one that she knew would never leave her.
There was a slight ding that broke through the air yet neither of them made a comment on it. At last it was Garrus who broke the unnerving silence. "Though I do enjoy your company Liara," he started, "it seems you have other motives for coming in here."
"Yes I do," she said as she sat on his bed. There was a rickety sound causing Garrus to remember the sleepless nights in Palaven's military training. So drenched in war are we that we must procreate it among a peaceful universe. Garrus blinked twice. Damn I should really have written that down, sometimes I do surprise myself. "A krogan ship just docked beside ours. From their transmission to Joker it appears they are here for the meeting." Garrus nodded. His smile withered and his back became tense. It was not long now before he would have to prove himself. "You ok, Garrus?" asked Liara, worried.
"Should be," replied Garrus with a quick smile. He lifted himself up from the chair and straightened his uniform. There was a small window beside his desk to the left and he took a moment to look out. Stars were twinkling in the abyss of darkness. There were so many planets, so many wonders that had yet to be discovered. War was one of those discoveries that never ceased to reinvent itself. "You think we can convince them?"
The sound of creaking pierced the silence and the pitter-patter of footsteps accompanied it. Soon Liara was beside Garrus, staring outside at the glowing stars. "I do not know, Garrus. But I do know one thing."
He turned. "That is?"
Liara met his eyes with hers. "That you will convince some of them, not all, but enough to make a difference." Her hand extended out and made a wide sweep at the picture before them. "This is what you fight for. This murky blackness that stretches as far as the eye can see. Peace, Garrus. The stars are not at war but they may be soon." She turned to him with a wide grin. "Let's keep it that way shall we?"
A chuckle came from Garrus. "You really do have the best pep-talks."
"Only the best for the best."
Before their conversation could be continued a sharp voice came through the com. "Well I'm going to interrupt before it gets any hotter in there." Garrus looked to the ceiling and gave a groan. It was Joker.
For a moment Garrus was about to call him out but with sudden realization dawning on him he shifted his glance. "Were you listening to our entire conversation?"
"Well..." started the pilot slowly, adding comedic effect, "I did hear the rickety bed going up and down so I knew that something was going down. Not quite sure whether I wanted to intervene for my sake or yours." There was silence before the human could not help but speak again. "So, when can I expect the happy announcement?"
Garrus rolled his eyes, his tone slowly becoming more hostile. "Joker..."
"Alright, alright I kid! Sheesh!" There were the sounds of buttons being pressed in the background. "Ashley, wait sorry," Joker cleared his throat and spoke again very surely, "Commander Williams said that the meeting will commence in a few minutes. She requests that all senior personnel come down to the conference room immediately."
"Thanks for the announcement Joker, we will be down soon," said Liara in her usual placid tone.
"No problem," before he cut off however, his sly wit returned. "Just remember to be down there not too late, I'll tell Commander Williams that she'll need to give you two some time to 'clean up'." Snickering sounded as Garrus shook his head and chuckled.
"Damn it Moreau..." The com cut off suddenly but Garrus knew that behind those controls sat a grizzled humanoid who was laughing uncontrollably. He sighed and turned to Liara who, herself, wore a hefty grin. Garrus could not be melancholy for long as a smile appeared between his mandibles. If I had more facial muscles my grin would be as wide as the moons of Palaven every time I saw Liara smile. He chuckled, it was a momentous occasion when she did not ponder the deeper thoughts of physiology and he took this moment to celebrate it.
"Come on smiley," grinned the turian as he started his walk out of the room, "let's get out of here before Joker gets any more funny ideas." But as he started to walk he felt the gentle, yet firm grasp on the asari's hand on his shoulder. He turned to his right to find her lips no longer upright, but squirming into a fine line. "Liara," he started, worried, "is something wrong?"
The asari tried quickly to mock a smile, but the attempt failed miserably. "I was just wondering about something," she started slowly. Garrus raised a brow. "I gave you Hackett's transmission locations and his ship coordinates so you could talk to him. But the only thing that bothers me is my curious fascination to find out how the talk went." Garrus felt the room grow tense, maybe it was just him but at that moment he felt a thousand eyes staring, judging his every move. "Garrus," she repeated, slower than before, "do we have his support?"
The turian turned from her and placed his left hand on her own. He gave a tight squeeze as his eyes drew to the floor. "We are on our own."
They found themselves walking down the halls of the Normandy towards the conference room after the quick ride on the elevator. As they walked past the huge holographic map of the galaxy, Garrus could not help but chuckle lightly. After experiencing the elevators on the Citadel years ago the technology could only get better from there.
"What are you laughing about?" inquired Liara as they found themselves being stopped by a scanner. It was put in place so that no species could bring in weapons to the peace conferences during the Reaper War. Still after all this time it had solidified its place inside the now ancient stealth ship. To think, thought Garrus ponderously, that this was a revolutionary ship back in the day. Now it is so common that any Omega lowlife could find one in a scrap heap. These thoughts did not sit well with him as the almighty question rose: Are we like this ship; relics of a forgotten age? It seems the galaxy has changed so much in these last ten years. He shook his head, now I'm sounding like Liara.
He turned to her and masked his pain with a grin. "Elevators," was all he said to send Liara spiraling downward into laughter. The two security guards, though confused, found no weapons on them and nodded for them to pass. And pass they did, the doors sliding open to their very footsteps, the selected few whose actions dictated everything around them.
Once they had walked through the doors, Garrus spied an older human with a scarred face leaning against the wall in a dark blue uniform. The edges were crisp white, a contrast to his darkened face from the heat. In his mouth was a small cigarette which he occasionally took a draw from with lackluster appeal. Though at the sight of the turian the human's eyes widened and the end of the cigarette found itself embedded in a wall. Garrus cringed slightly, Traynor would not be happy with that after her whole Anti-Mess crusade a few years back. He smiled; it seemed everyone had found their place at last.
"Garrus? Garrus Vakarian?" The man outstretched his hand and the turian grasped it tightly in a shake as a reply. "Holy shit, I would never have thought to see you here! Goddamn hierarchy on Palaven is strict with its heroes, how the hell did you weasel out of that one you bastard?"
The turian retained his smile. "You know me Zaeed, I'm a smooth talker when it comes to military officials. I just mention the name Shepard, hell even the first syllable and they start to throw the credits at me." The mercenary laughed mightily as he took Garrus' shoulder and held it tight.
"Shit you crack me up Vakarian!" He gave a harsh laugh to which he coughed roughly after.
Garrus nodded and started to walk into the conference room, eying the uniform that Zaeed was dressed in. "I could say the same about you Zaeed, wearing a Blue Sun's symbol like that. What happened? Thought you hated their guts for what they did to you."
Zaeed shook his head, his smile now turned parallel with his brow. "Well I never hated them, just hated the bastard that led them. I dunno how it happened but they needed a leader, I needed a mercenary group and bam!" He clapped his hands together in front of him. "It just worked I guess. Took a lot of time to organize the place after the Reaper War, that's for damn sure. Most merc groups got disbanded. Some men wanted peace, others wanted war again but knew the cost. Shit, bands like the Eclipse are no more." They had reached the door and Garrus had to enter his password into the lock. I hate Council safety systems sometimes. "I turned the Blue Sun's into a true mercenary group; we're more like contractors who are asked to protect important people. Hell I remember C-Sec even wanting us for a job." The doors slid open as Zaeed's story drew to its close. "I think they are better off for it personally, all that nasty business with red sand and whores never suited the life of a mercenary organization."
Garrus turned to him as they walked down the stairs to the main room where everyone was situated. "It sounds like your life's pretty good Zaeed. Why are you even here if everything's so swell?"
The human's face grew dark as he stopped in his tracks and placed his right hand on Garrus' left shoulder and turned him around so that they were face to face. "A particular merc group didn't agree with my ideals, now I'm paying the damn price for it." With that Zaeed's hand left Garrus' shoulder and the trio entered the conference room wordlessly.
It had changed since the end of the Reaper War. Before the room was a large circle, in the middle a holographic display showing fleet movements and weapon developments. At the end of the war, sections were cut out of the main room so that there were two full rooms for security and secretary members after the weapons scanning room. Now they were inside the final area, a large hall that had sides decorated with the latest gadgets and screens that displayed news from around the galaxy. Zaeed gave a whistle as they walked through, the hard metal plate at the bottom of the merc's feet was their applause.
Inside was the old Normandy crew, now aged with years, talking to one another. Garrus knew them all. Grunt was in the back, wearing the colours of Clan Urdnot, brandishing his shotgun. It was long, slender, and had a large mouth from which a good scatter shot could be produced…. wait, a shotgun? Garrus' mind filled with questions. How the hell did Grunt get by the security outpost with the scanner? How could he—but it was with the ending of that thought he realized a simple truth as the krogan started to look down the barrel: I really don't want to find out how he got it in.
Kirrahe was near him, watching his work with nervous anxiety. Garrus had been surprised that the former leader of the Infinity Unit had requested to come listen in on the meeting, even in his condition. Yet he still came and Garrus was thankful for the support. An asari was near the salarian. Garrus noticed her as Samara. She wore a new battle suit, now dressed in the red and white of the Normandy's colouring and Garrus instantly knew where her allegiances lay. Talking to the asari justicar was Miranda Lawson; she wore a new uniform as well, black matching her slick hair. An emblem was over her heart yet in the gloom Garrus could not make it out. Her eyes seem to dart about at the people who were gathered, her gaze shifting with nervous agitation. The Cerberus symbol did remind Garrus of Jacob, but he already knew the answer to that man. He had apparently dropped off the face of the universe according to Liara. The last time the turian had seen him it was at a reunion six years ago. The last time anyone who had access to a news source saw him, it was four years ago on a beach holding hands with his beloved, a ring on both their fingers.
His thoughts dissipated as his gaze turned to Jack, who was standing alone by the wall spitting on the floor. Garrus noticed the Alliance insignia on her new outfit. The ponytail she had last time he saw her still remained, that and her sharp tongue. For it was that tongue that brought the remaining few (Doctor Chakwas – already a member of the crew, Commander Williams who was deep in conversation with Samantha Traynor, Kenneth and Gabby) to turn around and now realize Garrus' entrance.
"Well look what the cat dragged in." Jack walked slowly towards the approaching trio. All eyes were on them now and Zaeed started to chuckle lightly. Jack's eyes darted to him, to which he merely raised his hands and set off towards a wall to lean on. Liara stayed beside Garrus the entire time however for moral support. Jack saw this and smiled. "Shit, and I thought the Shadow Broker had better things to do than murder a bunch of pussies who call themselves a gang!"
"Jack," she turned to the turian. "I need you to listen and not make any smart comments, got that?"
She scoffed and bowed deeply. "Whatever you say 'Shepard'." The words stung as she retreated back to her place. Once she had returned, the room became silent. The fans circulating air in the room was the only sound. Garrus looked around at them all. Such misfits, how could he ever unite them all? But a single thought droned out all the rest: Shepard did it, so can I.
"You might all be wondering why we are gathered here today—"
"Ya, no shit Sherlock." There was a light dose of laughter that ran through the crowd and Garrus had to glare at Jack to make her quiet.
Once her hands were raised and the promise of silence came from her lips, Garrus continued. "Well I expect you think I'm going to make a speech on how this is important, how the fate of the galaxy rests in our hands. However, this time I will not lie to you. The galaxy is not at war, there is no dominant species or group that is planning to eradicate us all. No, instead prevention is our goal. There is a group of mercs, they call themselves the Vipers. They don't get on the news, they don't get noticed and they don't seem threatening. That's the problem. I've witnessed firsthand their power. You know that explosion on Zayarter?" A few nodded. "That was their doing." This seemed to surprise a few, at the same time it drew scoffs from the ones who did not care about anything but themselves. "We also have someone you all know being effected by them, not just the Council. Tell 'em Zaeed."
The merc rose a brow at Garrus and then turned towards the group before him. His arms were crossed in front of him and he gave a sigh as he started to explain. "Well, as Garrus said these bastards aren't really well known. That's the piss off, I suppose." He cleared his throat with a cough. "But whenever I try to get a damn deal with anyone for guarding someone, delivering goods, ect. I'm always beaten to the punch. Every employer hires them and god dammit, I wish I knew how they do it. Let's just say they've gotten rid of more than a few merc groups. Have any of you heard of the Blood Pack recently?" There was silence. "I thought as much. This gang is just affecting the Council, hell he's affecting the whole underground as well and I say that gives us a reason to listen to Garrus." He slouched back into the wall and nodded for Garrus to continue.
The turian did. "We've followed this gang for a few years now and they've expanded and grown. For their size and reputation one would suspect their capture to be easy. That's the thing though: it isn't. Even with the support of the Council, this gang has hidden from our radar for years. It's like they are the only ones in the universe who weren't set back from the Reaper War."
"I understand your worry Garrus," started Samara with her lucid, icy tones. "And I agree, this seems like something that could harm us in the foreseeable future, but you have yet to explain to us what your goal is." Garrus winced internally. Okay, maybe her allegiances aren't as clear as I thought. Garrus gulped. Time to prove what I know.
"You question is logical and I am glad you asked Samara." Garrus motioned to Ashley, who was in the crowd, to speak and she did without even batting an eyelash in hesitation.
"We have acquired new information on Viper plans. Though this information comes from a... sensitive source, we will nevertheless accept it as logical fact. This is our start on their plans. In the next few weeks their plans will start to go into motion and then we will strike when they least expect it." A smile grew on her face as she crossed her arms. "I promise you all it will be as easy as squashing a fly."
"A fly that can predict your every move," smirked Miranda as she started to pace around the room. "Yes, I read the reports on what happened on Zayarter. It was too fabricated for my liking, had too many Council fingerprints on it. So I did some digging and found out all the dirt on that operation," she turned to Ashley, "nice work on that by the way." Garrus could notice the fire in the Commander's face and was thankful Miranda continued to talk about it. "They apparently knew you were coming before you even came up with this plan. So tell me, how can you fight an enemy that finds out your movements before you even know them?"
"You copy their style," spoke Liara strongly to which all eyes came on her. "We find the dirt on them, we spy, we cheat, and we lie. Though we are inside the law, we must think and act how they work outside the law. We must get into their mindset and deduce how they are coming up with this information. I've seen it done numerous times before in conflict and it will work well here."
"You don't see my point!" cried out Miranda, exasperated. "How the hell will us being here help any of that? Honestly Garrus, I want to help. But I can speak for us all when I say the galaxy is at peace, we have all moved on. What good can another conflict do us? How could we even help?"
Garrus started to pace around the room, his hands clasped behind his back. Think Garrus, he thought.Think! "Loyalty is what drives the Vipers forward, unconditional loyalty and support. We need to operate in the same way, I believe. I need people I can trust, people who are talented at what they do best and can give us the advantage of already knowing our strengths and weaknesses. I want what the Viper's already have, and I need your answer." No one in the room spoke, some shifted their feet about uncomfortably and others just eyed Garrus in thought. The turian tried breathing softly to mask his nervous disposition. I don't think it's working.
"I know you're all wondering what's in it for you—"
"Like hell we are," mumbled Jack gruffly.
Garrus sighed and returned to his topic. "I want you to know that this threat is real, it exists in our space. Yes, we are at peace and war has not come about in ten years. That is something to be proud of, but when I look into the eyes around me I see something more. I see a desire to protect justice and the well-being of people. I know most of you won't admit it and some may upright deny it, but I know these things because I've seen you in action before with Shepard." There was a moment of reflection for the fallen commander's name. Garrus gave a quick click of humour. "And so, I guess what I'm dancing around the bush trying to say is that I'm asking we rush the relay again. Let's make another suicide mission a miracle, where everyone gets out alive."
To Garrus, nothing in the room moved. It was as if time had stopped. Sure people moved about in nervous anticipation for the first person to speak out, but no one took the stand. Space seemed to be the only thing moving around them, a fitting allegory to the situation they now resided in. The universe turned endlessly, even without the ones who thought they controlled their fate. Damn, thought Garrus somberly, I hate philosophy sometimes, especially when everything's so damn tense. He noticed Ken and Gabby in the corner of the room, they were obviously torn between loyalty and Garrus knew how they felt. I'm surprised they even accepted the request; Engineer Adams even declined to continue with his work for the Alliance. Garrus shook his head; the universe was too rife with personal motivation. Is that a bad thing though?
The krogan tank-born Grunt was the first to stand up straight. His shotgun was tightly grasped in his hand and his gaze was unfaltering towards the turian. "I came here from Clan Urdnot. Wrex, my clan leader, could not come here for... obvious reasons." The tone in which he said those words betrayed something more. It was something that the krogan brushed aside. "But I stand by Garrus any day. I came here on my own and I agree this is a worthy cause." He took lumbering steps forward to the turian until he was only a few meters from him. Then Grunt laid his gun on the ground and pushed it with his foot towards the turian. "My gun is yours, Vakarian," a smile erupted on his face as he spoke, "let's give them hell."
The turian smiled and picked up the gun in his hands. He turned it about and inspected its design. At last he turned to the group behind Grunt and asked a simple question. "So, who's with me now?" In that instant, members started to walk towards Garrus and stand by his side. Zaeed was one of the first, placing his assault rifle at the turian's feet then standing on his right.
Samara also walked up to Garrus, remarking only, "My code deemed this threat necessary a long time ago; I am bound to the Normandy once more."
Kirrahe also joined the line rather early and with a twinkle in his eye spoke to Garrus, "I guess where there's a line that needs to be held, I'll be there." The brave salarian, already broken down by the bombardment of comments towards his recent failure, just wanted to bring peace to the galaxy and Garrus had respect for that. He marched on.
Soon more and more joined, taking the side of Garrus. The last to come was Ashley as she decided to make room beside Garrus directly on his left and stand there. Garrus took a step forward and noticed a few had no come into the line. Miranda and Jack still stood alone, watching with cautious eyes. Neither of them moved and it was Jack who stood up and shook her head. "Well, looks like Cerberus bitch isn't making her move so I will." She walked up to the turian captain and stared deep into his eyes. There was such rage beneath her gaze, such loathsome hatred for herself that it consumed all else. With a smile she spat on Garrus' foot and wiped her mouth after. Damn, I liked these boots. "Take that as my thoughts on all this bullshit. You honestly think I'll give up my life to run off on some suicide mission again? News to you bud, the galaxy's moved on and we don't give a fuck about what you think anymore." She started for the door and once it opened she turned one last time. Her voice was softer now, but her rage was all the same. "I have my kids at Grayson Academy to look after. There are millions being shipped from every new human home world and I... I..." she swallowed hard, "I have a life now. I'm not risking it for some stupid ass mission again."
The door slid closed behind her unceremoniously. The turian sighed and turned at last to the black haired female before him. Her eyes were deep in thought and worry, already Garrus feared the answer. "Garrus..." she started in a pleading tone, his hand raised in reply.
"I know what you're going to say," a lonely grin appeared on his face, "and I know I won't be able to sway you mind."
The female human stood up and started to walk out. Before she left she did the same as Jack had and tried to give a reason for her departure. She could find none. She babbled a bit about Cerberus and how in her hands she could allow the organization to finally do well, to step out of the Illusive Man's dark shadow and into a new light. She wanted to tell him about the hidden guilt she felt about her killing her father, about how he sister had changed because of all the war... but she could not find the words. And so, as unceremoniously as Jack had left before, Miranda Lawson, the 'perfect' woman, left without another word.
The door closed and Garrus turned to his companions before him. His frown quickly turned to a smile and he sighed deeply. "I thank you all for putting your faith in me—"
"Faith?" interrupted Zaeed with a grin. "No, we don't follow you with our faith, but we do it for your damn good luck Vakarian!" Ken and Gabby gave an "aie, aie!" in response and with that the crowd erupted into congratulations, concerns, triumphs, and welcoming cheers once more. The future was brighter now that they were together but Garrus could not shake the feeling of losing some members. I guess I know how Shepard felt all those years ago, he thought. But he shook his head to his own thoughts. Now is not the time for that Garrus, now is the time to look ahead and rush the relay again.He chuckled. I sure as hell hope luck is on our side like it was last time.
His head turned to the empty half of the room. There were those who hadn't made it through. Thane, Mordin, Legion, all lost to some damn pointless conflict. He turned to his friends, now laughing and clasping one another, bracing each other for the oncoming storm. Am I sentencing them to their deaths for no reason? Is it my place to lead them to what could be their demise? But as these thoughts wore on, a hand fell on his shoulder and an asari face warmed his heart. "Stop worrying Garrus," she said with a smile. "We have our crew, now is the time to celebrate!"
The turian gave his usual grin and walked with her towards the crowd of excited members of his new family. "Celebrate? That's my middle name Liara!"
Her voice became sly and full of wit. "I thought you said turian's don't have 'middle names', only humans do."
"Well if you are getting the middle name of 'adventure', I'm sure as hell patenting mine before someone takes it."