A/N - Thanks for not yelling at me for my TTT retcon... I know I didn't write Overlord (and I mentioned it at the time) but I wanted David Archer in TTK, cause I think it's an important moment for Shepard... So special thanks to StoneburntHeart for the flashback idea :-) it's possible that I'll use that device again at some point XD
Thanks for your reviews, Gabe97, AirForceBrat, and Meggo929! I appreciate the feedback :-) Gabe97 - there will still be a coup attempt, you'll see soon ;-) Everyone else reading, following, favoriting, thanks so much for spending your time on my story!
As always, all credit for everything ME goes to Bioware... And my thanks, love, and hugs to my awesome beta, StoneburntHeart, for all her efforts!
By the next morning, Shepard and Kaidan had managed to shove aside the sorrow of not being with their son in favor of the joy of knowing that Caleb was alive and well and safe – for now. They walked hand in hand into the mess hall to have breakfast together, and they were laughing and smiling along the way. If they got a few raised eyebrows from the Alliance crew not accustomed to seeing their superior officers so publicly displaying their affection, they simply ignored them. As Shepard so aptly put it to Kaidan when he questioned her, the chances that the Alliance would court-martial them for fraternization in the middle of a war against the Reapers were slim to none.
"So what's on your agenda today?" Kaidan asked as he seated himself across from her and blew on his coffee to cool it.
"Hmm, gonna check in with Mordin and Eve," Shepard replied before taking a sip of her own coffee. "We should arrive at Tuchanka around 1400, so I thought I'd check in with Garrus before then, too."
"Tapping him for the squad?" Kaidan guessed.
"Yeah, seems appropriate – lost turian platoon and all," Shepard confirmed. "Besides, I wanted to let him know about his nephew," she added with a soft smile.
"I finished my Spectre expense reports," Kaidan put in. "And why exactly do we have to do those in the middle of a war?" he asked rhetorically. When she dismissed the question with a 'who knows?' shrug he continued, "I could check in with Garrus while you're busy in the med-bay."
"Not a bad plan, Commander," Shepard said with a grateful smile. "I knew there was a reason I liked you..."
"Other than my stunning looks, my badass biotics, my incredible tech skills, and..." Kaidan bragged with a raised eyebrow until he stopped abruptly in surprise and wiped at the splotch of scrambled egg she had flung via fork across the table and onto his cheek. "Hey, you didn't let me finish," he pretended to grumble.
"If I hadn't stopped you, your head wouldn't fit through the airlock anymore," she explained with a grin.
He stood and deposited his finished tray in the mess sink before he walked behind her chair, still carrying his half-empty coffee. He leaned over so his mouth was level with her ear and spoke in a low voice only she would hear. "You didn't let me get to the part about what I can do with my tongue," he said and saw her shiver – a dual reaction to both his words and the feeling of his warm breath against her sensitive skin.
She turned her head enough to graze a kiss against his mouth – a shocking show for an Alliance ship, but still rather chaste as public displays went elsewhere. She pulled back with a huge smile and added, "You can remind me later," as she also stood to dispose of her tray.
They went their separate ways, smiling.
#-#-#
Kaidan was still smiling as he approached his turian friend, hard at work in the forward battery. He leaned against the railing near where Garrus was bent over a control panel and quietly cleared his throat to get his attention. When Garrus turned from his work, he gave the turian version of a grin and held out his hand for a shake. Kaidan took it and shook.
"Kaidan," Garrus greeted with genuine pleasure clear in his tone, "It's good to see you up and around."
"Garrus," Kaidan replied, "It's good to be back in action... Shepard needs all hands on deck, now more than ever."
"That she does," Garrus responded and some of the cheer faded.
"Actually, that's part of the reason I'm here," Kaidan put in, trying to head the conversation off before it turned to a depressing note that would ruin his good mood. Yeah, the Reapers were out there and waiting, but just for today, he wanted to concentrate on the positives. "Shepard wants you on the team when we hit Tuchanka later," he informed Garrus.
"Of course she does... Lost turian platoon - bring a turian with a big gun," Garrus picked up the cheer again easily.
"Can we trust this Victus?" Kaidan asked to satisfy his own curiosity and to quell the nagging doubt in his gut.
"I've never known Victus to lie... Play hard and fast with the facts, sure, but turn his back on an ally? That's not him," Garrus replied. "Besides if he did betray us... Well, we'd just get another primarch," Garrus added threateningly.
"Shepard said the general on Menae saluted you, Garrus," Kaidan related. "Maybe the next primarch could be you?"
"Let's not go there, old friend," Garrus said and he appeared to be blushing.
"Primarch Vakarian..." Kaidan teased then relented when he noticed how uncomfortable Garrus really was. "Just a thought... Someone needs to rebuild Palaven when this war is over."
"Yeah, someone that knows how to swing a hammer," Garrus grumbled dismissively.
"And you're much better at calibrating giant guns," Kaidan laughed.
"As great a team as we are on the ground," Garrus replied, referring to the dream team of Shepard, Kaidan, and himself, of course, "I'm pretty sure we'll still need giant guns... and lots of them."
"Fair enough," Kaidan conceded. He changed the subject and continued, "Shepard and I also wanted to let you know that we got some good news – Anderson found Caleb. He's safe for now," Kaidan added with the smile he hadn't been able to suppress all day.
"Spirits, Kaidan," Garrus replied and drew him in for a friendly hug and pat on the back. "That is great news... I would have led with that, personally," he added with a touch of censure.
"I feel a little guilty for being so happy in the middle of a war," Kaidan admitted. "And, Shepard said you still have family on Palaven... I wasn't sure how you'd feel..." he trailed off, uncertain.
"Yeah, my father and sister are still there," Garrus confirmed grimly. "But knowing that my nephew is alive and safe helps me have hope that they will be, too. I have a feeling this war isn't going to have a lot of happy moments... We should celebrate them when we can."
"Good point," Kaidan replied. "And hopefully, you'll have good news of your own, soon."
"Maybe," Garrus answered, though he didn't sound convinced. Kaidan didn't begrudge him the doubt – it had been hard to remember to hope before Anderson had given them the news about Caleb. He never wanted to relive those moments of fear again, and he knew that his friend was suffering in the same uncertainty now.
"Well, I'm sure you have more calibrating you'd like to finish before we go boots down," Kaidan said with a smirk, "So I'll leave you to it."
"Heh, someone needs to make sure the old girl's in fighting shape," Garrus replied as he bent over his control panel again. "Since you and Shepard are too busy flinging food at each other to do it."
Kaidan blushed and swiped the last few remnants of Shepard's scrambled egg off his face as he turned to leave.
#-#-#
Shepard walked into the med-bay to check in with Mordin and Eve and nearly walked back out when she overheard their awkward conversation.
"Aware that krogan females find scars attractive. Garrus loyal, reasonably intelligent. Bit aggressive. Almost like krogan," Mordin told Eve enthusiastically. Garrus and Eve? Shepard thought with a shudder. It was hard enough to imagine her best friend with anyone, but definitely not the krogan female... after Eve's tough bitch act on Sur'Kesh, she reminded Shepard too much of herself to make that pairing anything other than... icky.
"For the third time, Doctor, I'm not interested," Eve replied with a vehemence that relieved Shepard.
Mordin turned to Shepard as he finally noticed her arrival, "Ah, Shepard we were just-"
His greeting was cut off by the arrival of Wrex through the med-bay doors. "Are you ok?" he grumbled at Eve.
"I'm fine, Wrex," Eve said in a much softer tone than before. "You can relax."
"You can't be too careful," Wrex replied. "Or put any faith in salarian doctors," he added grimly.
"This one is different," Eve soothed.
"Is he?" Wrex replied, suspiciously watching Mordin approach Eve with a piece of medical apparatus. "What's that?"
"Simple blood test," Mordin explained.
"What kind?" Wrex pressed, relentless.
"Kind that ends the genophage," Mordin proclaimed, completely unintimidated by Wrex's aggression. "Shepard please," Mordin turned to her for intercession. "Distractions counterproductive. Also affecting comfort of patient."
"Wrex," Shepard said patiently, turning to the angry krogan. "He was your inside source, and he's an old friend of mine, too. You can trust him."
"Salarians have minds like a maze," Wrex grumbled. "You never know when they're leading you into a trap."
"Trap?" Mordin snapped back. "Eve's release my doing. Would never have known about her if not for me."
"That was then," Wrex replied. "But she's out now. And if she gets hurt, I'll feel it."
"Understand. But my patient. My responsibility. Her welfare a priority," Mordin continued to defend himself. "Will not allow her to be compromised by anyone," he pronounced then turned away.
"Heh heh," Wrex finally relented with a laugh. "You got a quad, Doctor. Keep her safe. Our females have endured enough."
"Don't forget," Mordin called to Wrex's back as he was leaving the med-bay. "Still need your tissue sample."
"I'll be back," Wrex replied in resignation before he departed.
"Common phobia... fear of needles," Mordin muttered to no one in particular.
"Or salarian doctors," Shepard teased with a grin.
"Prefer females of the species... both species," Mordin sniffed.
"How is she doing?" Shepard asked, glancing at Eve who remained huddled on a nearby table.
"No fever currently. Heart rate elevated, likely stress. Eating appropriately," he reported like the doctor he was before he added, "Could use another blanket. Something soft. Prefer to let her recover fully before synthesizing cure," he added in a low voice. "My medical recommendation."
"My people don't have time for that," Eve called from the other side of the room, proving that at least her hearing was fully functional.
"Her opinion somewhat different," Mordin told Shepard with a slight conciliatory wave.
"You care about her," Shepard noted intuitively.
"My patient. My responsibility," Mordin reiterated. "Found her at STG base. Three doctors injured trying to restrain her. Undid arm restraints. Didn't resist when she grabbed me. Promised to help her. She said 'Please'," Mordin recounted with a bit of wonder.
"So we did the right thing, preserving Maelon's data?" Shepard asked.
"Maelon's data thorough. Fortunately detailed as well," Mordin confirmed. "Have used notes to improve Eve's condition. Would be much harder to treat her without it. Maybe impossible."
"Any word on Maelon himself?" Shepard inquired, remembering that she had convinced Mordin not to kill him when they found him in the lab on Tuchanka. She still wasn't sure it had been the right call – for Mordin, sure... but for the galaxy? Maybe not so much.
"No," Mordin replied and his shoulders slumped. "Ordered teams to search for him when trying to help Eve. Nothing so far. Large galaxy. Lots of places to hide. Could already be dead for all we know," his shoulders straightened with resolve before he added, "Would kill him now if possible. Unless he could help."
"You know, I was little surprised to find you behind the rescue of the krogan females," Shepard told him. "You've always defended your genophage work," and she remembered less than fondly many debates over the issue with him. "What changed your mind?"
"Never changed mind," Mordin averred with a shake of his head. "Genophage proper decision at time. New circumstances necessitate course correction."
"Circumstances like the Reaper invasion?" she filled in grimly.
"Precisely," he confirmed. "Turians doomed without krogan support. Krogan need unified threat, outlet for aggression. Cooperative symbiosis."
"Nothing else?" she pressed. "No personal stake here?"
"Getting old, Shepard," Mordin conceded with a sigh. "Not many years left. But still best candidate for project. Few salarian scientists interested in the genophage. None with my expertise. Had to be me," he concluded with no conceit, just a simple statement of fact.
"Someone else may have gotten it wrong?" Shepard guessed with a smile.
"Possibly," Mordin confirmed, "Stakes too high for inexperience. But not about them," he added. "My work. My job to put it right. To prove I can."
"Glad to have you on our side again, Mordin," Shepard replied with feeling. She had a serious soft spot for the quirky doctor, and she'd never forget his role in freeing Kaidan from Cerberus' leash.
"Thank you, Shepard," Mordin replied with a pleased nod. "Glad to be back."
"You planning to stick around when this is over?" she asked.
"Until Reapers dealt with at least," Mordin confirmed solemnly. "Then... not sure." He paused and brought his hand to his mouth in an entirely human gesture of concentration. When he continued, he spoke reflectively, "Have made impact on galaxy. Genophage modification. Genophage cure. Work against the Collectors. Decisions, mistakes... Might go somewhere sunny. Sit on beach, look at ocean, collect seashells."
"You'd go crazy inside an hour," Shepard told him drily.
"Might run tests on the seashells," Mordin replied, unwilling to let go of his dream that easily though he clearly conceded her point.
"That sounds more like you, Mordin," she replied. She left him to his work and wandered over to the storage cabinet in the corner of the med-bay and rifled for a moment with a mental note to apologize to Chakwas later before she found what she was seeking. She withdrew the item and approached the med-bay's other occupant.
"Here," she said to the krogan female, offering the heated throw she had located. "Mordin said you might need another blanket."
Eve took it with a surprised look in her eyes but didn't comment. "Thank you for saving my life, Commander," she greeted instead. "I didn't think the krogan had an allies left in the galaxy."
"We owe a lot to you," Shepard replied with deference. "Even if most people have forgotten that."
"They can be forgiven," Eve replied graciously. "Our actions have hardly inspired friendship."
"Part of being friends is knowing each others names," Shepard told her. "I feel bad that I don't know yours."
"I surrendered it the day I became a shaman of the female clan," Eve said simply. "I belong to my sisters now." She paused and then added, "But perhaps one day, when this is over, you can know it."
"I would be honored," Shepard replied and meant it. She had the utmost respect for Eve and she regretted the enormous burden she shouldered.
They chatted for several minutes about Eve's role in Maelon's experiments, the genophage, Wrex, and the krogan in general, and Shepard felt much relieved to know that the krogan people would be in good hands with Wrex's fierce determination tempered by Eve's wisdom. Finally, she turned the conversation to the topic that had piqued her curiosity earlier.
"I didn't realize the krogan had female shamans?" she stated, but it was a question.
"Wisdom comes from pain," Eve pronounced slowly. "And the genophage has made us very wise. Rather than surrender to despair, a few of us chose to preserve the ancient ways. We safeguard our culture, our knowledge, our secrets – so when our children live again, the krogan will flourish."
"How were you initiated?" Shepard asked then winced when she realized she may have overstepped. She was as eager as ever to learn of alien cultures – it was a particular interest to her – but she respected Eve too much to want to pry.
"You're locked in a cave for seven days with just enough food to last," Eve related, thankfully not taking offense to the personal question. "On the eighth, you'll starve. It is a test of your resolve. Every acolyte is given a chance: either you claw your way out through the rock with your bare hands, or you die."
"That's a brutal initiation," Shepard breathed.
"But an illuminating one," Eve added. "You learn to appreciate the light by living in the dark."
"How did you manage to make it out alive?" Shepard asked in wonder. Her respect for Eve was growing by leaps and bounds with every word.
"I started digging the wrong way," Eve replied drily. "I was in complete darkness. Nothing other than my own heartbeat to sustain me. And then I found this," Eve produced a small shiny object from the pocket of her robes and displayed it on a flat palm. "A simple crystal," she identified the object, "But it became my chisel." She handed it to Shepard, who accepted it with hesitation and a questioning look. "Take it as a reminder, Commander," Eve told her firmly. "In the darkest hour, there is always a way out."
Shepard looked down at the crystal she still held in her open hand and back to Eve. It was a simple gift that touched her more than the most expensive jewel could have. She nodded and closed her hand around it, then tucked it in her pocket. She knew she'd keep it with her through the long dark moments of the war ahead.
"Thank you," she replied to her new friend. "How's Mordin been treating you?" she asked.
"Better than krogan males do," Eve stated with contempt. "He's not like a typical salarian."
They both turned to study Mordin as he muttered in typical Mordin fashion over his work. "He does that..." Shepard said with an apologetic shrug.
"But I sense pain in him, too," Eve said softly. "He told me about his work on the genophage. I should consider him an enemy. Yet I think seeing my sisters and I changed something in him."
They turned again as the sound of Mordin's cheerful singing traveled over to them. Something about asari-vorcha offspring that didn't even faze Shepard. It was just Mordin...
"Well, it wasn't his ear," she responded in a gentle tease of her salarian friend. "Thanks for talking to me," she said to Eve.
"It's my pleasure, Commander," Eve said as she shook Shepard's hand. "I'm glad to see humans treat their women with respect. Your people have placed a lot of responsibility on you."
"No more than your people have put on you," Shepard replied as she turned to leave.
"Heh, then maybe we can show the men how it's done," Eve said with a gentle laugh.
"Deal," Shepard said with a nod and grin then exited the med-bay, very satisfied with her efforts there.
#-#-#
Her mood was much more grim when she joined Kaidan and Garrus on the shuttle to begin their rescue mission. Kaidan hadn't seen her since breakfast, and he immediately noticed the change.
"What's wrong?" he questioned as she settled into the seat beside them and signaled to Cortez to depart.
"I talked to Primarch Victus again, trying to get more details about this lost platoon," she replied. "Turns out, the commanding officer is Lieutenant Tarquin Victus."
Kaidan hissed in a breath in response, but it was Garrus that asked, "His son?" in clarification.
Shepard simply nodded.
"Hits a little close to home for the two of you," Garrus mumbled sympathetically.
"It doesn't change the mission," Shepard shook off the emotion and wandered to the cockpit so that she could see the ground they were approaching. "This crash site's a nightmare," she stated bitterly. "EDI, try to raise Lieutenant Victus," she called to the Normandy AI.
"Yes, Commander," EDI acknowledged the order.
"For a turian commander, what happened here is..." Garrus began then paused. "Let's just say the turian code is not forgiving," he finished grimly. "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," Cortez informed them.
"That the best you can do?" Shepard asked as she studied the ground they were circling.
"Yes, ma'am," he confirmed. "But the Reapers seem unaware of our presence. You might get the jump on them."
"Alright, set her down," Shepard ordered. "Let's save this platoon," she said to her squad.
They jumped to the ground in formation and Shepard paused to call EDI.
"EDI, did you raise Lieutenant Victus?" she asked.
"Yes, but the connection is bad," EDI replied.
"Patch me in," Shepard ordered. Once the com beeped in her ear to indicate EDI's compliance, she continued, "This is Commander Shepard, Systems Alliance Navy. Do you read?"
A burst of static precluded the reply but eventually the response came. "This is Lieutenant Tarquin Victus of the Ninth Platoon. We're pinned by Reaper Harvesters and taking heavy casualties. Also there are pockets of my men scattered along the crash trajectory."
"Lieutenant I need you to fire a flare so we can find your position," Shepard instructed.
They looked up as a red light shone in the sky above them and to the east. "Got it," Shepard reported.
"Things get worse by the minute," Victus cried. "My men are dying!"
"This sounds bad," Shepard said to Kaidan and Garrus. "Let's move." She led them out in the direction of the flare.
#-#-#
It was as bad as she predicted. They crawled through the Tuchanka wreckage and used their advantage of surprise to dispatch unsuspecting pockets of Reapers along the way. The first escape pod they came to was beyond their help, the occupants had already died either at the hands of the pod's explosion or the Reapers, but they were able to take down two harvesters and save the remaining stragglers. They found a suspicious recording of communication between two of the turian crew just before they reached the Lieutenant's position and so they were not surprised to find the turian commander in an angry standoff with his remaining troops.
"Lieutenant Victus," Shepard called as they approached and the turian turned his attention to her with relief.
"Commander Shepard," he greeted her with a nod. "My men and I are in your debt. Thank you for saving so many."
"What happened here?" Shepard asked gesturing with her head to indicate the turian wreckage.
"He screwed up," one of the turian soldiers accused, grabbing Victus by the arm viciously.
"Stand down, soldier!" Victus barked.
"These men are dead because of him," the soldier continued to protest.
"I said, stand down," Victus repeated, trying to stare the other turian into submission.
"Hey!" Shepard cried, stepping between the two men and separating them physically. She nodded to Kaidan and Garrus that they could lower their rifles, then turned back to the combatants. "I just saved all your asses, so everyone just calm down!"
The other turian soldier wandered a distance away and Shepard followed him with her eyes until she was sure the tension was relieved, for now. She turned back to Victus in irritation.
"Lieutenant, what's going on here?" she questioned.
"I made a bad call," Victus admitted. "This is all on me. I chose caution and clever tactics over a head-on attack – and my men paid the price."
"You mean the crash?" she asked for clarification.
"Yes," he confirmed. "We could see on holo that Reaper forces were blocking our intended path – staying on course guaranteed heavy casualties. So I chose a safer route, skirting the enemy, and that took us low and through these ruins. When we encountered resistance, there was no room to maneuver. Suddenly we were in a fight for our lives. A lot of my men lost that fight."
"Owning your mistake takes guts," Shepard replied, putting a world of feeling earned from personal experience behind the words. "But you have to get over it and move on."
"Of course..." Victus conceded. "It's just fresh right now. Our mission's still a failure. When we've stabilized the injured, we'll head back to the Fleet."
"You're abandoning your mission?" Shepard questioned, unable to keep the shock and disdain from her tone.
"We're down over thirty men, it would be suicide," Victus said in his defense.
"What exactly did you come here to do?" she pressed.
"There's a bomb on this planet," Victus admitted. "We were sent to defuse it."
"A bomb?" Shepard echoed in shock. "How big?"
"Enormous," Victus stated bluntly. "Cerberus has it," he added and raised Shepard's alarm – and irritation.
"Oh course they do," Shepard replied sarcastically, meeting first Kaidan's and Garrus' gaze and reading her reaction reflected in them. "Lieutenant," she continued as she turned back to Victus, "If Cerberus has the bomb, you have to finish your mission."
"Haven't these men sacrificed enough?" Victus protested.
"I understand," Shepard told him and her demeanor softened. She truly did appreciate his dilemma – it was one of the most difficult moments of command – but she couldn't allow Cerberus to ruin the alliances she was trying to build. "This kind of sacrifice is the hardest to ask for," she continued softly. "But your men signed on for it, and so did you."
"My men have lost hope, Commander," Victus replied as he turned to survey the turians gathered behind him. "Even if I wanted to finish the mission, they don't."
"It's your job to make them want to," Shepard reminded him.
"How?" he asked defiantly.
"Their sacrifice means that others will never have to face what they faced here today," she told him. "Remind them that their sacrifices have no honor if the mission fails."
They stood back as Victus addressed his men and encouraged them to continue. "Smart move, appealing to their honor like that," Kaidan told her quietly as they observed.
"Yeah, turians value honor above most anything," Garrus affirmed.
"I just told him what I'd say in his shoes," Shepard replied with a shrug.
"And that's why you're leading the Alliance through this war," Kaidan told her with pride in his voice.
Shepard gave him a small smile of thanks for the praise then turned back as Victus called her.
"Commander," he said, "Come with us? We're a shell of what we were, we could use the help."
"Send me the nav-point," she replied with a nod. "We'll rendezvous with you there."
"Thank you," Victus said as he accessed his omni-tool to comply. "That will give us time to do a little recon, see what we're up against."
"Victus," Shepard said as she opened her omni-tool and nodded when the information arrived. She stepped closer to the turian and continued in a low, firm tone. "You have a second chance here. Make their sacrifice count."
"Understood Commander," Victus replied with a smart salute. "We'll see you at the rendezvous."
He headed off to their shuttle and Shepard motioned her squad out in the opposite direction.
#-#-#
Once back on the Normandy, Shepard updated Hackett briefly and then headed to the War Room to follow his advice. Something was up with this Cerberus bomb, and she'd bet anything that Primarch Victus knew more than he was saying.
"Primarch Victus," she called to get the turian's attention as she approached.
"Impressive work on Tuchanka," he began as he turned to her. "I'm grateful that-"
"Why didn't you tell me about the Cerberus bomb?" she interrupted him aggressively. "Why hide that? What else are you keeping from me?"
"I have nothing for you," he responded evasively.
"For our alliance to work, I need to trust you," she pressed.
"Our friendship is new, Commander," he told her, not backing down. "Would you trust me with information that puts your people – puts Earth – at risk?"
Shepard sucked in a breath as the impact of his words hit her. It was a good question, and cut her further than Victus could know. Still, as she searched her thoughts, she could find only one answer to his question. Regardless of her personal feelings, she was the soldier the Alliance trusted to lead them through this war, and a good soldier made their choices based on fact, not emotion.
"Why would I jeopardize our alliance by lying to you now?" she countered Victus. "It doesn't make sense."
"Decisions like these weigh heavy on me," Victus admitted tiredly. "When I was a general, I could pass them up the chain of command. But now, I'm all I've got. You know what I mean?"
"Sure," Shepard confirmed. "And...?"
"And..." Victus echoed and hesitated before he added, "And that's all."
Shepard shook her head and gave up. She turned to leave but Victus stopped her progress.
"Wait, there is one more thing, Commander," he told her. "Thank you for saving my son."
Shepard nodded and left. She headed back to the shuttle bay, calling for Kaidan and Garrus to meet her on the way.
#-#-#
Once they were seated on the shuttle for the second time that day, Garrus turned to her with a grin.
"Seems like we already did this today, Shepard," he mused. "Should I be flattered?"
"You know you're impossible to resist, Vakarian," Shepard bantered back with a laugh. "I hear even Mordin's trying to set you up with Eve," she teased him, despite her promise to herself to not consider that potential romance... ever. It was just too good an opportunity to tease Garrus to resist.
"I told you krogan females like scars," Kaidan reminded Garrus, jumping in on the joke.
"Thanks you two, but I can handle my own affairs," Garrus replied with a bit of a sniff.
"You mean, you prefer women who can't kick your ass," Kaidan commented drily.
"I'm not you, Kaidan," Garrus affirmed, with no concession to vanity. "I want to know I'll come out on top."
"I don't know, Garrus..." Shepard put in casually, "Kaidan seems to like me on top." She grinned when Kaidan bumped her shoulder with his in a futile effort to shut her up. "Well, he likes me in most any position," she conceded and then sat back with satisfaction as both the males blushed and found anything other than her to study.
When they were within range of the bomb site, Victus' image appeared on the shuttle's vid screen.
"Normandy shuttle, this is Lieutenant Victus," he called. "Do you copy?"
"We hear you, Lieutenant," Shepard responded.
"We're approaching the bomb site, Commander," he reported. "Getting bounced around pretty bad."
"This is as close as we get, Lieutenant," she called back. "Look for somewhere to set your platoon down."
"Copy that," he replied.
"Talk to me about this Cerberus bomb," Shepard instructed as she watched him comply with her order.
"It's not Cerberus, Commander," he admitted with a slow shake of his head. "It's... turian."
"What do you mean 'turian'?" she repeated in alarm.
"It was planted centuries ago, after the Krogan Rebellions," Victus explained. "The bomb was a safeguard against another galactic war."
"Brutal... But it makes a certain kind of sense," Garrus commented. "Put the krogan down hard if they tried anything."
"You won't earn trust with tactics like that," Shepard countered. "But right now, we focus on disarming that bomb."
"Yes, but Cerberus found it," Victus replied. "Detonation means all out war between my people and the krogan."
"Right," Shepard growled. "And with all this activity, the krogan have to know something's up," she added grimly.
"Then we can't fail, Commander," Victus told her as if she needed a reminder of the stakes.
"Copy that, Lieutenant," she called. She cut the com and headed to the back of the shuttle as Cortez brought them in to the landing site.
Just before she opened the doors to let them out onto to Tuchanka again, she heard Kaidan murmur, "Not 'it'," from behind her right shoulder.
She turned to him with a grin, grateful that he always knew how to relieve the tension and lighten her mood. "Don't worry, Kaidan, I only ask you to set bombs, not defuse them," she reassured as she led them out of the shuttle.
#-#-#
They approached the edge of the city ruins and were immediately met by heavy Cerberus resistance. Shepard pushed them forward steadily, worried that they might get pinned down or flanked if they lingered in cover too long. It was brutal fight, made even more tense by the knowledge that time was – literally – ticking away if they didn't close to the bomb's position, ASAP. They finally broke the Cerberus front lines and fought through several more pockets heading to their goal in a pace that may not have been as quick as Shepard would have preferred but at least was steady.
Along the way, they were in constant communication with Victus. At one point, he detailed his plan to remove the threat.
"Once we reach the bomb, I'll need to reprogram the trigger mechanism," he told them.
"Copy that," Shepard replied in comprehension. "No trigger, no explosion."
When they were close the bomb site, Victus broke over the com again with a new report.
"I'm getting a lot of Cerberus chatter," he said. "They're prepping for evac."
"I don't like the sound of that," Shepard replied grimly. They looked up to see several Cerberus shuttles fly out over them.
"We'll have a better view up that ramp," Kaidan pointed out as he waved his hand to indicate the direction.
"Agreed, let's go," Shepard replied and broke into a run.
At the top of the ramp, they were able to clearly see the bomb in the near distance. It was enormous, as Victus had told them – truth not hyperbole. They stared in shocked horror.
"It must have been far enough underground to stay hidden," Shepard guessed. "Cerberus had to dig it out."
"I hope Victus knows what he's doing," Garrus replied. "We won't get a second chance."
"Yeah," Shepard confirmed and moved them forward. "Let's meet up with Victus."
"With Cerberus evacuating, the bomb should be clear," Garrus said hopefully as they jogged.
"I don't think so," Kaidan countered grimly. "I'm guessing they'll bring out the big guns now."
They reached the perimeter of the bomb site moments later, encountering very little Cerberus resistance along the way. They could see Victus standing on the platform atop the bomb structure and he looked up at their approach.
"I'm at the control panel, Commander" he reported over coms, "Cerberus has set up a firewall around the trigger mechanism to slow us down. I need to create a bypass – that'll take time."
"But like you said," he said as she jogged up to his side, "no trigger, no explosion."
"We'll make sure you have the time you need, Lieutenant," she reassured him. She turned to Kaidan with an arched brow as his wave caught her attention.
"Commander?" she questioned, knowing that whatever he had to say was important.
"I have a plan," he told her. "Remember our barrier trick?" he asked and waited for her nod as she remembered the times he had held his barrier safely over multiple allies during their fight against the Collectors. "I can take position just below this platform and protect Victus," he said, gesturing to the ground below them.
"And Garrus and I can take the flanks," she filled in with a nod. "Good plan, Commander. We'll keep as many of them off you as we can."
She turned back to Victus to relay the plan just as a sniper shot one of the other turian soldiers.
"Let's move!" she called to her squad and they took up their designated positions as Victus began the bypass.
Shepard moved to the west and took cover behind a low wall and glanced back to the platform. She nodded in satisfaction as she saw Kaidan position himself just below Victus and the blue glow of his biotic shield formed around both of them. She hoped the bypass would be quick – she knew from experience how much energy that maneuver drained – but she didn't doubt that Kaidan was strong enough to hold it. He had proven it more than once already. She turned back quickly as a Cerberus shuttle hovered and deposited a wave of enemies right in front of her. She raised her rifle and attacked. She managed to combine modded rifle fire and biotic skills to eliminate the entire wave – nothing got past her. She ducked back into cover and noticed another shuttle hovering in the east, above Garrus' location.
"You're up, Garrus," she called over coms, and held her position.
"Understood," he affirmed, and she heard the repeat of his rifle over the open connection.
For whatever reason, Cerberus alternated back and forth and gave her and Garrus time to rest and regroup in between shuttles for several more waves, and they were largely able to keep Victus – and Kaidan – safe. Only a few stragglers rushed past their positions, and Kaidan's barrier never wavered as he lifted his rifle and dispatched them easily. Victus updated them regularly and they were nearing the completion of the bypass when Cerberus finally deployed an Atlas mech.
"I've got this," Garrus called over the com to her. He switched from his assault rifle to his beloved Widow and patted the long barrel affectionately as he raised it and took aim and sent one shot directly into the Atlas' clear protective bubble. One shot was all he needed, it struck the operator and killed him instantly and the Atlas ground to a halt.
"Nice shot," Shepard called, thankful that she had brought a sniper on this mission.
"Commander!" Victus called. "Firewall's down, I'm in!"
She turned and jogged back to Kaidan's position, looking up the ladder at Victus who was still working furiously at the control panel.
"Spirits!" he cried. "Cerberus hacked the trigger mechanism! It's set to detonate!"
"Disarm it!" she yelled back.
"No time!" he told her. "I have to separate the trigger from the bomb. Now!"
She climbed on to the platform and stared at him in alarm. He scurried to the nearest 'arm' connecting the trigger to the bomb core and began to climb.
"Cover me," he called down to her.
Shepard, Garrus, and Kaidan took up positions on the edge of the platform and fired on the Cerberus troopers creeping forward below them. Shepard risked a glance back and saw Victus perched in the middle of the bomb, he had raised the device in the center and the arms were disengaging from the rest of the structure. She heard a metallic groan as the third and final arm started to move then halted. The trigger was still engaged. She was distracted by a bullet that whizzed past her head and turned back to the enemies below.
Another metallic groan caught her attention and she turned her head just in time to see Victus clinging from the very end of the bomb arm.
"Lieutenant!" she cried in alarm and saw him began to fall. She tried to fling a pull and cursed as it went wide and missed.
"Victory... at any cost," she heard him call as he fell with the bomb trigger into the deep pit below. A fiery explosion reported his fate an instant later and Shepard turned her gaze away from the fatal fire and up all the way to see the bomb core still suspended safely above them. She dropped her gaze and fell into the overwhelming exhaustion that washed over her at that moment. She was literally numb... she knew she'd feel the emotions later, but right now, she was numb.
Kaidan and Garrus walked back to the shuttle with her in respectful silence. They both knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't accept their sympathy or worry... Not now, not yet. They gave her the space that she needed, though they couldn't prevent themselves from hovering in concern. She didn't seem to notice.
Once back on the shuttle, she took a seat in the back corner and gave off very strong 'keep away' vibes as she huddled with her hands on her knees and her head lowered. Kaidan was beginning to feel real alarm at her demeanor, but now wasn't the time to approach her. He watched from the far corner.
When they were near the Normandy, Joker's voice floated to them over the com.
"Commander, I've got radio chatter coming in from the krogan forces planetside," he reported. "Sounds like they started sweeping out the remaining Cerberus troops. Hate to be the guy that told the krogan about that surprise package," he added with typical sardonic humor.
After a long pause, during which Shepard did not respond in any way, Joker continued, his voice showing concern now, "Did you get out alright? It sounds like it got ugly down there."
"The turians took a lot of casualties, Joker," Kaidan stepped in to explain for her, "The primarch's son included."
"Understood, Commander," Joker replied in atypical formality when addressing Kaidan. "Joker out," he added and closed the com. Even Joker knew Shepard well enough to know when to back off.
Shepard looked up, finally, and Kaidan saw her give a slight smile of gratitude. It relieved him and he returned the smile. Garrus saw it, too, and moved closer to her. He met her gaze and spoke quietly.
"He never hesitated," he said. "Whatever he was before, he'll be remembered for this."
"What will the turians think about this, Garrus?" she replied and sounded much more like herself.
"Hard to say," Garrus hedged. "Sacrifice in war is expected. He did us proud, but... we're a hard bunch to please. Living your life for the cause, society first, platoon first, it's all just expected."
"He did what he had to do when it counted," she argued as if convincing Garrus would convince all his people as well.
"Yes, yes he did," Garrus conceded with a nod.
Shepard sat back satisfied and was quiet the rest of the short trip.
#-#-#
As usual, Shepard went to the com room to update Admiral Hackett on the mission once she had removed her armor and changed. Kaidan met her outside the door when she completed the short debrief and placed a hand on her arm to halt her progress.
"You don't have to do this," he told her quietly, knowing her next destination, "Or at least not right now."
"Yes, I do," she told him calmly, meeting his eyes and showing him the resolve in hers. "Besides, Hackett just ordered me to keep the peace..."
Kaidan dropped his hand and simply stood back and fell into step behind her. He knew she was right, he just couldn't help allowing his concern to attempt to delay her. When they reached the war room, angry voices confirmed her choice.
"We couldn't risk another galactic war with the krogan!" Victus argued.
"The genophage wasn't enough?" Wrex shot back in a tone that was menacingly low. "You had to plant a bomb on my planet?"
"The decision was made hundreds of years ago," Victus countered. "So much has changed!"
"Not enough to tell us about the bomb, coward!" Wrex replied and now his voice carried the heat and volume of his anger.
"Hey!" Shepard called from across the room to get their attention. Once they turned to her, she continued in a less strident but equally commanding voice, "We can't let the past rip us apart. Working together, we have a chance." She paused and walked closer to the two. "Primarch, you had a bomb on Tuchanka. And Wrex, in the turian's place, you would have done the same damned thing."
"Shepard," Wrex tried to interrupt but she raised a hand to stop him.
"It's over!" she stated firmly. "His own son died today making this right!"
"Please, Commander, it's alright," Victus stepped in and surprised her.
"Yes, fine, Shepard," Wrex conceded grudgingly. "You make your point. We have stronger enemies to face."
"We do," Shepard replied tiredly. Wrex gave a last growl and wandered away.
"I understand your reservations before, Commander," Victus told her quietly, "But I hope you now understand the secrecy."
"Secrets get people killed," she said bitterly. "You've learned that the hard way."
"Yes," he acknowledged and there was a world of pain in that one word. "The hardest lesson I'm ever to learn, Commander." He began to walk away but turned back after several slow steps. "My son... he died with the respect of his men. I wanted to thank you for that. His sacrifice will be recorded in the histories of the Ninth Platoon, something any father would be proud of."
"Yes, Sir," she replied quietly, thinking that she hoped it would be comfort enough, knowing that it wouldn't be for her. She met Kaidan's eyes and saw her emotions reflected there.
Kaidan approached her and placed a hand on the small of her back lightly and briefly – a touch that was so slight and short that no one else in the room noticed. She got the message loud and clear, and led him out of the room and to their cabin. There, she would finally be able to leave Commander Shepard at the door and be just Shepard, and he could be the man she turned to when everything around them was so much blood, death, and pain. He was, as always, her soft place to land, and she needed that more than anything now.