Chapter 11: Hearts and Minds

The Citadel docking bays looked like a graveyard. Gone was the healthy hustle and bustle of commerce and travel. Instead, the facilities were empty and still, housing the battered remains of the Council's fleet for repairs and salvage.

Shepard waited in the docking bays, fully armored except for the sling around his arm, absorbing the eerie quiet. The concourse looked deserted compared to the last time he was here, pushing through a living mass of alien bodies. Since the attack three days prior, all traffic to the Citadel had been suspended, except military and security forces. The "Geth" incursion forced the Council races and the Alliance into action. C-Sec officers and Turian military personnel roamed the Citadel in constant patrols, checking IDs, verifying genetic scans, and performing security screenings at nearly every junction. The Commander was impressed with the results.

Maybe we really can get through this, Shepard tried to reassure himself.

He was leaning against the planter where Maggie had greeted him over a year before while cursing out a Turian C-Sec Officer. The memory made him smile.

"Now there's a look we don't see very often," Liara's voice cut through his thoughts with a teasing edge.

He suddenly felt the gaze of his friends land upon him and he straightened up quickly, wincing when he moved too fast and disturbed his wounded arm.

"What are you thinking about, Shepard?" Garrus asked.

The Commander felt his smile widen as he looked at his team in the empty docking bay. "I was just remembering the last time I saw my sister….Look, I know you both have other things to be doing. You really don't have to wait here with me."

"Not a chance," Garrus scoffed. "You've made too many enemies to be wandering the Citadel without some extra security."

"I agree," Liara echoed. "I hope we are not unwelcome company."

"No no… it's not that..." Shepard rolled out his unwounded shoulder, trying to avoid Liara's eyes. Everything had tumbled together so quickly after the attacks. He hadn't had time to tell Maggie about his relationship with Liara. He was uneasy about the whole thing. Introducing her to family made it suddenly very serious somehow. And, he didn't even know where to begin to warn Liara about Maggie's…Maggie-ness.

"Liara, my sister is… well..." he was trying to choose his words carefully.

Liara looked up at him with confusion evident on her soft features. Shepard's awkward effort was interrupted when the doors of a nearby docking bay whirred to life. The docking bay opened to reveal an orderly troop of Alliance officers marching into the empty concourse. He straightened and felt Garrus instinctively move to cover his flank. The Alliance teams were armed, fresh from transport, and moving with a steady yet relaxed gait.

That is, until the teams were bodily shoved aside by a skinny, dark-haired, Engineering Staff Sergeant who bolted through the neat ranks, knocking aside everyone and everything in her path.

Her red-streaked hair was tousled from the long journey and hanging in scattered tendrils from a sloppy military bun. Her uniform was disheveled and her huge pack had more wires hanging out of it than a Hanar had tentacles. Her bright red-brown eyes, mirrors to Shepard's own, were darting to and fro before finally landing on the Commander.

"JO-JO!" She squealed with unrestrained glee. The ear-to-ear smile that crossed her lips when she spotted her brother was like a small supernova. The angry and rumpled officers had no time to chastise her. She dropped her bags in the middle of the passageway and ran at a full sprint for Shepard.

Shepard grinned and took a few steps forward managing to catch the ecstatic girl with his good arm. He skillfully intercepted Maggie in mid-leap, laughing and swinging her about to absorb the extra momentum.

"Ack!" Shepard huffed as his injured body was jostled at the impact. He struggled for balance while holding Maggie with his uninjured arm. The girl was much shorter than him, but heavier than he remembered. In the simple equation of force, her increased mass was easily overshadowed by energetic acceleration.

She was a flurry of laughter and giggles, squeezing him so hard he heard his armor creak. Shepard gently pried the girl from the embrace, trying to mask his pain, and set her back on her feet. He left his hand on her shoulder and examined her with a fatherly air. Eden Prime had her more tan than he had ever seen her before. She was more muscular, more confident, and practically radiated strength.

What a difference a year can make...Shepard smiled to himself as he looked his sister up and down with pride.

"Oh it is SOOOOOO good to see you!" Maggie began. Maggie frowned as she looked her brother up and down, taking in his cuts, bruises, battered armor and arm in a sling.

"Jeeze… you look like shit. What'd you do, fight a war or something?" She put a hand on her hip with a lopsided smile, eerily similar to Shepard's own expressions. "No no… wait… more flashy, right? 'Saving the galaxy from imminent destruction' has a better ring to it."

"It's good to see you too, Mags. You look good."

"Compared to you right now, that's not a compliment. Who're your friends?"

Liara was staring wide-eyed and Garrus was huffing in laughter.

Shepard stepped back and began to make introductions. "Maggie, this is Doctor Liara T'soni - she was a member of the team that helped me take down Saren." Shepard had touched Liara lightly at the elbow as he made the introduction and Maggie looked back and forth between Liara and Shepard, a slight quirk to her eyebrow.

"A pleasure to make your acquaint...aaacck!" Liara began to offer a hand with dignified formality and was instantly wrapped up into a hug nearly as fierce as the one Maggie just gave to her brother.

"Great to meet ya, Doctor," Maggie purred after the hug. "Oh, if we were Jewish, mom would be so proud," She muttered half to herself, prompting a sputtering cough from her brother. Liara stood stiffly in startled confusion.

Shepard recovered himself and motioned to Garrus.

"And this is…"

"Garrus!" Maggie interrupted excitedly. She disentangled herself from Liara, nearly spinning the poor Asari as she made a jump for Garrus. The Turian anticipated the greeting and had his weapons secured and arms free to catch the hug.

Even so, Maggie nearly tackled the Turian off his feet.

"Solana says hi," Maggie chirped happily, looking up at Garrus from the awkward position of being wrapped around his armor's midriff in her vain attempt to hug him.

"I know," Garrus rumbled. "I got her message"

She blinked up at him. "You're taller in person."

"Uhh… Thanks?"

"You're welcome!" she beamed. Maggie quieted suddenly and nuzzled a bit closer to Garrus' armor, her voice pitched low as she spoke in Turian for only him to hear. "I'm sorry about your mom being sick. Please know that we're here for you. Anything we can do to help."

Maggie stepped back and looked up at Garrus with such sympathy and tenderness that his throat clenched around any words he may have had. His mandibles twitched as he tried to swallow.

Garrus had vid-called and messaged with the girl. He had quickly learned about her infectious energy and overly friendly nature. But, the reality of this young woman was something he was entirely unprepared for. He stood there stunned.

Shepard was eyeing Garrus warily and the Turian shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Maggie gave his talon a reassuring squeeze before turning back to her brother, happy-go-lucky nature firmly back in place as if the subtle private exchange had not occurred.

"It's great you can blow up someplace awesome like the Citadel for me to fix. Eden Prime is too damn boring."

"Well.. I didn't do any of the damage…" Shepard chided, unable to keep himself from smiling at her.

"Of course not! You never do the blowing up - it's the bad guys that do that. You are an explosion containment and targeting system."

Liara looked truly aghast now. Garrus was just starring in frozen silence.

"Too soon?" Maggie asked innocently, glancing back and forth between them.

Together, the Shepard siblings, Liara and Garrus found a relatively undamaged terrace that still had a few intact seats. They settled in and chatted together. Shepard was pleased that Liara and Garrus seemed to warm up to his sister and after an hour they were laughing together like childhood friends.

Throughout the conversation, Shepard's omni-tool was pinging insistently until his wrist was twitching like a school-girl on stims. At a pause in the conversation, he looked at it and sighed.

"I suppose I need to get back to my official duties as galactic poster boy," the hero of the Citadel sighed.

"No worries," Maggie chimed warmly as she stood and slung her pack over her shoulder. It was nearly as big as she was. Shepard tried to ignore the shoulder holster that was visible under her uniform as she moved. "I need to check on my team anyway and find out where they're bunking me on this boat."

"I'll be joining the search and rescue teams until Spectre training resumes," Garrus added. "Let me know how I can help."

Maggie glanced at the Turian with laugh. "I'm sure we could find something to do with you that will keep you safe from all the clamoring ladies."

Garrus snorted at that while Shepard and Liara laughed. Maggie stepped up to Garrus and touched her omni-tool lightly to his.

"My secure channel..." She offered as an explanation, "...Message me at the wreckage when you get there. Don't abuse it."

Shepard watched this exchange with amusement and tsked softly at his sister, messing up her hair with his good hand.

"Giving out your number already, Mags… You're getting yourself into trouble."

Maggie tossed her hair and nudged into her brother with a hip.

"Right behind you, Jo-Jo." The youngest Shepard said her goodbyes and tromped off towards the smoking rubble of the Presidium. She skipped cheerily into the debris like she was strolling through a park on a summer day.

The trio watched her go and Garrus peered at his omni-tool. A new subtask network was available operating on some hidden frequency with a high-security protocol that made C-Sec encryption look like child's play.

"What just happened?" Garrus asked, genuinely baffled.

Shepard laughed and patted Garrus on the shoulder.

"I think she likes you."

Shepard was trembling, his muscles were aching He watched helplessly as the omni-tool's white hot blade sank again into his unprotected flesh. The burn worked slowly up his leg. It was agonizing torture.

"Watch it!" he growled.

The Volus tailor scuttled around the Commander's feet, omni-tool buzzing over the fabric of the incomplete uniform and muttering grumpily to itself. Shepard looked pleadingly at Anderson.

"Are you sure this is really necessary, sir?"

He'd been holding this position awkwardly for what felt like forty cycles and it didn't help that Garrus and Liara were snickering at his plight from comfortable seats in the tailor's workshop.

"We've got to put our best foot forward, soldier. Appearances can make a difference." There was an unmistakable edge of laughter to Anderson's voice.

"I think you will look very handsome when the uniform is complete," Liara added in a soothing tone.

Shepard looked at her, offering a smile, but the Volus tailor snapped at him to hold still and he jerked back to his rigid stance of attention.

"It's politics, Shepard. The Council knows you're a Marine, but having you appear in an Alliance uniform might seem a bit too Human-centric for some of the other races. A Spectre dress uniform will make make a good impression with all races and strengthen the Council's position as well."

"I get it, Anderson. I just don't have to like it."

"Chief Williams will be handling the Alliance and Parliamentary meetings to solidify our support back at home. We need you and your team to foster good-will out here. I really appreciate you both helping out in this regard."

The last part, Anderson had addressed to Liara and Garrus.

"I understand the importance of including members of other Council races, Councilor Anderson. It is an honor to assist," Liara intoned seriously with a gracious bow of her crested head.

Shepard cursed as the tailor burned him again.

"Tali and Wrex were members of my team too, Anderson. I'm not happy they're being excluded."

"Quarians and Krogans are not looked upon kindly. We're trying to gain support for a unilateral joint-species operation. If they were included, the other races would be uncomfortable."

"All life in the galaxy was nearly destroyed by giant sentient starships who want to harvest us… By all means, we wouldn't want to make a bunch of politicians uncomfortable..." Garrus growled bitterly.

"We'll do whatever it takes."

There was a finality to Anderson's words that immediately silenced any further arguments. The group fell silent, with the exception of the muttering Volus working on Shepard's clothes.

"I think there's a good reason there's never been a Spectre uniform before…." Garrus mused, eventually. "If this is the process it takes, no self-respecting Spectre would subject themselves to this."

"Thank you, Garrus!" Shepard beamed.

"Good thing you're not self-respecting, Shepard."

"I hate you so much right now…."

That night, after a long day of good-will scheming, Shepard, Liara, and Garrus met up with Maggie, and the Normandy crew for dinner at "The Digs" where they quickly used Shepard's hero status to get themselves a semi-permanent private room. It was one of the few reasonably priced restaurants still operating that served both levo and dextro food.

Shepard commanded the head of the table with Liara at his left and Garrus at his right. Maggie sat next to Garrus with Tali beside her. Joker and Ashley sat across from her. Wrex was seated at the far end. They gathered to drink, eat, and laugh together, telling stories and reliving the crazier parts of the past year. Maggie was the chief listener to the varying heroics. She fit into the tight-knit crew like a missing piece of the puzzle.

Maybe she is just filling the void left by Alenko, Shepard considered sadly.

"You should've seen the look on that Krogan's face when Shepard said he was under arrest. It was priceless!" Tali was explaining enthusiastically.

The whole group dissolved into laughter once more.

"Oh… man! If Kaidan hadn't gotten the jump on him with his biotics… that would've been much worse." Shepard paused, immediately realizing what he had said as a hushed, sad silence moved around the table. Everyone looked down at their already finished meals.

Out of nowhere, Maggie raised her glass and with soft tone she toasted.

"To absent friends."

"To absent friends." The table echoed; Ashley last of all. Shepard caught his sister's eye and gave her a grateful nod.

"So, Joker, I hear you like the new stabilization system on the Normandy…." Maggie cheerfully steered the conversation back to firmer ground and the crew erupted in tech chatter again. Tali and Joker picked up the cue quickly, probing Maggie about her team's role in the Normandy's development.

"If I would've known my brother would command her, I would've hidden some beer for you guys in a bulkhead!" Shepard heard Maggie enthusiastically declare as he stepped away from the table.

He was following after Ashley who had slipped out of the restaurant, but she failed to escape Shepard's keen eye. He caught up to her just outside the restaurant's entrance and called after her.

"Hey, Williams. Hold up there."

She spun to face him. "What's up, Skipper?"

"Just… just making sure you're doing alright. How are you holding up?"

"I'm good. Trying to be better. I have to be worth Kaidan's life."

"I understand. I know it's hard… Look, Ashley, I want you to know, you'll always have a place on the Normandy. You're a good soldier. But, if it's not where you want to be…I'd be happy to give you recommendations for another pos-"

"No! It is, Commander!" Ashley interrupted fervently. She stopped herself and shook her head in frustration, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Commander. The Normandy is where I want to be. I know I haven't been… disciplined. But I'm dealing, and there's no where else I'd rather serve. You and Kaidan made the Normandy home for me."

Shepard smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Good. So you're ok with...everything?"

"Yeah, Skipper. I'm glad you and T'soni are happy."

Shepard relaxed, exhaling a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"We are...and thank you. I'm really glad you want to stay. Get some rest. Anderson wants us both at the press event early tomorrow."

"Aye Aye, Skipper."

Shepard watched Ashley board a transport and sighed. That conversation went better than he'd thought it would, but he was worried about the Gunnery Chief. He turned and started heading back towards the restaurant and nearly ran face-first into Wrex.

"Ack!" Shepard jumped in surprise. "Jeeze, Wrex!"

"Shepard." The Krogan responded, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

"Any particular reason you're sneaking up on me?"

"You're right to hold onto that one," Wrex ignored the question, nodding towards the direction Ashley had left. "She's a warrior. Fighting next to women gives battles a different flavor."

"Right. Thanks for the input, Wrex."

The two soldiers stared at each other awkwardly for several moments.

"I'm going back to Tuchanka," the Krogan declared flatly.

It took Shepard another few heartbeats to process what he'd heard.

"What?"

"The Krogan have been wasted for long enough. My clan needs me."

"You think they're ready to listen?"

"I'll make them."

Shepard thought about that a moment, then extended his hand.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, Wrex."

Wrex gripped Shepard's forearm fiercely and Shepard gritted his teeth at the force. They looked at one another. It took Shepard another moment to realize the Krogan was smiling.

"Shepard. Come visit me when you're ready for a real fight."

The sound of the Krogan's laugh echoed in Shepard's head as he headed back into the restaurant.

One by one, the crew departed until only Garrus, Liara, Shepard and Maggie remained. Shepard half-drunkenly insisted that Garrus should walk Maggie back to the barracks.

"Keep an eye on her for me, Garrus." Shepard commanded firmly, grinning like a cheshire cat. He was leaning heavily on Liara with an arm around her blue shoulders.

"Of course, Commander."

"I can keep an eye on myself well enough, thank you!" the young woman huffed, but accepted Garrus' company none-the-less.

"See you on the other side, kids," Shepard grinned.

Maggie refused to take a direct route or a transport, instead taking nearly an hour to walk the length of the Citadel. As they walked, she asked Garrus questions about his life, his opinions, and his training. She listened in a way that reminded him of Shepard, but with a warmth, humor, and uniquely feminine quality that made Garrus' ego swell at the attention. He genuinely enjoyed the time with her. It was hard to believe that she was, in fact related to Shepard, aside from the obvious similarities in appearance.

"Hey Garrus? I wanted to thank you," Maggie said after a lapse in the conversation.

"Thank me? For what?"

"For watching over my brother. I know you guys went through a lot together. And, it made me feel better knowing you were watching his back."

"I'd follow Shepard through hell if that's where he was going."

"I know...That's why...uhmm...if it's ok with you, I'd like to spend more time together - get to know you better, maybe practice my Turian a bit."

Garrus hesitated, obviously uncertain about this request. "...You don't need me to practice language. There's VIs for that."

"No, but well, I'd like it to be you. I'd like to get close to you." There was a long, awkward pause. "Oh god… that just came out all wrong… ugh… I'm so bad at this."

"What is it your brother says - 'Keep digging, you'll get to 'Chonka'?"

"China. And, you're not helping. Ok… look. I only knew Solana for a couple of years - but she's pretty much my best friend. I message her even more than I message John. And.. well he and you seem like you are really close..." Another awkward pause. "Aww..fuck. Not like that!"

Garrus' shoulders were shaking with restrained laughter.

"Just keep digging…. just keep digging… just keep digging, digging digging…" Maggie sang to herself.

"What was that?"

"Ugh.. Nevermind. But, seriously... There's trust between you and John - I guess we're all just like family now. And, you're the only one I know nothing about. So, I'd like to change that. I'd like for you to trust me too."

Garrus studied her. Her air of confidence and humor had vanished and she seemed exposed, uncertain, and vulnerable.

"Family, huh?"

"Who else is gonna have our backs against the Reapers?"

That solemn note left a heavy weight on them both. Maggie looked away and studied her own feet with a determined intensity. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought she was scared. Hell, with the Reapers on the way, maybe they both were.

"So, you just want to… talk?"

"Yeah...like hang out. How about we meet for breakfast tomorrow before reporting for SRR duty?"

"Uh… Yeah... sure."

Garrus' mandibles clicked thoughtfully as he watched Maggie skip jauntily into her barracks. Her heavy combat boots clomped down the stairs and he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

She is absolutely nothing like her brother, Garrus grinned to himself. In all the best ways.