Chapter 26

"Commander." James's voice on the comm jolted her awake. "Esteban finished his diagnostics on the shuttle."

Shepard stumbled out of bed. She fumbled through the darkness and smacked her leg against the table. She cursed picking her way up the stairs to the blinking on her desk on. The comm flicked on.

"Understood, James. Any issues?"

"Negative."

His sounded strong without hesitation.

"Take the landing party down."

"Aye, aye."

"And James?"

"Yeah, Lola?"

"Give those electric bastards hell."

"Aye, aye!"

Shepard pushed back from the desk and felt carefully for the chair before lowering herself down. A long breath escaped her lips as her fingertips dug in her pocket. The button was still there. She hadn't lost it in her sleep. She'd better change and get ready. Sleeping in her uniform – tsk, tsk. James wasn't going to spare any time getting back in the thick of it.

X

"Okay, Lieutenant Commander Vega. Where are you?" Shepard stood in the war room speaking into her comm.

"We're on the move," James said through the comm. "Distress signal still meters off. No activity. Pretty quiet."

"Cortez?" Shepard asked. "How's it going?"

"No problems, Commander. I'll come around if you need me, Vega."

James laughed. "Uh, with this canopy cover? That ain't gonna be easy, Esteban. Gonna need to drop ropes or something. Appreciate the sentiment though."

"Worried, Vega?" Shepard smirked. "Been slacking on your 180 pull ups?"

"Not thinking of me. Just thinking of poor Briggs here." James sounded breathless.

Rustling and heaving breathing filled the background. They must be running along the forest floor.

"Ha ha. Funny one." Briggs's voice.

Jensen's voice came on. "Ya know, someone says 'that's funny' instead of laughing, it needs some work."

"Well, I wanted planning on using it again," James said.

"Don't quit your day job," Jensen said.

James chuckled. "I wish it was only a day job!"

Shepard touched her ear and looked at the time. "How we doing?"

"If you don't hear screams or gunshots, we're okay," James said.

"Yeah. I'm with Jensen here," Shepard said. "Don't quit your day job."

"Again, I say 'what day job?'"

Someone snickered. Shepard smirked and lowered herself onto the floor. Feet scrambled and crunching through overgrowth.

"Commander, we're getting close." James panted then said sharply, "Wait!"

"Hold back," Briggs said.

"What is it, James?" Shepard asked.

James didn't answer. Shepard strained to hear anything. A pop. Two pops. Then many.

Shepard spoke into her comm. "Is that—"

"Gunfire!" James hollered. "Let's go. Diaz, Plastino, Briggs left. Keep in sight. Rest with me."

Shepard turned down the volume in her ear. The background pounded banging and thumping with feedback. The gunfire was definitely getting closer.

"Cortez?"

"Yes, Commander?"

"You nearby in case of extraction?"

"Affirmative. Right overhead."

"You see anything?"

"Negative. Just trees, Commander. We're quite a ways from the crash site."

"Okay." Shepard wiped sweaty hands on her pants and sat up straighter.

"Status, James?"

"Getting a visual just now, Commander."

"And?"

"It's the turiens, Commander."

Shepard let out a breath she didn't remember holding. "Are they under attack?"

"Affirmative. Briggs, team." James was probably making motions. Gunfire burst over the comm, and Shepard flinched. "Jensen over here."

A volley of bullets burst through the comm. Someone yelling in the background.

"Go! Go!" James's voice yelled over rifle fire.

Unknown voices murmured in the background. Shepard held back from interrupt them in combat. She waited.

"Cortez?" James yelled.

"Yes, sir?"

"Need extraction. Drop those ropes."

"Really?" Cortez's voice raised. "I can't … I'll figure it out, sir."

Shepard rested her head against the wall and tapped her fingernails on the floor. She should have gone. Even if she only remained in the shuttle, she could be lowering the ropes. Cortez was driving the damn shuttle. She had some damned good blue steel cord in her belt pack upstairs. She should have sent it with them. Maybe Cortez didn't even have any rope. Shepard bolted to her feet and paced.

"I'm down as low as I can go," Cortez said.

"Jenson!" James yelled. "What the hell you doing?"

"What's going on, Vega?" Shepard finally said.

"Jensen's climbing a damn tree," he yelled through the gunfire.

"Someone's gotta be in the shuttle to lower the rope," Jensen said.

"Cover her!" James said.

Shepard paced. James continued issuing orders over roaring hisses and shots.

"Almost …" Jensen's voice strained. "I'm up!"

A couple hoots cheered her on.

"I'm dropping weapons," she said.

"Ropes!" James said.

"In a minute."

Thumps.

"You're hitting us, Jensen!" James yowled. "Hey, you guys there, grab those."

He must be talking to the turiens.

"Got one, Boss," Diaz said.

"You'll get a medal later," James shouted. "Start using it. Route them, Plastino."

The shooting ramped with the sound of grenades exploding.

"Watch those!" James yelled. "Bounce off a tree, you'll kill us."

"Wasn't thinking, Commander."

"Yeah. No crap."

More firing boomed through the mic.

"Go! Go! Go! Diaz, Stofsky move forward. You three over there! Keep firing. Can you get them moved to the back?"

He must be talking to the turiens. It was deafening. Shepard turned her volume down again.

"Ropes, sir," Briggs called.

"No! Keep on them! They're retreating," James said.

Shepard stopped pacing. "They're backing down?"

Jenson got on. "Climb the rope. I'll help you guys up."

"Cancel that," James said. "Focus on these ugly assed things. Don't stop!"

"Sorry, sir," Jensen murmured.

"They're retreating?" Shepard asked.

"Uh … retreating sounds too intelligent," James panted. "But, yeah, they're leaving. That extra firepower. Maybe the grenades. Keep the shoots going, guys."

Gunfire continued.

"You still have the turiens, right?" Shepard said.

"Uh," James paused. "Yeah. Right here."

"How many survivors?"

"Eleven."

"Is General Taurin there?"

Muffled talking mixed with gunfire.

James's voice turned back to the comm. "Safe."

"They know anything about the researchers?"

"Said they're dead. Died a year ago."

Shepard let out a loud breath. "Okay. Can you get out of there?"

"They fell back," James said. "Hold!"

She'd gotten used to gunfire in the background. When it stopped, her ears rang.

"How many can you carry, Cortez?"

"This shuttle? Probably need two trips to be safe."

James came on, voice at first unintelligible speaking to someone who didn't have a comm. "They're saying there's a safe area to the west."

"Okay. Good. Cortez, follow them west. Look for open ground. We'll take two trips. The turiens first. Lieutenant Commander, you able to hold out for a second shuttle back?"

"Uh, yeah. General Taurin wants to stay with us until—"

"Absolutely not. He comes up with his men. First shuttle."

"Uh … I don't think you can stop him, Commander."

Shepard drew out a long breath, "Fine. Can you hold out?"

"Affirmative. They're saying they have a camp that's fortified. It's away from the 'Kalper' territory."

"Good."

Shepard nodded wiping sweat off her face. She should have been on that shuttle, but she couldn't hang onto a wrong decision. Everyone was safe. She'd made one right decision though: putting James in charge. Pinned down in the forest, she didn't want to think about what would have happened if Anchor had been in command.

X

"Commander?" Anchor said.

Shepard waved him off as she walked into the cargo bay.

"I told you to go to your quarters," she said.

"You said 'relieved of duty.' Didn't know that meant grounded."

"It does for now. Go."

Anchor's nostrils flared. The second shuttle had just come in. Rescued turien soldiers sat in a heap in the cargo bay's corner. They nodded weakly to her in their faded and scratched armor. Dr. Chakwas bent over them with a scanner. The shuttle's hatch opened.

"Go," Shepard repeated to Anchor and started to the shuttle.

"There are turiens here now?" Anchor said.

Shepard spun on him. "It will be tight quarters on the way home. Get up there, or I'll put you under arrest."

"You're overreacting," Anchor clenched his teeth. "I made a poor decision in command. It's not a reason—"

"You're insubordinate. That's why you're relieved of duty, Lieutenant Commander."

Soldiers filed out of the shuttle.

"Stofsky, Brigg," Shepard called. They looked droopy and exhausted, but hearing their names, they ambled over. "Take XO Anchor to engineering. Leeward side. Handcuff him to the wall. Then stay with him."

Stofsky and Briggs's eyes widened. They glanced at each other.

"Now!" she said.

They stumbled forward, but Anchor wrenched his arm away from them.

"I'll go!"

"To engineering," Shepard said.

"No. I mean, I'll go to my quarters."

"Too late for that." Shepard tilted her head toward the elevators. "Go or they'll drag you."

Briggs reached for him, and Anchor shoved his hand away. Stofsky took a step closer.

"Fine! I'm going."

Anchor stormed to the elevators with Stofsky and Briggs on his heels. Everyone had exited the shuttle. Cortez caught her eye and took a determined step toward her, but she held up a hand. She had things to do before debriefing with anyone. A gray turien with patchy red armor shook James's hand. The stooped posture and sweat slicked hair didn't dampen James's wide smile.

"Excellent work, Lieutenant Commander Vega." Shepard came up to them.

"Aw. Shucks, Lo—Commander." James laughed and moved past her to the armory.

"Commander Shepard," the turien said.

"General Taurin."

"You came a long way for a dozen turiens."

Shepard smiled. Here she was now - shard safe in the armory and the turien crew rescued on the Normandy. Over a month in space and now the was mission was achieved. She'd need to get used to delayed gratification if these were her missions in the future.

"Living on an uncolonized planet for over a year, General. I think you're overdue a rescue."

"I'm sorry about your researchers. We came across the facility. No one was left. I think they were killed by native life. The native life …"

"As we saw."

"They drove us from our ship. We realized after a week of fighting them that we were close to their nesting area. Carried the distress beacon as far as we could. I'm sorry your men had to take that."

"I don't think they are." Shepard glanced over at James grinning as he sorted weapons to log back into the armory.

"Eager for a fight. I can respect that," Taurin said. "After a year fighting things wanting to eat you and long out of heat clips, I'm ready for something else. Like hot food. I assume you have turien food? We were fortunate to be on a planet with some dextran plant life. Eating dirt sometimes seemed more appetizing."

"Understandable. Please …" Shepard put a hand out toward the elevator. "Your men can share space with the crew. We have cots and partitions. Ample space with a lounge and observation deck for setting up beds."

"After sleeping on leaves and twigs, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep on anything else."

"Might not take as long to get used to it as you think. It's over a month back to Earth. It will be a lot of down time for your men. They want things to do, I can find it. Otherwise, just regroup."

"A month?"

"The relays were damaged. Travel is limited."

They stopped at the elevators.

"A long time passed since our ship was damaged escaping the Illusive Man's base. I assume he's dead now or under arrest?"

"Dead," Shepard said hollowly. Anderson's face flashed in front of her for a moment.

Taurin nodded gravely. "We'll need some updating. A year and half out from the biggest war our civilization has ever seen. A long time to be out of commission after defeating the reapers." He paused. "We did defeat the reapers, right?"

Shepard tried to smile, but it felt weak.

"Yes." She turned away and pushed the elevator button. "We won."