-Twelve hours after the attack on the Citadel-

The ship was full of cheerful decor and music. This was the human holiday of "Christmas," or at least it was growing close. All across the EF-0 Dominus Ultra, bright colors of red and green were strewn about in the form of ribbons, wreaths, ornaments, and the occasional pine tree, also covered with decorations.

As he wandered the halls of The Founder's megacruiser, he wondered how the man was able to keep such a tight grip on his forces and remain in such serious status when his military ships were allowed to behave like this. While he had served aboard many relatively laid-back military ships, he had never seen anything like this before.

He heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see The Founder himself walking casually down the corridor, admiring the decor. In the background, the intercom played christmas music at a non-invasive volume. It was easy to ignore, but simultaneously required no strain to hear. The Founder noticed him.

"Mister Vakarian," Atlas said in passing, giving him a crisp nod. When Garrus matched his stride, he continued seamlessly, "How're you holding up?"

Garrus shrugged, then winced as the motion sent a sharp sting through his shoulder, "I've been better, and I've been a lot worse. Guess I can't complain, considering that I even lived to tell the tale."

Atlas clicked his tongue. That seemed to be his generic response in conversation. Some people might say "yeah," or "oof," but The Founder just clicked his tongue.

"So," he said, trying to find something to talk about other than the recent mission, "What's with all the decorations?"

Atlas gave him a look, "You don't know? It's only the biggest holiday we humans celebrate."

Garrus grinned, "I know what Christmas is, Atlas. What I don't know is how the largest and most powerful ship, military ship for that matter, in your entire arsenal is allowed to celebrate with such… passion! How do you keep a crew combat-ready when the ship looks like this?"

Atlas laughed, "Simple: Make sure everyone knows who's in charge and what to do in case of attack. We do drills regularly, and I try to lead by example, not by being a hardass. People do what I say because they like me, and I try not to give them a reason not to. Hence the decor. But I have strict policies about what people are allowed to put up. Anything that might obstruct access to something is forbidden."

Indeed, with this new information, Garrus noticed that not a single decoration was in the way of anything. From walkways, to doors, to maintenance panels, nothing was obstructed. He turned back to The Founder, "So, doesn't this holiday also consist of gift giving?"

"Yup," Atlas smiled, "Something that we Veins types don't skimp on either. Tools, weapons, materials; you name it, chances are someone in the society has given it as a gift."

They walked in silence for a time, then Enforcer Medina approached them. He first turned to The Founder, snapping off a quick salute, "Atlas, sir. It's good to see you." he then addressed Garrus, "Might I inquire as to the identity of the turian accompanying you?"

"Pleasure as always, Holden. This is Garrus Vakarian. He was part of the team that saved the Citadel."

The Enforcer extended a hand, which Garrus accepted happily. The human smiled, "Guess I didn't recognize you, eh? Nice to finally have a proper introduction. I'm Junior Enforcer Holden Medina, 82nd Infantry Division, and Tactical Reconnaissance Cadet under Lieutenant Richard Jacobson. I already know who you are."

"Nice to finally meet face-to-face without a hail of gunfire to ruin the moment." Garrus joked. Both humans laughed at the remark.

"Anyway," Medina calmed down, "Anywhere in particular you're looking to go, Vakarian? I know this ship inside and out."

It struck Garrus that he didn't actually have a destination in mind. Then his stomach growled angrily at him, and that question was answered. "Well, a meal sounds great right now."

Atlas spoke up, "I can show him the way, Medina; I was thinking of grabbing a bite anyway. You can go and have fun with your family."

The Enforcer smiled happily and nodded his thanks, then trotted off. When he was out of earshot, Garrus looked at The Founder, "He has family aboard!? You have civilians aboard a military ship!?"

Atlas chuckled, shaking his head, "No, Garrus; his family serves aboard the ship. They're all enlisted. He only gets to see them so often, since he's more or less the only one not permanently stationed aboard."

"Oh, so you try to keep the family together? Most militaries don't care in the slightest about that."

The Founder clicked his tongue.

Satisfied, Garrus let The Founder lead him to their current deck's mess hall. Due to the size of the cruiser, each deck was fitted with its own mess hall. When they arrived, Garrus saw that the rest of the Normandy ground team was already there, eating and conversing quietly.

Garrus gravitated towards an unnaturally silent Tali, who was sitting slumped at the table without any food before her. "Nothing good to eat, I take it?" Garrus cracked, hoping to lighten the mood, "Human ships never get anything good for the dextros aboard." Tali just shrugged. Garrus was at a loss.

Then, saving the day yet again, Atlas put a hand on her shoulder from behind. Quietly, he asked, "How're you holding up?" Once again, Tali shrugged. But this time Garrus saw her eyes subtly brighten with hope. Atlas patted her shoulder comfortingly, "Well, cheer up a bit. The life support hookup was a success. Our chances just got a lot better."

As The Founder walked away, no doubt to attend to some other business, Tali seemed to perk up a bit. She looked at Garrus, "I actually haven't looked at the food selection yet. Care to join me?"

"Sure thing. Let's suffer together."

The two of them made their way over to the serving station, where a soft-faced human stood behind the counter. Garrus grabbed a tray, while Tali craned her neck in an effort to see if there was any nutrient paste.

"Well, hey there, newcomers!" The cook said warmly, "Looks like the gang's all here, eh? Your faces are all over the news after yesterday, and it's good to see you all up and about, eating well!"

Garrus smiled. This human was sincerely friendly. While even some of the least speciesist humans in the galaxy held some amount of discomfort around other races at a subconscious level, as they were naturally uneasy around that which they didn't understand. But this cook seemed to lack any discomfort with aliens.

"Got anything for a hungry turian?" He asked hopefully, "Most human ships don't stock anything good."

The human gave him a wide grin, "Well, the Dominus Ultra isn't most human ships. Thirty-one percent of our crew are turians, I'll have you know. Today's dextro-dish on Deck 15 is a favorite, recipe 6: dextro-burgers! Not super creative or exotic, I know, but they're based on the classic levo food, and I'm told they taste almost exactly the same despite the different meats used. And sometimes a simple meal is the best. Something familiar for everyone serving in the Veins!"

Garrus watched with fascination as the human took his tray and served a meat patty between to baked doughs. The cook then fixed him with a hard squint, as if he was trying to read him. He then turned back to his work, applying very specific amounts of different condiments and extra ingredients.

He handed Garrus his meal, "I have a special optical implant," he explained, "It helps me determine the perfect meal customizations for each individual. Tell me what you think of my assessment when you're done!"

The cook then turned to Tali, "And what can I get for you, young lady? The same?"

She hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond, "Y-you… do know that I'm a quarian, right? I can't just eat whatever I want."

"Nonsense!" Came the voice of Atlas, returning from whatever business he had been attending to and moving behind the counter beside the ecstatic cook, "Quarians might be a rarity among our ranks, but that doesn't mean we don't come prepared for our most valuable members! A ship flies on a full stomach, I always say. And I've never met a single person who doesn't work better with a stomach full of something that tastes good rather than nutrient paste. Stuff tastes like sawdust and gunpowder residue."

He produced a box, which he opened to reveal a stash of different tubes of the aforementioned paste. But these were different in that they were Veins black with colorful bands on them. Tali picked up one and read the label aloud: "VEINS-issue cherry nutrient paste. Ready for consumption by levo and dextro peoples alike." She looked suspiciously at The Founder, who just smiled, "I thought you said you had more than just paste?"

"Oh, we do, but these babies are great for take-out and snacks. I also said that paste tastes terrible, but this stuff doesn't feel free to sample as you like, and take what you want. Take the whole crate if you want! I'm trying to get rid of the stuff to make room for some new batches."

Tali's eyes widened, "I can take the entire crate? This would be a month's supply of food for five of my people!"

Atlas laughed, "All the more reason for you to take it. I'll keep it here until you head out, whenever that may be." He moved the crate back under the counter, then stood back up with a strange bag. "This is the actual food mentioned earlier. It might not taste as good as the non-sterilized stuff, but at least you can eat this."

"Thanks."

As everyone gathered at the table, Garrus grunted as he bit into the burger. It was the perfect blend of flavors. He was sure that he had never eaten something quite like it before. "This," he said between swallows, "Is some serious gourmet shit."

Tali laughed softly as she attempted to figure out how her own meal worked. Apparently, a tube was to be attached to the feeding port in her helmet, and a series of tiny machines would separate the food into proper portions, then send them up the tube. When Tali finally got the system to work, she found that it was actually rather enjoyable to have to chew her food for once, strange mechanisms aside.

When everyone had finished their meals, Atlas stood to get their attention. "Everyone," he said loudly, so that everyone could hear him clearly, "I know it's a bit early, but I want to make sure that I get this done before you all head back to your Spectre business. It's gift time!"

With that, he retrieved a large cart loaded with wrapped containers. He handed them to their respective recipients, saying, "And, really, these gifts are from the two of us, though I want to give them now in case our friend can't make it in time. Make happy memories rather than painful reminders, right?"

Everyone went about opening their gifts. Liara received a file containing information that the Veins had gathered on the Protheans. Jane got a new special-issue combat-improved omni-tool, John was given a new assault rifle, more powerful than his old model.

Wrex shouted happily as he laid eyes upon Alpha's trench hawk, taking a few testing swings and growling contently as he felt the weight of the blade. Kaidan was speechless at the sight of a prototype L2 Legacy upgrade, which would help him with his migraines and keep his implant from overheating as easily.

Finally, there were Garrus and Tali. Garrus tore open the wrapping carefully, as the object was rather large. When it was revealed to just be a long gun case, he looked over at The Founder, smiling ruefully at the joke.

"Well?" Atlas said, to Garrus's surprise, "Open it up! You really think I'd give you an empty gun case?"

Garrus opened the container slowly, his prank senses now on high alert. He gaped when, instead of some practical joke, he found a sleek new sniper rifle awaiting him. He ran his hands along the frame, assessing the components.

"Ninety-centimeter barrel, high caliber, ergonomic design," he hefted the rifle and held the scope to his eye, "Lightweight build, variable zoom," he shifted his fingers on the grip, "The grip fits my hand perfectly, and the material is… comfortable, but it grips my palm well. The stock is just the right length, too."

"I had our boy take measurements while you weren't looking." The Founder explained, smirking, "That rifle is custom-built to the one and only Garrus Vakarian, the best shot in the galaxy. We can take to the range in a bit for some real tests."

Garrus whipped his head around, eyes wide with child-like excitement, "You have an on-board shooting range!?"

With a smile, the human clicked his tongue. He then handed Tali a small computer chip, with a little black button on it.

When Tali pressed the button, a hologram appeared of Atlas and Alpha, standing side-by-side in front of the eight Veins Admirals. In the recording, The Founder said to the camera, "I'm Atlas, The Founder. Specifically, the founder of the shadow-faction known as the VEINS. You may have heard of us. This is my adopted son," He gestured to Alpha.

"I am Alpha Black," the cybernetic human said in his usual monotone, "This is a message meant for Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, and the Admiralty Board of the Flotilla." The sound of Alpha's voice speaking her name made Tali choke up, and tears appeared in her eyes.

Holo-Atlas went on, "After the weeks my son and Tali have spent together, I have taken the time to bring them to Earth, which is where this is being recorded. I know it may seem a little premature, but I would like to tell the quarian Admiralty Board that, from here on Earth, our own Admirals have unanimously agreed with me that Tali'Zorah is an amazing example of what makes quarians so great. She is a friend of the VEINS, and a friend to me, but most of all to Alpha. If the quarian people are ever in need of our assistance, I am appointing Tali'Zorah as our honorary ambassador to the Flotilla. All she need do is call, and we will be there for you."

"And I will be there for her," Alpha continued, "For Tali'Zorah. I am saddened to know that she and I must eventually part ways, but I want her to know that I will always be there when I am needed most. When this is all over, the Admirals and my father have made arrangements to send me as a representative for negotiating an alliance, and as a guard to Tali'Zorah, wherever she may decide to go next."

"This is The Founder, signing off with the Admirals of the VEINS:"

All ten figures spoke in unison, "Mortem ab Victoriam, Death after Victory. And may we all find peace on the path from war." The hologram switched off, and Tali was silent as she tried to fight back her tears.

After a moment of tense silence, especially from The Founder as he waited anxiously to see if he had accidentally hurt her, Tali smiled sadly, and looked over at the human. "Thank you," she said, and the room relaxed, "This means more to me than you can know."

Atlas rubbed his neck sheepishly, "Sorry it's not a weapon, or tech, or something else."

She shook her head, rushing over to give him a big hug, "I would rather have this."

After Tali had separated from him, she plodded off to her cabin. Atlas then turned to Garrus, giving a sigh of relief, "So, how about that shooting range, eh? John can come to test out his new gun too."

Alpha Log: Garrus Vakarian

Garrus is a hardy, fun-loving turian sniper with a very direct approach to life. He prefers to see the world in blackand white, yet accepts that it is not. Garrus prefers the tools and computers of a gun workbench or calibration terminal to the din of other stations, similar to myself.

The two of us are rather similar, actually. Tactical combat, affinity for weapons and machines, and a steady hand. He does not hold very opinion for the law of the Citadel, though. This makes sense, somewhat, as his time in C-sec would have acquainted him to every single law and regulation that would prevent him from doing his job. Like me, he would rather simply get the job done with a swift hand and a single bullet rather than a mess of paperwork and political 'red tape' as the term goes.

Garrus is a man that I find easy to respect. I see him going far in life, and find myself hoping that he can lead others by example. We need more people like Garrus Vakarian in the galaxy.

A/N: Merry early Christmas, everyone! It's no coincidence that this chapter and the one coming up next are themed around the holidays! But I just couldn't wait that long, so I'm releasing them now.

Look forward to more Alpha Logs soon! Volume 1 is coming to a close! And as an FYI: After Volume 1 is complete, I will be putting Alpha Logs on hiatus to work on requests and other projects. If you think you have an idea for a story that you want me to write, feel free to PM me about it! It can't hurt to ask, at least!