"She's not going to give it up Garrus. You'll have to tell her the whole story one of these days." Nalah had been on him like a vorcha on fresh meat to have a talk with Jane. With Krul still hospitalized, Garrus allowed his squad a spot of leave to recharge. While basic drills and a three mile run remained a daily requirement, the men were free to do as they pleased afterwards. It left him with a plethora of downtime. And the woman was pressing her advantage.

"The minute I do, assuming she even believes me, she'll be crushed."

"Her brother is dead. She's already crushed."

"She wants to avenge him."

"I'm surprised you haven't."

"His enemies were taller than skyscrapers – I don't have the resources for that. And the rest is classified."

"I understand why you haven't shared it with the entire team. But this is her brother we're talking about, the last member of her family." Nalah stood toe to toe with him, arms crossed, shooting a glare that nearly made him wither like a fledgling. They may be aliens, having evolved worlds apart, but every inch of that woman screamed 'stern mother.' Somethings translated across species without the need for a VI assistant.

"She needs to learn how to defend herself. Everyone should know how to use a gun. A point I've made to you on numerous occasions I might add. I was hoping she'd get some basic training under her belt before I tell her this whole notion of vengeance is pointless."

"Just tell her the truth Garrus, whatever it is. What she does with it is up to her. Besides, she won't rest until she knows the whole story. That girl is relentless."

Garrus snorted. "I've noticed. It's a quality she shares with her brother."

"If you continue avoiding the topic, you'll lose her trust."

"That will happen the moment I tell her the truth. It's pretty crazy."

"The truth is what it is. There's nothing you can do to change it. But you can offer her some peace."

"I doubt that. It's nightmare fuel."

"Something tells me that girl lives day in and day out with such things. But she's not one to give up on anything. I highly doubt she'll suddenly lose interest in weapons training regardless of what you tell her. And I have the sneaking suspicion you already know that."

"I suppose." Garrus sighed.

"You are her only connection to her brother, you're lying to her, and she knows it. Now think about that from her point of view. The fact she still trusts you at all speaks volumes. She thinks the world of you Garrus, don't squander that."

"I… see your point."

"You'll tell her then?"

"Yeah. Just need to… organize some thoughts."


He knew Nalah was correct. And the dark circles under Jane's eyes hadn't escaped him. According to the older woman, she was pulling all nighters, one after the other, trying to suss out what happened to Shepard. Although, that fact didn't make him eager to share the tale in the slightest. Might as well get this over with. Garrus sighed and rapped gently on her door. Jane was always so quiet, even with his superior turian hearing he couldn't be certain she was awake.

Half a breath later she answered. "Come in Garrus."

"How'd you know it was me?"

"The pattern when you walk is different." She was sitting atop both feet, knees bent into the floor, polishing that odd shotgun of Krul's. The silver plating against the wooden handle shone, all traces of rust painstakingly removed.

"Right. Well, Nalah tells me you've been researching more about your brother. That you're looking for whomever killed him."

"Yep."

"I don't know how to tell you this so I'm just going to say it. This quest of vengeance your on, it's not possible."

"I know."

"That… that was not the answer I was expecting."

"I'm sorry. I'm not used to trusting people." She paused, laying the weapon down on her desk. "If half the stuff I've read about him is true, then whomever killed Jimmy is out of my league. And unless I'm wrong about you, which I doubt, they're out of yours too. Otherwise, those assholes would be dead already."

Garrus stood in shocked silence for a few minutes. It was easy to forget how clever she was, of course she'd put a few pieces together on her own. He really shouldn't be surprised. "Then why did you ask me to train you? Not that I'm objecting to it. I meant it when I said you should learn how to defend yourself. And yes, yes, I know you can use biotics. But I'm talking about guns, weapons training. It's a necessity in this galaxy."

"I didn't come this far just to die."

"Why do you think you're about to die? Did someone threaten you? What..."

She quickly interrupted his train of thought. "No. But I know there's a threat out there. And I want a chance to survive when they come for me."

"What are you talking about?"

"That's why you're hiding me isn't it? Whomever killed Jimmy will come for me too. They simply don't know where I am. And maybe I won't be able to beat them. But at the very least, I'd like a fighting chance to escape or something. Anything. Hell if I know. You won't even tell me who they are! How am I supposed to prepare for that?" Her eyes narrowed. Angry. It was a look he was unaccustomed to seeing on her face.

"Jane…."

"Well? Are you? Will you finally just tell me who they are? Was he betrayed by a friend? Someone he never saw it coming from? Did The Hegemony put out a hit on him? I read about Torfan…."

"You'll never believe it."

"I won't if you never tell me."

Garrus strode over and sat down at the end of the bed with a heavy sigh. "If you insist, I'll tell you the whole blasted story. But we're going to be here for awhile. Better get comfortable."

So he laid the whole thing out. Every element. The race from Feros to Ilos. The rachni queen dissolving in acid. Discovering Saren was indoctrinated. He didn't spare a single detail, not even the heartbreaking decision to leave Ash behind. And as time went on, the deeper he delved into the story, the more he realized what a respite it was to talk about. The reapers were a constant menace at the back of his mind. Ever present. Ceaselessly reminding him that time was short. He found himself relieved to share the burden.

Jane sat in an incredibly uncomfortable looking monkey pose. Patiently listening. Absorbing every detail. As he spoke, he could see the cogs turning. She wasn't laughing or calling him insane. Instead, she worked through the plethora of information he threw at her, chewing her lip deep in thought. Finally, after hours, he detailed the attack. Arriving on Alchera. Discovering Shepard hadn't made it off The Normandy. Although, he chose to leave out one thing – his own guilt. That gnawing wish that he'd have dragged the stubborn man to an escape pod. Never in his wildest dreams would he have pictured Shepard failing to flee in time.

"That's about the long and short of it. No one is certain who attacked us. But I got a decent look at the ship from my escape pod. It was massive. I'd bet good creds that it was sent by the reapers."

Jane was leaning forward, elbow to knee, head resting in a palm. "A race of sentient starships, hell bent on destroying everything and everyone. Well, that's just perfect."

"So you… you really believe me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"No one else did. The leaders of the galaxy, even when presented with every drop of evidence we could scrounge up, called us insane."

Jane snorted. "It fits wonderfully if you ask me. I finally escape slavery only to find out there's something even more daunting on the horizon. Something capable of brainwashing people in a similar fashion to chipping? That's just my luck."

"Now you sound like me."

"You're a cynic? I'd never have guessed."

"Well, I mean, I'm a leader. If I don't keep morale up, our mission on Omega will suffer."

"Why are you doing this anyhow? Not that I'm objecting. I'd still be on that ship if it weren't for you." Jane shuddered and looked away. The woman was petite certainly, but she never seemed so small as that moment.

Garrus squeezed her shoulder. It was a gesture he'd come to learn meant comfort to humans and one Jane welcomed. "Honestly, it's the only thing I can do. I wanted to help people, bring some hope into the galaxy before it goes belly up."

"And you're the only one in this base who knows?"

"Not counting you, yes."

"Mm. You shouldn't be alone with something this immense. Stuff like that will eat you up if you let it."

"I suppose. But I didn't see the point in telling people when there's little to nothing that can be done. We live the best lives we can until that day. Unfortunately, it's all we can do."

"So no one is preparing?"

"Anderson is doing… something. It was classified, so he couldn't talk about it. But he didn't sound very hopeful."

"Okay, I have to ask. Who the hell is this Anderson guy? And why does he keep trying to send me money?"

Garrus chuckled. "You know, most people would be ecstatic at the prospect of free creds."

"Do I strike you as 'most people?'"

"Definitely not. You're… true. Proud. Like even if you didn't agree with me, you'd tell me straight up, instead of dancing around the issue. As for Anderson, your brother served under him for years. They were pretty close. Beyond that, I don't know much, except that he's trustworthy."

"It's not about trust. I just don't like owing people."

"He doesn't want anything in return. The man was fairly adamant regarding that."

"That's… Yeah. That just makes it weirder. But it reminds me, I was wondering if you and the guys had some time on the 27th. If not, it's fine. I'll figure something out….. But I have a gig."

"A gig?"

"I sent a few of my songs to the owner of an out-of-the-way nightclub. Long story short, he hired me for a night. Since I won't have my inhibitor chip out for a couple months, I was hoping you could watch my back."

"We'll be there. Did you really think I'd let you wander around Omega alone?"

"Let me huh? Just you wait til I get this inhibitor out."

"Biotics are cool and all but I've seen you shoot."

"You could help me in that regard you know."

"Before Mordin clears you for weapons training? Perish the thought! I'd wake up to him and an army of mechs at my door. I can hear him shrieking now. 'Archangel! What doing with Jane?! Girl not ready. Told you must have fully healed leg. Hand Jane over now or be obliterated!'"

Jane snickered. "That was the worst Mordin impression ever."

"You think so? And here I wanted to be a voice actor, star in some big anime movie. Become famous. Live on a tropical island…."

"I wouldn't quit your day job."

"Dashing my hopes and dreams! You are a cruel, cruel woman."

She slid sideways onto the floor, laughing too hard to even sit up.

That evening, when Garrus retired for night, he drifted off to sleep faster than he had since the destruction of The Normandy. Maybe Jane was right. Being alone with the knowledge that the reapers would one day devour the galaxy hadn't been best way to live. And for the first time in a long while, Garrus felt something akin to peace.