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Shepard turned from Garrus and looked out the window of the shuttle, recoiling as she saw the destruction below them. "This is Earth?" she whispered, mostly to herself. "I barely even recognize it."
"There's a lot of that going around," Garrus agreed, remembering the bright orange glow of the burning cities of Palaven, seen from the moon just before he left it—possibly forever. Would he ever see his home planet again? Would it still exist after today? He had no illusions: If they lost today, the Reapers would have a free hand to destroy the rest of the galaxy. It was the gamble of having brought all the troops they could possibly find to this one place at this one time—it was so much easier to destroy them all.
But he couldn't think that way. Destruction wasn't the only choice today. Victory was possible, too, and he dared not forget that.
"Commander?" Cortez called from the front of the shuttle. "We're getting near the command center. Permission to drop you here and go join the fight?"
"You're going to fight the Reapers in a shuttle, Steve?"
"They're holding a fighter for me, Commander."
Garrus could see Cortez's eagerness to go, and clearly Shepard could, too. "I wouldn't keep you from it, Steve. Make me proud."
"You know it."
"Just … come back in one piece, will you? I've come too far to lose my pilot now—I'm going to need you to take us all home to the Normandy when this is over."
Softly, Cortez said, "It's a promise, Commander. And, Shepard?" He twisted around in his seat long enough to look up at her. "Thanks for making me believe again. If you hadn't …" He cleared his throat. "It helps to have a reason to live again." He turned back to the controls just in time to pull up before hitting a ruined wall.
Shepard squeezed his shoulder briefly, then let him get back to work. The shuttle landed, the doors sliding open, and Shepard and Garrus and Liara climbed out. Garrus thought the man coming toward them looked vaguely familiar, but Shepard clearly knew him well. Her face lit up, and she immediately took a formal stance and saluted. "Admiral."
As she said it, Garrus remembered meeting Anderson on the Citadel, before Saren, even. How long ago that seemed.
"Come on, Shepard, knock that shit off." Anderson reached for her hand, shaking it, then pulled her in for a hug. "I knew you wouldn't let me down."
"It's good to see you, sir."
"And you're a sight for sore eyes. I don't mind telling you, there are a lot of people down here who have lost sleep at night wondering if you would ever get back home. And here you are."
"And here I stay, until this is all over and we've won. How are we shaping up?" Shepard asked.
Anderson gestured around him. "Well, you're looking at what's left of the Resistance. I hope you brought some friends."
Shepard looked up at the sky and smiled. Garrus followed her gaze and saw … ships, appearing one after another. Lots and lots of ships. Shuttles making their way down to the planet's surface. They were here. Shepard had brought the fleets.
"Damn, Shepard. You don't mess around," Anderson said admiringly.
"I got them all here as fast as I could, Admiral. You have no idea how stubborn most of them are."
"No, but I know how stubborn you are. I never doubted you."
"I'm glad somebody didn't."
"Hey," Garrus said mildly, and was rewarded with a brief smile.
"This looks good, though," Shepard told Anderson, gesturing at the forward base around them. "You've been preparing."
"It's been touch and go from the start, but once we figured out they were focusing on the major centers, it became easier to avoid direct contact. I won't tell you everything it took to get this foothold in London, but let's just say a lot of brave people gave their lives for this." He shook his head. "But this is no time to be patting ourselves on the back. This fight is just getting started."
"None of these folks started out together," Garrus told him, watching as the first shuttle landed and a team of asari commandos climbed out. "But they're ready to stand side by side and win this war."
"The famous Garrus Vakarian," Anderson said, looking him over. "It's been a long time."
"Yes, sir. A pleasure to see you again."
"Likewise. Glad to know someone's been looking out for her."
"Always."
Anderson nodded. He watched a salarian shuttle and a large transport that turned out to be carrying elcor land. "Amazing. The entire galaxy united. Too bad it took the Reapers to bring them all together."
"Hopefully they'll remember this when the Reapers are gone," Shepard said.
"It was Shepard who brought them together, sir. The Reapers would only have driven them apart."
Anderson put a hand on Shepard's shoulder. "I know it. I know you didn't like leaving, Shepard, but nobody else could have accomplished what you've done." He shook her shoulder gently. "It'll do the troops good to see you here, bolster their resolve."
"I'm just a soldier, sir, just like anyone else."
"You might see yourself that way, but they don't. Like it or not, Shepard, you are a hero to the men and women on this planet. Don't discount the effect that can have on them."
"Fair enough. And I have to say, it's good to be home, sir. I just …" She looked around at the rubble. "I look forward to putting everything back the way it was."
"You and me both, Shepard. You and me both."
