Running Silent:

Fleet at War

…

An alternate ME3. Commander Shepard and her team are on the run from Cerberus and trying to make alliances before it's too late. In a galaxy with no reaper kill switch, how can they hope to defeat something so ancient and powerful? Their last hope is a desperate plan that may cost them everything. Shepard/Garrus, other side pairings.

…

Disclaimer: This author in no way profits from the writing of this story. All characters, dialogue, or other referenced material from the Mass Effect trilogy belong to Bioware.

…

It took nearly an hour to calm Tali down. In fits and starts, Shepard and Garrus managed to get the story out of her. The Migrant Fleet called Tali in desperation, hoping the Normandy could provide some kind of aid. The geth seemed to attack out of nowhere, for seemingly no reason. The admirals had sworn up and down that they'd done nothing to provoke the geth, still afraid of Tali or Koris releasing the footage of their call with Legion.

Shepard couldn't understand it. Had she been wrong about everything? Had she been lied to? Had she misunderstood?

While Tali was still in Shepard's quarters, EDI interrupted again.

"Commander, you have a call from Legion." Even the AI couldn't hide the wonder in her voice.

Tali, sandwiched between her two friends, gripped Shepard's hand at EDI's words.

Shepard nodded and stood, gently untangling her hand from Tali's. "Stay here with Garrus," she said gently. "EDI, please reroute the call to my quarters. I'll take it at my desk."

Though she was out of uniform, Shepard looked as much the commander as ever, standing ramrod-straight in front of her terminal. Her arms were folded across her chest and her face was an expressionless mask. "Put him through, EDI."

"Shepard-Commander!" Legion said, urgency in his robotic voice. He was in a dark, small place that Shepard couldn't recognize.

"I hope you can explain what the hell your people think they're doing," Shepard said, her voice cold as ice.

"This unit tried to stop it," Legion said, sounding almost distressed. "Shepard-Commander, the reapers have taken the geth." And from there he wove a tale of the reapers making contact with the geth. There was division between their runtimes, whether to take what the reapers were offering or whether to make their own way. The reapers were uninterested in wasting time with debates and protests. Before a consensus could be reached, they forcibly took control.

"This platform is separate," Legion said. "The reapers' virus did not reach it. The reapers engaged in a physical attack. We request aid." His head flaps shifted. "This ship is inadequate. The engines have been damaged. We are drifting."

Shepard nodded sharply. "What are your coordinates?" she asked.

Legion gave them, and Shepard signed off.

Tali was up immediately, shaking off Garrus's arm around her shoulder. "What if it's a trap?" she demanded. "What if he's lying? This could be a ploy to capture the Normandy and you," she said passionately. "We can't chance it."

Shepard shook her head. "Legion might be our only way to break the reapers' hold on the geth. We need him. We'll be extremely careful, Tali. I promise you."

Tali stared at Shepard for a long moment. "I trust you," she said finally. "But I can't trust Legion. Not now." She moved towards the door. "I'll be in my quarters," she said and left.

Shepard sat down heavily in her desk chair, her mind racing a hundred different directions. What took priority here? They had a ship full of the shadow broker's crew that needed to find a new ship, a rachni emissary that needed to meet up with the Alliance, and two distress signals sent within an hour.

Garrus came up the stairs to stand behind her, using his strong fingers to massage her shoulders. "Thank goodness for you, Garrus," she said quietly. At least she had one thing to count on.

"We're all here for you, Shepard," he said. "Do you want me to call a meeting?"

"That sounds like a good idea," she agreed. "EDI, can you give Joker the coordinates for Legion? And let him know to keep an eye out for traps."

"Yes, Commander."

Garrus's fingers slipped away. "I'll let all the usual suspects know about the meeting. Here?" he asked.

She nodded. "Half an hour. That will give me time to finish dinner at least." She tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace.

"We'll get it done," Garrus said, giving her shoulder one last squeeze before heading for the door.

Shepard walked down to the lower level and plopped onto the sofa in front of her meal. She sighed. She'd rather lost her appetite.

…

An hour later, Shepard felt a little less disorganized. At least they had a plan in place. There was an Alliance ship they could rendezvous with on their route to pick up Legion who could take the Rachni emissary and some of Liara's crew.

"After all," Liara had said, "I will not need such a large crew for a smaller ship." They'd be agents in the field now—she'd lost some to the reaper invasion and could always use more.

Liara, her father, and whoever she decided to keep on would remain on the Normandy for now. It would take a few days to hunt down a new ship, or so Liara believed.

Miranda had shared Tali's worry about Legion's message being a trap. Shepard intended that they would take precautions, but she felt certain he was telling the truth. Her instincts rarely let her down.

Afterwards, Shepard went down to check on Tali again, who'd sat out the meeting by choice. She reassured Shepard that she would be alright, she just needed some time to herself. Worried, but respectful of her friend's boundaries, Shepard returned to her cabin.

She blinked when she saw Garrus laying towels over the bed.

"What is this?" she asked curiously.

Garrus turned, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort. "A surprise. Something to relax you." He coughed awkwardly. "I hope."

He motioned to the bedside table, upon which sat a few bottles of differently scented massage oil.

Shepard's brows shot up, even as a smile started to spread her lips. "Do you even know how to—" She stopped herself, shaking her head. "Let me guess. You watched vids?" Her smile grew as a tinge of blue rose on his neck.

"Lay down," he said, motioning to the towels. "You can tell me if the vids were any good."

Shepard stripped out of her gear and laid down on the towels that covered the bed, closing her eyes as she smiled in anticipation. She could hear him moving about, opening one of the bottles. After a moment, a large hand, rougher than a human's, came to rest in the center of her back before beginning to move in gentle circles. She couldn't help but sigh as the touch relaxed her. Slowly he increased the pressure until she was groaning at the stretching of her overused muscles.

"Good?" he asked in her ear.

"Fantastic," she said.

She heard another bottle open, and this time when he touched her skin, a cool tingling followed. He pressed a little harder, loosening the knots that had formed in her neck and shoulders. He even ran his strong hands down her arms and legs.

The third bottle he opened created a lovely warmth everywhere his hands touched. Shepard couldn't help thinking about how lucky she was. She couldn't imagine having a kinder, more caring partner than Garrus. He was always looking for a new way to spoil her and surprise her, in whatever way she would let him. When she was young, she had never imagined herself falling in love with an alien. How could she, a sheltered child on a backwater colony? But now she couldn't imagine her life with anyone else.

His strong hands were still massaging her, making that delicious warmth rise all over her body. Warmth was rising somewhere else, too. The next time his hands lifted, she rolled over.

Garrus looked down at her in surprise from the edge of the bed. "I wasn't done," he said, looking a bit confused.

"I know," she said, smiling just because she was looking at him. "You are the best boyfriend—best mate," she corrected herself, "in the galaxy. Did you know that?"

He looked uncomfortable. "I don't think—"

"Trust me," she interrupted, unwilling to hear his protests.

He blinked down at her a moment, and she opened her arms to him. Understanding her need, he climbed onto the bed with her. She took his momentum to roll him over, his fringe hanging off the edge of the bed. I love you, she wanted to say, but she was still somehow afraid. Instead, she pressed her lips to his mouth and kissed him with abandon. He responded as much as his turian lips would allow, his still-oiled hands coming to grip her rear. She could feel his plates, already loose, beginning to separate.

After a few minutes, Shepard pulled back, a smirk on her face. "Are your oils sex safe?" she asked. After a moment, he smirked back, reaching for the warming oil again.

"Holy shit," Shepard sighed as his finger slipped inside of her, coated in the warming oil. The heat that had been building there skyrocketed. She needed him. She couldn't wait.

With little warning, she pulled Garrus's hand away and impaled herself on his cock. She moaned as he stretched her, friction and heat coming together for an indescribable experience. Garrus's eyes widened as the warming oil started to affect him too.

"I'm not going to last," he gasped out as she rode him, up and down, up and down.

"That's okay," she said, giving a breathy laugh. "Me either." She planted her hands on his plated chest as she moved, sliding faster and faster until neither could take it anymore. His hands squeezed her ass hard as she came, but she barely felt it, wrapped up in her own wave of pleasure.

After a moment she slipped off and collapsed down beside him, breathing hard and still hot inside.

"God, I hope you're up for a round two," she said after a minute.

Garrus grinned at her, all sharp eyes and predator's teeth. "Do you want to try the other oil now?"

Shepard shuddered. "Hell yes."

…

Shepard and Miranda stood behind Joker's chair, staring out through the viewports. Inky black space was all that could be seen. The stars were nothing but pinpricks in the distance.

"Anything, EDI?" Shepard asked tensely.

"No sign of life but Legion's signal, Shepard," the AI replied. "Deep space scanners are active."

"Stay alert for anything out of the ordinary," Shepard commanded. "Even after we reach Legion's rendezvous point." Even if he had been truthful, he could have been followed.

Several minutes of silence followed, with the only interruptions being EDI or Joker's updates on their tracking of Legion's signal.

Shepard could feel the tension radiating off of Miranda, who had been angry that they'd come at all. The XO's manicured fingernails dug into the leather of the copilot's seat, uncharacteristic for Miranda who was usually conscientious about even the slightest damage to the ships's finely appointed interior.

"He's drifting like a drunken hanar, but we're locked on now," Joker said. "We'll intercept within three minutes."

Eventually a battered geth fighter came into view. Legion had understated his situation—far more than just the engine had been damaged. Joker was required to do some very careful maneuvering to position the Normandy correctly for Legion to come aboard.

Once the geth was confirmed inside the airlock, Shepard nodded decisively. "Get us out of here, Joker."

She turned and headed down to meet him. Legion had been up close and personal with the reapers, might know something of their plan for the geth and quarians. And she needed all the information she could get.

…

Tali hid when the quarian admirals arrived. She'd been the one to try and stop this war. She'd been the one to blackmail them to hold back. She couldn't face them now.

Garrus, too, was kept away for his part in it as well. He didn't like it, Shepard facing the admirals without him to back her up, but she had the others. She wasn't alone, not with Miranda and her crew at her back. Legion, who would have liked to explain himself, was convinced by Shepard not to do so just yet. She could explain the truth just as well without him. All his presence would do was start a fight. They'd only just repaired the CIC from the Cerberus incursion a while back. Shepard would hate to have to do so again.

It turned out to be a good plan—Shepard hadn't underestimated the admirals' anger. "We could have struck first!" Gerrel argued. "And not been caught off guard. Now our liveships are trapped under threat of their dreadnoughts. This is a nightmare for our people."

"Commander, the quarians never intended to create a true AI. It was an accident," Admiral Raan said. "All we did was tried to correct that."

Shepard scoffed. "Lots of children are accidents, Admiral. We still don't try to murder them for it."

"They've proven themselves unworthy of life!" Jorah argued. "They're trying to kill us all."

"They have clearly learned to lie," Xen added. "I would love to study one."

Shepard raised her hands for silence. "The geth you spoke with didn't lie. Their people have been hacked, taken over by the reapers. The reapers are the source of this assault. They're only using the geth to do it."

"That's even worse!" cried Jorah. "If they are so susceptible to the reapers, then they are too dangerous to be left in existence."

"None of this arguing is saving our liveships right now," Raan said. "We can argue after they're saved."

"What specifically seems to be the problem with the liveships?" Shepard asked.

The admirals explained that, despite the large numbers of geth fighters, each group seemed to have a hub originating from a nearby dreadnought.

"There is one group terrorizing the liveships," Koris explained. "We must take out the dreadnought, or at least the geth hub within it. Without their neural network, the geth will fall into disarray. We believe this will give our civilian ships time enough to escape."

Shepard nodded. "I'll take care of it. But first, I need you to meet who I'm working with. And if shots are fired within my ship, you will regret it." She glared at them each in turn. "Legion, come on out."

The geth stepped into the room, and all hell broke loose. No shots were fired, but it was a close call.

…

Garrus listened to the Vaenia soundtrack through his visor as he worked on the Normandy's weapons system. He could focus on the numbers in front of him and forget about the geth and quarians, forget about the advice he'd been forced to give the primarch. Forget about the death and destruction everywhere. Right now it was just him, the console, and the gun he was trying to perfect.

Until EDI interrupted him.

"Garrus? I believe Shepard needs your help."

His head shot up at this, and he shut down the console immediately.

"What does she need? Should I suit up?" Last he heard, she was heading out with Tali and Legion to board a geth dreadnought. It was unusual for her to request a second team, but it was possible they were facing more geth than expected.

"I do not believe that is necessary," EDI replied. "Shepard is attempting to reach the ship via a derelict docking tube in order to open a usable port from the inside. Her heart rate and breathing are reaching a problematic rate. I hoped that speaking with a loved one could calm her down."

It took Garrus a moment to parse through and understand what EDI was telling him. "She's doing a spacewalk?" he asked, incredulous, adding quietly, "She doesn't even like to wear her helmet." Not since Alchera. "Patch me through," he said urgently, his hands now tightening on the edge of the console.

Damn it, Shepard. Why couldn't she have let someone else do this part? Someone who hadn't died in space once already?

"Garrus," he heard softly in his ear. He could tell she was trying to control her ragged breathing. "Do you need something?"

"Only to hear your voice. How are you doing, Jane?" he asked gently.

"Peachy," she said through gritted teeth.

"You don't need to lie to me," he said. "You're going to be fine. It will be over soon."

"I know," she said, her voice harsh. But her breathing seemed like it was slowing down slightly. "No need to baby me, Garrus. I know what I'm doing."

"You always do," he said, admiring her courage as much as he cursed her stubbornness. "But you didn't have to do it alone."

She was silent a moment. "How is your calibration going? Firing algorithms giving you much trouble?"

He smiled a little at her distraction attempt, but played along. "Not too much trouble. Machines are so much more straightforward than people, you know."

"I don't know about that," she said. "They always seemed more confusing to me." There was a sharp catch in her breath after this, that made Garrus's heart jump into his throat.

"Jane?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," she said, breathing a little harder. "The end of the docking tube broke off, but I'm fine."

"Damn it, Jane," Garrus said quietly. "Anyone else could have gone."

"I'm the commander," she said, stubborn as ever.

"Which is why you can delegate," he replied. "You know I'd do anything you ask."

"I know," she said wryly. "Which is why I hate to ask."

Before he could formulate a reply, he heard Shepard let out a sigh. "I got the hatch open," she said. "Heading inside."

He could hear the sounds of her taking off her helmet. Her breathing slowed and quieted. "Garrus? Thank you."

He felt himself relax. "Anytime, you know that. Now go kick some ass."

"Will do, baby."

He turned off his comm, but left the line open so that he could hear the mission as he got back to work. It didn't get his mind off of the war, not like the music had, but it was comforting to hear her voice.

…

By the time Tali and Legion joined Shepard inside the geth dreadnought, she was her confident self again. She could shake off the fear of earlier, at least for the time being. She had no doubt that tonight would be one of the nights she woke up breathless, but what mattered was getting through the mission. She could face the nightmares as they came.

"Where exactly are we headed?" she asked Legion as Tali studiously ignored him.

"The geth hub will be at the center of the dreadnought, in the drive core," Legion replied. "The most secure part of the ship. We will most likely attract notice before reaching it, however."

Legion was correct—it wasn't long before they faced resistance. Thus far it wasn't anything they hadn't faced before. Standard geth units weren't much more than a bit of exercise, in Shepard's mind. But once they reached an operations center on their way, they realized there was a greater obstacle.

"They've locked down the core," Tali said grimly. "We can't get through."

"All standard routes are blocked," Legion said.

"What about alternate routes?" Shepard asked. "Is there any way they wouldn't expect?"

Tali shifted, leaning over the holographic map. "This may sound crazy, but… what about the main battery? The firing chamber runs the length of the ship and meets up with the drive core."

Shepard eyed the map. "We'd be putting ourselves essentially in front of their gun… or at least in front of the electrical charge that powers it. Do we have any alternatives?"

"We see no additional routes, Shepard-Commander," Legion answered.

"Me either," Tali confessed, glancing at Legion in annoyance.

Shepard shook her head. "Guess we're going through the battery. Bur first, we need to get out of this room before more geth units arrive."

They made their way towards the main battery, fighting geth units along the way. More than once did Shepard barely dodge rocket fire. They were becoming more and more aggressive, sending more powerful units the deeper they delved into the ship.

Shepard only found some relief once they had entered the main battery. It was massive, like nothing she'd ever seen. The arched ceiling was high above them, shining metal under low light. The access pathways were empty; the geth hadn't expected them to come this way. It wouldn't be long, though, before they were discovered again.

"Let's move," she ordered.

Not more than ten seconds after they entered the core, Shepard heard a fizzling sound coming from the far end, the direction they were headed in. Staring that way, she saw static sparks in the air, flying their way. A low rumble followed.

"Take cover!" she cried, ducking behind a low wall. An instant later, her kinetic shield shuddered and she felt the strangest wave of electricity surge through her.

"Tali? Legion? You okay?" she asked, standing slowly. She looked around.

"I think that shorted out my suit for a moment!" Tali said in worried surprise.

"This unit remains in operating condition," Legion said, adding, "We do not recommend repeated exposure to the cannon."

"No," Shepard agreed, looking around. "Next time you hear that sound, make for the nearest side chamber. All the data consoles are there, they must be shielded." Every fifty feet or so was another alcove containing the computers that maintained the ship's gun. No doubt those were safe places to shelter. "Let's go quickly," she commanded.

The electrical charge came often, forcing Shepard's team repeatedly to the alcoves and stalling their progress. This was complicated by the addition of more geth units.

It was chaos. Rockets, bullets, and biotics went flying. Tali sent out her newest drone as an attempt to distract the geth when they had to run for cover. Shepard panted as she ran, shouting orders to her companions. Legion was a perfect shot, but she would have rather had Garrus by her side. They worked together seamlessly, as if he could read her mind. Legion was efficient, perfectly so, but it just wasn't the same.

Not to mention the disconnect between Tali and Legion. Legion could take care of himself, but Tali, who was known for being protective of her teammates, was completely leaving him out to dry. If Shepard wanted someone watching his back, she had to make sure of it herself. Perhaps it was this distraction that resulted in the shot Shepard took to her thigh.

She cried out as she went down, Tali's bright eyes widening behind her helmet as she ran for her. Legion took out the last couple of geth in the wave before joining them.

Tali dragged Shepard into an alcove before the cannon fired again. Her hands fluttered over the bleeding hole in Shepard's armor. Shepard clenched her jaw as the medi-gel finally flowed in.

From above her, Legion spoke. "It is a flesh wound, Creator Tali Zorah. Shepard-Commander's injury is minor."

"I know that!" Tali snapped angrily. "Back off!"

"Tali," Shepard said through gritted teeth. "Enough."

The quarian's shoulder's sagged slightly. "Sorry. Looks like the bleeding has tapered off."

Shepard nodded, relaxing slightly as she began to feel some relief. "Through-and-through. Medi-gel is doing its job. Help me up?"

"Are you ready?" Tali asked uncertainly.

"I have to be," Shepard said. "Legion?"

The geth fired a single shot from his rifle. "Another wave has arrived, Shepard-Commander."

At that, Tali hesitated no longer and hauled Shepard onto her feet. Medi-gel was a brilliant invention.

Though she moved a little more slowly now, Shepard continued to make steady progress until they reached the end of the battery and finally had access to the core.

"How do we shut down the hub?" Shepard asked as Legion unlocked the door.

"There is a control panel. With the help of Creator Tali Zorah we can break the encryption."

At Shepard's look, Tali nodded, and the door slid open.

The room opened up to show at least two dozen consoles running. A mass effect core, not unlike the Normandy's but rather more massive, was visible at the far end of the chamber glowing and pulsing like a heartbeat. The ship's underlying hum was louder here, but as the door closed behind them, they could barely hear the sound of the cannon anymore. It felt oddly separate, sheltered, from the rest of the geth dreadnought.

Shepard watched as Tali and Legion moved about the room with care and expertise, flitting from one console to another, until they found the one they were searching for at the far end of the room.

"All doors to this room are locked, Shepard-Commander," Legion stated as she approached. "We recommend utilizing a maintenance shaft to evacuate once Creator Tali Zorah has completed shutting down the hub."

Tali raised her head from the console, fingers still flying. "I have another idea," she began. "What if we disable the drive core? Automatic processes will still run, but the geth units won't be able to coordinate. This puts them even more at our mercy."

Shepard shrugged. "If you can do it quickly. I trust you, Tali."

A few more tense minutes passed before Tali crowed, "Got it!" And then the core began to dim, light fading away like a dying star.

Shepard tapped her comm. "Admirals, we've shut down the drive core powering the dreadnought. The geth hub will be without power momentarily. You need to get your people out of here before they get this thing up and running again. We're on our way back to the Normandy."

"Thank you, Commander," came Koris's voice over her comm. "We'll get the liveships safely to the relay."

Shepard turned back to her team. "Legion? Show me that maintenance shaft."

"This way, Shepard-Commander." Legion turned, leading them towards a corner of the room.

Suddenly, there was a crushing blast of noise, and the ship shook violently, throwing them all to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Shepard yelled into her comm as she scrambled quickly to stand, looking around the room.

Admiral Raan's panicked voice came over the line. "Commander, Admiral Gerrel has ordered the heavy fleet to begin firing on the dreadnought! He wants to take it out permanently."

"Would you mind telling him we're still onboard?" Shepard growled.

Another booming sound and the room was rattled a second time. Better prepared, Shepard was able to brace herself and keep from falling.

"He knows," Raan said, sounding fearful. "I'm sorry, Commander."

Shepard met Tali's scared eyes, and forced herself to breathe. Suddenly, their situation had become much more dire.

…

A/N: Hi readers, I wanted to give you a heads-up that posting on this story could become sporadic in the upcoming months as I'm expecting a baby at the end of this month! However, please be comforted that I'm not going to abandon the story! I have never abandoned a story yet and don't plan to start now.