This story is an AU version of Stardust where Earthborn Shae Shepard was never in the military, the Reapers don't exist, and the whole conflict with Saren was never a thing. Everything prior to Shae joining the Alliance in the original Stardust still happened, but instead of seeking out Anderson when she was leaving her gang, she got on a shuttle to the Citadel to escape. From there, she continued her life of crime as a solo thief on the giant space station.

At the beginning of this story, Garrus is fresh out of his military service and has joined C-Sec. Both he and Shae are several years younger than their ME1 counterparts.

And since this is an AU version of Stardust, Shae's POV can be explored—whereas in the original, everything had to be solely from Garrus' perspective.

Alright, readers—let's get on with it!

Stardust, dATa CoRRuPtEd
 Part I: Rubato

Garrus took a deep breath before leaving his apartment that morning. Today was the beginning of what was likely the rest of his life, and for some reason, he wanted to really remember how he felt. Usually, he dove head-first into a new situation. Afterall, that was how he'd been trained in the military—to "hit the ground running," as the humans said, to be adaptable, resourceful, and ruthless. They were all things he'd been praised for in his military service, and he was proud to have the acknowledgements of his superior officers on his shoulders as he went into his new job at C-Sec.

His father had been an officer with Citadel Security for over twenty years. If Garrus was considered adaptable, resourceful, and ruthless, his father was all of it ten times over. He admired his father for his dedication, and drove himself to achieve all his father had and more. It was what his father wanted for him.

Still, the pressure never failed to overwhelm Garrus sometimes, and he would feel his mind go blank. It had to be some kind of defense mechanism, he thought, some way to involuntarily calm the constant questioning and doubt he had inside him.

But today marked a new era for Garrus—it had to—and it would be one he was determined to thrive in.

He went to the Citadel Tower elevator on the Presidium, taking another deep, cleansing breath as he felt the lift slowly descending below.

When it finally reached its destination, Garrus stepped out and headed for C-Sec headquarters, luckily stationed right near the elevator. He had to report to the main floor to meet with his assigned partner, Decian Chellick. From what little he knew about Chellick, Garrus could say he seemed like a good officer and one that did things by the book—which was all he could have ever asked for in his first partner.

Garrus walked through the halls of C-Sec, carefully observing the officers running about the floor and the ones at their desks, dutifully working at their computers or speaking seriously on their communicators. His eyes settled on a group of people not yet in C-Sec uniforms and guessed they were probably other new hires. Confidently, he strolled over to them, seeing there were two humans and three turians.

"Hello," Garrus greeted politely. "Is this where new recruits meet with their partners?"

One of the turians nodded, "We're waiting for the senior officers to arrive. Some kind of big arrest was just brought in, and it's caused quite a stir." He gestured to the door just ahead of them with the sign indicating it led to interrogation rooms.

"How many were arrested?" Garrus asked curiously.

The same turian answered, shrugging, "Just one, but they seemed like she'd been in here before."

"Many times," one of the humans added. "I heard one of the officers say she would get arrested multiple times a month."

That confused Garrus, "I thought multiple arrests on the Citadel led to harsher charges and sentences. At that rate, she should be on a prison space station serving some major time."

"It isn't for lack of trying," a stern voice said.

Garrus turned and saw a trio of turians that had just stepped out of the interrogation wing. The one who had just spoken was the tallest of the three, only an inch or so taller than Garrus himself. He had pale white-gray skin with sky blue colony markings around his jaw and chin, but his eyes were a bright, serious, striking green.

The turian's eyes narrowed at him, "You must be Garrus Vakarian. I've heard about you—you're to be my partner. My name is Detective Decian Chellick." His vivid green eyes swept over the other recruits, "The rest of you—meet your own partners." He gestured with his hand to the two turians behind him, as well as an asari and two humans that joined them. The groups met and chatted amiably as Chellick once again turned his attention to Garrus. "So, you've studied Citadel laws, I see."

Garrus nodded, "Yes, sir. I can recite the book backwards and forwards if you'd like."

Chellick chuckled and shook his head, "That won't be necessary. I've looked over your records and the recommendations from your commanding officers in the military—I know you know your stuff, Vakarian. I knew your father for a short time before he retired. He was a damn fine member of C-Sec."

"Thank you, sir. I hope to live up to his legacy."

"Build your own, that's my advice," he said seriously. "Set your own bar—not the one presented by the family or from legends. That's what I tell any fresh-faced turian that walks in here." Chellick shrugged, sighing, "We turians… we're a strict people, but it doesn't hurt to cut our own path every now and then—especially in a job like this."

Garrus nodded, "I couldn't agree more." It seemed like Chellick was exactly the kind of partner he'd hoped for, and the kind of philosophy he'd wanted to adhere to.

Chellick murmured, pleased by that answer. "Good to hear," he said cheerfully. "Now, if you'll follow me, I'll take you to get your uniform."

Garrus eagerly did so, feeling his nerves settle after the interaction. He felt much more at ease and happy to start working with Chellick.

He was quickly fitted with a brand-new set of light C-Sec armor which he donned immediately, nodding when he finally stepped out of the dressing room, flexing his talons in the gloves and bracers.

Chellick observed him approvingly, "It suits you."

"Thank you, sir," Garrus said, meaning it. He approached his new partner, standing up straight and putting his arms behind his back, "What's next?"

"Well," Chellick chuckled softly, "we're going to talk to that woman that was just arrested. She's… somewhat famous around here."

"I look forward to meeting her," Garrus replied. "What has she done to get such notoriety among C-Sec?"

"Follow me," he answered cryptically. "You should see her before we go in."

Chellick led him into the interrogation wing, walking down a long hall of rooms with one way glass. Garrus made a point to look in each one as they passed, and they finally stopped at the room with the notorious woman inside.

She was a human, much to Garrus' surprise. Her back was to them, but Garrus could see she had wavy, shoulder-length hair. A dark, rich brown that had a mirror-like shine in the harsh lights of the interrogation room. He could also see she was wearing a long black gown—it looked like it was of Earth design. The asari gowns that were popular all over the galaxy were made of a thick, shiny, almost leather-like material, and they had various cut-outs in the front or back. The gown this human was wearing, however, looked like it was made of layers of a thin black gauze. There was a vague floral pattern of opaque black jewels sewn into the dress itself, reaching all the way to the floor. Whatever she was wearing, it looked classy, Garrus thought. But an odd thing to be wearing in the morning… how long has she been in custody?

"Her name is Shae," Chellick said as they looked at her. "Shae Shepard, but she prefers to just go by her first name only. She first came to the Citadel years ago, when she just turned eighteen. She'd managed to escape some kind of conflict with a gang she was in back on Earth—the gang boss was arrested and he sold out all the former members, including Shae here."

Garrus nodded, "And I'm guessing she wasn't extradited back to Earth, or imprisoned on the Citadel, because she turned eighteen while on the shuttle here. Any crimes she may have committed as a minor on Earth would be null and void once she reached Council space."

"Exactly," Chellick confirmed. "You're sharp, Vakarian."

"I do my reading," he said with a shrug. He went on, "And I'm assuming she had all the right credentials and funds to receive citizenship and residence on the Citadel once she arrived?"

"Yes—everything was flawless. Everyone is convinced they're forgeries, but if they are, they're the most impeccable works I've ever seen. There's absolutely no proof that they're fake." Chellick gave a short laugh, crossing his arms, "I have to admit—the girl's a damn fine criminal."

"What was this gang of hers involved in?" Garrus asked, curiously.

"Drugs, mostly—but from what I can tell, Shae wasn't involved in that part of the operation. The police on Earth—that's what they call their security force on the human homeworld—they seemed to think she was, but the amount of credits they'd pooled for the amount of drugs they claimed to sell didn't add up…"

"Interesting…"

Chellick nodded, "So I researched what else was happening in that gang's area of operation, and I found all kinds of strange happenings." He looked at Garrus, "Jewelry stores, museums with priceless artifacts, political campaign funds, corporate CEOs homes and personal bank accounts—all robbed within weeks or months of each other, sometimes years even. All of them with no leads on who'd done them, no suspects at all." He shrugged, "Now, I know that can all be coincidental—but when I kept up with researching that particular area on Earth after Shae's arrival, those meticulously-planned heists all seemed to dry up. Then… they started happening here."

"So she's quite the thief," Garrus said. "And a gifted hacker as well." He paused, looking back at her through the glass, "Do you think she set up her gang somehow?"

"That's what I'm thinking," Chellick agreed. "The timing of her arrival and their downfall is far too perfect to be a coincidence." He sighed, "But I doubt any of that matters now. Unless we can get a hold of any former members of the 'Tenth Street Reds,' I doubt we'll get any further insights on Shae's past. Either that or she tells us herself, and well… that doesn't seem likely. You'll see what I mean."

Garrus watched Shae sitting quietly. She seemed completely calm, even a bit aloof to her current situation. She shifted in her seat a little, and he caught a glimpse of her wrists.

"Are those… metal handcuffs?" he asked, almost laughing.

Chellick did laugh, "Like you said, she's obviously a talented hacker. She kept getting out of the omni-cuffs when we'd arrest her, so we had to dig out those ancient things to keep her contained."

"You mean she tried to escape?" Garrus said, surprised.

"No, that's the thing," Chellick said, shaking his head. "She would just wait patiently for whomever would interrogate her that day. Cameras never caught her hacking the omni-cuffs either—so there was never any proof that she'd tampered with our tech. One second they were on her wrists, and then they weren't. If there was any footage of her hacking those off, she would absolutely be charged with impeding an investigation."

"Any cybernetics?"

"Not that we can tell for the moment—there's talk of improving our scanners at the spaceports, so we can analyze any new people arriving on the Citadel. We'd also improve the ones here at C-Sec where we bring in our arrests. I keep pushing for those, but the Executor won't present the idea to the Council, who would need to approve a project like that." Chellick looked to the ground, shaking his head.

"So why is Shae here today? What did she do?" Garrus asked him curiously. "She certainly isn't dressed for morning errands."

"She was arrested in the lower wards. There was a gala for a new casino opening last night, and those tend to run into the early hours of the morning. Someone had been skimming gamblers' winnings off their credit chits throughout the entire night. The people who'd been robbed assumed it was the casino shorting their payouts, but I had a suspicion—and behold, who was present at the party for the entire evening? Shae. In plain sight of all cameras, security, and the gamblers themselves." Chellick stared, looking impressed again, "And before you ask, everyone was thoroughly scanned, omni-tools checked, and any miscellaneous tech had to be left at the door before entry. Shae had nothing on her. She always has nothing on her—she lets us check her apartment, and nothing."

"Are you not worried she'll press charges for wrongful detainment?" Garrus asked.

Chellick shook his head, "Oh no. She likes talking to us." He shrugged, "I think she likes me in particular. I'm always the one that has to make a point to interrogate her before we let her go. Sometimes she'll call her fussy volus lawyer, or he shows up if he's heard about her arrest, but she's never threatened us with anything." Chellick turned to Garrus, jerking his head towards Shae's room, "You want to meet her?"

Garrus nodded enthusiastically, "Please. She sounds like a fascinating woman."

Chellick chuckled, typing on the lockpad for the room, "She is that." The door whooshed open and then shut behind them, and Shae didn't flinch at all.

She turned in her chair slightly, watching as they came and sat in front of her, "Well, well… if it isn't my favorite detective. How are you, Chellick?"

"I'm doing just fine, Miss Shepard," he answered.

Shae tutted her tongue, shaking her head at him, "How many times do I have to tell you, detective? It's Shae." Her eyes settled on Garrus, and she smiled gently at him, "And who might you be, handsome?"

"I'm Garrus Vakarian, newly appointed partner to Detective Chellick here," he told her with a polite nod.

Seeing her up close, Shae had a bewitching quality about her. Her skin was pale and flawless—smooth like silk, he guessed. Her eyes were an unusual silver-blue, and he found he couldn't stop staring in them. She seemed to be wearing some kind of human makeup around her eyes, a slick black that swept outward and ended in a dagger-sharp point. It only enhanced the intensity of her gaze. Her light pink lips were pulled in a slightly amused smile as she looked at Garrus, and he could see there was a soft sheen to them. The scent she wore was subtle—something floral and fresh that reminded him of something back home. Her dark wavy hair framed her face, and one side was pulled back with an ornately jeweled clip. She was stunning, mysterious, and elegant.

Chellick leaned forward, looking between the two of them, "Handsome? I was under the impression that humans think all turians look alike."

Shae turned her attention back to Chellick, feigning a hurt look, "You really think I'm that shallow, detective? I thought we were friends."

"Oh, Miss Shepard—you know I can't play favorites with the people we bring in. I'm a professional."

She quirked an eyebrow, leaning back in her chair, "Of course…"

"And I must say, you did request to see me the last few times you've been here," Chellick reminded her.

"Only so I could stare into those fiery emerald eyes of yours, detective," Shae flirted. But then she turned to Garrus again, "However, now I think you have some competition with your partner here. Such an intense blue—you're a pensive man, aren't you, Garrus Vakarian?"

Hearing her say his name did something to him, but he wasn't quite sure what it was…

"I suppose so," he answered, half-shrugging. "I am my father's son."

She smiled at that, leaning forward and resting her chin on her cuffed hand, "Is that so? Tell me about him."

Before Garrus could say anything else, Chellick put up a hand, "Let's not get sidetracked here. Miss Shepard, you were present at the Glamour Casino's grand opening last night and a lot of the attendees were robbed of their winnings—yet you yourself were not."

"I was very lucky," Shae said, nodding solemnly.

"Were you?" Chellick asked, sitting back in his seat. "The casino employees said you never came in to cash in any winnings. Didn't you gamble?"

"Oh no," she said with a wave of her hand, as if she were completely oblivious to the metal cuffs around her wrists. "I don't gamble at all, detective. Games of chance are far too stressful for me."

Garrus chuckled, and then awkwardly stifled it into his fist when Chellick gave him a look.

"It's odd you were attending a gala at a casino, then," he went on.

Shae gestured to herself, to her hair and dress, "For me? Absolutely not. I never pass up any opportunity to polish myself up and stand out at a lavish black tie party."

"Something tells me it's not hard for you to stand out in a crowd," Garrus said.

She grinned at him, showing her sparkling white teeth, "You flirt."

Chellick sighed, annoyed, "Miss Shep—"

At that moment, the door to the interrogation room shot open, revealing a squatty volus in a black and gold enviro-suit. "Detective Chellick!" the volus exclaimed angrily, waddling into the room to stand at Shae's side. "How many times—hccck—do I need to warn you—hccck—not to speak to my client—hccck—without me present?!" His head turned to the table, and he appeared to see her handcuffs, "And you've—hccck—detained her like this—hccck—for FIVE HOURS?! Uncuff her—hccck—immediately!"

"Neltan," Shae said, smiling down at him. "You've come to my rescue once again."

It was hard for Garrus to tell, but the volus seemed to look up at her in exasperation, "Shae, darling—hccck—you need to call me—hccck—as soon as you get arrested." He touched her arm gently, "Are you—hccck—alright, dear?"

She waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, I'm perfectly fine, Neltan. Besides, if I called you down here, you would never have let me see my favorite detective." Her eyes met Garrus', "And I never would have met his charming partner."

Neltan sighed, "Regardless—hccck—I really should be present."

Chellick began to unlock Shae's cuffs, "Miss Shepard, you're free to go."

"Lack of evidence again, I see," Neltan scolded, shaking his head. "Come now, Shae—hccck—let's get you out of here—hccck—before they violate any more of your freedoms."

Shae stood, and Garrus followed suit, surprised to find she was almost as tall as him. His eyes followed down her beautiful dress, down the slit placed high against her thigh—to see her shoes, which were partly the reason she was nearly his height. They were black, with an open tip to reveal part of her feet. The front end of the shoe had a thick platform while the back end of it was a slim spike. Her legs were long, muscular, and a creamy white color like the rest of her skin. When his eyes drifted back up to her face, she was smiling that soft, mysterious smile of hers at him.

"You should see me dance," she told him. "I'm performing here on the Presidium in a week. I'll leave tickets for you at the box office if you decide to come."

"I'll-I'll think about that," Garrus told her.

Shae's smile softened, "Please do."

Before anyone could say anything else, her volus lawyer was ushering her out the door with a look over his shoulder at Chellick. As she walked away, Garrus let his eyes drift over her again, settling on the alluring curve of her backside.

"Vakarian," Chellick blurted, startling him out of his thoughts.

Garrus cleared his throat, "Sir. I apologize for my behavior in that interrogation."

Chellick shrugged, "We weren't going to get anything out of her anyway." He peered at Garrus curiously, folding his arms, "She liked you. She's never invited any of us to her performances before."

"Really?" he asked, a little surprised by that. He cleared his throat again, "What, ah… What kind of dancer is she?"

Chellick let out a booming laugh, "Not the kind you're clearly thinking of—she's a ballet dancer."

"Ballet?"

"It's a human-style of dancing," he explained. "Very old, very classy. Though, once the humans were capable of biotics, they started incorporating that into their choreography with low-grade implants." He shrugged, "I've seen some vids of it before. Not really my kind of entertainment, but I can't deny the beauty in it." He clapped Garrus on the shoulder, laughing again, "You know, I didn't take you for a softy, Vakarian. I figured you were as stern and serious as your father."

"Softy?" Garrus repeated, not familiar with the term.

"It's what us turians in C-Sec call other turians who prefer humans—you know, after hours…"

He felt his neck flushing, "W-Well, I don't know about that… I've never… not with a human."

Chellick was still chuckling, "So one look from Shae Shepard has you going soft then?" He put his hands up, "Hey, I don't blame you. A lot of officers who've interviewed her felt the same way when they met her." Then he pointed a talon at Garrus, his eyes going serious, "I'll warn you though: don't get involved with her. The woman is likely one of the most prolific thieves in the galaxy, and it wouldn't look good for Citadel Security if one of our officers was found to be in a relationship with her whenever she decides to leave the station after her last big heist. Just like whatever happened when she left Earth. Women like her, Vakarian, they don't stick around for long..."

SS SS SS SS SS SS SS

"Why do you—hccck—insist on putting yourself through that—hcck—every single time?" Neltan asked, exasperated as they rode in his obnoxious gold skycar.

Shae was busy dabbing some more balm on her lip, examining her appearance in the passenger-side mirror, "They never have any evidence—plus, the credits need time to transfer into the accounts without raising suspicion. You'll get your cut, don't worry."

He sighed, "You know that's not what I'm—hcck—worried about." She paused, giving him a sarcastic sideways glance. Neltan caught it and raised his hands in defeat, "Fine—hcck—it's not the only thing."

"I've been doing this a long time, Nellie. You should have more faith in me," Shae told him. "These corrupt rich people are all the same, whether they're on Earth or in space, no matter the species."

"The people at that gala—hccck—are dangerous, Shae. Many of them—hccck—have connections, even—hccck—in C-Sec. If one of their people—hccck—saw you being questioned…" Neltan made a point to check behind them as they flew across the Presidium, settling back into his seat a moment later, "They could be tailing you—hccck—or the both of us."

"I didn't hear you protesting when I brought up the job," she reminded him, closing the mirror and looking over at him. "And it's no different on Earth—there were well-connected people in New York as well. I did my research then, and I do it now. I know which people to scam, and which ones I need to be careful about. So stop worrying. What I'm more concerned about is if you've heard anything more from Barla Von."

Neltan shook his head, "Only what he saw in the lower wards—hccck—a couple weeks back. He was sure those Earth-clan—hccck—were your former associates."

Shae nodded silently, watching the world whizz by in the window. "I can handle them if they're looking for me. They might just be trying to escape the cops on Earth, and if they're fugitives, I doubt they'll be on the station for long. If they're smart, they'll head for Omega." Her eyes narrowed angrily, "It's where they belong."

"You've never told me why you left," Neltan said quietly.

She shook her head, "The less you know, the better."

"Hccck—I believe you."

She could feel him looking at her, and she turned to face him, "What?"

"Why did you invite—hccck—that C-Sec officer to your—hccck—performance? You've never—hccck—invited anyone before. I didn't even know—hccck—you could reserve tickets." She couldn't tell his expression in his envirosuit, but his voice sounded more curious than she'd ever heard him. Perhaps a bit hurt (and maybe a little jealous), as he had always paid for his own tickets if he ever came to see her perform.

Shae smiled to herself, giving a half-shrug, "He intrigued me." It was true. Something about the way he looked at her—and the way it made her feel—struck her. She couldn't get his eyes out of her head—so serious, yet so open. And such a beautiful blue. Yes, she liked Chellick—but only to mess with him. When Garrus looked at her, she felt naked.

And she liked that.

Neltan sighed heavily, still watching her, "Oh, gods and goods, Shae! Hccck—please don't get involved—hccck—with a C-Sec officer! A terrible idea—hccck—surely!"

Shae's grin broadened and she looked out the window again, "Oh, but Nellie—you know how I love those…"

GV GV GV GV GV GV GV

After the terrible impression he'd made in his first interrogation, Garrus made a point to do everything he could to make up for it in every other aspect of his first two days. Chellick scrutinized everything he did—rightfully so—and Garrus thrived on it, having been so used to it from his own father growing up. He wrote detailed reports, took thorough notes, and kept a keen eye at crime scenes and on patrol routes.

At home (in his self-described to his younger sister "crappy little apartment"), he meticulously read and re-read C-Sec policies, laws, and procedures until he fell asleep at his desk. He was determined not to make an ass of himself as he had during that interrogation.

Garrus had never really concerned himself with humans beyond accepting their place in the galaxy. For as long as he'd been alive, they'd been a reality for him—though he'd never truly met one until he got to the Citadel. But for older turians (and other species, who'd all been old enough to truly experience and comprehend the arrival of a brand-new intelligent species coming into the galaxy's fold), the acceptance of humans was more begrudging than welcoming. The assessment was that humans were arrogant, entitled, and wildly unique from each other—the latter was something turians found particularly unappealing, a thought that made Garrus internally roll his eyes. Turian standards were impossibly high to meet, even for himself at times, and expecting an entire other species to do so was asinine.

Nevertheless, when he met Shae, and saw how her presence affected the turians in C-Sec, it fascinated him. Both new and old officers were abuzz with the news of her arrest that morning. He overheard many excited conversations about her, most of them about her looks.

Even though Garrus had only been with turian women in his life (and only a small handful), something about the alien Shae drew him in. He tried to take Chellick's advice to heart, reminding himself she was a criminal, but Garrus couldn't seem to shake the desire to see her again.

And knowing her track record, she'd be back.

o0o

Two days later, he saw her again.

He was patrolling the walkways around Chora's Den in the lower wards—an assignment he was sure was some kind of test of his resolve by his partner—when he saw Shae round the corner from the marketplace door in the red-lit alleyway, dressed very differently than she had been when they met. Tonight she wore a skin-tight bodysuit that reached to the middle of her neck, also encasing her arms and legs in the shiny black material. It hugged every curve of her alluring form, and to top it all off, she was wearing knee-high black boots that gave the illusion the shoes and suit were all a single piece of clothing. Her wavy dark hair was pulled into a sleek, professional ponytail.

Garrus was standing on the end closest to Chora's Den, leaning against the alley opening and trying not to ogle her as he had before (but that was growing increasingly difficult the longer her looked at her).

Three hulking men in dirty, scuffed up armor circled her by some supply crates. One was short and stocky with ruddy skin and thinning black hair. Another was long and lanky, more than a head taller than Garrus—his skin was pale, his face gaunt, but he held a sinister grin as he looked down at Shae.

The third man was taller than Shae, but shorter than the skinnier man. His hair was spiky and auburn, and his dark eyes regarded her hatefully as they all loomed over her.

"Well, hey there, lucky bird," the spiky one greeted. His voice was gravelly and mean.

Shae's back was to Garrus, but she didn't appear afraid of them in the slightest. "Hey yourself, Richter," she said curtly.

"You knew you'd run into us eventually, didn't you?" Spiky wiped his nose gruffly.

Classy, Garrus thought.

"You'd be smart to leave me alone," Shae said. "Get off this station. This is my territory. I can't imagine you're welcomed here."

"Listen to her, boys," Spiky (Richter) exclaimed with a cocky grin, "birdie here is all grown up." His eyes leered at her, sweeping over her body, "You look good… for a traitor bitch."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He snorted, "Yeah… I bet you don't." His eyes narrowed, "We're here to lay the groundwork for a new chapter of the Tenth Street Reds, doll." Richter laughed softly, sinisterly, "And boy won't they be happy about what we found… Nah. We're gonna stay here. Theo's gonna want to say hello."

Garrus saw Shae tense, "He's in prison."

"For now," Richter agreed. "How about you make it easy on me and come with us? We'll make you nice and comfortable while we—"

There was a blast of blue-lighted energy, and the group of men fell back with an incredible force, flying into the wall behind them. Garrus watched as the blue energy calmed to its origin…

…Shae's fists.

His eyes widened.

She has a military-grade implant!

No dancer should have anything that strong, Garrus knew. Biotic implants came in varying strengths, and the one Shae appeared to have was one of the top-tier strengths.

"I won't be going anywhere with you idiots," Shae muttered to them. Two of the gang men were knocked out, the third was groggy.

Garrus stepped out from behind the crates, "Alright. Clear out of here—all of you. Move along." He stood over the three men, "I'll give you three minutes. If you're still here after that, I'm calling the other patrols and you'll be picked up for loitering." None of the men answered him, but the short, struggling one seemed to wave his hand in acknowledgement.

"Officer Vakarian… Did you come to my rescue?" Shae's sultry voice asked at his back.

Garrus turned, "It doesn't look like you needed rescuing."

She smiled at the groaning men, walking over to Garrus. He couldn't stop staring at her in that sleek, shiny bodysuit. The heels of her boots landed firmly and confidently on the metal walkway. Shae stopped in front of him, "Oh, I never need rescuing. I look after myself. I always have."

"You and I need to talk about that implant, miss," Garrus told her in a warning tone. It was half-hearted, though.

She seemed to know that, her smile getting even sultrier, more confident, "I don't know what you're talking about, Officer."

Garrus folded his arms, leaning slightly towards her, "Oh, I think these security cameras might know."

"Oh?" she asked, matching his gesture with her own arms. "I hear these alley cameras are pretty unreliable these days, Mr. Vakarian."

"Officer," he corrected flatly.

Shae pouted, "So formal… Hopefully that changes when you see me dance in a few days."

"We shall see," Garrus told her, but he kept his tone light.

The thief laughed, giving one of his upper arms a parting touch with her fingertips as she slinked away.

He waited for her to round the corner, mentally counting after she was out of sight before he pulled up his omni-tool's video footage.

The biotic blast from Shae was crystal clear on his recording.

Garrus purred to himself proudly, "Yes, Miss Shae… We shall see."

o0o

Ooo! Isn't this interesting?

Let me know what y'all think in the comments/reviews!

Stay safe and warm,

Glacier