Title: ME1: World Without End

Author: Amanda Rau (manda091987)

Game: Mass Effect 1

Characters/Pairing: (Characters) All from Mass Effect 1 (Pairing) N/A

Disclaimer: All characters, the name 'Shepard', and story are the sole property of Bioware. Hayden is mine. Some words and items are mine and are indicated with an *. Please ask for permission for use of these things.

—

Garrus and I sat in a comfortable stillness. He was surveying the outside world through the window of the shuttle. I gazed at him in sheer wonder. He was resourceful, calculating, and coordinated. I understood where Chellick and Pallin were coming from in their assessments. Garrus liked to jump the gun when consumed by his impatience, which led him to be spontaneous. Not bad traits, if one could be taught to resist the urges when unnecessary to act on them. The turian turned, his blue, grey orbs finding my brown ones. He must have realized I was sizing him up because he remained quiet.

"We were here awhile," I said, interrupting the quiet. "I didn't realize that much time went by."

Garrus nodded. "A few hours. I don't want to overstep my bounds, but I can have Wrex held until tomorrow..." he drifted off, probably afraid he was going to upset me by repeating his earlier suggestion.

"I'm fine, Garrus. If there weren't a quarian depending on us, I would rest."

"At least let me give you this?" He held out a syringe.

"Drugs?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Yes, Commander. I feel that as a C-Sec officer, doing drugs will enhance my abilities," he jested with a sober tone.

"Look at it from my perspective? For all I know, it could be leftovers from the monkey you locked up in the C-Sec breakroom fridge during your celebration."

Most other humans wouldn't have noticed, but the look on Garrus' face at that moment reminded me of what a human child might look like if he had gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Who told you about that?" he asked me.

"Detective Chellick," I stated. "However, he didn't get to tell me the story. He just said to mention the monkey from the narcotics case you worked on together. If you continued to deny it, I was supposed to also mention that you locked it in the fridge when it flung its feces at you."

Garrus took a deep breath. "I'm not sure you would find it entertaining, but sure. One day I will tell you the story. Now be still. It's just an energy booster."

The turian felt around my leg for a break in the kinetic material. When Garrus pinched my thigh, I cracked a joke, "I don't mind a pat-down, Sergeant, but drinks are a better way to get things started."

"If you are trying to make me blush, it won't work." His mandibles fluttered. He worked his way down my knee making me jolt and my breath to hitch when he tickled. He apologized," Sorry."

"Here," I replied, lifting my kinetic barrier up over my hip. "Will this work?"

"Yes."

Garrus administered the shot; I barely felt it. We arrived at the C-Sec precinct moments later, stepping out to familiar surroundings. Mine and Garrus' attention went to the station entrance when we heard Wrex's deep voice. Garrus and I wandered closer to the group so we could listen in.

"Witness' saw you making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him," the officer warned.

"I don't take orders from you," the krogan replied.

"This is your only warning, Wrex."

"You should warn Fist, I will kill him," Wrex guaranteed.

"You want me to arrest you?" the officer asked.

Wrex cackled. "I want you to try."

The giant krogan noticed Garrus and I standing off to the side, listening to their conversation. He glanced back at the Officer, then trekked toward our position.

"Do I know you human?"

"My name's Shepard; I'm going after Fist," I stated, "and thought you might want to come along."

Wrex exhaled with a bit of a growl. "Shepard? Commander Shepard? I've heard a lot about you. We're both warriors, Shepard. Out of respect, I'll give you fair warning: I'm going to kill Fist."

Garrus stepped forward. "Fist knows you're coming. We'll have a better chance if we all work together."

"My people have a saying: Seek the enemy of your enemy, and you will find a friend."

I held out my hand, the krogan shook it. "Glad to have you on the team, Wrex."

"Let's go. I hate to keep Fist waiting," Wrex said.

It was the weekend; transportation was already a nightmare just getting to the precinct. I made a reluctant decision to use an elevator to take us to the Wards. On the way, I noted Wrex's agitation, but the krogan remained calm as he stood reticent in the right-hand corner. Garrus was leaning against the left-hand side about a foot away from my position. I wasn't claustrophobic, just not a fan of confined spaces when 1,000 pounds was packed inside with me. The thought caused me to anxiously pace from one side of the lift to the other.

"You all right, Commander?" Garrus wondered.

"Yes. Just remind me not to take the elevator; I'll regret it." I cleared my throat.

Garrus nodded. "Note made, Commander."

"The great Commander Shepard afraid of small spaces?" Wrex teased.

"Not usually." I jerked my shoulders. "I just don't like them when 1,000 pounds is inside with me, not counting the two and a half tons of elevator, and the other twelve or more that would come down on top of us since the elevator is so conveniently attached to every floor."

Wrex twitched. "Ironic that the smaller things are what scare you."

I fixed the krogan with a challenging expression. The elevator ground to a halt, and we stepped off, only to enter an elongated hallway with another C-Sec precinct and eatery. I calmly breathed as we padded down the enclosed walkway. Though, I sagged a little when I realized there was only one way out of the confined space. We approached another elevator, causing me to sigh loudly as we scrambled onto the lift. I paused, glaring at the circular bulbs, pushing the button for the Wards.

"Don't take the elevator, Commander. You'll regret it," Garrus joked.

I gave the turian a quizzical expression. "Thanks."

"In other news," the elevator alert began playing, "Exogeni still denies reports that one of their survey teams has gone missing in the Hades Gamma Cluster. When asked why communication with the survey team was suddenly cut off last week, company officials refused to comment."

I pulled up my omni-tool and searched for more information. As it lit up, I noticed a message from Anderson.

"Huh."

"What's the matter?" Garrus wondered.

"I missed a message from the Captain. I could have sworn that my omni-tool was— Garrus, can you send me a message?"

Garrus nodded, then tapped a few buttons on his omni-tool. His message came through, but no notification chimed. The turian came over and gently seized my arm, tinkering to find the complication.

"This thing is stone age, Commander."

Garrus surprised me with his word usage. "You know that human phrase?"

"Heard it used a few times. But there are other ones like, 'Live and let live,' 'It's not rocket science,' 'There's plenty of fish in the sea,' and 'Shit hit the fan.' I don't understand those so much."

I agreed, "Humans are a bit complicated."

"You're telling me," Wrex replied.

"Well, Commander, I did a temporary fix. But you are going to need a new omni-tool. How old is that damn thing?" Garrus flicked my arm.

"I've had it since joining the Alliance." I thought about it for a minute. "About nine years."

We advanced the rest of the way to Chora's Den. As we went down the stairs and through the archway to the club, I stopped.

"Something's not right," I said as I studied the aura surrounding us.

"I sense it too," Wrex confirmed.

I played out various scenarios in my mind; calculating, organizing. The initial start of this behavior was Elysium, but Akuze and Torfan shortly after cemented the habit. I was surprised that Garrus and Wrex didn't interrupt my process; I am sure they knew what I was doing as warriors. I glanced back at Garrus, then over his shoulder to his Reaper sniper rifle made by Elkoss Combine.

"I hear you're a beast behind a scope."

"I don't like to brag," he replied, looking back at me with fluttering mandibles, "but I am in the top five of the longest recorded shots."

"Amongst turians?" I inquired.

"Amongst documented snipers around the galaxy," he answered. "So yes, I am a beast."

"Then prove it, big guy," I challenged. "Make sure nothing touches us." I turned to my newest crewmate. "Wrex, you and I are in front. Have the shotgun and the biotics ready."

Wrex and I took cover on either side of the opening to Chora's Den. A thug meandered out, cigarette in hand. He was about to light it when he gazed up, now cognizant of my partner and me. My mitt collided with his mug, the impact reeling him toward me as he turned. I kneed his back, his body folding backward, allowing me to wrap my extremity over his neck, severing his spine. After glancing at my battle-ready krogan, I concealed my face, heaving a smoke grenade into the bar. I activated infrared, a warm body registering through the grey mist.

I called to my turian 45 meters across from my position. "Vakarian, straight ahead of your position, 58.3 meters."

BANG. Between the eyes.

"Next guy is 62.7 meters, 1.8 inches to your left."

BANG. Right square in the heart.

After Garrus eliminated the two that would cause problems, I motioned to my krogan ally. Wrex yelled back at me as we went through the door to the club.

"You go left, and I'll go right," he said. Then I heard him give a sadistic giggle.

I watched Wrex erect his barrier then sprint to the right of the central bar. His biotics triggered, Throw and Warp wreaking havoc in harmony with his shotgun. I followed his darting silhouette into a group of thugs, hearing the cracking of bones when he headbutt one, causing me to slightly wince. Garrus' talon tapped my side, alerting me to inflict pandemonium. The adrenaline of a pending duel coursed through my veins as I hurried into Chroa's Den, generating Warp when I saw my first victim. The goon's shield depleted, allowing my shotgun to effortlessly obliterate him. A guy came up behind me, clutching me in his grasp. I flung my head back, shattering his nose. Before I could further retaliate, Garrus took him down with Overload and Concussive Shot. The clanking of a grenade hitting the ground diverted my attention to my feet. I bellowed to my squadmates as I vaulted over the bar, taking cover from the blast of a flash-bang. After it exploded, I popped out from cover, shooting the encroaching thug in the throat. I noted that only two men were left. Before Garrus or Wrex could get to them, my hands radiated biotic ferocity. I energized Lift and Throw, forcing the gangster into the wall. The other I slammed, instantly killing him when his spine snapped from the violence of hitting the floor.

"Your biotics are strong, Shepard," Wrex pointed out. "I haven't seen a human that has mastered it so well. You are the first, a worthy battle master."

I slightly bowed my head in appreciation. The doors opened, weapons fearfully aimed at our faces. Two armor-less thugs stood between me, an 800-pound krogan Vanguard, and a 235-pound turian Infiltrator.

"Stop right there, don't come any closer," the one on the left said.

"Warehouse workers? All the real guards must be dead," Garrus assumed.

I studied the two timid thugs in front of me. They were only wielding weapons for Fist because he'd coerced them to. It was an irrefutable fact I deduced from my inspection. They were agitated, perspiring, and jumpy, evidence that they had never killed before. I decided then that I wasn't going to traumatize them. Intimidation would work best here. I took an aggressive step forward, balling my hands into fists.

"Stay back, or we'll shoot!" the one on the right demanded.

"This would be a good time to find somewhere else to work," I suggested.

They took their aim off us, then looked at each other almost as if they realized who I was and that this decision was a bad one.

"Yeah. Yeah, right. That's a good idea," the man on the left said, walking out.

"I never liked Fist anyway," the man on the right said as he followed.

"It would have been quicker just to kill them," Wrex confessed.

"Shooting people isn't always the answer," Garrus replied.

I noticed a keycard on the ground. It paired with a locker to our left, so I picked it up and inserted it. When it malfunctioned, Garrus took over, working his technological magic. Moments later, we entered Fist's place of business. The man inaudibly shouted, turrets coming up from the floor, unleashing suppressing fire on our position. I nudged Garrus to cover, right before Wrex yanked me out of the way, arming his weapon.

"Vakarian!"

Garrus acknowledged, plucking out his assault rifle, firing on the turrets with his Distributor ammo. Meanwhile, Wrex was toying with Fist, shooting in his general direction, but not directly at him. I was content to let my squad members cut through the opposition like a knife through butter. When the sentries blew up, I stepped out of cover and over toward Fist. The man was attempting to nurse a wound.

"Wait, don't kill me, I surrender," Fist stuttered, putting his hands up.

I pulled out my pistol and pointed it at him; he immediately cowered. "Give me the location of the quarian, or I shoot you in the kneecaps."

"She's not here. I don't know where she is. That's the truth!" Fist bellowed.

"He's no use to you now. Let me kill him," Wrex said, examining his shotgun.

"Wait, wait. I don't know where the quarian is, but I know where you can find her." Fist put his hands up a little further. "She isn't here, said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker, himself."

"Face to face? Impossible," Wrex replied. "Even I was hired through an agent."

I stepped away, lowering my gun, allowing Fist to stand up. "Nobody meets the Shadow Broker. I don't even know his true identity. But she didn't know that. I told her I would set the meeting up. But when she shows up, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her."

I grabbed him and pulled him close. "Tell me where before I blow your lying head off!"

"Over near Calcutta Alley. Behind their markets. She supposed to meet them in about an hour," Fist gulped.

"Calcutta Alley? An Hour? That's in Tayseri Ward. The shuttle ride alone is thirty minutes in the current traffic!" Garrus grumbled.

"Then I suggest you hurry," Fist sneered.

Wrex fired his shotgun quicker than I could blink.

"What are you doing?" Garrus gasped.

"The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him. I don't leave jobs half done." Wrex shrugged.

I turned to Wrex. "We don't shoot unarmed prisoners."

I didn't exactly disagree with this decision, but I wanted to be clear that this couldn't happen in the future if he was going to be on my team.

"How many people died because of him?" Wrex thundered. "He brought this on himself! Besides, we have more pressing concerns."

Wrex watched the doorway while I went through Fist's desk, and Garrus searched the man's lifeless body. While I was rummaging through his drawers, hoping to gain more information on the quarian, I found a data drive with useful information and a gun. I holstered the weapon and pocketed the data chit as we exited the room. My small team and I rushed to transport a few blocks away. A cab was already waiting after a party had just climbed off, going into another nearby club. We jumped in, and Garrus spouted our destination.

"After watching you fight, I understand why you're so tired, Commander. You charge in and punch your way through. Using your weapon more might change that," Garrus stated.

"I'm a biotic, Garrus. I'm better in close combat."

"While you are a beautiful fury of elemental force, guns are better," he argued.

I looked up at the turian beside me. "I got one more kill than you did, so weapons obviously aren't better!"

"Mm, no, you didn't. I got that last kill," the turian bragged.

"All right, big guy, you want to play this game against the great Commander Shepard?" I puffed up my chest.

"Ha! Fine, next mission. What are the stakes?" Garrus asked.

I sat thinking. "We'll do credits this round."

"How much?"

"Two hundred and fifty?"

"Deal," he agreed, shaking my hand.

I turned my upper body more toward him. "I'm surprised. I thought turians were all about close combat."

"The boy doesn't like stains on his pretty armor," Wrex teased.

"I enjoy close combat as much as the next turian, but we have a little less stamina than humans and krogan." Garrus shrugged. "It was nothing more than a suggestion."

"Not with that inflection, it wasn't," I snorted.

His mandible fluttered at my comment. "Maybe it wasn't."

While traveling to our destination, I was planning our next moves. Out of anxious anticipation, I began to fiddle with one of the latches on my gauntlet. Wrex was unphased as he sat across from Garrus and me, resting. I turned to see Garrus staring directly at me. His mandibles fluttered in and out slowly, almost like his breaths were pushing them, then sucking them back in. I clamped it shut, gradually moving my restless extremity away from the fastening.

Now arriving at Calcutta, Station C. Please have a wonderful night, and thank you for using Citadel Shuttle services.

"All right. According to the map Fist unwillingly gave us, we need to go-" I looked around "-there. Let's go."

Garrus, Wrex, and I sprinted, rushing down the steps. Once we were at the entrance of the alleyway, I motioned for my squadmates to reload. As we shuffled further into the back street, I found a half-wall to take refuge behind. My team and I swiftly crawled toward it, ducking down. My fist balled, indicating for them to hold their positions. The three of us patiently waited, listening to the turian attempt to coax the evidence away from the quarian.

"Did you bring it?"

I could hear a different range of tones in the voice, and my guess was turian.

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" the other voice asked.

"They'll be here," the turian replied. "Where's the evidence?"

I peeked out and saw the turian suggestively grope the quarian, and it made my skin crawl. The female pushed the turians talon off of her.

"No way. The deals off."

I examined the salarians littering the alley; they inconspicuously reached for their weapons. Garrus and Wrex joined me in peering out to see the quarian toss a grenade and hurriedly get behind cover before it exploded. The blast killed only one salarian. Everyone else was merely thrown by the force of the detonation. The turian assassin was the first to get up, searching for the quarian. When he spotted her, he dragged her out. Before he could strike her, I shot him in the head. Wrex got one of the salarians with his shotgun, and Garrus used Overload and Concussive Shot on the last two.

"Fist set me up!" The quarian approached.

I studied the young woman, making sure there were no punctures in her suit." Are you all right?"

"I know how to handle myself, not that I don't appreciate the help. Who are you?"

"I'm Commander Shepard. This is Wrex and Sergeant Garrus Vakarian," I introduced her to the guys.

"I'm Tali, Tali' Zorah Nar Rayya. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. I have to be honest. I'm looking for evidence to prove that Saren is a traitor. Rumor is, you might have said evidence in your possession," I confessed.

"Keelah, then I have a chance to repay you for everything that you have done for me, Commander," Tali rejoiced.

Garrus stepped up beside me. "We could take her to the human embassy. Your Ambassador will want to see this information."

"Before we go…" I noticed a keeper, approaching it carefully.

"What are you doing?" Wrex wondered.

"Gathering data for a salarian scientist," I responded.

Wrex read over my shoulder. "Scan for keeper ID #04 Registered Name: Flick, complete. Credits transferred. These things have names?"

"Guess so," I replied.

On our way to transport, I studied the area more extensively now that I was able to. This station was just as beautiful. However, I noticed more salarians on this arm of the space station than in Zakera Ward. Tali, Garrus, Wrex, and I climbed into the shuttle when it arrived. I took a seat beside Garrus. I updated Anderson on progress, then requested dossiers on my newest members. I glanced up to see Tali was leaning against Wrex, bundled up, no doubt exhausted from all the excitement. I inwardly smiled when I saw Wrex maneuver her into a more comfortable position for them both, then close his eyes. I leaned my head back, but before I could get too complacent, I felt a gentle pull.

"You're going to hurt your neck."

Garrus put a cloth on his shoulder pad. I leaned against him, shutting my eyes.

I must have been more exhausted than I realized. I felt like I had just closed my eyes before Garrus was waking me up.

"Did I fall asleep?"

Garrus nodded. "Yeah. We all got power naps."

Tali, Garrus, Wrex, and I sluggishly climbed out of the shuttle. I glanced down at my watch; 05:15. "We still have a little over two hours. When is the last time that you ate, Tali? There is a delightful dextro place around the corner. I bought Detective Chellick something from there the other day."

"Chellick? Lunch? You bought Chellick lunch when you went to see him?" Garrus questioned. I knew the tone of his voice all too well.

"It's his eyes. I swoon when those bright green orbs stare at me," I responded, hiding my amusement.

Garrus appeared to be shocked. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped; even Wrex chuckled a bit.

I turned to the krogan as he spoke, "I will take the Commander, and we'll meet at that table over there. Unless—" he stopped Garrus "—you get jealous of me too."

"I will go with Tali," Garrus ignored his snide comment.

Tali, Garrus, Wrex, and I congregated at the table 15 minutes later, sitting down with our meals. Our power naps helped, but only enough to get us through the next few hours. Getting through our breakfast was a slow process, but we finished, then cleaned up the surface, stumbling to the embassies. Udina was inside with Ashley, Anderson, and Kaidan. All of them patiently waiting on the results of my mission.

"You're not making my life easy, Shepard! Firefights in the wards? An all-out assault on Chora's Den, another firefight in a different ward. Do you know how many-" he turned around to see me with three aliens. Tali was the main one he observed. "Who is this? A quarian? What are you up to, Shepard?"

"Making your day, Ambassador." I motioned to Tali. "She can help us bring down Saren."

Udina looked a little put-off. "Ah. My apologies, Shepard. I am a little irritable with this whole Saren investigation."

I nodded. "We all are, Ambassador."

"Maybe we should just start at the beginning, Miss….?"

"My name is Tali, Tali' Zorah Nar Rayya."

"We don't see many quarians here. Why did you leave the flotilla?" Udina wondered.

"I was on my pilgrimage, my right of passage into adulthood," she responded.

"I never heard of that before," Kaidan added.

Before Tali could answer, I did, "It's a tradition among the quarian. When they reach an age of maturity, they leave the ships of their parents and the people behind. Alone, they search the stars, only returning to the flotilla once they have discovered something of value. It's a way of proving themselves worthy of adulthood. Equivocate it to our Amish and their Rumspringa…" I drifted off, looking at all the surprised eyes on me. "What?"

"How did you know all that?" Ashley asked.

"Tutoring," I answered.

"What sorts of things do you look for while on your pilgrimage?" Kaidan inquired.

Tali shrugged. "It could be resources like food or fuel. Or some useful technology. Or even knowledge that will make life easier on the Flotilla. Through our pilgrimage, we prove that we will contribute to the community, rather than being a burden on our limited resources."

"What evidence did you find on Saren?" Ashley asked her.

"During my travels, I began hearing reports of geth," the quarian continued. "Since they drove my people into exile, the geth have never ventured beyond the Veil. I was curious. I tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted world. I waited for one to become separated from its unit. Then I disabled it and removed its memory core."

"I thought the geth fried their memory cores when they died," Anderson said, "like a defense mechanism."

"I've heard that too." I turned my head from Anderson to Tali. "How did you manage to preserve the memory core?"

"My people created the geth," she reminded us. "If you're quick, careful, and lucky, you can save small caches of data. Most of the core was wiped clean. But, I salvaged something from its audio banks."

Tali pressed a few buttons on her omni-tool, and a recording started to play.

"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon brought us one more step to finding the Conduit."

"That's Saren's voice!" Anderson said, almost relieved, like a long day of work was ending. "This proves he was involved in the attack!"

"He said, 'Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon brought us one more step to finding the Conduit.' Any idea what that means?" Ashley asked.

Anderson shrugged slightly. "It must have something to do with the beacon. Maybe it's Prothean Technology, a weapon."

"Wait, there's more," Tali joined the conversation, "Saren wasn't working alone."

"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon brought us one more step to finding the Conduit."

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."

Udina furrowed his brow. "I don't recognize that other voice. The one talking about Reapers."

"I feel like we've heard that name before, Commander." Kaidan turned to me.

I nodded. Then my vision flashed through my head, screams, crying, large ships making loud noises, all of it causing me to get a little light-headed.

"You good, Commander?" Ashley walked over. "You're pale."

"Yeah. My vision. The one from the beacon on Eden Prime, I understand it now. I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers 50,000 years ago. They hunted them to total extinction."

"They vanished shortly after," Tali added. "The Geth believe this as well."

"Seems to be true." Ashley shrugged.

"The Geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life, and they believe Saren knows how to bring them back," Tali continued.

"The Council is just going to love this." Udina shook his head with a sigh.

"Are they even going to believe any of this?" I inquired, stepping forward a little bit.

Anderson crossed his arms. "No matter what they think about the rest of this, those audio files prove that Saren is a traitor."

"The captain is right." Udina nodded. "The Council needs to hear about all of this."

"What about her?" Wrex motioned to Tali.

The quarian looked at me. "Commander, please let me come with you. If you know as much about the Pilgrimage as you seem to, you know it means I have to put it aside for the greater good-"

I put my hands up, a quick smile gracing my features. "I'll take all the help I can get, Tali. Welcome to my team of misfits."

Everyone lightly chuckled.

Udina stepped forward. "Anderson and I will go ahead and set all this up. Meet us at the Citadel Tower in about four hours."

I went to protest, but Anderson stopped me. "Don't even think about it. You have been going non-stop since we docked. If you do not get a decent amount of sleep, you will fall flat on your face. If Hackett knew I was letting you work yourself to death, he would have my head."

"Hackett?" Ashley perked up. "That the admiral you mentioned earlier?"

"Man practically raised her. Even kicked his own ass to get her into the military," Anderson replied.

Ashley gave a suspicious look. "Why?"

Anderson smiled and left, everyone facing me. I shook my head. "Sorry, Chief."

"Seriously?" Ashley thundered. "Hackett is one of the biggest names in the Alliance. He has commendations, awards, medals, ribbons, made rank every time his first time trying, I mean, he's a god! To top it off, he is the one who raised you, and you won't talk about it?"

I shook my head. "It's not a simple explanation I can give in two minutes. It's much deeper than that."

"Skipper-"

Before Ashley could even finish her sentence, I was out the door and leaving the embassies.

I stood near the shuttle terminal when Garrus came up beside me. I observed him in my peripheral. He didn't say anything, so I remained quiet. We patiently waited in comfortable silence for a shuttle. One came three minutes later, dropping off four asari. Garrus motioned for me to climb in, then followed.

"Where to, Commander?"

I looked up toward the front of the shuttle car. "Presidium Hotel and Suite, please."

Yes, Commander Shepard.

"You?" I questioned.

"I will input my destination later," Garrus replied.

The turian and I sat in reticence, at least, until my omni-tool pinged with a message. It felt as if a firm hand gripped me and activated Overload, sending an electric current through my whole extremity. The sensation caused my breath to hitch.

"Garrus!" I slouched in my seat. "What did you do to this thing?"

He chuckled. "I told you already, Commander. I gave it a temporary fix."

"You made this thing a death trap. What are you trying to do?" I wanted to laugh. I know it was his way of hazing his new Commander, and for that, I would have to get him back somehow.

"Here." He held up a box.

"Proposing already?" I poked fun. "There are certain customs and traditions I prefer first."

"Too pressed for time to take you to dinner," he jested.

"Not what I was talking about." I gave him a seductive smirk, hoping it made him uncomfortable.

"I'll try to remember that," he replied with a deepness in his voice that made me shudder, "and you trying to make blush still isn't working. Just take the box."

I collected the box from his talons, removing the little N7 ribbon, opening it. It was a chip for a new Omni-tool.

"I hope it's not inappropriate. Turians ironically don't have problems with gift-giving and rank, so..."

"No. Thank you, Garrus." I diverted my attention back to the box. "Wait... is this seriously...?"

He nodded. "A Savant X. The N7 Special Forces model. I had Anderson call in a few favors for me last night when I found out yours was acting up. He had the whole team put in for it. It's made especially for you."

"Gotta love the I.C.T," I muttered.

"There is a long list of features to your new Omni-tool. First, this one has a flashlight on it, both regular and L.E.D."

"Amazing how L.E.D is still the best. Even other species use it," I stated.

"It is useful," Garrus agreed. "It also has a combat scanner and an inferred scanner both grade-level X. It can make small to large repairs on weapons and armor. It just depends on the condition of the damage."

"That will be useful," I replied.

"You can hold and dispense 300% more medi-gel and omni-gel." Garrus held up his talon then pressed a few buttons. "Tali also found you the best programming and hacking upgrade out there, so now you can hack almost anything-"

"I can't decrypt stuff; I have no training for that."

The turian raised my right hand that was holding the box. "You can with this, Commander. Granted, not as much as Tali or me, but you can get through anything minor and even some middle-grade hacks. It has a camera, video, audio, and holographic communication that is way better than even mine, and mine is fully upgraded. You can even download and play video games."

"You're kidding," I scoffed.

"Nope, and the last three things: It can now convert more items into omni-gel at a faster rate as well as a higher quantity, and can manufacture objects in real-time."

"The third thing?" I wondered.

"It's made especially for your biotics. Not something typical of omni-tools. It connects with your implant and lets you know what your recharge levels are at, which ones are cooling down, and which ones aren't, and helps them to cool 10% faster."

"Wow, you guys put some thought into this," I cooed.

"Well, Hackett helped as well," Garrus replied.

I shook my head. "I shouldn't have walked away."

Garrus shrugged. "Chief Williams can't make you talk about something personal and private."

"No, but I should have just said that-"

"You did," Garrus interrupted.

"Guess that's why you haven't said anything then, hmm?"

"Well—" he shifted "—I didn't know that he was your dad. It's not like it's public knowledge. I just figured close ties if Anderson brought up talking to Hackett. He wouldn't call someone that big for just anyone."

I brushed something off my leg. "Hackett fostered me from the age of thirteen to fourteen. It was only meant to be temporary, but the human condition took over. He and I connected. He adopted me on my fourteenth birthday."

"Why would he have to kick his own ass to get you into the Alliance?" Garrus asked, speaking calmly. "From what I know about you publicly, your record is exemplary." I remained quiet. The truth was, I was thinking, but Garrus perceived it as its own response. "I apologize, Commander—"

I put my hand up. "It's not that I don't want to answer, Garrus. The truth is people hear about my life before Hackett, and they either become extremely wary of me, or they take the door out of my life altogether. I had some rather shady connections in my earlier years." My eyes met his. "Our relationship is merely an acquaintance. I'd prefer to remain on good terms with us working together. I hope to one day call you friend, and share that story with you."

Garrus bobbed his head. "I'd like that, Commander."

Garrus and I made it to the hotel seconds later. Once we landed, I clutched my bag then exited the shuttle with Garrus on my heels. I entered the hotel, immediately getting in the line that formed at the reception desk. It took a few moments, but the next available receptionist called me forward.

"Good morning," the receptionist greeted. "How can I help you?"

"I am here to check-in," I responded.

"Of course! May I get your name, please?" the asari chirped.

"Shepard; Hayden J."

The asari skimmed over her terminal, then peered back up to me a few moments later. "I'm sorry, Miss Shepard, but your room will not be available until later on tonight."

"My room was reserved with six others under Captain David Anderson. They checked in last night. How is it that my room isn't available?"

"Admiral Hackett reserved your room for you with his credit chit. Since it was booked separately, it is currently being rented out. You may come and check-in at 4:00 p.m."

"All right. Thank you—" I squinted to read the name on the tag "—Marnitha."

"Of course, and I apologize for the inconvenience."

Even though I was frustrated, it wasn't her fault. I smiled through my tired expression. "It's no one's fault, no need to apologize. I was just unaware that my father booked my room separately."

"The admiral called a week after the finalization of the other arrangements."

"Marnitha—" I chuckled "—it's okay. I have some things to do today, anyhow. It will keep me busy until 4:00 p.m."

I turned and walked toward Garrus when I saw a woman walk away from him.

"What's going on?" he questioned.

"I was added to the mission later than everyone else, so the admiral had to call in my reservation, but it was a little too late. Someone is currently in the room he reserved for me, so I can't check in till 4:00 p.m."

"Well, you did say you want us to be more than acquaintances. It would be friendly of me to offer you my guest room. If you aren't uncomfortable with that suggestion. Chellick sometimes stays over on late nights, but it should be available."

I put my head back. "Thank you, Garrus, that would be fantastic. I just want a nap."

"Follow me then."

Garrus and I left the hotel and went over to the terminal, and called a shuttle. We were lingering for only two minutes before one landed and got inside, taking our seats.

"Kara Apartments, Kithoi Wards, please."

Yes, Sergeant Vakarian. The estimated time of arrival is 48 minutes.

I pulled out my box and got the syringe ready to inject the new chip.