A/N: Due to the massive size of the original chapter 10, and at the urging of my fellow writers, I have separated chapter 10 into two chapters. Chapter 11 will be the second half of the first chapter. Sorry for any inconvenience or confusion.
Chapter 10: Prioridad Número Uno
Shepard paced the hangar in front of a secondary shuttle. She had done everything that she could to prepare Garrus and his team for what they would likely face on Fehl Prime, and although she had complete faith in Garrus' ability to handle the situation, she was a nervous wreck. She was tapped in to their comm system, and Garrus left his mic open for her sake. She was listening as Garrus ordered Grundan Krul to secure the door. Kirrahe and his men had done a better job at keeping the collectors at bay than what Shepard could have anticipated. The collectors hadn't given up though. They were still attacking Fehl Prime, moving in on the clusters of people who had shut themselves inside prefabs and sealed any opening big enough for a seeker to fit through.
Kirrahe and his STG crew were playing cat and mouse with the collectors, causing distractions and sabotaging their attempts to enter the human facilities. The Alliance was doing what it could, but being comprised of human soldiers, that wasn't a lot. Those who had full breather suits were able to move around outside to some degree when swarms weren't present. The breather suits didn't block the swarms abilities to detect them, though, and Shepard had reports of at least one marine being taken by the collectors after a seeker managed to worm it's way in through a breech in the suit. Even when the seekers were unable to penetrate the breather suits, they would zero in on the humans and draw the collector troops to their locations.
The Normandy was positioned as far away from the planet as they could be and still allow for the shuttles to move back and forth between the surface and the ship. Shepard knew that the Normandy's stealth systems weren't enough to keep the collector ship off their asses and had managed to work out a plan with EDI and Legion's help. It was actually Lia's idea; the quarian was already proving to be quite an asset. They left the Normandy outside of visual range, and activated the stealth systems as an extra precaution, but EDI and Legion were scrambling the ship's signals making it appear to collector scanners as if the ship were a turian vessel of a much larger size. Of course, if the collectors decided to come closer to investigate, it would be a pointless endeavor but the hope was that they wouldn't even bother. So far, it looked like the plan was working.
"We've got Alliance and civilians," Garrus said before she heard a faint chuff come through the comm. "Alright, easy, easy. My name is Garrus Vakarian. My team and I were sent by Spectre Commander Shepard. Councilor Anderson might have sent word that we were coming?"
Shepard stopped her pacing to listen more intently.
"Put your damn gun down, pendejo. Do they look like collectors? Dios," a man's voice spoke in the background.
"James," Jane said perking up in the back of Shepard's mind.
Shepard recognized the voice right away. Jane's memories were becoming so familiar to her, it was difficult at times to be sure which memories where her own and which came from Jane. She resumed her pacing, though less frantic and more thoughtful. Miranda and Jack watched her from opposite sides of the shuttle.
"Yeah, I recognize you from the vids. You were with the commander on the Citadel but… she's dead," James said.
"Shepard isn't dead. Well, she was, but she isn't anymore. It's complicated. I'll let her explain that when she's able to land," Garrus said.
"Not complicated. Well, process complicated –," Mordin stopped short.
Shepard took that to mean that Garrus had given him 'the look'.
"Point being, we're here to help. There's an STG team here, Shepard sent them. Do you know where they are?" Garrus asked.
"The loco salarians? Last I saw of them they had herded a group of collectors into an empty warehouse and blew the place up. That was about three hours ago," James said.
"They're still alive, that's good. Kirrahe was a good choice," Jane said.
"Kirrahe was the only choice. Well, the only solid choice that wasn't going to bring an end to this war before it really started," Shepard thought.
"Fair enough," Jane said.
"We've got maps. Grundan Krul, open the map. Can you show us where that warehouse is… I didn't catch your name, I'm sorry," Garrus said.
"Operations Chief James Vega. Yeah, I can show you. I've got a breather suit, I can take you there if you want," James offered.
Shepard broke into the comm and said, "No! Tell him to stay there."
"He's a damn good marine, Dawn. He'd be able to handle showing them around. It's not like he'd be out there alone," Jane said.
"I know… but it isn't necessary and it would be a stupid risk. Garrus has got this," Shepard thought.
"You're afraid that being there is going to make things go wrong," Jane said.
"And so are you," Shepard thought.
"Vega? Shepard's on the comm insisting that you stay put," Garrus said.
"She's on the comm? Right now?" James asked.
"Patch him through, Garrus," Shepard said.
"She wants to talk to you, I'm patching you through to our channel," Garrus told James.
A moment later Shepard heard the faint click indicating that there was an addition to the comm.
"Operations Chief Vega, this is Commander Shepard it is important that you and as many of the Alliance that are present stay with the civilians. Where is your CO? My reports say a Captain Toni?" Shepard said.
"Hey, how do I know this is really Commander Shepard?" James asked.
"Gods… Garrus, show him the picture you took of me last night," Shepard said.
"Shepard, that uh, that picture maybe isn't the best one –," Garrus started to say.
"Gods, Garrus not that one! The one before," Shepard said pinching the bridge of her nose.
Jane scoffed and Shepard could feel her amusement seeping through the barriers of Shepard's own emotional response. Emotion. That was something else that was getting harder to keep separate.
"Oh, right," Garrus said.
Shepard heard James chuckle before the comms fell silent save the muffling sounds of movement and breathing.
"Yeah so that looks like Commander Shepard but that still doesn't prove anything," James said.
"Fine, Vega, what will it take?" Shepard said growling with frustration.
"Uhhhh, I don't know. Let's just say that I'm willing to suspend judgement. You've got men here to help, we need the help. What's your plan?" James asked.
"Vega, your CO?" Shepard said.
"Oh, right. Captain Toni is with another group of civilians a few buildings down. We've had minimal radio contact, I think his comm is damaged," James said.
"Alright, how many Alliance are at your location? How many civilians?" Shepard asked.
"There's four of us counting me, I'm the ranking officer of those present. There are twenty civilians at this location," James said.
"OK, Vega, show Vakarian what he needs on the maps and be prepared to offer assistance if necessary. In the meantime, stay at your location and protect the civilians. Vakarian and his men are going to locate Kirrahe and the rest of the STG," Shepard said. "Our priority is to secure the data gathered by the STG, but we're not going to leave you high and dry. Once the data is secured we're going to do everything we can to get those sons-of-bitches off this planet."
"I'm guessing you can't tell me what's so important about this data that rescuing this colony isn't prioridad número uno?" James asked.
Shepard hesitated before responding, "It's what's going to help us stop the collectors permanently, Vega."
"Copy that. You better not be bullshitting me, mi amiga," James said.
"Keep yourself alive, Vega, and I'll see you groundside when Vakarian gives the all clear," Shepard said.
"If he gives the all clear," Jane said.
"Try to have some faith, Jane," Shepard thought.
"I do, that's not what I'm saying. I just don't know what to expect here, Dawn. You've left my field of experience," Jane said.
"Then have faith in my ability to do my job," Shepard thought.
"You got it," James said.
Shepard listened as James pointed out the location of every last known human holdout and the warehouse the STG were last seen. She didn't hear anything else from James as Garrus and his team left the prefab in search of Kirrahe, but she was willing to bet good money he was still listening in. That was fine by her maybe he'd learn a thing or two.
"Of course he's still listening," Jane said.
"Mordin, try whatever STG channels you know, see if you can hail Kirrahe," Garrus said.
"Have already. Channels are silent. Probably radio silent for stealth. Can try again," Mordin said.
"Do it," Garrus said.
Shepard heard a click indicating Mordin switching channels a moment later another click indicated he had rejoined their channel.
"Still nothing. Wait, what's that?" Mordin said.
Shepard could hear the sounds of heavy footfalls. She stayed quiet and waited.
"Ah, STG marker. Kirrahe left messages. Must have anticipated I would be with you," Mordin said.
"What's it say?" Garrus asked.
"Ah. Should not go in building. Trapped," Mordin said.
"No indication of where they are?" Garrus asked.
"No," Mordin said.
"We've got company," Grundan Krul said.
"Finally, something to kill," Grunt said.
The next ten minutes were filled with sounds of gunfire and Garrus issuing orders. Shepard caught herself holding her breath twice and had to force herself to breathe again when she started to feel light-headed.
"Clear," Grundan Krul said.
"Anyone wounded?" Garrus asked. "No? Alright, let's move."
Shepard and Jane breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mordin, keep checking those channels," Garrus said.
Shepard ran her hands through her hair as she listened to the sounds of movement coming through over the comm. Things were quiet for the most part, that is until the sound of a sudden explosion made her flinch.
"That's probably them. Move," Garrus ordered.
Shepard could hear only rapid breathing and sounds of running over debris filled terrain for long minutes. Eventually, distant gunfire echoed through and the running slowed down.
"There! Take cover, and move to flank," Garrus ordered.
Shepard listened as the gunfire grew louder and then was joined by the fire and battle cries of Garrus' team. Miranda began to pace the room parallel to Shepard while Jack stayed leaning against the shuttle. After a few minutes, the gunfire stopped and Mordin gave the all clear.
"Is it Kirrahe?" Shepard asked.
"Yeah, looks like. We're headed towards them now. Looks like they blew up another building filled with collectors and it drew more to their location. We're clear for now," Garrus responded.
"I hope they're leaving at least some of the buildings intact. The point is to save the colony, not destroy it," Jane said.
"No, the point is to gather what data they can and save the colonists. The buildings are complete expendable if it means lives saved," Shepard thought.
"Good," Shepard said.
"Solus! It's about time you joined the fight," a salarian said.
"Rentola. Good. Still alive. Where's Kirrahe?" Mordin asked.
"He's checking the building to make sure there weren't survivors, I'll take you to him," Rentola said.
Shepard muted her mic and turning to Miranda said, "They've met up with the STG team. Rentola is taking them to Kirrahe now. We'll know in a few minutes if they've been able to gather sufficient data."
Miranda nodded and said, "Good, good. Hopefully they have everything Mordin needs."
"Kirrahe, Garrus Vakarian. We met on Virmire," Garrus voice came through the mic.
Shepard turned her attention back to the conversation on the ground.
"Yes, I remember. It is good to see you. Shepard has you leading her team?" Kirrahe asked.
"That's correct. She'll come groundside once the swarms are gone, failing that we'll take you out of here and to her," Garrus said. "What's the situation?"
"Collectors have been slowly retreating. We think that they are cutting their losses, taking what they've already got and preparing to pull out. We have made things as difficult for them as we could and done our best to keep them focused on us and not on the buildings that the colonists are hiding in," Kirrahe said. "We've been able to gather much data, both from the seeker swarms and from the dead collectors as well. I'll transfer what I have to Solus now."
"One STG team scaring away the collectors. Impressive," Jane said.
"Did you catch that, Shepard?" Garrus asked.
Shepard unmuted her mic and answered, "Yes, thank you. Ask Kirrahe to transfer the data to you as well, just as a backup incase things go sideways."
"You got it. Kirrahe, send me a copy as well so we've got a backup," Garrus said.
"Not a problem. Will take a couple of minutes to transfer files. Rentola, take
Tolan and Imness to scout the south passage," Kirrahe said.
"They're transferring the files now," Shepard said to Miranda and Jack.
"Adjustments to the defense cannons almost complete. It will go a lot faster with you here now," Kirrahe said.
"That sounds promising," Jane mused.
"What adjustments are you making?" Garrus asked. "I might be able to assist."
"Come, we'll show you," Kirrahe said.
Shepard heard the sounds of movement once more and waved Miranda over.
"I'm turning the mic over to Miranda and taking a break. Have EDI get me if anything happens," Shepard.
"Of course," Miranda said.
"Copy that," Garrus said.
Shepard handed her mic over to Miranda and made her way to the mess hall. When Gardner saw her collapse onto one of the benches he began pulling things out of the refrigerated stasis chamber and put her together a sandwich. He brought the plate over to her with a cup of coffee and sat down across from her.
"How's the ground team holding up?" Gardner asked as Shepard started into the sandwich.
"A couple of fights so far, they've met up with the STG and are securing the data now," Shepard mumbled around the food in her mouth.
"Ha! I knew our boys could handle it. I've got to tell you, Shepard, I wasn't so sure about all the damn aliens you're bringing aboard but they've definitely been earning their keep," Gardner said.
Shepard sipped her coffee and nodded her head.
"The colony isn't out of the woods yet. They're doing something with the colony's cannons, see if they can't get the collectors to give up and clear out," Shepard said.
"Glad to hear it. I'll let you finish your sandwich in peace. One of the stalls in the men's bathroom is acting up," Gardner said standing up from the bench and pulling at the waist of his pants.
"Uh, yeah, I guess you'd better take care of that. Thanks, Gardner," Shepard said.
"That's what I'm here for," Gardner said walking away.
Shepard finished her meal before making her way up to her cabin to take a quick shower. When she returned to the hangar, Jack was gone and Jacob had taken her place. Miranda paced the floor listening intently to the ear piece. She looked up as Shepard approached.
"They're working on the guns still. I think Garrus has found a way to improve on what the salarians were doing," Miranda said.
"Any further collector activity?" Shepard asked.
"No, everything has been quiet where they are," Miranda said handing the mic back to Shepard.
Shepard fit the mic into her ear and pressed the button before speaking, "I'm back Garrus, have you got a time estimate on those guns?"
"Hmmmm. I think I can have this done within the hour, so long as things stay quiet," Garrus said.
"Excellent. You think they'll be able to make it through the collector ship's shields?" Shepard asked.
"If the Thanix cannon on the Normandy can then this can; just won't do as much damage once it's through and we don't have any way to shield ourselves if the ship starts firing back," Garrus said.
"See if you can figure out a way to use the guns remotely," Shepard said.
"Come on, Shepard, who do you think you're talking to here?" Garrus said.
"Yeah, yeah. Just keep me updated," Shepard said.
"Copy that," Garrus said.
"Hey Vega, I know you're listening in. Give me an update," Shepard said.
"Things are quiet here, no activity to report," James said.
"Thanks, Vega," Shepard said.
"No hay problema," James said.
Within a few minutes Shepard was pacing the floor in boredom. She could hear the sounds of muffled conversations coming in over the mic and the occasional growl from Garrus as he worked on the guns. Twenty minutes passed and Shepard sat down in the middle of the hangar. Miranda left and Jacob began reading something on a datapad. Suddenly the sounds of gunfire ripped through the mic and Shepard sprang back to her feet tense and ready for a battle she couldn't fight.
"Protect the guns," Garrus ordered.
Shepard listened with her jaw clenched until the sounds of battle began to ebb.
"We're clear, injuries?" Garrus said. "No? Good, back to the guns."
"Hey, I don't know what you guys did to piss them off but you've got swarms of 'em headed your way," James said breaking his silence.
"Thanks for the heads up," Garrus said.
"Hey man, you sure you guys don't need some backup?" James asked.
"We're good, for now at least. Just stay where you are and keep the civilians safe," Garrus said.
"Yeah, yeah OK," James said.
"There they are," Grunt yelled a few minutes later.
"Shit, they're here, too," James said.
"Shepard, they're hitting us hard. I can't send anyone to help him," Garrus said in between bursts from his assault rifle.
"Don't worry, I got this," James said.
"Gods, he's going to do something reckless," Jane said.
"Vega, what are you doing? Don't do anything stupid," Shepard said.
James didn't answer, Shepard strained to hear a sign that he was still there, still listening over the sounds of battle.
"Vega? Vega? James gods damn it!" Shepard yelled.
"I think he cut his mic. We'll get back to him as soon as we can," Garrus said.
"Damn it, yeah," Shepard said.
The sound of an explosion rocked through the mic, Shepard winced and hissed.
"Shepard, you're flaring. Everything alright?" Jacob said.
"What?" Shepard asked.
Jacob pointed down at Shepard's hands. She glanced down and saw that she was pulling biotic energy up around her hands without intending too. Shepard took a deep breath, watching the energy fade away.
"Oh…," Jane said.
"What?" Shepard thought.
"Nothing, never mind," Jane said.
Shepard tried to push Jane, but Jane retreated further into the back of Shepard's mind. Shepard didn't have time to contemplate what was up with Jane so she turned her attention back to the mic.
"Garrus?" Shepard said into her mic.
"Yeah, that was Kirrahe, we're good," Garrus said.
"Good," Shepard said, nodding to Jacob.
Shepard continued her relentless pacing as her ground team risked their lives without her. Gunfire. Explosions. Pained curses. Aliens fighting more aliens to save human lives. And she couldn't be down there.
"I fucking hate this," Shepard mumbled.
"Yeah, I feel ya. Just doesn't seem right, does it? Standing around up here while they're getting shot at down there," Jacob said.
Shepard shook her head and raked her hands through her hair.
"I'm going to go grab some coffee. You want me to bring you back some?" Jacob asked.
"Yeah, thanks Jacob," Shepard said.
"Sure, no problem," Jacob said as he walked away.
Jacob returned a few minutes later and the sounds of battle were still echoing through Shepard's mic. She stopped her pacing and accepted the cup of coffee from Jacob. She took a tentative sip and smiled, mouthing the words 'thank you'. Jacob smiled and nodded before taking a drink of his own.
When finally the gunfire let up, Shepard felt herself relax.
"One of Kirrahe's men is down," Garrus said. "Still alive but he's hurt pretty bad. I don't think he's going to make it if we don't get him off this planet soon."
"Get those damn guns going and get that collector ship out of there," Shepard said.
"I'm on them now, Shepard," Garrus said.
"Any sign of James?" Shepard asked.
"Nothing yet, Shepard," Garrus said.
"'Course not. Son-of-a-bitch is probably doing something stupid," Shepard said.
They had only ten minutes of peace before another wave hit. Shepard's nerves were on edge. She didn't know how much longer she could listen to her team taking heavy fire before she hopped in a shuttle and made her way groundside.
"Shepard, something big is happening in Vega's direction," Garrus said.
"Big? What do you mean big?" Shepard asked.
"There's a lot of smoke, I don't know Shepard, I'm a little distracted here," Garrus said.
"Shit, what is he doing?" Jane asked.
"Yeah. Sorry. Thanks, Garrus," Shepard said.
"They're pulling back," Garrus said a few minutes later.
"What?" Shepard asked.
"They're retreating," Garrus said again.
"Whatever James did… he's drawing them away," Jane said.
"James. Son of a bitch, are they going after James?" Shepard asked.
"Do you want me to pursue?" Garrus asked.
"Shepard?" Garrus said when Shepard didn't respond right away.
"No. No, stick to the guns. Get them up so we can land," Shepard said.
"You're… you're going to let him get killed," Jane said.
"Don't, Jane. Just don't. You know that the data has to come first. James survived this without our interference in your lives, he can do it now," Shepard thought.
"But it's different now. It's all different now," Jane said.
"Copy that," Garrus said.
Shepard paced frantically. She knew James liked to take wild risks, at least he did by the time she normally met him. Granted, some of that was because of his unresolved feelings about the way things normally went on Fehl Prime but surely some of that just had to be the soldier's personality. Long minutes stretched out, feeling like hours broken only by the occasional muttered curse from Garrus on the other end of the mic. Shepard tried intermittently to get James to respond but he was still radio silent. Jane had grown silent as well, but Shepard could feel her worry echoing her own. If something happened to James because Shepard changed things… she didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to consider that she might have caused the death of someone else she cared about.
"Hmmm. I think that should do the trick," Garrus said.
"What? You got it?" Shepard asked.
"Yeah, I think so. Kirrahe, come take a look," Garrus said.
Shepard could hear Kirrahe through the mic as he rattled off a list of changes and made a humming sound.
"Alright, everyone. On your feet. We're headed back to Vega. Shepard, I've got it set to fire remotely. We're going to put some distance between us and the gun. See if we can find Vega for you," Garrus said.
"Copy that," Shepard said.
Shepard listened to the sounds of footfalls as her ground team ran across the debris fields of Fehl Prime back to Vega's last known location.
"Shepard, the gun is firing. It looks like it's breaking through their barriers. Hopefully it gets off a few shots before they return fire. We're about ten minutes out from where we left Vega. We're seeing a lot of smoke," Garrus said.
"Any sounds of battle… of anything?" Shepard asked.
After a quiet moment of nothing but footfalls and labored breathing Shepard heard the sound of Garrus' mandibles snap tight against his jaw.
"Not yet. I'm sorry, Shepard," Garrus said regretfully.
"Don't apologize. This was my call. Just find him, please," Shepard said.
"I'm on it," Garrus said.
Barely two minutes had passed when Garrus spoke again, "Shepard, I hear gunfire."
"That's a good sign, it means someone is still alive and fighting," Shepard said more to herself than to Garrus.
A few more minutes passed and Shepard was able to hear the gunfire herself coming through the mic. She listened intently as Garrus gave orders to his team and decided on a rendezvous point with Kirrahe. The sounds of battle were growing louder and Shepard's blood began pumping harder in her veins. She hated being stuck on the ship while the others were down their fighting. Her fingers twitched, wanting desperately to pull her gun and take cover.
"Spirits," Garrus' voice came across the mic harsh and low.
"What? What is it Garrus?" Shepard asked.
"I don't even know how to describe it… your man, Vega, he's… spirits," Garrus said.
"Oh gods," said Jane.
"Garrus!" Shepard yelled.
"He's alive, Shepard. Relax. He's… hmmm… He's on top of a roof with his men. They've set half the buildings in this area on fire. There's a damn ring of fire circling him. Spirits, there are collector corpses everywhere in the fire between the buildings. We're going to have to put out some of the fire to –," Garrus said.
"No! Don't put out the fire. Not yet. Is it working at all? Is it keeping them back or at least slowing them down?" Shepard asked.
"Hmmm. They're just flying over it… though it does seem like their hesitating," Garrus said.
"Good. That's something. Support him from outside of the fire unless it becomes too dangerous," Shepard said.
"Shepard I think their having trouble flying over the fire," Garrus said. "Mordin just confirmed. Something about intense heat and updraft tearing through their hindwings."
"Good to know –," Shepard started to say.
"Grunt! Damn it," Garrus yelled.
"What –," Shepard said.
"Hey, hey, 'bout time you guys joined the party!" Vega broke through on the mic.
"Grunt just charged through the fire. He's tossing around injured collectors… what's that human saying… like a ragdoll," Garrus said.
Between the imagery of Grunt playing with a ragdoll and hearing Vega's voice, Shepard let a bark of laughter escape her lips before she cut it off and cleared her throat.
"Nice. Vega, you want to tell me what the hell you're doing?" Shepard said.
"Barbecuing collectors and guarding the civilians," James said.
"What the hell happened? I couldn't get you on the radio?" Shepard asked.
"I uh, I lost your channel," James said.
"Bullshit. Why the hell did you cut the mic, Vega?" Shepard asked biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from yelling at him.
"Because… damn it Jones, get that puta… because I had a feeling you were going to tell me to stay inside. If you really are Shepard, I figured it would be better to get scolded later than to disobey an order," James said.
"For the love of gods, Vega…," Shepard trailed off.
She almost told him that she wasn't even Alliance anymore. Sure they had formally stripped her of her rank, not yet, but they weren't exactly claiming her as one of their own right now. That was a conversation she wanted to have with him in person, though. Of course, she could still pull the Council Spectre card, but they weren't in Council space. Shepard was lost in her own thoughts, listening to the sounds of a battle she couldn't fight when she was startled by the sound of James whooping with delight.
"What's happening?" Shepard asked.
"They're retreating," Garrus said. "I can see shuttles heading back to their ship, it looks like the guns did some damage before they were taken out. Shepard I think this is it, they're pulling out."
"That's right, run you cabrones!" James yelled.
"I'll get my team ready and wait for your all clear. Get those fires put out and get me a causality count," Shepard said.
"Copy that," Garrus said.
"Jacob, get ready. EDI, tell the others to suit up we'll be headed down soon. As soon as that collector ship is gone bring the Normandy in closer," Shepard said.
"You got it," Jacob said.
"At once, Shepard," EDI said.
Twenty minutes later and the rest of her crew were waiting by the shuttles when Shepard returned to the hangar. She paused briefly when she saw Legion and Lia waiting with the others. She took a breath and nodded to herself. Might as well take them down, maybe word that not all geth are the enemy will make its way around and save her some time down the road. She doubted it, but she could hope.
"Yeah, because that can't possibly go sideways," Jane said.
"Garrus what's the situation?" Shepard asked.
"The collector ship is gone; we haven't seen any sign that any of them stayed behind except a few that were too wounded to get back to their shuttles. We've taken care of those. Still, there isn't any way to be sure that the swarms left, too. Are you sure you want to risk this?" Garrus asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Even if the swarms are still around, Mordin's little experiment showed us that their venom isn't permanent," Shepard said.
"It's your call. You're clear to land," Garrus said.
"On my way," Shepard said.
She turned to the others waiting for her orders and motioned towards the shuttle.
"Miranda, up front with me. Everyone else –," Shepard said.
"Wait for me, I'm coming with you," Dr. Chakwas said entering the hangar carrying two large medic bags slung over her shoulder.
Jacob jogged over to unburden the doctor, lifting the bags from her shoulders.
"Dr. Chakwas –," Shepard started to say.
"Don't you dare, Commander. I am an Alliance trained doctor, this is my job. Cerberus or not. There are injured people down there and I'm going," Dr. Chakwas said.
Shepard sighed and said, "Alright. Damn this is going to be a tight fit. EDI send the coordinates for the ground team to the shuttle," Shepard said climbing into a shuttle.
When everyone was situated and the shuttle doors closed, the door to the hangar lowered and they maneuvered the shuttle out into the darkness of space. Legion had curled up into his drop position on the floor between the two rows of benches at the back of the shuttle. The hour long ride passed relatively quickly once Shepard allowed herself to relax. Garrus had reported in letting her know that all of the civilians that were with James and Captain Toni where alive and accounted for. Many of them had mild injuries; some of those were days old. The wounded salarian on Kirrahe's team hadn't made it, and there were two soldiers down. Several more were wounded. It was a good thing that Dr. Chakwas had insisted on coming.
When finally they neared the landing site, Shepard cursed as she saw the extent of the damage done to the buildings Vega sat on fire. There was no way those buildings could be saved, they were going to have to be torn down and new ones built in their place. Vega had saved many of the colonists' lives but had added a hell of a lot of extra work for them when it came time to rebuild.
Shepard landed the shuttle next to the one her ground team had taken. Garrus must have sent someone to bring it to their location. She smiled when she saw Garrus walking towards the shuttle as the door opened.
"Legion, give me a moment to warn them about you before you come out, OK?" Shepard asked.
"Yes, Shepard-Commander," Legion said.
"I'll wait with you, Legion," Lia said.
Legion didn't respond to the young quarian's statement. Shepard stepped out of the shuttle and stopped in front of Garrus. They smiled at each other before Garrus turned to stand beside her and survey the damage with her. Mordin was standing next to a prefab attempting to run scans on an annoyed Grunt; Grunt kept swatting the old salarian away. Grundan Krul leaned against the building watching the scene with a blank face. Civilians milled about the area in small clusters, their fearful eyes darting to the sky every few seconds. Shepard spotted two men in Alliance armor pass by but neither were big enough to be James.
Dr. Chakwas stepped out of the shuttle and asked, "Where are the wounded?"
Garrus turned to take in the doctor before pointing her towards one of the larger buildings that had been saved from Vega's fires. She nodded in thanks before heading towards the building, Jacob walked next to her carrying her bags. Dr. Chakwas paused to talk to Mordin who appeared to give up on trying to scan Grunt and instead followed the doctor inside the building.
"Where's Vega?" Shepard asked.
Garrus eyes scanned the area before he nodded in the direction of someone exiting one of the buildings. Shepard recognized the bear of a man's profile as soon as she laid eyes on him. Vega took off his helmet and stuck it under one arm before spitting on the ground and looking up. Shepard watched as his eyes scanned the area until they spotted her. She tilted her head to the side slightly and waited. It was difficult sometimes to remember that she wasn't supposed to recognize people; wasn't supposed to care so deeply about people she hadn't actually met.
James opened the door and stuck his head back in the building for a moment before sauntering over to where Shepard stood now flanked by Jack and Miranda as well. Kasumi had her cloak activated but Shepard knew she'd be somewhere nearby. Zaeed was walking across the courtyard like he owned the place to lean against the wall next to Grundan Krul. James was half way to Shepard when the door opened behind him and another man emerged. He looked older than Shepard but he was too far away to pin down the details of his face. He walked out of the building and followed James' footsteps. James arrived before the other man and came to a stop in front of Shepard. Shepard stood at parade rest and watched the cogs turn in James' mind as he assessed Shepard. Images from Jane's memories superimposed themselves over the marine's face. A little younger, a little less jaded, the James that stood in front of her wore his hair cut a little closer to the scalp and his face was free of the light stubble she expected to see. A scar was missing just below his lip. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her mouth when James cursed softly and snapped to a salute.
"Operations Chief James Vega, ma'am," James said.
"At ease, Vega. Is that Captain Toni coming?" Shepard asked.
James relaxed and nodded in response turning his body to watch Captain Toni approach. The captain's slight limp wasn't lost on Shepard but she did her best to pretend not to notice. Shepard saluted out of habit as the captain came within a few feet from her. He stopped and looked at Shepard before nodding his head, acknowledging her salute. Shepard waited in silence taking in the man's stern face and the slightest hint of creases around his eyes. The sun glinted off the occasional gray hair mixed in with the lighter shade of brown. She could see it in the captain's eyes that he doubted she was who she claimed to be, even if it seemed she'd convinced James.
"The Alliance has you reported as dead, Commander," Captain Toni finally spoke.
"Maybe you should just release another one of your PSA videos telling the whole galaxy that you're alive again," Jane said.
"I was dead, sir. My corpse was retrieved and using a series of experimental tech, revived over a two year process. I have spoken with the Alliance, they are aware of my… situation and am here now with Councilor Anderson's blessing. My Spectre status has been reinstated. I can wait if you wish to seek confirmation," Shepard said.
Just then a blond headed little girl, no more than seven or eight, came running towards the group. Shepard shifted her gaze to watch as the child yelled James' name before flinging herself at him. James scooped the child up with his free arm and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Shepard swallowed hard against the knot in her throat. She remembered that there were people here who James was close to, people who normally would have died on Fehl Prime or be taken by the collectors. This child was clearly someone special to him and she was glad that she was able to save him at least one loss.
"I believe, considering the circumstances, that would be best," Captain Toni said, his eyes shifting to the Cerberus emblem on the side of the shuttles.
Shepard fought back the urge to wince and instead nodded her head. Captain Toni turned and walked back to the building he came from. James sat the child back on her feet and squatted down next to her.
"April, do you know who this is?" James asked the child.
The little girl glanced up at Shepard and Shepard smiled at her. April turned back to James and shook her head.
"That's Commander Shepard. The first human Spectre," James said.
The little girl turned back to Shepard and snapped a salute. Garrus chuckled beside Shepard as she saluted the child in return. Shepard stepped closer to the pair and squatted down on April's other side before extending her hand to the little girl.
"Hello, April. It's nice to meet you," Shepard said.
The little girl took Shepard's hand and held her chin high as she shook it firmly. Shepard caught James' proud smile as he watched the little girl.
"Hello, Commander Shepard. It's nice to meet you, too," April said. "Who are they?"
Shepard glanced back over her shoulder towards Garrus and the others before turning to point at each of them. She whispered to the girl in a low, conspiratorial voice.
"Well, that turian there in the blue armor is Garrus Vakarian. He likes to think he's big and scary but really he's just a cute, cuddly kitten," Shepard said.
April giggled and James snickered. Shepard glanced towards James and smiled before turning back to April.
"Spirits, Shepard. You know I can hear you," Garrus said.
"Yep," Shepard said popping the 'p'. "And that over there is Miranda Lawson."
Miranda smiled at the little girl and said, "Hello."
"Hi," April said. "What about the lady with no hair and all the funny drawings?"
Jack's lips twitched up in a smirk before she turned to look at the child.
"That's Jack," Shepard said.
"Jack is a boy name. How come you didn't say her last name, too?" April asked.
Shepard's eyes stayed on Jack, she saw the briefest flicker of something that looked a lot like pain cross the woman's eyes.
"Well, Jack is really just short for something else but she doesn't usually like for people to know her whole name," Shepard said slowly.
Jack's eyes darted to Shepard's and her lids narrowed. Shepard nodded her head slightly and Jack's lips pursed in response. Jack maneuvered around Miranda to stand in front of April.
"Hey kid," Jack said.
April stuck her hand out at Jack. Shepard raised an eyebrow as Jack hesitated before taking the little girl's hand and giving it a shake.
"Are you in the Alliance, too?" April asked Jack.
"Fuck no," Jack said.
"Jack!" Shepard scolded.
Kasumi giggled from somewhere to Shepard's left. April's eyes searched the area looking for the source of the sound. She gasped in awe when Kasumi dropped her cloak.
"Hello, April. Kasumi Goto at your service," Kasumi said with a slight bow.
Jack shrugged and said, "What Shepard? I don't do well with kids."
James frowned at Jack and stood up. Shepard stood as well and shook her head in dismay.
"April, why don't you go see if anyone needs any help with anything?" James said resting his hand on the girl's shoulder.
Jack shrugged and walked over to the shuttle to lean against the metal frame with her arms crossed. April saluted James, who saluted in return, before running off towards the nearest cluster of civilians. She stopped halfway there and spun around to salute Shepard. Shepard returned the salute and then waved as April ran off.
"So what happens now, Commander?" James asked.
"That depends on your orders and what the colonists want to do. If they want to stay and rebuild or be evacuated. For the love of … Vega why are you looking at me like that?" Shepard asked.
"Sorry, it's just… loco you know? I mean what did they even do to you?" James asked.
"Perhaps I'll give you the details someday, Vega, but now really isn't the time," Shepard said scratching self-consciously at the nearly faded scars.
"Right, yeah," James said.
The door to the building that James and Captain Toni came out of opened once more and the captain made his way back to Shepard.
"Operations Chief Vega, I hope you're not harassing the Commander," Captain Toni said.
"No, sir," James said.
"Commander Shepard, I've spoken with Anderson. We're ready to offer you whatever assistance you require while you're on Fehl Prime," Captain Toni said.
"Thank you, Captain. I'm more interested in what assistance we can offer you during our short stay. If you have a moment, there is a matter of a sensitive nature that I should discuss with you before we move forward," Shepard said.
"Of course," Captain Toni said extending a hand towards the building.
"Garrus, wait by the shuttle. Legion and Lia are still inside," Shepard said.
"You brought Legion? Of course you did. Makes perfect sense, nothing crazy about that," Garrus said shaking his head.
Shepard smirked and said, "You know me so well."
Shepard started walking to the prefab when Captain Toni stopped and turned to James.
"Vega, don't you have something better to do than to follow the commander around while she's here?" Captain Toni asked.
"Yes, sir," James said and started to turn away.
"Actually, Captain, if it's alright with you it might be best for at least some of your men to hear what I have to say. They can help to disseminate the information to the crowds," Shepard said.
"Alright then, Vega, get two of the others," Captain Toni said.
"Aye, aye, Captain," James said before heading towards a different prefab.
Shepard followed Captain Toni into the prefab which he had laid out as his command station. A map of Fehl Prime occupied a large section of the far wall. A desk situated next to a side wall faced out towards the room. Shepard spotted a cane leaning against the metal desk next to the Captain's chair.
"Have a seat, Commander," Captain Toni said.
Shepard didn't really feel like sitting but she felt that the Captain might need to sit himself so she nodded and waited for him to seat himself before taking a chair on the opposite side of his desk.
"We've been getting stragglers making their way into the camp over the last half hour. We've reason to believe that there may be more civilian hold outs spread throughout Fehl Prime. If you are intent on helping us, a search for survivors might be the best way that you can do that," Captain Toni said.
"My team and I will be happy to help with the search. Regretfully, we really will not be able to spare more than a couple of days but we will do our best while we're here," Shepard said.
Captain Toni nodded his head and started to speak but stopped short when the door opened and James entered with two marines behind him. The three men entered the room and saluted standing a few feet away from Shepard.
"At ease," Captain Toni said.
They fell to parade rest and the three of them watched Shepard curiously.
"Commander," Captain Toni said inviting Shepard to speak.
"I'll do my best to answer whatever questions you have about these attacks, but first, I'd like to tell you something about the geth," Shepard started.
"The geth? Are they involved in these attacks?" Captain Toni asked.
"No sir, in fact, the geth are far more complicated than what we realized. I've encountered a geth platform designed to interact with organics. He was able to relay to me information explaining the activity we have noted in the past with Saren and the attacks on the Citadel," Shepard said.
"Interesting. What did this geth tell you?" Captain Toni asked, the skepticism in his voice was not lost on Shepard.
"The geth that joined with Saren were a sub-group and not representative of all geth. As with humans, and any other organic species, there was a division among the geth on whether to join with Saren. Those who did allowed their code to be rewritten, changing them fundamentally from the others who did not join with Saren. There has since been a civil war or sorts, between these two factions of geth," Shepard said.
"Excuse me, Commander. I'm sorry, but am I to understand that you're telling me that what – there are two races of geth at war with one another? Why does this matter to us?" Captain Toni asked.
"It matters to us because those that remained unchanged are not responsible for the attacks on the Citadel. Those that remained unchanged have sought us out and offered themselves in an alliance. They wish to work with us to fight the other faction, those they call 'heretics', and the reapers," Shepard said.
"Officially, the reapers don't exist, Commander," Captain Toni said.
"Officially," Shepard said with a raised eyebrow. "I doubt you made the rank of Captain without learning that what is said to be 'official' is not always the truth. You can choose to accept the politicians' words or mine. Either way, it doesn't change what I have to say right now."
Captain Toni grunted before saying, "Go on."
"The geth platform I have been talking about has joined me in this fight against the collectors as well. He has provided my team with invaluable information detailing any known collector sightings and heretic activity. They don't want war with us – or any other organic for that matter, Captain," Shepard said.
Captain Toni leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of his lips, watching Shepard. After a moment of silence he lowered his hands and leaned forward towards Shepard.
"I take it you have passed this information on to the Alliance already?" Captain Toni asked.
"Councilor Anderson has been informed and has met the geth platform himself," Shepard said.
"So why are you telling me this now, Commander?" Captain Toni asked.
"Because the geth is here with me today," Shepard said.
Captain Toni bolted out of his seat. James and the others shifted around nervously to the side.
"And here we go," Jane said.
"You're telling me you brought a geth to this colony? Right after being attacked while we're vulnerable and have wounded?" Captain Toni asked, his voice rising.
Shepard stood slowly to her feet and clasped her hands behind her back.
"His name is Legion and he is one of my team, Captain. I assure you that you are far more of a threat to him than he is to you. I would like for Legion to have the chance to prove himself by helping this colony while we're here but if this is something you are not prepared to handle I will do you the courtesy of escorting him and the rest of my team back to our ship," Shepard said with a cool, level tone.
The captain and the commander stood staring at each other in silence until Captain Toni shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Take me to it. I need to see this myself before I allow it to walk around this colony," Captain Toni finally said.
"Of course," Shepard said.
Shepard led Captain Toni and his men back to the shuttle. Garrus watched their approach, his assault rifle had never left his hands and now Shepard could see him adjusting his grip and watching her for a signal. She shook her head slightly telling him that things were fine and to stand down. Grunt had joined Garrus by the shuttle but Jack and Miranda where nowhere to be seen at the moment. Kasumi was crouched down using a stick to draw in the dirt with a group of children next to a building. She looked Shepard's way when she walked past and Shepard gave her a smile; Kasumi resumed working on her masterpiece.
Shepard stopped next to the shuttle and opened the door. She stuck her head inside and glanced at Lia before locking on to Legion.
"Legion, the Alliance Captain Toni would like to speak with you before you leave the shuttle. Is that acceptable to you?" Shepard asked.
"Yes, Shepard-Commander," Legion said.
Shepard climbed into the shuttle and motioned Captain Toni inside. The captain moved to the shuttle door and paused when his eyes found the geth sitting next to the quarian in the shuttle. Hesitantly he stepped into the shuttle and sat down next to Shepard. James moved to stand next to Garrus both blocking the inside of the shuttle from prying eyes and keeping a close eye on his CO.
"Dios," James said in a hushed tone.
"Captain Toni, this is Legion. Legion, I've told Captain Toni a little about the heretics and the current war with the geth. I've told him about your offer of aid in the war. I think the captain needs to hear some of it from you directly," Shepard said.
Legion turned his head and focused his optics in on Captain Toni, the plating around his optics fluttered as he studied the human captain in silence.
"He's waiting for you to ask your questions, Captain," Lia offered. "Legion doesn't understand the need to respond to simple statements. To him, his acceptance is evidenced by his lack of refusal."
"I see. Thank you Miss…," Captain Toni said.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Lia'Vael nar Ulnay," Lia said.
"Thank you Miss Vael. Are you his… caretaker?" Captain Toni said although his eyes never left Legion.
"What? No, I'm his friend," Lia said.
"Friend? I see," Captain Toni said slowly, his eyebrows twitching in surprise. "Legion, is it?"
"Yes, Legion is the name Shepard-Commander has assigned to us," Legion said.
"You named it?" Captain Toni asked glancing at Shepard.
"If I hadn't he would have just kept calling himself geth and that's just confusing," Shepard said with a shrug.
"I see. Legion, the commander tells me that your… people… are engaged in a civil war," Captain Toni said.
Legion's optics dilated and contracted but he remained silent.
"He meant that as an invitation for you to tell him more," Lia said.
Legion looked at Lia before turning back to Captain Toni.
"Yes, the heretics have attacked the geth. They are attempting to force a programing rewrite on the geth so that we will become heretics, too. We do not want to become heretics, we do not want to worship the old machines," Legion said.
"The old machines?" Captain Toni asked looking to Shepard.
"The reapers," Shepard said.
"The… heretics worship the reapers?" Captain Toni asked Legion.
"Yes," Legion responded.
"And you are what? An Ambassador for the geth?" Captain Toni asked.
"That would be an accurate comparison, yes," Legion said.
"So, you're able to form alliances on behalf of the geth?" Captain Toni asked.
"No," Legion said.
"It doesn't work that way with the geth, Captain," Lia explained. "The geth share thoughts and come to a consensus. Legion's platform has multiple programs running inside of it, they form a consensus together to decide on Legion's responses to external stimuli but in order to offer any sort of statement on behalf of all geth those programs must return to the larger geth program population, share what they know, and form a new consensus."
"So it was decided already that you would attempt to form an alliance with us to fight this war?" Captain Toni asked.
"Yes, the consensus was decided and this platform was sent to find Shepard-Commander," Legion said.
"Why Commander Shepard? Why not the Council?" Captain Toni asked.
"Shepard-Commander opposed the old machines and the heretics while the others failed to come to the correct consensus," Legion said.
"What does that mean?" Captain Toni asked Shepard.
"It means that he sought me out because I made a lot of noise about the reapers and continued to fight even when the Council was busy insisting that the reapers didn't exist," Shepard said.
"Yes," Legion said.
Captain Toni leaned back against the shuttle wall.
"How do you know that it's telling the truth?" Captain Toni asked.
Lia cleared her throat and said, "The geth, although highly intelligent, simply don't understand the purpose of lying. Lying is an organic trait brought on by a social awareness, emotions, and a sense of individuality. Geth simply don't have that. Sure, it is possible for them to lie to organics, but they simply don't see a reason to. The way geth interact with one another, lying is not even possible between geth."
"I see. And Councilor Anderson has allowed this?" Captain Toni asked Shepard.
"He was skeptical initially, but he listened to what I had to say and spoke to Legion himself. He's grateful for whatever help we can get," Shepard said.
"Alright, who am I to argue with the Councilor? I trust that you are prepared to take responsibility for Legion's actions while he is here, Commander?" Captain Toni asked.
"Absolutely," Shepard said.
"Vega, you and the others spread the word. I don't need a riot on my hands when Legion leaves this shuttle. People need to be prepared. All you need to tell them is that some of the geth have allied with us, and that one of their Ambassador's is with Commander Shepard. Make sure they understand that it isn't here to attack them, but to help," Captain Toni said.
"Aye, aye, Captain," Vega said with a salute before turning back to his teammates.
"Give us a few minutes to make sure everyone is ready," Shepard said to Legion and Lia before exiting the shuttle.
Captain Toni seemed more than grateful to leave the confined space. Almost immediately, a crowd began to form around the shuttle. Marines and civilians alike pressed in around each other hoping to steal a glimpse of Legion. Her team reassembled around her, all save Dr. Chakwas who stayed with her patients. When Vega pushed his way back through the crowd to report that everyone had been warned, Shepard opened the shuttle once more.
"This could go really, really badly, Dawn. Are you sure you want to do this?" Jane said as Shepard's eyes swept over the crowd.
"Yes," Shepard thought.
"Come on out, you two," Shepard said.
Lia was the first to exit the shuttle; hushed murmurs rode through the crowd. She stepped aside leaving room for Legion. The geth ducked his head as he exited the shuttle. The crowd gasped as one. Legion moved his head slowly from left to right, his optics narrowing. Shepard knew that he was examining and cataloging each and every face in the crowd. Shepard watched cautiously as more than one marine tightened their grip on their weapons or rested their hands on holstered guns. She breathed a sigh of relief to see that the Delta Squad was trained well enough to keep their shit together.
"April! No!" A woman's voice broke through the silence.
"Fucksake. Gods don't let them start shooting," Jane said.
April wormed her way through the crowd and came running right up to Legion. James moved in to intercept the child and scooped her up in her arms.
"I want to say hello to the geth!" April said squirming to get down.
"Settle down, niñita. You're going to give tu madre a heart attack," James said.
A woman pushed through the crowd towards James but hesitated along the edges of the ring of marines and civilians. The marines shifted around, adjusting their grip on their guns. Their eyes glued to Legion, ready to take action if he made any move against the little girl.
"We acknowledge the human child's greeting and offer greeting in kind," Legion said watching April.
April squirmed and managed to break free of James' grip. Before he could get a hold of her again she was standing in front of the geth and everyone in the crowd was holding their breath. James was right behind April, his hand resting protectively on her shoulder. He shared at look with Shepard and Shepard knew that James had deliberately just placed himself to act as a shield for the geth as much as for the child. He had taken a leap of faith on her word; Shepard smiled reassuringly at James. Some of the tension left the marine's face but he refused to leave April's side.
"I don't know what that means," April said looking up at Legion.
Legion's optic plating fluttered momentarily before he spoke again, "It means hello, human child."
April held her hand out to Legion and said, "My name is April. What's yours?"
Legion took April's hand and gave it a shake. Everyone in the crowd gasped once more. The crowd began murmuring again as the child's mother came to stand at James side, reaching a hand out blindly to find her daughter while keeping terrified eyes on Legion.
"We are called Legion," he said.
"Alright, April, why don't we give Legion some space, OK?" James said.
"OK," April said.
"See, I got this," Shepard thought.
"Don't get cocky, Dawn. Those marines could have open fired at any time. Even if you managed to survive, someone here wouldn't have. I hope that this was worth the risk," Jane said.
"Don't be melodramatic. These are Alliance marines, they wouldn't have open fired in the middle of a civilian crowd unless they had no choice," Shepard thought crossly.
April allowed herself to be pulled away by her mother. Slowly the crowd began to dissipate. Kirrahe and the surviving STG made their way through the remaining crowd of people to look at Legion with large blinking eyes.
"Kirrahe, good to see you. I can't thank you enough for what you've done here. I am truly impressed that you were able to help save as many as you did," Shepard said shaking the major's hand. "I owe you one."
Kirrahe smiled and said, "It is good to have a Spectre that thinks she owes me a favor."
Shepard chuckled.
"You sent them here?" Captain Toni asked.
"I helped set it up, yes," Shepard said.
"You knew this was going to happen?" Captain Toni asked.
"I had reason to suspect, I'm sorry Captain Toni but I can't offer you further explanation," Shepard said.
"Fair enough. Whatever the reason, thank you," Captain Toni said before turning his attention to Kirrahe. "And thank you again, Major. I don't think many of us would be left if it weren't for you and your team."
"As Commander Shepard has made clear to us, it is likely only a matter of time before the collectors begin branching out. I am pleased to be able to take whatever preventative measures I can to stop this from becoming a galactic problem," Kirrahe said.
"It's already a galactic problem, the rest of the galaxy is just too dense to recognize the threat," Jane said.
"Dr. Chakwas has already begun treating the wounded. Lia, why don't you give her a hand. Miranda, please work with whomever the captain assigns to inventory what we have and what is needed," Shepard said doling out orders. "Mordin, I'm sending you back to the ship to begin analyzing the data. Jacob, you take Mordin and bring the shuttle back. Captain Toni, I could use some of your squad to help with the search. I don't expect you to send everyone, I know many of you need the rest and the civilians need guarding but if you can spare a couple of men who know the area well and would be familiar faces to any civilians we find, it would be appreciated."
"I volunteer, Captain," James said.
"Of course you do, she's your bloody idol," another marine said before saluting his CO.
"And you've just volunteered yourself, Essex. The two of you are under Commander Shepard's command," Captain Toni said.
"Aye, aye, Captain," James and Essex said.
Shepard gave a sidelong glance to James. That was news to her. Sure, in Jane's memories James always saluted her and was showed her disrespect even while acting as her prison guard but he hardly had the deference she would have expected from someone who idolized her. Hell, James was downright insubordinate most of the time. James kept his eyes locked on his CO but Shepard caught the faint hint of red creep up the marine's neck and spread across his cheeks.
"If you'll come with me, I'll get you set up, Miss…," Captain Toni said to Miranda.
"Miranda Lawson," Miranda said accepting the hand that Captain Toni extended.
Shepard watched as Captain Toni led Miranda away and she heard him say, "I must admit, Miss Lawson, that I am not exactly comfortable with the idea of accepting aid from Cerberus…"
Jacob and Mordin climbed into one of the shuttles. Shepard pointed out the building that Dr. Chakwas entered to Lia before turning to James and Essex. The two men turned to her and saluted.
"Oh no, no don't do that," Shepard whined making a distasteful face. "You're not going to be doing that every five minutes. I'll shoot you both myself."
"I'd listen to her if I were you," Garrus said moving to stand next to Shepard.
Essex laughed and dropped his hand before saying, "Well, we wouldn't want that."
James dropped his hand and said, "So, where do you want to start?"
"Idol, huh?" Shepard responded, a mischievous smile creeping across her face.
James scowled at Essex before rubbing at the back of his neck.
"Uhhh, yeah, well I mean you're Commander Shepard. A legend, ya know? You and the Normandy crew… what you guys did on the Citadel and everything. Dios," James said.
"Hmmm," Garrus said.
"Relax, Vega. I'm just giving you a hard time. I'm honored, really," Shepard said. "Let's see those maps of yours; we'll get a search grid set up."
"Kirrahe, are you good to help with the search or do you need to rest?" Shepard asked.
"We can help, not a problem," Kirrahe said.
"Alright, we'll split into three teams. Garrus, you'll take Grunt, Kasumi, Essex, and Grundan Krul. Vega, Jack, Zaeed, and Legion will be with me. Kirrahe, you'll have your STG team. You've been here long enough now that I suspect the civilians will recognize you," said Shepard. "We'll stay in radio contact and do a section by section sweep. I don't want any of us more than a few minutes away from each other in case something happens."
"Excuse me?" a woman's voice spoke up from behind Shepard.
Shepard turned to see a small group of civilians gathered together. Her eyes landed on a young woman, likely in her early twenties who had stepped forward.
"We would like to help you with the search," she said.
Shepard did a quick head count and saw that there were fifteen of them gathered. They all looked to be in decent enough shape to make their way through rubble and debris. There were no children, no elderly, and no wounded among them so Shepard nodded.
"It may not be safe out there," Shepard said.
"It will make the search go quicker," Jane said.
"Not uncommon for civilians to help with search parties," Shepard thought.
"We know and we're willing to take that risk. Many of us have family missing, let us help," the woman said.
"What's your name?" Shepard asked.
"Micha," she said.
"Alright Micha, under the condition that you stick with us and follow orders. I can't have any of you wandering off on your own. Can you all do that?" Shepard asked.
Everyone in the group nodded in agreement.
"Are you alright with taking a few of them with your team?" Shepard asked Kirrahe.
The salarians spoke quietly amongst themselves for a minute before Kirrahe nodded.
"Alright, Vega, assign them teams," Shepard said.
"Me?" Vega asked his eyebrows rising.
"You. You know these people, Vega. I don't. You'll have a better idea of where they can be the most useful," Shepard said.
"Uh, alright," James said with a shrug.
"You sure you want to take goddamn civilians, Shepard?" Zaeed asked.
"It's a search team, Zaeed, not a battle that we're walking into," Shepard said.
"Suit yourself but if we find any collector stragglers don't expect me to babysit," Zaeed said.
"I'll keep that in mind, Zaeed," Shepard said rolling her eyes.
Shepard watched as James surveyed the crowd, assigning people to their new teams. She nodded quietly to herself as he worked. With the teams formed, Shepard had James send a copy of the search grid to everyone's omni-tools. Sections on the grid were assigned to each team and they moved out from the camp.