Chapter 37

Garrus
April 16th, 2192

Spending over five years as Primarch while being a close personal friend of the leader of the krogan, I knew Tuchanka had undergone a massive makeover, but nothing could've prepared me to see just how much had changed as we flew over. Gone were the piles of rubble marking encampments of a brutal people, replaced by short, squat concrete structures. Gone was the monotonous orange color that covered the surface, replaced by blues of lakes and greens of plant life.

I piloted the ship to the landing zone, an open pavilion in the center of four taller buildings of Urdnot, the capital city of the Tuchanka. Wrex and one other krogan stood in the center of the square, awaiting their arrival.

"It's… It's unbelievable…," Amelia said in awe, hurrying to the airlock as soon the ship touched down. There were several loud thumps of footsteps ascending the ramp, followed by one knock. Amelia released the doors, allowing the grizzled krogan entry to their ship.

"Hah! My friends!" Wrex shouted, his voice booming around the hollow chamber of the airlock, grabbing Amelia in a tight hug.

"Wrex, you're squishing me…," Amelia's muffled voice came from under the battlemaster's armor.

"You humans are so fragile. How your species managed to survive this long is beyond me." He delivered the statement deadpan, but there was a gleam of humor in his eye.

"I'll show you fragile, you big lizard," Amelia muttered, wiggling out of Wrex's hold. Wrex laughed, and they gave each other a wrist clap.

"That's what I've been saying all this time!" I exclaim, finally getting out of the pilot's seat and giving Wrex a hearty wrist clap myself.

"Good to see you two. How is retirement treating you? You bored yet?"

We all laugh for a few seconds before I respond, "I haven't got to shoot anything in six years, Wrex. I am incredibly bored." I quickly looked at Amelia, winking to ensure she knew I was only teasing. She smiled, letting me know she did.

"Alright, where are the whelps?!" Wrex demands.

"Mada? What's going on?" Gaius emerged from the back hall, rubbing his eye and yawning widely. He finally opened his eyes to take in the situation, freezing in place while he gaped up at the old, scarred krogan.

"Gaius, this is Wrex," Amelia said, "He's one of our oldest friends, emphasis on old."

Gaius walked up to the two-ton lizard and held out his hand, demanding a high five.

"Ha!" Wrex boomed, granting Gaius's request, "This one has a quad, Shepard. Good job."

Amelia

I walked behind Wrex as he gave us the palace tour, which was situated right in the center of Urdnot. Aqueducts ran from the top of a nearby mountain into the palace, spreading throughout the city. Trees and shrubs could be seen growing between each of the one-story buildings.

As they hurry about their business, we pass by a myriad of aliens, all different species. Wrex explains all the embassies are in the compound. We continued walking into a large, open-air room that sported a fountain, water spraying in an intricate pattern. Behind the fountain was a large stone throne with a krogan on either side. As we got closer, I recognized one of the krogan.

"Grunt?" I ask, grimacing and shifting Alia to my other shoulder when she bit it. Even at six weeks old, their teeth were sharp.

Sky blue eyes flicked to meet hers, "Ha! Shepard!"

With no time to spare, I handed Alia off to Garrus as massive, muscled arms wrapped around me for the second time, nearly crushing my unarmored body between them, lifting me almost a foot off the ground. "Ugk…," Is the sound that escapes my mouth as he hugs me, "Grunt…," My voice is barely a whisper, "Grunt, you're squishing me."

"Huh? Oh. Ha!" He boomed, dropping me.

Before replying, I gave myself a quick once-over, ensuring all my ribs were in their intended locations. "Hey, Grunt. Staying out of trouble, I hope?"

Wrex turned from where he spoke to the other krogan waiting by the throne, "No, this one just causes more chaos." Grunt smiled toothily, which just made me laugh.

"Hi!" I hear from my side. Gaius, brave as ever, waves up at Grunt, not at all frightened by the seven-and-a-half foot tall krogan.

"Who is this tiny turian?" Grunt asks, looking very perplexed.

"Hey! I'm not tiny!" Gaius protests.

"Grunt, this is my son Gaius, and that," I point to Octavia, who is hiding as best she can behind Garrus's leg as he talks to Wrex, "Is my daughter Octavia."

"Your young are very small, Shepard. I expected them to be great warriors like you." Grunt states, laughing when Gaius sticks his tongue out.

"Don't worry, Grunt. In a few years, they'll be able to kick your tail all over the sparring ring." I stand on my tippy-toes just to be able to reach the top of his head, patting it a few times. "Not all of us come fully grown in a tank."

Grunt punches his two fists together, gleefully shouting, "Ha! I look forward to it, Battlemaster."

Garrus
April 17th, 2192

We spent the night with my mate, two toddlers, and two infants in a palace in the heart of the krogan capital. Six years ago, saying that alone would have me locked into the looney bin with the key 'lost,' but now it's a reality, not some horrible nightmare. It truly is remarkable what Amelia and Mordin achieved amid a crisis threatening the extinction of every man, woman, and child in the galaxy.

Spending the night with a krogan mated pair and their ten children is not something I ever thought I'd experience, but all in all, I had a good time.

It helped that Wrex had been a friend for many years, even before Amelia appeared in our lives, from run-ins I had with him when I was just a patrol officer in C-Sec. Despite being from species that should hate each other, we were fast friends.

As we started to corral Gaius and Octavia back to the ship, Wrex stopped me. "How about a few rounds in the ring, for old time's sake."

I shot a questioning look towards Amelia, who shrugged, a playful smile ghosting her lips, "If the Battle Turtle wants to be his humped kicked up and down the ring for the nostalgic itch, I'm game." Spirits, I love her. "Gosh, it must've been a lifetime since we last sparred, Wrex."

Wrex couldn't help but guffaw at the inside joke, telling us to meet him in the sparring room in five minutes.

Amelia

I stood in the corner of the sparring area in the palace gym, bouncing excitedly on my toes, periodically stretching my legs in a way I knew would make both Wrex and Garrus flinch. Nothing gave me a rush like entering combat, even if it was just a simulated fight between friends.

Grunt steps up to the painted lines demarking the out-of-bounds area on the area, laughing his signature 'Heh heh heh' before shouting, "Here are the rules. The loser is the first one pushed off the mats. Light biotics only."

I toss a look to Garrus, who is sitting on a bench on the sidelines, coaching Gaius and Octavia how to cheerlead for me. "Begin!" Grunt shouts, so I quickly turn back and face Wrex.

Wrex advanced quickly, stomping at me and throwing his meaty fist towards my midriff. I dodge easily, quickly jabbing into his chest, but I doubt the light punches did anything more than tickle him.

Are krogan ticklish? Ah hell, getting lost in thoughts like that would wind up with me sailing out of the ring. Focus, Amelia.

I barely move out of the way of Wrex's next punch, dashing a few steps away from him. "Is that your strategy, Ame? Avoid and evade?" Wrex snarks at me, "You'll never win like that."

He's got a point.

When he attacks next, I meet him head-on, using a biotic shield on my arm to block his heavy haymaker and retaliate with a kick, using a bit of energy to give it an extra oomph. The old battlemaster stumbles back a few paces and nearly falls, laughing as he does, "That's more like it!"

We continue to trade blows back and forth for several minutes, each of us getting several hard hits in. I get more, but the ones Wrex lands really hurt. Wrex closes in on me once more, and I just barely get out of the way of a punch that surely would've sent me halfway to Earth. I sneak inside his guard, using all my might to push him back.

He's caught off guard, stumbling back. Now is the time to end it. I push him back farther and farther with biotically-enhanced punches, not letting him regain his footing, ending the attack with a well-placed roundhouse kick to his knee, causing him to topple just over the edge of the mat.

My heart no longer beating in my ears, I hear Gaius and Octavia constantly repeating an off-sync chant of "Go Mada!"

I walk over to Wrex, who hasn't gotten up yet, offering my hand to help him back up. As if my one-hundred-and-twenty-five pound ass could help a two-ton lizard upright, but hey, it's the thought that counts.

"Well fought, Ame," Wrex compliments, a wide smile across his face and a laugh bubbling up from his chest, getting up without assistance. "It's been a long time since I've gotten my ass kicked like that."

"Call me if you ever miss it," I taunt, my ego nearly bursting as I sidestep a halfhearted swat from Wrex. I step closer to him, wrapping him in a hug. "It was good to see you, Wrex. I'm so proud of what you've built."

Big muscled arms wrapped around me, patting me on the back, "It was good to see you too, Ame. Thank you, for all you've done."