Chapter 1

He opened his eyes to the sky, domes and spires and the destiny ascension glowing far above. Whispers were erupting all around him, the hushed voices occasionally clear enough for him to hear 'traitor' and 'criminal.' The stretcher he lay on was being carried by Bailey and Chellick. The human was whistling and humming, the turian's face grim and grave. The scar on his right cheek flared with pain, and he let out a moan. When he tried to move his hand to soothe it, he realised he was bound in cuffs. The men carrying him turned towards the C-Sec Wards, and as they climbed down the stairs, more and more officers came by to look at the man on the stretcher. Some cursed under their breath; others had stern faces. He was put in a temporary cell and unbound. He felt the wound with his right hand; it seemed exactly like it was a year ago. The smell of urine and vomit took the air. Bailey excused himself; Chellick stared at him, ever serious.

Once Garrus had acquainted himself with his new surroundings, Chellick finally spoke.

"The hell were you thinking Vakarian? That you'd get away with it?" He said.

Garrus looked at him wide-eyed. Chellick spat on the floor, then grabbed him by the collar. "Don't you dare act shocked. Of all the guys from C-sec that'd do something like this, you were the last on my list."

Garrus' memory was still fuzzy. He remembered Omega, the neon home of drugs, weapon mods and just about anything illegal. He remembered meeting Aria T'Loak, but not what they talked about. He remembered the shootout, fleeing the planet and being shot down when he entered Imorkan airspace. After that, everything was lost to him.

"What are the charges?" he asked, his voice unusually strained and his cheek burning. "What aren't the charges?" Chellick bellowed. "Theft, possession of illegal drugs, homicide, entrapment, cooperation with known criminals; so I ask again Garrus, what the hell were you thinking?"

"I've been set up." Garrus said. The pain was becoming almost unbearable now, saying even a few words was a struggle. "Of course you have. I have evidence of you on the site of a crime destroying evidence; I have you shooting a batarian in cold blood; I've found creeper and minagen X3 in your home." Garrus let out a grunt of pain. He felt the wound again, but it didn't seem any different. Why was it hurting so much?

Footsteps echoed down the hall. Chellick glanced behind, then shook his head. "You'll have to answer to Pallin now." He walked out. Garrus buried his face in his palms. Why did he meet Aria? What conversation did they have? He knew it was connected to this.

Executor Pallin walked in, his blue, red and white robes in stark contrast to the dark and dingy prison cell. He sat down on the bench opposite to Garrus, and said nothing, in deep consternation.

"What now?" Garrus asked, to break the silence. Executor Pallin looked at him with narrow eyes. "The Council has decided to try you themselves, considering you are a C-Sec officer, and your vital role in stopping the Reaper threat." He stood up, and turned his back to him. "I always liked you Garrus. We could never see eye to eye, but deep inside, I knew you saw the greater good. You must have been set up. If it were up to me, you'd be given more time to make a case, present yourself well. But it's out of my hands now. The Council won't condemn you to execution of course, but these charges… you might well spend the rest of your life in a cell." He walked out casually.

Garrus fondled the scar. It hurt worse than ever now. He curled up on the metal bed and closed his eyes, though he was sure the pain wouldn't let him sleep. To his surprise, he drifted off almost instantly.

The knocks on the door woke him up. Bailey walked in, clad in full armour, Scimitar in one holster and an Executioner in the other. The pistol was a storied weapon, a trophy Bailey had taken after the shootout with the Blood Pack many years ago. In his hands were metal cuffs.

"Sorry Garrus, gotta follow protocol." He said, holding up the cuffs. He was a light-hearted fellow, but a very good officer. Garrus complied, there was no point in adding another charge to his long list.

They walked out of the cell and across the citadel's stunning bridges. Everyone would turn and stare at him, some would mutter obscenities, others would shout. Garrus tuned the noise out. He soaked in the smell of the flowers, the babbling of the river, the shade of the huge trees. Presidium was truly magnificent. They reached the main elevator. As it went up, the news broadcast began.

"More and more chaos erupts in the Terminus systems. Another shootout between the Blue Suns and the Blood Pack has led to the deaths of 12 innocent civilians. The mysterious disappearance of the entity known only as the Shadow Broker has resulted in tensions rising across the galaxy. Garrus Vakarian, a C-Sec officer and trusted ally of the great Spectre Commander Shepard has been arrested for a large list of criminal charges."

Bailey looked at him nervously. Garrus shrugged. The elevator stopped and the doors opened to the council plaza. Warm lights flooded the central vista, a beautiful fountain circled by benches. The steps leading up to the podium were lined with officers, armed with lethal ammunition. Bailey and Garrus walked to the top, where Chellick waited. "Good luck." Bailey whispered, and walked off.

At the top, the four towers with ornate carvings and beautiful colours seated the councilors. Councilor Udina, wearing his white decorative suit, Councilor Sparatus, wearing the traditional Turian armour, Councilor Tevos, wearing a red and white dress and Councilor Valern, decked in indigo robes with gold stitching. On the podium, Executor Pallin was conversing with them in a low voice. Garrus couldn't make out what he was saying. By the time they reached the podium he had finished. Turning around, he nodded at Garrus, then walked off.

"Agent Garrus Vakarian, son of Castis Vakarian, please step forward." Councilor Tevos' voice was soft but somehow boomed across the room. He did as he was told. "You know the charges levied against you. The evidence is presented on the holoscreens. " On one screen, he walked into a hallway where a Batarian was sitting on a bench, pulled out his gun, and shot him. On another, he was having a conversation with known Salarian terrorist Raenoln Tiziki. The third showed a live feed of the raid on his house in the wards, where they found a vial of minagen X3 and a pouch of creeper. Garrus shook his head. "What do you have to say for yourself?" He took a deep breath, and started. "Considering the fact that I've been given no time to gather the proof of my innocence, I don't have anything to say." The councilors glanced at each other, then looked at him with disapproval. "The evidence is pretty damning, Agent Garrus." Even though the scar hurt terribly, Garrus found it in him to smile. This is what the council had always been, a bunch of leaders stuck up their own ass, too busy admiring their own power than admitting their mistakes. "If you've already made a decision, save us all some time and pronounce my sentence, would you?" he said, head held high. He had never been one to mince his words. The councilors glared at him. "Respect us, Garrus Vakarian, and we shall respect you." Garrus gave a hearty laugh in reply. "Respect you, the people who never heeded Shepard's warning, the people who failed to recognise the Reapers as a threat, the people who treated the man trying to save the galaxy as an outlaw? Spare me your respect." He said. Chellick turned the other cheek, he too knew that Garrus was right in saying it. Perhaps knowing his fate was sealed made him braver than before. The Councilors had no reply. Valern weakly pronounced his sentence. "10 years in Purgatory" he said, and the session was adjourned. Chellick led him back to his cell. Tomorrow, they'd put him on an Alliance ship with the other convicts, and send him to the prison ship he remembered all too well.

He woke up to the sound of knocking on the door again. Bailey walked in and waved his handcuffs around. As they walked towards the docking bay, Bailey said, "They're not gonna be big fans of you in there." Garrus nodded. "I can handle myself." Bailey chuckled. "Against 6 or 7 of them, sure. There are thousands, and you don't have a sniper." Garrus smiled. "We'll see how it goes." They arrived at the bay, where a large crowd was boarding a carrier ship. Some of the convicts had to be poked and prodded, some would run off only to be tranquilised and carried back and others would duly board, knowing that resisting was just a waste of energy. Garrus was held till everyone had boarded, and stepped onto the ship alone.

As he walked through the aisle, everyone stared at him, watching every move he made. This wasn't like yesterday though. That had been disapproval and disappointment. This was hunger, rage, a thirst for revenge. He'd been dropped into a sea of sharks, and he couldn't trust his cage.