Teaser chapter!
"Ashley? Ashley... Dr. Chakwas, I think.."
Before Shepard could finish her sentence, Dr. Chakwas and Nurse Larrsson pushed passed her and worked on Ashley's still form. Garrus took Shepard by her arms and pulled her backwards, so that the Doctor and her staff had room to work. A minute ago, Ashley had been awake and talking to them. She was obviously in pain but she had been aware until her eyes rolled backwards and her head lolled over to the side.
"What's wrong, doctor?" Garrus asked. After he had seen so many times how resilient humans were, he couldn't believe that someone as strong as Ashley was not getting better.
"She seems to have an allergic reaction," Dr. Chakwas said. "I'll inform you when I know more, please leave now. She is stable for now."
Shepard nodded and turned to the door. Garrus followed her, waiting for the door to close behind him before speaking.
"She's going to make it," he said with as much conviction as he could put into his voice.
"Yes, Ashley is strong," she said and he knew that she was trying to convince herself just as much as him. She took a breath and the Commander Shepard mask slipped back in place. "Let's have our debriefing now, this day needs to end." She typed the call to the debriefing into her omni-tool and they walked silently over to the comm room.
It only took a few minutes for the team to gather in the comm room. He looked around, all the marines were there, standing straight with their hands behind their backs. Kaidan leaned against the wall, looking pale. Tali and Wrex had sat down next to each other and looked at something on Tali's omni-tool. Garrus took a seat next to Tali and Liara sat down on a chair next to Wrex. Shepard stepped over to the control panel and gave him a small smile before speaking.
"Looks like we're all here," she said and waited until everyone looked at her. "As you know, we're on our way to the Citadel to get Ashley to the hospital and also because the Council has asked us to come and report directly."
Someone snorted out and Omar said, "Do they finally believe us now?"
"It looks like it but you never know with them," Shepard said with a shrug. "I wanted to give you all an update on where we stand right now and hear what you all think. As you know, I got a new vision from the beacon on Virmire and Liara analyzed it." She gave Liara a short nod. "Would you tell us what you've learned?"
Liara stood up and threw a blurry picture of a planet surface on the screen. "The vision from Eden Prime, the Cipher and the vision from Virmire are combined now and they point to Ilos as the main hub of prothean knowledge."
"Prothean knowledge hub? What does that mean?" someone asked.
"I think that the visions are a warning and a guide at the same time," Liara said and walked up to the control panel. "The protheans didn't use language in their warnings, they used images and rudimentary emotions. They seem to tap into some primal core of our emotions, something that is common across species."
"Explains why they're so unsettling," Shepard grumbled and pinched the top of her nose.
"Yes, it also raises an interesting question about the similarities between current species and the protheans, who have been extinct for 50,000 years. There must be a common core of similarities, maybe even on a DNA level but..." she shook her head, "I'm sorry, I'm rambling."
Garrus noticed that her hands were shaking. He reminded himself that she had been through a lot in the last few weeks, from her mother being killed to combat involvement to Ashley getting seriously injured. Analyzing the prothean visions probably didn't help in making her feel better.
Shepard placed her hand on Liara's arm to calm her. The asari took a deep breath and straightened her back. "But as effective as these visions are as warnings, they can't provide factual knowledge. The protheans took great care of letting their warnings be heard 50,000 years after their extinction and I assume that they hid more information for future residents of this galaxy. The last vision added images of a place, one that I recognized as Ilos. My assumption is that they have hidden their knowledge about the reapers on Ilos."
"Maybe we could find something there that helps us fighting them, a weakness they have or what their plans are," Shepard said.
"We can't know for sure but it is possible," Liara said with a nod.
Wrex let out a grunt. "So far it doesn't look like the protheans were very successful. They were defeated."
"True," Shepard said, "but it could give us an edge. Maybe we're more resourceful than the protheans."
Wrex chuckled at that, as quietly as a krogan could. "You mean the protheans couldn't foresee the craziness of humans? I don't blame them."
When even krogans think that humans are crazy...
"The problem is that Ilos lies deep in the Terminus," Shepard continued, "deep in geth space. The Normandy could get there under stealth but we need a full fleet for an attack, otherwise we'd lose too many ships before we even got close. And we don't know what we will find on Ilos," she pointed at the blurry image on the screen behind her, "these pictures are over a hundred years old, taken by an asari probe over long distance scanners. Asari historians claim that Ilos was once an active prothean world, densely populated. But at some point it seems to have become deserted, the scanners showed that the buildings on top started to deteriorate even before the extinction of the protheans. What the scanners saw on the last sweep is an empty world of crumbling ruins. But there is one area on the northern continent with some intact buildings and possibly underground structures. This is probably where Saren is headed but we don't know for sure."
Garrus checked over the configurations of the Normandy's scanners with his omni-tool. "If we get close enough, we could probably find Saren with the scanners, as a biotic turian his organic signature would be pretty unique."
"Especially under all those geth and husks," Oman grumbled, scratching at a bandage over her arm. Garrus was once again reminded that humans had incredible self healing powers. That cut on Omar's arm and the amount of blood she had lost would have killed a turian but humans just tied a piece of cloth around it and kept on running. Ashley would make it too.
"We still don't know what Saren wants there, what does he expect to find?" Shepard turned to the group, indicating with her palms up that she was open for input.
"Another beacon maybe?" Madhav asked.
Liara nodded, "That would make sense but the vision... I'm sorry I cannot say it any better but the vision felt different. It felt like an endpoint, a final direction marker. Whatever there is on Ilos, they built the beacons just for that. It was most important for the protheans, a secret worth keeping safe over thousands of years."
"I want to know where Saren will go next," Shepard grumbled. "I'm tired of always running after him."
Kaidan pushed off the wall and stepped forward, clearing his throat before he spoke. "If we assume that he'll find a weapon there, something so powerful that the protheans hid it for future generations, what would be his next target? The asari homeworld? Or Palaven?"
"Getting the turians on his side, together with his geth army, would give him a terrifying military force," Shepard mused, "while the asari would also give him a great political power."
Garrus shook his head. "No, he will go for the Citadel."
Shepard looked at him, her fingernail scratching at the corner of her lips. "Are you sure?"
"It makes the most sense," Garrus said, slightly confused why this was even a question.
"I guess..." Shepard picked on her lip as she thought, her finger flying over her omni-tool, looking up information. "Okay. Let's go with that for now. Saren goes to Ilos to find something that will let him attack the Citadel? What could that be?"
"We have no way of knowing," Kaidan said.
"The Citadel has to prepare a fleet against the possible attack but we also need to face Saren on Ilos," Shepard said, "I'm not letting the bastard get away from me again." She looked up and addressed her main officers. "I want to know how the Citadel could get attacked and how it can be defended. I need to present this to the Council."
She dismissed everyone and made a small nod towards Garrus to tell him to stay. He waited for the rest of them to leave the room and stayed in his seat. Shepard let himself fall into the chair next to him, leaning back and stretched out her legs. Her hand dangled over the edge of the chair and Garrus took it in his own.
She pulled up a message on her omni-tool and sighed, "Ashley is in bad shape."
"Futuo, did you get a message from Dr. Chakwas?"
"Yes, Dr Chakwas thinks that Ashley has an allergic reaction to that grey geth liquid. Apparently it contains nano machines that act like viruses. She might lose the lower part of her leg if we don't get her to the hospital on the Citadel fast enough."
"Isn't there a way to filter the nano particles out?"
"On the Citadel, yes, but not here in the medbay, not yet at least. It's one of those things that were postponed in outfitting the ship when we started for the early shakedown run."
Garrus cursed quietly. It was one thing to have a soldier getting injured, it was quite another that you couldn't help them because the medbay wasn't fully equipped. He looked over to Shepard and saw the worry edged in her face with deep lines. "Hey," he said and stroked her hand with his thumb. "It's not your fault that the medbay is not ready."
"But I sent her down there..."
Garrus trilled out in a sharp sound. "Because that's her job? And you are her commanding officer. Do you think she would have wanted to stay on the Normandy and clean guns instead of doing her job?"
"Hell no," Shepard snorted and the deep frown on her forehead softened. "I know you're right." She leaned over and kissed him on his mandible. "Thanks for reminding me."
She got up and stretched her neck. Garrus stood up behind her and used the pads of his talons to massage her shoulders. She made a loud groan that sounded downright sexual.
"Oh god, I'll hire you for this!" She let her head hang forward to give him access to her neck.
"I may have some room in my list of clients tonight," Garrus said with a cheeky trill.
"A list of clients?" Shepard turned her head with a grin. "I wonder who is on that list. Does Kaidan get to enjoy your talents?"
"He would wish."
She giggled a bit but couldn't answer because Joker interrupted them.
"Commander, in about seven hours we'll be in range of an old comm buoy that might still be functional, will you contact the Council then?"
Shepard thought for a moment and sighed. "I'd like to speak to Nihlus and ANIS first, get their input. The Council has our report from Virmire, by their usual pace, they might even have started to read it by now. I will speak to them in person when we're on the Citadel."
"Understood, Commander," Joker said and closed the channel.
Shepard leaned back against his cowl. "I'd like to book an appointment with you for later tonight. After I've written up my reports."
"I see what I can do, Ma'am," Garrus chuckled and added a subharmonic trill that he thought she would understand.
She giggled and copied his trill as best as she could. He grinned quietly, it sounded so endearing to him, slightly out of tune but honest like a child learning to speak.
He left her to work on her reports and decided to start on fixing the Mako to keep his hands occupied. The little tank would need a day at the mechanics but he could at least fix some stuff now.
He stepped into the cargo bay, feeling like he came home. He looked over to Wrex' mat and was surprised to not see him there. In fact, the cargo bay was completely empty. It was startling how much that disturbed him. He had gotten so used to Ashley working on the guns in the corner while he worked on the Mako and Wrex watching them and occasionally telling a joke.
Garrus laid down on the hoverboard and slid under the Mako. The little tank had taken quite a beating during the explosion it dutifully protected the team from. He removed some plating and placed it under the repair printer. He had to do that for many plates and connectors on the underside. The shockwave of the explosion had tipped the Mako over on the side, even behind the ridge. It took the brunt of the impact with its underside and as a result, it looked like it had been punched with a giant fist.
He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice Wrex' return until his boots appeared in his vision. The krogan stood next to the Mako and seemed to wait for something. Garrus slowly slid out from under the vehicle and stood up.
"Vakarian," Wrex said and Garrus noted that this was the first time he didn't address him as turian. "I know I threatened your mate. When this mission is over, I offer you my honor in a fight with you."
Garrus stepped in front of him. "Do you trust Shepard, do you trust her judgment?"
"Yes. I do now." There was a deep rumble in Wrex' chest, unlike he had ever heard before. It was almost like a subharmonic sound.
"Then that is enough for me."
Wrex shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "You have the right to call for a fight of honor."
Garrus swallowed a remark about them not being savages and raised his head to appear less threatening. "If Shepard needs her honor defended, she will do that herself. I will defend her with my life when she needs it but I will not take a fight away from her."
Wrex chuckled a bit. "She would kick both our asses."
"Yes, she would," Garrus said and leaned back against the hull of the Mako. "Also, are we not friends?" He waited for Wrex to answer. In the back of his mind he wondered if this was a historic moment, if a turian has ever called a krogan his friend.
Wrex stared at him with one of his red eyes, his face unreadable. "What I did was unworthy of friendship," he rumbled quietly.
"True, but friends can also forgive." He wondered what his father would think of him if he were to witness this conversation. It would probably age him by ten years.
Wrex watched him, his red eye staring at him, unblinking. But slowly, his mouth widened into a grin and a laughter was visibly working its way up from his stomach to his throat. "Ha!" he laughed out and shook himself. "Never in my life would have thought I'd call a damn turian my friend."
"Just don't do stercus like that again," Garrus grumbled and held out his arm.
Wrex looked at it and then took it, grabbing his lower arm with his massive hand while Garrus tried to do the same around the krogan's lower arm. A gesture of trust.
Wrex lowered his head. "Vakarian," he said.
"Wrex?" Garrus answered like he had heard Shepard say it so many times. Acknowledging each others name could have a significant meaning for a krogan. He had to look that up some day.
Wrex was obviously done with the conversation. He turned away and settled down in his usual spot. Garrus slid back under the Mako and attached the panel he had fixed. He considered taking another plate off but the ache all through his body reminded him that had had enough for today. As much as he had kept in shape, the mission on Virmire had been hard.
He slid out from under the tank and decided to look for Shepard. Maybe she would appreciate that massage now. The ship was quiet, most of the crew had settled down for the night cycle, nursing their wounds and aching bones. He knocked on the door to the captain's cabin, waiting for her to answer. But she didn't.
He knocked again but finally used the code on his omni-tool to open the door. Her cabin was lit up bright but she didn't sit at her desk. Her jacket hung over her chair but she was sprawled out on her bed between pads and handwritten notes. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open and her breathing deep and slow.
Garrus grinned and moved the pads and papers over to her desk. He knelt down and opened her pants and boots to pull them off. She grumbled in her sleep and pulled her legs up but he held on to the pants and boots, trying to slip them off. That made her eyes flutter and he stilled. One eye opened and looked at him.
"Hey, Angel," she mumbled, sleepiness making her voice sound wet. "You coming to bed?"
"Give me a minute," Garrus said, suddenly feeling tired to the bones.
"Okay," she mumbled. She wiggled out of her pants and actually crawled under the blankets. By the time Garrus returned from the bathroom, she seemed to be asleep again. But when he slipped under the second blanket, she moved to give him room. He adjusted the pillowroll and placed his hand on her hip. Shepard never really cuddled but she liked a little contact like that. A deep calm settled over him.
This was what being home felt like.
Just a short teaser chapter today to let you know that we are back!
I know I know, you thought this story was dead and abandoned but fear not! It is alive!
Life has been crazy, I started a new job and the story was silent in my head. I tried to write but nothing happened. So I had to take a little break, work on some other stories to clear my head. Maybe you noticed the Dragon Age stories that have appeared on my profile, writing these has helped me to get back into writing.
I have about 15,000 to 20,000 more words planned for this story and then we will go straight into the next part with a new story to cover the events of ME2 and ME3.
I won't make promises on update schedules but fear not, I will write it all.