Location: Omega, Afterlife - Terminus Systems
Garrus sat in one of the many sleazy bars on Omega, pondering his life choices. The blue armor he commonly wore was branded with the year old nickname of Archangel, shining in the dull red light of the lower sections of Afterlife. He never particularly liked Omega, but most criminals escaped through the station to commit serious crimes, all of which affected life everywhere else. On the Citadel, he couldn't touch them. Here, he could cause as much damage to the mercenary groups as he wanted. He found that it was a way to enact proper justice on those who were wronged by C-Sec's policies. Despite each victory and every life he improved though, it all felt wrong.
"Bartender," he called, lifting an arm up to garner his attention. The bartender was a slender, older turian man who couldn't be more than seventy. Turians lived to around 150 years of age and usually kept their mobility, so this was nothing unusual. The man walked over to Garrus, throwing a cleaning towel over his shoulder as he leaned against the bar with both hands. "Archangel, what can I get for you?"
"Turian Horosk," he responded, sighing sadly. "It's the anniversary of my friend's death."
Garrus made it a tradition to buy a drink in Shepard's honor once a year on the day of her death. It was something he, along with the rest of the surviving Normandy crew, had vowed to do every year to celebrate their commander, no matter where they were or what they were doing. On this day, he always found himself drinking more than usual, often getting drunk in a futile attempt to forget she had passed. She changed his life drastically, and because of her, he could confidently say that he was a changed man. A better man.
The bartender poured him a glass of the heavy dextro liquor, finishing it off with two large ice cubes before heading off to clean the counter space next to him.
"Good friend, I presume? They must've meant something if you're drinking booze this heavy...and expensive." The man was looking at him, stopping temporarily to interact with him. Garrus gave a small nod as he picked up the glass, sipping its contents.
"One of the best friends I've ever had the pleasure of knowing." The bartender returned his nod, leaving to tend to another customer.
Garrus dwelled on his thoughts once more. Spirits, he missed her. It dawned on him that maybe this was the reason why he felt so empty, and why everything he did felt so wrong. The more he thought about his actions, the more he came to realize that Shepard would be disappointed in him. She would want him to follow his passion, not waste his life in the bowels of the Terminus Systems. He sat on the barstool, staring at the half empty glass while he continued to sulk. His thoughts briefly turned to her funeral. He hated her funeral. While the human Systems Alliance never actually found her body, it was yet another reminder that his best, and only friend, was no longer around. He actively blocked that part of his memory, or any memory that contained his old commander. Thinking about her after her death had always been painful, but today he let the feelings roam free. It was the second year anniversary of her death, after all.
Before Garrus could ask for another glass of Turian Horosk, his omnitool gently beeped, focusing his attention away from the second drink. He grumbled at the glowing orange tool, swiping across the screen to view his messages. The messenger app held many new messages, most of them unread and barely acknowledged by the irritated turian. Conversations with Wrex, Tali, and rarely Liara, were the most common; the other messages, the majority of which being Hierarchy correspondence or family messages, went completely unanswered and for the most part, ignored outright. He debated what to do about the messages, ultimately deciding to go through his unread folder outside. The air in the club nauseated him anyway.
Garrus walked upstairs and pushed the doors of the Afterlife nightclub open, breathing in the recirculated station air. The smells still bothered him, but he found it more tolerable outside compared to the cramped bar area. He took a moment to breathe before leaning against a nearby wall, opening his omnitool. There were a total of forty-seven unread messages. It was common for him to delete most new messages, but a few managed to pique his interest. Settling on reading through the few he selected, Garrus began sifting through his inbox.
User: Garrus Vakarian
Inbox order: Oldest - Newest
Time format: Galactic Standard Time (GST) - 20 hour days
—-
To: Garrus Vakarian
From: Tali'Zorah vas Neema
Time: 2759 GST 12/2183
Subject: Progressing
Hey Garrus,
It's been a while since we talked. I just want to know if you're alright; no one's managed to pry a full conversation out of you since the commander passed. You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to. Keelah, I'm just concerned. We all are. I wish our time with the Normandy crew lasted longer.
-Tali
—-
As much as he liked Tali, she was right. He wasn't willing to talk about Shepard's death with her or the rest of the crew. This was something he wanted to suffer alone.
He exited the message, pulling up a holo of the Normandy crew after their battle with Saren. Everyone looked so happy, drinks in hand and smiles plastered on various faces. He was standing next to Shepard, clinking glasses with her. Tali, Wrex, and Liara were in close proximity too. The booze they all consumed loosened their usually stressed selves and as a result of that, they celebrated. His mandibles spread into a small smile at the reminder of such a good memory. He had made the picture his terminal wallpaper and would find himself staring at it on particularly bad days, like today. Garrus looked at the picture for a few minutes before closing it, going back to view his unread messages.
—-
To: Officer Vakarian
From: Executor Pallin
Time: 1304 GST 01/2184
Subject: Whereabouts
Where are you? I knew your decisions were rash at times, but this? You were an excellent officer, Vakarian. I just find it difficult to comprehend that I'm reading your resignation form. Chellik is worried about you, as am I. Wherever you are, please think about what you're doing. And when you feel ready to think rationally, C-Sec is still here, waiting for you.
-Executor Venari Pallin
—-
Garrus grunted at the text in front of him. He had no plans on returning to C-Sec, despite Pallin's wishes. Ignoring the message, he scrolled down on the viewer to sift through the next one.
—-
To: Garrus Vakarian
From: Liara T'Soni
Time: 0736 GST 03/2184
Subject: Garrus?
Garrus,
No one has heard from you in quite some time. Are you alright? I know you probably won't tell me if you aren't, but I thought it necessary to ask anyway. Please respond soon so I can tell Tali something. She keeps trying to leverage my position to get information about you.
Not that I can find any.
Please, stay safe.
-Liara
P.S. An urgent matter has come up. I may be gone for a few months. If you respond, please direct your message to my encrypted terminal inbox on Illium.
—-
It had been a while since he had actually responded to any of the messages his friends sent him. He rarely used the messenger on his omnitool in fear that his friends could be used to go after him. The gangs on Omega were not above travelling elsewhere to kill people who had nothing to do with them, so long as it crushed the morale of their enemy: him. He would have none of it. They were too important to risk.
—-
To: Garrus Vakarian
From: Urdnot Wrex
Time: 1727 GST 07/2184
Subject: no subject
Hey turian,
You still kicking out there? If you are, don't get shot. You're not funny, but you aren't unbearable either. Stay alive.
-Wrex
—-
Wrex? He could risk him. The krogan could handle himself. It was a surprise that the old man sent him anything though. The large krogan hardly ever talked to people, let alone Garrus. The two had trouble adjusting to each other at first, the krogan having a grudge against turians for the genophage. Unlike other krogan though, Wrex was smart. He knew to speak when it was necessary and never missed an opportunity to teach Garrus about the less pleasant places outside Council Space. If he was messaging him, then he really should take into consideration how closed off he was for the last two years. He quickly shot off a reply to the old message, stating that he was indeed alive before moving on to the remaining queue.
—-
To: Garrus Vakarian
From: Castis Vakarian
CC: Solana Vakarian
Time: 1924 GST 02/2185
Subject: Read Your Messages
Son,
Please read your messages. Your sister and I are concerned about you and your mother has gotten worse. The routine Corpalis treatments are not working. Come home whenever you are able.
—-
His father was a Hierarch within High Command, so it was no surprise that his message was short, to the point, and marked as 'important'.
While he loved his mother with everything he had, he just couldn't find the courage to see her, weak and writhing in a bed while dying a slow, miserable death. He couldn't take it. He had already lost too much in his life and didn't want to see more go. Instead, he'd continue his work here, on Omega. Garrus vowed a long time ago to make a dent in the criminal population and maybe for once, he could do something Shepard and his mother alike would be proud of. He left the rest of his inbox unread, not in the mood to sift through more painful memories. He decided to return to base. Sidonis wanted his attention with a mission anyway.