Note: Alright, here it is. The last chapter of this part. This one has been waiting to be posted for a while now. One of those write the end first and the do the rest. I do hope ya'll enjoy this, it is nearly all original and has a ton of Nov, Cerrus, and Victus. Don't worry, part three is around the corner and will be posted in its own story as this one.
There is a special soundtrack for this chapter that I listened to while writing this and so character specific songs.
Gone Away by The Offspring (Victus and Nov)
Torn to Pieces by Pop Evil (for Nov)
Hemorrhage by Fuel (also for Nov)
Goodbye to You by Michelle Branch (Victus)
Please enjoy Chapter Seventeen: Gone Away
Mass Effect
"Foreign Relations"
Chapter Seventeen: Gone Away
The Normandy was out investigating the Omega Nebula, the Geth seemed to still be a problem as ships were mysteriously disappearing. After a while, the Council got curious enough and sent their most famous Spectre to investigate. Half the crew thought it was bullshit but Sidda did her job as ordered, if the Geth were a continued problem it was best that they knew about it ahead of time before it became a lot worse.
Kaidan had spent half the morning in the Medical Bay nursing an implant migraine and now carefully emerged to report for duty. He looked better than he had a few hours ago but it was obvious to her now how he looked on a normal day as opposed to one like today. The dark circles around his eyes, pale skin, and generally poor body language made her cringe.
"Hey, Kaidan how's the head?" Sidda asked passing him on her way to her quarters.
The sentinel offered her a smile. "A little better, Commander," he replied tiredly.
Sidda shook her head in sympathy; L2s had it rough, rougher than any other biotic but Kaidan was one of the lucky ones, most died or suffered severe cognitive damage. "You should get that thing upgraded, Kaidan," she advised. "L3s are much safer."
Kadain scoffed, she was right about that but there was one rub. "But the procedure might kill me…I'll stick with the L2 and the occasional debilitating headache."
"Are you good for duty?" she asked him and Kaidan straightened nodding. She gave him credit where it was due, the man was tough; he'd been shot with a huge rifle on Virmire and was on his feet ready to go for the next mission.
"Yeah…I'm fine, get some coffee in me and I'll be fine," he replied as she patted his shoulder.
Sidda nodded briefly, she trusted him to do his job and so far had been a major asset. "We're in the Omega Nebula…all quiet so far. Anything goes sideways let me know."
Sidda sat relaxed on her bunk reading a letter from Victus; he'd been recalled to Palaven, again, to answer for his part in the pursuit of Saren. Sidda hadn't seen him in week but he managed to send a letter, he assured her that he wasn't getting court martialed so she figured it was an assignment. She held the datapad in her left hand and futzed with the Turian pendant on her dog tags with her right. After she'd read his letter twice she decided to respond back to her mother's rather colorful response to the knowledge that her daughter was in a serious relationship with the Turian. Despite the shock of it all her mother was actually looking forward to meeting him…her father…well that might take a bit longer.
The impact was hard enough to launch Sidda from the bed and into the shelf. She yelped as her forehead hit the shelf with enough force to draw blood. That was a weapon impact. Sidda scrambled to her feet as the ship rocked again. On the crew deck there was smoke, a fire was burning somewhere and she could see at last one crewmember down. She paused a moment to check for a pulse, the young woman was dead. Her ship was clearly under attack as it rocked again from another impact.
"Pressley, Joker, what the hell's going on?" she demanded as she reached her locker and proved that she could get into her armor in under a minute.
"Pressley's dead, Commander, we're under attack. Unknown enemy." Joker answered, the pilot was stressed but still under control.
Sidda reached the emergency console at the back of the crew deck and tapped the screen. It was and auxiliary damage control console and she got a view of damage her ship had sustained, it was incredible. Multiple hull breeches and the core was damaged. She didn't think, training kicked in and before she knew it there was an emergency distress beacon ready for launch.
"Commander!" she heard Kaidan call from behind her.
"Emergency distress beacon's away," she told him, her tone calm and collected as she pressed the ship wide comm. "All hands abandon ship. I repeat: all hands abandon ship."
"The Alliance won't get here in time, we're too far out," Kaidan said and Sidda would have to agree, if the Alliance didn't find them someone would.
"We don't have a choice," she said and grabbed a fire extinguisher; there was no way one fire extinguisher would save the ship but it would help clear the path to the escape pods. "Get everyone onto the escape pods."
"Joker won't abandon ship and I'm not leaving either."
Sidda grumbled. Of course Joker wouldn't leave his baby, well…she was gonna make him. "Lieutenant, now," her voice was firmer and her trusted medic obeyed. "I'll get Joker."
Traveling through her ship was like moving through hell, the frigate had sustained substantial damage and the loss of atmosphere in the CIC slowed her down. She felt a wave of nausea hit when she looked up above the galaxy map, the ceiling was missing, completely ripped away by whatever weapon hit it. There was so much debris flying around it nearly obscured the stars. Sidda returned her focus to getting to Joker, there was an escape pod in the cockpit so all she had to do was get him and they could both be gone in a few steps.
"Joker!" she barked a little perturbed that she had to come and get him when the warship was falling apart. "What the hell are you doing, I told you to abandon ship?"
"No, I'm not leaving. I can still save her." The pilot was attached to his ship just like any pilot would have been. The Normandy was a great vessel and played a major role in saving the galaxy, to lose her wasn't fair.
"The Normandy's lost, Lieutenant, let's go. Now!" It was an order and Joker obeyed, he didn't want to but he obeyed. They needed to leave, now, because the unknown cruiser was coming around to finish them off.
Sidda didn't need sensors or LADAR to find it; she could see the great ship with the naked eye. It fired and a yellow beam hit what was left of the Normandy's dorsal destroying what was left of the Operations stations between the CIC and the cockpit. Joker cried out in pain as Sidda roughly shoved him into the waiting escape pod. Something on the ship exploded and Sidda staggered, she couldn't get the mag boots to engage but where the impact threw her probably saved her life as another yellow beam hit where she had been standing.
She couldn't get to the pod in time and made the decision. An explosion followed the beam but she made sure she hit the button for the pod to launch. The cockpit exploded and the force blasted her back into space. Sidda nearly lost consciousness when her head and shoulders hit something, a bulkhead from her once great ship. She watched in horror as the SSV Normandy died a traumatic death, the frigate exploded and the force blew her from it into the debris field that had been swirling around it.
There was a brief moment when Sidda counted her lucky stars that she wasn't killed in the blast, just pushed away from it. If she was really lucky she might survive long enough for someone to pick her up. The suit blared a warning, there was a suit rupture.
As she fought to find it and save her own life she became painfully aware of an injury to the left shoulder, she could barely raise that arm in hurt so bad. It was a futile struggle as the suit's warning became more and more dire. Oxygen levels dropped and dropped as she couldn't reach the rupture and her world faded to black…this was how she died.
Garrus' shuttle approached the PFS Lante, after what had just happened he knew the Alliance hadn't told Victus about what had happened to Sidda. He wasn't sure exactly how he was going to tell him and the rest of the crew. Sidda was like family to them, which was a triumph for a human.
Once onboard, Maridus stood at the edge of the Docking Bay waiting for him to arrive. When he heard Garrus was coming he decided to greet him personally.
"Garrus," Maridus greeted extending his hand to his friend, the two had known each other since childhood and it was great to see him again. "Welcome aboard, brother."
Garrus shook his hand, had to admit he was happy to see Damar again. "Thank you," he said but the situation at hand was weighing on his mind. "I need to speak to Victus," he said and his tone made Maridus cock his head.
"What happened?" he asked guessing something was very wrong, he had a knack for these things and was right 90% of the time.
Garrus didn't want to admit this by saying it out loud but he had to. "Sidda's dead."
Maridus felt like he'd been slapped in the face though he kept most of his shock under wraps but Garrus could see it in his eyes. He cleared his throat and pushed his emotions down. "This way," he said quietly and headed up to Victus.
The walk was silent, Maridus didn't ask questions, he wanted to but it wasn't his place yet. Victus deserved to know the details first.
Victus was in his quarters reviewing reports when there was a tap on his door. "Enter," he said and looked up seeing Maridus walk in with Garrus of all people. "Major," he regarded and glanced over to Garrus. "Garrus."
"Sir," Maridus began and wanted to find a hole to hide in right now.
Victus looked Maridus up and down, something was wrong. "What's going on?" he asked and stood, his regular posture with his hands behind his back.
Garrus didn't know how to say this, Sidda was his friend and felt that it was his duty to tell Victus what had happened. "Sir…" he began but stammered as the words got stuck in his mouth. "Sir…Sidda is dead," he finally managed. Shock was an understatement; Victus looked at him and blinked several times. "She uhh..." he began but stopped himself. "The Normandy was attacked. She was spaced saving Joker."
He felt himself go numb as he listened to him; losing Sidda was a nightmare for him. And losing another person he loved was even worse. He had to keep himself together, if he came apart now it wouldn't help him and it wouldn't bring her back. Maridus saw his reaction and knew his commanding officer to be calm and together about everything, losing Sidda could unglue him but Victus was silent. Both he and Garrus saw Victus' mandibles clench tightly but didn't show a hint of emotion after hearing about this.
"I'm sorry, Sir," Garrus finished and Victus got the impression that she not only meant everything to him but meant enough to Garrus for him to come all this way to tell him in person.
"Is there anything else?" he asked quietly, turning away from them both.
Garrus shook his head and glanced back to Maridus. "No, Sir," he said and Victus said nothing but Maridus knew it was time to leave him alone.
The door closed leaving Victus alone with his new demon to deal with. His jaw was clenched so tight it was starting to hurt and both hands had become solid fists. He was a calm man, he always kept his façade of calm, cool, and collected but it faltered. His temper flared from all the pain welling in him and he cleared the nearest counter top with an angry sweep of his right arm. He roared as the contents clattered and shattered on the floor before standing seething. She couldn't be dead…how could she be dead?
After delivering the worst news ever to Victus, Garrus and Maridus meandered through the halls and made their way to training room. The news shocked Maridus but there was another on board that was going to feel the same.
"Cal." Maridus call quietly drawing his attention from a hand to hand class he was instructing. He turned and saw the major gesture for him to come over.
"Garrus?" he stated, surprised to see him there. "What are you doing here? Please tell me we don't have to save the galaxy again."
Garrus managed a scoff. "Not yet," he said but his tone made Nov nervous.
"What's going on?" he asked. "You okay, Garrus?"
Maridus sighed. "Cal, Sidda's dead," he blurted, quick so there was less pain.
Nov blinked, trying to process those words. When they registered in his brain he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and took a half step back. Controlling his emotions was key right now. "What?" that was the only thing he could say the shock in his voice was readily apparent.
"The Normandy was attacked by an unknown ship…Sidda was spaced," he paused gauging Nov's reaction. "When the ship exploded…the Alliance never found her body," Nov blinked a few times more and could feel his body going numb starting at his toes and working its way up. The rest of what Garrus had said didn't sink in right away as Nov just turned away from them and walked out.
Maridus and Garrus watched as Nov walked away from them seeming to be stunned beyond belief. Cerrus narrowed his eyes as Nov practically ran him over on the way out. Cerrus looked over his shoulder a little confused by Nov's obvious behavior. His attention returned to Maridus and Garrus and he cocked his head. "What happened?" he asked suspiciously.
Maridus sighed and was already tired of this detail. "Shepard's dead, Tyr."
Cerrus blinked, he was shocked really. He didn't think anything could bump off the human pain in the ass but after all the grief she gave him and the hell the two of them put each other through he felt the loss. "How?"
"The Normandy was attacked," Garrus responded tired of talking about this. "She was spaced."
He may not have liked Sidda per say but he didn't wish her harm and certainly didn't wish her dead. "Spirits," he breathed. "Does the General know?"
Cerrus kicked himself for that question, of course Victus knew. What kind of question was that? "Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, Victus knows."
"Garrus, you were on the Normandy… what happened?" Cerrus asked and Garrus grumbled having to regale the tale one more time.
Nov was feeling something new. He'd been angry before, hell he'd been in a rage before but this was far beyond that. He'd had one real relationship in his life but he and Shala ended things on pretty good terms, but Sidda was someone he felt he truly loved. He never told her that directly and now he was going to have to live with that regret. He was walking; to the crew he was more like storming, through the corridor. You didn't have to be a genius to know he was angry and upset. He came to a stop in the Rec Room; it was an open room that had two ways in and out shaped like a cul-de-sac. His fists were balled up so tight his claws were digging into his palms. The anger he was feeling was a mix of rage at those who killed her, the fact he wasn't there, and the fact that he let her slip away from him. He was also exceedingly upset that she was dead and walking out in a fog of shock and rage.
His bubbling mix of extreme emotions bubbled over and he thoroughly exploded. Nov cleared the counter to his left with a swing of his left arm. The enraged Turian spun to the long table where he remembered SIdda recovering from the hangover from Oblivion, with another swing of, this time, his right hand he knocked the various glasses and plates off the table and sent the started crew members scattering. He actually hadn't realized anyone was in there, his blind rage had taken over and he was releasing all that anger and pain on the Rec Room. He grabbed the back of one of the chairs and removed the top half from where it had been bolted to the deck. With a loud yell that sounded like a roar he used the half a chair as his weapon. He proceeded to smash anything he wanted. The canisters on the counter tops were crushed and any light he could find was destroyed. Sometime during the destruction of the Rec Room he threw the chair into the audience he attracted sending them scattering then turned his fists on the glass doors to the cooler. It took a few punches to break the glass but he succeeded not even feeling the deep cuts to his fingers and knuckles from the very sturdy glass. With the cooler now destroyed he managed to rip the long metal handle off of one of the doors and swung it like a bat at the next counter top shattering the trinkets then came to the card table where he and Maridus hustled Sidda at Poker on her birthday. With a flurry of overhead swings he beat on the card table about a dozen times, blood was starting to splatter onto the deck from the wounds on his hands. After putting a considerable dent into the table he went after the most expensive item in the room. He swung the weapon and hit the large flat wall monitor as hard as he could. He remembered Sidda's birthday again, watching the Biotiball game where Sidda and Desala got into a biotic arm wrestling match. Too many memories in this room…too many memories on this whole ship. Sidda had left her mark on the ship, the crew, and him.
His assault on the monitor continued until he did away with the weapon and physically ripped the thing off the wall. It was hanging by a thread any way so he finished the task and threw it as far as he could. The huge monitor crashed to the deck half on the card table and half on the deck sending bits and pieces of it flying across the room like shrapnel.
The audience he had attracted had enough sense not to stop him but also to go get someone. That someone was Maridus and Cerrus. They both blinked at the state of the Rec Room, it looked like a bomb went off. By the time Nov had completed his renovation, every chair was shredded and more than half were broken, the couch was turned inside out, the cooler was busted and leaking the beverages all over the deck, counter tops were cluttered with bits of debris from everything in the room, cabinets were hanging open with their contents spilled on the floor, the card table was covered by half of the monitor and the other half was in pieces on the deck and chairs, traces of blood were seen on the deck throughout the room.
"Fuck," Cerrus exclaimed stunned.
Maridus thought the same thing as he stood next to him and was just as blown away by the damage as Cerrus was. "Spirits!" he breathed.
"Nov, did this?" Cerrus questioned, it was a clarification on the information from a crewmember not really a legitimate question. He'd heard of Nov's bad temper but never witnessed it for himself. He still hadn't, this was the aftermath.
Maridus moved into the warzone and spied Nov sitting on the deck under where the monitor had been. His knees were pulled up close to his chest with his forearms resting on his knees. His hands were shaking and dripping blood onto the deck. "Cal?" Maridus announced but got no response from the Turian. "Captain?" He said again and saw Nov gingerly adjust the position of his trembling right hand.
"Major," Nov replied quietly and Maridus moved toward him cautiously. If Nov had done this to the Rec Room he could only imagine what he could or would do to a person.
"What did you do?" he asked and knelt down next to him looking at the deep cuts.
Nov knew what he did in his blind rage. "I didn't hurt anyone," he replied as Maridus took his left hand gently inspecting the injuries.
"Just yourself," Maridus stated. "These are deep, Cal, let's go see Holum."
Nov sharply jerked his hand away from Maridus. "I don't need to. I'm fine," he growled and Maridus' demeanor went from friendly concern to stern authority.
"That's an order, Captain," he ordered and earned a glare from Nov. He wasn't above fighting him but he had to admit his hands hurt…a lot.
Nov got to his feet refusing help from Maridus and Cerrus and causing his lacerations to bleed more. Maridus looked around the room and shook his head. There had to be at least 40,000 credits worth of damage here.
Maridus confined Nov to his quarters once Holum patched up his hands, he was laying on his bunk still in shock over the news. He said nothing to Holum in the few hours he spent in medical and said very little to Maridus to explain his actions. He had gingerly sifted through his locker and found the item he wanted. It was an image taken of them during her birthday. It was just a casual picture that Masso had captured during one of the many card games that night. He didn't display it in his quarters because he didn't want to disrespect Victus if he ever ventured to his quarters but he did look at it often. Sidda had become the only female, Turian, Asari, or otherwise that he loved. Shala was a long term relationship and yes he did care for her and liked her a lot but what he felt for Sidda was exponentially different. She was the one person he loved and the one person he let get away. Now he'd lost her forever and that was something he'd never forgive himself for.
He lay on his bunk staring at the picture burning the image of her face into his mind. He didn't want to forget her, he never would and he made a decision right then and there to curse all deities he'd seen or heard about, Asari gods, Hanar gods, Human gods…even the Spirits; he'd never pray to them again because of this.
The tension on the ship was palpable, too tense, no one spoke to Victus unless they absolutely had to but it wasn't getting any better. Maridus actually called Tarquin told him the news and they'd picked him up in route.
"So what happened to Sidda?" Tarquin asked Maridus.
Maridus sighed heavily. "Spaced," he replied as they walked to the guest quarters. It wasn't unusual for Tarquin to be aboard, he'd train here for a time and then move to his own assignments. Turians didn't care about family serving with family. The consequences for misconduct were severe and often enough of a deterrent for anyone playing favorites. Tarquin looked like his father but his skin was lighter, something he'd inherited from his mother. "Garrus, the Turian that was serving with her, is still on board. The Normandy was destroyed."
Tarquin shook his head; the idea that his father lost another person he cared about almost broke his heart. He'd grown up with his closed off father and had seen a change in him when he met Sidda. Like Any Turian he had a volatile temper, and they were extra volatile when it came to their mates. "Spirits."
"He won't talk about it," Maridus grumbled, burying it was a recipe for disaster but the more Maridus pushed the deeper Victus buried it.
Tarquin wasn't surprised. "And no one can make him and it's best not to press him."
Maridus shook his head. "I disagree…it's going to tear him up until he can't take it anymore that puts us all in danger."
Tarquin stopped and pulled Maridus to a stop as well. "So why am I here?" Tarquin asked his tone more of an irritated growl.
"Because he needs to talk to somebody."
Tarquin scoffed derisively. "He's not going to talk to me, Major," Maridus' long glower made Tarquin huff. "Fine. I'll try."
Tarquin tapped on the door to his father's quarters but heard no answer to enter nor did anyone come to the door, he tapped again but still no answer. Tarquin understood tech and tapped his omni-tool a few times to override the door. It opened to reveal a dark room; his quarters were in order say for scattered items and some broken glass that used to be a mirror.
"Dad," Tarquin announced seeing his father sitting with an unopened bottle of Turian Brandy.
Victus inclined his head to one side acknowledging him but didn't turn around; it was the only time he smiled in days. "You're getting far too good at that, Tarquin," he commented.
Tarquin shrugged and sat down in the chair across from him. "You didn't answer," he replied and paused a moment before saying more. "The crew is worried." Victus poured a glass of the Brandy he'd been working on and Tarquin found another, father and son could break the ice with a drink. Victus poured a glass for his son.
Victus shrugged as if waving him off. "They have Maridus, they'll be fine."
Tarquin bit back a grumble, he was stubborn…very stubborn. "Dad…they need you. Not the Major, you."
Victus sipped the Brandy. "Son, leave me alone. I don't want to talk."
Tarquin stopped his pushing, it wasn't going to help and he could see his father was hurting. "I'm sorry I never got to know her better," he said quietly after a long silence.
Victus took another drink; there were so many things he regretted when it came to Sidda. The first was he never took her as his mate and the second was he didn't get to spend near enough time with her. "I should have married her," he said out of the blue after an even longer silence.
Tarquin said nothing since his father voluntarily offered that up and raised his glass toward him. "To, Sidda."
"May her Spirit watch over Lante," Victus added.
"And us all," Tarquin put in eying his father trying to judge his mental state. Maridus was right; his father was a time bomb just waiting for the right match.
Maridus could tell that if Victus didn't talk about Sidda he was going to implode at the most inopportune time. For almost a week he was silent and kept to himself more than he usually did, the entire crew had heard what had happened and tried their best to stay out of his crosshairs, as a result Maridus saw an uptick in people passing him rosters, reports, questions…more than usual. He brought Tarquin aboard, an act that got him all but reamed by Victus later but deep down Victus understood why he did it.
Victus found a little solace in the training room; this is where he and Sidda spent a lot of time together so it was a bittersweet place for him to be. Nov was present on the other side of room but then again he was always in the training room. Nov was one of the first Turians on board that grew to respect her, enough to relinquish his command of Argo Unit to her for a year. He was also one of the few on board that felt it best to leave Victus alone, to let him work out the loss by himself.
Maridus didn't share Nov's opinion or Tarquin's for that matter, he knew Victus well enough to know that Sidda's death was going to bring back the old pain of Miral and cause the General to falter when they would need him the most. He walked into the Training Room and acknowledged Nov but turned his attention to Victus. "General, you need to talk about this," Maridus said approaching him.
Victus was growing annoyed with Maridus pushing him, he was right but he didn't want to talk about anything. "For the last time, Major, I don't want to talk about anything."
"You have to!" Maridus snapped in a raised tone causing Victus to look over at him sharply. Did he lose his mind? No one talked to him that way; he was a highly respected General and the last person you wanted to fuck with, especially regarding a personal matter.
"I don't!" he snarled back making Nov look up and pay attention to the situation brewing. "She was a soldier. Soldiers die," he growled at him and that offended and pissed off Maridus.
"You don't believe that!" he boomed. "Sidda was more than just a soldier to everyone on this ship. She was my friend and I know how much you loved her so don't stand there and tell me that she meant more to me than she did to you." He knew he was taking his life into his own hands by saying this to his face but he wanted to provoke a response, to get him to work it out. Victus' blood boiled at that comment. "If you really loved her you wouldn't be able to just turn it off. You didn't love her…you wouldn't even marry her."
Victus finally snapped and swiftly advanced on him with a hard punch to the face. The force of his hit staggered him back but he caught himself to set up for another hit. He succeeded in provoking a response from Victus. He succeeded all too well.
Nov stood keeping an eye on this inevitable explosion taking place. Victus was the superior fighter onboard and he was the second rated. Maridus was not known for his hand to hand skills and he was the target for a highly distraught and pissed off man. "Tarquin, it's Callus, you need to come to the training room and bring Vakarian with you. Double time it," he said into his Omni-Tool, the tone of his voice reflected the worry and severity of the situation. "This is gonna get out of hand fast."
Victus was in a rage, one week of the worst bottled up pain imaginable was now boiling over. This wasn't a controlled fight, Victus was angry and hurt and he was going to hurt someone in this case, Maridus. Maridus kept up for a time but a combination hit from Victus knocked him onto his back, this would have been the time to stop but Victus wasn't following any rules. He stepped over him and put his left knee down grabbing Maridus' tunic with his left hand and continued pummeling him with his right fist.
"General!" Nov yelled running toward him and grabbing his right arm to stop him from his attack. Victus elbowed Nov hard in the mouth and shoved him off hitting Maridus again.
Victus kept hitting Maridus with savage hits, bones were cracking but he didn't care. As Nov reached him Tarquin and Garrus scrambled around the corridor and into the room, they could hear Nov yelling from the hall. "Dad!" Tarquin yelled rushing toward him.
Nov regained his feet and they all reached Victus at the same time. "General! Stop! You're going to kill him!" Nov yelled as he tried again to catch his arm. Tarquin grabbed his other arm from behind and put his right arm around his father's chest using his weight to pull him back.
"Stop!" Tarquin barked as Victus shoved Nov off his right arm but found it challenging to get away from his son. "Stop!"
There was a pause as Victus realized exactly what he had just done. Maridus was a bloody mess and unconscious, his left mandible was obviously broken as blood was coming from his nose and mouth. The anger passed and turned to overwhelming emotional sadness. He collapsed back into Tarquin and it hit him. She was gone. Sidda was dead, he'd lost another one.
Tarquin held his father as he came down from his intense rage; Victus was still angry and would love to kill someone but Tarquin kept him restrained. The weight of Sidda's death hit him and he let out an agonizing, emotional scream.
Everyone in the room could feel the pain radiating off him, they all missed her, and she meant a lot to each of them for different reasons but none of them could imagine Victus' pain.
Garrus was more intent on the bloody mess that was Maridus. "Damar? Damar, can you hear me?" he asked surveying his injuries. "Captain, he needs to get to medical now."
Nov turned away from them and keyed his omni-tool calling Holum to the training room.
In Medical, Maridus was considered to be severely wounded. Garrus hadn't really left the bay and that was bugging the hell out of Dr. Holum. He was doing everything he could for Maridus but the reconstruction was extensive. Victus had shattered his left mandible and broken his jaw, for a Turian the jaw would heal but the mandible was the hard part.
"Holum." Victus greeted entering the medical bay quietly catching sight of Garrus at the last bed containing his friend.
"General." Holum said coldly. "Come to see your handy work?" he hissed and earned a glare from Victus.
"Careful, Doctor," he growled back. "How is he?"
Holum glowered at his commanding officer. "Well, aside from his broken jaw and shattered mandible he should be fine." He said in a very pointed statement. "Disfigured, but fine."
Victus owned that, he knew what he did and was nowhere near proud of it. "Get on with it, Doctor, what do you need?" he hissed at him. He knew what he'd done and accepted it.
"Palaven. Thessia, Citadel, even Earth…somewhere that I can put him back together."
Victus nodded slightly and looked over at Maridus but kept the rooms length in distance. "Which is best?" he asked. He'd go anywhere to fix his friend, his condition was his fault and he aimed to correct that.
"The Citadel," he answered quickly. "A multitude of medical personnel, he may need synthetics or biometrics."
Victus nodded and turned to walk away, the fact that he didn't even bother to see Maridus angered Garrus. "General," Garrus barked in a raised tone, not yelling at him but just enough to get his attention. Victus paused and looked back at him but waited for Garrus to approach him.
"Yes?" he asked with a sigh.
"You almost kill him and you don't even want to see him?" he growled.
Victus heaved a sigh and showed he was growing annoyed. Maridus was his friend and he was concerned for his well-being especially since his condition was his fault, but he simply couldn't face what he had done. "Vakarian, you're trying my patience," he said but realized that wasn't the right thing to say. "I understand your anger. He is my friend as well," he said but his tone dropped to shame. "But I can't face him right now."Garrus could understand why Victus didn't want to see him but he looked at Maridus like a brother and to see him hurt like that made him angry. "You're onboard as a courtesy, I thank you for watching over Sidda and for coming in person to tell me what happened, but don't ever talk to me like that again," he warned and walked away from him.
Since news of Sidda's death the ship's command structure had damn near collapsed. Victus blew up at Maridus and rendered him unconscious with severe injuries, Nov destroyed the Rec Room and no one on the ship who knew and respected Sidda wanted to talk about a damn thing. After what had happed to Maridus, Victus' confidence in his leadership was shaken so when they reached the Citadel he relieved himself of command placing Cerrus in command of the ship. Cerrus didn't want the job and nearly gave it Ruvio as soon as he got it but he assumed the mantle anyway.
The events in the Training Room had spread all over the ship, everyone knew that Victus lost control, maybe even his mind, and put Maridus in Medical. The crew walked on eggshells around him so when they reached The Citadel his last order to Cerrus was to give the crew shore leave.
Citadel Hospital was the best hospital on the Citadel and Maridus was rushed there to begin what would probably be a very long recovery. That hospital was the best choice because of its access to cross species techniques and physicians, by the time they got there the Turian Ward had sent an army of doctors and there were specialists on hand after the overview had been received from Holum.
Victus entered the surgical wing of the hospital slowly; he wanted an update but still could not face his friend he nearly beat to death. He didn't want to be in this hospital anyway, the next wing over was recovery, the place where he'd waited for Sidda to wake up after Sovereign literally fell on her.
"Victus!" a female Turian voice called sharply and he looked in the direction of it. He saw an average height Turian female with the same Palaven blue face paint that Maridus and Garrus had. He knew exactly who it was and was really not looking forward to seeing or speaking with her.
"Solana-…" he started but was cut off by a hard punch across the face from her.
She hit him good making him take a forced step back grunting at the pain in his jaw now. "You, Bastard!" she snarled and was going to hit him again but he caught her wrist to stop her. "You almost killed him!" she yelled trying to get her arm free from his grip. Solana was a feisty one and struggled against him hitting him with her other hand until he caught them both. "He idolizes you! Look what you did to him!"
"Solana, stop!" he barked now controlling both her hands and understanding her pain. "Stop!" Solana stopped fighting against him and he pulled her into a hug. His shame deepened seeing her; he deserved everything she gave him and whatever hate she bore toward him. "I am so sorry," he said. "I never meant to hurt him."
Solana wasn't going to let him get away with that and pushed away from him. "You almost beat him to death," she snapped. "What did you expect?"
Victus dropped his head not afraid to reveal his guilt to her. "I didn't mean to," he said but those words didn't offer any explanation for her and she shoved him backward.
"Then why did you do it?" she snapped again.
"I lost someone," he said and continued to glare at him. "Someone I cared-…" he stopped abruptly and refused to meet her eyes. "Someone I loved, very much."
"So you took it out on Damar?" she questioned with a cold, damning tone.
"He tried to help me and I lost control," he confessed and she eyed him with a hostile glare before walking away from him without another word.
Cerrus didn't bother to leave the ship; he had things to take care of. Namely holding the crew together, mostly it was a few members that needed to be tended to. Nov was his biggest concern. He destroyed one entire room, while Victus damn near killed Maridus in a blind rage he had expected something like that from him. Nov's reaction was a little more of mystery, he knew he respected her and had feelings for her but hadn't thought for a moment that news of her death would have garnered a reaction like that. Now Nov stood before him, his expression seemed empty and cold…he'd seen it before…in the mirror. Cerrus was scared to death to use Victus' office so he used the War Room.
"Callus, with Maridus in the hospital and Victus relieved of command I have to hand down the punishment for the damage to the Rec Room and military property," he said quietly as Nov stood silent. He'd barely said six words that weren't related to intervening with Maridus and Victus' fight. "I'm going to go with Administrative Punishment, Captain," he continued. "The damage cost is 32,481 credits that will come out of your pay for as long as it takes to pay off and you'll be restricted to your quarters when you're not on duty," he finished maintaining a professional and slightly gentle tone and Nov remained silent. "Dismissed." As he said that he found that he wanted to ask the question. Why? Nov had turned to leave but Cerrus spoke up. "Cal, just one question." Nov paused and turned around to face him. "Why did you do that?"
Nov's entire body had felt numb since redecorating the Rec Room, it hadn't changed. His personality had numbed as well. There was only one answer to his question and he didn't care who knew now. "I loved her," he answered quietly.
Cerrus could understand losing control because of the death of a loved one. He who got his whole team killed because of Anara's death. He believed Nov when he said it, it was plain and truthful that was abundantly clear. "Sentence will begin tomorrow morning, go to the Citadel…take some time, but I want you back at 0700 to report for duty…you miss it I'll throw your ass in the brig. Am I clear?"
Nov already respected Cerrus, he may not have agreed with his views on Humans but he was an upstanding guy when it came right down to it. He was smart enough to realize when someone was on the verge of going over the edge. "Yes, Sir," he said respectfully and left the War Room.
Chora's Den survived the attack but C-Sec took the opportunity to clean house, the investigation into Fist and his goons shed some uncomfortable light on the seedy goings on.
Nov surveyed the area; the military side of him assessed the Krogan bouncers, he really wanted to pick a fight but a Krogan wasn't really what he wanted to dance with. He wanted a drink and he wanted to pick a fight but he'd settle for a drink first.
The Asari bartender was pretty, the violet purple was the tone Nov liked the most but this time he wasn't really interested. "What'll it be, handsome?" she flirted and Nov blushed.
"Bottle of something…" he answered with a slight smile. "I don't care what it is and open a tab."
Nov was a magnet to the Asari just as they were a magnet for him. She flashed a flirty smile to him and leaned toward him. "What's the name? Or should I just call you 'Handsome'?"
He blushed and cleared his throat. "Cal's fine."
"Mel," she replied and Nov spotted a curious sight over her should across the bar. Nov's expression narrowed. Victus. Victus was in Chora's Den sitting at a table alone…that was something you didn't see every day.
He put his credit chit on the bar and then a few more. "For you," he winked back then gestured to Victus behind her. "And a bottle of whatever he's having."
Mel giggled and nodded with a smile. "You got it, Handsome."
Nov wasn't in the mood for a woman at the moment, his emotions were too out of whack but the flattery was nice. He collected the bottle of Brandy, that was apparently what Victus was drinking and quietly joined his fellow Turian. Victus said nothing at his presence and still nothing even when he sat down across from him, only eye contact was made when Nov set the Brandy bottle down for him.
Victus gave a slight nod, a silent appreciation for his subordinate that had been competition for him despite Sidda's words. He knew Nov was attracted to her; he hurt him on purpose when he found out but so far the Captain had conducted himself respectfully. As with everyone else on board, Victus had heard about Nov's tantrum in the Rec Room but didn't deal with it, he relieved himself of command before so whatever was to happen fell to Maridus but he was sure that his XO hadn't dealt with it before landing in Medical so the buck was passed to Cerrus. His ship was in chaos and it was his fault, he was supposed to be the rock in the center of the storm not the storm itself.
Victus was toying with something in his right hand, a shiny piece of metal; Nov had seen it before but around Sidda's neck. "Sidda gave me this," Victus spoke after a long silence between them. "Human's call them Dog Tags…military identification."
Nov just listened and downed his entire glass in a one shot before pouring another, he wanted to be drunk yesterday and then he wanted a fight. He assumed that Sidda had given him one since one day there was just one tag around her neck rather than two. He cursed himself, and would every day for the rest of his life, for not speaking up and making his feelings known. He drank more and downed another glass.
Victus noticed his rate, knowing that Nov cared deeply for her didn't faze him in the slightest but he didn't want to see a good officer's name tarnished by some drunken brawl gone bad. "Pace yourself, Captain."
Nov actually glared. "Why? I'm already confined to the ship after this," he snarled and Victus' expression didn't change.
"I won't be bailing you out of the Brig," he replied and Nov's mood was souring rapidly, the good bottle of Turian Whiskey wasn't helping as his temper was starting to surface. He wanted to fight…fighting the General wasn't necessarily wise but it would help settling things between them…or it could actually make it worse.
"I don't care," he growled back but again Victus didn't show any concern for the clear challenge that was coming his way.
Victus had already had enough of fighting and if he took it out on Nov it wouldn't be as one sided as it was with Maridus, Nov was an exceptional fighter who was going through his own emotional issues. A fight with him could be serious and brutal. "I'm not your CO right now, Nov; you want to pick a fight do what you like."
"Sir," a voice greeted breaking them from something that might have turned into a mess. It was Garrus, still angry with Victus for hurting his friend but he looked as if he needed a drink as well. Unlike them, Garrus actually saw the event that killed her. "Captain. Mind if I join?"
Nov downed another drink, three in two minutes…not a good sign and Victus gestured to the seat. He slid the Brandy bottle toward him.
"A drink for the Commander," Garrus said and Victus paused as Nov poured another drink. "She was the best person I've ever served with."
Nov paused before downing another glass, he felt the sentiment, but for him Sidda was the best person he'd met in his entire life. "And you let her die?" he snapped earning a glare from Victus and Garrus.
"Nov," Victus warned, there was nothing Garrus could have done and Nov knew that. The Turian looked to physically recoil, he was angry and well on his way to getting drunk. He didn't apologize and downed the next glass.
Garrus fought the urge to beat the hell out of him but was able to keep himself in control. He resented Nov's comment and it pissed him off. "He's drunk and looking for a fight," Garrus commented but his growl and leveled glare was enough to express his anger. "Keep talking and I'll give him one."
The glares that were leveled at one another were enough to end wars, or start them. "Really?" Nov smirked but his attitude wasn't playful. "Then why wait, Vakarian?"
Victus was annoyed; his quiet drink had been hijacked and now was something else. Nov was a temperamental drunk and at the moment he wanted to fight…to be honest so did he. "Callus," Victus barked, "you don't cool it you're gonna end up with a fight you don't want. Clear?"
Nov picked up on the threat loud and clear; he meant him but with as upset as he was Nov would get what he wanted…a fight for the ages.
A week had passed as the Lante was still at the Citadel, Cerrus had done as Victus asked and filed a report to the High Command, they were to report home as soon as was convenient. Victus had faced down everything, he was a seasoned combat veteran but he was absolutely terrified about walking into this room. Maridus was lying on the bed, peaceful, seemingly anyway. His left mandible was a shiny silver which contrasted sharply with his dark skin color and a good portion of his face was still obviously was swollen. He did that, his own hands nearly killed his best friend. The shame Victus felt was overwhelming in all his years he never remembered losing control like that.
Maridus sensed a presence in his room and opened his eyes. "Sir," he managed softly, after four surgeries talking was still a little rough, his jaw hurt…actually everything hurt.
Victus gulped, he could never begin to apologize for his actions. "I'm sorry could never cover it, Damar," he said and the honesty in his voice was undeniable.
By all rights Maridus should hate him, but he didn't. "Don't." Maridus began and it was then Victus noticed the plate on his jaw, the other area he broke. The same on his face was apparent. "It's okay."
"Don't say that," Victus breathed, he couldn't be forgiven for this. "There is no way that this is okay."
Maridus managed to sit up and his face throbbed. "Adrien…" he began surprising the General by using his first name. "I understand. I wouldn't volunteer for it every week but I understand."
There was no way Victus was going to let himself off the hook. "You cannot forgive me for this, Damar, look what I did to you."
Maridus groaned at a throb that went from one side of his head to another but it passed. "Sir, if it was Solana I probably would have killed myself," Maridus told him. "And if you pushed me the way I pushed you I probably would have done the same thing."
Victus was having a hard time facing his own actions, he owned them there was no question there, but what he couldn't figure out was why Maridus still spoke to him. He turned away from Maridus and began to pace. "Command knows what happened…they've recalled me to assess my fitness. I'm not going to tell you what to do but think long and hard before you forgive me for what I did."
Maridus gave him a slight nod; he wasn't getting out of this hospital for at least another few days, odds were that the Lante would make it back to Palaven before he did.
The review was going to be uncomfortable; Victus went into it knowing that. It wasn't the first time he'd gone through one of these but this time it was for a personal issue while on duty. Victus had never let something personal effect his job but it was clear he'd lost control. Lost control and nearly killed his first officer doing so.
Fedorian was on the panel, given Victus history with him it might have been seen as a conflict of interest but the thing about Turians was that they could be objective. Victus was a fine officer and Fedorian knew that. Admiral Irix Coronati and General Radha Maridus comprised the rest of the panel; Coronati was a good man, the Admiral of the fleets and someone Victus had known for a long time. Victus' problem was going to be Radha Maridus, Damar's mother, although given what had happened she should recuse herself.
"General, you are here to answer for the assault on one of your crewmembers that resulted in the severe injury of your first officer," Coronati said, it sounded as if it was for the record. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Nothing, Admiral, I don't deny what I did," he answered.
"You disfigured my son, General, that's all you have to say?" Radha hissed. Unlike Maridus she had a forest green inverted chevron on her face blemished by a vertical scar that started over her left eye and continued under it for an inch. She was a severe woman but damn good at her job. He didn't blame her for being angry, he was glad she was on the panel and not his father Merek. Merek really didn't like him and he wasn't looking forward to meeting that big Turian again.
Victus didn't know how to respond to that, owning up to what happened and taking the punishment for it was as far as he got with it. "I know, General, and there is no apology I can say that would make that right."
Radha was trying her best to remain professional in front of him but Damar was her only child, her motherly instinct was hard to turn off. "No, there's not," she snapped. "You nearly killed him."
"Let's try to remain on point, please," Fedorian spoke up and the conversation returned to its subject. "Despite the clear misconduct on your part no charges will be filed against you at this time, General."
Victus was shocked, it definitely not the outcome he was expecting. "Sir?"
"Your first officer is commendably loyal, General," Fedorian said in a tone that wasn't quite a complement, "in his statement he gave you glowing praise, despite it all. I applaud you on your ability to inspire loyalty in your men." Victus wasn't sure how he felt about this, he didn't need to be forgiven for this, and he'd told Maridus that. "While no charges will be filed against you your conduct is unacceptable for someone of your rank. A permanent mark will go in your file."
The Lante was given time off to refit and rotate crews, nearly 6 months had passed and the Turian ship had been assigned to training missions. They had seen more special operatives from the academy come through for reassignments and training. With Cerrus thrust into the role of interim first officer Kalvaris was took over Centar for training and recruiting. Nov had changed, after six months he still hadn't come to grips with the loss of Sidda, he was darker and less social. Cerrus was actually worried about him and so was Ruvvak.
Nov spun the two fighting sticks in his hands warming up his wrists. This had become an exercise he'd grown fond of since he had a hard time finding someone to spar with. Sometimes he didn't know when to stop, the dark violence took over in him and he just couldn't monitor himself.
He spun them in unison and attacked the padded pole with a vengeance. At 3:30 in the morning the rest of the ship was sleeping but not him…he didn't sleep anymore. Not well anyway, what good nights he could get were few and far between. The dreams were about Sidda and almost none of them were good. She was either dying in some horrific fashion on the Normandy or he had his dream woman loving and caring, either way they hurt. He had been such a fool to let her go and not say anything or even so anything more than just a passing crush. He lost her and she wasn't even his. He'd regret his lack of action for the rest of his life.
For now he turned to the drink when he was off duty and took his aggression out on those he trained and training dummies. When they actually had a mission he was a monster and completely vicious, he just didn't care anymore. The noise of his attack carried through the room and could be heard in the corridor, the racket grew louder as he channeled as much of his anger as he could. He spun and put all his force and momentum in the right stick hitting the post hard enough with the blunt instrument to rip the padding open. He roared and flung both weapons to either side letting them clatter against the wall.
Cerrus' eyes narrowed at the display of aggression shown by the engineer. He was actually worried about him; Nov's major change in behavior was alarming. Nov had always had a personality that was full of optimism and humor…it had all but vanished. "You should try sleeping, Callus," Cerrus stated and Nov simply placed both hands on his hips catching his breath.
"I don't sleep anymore," he replied and Cerrus eyed him.
Cerrus grunted. "Yeah, we've noticed," he said and Nov shot him a look. "What's going on with you, Cal?"
"Nothing," he replied sharply as he collected the items he'd carelessly thrown across the room.
Cerrus sighed heavily; it was like looking into a mirror. "You don't sleep, you barely eat, your attitude sucks, you drink to excess…even the General has noticed that…it doesn't seem like nothing," he pressed and Nov huffed. "Try again."
"I'm fine," he snapped with a growl. "Just-…" he trailed off and Cerrus could guess the problem. "I miss her, Tyr," he admitted. "Every time I close my eyes she's all I see…so I prefer to stay awake."
Cerrus could understand that. "I know how you feel." Nov glowered ready for snarl but then realized that Cerrus probably did know how he felt. "Cal, listen, you have to let her go." He wasn't fazed by the glare from Nov. "Don't give me that look. I've been you…you're turning into me and you don't want that."
Nov's brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"
Cerrus sighed and really didn't want to get into this. "Cal, I finally have someone I truly care about…first time in years but do you want to know who I see every time I close my eyes? The person I dream about seven years later? I still see Anara's face every time I close my eyes."
"Do you have a point?"
"Point is…you don't want to turn into me, Cal, and if you don't let her go that's exactly what's going to happen," he said with a sigh, he really did feel for him. He understood on a level that most didn't, he knew what it was like to lose someone you love. "I know you loved her. But you have to let her go or it's gonna destroy you just like Anara's death did to me."
Nov felt the lump in his throat, Cerrus had a point, but he just couldn't do it. Victus was quiet and didn't talk about it; it was his way of deal with her death. "Victus may have, Tyr, but I can't."
Cerrus growled in annoyance, he was exactly like he was. "He hasn't, Cal," he warned, scolding him for thinking that Victus was 'over' the death of someone he loved. "Look, you need to let her go and you need to get your head back into work."
Nov's jaw set, Cerrus was his friend but he was the blunt type of friend. He tried to be sincere about it all but he only took so much of the stubbornness. "I can't, Tyr," he said and cleared his throat. "I just can't."
Cerrus sighed as Nov left him alone in the training room, Nov was going to be a serious problem if he didn't get his head on straight. One reckless person on the ship was enough and he'd been on both side of it. He'd been hoping that Nov would come around on his own but it still hadn't happened, as much as he said that he understood what Nov was going through he definitely knew that there was a way to live with it. He wasn't the poster child of letting someone go but he'd learned to function with the pain of daily life and if he could do that Nov could too.
Cerrus was annoyed; with Maridus still out on medical leave Victus had appointed him as his second in command. It irritated him and Ruvio; Ruvio knew more about the interworking's of the Lante and Maridus' job than he did but Victus still appointed him as his temporary second in command.
"How in the hell did Maridus do this job?" Cerrus grumbled in an irritated and exasperated tone. He tossed the pad down on Victus' desk and heard the General snort.
"He complained about it," he commented. "He did it well…but he still complained about it. How's the departure?"
"On track, if the mountain of messages I get inundated with every day is anything to go by," he replied and got another chuckle from Victus. "Maridus' job sucks."
Victus had heard this from Maridus for years. "Don't want your own ship one day?"
"No…no, Sir," he replied and sighed. "Keep me on the ground, Maridus can keep his job."
Victus was actually proud of Cerrus, he did surprisingly well on the Normandy and had stepped into Maridus shoes against his will. Despite his bitching he'd done well. "You've done well, Captain."
Cerrus didn't want the praise, he didn't want a ship of his own, and he didn't want to take Maridus' place either. No one could replace that man, he may have complained about his job sometimes but he did it well. Cerrus was not Victus' protégé, Maridus was. "Thank you, Sir, but once Maridus returns he can have it back."
Victus hadn't heard from Maridus, he was still on leave and apparently undergoing cosmetic surgeries and other therapy to help his jaw and mandible. Maridus didn't file any charges but had also not asked for a transfer so Victus wasn't sure which way his protégé was going to go.
"Sir," he began, he didn't want to do this but his concern couldn't be ignored. "I think we need to talk about Nov," he finished and the General grunted. "He's not doing well."
Victus bristled, Nov and Sidda's relationship annoyed him then and it annoyed him now. He'd noticed Nov's behavior; the obvious spiral he was going through was hard to miss. "And?"
Cerrus suddenly felt uncomfortable, he'd warned Nov a hundred times to back off and now even with her dead, it was a problem between them. "And the crew has noticed…the strike teams have noticed even the ones coming on for training have noticed, and I think it's extraordinarily bad to have him in the field."
Victus was silent as Cerrus voiced his concern. Despite his feelings toward Nov he really didn't want to see someone hurt because someone's head wasn't in the game. Nov was one of his best officers and, hands down, the best combat engineer he'd ever seen. "Fine," he nodded. "Put him on leave before we depart, we'll meet up with the task force and do the mission without him."
Cerrus nodded. "Yes, Sir."
Cerrus' irritation was getting worse; he wasn't looking forward to telling Nov he was being forced on leave. "Where's Nov?" he asked Kalvaris with a grumble.
Kalvaris' brow furrowed at the tone and Cerrus' obvious irritation. "Umm…not a clue…something wrong, Sir?"
"I have to force him on leave…wanna come?" he replied.
Kalvaris stood and snorted. "Finally," he said and Cerrus gave him a look that was a mix between annoyance and relief. "What?"
"I don't want to do this," Cerrus sighed as Kalvaris snorted.
"I know you understand but he's gonna get someone killed." The barefaced Turian responded clapping him on the back. Cerrus didn't reply and kept moving, Nov was probably in one of his haunts and since he wasn't in the Rec Room, where he'd found Kalvaris, or the training room, he was probably in the armory.
"Cal," Cerrus began as he found the troubled man tending to his armor.
"Sir," Nov acknowledged.
Cerrus was conflicted, on one hand he wanted to help Nov move past this, on the other he knew that a personal blow like this couldn't be helped and he didn't want to see Nov's record tarnished like his was because of personal issue. "Cal, I need you to stow your gear when we get to the Citadel, you're on leave," Cerrus told him, in the moment he decided how to do his and quick and painless was it.
Nov's reaction was predictable and immediate. "What? I didn't put in for any leave."
Cerrus held firm. "General's orders, you're not going on this mission, you're on leave."
Nov was getting angry and the other two could see it. In his defense Cerrus would be pissed about this too so he expected it…which was also why Kalvaris tagged along. "Why?"
"Are you kidding?" Kalvaris snorted and Cerrus shot a glare at him. "You've been a world class ass lately."
Nov leveled a fierce glare at him as did Cerrus, that wasn't going to help. "Rik," Cerrus warned and the younger Turian fell silent. He was right, but starting a fight with the short tempered engineer wasn't going to help anything at this point.
"Fuck you, Kalvaris," Nov hissed.
Cerrus grumbled at the rising tempers. "Alright, alright, alright," Cerrus headed it off holding his hands out as if to keep them separate. "Cal, General's orders you're on leave."
Nov's attention shifted to Cerrus, his friend, and his question still remained. "Why?" he could venture a guess but he still wanted to hear it.
Cerrus was honest, almost to a fault, Nov was his friend and he had so few of them. "You need to get out of here, take some time, and sort things out," Cerrus answered as Nov continued to protest. He couldn't blame him, he did the same thing when they benched him…made him work a desk until Victus picked him up.
Nov was getting madder and madder as time went on and it was such a deviation from his character that even he was noticing the change. Denial, that's was Holum called it. "How many times do I need to tell you people that I'm fine?" he snarled.
"You are not 'fine', Captain," Cerrus snapped back raising his voice slightly showing that he was in no mood to coddle anyone, the order had been given. "Don't do what I did," he told him, his tone as sincere as he could make it. He should never have gone on that mission, had he taken the time off his squad would still be alive. "Take the time. This is a direct order from the General. You're getting off when we get to the Citadel."
Nov wanted to protest but the core of the Turian military had been beaten into since he was 15, the superior gave the direct order and so he would follow it.
The Citadel was still being guarded by the Fifth Fleet as the defense force built up the ships that were lost. Most people bristled to the idea of a human fleet guarding Citadel six months after the attack but the station had been secure for that entire time. Clean up was still on going and security was insane.
"Capt. Cerrus, front and center," Victus said and Cerrus glanced around quickly, confused and a little worried but he stepped forward.
"Sir?"
"Captain, you've done an admirable lately. You did exceptionally well on a mission that you really shouldn't have and you've filled the role of first officer with minimal complaint," he said and the room chuckled at Victus' very true but light hearted joke. "Si…Cmdr. Shepard praised your performance and was very grateful for your help tracking Saren."
Cerrus did as he promised and watched over Sidda while he was on the ship. He wasn't happy about the assignment but he did it well and Sidda survived it. He regretted that she was dead; as much as she annoyed him she was a good soldier. With all those thoughts and complements being said he still wasn't sure why he was on display. "Just doing my duty, Sir."
Victus had more to list off and that was just within the past year. He planned Nihlus' rescue, went with Sidda, chased Saren across the galaxy, and kept his ship together when he lost his mind. "Above and beyond…Major," he said sincerely and Cerrus blinked…stunned.
"Sir?" he questioned since he couldn't think of anything else to say, he'd been stuck at the rank of captain for so long he couldn't remember.
"You earned it, Tyr," Victus said presenting him with the new rank insignia, "congratulations."
"Thank you, Sir."
"Attention!" Victus called and the entire line snapped to. "Recognize Major Tyr Cerrus, third in command of the PFS Lante."
"Maj. Cerrus!" The line barked in unison.
Nov was irritated with being booted from the ship for this joint operation. Part of him understood the reasoning but that didn't mean he liked it. He was thrilled that Cerrus was promoted and now he was wandering the Citadel.
"Cal?" a voice called and he turned to track it.
Nov blinked, it was Maridus, up and on his feet. "Damar…" he began, "Spirits, look at you."
Maridus seemed the same except the left side of his face, the mandible on that side was completely synthetic and shiny silver. He had metal implants in his jaw, upper and lower, from where it was broken and three fake teeth. The fake mandible contrasted against his dark skin and half his colony paint was missing. "Up and moving around. What are you doing here?"
"General forced me on leave," he replied grumpily.
Maridus cocked his head; he didn't need to be a genius to figure that out. "Sidda?" Nov glared at him. "Come on, Cal, you don't think the ship's that stupid do you? You destroyed the Rec Room the day you learned she died." His glare remained but he sighed heavily and then grumbled. "Are you okay?"
Nov answer was simple. "No," he answered plainly.
Maridus patted his shoulder. "Hang in there. Take some time off enjoy the freedom…I would have but I was in and out of hospitals for six months," he joked and Nov couldn't help but chuckle.
"So how are you doing?"
Maridus wasn't going to lie, he had his reservations. Things hadn't been easy for him, the pain, the surgeries, the pins and implants…it was all rough. "We'll see," he answered quietly. He didn't blame Victus no matter how much his parents and wife thought he should. His mother and father though that Victus should be removed from his post for what he did but Maridus said no. "I don't think I'm gonna be fighting any time in the future." Nov couldn't blame him and his problems suddenly felt a little smaller, Maridus had to walk back onto that ship and face Victus, he didn't know who was going to have it harder…Maridus or Victus. "So where are you going to go?"
Nov shrugged. "I don't know…I'll think of something," he replied quietly and extended his hand to Maridus. "Take it easy…see you all when you get back."
Maridus nodded and shook his friend's hand, he felt bad for Nov, he really did love Sidda but never gathered enough courage to say anything.
The CIC was buzzing as the ship got ready to shove off and continue its duties. Victus hadn't heard from Maridus since after his hearing. He wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to serve under him anymore so he gave him the option. If he didn't show up then he would have his answer and Cerrus would remain in the role of his second in command, he may have been anti-human and a hothead but he was a damn good officer. Victus had spent nearly a decade training Maridus to one day take his place and didn't relish the idea of doing that all over again.
"Sir, final preparations are underway," Ruvio reported.
He looked at her and nodded. She would be his first choice as a second in command so, if he had to, training her would be easier than training Cerrus but despite Cerrus' reservations he did fill the role nicely. "Very well, Lieutenant."
The lift came to a halt and opened revealing Maridus in uniform. "General," he said and stepped off the lift making him turn to look. "Permission to come aboard, Sir," he asked with a salute.
Victus didn't return his salute instead he took a few steps toward him and extended his hand to him. Maridus dropped his hand and shook his. "Granted," he replied as he felt a wave of relief hit him all at once. Immediately he felt better than he had in months. "Take your station, Major."
Maridus gave him a small nod. "Yes, Sir." It never entered Maridus' mind to serve anywhere else, he loved this ship and in spite of it all he had complete respect for Victus. This was his ship and he was happy to serve on it.
PS: Thank you for reading, I do hope everyone enjoyed part 2 of 4. Part 3 is on the way.