so I got this neato firefox add on that lets me highlight text even though doesn't want me to. all I can say is god bless and here come the original author's notes in their entirety. except the ones at the end. I'm too lazy for that.

/gets most views on a chapter ever

/gets no reviews

I hate to say that I was really bummed out to see this. You guys have no idea how motivated I am by your reviews and when I get none I feel like I'm not doing a good job! I cannot emphasize how much your reviews mean to me!

In other news, I made an account on AO3 (Archive of Our Own) and I will be publishing Security there as well.

xoxo

THR

Chapter 5

Your name was still Garrus Vakarian and you had managed to get yourself into the office of Admiral Steven Hackett. You had one sole reason for visiting the man that had led the Alliance to victory in a countless number of wars. Although it appeared to be futile, you needed to know the whereabouts of the Commander. Knowing she was possibly alive was one of the few things that kept you going. Everything you had done after the war had been for her, but you would never let anyone know it. If you could just see her one more time, you would be able to go on with your life and breathe a sigh of relief. If you found her and she wanted more, you would give her all that you had. Even if that meant your life, you would go for it. It was sickening that you would do so much for a person, but there you were, begging just for a single look.

In front of you sat a worn out man who was surrounded by an office of glass that showed a fantastic view of the Presidium around you. If you hadn't known him, you would guess that he was a retired military man who was sitting around in his uniform for the sole purpose of sentimentality. The place encasing the two of you was half the size of the AI Core back on the Normandy, which had been considerably tiny to begin with. He sat behind an antique wooden desk, which you presumed was imported from Earth. The rest of the room lacked furnishing other than a chair in front of the desk and a tiny houseplant. It wasn't considered suitable for the man that inhabited the workspace, but the Alliance was just scraping by nowadays. They couldn't afford the best for the best until the Citadel or Earth was fully rebuilt.

Admiral Hackett looked up at you, the scar on his face more prevalent than usual. He had aged considerably since your last meeting, which had been brief.

"Vakarian, correct? You're the one that kept Commander Shepard in line back during the good ol' days. What's a former C-Sec officer doing in the Presidium?" The way he spoke was humbling and it was as if nothing was wrong in the universe.

"It was more or less the other way around, Admiral." you answered. "I'm here to ask about her, if you don't mind."

You slapped a pile of files on his desk in the nicest manner possible, but your fervent demeanor didn't allow you to appear so kind.

As he looked at the documents, his eyes widened and he quickly began to rub his wrinkled forehead.

"Where did you get these?"

You put your arms behind your back and hesitated in sitting in the chair that was in front of the desk. When he held his hand out, you sat down.

Having some friends at C-Sec had certainly aided you in this endeavor of yours. The few of them that were still alive had been eager to help you in your search to find the seemingly lost Commander; you felt like the entire galaxy would be willing to help you find out her whereabouts if you had asked.

You had visited the Zakera Ward C-Sec office approximately a half hour ago. The last time you had been there had in fact been with Shepard. It hadn't been that long ago, but it still felt like it could have been an eternity. Maybe it was just the lack of so many familiar faces in the office; having an occupation for so long gave you the privilege of having a large number of companions to rely on. However, not many of these old comrades had survived the invasion of the Citadel. When you arrived, the turians that you remembered greeted you with a warm smile. Others had jealous sneers; when you work with someone as famous as the Commander herself three times, envy was something to be expected along with respect. Soldiers were still idolizing her, and the admiration wasn't limited to just humans. Turians were amazed at her persistence. The determination of your own species wasn't often seen in the likes of a human, and despite the animosity your people had with the inhabitants of Earth, Shepard had been different in their eyes.

The men at C-Sec knew more than you had been expecting. Access to medical files, classified reports and important encrypted data was not easily granted to you at first. You had to pull some mandibles (figuratively, of course) to get what you needed. It took time, yet it had been all worth it in the end.

Among the miscellaneous files mentioned, only one seemed to be of significant importance. As you had left the C-Sec station and started to wander around Zakera with a stack of datapads in your hand, one in particular had stuck out to you.

"COUNCIL MEETING #6871-B 2186: STATUS OF COMMANDER E. SHEPARD"

The title was a bit blatant, and you got to reading it as soon as you found a place that served good turian food. This small bit of relaxation didn't subdue your keenness for finding your possibly dead human girlfriend, because after reading the meeting briefing, you were up on your feet.

The notes were clear. There was no longer a doubt in your mind.

The Alliance and the Council had turned their backs on Shepard again.

It didn't take you long to find your way onto the Presidium.

"I have some friends down at C-Sec. There's still some good boys down there; they weren't exactly eager to share what the Shepard files held. I guess that means they're doing their job." you replied.

Hackett nodded, unfazed by your homebrewed security breach.

"These files…" he started. His hands dropped the datapad back onto the wood. The sound of metal clashing with old wood made both of your ears ring, and he looked up at you in the most genuine way possible.

"Vakarian, let me make one thing clear to you: Commander Shepard is very much alive."

You shook your head, not wanting to be brash with the man that had probably saved your ass in one way or another.

"That gossip has already gotten on the news. I need to know where she is."

He took his hat off, revealing grayish white hair. Instead of rubbing his forehead, he moved to his growing bald spot.

"If you got these files and read them all, it's no use trying to keep her from you. You were the woman's most trusted squadmate, were you not? Rumors have been going around since comm buoys were back up, anyway. Her being alive is no surprise to anyone with half of a brain. The Alliance and the Council may be good at covering things up, but things are different when it comes to the Commander. This entire matter is…delicate. But it's already been fractured."

He paused for a moment, allowing his hand to come up to his scratchy chin.

"The things she'd tell me about you make me wonder why C-Sec would let such a good employee get out without a fight."

The praise flattered you, but you disregarded it. You had been fired from C-Sec, after all.

"She's in the worst shape she's been in since before Cerberus put her back together. Don't push her and don't mention this to anyone." he explained as he handed a different datapad to you. On it was an address that would lead you to a location on the Presidium.

This great reveal of information was out of character for him; Hackett was an earnest man, not someone who handed out classified files to some failure of a turian. For a second, you wondered if this was a trap. Such a thought was soon deemed futile in your mind, though; the galaxy had suffered enough travesties for more than a few lifetimes. The look in the man's eyes was genuine and this was not a set up.

This was why you did not protest. Instead, you took the datapad with confidence and stood up.

"And I thought going to someone like Dr. T'soni would be easier…" you muttered, your mandibles flaring out in a mixture of nervousness as well as anticipation. "Hell, this wasn't supposed to be this easy at all. According to the documents, this was all top secret."

Admiral Hackett stood up and walked behind you, putting a steady hand on your armored shoulder.

"She cared about you, Vakarian. We didn't have a lot of time to talk personally…what with all of this damn Reaper nonsense. But when we did, she made you out to be a good man. Don't let me regret this. This is a favor…a big, big favor…and a security breach. But I owe it to her and I'm feeling generous."

You craned your head to look at the man behind you, and as much as you wanted to leave and keep your mouth shut, it was impossible.

"Why me, though?" he asked, knowing that the answer to that question had already been explained. "You're a top ranking Alliance official and you're giving me information that could cost you your job."

"Don't remind me," Hackett continued. "Intergalactic politics are in shambles, and after the hell I've been through, there are some things that can slip through the cracks. And, quite frankly, Shepard needs some hope too."

Your name was still Garrus Vakarian, and it was time to do what you had been longing to do since you and Shepard had said goodbye.

It was time to say hello again.