Garrus Vakarian double checked the scope alignment of his favorite sniper rifle, his gaze washing over it one last time before he tenderly set it upon a Salarian storage crate. His sacrificial offering, as Tali saw it, could not have been worth more than a few thousand credits. During her time aboard the Normandy, she had seen great sums of money and expensive equipment passed amongst the crew like scraps of cheap metal. Money was not on the turian's mind, the quarian decided. She understood what it was like give up something of great personal value, even if that something could not reciprocate or return the affection lavished upon it.
The splayed protrusions on Garrus's head lifted toward the sky. The stillness of the scene sobered Tali, although she knew better than to offer Garrus an explicit gesture of sympathy. A salarian officer snatched the sniper rifle from its altar, and stuffed it carelessly into a cramped weapons locker. They would never know what Garrus had given them, but at least he still had his assault rifle. It would serve him better inside the base, assuming he would accompany Shepard during the infiltration.
The quarian rose to her feet, fine granules of sand falling from the crevices of her environmental suit. She watched Kaidan and Ashley bicker as they strained to lift one of the larger supply crates; a pair of Salarians did the same, only without making a fuss.
Wrex stood alone where the white beach met with azure waters. Grey storm clouds thickened over the horizon. Tropical worlds like Virmire saw heavy precipitation on a regular basis, especially at the equator. This krogan had always been in a foul disposition, but he seemed especially cantankerous today. Perhaps he was uncomfortable with the humidity.
The asari scientist was nowhere to be seen. Tali guessed she was inside one of the makeshift tents, reviewing some data file or other. She didn't know the doctor very well, but she was reluctant to judge her so early on. If nothing else, her natural gift for biotics would make her very useful in the coming fight.
At last, her eyes drifted to Commander Shepard. She was hunched over a supply crate, and appeared to be using her superb bargaining skills on one of the lower-ranking salarian officers. Tali did not blame the salarians for the severity of this predicament; she blamed Saren, if anyone. They would be vastly outnumbered by the geth, and even with their careful planning, she knew many lives would be lost before the day was done.
"Tali", came Garrus's unexpected call. "Are you all set?"
She suspected he wasn't just talking about her personal equipment supply, which carried more than enough tech mines to get her through a full day of fighting.
"Yes", she replied, not bothering the hide the concern in her voice.
"It's going to be pretty rough out there, but stick to the commander's orders and you'll be fine".
"I will. Thanks", she learned to accept the turian advice for what it was, without bothering to look for hidden meanings. Turians did not make a habit of concealing their agenda with carefully chosen language, although something about Garrus's fatherly remark made the bruise on her shoulder ache slightly.
The young quarian resisted the nagging compulsion to check her equipment for a fifth time, reminding herself that the base would likely have more than enough to replenish supplies in the event that someone ran short on something. Garrus had been kind to describe the coming battle as pretty rough. The last thing they needed to worry about was their stock of supplies.
Still, she would have liked to return to the migrant fleet one day. Days like this were sure to make for great storytelling. The mission hadn't even begun, and she already was eager to know how it all ended.
Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams patted the sides of the crate, dislodging the courser grains of beach sand. It was unlikely that enough stray particles would work their way into the crate to affect the functionality of the equipment, but Ashley liked to be thorough. She wouldn't have been made gunnery chief if she hadn't known a thing or two about weapon maintenance.
"Chief, could you give me a hand with this one?"
Lieutenant Alenko was dragging a second crate through the sand, although this container was more elongated and the sunlight played upon its cold, metallic exterior. To Williams, it looked like a coffin. Too small to fit someone in there, though. Too narrow for a volus, even.
Dusting her gloved hands against one another, she gripped the sand-encrusted side opposite Alenko, and lifted with her powerful legs. It was lighter than the previous crate, but still unnecessary in her eyes.
"We've got plenty of stuff to worry about already, Lieutenant", she noted as they fought to keep the cumbersome casket from tumbling back into the sand.
"So do the salarians", he responded calmly, only the tiniest hint of strain in his voice. Alenko looked pretty strong in the arms, but Williams was fairly certain the lieutenant wasn't the type to go looking for fights. He seemed like the sort of guy who would try to step in before things got out of control, and her suspicions had been confirmed when she learned of his diplomatic handling of the hostage situation onboard the MSV Ontario. She wasn't sure if she could have remained that calm under pressure, when guns were being pointed and people were screaming for their lives.
Williams heard many kinds of screams throughout her career. She hated those screams the most. The worst ones really did feel like they were curdling her blood.
"This should be fine. Real easy, now", the lieutenant could have easily been moving furniture, he sounded so casual. Maybe the Lieutenant sounded calm because he wasn't thinking about the battle to come.
The chief and the lieutenant both patted the sand from their gloves for the umpteenth time that day.
"We're good to go, right?" he asked while running an idle hand through the thick of his hair. Ashley found the slicked-back hair to be a reliable amusement, since Alenko possessed absolutely none of the showiness of a teenage heartthrob, at least the ones her little sister seemed to find appealing.
"What? What's funny?"
"Besides your hair? Nothing", she didn't bother to hide the smirk. She would need something to grin about before the day was over.
Kaidan patted his hair down once before lifting his helmet, and Ashley did the same.
"All set?" Commander Shepard straightened their posture with words alone. Their affirmative response was firm and fast, like a pair of well-disciplined children being offered a trip to the candy store. Shepard had no children of her own, but she considered these two soldiers to be among the most dedicated professionals to have ever operated under her command. To express the sentiment now would be in poor taste, however; such words would be more appropriate for "debriefing", as the lieutenant had called it.
"We could use one more for the infiltration team. Thoughts?" she posed the question to them out of respect for her officers more than anything else. Shepard would have been satisfied with any one of the four potential allies, and insight would be valuable.
"Surprised there weren't any volunteers, Commander", Ashley was always quickest to comment. Chief Williams had exceptional reflexes, much like Shepard in her youth.
"There was one, actually. But you'll never guess who".
"Not the krogan, I hope. You might be able to keep him calm for now, but I've seen how he gets once the shooting starts. Like a varren in heat", Williams broke eye contact after making her analogy. Shepard knew the anguished cries of ExoGeni's colonists were still too fresh in her mind.
"I think she meant the asari. Right, Commander?" Alenko knew the Commander's perspective, even if he didn't always agree with it. There was a reciprocal trust between them, despite the discrepancies in their respective ranks. If they shared anything beyond a professional relationship, Williams certainly saw no sign of it.
"Right. Doctor T'Soni can hold her own in a fight, but she doesn't have much experience with this kind of work", Shepard spoke plainly to the attentive pair.
"Yeah", the chief nodded. "She'd probably be more comfortable with a whip and a fedora". Williams flicked her wrist theatrically, imitating the heroics of a fictional hero from her childhood.
"I'm not sure about that one, Chief", Alenko quirked a brow. "We had to leave the Mako a few times on the way here. Dismounting the horses, you know".
"So?"
"She mentioned her dislike of the sand", Alenko spoke with tactful narrative. "Didn't like how it gets everywhere".
"I didn't hear that one", Shepard smirked. "Must have been preoccupied at the time. Shooting murderous synthetics can be distracting".
"What about the quarian? She's got the skills, and she knows how to maneuver undetected. That'd be handy", Ashley suggested, recalling fondly their mission on Eletania. Things seemed relatively simple back then. It had only been a few days ago, but it felt like years to her. She wasn't sure why.
"I'd take Garrus, ma'am. If it were my choice", the lieutenant added.
Of course, they knew what the hell they were doing during that little assignment. They had a clear objective, and despite the intervention of the geth, things worked out alright. The mission on Eletania had been a success. The Chief knew things were much more complicated the second they set foot on Virmire. They seemed only to get bad news with every minute they spent here, but she was hoping that would change once Shepard got things moving. Shepard cared about her people. She wasn't some hotheaded turian cop.
"You'll need someone you can trust, Commander", Ashley spoke without thinking. She felt exposed, like her suit's kinetic barriers had died. She glanced at her HUD reflexively.
"He means well. I'm not sure I trust his judgment, though", Alenko added, his eyes distant and thoughtful. Thunder crackled beyond the shore.
"Tough call. I think I'm going with Tali, though. Lieutenant."
"Commander?"
"Tell Garrus to see me after the salarian captain speaks to his men".
"Will do, Commander".
Kaidan and Ashley exchanged glances and followed Shepard to the salarian tent, where sunlight bounced off the green-skinned alien and gave him an eerie, radioactive glow.
Chief Williams inhaled sharply, grateful for the fresh polonium rounds she had taken the time to securely install within her firearm. She wondered if Saren would glow when her rounds penetrated his ugly turian skull.