Legal Disclaimer: As always, Mass Effect, as well as all characters, locations, and dialogue borrowed from the game, are property of BioWare.
2/24/10 – Chapter Revision: Just a few alterations and added a little more detail.
A little over two years ago:
The doors to the clinic open smoothly. The first thing that catches Commander Shepard's attention is the turian that's crouched, creeping around the side of the low wall. The second is the scene unfolding in front of her; of a woman in a white coat surrounded by a group of thugs.
"I didn't tell anyone, I swear!" She cries, her voice full of panic, as she tries to back away from the man that's holding her wrist.
"That was smart, Doc." The thug snarls, "Now, if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll—"His eyes widen as he noticed the three humans entering the room, firearms at the ready. He grabs the doctor by the hair and whirls her around, holding his pistol to her temple, "Who are you?!"
Before Shepard has a chance to react, a shot thunders in the small room. The man's head jerks to the side as he drops to the ground, dead before he hits the floor, dragging the hostage down with him. The woman lets out a scream and scrambles backwards, away from the body.
The ensuing firefight ends quickly, the highly-trained marines making short work of the ragtag gang. Once they've swept the room, making sure that there are no hidden surprises, Shepard moves to make sure that the doctor is uninjured. As she approaches, Garrus says, "Perfect timing, Shepard. Gave me a clear shot at that bastard."
Concern turns to hot anger as she snaps at the C-Sec officer, "What were you thinking? You could have hit the hostage!" She pins the turian under her gaze.
"There wasn't time to think! I just reacted." Garrus stutters, his eyes suddenly going wide at the thought of what could have happened, "I didn't mean to—Dr. Michel? Are you hurt?" He moves to place a hand at her elbow, making sure she's steady on her feet.
After assuring them both that she was alright, and thanking them for their timely intervention; the doctor is able to tell them about the quarian who'd wanted to deal with the Shadow Broker. She had sent the quarian to Fist, unaware that he had sold out to Saren, and he had sent the thugs to keep the doctor from talking to Garrus.
"She must be able to link Saren to the Geth." he says his voice shaking with barely suppressed excitement. "There's no way the Council can ignore this!"
Shepard turns to her marines, "Time we paid Fist a visit."
"This is your show, Shepard. But I want to bring Saren down as much as you do." Garrus earnestly interjects, "I'm coming with you!"
"You're a turian." Shepard states, before asking the question that needs to be answered, "Why do you want to bring him down?"
"I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation. But I knew what was really going on. Saren's a traitor to the Council, and a disgrace to my people!" The last said so passionately that his rumbling voice cracks on the last word.
Elissa Shepard studies the turian standing in front of her, visibly weighing his words. Finally she simply extends her hand and says, "Welcome aboard, Garrus"
On the Normandy
Commander Shepard emerges from the shuttle, followed by Mordin and Jacob. She waves for the troupe of waiting crew members to offload the tank containing a full grown, baby krogan. She's not sure what she's going to do with him yet, but leaving him behind on Korlus where the Blue Suns could get their hands on him was simply not an option.
She enters the comm. room to find Jacob has already arrived, and Miranda already talking about the mission's results, "Bringing the krogan for study makes sense," she says, as she paces along one side of the podium, "but I have concerns about waking it." Shepard isn't surprised that the woman had started airing her opinions without waiting for her to arrive.
With the air of a man who's heard the same words before, Jacob replies, "Yeah, you've said that a few times now--"
"A normal krogan is dangerous." Miranda interrupts, coming to a halt and placing her hands on her hips, "This one was created, and likely educated by a madman."
Shepard pauses just inside the doorway and crosses her arms over her chest, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth, "I see everyone's enjoying the new paperweight." She glances from one to the other before continuing, "Concerns?"
Miranda immediately focuses her attention on the new target, "We don't know anything about it commander. It's most likely highly dangerous"
"I know. You don't find that interesting?" Elissa can't help guiltily enjoying herself as she needles the Cerberus informant.
"Krogan fight well at close quarters." Miranda points out, "Perhaps awakening it in a confined space wouldn't be prudent"
Shepard nods, conceding the point. "Noted. The cargo hold is safe enough while I decide what to do with him." She pointedly avoids referring to the krogan as an 'it', annoyed that any sentient being would be so easily reduced to a two letter word.
Miranda, knowing a dismissal when she hears one, yet obviously unhappy with the results of the meeting, leaves the room. Jacob follows, after first snapping a smart salute to the commander.
* * *
On the Normandy, Engineering Deck:
As she rides the elevator down to the engineering deck, it halts as it passes the crew quarters. When the doors open, she can't help but smile up at the turian who looks back with surprise evident on his face. "Commander, I was just on my way up to speak to you," he says.
"I'm heading down to engineering, time to wake up our newest crew member," she responds, carefully keeping the nervous twinge in her gut hidden.
Garrus' eyes narrow for a moment, before he asks, "Are you sure you want to do that Shepard? You don't know how he'll react."
"We need him Garrus, he's either going to be a power addition to our crew, or a time bomb." She shifts her weight, unconsciously readying herself for a fight, "Either way, I'd rather deal with it now rather than later."
"Then I'll go with you," he responds, concern coloring his tone, "You'll need backup if he gets violent—"
"No," she cuts him off. "I'll go in alone, I don't want him feeling cornered when he comes around, that's likely to just make things worse."
"But-"
"I said no." She orders, "If you want to wait in the hall, that's fine, but you are not to enter that room."
"Yes, Commander…"
He watches as she enters the room and the door slides shut behind her, clearly unhappy about something, and not just about being ordered to remain outside the room. He waits anxiously, listening, straining to hear whatever is going on behind that door.
Suddenly there's a loud roar, almost immediately followed by a horrendous crash that shudders throughout the deck. He tries to enter, but the door won't budge. He realizes that she's overridden the door's locking code, and there's no time for him to hack through it. He scrambles to the nearby window, craning his neck, trying to see through to the cargo hold. What he sees makes his blood turn to ice in his veins. The large krogan has Elissa pinned to the wall, his arm at her throat, and his bared teeth inches from her face.
Garrus watches in mute horror. They aren't moving; he can see that she's trying to talk to him, one hand pushing at his arm, her face authoritative and commanding, despite the position that she's in. That he seems to be listening… Time slows down to a crawl for Garrus as he watches the events in the next room unfold. Finally, finally, the krogan seems to relax, he seems to be talking. Then he looks down for a moment before stepping back with a snort and releasing her; revealing to Garrus, the pistol she'd had to his gut. His face shows grudging respect for the human, and he nods in response to whatever she's said.
Moments later, Commander Shepard exits the cargo hold and calmly gestures for Garrus to join her in the elevator. He joins her, wondering why he can still be surprised at her ability to make anything see things her way.
* * *
On the Normandy, Crew Deck:
Helping herself to a cup of coffee, she sits down at the empty mess table, waving for him to sit, and asks, "Okay Garrus, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Garrus takes the proffered seat, taking a deep breath, "Commander, I want to know why you're avoiding taking me with you." He asks, "I should have been there on Korlus. How can I watch your back if you keep leaving me back here on the ship?"
Having had a feeling that this was what he wanted to talk about, Elissa fiddled with the handle of her cup, not meeting his eyes, "Garrus, you almost died, it's only been a few days, I don't—" She hesitates for a moment, "I don't want to risk losing you again."
The frustration, and the angry retort, dies on his tongue, "I'm a soldier Shepard, and I'm part of your team." He stands up, bracing his hands on the table, bending over to look her directly in the eyes as he continues, "I said I'm ready for duty whenever you need me, keeping me trapped on this ship won't help you." He turns and walks away, heading back to the forward battery.
Elissa sits alone at the table for a several more minutes, sipping her coffee and thinking about what he said. Coming to the conclusion that he was right, she had been trying to keep him confined to the ship to protect him, she finally mutters to herself. "Damn it, I hate it when he's right," before standing and following in his wake.
The sound signaling a request for entrance sounds in the forward battery. Garrus, still upset, considers ignoring it for a moment; but dismissing the notion, signals admittance. 'It's not like she can't override my code even if I really wanted to keep her out,' he muses.
The doors slide open; he turns toward her, "Shepard. Need me for something?" he's inexplicably unable to resist adding the slight dig.
"Garrus, I'm sorry," Elissa begins, not quite meeting his eyes, "You were right, and it won't happen again, I promise."
The turian nods acceptance of her apology, "Don't worry about it Shepard, I probably would have done the same thing," he admits.
Her eyes finally meet his hawk-like gaze, "Have you got a minute?" she asks hopefully.
"Sure." He replies willingly with a quick shrug and a gesture inviting her in, a warm feeling coming over him at her request. "Just checking the weapons systems. You can never be too careful." He pauses as she strides gracefully over to lean on the railing near his station, "I thought I'd seen every weapon in the galaxy in our fight against Saren. Mercenary work showed me otherwise. And now Cerberus rebuilds the Normandy with a few upgrades to boot. I wish we'd joined up with them sooner--"
At that, Elissa cuts him off quickly, "We haven't joined Cerberus," she insists, "They're funding our mission, that's all."
"Relax, Shepard. Just a figure of speech." He responds just as quickly. After a pause, he continues, his tone much less upbeat, "I can't exactly question your judgment. Not after I got my own squad killed."
She watches him, sympathy writ on her face, "How did you end up fighting mercenaries on Omega?" she asks quietly.
Garrus' eyes grow distant, "I went back to C-Sec after the Normandy was destroyed… after… well, you know," after you died, he thinks, "but with all the rebuilding at the Citadel, there was too much chaos for me to really help." And everything there reminded me that you were gone… "Omega was filled with criminals nobody else could touch, and there was no red tape to slow me down. It was a perfect fit." He shakes his head, bringing himself back to the present, eyes fixed on her face as he continues, "People here needed someone to believe in. Someone to stand up to the local thugs."
She watches him thoughtfully, "That explains how you started. How'd you end up with a squad?"
"Not to different from how you formed your squad to fight Saren, actually." He braces on hand on his hip as he continues, "You prove that you get things done, and people join up. Mercs who wanted to atone. Security consultants, tired of playing by the rules, I gave them hope" this last being said forcefully as he turns away from her. "And now they're dead. Shows what I know."
She watches him as he turns back to face her, his expression broken, "How did those mercenary gangs take down your team?" she asks softly.
"It was my own damn fault." He growls and paces across the room, his back toward her, "One of my people betrayed me. A turian named Sidonis. He drew me away just before the mercs attacks my squad, then he disappeared."
"Everyone except me is dead… because of him. And because I didn't see it coming." He holds himself rigidly, fists shaking with barely suppressed rage as he turns back to face her.
She approaches him cautiously, "I'm not sure I understand. What happened exactly?" She wants to reach out to him, but she's not sure that he'll accept an offer of comfort.
"Sidonis asked for my help on a job. When I got to the meeting point, nobody was there." Garrus sighs raggedly, his eyes never leaving hers, "By the time I got back to our hideout, the mercs had killed all but two of my squad… and they didn't last long."
She has to ask, "Are you sure it was a betrayal? Maybe they took Sidonis out first."
His head jerks once in denial of the idea, "No. I've put out feelers with some old contacts. He booked transport off Omega just before the attack. He also cleared out his private accounts before he left." The ever-present rumble in his voice deepens to a fierce growl as he continues. "He sold me out and ran."
Elissa steps a little closer, concerned for her friend, "Do you know where Sidonis is now?"
His eyes are piercing as he responds, "No. His trail vanishes after he leaves Omega… But I'll keep hunting. I lost my whole team, except Sidonis." His voice lowers almost to a whisper, his chin coming up, "One day I'll find him… and correct that."
He seems to shake himself before finally looking away and looking flustered. "Thanks for coming by, Shepard. I've… got some things to take care of."
He walks back by her and starts working at the console, obviously done talking for the moment. Elissa watches him for a moment before leaving him alone.
* * *
On the Normandy, Captain's Quarters
She sits at the desk, staring into space, considering the day's events and confused about her unconscious need to keep Garrus safe at all costs. Her eyes drift over to the picture of a man. The one she'd saved on Virmire, leaving Ashley to die, surrounded by Geth. She'd had the same feeling for him, felt the panic at the thought of losing him. She wonders if she'll ever understand.
She can't come to terms with her newly discovered feelings just yet. There was still a mission to accomplish, and more experts to track down. She will just have to wait and see what happens.
* * *
On the Normandy, Forward Batteries
He's angry. At Sidonis for his betrayal; at himself for his. She'd never respect him again. She always insisted that you can control how you'll react, that killing isn't the only answer; but for him… for this…. There was no control, and killing is the only way to solve it. She'd never understand. And even knowing that when she sees what he's become, when she knows what he is now, will rip his heart from his chest again; he knows it's still the only way.
He leans forward, regretting that eventuality while knowing in his heart that it's inevitable. Until then, he'll have to wait and see what happens.
Even if she hates me for it, at least she's alive…