Legal Disclaimer: As always, Mass Effect, as well as all characters, locations, and dialogue borrowed from the game, are property of BioWare.

A little over two years ago:

"Why did you want to be a C-Sec officer in the first place?" the question is unexpected, but accompanied by an expression of earnest interest. Garrus is a bit bemused by the interest that this human shows in getting to know her crew. Once off the battlefield, she's nothing like the hard, imposing commander that the media had made her out to be.

"Well… there are several reasons, I suppose," he hedges, wondering if there's a particular reason for the question. "Probably the same as most officers, I suppose. I wanted to fight injustice, wanted to help people." He takes a few moments to ponder before he continues, "I guess my father had something to do with it too. He was one of the best officers C-Sec has ever had. I grew up hearing about his accomplishments, or seeing his picture on the vids after a big arrest. He's, err, taking my resignation pretty hard."

Shepard's face takes on a look of sympathy, "He's not impressed that you're going after Saren?" She asks.

Garrus shakes his head ruefully, "My father's a C-Sec man to the bone. 'Do things right, or don't do them at all,' he says. He thinks I'm being to rash, to impatient. He's worried I'll become just like Saren." He shrugs, "He actually talked me out of becoming a Spectre when I was younger. For the same reasons."

"You were asked to be a Spectre?" Shepard asks, she seems impressed despite the fact that she holds the title herself.

"Well, I was targeted as a possible Spectre candidate," he explains hastily, "Me and about a thousand other turian military recruits. I could have received special training, but my father didn't like it. He despises the Spectres. He hates the very idea of someone having unlimited power with no accountability." He shakes his head again, glancing up at the commander wryly. "He wouldn't like you, Commander. No offense."

She shrugs good naturedly, "I suppose I can understand his concern."

"You can?" Garrus is impressed by her easy acceptance of a total stranger's disapproval. She's definitely not like what he'd pictured.

Tuchanka:

As the kodiak glides through the atmosphere of the planet toward the landing zone, its passengers gaze out at the destruction. The young krogan, Grunt, snorts in disgust, "This chunk of rock is barely worth standing on." Shepard shrugs her shoulders as she leans her head back against the wall and closes her eyes, wondering what their reception will be.

Once the vehicle lands, the three disembark only to be confronted immediately by a trio of krogan. Despite the obviously hostile expressions, they are simply ordered to speak to the clan leader immediately. As they are preparing to move off, Shepard is also warned to keep her 'rutting pet' leashed, but despite her request for information, the leader will not be persuaded to say more. Dismissing the krogan guard as a hopeless case, she gestures to Grunt and Garrus to follow her into the tunnel that will take them to the clan seat.

After exiting the tunnel into bright sunlight, they pause to get their bearings. After glancing around, Shepard points toward a large pile of rock and debris, upon which several krogan are gathered, some of them obviously acting as guards. As they approach, they are halted by one of the guards, and are informed that they must wait until the clan leader summons them. Their wait is not long; while the commander is occupied by the guard, a loud, familiar voice rolls over them. "Shepard!"

She raises an eyebrow at the guard that is blocking her, "Good enough?" She asks, as she edges by him. She moves toward the large form that is advancing on her, a wide grin splitting her face. As she clasps hands with Wrex, she's relieved by his happy, sincere greeting. "Shepard! My friend!"

Grinning so widely that her face begins to ache, she responds, "It's great to see you Wrex, looks like things have worked out for you. Makes me glad we didn't have to kill each other back on Virmire."

Wrex huffs a laugh, "That was the turning point for the krogan. You freed us from Saren's manipulation by destroying the cure for the genophage he had created. I used that to spur the clans to unite under Urdnot."

The krogan who had been speaking to Wrex when Shepard and her team approached interrupts, "You have abandoned many traditions to get your way," he complains threateningly, "Dangerous."

Wrex moves so quickly that the other krogan has no warning before he's being knocked backward by a vicious head butt. "Speak when spoken to, Uvenk. I'll drag your clan to glory whether it likes it or not." He turns his back on Uvenk and moves back to take his seat, turning his attention back to Shepard.

After answering Wrex's questions about the fate of the old Normandy, and explaining the lack of a redundant nervous system in humans, she brings up the subject of Grunt and his apparent illness. Wrex leans forward, examining the young krogan with an intense gaze. Grunt steps forward, unfazed by the scrutiny. "Where are you from, whelp? Was your clan destroyed before you could learn what is expected of you?"

"I have no clan," comes the explanation, delivered in a confidant tone, "I was tank-bred by Warlord Okeer, my line distilled from Kredak, Moro, Shiagur—

He is interrupted by Uvenk, aggressively dismissed as the offspring of a syringe. Wrex ignores him, only commenting that Okeer is a hated name.

"He is dead," Grunt responds shortly.

Wrex nods, unsurprised, "Of course he is dead. You're with Shepard, how could he be alive?"

At this point, Shepard interjects, "I need to get Grunt back up to speed. What's wrong with him?"

When they are told that Grunt is simply becoming a full adult, Garrus speaks up, "Adolescence?" he glances over to Shepard, mandibles twitching with suppressed amusement at the haste they had traveled to get here, "Can't we just take him to Omega and buy him a few dances?"

As the commander tries to suppress her amusement, Wrex responds, "I don't care what aliens call it. Krogan undergo the Right of Passage."

The other krogan, refuting Wrex's apparent decision to allow Grunt to take part in the Rite, storms off, heading toward a flight of stairs set into the wall nearby.

"You'd let a tank-bred krogan join clan Urdnot?" Shepard asks, remembering his disgusted reaction on Virmire when encountering the cloning tanks.

Wrex looks her directly in the eye, answering honestly, "Only because he's with you. My clan is strong and the others will do as I say. They see the benefit of my vision."

When Grunt accepts the offer to stand with clan Urdnot, Wrex directs them up the same flight of steps to speak to the shaman, informing them that he would set them on the path. As he moves to take his seat once more, he turns and looks back at the commander. "You too, Shepard. How many times have you stepped in a mess for your crew, hmm?"

They climb the steps, past guards and other krogan, to find Uvenk arguing with an ancient krogan. They approach, Grunt interrupting the argument, "I'll speak for myself!"

"I don't care what this idiot says," Shepard adds, while Garrus looks at her in surprise at her aggressive tone, "Grunt has the right to be here."

The shaman seems surprised to hear such assertiveness from someone who was not a krogan. Uvenk dismisses her, speaking to the shaman, "If this must stand on ritual, then I invoke a denial! My krantt stands against him, he has no one!"

Showing annoyance, the shaman states, "My patience is tested, but Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt, who is your krantt? Your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf?"

Grunt's eyes turn to Shepard, letting her answer, "Grunt will strengthen Clan Urdnot. Name our target, and it will die."

The shaman is impressed, "Spoken well! Most aliens – and some krogan –" at this he graces Uvenk with a withering glare, "do not understand our ways. I believe this human does."

"Aliens don't know strength! My followers are true krogan. Everything about –" he is cut off as Shepard moves, faster than Wrex had earlier, and slams her head against his in challenge. As she moves away, she surreptitiously rubs the back or her neck. Garrus eyes her, impressed and amused, he'd never have guessed that he'd ever see the poised and controlled commander he knows acting like a krogan. Uvenk, shocked by her actions withdraws his denial and departs, rudely slamming into Shepard as he passes. Once he's gone, the shaman eyes the trio, waiting.

"We're ready, let's do this." Shepard says calmly. The shaman is pleased, and leads them to the awaiting tomkah. As they drive through the ruins the Shaman explains that Grunt must contemplate the keystone and be tested. His only words of advice being "You must adapt, you must thrive, no matter the situation. Any true krogan will"

As they emerge into an arena-like area at their destination, they are informed that the shaman will wait in the tunnel below for them to complete the Rite. With a quick glance at Grunt and Garrus, Shepard hits the button to activate the keystone.

'First the krogan conquered Tuchanka… and mastered a natural world only we are fit to hold'

The words blare from an unseen intercom as the metallic pillar rises upwards. As the final word echoes into the arena, the pillar slams back to the ground, sending tremors rippling under their feet. Shepard and her team eye the area, waiting for the test to begin.

They don't have to wait long. Suddenly hoards of varren begin pouring out of two gates set up on platforms on the edge of the area. Grunt lets out an enthusiastic yell as they begin firing. Garrus takes up position at a point between the two sets of stairs, picking off stragglers as Shepard and Grunt charge forward to take them on at closer range. It seems only minutes before the flow of fresh opponents ceases, and Grunt yells to Shepard to tag the keystone again.

'Then the krogan were lifted to the stars to destroy the fears of a galaxy, an enemy only we could chase to their lair.'

Again the words flow toward them as the pillar rises, and again comes crashing to the ground, this time accompanied by a reverberating ringing sound that echoes outward into the distance. Sensing something different, they close ranks and wait.

Suddenly, the large form of a harvester hits the ground near them, taking off again almost immediately leaving behind two of the beetle-like klixin. As the blood red bugs scurry toward them, the commander signals a switch to incendiary ammo. They make short work of the first pair, only to have the harvester deposit more at their flank. The battle becomes a race to dispatch each pair before they can be overwhelmed when the next is brought. There is one close call when one of them manages to get close enough to envelope Shepard in fire when it explodes, however her shields hold. It only occurs to them that the wave is over when they look around and find no new adversaries. Shepard shoots a look toward Grunt and Garrus; they both nod, indicating that they are ready for the next test. She slaps her hand over the button to activate the keystone.

'Now all krogan bear the genophage, our reward, our curse. It is a fight where the only goal is survival!'

As disembodied voice delivers its final message, the pillar hits the ground once more. The echoing sound flowing past them and the ground below them rumbling with the force of its impact. After several seconds, the commander realizes that the tremors are not caused only by the keystone this time. "Take cover!" she bellows, just as seeking tentacles rise up surrounding the arena, their blue hue glittering in the unrelenting sunlight. They all bolt to the nearest point of cover, a low wall at the south end of the raised platform, just as the enormous head of the thresher maw erupts from the rubble.

Knowing that the only way to take it down is with heavy weaponry, she pulls her missile launcher from its place on her back. As she does so, she glances at Garrus, a smirk on her lips. "Just like old times, right Garrus?"

He shakes his head at her ability to joke when faced with one of the most deadly life forms in the galaxy. "Yeah Shepard, except those times we had the mako's cannons and armor backing us up." He tries to mask his worry, knowing that she'll never let him take this risk instead.

She rises up from cover, launching two missiles directly at the monstrosity as a feral scream rips from her throat. As the second one hits, the maw retreats back under the ground and the trembling starts again as it tunnels below them. Whenever it rises from the ground, Garrus and Grunt do their best to draw its fire as the commander launches missiles at it, each time chipping away at its armored plating. The thresher maw refuses to be distracted, forcing Shepard to duck and dodge the acid that it spews at her. Just as her final missile finds its target, she misjudges and the acid hits her, her already weakened shields dropping. Garrus rushes to her as the maw thrashes on the ground in its death throes. As he falls to his knees at her side, she shakes her head and sits back up, indicating that she's alright. She takes a second to examine the pitted and smoking mess that used to be her favorite hard suit. "Looks like I'll be wearing my backup from now on though."

Relief is short lived, as a small ship flies over their heads and sets down, and krogan start filing out, all bearing the armor of the Gatatog clan. The last to exit the ship is Uvenk himself. He seems impressed, despite himself, that they have succeeded in killing the thresher maw, so much so that he offers Grunt a place in his clan, in exchange for helping him to overthrow Wrex and clan Urdnot. Then he goes on to list the restrictions he would impose on the young krogan, and Shepard snorts in contempt. "It's your choice, Grunt. Sounds like an easy job," she says, already certain of his answer.

Grunts refusal is followed by a short, but intense battle, ending with Shepard charging directly into Uvenk, and just before firing the fatal shot, she stands over him and says calmly, "Not bad for a human, don't you think?" The final shot rings through the arena.

One final time, they head to the keystone. This time, when pressed, the tunnel entrance opens, and as they stride toward him, the shaman beckons them back toward the tomkah, respect showing on his aged face. The ride back to the settlement is silent.

* * *

Once they arrive back at the settlement, the shaman formally acknowledges that Grunt has passed the Rite of Passage. "You have earned the honor of clan and name."

He is informed at he is eligible to own property, and the right to apply to serve under a battlemaster, to which he responds, "Shepard is my battlemaster. She has no match." The shaman nods in acceptance of his choice, his expression one of respect.

Once they have taken their leave of the old krogan, they head back to speak to Wrex once more. When they arrive, he eyes Shepard for a long moment before saying ruefully, "You just can't help making trouble can you? No one has killed a maw since my turn in the right. Next you'll tell me he's a quint, and craps dark matter." He sighs, looking tired for a moment, "Guess that's what it takes to replace me." After this, he turns his attention to the young krogan standing at her left shoulder, leaning forward and fixing his piercing stare on him. Grunt simply waits, unintimidated. "You are Urdnot Grunt, welcome." Shepard stifles a grin; Wrex always had been a krogan of few words.

"It was good to see you, Wrex. Sure you can't come with us?" Her words convey her understanding of the burden of command, while her grin shows that she knows the answer before he gives it.

"Wish I could Shepard, but someone has to keep these idiots in line." He replies, his tone one of amusement, "Watch yourself Shepard, Tuchanka isn't safe and homey, like Feros and Ilos."

They take their leave and head back to the Kodiak. On the way there, EDI updates them on the news, the most interesting of which was:

"Killing the thresher maw has produced several breeding requests for Grunt" Grunt gives a satisfied snort at that, "and one for Shepard." This bit of news leaves Garrus and Shepard staring at each other in startlement as Grunt howls in laughter,

* * *

On the Normandy: Captain's Quarters

"Come in," she calls when the door alerts her to a visitor. She'd invited Garrus up to discuss the best way of accomplishing the next mission. They both know that despite Miranda's insistence that she is the second-in-command; Garrus is truly the person she trusts when it comes to planning strategy and tactics.

Garrus sits on the couch and watches as Elissa examines the large fish tank closely. "What are you doing?" he asks curiously.

"Counting," she replies absently, not looking toward him.

Baffled, he decides to inquire further, "Counting what?"

"Fish," comes the reply, her manner one of someone intent on a single task.

Despite his curiosity, he decides to wait for her to finish. After a few more moments, she hit a button on the wall by the tank and then joins him on the couch, easily sidling up next to him and resting her head on his shoulder, smiling up at him. His talons caress her hair gently as settles against him. He's amazed at how natural this feels despite the short time since they had confessed their feelings to each other. She rubs her forehead once she's settled, and complains good naturedly about how hard a krogan's head is. "Remind me never to argue with you if that's the way turians always express their displeasure," she says, remembering his 'discussion' with Harkin.

He looks down at her, his expression one of amusement as he asks again, "Why were you counting the fish?"

"Oh," she flicks her fingers at the tank dismissively, "The fish have a habit of dying on me whenever we go on missions, and I think they do it on purpose, so I have to make sure they're all still there when we get back." She smirks, "Last time I refilled the tank I threatened to feed them to Grunt if they died. I think that did the trick."

Garrus' laughter rumbles through his chest, and she grins self-consciously. "I take good care of Zip though," she says gesturing toward the space hamster, who was indeed zipping around his cage. She leans forward and snags the data pad with the information they'd acquired, and just as they start to go over it, a loud ping indicates an urgent message arriving on her computer. Elissa hands Garrus the data pad, patting his shoulder easily as she pushes herself erect and walks around the partition to the terminal. She sits down and opens her message window.

The low gasp catches Garrus' attention, and concerned, he moves to stand next to her. As he does, he notices the subject of the message at the top of the screen, 'About Horizon…', and his heart suddenly feels like a vice has clamped around it, followed by the irrational urge to challenge the absent man. He looks away in an attempt to avoid invading her privacy, while she opens the message and reads it. After a moment, he feels her hand on his where it is resting on her shoulder, she stands and as she does so, he notices that the message is gone. She turns to face him, her eyes holding his.

"Garrus, it was over with him a long time ago, even before Horizon," she states simply, her arms sliding around his shoulders. A sly grin forms on her lips, "Now if it'd been a message from that krogan EDI mentioned earlier…" she teases, laughing at the horrified look he gives her at the very idea.

She'd never been able to tease Kaidan…

A/N: After getting this entirely written, my computer suddenly decided that it was going to go on strike. It shut itself off, and would not load windows. Now, I normally keep anything I don't want to lose on an external hard drive, but I had not saved the most recent chapter on it yet. Long story short, after a reformat and reinstalling my OS and drivers, all my games, Office, and other applications, I finally got around to rewriting this chapter. It's a little shorter than the original was, but I think I got most of the original incarnation incorporated. I hope you enjoy reading, and please review if you feel like it.