She jerked awake, blinking at the luminous numbers on her clock. 4:30. She shifted beneath her covers, her mind still half-fogged from sleep. Dammit. She closed her eyes again, intending to try once more to find rest, but a sudden crash from outside made her jerk upright. Intruders. She yanked her knife from underneath her pillow, then crept to the desk and retrieved the pistol she kept there. She carefully opened the door, which slid aside in silence.

The apartment was nearly pitch-black, except for some light coming from the kitchen. She stepped further into the apartment, her nerves jangling jarringly against the quiet of the room. She made out hushed conversation, and she stopped to listen.

"…here to help. We can take you to-"

Gravity reversed itself. One moment she stood upright, the next she was sprawled on the carpet, her head ringing. A weight pressed hard into her stomach, and she was dazzled by an incredibly bright flashlight. She threw her hands up in front of her face, trying to block enough light so she could see the hulking figure standing on her.

"Who-"

The boot pressed harder. Pain shot up into her chest, stopping her words.

"Shut up." The figure snarled. A scrabbling noise came from the kitchen, and a blue flash briefly illuminated the scene.

Two turians lay sprawled on top of one another on the tile floor, blue blood running down the stranger's striped face and dripping onto Garrus' cheek. They seemed disoriented. A third pale turian stood over her, weapon pointed at her head. Garrus made a clumsy lunge for her, but the striped turian grabbed his cowl and yanked him down again, using the momentum to get to his feet.

"Leave her-" The stranger began.

"She has perpetuated the lies the batarian slime is spewing about us. She deserves no better than they do."

"That's not fair. She didn't know-" She heard more scuffling and assumed the other turian was trying to hold Garrus back.

"No! No more excuses, Kryik!"

Shock numbed her insides as she took in this conversation. My god….Turians….were intelligent. And the majority of the galaxy was keeping them as pets. Her stomach shifted threateningly. Monstrous didn't even begin to describe what the batarians had started. And what she had done…letting the "vets" remove his vocal cords…Nausea swept over her; she was barely aware of the two turians arguing over whether or not she should live. All she could think about was the numerous people she'd seen on the Presidium, walking their "pets" on leashes. Thousands of people were treating turian children and adults as less than slaves. This wasn't just a hate crime or series of hate crimes; this was a goddamn galactic conspiracy. And now the turians were going to kill her because they thought she was contributing to the problem. No…She didn't want this. She would never want this. And, as she saw the turian's finger tighten on the trigger of his gun, she knew she'd never get a chance to explain.

"Ouch! No, Garrus!"

The lights flashed on, making all three of the turians recoil. Shepard grabbed the ankle of the turian standing on her and yanked. He lost his footing and toppled. Garrus tackled the stranger in the kitchen, and Shepard lunged for her pistol. She bit back a scream as a hammer-like blow struck her shoulder and tumbled the floor again. The sound of splintering wood resounded from the kitchen, and silence fell. The armed stranger stared down at her with unrestrained loathing. His narrowed eyes and bared teeth looked like something out of a horror vid. He leveled his weapon at her head once more.

"No! The Hierarchs may want to question her!"

"We came here for the boy, Kryik, not to find recruits!" Her attacker hissed.

"Don't hurt Gar-" She murmured, determined to make sure that if she died, he would at least be okay.

"Shut up, human!" The pale turian snarled, cutting her off with a savage kick. Her breath rushed from her body, leaving her gasping for breath. A pained hiss came from the kitchen, and something broke.

"Watch it!" Kryik shouted.

A silvery blur slammed into her attacker, knocking him off his feet. Garrus skidded to a stop standing over her, arms spread, planting himself between the strangers' guns and her. Garrus' gaze flicked between the two of them as they stood, his teeth bared. The striped turian barked something to the pale one, who growled viciously but backed off.

"It's all right, Garrus." She told him as she got to her feet. Her shoulder wasn't bleeding, which had to mean the two others were using concussive rounds only. He glanced back at her and flicked his mandibles. "I'm fine," she reassured him, mortified that he was naked for the first time.

"Human," she looked over at Kryik, who had come out from behind the counter. Garrus backed up, keeping himself between her and the striped turian.

"Listen to me," the striped turian implored, keeping his distance. "This turian," he gestured to Garrus, "is the son of someone very important. We've come to take him home."

Nausea rose inside her again. Fucks' sakes…. Someone's son. Of course he was. He'd picked out his name, he'd alerted his family to his presence, he'd called these strangers here. And now he refused to leave without her.

"Garrus, you need to go with them. You have family. You-"

She stopped. He was shaking his head hard, like a dog trying to rid its ears of water.

"No? Garrus, please-"

He shook his head harder.

"He can't make this decision." The pale turian growled. "He doesn't know what he's saying."

It was true, Shepard realized. How long had Garrus been missing from his family, and what had the slavers driven into his head since?

"But the truth remains he is attached to her, and she sympathizes with his situation. She could be useful. " Kryik chimed in. He met Shepard's gaze. "Human, if we take you with us, you won't make trouble, will you?"

Shepard shook her head. "No."

The other hissed venomously, then turned on his heel. "It's your problem, Kryik. You deal with it," he snarled over his shoulder, then stormed from the apartment.

"I apologize for him, but he has a lot of reasons to be suspicious of humans." Kryik told her, coming forward. Garrus let her off the wall, still watching the striped turian cautiously. "Gather your things and meet me here, but make it fast. He won't wait long."

Shepard nodded and made a beeline for her bedroom, hastily stuffing her duffel bag with a few clothing items. She looked over her room, trying to decide what else she might want to take. Seriously? I have no pictures of home? Her eyes fell on the terminal, and the thought of calling for help flitted across her mind. These turians were, after all, essentially kidnapping her…

"Human?" Kryik called from the other room.

No. I can't, now that I know…. She tossed in her toothbrush, then re-entered the living room. Kryik stood in the middle of the room, with Garrus standing guard close by the bedroom door. He was watching the striped turian with something akin to unease.

"Take her bag," Kryik instructed him. Shepard held it out to Garrus, who reluctantly grabbed it.

"Come here, human." He beckoned to her, and she approached. Garrus shifted in her peripheral, clearly uncomfortable.

"Kneel down."

A twinge of unease flashed through her. She knew this was a test of her obedience, but if Kryik suddenly made a move on her, she'd have difficulty reacting while on her knees. Still, he had advocated for her… She forced her nerves down and got to her knees. Kryik tilted her chin up with one finger, and she looked into his emerald eyes.

"We can't have you knowing our location. I've got to knock you out if you want to come along."

She swallowed. "Do what you have to." She said, with more conviction than she felt. Kryik nodded and pulled an auto-inject medicine canister from his belt. She heard shifting behind her.

"She'll be fine, Garrus. She's just going to sleep for a little while." The striped turian told him.

He tilted her chin down and to the side, exposing her jugular, then pressed the canister to her neck. She flinched as she felt a brief, sharp pain, and then the site went numb. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and the earth seemed to move, tipping her forward into the striped turian's grasp.

"Easy…" He murmured, catching her gently.

She wanted to push away from him, but she couldn't find the strength to move. Her vision winked out like a dying star.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

She opened her heavy eyelids with effort and blinked several times, trying to clear her foggy vision. Her limbs felt heavy and numb, her mouth dry, her thoughts slow and fuzzy. She lay in someone's arms, her head resting against the person's chest. A slight jolt ran through her as she made out the figure's features and realized the person was her turian.

"Garrus?" She mumbled.

He glanced down at her briefly. She looked around, trying to make sense of the situation. She lay in Garrus' arms as he sat adjacent to the striped turian in the cramped seating area. The back of the ship, over her right shoulder, was crammed with cargo, meaning that the vessel was tiny. Those crates wouldn't be there on a larger vessel.

"Resilient little thing, aren't you? Didn't expect you to wake up so soon."

She looked over at the speaker. The striped turian was grinning at her.

"Kryik, is she awake again?" A voice snapped from nearby. She craned her head around and saw the other turian scowling at Kryik from the pilot's seat.

"She's fine." The striped turian insisted. "She-"

"No, she's not fine." The pale turian growled, cutting across him. "I told you; I don't want to have to deal with her."

"I doubt she knows where we are from the small patch of stars she can see out the window. She's not a navigator. We're nearly there, anyway."

"I don't care how close we are. Any information is dangerous, Kryik. Put her out again."

Asshole, Shepard thought.

"She's already had two doses. Any more, and she might get sick. You don't want to have to clean up after her, do you?"

The pale turian snarled viciously and spat something in another language, but Kryik didn't make a move towards Shepard. She watched him for a long minute, and he reciprocally studied her.

"You know, Garrus refused to let anyone else carry you." He mused. Shepard gave him a confused glance, then looked up at Garrus.

"Why, big guy?" She asked. He opened his mouth as if to respond, then shook his head and flicked his mandibles. She felt her stomach turn over, feeling suddenly very small in his arms. "I'm sorry. I-"

The striped turian shot her a warning look, and she was so taken aback that she fell silent. She gave him a bewildered expression, and he flicked a mandible towards the cockpit, indicating the broad back of the pale turian seated in the pilot's chair as he leaned forward. He spoke to the console in a language Shepard had never heard before, casting a sharp glance back at her when he noticed her watching. She didn't hear the response, but he reverted back to Basic after the short exchange.

"…Yes. The three of us," his jawline visibly tightened, "and one prisoner. I need a security detail to meet us by the docks."

"The Vakarians might also want to be there,"Kryik chimed in. "They haven't seen their son in," he shot Shepard a funny look, "…quite a while."

The pilot bared his teeth but reluctantly relayed the information.

"So, are you his boss?" Shepard asked. The striped turian snorted.

"Hardly. I'm just here to remind him that we turians need families, too."

"That's enough, Kryik." The pilot's voice had gone dangerously flat, like a man trying his utmost to control his rising anger. There was no heat to his words, but Shepard felt a menacing chill spread through the air. The striped turian went very quiet, seemingly shrinking in his seat, and Shepard got the feeling Kryik had maybe pushed him too far. There was an undeniable edge of I will kill you later to the other's voice, and Shepard got the feeling she'd been absurdly lucky to escape the pale turian's bullets.

She took his cue and did not break the silence, doing her best to push aside thoughts of what might come next. She hadn't really thought it over, but now the possibilities loomed as inevitably as the model-sized ships that had appeared among the field of stars. They could very well just kill her as revenge, facts be damned. She sincerely doubted that all turians were as kind or trusting as Garrus or Kryik, and she wasn't looking forward to her reception.

Two arrowhead-shaped fighters streaked past them, headed for the ships in the distance. The pilot followed them, and Shepard marveled as the big ships loomed closer, swallowing the field of distant suns with their sheer size. Though they had a patched-together look to them, they had to be three times the size of the Destiny Ascension. The main cannon's bore on the closest one was so big that she was pretty sure they could fly inside without scraping the shuttle's sides.

The stars vanished as the hull of one of these ships filled the windows. Shepard tensed, not at all eager to set foot aboard. Their ship slowed, then stopped, hovering underneath the monstrous vessel. The tiny ship shuddered, and a loud clang reverberated through interior as it was gripped by the docking clamps. The pale turian got up from his seat and vanished through the airlock, stopping only a moment to give Kryik a look. The striped turian sighed and stood, then motioned for her to do the same. Garrus stood up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders protectively as Kryik approached her with a set of handcuffs.

"Sorry, human, but this is just protocol until we figure out what to do with you." He apologized. She mutely accepted his apology and stretched out her hands. She didn't think the cuffs were necessary, but she knew that he could always just shoot her if she made trouble. The sensation of the cold metal closing around her wrists made her stomach clench, but she didn't move until he had finished.

"I still don't know your name," He mused, examining her face.

"Erin Shepard." She responded cautiously. He gave her a short nod.

"Nihlus Kryik. Nice to meet you. Wish it could be under better circumstances. We'll get this sorted out, though." He sighed. "But you should get going. They're waiting for us."

He led her out into the docking bay, and she looked around. The bay was so large that she couldn't make out the far end, and it was crammed with crates and ships and shuttles of all sizes. By comparison, the three turians that served as a reception party seemed like ants. Nihlus drew her aside so she wouldn't block Garrus' way. One of them, with blue markings, noticed them first. He took a couple steps towards them, then stopped, staring at Garrus incredulously.

"Garrus? Is that you?"

Garrus went very still.

"Son?"

Shepard felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Garrus' father…Oh fuck didn't even begin to cover it. Garrus stood frozen as his father approached and reached out a hand, gently touching his face.

"Do you remember me, Garrus?"

Garrus blinked at him.

"Say something. Please." The man begged. "Don't you recognize me?"

Garrus couldn't answer, but after a moment of deliberation, stepped forward. His father gently took him in his arms, pressing his face into Garrus' shoulder.

"My boy….I'm so, so, so sorry." He murmured, his voice breaking. Shepard looked away, mortified that she was witnessing this. She wished she could escape this scene, but Nihlus held her arm tightly, and he would make her sit there and watch this and take whatever abuse Garrus' father dealt. And she felt certain it was coming. Based on Garrus' father's reaction, it had been a while since he'd seen his son.

"I looked for you for years before I just…gave up. I thought you were dead. I…I shouldn't have stopped looking." Garrus' father looked up at his son. "I haven't seen you in thirty years…Spirits…"

Shepard's stomach did a somersault, and she felt her knees tremble. Thirty years… Garrus had been missing for thirty years? His family was going to crucify her. She edged farther behind Nihlus, trying to hide herself. He gave her a sharp glance, apparently convinced himself she wasn't going to be a problem, and pointedly turned back towards the scene.

Another turian appeared, also wearing Garrus' father's markings, her short fringe and slighter figure giving her away as a female. Garrus' father looked up, noticed her, and beckoned her closer.

"Solanna, I want you to meet your brother."

Solanna stepped closer, analyzing Garrus' face.

"Hi." She said, head cocked to one side.

Garrus flicked his mandibles.

"Solanna, he's mute. He can't respond." Nihlus informed her softly.

Solanna glanced up, alarmed, and her gaze landed on Shepard. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and she pushed past her father, making a beeline for Shepard. Garrus' father caught the back of her cowl, stopping her short. She whirled on him, knocking his hand aside, mandibles flared.

"You would defend this.. this…" Solana gaped at him, speechless with rage.

"I am aware of what this human has done," Garrus' father said coldly. "She'll face trial, and if she's really done anything wrong, she will pay for it. And if the guards find her anywhere other than her cell beforehand, they'll kill her. You'll get your say, Solanna. She's not worth the effort right now." He took the turian woman's arm and turned her away, then beckoned to Garrus to follow. The turian hesitated, looking back at Shepard.

"Go, Garrus. I'll be fine."

Solanna hissed at her as she followed her father and brother out of the hangar bay. Nihlus swung Shepard to face him, looking intently at her.

"Do you understand now why this has to stop? It's not just wrong, it's destroying families. It's destroying our entire culture. "

Shepard glanced back at the leaving turians. "This is unbelievable," she murmured. "I never thought…I never expected…If I knew, I would have put my foot down." She met Nihlus' gaze. "I would never advocate for this. Ever. This is…" She shook her head, speechless. "I'm so sorry for your people, Nihlus. I am."

"You will help us fight if we give you the chance?"

"Yes."

"Come on, then." He pulled her forward, and she obediently followed, flanked by the other two turian guards. She didn't need to ask where they were going; they'd be stupid to keep a possibly dangerous person anywhere other than lockup. She supposed that they'd leave her there to consider what she'd done while she awaited this trial. What a fucked-up mess…At least Garrus will be okay…right?

The question chased itself around her head until she finally voiced it.

"Will Garrus be okay?" Shepard asked.

"Can't say. Even if I did know, though, I wouldn't be allowed to tell you. Confidentiality contract." Nihlus told her.

"The muting is reversible, though, right?" She pressed, feeling panic rise in her throat.

"Sometimes." He replied shortly.

Shepard felt her stomach churn as a chill shot through her. Sometimes…fuck. Doesn't matter what my intentions are, I'm a goddamned criminal in their eyes. No wonder…

Suddenly, the handcuffs seemed totally reasonable.