"Damn that man! He knew this was a trap – he set us up!" Shepard fumed as she, Garrus, and Samara ran through the Collector ship. "If I ever get to see him face-to-face, I'm going to…"
"Shepard," Garrus interrupted. "How about saving some of that anger for the Collectors?"
"No problem. I'm just going to picture the Illusive Man's face on every one of them. That should ensure a perfect head shot every time."
The Illusive Man sent them to this "derelict" ship, telling them that it had been disabled by a turian patrol. However, EDI had just informed them that the turian distress signal was a fake and that there was no way that the Illusive Man could have thought otherwise. To make things even better, Joker had informed them that the ship was powering up and that they needed to get back to the Normandy before the Collectors could bring their weapons online.
The husks they encountered were no problem – Linda's Shockwave was powerful enough to destroy them without her team even breaking stride. The Collector drones were a different matter entirely. The team had to stop to battle them, slowing their escape. Of course, wherever there were drones, Harbinger put in an appearance – or several - slowing things down even more.
The team quickly scouted for ammo at the scene of their most recent battle, then moved into the next room. EDI announced that she was opening a door for them on the far side.
"Enemies approaching," Samara said quietly. Samara was possibly even calmer in combat situations than Garrus, which was saying a lot.
Shepard quickly scouted the room and saw several husks and a few drones making their way toward them. No problem, she thought. Then, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. "Crap! Praetorian inbound - everybody stay sharp," she yelled. "Samara – we encountered a Praetorian on Horizon. These things are tough – barriers and armor. We can wear it down, but make sure you keep moving; standing still is a death sentence."
"Understood, Commander," Samara replied.
Garrus said "Shepard, I'll draw its fire while you and Samara take care of the others. Once they're gone, we can all concentrate on the Praetorian."
Shepard nodded her agreement. "Just be careful."
The Praetorian immediately headed toward Shepard. Garrus stepped into its line of sight and began firing; it hesitated and then moved toward him.
Linda and Samara finished off the husks and drones and turned to help Garrus just as a drone that had been hidden behind a column stepped out and fired on him from behind. As Garrus hit the ground, Shepard took out the drone with a burst of incendiary rounds from her Tempest SMG.
"Samara – be careful! We can take out the Praetorian together, but neither of us can do it alone." Shepard tried to raise Garrus over the radio; "Garrus? Garrus, can you hear me?" The only response was a low moan.
Shepard and Samara ran, ducking behind cover and leaping out to take shots at the Praetorian before running to the next position. After what seemed like hours, the Praetorian was dead.
Shepard ran to Garrus. "Garrus? Garrus!" She shook him, trying to get a response. He moaned. She applied medi-gel and waited impatiently for it to take effect. His eyes opened and slowly focused on her. "Hey you, welcome back" she said with a smile. "Where do you hurt?"
"My side," he replied, grimacing.
"Can you sit up?" she asked.
"Yeah, now that the medi-gel has kicked in, I can." Shepard and Samara helped him sit up.
"OK, we have to get out of here. Samara and I can help you, but we can't carry you. Are you ready for this?"
"Ready, Shepard," Garrus replied. They helped him to his feet and headed across the room; just as they reached the door, it closed.
"Great!" Shepard fumed. "EDI, we need another way out of here."
"Already working on it Commander," EDI replied. She quickly opened another door nearby. As they entered the next room, Collector Drones began firing on them.
Shepard ordered Garrus down behind a barricade. "You are sitting this one out," she informed him brusquely. "Samara and I can take care of these guys."
"Shepard…" Garrus began, getting to his feet.
Shepard pushed him back down. "Apparently you misunderstood me Vakarian. You are sitting this one out. That is an order!"
"Yes ma'am" Garrus replied, struggling to hide a smile. He knelt behind the barricade to watch the battle. The three of them made an excellent team. While Shepard tried to include all of her team members on missions, he knew that she considered he and Samara to be her "kick ass" team. They were the ones she turned to when the mission facing them was expected to be especially difficult. Their combination of combat skills and biotics, even their personalities blended well, making them particularly effective and efficient. He also knew that Shepard considered him her unofficial second-in-command and was flattered by her trust.
Garrus watched with admiration as the women performed their ballet of bullets and biotics. He noticed a drone attempting to flank Shepard as she battled Harbinger. He quietly pulled his sniper rifle, aimed carefully, and took the drone down with a single shot – before Shepard even knew it was near. Harbinger dissipated just as the drone fell; Shepard heard the shot and wheeled around to glare at Garrus. She saw the body of the drone and realizing what had happened, flashed him an apologetic grin, shouted "Thanks" and rejoined the battle. Within minutes, the room had been cleared.
As the team regrouped, Joker recommended that they haul ass – the Collector weapon systems were coming online.
"Roger that, Joker," Shepard responded; "we'll be back on board shortly."
As they ran down the next corridor, Shepard kept a close eye on Garrus. She could tell that he was in pain, but he was holding up well. Husks were coming from everywhere. Without slowing down, Shepard unleashed volley after volley of devastating Shockwaves, while Samara and Garrus picked off the stragglers. They practically fell into the shuttle and made the short flight to the Normandy. Joker had the big ship moving as they entered the hangar and EDI managed to get the Normandy out of harm's way just in time.
####
On board the Normandy, Shepard and Samara helped Garrus to the Med Lab – over his protests.
"Shepard – I'm fine. I don't need to see the doctor!" Garrus insisted.
"Garrus – quit whining! You're going and that is final. You're injured and in pain; once the medi-gel wears off, it is only going to get worse."
After getting details on the nature of Garrus' injury, Dr. Chakwas asked the women to wait outside while she conducted her initial evaluation. Just as the Med Lab doors closed behind them, Joker informed Shepard that the Illusive Man wanted to speak to her; "I figure you have a few choice words for him as well," he added with a chuckle.
"Damn straight," Shepard said as she headed for the Comm Room; "I'll talk to you later Samara."
####
"Asshole," Shepard muttered as she left the Comm Room. She and the Illusive Man had exchanged several harsh words. As usual, he was full of noble excuses for his actions; her team "had to be surprised", he knew "they wouldn't have any problems", "just look at how much we learned", etc, etc. No matter how many excuses he made, Shepard didn't appreciate being stabbed in the back by the one she was supposed to be working with/for. She decided to go see Samara; the asari always had a soothing effect on her and she really needed to calm down before checking on Garrus.
####
Shepard entered the starboard observatory and found Samara meditating – as usual.
"Shepard," Samara said without turning around.
"Do you have time to talk?" Shepard asked.
"Of course," Samara replied, indicating that Shepard should sit next to her.
As Shepard sat down, Samara said "I sense anger in you Shepard."
As Shepard propped her head on her knees, she responded "Talking to the Illusive Man usually has that effect on me. I don't trust him. I still can't believe that I'm working with Cerberus."
Unable to sit still, Shepard stood up and began pacing. "On the first Normandy, my team and I battled Cerberus many times. They were doing such terrible things…and now I'm working with them."
Samara listened as Shepard continued. "Cerberus gave me back my life - I will always be grateful for that. The Illusive Man also sees that the Reapers are still a threat. The Alliance and the Council are in denial – they refuse to see the truth. So now I find myself working with the organization that I used to fight in an effort to save the galaxy – and alienating good friends in the process." She thought briefly of Kaidan, and then shook her head.
Samara replied, "Cerberus has the resources that you require to battle the Collectors successfully. They revived you, they did not recreate you. You are still you; you have the same values, the same beliefs. Yes, Cerberus is using you, but you are also using them – as well you should. The fate of the galaxy depends on the success of this ship, this team. We will all have to step outside of our comfort zones if we are to succeed."
Shepard smiled. "Thanks, Samara. You can always make me feel better. We haven't known each other long, but I already consider you a good friend."
Standing up, Samara replied "And I you, Shepard. Once this is over, you may call on me anytime. I will always come to your aid."
"Thank you, that means a lot" Shepard replied. "On a completely separate note, have you met Thane yet?"
"The Drell? No – I have not. Why do you ask?" Samara asked curiously.
"There is a deep sadness in Thane. He lost his wife several years ago and has lived in regret over the decisions he made regarding his son. He hasn't had many friends over the past ten years. I'm trying to encourage him to leave the Life Support room more and get to know the crew. I thought maybe you could help with that." Shepard raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Shepard…" Samara began sternly.
"What? Oh – no, don't worry," Shepard said shaking her head emphatically. "I know you're not interested in developing any sort of romantic relationship. I'm not trying to set you up with Thane. I would simply like for you to meet him and talk to him. The Code of the Justicar has brought you peace with many of the same situations that Thane has dealt with. I'm hoping that maybe you can help him find some of that peace as well. What do you say?"
"Yes, Shepard. I will meet Thane and help him if I can. When is this meeting to take place?"
"Glad you asked," Shepard replied with a grin. "How about tomorrow? I've instructed Joker to take the Normandy to Ilium. I'm giving the crew four days of well deserved shore leave. I thought the three of us could spend some time together."
"Tomorrow it is," Samara replied. She smiled at Shepard and said "Now, I think there is another member of the team that needs your attention. Get out of here – go and see Garrus."
"Yes ma'am," Shepard replied, hugging Samara quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow."