Confirmation: Contact with the Sol system has been lost.

The rest of the report went unread as Garrus heaved the datapad across the room. It smashed against the wall. It's holo fizzled out as it fell to the floor of his cabin.

Crap.

He smoothed his hand over his fringe in frustration as he walked across the room to pick it back up. Now was not the time for taking his anger out on inanimate objects. Definitely, if resources were going to be strained soon.

Garrus reset the datapad, and the hologram popped up back to life. Three hours ago it was delivered and only now did he get a chance to look over it. Three hours and Shepard was still on Earth. If he knew her well enough, then she'd stay for the fight, with him not at her side.

Garrus tapped his talons on the datapad. And the fight would be coming to Palaven soon enough. He had to concentrate on the next plan of action, not on just her.

Defensive had been set up as best he could manage on Nanus. The atmosphere was too thin; it hardly had enough air to make a reliable base. The fact that he had to suit up with a helmet every time he went outside was annoying enough.

But he wanted to check in on operations of setting up a backup base. Garrus and the task force had planned to head back to Menae within the day to assist with setting up the flak for anything the Reapers send at Palaven. He still had two more hours before his shuttle left and nothing to do but look over reports.

Datapad read: For Expert Reaper Advisor Vakarian. Garrus had to stifle a laugh when first got the title. What exactly could he advise them on? Shoot at it until it stops moving? That had worked when it was just one, and the Citadel could barely even handle that. What would they do with hundreds, possibly thousands of those things?

The constant questions weren't going to lead to any good. Garrus stilled his thoughts and focused on his breath, the cabin's air was stale. He missed the Normandy's, at least there the oxygen was recycled properly.

Shepard's breath on his neck, she let out a nervous laugh. "You ready?"

Her hands took his and guided him off the couch and led him to her bed.

Garrus rubbed at his brow plate. Focus Vakarian.

Lines of communication had been hardened, stockpiles blustered, and early warning detection protocols were improved.

And that was it. Six months and that was best the Hierarchy would give him, even then he had to push for those. And only half of those resources didn't even start coming until the galaxy lost contact with batarian space.

This wasn't going to be enough; they weren't going to be ready, not by anything close.

Garrus flicked his mandibles in annoyance and tried not throw the poor datapad again. He just needed to get out of the cabin and keep himself busy rather than thinking. Maybe bury himself in one of the main defenses guns until the shuttle was ready.

He grabbed his helmet and shoved it on. The atmosphere was thin enough that if he didn't keep his helmet on, it would rip the oxygen right from his lungs. He really needed to get the hell back on Menae.

The cabin door depressurized and whirled open; the remaining air hurried out behind him as walked onto Nanus' surface.

"The last thing I remembered was my lungs feeling like they were on fire. Turns out they ruptured from me trying to hold onto to my last bit of air. That probably wasn't the worst of it. Supposedly, I ended up looking like meat and tubes, got to thank Jacob for that info."

Garrus didn't know how that conversation had come up, but Shepard had gone into great detail on her death. He should have stopped listening when she first brought it up because he definitely did not need that mental image. He forced his eyes forward and tried not to think of it.

Garrus made his way to the AA gun. Behind them, Palaven was rising off on Nanus' horizon. Billions of lives at stake down there and all Garrus' mind kept going back to was just one damn human.

Garrus turned his attention away from the horizon, and he looked East. Sol's star was dim, but if he focused just enough, he could make it out from the billions in Nanus' sky.

Dammit Shepard, keep your promise and stay alive.