Chapter One: Shepard
Detective Garrus Vakarian stepped through the threshold of the dragon's den. Despite the fact that the white walls of the office were clean of any blood and bones from previous victims, Garrus was aware of the rising death toll associated with this particular monster. Many a horrible battle had taken place in this room and each battle ended with the sound of the loser limping away with his life or —more often than not—the fatal snap of the dragon's jaws. Garrus was intimately familiar with the sounds; after all this wasn't his first time facing the beast's horrible maw. Sitting a few feet away from him was Garrus's fearsome foe—by the way his mandibles were set Garrus doubted he would be able to survive unscathed—Executor Venari Pallin looked furious; his glare demolished any questions the detective might have had about why he was being called in. Garrus was starting to wonder if there wasn't some truth beyond the office rumors. Though his knowledge of human mythology was minimal at best, he was sure there was some reference to fire breathing reptiles that could apply to his boss. Maybe Pallin's clan had a genetic mutation that allowed them to spout fire from their mouths, as a detective Garrus couldn't rule out the possibility. Looking at his boss under the glare of the fluorescent lights, he couldn't tell if it was the glint from the lighting that gave the illusion sparks off of the Executor's teeth or if his boss really had mystical powers of fire when he was in a rage.
Garrus had just come from C-Sec's interrogation room making sure his newest arrest, a volus smuggler named Khan Pi, was comfortable in the room's plush chair and steel restraints. The criminal had spent the last three hours leading the turian on an impromptu game of catch-me-if-you-can which covered all of the Zakera Ward. Garrus was sure the volus would demand to see his advocate soon, but that didn't shake the feeling of satisfaction from finally closing a three month long case, or the gratifying sensation of grabbing the small male in his claws and purposefully ruining his suit when Garrus finally caught him. Right now, his blood was singing from the rush of the chase and the feeling of sliding the cuffs into place tight on the pressure suit of the volus.
"Vakarian, do you mind telling me why I have a volus and his advocate in one of my interrogation rooms threatening to sue C-Sec?" Pallin's voice was so low that its timber made Garrus's mandibles ache.
"It's much to do about nothing sir, the evidence I have collected against him is rock solid. There's no way his advocate is going to be able to talk his client out of jail," Garrus suppressed the frown threatening to form on his face. Today was a good day in Vakarian's book and he wasn't going to let his boss rain all over his arrest.
"I don't give a krogan's lower left testicles if you have rock solid evidence," Pallin's mandibles flared as far as they could go, "If anything of what Khan Pi is claiming is true then he could have enough grounds to get all charges against him dropped. All because you can't follow simple procedures that even a turian child could understand."
"I did my job by keeping a drug dealer out of the wards," Garrus stated slowly. "Justice was finally served by throwing cuffs on Khan Pi."
"Your job? Was it your job to threaten Khan Pi with an assault rifle? If the report I have here in front of me is true, you," Pallin paused to pick up the datapad from his desk and read aloud, "advised the suspect on areas where he could be shot and still survive suit exposure until the suspect revealed the location of his supplies and contacts."
Pallin dropped the datapad on his desk like it was trash meant for the incinerator. Garrus remained still, keeping his silence as a shield against the older turian's accusations.
"You used physical force on a suspect to have him admit to charges laid against him," Pallin's jaw snapped out each word, "That's enough for his advocate to get him released from holding."
The suggestion of Khan Pi walking free rubbed Garrus like a sand spray against his bare scales—it was enough for Garrus to voice the words that had been building up in his throat, "Khan Pi confessed to not only procession of red sand, but being the administrator of the drug network the department's been trying to break down for months. What does it matter if I roughed Khan Pi up a little? I was able to collar the slimy bastard because of it."
Pallin shot up from his desk and leaned forward bringing his face inches away from Garrus, "You don't get it do you detective? We are Citadel Security. When you wear that uniform you represent the law. You don't get to break it whenever you feel like it just so you can grab the bad guys. I would think that your father would've taught you that already."
Garrus felt the blood in his veins rush along his temples and he was tempted to tell Pallin what he really thought about C-Sec's rules and red tape. How it stopped cops and detectives from cleaning up the streets and let trash like Khan Pi and Dr. Saleon—the black market organ doctor that Garrus almost collared—free and able to victimize people as they pleased. However, the image of his father stopped him. How many times had Garrus faced his father's disappointed gaze on the vid phone? The older turian's sharp blue eyes clouded with pain and confusion on how his only son had once again broken the rules in order to arrest a suspect, rules that earned Garrus's father the status as a C-Sec legend and Citadel hero.
Pallin sighed—the sound of twenty years as a C-Sec officer coming deep from his chest—and leaned back to sit down in his chair. The anger in his body was still there, visible in the tension of his mandibles and the muscles of his neck, but it was muted by a sense of fatigue. Pallin had always sought ways to keep the young turian in line. There was no arguing Garrus's effectiveness in making arrests—something the Executor secretly took pride in—but Garrus skirted the line between the justice and corruption too often for Pallin to feel comfortable. There had been several incidents where Garrus's methods lead him straight to Pallin's office.
"I'm assigning you a partner," Pallin said, "A new recruit from the Alliance. Since I know how you like high profile cases you'll love the human that the Alliance is hoping to dump off on us."
Garrus's brow furrowed, "You can't mean the Alliance Marine that has been blasted all over the extranet."
"Jane Shepard will be entering the Investigation Department of C-Sec in the next two weeks and you, Vakarian, will be her partner," Pallin looked up at Vakarian with a hard stare, "Make no mistake Garrus, this is your last chance. If anything goes wrong with Shepard it will be on you. If she makes one mistake—one small slip—the blame will be on you."
"You want me to babysit her," Garrus nearly growled, "So I won't be able to make any more problems for the department."
Pallin smiled; his sharp teeth gleamed under the office light, "I'm glad you understand your assignment. Now go, I have to make a solid case against the mess Khan Pi and his advocate are making."
Garrus turned and walked out without another word. He'd just been eaten up and spat out. Turns out the nickname the human officers had given Pallin had been one hundred percent accurate.
The Investigations Division door slid open and in walked two agents, a salarian from the Network Division and a turian from the Special Response Unit.
Garrus had been glancing up at the door out every time it chimed today, but immediately regretted the action once he saw who walked in. Of course, he had been expecting this. After all, today was the day he was getting his new partner.
"Hey Vakarian," greeted Morlan.
Morlan had been with C-sec for many of his years and not once did the salarian graduate from being just a sidekick to another agent. Every time Garrus saw the salarian's face in the office or amongst the crowd in the C-Sec lobby he thought, crony.
Morlan walked up to the right side of Garrus's desk, "Have they given you your new partner yet?"
A deep chuckle to Garrus's left came from Morlan's keeper Acilius, a turian bearing white tattoos on his face and carapace. The markings created the illusion of a fierce mask on his dark grey skin, heightening the bright yellow of the turian's eyes and the shadows of his face. He had stopped right in front of Garrus's desk blocking his view of the door. The turian looked down at Garrus, the upward curve of his eyes indicating his amusement.
"I can't believe the Executor didn't think of this sooner to rein you in." Garrus kept his face blank of the annoyance he felt at the comment.
"Garrus the Lone Gunman. Coming to the rescue and leaving a sloppy mess for the Executor." Morlan recited the familiar slogan some of the officers from other departments of C-Sec snidely whispered to each other whenever the detective was called into Pallin's office.
"Nice to know you guys have enough time to gossip while on the job." Garrus leaned back in his seat to get a better view of Acilius.
He knew it was at the taller turian's behest that he was being paid a visit today. Acilius took particular pleasure in goading Garrus about his numerous screw ups—recently about what kind of partner would be a perfect match for the young turian—due to the unpleasant past between them. Garrus noticed, not for the first time, that Acilius's face tattoos marked the turian as being from a space colony not far from their home planet Palaven and he wondered if the bad blood of the old civil wars was still lingering in the present world.
"It's not gossip when it's plastered all over the extranet. Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that human reporter covered a story about a C-Sec chase in Zakera Ward?"
"Of course, let's not forget the highlight of Vakarian's career," Acilius gave Garrus a wink and the detective restrained the urge to gouge out the older turian's eyes, "The Dr. Saleon case that caused such a fuss with the Council."
Acilius waited, watching Garrus's silent agitation to see if he would rise to the bait. Garrus wondered if the turian would ever let go of his grudge against him; he could understand the reason why Acilius disliked him; half of the Investigations Office disliked Garrus's rebellious way of taking down suspects. His understanding still didn't quell the urge to want to headbutt the other turian from time to time.
"I heard that the human ambassador tried to deny Shepard entrance into C-Sec," Morlan cut in; showing off in the usual salarian way by revealing how much intelligence he knew, "But the human's advocate was able to shut him up."
"Guess now you'll have your hands full babysitting a criminal rather than catching one," Acilius's small smile said how much he was enjoying Garrus's predicament.
"From what I've read, Shepard was exonerated from her sentence," Garrus swallowed the growl creeping up his throat.
"Yes," Morlan added "Sentenced to twenty-seven counts of murder along with military sabotage. All sentences were over turned in light of lack of evidence once the case was reopened."
"I heard your partner got a nice stack of credits along with her freedom," Acilius looked down to examine the tips of his talons of his left hand, "Makes an turian wonder why someone who had been locked up for twelve years would want to go into law enforcement."
"You don't have to wonder too hard Acilius. It's not like you're ever going to see that many credits in your lifetime," Garrus interjected, "I would appreciate it if you moved on from my desk. I have work to do."
Garrus picked up his datapad and closed his report. He opened a new file from the C-Sec database and started to search through the dossiers. He didn't bother looking up when he heard Acilius chuckle or Morlan get off his desk.
"Whatever you say, Vakarian," Acilius said "Just trying to help a fellow agent out."
"See you next time," Morlan added.
Talking together, the two left Garrus at his desk. Garrus shifted through files until he found the one he was looking for. Staring at the rap sheet Garrus skimmed over the information before his blue eyes stopped on the attached picture. Commander Jane Shepard looked like a typical youthful twenty year old human; a clash of hazel eyes, skin the color of browned butter and a distinctive hook in the human's nose line. In the picture Shepard's black hair was cropped short so that small curls of hair framed her face; her eyes stared straight ahead in a serious and level stare, mouth set in a straight line that projected a sense of confidence. The picture was taken from an Alliance portfolio before Shepard was convicted for her squad's murder on Akuze. Garrus wondered how her time in prison had changed her appearance.
Shepard had been going through C-Sec training the past few months. Since she had Alliance military training Shepard excelled all the physical tests. Garrus was personally impressed by the fact Shepard aced the written test for C-Sec. It was an accomplishment few turians—let alone humans—could boast. He heard the Council was disappointed when Shepard passed the test to become a detective. The Council and the Executor were hoping once Shepard got a taste of what C-Sec duty was like she would lose interest; a futile wish as Garrus doubted a person who was willing to go through C-Sec training would easily give up on her first job out of prison. Whatever the reason Shepard had for joining C-Sec, the higher-ups wanted the ex-Alliance Marine out as soon as possible.
The office door slid open again and this time Garrus heard Executor Pallin's rumbling voice. A moment later, in walked his superior with Jane Shepard dressed in the human version of the traditional blue C-Sec uniform. Superficially, Shepard's face still looked the same as it did in the Alliance picture, however her eyes were different. In the picture her eyes were clear and determined; like many new recruits, there was vision of a future in them. The present Shepard's eyes reminded Garrus of older battle-worn turian officers he served under; her eyes carried the weight of stories, not the kind you would tell another person over dinner, but the kind you tell after a bottle of turian spirits. Another difference—- one that could only be attributed to time—was the length of Shepard's hair; cut just below her ears and the front held back by two thin black hair accessory on each side, leaving Shepard's face unobstructed.
"And here is you're where your desk is. Right across from your partner," Pallin's voice cut Garrus's observation short.
Garrus stood up and nodded to the human. From this distance Shepard was only slightly shorter than he. She tilted her head up slightly to stare into Garrus's eyes.
"Garrus Vakarian, at your service," Garrus said.
Shepard smiled. "Nice to meet you, Detective Vakarian. Jane Shepard."
Shepard copied Garrus's nod rather than offering her hand. The turian wondered if Shepard read up on his species' customs and culture during her training or if she picked up the gesture from previous military experience. Satisfied with the exchange, Pallin gave the two their first assignment together.
"You're going to need to go down to the wards for this one," Pallin said. He brought up his omni-tool to transfer the file to their datapads. "There's been fresh activity down there by some of the local gangs. We think a new hot shot has come into power and has been fortifying his position with a few timely killings. Everything you need is in your datapads."
Garrus glanced at the datapad for a moment, reading the new information on a case he'd been following for the past few months (never hurt to be up to date on current open cases) and knew the area stated in the file well. He looked over at Shepard who was scanning the content of the file at a rapid rate. The Alliance file stated Shepard was earth born and joined the Alliance Navy when she got out of high school; also he knew Shepard lived in the 800 block of the Citadel and had only recently moved in, which implied the human would have limited knowledge of the majority of the Citadel. He wondered how Shepard would respond to the less human-friendly wards. Garrus blinked at the crisp sound of a datapad being put down on metal surface. Shepard was smiling at him, apparently ready to go.
"If you don't mind I'll drive. I know the area well and have been down there several times," Garrus said.
"By all means," Shepard replied. "After all, this is my first day on the job."
The two proceeded out the Investigation office to the C-Sec lobby. The lobby was predictably crowded with on duty agents and scattered groups of people who had come to grouse about personal business to officers. As Shepard and Garrus headed towards the elevator Garrus noticed heads turning and eyes staring in their direction. With all the extranet news blasts about Shepard's release from prison everyone on the Citadel—if not the entire galaxy—knew who human was. Shepard gave no indication of noticing how much attention the pair was getting, matching Garrus's long strides with an easy gait of her own. When they got into the elevator Garrus tapped in their destination in with a talon. He stood there silently next to Shepard as the gentle pull of the elevator started their ascent.
"Congratulations on passing the C-Sec test," Garrus shifted his weight from foot to foot.
"Thank you, Detective Vakarian," Shepard smiled, "Is this the part where you ask me why I wanted to join C-Sec?"
Garrus looked over at the human surprised by her candid question. Shepard's stare was assessing, but not hostile. He paused before answering, "I figured I would ask after I see how you handle the murder scene."
Shepard nodded, "I was planning on asking what you did to get stuck with me as a partner after we solved this case."
Garrus stared at the human female for a moment before smiling. Garrus didn't know what to make of Shepard yet, but he liked her blunt answer.
"Okay, I guess that's fair."