The Coming Storm
It had been three weeks since the bombing in Zekara Ward. Garrus had tried to use his contacts to find the people responsible. But nothing was turning up. Whoever it was went to ground. They would try again someday. He wasn't sure when, but it would be a thought that he would keep in the back of his mind. Garrus had his arm draped over Shia'va's waist as he watched her sleep. The antibiotic that Mordin had given her seemed to be working better than Mordin expected. He noticed marked improvements in her immune system and her body's ability to heal from certain wounds. He also wondered what kind of other effects the antibiotic would have. All that Garrus cared about was that she was better. He smiled as she rolled over and looked up at him sleepily.
"Mmm. Morning, handsome." She pressed her naked body up against him.
"Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?" Garrus brushed some of her hair away from her eyes.
"Like I could take on twenty Reapers." She smiled at him as she reached up and kissed him.
"What does the great Commander Shepard have planned for today?" Garrus really could have cared less what their plans were. Things had been so quiet in the Terminus that it actually made his fringe itch. Something was coming. He actually was looking to go planet side. Even if to just see what a planet looked like.
Shia'va thought about this a minute. "I was thinking that she should go to Halgaz and talk with Liara T'Soni. I feel restless and I don't know why."
"I'm glad I'm not the only one getting that feeling." Garrus mused. "How quickly do you want to get to Halgaz?"
Shia'va grinned seductively. "Oh…I think we can definitely find a way to pass the time between her and Halgaz." As she started to crawl on top of Garrus, her comm terminal started to beep. She slumped a bit and fell back onto the bed. "Always at the worst possible times." She crawled out of bed and put on an oversized men's N7 shirt and walked over to the comm. Admiral Hackett's face appeared on the screen. She saluted him. "Admiral. What's wrong?" He would never contact her unless it was a dire situation.
"Shepard, I hope I didn't wake you." Not entirely true. Even if had had he wouldn't have been sorry for it as for what he had to tell her was that important.
"Of course not, sir. How can I help?" Hackett had been a friend of the family for years. It would be wrong for Shia'va to not help him.
"Shepard, I got word that Dr. Kenson, who is under cover in the Bahak system, has found a relic that she believes is tied to the Reapers. That was nearly three weeks ago." Hackett started.
"Sir, that's deep in Batarian space." Shia'va interjected.
"Exactly. She was captured by the Batarians and they are trying to get information out of her. If they can't, then I'm afraid they're going to kill her." Hackett's concern seemed genuine.
Garrus was already getting out of bed and getting dressed. He knew something was up.
"Alright, sir. I can get my team together and we can go and get Dr. Kenson out of there. I just need…"
"No, Commander. If you go in with a full team, the Batarians will kill her. You have to go in alone and get her out of there. Find out what she learned and report back to me." Hackett interrupted.
Garrus stopped dead in his tracks. He felt a rock hit in the pit of his stomach. This was wrong. This was ALL wrong. He wouldn't interrupt the conversation but he was certainly going to voice his objection to this.
Shia'va noticed her lover freezing in place. His mandibles were flexing. She knew what he was thinking. "Understood, Admiral. We'll get her back. Shepard out." She headed over to her locker and pulled out her armor.
Garrus walked over to her. "You aren't seriously going to this alone, are you?"
"I don't have a choice, sweetheart. I have to do this. As much as I don't like it." She could tell something was bothering Garrus. He usually never had much of an issue with her going on a mission. But this…something was different. She stopped taking her armor out of her locker and walked over to Garrus, taking his talons in her hand. "Garrus, tell me what you're thinking."
"Shia, this feels wrong. Something about this is causing my gizzard to scream. Why is he asking you to go alone? Why not at most take one other person? This feels like a set up." Garrus was hardly wrong when it came to things like this. "If nothing else, take Kasumi with you. At least she can stay hidden."
Shia'va ran her hand along Garrus' right mandible. Another reason she was so in love with him. His concern for her well-being and his courage in voicing his objections when something really felt wrong. He would make a great father someday. "Garrus, I promise, I will keep my comm channel open so you can hear everything going on. I would welcome another person but I have to trust that the Admiral only has Dr. Kenson's best interest in mind."
"And what about yours, Shia? If he was such a friend of your family's." Tension could be heard in Garrus' voice.
"That's why I have you, lover. I promise, I will be very careful." She pulled Garrus close and gave him a deep, passionate kiss.
The shuttle had landed behind a rundown facility on the planet Aratoht. Shepard was moving quietly through the facility, avoiding Batarian patrols. Garrus was pacing in the cockpit of the Normandy. Joker had muted his end of the comm so they wouldn't give Shepard away.
"Garrus, you're really making me nervous." Joker said watching the controls. The Normandy was in orbit over the planet where Shepard was.
"You're not the only one, Joker." Garrus retorted. He couldn't help it. Everything felt wrong. Garrus was armed with all of his weapons. He wanted to be ready for…whatever. He didn't know what he was going to do but he had to do…something.
They listened as Shepard had met up with Dr. Kenson. Of course she had to kill a Batarian to get to her, but it made both Garrus and Joker grin a bit to know that Shepard was still alright and that she was in control. But it was where everything started to go wrong. The comm had started to break up and the only thing they could make out was 'Relay'.
"EDI, can you clear up the comm?" Garrus asked.
"I'm detecting strong interference from the planet below, Archangel. But what I can tell is that there are two relays in the system. A normal mass relay and what is called the Alpha Relay." EDI was already trying to calculate the route to the Alpha Relay. "Warning. A shuttle has just left the planet and is tracking for an asteroid near the Alpha Relay. Should we follow?"
"Negative, EDI. Shepard was told to do this alone." Miranda walked up to the cockpit.
Garrus spun around, his mandibles flexing angrily. "To hell with what Hackett told her! We follow her!" Garrus pointed towards the departing shuttle who had already engaged its mass effect drive.
"Shepard is the commander of this vessel, Garrus. She left strict orders…"
"The FUCK with the orders! That's my bonded out there!" Garrus and Miranda were practically standing face to face. He was not going to let this go. But Miranda knew better than to second guess Garrus. "Maybe YOU'RE fine with leaving her to her own devices. But this whole thing stinks to the spirit world!"
"Fine. But you'll take the brunt of her reprimand for disobeying her orders, Garrus." Miranda narrowed her eyes. She refused to be pulled down with Garrus on this.
"I'll live with it. I have before." Garrus turned and pointed to the cockpit window. "Get us to that asteroid, Joker."
Shia'va walked with Dr. Kenson into the Decontamination Area of the asteroid. She listened as Kenson was explaining about what they found. As they walked into the room where the relic was. Something felt wrong about this. Shepard turned to Kenson. "Why isn't this relic under a containment field? This relic alone could start the Indoctrination process."
Kenson shrugged. "I assure you, Commander the relic is very much inactive."
Garrus was right, something about this felt all wrong. As Shepard moved closer, some kind of "pulse" emanated from the relic, knocking Shepard to the ground. She blacked out briefly.
The Normandy was heading towards the Alpha Relay. The comm unit had still not come back online yet on Shepard's end. Garrus had a very sick feeling in his gizzard. A massive pulse wave hit the Normandy but it didn't cause any damage.
"EDI, what the hell just hit us?" Joker asked the AI.
"We were just hit by a pulse wave that originated from the edge of the system, Jeff." EDI's image was showing that it was working trying to find the exact source. "I'm detecting no damage to the Normandy."
"Well that's fine but what actually hit us." Joker recalibrated some sensors.
"Judging by the frequency and harmonics used by the pulse, I can safely determine that the pulse that hit us was from an object that was created or left here fifty thousand years ago." EDI summarized.
Garrus' face went ashen. "Not something from the Protheans."
"No. The signal is from an object left behind by the Reapers."
Miranda felt herself stagger a bit.
Garrus looked to Joker. "Do I even need to say it?"
Joker only shook his head.
Shepard woke up in a cell on the asteroid. She was able to break out of the cell and make her way to where the relic was. But when she arrived there, Dr. Kenson was standing up on the platform. Her eyes were yellow in color. And the voice was unmistakable. "You shouldn't have interfered, Shepard. There is no way you can stop us from invading. Our arrival is imminent."
"Not if I can stop you, Harbinger." Shepard headed for cover as indoctrinated soldiers started to emerge from the different doors. The fight against the soldiers was not the hardest part. It was what came next that would prove the greatest challenge.
"You fight the inevitable, Shepard. You will not win. Releasing control." Dr. Kenson's eyes returned to normal. She looked around as if searching for something. "No. No! What have you done! I can't hear their beautiful music anymore! You will pay for this, Shepard! Damn you, you will pay for this!" Kenson ran from the room and headed down to the core of the asteroid. The propulsion controls. Shepard chased after Kenson but stopped at the control center for the asteroid. Kenson had already set the rock in motion towards the Alpha relay.
Shepard looked at the controls. "Computer, what will happen if the asteroid hits the Alpha Relay." The computer took a few seconds to calculate. It showed the explosion of the relay and its shockwave effect. Shia'va's eyes stopped blinking when she asked what the casualties would be. The computer brought up the number 304,942. "Oh God…" She tried opening a communication to the Batarian worlds. "Attention, all Batarian worlds, this is a priority one…"
She was cut off by Kenson. "You can't save them Shepard. I won't let you. The only way to stop this, is through me." Kenson had cut the communications relay.
Shepard's mind was reeling. She had to stop this. She ran for the core and systematically started shutting down the propulsion systems. But as she got near the core, Kenson stood in her way. "Kenson! Why are you doing this? People are going to die if we don't stop this asteroid!"
Kenson was holding a gun. "Don't you get it, Shepard. There is no stopping this! They are going to come. And there is nothing you or I can do to stop the Reapers from bringing their glorious reign. Tell Hackett…tell him. I'm sorry." Kenson turned and shot out the override on the primary propulsion control. She then raised the gun to her head and pulled the trigger.
Shepard ran over and her heart sank as she tried but failed to find a way to stop the asteroid. It was going to collide with the relay. She ran for the surface of the asteroid to try and escape.
On the Normandy, Garrus froze as he heard Harbinger's voice. He clenched his talons. Things just became worse. "EDI, Joker, get us to that asteroid."
For an AI, EDI seemed to panic. "Jeff, we may want to increase our speed dramatically."
Joker looked over at EDI. "EDI…what…."
"The asteroid is heading straight for the Alpha Relay. Collision in 30 minutes."
A sense of urgency fell over the entire crew. Garrus called for battle stations and everyone moved quickly to their station. The Normandy's thrusters increased to maximum velocity as it headed for the speeding rock.
Shepard made it to the outside surface of the asteroid. Her boots magnetized as she was trying to fight off husks and mechs. A large YMIR mech was her only other blockade to the landing pad. A well placed rocket slammed into the head of the YMIR mech, causing it to self-destruct. "Normandy, I need immediate evac. Over."
EDI chimed in. "Acknowledged, Shepard. ETA 2 minutes."
As Shepard turned, Harbinger's image appeared before her. "You have not won, Shepard. We are still coming. This is not the only contingency plan we had. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world in this galaxy. None of your kind or any other will be safe from us."
"We will stop you." Shepard was barely keeping control over her own emotions at this point. "You won't do to us what you did to the Protheans. We'll fight you to the last."
"We shall see. Releasing control." Harbinger's image faded.
The asteroid was almost to the relay. Shia'va saw the Normandy with the airlock open and Garrus standing at the door. "COME ON, SHEPARD!" He called out over the comm. Shia'va leapt from the asteroid into Garrus' arms. "Joker, get us the hell out of here! NOW!" Garrus slammed his fist on the door seal. The Normandy made its run at the Alpha Relay and with only seconds to spare, made the jump out of the system. As the asteroid collided with the relay, the entire mass relay buckled and collapsed, the mass effect core destabilizing and finally, exploding with unprecedented force. The force of the blast complete destroying the Bahak system.
Shepard was sitting on the medical bay bed as Dr. Chakwas had finished her examination of her. Garrus was standing behind her. The door to the medical bay opened as Admiral Hackett walked in. They expression on his face was grim. The man wanted answers.
"Shepard, what the hell happened? The nearest Salarian research station reported a massive mass effect detonation in the Bahak system. They are reporting that the system is no longer there." Hackett was understandably upset.
Shia'va was straining to keep her own emotions in check. "Dr. Kenson had found a Reaper artifact, Admiral. But it had already indoctrinated the entire science team. Harbinger, the Reaper, was speaking through Dr. Kenson. When I had tried to stop them..." Shia'va was barely holding back her tears. "They set the asteroid on a collision course for the Alpha Relay. In trying to stop them...they destroyed the propulsion controls. I wish there had been another way."
"And Dr. Kenson?" Hackett asked sternly.
"She took her own life, Admiral." Shepard had regained her composure. "She wanted me to tell you that she was sorry."
Hackett paced a moment. "Dammit all, Shepard. There is no way we can verify what you told me. Every shred of evidence is blown to hell. You cost the life of over 300,000 Batarians. You know they will use to as a reason to attack our colonies, Commander. And without that evidence, they would consider this an act of war." He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Garrus' mandibles were flexing in near rage at the Admiral. He wanted to lash out and blame him for being the one that caused all this. But doing that would only make it worse on Shia'va. And right now, he would have to be her strength.
The Admiral stood at full attention. "Commander Shepard. I hope you are prepared to face the consequences for your actions. And I hope you are ready to return to Earth when you are called." He saluted Shia'va who returned his salute. The Admiral left the medical bay and soon departed the Normandy.
Garrus walked over to Shia'va. He could see the strain in her eyes. He looked around and made sure no one was around. "Shia, come on, please." She said nothing as he took her to the lift and went up to her quarters. After the got inside, Garrus locked the door and went over to Shia who was leaning her shoulder against the wall. Garrus walked over to her and looked at her. "Shia...spirits please say something."
She didn't have to. With a very shaky hand she covered her mouth and broke down. "Oh God what have I done?" Tear flowed from her eyes as she lost all composure. Sobbing loudly. Garrus pulled her close and sat her down on the step leading to the bed. She cried loudly, lost in anguish at the deaths of all those Batarians. She had no love for them, but they didn't deserve what had just happened to them. She buried her head in Garrus' shoulder. Her gently rubbed her back and caressed her head trying in vain to calm her. He was softly whispering to her that it wasn't her fault. None of it was. Her tears stained his shirt but he didn't care. He wanted, like her, for this nightmare to have not happened. All he could do was be there, for her. It's all he wanted to do right now. When she was ready, they would discuss what the next step would be.
Shia'va had finally cried herself to sleep. Garrus lifted his love into his arms and laid her down in the bed. He covered her with the sheets and went over and spoke to EDI. "EDI, I need to have a link to Captain Hannah Shepard in the debriefing room. Can you have that arranged?"
"Affirmative, Archangel. Preparing link now. Please notify me when you are ready to speak with her." EDI's image disappeared.
Garrus looked over at Shia'va who was fast asleep. Damn them. Damn them all to hell. 'They won't get away with this. I swear to the spirits they won't.' Garrus made his way down to the Debriefing room. "EDI, open the link."
Captain Hannah Shepard's image appeared on the table. "Garrus? Garrus, what's wrong? The news reports are all saying that the Bahak System was completely destroyed. Where is my daughter?"
Garrus put his hand up. "Everything is wrong, ma'am. Dammit, this is all going to come out anyways. Admiral Hackett sent Shia on a mission to find Dr. Kenson and save her from her Batarian captors. Come to find out, Kenson was indoctrinated by the Reapers." Garrus was trying hard to keep his temper in check. "The damn problem is, is that Hackett sent Shia on the mission solo." He slammed his talons down. "That science team sent an asteroid into the Alpha Relay. Shia tried to stop it. But they destroyed the controls. And they're blaming Shia for the deaths of 300,000 Batarians. They want to put her on trial!"
Hannah put her hand over her mouth. "Oh God." Hannah could see this was taking its toll on Garrus. He was like a caged animal. Desperately wanting to do something to make this right. But he was as helpless as she was. "Garrus, is Shia alright?"
Garrus shook his head. "No. She was crying for hours before she fell asleep. I think everything that's happened has finally become to much for her. I know she's strong, ma'am. But this...spirits save me. I feel so blasted helpless! I'm not leaving Shia's side. I am not going to let those bastards destroy everything she's done."
Hannah had finally gathered her thoughts. "Garrus, listen to me. Please, do stay with Shia'va. You are the only good thing in her life right now. I'm going to speak with her brothers and we will fight this. The Alliance will not ruin my daughter's career like this."
Garrus nodded. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"
"Yes, please, don't go after anyone. It will only make things worse. I know you feel you need to do something, but just stay with her. This will all work out. I promise. I'll be in contact. Shepard out." Hannah's image faded.
For the first time in his life, Garrus felt lost. The only true constant he knew, was up in her quarters sleeping. He nodded to himself. Right now, that would have to be enough. He headed back for the lift to stay with the woman he loved. They would get through this. Together.
A/N: I think this chapter had a great deal of impact. The coming chapters...well, why ruin the surprise?