Please be kind to me. This is my first story and first Mass Effect fanfic. I can always delete and start over, as long as you promise to come back ;)
I'm mildly obsessed with Garrus. I can't help it. All to Bioware.
"We're taking fire, Commander!"
I can hear the shots as they approach the rendezvous. The woman on the comm obviously doesn't have enough sense to be scared shitless. As we round the corner, Shepard rolls into cover; Tali and I follow suit. The soldier in front of us looks back, nods acknowledgement of our presence, and continues firing on the husks in front of her. I see a rifle in her hands, see one… two… three husks fall with three shots. I'm impressed; it's hard to come by a human with a good shot this far from Earth. But if she's the dossier, it is a welcome find.
We settle in and barrage the husks with ammunition. As the last one falls, the woman stands up, turns to Shepard, and salutes. "Lieutenant Williams. It's an honor to meet you, Commander."
Something clicks in my brain. At the same time, a fleeting look of question passes over Shepard's face. He recovers quickly. "Where's the rest of your team, Williams?"
She falters, simply staring for a moment, then looking at the bodies of those previously human. "They're everywhere, sir."
I hear a sharp intake of air from Tali and a soft 'dammit' from Shepard. I toy with my gun and dig my feet into the ground. I can't stand uncomfortable silence. I look to the sky and see ominous clouds closing in. "Storm's approaching, Shepard," I say, breaking the quiet.
"Lieutenant, you're with us. Move out."
On the way to the shuttle, we remain silent. On the shuttle, not so. This is due to the new recruit, Williams. She takes her helmet off and, Spirits, she the most beautiful human I've ever seen. And I don't have think humans are attractive by a long shot. She has a pale face with large, haunting eyes like the color of the ocean. Blues and greens mix, and I realize there is no color I've seen to describe her eyes. Her face is a little gaunt, but she has prominent bone structure unlike any human I've ever encountered. She looks all parts asari, but isn't blue. And I do like asaris.
I am captivated by her as she pulls apart her braided hair. Her dark brown hair glows as she tousles it, showing hints of red in the fluorescent light of the small aircraft. Cortez looks back at us and laughs. Tali joins him soon after. "I've never seen you drool, Garrus." I hear a note of jealousy. I'm quite fond of Tali, but she knows that even if she is beautiful, we'll never stare at her like we are at Williams.
I feel heat rise to my face. I know they don't know enough about Turians to recognize the blush. That makes things easier. I manage to sputter out that I was reflecting about the mission, how all those husks came to be. Williams looks at me with a hollow stare but does not say anything. Perhaps I am getting myself all worked up for nothing.
Shepard focuses on the matter at hand. "I was wondering the same thing, Lieutenant." He rubs a palm over his chin, a gesture I find most human men do. He studies Williams' face closely, watching for any tell-tale signs of a lie.
"With all due respect, sir, I don't know. My services were requested when groups of mercenaries went missing on this planet. We had only been down there a few hours when I set up the distress beacon." Her voice is soft and musical, but there is no emotion behind it. Perhaps this would be a common reaction to losing so many of her own kind.
"Your services? Williams, what kind of captain sends a lieutenant to battle for mercenaries?"
She sighs and rubs her forehead. Tension relief, I think. I should look it up. "Commander, as you know, my sister died quite honorably. I have never been good at following orders, and was tried for dishonorable discharge. Fortunately, the Alliance found the goodness in their hearts to not strip my rank. Early retirement."
As she explains, I see Shepard's face pale. Does this woman know that the commander put out the executive decision to save Alenko and to leave Ashley? Tali mutters, "Keelah." The silence remains awkward until we dock; even Cortez doesn't attempt the small talk. Shepard and Williams exit the shuttle first while Tali and I stay a considerable distance back.
"Garrus, she seems so… hollow. You know humans better than me. Is this a normal response? Can Shepard trust her in a fight?" Tali whispers to me.
"Since when have I been an expert on humans?" I retort with a chuckle.
"I assumed since you were looking at her like she was a piece of delicious dextro meat, I thought you had learned to appreciate human emotion and culture as well."
Damn. She was getting frosty. I have to make an excuse. "Tali, ever since she said her name was Williams, I was trying to figure out what seemed familiar."
"Right," she returns – and hearing a whistle – turns to see the commotion. Joker and Jacob are on the bridge, studying the backside of Williams.
"Damn, that is a fine ass!" Joker can't seem to control his enthusiasm as he practically screams his revelation.
I look at him sternly, mostly on Tali's part. Honestly, I don't see the appeal of soft, fleshy meat on the back of a human.
Jacob sees my look, pats Joker's shoulder and laughs. "Can't say I disagree."
"Vakarian," Joker begins, "I know you are not about to tell me you can't appreciate that."
"I'm not into humans," I say with a cocky, prideful tone.
"Right. Well, that's the best you're gonna get. If that doesn't turn you to humans, nothing will."
"You know that's Ashley's sister, right?" Tali interrupts, crossing her arms and jutting a hip.
"God, it's like I can't even have an opinion anymore!" Joker says, throwing his hands up in the air. "I forgot the pilot can't appreciate crew members!"
I simply shake my head at him and head for the main battery
I hear the hiss of the door and the cadence of Shepard's footsteps enter my quarters.
"Garrus. You got time to talk?"
"Sure, Shepard. What's up?"
"I wanted to ask what you think about our new recruit."
"I don't know what to tell you, Commander. I've barely seen her, much less spoken to her."
"You haven't introduced yourself?" He asks, a frown forming. Shit. I bury myself in calibrations for the moment. "I've never known you to be unfriendly, Garrus. It's been a few days, she's settled in, go and make nice. I won't ask for more than that." He continues, folding his arms over his chest.
"Will do, Commander," I say sulkily.
He stays behind me.
"I'll be on my way then," I add, clenching my mandibles. As I exit the battery Shepard calls, "The observatory". What was stopping Williams from coming and seeing me? Shouldn't she explore the ship? Why hadn't she come to me? I skulk to the starboard observatory, none too happy with my current mission. I can't place it, but I get a queasy feeling in my stomach. I identify it as the nervousness and excitement that takes over before a planet based mission. I reach the doors to the observatory and take a deep breath before opening them and stepping into what feels like my could-be death.
I see her looking out into space. She's in a suit similar to Miranda's, which highlights the meeting between her waist and hips. I can't think about this right now. Maybe later. I had done a very good job so far of not thinking about her and our first encounter. She doesn't acknowledge my presence, so I stand by her side and lean on the pane of glass.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I ask. It's the only thing I can think of. I've never been good at small talk, and it's not about to start now for this human.
"Hardly," she replies. I guess she isn't good at small talk either. She looks at me and quirks a perfect eyebrow. Embarrassment sets in as I realize I spoke my thoughts aloud.
"Not with aliens," she replies, adopting a look that burns through me.
"You're exactly like your sister," I snarl, not catching myself soon enough.
Her eyes narrow. It's the first time I've seen a fire in her eyes. I want to smother it, control her and enforce her hatred. I straighten quickly at the thought. It's time to leave.
"I'm Officer Garrus Vakarian, former C-Sec. I've done what I came here to do."
"I'm Lieutenant Isabelle Williams. Good day, Officer." She's cold again and the fire is gone.