Story Notes
Blausen: Well that's good! I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who's behind on completing the Mass Effect series. Roflmao.
"It's good to see you alive, Mr. Vakarian."
It was odd to be here, talking to the Admiral in such a way. He couldn't be addressed as a soldier, yet he had done more than most soldiers had ever done. Many soldiers had fought the Reapers, but Garrus was supposedly an expert on them. Hah. Expert. He had barely known more than the rest of them, but because he had stood by Shepard for so long in her Reaper theory, and because he had gotten to see a Reaper up close and personal, he was suddenly an expert. Now, not only was he an expert, he was in charge of an Alliance ship. It wasn't something he could've ever predicted when he left C-Sec all those years ago.
He nodded. "Likewise, Admiral. How are you holding up over there?"
He saw the Admiral stiffen a little in the shoulders and Garrus looked at him quizzically. The Admiral, however, kept his professionalism. It was better than Garrus could've done. "We've sustained heavy damages."
"We all have, Admiral. At least this nightmare is over."
"Yes. I have hope that we can rebuild. The cities are damaged and will take some time, and the Citadel is heavily damaged from the blast, but I don't think I've been this hopeful since the initial Reaper attack."
Garrus had to choke down his words. He hadn't felt so hopeful for the future for about three damn years. Of course, Garrus was one of the few who knew the truth and kept trying to tell everyone else the truth. But, he didn't say anything. As irritated as he was with the Admiral's comment, he knew that the Admiral was regretting not being on board, like the rest of the universe was. He kept his face neutral, so as to enact some kind of diplomacy. How did Shepard do it?
"I'm glad. We crashed on Eden Prime as we were trying to escape the beam. Moreau's navigation really got us out of a tight spot. We managed to obtain some help from the locals, it shouldn't be long before the ship is ready to fly. We'll make a course directly for the Sol System. I understand that this is Alliance property." That hurt to say. He had never thought of it as anything but a home for their ragtag crew.
But Hackett just stared at him in contemplation for a long time. It was almost uncomfortable. Garrus stared back at him for a moment, before he simply commented, "Sir?"
"Vakarian... we have need of your services for a little while longer, if you wish."
Garrus paused for a moment, baffled. "My services?"
"The crew's. The current crew of the SSV Normandy know the ship like no other. They know each system, have even calibrated each system, if Commander Shepard's reports have said the truth."
His thoughts trailed down to the guns, which were practically his pet project, and he nodded humbly. "Yes. Most of us have poured a bit of ourselves into this ship. Why?"
"We have a mission for you."
Garrus raised an eyeridge. "A mission? Can't the Alliance handle it?"
"We could, but then we wouldn't be getting the best, now would we?" Admiral Hackett's amusement seemed to come through the video feed. Garrus was puzzled. How had Shepard dealt with this man for so long? He was confusing.
"We've received a distress signal that we want the Normandy team to investigate, as soon as they're able."
Garrus frowned. "Admiral, I'd like to know why. There have to be plenty of distress signals across the universe right now. What's so special about this one that you need us to investigate?"
The admiral told him the reason. Garrus' mandibles fell slack.
"Why did you call us here, Garrus?"
Garrus was standing inside of the conference room, beside the war room. Most of the important personnel of the Normandy were sitting at the table. Garrus had his arms folded, leaning against the wall as he examined each and every one. Liara, the asari woman who had voiced the question, was staring at him with a passive look on her face... one of curiosity. Trust the innocent little scientist to be the first to ask questions. At her side sat Ashley Williams, the second human Spectre in the galaxy, staring at Garrus with a sceptical look. Then after Ashley followed James Vega, a likeable human soldier who was a candidate for their N7 program. Beside him sat Joker, their human pilot, and the man that they probably all owed their lives. Beside Joker was Tali, one of Garrus' closest friends on this ship... the closest, now that Shepard was gone. Finally, Javik was there as well; Garrus had no idea why, seeing as he had his vengeance, but he had fought beside the Prothean for so long, Garrus couldn't help but be grateful to have him still around.
He pushed himself off the wall, wincing a little as he had been since the Mako had blown up in his face, and went over to the chair at the end of the table. He leaned on the back of the seat, and stared at each of the crew members in turn.
"I got a communication from Admiral Hackett."
The humans at the table all seemed to sit a little straighter, meanwhile the aliens stayed where they were, keeping their gaze on Garrus. He watched them all, before he heard from Ashley, "Yeah? So? What's going on?"
He looked down at the table, frowning. How the hell was he going to say this?
"He wants to request us all for a mission. As many as we can. He doesn't really give a damn whether we're human, turian, asari or quarian; he needs us, as the people we are. I asked him about that. I just don't... know where to begin."
"C'mon Old Man. Try starting by telling us what he said." James piped in. Garrus narrowed his eyes, but half of it was in good sport; James was young and impatient, and Garrus was probably double his age. It was to be expected.
He sighed once and then looked at them all. "The Alliance forces picked up a distress signal that they want us to investigate."
"Why?" Tali asked, scoffing a little. "There are thousands."
Garrus' mandibles twitched upwards. "That's what I said, more or less. However, the location of this one is... very different. It's coming from the Citadel."
The looks around the table weren't very much different from his own, when he had heard the news. Tali had pointed her mask at the table. Liara had frozen, her features stuck in a state of shock. Ashley looked almost like she'd cry. But it was the reactions of the men around the table that lifted Garrus' spirits. Joker broke a grin for the first time in days, meanwhile James yelled in excitement.
"LOLA MADE IT! LUCKY SON OF A BITCH, SHE MADE IT!" He hollered, loud enough to break most of the table out of their silence. It took a lot to not feel empowered by these people, it took a lot to calm Garrus' heart. Many of the other people around the table were feeling the same sort of excitement. But Garrus raised a hand, trying to bring a little bit of order, which after about thirty seconds, he got.
"That's... certainly a possibility. And it's one of the best possibilities." Garrus said.
"It would be what you would want, wouldn't it?" Liara commented. Garrus noted the slight negativity behind her tone, and made the assumption that Liara was daring him to say otherwise. He almost forgot that Liara was Jane's ex. He nodded quietly.
"Of course that's what I want. I think that's what everyone wants. Maybe I've got some additional incentive, but-"
"Wha?" James asked. "Why would you-"
"Shut up Vega." Ashley snapped. "Later."
Garrus was baffled. Someone DIDN'T know about his relationship with...? He shook it off and continued.
"However, it could be several possibilities. Perhaps it's Admiral Anderson. He might've survived. It could also..." He paused, gathering his bearings, and then he went through with full speed. "It might also be a trap."
"I don't know how." Liara inputted. "That beam destroyed all synthetic life as far as we know. Anything with Reaper code. That's why EDI-..." She stopped, and then looked to Joker. Garrus did as well.
Joker was looking at the table with a blank expression and then he raised his hand, motioning for Liara to continue. Garrus however, didn't want to carry Joker down that path. "Yes."
"Wasn't Shepard partially synthetic?"
Garrus stared at Tali. The quarian had a dark tone in her voice and she tilted her head up from the table. "How do we know that she was not..."
Garrus looked down at the table quietly. "We... don't know. Some things still work... the things that didn't have Reaper code inputted into them. We don't know if it would be the same for non-Reaper synthetics or not."
"How do we know that she wasn't-"
Garrus narrowed his eyes. "We don't know anything, Tali. We don't know who sent that signal, whether it was Shepard or Anderson... or perhaps something else that survived on the Citadel. Something far more sinister." His gravelly undertones seemed to rumble even deeper the more he spoke. He looked at the entire team in front of him. "We need to evaluate whether... whether this is worth the risk or not. Do we go in ourselves, or do we go on with the original plan? Do we want to forget that this communication went through and give the Normandy back to the Alliance as previously planned?"
The looks around the table were varied. But it was the voices around the table that carried the loudest.
"He's kidding, right?" James blurted out, staring at Garrus. "You're kidding, right?"
Garrus bristled. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
"I agree with Mr. Vega." Liara said quietly, her gaze piercing a hole in Garrus' leathery hide. "Is this a joke?"
"Uh... no?" Garrus commented. He was preventing himself from snapping an explanation from the both of them.
Joker leaned forward on the table. "Garrus, if we don't go and see what that signal is, who the hell will? Who can do it better than us?"
Garrus' mandibles twitched with annoyance. "It's an investigation of a distress signal. Any grunt could do that."
"Not necessarily." Tali replied softly. "If it is a threat, there is no better. If it is our Commander, there is no better. If it is Anderson, we can certainly handle that."
Ashley nodded in agreement with Tali. Meanwhile, Javik finally made a sound, making an obvious cough. Garrus looked at him. "Yeah?"
"I see merit in going to the Citadel. I will join you." Javik said simply, prompting a look of surprise from Liara. Javik stared Garrus down with all four of his eyes. "We are going to the Citadel, yes?"
Garrus looked at them all and then smiled faintly. "Yeah. I guess we are." He stood up straight and placed his hands behind his back. "Alright. The reason we were chosen for this mission is specifically because of our expertise and our ship's stealth systems. Hackett hasn't gotten a team to the Citadel to see if it can be declared a non-threat yet. We're going to be investigating the signal, as well as declaring the status of the Citadel. It may turn out that we encounter hostiles, whether it be from the Citadel's systems itself, or because of some force left behind on the Citadel."
Joker smiled faintly and stood up with effort; when they had crash landed, he had five bones broken. Moving around for Joker was a little bit difficult. "Well. Go ahead and brief them. I'll set a course." Joker commented as he left.
Chapter Notes
- So. I have chapters four, five and six already written. I'll upload them later. Chapter Six needs some slight rework though.
- I'm trying to take this down the path of talking more about Garrus coming into command. That being said... yes. There will be fluff.
- Songs:
The sound of my own flu virus and headache reverberating through my head. YUMMY.