Although it ended with Garrus wanting to punch Joker lightly in the arm (which would've probably broken five more bones), Joker's threat to tell Jane about Garrus' activities kind of gave him a bit of hope. It wasn't as grim on the ship as it had been for Garrus. Everyone was running around, doing exactly what they did before they had crashed on Eden Prime, and for Garrus it was no different. After Joker had a bit more focus, he told Garrus that he didn't need him on the bridge, and Garrus went to spend a lot more time in the main battery, doing what he did best. Calibrations.

It was calming for him, really, though he found he didn't spend as much time with it as he used to. He spent a lot more time in the crew hall, especially when it came to meals, and he didn't skip as many as he used to. He was finding the contact with the crew to be a comfort at times. He had gotten to know many of them, but other than missions, a lot of them had stuck to themselves. The only one whom he had real contact with on the ship before was Tali, and even that was limited.

They had been on the edge of the Sol System, around Neptune in fact, when Garrus had decided to finally crawl out of the battery and go to enjoy breakfast. The crew always knew to check either the captain's cabin or the main battery if they wanted to speak to him. But this time, as he walked down the hallway and past the counter of the kitchen, he was startled to find Liara was leaning against a wall beside her office, looking at Garrus directly.

"Ah, Garrus. Good to see you've come out." Liara commented passively. Garrus grunted, still finding he was too tired to really articulate. Oh well.

"Hey Liara. Sorry."

"No, I've no control over how you conduct your free time, and we certainly have a lot of it." Liara commented matter-of-factly. Garrus swore that she was the exact stereotype out of one of those human vids, where the nerd often pushed glass lenses up their nose that were supported by frames and spewed facts until the rest of the characters were ready to hit them. Garrus of course didn't want to hit Liara though. He found her to be likeable enough, at least enough to be an acquaintance and a team member.

"You noticed, huh?"

"Yes." she replied back simply with a nod. She then motioned towards one of the tables in the mess hall. "Did you want to eat? I'd like to have a chat with you."

Garrus looked a little uncomfortable. "Uh... yeah." He shrugged. "I was thinking about it."

Garrus and Liara placed their orders to the officer that was on mess hall duty that day, and then proceeded to sit down. Garrus noted quietly how he could have really used one of those drinks that Jane used to have in the morning... she had called it coffee, but all Garrus knew about it was that it really woke her up. He'd adapt quickly though... and he felt that he had to, because he saw Liara immediately start tapping away on her omni-tool.

"I've managed to conduct my own analysis of the mission that we're about to undertake, to infiltrate the Citadel's ruins."

Garrus blinked. Right down to business, huh? "Go on?"

"Well, I'll say it quite frankly. I don't think that we'll be able to achieve our mission without some assistance from someone who can truly track what happened at the scene. In order to evaluate what really happened onboard the Citadel. There's bound to be too much destruction for our omni-tools to be able to provide a full analysis."

Garrus noted quickly that the mess hall officer had brought over drinks for them both, and then he grabbed his own and took a sip. It was a tangy liquid, native to his homeworld, that was often used to give them energy for their day. "That's probably a good assumption. Do you have a solution?"

"I do, in fact. However, it will be very difficult." Liara commented. She brought her omni-tool onto the table and tapped it a few times, showing a schedule sheet. "We'll need the help of Javik."

Garrus looked at her blankly. "I'm sorry Liara... I'm not following. What does Javik have to do with it?"

Liara looked at him with a bit of indignity and Garrus shrugged apologetically. "Javik's kind had the ability to sense what had happened in an area simply by using their mind. They believed that each object, each living being, everything in the universe, had a memory."

Garrus blinked. "Really?"

"Yes. That's how the Commander was able to access the memories of the Reaper attack. She was more receptive to Prothean technology and their ability to pass images to each other."

"Huh." Garrus stared at Liara. "I had no idea how she recalled that so vividly."

Liara raised an eyebrow. "You never asked once?"

"She seemed uncomfortable with it. It wasn't something she wanted to necessarily recall." Garrus said firmly. "I tried to make her life easier, so that involved not asking her questions until she volunteered information to me."

Liara frowned. "Odd. She had no issue with answering my questions."

Garrus felt a chill run down his scales. This was something he had feared... Liara was not exactly happy with Garrus for 'stealing' her girlfriend... though to be honest, Garrus didn't want to get involved with what happened between the two of them. He didn't make any assumptions or any accusations. He just knew what was now existing between the two of them; a close friendship. "She... was polite, Liara. Very polite. She didn't like seeing other people in distress, even if it meant refraining from speaking."

Liara stared at him for a moment, a cold look in her eye, and Garrus rubbed the back of his neck with his talons. Women... Why couldn't he ever talk to them? He didn't mind talking to them when it didn't involve emotions and only war tactics... but the minute it was anything resembling social, Garrus was a complete fool. He looked away from Liara to avoid her gaze. Liara seemed to take it as a sign to continue and change the subject.

"Your thoughts?"

"On Javik?" Garrus asked. He shrugged. "It's up to Javik. He's the only one who can do it, and he did volunteer to come along. We can go and ask him, if you want."

"We?" Liara asked cooly.

Garrus frowned. "Yes, Liara. We. Come with me to Port Cargo." Garrus was only mildly annoyed with Liara by this point, and he didn't mind giving her an authoritative suggestion. He stood to his feet and motioned her to come with him. Liara looked a little confused.

"What about your breakfast?"

Garrus raised an eyeridge. "I don't really care about it. It'll be there when I get back. I need you to help me talk to him. You know more about the Prothean way of life than anyone else on this ship. Surely you can find a way to convince him." He commented. Liara seemed to understand that Garrus didn't feel like having an argument, and stood up to join him.

"Is there any reason why I have a turian and an asari in my quarters?"

Garrus and Liara had walked into Port Cargo and hadn't seen Javik when they first walked in. Their curiosity was short-lived however, as Javik had decided to walk up from behind them. Garrus turned around. While he knew Javik would not threaten anyone on the ship, his mannerisms were still a little unnerving. Liara on the other hand gave Javik a faint smile.

"Yes, there's a reason Javik. We wanted to ask something of you."

The prothean walked into the room and walked past Garrus and Liara. He took a position beside where his memory shard used to be, and stared at them both. He placed his hands behind his back. "Ask."

Garrus shot a look at Liara, as if prompting her to speak. Liara seemed to have no problem with that. "I thought of a plan once we reach the Citadel... one that could come in handy. But we need you for it."

"That is?" Javik asked neutrally.

"Your ability to glean information from your surroundings. We want to use them to try to find out what happened to the Commander."

Javik examined her for a little bit, his face non-changing. "I would not put much hope to it, Dr. T'Soni." He said finally, and he glanced at Garrus as well. "Nor you, turian." He looked at both of their faces and then spoke again. "I do not know what having that information will accomplish."

"It could accomplish many things." Liara countered. "There could be a chance that she's alive."

Garrus couldn't read Javik, but he did see Javik shift a little. "Unlikely. War claims many people. It does not matter if they are heroes or not. They are as mortal as anyone else."

Garrus felt a sickening feeling in his stomach, but he knew that Javik was right. Yet at the same time... there was no way that Jane had died.

"You don't know Commander Shepard." Liara protested. "If there's a distress signal from the Citadel, it's most likely her."

Javik examined her closely, and then Garrus heard perhaps the most sympathetic words that he had ever heard from the prothean. "T'Soni..."

"Please, Javik!" Liara replied urgently, as she put a hand over her heart. "If there's any chance... any at all!"

Javik stared at her for a minute, and then looked to the side, frowning. "I will see what can be done. You may not like the results."

Liara smiled warmly. "Thank you, Javik. I appreciate it." She nodded her head, and then she proceeded to exit. Garrus, however, stayed.

He watched Javik walk towards the pool of water that he always brooded over, and then Javik spoke to him. "Will you not follow her?"

Garrus smirked a bit. "I pissed her off a bit earlier. I'm not sure she wants to talk to me." He folded his arms. "You seem to have a difficult time denying her requests."

Javik looked up from the pool of water and stared at the wall.

"She reminds me of a soldier I once knew. Inquisitive, passionate. She would have been very much like T'Soni in a different age, I think." Garrus stared at Javik, startled. Was Javik opening up to him? "Now that my mission is complete, my people avenged... I do not see a reason not to help her, and all of you."

Garrus chuckled. "Shepard told me that you wanted to go to Kahje and live like a god to the hanar."

Javik turned his head and stared at Garrus. "Do turians have a hard time grasping sarcasm, or is that just humans?"

Garrus blinked. "Well... maybe prothean sarcasm is a little above us?"

"It was a joke."

"... ah."

"Do you need anything else, Captain?"

Garrus shook his head. "No... but don't call me captain. Garrus is fine."

"You are the captain of this ship, as long as your Commander is gone. I do not see a reason to call you anything else. Good day, Captain."

"Uh... okay." Garrus mumbled, and he walked out of the room. Yep. No matter how many missions he did with Javik, Javik still set him a bit on edge.

Chapter Notes

These stories seem rather bare without notes. Oh well. Thank you for the positive feedback so far!