Palaven

EDI's synthetic voice announced from the ceiling as Khalisah and Varicia shuffled the admittedly tall piles of notes they had collected over the past few weeks, "We will be arriving on Palaven within the hour. Ms. al-Jilani, your request to meet with Executor Vakarian has been approved."

Khalisah let loose a sigh of relief. It was going to be like this with each former squadmate, because apparently, most of them decided on going their separate ways after the war. Just her luck they all wouldn't stay in one place.

From the records she had been able to obtain, Garrus had been made into a consultant the Primarch and most of the Heriarchy had referred to during the Reaper Wars. The weapons the Turians had developed had done most of the heavy lifting when it came to fighting against the Reapers themselves and it was because of their Ion Enhanced Thannix Cannons that had been responsible for turning the tide of the war.

"Will we be able to disembark? I'd like to get out for a while and into the sun for a bit," she asked the AI. While glad to be close to Varicia, it would have been nice to get out of the ship and onto solid ground, even for a little bit. They had declined getting out at Tuchaunka, given that the weather was still rather inhospitable, even during the reconstruction.

"I'm afraid not. Especially with no environmental suits for yourself, given the kind of solar radiation Palaven is exposed to on a daily basis." EDI responded mechanically.

Khalisah sighed and her shoulders drooped. Even with a reassuring stroke from Varicia, it didn't help the fact she had been cooped in such a confined space for almost a week. The quarian Hyperspace drives, while functional, were noticeably slower than the Mass Relays. Any of the Relays could transport any ship from one side of the galaxy to the next within a matter of hours. The Hyperspace Cores the Quarians had discovered took them at least half a month.

Still, the general consensus around the galaxy was that it was better to be slowed down slightly rather than be completely stuck and reliant on FTL drives that would take them years, if not decades to cover the same distance.

Somehow, galactic commerce had been able to resume and reconstruction was thankfully on its way, with Rannoch receiving the lion's share of the financial benefits.

"Well, I guess we'll be waiting here for him, then," she said with a despondent groan.

"al-Jilani. I remember hearing about you," Garrus said as he strode into the mess hall with another turian at his side.

"Let me guess," Khalisah said, aware that this was not going to be the last time she would hear of it, "it was all about my show, wasn't it?"

"Yes. It was kind of hard to miss your show when the Palaven Monitor made a daily habit of using your show as an example why humans couldn't be trusted," he said with what could have passed for a smirk.

"What?"

"The Monitor is run by people older than my father who took the Armistice of Shanxi harder than they should of. Said it was a blow to the pride of the Turian race," he said with folded arms.

Khalisah was stunned. She was aware that there was state run and private run news organizations throughout the Turian Empire, but never once did it occur to her that there was an alien equivalent to her own show.

The female turian with Garrus chuckled. "The fact that the Turians were not running the galaxy is a blow to their pride. It is best not to think too much of them, since few in the Imperial Senate even listened to them in the first place."

Both women turned to Garrus' companion, not having recognized her.

"Selia Decan," he said before she turned to him with the equivalent of a cocked eyebrow, "excuse me, General Selia Decan."

Her mandibles quivered with subtle delight. "Thank you, Executor Vakarian."

Khalisah and Varicia turned to each other, aware that there was probably something going on, but felt it better to leave alone for now.

"So, I heard you're writing a biography about Shepard? Well then," he said with a confident stride up to her and a flip of his collar, "it wouldn't do her justice if you didn't get the most important accounts from her most trusted battlefield compatriot."

"Anything, really. While it's focusing primarily on her, it wouldn't hurt to see the result of her influence on the people around her. I've been told that she can be quite a source of change in people." She said calmly, ignoring his attempts at being flashy.

"That is correct," the General answered, "in fact, that was one of the reasons why I submitted her name for consideration into the Spectres in the first place. "

All eyes turned to her and she looked rather surprised at their reaction. "What? Do you honestly believe that the application process was as quick and clearcut as most believe it to be? Don't be absurd."

"Oh, this should be interesting!" Varicia said as she started to prep the drone.

General Selia Decan of the Turian Imperial Hierarchy:

It is no secret that military officials in every Council race are given a charge to be on the lookout for potential candidates for the Spectre Agency. What I hope you'll scrape from the record is that military officials are told to specifically nominate candidate from other races not their own.

K: How long are candidates watched before they're allowed to get into consideration?

S: It's dependent upon each candidate. Some require more observation time than others for specific reasons. A potential candidate may show promise at first, however, most of the time, they tend to fail. If a potential candidate shows a penchant for survival and tactics with an emphasis on completion of the objective, then they are put forward. The Spectre Agency has no need for heroes.

K: I remember the outcry of Shepard's nomination when most of the Alliance wanted Jane Clark to be nominated.

S: There have been many Spectres who were picked over more obvious choices. I observed Clarke as well. While she is a fine soldier, and her exploits during the Skylian Blitz are not embellished, she did not possess the acumen required for a Spectre.

K: Was there any particular reason why?

S: Her loyalty to the Alliance and its standards, at least on the surface, was far too absolute. It also did not help that she was a sympathizer for Cerberus, even though she was not a member of the organization herself.

K: So, Clarke aside, what was the final determination for allowing Shepard to be considered?

S: Torfan.

Decan strode into her quarters, followed immediately by her servant. With her armaments placed away, she raised her arms and allowed her servant to slowly remove her armor and prepare a robe for the evening.

Another cycle, another round of young recruits either completely indifferent or completely obsessed with serving the Empire.

"Madam, your contemporaries in the Hierarchy are abuzz with reports coming from the Alliance," she said with trepidation as she placed the Colonel's armor into its cabinet.

"The Alliance? What happened? Usually, the Heirarchy's rather indifferent to their internal politics," she said as she stood still, waiting for robe.

Her servant quickly placed the feathery frock over her shoulders before she quickly went to the entrance and returned with the data pad. "There appeared to be a rather violent fracas between them and Batarian Raiders."

Decan snorted. Raiders were nothing more than Hagemony sanctioned thieves. The reason why no one took them seriously was because they always made sure to never touch any interests of the major Council races. Still, she took the data pad and thanked her servant, who took her leave, and reclined upon her bed.

When she began to read the report, she then began to see the reasons for the gossip. And despite the heated denial by her male contemporaries, it was gossip.

Nora Shepard. That named sounded familiar. Apparently, a Staff Lieutenant in what was supposed to be a Black Op to take down the Hagemony's piracy in what the humans called the Attican Traverse, had almost gone south.

However, her commanding officer had not only lost his nerve, but had attempted to desert. Shepard, apparently, took command and completed the mission. The numbers of soldiers lost were not of real significance; however, information of the methods got around and before long, there was a general outcry against the Alliance.

Images, taken from after the battle, showed Batarians with their eyes gouged out and their heads shot through, execution style. She raised an eyebrow. The Alliance always paraded its oft touted 'decency' whenever they made a show of their antics. Frankly, she was neither impressed, nor convinced.

Nora Shepard. Yes, she definitely heard that name before.

Considering the Batarians involved were slavers and raiders who had few scruples as to whom they could capture, torture, and sell in the Terminus, she wondered why people were making a larger ordeal out of this than it really was.

The next page answered her question. Ah yes, the News Medias of the Council Races. Citadel News, especially, was unrestrained in their accusations of utter slaughter of non-combatants. Nevermind the fact that Batarian Slavers and Raiders were often far better equipped than your standard Merc Gang. Having the unconditional support of the Hagemony allowed such excesses.

Her eyes narrowed. She then put the pad down and took her omni-tool into her hands and quickly made a discreet call. Soon enough, a familiar voice answered the other end.

"Yes, Colonel?"

"Vasir, Nora Shepard. Human in the Systems Alliance. Was that a name I put forth for observation?"

"Let me check." A short pause. "Yes. Why?"

"Well, I would like to offer my recommendation for serious consideration for her into the Agency."

Another pause. "Decan, I just checked, there was an altercation at Torfan involving her. Looks like she's shown herself to have a vicious streak. Any particular reason why?"

"The same reason why Arterius was nominated for the Spectres. Though, I still, to this day, wonder what fool nominated that vainglorious ass."

"Well, if she's anything like Arterius, I'm not touching her."

"That's fine. We'll get someone who's eager enough to train what could be the first human Spectre that doesn't seem to have the problems most Spectres have with humanity."

Yet, another pause. "Kryik. He seems to have a liking for human women. Which is odd, considering that Incident at Relay 314."

"He was just a boy when it happened, so, naturally, he was too young to care. And frankly, I wish more of our recruits took a similar stand, instead, we have either children forced into service out of social fear or zealots waiting to happen."

"My heart bleeds for you, Colonel."

"Of course it does, Vasir. Now then, I'll be sure and prepare an official dossier for the Council."

"But why her? Already, there's a pseudonym going around about her. Calling her 'the Butcher'. Doesn't sound like a good match."

"Because if she was a Butcher, like the news media believes she is, then I wouldn't have put her name forward. From what I've been able to find, she was placed in a situation where she had to act or she and all her men would have perished. She made the hard decision. If she can maintain that level of professionalism, then I will have been right about putting her name forward. Again."

"Just because you've picked out the last few Spectres doesn't mean you're on some kind of streak."

"To the contrary, I think it shows myself capable of sound judgment when it comes to Spectre candidates."

"Whatever works for you, Colonel. Vasir, out."

S: I am not one to brag or boast, however, I consider the fact to nominate this Nora Shepard to be the best thing that I've ever done. She was the right person at the right time. And we have all benefited from her expertise since then.

Executor Garrus Vakarian;

I admit to not being one to wax poetic, however, having the nerve to even ask Shepard to take me with her was probably one of the best things I ever did. Granted, it wasn't the smartest, because in retrospect, I probably would have stayed in my cushy job with C-Sec had I known what I was getting myself into.

K: What do you think you got yourself into when you were on the hunt for Saren? I mean, more than just following the hunt for Saren.

G: *A pause* I'll be honest. It was more selfish on my part. Some would say it was because I was merely jealous of Saren Arterius, but it was more than that. It seemed to be more personal than I realized at the time.

K: Can you elaborate or is it going into territory that's too personal?

G: Well, I hardly consider myself a special case. A lot of turian boys and their fathers often are at odds over one thing or another. I had a friend who wished to become a Shaman on the Spirits, despite his great potential as a career military man like his father. They never spoke to one another again.

K: Family matters?

G: Yes. The older I got, the more secretly resentful I became about my own people and the Empire. We're ingrained from childhood to show uncompromising loyalty to the State and for its people.

K: Despite the fact that you're the Executor of the Turian Empire.

G: Yes. War has a tendency to make you realize how the traditions you've lived by for thousands of years can be challenged when you face an enemy that doesn't exactly follow rules you're familiar with. In fact, it was when I had finally traced down a criminal during my C-Sec days did I realize that I wasn't entirely right about everything.

Garrus was livid. However, he was better at holding it in than most. Certainly better than that foul tempered Krogan Shepard had brought with her.

His talons flew over the panel of the Mako. The cannon was out of alignment and needed some serious calibrations. Yet, that didn't do much for him, since he was robbed of something he had been waiting for years to do.

He knew Saleon was guilty the minute they had met on the Citadel, however, there was always something in his way. There was always something that prevented him from dispensing justice the way he saw it. He did agree that there needed to be the rule of law, however, there was too often cases where criminals like Saleon would abuse it to their benefit and escape.

"Garrus. I want to talk to you," a familiar voice said from behind.

He turned and kept his mandibles from quivering too much to show his agitation. "Shepard."

"Garrus. You want to know why I took down Saleon, even knowing how much it meant for you to do it?" she had asked with her arms folded.

As irritated as he was, he had to think of a valid reason why. Shepard was smarter than that. And she saw a similar intelligence in him as well, that was why she brought him with him to find Saren.

He had nothing.

"Sorry, Shepard, but I'm at a loss, here," he admitted dourly.

"I can understand why you're mad, but, hear me out;" she said calmly, somehow aware that he was not happy with current events, "did you know for a fact that Saleon was going to react like he did?"

"I believe so," he said, yet, there was a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Turns out that you were right and when he resisted arrest, we had no choice but to kill him anyway. I would have rather turned him in and find out whom his clients were from him instead of having to hack his computers. However, there's one thing I would rather you have done yourself. Remember what happened after the scuffle?"

"I was... angry with you, Shepard. I'd rather you know that up front," he said, feeling a twinge of guilt in his voice, admitting that she had allowed him to accompany her on her search for Saren.

"Why is that?"

"I wanted to take him down. After all the things he did to those people, he deserved to die," he answered confidently.

"I can understand that. I suppose that makes it right for humans related to those who died at Shanxi to start killing turians, after all, it was the Heirarchy that killed their relatives back in the First Contact War," she said casually.

In shock, Garrus was about to respond rather heatedly, however, during their many discussions about Turian and Human customs, especially when it came to things such as debts, dues, and grudges, he realized what she meant and became silent.

"I suppose I overreacted a bit. I'm supposed to be C-Sec. I'm supposed to honor and sustain the law. Even if it doesn't immediately get me what I think is right," he said, almost feeling like he was a younger man, learning how to heft a sniper rifle once more.

Nora smiled. "My biotics teacher would often lecture me about self-mastery. I still have a ways to go, but I think I'm getting there. And let me know when you get there too, ok?"

Garrus chuckled a bit at the compliment. "You want the truth, Shepard? A lot of my kind don't say those kinds of things to me unless they're drunk. They think I'm too impatient, too eager to work outside the law to get results."

She nodded. "I can understand that. But just because there are laws that prevent you from getting what you think you need, doesn't mean you can't work within those laws. You've proven yourself pretty capable of that over the course of this mission. That's one of the reasons why I brought you with me."

"I have to say, Shepard. I didn't expect this at all when I came with you," he said as he took a look around the hangar. "I feel useful, I feel as though we're getting things done, in a small way."

"So, what happens when we find Saren, bring him to justice, and then all of us go our separate ways?"

Garrus took a long moment to think. However, he looked up and said, "try and work through the system to its best effect. It won't be instant, but the changes can happen. I know they can."

She nodded once more. "Well said, Mr. Vakarian."

K: How exactly did you see Shepard, since you brought this up?

G: Being the young and inexperienced officer that I was at the time, I arrogantly thought she and I were more or less equals. However, it soon became apparent that I had a lot to learn.

K: Can you elaborate on that?

G: *A pause* After Shepard died, I went to Omega and started a vigilante group against Mercs. Long story short; I, and my group, were betrayed. I wanted revenge.

"The hell are you doing Shepard?!" Garrus asked as she kicked Sidonis to the ground in the alley she had dragged him to. He had followed them quickly and she made no real effort to truly keep what they were about to do quiet.

"Isn't this what you want, Vakarian?" Nora growled as she tossed him a pistol and held her weight on the other turian.

Garrus caught the gun and then looked to Shepard, whose frown had only gotten deeper as she ordered him. "You have him! He's ready to die for what he's done. You've wanted revenge for your team, so, here it is! Take it!"

Garrus looked from the gun to the man who had allowed his team to perish. He was sickly, he was starving, and his eyes were sunken. It was almost as if he was already dead.

"Shoot him, Vakarian," Shepard ordered, "you'd be doing him a favor. At least his agony will be brief, unlike your team."

He locked eyes with Shepard. They were filled with the same hate he felt at the very thought of what Sidonis did. Yet, there was something else behind her gaze. She knew the raw rage he felt at the moment. It seemed she understood all too well what it was he felt.

Slowly, the gun unfurled and he slowly raised the barrel upward and slowly aimed it at Sidonis' head. If he noticed he was in danger, he made no motion to struggle or preserve his life. All he needed to do was pull the trigger and his men would be avenged. He just needed to pull the trigger. However, the barrel of the gun was starting to shake against his will and he soon understood why.

Already, Garrus had flashbacks of Saleon. It was that the same thing all over again, however, there was one significant difference. Saleon had no intention of stopping. When he had confronted the salarian on the Citadel, he was proud of his work. Of the profits he had been making at the expense of the innocent.

Garrus had him cornered once and was about to fire when he realized that if he did shoot Saleon without convincing evidence, he would be faced with severe disciplinary action for shooting him. But, he wasn't part of C-Sec anymore. He was a free agent. He was justice.

He lowered the gun and turned around.

"I hate you, Sidonis. Don't misunderstand me; I've waited months for this. And seeing you reduced to this pitiful pile of plates… it's not worth it," he grumbled before he left.

As he left the alley, he heard Shepard heft Sidonis to his feet and say, "go, Sidonis. As it is, you just got an undeserved stay of execution."

The turian began to panic when he realized that he was not going to die. "What should I do? I don't think I can ever make it right."

There was a pause before she answered him. "I don't know. Maybe you can't make it right, but be grateful you have the chance to find out. It's what's left of your life, after all."

Garrus said nothing as he strode back to the hovercar they had taken from the docking bay. He leaned over the top of it, lost in thought.

He should have shot him, but he didn't. Why?

The small voice that started to appear the more he and Shepard had spoken. It was that same voice that said what he didn't want to hear.

What he was about to do wasn't justice at all. He wanted to be the good guy. And what he was about to do was not what the good guys did.

He lowered his head before he felt Shepard's hand on his shoulder.

"Will you be alright?" Shepard asked quietly.

He took in and let out a deep breath. It would be a miracle if he would be able to let this go. "I hope so."

"Can I ask you something, Garrus?"

"Sure."

"Before we met again on Omega, did you really believe that hunting the merc gangs on Omega really did some lasting good?"

"I don't understand, Shepard."

"When I was at Aria's place, I met some young punk that wanted to join up with the other merc gangs to take you down. He couldn't have been older than sixteen. He had a gun that wasn't even worth the credits he paid for. No armor, no shields. Just the clothes on his back. I figured since you made the mercs mad enough to recruit cannon fodder, you must have been good. So, I stopped the kid. I broke his gun and told him to get his money back," she turned to him, "would you have shot that kid, regardless of whether he was trying to show how tough he was or if that was the only way he could afford to eat?"

Garrus couldn't find an answer to that question.

K: Whatever became of the person who betrayed you?

G: I don't know. However... I hope that wherever he is, he's not the person I left in that alley. For his sake, he better be. If it wasn't for Shepard, I probably would have made a mistake I would regret.

K: It must have been difficult.

G: Very. Maybe it was Shepard's trust in me that what made me decide to let it go. Either way, I owe her more than what I can ever hope to pay back.