There was no warning. No sensors detecting their approach. Even the geth were taken by surprise. Ships on all sides were lost in the initial attack before the new shields could be brought on line. It was almost as if the Reapers had simply appeared out of space itself. Some sort of cloaking technology perhaps. It was not an ability that had been displayed before. With no contact from Cerberus since Miranda delivered the upgrade blue prints, it made everyone suspect that they were aiding the Reapers in exchange for their own survival. It was a foolish bargain on Cerberus' part if it were true. The Reapers were not interested in other life forms. Only in any purpose that might serve themselves. The Illusive Man was not one to be foolish. That more than anything gave Shepard cause for alarm in regards to the organization.

The Normandy veered hard to port to avoid weapons fire from the lead ship. Harbinger himself was heading the attack and he was bent on destroying Shepard and her ship. Garrus fired the main guns. The blast hit the scarab like ship, but only inflicted marginal damage. Shepard ran up behind him. It was the first time she'd seen him since he'd left the Loft.

"They're taking damage, but so are we." He told her.

"We've lost three geth ships since the shields went up, four quarian. The Neema is still in play. I'm pretty sure we've lost at lest one and the volis are down to one." Joker informed her.

"Give those bastards all we've got. The end of the Reapers begins today!"

She couldn't have known how right she was because in her own mind in was a lie to rally the troops. Though many ships and many more lives were lost that day, Harbinger did not leave the battle field. It was an inspirational victory and the beginning of a hard war in what had begun as a harvest.

Recovering from the battle took days. The volis forces were decimated. The Alliance lost four ships, including Admiral Hackett's vessel. The Council races as a whole lost ten ships. The rachni's forces were depleted by a third of their compliment and the geth totaled four ships to the list of destroyed. The Flotilla's numbers had been cut in half. The Neema had been ripped apart. Few of the crew survived. Tali and Kal' Reager were among them. Non-Council races had too few ships from the start being hit hardest before the Citadel was destroyed. Their numbers were only marginally effected. Services for the fallen were held aboard the lead ship for their people's representation. After the bodies were shot into the system's suns to prevent the remains from being used by the Reapers, the armada hid on or near various moons in the system until repairs could be made.

It had been a long few days. Shifts were scheduled around the clock. The crew ran itself ragged to beat the dead line for scheduled departure. It was only a goal, but they intended to keep it. None worked harder than the Captain and her turian officers. Chakwas had to order Shepard to bed on several occasions. Once after a dizzy spell that sent the captain to the floor.

The family spoke little during the repairs, though Nihlus still offered his silent support. Garrus had yet to join them in their bed since that night. Neither Nihlus nor Sonya attempted to persuade him. And Sonya did not pursue relations with either, though Nihlus did continue to hold her and keep her warm and nuzzle her. It was easier for him in many ways. He was not a dominate house hold among his people. His name was associated with being an outsider before he was a known Spectre. Garrus had those issues to consider along with whatever personal feelings bound themselves around his heart and mind. The night before the armada was ready to move on, he came to their bed and wrapped himself around them.

The next morning Sonya woke to find herself alone. On the bed side table she found a data pad. Her belly was rounder now and she had to scoot herself over to the edge of the bed to reach it. The note read thusly;

Sonya,

Gone sparring. Will return soon.

Don't worry, we'll both come back alive.

Garrus

"Great." She mumbled.

Sonya slowly got out of the bed and went strait to the toilet. She never wanted to be pregnant again with any species if it meant constant trips to the porcelain throne. She showed and dressed, trying not to worry about the two of them maiming each other in the hanger bay. Whether it was stress relief, dominance or right of father hood she didn't know. Didn't want to know. She was afraid that if she did know it would make her worry worse. After an hour of pacing behind Joker's chair as he prepared for the jump he finally turned the chair around to face her.

"What is it? Why are you wearing a hole in my hull? Do you want to get spaced again?"

She shot him a look that could have taken out a Reaper in a single shot.

"Okay, bad joke, but still? You're wearing off the finish. Go down there. I'd bet money on it that it's just good old fashioned fun. Kelly's supposed to tell me who wins. There's a running bet. I've got my money on the Spectre! He was trained by Saren after all. Bein' a renegade on Omega doesn't compare to being best buds with the guy who was helping to destroy the galaxy and tried to shoot him in the head! I mean, how do you dodge a point black shot to the back of the head! That's gotta be worth something in the ring, right?"

"People are gambling on the spar?" Shepard asked, not quite shocked, but more disappointed.

"Yeah! You want in?" Joker grinned.

"No. But you may have to change your bid. I'm going down there and it's not to watch."

She stormed off toward the elevator without waiting to hear Jokers snide comments. If there were bets being taken, then it was no friendly sparring match. They were out for blood. The doors hissed shut and the car stared down the shaft. If they didn't kill each other, damn it all, she might just kill them both herself.

When she could hear the shouting and cheering before the doors even opened she wished she could have gone right back up to the command deck. But instead she took the steps to push through the crew to stand, round belly protuding out into the empty space, at the edge of the ring.

Garrus's face was ferocious, while Nihlus' could have been carved from the hardest metal in exitance. Both of them had bloody wounds from scratches and bites wearing nothing but traditional sparing robes which were little more than loin cloths. She watched for a few moments while the two of them proceeded to beat each other senseless. She had to admit she was curious to see who would win, but when there was a little more than just blood on the floor as faces were smashed together in a grapple that would likely end up ripping someone's mandible off she decided that was the end of it. She stepped into the ring. It may as well have been a varren pit. It was something one simply shouldn't do.

"What are you doing?" She shouted.

"Sonya, get back to the upper decks." Nihlus ordered.

"Get outta here!" Garrus shouted at her.

The two of them growled and glared at the other.

"I'm the Captain on this boat and I give the order!. Stand down, both of you, now!"

Shes knew full well this sort of behavior was allowed on turian ships and it was part of their culture, but the note had said they would both come back alive. Alive but in a comma was not her idea of an acceptable out come. When her orders went unheeded she did the only thing she could think to do. She left. But she didn't stay gone for long.

"Captain, did you hear about the fight down in the hanger bay?" Jacob asked as she entered the armory.

She didn't answer him and went strait for the guns tables.

"Captain? Captain what are you doing?"

Shepard selected the M-622 Avalanche and walked out. When she re-entered the ring wielding a weapon everyone hit the ground except the two bloody turians.

"Are you two done beating the holy fucking hell out of each other?"

The didn't answer. Nihlus attempted a throat punch and Garrus countered and dropped him with a leg sweep. Nihlus promptly sunk his teeth into Garrus' ankle.

"Guess that's a 'no'."

She fired the gun and froze both of them solid. They would be released from the ice in a few hours under a heat lamp, but until then they had time to 'cool off'.

sorry for the pun, but I couldn't help it.