A/N: Hello, I can hardly believe it myself, but the next two chapters will not include Shepard and Liara. Let's take a peek at what's happening with the Normandy and crew, and how Spectre Alenko will solve a crisis...
Many thanks for the favorites/follows/reviews, I take it as a personal encouragement. And thank you Vector 71 and Bebus, your combined Beta skills lift my story to the next level!
Chapter 12, Samantha
Palaven was bustling with activity, and had been so for many months. Directly following the demise of the Reapers, many turians had celebrated in the streets, dancing around bonfires and the huge carcasses well into the night. After months of horrible fighting and gruesome slaughter, the turians did not resist the abundant supply of alcohol; it was likely one of the wildest nights in the history of the planet.
Many tears were shed as well, as nearly every single person had lost relatives or friends. There had been little time for mourning or burials during the brutal Reaper attacks and even when there was a lull in the fighting some bodies could not be found. Dead Reapers laying all across Palaven, the turians released all their hurt and pain. That evening would be remembered as Night of Tears.
Waking the next morning, it became once again clear why they'd earned the reputation 'most disciplined race in the galaxy.' Nearly every able person left their house in order to start... something. Forming themselves into groups of eight, the turians methodically started cleaning up streets, space ports, markets, and community centers. Those first few days, law enforcement officers and military personnel naturally gravitated towards positions of authority and directed the small groups where they were most needed.
Within two weeks, governments of all levels started to assert their authority and a list of priorities was assembled. The huge Reaper hulls were airlifted to a few central locations and readied to be stripped for parts. Nearby turian colonies were contacted, supplies distributed, and the rebuilding operation was starting to take shape. Twelve months after Crucible Day and with their relay fully operational, the turian homeworld was well on its way to recovery.
Many large groups of krogan had fought the Reapers on Palaven and they found themselves the object of a very grateful turian population. Unable to return home they helped with rebuilding, but as a soon as the relays became operational Urdnot Wrex had started to remove his people from Palaven, still mindful of the long history of animosity between the two species.
Two enclaves of krogan still remained and with their food supply exhausted, conflict appeared unavoidable. Chief Grom Kuwek of Clan Luku had led a daring raid on a food warehouse, and the krogan warriors had noticed that the turians were reluctant to engage them. The next night they had plundered a weapons storage, and had been able to seize Claymore shotguns as well as heavy weapons.
The Normandy had been in orbit over the planet for an uneventful two days. Only a few crew members had been busy, specifically the ones dealing with comms equipment.
Communications Specialist Samantha Traynor found herself on the CIC for nine straight hours, setting up links for Spectre Alenko.
Kaidan had talked to Kuwek at least three times, but the krogan stubbornly refused to board the available turian ships. Alenko talked to Shepard, but the contact between his fellow Spectre and the krogan chief had been fruitless. Councillor Tevos could not help much either and was of the opinion that between the two Spectres, they could resolve this crisis. Finally, the Government of Palaven had pushed him to end the conflict quickly and quietly.
"Samantha, try Tuchanka again." Kaidan's voice was weary; he did not expect any result, as Traynor had tried and failed at least three dozen times that day.
"Major Alenko," came EDI's pleasant voice. "It would be beneficial for the human crew if you all went to sleep. I can hail Tuchanka every ten minutes, and will inform you if I am successful."
"I will take your suggestion, EDI, thank you. And be sure to notify me if the krogan leave their camp." Kaidan looked at Samantha and saw she was tired as well, "Pack it up Traynor, this day is done."
Samantha Traynor was very content with her life. A few years ago she could not have imagined ever serving on a warship, and now she wanted nothing else. Fighting the Reapers together with Commander Shepard had been a scary, exhausting, and fantastic experience. Sam realized from it, she would never be the same person. When Major Alenko asked her to be part of the new crew of the Normandy, her answer had been automatic. She was pleased to be there, even though it would never be the same without the irresistibly charismatic woman that was Karli Shepard.
Samantha walked over to her bunk but decided against sleep. Let's see what Jeremy's doing.
When Jeremy Vettock had come aboard the Normandy, things had changed drastically for Samantha. With his polite, quiet demeanor, she found his companionship pleasant and the two of them could talk for hours about Britain and London. She thoroughly enjoyed his British accent and on top of that he'd been an avid chess player in the N7 academy; their games were often hard-fought affairs, on occasion lasting all night.
She found Jeremy in the starboard lounge, sitting in front of the large observation window, gazing at Palaven. "What are you thinking of, Jem?"
Samantha had given him the nickname as she marveled at his ability to listen to her stories and musings for hours on end. "I've never met a man who listened so patiently."
Smiling at the silly nickname Samantha had awarded him, he answered in perfect Queen's English, but his stare remained on the planet. "I am thinking of the march of time, the fleeting moments we share in this life, and how experiences bind us together."
She grinned, his philosophical nature was another characteristic she liked in him.
Jeremy had survived the beam run. Five weeks after meeting Samantha Traynor he had become so trusting of her person that he shared the entire horrible story. That was actually the first time he could ever share was desperate to unload the burden on his heart as Samantha proved to be a wonderful listener and friend.
His features were quite regular and he would not stand out in a crowd, if not for one remarkable trait: the grey-white hair. Everyone assumed him to be much older due to his hair color, but Vettock was only 28 years old. He told Traynor it had been black before, but following his extremely traumatic experience during the beam run, it had taken only seven days to fade to its current color.
Thinking about that day, she shivered. Shepard and Anderson had made it to the Citadel, but everyone else had perished. That was not strategy, that was desperation and they had been desperate. Traynor still got light headed if she thought of the scale of carnage the Reapers had wrought, and that the enire galaxy was facing extinction if Shepard had failed.
With his exemplary N7 career and his experiences in the reaper war, there was a persistent rumor going around that Vettock would join the ranks of the Spectres soon. Samantha fervently hoped the rumors to be untrue, it would likely mean a transfer for the man she called a very close friend.
"Jeremy, are you up for a game?" Traynor asked, as she fondly trailed her hand through his hair.
With anyone else, that gesture would have been completely unacceptable to Vettock. But Samantha was special to him; they had developed a deep friendship within a few months and could talk about anything. Besides, there was something extremely relaxing about a friendship with a woman who would never make a pass at him. He automatically let his guard down when it was just them.
"Absolutely Samantha, our board is still here."
The way he pronounced the th in her name was just awesome, and she grinned as she took the chess game from the shelf. While they were setting up the pieces, Traynor told him all about the events on the bridge and Kaidan's frustration about not being able to accomplish much.
"We should be ready for anything," mused Jeremy. "The krogan appear to be very unreasonable."
"Obviously," smirked Samantha. "They are krogan."
Vettock laughed, and held up the white queen. "You got white."
She stepped towards the little refrigerator and prepared herself a gin and tonic. "What can I get you, Jem?"
"Tea please, with a tad of milk."
They arranged the pieces, and Traynor made her first move. "Do you know Shepard, Jeremy?"
He shook his head, "Why do you ask?"
"This used to be her ship. Sometimes when the elevator doors open, I expect to find her there, waiting for me. This ship is so... different without her."
"So you think of her a lot. Did you fancy her?" His ability to listen to the unspoken words was spot on, as usual.
"Of course! Me and half the crew of the Normandy! I tried to get close to her, but she's basically married to Liara... " The images of those two hand in hand walking the CIC would probably be with her for the rest of her life.
"There is something about that woman that is... unexplainable." Traynor sighed, and decided to dig in and find the right word for Jeremy. She moved a rook, but her mind was not on the game.
"It's not sex-appeal, even though she has plenty of that, let's just call it... benevolence. She is a very kind spirit, but then she can be a ruthless warrior... am I making any sense?"
Jeremy laughed and patted her on the shoulder, a bit too hard as he noticed her painful face, "I think I will have to meet her to understand your rambling, Traynor." He moved his pawn, and ruthlessly exploited Traynor's carelessness.
"Oh my... that will teach me to pay attention," a slightly embarrassed Sam quipped, crossing her arms.
"You are distracted because you thought of Shepard, and that reminded you that your love life is non-existent."
Traynor shifted in her seat, and groaned, "You are way too smart for your own good." Sighing deeply, she had to concede, "I need someone in my life, Jeremy. I enjoy my work, and you are like a brother to me, but I miss... err... "
"That special someone." Vettock finished her sentence as he fondly looked at his friend. "Love is an amazing gift that everyone has a right to. But the time and the place is often a surprise. Perhaps after Palaven we can have a few nights out on Omega? Kaidan mentioned that would be our next stop."
Reflecting on his own feelings he added, "I want to leave the past behind. The more I think about it, I'd love to have some shore leave."
"Ha!" She exclaimed, "Special someone? Jeremy, I'd be delighted with a warm body and a friendly face to wake up to!"
"And I wish that for you my friend. Life is meant to be shared!" He looked back at the chess pieces and offered, "Shall I take the move back?" She gladly accepted, a sign that they decided this was going to be a very laid back game.
The next hour they played two more games and Samantha lost them both on horrible mistakes. She didn't mind much, and continued sharing her memories of Shepard as she enjoyed another gin and tonic.
Suddenly EDI's voice rang through the speaker. "The krogan are moving towards the warehouses. Major Alenko wants the three V's to report to the shuttle in five minutes."
Samantha whispered, "Kaidan has become scared to put people in the field. Now he only brings the three of you."
Nodding, Jeremy knew she was right. He was not fond of that kind of talk, but the truth is the truth. "After this mission, something will change."
They moved towards the door together, and Vettock made eye contact with Traynor, "Please help me with my gear, Sam? Five minutes is squeezing it."
Together they made a good effort getting him all dressed and armored; five minutes later he stormed into the shuttle bay.
James Vega and Garrus Vakarian were waiting for him to arrive, and a few seconds later they were joined by the Spectre himself.
"Alright guys, we know where we are going and what's at stake. The turians do not want to risk an armed conflict with the krogan. They are not scared, they just want to make sure this does not escalate into more turian-krogan hostilities. We are called upon by the Galactic Council to defuse this situation, the best outcome here would be for the krogan to return to their camp. EDI will keep hailing Tuchanka, as we urgently need Urdnot's ships to get these guys off-world."
He surveyed the three V's, and concluded, "violence is our last resort. If a krogan dies on Palaven, that would severely complicate matters. Any questions?"
The four men boarded the shuttle, and after a few seconds they heard the familiar sounds of the transport travelling through the upper atmosphere.
Garrus Vakarian never imagined he'd return to Palaven like this. He had stayed near Shepard for all those months she'd been in a coma, knowing he owed that much to his dear friend. Seeing her walking around once again had been a very emotional moment; he'd almost concluded she would be in the bar way ahead of him.
It came as a huge shock when it became clear she had no intention to return to the Normandy. And even if she wanted, her health would have prevented it. He realised that the team would never be whole again, and Garrus found himself a bit lonely on the ship. Tali was on Rannoch, Liara always near Shepard, and Wrex had left for Tuchanka. His favorite spot became the mess hall, where he reflected on marvelous companionship they'd shared hunting Saren.
After the fiasco on the asari colony he felt almost obliged to stay to take care of Kaidan and the rest of the crew, all the while feeling annoyed at the situation. Why did he have to take care of a Spectre?
Looking out the shuttle window, he sighed.
The shuttle dropped the four men next to the turian command post, situated alongside a group of warehouses. They they were immediately approached by a grim looking commander. "Welcome Spectre, headquarters told me you were coming. The name's Ichtus. It's worse than we feared. They are well armed and have already taken some shots at my men, two of them are in critical condition. We are under strict orders not to engage them."
It was impossible to ignore the large fire right behind him, one warehouse was burning like a torch. "Krogan," sighed Ichtus, "they shoot anyone who tries to extinguish it."
Rage flared across his face, and Jeremy could easily reason why. A turian will always obey orders, but to just sit there and get shot, without retaliating was obviously maddening.
Vettock carefully surveyed his surroundings. The area was badly lit, which was offset by the fire. In the ghostly light he could make out a dozen large warehouses, some overgrown with an alien moss. In between the buildings laid old, broken concrete, and to his far right stood three krogan vehicles.
Ichtus pointed at the vehicles. "An hour ago, they disembarked and now they are searching through the warehouses for food and weapons."
Pinpointing the krogan was easy. Brawling laughter rolled from the central warehouse and they heard the sound of a breaking window; apparently an unwanted item had been discarded.
Kaidan swallowed hard, and he felt the expectant eyes of his companions on him. This is the moment where Shepard works her magic.
Slowly they made their way towards the building, calling out to the krogan's chief. Within a few seconds, a huge head appeared in the central doorway, followed by a massive body. "I am chief Grom Kuwek, of clan Luku. You're not a turian, what do you want?"
"My name's Alenko, I am a Council Spectre. I have to ask you to stop your plunder and return to your camp. I am doing everything possible to get you a ship, but these hostilities have to stop!"
Grom looked him up and down, twice, and grunted, unimpressed, "You gonna make me?" While in his mind, a small plan was forming. The turians are too scared to face us, they won't interfere. We can handle these four clowns! And if I kill a Spectre... all of Tuchanka will respect me, other chiefs will respect me!
Kaidan started to answer, but Grom raised his hand, and from the windows behind him gunfire erupted. The three V's scattered, but before Alenko could move, he was being charged by the massive krogan.
Caught completely off guard, Kaidan forgot his biotics and just braced for impact. Grom bulldozed him to the ground and ripped off Kaidan's helmet, placing his Claymore against Alenko's forehead.
"See you later, Spectre!" he mocked, as he pulled the trigger.