Chapter 14: Fallout

Missiles exploded into all three doors of the warehouse, sending metal and shrapnel firing in all directions. Into each room rushed a crack squadron of the Turian military, specialists who had trained for years to extract hostages from dicey situations. They were trained to save, but knew how to kill, and this mission afforded them the opportunity for both.

Attached to the squad entering the main entrance, Nehria spoke over the comm system, "Targets are a Turian male and an Asari female. They are high priority for rescue. Assume all other targets are hostile. Authorization to kill is granted."

Smoke grenades were launched into the room to conceal the vision of any enemies as the Turian force went to silent mode to hunt their prey. Working quickly, they were able to locate three heat signatures that had fallen back to a defensive posture.

As snipers set up at the highest locations they could find, the ground members were working their way stealthily toward the three figures. They couldn't identify anything for certain, but computer analysis indicated two Turians and one Batarian. Tracer identification confirmed Garrus was not amongst them.

Not knowing what had happened to her quarry since entering here, Nehria found herself in a quandary. It would appear Garrus was not here, but surveillance had clearly shown him entering this building. Was there an underground extraction or some other trick being played? Her Turian training suggested she remove the foe immediately, but she did not know what to do.

In the darkness, a voice called out. "Stop. If you come any further, we will kill the Turian and his little blue friend."

As she listened more closely, she could tell the voice wasn't Turian. It must be the Batarian then, as he said, "You will negotiate now or else."

The snipers had a clear aim on all three figures now, with the markings on their armor being identified as Blue Suns. Nehria didn't know what business Garrus Vakarian had with the mercenary group, but she hadn't been briefed as thoroughly as she should have been for her escort mission. While she had extensive military training as did all Turians, she was a diplomatic attaché.

But she had command for this mission, as the success or failure would be her own. Whispering, she passed on a order to her marksmen.

Two bullets shot through the darkness, straight into the skulls of the Turian guards. Each fell dead immediately, their faces completely a broken mess. The Batarian screamed in anger, and started shooting his weapon without any target in particular.

"If it's death you want, it is death you will get!" he exclaimed as he went toward a control panel to push some button.

A split-second decision: Nehria wondered should she order the kill and risk losing any lead on Garrus or risk losing her team. She thought for just an instant what Garrus would want, and that he couldn't stomach letting his team die. He went after Samara when it was certain death.

Her orders were to recover Vakarian at any cost, but she was not going to risk having her men die just to follow up on a lead. They would find another way, and before the Batarian could do whatever act he planned, he was shot from behind and fell dead onto the floor.

With no more enemies in the room as best they could tell, the teams moved to secure the area and closed in on the location of the Batarian Blue Sun. Upon reaching the point, Nehria saw the three bodies, the panel, and a closed off room. It was difficult to see into the room as it was full of some sort of gas, but she couldn't get any other readings as it was thermally sealed.

Calling out to the technician with the team, she screamed, "Get that open now!"

"Yes, ma'am," replied a spindly Turian who quickly analyzed the device with omni-tool. "I can't get any readings on the substance in the chamber, but I think know how to open it." He reported instantly, "I'd advise getting a hazmat team in here for this, and pulling back all members of the team."

Nehria frowned as she gave the order, "Pull back, and order the Hazmat crew here." As the squad moved to safer positions, she asked the technician, "How do I open this?"

"Are you crazy?" he asked.

"Answer me!" she shrieked. "I'll have my mask and goggles, it will do."

"You are crazy," he said. "Your call." Showing her how the machine operated, he demonstrated very quickly how it could be opened, and then began to run for the door.

Nehria took a deep breath before putting her mask on. Her exoskeleton wouldn't be protected, but it would give her a chance, and if Garrus or Samara was inside, they couldn't afford to wait. Vakarian had a better chance of surviving just based on biology.

Ready as she could be, the Turian released the door and the gas came out. She rushed in there and found two bodies. Samara was in bad condition, having lost a good deal of blood, but still was warm and appeared to breathing. Garrus had collapsed beside her and his condition appeared more stable, but was clearly unconscious.

She pulled out Samara first, lifting the woman to an area several meters away from the chamber. Applying a medi-gel pack to her, she rushed back in and radioed to her team, she called out, "We need a medical evac, now. Targets have been located, Asari in serious condition but stable."

Going back in, she ran into the room once more to get Garrus. Where the Asari was light as was her armor, Garrus was quite heavy, and the body was dragged slowly but surely out into the open air. She set him by the control as she resealed the chamber to prevent leakage of any more of the gas.

As she checked to make sure his signs were vital, she saw no major damage and he was breathing normally, if not conscious. Using her omni-tool, she tried to get a reading on the gas used and what impact it would have had.

Looking at the display, it appeared they used sleeping gas. When she saw that, the first reaction Nehria had was shock, and then she began laughing uncontrollably. "Goddamn sleeping gas."

She set herself down, and just sat there as she had survived her first mission. Within second, the medical teams had come and taken the Asari for evacuation. As for Garrus, he remained unconscious, but had a strangely serene expression on his face. It wasn't one to last.

Over her headset, she heard, "Report, Vendarius."

"Vendarius here," she replied. "Both friendlies are secure and all hostiles have been eliminated. The Asari took a pretty bad beating, but she should be okay in a few days. Vakarian is unconscious, but has no apparent other damage. The perpetrators appear to be Blue Suns."

"On Palaven," replied the voice. "How bold of them and how foolish. We will have to teach them a lesson."

"Yes, General," replied Nerhia as she recognized the voice on the other end as General Kieran Balisarian, a Primarch and a powerful figure.

"Good job, Vendarius," he noted. "You did well today, getting to us as quickly as you did, and in making decisions in the field."

After she had left Vakarian, she knew he was walking into some suicide mission and that help would be needed. Given the importance of the mission the former C-Sec agent was assisting, the military took no chances and put their best people into action, immediately tracking the emissary. Within moments, they were observing all that was happening, and were ready to strike.

She felt a rush of pride at the acknowledgment, even as she knew she had taken a terrible gamble and had just been lucky. She might have lost Garrus permanently. She might have died from the gas herself. Or there might have been nothing.

"It has been noted and you'll receive a commendation for this. Report to the hq once the scene is secure and we'll have a full debriefing. Balisarian out."

As she sit there besides Garrus, she thought about what it must be like to be on missions like this all the time. Training didn't compare and even as she had been frightened out of her mind, it was also exhilarating.

The medics finished loading Samara into a vehicle for transport to a medical facility. Before they left, Nehria waved for one of the medics to come over to the passed out sharpshooter, and took a small piece of smelling salt that would help him awaken.

As she waved it beneath his nose, Garrus' eyes opened immediately and he began to look around wondering what had happened. Perched against the wall, he saw Nehria smiling.

He said, "I'm not dead."

She laughed at his morbid humor, saying, "If you are, at least you're not alone."

Looking around, he asked, "Where's Samara? What happened?" He rose to his feet and started looking around. He saw the dead bodies of the Turians who had abducted her, and the Batarian who had taunted him. Or at least, he saw what was left of them.

"Samara has been taken to the medical center for treatment for her wounds. The varren attack could have been much worse. She lost a lot of blood, but there should be no permanent damage and she'll be back to full speed within the week."

Garrus listened and said, "It sounds like she's in better shape than this one."

Looking at Nehria, he found himself admiring her and could see she had obviously just been through a stressful situation. Nonetheless, he said, "I told you not to follow me."

"Good thing for you I don't listen too well," was her retort. "But I brought friends."

"You could have died," he noted.

"You almost did," she replied. "But we were lucky. The Batarian had ample time, but he didn't."

He looked down at the corpse of Talak, thinking of how reckless he had been, and told Nehria, "He didn't want to kill me. He wanted to break me."

"Maybe that explains the sleeping gas," she continued. "We didn't know what was in there, and thought you might already be gone."

"Sleeping gas?" he asked. "I thought I died rather well," he croaked.

She punched him like a soldier would another, and said, "You know, I doubt he would have just left you there had we come to rescue you."

"I know," was all Garrus could say in response. Strange that it would be the vice of another that would save his life. It was stranger still that he would find himself in debt to a stranger, but he was appreciative of a second chance on life.

"Thank you, Nehria," he said. "I owe you, but next time, you better listen."

"Yes, sir," she offered a mock salute, and she looked over at him with pride and maybe even more. When she thought about it, she risked everything for this man based on what. It was her duty, but she had sensed there was more than that.

"One other thing," said Garrus. He had never been one to express himself openly, but maybe it was the moment and the uncertainty of the future, but he reached to her and gave her a deep kiss. For her part, Vendarius didn't resist and she let her arms wrap around this visitor from afar.

Rising, he said, "All things considered, of the five people in this room, I'm having the best day." He offered a smile as he rose and offered a talon to his female companion. She accepted it, and arose. Kicking Talak one last time for good measure, he said, "I think this episode should be over."

"Are you going to tell me what this about, Garrus?" asked the attaché.

"It doesn't matter now, but I suspect you'll hear the story soon enough. Let's wait until then," he responded.

Accepting that explanation, and knowing there were the military, the Primarchs, and everyone else waiting for some answers, they walked out of the warehouse and into the sunlight. Garrus nodded to the soldiers who were still on sight, noting both how they were experts in their craft, and also the respect they seemed to give to the woman beside him.

"Speaking of stories," he began, "Do you want to tell me what happened back there?"

Nehria smiled and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

Vakarian could only smile at that, and as they were reaching the end of the area that had been blocked off, a military command vehicle was pulling into position.

Out stepped General Balisarian and all the Turians snapped to attention. All were saluting save Garrus, as he was not a member of the military.

Saluting in response, the General walked toward Garrus and Nehria saying, "Vakarian, what happened here? He walked with clear command and stared directly at the visitor as he expected an answer.

"General, I apologize. This was a personal matter. I killed his brother…"

The Primarch interrupted, "So you turned a neighborhood into a war zone?"

Biting his tongue, Garrus said, "They abducted my shipmate. I had no other choice."

The General eyed him critically before deciding, "I suppose you didn't. They had nerve to do this here."

"I never thought I would be at risk here on Palaven."

"You should not have been," agreed the military officer. "These Batarians are growing too bold and should be taught a lesson. No Turian would dare attack the homeworld. We don't do that."

Nehria and Garrus both nodded as it was unconscionable for Turians to work against their own people. In their history, there had never been a traitor against the race because they simply weren't wired this way.

"We will need to talk about this more later, but there are more pressing matters. The Primarchs have already gathered, and want to speak with you." He gestured to the vehicle, making it clear Garrus was to come along.

Before he left, he turned to Nehria and said, "Thanks for everything."

She simply nodded before the General, and smiled at Garrus.

The vehicle took off and the newly revived marksman was surprised to find himself still thinking about Nehria. He wished he had the time to get to know her, but recognized with the galaxy at stake, there was no time for such thoughts right now. This mission had to succeed.

The Primarch looked over at Garrus and asked him, "Is the report true? About the Reapers?"

"I don't know what you've heard, sir," he began as he thought of his own experiences, "but I've fought them twice now, and know they desire nothing short of our complete destruction and assimilation. They do more than kill you. They make you into them."

"It sounds like the Geth," commented Balisarian.

"The Geth are nothing compared to the Reapers. Have you seen the footage?" he asked.

"I have," said the General. "It seems like they're most interested in the Humans."

"They might start there," conceded Garrus, "but they won't stop until we are all dead."

The General nodded as he considered this. He said nothing more until they arrived at the military HQ. While there were no obvious weapons in place, it was a veritable fortress once you entered, and would be the hardest place on the planet to invade.

"Vakarian, I don't know what the Primarchs are going to decide, but answer any questions they have as honestly as possible," instructed the General. "I agree we need to be ready to fight, but not everyone shares that opinion."

Garrus simply nodded and said nothing more as he was led into a room where a little more than a dozen Turians of high rank had gathered and a few more watched on the video screens.

One of the Primarchs called out, "Garrus Vakarian, how nice of you to join us. We thought you might be unable to attend this meeting."

As gracefully as he could, the Turian responded, "I'm grateful for your assistance in helping bring me here. And I look forward to answering your questions."

Primarch Augelio, speaker for the world of Edessan, continued, "Tell me why we should get ourselves involved in a Human war, especially when the one pushing it has shown himself to be a Turian who doesn't need the Hegemony."

Garrus knew he was being baited, but continued, "Yes, Primarch, I have fought alongside the Humans. Commander Shepard is my friend, and he saved many Turian lives at the Citadel, and they have fought hard against an enemy that threatens us all."

He looked around the room and said, "You don't have to like me. I left the military and I left C-Sec, and I made mistakes. I don't want to make another mistake, and I am going to fight against these Reapers, because if we don't fight together, we will die alone."

As he looked around the room, he noted the majority of the heads were nodding with him. Maybe there was hope yet.

Augelio was not to be done, "Commander Shepard, your great unifier. If he was such a good person, tell me why he killed a few hundred thousand Batarians, as the news reports say." Smugly, he continued, "You neglected to mention that in your report."

Not expecting this news to be public, Garrus was undaunted, "The Councilors were informed that the Bahak System relay was destroyed to prevent a Reaper invasion. Many thousands were killed. But millions may have been saved by the time we have saved."

The Primarch countered, "These Reapers cannot be such a threat if a renegade like Shepard working with an organization like Cerberus could have thwarted them twice. I think this is just another ploy for the Systems Alliance to expand even beyond the Terminus Sector. Will we serve as their pawns?"

Looking squarely at Garrus, he asked, "If they were so concerned about the Reapers, then why would they be drawing themselves into a war now, of all times, with the Batarians?"

To emphasize the point, he brought up a screen that showed the Batarians had made a public demand that Commander Jared Shepard be extradited to Batarian space to stand trial in their court for genocide. The Humans had a standard galactic day to respond or war would be declared.

The Primarchs had not been aware of this breaking news, and began murmuring amongst themselves. The assembly was breaking into hushed conversations passing between the men, and Garrus found himself looking at Balisarian as he wondered what would happen now.

"Do you know what the Humans will do?" the General asked the Turian who knew as much about Humanity as any of his race.

The room quieted as everyone wanted to hear this. Considering all the possibilities, there was only one inevitable conclusion: "It will be war."

Author's Note: Making it seem like Garrus died was a bit harsh on my part, but you can't always walk into impossible situations and come out alive. The game lets you get away with that, but in my story, I will not. The story is somewhat organic, so I can't say who and where, but it gives me another reason to keep writing.

Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the story, and I thank everyone favoriting this story and offering reviews. I'm working on a home improvement project which means I can't always post daily, but I am keeping up as best I can, and intend to see this story to a conclusion (at the beginning of Mass Effect 3, as best I imagine it happening). I have my own ideas on that also, but the game will probably shatter those, so I won't fight it.

Lastly, I hope you like Nehria. I think it is time Garrus opened up a bit, and maybe she'll do the part. He won't want it, but he'll like it. :)