Honor's Boundary -
A Garrus Vakarian Tale
By: Kellieqd
Game: Mass Effect
Pairing: Shepard...eventually
Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and it's characters are the sole intellectual property of Bioware and EA. This is simply my interpretation of their story.
Chapter 3: You Say Goodbye and I Say Hello
After packing up what he needed from his office, Garrus arrived back at C-Sec housing and anxiously made his way to his apartment. He couldn't believe what had just happened. This was insane. He'd always complained about the rules, maybe even found ways around them, but completely disregarding them? He must be losing his mind. The scarier feeling was that he had no doubts about his decision, there was no hesitation on his part. I really am a lousy Turian he thought. The doors slid open and he made his way through the quaint living area, he'd never really bothered with decorating. The only thing lining the walls was a shelf with the medals he'd received during his military training. It was hard to believe it had been 18 years since he enlisted back on Palaven, he could still remember the rush of leaving home and being immersed in a completely new environment, the uncertainty, the thrill, he was feeling it again now.
*creak *creak**
Garrus whipped his pistol out of his holster, the noise came from his bedroom. Despite all of his excitement his senses were keen, heightened, his mind only focused on the possible threat at hand. Could Saren have caught wind of the investigation, would he be willing to go so far as to send an assassin to silence any one in his way. He had used local thugs to try and stop the Quarian, why wouldn't he come after Garrus as well. Weapon in hand he silently crept down the hall, he was nearing his target. In one swift motion he hit the door control and spun around to take aim with lethal efficiency.
"Mara!" he exclaimed startled, still high off of the adrenaline rush. "What the hell are you doing here, how did you get in?" he demanded.
"Spirits Garrus, were you going to shoot me? What's wrong with you?" Mara shouted alarmed. "I know everyone in this place remember? Chellick has the emergency access codes for your door, so I told him you knew I was coming," she said arguing her innocence.
Chellick of course, Garrus fumed.
Mara's expression changed from dismay to mischievous, "If you want I'll let you keep that gun out, I have been an awfully bad girl officer..." she began to fiddle with clasp on her uniform.
"Mara! For Spirits Sake. You can NOT just let yourself into my house! I spend all day going after dangerous people, did it ever occur to you that maybe one day they might come after me? What am I supposed to think when someone is in my room? I could have hurt you, this is serious," he couldn't restrain the acid in his voice. He could tell he hurt her feelings.
"I didn't even think about that," she grimaced. "Solana just mentioned you had been under a lot of stress lately so I thought I would surprise you, help you work off some tension. Isn't that what any good girlfriend would do?" she inquired.
We've been over this, she is not my girlfriend. She promised to keep this casual but clearly it had developed into something deeper for her.
"I'm sorry Mara," his tone softened, " I don't mean to snap at you, now's just a bad time. We actually need to talk." He took a seat on the bed next to her.
He could feel how uncomfortable she was, he could sense her bracing herself for what he was going to say.
"I'm leaving in the morning. I put in my request for indefinite leave from C-Sec today. I'll be joining an Alliance vessel on a dangerous and highly classified mission..." a smile broke across his face, he liked the sound of that.
"I have no way of knowing when I'll be back. If... I'll be back. I think it will be better for you if you don't sit around waiting for me. You deserve better than that, better than I've been giving you. I'm at a place where my career has to come first. I never meant to hurt you," he expressed in a sympathetic tone. He could tell that was not what she was expecting.
"Career? What career? You'll be throwing it all away and for what, the Alliance? I just...I don't understand. How did all of this happen so suddenly?" Her shock was understandable.
"He must be one hell of a commanding officer to recruit you like this," she huffed.
"Yes, she is. She's a newly appointed Spectre. The first human to hold the rank, actually. We share a mutual interest and it's to our advantage to pool our resources. She's putting together quite the crew. It is an amazing honor to be asked to join the mission," he was proud to respond.
"Her?" she said a little shakily. Mara's voice was different than he had ever heard her before.
"I saw her on the news the other day. There's no way she's going to last, she isn't ready, humans aren't ready." The young Turian female was not prone to racism, but it was a common sentiment among their people.
"I hear fraternization is allowed on human vessels, even between the Superior officers and their crew. I hope you'll have the decency to keep to yourself and focus on your mission, whatever it is. It must be good if you're really going ahead with all of this." There was vulnerable quality to her voice, like she was threatened.
"I am, I already accepted! I leave at 0700," he said firmly.
"Well, I guess I better leave you to get ready then," she exhaled and stood up off of the bed.
Garrus stood up to meet her. He grabbed her ungloved hands and nuzzled her forehead. He really did care for her, she had been a good friend to him through his training at C-Sec and he did appreciate her talents.
"Take care of yourself, kid, you know I'll have Chellick keeping an eye on you," he remarked.
She smiled at that, and turned toward the door.
"Just promise you won't do anything stupid," she pleaded. "The Citadel won't be the same without you."
He saw the beginnings of a tear well up near the corner of her emerald colored eye before she hung her head and sped out of the apartment.
"Well, wasn't expecting that, at least it's over with," he muttered under his breath.
He sat back on the bed for minute and let his head hit the pillow, legs hanging over the edge. He took a moment to think of all the things he would be leaving behind. He expected to feel more apprehensive, but the thought of what lay ahead overwhelmed any shred of doubt he may have had. After making peace with what had happened he climbed to his feet and finished packing the few remaining items he would need to take with him, which amounted to one large duffel bag and of course his beloved sniper rifle, he could never leave her behind.
He couldn't sleep. He had been laying in bed staring at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity. He had finished writing to his parents so that they wouldn't worry when they tried to contact him at the Citadel. He knew it was Pallin's duty to inform his Father of his actions and he had to beat him to it. He spent a solid hour writing and re-writing the brief and very vague note. This is what he came up with.
"Dear Father,
Just checking in to make sure you are doing alright. I thought I should let you know I will be relocating for awhile. One of my investigations will be better served outside of the C-Sec office. Try not to worry, I will keep you informed as much as I can about my whereabouts. I know you understand I will not always have permission to speak freely. When I bring this traitor to justice, the Vakarian name will be recorded in the history books for future generations to see. Make sure and give Mom my love.
Garrus"
He knew his letter was not sufficient, but he also knew nothing he could tell his Father about his decision could be. It would always end in disappointment.
Cargo in hand, Garrus was the first of his new colleagues to arrive at the docking bay. He had heard about the Normandy, but he could not have prepared himself for how magnificent she truly was. He looked upon her in disbelief.
"She's a beauty isn't she?" a female voice echoed over to him.
Shepard! Where did she come from? He hadn't even heard a footstep. He turned to attention!
"Just try not to drool on her too much, I promised Anderson I would return her just the way he left her!" she smiled and said.
He could see her twinge at the mention of Anderson's name. He had been her Captain, but they had pulled him off the case because of his history with Saren. Now he was stuck sitting behind a desk pushing papers, much like Garrus had been. He could understand her frustration.
"I'm sorry to hear about the situation with your Captain, he has an excellent reputation. I'm sure all of those politicians will benefit from having a soldier's perspective on this one. They can be... out of touch sometimes," he said.
"Thank you, Garrus right?" she said, seeking confirmation.
He nodded.
She continued, "I sure hope so. I've never had the privilege of serving under anyone better. If they can open their minds, he will be a great asset for them, for us..." her eyes looked off thoughtfully to the distance.
Garrus nodded in agreement. The elevator doors swung open, the familiar sound of it's music flooding the immediate area. Out stepped Wrex followed by a Quarian female, the one Shepard must have been talking about.
"Wrex, Tali, glad you could make it," Shepard greeted them.
Wrex grunted in response and Tali cheerfully acknowledged them both. He could tell she was just as excited as he was, he could see her eyes widen behind her mask perusing over the ship.
Soon, a middle aged Earth man appeared behind Shepard.
"Oh good, Pressly, I was beginning to wonder if you would show," she gave him a pat on the back. Humans were sure fond of physical contact Garrus noted.
"Sorry Commander, I was just making sure the ship was prepared for her maiden voyage under your Command," he replied. His eyes glanced over the new recruits, he was cool and collected but his eyes betrayed his feelings toward the Commander's choices.
"Everyone, this is XO Pressly, he is my second in command, his word is like my own," she explained before continuing, "there are just a few things I would like to say before you come aboard. First, welcome! My ship is your ship and once you're on board you will function as part of a singular unit. I won't put up with any contentions while I am in charge. If you have a problem, come to me and if it can't be resolved I expect it to be left at your bed in the morning. I cannot afford anyone to be distracted. Agreed?" she said, demanding a reply.
This elicited some apprehensive groans before they responded with a unanimous, "Agreed!".
None of them knew what to expect from such a diverse crew.
"This is a dangerous mission. We don't really know what we're up against, but if the Geth are involved you can bet it's going to get ugly!" She proclaimed. Tali responded with an enthusiastic nod, she knew all too well what the Geth were capable of. She had spent her childhood learning about the wars between their two races. If you can call synthetic machines a "race."
"Some of you may not be up to speed, here is what little we do know," she paused to hand out electronic dossiers for them to look over. Garrus couldn't wait for the chance to read through it.
"I expect great things from each of you, I can see that you have much to offer to this crew. Don't make me regret the decision I have made here," she concluded her brief speech.
"I'll speak to each of you one on one once we break orbit, there will be a meeting in the Comm Room exactly 2:00 hours from now. Take your things and get settled where you feel comfortable." With that she and Pressly made their way onto the ship.
The Turian, the Krogan and the Quarian exchanged glances. There was no need for words between them, it was obvious they were all thinking the same thing. This was going to be interesting.