Mass Effect: Each Story Has A Million Tales.

Summary: "There is always more than just one side to a story- and more than one lesson to learn. Follow Garrus Vakarian as he stands by a promise that he means to keep, contemplates the true meaning of life, death, and the ultimate sacrifice, and as he confronts someone who should have been behind him all along. Follow Adelais Vakarian as he mends a broken bond, and as he comes to terms with a terrible loss of his own. Follow Kolyat Krios as he navigates through a very dangerous place, only to find another- under the guidance of someone who may or may not be there at all. And follow Commander Joleen Shepard as she goes through her past and present, only to find herself in the middle of a battle for her future." (Garrus' Story: 'The Promise-Keeper.' Adelais' Story: 'The Old Soldier.' Kolyat's Story: 'The Wanderer.' Shepard's Story: 'The Missing.')

Warning: "This is a heavy one- some swearing, angst, implied adult situations, adult situations, a few character deaths, violence, and blood. All the big ones this time. Remember, this is my Shepard, my feelings on the game and what should have happened and will happen, with my own opinions and storyline, so no nasty comments. Got it? Good." (Commander Joleen Shepard: War Hero, Earthborn. Soldier. Paragon. Romanced Kaidan Alenko in the 1st game, Garrus Vakarian in the 2nd and 3rd. Shot and killed Udina during the Citadel Coup.)

Disclaimer: "I do not own Mass Effect. At all. So don't make me say it again."

Author's Note: "Just so you all know, the name 'Adelais,' is Latin for 'Noble,' and the name 'Carissa' means 'the most beloved one.' Personally, I just thought the two names fit the story and what the characters were meant for."

N._.S._.S

Chapter Sixty-One: The Promise-Keeper XVI.

It was quiet.

Too damn quiet.

The Council Chambers were decimated.

The blossom trees, roots, flowers, and all, had been ripped from their various places from around the room and thrown clear across the room near where they stood now, blossoms left flying everywhere, some still suspended in the air.

As if by some nameless, invisible God that utterly refused to let them fall onto the bloodied floor.

"Dad?" Garrus called as Shepard stepped forward, her dark brown eyes narrowing in clear concern. She brushed her shoulder-length, dark brown hair out of her eyes, and pushed her glasses up, squinting a little as they brushed through the uprooted trees.

"Looks like someone put up a fight," Shepard murmured, "It would take a strong Biotic to do this."

"Let's hope whoever it was isn't working on the wrong side, then," Garrus answered, kicking aside the limp body of a Cerberus trooper unfortunate enough to have been crushed under the tree by whatever pissed-off biotic had thrown it, and slowly withdrawing his rifle. "And not dead."

Shepard nodded slightly. "Find your father," she said, quietly, "I'll find Kolyat."

As she headed up the stairs toward the Council seats, Garrus checked the rafters above him. He knew Adelais had told him he'd be up there, and if he wasn't, it would mean that his father might have…

Fallen.

And there was no way anyone could have survived a fall like-

"Garrus!"

At Shepard's terrified scream, Garrus whirled around and outright sprinted up the stairs leading to the Council seats, knowing that she had found them-

Shepard never screamed unless-

He stopped dead once he saw what had done it.

Kolyat was sitting up, his back against the Council stand.

His eyes were closed, and he was covered in a pool of his own blood.

His right arm was missing.

It had been sawed completely off.

And the sword that did it lay broken cleanly in half beside him.

Adelais lay just a few feet away, motionless.

Shepard was kneeling between them, as if she couldn't decide which to help first. She looked up at him, dark brown eyes wide, glistening with sudden tears of panic and honest, despairing agony-

The same fear when Thane faced Kai Leng.

The same look when Mordin, Legion and Ashley died.

Garrus knelt beside his father, shock clouding his thoughts as he stared down at the old cop, stupidly wondering about the small, jagged scar on the right side Adelais' face that he'd never noticed before now-

Just something else I never bothered to notice until now, he realized, despairingly.

He knew now his fear had been confirmed.

It was obvious.

Adelais had fallen from the beams.

"Dad," Garrus tried, gently, placing a taloned hand on his father's shoulder-armor and shaking gently, as if Adelais were only asleep. "Dad," he said again, this time more urgently.

Beside him, Shepard was trying to bind what remained of Kolyat's still-bleeding stump of a shoulder, to stop the blood flow and prevent the Drell from bleeding out-

Though it looked like it was already too late.

"Oh, my God," she kept saying, over and over again, "Oh, my God."

"Dad," Garrus said again, pleadingly. Damn it! He thought, when there was no response, Did he really just make it through the Reaper War to be killed by a fall?

Then, suddenly, Adelais' eyes snapped open, and he bolted up, so quickly that his head collided with Garrus' chest armor before the younger Turian could realize what was happening.

"Ow! Garrus!" Adelais snapped, "What have I told you about playing with my armor?"

Wait, what did he just say?

Even Shepard head turned around, dark brown eyes wide in shock- and something else.

And was that a smile?

"Dad?" Garrus said in confusion as Adelais flopped back down again.

Adelais instantly sat back up again at his son's call, rubbing the side of his head, as if fighting a headache, eyes tightly shut. "Don't tell me I fell from the beams," he said, not looking up at Garrus as he spoke.

Shepard's head turned again. "Oh, thank God," she said.

Adelais swore when Garrus just patted his shoulder, trying, despite himself, not to laugh.

And failing.

"I thought you were dead," Garrus told his father as Adelais looked up at him. "Well," he amended, kindly, "Either that or lost whatever little sanity you have left."

Adelais rose a brow-plate in warning, but collapsed as he tried to stand.

"You shouldn't be moving," Shepard said, warningly, without turning her head, as she finished binding Kolyat's wound. Adelais, ignoring her, looked over at what she was doing.

"So he did lose his arm…" Adelais said, quietly, almost mournfully, "Damn that man!" He swore, heatedly, as he slowly rose up to his feet, using Garrus' shoulder to steady himself.

"How did this happen?" Garrus asked.

"That assassin, Hades, threw his sword at me after I took a shot at him. Nailed him in the arm, and he threw his sword at me in retaliation- I managed to dodge it, but I lost my footing," Adelais explained, darkly, midnight blue eyes flashing with true fury as he said the assassin's name, "the Drell tried to move past him to get to me, but the sword must have had some kind retraction device in it, because it came back… I wasn't conscious to see what happened next, though." Adelais added, slowly, as Garrus helped him to his feet.

At that moment, just as Adelais' explanation of the events finished, Kolyat's eyes slowly fluttered open, though it didn't look like he was fully conscious despite being awake now. He coughed once, spraying blood, but his breathing was surprisingly calm, despite the panic that immediately flashed in his dark eyes when he saw that his right arm was missing, but it hitched suddenly when Shepard reached out for him.

He caught her wrist, stopping her from touching him again.

His lips moved, but no words came out.

Shepard went from relieved to worried. "Kolyat, don't-"

The Drell ignored her. He gripped what was left of his shoulder, crimson blood already leaking through the crude bandages that Shepard had wrapped around it.

Adelais' eyes narrowed and he slowly knelt to the ground, beside Shepard, and judging by the way his dark, midnight blue eyes suddenly glistened with an old fire, Garrus knew instantly that his father's famous "old cop" persona had reemerged once again.

"Easy now," Adelais ordered, though kindly. Shepard backed off as Adelais took over, her dark brown eyes softening as she stood up, "Don't panic."

Kolyat's grip on his shoulder tightened, but he nodded.

"Reaper." Kolyat murmured, still not looking up at them, "The Reaper."

"It's coming closer," Adelais said, looking up at Shepard. "We need to get back to the Normandy before-"

"No!" Kolyat snapped, actually looking up at them now. "Commander Shepard needs to go up into the Control Panel before it's too late!"

Garrus could see the shock in Shepard's eyes as she pulled out the Control Chip.

"Take that damn thing and go!" Kolyat told her, struggling to his feet despite Adelais' attempts to force him back down, "You need to go before the Reaper makes it here or it's all over!"

At that moment, they heard it.

That banshee-mechanical shriek of a Reaper.

All of them turned to the gargantuan Reaper to see the huge mechanical beast already lumbering through the very outer rims of the Citadel. Surrounding it was the remnants of a few ships. Behind it were various ships, some Cerberus, but most of them the combined forces of the Main Fleet.

"Kolyat's right, Commander," Adelais said, "everything that's happened up until now will be in vain if that Control Chip doesn't make it to the Panel," he said, helping Kolyat to his feet, despite being so injured himself. "Garrus and I will take the Drell to the Normandy-"

Not this time.

"Dad-"

"Garrus," Adelais answered, gently, "I can't carry him myself."

His father was admitting he couldn't do something.

Garrus couldn't believe it.

But he also couldn't believe he was about to be forced to let Shepard go alone again.

Again.

"She can't go alone this time," Garrus countered, darkly, "I'm not going to let that happen again." In desperation, he turned to face Shepard…

Only to see that she had already made her choice.

And of course, it was the one that saved them all.

But it was also the one that also damned them all.

N._.S._.S

Here we go, people!

The final sprint!

XD

I hope you're all prepared for…

THE END.

Happy Reading!