(A/N at the bottom!)
Chapter Ten
I'll sleep when I'm dead.
Shepard crossed her arms and leaned back. Peering over at the turian opposite to her.
"Tell me." She exhorted him.
"We've been over this before, Shepard. I'm not telling you." He mused in return.
"There's going to be consequences." A warning, but how much weight did it carry?
"Really? What would you do with the information? Kill every single one that would be Primarch before me?"
"There might be... accidents. There is a war going on after all."
He shook his head. "This is why I'm not telling."
"Fine." She said and stepped up to him. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
The elevator stopped and the doors hissed open. In the last days they had gone through a war summit meeting which resulted in Wrex demanding a cure for the Krogan. Which in turn resulted in a violent mission playing out on Surkesh, the Salarian homeworld. Apparently salarians had managed to capture a few of Malons test-subject and nursed tem back to health. With one of these krogan females, a cure could be made. Everyone was grumpy about the situation, but as usual Shepard had resolved it. So now with Mordin back on the team they were heading to the krogan homeworld; Tuchanka.
Shepard stepped out of the elevator and turned her head towards the left.
"James!" She called. "You said you wanted to see how the mission on Tuchanka would play out. You got five minutes to get changed."
"Aye, Commander!" Came the word. Shepard turned towards her turian lover.
"Consequences, Vakarian." She raised a finger and gave a venomous smile. Garrus raised his arms in objection.
"You can't be serious."
"Are you telling me?" She asked but there was no answer. "Then yes, I can be serious."
Shepard didn't wait for the doors to close when she turned towards the shuttle where Liara, Wrex, Eve, Cortez and Mordin was already waiting. The salarian and the female krogan was already inside the shuttle. Liara looked over and got a questioning look on her face.
"Where's Garrus?"
"Change of plans, Vega is taking his spot. Everything ready Mordin?"
"Only last stage of processing the cure left, will fix while on Tuchanka."
"Good. Hurry up Vega, or we're leaving you behind!"
"I'm going as fast as I can!" There came a clatter of metals. Liara watched the commander enter the craft, looked over at the elevator, but it had already closed and gone up again.
The shuttle left the Normady. As they closed in on the landing zone Shepard stood up and took a firm hold of a bar in the shuttle's ceiling.
"So, how do we do this?"
"I've ordered the clans to assemble at the Hollows. It's our sacred meeting ground." Wrex placed himself in front of the commander. "We'll land there and take an armored convoy against the Reaper. This will be the defining moment in krogan history." He added, raising his head in anticipation.
"Krogan history filled with defining moments. Mostly bloody. Hope this one better."
James looked around at the different characters in this shuttle. A krogan warlord, a female kgroan(really how many have even seen one?) a salarian mastermind, a brilliant asari and the galaxys best hope for winning the war in his own commander. Take out this one shuttle and you take out some of the galaxy's most crucial cornerstones to even having a chance at this war. And here he sat. Just a soldier. How did he really end up in this company?
"Commander, you seem troubled." Said Eve, watching the commander carefully. All eyes turned to the two.
"There's just a lot on the line. I want this to go well." Blue eyes raised to reassure the krogan female. Shepard took a seat in the shuttle, keeping the eye contact.
"Have faith. No matter the adversity we face, some moments are destined to happen. This is one of them."
The commander nodded. Shortly after, the shuttle shook violently and a hail came over the radio.
"Wrex, it's Wreav! The reapers are already at the Hollows! Come out with guns blazing!"
Shepard stood up again, this time with a smile. "We can do that."
Wrex chuckled and readied his weapon. "Damn straight!"
"Hang on tight! We're heading in!" Cortex maneuvered the shuttle to the landing zone and opened the hatch. Wrex dropped out immediately, placing shot in the face of a husk.
"Shepard, keep them away from the female! I'll sort out what's happening with-"
"She's already on it, Wrex." Liara stated, jumping out of the shuttle.
Wrex turned around and saw her already busy with the attacking husks and cannibals.
"Damn woman." He shook his head, but not without a smile. "Catch you later."
"Come on James, let's go give her some cover."
While Wrex screamed his continuing orders on keeping the female safe and Liara voicing her concerns on the amount of enemies, Shepard and James mostly seemed to enjoy themselves. Enemies before them fell before the bullets, grenades and biotic attacks. James slammed his fist into the last husk, sending it flying off the edge. Wrex came along with backup.
"They'll sing battle-songs about this someday! Reaper blood has finally soaked out soil!" Other krogan were appearing around the balcony's and roaring their approval.
"We have to get to the Shroud." Shepard interrupted their rejoice. "The airstrike is on it's way."
"Female safe, Shepard. Vitals are strong." Mordin stepped out of the crowd as if he naturally belonged here. Just as naturally his presence was questioned.
"What's a salarian doing here?" The demand game from a strong krogan voice, flanked by six other warriors. Dismay and dislike dripped from this voice. "Nobody said anything about this."
"Multiple krogan. Problematic." Mordin commented.
Instinctively Shepard took a step forward and placed herself between the salarian and the krogan. She tilted her head and spoke defiantly "Who are you?"
"Urdnot Wreav. Broodbrother to our... illustrious leader." The sarcastic comment was met by growls from Wrex companions.
"Wreav and I share the same mother. And nothing else." Wrex calmly retorted.
"For which I am thankful. I remember what it means to be a true krogan. We flay our enemies alive and drown them in a geyser of their own blood. We don't invite them to our home."
"There's no time for this." Shepard lost her patience. "Whatever grudge you have against salarians ends right now." She pointed down on the ground as if manifest time as something physical.
"As long as it involves a bullet in his head. Time for some payback!" His steps towards Mording were threatening, but Shepard held her ground, ready to take him down by any means necessary. A stream of biotic charge ran through her limbs. Her hands clenched into fists.
Then sounded a loud clank as Wrex stepped up and headbutted Wreav hard. "Stand down, Wreav! The salarian is with me."
There was much growling starting up between them. How these krogan managed to stay out of a civil war was beyond James understanding.
Wreav pulled out a gun and the situation seemed more hopeless by every second that passed.
"Enough!" Came a strong, commanding voice echoing through the Hollows. Everyone turned to see the female krogan standing at the top of the stairs. Piercing each and everyone of them with her eyes. The male krogan was subdued in an instant. They started flocking to get a look of this... female. "You can stay here and let old wounds fester as krogan has always done." The words were spat out in content, tired of the hostility. She came down the stairs and walked towards the center of the room. Krogan shuffled to give her room. "Or you can fight the enemy you were born to destroy, and win a new future for our children." Pride in her voice now. Pride and encouragement. "I choose to fight." She turned and watched her audience carefully. "Who will join me?"
James noted movement by his side and his commander stepped out in the gap where the krogan had parted for Eve.
"I will." All eyes turned to her in an instant.
"And so will I." Wrex joined her in a heartbeat. "Now hold your heads high like true krogan! There's a reaper that needs killing!"
There was a surge of anticipation going trough the warlords companions. Wreav took a look around and gave his half-brother a look, then nodded. Adding his companions to the crowd.
"Alright, Mordin you stick with Eve no matter what. Liara, James watch our six. Come on Wrex, lets go play." The large krogan laughed slowly, revealing his teeth. The group moved out.
At this point James realized one thing; in this crowd Shepard was accepted as one of them. She gave commands that they followed. Sure it probably had something to do with her being friends with their most... 'illustrious leader'. But she had earned that friendship. And while the krogan watched himself and Liara with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, they looked at the woman in a green armor as a leader. He couldn't help but wonder, if Shepard had been born a krogan... No, lets just not go there.
All of them got into a convoy of Tomkahs, which was basically a large brutish tank fit for krogans. James quite liked them. They were heading towards the shroud facility, the turians called in their advancements. A few minutes later the whole convoy came to a stop. Liara and James exited their vehicle and Shepard joined them.
"Wrex, you and Mordin stay with Eve. It's looking ugly out here." She turned towards her two soldiers. "Come on, let's take a look." They walked up the road and took a look ahead.
"What's the hold up?" She questioned a krogan scout.
"Road's out, the convoy can't make it through."
They looked at the road, a chasm cut right through it. Shepard walked off conversing with the turian support.
"Turian wing Artimec, this is Shepard. We've been delayed, hold off your attack."
"Negative Commander, our approach is locked." Came a turian voice with a slight hint of distress. "The reaper already knows we're here!" The turian ships passed right over them, heading towards the shroud.
"They can't handle a reaper alone, we've gotta get in there!" His eyes shifted between the ships and his commander.
"Yeah, I know James." She followed the attack closely and cursed under her breath. With heavy firmed steps she walked up to the scout and took out her anger at him. "I don't care if we have to build a new road. We're going!"
"Aw shit! Commander, incoming!" James grabbed hold of Liaras arm pulling her out of the way from a turian ship. It had been hit and was spinning out of control. He heard the crash, he heard Shepard screaming for the krogans to go. He saw a tomkah make a flip and the rest of the convoy made a flying start. Liara was already up, he heard the commander speaking with the turians then Liara shouted she found a way off the road. Then there was a foot kicking his side.
"Planning on taking a nap, James?"
"Yeah, sure, let's take a nap on the radioactive rubble-"
"You're getting left behind, champ."
Her voice was already heading away. James pulled himself up and shook his head to clear it. He murmured a 'god dammit' and started running to catch up. He jumped over a chasm and down a ledge and heard Shepards voice echoing from the stairs in front of him leading down.
"Wrex, are you receiving this? Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah just scratches, nothing the salarian can't patch up. Wreav's truck made it out too."
"The turians had to call of the airstrike. We'll need a new plan for dealing with the reaper."
"First we'll have to find you. Where did you end up?"
"Underground, we see ruins of some kind."
"Commander, that's the city of the ancients." It was Eve who answered her.
"How do we get out?"
"No maps exist. It has been abandoned for thousands of years."
"You're a trailblazer Shepard. Get through there and we'll find a place to meet up."
While the conversation was going on she had already lead them at least two levels further underground.
"Goddess. Had I been younger I would have wanted to study there ruins."
He saw Liara aiming her flashlight over the walls. Her eyes moving over the rocks, studying them.
"You like it down here?"
"There are so much krogan culture that has been lost here."
James toook a closer look around as they moved forward. "I guess it makes you wonder where the krogan would have been if they hadn't nuked the place."
"And what the galaxy would look like if the genophage never happened." They kept heading down in the structure and Liara kept her blue eyes at the walls. Trying to take in as much as possible. Suddenly she came over something peculiar. Trailing her flashlight over the wall she called to her companions. "I found something."
"What, a cave painting?" James joined her.
"Looks like a thrasher maw."
"No." The asari shook her head. "It's too big."
"How can you tell that from a wall painting?" James was skeptical.
"The proportions are off. Look, the legs-" She was cut off by a tremor in the ground.
"Okay, that wasn't an earthquake." James looked around and saw the dust falling from the stones, very reassuring.
"Wrex, are you guys getting these tremors?"
"Not up here."
"It could be something else commander. It is said that Kalros, the mother of all thresher maws, lives in this region." Eve informed them.
The three of them exchanged glances and looked back at the painting.
"Which is another reason to get your ass out of there Shepard, step on it!"
There was a short silence between the three of them. James raised his hand pointing at the wall.
"Kalros?"
"That would be my guess."
"I'm thinking we'd rather not meet this.. Kalros, right?"
"The krogan gave her a name. She sure must be.. special."
"Jesus christ. Hope we get the hell out of here soon."
"Come on."
They continued through a few more passageways until light finally glinted around a corner. They noted a dead ravager at the end of a long stair finally leading up.
"Wrex, we've made it outside." Shepard updated the krogan.
"Well if you can see sunlight, that's progress."
"And the colour green." Liara motioned towards a chasm where plants were growing on the other side. "I thought plants were extinct around here."
"You're looking at hope. All that's left on Tuchanka." Eve spoke with a soft voice. "This was one a world filled with beauty. Given the chance, it can be again."
"We found a Ravager in the tunnels. We're breaching the reaper perimeter."
"We had a run in with them aswell. Get over to the shroud and we'll pick you up there. That reaper isn't moving."
"Kalros seems to be on the move aswell." Liara noted after another rumble.
"Yeah, we've got some ideas on that-What?"
"Not now Wrex. The commander has enough to worry about." Eve shunned him.
"What's happening?"
"Some crazy idea we can talk about later. Just hurry your ass over here." The radio went silent.
"The hell is he up to now." Shepard murmured.
"We've got incoming!"
They spread out to cover ground quickly. The stone columns created narrow paths, the reapers couldn't swarm them. There wasn't any reason to watch their backs either. So the three advanced quickly. Liara and James staying further back whilst their commander, as usual, rushed ahead. Ever since he joined the crew on the Normandy each fight he took part in was a lesson. Sure, he had faced reapers before, even had to hold his own against the Collectors, but these soldiers had experience like no others. And they damn well knew how to use their strengths. The trust were so complete they even triggered each others medi-gel when it was needed, though it wasn't needed all that often.
"Here comes a big one!"
He heard Liara, but as she finished the sentence Shepard was already on the Brute. A few bullets later they had cleared a path to a bridge. They headed out on it and spotted the tomkah trucks. Wrex voice crackled to life again.
"Shepard we're coming under the bridge. Get down here and we can get to the Shroud."
"Finally" She sighed. But the relief was only momentary.
"Wait! Kalros!" The krogan shouted and the group on the bridge stopped dead in their tracks.
"Wrex?"
"Break off! We're getting out of here!"
"Kalros tetorial instinct confirmed!" Mordins voice chimed.
Rocks were broken off and flew across the land and ridges of cliffs came snaking towards them. Cliffs? No of course not. It was the ridge of Kalros back. Rocky spikes shooting up out of the ground and it took out a part of the bridge as it passed by.
"Whoa!" James cried out.
"Go on ahead Shepard! We'll try and shake this thing and find you!"
"Thresher Maw getting closer!" Mordin, stating the obvious.
"Tell me something I don't know!" Wrex growled.
"Metal in truck an excellent iron supplement for maw's diet!"
Shepard, James and Liara jumped across the broken bridge and started running through the new set of ruins.
"Now I'm kind of glad we're not in the truck." James panted.
"But where are we?" Liara questioned.
"Looks like a memorial."
The asari shoot a glance at James, a little surprised of the quick deduction.
"What? I'm not all brawn you know."
"Hopefully the majority of you are, here they come again." And Shepard was, yet again, flying off towards their enemies before anyone knew it. In the middle of the fight came Mordins voice over the radio again.
"Wrex busy driving truck, are you still alive?"
"Doing what we can, what about you?" She pulled up the marauder in front of her and let the bullets fly.
"Alarmed yet entertained, Kalros is quite persistent."
"Wreav! Stay close!" Wrex barked.
"Drive faster!" Came his half-brothers voice in reply. "I can smell the damn things breath in my neck."
Liara used a stasis bubble and James blew it up with a grenade. They had wiped out the last of their enemies.
"Shepard! We've almost lost Kalros. Get down from there and we'll find you."
"Impecable timing Wrex." Liara mused as the truck arrived just as they were about to jump off the ledge. James stood glancing back, there was the same same kind off wall painting here that they had seen down in the ruins. He tried to call it out to the others but noted he was being left behind, again, and hurried off the ledge.
The ground started shaking as the door of the tomkah popped up.
"Keep an eye out for Kalros Wreav! I don't want it sneaking up on us."
"Make it quick Wrex! We're exposed!"
"Move it!" Shepard shouted at James, as always waiting until her whole crew was in before her.
The ground started shaking more and Wreav shouted. "It's Kalros!"
The creatures ridged back came up above ground and struck the tomkah behind them.
"We're in Wrex, Go!"
He didn't need more encouragement than that. The pedal hit the floor and in a blaze of dust the truck shot off.
"What about Wreav?" Eve asked calmly, not really expecting them to turn back for him.
"No way he survived that" Wrex stated. "And the was a pain in the ass anyway. Now let's finish this. There's a reaper waiting for us."
James caught his breath and leaned back in the truck. "How does something even grow that big out here? What does it eat?"
"You sure you wanna know?" Shepard har taken off her helmet and smiled, her hair sticking to her face because of the sweat. They laughed shortly, all of them relived to have escaped the Kalros. In reality a small relief, bearing in mind what was awaiting them.
"James, did you know our, most illustrious, commander took down a thresher maw on foot once?"
"You did what?"
"Hah." She leaned back, remembering the day. "Yeah, me, Grunt and Zaeed. Took awhile but, the damn thing went down eventually. Happy I had my M-89 Widow with me that day."
Liara smiled, Wrex laughed and James shook his head.
A while later they arrived a few hundred meters from the Shroud facility. The reaper were still there. Calmly guarding the thing. They all stepped out of the tomkah. There wasn't a single turian ship in sight, and they were the only ones that made it of the ground troops.
"I hope someone has a Plan B!" James eyed the reaper while Liara stepped up next to him.
"I know the odds usually doesn't mean much to us..." She shook her head slightly. "But I don't think even we can make it to that tower."
"We're curing the genophage no matter what it takes." Wrex gave the reaper a grim look. "Everything my people can be depends on it."
"Trust in the Shepard." The commander came up behind then, pulling out her rifle. "The Shepard is good." She grinned and was about to head off towards it.
"Wait Shepard. We had an idea... Well... actually she did." Wrex motioned towards Eve and Shepard turned towards them.
"Kalros." She said with conviction. "We summon her to the reaper."
"Would that even work?" Shepard crossed her arms and shifted her weight.
"Already discussed strategy." Mordin filled in, fiddling with his omnitool with his back to the rest of the group. "Just need to distract reaper, draw it from tower while cure synthesized, released."
"What makes you so sure she'll come?"
"Legend says she is the mother from which all other thresher maws spawn." Eve answered. "This is as much her home as ours."
"If Tuchanka has a temper, Kalros is it. No one ever faced her and survived."
"Reminds me of my mom. Aright, I'm sold. How do we do this?"
"The tower was built in an arena devoted to Kalros' glory." They took a look around the statues and platforms while Eve explained. "The salarians thought she would scare away intruders."
"Appears to have worked." Mordin stated very matter-of-factly, still working with his omnitool.
"There are two maw-hammers there." Eve continued and faced Shepard. "The largest in existence. If you can activate them, Kalros will come. That should distract the reaper."
"We'll need to raise the hammers first, I'll take care of that." Wrex confirmed.
"Meanwhile laboratory nearby." Mordin lowered his arm and joined the group. "Will finish synthesizing cure."
"Alright." Shepard nodded. "We all know why we're here and what's at stake. Let's make it happen." She started towards the arena when Wrex grabbed her by the arm.
"Wait. I want you to know that no matter what happens... You've been a champion to the krogan people, a friend of clan Urdnot... and a sister to me." He took her hand. "To every krogan born after this day the name Shepard will mean Hero!" She took his hand in a firm grip and raised it in confirmation of their friendship. There was a smile on her face as Wrex pounded a fist into his open palm. "Now let's show them why!"
James leaned over and spoke to Liara "She.. wouldn't really just have stormed that reaper without a plan like that, would she?"
"This is the woman who flew into the Omega four relay without a doubt, the spectre who told the council she didn't need them, and cracked open a pod containing a perfect krogan, not thinking twice about the consequences. What do you think?"
"Ravagers!" Shepard called, opening fire, but was soon interrupted by Wrex.
"Go! I've got this." The krogan pulled out his Claymore and rushed the creatures, screaming. "I am Urdnot Wrex! And this is my planet!"
"See you on the other side Mordin."
"Stay alive Shepard, will have cure ready."
They each parted ways and the first thing in for Shepards team was a small horde of reapers. The commander ordered them to push through. When they were taken care of they rushed up a series of stairs.
"By the Godess! To our left!" Liara called out as the reached a bridge leading to the second part of the building. They stopped and saw the reaper, considerably closer now.
Shepard took point running across the bridge. The reaper fired. The red laser cut through the bridge and just barely missed her. With a tumble all of the fell down to the next level which was a part of the arena. From here they could run to the hammers.
"Everyone alright?" Shepard called.
"I think so." Liara answered, panting.
"I just got shot at by a reaper!" James sounded considerably calmer than he should have been in this situation, so he realized himself.
"Consider that practice!" His commander shouted back.
"Alright Shepard, I've raised the hammers, all you have got do is activate them! My suggestion is; avoid the giant lasers!"
"You have got to be kidding me!" James shouted and the reapers laser cut through a portion of the ground in front of them.
"Just keep on moving!" Shepard didn't stop to enjoy the view, she kept running, changing directions to avoid the strikes of the laser. Trying to keep behind walls as much as possible. "Stick to cover!"
"Are we really doing this?" James dodged a falling pillar and slid along the floor up to a chest high wall.
"Don't stop!" She called, jumping over the wall and coming out into the arena itself. She got up on her feet and looked at the reaper. It's four plates moved to expose the oculus that fired off that laser. She jerked her head from one side to the other, caused her bones to create a series of loud cracking noises.
"Commander! This is Artimec wing!" A turian voice came over the radio. "We'll try to give that reaper something else to shoot at."
The three of the on the ground looked back to see several of the turian ships swooping in, heading straight for the reaper.
"Now that's some god damn balls!"
"Goddess be with them."
"Come on, let's make it count. Push on!"
"There! To the left! There's a hammer!" James called and Liara spotted the other one.
"There's another one on the right!"
"Getting to them's going to be the trick, oh god dammit, incoming!" James managed to just roll away from a brute that launched to the ground.
"Keep going people! And don't get stepped on!"
It was then James realized how close they really were to the reaper. They were right in front of it, so it's leg could very well crush them as it moved. He saw Shepard disappear to the left and tried to follow. The brutes were still coming down on them, no small troops, just the big ones. Liara came up next to him.
"This is insane!"
"Yeah? I'm starting to think that's how she likes her battles."
"I won't argue with that reasoning."
They heard a loud pound, and just as they got up to the path leading to the left hammer a green armor came running towards them.
"Next one!" She called.
James tried to keep up with her, which he managed up to the center of the arena.
"She's got the first hammer. How's the cure going Mordin?" Liara gave the update as the commander seem to be... busy.
"Almost have cure! Eve's vital signs dropping! Trying to compensate!"
"Get to that other hammer Shepard!" Wrex shouted in their ears.
"There's a reaper in my way Wrex!" This time she actually sounded a bit pissed off.
"I know! You get all the fun."
Then James heard her shield break. But she didn't let that slow her down. Instead she lunched herself with her biotics, hitting the brute, barely avoiding the reapers leg coming down. The path to the other hammer was temporarily sealed off by the leg being in the way. Shepard had barely gotten through.
"What now?"
"We hold position." Liara said, firing off a warp into a stasis bubble, causing a biotic explosion. It only took a minute, but it was a damn long minute. Then the leg came up again. And their commander came running.
"Go! Get back to the truck! I'll take care of the cure!"
Liara and James turned on their heels obeying her order. They ran as fast as their legs would carry them back to the tomkah. Behind them they heard the hammers rhythmic pounding. Calling Kalros to the arena. Liara and James stopped to witness the reaper being distracted by movement in the sand. It moved away from the Shroud facility. Kalros came jumping out of the ground, clamoring to the reaper. Gripping it, causing it's laser to cut back over the arena. They stopped to finish of the brutes heading towards them. They got back to the truck just in time to see how Kalros curled her body around the reaper and at last pulled it along with her down in the ground.
"Look!" Liara pointed towards the Shroud facility, there were movement at the entrance.
"Alright, let's get over there." The two of them jumped into the truck and as they drove a cloud of particles burst from the large structure.
"She did it ." Liara smiled. They came around a corner and saw her standing there. Looking up at the tower, raising a hand to catch one of the particles in her palm. They came to a stop, Wrex and Eve was quick out of the truck to watch the sky. It was the first time James had ever seen a smile that large on a krogan face. Shepard said nothing, she just kept watching the tower. Then she turned and entered the tomkah. The tower exploded and she stopped with one foot in the truck and one outside, slightly turned her head back... then forced herself inside.
The tension, strain and seriousness of this situation didn't erupt in joyous cheers as they finally had accomplished their mission. Shepard kept a low serious tone, if she spoke at all. The death of a companion often did put a lid on celebration. When she tucked herself in at the further back on the shuttle back to the Normandy no one bothered her. Did she blame herself of what happened? Probably, James figured. As he had done himself in similar situations. He wanted to reassure her, but also knew it wasn't his place to do so. The asari knew the commander better than him. If Liara kept her mouth shut, he would to.
When Shepard came through the war room to head to the comm-room Garrus knew something had gone wrong. She was silent, didn't pay attention to her surroundings, went straight after her goal. So he kept the primarch busy for the moment. To let her give her report before talking to the turian leader. They already had the basics of the report after all. They knew she had once more been successful about the mission. The report had stated that the krogan were already sending troops to Palaven. Stranger still the reports came that salarians were sending their scientists to the crucible, and pledge to help take back earth when the time came.
Garrus could almost see the commander finishing up her report, turning towards the door, taking a deep breath and softening her shoulders. Finally shaking her head before stepping into the sensors range and the door slid open.
"Commander." This time the primarch noticed at once and turned to her. "Urndot Wrex has begun sending troops to Palaven. You kept your end of the bargain, and now I'll keep mine." He extended a hand for her to take, she did, and shook it hard. Letting him know from subtle gestures that if he didn't... there wouldn't be a tomorrow to make up for his mistake. "The turian hierarchy will stand with humanity against the reapers."
"I'm glad we can help each other out." Her voice calm, not a trace of emotion on her face. Garrus knew this Shepard. The soldier, the one who did what she was told to do. The two of them started towards the rooms exit. With this in motion there were much to be done and planned. "It's the only way we're going to defeat the reapers."
"That much is certain." He agreed and stopped before heading out the war room. "To that end, several dry-dock ships are ready to help build the crucible. Garrus will coordinate them." He nodded towards his turian subject.
"Yes, sir." He answered obediently, returning the nod. Shepard still kept her eyes on the primarch.
"And when the time comes to deploy it.." Victus turned towards the holograf of the crucible's progress. "..the full measure of our fleet will be there for earth." He turned back towards the commander. "May the spirits watch over us all." And with an acknowledging nod he turned and left.
It didn't take a second for her to step up to the console. She brought up the new specs. The list of aid they would have when it was time to take earth back. She went into the index of the turian ships and started reading.
"I'll start managing turian support right away." He tried to get her attention, but she just gave him an acknowledging mumble. "Shepard, you must be exhausted." He paused, then continued carefully. "Mording dying.. It can't be easy.."
"I'll sleep when I'm dead." She retorted quick. Continuing maneuvering on the console.
"We both know you need a clear head to win a war. There's no room for mistakes here. You should catch some shut-eye." He saw her hands settling at the console edges, gripping tightly. Tread carefully Vakarian, he thought, very carefully. "Besides, I know where you sleep. We'll wake you if anything comes up."
A few long seconds passed before she softened, relaxed, finally let go and stepped back.
"If you insist."
He raised a hand towards her but she turned the other way and walked out.
He followed her with his eyes and knew something hadn't gone right today. Something beyond Mordin dying. But smart enough not to push the subject he turned to the console. Apparently she was already into planning battle formations. Having left so abruptly she had left the ground sketch for an idea on the screen. It didn't really surprise him that it was good ground sketch, using both human and turian ships in an attack pattern which made the vehicles covering each others weaknesses very well.
Authors notes: OH Gods and Goddesses! I did in four days what I haven't been able to do in over a year. I've started writing again!
I picked this fanfic up after listening to the kickstarter video of The long black (was that the name? i forget.) where master Meer and master Hale voiced parts of it. It gave me such a huge nostalgia that I just had to pick something mass-effecty up aaain. And this just rolled on!
Yes I skipped the war summit and surkesh, I just simply didn't feel like writing them. Though they could've been fun enough... (If someone emails me about it I might bother with it. )
Anyhow, I'm jumping STRAIGHT to the Citadel now!
PS: Kitten's emotions on this mission will be revealed eventually. Mordin meant a great, great deal to her. There even might be tears! But I'm not promising :3
PS2: I've only proof read this once, so yeah, might be more mistakes than I intended. I was just so happy I finished it that I wanted to get it up. (I actually posted it on the train-ride home after work)