This is the first out of three chapters dealing with the aftermath of the battle.
Saren was one, then two, then none.
Fires dark met fires green
Evil itself, the shape was undone
By one by no one ever foreseen.
When fires died and dust would settle
Revealed was, the blood of mettle
Friendships forged in the fires of war
The end together fewer saw
Sovereign perished, Saren dead
Of the monster was found,
Only the head.
To him, his soul no longer was bound
Francis Kitt - "Ode to the Fallen"
Council Chambers, Citadel Presidium.
19:52
"Thomas… you… You did well." Roku said, discarding the torn-off skull of Saren on the ground. Thomas held his face, feeling the pain brought from his wounds. Nazara had kicked him in the face only moments ago, and blood was running down his face from two vertical scars going down the middle of his face, the left side of his nose torn open.
"I don't… feel well." He groaned as the headache pounded away on his mind. There was too much on his mind, returning all at once after he had been through the session of mindless rage, brought by… by...; "Oh my gods, no!"
He didn't wait for Roku to speak, instead ran, stumbling, up the ramp leading to the main floor. Even before he saw them, he could hear the sound of a woman crying. His blood froze and his legs almost collapsed beneath him as he came into view of the horrifying scene.
Garrus was placed on the ground, his form still and cold as Jane was sobbing on his chest. Her helmet had been discarded, thrown across the room, and she now sat with her red hair stained by splatters of blue blood, crying her heart out on the cold body of her best friend. Thomas halted his run, awkwardly stumbling the last steps before he stopped a meter away, staring at the dead Turian with eyes wide with fear, mounting grief and disbelief.
"No… no, no no, nonononono!" He wept, falling to his knees, kneeling over towards the group. Tali was sobbing along with Jane, hands touching Garrus' face, as if she hoped to wake him up; "No, no no no! What… no, how- No! Garrus! Wake up you bastard!"
"There is nothing we can do." Boss said, putting his hand on Thomas's shoulder, one that was immediately shrugged off; "He died with the bravest and most noble act possible; giving his life so that others may live."
"Doesn't fucking matter! He wasn't supposed to die! No one was supposed to die here, nobody but Saren!"
"You cannot blame yourself for what others chose to act on. Your own actions saved the life of Tali'Zorah as well, thus making his sacrifice worth the price." Boss's voice, like always, was stoic and assured. Thomas wanted to hit the clone for being so gods be damned stoic and cold.
"Clone's right, kid. Garrus had a quad bigger than most, don't start embarrassing him in the afterlife." Wrex muttered, sounding less controlled than Boss. Thomas kept staring at the closed eye, the almost peaceful expression on Garrus' face. His eyes were fogged, tears welling out as he wanted fervently to deny that what he saw was real.
"I was too late…" Roku's voice came from behind. From her knees, Tali snapped up and produced, the aimed her shotgun at the aspect. Roku didn't move or try to stop her, instead simply standing where he was; "I am sorry."
"Sorry? SORRY?! Garrus is DEAD, and you are sorry?" Tali exclaimed, her voice broken off by both sobs and fits of desperate giggling. The entire scene had frozen at her actions, Jane herself having stopped crying in favor of staring at Tali as she pulled a gun on a god.
"It was… less than easy arriving here. I miscalculated the amount of obstacles…" Roku said. Tali didn't speak, simply keeping the shotgun trained at the geth.
"Tali, gun down. No need to shoot the talking tin can." Wrex said, massive hand over her gun as he pressed it downwards with surprising gentleness.
"But… Garrus is dead. I can't… I don't…" The girl sobbed, looking between the assembled team. Tequila huffed, and Hillary looked away. Kaidan stood with his hands on Jane's shoulders, an attempt to comfort her. Thomas knew they had won, but it didn't feel like a victory. John stepped closer to her, placing his hand on the shoulder of the weeping engineer.
"Tali… please, ma inszel... I know it hurts, but please… put the weapon down. We've already lost one friend." John muttered. Tali slowly loosened her grip on the weapon, which fell to the ground with a clatter. John pulled her into a hug, and allowed her to grieve. Through all this, Thomas remained on his knees, ignoring the pain that was creeping through him from the position, instead staring down at what had been the best Turian he had ever known. One of the best people he had ever known, and… a good friend.
"We should vacate the tower. I know there are stairs leading down." Boss said, looking in the direction of a sign with the universal, green symbol of a man running down some stairs. Jane heaved for breath;
"Who… who will carry him?" She choked out in a pained, raspy voice. She was trembling, her breath and voice shaky and her face dissolved in tears. Thomas knew he wasn't much better, and each tear stung his wounds with its salty waters.
"He gave… his life for me. I will, at least." Tali stated more than asked. There was not a single soul in the room wanting to deny her that.
"I'm in too. He might've been a Turian, but he was a… okay man, with a quad to boot." Wrex stated along with her.
"Captain?" Boss said. Thomas already knew what he meant by that single word, and knew that Jane most likely would break down from it. Jane nodded, standing.
"I will. I was his superior officer… it is, it's the right thing." Her voice was far less firm than what Tali had voiced, but it held the same suppressed emotions; grief, loss, pain.
"And so will I. You are right, it is only proper for his commanding officers to… to carry him." John said. Boss nodded, and left the group to their own silent mourning, and Roku followed him. The aspect walked behind the commando for a while as the clone searched the room.
"You did not arrive too late, you know." Boss muttered, low enough that Roku, divine as he might be, doubted whether or not he had been addressed.
"You are mortal, Boss. Do you not feel grief and loss at this death?" Roku asked, keeping his distance. The commando stopped, idly kicking a piece of torn off metal with his foot.
"I've been a soldier since I was nine years old, Spirit. I've watched men who were my brothers, die more times than I can count. Clones deplete what tears they have fast, else they break down and die." Boss's voice was strained, even if his visor betrayed no emotion.
"You are still mortal and an organic. Don't you feel the same loss these others are going through?" Roku was baffled, but not lacking of understanding. He knew as much about the Republic army as Thomas did, meaning he knew what Boss was coming from and referring to.
"I still feel it, inside. I just don't let it show… people need someone to maintain calm, even if they hate the person for lacking emotions. I was that man on Kashyyk. I will be here again…" He muttered, groaning as he lifted a panel from the floor; "…if I need to."
Roku nodded, a shard of glass falling from his ruined lens. He didn't have issues with his sight though, as the sensors were behind the glass, not in it. What did bother him though, was missing an arm. He offered the other as help, and assisted Boss in carrying back what would amount for a stretcher.
Thomas looked up, sniffing back the tears and snot that turned his face into a right mess. He saw Roku and Boss return with what was just a plate of metal, but he knew what they wanted with it.
Citadel, Serpent Nebula
Presidium, tower base.
20:11
Ashley looked up at the top of the tower, then back down to where the lift had crashed back down. There had been a piece of metal lodged in it, as if used as a method of locking the thing in place. It had obviously failed, and when the elevator had come crashing down, she had screamed, fearing Thomas had been in it. However, it had been empty, and now she was resigned to waiting, not knowing what happened in the tower, if Thomas was even still alive, if Saren was now dead. She hated not knowing what was going on.
"You're doing it again, you know that?" Scorch asked from next to her, keeping his DC-15 at ease, yet ready to fire instantly if he had to. Ashley snapped to face the clone, hidden behind the helmet as he was. To be fair, so was she, but that was less than relevant.
"Doing what?"
"You stop breathing every time you look up there. You are worried, I get that. But hey, at least the person you are worried about is borderline immortal…Liara isn't." Scorch sighed; "Still, you don't see me pacing and turning."
"I know… I know, but… I just can't help it." She started, then snapped around at the sound of a door opening, on the opposite side of the lift. Turning on her heels in an instant, she half-ran towards where the team was starting to come into view. Thomas was first.
"Thomas… thank Go…" She trailed off as she saw the look on his face. Or rather, she saw his face. Something or someone, Saren most likely, had given Thomas a pair of nasty, vertical scars from forehead to chin on his head. She was about to exclaim, demand what had happened, asked if he was in pain, or just simply alright, when she saw the rest of the team exit, none of them talking as they carried something between them, on a metal plate. Her world started slowing down as she saw a distinct Turian shape carried on said plate.
"What… what… no. What happened?" She demanded, eyes shooting between Thomas and the group, Wrex, Tali, John and Jane carrying what she now saw and knew to be Garrus, dead. Thomas held his silence for a moment, visibly trying to blink away tears, heaving for air.
"Saren… Saren he… he… was after Tali, and Garrus protected her, put- he put…" It pained her immensely to see the anguish her boyfriend went through, and so she pulled him towards her, hoping to offer a small amount of comfort. Oh God… why, why did people she cared about keep dying?
Thomas simply fell into the embrace, long, pained moans of grief starting to pour from him before erupting into outright weeping. She just clutched him to her body, wanting to will the pain and agony away that she knew he was going through. She knew what he was going through. She had been there herself, so many times before. It never got easier, she knew. As Thomas was trembling in her arms, she was reminded that, in spite of all the power he held, he was still just a young man, unaccustomed to losing friends.
She herself still wasn't.
December 10th
Citadel, Serpent Nebula
Presidium.
15:22
Anna tugged at her uniform, hating having to dress up nice for a bunch of Councilors she would rather see dead, with the surprising exception of Sparatus. He had actually shown himself to possess a practical mind, and had held his ground until she arrived with the fleets. Still, Tevos and Esheel? Slug through the heads, or poisoning, would do them well.
"I hate this…" She exclaimed. Next to her, supporting himself to a crutch, Oleg Petrovsky sighed, his own uniform bearing signs of having been torn at something, then stitched and repaired.
"You did not lose twenty-five vessels, and six thousand men and woman in less than an hour, Anna. Allow me to be the negative one, for once." He said, looking at where the Citadel Council, escorted by a pair of Spectres, was walking towards them. One Spectre she knew, Nihlus Kryik. Along with Decarissa, he had survived the meeting with Nazara. The other Spectre was a woman Anna only knew by name, one Tela Vasir, an Asari.
Great, so she couldn't punch the Councilor's for being jackasses, since the Spectres would at the very least arrest her for it if she did. Next to her, Udina almost seemed to share her thoughts as the man kept his gaze upon the approaching politicians.
Odd, how a crisis could change her views of the man…
"No, I just lost fifty over Valhalla, and three saving the Citadel. Oleg, I'm really not in the mood for your moral high grounds right now." She growled. The Russian nodded and kept his silence, looking ahead. The Councilors had arrived.
"Sparatus" Anna nodded, then glanced at the two alien women; "…Councilors" Oleg repeated the last part with some more polite wording, but with the same emotional strain to his voice. Moral or not, she knew he wasn't going to stop her if she did something… no, no keep in the happy place. I'm in my happy place, in my happy place, stomping Tevos in the head…
"Admirals. The Council owes you a great debt, one we will see repaid." Tevos started; "You were correct, back when you and Ambassador Udina argued the threat of Saren's forces. We should have listened, that much is clear."
"Yes, and now Humanity just sacrificed another nine thousand lives to save your sorry hides. Cough up." Anna said, wasting no time making her frustrations known. Tevos blinked a few times, obviously surprised at the statement.
"You should be thankful for the terms we already gave into, many of them outrageous as it is." Esheel said, arms over her chest. Next to her, Anna could hear the color of Udina's face change from tanned to red. Still, the man kept calm;
"Be that as it may, Councilor. Humanity has still suffered massive casualties in this conflict, and growing unrest in the Alliance demands that we are compensated." Udina said, his usual pose with one hand touching his upper lip.
"No shit. I could name countries which would have been depleted by the amount of men we have lost in the name of your safety." Anna said, the looked straight at Esheel and Tevos; "And so help me, if you start disregarding those sacrifices again, Spectres present or not, I will punch you in the face, both of you."
"You should keep threats to the Council low on your priority, Admiral." Vasir sneered, stepping forward. Anna glanced at the woman;
"I just lost three thousand men and woman saving your sorry asses. I'll threaten who I want. Also, that was a warning. A sensible person can make the difference out, Soldier"
"Please, be calm. The Council is prepared to offer the agreed upon terms to the Alliance, as well as offer you an honorary place on the Council." Tevos said. Udina snapped around instantly, facing the woman with cold, cool and calm eyes;
"And what exactly, would 'Honorary' entail?"
"You would not partake in matters of galactic importance, but your council representative would be viewed as an important figure in the galactic community, and would be taken into account on matters involving humanity's expansion." Tevos explained. Anna looked at Udina for a reaction, seeing a vein pulsate in his temple. It almost made her smile to watch him repress a surge of anger so obvious.
"I have a few points then, if you would allow it, Councilor." Udina said. Anna, hearing the level of his voice, knew he was about to deliver far, far better than she would be able to, and simply held quiet.
"Of course, this does involve Humanity after all."
"Thank you. First of all, Humanity will not accept a place as a figurine. We are either on the Citadel Council, or you may officially consider the Alliance a faction outside the Citadel." Tevos's eyes flew wide, while Sparatus merely widened his mandibles slightly, as if awaiting the development.
"No species has ever left the Citadel before." Esheel stated. Anna contemplated how big an imprint her fist would make in the Salarian's face, if she punched as hard as she could. Again, Spectres.
"That does not make it an impossible feat." Udina said, then continued; "Second, Humanity was not alone in losing people to this battle. The Alliance incorporates the Quarian People now as well, and they fought alongside us today, manning both ours and their own ships. You will acknowledge their sacrifices for a Council that spurned them."
"That was actually one of the conditions we, the Council wanted to discuss." Tevos said. At the collective human representatives' raised eyebrows, she continued; "For you to be made honorary members, and even to remain on the Citadel as ties to the Alliance, you will ensure that the Quarians develop no new AI's or other technologies capable of sentience, or otherwise harming the galactic society. They will also not be allowed to serve on ships larger than cruisers, and must deliver reports on weapons, ammunition, technology and numbers to ensure total control with their race. It is known, that they cannot be trusted to-"
"Councilor… people call me insane, but thát? Those things you just said? That's got to be the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard from a being capable of cognitive thought." Anna broke Tevos off. The Asari fumed, but Sparatus stopped her;
"Tevos, she is correct. We cannot disregard the fact that Quarians gave their lives to ensure the safety of the Citadel, and the Council as well. Trying to impose restrictions upon them in return? What are you thinking?"
"They are Quarians. You see how they are not even represented here? They obviously don't hold much respect from the Alliance either." Tevos defended herself; "It should be possible to make sure they don't spread too much, as fast as they breed."
The next second saw the Asari on the floor, crying out in shock and pain, and holding her nose. Even as Anna blew her knuckles, Tela Vasir was on her, slamming the Admiral up against the wall with a biotic field, while Nihlus assisted the councilor.
"Spectre Vasir. Release Admiral Fisher." Oleg Petrovsky said from behind the woman. He was pressing his concealed sidearm against Vasir's neck, hand steady. Sparatus and Udina were the only ones remaining calm, and Sparatus took the first step;
"Spectre Vasir, release her please. The Alliance was on the right in this situation, and you stay quiet Tevos." The Turian outright growled at his colleague, receiving a confused look from Spectre Kryik. Tela Vasir narrowed her eyes at Anna, who remained defiant even in the field, a meter above ground. She then lowered her to the floor and extinguished the biotics. Oleg likewise holstered his weapon.
"Sparatus, you are in command of the military department of the Council, not the diplomatic." Esheel said. Sparatus glared at his colleagues;
"Clearly I should be, considering how the two of you seem intent on provoking Humanity into a conflict, and I am not." He said, then nodded at Udina.
"If we can get past thát little distraction… we will not accept the lack of acknowledgment and respect paid to the Quarians either. We will impose no restrictions upon them, neither will you. They are members of the Systems Alliance, and you no longer hold any authority over them."
"That is debatable." Tevos said, glaring at Sparatus.
"No, it isn't. There will be no restrictions. Finally, the last point. If we are not to be taken into account on galactic manners, what would you consider our role to be in preparation for the Reapers?" Anna nodded at that, as did Oleg. They knew the Reapers were coming, only numbers and time was still unknown.
"We destroyed the Vanguard, meaning they have no ways of entering the galaxy now. They are no longer a threat." Tevos said, sounding so certain that it was infuriating. Udina didn't hesitate to shout now;
"Not. A. Threat?!" He yelled into her face; "One of their largest ships, and we don't even know if it was the largest they have, took three fleets to take down! There is an entire FLEET of them out there, and you would ignore that?!" His face was reddening to such a degree that Anna grew worried he might suffer a stroke. It was to her, no secret that the ambassador used to be an alcoholic while he was still a deputy, and she didn't know how much he had recuperated since then.
"No, we would take a series of actions that would ensure they cannot enter the galaxy via our Relays. We will also maintain a healthy amount of secrecy, so as to avoid mass panic in the streets. There is no more need than that to guard against an enemy that will not come."
"Councilor… are you insane?" Oleg growled. He had lost the most men in the battle, and had the most people to mourn now. Ceremonies were going to be held when they got back to Arcturus, as anything held by the Council would feel like a mockery.
"Admiral, do be quiet." Udina said, then turned to face Tevos; "Because it's obvious she is joking. Such demands, followed by a complete disregard for a galactic threat, no one in their right minds would act like that."
"Tevos, I don't know if the Ascension have windows or exterior cameras, but exactly what do you think was going on in the battle? Sovereign devastated the fleet. One ship did that, I don't want to think about what would happen if we were faced with a fleet of them." Sparatus growled.
"The Council decides what to do in this manner." Esheel said; "I for one do not think we should allow the Quarians to grow in influence, especially after the geth. And now you, Admiral Fisher, wants to allow the Krogan free berth to overcome the Genophage? If we were to focus on a galactic threat, maybe you should be focused upon." Anna, as well as Udina, Oleg and Sparatus, gaped at that, unable to believe what they were hearing.
"I… I just saved the Galaxy from the Reapers! I just killed a sentient starship-god that would have opened the Relays for a fleet of doom-squids. How… how can…" For the first time in years, Anna was unable to form a coherent sentence. The sheer amount of idiocy she was standing in front of was so unfathomable, so immense, she was sure this was all a messed up dream.
"I lost thousands to save your lives, Councilors! I should have let you die in a firestorm on the Ascension!" Oleg shouted, forming the words Anna failed to.
"They are right, Tevos, you too Esheel. I cannot believe the sheer idiocy I am witnessing, and I have witnessed a lot while being on this Council. Valern was the only other sensible person on the Council, while the two of you seem intent to alienate the Systems Alliance at every possible turn!" Sparatus was no longer growling, but yelling, fists curled and mandibles spread in an expression of disbelief and anger.
"You are outnumbered, Councilor. I suggest you give your assent to the proposals, or remain silent." Tevos said. Udina stepped up at that point, his face a mere inch from her;
"Is this how you want to do it, Councilor?" He demanded with a low, menacing voice. Tevos twitched, but otherwise seemed unwavering.
"It is the Council's decision that you will adhere to aforementioned regulations, as a member of the Citadel species." Tevos said with her smug voice; "The Alliance will ensure that no further Quarian warships are constructed, as well as restrict Quarian entrance and service upon dreadnought-class ships… and above." At the last part, Tevos looked directly at Anna, cold fire in the Asari's eyes.
"You will also refrain from any contact and trade with the Krogan people, as well as report any attempts on their behalves of contact and assistance in curing the Genophage." Esheel added. Sparatus looked like he wanted to kill his colleagues right then and there.
Udina remained in Tevos's face for a moment longer, glaring into her eyes, then straightened back up;
"In that case, the Systems Alliance is leaving the Citadel. Prepare to find yourselves without human aid. Good day, Councilors." He said, then spun around. He walked a meter, then turned and added; "By the way; Any reports of Council Spectres unlawfully finding themselves in Alliance space, which now encompasses both the Local Cluster, as well as the Tikkun-system, will result in imprisonment of said agent, and consequences for the Council."
"Wha- You- YOU CANNOT DO THAT!" Tevos shouted, stepping after them. Sparatus held her back. At the shouting, as they were walking Anna turned and pointed two fingers at Tevos and Esheel;
"Alliance" She whispered with a shit-eating grin, then added; "Tevos, you are a cunt, a broad, a slut… imagine any bad word for a woman, you're it. Esheel, you are a sad excuse for sentient life, and Sparatus… you're okay."
Citadel, Serpent Nebula
Office of Ambassador Donnel Udina.
18:19
"Gotta admit, Udina… you surprised me there." Anna said, looking at the ambassador with newfound respect. The man looked less than pleased with the reason for her respect. In fact, he was fuming. And yet, his voice was calm, strained yes, but calm;
"I didn't want to…be forced, like this. But the Council were out of line, utterly out of line." He said with an angry shake of his head; "To think they would just… stab us in the back like this. I shudder to think what goes through that Asari's mind. 'Keeping the knowledge of the Reapers from the galaxy', is she insane?"
"You posed that question once already, Ambassador. I am starting to believe she really is." Oleg muttered, taking a glass of water; "Can't believe I wasted human lives on those two…"
"Yeah well. I still wanna know what happened with Saren. The Normandy-crew kept to themselves after the battle. I haven't even heard a word aside from that they lost a crewmember." Anna said, blowing a strand of hair from her face. Even Wrex hadn't reported in.
"One 'Garrus Vakarian'. Former C-Sec, skilled sharpshooter… I heard a few things about him from the Executor." Udina said. Anna cocked a brow in surprise, to which the Ambassador sighed; "You are not the only one keeping tabs on events, Admiral. Executor Pallin's death is also a major hindrance, but… if we retain diplomatic ties with the Citadel, I think what humans work in C-Sec can remain. Humans in general would be treated as immigrants, just as aliens on Earth would."
"To return to the question." Anna said; "I haven't heard from anyone of them yet, but I can try calling them in for a meeting."
"Please do. We need the details surrounding Saren's demise as well. They were the only ones in the Council Chambers at the time, and the repair-teams reported massive amounts of devastation. Like the walls had been torn out by hand."
"That's… strangely ominous." Oleg muttered; "However, maybe we should do it back at Arcturus? Give the fleets some time to settle down, make repairs… God knows I have duties to attend to, ceremonies included."
"Sounds fine to me. Every second I spend here is wasted anyway." Anna said, then left the room. Undoubtedly, she was heading for a shuttle to take her back to the Hammer of Vengeance. Oleg was still in awe at the size of her ship, as well as the fact that, he had later learned, she had challenged Sovereign to a standoff in direct terms, even as the Reaper had been gutting the Caucasus.
"Then I believe I will head back as well. Ambassador, will you be able to handle things from here?" Oleg asked, turning to face Udina. The ambassador nodded;
"Yes, I believe so. Now that there are no uncertain terms whether or not the Alliance is departing the Citadel Species, we just need to hammer down the details for rules, borders, regulations and that sort of things. I can handle that…" Udina said, then added; "Besides, how long has it been since you had leave, Admiral?" The ambassador asked with unusual friendliness. Oleg allowed himself a small chuckle at that, unusual as the tone was from the ambassador;
"Too long, if you ask my wife. Thank you, Ambassador...I wish you all luck."
En route to Palavan.
SSV Normandy
If one came aboard the Normandy at this specific moment, one would have trouble believing the crew had won a battle for the survival of the galaxy. There was no partying, no funny hats, no happily drunk people dancing around in the mess. There was drinking though, but not in the manner of people celebrating a certain event.
"He was…" Thomas started, then trailed off and looked back down into his beer. The Normandy had flipped off regulations for the situation, and the crew was more or less engaged in drowning their emotions in alcohol, most of them seated by the tables in the messhall; "Fuck… Garrus wasn't supposed to go."
"I'm guessing Hudson never lost a man, then?" Jane asked, glancing to where Thomas sat. He shook his head, moving his mouth as little as possible as the stitches kept his face together. He almost wanted to make a joke about not making him laugh, as his face was barely holding together as it was, or that Krogan found scars sexy… but he didn't. It would seem wrong on so many levels to start talking about those things.
"Fuck… I just… I can't, can't believe he's gone." There was still clear pain in Jane's voice. It was obvious she had cared for Garrus, friend or more though, Thomas wasn't sure; "He was… right there, right there all the time, cracking jokes or proclaiming another headshot, and… now he's…" She trailed off again as tears flowed down her cheeks, and her breathing hitched. Kaidan, seated next to Jane, placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Jane… you couldn't have done anything. None of us could, and… we just… didn't see it coming." He said, clearly choosing his words with great care. Jane nodded, placing her own hand on the one he had on her shoulder.
"I know…" She muttered with a voice that was hoarse from crying; "I know why he did what he did. Because he was a good man. He was… he cared, even when he just made jokes, he really cared."
"We're going to Palavan… does his family know?" Thomas asked, looking at Jane. Tali, and by extension John, was nowhere to be seen. Tali hadn't stopped crying for the entire time that had passed since the fight, and John had pretty much abandoned all his duties to take care of her. Nihlus had been by, offering his condolences and kind words, as well as mentioning he would like to preside over the ceremony as well, on Palavan. He just hadn't felt like the Normandy was the best place he could be right now.
"Yes… yes." Jane sniffed, wiping her face clear of tears; "A colleague of Garrus's, Chellick, I think, contacted his family. They'll be waiting for us in Cipritine, the capital."
"Mara… how are we even going to… to talk to them?" Thomas exclaimed, looking up from his beverage. To bring people the coffin holding their dead son… how on Earth could they expect anything? He had no idea what grieving Turians behaved like, but if they were anything like humans… things could go from ugly, to just excruciatingly sad.
"I'll do it." Jane said, her voice suddenly firm and strong again. It didn't mean her tears vanished though, and she had to heave for breath before continuing; "I'm… I was, his superior officer, and… friend. It's my duty to do the talking first."
"…Okay. Do you… want help?" He asked. He knew he'd hate helping out with thís particular task, but it would be cruel if Jane wanted help, and none was offered. He felt a little relieved as she shook her head;
"No. Afterwards, maybe you can talk to the family, a few of you… just, don't press them. Losing family is… it's never easy… never gets." The pain in her voice was both of current and past events, none of them pleasant to ask about. Thomas knew a little of her past, from both her and whenever Kaidan had felt like sharing what he'd learned. Jane had lost her entire family on Mindoir, then followed it up with a massacre on a Batarian colony. He knew, morally, that she had done something wrong. Still… all that was in the past.
"Did he have any siblings?" Tequila asked. Kaidan nodded, surprising the rest of the table.
"He did. Her name's Solana, I think. A year or so younger than him… I can't imagine what she must feel right now." Thomas cringed. He suddenly remembered the intense pain it had inflicted on his own family back when Anna had died, just four years old. It had nearly broken them all permanently. Completely, now that he himself had died in that time, or world.
"I'll try talking to her." Tequila said, causing Jane to look at the Corporal with confusion; "I lost a sibling of my own, once."
"I'm sorry…" Jane muttered, then actually gave a sad chuckle; "We're one hell of a team, huh? Two have died once already, one's dad tried killing him, another was almost killed before joining the crew, three of us were saved from death before joining, one of those lost her entire family to slavers, another's mother worked for Saren… how did we even survive this long?"
"Some didn't…" Scorch muttered from his own seat. Garrus was the one they mourned, even Boss did, but it was clear Scorch referred just as much to Sev as to Garrus; "The rest of us? I guess we just… get lucky."
"I can try talking to her too." Thomas said, wanting to bring the conversation away from death.
"Anna's alive here. Doesn't count." Tequila muttered, though she just shook her head; "But still… I'd like not to do that shit alone."
"Thomas's going with you then." Jane decided. The Service Chief in question sighed;
"Apart from family… did Garrus have any friends or people he was close to that we should contact?"
December 10th
Zorya, Faia system
21:17
The organization of the Blue Suns, by some now called "the New Suns" was still busy settling down on Zorya and across the galaxy, meaning things had yet to be fully established by the time the BSV Scorpio had left the planet. When they returned, the crew, Tara most of all, was surprised finding that they had been assigned to the 5th Special Task Force, and granted their own section of the habitable sector of the facility. This meant the crew now had a small measure of privacy, as each room was shared by only two, instead of the usual dormitory-like twenty-man spaces without regards for genders. Tara, being the de facto leader of her part of the 5th STF, had been given a larger room, with just one bed, and equipment to make it into her very own office.
She even had one of those funny chairs that humans loved driving around on, regardless of age.
So much had happened in these past months, she sometimes found it funny that she would have believed it all a lie, had someone else relayed to her their own story about it. And yet, here she sat, a Quarian, holding a high-ranking position of command in a 'respected' organization that was back to bringing justice to the Terminus systems. Even better, she now finally knew she had someone to share it with. Her mind wandered back to last night, where they had stood on one of the terraces, looking over the rolling hills and jungles of the immediate area. They hadn't spoken much, just… held hands, as much as it sounded like the most cliché act since 'Fleet and Flotilla' came out. It had been so nice, touching his hand with the thin gloves, instead of the gauntlets, and the way his fingers had inter-
"Captain?" A Turian voice snapped her from the pleasant dreams, causing her to look up. Velan Harius, as well as a few crewmembers, Magnus and Sidonis amongst them, was standing in the doorway, a look of disbelief on their collective faces.
Something was wrong.
"What is it, navigator Harius?" She asked in the matter-of-fact voice used when anyone but Magnus, or maybe Jentha, was around. Had been too long since she'd seen Jentha to really know though. Instead of answering, the Turian walked over to the screen on her wall, picking up the yet-unused remote. Old tech, and she had never understood how it worked.
"Watch." He simply said, turning on the screen.
"- get your scalp so soft and smooth?" An Asari voice said. Harius growled, utterly unlike him, and changed between the channels until he found the only news-channel broadcasting into the Terminus. Tara's eyes went wide at the picture that immediately assaulted her.
The Citadel.
Burning.
Wreckage was strewn with generous hand across tha area surrounding the massive station, a lot of them either human, Turian, Asari or even a few Quarian vessels. As it took a while for the camera to pan outwards, she was almost asking if the Alliance had attacked the Citadel, but then she saw the first larger wreckage. A shape burned into the minds of all Quarians, either from vids or memory of conflicts.
A geth ship, with a large hole torn through its upper section, floating amongst countless of its kind.
"Admiral, do we know just how many perished in this attack?" A human female said. Her voice was familiar, just so, but Tara couldn't place it. The image shifted to that of a Human woman, significantly older than Tara thought human women were in the Alliance. She had hair that was red like blood, yet with a few streaks of silver in it. Her green eyes were drilling into the camera, a constant impression of a warrior who lacked at least one mental capacity. Regardless, Tara knew who this was. Everyone did.
"We're still counting, so it's -BEEEP- hard to say for sure… you're going to bleep that word out, aren't you?"
"Yes, however, how would you estimate things would have gone if not for the intervention, and do you have maybe a guess as to the numbers?" The woman Tara recognized as Alliance Admiral Anna Cologne Fisher sighed, blowing strand of hair from her face.
"Again, hard to say with the numbers, though I'm so far guessing the 10th and 15th fleets lost around ten cruisers, and fifty frigates, plus minus one or two. The 6th Raiders lost twenty frigates and one cruiser protecting the Destiny Ascension… in total, so far I'd guess we're looking towards at least fifteen thousand dead, in Alliance personnel alone."
"Why do we keep dying for those asshats?" Magnus commented, then received a jab in the chest from Tuara;
"Quiet."
"The Council has mentioned that despite your initial arguments and… 'lack of respect for order', your fleets undoubtedly saved the day, defeating Saren Arterius and his forces. Did you face Saren himself? A few crewmen from your ship are being quoted with you having "threatened the enemy flagship". Did you speak to Saren in person?" Fisher grew visibly annoyed at this.
"Yes, I did save the day, which the Council seemed adamant on forgetting when I spoke to them earlier today. My crew was also both human and Quarian, something the Council, bar Sparatus of all people, wanted to reward with severe restriction on what Quarians serving in the Alliance could serve on, among other things. Finally, yes, I did contact the enemy flagship, Nazara."
"Nazara?" The reporter asked, confusion in her voice; "So, if this Nazara was commanding the ship, what about Saren? And why did you contact the ship?"
"I contacted the ship because it was carving up the SSV Caucasus. My own dreadnought stood a better chance of surviving the onslaught, so I wanted to draw the fire. Admiral Oleg Petrovsky, someone you may remember from his campaigns against slavers, Cerberus and his own part in the battle on Virmire, was onboard the SSV Caucasus."
"So you drew the fire to save a colleague? Noble, I have to admit that." Fisher nodded, and then raised a finger;
"Not done though. And you might wanna get as many copies of this as you can hide. The Council's going to hate me for this one, and I'm fine with that."
"I'll take copies then. What is this terrible secret that you're going to tell me?" The woman sounded excited, like she was about to get, what did humans call it, the 'scoop' of her life?
"The flagship, and Nazara, was one and the same. Nazara was actually the AI housed in the ship. Millions of years old, it was the vanguard of a possibly huge fleet of similar ships waiting in dark space."
"Millions of years old AI's waiting in Dark space? Are these the same "unknown, hostile vessels" the Alliance has encountered lately?" The woman's voice had changed, now to a mixture between disbelief and disappointment. Fisher had clearly sensed the change.
"Yes. I am well aware that something so implausible, coming from me even, sounds like a load of shit. Well guess what, princess Wong. Those AI's are called 'Reapers'. They are your worst nightmare's worst nightmare's nightmare come true. They don't age, rust or break. They supply themselves with power, and they are nearly impossible to kill. In the last four months, the Alliance has lost more than sixty thousand servicemen to these things, most of the time we were only up against a couple of their ships." Fisher declared, then took a breath before continuing; "The Reapers are real, they want to kill us all, and if you want to see a Reaper; take a look at the monster being towed away from the station right now. Does that look like something the geth could build?"
"I admit, it doesn't, no." The reporter, now identified as Emily Wong, said, then added with a thoughtful tone; "Still, if these 'Reapers' are such a threat, how come this is the first we hear of them, especially if they are millions of years old. And why has the Council yet to make a statement concerning them?"
"As for how we've never found a trace of them, no idea. You'd think they'd leave ruins or craters behind them, something we could identify as being from a 4 kilometer starship. We haven't found it yet though. However, as for why the Council has yet to bring it up? My personal guess if because they are cowardly -BEEP- -BEEP- -BEEP- who couldn't -BEEP- a Vorcha's -BEEP- if they tried. They don't want to risk spreading panic, so instead they'd be fine with no one ever knowing. Well, Tevos and Esheel that is."
"So, you are claiming, Admiral if I can quote you?" She asked. Fisher nodded; "You are claiming that the Citadel Council, the people elected to ensure the safety and connections of the entire Galactic community, is withholding vital information from their people?"
"Every government does, I suspect. Only right now, those withheld secrets and info, is threatening the entire galaxy. So quote away, they'll still deny it all. Though if you really wanna dig in it, try Sparatus. He's the only one of them who isn't a total -BEEP-"
The screen changed, and went on to more and more coverings of the Citadel, recordings of how C-Sec had courageously fought off waves of Saren's forces, including abominations and mutants. How the massive Reaper-ship, under the command of Saren Arterius, has smashed through the Citadel's defenses. According to an interviewed Turian, an interview that was cut short when un-pleasantries started, the whole attack was the fault of the 'bloody Quarians because they made the geth back then, and they should pay for the entire attack and repairs'. Tara grit her teeth at that, feeling a strange urge to go find a black widow spider, then the Turian in question.
"Well… I can honestly say shit just hit the fucking flying fan." Magnus said, being the first amongst them to speak. Sidonis followed up;
"It's unbelievable. The Citadel, attacked by Saren? I never imagined… and with that kind of force?" He said. His Omnitool then flared up, revealing a message. Politely leaving, he went to read the message. Tara was stiff, unable to immediately process the information.
"This is… huge. How… what did Admiral Fisher mean by 'Reapers' and 'Nazara'?" She asked, finding her eyes locked on Magnus. He had been part of the campaign against Saren, once, and might know something. No one got a chance to answer, as a raw scream of pure grief and shock came from behind the door. Fearing an attack, the team had guns out instantly, taking up positions around the door.
Nothing happened, nothing except for the sound of someone yelling and crying in anguish and grief, shouting and chocking on his own words before going back to loud weeping. Tara recognized the voice as belonging to Lantar Sidonis.
"Guns down." She ordered, then walked through the door at a brisk pace.
Outside, she found Operative Lantar Sidonis curled up on the floor, sobbing with an intensity she hadn't seen in a person since Magnus had been stopped from jumping over an edge back on Illium. Sidonis was a hardened veteran. He had never before broken down, just what in Human hell had happened to him? Magnus was next out the door, having recognized the voice as well;
"What is… Lantar? Lantar, what the shit is wrong?" He exclaimed, running to the Turian's side. The Turian kept crying, although he managed to prop himself up against the wall. After what felt like an eternity as more and more of the team came out, he got control over his breathing, and after a minute of heaving for his breath, managed to speak;
"Cap- Captain. Sorry, I just… received some news. Can I take a few- few- few days leave of absence?" He spoke through a ruined voice. Magnus had never really seen a Turian in deep grieving before, but for a species normally so proud, it was a devastating sight.
"Of course, but, what happened? What's wrong?" She asked, then turned to the rest of the team, Magnus included, and signaled for them to head off, giving the Turian some space. Magnus nodded, though without much affirmation in it, and went with the rest of the group.
Tara offered Sidonis a hand, as strange as it felt, and pulled him to his feet regardless when he refused it, trying to stand himself. She lead him back into her room, sat him down and placed herself across from him, leaning against her desk;
"I won't ask if you are okay, so I'll just ask what's happened." She said. Sidonis took a moment, then spoke.
"I… I had this friend who served on the Alliance ship, SSV Normandy. He… was killed in the battle of the Citadel, by Saren."
"Oh Keelah. I'm so sorry to hear that, Sidonis." Tara said, feeling anguish creep into her as well. She remembered what it was like, losing close friends.
"His body is being shipped back to Palavan… I'd like to go there, to be there for the ceremony." The Turian said. Tara nodded. There was no way she would deny him that.
"Of course. Do you need help getting there, or do you know how long it will take?" She said with as gentle a voice as she could. The Operative shook his head;
"I can find transportation off-world, ma'am. From there, a lot… a lot of ships go to Palavan each day. I have enough credits to get there. But… thank you for the offer, ma'am." He choked out, then nodded goodbye to her and got up to leave.
"Sidonis… you don't have to call me ma'am. Just 'Tara' is fine." She wanted desperately to make sure her crew was well, but she had never prepared to handle something like this, which in retrospect had been naïve. People, even those under her command, could be killed at any given time, even here in the facility, should a rivaling organization decide to attack them. The Turian nodded, and left the room. She could hear his sobbing begin again as soon as the door closed; "Dammit…Dammit…"
December 12th
Palavan, Cipritine
Cipritine Spaceport 'Spirit of Steel'
15:12
The arrival to Palavan, the Turian homeworld, completely bypassed all Thomas had expected to happen. First of all, he had thought Palavan to be dry and arid, since Grissom had been quoted 'the only thing on Palavan no made of silver are the Turians, they are made of steel'. He was surprised to find the planet even greener than Earth. As the Normandy touched down, he stood behind the four people holding the coffin, waiting without a word for the hangar to open up. Ashley stood next to him, giving his hand a comforting squeeze. Once more, he knew he would have snapped without her.
The next event to alter what he had expected and feared, was the reception. He had expected a large crowd, like a human soldier would often be greeted by upon death. Instead, there was a small group of Turians. One, an older man, was obviously Garrus's father. Thomas was glad he wasn't going to talk to him, as the man moved with obvious difficulties, his body trembling with each step he took towards the coffin holding his only son. Behind him stood what Thomas identified as a pair of Turian women, one young enough to be the sister, while one obviously older and probably the mother, supported herself on a cane. The father stopped in front of the procession, which in return halted its march in front of him. Thomas cringed as he saw the way the old Turian's mandibles quivered, shaking as he touched the container with a hesitant, scared hand.
There were no spoken words for a while, only the sound of the two female Turians, a mother and a sister, silently weeping for the dead son and brother.
Jane held the coffin in her artificial arm, saluting with the right hand.
"Mister Vakarian, Sir. Captain Jane Shepard of the Alliance Navy. Your son was a remarkable soldier, and well-liked amongst the entire crew. I am sorry for your loss."
The rest of the day, after that initial meeting, started with giving the family space and privacy to be with the dead body, a Turian custom that was similar to what Thomas knew of his own kind's ceremonial customs. Most of the day went by, and it wasn't until it was well into the evening that Garrus's father, now known as Heratus Vakarian contacted the Normandy. Apparently, he extended an invitation to them to participate in the ceremony. When Thomas asked Kaidan about this, the Lieutenant answered that the customs and traditions of the Turians were remarkably similar to those of the ancient Romans, and that their traditions concerning fallen soldiers often involved the comrades and squad of the deceased being present when the soldier was joined his or her ancestors. Or in the case of the Turians, joined the Spirits. The Turians apparently, were a highly religiously oriented species. Jane had accepted the invitation, and told anyone who so desired that they were allowed to join. Most of the crew joined with little hesitation, except for Tali and Wrex. Tali would have preferred, in her own words, to stay home and cry for the one who gave his life for her.
John wasn't going to let her do that though, and with methods and means of convincing that Thomas didn't want to know of, the commander made Tali come along, though she remained silent for much of the trip. As Palavan was highly radiated, the group couldn't go outside without hardsuits, suited for operating in irradiated areas. Thomas's helmet had been split in two when Saren had grabbed him, and so he had been forced to wear an older model, the Hydra-variant of the hardsuit's helmet.
The Vakarian residence was, to put it in one word, intriguing. The entire building was as if made in silver, gleaming in the light of the systems star as it set on the horizon. The group disembarked the shuttle, and stopped before the entrance to the home of the Vakarians. It was Garrus's father who greeted them, asking that they came in.
"Thank you, sir. Is it agreeable with you that we parked the shuttle near the other skycar?" Jane asked as she entered.
"It is fine." He said, sounding like his entire emotional store had been emptied throughout the day, leaving him simply polite and agreeable, but drained; "I am grateful that Garrus served with such distinguished people…" He said as the rest of the crew entered. Wrex hadn't wanted to come, thought it had little to do with him not caring much for Turians. The old Krogan had, surprising all but Thomas and Nicolai, said he didn't want to disturb the ceremony.
Just as surprising, Heratus Vakarian greeted John and Tali like he did the rest of them; with respect.
"If… you would follow me, you are welcome to join the rest of us in the living room. I will try to explain how our customs work, so that… so that when we bury my son…" The man stopped, tears clocking up his voice. A Turian woman, the one Thomas had figured was Garrus's sister, Solana Vakarian, came out into the hallway and went to her father;
"Dad… why don't you go in to mother and the guests. I can take care of the guests." She spoke with a surprisingly soft voice, despite the flanged double-tone to it. As each entered the home, the crew had removed their helmets, both as a gesture of respect, but also because they were likely to be offered food and drinks. On Palavan, it was surprisingly common for a household to have consumables suited for levo-acid guests.
"Yes, I… thank you, sweetie." Heratus said, and gave his daughter a hug. Based on the expression on her face, receiving hugs from her father was a very rare event. Though, given the circumstances, Thomas understood it. The worst thing was, he still expected Garrus to pop in and make a comment. As her father left them, Solana straightened up and looked at the crew, a lot of them feeling awkward.
"I don't think we ever got introduced before… I am Solana, Garrus was…" She started, the was forced to stop when her breath hitched; "Garrus was my brother, two years older… I never thought… if you would follow me, I'll show you the dormitory and where we… have him." She stuttered, her voice close to breaking on several occasions. Thomas cringed at the pain in her voice. More than anything, he knew how much it hurt to lose a sibling.
"Thank you, Solana." Jane said, and the group followed her into a large room where a few other guests, mostly Turians, but also a very familiar human in an anti-rad suit. Thomas figured that the other guests, except for the human, were family and relatives.
"Please, sit. I will… bring you something to drink." The girl said, leaving the room again. There was pain and grief in every spot Thomas looked, in every movement made by the bereft, in every word spoken. He felt horrible being there, and yet he knew he'd feel worse if he was absent from this. Jane muttered a few words, and Tequila got to her feet, following Solana out. When Thomas made to follow, Jane shook her head;
"Let Tequila handle this. Please." She said. Thomas felt a little hurt that he was deemed useless in the use of dulling pain, but told himself, and knew, that it had nothing to do with that. Simply, it was likely that Solana would respond best to a woman, not a horribly scarred man. Horribly scarred… I suppose…
"If you say so, okay." He nodded, and leaned back in the couch meant for Turians, meaning there was a weird outcropping near the floor, one he had no idea what to do with. Ashley sat next to him, keeping close instead of 'mingling', if one could even say that about guests to a funeral.
"How are you doing?" She asked quietly, hand covering his. He nodded, swallowing;
"Fine, I'm… fine. Just… I don't like… I've never liked these things. I went through a funeral for a sibling once already, so I know how terrible it is for the family." He muttered. Ashley moved a bit closer to him, the touch and feeling of her being physically close, helped alleviate some of his frustrations. He felt far more frustrated, he realized, than he felt sad. He wasn't even sure why he was frustrated, when he should just be… he didn't know. How does one act at the funeral of a friend?
"I know. They'll likely never get over it, but… when my dad died, it took years before we got back up as a family. We did, eventually, but… there are scars time never really heal." Ashley spoke softly, holding his hands. He loved her for these things especially, being there when he was wavering, unstable, insecure.
"You were friends of Garrus?" A turian next to them asked, looking at an unopened bottle of something meant for Turians. He was dressed in what amounted for fine clothing with Turians, with mostly dark colors, as well as some red and yellow near the neck. His mandibles revealed he wasn't family, as they were colored purple, not blue.
"Yes." Thomas said, looking at the Turian. He too, was familiar somehow; "He was… he was a really good friend, saved my life more than once. Other times he… Other times he needed the saving too."
"I remember, on Therum, you had to help him with Liara." Ashley said, offering a small smile at the memory. Thomas remembered it too, as Garrus had joked about it not even an hour before he died.
"Yeah… he kept joking about that part." Thomas smiled. Now, it was more a fond memory than anything else. He looked at the obviously devastated Turian, and extended his hand towards him; "Thomas Fisher, Alliance Marines."
"Ashley Williams, same." Ashley said, nodding a greeting as she was outside of reach. The Turian looked at Thomas's hand for a moment, then took it.
"Lantar Sidonis."
End of Aftermath Part 1/3
As we near the end at last, I'd actually like to draw attention to two people on this site, just to name a few.
Tmroc725 - Is doing a story by the name "Into the Terminus". This story is actually rather kickass, and tells the story from the perspective of a young marine from the USMC who unwittingly was chosen for a task by a being not all thát different from Roku. Why, you might ask? Because it takes place in the same universe as this story. So it offers not only a good plot and story, but also a crack at how Cerberus remembers their encounters with Thomas and his split-personality.
CriticalRift - Has been my beta-reader for a good bunch of chapters that would have turned out like something less pleasant to smell, had it not been for this here badass reader. Take for one, how the situation on Daratar evolved? In my version, Cerberus captured them and that was it. Yeah, not the best idea ever.
Remember to review (I sorta need it. I feed on reviews :)