Garrus
"Vakarian!" a voice called from just outside Garrus' small office. A human head popped in the door way. "The captain wants to see you."
His mandibles twitched in irritation, and he was barely able to hold back a frustrated growl. "What does he want this time, Lamont?" he asked.
Lamont's entire body came into view as he leaned on doorframe. He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know exactly, but I would put money on the Trigon case if I had to guess."
Garrus swore under his breath. The Trigons had been a thorn in his side since he took it four months ago. They were a gang of drug runners that were starting to fill the vacuum left by the bigger gangs' destruction after Sovereign's attack. Their small size made them especially elusive, but Garrus caught a break and apprehended one of the middle men that could help bring the entire organization down.
The turian locked his console and stood. "Might as well get this over with."
"Good idea," Lamont said with a nod. "Hey. A couple of the others are going out for drinks tonight. Going to check out that new club Purgatory. Want to come with?"
Garrus shook his head. "I have a lot of work to do all ready, and I'm thinking I'm going to get saddled with more." He moved out his office and toward the captain's.
Lamont walked with him. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to let your hair-" he started but faltered as he glanced at the turian's fringe, "I mean, relax a little bit. You're going to drive yourself insane if you don't."
He knew the human was right. Working in C-Sec again still frustrated him to no end. Garrus didn't know what he was expecting when he decided to come back. He should have known there would be no change in how the organization worked.
Still, he didn't feel up for a night of drinking.
"Maybe next time," was his response.
Lamont sighed before heading off toward his desk. "You're always welcome in case you change your mind."
Garrus watched at the human's retreating figure. He liked the man and was glad that C-Sec didn't pass on a great officer due to their antiquated prejudice against humans. Truthfully, the geth attack on the Citadel had thinned their ranks considerably. They needed all the warm bodies they could get a hold of to fill the void.
He turned his attention back to the task at hand and mentally prepared himself for whatever may come his way. He hit the call button just outside the captain's office. The doors unlocked and slid away.
A turian that was sitting behind his rather large desk didn't look up at the new arrival. Garrus wasn't surprised. The old man had perfected his strict demeanor over years of military and police service. He wouldn't acknowledge him until the older turian deemed it absolutely necessary.
Garrus stood in front of the man's desk. "You wished to see me, Captain?"
He still didn't answer, deciding to continue to read the report of a datapad instead. Just as Garrus was about to try again, the captain spoke without looking up.
"I released Kishpaugh," he said simply.
Garrus couldn't believe what he had just heard. He didn't want to believe it. If what the old turian said was true, Garrus would be set back to square one on the Trigon case.
"You did what?" Garrus said while fighting to keep some semblance of composure. He felt himself failing miserably.
"I released Kishpaugh," the captain stated again.
Garrus lost the battle. "Why did you do that? It has taken me a month to build enough of a case just to apprehend Kishpaugh. He was ready to flip on the whole gang to keep his slimy ass out of jail. You've just undid nearly four months of detective work."
The old turian scoffed and looked past the datapad at him. He regarded Garrus with dark, unwavering eyes. His aged carapace ringed with a pale green gave the man an air of authority that could only be bestowed by many years.
"You call that shoddy job detective work?"
"'Shoddy'?! What the hell do you mean, 'shoddy'?"
"I found evidence tampering, witness coercion, and assault when I looked through your case reports. I don't know what else to call it." The captain returned his gaze to the datapad he never put down. "You left me no choice but to release him. I expect this from the rookies that are calling themselves C-Sec officers these days, not from you, Inspector."
"It's so easy for you to sit back and past judgment from behind that desk. When's the last time you've been out there? There is a power struggle that is about to boil over. I'm doing my best to keep the worst from happening, and you would rather have me here, doing paperwork?"
"So the rules are just there to break if you don't like them. Is that it?"
"What? No!" Garrus replied surprised. "It's just-"
The captain didn't let him finish. "It's nothing," he said sternly as he finally stood. "This isn't just a job, Garrus. You have to see the bigger picture. There are over a million people on this station, and each one has their own idea on how society should work. Some days, we are the only thing holding this place together. It's not meant to be easy, but if filling out paperwork is too much for you, then maybe you're just not cut out for this job."
The old turian moved around his desk to stand directly in front of him. "You're stuck as an inspector because you don't like the way this police force is ran. If you would just follow the rules and the law, you could be a lieutenant by now. But you don't want to do that, do you? I swear-"
"I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment to you, Dad."
Garrus got the desired response, stopping the captain's rant before it could really gather steam. His father looked at him coldly. He didn't dare push any further.
Finally, the older Vakarian rounded his desk and sat back down.
"I swear, son. You were always stubborn, but after you came back from gallivanting around with that human Spectre, you've been damn insufferable."
Garrus' mandibles flared with the mention of Shepard. "Mom always said I got my stubbornness from you," he spat.
The sudden silence filled the room. It was an unspoken rule between the two men to never bring her up. It usually ended in heated arguments that neither wanted to get into.
The older turian didn't respond to Garrus' jab, choosing to continue his line of thought. "Traveling with that human made you forget how important the law is. Spectres take the law in their own hands and do as they see fit. They are a blight on the galaxy, a disease I'm afraid you may have caught. And after his death, you were left without direction. Do you realize how hard it was to get you back into C-Sec? You're fortunate I was able to pull enough strings to do so."
"Well, maybe you shouldn't have bothered," Garrus said with finality.
His dad's eyes narrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"
He wasn't expecting this turn of events when he entered, but he knew it was the right choice. "I mean that you're right about me. I'm not cut out filing all the necessary paperwork. I quit."
Garrus removed his C-Sec issued sidearm from his hip and placed it on the desk. He turned and started to walk out the door but changed his mind before he completely left. Marching back to the desk, he pointed an accusatory finger at the captain.
"And let me tell you something about Commander Shepard. He may have been a Spectre, but he always acted with the upmost respect for the rules. More than once I thought he sounded like you with all his talk of following orders and abiding by the law. I only saw him break a direct order once and that was when we left the Citadel for Ilos to stop that traitor Saren. The decision tore him up inside. Everyone could see that. But he knew that it had to be done. Sometimes rules need to be broken to save the people they were meant to protect."
With that, Garrus angrily walked out of the captain's office for the last time.
Garrus found himself standing in front of The Serpent Cloud, a seedy bar in the lower levels of the wards that reminded him of Chora's Den. Normally, he would never even approach this level, let alone an dive like this, but he was on a mission.
Without hesitation, the turian entered and immediately regretted it. The dump was stuffy and smelled of stale alcohol, dirty sweat, and strong fragrances in a futile attempt to overcome the other odors. Besides the various patrons and lone barkeep, there were a number of asari maidens dancing on stages and a solitary krogan in the back, his eyes watching for any signs of trouble.
A quick scan of the room led Garrus to the man he was looking for. He was sitting in front of one of the asari, drooling over her writhing form. Somehow the man spotted the turian. He sat back in his chair with a smug smile on his face.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite C-Sec officer. How you doing, Garrus? Hope you aren't too sore about having to let me go. You worked so hard to get me there too."
"Get up, Kishpaugh. We're going to have a little talk."
The human put a finger to his lips and looked off into the distance, the slimly smirk never leaving his face. He then shook his head. "Naw. I'm good here. Thanks for the offer though."
Garrus hoped he would answer like that. It already took quite a bit of time and a few broken bones to finally find him, and he wasn't against some more bodily harm. He roughly grabbed the back of the human's head and slammed it against the stage. Kishpaugh's nose made a satisfying cracking sound. The asari yelped and jumped back in surprise before she called for the krogan bouncer.
"What the hell is going on here?" the krogan demanded as he drew close.
Garrus grabbed the back of the human's neck and lifted him. "My friend here has had too many drinks and seemed to have broken his nose on stage. Don't worry. I'll get him to a clinic." He threw a credit chit to the asari. "Sorry for him scaring you like that."
"Tiera?" the krogan asked the dancer.
Her eyes shot a questioning glance at Garrus before they widened when she saw the generous amount of credits he left for her. She quickly regained her composure and turned to the bouncer. "He just slipped, Lutik. All that blood just surprised me."
The krogan still looked skeptical but couldn't do much without a complaint from the dancer. "Get him out of here, turian, and I better not see either one of your faces here again," he said menacingly.
Garrus almost laughed at his threat. After nearly a year spent in Wrex's company, he found the bluster of other krogan severely lacking any fire he knew should be there. Thought of his old friend made him realize he hadn't talked to the old krogan in a long time. Garrus would have to see how he was doing on Tuchanka.
Not wanting to get in a bar brawl with the krogan, he led his new 'friend' out of the dive and tossed him into a quiet and secluded alley.
"What the fuck, man?! I think you broke my nose," Kishpaugh exclaimed as he gingerly felt the bleeding and swollen appendage.
"Who's your supplier, Kishpaugh?" Garrus asked firmly.
The human ignored him. "You don't know what the fuck you just did, birdy. Once they take your badge for this, me and my boys are going to mess you up something fierce. You better-"
The man was interrupted by a right hook to the jaw. Garrus was done playing games with scum. The turian roughly grabbed his jacket and slammed his back against the wall. He could see a flicker of fear in the human's eyes.
"Last chance, Kishpaugh," Garrus snarled, "or we're going to visit the incinerators. Your supplier. Who is it?"
"You- you can't do this. You can't kill me. You're C-Sec. You have to follow the rules."
He slammed him against the wall again. "I'm not C-Sec anymore. I quit. Now, who is your supplier?"
The flicker of fear grew to absolute terror. "I-I-I don't know. They never told me. I swear, Garrus."
"You have been selling anything you can get your grubby hands on, and you claim to have no idea who is from? I don't believe you for a second." He lifted the scared man higher, starting to choke him in the process.
Kishpaugh gasped for air and struggled against Garrus' iron grip. He finally squeaked out some words the turian couldn't quite make out.
"What was that?" he asked as he slowly let him down to better fill his lungs.
"Omega," the man said once he found his voice again. "I don't know who supplies us, but everything comes from Omega."
Garrus mulled over this new information. It made sense. Over a third of all drugs that reach the Citadel came from the lawless station, and everyone in C-Sec knew it. Omega was an example of how bad everything could go if there were no laws.
"Thank you for all your help, Kishpaugh," he said as he let go of the human's jacket. "It was a pleasure getting to know you."
He dusted himself off. "Yeah, a real fucking blast."
Garrus gave him one last parting gift, a forehead to the remainder of his mangled nose. He left the man in the dirty alley, yelling obscenities. He didn't have any more time to waste on the human. There was a trip to plan.
A few hours later, he had booked a transport to the Terminus Systems, packed up the few things he needed from his modest apartment, and told the landlord he was moving out and could sell what was left for the inconvenience of breaking the lease.
Just as he was about to leave, the flash of an incoming call caught his attention. He answered it and found the captain's stern glare on the other side.
"Listen, son. If you don't want to work for us anymore, that's fine, but you can't go around assaulting people. You're lucky that some asari dancer swears up and down that Kishpaugh broke his nose as he was trying to grab at her. If it wasn't for her testimony, you would have C-Sec officers at your door right now. If you keep pushing the line, I will arrest you myself. Do you hear me, Vakarian?"
"Loud and clear. Don't worry. I won't be a problem for you anymore. I'm going somewhere far out of your jurisdiction, somewhere I can actually make a difference."
"Oh yea? And where is that?"
"Omega," Garrus answered. He disconnected the call.
His first impression of Omega was worse than he thought imaginable. The station was a mess. On approach, Garrus could see that the older structures had some semblance of aesthetically forethought as well as functionality. The newer additions, however, were haphazardly placed on top of each other with little thought beyond "we need more room." What was left was a jumbled mess of towers that had little rhyme or reason.
The interior was no better. Just out of the airlock, there were information screens and advertisements that flickered with a low power warning. The air smelled of refuse, sweat, and decay. Garrus could tell that the air scrubbers were overtaxed by the horrid perfume.
The people here were in no better shape. Most rarely made eye contact with the armored turian, and those that did were thinly veiled assessments of him. All of them looked weary and beaten to some extent. Garrus didn't know how anyone could live like that.
The entire experience could be defined by the mugging he found in one of the numerous alleys. A vorcha was holding a knife to the throat of an elderly female human with, what Garrus assumed, her human husband standing some distance away. The attacker was yelling at the old man to give him more money with him responding that what was already given was all they had. All of this was happening a no more than ten meters away from the indifferent crowd on the road.
Garrus was not so callous and approached the trio, reaching them just as the vorcha threw the old woman toward her husband.
"We don't want any trouble," the male human tried.
"This is not trouble," the vorcha rasped. "This going to be pleasure."
"You have no idea," Garrus said.
The vorcha spun to find who the sudden voice belonged and was rewarded with an uppercut to the chin. Garrus hit the would-be attacker so hard that a piece of his chin flew farther down the alley as a bloody chunk. He landed on the ground with a thud and didn't get up. Once they realized the new arrival was there to save them, the older humans crept out of the shadows they were trying to hide in. They were still huddled together, but they seemed slightly calmer.
"Thank you," the old woman said with visible relief. "Thank you so much. We came to find our son. He – we…" she trailed off.
"Ma'am," Garrus said calmly. "It's okay. I think you should just head home for now. It's going to be hard to find anyone on this station."
He didn't want to say it may not be worth it to try. It seemed there were only three types of people on Omega: the predators, the slaves, and the dead. He doubted they would want to find their son in any of those states.
The male human spoke. "He's right, Marge. We can't stay here. We need to get going."
As he led her away, she yelled back toward Garrus. "You're an angel, sir. A real-life angel."
His mandibles flicked in a turian smile as he watched the two walk away. Garrus felt something he hadn't since his time on the Normandy over a year ago, a sense of rightness. He was meant to be here, helping those that couldn't help themselves.
He chuckled at that the memory of Shepard spouting those words every chance he could. "I'm a Shepard. My job is to protect my flock, help those that can't help themselves."
"Seems you instilled more in me than I realized, Shepard," he said quietly. "I'm going to steal your mantra, if you don't mind." Garrus got the feeling the commander wouldn't.
Now, if he only knew what an angel was.
Author's Note:
Well, so much for faster uploads. I meant to get this done in a few days, but it turned into a week, then almost two. I'll endeavor to do better with my next update.
A few facts about this chapter. First, I borrowed heavily from the Mass Effect Homeworlds #3 comic book starring Garrus Vakarian. You will see more of what happened in that comic later as well. For those of you that know the book, I'm sure you already know what I'm talking about. Second, the pale green tint I gave to Garrus' dad is actually based on a little bit of science. Thulium, the element that gives turians their metallic look, oxidizes into a pale green in the same way that iron turns red when it rusts. Congratulations! You just learned something by reading fan fiction! I wanted to give him some age like human's grey hair, but I didn't see wrinkles working well on their hard carapaces (carapaci? I don't know the plural). So this is the solution I came up with. I thought it was interesting at least.
I digress. As always, thank you for reading, and please review!