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Loyalty and Limerence

Part 2

Chapter 10

Horizon

One by one they hopped out of the shuttle, feet hitting the hard packed ground with dull thuds. The air was sweltering, the dry heat evidence of a parched summer, with dead and brown grass crunching underfoot as they spread out. Garrus took a deep breath in and could smell the earthy, dusty smell of dried out and dying vegetation around them. Under that was the heavy, acrid smell of ozone, seeming oddly out of place.

Their time on the Citadel and the short period of time thereafter had felt nearly like a dream, a holiday from reality. It had started off a little rocky, but once he and Jane had come to an understanding following his discovery of her Spectre status, he had felt lighter and freer than he had in weeks.

But the second his feet had touched the ground on the colony of Horizon, it was as if reality had come slamming back into him like a storm front; fast, hard, and with a ringing note of inescapable unpredictability.

The empty buildings, the silence, the crackling smell of ozone -and of course the giant Collector ship looming ahead of them- all served as a reminder of what they were up against, the true mission at hand. Until that moment, it had all felt distant; a faraway, indistinct, and abstract enemy that had no true form. He'd been so wrapped up in his search for Sidonis, his grief over his team, and everything to do with Cerberus and Jane.

It felt like reality sending him a wake up call via a slap to the face. They were on a mission to stop the Collectors from kidnapping entire colonies, and it would be, in all likelihood, a suicide mission. Garrus' mouth went dry as that weight really settled on his shoulders, his eyes darting to the redheaded teammate beside him as his heart sank.

"We're groundside. Mordin, are you sure these armor upgrades will protect us from the seeker swarms?" Shepard asked, his shotgun already drawn as he gazed about, waiting for the team to assemble around him. Mordin looked down at his omni-tool, checking some data readouts.

"Certainty impossible. But in limited numbers, should confuse detection, make us invisible to swarms." Mordin replied, looking up from his omni-tool, and hesitated before adding, "In theory." Miranda's long suffering stare landed on Mordin, her voice laced with unimpressed anxiety.

"In theory?"

"Experimental technology! Only test is contact with seeker swarms. Have to test them in person. Should be exciting!" Came Mordin's chipper reply, and Garrus was positive he could hear multiple sets of eyes rolling. "Shepard. Understand priority is to stop Collectors. However, can't pass up opportunity to further study and collect samples, if possible." The salarian shot the Commander a questioning look, causing Shepard to lift a hand to his chin in contemplation. After a moment, he nodded curtly.

"Okay." Shepard looked across his team before his eyes landed on his sister. "Jane, pick one more and escort Mordin. Keep him safe as he collects the data he needs. We'll move ahead to confront the Collectors and do what we can to stop them. Understood?" Jane nodded, checking her sniper rifle's heat sink quickly before looking up, her eyes locking on Garrus with a question in her eyes. Understanding her meaning, Garrus nodded. She looked back to Shepard, nodding.

"Got it. We'll catch up with you as soon as he's finished." With that, Shepard and the rest of the team hurried forward toward the large Collector vessel in the distance. Garrus hefted his assault rifle, his eyes following Mordin's gaze as he inspected a nearby cluster of buildings which were eerily empty.

Mordin quickly began picking his way through the settlement, careful to duck out of the way to prevent being spotted, and Garrus quickly understood why Shepard made Jane his choice to accompany the salarian doctor. Between the three of them, they silently crept through the buildings without drawing attention to themselves. It helped that the Collectors seemed drawn to Shepard like moths to a flame.

It felt like an eternity of wandering around through empty buildings, avoiding Collectors and husks until they encountered humans that had yet to be packaged up, standing and laying frozen as though trapped in invisible force fields. Their eyes darted wildly as the small group approached them, Mordin with his omni-tool up and scanning immediately.

"Victim appears conscious. Fully aware. Trapped in stasis." He got up close to one woman's face, bringing a hand up to stroke his chin. He took a deep breath, releasing it before he continued, "Fascinating." Jane stopped before one man laying on the ground as though he'd tripped just before being frozen, and nudged him gently with the toe of her boot.

"They've been like this a long time." She murmured before looking up at the Collector vessel darkening the sky. "They'll probably be back to gather these people up soon, we need to hurry." Garrus looked back to see Mordin furiously typing into his omni-tool, muttering quietly to himself.

"-No, not biotic in nature. Must be something else. Toxin? Possibly. Will need to take samples, conduct analysis-"

"Huh." Garrus murmured as he came to a stop before a woman frozen in a position as though she had been running. He watched as her hand seemed to twitch, her head moving ever so slightly. "I think they may be starting to regain movement."

"Ash!" Garrus' head shot up and for a moment he'd wondered if his translator had made an error, but then he saw Jane darting forward, falling to her knees beside a familiar woman on the ground in white and red armor. His eyes went wide as he recognized the frozen soldier Jane was leaning over as none other than Ashley Williams. "Garrus, over here!" He hurried over to join Jane, kneeling on Ashley's other side, watching as her eyes darted between them both, widening slightly in recognition.

"What is she doing here of all places?" Garrus wondered aloud as Jane quickly checked her over for injuries. Ashley's hand and arm twitched and Jane grabbed it, slowly helping her work the limb loose. "What are the chances that we'd run into her here?"

"I don't know, hopefully we can ask her soon." Jane muttered as Mordin continued moving from person to person, his omni-tool aloft as he scanned. Jane and Garrus worked together, slowly assisting Ashley as her body began to loosen up, and pretty soon she was sitting up, working her jaw as though all her muscles had been knotted up.

"What… what are you guys… doing here?" She ground out, her eyes pinched with discomfort as she worked to bend her legs. Jane and Garrus exchanged looks, unsure how much to explain to her. After a moment, Jane took a deep breath before answering.

"We were sent to help protect the colony from the Collectors." Was all she said, causing Ashley's eyebrows to jump.

"So you've rejoined the Alliance?" Ashley asked before groaning as they shifted her arms over their shoulders, pulling her to stand. Jane's freehand shot up to finger the N7 insignia on her chest piece, opening her mouth to respond.

"I-"

"Why didn't you message me, why didn't you let me know? You completely dropped off the face of the galaxy, Jane." Jane glanced at Garrus, her face drawn and concerned, and Garrus remembered her mentioning their falling out. "Well, I guess we can catch up later." She turned to look at Garrus with curiosity clear on her face.

"It's good to see you, Ashley."

"You, too, Garrus. Can't say I'm surprised to see you tagging along with this one." She gestured toward Jane, her eyebrow lifted. She glanced around at Mordin as she stretched her leg, bending her knees as she took a few stiff steps forward. "So, what's with the salarian…?"

"He's been developing defenses against the Collector swarms. He's gathering data on their stasis paralysis. Ashley, we need to-"

"Wait, seriously?! That's amazing." Ashley cut in, her eyes going wide as her eyes snapped back to Mordin.

"Ashley, listen to me. The Collector ship is still here." Jane's voice was serious, her patience gone as she firmly grabbed Ashley's arm to steady her.

"Wait, what?" Jane gestured behind her to where the ship loomed before them. "Shit. We need to get down to the defense turrets. If we can get them working, then maybe we can stop them, prevent them from taking anyone else."

"Defense turrets? Where are they? What's wrong with them? Maybe I can get them working." Jane said as she gestured Mordin over.

"They're over this way, follow me." Ashley took a few halting steps before her balance seemed to even out, her limbs loosening up faster as she moved. Garrus followed along with Mordin as they hurried between buildings.

The sound of gunfire and the distinct electronic screams of husks loomed as they got closer and closer to the huge vessel. Pretty soon they drew to a halt as the huge defense turrets started firing.

"They're working! John's team must have reached them." Jane exclaimed as they watched the turrets bombard the vessel with shot after shot. Ashley's head twisted around to face her, her eyes wide and her eyebrows drawn in concern.

"What did you say? Who-" The ground shook as the Collectors vessel's engines suddenly ignited, throwing out a massive cloud of exhaust. The sound roared in their ears and they covered themselves as a shockwave slammed into them. As the shaking started to subside, Garrus looked up to see the ship becoming little more than a quickly dissipating speck in the sky, the engines a blinding light pushing it further and further away.

"Crap, we were too late." Jane cursed, lifting a hand to shield her eyes as she looked up at the ship quickly escaping the atmosphere. "Let's get down there, regroup and figure out what we need to do next." With a gesture toward him and Mordin, she turned and started forward.

"Hey, wait up!." Ashley called out as she followed after them.

It wasn't long until Jane led them to a clearing between two of the defense turrets, and in the center at the base of some sort of transmitter tower, stood the rest of the ground team, including Shepard.

Shepard, who appeared to be in a heated argument with Kaidan Alenko. As Kaidan stepped forward, getting into Shepard's face, Jane jerked forward.

"Hey, whoa, whoa!" She darted forward, pushing them apart as she came to stand between them. "What's going on here?" Jane shot Kaidan a hard look before turning a questioning eye on her brother. Garrus hurried after, coming to a stop beside Shepard, Mordin not far behind.

"Shepard?" Ashley gasped as she came to a stop beside Kaidan, her eyes wide as they searched his face. "I thought you were dead, Shepard. We all did." Shepard tore his eyes away from Kaidan to examine Ashley for a moment before his face seemed to soften slightly, the barest hint of a smile there.

"It's been too long, Ash. How have you been?" He asked, his voice tight with forced casualness. Garrus felt the tension in the air like a pending thunderstorm, scared to move in case it caused the spark that would ignite it like a bomb. Ashley's eyes narrowed, her lips falling open as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"That's it?" She growled, "You show up after two years and act like nothing's happened?" The hurt in her voice was sharp and real, raw and painful. It echoed the pain Garrus knew they'd all felt after his death. Her eyes jumped to Jane before moving to Garrus and back to Shepard. "Why didn't you contact me? Us? Why didn't you let either of us know you were alive?"

"Ash." Everyone looked to Kaidan as his voice echoed through the courtyard, heavy with barely suppressed anger. "He's with Cerberus." Kaidan's furious glare landed on Garrus before sliding to Jane, his expression shifting to one of despair. "They all are. I didn't want to believe it, but…" Ashley's eyes opened wide again as she took in a sharp breath. She took a step back, shaking her head slowly as though she refused to accept it. Kaidan stepped back as well until there was a chasm stretching out between the two groups.

"You're with Cerberus now?" Ashley's voice dripped with accusation, her eyes drilling into Shepard before shifting to Jane. "You lied to me. You let me think you were with the Alliance." She hissed angrily, her eyes narrowing again.

"Ashley, I never said I was with the Alliance again."

"But Cerberus?! Jane, how could you?" Kaidan shot at her, venom in his voice, "You were always blind when it came to the Commander. Did you join simply because he did?" His eyes shifted to Garrus, "And Garrus, too."

"Hey now-" Shepard cut in, his face drawn in consternation, but Ashley cut in over him.

"I can't believe the reports were true." Ashley chimed in, her voice bordering outrage. As she explained the Alliance's theory about Cerberus being behind the abductions, Garrus saw Jane's expression shift to one of confusion. He couldn't help but wonder how much information the Council was deeming necessary to share with the Alliance. Jane had passed them a great deal of information about Cerberus, the Council at least should know that that theory wasn't likely.

"How could you turn your back on all of us?" Ashley accused, taking a step closer as she glared at Shepard, her lips drawn in an angry sneer, "You betrayed the Alliance. Betrayed Anderson. You betrayed us."

"Shut up, Williams! You don't understand!" Jane shouted, stepping forward only to have Shepard grab her shoulder, pulling her back beside him again.

"And who's fault is that? You never open up to anyone, Jane." Kaidan hissed at her, the hurt evident in his voice. "Why didn't you tell us he was alive? You let us think he was dead and just disappeared. You turned your back on everything we stood for." Jane's eyes went wide, taking a step back as though slapped.

"Kaidan. Ashley. You know me. You know I'd only do this for the right reason." Shepard opened his arms in a gesture of supplication, trying desperately to help them understand. "You saw it yourself. The Collectors are targeting human colonies. And they're working with the Reapers." The word hung heavily in the air as silence reigned in its wake. Ashley and Kaidan turned to share a look before they returned to staring at Shepard.

"I want to believe you, Shepard." Kaidan finally replied, his voice earnest but hard, and Ashley nodded curtly, "But I don't trust Cerberus. They could be using the threat of the Reapers to manipulate you."

"It worries me that you do trust them, Shepard. What did they do to you?" Ashley spat with a shake of her head. Jane seemed to jerk where she stood, her back going straight as she took a small, sharp breath in. "What if they're the ones behind it? What if they're the ones working with the Collectors?"

"Damn it," Garrus spoke up, his short temper hitting its limit, "You're both so focused on Cerberus that you're ignoring the real threat."

"Don't give me that shit, Garrus." Ashley turned on him, her eyes shooting daggers, "I don't want to be lectured by you about letting my feelings cloud my judgment." She looked back to Jane, her expression loaded with meaning that wasn't lost on him.

"You're letting how you feel about Cerberus' history get in the way of the facts." Shepard spoke up, his voice calm and compassionate, a contrast to those around him. He stepped forward, his face beseeching.

"Maybe." Kaidan admitted, his eyes narrowing as his lips turned down into a frown, "Or maybe you feel like you owe them because they saved you. Maybe you're that one who's not thinking straight." There was silence, and Garrus could almost hear Jane's indignation simmering beneath her skin.

"You've changed. You all have." Ashley stated finally, and Kaidan nodded solemnly.

"But we know where our loyalties lie." He added and Jane jerked forward.

"You fu-" John's arm shot out, halting her in her tracks without looking away from the two standing before them. After a moment, Jane took a deep breath before continuing. "I see you won't listen to reason." Her words were cold, bordering on patronizing.

"You left the Alliance to join Cerberus. Sounds like you left reason behind a long time ago." Ashley replied, causing Jane to look away in frustration as she crossed her arms. Now that he knew the truth, Garrus could only imagine how difficult it must be to constantly have that thrown back in her face. He felt second hand indignation on her behalf.

"We need to report back to the Alliance. They can decide if they believe your story or not." Kaidan said with a sigh, his expression pained as though he hated having to make the decision. He turned, starting toward the settlement, and after shooting them a scathing look, Ashley turned to follow suit.

"I could use people like you on my crew." Shepard called out after a moment, taking a step after them. "It'll be just like old times." Garrus almost felt his heart break for the other man, Shepard was clearly desperate for a sense of normality, his rebirth clearly having felt like having the carpet ripped out from under him.

"No, it won't." Kaidan stated firmly, stopping as he turned just enough to look at them over his shoulder. "I'll never work for Cerberus." He gazed at them for a moment before closing his eyes and turning away again.

"A leopard can't change its spots, and Cerberus can't be trusted." Ashley muttered as she turned and glanced back as well. "Goodbye, Shepard."

"Good luck. Be careful." With that, the two Alliance soldiers turned and left, leaving a perturbed, quiet, and contemplative group behind. Garrus turned to see the ground team standing a few yards back, each exchanging glances with others, no one daring to speak as the two Shepard siblings stood watching Ashley and Kaidan walk away.

Jane lifted a hand to rake through her hair, shoving her bangs out of her face as she turned, her face stoney and fierce. Without warning, she spun and smashed her fist into the nearby transmission tower. When she withdrew her hand, shaking it to dissipate the pain, she left behind a slight dent in the metal.

"Joker," Shepard activated his com, his voice bitter, "Send a shuttle to pick us up." He turned to watch as Jane stalked away, fury emanating off her in waves. "I've had enough of this colony."

The days following the events on Horizon were tense, the laid back atmosphere left from their time on the Citadel having evaporated like dew in the harsh afternoon sun. Though he kept to his usual daily rounds of the ship, Shepard had a distant, pensive air, his expression stony and serious in a way that Garrus hadn't seen since their days chasing Saren. Similarly, Jane seemed to stalk from task to task around the ship like a wounded cat, her hackles up and her expression grim. Much of the crew seemed on eggshells between the two of them, though both were professional enough not to lash out at anyone. Regardless, Garrus had to admit he didn't enjoy being on the receiving end of a hard look from either Shepard.

He'd felt as though he'd been doing a good job not ruminating over Sidonis up until Horizon. Honestly, it had been hard to dwell on unpleasant things when his head was full of more pleasant thoughts, namely a certain red haired, green eyed human. But after the run in with Ashley and Kaidan, both Shepards had seemed less up for casual chats, leaving him alone with his increasingly negative thoughts.

So when they arrived on Tuchanka, it was a welcome distraction to go thresher maw hunting with Grunt and shooting up a hospital with Mordin. It seemed like he wasn't the only one to feel that way, if Jane's grime splattered grinning face was anything to go on. When they'd returned to the Urdnot encampment, both Shepards seemed more like themselves, even after the horrors they'd witnessed at the hospital.

"You hear that? We got breeding requests! Ha! Bet that's one you walk away from duck footed in the morning…" Jane chortled as she slapped her very uncomfortable looking brother on the back, her grin huge and her laughter infectious. Her forehead was still adorned with a red mark left over from where she'd butted heads with a krogan earlier that day. Shepard brought his hands up to run them over his face in tired exasperation.

"Oh my god, Jane, you can't just-" Shepard started, only to be interrupted as Grunt offered Jane a high five, which she accepted, wincing in pain afterwards. As he watched her from a ways off, Garrus couldn't help the tender feelings welling up in his chest, sighing as he crossed his arms with a crooked smile. Suddenly, something akin to a truck smashed into his back, nearly sending him flailing to the ground. As he gathered himself, Garrus turned to see a grinning Wrex standing beside him.

"Still hopelessly mooning after that little pyjack, huh Vakarian? Some things never change." Wrex chuckled, his voice low and amused. With a huff, Garrus decided against responding, not seeing the point to it. They both turned to watch as Jane and Grunt's antics progressed into wrestling, followed by Shepard attempting to pull them apart. "You know," Wrex said slowly after a moment, "If you don't man up and make a move, someone else will." Garrus stiffened before turning to glare at the krogan.

"What makes you think I haven't already?" Garrus grumbled despite knowing he'd regret the bluff. Wrex had already seen through him, the old man was always too astute for his own good. As predicted, Wrex burst into amused laughter.

"Because! If you had, I'd have smelled her all over you." He took a deep breath to emphasize, causing Garrus to roll his eyes, and Wrex chuckled again. "You can't honestly think you're her only option, so why are you pussyfooting around?"

"Look, she just wants to keep things friendly and professional, she's made that clear in the past." Wrex said nothing to that, his expression a disbelieving deadpan. Garrus looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back up and continuing hesitantly. "It's just… not a good time for all that." He found he couldn't keep the other man's gaze, letting his eyes drift back to the others. "This mission we're on. We might not even be able to come back through the relay, let alone survive the mission itself."

"So?" Wrex snorted, standing up taller as he put his hands on his hips. "Sounds like a load of bullshit to me, Vakarian. Excuses. Never thought of you as a coward, despite being a turian." Garrus' eyes shot back to Wrex, shooting him an indignant glare.

"I'm not scared."

"Oh yeah? Well, then you better hop to it. If you don't, someone else will."

"What, like that breeding request? Excuse me if I don't feel threatened by some random krogan, Wrex." Garrus scoffed, rolling his eyes again. Wrex raised a brow at him, the corner of his mouth curling upwards in an almost predatory crooked grin.

"Maybe so. But I doubt you're the only interesting person on the Normandy." Garrus opened his mouth to reply, but Wrex continued on over him, "Plus, I was under the impression that Shepard was still actively recruiting for your big mission. Who's to say he won't pick up someone slightly more suave or clever than you next time you dock?" Wrex coughed to hide his ever widening grin, "Not that that's terribly hard. Turian, and all."

"Thanks." Garrus drawled, attempting to quiet the nibbling doubts newly planted in the back of his mind.

"Anytime." Wrex barked, slapping Garrus on the back again, causing him to stumble before shaking the other man off. "No time like the present, especially if this mission is as dangerous as you say it is. Take it from a man who's seen a few things. This isn't the sort of regret you want." Garrus blinked at that, frustration melting to be replaced by something resembling gratitude for the uncharacteristically deep advice.

"Thanks, Wrex. I'll give it some thought." Garrus said as he smiled, looking back at the group to see Jane swat Shepard's hand away as he ruffled her hair, her glare half hearted and her pony tail coming undone.

"Garrus!" Shepard called out with an amused smile as he waved in their direction, "Time we got back to the Normandy!"

"Sure thing!" Garrus called back, turning back to Wrex. He offered his hand, which the krogan didn't hesitate to take in a firm shake. "Good seeing you, Wrex."

"You, too, Garrus. Make sure you all come back in one piece."

"I'll do my best." He turned to leave, pausing as he noticed Jane look back at him, a smile lighting up her smudged and muddy face.

"Oh! And don't forget to send me a wedding invitation!" Wrex added, causing Garrus to shut his eyes as he let go of a pained sighed, his mandibles flicking close to his face.

"Good bye, Wrex!" He called over his shoulder as he hurried after the rest of the ground team, the krogan's laughter chasing after him.