.
Loyalty and Limerence
Part 3
Chapter 2
Menae
Crosshairs converged on a screeching, pale skinned monstrosity. Garrus pulled the trigger, and black blood sprayed through the air as the corpse fell to the ground. With a tired groan, he ducked back into cover and pulled out another heat sink, replacing the previous one. Poking his head back out, he peered through his scope, and a moment later, another horrific creature dropped to the ground, its head a mess of bloody pulp.
And above him, Palaven burned and his people died.
Gone was his initial panic of the Reaper's arrival, replaced with weary resignation that all they'd done to prepare hadn't been nearly enough. Palaven was almost entirely alone in the fight with no expectation of backup or assistance. Earth, for all he knew, had already fallen. Spirits only knew what had become of Thessia, Sur'Kesh, and the other homeworlds.
The dead bodies of the soldiers he'd taken with him to handle the brute terrorizing Victus' flank lay in pools of their own blood somewhere in the general vicinity, most of them surrounding the gigantic thing's corpse. They'd died honorable deaths as they'd taken the creature down, deaths that any turian would have been proud of. But that didn't change the fact that they were dead, nonetheless.
Another husk landed between Garrus' crosshairs, head exploding in a spray of blood, and another corpse fell dead to the ground. His own time hadn't come quite yet, but as he faced wave after wave of creatures fit only for nightmares, it wasn't a stretch to imagine dying here on the barren surface on Menae, alone.
As Palaven continued to burn above him.
He pulled the trigger. A marauder fell, and Garrus tried not to wonder who it might have been… before. He tried not to think about his father and Sol, wherever they were up on that burning planet. Up in that bright, fiery splotch that had been Cipritine's beautiful, towering spires. Last he'd heard from them, his father had found Sol and they'd been making their way to a safehouse, but once he'd left for Menae, communication had gotten spotty. The Reapers were jamming signals, and they'd recently gotten a good hit on one of the communication towers, making it nearly impossible to get a hold of anyone at a distance.
Garrus found a moment of peace and let his eyes stray upwards toward the dark heavens above. Somewhere out there was Earth. Was it burning like Palaven? Were ships there exploding in the skies above? Were Reapers laying waste to their cities? Did swathes of humans lay dead at their feet? Somewhere on those distant battlefields, was there a body laying broken, sightless green eyes staring absently, her red hair splayed out around her, blood splattering her pale skin? Was there a bloody husk out there with an eerily familiar face?
Garrus shuddered and shook his head. Jane was fine, she was a fighter and she would be okay. He had to focus on keeping himself alive and doing what he could for his people. There was nothing he could do for Jane right now. The best thing he could do was not die. He had to return her dog tags, after all, and he couldn't do that if he was dead. He loaded another heatsink and took a deep breath.
He shouldn't be surprised that he was crouched here fighting for his life on Menae of all places. He'd been a part of the planning process, he'd known the High Command's flight here was a possibility. But Garrus could vividly remember looking up at the moon as a child and dreaming, like most children, about what secrets it held. Many people speculated about its classified secrets, having been placed into the hands of the military from the very first moments of turian spaceflight. He'd never been stationed there during his time in service, but he'd seen the shocking leaked pictures of soldiers walking around without helmets. It hadn't prepared him, though, for the strangeness of actually being there.
It made sense now, of course, given his hurried briefing upon arrival with the rest of the Hierarchy High Command after the beginning of the Reaper invasion. A series of underground tunnels snaked between the numerous military bases across Menae, and within them ran a network of powerful mass effect field generators, enough to create a small amount of atmosphere, just enough to breath while in some areas on the surface.
The Hierarchy's plans to flank the enemy by launching an assault from Menae had been nearly laughable, but his opinion had initially been soundly ignored. The numbers the Reapers could muster and the sheer force of their firepower had shattered that plan before it had even begun. Additionally, Menae played a major role in the supply and refueling efforts for the turian fleets, and the Reapers made it clear from the beginning that they planned to cut that supply chain by bombarding the moon's bases. Thankfully, the bases had been well protected enough to repel the initial attack, forcing the Reapers to deploy ground units in hopes of taking the bases the old fashioned way on foot.
So far, it seemed, the Hierarchy had been holding their own against the Reapers forces, but with the Reaper's inexhaustible supply of patience and cannon fodder, it was only a matter of time until they ground the turian forces into the dust. Then, without the ability to easily resupply their fleets, well… Garrus didn't want to think about it.
In the days following their arrival on Menae and failure of the initial plan, those around him had quickly begun turning to Garrus as some sort of expert due his experience fighting against the Reapers alongside Shepard. He had advice and insights to share, which seemed to be more than anyone else had to offer, and so he found himself quickly elevated to a position of power as some sort of "Expert Reaper Advisor". He personally thought it was somewhat laughable. Him? An expert advisor? He scoffed, brought his scope up, aimed, and fired. Another husk spun, fetid blood spraying into the air before it collapsed.
All of this, and Palaven still burned.
What had the plan been, anyway? He'd almost been beginning to feel confident in the days before the invasion, hadn't he? It all seemed like a dream now, as though his life prior to the attack had vanished in a puff of smoke as he'd awoken to this new hellish reality. The turians were being ground down and there seemed nothing he could do about it. There was no plan other than to scramble and survive to the next day. He hadn't heard anything from Shepard or Jane, and there was a part of him that felt like there was no hope for the galaxy without them, especially if each species continued on in the fight alone.
Garrus noticed the despair building and took hold of himself, ruthlessly squashing the feeling as he readjusted his rifle. Another group of husks scrambled toward him and he lined up the crosshairs, his finger tightening on the trigger-
The husk's head exploded as a shot caught it between the eyes. Garrus' eyes widened and his finger eased off the trigger, his shot still yet untaken. Was there another survivor nearby? He'd been under the impression that he was the only one left from the bunch that had broken off from Victus' command. He focused in on his visor readout, but there didn't appear to be anyone else left in his local comm channel.
Another shot rang out, a distant crack of a sniper rifle, and caught an oncoming marauder between the eyes. Focusing his attention, Garrus tried to estimate the angle of the shot and turned to scan a ridge behind him. There were plenty of large outcroppings and rocks that someone could be hiding behind in addition to a large communication dish.
His attention was ripped back with an ear piercing electric screech and he turned back to see a mob of husks scrambling up the hill toward him again. Cursing, Garrus brought his rifle up, but not as fast as whoever sat atop the ridge behind him. A shot rang out followed by another and then another, taking out three husks in quick succession. The rest of the horde, which he noted included a number of marauders and a few cannibals as well, seemed to notice the single sniper on the ridge and changed the focus of their attack as Garrus sat behind cover, seemingly forgotten.
The husks began lurching and leaping toward the ridge, their single minded bloodlust evident as they rushed to eliminate their attacker. The marauders and cannibals switched their aim, pelting the ridge with shots as they followed after the husks. Garrus watched for a moment longer until there was a slight lull in the gunshots. Looking up, he caught sight of movement as the shooter above took another two shots, and he spotted a quick flash of red.
Garrus pulled out his assault rifle and stood. He quickly took out the stragglers of the pack, glancing up as the shooter ducked out to line up and take another shot, catching a marauder in the throat. Garrus blinked in surprise. He was almost positive the sniper wasn't turian, their knees bent the wrong way. In fact, if he didn't know better, he'd almost say it was a human.
He quickly hurried toward a nearby outcropping and waited for the sniper to duck out again for another shot. As they did, Garrus' chest lurched as his heart twisted painfully. It couldn't be…
His rifle came up again, and he took out the two cannibals quickly before darting forward toward the safety of another outcropping. He quickly pulled up his omni-tool and navigated to their old private local comm channel.
"Jane?" Garrus asked hesitantly, but he already knew he had to be experiencing some sort of fever dream or hallucination. There was no way she was actually here on Menae, he knew it was impossible. His visor reported one other in the comm channel, but it had to be some sort of error.
"Well, if it isn't Garrus Vakarian." Came a familiar voice followed by a low chuckle, and his heart thudded hard in his chest as he felt his hope sore, "Taking your sweet ass time, don't you think? Or were you just going to leave all the fun for me?" The last marauder's head exploded as her shot took it between the eyes, its body skidding as it hit the ground.
Garrus let out a disbelieving bark of laughter, his exhaustion causing him to wonder if he should doubt the evidence before him. Could that really be Jane, his Jane? Or was he dreaming? He supposed there was only one way to find out.
"Last time, I believe it was you taking your sweet ass time to fight your way up to my sniper nest, if memory serves. Just thought I'd return the favor." Garrus replied, savoring the snarky battlefield banter he'd missed so much. She laughed, and the sound was so sweet that he couldn't stand it. He raised his rifle and hurried after the husks, taking them out as quickly as he could as they reached the bottom of the ridge.
Jane's next shot took out a nearby husk, and Garrus aimed and fired at the two that had just reached the bottom of the ridge. Just a few remained, quickly scrabbling up the rocky incline toward where Jane crouched, her attention and aim having shifted to focus on something on the other side of the ridge. He made quick work of the last few husks as he scaled the incline, and before he knew it, he stood panting, exhausted, and out of breath before Jane Shepard.
Her focus was on something down below at the comm tower's controls, and her rifle was at the ready as she gazed through the scope. Garrus stood there, a few yards away, gazing at her silently as he regained his breath. She remained where she was, however, acknowledging his presence with nothing more than a quick glance and a single finger held up as if to say 'hold on just a moment.'
The gesture tickled a memory somewhere in the back of his head. She pulled the trigger, and the shot rang through the air like the crack of a whip. She looked up a moment later, a small, satisfied smile gracing her lips. Her head cocked to the side in the way it did when she was listening intently to her comm, and Garrus felt an instant wave of affection at the small, familiar gesture.
Jane stood suddenly, her rifle held casually, and turned to look at him with a grin on her face. His feet felt like they were glued to the ground, leaden and incapable of moving an inch. He couldn't do anything other than stare at her, and spirits if she wasn't the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He opened his mouth to say something, but had no idea what to say. So instead of saying something witty, romantic, or clever, as he'd always planned at their eventual reunion-
"Am I dreaming?" Garrus asked, his voice rasping, his mouth having gone dry. He swallowed and tried again, "Are you real? How are you here?" Jane raised an eyebrow at him before laughing.
"Really? Apart for six months, and the first thing you ask is-" She cut off as Garrus closed the distance between them without warning. She managed to lower her rifle out of the way just in time before his arms enveloped her in a tight hug. Her free arm came up to grip him tightly, and his face dropped into the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her deeply in hopes of convincing himself she was real. She had to be.
"I've missed you." Garrus whispered hoarsely, struggling with the overwhelming relief he felt at seeing her there, holding her in his arms, knowing she wasn't just another nameless casualty of war.
"I missed you, too, Garrus." Jane murmured warmly, but pulled away a moment later, pressing a quick kiss to his mandible before bringing up her rifle again and kneeling as she braced herself against the nearby outcropping she'd been using as cover. Reality hit him like a slap to the face, and he realized they'd been standing out in the open atop a ridge in the middle of a war like fucking idiots. He crouched down next to her as she peered through her scope and took another shot.
Garrus followed her gaze, noticing the battle below. Biotic attacks erupted across the field, resulting in splatters of black blood from husks as they collapsed with awful screams. The communication tower in the middle of the open space seemed to be the center of the action, and he saw what seemed to be an asari clinging to a ladder on the side of it.
"Is that Liara?" He asked, pulling out his own sniper rifle and looking through the scope. He answered his own question quickly before she had the chance to affirm his suspicion. Searching the battle field, he found a marauder heading for the base of the tower.
"Yeah. I climbed up here to find a good vantage point, but then I got a little distracted when I noticed you down there all by yourself, in need of a knight in shining armor."
Garrus snorted and he pulled the trigger, and the marauder's head exploded as two shots caught it simultaneously. He looked away from his scope, glancing at Jane to see her smiling as she lined up her next shot. "I'm assuming Shepard is the one going nuts with the biotics down there?" Garrus asked as he looked back through his scope.
"You assume correct. It's good to see he hasn't gone completely soft sitting on his ass all this time on Earth." Jane muttered before taking another shot as the more creatures advanced on the tower.
"Not that I'm complaining, but why are you guys here of all places? And how? What happened to Earth?" Garrus asked before taking another shot, catching a cannibal in the chest.
"We came to bring the Primarch to a war summit to discuss the war against the Reapers, but we were too late." Jane explained quickly before the crack of her rifle sounded in their ears, and he did his best to unpack the information thrown at him.
"A war summit?" Garrus wondered aloud, feeling a sudden spark of hope. The spark dimmed again as he processed the last part, "What do you mean by 'too late'?" Jane shot him a look he couldn't decipher before answering.
"Fedorian is dead." She stated quietly, and Garrus slowly released a long, tense breath as cold, numb, calm enveloped him. "His shuttle was shot down not long ago."
"I see." Was all Garrus could manage for a moment, but Jane continued taking shots as he gathered himself.
"We're waiting to hear from your Command on Palaven about who the new Primarch is, but we have to get this comm tower functioning first."
"Gotcha." He took a deep breath, forcing down the dread creeping up. He should feel more, he decided, when informed that one of his people's most important leaders was dead, but the cold numbness was threatening to catch up with him. He had to do something, he had to find a way to be useful, he had to-
"We're okay here, Garrus. Liara almost has it fixed, she's surprisingly apt with communication tech these days. You do what you need to do, these are your people." He turned to Jane to see her watching him closely, her eyebrows drawn ever so slightly in concern.
"I need to get back to the base and speak to General Corinthus. Will you guys be fine without me?"
"Of course, this is child's play. We'll join you there as soon as we have the tower fixed up." Jane stated firmly, and Garrus nodded as he moved to stand. He paused as her hand darted forward to grab the front of his armor, causing him to lurch forward toward her. Her lips crashed against his mouth plates in a firm, quick kiss, but she'd released him before he could even register what was happening.
By the time he'd righted himself, Jane had already returned her focus to the battlefield below. "Be careful." She added without looking up from her scope.
"You, too." Garrus replied before turning and hurrying along the ridge in the direction he knew the base to be in.
Maybe he was going crazy. Maybe Jane wasn't there, maybe he'd imagined the entire exchange. But somehow he doubted it. He forced his eyes away from the planet above, aglow with the embers of war.
Palaven still burned, a harsh reminder of reality.
It wasn't long until he was passing the barriers into Corinthus' rudimentary command base, meeting the nods and tired greetings of his fellows as he beelined toward the General.
"Vakarain, sir. Good to see you in one piece." Corinthus stated stiffly, giving him a salute as he approached, and Garrus nodded to him, motioning for him to relax. Spirits did that weird him out, even after a week of it.
"You as well. I just heard about Fedorian. What happened?" The other man shut his eyes and sighed before looking down at the data pad in his hand. Garrus recognized the other man's pained expression, it was hard to find someone who hadn't lost a friend at this point, and the war had only just begun.
"His shuttle was shot down as we were trying to get him off Menae. We can't get a hold of Palaven Command yet, though."
"I see. The comm tower?"
"Exactly. I'm hopeful it should be repaired soon, though. Commander Shepard and his team showed up a little while ago," Corinthus continued, his expression displaying his own amazement, "I received communication from Palaven Command a day or two ago that the Council was sending him to extract the Primarch. He and his team are fixing the tower as we spe-"
Something pinged, and Corinthus looked down, his brow plates leaping in surprise. "Well, speak of the devil. Looks like they got the job done." Garrus couldn't help but smile wryly.
"They usually do." He replied, unable to keep the fondness from his voice. Suddenly, Garrus could hear the faint buzz of Corinthus' comm springing to life. The man listened intently, his mandibles flicking with pleasure.
"Much appreciated, Commander. I'll contact Palaven Command." He said, and a moment later, added, "Understood."
The General's attention focused on a nearby console, his fingers flitting through the display interface. He expected the other man to have the answer to their question, the name of the next Primarch, but after a few silent moments, Garrus shifted uneasily.
"So many damn dead. So, so many." Corinthus sighed, his face suddenly haggard as he examined the readout before him. Suddenly he stopped, a screen popping up before him. "Victus. General Adrien Victus." Garrus froze, surprise evident on his face as he turned to face the General completely. That had not been the name he'd been expecting to hear, but it filled him with an unexpected spark of hope.
"Huh. Primarch Victus. Now that would be something." Victus, the man who had proved himself a clever tactician time and time again. Victus, the man who had stopped and listened, reviewing every bit of data he had on the Reapers. Victus, the man he owed his task force to, and thus much of the preparations he'd been able to accomplish before the invasion.
"Commander Shepard, come in." Corinthus spoke into his comm as Garrus turned away and started toward the supply stores. "I have information from Palaven Command. Please return ASAP." He was running low on just about everything, and he had a feeling things were about to get interesting, as they generally did when the Shepards were involved.
As he was sifting through the crates of rations and packs of heat sinks some minutes later, Garrus vaguely registered the subtle, telltale signs of his translator kicking in, and he knew what that meant. Quickly snagging up a few extra heat sinks and jamming them into his belt pouch, he pulled himself to his feet and grabbed his hastily cleaned rifle before turning. He could see a group standing in the General's command shelter, and he couldn't help but smile.
Damn if it wasn't good to see Shepard again. He could hear voices hard edged with stress and tension, and he took a deep breath before approaching, his posture straight backed as he tried to appear more at ease than he felt.
"I'm on it, Shepard. We'll find you the Primarch." Garrus stated confidently as he stepped up into the shelter, and the Commander turned, his eyes widening as they landed on him.
"Garrus!" Shepard exclaimed, a surprised smile blooming across his face. Garrus noticed Corinthus jump slightly, turning to face him with a stiff back.
"Vakarian, sir. I didn't see you return." He nodded to the general, suddenly horribly embarrassed as he saw Shepard notice the exchange with interest. Just behind him, he noticed Jane staring with surprise as well, and heat began inching up his neck.
"At ease, General." He hurried to say, and Corinthus relaxed somewhat, shooting a curious look between him and Shepard before turning and returning his focus to his console.
"Thank god you're alive." Shepard stepped forward as he offered his hand, but as Garrus took it, he was pulled into a tight hug. Shepard slapped him once or twice bracingly on the back before pulling away. Jane stepped up beside him, a small crooked smile on her lips as she offered him her hand as well. Garrus took it in his, placing his other hand over their entwined hands in a gesture that was surprisingly intimate. His words were meant for Shepard, but his eyes never left Jane's, caught in her inescapable gravity.
"I'm hard to kill. You should know that." He murmured, causing Jane's smile to soften ever so slightly, an expression meant only for him. After a heartbeat, then both released each other's hands, stepping back. Shepard glanced between them, slightly bemused, but decided not to comment.
"Good to see you again." The Commander exclaimed, "I thought you'd be on Palaven." His relief was nearly palpable, and Garrus felt a wave of affection and gratitude wash over him.
"If we lose this moon, we lose Palaven." He stated firmly, but then he realized how he sounded, and a new upswell of embarrassment hit him, so he amended that with, "I'm the closest damn thing we have to an expert on Reaper forces," He shrugged as Shepard stared at him. "So, I'm… advising." Garrus finished somewhat lamely.
He looked away, unable to meet the man's eye. Given the current situation, he couldn't tell if Shepard approved of his attempts to prepare the turians for the Reapers or not. Had he let him down? Or was he happy with his work? Shepard must have noticed his slight discomfort, and so he turned, gesturing to his team. Garrus took a moment to register them, his eyes scanning their faces.
"James, this is Garrus Vakarian." Shepard looked toward a large, strongly built human man who stood just off a bit, "He helped me stop the Collectors." Shepard flashed Garrus a smile, adding, "He's a hell of a soldier. Garrus, this is Lieutenant James Vega, he-"
"He was John's jailer." Jane interrupted, elbowing her brother in the side, causing the man to grumble. Vega rolled his eyes good naturedly with a half smile and a shrug.
"Lieutenant." Garrus nodded to Vega, who returned the gesture stoically even as Jane chuckled. He extended his hand, which Vega took and shook firmly. As the other man shifted back, Garrus noticed someone behind him, and he smiled as his eyes met those of Liara T'Soni. "Good to see you, too, Liara." What the current Shadow Broker was doing there, he didn't know, but he wasn't going to complain about seeing a friendly face.
Liara's expression softened and she stepped forward slightly with a large smile, "Good to see you in one piece, Garrus." As she shifted, he noticed one final person standing in the back whom he hadn't registered before.
"Ashley." Garrus blinked, taken aback by the woman's unexpected presence. Ashley nodded to him, her expression hesitant and unsure, but cautiously open. Garrus looked back at Shepard and Jane, who both exchanged a glance, their faces neutral. "It's been a while." Garrus finished carefully, wondering how she'd ended back with Shepard after everything that had happened between them on Horizon.
"Vakarian." She said evenly, nodding her head. Though she had a small smile on her face, her eyes looked distinctly unsure, and Garrus got the impression that she was remembering their last encounter as well. Deciding to move away from that topic, he looked back at Shepard.
"General Corinthus filled me in. We know who we're after." He stated confidently, and Corinthus looked over at the group
"Palaven Command tells me that the next Primarch is General Adrian Victus."
"Victus?" Liara perked up, interest on her face as her thoughts raced, "His name's crossed my desk." They discussed the General a little, and Garrus found himself becoming more and more intrigued by the idea of seeing Victus as Primarch. Most Primarchs were fairly conservative – they rarely rocked the boat, preferring to keep the status quo as best they could. Perhaps it was just because Garrus wasn't the best example of the ideal turian, but he was starting to feel Victus would be a good change of pace. Exactly what they needed in a war they wouldn't be able to win by conventional means.
His thoughts were cut off as Shepard received a sudden distress call from Joker and the Normandy. There appeared to be something wrong with the ship, prompting Liara to hurry back to assist, but Garrus was happy to see that the four humans were sticking around to help find Victus. Even if it weren't for this supposed war summit, the Hierarchy needed the guidance and stability that came with having someone at the helm. And he was happily willing to accept whatever assistance Shepard was willing to give.
An electric screech rent the air.
"Incoming Harvester, heading for the airfield!" Vega exclaimed as a giant beast swooped low over the base. Cries went up as everyone dropped what they were doing and reached for the nearest weapons. Garrus pulled out his rifle and aimed for the flying creature, managing only a few hits before it went out of range.
Before he knew it, Garrus found himself following after Shepard, Jane, Vega, and Ashley as they went to meet the waves of Reaper forces massing at the nearby airfield. It felt damn good to be fighting alongside Jane and Shepard again, he hadn't realized exactly how much he'd missed it. It felt like a dance, achieving a level of synchronicity he never managed when fighting alongside his fellow turians. He could almost pretend they were back in the Collector base, which suddenly felt like nothing in comparison to what they faced now.
Garrus glanced up, his high instantly cooling as reality hit him square in the face.
Palaven burned, the skies above his home bright with the flames of war.
"Shepard, come in." Corinthus' voice broke over their comms, and Shepard paused to reply.
"Go ahead."
"Still trying to raise the Primarch – but we've got trouble back here at the main barricade." There was a quick moment of silence before he added, "If the Reapers breach it, we're done."
"On my way." Shepard barked, turning and gesturing for the rest of them to follow. As they ran back through the base, Garrus directed them toward the barricade, behind which he could already hear the sounds of approaching Reaper forces. They positioned themselves along the top, and Shepard took the turret, mowing down husks nearly as fast as they appeared.
"Now this is what I'm talking about." He laughed as he took out a few scaling the wall. "I need to get something like this installed in the shuttle."
"Not sure how Cortez would feel about that, the thing already flies like a brick, no need to make it a lopsided brick." Jane added dryly as she sniped a husk the moment it appeared around the corner.
"Eh, I'll talk him 'round."
"Okaaay, Mister Trigger Happy." Jane snorted, and Garrus couldn't help but grin, reveling in the familiar back and forth. For a few blissful minutes, he was completely transported. It was just them and the enemy, each husk that came between his crosshairs fell with a satisfying finality. With Shepard and Jane at his side, it no longer felt like a chore, it felt like a game, each kill a pleasure instead of a duty.
"Ha!" Garrus crowed after a particularly good shot, "Okay, come on! Who's next?"
Beside him, Vega stood at the edge, mowing down the husks climbing a nearby cliff with a satisfied smirk. As the last one fell, he stepped back and began changing out his heat sink.
"Like fish in a barrel." Vega quipped with a hint of pride in his voice, but Garrus couldn't do more than raise a browplate in confusion.
"What?" He asked, perplexed, the phrase making no sense through his translator.
"Good Lord." Ashley muttered, and he could almost hear her eyes roll, though a quick glance revealed the crooked, amused smile on her lips.
"Old human saying!" Vega shot back in explanation, shouting to be heard over an explosion, "Like fish-" He repeated, slower than before, "-in a barrel." It didn't make any more sense than it did the first time, and Garrus made a note to himself to look it up when he had a chance. He couldn't help but flash back to his old pals at C-Sec, he'd picked up so many interesting human idioms from them. How were Ridgefield and Lamont doing, anyway?
The barricade shook as something massive leapt down before them.
"Holy hell, what is that thing?" Vega yelled in revulsion as he brought his weapon up, staring down in horror at the snuffling, slavoring creature below.
"A brute." Garrus sneered before bringing up his own rifle and opening fire. The beast didn't even seem to feel the rounds as it charged forward.
"Shit," Jane growled as she reached for a new heat sink, "How is it so hu-"
"Brace yourselves!" Shepard barked suddenly.
The brute hit the wall with tremendous force, shaking the barricade and causing them all to struggle to keep their footing. Shepard held fast to the turret, but Garrus watched in growing horror as Jane pitched forward, her free hand trying and failing to catch a hold.
"Jane!" Shepard cried out, and they both reached forward to grab her, but it was too little, too late. Garrus caught himself about to fall after her, his heart lodged in his throat as she hit the ground hard beside the brute.
As quickly as she could, Jane stumbled to her feet, turning to look up at the brute as it noticed her. It reared onto its hind legs, standing at its full height, sizing her up before beating its chest and lurching forward to roar in her face. She brought a hand up to cover her face as she was pelted with spittle, her omni-tool springing to life. The brute raised a massive clawed hand–
"Don't you fucking dare!" The brute's head was smashed down into the ground in a spray of dirt and rocks as Shepard landed on it, his fists alight with biotic energy. It screamed in pain and thrashed about, flinging the Commander off of it and sending him rolling to the side, and he came up with his shotgun at the ready.
Garrus raised his rifle but then paused before he could bring his scope to his eye, his heart hammering. Jane had disappeared, and it took him a moment to remember her tactical cloak before he could breathe properly again.
They all opened fire, and the brute roared in fury as a few rounds found soft flesh. It rounded angrily on Shepard, who's anger seemed to match its own snarl for snarl. It opened its mouth to roar, which turned into a pained scream as a fiery incineration burst against its face and the air became infused with the smell of sizzling flesh. Garrus could see Jane a little ways off, visible now, her omni-tool out as she prepared another attack.
Garrus loaded up some armor piercing rounds before getting a few good hits in, his confidence returning in small, sure steps as the beast below began looking more and more haggard. Vega leapt down off the barricade, joining Shepard in his foolhardy full frontal assault, while Ashley remained up above beside Garrus, her assault rifle raining down death.
"Good to see your aim is as good as ever!" Ashley shouted over the brute's angry roars, a satisfied smile gracing her face as she stopped to change out her heat sink. Garrus looked at her with amusement before switching to his assault rifle.
"The thing is huge, it's hard not to hit it." He muttered before returning his focus to the fight. They were getting close, a few more good hits and–
The thing roared again before swinging its fist out wide, catching Shepard hard in the chest with a hollow thud that seemed to reverberate through Garrus' own ribcage. Shepard flew backwards, crashing to the ground hard, sending a cloud of dirt flying. Vega shot off a few rounds at it as it approached the Commander, but they bothered it as much as a couple of flies might have.
The brute lifted one gigantic fist to attack as Shepard struggled to his hands and knees, grasping at his chest plate as he groaned.
"Shepard, look out!" Garrus yelled, his eyes going wide as the fist came crashing down, and everything seeming to slow down to a crawl around him.
Putrid black blood sprayed into the air as the brute froze, its head impaled upon a glowing orange blade. Jane appeared, standing over her brother, her eyes narrowed, her face a mask of focused resolve as she shoved her fist further upwards, wedging her omni-blade deeper into the brute's head with a sickening crunch. No one moved, watching transfixed as it seemed to shiver and twitch, its tired body struggling to understand what had happened to it.
Jane glared at it before wrenching her arm up and back with a shout, blood trailing through the air as she cleaved its head in two. Blood splattered across her and Shepard as the brute screamed and stumbled backwards, falling onto its side with a resounding thud. Jane gave her blade a flick before dismissing it and turned to offer a hand down to her brother. Chuckling shakily, he took it and she pulled him to his feet, and Garrus finally felt himself breathe.
"Nice one." Shepard said as he glanced over at the brute, confirming it wasn't moving.
"Thanks." Jane replied, but then sneered as she wiped at a smudge on her cheek. "Coulda been cleaner, though." Shepard turned to her, just as disgusting as she was, and shrugged with an amused smile.
"I suppose, maybe just a bit."
"Shepard. Corinthus here." The General's voice broke over their comms, and Shepard's smile faded.
"What's the word on the Primarch?" He replied quickly, his eagerness thinly veiled.
"Still can't get a stable comm link." Was Corinthus' only response, and Shepard sighed. Garrus turned to shoot Ashley a look before moving to join the others down below, and she followed behind him.
"Okay, I'm going on foot." Shepard responded, his words tinged with resignation. "Shepard out." As soon as Garrus approached, Shepard turned a hard eye on him, "Garrus, take me to the last place you saw Victus."
Garrus nodded, and scanned the faces of the others. They all looked back at him with grim determination, ready to go, so he turned toward a nearby ravine and led the way. He didn't even need to pull up his map, orientation not being difficult here due to one particular landmark.
Palaven loomed large above him. Impossible to miss. Impossible to ignore. Impossible to forget.
"How far?" Shepard asked, following close behind him.
"Should be pretty quick, unless we find trouble." He replied, his weapon held at the ready.
"And we usually do." Jane added from not far behind, her voice caught between weary and wry. They picked their way across the debris field, a quiet falling amongst them broken only by the distant sound of battle – the thrum of the Reaper's cannons reverberating in each of their bodies and the resulting explosions that shook the ground and demolished ships above them.
Vega seemed like a good kid, his heart was in the right place. It was hard to tell how green he was, but it seemed like he'd seen at least some amount of action. Every now and then, he'd comment on the battle going on in the skies above them. Another ship crumbled under Reaper fire before them, causing Vega to curse. He seemed shaken at the sight of the destruction around them.
Vega looked at him, seeming to notice his eyes drawn upward once again. Garrus pointed up at Palaven, right at Cipritine, "That blaze of orange – the big one – that's where I was born." The entire group paused for a moment, their eyes following his.
Palaven…
Garrus felt a firm hand pressed against his arm and he looked down to see Jane gazing up at him with understanding in her eyes. He felt a bit of the tension drain out of him at the feel of her touch, her silent support feeding his strength and determination.
"That's rough." Vega muttered, tearing his eyes away with a pained expression. Garrus couldn't help but wonder how bad Earth had been when they'd left. They began moving forward again, Jane sticking close behind him as he led the way. "Still have family there?" Vega asked after a moment, and Garrus sighed wearily.
"My dad, a sister." Was all he said, his thoughts drifting inwards as he spared a moment to worry for them. Spirits, he hoped they'd gotten to safety, maybe got transport off world. If they could get to the Citadel, then he could-
"Oh, Garrus, I'm so sorry." Ashley murmured, and he looked back to see pain etched across her face. He remembered, suddenly, all her stories of her family. They'd been close, if memory served, and he spared a moment to wonder if they were okay.
"How bad is it?" Vega continued with his questions, nodding back toward the nearby planet alight with the evidence of war.
"Three million lost the first day, five the second." He replied stonily, the numbers hitting him like a gut punch. In his mind, they represented the galaxy's monumental failure to prepare for the Reapers. They pressed onwards, their conversation continuing, but Garrus barely registered the words coming out of his mouth as he tried desperately to avoid looking at the fires above.
They turned a corner and came face to face with a pack of husks standing over the dead bodies of a few soldiers. Garrus brought his weapon up, as did the others, and they made quick work for the creatures. They screamed angrily as their blood splattered the ground.
"Shit! I hate those things!" Vega hissed in disgust, "And New York is crawling with the creepy bastards!" Beside him, Garrus could hear Ashley tsk in disgust and Jane cursed vibrantly.
They continued on, stopping quickly to assist some injured soldiers, and then later on to check for survivors after a fighter crashed nearby. As they dropped down a ridge, Garrus realized they had to be getting close.
After a few more minutes, the topic of the war summit came up. Ashley and Jane began discussing the species that planned to participate, with Vega questioning the absence of some.
"The batarians took the first hit when the Reaper arrived. Not much left of them…" Garrus pointed out as neutrally as he could. "And the krogan have never forgiven us for the genophage."
"Right." Vega snorted, "Turians sterilized them." There was a slight edge of judgment to his voice, and Garrus shrugged as he returned his focus to the path ahead of them.
"Salarians came up with it." He said lightly by way of defense, not that it really mattered. Seemed like they had bigger fish to fry at the moment, and he'd had plenty of experiences butting heads over the topic back during his days on the SR1. He'd long since become disillusioned with the Hierarchy's stance on the matter, in no small part due to Wrex.
"And the krogan hate them both for it." Shepard added firmly, and Garrus felt his mandibles flick.
"So, they won't be joining us." He finished wryly. Jane made a sound as though to speak, but cut herself off. Shepard turned to look at her, an eyebrow lifted, mirroring Garrus' own look of interest.
"Perhaps." She finally said with a slight shrug, which only peaked his curiosity more.
"What does that mean?" Shepard prompted, his brows furrowing in concern.
"Nothing. Nothing firm, at least." She continued reluctantly, each word seeming to be ripped from her. "I've just had a… bit of a side project in the works. We'll see, I haven't heard from my team since the invasion began, so it's hard to say."
They continued on in silence, and when it became clear she wasn't going to elaborate, Shepard snorted.
"Fine, be enigmatic," He stated with a roll of his eyes, "But I expect details when we get back to the Normandy."
"We can talk about that later." She replied without looking at him, her voice just as firm and unyielding as his, and for the first time Garrus really registered that Jane was not necessarily subject to her brother's command. As a Spectre no longer undercover, she was truly a power unto herself. It was an odd and disorienting thought.
"If you can get the krogan on our side, that would be something. I've fought with one. They're tough sons of bitches." Vega added after a minute, and everyone seemed to nod in agreement.
"You can say that again." Ashley murmured, Wrex clearly coming to mind. The conversation was cut short as two fireballs descended, crashing into the nearby garrison they'd been approaching. Moments later, they were met with the sound of gunfire.
"That sounds bad!" Vega announced, and they all broke into a run as they readied their weapons.
"Okay, double-time!" Shepard snapped as they all sprinted toward the sounds of screams and battle. "No Reaper's taking this Primarch from me!"
"Right behind you!" Came Vega's eager reply, and they broke into the encampment only to come face to face with utter chaos. Bursts of gunfire broke overhead as the turians fought back against the horde of undead creatures suddenly amongst them. Husks and marauders screeched as they raised claws and guns, attacking with rabid abandon and utter lack of fear. Nearby soldiers stumbled back, their own terrified screams interrupted only their gurgling death throes as they were overtaken.
Biotic energy shot up around Shepard's body, and an instant later he was darting across the battlefield, smashing into a marauder with the force of a cannon, sending it flying backwards as its bones cracked. Vega and Ashley charged in after him, their weapons ablaze, their faces plastered with matching snarls as they ripped into the enemy.
Garrus and Jane both darted into cover before bringing their scopes up and taking aim, nearly in unison. It felt… right. Going into battle alongside her just felt right, like this was the way the universe was supposed to be. Jane and Garrus, Shepard and Vakarian. Side by side.
They tore into the enemy, Reaper forces falling left and right as they attempted to meet their attacks head on. Shot after satisfying shot found their way between marauder eyes, and it was clear that the tide was changing in Shepard's favor.
More fireballs exploded throughout the encampment, and Garrus groaned as not one, but two brutes unfurled themselves from the flaming debris, roaring in fury as they registered the soldiers around them.
"Okay, hit them with everything we've got!" Garrus heard a familiar voice cry out, and moments later a volley of turret fire and a number of grenades rained down upon the brutes. He looked up to see General Adrian Victus standing amongst a number of turians atop one of the nearby barricades, his eyes narrowed with complete focus as he watched his men throw everything they had at the giant creatures.
Shepard's team focused their attacks, working in concert with Victus' troops to coral and harry the brutes. They both roared and beat their chests angrily, but the number of attacks coming at them from different angles seemed to confuse and unsettle the beasts, causing them to spin and thrash about.
Shepard carefully aimed a powerful shockwave, knocking one of the brutes off its feet, and a gesture from Victus had the turrets and soldiers focus fire in on its vulnerable underside, causing it to cry out in pain, its screeches cut short by a well aimed grenade.
Garrus loaded up his armor piercing rounds, getting a few good hits in on the remaining one. His shots were followed up by an incineration from Jane, which left a sizzling wound in its side as it howled in pain.
Turning, the brute leveled a furious snarl in their direction, and Garrus' belly plummeted into his feet as it charged. It moved faster than something its size had any right to, and without thinking, Garrus pivoted and grabbed Jane, throwing them both out of the path of the brute as it smashed into the outcropping they'd been crouched behind, sending chunks of rock flying.
Something wreathed in biotic blue smashed into the brute's back, pitching it forward, its head dragging through the dirt with the force of the blow. Garrus and Jane scrambled to their feet, looking up to see the biotic energy around Shepard dissipating as he stood atop the brute's back, his shotgun aimed at the back of its head. His eyes were cold and his face set as he pulled the trigger, blighted black blood spraying across the rocky ground.
The beast shuddered, one of its limbs twitching before it fell completely still. Shepard waited a moment before taking a calming breath and leaping off the creature, stumbling slightly as he landed. Jane hurried over, putting an arm out to steady him and he nodded gratefully.
"You okay?" Shepard asked wearily, looking between them as Garrus approached, and they both nodded, the silence falling across the encampment becoming almost stifling. Shepard's attention shifted off them as his eyes scanned the surroundings, "Where's Victus?"
Garrus glanced about before pointing to the largest structure, where a dark plated turian with white Tridend colony markings stood watching them with a calculating expression. Garrus pointed him out to Shepard, who nodded and visibly steeled himself before approaching. His stride was confident – not a swagger, but strong and self assured in a way that came with having just won a decisive victory.
Both he and Jane followed after, and Garrus hoped that his presence might help give Shepard's words more weight. He knew Victus to be a fair and clear minded man, but many turians had no cordial feelings toward humans. A bunch of them showing up out of nowhere while Palaven burned and turians died, well, he supposed that could mess with anyone's equilibrium.
"General Victus?" Shepard called out, his voice that of The Commander – all business, no nonsense.
"Yes?" The General stood a little straighter as he stepped down the ramp and approached the group, Vega and Ashley having come to stand along with them.
"I'm Commander Shepard of the Normandy." The light of recognition flashed in Victus' eyes, and he holstered his assault rifle. His stance, however, was no less cautious.
"Ah, Commander. I know who you are. I can't wait to find out what brings you out here." Victus stated with a hint of sarcastic amusement. Despite that, he then turned to Garrus, a brow plate raised. "Vakarian. Where did you go?" The question wasn't hostile or unfriendly, but he clearly expected an answer, regardless of Garrus' rank.
Dammit, he was too tired for this shit. After everything that had happened in the last few hours, he just couldn't anymore. As he shifted his weight to one side, he all but rolled his eyes as he replied, "Heavy Reaper unit on the right flank. I believe your exact words were-" He vaguely gestured in Victus' direction, "'Get that thing the hell off my men'."
Victus' mandibles flicked in a sign of slight amusement, though his face remained otherwise neutral as he shifted to clutch his hands behind his back, "Appreciated." Garrus turned to Shepard, and nodded for him to continue.
"General, you're needed off-planet. I've come to get you." He explained, his voice a hair softer than before. Garrus couldn't help but wonder if he was remembering the recent pain of having to leave behind his own planet as the Reapers decimated his people.
Victus' expression morphed into one of astonished incredulity as he processed Shepard's words. "It will take something beyond important for me to leave my men, or my turian brothers and sisters, in their fight." Garrus could see the steel in the man's backbone, as solid as his resolve. Nothing short of the full weight of the situation was going to make him move, and Garrus couldn't see why Shepard wasn't laying it all straight out.
"Fedorian was killed." Garrus cut in bluntly, "You're the new Primarch." Shepard nodded before jumping in to explain further. But as Shepard explained the war summit, Garrus could see the slow, dawning realization washing over Victus. The Commander's words seemed only half attended to as the new Primarch seemed to struggle with the weight of events quickly tumbling out of his control.
Shepard cut off, stepping aside as Victus' focus shifted to the burning planet above them. The full weight of the responsibility entrusted to him seemed to land on his shoulders as he gazed upwards. Shepard moved to speak with him further, but Garrus stayed behind, giving them space to talk.
"What do you think? Is he the man for the job?" He turned to see Jane standing beside him, watching Victus with weighing eyes, her arms crossed.
"He pisses people off because he has the nerve to think outside the box and make the decisions they're all too cowardly or conservative to make. He's exactly who you want at the helm during times like this." Garrus murmured as he watched the newest Primarch, haloed by the fires of his burning people.
"Good. He's going to need to have balls to hold his own in this summit." She snorted, turning her attention to scan the encampment, taking in the tired troops. They stood there for a moment before he looked back down at her.
"By the way, I like the addition." Garrus' hand came up to gesture to the newly added Spectre insignia on her armor's shoulder guard, and she huffed a laugh.
"Thanks. All it's done is make me a little more conspicuous." She replied dryly, and they fell into a silence again.
"You know, without him down here, there's a good chance we lose this moon." Garrus finally pointed out somberly. Jane looked up at him with a hard glint, her eyebrows raised and her lips pursed.
"Without him up there, there's a good chance we lose everything." He nodded slowly, crossing his arms as his shoulders slumped. Ruthless calculus. How many would die so the rest might live?
His eyes were drawn inexorably upwards toward his dying planet.
Tearing his eyes away, they landed upon the nearby hulking, towering form of a Reaper as it slowly approached a base, their weapons doing nothing to prevent the inevitable. "Look at that!" Garrus exclaimed, sudden anger welling up as he gestured toward the behemoth. "And they want my opinion on how to stop it?" He took a few halting steps, watching as the Reaper's leg crushed an entire barricade as though it were a child stepping on a sand castle. "Failed C-Sec officer, vigilante… And I'm their expert advisor?" He added heatedly, his self disgust and doubt seeping through.
Jane stepped up closer to him, her presence a soothing balm, but not enough to douse the flames licking at his insides.
"Do you really think we can win this, Jane?" Garrus asked quietly, trying to mask the sudden upswell of fear threatening to engulf him.
"Yeah." She snorted with a pained smile, but he could hear a raw vulnerability in her voice he wasn't used to from her, "I don't know, Garrus." But then she looked up at him, her expression steel once again and her resolve hardened. "But we're sure as hell going to give it our best shot."
Garrus felt himself smile, his muscles loosening as he took a deep breath. He couldn't smell anything other than the scorched scent of blood, death, and ozone, but he could still distinctly remember the smell that was quintessentially Jane Shepard. He longed to reacquaint himself with it, to let her voice wash over him like the sweetest music, to feel the soft brush of her skin against his, her lips, her gentle caresses–
"Well, for whatever it's worth, I'm with you." There was so much wrapped up in those words. He was with her, body, heart, and soul. Everything that he was, everything he could ever be, was hers to command. In that instant, as she turned and their eyes met, he wanted nothing more than to drown in her, to let his weary being find rest and respite in her embrace.
He was with her in every meaning of the words, for however long they had.
"You're coming with us, too?" He could hear the hope in her voice, and the sound made his heart twist painfully, the feeling so sweet. In that moment, Garrus wasn't sure there were words enough in his language to explain his feelings. So, he just nodded.
The smile that overtook her face was radiant, the first true warmth he'd felt in some time. Before he knew it, her arms were around his neck, pulling him close as he wrapped his own arms around her middle. Sighing, he knew a moment of peace as he savored the feeling of her in his arms again. He didn't know how many moments they had left, but damn if he wasn't going to appreciate the ones they did have.
After a few seconds, after an eternity, Jane pulled back, still grinning as she gave his arm a squeeze. Garrus smiled down at her, but looking up, his eyes locked with those of Victus. The other turian looked on with interested curiosity, his brow plate raised in question as he looked between him and Jane. Garrus felt heat creeping up his neck as he looked away.
And above him, Palaven burned and his people died.
(Note: Thank you everyone for all your love and support! We're so close to 100 reviews, I'm so touched!
Sadly, the next few chapters will probably arrive every other week until life calms down a little. The bright side is that the average length of each chapter has increased from 2-3k at the start of Part 1 to 8-9k the past few months. I hope that you will all bear with me, thank you for your kindness!)