Chapter 15 - Preparation pt. 2 - The Attack

Garrus
January 18th, 2188

I opened the front door to hear Ame sounding out a hardy laugh. The smell of freshly brewed kava and coffee entered my nostrils. "Hello?"

"In the dining room!" Amelia's voice came from the hallway. I entered the room to see my father and wife sitting across from each other at the dining table. A small board with alternating light and dark squares in a grid pattern sat between them, adorned with small wooden pieces.

Amelia walked up to me, standing on her tiptoes and giving me a quick kiss. "How was work?"

I didn't answer immediately, and Amelia frowned, moving past me, grabbing a mug from the cabinet, pouring a cup of kava, and handing it to me before sitting back down at the table. I pulled out another chair and sat in between her and my father.

Castis carefully picked up a tall, slender piece between the talons and moved it diagonally across the board, "Check."

Amelia quickly moved one of the smallest pieces to block the offending bishop. A few more moves were exchanged before Ame picked up the tallest piece and moved it across the board, "Checkmate."

Castis mindlessly scratched between two of the plates on his arm, his mandibles drooping into a frown. "Didn't see that. Good game." He stood, grabbing his mug and draining the last of his beverage. "I think it's time for me to leave."

"Are you sure? I had some groceries delivered and was going to make dinner. You're welcome to stay."

I perk up at the promise of Ame's cooking, still surprised at her aptitude on the subject, as she spent the last fourteen years aboard one ship or another, but apparently, she had loved cooking when she was a child, so it was easy for her to pick up again.

"Oh. I guess I can stay. Solana is not home tonight… sure, I'd love to stay for dinner."

"Great! I'll go get it started." Amelia turned and walked into the kitchen, holding one hand over her slightly bulged stomach, leaving me alone with my father now.

Castis sat back down, "Something on your mind, son?"

My shoulders sagged, "A patrol ship was ambushed. No bodies were on the ship when it was found."

"Pirates are nothing new, Garrus. Why is this troubling you?"

"This feels different. What pirate could take down a Hierarchy Patrol ship? Someone is coming, and it won't be good." I looked over his shoulder towards the kitchen, seeing that Amelia wasn't paying attention to the conversation. "I don't want her to find out. The War took everything out of her, and she deserves to rest."

Castis nodded, "I don't agree, but it's not my position to tell her."

Amelia
April 15th, 2188

I stood in the kitchen, finishing the dishes used to prepare lunch. One hand rested on my very swollen belly, feeling the movements of my two hybrid children inside of me and getting more and more excited by the day.

As I finished, I felt a hard kick against the wall of my womb, causing a tingling sensation of numbness to form in my abdomen. I shuffled over to the recliner in the living room, settling down and rubbing my stomach. "Gaius, calm down! That doesn't feel good…."

Earlier that month, Garrus and I had agreed tentatively on names for the children. They would welcome Gaius Michael and Octavia Elizabeth in two short months into the world.

I didn't have proof that the kick had come from my unborn son, but I did have a gut feeling that it was. I rubbed my stomach, trying to soothe the cramp, counting my blessings that I hadn't experienced morning sickness in weeks, as the constant kicks combined with nausea wouldn't have been pleasant.

A few moments later, I heard an aircar land outside and two doors close, followed by a sharp knock on the front door. I stood and opened the door, revealing two turian men in armor.

"Quintanus Abisis, Hierarchy Military Police." The turian on the right introduced himself, flashing his credential page from his omnitool. "Ma'am, we've been tasked to take you into protective custody. The Primarch has been shot."

-0-

Everything had moved so fast. I was shoved into an aircar and was rushed to the hospital, forcing myself to remain calm, knowing that undue stress would be very bad for the babies.

As the car flew through the air, sirens wailing, I placed a call to Castis, filling him in. Castis was understandably distraught, quickly telling Solana and corralling her into their car.

A few moments later, I arrived at the hospital and was taken into a waiting room. The floor was utterly bereft of activity other than two nurses working quietly behind their station. For the first time since the knock on my door, I could sit and process what had happened.

One of the nurses approached her, "Mrs. Vakarian?"

I snapped out of my daze, "Yes?"

"Wanted to give you an update. The Primarch is in surgery and will be for another hour or so. It was a sniper, and he was hit in his left arm. The bullet passed through it and into his chest." The nurse said, trying to keep her voice soothing but still delivering the necessary information.

The dam I'd built around my emotions broke with that, causing me to choke back a sob, a singular tear running down my left cheek. Through a trembling mouth, I gave her a quiet thanks, to which the nurse nodded and retreated to her station.

The elevator door opened, and one of the MPs stepped in front of it. Inside the elevator, Castis stood with an emotionally wrecked Solana, but my father-in-law's face was set into a hard line, his predator eyes darting around, taking in everything around him. Once Castis produced his ID, the officer let the pair onto the floor.

Castis sat beside me, taking one of my hands off my stomach and holding it. "What happened?" The old turian's gravelly voice asked.

I choked back more silent tears, swallowing to clear my throat before speaking, "A sniper… He got hit in the arm… and in the chest…"

Castis released my hand, putting his arm around my shoulders instead, "It'll be ok. He'll be ok."

Garrus

I woke up with a start, sitting up in bed a few inches before a wave of pain washed over me. With a groan, I dropped back into my pillow, scouring my mind to remember what had happened. An impossibly soft hand took mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze. I looked over to see Amelia sitting in a chair next to me, on the verge of tears. Despite the tears, she had a smile on her face. "Oh, thank God! They weren't sure if you'd make it for a while."

I chuckled, which quickly turned into a cough, sending sharp stabs of pain through my chest. I groaned, the pain making me remember what had happened, "C'mon, Ame, I've survived a rocket to the face. A bullet couldn't take me down." Ame couldn't help but laugh, shaking a few tears over the lips of her eyes. I reached my uninjured arm up, stroking her cheek with one clawed finger while wiping away the tear. "I'm fine, I promise."

Castis and Solana moved into my line of sight now, "Son… I'm glad to see you're alright." As usual, my father was suppressing all outward emotions, but the warble of his mandibles betrayed him.

"Dad!" Solana snapped, backhanding our father's shoulder before moving closer to me, leaning over and resting her forehead on mine.

I smiled, enjoying my family's company until the doctor came in a few moments later.

"Primarch Vakarian." The doctor greeted, "Glad to see you're awake. It was touch and go there for a while, as the bullet nicked your aortic arch."

"It'll take more than one bullet to keep me down, doctor," I stated good-naturedly.

"I see that. Your chart was… extensive. It seems like you have been through a lot."

"Heh. You have no idea." Amelia chuckled, making the doctor crack a smile.

"Anyway," The doctor said, his face becoming serious once more, "The bullet shattered two of your plates, so it will take a while for them to grow back. Other than that, keep your physical activity to a minimum, and we can discharge you tomorrow. I understand you have a live-in physician?"

I nodded a confirmation. "Excellent. Well, I will leave you with your family now, Primarch. Good day."

-0-

The next day, I found myself sitting at home, but instead of relaxing as the surgeon and Chakwas had both ordered, I was working. I activated my omnitool, placing a call to Liara.

"Garrus!" The asari greeted enthusiastically, "So glad to see you're okay. How are you feeling? How is Ame?"

"Hey, Liara. I'm feeling better, more angry than hurt. Ame is doing fine, but she wishes she wasn't pregnant anymore. She is ready to 'pop'."

"Glad to hear everything is going well, other than the obvious… you know." She made a circling gesture with her hand, "Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"That is why I am calling. Something feels off. Can you see what you can find and get back to me?"

"Of course. Give Ame my love."

"Will do, thanks, Liara," I said, ending the connection.

Detective Caetus
April 18th, 2188

I walked into the precinct, dreading the events that would transpire over the next few days. I'd been assigned to the investigation into the Primarch's shooting and thus far hadn't found much of anything. The weapon was recovered, but no DNA was found, and not even a thermal clip was left behind. I dreaded telling my lieutenant that the Primarch's would-be assassin wouldn't face justice.

As I entered the building, the lieutenant motioned me into her office. "Great. Not looking forward to this."

"Caetus, you got a package. Could it have something to do with your case?" Lieutenant Aedinia asked, handing the small box to me.

I weigh the box in my hand, inspecting the outside. Attached was a note that read, 'From your friend with many eyes. -Argus.' "Who is Argus?" I ask rhetorically as I open it. Inside was a datapad.

I activated it and became even more perplexed when it asked for my biometrics to unlock. I exchanged a worried-but-intrigued look with Aedinia, who was as surprised as I was. I held the pad close enough for the reader to take a very detailed retinal scan before it beeped and granted me access. A video started playing.

"Good morning, Detective. I am Argus." The figure was shrouded by screens of various information flowing behind it, completely silhouetting Argus's slight body. Despite the deep, based voice, Caetus could tell that Argus was a female, either human or asari, judging by the silhouette. "I have taken a keen interest in the attempted assassination of Primarch Vakarian. Included with this datapad are dossiers on the two would-be assassins, as well as the arms dealer that supplied the weapon. As I receive more information, I will share it with you. Goodbye."

I looked up at Aedinia, "Why does the Shadow Broker care about this?"

-0-

I spent the rest of the day reviewing provided by the Shadow Broker as my partner worked on other leads.

The first dossier was on a former asari commando named Kaora T'raoius. She was still young, by asari standards at least, aged 375 years old. She had served as a commando for over a century until she was dishonorably discharged after Spectre Jondam Bau investigated her for illegal arms trafficking. She evaded capture and had survived on Omega in the years since, selling her services as a mercenary and miraculously surviving Archangel's time on the lawless station.

The second dossier had a similar story. Her name was Aeova T'karos, and she was Kaora's partner while they were both serving. She was suspected of aiding her partner in her trafficking activities, but no proof was ever found. After Kaora was discharged, Aeova retired before working with Elanus Risk Control as a security contractor on Illium. There was no evidence of contact between the women leading up to the assassination attempt, but Kaora did purchase a transport ticket to Illium under one of her known aliases a week before the attempt.

The final dossier held details on a man every Cipritine officer knew, a turian arms dealer named Serviius Achasis. Serviius was responsible for arming a group of turian separatists with military-grade weapons twenty years ago, resulting in an attack that cost forty officers their lives. According to the dossier, he was also based on Illium.

I scratched the skin under my fringe, sighing as I closed the datapad. This case was shaping up to be far more than I bargained for.