Chapter 20 - Blockade pt. 1

Garrus
August 19th, 2188

I leaned back against the cericius tree, spreading my legs apart, allowing Amelia to lie between them. It was beautiful out, a perfect day to spend lunchtime with my mate and children in the newly opened Victorum gardens. It was a hot and humid day, but the shade and breeze kept our area at a comfortable temperature. I looked at the rays of Trebia's light refracting through the leaves of the massive, oak-like tree, letting out a breath and enjoying the peace, one hand idly playing with Amelia's hair, picking up a strand and letting it fall back down to my chest.

"It's nice out today," Amelia commented, snuggling back into me, "I think I'll just stay here." I looked down, seeing her looking perfectly content, a broad smile on her face, and her eyes closed.

"Mmmm," I hummed, wrapping an arm around her chest, "I wouldn't mind."

A quiet chirp broke the silence, prompting Amelia to grab Gaius from his carrier before he fussed louder. Upon resting on her chest, he quieted back down and promptly fell asleep again.

I rubbed my son's back, humming, "I think I could stay here forever too. It's so peaceful. No work, no stress, just the people that matter most." I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, listening to the birds chirping. Amelia shifted under my arm. Her emerald-green eyes looked up at me, full of concern, "Don't worry, I'm just in a melancholy mood today."

"Okay," Amelia said, sensing that I didn't care to elaborate, and settled her head back down on my chest.

I leaned my head back again, content to listen to the birds sing and spend more time in this peaceful place with my family, away from the politics that I so despised and the looming war. My speech five nights ago had garnered a significant amount of public support, as the turian people seemed to be happy with my reforms and therefore were concerned about the assassination attempt and who was responsible.

I sat silently for a few minutes before asking Amelia, "Why do you trust me?"

She tilted her head back again in what looked to be a somewhat uncomfortable position, "What?" She had a frown on her face and looked even more worried now than she did a few minutes ago.

"Why do you trust me?" I asked again.

"Because you're my husband and the father of my children."

"That isn't what I meant."

Amelia sat up and set Gaius down in his carrier before turning to face me, crossing her legs in front of her and taking my hands in hers. Her eyes held a stern but loving look, "Because you've always been this far from me. If I needed someone to hold me up, if I needed a shoulder to cry on, if I needed someone to laugh with me, if I needed someone to slap some sense into me, you were there."

She paused, taking a deep breath through her nose, releasing it slowly and blinking away a tear before continuing, "We were the only obstacle stopping the Reapers from annihilating the galaxy. Even in the face of that threat, you never balked. That sense of loyalty extends past me. You were ready to jump on the proverbial grenade. Your sense of duty and sacrifice are second to none, and I know nothing would stop you from doing the right thing. That… that is why I trust you."

I considered her words for a second, "But I've made so many mistakes…."

"Who hasn't? I've made more than my fair share. Those mistakes made you who you are."

"But why does everyone else trust me?"

"Because they can see your trials and tribulations as easily as I can. You wear them on your shoulder. They know that you have their best interests in mind. Trust me, that's infinitely better than most politicians." She ended with a wry smile.

I was surprised to hear my own laugh, cutting through the haze of doubt I'd been feeling for the past few days. "How was I lucky enough to mate with you?"

"I'm the lucky one. I owe you more than I could ever repay." She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to mine.

-0-

"Hello, Primarch. How was your lunch?" Sentia greeted me as I emerged from the elevator.

"It was great, Sentia," I answered with a smile, "How was yours?"

"It was good, thank you for asking. Lieutenant Secna is on the holo for you."

"Thank you, Sentia."

I walked from the reception area into my office, shutting the door behind me. "Lieutenant," I greeted, sitting down at my desk, "What do you have for me?"

On the day of my speech, I sent a covert team to do reconnaissance in the Parnitha system, preparing for the eventuality of a blockade and keeping tabs on the general mood of the planet.

"Not good news, unfortunately, Sir. My men tell me that the mood on the planet is nonchalant at best. It looks as if we'll need to make good on our threat."

I sighed, "I would've hoped that wasn't the case. Thank you, Lieutenant. Keep me updated if things change."

"Of course, Primarch. Have a good day."

Once Secna disconnected, I opened my omnitool, calling Victus, "Adrien, they haven't listened. Get the fleets ready."

Praefectus Visius Indion
August 24th, 2188

I stood in the CIC of the Anixara, one of the two new Interdictor-class Dreadnaughts that the Hierarchy had constructed since the end of the Reaper War. The ships were designed for blockade purposes, carrying two ship-disabling ion cannons alongside the standard dreadnought armament.

I watched as the ship emerged from the mass relay, slowing down to sublight speed with its support ships. Thessia sat on the horizon ahead of us, the blue jewel of Council space. "Sir," The helmsman called over the radio, "Three asari destroyers just target locked us!"

"Give me the emergency channel," I say calmly to the crewman at the console.

"You're live, Sir."

"Navy of the Asari Republics, this is Praefectus Visius Indion of the Hierarchy Navy. We are here under orders from Primarch Vakarian to blockade Thessia until our demands are met. Continue to target lock us, and it will be considered an act of war against the Hierarchy. Any attempt to impede this fleet's mission will be considered an act of war. This is your only warning." I watched on the display as the target locks of each ship blinked out, smiling.

Amelia

"Miri!" I greeted the black-haired woman, giving her a quick hug before stepping to the side to allow her and Oriana entry into the house.

"Ame!" I said, returning the hug, "Oriana, this is Amelia Shep, err... Vakarian."

"Nice to finally meet you, Oriana," I said, giving her a bright smile and offering my hand.

Oriana looked nearly identical to Miranda but couldn't be more different in mannerisms. She seemed shy and very uncomfortable, saying, "Nnnnice to meet you too, Mrs. Vakarian…." She didn't accept my hand. Instead, she grabbed her elbow and shrunk away.

I gave an exasperated sigh, stepped closer, and hugged Oriana, "I'm Amelia, not Mrs. Vakarian. Miri is like a sister to me, which means you're my younger sister." I turned to Miranda, "C'mon, no need to stand by the door. Garrus is at work and won't be back until dinner."

"I love the house, Ame…," Miranda said, walking into the living room and sitting daintily down on the couch.

"Thanks!" I said, walking around the corner into the kitchen. "So, what have you been up to?"

"Oh, you know, the usual… Staying two steps ahead of Cerberus…,"

"Oh… right… Sorry." I said, coming back around the corner with drinks, "I thought Jason Stone gave you immunity and was going to keep you safe…."

"He did, for a while. Two months ago, they found us. We barely got out ahead of them."

"Thank God," I said, sitting down in a much less dainty fashion, "You should talk to Liara. She can get you two new identities and a place to stay."

"That's why I'm here," She cocked her head and smirked, "Well, that and to meet the little ones."

I chuckled under her breath, "I'll go get 'em."

Garrus

"Good work, Lieutenant. Keep me updated." As I hung up the comm call, the door opened, and Sentia stepped in, making way for Victus.

"What is the update?" Victus asked, stepping over to the bottle of brandy I kept on the side table, pouring himself exactly a serving and not a drop over, "Want any?"

I gave Victus an incredulous look, rolling my eyes in a very human fashion, "I'm good, thanks." I pointed at the comm terminal, "That was Secna. His men report stirrings on Thessia."

Victus choked out a laugh, "Of course they did. They called your bluff, and now they're running scared."

"We're turian. We don't bluff." I said, managing to keep a straight face.

Victus burst out laughing now, "Yes, but you're a 'bad turian'." He enunciated the phrase with air quotes, forcing me to crack a smile.

I snorted, "You're right about that one. How long do you think it'll be until they fold?"

"Ten days, maybe fifteen. They'll serve her up on a silver platter after that."

Amelia

"Ohhhh, he is so cute!" Oriana sang, tickling Gaius's stomach, his little arms and mandibles flailing as he laughed. She picked him up and carried him above her head across the room, getting another fit of giggles from the child.

I laughed, handing Octavia over to Miranda, who gave her a more measured, "She's beautiful, Ame; you must be proud."

I smiled, "Very. I have you to thank for it, too."

"What do you mean?"

"You gave me the chance to have this life. Not once, but twice. You brought me back after the SR1 and saved me again after London. I owe you… more than I ever could repay." I gave a weak smile, but knew that the astute woman could see right through me.

"You've long since paid any debt you owed me."

"No, I haven't." I put on an adamant face, shaking my head slightly.

"Amelia… You saved my sister's life twice, not to mention the galaxy. Saving you the second time was me repaying my debt to you, not that that was why I did it." Miranda added the last part with a slight smirk.

I paused for a minute, smiling and accepting what Miranda told me, "I was thinking about your situation, and I had an idea." Miranda raised one perfect eyebrow but stayed silent, "Move here."

"Here? To Palaven?"

"Yes. Think about it… This is the last place Cerberus would ever look for you. Garrus is Primarch, so you'll have additional cover from the turian government."

"You have a point. Okay, I'll think about it."

Garrus

"This is delicious, Amelia," Oriana said, politely dapping her napkin to her face.

"Yes," Miranda chimed in, "Why did we have Gardner on the Normandy if you can cook like this?"

"Oh, come on, Gardner wasn't that bad!" Amelia proclaimed, defending her favorite mess sergeant, "Besides...,"

"Speak for yourself, Amelia. You didn't have to eat nutrition paste every day…." I interjected.

"Okay, that sucks, but it wasn't Gardner's fault!" Amelia debated, "Anyway, I was too busy saving the galaxy to cook." She continued, putting heavy emphasis in the middle, getting chuckles out of the table.

"She's more fun when she's drunk," Miranda told her sister.

Amelia scoffed, "I've only had one drink!"

"Ah, so you're telling me you're a lightweight now? You're slipping in your old age, Amelia…," Miranda taunted, giving my mate a wry smile and extracting another round of laughs from the table.

Amelia's face flushed red under her Vakarian clan markings, protesting, "I'm not old! Or a lightweight!"

Oriana suppressed her giggles enough to reply, "Sounds exactly like something a lightweight would say…." I laughed, and Miranda reached across the table to high-five her sister,

Amelia just sat in her seat, completely dumbfounded, "Et tu, Oriana?" It took a few moments for the laughter at Amelia's expense to die, and the four returned to enjoying their meal.

Amelia
August 25th, 2188

"Li got back to me earlier, Miri," I said, "She sent me the packets for your new identities. Miranda and Oriana Blake, originally from Sydney, Australia. I just sent the rest of the information over now."

"Thank you, Ame. You don't know how much this means to me." Miranda checked her omnitool, confirming she received the files, "Liara's fast…. I guess it paid off installing her as the Shadow Broker."

I cracked a smile, "Have you made a decision yet?"

"Yes. We'd like to stay on Palaven." I smiled at my friend, moving in to hug her, but Miranda held up a finger, "I wanted to ask you for one more favor…."

"Shoot. Anything."

"I've never been good with just sitting on my hands. I was wondering if you or Garrus could find me a job."

"Of course, Miri, we'll figure something out."