Chapter 3
"Alright, strap in everyone. Joker is getting ready to drop us in," Jane said as she fit the harness together while sitting in the driver's seat.
"Oh, good. A very active volcanic planet with your driving. Can't wait," John retorted with a smirk.
"That's it! You are no longer on guns. Garrus? You up for it."
John's mouth dropped open and he turned on her, preparing his argument, "What? But that's not –"
"Don't worry, Commander. I can handle it," Garrus answered her and looked at John with a shrug.
"Maybe now you won't talk back to your little sister," she smiled but didn't look back.
Kaidan sat diagonally behind Shepard; it was the best spot to keep an eye on the situation. He could still see out the front and keep an eye on her and the rest of the team. If she needed a status report on the damage back here, he would be the one to do it. He still wasn't sure what to think about the new crew. Of course he accepted the aliens better than Ashley did, but he worried about Shepard's safety; how skilled were these new recruits?
"Getting ready to drop, Commander," Joker said through the communications channel. "Disengaging."
They could feel the g-force shift as they began their descent to the planet below. "Engaging thrusters," Jane said calmly flipping a switch above her.
The Mako leveled out in midair and slammed onto the ground below as they skidded to a stop. The men in the back jostled around even with the shock being mostly absorbed. John gripped his seat and the handle to his left, squeezing his eyes shut.
Garrus looked at the slightly worried faces of the human males around him. Yes, it was a little rough of a landing, but most drops tended to be.
Jane checked her displays and activated the appropriate settings. She began to press forward, keeping an eye on her surroundings. The land was dark with ash as the lava rose through the cracks of the land. The sky was a mixture of blue and white but was quickly becoming consumed by dark clouds. A set of pipes followed the low sitting mountains, opposite the hot fields, leaving only a specific path through the land.
The com-channel crackled to life as Joker's voice filled the vehicle, "Commander, I'm picking up some strange readings… really strange. Like, off the damn charts. It looks like it is coming from an underground complex a few klicks away from the drop zone."
"Thank you, Joker," Jane responded. "We are heading there now." Deactivating the comm-unit, she turned back to her crew. "I have a feeling that this won't be a simple pick up. Let's keep our eyes open and be ready for anything. Garrus, come up here to man the guns. I don't want us scrambling around if we do find something."
Jane pushed the Mako to almost full power, the wheels spinning in the ash, a large cloud puffing up in their wake as they made their way across the scorched surface. Eventually, even Garrus began to reach for something to steady himself. They vaulted over small outcroppings of rock and slammed heavily into the ground. The rear of the vehicle occasionally fish-tailed a few times as it struggled for better traction.
"Um… Shepard?" Garrus said quietly to her right.
"Yes, Garrus?" she said sweetly and smiled over at him. "Something bothering you?"
"I just want to remind you that someone does have to repair this later."
"Why else do you think I brought you along?" she teased and looked over at him again. "For your good looks?"
"Yes, actually," he mandibles flared in a grin as his eyes matched hers. She held his gaze, grinning back at him. "Shepard," he warned and flicked his eyes back to the road. A devious grin spread across her face as she pushed the pedal down further, charging the Mako faster. He glanced back at the road only to see that they were heading on a collision course for a pit of lava. "Shepard!" he yelled and braced himself on the dashboard.
Without even turning her head, she turned the Mako into a sharp left turn and headed up the hill perfectly in the center of the makeshift road. Everyone let out an audible exhale causing Jane to burst out into laughter and return her attention to the road. "Really, guys?" she shook her head slightly as she rounded the top of the hill. "Geeze, have some faith in your commander."
It wasn't much longer until a loud thundering sounded above them.
"I am going to assume that wasn't weather," Kaidan spoke up, leaning out from his seat to look out the windshield.
Garrus and Jane leaned forward in time to see Saren's ship fly overhead and drop off two geth armatures. "You think there will always be complications?" Jane complained as she nodded to Garrus and armed the weapons.
"She'll stay with us, thanks," Jane gave a mocking wave to the krogan battlemaster across from them.
Garrus' hand tensed towards his rifle. How was she able to face a krogan and his geth minions without even pulling her weapon, and openly mocking him too? Retrieving Liara was definitely turning into a bigger situation than they had originally planned.
"Not an option. Saren wants her, and he always gets what he wants," Liara gave a worried glance to Shepard as the krogan spoke. "Kill them. Spare the asari if you can. If not, doesn't matter."
Jane snatched the shotgun from her back and used her biotics to lift a geth into the air. John charged to her side, unloading his assault rifle on a geth that had turned its attention on Jane. Kaidan stirred and began to follow Shepard until he noticed Liara crouching in the open. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her behind the console in the center, keeping an eye on their enemies.
The Shepards were unloading their weapons on the battlemaster, who refused to go down. John threw a grenade that finally causing the top heavy krogan to tumble. As they were focusing their attention on the krogan, Jane felt the sharp pang of her shield weakening on her left side. She turned to see a geth discharging his weapon on her and her shield was growing dangerously low but her biotics were not ready yet. A single shot burst through the geth's shields and tore through the 'head', frying its systems as wires and fluids blew out the other side.
Jane heard her brother cease his fire: the krogan was dead. She turned her head to find the source of the perfect shot that had saved her life. Garrus slung his rifle onto his back and gave a small nod to Jane, who smiled back at him and gave a reciprocal nod.
They sat around the edges of the comm-room. It was a strange grouping of individuals to be sure: quite a few humans, a quarian, krogan, turian, and, now, an asari. Not just anyone could bring this group together, least of all, a regular human. There was certainly something special about this golden-fringed human female that intrigued Garrus.
"We can talk again after you've seen the doctor," Jane roved her eyes over her team, "The rest of you, dismissed."
"Mission reports are filed, Commander," Joker spoke through the PA system. "Want me to patch you through to the council?"
As Garrus got up he saw John across the room, eyeing him. The turian gave the human a questioning glance but got up and headed for the door, allowing Tali to move ahead of him. Garrus turned back to see John stop by Jane and grip her shoulder as she rubbed her forehead with her fingers.
"You going to be okay?" John inquired.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said waving him away but giving a weak smile. "Patch them through, Joker," and John jogged out of the debriefing room.
"Setting up the link now, Commander."
The doors shut before they could hear anymore.
"Hey, Garrus," John tapped his friend on the arm when he reached him, "Can I talk to you for a minute."
"Sure. What do you need?"
"Um… let's take a look at that Mako. I'm pretty sure Jane did a number on that thing."
Garrus could tell that something was bothering John, but decided not to question him until later. "To be honest, I'm scared to even inspect it closer," he said with a grin
When they reached the cargo hold, John eyed the requisitions officer standing off to the side, but he seemed to be too engrossed in his activities to pay them much attention. Passing the side of the Mako, Garrus grabbed a tool and walked to the front of the vehicle with John right beside him. "What did you really want to talk to me about, John?"
"With Jane recruiting more and more people, I have a feeling she won't keep bringing me on all… okay… more of her missions. I know that she is a Commander now and that she didn't make it this far by being lucky, but I still worry about her. I mean, she is my little sister. There are four years between us. I'll do anything to protect her."
"So, why talk to me?"
"You're my best friend, Garrus. And I know that you will, but, please promise me that you'll watch her six when you are out on mission with her."
"Of course I will. She is my commanding officer, John. Turians don't take that lightly. But what makes you think that she will take me out on more missions than you?"
"You impressed her with that shot today. From the way she fights, she knows that she needs a good sniper at her back and, if I know her, she doesn't think that Ashley is that person. Don't get me wrong, Ashley is a great soldier, but she isn't as proficient a sniper as you are. And uh…" John had a shy grin on his face, "There is, uh… something else."
Garrus stopped what he was doing and looked over at John. He definitely didn't have a good feeling about this.
At the turian's silence, John took it as permission to continue. "I know you have that more 'analytical' eye and much better hearing than me… so… will you help me scout my sister?"
"Excuse me?"
"Not anything serious! I just think she is keeping things from me. I mean, I see half the men on this ship leer after her, especially that schmuck Kaidan. Hell, I wouldn't even put it past Liara for developing something for her. Jane doesn't realize it but she has quite a charm about her. When she was younger, there were a lot of guys trailing after her. Some tried to be friends with me to get closer to her. So what the hell am I supposed to think?"
"It is none of our business, John. Have you thought that this is why she doesn't tell you? Because you get too involved?"
"I just don't want her to get hurt. Don't let her hard demeanor fool you. She isn't all stone. Underneath that exterior of hers, she really is just a big softy. I am pretty sure she only has this front up because the Alliance has beaten it into her. Take that away and she is much more relaxed," he chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "Who knows, maybe one day you will hear about her reasons for joining the Alliance."
The last comment intrigued him but he knew that was best saved for another time, "She is an adult. She can make her own choices. Especially when it relates to her personal life."
"Ugh, you're no fun, Garrus."
He gave a small sigh and shook his head, "I'm not scouting her. And don't expect me to report to you on anything. But… if there is something I think you should know, I will tell you."
"Hey! Thanks, man!" he clapped Garrus on the shoulder, "I knew I could count on you! Now, if you don't mind… I am going to see about a particular quarian on board."
"It is hopeless, John," Garrus drawled as he ran his omni-tool over the vehicle. "It wouldn't work. Different amino acids between our species. And besides, quarian immune systems are highly compromised. You probably are not the best, John," he smirked as John continued to back away.
"That hurts, Garrus. But there levo and dextro immunities. Who knows? Maybe I am one of those," he smirked at the tall turian and shrugged his shoulders.
"Shepard," Garrus started as they began to unload their weapons on the desk. "You don't have to make it a goal to damage the Mako every time we take it planet-side."
"But then what would you do all day?" Jane smiled up at him. "Come on, Garrus, you know you love it."
"Personally, I am shocked that you made it over that mountain," Tali chimed in. "I didn't think the Mako was designed for movement like that."
"It's not designed for that," Garrus said.
"But it made it all the same. Seems that you are doing something right in the upgrades with that thing, turian." She yanked off her gloves off to run her fingers through her hair. "Ugh, I need to get out of this armor! I swear sand found its way into my suit." She pulled at her collar and rolled her shoulders, feeling as if the dirt and grime was crawling over her skin.
Ashley had joined them and offered to help clean Tali's weapons. Jane wasn't sure what had brought on this goodwill, but at least Ashley was starting to reach out to the more 'exotic' members of the team. Shepard was smiling at her when she did turn around and gave a quick nod back.
Garrus stood between the women as they took care of their weapons, noticing the small exchange between the humans. At least Ashley wasn't being so withdrawn anymore. He was glad that Ashley hadn't offered to him, but at this point she knew that he and Shepard never let anyone else handle their guns. Glancing over again he saw Jane fidget and squirm in her armor, again. "You okay there, Shepard?"
"Yeah… I'll live. I just really need to get out of this armor and under suit." She twisted her hips again, grumbling to herself. "Ugh! I can't take this anymore. I am going to clean these in my quarters."
He watched her pick up her weapons and some supplies before he decided to take his chance at offering, "I know how sensitive you can be about your weapons, but I can clean them for you."
She turned around with a smile on her face, "As flattered as I am that you want to touch my weapons, Garrus. I think I'll pass this time." Without another word she winked at him and entered the elevator.
He flattened his mandibles tightly to his mouth as her words sunk in. Feeling eyes on him he looked at the two women next to him. "What?"
"Nothing," they said in unison.
Kaidan was typing away on his omni-tool when he heard footsteps approaching. Perfect timing! He thought and quickly closed the message he had been preparing for her. "Hey, Shepard!" he called out as she rounded the corner.
"Hey, Kaidan, what do you need?" she grimaced and pulled at her collar.
"You okay there, Shepard?" he eyed her movements as he reduced the space between them and noticed the guns still attached to her back. "Why do you still have your weapons?"
"Just got back from a mission. I was cleaning them downstairs but the sand was ridiculous on that planet, I swear some is in my suit."
"I could clean them for you while you, um, take care of the other situation."
"Thanks, but no thanks. You know how I am about my guns. And besides, Garrus already offered."
"Oh. Alright. Um, look, Commander… I was hoping to talk to you about a few things."
Jane fought the urge to roll her eyes; she had a feeling where this was going. "Um, can it wait for a bit Kaidan?"
"I guess so, but I just worry that if I keep waiting then I won't get a chance to talk to you. What's going on with us, Shepard? I mean, even before Eden Prime, I have barely had a chance to talk to you outside of missions."
"First of all, don't say it like that. And I'm sorry if you feel that way, but I still see you during my rounds."
"Yeah, but that is always while we are on duty. I was wondering if, I don't know, maybe next time we are on the Citadel, if you would like to get lunch or dinner or something."
"Anyone else you had in mind?" she asked warily.
"Um, no, I was hoping just the two of us," he gave a soft smile and a half step forward.
Jane took a bigger step back and averted her eyes, "Look, Kaidain. I don't know if that is such a good idea. I mean, we are just friends. I don't really want to mess that up."
"Well, you know, just think about it. Offer is still there," Kaidan submitted with a thin smile on his face.
"Thanks, but uh, I really need to… um… I'll see you around." She quickly sidestepped around him and ducked into her room, refusing to look over her shoulder at him. Why can't he take a damn hint? Glaring at the floor, she allowed the door to shut behind her before looking up to find someone sitting at her desk. "Dear God, can I not get a moment of peace around here!"
John smirked up at his sister as he reclined back in her chair with his feet on her desk. "Hey, Sis!"
"What do you want?" she moaned as she pulled off her shotgun and pushed his feet off her desk with the butt of the gun.
His feet landed with a loud thump. "How did the mission go?"
"Ran into a few geth, found some minerals, found some crashed probes, you know, the usual. Though I would love to fill you in on all the excruciatingly small details, I have to get out of this suit." She ignored him with his light chuckle and she tapped away on the console at her desk, filling her room with music blaring.
"Why do you still listen to this shit?" John yelled over the music. It still baffled him why she would listen to music so old.
"Hey! This is not 'shit'! And if you don't like it, get out!" she smiled as she yelled at him then stepped into her private bathroom.
John laughed to himself as he heard her turn on the water. Honestly, he had no problem with her music. It was sometimes refreshing to relive some of humanity's past, though looking back, there weren't always bright moments. Music was one of the few things that could easily come back and appeal to others. He eyed the weapons in front of him noticing that they still needed cleaning. He could help, but then he would probably start a fight between them. If there was one thing he knew, it was not to mess with Jane and her weapons. Just like Garrus, in fact, he mused. He heard the water cut off and he put his feet back up on the desk, waiting for her to acknowledge him again.
Jane pulled her tank top down and readjusted her athletic shorts before going back into the room. She turned her music down a little and pushed John's feet off her desk, again, while picking up a weapon. "So, what can I do for you, John?"
"Can't I just hang out with my little sister?" he smiled.
"We both know you are here for something else."
"Just seeing how you are holding up. I know that you tend to get stressed out a little. And to be honest, you have been a little crankier than usual." She narrowed her eyes at him as she continued to clean her shotgun. "Don't try to shoot daggers at me with your eyes! Your biotics might go off on me. And you know that you are stressed."
"I have more control than that. It's just that… this seems so much bigger than a rogue Spectre siding with geth. I can't put my finger on it. I mean… with that vision that I got on Eden Prime, I think we are in for a much bigger fight than we bargained for."
"Look, Jane, I know that you didn't really ask for this life, but you are good at it. And your hunches are usually right."
"Thanks, John. So, anyway, how are you holding up on the ship? I know you weren't really a fan of our 'home life' as kids either."
He gave a small shrug, "I prefer to be a little more stationary, but I'm managing well. The women on board aren't too bad either."
"Ugh! Come on, John! This is my crew."
"Yeah, but regs make me an excellent choice for them," he laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to go crazy on your ship."
"Thank you."
"Well, as fascinating as it is to watch you clean your guns, I think I am going to go roam the ship a bit. Maybe keep Joker company. You were right about him, he is pretty cool."
"I knew you would like him. I'll probably go up there in a bit."
"Well, if I don't see you, we'll have dinner together at least?"
"Yeah, see you around."
Selecting the correct tool, Garrus readjusted himself under the Mako, humming his subharmonics. He had just finished tightening the steering shaft when his omni-tool pinged. Tapping a button to activate the local voice connection, he said, "Yeah, John? What do you need?"
"Want to join us in the cockpit?"
"Who is 'us'?"
"Jane, Joker and myself. Hang out with us and then we will head to the mess for dinner."
"I don't know, John. I am kind of in the middle of something."
"He is so full of shit! I did not mess the Mako up that much!" he heard Jane yell in the background.
"I don't know, Shepard. I heard that you broke one in basic training," Joker chimed in.
"You better start keeping those stories to yourself or I will flick you and break one of your fingers!" Jane said.
"I don't know, John. Is that turian even able to take that stick out of his ass?"
"I heard that, Joker," Garrus warned. He heard Jane start laughing in the background. "I'll be up in a minute." Before anyone else could say anything, he closed the link and maneuvered his way out from under the vehicle. After wiping his hands, he slipped on his gloves and called for the elevator. Spirits, it is only one damn floor. How it always took so long, he would never understand. Upon entering the CIC, he could hear the boisterous laughing coming from the cockpit.
"We caused such hell on the ships! Dad wasn't so bad about it, but Mom would get so pissed!"
"What do you expect, John? Her kids were running amuck on her ship! I'm sure we made her lose face with some of the crew."
"Oh, whatever. The crew loved us!"
"Damn, I would have loved to meet you guys when you were kids!"
"Well we calmed down some when we were teenagers… at least I did."
At this point Garrus had reached the entrance and leaned against the wall. Joker was in his chair with Jane sitting sideways in the co-pilot's chair, a mug of tea in her hands, and John sat against the wall opposite the other two. They were all in their uniforms but seemed quite relaxed.
"I calmed down too!" John said indignantly, "Just not with the ladies!"
"Now that I have a hard time believing," Garrus chimed in. All heads turned to him, John shaking his head slightly, Joker with his usual amused grin, and Jane smiling brightly at him. "I saw him strike out with so many women people were questioning his experience," he smirked at John and decided to push it a little more. "Eventually I pitied him enough that I gave him some pointers."
"He does have a sense of humor!" Joker exclaimed.
"You are lying through your pointed teeth!" John yelled. "Don't spread that around!"
"Why?" Jane questioned. "Because someone is bound to believe it?" She chuckled at her brother's torment and took a small sip of her tea. "I knew you were only that lucky because there weren't that many options for them."
"Oooh! Ouch!" Joker commented.
Garrus couldn't help but share a smile with Jane when their eyes met. There was at least one thing off the battlefield they shared: torturing John.
"You guys suck! Maybe I should just go eat by myself."
"Aww, care to relive those teen years, John?" Jane cooed.
"Ugh, whatever," John was smiling but stood up and walked away from the cockpit.
They all burst out into laughter as John exited and they heard the door shut when he made his way down to the mess area. Garrus turned his attention back to the two humans still with him when he saw movement. Jane swung her legs over the arm rest and stretched her back. Garrus flinched when he heard a popping noise coming from her shoulder.
"Well, come on, big guy," Jane said when passing Garrus and wrapping him on the shoulder with her knuckles. "We better go talk to him before he gets too upset. Are you going to be coming down, Joker? Or do you want me to bring you something up?"
"Nah, I'll be down in a bit."
Garrus followed a step behind her through the CIC. There was a short silence before he noticed the dampness of her fringe. "Take care of that sand problem, Commander?"
She looked up at him in a funny way but then realization hit her, "Oh, yeah, that. Turns out there was nothing there, just my imagination, I guess. And I got my weapons all cleaned up too. But thanks for offering before, though."
"Not a problem. I could tell you were uncomfortable."
When they reached the table in the mess, he looked around for John but didn't see him.
"Oh you have got to be shitting me."
Garrus looked down at her and followed her gaze across the room. There, standing next to the life pods, was John talking with a random female crew member. They watched for a little longer and saw her fidget with her hair and blush. John made eye contact with them and gave a sly wink.