"Come on, Tali," Joker muttered, rubbing his tired eyes. "We've been over this section a

million times. She's not here."

It had been three days since the fall of the Reapers. Across the galaxy, colossal

machines the size of cities had crashed to the surface of the worlds they once occupied.

As they spoke, Palevan was already tearing through the wreckage, dismantling the

fallen Reapers and searching for anything useful for rebuilding society.

Garrus wasn't there for that. He was in Normandy.

The Normandy had landed about 100 kilometers from the wreckage of the Citade on

earth—a massive heap of glass, concrete, and God knows what else, now a mountain

of debris. For three days, they had been scouring the ruins, looking for her.

Everyone had their method. Vega and Wrex had taken to digging through the rubble,

hoping to uncover something. Kaidan and Jack tried using their biotics, trying to blast

deeper into the wreckage—but Liara quickly stopped them. "Whatever we're looking for

is fragile," she reminded them, her voice gentle but firm.

Tali, meanwhile, had spent two sleepless days building a radar system to scan for any

sign of life.

"There's no Shepard without Valkarian," Shepard said, her voice distant, hollow. The

last words she'd ever say to him. The last thing she'd say to any of her crew. But even

now, even after everything-

Your crew all search for you, Commander.

Garrus could admit it to himself—he was a mess. All the strategies, all the crisis

management, had been tossed aside. He had no idea how to deal with this. The

universe had lost its center, and so had he.

"No matter what happens here... I will always love you," she had said. He repeated it,

whispering to the emptiness, his voice shaking.

In frustration, he punched the wall in the command deck. Tali looked up at him, her

mask misty, filtering out tears out of her suit.

"Garrus," she said softly. "Why don't you take a walk? Maybe help with EDI?"

Ugh. Garrus thought bitterly. Another casualty of this awful war. EDI was fried, just like

the Geth. Her circuits were burned out, her programming shattered. They were trying to

piece her together again, but he was no Legion. He wasn't even close.

The only one who could even attempt to help was Liara—but she had her hands full

with the entire galaxy. The Shadow Broker couldn't afford to slow down. Not now.

It was strange. Garrus had worked with these people for so long. Some of them for

years. They had become his family, and yet now, they all walked around in relative

silence. The Normandy had become a ship of ghosts—everyone lost in their own grief

and confusion.

Sliding down the wall near the medical bay, Garrus pressed his palms into his eyes,

trying to stem the tide of tears. He wiped them away. No time for that.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

For a moment, Garrus's heart skipped. He imagined the sound of boots—Alliance-issue,

but lighter, quicker—approaching.

"Can I sit down?" Kaidan's voice broke through his thoughts, and the human sat down

next to him, cracking open a Turian draft and placing it on the ground.

"Sorry," Garrus grunted, giving him a half-hearted snort, "I don't think I'm ready for a

date yet."

Kaidan chuckled. "Well, let's just sit in silence, then." He shifted his position to sit beside

Garrus, settling down on the cold floor.

Ever since Garrus had been dragged back to Normandy after Shepard ran toward the

beacon, he'd been downright stalked by Alenko. But Garrus had never really been able

to understand what Alenko was after. Was it pity? Sympathy? Friendship? Garrus

couldn't figure it out, but at that moment, it didn't matter. Kaidan was here, and for a few

fleeting minutes, it was almost enough.

Suddenly, the ship's lights turned red, and the engines roared to life. Joker didn't waste

a second.

Garrus was already on his feet, his hand slamming into the elevator panel.

"Garrus!" Kaidan shouted as he sprinted to catch up. "What's that alarm mean?"

Garrus stopped, spinning around, and caught the look on Kaidan's face. It was the first

flicker of hope he'd seen in days, and it hit Garrus like a shockwave.

"It means Tali found life."