The Genophage.

That was what Wrex wanted in order to help his people.

His people.

A part of him wanted to be angry about it. He had been. The moment Shepard had told him that was what the demand was for Krogan help, the impossibility of it all. The scope of it - seemed untouchable. It had seemed all so unrealistic and far too high a cost considering that his people were dying.

And he had said that to Wrex as well.

"I wondered when I'd see you coming down here, Garrus," the old Krogan would almost growl out. He looked tired, worn, but determined. Garrus had always found the man someone to learn from. Now? Now he found him selfish.

"I wish it were under better terms," he had said to him.

Wrex's red eye trained on him, deadly, knowing, but he said nothing. Just waited.

"The Genophage, Wrex? That's your demand? While my world burns you want to seek revenge?"

Perhaps he should have known better than to call it that. Revenge wasn't the right word, it was definitely not the right context, but in that moment - as he waited for news about his own family - he had felt nothing but rage for the beast in front of him.

"Garrus," a small warning in the name, "You know as well as I know this is not revenge. This is my people! We are dying and it's not because of the Reapers, though," he paused, his mighty head swinging to the right to look at the circular desk of the war room, "It will be because of them soon enough. I explained the why's to Shepard. I don't have to explain myself to you."

"The hell you do!" Garrus stepped forward, annoyed at the way his voice had raised in that moment, he noticed a few of the lingering human's looking their way and he felt his subvocals vibrate in annoyance. "While you pull this political bullshit, my own family could be dying. They could already be dead."

Wrex moved then, his large body twisting to put a bit of space between the two of them, just as his arm reached out and he grabbed Garrus' shoulder, "Listen, whelp," his words were deep, quiet, dangerously close to soothing and it sent unease down his spine, "This is not about you, its not about your friend over there or any one else on your planet. This is about my people. You want to talk to me about your family while I have none. All of my children have been dead at birth, my own brothers and sisters - dead from either merc work or suicide due to the inability to bring children into a dying race. Call it what you will, a political play, selfishness, brashness - impossible, I don't care. The last time my people helped the galaxy we were neutered as a thanks, this time - it will be made right."

"Your people," Garrus growled, "Did you forget about the Krogan Rebellions? The fact that you turned against everyone. Did you forget about that?"

The hand on his shoulder squeezed tightly, "The last time I checked, the First Contact War with the humans happened and the Turian's didn't produce a mass extinction event." Wrex growled and pushed Garrus backward, "My people will help, I swore this, but we will get that cure and it will be put in every man, woman and child of my people. When that happens - I'll have fleets ready to pull your ass out of the fire." "The cost is too high, Wrex, this is wasting time! And you know it!"

Garrus hadn't wanted his fucking promises.

He knew that war was never simple. Not a thing about it could be. Death was in every decision. Normally, though, it was the death of one's own unit that you had to protect. You had to sacrifice. It wasn't civilians. It wasn't planets. How did you even prepare for this type of scale? Shepard had told him about the female Krogan just a few moments after he had sought out Wrex. Perhaps his hotheadedness proved that he wasn't ready to be sitting in such a place of power. Power. Pft . There was no such thing in these times. Not really. It was all one move to the next to the fucking next and all of it was bullshit. It was all just a matter of time before…

"Are you alright?"

He blinked. Garrus turned his attention to the small biotic sitting in the small shuttle space opposite him. He had been entirely lost in thought nearly the whole way planetside. "Yeah."

"It's just," she eyed Shepard and Wrex, who were also looking at him, "You've been staring pretty hard at the wall, did you hear news…"

"No," he cut her off, "You would know before I would," at that, he offered her a small smile, it didn't quite mean anything. Forced as it was. The Shadow Broker had its feelers out for news from Palaven and he knew that if something came up about his own family, that information would be slid his way. Liara didn't even need to tell him she would do this. He just knew she was looking.

"I know you're worried, Garrus," Wrex cut in. Garrus' shoulders tensed and he looked over to the old Krogan. "But we are one step closer to the cure here, and we have Shepard!" He grinned big and toothy, "Things will work out."

Shepard was frowning hard, her green eyes nearly black as she looked at Garrus and then to Wrex, "Let's just remember that the Salarians aren't accustomed to Krogan on their homeworld, let's just get the females quietly and without incident and go."

"These females are the best," his attention goes to Shepard, "And probably last hope for my people."

"We'll bring them back, Wrex. Don't worry." Liara assured him.

Wrex sighed and looked towards her, "I appreciate that Liara, I wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride." Garrus scoffed at that, and Wrex looked at him, "I suppose I can make room for you too, Garrus," he smirked, "Even with your hackles raised in my direction."

Garrus shook his head, "Figured you'd gone soft - sitting on your throne, forgot how to hold a gun."

Wrex chuckled at that just as Shepard came to stand next to Garrus, "I dunno, Gar," she eyed the Krogan, "He's so old - muscle memory has to be a thing by now."

He grinned down at her, "I guess we will see."

"I hope not," she shook her head, just as the shuttle pilot, Cortez notified them that they were nearly at their drop point. "Commander the Salarian ground control says we don't have authorization to land."

Shepard stepped over towards the pilot, "Tell them the Dalatrass has authorized this herself."

Wrex growled, "I knew they'd never keep their word. Let's see if they can stop a Krogan airdrop."

And before anyone could react to that, Wrex tore the door to the shuttle open and jumped out.

"Wrex! Son of a bitch!" Shepard exclaimed, turning back to the pilot, "Set us down! Now!"

"He's going to get himself killed!" Liara said beside him. Garrus stepped to the opened door, swinging his rifle into place and eyeing through the scope. "Two snipers, I can concuss them both, give the word!"

"Hurry!" Shepard, but she didn't wait for Cortez, instead she moved through the small space and jumped out of the door the same way Wrex had. Garrus followed immediately and he heard Liara swear behind him as she leapt too.

"Stand down! Stand down!" A salarian screamed as the three of them came to stand with Wrex, ready to fight. "Commander Shepard, restrain your colleague! We just found out about this transfer a few moments ago!"

Shepard stepped forward, her glare set on Wrex, "I'd like to avoid a diplomatic incident," before looking to the salarian who agreed with her, "but you have something valuable to Wrex."

"Something worth dying for," Wrex stated.

"This matter can be resolved, but I must insist that he remain under guard." The salarian stated which didn't sit well with Wrex who stepped forward with his shotgun lifted. Shepard turned her entire body towards him, "I can handle this, Wrex," she all but snarled at him. Her irritation with this entire mission written clearly on her face.

The krogan shook his head, but he stowed his gun and stepped back, "If anything goes wrong, then all bets are off."

The salarian motioned for a few guards to step forward and Shepard turned to signal the shuttle pilot to land fully before the three of them followed Wrex and those guards inside the shuttle bay.

Garrus had never been to Sur'kesh. He had heard stories about the Salarian homeworld being one of beauty, peace, tranquility - and from what he could see. The stories were founded. He felt as if he were at some resort, the air was crisp, the foliage brilliant green. Even the waterways seemed to sparkle. All that beauty was given to one of the most selfish species he knew. The Salarian's were slippery, even to his people. They never gave without taking and took more than what was offered. Their creation of the Genophage had been brilliant in its time - but even he knew that a thousand years was too long.

Didn't ease his annoyance and anger towards his friend using his fucking forces as collateral for help.

Desperate times come with desperate measures. That's what the Primarch had said.

"Careful! Watch the containment field!" A scientist screamed as they approached, Garrus looked up to see a wild yhag banging on the barrier. Liara next to him shuttered, muttering about how she had hoped never to see one of those again and he looked at her, mildly confused until he remembered the story of the former broker. He looked back at the creature and tilted his head.

The Yhag were considered beasts, violent and aggressive and yet one had held more power in its paws than any other singular force. It was an odd thought as they slid the holding cell back. Maybe it wasn't wild. Maybe it was - stolen.

Stolen .

All at once something inside of him snapped. Something that he recognized immediately as understanding. He looked at Wrex, surrounded by two guards, both with their guns trained on him and thought of them doing the same to him. The same thing that they were doing to the female krogan. Garrus had foolishly thought they were just in some hospital, some lab. It didn't register that they were being held just like the yhag. These salarians would strip his friend down to nothing and store him away too. He knew Wrex that person, the leader, the warrior - to these people he was just another beast for them to study. To run experiments on.

A test subject.

Anger coursed through him. Disgust. Rage. All mixing together with shame. Shame that he hadn't seen this before now. Shame that he had even fought Wrex at all. Disgust that he had spoken against this need, this plan, this right thing.

He heard Shepard asking questions, but all he heard was wrong. Best defense his backside. He glared hard at the salarian and shook his head. Wrex's annoyed growl far less than these people deserved. Perhaps they should have let him take them out. Garrus' subvocals vibrated in anger. They were treating his friend like he was lesser when the man was far greater than all of them combined. He had helped save the fucking galaxy with Saren. He had gone back to his homeworld and had united the ununitable. What were they doing? If anything was a waste of time it was this. Not because of Wrex's demand but because he had to make this type of wager to begin with.

He looked at Wrex who was looking at him. Subvocals are loud to the krogan brood. He understood him. Fluent in Turian he had said once.

"...lost Krogan."

"The females were in poor health when we found them. They were brought here to stabilize their condition."

Shepard looked at Garrus and they both watched as the guards began escorting Wrex further off to the side. The krogan went easily enough, uttering, "This whole planet smells wrong."

Garrus couldn't help but agree.

"I'd like to see them," Shepard continued.

"Of course, I'll need to clear you for the lower levels. Give me a few moments and meet me near the elevator."

The three of them watched the salarian leave, Shepard looked at Liara, "Lets go check on Wrex."

Finding him just around the corner was nice, considering Garrus didn't want to spend much time on this planet. He wanted to go back to the Normandy. "This is where all you Salarians come from, huh?" Garrus heard Wrex saying, "No wonder you're so soft. Too busy writing poetry about waterfalls." He turned his red eyes on Shepard, "Shepard, I dont like this."

"I know I said to act the angry Krogan, Wrex, but…"

"That? That was just good ole'fashioned krogan hot air," he shifted closer to Shepard, "If it had been real," he looked at one of the guards, "They'd be dead." Wrex sighed and bit out, "I should be the one going in there."

"Who tipped you off about the females?"

"Sorry Shepard," Wrex shook his head, "They are listening to every word they say," pointedly he spoke cleared and louder, "I prefer my salarian liver served raw." Garrus couldnt help the smirk that found his features as Wrex's chuckle filled the air. "Besides," he continued, "You'd think this is the kind of thing the Shadow Broker would know about." Red eyes landed on blue, "Too bad I don't know him, or her."

Liara's head tilted slightly, "I'm sure the Broker was very busy."

Shepard looked between the two of them and cleared her throat, "Right - well, what do you know about these females then?"

"They weren't fertile, so we used them as decoys to draw off enemies for the ones that were. But Maelon's research changed that. These damned pyjacks," he looked at one of the salarian guards, "Stole them right out from under us."

"That's a pretty brutal way to treat your women, Wrex." The Commander stated.

"The females suggested it. We've had to make a lot of touch choices to ensure we all don't die off," he answered.

Liara sighed beside him and Garrus looked at her when she said softly, "What a horrible way to live."

Wrex looked at her, "It's just one more thing that will get better when the genophage is cured."

"Back on the Normandy, you said Reapers were sighted on Tuchanka."

"Clans Jorgal and Ravanor sighted landing parties, the Reapers are up to something," he nodded, "Tuchanka may be a pile of radioactive rubble, but its our pile. And we will fight to the last krogan to keep it that way."

Liara moved forward then, reaching out to place a seemingly tiny hand against the large krogans arm, "That's what I've always liked about you, Wrex."

"My smoldering good looks," he turned the scarred side of his face towards her with a smirk.

She laughed softly, "There is that, but," she reached out and traced one of the three scars that trailed down the krogan's cheek, "You've never given up and that determination is about to pay off." She patted his cheek once, hard before stepping back and crossing her arms almost like Shepard's usual stance.

"Yeah," Wrex smiled, looking at Shepard, "Who would have thought back on Virmire that we'd be standing here doing this together?"

The three of them lapsed into memory for a moment. Garrus hadn't known Shepard then how he knew her now. Hell he didn't even know Wrex and Liara that well, but he would have died and killed for them even then. Now? Now he would burn this entire world down if it meant to help his friend. He was thankful that he didn't need the promise of his friend's forces for that to be true. He would have to apologize to Wrex later about his…misunderstanding. His naivety. His inability to see the bigger picture. Now? Now he would fight for this one thing. The females.

"Are the krogan ready for the Reapers?" She asked the question almost in a whisper, but they all heard it.

Wrex looked at her, "Ever since Sovereign - I figured this day would come, my people have spend too much time selling themselves out as mercenaries. Now we can get back to doing what Krogan do best," he smiled at her, "Saving everyone else from giant monsters."

Garrus was watching Shepard as Wrex spoke, she seemed worried, he could understand it - Earth needed the krogan just as bad as Palaven did. "You ugh," he would say, when Shepard seemed to need a moment, "You're never going to let us forget the Rachni Wars, are you?"

Wrex looked at him, the earlier fight between them still fresh, "Last time I was at the Citadel, I didn't see a Turian statue in your honor," he chuckled loudly at that.

"Just wait," Garrus would say, "Until this war is over."

Shepard seemed to have collected herself enough, she threw her shoulders back and cleared her throat, "Thanks, it was good talking to you, Wrex."

Wrex winked at her, "It'll be even better when we have a few Salarians for lunch."

Garrus shook his head as he watched Shepard take off to investigate the area. She was always interacting with the world around them, but he needed to speak with Wrex first.

"Save it," the old krogan would say when Garrus stepped up to him.

"Wrex…"

"No," he looked at him, " You're here now, that's all that matters."

"I am."

"Then let's skip the humanitics."

He chuckled at that, looking away from Wrex towards Liara who was walking towards Shepard. "I should go…"

"Yeah yeah, just make sure she doesn't get killed on this. The galaxy needs her."

Garrus nodded and took off to catch up with Shepard. He found her talking to another salarian, when he neared them, the man was saying, "...regardless of what the politicians decide - you can count on my support for retaking Earth."

His brow plates lifted as he looked to Liara and then back at the other's as Shepard asked, "You'd do that?"

"Consider it my way," the salarian would say, reaching out to clasp Shepard's forearm in a military gesture, "of returning a favor. It would be an honor to fight alongside of you again." He smiled wide with a nod, releasing her with a simple, "Good day."

Shepard watched him get back to work before she moved closer to Garrus, "Who was that?"

"Major Kirrahe."

"Major…wait…" his mandibles shifted in surprise, "From Virmire?"

"The one and the same," she smiled softly. "It was nice seeing him again."

The walked to the first salarian who had told them to meet them at the elevator. He seemed to be deep in conversation about something on the outskirts of their colonial boundaries. "...unidentified aircrafts approaching…"

"Looks like someone is testing our defenses," he mumbled before looking up to Shepard, "Ah, Commander Shepard, are you ready? You have clearance now to see the females. I hope that we can resolve this matter without reenacting the Krogan rebellions." He looked pointedly at Wrex.

When he looked back at Shepard, she asked, "What do you think about handing over the krogan?"

"I differ from most of my colleagues - curing the Genophage will bring closure to this issue. In the future the Krogan may play some role we can't even imagine. We should let the evolutionary process decide who lives and dies - not galactic politics."

Shepard smiled, "Thanks for your time."

"Of course," he pointed at the elevator, "Proceed to the elevator when you are ready."

The three of them moved closer to the elevator, Liara shaking her head and pointing at the view just to their left. "I forgot what peace looked like - you wouldn't even think there was a galaxy wide war going on with views like this."

Garrus glared at the sight, "The Salarians can't stay out of it forever," he sighed as the they finally made it to the elevator and Shepard pushed the button. "Though seeing this, I can't really blame them for trying."

As upset as he was with them. As disgusted he was with their techniques, their mingling, their science - this was their world. His was burning. Shepard's was too. Wrex's was limping along and no matter what - he understood the basic need to fight for what was theirs. It was the one thing that all species seemed to have in common. That much he could respect.

Just as the elevator opened for Shepard, alarms sounded, the salarian that she had just been speaking to steps up, "Take the elevator down…"

"What's happening?" Shepard demanded as the sounds of airships filled the air and people started scrambling around them.

"Sensors have picked up activity along the perimeter, hurry Commander," he gestured towards the elevator, "Someone will meet you below. "

Garrus followed Shepard into the lift, watching as the people that were just calm and quiet scurried about with their guns at the ready, he looked towards Wrex who caught his gaze just as the door closed - cutting of his view and the sounds.

The quiet was deceptive.

It made his plates itch.

"I have a feeling this isn't going to go as smoothly as we hoped," Liara would say into the dead air.

"Nope." Came Shepard's reply.

He couldn't resist, "Just like old times, right Shepard?"

Both females groaned and he chuckled just as the lift came to a halt and the doors swung open. The alarms from top side sounded down here as well, but the was no scrambling. The scientists continued to work with all the faith that their brothers and sisters ground side would keep them safe.

He frowned. He hadn't actually met or seen any of their women.

Did…did Salarians have women?

Perhaps he should ask Chakw…his eyes landed on the rust colored salarian before them.

"Shepard," the doctor greeted, "Excellent timing, good to have you here."

Garrus' surprise was mirrored on Shepard's face as she exclaimed, "Mordin!"

They shook hands and Garrus reached out to do the same, "Good to see you, Solus."

"You too, Vakarian," he nodded and returned to addressing Shepard, "Eyesight still sharp, surprise understandable. I hadn't expected to return to work."

"You're back with STG?" Garrus asked.

"Special consultant, had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong." Solus looked around them, before stepping closer and whispering, "Helped female krogan, fed information to clan Urdnot. Encouraged political pressure to free females."

"Wrex's inside source," Shepard smiled widely at that.

"Yes, can explain later, security warnings not normal," he gestured for them to follow him. "We need to get off world for sake of krogan!" He led them deeper into the room and Garrus strained to hear him as he continued, "Females had weakened immune systems, side effect of Maelon's cure. These," he came to a stop by a glass room full of covered bodies, "Didn't survive."

"I thought Maelon's research was saved?"

"Indeed. Not complete, lacked crucial details to reconstruct cure, but still useful for synthesizing from living tissue. Couldn't save them."

The death of the krogan seemed to hit the doctor hard and as they looked towards the dead bodies, Garrus studied the side of the man's face. He was…old now. Perhaps he always had been old, but the Solus he had met on Omega seemed strong, fierce, ready for a fight. This version seemed like he had been fighting nonstop since that first meeting. Garrus frowned at the thought, how old was Solus? How much fight did he have left in him? He followed their gazes to the dead. How much fight did any of them really have?

To the death.

This war seemed to have only one ending that was clear.

Shepard interrupted his thoughts as she addressed the doctor, "I'm sure you did everything you could, Mordin."

"Arrived too late, cannot delay now." He shook his head and started walking again, "One survivor, immune to genophage, can synthesize cure from her tissue."

"She's still here?"

"Yes, last hope for Krogan - if she dies - " he took a deep breath as both Shepard and Garrus finished the sentence for him, "Problematic."

When they came to a stop in front another glass holding cell, Garrus wanted to curse aloud at it. Just like the yhag. Just like the varren. Wrex's own people being held like lessors. He glared at the doctor, anger at the man who had once been the sole supporter of his Omega brethren. The man who had doctored them all up with no charge, the same man who had come to his aide when his base of operations had been destroyed. The friend who had helped him heal and reminded him that he had survived to do one thing and one thing only.

Fight.

And yet now he …he didn't know what he thought of the doctor.

Not when he stood before the one thing that could help the krogan. Solus' genophage work was well known amongst the Normandy crew. His enhancements of the virus, his STG work that kept it in play. Could they trust him?

"Careful," Solus would say as he keyed something on the monitor in front of the cell, "Krogan slow to trust."

Shepard stepped forward, "I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy."

"Are you here to kill me?" Came the first words of the only krogan female Garrus had ever met. The low husk of her voice shivered up his arms as he watched her look at Shepard through the pane of glass.

"Goddess," Liara would say from the right of him, Garrus looked at her as she held her omnitool up of the krogan's charts. His attention going to the stressors and vitals, "What she's been through.."

"Urdnot Wrex and I are here to take you home," the commander told her.

"Why?" she questioned. "What am I to you?"

Shepard deflected that question, "Have the Salarians been mistreating you?"

"Those were my sisters you saw back there," she growled out, "They died in a lot of pain."

"Did the best we could, " Solus would say, his shoulders deflating.

"And now I know I'm the only one left," she ignored the doctor, speaking directly to the commander, "That makes me dangerous to a lot of people - what about you, Commander Shepard, why are you here?"

"You're the future of the Krogan race, I'm fighting for that." Shepard stated just as the sounds of firefight and bombings echoed through the room. Shepard looked up at the ceiling just as Garrus pulled his rifle out, the three of the Normandy crew getting in stance.

They looked back to the glass housed female, "Then I hope you brought an army."

The people around them started to move, Garrus followed Shepard as she walked over to what looked like a military man and asked what was happening.

"We have multiple ships inbound," he informed them, "They have breached the perimeter. Ready your weapons men!" He scurried off.

Shepard's omnitool lit up and the interface glowed with a live feed of Wrex, "Shepard, Cerberus troops have landed at the base. Get the females out of there now!"

"Only one survived, Wrex," she would tell him, looking back up to the female, "It might be safer down here."

"What? So the Salarians can kill her like the others? No deal. If you still want this alliance, get her out of there." The demand was there. So was the threat. Garrus frowned at Wrex's words, even when he understood the desperation behind them.

"Release the female!" Shepard shouted. "We are leaving."

"I can't," the salarian scientist told her, "Protocol states that during lockdown no specimen…arghhh!"

Garrus watched as the electrical shot coursed through the salarian before turning to see Solus' outstretched hand, "Objection noted," the doctors would tell him, "Now please release krogan." The tech did as he was told and Solus moved to the monitors attached to the containment cell, "Need to monitor pod as it clears quarantine procedures." He locked himself in with the female, turning to look at Shepard, "Meet us at next checkpoint, Shepard. Likely Cerberus opposes Genophage cure."

Shepard steps closer to the glass as the containment pod slowly lifted towards the upper floor, "You'll see Tuchanka soon, I promise."

"Get to elevator, Shepard!" Solus called as the two of them cleared out of site. Shepard turned to look at Liara and then to Garrus.

"Never easy," she grunted out as she took the safety off her rifle. "You both ready?"

"Of course."

"Right behind you!"