Ante Up Chapter 28: Citadel part 2

After showering, Garrus and Shepard returned to the mess for quick breakfast. Victus was no longer there, his seat occupied instead by Broccha. Across from him, Kanna was wolfing down oatmeal like it was going out of style. Liara was beside her with a bowl of her own.

Garrus broke off to stand by Kanna while Shepard continued on to find herself something to eat. He laid a hand on top of her head, grinning. "Sleep well?"

She smiled up at him and gave an affirmative hum around her mouthful of oatmeal. She swallowed loudly and said, "Miss Liara sang to me like Mama used to."

"Did she?" Garrus chirped, smirking at the older asari. Liara frowned back at him, her cheeks flushing purple, as Shepard joined them at the table.

"Sounds like we should tell Dr. Chakwas that she isn't the only unofficial mom on the Normandy," Shepard teased, handing Garrus a dextro protein bar and tearing into her own levo-bar.

"Very funny," Liara muttered, chomping onto a spoonful of oatmeal with a huff.

Garrus ripped open his ration and tore into it, gulping it down before asking Shepard, "Have you contacted Aria yet?"

"Nah," Shepard hummed. "Gonna call her up in a minute, see if we can work around this Oraka thing somehow." She crunched into her bar. "Nof'ing's ever f'imple."

"Sorry," Garrus said, nudging her with his elbow, "I didn't catch that."

Shepard swallowed. "Learn to speak granola."

"Granola?" Garrus questioned. "Is that what you call that crunchy stuff?"

"Yes," she said bluntly, biting off another chunk and flashing a wide smile at him as she ground it between her teeth.

"Cute," he muttered, nibbling at his bar.

Beside them, Broccha's Omni-tool lit up with an alert and he slowly stood and stretched, towering over both Shepard and Garrus. "The boss calls."

Garrus laughed. His mother was the one on the other line, making good her promise to call Broccha from the night before. "Her rank is forfeit now that she's retired, you know."

Broccha gave a throaty chuckle. "Retired or not, I know whose command I follow, kid." He pushed up his chair and stalked out of the mess, checking the message on his Omni-tool as he exited.

Shepard watched him leave, chewing thoughtfully on her granola. Once she'd finished the bar, Shepard disposed of the wrapper and came back to the table. "Hopefully we'll be able to get that Luto guy."

"After everything you've done for Aria," Liara said, "I'm sure she can spare few men."

"Let's hope," she said, holding up a hand in a "fingers crossed" gesture. She smiled at Garrus. "We should get going." She circled around him and headed for the elevator.

"Right," Garrus muttered, waving at Kanna and Liara. "We'll be back later. Keep an eye on her?"

"Of course," Liara said, smiling.

"Bye," Kanna chirped as Garrus whirled and bolted around the wall to catch up with Shepard.

------------

Aria was camped out on her usual couch in Purgatory, eyes closed as though she was sleeping. The music thrummed softly and the lights hadn't been lowered to their nighttime glow. As Shepard and Garrus approached, Aria blinked awake and sat up, waving off her batarian guard as he moved to stop the Spectre and her mate.

"Bit early to be boozing it up, don't you think?" Shepard scoffed.

Aria gave a cool laugh. "I don't come to these places to drink. I come for the energy."

"Doesn't change the fact that it's morning," Shepard said. "Not much going on now."

"No," Aria agreed, "but the quiet has its purpose, too. It fuels my rage. It reminds me of all I've lost, the noise and grim of Omega, the power. You don't have silence like this on my Omega. Once I'm able, I'll be taking my noise back by force."

"Nice monologue," Shepard said, plopping down on the couch beside the asari. "Now, onto business. There's a problem with the Suns."

"They want the general dead," Aria said.

"I'm not murdering anyone for them," Shepard growled.

"I'd be a little disappointed if you would," Aria said flippantly. "All I care about is that you win the Suns over. I don't care how you do it. Convince the general to back down and there will be no reason to kill him."

Shepard muttered, "He's made it his responsibility to stop their weapon deals. He isn't going to just let it go."

"Word has it you got him off Sha'ira's back," Aria laughed. "This can't be much harder."

Garrus huffed loudly. "He likes asari so much, I'm sure you could convince him to leave the Suns alone, Aria."

Aria's eyes slid closed as she gave a condescending chuckle. "Oh, the turian thinks he's funny. Did you ever happen to ask why Sha'ira rejected him?"

"Nope," Shepard quipped. "Don't want to know." Though, admittedly, her curiosity was piqued.

"Well," Aria said with a shrug, "I'd shove him off for the same reason. So, yes, I'm sure I could persuade him to back down, but I don't have time to play around with pathetic little men."

"We get it. We'll handle it," Shepard grumbled. "Now, I want to discuss some terms, for when this is all over."

"Terms?" Aria spat, shifting and crossing her legs. "I'll be giving you the three largest mercenary groups in the Terminus Systems. What more do you think I owe you?"

"I'm interested in one of your men," Shepard said. "A human named Armando Luto."

"Mando?" Aria echoed, quirking her outlined brow. "What would you want with him?"

"We've got a little pet project for him," Shepard explained. "That's all you really need to know."

Aria frowned. "I don't care about him, but another of my men does. You can't have one without the other, and I don't particularly want to lose the other."

"Gavorn," Shepard supplied. "We assumed that he would want to go with Luto. So, I want them both."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you better pick out some pretty negligee and mark your calendar for a date with Oraka," Shepard said with a vicious smirk, "because I won't be finishing out our agreement."

"And the human thinks she's funny, too," Aria barked. "I'd sooner kill him, and that's easy enough."

"If you really wanted to run errands, you'd have done it yourself," Shepard hissed. "Give me those two men, or I'll drop this task and refuse any others you throw at me."

"You wouldn't," Aria muttered, thinking she was calling a bluff.

"Try me," Shepard shot back. "I've got enough to worry about without adding your problems to it."

Aria mulled over it for only a moment, then sighed, "Fine. Take them."

"Thank you," Shepard said with an obviously fake smile as she stood to leave.

Aria gestured towards the upper level of Purgatory. "Take that one, while you're at it."

Shepard and Garrus followed the line of the gesture, their eyes falling on a turian who was leaned against the railing up top. His back was turned and he seemed oblivious to what was happening on the lower floor. He glanced around slightly, looking at nothing in particular, and gave a partially obscured view of his lavender colony mark. Sidonis.

"Yeah, no thanks," Garrus hissed, snapping around and following Shepard out.

------------

When Broccha arrived at the Pallin's penthouse, Tacita was stalking around the island in the kitchen, eying the materials and datapads she'd spread out over the top of it. She gripped a steaming cup in her claws, tapping the lip of the mug against the edge of her mandible pensively. She fidgeted and set the cup down among the strewn datapads when she noticed him approaching.

"Morning," she greeted hazily.

Broccha frowned and gave an irritated trill. "You haven't slept."

"No, but I may have found a connection," Tacita said with a shrug and a chirped Look at this. "You'll have to take a look, though. You know tech isn't my forte."

Broccha crossed the living area and joined her in the kitchen, hovering over the island and skimming over the datapads. Without looking up, he gestured to the area behind him. "Those two head out early?" Mates, he added.

"No, they're sleeping," Tacita replied, pointing over Broccha's shoulder toward the bedroom where Aetius and Pallin were resting. "Why?"

"A word in private?" Broccha requested.

"Go ahead, they won't hear you," Tacita said as she arranged the datapads into a neat cluster.

"Right. So, no chance of pairing Garrus off with a nice turian girl, huh?"

Tacita gave a soft laugh. "No, I think not. You should be glad I already knew about it. You'd have ruined their secret."

"I figured you knew," Broccha said, smirking and chirping, Mother's baby. "Boy never could keep anything from you. Those two, however..." he glanced over his shoulder, eying the bedroom door. Trouble.

"We're predicting that they won't be too thrilled," Tacita said. Agreed.

"I don't know much about Shepard," Broccha admitted. "Nothing past what they send through the news feed."

"She's good for him," Tacita said with a nod. "And, I really should've seen it coming. Garrus couldn't stop talking about her from the moment they started serving together."

"I'm surprised your other two-thirds haven't figured it out, then." Broccha returned his attention to the datapads, taking in the readings that were displayed.

"I'm not," she chirped. "They're both a little thick sometimes, at least when it concerns something like this."

"Hmm..." Broccha rumbled before going silent. His suddenly lifted up a datapad and eyed it carefully. It can't be. "Tacita, is this signal looping through a Citadel channel?"

"That's what I thought," she said. "I wanted to know if it was just me."

"I don't think it just you," Broccha hummed. "I don't see the point of origin yet, but this definitely came past Citadel airwaves."

"Maybe it just used the satellites to transmit, though."

"Could be," he replied, scrolling through the numbers. "I'll have to take a closer look." He glanced up at her, waving a hand to shoo her off. "I've got this. Go take a nap." Stubborn woman.

She huffed and smacked the plates on the back of his head. Without arguing or throwing back a sarcastic comment, she shuffled out of the kitchen.

She must be exhausted, Broccha thought, amused that she'd complied so easily. As she disappeared into the dark bedroom, he turned his attention back to the readings.

-------------

They found Oraka in the Presidium Commons, sitting on a bench overlooking the lower levels. As they approached, he inclined his head slightly, indicating that he'd seen them. Shepard moved to stand in front of him, arms crossed.

"General," she greeted.

"Shepard, isn't it?" the aged turian began pleasantly. He glanced over to Garrus. "And Vakarian, I believe?"

"Right on both," Shepard said. "You're looking well."

"I suppose I have you to thank for that, Commander," Oraka hummed. "I owe you for straightening me up those years ago. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Some business with the Blue Suns," Shepard answered. "I'll be blunt. You need to step away from their weapon deals before they have you killed."

"I'd love to," Oraka scoffed, "but they're raiding C-Sec weapons shipments." To the side, Garrus gave an understanding chirp. "They're seriously jeopardizing the Citadel's ability to defend itself if the war comes here... when the war comes here."

"There are other ways to secure weapons, General," Shepard muttered.

"You don't think I've tried?" Oraka hissed, sitting up straighter. "There's a black market dealer on the Citadel right now, but he refuses to sell his top-line arms."

"Everybody has a price," Garrus grumbled. "We can get your weapons."

"This one's price isn't monetary," Oraka explained angrily.

"Then what does he want?" Shepard asked.

"Items. Something rare and expensive," Oraka said. "He thinks credits will be useless after the war, that the galaxy will run on a barter system of some kind."

"He wants... what? Antiques?" Shepard spat.

"Artifacts," Oraka clarified.

Shepard glanced over to Garrus, sharing a quick smirk with him. "Oh, we can handle that." She stepped back, motioning for Garrus to follow. "Have a good day, General."

"Same to you, Commander, Vakarian."

As they strode away, Shepard called up her Omni-tool, connecting with Liara. [Shepard, is something wrong?]

"Not at all," she replied happily. "I want you to go through your collection and find me a Prothean artifact."

[Like what?]

"Don't care, really. Prothean toaster, universal remote, screwdriver?"

[Shepard...]

"Something that looks impressive, might be worth some money, but isn't important enough to keep."

[What do you need it for?]

"It's going to buy us the big name merc groups, Luto, and Gavorn."

--------------

After speaking with the salarian arms dealer, they were able to easily win him over with the promise of a Prothean artifact. With that settled, Shepard sent word to Aria. Her response came quickly, ensuring Shepard that the merc groups would go with them to war and that Luto and Gavorn would be waiting in the docking bay.

"Glad that's done," Shepard sighed. She and Garrus found an empty bench on a balcony overlooking the lakes and took a seat. She reclined back in the bench. "What now? That can't be all we were doing today."

"There's the batarian," Garrus said, crossing his leg up into his lap and leaning back with her.

Shepard groaned. "I'm sick of chasing people down. Why couldn't Liara just hack his Omni-tool and tell him to meet us?"

"Nothing's ever simple, you said," Garrus chirped, repeating her words from a that morning.

"Right," she grumbled. "Do you still have his NavPoint programmed?"

"It led to the camps," Garrus explained, "but I didn't see him yesterday and no one had heard the name. He's not in the refugee directory either."

"So he's not registered?" Shepard growled. "Great." She stood, stretching. "Liara's much better at finding people. I think I'll let her have this one."

"You won't hear me arguing," Garrus replied, rising up beside her.

"That means we don't have anything we need to do immediately." Shepard gave a long thoughtful hum. "Want to go visit some old friends?"

---------------

The war had turned Huerta Memorial into one of the busiest places on the Citadel. Nurses were scurrying around like ants and most of their uniforms were dirty enough to make Shepard wonder how long they'd been on the clock. Shepard caught a glimpse of green standing by one of the windows and turned to see Thane punching at the air and flexing his arms to test them. She and Garrus detoured over to greet him.

"Expecting the Reapers to drop by?" Shepard quipped as she drew closer, clapping a hand on Thane's back. He spun, smiling, and extended a hand to her.

"Shepard." He took her hand, squeezing it between his palms. "When I heard Earth was under attack, I tried to contact you. I never got through."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Shepard said. "They've had us jumping from one system to another. Probably a little hard to pin us down."

"I assumed that was the case," Thane said, releasing her hand. "It's good to see you." He inclined his head towards Garrus. "Both of you."

"Likewise," Garrus replied, sharing a brief handshake with the drell. "Seems you're keeping in shape."

Thane chuckled. "The exercises are more for my enjoyment than anything else. Light physical therapy. My condition has worsened so they don't want me to overextend myself."

"Sorry to hear that," Shepard said. "Aren't you receiving treatment?"

"There isn't much that can be done," Thane said, motioning for them to follow him to a set of chairs. "Physical therapy... oxygen treatments... but the best thing I can do is rest."

"Any way we can convince you to come back to the Normandy with us?" Shepard asked sadly.

"As much I would love to assist you against the Reapers," Thane said as he sat, "you need the best, and I am not at mine."

Shepard and Garrus took seats opposite Thane. A sympathetic hum rumbled in Garrus' throat. "How much time have they given you?"

Thane sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "My favorite doctor gave me three months to live..." His eyes glistened with humor as he blinked up at them . "...nine months ago."

Garrus laughed, "Tenacious bastard, aren't you?"

"It's been very... amusing to see how the staff reacts." Thane rested his chin on his knuckles. "It's like I've been freed of any restrictions. No responsibilities. No fears. It is a good way to end it."

"Are you in pain?" Shepard asked, her voice shaky.

"At times," he replied. "It is difficult to get enough oxygen, no matter how much I breathe in. It sometimes causes tingling or numbness. Other times I experience dizziness." He sighed. "I try not to dwell on it."

"Thane, if there's anything we can do..." Shepard whispered.

"There isn't," he assured. A cool silence fell over them, only breaking when Thane spoke again. "Yesterday, I noticed... a turian woman." his eyes trained on Garrus. "She shared your family name."

"My mother," Garrus said. "She, my father, and my sister have been traveling with us, but my parents will be staying on the Citadel for a while."

"She's ill?" Thane asked quietly.

"Corpalis Syndrome," Garrus muttered. "It's manageable for now."

"I'll have to say hello if I see her again," Thane said.

"Thane, you said you were in physical therapy," Shepard said suddenly. "You haven't seen a dark-haired human, have you? Ashley Williams?"

"Yes, actually," the drell replied. "She joined my class only a day ago. Is she a friend of yours?"

"Yeah," Shepard murmured. "She was with us on Mars. That's were she was injured."

"If she means something to you, then I will protect her as long as she is here."

"Thank you," Shepard said smiling. "Actually, we need to go see her. The last time we were here she was still unconscious." Shepard stood and planted her hands on her hips. "If you need anything, you can reach us through the channel you used before."

Garrus left his chair, ready to follow Shepard to the intensive care unit. "Take care, Thane."

"Same to you," he replied. "If you're on the Citadel, you know where to find me."

------------------

Udina was standing beside Ashley's bed, back turned to the door. As the room opened to admit Shepard and Garrus, he was finishing out a conversation. "I'd like an answer, Lieutenant-Commander. The galaxy has a need for exceptional soldiers like you, now more than ever."

Ashley settled into her bed, crossing her hands over her stomach. "I still need time. You'll have my answer soon. I promise."

"I look forward to it." Udina turned from her, regarding Shepard and Garrus with a frown. "Shepard."

"Udina," she replied tersely. When Udina paced towards the door, she held out a hand to stop him. With a smirk, she pointed toward Garrus. "No pleasantries for my Executive Officer?"

Udina's frown deepened into a familiar scowl. "Who authorized that? A turian cannot serve as an officer within the human Alliance."

"Oh, he's not," Shepard said. "Think of him as an ally representing the Hierarchy. The Normandy technically belongs to the Council just as much as it does to the Alliance." She barely hid her glare. "I thought it appropriate to include other species, given the nature of our mission, and who better to appoint than the one who's stood by me since the beginning?"

"You made this call yourself?" Udina grumbled, his tone surprisingly even given his short temper.

"Yeah, pretty much," she said, sounding entirely amused. "I mean, I'll take it to Anderson if you insist." She pulled a shocked face. "Oh, but wait, he might be a little busy fighting the Reapers. Probably doesn't want to have to deal with this on top of that."

"There are proper channels for these things, Commander," Udina snapped. "Had you considered, perhaps, that you should get approval from the turian Hierarchy before you chose a decommissioned vagrant to represent them?"

"Ouch, that one stung a little," Garrus muttered. "But he's right, Shepard." Shepard glanced over at him, brow raised. "You really should've consulted the Hierarchy."

She grinned, understanding what he was getting at. "Right... Well, we have the perfect opportunity to get it approved now that we have the primarch aboard. Should we discuss it with with before or after dinner?"

"It's a private matter," Garrus argued. "It would be better to ask when there aren't many others around."

"You thinking a late-night chat over drinks?" Shepard baited.

"No, I was thinking maybe over a game of cards," Garrus quipped.

Shepard could almost hear Udina fuming. He knew he wasn't going to win, and it had Shepard squealing inside. It was the perfect revenge for all those times she'd been powerless against his orders. Udina angrily keyed the door open and stormed out, leaving the smug Normandy officers behind.

"Cards, huh?" Shepard echoed as she watched Udina stomp off.

"Yeah, he's terrible at Skyllian Five," Garrus said. "Quickest credits I've won in my life."

Shepard threw a skeptical look at him. "No one is worse at Skyllian Five than you."

"Victus is," Garrus insisted.

Shepard laughed, turning her attention to Ashley, who looked less than amused. Ash sat up, her dark hair falling around her still-bruised face. "You shouldn't push him, Shepard. He's a Councilor. He could make your life hell if he really wanted to."

"A Councilor making my life hell?" Shepard repeated snidely. "No, that could never happen..."

"I'm serious," Ashley urged.

"So what answer was he trying to get out of you?" Shepard asked. "When we came in, I mean?"

"He's..." Ashley hesitated. "He's offering me Spectre status."

Shepard was taken aback. "Spectre status? We had to jump through so many hoops to get me instated... I'm surprised they're allowing another human into the ranks so soon." Ash stayed silent. "Are you going to accept?"

"I don't know. I still need time to think about it," she said. "The nurses said you checked on me after I was brought in. Still out cold, I guess."

"Yeah, getting your head beat in will do that," Shepard quipped.

"Right?" Ashley replied with a soft laugh.

"Look, when you feel up to it we should talk," Shepard began.

"Don't," Ash cut. "You made yourself clear on Mars about where things stood. You're not part of Cerberus. Period. I... I get it."

"They keep turning up," Shepard said. "Cerberus." Shepard took a seat beside Ash's bed and Garrus moved to stand by a window at the other end of the room, not wanting to leave but not wanting to intrude either. "Ash, they aren't going to go away and if you can't accept that I'm not with them anymore..."

"No, I get it," Ashley said. "It's just hard, y'know?"

"Tell me about it," Shepard muttered.

"So... we're good?" Ash said, glancing away. "Can we be good again?"

And there was the Ashley Williams Shepard remembered. Understanding, loyal, maybe a little uncertain of herself. For the first time, Shepard felt like she'd finally reached her again.

"Yeah," Shepard said. "I expect you back on the Normandy as soon as you're patched up. Spectre or otherwise." She stood, pushing her chair close to the wall. "Just rest up, okay? We're flying out tonight, but we'll be back soon. Try to heal up by then."

A faint smile crossed Ashley's lips. "Will do. Be careful out there, Shepard. You too, Garrus."


-----------------

Having completed their visitation, Shepard and Garrus left the hospital and caught a transit out of the Presidium. In response to Shepard's stomach growling, Garrus mentioned a levo-dextro restaurant in the Wards, somewhere close to C-Sec Headquarters, and they set their course.

"Lots of humans in C-Sec now," Shepard said, kicking back as the transit zoomed onto a pre-programmed route. "Might actually be able to get a cheeseburger."

Garrus sent a questioning glance her way, smiling at her pleased expression. "Human delicacy?"

"Human junk food," Shepard corrected. "That was the one good thing about being stuck on Earth. Plenty of terrible, delicious junk food." She patted her stomach. "Anderson said I'd gotten soft around the edges."

Garrus gave an amused trill. "You're always soft."

Shepard shoved his arm. "You know what I meant." She hummed thoughtfully. "Speaking of... never really seen a heavy turian. Is it just against your biology to be anything but tall and trim?"

He replied with a burst of laughter. "You've just seen a lot of soldiers and mercs. Young ones, at that. Our metabolism doesn't even slow down until around age fifty. We tend to stay stay fit without effort until then."

"Lucky bastard," Shepard muttered, feigning offense as she glanced out the window. They were nearing C-Sec HQ, slowing as they approached the transit hub. Shepard gave a surprised sound, nudging Garrus' shoulder. "I see Sol."

Garrus leaned partially over her lap to look outside. His sister was sitting on a bench in front of Headquarters, holding a datapad in her hands. "Probably waiting for Chellick to go on lunch break," he assumed.

The transit powered down, slowly descending on the landing pad. The two rolled out of their seats and headed over to Sol. She seemed engrossed in whatever she was reading, enough that she didn't notice them until they were right on her.

"Garrus, Shepard," she clicked, lowering the datapad. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Going to grab a bite," Garrus said. "Waiting for somebody?"

Sol cut her eyes at him. "No, I'm just sitting outside C-Sec for my health."

"Funny," Garrus muttered, facing Headquarters.

The front doors slid open, and several agents flooded out. Humans who were chatting and gesturing wildly with their hands. An asari speaking into her Omni-tool. Several turians who erupted into flanged laughter and one in the center of their group with a sour expression--the joke had been on him. Finally, Chellick, who looked very rushed as he flew out of the building.

He spotted Garrus first, his expression dropping into that of complete surprise. "Garrus?" Chellick approached, pressing his forehead affectionately against Sol's before whirling back to her brother. "What are you doing here?"

"Passing through," Garrus said. "Been a while, huh?"

"Where have you been this whole time?" Chellick asked.

"Sol hasn't told you?" Garrus questioned, glancing down at his sister.

She clicked in annoyance. "Yeah, because that's what we do when we get together, Garrus, talk about you..."

"You've never even mentioned it?" Garrus hissed.

"Not a whole lot of time," Chellick muttered under his breath. "Why waste it talking?"

Garrus pulled a mildly horrified face and shoved the other man. "That's my sister you're talking about."

"Oh, here we go," Sol groaned, throwing a hand up between them. "Can we argue over lunch, maybe?"

Shepard laughed beside them, drawing attention to herself for the first time. Chellick quirked  a browplate at her. "Commander Shepard? There are so many rumors circulating about you, I didn't even know which were true."

"Got spaced," she began, "was revived by Cerberus, blew up a batarian system, got stuck on Earth..."

"Would it be easier to just assume that all the rumors have some truth to them?" Chellick asked, laughing.

"Yeah, probably," Shepard replied.

"Well, if even half of them are true, we're probably very fortunate to have you at the forefront of the war efforts."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she said. "Anyway, I'm with Sol. I'm starving."

-----------------

The restaurant was only a couple of blocks down from Headquarters and it was bustling with the lunch-hour rush crowd. The four opted for a table on the outside deck, away from the noise of the patrons inside. Once seated, they all deliberated over the menus and placed their orders. With the waitress gone, the "argument over lunch" ensued.

Chellick was the first to speak. "So, where exactly have you been, Garrus?"

"Omega," he replied simply.

"Omega?" Chellick echoed. "The hell were you doing there?"

Sol leaned close to Shepard and whispered, "Wait for it..."

"The name Archangel ever cross your desk?" Garrus quipped.

Chellick jaw fell open. "Wha... no..." He clicked his mouth shut and thumped a fist on the table. "You are not Archangel, don't even pretend..."

Garrus flashed him a smug grin. Sol nudged Shepard's shoulder, her eyes quickly flashing to Chellick then locking back with Shepard's eyes. It was an unspoken. Just wait. Here it comes.

A growl rumbled in Chellick's throat and he appeared to have a lot of trouble staying seated. "You son of a bitch!" He lowered his voice when he noticed a human at an opposite table shooting him a dirty look. "You... you just up and left and this whole time you were playing vigilante on Omega?"

"What's the problem?" Garrus asked. "You always said things would be much better for you if I just left C-Sec."

"I meant if we weren't partners anymore," Chellick hissed. "Meaning, if you weren't dragging me along for every stupid idea you ever had." He held up his hand, counting out events on his fingers. "Beating up Keepers, jumping from moving vehicles, blowing up warehouses..." Shepard wondered, with great amusement, if he'd stopped listing because he'd run out of fingers. "That's the sort of nonsense I'm better off without."

"Still not seeing the problem" Garrus snapped. "One, you were promoted to a different department and two, my leaving would save you the trouble of ever having to work with me again."

Sol crossed her arms, smirking as though a very enjoyable show was set to start. Shepard mentally braced herself, unsure of what Sol knew that she didn't.

"You have no idea," Chellick hissed. "You leaving was just about the worst thing that could've happened to me!"

"Yeah, you're going to have to explain that one," Garrus sighed.

"Okay," Chellick snapped. "Picture this: you drop off the map. When everyone figures out that you aren't just going to turn up again, they turn to the last person you had any contact with."

"Oh, right," Garrus chuckled. "I told you to spread the message that C-Sec could kiss my ass."

"Yes," Chellick sneered. "So who do you think Pallin questioned first? Me." He lowered his voice to mimic the Executor. "What do you mean, you don't know where he went? You have to. He wouldn't just leave without telling someone!" Chellick pointed a claw at Garrus. "And when I finally got him to believe that I didn't know, you know who else showed up one night at my apartment?" His subvocalizations were crackling angrily in Shepard's ear. "Your father, Garrus. Your. Pissed off. Father."

Garrus stifled a laugh. "Oh, I bet that was funny."

Chellick jolted up, nearly standing, and roared, "He almost forbade me from seeing Sol if I didn't tell him where you were!"

"Like he could," Sol muttered, still holding that amused smirk.

"So, that's what this all comes down to," Garrus said, pretending to be shocked. "Who cares where I went, doesn't matter, but the thought that Dad might actually be able to back that threat..." He couldn't hold back the laugh that slipped through.

"It wasn't funny!" Chellick scolded. He plopped back in his seat with the most bitter frown.

"Tell him the other bit," Sol chirped, her smirk turning to a grin.

"No, that was just terrible of you," Chellick mumbled.

Garrus looked towards Sol and she said, "I knew Dad was bluffing, but I played along with it for a while. Sent him little pathetic messages like I was under house arrest. Chell, wish I could see you, but the best I can do is sneak a message every now and then."

Garrus gave a choked laugh. "And you believed that crap? Spirits, Chellick, how gullible can you be?"

"I hate you all," he grumbled, looking defeated. "So, Archangel? This whole time?"

"Yeah," Garrus said.

"Well, Pallin will be horrified," Chellick said with a chuckle. "He actually told me once that Archangel's work was impressive."

"Oh, that's good," Garrus said in that near-purr he adopted when something really pleased him. Shepard fought back the shiver that ran up her spine. "Will you forgive me for implicating you in my vagrancy if I wait till you're there to tell him?"

"Forgiveness in exchange for the chance to see that look on his face?" Chellick mused. "Yeah, that sounds like a fair trade."

The atmosphere calmed after that and the meal was a fairly peaceful one. After their meals were brought out, the conversation consisted of explanations of what had happened in the past years on Omega and war stories from the time spent with Cerberus. Eventually, the topic shifted to retellings of old assignments in C-Sec, and Shepard quieted and listened in amusement.

"...and he just stands there and says, The Keeper started it," Chellick mocked.

"Dumbass," Sol laughed. "I'm surprised Pallin didn't string you up by your mandibles."

"He secretly appreciates my humor," Garrus stated.

"Yeah, you keep believing that," Sol scoffed.

Chellick checked his Omni-tool, grumbling. "Spirits, I've got to get going."

"Say we detained you," Sol whined, leaning into his shoulder. "Or, better yet, we'll go distract Palin so he won't notice you sneaking in late."

"I'm not worried about that," Chellick said. "Pallin didn't come in today. I've just got a lot of work to do."

"He didn't come in, huh?" Garrus said. "Probably working from home."

"Huh?"

"We picked up a signal from Cerberus that may have played a part in Fedorian's death," Garrus said grimly. "Mom was going to look into it. Pallin's probably helping."

"He needs to watch himself," Chellick said. "All the digging around he's doing, people are starting to notice."

"What?" Garrus questioned.

Chellick glanced around then leaned in close, his voice low. "He's passing all his paperwork to me while he investigates... something. He won't tell me what, says it isn't something I should become involved in. But, like I said, it's not a big secret anymore that he's sneaking around, staying after hours, and disappearing to strange places. Some of the newer officers are getting suspicious."

"We'll warn him," Sol said, "tell him to cover his tracks really well."

"Yeah," Chellick agreed. "I'm doing the best I can to curve the rumors, but he needs to be careful." Chellick stood, smoothing his uniform. "Will you be leaving early tonight?"

Sol hugged him. "Not before you're off work. I'll stop by."

"Okay," Chellick said, nuzzling the top of her head. They broke apart and he regarded Shepard and Garrus. "It was good to see you again. Be careful out there."

-----------------

They walked Chellick back to Headquarters, leaving him to his work while they finished their business on the Citadel. Business that including a trip to Spectre Requisitions to pick up some bigger guns.

Shepard accessed the Requisition office, beckoning Garrus and Sol into the dimly lit room with her. She led them to a terminal, grinned, and motioned to the screen. "I think they have a new Widow in stock."

Garrus grinned, that pleased purr rumbling in his throat. "Oh, we get new toys?" He brushed his knuckles against Shepard's waist.

Sol made a gagging sound. "Should I leave you two alone?"

He gave her a defiant glare. "After being subjected to you and Chellick for the past hour and a half, I don't want to hear it."

"Oh, please," Sol grumbled, gliding past him to scan through the Spectre-grade stock. "Oh-ho... these pistols... Shepard, I hate you a little right now."

"Pick one," Shepard said. "The Council's paying for it, not me."

Sol gave a high-pitched squeal. "On second thought, I love you."

-----------------

After placing their weapon orders, Sol split from the group to run some last minute errands while Shepard and Garrus returned to the Normandy. There were Alliance mechanics scattered around the docking bay, running final maintenance checks.

At a port adjacent to the Normandy, camera crews were boarding a small craft. Shepard paused, noticing sevral groups boarding, all with Alliance News Network logos on their bags. When a raised voice erupted out, it caught Shepard's attention and she turned to the sound.

A reporter in a small, white dress was arguing with someone. Shepard looked closer, examining the other person, a woman, who was wearing a long, sleek dress (the height of Citadel style, apparently). Shepard grinned and pointed her out to Garrus. "That's Emily Wong."

He glanced over. "Right... you actually like that one."

"Only reporter I know that's not out to write a smear campaign about me," Shepard defended. "I'm going to go say hi."

"Fine," Garrus said.

Shepard tore off through the crowd, stopping beside the arguing women.

"I'm not getting stuck on some unimportant warship," the women in white was saying as Shepard arrived. "I want to be on the front lines. That's where the real story is! Earth!"

Emily sighed and waved her off. "Allers, I didn't make the decision and I can't revoke it. Sorry."

"Emily Wong?" Shepard said, not particularly caring to cut in.

Emily turned and smiled. "Oh, Commander. It's been a long time." She offered her hand and Shepard clasped it. "You still owe me an interview, if I recall."

"That's right," Shepard said. She cut her eyes over to the other reporter, who looked less than thrilled. "You said Earth?"

"Right," Emily said. "We're investigating a comm buoy outage."

"Sounds simple enough, but why go right into Reaper territory for it?" Shepard asked.

"The outage is interfering with transmissions to Earth," Emily replied. "We have to find a way to fix it, see what caused it in the first place. We wouldn't actually get that close to Earth, though."

Shepard motioned to Allers. "Why not let her go? Is she not qualified?"

"I have my orders," Emily said. "That's all. It has nothing to do with qualifications."

"Think I could overrule your order?" Shepard asked, plotting something.

"I... suppose. You're a Spectre. That supersedes anyone at the News Network, I should think."

"I want you to hand your assignment over to her and her crew," Shepard said bluntly.

"What?" Emily gasped. "Commander?"

"Get moving," Shepard said to Allers. She adopted a jubilant expression and ran off, gathering her camera crew around her. Emily barely held down her glare.

"Commander, what was that about?"

"I'm about to go play neutral party at the War Summit that will decide the fate of at least four different species," Shepard said, shooting her a knowing grin. "Don't you think it would be beneficial for the galaxy to hear the strides their leaders are taking to win this war?"

As she processed the information, Emily's face lit up. "Commander, you'd have me follow you?"

"You'd get the exclusive," Shepard said. "I can trust you not to doctor the facts or take sides."

"That's... Shepard, this is the story of a lifetime," Emily gasped.

"So you'll come along?"

"Of course," she said. "Let me send word to my supervisors and inform my crew."

"I'll expect you on board within the hour," Shepard said. "We'll get you set up before my crew returns." She gave a slight wave and returned to Garrus' side.

He questioned her grin. "What just happened?"

"Miss Wong will be joining us."

Garrus frowned. "A reporter on the Normandy?"

"I really like Emily Wong," Shepard said matter-of-factly. "What's the best way to raise moral, Garrus? You tell people the truth. You tell them what to expect." Shepard glanced back at Emily. "She'll tell the whole galaxy what's going on, the real story."

Garrus smiled, resuming his walk to the Normandy by her side. "That... might actually be a good idea."

"Yeah, I come up with something clever every now and then," Shepard teased.

When they reached the airlock, Shepard connected with the Normandy systems, taking a quick headcount of who had returned already. Liara was in, along with an unknown passenger. Shepard assumed it was the batarian--Minkab, was it? Cortez, Traynor, Chakwas, Ken and Gabby were present. Also Joker and EDI, of course. And...

"Two unknowns hanging out," Shepard said, pointing to her display.

"Luto and Gavorn?" Garrus guessed.

"Probably," she said. "Looks like Liara found our batarian, too."

"Sounds like introductions are in order."

"Sounds like it."

---------------

Luto and Gavorn where in the lounge, apparently waiting for Shepard's return. She quickly went to greet them, separating from Garrus, who ducked into the battery. They were on the couches, sitting across from Dr. Chakwas and Traynor. When Shepard entered, all heads turned towards her.

Gavorn looked the same as he had on Omega, his armor battleworn and his face so plain he looked barefaced. If Shepard looked closely, she could almost make out the outline of tattoos, but she wondered if it was just her mind telling her that turians should have them, that she should be seeing them. Beside Gavorn sat the human, Luto, his legs propped up on the table. He was a small, tawny man with dark hair and brown eyes. He wore goggles pushed on top of his head, held there by his thick hair.

"Gavorn," Shepard greeted. "We met on Omega. And you must be Armando Luto?" She looked pointedly at the human man.

"Mando's fine," he offered, lifting two fingers to his temple in a salute. "Real nice operation you got here, lady. Too nice. Whatcha want me for?"

"Don't be paranoid," Gavorn grumbled, nudging the human.

"There's a war on," Shepard said. "War with an enemy that has power we can't even imagine. We need every advantage. Clever tactics, superior weapons, the best tech, anything we can get our hands on." Shepard crossed her arms. "Suped up attack dogs, perhaps?"

Mando scoffed, "What's a varren gonna do to a Reaper, ya figure? Bite it's ankles?"

"It'll do nothing to a Reaper," Shepard said. "But it could take out Reaper ground troops, the things they've created from our people. Or..." Shepard took a step closer and adopted a voice of feigned innocence. "We could put them to use somewhere else. They could assist in our missions, my missions. There's a group that seems to be popping up everywhere I go. Humans, you might've heard of them. Little group called... Cerberus?"

Mando snarled and threw his feet to the floor. In a second he climbed over the table and cleared the distance between himself and Shepard. His face a foot from Shepard's, he barked, "And now we're talkin'! Flesh tinged with metal, nah. My pups'd spit 'em right out. Cerberus, though... flesh. Blood. Enemies. They'll wolf them down like candy."

"So, you'll join our cause?" Shepard asked pleasantly.

"Give me a shot at those Cerberus bastards and I'll follow ya anywhere, lady," he replied.

"Good," Shepard said. "Have my men set you up wherever you need for now. I want you to get a DNA sample from a certain varren from Tuchanka and then we'll find a facility where you can work. Somewhere stationary."

"What, no pups on your ship?" Mando quipped.

"I'd rather not have varren pissing on my rugs," Shepard said without missing a beat. She nodded her head at him to signal her departure, flashing Traynor and Chakwas a smile as she turned to leave.

--------------------

Shepard immediately made her way to Liara's office, intending to ask her asari friend how the search had gone and where their batarian recruit had wandered off to. As she rounded the wall into the mess, though, she got the answer to one of her questions. The batarian was sitting at a table against the wall, drink in hand. Kanna was sitting across from him, her eyes wide and curious, and she was speaking to him. Shepard moved closer, catching the batarian's attention and he turned slightly, his four eyes giving her a once-over.

As far a batarians went, he seemed average. Stocky build, wearing the same durable jumpsuit she'd seen on many others of his kind... His skintone was the common sienna while the grooves of his face were cream colored.

Shepard let Kanna finish speaking, watching her mouth movements. Shepard's translator allowed her to understand the girl, but her lips were moving strangely, almost as though she was speaking a very heavy, rough language--the batarian hometongue, maybe?

"...anyway, thank you for talking with me," Kanna finished up, tilting her head to the left a bit as she leapt out of her seat and faced Shepard. "Um... do you know where Garrus is?"

Shepard pointed straight back to the battery. "He was in there."

"Okay, thank you!" Kanna chirped before tearing through the mess and zooming down the catwalk.

Once she had disappeared into the battery (Shepard saw her latch onto Garrus' leg as the doors sealed), Shepard took a seat in front of her new batarian recruit. "It's Ajit'Minkab, correct?"

He nodded. "Mink for short."

Shepard pushed back the sudden amused mental image of the rodent-like animal from Earth. "Right. I'm a little surprised you agreed to come along."

"Commander Shepard," he muttered, "the human who destroyed an entire system. You are perhaps the most hated of all the humans."

"So what exactly curved your hate?" Shepard asked warily. "Payment, tech... the chance to kill me in my sleep?"

"I would be considered something of a hero if I were to eliminate you," Mink said half-heartedly, "but the resources or the chance at glory weren't what brought me here. I have a debt that I'm honor-bound to repay."

Shepard relaxed in her chair, trying to read his expression. "A debt? To who?"

"I'm from the Omega slums," Mink said simply. "When the plague ran through, I would've died there, locked in the quarantine zone, but I was saved by a human who sent help for me."

Shepard gasped, leaning forward. "You're... you're the one Mordin treated?"

"The very same," he replied. His eyes narrowed. "To my kind, you are the lowest kind of scum, even among humans, but I've seen otherwise. The human with enough decency to save one dying man wouldn't have the ability to murder hundreds of thousands of people without remorse."

She sighed, becoming more somber. "The Reapers would've come through using that relay. If I hadn't destroyed it, this war would've started months ago. The decision I made that day... it was the most horrible thing I've ever had to do."

"They would've been slaughtered either way," Mink said. "My people are too blinded by rage to see it, but I am not."

"Well, for what it's worth, I appreciate your understanding," Shepard said quietly. "Liara, the asari that recruited you, seems to think you could help our cause. Honestly, we can use all the help we can get."

"I'll work with you," he agreed, "but I need to be guaranteed protection. This is an Alliance vessel. I'm in as much danger here as you would be on a batarian ship."

"You won't have to worry about that," Shepard assured. "This ship is under the Council just as much as the Alliance. I don't expect any of my crew to give you trouble, but if they do, I'll handle it."

"A mild reprimand won't insure my safety," Mink growled.

"No, but I'm not above throwing people off my ship," Shepard said.

"That's better," he laughed. "Consider me recruited."

-------------------

Departure time came all too quickly, reeling in the remainder of Shepard's crew. As Joker primed the engines, Garrus and Solana lingered in the docking bay, saying their goodbyes to their parents, Pallin, and Chellick. Broccha was also present, bidding them farewell before he joined up with Victus. Shepard gave them their space, assisting Ken and Gabby as they carried the last bits of cargo onto the ship. As she made a final pass, crate in hand, Tacita waved her over.

Shepard complied, passing her crate to Ken and moving over to the group of turians. Tacita spoke, her voice tired, "Commander, I know you aren't walking into a hostile situation..."

Shepard smiled. "I dunno, a krogan, a salarian, and a turian walk into a War Summit...sounds like the start of a fight to me."

Tacita laughed. "All the same, please be careful."

"You'll be set to join us again after the Summit, right?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, that should be enough time to finish things up here," Tacita replied. "We may have found a way to trace the Cerberus signal back to its source."

"Just remember to cover your tracks," Broccha warned quietly. He and Tacita exchanged knowing looks. "You sure you don't want me to stick around?"

"You have to follow Victus," Tacita said. "That's your duty, so don't worry about us." She gestured to Aetius and then to Pallin. "The three of us were running crazier missions before you even hit basic. I think we can handle it."

"Right," Broccha laughed. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Don't forget to check the camps, yeah?"

"She'll make it off Palaven, Broccha," Tacita said, her tone shaky as though she didn't even believe the words herself. "We'll find her, I swear."

"Right, I know you will," he murmured, turning to leave. "I'll be in touch."

As he trudged off, Shepard's eyes met Garrus' and they exchanged a sad look. Beside him, Sol's eyes glistened. The gravity of the situation dawned on Shepard and her heart sank. Broccha's mate was still on Palaven.

The heavy silence that fell between them was broken when Cami came running towards them. She came to a halt in front of Shepard, breathing heavily as though she'd been running.

"Sh... Shepard," she gasped, gulping down air to steady her words. "I know I was only supposed to catch a ride here, but... I want to come along."

"What?" Shepard muttered.

"I want to stay on the Normandy," she repeated, "with your approval. I know how to fight the Reaper forces. I could be useful. And besides," she glanced over at Tacita, "I'm sure you'll end up fighting Cerberus, too. I owe them a bullet or two for using my name. Please, Shepard."

Shepard mulled it over, weighed her options. With a sigh, she decided, "Fine. We'll take you along for a bit. Never hurts to have a few extra guns."

Cami's eyes lit up as she gave a happy trill. "Thank you, Commander. You won't regret it." She rushed of to the airlock, leaving Shepard and the others behind.

"Hope that was the right choice," Shepard muttered.

"She's actually very skilled," Sol assured. "It definitely wouldn't hurt to have her aboard." She gave Shepard a reassuring look. "Anyway, I'd want to pay Cerberus back, too, if they trashed my name like that."

"I guess," Shepard hummed. She turned back to the three older turians. "Take care. We'll be back as soon as possible."

Shepard made her way to the ship, allowing Garrus and Sol their last minutes. After the final goodbyes, they followed, and the Normandy disembarked, bound for the neutral meeting ground.