Chapter Text
Shepard sat at her desk, staring at her computer screen blankly. For the first time in a long time she felt rudderless. They had no direction for the Collectors, though Miranda assured her the Illusive Asshat was searching for leads. Her personal life was a mess. She had nothing anchoring her. She fluctuated between bouts of depression and numbness. Thus, she found herself holed up in her cabin with nothing but the bubbling of the fishtank in the background.
“Shepard,” SAM’s voice floated through her comms.
“What is it, SAM?”
“I would just like to ask how you are doing?” Shepard smiled softly.
“I’ve been better,” she said as she rubbed her eyes. “I just… feel very lost at the moment.”
“How so?”
“This mission is essentially stalled until we find some lead - a task I unfortunately have to leave in the hands of a person who if they were on fire, I wouldn’t waste the saliva to spit on. And… Garrus… I know we’re bonded, but I’m kind of terrified that I… that we won’t…” she trailed off as tears started to stream hotly down her cheeks.
“I do not wish to overstep my bounds… but I believe I have something that might make you feel better,” the AI suggested. Jane’s brows shot up in surprise. This was… intriguing.
“Umm… ok. Sure?” she said hesitantly.
“I have sent you the video file.” Shepard opened her messages and saw the file from SAM. She pulled the video up and immediately gasped. It was footage from the Alliance News Network - footage from her funeral two years ago.
“SAM… I don’t think watching my own funeral is going to help me right now…” Or ever. SAM had suggested this previously, but she had always pushed back at the idea. It just seemed so… morbid.
“If you would allow a little trust. Please fast forward to timestamp 1:49:58.” Shepard sighed heavily. She supposed she honestly couldn’t feel any worse at the moment so she followed SAM’s instruction. The video halted just as Garrus approached her empty casket. He was dressed to the nines in the turian high formal uniform. He was stunning, but she could see the heaviness in his shoulders. Her heart felt like it was thundering against her ribcage as it threatened to break through. “The original broadcast muted out the attendee’s personal comments, but EDI and I were able to obtain the original recording.” With a shaky hand, Jane hit play.
Garrus took the last few hesitant steps towards the casket, before crossing his arms and throwing his head to the side, trying desperately to look anywhere besides the casket. She could hear his subvocals as clear as day. They thundered with anger, with pain and devastation, and heartbreak.
“If I didn’t think humans were strange before this…” Jane chuckled lightly as the tears continued to fall down her face. “This is bullshit, Jane. You’d fucking hate this. All these people pretending to care, acting like they knew you best, knew what you’d want. And the Council! They’d never believe it in a million years, but they are lucky Wrex was here or I would have put one clean between each of their eyes, damn the consequences,” he muttered mutinously. “I just… I don’t know how to do this without you. You’ve… become a part of me. One half of me refuses to believe you’re gone - it just isn’t possible for this galaxy to exist without Jane Shepard in it. It’s too… empty. The other half of me knows you are because there is no way in hell you’d allow any of this bullshit to continue. It feels like I’m missing a limb. I should have told you this a long time ago… but I love you, Jane,” he whispered so quietly, she was sure he was aware he had even spoken the words. Garrus placed a hand gently on her casket, his subvocals breaking. “There is no Vakarian without Shepard.” After a moment, he pulled his hand back and strode away quickly, as if unable to stand there another second. Jane quickly stopped the video. Silent sobs wracked through her as she stared at the screen. Her heart felt all at once shattered and slightly healed.
“I do not experience emotions as you do. But from what I can gather, that kind of love between partners is almost impossible to break,” SAM said.
“Thank you, SAM,” Shepard choked out softly as she ran her hand along her bondmark while the tears continued to steadily flow down her cheeks.
“Commander,” Miranda’s voice popped through her comms, startling her back to reality. Jane cleared her throat and quickly wiped her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.
“Yes, Miranda?”
“I have Kasumi and Zaeed in my office. They have both requested assistance with the missions in their contracts with Cerberus. However, they want them both done now.” Shepard rubbed her forehead.
“Bring them up to the comm room.”
“Of course, Commander.” Shepard stood and took the elevator down to the CIC. Without a glance at the crew, she turned towards the lab, shuffling in quietly. Mordin lifted his head as she entered, smiling before quickly furrowing his brow in concern.
“Feeling alright, Shepard?” Jane was sure she looked like just as big of a mess as she felt.
“Yeah, just… didn’t sleep well,” she muttered.
“Will be here if you need anything,” he said seriously. Jane smiled at him before continuing into the comm room. Taking her place at the head of the table, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.
The doors slid open as Miranda stepped gracefully inside followed by the lithe form of Kasumi and Zaeed’s hulking frame. Zaeed, while never a pleasant energy, seemed particularly on edge.
“Alright, let’s have it,” Shepard said.
“Part of my contract with Cerberus was to take care of the oil refinery on Zorya. My contacts tell me that it needs to be dealt with now,” Zaeed growled.
“Shep, Donovan Hock’s gala is a one night only affair. He’s in Beckenstein, one system away! If we miss this…” Kasumi’s voice trailed off. They had spoken briefly when she recruited Kasumi about her partner's graybox. She knew little about it, but clearly it meant a lot to her. More than she wanted to let on.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Zaeed spat. “You’d let the Blue Suns continue to enslave people so you can go to some fancy cocktail party?”
“Listen, old man—“
“Enough!” Shepard said firmly in full Commander voice. Her hands gripped the edge of the table as her head started to throb. She didn’t get enough sleep for this. Kasumi was on a tight timeline, she didn’t have any room to put that mission off. But Zaeed… something wasn’t sitting right. And since when did he give a shit about slaves? Or anyone, for that matter. If he had ulterior motives, she needed to know what they were and she needed to know them now. “We’ll split up. Tackle both at once. I’ll stay here in this system with Kasumi. The Normandy can head to Zorya with Zaeed and a small ground squad will help liberate the facility.”
“Works for me. I’ll take Jack and—“
“I will be deciding your squad.” Shepard said firmly. Zaeed narrowed his eyes at her but wisely held his tongue. “I’ll let you know my decisions before you depart this system. You’re dismissed Zaeed.” He nodded curtly before exiting the room. “Kasumi, what do we need before we leave the Normandy.”
“I’ll meet you up in your cabin. You’re gonna love it, Shep!” Kasumi flurried out quickly.
“Why do I have a feeling I absolutely am not going to love it?” Shepard murmured to Miranda who chuckled.
“What are you thinking for Zaeed?” She asked.
“I don’t entirely trust his motivations. He’s loyal to a paycheck. He doesn’t give a shit about slaves. He’s just saying it to pray on my sympathies. There’s something else going on here,” Shepard sighed and rubbed her head. She needed to send someone she could trust to keep an eye on him. She knew who she’d like to send… Fuck it. ”Miranda, will you ask Garrus to lead Zaeed’s ground team? He can decide who else he wants. I trust him to make a decision on the size and makeup of the squad.” Miranda nodded sympathetically before stepping out. The whole ship knew that something was not right between her and Garrus, but mercifully, none of them pressed the issue.
Shepard made her way slowly back towards the elevator. As she stepped in and tapped the button for her cabin, a thought struck her.
“SAM? How will you function if I’m that far away from the Normandy?”
“I should have no difficulties. The SAM node and the implant are able to communicate in real time thanks to quantum entanglement technology. Should something dire happen, I would be able to relay the information back to the Normandy in real time.”
“That’s a bonus,” Shepard said just as the lift arrived at her floor. Stepping out of the elevator and into her cabin, she saw Kasumi rummaging through her closet.
“I was about to ask how the hell you got in here, but it’s you,” Shepard chuckled. “What are you looking for?”
“Just seeing if you have the right attire for the evening,” she smirked. “It is a gala after all.”
“Sure, I keep ball gowns next to the workout gear and armor undersuits,” Shepard snorted. Kasumi sighed before heading to a bag she must have brought up with her.
“Not to worry, Shep. I got you covered.” She leaned down and pulled out a very slinky, black, leather cocktail dress. The top was cut with a deep, plunging v in the middle of the neckline, sure to show off her cleavage while the back had a gold zipper that ran from the top to the bottom. There was an evil looking slit in the font that went up… high.
“Son of a bitch,” Shepard groaned.
“Aw now, don’t be that way Shep. I’ve seen you in your workout gear. You’ve got quite the figure! We’ll just have to do something about that bondmark, your scar, and your new tattoo. Good thing I’m also a master cosmetologist,” Kasumi smirked as she pulled out two large makeup storage cases. Shepard groaned even louder.
-----
I’m gonna kill Tali, Garrus thought to himself as he recalibrated the guns for a third time. The multicore shielding was a great idea, and the Normandy needed it, but they kept throwing his guns out of whack. Any time he felt he was making progress, the formulas just wouldn't match up. Sighing, he checked his omnitool for the time. They should be shipping out from the Citadel soon, but he didn’t know where they were headed.
He’d know more if he had been speaking with Jane, but he still couldn’t bring himself to face her. He was too angry and hurt. He’d been harsh enough the other day, he didn’t want to say something he couldn’t take back. Spirits. How am I going to get past this? He missed her desperately. This distance between them was starting to feel like it was driving a knife through his chest. But any time he thought about approaching her, Sidonis’s face would swim in his mind.
A knock at the battery doors startled him back to the here and now. He rushed to the door, opening it to find Miranda. He deflated internally. What did you expect, you asshole?
“Miranda,” he nodded.
“I have orders from Shepard. You will be leading a ground team on Zorya to assist Zaeed in a mission.” Garrus blinked furiously.
“I’m leading…? Why isn’t Shepard? Is she alright?” he began to panic.
“She’s fine,” Miranda said. “Kasumi has need of her assistance on Bekenstein. Since she cannot be in two places at once, she has requested that you lead the ground team on Zorya.” Garrus’s mind began to run away with him. Why hadn’t she asked him herself? Why do you think, moron! He remembered Kasumi’s mission to retrieve her old partner’s graybox. They had to infiltrate Donovan Hock’s estate. The thought of Shepard infiltrating a notorious arms dealer’s homebase without him on her six did not settle well in his gut.
“Why isn’t Zaeed leading his own ground squad? For personal missions, Shepard usually lets whoever it is take point.”
“She doesn’t quite trust Zaeed’s motives on this one. The refinery has been taken over by the Blue Suns and they are apparently holding the workers hostage as slaves.” Garrus had to reign in the snarl threatening to burst from his chest. Of course the fucking Suns are involved. “She said she trusts you to decide on the size of the ground squad as well as selection of squadmates.” Miranda turned on her heel and headed back towards her office. Garrus shuffled back into the batteries as his mind began to race. She didn’t trust Zaeed but she trusted him? Like she trusted him to make the call with Sidonis? Fine. I’ll run this mission the way I see fit. If she doesn’t like it, not much she can do about it a few systems away.
“EDI? Where is Grunt, currently?” Garrus asked.
“He is down in the training facilities in the cargo bay.” Garrus marched out of the batteries with determination, taking the lift as far down as it could go. He could hear Grunt pummeling one of the bags, but it was not nearly as manic as it had once been. Finding a purpose on Tuchanka really settled him. That and getting laid, Garrus grumbled to himself.
“Garrus,” Grunt greeted between punches.
“You want to accompany me on a mission today?” Garrus asked. Grunt stopped punching and looked at Garrus in confusion.
“Why are you leading a mission and not Shepard?”
“We need to split up the team today. We have two missions we have to complete so Shepard is staying here to assist Kasumi. Zaeed has an old contract he needs to fulfill and Shepard wants me to lead the ground squad. We’re going to be taking out a Blue Suns base at a refinery. They are holding the workers there hostage. You in?” Grunt smiled a dangerous grin and chuckled his little laugh. Garrus clapped him on the shoulder and was about to turn back to the elevator when he heard the door open. Not wanting to run into Shepard, he remained facing Grunt. Grunt’s face contorted as he watched whoever it was cross the cargo bay.
“You look strange, Shepard,” he huffed.
“Aw, thanks, Grunt,” Shepard said sarcastically. Garrus turned slightly, planning to just get a quick glance at her. His mandibles practically dropped to the floor.
Jane was clad in a skin tight, black leather dress that did incredible things for her figure. A slit in the front of the dress went up her thigh to an almost indecent height. The neckline of the dress skimmed across her breasts, which had been pushed up and at attention. That dangerous dress had a notch in the center of the neckline that plunged deeply along the line of her cleavage. A gold zipper wound its way down the middle of her back, dancing along the curves of her body, while her feet had sharp, platform heels any dancer at Chora’s Den would be envious of. Jane’s eyes had been rimmed with kohl black eyeliner and her lashes were darkened and fluttered outward, enhancing her already brilliant gem colored eyes. Garrus’s gaze flew down to her lips which had been stained a deep, blood red color.
Garrus’s mind seemed to short circuit as he watched Jane slink across the floor, her hair down and gently curled as it bounced on her shoulders with each step she took. His subvocals threatened to explode from his chest, pure desire emanating from every pore on his body. He itched to drag his tongue along the neckline and deep in between the swell of her breasts. His mind began to run away with pictures of himself slowly pulling that zipper all the way down and peeling her out of that evil dress.
“Kasumi, I feel ridiculous,” she muttered.
“You look amazing, Shep! You should wear this stuff more often,” Kasumi grinned. I agree. “No one will suspect a thing. Just schmooze around the party and I’ll do all the heavy lifting.” Party? They were going undercover to get into Hock’s mansion. He took another look at her. All of Jane’s scars had been carefully covered up, including her bondmark. Garrus felt his vision tinge slightly blue. She was going to a party, dressed like that while he would be a few star systems away and his bondmark was hidden? She’s mine, he growled internally. “Here, they won’t hassle you for having a sidearm, as long as you keep it concealed.” Kasumi held out one of Jane’s stilettos. Jane's eyes went wide as she looked down at herself.
“Where?” The thief chuckled and handed her a holster. For her thigh. Spirits. Jane grabbed the thing angrily. Lifting her leg up onto a nearby crate, she bent over and ran the delicate leather around the smooth skin of her leg.
Grunt gagged loudly. Garrus vaguely registered that his pheromones must be making Grunt sick, but most of his mind had shorted out. Jane’s head shot up as she looked at the young krogan. Garrus tried to pull his gaze away, but he was having a difficult time remembering how to function.
“Something wrong Grunt?” Shepard asked. Garrus snapped his eyes to Grunt’s, silently begging him not to say anything.
“Ate something bad… earlier,” he covered before rushing out towards the elevator, still gagging. Shepard shook her head after the krogan before turning back to Garrus. The instant their eyes locked, it felt like his body was lit on fire. Everything in him was screaming to take her hard and take her now, he didn’t give a shit if the cargo bay was full of unwitting audience members. His primal instincts were demanding he remind her that she was his before she went traipsing around the galaxy with her bondmark hidden. Images danced through his mind of Jane’s legs flung over his shoulders while he tasted every last inch of her. He wanted to have her panting and writhing beneath him, to have her scream his name as he felt her insides clamp down around him.
All of Garrus’s self control was slowly starting to slip. Just as he was about to take a step in her direction, Jane sighed sadly and turned towards the shuttle. It was like a bucket after bucket of ice water was thrown over him. She didn’t want him. She wanted to be far away from him. And he had no one to blame but himself. The door of the shuttle clanged loudly as it closed. The ache in Garrus’s chest came back a thousand times stronger while he watched the shuttle depart from the ship.
We better get to Zorya soon. I need to fucking shoot something.
——-
“Repeat it back to me,” Kasumi said as she flew their newly acquired skycar through Beckenstein’s countryside. ‘Borrowed’, as Kasumi had put it. Their shuttle was circling in a remote area on autopilot, waiting for them to meet it or to be called in for extraction should things go sideways. Shepard sighed heavily.
“I’m Amanda Gunn, I run a small but talented band of mercs in the terminus systems,” Jane spewed back.
“Precisely the type of person Hock respects,” Kasumi joked.
“And how does he know who I am?”
“I took the liberty of giving you a reputation. Papers, witnesses, article in Badass Weekly.”
“I’ll need a copy of that,” Shepard teased. Kasumi grinned.
“You got it. Just don’t start talking business with him and you’ll be fine.”
“Now’s probably a good time to fill me in on the details.”
“You have been waiting patiently,” Kasumi grinned as she brought up images of Hock’s home and…
“Is that a statue of Saren?” Shepard blinked.
“Cute touch, right? Our friend Hock is throwing a party for his closest friends. A couple dozen of the worst liars, cheaters, and mass murderers you’ll ever want to meet, all bringing gifts as a tribute to the man himself.”
“Is Saren my gift to him?” Kasumi smiled devilishly.
“Yup. Rendered in loving detail and filled to the brim with our weapons and armor. Once inside, we’ll make our way to Hock’s vault door, somewhere in the back of the ballroom. Then we case the security and start peeling away the layers. The statue should be there, waiting for you to crack it open and arm up. Then we just waltz into the vault and take back Keji’s graybox. And I’ll finally get a chance to say goodbye,” she finished softly. Shepard reached over and patted her gently on the shoulder.
“I’m sorry, about your partner. It’s clear that he meant a lot to you.”
“Was I that obvious?” Kasumi chuckled sadly. “Keji’s graybox holds a lot of priceless, personal memories. It’s all that remains of who he was. But the secret he discovered is dangerous. I wouldn’t bring you here if it wasn’t.”
“Even if it was just to get the graybox back, you know I would have helped you,” Jane said seriously.
“You are too good, sometimes, Commander.” The skycar flew through low hanging cloud cover before it broke through over top of a palatial estate. There were guards and mercs covering almost every inch of the outside of the grounds. At the far end, twinkling lights and a line of skycars and shuttles signaled their waypoint.
“This should be interesting,” Jane muttered as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“That’s what I’m going for.” Kasumi easily slid the skycar into line. After a few minutes of entry traffic, Kasumi slid the shuttle down into a valet space. Shepard eyed the statue that was currently being unloaded from a nearby cargo transport. The likeness was eerie. Had it not been gold plated from head to toe, she would have expected the damn thing to turn its head to her and start spewing some bullshit about submitting to the reapers.
“After you, Ms. Gunn,” Kasumi bowed and held her arm out. No one knew what the great Kasumi Goto looked like. At the party tonight, Kasumi was pretending to be Ms. Gunn’s personal valet and bodyguard. Shepard squared her shoulders and sauntered forward, swinging her hips in a seductive rhythm. Kasumi had told her she needed to be eye-candy, a distraction. While this wasn’t really Shepard’s game, anything she needed to do to help Kasumi, she would.
“Just one moment, ma’am,” the security officer called as he scanned the statue. His armor was black and white with a large sun insignia on the chest. Eclipse mercs. “There seems to be an issue with the statue.”
“Is there a problem here?” A heavily accented voice floated towards them. Shepard and Kasumi both looked up to see Hock’s pointed face glaring down at them from a few steps above. His eyes swept over Shepard, eyeing her like she was a piece of meat. Jane could handle herself, but it was times like these she really missed her seven-foot-tall overprotective bondmate. His rumbling subvocals would have wiped that leer right off of Hock’s smug face. As it was, this was the part she was supposed to play for the night, so she smiled seductively at Hock as he sauntered down the stairs.
“No, Mr. Hock. Just doing a scan.”
“I don’t believe we’ve met. Donovan Hock,” he said as he stopped on the landing, stepping a little too far into Shepard’s personal space. He gave Kasumi a once over, and then again, before turning his gaze back to Shepard and her cleavage. Taking a deep breath so the swell of her breasts moved enticingly under Hock’s steady gaze, Jane sank back into her hip just to give herself a little space from him without arousing suspicion. Her hand extended out as she smiled at him.
“Allison Gunn. A pleasure,” Shepard purred. Hock looked down at her extended hand but didn’t return the gesture. Shepard raised her eyebrows playfully as she dropped her hand.
“Sir, the scanners aren’t picking anything up,” the security guard said. Hock strode over to the statue and gave it an appraisal, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed up at the imposing figure of Saren. This guy is ridiculous.
“I don’t think our guests would come all the way here from Illium just to cause trouble. Do you?” The security guard shook his head and signaled for their generous gift to be taken to the vault. “You may pass through, Ms. Gunn, with my apologies. But I will ask your companion to remain outside. You understand, I hope,” he sneered smugly at her, almost daring her to argue.
“If it makes you feel more secure, she can wait outside.” Kasumi bowed her head in agreement.
“Good to see we’re not going to have a problem,” Hock grinned before leaning into Jane’s personal space once more. “Enjoy the party.” Hock turned and sauntered back up the stairs. Shepard and Kasumi stepped to the side.
“Well, that didn’t go as I expected,” Kasumi huffed frustratedly.
“Any idea why he’d send you away?” Shepard asked.
“No,” Kasumi shrugged. “We’ve never seen each other in person. And no one knows what I look like. Just watching his ass I’m sure. I can’t blame him.”
“What’ll we do now?”
“We go on with the plan. You’ll just have to do all the talking.” Great. “I’ll stay out of sight and stick with you the best I can.” Shepard watched as the security guards turned distractedly, arguing over the best way to transport the statue. Kasumi quickly cloaked, but Shepard felt her presence nearby. “We’ll keep radio contact in case something goes wrong. We need to find the door and case the security. We’ll figure out the next step then.”
The doors to the mansion opened and Shepard stepped inside. You could practically smell the pretension in the room. Faces she’d seen on wanted posters and news bulletins nodded in her direction or outright leered at her. Maybe it’s a good thing Garrus isn’t here. He’d have a field day, Shepard thought to herself. Taking a deep breath, Shepard moved forward like she owned everyone and everything in the room.
“Looking good, Allison Gunn,” Kasumi purred in her personal comms.
-----
Stepping out of the shuttle, Garrus squinted in the bright sunlight. Zorya was a jungle planet with thick, soupy air. He didn’t mind the heat, Palaven was much warmer, but his home planet was much more arid. Thinking about Palaven made Garrus slightly homesick, and not just for his planet. The image of Jane dressed up in all that finery wafted through his mind, as did the look on her face when she turned away from him and left with Kasumi in the shuttle. Focus, Vakarian. You’re running this show. Grunt tapped Garrus on the shoulder and pointed in the distance. A large smoke stack spewed a black and gray plume of pollution into the orange sky. Zaeed was busy fiddling with this omnitool.
“Hacking into Blue Sun communications. Stay sharp, and look for ambushes,” the old merc ordered. Zaeed went to move forward but Garrus clamped a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back.
“This is your mission, Zaeed, but Shepard left me in charge. Let’s keep that in mind, shall we?” Zaeed sneered but wisely held his tongue. Garrus moved forward with Grunt and Zaeed behind. They didn’t make it very far into the jungle before the hacked Blue Sun comm line jerked to life.
“Squad Bravo, a shuttle landed near your position. Check it out!” Zaeed growled at the voice.
“Here we go. Keep close,” Garrus ordered. They hiked further under the tree canopy, pyjaks hopping around and squealing at them as they moved. Ahead of them, a pile of bodies lay roasting in the bit of sunlight that cracked through the tree tops.
“Shot in the back and left to rot,” Zaeed spat. “Definitely Vido’s style.” A shiver went down Garrus’s spine. How did Zaeed know the leader of the entire Blue Suns organization? Before he had a chance to ask, the same voice popped back on the comms.
“Command to Bravo. Take a position. Likely these people are not runaways.”
“Eyes sharp,” Garrus muttered. They didn’t have long to wait.
“Report to base! Armed intruders incoming at the southern checkpoint!” A gaggle of mercs came popping out of bushes and running around the crates and scaffolding, firing wildly on their crew. Garrus didn’t even bother shouting instructions as their squad literally tore through the mercs with ease. Grunt cackled as the nasty looking gun he’d been gifted after the Rite thundered with each shot. Zaeed mowed down an oncoming set of FENRIS mechs without breaking a sweat while Garrus sniped the mercs on the high ground before they could even get a shot off.
“Too easy,” Grunt sneered at the dead bodies. Garrus waved them ahead towards a bridge that the mercs had retracted. He began hacking it when that same voice popped over the comms.
“This is Commander Santiago. If any of you retreat while the intruders are still alive, I’ll kill you myself!” Charming, Garrus snarled internally. “Now get the hell back out there!”
“Vido…” Zaeed growled. The tone caused Garrus to pause mid-hack. Even Grunt eyed Zaeed curiously. “Sounds like he hasn’t changed.” Garrus felt his plates itch.
“Why do I get the feeling you have a past with Santigo,” Garrus asked quietly.
“I knew he was a sadist bastard back when we started the Blue Suns. The suns only got meaner after he staged his little coup twenty years ago. So yeah… we have a past.” Garrus’s vision immediately flooded with blue. All this time, he had been squadmates with one of the founders of the Blue Suns. The same group that orchestrated the hit on his men. The same merciless pieces of garbage that coerced Sidonis into betraying his squad. Had Shepard known? There was no way. Despite everything going on between them, he believed her when she said that no member of those gangs would be on their team. But this was one fucking curveball to be thrown on this mission. He could barely contain his rage.
“You founded the Blue Suns?” Garrus growled.
“Don’t get your knickers in a twist, Archangel,” Zaeed sneered at him. “I was long gone before anything happened between you and the Suns. Vido took over and wiped me out of the records. He ran the books, I led the men. Worked real well for a while. Then Vido decided to start hiring batarians. Cheap labor, he said. Goddamn terrorists, I said.” Grunt was watching Garrus warily as his subvocals were signaling danger. Zaeed could probably hear the rumble, but he was too dense to decipher it.
“Twenty years is a long time to hold a grudge,” Garrus huffed. Zaeed’s mismatched eyes went wide with fury.
“A grudge?! Vido turned my men against me. He paid six of them to restrain me while he put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger. For twenty years, I’ve seen that bastard every time I closed my eyes. Every time I sighted down on a target. Every time I heard a gunshot.” Garrus felt his insides turn cold. Zaeed’s rant was just a little too familiar. Wasn’t that how he felt in all these months since Omega? As if Zaeed could read his mind, he smirked. “If what I have is a grudge, what do you call yours?” Garrus growled in warning.
“You survived a gunshot to the head?” Grunt asked curiously.
“Yeah. And this one here survived a rocket to the face. A stubborn enough person can survive anything. Rage is a hell of anesthetic.” The chill inside Garrus grew worse as he looked at Zaeed. Shepard had once described Zaeed as a lone-wolf, beholden to no one and nothing but himself. Was that Garrus? If it wasn’t him yet… was this his future? Spirits.
“Come on. We need to keep moving.” Garrus finished hacking the bridge and their squad marched steadily on and Garrus’s mind raced. Zaeed had taken this contract to get close to Vido. Were there actual refinery workers in trouble? Or was it all a ruse to get Shepard to agree to Zaeed’s quest for revenge? If there weren’t workers… why shouldn’t Zaeed take it? The Suns were a sinister organization and evil flowed down from the top. Garrus would just have to wait and see.
“They’re at the southern access. All squads mass at the gatehouse. NOW!” Vido barked.
“They know we’re here,” Zaeed hissed as he ripped his assault rifle into his arms. “Bring it on you son of a bitch.” The gatehouse was a short hike from their position. Zaeed seemed to become more tense and wound up as they got closer. Seems familiar, Garrus thought darkly.
“Zaeed Massani…” Vido drawled as their squad entered the gatehouse. He stood on a platform above them, surrounded by multiple flunkies. “You finally tracked me down.”
“Vido.” Zaeed snarled as he went to grab his gun.
“Don’t be stupid, Zaeed. I have a whole company of bloodthirsty bastards behind me, ready to kill or be killed on my command.” Garrus felt his subvocals go into overdrive as he stared down Santiago. Zaeed’s eyes darted around the room, clearly calculating how to get Vido without getting shot in the skull. “Actually, take your shot. Give my men a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are. Again.”
Zaeed glanced quickly at Garrus and Grunt before he shot wildly in Vido’s direction, running for cover to the left as Grunt and Garrus did the same to the right. His shots seemed aimless, until Garrus heard one bullet hit its mark. A gentle hiss sounded behind Vido. Garrus was thrown back to Tuchanka and Mordin with Clan Weyrloc and the Blood Pack.
“What was that?” Vido cackled. “Gone nearsighted, old friend?”
“Burn you son of a bitch,” Zaeed spat as he shot once more. The pipe burst, enveloping those nearest to it in flames. Vido was too quick on his feet as he grabbed one of his men and used him as a live shield against the flames.
“You just signed your death warrant, Massani!” Vido shouted at him before scurrying away like an insect. His men took up position and began raining bullets down on their squad. A metallic thunk repeated over and over again. Garrus popped out from cover to see Zaeed frantically whacking the butt of his rifle against a valve… on a very large pipeline.
“What the hell are you doing?” Garrus shouted. One last hit and the pipe burst in a chain reaction, exploding in rapid succession up the pipe, utterly destroying the landing Vido had been standing on. Once the dust somewhat settled, there was a new hole in the back of the gatehouse.
“Opening the gate,” Zaeed huffed.
“What about the workers? I thought that was the focus of this mission?” Grunt asked. Damn it.
“We don’t sacrifice lives for the sake of the mission,” Garrus growled as he towered over Zaeed.
“You want to wander around the jungle for hours looking for another way in?” Zaeed snapped. “You want to waste time out here? Go ahead. I’m gonna kill Vido.” Grunt stepped forward and punched Zaeed in the face. The old merc stumbled back, lucky that Grunt had pulled his punch.
“You are endangering lives -- and the mission -- for your own selfish revenge. This is not what Battlemaster Shepard sent us here to do. We are to save the people and liberate this facility,” the young krogan growled. Garrus felt shame settle in his gut. Am I any different?
“You really wanna do this, kid?” Zaeed’s eyes narrowed at Grunt. “Let these people burn! Vido dies! Whatever the cost” Spit flew from Zaeed’s mouth as his anger overtook him completely. Garrus stared at him in horror. Shaking his head, he stepped between the two.
“Come on. We have a burning refinery to save,” he murmured, leading them out of the newly opened ‘gate’. The chain reaction had clearly continued further in the refinery. Pockets of flames shot up from windows and doors while black smoke billowed in the distance. Shouts and cries reached their ears.
“Help!” a human shouted from a gangway above them. “We’re trapped! We can’t get to the gas valves to shut them off! This whole place is going to blow!” A fiery explosion blasted through the nearest doorway as if to punctuate the poor man's point.
“No time. Vido’s probably halfway to the shuttle docks by now,” Zaeed said dispassionately.
“You’re willing to watch these people die?” Garrus asked.
“Damn right I am. If they stood between you and your mark, between you and the man who was responsible for selling you out to the Suns, would you be any different?” A stone settled deep in Garrus’s gut. Am I any different?
“We’re here to free these people, we’re going in!” Grunt said firmly, taking a few steps towards the area of the building where the refinery workers were trapped. When he didn’t hear anyone following he turned around, looking at Garrus in confusion. “Garrus? We have orders from Shepard.” You can’t control how people will react. But you can control how you respond.
“Let’s go,” Garrus said firmly as Grunt slammed his fists together.
“I knew this was a mistake,” Zaeed grumbled. “If we’re gonna do this, we better get it done. Fast.”
-----
Jane felt a little better now that she had her armor on. She was not at all upset to ditch those ridiculous shoes, but unfortunately, there wasn’t enough room to store her undersuit. With every step, she felt that stupid leather dress riding up in her armor.
Listening to Kasumi break down the security measures and talk her through breaking into the vault was a thing of beauty. Kasumi had earned her title of best thief in the galaxy for a reason. Shepard was surprised that she was pretty comfortable with all of it- that was until she had to talk to Hock. A few flirtatious interactions and Hock went into a full blown speech about being one of the pseudo saviors of the galaxy by doing the dirty work others didn’t want to do. It took more willpower than Jane thought she possessed to school her face while he pontificated in that ridiculous and clearly fake accent.
They had broken into his vault easily and picked up some shiny new guns - the Kassa Locust and a twin copy, as well as Keji’s graybox. Hock sprung a trap immediately and they had been fighting their way out of his palatial underground vault ever since, as Hock taunted Kasumi all the while. He’s definitely a dead man, Jane thought to herself as he continuously brought up Keji and his clearly painful end.
Despite not really bringing Kasumi along on her direct ground squad often, Kasumi was a dream to work with. They balanced each other well in a fight, one moving forward and taking charge while the other hung back and reversing roles as need be. They weren’t quite as seamless as Shepard and her favorite turian sniper, but nobody’s perfect.
“Come on, we’re almost out!” Shepard said as she led them onto a large cargo landing pad. The shuttle should easily be able to get them out of here. Just as she was about to call it in, a massive gunship came flying into their space, a cyclonic barrier whirring around the damn thing. “Incoming! Get down!” They both dove behind cover as the gunship sprayed bullets wildly in their direction.
“We could have done this the easy way, Goto,” Hock’s voice thundered from the loudspeakers. “Allow me to show you the hard way.” Mercs and mechs flooded the landing pad as Hock flew the gunship around the area… badly. He clearly was not an experienced pilot. But he knew enough to be fucking annoying as they tried to fend off wave after wave of his goons.
“Focus on crowd control. I’ll work on the gunship. We gotta get that thing’s barriers down,” Shepard ordered.
“You got it!” Kasumi acknowledged before she disappeared behind her tac cloak. Shepard pumped as much as she could at the gunship but the damn thing kept regenerating its shields.
“Motherfucker!” Shepard snapped. “SAM, how do I get that damn thing down!”
“I’m afraid my ability to enhance your tech skills is not strong enough for whatever illegal technology Hock has placed on his gunship,” SAM replied.
“If I can get to the ship, I can take down the shields,” Kasumi called.
“I’ll carve you a path,” Shepard called back. “SAM, Adept.”
“Acknowledged.” Shepard whipped her arm back and flung a massive shockwave through the platform. Prone figures of Eclipse mercs went flying through the air, some falling off the platform and into the depths of the valley below, others landing with a sickening thud.
“Got a clear shot! Here we go!” Kasumi raced across the landing pad. The master thief neglected to mention her considerable aerialist skills when she signed on to the mission. With the grace of any olympian, Kasumi climbed and flipped her way skyward, level after level, until she reached a large set of piping that was level with Hock’s ship. Taking a flying leap, Kasumi landed on the front of the gunship, her omnitool lit and ready. With a flick of her wrist, the gunship shuddered and spun around. Shepard lit herself in teal, ready to catch Kasumi if she were flung off, but her squadmate held on for dear life. When the ship righted itself, Kasumi gave Hock a little salute before she flung herself in the air, flipping and landing almost like a superhero from the comics of old earth.
“You’re up,” Kasumi panted. Shepard gathered her dark energy and gripped the gunship in a warp. Slowly, the metal began to pucker under the stain of Shepard’s biotics, but it wasn’t going to be enough. Searching around wildly as she held the ship in place, Jane spotted a rocket launcher laying next to a dead merc.
“Kasumi! Rocket launcher!” she grunted. Kasumi ran to the launcher. The damn thing probably weighed more than she did. Using all the strength she could muster, Kasumi hoisted the large weapon up onto a crate and peered through its sights.
“It’s too low and I can’t move it! Can you pull the ship down?” Shepard grunted in response and pulled Hock lower. “Perfect!” As the rocket flew directly at the cockpit, Hock’s panicked cries filled the loudspeakers. A second later, he was ash. “Well… that could have gone worse,” Kasumi teased. Shepard chuckled.
“I took the liberty of calling the shuttle for you,” SAM called over the comms just as their shuttle appeared in the sky. They climbed aboard, Kasumi collapsing in the back and Shepard heading for the pilot seat to program the autopilot. They’d head back to the Widow system and hang in the shuttle until the Normandy returned from Zorya. If they really had to they would head for the Citadel, but with something as illegal as a graybox and with someone as wanted as Kasumi, Shepard didn’t want to take her chances.
When the shuttle broke the atmosphere, Jane headed to the back with Kasumi who was actively hooking up the graybox to a console. Shepard took the time to take her armor off - it was becoming way too uncomfortable with her leather dress underneath everything.
“I should have packed a change of clothes,” she grumbled as she adjusted her chest in the suffocating corseted top.
“I should be recording this. I could make a fortune,” Kasumi teased. Shepard narrowed her eyes. “It’s ready.” Kasumi’s voice was breathless as she turned to Shepard. Jane activated the console so she could see what Kasumi saw. A holo visor popped up under Kasumi’s hood at the same time the man who must be Keji appeared on Shepard’s screen.
“Kasumi. If you’re seeing this, it’s because I’m dead.” As he spoke, images flashed through of Kasumi and Keji - the pair on jobs, relaxing on a beach together, Kasumi pouncing on him in a hotel. It was their life - their love story. Shepard felt almost like she was intruding. “The information we found is all here. It’s big, my love. If the Council ever got wind of this… the Alliance could be implicated. Kasumi I… encrypted the information to keep it safe. And I uploaded the encryption key to your graybox, so no one could get the whole package.” Kasumi waved her omnitool, pulling up a particularly romantic moment between the two of them to enlarge as Keji continued to speak. “But if I’m dead, and if anyone knows about this… then I’ve made you a target, my love. I’m so, so sorry.”
“Keji…” Kasumi practically whispered.
“I know you, Kasumi. You’ll want to keep these memories forever. But you don’t need some neural implant to know that I’ll always be with you.” Shepard could feel her own tears streaming down her face. Her heart was breaking for Kasumi, her own feelings so raw right now. “Please, Kasumi. Destroy these files. There’s nothing more I can do to protect you.”
“I… I can’t do that,” Kasumi began to cry. “This is all that’s left!”
“Goodbye, Kasumi. I love you.” The playback ended. The air in the shuttle was thick and heavy as Kasumi continued to cry. Shepard stepped behind her and put a hand on her shoulder in comfort.
“Is there any way we can just destroy the information?” Shepard asked.
“I do not believe so, Shepard. According to my analysis, the data points are too intertwined,” SAM replied.
“Keji was a master encryptor. He laced the information into his memories. You can’t get one without experiencing the other,” Kasumi breathed.
“Kasumi… you heard Keji. He’d want you to destroy the information and save yourself,” Shepard said softly.
“I know… I just… I can’t. This is all that’s left of him.”
“If it’s easier, I could do it for you,” Shepard offered.
“I… okay. Just get it over with. Please.” Jane stepped to the console attached to the graybox. Keji’s face stared out, almost as if it was looking at Kasumi. A few taps, and the image faded. Kasumi let out a soft wail, unable to hold it back anymore. Jane gathered her in her arms and let her cry, let her grieve for as long she needed.
-----
The YMIR mech was the last line of defense between Vido and their squad. They had managed to turn off the refinery systems with the emergency shut off. Sprinklers and fire suppression systems hissed all around them, like they were fighting through some kind of strange storm. Vido continued to taunt Zaeed over the loudspeakers, sending him into a frenzy. Garrus himself became more and more agitated as well. He wanted to stop Vido, of course, but looking at Zaeed - that could have been him. That was the path he was on before Shepard stepped in front of his shot.
The heavy mech sparked and sizzled as it lumbered forward. It was on its last legs. It only needed one more push. Whipping out his mantis, he took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. His bullet pierced the mech’s large faceplate and shattered its CPU. Crashing to the ground, the mech exploded in fantastic fashion. Zaeed didn’t even wait for the smoke to clear before he barrelled forward towards the exit, with Grunt and Garrus close behind.
Bright light nearly blinded them once more as they rushed the platform just in time to see Vido stepping onto a gunship.
“Not this time, Zaeed, you son of a bitch. See you in a another twenty years,” Vido spat over the comms. Zaeed let out a primal yell as he shot wildly towards the ship, piercing the windshield before the gunship turned and blazed out of sight. He continued to click despite the thermal clip being completely spent. He angrily banged against the Vindicator rifle, knocking the piping hot clip from it's chamber.
“You just cost me twenty years of my life!” Zaeed screamed as he aimed his gun at Garrus. Grunt growled protectively, but the thermal clip that Zaeed had discarded burst into flame, as it had landed in a trail of petrol. A fiery explosion pushed all of them back as metal debris flew everywhere, with one metal beam landing directly on top of Zaeed, pinning him down in a puddle of oil. “AH! Son of a bitch!”
“Zaeed, you alright?” Garrus called.
“The hell do you care? I’m fine. Now come on, get me out of this shit hole.” Garrus moved forward as he appraised Zaeed. The man was a danger to the crew, the mission, and most importantly, a danger to Shepard. If this was the teammate he turned out to be, there was no way Garrus would let him back on the Normandy.
“I’m not sure Shepard needs a man like you on her ship,” Garrus growled.
“If she didn’t need me, Cerberus wouldn’t have paid my fee. I’ll do what I was paid to do. Nothing more, nothing less,” Zaeed spat. “Besides, not your call to make, jacko! Now stop screwing around! Let’s go!”
“You put your own goals ahead of the mission. That’s not the way this works,” Garrus said, feeling utterly like a hypocrite but standing his ground.
“I’ve survived this long watching my own back. No time to worry about anyone else.” Garrus stood up swiftly, pulling his sidearm and aiming it directly at Zaeed’s skull. Grunt’s eyes went wide but otherwise, he stood back. Zaeed stared down the barrel of the gun, his eyes narrowing.
“You’re part of a team now, Zaeed. There’s not way we can do this unless we’re all working together.” Garrus flipped the gun around so it’s handle was facing Zaeed. The old merc stared at Garrus for a long time - a lot longer than was probably smart considering he was sitting in a pool of flammable liquid.
“You’re right,” he muttered. “I’m not done with Vido, but I can put that behind me long enough to get Shepard’s mission done.” Garrus looked to Grunt who nodded and stepped forward, flipping the metal beam off Zaeed like it weighed nothing. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
-----
“Normandy to shuttle Beta. You ready for pick up, Commander?” Joker popped in on the comms as the Normandy showed up on their sensors.
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” she signaled back. The shuttle flew gently into the cargo bay and landed softly on the ground. Kasumi walked quietly out with Shepard not far behind.
“Welcome back, Shepard,” Miranda greeted her before her eyes fell to Shepard’s feet. “Commander… where are your shoes?” Jane snorted. Good riddance. Miranda looked over at Kasumi, but Shepard shook her head. Miranda’s eyes softened. “We’ll clear out the shuttle and get your gear cleaned up.”
“Thank you, Miranda. How did Zaeed’s mission go?” Shepard asked, trying to tamp down the nervousness in her voice.
“It… went. Everyone is fine, but I’ll debrief you in the morning,” Miranda explained. At least everyone was ok… Garrus was ok. Shepard nodded and put her arm around Kasumi, leading her gently to the elevator. Shepard stepped in and hit the button for the crew deck. As the lift doors closed, Kasumi sighed heavily.
“Thank you, Shep,” she said quietly.
“Of course, Kasumi.” The thief looked up at Shepard, her eyes shining from under the low hood she always wore. A slight smirk pulled at her lips. “What?”
“Oh, just my cosmetology skills are still sharp. A whole battle with a squadron of mercs, mechs, and a gunship, and your lipstick is still perfect,” Kasumi teased. Shepard smiled.
“Do you want me to walk you to your quarters?”
“No, I’ll be ok. But I appreciate it. Though, I might call you if I need to have another cry. Your boobs were extremely comfortable to cry on,” Kasumi said. Shepard barked a laugh.
“Now that is one I have never heard before.” The thief bowed her head to Shepard before she stepped off the elevator. Jane’s eyes fell down to the batteries. Should I go and check in? The ever present ache in her chest depending as she thought of him rejecting her once more. She sighed sadly. Dejectedly, she hit the button for her cabin.
Stepping onto her landing, all she could think about was getting out of that damn dress and stepping into a hot shower. If her make up had survived the whole mission, Jane was afraid it might never come off. The doors to her cabin slid open and Jane froze on the doorstep.
“Jane. Can we talk?”