Fire on the Horizon

Chapter 35: Burning Fires

Garrus was sitting on the sectional in the Captain's cabin. He had a vid screen open to the Alliance News Network as he worked on his rifle. The truth was, working on his rifle was just a way to have something in his hands. He was watching as different cities burned, evac units worked to get people on shuttles, and those shuttles departed. News reporters wincing as they tried to give a report from the front lines.

Shepard walked in and looked at him through the glass encasing her ship collection. He hadn't heard the door open or noticed her yet. She watched as he draped the rifle over his bent knee and outstretched his other leg. That's when she caught it. It was the rich smell of tobacco of some kind. She glanced and he had the lid of a cup of coffee tipped over as an ashtray. He had only had the one, but that one was a sign of how much stress he was under.

She had only seen him smoke on a handful of other occasions. He had even said once that on occasion he would light one just for the smell because his father smoked and it was comforting to him. She stepped around the corner and let her hand trail over him. He didn't jump. That was one of the things she loved about him.

He leaned up, placing the rifle on the floor and leaning on the sectional. He put out the smoke and tipped it, the ashes, and the lid back over the coffee cup to seal it off. He put his elbows on his knees and took a deep breath. Jane watched him intently until she let out a small gasp as he suddenly leaned over and grabbed her. Pulling her into his lap and laying them both back on the sectional. She smiled as she heard him laugh low in his chest.

"How you doing big guy?" She smiled and snuggled into him letting her Commander side go away for a bit. She was Commander Shepard from the moment she stepped out of that cabin to the second she stepped back in. Hours and hours, sometimes days on end. She needed to be Jane and Garrus let her do that.

"Still no word on my dad and sister. Shuttles have been leaving the area and the word is that they did make it off. With no shuttle numbers to track and no ships for those shuttles to dock with, there's no telling where they will end up."

Jane hugged him. She felt a sort of guilt for having heard news on her mother earlier in the day. It didn't seem fair. Although, when she had told Garrus the news earlier he had agreed with her that the news wasn't fantastic. Her mother was alive, sure, but her mother was Alliance and in charge of not just her ship but several. She could be taken out at anytime and Jane wouldn't be notified until Hackett was and until he could notify her. It could be well after the war ended before she got any solid news.

"If you can think of anyone to get a message out to, let me know. I'll have EDI do what she can." It was all she could think to say at this point.

Garrus sighed and ran his hand down Jane's back. He didn't really respond to her statement.
Jane sat up and looked down at him. Garrus reached up and smirked as he tapped a talon on the tip of her nose. "Credit for your thoughts."

She smiled. "I was just thinking that I've always heard a ship Commander's crew is her family. It never hit until right now."

He nodded and sat up slightly, keeping his leg against hers. He didn't want to be any further from her than he possibly had to be. His talons reached up and pulled out a hair tie. He let his talons untangle the mass of hair and smooth it out for her. "Indeed."

There was a long pause and he cleared his throat. "Speaking of family. I wanted to talk to you about something. Something important."

Shepard looked at Garrus with concern in her eyes. "Sounds serious."

Garrus nodded. "You could say that. It occurred to me after our date, while I was handling some meetings..."

Garrus was cut off by EDI coming over Shepard's cabin intercom.

"Shepard. Dr. T'Soni needs to speak with you immediately. It is regarding the meeting you had with the Asari councilor."

Garrus mouthed to her, "You saw the counselor?"

Shepard nodded and rolled her eyes. "Okay, EDI. I'll see Liara soon."

"Shepard, she needs to speak with you now. Jeff would like me to state that ETA to Thessia is 30 minutes."

Shepard put her elbows on her shoulders and reached out for her hair tie to put her hair back up. She sighed and shook her head. "Thank you EDI."

The com went silent and Shepard stood up.

"Liara doesn't usually demand anything. This seems out of character. What's going on Jane?"

Shepard sighed as she checked herself in the bathroom mirror. "The short end of it is that there is an artifact hidden on Thessia. We need that artifact because it might maybe be something that helps with the crucible."

Garrus waved his hand in a "fuck that" sort of way. He turned and grabbed his armor to start suiting up. "So, instead of letting us know this when the crucible was first introduced, or when she asked us to help with the monastery, or at any given point along the way she decided to wait until the wet ass hour and expect us to run and do it for her. I am so tired of this from them."

"Agreed. We still need to suit up and go get it. I'm not sure what we are going to run into down there Garrus. It could be mild. It could be really bad. Have you ever been to Thessia?"

She began suiting up alongside him. He started fastening the buckles on his boots and lower body armor. "I went there a few times over the years. Once was when I was very little. I think we went there to visit a friend of dad's. The second time was again for dad. Something to do with a C-sec case. Then the last time I went was to escort Sol for a summer trip she had been approved for. It's our culture that the girls have an escort for things like that if they are under age. Just to get them there, make sure proper chaperones are there, and leave. So, I was there overnight basically. Think of it like Illium with more arrogance and sensuality."

She nodded. "Good to know. You ready?"

He nodded and grabbed his weapons as they walked out of the cabin. They had barely made their way into the CIC when Joker began calling for Shepard. Apparently the planet was under high siege.

"Shepard we're gonna have to go in hot. They are swarmed. This is bad Shepard. Real bad."

Jane turned just in time to see Liara running to her. "That's my planet! Those are my people! I'm going with you!"

Jane nodded. "Hurry up and suit up. We'll meet you at the shuttle bay."

Jane took another look at the feed coming in from Thessia. She felt Garrus touch her arm and whisper to her. "Come on. It's not going to get any better staring at it."