Fire on the Horizon

Chapter 38: Arrogance, Loss, and the Game

Garrus and Shepard made all the necessary arrangements for the last day on the Citadel before they headed back out. They were not to be disturbed by Turian High Command or by the Normandy and Alliance unless it was a dire situation. Both of them put contacts in place to handle anything that may come up. As an added measure, they both shut off their omnitools and left them on the Normandy. That way, someone would have to take the extra steps to contact them and couldn't just call for every single issue.

They arrived at the apartments around 10am Citadel time. Shepard could hear music of some kind coming out of the apartment that Adrian now occupied and was once Vakarian owned. Garrus smiled at her. "He's watching the a game. It's the pre-game music." He knocked and they heard a muffled sound that sounded like come in.

The doors slid open and revealed a wall covered in nothing but Turian military notices. It looked like a mini war room. There was only one area of the apartment that wasn't covered in some form of military paperwork and that was the L-shaped sofa in front of the flatscreen.

Adrian appeared from the kitchen. He walked to Shepard and Garrus shaking Garrus' hand and clapping him on the back. Shepard offered her hand and he pulled her into a quick hug. They all walked into the living room and took seats around the sofa. It was a few minutes before Adrian spoke.

"The food will be here shortly. I ordered from Apollo's. So, catch me up. What's the new cat up a tree they have you chasing?"

Shepard took a deep breath and Garrus spoke for her. He knew that she would beat around the bush about what had happened on Thessia so he decided to be the one to rip off the band aid.

"We lost Thessia." He said quickly before taking a sip of Turian beer Adrian had given him.

Adrian nodded and looked at Shepard, gauging her reaction. She sighed and looked out of the apartment window to the fountains outside.

"You can't expect a small group of commando's, load of matriarchs, academics, and a spantering of strippers to know how to defend a planet. Unfortunately, they are so fucking arrogant they thought it would work out. Actually, to be more to the point, they thought what they always have."

Shepard sighed. "And what is that?"

"That they were untouchable. They made the biggest mistake in war. They believed they were protected and untouchable. No one is untouchable in war. Everyone is a target."

Shepard looked to Garrus who inclined his head in agreement before sipping on his beer again. She turned to Adrian who just sat, waiting, like he usually did. What he said was true, but he said it to get a rise out of her and she knew it.

She took a deep breath. "The Asari have always been this way, That's all the more reason we should have seen their reaction coming and stepped in sooner to save Thessia."

The reaction she got was not the one she expected. Garrus looked like he had just been slapped and Adrian let out a bark of laughter.

He shook his hand at her and got up to grab another drink. He came back in and leaned against the doorway going into the living room from the kitchen.

"Let me get this right. You think that we all, as a whole, should have seen the Asari being arrogant assholes and blind to anything around them. We should have forced them to see reason in order to save THEIR homeworld because this is just how the Asari are? And you felt that would have worked?"

She opened her mouth and he cut her off as he picked up a smoke and lit it. He took a drag and shook his head.

"Jane, I like you. Because I like you I'm going to be blunt with you. That's stupid. It's the most insane and ignorant thing I believe you have ever said and I don't think for a moment you believe it. That's your diplomatic side coming out. I'm not Hackett. I'm not the council. I'm a soldier. Talk to me like one. What do you REALLY think about the fall of Thessia?"

Jane sighed and reached for the beer Adrian had ordered just for her. She cracked it open and took a large pull of it. Shaking her head she stood up and walked to the window. She turned around and sighed.

"I think they truly thought they wouldn't be touched and when they were they wanted someone else to swoop in and save their asses. I think that the only time they see any use for me or anyone else is when they are knee deep in shit and know they are about to have a real problem. They could have cared fucking less what I was saying until the reapers were knocking on their door. Then, then...you know what it was? It wasn't "Hey Shepard come and save our people." No, no fuck that. It was "we've been hiding an artifact that we waited until the wet ass hour to tell anyone about. Could you go get it for us, risk your life, and save our skins so we can be the saviors of the ones who had the final thing needed to destroy this shit. Gee thanks."

She shook her head and threw herself back down in a huff on the sofa. Garrus was chuckling at her a bit. It was the first time since Thessia that he heard her actually just let out how she really felt. Adrian let a smile take over and nodded.

"Now, what happened?"

Shepard shook her head. "The Asari counselor asked me to go in and get the artifact. We didn't know how much of hell they were in until we got there. Seems they had been hiding, and funding the hiding spot, of a prothean artifact. Liara didn't want to believe it. She just kept acting like her people wouldn't do that."

Adrian laughed and looked at Garrus. "Isn't that sweet? The poor girl still had hopes and dreams that her people had good intentions."

Garrus nodded and chuckled. "Yes, Liara isn't like us. She still has an affection for her government."

They all laughed and Jane shook her head.

"Cerberus was there. They got the artifact and left. Thessia fell within minutes."

Adrian nodded. "Hmm, let me ask something. If you had the artifact in hand, would the reapers had left? Full retreat of Thessia? Oh shit, Shepard got it. Well, we're done here."

Jane blinked and Garrus almost spit his beer out laughing. He held his hand up in an "I'm sorry" gesture.

Adrian looked at her and snuffed out his smoke. "Well? Answer me Commander. Would they have done a full retreat if you got the artifact?"

She blinked again and shook her head. "No, of course not."

"Then YOU did not fail anyone. You are not the reason Thessia fell. The Asari had multiple warnings and did not heed them. The Asari saw Palavan fall, Earth fall, and Tuchanka attacked. Yet, they did nothing to prevent it on their own planet. You're actions only work to help prevent further deaths, not their deaths. That was their job. The Asari lost Thessia, not you."

Jane templed her fingers and put her elbows on her knees. She looked over at Garrus and he nodded at her. "He's right. I didn't say anything before because I didn't know how to approach it with you. You were dealing with Liara's upset over it. I had no idea how to say this wasn't your fault and get you to listen to me."

Jane shook her head. "Wait this whole day was a set-up to give me a military pep talk?"

They both nodded and clinked beer bottles together before taking drinks.

"Assholes!"

They both nodded and chuckled.

Adrian laughed and shook his head. "So, what's the plan? I mean, you have the choice of sitting and crying in your literal beer or getting the damn thing back."

"We are going to figure out how to find where Kai Lang went and get it all back. We will get it back. We will finish the Crucible. We will win."

Garrus smiled. "That's my girl. There she is."

Adrian nodded. "Indeed. Now, no more shop talk. We have a game to watch, two movies, pizza, wings, beers to drink, and some relaxation to have."

They all agreed as Adrian turned the volume up on the game.