#everyone else is arguing about landing but shepard/joker just communicate

[brandyxlynn91]

Galaxies Together: Jane's POV pt. 8

Jane still couldn’t believe she hugged Garrus like that. She wondered if it was way out of line, but he didn’t push her away. Did the fact that he hugged her back mean he liked her or was he just being kind, she wondered. Just then a knock came at her cabin door, she rushed over thinking it might be Garrus. When she opened the door, it ended up being Kaidan.

“Oh. Hey Kaidan.” She greeted him. She was happy to see him too. He was always a friendly face.

“Hey, I um heard what happened with Cerberus.” He said, sounding sympathetic.

“Yeah. It was horrible.” She replied, rubbing the back of her neck. She told him about everything they found in the facilities and what happened to the admiral.

“Why didn’t you ask me for help?” He asked her.

“Well, it was the middle of the night. I didn’t want to wake you. Garrus was already up and he decided to wake up Wrex for it. It was just kind of a time sensitive moment or so I thought.” She told him while looking down at the floor. She could still see the admiral’s body full of needle marks in her mind.

“Hey. I didn’t mean anything- are you okay?” he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. Before she could respond, Joker came on the comm saying they were approaching Virmire. She told Kaidan she had to get ready to go and went on her way.

As she was gearing up, she was still thinking about Garrus but now she was thinking about Kaidan too. She knew it wasn’t a secret that Kaidan liked her and she liked him too. But then she liked Garrus too. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of her feelings. Just then her thoughts were interrupted with Joker announcing he couldn’t land the Normandy because of AA guns on the planet. She told him to drop them in the mako and they’d take care of the guns. She asked her squad if they were ready. Garrus said he was and asked if she was ready. She grabbed her rifle and said she was with a smile.

Once on the ground, Jane immediately made her way to the first gatehouse. She quickly took out the geth with the mako. They could at least make it a challenge, she thought. She then jumped out and opened the gate for the mako. On their way to the second gatehouse, Wrex commented that she seemed to be doing better. She took this opportunity to apologize to him for taking her anger out on him. He told her to never mention it to anyone that she got him to shut up and she coyly acted oblivious, then shared a smile with Garrus. Wrex said he liked her and she had to admit to herself that he was growing on her too. She had found her perfect crew. Everyone had started feeling like family to her, something she hadn’t known since she was a teenager. The only one missing was Captain Anderson, who had started feeling like a father to her. But then she remembered Garrus saying he was going back to C-sec after their mission was over and a sadness washed over her. She shook it off when she saw the second gatehouse.

They dispatched the geth and she disabled the AA guns then cleared out the third gatehouse as well. They saw the Normandy head towards the salarian camp and made their way there. Once they got there, she saw Ashley and Kaidan arguing with a salarian.

“What’s the problem?” She walked up and interrupted them.

“I’m Captain Kirrahe. I was just explaining that I’ll reveal my plans once the cavalry gets here.” He told her.

“Well, here we are.” Jane replied, holding her hands up. “The distress message was unclear and we were sent to investigate.”

“You can't be serious!” He said, sounding none to happy. “I’ve already lost half my men investigating this place. Saren’s breeding an army of krogan!”

“How is that possible?” Wrex spoke up.

“He’s developed a cure. And we need to destroy it.” Kirrahe replied.

“You can’t do that to my people. We need that cure!” Wrex argued.

“The krogan were a mistake. The genophage rectified that mistake.” He replied.

“We are not a mistake!” Wrex got in the captain’s face. That’s when Jane got in between them. Before she could say anything, Wrex stormed off.

“You need to control your krogan or get rid of him.” The captain told Jane.

“Don’t worry about him.” Jane folded her arms, annoyed. “I’ll talk to him.”

Garrus grabbed her shoulder and asked if she needed backup. She noticed Kaidan eyeing them. She could tell he looked jealous but she didn’t have time to deal with that at the time. She told Garrus she’d be fine and made her way over to Wrex. She saw him angrily shooting off his shotgun over the distance. Okay, don’t screw this up, she thought to herself as she took a deep breath.

As she approached him, Wrex started telling her it wasn’t right. That if there’s a cure, they shouldn’t destroy it. She tried to tell him she understood but Saren was the enemy and he was the one he should be angry with. Wrex rebuffed her saying Saren created the cure and she wanted to destroy it, he told her the line between friend and foe was starting to blur. She told him that Saren would use it as a weapon and Wrex wouldn’t be around to reap the benefits. He told her that it was a chance they should be willing to take, then he got in her face saying he’s been loyal so far and she’s done more for him than anyone else but if he was going to keep following her, he needed to know it was for the right reasons. She made sure she didn’t flinch, she had to stand her ground. That’s when he pulled his shotgun out on her, she reacted by pulling out her pistol. She put it back down almost immediately and told him these krogan weren’t his people, that they were slaves of Saren's and asked if that’s what he wanted for them. He told her his people were tools for the council once and he doubted Saren would be as generous. He told her he didn’t like it but he would trust her and put his shotgun down. She thanked him for listening to her and went to let the others know.

After getting back to the others, they went to talk to Kirrahe. He expressed surprise that Jane was able to talk “the krogan" down. Jane was starting to get really annoyed by his attitude and firmly told him the krogan's name was Wrex and he was her friend. The captain cleared his throat and then told her about his plan to have his own teams to a head on attack to the base so her team to sneak in the plant the bomb. She told him it sounded like a suicide mission for his men and he agreed then told her he needed one of her people to lead one of his teams. She was taken aback and asked if he was serious. He told her he didn’t have enough men left for full teams and needed the assistance. That’s when Ashley stepped up and volunteered. Then Kaidan said he could do it and they started arguing. Jane knew it needed to be done and sighed in defeat, then asked who Kirrahe thought was best for the job. He told her either would be capable enough. She knew that Ashley would be the best choice and turned to her. She told her she would lead a team and not to do any heroics. She wanted her back alive. Ashley saluted her then her expression turned dark. She told her it had been an honor to serve with her then Ashley looked at Garrus and said “all of you", Garrus shook her hand and said the feeling was mutual. Jane thought Ashley had come a long way, remembering their talks about how Ashley didn’t trust aliens and Jane trying to convince her to give them a chance. She reminded Ashley to come back alive and they went to Kirrahe to hear the full plan.

On the way to the base, Jane went out of her way to disrupt the geth communication relay, destroy the satellite uplink and their flyers. That should help them, she said quietly to herself. She wanted to do everything she could to help Ashley come back alive.

They reached the outside of the base and Garrus went to the console.

“Okay. I can unlock the doors from here. I could also divert guards away from us but that would lead them to where Ashley’s team is.” He told her.

“Just unlock the doors. They’ve got enough trouble. Besides the guards will make good target practice.” She told him.

“Of course. How about a friendly wager? Let’s see who can kill the most guards. Loser buys winner drinks.” Garrus replied.

“You’re on, Vakarian.” She agreed with a smile.

Once inside, they took on the guards with ease and moved further in.

“Damn Shepard, you almost shot me a few times.” Wrex complained.

“Shouldn’t have gotten in my way, Wrex. I had some free drinks to win.” Jane replied then smirked at Garrus. It was close but she won the bet. She was looking forward to some downtime with the squad, but especially with Garrus.

“Fine. But do me a favor, no dancing. You’re terrible at it.” Garrus told her.

“Alright, wise guy. Just for that, you OWE me a dance.”

“Ha! I don’t get paid enough credits to cover that much alcohol.” Garrus rebutted.

“We’ll see.” Jane said quietly, smiling to herself.

They reached some kind of detention center where they found salarians locked up. Jane thought it must’ve been the missing agents. They all looked out of it except for one. Upon talking to him, he told them that Saren used his ship to indoctrinate them. I’m getting real tired of this indoctrination shit, she thought to herself. She released them from the cages and told them she was going to blow this place up, but the one she talked to was the only salarian to run. They moved on until they got to a lab area where scientists and guards attacked them, they quickly took them out. The asari scientist surrendered, she put her hands up and told them she was unarmed. She told them more about the indoctrination and confessed she thought Saren was indoctrinated himself. She gave Jane a key for Saren’s private area and Jane told her to get out cause she was going to blow the place up. The asari looked at her like she was crazy and asked if she was joking. Jane told her she wasn’t and mimicked an explosion with her hands. The asari looked horrified and said she’d never make it in time and Jane told her she better start running. Garrus chuckled and said she enjoyed that and Jane just told him maybe with a smirk while Wrex just laughed.

They headed into the next room and saw another beacon, just like the one on eden prime. Jane went over to it and more images came to her previous visions. After the vision, she had to regain her senses again. I’ll never get used to that feeling, she thought.

“Are you okay?” Garrus asked, sounding concerned.

“I’m not sure. The beacons were a warning about the reaper attack. Sent throughout the galaxy but they were too late. The reapers still wiped them out. We need to set this bomb and warn the council!” She told them. Just when they were about to leave, a hologram appeared.

“What is that?” Garrus remarked.

“Nothing good.” Wrex replied.

It said it was Sovereign and it was their destruction. That’s when Jane realized it wasn’t a reaper ship, it was a reaper. It was clear it thought very little of organics and told them this cycle was on the brink of its destruction. It told them the protheans weren’t the first cycle they annihilated and the pattern had occurred more times than they could comprehend. It told them that they created the citadel and mass relays so organics would evolve in the path they desired and so they could destroy them when they demanded.

“What do you want from us?” Jane asked it.

“We are beyond anything you can understand. We were here long before you and we will exist long after you are eradicated. We give order to the chaos of organics.” It told her.

“Where are the other reapers? Are you the last of your kind?” Jane asked, confused.

“They are coming. You cannot escape your demise.”

“You’re just a machine and machines can be broken.” She told it, firmly.

“Your threats are empty and this exchange is over.” It told her before disappearing.

Just then all the glass around them shattered. Jane was crouched down and when she looked up, she saw that Garrus was standing over her in a protective stance. Before she could say anything, Joker came on the comm saying Sovereign was headed her way.

“We need to go set that bomb. Now!” Jane told the squad and they ran for the bomb site.

When they got there, they saw the Normandy land and Kaidan walk out with the bomb.

“Commander, I’m pinned down at the second AA tower. The geth are- damn bastards!” Ashley came on the comm.

“Go Shepard. I need a few more minutes to set this bomb anyways.” Kaidan told her.

Jane didn’t waste any time. She ran as fast as she could towards Ashley. They had just came up the elevator when they saw a geth dropship heading towards the bombsite.

“Kaidan, there’s geth headed towards your location.” Jane radioed him.

“They're already here. Bastards are all over the place. Just go help Ash, I’m making sure this bomb’s going off no matter what!” He told her.

“Don’t be crazy. Don’t worry about me, commander. Go help Alenko.” Ashley said over the comm.

Jane froze. She didn’t want to lose anyone. She didn’t want to make this choice but she knew she had to. She apologized to Ashley trying to hold back tears. Ashley didn’t sound angry or upset and just told her it had been an honor to serve with her.

They ran back to the bomb site and took out the geth. Jane ran towards Kaidan when a biotic blast hit them and sent them all flying. Jane looked up just in time to see Saren throw more biotics towards her. She managed to dodge them and hid behind a pillar.

“Why are you doing this?” She asked him.

“To survive. As long as I do what they want, I’m useful to them.” He told her.

“You’re crazy. They’ve indoctrinated you too!” She yelled at him.

“Maybe. It’s better than being dead. You’re more capable than I thought, woman. Join us and you’ll be spared too.” He tried convincing her.

“Never! I’d rather be dead than a slave!” She replied. She jumped out and started shooting him. He just simply went over to her then grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air. She struggled trying to get free then a small blast distracted him so she took the chance to punch him in the face. He then dropped her and fled.

Just then the Normandy came to their location, Jane picked up an injured Kaidan and they all ran to the Normandy.

“We have to go help Ashley!” Jane said. “Hang on ash, we’re-"

“No time commander. Do me a favor and kill that son of a bitch.” Ashley responded. Just then the bomb went off. Jane watched out the window with tears welling up as she saw the explosion.

In the meeting room, Kaidan went off on Jane. He told her she should’ve saved Ashley. She told him she had to make a choice and she stood by it. She didn’t tell anyone how much that choice was tearing her up inside. Just then Liara offered to try to make more sense of the visions. After they melded, Liara told them the conduit was in Ilos. Jane dismissed everyone so she could contact the council. She stood there for a moment with her back to the door trying to regain her composure. That’s when Garrus told her he was sorry. She couldn’t face him at the moment. She had just sent someone under her command to their death. She just stood there quiet until she heard him leave. The council still didn’t believe her about the reapers. They asked her to come to the citadel and she told them they’d be there the next day.

Afterwards, she told Joker that no one was to disturb her. She took a bottle of asari alcohol to her room. A couple minutes later, she heard a knock at her door. She opened it to see Garrus holding a bottle of turian whiskey.

“I’m sorry, Garrus. I want to be alone right now.” She told him softly.

“Yeah. But you need a friend right now and so do I.” He replied.

“Alright.” She didn’t have the energy to argue and sat down on her bed. She took a swig of her alcohol. “Did I do the right thing?”

“Neither decision was right or wrong. It was a hard decision and you went with your gut. You are the most considerate and compassionate person I know. Don’t let this take you down. Use it. Defeat Saren. Make him pay.” He told her, sitting down next to her.

“Thanks, Garrus.” She replied, then raised her bottle. “To Ashley and her sacrifice.”

“To good friends who left too soon.” Garrus said, raising his bottle. They then sat in quiet, drinking until she fell asleep.

Her nightmares came back that night. She saw her family killed in front of her then her squad destroyed by a thresher and the admiral’s dead body at the Cerberus headquarters. She then saw Ashley sitting on a bench in what looked like a forest. She sat down next to her and buried her face in her hands.

“I’m so sorry, Ash.” She cried.

“Don’t be, commander.” She touched her shoulder. “You’re the one that saved me on Eden Prime."

“But then I sent you to your death!”

“No you didn’t. I volunteered and you did your best. You can’t save everyone.” She consoled her.

“I should’ve went back for you.”

“Then you would be dead, too. And the galaxy needs you to stop Saren and Sovereign. Besides I get to be with my dad again.” Ashley smiled. “You taught me so much. I know what a good team is and I even learned to trust aliens.”

“I’m going to miss you, Ash.” Jane said as she hugged her.