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The waters of Trebia were always more green than blue. The rolling waves were more reminiscent of grass blown by a prairie wind than the crystal blue oceans of home. Even the sky in this region seemed wrong; there was a silvery sheen that clung to the atmosphere and helmsman Moreau had been squinting his eyes against the glare and imagined shapes and objects for hours, now.Jane involuntarily shuddered. She didn’t like this place. The sea looked sick and the crew were tense; their posture rigid as they worked, and conversation stilted to non-existent. “Thoughts, Commander Shepard?”Jane managed not to startle at the silent approach of Captain Anderson. Turning to the older man, whose rich, sienna brown skin wore the salt and sea air of a seasoned navy man, Jane drew her lips into a thin line.“This place is blighted.” She finally said, gazing back over the endless chartreuse waves. “The crew feel it too. Was it really wise to venture into Hierarchy waters?”The Captain rested his hands on the mahogany siding of the Normandy’s deck. “Wise? No. But necessary.” He glanced an almond shaped eye in Jane’s direction. “The Council wants this eezo immediately. Our defensive shields haven’t run this low since the asari matriarchs were children.” He leaned further out onto his elbows. “The fastest way home is through Palaven. Turians – merians, whatever you want to call them don’t appreciate trespassers, but they won’t risk all out war over one ship.”Jane didn’t say anything. Merians held no love for the “land walkers,” least of all krogan after their bloody war centuries ago, but humans were still an unknown variable. Sometimes you’d hear of abalone divers or fisherman who disappeared while hunting too close to the Trebian sea, and merians were generally blamed for these vanishings, but there was never any proof.Still though. The sooner they were back in Citadel waters, the better. Alliance, Salarian and Thessian ships were more than a match for whatever aquatic horrors the turians possessed. And as the Normandy steadily tread through the eerie waters, Jane found herself feeling more at ease, secure in the knowledge of military superiority.“This place gives me the creeps,” crewman Williams said as the pair ate their ration bars near the stern several hours later. “I feel like we’re being watched.”“That’s because we are,” Lieutenant Alenko chimed in as he approached. “The merians have probably been watching us since we first entered their waters.”While Jane was inclined to agree with the Lieutenant she wasn’t about to set the crew panicking with images of watery spies from the depths. “Merians have never attacked a human ship before,” she pointed out.“Just kidnapped lone fisherman and drown them,” Williams said, pointedly.Jane sighed. Ashley Williams was an impeccable sea woman and came from a notable line of admirals and captains. But she grew up in a human and asari town that boarded merian territory and had been spoon fed tales of carnage and watery death since she was a toddler. Unfortunately, her superstitions and distrust of those that lived beneath the ocean waters had endured into her adulthood.“Well, we aren’t a lone fisherman.” Jane said with an air of finality. Mercifully, both Williams and Alenko dropped the subject.By nightfall, with Citadel water only a few hours away, the crew had nearly returned to their usual cheer. Bathed in ivory moonlight, Jane looked out over the glowing water. Captain Anderson had gone to sleep, and she was in command of the Normandy for the final leg of their journey.As she stood pondering the first thing she’d do while on shore leave, a sharp cry cut through the night winds, and had her instinctively reaching for her cutlass. Recognizing the shout as one of her crew, Jane sprinted toward the starboard side of the vessel. The night crew, which consisted of only seven people, including herself, had gathered at the side of the ship and were murmuring and gesturing to something caught in the tow line – which Jane saw with burning irritation had not been secured.Pushing her way through the crowd, she peered over the side of the ship and almost forgot how to breath. Tangled in the thick rope and thrashing frantically was a creature she’d only seen in books; silvery scales like crescent moons gleamed in the reflected light of the lanterns being held aloft by the crew. A thick, powerful tail with silver fins churned the water until it frothed an angry white and every few moments, an upper torso with strong arms and webbed, taloned hands appeared.“Shepard, it’s getting dragged against the hull,” Lieutenant Alenko whispered excitedly. “It’ll be ripped to pieces.”While there was no record of merians attacking human vessels, dragging the tattered remains of one of their own behind them, while in their territory, might be enough to change those statistics. She’d have to move quickly.Pulling off her cobalt blue officers’ jacket and boots, Jane rushed toward the long boats. She immediately began to untie one, so that she could be lowered down next to the struggling captive.“Shepard, what are you doing?” Alenko hissed. “Are you insane?”Jane ignored him. “Tell Moreau to slow down, but not stop. Lower the sails, I’m not going to be run over by my own ship.”She heard several “aye ayes” and assured her orders were being followed, she tossed the rope over to Alenko, who was still standing next to her and looking torn between terror and rage.“Lieutenant lower me down. I’m going to cut it free.”Kaiden could be headstrong, and even stubborn at times, but he was the epitome of a good solider. “Yes ma’am,” he said as he and another man began to lower the long boat down to the panicked creature.Pulling out a small dagger, as soon as she was close enough to the tow line, Jane began sawing at it with her blade. The ship had noticeably slowed its pace, but even so, Jane had to shake the water out of her face as the spray flew and the creature continued to struggle against its bindings.“Stop thrashing!” Jane yelled out in frustration as she leaned forward in an attempt to finish slicing through the thick, wet cable. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but the creature ceased its frantic movements, and she was able to finally cut the last of the rope free from its thick, silver plated body.The creature – a merian it was a sentient being she reminded herself – dove beneath the dark green waters as though it had never existed. Jane sighed as she leaned back on her arms in exhaustion. When she opened her eyes again to call out to Alenko to hoist her back up she was no longer alone; peering at her over the side of the boat with eyes as blue as the open sky, and rich cobalt markings along its plated nose, cheeks and mandibles was a simultaneously gorgeous, yet alien being.Jane stared back, her own green eyes wide in shock. She should say something, she realized. She was technically a representative of all humanity, and the council races. But, as she opened her mouth to speak, the Normandy suddenly banked hard to the right, flinging the long boat against its hull and violently tossing her into the surprisingly warm waters of the Trebian sea.Bobbing back to the surface, Jane took a deep breath of air before the splintering of wood and snap of ropes signaled the long boat crashing down over her head. The last thing she remembered before her world went black was certain death from above.**********It was warm, here. And smelled nice, too. Whatever was beneath her head felt soft and Jane rolled onto side to find a more comfortable position. The movement was a mistake. Her entire skull radiated pain and her arms were sore and too heavy to move properly. Groaning, she opened her eyes.She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but a white sand beach with birds crying overhead was far from the afterlife she’d envisioned. Pushing herself up on shaky arms, Jane rubbed at her head. The sore lump she felt beneath her fiery red hair was more than enough to convince her she was still alive.“Licuit mihi?” A gravely, duel toned voice asked.Despite her throbbing head, Jane whipped around and was left slack jawed for the third time in less than a day. Scaled tail still being kissed by the surf, the merian from the night before was hauled up next to her on the beach, propped up on plated elbows and looking at her with what she could only describe as concern in its sapphire gaze.“What?” She choked out dumbly.“Nocuerunt tibi?” The alien being slowly reached out a large, three fingered hand, pausing before it touched Jane’s hair with feather light claws.Jane held perfectly still. Is this some sort of greeting ceremony? She wondered.“Tam pulcher…” the merian muttered, seemingly to itself.“I can’t…” Jane closed her eyes, willing herself to focus and choose her words carefully. “I don’t understand you,” she said to her companion.The merian turned its almost avian eyes to her face. Its mandibles fluttered against its cheeks softly as though it were considering something.“Are you hurt?” It asked in that strangely beautiful voice.Jane felt her eyebrows raise. “You speak Standard?” She asked.“We all can,” the merian replied.Jane was still too tired and dizzy to contemplate the ramifications of that revelation. But there was one thing her mind was dying to know.“You saved me.” She said, eyes focused on the merians own azure ones.The much larger creature nodded. “I brought you to land. Citadel ships pass here frequently.” As it said this it glanced over its shoulder at the still empty sea beyond.“Thank you, er…” Jane trailed off. “Do you have a name?” she asked.The merian hesitated, and Jane wondered if it’d actually give her its real name – or a name at all.“Garrus.” It said.“Garrus.” Jane repeated coming into a more comfortable seated position. “Are you, um, are you a male, Garrus?” She asked, feeling stupid for inquiring but needing to know.Garrus’ brow plates lowered over offended looking eyes. “Of course I’m a male!” He said, as though that should have been obvious. “And you’re a female.”Well, he clearly knows far more about my people than I do his, Jane mused, wishing she’d been more interested in history and foreign culture.“Sorry,” she apologized. Garrus looked mollified by this and gently took her chin in his massive hand, looking at her closely.“You don’t look hurt,” he said.“The long boat fell on my head. I’ve got a nice lump and a massive headache, but I think I’m alright.” She told him. “Garrus, I thought merians – turians, hated the council peoples.” She said, curiosity burning through her pain.Garrus released her chin and tilted his head. “We don’t hate you.” He said. “We just don’t trust you. The krogan slaughtered millions of my kind, and the rest of the land walkers just stood on the shores and watched.”He snorted before looking at Jane with narrow eyes. “You’re a human, not a krogan. But the krogan war was a long time ago, anyway.”“Long before humans were the political and naval power we are today.” Jane couldn’t help but point out.Garrus flicked his mandibles out in what almost looked like a shrug. “That’s true,” he said.“If you don’t trust humans, why did you save me? And why were you swimming so close to my ship?”Garrus made a deep rumbling sound from somewhere in his chest. “I was curious,” he said almost sheepishly. “We’re taught to avoid land walkers, but I’d never seen a Council ship before. I wanted to see how it worked, so I swam under it and, eh, I got tangled in the ropes.”“Sorry about that,” Jane said. “The ropes are supposed to be tied up.”“You aren’t supposed to be in Hierarchy waters, either.” Garrus pointed out. “The captain of my patrol wanted to attack you but was afraid of what it could mean for our people if he did.” He leaned forward on his arms, so his face was closer to Jane’s. “I was supposed to scout out your vessel and report back.”“Is your captain looking for you?” Jane asked, wondering how much trouble her new friend was going to be in.Garrus flicked out his mandibles again and made a faint chirping sound. “Probably. But he hates me anyways. Luckily for me I’m too good of a solider to dismiss. And my family is important.” He flared his mandibles outward exposing long, white teeth, that looked like fangs.“Did you save me because you were curious too?” Jane asked.“No,” Garrus shook his head. “I saved you because you saved me first.”Jane gave him a weak chuckle. “I suppose I did.”The two sat in silence for a while, Jane admiring Garrus’s strong, lithe body and the three long spikes that jutted out over the back of his head, while Garrus focused on her hair, toes and lips.Rising onto his hands, Garrus began to push himself back into the waves. “I have to go,” he said, an almost regretful trill to his voice. “I can’t be on land too long. Easy target. And my patrol will be searching for me.”“Wait,” Jane said climbing to her feet and following him. “Will I ever see you again?”Garrus stopped moving as the waves crashed over his shoulders eddied around Janes’ knees. “I…” He trailed off and Jane felt stupid for even asking. He wasn’t supposed to save her, why would he risk more trouble by trying to visit?“I’d like that,” he said surprising her. “There’s so much about humans and the council races I want to know. But, I don’t know how that would be possible.”Jane felt excitement bubble in her chest – or least she was choosing to call it excitement – as she formulated a plan. “The island of Taetrus lies just on the border of Hierarchy water. I’m overdo for extended shore leave and Taetrus is a tropical paradise for humans. Maybe we could meet there?”Garrus was looking at her with narrowed eyes and lowered brow plates. Looking for some type of deception, she thought. “Please Garrus,” she said a bit quieter. “I’d like to know more about you, too.”“On the new moon,” Garrus said as he started to slide back into the ocean. “At the pinnacle of the Vallum cove. I’ll be there at sunset.”“Deal,” Jane said, a brilliant smile on her face as Garrus disappeared into the familiar blue waters.She stared at where he’d vanished before turning to take in her surroundings.“What’s your name!” A cry called out over the surf.Jane turned back to the breakers and could just see Garrus’s head above the water. Cupping her hands over her mouth to amplify her voice she shouted, “Jane! My name is Jane!”

Gorgeous artwork by @savbakk

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It had been easy to save her, really. Garrus was one of the strongest swimmers in his patrol and as a scout, he’d explored more of the isolated islands that bordered Hierarchy water than most. If anything, saving her was necessary to clear his own conscious after she fell overboard rescuing him.Of course, he didn’t say any of this to Pallin. The Captain of the 28th patrol was a stickler for the rules, and if he learned Garrus had not only contacted a Council vessel but saved and talked with a human… well Garrus could say farewell to any more solo missions. And so, he bent the truth. Told Pallin, his fellow soldiers and even his family that he’d followed the Council ship out of Hierarchy waters – just to ensure they left peacefully – and omitted his own idiocy and most importantly, Jane.Pallin had lectured him on not straying too far from the patrol, the dangers of the land walkers, and all the usual old bias and superstition. But, as Garrus had finally settled himself back into his one room living space in the monolithic cavern where most of the active duty soldiers lived, he had struggled to get any true rest.Images of the entrancing human woman with hair like flames and eyes more verdant than any oceanic plant or animal filled even his waking dreams. Even when he’d ventured close to human villages, he’d never seen one like her before. But maybe that was just because he’d never been so near a human – or any of the land dwelling races for that matter – and he’d been able to look into Janes’ eyes and touch her bewitching hair.It was stupid though. And reckless. His father would have an aneurism if he knew Garrus planned to venture into Taetrun waters to meet with her again. But she was his chance. His opportunity to ask all the questions no one would answer; to learn what lay beyond the barrier wall of the Citadel, to ask how a cannon worked, and what lay past the coastal forests where he could never go.Sighing, Garrus gazed up through the ovular skylight in his room, up through the gently flowing waters to where the surface glowed under the suns’ warm touch. He’d go to Taetrus on the new moon. He could find some excuse. The tiny, isolated whelping islands of Nanus and Menae weren’t too far removed from Taetrus. Patrols around the island were heavy; no land walker could learn where the merians went to give birth. That knowledge could be devastating for his kind. Even 250 years after the krogan war the merian population was still recovering.As a child, his parents had both stressed how many merian soldiers had died during the war to prevent the krogan – or as his father called them, ‘brutes’ – from discovering the heavily populated sea mounts, with newborn whelps more precious than all the treasure of Cipritine. Garrus could easily get switched to a Taetrun patrol. And then…He’d watch and make sure Jane came alone. And if she did… his mind raced, full of questions and hope. Maybe he’d be allowed to touch her hair again? It looked different when it was dry, perhaps it felt different too?He wondered what she thought when she looked at him. Did she find him repulsive? Or was she as intrigued by his form as he was of hers? She’d certainly stared at his fringe and eyes while they were on the beach. An odd, petty part of him hoped she thought he was handsome. She seemed beautiful to him, at least.What is wrong with you? You’re fretting over whether or not a human you barely know finds you attractive? His mind scoffed.Garrus huffed. When had he become such a narcissist? However she felt about his appearance, it had been her idea to meet again, and she’d said she wanted to learn more about him, personally. Not his people, or their military, or the genophage poison they’d unleashed on the krogan, him. Garrus. Closing his eyes Garrus drifted into a restless sleep.**********
Pallin had been suspicious. “Why, pray tell, do you want to go to Taetrus?” The older man asked with pinched mandibles and humming subvocals.“I want a change of scenery,” Garrus said mildly. “And I’m curious to see how other patrols work.”“You mean, you want to see if you can get away with breaking the rules and mandates easier. That’s really it, isn’t it?” Pallin growled low in his throat. “Are you keeping something from me Vakarian? Is there something about that Alliance ship you aren’t telling anyone?”“Spirits Venari, I’m asking for a transfer, not your first born!” Garrus responded, carefully controlling his subvocals so the Captain would never know how correct his assumptions were.The older man glared back at him. “It’s Captain Pallin to you, Vakarian. And why shouldn’t I question you? You’re reckless and far too independent. You’ve “accidentally” wandered off alone and close to land walkers more times than I can count!” Pallin leaned in closer toward Garrus as he spoke, nasal plates crinkling up in undisguised distain. “Taetrus is a crucial patrol, if the land walkers EVER found Nanus or Menae, our species could well go the way of the Protheans!"
With a few deft flicks of his umber tail Pallin swam so his face was mere inches from Garrus’s. “You can have your transfer,” he all but hissed. “I’m presently far more concerned with the land walkers’ heightened mining activity on the Illium sea cliffs. They’re planning something with all that eezo, and I’d prefer you didn’t jeopardize our entire investigation into the matter with your brazen arrogance and disregard for the rules.”Garrus all but snatched the thick sea papyrus documents he needed to present to the Taetrun patrol out of Pallin’s hand, before turning so his tail blew a fierce jet of water in Pallins’ direction as he left.Still seething about Pallins’ remarks even several days later, with the songs of family and neighbors floating all around him in the musical seas of Cipritine, Garrus set out for the Taetrun patrol, stationed only twenty miles off the island on the boarder of the Trebian sea.The waters here weren’t as green, and the silence on the waves was disconcerting for someone accustomed to the constant chorus of merian subharmonics. But the quiet was deemed a priority. If the land walkers of Taetrus knew how many merian troops patrolled beneath their vessels and haunted their fishing lines, the result would likely be violent retaliation for the perceived spying.After hours of swimming over gently rolling hills of sea grass, Garrus finally found the Taetrun patrol near a sunken Thessian dreadnought. The wrecked ship was encrusted with vibrant coral and anemones; a skeleton given life anew. Soldiers with long, barbed tridents and spears circled round the drowned ship while further out, and headed into shallower seas close to the island, a patrol of eight men swimming in a “V” formation could just be seen, weapons colored a dull grey or black to prevent the sun reflecting off them and giving away the carriers’ location.“Name?” A large, obsidian plated solider asked as Garrus approached the gaping entrance of the dreadnought's hull.“Garrus Vakarian. I’ve been transferred here from the 28th Cipritine patrol,” Garrus said flashing his documents.The soldier glanced at them before moving aside so Garrus could enter the cavernous vessel. The interior was lit with bioluminescent algae, carefully planted and maintained to allow late night reading and discussion even with no moon. At a large desk, and sorting through what appeared to be a growing stack of thick sea papyrus was a bronze plated woman with ivory colony markings. Garrus swam up to her and presented his transfer documents. Without even bothering to look up, the woman merely handed Garrus another set of sea papyrus which assigned him a bunk inside the large ship.Grumbling to himself about how uptight everyone here seemed, Garrus set his few personal affects down on his assigned bed. His documents told him to report to Captain Kryik, but notably didn’t say “immediately” or even where the man might be found. Taking this as an excuse, Garrus casually swam out of the ship and across the sea floor, following the direction of the patrol he’d seen.Within an hour of steady swimming, staying close to the sea bottom for camouflage, Garrus noticed the topography begin to change; the sea floor became rockier and arched upwards toward the large island of Taetrus. Wishing he’d inquired about the Vallum cove before coming to scout it out alone, Garrus circled wide, mindful to avoid the busy harbor on the far end of the island.Finally reaching his destination, Garrus dared to surface near an outcropping of large rocks. The place was on a more remote side of the island; from what he’d heard, even the closest village was a decent ways off and the water was too shallow for all but the smallest of boats. Even so, the rocky aspect of the cove kept most fishermen away. Garrus wondered where Jane would go and where he could meet with her without sacrificing his ability for a quick escape.Lifting his head further out of the clear water, he spied a trail of large stones that led out further into the sheltered cove. That would be ideal he thought to himself. Investigating further showed how a land walker could easily stroll across the rocks to the furthest one. Jane could sit comfortably and he could remain in the safety of the water.The late afternoon sun was beginning to set by the time Garrus headed back to the patrol camp. Tomorrow, with any luck, he could slip away again and meet up with Jane. An excited trill left his throat which he immediately squashed. Optimism got people killed. “Expect the worst and maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” his father had once told him.He’d bring his trident. And, maybe, he’d be pleasantly surprised and not need it.**********
It should have been an easy request. She was overdue for proper shore leave and after being picked up by a Salarian merchant ship and returned to the Citadel Jane had presumed that Captain Anderson would immediately grant her request for a vacation. What she hadn’t accounted for – but should have in retrospect – was for Alenko to tell the Captain and anyone else who’d listen that Jane was hauled out of her long boat by a furious merian.When Jane had arrived at the Citadel no worse for wear, the crew of the Normandy thought she was a ghost. Her official story of grabbing onto a piece of the wrecked long boat and swimming to an island she fortuitously managed to stumble across worked well enough for the Citadel Council – though Councilor Hackett had seemed skeptical – but when it came to Captain Anderson, Jane had found herself unable to lie.When he’d pressed her as to why Taetrus for a vacation, she’d finally admitted to being saved by the silver plated merian, and hoping to meet him again, though she hadn’t stated where. Anderson had listened quietly and when she was done, announced that the Normandy would be making port in Taetrus in the next few days anyway. If Jane changed her mind about wanting to meet with her new “friend” then she could forgo her vacation request, no questions asked.“But,” the Captain said, face a serious mask, “if you do meet this merian friend of yours, you are to report back to me on all topics of conversation. The merians hate the krogan, and for good reason. But travel through their seas by other races would open new doors to commerce and trade.” The Captain leaned back in his cushioned chair. “Humans have no living memory of the merians – all we know are from the krogan or else asari accounts. I am not alone in hoping to forge an alliance with the merian people. Perhaps, you can pave the way to make that dream a reality; give the merians a spot on the Council.”Jane had merely nodded to her friend and superior before making arrangements to stay at a well-respected inn on Taetrus, as close to the Vallum cove as possible. Captain Anderson hadn’t questioned her lodgings and Jane trusted the man not to say anything until she came to him. His suggestion of peace between the merian and Citadel peoples was something she hadn’t ever considered. But depending on what she learned from Garrus, maybe, just maybe, a meeting between the Council and the merian… did merians have a king? Well, any kind of meeting would be a good start she decided.So, several days later when the Normandy docked in the Taetrun city of Madra, Jane quickly disembarked to check into her room at the inn. To say she was dismayed to learn that Ashley Williams, Kaidan Alenko, and fellow crewman Jimmy Vega were also staying at the inn would have been an understatement.“Come on skipper, we’ll stay outta your hair.” Ashley promised as the group walked inside the picturesque stone building surrounded by lush gardens filled with fruit trees and a kaleidoscope of orchids. “I know you want some alone time to work through what happened with that merian, and I promise we won’t bother you.”“Much,” Jimmy smirked. “We won’t bother you much.”Jane sighed and hoped Ashley and the others wouldn’t try to tag along on her evening trek tonight. The last thing she wanted was to spook Garrus by showing up with a group of people.The young asari maiden who greeted them in the foyer introduced herself as Liara T’Soni. Despite her relative youth – by asari standards anyway – Liara spoke eloquently and proved a welcome distraction to Jane’s traveling companions.Sneaking up to her room, Jane unpacked her travel case and changed into more comfortable walking attire. With sunset only an hour away, she’d need to be stealthy to get out of the inn without anyone noticing. In addition to her crew-mates and Liara, Jane had also seen a petite quarian girl dressed in a violet shawl and robes, talking to a scared up, red crested krogan.Pulling out a map of the island from her things, Jane began to plan her nighttime outing.**********The silver crescent moon was already high in the sky by the time Jane finally arrived at the sheltered cove. Trying to be covert but also navigate in the near pitch black had been a trying experience Jane wasn’t keen to repeat. She’d need to bring a torch next time, or else an oil lamp in order to light her way. Her legs were scratched to hell and there was probably leaves and twigs in her hair as she set foot onto the sandy shore.Huffing out a sigh, she hoped she wasn’t too late to meet Garrus. If she’d journeyed all this way for nothing… Scanning the ebony water of the cove, Jane strained her eyes trying to spot any movement. As she walked along the beach, she noticed a trail of rocks that led a fair distance out into the water. Thinking she might have a better vantage point, Jane carefully picked her way along the stones, stopping at the final one to scan the gently lapping waters once more.“You came.”Jane nearly fell off the rock and into the water. Fortunately, her fright had come without an accompanying scream. Steadying herself Jane twisted her head around, searching for the speaker.“Garrus?” She asked. “Where are you?”The was a gentle splash, and suddenly Garrus’s head appeared at the edge of the rock. His features were muted in the darkness, but his eyes still shone an otherworldly blue. Kneeling on the rock and assuming a sitting position, Jane couldn’t repress her excited grin.“I’m so glad you came,” she told him.Garrus flicked out his mandibles, and Jane swore she heard a soft purr echo in the water as he said, “I said I’d be here.”Jane chuckled. “Well, I’m still happy to see you.” She paused, not sure how to proceed. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but she didn’t want to bombard her new friend.“I have a suggestion,” Garrus said, apparently sensing her hesitation. “How would you feel about a quid pro-quo? I ask a question and you answer it, then you ask, and I answer. Sound fair?”“That’ll work,” Jane agreed.“A few ground rules though,” Garrus said. “No discussion of locations – be they civilian, military or otherwise – and no questions about military forces or the genophage. Still a deal?”“Sure,” Jane agreed, not entirely sure why he was setting these specific limits but eager to learn anything else he was willing to share.“Alright,” Garrus nodded. “I’ll ask first. Why are land walkers so obsessed with eezo? We’ve found it in nearly all your sunken military ships and you’re mining it off the cliffs of Illium at an alarming rate.”Jane chuckled. “Well, the answer to that question involves both locations and the military.” She said. “Or, do your rules only apply to what I can ask you?”Garrus seemed uncertain in the thin moonlight, but finally answered, “they only apply to me. But, if you don’t want to answer those questions either, then I guess I can’t complain.”Jane shrugged. “It’s not a secret,” she said. “It’s pretty common knowledge that we use eezo to power the defensive shields around the Citadel islands. After thousands of years, the supply has started to run low, so all the Council races are mining it and bringing it back for immediate use.”“The barrier wall is powered by eezo?” Garrus asked. “Why do you even need the barrier? And how do you make it work? My kind have never used eezo for anything.”“As to why we have shields, it’s defensive I guess. The archives, Allied Armory and the largest ship port in the world are there. Things definitely worth protecting.” Jane cocked her head at Garrus. “As to how it works… I have absolutely no idea. I just transport the stuff.”She was no expert on merian facial expressions, but Garrus’s lowered brow plate seemed to indicate he was contemplating something. However, Jane was more interested in asking him questions than wondering what about the Citadel barrier intrigued him so much. “You asked me more than one question,” she pointed out, “so it’s only fair I get to ask two now.”“Alright,” Garrus conceded with a soft buzzing sound.“Can you breathe on land and underwater?” She asked.Garrus barked out a laugh. “Yes, and no.” He said. “We have gills,” he gestured to the inside of his silver cowl. “And can breathe underwater like fish or sharks. But, before we go ashore, we can enlarge our gill chambers and fill them with water. This keeps our gills moist and allows us to sun bathe on land or talk above the water – like I’m doing now – for a day or maybe two so long as the air is damp.”“Fascinating,” Jane heard herself say. “You’re kinda like the krogan then. They can stay underwater for up to four days before needing to breathe fresh air.”“We are absolutely nothing like the krogan!” Garrus spat. “Their physiology is entirely different and far more primitive.”Jane immediately regretted comparing Garrus to his races’ ancient enemy, and felt her shoulders hunch up in shame. “I’m sorry Garrus, that was totally inappropriate.” She said.“It’s… It’s alright,” he said, and she swore he sounded embarrassed. “Do you, eh, have another question?”Wanting to avoid any sensitive subjects for a while, Jane decided to keep it harmless. “I’ve heard,” she said, recalling something Williams had once told her, “that merians are attracted to the sound of the land races singing. Is that true?”“Where did you hear that?” Garrus asked incredulously. But before Jane could answer, he said “I mean, I guess if the singer was good maybe we’d want a closer look. But compared to our songs and dances, I can’t imagine anything the land races do being nearly as interesting.”“You can dance?” Jane hoped she didn’t sound rude, but the complete lack of legs and feet made Garrus’ statement seem preposterous.“I am an exceptionally talented dancer, in fact.” Garrus told her, no small amount of pride in his voice. “And while I’ve never had the occasion to sing an Aeternum Song, it’ll be beautiful when I do.”“Aeternum Song?” Jane said, trying out the word.“A song for intimate partners,” Garrus said briskly. “Now, my turn to ask questions.”They talked back and forth for hours. Jane learned that Garrus was the eldest child from a prominent family, and that his father put a great deal of pressure on him to succeed and advance up the social ladder. She learned that turian tradition dictated that the dead were to be weighted down with stones and sunk in deep sea fissures. That turians didn’t have a king or monarch so much as an exceptionally skilled individual who advanced up social and military tiers to become something called a Primarch. And still, she wanted to know more.When dawn had begun to creep over the water, Garrus had said he needed to leave. He’d promised to return the next night, though for reasons he wouldn’t fully discuss, he’d asked if meeting in the afternoon would work for her. When she’d eagerly agreed, the pair decided that their next rendezvous would be tomorrow at midday instead.Jane had held out her hand for a handshake, and after considering the offered appendage for a moment, Garrus had cautiously returned the gesture before giving her a bow and sinking under the water.So far diplomacy is off to a great start, Jane thought, head held high as she made her way back to the inn and with any luck, a long nap.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The embers of the fire crackled and glowed in the fireplace as Jane sat comfortably in a large chair sipping a hot cup of tea. Outside, the low growl of thunder echoed before a flash of lightning illuminated the shadowscape of the garden and jungle beyond.“I hate thunderstorms,” Kaidan mumbled from his spot on a cushioned lounge chair. “You’re trapped inside while the sky fights with the land and when it’s over, something is always broken or destroyed.” He pulled his blanket more tightly around him as he spoke.“Lighten up K,” Jimmy said throwing Kaidan a grin. “It’s not like you were going to be doing anything at this hour anyway.”“I could be sleeping.” Kaidan grumbled as the resident krogan lumbered into the room, plates slick with rain. Wrex plonked down in front of the open flames hard enough that Jane felt the floor shake.“Watch it!” Ashley snapped, scooting over and away from the sopping wet, red mountain of armor and flesh next to her.“No reason to get excited,” Wrex said glancing at her from the side of his red currant eye. “I don’t find humans attractive. Too squishy.”Jimmy let out a raucous laugh at Ashley’s appalled facial expression and wide eyes. Jane couldn’t help but smirk around her tea as Ashley whipped around to glare at her crew mates.“I’d rather kiss a merian than touch you!” Ashley said to Wrex, scooting even further away.“A merian, huh?” Wrex made a point of glancing at Jane and she wondered if Jimmy or someone else had told the old krogan about what had happened with Garrus. Not that anyone besides herself knew his name.“The Taetrun seas are swarming with merians if you’re so eager to swap spit with one.” Wrex said casually. “They have a thing for the humans here apparently.”“What do you mean?” Jane asked with a slight frown. Garrus certainly hadn’t mentioned that to her during their meeting. From what he’d told her, merians actively avoided humans – and all land walkers for that matter.“You mean you’ve been here for two whole days and haven’t heard the Legend of the Devil Fish?” Wrex seemed genuinely surprised when all four humans shook their heads. He made a soft snort before turning his attention back to the leaping flames of the fireplace.“Come on man, you gotta share now!” Jimmy said sitting up next to Kaidan and leaning forward on his elbows.Wrex huffed before turning his head back toward his captive audience. “The story goes that some centuries back – before the merians isolated themselves but also before most people even knew what they were – there was a wealthy human family who lived near what’s now Madra. They had a daughter, who was considered a great beauty by any standards;
hair as luminous as the noonday sun and eyes the color of whiskey.”Wrex leaned back on his forearms, closing his eyes as the rain continued to smack against the window pane. “This daughter,” Wrex went on, eyes still closed, “was fond of swimming in the shallow bays around the island. She’d swim below the tide and dance and cavort in the waves like some kind of dolphin.” Wrex snorted to himself. “Apparently it was quite the sight – a naked human maiden dancing underwater – and one day, a merian with eyes and scales redder than a scorpion fish saw her.” Wrex opened his eyes. “Some say he bewitched her with his secondary voice. Called her out to deep water to be his bride.”“That’s not how the story goes!” The small quarian girl, Liara’s wife, Tali, set down a tray with cookies and a tea pot before rushing over to sit next to Ashley by the fire. “He didn’t enchant her or anything,” Tali said, excitement in her accented voice. “He fell in love with her. He’d sing while she danced, and she fell in love with him too.” Tali sighed fondly. “But one day, some of the men and asari from the village followed her to the water. One human man charged out into the surf after her – his intentions anything but pure – and as he made to grab her, the Devil Fish struck from under the waves and killed the monster who would hurt his lady love.”Tali glanced around the room as Jane and the others listened intently. “The rest of the bystanders fled, but shouted threats to return and kill them both. The human girl was frightened, and as she sat crying in her lovers’ arms the gods and spirits took pity on them. The water shown a sparkling amethyst and ran up and over the girl like an inverse torrent, transforming her into a female merian with golden scales and eyes.” Tali leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her legs. “She and the Devil Fish returned to the great merian city in the Trebian sea and got married. But their descendants still visit the coves and bays of Taetrus, checking up on their human kin.”“So, she just abandoned her family? Just never returned?” Ashley asked, skepticism dripping in every word.“She had to,” Tali said defensively. “The villagers would have probably killed her parents and siblings in an act of revenge.”“It’s all a load of crap anyway,” Wrex declared. “There ain’t no magic like that; what can change people from one form into another.”“But, you do believe that a merian fell in love with a human?” Jane asked. “And that merians check in on the humans here?”
Wrex gave her an appraising look. “I believe it alright. Love is stupid like that. And the oceans of Taetrus are swarming with merians. They think they’re so crafty.” Wrex scoffed, shaking his head. “Gilled assholes.”As Kaidan and James began peppering Wrex with questions about merians and Ashley quarreled with Tali about the accuracy of the legend, Jane leaned back in her chair, staring at her cooled tea.I wonder if Garrus knows the Legend of the Devil Fish, she thought as outside the storm raged on.**********The still of the afternoon waters was a drastic contrast to the rolling tumult of the night before. The aquatic currents had blown sentries from their posts and made scouting damn near impossible. Garrus was exhausted after having been assigned to a midnight patrol and getting tossed against the sea floor all night, but his enthusiasm to meet with Jane again trumped any thoughts of rest.He swam lethargically over the ocean floor, trident held out to his side. Tired as he was, he didn’t realize he was being watched until Captain Kryik materialized like a sepia apparition from among the tall sea grass. “Vakarian.” The smaller man said, languidly circling him with a few deft flicks of his powerful tail. “What are you doing so far from the base?”
The Captain made a show of looking around. “Alone, I might add.”Garrus cursed his vile luck. His beleaguered mind searched for a lie, but it felt like his thoughts were swimming in sludge. Finding nothing in the way of a believable excuse, Garrus instead positioned himself vertically – at attention – and said nothing.Captain Kryik swam up to him, emerald eyes narrowed in thought. “Most of our people,” he said purposefully, “would tell you that its suicidal to swim close to the land.”“But not you?” Garrus asked cautiously.“For over 250 years our race has stagnated.” The Captain said, crossing his arms. “Meanwhile, the land walkers have flourished. More ships tread the seas than ever before, every design and cannon more advanced and elaborate than the last.”The Captain relaxed his posture and allowed himself to float onto his side. “I’m not alone in wanting to open the channels of communication once more.” He said. “Others have already taken the initiative.” He fixed Garrus with a penetrating stare as he righted himself. “If the land walkers would share their knowledge and wealth, if they had something the Primarch deemed ‘worth the risk’ of communication and cooperation… Ask your friend.” Captain Kryik said as he turned back toward the sunken dreadnought. “Ask if they would share.”Garrus stared after his superior in slack jawed disbelief until the man had vanished from sight. Shaking his head, he slowly resumed his course for the Vallum cove. The Kryik family was an old one and had been patrolling the Taetrun waters since even before the krogan war. Garrus wondered briefly if any of the Captains’ relatives had talked with land walkers before discarding the notion. A growing number of merians were interested in rejoining the world at large, but most were still traumatized by the lasting reminders of the krogan war. He was probably the first merian to converse with a land walker in generations.As Garrus’s head broke the surface of the shimmering water of the Vallum cove, he scanned the rocky trail where Jane had met him before. Not seeing her yet, he dipped beneath the surface and stashed his trident near the furthest stone where Jane would go. The ebony black weapon was his most prized possession and he kept it well sharpened and cared for, lest he need to use it.He pondered Captain Kryiks’ words as he waited. What would the Primarch even consider ‘worth the risk?’ he wondered. The answer struck him the same moment he heard Janes’ footsteps on the rocks above. Not waiting like he had before, Garrus immediately surfaced once she was seated on the final stone.She rewarded him with a blinding smile; pink lips drawn up and white teeth exposed, eyes glittering with something he hoped was happiness.“Garrus,” she said through her smile. “I’m glad you made it through the storm alright.”A purr slipped through his subvocals before he could stop himself, and he fleetingly considered that Jane was the most beautiful sight he’d had today; red hair lightly floating in the breeze and glowing with the afternoon sun like an ethereal flame.

“Of course I’m alright.” He said, subharmonics singing. “I’ve endured far worse than some rough weather.”“Like what?” Jane asked, features drawn in what Garrus took to be concern.“Military training, for one.” Garrus replied before remembering his rules from their last meeting. If you’re going to ask her about sharing eezo shields, at least answer some of her questions about your peoples’ army. He thought to himself.“Are all merians soldiers?” Jane asked.“Yes,” he said carefully choosing his next words. “But only because we need to be. We don’t have shields to protect our most valuable treasure.”“What is your most valuable treasure?” Jane asked, confusion coloring her voice.“Our children,” Garrus answered simply.Janes’ eyes went wide for a moment; pale moons encompassing small evergreen forests in her irises. “Are your children in danger?”“No,” Garrus said. “But only because every merian is a solider.” He sighed. “During the krogan wars, we lost people faster than we could replace them, so to speak. We’re slow breeders as compared to many of the land races.” He looked at Jane’s face and the sympathy there was palpable. “Our population still hasn’t recovered from the war,” he told her. “Many of my people fear interacting with the land races because they think that our children will be killed and our numbers decimated beyond repair.”“But if you had eezo shields,” Jane said, “then your children would be protected?”This was it. He’d need to either explain that merians whelped on only a few select islands or else lie. It would be safer to lie. To bend the truth and manipulate her sympathy. But when he looked into her eyes, he found himself unable to say anything but the truth.“We keep our children in safe havens. But they aren’t shielded.” He told her. “If my people had the use of eezo shields, like what you use around the Citadel, then they wouldn’t be afraid to talk with the land walkers again.”Jane was quiet as the sea lapped softly against the rocks and shoreline. Her facial features were tight when she raised her eyes back to his. “I know a Captain,” she said. “I could ask him if sharing the shielding knowledge is something the Council might approve…” She trailed off and Garrus sensed there was a caveat to her offer.“The Council won’t just give you this information.” She said. “They’ll want your people to do something in return. Humanity will want you to join the Council and allow safe passage through the Trebian sea. And others…”“I don’t think there is a cure to the genophage.” Garrus said, following her train of thought. “That poison was created with old, dark sorcery, and its makers are long since dead.”Jane nodded. “Maybe just information about it would be enough? A place to start, at least.”“That’ll be harder to talk the Primarch into,” Garrus said. But seeing Jane’s expression fall, and desperately wanting to believe that peace was possible, that he wouldn’t have to always sneak around to see her, he hastened to add “but its worth trying, if you think the Council would share the secrets of the eezo shields.”Jane graced him with another dazzling smile and suddenly his chest felt like there were small fish swimming frantically around his rib cage. He bit back another purr as he mentally raced to make sense of his emotions and Jane giggled, drawing him back to reality.“I’ll talk to the Captain I know,” she told him. “But on a lighter note, have you ever heard the Legend of the Devil Fish?”He rumbled to her in confusion, shaking his head. Jane laid down on her rock, supporting herself on her forearms so her face was much, much closer to his. So close, he could see the small, brownish spots speckling the bridge of her nose like stars. “I’ll tell you,” she said.And as Garrus drew in closer to listen, pulled by some unknown force, he realized that he might be in trouble for reasons completely unrelated to Jane's humanity.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The sea had always been home. The creaking of wooden planks, the smell of salt in the air and the cry of gulls overhead were as familiar to Jane as a picket fence and flocks of sheep were to those who never ventured far from their islands.Growing up, both her mother and father had been in the navy and nowhere was “home” for very long. Home, was the rolling tide and lullaby of the waves. Home was the people around her; friends and family and crew mates.Jane sighed contentedly as she leaned against the porthole window in Captain Anderson’s quarters aboard the Normandy. It’s good to be home, she thought. The Captain had been talking with helmsman Moreau when she’d boarded but had immediately shot her a knowing look and nodded toward his private room.As Jane gazed out the glass at the sunlight glittering on the water her thoughts wandered to Garrus. What he’d said sounded straight forward enough; if the Council would share the eezo shields with the merians they would be willing to open the lines of communication once more, and Garrus didn’t seem to disagree with merians joining the Council and allowing safe passage through their waters. The genophage was another matter, however. While some races – notably the salarians – seemed to think the krogan deserved the genophage for being would be conquerors, others felt that 250 years of sterility was punishment enough.Jane wondered what the Council would want in exchange for the knowledge behind the shields. Nothing in this world came for free after all. Her fathers’ pursuit of adventure and military glory had cost him his life and a piece of her mother’s heart. Jane wondered bleakly what price she would have to pay for her own happiness.“Shepard.” The Captains’ voice pulled her from her melancholy musings and Jane turned to face her mentor, standing instinctively at attention. “At ease,” Anderson said with a casual wave of his hand as he strode over to his leather desk chair, sinking into it with a soft grunt.“Sir,” Jane began cautiously. “You told me to speak with you if I had any contact with the merian who rescued me.”Anderson stared back at her expectantly, willing her to continue. Jane sucked in a breath before repeating her conversation with Garrus from the night before. About what the merians would deem a worthy offer of peace and how they’d use it to protect their offspring. When she finished, the Captain steepled his fingers in front of his mouth, honey colored eyes staring at the wooden floor of the ship.“He told you that his people want the eezo shields to protect their children?” Anderson finally asked, looking back up to her.Jane merely nodded.Anderson sighed. “Even if that were true – and I’m not saying it isn’t – the Council will not just hand over the texts on how to make the shields work. There’s a reason the shields only exist around the Citadel.” The Captain hummed to himself. “This friend of yours. He said that the merian king – Primarch – is the one to decide what the merians will do politically?”“That was my understanding.” Jane agreed.Anderson rose purposefully from his chair. “I’ll send word to Councilor Hackett. The first step to any type of negotiation is communication. Find out if your associate can deliver a message to this Primarch of his.” The Captain clasped Jane on the shoulder in that fatherly way he had. “The Normandy will remain docked on Taetrus until I receive word back from the Councilor.” With a final nod the Captain walked out the door and left Jane alone again with her thoughts.**********The one good thing about Captain Kryik knowing Garrus’ little secret was that Garrus didn’t have to be quite so subversive in his afternoon outings. The Captain had seen him leave the base as the noonday sun traipsed its way directly overhead and hadn’t said a word or made to interfere. Yet Garrus was no fool. The man was going to expect a report about his conversations with Jane. And he would want one sooner than later.Garrus mentally cursed as drove his body through the caress of the ocean currents. It had been so much simpler before when he was just able to talk to Jane about whatever questions he had. Playing diplomat and representing the interests of the merian people was never a role he’d envisioned for himself, and he hated having to measure each word he spoke.
But, if playing diplomat and advisor meant he’d no longer have to lie and sneak around to see his human friend… Garrus supposed he could relay some basic information. Captain Kryik would ask him a million questions, but at least he wasn’t rude or condescending like Pallin.By the time Garrus reached the Vallum cove Jane was already perched on her rock. But something was different about her today. She usually had thick cloth covering her legs and some type of tall boots. The long, shapely, cream colored leg that dangled into the water was certainly a change of routine. Not that he was complaining.Swimming directly up to her, Garrus was careful not to touch her intriguing appendage, though he wondered if her skin felt as soft as it looked. The night he’d rescued her he’d been too intent on finding land to really appreciate the way she’d felt in his arms. He mentally slapped himself. She doesn’t see you that way at all! A voice chastised from the back of his mind.Forcing himself to focus, Garrus flared his mandibles in a friendly grin before inquiring about Jane’s Captain friend. He didn’t miss how her expression fell when he started the conversation off with politics, and he felt dirty for even bringing the topic up. Castis Vakarian would be proud of his son, Garrus irritably thought. Putting duty before personal pleasure. For once, his mind added in a voice that sounded too much like the older Vakarain for Garrus not to grimace.“He’s going to send a message to the human Councilor,” Jane said, bringing Garrus’s attention back to the lovely vision in front of him. “Hackett is a shrewd man. He’ll want to at least talk with your Primarch, but I’m not sure how willing the Council will be to share the eezo shields.”“I can relay that to my Captain,” Garrus confirmed, relieved he’d have an answer to some of Captain Kryik’s impending questions.Happily, once the political messages were relayed, their talk fell into much easier – and in Garrus’s opinion – more interesting topics.It was as they talked about themselves that Garrus learned the most about humans. Learned about their naval prowess, their relative youth compared to the other Council species, and how they were the only known race with hair.“Would it be inappropriate if I…” Garrus trailed off as Jane cocked her head. Staring into her bewitching eyes, Garrus swallowed a sudden lump in his throat as he pressed on with the question he’d wanted to ask for days. “I, eh, I was wondering if I could… touch your hair?”He wasn’t prepared for the high, musical laugh that left Jane’s throat, her eyes squeezed shut as she chuckled. Opening them, her smile was genuine as she leaned her face closer to him, easily taking a lock of hair between two fingers and holding it out to him for inspection.Garrus carefully held the fiery strands in the palm of his hand as he used a finger to pet them. Her hair was soft and felt lighter than it had when wet. It seemed to soak up the rays of the sun and burn with its own internal fire; wildfires within sliver-thin strands.“Hey Garrus?” Jane asked, talking quieter than normal given her proximity to his aural canal.Tearing his eyes away from her wondrous hair, he rumbled to her in question.Jane sucked her lower lip between her teeth before asking in a small voice – which Garrus swore was shy – “can I touch your face tattoos?”It took him a moment to realize what she meant, his eyes widening in understanding when he did. “You mean my colony markings?” He clarified.“Is that what they’re called?” Jane asked staring at him so intently he could feel a blush begin creeping up his neck.“Um, yeah.” He replied. “You, uh, can touch my face if you want.”Tentatively, Jane reached out a comparatively small hand before running her thumb along the thick cobalt band under his left eye. Slowly, she spread her fingers and traced the markings over his nose and along his mandibles.Her touch was cool and soft, like rain drops. As she continued to reverently caress his face, showering him with curious attention Garrus gently pressed into her touch. This was… nice. Jane felt nice. His eyelids fluttered closed.“They’re beautiful.” Jane whispered. “They really draw attention to your eyes. What do they mean?” She asked in that same quiet voice.“Colony markings are a way of proclaiming which part of the Trebian sea you come from,” he heard himself say in a dreamy voice. “Mine announce that I’m from the Capital and owe my allegiance there. Each city and village has their own unique patterns and colors. There’s unity, in diversity, as my father used to say. Not sure I understand what he meant though.”Was he babbling? He felt like he was babbling. No, he felt drunk. What was wrong with him? Forcing himself to pull from Janes’ hands – which were cupping his face in a manner one might call tender – Garrus cleared his throat while he mentally shook off the fog that was clouding his mind.“So, um, humans don’t have colony markings I take it?” He asked trying for levity.Jane grinned. “Not really, no. Some asari have facial tattoos, but it has something to do with their religion, I think.” Tilting her head, Jane asked, “what’s the name of your city? The one you’re from?” Then suddenly her smile evaporated. “Oh, right, it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.”“Cipritine.” He said without a second thought.Jane looked at him, the red bands of hair above her eyes – eyebrows, she’d called them – raised high in surprise. “Cipritine?” She repeated, rolling the word around in her mouth as though sampling a fine wine.Garrus nodded, purring when she giggled softly before saying, “it’s a beautiful name.”They continued to talk and explore each other; the talons of Garrus’ hands, the small toes on Jane’s foot, Garrus’s fringe and Janes’ ears. By the time the sun had begun to dip in the sky and Garrus needed to leave Jane was no longer some exotic creature with odd appendages. He knew her. Or, he knew her body at least. Not all of her body, a salacious voice sing-songed in the back of his mind.“I need to get going,” he said, forcing himself to remain casual. “I need to talk to my own Captain and then hopefully get some sleep.”“Don’t forget your weapon,” Jane called out as he pushed back from the rock.Instant embarrassment and shame flooded his veins. “You noticed, huh?” He asked, voice slightly bitter that he hadn’t done a better job hiding his trident.A smirk tugged at the corner of Jane’s mouth. “Yeah, kinda hard to miss.” Likely noticing his drooping mandibles, she quickly added, “I’m not offended or anything. I have a pistol with me.”“What’s a pistol?” He asked, immediately curious about what type of weapon Jane had that she could conceal so easily.“How about, I’ll show you my gun if you show me your spear?”“Trident,” he corrected her. “Just, stay there.” Diving beneath the crystal waters, Garrus pulled his ebony black weapon out from under the rock where he’d let it fall. Grasping it in his hand, with a few flicks of his tail he quickly resurfaced.Jane was sitting upright with an odd instrument in her lap. “Is that a pistol?” He asked.Jane held it up; black steel and wood mixing together to form a bizarre shape with a nozzle like structure Jane held away from herself. He’d seen these items before in sunken ships, but no one knew what they were.“Is that your trident?” Jane asked, nodding toward the large weapon held downward at his side.Garrus raised it fully out of the water, the rays of the dying sun making it gleam. “I call it Widow.” He told her.“Can I hold it?” She asked, bright eyes alight with curiosity. “I’ll let you hold my pistol. Just don’t let it get wet.”The offer was one too tempting to pass up. Despite being extremely territorial over his Widow, Garrus felt that Jane would appreciate what a marvel of craftsmanship it was and would treat it with respect. Holding the thick staff out to her, Jane gripped it tightly with a small hand.“It’s heavy,” she muttered mostly to herself, bringing the trident points closer to her face to examine. “This is beautiful, Garrus.” She said, awe in her hushed tone.
“Your blacksmiths are without equal. Look at these details!”Garrus puffed his chest out at the praise before asking “can I hold your pistol?”“Just keep it above water,” Jane admonished, pressing some unseen mechanism and dumping out several small, golden cylinders into her lap before handing the strange thing over to him.The pistol was small and almost felt like a toy in his large hand. “This is a weapon?” He said looking skeptically to Jane.“A really deadly one,” she confirmed. “It shoots these,” she held up a gold cylinder. “And the force of impact and explosion can kill instantly from yards away.”Garrus stared down at the thing in his hand, remembering Captain Kryiks’ words from the day before: more ships tread the seas than ever before, every design and cannon more advanced and elaborate than the last.“Is it like a cannon?” He asked Jane, gently setting the thing next to her on the dry rock as she held his trident back out to him.“It is, actually.” She responded. “In fact, some people call them ‘hand cannons’ for that very reason.”A cannon that was smaller than a toy and could be held in one hand? Garrus marveled at the innocent looking trinket now back in Janes' hands. “Humans and the other land walkers are leagues ahead of us when it comes to weaponry,” he said.“Maybe we can teach you how to make guns of your own?” Jane offered. “That can fire underwater?”Garrus’ mandibles flared in a smile. Jane was always willing to share. She never acted greedy or condescending towards him. She was the most captivating, fascinating, generous person he knew. He felt his neck heat up in a blush at that thought, and clearing his throat, said farewell to his companion and dove back beneath the waves, a lyrical trill echoing in his chest.**********Garrus’s trident had certainly been a thing of beauty to behold; sleek, exquisite and deadly, just like its owner. Jane sighed as she walked through the garden gate of the inn. His colony markings were gorgeous too, bringing out the blue of his sapphire eyes. Like jewels of the ocean, she thought with a small smile remembering how he’d closed his eyes while she caressed his face.Not feeling like going inside yet, Jane walked around the back of the garden to a well-worn bench seated among a gorgeous array of vivid, tropical flowers. She had a clear view of the ocean from here and she sat pondering on what Garrus was doing beneath the waves at this very moment. She wondered if he had someone waiting for him back in Cipritine. The thought that Garrus might have a lover made her frown. Get over yourself! She mentally ordered. Shaking her head Jane sighed.The Normandy was staying in port longer than originally planned while Captain Anderson awaited a response from Councilor Hackett. But then… There was tragic romance and then there was Jane Shepard. At least she could have developed feelings for someone with legs! Was that so much to ask?The plod of heavy footsteps drew her attention as Wrex rounded a particularly large bush full of red flowers. “Shepard.” He said by way of greeting.Without asking, he sat on the opposite side of the bench from Jane, staring out over the glowing waters around Taetrus. Jane returned her gaze back to the sea; Wrex wasn't really one for small talk. But, as they sat in companionable silence, Jane felt a low, rumbling chuckle vibrate through the wood of the bench.“What’s so funny?” She finally demanded when the laughter only became louder and more obnoxious.“Went out and got your own Devil Fish, huh?” Wrex said, turning to look at her with a shit eating grin. “Maybe that story’s backward. Maybe it’s the humans of Taetrus who have an unnatural affinity for the merians.”“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jane replied, face flushing red which only irritated her further as Wrex’s grin managed to get even wider.“That so?” Wrex flared his nostrils. “I can smell him on you. And not just on your hands, neither.”Jane managed to keep her composure though she practically hissed at the old krogan “it’s not like that!”“Ha!” Wrex exclaimed. “Don’t piss in my ear and tell me it’s raining! I fought in the merian wars, I know what they smell like and you reek of that fish.”Jane’s face felt like it was on fire as she glared at Wrex. “It’s. Not. Like. That.” She repeated, punctuating each word. “We’re just friends! That’s it.” She prayed she didn’t sound as disappointed as she felt at that last part.“He’s letting you get pretty touchy for ‘just friends.’” Wrex narrowed his ruby eyes as he shifted to face Jane on the bench. “Merians aren’t exactly the friendly type. If he’s letting you pet him and touching you all over, it’s because he wants to rut you into the beach.”Jane flared her nostrils in outrage. “How do you know any of that?” She asked. “And how do you even know he’s a male?”Wrex scoffed. “I told you, I can smell him. Male merians have scent glands on their crests, they’re territorial and like to mark what they consider theirs.”“He… scent marked me?” Jane asked, trying to remember if Garrus had rubbed his face against her without her initiating it.“Maybe not on purpose,” Wrex admitted. “They just get their stink everywhere. Why were you so handsy with him if you’re ‘just friends’?” He asked.“I was curious,” Jane admitted. “He’s an amazing person, and…” She trailed off, unsure what to say and if she should actually admit to liking Garrus as more than a friend. She doubted the sentiment was returned at any rate.“Huh.” Was all Wrex said.“You don’t seem upset about it?” Jane ventured.Wrex grunted, turning his eyes back to the ocean which had turned a deep cobalt in the early twilight. “I have plenty of reasons to hate merians.” He said. “But my people were greedy. Our island wasn’t enough. No island was. We pushed further beneath the tides and when we found the merians, we didn’t bother with negotiation. The merians weren’t wrong to defend themselves.” He said the last part more to himself than Jane, and all she could do was stare in wide-eyed disbelief.“You think the krogan deserved the genophage?” She asked.“Maybe we did,” he said. “But we’ve suffered long enough. The other Council races don’t want to get involved. They’re content to let us wither away under some cursed spell from the black trenches of the Trebian sea.” Wrex shifted slightly. “But if the merians want to start talking to the land races again, it’s cuz they want something we have.” Turning to Jane once more he growled, “we’ve paid for our mistakes. Been paying for 250 years. That bleach-scaled wizard of theirs might be bones in the surf but they have a cure.” Wrex made a show of flaring his nostrils in Janes’ direction. “I dunno what your scaly boyfriend is after – aside from you – but if more of his kind start wanting to talk, I want the cure.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Despite the relatively late hour when he had arrived back at the sunken dreadnought, Garrus couldn’t restrain the tender, purring melody in his chest. He had a suspicion about what it was but refused to examine the thing too closely. He enjoyed being with Jane and talking to her, and if that was all they ever had, he’d be alright with it.Liar, his mind whispered.Stowing Widow back with the other weapons in the armory, Garrus swam through the wide halls of the ship and back to his own assigned bunk. Though his mind was still wide awake and racing with memories of Jane’s soft, flaming red hair and her hands caressing his face, his body was fatigued from the round-trip to the cove.Settling onto his blanket of woven sea grass and stretching out his tail, Garrus folded his hands behind his fringe as he stared up at the barnacle encrusted ceiling. He lay there willing himself to sleep until a soft rap on the door frame of his tiny room caught his attention.Captain Kryik gracefully swam over to him as Garrus moved to face his superior. “Captain,” he said. “I wasn’t – ”“Weren’t expecting to see me this evening Vakarian?” The Captain snorted. “Out with it. What did your human say?”Garrus felt his mandibles draw in close to his face. Apparently, his report to the Captain would be happening now.“Jane,” he said, making sure to pronounce her name clearly, “has spoken with one of her military Captains. She believes that the human Councilor, at least, will want to talk with Primarch Victus.”“What did she say about a trade? Sharing knowledge and weapons? Victus won’t risk our safety for a mere chat.” Irritation and impatience buzzed in the Captains’ subvocals as he allowed himself to float from one end of the small space to the other – the most controlled pacing Garrus had ever seen.“The shields around the Citadel,” Garrus began carefully, “are powered by eezo. It’s why the land walkers have been mining it so extensively. If the Council were willing to share the knowledge on making the shields work, we could ensure that Nanus and Menea were never trespassed on by outsiders.”The Captain had ceased his drifting and was positioned ram rod straight, mandibles flapping against his face in utter disbelief. “The shields aren’t confined to the Citadel?” He asked, eyes wide. “And the Council would share them?”“She made it seem like the eezo shields could be used elsewhere.” Garrus shrugged. “As for sharing, the Primarch isn’t the only one who wants something ‘worthwhile.’ The Council will probably want safe passage through Trebia, our people to join the Council…” He trailed off, unsure how to broach the often-sensitive topic that was the krogan.“They want the cure to the genophage.” The Captain finished in a deadpan, subharmonics deliberately neutral.Garrus nodded once, watching the emotion flicker through the Captain’s emerald eyes.“There is no cure,” Captain Kryik rumbled with a shake of his head, brow plates pulled low in a thoughtful expression. “The Ivory Wizard died unleashing that poison. If the legend is true anyway.”Garrus narrowed his eyes. “Of courses he’s dead. That was over 250 years ago, and the Ivory Wizard was an old man to begin with.”“Was he?” The Captain asked. “Magic tends to have the benefit of keeping the wielder alive long past a normal lifetime.”Garrus openly scoffed. It was ridiculous. The Ivory Wizard had been dead for centuries. His severed arm had been found on the rocks after the last great battle with the krogan where he’d released the genophage. To even suggest the man was still alive was lunacy.“Dead, alive, no one’s seen him in over two generations, anyway.” Garrus said with a shake of his head.“The knowledge and magic behind the genophage never extended beyond him.” The Captain said sounding weary and allowing himself to drift onto his back. “He was the last of our great sorcerers.” Captain Kryik sighed before facing Garrus once more. “Our people were blessed with powerful wizards, but as magic faded from this world, we haven’t evolved like the land races. If we don’t learn and grow we’re doomed to our current existence; clinging to life and relevancy on the outer edge of an expanding sea. And I, for one, hope for more.”Swimming back into an upright position, the Captain crossed his arms in front of his keel. “We can’t offer the cure – not that the Primarch would even if we had it – but maybe some other trade could be reached? The knowledge to create eezo shields will be enough to catch Victus’ attention. Let’s hope he wants them badly enough to speak with this human Councilor.”The Captain gave him a firm nod as he turned to leave. “Good work, Vakarian. And tell your… tell Jane, she has my thanks.”Even after Captain Kryik was long gone and the water had stilled – the only sounds the soft creaking of the ship – Garrus still lay awake, thoughts of Jane and magic and the Ivory Wizard flowing through his mind until finally, he dropped off into sweet, dreamless oblivion.**********“We’re not trying to pry,” Kaidan said as he, Ashley and Jimmy sat with Jane at the large kitchen table eating the small cucumber and ham sandwiches Liara had brought out. “It’s just, well, you disappear every afternoon at the same time and we were just curious where you were going.”“It’s not smart to wander off alone skipper,” Ashley added. “You should at least tell someone where you are, in case you get into trouble.”Before Jane could answer, Liara saved her by appearing with a pitcher of ice water. “There’s no trouble around this part of Taetrus,” she said in that sweet, calm voice of hers. “The worst that could happen to someone is getting caught in a rainstorm. The jungle here doesn’t have any aggressive animals and the trails are well worn and marked.”“Still though,” Ashley said taking a sip of water. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”“We won’t follow you Shepard,” Jimmy said earnestly. “We’re just, eh, concerned.”Jane fixed her crew mates with a withering look. Even if she weren’t sneaking off to meet Garrus, the implication that she was mentally unsound for wanting some alone time was beyond aggravating.“I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. I just happen to like beach combing when the tide’s out.” she said.Ashley and Kaidan shared a glance and Jane internally rolled her eyes.“If you’re sure.” Kaidan said in a tone that made it clear he’d be bringing the subject up again.“I am. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go for a walk. If that’s alright with everyone?” She turned to regard her crew with faux question in her eyes.Ashley huffed, crossing her arms. “We only asked because we care,” she said.Jane’s expression softened a bit at the admission and with a gentle nod, she headed out the door and down the dirt path into the lush greenery of the jungle.Walking the trail she’d since learned by heart, Jane wondered if she should take a separate route back. She didn’t put it past Kaidan or Ashley to follow her. Jimmy had been making noise about using their extended shore leave to take up a guard posting on one of the merchant ships transporting eezo. If he made good on that venture than there was one fewer person for Jane to dodge.She slowed her brisk gait as the large, waxy leaves of the canopy thinned and the plant life became sparser. Stepping out onto the beach, Jane carefully picked her way over the rocky trail until arriving at what she’d come to think of as her rock. She’d barely seated herself when a dark shape pushed up through the water and Garrus’s head broke the surface, his gorgeous, crystal eyes blinking once before softening somehow. Jane never thought she had a preference when it came to eye color; but the otherworldly azure glow of Garrus’s eyes was captivating in a way she’d never known before. He certainly wears blue well, she thought as her gaze drifted to his cobalt colony markings along his mandibles.“Hey.” He said, a soft, whispering tune underlying his main voice.She’d recently noticed that Garrus seemed to be constantly singing and purring. The sound was not unlike the songs sung by the great whales, only there was a definite rhythm to it, almost like lyrics.“What are you singing?” She asked him before she could stop to consider if the question might be rude.The low, purring buzz he’d been making came to an abrupt halt. Crap, did I embarrass him? She wondered. Before she could apologize Garrus made an odd rumbling sound and cocking his head, gave her an almost shy looking flare of his mandibles.“I don’t really know the name of it,” he said by way of an answer. “But, um, do you like it?”The question surprised her, though the answer was immediate. “It’s beautiful,” she told him. “Are there words?”“Not really words… well, not as we understand and speak them. It’s a sentiment, mostly. Though I guess there’s words in the feeling.” He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. “I’m not explaining this very well,” he said looking back to her with that same shy smile.Jane felt a smirk tug the end of her mouth. “It’s okay, I think I understand what you mean.” She said.“It sounds better underwater,” Garrus said, swimming over to fold his arms up on her rock. “Our subharmonics can carry for miles. Our cities are always alive with songs on the waves.”Jane imagined what it must be like in Garrus’s home city of Cipritine; green waters full of music and voices. At the thought of Cipritine, Jane pulled her lower lip between her teeth before looking to Garrus once more. “Do you have a sweetheart back in Cipritine?” She asked him, silently commanding herself not to blush.“A sweetheart?” Garrus asked cocking his head again. “Like an amicae?”“What’s an amicae?” Jane said repeating the strange yet lovely word.“An amicae is a significant other, or romantic partner. You know, someone you’re courting but not mated to yet.” Garrus replied.“Like a sweetheart or lover then. Yeah, so, do you have an amicae?” Her face was turning pink and there was nothing she could do to stop it.“No, I haven’t had an amicae in…” Garrus paused as he appeared to mentally calculate the time. “Well, not that I haven’t had plenty of stress relief when I needed it, but it’s been a few years since I cared about anyone that much. So, eh, no, I don’t have an amicae.” Perhaps seeing something in her face, Garrus coughed into his hand before asking “do you have an amicae? A… sweetheart?”“I haven’t had a sweetheart in a long time.” She answered, still inordinately pleased to learn that Garrus was single. “It’s difficult when you travel so much. I haven’t really been looking though, to be fair.”“I can understand that,” Garrus said, his beautiful song from before humming out into the still water of the cove.“Still though,” Jane said. “It’d be nice to have someone to go dancing with. The last time I went to a festival everyone was already paired off.” She sighed at the memory, still feeling disappointed.“I’ll dance with you. I mean, if um, if you wanted to?” Garrus stuttered out, a high whine underlying his words.Jane fought and failed to keep the amusement out of her voice as she said, “you’ve mentioned dancing before, but I find it hard to imagine without legs and feet.”Garrus huffed before pushing back from the rock and extending out a long, powerful arm and taloned hand. “If you come into the water,” he said, “I promise I’ll give you the best dance of your life.”Jane looked at his offered hand, hesitating for a moment. Are you crazy? That’s a horrible idea! A voice that sounded suspiciously like Kaidan hissed in the back of her mind. Jane pushed it aside before slowly placing her hand in Garrus’s own.“Alright Garrus,” she said maintaining eye contact. “I trust you. But that’s a mighty big promise to fulfill. I’ve had some amazing dances.”Garrus made a whirring noise she felt through their clasped hands before chuckling softly. “I’ll try not to disappoint the lady,” he said in that low, gravely voice that had heat pooling in her lower belly and between her legs.
Jane took her hand back and pulled off her tunic before folding it neatly on the rock. She then pulled off her boots and pants until she was in nothing but her undergarments before reaching out to Garrus once more.With a soft purr, he took both her hands in his own as she slid off the rock and into the warm embrace of the water.Garrus gently tugged her closer to him and Jane reached up and settled her hands on either side of his plated shoulders. “Okay Garrus,” she said trying to cover her nerves and excitement at being so close to him. “Let’s see these dance moves.”“Hold your breath,” Garrus instructed. “And tug on my cowl if you need to go back up for air. I promise I won’t take us down too deep.”Doing as instructed, Garrus pulled her beneath the surface. Despite the slight sting of the salt water, Jane opened her eyes, taking in the sunlit, watery world. Small schools of fish dashed to and fro and green algae gently undulated on the submerged rocks.But it was Garrus who filled her vision; eyes glowing an ethereal blue, plates and scales gleaming in the refracted light. He was, in a word, gorgeous. Were she not holding her breath to begin with, she certainly would have forgotten how to breathe when faced with such beauty.Tugging her further underwater, the melody that she’d been hearing on land suddenly engulfed her. It was a deep, passionate hum with accompanying soft whistles and chirps. There weren’t words, really, as Garrus had said, but as he began to twirl around her, a feeling – like the unspoken sentiment in a hug from a dear friend or lover – filled her ears and mind.Never let me go, never let me go. It whispered longingly all around her.Garrus pulled her back close to him, and with a few flicks of his powerful tail sent them spinning vertically upward in a rush of bubbles. Jane sucked in a lungful of air as they broke the surface. Nodding to Garrus, he pulled them under once more, his song becoming stronger.
Never let me go, never let me go.
With an easy movement of his wrist, he spun Jane out until he held her at arms’ length before pulling her back into him. Jane pressed her body close to his own much larger one, using the weightlessness to pull herself up so that they were eye level. Garrus gently pressed his forehead against hers and Jane nearly gasped as feelings of devotion, belonging and something she couldn’t name but felt vast and fathomless flowed into her.They swayed and spun, Garrus taking care to let the sunlight sparkle off his scales as they danced through sunbeams and underwater rainbows of color. Jane found she didn’t even need to tug on his cowl; rubbing her brow against his and staring skyward was all she needed to do to request a fresh breath of air.Gradually, Garrus’s underwater acrobatics became slower and more intimate. He held her tightly against him as they floated with the current, his mesmerizing eyes full of unsaid emotions as he continued to serenade her with his subvocals.It was when he looked at her, though, like she was the ocean and he was desperate to drown that Jane was overcome with the desire to kiss him. His mouth plates didn’t look pliable like lips, but she knew from touching him the day before that they were more flexible then they appeared.Nudging against him in a request for more air, Jane mentally steeled her nerves. Taking a deep breath when they surfaced, she moved to brush the wet hair from her eyes, only to have Garrus reach out a finger and gently tuck the red strands behind her ear with the back of a large talon.Slowly, Jane used her hands on his shoulders to pull her face up to his, and shutting her eyes, pressed her lips softly against his mouth.Garrus made a high whistling sound in response and Jane pulled back as though stung, terrified she’d made a huge mistake. He didn’t know what kissing was; he didn’t have lips! She wondered if he thought she was trying to feed him somehow – or worse, eat him. Her face began to burn as she looked up to Garrus, who was staring at her with wide eyes and slack mandibles. She opened her mouth to make some type of excuse or apology, only for Garrus to cup her cheeks in his large, webbed hands and slowly, deliberately, bring his face down to hers, pressing his mouth plates to her lips.Jane made a soft gasp before her eyes fluttered closed and she was wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. Her tongue darted out and licked his slightly parted mouth, requesting entry. Garrus groaned low in his chest, the sound echoing in the water as he opened his mouth and his own long, slender tongue curled around hers, tasting and dancing. One of his hands migrated up and around the back of her head to anchor her face against his as Jane rocked into him.When they finally pulled apart so Jane could catch her breath, Garrus was panting, though not because of a lack of oxygen.“That was…” he let out a small laugh as he looked to her with large, darkened eyes. “Wow.” He finished with more emotion in the one word than Jane had ever heard anyone convey.“Yeah,” she agreed, leaning forward and up to rest her brow against his crest. “Damn Garrus, I didn’t know merians could kiss like that.”He let out another heated chuckle before purring and wrapping her more securely in his arms. “We don’t kiss,” he said. “But we’ve seen land walkers do it and understand the concept. It’s a show of romantic interest, right? Like when we nuzzle brows?”“Yeah,” Jane replied, languidly running her hand up and down the back of his neck, before pressing her forehead firmly against his own. “Merians kiss like this?”“Like this,” he repeated shutting his eyes briefly. Opening them, he pulled his head back, so he could look her in the eyes. “Does this mean, uh, that you… are you sure you don’t want someone… closer to home?”The worry in his face was palpable, and Jane moved a hand up to caress his mandible and cheek. “I don’t want someone closer to home, Garrus. I want you.”Then he was kissing her again, hand tangling in her hair while his tongue explored her mouth. “Hold your breath,” he whispered hoarsely against her lips.Taking in a deep lungful of air, Garrus tugged them underwater once more. His song swelled into her as she moved to kiss his plated mouth, pressing her body as close to him as possible as he slowly spun them around.
Never let me go, never let me go.
She hummed as he moved to lift her up closer to his face to nuzzle her brow. And for that moment, underwater, surrounded by his love, everything in her world was perfect.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The waving sea grass had a special grace to its movements that evening; dipping and bowing in the thinning light, a tango set in shades of green and teal. Garrus swam low so his stomach brushed against the verdant dancers, mind and thoughts leagues away in the Vallum cove with Janes’ fiery red hair swirling around his face while her soft, supple lips were pressed to his mouth.She could have chosen anyone, for surely, she must be a great beauty by human standards. Those inquisitive eyes and lithe, strong body… a dreamy whistle escaped his throat and echoed out into the ocean waves. He’d never understand why him, of all people – a reckless, hotheaded scout – but he privately thanked the spirits that he was the person she wanted.When they’d finally had to part ways, so they could return to their respective homes, it had been with lingering kisses and nuzzles, hands trailing down the others body in unspoken promises of things to come. And spirits did he want to honor his promise!He wondered how different she would be from a merian woman. Stories he’d heard as an adolescent said that humans, asari and many other races were always… well, they weren’t plated, and that fact had led to many a tale of sexual depravity and how both genders were always ready and willing to sate their lust.He supposed he’d have to wait until tomorrow to find out what was true and what was just prepubescent fantasy. At least, he assumed that was what Jane wanted tomorrow. She’d stroked a small, soft hand down along his groin plates and whispered in a husky purr all her own “soon” as she’d finally forced herself to pull from his embrace.“Soon” couldn’t come soon enough as far as he was concerned, though he was slightly nervous he’d somehow disappoint her. But his feelings for her were stronger than nerves, and he imagined that whatever the species differences, she’d look and feel absolutely perfect.Caught up in his daydreams of what it would feel like to be inside her and move together, he didn’t notice the sunset had turned a blighted grey. At least, not until the blushing waters abruptly turned to pitch, as though all the light had been sucked out of them.Instinct and training kicked in and Garrus immediately raised Widow into a defensive position, senses on full alert as his eyes attempted to peer through the ebony darkness engulfing him.“Poor child.” A shadow rasped.Garrus spun but couldn’t see anything.“In love with a human. Don’t you know the sea would rob her of her breath?” The voice sounded at once next to him and fathoms away, and Garrus could both hear and feel the anxious buzz that rippled through his subvocals.“Who are you?” He demanded. “Show yourself!"From out of the inky depths, a white light began to pulse and grow, so large and bright that Garrus had to raise his arm to shield his eyes. When he blinked again he was no longer alone. Coated in a ghastly glow of radiance unfitting for his visage, was the most horrifying abomination of a merian Garrus had ever seen.The pale, corpse like hide clung to plate and bone no longer of the living world; the upper body and torso of the creature looked as though they’d suffered from some terrifying disease that had bloated the chest cavity until the ribs had burst outward from the pressure, piercing through white, decayed tissue and exposing the internal organs.The organs themselves looked infected, and were covered with oozing, amethyst globules that leaked a sickly, indigo liquid too thin to be blood but too viscus to be water out into the obsidian sea. The scales of the creature’s tale looked brittle and flaked, as though left out on the shore to bake and bleach in the tropical sun, and they were so sparse at the fins that only picked and sharp bone remained.He – if it ever once was a ‘he’ – was missing his right arm. A rotted stump hung limp at his side, with two corpulent hagfish attached to the remains, rasping mouths and teeth eating at the putrid flesh, slime covered bodies writhing as they fed.The real horror however, was the face. Clouded eyes that shown a phosphorus blue stared at him from lidless sockets while the twisted mandibles were left permanently agape to expose more of the corrupted globules drooling sludge around broken teeth.Garrus held himself stiff as a plank, hypnotized by the living death in front of him.“Hmm. What’s the matter boy? Never seen the price of magic up close before?” The creature asked in a hoarse voice.“Magic?” Garrus replied, shaking off his stupor and gripping Widow hard enough that the bones in his hands creaked.“All magic has a price,” the swimming ghoul answered, floating closer to him. “The more powerful the spell or potion, the higher the cost the wielder must pay.”“You’re the Ivory Wizard!” Garrus said realization striking him like a spear to the keel.“In the flesh.” The ancient sorcerer said with a note of sarcasm clinging to his eroded subvocals.“You’re supposed to be dead,” Garrus said turning to keep the wizard in front of him.“Don’t believe everything you hear,” the other man replied. “But enough of the pleasantries. I have an offer for you.” The wizard floated into an upright position – or at least as upright as his hunched and disfigured body allowed – before fixing his unblinking eyes on Garrus’s face.“There’s a murmur on the waves,” he said. “That Primarch Victus is about to expose our kind to the wrath of the krogan and greed of the land walkers.”Garrus narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure what whispers you’re hearing,” he said carefully. “But that is definitely not the case.”“Isn’t it?”Faster than Garrus would have thought possible the undead sorcerer swam so his face was right up in Garrus’ own. “The Primarch plans to meet with the land race’s Council. We both know they’ll want the cure to the genophage. Nothing will stop the krogan from seeking their revenge and all the while the rest of those pathetic air breathers will prosper off our demise.”The creature dipped a hand inside his exposed chest cavity and pulled out one of the larger pulsing globules. Squeezing it in his bony hand it erupted in a cloud of purple lighting and suddenly the waters around them shifted to a scene of Menae; the sandy shore was littered with the small, decaying bodies of merian whelps. Insects buzzed about the tiny corpses as seagulls picked at the still raw flesh of the precious victims.Further up the beach, heavily armored krogan lumbered almost casually, as though they weren’t surrounded by a living nightmare. And further still, up where the palm trees and the jungle plants began a group of humans, asari and salarians worked to haul lumber onto a waiting frigate.Garrus recoiled at the horror and the image rippled and disappeared until the waters around him were dark again.“I created the genophage to save our people from extinction.” The wizard said, still positioned in front of him. “The price of the magic I used was my own living flesh. A price I’m continuing to pay.”Despite the decaying, mutilated features Garrus swore there was sorrow in the wizard’s face as he continued, “what I showed you is a future yet to pass. The future, much like the ocean waves is in constant motion even when it seems still. But as events come to pass certain futures become more solid.”The creature opened his corrupted maw, indigo filth pouring out from between his mandibles like smoke; a cursed oceanic dragon of old. “For generations I have watched the future of our race. And only now does this image I just showed you hold solid like water trapped in a glass. I didn’t damn myself to living death only to watch our race be slaughtered.”“But you know a way to prevent that future?” Garrus asked, skeptical of the truth to the creature’s words but shaken enough to inquire.The old wizard flared his mandibles out in what might have been a smile before reaching inside his chest once more and pulling out another infected pustule. He didn’t squeeze this one however, but merely closed his hand around it, and when he opened his hand again a small vial full of brackish liquid was in its place.“Give this to Victus,” the Ivory Wizard said, holding out his hand in offering. “The Primarch’s mind is clouded with greed. He’s willing to believe any lie to obtain eezo shields. This will clear it for him.”Garrus stared at the outstretched hand and the potion within it. “When you say ‘clear his mind’ you really mean you’ll take control over him. Don’t you?”“Cleaver boy,” the sorcerer answered. “I won’t bother with half-truths; Victus would still be free, his mind still his own, but when it comes to matters dealing with the land walkers… I’d swim in to assist him in the decision making.”Garrus opened his mouth to tell the old cretin to take his mind control and slave spells to the bottomless trenches, but the wizard interrupted him.“I can see you still need convincing. And, perhaps, something in return?” The wizard pulled his hand back and closed it again, light pulsing from his withered arm down through his talons. When he opened his hand, there were now two vials; one the same murky liquid as before, but the other was golden and flashed like sunbeams on polished metal.“A taste, of what I’d offer you for your aid. Along with the assured survival of our people, I’ll give you the thing you crave most; the ability to walk on land with your human.”Garrus felt his mandibles flap against his face plates in disbelief. “You’d… I’d have legs?” He asked, staring hard at the golden vial.“Help me protect our people from extinction and pillage and whenever you wish to walk above the waves, you’ll have powerful feet and legs all your own. Whenever you return to your rightful home beneath the sea you’ll have your tail once more.”Garrus hesitated, mind reeling. This monster couldn’t really be trusted. Could he? He was talking about turning Victus into his own personal puppet. Images of murdered whelps flashed back through his minds’ eye unbidden. Was that truly the only outcome of rejoining the outside world? Death, exploitation and extinction? Garrus’s heart clenched. Jane isn’t like that, he thought. But what of her kinsmen and the other races?He needed to think. To consider this from all angles when a rotting specter wasn’t directly in his line of sight. But would it be so wrong to sample this supposed gift?Slowly, Garrus reached out a hand and careful not to make contact with the wizard’s flesh, used two talons to grip the vials and pull them back toward himself.“Excellent choice,” the sorcerer said, delight in his faint subharmonics. “You get two hours,” he continued holding up two withered fingers. “With the amount in there,” he pointed to the vial, “you can walk upon the land and breath air for two hours. But magic isn’t free. Should you fully accept my offer, I’ll pay your due, but for now, the price for legs and feet will be your primary voice.”“My voice?” Garrus repeated loudly.“For only two hours. And what’s it to you, really? You’ll have your subvocals, and of course… your pretty face.” The last part was said with a sneer. “If this human is truly deserving of your Aeternum Song, then you won’t need to speak.”The wizard drifted backwards. “I’ll come to you when the Primarch arrives. I’m too weak to deliver this to him myself and couldn’t pay the cost of a glamour to conceal this eternal decay.” He gestured vaguely to himself. “But with your assistance, our people might still have hope.”The wizard’s body began to radiate light outwards and before Garrus could ask about glamours and the method of delivery for the potion, the world went white and he was momentarily blinded. When his vision cleared, he was once again in the clear waters around Taetrus and totally alone, save for the two vials clutched firmly in his hand.**********There had been a definite spring to her step as she made her way up the garden path and pushed open the front door of the still brightly lit inn. Jane Shepard was many things: sailor, solider, commander, daughter. But “girly” or to be more precise, feminine, was not something she considered herself. Sure, she’d been told she was pretty, or easy on the eyes, but she generally felt like an imposter when she wore sophisticated dresses or tried to curl her hair. And while she’d talked a big game to Garrus, her dancing skills were… well on more than one occasion people had assumed she was heavily intoxicated when it came to her clumsy movements and inability to keep pace with the music.But with Garrus, she was different somehow. A softer, more natural woman without having to try or pretend. She’d by lying if she said she hadn’t relished that feeling. He made her feel beautiful and feminine without forcing her into confining corsets or expecting her to play a part. She could be herself and still share a romantic dance beneath the tide and kiss him like she wanted to devour him.It was enough to make a girl sigh, which she must have done as she entered the spacious kitchen, because Tali immediately turned and focused on her. The small quarian had been drying dishes as Liara washed them, but she quickly turned all her attention on Jane, turning so fast her violet robes and shawl – the customary garments of her nomadic people – spun around her two-toed feet with the speed of her movements.“Did you see him?” Tali asked, excitement in her voice and eyes mere crescent moons behind her veiled face. “You totally did, didn’t you?”Jane managed not to gape and instead swiftly aimed a bone melting glare at Wrex, who was seated at the large table with a massive platter of baked turkey legs and turtle soup in front of him. Wrex paused with a turkey leg half-way to his mouth. “She threatened me,” he said nodding toward Tali.Jane looked back to Tali who had crossed her arms and cocked a hip.“Tali threatened you?” Jane asked, incredulity dripping from every word and face tilting downward in a disbelieving stare.“I’m quite vicious you know Shepard.” Tali said. “I have a blunderbuss.”“You don’t have to get defensive Shepard,” Liara said, blue hands still soapy. “I think it’s wonderful you’ve met someone. Even if he is a different species.”“Especially because he’s a different species.” Tali said turning to her wife with a fond tilt of her head.Jane sighed. “Look, I don’t know what Wrex said he thought he knew – ”“Ha! Thought?” Wrex made a show of sniffing the air before a huge, salacious grin split his face. “Heh. The merian rut you into the beach?”“Is it true what the legends say?” Tali asked. “Are merian penises really – ”“We weren’t doing any of that!” Jane interjected. “And now if you’ll excuse me, I think that’s enough about my personal life for one evening.”“Oh, Shepard, please wait,” Liara said hurrying over to her. “I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” She glanced back at Tali who hung her head apologetically. “We’re just happy for you. We haven’t known you long, but you’re a generous person, and deserve some peace.”Jane let out a resigned breath through her nose. There was no point in denying it. And at least the non-humans seemed alright with her cross-species liaison.Jane felt her nose crinkle and lips pucker slightly as she fought back a grin at the memory of being held in Garrus’s loving embrace. “I never thought I’d find peace in the arms of a merian,” she admitted.“People find peace in whatever arms make them feel cherished,” Liara said. “If this merian does that for you, then I’m happy you’ve found him.”“I love a good cross species romance,” Tali said dreamily. “Lovers from two different worlds who will do anything to be together.”“I hope we can stay together,” Jane said, doubt creeping into her mind. After a peace meeting between the Primarch and Councilor Hackett, then what? Could she and Garrus really make this work long term?“I’m sure you’ll find a way,” Liara said reassuringly.“Humph, yeah, you’ll find a way alright.” Wrex said with an eye roll and mouth full of food. “True love always does.”“I didn’t know you were such a romantic, Wrex,” Tali said a bit too happily.“Don’t get any ideas about me joining your poetry club,” Wrex answered with a snort. “I’m just stating a well-known fact.”The night had ended with Tali somehow convincing Jane that Garrus would like to see some of the orchids from the garden. Jane had received precise instructions on what flowers to bring him the next day and been assured by both Tali and Liara that it was perfectly acceptable for a lady to bring flowers to her gentlemen.As Jane finally slipped into her bed and under the fresh linen sheets, she indulged herself in another girly sigh. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

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Despite the rose-gold tint to the warm waters, Garrus felt on edge. There was a lingering darkness that seemed to haunt the periphery of his vision, and he held Widow out in front of him, muscles tense and ready to strike as he swam toward the Vallum cove.What the decrepit wizard had told him about Victus giving the land walkers the cure for the genophage had left Garrus’s mind reeling. If the Ivory Wizard was so concerned that Victus would give the cure to the krogan, did that mean the cure was readily available? But everyone knew that the secret to reversing the genophage rested solely with its creator…His black conversation with the ghoulish sorcerer seemed to imply that the antidote was easily ascertainable by those not possessing magic. But if that were true why hadn’t anybody discovered the cure yet? Garrus supposed not many merians were looking for a cure, but the knowledge that it was out there forced him to consider what he would do if he found it.If he discovered it, would he hand it over to the krogan? Jane had mentioned them in passing but hadn’t brought them up since his – admittedly – hostile reaction.As he reached his destination and deposited Widow carefully under Janes’s rock he wondered if he should ask for her opinion on his races’ ancient enemy. He’d never interacted with the krogan himself and had nothing but stories from his father to base his opinions on – and Castis Vakarian was not known for being an open-minded person. Garrus grimaced. If his father knew his Aeternum Song had manifested for a human, of all things, he’d launch into a full-on conniption and monologue about the selfishness, idiocy and recklessness of his eldest child.But I love her, Garrus thought as he peeked above the water to look for Jane. She was… she was perfect. Fun, intelligent, beautiful; everything he could ever want in an amicae. He squeezed his hand around the sun colored vial he’d brought with him. He shouldn’t even consider it; it was reckless and stupid and… and stupid! But… He sighed involuntarily at the memory of Jane’s lips against his mouth.This potion couldn’t be trusted. Could it? Would it be so wrong to just try it? He could try it and reject the wizard’s plan of turning Victus into a puppet. He thought about running through the lush, green jungle with Jane’s soft hand in his. About dancing with her and leaving footprints in the wet sand of the surf. About just being with her without a constant reminder that they were separated by two different worlds.He submerged his head to stare at the vial in his hand once more; winking gold in reassurance. He’d wait. See what she truly wanted this afternoon. If it was him, well, then he’d give this potion a try. He wanted to give Jane everything; she deserved that.“Garrus?”He’d been so distracted he hadn’t heard her approach. Quickly surfacing, his mandibles flared out in a huge smile as his subvocals sang out his feelings; love, devotion and hope.“Jane,” he said swimming up to her rock and pulling himself out of the water with his hands. He purred longingly as Jane immediately moved to press her lips against his mouth plates, a sigh echoing in her throat.Garrus pushed further up onto the rock, balancing himself on one hand as the other wound around the back of her head, fingers digging into her crimson tresses. When his arm began to shake and wobble from holding himself up too long, he reluctantly pulled away and sank back into the water.As he did so, he noticed the brilliantly colored bouquet of flowers lying next to Jane.“What are those?” He asked.Jane pulled her lower lip between her teeth before moving the flowers closer to her and then slowly extending her hand out toward him.“These are for you,” she murmured. “I got them from the garden of the inn I’m staying at.”“You got me flowers?” Garrus asked with raised brow plates, staring at the delicate purples and reds of the petals being held out to him.“Yeah,” Jane said, seeming uncomfortable. “Is that not something amicaes do?”Realizing he ought to take the present and not make Jane feel like he didn’t think the flowers were gorgeous, Garrus closed a hand over the small one gripping the stems.“Thank you,” he told her, his Aeternum Song ringing out in the water all around him. “I’ve never gotten a gift like this before.”He turned to focus on the intricate shapes of the individual flowers. The variety was amazing, and the smell some of them were giving off made him think of the morning sunrise on the horizon and holding a loved one close.“I picked the ones that don’t normally grow close to the ocean,” Jane told him. “I thought you might like to see some.” She shrugged looking down at her hands in her lap.“They’re beautiful,” he said, pulling his eyes away to look at her. “I’m just sorry I didn’t bring you a gift, too.” He wondered if Jane would also find the polished abalone shells some merians wore around their cowls pretty. Or maybe a seal skin cloak from the far Northern outposts surrounding Noveria?“It’s okay Garrus,” Jane told him reaching out a hand to cup his right mandible and cheek. “I didn’t bring you flowers expecting anything in return.” She flashed him a radiant smile; one that made the deep green of her irises sparkle with an internal fire all their own. “Just knowing you like them is enough.”It wasn’t enough, though. Garrus reached up a hand to wrap around her wrist.“Jane,” he began, still lost in the forests of her eyes. “What if I did have something for you? Something that could let me walk on land with you?”Jane’s smile pulled downward into a frown. “What do you mean?” She asked him.Setting his bouquet down on the rock, Garrus opened his hand to reveal the vial of potion. “I got this from a wizard,” he told her. “It’s a magic elixir that’ll grant me legs and feet for two hours. I could come up on the land with you. If you, um, if you wanted me to.”He realized he was all but pleading with his vocals for her to want that. For her to want to share the experience of running and walking with him.“A wizard just gave you this potion?” Jane asked. “But, why?”“He wants me to do something for him – I’m not going to do it, but as an incentive he gave me this potion to try out,” Garrus explained in a rush. He didn’t want to get into Victus and the genophage when he could be exploring the shore with Jane instead.“What does he want you to do?” Jane asked looking suspicious.Sighing, Garrus closed his hand around the vial before looking back to Jane with hopeful eyes. “I’ll tell you all about it – and the wizard – but I can only be gone from my base for so long. I want… if you want me to, I’d like to come up on land with you. Then, after, I’ll tell you everything I know?” He asked.Jane looked torn. “You can walk on land with me?” She eventually asked, a small smile to her question.Garrus purred, mind made up. “For two hours,” he confirmed. “I can be a part of your world for two hours, but…” he trailed off, vocals slipping into an uncomfortable whine. “I wouldn’t be able to talk while I’m on land though.”“What do you mean?” Jane asked, brow creasing.“That’s the price of the magic,” Garrus said with an involuntary twinge. “I’ll get my voice back after two hours, once I have my tail again.”Jane’s frown was back and Garrus tried to reassure her, saying, “I’ll still have my subharmonics, and I can understand you.”“But, I can’t understand your subharmonics,” Jane said shaking her head. “Are you sure about this Garrus?”“If I can be with you,” he said reaching out for her and purring when she gripped his hand in both her own, “then any price is worth it. I want to be with you Jane, I want to see what it’s like to walk on land.”“I want that too,” she all but whispered.Mandibles flaring out in a reassuring smile, Garrus used a talon to flick off the seal to the vial. Not wanting to make Jane uneasy by smelling the liquid or hesitating, Garrus moved to pour its contents down his throat, noting that it tasted faintly like sea anemones.For a moment, nothing happened, and then suddenly his tail was wracked with pain, as though it were being cleaved in two. Garrus let out a keen as his back arched and he grasped onto the rock in front of him, talons digging into the surface.“Garrus!” He heard Jane yell, but he was in too much pain to answer.He felt bone snap and a searing, cold burn like ice in his veins spread through his lower body; numbing the pain but at the same time making him hyper aware that his tail was gone. But then, there were new sensations; toes and the water flowing between them, a lack of fins and a duel weight he was unaccustomed to dragging him back under the waves.As the shock and icy tingling of new limbs began to fade he realized that he was panting as he gripped the rock. Not just panting, but gulping down deep, lungfuls of air. I can breathe!Looking up to Jane who was kneeling and looked half ready to dive into the water with him, he gave her a winded laugh.I can breathe air! He tried to tell her, but when he opened his mouth his throat felt like it was full of sand and the only sound to come out was a gargling noise.“Your voice,” Jane said softly before moving to offer him a hand.Rumbling to her in appreciation, Garrus let Jane drag him through the water, from rock to rock down her trail, until he felt his feet – feet – touch the sandy ground. He wobbled against the new feeling of standing, the water helping to support his weight.“Grab onto my shoulders,” Jane said as she finished pulling off her pants and boots, walking into the surf after him.She was so short. Garrus did as instructed, resting his hands on her small shoulders and staring down in disbelief as he took his first few tentative steps. He was wobbly and uncertain as he left the water’s embrace and stepped onto the beach. He had long, powerful looking legs that ended in a pair of large, two toed feet, each tipped with a black talon.There were plates on his legs similar to those on his arms, and spurs jutting out of the calves. As he stared down at his new body - too lost for words even if he could have used them - he whined in his subvocals; excitement, surprise and joy.“Is something wrong?” Jane asked him, still standing directly in front of him. “Are you okay?”Looking down into her worried face, Garrus flared his mandibles out as he purred, moving a hand to grip her chin gently. Slowly so as not to throw himself off balance, he lowered his head to nuzzle her brow.I can’t believe I’m here standing with you, he vocalized.While she couldn’t understand the nuances of his secondary voice, his actions had the desired affect and he felt her lean against his crest with a soft hum.Pulling back, he nodded his head up the beach and toward the trees.“You want to see the jungle?” Jane asked, an amused grin on her face.He nodded, vocals chirping in request.Jane gave him a true smile then before looking down at his new feet. “Well, we should probably make sure you can walk first. Falling on the sand is one thing, the compacted, rocky earth in there?” She nodded toward the jungle. “That’ll hurt a lot more.”Garrus nodded in agreement before concentrating on the alien appendages below him. Carefully, he raised one foot and placed it in front of the other, leaning heavily on Jane’s shoulders. If it bothered her she didn’t say anything, instead lifting her hands to place them on his arms to help guide him.“Good job,” she told him. “Try to straighten your back, don’t lean forward so much.”Doing as instructed Garrus leaned back, but unfortunately leaned too far, and legs shaking, he pulled Jane down with him into the wet sand. Jane let out a surprised yelp as she fell forward and on top of him. Garrus rumbled to her in concern, taking her chin in his hands again to inspect her face.Jane let out a breathless laugh. “Told you it was better to fall on the beach,” she said before pushing up to plant a sweet kiss on his mouth. Garrus purred and would have deepened the action had Jane not bent her knees and stood up offering him a hand.Taking it, Garrus was mildly surprised at the strength in her arms as she helped him rise clumsily to his feet.“Let’s try that again,” she said with a grin.Slowly, with more caution then before, Garrus practiced taking small steps along the shore, until he was finally able to walk on his own without gripping onto Jane. Subvocals buzzing, he held out his hand to her, delighted when she quickly took it in her own.Hand in hand, side by side, they walked up the beach and into the green of the jungle. It was darker here among the leaves, with sunlight dappling the ground and everywhere the calls of birds and chirps, clicks, and buzz of insects.The ground felt different here as well; hard and compact beneath his feet except for the brown or yellow leaves which were spongy and had a texture not unlike the aquatic plants he was accustomed to beneath the sea.Jane made a point to show him things; creatures she called butterflies with wings like gossamer in colors so brilliant they dazzled the eyes. Flowers that smelled like paradise and trees that towered above him, dripping in vines and moss and life. Life everywhere.The different smells of the land were fascinating; this far from the ocean he could only just catch a whiff of salt in the air. His nostrils were filled with the scent of decay, and flowers and other things he couldn’t name.He wasn’t sure how long they wandered amongst the trees and plants of the fantastic world above the waves, but eventually he felt a pull back toward the ocean, as though a nameless voice were calling him home.Giving Jane’s hand a squeeze to catch her attention he nodded back down the path in the direction they had come. Understanding flashed in her eyes and together they walked back to the beach, Garrus on nearly steady feet.As the clear waters of the Vallum cove came back into sight, Garrus stopped his gait and gently tugged Jane toward him. She easily moved to press into his embrace and he bent his head down to nuzzle the top of her head.Thank you, he purred. Thank you for sharing your world with me.Jane arched her neck to stare up into his face. “I wish I could understand your subvocals,” she said wistfully. “Did you like getting to experience the jungle?”He nodded, gently lifting her chin with a finger to give her a passionate, human style kiss. His entire life people had told him he was lucky; lucky to be born a Vakarian into a prominent family, lucky his father indulged his reckless behavior, and according to Captain Pallin, lucky his incompetence hadn’t already gotten him killed.Yet, for all his apparent good fortune, here, standing on the beach with the love of his life, for the first time, Garrus actually believed that he was lucky.

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He wasn’t entirely sure who started it. Their kiss on the beach had been passionate, sure, but when he felt Jane lick his parted mouth plates and his tongue eagerly rushed out to tangle with hers, the air became thicker, somehow, in a way it hadn’t been before. Jane moaned softly pressing herself closer to his body.Garrus felt heat pool in his belly as his groin plates began to shift. But he had to make sure this was what she wanted. Needed some confirmation she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. Forcing himself to pull back, he whined in slight discomfort. This conversation would have been awkward enough with words, now…As he stood contemplating how to go about expressing his desires, Jane reached up a hand to cup his face again. Looking back to her, he noticed that she seemed confident though there was a slight pull to her mouth that made him think she was at least a little uneasy about what she was going to say.“Garrus,” she said. “I love being with you. I feel like I can be myself around you and that you won’t judge me. You make me feel beautiful without words. And, I’d like to take what we already have a bit further. To truly, be with you.”He was nodding emphatically before she even asked, “do you want that too?”Spirits yes, he thought, mandibles flaring out as he bent his head to nuzzle her again, subvocals purring as his hand drifted down to rub her arm in a merian display of intimacy.Gently pulling on his other arm, Jane encouraged him to sit on the ground and soon had positioned herself in his lap as he nipped and licked his way up the column of her neck. She tasted faintly like citrus mingled with a musky flavor all her own, and under that, a steadily building smell that was both foreign and simultaneously familiar. His body responded to the heady scent of her arousal, and he felt his pelvic plates part as his cock began to press out.He mentally forced himself to stay plated, wanting to savor the moment and focus on how soft her lips felt as she sucked on his mandible prongs and how her hands and dexterous fingers had managed to seek out and caress the sensitive hide of his neck.Jane hadn’t bothered to put her pants and boots back on and her lower body was separated from him by only a thin piece of damp cloth. She rolled her hips against his groin and he growled at the friction. He wanted to feel her body pressed against him without any barriers between them.Fortunately, Jane seemed to be of a like mind and leaning back and away from his hungry mouth she pulled her shirt over her head, leaving only her strange chest harness on. He wasn’t sure what the purpose of the harness was, but he wanted it gone too, and taking a single talon he cut through the slim band holding it together at the front.Jane gasped as the pale mounds – breasts, if he was remembering the term correctly – bounced slightly and the straps over her shoulders slipped down. The look in Jane’s eyes was far from appreciative though.“Bras are expensive,” she told him when he rumbled in concern, hoping he hadn’t completely ruined the mood.But her eyes glowed with mischief as she pulled the ruined harness off, leaving herself completely bare from the waist up. Fascinated by this wondrous aspect of her body, Garrus reached out a hand, looking to her for approval before gently cupping a breast. It was smooth like the rest of her, but there was a pink bud in the middle, and when he ran the pad of his thumb over it inquisitively Jane sucked in a breath as the bud hardened under his touch.“Do that again,” she said, an almost desperate edge to her voice. “My nipples, they’re really sensitive.”Garrus deduced that these must be an erogenous zone for a human female, and repeated his action with his other hand, stroking and gently pinching, making Jane arch her back and eliciting soft mewls and whines from her that had his blood boiling and cock pressing painfully against his plates.“Show me,” she panted, face flushed a lovely shade of pink. “Show me where to touch you.”His purr dropped an octave at the promise in her request and he gently took one of her hands and placed it under his fringe, at the sensitive patch of hide behind his head. Cautiously at first, Jane began to knead the area with strong fingers, causing snaps of electric pleasure to radiate down his body, making his toes curl as he pulled her closer with a deep moan.I want you! His mind and body all but screamed.
He left one hand to play with a nipple, moving another down to the apex between her thighs where the thin cloth still separated them. The fabric was soaking wet, and he surmised hazily that human women must self-lubricate like merian men. Rumbling darkly, he ran a finger up and along the front of her undergarment, causing Jane to stutter in her own ministrations at the back of his fringe.“Fuck,” she breathed, before looking to him with eyes choked by black; pupils dilated, and nostrils flared.“I want you, Garrus,” she said around a deep breath.Plucking at the wet layer of fabric between them, he gazed into her eyes as she nodded. “Tear them off.”
His talons shredded the fabric and she pulled away the last barrier between them. She had hair around her center; curly and slightly darker than her head. Curiously, Garrus ran a talon along her glistening slit and damp curls, circling the small nub at the top with a finger. Jane gasped and pressed her warm, wet core against his hand. He couldn’t restrain himself any longer and with a long, drug out moan, his cock sprung free from his sheath.“You’re blue!” Jane exclaimed with a ridiculous giggle.Garrus cocked his head. Of course his dick was blue. He wondered vaguely if human men didn’t have blue genitals, but then Jane gripped him in a soft yet firm hand, sliding it up his length and leaving him breathless.“You’re ribbed too,” she noted with an airy laugh.Garrus wanted to ask if that was bad, but the predatory look that came into her face as she moved to position her sodden folds against him made him forget everything but her. Angling her hips, she stroked her core up his length, gasping at the sensation.Garrus threw an arm out behind him to steady himself, vocals squealing and rising into higher registers he hadn’t known he was capable of hitting. Shit! Not even inside her yet and she felt amazing! He rubbed himself against her in return, feeling each wet caress along the underside of his shaft, leaving him slick and desperate for more. He wanted inside her, inside the paradise that he now knew lay between her legs.He squeezed her waist with his free hand, a move which would have left a merian partner moaning but seemed to have little effect on Jane. Gargling to her, he spread his legs further apart to accommodate her body, and whining in plea pulled on her thigh, encouraging her to straddle him.Thankfully, Jane understood and rising onto her knees, took his length in her hand to align them before slowly sinking down. Each inch that disappeared inside her warm, welcoming body stole a bit more of his breath. When her hips finally rested flush against his and his cock throbbed at the sensation of tight, and soft and wet, and Jane, he remembered he needed to breathe, and gasping out a deep breath, he reached a hand around to support her lower back as he began to shallowly thrust into her.Jane moaned and gripping his shoulders for support began to lift herself off his cock, only to quickly slam back down with a roll to her hips that had him crying out in ecstasy. He increased the tempo to his own movements, eyes rolling back in his head and mandibles flared wide in pure bliss.She was a goddess of myth. His goddess of sex and love and lust and he would never tire of this feeling; of fucking her, moving with her, bodies united and flowing like the mixing waters of the tide.It was too much and not enough, and through his sex drunk senses, he wondered if Jane would let him take more control in a different position. Pushing forward slightly, he managed to rumble in question as Jane slowed her pace to look him in the eyes.“What?” She panted, “what is it?”He rumbled again, helping her – lamentably – slide off his cock and lie down on her side. Understanding flashed in her hazy eyes and rolling so one of her legs was raised in the air, leaving her wet and waiting center on full display, she angled her head in a way that would have been impossible for a merian before saying, “straddle my leg.”This certainly wasn’t a position he’d ever been able to try before, and excitement over sharing something new with Jane echoed along with his lustful vocals as he straddled her prone leg. Aligning himself with her once more, he pushed inside, wrapping an arm around her thigh and holding it tightly against him.This position let him hit even deeper than before, and savoring the feel of her around him, he began a pace of deep, long strokes, relishing in Jane’s closed eyes and open mouth. Affectionately caressing a mandible against her calf, on a hunch, he reached a hand down to rub against the small nub at her opening.“Yes! Fuck! Garrus, I’m so close!” She cried, emerald eyes flying open as she desperately pushed herself against him in search of more friction.Speeding up his rhythm with an upward thrust to his hips, Jane suddenly threw her head back, eyes closed, as her cunt squeezed around him, pulling an equally loud and lewd moan from his own throat.His cock felt like it was being choked in a silken vise, and the sensation combined with how gorgeous Jane looked writhing against him in euphoria had his own completion rushing forward. Pumping into her hard and deep three more times, Garrus felt the coil of building tension in his lower abdomen release, and he came with a roar, talons pricking into flesh as he filled her with his seed.There was another sensation too, one he hadn’t experienced in years. Still buried deep inside her, Garrus felt the knot at the base of his cock begin to swell, instinct and his own strong feelings for Jane encouraging his body to lock them together. Nitatis as the more poetic of his people called it.Unsure how this would be received since even merians generally discussed knotting before being tied together for up to thirty minutes, Garrus forced himself to pull from Jane’s quivering body, cum still dripping from the tip of his cock.Collapsing next to her on the shore, he panted, noticing that it felt like he wasn’t getting any air. He again tried to suck in a breath, only to feel his chest remain empty. His legs were beginning to hurt too; like thousands of icy needles were being stabbed into the joints, making his muscles seize.He had to get back to the ocean.Hoping Jane would understand, he pushed himself painfully to his feet and took off at a stumbling gallop down the beach, falling face first into the shallows as a blade of pain ran from his buttocks down to his toes. And then, he was using his tail to push himself back into the water, taking in a full breath with flared gills, a true merian once more.**********At first Jane had been confused when after pulling out of her Garrus suddenly bolted for the ocean. But, remembering the time constraints of the potion, Jane rose to her feet on shaky legs just as Garrus’s powerful tail slapped against the water and he swam out into the cove.Following his path down to the surf, she couldn’t suppress her smile when his beautiful face reappeared from the shallows and he pulled himself up onto the beach once more.“Garrus?” She hesitantly asked. “Can you talk?”“Yeah,” he said, voice rough but back. “I can. I… wow Jane.” He said staring up at her with eyes like smoldering sapphires. “That was amazing.”She kneeled in the wet sand next to him. “It was,” she agreed, body still tingling.“I don’t suppose you could go for round two?” He asked hopefully.She stared at him, stunned. “You can… you’re able to go consecutive rounds? Without any break in between?” She asked.“Yes?” He answered, appearing confused. “Can human men not do that?”Jane felt her lips purse before a smirk broke through. “I don’t have anywhere else to be,” she told him. “But, now that your tail’s back, how…” she hummed wondering how they could manage anything with their vastly different anatomy.Garrus chuckled, vocals dropping in pitch as he pushed himself further up onto beach. “Lie down on your side,” he instructed her, a trill slipping from his throat when she complied.Moving so that he was facing her, Garrus dipped his head and licked tentatively at her lips. Jane opened her mouth and the two shared an admittedly sloppy kiss as Garrus’ hands wandered, squeezing her ass and pulling her flush to his rapidly parting groin plates.Jane moaned, rocking against him as she felt something hot, heavy, and intimately familiar press against her still sodden folds. But there was something else she wanted to do before sinking down onto him again.“Garrus,” she said pulling away. “Do merians ever use their mouths on their partners?”“What?” He asked nostrils flaring, “what do you mean?”Jane grinned. “Well, humans, asari and some of the other races often use their mouths and tongue on…” She made a point of blatantly staring at his cock before looking back to his face with a raised brow.“Oh,” Garrus said not appearing to fully understand. “Um, is that, uh, something you’d want to do? With me?”“Only if you want me to,” she answered, gently kissing a
mandible. “I promise it feels good.”“Well, then I’d like to try,” he said with a purr.“Roll onto your back,” she told him. He did as instructed and Jane took a moment to fully appreciate his manhood; long, thick, and ribbed with an upward curve to the shaft, his cock glistened a pale, forget-me-not blue.Making a show of licking her lips, Jane lowered her head over him, noting that he smelled distinctly like mint, and as she ran her tongue up his shaft – while maintaining eye contact with her enraptured boyfriend the entire time – she was thrilled to discover he tasted like mint, too.“Shit,” she heard him murmur as his talons dug deep trenches into the damp sand.Jane hummed before wrapping her lips around the head of his dick, flicking it with her tongue and making Garrus gasp. Hollowing out her cheeks, she took as much of him into her mouth as she could, sucking hard and reveling in his subvocal moans.Bobbing her head up and down his shaft, Jane used a hand to rub against his larger base, humming around him as she went. She took care to run her tongue along the ridged underside of his dick, delighting in the texture and how Garrus mewled and thrust shallowly against her mouth.Suddenly his hand was on her head pushing her back, “Jane! Wait stop!” He said.Releasing him with a wet sounding pop, Jane looked up to his face, worried she’d hurt him somehow.“What’s wrong?” She asked.“Nothing,” he said with a gulp. “It was just starting to feel… a little too good. And, I… I want to be inside you, Jane.”Grinning to him and pleased she’d brought him so close to the edge, Jane lay down on her side once more as Garrus enthusiastically rolled over to align himself with her center. Positioning the tip of his cock just inside her, Jane whined, desperate for more, and flung a leg over his narrow waist to pull herself closer. Garrus smoothly pushed inside her still sensitive cunt, hilting himself with a deep groan.Jane sucked in a hissing breath as the two merely held each other for a moment, awash in sensation. Slowly, she began to move against him, as Garrus tangled a hand in her hair to hold her face close to his, the other hand holding her leg against him.The sounds of scales slapping against skin filled her ears as Garrus’s hot breath fanned out against her damp brow. She hugged him tightly to her, closing her eyes and giving herself over to the experience. “Making Love” Tali would have probably called it, and while Jane would never say that out loud, in the privacy of her own thoughts, she admitted that the term was more than accurate.Garrus felt incredible; he moved in deep, rolling thrusts, his cock hitting that special place inside her just right and causing her own returning movements to stutter. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as her orgasm crashed over her. Garrus made a garbled noise and uttered something in that other language of his before pushing himself on top of her and using his arms for leverage, began to pound into her hard and fast.“Fuck, Garrus! Yes!” She cried out, wrapping her legs around him, heels digging into his unplated waist.“I’m close,” he warned her. “Fuck Jane, I’m close! I want – can I knot with you?” His voice sounded slightly hysterical but the look in his eyes was almost pleading.“Knot?” Jane questioned, as she continued to push herself against him, chasing her second release.“Tie with you, cum in you, nitatis,” he said desperately.Still not fully understanding the term but willing to try it out, Jane arched her back as the spring in her belly snapped once more in a white-hot sensation that left her entire body flooded with warmth.“Cum in me Garrus!” She screamed, legs squeezing around him as her own completion washed over her.Pushing her body deep into the sand, Garrus moaned low in his throat as he spent himself inside her. This time, he didn’t pull out. It almost felt like the base of his cock was swelling as he pushed himself deeper inside her.He collapsed on his forearms, and opening his eyes, looked down at her with flared mandibles as though he couldn’t believe she was real.“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered over purring subharmonics.Jane gave him a full, radiant smile as she reached up to cup his face.“So are you,” she whispered back.Garrus lowered his head to nuzzle her brow and for a moment, everything was perfect. Then Jane tried to move.“Careful,” he said pulling her back against him.“So… we’re really tied together, huh?” She asked, looking down to where their bodies were still connected.“Yeah,” Garrus said, a bit uneasy. “You, um, said that was alright?”“To be honest I didn’t fully understand what you meant,” Jane answered. “But, this does feel… amazing, actually.” She rubbed against him, making them both moan.“Yes,” he breathed out, eyes closed.“Just kinda wish we weren’t lying in sand.” She said, suddenly hyper aware that the small grains of white sand had found their way into every crease and crevice.She bit back a grimace. I’m definitely going to need a bath tonight. She thought.“I can fix that,” Garrus said. “Hold onto me.”Doing as requested Jane wrapped her arms around Garrus’s neck and using his arms and tail, he scooted backwards into the water, mindful to keep her astride him as he allowed himself to float on his back.“How’s this?” He asked.Jane glanced around before looking back down at her own position; locked at the groin and riding Garrus as they floated out into the clear waters of the cove.“Well, I don’t think I’ll ever look at sea otters the same way again,” she mused.Garrus made a rumbling sound she’d come to associate with confusion or an unasked question.She shook her head. “Bad joke,” she explained, lowering herself to lie on him more comfortably.He chuckled. “If you want, we could dance again,” he offered. “I suspect it’ll be even more intimate given our current situation.”Jane burst out laughing even as she nodded in agreement to his idea.“Just tell me when to hold my breath,” she said as Garrus shifted into a more vertical position.After that, the world was sparkling water and Garrus’s song floating out all around her.
Never let me go, never let me go.
I won’t, she mentally promised him. I won’t.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Despite the warm ache between her legs from what former crew-mates often referred to as “too much of a good thing” Jane felt fantastic. She sank down further into the clouds of bubbles that puffed up over the top of her bath and sighed.Sex with Garrus had been phenomenal. It had admittedly been awhile since her last intimate encounter, and then there hadn’t been any emotions attached to the act. Not like this time.She felt a frown steal over her features. It would have been a perfect, romantic moment – locked together with Garrus as he spun them around and sang – but she’d eventually had to break the mood and ask Garrus about the wizard who had given him this amazing elixir that had allowed him to grow legs and walk on land.The story of the Ivory Wizard and his plans for the turian Primarch were… unnerving to say the least. Garrus seemed convinced that the wizard was too decrepit to do anything on his own and that the threat was minimal. Jane wasn’t so sure. Perhaps this sorcerer couldn’t cast a spell of the magnitude he wanted on his own, but magic was never that simple. Something sinister lurked beneath the waters of Trebia; something no longer entirely of this realm.Garrus had argued with her at first, stubborn in his opinion that he could kill the ancient mage if approached again, but he had finally promised her that if he met the watery specter, he’d refrain from talking with him and seek some avenue of escape.Words were power for those with magic, and Jane wished there was something she could do to protect her boyfriend from peril. But tied as she was to the land and air her sword and cannons and bullets were of little use.She was often lauded as the hero of the Skyllian Blitz, but her skill in battle and ability to lead frightened civilians against arrogant pirates meant nothing in this particular arena. Some hero, she thought bitterly.Mood soured, Jane carefully stepped out of the bath and wrapped herself up in one of the large, fluffy white towels Liara had provided to her. She was beyond grateful that the asari inn keeper was the only one around when she’d returned – covered in sand with matted hair and smelling of salt and sweat and semen. She grimaced as she thought about what Wrex would have said. Or Tali.Her own crew-mates were also absent this evening. James and Kaidan had taken up a temporary posting as guards on a salarian merchant vessel transporting eezo to the Citadel. While not as prevalent as they once were – thanks in no small part to her own endeavors – pirates were a real threat, and the Blood Pack and Blue Suns had been targeting eezo transport ships recently. As a counter measure, the Alliance and Matriarchy had been sending huntresses and soldiers to guard these ships and their precious cargo.These postings were generally considered fun by Alliance soldiers since the ships were usually civilian operated and came with fewer rules and regulations. James had been eager to volunteer and had managed to convince Kaidan to join him.
Ashley had opted to stay on Taetrus with Jane and await word from Captain Anderson. Fortunately for Jane, however, Ashley’s youngest sister, Sarah, had arrived on the island that afternoon and the two Williams sisters were out exploring.A relaxing evening with a book or model ship sounded like a great way to take her mind off things beyond her control. After changing into leggings and a loose fitted tunic, Jane headed downstairs to assume a place in one of the common area chairs.As she rounded the corner to the kitchen, though, a familiar baritone voice immediately caught her attention.“— speak with her immediately.”“Yes Captain.” Liara answered with a polite nod of her head, turning at Jane’s entrance.“Captain Anderson.” Jane said coming to stand at a parade rest in front of her superior. “Is something wrong, Sir?”“At ease,” Anderson said with a brisk wave of his hand. Jane immediately noticed that the Captain was clad in his dress blues, and silently lamented that she was dressed so casually.Liara left for the adjoining room with gentle smile, giving the two humans some privacy.
“Commander, I’ve received word from Councilor Hackett,” the Captain stated. “I need you to relay a message to your merian friend for his Primarch. Councilors Hackett and Tevos wish to meet with him and discuss merians joining the Citadel Council. They propose meeting on the island of Virmire in three days’ time.”While startled at how quickly things had progressed, Jane was more than a little excited at the prospect of not having to hide her relationship with Garrus anymore. Though a niggling question at the back of her mind kept her elation from spilling out in a broad smile.“Sir, does this mean that the Council are willing to share the knowledge of the eezo shields?” She asked.Captain Anderson hummed in his throat, though he relaxed his posture to hold his hands down at his sides. “I’m not sure,” he said with a shake of his head. “If the Council is willing to sail out to Virmire, though, it’s a good bet they’re at least entertaining the idea.”This time Jane did grin. “I’ll let my contact know,” she told the Captain.“Good,” Anderson said with a nod. “If the merian Primarch agrees, then you’ll be taking over control of the Normandy.”“Sir?” Jane asked failing to keep the shock out of her voice.“I’ll be Captaining the Killamonjaro, transporting Councilors Hackett and Tevos to the rendezvous. Only Councilor Valern will be remaining on the Citadel.” The Captain explained. “And I’ll be damned if I let that dirty bastard Udina step foot on my ship.”Jane nodded slowly. Captain Udina and Anderson had an… antagonistic relationship to put it mildly. Their decades long rivalry and the vicious rumors surrounding their past service together were a well known tale among sailors of all species. But Udina was technically a higher-ranking Captain. The fact that the Council had picked Anderson to command the Alliance dreadnought, the Killamonjaro, meant that Udina was probably feeling slighted – and thus petty enough to abdicate his own position as Captain of the Gettysburg if it meant taking control of his rival’s ship.“I won’t let him aboard,” Jane assured her mentor.“Excellent. I imagine he’ll find some excuse to come along anyway,” Anderson said with a disgusted note to his voice. “Relay that message, Commander, and report back immediately. Things are about to get very busy around the Trebian sea.”The Captain left without more small talk, leaving Jane standing alone in kitchen, mind still racing.“Are you going to tell him tomorrow?” An accented voice asked.Jane turned to see Tali behind her, vibrating in barely contained excitement. “If merians join the Council, then you won’t have to sneak around anymore,” the quarian girl said. “You could even get married! You could get married on Taetrus!”“So, the fish want to make a deal huh?” Wrex said as he lumbered up next to Tali to cross his arms. “I didn’t hear that Captain a’ yours mention the genophage – or krogan at all attending this little gathering. When do my people get a say in our future?” The last question was asked with an accusational sneer in Jane’s direction.“I don’t recall you being invited to partake in the discussion, Wrex.” Jane retorted, crossing her arms. “And don’t you two have something better to do besides spy on me?”“We weren’t spying Shepard, we just got back from our poetry club.” Tali said earnestly. “We had to leave early because Wrex and Tela Vasir got into a fight about the proper intonation to use when reading T.S. Elliot.”“Uncultured wench.” Wrex mumbled before turning back to Jane, a spark in his crimson eyes. “It’s not fair to negotiate a peace that directly impacts my people without a representative there.” He said hotly. “You know it’s shit Shepard, don’t pretend like it’s not!”The giant krogan stormed off before Jane could respond. She sighed heavily, dropping her arms back down to her sides.“Are you going to ask about the krogan?” Tali inquired. “Maybe see if the human Councilor will bring up the cure?”“I’m not sure the merians actually have a cure,” Jane answered. “Realistically, the genophage is a lower priority to the Councilors when compared to safe passage and possible assistance in pirate suppression.” She blew a stream of hot air out from between her teeth. “The krogan deserve an answer though. Not sure who’s willing to find out for them, but someone needs to.”Shaking her head Jane turned to walk back upstairs. Her pistol and cutlass both need a thorough cleaning. She had a heavy feeling in her gut that travel, and negotiations were going to require her full mental – and military – fortitude. She wasn’t about to let Anderson or the Alliance down.Pulling the door to her room shut she swore to herself that should the need arise, she’d keep Garrus and his people safe too.**********Garrus was beyond aggravated as he plowed his way through the calm, bright waters toward the Vallum cove. Every once in awhile he shot Captain Kryik a scathing glare as the older merian easily kept pace with him, holding his own pewter trident down at his side.“I still don’t think you should just show up with me,” he growled as their destination came into sight. “Jane wasn’t expecting me to bring someone else along.”“Worried I’ll interfere with your amorous plans?” The Captain asked casually, emerald eyes focused straight ahead as he spoke.Garrus growled. Captain Kryik had noticed Jane’s scent on him as soon as he’d returned to base the previous evening. He’d made a show of flaring his mandibles and inhaling deeply before asking Garrus if the rumors about human women self-lubricating were true. He’d then commanded Garrus to go scour himself in the nearby gravel bed the soldiers used to scrape dead plate and parasites from their scales.
When Garrus had returned to his assigned quarters, Captain Kryik had ambushed him yet again, this time to tell him he’d be joining Garrus on his sojourn to the Vallum cove to meet the alluring human female, Jane.“Don’t say anything to embarrass her!” Garrus spat as the pair entered the cove.“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The Captain replied coolly. “I’m here as an emissary from Primarch Victus. We need to discuss the time and location for a meeting. Victus is willing to negotiate if the land walkers are willing to share some of their knowledge and advancements.”While this was the Captain’s primary reason for tagging along, Garrus suspected that getting to talk with a human personally and ask probing – and probably personal – questions was another motivating factor.“Just… let me tell her you’re here first and make a proper introduction?” Garrus asked, hoping he didn’t sound like a pleading child.Captain Kryik regarded him carefully, his features unreadable, before he finally nodded his head once. “Make it quick,” he added as Garrus swam toward the surface.Heading for Jane’s rock, Garrus immediately lifted his upper body onto the large stone, coming face to face with his radiant amicae. She must have seen him approaching because she wasn't startled by his sudden appearance. Despite a flicker of… something, maybe concern? In her evergreen eyes, she gave him a genuine smile and scooted forward on her knees to press her brow to his.Garrus closed his eyes, allowing himself to savor the moment before he’d have to destroy it with the news that they weren’t alone – and thus couldn’t have a repeat performance of yesterday. Pulling back with a sigh, he reached out to gently tuck a lock of Jane’s flame red hair behind her ear.“Jane,” he said, not yet making eye contact. “There’s someone who –”“A merian!” A young sounding, feminine voice cried out.Jane whipped her head around as Garrus instinctively moved to push himself back into the water. A human child with ebony hair and a huge smile was charging toward the rock trail, recklessly running barefoot over the slippery, wet stone. The result was as predictable as it was unstoppable; the child’s left foot slipped out from under her as she ran, and she fell face first between two large rocks, banging her head with a sickening thwack, before rolling unconscious off the rocks and into the deeper water of the cove.“Sarah!” A new, hysterical voice screamed. Another human woman was running up the beach, sand flying in her wake.As the stranger approached there was a wet sounding gulp and crash as the child’s lolling head forcefully broke the surface of the water and was pulled at an astounding speed back to the shore.Captain Kryik drove himself onto the sand – a singed phoenix from watery ashes – before delicately positioning the young girl on her side, as the older woman rushed forward and dropped to her knees pulling the child further onto the beach.The raven-haired adult put her face close to the child’s, listening intently before frantically pushing on the child’s chest with both hands in a rhythmic pattern, saying something Garrus couldn’t hear.By this time Jane had made her way back down the trail and was rushing over to the other humans. Noticing that Captain Kryik was still partially hauled out on the beach, Garrus submerged his head and swam over to join the others, pulling himself up next to his superior.“Come on Sarah! Please!” The dark-haired human was saying, wet trails cutting down from her eyes in twin streams. “Breathe!”Jane had taken up a position next to the child and was blowing air into the young girl’s mouth, before pressing on her chest in the same manner the other human had been doing. For a tense moment the only sounds were the lapping waters, Jane’s pants and the other human’s pleas.Then, the child began to cough, and rolling onto her side with Jane’s assistance, purged her lungs of seawater. There was a vicious gash on her forehead and the other human quickly moved in to press a torn piece of cloth to the wound.“Thank god!” The other human exclaimed with palpable relief. “Oh, Sarah!”Jane sat back on her knees still breathing heavily as the young girl began to sob, pulling herself into the older human’s embrace. Glancing over at Garrus, Jane’s eyes shifted to Captain Kryik, but her posture remained relaxed.“Thank you,” she told the Captain.Captain Kryik nodded, looking back to the other humans who appeared to have collected themselves. The older of the two turned to stare at the Captain with eyes like shining onyx. “You… you saved her. Thank you… I couldn’t…” She trailed off, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, holding the younger girl impossibly tighter against her chest.When she opened her eyes again there was pure sincerity burning in them as she said in a softer tone, still looking at the Captain, “thank you, for saving my sister.”“Of course, Ms…?” The Captain asked with an inquisitive tilt of his head.“Williams. Ashley Williams. Um, Ashley.” The human said with a small smile as the child turned in her arms to stare at the two merians.“What were you two doing over here?” Jane asked, and Garrus didn’t miss the note of suspicion in her voice.“You always come in this direction when you leave for the afternoon. I figured there must be a nice beach or something. We wanted to check it out.” Ashley replied, bowing her head slightly when she spoke. “I… I didn’t know.”Jane sighed. “It’s alright Ash. I’m just glad Sarah’s safe.”“Hi,” Sarah said to him with a nervous wave.“Hello.” Garrus rumbled back, unsure how to proceed.“You ought to be more careful when you run, Sarah.” The Captain admonished – albeit in a gentle tone. “I won’t always be around to save you.”Captain Kryik glanced back up to Ashley and the pair shared a smile.“Who are you, anyways?” Jane asked moving closer to sit by Garrus.“Ah. I apologize. Captain Nihlus Kryik of the Taetrun patrol.” Tilting his head back toward Ashley he added, “but you can call me Nihlus.”Ashley smiled and her younger sister all but beamed.“And I’m Garrus Vakarian,” Garrus said before turning to Jane. “I was about to tell you, Captain Kryik wanted to speak with you about…” he drifted off, casting a sideways glace toward the other humans.“Our Primarch wants to meet with your Councilor,” the Captain said, clearly unconcerned with Ashley and Sarah’s presence.“That’s good news,” Jane said leaning forward. “Because there’s a message I’m supposed to relay to the Primarch.” Looking to Ashley, Jane gave the other woman a reassuring smile and nod, before sitting back and discussing the impending meeting.Overhead, sea gulls shrieked, and the sun shone down on the Vallum cove as for the first time in centuries, merians and humans discussed their futures together.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The waxing moon was nearly full and hung heavy in the besieged heavens; obscured by clouds as dark as death so that only the suggestion of its light remained. Wind blew the torrential rain in horizontal sheets and James closed his eyes, shaking his head in a futile motion to dry his face before squinting against the onslaught and continuing to drag the large, heavy wooden crate further up the beach.The shouts of the salarian crewmen running frantically all around him was muffled against the deafening, cracking boom of thunder that seemed to shake the earth and sea. It was immediately preceded by another jagged flash of lighting that clawed its way through the sky, casting everything in a sickly shade of white.In the moment of light that illuminated the shore, James saw glimpses of splintered wood and sodden cloth, and further out in the frothing ocean the STG lay on her side; hull torn open on the serrated rocks that surrounded this islet like shark’s teeth. No sooner had he glimpsed his situation then the light was snuffed out like a candle’s flame and he was hurled back into a world of pitch and blind yelling.“Leave it!” A human voice called out not far off. “Vega! Leave it! Get to shelter!”“Kaidan?!” James dropped the wet rope he’d been pulling. Cupping his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice, James yelled as loudly as his raw lungs would permit, “Kaidan!”Another lightning bolt cut through the sky and James saw Kaidan carrying a badly limping Captain Kirrahe further up the beach and toward the tree line. Eezo crate forgotten, James took off after his friend.Upon reaching Kaidan and the Captain, James swung the salarian’s other arm over his shoulder, before stumbling up into the slightly less chaotic shelter of the forest. They walked until the rain became less of a downpour and more dispersed by the palm fronds and banana leaves of the canopy.In the interspersed bursts of light from the raging storm, he and Kaidan leaned the Captain against a rock set inside a small overhang that provided shelter from the worst of the wind and rain. They called out to the other crewmen whose ghostly, waterlogged forms fluttered through the trees, singularly or sometimes in pairs.By the time the rain finally subsided, and the burnished copper rays of dawn began to methodically slice through the slate gray clouds, James was shivering so hard his teeth were chattering.“Casualty report?” Captain Kirrahe inquired, voice measured in equal amounts authority and pain.“At least four men unaccounted for.” The returning scout reported. “Six injured, including yourself.”The STG had been a moderately sized container ship with a total of 14 crew plus the two Alliance marines. Having only six able bodied people left to collect supplies and build a camp was not the most favorable situation.Captain Kirrahe stared past the reporting sailor, ebony eyes boring a hole into the bark of a battered palm tree just above the other man’s shoulder.“Did Doctor Solus survive?” He asked, eyes never leaving the tree.“Yes, he’s down by the beach treating several other injured men.” The sailor replied.Captain Kirrahe finally allowed himself a prolonged blink – his eyes weren’t shut long enough to call it anything else – before turning to face James and Kaidan. “Casualties… acceptable, given the situation. Our main concern now is building a camp and recovering all the eezo crates we can.”James saw Kaidan nod, mouth set in a grim line.“Where are we?” James asked, looking to the reporting sailor. “We were miles away from Taetrus and not close to anything else.”“Location unknown,” the other man replied. “We appear to be on an uncharted islet. Possibly no larger than two miles across.”“Perhaps with daylight our position will be made clearer.” The Captain said with a grunt as he attempted to stand. Kaidan moved to offer a hand but Captain Kirrahe waved him off.“Alenko, Vega, head back to the beach and organize the uninjured men to gather whatever materials they can from the STG and forest. We’ll need shelter tonight and fire.” The Captain straightened, assuming a stance of parade rest. “Collect any eezo crates you find and store them together – under some type of awning would be ideal.”Despite the STG being a merchant vessel, Captain Kirrahe radiated an air of authority and discipline rivaling even the strictest Alliance Captains James had served under. He and Kaidan both saluted the Captain before leaving.As the trees gave way to the sand and ocean beyond, James hummed in dismay. The place they’d washed ashore looked like a war zone: kelp, crates, and large pieces of wood lay smashed and shattered all along the beach. A few salarians were picking through the remains, not unlike crabs at low tide searching for food among the flotsam and jetsam of the surf.Glancing over to Kaidan, the other man nodded out toward where STG was just visible; the waves still fiercely lapping at it even as the ocean consumed her prey.“Too risky to swim out there,” Kaidan stated with a shake of his head. “We’ll have to make do with what washed ashore.”James frowned. Depending on what washed ashore, it might be worth the risk to raid the sunken ship for supplies. Assuming the waters calmed enough to permit a makeshift raft to float without fear of immediately capsizing.As the day wore on, the tropical sun began to beat down in earnest. They’d been fortunate to find rainwater from the night before trapped in buckets and the remains of their sail. One of the crewmen who’d been tasked with scouring the forest for dry wood reported a deep, freshwater well, meaning dehydration was no longer a pressing concern.Even so, by late afternoon everyone was exhausted as they collapsed in the shade of their makeshift tents. James was accustomed to the baking sun and humid air having grown up on an island in the Sol sea renowned for its tropical weather. But after hours of hauling wood and eezo crates he was sore in places he hadn’t realized could hurt, and Kaiden’s shoulders had taken on an angry, auburn color.“Ah, soldiers Vega and Alenko. Wanted to talk. Have concerns.” James rose into a seated position from where he’d been lying next to Kaidan in the cool sand.“What is it Doctor Solus?” Kaidan asked.Doctor Solus – or Mordin as he generally requested people call him – took in a breath and closed his dark eyes. “Medical supplies depleted. Need black supply bag from ship barracks. Hasn’t been seen on beach, so theorize still aboard STG.”“Are you asking us to go get your medical supply bag from out there?” Kaidan asked incredulously even as he pointed out to where their doomed ship was barely visible.Mordin opened his eyes, turning to look in the direction Kaidan was gesturing. The large gash that had sunk the ship was partially above water and would permit access to the various rooms within.“Given depth of surrounding water, vessel in stable condition.” Mordin said before turning back to the two humans. “Entry of shipwreck always hazardous, suggest extreme caution.”“I can do it.” James said. “I used to explore shipwrecks on the reef back home.” Turning to Kaidan whose mouth was turned downward in an expression of doubt, he continued, “I can hold my breath for nearly two minutes. I can get to the barracks and maybe even the galley – see if anything else useful survived.”Kaidan sighed, shoulders slouching in defeat. “Fine. But I don’t like this idea,” he murmured, hands fisting into the sand.“Excellent.” Mordin said, ignoring Kaidan’s melancholy. “Have already had men build raft out of wreckage. Suggest leaving now, while still daylight. Sharks more active at dusk.”“Sharks?” Kaidan repeated, as Mordin turned to inform the rest of the able-bodied crewman.“Relax K, I’ll be careful,” James said, tossing Kaidan a crooked grin. “Besides, I’ll have you with me to watch for danger.”Kaidan grumbled something about the endeavor being unnecessary but rose to his feet to follow James out to where Mordin was instructing a group of three shirtless salarians.The crew were taking the heavy exposure to saltwater from the night before hard – their skin looked dry and flaky and had they been human, someone might have thought they were suffering from severe eczema.No wonder Mordin wants more medical supplies, James thought grimly. The porous nature of salarian skin was beneficial on their home island which received more rainfall than any other known land mass, but when submerged in the salty ocean, the effects could be disastrous.Glancing at Kaidan he could read the same sympathy and concern in his friends’ amber eyes. Picking up the speed of his gait, James jogged over to where their makeshift raft – constructed from wooden boards, rope and pieces of sail – along with two oars were being carried out to the surf.The winds from earlier had died down and while not precisely calm, the waters were much smoother and would permit their raft to float. Taking over the operation from the salarians, James and Kaidan ferried the raft out past the breakers before pulling themselves aboard.Between the two of them, they quickly paddled out to the STG’s final resting place. Grabbing a spare length of rope, Kaidan wedged it securely between two split planks to keep them anchored to the ship while James prepared to dive.“You’re sure about this?” Kaidan asked again.“You saw their skin. They need whatever ointments Mordin has in his supply bag.” James answered.Kaidan lowered his eyes, even as he nodded in agreement. “Just be careful.” He admonished.Turning to look at the massive hole which marked his point of entry, James jumped over the remaining wood and with a deep breath and loud splash, dove beneath the water.The eerie sounds of wood creaking and water filtering through gaps and holes haunted his swim up the tilted stairway of the cargo hold and into the crew barracks. Light seeping through slits and blown out portholes guided his path as he made his way for the back of the room where Mordin kept his possessions.Unfortunately, having come to rest on her side, all the loose objects that hadn’t been jettisoned when the STG went under were amassed together in a heap between the ceiling and the wall.James groaned in dismay at the collection of at least six large, black bags. Which one had the medical supplies? Not having time to sort through them, James gabbed all the bags – three handles per fist – and aided by the weightlessness of the water surrounding him, kicked off the wall and began to swim back in the direction he’d come.The return journey seemed to last an eternity, and his lungs were on fire when his head finally broke the surface. Taking in a grateful gulp of air, James clumsily made his way over to Kaidan and the raft.“There were six bags,” he told his friend as Kaidan reached out to relieve him of his cargo. “I took them all, I dunno which one has the medical supplies.”Kaidan pulled the bags onto the raft with him as James gripped onto the split wooden lip of the STG where he’d entered, allowing himself a moment to catch his breath.Kaidan unbuckled one of the bags to peer inside. “There’s nothing in here but seashells!” He exclaimed in outrage.He knew he should be irritated, but James let out a breathless chuckle. “Probably the doc’s collection. He did say conch shells were fascinating, right?”Kaidan scowled as he pushed away the offending bag to open another one. In total, three bags were found to contain seashells, another two clothes and personal items belonging to certain crewmen, and one, mercifully, had the requested medical supplies.“Alright, let’s get back to camp.” Kaidan said glancing around them. “No point being out here longer than necessary.”“Hey wait, I wanna check the galley before we go. Maybe there’s some knifes or food we could use.”James could see Kaidan wanted to argue but the logic was sound. Anything could help them right now.“Alright, but hurry back. It’s getting late.” Kaidan conceded. He didn’t say he was worried about sharks, but James could tell by his constant scanning of the green tinted waters that this was his primary concern.“I’ll be fast,” James promised before pushing off the hull and submerging below the surface once more. Blinking hard against the burn of the brine, he swam back up the horizontal stairway and through the crew barracks and out topside. He paused to scan his surroundings for any dark shapes that might be sharks, and seeing nothing but scattered shoals of fish, he headed in the direction of the galley.As he reached his destination however, a rush of water pushed against his back. Something had just swum extremely close to him. Something large.Whirling around and mentally preparing himself to meet with the jaws of a Thresher Maw Shark, James cried out in shock, the sound escaping as a muffled noise encased in a stream of air bubbles.Pointed directly at his face was an extremely sharp looking, three-pronged, gray trident. And holding the weapon was a creature with eyes that shown as blue and clear as a cloudless day and scales that glinted silver in the refracted sunlight.Unsure what to do, James slowly raised his hands in a sign of surrender. The merian jabbed its weapon toward his face slightly before nodding its head toward the surface. Understanding the order, James swam skyward, his captor swimming close beside him.He surfaced on the opposite side of the ship from Kaidan, the merian next to him, trident still raised.“Quid tu hic agis?” It asked him in an aggressive, yet beautiful sounding voice.James stared at the creature blankly.“Why are you here?” It then asked him in the common tongue.“I… Dios, I can’t believe you’re actually a merian.” He’d heard tales from his uncles and grandfather as a child, but never believed he’d encounter one of the fabled oceanic guardians himself. He could feel the ridiculous grin splitting his face and knew he was staring like a reverent child at a bedtime story made flesh.The merian hesitated, mandibles twitching slightly before it abruptly pulled its weapon back.“You didn’t know we were here?” It questioned, eyes narrow and head titled in suspicion.“No?” James answered confused. “Our ship got thrown into the rocks last night. We don’t know where we are.”The water next to the merian rippled and distorted as another head and trident broke the surface. This one had ivory plates and scales, with golden eyes and red paint running down its face in a thick, straight line.“Captain Kandros!” The first merian said with what James felt was surprise.Around him, the water became thick with a humming, clicking sound that reminded him of dolphins. He wondered if merians had a similar unspoken language like the spotted and common dolphins back home.“Who are you?” The white plated merian demanded.“My name’s James Vega. I’m an Alliance Marine stationed –” The rest of his introduction died on his tongue as a black trident was now pointed at his face.“What are your intentions, solider?” The golden eyed merian asked in a low, dark voice.“I don’t have any?” James wasn’t sure what answer this merian wanted. His only goal was escaping this spit of land and getting back to the Citadel, or else the human capital of Terra.“Ma’am, permission to speak freely?” The blue eyed merian requested.“What is it Vakarian?” The merian Captain asked, eyes never leaving James’ face.“Scouts found the bodies of four salarian dead on the easterly side of the island this morning. This human – James Vega – said that they don’t know where they are. It’s possible that this ship was merely blown off course.”The merian’s whiskey colored eyes darted to the side to regard her subordinate. Then, slowly, she pulled back her trident.“It is possible.” She agreed with a stiff nod. “But you cannot stay, James Vega. Menae is protected for good reason. We can’t risk more ships coming here.”“No one knows where we are.” James said, continuing to tread water. “I’m sure the Council will send out a search party though. We planned to start a bonfire tonight and keep it burning until help arrived.”“You can’t do that.” The ivory plated Captain stated with a shake of her head. Sighing, she turned to the silver plated merian and said something in that musical, near-silent language of theirs.“We need to collect your friend.” She informed James. “He’s begun shouting for you. This way.”James began to breast-stroke after the pair of merians as they rounded the STG and came within sight of Kaidan and the raft.Kaidan’s eyes went huge as saucers when he saw James’s escorts. Thrashing about on the raft, he grabbed a seashell with four long, pointed spines on the back and held it in his hand like a weapon.“Easy man, it’s okay,” James called out as he swam. The last thing they needed was for Kaidan to stab a merian Captain with a seashell.Kaidan relaxed his arm a fraction but kept his eyes fixed on Captain Kandros and the silver merian as the group reached the raft. Pulling himself aboard, James lay on his stomach, so he could look over the side at their unexpected company.“Humans, row your ship back to shore.” Captain Kandros ordered.Kaidan glanced to James before setting his mouth in a firm line and grabbing one of their makeshift oars. Tugging the rope free from the ship’s planks, he and James began to row back to the islet in tense silence.“What’s your name?” James asked the silver merian swimming alongside him.It – she? He felt like this merian was also female – looked taken aback for a moment. Her mandibles flared out to the sides in an almost comical expression before she answered in a hushed voice, “Solana Vakarian.”“Solana.” James repeated, grinning despite the dubious look Kaidan shot his way. “I like it,” he told her. He thought Solana made a buzzing sound in response but wasn’t positive what it meant.The merians stopped following once the raft made it to the shallows, and James and Kaidan hopped off to drag it ashore.The salarian crew – both injured and able-bodied – had assembled at the surf, having no doubt seen them approach.As James and Kaidan rejoined them, Captain Kandros called out to the survivors in a loud, authoritative voice. “Attention! Land walkers are not permitted in these waters! You are to remain on land until a decision can be made about your presence here!”“You’re holding us hostage then?” Captain Kirrahe yelled back as he took a hobbling step forward with the help of a tree branch stuck under his left armpit.“Until a decision can be reached about what to do with you? Yes.” Came the answer over the waves.James used a hand to shade his eyes as he stared hard at the two merians. Dark shapes began to appear from deep water, forming up in diagonal lines on either side of Solana and Captain Kandros.“There must be hundreds of them!” One of the salarians whispered in a panicked voice.“I see.” Was all Captain Kirrahe said in response before glancing over to James. “This situation just got a lot more complicated.”Out at sea, shadows teemed beneath the surface and James felt hope flicker out.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was a strange feeling, to be aboard the Normandy as the acting Captain. The familiar rocking of the frigate in its cradle of waves carried with it a new weight of responsibility and the rolling in Jane’s stomach as she approached the helm was far more tumultuous than the surrounding ocean waters.Captain Anderson had departed with the Killamonjaro less than two days ago, bound for the storm plagued island of Virmire. The tropical forests and inviting blue waters belied the danger of its shores, though strategically speaking it was uninhabited and lay within merian territory. She could see why the Council had suggested it, inclement weather notwithstanding.“Joker, set course for open water,” Jane said as she approached the helmsman. “The Council has a search and rescue mission for us. The Salarian merchant vessel the STG was due at the Citadel days ago. It was carrying nearly a quarter ton of eezo and is believed to have gotten caught in a storm.”Joker turned to face her, blue eyes shining with mischief under the brim of his straw hat. “Aye aye Commander.” He answered. “Do we actually have the STG’s last known heading?”“They were several miles off Taetrus the last anyone saw them.” Jane frown before muttering so only Joker could hear, “Vega and Alenko were onboard.”Joker’s smirk, which had settled over his face while they talked, abruptly died. “Shit,” he said with a shake of his head before squaring his shoulders. “We’ll find them Commander. The Normandy is the fastest ship in the Alliance.”He sounded infinitely more confident than Jane felt, but his swagger was appreciated, even if it was just platitudes. Both James and Kaidan were seasoned sailors, if anyone stood a chance at surviving a shipwreck, it was them.Refusing to allow herself to be swallowed by a gaping maw of “what-ifs” Jane turned away from Joker and headed back down to the deck where men and woman were in a constant state movement; untying or tying things down, checking and rechecking supplies and rigging and preparing for immanent departure.
Heading to the gun deck, she found Ashley at the cannons, and privately smiled at finding her exactly where she’d expected.The other woman was so focused on her inspection of the gunports that she didn’t see Jane approach until she cleared her throat.Startled, Ashley quickly regained her composure, standing at attention. “Ma’am?” She asked.“Williams, I’m promoting you to Master Gunner.” Jane said. “You’re the most qualified person for the job and I trust you,” she added as Ashley’s eyes widened at the proclamation.“I…” Ashley shook her head lightly before looking back to Jane with an air of total confidence. “I won’t let you down ma’am.”Jane relaxed a fraction, knowing the canons and artillery were in capable hands. “I know you won’t. We’ve got a rescue mission to complete and nothing attracts pirates faster than a shipwreck. Make sure all the cannons are in working order.”“I’ve never been much of an optimist,” Ashley said, glancing at the slightly ajar gunport she’d been adjusting. “If shit hits the fan, we’ll be ready.” Ashley shifted on her feet, swaying with the gentle rocking of the ship. “Who knows skipper, if we need it, maybe we’ll have some backup from the depths?”Jane raised an eyebrow at Ashley who was fighting back a grin. Garrus had mentioned that Captain Kryik was meeting with her while he and Jane were… well, it wasn’t saying goodbye, necessarily. Not when they had plans to reunite on Taetrus when Jane’s rescue mission was complete. But the sex had been more frantic on her part maybe. To feel him, taste him, commit it all to memory for their time apart.Afterwards, they’d lain knotted together in the surf, as Garrus ran his fingers through her hair and sang to her in that melodic tune she felt more than heard when above the waves.Forcing back intimate thoughts of the prior evening, Jane gave Ashley a noncommittal shrug. “Let’s not count on it,” she said. “But, you never know. As you were, Williams.”Ashley gave her a curt nod followed by another “ma’am,” as Jane headed back to the deck. Once topside, she was greeted to the sight of Officer Pressly arguing with a very large, and very determined looking krogan who’d walked up the gangplank and was mere steps from the Normandy’s deck.“I’m coming with you whether you like it or not, human,” Wrex informed Pressly whose face had gone nearly purple with rage.“You are not stepping foot on this ship!” Pressly seethed, the vein on the side of his neck throbbing a violent blue.“What are you doing Wrex?” Jane asked, side stepping around her irate Chief Mate.“Shepard.” Wrex said with a nod. “I already told this little man that I want passage to the Trebian Sea. Seeing as that’s where you’re headed, I figured I’d catch a lift.”“How do you know that’s where we’re going?” Jane asked, hands akimbo on her hips and eyes narrow in the universal posture of displeasure. “That wasn’t public information.”“Please.” Wrex answered with an exasperated huff. “The quarian told me. Now, are you going to let me board with dignity? Or do I have to grab onto the hull and ride along like a barnacle?”“You wouldn’t dare,” Pressly hissed from her right.Jane sighed, internally berating herself for saying anything within Tali’s hearing range. “Alright Wrex, you can come aboard. BUT you’re going to follow my orders, or else we’ll drop you off wherever we happen to be.”“I’ll follow your orders Shepard.” Wrex replied, shooting a smug look at Pressly.Jane held out a hand, pushing back against Wrex’s armored chest as he made to step forward. “You’ll follow my orders and the orders of the acting captain when I’m unavailable.”Wrex scowled, and from the corner of her eye Jane watched as schadenfreude danced across Pressly’s face.“Fine.” Wrex said flatly.Jane moved her hand and in a sweeping motion welcomed Wrex aboard. “Stow your belongings in the crew cabin and then see if Master Gunner Williams needs any assistance on the gun deck,” Jane called after Wrex as he descended the stairs.She didn’t hear his response but was confident he’d heard her and would comply with the order.“You’re going to drop a krogan off in merian waters during a peace summit?” Pressly asked, complexion fading from a deep eggplant back to its normal color.“No, but if I’d refused to take him, he’d have found another way there.” Jane blew a stream of hot air out from between her lips. “He’s not wrong to want a say in negotiations, but not now. And not by barging in and making demands, no matter how legitimate they might be.”Glancing at Pressly, Jane tilted her head downward as she warned, “Wrex is a part of the crew. Don’t do anything unbecoming of an Alliance Officer.”Pressly’s nostrils flared at the implication. “I would never abuse my authority.” He said tersely.Jane nodded. “Good. Now, we have a lost ship to find.”The next several hours passed uneventfully. There was a strong breeze and the Normandy steadily plowed through the undulating waves, as overhead the flocks of birds became thinner and thinner until their familiar silhouettes disappeared from the sky and the only sound was the pulse of the ocean against the hull of the ship.Jane had just started to settle into her new roll when a shout from the lookout had everyone rushing to the starboard side of the Normandy, hands quivering for anything sharp.Approaching from the west was another frigate. Murmurers rippled through the gathered crew as sailors glanced at one another, unsure what to do.“It’s Alliance!” Jane declared, peering through her spyglass at the oncoming vessel. The new ship wasn’t just any Alliance ship either. There was no mistaking the Gettysburg with her ostentatious blue and gold paint and elaborately carved figurehead of a human warrior, sword drawn, decorating the prow.“What the hell does Udina want?” Ashley asked from where she’d come to stand next to Jane.“No idea.” Jane answered, though she privately wondered how behind schedule Anderson’s rival would put them. “Maybe he just wants to know our heading.”Ashley snorted, and Jane found herself agreeing with the sentiment as the Gettysburg closed the distance and the sable haired, perpetually cantankerous face of one Donnel Udina came into view.“Commander Shepard!” He called out, the surprise in his tone clearly feigned. “Fancy running into you out here. Pray tell, where is the Normandy headed?”“Rescue mission,” Jane called back, tone respectful but stern. “We’re searching for the STG or any survivors.”“Terrible loss,” Udina said. “All that eezo left to gather algae and coral on the sea floor.”“The crew,” Jane said, hands clenching into fists at her side, “are our primary objective.”“Of course!” Udina responded, going so far as to clutch his breast in sincerity. “There were two Alliance marines aboard that ship. Finding them is your top priority Commander.”“Because screw the salarian crewmen I guess,” Ashley muttered under her breath.Before Jane could respond, Udina was pointing a finger like a spear at the place behind her. Turning, Jane noticed Wrex had joined the rest of the crew on deck.“A krogan?” Udina’s face looked as though he’d entered a room reeking of cat piss and vomit. “Commander! Explain yourself! Why is there a krogan on an Alliance military vessel?”“Wrex, is a member of my crew, and I don’t need to explain my decisions to you!” Jane said taking an aggressive step forward. “And now Captain, we have a mission to complete.”“Remember yourself Commander!” Udina yelled. “You’re only acting Captain of the Normandy, I am still your superior officer!”“Want me to eat him?” Wrex asked loudly enough that several other crew members turned to gawk.Jane doubted Udina heard the question, and turning back toward him, she saw that he was strutting along the length of the Gettysburg much like a peacock before unfurling its tail.“Commander! Your current decisions raise a number of concerns. As such, myself and the Gettysburg shall accompany you on your mission and assist in the reclamation of eezo. And rescue of any surviving crew,” he hastened to add.“Are you kidding me?” Ashley scoffed.A general growl rose up from the Normandy’s crew at this announcement, but Jane was trapped and Udina knew it. To deny his aid on a Council appointed rescue mission was out of the question, and megalomaniac that he was, lamentably, Udina was technically her superior.Jane leveled a glare at the pompous man in the neighboring ship before biting out, “if you insist on following, then the conversation is over.”She turned on her heel to head for the Captain’s quarters, the crew parting before her unsung fury.They’d find the STG. And once they did, she’d arm wrestle Captain Anderson for who got the pleasure of punching Udina in the face first.**********The gradual shift in water temperature was subtle, but once aware of it, it couldn’t be ignored. Like the monotonous call of sea birds suddenly gone silent, the cooler water seeped into Garrus’s consciousness, reminding him that he was leaving the now familiar patrol headquarters and venturing into new territory.The cold upswell of deep ocean water brought with it nutrients and plankton, which in turn supported a teeming host of ocean life – merians included. While the sea mounts and islets that dotted the Trebian sea were useless as far as the Hierarchy was concerned, the life their presence sustained was awe inspiring.Some merians believed that the various landmasses possessed spirits, composed of all the plant and animal life the specs of land held. Garrus had never bought into the concept of locations having spirits. Though, as he swam alongside Captain Kryik in perfect formation with the rest of the hand-picked escort, he might privately agree that platoons or military companies had a spirit. It'd be nice if they did. Something providing strength and guidance.He’d never given the matter much thought, but if the Taetrun patrol had a defensive spirit, he hoped that Jane’s ship, the Normandy, had one protecting her, too. She’d assured him she was leaving on a routine rescue mission, but still.He wished he could’ve gone with her, although escorting Primarch Victus to Virmire was an assignment he would have been envious of just weeks ago. If everything went well, maybe he wouldn’t have to meet with Jane in secret anymore. She’d love exploring some of sea caves in Cipritine – ones with numerous air pockets of course. He’d show her his favorite –“Distracted, Vakarian?” Captain Kryik asked without turning his head.“I’m focused on the mission.” Garrus answered, using respectful subvocals though inwardly cringing that he’d seemed inattentive.“I don’t think our mission walks on two legs with fiery red hair,” Captain Kryik said bemusedly.Garrus glanced at the soldier to his left. If he’d heard the comment, he was doing an admirable job at playing ignorant.What are you getting at? Garrus vocalized, attempting to keep his subharmonics neutral.“Nothing at all,” the sepia plated Captain answered around a flared mandible grin. “Though it was polite of you to scour your plates so thoroughly last night when you finally returned. Some might have found the smell…” He trailed off.A low growl escaped his throat before Garrus could pull it back.Hypocrite! He accused.Liquid fire danced in the emerald shadows of Captain Kryik's eyes. “Not at all,” he answered. “There are two types of amorous pursuits in this world: the basic carnal pleasures which amount to little more than stress release, and then the act of amor facit, where the carnal becomes a force of creation and the act fills you with life and purpose.”The Captain spared a glance at Garrus, his expression something nearly tender as he said “Officer Williams – Ashley – is a woman worth knowing and wooing. When we do, it’ll mean so much more.”Garrus didn’t respond, instead turning his focus on the empty water in front of him as his thoughts flickered back to Jane, as they always did.The soft rhythm of the waves overhead sang to them as they pressed on. By nightfall, Captain Kryik mercifully ordered a respite. As the escort allowed themselves to float near the surface and relax, Garrus turned so that he could gaze up at the waxing moon through the few feet of water separating him from the surface.The ocean glittered with light; billions of diamonds twinkling and heaving with the tide in a never-ending dance. The sounds of ambient conversation around him fell away as he stared heavenward. At night, the sky and sea became nearly the same distinct shade of ebony, the stars in the still air the only way to differentiate up and down.He watched the gentle gleam of the world above before his brow plates pulled down in confusion. One by one, the stars were being snuffed out. Rumbling in disbelief Garrus moved to float vertically, neck craned upward as the heavens’ death accelerated: darkness of a more sinister pitch wiping out the lights above until even the moon was consumed.With a gasp Garrus whirled around to find the surrounding waters thick with silence and a cold, creeping dread.“Didn’t forget our bargain, did you?” A voice echoed next to him and everywhere at once, like the creaking of a sunken ship.“Where are you?” Garrus growled, Widow already raised in a defensive position.A flash of blue, bioluminescent light erupted in front of him as the decaying figure of the Ivory Wizard materialized from the depths. His body was still eviscerated, filled with glistening, oozing pustules that pulsed and sparked where his organs had once been.“It’s time,” the ghoul hissed, delicate looking tendrils of blue smoke pouring out from between broken teeth.Garrus felt a weight in his hand pressing against the palm and where he held his trident. Risking a look, he saw the brackish colored vial the wizard had given him before.It was impossible though! He’d left that poison buried under a heap of stones and sand somewhere between the sunken dreadnought and the island of Taetrus. This couldn’t –“You seem surprised,” the wizard said, corroded vocals echoing in irritation. “Fortunately, I was able to rectify your little… oversight.” He flicked out a warped mandible, eyeing Garrus from lidless sockets. “Give this to the Primarch. He doesn’t need to drink it, just swimming through it will suffice.”A defiant growl sung out in the water as Garrus aimed the barbed points of his weapon toward the speaking carcass. “The deal’s off,” he said. “I never agreed in the first place.”The ancient wizard’s jaws opened so wide that it seemed like his head might split in half as a deafening roar shook the water, making Garrus’s teeth clatter in his skull and eyes pinch shut.“You dare double cross me?!” The wizard thundered. “You will perish along with the rest of our race! Even now those filthy land walkers are defiling the shores of Menae and the future I showed you shall come to pass on fins like quicksilver!”“Liar!” Garrus yelled, driving Widow into the gaping crevice of the wizard’s chest. Instead of meeting with any resistance from bone or sinew, there was a dull squelch and his weapon pushed through his foe like sea butter.
An unsettling, mirthless laugh resounded from the Ivory Wizard as he floated unperturbed by the large, obsidian trident piercing through him.“You truly are a fool if you think you can kill what’s already dead with a mere piece of metal.” The decrepit sorcerer said.
Thick, amethyst bubbles poured out of the cavity in the wizard’s chest and Widow was launched backward, lancing by Garrus’s shocked face and into the blighted sea.“Worthless!” The monster screamed, vocals shaking in rage. “So be it! Death is too merciful a punishment for you. But there’s someone else whose demise might actually show you the error of your ways and bring Victus around on his own.”“Stay away from her!” Garrus snarled, lunging at the vile creature heedless of his own safety.Something held him back. Thick, filthy hands that burned like urchin venom pulled him. Garrus choked out a strangled cry in disbelief as the water turned to sludge, dragging him downward and away from the hunched figure above.All light began to fade as the cloying hands pulled at his gills and squeezed his throat. He couldn’t breathe! The water was too thick, too –The weight fell away, and he surged upwards with a deep inhale. The sea had returned to its normal consistency and hue and as he whirled around searching for the Ivory Wizard, the sounds of gagging and hacking from the other soldiers pulled at his attention.“What happened?” Someone asked no one in particular.“What was that?”“The water was like mud…”“Where is he?” Garrus demanded, coming face to face with Captain Kryik.“Who? What was that Vakarian?” The Captain asked in growl laced vocals.Jane! Garrus’s mind screamed. He’ll kill her!Frantic, Garrus pushed past his Captain, neck craning in search of Widow. He had to get to Jane before the wizard! Had to warn her, had to protect her.Menae! Jane was searching for a lost ship and the nightmare the wizard had shown him before took place there. That had to be where Jane was headed and where the ancient sorcerer would lie in wait.Eyes roving through the moon-soaked waves, he noticed a dark plated solider holding his weapon. Garrus grabbed for it, only realizing its keeper was Primarch Victus when he wrenched it from the other merian’s hands.“Stop!” His Primarch ordered in a voice that commanded obedience.Instinctively Garrus froze in place as Victus swam closer to him.“Vakarian, I don’t know what just happened here, but I suspect you do.” Victus laced his hands behind his back, large mandibles twitching minutely in unspoken thought. “Tell me everything.”

Artwork by @savbakk

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The ocean glittered in the afternoon sun as the waves softly undulated out past the horizon. James sat on a large, flattened rock, worn smooth from unknown eons of battering and pounding by the surf. Down below him, just beyond the reach of his makeshift spear, jackfish swam lethargically, silver sides glinting in the rays of sunlight that pierced the water.He’d been here for over an hour, flint eyes scorching holes into the oblivious fish whose infuriating habit of avoiding the surface meant another evening of bananas for dinner. He sighed, shoulders slumping under the weight of defeat.Moving to roll out his stiff neck, James cast a final, longing look at his elusive prey before preparing to swim back to shore. Maybe the salarians would share some of the tree snails they’d found yesterday? Any meat would be welcome at this point.Suddenly, the water at his feet erupted in a frothing plume of white spray as Solana’s shining, plated face and torso burst out of the ocean, a giant jackfish impaled on the claws of her left hand. He shouted in surprise, scooting backwards on his rear as Solana deposited the fish next to him.“Mierda! You certainly know how to make an entrance, Sol!” He exclaimed, running a hand over his shortened hair.Solana pulled her upper body onto the rock with him, canting her head. “Sol?” She questioned.“Yeah, short for Solana,” James said reaching out to admire the jackfish. “Everyone has a name that just… I dunno, suits them. For you, that’s Sol.”“I kinda like that,” Solana nodded.James hovered above the fish, hands trembling in the air as though this catch were some holy offering; deliverance from the sea itself. Or in this case one of its guardians.“It’s probably not wise to venture off the island,” Solana observed. “I know you were just trying to fish, but other merians might see it as a threat.”“A threat to what?” James asked, as he pulled the large fish under an arm. He knew the merians were watching them from the shadowy depths. Everyone did. Kaidan had told him it was reckless to even consider leaving the security of the island, but hunger and the lure of fresh meat had proven too much for James to resist.“You still don’t know what happens here?” Sol inquired with a tilt of her head.“No? I mean, we figure this island is some sort of military outpost.” James rubbed the back of his neck, sensing this assumption was wrong.“Not… not exactly,” Solana replied. “It’s…” her mandibles quivered as she appeared to have an internal debate with herself. “Follow me,” she said, beckoning him into the water with an inviting wave of her hand.Setting the jackfish back on the rock, James pushed off and splashed into the calm waters of Menae.“Where we going?” He asked, arms driving into the water in powerful breaststrokes.“Whelping pool,” Solana answered, tilting her head back towards him.James frowned, wondering if he’d heard her correctly as the pair circled a small alcove, arriving at a moderately shallow pool. James found he could easily stand here, the sea caressing his chest.“Wait a moment.” Solana told him as her cobalt painted face disappeared beneath the surface.James stood awkwardly in the water, toes digging into the soft sand until he heard a splash behind him. Turning around in a graceful movement, he came face to face with Solana once more.This close, her eyes sparkled, like the brilliantly cut aqua marine gems his uncle so skillfully crafted into jewelry. Jewels of the deep, he thought to himself before a wet sounding snort drew his attention. Peering around Solana’s head, he saw a small pair of cherry red eyes staring at him from a golden face.“A baby!” He gasped, face splitting into a delighted grin. James had grown up in a large family with a slew of younger cousins and inexorably found himself drawn to children and infants of all species.The tiny head dipped below the water at his enthusiasm. He heard Solana make a soft, twittering noise, and the baby soon reappeared next to her.“Hey buddy,” James said, hoping he seemed friendly. “What’s your name?”The infant glanced up at Solana, as though seeking permission before it made a series of clicks and purrs.Solana chuckled, gazing fondly at the little one. “This is Caius,” she answered. “He can barely use his primary vocals and doesn’t understand the common tongue of the land races yet.”Caius swam tentatively closer to James, circling him inquisitively. James didn’t reach out or move to frighten the child, instead watching him with the same friendly smile he’d had since the baby appeared.The small, golden scaled merian eventually felt bold enough to come up to James’ face and extend a tiny clawed hand out to touch his beard. James normally kept himself clean shaven, but after being stranded for a week, coarse, dark hair had begun sprouting on his face. Kaidan was also sporting new facial hair, but James felt it somehow worked for the other man, giving him a roguish look.The baby pawed James’s chin until Solana rumbled to him and he reluctantly moved back.“He’s adorable Sol,” James said through his smile. “Is he your son?”“No,” Solana chuckled. “I don’t have any whelps of my own yet.” She suddenly fixed James with a serious expression. “Merian females come to Menae to give birth. The shallow alcoves and pools are perfect nursery grounds for young whelps not strong enough to swim against the ocean current.”James felt his eyes go wide at this news. No wonder the merians reacted so aggressively to shipwrecked sailors; they had inadvertently washed up on a nursery island full of defenseless babies!“We’d never hurt them,” James said earnestly. “We never meant to come here.” He cast a glance at the small merian whelp who was staring at him with curious eyes. “We’d never hurt children,” he said softly.“I believe you,” Solana answered just as gently. “That’s why I wanted you to meet little Caius here. But just because you would not, doesn’t mean others wouldn’t.”As she spoke another small head appeared next to Caius. This whelp had rich, chocolate brown plates and stunning eyes the color of a cloudless sky.“You can’t stay here,” Solana was saying, a note of what he thought might be regret coloring her voice. “But the rest of the Menae guard don’t want more ships finding our nursery grounds. It’s not safe for anyone.”The brown plated merian child swam over to James and began to cautiously trace the fern tattoo that ran along his shoulder. James slowly lifted a hand to tickle the baby’s chin. “What happens then?” He asked, glancing over to Sol. “If we can’t stay but no one can come get us?”“That’s what Captain Kandros is trying to decide,” Solana answered with a sigh. “A messenger has been sent to Cipritine, but the Primarch is away, meeting with your council. I don’t know how long it’ll take to get an answer back.”“We’re eventually going to run out of bananas and snails to eat,” James said solemnly. “Unless the merians will bring us fish or other food, we’ll starve.”The young merian whelps began a game of circling James like miniature sharks, vocals buzzing and clicking in childish excitement.“I wouldn’t let you starve,” Solana said in a rush, before recollecting herself. “I mean, the Menae guard are not callous murderers. We’d provide you sustenance. The problem is that’ll pull people away from their assigned posts.” She rumbled in dismay, shaking her head slightly. “No one really knows what to do,” she said mostly to herself, before raising her eyes to stare into his own. “But we have to think of our children. Our numbers are still so comparatively few after…” she trailed off.James nodded. He sensed casually discussing the krogan wouldn’t be appropriate, but it was enough that he understood.“It’s okay Sol,” he told her, reaching out an arm to grip her shoulder in reassurance. “We’ll figure out a way.”**********Jane grit her teeth in poorly concealed aggravation as the Gettysburg kept pace with the Normandy. The two ships steadily plowed through the peaceful sea, leaving a trail of white capped, choppy water in their wake.She had secretly hoped that Udina would grow bored of his posturing and leave her to her mission. Unfortunately, after coming across the splintered boards and floating debris from a salarian ship the day before, his resolve to reclaim the lost eezo and prance about the deck had only solidified.With any luck, there were some survivors from the wreck. This part of the Trebian Sea was largely uncharted; islets or sea mounts might well populate the region for all they knew. Jane refused to give up hope just yet. She had to believe James and Kaidan were out there somewhere, waiting for a rescue.“You heard the shit Udina’s crew is saying?” Joker asked as she stood beside him at the helm.
“Not the most recent crap,” she answered with an eye roll. “They still claiming we’re crazy for having Wrex onboard?”“Nope,” Joker answered with the smug grin of one who knew something his superior didn’t.“Do I even want to know?” Jane asked, red brows furrowing in irritation.“The night crew on the Gettysburg claim we’re being stalked by merians.” Joker turned to regard her, eyebrow quirked. “One of Udina’s crewman claims he saw one clinging to the side of the Normandy’s hull, like it was looking for someone topside.”Jane felt the blood freeze in her veins. “What… what color was this merian?” She asked, throat feeling suddenly dry.“Why? Friend of yours?” Joker asked incredulously before shrugging. “I dunno, didn’t ask, guy didn’t say. They just keep whispering about the night sea being thick with echoes and claws.”It was foolish to think that Garrus and his patrol were keeping watch over them, like aquatic guardian angels. Jane had surmised that the merians would keep an eye on them but…“Land ho!” The lookout cried. Immediately the crew rushed to the bow as Jane pulled out her spy glass. Far out in the distance, she could discern green rising out of the vast expanse of ocean.“Commander!” Udina shrieked from the opposite ship. “Set course for that island at once!”Jane slowly turned her head, eyes narrow and mouth parted as she glared at the ignoramus who felt it necessary to order her to do the obvious. Udina skillfully ignored her expression as he marched to the helmsmen of his own ship, barking commands that probably didn’t need uttering.“I dunno if you heard Commander, but I need to make for that island,” Joker snorted.Jane shook her head as she made her way below deck to check in with Williams and Wrex. She found the two at the base of the stairs, deep in muttered conversation.“Am I interrupting something?” She asked.“They’re going to sink us Shepard,” Wrex said without any preamble, turning to fix her with his ruby eyes.“Who’s going to sink us?” Jane scowled.“The merians. I’ve been hearing um at night; running those tridents of theirs against the hull, looking for a weak point. Whispering in that echo language of theirs.” He growled, hands balling into fists. “This is one krogan who isn’t going down without a fight. They sink us, I’ll fillet them with my axe.” His smile was a malicious thing, white and gleaming, an upside-down scythe.Jane held back an involuntary shudder.
“They can’t sink the Normandy. Besides, we’re nearly to land.”“Any island in merian waters ain’t a safe haven,” Wrex scoffed before turning his attention back to Ashley. “Have the cannons ready, when they hit, make it cost um.”Ashley glanced at Jane as Wrex lumbered off in the direction of his battle axe. “Skipper?” She questioned.Jane nodded to her. “Have the cannons ready, but don’t fire on the first unfamiliar merian you see. We’re in their territory, they have a right to be suspicious.”“Aye Aye Commander.” Ashley threw her a salute as Jane walked back on deck, more troubled than she’d originally been.Her anxiety was contagious; instead of the usual excitement an island or other landmass generally evoked among the crew, tense faces, furtive looks at firearms and knives and an uncanny quiet filled the Normandy’s decks and cabins.Jane was about to say something, maybe give some kind of speech to quell the nerves, when a shout from the Gettysburg had her running to the starboard side of the ship. There were more shouts and yelling until the other ship was a cacophony of panic and frantically running sailors.“They’re prying off the rudder!” Udina bellowed as he came into view. “Infantry men, I want muskets on those beasts now!”“Don’t shoot them!” Jane yelled over the din of voices. “We’re in their waters, don’t shoot!”“And have them sink us?” Udina screamed back in a frenzied voice. “Commander order the crew to arms! Defend the ships! All men to the quarterdeck! Shoot them! Shoot them now!” Jane wasn’t sure who Udina was yelling at anymore but did know if his crew shot a merian they’d attack with even more ferocity.Jane charged back toward the gun deck, noticing several men were headed toward the quarterdeck of the Normandy, arms laden with muskets and blunderbusses. “Nobody fire those!” She ordered in a voice that brokered no argument.Wrex stormed up the staircase, eyes sanguine and battle axe raised, steel gleaming in the sun, hungry for a foe.“Put that thing down!” She heard Pressly yell in Wrex’s direction. “The Commander has ordered us not to attack and stay the course!”Wrex turned to look at her. “Diplomacy’s stupid where there’s none to be had,” he told her in a deep voice that had the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.A deafening boom ran out over the water and Jane whipped around to see the cannons from the Gettysburg peeking out of their ports, gray smoke diffusing into the air.“Ten minutes to landfall!” Joker called to her, hands steady on the wheel but eyes wild with panic.“Keep going!” Jane yelled back as more man-made thunder sounded from the Gettysburg and lead plowed its deadly path into the sea.“Commander! They’re at the Normandy’s rudder!” Someone yelled.Jane rushed to the quarterdeck, followed closely by Wrex and Pressly. Gazing down to the churning sea, the water pulsed with scaled bodies.“There’s so many of them,” Pressly whispered, awe and horror in his expression. “Commander, we can’t let them destroy the rudder. We’ll be helpless to maneuver.” He set his mouth in a grim line, awaiting her answer.Tridents lanced up through the azure waves, aimed precisely at the joints fastening the rudder to the ship’s keel. Metal bit at wood and splinters flew.“Fire warning shots!” Jane commanded the small group of armed men now standing behind her.Taking position, the smell of gunpowder filled the air as bullets raced beneath the water, dispersing the merians at the rudder but not driving them off entirely. Glancing over toward the Gettysburg, Jane saw with a sinking heart several floating bodies in the other ships’ wake; deep cobalt blood slicking the water’s surface. The cannons black, cyclopean eyes, unblinking, stared upon the ruin they’d wrought in quiet jubilation.They were nearly to the island, but then what? The merians would surely attack without mercy in the shallower sea, ripping holes in the hull and marooning them without hope of rescue.
“Somethings wrong with the water!” Wrex declared.What do mean?” Jane demanded, scanning the thick depths.Something was wrong. Black as pitch, a formless shadow spread beneath the waves. Jane felt the Normandy strain against the polluted tide before she was held fast, sails full of useless wind.“It’s tar! It looks like tar!” A young sailor – Jenkins, she recalled – yelled excitedly.Whatever it was certainly looked like the caustic, sticky tar that seeped out of the earth on several islands in the Sol Sea. On land, the tar smothered any hapless animal foolish enough to get stuck in its black embrace. It now appeared the Normandy was destined to suffer the same fate, trapped in an inexplicable, malignant ooze.Heads shot up out of the noxious waves, clawed hands tearing at gills and mandibles gaping. Whatever this vile substance, it was choking the merians as well as holding the ships fast.“Longboats now!” Jane called, already sprinting down the length of the Normandy. “I want a damage report on the rudder and try to help the merians!”“Help them?” She heard Jenkins ask incredulously.“Yes, help them!” Jane glared at the younger man. “Clearly this wasn’t their doing, they’re suffocating out there!”Despite the concern that went rippling through her crew, they all obeyed, and the longboats were lowered into the obsidian waves, whose waters no longer lapped at the hull but bubbled sickly like over-thick stew.Using oars and sheer willpower, Jane’s boat came alongside a pair of flailing, gasping merians.“Take this water!” Jane called out. “It’s fresh, but it’ll clean your gills!”A merian with sandy colored scales groped for the outstretched canteen, gratefully pouring the clean water around the inside of his cowl before handing it to his friend. Coming to rest his forearms on the side of the boat, he gazed at Jane in wonder.“Thank you, human.” He said in a strangely accented voice. “But if you are not causing this, who is?”Another blast from the Gettysburg’s cannons drew everyone’s attention. Udina could be seen hopping about the deck and gesturing wildly at the merians who had become trapped in the oceanic tar.Jane barred her teeth in rage. “Stop firing you idiot!” She screamed above the choked sea. But if Udina heard her, he didn’t listen as he directed uncertain looking men to aim their guns on the gagging merians who had surfaced all around them.“Jane!”The duel toned, whiskey voice had her wheeling around so quickly she nearly knocked one of her crewmen overboard.“Garrus!” She shouted, gripping the side of the longboat as a familiar, silver face pushed its way through the sludge toward her.“It’s attacking the Commander! Shoot it!” Udina screamed.There was a sickening, resounding boom from the Gettysburg and then Jane was plunging into the corrupted waves, pulling herself more than swimming toward the eerily still body of her love.

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The world returned to him in violent bursts of neon; yellows, greens and finally blinding white. He pinched his eyes shut once more against the burning radiance, as slowly his other senses awakened. He could hear voices, some duel toned, others flat, buzzing through gently lapping water all around him. He moved an arm, feeling the grainy texture of sand heavy with silt.Someone was calling his name. The voice was familiar, but everything was hazy. Forcing himself to open his eyes once more, his vision focused on a shock of red hovering above his face.“Jane,” he coughed out in a hoarse voice. Instantly, the right side of his face screamed out in agony, as through someone were using a scalding hot sword to slice the plates from his hide.Clamping his mandible back against his mouth, he groaned in anguish as memories of cannon fire and shouting filtered through his mind.“Wound still fresh, advise against using primary vocals until numbing agent has taken effect.” The new voice was salarian, though he couldn’t see the speaker from his current position.“What happened?” Garrus bit out, despite the warning and searing pain.“You suffered a glancing blow to the right side of your face from a cannon ball,” another human voice answered. “It was only thanks to the Commander’s swift actions and the medical supplies of the Menae guard that Doctor Solus and I were able to save you.”Garrus hesitantly lifted a hand to touch his injury. A thick bull kelp bandage was wound around his neck and plastered to the right side of his face, stopping just below his eye. Already though, he could feel a soothing, cool numbness seeping into his blood from frigus weed paste which was undoubtedly smeared onto his wounds.Shifting his focus back to Jane, he gave her a lame grin. “Hey,” he told her. “I’m here to rescue you.”Jane huffed, before a hand slowly slipped beneath the water to caress the uninjured side of his face. “Garrus,” she began, voice on the edge of trembling. “I thought I’d lost you.”Garrus leaned into Jane’s touch, his own hand coming to rest over hers. “Never,” he reassured her. “I’m hard to kill,” he added, trying to lighten the mood.Jane shook her head, but the traces of a smile tugged at her mouth.Forcing himself to sit up out of the shallows, Garrus slowly took in his surroundings. There was a salarian with a broken horn intensely focused on a small book held in one hand, an older human woman with short, silver hair and Jane, all seated in the water with him. The salarian notably was perched atop a small rock to minimize contact between his skin and the seawater.Further off in the distance, humans and a few other salarians were casually strolling about the shore. Turning to glance behind him, he could see Jane’s ship, the Normandy, and another, more ornately painted vessel anchored just beyond the reef.“What happened after I ate a cannon ball?” Garrus asked, gaze wandering to the clear waters, no longer blighted with pitch.Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jane wince and instantly regretted his casual remark.“We don’t really know,” Jane answered with a disconcerted hum. “It was like the water had been turned to tar. But then, right when I reached you, there was this horrible hissing sound. The other merians said something about it being a threat, but instead of anything happening, the ocean was suddenly normal again.”“Captain Udina was relieved of duty,” the grey-haired human stated in a tone which suggested the other Captain’s retirement had been far from a peaceful affair. “Once the Alliance ships stopped firing on them, the Menae guard permitted us to come ashore so that we could operate on you.”“What do you mean when you say that there was a threat before the waters returned to normal?” Garrus asked Jane, a cold feeling of dread settling in his gizzard.Jane looked uneasy. “I can’t understand all the nuances of your subvocals,” she answered. “But one of the merians who helped me drag you to my long boat said that whoever was causing all this was threatening the land walkers with some kind of catastrophe.”“The Ivory Wizard,” Garrus affirmed. “I thought he’d come here to kill you.” He rested a hand against the side of Jane’s face, assuring himself she was real. “Maybe he thought your men had killed me and that’s why he retreated?”“Garrus!” Suddenly Solana was at his side, vocals whirring in relief as she leaned forward to touch her crest against his own in a familial display of affection.“Thank the Spirits you’re alright!” She pulled her head back and fixed him with a stern glare that eerily resembled their fathers’ before demanding “never do that again!”Garrus resisted the urge to close his eyes and sigh. “Jane was in danger,” he replied tersely. “It’s not like I wanted to get shot in the face.”At this, Solana let out a sorrowful hum, gaze drifting to the kelp covering his injury.
Oh Garrus…
“I’m alright,” he soothed her, though he hadn’t had a chance to actually see the damage himself. “Don’t worry about me. There’s more pressing things to be concerned with.” Turning back to Jane he fixed her with a serious expression. “I need to talk to the merian who said the Ivory Wizard was threatening you.”**********Lilihierax or “Li” as Jane called him was more than willing to tell Garrus everything that had transpired beneath the waves during the short-lived skirmish between the Menae guard and Alliance search party.His report was upsetting to say the least. Apparently after Garrus had been shot and Jane had dived in after him, the other ship’s Captain had tried to “finish the job” and shoot him again despite Jane’s presence. Fortunately, the crew had disagreed and refused to follow orders, resulting in a mutiny and Captain Udina being relieved of command.However, under the sea, cataclysm still raged and while the corrupted waves had retreated, the ancient sorcerer had promised to impale the land walker’s hearts since they would undoubtedly destroy those of the merians with their greedy, covetous ways.What that threat meant though, was something Garrus, Jane, and nobody else could decipher.By the time the sun began to set, staining the sky a deep crimson red, bleeding into hues of orange and gold, Garrus was no closer to the answer than he’d been that afternoon. He despised feeling useless and internally fumed that he was failing not only Jane, but also Primarch Victus.Garrus never was what one would call an exemplary solider, but the merian Primarch had trusted him enough to send him ahead to scout for danger and waylay any attempts by the Ivory Wizard to shatter the delicate merian/land walker relationship that presently existed.The ghoulish specter was plotting something – something on a grander scale than ensnaring two Alliance ships and killing a few dozen humans and salarians.“Vakarian.”Garrus turned from where he’d been adjusting the grip on his trident to see Captain Kryik. The other merian truly was a master of stealth; hiding in the shadows of the waves and appearing out of seemingly nowhere. Primarch Victus had sent him with Garrus to investigate Menae, though the Captain had held back at the sight and sound of cannons being fired on the merian guard.“Any leads?” Garrus asked his superior, swimming into a vertical position.Captain Kryik looked pensive, plates pulled down in a perpetual appearance of deep concentration. “I might know what the Ivory Wizard’s threat means,” he said slowly. “Ashley was reading me some poetry –”Garrus held back a snort at the image of Captain Kryik swooning over human poems.“— and in one of them,” the Captain continued, ignoring Garrus’s slight smirk, “the poet refers to the Citadel as the ‘heart of civilization.’ Which made me wonder if the wizard might be planning to attack it.” Captain Kryik’s emerald eyes raised to meet Garrus’. “It’s a bold move, to be sure. The Citadel is well defended with near impenetrable shields.”“The shields might not be so impregnable though,” Garrus answered, the wheels in his brain picking up speed as he chased the idea. “Jane told me that the reason land walkers are mining eezo in such vast quantities is because the Citadel shields are at an all-time low, and they use the eezo to power them.”“If the Citadel’s defensive shields are compromised, then the Ivory Wizard might have just enough power left to launch an assault,” Captain Krik finished, sepia tail flicking in agitation.“If he attacked the Citadel,” Garrus said, “the effort would probably kill him. He made it seem like he only needed my help because he was too weak to pay the price of the magic needed to subdue Victus.”“Given what you’ve said about him,” the Captain replied, “suicide by destroying the Citadel seems like his modus operandi. What better way to ensure that the land walkers are too weak and distracted to bother with us?”The more Garrus considered it, the more he found himself agreeing with Captain Kryik. With the Citadel in ruin, negotiations with the Primarch would undoubtedly come to a halt. Additionally, if the Citadel were destroyed, there was no chance the land races would share the secrets of the shields with the merians, as they’d undoubtedly want to rebuild and repair the Citadel defenses without competition for eezo.“What did Ashley – Officer Williams think of this?” Garrus asked the Captain.“She was troubled,” Captain Kryik answered. “I believe she went to speak with the Commander about it. The humans and salarians are planning to set sail with the morning tide.”Taking a firm grip on Widow, Garrus swam for the surface, ignoring the dull, stomping throb in the right side of his face. He needed to speak to Jane immediately. When the Captain’s head broke the surface beside him a moment later, vocals echoing excitement and urgency, Garrus knew his superior was thinking the same thing: they needed to set course for the Citadel tonight.**********The Normandy cut through the onyx waters of the Trebian Sea, the pale moon illuminating her sails in a shade of ghostly pearl. Close behind, the Gettysburg, now captained by Chief Mate Bailey, kept pace as the two ships raced anxiously towards the Widow Sea.Jane rapped her fingers against the mahogany siding of the Normandy’s deck, glancing to the heavens every few minutes to gauge their pace. The constellations of the midnight sky blinked back at her, steadfast in their silence.Her mother had once told her that the stars could sing and had a music all their own. One had only to be very quiet and listen to hear their song. In truth though, it was the sea which sang; even now, the clicks and calls of their ever growing merian escort rang out through the water, surrounding the Normandy in a comforting chorus, assuring them they weren’t alone.At least, Jane found it comforting. She imagined Garrus swimming with the rest of the merian platoon, singing her Aeternum Song. She had admittedly tried to discern his voice above the rest but had given up the endeavor quickly. It was enough to know that he was nearby, likely swimming alongside the Normandy.Glancing up to the panorama of stars once more, Jane headed to her cabin with a sigh. If the wind stayed with them and the short cut Captain Kryik had advised them about held true, they’d arrive at the Citadel late tomorrow morning. What they’d find when they got there was anyone’s guess.Their merian host had done a splendid job of telling the crew horrific nightmares about the Ivory Wizard. A corpse rendered sentient whose only emotions were malice and revenge, a relic of bygone eons when magic and sorcery clouded the seas and skies.Jane shook her head. Pulling off her boots and jacket, she lay on top of the covers staring at the gently swaying ceiling until the merians' singing lulled her to sleep.When she awoke the next morning, it was to a barked shout from the deck, followed by a loud, inhuman bellow. Banishing the last of her cloying dreams Jane rose groggily to her feet, unsure of the hour. They couldn’t possibly be at the Citadel yet…In a matter of minutes, she’d donned her coat, boots, and cutlass, run her nails through her mussed hair and stepped out into the brilliant sunlight.“What’s going on?” she demanded as Jenkins darted past.“It’s Wrex, ma’am. He was yelling at the merian Captain and Chief Mate Pressly threatened to keel haul him.”Jane blew a hot stream of air out through her nose, feeling vicious as a dragon of old as she approached the bow where Wrex’s hulking red frame loomed over an equally furious looking Pressly.“You don’t have the quad!” The krogan informed the smaller human man with a rough jab to Pressly’s chest that had him stumbling backward.“Don’t I?” Pressly countered, stepping back into Wrex’s space, eyes dark and foreboding.“Knock it off!” Jane boomed, catching both men by surprise. “Wrex, why are you trying to start shit so early?”Wrex scowled, pupils narrowing to mere slits of black. “That whelp of a Captain said the merians weren’t going to hand over the genophage cure,” he growled through clenched teeth.“That’s not what he said at all!” Pressly interjected, turning to Jane. “Captain Kryik surfaced to say we’d be reaching the Citadel far sooner than expected given the steady wind from last night. Maybe another hour at most. And he,” Pressly gestured in Wrex’s direction, “charged over to the railing and started demanding the merians reveal the sterility cure. The Captain told him he wasn’t at liberty to discuss it and that it wasn’t his call to make regardless before submerging again.”“Translation: they’re not going to give up the cure even if the Council asks,” Wrex fumed, pushing Pressly aside as he stepped closer to Jane.“Wrex, what did we agree when you first came on board?” Jane asked patiently.Wrex growled, sparing a glance at Pressly before storming below deck without another word.“Brute.” Pressly muttered before moving off to speak with Joker.The remainder of their voyage was blissfully uneventful as Wrex chose to remain below deck and Pressly above. When at last the opalescent, domed shields of the Citadel appeared on the horizon, flashing a faint violet against the blue backdrop of the sky, Jane let out a sigh of relief.Nothing appeared to be amiss. The harbor beyond the defensive shields was as busy and chaotic as ever. Even the approach ship which came to intercept them and determine where they’d dock was as standard as any other.The Warsaw moved into position between the Normandy and Gettysburg. Despite the calm, calculated movement of the ship itself, the crew was a flurry of running and shouting. “Don’t move!” a frenzied voice yelled. “There’s hostile forces surrounding your ships!”Jane rolled her eyes. “They’re allies!” she shouted back. “I’m Commander Shepard of the Normandy, and I need to speak with Councilor Valern immediately!”In the time it took for the Warsaw to mull this information over, the Citadel shields had been lifted and the ships composing the Alliance’s Fifth Fleet, led by the asari flagship the Destiny Ascension, began to approach.Just as Jane raised her hands to her mouth to order the Warsaw to allow them passage, an unnatural creaking rang out through the Normandy’s planks. The Warsaw began to rock in abruptly choppy water at the same moment the sea became thick with sludge.Unlike before, the oceanic tar didn’t hold the ships fast, but roiled and slammed against their hulls. Oozing, noxious looking geysers surged upwards, forming into dripping, clawing fingers that tore sails and splintered wood. The men and woman of the Warsaw plunged into the undulating bile as a wave with a cavernous, slobbering maw of obsidian teeth roared to life, consuming the once proud vessel with deafening snaps of wood and shrieking of steel.“Take evasive action!” Jane screamed as the Warsaw’s main mast shattered beside them. The next sound she heard was the boom of the Normandy’s cannons, swiftly echoed by the Gettysburg.Twisting her head back in the direction of the Fifth Fleet, Jane’s heart sank into her stomach as she watched the ships fire at the frothing waves of pitch that clung to the decks and slithered over screaming soldiers like ravenous snakes, devouring them without mercy. The Destiny Ascension rolled heavily onto its port-side, righting itself violently as asari huntresses screamed in horror.She heard shouts and vocals ring out from the water around her, as hundreds of merians surfaced, tridents held aloft and out of the voracious sea.“He’s forcing the shields up!” A familiar, duel toned voice cried.There was a sound like a thunder clap in the cloudless sky and Jane looked on in mute shock as the black waters pushed savagely against the shields which were attempting to lower. Purple lighting crackled over the domes as the shields resisted the onslaught.“Where’s the Ivory Wizard?” Jane shouted down to Garrus and his sister who had surfaced next to the ship. “If we can kill him, we can end this!”“Look out!”“Pressly!”Jane whirled around as a lance of corrupted water shot through the Normandy’s foremast. Chunks of wood rained down over the deck as the crew ran for their lives. Pressly, however, had been standing directly under its shadow.A look of terror washed over his face as death came crashing down over him. And then he wasn’t dead; flung over Wrex’s armored shoulder like a helpless child, the massive krogan charged through the debris and wreckage, depositing a stunned Pressly on the opposite side of the ship.“Pull back!” Jane shouted as she charged toward the helm. “Pull back!”All around her, the world went to hell.

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Garrus looked on in screaming silence, mandibles agape, as the Normandy fought its way through the rolling ebony sea.“Garrus! We have to go!” Solana shook him roughly by the cowl snapping him out of his trance.“But…”“They’ll be okay for now! You heard Jane, we have to find the Ivory Wizard, that’s the only way to save everyone!”Garrus allowed his younger sister to tug him in the opposite direction of the retreating Normandy. He could see the crew readying the long boats, preparing to take the fight into closer quarters. Turning his head with a vicious growl, he pushed his way through the sludge choked waves, striving to ignore the scent of charred wood and burning scales and flesh.“There’s no way the Wizard is under all this ooze, he’s probably hiding on the periphery!” Garrus yelled to Solana over the roar of cannons and cries of sailors.They pressed on, past other merians hauling injured humans, asari, and even a quarian toward whatever wreckage hadn’t been swallowed by the ravenous oceanic tar. Without an actual enemy to fight there wasn’t much else they could do.Gradually, as the ships and sputtering shields fell further behind them, the water became less thick, until it faded to a pale gray color and returned to a consistency that was almost normal. Glancing to Solana, Garrus moved his trident into an offensive position before diving beneath the waves.In the realm of watery, thin sunlight he turned to gaze back into the impenetrable pitch behind them. The sludge seemed to be illuminated by streaks of fire; cannon balls like aquatic meteorites blazed down into the depths, useless against this particular foe.Garrus motioned to Solana to keep quiet and pointed downward. His sister nodded and the pair swam beneath the blight, necks craning, eyes searching for any trace of light or movement.The red blur that suddenly filled his vision had been the last thing he'd expected. Solana barely contained a gasp before her trident was aimed at the krogan’s throat.“Calm down!” The krogan – Wrex? – ordered his sister. “I’m here to kill that bleach scaled sorcerer of yours!”“Is that all?” Garrus asked sarcastically, remembering the earlier fight between Wrex and Captain Kryik.The old krogan narrowed his burning ruby eyes, fire licking at his pupils. “What do you care?” Wrex inquired. “The bastard will be dead either way.”While Wrex wasn’t necessarily someone Garrus would consider friendly, he was loyal to Jane and a formidable warrior. Whatever his personal side quest, he’d be useful on their current mission.“Fine,” Garrus agreed. “Keep quiet and follow us. And that,” he nodded toward the giant battle axe clutched firmly in the krogan’s hands, “isn’t going to be of much use against the Ivory Wizard.”“We’ll see.” Wrex replied, a malicious grin cutting across his face.
Assuming a ‘V’ formation with Garrus at the front, they trekked back toward the Citadel, staying on the outer ring of the polluted water. Time dragged and Garrus internally raged that every minute they didn’t find the wizard was another where lives were lost, and the shields weakened.He was beginning to lose hope when a pulsing, luminous blue light caught his attention up ahead. His tail muscles strained as he swam furiously toward its source, Solana and Wrex struggling to keep pace.“You!” Garrus seethed.The Ivory Wizard turned to regard him with lidless eyes that somehow still seemed to be shut. His body was deteriorating at an alarming rate; flesh and sinew, bone and scale sloughing off his twisted skeleton to drift down into the eternal abyss like marine snow.“Fool!” The corpse screeched in a voice no longer his own. “Is isolation not preferable to extinction?” Noticing Wrex, the wizard hissed out a curse before pointing the two remaining fingers on his hand in the trio’s direction.Tentacles of corrupted water shot toward them, attempting to wrap around limbs and weapons. Rolling out of the way, Garrus charged the ancient monster while Wrex and Solana fought against the flailing tar.The Ivory Wizard roared, before quickly digging into his chest cavity and popping a glowing pustule.Garrus was in Cipritine. The sea sang with conversation and vocals as merians swam gracefully through the marble archways of the city. Garrus swatted uselessly at the water, as though he might somehow dispel the illusion.“Where should we go next?” The question, in a voice he immediately recognized though it was slightly altered had him whirling in place.Widow fell lose from his grip as his jaw nearly fell off his face. The female merian was the most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen; scales like oceanic lava, a fawn colored hide and eyes like burning, green auroras.“Jane?” His voice was shaky as disbelief warred with yearning. “But, how…”“Let me finish my task,” a rasping voice cut through the tranquility of the scene, “and I’ll spare her. She can live with you beneath the sea, you can have whelps of your own and not be separated by the air and waves.”It was what his heart longed to hear… and yet. He looked at the merian who was his love but not. He loved Jane in part because she was human – not in spite of it. He’d never want her as anything else than what she was. And she’d never be truly happy if she lost her friends, her title, her home.His hands balled into fists at his side. “Stay away from her,” he growled. “I don’t want your magic or your lies!”The scene melted around him and before he could react, he was struck by bioluminescent lightning. His bones felt like they were on fire as all his muscles went painfully ridged. Still, he glared at the Ivory Wizard whose body was now mere bone and corrupted, glowing light.“You’ll never win!” Garrus spat as the wizard made to unleash another bolt of energy.What remained of the Ivory Wizard’s maw opened as though to respond, before his head shattered in an explosion of spangled bone, ooze, and sickly blue light.Falling free from his torpor, Garrus forced his stiff body to swim as Jane headed back to the surface, harpoon gun hanging loosely from one hand.Quickly catching up to her, he grabbed her around the waist, shooting himself skyward. As soon as their heads broke the surface Jane took in a deep, gasping gulp of air. Garrus turned toward the sound of shouts, seeing a long boat with several humans including Ashley and Solana’s friend, James, close by.Garrus helped Jane over to the vessel while James hauled her onboard.“It’s done,” Jane panted. “I got him.”Solana and Wrex surfaced next to the boat.“Not bad Shepard,” Wrex said, clearly impressed.Glancing back out toward the Citadel, Garrus saw that the ocean had returned to its normal color, the malignant tar having completely vanished. The battered ships were the only sign that a battle had ever taken place here.But then there was a deep, heavy churning sound, and all eyes snapped back toward the sea in front of them. A swirling vortex of blue and purple lightning began to rise out of the depths. Deep purple globs floated through the snapping tempest until it lifted above the water.PERISH! A disembodied voice screeched.Whips of searing light snapped against the waves, making the water boil. Garrus ducked and swam before the demonic energy could strike him. Wrex and Solana clearly had the same idea as they came into view nearby.The sound of gunfire echoed above, followed by Jane’s voice yelling orders.“We have to lure him away!” Garrus shouted. “Lead him back to the Alliance ships, weak as he is the cannons can do the rest!”Taking a firm grip of her trident, Solana headed back to the surface without another word. Garrus called after her but she either didn’t hear him or else didn’t care to listen. Surging up after his sister, Garrus watched on in shock as Solana took careful aim before throwing her trident into the swirling vortex that was bearing down on the humans.The thing’s focus immediately shifted as it chased after the merians, tendrils of electricity licking the water in anticipation.“Go!” Solana commanded, tail a silver blur as she turned back toward the ships.Garrus and Wrex immediately obeyed. Garrus cut through the water, heading directly for the Normandy which was the closest vessel to their position.He recognized the dark-haired human man on the deck – Kaidan, Jane had called him. Kaidan began gesturing wildly and yelling something unintelligible before he disappeared from sight. Garrus prayed to every spirit he knew that the Normandy would open fire.Scorching water bit at his tail, the scales crinkling up painfully as though they’d been left to burn on the shore.There was a thundering boom and a colossal wave crashed over Garrus’s head. Momentarily stunned, his vision swam with flickers of color as all that remained of the Ivory Wizard was gradually swept away by the ocean currents.When his head broke the surface again, it was to raucous cheers. Merians lifted their tridents into the air as humans and asari whooped in triumph. He caught a glimpse of Captain Kryik saying something to Ashley as her long boat paddled over. A blinding smile lit her face before she launched
herself at the Captain, knocking him beneath the water. When he resurfaced, Ashley was wrapped tightly in his arms as the pair shared a messy, passionate kiss.Garrus’ eyes met Janes’ and he felt himself finally relax. It was over.**********Somehow, despite the heavy assault, the Citadel’s shields had held out, leaving the city unharmed. The Fifth Fleet hadn’t been so fortunate; the Ivory Wizard had inflicted massive damage on the ships, and there had been heavy casualties. The death toll would have been even higher if it weren’t for the merians.Countless sailors had been pulled from the noxious sludge, heads kept above the waves. Without the merian soldiers, victory would have been far more bitter sweet. A fact that Councilor Valern instantly acknowledged once the battle had ended, pledging that he would do everything in his power to ensure that merians took their rightful place among the Citadel races.
Once Councilors Hackett and Tevos returned, his promise was fulfilled. Now, two months later, Jane stood alongside Ashley, Kaidan, and James, as the Council welcomed the new merian member to their ranks; Councilor Sparatus.Turning from his place on the central pier to overlook the gathered ships, rafts, and people, Sparatus addressed the crowd in a deep, authoritative voice.“Today marks a new start for merians and the land races alike!” He declared. “No longer will my people hide in the deep waters of Cipritine, shirking any contact with the outside world. We look forward to future collaboration and our continued alliance!”Cheers and applause erupted over the glittering waters as Councilor Hackett moved to stand beside Sparatus.“As a part of solidifying our future relations, and in recognition of the great service the merian people have already provided to the Citadel, our scholars will be sharing the knowledge behind the eezo shields, so that they can protect their own most valuable resources.”More applause followed this announcement, though not as loud as before. Jane surmised that some people weren’t thrilled about sharing this information with the merians, wanting to horde it all on the Citadel. But progress came with a price, and if this was the cost to keep solid relations with their aquatic allies, the Council and most of the populace were willing to pay it.“You think people are antsy about merians joining the Council and getting knowledge on the eezo shields, wait till they hear about those things Wrex found,” Ashley muttered under her breath.“If they hold the cure to the genophage, then I don’t care what people think,” Jane murmured back.“Are you talking about the Selkie Serum?” James asked at normal volume, earning him a hissing chorus of “shush!”When the Normandy had obliterated the Ivory Wizard’s final form, the amethyst, pulsing cysts that had once filled the decrepit sorcerer’s chest had been blown out over the ocean. Wrex and a few curious merians had grabbed some of these globs, not realizing that within their slow, beating forms lay pure, raw magic.Salarian scholars studying the globs theorized that a cure to the genophage could be created by combining these oozing pustules with sea grass, and several other seemingly benign ingredients. This hypothesis had yet to be tested, but the prognosis for the krogan was brighter than it’d been in centuries.But there was another secret in the magical pustules. By accident, one of the merians who’d found the globs had popped one, the purple ooze coating his face and neck. He’d been racked with excruciating pain in his tail, until it had split in half and been replaced with a set of strong, powerful legs. He couldn’t speak, only having use of his subvocals.However, the merian’s new limbs had vanished within two hours, his voice returning along with his tail. The human sailors who witnessed the transformation were quick to name the magical elixir Selkie Serum. Rumor had it that it worked on the land races too – granting tails and gills to those with legs.The Council had been notably mute on the situation, though Jane privately thought swimming with Garrus and exploring Cipritine would be more than worth the temporary loss of her voice.She was jostled from her thoughts by another round of applause, this time signaling that the speeches and ceremony had concluded. Jane let out a sigh of relief, bouncing on her heels in anxious anticipation until Captain Anderson dismissed the crew for shore leave.Quickly changing into her civilian clothes, Jane made for the beach, not wanting to be late.Having merians join the Citadel races had necessitated a few accommodations. Namely, since they had no need for ships, the construction of floating platforms which acted as miniature customs offices had been erected at several beaches along the Citadel’s shield line. Merians wishing to gain access to the Citadel could check in with officials before the shields were raised to allow them through. One such port of entry was Zakera Beach.A popular location before, the shore now teemed with people and the surf with merians. It was the premier spot for the land races to meet up with their new aquatic friends. Capitalizing on this, merchants had been quick to set up shops, some built on stilts and located in the sea itself to cater specifically to merians. And it was at one of these particular shops, a café, that she had made plans to meet up with Garrus.Peeling off her shoes, tunic, and pants, Jane stored her clothes in one of the small wooden portholes that now lined the south end of the beach. Clad in swim wear, she strode toward the water, walking in up to her waist before dunking her head and swimming beneath the breakers, swimming out to the café and coming to rest her arms on the smooth, wooden bar top.“So, come here often?” A smoky voice asked.Jane turned to find Garrus smirking at her, the scarred side of his face giving him an incredibly handsome, roguish look.“I only come when there’s good company,” she told him, playing along.Garrus hummed, moving to rest next to her, long tail fins brushing against her legs. “How’s the company today?”
“The best,” Jane answered, moving to lay a hand on top of his. “Definitely the best.”

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The city of Cipritine was spellbinding in its beauty; marble pillars and archways, inlaid with mosaics of merians battling ancient undersea monsters that defied imagination. Lapis lazuli and quartz decorated the domed tops of colossal buildings, millennia old, while all around the green sea sang with conversation and vocals.The first time Jane had taken the Selkie Serum and ventured beneath the waves to see the merian capital, she’d been overwhelmed by the sights and sounds. She’d gone on an organized tour, where visiting land races were shown places of cultural and historical significance by an overenthusiastic guide.Her new body was lithe and agile, a crimson scaled tail and fins, with webbing between her fingers and gills like flames. Humans and asari taking the serum were bestowed with tails not dissimilar to a merian. The asaris’ scales gleamed in hues of blue, ranging from robins’ egg to indigo. Humans, meanwhile, were granted scales that matched their hair color.The salarians and quarians were different. Salarians who drank the serum grew long, muscular tails like an eel. They were still sensitive to saltwater, however, and if venturing into the sea had to coat their upper bodies with a protective layer of red clay to keep their skin from drying out.The quarins took on elegant bells and tendrils, in shades of pink and mauve, much like jellyfish. They preferred the deeper waters and would often dance and float along the current, much as they did in their nomadic long ships above the waves.The sights of the other races in their new forms, merian tuna shepherds out in the rolling sea grass meadows beyond the city attending to their shoals, and the wide, open streets and grander of the undersea architecture had convinced Jane that nothing could rival her first trip to Cipritine.The second time she’d visited though, Garrus had taken her on a private tour of an underwater cave system. Each chamber contained a different set of wonders: limpet snails with flute-like shells who piped and sang when prodded, their tiny voices becoming a chorus in the small rooms of the cave.Water that refracted down through crescent moon shaped cut outs in the rock, and bounced off pearl and abalone shells arranged in elaborate patterns on the sea floor, a glowing, pulsing work of art.After exploring the caverns, and still having time before she needed to surface and board the waiting ship that ferried visitors to Cipritine, Jane and Garrus had made love in the sheltered waters surrounding one of the cavern entrances. Her aquatic body was leagues away from the one she knew. Even so, regardless of her form, she yielded to Garrus as though he were made especially for her.Locked in the most intimate of unions, they had held each other, floating gently to the sea floor, awash in sensation; the feel of him inside her, the caress of his hands in her hair and the warm ocean current running along her body like a lovers’ finger tips.The light had played across their scintillating scales, Garrus’ burning like diamonds, her own like shimmering rubies in a dragon’s hoard. As they came to rest serenely on the sand, Jane privately marveled that Garrus truly was a treasure without equal. She’d believed that nothing else could compare to the experience of her second visit to the Trebian Sea. But on her third trip, she was proven wrong once more.“This is the Vocantem Trench,” Garrus explained, a long, black tipped talon pointing to the deep rift in the earth. “We use it to communicate over long distances. Using our subvocals, a message can be relayed for miles until it reaches the curriers at the central station. They can then pass it further down the line.”Jane nodded, impressed at the cleaver system. She had no voice to tell him this, but he understood her better than anyone, even without words.“Come on, I want to show you something else,” Garrus said, tugging on her hand.They skirted the city before plunging into its depths, Jane close on Garrus’s fins. He suddenly banked up, leading her to the top of the tallest domed building. The roof of this underwater tower was carved from copper and reflected sunlight so that it glowed like a mirror of its heavenly counterpart.“I always loved coming up here,” Garrus sighed as the pair looked out over the city of Cipritine.Jane took him by the elbow, leaning against his arm. It’s breathtaking, she thought.She felt more than heard the nervous rumble of Garrus’ vocals.“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping this place would inspire a certain… mood.” Garrus turned so that he was facing her. “I’ve been thinking, lately – well, maybe longer than lately – but um, we’ve been together for over a year, fought our way back to each other through impossible odds, I’m officially assigned to the merian patrol working with the Normandy and I…” He trailed off, glancing down to where he held her small hand.“Jane,” he said, voice serious but wobbling with anxiety. “Are you ready to be a one merian kind of woman?”Jane felt her mouth fall open as she attempted to process his question. Was this a proposal? Was he… did he just ask her to marry him?“Crap!” Garrus suddenly exclaimed, dropping her hand. “You can’t even answer!” He shook his head in irritation. “I’ve already ruined this,” he muttered.Before he could continue berating himself, Jane grabbed his face and with a few flicks of her tail, had captured his mouth with her own in a deep, passionate kiss.The answer is yes, Garrus. To whatever type of exclusivity you’re asking for, the answer is always yes. She willed him to understand, pouring her love and devotion into her actions.Despite being startled Garrus eagerly responded, long, blue tongue wrapping around hers as he moaned in both sets of vocals. “Is that a yes then?” He asked, pulling his head back. “Ashley told me that human proposals generally come with a ring, but I uh, wasn’t sure what size you wore, or how to ask without being too obvious –”Jane cut him off with another kiss before wrapping her arms around his neck and grinning. Unable to speak she nodded, pressing her forehead against his plated one.Garrus made a high-pitched squealing noise before holding her against him and spiraling upward in an exuberant cyclone of bubbles and song.
Never let me go, never let me go.
His subharmonics hung heavy in the lyrical waves, drowning out all other sound. Jane kissed him again, not caring if people below were staring.Never let me go, she hummed as best she could. Never let me go.**********There had been far more preparation and planning than Garrus had thought strictly necessary. Merian bonding ceremonies were generally private affairs, with only immediate family in attendance. Human weddings, it seemed, were much more involved.After waiting for months as Jane, Ashely, Tali, and Liara schemed and sent messages, the day had finally arrived. The afternoon sun shone down over the Vallum cove as Garrus sat on Jane’s rock, attempting not to fidget.He was clad in the typical regalia for merian ceremonies; gold caps were firmly affixed to his fringe horns, while over his cowl he wore a light weight, azure cape woven from sea silk and oyster thread. Around his wrists were burnished copper bracelets, inlaid with images of interlocked tridents. They had once belonged to his parents, and the fact that his father had been willing to pass them along to Garrus said more about Castis Vakarian’s acceptance of Jane as a mate then any words possibly could.Jane had told him human woman typically wore white at weddings, but that she was departing slightly from tradition.Garrus turned to gaze back toward the jungle, ignoring his friends and family behind him in the cove, floating on rafts and small boats or else merely with their heads above water – except in the case of Wrex and his brood of splashing, giggling whelps who were closer to the shore.When he saw her, time froze. She was an inferno cloaked in starlight; her hair like embers in the breeze, a dress that hung over her shoulders, parted up both sides to allow freedom of movement and in glimmering hues of silver and crystal.Jane fearlessly traversed the path of stones out to where he waited, a journey she’d made countless times now. Adjusting her dress, she knelt beside him on the large rock as a hush fell over the crowd.His father glided over to them, before pushing himself out of the water so that his upper body stood above the lapping sea. The maneuver required incredible tail strength and control and Garrus internally smirked at the older man attempting to show off a little.“Jane,” Castis said solemnly. “My son wishes for you to join our clan, to become a Vakarian in name and spirit.”“I wish this too, domine,” Jane replied, using the exact phrasing she and Garrus had rehearsed.Castis rumbled before turning to glance over at Solana, who quickly swam over to join him. She didn’t attempt to rise out of the water and merely grinned up at Garrus and Jane.“If this is what you desire, then as head of our clan, I approve of your union,” his father stated.“As a member of clan Vakarian, I also approve of your union,” Solana echoed. “And I will be proud to call you a sister,” she added, eyes beaming up at Jane.On cue, Garrus slipped the bracelet off his left wrist and placed it on Jane’s outstretched one. It glinted along with the rose gold and sapphire ring he’d given her shortly after his proposal. A purr slipped from his throat as he beheld his gorgeous mate.Not yet, he reminded himself. The human part of the ceremony still had to be attended to.
A human man dressed in a white and gold robe was rowed over on a small boat. He read from a leather-bound book, occasionally asking Garrus and Jane questions and making odd gestures over their clasped hands.Jane had explained that her mother was religious and had asked that this ritual be a part of their ceremony. If this was required for Hannah Shepard’s blessing than Garrus didn’t mind repeating the phrases and honestly answering the posed queries. One aspect of the human ritual he actually found immensely appealing. At the end of the pronouncements, the man closed the book and turning to Garrus instructed him, “you may now kiss the bride.”Jane had flung herself at him before he could properly respond and the two tumbled off the rock and into the cove amidst applause, cheers, and subvocal guffaws.“I love you, Jane Vakarian,” Garrus whispered as their heads broke the surface, faces pressed closely together.“Garrus, I… love you too,” Jane answered breathlessly, eyes shining with happiness. “And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life showing you how much.”Love, Garrus mused, as he and Jane floated over to their singing, chatting guests, truly was the most powerful force in all the seas. Magic was back in the world again, but its magnitude paled in comparison to the fathomless emotion possessed by every living creature.Garrus pressed his brow to Jane’s, eyes fluttering shut. No matter what hardships came their way or calamity came to pass, they’d face it together. And together, they’d always triumph.

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Scortum – sexual predator or whore

Spiritus Auream -- A spirit of Palaven’s sun, Trebia. While not personified like human spirits with a physical body, these spirits are said to be made of pure, golden light, and are immensely powerful and revered.

Aureola – A special type of crown formally worn by high ranking turians centuries ago. Resembles a halo.

Coelum – The turian version of heaven, where the spirits of Trebia dwell.

Dea – A word taken from the asari, loosely translates to Goddess.

Erat Herba: A park in Cipritine comparable to Central Park in New York City. The Latin word literally means vegetation.

Taetrian Laudatix: The ministry of citizenship rankings on Taetrus. Each Hierarchy planet has its own Laudatix.

Shalta: A large, armor plated and tusked land animal native to the woodland areas of Palaven.

Asinus – Palaveni word for an idiot or fool.

Amicae – the turian version of a girlfriend or exclusive significant other.

Quadrupes Graditur – A turian sex position similar to “doggie-style.”

Nothi – A colloquial Taetrun word, basically means “bastard.”

Delectamenti – A turian specialty shop on the Citadel.

Taetrus Festum – A fish dish from the turian colony world, Taetrus, notable for its rich sauce.

Salmo – A very large, heavy-scaled, fresh water fish, similar to an Arapaima from Earth.

Domine – A polite version of “Sir” used for people outside the military. Generally used for elders.

Yuba Sauce – A vegetable and meat stock sauce popular with fish.

Culus – Colloquial Taetrun word for “asshole.”

Carissime – A Palaveni endearment, means loosely “my dearest love.”

Tevik – A predatory creature from Palaven that stalks it’s prey with elongated, graceful strides to its gait.

Oserun – A ceremony that recognizes the promotion of turians to a new citizenship tier. It is a very formal, public event.

Aeternum Song – Loosely translates to “heart song,” and is a type of vocalization turians make for their romantic partners. The song is specific to the mate, if a turian has more than one partner in a lifetime, the new song will vary drastically.

Malum – A small sweet fruit, similar to an apple

Altera Domi – Translates to “second home,” and is the name of the Bed and Breakfast run by Tassius’s family

Ludos – A common game played by turian children, involves walking exactly in another person’s footprints while trying to stay in a straight line.

Subplantat – A slang word for “pervert.”

Flos – A type of beautiful, silver flower native to Palaven.

Gantu – An armored, pungent creature, native to Taetrus which fills a similar ecological niche to that of the American Opossum.

Promissum – The turian version of an engagement or proposal, refers more to the ritual of bringing another person into the clan. Has greatly fallen out of use in turian modern culture.

Vinum – A type of turian wine, can come in a burgundy or sparkling variety.

Corda – An older term of Palaveni origin, loosely translates to “the reason for my heart beat” and is often used between mates.

Parvus – Palaveni word for “tiny one” or “lovely small thing,” used often for babies.

Spona – The turian version of a fiancé, or else a person betrothed to another.

Dilectæ – A Palaveni endearment, translates to “my beloved spouse.”

Crustulam Cibum – A type of small meat cake filled with herbs and baked meat. A common breakfast food for turians.

Xemna – A large type of herd animal used for food. The turian equivalent of a cow or beef.

Louza – A type of dextro poultry. The turian version of chicken.

Mexta – A short sword often used in duels. Are frequently worn by high ranking military officials during important social events.

Fulgur Manus – Translated, means “lightning talons” and is a hand-to-hand combat technique used by turian biotics where their energy is focused into their claws for ripping, slashing attacks.

Ad vitam est scriptor – An old Palaveni phrase, translates to “my reason for living.” An extremely intimate phrase, since turians are taught that sacrifice for the people and cause are their duty. Saying this to a mate essentially tells them they are worth more than anyone else; a radical notion for a turian.

Vastum – Slang word for cowards, literally translates to garbage or waste.

Pallii – The turian equivalent of a kilt, worn by males around the house. Basically, turian sweatpants.

Proditor – A derogatory term for biotics. Means traitor or freak but with implications that their biotics are what makes them unclean and “other.”

Crassusa – A type of tree native to Taetrus with, large, round trunks and an umbrella of mauve colored leaves at the tops. Very drought resistant.

Sorden mos – A term for lowly, craven cowards of the worst variety.

Nitatis – A term used to describe the act of knotting. Translates to “becoming one” since the partners are tied together for up to thirty minutes.

Sorora – translates to “chosen sister” and is a term to describe a deep, familial relationship between too women unrelated by blood.

Irruma – Turian curse word similar to “fuck” though not as frequently used.

Rí – An infantile version of father, the human equivalent being “dada.” Used by very young turian chicks.

Amor facit – The act of “making love” or sexual intercourse with intense romantic feelings behind it.

Marcas Dignus – Translates to “kinship marks” and is a type of tattoo pattern used by turians to proclaim their familial relationships; i.e. mates represented by two solid lines running along the keel and children or progeny as arrows. The color can vary though the design remains the same.

Frigus weed – A type of aquatic plant with numbing properties, frequently used for operations.