If It Meant Living: Mass Effect 1

15: Savior

Garrus stared ruefully at the wreckage of the Mako, spread out over the Presidium promenade in several more pieces than it should have been.  “I don’t think I’m going to be able to fix that.”

Shepard burst out laughing, doubled over in pain though she was.  “No Garrus, I don’t expect you will.”

The Citadel Conduit twin slowly spun down, the blinding light slowly fading, leaving her blinking away the halos it left behind.  The discordant hum in her teeth finally, mercifully receded.

Kaidan massaged his shoulder gingerly.  “I told you that statue hummed.”  She smiled over at him as she carefully tested out weight on her ankle.  He returned the smile in full and with a look of…something.  What was it?  She blinked.  Focus on the task at hand, Shepard… just call it unadulterated affection for now; revisit it later – if a later came.  She was fairly certain she wouldn’t have any difficulty recalling this particular look at such later, calmer time.

Satisfied that her ankle wasn’t going to betray her, she straightened up. 

“Who wants to go save all sentient life with me?”  Two hands obediently rose.  “Let’s do this.” 

A few minutes later the elevator, formerly zipping along with all due speed, suddenly lurched to a violent stop.  They were stuck, suspended two-thirds of the way up.  She looked up, then down.

“Suit up.  We’re going outside.”

Garrus broke the glass and she stepped through – into nothingness.

She floated for the briefest of moments before her boots clamped down on the…wall, for lack of anything else to call it.  She didn’t notice.  She was frozen in awe.

The arms of the Citadel extended out in every direction.  A million lights of civilization twinkled around her, dancing in a rhythm that sang life.  She could feel it in her skin, in her mind, in her heartbeat.  The nebula glowed lavender and blue through the spaces in between, enveloping the Citadel in its warmth.  The trillion stars of the galaxy peeked in from beyond.

Oh Dad, I have done so, so much more than survive.  If only you could see me now, standing before all the wonder the galaxy has to show me.

“Um…Commander?”  Garrus cleared his throat over the comm.

Kaidan chuckled softly.  “The Commander has a weakness for scenic vistas, Garrus.”

“Sceni – scenic vistas!  Do you two not see this?  It’s magnificent – incredible – beautiful…”  She turned to Kaidan, gesturing out at the marvel beyond.

She could see him smile behind the helmet.  He mouthed, silently, “Yes.”  But it seemed he looked only at her.

She took one last, long look at the remarkable view before her, then sighed dramatically.  “Okay.  Galaxy.  Sentient Life.  Reapers.  Moving on.”

Fiery pieces of ship wreckage floated in the air as they climbed – down?  up?  sideways? – towards the Council Chamber, flinging Geth out into space along the way.  Sovereign was attached to the top of the Spire, legs wrapped around it protectively.  As mammoth as Sovereign surely was, he was utterly dwarfed by the Citadel arms; a speck of dust in a city.  Admittedly, a horrible, lethal terror of a speck of dust.

They fought the whole way – Geth, Krogan, turrets, dropships – it was a never-ending sea of adversaries.  With each enemy encountered and disposed of, she became more energized, but also more…twitchy.  Seconds were ticking by, one after another after another.  She hoped it wasn’t too late – the Citadel arms hadn’t exploded in the fire of a massive Reaper invasion, so she assumed it was not – but it felt too late.  She wanted to run.  She needed to run.  Unfortunately, magnetic boots in zero gravity did not lend themselves to running.