They sat together quietly in the confines of the shuttle. At one point Shepard set her fingers against the back of Garrus' hand in a controlled display of comfort and affection.

His eyes flickered down mechanically at the touch, but his thoughts were elsewhere. After a moment without a response from him she removed it again, choosing instead to stare out the window.

"I'll take care of this," Garrus intoned softly, cutting through the stony silence. "Just wait here with the shuttle for me."

Shepard continued to watch the light drizzle that pelted the craft. "You asked me to come along. I figured I might as well introduce myself. As your commanding officer," she added after a beat.

Garrus almost laughed bitterly. "That's...not a good idea. My father is a traditionalist to the core. He hates Spectres and he's not terribly fond of humans. Especially humans being put in charge of turians."

"So why even bother if it's not going to change anything?"

"Whatever he wants to say, I'll listen. Whatever he wants to ask, I'll tell him. But his mind is already made up."

The stifling silence again. His commander was an expert at nonverbal communication- she made a point of not saying anything if she disagreed with him, but knew she wouldn't change his mind.

"Shepard...the galaxy as we know it may be coming to an end. Each mission we take is closer to being our last. I may not be able to make him see things my way, but I don't have the luxury to care about that anymore. I'm going to try, but I don't have my hopes up."

His words hung in the air for a time as he pondered how real his desperation felt now that he'd expressed it. His commander finally lifted her voice again, just as the clouds parted and the horizon came into view.

"I'll leave that up to you, Garrus. Just remember that I'm behind you. You don't have to answer to him, or anyone else. Only yourself."

"....Thanks, Shepard."

Her words took him back to Omega, where this whole damn mess had gotten started….

****One Week Ago****

Garrus had become aware of his shadow not long after their arrival on Omega. He'd excused himself from Shepard and Tali, fabricating a story about his sudden need for a reputable arms dealer. Using his vast knowledge of Omega's lesser-known passages and a focus sharpened by an unsettled anger, he soon slamming an old friend against the wall and pressing a pistol to the base of his skull.

"You're making a habit of picking bad ideas, Sidonis," Garrus growled venomously.

"Garrus- wait!" Sidonis appealed fiercely, becoming rigid and still. He was smart enough at least to not struggle, to not give Garrus all the reason he needed to end him.

"Why the Hell did you follow me here? Do you have a death wish?" He pressed the barrel harder against his target's neck, his finger tightening against the trigger. Not enough to splatter the room with Sidonis's cranial tissues, as badly as he wanted to. Not yet. But Shepard wasn't here to stop him this time. She would never even know. And then Sidonis dropped the bomb.

"I went to C-Sec after you let me go. I wanted them to arrest me, to give me some way to...but they couldn't. But they sent out some notices, put me up in a cell for a few nights. And then your father showed up."

Garrus sneered. "You're lying. He's been in retirement for the past year. Try again. Or better yet- don't."

"I swear by the spirits," Sidonis was talking faster now. Talking for his life. "When C-Sec couldn't do anything they contacted him. He asked me about you, about what happened on Omega. I told him everything, and then he sent me to find you- he wants to talk to you, Garrus."

Garrus spun his former friend to face him, shoving him brusquely against the wall. The pistol didn't waver from its keen proximity to Sidonis's head.

"I never once spoke to him once on any number of visits he made to the Citadel. He never made any effort to seek me out. Now he wants to talk?"

"Please…I'm just passing the message," Sidonis insisted, using one hand to try to urge the weapon out of his face. "I even told him what I did to you and the crew. He's...concerned for you."

"And the old bastard made sure to send you so he would know if I just killed you instead, that son of a...." Garrus growled in frustration, slamming Sidonis into the wall again for emphasis.

"Look, neither of us wanted to have to cross paths again, all right? But...I owe him. He helped me understand some things. Gave me some good advice. He sent me after you so we could all get some closure. I think he still has your best interests at heart."

Garrus released Sidonis none too gently, and gestured with a jerk of his head. "Like Hell he does. You do what you have to do, but from now on stay far away from me."

He turned and started to stalk away, in a fouler mood than ever, when the other turian's voice called out from behind him.

"He also asked me some questions about you...and your human commander. Shepard."

Garrus' mandibles twitched edgily, and he turned, glaring at Sidonis with a cold pit in his stomach. "What kind of questions?"