"I have genuine concerns about this mission." I said during the brief.
"You have the floor, Grunt." The Commander graciously ceded the floor to me.
"How the fuck did the quarians land a team on a geth militarized world?" I asked the obvious question.
"While it is unknown how the geth have managed to operate in the system, all long range communications and detection methods are made impossible by the unstable sun's emissions. Even ships with only moderate stealth capabilities can completely avoid standard detection protocols." the Normandy's AI, EDI, answered.
"So all the stations and fortresses the geth built up on Haestrom are worthless?"
"Entirely." Determined EDI.
"So we aren't going to be swarmed by geth like we were the collectors?" I questioned, "Even if we encounter them, they can't call in reinforcements via their hive mind?"
"No. Local forces will be able to communicate with each other over very short ranges, but will essentially be comms down."
"This system seems like a waste for both the geth and the quarians." I mused, "Garrus should feel right at home though."
"The constant radiation bombardment will feel just like Palavin." Garrus agreed.
The briefing ended soon after that and Joker had no problems launching our shuttle on target. Stepping out onto Haestrom felt entirely different from Horizon. One was a low gravity breadbasket paradise, and the other a high gravity completely inhospitable wasteland. Almost as inhospitable as Tuchanka.
"Stick to the shadows, people." The Commander commanded us to avoid the UV light harsh enough to fry our shields and kill the squishier members of the fire teams in only a few hours of exposure. Garrus and I could get some mirrors and set up a nice tanning salon, but everyone else might object to us not helping them on this potentially (guaranteed) dangerous mission.
Fortunately, the quarians had a major stiffy for vertical construction and phallic monoliths, so shadows aplenty for us. Things were going great until we found a dead quarian and a deactivated geth unit in a still operating gate house. A recording left by the quarian let us know that the geth were on to the quarian infiltration team and Shepard dropped the obstructing metal gateway. A geth dropship had seen us coming in and left us a present while alerting the local geth forces to our presence. Combat with the semi sentient machine race ensued immediately.
The geth proved themselves far more worthy foes than the collectors, but lacked the numbers to even slow our advancement to a pace below a steady jog despite their better unit variety, weapons, and tactics. The battle was an entirely mid ranged fire fight in which we annihilated the opposition with a precision firing march. I noticed far less pep in my step running around on a world with twenty percent more gravitational pull than I was used to, but krogan strength mixed with my dedicated training of my core, hips, and knees prevented me from becoming fatigued by my heavy load.
Shepard stopped to talk to the leader of the quarian marines over a dropped radio, but Beta Team kept advancing and provided support to the quarian marines defending an underpass we needed to traverse to find our distressed quarian princess. When the dropship came back around to perform a strafing run, I'd already started pelting it with missiles from my ML-77 missile launcher. I felt intense satisfaction as the ship came down and the quarian marines survived what was otherwise a cutscene in the game. I wasn't being a hero, and I didn't even think I'd like these people, but it was nice to throw my narrative weight around. I wasn't some side character following a protagonist through her story. I was a man of agency.
"What are you people doing here?" A female marine demanded while pointing her rifle at me.
I pointed my missile launcher at her.
"Just shut the fuck up and radio your leader for the okay to let us through before I stop asking for permission and start asking Space Momma for forgiveness."
"Let them through." Kal'Reegar smartly commanded his dipshit marines.
"Good work, Grunt." Spoke a decloaking Shepard, "That was almost diplomatic."
"That was the krogan soft sell." I chuckled.
"Beta Team is going to hold this position while the quarian marines lead us to Tali." Shepard ordered and Kal'Reegar seconded.
Remember all that talk about being a man of agency? Right out the window.
Beta Team hunkered down and fought off the remaining units in the geth assault forces with ease. We were the heavy hitters of the Normandy's ground forces vs Alpha Team's spec ops leanings. Eventually we just ended up shooting the shit in the shade.
"I am curious about how your relationship with each other works" Garrus asked as we leaned against the massive concrete structures left behind by the quarians when they fled from the geth during the Morning War.
"Hoping to pick up tips for wooing Space Momma?" I countered with a chuckle.
"Didn't think I was that transparent about it." Garrus grunted.
"She got anyone from before the Lazarus project?" I asked him after taking my helmet off.
"No." Garrus denied, "I think Alenko and T'Soni both wanted something with her, but Alenko died on Virmire and she didn't reciprocate T'Soni's interest."
"Grunt mentioned wanting to go to Virmire." Jack interrupted, "What's it like?"
"Gorgeous." Garrus spoke with a hint of fondness in his double toned voice, "A virgin tropical paradise few worlds can match. We should spend a week or two vacationing there once we've smacked down the collectors."
"So you and the Commander." Jack brought us back to the thread.
"I've had it bad for her since she first recruited me to fight Saren." Garrus admitted, "At the time she was so firmly in the mentor position for me that I didn't feel comfortable pursuing anything with her. I'd hoped that there would be time for us after Saren was defeated, but we all know how that turned out." Garrus took a deep breath, "I feel like I've got this second chance, and I don't want to mess it up."
"Well, beyond letting her know you are interested, I don't think there is much you can do." I told the lovesick turian bluntly, "Space Momma seems like the type of woman who pursues, not the pursued. As long as she knows you're interested, she'll come to you if she feels the same."
"Don't be a pussy." Jack agreed.
"So I should just drop a classic, 'I like you. I want you.' and hope for the best." Garrus mused.
"Worked for me." I shrugged.
"Watching that work for you was like witnessing something from the mind of a mad man." Garrus jabbed verbally at me.
"Shepard and Jack are similar in a lot of ways." I said.
"The fuck you just say?" she said.
"You got a problem with being a badass space trekking superwoman? Cause Space Momma don't." I replied.
"I find it weird that you call her your Space Momma." Garrus commented, "But that can't be enough to say they are alike."
"They're both under a lot of pressure." I continued, "Shepard has the fate of the Galaxy, and Jack has the anchor of her past. Life hasn't let up on either of them, and you are going to be taking those blows too for as long as you stay with her."
"I already am." Garrus grunted.
"I know." I agreed.
"Damn Grunt. You sound like a pussy right now." Jack mocked me.
"Real talk usually sounds like some pussy shit." I laughed, "I'm not afraid of anything. So I don't care if I sound like a pussy."
"You saying I'm scared." Jack menaced.
"Wouldn't dream of it, babe." I folded.
"That's right." Jack just crossed her arms and looked away.
"Wtch!" Garrus mimed a whip with his hands.
"Only one of us is getting laid today, turian. You won the war, but I'm winning the peace." I pitied the fool.