105 – Citadel Reunion (3)

Samael, the two Krogans, and Javik left their conversation with Tevos and headed toward another meeting. For three of them, it had been months since they last saw the Turian, while one was about to meet him for the first time.

Naturally, Grunt was curious and asked, "Who is this Garrus?"

Wrex took it upon himself to answer, eager to hype up the Turian since he liked him. "He's a Turian we recruited long ago into the ranks of the LD. He's strong and smart—a great addition to us, though he never joined the crew on a mission."

Samael looked at Wrex with a gaze that seemed to say, 'Why are you talking like you were in the crew from the beginning?'He said nothing because he appreciated Wrex's random, spontaneous acts. It was the Krogan biggest charm.

"Why didn't he join us if he's so good?"

At Grunt's follow-up question, Wrex and Javik turned to Samael.

He shamefully met their gazes, though internally he regretted not calling Garrus to the crew earlier. 'At least the Turian had grown as a person and as a soldier, so there was that. Still, it would have been awesome if Garrus had been familiar with the whole crew by now, which hadn't happened yet.'

'Well, we still have time for them to bond.'

"His skills were needed elsewhere, here on the Citadel. Proving my point, he was essential in the battle that took place here." Samael quickly thought of an excuse and hoped it worked.

Javik pondered this for a moment. "Well, it's true, but it's a shame he didn't spend much time with us and the rest of the crew."

At Javik's statement, Wrex could only nod in agreement.

Samael noticed his excuse worked, and sighed in relief. He then continued, "Now, we will do just that. Speaking of him…" He spotted the Turian among the crowd. "Garrus! Over here!"

They were at the Presidium, in one of the many bars in the area. At Samael's shout, Garrus made his way to their table. "Guys, long time no see."

The Turian hugged those he knew, and gave Grunt a handshake, '' Nice to meet you.''

'' Likewise.''

Everyone then sat down, and Garrus continued talking, "So, how was life for you in those last few months?"

While they kept in contact, the amount of things they discussed was limited. Now, it was time to catch up.

Wrex responded with a grin, "Good, good. We faced a Reaper, found a Rachni Queen, saved another endangered species, and helped the Quarians. You know, the usual."

Garrus made a face when he heard all of this. "… You guys had too much fun while I was here."

It wasn't that his life in the Citadel was boring, but compared to what he just heard, it felt lacking— a lot.

"We know." Javik subtly glanced at Samael, who nodded in acknowledgment.

"So, we think it's time for you to finally join us in the fun. It's time for you to join the crew," Samael offered Garrus the chance to have some excitement.

Garrus was surprised at first, but then he relaxed. Many months had passed since he was 'recruited' into LD. He had trained like a maniac and accomplished many things he thought were impossible.

Even though he felt ready, he looked at Samael with a questioning gaze.

Samael rarely saw that look on Garrus, but it made sense; even though he was a good soldier, he was still young. "You are ready. If you want, you can just join us."

He officially made the offer now. Samael knew the chances of Garrus rejecting it were minimal, as the Turian was action-prone, while the Citadel lacked that spirit—at least for now.

Sure enough, Garrus accepted, "I'll join you."

He would resign from his high-paying job and its perks without thinking much about it. First, because the galaxy was about to become a mess in the near future, meaning there was no point in seeking stability in life. Second, he wouldn't be of much help stuck here, feeling like he was doing nothing.

All in all, he was sure he wasn't going to regret his decision.

"Welcome aboard then."

At Samael's words, Wrex laughed out loud, "Let's drink then."

Everyone, including Grunt, looked at him like he was an idiot. "What?"

"We have THE reunion in a few hours... we can't show up drunk."

"Why not?"

Samael was taken aback at first, but then he patted Wrex's shoulder. "Never change."

The group then talked about Garrus' life in the Citadel over a few non-alcoholic drinks, of course.

**HOURS LATER**

The conversation naturally came to an end, and the group went to prepare for the reunion. All of them, except Grunt, had a role in it.

They passed through the protesting civilians and the chaos of the Citadel. While the area where they were talking was relatively calm, the rest was not.

Countless groups were screaming, demanding to participate in the reunion and its contest. Many different species demanding the same thing in the same space. It was bound to get complicated soon.

"Say, aren't we going to broadcast it to the public?" Grunt asked.

Samael replied, "Yes."

Grunt looked puzzled. "So why are they protesting?"

Samael explained, "They are afraid. Of the Reapers, about what the Representatives of their species and the others will decide."

Just then, a few people became upset and started a brawl, with C-Sec quickly trying to intervene, but to no avail. The group had to punch a few civilians to arrive at an elevator.

They stepped in, and Samael pressed the Council Chambers floor. "People go crazy and do stupid things when fear overwhelms them. They will watch, yes, but they can't participate in the decision-making. That makes them fearful and foolish, leading them to make harsh decisions."

Samael had experienced what fear does to people in the galaxy many times. He had watched families leave behind their loved ones for a small chance of survival. Honestly, he could not blame them, as the Reapers are that big of a threat.

Still, fear is poison, and they don't need it right now. The worst part was that nothing he or the others did would change things now.

"Hmmm." Grunt nodded at that, even though he didn't fully understand.

"That's how I keep the other clans under me," Wrex added. "It's not easy or fun, but fear is an effective tool to maintain control. Or, if you don't know how to handle it, it can become a significant problem. Clearly, the folks here don't know how to manage it."

"Give them a break," Garrus offered the Citadel side of things, as he had been C-Sec leader just a few hours ago. "There's not much to do in this situation. We can't allow them to have a vote, or they might act shortsightedly. It's a lose-lose situation for us."

"In my cycle, we decided things through violence," Javik added humor to the conversation. "A fist resolved everything."

Samael chuckled at that, something the other mimicked.

Soon, the elevator arrived at the Council Chambers. The whole floor was packed with people trying to enter, and security was much tighter, as all representatives were present.

Samael sent a message to the crew to come and watch. The group then made their way toward Tevos' place to suit up. They had previously received authorization, and no one stopped them.

The group arrived at Tevos' place, and as discussed, had their suits ready for them. They suited up in less than three minutes and headed to the Reunion.

---

COUNCIL CHAMBERS

What once received only a few people per day was now packed with representatives from all intelligent species across the galaxy and some guests.

There were the Elcor, elephant-like creatures that were extremely strong but, in front of the Reapers, were virtually powerless. They knew that, and that's why they were there—to gain support for their species. They had no problem helping others, as long as others helped them in return.

The Volus were present as well. Unlike the Elcor, they were weak, and like the Quarians, they had to live in suits due to their fragile constitution. They were short creatures, with almost none of them reaching a meter in height. They realized they would not survive to see the end of the war without the support of soldiers; they had plenty of money but needed backing. They were willing to listen to the Council's plans but would not hesitate to leave if things didn't favor them.

Also present were the Hanar, a species resembling jellyfish. They weren't strong, but they had their uses and were open to helping others if they received help in return. They venerated the Protheans and were hoping to use today to make a friendship.

The Krogans were present too, their presence easily felt. They were together with the Protheans, who were using them as shields from the other species' interests, like the Hanar.

It was working.

Humans were there too, same with Turians and Asari. Besides the Representative, they were allowed a small group of people from different species, guests. Of course, they had to have some kind of reputation to their name.

Even the Batarians had a representative there, though for some reason, they were grouped with the Salarians faction.

As previously mentioned, due to some political schemes, there were factions. Among the Salarians were the Batarians, the Volus and the Hanar were seen hovering around them too. They wanted more powers, though it was clear the rest of them were just following the Salarians.

Then, there's the Council faction. Easily the strongest, as it had the Asari, Humans and Turians. The Krogans and the Protheans were on their side too, but it was a secret for now.

Tensions were high as they waited for Tevos, the only Councilor, to start the Reunion.

And they didn't have to wait long, as Tevos entered the Council Chambers alone. Everyone stopped talking, and she began to say, "We are on the verge of a war we have never seen before. The Reapers, as you all now know, are real and are coming for us. Based on our estimations, the optimistic scenario is three years at most. The worst-case scenario is one year."

"We need to stand together to face this threat! This is why this reunion was called—to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding what comes next. We can't escape from this fight."

At Tevos's last statement, the weaker species gulped, as their situation was already dire... now, it was worse.

"Today, we will discuss a few things: First, the new members of the Council."

Murmurs rolled around the room as Tevos continued, "I have been the Council representative for months, alone, thanks to what my companies have done. Now, it's time to welcome not only two council members but more!"

"WHAT!?" the Salarian representative screamed. "This is ridiculous!"

Tevos ignored him. "I will allocate the empty slots to those species who pledge to help in the upcoming war."

Right then, as if they had practiced before, four individuals from different species spoke in unison, "'' My species is willing to help!"''

Everyone was still dumbfounded by what Tevos was saying when they heard that. They looked at the Human, Turian, Krogan, and Prothean who had spoken. It happened to be some familiar faces, such as Anderson, Castis Vakarian, Wrex and Javik.

"Can you decide for your whole species?" Tevos asked with a cunning gaze.

Wrex was the first to respond, "Yes. I'm the Krogan Emperor! What I say, the others can only follow!"

Tevos didn't hesitate. "Good. Then, from today on, the Krogan will have a representative in the council!"

Explosive murmurs erupted around the room, as no one expected that. It was too simple, but it seemed to be true.

The Salarian representative was fuming with rage. "I can't accept this! Why can you do that!?''

Tevos proceeded to ignore him once more and looked at Castis. "Can you represent your species?"

As mentioned before, this was all a ploy. Those four weren't the official representatives but rather individuals/guests allowed to be there due to their reputations.

Still, the representatives of their species knew this and were just enjoying the show.

Garrus's father nodded. "Yes, I can."

"Good! Then the second new council member has been selected! The Turian is welcomed once more into the Council ranks!"

Murmurs swept around the room, as they realized it was serious. Some species even wanted to join in on the fun, but were still hesitating for some reason.

In one area of the room, many individuals were grouped together. The majority were human, but one Turian stood there looking quite proud.

"You never thought your father would become a council member?" Samael asked. The group included the Phoenix and Normandy crew. Ash, Jacob, and Vega had already met everyone and were up to date.

"Never. I know it's a plot and all, but I can't help but feel proud."

A feminine voice with an edge said soon after, "He's our dad, after all."

Solana Vakarian, Garrus's sister, was there. She was in the loop on everything and had just met Samael and the crew. She was charismatic and easily blended together with the rest.

Samael smiled, witnessing them interact. After smiling for a bit, he returned his attention to the reunion, which continued even though he wasn't paying attention.

To be honest, he was bored. He had witnessed many reunions like that, so the context felt dull to him. He was just waiting for his part to start.

Meanwhile, Tevos had made humans, Krogan, Protheans, and Turians into council members. When the other species realized it was serious, they tried to join, but Tevos 'carefully' selected those who would be included.

The Quarians were included, as were the Volus and the Hanar. For obvious reasons, the Salarians and the Batarians were not.

It was clear that those who were on the fence regarding their political alliances had chosen sides then.

Under the protest of the Salarian representative, Tevos continued, "We will have to go through some process before announcing it to the public, but I want to say to those who weren't chosen: The Council will not forget you all."

"Regarding that, this is our next topic: Help from others in the war effort."

Everyone perked up, as this was the topic they were most eager to hear about. Even though the Volus and the Hanar had just entered the Council ranks, they were interested in this discussion as well.

"Again, this is a fight we can't run, so we can only fight. LD has promised to help all species in regard to training, equipment, and many other areas. The Asari pledged to do the same."

As if they were expecting it, the others who had just joined the Council said, "In accordance with that, the humans pledge to do the same. Even though we can't compare with the Asari or LD's resources, we will help wherever we can!"

"The Turians will help with troops," Castis added.

"The same goes for the Krogan," Wrex said with a sly grin on his face. He was enjoying all this, even more so seeing the Salarian representative fuming even now.

One by one, the Council members pledged to contribute in various areas. The weaker races rejoiced at this support, and even though the future seemed bleak, they began to see a glimmer of hope.

That was until the Salarian representative exclaimed, "WAIT A MINUTE!"

The harmonious conversation halted, and everyone turned to look at him.

Samael could only think, 'It has begun.'

The Salarians would now attempt to paint LD in a negative light, not realizing how ineffective and foolish their efforts would be.