Chapter One: Luna

Garrus Vakarian stared at the gray mush in his bowl, listening to the buzz of conversation around him. After two days of the Normandy's dextro-rations, he was starting to wish he had raided his own pantry before coming aboard. The aromas coming from the galley made his mouth water, but he knew that risking an allergic reaction was a bad idea when he was hours away from his first mission with Shepard.

He couldn't decide which turned his stomach more: the gruel on the table in front of him, or the fact that John Shepard was still subject to the whims of the Alliance. The human was a Council Spectre now, and his priority should be apprehending Saren, not taking care of a rogue VI on Earth's moon. It was a small consolation that the commander had selected Garrus and Tali to accompany him, the only two crew members on board with both tech and combat experience. But it certainly hadn't won either of them any favors from the humans on board.

About half of the Alliance crew had accepted the non-humans, and a few had gone out of their way to make sure they felt welcome. Garrus had made fast friends with Dr. Chokwas, and Adams in engineering practically gushed over Tali. But Pressley and Williams were going to be a hard sell. They had been the most outspoken amongst the humans on board, and not even Shepard's words could convince them that the "aliens" belonged on the Normandy as much as they did. Humans, Garrus decided, were just as stubborn and suspicious by nature as turians.

He chuckled and shoveled a spoonful of mush into his mouth, trying not to taste it before it slid down his throat. Across the table, Tali looked up at him, but with that damned mask on her face Garrus couldn't tell if it was curiosity, worry, or something else entirely. She was sipping at a liquidized version of his own breakfast, and he felt a twinge of guilt at his distaste for the bland rations. Quarians drank the same crap every day. At least his own race had the opportunity for variety in their cuisine.

"Joker says our ETA is two hours. Then it's about an hour to the base in the Mako from the LZ," Tali mentioned while he choked down a few more bites.

"What about the Alliance tech team?" Garrus was certain that he wasn't really supposed to know about that, but the humans had underestimated his superior sense of hearing. He knew there was a specialty crew being sent to restructure the VI once the Normandy team shut it down, but they were limited to scientists and mechanics. Not a single warrior among them.

"Word gets around fast," Tali replied with a chuckle. "They're on their way. ETA four hours now, I think. Joker won't shut up about it, actually. Says an old friend from the Academy is with them and he wants to catch up."

"Getting a little chummy with the pilot?" teased Garrus, raising a brow ridge and twitching his mandibles in a turian equivalent of a smirk.

"Goodness, no!" she defended. "But I have a great deal of respect for him. He loves the Normandy. He knows her. He's always in contact with Adams and I about how she's running and what we can tweak to make her better."

"The best pilot for the best ship in the fleet," said a voice coming up from behind him. Garrus didn't need to turn around to know it was Shepard. "Are we ready for the mission?" he asked, pulling a chair to the end of the table to sit between Tali and Garrus.

"Absolutely," Garrus replied, masking his earlier doubts. He truly was looking forward to working with the commander, even if it was taking care of an Alliance problem.

"Good to hear it. I hate having to drag you guys along for this, but you're the best suited, and Hackett didn't say anything about who I should bring with me to help." Shepard winked conspiratorially, obviously amused that he would be taking alien crew members to Luna. It was his boundary pushing and forward thinking that had gotten the commander into the position he was in at such a young age, and it was effective even if he did tend to step on some toes further up the hierarchy. Unconventional, yes, but it got results and drew people to his side.

"We're happy to help," replied Tali.

"Good to hear. I'll see you both suited up and ready to go in a couple of hours." Shepard stood and nodded at them both before taking his leave.

X

Four hours later, Garrus was both cursing and marveling at the VI's defense system. His armor was score-marked from half a dozen hits from the drone's lasers and smoke clouded the room in the third and final bunker. But he had to admit, whomever had written the programming had done an excellent job at deterring all but the most determined strike team. Which, Garrus thought with a touch of pride, he happened to be a part of. The Alliance most certainly wasn't going to be happy about having to replace nearly all of their equipment, but it was better than the alternative.

"Commander?" Joker asked, patching through the comm link. "The Whedon has just arrived."

"Tell them it's safe to land, but I don't want them in the bunkers until we take care of this last batch of generators."

And sure enough, as if the VI knew that it had reached the end of its rebellion, extra drones were dispatched just as their party reached the final room. They were easy enough to take out, but Spirits there were just so damn many of them. The trio had tried to overload the circuits of as many as they could to save replacing them entirely, but there was still a mess of metal and wire on the floor around them from where they'd had to save their omnitools from burning out in the process.

"All clear, Joker," Shepard said as they walked through the scrap. "Bring the Normandy down so we can load up the Mako and head out."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

When they stepped back out into Luna's atmosphere, Garrus could see two ships on the far side of the barren field, just sky of a klik away from their current position. The Normandy was easily distinguishable, but there was something odd about the smaller craft next to it. It was an older model, probably pre-dating the First Contact War, but nothing like any of the Alliance ships he had seen before. Fortunately, Garrus didn't need to say anything. Tali's endless pool of curiosity took care of that for him.

"What sort of ship is that, exactly?" she asked as they loaded up in the Mako.

"A prototype," Shepard replied. "Or, at least, it started that way. The Alliance R&D teams developed their own unique fleet based off spacecraft from old movies. This one here is the Whedon. They have two others: the Lucas and the Roddenberry. If you want the back-story, you'll have to ask Engineer Adams."

"I'll be sure to do that. Thanks, Shepard."

"Don't thank me yet. He may sit you down and force you to watch every Star Trek episode and film made in the past 200 years," he replied with a chuckle.

As they approached the Normandy, they could see a pair of soldiers loading a crate into the cargo bay. Shepard slowed the Mako to allow them time to finish their work, but it was clear as the vehicle pulled in that the box, along with the two identical ones next to it, was to be taken to the Citadel. The Commander narrowed his eyes at the sight and hastily parked the Mako before climbing out to find out what his ship was being used for this time.

"Joker, would you mind telling the captain of the Whedon that this is a warship and not a cargo ship?" No answer, and anger began to radiate from Shepard. "Joker, this isn't funny," he said, reaching for his weapon.

"Put the gun away, Johnny," came a new voice through their comm. Shepard was openly surprised, his wide-eyed expression evident even through his helmet visor. When he turned his head towards the elevator, Garrus glanced in the same direction. Leaning against one of the support beams, clad in the lightweight black and silver space suit associated with Alliance engineers, was a young woman he had never seen before. But it was clear from the shocked expression on the commander's face that he did know this stranger, and her appearance on the Normandy was an unexpected one.

The woman glanced at the men who had brought the cargo on board and nodded at them to leave. As they did so, Garrus took a moment to scrutinize the newcomer. The stripes on her light armor were similar in style to Shepard's, and sure enough, there was an I-7 insignia on her right shoulder, a dead giveaway that she was just as specialized in her field as the commander was in his.

Behind them all, the cargo door hissed as it came to a close and precious oxygen rushed back into the bay. Since Shepard seemed to still be in shock, the woman sauntered towards them, removing her helmet. When she did, it was evident to Garrus why the commander was left speechless at her appearance on the Normandy. Her hair was dark, like his, but with a touch more red than brown, and she shared the same shockingly green eyes that the female crew members never shut up about. She was tall for a human female, perhaps only a few centimeters shorter than John, and wore the utility belt at her waist as casually as he wore his side-arm.

By the time she reached them, John had snapped out of his stunned silence and taken off his own helmet. Garrus and Tali did the same as the woman stood in salute to the commander, a mischievous glint in her eyes betraying the necessary formality. Shepard returned the gesture, a smile finally playing at the corner of his lips.

"Lieutenant-Commander," he said. "It's a pleasant surprise to have you on board. It's been…too long."

"Two years," she replied, sparing a glance for Garrus and Tali. "I see you've finally joined the 22nd century and added some new faces to your crew."

"Ah, yes," said Shepard, clearing his throat and turning his attention towards his squad mates. "This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema and Garrus Vakarian. Guys, this is Lieutenant-Commander Jane Shepard."

"Shepard?" Tali asked as Jane took her hand in greeting. "You two are related?"

"Shh," the human woman teased. "John doesn't want everyone to know that he's not Mother's favorite anymore."

"Oh, I got that title back a few days ago. First human Spectre, remember?"

Her attention shifted from Tali to Garrus, but the banter between the two Shepards flowed seamlessly. "Helped design the Normandy, remember?" she joked, slipping her hand into the turian's before Garrus even realized he had been holding it out. Some habits never died.

"Ahh, sibling rivalry," he said, earning a warm smile from Jane. "It almost makes me homesick."

"Fifty points to the turian!" Joker's voice pierced through the comm. "Now get your ass up to the cockpit, LC. Big Brother's not the only one who hasn't seen you in a few years."

"I still outrank you, Morou."

"Yeah, yeah. Technicalities."

The younger Shepard spared a brief wink for her brother before turning her attention back to Garrus. Her grin didn't fade, but the light in her eyes dimmed for the barest of moments as she studied his face. Jane skimmed over his markings, and gave him a brief nod before releasing his hand. Before she turned away, he saw a hint of something he'd never seen another human express in the presence of a turian.

Recognition.

*Disclaimer* Bioware owns "Mass Effect."

Welcome to "The Diary of Jane." This is my fifth venture into Mass Effect fanfic territory, and will be different from my first story, "El Tigre" in most ways except the obvious "little sister" twist. It will be exclusively from the point of view of both Garrus Vakarian and Jane Shepard. I will encompass plot-lines from all three of the games, along with most of the DLC elements and comics, but there will definitely be some AU twists thrown in. Settle in & prepare for the long-haul. We've got a lot of space to cover. :-)