Shepard could barely comprehend the destruction before her. Eden Prime. The symbol of her people's ascent to the stars. Gone. They had found a handful of survivors. They had found Nihlus and she had nearly wept for his loss. She had closed his eyes and said a brief prayer. And they had killed these awful creatures; humanoid in shape, fast as hell, eyes blazing blue but senseless as zombies.
Now they looked down upon a platform, geth patrolling in groups, a turian standing before a statue. Shepard crouched, watching. Vega came up beside her. Tali was connecting with the Normandy.
"Didn't think the geth had been seen outside the Veil in a century or so," he murmured quietly.
"They haven't," Shepard's expression was grim.
"And that is a turian down there,"
Shepard raised her rifle and sighted the turian. If they couldn't take him down, she wanted to know who he was.
"What the hell?" she frowned, lowered her rifle, then brought it up again, "It's not possible."
"What? What is it?" Vega brought up his own rifle and peered through the sights, "Do you recognise him?"
"Yeah," she rubbed her brow, "He's a Spectre. Saren Arterius. What the fuck is going on, Vega?"
"Uhhh, Shepard," Tali interrupted.
"What?" Shepard turned her head to look at Tali and paused, "Uhh, Vega?"
"Yeah?" he turned his head.
A squad of geth had them surrounded. A Geth Prime clanked forward, its sensors whirring angrily.
"Any ideas?" Vega asked out of the corner of his mouth.
"Aside from kill them all?" Shepard queried lightly, powering up her biotics.
"Good plan,"
She charged, and shots rang out around her.

Shepard never knew how she survived it. Never knew how they walked away in those initial seconds when they stood winded and shaking over the ten dead geth bodies. She narrowed her eyes and stuck her finger into a bolt hole. She frowned. A glint of light caught her eyes and she snapped up her rifle. Then lowered it.
A tall turian in blue armour stood on the upper platform, his sniper rifle cocked on his hip in a familiar pose.
"Garrus," she breathed. He jumped down to their platform.
"Hey, Archangel," Vega greeted him cheerily, with a salute.
"I hope you have room in your crew," he turned his bright gaze on Shepard.
"What?" she frowned in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"Reports came through that Saren Arterius was spotted here. A large portion of my investigations revolved around that bastard. He slipped through my fingers several times. And if he has killed Nihlus," Garrus' hand tightened on his rifle, "Then you can damn well believe that I want in."
"Then you are in," Shepard replied, "The Primarchy is fine with this?"
"I didn't give them a choice."
"You would outrank me…you have an issue taking orders?"
Garrus just gave the turian equivalent of a smile.
"Then welcome aboard. Let's fine out why that asshole wiped out the people of Eden Prime."
"I will have you covered from above," Garrus gestured up. Shepard nodded.
They split and headed for the platform.
A voice came through her com.
"You are still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."
Shepard smiled.

THE END

(A/N Thank you for joining me on this ride! Thank you for all the great feedback and encouragement. I'm lookin' at you here in particular, Rari. You rock!)