554Title: Commander Shepard, You've Got Mail
Summary: Every day, starting when Garrus rejoins C-Sec up until the destruction of the Normandy, Shepard and Garrus exchange emails. After all, good friends stay in touch.
Rating: K+
Pairing: Garrus/Shepard friendship, flirting
Spoilers: All of ME1
Timeline: post-ME1, pre-ME2
Commander Shepard, You've Got Mail
Part Two
Received: 5:37 p.m. 12/6/83
The Face we choose to miss -
Be it but for a Day
As absent as a Hundred Years,
When it has rode away.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 6:20 p.m. 12/6/83
Sorry, what?
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 6:55 p.m. 12/6/83
Emily Dickinson.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 7:21 p.m. 12/6/83
...you love it when I haven't got a clue what you're talking about, don't you.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 8:19 p.m. 12/6/83
Just a little. It's human poetry. I don't usually indulge, but I was looking around a few months ago for something to put on Ash's grave... and I don't know, I sort of got back into it. Sorry. It must seem kind of weird to you.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 8:28 p.m. 12/6/83
I don't mind.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 8:42 p.m. 12/6/83
Do turians write poetry?
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 9:19 p.m. 12/6/83
This turian doesn't. Although I can try, if you need something to laugh at.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 9:56 p.m. 12/6/83
Hah! Seriously, though. We had Alien Civ classes back in basic, but the instructors never said anything about poetry.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 10:08 p.m. 12/6/83
We have a little, I guess. I'm not sure if it's translatable. Might not really be the same thing.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 10:43 p.m. 12/6/83
What about music?
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 11:17 p.m. 12/6/83
Nothing that you would like.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 11:50 p.m. 12/6/83
Try me. You might be surprised.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 12:07 a.m. 12/7/83
Don't say I didn't warn you...
Enclosed: audio file
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 12:32 a.m. 12/7/83
Well, that was... interesting. I've never heard anything like it before. What were they saying? In the lyrics, I mean? I don't speak turian.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 1:09 a.m. 12/7/83
Heart of mine,
You are as the gravity well of a dying sun.
I am drawn to you as if through magnetism.
The world is colder when you are far
and you are hot as the Palaven sun in my arms.
Come closer, heart of mine,
and warm my plates with a song of ancient stars.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 1:10 a.m. 12/7/83
Rough translation, of course.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 1:17 a.m. 12/7/83
Huh. Seems like we sing about the same things, anyway.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 1:25 a.m. 12/7/83
What do humans sing about?
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 1:32 a.m. 12/7/83
Love. Guilt. Loneliness. Jealousy. Death. Family. Anger. Sadness.
Mostly love, though.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 1:47 a.m. 12/7/83
Send me some.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 2:19 a.m. 12/7/83
Enclosed: audio file
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 2:22 a.m. 12/7/83
The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 2:45 a.m. 12/7/83
It is almost the same, isn't it? The words, I mean.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 2:58 a.m. 12/7/83
Yeah. Pretty much the same.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 3:04 a.m. 12/7/83
Hah, if my mum could see me now... This sort of music was her favourite. Old 21st century stuff. She said it was more real than the stuff they started making later, with synthesised voices and all that. Wonder what she'd think if she knew I was playing it for a turian.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 3:21 a.m. 12/7/83
Your mother. What was she like?
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 3:49 a.m. 12/7/83
Weird. Really weird. I think they had a name for it, way back... centuries ago. Hippie?
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 3:56 a.m. 12/7/83
Sorry, Commander. No translation.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 4:01 a.m. 12/7/83
It's okay. Anyway, she loved that sort of thing. Ancient music, weird clothes, freaky makeup. She said Earth was too industrialised and we needed to start over. That's why they moved out to Mindoir in the first place, her and Dad. She bought all of my genetic mods because she said that was how we used to look. Our ancestors, I mean.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 4:12 a.m. 12/7/83
Genetic mods?
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 4:23 a.m. 12/7/83
Oh, I never told you? My hair. You think I could get this colour naturally? There's barely any natural redheads anymore. My mum got genetic mods while she was pregnant. Said she was the first woman in the family without red hair, and that she wasn't gonna let it die out with me.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 4:39 a.m. 12/7/83
Humans... prize certain hair colours? Red is better than others?
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 4:52 a.m. 12/7/83
They're all the same, really. She just wanted me to have what she couldn't. Not that it really matters.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 5:13 a.m. 12/7/83
Humans are... genetically diverse. It makes sense. Like clan paint for us. You would want to retain identifying characteristics to mark your origins.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 5:26 a.m. 12/7/83
You make it sound so logical. Where have you been all of my life?
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 5:31 a.m. 12/7/83
You wouldn't have liked me if you'd met me before. I was... not fully mature.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 5:48 a.m. 12/7/83
Hah! You mean you went through an angsty rebellious teenager phase? Jesus, I would kill to have seen that. What'd you do, use black face paint or something?
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 6:01 a.m. 12/7/83
I don't think I understand, Commander. One of your words didn't translate. "Angsty?"
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 6:19 a.m. 12/7/83
Never mind. Whoa, night shift is over already? What time is it?
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 6:24 a.m. 12/7/83
Morning now. Have to report in thirty-six minutes.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 6:28 a.m. 12/7/83
Jeez, Garrus, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you up all night. It's just hard to keep track of time out in space. My quarters are lit all the time unless I turn the lights down.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 6:37 a.m. 12/7/83
I don't mind, Commander.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 6:58 a.m. 12/7/83
Have fun at work.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)
Received: 6:59 a.m. 12/7/83
Got to go. Don't worry, Commander, I'll snipe somebody for you.
(Sent from private terminal of Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security)
Received: 7:04 a.m. 12/7/83
You read my mind.
(Sent from private terminal of Commander Artemis Shepard, Alliance Navy)