Chapter Text
"You don't find it odd the way he fawns over you, Shepard?" Kaidan asked as they made their way out of the upper markets. Things had been terse, at best, between Kaidan and Garrus since Feros; but Garrus actually agreed with him on this subject. Garrus didn’t like that Conrad guy and couldn't understand why the commander continued to be polite to the lunatic.
"He's harmless," she offered non-chalantly.
"I don't know, I kinda want to punch him," Kaidan mumbled.
"Or shoot him," Garrus chimed in.
"Et tu, Garrus?" Shepard chuckled. He had no idea what that meant but it made him smile all the same; something he’d found himself doing more often in her presence.
As they exited the markets and headed toward the lower-level C-Sec entrance, they were stopped by a protest. The humans were chanting something about Armistice Day. ‘This ought to be good,’ Garrus thought to himself.
"Commander Shepard, it is an honor to speak with you," the leader stepped up to shake her hand. "I'm Charles Saracino of the Terra Firma party. With Armistice Day coming up soon, we're making our voices heard by the alien appeasers on the Presidium. Can I count on your support in the next election?"
"Terra Firma?" Shepard took a step back. "From what I've heard of your party, it's filled with racist, anti-alien propaganda reminiscent of Cerberus."
Saracino nervously shifted his weight, "I assure you, I'm only interested in the betterment of humanity -- same as you, Commander. The war taught humanity a lesson that some would forget: if we don't stand up for ourselves, no one else will."
"If that's what you believe," the Commander began, squaring her shoulders and standing a little taller, "then I think you've missed the point entirely. 27 years ago, most of humanity believed we were alone in the galaxy. First Contact showed us that there's an entire galactic community out there which we are now a part of."
Saracino became defensive, "If aliens feel free to express their opinions at gunpoint, why shouldn't we?"
"You know what? I spend all of my time out there," Shepard pointed toward the windows that looked out onto the arms of the Citadel, "fighting tooth and nail against real threats, while you stand around here complaining that someone kicked your sandcastle 20-something years ago."
"Every turian is a soldier," Garrus blurted out, unable to stay silent any longer. "Each and every one of us takes up arms to serve, not just for ourselves, but for the Council as well. Military service begins at 15 for every male and female, whether healthy or otherwise. How can you say you support the military when you don't know what it means to serve?"
Saracino put his hands up defensively, "We all serve in our own way, Commander. I'm not a soldier, but I can tell the public why they should support your efforts."
"It shows a lot of disrespect to ask for military support while protesting a military remembrance day honoring the lives lost during the First Contact War," Shepard responded without hesitation. Garrus' mandibles flared in a grin, though the expression was likely lost on the other human.
"We have a backlog of grievances that aliens have ignored -- starting with Shanxi," Saracino added, aggressively.
"No one else will ever come to humanity's aid if people like you are making the decisions for your species," Garrus took a step forward. His temper flared and if it weren't for Shepard's light touch on his forearm, he might have kept encroaching on that idiot's personal space.
"Excuse me, I don't believe human politics are any of your business," the man spat with disgust, dismissively pointing a finger at Garrus. "Our core value is that Earth must stand firm against alien influences; politically, culturally, and in the worst case, militarily."
"No, excuse ME," Shepard stepped in front of Garrus raising her voice. "For every step forward humanity takes, you would pull us two back. Do you remember a time in our history where humans treated other humans this way? Just a few centuries ago it was illegal for two people of different skin colors to get married; illegal for two people of the same sex to get married or even adopt children. There was a time where all of humanity’s borders were divided and nations warred with each other over religion and dominance. We don't have to look too far back in our own history to see how detrimental segregation was. And here you are, hundreds of years later, perpetuating the same ridiculous tropes."
"My apologies," he stammered. "I only meant that no other species has a right to interfere in Alliance politics."
Shepard huffed before shaking her head. "What, are you afraid that humans will start to dye their skin blue to look like the Asari, or get fringe implants to look Turian? Are you so scared that we're going to try and assimilate that you'd rather isolate our entire species from the rest of the galaxy and 'go it alone'," she added as she made a weird gesture with two fingers in the air.
"I can't deny that some of our supporters have extreme views. Whether I disagree with them or not, they have the right to express their opinion. But our platform is also supported by economists, sociologists, and medical professionals."
"That only proves that bigotry is rife within high ranking positions of your human government," Garrus said, looming over Shepard's shoulder.
“We’ve heard that before in human history,” the man kept speaking, seemingly ignoring Garrus and Shepard’s previous comments. “Well-meaning naiveté leads to declarations of peace in our time. We can’t allow anything like Shanxi to happen again. I don’t suppose I could convince you to issue a public statement of support of my candidacy. The support of the first human SPECTRE would be invaluable.”
“Are you serious?” Garrus couldn’t help but question.
He couldn't see it, but he could hear the smile on Shepard's face as she spoke to Saracino. "I agree with my friend here," she gestured over her shoulder to Garrus. "You have every right to your backward and archaic position, Mr. Saracino. And I have every right to tell you to shove it up your ass. I won't support you or the Terra Firma party. There's important work to be done in the galaxy, and it WILL require humanity working with the alien races. We either stand united or die alone."
“I understand. I’m glad you support the democratic process at least. Thank you for your time, Commander. Remember Terra Firma on election day, because Terra Firma remembers you!” the dense human finished his asinine statement with a hand gesture like he was holding a gun.
Garrus and Kaidan fell in step behind Shepard as she turned abruptly away from the scene. “He is a fool,” she huffed. “Xenophobic assholes like him are the reason humanity has such a violent past.”