(Garrus Vakarian.) "Alicia Shepard. Her name was Alicia Shepard. And nobody on her crew, her friends, ever knew. She was a legend. No other word is worthy of the legacy that she left behind. She taught me to have mercy even in the most unlikely of circumstances. Shepard was always in a hurry. And she was always late. Because she stopped along the way to help every person she could. That can be said of only a handful of legends throughout history the galaxy. I remember truly meeting Shepard for the first time after she talked down a group of mercs in a hostage situation. I could tell from the crease in her brow that she was special. A type of determined reserved only for those who have seen death and hope all in the same day. Spirits know that she did. Grew up running errands to eat. Never gave up on hope of something better. Shepard was truly a…how do humans say it? Rebel with a cause? Yes. She was an amazing soldier and a friend to all who accepted her help, and even to those who wouldn’t sometimes. There will never be anyone like her in the universe. She will be missed and remembered,” he said. Garrus walked off the platform to sit beside Liara. There wasn’t a body to bury or even her armor or dogtags. Everything was gone. The asari wore a black veil, though it was more Shepard’s culture than her own. She clung to Garrus’ arm, trying not to cry and failing miserably. Tali, sitting on her other side, pat Liara’s back. They’d been hoping for marriage. Maybe even children after all this finished. Garrus couldn’t really imagine Shepard as a mother. Her children probably would have been the most deadly combination of smart and manipulative and compassionate the galaxy had ever seen. And now nobody would ever know. Captain, now councillor, Anderson approached the mournful group slowly. “Dr. T’soni…Liara, do you have a place to stay while everything is being sorted out?” he asked. “I’ve been looking into renting a place on the Citadel until I can find a more permanent residence on Illium, sir,” she answered. Her voice sounded hollow, defeated. “I have an apartment here on the Citadel if you need a place to stay in the mean time. Would you be okay with that?” Anderson continued. “Yes. Thank you. I’ll be out as soon as possible, councillor.” “There’s no rush, Liara. Take as long as you need,” he sighed. He clapped her lightly on the shoulder. She smiled briefly. “Goddess I need a drink,” Liara muttered. Garrus nearly choked on the laughter that caught in his throat. “Something funny, Garrus?” “Nothing. Just thinking about proposing a toast. Celebrate her life rather than mourning her death,” he suggested. “Is that common in turian culture?” she asked. “Yes. I don’t quite comprehend the need for all this doom and gloom, but if it’s what you need in order to heal…” Garrus answered. “No, actually. I think that Alicia would want us to be happy no matter what,” Liara said. “Drinks it is?” Kaiden asked. “Drinks it is!” Garrus laughed. The squad headed straight for Cora’s Den and grabbed a table. A few of the dancers apologized for Liara’s loss, saying they would have been at the funeral had their schedules allowed. The DJ put on Shepard’s favorite song. She always danced to it when she was required to go to the club for business. The turian bartender paid for a round of drinks in honor of "that crazy human spectre who ordered ryncol that one time". Garrus happily drank to that. A few drinks in, some of the conversation got a little sappy. “Y’know, T’soni, I’m going to miss walking behind your girlfriend during missions,” he commented. “Honestly? I feel the same,” she giggled. “Spirits, I remember Shepard always stopping to listen to peoples’ conversations. Is that a normal human thing, Kaiden?” Garrus asked. Kaiden held a hand to his forehead. “Nope. That’s a Shepard thing. Nobody can take that away from her.” “She’s almost nosier than me. Almost,” Tali joked. “I doubt that’s possible, Tali,” Garrus sighed. “She really lived the life of a warrior, and for that she deserves a lot of respect,” Wrex said. “I miss her too, Wrexy,” Liara muttered. “Personally, I thought that Shepard was too stubborn to die,” Tali said. “She might’ve lived to two hundred out of spite,” Kaiden continued. “She would,” Garrus and Liara laughed in stereo. There was a lull in the conversation. "What are we going to do without her?" Kaiden sighed. "We keep doing right by her," Liara answered. "The right way, not the fast way," Garrus said, downing the rest of his drink. "To Shepard. Kind beyond reason with the crazy to match!" Tali raised her glass. "The girl could not drive the Mako straight to save her life, but she'd sure as run over a squad of geth with no hesitation," Kaiden muttered. "C'mon, Garry! Let's go dance!" Tali pleaded. "Oh..I'm sorry. I don't really dance, Tali," Garrus said. "Don't worry! We're intox...intox-i-cated. We can dance however we want," she giggled, leading him over to the dance floor clumsily. Thank goodness none of that dancing was documented.
