2188 Armax Battle Tour

### Conception and Logistics

Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani created the Battle Tour in response to Shepard's testimony during her trial on February 20, 2188 to counteract the negative PR created due to the harsh and strange reality around Captain "Commander" Shepard. The press announcement for the Battle Tour went live on February 21, 2188. The first set of matches (with only Garrus and Shepard due to the short notice) set the extranet on fire with speculation and betting.

During the Citadel Commencement Gala on February 26, Garrus and Shepard accidently secured funding for their press tour (which the Armax Battle tour was part of) from a very tipsy Drelo Tul.

### Battles

#### Febuary 23, 2188 (Armax Arsenal Arena, Silversun Strip, Kithoi Ward, Citadel)

Garrus Vakarian and Shepard performed the first set of three battles as a duo against VI Cerberus Troops, weighted against them in the Armax Arsenal Arena in the Kithoi Ward on the Citadel.

#### Febuary 25, 2188 (Armax Arsenal Arena, Silversun Strip, Kithoi Ward, Citadel)

The second set of ten matches were performed by the surviving members of the Normandy SR1 ground squad: Shepard and Garrus with Liara, Wrex, Tali, and Kaidan. They were put against randomized maps and geth troopers and all proceeds from the match tickets and merchandise were donated to the Ashely Williams Memorial Fund, totaling to over two million credits.

#### March 4, 2188 (Omphalos Amphitheatre, Horizon)

The third set of matches were performed by Shepard, Kaidan, and James Vega against Collectors and Cerberus. At the end of the match, Shepard found herself facing a Praetorian alone. After whittling it's defenses down, Shepard launched a high-risk melee attack using her new tech powers from the nodes she had acquired after the assassination attempt back in December of the previous year. While she successfully took down her enemy, the crowd was stunned into silence by her brightly glowing nodes and eyes.

#### March 16, 2188 (Central Centre, Palavan)

The fourth match was a multi-hour slog against Reaper forces with most of the current and former *Normandy* ground team. Before being overrun, Shepard sends her team out before firing her Blackstar point blank against a Banshee's chest, annihilating most of the forces and gravely injuring Shepard. After manually ripping a Marauder apart to get to her, Garrus is forced to retrieve Shepard's targeting laser and paint targets on three destroyers to finish the match.

The picture of Garrus carrying Shepard's wrecked form after the match goes viral.

#### April 29, 2188 (Armax Arsenal Arena, Silversun Strip, Kithoi Ward, Citadel)

The final match in the Armax Battle tour featured a battle royal style match of fifteen squad members (Shepard, Garrus, Tali, Liara, Kaidan, Wrex, Jack, Miranda, Samara, Kasumi, Jacob, Grunt, Zaeed, EDI, and Javik) verses their VI counterparts plus VIs of Mordin, Thane, Legion, and Ashely. Only one person would be stepping out of the arena victorious.

Unfortunately, the squad was thrown a new wrinkle when Shepard discovered right before the match that the technical crew on the project decided to use a pilot program to accurately translate simulated pain through their hardsuits- to make their injuries and deaths feel real in hopes to gather the data and use it to forward medical treatments and therapy for serious paralysis and traumatic injury. Shepard was profoundly furious until she discovered that the original idea had come from Mordin. Shepard told the crew that this was to be on a volunteer basis only. Every member of the squad volunteered.

Shepard and Garrus discovered to their dismay that their VI counterparts were programed well enough to make them hesitate. The battle came down to the two of them and their VI counterparts. Garrus ended up taking out his VI, only to have Shepard's VI gut him with an Omniblade. Shepard responded with a cold, ruthless, fury, and dispatched her VI- winning the match.

Unfortunately, the neural input was too good also, and Garrus's mind kept screaming at him that he was dying. Dr. Chakwas could do little to help him due to the lack of any actual injury. Shepard ended up attempting to take on his pain to help him. The experience ended up being extremely traumatic for both of them. Dr. Chakwas hinted that the other squadmates had suffered similarly, but Garrus appears to have had the worst reaction.

The charity benefited this match was The Council’s Galactic Reconstruction and Relief Fund.