[There's a lot of guilt involved in surviving when his people didn't. It's something that will always stick with him, he's pretty sure, and maybe that's good, considering the mess he's gotten himself into here.

Garrus takes the visor back to run his thumb over the names. Despite the weight of all of this, the expression on Noh's face comforts him. He's just told Noh his biggest failure, and yet the kree is touching him, kissing him.]

That's the question, isn't it.

[And not really one. Not at this point. One path leads to failure - failing his world, his people, his squad, and all of those he's come to care about here, including his current company. Now that he's faced with the facts, he can't ignore them.]

Except I guess it isn't.

[Garrus shakes his head before setting the visor in his lap and reaching up to run a thumb along Noh's jaw. He's screwed up a lot in his life. He may still screw this up, may still screw everything up, but he can at least take steps to try to fix what problems he sees.]

I can't weigh Shepard being my Commander into anything anymore.

[It's hard. It hurts. It's only the first step. And if it sounds like he's convincing himself, that's because he partly is. These are things he now knows, but they're going to take work.]

I'm here. I have a duty to perform. For my new squad. For my planet. And for those I've come to care about here. If I fuck up, I don't just fuck things up for myself.

[Which is also difficult, but saying it helps wrap his mind around it a little more.]

And I... I have to hope she forgives me.

[Spirits, he hopes she forgives him.]