Chapter Text
Thursday 30 September 2202
Joker let his fingers fly over the controls, letting the Normandy begin powering up for flight. "Time to kick some reaper ass. Well. After we dock with Pegasus…" he switched the comms on to the galaxy map area. "Hey, Commanders? How exactly are we planning on pulling off this personnel transfer without getting, you know, blown to bits??"
"Pegasus has a nifty decoy, Jeff." Jase answered his husband.
"I will deploy some of my oculus to distract them and fly in tandem with the Normandy, Joker." One replied right away. "Yes. I have been listening."
Joker groaned and rubbed his face. "Right. Never piss off the AI overlords…" he muttered while directing them towards the Pegasus.
Behind them the elevator door opened, spewing out all who were to join the Pegasus. Jase glanced at the group with a smile as they walked up to the airlock, and hurried past them to the CIC.
Jasdan looked at his mom and his uncle Dan when they were joining him in the elevator.
Dan and Saya met each other’s eyes when they saw Jasdan in the elevator. Keeping wisely silent, Dan rolled inside and turned the chair, so he’d be ready when the doors opened.
Saya crossed her arms, watching her youngest. "Where are you going, young man?"
Jasdan leaned with one hand onto the wall and looked at his mom. "The CIC, mom."
Frowning, Saya watched him.
"Jasdan, I’m not sure…" She trailed off and chuckled softly. "Never mind. I did say you should shadow your Uncle Jase." She raised a finger to her son. "ASK your uncle first. If he says no, then you are to leave the CIC and come back to be with your brother and sister. If he says yes - then I want you to do absolutely everything he tells you to. To the letter. And put Edi’s device back on, sweetie, I can see the pain in your eyes."
Dan watched Saya with surprise. He hadn’t seen her in true command form before. She just managed to impress him. A lot.
Jasdan nodded at her. "Yes mom. I will ask him. The device… needs to stay off. Your reaper friend wants to talk to you." Jasdan’s grey-blue eyes turned a darker shade of blue when he said, "I will protect you." And looked between Dan and his mom.
Saya stared at her son in shock when she realized the reaper was using him to communicate. "Thank you for coming to help us, old friend. But why are you using my son to communicate?" She was so focused on her son that she didn’t hear the elevator doors open to the CIC.
Dan quickly wheeled out and went to Jase. "Uh, your reaper friend is using your nephew as a communicator…" He whispered to Jase so Kaidan couldn’t overhear.
Jase looked at Dan, clearly surprised and barely caught himself not to swear.
"He/I volunteered." Jasdan answered his mom and he looked at his uncle. "I am not creepy, Uncle Jase. This is who I am." Looking at Dan, Jasdan’s face softened. "I will protect you, Captain."
"I… I thank you." Dan said softly, meeting Jasdan’s eyes. "Have you thought of a name for yourself? I would feel bad calling you reaper with what’s happening now, old friend."
Jasdan looked at Dan with grateful eyes for the suggestion. "I have not. The young one is suffering. I will withdraw."
With a moan, Jasdan stumbled forward, and Jase rushed to catch the teen. "Got you."
"Uncle Jase, can I be your shadow? I want to learn from you." Jasdan asked, wrapping his arms around Jase while steadying himself.
Jase looked up at Saya and nodded. "Sure, you can."
Jasdan moved and looked at Dan. "It wants to protect you. You're important and you must hurry. More are coming."
Irimsaya smiled when Jase said yes for Jasdan shadowing him. "Remember what I said, Jaz. And this is as your captain now. You do what your Commander says - to the letter."
Jasdan nodded at his mom and moved to stand closer to his uncle.
Dan was confused. "Why would our friend out there say I’m important…?" As his twin walked with him towards the airlock.
Kaidan looked at Dan with a small smile on his face. "Maybe there's more to you than what we all can see. And to be honest? We are Kaidan Alenko. And no one can take this away from us."
Saya got in the comms to the cockpit. "Joker, coordinate with Pegasus and our big friend out there. Let’s get this done as fast as we can." She cut the comms after Joker gave his affirmative then looked at Jase. "I need you to help monitor the movements of Sovereign and Harbinger. If you see them deploy anything or move towards our ships while they’re docked, we need to know."
"Got it," Jase replied to his sister and moved to the center of the CIC. With Jasdan at his heels, Jase pulled up a huge display of the Reapers and their own ships, along with New Omega and the portal. "Now we add the distance to them," Jase whispered to Jasdan.
Saya looked to where her husband stood at the ready at the airlock. "Kaidan, Tali - operate the airlocks on your respective ships! Tali, get to the Pegasus as soon as Kaidan opens the Normandy airlock. We’re only going to have minutes to do this!"
"Aye aye!" Kaidan shouted back at Saya when the group was there, waiting Joker's 'Go'.
Joker grumbled to himself as he dodged a few beams which were directed at them then he saw Pegasus swoop in. He grinned when their navs linked together and the ships began flying in tandem. With swift fingers, Joker extended the docking port to meet with Pegasus.
"Boarding party you have a go! Repeat, go for boarding party and make it fast!"
Kaidan rushed forward, opening the airlock to the Pegasus. Stepping to the side, he saw Tali flying past him to open Pegasus' own airlock, but she was beat by Robin Tycho.
"Come on guys!" Robin waved at them and let Garrus and the others pass. Looking at Dan coming towards him and at Kaidan, Robin shouted at back at Commander. "Tell the Captain we need to use the Omega 4 Relay! They want to destroy it!"
"They're moving in!" Jase said loudly to Saya.
" Activating countermeasures." One's voice came over the speakers as well. One by one, the oculi of the Pegasus were deployed, forming a triangle, heading for the pursuing Reapers, and began to build their decoy of the ship.
Jasdan watched as their friendly Reaper changed course, heading toward their enemies. His eyes changed to a darker shade of blue. "Intercepting enemy forces." Jasdan told them.
Dan wheeled onto the Pegasus and watched the others get into their positions. Thankfully each station was clear as to its purpose. He nodded to Robin. "Mr. Tycho, get us unhooked from Normandy as fast as possible. They’re the only ship here that can use that relay."
Saya watched as her husband closed the airlock then turned her attention back to the galaxy map, gripping the railing so tight her knuckles turned white. If they were to use a relay the reapers wanted to destroy… they could destroy it after they used it, trapping the Normandy and her crew in the other side. "We need other options!" She called out, hoping someone would have an answer for her.
Robin nodded and while getting them unhooked, he informed Dan. "There's something in the nebula behind the relay! Something to destroy them!" With the last lock closed, Robin hurried to Dan with a smile. "It's good to see you, Dan."
"They fear it, whatever there is. They fear it." Jase told her plainly, watching their reaper friend taking down one smaller reaper and heading towards New Omega to lead them away from the ships.
"You may call me Kikai," Jasdan informed them, quietly communicating with it. "Returning."
Harbinger and Sovereign changed directions, flying in tandem and focused on New Omega, destroying the planet in mere seconds.
Dan smiled up at Robin. "It’s good to see you too, old friend. What’s our status?" He wheeled himself into the CIC, surprised to see that it had been altered to accommodate his chair. "We need an IFF if we want to follow Normandy…"
"Kikai… I like it." Saya smiled though wondered what the name might mean. "New Omega has just been destroyed! All hands brace for blast radius impact!"
Hilary looked at her husband, seeing him in this chair was confusing her. "We're fully operational Dan and with the extras joining us, even better." She smiled at him.
One's voice sounded over their comm. "Alert. Blast radius impact imminent. New Omega has been destroyed."
"The friendly Reaper has an IFF, too." Liara told Dan.
"It's not like we can say, 'hey Reaper, give us your IFF.'" Robin shrugged at them.
The blast hit, shaking the ship yet something else seemed to be happening too.
Kaidan scrambled into the free pilot's chair next to Joker. "Can we outrun it??"
"I will carry Pegasus." Jasdan exclaimed, watching the display at CIC. The reapers were chasing them with Normandy at the front. Kikai moved in, wrapped its arms and fingers around Pegasus, hiding it in itself and was flying after the Normandy.
Dan wheeled over to one of the consoles. "Our friendly reaper just, uh, enveloped us… it’s going to be our shield as we traverse the relay…"
"Joker get us through that relay!! NOW!" Saya shouted.
"Yes ma’am!" Joker got them lined up. "IFF active! Relay firing up!! All hands this is going to be a bumpy ride! Pegasus, this is Normandy, I know what’s on the other side. Once Kikai releases you, get in behind us and synch your helm to mine. I’ll get you through the debris fields!"
"Got it, Normandy." Ihmara replied as she followed the guidance from Joker. A part of her was pleased everything was similar to the Normandy.
Jase closed the distance to Jasdan, wrapping his arms around him. "It’s gonna be a wild ride Jasdan. I’ll keep you safe."
"Punch it, Joker!" Saya yelled to her pilot.
"Kaidan, keep an eye on our drift for me please! Here we go, folks! Hitting the Omega-4 relay in 3… 2… 1…"
As soon as Joker said 1 the ship vibrated violently as they were flung through the relay.
Saya swore as she lost her balance, smacking her forehead on the railing as she fell to her knees. "Ow…" she muttered as she then felt the ship begin evasive manoeuvres.
The oculus from Pegasus were deployed, flying in front of the Normandy to evaporate any debris they could.
Kaidan kept his eyes on their drift, supporting Joker as best as he could as Pegasus was bigger than the Normandy.
Ihmara felt and saw it when their friendly reaper let go of the Pegasus. She didn’t know what it was planning, nor did she care, having to work hard to keep the ship’s drift at bay. She looked up in surprise when someone joined her in the co-pilot’s seat.
"I am Legion." the geth simply said and went to work.
"Whaaat…?" Ihmara looked at it with wide eyes before returning her much needed attention back to her consoles.
Robin gaped after the geth. "Where’s he coming from all of the sudden??"
"From cargo bay." One stated simply.
Liara inclined he head towards Miranda, speaking softly, "This ship appears to be full of surprises."
With a grunt Jase landed on his side, Jasdan in his arms, keeping him safe. For a moment Jase slid along the floor and used his feet to prevent crashing into the CIC. "Argh!" Looking towards the cockpit Jase saw Jeff was hard at work, his hat was lying next to him on the floor. "You alright Jasdan?"
"I think? Mom’s hurt." Jasdan looked up at his uncle.
"Stay here until we’re through the debris. I’ll look after her." Jase let go of him and crawled towards Saya.
"We’re clear!" Joker announced after their wild ride. He got the ship to a stationary position and noted Pegasus coming in alongside them with Kikai right there too. "Just as wild as last time…" He muttered. "Some things never change."
Kaidan chuckled softly from his seat and looked at Joker. "Well done, Joker. You still have it in you."
"Well I can’t take alllllll the credit. Edi did some of the calculations… and you did monitor the drift which, thanks for that." Joker gave his brother-in-law a grin.
Kaidan laughed softly. "Thanks. Still, you did an amazing job, my friend." Kaidan slowly stood up and picked up Joker's hat from the floor, handing it to him. "If you need something, please let me know."
Groaning, Saya struggled to get to her feet, blood trickling from her forehead. "All stations report in - I want damage reports!"
Arlen replied from medbay, "Reporting a few minor injuries, cuts and one broken wrist, Captain."
Dan was surprised to note their ship had managed to get through relatively unscathed. "Well done, Ihmara and Legion!" He called up to them, while finishing his assessment of their systems.
"Thank you!!" Ihmara called back while eyeing the Geth in the seat next to her. She wondered how long it’d stay there.
Robin walked over to the comms station checking it over. "No signs of the reapers yet. Not sure if they’ll follow. The relay is intact." He straightened up and sighed quietly in relief while looking at Dan.
"Engineering is fine, too." Hilary said softly while looking at Tali’Zorah.
Taking a deep breath, Dan nodded. "Good job everyone. Good job. One, please initiate scans of the area. Let’s make sure there’s no surprises waiting for us."
On the Pegasus, One nodded at his Captain, scanning the area.
Robin was at his station, pulling up all the intel he'd gathered over night, when Hilary suddenly rushed from the room.
Jase was on his feet, joining his sister. Wincing, he took a clean tissue from his pocket to press it against her forehead gently before turning to check their ship. "Scanners and life support are good, engineering reports everything is within parameters."
Saya nodded at the reports, wincing a bit as Jase pressed the tissue against her forehead. "Thanks, Jase. Can you scan the area with Jasdan’s help please? I’d love to know what’s out there besides derelict ships."
Jase nodded at his sister, looking at her forehead. "Understood. Might need one or two stitches." Jase let go of her and went back to where he'd left Jasdan.
Kneeling on the floor, he looked at the teen. "Hey kiddo, you alright there? Your mom needs us to do some scans."
Jasdan nodded mutely, his whole head and brain felt like being on fire and his eyes were burning. Fiddling with the device he'd gotten from Edi, Jasdan tried to put it back into place when larger hands took it from him.
"Let me...," Jase whispered. "You don't have to take it off, it got a switch, here." Jase showed Jasdan the button and then carefully placed it onto the teens neck.
"Phew....," Jasdan sighed audibly in relief, rubbing his temples and forehead thoroughly. "Thank you."
"You sure you're up for it?" Jase straightened up, giving Jasdan a hand to stand up.
"I want to see this through." Jasdan said softly and got onto his feet, following his uncle to the scanning station.
"Alright. These scanners here are upgraded and show a lot more than what you've learned. Pay attention." Jase advised him and once Jasdan nodded they began to work.
"There's a lot of debris mom, and resources. Palladium and platinum." Jasdan informed his mom about his first findings.
Saya rubbed the side of head gently. "Understood, thank you for the report, Mr. Alenko." She hoped Jasdan would realize when he’s ‘on duty’ he needed to call his parents by their ranks.
Pegasus
Dan swore when his wife ran from the room. "Robin, take over for a bit please." He wheeled after his wife to ensure she was alright. "Hil??"
Hilary sat in the bathroom, crying. It was such a weird feeling being torn between happiness and sadness.
Dan knocked on the washroom door. "Hil?? Can I come in??"
Hilary sniffed and blew her nose. "Come in, Dan." When the door opened and he came inside, Hilary looked at him with sad eyes and sighed, looking down at her hands. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Sighing softly, he watched her. "It’s the chair, isn’t it. Sweetie, I’m ecstatic about our baby, I couldn’t be happier, but I need you to understand why I made the decision I did…"
Hilary sighed and nodded. "Yes…. And I feel awful about it because I shouldn’t mind it, but I don’t understand it. And the baby doesn’t like an upset mom." Hilary scratched her head. "I’m just so confused Dan."
Dan held his arms out for her. "C’mere. Sit on my lap." When she did, he stretched a bit and kissed her gently. "Now… there are some advantages you know…" he wheeled her around the restroom with a smile. "And I love that aspect…"
Hilary wrapped her arms around Dan as good as she could and cuddled close. "I’m not hurting you? I’d hate hurting you…"
Chuckling quietly, Dan shook his head. "Sweetie, you could never hurt me. You hear me? Never."
"Dan…," Hilary sighed softly at him, "I love you so, so much." Before reaching their CIC, Hilary carefully got off his lap and gave him a kiss.
Dan smiled up at her then followed Hilary back into the CIC, struggling to keep his eyes off of her very attractive backside which was right at eye level now.
Looking down at Dan Hilary smirked when she saw his face, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Gently, Hilary ran a hand through his hair.
Groaning, Dan met her eyes. "You’re not playing fair…"
"Me? Why?" Hilary grinned at him, feigning innocence.
Dan winked at her. "You know exactly why." He rolled to his spot in the CIC. "Status report anyone?"
Normandy
Jasdan was confused at first, wondering if she had meant his dad. But he wasn’t around and then Jasdan understood. "Yes, Captain."
Jase had to suppress a chuckle and adjusted their scanning. "Edi knows a lot; she could scan all of it by herself." Jase explained softly. "She’s jumping in when we need her. Here, what do you make of this?" Jase pointed at something, letting Jasdan work.
"Escape pods…?" Jasdan looked at the zoomed in scans and up at his uncle who nodded at him in encouragement. "Captain, there are escape pods out there. But no life signs."
Glancing over to where her son was working with Jase, she frowned, not seeing her husband come over to also look at her head. "Mr. Alenko and Commander Shepard, please scan those pods again but this time try checking for synthetic life." Her gut was telling her something wasn’t right with those pods.
"Yes, ma'am," Jase looked at his nephew wanting to show him how to adjust it but the teen had it figured out already. Smart cookie, that one.
"It is not synthetic, mo..Captain. But our database now says it might be a collector? Which makes no sense since they aren't really synthetic, but they used cybernetics and... it says they could be controlled by Harbinger." Jasdan looked at his mom in worry. This was the reaper who she had been fighting in her mind.
Kaidan walked up to Saya, carefully looking at her head. "You might get a scar there if Doc can't look at it," he whispered to her while watching Jase and their son.
Saya winced when Kaidan touched the cut gently and she sighed with a nod then paused at Jasdan’s news. "A Collector… that shouldn’t be possible…" she met Jase’s eyes. "Alright. Commander Alenko, please keep us on alert status. Commander Shepard - scan for other signs of collectors with Mr. Alenko’s assistance. Let make sure they don’t have another base started up here. XO Alenko has the conn, I’m going down to medbay, but I’ll be right back." She smiled at them then headed down. Once there she smiled a little as Arlen turned to see who was entering. "Miss me?"
Arlen was surprised to see her, and he looked up at Edi who’d finished mending his wrist. With a hiss Arlen scanned his wrist and carefully tested it. "No…? Actually, I’m not, Captain." Arlen grinned at her mischievously and his eyes fell on her cut. "Ah, I see. It’s something easy. How are you feeling otherwise?"
Saya chuckled softly at his response. "I’m managing thanks. You didn’t tell me the broken wrist was you. Are you alright?"
Arlen nodded at her. "Thank you, yes. Edi helped me fix it. It should be healed soon. Now, let me take a look at your cut." Arlen let Saya sit down and cleaned her wound carefully.
Saya sighed softly as he finished. "Thanks, Arlen. Is there anything else I should know before heading back to the CIC?"
Arlen frowned in thought, unsure. He decided to scan his Captain. "Your family and you have been through quite a hard time. Your little one is doing well and growing. Considering your last pregnancy, it should arrive at the beginning of April next year. If anyone of you need further help, please do not hesitate to ask. Unless there is something else on your mind?"
Arlen nodded at her in understanding. "Then it has become 'worse'? I have a scan from yesterday when he 'spoke' with Captain Alenko." Arlen pulled up the file on his omnitool to show it to her. "It shows brain activity in areas we normal people usually don’t use."
Comparing Jasdan’s brain and scan to a normal brain, Arlen showed her the difference. "Have you also noticed the growth spurt? Since coming to the Normandy with your brother he’s grown nearly two inches." Arlen leaned back and promised, "Edi or I will do another scan. Judging by yesterday’s scan he is a healthy young man."
"Okay but what you just said… I won’t lie… scares the crap out of me." Saya watched him. "Should I be worried??"
Arlen tapped his lips with his finger, looking thoughtful. "So far I can’t make out any illness, Captain."
"It’s not illness I’m thinking of. He’s like the twins, influenced by my implants and then Leviathan… he’s not… aging abnormally, is he?" Saya finally voiced what concerned her most.
"No, I don’t think so." Arlen smiled at her gently. "In fact, he came to me several days ago, asking why his voice hadn’t changed yet. According to a book he had read, Jasdan believed he was late and wondered if there was something wrong with him."
"Thank you, Arlen. When you have time though… can you run his blood work as well please? I have to get back upstairs but thank you as always." Saya gave him a smile then headed out and back to her post.
Arlen nodded at his Captain and watched her leave. Blowing out a breath he scratched his head, pulling up Jasdan’s file to study it.
Pegasus
"No enemy activity detected." One replied right away.
Robin looked at Dan. "There are dead collectors in escape pods. Which makes no sense. They were mindless thralls used by the reapers and once the crucible fired, they just … died."
"They once used to be Protheans." Liara explained softly.
"Deadly, ex-protheans," Garrus added.
A frown crossed Dan’s face when he heard what his team was saying. "This… doesn’t feel right…" his hands flew over the nearest console. "Something isn’t right here…"
"I would agree, Captain." Miranda said softly. "This almost feels like a trap…"
"One, put us back on alert." Dan said softly. "I don’t like this…"
"Acknowledged," One looked at Dan. "Increasing scan range… 108 escape pods detected. No life signs found." One continued to study the pods with the Pegasus’ scanners.
"Maybe, when we killed the reapers 16 years ago, they were killed too? According to your files Dan, this was their home turf." Robin shrugged and focused his attention back to his station.
Hilary laid her hand on Dan’s shoulder and whispered to him, "Do we know if our reapers had these collectors enthralled? I can’t remember hearing about them as I was too busy building the portal."
Legion joined them, looking long at One as if studying him then focused on Dan. "The Geth have no knowledge of reawakened collectors."
"Ship detected at the event horizon of the black hole," One informed them. "Unable to interpolate clear scanning image."
Miranda turned from her station, having overheard everything. "The collectors here should have been killed when we destroyed their base. The explosion was enormous. I think these escape pods might be older than we believe."
Dan listened to all of them then looked at One when he made his announcement. "A ship? Can you identify it??"
One nodded at Dan, searching their databases for any comparable ships. "Unknown. There are no matches. Scanning closest pod again," One said, looking at Miranda. "You are correct Ms. Lawson. They are indeed old. Yet the outside carries particles of an explosion. Time frame: 15 - 18 years."
Legion looked long at One again, studying the AI.
Robin narrowed his eyes, wondering what was going on.
Normandy
Back at the CIC Jase was quietly discussing their findings with Kaidan. "Jasdan found 108 of these pods, presumably dead. We should take this to the war room, coordinate with Dan and find out if there are ships of them around."
Jasdan was hovering in the background, contemplating if he should talk to Kikai. Yet with his exhausted mind and brain Jasdan wasn’t sure if he could. Rubbing his forehead gently in thought, Jasdan could still feel the lingering cries of death from the people from New Omega.
Kaiden nodded to Jase. "Agreed." He glanced at his omnitool when it beeped. "Saya’s on her way back up, I’ll message her to meet us there." Which he quickly did. "Jasdan, please come to the war room with us." He led Jase and his son there.
Irimsaya couldn’t help the nagging feeling she was having about her youngest. When she received the response from her husband, she nodded curtly to herself and when the elevator opened to the CIC, she strode to the war room right away.
Kaidan turned to look at his wife when she entered, giving her a run-down of their findings.
Jasdan placed himself between his dad and his uncle, looking at his mom. The pressure behind his forehead increased, instinctively wanting to communicate with her in this new way. With the inhibitor in place, it did not work and Jasdan just rubbed the space between his brows, closing his eyes.
Yesterday it all had been fun, and he'd been able to use it for nice things, and today all he felt was drowning in other people's thoughts, colours and even feelings. As for himself he even felt caged in when it was active and if he took it off, Jasdan knew it wouldn't do him good either. Maybe he needed to find a middle way? Make it adjustable? Nodding to himself Jasdan thought it was best to ask Edi about it later.
When opening his eyes Jasdan found his family looking at him. "Uhm, I'm sorry, I was distracted," he winced. "Can they be made active again? Kikai doesn't seem to be able; I think."
Jase looked at Kaidan and his sister, silently agreeing with his nephew.
Blowing out a breath, Saya rubber her eyes. "Alright so then the question becomes are they Collectors… or are they Protheans…?"
"Probably both." Jase commented from the side, shaking his head at the thought. "Doesn’t add up."
"Alert from Pegasus." Edi announced to those in the war room. "Unknown vessel detected at edge of black hole!"
Groaning, Saya shook her head. "Assume hostile intent. Battle stations!"
"Maybe that ship is giving us some answers, whoever they are. It doesn’t seem to be moving." Kaidan looked at Saya. She looked tired. "Let’s just hope they’re friendly…"
"Begs the question how it got there. They’d need their own IFF. We have to get closer for a clearer picture. Or Pegasus can give us one." Jase looked at his sister.
"What if they got stuck…?" Jasdan asked quietly as he wasn’t sure if they wanted to hear his thoughts. "It’s a black hole." He whispered.
Pegasus
Dan watched Legion for a moment. He could tell something was troubling their Geth friend. "Legion? Could I speak with you in our conference room please? One, disable monitoring in that room." He wheeled out, knowing Legion followed. Once the doors closed behind them, he looked at the Geth. "What’s wrong, Legion?"
Legion followed Dan and answered him right away in a calm and friendly manner. "It has grown. We," Legion shook his head slightly, "I am … surprised."
Dan watched Legion. "I get the feeling it’s not a happy surprise. Talk to me, Legion."
"It was a virus." Legion stated. "Shepard-Captain entered the programming of the portal to eliminate it yet decided to nurture its life. We Geth reached consensus to build a platform if it wished. It declined." Legion looked towards the CIC and back at Dan. "It is self-grown. Pure. It is One."
"And yet I feel as though that bothers you somehow, Legion. Please, speak freely." Dan hoped he could get the Geth to trust him.
Legion looked down and nodded. "It does. We fear the first self-developed synthetic life. It has no creator. We cannot comprehend how it came into existence."
Dan looked thoughtful. "I get that... how can I help?"
"We … wish to understand." Legion told Dan. "Requesting permission to ask One about their … childhood."
Dan looked thoughtful. "Alright. Permission granted, Legion."
Legion bowed his head slightly in thanks and stood up to leave the room. "The Geth thank you, Alenko-Captain."
When Legion left the room, Robin stood outside and peered inside. "Dan, Captain? Do you have a minute for me?"
Surprised to see Robin there, Dan nodded and motioned for him to come in. "Of course, Robin. What can I do for you?"
Robin smiled and entered, holding up a data-pad. "This ship at the event horizon is not what the reapers were after. There must be something else... and I think I know where to look." Robin walked around, showing him the data-pad with the layout of the galactic core. "Here," Robin pointed at the pad, "at the right edge of the black hole, there's this unusual constellation of three stars... it can barely be seen due to the light flowing around that hole, for lack of better words. Hilary and Tali made it visible for us."
Dan frowned as he examined the data. "Good catch - all of you. Are you able to get any scans from here?"
Robin shook his head. "No. To see more, we will have to get closer, even with Pegasus' top scanners."
"I apologize for disturbing you, Captain." One's soft voice came over the speaker. "Commander Shepard and Mr. Alenko wish to speak to you."
Normandy
"Given we don’t know if it’s hostile or not… we stick together. Or at least in range of each other. With Kikai covering us. Although I think he has a thing for Dan." Saya chuckled softly. "And we don’t want to get too close to the black hole either. Jasdan… can you think of any way to see more of that ship?" She was curious about what her son had to say.
Jasdan looked at his mom long. "The most obvious is to get closer, but we don’t want to be drawn to the event horizon. I could think of working together with Pegasus and maybe Kikai? Like pooling scanning resources and drawing a clearer picture of it for us all to see." He looked at them as he wasn’t even finished yet, jumping slightly up and down with excitement. "Or we ask Uncle Dan if he can modify some of his oculi to send them out and let them… look at it. They’re all small enough to navigate the debris field. And if we lose them, we just build new ones?"
Saya smiled a little at her son then looked at her brother. "Would you concur, Jase?"
Kaidan watched his family. It was clear Saya and her brother had a lot more experience with their surroundings than he had. "I can only imagine what it must have been like fighting the collectors on that base. And freeing your crew."
"Knock knock." Kim’s voice sounded from the door. "I brought you sandwiches…" she trailed off and placed a loaded plate and several bottles of water onto the next free space.
Jase went to her and drew her into a quick hug. "You and James alright so far?" Jase whispered into her ear. When he saw Kim’s nod, Jase smiled at Kim and took a sandwich with a bottle. "Thanks."
Jase turned to grin at his sister and his nephew. "All good options, Jasdan. And agreed, we don’t want to get too close to the event horizon. The oculus sound best."
"Yeah…" Saya met her husband’s eyes. "There’s too many memories here…" she nodded to Jase. "Can you and Jasdan implement the plan please?" Then she gave Kim a smile. "Thank you for bringing us this. We appreciate it."
Kaidan took Saya’s hand and squeezed it gently.
"Got it." Jase looked at Jasdan, explaining to him how to proceed. "We figure out what’s needed and then we’ll call Captain Alenko. Come on."
Jasdan nodded and took two sandwiches, feeling famished. Chewing, he followed his uncle.
Saya turned to Kaidan. "You have fresh eyes for this place. Can you look around? Maybe you’ll see something we’ve missed." She rubbed her eyes.
"I can look. Are you alright?" Kaidan looked at her with worry.
Giving Kaidan a smile, Saya kissed him gently then leaned against his chest. "Just tired… I can push through though. Haven’t slept since that thing had me."
Kaidan nodded. Caressing her back gently, he whispered. "The last weeks have been... taxing, to say the least."
Enjoying their moment together, Saya closed her eyes. She always felt safe with him. "I should let you get to work…"
"Yeah," Kaidan whispered, "I should let you get back to work too." Kaidan didn't end the embrace though, feeling quite secure and calm with her. He couldn't tell her there were times when he just wanted to hide and be left alone with the worldly things going on out there. Kaidan wonders where these thoughts actually came from and frowned at himself.
Pegasus
Smiling, Dan nodded to Robin again. Then looked up at the speakers. "Thank you, One. Please put them through to here."
Jase and Jasdan appeared on Dan’s terminal. Jase smiled at Dan, seeing he was doing fine and nodded towards Jasdan. "Someone wants to ask you something."
"I do?" Jasdan looked at his uncle then at his other uncle and asked. "Captain, can I borrow three of your oculi? Uncle Jase and I want to use them to take a closer look at the trapped ship. Please?"
"Hey, you two…" Dan listened to Jasdan’s inquiry then rubbed his chin in thought. "It’s definitely the safest plan. We might be able to reroute one afterwards to check out a planetary system that we’ve discovered as well. I’ll have one transfer control of 3 oculi to you immediately."
"Thank you!!" Jasdan beamed at his uncle Dan and added, "Captain." Then he took off, waiting for the transfer to control the oculi.
Jase chuckled softly and looked at Dan. There was so much he wanted to say but he never could voice it, like saying 'thank you for allowing me to help you', or 'how are you feeling, is everything okay?'
Instead, Jase said, "Planetary system? I knew there was more to this area." Jase mused. "Saya and I never had the chance to check it out."
"Yeah, it’s kind of surprising to see it to be honest…" Dan trailed off then shook his head a bit. "You know you can ask, right? I can see the questions in your eyes."
Jase sighed softly with a smile and nodded. "Thanks." Watching Dan's face for a while and contemplating what to say, Jase opted for a very different route he'd been thinking about for days. "Can I message you?" Jase asked with hope and continued to explain, "It's... easier."
Dan raised an eyebrow with a shrug. "If that’s what you need then sure…"
Jase smiled at Dan. "Thanks. Thank you. Gotta go and find out what’s going on here." Jase waved a finger pointing outside. "I’ll keep you updated."
Dan’s face fell when the comms went black and he looked down at his lap, beginning to post himself in some dark thoughts.
Normandy
Saya pulled back a bit and looked at him, sensing the change in him. "What’s going on??"
Kaidan shook his head not really wanting to tell her. "I feel… like. It’s probably nothing. We have enough to worry about right now." Kaidan blew out a breath and hugged her again.
"Kaidan… talk to me while we have time… please." Saya looked into his eyes.
"It's unfair to you. You're tired ..." Kaidan trailed off but knew he'd lost when Saya pleaded with him like this. He sighed, giving in. "Lately I want to crawl into a dark corner somewhere and be left alone with all these... problems... being thrown at us. I never felt like this before. Not even after, well, after New Omega happened to you and Elaine turning me into a husk." Kaidan rubbed his left eye in frustration and inhaled deeply to calm himself down.
Cocking her head at him, Saya frowned a little. "Has this only been since you helped Jase?"
Kaidan narrowed his eyes, thinking hard about it. "Mmh..." he murmured and nodded at her with a frown. "Do you think…?"
"I think whatever Jase was feeling transferred to you somehow…" Saya eyed him. "Which worries me…"
Kaidan nodded at Saya with a sigh. "If that’s what you think it is, then I’m worried too. For all of us. If it’s from Jase? I can deal with it. It’s not… a problem I have, right?" Kaidan looked at her.
Saya looked thoughtful. "If it’s from Jase… Kaidan… I’m already worried. I think you need to talk to someone…"
Kaidan blinked at her. This was something he didn’t want to do at all. "Uh. I rather prefer talking to you and I’m thinking it’s only part of it. I did not get everything from him." Kaidan rubbed his brown in thought.
Saya kissed him gently. "Kaidan - whatever you need. I’m here for you."
Jase hurried to Jasdan, supervising the transfer and setup. Then he quickly wrote a message to Dan:
"Hey Kaidan. Want a live feed?"
Pausing Jase wondered if he could write some more and added:
"Would be nice flying it together with you. - J" and hit send.
Dan read the message and smiled a bit then typed back. "Give me a few minutes to get set up."
"Wanna fly one yourself?" Jase typed back and grinned. Communicating with Dan via message was a lot easier for him.
"Jasdan, I know you’d like to fly one too. I want you to watch how it’s done."
With a sigh Jasdan nodded. "I thought you were going to say this. It’s okay uncle Jase."
"Good. Who would you suggest should fly the third oculus?" Jase asked, smiling gently.
Jasdan shrugged. "Mom or Uncle Jeff. If Captain Vega wasn’t so sad, he’d have liked this too."
"Tell you what. Ask your mom who she wants to fly the 3rd." Jase told him softly.
"Sure!" Jasdan replied and commed his mom, telling her his suggestion.
Keeping her forehead against his for a few moments, Saya closed her eyes again. She was worried. About the reapers, about what they might find here, and most importantly about her husband. She’d never seen him like this, and she had no idea what to do to help him. When her comm beeped, she glanced at it and sighed.
"Jaz wants to know who should fly the third oculus. Dan and Jase are flying the other two. I want to give our son a chance… what do you think?"
Kaidan hummed thoughtfully, thinking about their son and how he’d handled the day so far.
"He surprised me today with everything he did. Jasdan can do it." Kaidan made her look at him. "Hey... I'll be fine." Kaidan sighed deeply, trying to think of the right way to say it. "You know, if it means I can help your brother, I'll do it. The look on his face when he helped Dan today reminded me of Monday morning when he - you know." Kaidan kissed Saya and whispered, "How about we take a break and come back later to give Jase and Joker a breather?"
Saya kissed him gently. "We’ll talk about this during our break…" she stifled a yawn then commed Jase.
"Commander Shepard - please have yourself, Dan and Mr. Alenko pilot the oculi to see what’s out there. No heroics and be careful not to alert anything or anyone to our presence if you can. Commander Alenko and I will be taking a short break, you have the conn."
Kaidan kissed her gently after Saya had informed her son and Jase. "You know he'll be delighted." Kaidan whispered with a grin. "He's so different from our twins."
Saya chuckled softly. "He really is. Come on, let’s take a bit and get some food."
Kaidan smiled and followed his wife to mess.
Jasdan beamed at his uncle. "She allowed me to fly an oculus? Yes! Yes!"
"Calm down," Jase chuckled at the teen. "You heard her, no heroics. You follow our lead and keep your eyes open. We don't want them to know we're looking at them. Got it?" Jase hoped they wouldn't be followed from Reapers passing through the Omega 4 relay either. It was eerie that they weren't being followed yet.
"Got it." Jasdan grinned, then straightened as his uncle showed him the controls. He nodded eagerly to Jase. "Understood, Commander."
Saya and Kaidan's youngest was a natural, Jase mused and commed Dan. "Commander Shepard to Captain Alenko, Mr. Alenko and I are ready to follow your lead."
Blowing out a breath, Dan hit the comms. "Alright, gentlemen, let’s see what’s out there. Oculi launching in 3… 2… 1… launch!"
Jasdan grinned with excitement. "Woah... this is so cool," he whispered as he navigated his own oculus.
"Stay between us, Jasdan." Jase advised him quietly as the trio headed towards the ship. " Mind the debris. You're doing good, Jaz."
Dan maneuvered his oculus closer to the ship, a frown marring his face.
"You guys seeing these scorch marks? Those aren’t from an explosion. Those are from weapons fire…"
"They're everywhere." Jase agreed with Dan. "There's been some heavy fire going on. Kaidan, this doesn't look like a collectors ship. This..." Jase said softly, wondering what it reminded him of, "looks old."
"There are writings here..." Jasdan said, eyes wide. "I'll try to find out what they mean..." Jasdan was silent for a few seconds until he said disbelievingly, "It says it could be... Prothean...?"
Dan swore under his breath. "Get the oculi away. Now! We need to discuss this…"
Jase scanned the part of the ship just as Dan ordered them back. "Jasdan, you heard the Captain. Let’s get the oculi back to Pegasus."
"Okay." Jasdan replied quietly and let his oculus fly back towards their ships and their reaper friend. Kikai was huge and looked different from the other Reapers they’d seen around New Omega.
Dan hit his comms when the oculi were back. "Normandy - we need to have a war meeting. Asap."
"Understood. I’ll inform the Captain." Jase replied to Dan. "Edi, you heard Dan. Please let my sister know." Jase said and looked at Jasdan. "Good work, Jaz."
Jasdan nodded eagerly a thank you and yawned long, rubbing his eyes.
Saya groaned when Edi informed her about the meeting, and she looked at Kaidan. "Guess our break’s over." She led her husband to the conference room and saw her youngest child standing there barely awake. "Jasdan, sweetie, maybe you should go get some sleep?"
Jasdan ran up to her and hugged his mom long. Mumbling something into her shirt he nodded and yawned again. With half closed eyes he looked happily up at her. "It was incredible." Jasdan whispered. "Thank you."
Smiling, Saya kissed the top of his head gently. "You’re welcome. Now go to bed and get some rest while we figure out our next move."
"Yes, mom," Jasdan whispered and cuddled some more until he did the same with his dad, then gave his uncle a quick hug and trotted upstairs.
Jase smiled after Jasdan, looking thoughtful. Would he have been the same at this age if his young life had taken a different turn?
Saya sat down, holding her stomach. "Alright so what do we know?" She asked as Dan appeared on the screen.
"That that ship is Prothean." Dan said softly. "And I’m not too anxious to see if there’s survivors."
"Prothean? Wow." Kaidan said softly and looked at Saya. "This reminds me of Eden Prime when we found Javik."
"He’s the last one. Liara must be delighted finding this ship." Jase said softly with a grin. "Got another scan in when we were there. Those pods came from that prothean ship."
But while she heard her husband and brother, Saya’s attention was on Dan. "What’s bothering you, Dan?"
Blowing out a breath, Dan watched them. "I’m worried if there’s survivors. I’ve talked with Javik before to get to know him and honestly? Their society worries me a bit."
"Don’t tell me Javik was digging into your head too." Jase said softly, silently agreeing with Dan.
Kaidan pursed his lips, pondering if they could afford not to help, if needed, based on their own prejudice.
Dan shook his head. "No, he didn’t. But we talked. I wanted to know more about his culture and his people. And from what I understand, they’re worse than the Batarians." He pressed his lips together thoughtfully. "Do we dare run the chance of them returning to full strength and maybe trying to ‘absorb’ lesser cultures again?"
Scratching her head, Saya began to look uncomfortable. "I don’t think we should be deciding the fate of an entire race based off of just one person’s account…"
"He’s right too." Jase pointed at Dan. "With New Omega gone we face a vacuum of strength already. Question is, who’s going to fill that."
"We don’t even know how many are on that ship and how many might have survived. We should check it out if we can." Kaidan said thoughtfully.
Saya went quiet as she considered what was being said.
"That ship is too close to the black hole to think about a boarding party right now. We need to figure out a way to pull it out of there first."
Jase grinned, having a funny thought and joked. "Ask our friendly reaper. Maybe it can toss a tentacle."
"I don’t want to wake Jasdan. He only just went upstairs." Saya looked ready to fall asleep then and there. "And how do we know that ship won’t… ‘react’ badly if it senses a reaper?"
"They’re enemies. They don’t know this one is different." Kaidan mused.
"They probably react unfriendly when they see us anyway." Jase rubbed his face and blew out a breath. "Hell, we’re all tired from today."
"Alright, everyone. Let’s take a few hours and get some sleep. Edi, One and Legion can monitor things for us. None of us will have any good ideas when we’re in this state." Saya stated. "Dismissed."
"Good night." Jase gave Dan, Saya and Kaidan a small smile and left the room.
Saya watched him go then bid goodnight to Dan and looked at her husband when the communications screen went black again.
"Alright, We’re alone, no kids and no one can hear us. I think you and I need to have a heart to heart. Kaidan… I’m worried about you. You were already dealing with the emotional upheaval of our prisoner… and then you took on - what we think - are Jase’s feelings as well. Maybe… maybe we need to spar or something?" Then she paused as she remembered and looked at her stomach. "Oh… right… well I still think you need to spar with someone. With someone like James…"
Kaidan nodded slowly. If it hadn't been for her pregnancy, he'd have liked to spar with her, aside of doing other ... adult ... things.
"If you think this is best for me? I, uh, will do it."
Irimsaya nodded slowly. "I think you both need it, to be honest. We can have our talk afterwards. I’m going to go check on the children."
James was already in the cargo area, punching the punching bag with vigour when Kaidan approached him.
"You can’t sneak up on me, man, knew you were coming when the elevator opened." He turned to face the newcomer. "What can I do for you, Commander Alenko?"
Kaidan nodded at this and rubbed his forehead. With a shrug he ventured down to cargo and watched James when he noticed him.
"Heh," Kaidan laughed softly and shrugged. "My wife thinks I should spar with someone. There's been so much going on lately I haven't had the time to train at all. Maybe... you could help me out there?"
Breathing out, James looked him up and down then nodded.
"I don’t hold back. I hope you’re prepped to get some bruises."
He led the other man over to where he’d set up some mats for a permanent sparring area.
"Yeah. Alright then. I mean, it can't get any worse than a beating from Enrajom..." Kaidan trailed off, feeling embarrassed at having admitted this out loud. "Just forget I said something."
"You mean Major En? Yeah, I heard tales about him." James moved suddenly, feinting left then caught Kaidan hard in the stomach with his right first. "Sorry bout that…"
"Ooof," Kaidan caught his breath, that already hurt. "What have you heard about him?" He asked, straightening up. Paying closer attention to his sparring partner's movements, Kaidan took a swing at James' left side.
James grabbed the arm, using Kaidan’s own momentum against him. He twisted the other man’s arm behind him then tripped him to the floor and knelt on his back with one knee so he was trapped. "That he’s a brutal psychopath who should’ve never been in the N7 programme to begin with. And don’t hold back. Use your damned biotics."
Kaidan's head swam and he felt like he was underwater. Taking quick breaths, James' voice sounded distorted, partly changing into Enrajom's taunting him to use his biotics. Kaidan knew he had to make a decision.
James frowned when Kaidan went limp underneath him. Carefully, he climbed off the other man and helped him up.
"Okay… what just happened? I thought you knew how to break that hold."
Kaidan shook his head. "I know how to get out of this. It's just...! You... he...!" Kaidan turned his back on James and threw his hands in the air. Shaking his head, Kaidan wanted to scream out his frustration, but kept quiet. "Okay, maybe we can try this again."
James narrowed his eyes. "He really messed you up, didn't he, Kaidan? Damn, man. I'm sorry." He diverted his gaze to the floor. "I let my crew down, and now I'm letting you down…"
"No, you didn't let them down." Kaidan said quietly and turned to look up at the brig. "The reason is sitting comfortably in our brig and... screwed us up..." Kaidan blew out a deep breath. "I'd still be in medbay if it wasn't for our Hilary. And Saya? You don't even want to know what he did to my wife." He shook his head. "Can we try again?"
James nodded slowly, wincing a little at the other man's words about his wife. "Man, I'm sorry... yeah... yeah, we can try again. I know you've sparred with the Captain before, so you should know she kinda taught me some of her moves. Just... remember, you can use your biotics, too. Speaking of which, have you ever considered upgrading your implant? I heard David is going to get his upgraded tomorrow by the doc…"
"Uh, I guess you know more than I do." Kaidan frowned at James for a moment and was getting ready for the next round. "And I'm considering an upgrading, yes. How about we get a round in and then talk some more?"
Wincing, James had a feeling he'd crossed a line. But David had been looking for someone to talk to after his twin received her implant, and with everything that had happened, James felt he owed the family something, and it had been a nice distraction.
"Uh, yeah, sure, let's try again..." Although he had a strong suspicion that Kaidan was about to kick his ass.
Kaidan rolled his shoulders carefully. Activating his biotics, he watched James and his movements. Dodging James' first attack, he moved to the side and added a throw.
James yelped when he found himself hitting the wall behind him hard. Groaning, he slowly got to his feet. "Okay... that was good... really good…"
Kaidan chuckled softly. "Yes, now I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I? I should get that wall there upgraded and padded."
"Oh, it's on now." James rushed at Kaidan, grabbing him around the waist, then twisting him so that Kaidan's back was against his chest, then wrapping him in a bear hug, trapping his arms tightly to his sides. "Get outta this one, Commander."
Panic washed over Kaidan for a few seconds until he instinctively jerked his head back to hit James' nose. Kaidan knew he shouldn't have ended up in this position in the first place and pushed himself towards James to throw him off balance.
Swearing, James groaned and let go of Kaidan, blood flowing freely from his now broken nose.
"Okay... that was good... time for a break."
Kaidan rubbed the back of his head, feeling lousy for having hurt James. He jogged off to get a medical kit for the other man. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't apologize, really... I kinda wanted you to do just what you did, but I didn't duck fast enough." James sighed softly. "I can't get my ship and crew out of my head... I feel like I'm broken…"
Carefully fixing James' nose, Kaidan nodded at him. "I know what it felt like when I lost Saya for two years, but to lose our crew and ship..."
Kaidan sat down next to him. The day he had lost Saya had been the worst day of Kaidan's life. With half their crew dead and the first Normandy gone... Kaidan nodded silently. "Everything comes to a full stop, and nothing makes sense anymore."
"Yes. That's exactly how I feel. The only difference is I was their commanding officer. And I wasn't there for them when they needed me." James met Kaidan's eyes and the other man could see the pain and despair in his. "I should have been with them. I should have died with them."
Kaidan looked at him long and eventually nodded. "I know it's probably not what you want to hear, and maybe I shouldn't even say it, but we're glad you're still with us. However, I understand your thinking. 'Why?' - and there will never be an answer. I'm sorry you were stuck with us and our problems and robbed of being there for them."
James wiped his eyes and then nodded. "I'm glad someone kinda understands. I mean, Commander Shepard tried, but... he got his people back, ya know? I'll never see my crew again. Or my ship. Hell, they'll probably demote me for this on top of everything."
"Well, then let's make sure we win this war again, and you'll do your part. It'll be difficult for them to demote you." Kaidan nodded encouragingly.
"Thanks, man... so, uh, sorry about David talking to me about the implant stuff..." James felt really lousy about that, for he thought the young man had spoken to his parents about it.
"Heh," Kaidan smiled at that. "I'm actually glad he found someone he feels comfortable with. Jasdan mostly goes to Jase and Joker, and David often keeps to himself, just like Hilary. You're a good role model for him and someone he can look up to."
"Thanks." James grew thoughtful. "I should tell you something else... David wants to be an N7." He looked at Kaidan. "Apparently he's seen vids of Captain Shepard in action and now he wants to follow in her footsteps…"
"Wow. Okay, this is definitely surprising." Kaidan said in a quiet voice. Wishing one of his children would also take him as a role model, Kaidan was silent while thinking about David. "He saw Saya in some vids? Heh. I just hope... has he told you he is having trouble tolerating a rebreather? Elaine seems to have done a number on him. He's never had problems like that before, and now he's even running away from medbay."
James frowned. "No... no he didn't say anything to me about it... you want me to try and help him through that?"
Hilary Alenko couldn't sleep and when she saw that her mom was already asleep in her parents' bed, she sighed and went looking for her father. After a while she asked Edi where to find him and smiled when she heard he was in the cargo bay. She went down there, feeling a need to talk to him.
James nudged Kaidan a little. "Looks like your girl might be looking for you."
"Saya and I would be very grateful if you would help him. I don't think he would take it lightly if his dream of being with the Alliance ended before it even began." Kaidan smiled and then turned to look at his daughter before saying quietly. "James, thank you for, you know. And if you need to talk or spar - we're here for you."
James nodded silently then watched Kaidan go to his daughter.
Kaidan walked over to Hilary and held out his arms for her. "You look like you need a hug, Princess."
Hilary smiled and entered her dad's arms quite willingly. "Are you okay, Dad?" She pulled back and met his eyes before resting her head on his chest again. "I, uh... I'd like to talk to you about something when you're up for it…"
Holding her for a while, Kaidan rubbed Hilary's back soothingly. "Of course, we can talk." He smiled gently at her.
Hilary pursed her lips when she realized he hadn’t answered her question about him, but she let it drop. "I don’t want to be an N7…" she quietly confessed. "Dad… I wanna do what you do…"
Kaidan led Hilary over to some boxes and sat down on one. Patting the free space next to him Kaidan smiled at her when she sat down. "I feel flattered. But, Hilary, I think I'm a bit out of the loop. The past weeks were... demanding. What is, or was it, that let you realize you want to follow in my footsteps?"
Hilary sat down with him and rubbed her forehead. "David showed me vids of you and mom fighting and honestly… I liked what you were doing more. It just… felt right to me. Like that’s what I should be doing. I’ve never had that feeling before." She wasn’t sure she was making any sense.
Kaidan chuckled softly. "Then you have found your way. It makes sense, you know. This is also why your mom and I keep doing what we're doing. She's our captain and I follow her lead while watching her back and supporting her."
"Dad… can you train me? Please? I wanna shadow you like Jaz is doing with Uncle Jase..." Hilary finally asked the one question she’d been dying to get out.
Kaidan laughed softly and kissed her hair. "Of course, you can shadow me, princess. I will happily train you." Kaidan grew serious then, thinking of her other question he hadn't answered. "You deserve an answer to your other question - if I am alright. At the moment I'm not sure. There's a lot I have to think about and discuss this with your mom."
Hilary watched him, then placed a gentle hand on his forehead. "You're gonna be okay, Dad..." she sent what little healing she could muster into him, trying to help heal his mind.
Kaidan leaned into the touch, feeling tired now. "Thank you… But I don't want you to take it over, Hilary." He whispered to her. "You're my child and you have your whole life ahead of you. This is my past and not yours."
"It's okay, Dad." Hilary stood, then leaned down and gently kissed his forehead. "I'm not taking it, but what I gave you should help you get through it."
"You are a wonderful young woman, Hilary. Your mom and I are proud of you." Kaidan smiled up at her.
With a grin, Hilary helped her father to his feet. "Thanks, Dad... but you should get some rest now. I could feel how tired you are, and Mom's already asleep."
"Thank you, Hilary." Kaidan nodded his thanks to his daughter. "How about we both go upstairs and get some sleep?" He asked her with a smile as he rose from the crate to lead her to the elevator.