Kaidan's son was crying.
He hadn't been. In fact when his restless father had crept into the room to check on him, he'd been fast asleep. However, in a gesture of fatherly affection, Kaidan Alenko had reached out to stroke his young son's dark hair, and accidentally shocked him with an electrostatic discharge. Such a small injury, but still it broke Kaidan's heart to have caused it.
"That's the curse of being a biotic, son," he breathed resignedly as he picked up the little human to cradle him in his arms. He knew his son would most likely manifest biotic powers. The mutation was in Kaidan's genome. It was also in his mother's.
"At least your parents have the luxury of knowing what will become of you, instead of worrying if you'll be crippled or develop a brain tumor."
It was true. The new generation of biotics were being born into their powers instead of developing them from accidental exposure to element zero. (Kaidan was cynical enough to notice the dramatic decrease in "accidental" exposures since it was discovered that biotic parents had a good chance of passing their powers onto their children.) And while he was grateful that his son was not at risk for the same side effects he was after his exposure to the unstable element, the worrying and the wondering had tortured his own parents after his exposure, he also knew that the boy had a rough road ahead of him, and that static shocks would be the least of his troubles. Somehow, he didn't think the slowly increasing number of humans with biotic powers was going to substantially stem the prejudice his son would face.
"Don't worry little one. You have two parents who will understand what it means to be a biotic in this world and we will never be afraid of you...Though you may learn to fear mother's cooking. Never trust anything that doesn't come out of the food dispenser."
"Is that so?" Came the familiar female voice of his wife. She had silently snuck into the room during his reverie. He turned to see her standing in the doorway, her red hair splashing down over a loose fitting, plain shirt that hung over a pair of equally loose fitting sweat bottoms. She wore a bemused look, but the challenge in her voice reminded him that not so many years ago, the same woman wore skin tight battle armor, had her hair cut short, brushing just under her chin, and that if he looked closely in the dim light, the evidence of more than a few fights still graced her face around her lower lip and right eye.
Undeterred, Kaidan continued, "Kyler, when you told me you wanted to make an old-earth recipe your parents passed down to you, I didn't realize that you'd grown weary of our attachment and were going to try to give me a heart attack with something I can only describe as, meat with so much spice in it I could no longer discern what animal it came from."
"You mean, chili."
"What a misleading name."
"Is that why you're up so late, lover?"She asked peering over his shoulder at their now contented son.
"I wish it was. I just... I woke up feeling uneasy. Like something was wrong. I checked the door to see if it was locked, I checked to see if I'd left something on, forgotten something, I tried to check on little one here," Kaidan lifted there son, "but just ended up waking him."
"Hmmm..." Kyler mused, "Per chance I should go get out the old pistol."
"Why's that," Kaidan lifted an eyebrow quizzically.
"Because in all the years I've known you Kaidan, you're the only man who ever made me start to believe the urban legends that biotics could read minds and tell the future."
Kaidan was about to return with a quip of his own when there was a loud knock on the front door to their living unit.
"Stay here," Kaidan said trying to pass their son to her.
Kyler looked at him incredulously. "Have you ever known me to play the damsel in distress?" And with that she playfully skirted out of the room leaving Kaidan and child.
"It's probably just one of the other colonists looking for someone to help with a downed generator or the scanner grid again," she called over her shoulder.
"And that's why the former soldier vice the engineer is answering the door?" He called to her and then more quietly to the charge in his arms, "Mommy is very silly sometimes."
With that he started into the hall to greet the latest frazzled colonist who was there to plead for assistance with whatever was broken this time. He really didn't mind. He knew they all had to pull together to make a go of a colony this inaccessible. It wasn't like back up was just a mass relay away. Besides, he liked being useful.
Being far from civilization had its perks as well. It gave his family a chance to blend in, not be stopped by everyone and their mother who had seen the news vids a few years back. No doubt the news media would have had a field day with his relationship with his former commanding officer. After their return from dark space, Kaidan and Kyler had thought that their notoriety would die down and they could go on with their lives, but it never happened. So they signed up for the most remote new colony on the most austere planet they could find. Kaidan worried that Kyler might not be comfortable with the idea, considering what happened during her childhood on Mindoir, but the tiny little planet on the verge of nowhere turned out to be just what his small family needed. In fact, Torox had begun to feel more like home than anywhere else he and Kyler had been. Whatever it was at the front door, he was sure he was more than equipped to handle it, right until he realized what it was at the front door.
"Shepard," came the booming voice.
Kaidan recognized the voice before he even rounded the corner.