With Christmas around the corner, I decided to try my hand at a holiday special edition of my fan fictions so I would appreciate any feedback and if you enjoy it, I will try to do it more often. As for the timeline, this is after Mass Effect 1 and after the first bit of Mass Effect 2 (thus after Ghost from the Past and before Ghost of the Present) so expect spoilers for those. Basically, it's filling time after the Collector attack on the Normandy that kills Shepard and after Sid has her new crew. This means, this is a Sid story and doesn't have any Shepard/Normandy crew in it. I also made Sid intentionally less crazy than what she is in Ghost of the Present as she is still dealing with Shepard's loss.

The Ghost Who Stole Christmas

Sid was sitting in the pilot's chair of the Hermes with her feet resting on the consoles. If Ace saw her sitting like this, he would throw a fit. That was probably one of the reasons why it was so comfortable – it would annoy the hell out of him. She was staring out the front window, admiring the dark vortex of space. There was something calming about being in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. The rest of the crew were in their quarters, sleeping, and Sid was enjoying the peace and quiet.

Ever since the Normandy had been destroyed in a surprise attack and taking Commander Jo Shepard down with it, Sid had been having trouble sleeping. It wasn't like she had gotten a full eight hours since she was a kid but this was different. Her mind was constantly replaying the attack, how quickly they were overwhelmed and trying to figure out why they were attacked. It had been over a year and it still didn't make sense. No one had any answers either. It was maddening.

A nearby console softly chimed and she glanced over at it. It had just struck midnight and she finally noticed the date. It was getting close to Christmas and she knew the others were itching to decorate the ship. Christmas had never been Sid's favourite holiday. Even growing up on Mindoir, it sucked. The gifts they exchanged would always prove how little her family knew about her and even though the idea of Christmas and gift giving had trickled down into the other alien races, Batarians weren't exactly the sharing and spreading joy type. And on top of all that, Sid had just lost the three most important people in her life. Talk about festive.

She could picture it now. Gambit and Ace would hang decorations (the former somehow getting his hands on questionable and inappropriate ones), Chef would cook up a perfect feast, Angel would pass around those ridiculous paper crowns, Ricochet would concoct some version of eggnog that resembled rocket fuel and Wisp would get them singing Christmas carols. That only left Wolf and since he was a recent addition to the crew, Sid had no idea how he would feel about the holidays. Sid only knew she didn't want to be a part of it but she also couldn't stand in their way. Just because she was their captain didn't mean they always had to agree with her.

Sid readjusted her seat to relieve her numb bum and then sighed when the long range communications console started to chirp at her. Typical. Just as she got nice and comfortable, there was a call coming through. She got up and walked over to the console and activated her omni-tool to analyse the call. It appeared to be an Alliance frequency. Only two people called from the Alliance these days – Captain Anderson and Admiral Hackett – and it was never just to say hi.

"Alliance Errand Service," Sid answered the call with a sickly peppy tone. "What disaster can I avert for you today?"

"Sydney," Admiral Hackett greeted irritably. It was probably a good thing that this was voice only – Sid imagined whatever scowl he had would be impressive. "I have a job for you."

Sid resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm doing fine, thanks for asking."

Admiral Hackett sighed, probably wishing he could have made someone else have this conversation for him. Too bad the whole secrecy thing was his idea. "This is serious."

"It always is, Admiral," Sid replied.

"An Alliance scientist has turned traitor and stolen some highly classified weapon schematics," Admiral Hackett explained. "We need you to find him and retrieve the schematics."

"Isn't 'highly classified' Alliance code for 'morally questionable'?" Sid asked innocently.

Admiral Hackett apparently decided that ignoring her comments and questions would speed this up. "Ideally, it is preferred that the scientist is taken into custody however, as his actions are treason, no one will question if he turns up dead. The weapons schematics are the priority."

"You're giving me permission to kill a scientist?" Sid asked incredulously. "That sounds more like Cerberus and less like the Alliance."

"These weapons schematics are too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands, Sydney. They must be retrieved at any cost," Admiral Hackett snapped.

Sid didn't answer immediately as she wondered what Jo would have to say about this. "I'll get it done, Admiral."

"You better. Hackett out."

Sid raised an eyebrow. It was clear someone else wasn't in a festive mood either. She returned to the pilot's seat and activated the small galaxy map that was located on the terminal that separated the pilot and co-pilot chairs. She pondered her options for a few moments. Where would a treasonous Alliance scientist go to sell stolen weapons plans? And then she sighed. This was a waste of time. Of course it would be Omega. It was always Omega. Only the really daft criminals tried anything on the Citadel Station. With C-Sec breathing down everyone's necks, you had a better chance of getting arrested.

Sid selected Omega as the destination and let the auto-pilot take over. Her omni-tool pinged and she opened the email from Admiral Hackett. It was the file on the scientist – Dr Joseph Rogers. He was born on Eden Prime and left to join the Alliance when they offered to cover his studying costs (this was quite a few years before the geth invasion). He eventually studied at Harvard on Earth. The only thing more boring than this man's file was the thesis attached to the email. Sid seriously hoped Admiral Hackett didn't expect her to read that.

It was strange though. For a man who willingly joined the Alliance and who owed them so much, it didn't make sense that he would turn traitor. The people who signed up for revenge or to kill stuff or for the recognition, those people Sid would understand. This guy? Not so much. Still, she wasn't getting paid to understand him. Sid paused. She actually wasn't getting at all, come to think of it. It was either work for Hackett and Anderson or get thrown in prison and there wasn't a whole lot she could do to prepare for the Reapers from prison.

By the time the Hermes reached Omega, the crew was awake and they had been briefed. As always, Sid gave them an option. Since they hadn't agreed to work for the Alliance like she had and they all had some sort of bad history with the Alliance, she would never force them to be a part of this job. They could choose to be involved or they could choose to do nothing, no questions asked and no consequences. They had all offered to provide support if she needed it, which Sid appreciated, but for the time being, she could do it alone.

Since it was Omega, Sid's first stop needed to be Afterlife. It was just good business to let Aria know that she was here working on a deal. For most people, Aria would demand a cut or a piece of the action. When it came to Sid though, Aria only ever requested that no one working for her was killed. So Sid headed for the nightclub and bypassed the impatient line. As soon as she entered however she stopped dead in her tracks and looked around with a sense of dread. Why did Asari always have to outdo everyone?

"I had no idea Aria was a Christmas person," Gambit observed from Sid's shoulder.

Sid grimaced. "It looks like she murdered elves that bled Christmas decorations."

Gambit laughed. "Most people pull that face on their first trip to a regular Afterlife."

The walls that usually played videos of flames up the sides now also displayed snowflakes falling into the flames. The bar counter had cheerful Christmas trees covered in glitter and alternating in green and red hanging along them. Tinsel covered anything that could hold it in various colours – green, red, gold, silver, pink. Those round hanging balls were everywhere. The usual club lights that flashed over the crowds were now available in Christmas colours. The Afterlife dancers were even wearing Santa hats. Then Sid's eyes drifted over to Aria's little overlook. The glass that surrounded Aria's sofa had little pictures stencilled on them in fake snow.

Sid's grimace only grew. "It looks like a snowman barfed."

Gambit only laughed harder. "What does it say about you when the Queen of Afterlife has a better Christmas spirit than you?"

"That the whole galaxy really is going bat shit crazy?" Sid offered.

Gambit placed his hand on her shoulder. "Keep telling yourself that, Scrooge. I'll be at the bar if you need backup."

Sid scoffed and continued to make her way towards Aria and lowered herself into an empty spot on the sofa, sill eying the frosted glass. She really had no idea what she was supposed to say to this.

"Sid," Aria greeted in her usual manner. "How's the new Phoenix persona going?"

She finally looked away from the Christmas decorations only to find Aria was wearing a Santa hat as well. "Hat… Great, I mean," Sid answered and laughed nervously, trying to hide the fact that the image of Christmas Aria would be burned into her brain forever. "Just great."

Aria gave her a sideways look. "I do believe this is the first time I've ever seen you nervous. You don't like what I've done with the place?"

"Uh…" Sid had no idea how to answer that. Either she lied and Aria could tell and she would be offended or Sid could tell the truth and Aria would be offended. "I just wasn't expecting it."

"You look like you could use a drink," Aria decided. "We've completely redone the menu. The Thessian Tinsel is selling quite well or you could order the Secret Santa, let the bartender decide."

Sid's eye involuntarily twitched. "Um… whatever's the strongest."

Aria gestured to one of her guards. "Get two Jolly Jello Shots, would you?"

The guard nodded and ran off towards the bar and Sid couldn't stop herself from thinking if she had died and this was her own private hell. After a few minutes, the guard returned with the drinks and handed one to each. Sid recognised the tiny drink as an asari favourite. Sure, it was small but it hit like a shotgun. Aria made a toast to the festive season and Sid was so caught off guard, she nearly forgot to drink. The alcohol made her tummy warm but her mind was still far too sharp to process this holiday hell. They placed their empty glasses on the table and Aria regarded Sid again.

"So, what brings you back to Omega?"

"Business," Sid answered. "I'm going after a bounty – an Alliance traitor."

"Interesting," Aria commented. "Branching out from smuggling?"

Sid shrugged. "I do have a crew to feed, bills to pay."

Aria laughed. "You? Pay bills?"

"Wait, did I say bills? I meant bar tabs," Sid corrected.

"That sounds more like it," Aria replied. "Do whatever you need, as long as you don't start a fight in my club."

Sid thanked Aria for her blessing and her time and then made her way back to Gambit. The bartender had just handed him some girly looking drink in a martini glass but Sid didn't particularly care as she took it from him and downed it in seconds.

Gambit eyed her for a second. "Y'know, if you wanted a Winter Warmer, all you had to do was ask."

Sid frowned. "We're on a space station, Gambit. There is no winter."

Gambit grinned. "Your meeting go that badly with Aria?"

"What? No. The meeting went fine," Sid answered.

"Then why are you resorting to stealing my drinks?" Gambit asked.

"Aria was wearing a Santa hat," Sid explained. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to take her seriously and not offend her?" She exhaled. "After this, every time I see her, that's all I am going to be able to picture."

"You're lucky she likes you then," Gambit said with a soft laugh.

Sid huffed in annoyance. "I kind of miss the old Afterlife."

"The Afterlife where people were just as likely to kill you as buy you a drink? You don't like the new Afterlife where everyone wants to buy you a Secret Santa?" Gambit asked and it was obvious he was trying hard not to laugh.

Sid narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance and then leaned forward to get the bartender's attention. "He's covering my tab."

Gambit's amusement faded the moment the bartender took payment. "What-? How did you manage to get a tab so high?"

"Drinking," Sid answered with a shrug. "Besides, I thought the holidays were all about the giving spirit."

"Touché," Gambit replied. "So now what?"

"We wait," Sid answered and got comfy on the bar stool. "Our target's bound to show up sooner or later."

Gambit ordered another drink – a Snowflake Sour – and then turned to face her. "What makes you so sure?"

Just then, a man in his fifties with greying hair and wearing glasses came into the nightclub, looking around in a hurry. He was wearing clothes that were usually worn by farmers but there was no mistaking him. That was definitely Dr Joseph Rogers.

"A hunch," Sid answered with a smirk of her own.

Gambit smiled and shook his head. They made it look like they were having a conversation while watching the dancers when, in reality, they were actually keeping an eye on the scientist. The last thing they needed was to spook him… or spook him more. From the looks of it, he was already pretty frazzled as he haphazardly made his way around the room and Sid figured it wasn't the shock of an Omega Christmas. He eventually found himself at the bar, standing next to Sid, huffing and puffing.

"What can I get ya?" the bartender asked.

"Help," Dr Rogers wheezed.

The bartender sighed in annoyance. "Sorry, we only serve Santa's Helpers to krogan."

Sid momentarily forgot about the task at hand and looked at Gambit to see if she had heard that right. He was smirking and only shrugged in response. That was probably one of the weirdest things she'd ever heard and considering half the things that came out her mouth, that was saying something.

"No, no," the scientist argued, breathlessly. "Not a drink. Help."

"We can help," Gambit smoothly interjected.

Sid managed to look bored. "For a price, of course."

"I can pay you," Dr Rogers confirmed.

"Great," Sid replied. "What d'you need?"

Dr Rogers dropped his voice to a whisper. "Not here."

Sid and Gambit exchanged a glance but motioned for him to follow them. They headed out the door, past the ever growing queue to get in and then stopped walking a short distance away from Afterlife. Dr Rogers looked around to confirm they weren't being watched and yet, he still insisted on speaking in a whisper.

"Are you sure it's safe here?"

Sid folded her arms across her chest. "This is Omega. If you wanted safe, you should have gone to the Citadel."

"What's the job?" Gambit asked bluntly.

"I-I-I made a terrible mistake," the scientist stammered.

Sid suddenly didn't like where this was going. "What kind of mistake?"

"I trusted the wrong people and now I need to get my stuff back," Dr Rogers admitted with very few details.

Sid pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She should have known this was too easy. "This have anything to do with the weapons schematics you stole from the Alliance?"

Dr Rogers paled and slowly started to back away. "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"You can take your chance with them," Sid said and pointed in the direction of Afterlife. "But they're more likely to kill you than help." When the scientist looked like he was about to panic, Sid sighed. "Look, I'm having a rough year and the last thing I want to think about is Christmas. I just spent an hour in a tinsel fuelled nightmare. I really want to shoot something. Is it going to be you?"

"You-you-you can't shoot me," Dr Rogers replied shakily. "I'm too important to the Alliance."

"Not according to Admiral Hackett," Sid retorted. "You've officially been labelled a traitor of the Alliance."

It took a moment for that to sink in. "I am?"

Apparently being labelled as a traitor never crossed his mind so Sid had to wonder why he did it. "What's going on?"

"We were developing a weapon to fight against synthetic enemies," Dr Rogers explained. "Top secret. Small circle. No one but the highest people knew. But I got frustrated. After my home was invaded and nearly destroyed by the geth, why are we keeping it a secret? Colonies could use the weapon to protect themselves, prevent another Eden Prime."

"But I'm guessing the higher ups didn't share your vision?" Sid asked. "So you stole the schematics."

"Not… just the schematics," Dr Rogers admitted and nervously started to wring his hands. "I also took the working prototype."

"Admiral Hackett failed to mention that," Sid muttered.

"So where is this prototype?" Gambit asked. "I'm guessing you're not hiding it in your pants."

"I was looking for safe passage to Eden Prime," Dr Rogers said. "But I didn't have enough credits so they beat me up and took the prototype."

Sid paused for a moment. "They?"

"Pirates," Dr Rogers mumbled, hoping they wouldn't hear it.

Sid exhaled slowly but it was Gambit who responded. "But it's a prototype. How bad could it be?"

"Very bad," Dr Rogers admitted. "It hasn't been authorised for production because it's too effective against synthetics and organics. It was intended to work as a localised EMP burst to deactivate synthetics but the voltage is too high and vaporises anything within range.

"Shit," Sid and Gambit said in unison.

"And now Project Christmas is in the hands of pirates," Dr Rogers lamented sadly.

Sid paused. "Hold up. What did you call it?"

"Project Christmas," Dr Rogers answered.

"Why would you call it that?" Sid asked, almost offended.

"Because it's meant to light the synthetic bastards up like a Christmas tree," Dr Rogers explained.

Gambit started to laugh, despite the severity of the situation. "A weapon named after Christmas is stolen just before Christmas Day and now needs to be recovered by the one person in the entire galaxy who hates Christmas?" He doubled over, he was laughing so hard.

Sid rolled her eyes. "I'm glad this amuses you so much. Get this genius to the Hermes and call the crew back."

"What are you going to do?" Gambit asked as he wiped away tears.

"I'm going to see a Batarian about a boat," Sid answered.

Sid gathered her crew in the common room of the Hermes. They weren't fancy like the Normandy so they didn't have a conference room or meeting room but there was enough space for everyone. The common room had the kitchen, a dining table with chairs and some sofas in a half circle around a monitor that served as television, communications and surveillance equipment. Wolf was casually leaning against one of the kitchen counters while the rest were seated at the dining room table with Sid standing with her face towards the crew and her back towards the cockpit.

"So… everyone up to date on the situation?" Sid asked.

"An Alliance scientist got frustrated with red tape, stole a devastating prototype weapon and let in fall into the hands of pirates but did it out of the goodness of his heart?" Ace summed up.

"Yep," Sid confirmed.

"Where's the scientist now?" Angel asked.

"In the brig," Sid answered.

Wisp frowned. "We have a brig?"

Sid inclined her head to the side. "Not exactly. We locked him up in Gambit's bathroom. I figure that's as punishing as a brig."

There were some muffled laughs and an indignant noise from Gambit. "It's not that bad."

"Chef made fish tacos for dinner last night," Ace pointed out.

Gambit grimaced. "Poor scientist."

"I think we've digressed," Sid interjected. "Point is, we need to recover that weapon. Not because the Alliance said so – because technically they didn't even tell me about it –"

"But because it's the right thing to do," Wisp finished for her.

Sid smiled. "Right."

"Did you ask Hackett about it?" Ricochet asked.

"He failed to tell me about it the first time round, don't see why he would the second time," Sid replied.

"Fair enough."

"Do we even know which pirates have it?" Ace asked.

"The dock master let me look at the security footage," Sid started to explain.

"Wait, the Batarian who always glares at me?" Gambit interrupted. "He helped you?"

"Of course," Sid answered. "I'm more likeable than you." There was some more laughter and once that died down, she continued with her explanation. "It's a relatively new pirate gang called the Nova Brotherhood."

"Never heard of them," Ricochet said.

"Bunch of human assholes from Earth," Wolf finally broke his silence. "They believe the galaxy is the humanity's birth right and go after alien targets – they pillage and burn ships, cities, anything owned by aliens, civilian and military alike."

"They kind of sound like Cerberus," Wisp pointed out.

"My guess is they're Cerberus wannabes that didn't make the cut," Sid replied. "Cerberus is more about the advancement of humanity whereas the Brotherhood only cares about the advancements of their bank accounts."

Chef called them an unflattering word in French and the crew all nodded their agreement.

"Scum like that give the rest of us a bad name," Gambit said.

"So let's go steal Christmas," Sid announced and then groaned when she saw the entire crew grin at her. "I can't believe I just said that."

The mining complex was on some asteroid in the middle of the Terminus Systems and it had been abandoned for a long time. It was an open secret and was often used as a waystation between stops for smugglers and the occasional pirate. There were usually emergency supplies stashed away and you needed to know someone who knew someone to get the password. It seemed like the perfect place to set a trap for a bunch of assholes.

Sid was sitting at one of the old terminals, typing away as she laid the foundations of the trap. Wolf and Gambit were setting booby traps in the forms of mines, sabotaging doors and the like to keep the pirates occupied. Chef and Angel were on the asteroid surface, using a collection of scrap and old ship parts to stage a crash landing. Wisp remained on the Hermes following Sid's instructions. Ricochet was standing close to Sid, babysitting the Alliance's wayward scientist.

"Um… what exactly are we doing?" Dr Rogers asked nervously.

"You mean besides saving your ass?" Ricochet replied with a sideways look.

Dr Rogers chuckled nervously. "Yeah."

Sid didn't look up from the terminal. "We're setting a trap." When he made an impatient noise in reply, she sighed. "We're faking a Salarian merchant crash, complete with Salarian distress call to lure the Nova Brotherhood in. Once they've landed, we lock them in and retrieve the gun from their ship."

"This seems a little excessive, though," Dr Rogers commented.

Sid stopped typing and rotated the chair to face him with an annoyed look on her face. "You told us that gun vaporises people. Do you want to get vaporised?"

Dr Roger's eyes widened in panic. "No!"

"Great. Neither do we so we don't plan on giving them an opportunity to use it," Sid explained impatiently and returned her focus to the terminal. "And just keep in mind, if you try to run or do anything other than just stand there quietly, Ricochet will shoot you."

"Right," Dr Rogers replied shakily. "Why Salarians?"

"Well, for one, Salarian merchants are popular out here," Sid answered.

"And two, they make easy targets," Gambit answered.

"What?" Dr Rogers asked.

"He means they're squishy," Wolf growled irritably.

Sid smirked as she heard Dr Roger's inhale sharply. For a man who stole a weapon and intended to use it, he really didn't have much of a back bone. A part of her didn't appreciate having to clean up his mess, especially since all he did was stand around and cower or complain. The other part of Sid was just grateful for something else to think about. It was difficult trying to set up this particular trap. It needed to look like an easy target without being too easy and not too perfect for them so they wouldn't get suspicious. Sid was lucky she had so much experience being suspicious that she knew what not to do.

"Place is booby trapped, Cap," Gambit announced when he came through the door, Wolf following closely.

"Why didn't we leave him on the ship?" Wolf asked and gestured to the scientist.

"Because I don't trust him," Sid admitted bluntly. "And I don't want anyone messing with my chair. I got it just the way I like it."

"Hey," Dr Rogers suddenly protested. "I did this to protect people."

"And a hell of a job you did," Sid replied. "Remind who has the gun now?"

"And you're so high and mighty for a bunch of criminals," the scientist spat angrily.

Sid half smiled. "Well, these criminals are doing more to save lives than you, Dr Dipshit." Then she looked over her shoulder at him. "Unless you have a better plan for sorting this out?" When the scientist just gaped at her, she looked back at the terminal. "That's what I thought."

"Cap, the scene has been set," Angel said over the radio.

"Great, I'm almost done here. Return the shuttle to the Hermes and then pick us up," Sid ordered.

Sid added the last few lines of code she needed and then brought up her omni-tool to sync and allow her to control the terminal remotely. Once that was done, she led the others back to the Hermes and then found a nearby spot to land. They deactivated all unnecessary systems and anything that would draw power, aside from the absolute minimum to make sure no scans would pick them up. Once they triple checked everything, Sid activated the Salarian distress call she created from her omni-tool and it became a waiting game.

Without power to anything and nothing else to do, they resorted to playing card games with the cards Gambit used to use to hustle soldiers back on Earth. By the fifth game, everyone was starting to get bored. Card games were fun and all but not this long and not when you weren't playing for money. Then Sid's omni-tool pinged and she activated it, aware that everyone had scrambled to stand behind her to watch. The abandoned mine's cameras picked up a ship and Sid, with Wisp's help, managed to confirm it was the Nova Brotherhood ship that left Omega.

They watched in silence as some armed pirates disembarked their ship and approached the doors. Thanks to Sid, the doors didn't open so one of the pirates had to use his omni-tool. Sid used that opening to remotely hack into the omni-tool and copy data relating to their ship. The door opened and as soon as they all stepped inside, Sid locked the door – with better security this time – and then deactivated power to the building. As soon as the pirates reactivated the power – that was a big if in Sid's opinion but still possible – Gambit and Wolf's traps would engage and slow them down.

Within a few moments, Ace and Angel already had everything on the ship reactivated and they were heading straight for the Nova Brotherhood's ship. They landed right next to it. Sid ordered Ace, Angel, Chef and Wisp to mind the scientist. Wolf, Ricochet and Gambit quickly armed themselves and Sid approached the pirate ship. She used her omni-tool to hack into the security systems and Gambit walked up behind and slid her pistol into her holster for her since this required so much concentration.

"I got it," Sid murmured quietly. "Wisp, keep an eye on the pirates and let me know if it looks like they're going to get out."

"Sure thing," Wisp answered.

The hangar ramp slowly lowered and they all readied their guns. Using silent hand signals, Sid issued orders. She and Wolf would go to the left and Gambit and Ricochet would go right. There was likely to be one or two guards left behind. It was what she would do and had done already. And these pairs made sure it was one short range gun and one long range gun. It also ensured Wolf and Gambit didn't annoy each other too much and start an argument.

Sid started to slowly and quietly explore the ship with Wolf a few paces behind. As they neared the front of the ship, she could hear a few voices. The closer she got though it became clearer that there were two distinct voices. She flattened her back against the side of the ship and leaned forward to get a look. She signalled Wolf to stop and that there were two people there. He stopped next to her and quietly handed her a stun grenade which she slowly slid along the floor.

They waited for the bang and the surprised cries before rushing forward. They each grabbed a man from behind and put them in a chokehold. After a few moments, they passed out and they were released to collapse on the floor. As quietly as possible, they tied and gagged them and put them in a corner, out of the way so they wouldn't be immediately noticed. And that's when Sid noticed stairs going up. She followed them and was soon standing on the bridge. She motioned for Wolf to watch her back and then got to work hacking the ship so the pirates wouldn't be able to chase them down.

"We found the crate," Gambit suddenly whispered over the radio.

"Has the scientist confirmed?" Sid asked, just as softly.

"Yep," Gambit replied. "We opened it as well. All in one piece. Looks like the lock was too tricky for them but the scientist's credentials worked for us."

Sid exhaled in relief. "Get it back to the Hermes. Wolf and I will be right along."

"You may want to hurry," Wisp suggested. "It looks like the pirates are getting impatient and have realised it's a trap."

Wolf grunted. "Took them long enough."

Sid did a bit more fiddling with their systems and then completely wiped everything – any trace they had been there, any information they might have had on the weapon, their entire history. Everything. And then she and Wolf headed out, just in time to see Gambit and Ricochet carrying a crate onto the Hermes. And just like that, they were away without the Nova Brotherhood figuring out who had just robbed them. That's what Sid called a good day.

"I hate to admit it but you do good work,"Admiral Hackett complimented reluctantly.

Sid smiled and looked around. They had met up with the Admiral's ship on the edge of Citadel Space and had docked ships. Gambit and Wolf had carried the crate on board while Sid escorted the scientist, complete with datapad containing the schematics that he had stolen as well. While Sid explained everything, Gambit and Wolf returned to the Hermes so she could finish her business. Admiral Hackett looked over the schematics and then turned his piercing gaze on her.

"You didn't copy this, did you?" he asked quietly.

Sid actually scoffed. "Of course not." And then she considered it for a moment. "I'm guessing this is an Alliance attempt at developing a weapon for the Reapers."

"Geth, if you want to get technical," Hackett answered. "But it will probably be scrapped after this. There haven't been any geth attacks since Saren and no one wants to admit the Reapers exist. And now that it fell into pirate hands? No one wanted that to happen but nothing we can do about that now."

Sid didn't reply, only because she figured there was nothing left to say. Her own attempts at a weapon against the Reapers weren't going well either. As she turned to leave, Hackett cleared his throat and passed her a datapad. She frowned as she took it and read it. It was a proof of payment of some credits to her account that she let the Alliance know about.

"Consider it a Christmas bonus," Hackett said.

Sid grimaced at the word. "Thanks."

"You not a fan of Christmas?" Hackett asked.

She shrugged. "It's mostly a reminder of who isn't around anymore. And even as a kid, it just proved how little my family knew about me."

"I think you're missing the point, Sydney," Hackett said.

Sid raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Christmas isn't about the presents or missing the people who aren't around anymore," Hackett explained. "Christmas is about celebrating the people you miss and enjoying the company of those who are still around. You lost Commander Shepard but you still have good memories of her."

"Perhaps," Sid replied slowly. "You have more memories of her than I do."

"Grief isn't a competition," he went on. "Once you lose someone, you feel that loss regardless of who else knew them. Go back to your crew, celebrate with them. It's important to have happy memories while you can still make them."

Sid thanked him for his time and his words and returned to her ship. It had been a long day so she told her crew to rest and she piloted her ship back to the Terminus Systems. As she sat and stared out the window, she considered Hackett's words. There was truth to them. It wasn't about the presents or focusing on feeling that sadness and emptiness of loss. Jo wasn't here. Neither were Kaidan or Joker. But her crew was and it wasn't fair to punish them simply because she missed others.

Sid got to her feet and wandered down to the common area and stopped short of the final step as she stared. It had only been a few hours since she left Admiral Hackett and yet, it looked like someone had pillaged a village of Christmas Elves. Every inch had some form of Christmas decoration, including a tree tucked away. Sid barely recognised her own ship. Her crew members were standing around, wearing various Christmas hats – Santa hats, reindeer antlers, some that played music, some that had flashing lights – and staring at her expectantly.

"Wow," Sid managed.

"We can take them down," Angel offered, even as the others looked disappointed at the suggestion.

"No, no," Sid replied, still trying to process this. "My dislike of Christmas shouldn't ruin yours. It's just so… Wait. Is that an inflatable snowman?"

"And it sings," Gambit exclaimed proudly.

"Wow," Sid repeated, at a loss.

She took that final step into the common room and Chef handed her a cup of eggnog and Wisp snuck up behind her and put on a pair of reindeer antlers. Sid smiled and the others laughed. Wisp was the only one who could have gotten away with that.

"I just wanted to say," Sid decided. "I know I am not the easiest person to get to know or to work for so thank you for choosing to be my family."

There were a lot of smiles and mutual feelings as they toasted each other. Somewhere, a console chimed to indicate it was midnight and now Christmas Day. Jingle Bells started to play somewhere and they all took a sip of their eggnog. Or, rocket fuel as it should have been called. They all – including Chef – started to choke on the strong alcohol which quickly turned into choking laughter as everyone couldn't keep it together.

"Merry Christmas everyone," Sid wheezed.