a/n: Hey guys, been playing with this one for awhile. I hope you like it. Always up for prompts.

-brittsis


They won the war but at great cost. The red light had combed through the galaxy, destroying the Reapers and their army. The geth shut down and the relays damaged. The Normandy and its crew lost. The galaxy's heroes sacrificed for peace. Grief and joy echoed through everyone's hearts as tears were shed. Then the clean up started.

After the Battle for Earth everything was chaos. Dead were innumerable and the injured overflowed the hospitals. Identification became a nightmare and shortcuts were made. Many were never identified or found, considered turned to ash by the Reaper beam. Shepard was one of these. Never found, never buried, and never forgotten.

Ten years later and the galaxy is still limping. The relays were fixed but no longer work the same. No longer does a jump take a few minutes or hours. A simple trip now lasts months at a time. More relays were built in an effort to make shorter jumps. Stations or settlements were constructed. Entire cities now float in space in range of every relay, making pit stops where ships could restock and refuel.

Gradually life is returning to normal. One planet at a time cities are rebuilt and people return. But the scar is still there. Supplies are low and everyone is struggling. Governments started rationing and regulating the rebuilds. Expansion was ground to a halt and ship building was closely monitored. As a result a civilian shipping market flourished. If you had a ship, you could live like a king ferrying people and materials back and forth.


Steven Hackett hated the heat. It stuck to his skin, causing sweat to soak his clothing. The two suns were high in the sky, baking the small city in the middle of nowhere. Guinda was a pit stop, built within minutes of one of the new relays. It was home to a permanent population of approximately sixty people. Their homes circled the docks and trade house to the east. It was the only planet in the system with a livable atmosphere but averaged a one hundred and five degree most of the year. He wouldn't have come but rumors and clues said she'd be here.

His skin tingled and heart ached at the thought of her. Hackett first met Alex Shepard forty years ago. The First Contact war had just finished and his ship docked on earth for leave and repairs. The then Lieutenant Hackett's CO, Commander Daniel Shepard, family came to the dock to great the man. The two year old stood beside her mother, smiling at every soldier that passed. It warmed his heart to see Daniel embrace his family and finally relax. Shepard introduced his squad and Hannah insisted everyone go home for dinner.

Over the years he'd stayed in contact with Hannah, even after her husband was killed in action. He loved them like his own. Alex Shepard grew into one hell of a woman. She had her mother's looks and her father's fire. Alex was quick to laugh and never let anything keep her down for long. Hackett remembered when Hannah called him crying because her baby girl enlisted. Hannah begged him to talk to her, to convince her to stay a civilian.

Alex only smiled at him and patted his cheek, telling him that she was never a civilian and never could be. He watched out for her, making a point to see her whenever possible. It wasn't until she died the first time that he came to a startling realization. Steven Hackett had fallen in love with his friend's daughter.

Steven kept his feelings private. He mourned her loss and supported Hannah. Then she returned a smile still on her lips. The first time he spotted her, his world fell out from under him. Steven was convinced he imagined her. Then she strolled right up to him, patted his cheek, and smiled at him.

Still he didn't reveal his heart. Instead he harbored his feelings and supported her from the shadows. Hackett did everything in his power to help her and prepare. Once again he made an effort to see her whenever possible and fell deeper and deeper in love.

His world shattered as reports came in after the Reaper War. As time went he slowly came to terms that he lost her again. Hackett was sick with grief as causality lists grew. Hannah had passed in the battle and Alex was never found. Everything important to him was gone.

Hackett survived by staying concentrated on work. He aided in the rebuilding and was soon elected Prime Minister. He served for six years, doing his best to forget. Then whispers reached him. Someone spotted Shepard on Tuchanka. Rumor said she was living on Omega. Hearsay hinted that she traveled the galaxy aiding the rebuilds. She became a myth, spread by everyone to raise hope. For a whole year he tried to forget the rumors. He would ignore them and not allow his heart a glimmer of hope. But it wasn't working and he wasn't sleeping.

The 2193 elections came up and Hackett didn't renew his term. He stepped aside, stored his belongings, and left Earth. For three years he searched. Hackett went from system to system often traveling for months to reach his next destination. He hunted down each rumor until he could piece it together.

Somehow Alex had survived and wasn't identified. She left Earth behind and went to Omega, staying there for almost nine months. She worked hard and saved, buying herself a ship. Another two months or hard work and it was space worthy. Named Gryphon, the ship left port with a crew of four. It was a civilian transport and suspected smuggler and was docked here in Guinda. He finally caught up. Or so he hoped.

Hackett hitched his sea bag on his shoulder and pushed through the docks. People crowded the walk way. There were six ships in dock, filling Guinda's dry docks. Seven more circled in orbit, using shuttles to ferry men and supplies back and forth. The local authorities patrolled the docs, checking permits and keeping peace. Captains stood near their ships, monitoring their crew and bartering with clients. Civilians battered for passage and credits exchanged hands. He'd been stopped a few times but he turned every one down. He only wanted one ship.

The Gryphon was docked at the end. Its bays doors open as crates were carried aboard. A young human male stood beside the bay, talking with a volus. He gestured a few times then finally smiled, taking the volus's credit chit. Hackett walked over and dropped his bag at the juvenile's feet.

"Good afternoon, looking for shipping or passage?" The man asked as he made notes on a data pad.

"Passage."

He nodded, "Name?"

"Hackett, Steven."

The kid looked up then, shock in his eyes. "No kidding?"

Hackett only handed the kid a data pad with his travel papers loaded on screen. The kid reviewed the paper work and transferred the data to his own pad. "Well this will be an interesting trip. Where you heading Admiral Hackett?"

"Earth."

The kid nodded, "The long trip then. We'll be heading that way but not directly. We've got a stop at Palavan, Omega, Irune, and a few others. Earth is the last destination and you're looking at about a year of travel, if we don't get any trouble."

Hackett raised a brow, "You normally have trouble?"

The kid shrugged, "Depends on the seas Admiral. Could be we run into pirates or slavers. Or we get to one of our stops and there's a wait list for docking. Or we get somewhere and the authorities decide to do a spot check for contraband, not that they'll find any."

Hackett watched the sly grin curve his lips and wondered if the rumors on smuggling were true. "How much?"

"Well," the kid drew out. "We've got four guest rooms, two have already been booked. The volus booked the smallest and cheapest and an asari already claimed another. That leaves the honeymoon suite and the green room. The green room has a bunk and locker, not much room for anything else. It shares the community bathroom with the other guests. The honeymoon, on the other hand, has a bit more leg room. It sports its own washroom and a full size bed. Only room bigger is the Captain's and she's not one to share. Seeing as you're in for the long haul…"

Hackett grinned. The kid was hinting that he could get the larger room. It would cost more but would be less likely to aggravate cabin fever. But Hackett was use to cramped quarters from the Alliance. The green room sounded about the size or a normal officer's quarters. "I'll take the green room."

The kid sighed and shook his head, "If you're sure…. Okay we're looking at about twenty thousand credits. That includes food, room and board, and any activities we provide."

Hackett was impressed. They were close to the veil and Earth was a long ways away. Most ships would charge thrice that for a bunk for a long tripper. "Deal."

The kid took his payment and shook his hand. "Welcome to the Gryphon, Sir. Name's Christopher, but everyone calls me Chris. I'm the ship's engineer. Captain Willows is out in the city making a few shipping deals but we'll be shipping off at sixteen hundred. Would you like to come aboard now or meet back here later?"

"I'll come aboard now."

Chris nodded and opened the com. "Kiral, one aboard now. Green room, full trip."

"On my way." The comms sounded back.

Chris smiled at him. "I've got to stay out here, Captain's orders. But Kiral is the pilot and she'll show you your room."

"Thank you." Hackett picked his bag up just as a female turian emerged in the docking bay.