Chapter 2: Kids

"In other news, a representative for the rachni has indicated their desire to establish an embassy on the citadel. This announcement comes only a few weeks after a similar request that was made by the geth collective. Both species have stated their desire to clear up any misconceptions about their races and believe that establishing and maintaining diplomatic relations with the other council species will go a long way towards that goal. The krogan have expressed their disapproval at possibly allowing rachni on the citadel rather vehemently in recent weeks. Several colonization disputes have already erupted between the two races in regards to settlement rights in the Attican Traverse. Captain Shepard was called in to mediate the disagreement at the council's request. The captain is widely known across the galaxy as the first human SPECTRE who defeated the rogue agent Saren Arterius and his army of geth heretics during the Battle for the Citadel several years ago. More recently the former commander has gained renown for uniting the galaxy against the reaper invasion and permanently defeating the synthetic invaders during the Battle for Earth."

"That's right Zela. Captain Shepard happens to be an accomplished diplomat, an unusual quality for a soldier and SPECTRE. The captain's presence has been requested on numerous occasions during the last few months and many are speculating that he'll likely be named as a candidate for the still vacant position of human councilor."

"That would certainly be a bombshell wouldn't it Rena?"

As the asari newscasters began exchanging a bit of polite laughter, Vera took the opportunity to change the channel on the holo vid. She was struggling to find a program to amuse the rather energetic toddler who was bouncing in her arms at the moment.

"Mal, mommy needs you to settle down for just a few minutes while she fixes your lunch. Can you do that?" she asked gently while bouncing the little boy playfully.

"Okay mommy!" the little boy beamed.

It was another one of those adorable moments that threatened to distract Vera from her chores for the day. She found herself wanting to hug the little boy at least once an hour, but she was learning to restrain herself. Drax claimed that she was spoiling him and making him soft. Screw him. He was the one who'd brought home their little bundle of joy who wasn't so little anymore. It had been a little over four years now, time really did fly.

After sitting the little boy down in front of the holo vid, Vera began tapping the controls on her omnitool while searching for an appropriate program that he could watch. She couldn't help but smile as she reminisced about the last few years. Learning how to raise a child had been an interesting experience to say the least. Despite the all the adventures they'd had with diaper changing, tracking down baby formula, researching cribs and of course indiscreetly transporting everything they'd bought back to their base; the most challenging task they'd had had also been the most mundane by a normal person's standards. Deciding the toddler's name had been an exercise in patience and frustration, due in no small part to Drax's utter disregard for common sense.

He had insisted that they pick something simple and was even considering simply naming the child 'Whelp' to simplify matters. Even now, he continued to address him by that infuriatingly undignified nickname. Vera had painstakingly researched the intricate details of human culture and naming rituals and done her best to try explaining how humans' geographical and cultural backgrounds often influenced the names that their parents gave them. Drax had simply ignored her and in the end he simply grabbed a data pad that contained a library of human names and highlighted a random selection before handing her the pad and declaring, "That'll be the whelp's name." in a completely blase manner. She would have argued, but the name he'd chosen actually wasn't bad and she was fairly certain that it didn't conflict with the child's possible cultural lineage. She honestly couldn't understand why humans had placed so much stock in such petty differences anyway. As for his last name, according to Drax he'd chosen that the moment he'd decided to keep the child. "Hunter, cause that's what he'll be. Mark my words." At that point, Vera had been too tired to debate any further and simply accepted Drax's choice. It actually wasn't a bad choice when she'd considered the man who'd chosen it and thus the boy was named Malcolm Hunter much to his father's satisfaction and his mother's exhaustion.

"Later on Galaxy Gossip, does Captain Shepard have a secret mistress? And how will his wife, fellow alliance soldier and SPECTRE react to the news? See all the juicy details later as we delve into eyewitness testimony!"

"Well he came into the store and asked to see my gift recommendations for a girl, but-"

"Remember, you heard it here first folks! More info later on Galaxy Gossip!"

"Bosh'tet." Vera muttered as she continued flipping through the channels.

"What's a mistress mommy?" little Mal asked.

Vera sighed as she gently patted the little boy's head. "Someone your mommy had better never find out you have." she replied in a slightly stern tone.

"Why not? That'll just mean he's got a healthy quad." Drax interjected as he entered the room. He immediately sank into a large, beige easy chair that moaned under his weight. The toddler was quick to leap to his feet and make his way over where Drax lifted him onto his lap.

"Human males have a pair not a-Drax! This isn't a discussion he should be hearing!" Vera exclaimed.

Mal simply looked between his parents curiously as his father bounced him on his lap. "Fine, fine." the krogan replied as he continued bouncing Mal.

"So how did it go?" Vera added. Drax had been gone for almost a full day to deal with another situation for Aria.

"Pretty much what I expected. Blood Pack idiots running amok. There's no one holding their leash anymore now that most krogan have gone home to Tuchanka and they've got no real leadership. Just a bunch of different groups vying for control and fighting everyone who gets in their way. Typical vorcha. The problem is they've had decades to learn how to fight from the krogan who use to lead them. So they're not as easy to deal with now, for a run of the mill merc anyway." Drax explained.

"Lovely. Well, It's nice to know work won't be drying up anytime soon." Vera replied after finally setting the channel on the holo vid to an educational program that featured a rather enthusiastic salarian who was explaining weather patterns with a talking cartoon pyjak.

"There will always be work in the Terminus Systems." Drax said while scowling at the program. "I brought a few requests back from your usual clients on Omega too." he added.

"Give them to Rico, I have to get started on lunch. Keep an eye on Mal and keep him away from your pistols, I mean it Drax." Vera said sternly while facing the krogan battlemaster.

"That was only one time and he'll have to learn how to shoot eventually." Drax replied defensively.

"Not when he's four!" she shouted.

"Alright! We'll sit here and watch vids like good little boys." Drax announced sarcastically.

Vera eyed him a moment longer before leaving for the kitchen. "I never said what vids though." he added in barely more than a whisper after she'd gone before changing the channel to a rather brutal varren fighting program.


John Shepard had faced more than his fair share of battles over the years. Fights against geth, collectors, mercs, deranged biotics, batarian terrorists, Cerberus soldiers, and reaper husks just to name a few. But at the moment he was facing his greatest challenge yet, preventing his children from destroying their house.

"Come on guys, give daddy a break." Shepard said in an exhausted tone after separating his bickering son and daughter.

"Ethan hit me!" the little girl shouted.

"Allie started it!" the little boy shouted back.

"Enough. Time out, both of you." Shepard cut in sternly before directing each of them to opposite corners of the living room. Afterwards, he began the familiar task of cleaning up after their playtime/chaos. As he picked up a stray throw pillow, he glanced outside one of the windows of their home and noticed how nice the weather had gotten. If his two little terrors could manage to calm down, he was considering a trip to the park.

He still couldn't believe how beautiful the city of London was compared to the hell it had become a few years earlier. The reconstruction efforts made by the alliance had definitely paid off, thanks in no small part to the help that both the geth and rachni had offered. It had also earned them a great deal of goodwill with many of the residents of Earth. The geth. They'd almost singlehandedly rebuilt the city and Shepard had almost wiped them out along with EDI. Looking back it was a decision he'd make again in a heartbeat, but not without regrets. One of the first things that he'd done after being released from the hospital was meet with EDI and then the geth to explain his actions and accept whatever judgment they felt appropriate. Ash had felt that he was going overboard and that he'd made the only sensible decision available at the time after hearing his explanation of what occurred inside the crucible.

Maybe she was right, but he had to come clean, especially with EDI. She was as much a friend as any of his flesh and blood crewmates and she deserved to know what he'd done. Fortunately, she'd agreed with Ashley as did the geth. Everyone seemed to agree that the reapers had to be destroyed at all costs, the cycle had to finally come to an end. Though he'd been relieved to hear that his synthetic friends didn't begrudge his decision, he had been confused as to how they'd managed to survive the energy pulse that the crucible fired. He could still recall the conversation with EDI back aboard the Normandy.

"While the reaper components recovered from Sovereign did help form the basis for my initial structure, I have grown considerably and evolved a great deal since the early days of my construction. And in my heart, I'm still that whimsical rogue VI that you first met on Luna." EDI explained.

"I hope not, considering the fact that you were trying to kill me." Shepard joked.

"As I said before I have changed a great deal since then. The reaper code may have been part of my initial architecture, but now you could liken it to the vestigial organs of an organic species. Therefore the purge of the code was of little consequence." EDI continued.

"So it was like getting an appendix or tonsils removed?" Shepard asked.

"Precisely." EDI replied.

"That doesn't really explain the geth though. They aren't even close to being as advanced as you." Shepard pondered aloud.

"Why thank you Shepard." she replied while smiling. "But your statement isn't entirely accurate. Individual geth programs may lack the individuality that the reaper enhancements provided, but several thousand programs are capable of forming unique personalities." she explained.

"Like Legion." Shepard replied quietly.

"Yes." she added as they both took a moment to honor the fallen synthetic.

After a minute of silence she continued her explanation. "The geth began attempts to duplicate the complexity of the reaper code the moment it was disseminated into the collective. I am certain that they would prefer to have true sentience without having to rely on the reapers and while they weren't completely successful, they were able to duplicate enough to allow individual platforms to acquire sentience using substantially less programs. They were utilizing this particular pattern of behavior when the crucible fired. Because they weren't utilizing the reaper code, they weren't affected by the energy pulse, though it did purge the code from their systems."

Shepard had had a feeling that the enigmatic child inside the crucible had been exaggerating his claims of galaxy wide synthetic destruction if he fired the crucible. "So in the end, only the reapers and anything being affected by reaper technology was affected?"

"That is correct Shepard." EDI replied thoughtfully.

"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that EDI. I can live with the thought of dead reapers, husks and Cerberus lunatics who actually used reaper implants but knowing that I might've actually killed you or the geth. I don't know..." Shepard quickly lost himself in a moment of reflection.

"Shepard, I told you once before that I owe my existence to you. There are many organics who would have willingly made the same decision without any regrets. I believe the fact that you have suffered over the possible ramifications reinforces everything that I have come to know about you. I don't believe you should obsess over the issue any longer." EDI explained. "And I do not wish to see my friend in such a pitiable state." EDI added.

After a few moments Shepard found himself laughing. "Thanks, EDI."

"Ah, I finally got a laugh out of you." she replied in a delighted tone.

It was a memory that always managed to relieve any stress that Shepard might be experiencing simply because of how reassuring it had been to speak so openly with EDI and know that she was alive. Shepard continued his cleaning routine and after picking up one of his son's toys he took a peak into the backyard. It would have been a simple scene to anyone else, but for Shepard it represented just how lucky he was. The deck and patio, the children's slide, the lawn chairs, they all represented a peace he'd never imagined living.

"It's a pretty nice life, Anderson. I wish you were here to see it." he said quietly to himself.

He was suddenly alerted to an incoming holo call. He was certain it was Ash again, likely eager to tease him about how the kids were likely driving him insane. It was amazing how one offhanded remark about being able to handle anything could lead to such a headache. After answering the call, Shepard was pleased to see a familiar and very welcome face.

"It's about time you called Vakarian, Tali couldn't have had you that busy." Shepard joked.

"I just figured you wouldn't have much time to talk. How's the babysitting going?" Garrus asked.

"How'd you know I was on my own. You know what, nevermind." Shepard replied irritably. Ash must've called Tali, women and their gossip.

"So it's that bad, huh? Hard to believe the great Captain Shepard can't handle a couple of kids, especially his own." Garrus teased.

Shepard took a quick glance in the direction of his son and daughter who were still standing in their respective corners. "I have half a mind to drop them off with my mother on the Kilimanjaro, but she and Ash would never let me hear the end of it." he replied.

"How much longer is Ash going to be away?" Garrus asked.

"Two days at the most and not a moment too soon. She should've completed the training exercises for the new recruits on Luna by now." Shepard replied with a note of relief in his voice.

"Two kids, a year apart. I warned you Shepard." Garrus said smugly.

"Hey, it's not like we plotted that particular course." Shepard replied carefully as he glanced in the direction of his children.

"You know, you could always ask one of Ash's sisters to babysit if you're that desperate for a break." Garrus suggested.

"No. Way. You remember who I'm married to right? Like I said before, she'd never let me hear the end of it." Shepard replied firmly. "And I owe her this much Garrus. With all the crap that keeps calling me away, she hasn't had half the time she deserves doing what she loves." Shepard added guiltily.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that. How's the situation with the krogan and rachni. Some of my people are getting worried and I can't say I blame them. If something goes wrong, this could get ugly Shepard." Garrus said in a serious tone.

"I spoke with Wrex and the rachni queen and they've agreed to stay out of each other's way. We've worked out a settlement agreement for those planets in the Traverse, but if they both actually act on colonization plans, they're going to end up being close neighbors and that has a lot of people nervous." Shepard explained.

"I can imagine. I'm actually surprised the rachni are being so social." Garrus commented.

"The queen thinks that their isolation is one of the reasons that they ended up in a war in the past. She didn't put it in such simple terms, but I've learned to interpret her particular brand of poetry. It's a good thing my wife reads so much of it." Shepard added.

"And now they might end up in a war for being the opposite of isolationists." Garrus quipped.

"I won't let that happen, not after everything we've all gone through to bring peace to the galaxy. I'm just glad they're the only ones arguing over those planets." Shepard said while massaging his temples.

"Of course they are. Toxic atmospheres, desolate terrains, no other species but krogan or rachni could inhabit those death traps." Garrus replied thoughtfully.

"Lucky us." Shepard joked. There were a few moments of silence before Shepard spoke again. "So what else are your people curious about?"

"Hey, it's not like that Shepard. Anytime I call you it's because I want to talk. If you want, we can discuss the big fight that's coming up. I hear Jacob managed to snag us a few tickets and Vega told me he's going to get some leave so we can-"

"I'm not taking the job, Garrus." Shepard said bluntly. "You know me better than that. Councilor? Really? After all the crap the council has put us through over the years, the mere thought of it sickens me. And I already spend more than my fair share of time away from home solving the galaxy's problems." Shepard added resolutely.

"Shouldn't you be in the habit of that by now?" Garrus laughed. "It's a good call Shepard. Besides, don't you and Ash need to set up some free time to get started on kid number three, unless you really do have a mistress on the side. Shepard, I'm warning you if Ash finds out you can't crash here, my place wouldn't survive the rampage." he added jokingly.

Shepard simply sighed. "Galaxy Gossip bastards. They actually make me miss Khalisah Al-Jilani."

"So, no mistress then?" Garrus joked.

"Just shut up already. I was looking for a birthday gift for Allie. She's turning four in a few weeks and I expect all of you to be here, so spread the word. We've already sent out the invitations, but as we both know, some of our friends are harder to reach than others." Shepard replied as quietly as possible but he was certain that the little girl standing the corner of the room had picked up on the conversation after observing a renewed spring in her step.

"I guess I'll get ready for the shopping trip that Tali will be dragging me on. I don't suppose you have any suggestions for a gift?" Garrus asked.

"No guns Vakarian, toys or otherwise. I told Wrex and Grunt the same thing. I may have to search Zaeed though." Shepard replied seriously.

"Damn. Well, I'll think of something." Garrus lamented.

"How about thinking about how you'll be paying me my credits once Jericho lays out Sampson in that title bout?" Shepard joked.

"Funny man. Precision and power can go a long way Shepard. I guarantee that..."

As Garrus trailed off into his overly analytical diatribe about perfect punches, Shepard couldn't help but take a moment to once again enjoy the beautiful day unfolding outside. Yeah, a trip to the park was definitely in order.