Mali walked through the forest calming herself as the yellow tinges of dawn melted through the sky. She listened to the heartbeats of life around her as she waited till full dawn, and then she turned and went back to the encampment. The gate was open and Mali snuck inside, heading back to the bunkhouse as Cadence was just rising from her bed. "Wow, you're up early." The girl commented as Mali walked in the door. Without a word Mali pulled Cade into a hug, breathing in the scent of the small girl that she loved, trying hard to memorize this feeling so she could save it forever. "Jeez Mali, what are you doing?" Cade asked in surprise, the girls weren't usually this touchy-feely, even after near death experiences.
"I love you Cade, you know that right?" Mali asked, still hugging her.
"Ya Mali, I do. Now can you let me go? I feel like I'm about to puke from all this lovey-dovey stuff." The small girl replied, although for a moment she wrapped her arms around Mali too.
"I don't care, I want you to know that." Mali smiled. Cade shook her head and laughed.
"What has gotten into you this morning?" She asked. Mali hid the streak of sadness that shot through her.
"I'm just excited to leave, is all; are you all packed and ready? Did you remember your underwear and toothbrush?"
"Yes Mom," Cade rolled her eyes. "Let's go grab a bite before we leave and rendezvous with Oliver." Mali chuckled.
"If there's one place we can always find him it's going to be the food court." And sure enough there he was chomping on bacon and eggs in the mess hall with his green army duffle sitting next to him on the floor. The girls dropped their identical bags next to his and got in line for food, then sat down across from him.
"I wasn't expecting to see you all up so early." He smirked at them. Mali growled as she stabbed at a sausage, the early morning starting to get at her.
"Well if they hadn't scheduled the transport for eight freaking A.M. I probably would still be asleep." Mali bit back. Cade snickered.
"What happened to the good mood you were in?" She asked.
"It disappeared when my body caught up with my mind and I realized what time it was." Mali replied, gulping down some orange juice. Truthfully it was because she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep after her nightmare, but they weren't going to know that.
"Alright everybody, transport leaves in five!" The pilot stood up from where he had been eating at a table and made the announcement before throwing his food away and leaving the mess hall. In a frantic rush they all shoveled the last few mouthfuls of food into their mouths and then grabbed their packs and rushed onto the small surface freighter and buckled themselves into seats with their packs at their feet. Across from them Teddy and Sam sat down and smiled a greeting.
"Where are you all headed for your leave?" Oliver asked them. Teddy answered for them.
"Sam's going to Shanxi and I'm bound for Feros. What about you all?"
"All of us are bound for Thessia." Oliver replied. Teddy smiled.
"Explains why you are all so close-but Thessia? Why do you live on the asari home world?"
"We were a part of the NightWall program," Oliver explained, "the training base is there, and coincidentally all of our families also live there." Teddy's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"You never told us you were a part of the Nightwall program…wait…" He took in their appearances with squinted eyes and then he gasped, "Are you three a part of the Sentinel Six who destroyed the reaper Sojourner?!" He asked with excitement. Oliver smiled a little and Mali felt heat rise to her cheeks, she always hated it when someone recognized her.
"Yes, that's us." Cade butted in with pride.
"What?! This whole time I've been hanging out with celebrities? I can't believe it! Where are the other three?" He asked, looking around. Oliver shook his head.
"We are the only three that decided to continue our military careers, you won't find them here."
"Oh…" Teddy looked slightly disappointed but then brightened up and started chatting their ear off about how he was so impressed with what they had done and asked endless questions about the program. Two years ago the Alliance military had undergone a desperate plan to boost their dwindling numbers of N7's and had turned to the streets to find candidates- even if you didn't make it through the training, you still had a good chance of making Lieutenant in the Alliance military. The NightWall program had been designed for any recruits the Alliance had found that were under the legal enlistment age at the time of recruitment. They had to first pass the rigorous training there before being granted exemption from the age requirements of the N7 program. It had become infamous after a reaper husk, controlled by the previously thought dead Kaiden Alenko, had attacked and decimated the training grounds and taken captives to feed to Sojourner at her arrival. The Sentinel Six, six trainees from the camp including them three, had then attacked the reaper and saved the camp, and possibly the galaxy, from total annihilation. Their story had become legend these past two years hence and all six of the teenagers where respected and revered for their bravery and skill.
Word passed quickly through the ship that some of the Sentinels were on board and when they finally touched down in the terminal the three were stuck in front of the bus taking pictures and signing things for their comrades for fifteen minutes, before Mali ungracefully pushed through the crowd and they were free. They sprinted through the terminal toward the small electric shuttle that would take them to the connected docking bay area and they collapsed on the plastic chairs. "Ugh, I hate when that happens. Why'd you let it slip Oliver?" Mali glared at him as she panted. Oliver held up his hands in defeat.
"It just came out, you know me Mali, I'm a straight shooter-I can't tell a lie." Cade snickered.
"Well we might miss our ship because of that." She laughed. When the doors opened they rushed out and toward their ship which was docked, thankfully, only a few hundred meters inside the docking bays and scanned their omni-tool passes just in time before it closed. They rushed up the gangplank as it started to close and quickly found seats before liftoff. Once they were safely in the air they wandered the passenger's level till they found their room and then they quickly deposited their bags before grabbing lunch at the small restaurant on the cruiser.
"Now only two days of travel before we reach Thessia!" Cade smiled sarcastically, her face a little green. She suffered ship-sickness whenever she was crushed into a ship with a lot of people in it. Mali snickered from over her grilled cheese.
"Need some chicken noddle soup?" Mali asked sarcastically and Cade slapped her arm.
"Don't make me feel worse! You know how I get on public transport!" She glared. Oliver chuckled into his sandwich and sighed, enjoying this freedom.
"It's been too long since we had some leave." He smiled. "So, what do you want to do?"
"Two words," Mali replied, "HOT TUB." Oliver let out a laugh and smiled.
After two days of hot tubbing, movies, and eating unhealthy things they reached their final destination, having made a couple stops along the way at other space ports for other passengers. As they packed up their things and cleaned the candy wrappers from the floor Oliver and Cade contacted their families via omni-tool that they were arriving. Oliver turned to Mali curiously. "Who's picking you up?" He asked.
"I'm going to surprise her." Mali smiled.
"You devil!" Cade exclaimed, laughing. "She is totally going to hate that, you know!"
"Oh," Mali slyly smiled, "I know." When the ship landed they disembarked and they headed outside the pick-up/drop-off terminal where Cade's and Oliver's families were waiting. Interestingly enough, both of them belonged to families where they weren't related by blood. However as they climbed those stairs and saw the big welcome home banner and the group of smiling faces none of that mattered. Despite not being related, that didn't stop them from being truly family. All of Oliver's adopted little siblings rushed around him and tackled him to the floor while Cadence rushed in to hug Ara's parents, who had adopted her after the NightWall incident. Mali stood their smiling and watching until she was crushed from behind by two huge strong arms as Jacob Shepard lifted her up into a bone crushing hug. "Shepard!" Mali exclaimed with surprise.
"Welcome home my little N7!" He laughed as he set her back down and took her bag off her shoulder.
"How did you know I was coming?" Mali asked. He smiled.
"Somali, I am a Citadel Spectre, a Commander in the Alliance Military, my girlfriend is the Shadow Broker, not to mention that I saved the galaxy. I think I can find out if my daughter is coming home or not." The thirty-six year old man replied with a teasing twinkle in his blue eyes.
"Really, how?" Mali crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow, looking so much like Liara that Shepard had to laugh.
"Officer Joggerston let it slip over lunch that Oliver was coming home today, and I just connected two and two together, seeing as you guys travel everywhere together." He wiggled his eyebrows.
"Oh shut up, Cade is with us too." Mali replied, but a blush slowly creeped up her cheeks. Mali turned and waved goodbye to her two comrades before turning back to her father.
"Where to?" He asked.
"I need to go pick up my speeder from the holding office before heading over to Liara's."
"Alright," he nodded, "lead the way!" They walked back into the terminal part of the spaceport and headed toward the office.
"Liara doesn't know, right?" Mali asked.
"Of course not, that woman barley gets her head out of her research or schoolwork unless you're around. Be glad I'm around to add a little spice into her otherwise dull existence."
"You mean a little trouble?" Mali asked, knowing full well what happened to people when a Shepard was around. He chuckled.
"Tomato-Tomato. It's the same thing." He shrugged. They were quiet for a bit before Mali spoke again.
"You know I'm not actually an N7, right?" Mali asked quietly.
"I know," Shepard replied, "I heard what's happening, I'm sorry Mali." She nodded. He placed an arm around her shoulders as they walked and offered comfort as they walked. Mali remembered a time when she had dreamed about being in her father's arms someday, and she smiled slightly.
"Don't worry Shepard, it's not going to stop me."
"So," he changed the subject, "how long is your leave?"
"Four days left," Mali frowned, "then I go to the Citadel for new biotics training."
"I haven't seen you in eight months and we only get to see you for four days?" He sighed exasperated as they reached the office. He opened the door for her and they walked in, Mali stepping up to the counter, their conversation temporarily paused.
"Hello, I'm here to pick up my speeder." She spoke to the clerk.
"Receipt please." The asari pleasantly replied. Mali raised her arm over the counter and the asari scanned her omni-tool's glowing readout. "Somali T'soni-Shepard, spot 266B. Here's a pass to get down there." She handed her a small plastic card. "Have a nice day." They entered a door to the clerk's right and walked down the stairs to the parking garage where travelers could have their transports held while they were away.
"We should be happy, they were going to have me go directly there before Hackett said anything."
"Jeeze, I remember when they weren't so pushy." Shepard rubbed the back of his neck as they walked.
"That was before we got a spot on the Citadel Council." Mali grimaced. "Now everything is politics and business." They reached spot 266B and Mali smiled as her speeder came into view. It resembled a crotch rocket of the twenty-first century, but with thrusters and hover-tech instead of wheels. It glistened all silver and chrome in the parking garage light, one of the only things Mali had allowed herself to splurge on with her amassed fortune from her omni-color business. Liara had been strictly opposed to the idea of Mali riding around on one of those 'god-forsaken death machines' but Shepard had been behind her the whole way, even considering buying himself one until Liara reminded him he could barely afford his apartment.
Mali swiped the card through the electronic lock and the gate popped open, allowing them access inside the caged parking spot. Shepard handed her her duffle and Mali swung in onto her back before picking up her black motorcycle helmet and giving him one last hug. "Dinner tonight?" Mali asked. He shook his head.
"It'll just be you two, I've got a few pressing matters to see to tonight with the Alliance council, but I'll come tomorrow night-me and Liara had dinner plans then anyway."
"Alright, I'll see you then." Mali smile before mounting her bike and starting it up, filling the parking garage with its mechanical purr.
"Be safe Mali." He smiled with his hands in his pockets. Mali smiled before sticking her helmet on.
"Never." Mali chuckled, teasing, before waving goodbye and riding off, eager to see Liara. She made her way through the parking garage and out of the spaceport, swooping down to skim the tops of the trees as she headed towards home. Mali reveled in the feel of riding her bike again, enjoying the speed and power. She turned on the radio, music filling her helmet-she flipped around the channels until something caught her ear.
"-and they think they can just send kids out there?"
"Bobby, we both know they are more than just kids-they've passed N7 training for goodness sakes!"
"Have they? Do we really know if they've been fully prepared? For my part I don't like the idea of a kid in charge of negotiating peace treaties with hostile aliens, or even if they can at all? I don't believe they yet have the experience to draw upon to make wise decisions on the battlefield." Mali frownd as she listened.
"They are kids, are we really going to send children out to fight our own battles? Can they shoulder that kind of responsibility? We aren't even mentioning the ethical implications of sending kids off to war. I hear that there is even a fifteen year-old among their ranks."
"But the turians send their children to military training at age fifteen-"
"Their turians! We are human! Are we now going to look toward other species for examples on how to raise our own young? Next asari are going to be flying our Alliance spaceships-" Mali turned off the radio in disgust. The rest of the hour long trip was spent in silence as she fumed over the accusations they had brought to them. On one hand they were right, Mali couldn't deny they were children, but on the other hand, she knew what she had been through-and what they hadn't-and knew war like the back of her hand. She saw the ocean come into view ahead of her and breathed in its familiar scent as the roar of waves crashing filled her ears. Mali spotted the familiar small white house a few minutes later and with excitement starting to build in her stomach she touched down next to Liara's hovercar on their landing pad.
Mali dismounted and took a moment to gaze out at the ocean stretched before her eyes as the sun started to set, tinging the water with red and gold. It felt so good to be home. Mali removed her helmet and placed it on the bike, before walking down the small steps to their front door. She quietly let herself in with her home key-Liara still believed in real key and tumbler locks from her archeological days- and set her bag down just outside the kitchen as she made her way to where she knew Liara would be-her office. The door was slightly ajar and light was pouring out of the small crack from the otherwise dark house.
Mali breathed in the scents of her home as she walked down the hallway to the office door before quietly peeking in. Familiar light-blue crests came into view as Liara was bent over her computer with her back to the door, typing away on her computer. Next to Liara was a blue glowing sphere hovering over a console, aiding Liara with whatever she was doing. It looked like Victoria, their AI, hadn't alerted Liara to Mali's presence, probably seeing her intention, and Mali gave the AI a mental high-five. Mali felt a smile grow on her face as she drank in the sight of her best friend and confidant for a few moments, not having seen her for eight months. Then, as she was about to rush in and jump Liara the lithe asari stood from her chair, and Mali quickly shrank back from where she had poked her head in.
"Vic, I'll be back in a moment. Please continue surfing through that data I sent you-you are doing a great job." Her voice was just as soft and melodious as Mali remembered it to be.
"Of course Dr. T'soni." The AI responded. Mali quickly dove behind the bathroom door as Liara vacated her office and made her way down the hallway toward the kitchen. Mali snickered into her hand and decided to put her stealth classes to work. She crept down the hallway after the asari and peered around the corner to see Liara in the kitchen preparing herself some tea through the small window in the wall that separated the kitchen form the living room.
Mali dropt to her stomach and slithered across the white carpet of the house, using the furniture as cover. Then she tip-toed till she was at the door of the kitchen, and slowly crept in. Liara did not turn as Mali inched towards her; a giddy feeling growing in her stomach as she came to within an inch of the older being. As she drew in breath to yell Liara's name in her ear the asari suddenly flared up with blue flames and Mali found herself trapped in stasis.
"Don't even think about it, Somali Avon T'soni-Shepard."
Next Up: Mali moves back in!