Kaya took a moment to look through the fridge before continuing on her quest to meet all of her guardians. She was surprised to realize that she probably had not eaten in over a day, even though all she could bring herself to eat at the moment was an apple.

She leaned against the kitchen countertop and bit into the crisp flesh, looking around the fairly empty mess hall. There were a couple of crew members chatting in the corner by a water cooler, paying no attention to Kaya. She smiled a little at the realization that they were flirting. It was comforting to see something so familiar.

Kaya finished her apple and headed over to Liara's cabin. Immediately, a glowing white orb flew around her in a disorienting fashion.

"Welcome, Dr. Cole."

"Kaya," Liara said in surprise, looking up from her console. Kaya looked around, wide-eyed, at the room. It was some kind of mobile command center, with screens and computing equipment everywhere. She found herself being careful not to trip on the thick cables running across the floor.

"What's a shadow broker?" Kaya asked, finding the word in Liara's own consciousness.

"An information trader," Liara answered. "And it's the Shadow Broker, actually. Did you just read my thoughts?"

"Oh, god, sorry," Kaya said, wincing. "I try not to do that. But, I can't really help it. Trying to block out people's thoughts is like … keeping your eyes open but not seeing every color. It's just part of how I perceive the world. And now it's stronger. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Liara said softy. Kaya could tell she was a little disturbed at the idea of all of her secrets being laid bare. More than a little, actually. But, there was empathy, too. "It's fascinating, really. Can you explain a little about how it works?"

"You lot seem to know more than me. Nobody knew what eezo was, back before … well … you know. Apparently whatever I was exposed to is almost chemically identical, although not quite. So, my pseudo-eezo nodules don't impart biotic abilities. Instead I … read people."

"We knew someone else who could do that," Liara said. "A prothean."

"Wait, what? I thought the Proteans were extinct. Wiped out by the Reapers."

"They were," Liara said. "But there was one who survived in a life pod. Javik."

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this?" Kaya said, cracking her knuckles nervously.

The reason came to her before Liara could vocalize it.

"He's gone. He left to find the graves of his comrades, and he made it very clear he was not coming back," Liara said. "I'm sorry. I suppose you two would have had a lot to talk about."

"Yeah, seriously," Kaya sighed. "Oh well. Can you tell me about him?"

They talked about Javik, and the Protheans in general. It was nice, getting engrossed in this semi-academic conversation. Kaya kept prodding Liara with questions after she turned out to be an expert on the Protheans. But, she also avoided asking about Javik's psychic abilities, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the asari.

Eventually, the two were completely engrossed in conversation and had moved over to the couch in the corner of the room. They were interrupted an hour later by the whoosh of the automatic door to Liara's cabin opening. Kaiden was standing in the doorway with a bottle of wine.

"Oh, sorry. Is now a bad time?"

Kaya smirked as the room buzzed with their nervous energy. Watching the very beginnings of a relationship always amused her. There was so much tension and fear, but there was bliss, too. There was excitement. Kaya had never actually felt that way herself, but feeling the emotions of friends and strangers sufficed. It reminded her how beautifully unpredictable life could be.

"I should go," Kaya said, standing up quickly. "I'll catch you two later."