Vega looked over at Blue, lounging across from him on the Kodiak. She looked like she was going on a damn vacation, with her legs splayed out across the seats. Suddenly, a wicked smile played across her lips. James would not have pressed her on it, except that she suddenly turned her head as if embarrassed.
"You gonna let me in on the joke?" Vega asked.
"Nah."
"Fine. Then I'm just gonna have to bug you about Van Dyne."
"You and Kaidan just think this is so fucking hilarious," she said bitterly.
"Hell yeah, Blue," Vega said, nudging her playfully with his foot. "You finally get to see what the world is like for us mere mortals."
"Yeah, and it fucking sucks," she grumbled. It was cute when she got this angry. Not quite to the point of mania or actually kicking the shit out of someone, but just annoyed enough to pout. "I can't trust this asshole if I don't know what's really going on inside his head."
"Welcome to the land of the living," Vega scoffed.
"I'm serious. I don't know how the hell you guys do it," she said, straightening up. "I mean, I guess I did it once. But that was ten years ago. I … I find myself having quite a lot of respect for you guys now. The way you put yourselves out there with other people. It's … brave, really. And it leaves me wondering why the hell you idiots trusted me."
"I still ask myself that question every day," James said, smiling. "You know, though, I had always figured it was harder on your end."
"How so?"
"I mean, you see all of a person. Dios, I know even I've thought some things about you that wouldn't … well, you know … earn your trust."
"Relax. Your inner monologues tend to be quite tame compared to some of the privates aboard the Normandy."
"What? Who?" James asked incredulously, suddenly feeling very protective. "Oh man, I'm surprised Joker hasn't crashed the Normandy already."
"One, Jeff would never crash the Normandy. There could be a damn Reaper aboard and you couldn't convince him to do it," Kaya laughed. "And, two, I don't tell Jeff those kinds of things."
"Okay, but this is what I'm talking about, Blue. You see all of these nasty little parts of people. And then you have to make choices. Which secrets do you tell? What gets kept to yourself? I mean, how many times a day do you have to lie to cover someone else's ass?"
"If we're talking lies of omission, there's no way I could keep count. But, I have a mantra. Actions speak louder than words, but both are more important than thoughts. People think a lot of things they wouldn't even say out loud, let alone do. Those little thoughts don't necessarily define who they are. I've learned to tell the difference."
"Yeah, well, I don't envy you, Blue."
"Nor should you, I guess. You don't have to walking through everyone's sexual encounters and big mistakes and nightmares and–" Blue stopped herself, wrapping her arms around her knees. "And things I have no right to see."
"That's what this morning was about, wasn't it?" James asked, the memory clicking into place. "You saw something inside my head. Three guesses as to what, I suppose."
"It wasn't your fault."
"Yeah. And I've made peace with that."
"Have you?"
The pilot interrupted them from the front of the Kodiak, "ETA five minutes, Lieutenant Commander."
Ah, man. How much of that did he hear? I miss when Esteban was in charge of the shuttle.
"Well," Blue said, as if he had spoken aloud, "then get him on board. He seemed like a pretty cool guy at Shepard's party. I wouldn't mind having him around."
"I don't think Esteban's gonna give up his cushy life as CAG aboard a damn dreadnought to come serve under a semi-rogue spectre. I mean, no offense to the major, but … well …"
"He's not Shepard," Blue finished for him. "And we're not in the middle of a war for our very survival. Too bad you don't carry fighters aboard frigates. Still, if anyone could convince him–"
"That person would be Shepard, Blue. Not me."
"Well, if Shepard's taking this whole thing as seriously as Garrus is, then maybe she'll lend a hand," Blue said. "Seriously, this has really gotten under the Council's skin. Which makes sense, really. They've had almost six years of relative peace. Now, as the rebuilding wraps up, the last thing they need is for a bunch of upstart humans to launch a military coordinated by damn mind control."
"You're about to go on a rant about the Reapers, aren't you?"
"I just don't fucking understand why we all can't get along. The entire galaxy faced fucking extinction, and yet five years later they're back to their damn petty problems."
"Blue, you probably understand human nature better than anyone. And most aliens aren't very different from humans, as far as I know. But you don't have to be psychic to know that we can be a real petty, selfish, shortsighted bunch. Hell, that's how the Reapers even got as much of a jump on us as they did."
"Yeah, well, we suck," she said, pouting.
"Yeah, but not all of us, right?"
Aboard the space station that was Grissom Academy, Jack was leaning nonchalantly against a pillar in the docking bay. The place was gorgeous, and Kaya found herself cursing Kaidan and his bright idea to strike a truce that involved her being aboard the Normandy. Hadn't this originally been the plan? She would come to the Academy and study, improving her biotics and working with the other Indigo kids?
She made a mental note to chew Kaidan out for that one – for not pushing hard enough against the idea that the Alliance and the Council would never let her out of a field assignment – as they approached Jack.
"Hey, assholes," Jack said with a smirk. "How's life aboard the SSV Alenko working out?"
"You know, I was just thinking that I should go rogue and head over here," Kaya said, giving Jack a hug. The gesture was not returned. But, much to Jack's credit, she did not try to blast away Kaya with her biotics, either.
"I had to go and mentor a hugger," Jack muttered.
Kaya couldn't help but notice how Jack and Vega politely ignored each other.
"Oh, Jesus Christ," Kaya said, rolling her eyes. "So you banged. So what? We're all adults here."
And that was when Kaya found herself suspended in the air by a singularity.
After getting down – an endeavor neither James nor Jack were particularly inclined to help with – she followed them both into the school proper. It had been rebuilt after the Reaper invasion, given that it held too many bad memories for many of the students who had been there when Cerberus attacked. And the new Academy was damn impressive, with high ceilings and vegetation growing up the walls. There was artificial sunlight streaming in through skylights above, warm upon her face as they passed under.
"So I take it Kaidan mentioned why we're here?" Kaya said, but Jack only responded with a stony silence. "Oh, come on! It's not my fault!"
"Alenko said he had some information to share," Jack said pointedly to James. "Said he couldn't go into it more over vidcomm. But, before we get to business, I figured you'd want to meet Project Indigo."
"Wait, seriously?" Kaya said, smiling. With all of the bad news lately, the thought had not even crossed her mind. "Jack, that would be amazing. Although, if they're all like Van Dyne, there might be a problem."
Jack had to laugh derisively at that. "Don't worry. Alexis is definitely the shithead of the bunch. Where is that asshole, anyway?"
"They're looking for Agent Malik," Kaya said, and she felt a pang of worry on Jack's end. "Don't worry, they have a pretty good lead. They'll find her."
"They had better. Pari's a good kid, and she's an even better soldier. We're going to need her help," Jack said. "Did Alexis say what happened to force them off the grid?"
"Just that they got the same intel packet Liara did," Kaya said. "We'll discuss that later. We still don't know who the source was, but he indicated that they would go after the Indigo field agents soon."
"Who would?" Jack asked, and Kaya shot her a pointed look. Not here. "Right, well, let me introduce you to the little shits, and we can discuss that later."
They entered a recreational room that brought Kaya back to her days sent at St. Vincent's. Sure, this room had a window that looked out onto the stars and games made of holograms, instead of the narrow stained glass and single pool table that Kaya remembered. But, the students reminded her of classmates long gone. A couple were playing some chess-like game involving spaceships. A few others were watching a Biotiball match. Kaya noted Vega's attention drifting over in that direction. The rest of the students were sitting around a kitchen table.
Jack put her fingers to her lips and produced a high-pitched whistle. "Alright, listen up. Grandma Indigo is here, so show her some respect."
Kaya rolled her eyes as all attention turned to her. She was startled to see that all of teenagers in the room were demonstrating varying degrees of the same mental shielding Van Dyne used. Damn, she really needed to learn how to do that. If for no other reason than to get Alexis out of her fucking head.
"It was Pari's idea," one of the students watching the Biotiball game offered. "I'm Maureen, by the way. And, yeah, you can imagine things were getting pretty crazy around here. Quite a few fist-fights over who was thinking of sleeping with who. So, Pari developed the shields. It's tough – and it takes a lot out of you – but it gets the job done."
"And, don't worry," another student offered, standing up from his game of Ardat-Yakshi, "Alexis pisses us all off."
"It's just so … bizarre," Kaya said, shaking her head. "But I have to imagine, once you get used to it, it's kind of nice. Quiet."
"Nah, it's still mostly just annoying," the male student said. "But, it's the price we pay for a little privacy."
"Speak for yourselves," a young girl said quietly in the back. Kaya noted that she had to be no older than twelve. She also noted that her thoughts were completely unshielded.
"Aw, you'll get the hang of it, Lily," Maureen said kindly. "You've only been here for three months. It took me a full year to get on top of it."
Kaya found herself smiling at them. They were a unit, a team. Sure, there was the typical high school drama bubbling under the surface. But, despite everything, it was evidence that Grissom Academy was giving them a far more normal childhood than anything Kaya ever had.
Then, that pleasant thought was suddenly interrupted by an alarm rending the air.